362/Puella in the Park

Puella in the Park
Date of Scene:	04 September 2023
Location:	Botanical Gardens
Synopsis:	Kyouka meets up with Homura to share some info, then leaves while Naru, Madoka, and Magda appear.
Cast of Characters:	Kyouka Inai, Homura Akemi, Naru Osaka, Madoka Kaname, Magda Faust

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Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka is standing by the Koi pond, absently crumbling bread with her good hand and tossing the crumbs into the water for the fish to nibble upon, watching the resulting frenzy of scaly orange-mottled bodies with absent interest. 'Good hand', because the other is currently held to her chest by the medical cling she's wearing, which holds her broken left arm while it heals. She's dressed in her 'casual' clothing, today consisting of grey cargo pants, sneakers, and a black tanktop with some random band's logo on the front, her sunglasses shielding her eyes. It's a warm, sunny afternoon, but the botanical gardens are never particularly crowded.

    As she crumbles bread, she's speaking to Homura, who is standing beside her. "..so I'm still waiting for Pluto to crack the cypher. If she can't, I may have to go back to the Kiseru Lady... the one we traded the Seed to for the information in the first place. She claims to have methods to translate it. I'm just leery of her price. It's a last resort but the option exists."

    A pause, as she tosses in the last hunk of bread. "Also, I had a ghost visit me in a dream the other night. She told me I needed to 'find the Silver Crystal' and 'Awaken the Princess.' That mean anything to you, in particular?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura is wearing an unusual getup for her. Maybe she doesn't want to be easily recognized with how the last 'secret' meetup with Kyouka went. A pair of once nice jeans torn off at the upper thighs to be shorts, with off-white tights with a pattern of little black stars sprinkled across beneath. A t-shirt one size too large with the emblem of the ever famous Tokyo Tigers baseball team plastered all over it. To cap it of she has her hair back in a ponytail too, completing the somewhat sporty look. Anyone who really knows her would recognize her, but anyone who didn't might need a doubletake.

    "You should exhaust every other resource possible before trying that," Homura replies, leaning back against a nearby railing with her arms crossed. Her eyes flick towards the 'no longer good arm', "That asset is already compromised. It was the first time, obviously. You do something like that again and it's not going to turn out so well." She frowns a little more, then side eyes towards Kyouka and speaks in a stronger, but quieter tone. "If you have to as a last resort, you should burn her. They already know it's you, but if they found out it's her... well. Weaker Obsidian Generals disappear for making the wrong person angry all the time."

    If she has any moral qualms about this they don't show. Someone working for Obsidian is ostensibly evil in the first place, so there's no great loss to their disappearing in her book.

    At the next question Homura pushes off the barrier and looks incredulous, "A ghost told that to you? Not buying it, Inai-sensei. More likely it was one of your students. Maybe even one you'd trust enough to bring to your doom and gloom meetups."

Naru Osaka has posed:
The botanical gardens are a nice place to go for a walk. A nice walk in the sunshine, admiring the plants. Clearly that's a great thing to banish lingering brain weasels, and a good place to find something to sketch as well.

Naru looks over to where Kyouka is meeting with someone and she lifts her hand in a wave towards the woman. She's not quite close enough to hear the details of what they're talking about.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka shakes her head a little bit, her lips quirked. "I'm not sure anyone but herself could make Kiseru disappear. She's too valuable a resource to cut off, and frankly, while we have a good working relationship it's not like we're friends. She knows the game she's playing- I'm not concerned about her taking risks. It's what she gets paid for. And like you said, they already know it's me, in this case. Not like I have anything to lose. That said... the possibility exists she could be used to set me up. So I'm not dismissing your opinion. Only amending it."

    Then, "No, it was a ghost. I swear! In a dream. Very spooky."

    Her eye catches the movement of Naru's wave, and she turns her head to look more directly. "Son-of-a.. and here I thought this was a place we wouldn't ever run into someone from school." She says, with a rueful chuckle as she raises her hand to wave back. "Osaka-san. How are you feeling?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "You thought you were unkillable," Homura points out. She then asks, "How's that healing, by the way? Do you have someone working on that with you? I know of a healer who might be able to help." Not that she's met Magda Faust directly, but she helped Madoka well enough, and she already owes the girl a Grief Seed for it. She gets the feeling someone in her position would be pretty willing to trade for healing pretty willingly.

    "A ghost came to you in a dream? If that Kiseru lady isn't with Obsidian after all, maybe it's worth it." A grumbled sigh, "Before I hear what the cost that has you worried, anyway."

    She stands up a little straighter when Kyouka looks towards Naru and waves. Another frown but lighter. Looks like she dressed up for no reason at all. May as well have worn the school uniform again. Her purple eyes briefly look towards Naru herself, and then plays Kyouka's game with her from the other side, "Someone I should know?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru looks between the pair of them, as she pauses within easy conversational range, but not up close and personal. "Good afternoon, Inai-sensei." She gives a polite greeting to Houmuras well and then flashes a half smile. "I'm well enough, thank you."

Without any apparent offense she asks. "Should I take my leave again, and let you get back to your conversation?" She caught some of the edges of words as she approached, she can make some guesses.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka looks back to Homura, before Naru draws near enough to hear, and replies, "Yeah, and I ain't dead, now am I? So looks like I thought right. At least today." She glances down at the arm. "It's fine. I don't want a magical healing right now, but thanks- it serves my purpose for it to remain the way it is for now. It'll heal quickly enough. Appreciate the offer though."

    Then Naru is pausing beside them, and she offers the girl a smile. "Osaka-san, do you know Akemi-san?" She gestures to Homura. To Homura, she says, "Osaka-san here is Tsukino-san's roommate, and another student I'm giving lessons to." Take from that what you may. To Naru, she says, "Akemi-san is a friend... another student who trains with me. It doesn't surprise me if you haven't met. There are a lot of students at the school, after all."

