972/Home Is Where The Sweets Are

Home Is Where The Sweets Are
Date of Scene:	26 December 2023
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	The day after Christmas, Madoka and her Chara visit Homura and Gretchen to enjoy fried chicken and build a gingerbread house.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Homura Akemi

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Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's the day after Christmas, and Gretchen has opened up her present. It was strange receiving a gift from Madoka. Did Chara normally get gifts from their Bearers? She could only assume so, but Gretchen couldn't help but think there was a little more to it. Madoka seemed to think of her mascots as her children. Perhaps that was understandable, considering that they all look like her.

    It was, frankly, exactly what she asked for, though not quite in the way she asked for it. Madoka had given Gretchen some money a little ways back, perhaps as a way of treating her fairly, or perhaps simply because her Bearer wanted to give her a present. After spending a long time thinking about what the X-Chara wanted to do with that money, and after enjoying the dollhouse that Homura had given her, she decided to buy a gingerbread house for the novelty of it.

    Of course, buying a gingerbread house from a store while being an invisible fairy had a number of complications. Gretchen, frankly, needed help. So after she picked one out, she asked Madoka to help her buy it, intending to use the money that was previously given to her. What happened instead was that Madoka bought it for her with her own money and insisted that it was a Christmas present. Which meant that Gretchen still had her original cash. That she couldn't spend.

    When she whined about that, Madoka pointed out that Gretchen could also order things online and have them delivered to Homura's dorm. At which point the X-Chara felt really dumb.

    All of that was in the past however. Now it was time to begin her little construction project. Gretchen had pushed her mask up and off to the side and, for once, was smiling. It was a somewhat greedy smile, but a smile none the less.

    "An edible house... An entire home of sweets."

    There was a knock on the door, and Gretchen got even more excited, because a knock could only mean one of three things:

1) Homura was back.

2) The gunpla she spent some of her money on had arrived, which she ordered for Gretchen reasons.

3) Madoka and her fellow Chara were here.

    When the tiny X-Chara opened the relatively large door, she looked and saw that it was option 3. The witch fairy looked at her Bearer, then at Lydian, and after a short search she also found Brai and Medo who had mysteriously reawakened the other day. She could also sense on Madoka's person a fifth egg, yet unhatched.

    "You're here..." said Gretchen, opening the door further to let her Bearer in. "Homu-chan's not home yet, but she shouldn't be long."

    Madoka smiled at her X-Chara as her less corrupted minidokas filtered in. "Hi, Gretchen-chan! Are you having a good time today?"

    Gretchen reached up to touch the corner of her lips, which were curled into what was for her an unusual shape. "Yeah... it's a nice day. Please, come in."

    Thus it was that all of the Dokas were in Homura's dorm, waiting for the Puella to return while beginning to unpack the gingerbread house.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    As soon as the door was open and Madoka and the other Guardian Characters came in a certain black kitty hopped down from her perch on one of the various seats, curling and flicking her tail. Amy purrs while swirling about Madoka's legs and nuzzling her face up against her, then hops up to get close to Brai, Medo and Lydian and reach a paw out towards them.

    Because of course Amy gets along famously with all the minidokas.

    It's a few minutes later that Homura arrives. She has her own key which she fumbles with a bit before opening the door to enter. She looks slightly awkward with one arm holding around what is to her a rather large red and white bucket of fried chicken with one arm, keys in the other, and a rather large and cozy looking purple scarf around her neck. A black skirt is only barely visible beneath a large, cushy gray sweater with a row of pixilated white snowflakes across the front and black tights on her legs to help keep warm.

    "Oh, Madoka, you're here." She seems a little surprised, not so much at Madoka's presence as her speed of arrival and especially at how much activity is in the room as Amy seems to be taking turns wanting to say hello to the three newly arrived Charas. "It was a lot less busy than it was last night. It might be a day late, but we can still have our Christmas meal." She carries the bucket of chicken to the center of the room where the little table that also acts as the controller for her wallscreens is, and she frowns slightly. It's big enough to hold the food, but not really eat off of. "I'm going to have to get some TV trays," she says under her breath.

