2702/Shop Hopping

Shop Hopping
Date of Scene:	13 July 2025
Location:	Panthalassa Kingdom
Synopsis:	Gaito calls Coco, Rihito, Madoka, Homura, Hinoiri and Amy to the Panthalassa Kingdom for a debrief on when things diverged. Yuri's situation gets also marked as a subject of interest.
Cast of Characters:	Coco Kiumi, Madoka Kaname, Amanda Faust, Hinoiri Kirara
Tinyplot:	The Dreams the Tide Cradles

---

Coco Kiumi has posed:
After the encounter with Gaito, the situation has calmed down considerably, and the mahoujin had been able to do mostly had they pleased, whether that meant window shopping, land at a cafè somewhere, enjoy some other amenities (potentially accompanied by Seira) or seek out (or stumble onto) more of the anomalies that had appeared since the other day. Nothing much of importance had happened since then, and all of them had been allowed and asked both to take residence at the Pearl Pier or receive a temporary homestay in the South Pacific or receive a temporal homestay in the South Pacific. Though there was also the possibility to find a place in the any of the other six oceans or the Panthalassa kingdom if they so wanted.

Coco had also spent her time at the Pearl Pier overall, though there were also situations for which she had been called to the South Pacific, but they weren't many and tended to be generally on the shorter side as far as the length was concerned. Gaito instead hadn't been seen at all since then, remaining inside his parents' kingdom and occasionally sending a report to Nikora to things he found useful for the situation at the Pearl Pier.

On the 13 of July however, the report he included for the dark pink mermaid had also included a letter addressed to the present mahoujin, inviting them to the Panthalassa Kingdom for a casual tour. It also brought up that while he did not find anything about what had sent them here, having the occasion to discover the undersea environment would do them good, and that it might be connected to the divergence between their respective timelines.

Those that had accepted his invitation would then have Gaito pick them up for a teleportation to his home, more specifically a public square with several shops for their perusal, including a food court, a library, a florist (for underwater botany), a little home decor shop and a clothing boutique. For those that had been in the South Pacific, there is much less natural lighting, but many silver and golden lamps with the Panthalassa insignia floating just about everywhere, completely offsetting the darkness.

"What do you think of this place?", Coco asks everyone else, peering around casually. It seemed much more lively than what she had been used to expecting from here, and the double system of the lamps was certainly much more interesting than simple candlelight. "It's surprisingly urban", Rihito remarks curiously, watching people walk around casually with bags, drinks and perhaps most importantly, legs. If not for the fact he could feel the water surrounding them, he would hardly be able to tell this place is under the sea.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka, Homura, Kamiko and Lydian had decided to stick around the Pearl Pier. It was the safest location for them and close to where this all began, so they figured that it would also be the best place to figure out a way back.

    Madoka and Homura never really went looking for their alternate selves, thinking it might be better if they simply didn't know, but Kamiko and Lydian went instead. The two fairies got too close to the alternate Homura and Madoka and were spotted right away, which led to a conversation. The Chara didn't reveal much about their nature, but by talking to the two alt-girls they learned a lot.

    Homura naturally still has her heart problems, as well as her bad eyesight, but Madoka in this world has quickly become her friend and they spend a lot of time together. They aren't dating here, but several of their mutual friends are noticing that they're a little extra close to one another in ways that are obvious to everyone but them.

    Kamiko and Lydian tell alt-Madoka that she should take her relationship with Homura seriously, and that this is an important connection for her, but they don't go into more detail than that. It's better if the chemistry develops naturally on its own, so after a few vague hints the Chara leave them be.

    Madoka and Homura, meanwhile pal around town. If a glitch or something happens, Madoka just tries singing at it to see if it has an effect, but generally Homura keeps her guns and explosives to herself. No reason to spend magic here even if the Ancients provide a solution. They explore the world, but mostly as curious observers, and any time spent with Seira is generally enjoyed.

    On the day of the tour invite, Madoka, Homura, Kamiko and Lydian accept the invitation, curious to see a version of Panthalassa Kingdom that wasn't in ruins. Walking around underwater is a little odd for the Bearer and Puella to get used to, but the Chara float as they always do. Homura asks, "Did you walk on the Sea Floor when you visited Coco's Kingdom, Madoka-chan?"

    The pinkette shakes her head, "No... I swam around everywhere." To Rihito she comments, "It does feel a bit like a city, doesn't it? I guess it makes sense that Panthalassians can blend in so easily with human society."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's happy to visit the mermaid kingdoms but the Pearl Pier probably works best as a place to stay.

    This world is so similar to her own, and everything she's pointed out doesn't fit but also she is one girl and overwhelmed and over her breaks she learns how humans here are obsessed with mermaids, panthalassans, and ancients (or aren't, which is also interesting).

    Like hell she won't take a chance to see Panthalassia, though! Before that and tourism to the ocean kingdoms some time may be spent in front of mirrors working out what swimwear looks good. And maybe, if humans get to visit the ocean kingdoms enough, internet research on things to keep in mind and helpful tips.