    She takes a deep breath, then smiles to Naru. "You seem to more or less have recovered from your recent ordeal." As an aside to Homura, "She had an unfortunate run-in with a Dark Energy wielding naerdowell, the other day. But that's why we're training, eh Osaka-san?" An encouraging grin.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura gives Kyouka her best deadpan expression. It doesn't mean much of a change, but if anyone is observant enough to notice it's Kyouka. "You must have been a lot of fun to work with in your prime. You've always had the devil's own luck, haven't you?" It's more of a guess than an actual intuition, but the Puella gets the feeling that kind of attitude comes from a long line of experiences that should have left the woman dead several times over.

    Contrary to her current appearance she gives a rather polite bow to Naru, "Osaka-san, a pleasure to meet you." She frowns a little at the note of an encounter with Dark Energy, "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure Inai-sensei's training will do you well. Too many people are getting caught up in things they aren't ready for too often." She isn't frowning anymore, but there's something of a darker expression on her face. Kyouka probably knows that a certain Madoka Kaname ended up in the hospital with all kinds of burns that healed entirely too fast to have been mundane. Whether she's realized the connection between Madoka and Homura though, only she would know, but it's fairly public knowledge at least that they're friends.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Pleasure to meet you, Akemi-san." Naru greets politely and she nods. "There are a lot of students, and while both myself and Usagi are pretty social, we havent' quite managed to meet everyone in school." The 'yet' at the end of her sentance is only implied.

"The extra training did serve me well." Naru acknowledges with a little smile. "Incentive to continue, most assuredly." She considers a moment and then notes. "Although truly, existing provides me with a fair bit of incidental training these days. Ready or not, the universe doens't seem to care overly much."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka flashes a roguish grin to Homura at her observation. "I don't believe in luck." She says, at her most smug. "Only the considered application of probability and strategy to.. okay no, you've got me. I'm a lucky son-of-a-bitch and I know it. But hey, sometimes that's just what you need when your daily life is full of things that want to eat you. Both literally and not."

    Kyouka is indeed aware of Kaname-san, and that she is friends with Homura, although she actually isn't aware of the pink-haired girl's latest trip to the hospital (as a patient). Even she can't know everything, though she does her best. "It tends to happen more when you spend your time with the kind of company which attracts trouble." Kyouka says, with an arched brow towards Naru- even though it's not like the girl chose to be childhood friends with Usagi knowing in advance she'd eventually be put in this position.

    "Though I guess if I meant that, you shouldn't be here talking to us either." She shakes her head slightly. "The universe is a pretty messed up place, truthfully. You can't go wrong carrying a big stick to keep it at bay."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    That gets a shadow of a smile from Homura. At least if the woman admits it her attitude can be taken into account for those that actually do function on strategy and analysis. A potential loose canon as a known quantity is a hell of a lot less dangerous than an unknown one; you can learn to light a fuse with a long stick instead of standing right behind it.

    "You can say that again," Homura scoffs, though Naru will probably recognize that she isn't the one the black-haired girl's frustration is aimed at in regards to hanging around dangerous people. She's not looking at her when she says it, for one.

    "Radiant Heart is either the safest or most dangerous place in the entire city, and I haven't figured out which just yet. Whichever it turns out to be, meeting people is probably for the best," she observes, nodding along with Kyouka's assessment as well. "A big stick, and someone beside you with a big shield. That's always the best way in my experience." She doesn't say that a whole group of coordinated mahou fighting as a team is even better, but that proverbial hop of logic is one she doesn't think she actually needs to say out loud.

Naru Osaka has posed:
The sort of company that Naru keeps prompts an arch of her brow and the spreading of her hands towards Kyouka. "I'm currently keeping company with the pair of you." She points out in agreement with Kyouka. "And I'm alone for at least some of my trouble. I'm often the problem, not the solution."

"Radiant Heart is.. the most interesting." Naru decides upon. "And I think that's an and, not an or. Safest and most dangerous, all at once." She considers a moment and then mmms. "Coordination is sometimes challenging."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "To be fair, at least your present company is fairly likely to be able to ward off all but the most potent adversaries." Kyouka says, with a self-satisfied hair-flip which may or may not be a conscious imitation of Homura's well-known mannerism. She then tsks, reaching out to put a hand on Naru's shoulder. "Don't think of yourself as a problem. When you get attacked, you're not the problem. The one attacking you is. And you are more than justified to seek out appropriate means to solve that problem. It's not like you're looking for trouble."

    "The actual grounds of Radiant Heart are pretty safe." Kyouka says, and sounds like she means it. "Sure there's the occasional incident like that plant thing earlier in the year," She makes a vague gesture, "But by and large you're less likely to get into serious trouble on the school grounds than you are out in the city, even if you're the type to attract such incidents." A glance at Naru. "But I know 'just stay home' isn't an adequate solution either."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "The kinds of people Radiant Heart is looking to teach don't trend towards hikkikomorism," Homura notes in response to Kyouka's final comment to Naru. As for talking to the other girl herself, she adds, "Trouble has a way of finding the same people over and over. I don't know if it's chance, or luck, but in my experience once people start being capable of realizing the kind of trouble we're actually facing it's hard for them to unsee it."

    Her head shakes and she agrees, "There's never a dull week at Radiant Heart, you've got that right. There's a backhanded benediction, 'may you live in interesting times'. Whoever said that first must have meant all of us. I'm having a hard time keeping my head around everything happening, and I'm supposed to be an expert on that." Self proclaimed expert, but for someone as well informed as she as all kinds of things are spinning entirely out of control around her before she has any chance at even being involved.

    But that's just one of the eternal Puella Magi conundrums. No matter what you want to be doing you need Grief Seeds to do anything and hunting Witches is your literal job, Contracted and everything, so it takes precedence over everything. Including staving off potential world ending plots.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "You really can't put the cat back in the bag, can you?" Kyouka says, with a good-humored sigh, at Homura's comment. "Thankfully, some of us thrive on that sort of environment. Others... just have to endure it." She gives Naru a sympathetic smile. "Although maybe you'll find your stride, Osaka-san. I've seen far more unlikely people manage it."