    The scarf is then unwound and set on one of the seats before she gets out a stack of paper plates and napkins. Once all this is ready she walks back over to Madoka and gives the other girl a warm hug. "Gretchen has been excited to get to work on your present ever since she unwrapped it. I should have known you'd get it for her once you knew something she really wanted."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Amy, of course, gets Doka's attention. The pink girl squats down next to the cat and smiles while giving her soft warm pets. Brai, Medo and Lydian each also approach Amy to nuzzle against her while giggling. Naturally any Doka, mini or otherwise, would love Amy the Cat.

    When the door opens, Madoka nearly blushes before even turning to look at who it is. She, of course, came here to see Homura, but to be here in her dorm with her on the day after Christmas enjoying a belated meal of Fried Chicken... She can't help but feel a little bashful.

    (It's probably for the best that they put it off for a day, not only because of the crowd but also because Madoka ended up babysitting Tatsuya while her parents went off on a date.)

    She turns her pink, affectionate eyes towards the Puella and smiles, "Welcome home, Homu-chan." Madoka stands up while her tiny faeries play with Amy, and waits for Homura to have a chance to set things down. She returns the warm hug with a soft smile, happy to be close to her girlfriend.

    "Of course. I couldn't help but want to give her something. I'm happy that I was able to get her a present, even if it was a bit last minute." Squeezing a little closer, she whispers into Homura's ear, "I know I've said this before, but thanks for watching over her."

    Gretchen, meanwhile, has found the instructions and is starting to read them over. The house itself is... a bit more involved than normal, as normally they aren't made to function as doll houses. It has a door, open windows, and some bits of gingerbread furniture which is mostly why she wanted this one in particular. It wasn't just a snack, but also a holiday playset after all.

    Brai, Medo and Lydian float off to wash their hands before touching food things, then they go and join Gretchen at the table. Brai asks, "Okay, so how should we do this? Do we want to hold up the wall together?"

    Gretchen says, "Well, we should probably prop them against each other while someone seals it up with icing."

    Lydian lifts her hand excitedly. "Oh, oh, can I play with the icing? I wanna decorate."

    "The icing should be premade," said Gretchen. "In fact, it's in that bucket over there. You can mess with it if you want, but be sure to leave some for us!"

    Lydian squeals happily as she finds the icing and starts trying to open it. Then she looks around at the other house parts. "Is there like a squirter or something?"

    As the four Chara start planing out their wintery dream home, Madoka watches the scene and giggles. There's something heartwarming about seeing the little fairies play together in such an innocent way. Whatever troubles they might have, it's clear that none of them really hate the others.

    The pink Chara Bearer looks at the limited table situation and considers it for a moment. Maybe it'd be fine if they sat next to each other and ate from plates in their lap. Actually, she's fine with just about any arrangement as long as she gets to spend this time with current company. Pulling back from Homura with a smile, she says, "So... should we sit down?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    It's clear that Amy is a happy kitty getting attention from all the Chara one after another judging by the way she purrs contentedly. After they all take turns saying hello the cat swirls around Homura's legs as well until she gets a few pets on the head before finding another seat to curl up on, watching the Guardian Characters figure out the gingerbread house while slowly curling and relaxing the tip of her tail.

    Homura can't say how much of a relief it is to her that they get along so well. Amy seems to treat the Charas like especially nice children rather than, well, tiny little critters to be chased around.

    After observing the interactions she focuses more on Madoka. The hug continues longer than she was expecting, but that's not something that could ever bother her. "I'm happy to have her over," she replies, trying to make it clear she doesn't consider it any kind of chore. She did, after all, get Gretchen a doll house of her own to live in.

    She nods then, walking over to a couple chairs near the bucket of chicken. It's... a rather large one. Way more than enough for two people. "I got enough for all of us," she notes loud enough for the Chara to hear. She isn't actually sure how much they'd like or want the food, but as she says it she hands Madoka a paper plate and gets one for herself. There's four more, one for each guardian character, just in case.