    Once again, her hair is in two tails to make it a little easier to keep/move out of her face, and this time she's opted for a red/black/white top cut similarly to a sports bra, and black swim trunks with white accents, trying to find the right midpoint of modesty and underwater comfort and access to pockets.

    What does she think of Panthalassa? Well, from looking around the square...

    "...Better-lit, feels a little more human-style... but uh wow they really like their symbol, huh? They're like some Americans with flags..." She nods, agreeing with Rihito as well.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was.... just... well... She was not one to turn down an invite to somewhere weird and exotic. Ever. The Panthalassa kingdom? How could she say now?

And walking aroiund it, wellll...

"... Gonna be honest... I've been to the kingdom a few times... seeing it like this feels... kind of weird..." she mumbled softly. "The uhhh... errrr..." she said, before coughing. "It was... a much more depressing place, back home. Seeing it like this? Much nicer. I... wonder what happened. Back home... it was more akin... to... sterile. When I went through it. It was like... going through someone's home where everyone had already... left, and moved out. This? Feels lived in, dirtier, in a way... but... in a good way. There's life here. It's friendly. Happy. Joyous. Much happier," she said with a small smile. "A much better place to be."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Amy's research over the Internet would have netted her just about none results of the mystique of mermaids, but on the other hand she will find posts going into each of the underwater royals with the same following as any typical celebrity would have. Slightly more so, influenced by the extensive reach of their philantropic behaviours, who has made them more popular overall. The mystique about the sea is instead all the more prominent now that a way exists for humans to survive without equipment thanks to mermaid and Panthalassa magic, and partly also because tourisms to the underwater kingdom still isn't very developed.

"I guess that rules out me suddenly exhibiting any marine traits", Rihito comments to Madoka with a smile, making a point of extending his arms to each side as if he could have been somehow hiding any fin. "You can leave that to me", Coco speaks up, giving him a playful slap with her tailfin. "Besides, the Panthalassa are missing out. It's clear that we mermaids are much more beautiful", she smirks in a light tone, reserving Rihito a winking gaze. "I would be lying if I said you aren't really beautiful, Coco", he smiles at her, reaching over to hold her hand, and the yellow mermaid holds onto it as well, leaning closer for a quick kiss.

"It's less that and more than use of our magic brings about our symbol for reasons that have never really been clear to us", Gaito appears, holding a Cosmopolitan in his right hand, and ignoring the lovey-dovey behaviour just next to him, instead look down at her not any less sternly. "We have tried to find a way to keep it hidden, but it hasn't really led in any direction. Have a look", he regards her, raising his free hand. At the guesture, his hair parts as if split like a curtain in two halves. Under the now completely exposed forehead of the prince, the Panthalassa insignia lingers for a few seconds, before fading away and the hair falls back down on it.

"We really got a hasty decline in your world", Gaito comments to Hinoiri, exhibiting a frown slightly deeper than usual. "But that makes a lot of sense considering what I have just discovered in mt search. He looks around at the various shops dotting the squares- "Any specific store you want to attend while looking at what I know?", he asks.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka and Homura hold hands as they watch Rihito and Coco flirt with each other. They will absolutely be giggling about how cute they are together later.

    As Gaito appears, Madoka and Homura glance over to him and listen to what he has to say. Homura, who is starting to really see what people meant when they told her she looks like she belongs here, is looking around at the people and noticing the color patterns. She also takes note of the symbol on Gaito's forehead.

    Madoka taps her chin thoughtfully and says, on the matter of stores, "Well, I'm sure Homura-chan can probably find something in her colors around here, at least. Maybe we can find some make-up?"

    Homura tilts her head to the side and says, "While that may be true, I have to admit I'm more curious about the information you have for us. Especially if it might lead to figuring out where the glitches are coming from, or us getting home."

    Lydian chimes in, "Oh! Oh I could totally help pick out colors. Can I?" Well, it's pretty clear where the art Chara's mind is.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod and walked with them, rubbing the back of her head. "Honestly? I know it's going to sound silly... I mostly just want to get souvenirs. Girls back home are going to be so annoyed they missed this. And I've got to get Catra something after this," Hinoiri said. "... Also, Sora and Runa. That still sounds weird to say."

"... So... you know what happened in our world, then? So... ummm... is... was there any way to help the Gaito in our world? Like... I mean... I wasn't exactly his biggest fan, mind. Guy was a jerk. But... I still worked with the guy and well. Everyone gave me a second chance when I made mistake after mistake, so like... I really doubt Riventon actually put an end to him. He's really not the type to actually do that. If Gaito's not causing grief... might be nice to give him some good news for once in his life rather than... well... Sometimes the right good news can make all the difference."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy glances over and smiles at Rihito joking about suddenly having fins. Coco says she's more beautiful, and Amy diplomatically opines, "There's no shortage of humans that think so." Then she smiles and adds, "I think it's really cool how you have two forms! Being able to move around the water the way you do... it's really like flying, but underwater! And you can survive on basically all of the Earth's surface, while we're limited to land without magic."

