oo1 ✧ (audio) ✧ DAY.

[halfclock]

Madoka- No, no, how is this possible?! [click, click, whirr. ... click, click, whirr. the girl's voice becomes more panicked, hysterical, on the verge of tears.] It won't work- I have to- Ah-!

[the audio cuts out. it returns - but it's safe to assume there was a large gap between when it was turned off and back on, because now the girl's voice is

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Audio

[nottheshoe]

Whoa. First off, calm down. You know how to work a computer? Then you can open these files.

[Nike shuffles a few files to Homura's PORTAL:
Stark PORTAL guide.PDF
Glaser Promenade guide.PDF
Lavi information.PDF

She gives her a few minutes to read those over before speaking again]

Mami Tomoe was here for a time, but she's gone home. I don't recognize any of the other names, but that's common here. Most of us are from different worlds.

We can't talk about half the things you just mentioned over the network, we're being watched. If we meet up in person it's a much safer bet.

[It's a cautious invitation, this girl sounded a bit... agitated. No need to provoke her more.]

[halfclock]

[she takes a while to absorb all of this. so as she feared, she's stuck; she knows without a doubt that no matter how long it takes her to get back, she can reverse to the right time, but she doesn't want to do another cycle. she was determined to get this one right. she still is. so she's going to have to find a way out of here first, which is supposedly impossible. that's okay. she's done impossible.]

Did Mami Tomoe have much interaction with the other residents that you know of? [if Mami was careless enough to spill their secret...] I wasn't expecting anyone from my own world; I was only checking if they'd been here before me.

I'm willing to meet in person. If you're offering, choose a time and a place.

[nottheshoe]

Hmmmm, not sure, but there's a way to look it up on our PORTALS. Any conversation or video that takes place over these things, unless they're marked private, are available for the public to view, even if it happened months ago. If you know how to hack things, you can even get through those filters and view private stuff.

[There's a shuffling noise and the audio switches to video. You see Nike's face and she gives a bit of an awkward wave.]

I can meet any time, not much else to do in this place. Best place to meet is-- [She holds up her PORTAL and you can see an amusement park on the horizon.] there. It's my "Place of Solace".

[halfclock]

Alright. I'll look into it later. Mami Tomoe isn't a priority of mine.

[perhaps for the sake of politeness, homura turns on her own video, although she doesn't bother with the wave; she certainly doesn't look half as intimidating as she sounds. she inclines her head, slightly and briefly.]

Then I'll go there now. Like you said, there's no reason not to if there's nothing else to be done in this place.

[nottheshoe]

Okay, cool. Meet yah there then.

[A quick salute before it suddenly hits her.]

Whoa, wait-- [Duh] Name's Nike Crawford-Marine.

[A small weak smile. This week of new arrivals was never easy for Nike. False hopes, truckloads of guilt]

[halfclock]

[she doesn't return any of the pleasantries, but she doesn't look at all hostile, at least. she just seems... blank.]

Homura Akemi. I'll be there soon.

[and she's off! without any concerns of getting lost or meeting a stranger.]

/o/ ACTION.

[nottheshoe]

[Bro, they're magic gurls. Meeting strangers is the least of their worries.

When Homerun Homura gets to the park she'll find Nike's actually standing out in the open for once. No overt shows of magic, or elaborate hiding spots, she doesn't feel the need to show off in front of this girl. She sits on the railing of the pier, a cat by her side. She stares out at the horizon a bit lost in thought, but perks up at Homura's entrance.]

Yo. Glad you made it here okay.

[She is a bit curious as to the girls demeanor, calm, robotic, very deliberate and cold--

But it reminds her of something-- someone. She'd rather not question it for the moment. It wasn't important.]

[halfclock]

[she barely even gives anything around them a glance, although her eyes do flit to the cat very briefly.]

It wasn't a problem. The city is big, but this is an easy place to find. Are the security precautions against the royalty, or someone else?

[nottheshoe]

Royalty, for now. Apparently they can't see into our Places of Solace. There's a few trouble makers among the "outsiders" as we're called, but it doesn't compared to being kidnapped from your own world.

