You eventually decide refusing the food your host so graciously made would be insulting, even if it is mostly lost on you.
Attempting new and unfamiliar things couldn't hurt, right?
Mami returns a few moments later with your utensils, placing a set of polished and sharp steel tools, one that you recognize as a knife, aside from your plate. She takes the chair directly in front of you, beaming at you as she brings her hands together.
"Let's eat!"
Nodding at her exclamation, you set yourself to the task of deciphering the conundrum before you. You fail to recognize even a single of the dishes, but you
think you see some vegetables and cooked meat, which you serve into your plate.
Mami skillfully handles her 'chopsticks', succeeding in making you feel inadequate with your comparatively primitive utensils.
Nevertheless, you bring your food into your mouth, awkwardly chewing through it one bite at a time.
The food tastes… adequate? Theodore's cupcakes are admittedly not the same as a full-blown dinner, but you genuinely fail to identify anything unexpected or astonishing from the food as you continue eating, utilizing muscles and organs you had previously thought to be unnecessary.
…Maybe it's not so bad.
Determining that the silence has stretched for long enough, you endeavor to make conversation. "The food is delicious." You tell Mami, making her look up in surprise. "Thank you once again."
Mami seems embarrassed by your praise, brushing it off with a wave of her hand. "It's nothing, really," she says. "But I do hope it's enough for the both of us; I'm not used to having guests for dinner. I should go buy groceries tomorrow…"
Ha! It worked. You successfully started a conversation with someone else.
But… Of course, you were successful, why would you ever doubt that?
You spend quite a bit of time examining her reaction to your words, scrutinizing details that you only manage to perceive thanks to your enhanced senses.
Naturally, the
actual conversation in front of you completely escapes your mind, and you only realize the fact after you go to help yourself for more food, having long warmed up to the taste of normal and typical human cuisine.
You self-consciously glance up to see Mami almost finishing her plate, and you hastily attempt to resuscitate the long deceased talk.
"Mami?" You prompt her. "I have… an inquiry." You pause. "Regarding magical girls."
She sets her chopsticks aside, raising an eyebrow at you. "Oh? What do want to know about?" She asks, her tone teeming with curiosity.
…You have no idea what to ask.
"About… their life." Yes. That. "It seems strange to me that a young girl like you has access to… Well. Magic." You put in the simplest terms possible, almost glad Mami is already conscious of your otherworldly status.
Mami considers your question for a moment. "Hmm... How about this?" She asks. "I'll tell you all I know on the subject, and in exchange, you have to tell me more about yourself. Is that fair?"
You avert her gaze, musing on her proposition. There
are quite a few things you failed to inform her of… "I suppose it's fine…" You mutter.
"Great!" She brings a hand to her chin, thinking on her answer. "Where should I start…?" She takes a deep breath, easing herself into the conversation. "I was contracted by Kyubey a few years ago. And so, in exchange for a life of fighting against witches, I was granted a single wish."
Mami looks away at that, expression suddenly downcast. "I wouldn't be here today without him." She clears her throat after a few seconds. "A-Anyways," she refocuses back, surprising you by opening her hand and calling her soul to it. It appears in a flash of yellow light in its egg form, and you make sure to hide your uneasiness at her anomalous soul. She wouldn't take kindly to you bad mouthing her literal self, after all.
She wouldn't be alive today without what appears to be a literal miracle? There is clearly a deeper trauma there… Still, you aren't sure you should prod her for more information on such a personal subject.
"This is my Soul Gem." Oh. The name is… consistent, in the very least. "It's the source of my magical girl abilities. Using any type of magic always has a cost, causing it to temporarily corrupt with grief."
You bring a cup of water to your lips, musing on her words. "And you use these 'Grief Seeds' to cleanse it?" It all lines up with what you theorized, for the moment.
Mami nods. "Exactly," she says. "But that's really only the surface level of it all. Being a magical girl also means protecting the average person from Witches and their familiars. We are the only ones who can destroy them."
You raise a perplexed eyebrow. "They are unaware of their existence?"
"Yes. I'm sure Kyubey could explain it better," she tells you, glancing around for the little creature. "But he's told me revealing their presence to the world would only serve to cause panic. They feed on human despair and suffering, and those who aren't magical girls can't even
see them."
"I see…"
"It's not perfect…" She says quietly. "But it's better than the alternative."
Mami raises from her seat at that, collecting all the now empty dishes into a sizeable pile. You stand up as well, following her as she makes her way into what you correctly guessed to be her kitchen, and you marvel at the glinting tidiness of the room.
She turns to you as she deposits the plates on a steel cavity, similar to something you'd previously only seen on human bathrooms. "I believe it's your turn now?" She says with a small mischievous tone.
What do you do?
[] Tell her about yourself. She's obviously curious about your existence.
-[] Explain your purpose in her world. You are only there for a momentary rest, after all.
-[] Be detailed about your past, but vague concerning recent events.
-[] Omit specific subjects or events?
--[] Your role and duties as a resident of the Velvet Room.
--[] The existence of Personas.
--[] Your… former condition.
--[] Something else?
-[] Tell her something else?
[] Make her ask you questions. You've failed to find a suitable topic that would satisfy her curiosity. You really aren't
that interesting.
-[] Avoid a specific topic?
--[] Your purpose in her world.
--[] Personas.
-[] Do something else?
[] Write-In.
-=-
Not happy with this at all. I'm seriously considering cutting an update's length in half to give you guys more input in Lavenza's individual words and actions. You can totally refuse to tell Mami anything if you want.
It's currently around 8:30 PM, in case anyone's curious.
EDIT: Kyubey and Mami have been added to the character sheet post.