    Gaito insists they are not hanging flags everywhere. "Huh. That's interesting. I wonder why panthalassan magic does that. Your magic scientists could really never figure out why? Huh..." It is an interesting mystery but far from the top of her list of concerns right now.

    As for where to go... "I've seen the mermaids' library... and although I do need to see what their history says about the ancients in this timeline, I'd love to see what yours says..." And then remembers that it's a library full of books she can't read. T_T "...But I can't read panthalassan or merfolk..."

    She double-takes when Hinoiri says Riventon lied about offing Riventon, "Wait, what?!" and she is curious if this Gaito has anything to say to help his other self.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Gaito hums with furrowed brow as he takes in the alternative opinions presented to him. "We don't really have souvenirs the way humans have, not many go around playing tourists", he tells Hinoiri. "Perhaps the home decor shop will serve you the way you want", he suggests.

"Since we only have two suggestions we should have plenty of time of both", Coco chimes in chipperly. "Let's go to a boutique for now, then we can find something to use for souvenir at the home decor", she mediates a solution, to Gaito's nod. "Very well. Anything I am about to say isn't really private knowledge, as long as people look for it. Not something many have reasons to do, thought", he admits casually to Homura while leading the way towards a nearby cosmetics shop."Pretty easy to see why", Coco smiles to Amy. "I wish I wasn't at risk of switching at bad times, but that's the only negative."

Once they come in, a shop assistant walks in their direction. "Welcome- Oh, Prince Gaito, it's a honour to have you here", his voice breaks slightly, and bows towards the prince. "I see you are in good company. How may I be of service", he looks at the rest of the group, eyes stopping for a second on Coco. Gaito nods at the attention of the shop assistant. "No need to trouble yourself, I am just accompanying Princess Coco's friends to this tour of the Kingdom. Ask them any question", he briefly addresses her greeting, waving in the girls' directions, and then immediately continues his explanation.

"What stood out as weird to me is the fact in your world, the Ancients left. So I focused my search on what was going on around the time the Ancients left in your dimension, and I found out unusual depositions mixed in. The book suggests the Ancients would have left if their emperor didn't suddenly receive some dreams of a future in which wars broke out between the mermaids and the Panthalassa fought and the latter were sealed away", Gaito explains to Homura, but then stops at Hinoiri's request.

He doesn't really know much about his alternate self's circumstances, but he still tries to find a solution. "I am not sure about that, I would suggest to leave him alone with Sara, but I remember comments about her dying. I am not reallty sure what would make him happy if he still has the True Lovers with him, but Sara sacrificed herself tostop a threat."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    At the mention of Riventon lying about offing their world's Gaito, Madoka frowns and says, "Honestly, if Riventon did lie, it was to protect Gaito's interests in some way. Especially since our world's Gaito seemed no longer interested in helping Obsidian. I actually want to respect his wishes on that."

    Homura adds, "While I can't discount the idea that Riventon might have actually killed him, I agree with Madoka. He's no longer our enemy, and his privacy might be more important than our curiosity."

    Kamiko comments, "... and if Riventon didn't lie, well... It might be a sign that he's going off the deep end."

    Lydian floats down to take Homura by the hand, dragging her along the way a child might drag their momma. The small fairy immediately starts looking over the different lipstick colors they have in Panthalassa before turning to the saleswoman and asking, "Do you have samples? Or like... palettes? I'm thinking like... Maybe not 'monochrome' but an adjacent color scheme that goes with her eyes, anything in the blue-to-red range."

    While the art Chara talks shop with the shopkeep, Madoka smiles at Homura spending time with her Chara before turning back to Gaito. "So in other words, our world is one where that prophecy either never happened or wasn't heeded, and things went exactly as your world's Ancients predicted."

    Kamiko shakes her head and says, "Sadly, unlike with Gaito, we do know for a fact that Sara is gone for good. Her pearl should have given birth to a new Princess by now, but that's been prevented."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods in agreement with Madoka and Homura.

    And so they go to their first Panthalassan Store. Which is, what did they decide to go see again?

    Wait, makeup? "How does that even work underwa--" Amy starts to ask, and then thinks back to first pushing through the 'this-would-be-a-weird-place-for-you-to-go' field around the makeup aisle and taking a look around some weeks ago, and, while there was a lot to take in and try to make sense of--

    (why are things organized by brand instead of what they are?! Like any dry makeup thing could be anything from eyeshadow to blush to whatever bronzer is to powdered foundation to, to what's the one you use to darken and contour things, it could be any of those and if you try to tell which instead of helpful information there's a brand name! Little tubes and bottles could be all sorts of things! How does anyone find anything aaaaaaa)

    --but she thinks she does maybe remember some items advertising being water resistant.. "...Huh. Is there already human makeup that does that? I don't actually know."

    She blinks at Lydian. "Wait, you know about this stuff? Is there anything you think I should try?"

