779/I Petition You For An Alliance

I Petition You For An Alliance
Date of Scene:	17 November 2023
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Runealy meets with Madoka on the RHA rooftop at lunch time. They discuss an alliance, talk about smartphones, and Madoka lends Runealy a Grief Seed for the night.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Runealy Waldia

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Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka spends a lot of time at school, but not much more than necessary. When she's not in class she's either walking to class, eating lunch on the roof, or walking home. Right now is option B, and Madoka is sitting on one of Radiant Heart's multiple rooftops with a bento open in her lap and a pair of chopsticks in her hand. She's picking at her food, which was lovingly prepared for her by her father, and happily nomming little bits of it.

    Brai and Medo, her two Chara, are also here. Once in a while they pluck a bit of food from Madoka's bento and nibble on it.

    It's a calm and wholesome moment in Madoka's otherwise dramatic and sometimes terrifying life. Just two Chara and their bearer enjoying a home made meal on a school rooftop. Smiling and happy as they enjoy the moment.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune tries to spend as little time at school as possible, including ignoring clubs. This probably contributes to her reputation for being unusual, but she is only here as long as needed.

Today, finding Madoka is 'needed.' After asking around enough, she eventually gets hints from other students to head to the roof.

Opening the door to the roof, she quickly finds Madoka and starts to walk up... then reconsiders upon noticing tiny movements in the distance. Rune leans forward to try to get even a slightly better view, and realizes the 'movement' is actually Medo and Brai...

...And this leaves Rune returning to an upright posture, and standing quietly some distance away from the trio. She is watching, but apparently unwilling to get close or speak up.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka chats with her two Chara. Brai of them says something funny and she giggles. After a moment, Medo looks over to notice Rune. She tugs on Brai's sleeve, and the braided fairy turns to look. Madoka is the third to notice, and she smiles at the girl from 'Europe' and waves at her.

    "Rune-chan! Hi~!" she calls out.

    Sensing something odd in the foreign girl's posture, she sets aside her bento and stands up to walk closer. From behind her, Gretchen suddenly appears, steals an octopus sausage from her bento, and then vanishes through a weird portal.

    "Rune? Is something wrong? Did you come here to see me?"

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune is easily spotted; she makes no effort to hide, and just standing there is a very odd thing to do. So the 'spotting chain' from Chara to Bearer faces no trouble there.

When Madoka greets her from afar, Rune barely reacts. She has a slight head-tilt, but not much more. Then when Madoka approaches, Rune finally walks up to meet her half-way. "You speak falsely and truly at the same time. There is nothing gravely amiss, though I did hope to speak with you. Yet here I stand, interrupting a meal. I would seek you again at a better time, if you would have it?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka headtilts at Runealy, and then looks back at her lunch, then back to Rune. "Eheh. I mean, it's customary at school to chat while eating. You're not interrupting anything, so it's fine. Do you want to try some?"

    Madoka walks back to the bench she was sitting on, and then soon returns with her bento. "Here, try this piece of chicken. My father's cooking is delicious!" She has an extra pair of chopsticks, in case she wants to share with friends. She holds a piece of orange chicken between them, offering it to Rune.

    "Of course... if you wanted to chat later, we could meet after school. I'll be leaving in a few hours, if there's something that we can't really talk about here."

    Something feels off, and Madoka can tell, but she doesn't know if it's Runealy's normal awkwardness or not.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Ah?" Rune blinks a few times. "You are offering, then? Far be it from me to insult your courtesy. My thanks!" Rune reaches out to take the sticks and chicken... and for all her cultural oddities, she handles this just fine; Rune is able to eat it without incident.

Then another blink, then a reflexive smile. "You speak rightly, your father has produced quite the meal! And no... the matters I seek you for are neither sensitive nor secretive. We can speak here, if it pleases you. After all... you, in particular, will be the topic."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka smiles brightly as Rune takes the offered food, and then gives the alien princess a curious look. "Oh? Me? Is there something that you wanted to ask me?"

    Nothing wrong with that, she supposes.

    "Well, feel free to ask away."

    In the back of her mind, Madoka wonders what exactly would be the topic. Something to do with her? Well, a lot has changed recently, and the Chara Bearer has been getting around.

