Thread: The Devil's Own Time (Azecreth & tiger_lily)

Wo ist eine lange Nadel? Wo ist eine kurze Nadel? Auf Wiedersehen Bestrafungshgel Das Fenster genau geschlossen? Der Schlssel genau befestigt? Noi Zuerst gebe ich Zwei Noi Diese Zwei sind statt deinen Trnen An easy smile rested on the face of one Homura Akemi as she relaxed in place, looking out the window onto the near perfect sky. The world was beautiful, like a pearl in an oyster, or perhaps a splendid cut diamond now made to perfection. It was her world, of course, one where she had the power to create and destroy, to shape as she saw fit. And so it was, focused on the welfare and happiness of a single individual. Madoka Kaname. A low chuckle slipped past peeled lips, as the young woman cast her gaze in that direction. She had grown up well, with magic providing a bit of a boost in areas where she had been lacking before. She still cut something of a mysterious figure, but now she better suited the role that she had taken upon herself. She was the Devil after all, she had to look the part. Her musings were interrupted by a sudden impact, the girl not even flinching as sticky red tomato juice splattered across her face. Those would be her Familiars, loyal to a fault and willing to help her maintain the system, but they were always quick to return to their usual hijinks and externalized self flagellation. She was used to it by now, and paid it no mind. She deserved it, and who was she to reject her due punishment? Now now, calm down. We're about to have a guest, she told her Familiars just before the doorbell rang. A quick look revealed it to be one Sayaka Miki, as if it could have been anyone else. The two of them did not have the best relationship, to put it mildly, and it was hardly one sided. Homura was willing to let bygones be bygones, but she could not forget how often the self destructive behavior of her visitor had driven Madoka to contract, and the pain and suffering she had inflicted. For her own part, she could never quite suppress Sayaka's divine nature, which led to repeated conflict between them, even if she was successful in removing those memories to a great extent. Gliding forward, Homura opened the door to view her guest, calm and relatively neutral in her expression. They had grown older, but the dynamic had not changed. Homura had put herself in whatever position was necessary to keep an eye on Madoka, and that had naturally created some friction, even if she was relatively high placed in the school student structure. Greetings, Miki Sayaka, she said with a nod before opening the door. Please, come in. So she allowed the girl to walk into the spiders den, closing the door behind her. If Sayaka was quick she might perhaps see a glimpse of a Familiar out of the corner of her eye, though only for a flicker of a moment before it vanished from sight. Homura said nothing about that though as she led the girl into her living room, which was unchanged from the old days. Lots of chairs, couches, floating pictures, and an ominous swinging chandelier. Spinning on her heels, Homura gestured for Sayaka to sit down before doing the same. And what is it about Madoka Kaname that you wish to speak about? Did she remember? They would soon find out, and she was very much looking forward to it, even if it was annoying to repeat this. Still, there was no real problem. It wasn't like Sayaka had a chance.