    The party presses on and Amy looks slightly lost but the mystery Gaito brings up is something she understands better and she hangs onto the words. "So... this timeline was changed -- or split -- when the Ancients did or didn't receive prophetic dreams about the outcome that would've happened in our dimension... and it's hard to tell if that's the work of divination magic in this timeline, or someone sending back a message from our world and creating an alternate timeline... or simply an event that did or didn't happen."

    Amy furrows her brow thoughtfully. It suddenly hits her... "...Huh. To you... we seem like the people who come back from the bad timeline in a movie, to stop it from happening, huh... It feels kinda weird to be on this side of that trope. Because like... I do wanna go home, not change it, it's all I know."

    She looks at Gaito, then away. "I mean... sorry you're dead-or-hiding there but I didn't know you, I want to see my friends again."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Yeah, home decor sounds great. Boutique sounds like fun to start with," Hinoiri agreed as they walked, a small smile on her lips.

However, as she learned more about WHY the ancients left... well... she couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "Yeah... I... imagine that'd do just about anyone to uhhh... going off the deep end a bit. And can't really argue with Madoka on that one. If Gaito wants out... I can't really blame him. Obsidian isn't exactly known for having the best... retirement package," Hinoiri said in a flat, mildly... annoyed tone. "So... I can't blame him if he did just want out and to no longer get bothered... And I really hope... Riventon hasn't gone off the deep end. He's... a lot of things. But... well..." He was the first person to reach out to her. If he hadn't... She might not be here, now. She couldn't truly see him as terrible or bad.

She then glanced towards Lydian, Amy and Homura, a smile on her face watching them going over things... She didn't get it, but she could at least enjoy seeing people get so empassioned about it. That was cute. There was nothing quite as nice and enjoyable as well... People finding things they truly did love and enjoy and were passionate about.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The Panthalassa looks at Lydian curiously, very clearly wanting to ask what she is, but she abstains, not wanting to make a bad impression in front of their prince and a reigning princess from another kingdom. "Something red-to-blue? Certainly!", she replies to Lydian, disappearing for just the time she needs to come back holding her response to the request. "Here we go, miss. This cool blue for your lips, and a vivid red on the other end for your eyes", she explains, offering lipstick and eyeshadow. "Feel free to try them both, and tell me which one you like more."

"Something like that", Gaito nods at Madoka, pensively. "Are you sure it came in a dream? Wasn't it an Oystery Fairy?", Coco asks dubious. She doesn't think prophetic dreams were a specific problem the Ancients had by how Gaito put it, and dreams don't just randomly start to reveal the future. "Absolutely. As far as we know, it didn't have a cause. It just happened", Gaito smirks to Coco. He is about to say something about their respective kingdoms when Kamiko's comment distracts him.

"Sara is no longer her kingdom's princess here either. I don't know the specifics, but she found a way to separate herself from her Pearl and be with me, and her Pearl gave birth to a new heir, as if she had died. I am not sure what method she used, it caught everyone by surprise", he anticipates Coco's question. The Yellow Princess looks at Amy instead. What the redhead just said pretty much summarizes her doubts. "Try focusing on finding out what did it. The fact an Oyster Fairy wasn't involved is pretty odd", she insists to Gaito.

"I don't think you going back is going to ruin my world, or else I wouldn't be helping you, you know", he remarks to Amy after a simple nod to Coco. "But I want to help out your world's Gaito. I will still be thinking of something to make his life better", he promises to Hinoiri.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Amy asks Lydian about makeup, and as a result she immediately has the art Chara's full attention. "Wait... wait... you mean you don't?" She gives a distressed look at Amy and then glances at Madoka's direction before saying, "Honestly you should probably ask either Madoka-chan or her momma, though I guess asking me isn't that different from asking Doka now that I think about it."

    Homura closes her eyes and says, "How much do you need to know? There are make-up tutorials all over MeTube if you need a good foundation. No pun intended."

    Homura lied. That pun was fully intended.

    Lydian floats and zips around Amy and hums to herself. "So you have a lot of red. How do you feel about orange or purple? Or green?"

    Madoka, feeling like her Chara is getting ahead of herself, walks over to her and says, "You know... if she's just starting out, maybe pick colors that will look good for everyday use? Showing up with green eyeshadow and lip gloss might not be the fashion statement she wants to make."

    Turning to Amy, Madoka says, "It's not really that complicated. It's kind of like an art project, like... painting a model or a miniature. First you put on a 'primer', which is usually something like foundation or sunscreen or moisturizer, and then you add the 'paint' on top of that, like blush, bronzer, concealer, and so on. Then sometimes you use a sealing spray as a final coating to make it last all day. Also, instead of a paintbrush, you use a blending brush!"

    With a bright smile, Madoka leans forward and tucks one arm behind her own back while thoughtfully tapping her chin with the other. "I guess if I had to put it into words, I'd say the 'goal' is to use shading and blending techniques to emphasize the shape of your face while erasing any blemishes." Then she looks over to Gaito and then back to Amy. "Eheh, well, maybe right now isn't the best time for a make-up lesson. Honestly though, it's something you should feel free to experiment with until you find a style that suits you."