    Homura gets a thigh for herself and takes a seat, holding her plate and napkin in her lap. She can eat without making a mess, and sitting next to Madoka sounds nice. She sits in a way that lets the two of them face and watch the minidokas making the gingerbread house, and Homura's purple eyes blink a couple of times. She knew that Gretchen had pointed out the one she wanted to Madoka, but hadn't asked too much about specifics afterwards. Little gingerbread furniture? Her head shakes slightly and she says under her breath, "I hope it doesn't come with a little Hanzel and Grettle and a little gingerbread oven..."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka could probably get used to hugging Homura a lot. There's probably an alternate universe out there where they do nothing but cuddle all day, but in this one things are a little more chill.

    No weather-related puns intended.

    The fact that the Puella doesn't seem to consider it a big deal to have Gretchen over only makes Madoka more comfortable being here. Her relationship with and feelings towards Homura are both... unusual and not always easy to mentally process, but she can't help but enjoy the warmth she feels from the girl literally named 'beautiful blaze'. Despite all of the complexity in their lives, moments like these actually feel very simple.

    She giggles as Homura points out that she's brought enough for the six of them. Medo raises her hand and says, "Oh, I want some!"

    Brai chimes in with, "Me, too!" Lydian and Gretchen join in shortly after.

    Madoka sits down in the chair and starts dealing out pieces of chicken to her minidokas, since it's easier for everyone if she does the initial lifting for them. Once each Chara has a piece, they carry it over to their plates and munch happily while looking over Gretchen's shoulder at the instructions. May as well coordinate before they do anything, they figure.

    As for Madoka, she takes a leg and starts munching it, leaning against Homura and watching her Guardian Chara play. She'd jump in to help if they need it, but a part of her suspects it might be better to let them try on their own first.

    Madoka's eyes widen at the Hanzel and Grettle reference, and she starts to giggle awkwardly.

    Gretchen hears the comment and glances over to Homura. "It comes extra gingerbread men. Don't tempt me."

    The Bearer can't decide whether to be horrified or amused. "Is that what you're going to call your two Familiars?" she asks.

    "Well I am now," responds the Witch X-Chara.

    The Chara (and X-Chara) have eaten their chicken relatively quickly. They may be small little cute fairy things, but it's clear from the way they eat that their stomachs are bigger on the inside. Nothing is left but bone. Such is the power of running gag magic. Madoka, meanwhile, is still working on her first piece.

    "Okay, let's get the foundation where we want it, and then I'll hold the walls up first," says Brai.

    "I'll help with that. We can use these support pieces to help us set it up," comments Gretchen. "We'll leave the icing masonry up to Lydian-chan."

    Madoka turns to Homura with a warm smile. "Eheh. So cute."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura smiles a little and supports Madoka as she leans. She'd do more but fried chicken isn't exactly known for it's cleanliness and the last thing she wants to do is get grease all over her girlfriend. For now leaning against each other while sitting side by side will have to do. She eats slowly and politely as she can, trying not to drop crumbs. After the chicken pieces have been doled out to the minidokas Amy hops down from her perch and walks over and Homura pulls a strip of chicken meat off her thigh without any breading on it and feeds it to the cat. She's not going to give her a lot, but there's more than enough to let her have some and chicken isn't going to hurt a her.

    As the X-Chara and Bearer talk about naming familiars after the fairy tale children Homura wonders to herself if the witch in that story actually had a name. Gretchen might actually not be too out of place, given the names of the kids.

    Once she finishes her thigh Homura sees what's in the tub of chicken and seeing there's... honestly probably way too much left she pulls out a chicken breast and starts eating it as well. It probably wouldn't actually hurt her to eat a little more. A lot of the energy she spends is magic, but she does push her body physically quite a bit as well. Especially training with Kyouka.

    She smiles back to Madoka before looking towards the Chara again, "It's good they're having fun together." Homura too was considering whether she should offer to help, but like Madoka she's decided to only intercede if asked for. If it was just Gretchen alone she almost certainly would have offered right away but they seem to have a plan.

    Of course it would be Madoka's Guardian Characters that get along well and naturally demonstrate strong teamwork.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka, similarly, is not terribly eager to spread the mess that is intrinsic to Fried Chicken to Homura-chan's clothes or person. She's okay with things as they are, with the two of them close together and watching the Chara play. At some point, she starts to notice that one of the fairies' plates has been unofficially designated as 'the bone pile' and they've been piling their leftovers on it. Brai and Medo each come back for seconds, but once they return they end up sharing with the other two. There's a bit of pause in their work as they have to let the icing harden before they add the roof, so they start assembling the tiny tables and chairs.