    Somehow it doesn't strike her as strange that Rune can handle chopsticks just fine. Madoka doesn't know how common those are in 'Europe' but the other pink-haired girl has been here long enough that she'd had to have plenty of practice regardless.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"I hope to ask a great many things," Rune confirms to the other pink-haired girl. "At first, I had thought not to trouble you; tending to others as a volunteer healer was service enough to the community's wellbeing. Yet now I find you are more than an excellent citizen... with the arrival of Brai and Medo," Rune nods to each of the Charas in turn, "it would seem you are my peer. A peer who has shown that even at her most dark and vile... she is beyond reproach."

Rune's gaze lowers, her voice matching this shift in demeanor. "And it is with that, that I must admit... I am lost. My efforts to learn of Tokyo are of little avail. My only progress is made through those who have seen through my origins and offer aid."

A few headshakes follow, hair swishing. "This should not be. I should be equal to the task of exploring your society. Yet I am not, and I cannot spend month upon month blundering about Tokyo... there are greater matters I must tend to."

She finally gets to the point, eyes lifting to meet Madoka's. "I thus petition you for an alliance!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka blinks, and then 'ehehs'. At her most dark and vile?

    Oh right, that fire lady did try to youmafy her, didn't she?

    ... and then there's Gretchen, the most evil part of her, who is actually just sad and grumpy and mischievous sometimes.

    That's... kind of a flattering thing to think about, she thinks.

    Once Madoka finishes hearing the rest of what Rune wants to say, she blinks. After everything she said about needing to make it alone, is she changing her mind? Well, far be it from Madoka to refuse a friend.

    "I'd love to be your ally!" is her response. "... and I have to admit your cover story has always been a bit shifty to me. I'd be happy to help you find your way around, or explain things to you if needed. Plus..."

    Madoka gestures at Medo to come closer. The medic Chara does so, and Madoka makes a quick gesture with her hands. "My Heart: Unlock!"

    One henshin sequence later, and it's in fact a brand new magical girl standing in front of Rune. Hope Blossom! "I've got a full henshin now! So I'll be a bit better and handling dangerous situations more directly. I wont be unprotected as I was before."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune allows a gasp and several blinks as Madoka just straight-up agrees to the request. "You would? Though... if my origins seem scandalous, it owes more to my ignorance than any other factor," Rune comments.

Then Madoka has something to show off. Rune takes a step back to give the other pink-haired girl space, staring straight at her with clear interest. Madoka reveals herself as Hope Blossom, and Rune has another breathy gasp for that. "Wondrous! Is this your dream made manifest, then? I only partially understood that part when I heard it, earlier." Another slight nod to Medo and then Brai, indicating who she heard it from.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Hope waves her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about the cover story. It's fine. You don't need to explain everything, and a lot of magical girls have secrets. Some of them are very important. I know that whatever the issue is, I'm sure you mean well."

    Looking down at her henshin outfit, twirling around to show off the pink, white and cream colored frilly dress, she smiles brightly and says, "Something like that! I don't really know all of the details of how it works, but I can use this to stand toe to toe with other magicals. Apparently this is a hard thing to do for most Chara Bearers, but for me it just kinda happened."

    Not wanting to be wasteful, she dehenshins. Medo floats up and away. Brai chimes in, "Medo and I produce the same henshin. We haven't tried it with Gretchen yet, because she doesn't want to. She's still afraid of hurting Madoka with the nature of her magic."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune only responds with a non-committal "mm..." when told she means well. Thankfully, Madoka changes the topic and Rune immediately perks up. "'Chara Bearers'? Another form of Tokyo's guardians, I presume? This is the first I have heard of them. Though, I do not understand," Her gaze shifts to Brai, "How could this harm her? Surely it is not some manner of demon magic?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka taps her chin and looks off to the side, trying to figure out how to explain it. "Well, I'm a Chara Bearer. Brai and Medo are my Chara. There are a few others like me scattered around. Henshining with Brai and Medo causes me no issues, but Gretchen is... a special case."

    Brai flips one of her braids and says, "The short answer is that Gretchen has been turned into an X-Chara. Normally this would put her on the same level as a youma, but the exact concept she represents is something that can't really be corrupted so easily."

    Medo crosses her arms and nods as she speaks. "Gretchen is the most powerful of the three of us Chara, but it's as if she has a magical illness that she doesn't want to spread. There's something more to it than that, because thus far she has resisted purification, but she hasn't really told us the details."