    Lydian crosses her arms says, "I still think orange eyeshadow would look good on her, but it's up to you, Amy."

    By this point, the saleswoman has come back, and Homura accepts them. "Thank you. My tiny friend gets really excited about this kind of thing." She searches the store for the nearest mirror and looks into it while applying the eyeshadow and lip gloss, looking it over while the others talk.

    Kamiko stays close to Hinoiri and says to Gaito, "Don't hesitate to let us know if you think of something that will help. We didn't always get along with him, but we don't wish him harm, either."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy raises her hand. "What even is an Oyster Fairy?" she asks, and then Lydian and Homura and Madoka all have advice which honestly would be pretty great but that it's in front of Gaito and the Panthalassan store employees and maybe interrupting investigation feels a little awkward; or maybe that's some lingering shreds of this-is-supposed-to-be-embarassing-for-you, or maybe she's embarassed to not know a girly thing to age-appropriate proficiency, or it's a mix, she's not analyzing the feeling right now.

How much do you need to know?
    "Uhh..." Amy looks a bit overwhelmed, "Ahmya tried to tell me some things but all I remembered is basic application I've tried eyeliner and mascara a few times since."

How about orange or purple or green?
    "For what? Lipstick? Those sound like weird colors for that but maybe I'd have to see... eyeshadow? Maybe, I tried to get a light purple to work but when I do it without magic it just looks like a bruise. ...Are there also other things that the colors would be used for, like, other types I don't know?"

First you put on a primer, and then...
    "Right, a bit of that's coming back to me from Ahmya explaining, so wait, though, is a primer, I mean a foundation, wait, so it's, either/or with moisturizer not both, or is that a paint that goes on top, why do you bronze anything and does blush have a point other than countering that you used makeup that's too pale, uh..." Yeah they could probably have a long conversation.

    Lydian makes a reccomendation. "I'd try it! Uhh... so that's..." she turns to the salesperson and counts on her fingers, "Orange and purple, no, er, lavender, eyeshadow, plus mascara and eyeliner. Uh, in regular black." she adds, suddenly unsure if those come in wild colors. "And uh... Some kind of basic lipstick maybe...?" she'll go with the girls' reccomendation on a shade. "Thanks..." she grins a bit awkwardly, bouncing between enthusiastic, worried she's imposing on time, and feeling a bit lost. She watches Homura curiously, studying the technique.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"What do you say tour little friend comes back later to enjoy more samples on her free time?", the assistant smiles to Homura, then gives Kamiko a look. Is that her sister? Let's go with sister. "Her sister can come with her too. I think they would have a great time here, and they would be really cute together", she happily suggests.

"An Oyster Fairy is a fairy whose powers are all based around predicting the future", Coco tells Amy. "They aren't always perfect, and sometimes the specific fairy can have special ideas on how to apply her gift that... don't really work", she smiles awkwardly. "But they are in general reliable when we get a prophecy from them." When being the operative word. "Madame Taki is an Oyster Fairy."

She continues slightly biting her lip. "The Ancients didn't have foretelling powers, did they?", She asks Gaito. He would have contradicted her already if that were the case. "So I am not sure where the dream could have come from, and how they knew to believe it." She can't really fault them for that decision though, since it was accurate, and definitely the right one given their situation.

Gaito looks at Homura, and nods with a smile. "Thank you, you will be the first to know if I come up with something, though I hope it doesn't require sending back anything. I don't know if something from this world would survive the trip to yours", he considers.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Lydian looks like she's about to really get into a lengthy explanation, but Madoka cups her with her hands and holds her close to settle her down. The pinkette smiles at Amy and says, "Um... maybe tomorrow morning you can ask me and I'll go over my routine with you. There are a lot of different options and there's no one single holy path that is the 'one true way'. You have to experiment a bit and find something that works for your specific face, and right now might not be the best time."

    Homura glances sideways at Amy and says, "I have a backup make up kit in my shield. You can use some of that if you need, so don't worry if you miss something."

    Lydian has a lot of opinions that she wants to express, and Chara don't usually let the reservations of their Bearer get in their way, but Kamiko also has opinions about staying on topic and looks like she might start fussing about it. Lydian smiles brightly and nods at the assistant. "Of course! That'd be fun." Clearly she's excited at the idea, regardless of the timing. She also does make sure to help Amy pick a shade of red lipstick.

    As Coco explains what an Oyster Fairy is, Madoka turns towards her and says, "Oh, you mentioned being able to reliably predict the future before, didn't you? Huh... actually, now that I think about it, didn't you read my fortune once? With the cards?" Well, that was a long time ago. Parts of it actually turned out accurate, depending on how Madoka reads it.

    Homura turns towards Amy so that the other Puella can get a better look at her blending technique, but her eyes turn towards Gaito and Coco. "If the dream came out of nowhere, it's not impossible that some other magic might be involved. Maybe someone went back in time from an era like ours and warned them... though, that doesn't quite make sense either. I can't think of anyone in our world who'd think to go talk to the Ancients first." After a pause, she says, "... I mean, unless Michel is involved."

