Scene #2899: Not As Weird As You Think

Owner	Pose
Amy Faust	Moon Healing Escalation! Amy turns around, startled. Who is Sailor Moon attacking?! The hands that earlier tried to drain Lady Bat are blackened claws. And then the light washes over Amy, and she Notices. A moment ago, herself looking at the defeated Lady Bat's expression for ''satisfaction.'' She feels and looks sickened, and any lingering darkness loses any hold it has and is washed away. Sorry, Amy "No, I..." Amy shakes her head, apologetically. "I don't know what came over me." (LIE) and she winces, palliative words that slipped out on their own identified as... she hadn't formed thoughts into words yet, but 'I don't know' feels like a mischaracterization by her standards. "No, I..." She looks back at the ground where Lady Bat was, trying to word thoughts. "She called me... she tried to take my thoughts." And once she starts speaking, words spill out. "I used to think they were all I ''had''." But that's... not entirely it. "The world is so messed up, it's all so messed up..." There's a pause and another storm of thought. What can she say? How can she explain? And she thinks back... "I was...slipping away..." and her fists clench, a tiny flame of anger in her again. ''Why'' was it so scary? Well, it should've been, but... "I think I clung to anger because I didn't want to feel afraid. But..." She sighs and sits down. "I... have to be honest with you."
Coco Kiumi	Love and loss I truly know them well To love the lost I would break through hell All my love across an amber sky Looking right at all the ways you shine All I have is you, my everything Our bond beyond seven seas All my love across the darkest night Waiting just ahead to be your guide All I have is you, my everything Our bond beyond seven seas Our bond beyond seven seas Our bond is every part of me My pearl The final notes of Coco's song wash over the area, purifying the remaining dark energy, and with Lady Bat's defeat, the ropes wrapping around him have faded to nothingness. "Thank you for saving me. I am sorry you had to come here in these circumstances", Somegoro speaks up calmly and massages his arms, then takes the gift Coco has offered him. "Please go rest, you have earned it. I will take care of getting things back in order here. Oh, and please give Taki my thanks", he adds after looking at his unconscious soldier. That Lady Bat really made a mess around here. "If you think it's fine. Take care, doctor Somegoro, and I hope your soldiers recover well." She gives the king of this land one last glance while her fingers hover with the orange shell locket below. She isn't really sure about leaving him here, but she doesn't really see any threat, and he is right. They didn't come here to fight, and she would like a break. She taps the locket, and feels the really faint warmth within. "Seira-chan, could you bring us back home?" The orange spirit of the mermaid takes form and says, "I am glad Lady Bat couldn't hurt any of you. I will open the Corridor now." The lullaby of the mermaid's beautiful wish fills the air, and orange particles glow and cluster together, giving form to a rainbow entrance. Crossing the Corridor leads everyone to the foyer of the Pearl Pier. "Seira-chan, what if there was someone around?", Coco frowns, looking around at her surroundings. At least there was noone. "I thought you could rest better here. There really is nothing in the Shed of that." Coco tilts her head slightly and adds. "Well, ok, you are not wrong. The only things there are those magical candies." She turns at her friends. "Do we go to the kitchen then? Or my room?"
Madoka Kaname	Madoka and Homura alike were surprised by Sailor Moon's sudden purification. The pink girl's mind was on Kamiko and Gaito, and Homura's always concerned about her partner. With the prince gone before Madoka could really talk to him, she simply shrugs and turns away from where he was and walks closer to Amy. There is no judgement or anger on her face, only concern. Usagi's attack wouldn't harm anyone who didn't have darkness in them, but she also wouldn't attack for no reason. Maybe Usagi's own experience with darkness made her a bit more aware of the red flags? Either way, she listens to Amy's explanation and... it does kinda sound like there might have been a problem. Homura wants to say something, but she doesn't quite have the words. She's probably not the best person to ask regarding anger management. So instead of saying anything she just coldly stares at Amy, not because she's actually mad at her but because she made that face for too long and it stuck. She glances away when she realizes that she's actually making it weirder. Eventually Kamiko's portal opens, and she dives straight into Homura's shoulder and buries her face against it. Homura's hands reach up to cup around the tiny goddess and hold her gently. The raven-haired Puella pets the minidoka, while the regular sized Doka does the speaking for the three of them. "I'm glad you're alright, Doctor. I think we should go for now." Seira comes, taking them through the Corridor to relative safety. This isn't where they left off, but it's where they are now. When asked, Madoka turns to Coco and says, "I think maybe, for a conversation like this, we could go to your room?"