    "Speaking of," She glances at the sky, then back to Homura. "I have another meeting I have to keep. I'll be in touch, alright?" She nods her head, then again to Naru. "Osaka-san. Try and avoid any further encounters today, at least. It's too nice a day for more Dark Energy." And then she's strolling away, hands in pockets.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "You're right about that. Some can barely keep themselves together, others thrive, and then there's some that can keep going as if nothing changed." Homura shrugs, considering herself to be somewhere between the last two options. There's been too much sadness to really thrive for her, but she doesn't think she'd be in a very good place at all if magic hadn't intervened in her life either.

    "You know how to reach me," Homura replies when Kyouka makes to leave, lifting her hand on the air and then cocking it to the side in a simple goodbye wave. "I'll make sure nothing too untoward happens."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"The cat does not readily go back into the bag, no." Naru has to agree there and then she laughs softly. "I make no promises on staying out of trouble, Inai-sensei.. but that is the /goal/ for today. I'd like the dark energy to dissappate, not accumulate."

Naru nods to Homura. "I make no illusions about keeping up. I'd love to think that I was, but it is utter delusion. I try, but not only are there some.. interesting challenges, but there's just too much."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's a nice day to go for a walk in the garden, or at least that's what Madoka's decided. It's good for her to get up and move around, or so she was told, and she's always been pretty physically active anyways. She's here in her wide-brim straw hat and white summer dress, thinking that it wont be long before she has to start dressing warmer.

    For a moment something red catches her eye. "Is that Inai-sensei?" Whoever it is, she's walking away from Madoka's direction, but of course when the pinkette looks in that direction it's not long before she notices a face that she hasn't seen in a while. Where has she met Naru before? She's pretty sure that she has. Something about someone getting punched. Then she notices the locks of a long black ponytail that is familiar in texture but unfamiliar in almost every other way.

    Curiously, Madoka approaches, casually walking down the sidewalk and giving Naru a smile and a wave. "Hey! I haven't seen you in a while. Osaka-san, right? I'm Madoka Kaname."

    Then, unless Homura is hiding from her for some reason, Madoka takes the chance to catch a glimpse of her face.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "Just don't go looking for it and you should be fine. I can't blame anyone for wanting to help when something crops up. But if you see some mysterious tall boy with a dark expression walking into an alley just turn the other direction, right?" It's a generalized rather than targeted comment. She knows some of how Naru's life can go, but not the extreme specifics of it.

    Homura nods, "Even people who are supposed to be good at keeping track of what's happening are having trouble--" her words cut off in an odd way as she bites her tongue before continuing with the thankfully unsaid 'this time around'. "Someone without some special ability to detect, listen in, or just cast a wide personal network isn't going to have a chance." A short pause and she considers Naru, "Though I wouldn't count you out for the later, actually, powers or otherwise. You seem to have the right attitude to move between groups and make friends." She almost wants to sigh. If her plans for forming that kind of network herself had panned out Naru would be a recruit for sure, both for Naru herself and her direct connection to Usagi Tsukino. The pair of them are going to end up surrounded by powerful friends; there's no doubt in her mind about that.

    A certain Pinkette then appears, and Homura has to chide herself for not noticing her until she's already talking to Naru. It doesn't matter if she was standing at a right angle to her, she feels like she should have known! Especially looking like that...

    As Madoka chances a look at her Homura catches her eye. It's only then that she realizes that she wasn't immediately recognized to to the getup and now she's mentally chiding herself for it. She would have gone with a nice dress too, if she'd known Madoka would be along.

    Feeling slightly awkward and leaning into her current look out of an embarrassment she doesn't know why she's feeling she lifts two fingers to her forehead in a casual salute she thinks someone who looks like she does now might give. "Doka," she says, abbreviating her friends name as, again, someone dressed like she is might, entirely too casually for the usually stoic girl. She almost immediately regrets it and shifts on her feet, looking away.

    Looking stonyfaced doesn't work when you're blushing, Homura!

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Madoka!" Naru's smile is warm as Madoka comes up to join them. "It has been a while. How have things been?" She clearly hasn't been keeping on up what's been going on in Madoka's life, not even a little.

Naru chuckles softly at mention of 'mysterious tall boys'. "Well, mysterious tall boys with dark expressions doesn't narrow it down much. It would have to depend on the tall boy, not going to lie."

Naru gestures a little at Homura's comment. "I am attempting the 'wide personal net' option, with mixed success. Gaining trust amongst people who are understadably wary is.. well.. challenging."

A glance between Homura and Madoka and Naru smiles gently. "I can assume that you two know each other already and thus save me from introductions."

Magda Faust has posed:
    A girl with green hair in multi-braids in a school uniform stumbles her way into the area, green eyes dull and eyelids drooping. She looks uncoordinated and out of it, as well as unaware of her surroundings as she zombie-walks through the gardens.
    This is probably normal, summar vacation is over and that's enough to drain anyone, it's fine.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Kinda messy, actually..." says Madoka, responding to Naru.

    As Madoka recognizes those purple eyes and the face belonging to them, she immediately brightens up. She's all smiles now, and the fact that Homura is blushing does little to dissuade her giddiness.

    Then she hears the nickname. Doka? Madoka tilts her head and takes a moment to consider that. Is Homura putting up an act for some reason? Well, the pinkette doesn't want to kill the vibe, even if she doesn't get what it is in the moment.

    "Homu!" she says, cheerfully. Then, to Naru, Madoka nods. "We've met before. Though..." Madoka hears a bit of the conversation, and starts to wonder what the topic is. The last time she saw Naru near magic things, she wasn't aware of them. Or at least, if she was unaware, she was really good at hiding it.

    "Am I interrupting something important?"

