898/Heroes like you

Heroes like you
Date of Scene:	18 December 2023
Location:	Gullwing Coffee
Synopsis:	Hotaru makes FRIENDS at the locale cafe. Meeting Ami, Madoka and Haruka, the three talk about magic and adorable mascots!
Cast of Characters:	Hotaru Tomoe, Ami Mizuno, Madoka Kaname, Haruka Tenoh

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Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was sitting outside the cafe, wearing cute little mittens, bundled up in what looked like multiple jackets, tights, a beany, a scarf and just... sipping from her coffee as she sat on a bench outside.

Staring at the water. She wasn't going to go swimming, heck, she couldn't. And it was too cold for that. But it was nice. The sound of the waves, the brisk air, just on this edge of freezing. The way the sand crunched underfoot, somewhat frozen... The wind blowing over the sands. It was the little things in life sometimes that made you appreciate everything that lead to these moments.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
So much had happened recently that it was a lot for anyone to process. Ami usually dealt with things in as logical a manner as she could--But this was more than she ever expected or experienced before. She found herself drawn to the water, as she always had been in times of stress.

Typically she'd be found at the pool swimming laps until she completely lost herself in thought, forgetting about the passage of time. Even now she wonders why she had opted to try a walk instead of going there. The walk had led here though and the lure of the seaside along with the aroma of coffee promising heat, warmth, and caffination wasn't entirely unpleasant.

The short haired bookworm heads for Gullwing Coffee without a second thought. The chill air of the day is held at bay with a warm puffy jacket over a mid-length dress and thick stockings. Cute Winter boots are worn to further help protect her from the chill.

She pauses near the door to glance over at the girl sitting outside. "Beautiful view today, isn't it?" Even if it was chilly.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Cold weather is the time for hot chocolate, or at least that's how Madoka sees it. She walks into the cafe with her pony-tailed Chara, Lydian, hovering over her shoulder. Both are dressed warm for the weather, with Madoka wearing a white wooly jacket and cap lined with little blue snowflake patterns. She orders a hot cocoa and gives the cashier her name, then decides to wait outside for it to get ready.

    She's not yet aware of recent events. She's not even aware of the context, such as it is. Madoka has had her own completely separate set of problems, several of which she still worries about.

    While waiting outside, she notices a familiar face speaking to a girl she hasn't met before. It actually takes a moment for Madoka to recognize the girl genius, but when she does she takes a couple of steps closer. "Mizuno-san! It's been a while. How've you been?"

    Madoka tries to remember if she's ever met Hotaru before, but she's pretty sure she hasn't, so she instead gets a friendly wave if she looks in the pinkette's direction.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Haruka Tenoh needed caffiene, and to clear her mind from frankly a lot of mind-blowing revalations and situations that had come to the forefront lately. A cold run was great for that. And she had started off running for her house and... just kept going. The length of time she would spend out correlated to how much was on her mind - so it had been a long run. Thankfully, since it was so cold, she wasn't quite as visibly or physically exhausted as she might otherwise be. But she could probably rest for a while. And drink that coffee she'd thought about drinking from the other places she passed.

    As her heart slowed down from waiting in line so she could drink warm stimulants and undo that, she noticed the girl sitting outside. Part of it was that feeling, an odd feeling, the way the wind seemed to part around her, in a way only the Senshi of Wind would notice. Another girl was talking with her, and Haruka today did not need to looking like the highschool dude interrupting two girls talking, since the jacket she grabbed on the way out the door was Michiru's - while she was wearing pants her androgyny fell on the feminine side all things considered today.

    "Tomoe-chan, right?" she says as she moves to lean against a little railing off to the side of both girls. "How has everything been? Haven't seen you since the impromptu emergency ride." she says. To Ami, she just kind of raises her eyebrows, something in the wind about her too, but not something she noticed until actually being this close - a lighter feeling and mostly muted by being so close to Hotaru.

    Haruka wasn't sure what the feeling meant, or if it was anything at all. But that's usually how things were with her. Make it up as you go along. And a pink-haired girl walks up, and with an obvious tiny fairy on her shoulder which Haruka spends a bit of time looking right at before she stops.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe glanced up and... for a moment she was speechless. There it was again. That... feeling. That longing. She looked at the blue haired girl for a few moments, before smiling. "Yes. It's really beautiful. The waves are so... nice. Calming..." she said, her voice just loud enough to hear.

