Homura didn't pull potential out of nowhere to staple to Madoka. She, through her actions, made Madoka the fulcrum on which the fate of dozens if not hundreds of universes balanced.
So. Could Madoka's wish to fix everything manifest as heightened potentials? It could, but only by actually altering events such that a certain potentials ended up higher in the new world.
For example, it couldn't just make Sayaka have more potential by increasing a number in her metaphorical "bank account", but it could cause a chain of events to occur where Sayaka's house burned down and then she made a wish that tied her destiny to the Mitakihara groups - and then that could lead to Sayaka having more potential.
For example, it couldn't just make Sayaka have more potential by increasing a number in her metaphorical "bank account", but it could cause a chain of events to occur where Sayaka's house burned down and then she made a wish that tied her destiny to the Mitakihara groups - and then that could lead to Sayaka having more potential.
The warhammer-shaped gavel in Sabrina's hand strikes the block.
Just once.
"Mikuni Oriko is hereby declared innocent," she entonates gravely. "Furthermore, Kaname Madoka..."
Blue eyes snap to Madoka's trembling pink orbs, and then to Homura seated beside her, looking impeccable in a suit and tie.
Her shaking white fists rattle on the table.
Sabrina blinks the moisture away from her eyes.
Her voice barely trembles as she announces:
"You are found guilty!"
A wave of silence sweeps the room.
The dark haired time traveller whimpers.
Madoka wipes off her own tears and quickly tries to console the slumped, defeated girl.
"... I... I couldn't..." Homura murmur before her words become unintelligible.
From the other side of the room, Oriko averts her eyes from the scene, a deep sorrow weighting her gaze down. Kirika quickly gives her a peck on the lips, causing them to turn into a smile.
Sabrina shakily takes a deep breathe, back ramrod straight. Her eyes flutter open and closed repeatedly before she regains her composture.
Her gaze wanders and set upon Mami and Sayaka. The blonde girl gives her a minute nod, while the bleunette winks.
"Kaname Madoka," continues Sabrina. "For your crime of interdimensional, fate bending, timey wavey arson against the Mikis... Your sentence shall be..."
The pinkette closes her eyes, and lets herself fall against Homura's form.
"You shall do Sayaka's homework for a week!"
Madoka's jaw drops.
A second later, she snorts, which quickly devolves into giggling.
"We-hi-hi-hi..."
She collapses further against the girl leaning on her, but now in mirth rather than sorrow.
Sabrina's gavel strikes down once more.
"Dismissed!"
The room immediately becomes a hub of activity, girls standing to leave or just to hang around, chatting happily as if nothing had happened.
Sabrina steps down to meet Mami, who is quick to attach herself to her side, and Sayaka, who greets Sabrina with a high five.
"So that was a thing," comments Sabrina, nodding to Oriko and Kirika, who nod back as they take their leave.
"Can I keep this?" asks Mami, pointing at the little warhammer in Sabrina's hand. The white haired girl hands it over with a smile.
Sayaka snorts. "I thought this whole thing might have been going too far, but her, no homework for a week," she shrugs.
Sabrina rolls her eyes.
"H-Homura!"
The three girls turn to Madoka's cry.
The pink girl repeatedly calls to the dark haired girl, still slumped against her; Madoka's calls get more and more frantic as the time traveller doesn't respond in any way.
The pinkette's head snaps up, eyes that scream help meeting Sabrina's blue ones.
You can't aprehend me because you're complicit in this. If it wasn't for you blaming Madoka for burning Sayaka's house, the keyboard wouldn't have made me keep typing.
I wasn't planning to write more than ten coloured quote lines, really!
... I wonder if Homu will actually let us call her Homu at some point. I mean, besides such a time as Brina's vomiting a deluge of words and Homu might or might not notice it.
Mami's important. But that doesn't mean Homura isn't, too. It doesn't mean any of your friends, anybody else, isn't. What was it you'd thought all that time ago? Save the world, save one girl - what's the difference? In some ways, you think that might be your purpose, if you have one. If Madoka's Wish caused you to spring into existence.
Here and now, you focus on Homura, and you smile at her.
"Homura, thank you. Just... thank you so much, Homura," you say, tugging lightly on her wrist. "For putting up with me, for your patience with me and Oriko and the whole Asunaro thing."
Homura's eyes slant away from you, glancing down. "It's not a problem."
"No, I mean it, Homura," you say. "I mean every word of it, from the depths of my heart: thank you. I know how much you hate them. I can only imagine how much you have to put up with me and my demands. So thank you, Homura."
"You're welcome," she murmurs, eyes flicking back up to you.
"Can I give you a hug?" you ask, raising your free arm a little.
She doesn't answer verbally, but she does raise her free arm, just a little, just far enough for you to step in and hug her tight. You can feel how tense she is, tension humming in her still-too-thin frame.
It takes a moment for her to relax, even the slightest bit. Corded, wire-taut muscle eases just a little, and her head sags forward against your shoulder.
"It'll be alright," you whisper.
She sighs, arms hanging limply at your side as you hug her, and you release her after a moment, keeping your hand on her wrist.