    The furniture is very simple. Just flat pieces of gingerbread meant to loosely link together and then be glued together by icing. There are tiny peppermint seat cushions, as well as other Christmas candy decorations that they can arrange while they wait for the walls to be ready. Once in a while a Guardian Chara will use a bit of magic to help each other or prevent spills, but notably Gretchen has refrained from using her magic at all. Homura might have had a chance to observe or figure out at some point that the X-Chara doesn't consider her magic to be 'food safe'.

    The gingerbread men, for now, are spared any gruesome fate. The house is for the Chara, not for them.

    Meanwhile, Madoka places the remains of her first piece on the bone plate, and then picks up another piece. As active as she is, she burns a lot of calories, which does kinda mean she gets to eat more without having to worry. Aside from that, she was saving room for this meal.

    "Yeah, it's nice. Seeing them all play well with each other. In times like these, they really do feel like the dreams of children." After a pause, she adds, "I have to admit, with things as they are right now, I'm actually really happy."

    There's a little bit of subtext there, but she decides not to dwell on it. Instead, she turns to her girlfriend and asks, "How have you been lately? I'm sure you've been busy, but I rarely have a chance to ask you how you're doing." With a sheepish grin, she adds, "I guess I get caught up in my own problems."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura keeps thoughts of homeless gingerbread men or the potential of chopped up gingerbread man bodies being repurposed for other uses to herself, at least for now. She thinks Gretchen would find the cartoonish gallows humor amusing, but Madoka might not appreciate it as much.

    "I think it also says a lot about the kind of dreams you'd have," she notes to Madoka. Not everyone would dream about sharing and explicitly being happy with others. That's just how Madoka is in Homura's mind, she wants everyone to be happy, not just herself.

    She sets her chicken on her plate to talk more when looked towards, meeting Madoka's gaze and smiling. "I'm doing well. A lot of the real dangers I've been worrying about have calmed lately. I don't think they're resolved, but things are looking up." She then shakes her head a little, "You've had a lot to worry about and handle lately. I'm glad you're so happy. Knowing that makes it easier for me to be happy as well."

    Homura is a little different. It's not that she doesn't want a theoretical 'everyone' to be happy... but her own happiness is tied up a lot in Madoka's own. Can empathy for someone be selfish when it's so singularly focused upon them? Maybe. But Madoka being happy is more than enough to overwhelm any worries of selfishness over caring so much more about Madoka's feelings than others. It's not like she's entirely callous about others, anyway.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen is certainly open to gallows humor, which somewhat implies that some part of Madoka might possibly find it funny, but she'd also feel guilty about it and maybe even a little offended. It would be much worse, probably, if it was aimed at a specific person's death or a real event. Tiny dispossessed gingerbread men aren't really a concern for her, as there are always extra pieces.

    The news that Homura is actually doing a bit better these days actually makes her smile. "I guess we both get to have a Merry Christmas then, in our own ways. I know I'm not quite as expert as you are, but don't be afraid to ask for my help if you need it, okay?"

    Lydian meanwhile has her own ideas regarding the spare gingerfolk. She's started placing colored icing and decorations on the tiny figures to turn them into something new. One of them has long, pretty black hair and purple eyes, while the other has fluffy pink pigtails with pink eyes. Each of them is wearing a Radiant Heart Academy uniform. When she's done, she turns to Madoka and Homura with a smile. "There! Now it's like you can live here with us!"

    Gretchen looks at Lydian's handiwork and starts to comment about the fact that those will likely get eaten later, but thinks better of it. Instead she turns to Madoka and Homura and says, "Hey, help us hold the roof in place."

    "Oh! Okay." Madoka grabs a napkin and starts to wipe the chicken grease off her fingers before getting up to kneel next to the gingerbread house, scooting to the side to make room for Homura if she wants to join in, too. The roof comes in two separate parts, and it's a lot less awkward for Madoka to hold it than it is for the tiny floating Chara to try and coordinate lifting and placing it. After centering it as well as she can on the sloped tops of the walls, she asks, "Is right here good?"