Then glanced to Madoka, giving the softest wave back. She recognized Madoka. She was there... when she was Firefly. At least, she didn't think she'd met her otherwise. She...

... Oh my gosh. Then her eyes locked onto the little flying hatched-spirit...

And a moment later she was snatched out of the air. And Hotaru's eyes were almost shimmering. "O-oh my gosh you're just so cute, are you someone's mascot?" she asked. And she looked ready to hug the poor thing. Luckily, the mittens were soft.

Then, however, she was distracted and her grip softened on the poor thing. She saw Haruka and... "Tenoh-senpai! Hi! Oh... ummm... it has been... mostly... well... kind of. Ummm..."

"... Daddy finally got some time off, so that was nice. We played risk together. I destroyed him." ... She said that with *far* too much glee. Then blinked, her cheeks going red. "S-sorry. I get a bit competitive. Ummmm... Oh. Err." And then quickly got to her feet, bowing, her coffee placed on the bench besides her. "H-Hotaru Tomoe, a pleasure to meet you!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno turns her gaze out over the ocean watching the waves wistfully as if the water were where she longed to be. Or maybe she was recalling that nice, pleasant Summer day she last visited here when dipping her toes into the water was possible, and not freezing cold as it currently was. Though it wasn't *bad* just... Cold. Actually swimming right now would be lethal.

"It really is. I should come here more often," she muses thoughtfully right up until Madoka's familiar voice pulls her from such thoughts. She still hadn't gotten INSIDE to make an order, but it didn't matter as she turns a bright smile toward the friendly girl she knew. "Kaname-chan, hello, how are... Oh."

Oh indeed. Her attention shifts to Haruka giving a nod to the unfamiliar, pretty face that momentarily causes her to blink. There was another slightly androgenous blonde she'd met recently. The hair was far too short, though.

Such thoughts are cast aside entirely when the little mascot is captured by the girl she'd stopped to speak with breifly. Her mouth opens, shuts, and then she lightly clears her throat. "It is rather cute, but it's not really polite to grab ... things."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Lydian hovers over Madoka like an adorable minidoka specter, only to break away when she thinks it's safe to go snooping around. It was when the tiny Chara was admiring Hotaru's jacket that she suddenly got grabbed, and her response is to yelp and flail! "Wha-!! You can see me?!"

    This is the second time one of Madoka's Chara has been surprised-grabbed on screen. Lydian is taking it a bit better than Gretchen did.

    Sticking her nose into the air, she declares. "Yes! I'm a very important mascot to a very important person! My Bearer is the cutest, the fluffiest, and the best!"

    Madoka, with a face full of shock from of her Chara getting grabbed, suddenly gets embarrassed and starts speaking in a low voice. "Lydian-chan, don't say those things so loudly..."

    The Bearer looks around at Haruka and Ami, both of whom seem to be noticing the tiny version of her. She laughs awkwardly and gives Lydian a tiny finger to grab onto as the minidoka escapes Hotaru's grasp!

    "Eheh... well..." Oh geeze. Everyone saw that. Great now. What now? "... Yes, this is my Chara. She's very sweet." The pinkette is cupping Lydian in her white gloved hands. The Chara is peeking over her Bearer's fingers, giving Hotaru a suspicious look.

    Madoka's name is called, and it gives her an excuse to go do something other than stand around awkwardly. She comes back with a cup of hot chocolate. Lydian also has a tiny cup. Don't ask how she got one.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Haruka's eyes widened when Hotaru-chan grabbed the chara out of the air. Even if on the whole her information about... magical girl things in general... was lacking, she knew about the fact that most mascots - which she also directly called the thing - were invisible or looked normal, and she had to figure this kind were the invisible kind or people would go nuts... which meant Hotaru just grabbed at a little creature that should have been invisible to 'normal' people and therefore she wasn't 'normal' and Michiru and maybe Setsuna would want to hear about this for sure. In fact she almost straight up pulls her communicator out and walks off to message them - but decides against it - though if Ami is paying attention to Haruka, she might notice the device for a moment before Haruka thinks better of it and puts it back.