    Madoka looks between the two of them, and then also notices someone zombie-walking. She looks terrified for a moment, before she realizes that the person is someone who couldn't possibly be afflicted by a Witch or something.

    She thinks.

    "Magda-san!" she calls out. Big wave. Trying to catch her attention. No one could ever reasonably accuse Madoka of being unfriendly.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    In an entirely more natural and also fitting for her look expression Homura snaps both her fingers and points at Naru, "Exactly. They're all some kind of trouble or another, so if you're trying to stay out of it, look the other way. For today, anyway." Then it turns out her intuition was very correct, "It is. I've found showing up and rescuing them or their friends in a time of crises goes a long way to gaining that trust. Harder to do with just information, but knowing the right people who let them know you sent them their way? That can work too. I'd be happy to help if I can." She shrugs slightly, "It doesn't matter who does it, but someone needs to be the ties that bind people together. Multiple someone's really." One of the other people she knows up to that task is arriving too. Probably the best she knows-- though Homura will admit to being terribly biased towards Madoka Kaname if asked.

    Then that same Madoka Kaname follows her lead and returns a similar nickname in a way that has Homura blushing even more! She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, and reaches back to flip her hair... which is in a ponytail so her hand simply sails through open air. She swings it around to her mouth and coughs into it, closing her eyes, wishing she was in henshin so she could just freeze time and wait for her emotions to die down. It's a good thing she doesn't have a water bottle on it, or she'd probably try to take a drink to cover herself and choke on the water.

    "N-no," she finally coughs out, "nothing important. We're just talking and I told Inai-sensei I'd try to keep any trouble away from Naru. She's had a rough time of things too, apparently." The blush is slowly dying down, but Homura at least seems to have control of herself again.

    Then she hears a name she's heard before from the pinkette's lips. 'Magda-san'. Her purple eyes blink and her haze seems to fade as she turns her eyes towards the green haired girl. She doesn't think it's that much of a leap to put the name and girl she sees together, but before she goes completely half-cocked she looks for a certain ring on Magda's middle fingers; the one that would most assuredly denote her as a Puella Magi.

    "Magda Faust-san?" she asks, suspicions confirmed or otherwise. She takes a few steps towards the girl, holding her hands together in front of herself bowing slightly, "I'm Homura Akemi. I have reason to believe I owe you a debt of gratitude, for helping my friend." A short turn of her head towards Madoka is hopefully enough to make it clear exactly who she means.

    ...and so much for the sporty girl look. In this she's back to her relatively formal, polite self.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'm sorry to hear that things have been messy." Naru frowns a little at Madoka's comment. "Clearly I've been even worse at keeping up on the loop than I thought."

She smiles as she watches Madoka and Homura get all nicknamey and adorable around each other. D'awww.

Naru ahhs to Homura. "I'm not generally much help with the whole 'rescuing' part of the equation. Much to my eternal frustration, but that's neither here nor there, I suppose." She gives a half shrug. "I'm fine, I'm certain." It's just dark energy. It's /fine/.

Naru's attention follows Madoka's greeting and Homura's introduction. She stays quiet, clearly this is between the pair of them.

Magda Faust has posed:
    When called out to, Magda orients on the sound of her name, her head swiveling and then her body turning a moment later. "Kaname-san...." she says. "Arrrre?" she rolls her 'r's as she straightens up and tilts her head, blinking owlishly. "...Is it okay for me to, um, call you Madoka-san?" She does indeed have a ring with a small green gemstone on her finger. Or it should be green. It's presently almost completely black, with something unnerving shifting and moving inside like a monster moving under someone's skin.
    "Ah... Nice to meet you... I'm sorry this our first meeting, Akemi-san..." she says, her shoulders heaving as she starts crying quietly. "I thought I was... Supposed to meet my friends here, but..."
    The green-haired girl lifts her hand bearing the distorted Soul Gem-ring, showing her phone screen. "...but they changed the meeting place to the arcade. I was so busy at the hospital that I-I..." she convulses again, more strongly, as her eyes start to water. "...I didn't even realize. Now I'm... Too tired to..." Her hand drops and dangles there near lifelessly.
    "Haha... I can't do anything right, can I? I keep... Trying to help people but *hic* all I'm doing is... Fixing a small number of injuries. There's people all over I can't even *hic* reach. No matter what I do, there will always b-be scared, hurting p-people, and if I was just stronger, or smarter, or faster, m--*hic* maybe I could do something." She drops to her knees. "But I'm not. I'm not like Teresia-senpai or... Lulu-chan or... Madoka-san."
    Her head hangs as she goes down on hands and knees. Tears drip down on the ground below. There's a pause in her sad, sad monologue, before she finally looks up, face wet, face totally pale, and a ghostly smile on her lips. "Maybe I should just die, right, Madoka-san? Akemi-san? Ne? Wouldn't that be better?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    A freezing shock of realization rolls over Homura the moment she sees the color of the gem set in Magda's ring. She feels like cursing, or pinching the bridge of her nose. Fury and raged directed at all kinds of people who aren't present at all rolls through her. Though that's not entirely true; she'd meant to speak with the Puella herself, and if she had she knows it wouldn't have come to this. So some of that anger is very much inwardly focused.

    Which is good, in a way, because anger is an emotion which breeds action, and that raging heat snaps her out of the icy chill she'd felt before. One moment she's standing near Naru and the next there's a bright purple flash of a panicked, instant henshin. Except Homura isn't standing there in her new outfit. There's even a brief outline of where she'd once been, but like someone poorly edited a film she's there one moment and simply not there the next. The flash probably covers it for mundanes, and magical folk not paying too much attention who probably assume she can teleport.

    The thing is, she's there entirely too fast even for that. Not only was Homura unhenshined one moment and gone the next, that very next moment she's already by Magda's side, and a Grief Seed in her hand, pressing it directly to the ring. For the briefest moment Magda will be pulled into her timestop, the flash of a world of muted colors and little sound other than that which she and Homura makes.