Usagi Tsukino	The apology Sailor Moon had offered had less to do with genuinely being apologetic for her actions and more a bit of social smoothing in case of surprised or hurt feelings. She's got a feeling - a pretty confident one - that Amy hasn't got any idea of how close to the line she's crept, and that feeling is validated when she sees her whip about, startled. But there's a shadow of darkness over her hands, and a look on her face, and both smooth away in the wake of that purifying attack. It's a relief, almost as much as Coco's song. "I'm the last person who's going to judge," she says gently, coming over to Amy's side, seeing how much she needs to speak. "But not here, okay? Let's get somewhere less... wet." Madoka and Homura must not have noticed, but they do now, and that's good - and the Squid King is safe, and okay, and ''she's''... Guessing how bad it was for Amy, who already was worried about identity death and stuff. "Come on." Seira's opening the way back, and with them able to get back to Tokyo, Sailor Moon breathes in deep and tries to relax. "Um... well, I'll never turn down a snack?"
Madoka Kaname	Usagi is apparently hungry, and Homura is too busy being an emotional support human for Kamiko to really give much input. So Madoka cants her head to the side and smiles. "Okay, then! We can go to the kitchen if you're hungry."
Coco Kiumi	Coco nods at Usagi's comment. She doesn't really feels like eating something, but she has nothing against something warm to drink, and they can probably find something quick in the kitchen that Usagi would like eating, Coco thinks, then saying "The kitchen Is this way", outloud while she leads everyone. The yellow mermaid puts a kettle on the stove, and while the water gets to boiling, she looks around the kitchen for something appropriate, finding a box of buttery treats is served at the center of the kitchen's counter. A few more minutes pass, and the kettle starts whistling for attention. Filters are added, and Coco starts pouring it for anyone who wants any. Despite not really commenting on it till now, she has no idea what Amy was about to say, and once they are fully settled, she remarks on it. "What is it you were going to tell us?", she asks.
Amy Faust	Amy's at a loss for words for a bit. She looks up at her friends, the King forgotten for the moment. She can't read Homura's expression, the girl ''always'' looks like that except when Madoka's being lovey-dovey with her. Madoka's concerned. Moon looks... knowing? Amy looks like she's afraid she's in trouble. Amy relaxes ''slightly'' when Moon says there isn't judgement, and then can't help a nervous giggle at the way she words 'somewhere less wet.' Goodbyes are said to the King. Amy glances to him and nods, and stands, and walks through the corridor. The concern that they might've just appeared in front of mundanes feels distant -- they ''didn't'', and Amy's mind is on other things. She's so wrapped up in it she doesn't ''realize'' that discussion of where to talk implicitly invites her opinion, and says nothing. She's not especially hungry anyway. Maybe could go for a drink. She suddenly wonders how they don't end up swallowing a lot of seawater while down there -- and if they did, shouldn't it be highly-pressurised? Actually, why don't they have the bends-- NO, brain! We said we have to be honest about this and face it! Stop getting distracted. Anyway she follows them to the kitchen. And she doesn't dare wait ''minutes'' or she'll get ''more'' nervous or in her head and she needs to keep talking, ''now.'' "It's not..." Okay, form a coherent sentence first and ''then'' start talking. And yes, the song currently stuck in her head is Aruarian Dance but brain, do we really need to give our life a soundtrack we are becoming a parody of ourselves ''STOP GETTING DISTRACTED!'' Amy winces a little, and takes a breath, and lets it out. "It's not 'cuz they're tryin' ta ruin the world and kill us. Or of... what happens to the world if we lose. It's... I mean that ''is'' bad. But maybe I'm scared to dwell on it?" She takes a seat, and tries to pin down the feeling. How to explain. But it's like... how she was kind of afraid of the possibility of being attracted to Taro. "...'It would be bad to want that.'" "...''Society'' says it would be bad to want that." "It's not-- if we'd fallen there, we weren't ''beaten in combat'', unable to--pushed to our limits and did our best and just we never had enough in us to win. It was... she said give up. No more suffering. I-it's an... It's like we took a deal. E-even if we didn't." "If people saw it'd 'look'' like we did. It's not just RateMyHenshin that'd see it that way. And society'll never know, but ''I'll'' know and it's ''in my head!''" She holds her hands to the side of her head, shaking it a little, and then drops them to her side, looking down at the table/floor. "An' I... didn't want that. Or to face almost losing myself. So I got mad. For... for almost getting imaginary-judged ''and'' for what happened ''and'' to show the imaginary judges I didn't want the offer." She winces a bit, saying that conjured up the mental image of being in a courtroom on trial for being defeated, and she didn't need to imagine that right now.