    Madoka glances off to the side and shyly speaks. "I'm sure she's hiding something from me, but I can't guess as to what. She clearly knows things that I'm not sure anyone else does. She can read Witch's strange written language, and when I borrowed her power the other day I could read them too."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Ah?!" Rune coils back a step with a gasp, startled by the explanation. "That sounds dire! An illness that makes her akin to a demon, in an awkward comparison? That she is not able to be set whole yet... I see. If I should come across some means to aid her in my travels, I will share it with all of you with all due haste! Though..."

Her gaze tilts down again, "There is one other matter that troubles me. I have learned, in the same discussions you have, that some of Tokyo's defenders place themselves at far greater risk than others and need certain assistance and provisions to survive. Do... Chara Bearers face this same challenge?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is pretty sure she can guess that what Runealy means is Puella Magi and Grief Seeds. She shakes her head and says, "No, that's not an issue for me. While I do hunt Witches sometimes..." Madoka pulls out a Grief Seed, one with a tiny model of a chandelier at the tip. "... I don't need these to fulfill my magic. I do have one requirement, one that is far less dire. I have to keep my dreams alive. If I lose my dreams, then I lose my Chara and I can't henshin. Worse than that, I'll lose a friend."

    She fingerpets Brai as she says this, who giggles in response.

    "Having such a small cost means I'm able to help out more. I don't get the same kind of Wish that Puella Magi do, but all I wanted was to be a magical girl anyways."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune goes wide-eyed at the sight of the Grief Seed, and starts to reach out for it - slowly - with one hand... then stops herself. "I am much relieved to hear that! If it is your dream that must be sustained, I will do my utmost to ensure it comes to no harm. Though,"

Her tone softens, timid. "Might... I borrow that, briefly? I know what I was told of them, yet I would be sure of it with my own two hands. If they are truly not what I seek, I would return it at this time the next day."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka fails to notice as Rune reaches for the Grief Seed. It just doesn't occur to her that the girl from 'Europe' would want it for any reason. Brai, however, does notice and gives her a studious gaze. She pulls out a notepad and jots something down.

    When Rune actually asks, Madoka blinks. "You... want this? A Grief Seed?" The pinkette hesitates for a moment, then glances off to the side. The seed still held in her open hand. "I mean, technically even I shouldn't have it. These things are dangerous. If the darkness in them grows too much, the Witch could rehatch, but..."

    Madoka thinks it over for a moment, and then moves her hand closer to Rune, offering it to her. It stands up on its point in her palm. "If you need it, or just need to look at it, and if you understand the risks, then I'll let you. Let me warn you though: This Witch is particularly dangerous. It nearly killed me and two others. It's also really sneaky. It was hard for us to find. If it gets away from you, it'll be hard to track it down. The only upside seems to be that it doesn't kill very often. That's part of why it's able to hide."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"I plan to study it," Rune answers. "I believe that, most likely, it is of no use to me. Yet I must be sure. If it is what I seek... matters will become far more complex. If it is not what I require, then I will know soon enough and will return it to you with neither protest nor delay!"

Encouraged by Madoka's agreement, Rune reaches out gently to take the Grief Seed. Her eyes are fixated on it, even as they continue to talk. "I will not say I truly understand the dangers... but I can mitigate them. My studies will be done well away from anyone else; I and I alone shall be at risk."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka considers what it would mean if Rune were to also seek the Grief Seeds. She might be taking food out of someone else's mouth, but at the same time Madoka's sure she has her own reasons. Her own desperations.

    For now, Madoka decides to trust, as she usually does, because she's Madoka and that's who she is.

    "Being isolated is probably a good idea, and if there are no other monsters around either then it will be easier to track this one down if things go wrong. If it hatches, try to run. If you can't run, know that the witch's weakness is at the highest point of its body. You might need to fly in order to reach it."

    Even though Madoka doesn't fully understand the details, she doesn't want Rune to end up in a bad situation with no intel.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"I..." Rune's eyes lid, nearly closed, as Madoka offers very good advice. The alien princess' tone is apologetic, as if Madoka had insulted her and Rune agreed with the critique. "...I would hope myself equal to the task of facing a Witch. Yet you may very well have revealed why I might not be. Though I should be able to, I cannot fly. The best I would manage is to... no, within a Witch's labryinth I cannot guarantee there will be terrain to leap upon and attain any great height. Regardless,"

Despite this lowered gaze, Rune offers a conclusion: "I must take this risk. I have lost too much time as it is, and must pursue any path before me. I must know if this is a false hope or a true one. If you are trusting me to pursue this, then... you have my thanks. I will, of course, share my full findings tomorrow."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I mean no personal critique of your own abilities," says Madoka. "It's just... there are many veteran Puella Magi who insist that you never go into a Labyrinth alone. You may or may not be able to do this on your own, but it's safer if others are with you."

