voidtreckerexpress | Attempting To Expand [Open]

Who: Nozomi Yumehara and YOU
Where: Gym Car
When: Month Kazoo, Day 20
What: Nozomi wants to improve herself... somehow. Maybe an obstacle course to help things out?
Warnings: Will change if things do go off the rails

Nozomi felt bad. She had been so exhausted from the demon battle that she completely missed everyone coming on board as she ended up snoozing the day away. However, her mind was more focused on trying to expand her repertoire of skills. She didn't want to just fight - she needed to do more things. She also had to expand on her powers. How to do that, though? She knew she had to talk to the other magical girls here for an idea, but she would go to them later.

Her idea right now? Heading for the gym. She had already transformed into Cure Dream as she stepped in as she made her way over to a cart full of dodgeballs. Dribbling one (poorly, actually), Nozomi grabbed hold of it, pulled back and threw it at the wall, using her enhanced strength to make it bounce back at her quickly, forcing her to dodge.

"If I can time this just right, maybe I could make a--!" Nozomi began before the ball smashed her face, bouncing off it and into another wall "...ow..."

Okay, this could take some trial and error...

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Honestly, Madoka wasn't even particularly planning on heading towards the gym carriage. She was mostly just passing by on her way to somewhere else, but it's exactly at that very moment that she notices something hitting someone real hard - look, it's hard to tell in passing, but she definitely heard that hard-hitting sound just now! - and that makes her stop in her tracks immediately.

Instead of continuing on her path, Madoka steps in the direction she heard the sound coming from, before seeing the ball and the girl next to it. A girl she doesn't instantly recognize, mind you, since it's not like she saw Nozomi transformed during the mission.

Still, regardless of recognition, Madoka looks a little worried.

"Um.. Are you okay..?"

“Uuugh... hi, Madoka...” Nozomi groaned, hearing her friend. She hadn’t realized that she never saw her transformed state before, yet she kept talking.

“Sorry, guess I need more practice for practice...”

.. wait.

This person is recognizing her? Madoka blinks, clearly looking confused at this whole situation. She stares a little harder at the person, and then she suddenly sees it, despite the differences in appearance between how she usually looks and the way she looks right now.

"N-Nozomi-san?!"

Nozomi chuckled sheepishly a bit. "I... guess I never showed you my magical girl form yet? Sorry!"

She'll slowly get back up to her feet and dust herself off.

Somehow the words the other girl are saying only make Madoka look more alarmed, not less.

"You're a magical girl?"

After all, that sure has some heavy connotations back where Madoka is from - though it's easy to chalk up her surprise to seeing that magical girls are real in the first place, considering how much of a common trope they are in stories. But no, this is entirely just because Madoka is now imagining that Nozomi also made a contract with Kyubey, much like most of her friends.

“Well, a Pretty Cure. That’s what we’re known as in my world.” Nozomi said. “Did I do something wrong?”

Madoka might figure out the phone pouch slung on Nozomi’s shoulder might be the source of her powers. That or the ornate butterfly bow-brooch with the gem on the center on her chest, but that one won’t do anything.

“Madoka?”

.. Pretty Cure.

She's never heard of those words before. Kyubey also didn't use them - not as far as she can recall, anyway. Does that mean it's different? Madoka did once before meet a magical girl on the train whose world seemed to go by different rules than her own.

Is that the case for Nozomi too? God, she hopes it. Nozomi has been so nice, she doesn't deserve to be caught up in all of that too..

"S-Sorry," she says, shaking her head as she realises how odd her reaction must have looked. "I just.. um, Nozomi-san, you've never met a creature before that kind of looked like an odd cat, have you..? He's white, and his name is Kyubey.."

“Kyubey? No, never heard of anyone named that, cat or no.” Nozomi said. “I knew two squirrels named Coco and Natts who could turn into humans, but they didn’t give me my powers...”

She reached into the pouch to pull out the phone-like CureMo. “A butterfly came to me. It trusted me and my selflessness and turned into this... well, not exactly this, but you get the idea.”

But, now she’s worried. “Madoka, what happened?”

"Ah.."

Suddenly she's not so sure on what to say. Even that phone thing Nozomi pulls out looks like nothing in her own world - not in the slightest like a Soul Gem. So it must mean that things are thankfully different for her, but it still doesn't really explain Madoka's own outburst of shock, huh.

But having to explain that now is a little awkward. The girl rubs the side of her arm, looking away from Nozomi for a moment, as if she's worried about making eye contact.

"It's a long story.. But there are magical girls where I'm from too."

"Ahhh..." Nozomi uttered. Putting two and two together, she figured that something bad is going on. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Madoka."

Madoka tilts her head back and forth a little, thinking about this. It's not really like she wants to keep it a secret from Nozomi, it's more just.. she's worried the other may only feel bad or worry if she hears about it, and Madoka doesn't want to have that kind of effect on her.

"W-Well, it's just.. that it's kind of long, and complicated, and.. maybe a little sad! But, um, let's just say that being a magical girl isn't always a good thing where I come from.. That's why I was so surprised, Nozomi-san. I thought you might be in a bad situation too when I realised you're a magical girl."

“Ah, I see.” Nozomi said. “Don’t worry, Madoka, whatever it is that’s wrong, I have no part in it. The worst I’ve had happen is just burnout and that’s only because I’ve been through these adventures for a long time.”

She opens her arms to invite Madoka into another hug to reassure her.

Burnout does sound like something regular magical girls could get. After all, even if the whole concept of them turning into witches didn't exist in Madoka's world, she can imagine it'd get hard - fighting monsters day in and day out. It's just like anyone with a job, just.. a very dangerous one..

But even though she looks a little shy, it's not like Madoka is going to reject a hug. Especially since it's starting to seem to her that Nozomi just really likes those. So Madoka does move a bit closer to give the other a light hug.

"I'm glad you're okay then.."

Nozomi is a sweet person. She doesn't deserve to deal with Kyubey and the stuff he's causing.

"But.. please take it easy too, even if it's just here on the train. I don't want you to have more burnout.."

“Thanks, Madoka. I will.” Nozomi said. “But, I think I’ll wait - I have you such a scare and I wanna make sure you’re alright.”

Nozomi felt guilty for revealing the truth so awkwardly. Had she known sooner, she would have shown off her form sooner and smoothed things out better.

“You like playing video games? Maybe we can do that instead?”

Madoka looks a little surprised, but the surprise soon melts into something softer, appreciative. That's right, it's very much like Nozomi to be kind enough to want to take care of her first, huh..

And whereas Madoka would usually say she doesn't need it, or wouldn't want to interrupt the other girl, she figures that it's a good excuse to let Nozomi take kind of a break, so Madoka nods a little.

"I'm not very good at video games, but I can try.."

“Okay, break time.” Nozomi said. Releasing Madoka, she dispels the magic transforming her, returning her to her normal clothes and look.

“Ah, a much better look!”

Now that's the way she knows Nozomi. There does seem to be a bit more of a difference between magical girl looks and regular looks in her world, huh. Madoka has never seen a magical girl change more than just her outfit back home, but with Nozomi, it's like a little something more about her changes.

"Hmm.. Let's go then, Nozomi-san!"

Attempting To Expand [Open]

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