Usagi Tsukino	In short order, they're in the hotel and Sailor Moon is Usagi Tsukino, sitting casually in the kitchen of a hotel like that's a normal thing to do (it mostly is?) and she quickly indicates she would like some tea, wrapping her hands around the cup to warm them as she waits for Amy to talk. The truth of the situation is more complicated than she thought it was, because - "So... you were mad at what she did, and mad because it'd make you look bad if you gave up?" What's so bad about giving up, anyway? She doesn't ask the question, because it's not the ''point'', even if a part of her definitely feels the words like a jab. She's already decided Amy is the last person she's talking about ''those'' feelings with, there's no point in raising that up, especially because giving up ''would have been bad at that moment''. The words might have sounded a little incredulous, and she winces. "Sorry, I don't mean that sarcastically, or anything, just... trying to understand. Because I could understand being upset because of how she... manipulated us, and made us feel things, but the other bit, I don't really get."
Madoka Kaname	Madoka has given up on worrying about things like the bends. It occurred to her on her first trip underwater, but mermaid magic protected her because Reasons. It's magic. If you try to explain it, you just get a headache or turn evil. Or both. So Madoka doesn't bother. The trip back does seem to give Amy time to sort her thoughts out, and once she's sure she's sufficiently alone Madoka drops henshin. Brai is released from their merging, and as she pops out of the egg she ''immediately'' dives for a butter cookie and carries it away... to her divine sister. The two of them share a treat while Homura watches over them. Madoka says, "Okay, so she crossed a boundary that really mattered to you. Also you're concerned about what people will think or how you might get mocked for it." She thinks about it for a moment and also takes a cookie and a napkin, then snaps the cookie in half. "I mean, what she did was pretty much mind control, taking over our minds to force us to submit to her. So sure, losing your free will, I can understand being upset by that. I don't really think that your anger is ''wrong'', but if you start drawing on darkness it can get dangerous pretty quickly. Especially for a Puella Magi. Melona did that and well..." Madoka glances over to Kamiko, and the divine fairy seems like she's recovered enough to open a portal. So she does, and a tiny Familiar that seems like a cross between a benotafraid and a blacksmith comes fluttering out, with dozens of hands each holding a hammer. Madoka holds out her hand and the Familiar alights on it. "This is... well... I can't even say that this is what's ''left'' of her. Her soul moved on. This is more like a memory of her, or a memorial."
Coco Kiumi	Coco's brows furrows in concentration as she listens to Amy, and tries to understand the fragmented bits the redhead is saying, following along the jump from their fight to Rate Your Henshin, to society's involvement, and the Puella ultimately getting mad. "Uhm, no, I don't think any of us took something like a deal with Lady Bat, or that anything would make it look like it did", she mutters. The vampire's mockery isn't really any indication of an actual pact like the one Amy signed with Kyubey, and even then, forget them not ever agreeing. She didn't even wait for an input from them. Starting to pour Amy a cup of tea, she slides it into her hands, hoping that would give her something to focus on besides the chain of negativity she seems to be trapped in. Before she forcibly tries to put a stop to it with her song. "She used her magic on us, you are right to be mad at her, Amy-chan. What Lady Bat did was gross", she remarks in no middle terms. She stops briefly as she utters the name, but they are really alone here, and even if they did get a visit, it would be Nikora or Taki or Hippo, or someone from Coco's kingdom. Maybe Seira would be able to pop back out and join them. That would certainly be comforting and raise the mood, she thinks. She gives Sailor Moon a cup as she asks, and keeps an empty one on hand, just in case Hope Concept does the same. Coco looks pretty intently at the weird familiar Madoka brings out (or weird by the standard of Madoka's familiars, she supposes). It's true they really don't want to let it progress. Should she be ready to slip into song at any second?