    Brai considers what she's seen of the princess's powerset, and then comes up with one suggestion. "You may not need to fly, persay. Depending on the range of your attacks. If I recall, some of your projectiles explode? If your projectiles get above it and then burst over it, that should be enough."

    Madoka headtilts and taps her chin as she considers that. "True. You might not have the firepower problem that we had. Either way... I look forward to hearing the results. Even if these things don't help, there may be other ways."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"They give the true advice. We have both seen Labyrinths, places where reality itself is questionable and dangers rise from every angle. Yet my studies must be done in solitude, so I must ignore their warnings."

Then Rune stares at Brai, simultaneously stunned and impressed. "A sound idea! You speak not unlike...!" Rune clasps fingers to her own mouth, cutting herself off mid-sentence with a gasp as she realizes she just made a mistake.

She very suddenly, and obviously, changes the topic. "There is one other matter weighing upon my mind. The people of Tokyo seem to be able to contact one another in an instant, across this impossibly vast city. Madoka, is there some means I might use to stay in touch with you as well? I would be a poor ally indeed if there is no way to petition me for aid when I am needed!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Brai smiles as Runealy praises her idea. She hopes it doesn't go terribly and get anyone killed. Unlike who? Brai doesn't know, and she doesn't pursue.

    When Rune asks about the other thing, Madoka considers. "Well, there are a couple of ways. A lot of magical folk use telepathy, but that's not really something that I have access to. Most people use smartphones. I think I showed you one before, but there might have been some confusion about what I meant..."

    Madoka reaches into her school bag and produces her phone, showing it to Runealy. "These... aren't free, and if you're going to use it for magical purposes you may want to use a prepaid phone that's cheap and disposable." Figuring that Rune still knows nothing about technology, Madoka tries to figure out how to best explain it.

    "It's like... each one of these phones has its own phone number, and if you know a person's phone number then you can use this to contact them through their phones."

    She... hopes that isn't needlessly confusing. She prays it isn't.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Telepathy... I can say with certainty I am neither capable of it, nor expected to be," Rune dismisses that idea immediately. Then Madoka pulls out a phone, and the princess recoils a step from it. "Something so dangerous, so powerful, is seen as a common and near-worthless product? As so much refuse?" Rune uses the word for garbage instead of the word for declining something.

"May I know your phone's true number, in any event?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka gives Rune a wry smile. "Well... no. No, these are pricey and you don't want to lose them or treat them carelessly. It's just, when it comes down to it, if a bad person can track you through your phone then... well... the phone is not worth the price of your life."

    Since Rune doesn't seem to know much about phones, Madoka assumes she doesn't have one yet. So she pulls out a notepad, and writes down her number. She rips off the piece of paper, and hands it to Runealy. "If you get a phone, call me with this number and I'll add you as a contact."

    After a pause, she says, "Do you... need someone to teach you how to use these? I can walk you through the process if you need to. I can even help you get one, if you meet me after school."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"What?! How can one be tracked through their telephone?!" Rune speaks with a raised, astonished tone. "And..." She leans in to look at the offered paper, taking it and having more objections: "This is absurd! Surely a device this wondrous does not need such a long number to identify it? How is one to remember this? It should be something easier, perhaps something like one, two, three, four! But... yes."

Rune relents with a single, slow nod. "I absolutely will need your aid." She has the tone of someone reluctantly admitting defeat. "I was recently told by others to use a computer telephone to learn more of my 'proper' home, the nation of Liechtenstein... and I scant understood that, nevermind this strange item that produces light yet spills neither wax nor oil."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka considers the first question for a moment. "If the wrong person gets your phone number, they might look you up on a registry. On the other hand, some of these phones have GPS trackers, which is what their map apps use to help you navigate. Technically someone can't really do that without your credentials, but whenever magic is involved you never know when someone can cheat the system."