"How has your day been?" you ask. "You spent a good chunk of it with Madoka and Sayaka, how was it?"
"It was- good," Homura allows. Her lips compress for a second, eyes distant. "Miki Sayaka has been... less annoying than she usually is."
"She Wished good," you say, grinning at the faint consternation in her voice. "And she has a good impression of you, now."
"That's good," Homura says, quiet and toneless. "Useful, if she makes it."
You bite back a sigh. You can understand why she thinks that way, how that mindset carved itself into her mind over the years she looped, but even so. "She'll make it," you say. "I'm not perfect, I admit. I'm sorry... I'm sorry for the mistake I made."
"It's done," Homura says, looking down. Her expression is very, very tired all of a sudden. "I understand the mistake."
"No, I- Homura, look at me?" you ask. She does, reluctantly, lifting worn amethyst eyes to meet your gaze. "I promise to do better. It was a slip up, but Homura, I'm with you. I want to beat Walpurgisnacht, I want to help you, and Madoka, and Mami, and everyone else. I promise."
"I know," Homura says, eyes sliding away from yours again. "I- I believe you."
"Alright," you say, and pull her into another brief hug, patting her gently on the back. Releasing her, you give her another smile. "How was your day, otherwise?"
"Madoka is- safe. Happy," Homura says. "She- she settled down, after the... revelation. Miki Sayaka talked to her, and they- they asked me for reassurance. I told them it would be fine."
"Good," you say, squeezing her wrist. Hope. Hope. Maybe the most valuable thing you can supply.
If someone tells me it's wrong to hope, I'll tell them they're wrong every time.
It's a rush of relief, because despite everything, Homura still has that spark, however tiny it might be.
"You weren't lying to her," you whisper. And perhaps there's a touch of urgency in your voice, because you want her to believe, too. "We're gonna do this, come what may."
She sighs, looking away once more.
"Did anything else happen?" you prompt.
The only answer is a slight shrug. "Nothing much."
"OK. I hope you had a nice afternoon, at least," you say, smiling at her.
She nods once, short and sharp. Her jaw works silently for a second, so you let her think and wrestle with whatever thought she might have. Finally, she speaks.
"Do you... do you really think the Asunaro girls can reverse Witching?" Homura asks.
"I... Hm," you say, frowning. "I'm not absolutely sure. Truthfully, all the madness stems from Kazusa Witching out. They take her Grief Seed, and with it, they grow a clone that has her memories. It... doesn't work, until they create a clone that doesn't have her memories. The same personality, but..."
You trail off. You'd glossed over the fact that according to your memories-that-never-were, the first few clones inevitably went berserk.
"Then..." Homura's voice is questioning.
"That isn't the whole story, this time," you say. "True, they don't have the same, ah, motivation. But this time, we have Rionna Mag Aoidh, and her magic is about the Soul. And we've got me - I can fuel their experiments indefinitely. So I'm confident we can at least equal that success."
Homura nods slowly. "Then they don't know that magical girls turn into Witches yet?"
"Eh," you say. "I'm not sure. Probably not? That... isn't the biggest worry, I suppose."
What is a worry is telling Mami. You haven't told her, and you're worried about her reaction, but... you don't like not telling her, either. It's a sword hanging over your head, one that could be brought down with crushing force by Kyuubey or even simple misfortune.
"I see." Homura nods again.
"I'm optimistic about it. It's something utterly new, and I think we've got good chances," you say, beaming at her. You might be repeating yourself, but you want to hammer it in as much for your own sake as hers. You've got something new. "But... enough about that. How are you?"
"I am- I am fine," Homura sighs, hesitating for a second. "Worried."
"Oh?" you prompt gently.
She grimaces, but doesn't say anything more.
"We'll be fine, Homura," you say. "I promise. I can't promise not to make mistakes - I'm not perfect, as much as I wish I were. And hey, I already blew my Wish, so I can't Wish for that, right?"
You grin at her, trying to get her to smile, even just a bit. You let it fade a few moments later, though. "I'm with you, Homura. Every step of the way. I can only imagine what it's like, but... I think we can."
"I know," she sighs. "It's just hard."
"I know," you say. "Even so."
She shrugs, the barest rise and fall of her shoulders.
"Hm... Speaking of supporting you, hey- when are you going to do that supply run again?" you ask. You're probably not going to get much more out of her on that particular topic.
"This week," Homura says. "Why?"
"Well, I was thinking we could go anytime, really," you say. "Now, if you want to."
She blinks very slowly at you, looking faintly nonplussed. It's a talent, the way she can convey emotions without actually changing her expression from that perennially blank poker face.
"... I suppose that won't be necessary?" you venture.
A nearly imperceptible narrowing of her eyes sharpens her gaze to an unamused glare.
You snicker, grinning at her. "Fine, fine," you say. "But really, feel free to pick me up any time for the trip, yeah? If you want, anyway."
"I will," Homura agrees.
"Alright, I- hm, do you want to sit down? I feel a bit silly just standing here," you say, waving your free hand at the bench.
Homura shrugs, and obligingly starts in the direction of said bench. You follow, and the both of you sit down - the wrought iron frame is cold to your back. You can just see Mami, frozen in grey hues with that gentle, patient smile on her face and hands clasped in front of her.