    The rest of the Chara are kept busy with this and that. Medo has sampled a couple of bits of candy, but not too much. Lydian, who is seriously dolling up the walls in a very aesthetic way, is starting to run out of candy art supplies. "Um... so do we have any more decorations?"

    Gretchen mentions, "I mean, we can just buy more candies if we need to."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "I won't be," Homura assures Madoka. "There's no one I'd rather have on my side than you. The things I've been involved with have been more on the back end of things, like offering information and advice. There was one big thing," she shakes her head, "but the group I was with went relatively smoothly because there was a large distraction force acting elsewhere that did a better job than I ever could have imagined."

    She looks to Madoka again and gives her another smile, though this one is a bit wry in a long suffering way, "I'd rather we never have to worry, fight, or struggle so much, but I'm sure we'll have plenty of chances to work together in the future. It's for the best that you have a lot of chance to practice before fighting anyone or anything especially deadly," and it's not like Witches are known for being easy to deal with anyway, "I have every faith in you, but I'm also certain you'll only get better with practice." She looks away, blushing slightly at how silly she must sound by giving out so much praise. The thing is, nothing she says isn't what she feels to be the full and honest truth, "More than anyone else, I think you were meant to be a magical girl and help people. I can't imagine you being anything other than excellent at it. So don't worry, if I get in over my head I'll always want your help, Madoka."

    Any more embarrassingly honest words will have to wait for later as the Chara need help. She puts her plate on the small table and wipes her hands off with the napkin before getting up, walking over and carefully helping support the roof. "Is this how you want it?" she asks. Technically it could be set at differing angles based on the height.

    As Lydian asks for more supplies Homura's eyes slowly turn towards the plate with all the chicken bones on it. Suddenly for some reason her face has gone completely stone-faced stoic.

    Look, it works for keeping herself from laughing just as well as it keeps her from being upset. It's a very useful skill to have.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Homura's praise brings a warm tint to Madoka's cheeks. To be held in such high regard by someone she herself considers one of her personal heroes is beyond flattering. It's not just meaningless praise when she talks about how highly she regards Homura, and the fact that one of her Chara bears a resemblance to her girlfriend probably makes that more clear than Madoka would ever be able to put into words.

    "I guess if I were to get advice from someone, you'd be my first option, so I'm glad that you're able to help others in that way." Madoka's voice is soft and warm as she speaks. "Maybe one day we'll find peace and we can put this behind us." She starts to say more, but then she thinks about the Fade and what it would mean to have her Chara disappear while she forgets about them. As sad as that thought is, that's all the more reason to enjoy the time she does have.

    "Practice... honestly, I haven't been doing that as much since Lydian told me to rest. I still fight Witches or other magical threats when they show up, but I've actually cut back a lot. Maybe it's time for me to start it up again..." Her eyes drift towards Brai. She wants to say something to her and Medo, but she doesn't want to spoil the moment. Everything is so serene and peaceful. Maybe the serious issues can wait. She just doesn't want to let Brai and Medo go back to sleep without at least talking to them.

    Concerning the rooftop, Gretchen tells Homura. "Okay, that looks good. Just hold it still, you two. Lydian?"

    "Coming right up!" declares the art Chara, gleefully. She's quick to fill the gaps between the roof pieces, and she also flies inside of the house to reinforce the icing between the walls and the roof. A few moments later she pops back out of the house and says, "Just hold onto it for a little bit longer, okay?"

    Madoka nods gently and says, "Okay!" before turning to offer Homura another sheepish grin. She sees her girlfriend looking at the bones, and at first she doesn't get it, but Gretchen notices the same look and does a much worse job hiding her giggles.

    "Hey, we could... we could..." says the Witch Chara, gesturing towards the bones.

    "Absolutely not!" said Medo. "It's not sanitary."

    Gretchen was confused at this, saying, "What? But they're both food!"

    Medo holds up one finger, "One, candy keeps a lot longer than meat. That stuff will rot in a hurry if we leave it out. Bones can be preserved for a long time, but they have to be boiled and dried first." Then, a second finger, "Two, we've already nibbled on them so our germs are all over that pile!"

    Gretchen blinked. "Do we even have germs?"