    It's over almost as soon as it begins, and in her delirious, Soul Gem Corrupted state she might not even realized something strange had happened. Especially as that corruption inside the is sucked out into the air around her hand, and then pulled into the Grief Seed herself. As time returns to normal her long, now loose hair falls down behind her, partially giving away the running charge she'd just made, even in stopped time.

    She grits her teeth, trying her best not to start yelling at the girl she just helped for being careless. Instead she contains her anger into a colder rage and traps and hides away with her well practiced, stony mask. As soon as Magda is staring to be remotely herself again she'll find another black orb with a needle point being pressed into her hand. This one fresh, unused. "Keep these with you. At all times. Do not let yourself get so low."

    She barely keeps the harsh, angry advice of why it's so important from her lips, instead staring blankly with cold purple eyes directly into Magdas, hoping she'll realize that for herself, or at the very least have her allies do that for her.

    She does add, though, "You're a healer. You're going to have to rely on others for your magic. I'm sure you can heal others far more efficiently than they can themselves, so it's worth it. That doesn't make you worthless, or worse than anyone else. Helping from the sidelines is just as important as being a powerful fighter." With that she stands up and takes a few steps back, moving out of the way for an expected rush of pink twintails that's probably already there. She gives a knowing glance towards both Madoka, and Naru. Because that advice isn't meant for Magda alone.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka considers. Factoring in Inai-sensei's involvement, and the topic of staying out of trouble, Madoka decides that it's probably okay to discuss magic in front of Naru. Not that she'd have any reason to think otherwise.

    "If we're talking about networking," Madoka starts to add, trying to be helpful, "I think Inai-sensei is a good place to start. Especially with her self-defense classes. Teresia-san has a way of pulling people into her orbit." Like Magda. "I don't know Sailor Moon very well, but the few times I've seen her she's been friendly..."

    "Sadly this is an area where the bad guys have an advantage over us. I wonder if there's a way we could coordinate better? If it's a matter of getting people talking, maybe a secret hangout or club room would work. With Inai-sensei's permission, we could..."

    Madoka's thoughts get sidetracked right about now. Hearing Magda say these things makes Madoka go pale. Oh no! Maybe she is afflicted by a Witch... "It's okay if you want to call me that, Magda-san, but..."

    Wait... What does she mean she's not like Madoka? That isn't being very fair to herself.

    "Don't say that!" protests Madoka, running towards Magda. "Don't act like you aren't doing enough. You're doing a lot! We're all better off with you around. If someone's telling you that you're not worth the trouble, that isn't true! You shouldn't listen to that!"

    Of course, that's not the real problem. The real problem is the corrupted Soul Gem. That's not something that Madoka could fix on her own. She stands next to the multi-braided girl, panicking quietly as looks around for some kind of solution to this problem. Her eyes fall upon Homura, whom she assumes has used her power to react quickly.

    Madoka notices where the Grief Seed is going. If she hadn't made a connection between the ring and the Soul Gem by now, that'd make it pretty clear.

    She can feel Homura's mood, and she winces slightly. Magda is not the kind of person one should be overly harsh to, but Madoka would feel bad saying that in front of her in this state. Fortunately, what Homura actually says isn't really that mean.

    "What we mean is..." Madoka tries to play spin doctor, hoping that the advice is taken well, "... it's important that you don't lose track of your resources. I know you want to help as many as you can. I know, because I feel the same way, but you can't do that if you run out of magic."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Are you alright?" Naru takes a step or two towards Magda and then blinks a little before her expression is fully sympathetic. "No dying." She's got that far before..

There's a lot of things happening at once. Homura is more a sense of movement than actually realizing that not only has the girl henshined, but she's doing ... /something/.. with Magda and giving advice. Good advice.

"No one person can do everything, nor /should/ any one person. Some of us are help in ways that are completely not fighting." Naru has no illusions about where her skills lie.

Naru gestures to Madoka at her comments. "We totally need to coordinate more. I'm often at the self-defense classes, but convincing people they can talk to me freely is a challenge."

Magda Faust has posed:
    Magda is left there on all fours, tears still dripping, but her gem is clear and bright again. Sitting up into a kneeling position, the green-haired girl accepts the Grief Seed in both hands, still in shock. She listens quietly. Mind still dazed. She didn't notice anything regarding the world freezing, no. She's still fixated on the dark thoughts that had consumed her. "Everyone else is out there fighting... To bring me back Grief Seeds. They might die just so that I can do the only thing I'm good at." She grasps her right hand with her left and holds them both close to her chest.
    Encouragmenet. Advice. Admonishments she needs to hear. She nods, not feeling like she can even argue back. What does she know? She just caused trouble for everyone again. She has to learn not to do that, or else this will happen again.
    She doesn't know Naru, but Magda looks at the new girl, hollow-eyed, and says in a tone equal parts awe, love, admiration, respect, and envy, "Teresia-senpai can do everything." Then her eyes look away. "But she still trusts us all... So..." She clenches her hands together a bit harder while one finger rubs across the green gem on her ring. "...I'll do everything I can. But." She looks around at the three ladies around her, the friend she made, the friend Madoka made, and a new face who also wants what's best for her. "Can... Can someone come spend time with me when I work at the hospital sometimes? ...Please? I can't... Handle all the nights by myself." A new flow of tears starts up as she hunches over, but these are sobs of a cleansing cry. Pent up emotions being released, rather than the crippling empty-eyed despair of moments ago.
    "Please... I don't want to be a burden... But please, just... Someone..."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    The anger is still there. It's not directed at Magda at all, and Homura can't risk any of it leaking out and showing. So she swallows it down and buries it deep inside. Maybe for later, maybe for never. The way to do it isn't a good way of dealing with emotions, though, and Homura isn't exactly the kind of person who's good at faking emotion she doesn't feel. What she's good at is not showing some of those that she does, and cutting her mind off from others. So that cold, hard expression on her face is now set in place. As much as she wants to be happy to see Madoka, taking care of others is more important. Madoka herself would probably agree. That makes it a little easier.