    "Glad to hear it but uh - Tomoe-chan, maybe you shouldn't..." she says, looking over to Ami who says something similar. Well, obviously Madoka was magic since the Chara was hers, and Hotaru was since she grabbed it, but that meant they -all- were. She looks to each of them. "Well, I'd say this is an odd coincidence but... I know better." she says, taking a drink from her coffee. "Guess we can all stop pretending we don't see her which is easier." Not that Haruka ever did particularly good at that.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe couldn't help adoring the little chara. It was so cute! But... "O-oh. Oh! You're right. I... I'm sorry... I didn't..." She pulled back a little, the smile on her lips retreating. At the (albeit incredibly gentle) chastising, the confidence the young girl had evaporated. There she went again, acting... weird. Already she felt that panic rising up.

She was going to be rejected again. Cast aside. The weirdo. The freak. Her heart pounded faster and she felt that gnawing pain inside her, like something threatening to tear itself out. She sat/fell back onto the bench, a hand reaching up to grip the crystal on her necklace, squeezing it so tightly her hands might have bled if they were real. Slowly, very slowly, the pain subsided and she managed to look up. Albeit, slightly sweatier now. "S-sorry. I won't... grab it again. I didn't mean to cause any trouble with it. I just thought she looked so cute, I couldn't help myself. She reminds me of one of my friends. I think you're right, though. Lydian-chan. Your bearer is very cute and fluffy."

She tried to bury that anxiety and fear down. Should she call for Takashi? No. No. He was gone. He was taking some time off. She needed... to be strong. She'd be okay.

"... Sorry. I... didn't mean to make it awkward. I... I can leave if you'd rather I did..."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno assesses it all with a quiet patience that falls over her rather easily. Just like when she was studying to solve a problem she takes in all the details as best she can so she can make an informed decision. Madoka had a 'chara' or mascot, which meant she was magical. The little girl saw it, and caught it, and her older friend had seen it too.

The most important detail though was the way that Hotaru reacted to being scolded.

Ami crouches down letting her hands rest on her knees so she can be just below Hotaru's line of vision so that she's not seeming taller than her. It's easier to catch her gaze this way so that she can show her she's smiling gently toward her.

"It's all right. As your friend said," she steals a glance toward Haruka. "We can all see her too. There was no harm done, and neither Kaname-chan or her--" Chara she'd said. "Chara seem upset either. It was just an innocent mistake."

With the reassurance given she adds with a little conspiratorial drop of her voice as if she were sharing a secret, "Honestly I wanted to touch her too, she is really cute. I'm Ami Mizuno, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

Rising smoothly to her feet again properly she risks a glance to the coffee shop. "I could use a warm drink. Would you like something as well? It'll be my treat, one new friend to another."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka laughs awkwardly at Hotaru's assessment of today's coincidence. "I guess magicals are just drawn to each other. One way or another." Granted, it doesn't help that she has a walking billboard announcing her magic status to the world.

    Hotaru starts to feel bad about it and Madoka holds up her free hand to placate her. "No, no... it's fine. Don't leave. I mean, if we can all see magic then this was always going to be a bit weird anyways. Things have been strange from the moment I saw a plant youma at the beach." The pinkette gives Ami a sideways glance before adding, "I especially didn't expect you to see her. I guess our school genius is full of surprises!"

    While Madoka is feeling awkward, Ami seems to handle things pretty smoothly. She smiles softly at Hotaru and says, "Right, we're not upset. Right, Lydian?"

    The ponytailed minidoka looks at her Bearer, and then at Hotaru, and then away at nothing in particular. "N-no, not really." After hearing that Ami also thinks she was cute, Lydian smiles brightly. She gives a tiny big wave with her free hand and says, "Hi... my name's Lydian, and this is my Bearer, Madoka Kaname! It's nice to meet you!" She waves at Ami, Hotaru, and Haruka in turn. Big smiles all around, unlike her Bearer who is still a bit shy about this.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Ami does a much better job of calming Hotaru than Haruka could have done - and she knows it - so she just leans over and ruffles the girl's hair. "No big deal." she says, confirming Ami's kind words.