    Medo points at Homura and Madoka. "I don't know, but they do!"

    Madoka looks at this exchange with face that is both slightly mortified and slightly amused. The thought of her Witch Chara using bones to decorate her house is... fitting in a way, if a bit macabre. She is, at least, trying to be of good cheer about it.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    The difference between Homura having to keep herself from laughing and Gretchen is that the X-Chara actually seems to be serious about it. Homura just saw something ridiculous when Lydian suggested needing more materials. Regarding that her free hand reaches up to cover her mouth and she coughs into it a little to cover the urge to laugh more when she wants to speak. "If you want to decorate something like that we can wait until next Halloween. I'm sure we can still order gingerbread houses off the internet out of season."

    Then, still holding her hand exceptionally still after Lydian set the roof with icing, she looks to Madoka and gives a partial shrug. "Practice. Experience. The more you use your powers and think about new ways to use them the more powerful you'll become." And the more powerful she is, the more people she can help is left unsaid. She doesn't continue down that line of thought too much more though, because this isn't the time or place for such serious conversations.

    Instead she tries to joke a little with the Chara. "If you're worried about it eventually going bad you should use a twinkie as a chimney. I've heard those can last decades without spoiling." She pointedly doesn't look at Medo, who probably has all kinds of things to say about the antimicrobial and 'nutritional' values of the infamous sugary snack.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen lets the bone issue go when Medo's counterpoints go unchallenged, but then Homura comes up with a solution. The X-Chara actually thinks about it beyond a vague notion of, 'hey wouldn't it be funny if...', but then she decides. "Well, if we do that for Halloween, we can probably get candy bones from somewhere, or at least make white chocolate in that shape." She avoids mentioning fondant, because that's not exactly everyone's favorite, but it could also be an option.

    Lydian's eyes start to sparkle at the thought of decorating a Halloween house. "We could get little pumpkin candies and carve jack-o'-lantern faces on them!" She starts to squeal softly in joy at the prospect.

    Brai, meanwhile, is more focused on the present, and Medo seems content to watch over everyone and support as needed. The nurse Chara looks like she wants to have Words about the twinkie, but then she looks at how much toothrot is already going into the project and says, "Oh, sure, why not. We can add donuts and a soda lake to it, too!" with a voice of open, clear sarcasm. "Just be sure to brush your teeth when you're done. Remember if you eat too much sugar you'll get a stomach ache! Nevermind the effects of the sugar buzz itself."

    Gretchen looks up at Medo with wide eyes. "Seriously? We can have a soda lake?!"

    Medo flails her arms to the side in a cartoonish way that only someone as small as a Chara could really pull off. "You better not!"

    Gretchen takes a close look at the two roof pieces that her Bearer and her roommate have held up. After inspection, she says, "Well, it looks firm enough. You can let go if you want. Thanks!"

    Madoka smiles, and then gingerly releases the roof, letting the house stand on its own supports. "Of course, Gretchen-chan."

    The house is really starting to come together. Lydian has almost been decorating it like a house covered in Christmas lights. She starts lining the side of the roof with tiny little colored dots to complete the theme, and there are many candy canes placed in the 'lawn' at various angles to give the house a playful vibe. Brai and Medo float back to take a look at it, and Gretchen decides to hover behind them.

    "Hey Lydian-chan," says Brai. "Can I decorate, too?"

    "O-oh, sure! I didn't mean to hog it all by myself," says Lydian, handing Brai the piping bag that she just... suddenly started having at some point. Where did she get it? Madoka seems unfazed, as this kind of thing is typical for Chara magic.

    Gretchen forms a Labyrinth portal, and says, "While you're doing that, I'll go out and get more candy. I know where the good spots are." She waves at the rest of the Chara, and also at Madoka and Homura, before heading out.

    With her hands finally free, Madoka smiles at Homura, and then picks up another piece of fried chicken. It should probably be her last one for the night, but she wants to appreciate it all the same. Her words about Experience come back to mind, but again she decides not to pursue that further. There's always time for heavy talk later.