    "I'm sure that's how it looks from your view, but Puella like you need to learn to see the bigger picture." She inclines her head, "You're only seeing what's in front of you. It's harder to see what you're preventing. It's true that we can avoid pain and fight on through it better than most, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. It doesn't mean it doesn't tell, or hurt. Without you one of your friends might not be able to go into the next fight healthy, because using their magic to heal themselves would leave them without any to fight with. Or they'd do it anyway, run out of magic, and die. Or let themselves get so weak they start having terrible thoughts like you were. That happens to us too, when we're starting to run out of magic."

    Her eyes flick over towards Madoka, wondering if that's something she'd pieced together herself or if the information would be new to her. "So yes, you're helping. You're doing more than you realize. Even just being there for someone when they're hurt helps. It could save everything, but you won't ever know it."

    She starts wanting to pinch the bridge of her nose again. Help at the hospital? That's... not something she has time for. Unlike Magda, her place most assuredly is on the front lines, or even deep in enemy territory. She instead turns her purple eyes back to Madoka and gives her a weak, pained smile that asks, 'Please..?' This is, after all, where her friend shines best. Even if it's an unfair budren to place on her shoulders.

    She takes another step back, putting herself closer to where she started, to talk to Naru, "It is, but if we keep networking together and telling those who trust us who else they can trust, it might help more. Inai-sensei is an obvious choice, and I'm sure she does. Madoka can probably help too, and I will as much as I can. Possibly Teresia-san as well," does she know her last name..? If she does Homura doesn't remember it. "It might be difficult, but it's something we all seem to be trying to work towards anyway."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka turns to Naru with an awkward smile. "I admit... the last time I saw you around something magical, you seemed like you couldn't see it. I wasn't sure if it was alright to talk to you about it, but... well, here we are. It'd be nice if we had a casual hangout for magicals, or magic-adjacents, but I'm not sure where that'd be. Something like that would probably go a long way to helping us meet each other."

    Madoka listens to Homura's explanation closely. She appreciates the fact that Homura is burying her anger, but that's also a cause for worry. The pinkette probably owes her a hug or something later, if Homura is the type to like hugs. She feels like she should know the answer to that question, but she doesn't recall ever asking.

    Magda's earnest request pulls on Madoka's heartstrings. She doesn't even hesitate. The look from Homura isn't even necessary to convince her, but Madoka does give her a reassuring smile before turning back to Magda. "I will. I'm going to be there as a volunteer anyways, so it's no trouble for me. Also... if we do manage to find a hangout spot, you and your friends would be welcome to join."

    Madoka gestures towards Homura, and says, "Magda-san, I want you to meet Homura Akemi. She's a dear friend of mine. I've always found her to be reliable in a fight, and in general. She's really strong. Kinda like Teresia-san."

    There are more parallels here than Madoka realizes. If she did, she'd be blushing a lot more.

    "Homu, this is Magda Faust-san. She healed me when I was in the hospital. Without her, I'd still be there."

    She also looks towards Naru, and asks, "So... have you met Magda-san yet? If not... This is Naru Osaka. I'm... not sure what her powers are, but she's friendly."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"When we met.. it was just people being jerks, not actually magical, if I'm remembering correctly. I've been noticing things for a couple of months now, and remembering." Naru notes to Madoka, that last point being important. "Although most people find it awkward to just ask me, because if they're wrong.. it's even /more/ awkward." She flickers a little smile and gives a shrug. "But yes.. I'm in the know these days.. and I agree wholly on somewhere to hang out, or even just scheduled meet ups. Having a consistent space would need consistent security as well."

Naru shakes her head a little at Madoka's comment about her powers. "Mostly getting in trouble, and being friendly. I haven't got any powers." She goes digging in her ever-present satchel to pull out a clean tissue and offer it to Magda. "You work at the hospital?"

Magda Faust has posed:
    Nods and quiet agreements are all that Magda has to offer for a while. She had thought there was no way she would ever regret her Wish. She still doesn't, but... It almost ended just now, because she was an idiot. "I volunteer. I'm not good enough to actually work there." Also she's 14. If able to, she clasps one of Madoka's hands between both of hers, keeping her head bowed. She seems to be praying in German. Eventually, she finishes and looks up at Homura. "Madoka-san told me about you, Akemi-san. If someone as great as Madoka-san believes in you, then you must be really amazing." She returns her hands to her lap.
    "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Osaka-san. I'm sorry that this is how we meet for the first time. Not having powers doesn't mean anything. After all, Madoka-san has already done so much, ne?" A small smile returns to Magda's face as she accepts the offered tissue and uses it to clean up her face. "Thank you. And thank you for agreeing to spend time with me, Madoka-san! And..." Her smile dims when she looks at the Grief Seed in her hand. "Thank you, Akemi-san. I'm sorry to burden you when we've just met... I'll try harder to be more useful, and keep better track of my magic levels." That a smudged Soul Gem is a sign of heavy depletion and that it affects emotional state and thought processes is news to her, apparently. It puts a lot of things into perspective she hadn't put together before now.
    Like her friend Katarina, whose Wish didn't turn out as expected...

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura's hair is down now, her usual look restored by the fact she's transformed, the small band that held her ponytail gone and replaced with her usual headband and nothing else. This means that when Madoka praises her in front of others and she looks away she can reach back and flip her hair and not look ridiculous for it, because there's actually hair to move back over her shoulder and flip.

    "It takes a lot to be strong. To be strong on the outside, you have to be strong on the inside first. That's true for everyone, but it's more direct for Puella Magi." She gives Madoka a thankful look as she agrees to be around Magda more at the hospital. It's a relief to her, and a little of the weight on her shoulders eases a bit. Madoka gives her the opening she needs too, making it clear to everyone that Homura now knows that Magda is the one that healed her.