Amy Faust	Amy nods along to Usagi. She hasn't de-henshined herself, yet. Unsure if the costume feels like psychological armor or not. Amy tries to think of how to respond to Usagi not getting it. She does take and sip at Coco's offered tea, and she can't help smiling a little at the two charas sharing a cookie, because it is so ''sweet'' and ''adorable'' and it's great that her life gets to include stuff like this in it now. Madoka speaks words to fill the silence, and Amy nods at her summary. Winces at 'mind control'. But Madoka's real concern is understandable. "I was--?!" okay she did kind of realize right as the purification wave hit her. "It's not like I ''want'' to use Dark Energy okay I hear how that sounded." She holds a hand to her face. But then... a special familiar? Amy looks at it curiously as Madoka explains. "...I see. It's good, to be remembered." She is absolutely wondering what her own would look like if the worst came to pass and trying not to ask such a morbid question. "Is there... one of these, for every soul you've helped move on?" she wonders. But, she does have to address Usagi, too. "Have you really... ''never'' messed up? I mean, before all this, when life was... 'normal'. Liked or wore the uncool thing, or something seen as a little too childish, said the wrong thing, had everyone laugh at you?" "You're comfortable now, with... not excelling in academics, and I ''commend'' that because the pressure demanding you be what you're not ''has'' to have been immense and that's just it, wasn't there ever a time when you ''tried'', and it ''didn't matter'', because everyone was like 'we know you can do better'? And because you were a kid and adults act like they have their shit together and know what they're talking about you maybe believed them and felt bad for failing them?" Amy blinks. "Heck. You're dating Mizuno-san. Were your parents or ''anyone'' you knew even a ''little'' bit weird about that?" "Because it doesn't ''matter'' if you know you're not ''wrong''. People can still shame you and hurt you, and no one can make them believe you. When I thought maybe I had a crush on Taro and not just a.... squish? Even though academically I'm open-minded and committed to accepting new things about myself, some part of me still felt the whispers behind my back of... ''okama'' is a close enough cultural translation, I guess." "...Have any of your girl friends had a bad experience they recounted and were immediately asked 'well how were you dressed'?" Amy shakes her head. "Sorry. I shouldn't... I dunno. I'm just... maybe it's another... thing with my brain being different. Maybe nobody else... sees any of that stuff that way. Or maybe people in Juuban were kinder. Sorry. I shouldn't, um... I'll try not to let it happen again." She brings the cup of tea to her mouth and sips so that apologies will stop spilling out.
Usagi Tsukino	Coco is being gentle, but she and Madoka are blunt about the fact that it was obvious mind control, nothing that Amy ''shouldn't'' be mad at. Usagi nods at both of these points, because they're right, of course, that Amy was right to be mad, but the danger was in using Dark Energy, and the sight of Melona's Familiar - or, the Familiar that represents what she was - makes her wince, looking down. In that moment, she's not prepared to be so directly addressed about something that ''isn't'' the subject at hand. For a moment, the questions don't even register. Just a moment, though. "''Obviously'', I've messed up all the time," Usagi says, leaning over her cup and staring at Amy with a look on her face that screams, ''are you feeling okay, I mean obviously not but in a different way''? "I used to have a 35% grade point average and my mama kicked me out of the house and forced me to live in the dorms when I got accepted to Radiant Heart Academy because she was fed up with my grades. The only reason I'm not ''still'' standing outside for being late to class all the time is because class is like, five minutes away from my bed, and even then, I'm ''still'' late like, every other week. I wear ''90s'' clothes almost every day of my ''life'' - even if I do pull it off really well." She lifts the mug and drinks some of the cooler tea. "I tried, all the time, right up until I got to middle school. It didn't work. I couldn't study. I couldn't learn, I couldn't get it right, and I didn't ''like'' studying, or school, and I couldn't do it anyway, and yeah, some people made fun of me. I've messed up plenty of times, and I've lost friends, or had people not want to ''be'' my friend, or ''only'' want to be my friend, because of who my papa is, and who my grandpa and great-grandpa and uncles are, or what they could do for them." At the last, she raises a brow, staring at Amy, wondering if she'll remember Miho asking if Usagi's papa could get her a sale on her favorite brand the very ''second'' she found out his job. "But so what?" She lifts her head. She lifts her shoulders, and she takes up space in her chair, refusing to be small. "Sure, they could make fun of me. Sure, Mama could be mad at me. ''Sure'', people can make fun of me and my papa can bemoan my style, but it's ''my'' life, not theirs. Am I supposed to live for them? Am I supposed to bow my head, forever?" She cocks her head. "Are you supposed to?" It's not as easy as she makes it sound, and she knows that. But that's what it comes down to at the end of the day. "I get it. Things can be ''bad''. And no, my mama and papa didn't give me problems over dating Ami-chan and Mamochan, and that's probably half because my grades are better than ever - and I'm a ''C average'' now, so, you know, not the greatest for going into senior year. But I made my choices. And I know what you mean, because victim blaming is real, and ''of course it happens here'', but... at the end of the day, I'm not going to change who I am, and I can't change the things I would want to change. But... you don't have to be sorry if that's not how it is for you."