    Instead, she decides to stay cheerful. "Merry Christmas, Homura-chan. Thanks for having me over."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura decides to intercede a little and be the voice of reason in this sugary debate by shaking her head, "I don't think you'd want a soda lake. If the icing is snow you might use some rock candy as a frozen pond instead." This suggestion is actually a serious one, even if Medo might not like the idea of Literally Pure Sugar. Honestly though, that might not actually be as bad as some of the other refined sugars involved.

    She carefully removes her hand when it's time, pulling it away slowly in case she needs to take hold again quickly. When things seem solid enough she lets arm fall to her side and relax. Then to Gretchen she notes, "Call us if you need help buying something."

    Rather than finishing her chicken breast, which is probably twice as large as any of the other pieces, she moves closer to Madoka and lightly puts an arm around her. "Merry Christmas, Madoka-chan. I'm glad you could come over. Tell your family Merry Christmas for me too." To herself she thinks that she hopes Madoka's parents had a good date night. Saying that to Madoka herself seems just a little too embarrassing though.

    She smiles to Madoka again before looking back to the Chara, watching as Brai takes her hand at decorating. She also peeks a little more closely at the gingerbread versions of herself and Madoka. Something about them reminds of her a sketch in a notebook she remembers seeing before...

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Yeah!" says Medo, in agreement with Homura. "Carbonated beverages are especially bad for your teeth. Plus, it'll go flat!" Because that's the big concern, and not the fact that it could potentially spill everywhere. "What would you even want a soda lake for, anyways? It's not like you could fish in it!"

    Gretchen glances off to the side, having considered the matter in more detail. "Actually, if we're going with a winter theme, I like the rock candy idea more."

    At the offer for help, Gretchen smiles at Homura and Madoka and says, "Thanks, but I think I'll be okay." Then she's gone.

    With the X-Chara off to procure more supplies, and the other minidokas focused on decorating the house, Madoka focuses more of her attention on Homura. Leaning against her girlfriend, she says, "I will, Homura-chan. I'm sure they'll be happy you were thinking of them." Being held in Homura's arm feels nice, and she wraps an arm lightly around the Puella's waist to enjoy the moment. Her eyes naturally go back to the gingerbread versions of herself, and picks up her cookie doppelganger to take a closer look at it. They're both... really simplistic, but also artfully made. Could Madoka produce things like this, if she tried really hard? Maybe this is Lydian's way of showing her what she can accomplish.

    As for Brai, her art is a little more sloppy than Lydian's, but she's clearly enjoying herself. She's making a little path out from the door of the house, onto the wide base that serves as the foundation. Gretchen bought the fancy model, so of course it has room to make a little bit of landscape around the house. Lydian sees it and decides to add to it by taking tiny shards of chocolate and using them to make a cobblestone pattern in the icing.

    Medo seems to be keeping her health-related objections to herself, because being able to enjoy the moment is healthy, too. Instead of worrying about that, she decides to place a peppermint disc above the doorway to serve as a wreath.

    Madoka really feels at peace like this, being close to Homura. It's embarrassing to think about, but it almost feels like having a family. She doesn't want to call the Chara her children out loud, as she doesn't want them to take it the wrong way, but she still feels that way. With a happy sigh, she reaches over to take Homura's hand and hold it for a few moments.

    "It is a Merry Christmas," she says instead. "I'm happy I get to spend it here."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    It would be very hard for Homura not to be happy having Madoka here with her, knowing the two of them are enjoying each other's company even in this quiet and comfortable way. She lets herself lean a little against her girlfriend as well when Madoka's arm goes around her. She watches as the path is turned made nice and fancy with cobblestones and for a moment she almost feels bad that everything will eventually get taken apart and eaten.

    With Guardian Characters there might be some kind of lesson behind that. Something about nothing being permanent but always having the ability to make something new and fun again later. Or maybe she's just been at this so long that everything seems like it could have some kind of hidden meaning behind it.

    There is definitely one lesson to be learned today though, and that's that Homura knows she made the right decision to take the long, arduous path she chose for herself so long ago. In the end she really did know exactly what she wanted, and that was to spend moments like this with Madoka. She could let those thoughts harden into resolve, but instead she lets them relax into the warmth of the moment.

    She squeezes Madoka's hand when hers is taken, content to change the method of their closeness while maintaining it. "It's always going to be a Merry Christmas when I spend it with you."