(open) pottery palooza

[happyends]

Who: Madoka and you!
Where: The two merged booths in the quiet coach.
When: 1 & 2 Nebula.
What: Madoka could use some help with putting something together - and she's organizing a pottery activity for art month!
Warnings: Probably nothing, will edit if necessary!

( a. nebula 1 - ikea pottery wheels. )

[ Madoka sure is around at first on the day - especially when it comes to greeting new people on the platform and checking up on all the people who are sad because of the people who are leaving.

But at a certain point, it's almost as if she disappears. Checking anywhere in the regular spots won't let you find her. She's not in the kitchen, she's not doing chores.. but if one were to wander through the quiet coach, they might find Madoka there in the lab-turned-temporary-art-space. She's kneeling on the ground next to pieces of what might look like a pottery wheel, though you have to squint a little. They're all taken apart.

And the girl herself? Well, she seems to be having a really, really troubled expression on her face as she looks at the parts. She takes a few and tries to put them together, but they immediately fall apart again, dropping back on the ground as she yelps. Or.. well, you can't hear the yelp, since it's the quiet carriage, but it's visible on her face.

Please help this poor child. ]

( b. nebula 2 - pottery activity! )

[ By the second day of Nebula, surely everyone has spotted the posters all over the train. Though Madoka seems to have put a note next to them that wasn't there yet yesterday, reading: ]

Come do pottery sculting today at the quiet coach! You don't have to bring anything, just a smile! :)

[ Anyone who does go to the quiet coach will find Madoka there in the same space as yesterday - except now with two actually put together pottery wheels, and a huge smile on her face and a wave as she greets you.

Maybe you didn't even come here on purpose, and you were just passing by.. But alas, you've been trapped.. You can't just ignore that happy greeting and not head inside to participate, right? Are you that cruel. ]

Comments

[sos_pilot]

[ Della could use some cheering up/distractions, so of course she's going to make a beeline for the quiet car. She spots Madoka, and flashes a "Everything Is Fine" smile. ]

Hey there, kiddo! I hear today is clay-day?

[happyends]

[ Thankfully the "everything is fine" smile is passable.

For now, anyway. Either Madoka misses what lies behind it, or she does know, and she's just opting to ignore it in favour of letting Della have some fun. Either way, it means that Della is greeted with a smile, and with Madoka practically bouncing from foot to foot in happiness that someone showed up. ]

Yeah! Do you want to make some pottery? You could even make multiple ones so you can take them home to your kids-- I bought a lot of clay!

[sos_pilot]

You know it. But I'll admit, this is one of the few things I'm new at. You ready to show me the ropes?

[ Hitting things and solving riddles, she's perfect at. Basic crafts? Baby steps here. ]

[happyends]

Yeah, of course!

[ Thankfully Madoka already got some practice in, back during that last rest stop the train let them have! It's why she feels at least a little more confident - but certainly not confident all the way yet, it's still Madoka - about teaching other people. ]

Just go sit down at the pottery wheel, then I'll grab some of the clay for us!

[sos_pilot]

Got it, teach'.

[ She gives a mini salute, then moves to sit down where told, cracking her knuckles in confidence. ]

A!

[luckydragonsfoot]

Hohhhh...so these are th' things...

[Fortunately for everyone, Katsuya came on purpose. Looking over the pottery wheels, he crosses his arms.] Y' uh...

Y' need any help puttin' th' things t'gether? [Unfortunately perhaps, he arrived before it was all set up!]

[happyends]

[ At the sound of someone's voice coming so suddenly, Madoka glances up from the pieces of the pottery wheels, looking up at Katsuya.

With wide eyes. Eyes that look like they were about to start weeping at how helpless she was in trying to put these together in time for the Grand Activity tomorrow. ]

D.. Do you know how..?

[luckydragonsfoot]

[............................................................]

...Not a clue.

[WHY-]

But I mean how hard can it be righ'? We can figure it out!!

[NO!!!]

[happyends]

[ It's.. not the most reassuring answer ever she's getting from him here.

But on the other hand, Madoka trusts him. Maybe even a little more than he deserves to be trusted, after giving an answer like that. But after staring at him for a moment, as if searching his face for something, Madoka slowly nods. ]

.. okay. Then.. I'll be following your guidance.

[ Guess what, Katsuya.

You're in charge now. ]

Since I haven't been able to figure it out yet myself..

B

[goingthroughaphase]

[ Despite her laps around the train the day before, Kitty had been kind of avoiding the quiet car, mostly because of the lab. But when the posters went up on the second day, she knew that she couldn't avoid it forever, and decided that a distraction would probably help.

And despite the lingering sadness, she does manage a smile when she spots Madoka. ]

Hey. So pottery, huh?

[happyends]

[ At least Kitty is greeted by a huge smile, even if Kitty's own is a little smaller. ]

Yeah..! Are you here because you wanted to try it out?