Madoka Kaname	Kamiko shrugs at Amy's question to her. "Well, yes and no. Maybe? It's hard to say because my Familiars are kinda hard to figure out to begin with, but they do take after my own experiences. Such experience does include saved Witches, and if I get a taste of their trauma then it affects me as well." Noticing Coco's expression, Kamiko explains, "Don't worry. As long as I don't get corrupted again, none of my minions should cause problems." Short pause. "Well I mean... ''real'' problems. I still gotta keep an eye on 'em or they'll get stuck in a door or something. Actually why don't you go back home, Melly-chan?" Kamiko zips around to shoo the Familiar back through a portal. The point has been made. Brai responds to the question of mockery by saying, "I mean, no, you're not alone in that. I've only heard of RateMyHenshin from hearsay, but such a nightmare wouldn't ''exist'' if embarrassment or shame weren't such globally known feelings." Madoka adds, "I mean, people tease me for being short all the time, but I feel like that's not really the same. Even so I don't really think it's right to make fun of someone for being different, or to look down on them or think less of them. If anything the people who feel the need to judge others are... um... how do I put this..." Homura interjects, "It's okay to just call it loser behavior, Madoka-chan." Then the Puella decides that Kamiko seems well enough and starts seeing if she can help Coco with things around the kitchen. Homu is ''not'' the person you go to for life advice or emotional support and she knows it. Madoka gratefully accepts the teacup, because she may as well if everyone else is.
Coco Kiumi	Coco looks at her friends quietly as she watches them discuss their experiences. How does she really say anything here. They come from drastically different worlds. To give her opinion here would be like to ask Amy to move a tail she doesn't have. She doesn't have much practical advice here. The human world doesn't have actual friendship, trust and love literally, quantifiably flowing through it, and even before leaving, they quite clearly know the difference between their kingdoms and the surface, and that some people are going to be jerks and cruel. Her experiences are too drastically different, and while she would like to insist to Amy that those acting maliciously are wrong, she is not sure it would change much. She starts preparing a different type of tea to keep herself busy, and to give her friends some more variation, but she still keeps an eye and an ear on the conversation. When Homura comes close, the blonde girl gives her a smile, shifting slightly to the side and sliding over a selection of filters to choose from for the next tea. 'Anything you want to see?', she mouths quietly. "Oh, I wasn't worrying about that", Coco smiles at Kamiko when the Chara addresses her. "I was just looking at something new, I think. I have trust you won't be like that again." It hadn't even been the intended path the first time around.