    Homura glances towards Gaito and shrugs. "Honestly, I also hope that's not the solution. If we brought something back, it might cause a distortion or something. Have you seen the pink dome that was around the Pearl Pier? We still don't know how that happened."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy looks enthused and greatful for MadoHomu's offer, smiling, "Thank you!" And now they won't be taking undue time away from the investigation so she can feel better about that too!

    Gaito's words that they may not be able to keep any souveniers are a slight buzzkill, though. "Why not?" She doesn't take her eyes off Homura though. "And what about information from this world? I mean, we'll be able to keep our memories... right? What about books? Though... okay, I guess I mean computer files..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Yeah, I did", Coco smiles brightly as Madoka remembers that school festival. It was such a long time ago that she has nearly forgotten. Well, her results did turn out to be relevant towards her and Homura, so she didn't do too bad. "Mermaid tarots have a good reputation, but they have very specific constraints, and they are not anywhere near close to what an Oyster Fairy can do." Which makes this dream really odd.

Gaito nods at Homura's observation. "Some other magic... I don't think the dreamseer stones would be powerful enough for this, And they would have to have been near the pillow of one of you, so I think you would have noticed. None of you had any fancy stone, right?"

"We were all having a sleepover that night, it's impossible any of us would have hidden something like that, and nobody would even want to do that to us, so it has to be something different.

"That's probably how something that big was sent here without anything out of place. We are definitely dealing with powerful magic, but you don't need me telling you that. Fortunately that reduced what I have to look through, so I expect now that I am closing in. That becomes clearer.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods as Coco explains the difference between her predictions and that of an Oyster Fairy. Interesting, so that would make Oyster Fairies really important in this world. Especially if they are allegedly the only thing that could make a prediction on this scale. "I have to admit," says the pinkette, "Some prophecy from thousands of years ago turning out to be accurate is actually quite a feat, right? Especially since we know it's accurate from our experiences on our own world."

    Homura shrugs at Gaito and says, "Well, we're magical girls. Many of us have fancy stones of some sort. Madoka herself has a couple, though I doubt the Humpty Lock or a Soul Gem could ever pull off something like this. Unless there's something about the pearl she has that we don't know about?" She directs that last question at Coco, who is probably the only one who could really answer. "Either way, I doubt we have anything like this dreamseer stone you're talking about, and I highly doubt any of us would bring something like that to a sleepover and keep it a secret."

    Madoka smiles at Gaito and says, "Well... sounds like you're making progress. Thanks for helping out with all this."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Something called dreamseer stones are mentioned, and this did all start with a sleepover...

Nobody would even want to do that to us.
    "That's an awfuly big assertion." Amy pipes up. "We didn't even know Michel existed until he showed up. There could be someone else we don't know about, or a plan that was not for this to happen but things went wrong. But... Okay, I don't actually know if those dream stones' effect would look like this, I've never seen that. We're... I'm pretty sure we're not dreaming. Even if I am breathing underwater."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco shakes her head. "No, none of us can actually see the future, and we don't have any special powers like that. The Pearls are the Alter Ego of the Mermaid Princess born from it. We would have already noticed if one of us seven could have left a prediction on this scale", Coco replies to Homura.

"Dreamseeing stones don't work like this", Coco explains to Amy. "They make dreams real, but they don't need you to still be dreaming. Let's say you dream that someone paints Radiant Heart green. The next day, someone will have painted the whole school green. Or maybe you dreamt about a cat pillow becoming alive. Same deal, next day it would be alive."

"Dreamseeing stones are jagged as if cut haphazardly, and are about as long as this", Gaito shows a space of roughly 8 cm with his fingers to Madoka. "Do any of you have anything like this?", he asks.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Coco's answer seems to satisfy Homura, though it certainly doesn't surprise her. If one of the Mermaid Princesses could predict the future to this degree, Coco would have brought it up already. The description of Dreamseeing stones and how they work seems a little suspicious, though.

    As Gaito describes the dreamseeing stone, Madoka taps her chin. "The 'haphazard cut' kind of eliminates a lot." She reaches under her collar and produces the Humpty Lock and the pearl that hangs next to it. The Lock has a pearlescent inlay cut like four hearts arranged like a four leaf clover, and Madoka taps it to show Gaito. "Most of the stones I know of are symmetrical in some way or another. I certainly don't think I've heard of anything like what you're describing."

    She returns the Lock to its hiding place, and then clasps her hands behind her back. "We were the only ones at the Pearl Pier, right? I guess we could ask Rashmi, but I feel like she'd identify it right away if something she owned started acting like this. What about Hippo and Nikora?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's eyes widen and she looks away from Homura and stares at Coco in concern when dreamseeing stones are explained. "But my dreams are weird. And like, sometimes they're in the past or games or movies or stuff. What if I did dream about going to another world, or that I had to go back to my old high school, or anything big like that?"

    Gaito's description, though... she nods at Madoka's comment about the cut. "Soul gems look nothing like that, not that we could mistake anything else for our soul gems anyway."