    "Just makes things a little bit easier, in some ways." Harder in others, but she doesn't mention that fact.

    "Actually I know a kid who says that he thinks the prettier someone is the more likely they are to be magic - and so if you extend that definition to also include cute, it pretty much explains our whole table." she adds. "But it makes sense that we find ourselves drawn to each other. This isn't my first time meeting the little one here." she says, indicating Hotaru. "Well, not the littlest one with those... Charas... around." she says, and grins and leans forward. "Hello there, Lydian. Nice to meet you."

    She at least feels like she's reasonably sure of this for everyone at the table, but she's sure Madoka is on the 'right' team so to speak. She can't imagine Lydian being... evil. Evil is always blunt and angry like Hematite and his boys and youma. Never... cute, soft, kind, adorable. There was also the matter of one of the school's geniuses here, but she was so nice to Hotaru... and then there was adorable Hotaru. She was almost ready to bet that nobody at this table was a 'bad gal' so to speak. Almost.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe blinked and then, inside, she felt that excited joy bubbling up inside. That part of her... who desperately didn't want this vaguely, somehow, familiar blue haired girl to hate her. "Thank you. She really is cute. I always want to touch the cute mascots, but normally I'm not wearing my mittens so I can't. And ummm... no thank you. I already have my coffee and I'm not even sure I can finish this... though..." She glanced to the cafe and... "Though a croissant sounds good..."

Yay bribing for kids!

"Plant... youma? At the beach?" Hotaru asked. She tried to remember that one. Tellu? Or was it the plant she stole from Tellu? "The... one where Sailor V came and beat it up?" and came up with a new plan! "Wait, was that one at the beach? I'm sorry, there's a lot of monster attacks these days and so many cool sparkle skirts. Hi Lydian-chan! Kaname-senpai!"

"... Though... I'm not... really actually magic. I--" And then... Haruka touched her head. And there was a moment of panic, a little flash of light... and she was staring at Haruka, her eyes wide. Panic in her eyes. "S-sorry. I'm mostly just... ummmm... medically... magic... I guess? B-but it's not weird! I-I swear! It's just... a thing I can do. I-I'm sorry. I try not to... to touch people because, b-but... I uhhhh... I'm not really the same. I don't have a mascot or anything like that. Or able to save people or things like that. I just spend a lot of time around magical people... and ummmm..." And Haruka... would likely feel a little... possibly a lot better. That warmth had been nice, at least.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Pleased to meet you as well, Lydian-chan." A little sparkle of amusement is evident in Ami's gaze when Madoka mentions being surprised that she of all people was a magical girl, too. "I'm a bit of a late bloomer in my group," she explains simply. That's why she hadn't been to the after-hours training sessions and only the regular ones where she had initially met Madoka.

"I think I can manage a croissant for you. I'd like to get a drink myself." A quick, polite nod is given to all around so she can peel away from the group at least long enough to go do that while they discuss plant youma.

It doesn't take too long at least for her to return, either. A croissant in a little bag, along with a napkin, and a simple black coffee for herself. No fancy espresso drinks here it seemed. The pastry is offered to Hotaru while she catches up on the last of the talk. Not of youma, but of her origins.

"Here you go, one still toasty croissant. From what I know we're all different and unique in our own ways. If you can see magic though, you're pretty magical in your own way." Another reassuring smile is given.

"I don't have a mascot, either." She breathes deep holding the air tight in her chest just a moment. Tension. Anxiety. Wariness. Madoka wasn't bad, surely. This Haruka person either. And the little nervous Hotaru... Well. She was learning that even those that might be 'evil' were sometimes just brain washed so even if she were, was she really?

Her hand dips into her jacket pocket to pull out what looks like a stylized pen with a symbol ontop that she allows the three a breif glance of. "I've just got this. It's very handy though."

For a moment her gaze pulls away from the chara bearer and Hotaru to look at Haruka. Right at Haruka, to see her reaction to the pen she had shown, having caught a familiar glimpse of something herself a moment or two ago.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is a bit less confident than Haruka when it comes to who is or is not couldn't possibly be on team evil. Hematite is, after all, one of the sweetest boys out of henshin. On the other hand, if Madoka was on the villain side, she likely wouldn't let Lydian be out and about like this without some additional measures to keep her hidden.