[She takes a deep breath. Steadying herself. She could tell this may be the wrong question to ask now, but-- she needed to get it out of the way.]

Before I give you the run down of this place, I just want to know something. [She presses her lips together, trying to formulate how she wanted to say this] About a week ago I formed an organization of sorts for us Outsiders. Mami Tomoe signed up before she left. [another pause.] It was a group for magic users. Is that how you knew her?

[Normally, she wouldn't throw that accusation out there, and it was an accusation, but Mami was the same age as Homura. And Homura-- her personality wasn't one of the average "teenage girl thrown into a new world".]

[halfclock]

[homura... freezes. of course. of course mami tomoe would try to do something selfless, whether it revealed her or not. and of course the repercussions would fall on her. that's fine. she doesn't care if she's outed, it's just easier this way for the moment - and even known as a puella magi, no one will know what she's capable of. she's fine.

still, she narrows her eyes in a clear indication of that question being more than a little unwelcome.]

Something like that. We also attended the same school. Is there a problem with that?

[nottheshoe]

[Nike was used to the tension. Most people didn't want to talk about their powers, a typical and expected reaction, given that magic wasn't an entirely welcome thing, it appeared, in most worlds.]

No problem at all. I didn't see the extent of her power, or what she was capable of. But there are a good deal of magic users around here.

[She sighs and folds her arms together.]

First thing you should know, you may need those powers to defend yourself. Right now Promenade is calm, but in my time here there have been monster attacks, fear gas, we've been thrown into the future by ten years.

[She turns towards Homura]

I dunno what your powers are, or how powerful you are, but If you need help call me, or anyone else you find can use magic. That's the whole point of the club I made.

[...she had seen people she cared for die-- hell she had seen a good chunk of the ilProm population die. She was tired of it.As for people actively fighting against our captors... There's the Resistance. But right now-- it's struggling. One of the founders,

[halfclock]

I can take care of myself. [it's not a snap, and she's not offended. it's just a statement of fact. she tilts her head a little, though, considering - there are other magic users here. it's good to know, even if she doesn't play well with others.]

So a lot of progress that may have been made is lost. It doesn't sound like it's worth it to join the Resistance at this point, rather than just defending myself. Are there any other groups, apart from the Resistance and your magic users?

[nottheshoe]

Not at the moment. My group is more of a support group. [A weak smile and roll of the eyes] I don't think they'd take me seriously if I told them we're going to go storm the palace.

Right now the best bet is to follow the most basic rules, don't make a nuisance out of yourself, and keep nice with the residents.

[information, thats alll this was right now. Better to keep the newer people informed, especially if they had magic.]

They aren't afraid to drag off people and torture them, but the standards seem a bit skewed at times.

[halfclock]

The basic rules... Do what the royalty says and don't stick out, in other words? Wear your mask during the day and don't complain. I can accept that.

[oh - she'd forgotten about that, actually, but she'd had the sense to bring it with her. she puts her mask on without any fuss.] I'm going to find a way out, but I won't be careless about it. I'm not an idiot.

[she almost hesitates, for a second.] Thank you for the information.

[nottheshoe]

[She gives a quick nod and a short, tired smile]

Good. I'll keep you informed if I hear about any other groups forming, or if the Resistance can get itself back into order. Keep a watchful eye.

[She had a feeling this girl would]

And you're welcome, Homura.

Anything else you'd like to know?

[halfclock]

Alright. I don't mind working on my own, but there's no harm in having competent allies in this place. I'll keep up with anything that's going on, too.

[she looks out at the water while she goes over everything in her head. there's no escape; they're still working at a proper resistance. she'll get by if she keeps her head down, but there's still dangers. none of the others are here. madoka isn't here. her powers are still functional, although she's slightly nervous about her soul gem in this place - without grief seeds, will she gather too much taint? but that's not something she can ask about.

she turns back to nike.]

Not much. One question, and a request. More than being informed about the state of things in the city, I'd want to be told if Madoka Kaname arrives here. If you could keep an eye out for her... [she shrugs one shoulder.] Other than that - does time pass normally on our worlds while we're in this place?