    Madoka asks about strange things at the Pearl Pier... Amy considers collections of magical objects, the Device in her closet, the brush Hinoiri got her, and the dream she had on the spaceship where the Academy's Headmistress had a whole collection of magical and cursed objects from past adventures, one of which was for teaching people not to touch dark power. u_u Amy didn't need to remember that.

    But it does bring to mind a thought... "Nikora and Hippo have been around how long? What kind of magic stuff could they be keeping at the Pier? We didn't see any dream stones and you said they had to be close to us, but... what if they mixed with another magic object? Or heck, other magic objects interacted with eachother, or like, activated because we had so many magical girls crowded together in one room, or perhaps because some plan against us could have interacted with a dreamseeing stone or other magic item and done who knows what?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Gaito stops to look at the Humpty Lock with interest. It's clearly of excellent make, and probably it is exactly as rare as it looks. "It is really pretty as a gemstone, but it's still not related. Not like you find them in the human world. They grow on the seafloor, nowhere near here, more in the territory of the Seven Seas.

Nikora doesn't have magical powers, and Hippo's require the use of the Sealing Key instead, so both of them have nothing that could pass for a magic gemstone." Besides, it's Coco who has the Sealing Key right now. "Nikora is only in her twenties, her power is good business acumen, while Hippo is as old as the Sealing Key at least, but I don't have a specific number."

Then she looks at Amy. "Pretty much none. We only meant for it to be a hotel. Nothing in there would be able to cause this."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka, Kamiko, and Lydian all scratch their chins and tilt their heads in an almost synchronized motion. Homura takes a moment to look up from the mirror to quietly adore the pink girl and her fairies. Kamiko speaks up, saying, "Then yeah, I'm stumped. The amount of power needed to change thousands of years of history is probably well beyond anything we likely deal with. If Madoka had made a Wish with Kyubey, then maybe she could have done something like that, but that's not really possible anymore."

    Homura glances at Kamiko, then looks at Gaito and Coco. "Either way, it sounds like we still don't have a clear culprit. I'll keep an eye out for stones like that, but... I think we can be reasonably confident that it's something else. Not Oyster Fairies, not dreamseer stones, and likely not any odd magic that we brought with us."

    Madoka scratches her chin and says, "Hey, so... I know this is probably unrelated, and I know they were a glitch and everything, but I noticed something odd about the Dark Lovers. One of them was missing. I think her name was... Yuri? Any reason why she'd be left out of the group?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Or what if she has a dream like the one where she got youthened again and had to go to kindergarten again? Would she have to live that? Dreamseer stones' power might be fearsome... Now Amy's going to be wondering what absolutely wild stuff they might cause.

If Madoka had made a wish with Kyubey...
    << Should we really tell them that? Wait... >>
    Amy wonders, "What if in this timeline... she did? Wait, what wish would result in this, though...?" Amy shakes her head. "No, I guess that doesnt make sense."

    And it seems the pier has no secret collections of wacky magic items. She sighs. "I guess we're no closer to solving the mystery or finding a way home... but it's not a bad vacation... At least we're not stuck in a memory bubble right before the apocalypse where we could have to avoid the end of the world at any time..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"And yet you don't have a Soul Gem", Gaito stares at Madoka with a gaze as if trying to pierce into a mystery. "I can only imagine how disappointed the Kyubey of your world must be to have failed to secure you."

Perhaps it was the best for them all they aren't allowing Kyubey in any. If he manipulated this world's Madoka into making a wish, everything they so painstakingly built would fall down like a house of cards. "I think we should ensure the you here is under our protection, just in case."

Gaito looks an odd mix of alarmed and intrigued when told Yuri wasn't part of the group. "That's indeed an interesting coincidence, if it's indeed one. Either we have been observed for a while, or it just has a weird humour. I did say my girls opened an ice cream shop, right? Isuru, Eril and Maria did. Yuri is more doing her own thing ever since she got a boyfriend, Hippo. She spends a lot of times going on dates with him. They are hopelessly in love with each other."

"I can only imagine Hippo is very happy with this arrangement", Coco muses. "He had fallen in love with Yuri too, but while she loved him deeply too, that hadn't shaken her loyalty to you, and she chose to fight us even if meant no longer seeing him."

Gaito smiles at that. "Well, I am glad to hear she is so loyal. I have always treasured them, and even if it turned out badly, it is nice to know they felt the same way."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka, Kamiko, and Homura all realize something at the same time, and the three of them look at each other. Lydian isn't picking up on it, but she's picking up on the fact that she's not picking up on something, and so she's suddenly curious and insistent. "What? What is it? Why are you all looking at each other like that?"

    Madoka stares at Lydian for a moment, and then turns to Gaito and asks, "Are you... um... are you saying..."

    Kamiko provides the middle of the sentence, "... that the Yuri from your world..."

    Homura says the end of it, "... is dating the Hippo of our world?"

    Lydian blinks. "Well dang, he moves fast, but wait... what if it's the Hippo of this world?"

    Homura flips her hair, "Is there a Hippo of this world? Wasn't he replaced by ours?"