Amy Faust	Familiars getting stuck in a door gets a small 'snrk' from Amanda, and nods along at the explanation, and looks ''shocked'' at the thought of anyone ''teasing'' Madoka. Homura speaking truth gets a smirk and an offered fistbump. But then... Of ''course'' Amy expected that Usagi has had to deal with this, she was just trying to get her to make the connection. But the most popular girl in school has had ''more problems than Amy ever imagined. '''before all the magic stuff!''''' 'Kicked out of the house' gets a wince, and Amy's initial 'now you see what I mean?' expression fades to shock at the litany of Usagi Tsukino's weirdnesses and, in society's eyes, perceived failures. She does look ''briefly'' confused about Usagi's family -- it hasn't come up in awhile -- but then remembers Miho before Usagi's done speaking about that, and then remembers that the rest of her family are politicians. Usagi stands tall -- well, sits tall -- well, not ''tall'' but-- you know what I mean. Usagi sits proudly and refuses to be to be small, social-presense-wise. And then Amy's just looking at her in amazement as she continues. "You're so strong--" she immedately winces, "okay, no one wants to hear that. But still... ''how''? You had... ''everything'' going wrong... and..." Amy dehenshins. She shrugs the pink winter parka onto the back of her chair, leaving her in a casual T-shirt and black overalls underneath. Something she tried perhaps because she saw Usagi do it, yes, but it's also ''so easy'' for it to look like kid's clothes. "Before middle school..." She looks down at the floor. "...at one point I wished I could be replaced by a robot that would stop disappointing everyone." "I'm glad you didn't bow your head. You're like, the coolest person I know. And I didn't, in some ways. It got me in a ''lot'' more trouble than if I'd given in completely. Although I guess you'd say talking back to every adult the way I did back then was just incredibly rude and pointless. But... if you could do all that..." She's ''not'', at the moment, thinking ahead and organizing words, and the heat in her face and the tears starting to well up ''surprise'' her, "''what was wrong with me?!''" She wipes her eyes with her forearm. "An' even now... I mostly keep to myself aside from mahoujin... I weather teachers' disappointment and I stopped sassing back most of the time..." And she tries to remember, ''when'' exactly did it change, something so seemingly unimportant compared to all the magical things that have happened, because she absolutely ''was'' always speaking her mind, and reaching out to know new people at first... And it's not like she ''never'' does that at school, but...
Amy Faust	"I ''used'' to... when we started..." Maybe it wasn't all at once. "I got more respectful to teachers fast..." just from ''feeling'' how much she stuck out from the students around her. "But then magig god heaby... I coudld'd dalg to adybody bud you guys aboud Paris, or explaid thigs. An' at sub poid... Like I said, da 'vacatiod' was ober ad peoble were talkig aboud after graduashud ad I ''could'd'', and ded after Crystal Tokyo..." when Chibiusa was evil and Usagi was ''gone'' and "I just ''could'd'' care eddy-bore! I barely pulled oudda flugkig!" "How'b I subbosed do coddect wib eddybody?? Manga ad gabes are bore reladable dad ebrybuddy else's libes!" What was she even trying to figure out again? It doesn't matter. "Bud id's still id by head." She grabs a napkin, dabs her eyes, blows her nose. "It's still in my head. How everything'd look if people knew." She looks to the others. "How do I get rid of it? Is there magic that can like... cut it out of me?" That sounds extreme and dangerous, but she also can't bear the way her friends are looking at her, feeling like some nonsensical alien. "I don't ''want'' to let other people decide how I should be! So why does it matter so much?!" She grabs her head, but there's no lever to pull, no setting or configuration file she can change, to correct this malfunction.
Usagi Tsukino	There's a wince, immediately, as Usagi sees the gambit she's made go wrong instantly as Amy starts to marvel and then to ''cry'' and - "Amy-chan, there's nothing ''wrong'' with you!" Usagi barely remembers to put her cup down before throw her arms around her friend and smashing against Amy in a hug. "There's nothing wrong with you, it's just being sensitive to rejection! That thing Mamochan mentioned before, and - I mean, I'm not you! I have different problems from you and I hate being alone so I make friends with all kinds of people no matter what because I can't stand to be alone, and I mean, it's hard - it's hard to figure out especially since you're not from here anyway and it's scary! It's hard!" It is! It is!! "It can be hard to connect with people, and stories are sometimes easier to understand, but people aren't so hard to get either, it's just finding friends and -" She pauses. Deep breath. "No. You have friends. It's about... talking about things that are hard with the people we ''do'' have. Because maybe we can't tell everybody, but we can tell each other... and we can introduce each other to ''our'' friends... and we can support one another." She blinks away sympathy tears, still hugging Amy tight. "It matters because if people don't like you, they ''can'' hurt you, and it's normal to want to not be hurt."