    Not that Lydian, her self-expression Chara, would ever let herself be silenced.

    The pretty/cute correlation does make Madoka smile for a moment. "It's true. A lot of us are very pretty. I wonder if the magic has something to do with it."

    Lydian gives her a sideways glance and covers her mouth. She desperately wants to make a joke, but she keeps it to herself.

    Madoka thinks back. Was Sailor V at the plant youma? "I'm not sure. I think so? I know Sailor Moon was there. I kinda hid for most of that since I didn't have powers yet, so I don't remember much. Sorry."

    Seeing Hotaru get awkward about healing, Madoka decides to reassure her a bit. "I don't think anyone already magical would find that weird. There are a few magic healers around. One of them even volunteers at the same hospital as me. Just be careful and don't trust strange mascots you don't know."

    Madoka glances at the pen, but the symbol doesn't mean much to her aside from maybe she remembers seeing it in a horoscope or something. She hasn't gotten close enough to a senshi to really understand the importance of it, but she gets the idea that it's an item of power. "My Chara helps me use magic, actually. She kindof has a mind of her own, though."

    "Technically," interjects Lydian, "I'm speaking your mind, too!" Madoka eyerolls.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    "It didn't hurt." Haruka says reassuringly. "Don't worry. Sorry though. I shouldn't have done that." It's Haruka's turn to feel a little bit sheepish. She's not that close to this kid, after all. She's actually moved her hands behind her for the moment. "But it didn't hurt, I'm just fine, and nobody around saw but us, so don't worry." She looks down at her hand after bringing it back though. "Actually... I had some scratches here that aren't there anymore. So more than anything that's pretty cool. Unless something bad is about to happen to me from it all I see is positives here." she says, shrugging.

    "If I've got a mascot it's silent and invisible. I'm just floundering around trying to figure things out the best I c-..." she pauses for just a moment seeing the Pen. It's not quite the same as hers but it's stylistically close. Still, she'd only seen Moon henshin of the inners, and she had a locket. Magical girl things were complicated. "...the best I can." she finishes. "I've got a few friends that are helping me through at least." she says. That's safe to say at least. Magical girls are supposed to have friends, right?

    "It's good to know that there are magic healers. I don't know any. Well, I guess now I know one." she pauses. "Unless you're the magical healer that volunteers at your hospital, but then I guess you'd just... say... that..." Okay so Haruka isn't entirely as comfortable with the magical girl stuff as she is the rest of her life. "So... if she's speaking your mind, is she kind of a part of you? Or a shard?" She's heard about charas only slightly, but she's pretty quick on the draw, even if unsure.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe happily took the croissant, a smile on her face. "I-itadakimasu!" she said, before... taking a bite of it. A very, very tiny bite. Like, the edge. She was not a big eater. Still, she seemed happy about it.

However, seeing the pen made her swallow and gasp. "Wow! It's so pretty. And it has the symbol for girls on it. That's so useful! So if you ever drop it they know it belongs to a girl, right?" Hotaru asked. "Is it magic? Does it have infinite ink? Ohhhhh. Can you draw things to fight monsters? Can--" Then she stopped, shaking her head. "Eeee! Wait, no, you can't show me that! What if I was a bad guy? I'm not a sparkle skirt so even if I don't have things like that, I-I could! I could totally be an evil super villain type who like... ummm... who... uhhhh..." She took a bite of the croissant as she tried to come up with a plausible scenario.

"I could have a villainous theme song. And it'd be awesome. Like the time I was a spy." And that was how she could be a villain.

"And... really?" she asked, looking to Madoka. "I... I used to try healing people but...everyone... got mad and said I was a weirdo. There... there shouldn't be too many side effects. I can't really heal everything, though. Just... bruises and... cuts and... ummmm... maybe a bone or two. But... but most people usually... think it's weird because... magic is weird... and... and I'm already... kind of weird... I'm not really... supposed to go to the hospital anymore anyway... daddy only wants certain doctors to look at me because of my condition. B-but my healing has nothing to do with that! I think..."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
The symbol for girls? Ami looks at her own pen about to correct Hotaru before thinking better of it. She had such a bad reaction to being corrected last time, and she seemed so excited to see it to begin with! Instead she smiles at Hotaru while tucking it back into her pocket(space) in favor of taking a quick sip of her coffee.