    Madoka shakes her head. "I mean... this many digits is a lot, but modern phones will remember such numbers for you, so it really doesn't matter. There are over 7 billion people on this planet, and a lot of them have phones, so it takes a lot of digits to be sure that everyone gets their own unique number."

    It's only after she says the words that Madoka realizes she's throwing a bunch of unfamiliar jargon at someone who is... clearly not from around here. Instead of an explanation, she provides reassurance, or at least tries to. "Most people don't really know how these work on a deep level. It's enough just to know how to use them."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Registry. GPS trackers. Map apps. Credentials. Absolutely every single bit of this goes right past Rune; none of it makes sense to someone who thinks phones are powered the same way lanterns and candles are.

Then Madoka gives her an even more staggering thought. "Seven billion?! There are not even a single billion in Liechtenstein, nevermind multiple billions! I suppose there is some sense to these... 'phone numbers'," Rune says it with a tone of unfamiliarity and suspicion, "being so lengthy in that case. So be it; I shall command my phone to remember it for me! At worst, I shall treasure this," Rune holds up the slip of paper with Madoka's phone number, "And ensure it does not fall into the hands of anyone with a magical cheating registry! May I trust a telephone smartphone merchant with it when I make my purchase, though? Or is this number something of the utmost secrecy, shared only within your circle of shields?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "You can trust it with the merchant, if you need help entering it into your phone," says Madoka. "Typically you can trust people like that to not use the number for nefarious purposes."

    There is, of course, a nonzero chance of a smartphone salesman youma. It would actually be one of the less weird things she's seen so far.

    "On the other hand it's not something you'd want to write on a bathroom wall. It'd be on the same level of telling someone where you live. Not quite Top Secret, just... don't pass it out to strangers."

    Or at least, that's how Madoka views it. After a moment of thinking about it, she adds, "Oh, but others might feel differently. So you'll have to ask them, just to be safe."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Then that much, at least, Liechtenstein and Tokyo share in common: Our merchants are neither charlatans nor frauds, and may be trusted." Rune makes a sweeping, untrue generalization. "Regardless... writing it upon walls? How..." Her brow wrinkles in distaste, "...crass. How base. I shall do no such thing! For now though, I shall be on my way to study this," one hand raises the Grief Seed, "And tend to this," the other raises the paper with Madoka's number. "You have trusted me with a great deal today, and have my gratitude for it!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka smiles and cants her head to the side. "I wish you the very best in your studies. A part of me hopes it helps, though if it does turn out that Grief Seeds have what you need then it might make things complicated. Especially if you insist on hunting them alone."

    Madoka isn't sure what Rune needs them for, ot what will happen to the Grief Seed, but she does know that Rune is desperate and has been for a while.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune spins on a heel. "I can offer this assurance: If things will become complicated, I will tell you outright; there will be no deception in my designs for the Grief Seeds. Be well, Madoka, Brai, and Medo."

She paces for the door, planning to leave the roof and get to the tasks that are literally at-hand. Getting the phone will be relatively easy; she will get to horrify a retail clerk with all sorts of ignorant, ridiculous questions about the 'television smartphone telephone' and eventually add Madoka's number to it. With any luck, Madoka might even get an incoherent text that consists of just a single letter, number, or even some completely random emoticon.

Studying the Grief Seed will prove fruitless. Rune will bring it to her run-down home in the abandoned theme park and poke at the Seed well into the night, trying to find some way to safely draw energy out of it. Some way to get what she needs to replenish her world's Barrier. In the end however, she will learn that Homura was right: Rune has no way to use Grief Seeds.

After one final attempt to 'will' the Seed into helping her with sheer force of thought, the princess lowers her head in defeat. If nothing prevents her from doing so, she will make good on her promise to return it promptly to Madoka at school the next day.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka for her part, waves at Rune and wishes her well as she leaves. Then, she returns to her lunch, quietly thinking about a number of worries. Rune's mysterious issues are added to an increasingly large pile, and she'll continue to worry up until she sees Rune the next day. The thought that you might be sending a friend to their doom is never a comfortable one.

    At least the incomprehensible text will be reassuring in its own right.

    Madoka's own evening will probably follow the usual pattern. Another patrol, some more random monsters found and fought. Momentary terrors to distract her from the creeping dread that looms at the back of her mind. Still, regardless of such things, she will continue being as kind and as helpful as she can be, because that's just who she is.