Meat n' Greet

[cityship]

The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, many of them are even more eager to see people they knew from home.

Several people are set up near the doors to provide the new people with omnicoms and comm rings. New crew-mates might see a tall man in green armor and snake girl among their number. There are also several authoritative-looking figures ready to introduce themselves.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in.

[ooc: Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have your guys greet the newbies.]

Comments

no worries bb

[magicgunworks.livejournal.com]

If Homura had told her this the first time she had been here, when they were both fresh out of the pods and had not experienced any of the strange things this ship had to offer, Mami would have questioned this immediately. But... the commotion that happened not long ago. It involved 'time' being sucked out of many of the crewmates, right? If such a thing was possible, she's not really shocked to hear that time travel is as well.

It didn't mean she wasn't surprised, oh no. She was, but at the same time, it was... fitting, in a way? Mysterious powers for a mysterious girl.

"... I see. Care to elaborate more?"

[clockworkrepeat.livejournal.com]

"The contract I formed with Kyubey was for her sake," she says. "She died. I rewound time. I've done it countless times already-- every time, starting the day before I transfer to my new school."

And almost every single time, she watched Madoka die. Sometimes it was by Walpurgisnacht, sometimes she became a witch. Sometimes she killed her herself. Sometimes it was by more mundane things; slipping and falling off a supply shed, dying in the hospital a few days afterwards due to the gradual swelling of her brain. Being struck by a car. Choking on a bone. She's seen Madoka die countless ways, and sometimes she didn't realize until hours after the fact.

[magicgunworks.livejournal.com]

"That's..." Horrifying. Nightmarish. A thousand other horrible things Mami could say. If Homura made her wish for Madoka's sake, that must mean they were friends on some level. And if she rewound time every time she watched her friend die...

Mami thought about what she'd do in Homura's shoes, watching the person closest to her die over and over... and suddenly, any hostile or antagonistic feelings she had towards the other girl disappeared. She's been through so much; how can she blame her for how she's acted?

"Is that why you're so determined to stop Kaname-san from becoming a Puella Magi? To make sure she doesn't die fighting?"

[clockworkrepeat.livejournal.com]

"Yes," she says simply. Homura can tell Mami feels some sort of pity, or sympathy for her-- to say she is unmoved would be lying. She wish she could be unmoved. She wishes she could be the cool machine she pretends to be.

But every time she does this-- every time she tells someone what she's been through, it feels as though a load has been taken off of her shoulders, at least until she has to reset the timeline again, start from scratch. It's releasing, to have someone sympathize. No one can truly understand what Homura's reality is. But they can sympathize. And because she longs for affection, for kindness, it feels good.

It feels like weakness. And that same weakness is what always leads to the next reset.

[magicgunworks.livejournal.com]

It's about now that the guilt sets in. If Madoka dies whenever she contracts... then she was so close to leading her friend to her death. How often had that happened in these alternate timelines? How many deaths had been her fault?

"I should... apologize, then. For how I've acted." Accusing her of seeing Madoka as nothing more than competition. And maybe because she didn't take Homura's advice before the fight with Charlotte; now she understands that it really was a warning. Not some attempt to get Mami to back off. Had she... genuinely wanted to help her, after seeing her die like this in some other time?

It could be just a coincidence. It probably was because Mami was leading Madoka, who was unarmed, into the lair of a powerful witch. But there was still that possibility.

[clockworkrepeat.livejournal.com]

"You couldn't possibly have known," she murmurs. And it's true-- she doesn't fault her for the things she's done. Not for the nasty things she'd say. It's also not Mami's fault when Madoka contracts, it's Homura's-- for not being there enough, fast enough, strong enough. It's always her fault, her own weakness. It's not as though she hasn't tried to blame someone else, but it always came down to her own faults.

And she did wish to stop Mami's death. She doesn't like to see any of them die, but they aren't important the way Madoka is; they matter, but only in how they affect her.

She thinks she feels an alliance forming-- one that does not need words to exist. Through this, she feels as though Mami will not hinder her in her attempts to keep Madoka safe. Maybe she'll even help. She breathes, nearly feeling calm.

[magicgunworks.livejournal.com]

Mami can feel it too, and it's... almost funny, really. She had come into this conversation prepared for anything except this. But she wasn't complaining at all. She's not quite ready to call the other girl a friend, but it's nice, repairing broken bridges like this.

"I did everything in my power to keep her safe in our world, and I'll continue to do it here." Fat lot of good that did, especially when Signum decided to start attacking her fellow crew members... but Madoka was okay now. Homura didn't need to know about that incident just yet. "Two is always better than one, don't you think?"

And there it was, just as Homura was hoping. As if to seal the deal, Mami held her hand out. Allies?

[clockworkrepeat.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's too early to call her a friend. But it's nice to be on better terms. Homura doesn't smile, not yet, but she nods and takes Mami's hand, shaking it.

"Double the efficiency, the speed, the power," she says, hand dropping to her sides, and she feels lighter than she did before. With Mami's help, even against these Ohm creatures... they would prevail. She hasn't had this much overwhelming hope for so long. She pauses a moment before she adds, voice hushed, "Kyubey is here."

[magicgunworks.livejournal.com]

"... I'm not surprised." Witches, Puella Magi... with both of them on board, it would be surprising if Kyuubey WASN'T lurking about somewhere. And if Homura had told her this at the start of their conversation, she would have been happy! She considered the small animal a friend after all.

But now that she knew the risks of what would happen if he finally got Madoka to contract.... yeah, she wasn't feeling particularly friendly towards him right now.

"I'd suggest not going after him, if only for your sake. I hear you get punished if you attack a fellow crewmate."

[clockworkrepeat.livejournal.com]

"What sort of punishment?" she asks. She can handle punishment-- so long as it doesn't separate her from Madoka.

[magicgunworks.livejournal.com]

"According to the 'Newbie Guide' provided by our Captain, any attack on a fellow crew member will result in a Violation. If you receive fifteen Violations, you are subjected to 'Punishment', which involves the extreme torture of the violator."

It was hard, trying to keep the disgust out of her voice. Mami wasn't exactly squeamish, but there was just... something about having to resort to torture that really didn't sit well with her.

[clockworkrepeat.livejournal.com]

"I see." If only his immortality weren't there... she doesn't even begin to think to herself that it might be gone, because if her magic is still functional why would his not be? "I will try to avoid it, but if it becomes necessary to attack him... I have no intentions of holding back."