"You're very bright, you know. You've got so many wonderful ideas."

"I think I can understand why your father might not want you to help at a hospital, though. My mother works at a hospital too. There's a lot going on in the human body. So much so that even doctors don't know everything about how it all works together. They're always learning more and more." A little wink is given to Hotaru. "But that's still a very good skill to have. Maybe you should study anatomy some, to learn more yourself so you can get even better at your healing? I could help you find library books to help. Studying is kind of my special ability." One of many, but it was one that didn't take any magic to do.

As for Haruka's remark she nods slightly. "Not just magical girls. I think it's good that everyone have friends." Here she pauses, wistfully smiling out at the ocean a moment more. "I didn't have many before this. I studied so much that at my last school everyone thought I was stuck up. I just... I wasn't good talking to people, so I focused on studying. It's so much better with friends to help."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Well they've known about each other being magical for a few moments now and nothing all that bad seems to have happened, so Madoka decides to relax a bit. If any of the three of them are going to attack, none of them are doing it now.

    Madoka shakes her head. "No, I'm not a magical healer myself. I just know one. Two now, I guess."

    Lydian chimes in, "I'm a representation of who she wants to be! Normally, a Chara would have a stronger definition of what that meant, but Madoka's... a bit different. Her biggest dream was to be a magical girl, so we tend to all lean towards that. Specifically I tend to lean more towards self-expression, like art!" She stage whispers, "Actually, I found out my name is a musical reference."

    Madoka blinks. "Wait, it is? How can your name be a reference that I wouldn't get?"

    Lydian spreads her hands in the air. "Magic!"

    On the topic of friends, Madoka taps her chin and responds with, "Most of my magical friends have a completely different powerset. I've met a few other Chara Bearers and they seem nice, but I get worried dragging them into my corner of the magic world. I mostly only hunt Witches, and I don't really fight with other magicals unless it's necessary."

    After thinking on it, Madoka asides to Ami, "You did seem kinda lonely when we first met. I'm glad you've found people you fit in with!"

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Haruka tilts her head a little. As Hotaru just. Goes and goes. Well, you know. Kids. And she certainly had all of that kid energy. "I mean, I'm not sure you've got the right build for it. Or powers. Healing's usually not a villain thing." Haruka says - as though she even knows. And as far as the pen, well. Maybe Haruka would have recognized the pen's symbol if she spent more time studying astronomy, astrology, or even just being a magical girl and slightly less time making internal combustion engines go slightly faster... but everyone has their talents and their weak points. But Ami's more studious nature reminds her of her teammates, and it makes her smile softly.

    "We all have things we're good at and things we're not as good at, or just don't mesh well with us - so it's good to have friends and teammates, to pool those things." she says. "And to make us feel less lonely." she says, agreeing with Madoka.

    At Lydia's 'magic!' she just laughs. "You know, Lydia, that's been my answer to a lot of things lately. I just kind of go wherever the wind goes at this point. Trying to understand it gives me stress that I just can't deal with. Even rolling with it I get enough stress after all.

    "I have fought a couple witches. They... didn't fair super well in the most recent fight." Not the same kind of Witch at all.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe perked up, her eyes lighting up. "Y-you think I am? I, I get a lot of A's!" she said, puffing her chest up with pride. "And my senpai lets me help him with things all the time! Though, I think he mostly just... likes having someone around who he can monologue to. I don't understand like, a third of what he says. But it's still nice to see him so excited. And... yeah. I wouldn't want to get in the way at a hospital..."

"... But my daddy's a doctor, and my case is... special... so... I think he just worries about other doctors not giving me the care he feels I should have. I... I've looked at a little anatomy. I'm really good at memorization, I can name all the bones in the hand. The distal phalanx, proximal phalanx, the..." Then blinked. "S-sorry. That's... that's kind of silly, isn't it? And... yeah. I didn't used to have any, either. My last school I ummmm... had... trouble. But I'm doing a lot better at RHA. And my senpai always keeps an eye on me so I don't get in trouble."