[ Apparently the girl is just happy for anyone who's stopping by to try it.. She does figure that there are a lot of people who can use a distraction right now - Madoka herself included. A lot of people looked really sad on the platform, after all. A lot of people lost people important to them.

And this is something you don't really have to think about. So Madoka is already gesturing for Kitty to take a seat at one of the two pottery wheels she set up, if the other wants to. ]

I've tried it out already, and it's a lot of fun..!

[goingthroughaphase]

[ Madoka's cheer is pretty infectious, and it does help Kitty feel a bit better. ]

Yeah, I guess I was a bit curious. I've never used one of these things before, though.

[happyends]

That's okay, I can teach you!

[ That's why she's here! To teach people how to use these things - and how much fun it can be to make your own pottery. ]

Just sit down, then I'll grab you some clay, and I'll explain how to use the pottery wheel. It's really simple once you get the hang of it.

A but he's coming back for B

[eternalinquiry]

The quiet coaches are Wangji's main refuge so once the train starts moving he heads there to simply collect himself. When he walks in and sees a familiar face looking a little desperate over some piles of... wheels? He feels the intense need to help.
"You are in need of assistance?"

He does not say that he won't be much help, but he's willing to give it a damn good try after she helped him.

wangji is the best ;;

[happyends]

"Oh.. mister Wangji!"

This is just how Madoka deals with the multiple versions of Wangji on the train at this point. She knows them all to some degree, so even if she's not initially sure which one it is, she can just call out his name all the same.

If not just because seeing Wangji is a relief in any situation.. but especially in a situation where she needs a responsible adult.

Desperately.

"I.. um.. O-Only if you're sure you have nothing else to do..?"

ahhh thats so cute

[eternalinquiry]

He's a little surprised at the enthusiasm to his presence but not so much that he doesn't smile at it. Madoka is sweet, and he appreciates that.

"I would not have offered if I was not certain." He states firmly, settling down next to her and looking at multiple piles of pieces. He holds one up,
"What are we attempting to build, and are there any instructions?"

[happyends]

She glances back at the pieces in front of them.

"Um, they're supposed to be two pottery wheels.." She's not too sure if they would have had them back home for him. He's from a world that's from a time that seems longer ago than her own, right? Did they already have pottery wheels back then? Surely not these more modern types, anyway..

"I think they arrived in pieces like this since the train couldn't fit them into the suitcases otherwise. But there's no instructions on how to put them together.."

B

[sizedoesntmatter]

[Yugi didn't have any intention of doing something like this, but hey he was now at least curious regardless.]

So is this where the classes are being held? I will say I probably won't do a good job at it.

[happyends]

[ Cue Madoka quickly scrambling to her feet to give him an even bigger smile. Look, she's trying to be a good host and a good teacher here..! ]

That's okay! [ She says, quickly. Almost a little too quickly, but she's just trying to reassure him. ] It's not the end result that matters, it's about how much fun you have doing it..!

[sizedoesntmatter]

AH, so it's not about how good you are, so long as you have fun?

[That was reassuring. He was worried he might be judged or something like that afterward. So it was good to know that was not the case as he started to walk a bit further in and take a seat.]

I'm ready to start.

[happyends]

[ She happily nods. Yes, you've got the right idea now, Yugi!

And to give this right idea even more power, she's already moving to grab some of the clay, before putting it on the pottery wheel Yugi is sitting at. ]

Okay, this is really easy to get the hang of once you know what to do. You just have to press the pedal, and the wheel will start spinning.. and then you can shape the clay by putting your hands on either side of it while it spins!

[ That shouldn't be too hard, right? Madoka sure doesn't think so! ]

B

[theverymodel]

[She perhaps does not want Mordin to bring a smile. But he's bringing curiosity instead. He should explore hobbies in between coming up with projects for himself.]

Enjoyed earlier experiment. Wish to continue exploring.

[happyends]

[ Yes, maybe it's better for both of them if Mordin is just.. excited without smiling. That sounds perfect. That sounds great.

Either way, Madoka looks happy all the same to see him again. Even though she knows he's tried this before, she's just glad to know that he had enough fun with it to continue doing it here! ]

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that..! That's actually why I bought these, so people could still enjoy doing that on the train once we got back here.. I got quite a bit of clay too, so you can always stop by even when I'm not here to try it out, if you ever feel like it!

[ That's the whole purpose of their little temporary art room here. Even if it's a little cramped, especially with these two pottery wheels taking up space. ]

[theverymodel]

Found activity soothing.

[Sometimes it's nice to just do something simple and end in a physical object that definitely changed from where it started.]

Appreciate defined outcomes.

[happyends]

.. Defined.. outcomes?

[ It's put just in the sort of way that's a little too difficult for Madoka to grasp, and it shows in her expression. She gets that this is just the way he talks, but even though she can wrap her head around most of what he says, this one is a little too difficult for her - especially in combination with the topic of art.

So she pronounces those two words like a question, tilting her head slightly sideways as she's thinking about it. ]