[ Voice ]

[bydesign]

[ Madoka's voice comes over the journal singing!! ]

Happy birthday to me~! Happy birthday to me~!

Happy birthday [ ........ nope too shy to go on. She cuts herself off with giggles at and is almost audibly covering her face. She still sounds pretty pleased though; ] Ah, never mind, forget that! It's too embarrassing!

But, back when everyone was still at Isla Empieza, did anyone see somewhere that might have cake? Just a small one would be fine...

Comments

[infinitime_loop]

... it's okay.

[ Best not to think of that on her birthday, after all. ]

I don't think a village like this will have a cake shop, but there's bound to be people selling its ingredients.

[bydesign]

Homura-chan, if you can follow instructions to make bombs, I bet you can make a cake, right? I don't think I'm very confident doing it myself.

[infinitime_loop]

I... I could try. Baking a cake would be a lot less dangerous than crafting bombs, anyway.

But I normally didn't have to worry about how a bomb tastes, so I can't make any promises.

[bydesign]

I think if you can understand instructions and follow them that closely, we'll be fine...

[infinitime_loop]

It shouldn't be a problem.

[ She'll have to get Madoka a present, too, but she'll figure that out on her own. ]

I'll need to find a recipe of some sort, though. And what would you like on your cake?

[bydesign]

I'll help, too! I can at least mix stuff.

Hmm, if we could make a chocolate cake, that's my favorite.

[infinitime_loop]

I'd be glad for your help.

Chocolate, hmm... that's from a tropical plant, so we might have some luck finding it in the market.

[bydesign]

It's you doing me a favor, you know!

Do you want to go shopping, then?

[infinitime_loop]

Not at all. The birthday girl shouldn't have to bake her own birthday cake.

[ Homura pauses for a moment, tilting her head in thought. The natives won't be friendly, but then again... ]

We don't have most of the ingredients on board. Would you like to come along?

[bydesign]

Of course.

[infinitime_loop]

I'll come pick you up. Are you in your room?

[ ... even though the ship is only so big. Old habits die hard. ]

[bydesign]

Yep! [ you silly ]

[infinitime_loop]

[ HEY NOW she's been acting cold and detached for so long that she doesn't really know how else to act- well, okay, she CAN do awkward and dorky, but she'd rather not have to ]

[ so Homura's all up in front of Madoka's room, knocking on her door in no time flat ]

[bydesign]

[ yeah Madoka never expects Homura to take more than .2 seconds to be at her side

Madoka opens the door with one hand, shoving her lil' coin pouch into her pocket with the other. ]

Ready?

[infinitime_loop]

Ready. Let's go.

[ And Homura leads Madoka out of the ship, going across the harbor and toward the market! ]

... somehow, the isle feels emptier without everyone else here.

[bydesign]

[ Madoka's shoulders hunch a little bit... The residents don't exactly seem friendly. ]

Plus we're kind of being shunned... I think...

[infinitime_loop]

[ Homura holds her head high, falling into the brisk, no-nonsense walk she used back home without really thinking about it. It probably isn't helping matters, and some of the residents start muttering. ]

We should avoid the main roads. Use the rooftops if necessary- we can't afford any trouble.

[bydesign]

D-do you think there will be trouble? Yeah, I definitely want to avoid it...

[infinitime_loop]

Hopefully not. Even if there is, I'm sure we'll be fine.

[ Few things that aren't Witches can stand up to two magical girls, after all. ]

[bydesign]

I'm not afraid. I just don't want to have to fight.

[infinitime_loop]

... that would be for the best. It would attract the Navy's attention, after all.

[ Homura hesitates, before confiding in Madoka: ]

I wouldn't feel comfortable fighting the inhabitants of this place, either.

[ Homura's changed an awful lot, but even she would hesitate to use her powers against civilians who aren't magical girls or Witches. ]

[bydesign]

I don't think it will come to that... We're just shopping before we head out.

[infinitime_loop]

I suppose that's true.

[ She doesn't want Madoka to worry. Not on her birthday. So Homura forces herself to relax, and gives her friend a small smile. ]

It shouldn't take us very long to pick up what we need, after all.

[bydesign]

[ Madoka pats at where she's storing her journal! Probably a small purse or something, I don't know. ]

Hajime-san gave me a list of ingredients!

[infinitime_loop]

[ Homura can't judge, she's keeping her journal in THE VOID BETWEEN WORLDS (or whatever strange hammerspace the back of her shield opens up into) ]

That will be useful. Did she say how much of each ingredient we'll need?