However, Madoka's dream made her actually stand up and almost SPARKLE! "Your... your dream is to be a magical girl? Oh my gosh that's so cool! You could be like, super awesome and save people! Fight all kinds of monsters and save the world! That's amazing! I always wanted to be a super hero, to like, run around with a big cape and save people out of buildings and--" And then she stopped, her cheeks going scarlet.

"I... think I saw a witch once. It was... stressful. And... it was rapping, I think. At people? But then there were sparkle skirts who came and beat it up and they were so cool! So it all ended up okay in the end!" She took a happy bite of her croisant. It was about 1/3rd done, a record for her.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno flushes a hint with embarassment when Madoka hits the nail on the head. A little faint smile comes as she nods in agreement. "Yes. It's a lot better now. My friends are really good at helping me to take breaks, and enjoy things other than studying. Though a few could probably use to focus more on their grades, too," she reasons in the way that only a genius would.

Hotaru's response garners a broader grin as she fixes the small girl with a look of approval. "Excellent! See, I knew you were bright. There's also nothing silly about knowledge, or learning about what interests you."

The talk of being a magical girl, and saving people, causes her to grow silent. She had to admit that part *was* kind of nice. Another sip of her coffee is taken as she glances once more out to the sea.

Reluctantly she clears her throat some. "I'm sorry, I should be heading home before it gets much later. I'm supposed to have dinner with my mother tonight. It was very nice getting to talk with all of you though! I'd like to again some time."

A softer look is cast back toward Hotaru, "Especially with the bright young lady who recognized the symbol on my pen. It's also the astrological symbol for the planet Mercury, you know," she remarks with a wink cast toward... Haruka? Wait was she flirting or trying to get some information across? She wasn't flirting surely.

A slight bow is offered toward the three. "Please excuse me. I'll see you all around school, I'm sure."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka gives Haruka a smile, incorrectly thinking she's fighting another Witch-hunter. She doesn't quite catch the fact that Witches could mean... a couple of different things. She's only met a couple of the Witches 5 and they aren't the first thing that comes to her mind. "Well, you must be pretty strong if you can take on a Witch. They're pretty dangerous."

    Hotaru's reaction to Madoka's dream is a bit endearing, and the pinkette laughs. "Well, yeah... kinda like that. I don't really wear a cape, but I think a lot of the costumes I've seen look really neat." As she thinks about her dream, and about the feelings that first led her down this path, her eyes take on a sparkle of their own. "Actually... I think that was it for me, too. I wanted to help people, to protect the ones I care about, and to fight battles no one else can. Honestly, I wouldn't mind doing this forever if I could..."

    Madoka blinks at the description of the Rap Witch, and she thinks to herself. "Huh... I think I saw a Witch like that, once. One of the first ones I saw, really." Could their possibly be another, different Rap Witch? Possibly, she assumes. After all, Madoka saw that Witch die, and she doesn't remember Hotaru being there. Firefly and a few other people from Obsidian, sure, but not a healing civilian.

    With concern, Madoka adds, "You're lucky you didn't get hurt. You should stay away from Labyrinths if you can't fight. Do you have someone you can call if you get in trouble?"

    Lydian floats over to Hotaru and says, "I'm sure Madoka would come if you asked!"

    Madoka winces as Ami reacts, "A-ah... Did I hit a nerve? I'm sorry!" As the bluenette takes her leave, the pinkette smiles and waves. "It was nice meeting you again! Take care!"

    For a moment Madoka considers what it'd be like to study with Ami. She imagines it being something pretty hardcore that the average person couldn't keep up with. Quietly, she both envies and pities whoever has her as a study buddy.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Haruka tries to imagine any of the Witches 5 rapping. She's going to have to share THAT one with the girls. "No, that doesn't sound like the same one at all..." she muses with a half smile to Hotaru.