Madoka Kaname	Homura is offered a fistbump and for a second she looks at it like she's confused. A fistbump? What, for me? Not wanting to leave Amy hanging, she returns the fistbump, and her tap is as light as it is precise. Homura mouths back to Coco, 'Matcha?' Then she looks over the selection and picks something suitable. For the most part she stays out of the mermaid princess's way unless there's a small thing that she can handle while the other is busy. Kamiko floats in front of Amy and says, "Well, first off, it's never really as simple. As long as we rely on other people to live, as long as we rely upon society to ''survive'' it does kinda matter what others think of you." The tiny fairy crosses her arms and says, "However, there's a big difference between ''behaving'' and ''submitting''. There are times when you might want to modify your behavior in order to be more considerate to someone else, and there're other times when you just gotta be yourself and others just gotta deal with that. You have a right to take up space. No one's existence is more valid than yours." Madoka fingerpets Kamiko and says to Amy, "Honestly, I think you connect with us better than you might think. Connecting with the non-magicals is always going to be difficult because we're in a different world than them. In a way we're our own subculture. You're our friend though, Amy-chan, and it hurts to see you have so many scars because of how people have treated you. I don't want you thinking that you don't belong here, because you do." Brai takes a chunk of Madoka's cookie into her hands, but doesn't munch it right away. Instead, she says, "Honestly, even if you're connecting with manga and video games... or any other form of art, you're still in some way connecting to another person. Someone wrote that. Someone made that. Somewhere out there somebody wanted to be creative, to say something that meant something to them, and when you see it or hear it there's a part inside of you that resonates. Even if it's not a face to face connection, I hope such stories help to remind you that you're not really alone here."
Coco Kiumi	They really aren't lacking in kettles at the Pearl Pier, that's for sure. At Homura's suggestion of matcha, she turns on the tap, watching the water flow inside, and then gives it over to the dark-haired girl. "Those people wouldn't thank you then, and they won't thank you know if that was the kind of thing they expect you", Coco speaks up again. "They don't deserve a thing from you, and would you really be here if that was what you would have asked from Kyubey?" Once the second kettle is well to the point of boiling, she starting adding sugar, and lets Homura be the one stirring, while she works on cleans the tools they have already used. "You could have never been a robot, no matter what magic you use, and it would have caught up to you eventually. It's a lot better for you to be here now, like yourself", she tells Amy, giving her a wide smile. "When Sara fell to the darkness, I didn't really know what to do then. I only knew that I had to try and get her to smile again. It was hard, and it hurt a lot, but I am here now despite all that, and I am much happier to have met everyone." She winces briefly. Leaving will be very hard too. "Doesn't that count for you too?", she adds, going back to smiling. You are connecting with us just fine. I don't think it stops counting just because magic changed the things you do and the things you have to work on. It was still your effort that got you here." "It's important to care about others' opinion, and it can be hard to find the right balance. That might be why you are struggling, but you are still working on it, and people are willing to support you along the way." She turns towards Amy. "When Hinoiri went on our side, I wasn't expecting her to do perfectly, and I was sure she would have done things that could be villainous, but she really wanted to try, and she was good for that. No matter what happens, you are good, and if you forget that, we can tell you again and again."
Amy Faust	You could have never been a robot, no matter what magic you use, It's a good thing Homura's face is stuck that way because she has ''absolutely'' seen Amanda turn into a robotic Witch. ''Multiple'' times. And then had to fight her and her goddamned jumping-between-multiple-bodies trick which is ''so annoying'' if you don't weaken her essence with purification attacks first and it would have been ''so'' much easier if she'd figured that out several timelines ''sooner'' than she did '''''ugh...''''' "They ''wouldn't'' have thanked me, no. It just would have been what they expected." Amy admits, in hindsight. Honestly, the thought of Kyubey finding her as a kid and granting ''that'' wish is terribly chilling. "...I'm glad Kyubey ''didn't'' find me then..." Amy's not sure what to say about Sara. That story didn't get a happy ending! Nothing wrong is empty words, but the concern and the hug and the wanting her to feel better because Usagi's her friend she can immediately ''feel'' comforted by, at least, and then Sensitive to rejection. The thing Mamoru mentioned. What she'd gotten into her head about seconds ago, she is reminded has a ''name'', it is ''known'' and that means it can be ''understood'', and if not conquered, predicted and worked around, and knowing that has an immediate and dramatic calming effect. And Usagi's gushing about her own insecurities and Amy hugs back. "I meant the non-mahoujin, not ''you guys''. Except gender stuff, I guess.." "We can... we can look it up. Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. I can't really talk to a psychologist--" damn, she suddenly remembers commentators on any anime with teens with superpowers or mecha pilots saying ''these kids need a therapist'' and ''yeah ain't it the truth but magic doesn't work that way'' "--damn, anime was right about that too... but, but, but we can find out what's worked for people and try things! And Usagi-chan, if we can help work on loneliness, too, I'd be happy to." Usagi and Kamiko both point out the reality of depending on others in life and to live, and... "Wow. That... I don't think I've ever heard someone ''say'' it like that, before." "All my lives I've heard messages to 'be myself' -- which I only began to get what that ''meant'' a couple years ago -- and of course the implicit ''pressure'' to fit in... And I've failed at both of them. No one's ever said... no one's ever been ''real'' about it, just idealistic or cynical." She smiles a bit. "I feel... seen? Spoken to? But you're not a piece of media, you're my friends. I'm not sure what the word for that situation is, but thank you." She nods and smiles at Madoka and Coco speaking of connection. Wincing a ''little'' at knowing that her scars hurt them by proxy, but the next thing-- "No! I never said I don't belong here," she reassures, "at least, not in the last couple years. Of ''course'' I have you all! But it's... taking me awhile to get my brain ''used'' to the idea that... that's gonna be part of life after we graduate, too." Surprisingly ''Brai'' speaks up with an insight Amy's ''known'' but perhaps struggled to ''convey'', and her face lights up and she points, "Yes! Yes, exactly! That's ''why'' I keep reading it! Even if it's slop sometimes... someone, somewhere, had a feeling and put it out there, even if they didn't understand it, even if they got all confused and mixed up about it, they were hoping ''someone'' else would get it, and I ''do!'' And that means someone else did, too... maybe a lot of people..." You're good, and we can tell you again and again. "Aww..." Amy smiles, and holds out an arm to bring Coco into a hug too. And anyone else who wants.
Usagi Tsukino	Usagi is not too worried about her own fear of being alone, partially because she has many, many friends and an entire husband and she's sure she won't lose them. She's already seen a version of herself who didn't, after all. But she is worried about her friend, and she's glad that they're all having the same idea of comfort. Even if she ''does'' poke Amy on the forehead, reading correctly that she thinks 'nothing is wrong with her' as empty words. "I mean it! There's nothing wrong with you, not the way you think, anyway. You're not ''broken'' or ''defective'' or ''less than us'' or anything dumb like that, and trust me if anyone knows a dumb idea, it's me!" And boy does she. "And I know you meant the regular kids. But ''we'' have friends who are regular kids - well, Madoka-chan and Coco-chan probably do, I don't think Homura-chan has been really interested in that, sorry Homura-chan - that we can introduce you to! It can be hard to make friends, but friends introducing friends is like a cheat code to success!" Plus, she can try to introduce Amy to people she might actually have common interests with, which would go a long way in helping the connection blossom. "You can talk to a - no, never mind, I just remembered who I'm talking to," Amy would ''not'' be able to lie. Not well, and not even to help herself, probably. "Well, we can probably read books about it, anyway... but you're a lot more 'normal' (yes, she does the finger quotes) than you think you are. You're just kind of..." tactless "blunt, but even that's not ''ab''normal!"
Madoka Kaname	"Sorry for what?" asks Homura to Usagi, while stirring the pot. "It's an accurate read. If not for Madoka-chan I probably wouldn't get out at all." The time traveller absolutely does not comment on Amanda's Witch. Less said about her experiences with that the better. People are usually better off not knowing about how they end up in other timelines, and people tend to disbelieve her anyways. On the subject of psychologists, Kamiko looks at Madoka. "Hey, what about that girl who had the Humpty Lock before you? Not Tadase. The other one with the pink hair. She purified Brai?" Madoka tilts her head and says, "Oh, do you mean... um... what was her name?" Homura calmly offers, "Amu Hinamori." Kamiko snappoints, "That! Wasn't she kindof called a magic therapist once?" Homura shakes her head, "That doesn't count. Well meaning attempts of connection are not the same as having years of training and vast medical knowledge." Kamiko snaps her fingers. Madoka winces. "Sorry, Kamiko-chan. I guess you're out of luck. Though... maybe looking stuff up isn't a bad idea. It might help on several levels, really." After thinking about that for a moment, the pinkette adds, "Usagi-chan's right, though. You're not really as weird as you think you are. A lot of us have traumas and insecurities, they just take different shapes for each of us."