    Madoka looks at Coco, her pink gaze a little suspicious, "... maybe we should ask him about that?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Kyubey didn't sound like he can be disappointed. he said the Incubators don't have emotions, that's why they need us."

    Beat.

    "I guess that could be a lie, but emotions have got to be part of what makes a Puella Magi worth contracting..."

    Amy blinks at that thought.

    "But... Madoka doesn't seem like she goes through all that much more than any of the rest of us... although having so many Chara is unusual... Why would she have been such a strong Puella Magi? Did Kyubey plan to make awful or exciting things happen to her, somehow...?"

    Yuri has a boyfriend, Hippo. "Wait, what? They're dating?" She looks to Coco, who doesn't seem to find that so unusual, so Amy stops seeing it as suspicious. "In love, huh...? I wonder what that really feels like..."

    And then the others point out what it means, if Hippo, like Coco, has repleaced the version of him in this world. Although Lydian points out that might have happened before they got isekaied.

    "Wait... when did they start dating?" Amy asks. "And have they been going on any dates since we arrived?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I meant with the Hippo of our world, but given that for some reason some of you have replaced people from here, I can only imagine that goes for your Hippo too, unless he has some reason to keep his distance", Gaito observes.

"No, I doubt he has any reason to keep his distance. He is probably very happy at this situation", Coco replies seriously, and she too looks at Madoka. "Yes, we really should. Let's not be harsh with him though, he was really heartbroken when the fight happened."

"Just about a week ago", Gaito replies to Amy. "It was all by coincidence, though both of them had feelings for a while. Neither of them knew how to approach the other. About 10 days ago, Yuri got hurt while none of us were around, and Hippo was there, and they finally took this moment to ask the other to start dating. That's what Yuri said has happened."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    As Amy muses about the feelings of an Incubator who reportedly doesn't have any, Kamiko shrugs. "I remember when I was hatched as Gretchen, Kyubey seemed... I wouldn't say he was mad by human standards, but he was the maddest I ever saw him. Either way, even if he doesn't experience the same things we do and in the same way, it's clear that he has something he wants to get, and in her case he didn't get it."

    Madoka and Homura glance at each other as they take the new information in. The pinkette speaks first, "So... the timing doesn't line up. Our Hippo could not have been the one to ask her out."

    Homura tilts her head and says, "True, he could not, but should we actually be surprised? If it's as Coco says, and Hippo and Yuri shared a love ruined by the war, then it's possible that a world in which the Panthallasa and Mermaids don't fight is a world in which their romance can happen."

    Lydian chimes in, saying, "Ohhh... I see. So the star-crossed lovers aren't star crossed here."

    Kamiko nods. "That's right. The stars would be in their favor."

    Madoka smiles at Coco and shakes her head. "This isn't something we should be harsh to him over. It's not much different than..." she pauses, then considers, "... than what I might do in a similar situation. Still, since he's impacted so heavily by this, it would make sense to at least check in with him. I'm sure it must be really confusing for him to suddenly find his lost love back in his life."

    Homura glances to Gaito and says, "I see no reason to doubt Yuri's version of events. I would still like to hear our Hippo's take on it, however. He might not be the same Hippo who helped Yuri 10 days ago."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kyubey might have lied about not having emotions...? "Huh. Good to know, maybe..."

    Amy nods at 'not being harsh.' "If Hannah were here, I'd probably want to see her again too." She nods to Madoka admitting similar. "Although, I'd tell her that I was me from a different timeline... wait, she wouldn't know me even if she were here... well, you know what I mean."

    Amy blinks at that thought and looks to Gaito. "Wait, what do you do with Belkans and Mid-Childans who come to this region of space, anyway? Like, even if you're turning them away, what if someone crashlands, or is a refugee or seeking asylum or something?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco scoffs at hearing of Gretchen's birth. "I guess it's just like him to meddle when he doesn't even have anything to gain from it. Getting mad at you was so dumb even for him. What was he going to do, un-Chara Madoka?", she shakes her head.

Gaito ignores the squibble about Kyubey, though he has a satisfied expression at hearing how much of a pain he is being in that other world. "As far as I know, her dates haven't stopped, so she must be with your Hippo now."

"They must have met and decided that to each other they were the same people enough to chime in", Rihito tells Amy. "I don't think I would do the same if you'd stayed behind, but I would still have you back home unlike Hippo", Coco considers out loud. Their circumstances are a little different, and she doesn't feel like blaming him for it. "Well, I wouldn't know how to look for you in that situation, but I would still try", Rihito smiles at her.

"Well, I guess you have things to do now, and duty calls for me too, so I will take my leave here", he waves his hand opening a portal in a crimson flash. "Have fun around here if you want, that portal will stay open for five hours and bring you back directly to the Pearl Pier." With that he turns around and walks away.

"Do you want to stay a bit more?", Coco asks Rihito. "Maybe we could find things you recognise", she explains to Rihito's nod. "I don't think it's very important, but I don't shop hopping till our time is up", Rihito agrees.