    "Actually... I think when I was there, the Witch got her clock cleaned out rather... finally... by one of her own teammates. It was a thing. That's the other reason to be on the side of good, in addition to all of the other reasons. I've hardly been magical for very long myself and I've already seen their infighting and how much it can cost them. But I'm glad. Keeps it easier for us." Haruka opines. She exchanges a 'maybe we know maybe we don't' sort of look at Ami as the bluenette gets up and excuses herself. It's not until she has actually left that the fact that mercury is a planet completes its lap in Haruka's mind, and she blinks for a moment. Her hand moves to her communicator again.

    "I didn't choose to be magical..." she says after a moment. "But I am, and I can't just do nothing while other people are out fighting, if I have the ability to help." Well, she probably COULD except one of those is Michiru and another one is Setsuna. That pretty much kills dead any idea of non-involvement.

    Haruka reaches down to grab her coffee and drink it. "Ah. I'm out of coffee." she says. "And my girlfriend's kind of stuck while I have her jacket." she says, casually. "So I should probably head home before she realizes I've got it. Or steals mine." she says. "It's good to see you under better circumstances, Hotaru-chan. And it's good to meet you, Kaname-san. Both of you keep safe. Magical or not. World's weird." she says. "Maybe we'll see each other again on the other side of the divide." she says with a wink before she starts to head out herself.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded. "I hope dinner with your mom goes well!" she calls after Ami. It was good that the girl had made friends too. She seemed nice. And... "Wow... a planet? So like... Sailor Neptune and them? They seem really cool. Scary and intimidating, but cool," she said. "I wonder if there's a sailor Mercury... I bet she'd be really pretty..." Oddly, internally? She felt like she heard a face palm. But she didn't know why.

"And I know. I saw it, but when magic things happen I'm supposed to get away as soon as possible. My senpai will come and collect me if I need him too, as well. Ummmm... but... I don't know if I've ever been in a labyrinth. I was in a corn maze, once? But I was only three and I think I got lost..." she admitted softly.

"... But... you'd come save me and be my hero if I needed it?" she asked, staring up at Madoka like she was the world's most amazing super hero of all time.

She then turned to Tenoh. "It was nice seeing you again, Tenoh-senpai! Good luck with your girlfriend! I hope you can share jackets again!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The air is still cold, and Madoka's hot cocoa is running low. The matters of celestial bodies are way over her head, and no that's not a space joke. Mostly.

    "I mean... I know I couldn't either," says Madoka, on the subject of staying out. "Not as long as I know I can make a difference."

    She smiles softly at Haruka. If nothing else, talk like that certainly sounds like a 'team good' line of thinking. "Maybe we'll meet again later, though we might not know it. I promise not to look if I catch you out of henshin during a dangerous moment. Take care of yourself!"

    To Hotaru, she gets a bit sheepish, and then nods. "Well, of course I would! If you need help from a dangerous monster or some other magical problem, I'd be more than happy to." The pinkette gives a sideways glance to her Chara, and then pulls out a small piece of paper, jots down a number, and then hands it to Hotaru and says, "If you need a magical girl to come save you, you can call me alright? Just... you know... don't pass this number around to too many people. It can be our little secret."

    Lydian grabs her Bearer's sleeve and starts to tug at it. "Come on, we gotta go too!"

    "Oh!" says Madoka, and then smiles at Hotaru. "Well, I guess I'm leaving, too. It was nice meeting you!"

    There is no way that the tiny Chara could actually pull Madoka along, but the pinkette finds herself following her insistent mascot regardless.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe took the number and... Oh gosh her eyes sparkled. She took out her phone a moment later (it had a... case. A horror movie phone case.) And quickly put it in. "Eeeee! I have a hero on call noooow!" Hotaru said, the glee obvious in her voice. "Thanks, Kaname-senpai! I'll hopefully never need it, but... Oh, I hope one day I can use it! You could come in, all amazing and justice speechy and eeeee! That'd be so cool! It was so great meeting you!" she said, waving at her. She then sat down and took her drink, happily finishing it off and making her way to the trash can to toss it away, then walk and nibble her croisant.

"... I know," she said gently to her device. "But... they... don't have to know. I can do more good for any of them as a villain than I could as a hero. So... it's okay. For now. Just for tonight..."

"... Sparkle skirts really are... so cool."