It's a little uncomfortable, seeing her like that. Just stuck. It won't be for long, though.
"How are you?" Homura broaches the silence after a moment, stirring you from your thoughts.
Your eyebrows arch high in surprise, and you grin at her. "I'm... mmm, I'm a little stressed, I guess," you say. "Just lots to do, you know? But I'm coping just fine. Thank you for asking."
Homura nods, following silent again. She relaxes a little, leaning back against the bench.
"Well... here's a thought that's been bouncing about my head for a while," you say slowly. "Let me preface it by saying that I'm... mmm, I'm even less sure about this than I am about the whole mess in Asunaro."
Homura glances at you, a questioning tilt to her head.
"I think I might..." you say, and trail off. You want to tell Homura about Tart, better known to the world at large as Jeanne d'Arc. Joan of Arc, and maybe, just maybe, known to Homura as Walpurgisnacht.
Tart, whose huge potential fuels overwhelmingly powerful defensive magic, flying a panoply of gear motifs. Whose costume flares wide, trimmed with frills that resemble Walpurgisnacht's upside-down skirt. Whose dear friend Riz Hawkwood is Homura to Tart's Madoka, who has shadow teleportation, and who isn't there when Tart is burned at stake. Who might Witch out in helpless despair, her Witch joining with Tart's to form the budding super-Witch.
You want to tell Homura. It might be useful, because if you can confirm it, then perhaps you know why Walpurgisnacht comes to Mitakihara. Homura to Tart's Madoka. If you're right, maybe you should be saying "Riz to Madoka's Tart" instead.
But...
You're not sure you should do that. It might be useful, yes, but...
If you're right, then Walpurgisnacht arrives at Mitakihara seeking Madoka and Homura. Because their story resonates. What better tragedy for the stage-constructing Witch with helpless nature than to watch a pair so similar to themselves be torn apart?
It isn't something you want Homura to hear, off-handed, like this.
"Sabrina?" Homura asks, glancing at you.
You blow out a breath, and force a smile onto your face. "It's a passing thought," you say. "But it's... mm, it's something I think I'll put off for now. And besides, it was just a hypothesis, anyway."
"Alright," Homura says, frowning but letting it go.
You blow out a breath, puffing your cheeks out as you exhale. "Well... moving on, do you have any plans for Walpurgisnacht? Recruiting and, mmm, power interaction testing?"
"Bennouna will be useful," Homura murmurs. "I've tried recruiting personally. I told you of those magical girls before. They were hard to persuade."
"Did you try to bring them in early?" you ask.
"It was hard to convince them to travel for Walpurgisnacht itself," she murmurs, shaking her head. "They would not want to leave their cities undefended."
"Hm," you say, grimacing. "Yeah, I see that. I kind of want to see if we can arrange for them to arrive early, and then we can test how our powers might synergise, you know?"
"Bennouna will send us some magical girls," Homura says. "We can work with them."
"Hm... yeah," you agree. "We have a core group, the four of us. We can train pretty effectively, and integrate tactics with the newcomers, and then you know their powers. We can plan tactics for integrating the likes of Taniguchi and Utsugi, yes?"
Homura nods, a shallow dip of her head. "That's what I mean," she says.
"Hm," you say, rubbing your chin. "We probably still need to travel out to recruit them, don't we?"
"I don't know," Homura says. "I've never... never asked Bennouna to recruit for me before."
"Right," you agree. "Hrm. So, check with her when she gets back with the two from Shiogama."
"Yes," Homura agrees.
"That's settled, then," you say. "Speaking of Taniguchi, any recommendations for meeting Tokyo's Council?"
"It would be easier to shoot them," Homura says, grimacing.
Your eyebrows shoot up.
"The Council is led by the girls who enjoy arguing," Homura mutters. "Nobody else wants to be there."
"Ugh," you say. "I see. And it probably self-selects for the most argumentative ones, because anyone else just gets driven off."
"Correct." Homura nods in confirmation.
"Ew," you say, sighing.
Voting opens
[] Continue talking to Homura
- [] What about?
[] Dinner time with Mami
- [] Drop Homura off somewhere
- [X] Be sappy and affectionate
[] Continue through rest of night
- [] Anything specific to do?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Do remember that the Tokyo Council is mostly made of teenaged girls.
I get slightly uncomfortable with delving too far into the power of social fu but the awkward and somewhat stilted conversation as well as Homura's slight relaxation during the hug and the understanding of minute changes to her otherwise blank face were just adorable. It makes me smile for Homura to have someone who understands her that she can lean on when needed.
Telling them to stay away from Walpurgisnacht and seeing if they argue into bearing the brunt of the fighting.
Though it's just a joke, argumentative probably means they have some arguing for and others against every proposal. I was just using the other meaning of argumentative to make a joke.
You know, if we could make something like "a good resolution to reasons for Grief" become a new, better, fuel source, and have that extend to having Witches become something different, the whole "Riz Hawkwood is Homura to Tart's Madoka" could be a interesting place to start. I wonder what they would become.