    "That's right. That was Magda-san, wasn't it?" When she's thanked she doesn't smile at the green-haired girl with the many braids. She instead steadies a cool, stoic gaze on her. "You don't need to thank me. You already did something I couldn't do. I wasn't there to protect Madoka when I should have been, and she got hurt. After that, there's nothing I could do but be angry about it. But you could do something I couldn't, and heal her." She points to the grief seed held in the other girl's hand, "That is my gift, and my thanks for your trouble. You helped my important friend when I couldn't." And the other one she used to purify the tainted Soul Gem? She'll consider that less a gift, and more a payment. In the end, she doesn't see why she wouldn't owe Magda both.

    Hopefully the enforced stoicism cuts both ways. She's playing the hard, cold veteran right now so she'll continue playing it even when showing gratitude. Maybe it'll come off as strongly as she wants it too that way. What kind of person would she even be if she let someone who helped Madoka so much die right there in front of her?

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods at Naru as she explains her powers. "So... about the same as me, really. I guess you're right about the security thing. I'm not sure how we'd manage to get someone watching the place around the clock, or how we'd avoid an attack. Having it on the school grounds, or nearby, would probably make it hard to directly assault it."

    Madoka waits for Homura to talk before she responds to Magda, because she's pretty sure that Homura would want to thank her. When the Grief Seed is presented as a token of gratitude, Madoka smiles at Homura. The pinkette never really had a shortage of friends, but even so it's nice to be so well liked by someone she admires.

    "Magda-san, no one else is thinking that you aren't working hard enough, or that you aren't doing enough. You try so hard. It's true that one person can't really save everyone, but if we all work together we can save a lot. You keep talking about what I've done, but I'd be dead by now without other magical girls to save me. It's true for all of us. We rely on one another."

    Her focus is on Magda right now, so if Homura gives her a Look for that she won't notice.

    "Please don't feel bad just because you can't do everything on your own. You add hope to the world. That's enough."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Deep breath.. you're fine." Naru assures Magda. "You are clearly having a helluva day, and it's alright. Hopefully, when you're feeling up to it, or just need a moment, we can go for coffee."

This is basically Puella-101 in a nutshell, without any glossary and Naru is clearly just accepting all of the new terms and concepts and tucking them into her mental rolodex.

"I am not less involved for not having powers." Naru agrees with a little shrug of acceptance. "And again.. no one person can do everything. Not you, not Homura, certainly not Madoka or myself. Working together is how we triumph."

There's a nod to Madoka. "Moving meetings on campus would be the most secure, amongst trusted people. Not all of our classmates are necessarily trusted people right now." Naru points out, pragmatic on that point.

Magda Faust has posed:
    Everyone makes very good, valid, logical points. The same as Teresia would make. Encouragment and instruction... Only it's coming in separate parts, from multiple people, instead of all in one package of easily-digestible knowledge building. Teresia-senpai is super amazing, but so are these new friends she has made. She isn't going to put them in danger by being stupid again. "Okay... Yes. Perhaps on campus then. Sorry, I think I should lie down for a bit. I'm still a bit dizzy. Thank you, all of you, for your help. And I'm sorry for the trouble." Magda says before getting up onto her feet and moving to a bench or something she can rest on until the world decides to sit down for a hecking moment.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    It's starting to look to Homura that Magda's had about as much as she can take. There's no point in overwhelming her, especially when she's as much as said she's starting to get overwhelmed. But the veteran Puella still needs to make one last point, or rather drive home the most important one stated. After all, it's important for the others to hear her say and reinforce the message too. "They're right." She makes a light hand motion to both Madoka and Naru, "You can't do everything yourself and win. Believe me, I've tried. If you're very good, very strong, and have an iron will you can go far. But there's always going to be a hurdle you can't jump on your own. Something you didn't see will blindside you, or something you simply can't overcome with your powers alone."

    She shakes her head, "For a long time I thought it was the right way, but now I think it's the opposite. It's better to work with others as much as you can. If enough people work together I don't think there's anything they can't overcome. Everyone contributes and everyone helps. In the end... having people you can rely on is the only way to make it."

    There was a time when even saying something like this would have been impossible for her, and a time where it might have hurt her to have to admit it. Now, though? She simply believes it. It's a fact for her; it's why she wants to make connections, and help people like Naru do the same. If she still thought fighting alone was the only way, she'd probably have given up her last shred of hope, because she knows it's impossible with how many dangers and terrors are lurking in the world.

    Instead of dragging her down the idea of being able to work with others gives her hope. The stoic look is still on her face, but the expression in her eyes isn't as hard, like it was before.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka winces slightly at Naru's last point. "Yeah... true... We can't just pass out open invitations, can we? Not without some kind of reassurance." Would moving meetings work? Madoka thinks it over. Maybe.

    When Magda gets up, Madoka moves to help her get to the nearest bench. "It's okay. Just relax for a bit. You worked hard today. I'm sorry you missed out on spending time with your group."

    The words that others are sharing are giving Madoka some hope too. In a way, it's validation of her own thinking. She just hopes that it's enough for Magda to get through another rough day.

    Once she's sure that Magda is okay, Madoka moves back to Naru and Homura.

    "I'd be tempted to make a mailing list, but that seems like a bad idea, also for security reasons. We'd probably just have to memorize it."

    Madoka taps the side of her chin as another thought crosses her mind. "Also... if we're inviting magicals, maybe we should tell them to show up in henshin. We don't need to know their secret IDs if they aren't comfortable sharing. Having a spot where someone could just randomly show up at any time might be a layer of security all on its own. Of course, it could also be used to set an ambush, so we'd need some way for them to check ahead and see if things are okay."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I have faith that you will feel better, Magda. Rest, recover.. things will look better." Naru sounds confident on that as she watches Madoka get the other girl settled before returning back to herself and Homura.

"I was going to try and claim that we're moderately good at keeping in touch with each other, but mostly we're not." Naru mms. "Although if there's a collection of key people who pass messages along, then it's diffuse enough to be generally pretty secure. Although also a wicked game of broken telephone."

Naru considers a moment. "Let's start with anyone who wants, is welcome to give me their number so I can keep in contact." She digs her phone out, offering it to Madoka and Homura both. "I mean.. there's a magical self defense practice after Inai-sensei's self defense practice that's open to the school. I'm not sure how well known it is, or if she aimed for it to have everyone magical at school at it, but its one place to pass information to people we trust. Even just the when and where of meeting next."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura considers the talk on how to make a meeting place safe. "The easiest way I can see is to find somewhere large enough to hold everyone on campus, and then find a way to sanctify it. There are kinds of magic that are particularly unsavory to dark energy wielders. They're not the only opponents we face, but it's probably the majority of them." A slight frown, "It's not foolproof, because there are also some dark energy wielders worth trying to talk into changing their ways... but a safe haven probably isn't the right place to do that, anyway."

    She makes a little hand motion towards Naru, "Do you know anyone who can mass produce ofuda? I've seen predicament for those having legitimate protective or purifying capabilities against youma and the like." Her head shakes, "It's a shame Device Mages don't tend towards that kind of magic. If one did it'd probably be easy enough to have them create a barrier that repels evil. In the end, finding one who can create a barrier that will only allow specific whitelisted individuals might be the next easiest way."

    While talking she pulls out her phone and enters Naru's information into it, sending a text so it's easy to confirm and add her back. Afterwards she notes, "I thought of that too, but Inai-sensei is going out of her way to make herself a target. I also wouldn't be entirely sure her classes won't end up enemies inside, taking her lessons either. It'd be my first plan, if I wanted to infiltrate the magical fighters of Radiant Heart Academy."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I'm not sure what Inai-sensei's criteria is, but I think she knows more than we might realize," muse Madoka out loud. When she looks at Naru's phone, she takes out her own for a moment and texts Naru so that she can be added as a contact.

    "A white-listed barrier? Is it possible to make one of those that keeps people out?" Madoka doesn't really know the specifics on what does and does not work with regards to Barrier magic. "It's too bad Witches are so violent, or we could use one of their Labyrinths. I'm guessing that a passive Witch isn't exactly something you can find, is it?" She asks, thinking out loud. Then, she shakes her head, pigtails swishing back and forth. "No, even if you could, someone desperate would want its Grief Seed. That's assuming it wouldn't just 'play dead' in order to lure in victims."

    The thing about ofudas is pretty new to her. She hasn't met Sailor Mars yet. "Wait... would an ofuda work? If it were possible to carry one around..." It can't be that simple, though. Can it?

    Madoka thinks about it further, pursing her lips and looking at the ground while clasping her hands together and twiddling her thumbs. "I almost think, for a start, that moving meetings is the best approach. If we can find a secure location, we can start using that, but it's probably best to have a decentralized network in case any one person gets compromised."

    Madoka ponders how to best do research on this kind of thing. She also wonders how suspicious her google history would be if she tried.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"My experience with ofuda is that it takes a fair bit of active maintenance that isn't exactly easy on it person doing it." Naru mmms softly. "But its possible. I also think that barriers might have more potential than we give them credit for, but I don't know as much about them as I might like."

Which pretty much can be said about everything, but that's besides the point.

Naru gestures easily. "Classes absolutely do. It's merely a good location to pass messages to trusted people, not blanket invitiations or location." She gives a shrug. "I think to start, we can honestly just meet in someone's dorm room if there's few of us at various meetings. We all are super busy with classes and clubs and fights, it's not going to be everyone every time."

Naru accepts her phone back with thanks to both of them, ensuring that numbers are saved and texts returned. "But even if acknowledging that we need to work together is progress. That we need to share information. There's questions that aren't easy to answer."

Naru glances to Madoka and then flickers a smile. "That sounds like a Labyrinth is a bad idea.. and hard for most to find, I should think?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "I'm not sure, but it's a possibility to pursue. I don't have many strong contacts with Device Users though." As for Ofuda, Homura nods, "They do if they're used by a proper Miko or Priestess trained in them. Spiritual power is something that exists. How much of it is just another form of magic I can't really say. I'm not sure a Priestess could make them and give them out to someone like you to use against a Youma either, they might need to themselves."

    She then shrugs and motions towards Naru, "But if they take so much energy to maintain, it might not work." She's also quick to confirm both Naru and Madoka's suspicions, "A Witch's labyrinth is the last place I'd want to use as a meeting place. Any civilians like you two would be likely to get Witch Kissed. Anyone without sufficient magic protecting them is. Even if the Witch was tame, there's no telling if it's Familiars would be, and any Puella who thought you might be trying to protect the Witch would be just as likely to attack you as ask questions."

    For a few moments she considers her own magic. Honestly, it's perfect. If she ever decided she didn't care about hiding her powers anymore, holding meetings in frozen time is probably as close to foolproof as one could get.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "A Labyrinth, probably not," says Madoka, "but if we could have a Barrier that's as secret or hard to find as a Labyrinth, that'd be nice."

    The thought of someone non-magical getting Witch Kissed causes her eyes to widen, and then the idea of a Puella Magi fighting everyone else in there causes her to cast a worried, slightly aghast glance to Homura. "Attack?"

    No matter how bad Madoka thinks the Magical World is, it always turns out to be even worse.

    "Eheh... forget I mentioned it, then."

    Madoka knows about Homura's Timestop magic now. While that certainly ensures privacy, Madoka wouldn't ask Homura for that outside of a grim emergency. It's a secret for a reason, and inviting others in on that secret is a bad idea.

    "Well, we're in contact now, and we have time. It might be best to think on it and discuss it later. I'll be in touch."

    Madoka gives one more glance in Magda's direction and says, "Take care, okay? I'll see you at the hospital, if not before then."

    Then she turns to Homura with a smile, and takes her hand. "If you're not too busy right now, I wouldn't mind going on a walk with you."