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Who: Madoka, her new kitty (Maru/Sleepy Ash) and you!
When: Day 2 of Fiddlesticks
Where: Everywhere on the train
What: Madoka is very excited about her new cat. And also likely making very bad life decisions for herself here by making a contract with a vampire.
Warnings: Likely mentions of vampirism.

(note: threads will mostly be between madoka and your character, maru might randomly jump in to pipe up on some threads, you'll know if/when it happens!)

( a: dining carriage )

If you've seen Madoka going anywhere on the train since yesterday, you may have noticed something new about her. Namely the fact that she's dragging a tiny black cat with her everywhere she goes.

Right now she can be found with it in the dining carriage, where she's seated at the table not to eat, but to instead draw in her notebook. She keeps sneaking glances over at the cat as it's sleeping on the table next to her notebook though, and after a while Madoka can't take it and giggles as she gently boops his face with the not-sharp end of her pencil.

"So cute.. Who's the most adorable kitty around? It really is you..!" She's staring at the cat with so much endearment in her eyes, but that's the exact moment where she looks up and only then seems to notice you being there too. Madoka's face immediately grows pink with a blush.

"A--Ah, I'm sorry!" Because apparently she feels the need to apologize for gushing over her cat publically..

( b: near the on board shop )

Or you may spot Madoka near the on board train shop. Apparently she's been using it, since the girl's arms are loaded with way too many chips for one tiny teenage girl to eat. There's six different bags in her arms, and the tiny black cat is precariously balanced on top of her head. It seems to be going well.. until one of the bags of chips slips out of her hands, falling onto the ground.

"Ah..!"

The girl is trying to pick it up, but it's a difficult process with her arms this full and her not wanting to disturb the sleeping cat on top of her head.. Someone please help the poor girl instead of watching her attempt to bend down and pick it up only to fail.

( c: anywhere in the train! open to madoka's close cr! )
(if you're wondering if you're close cr, then the answer is probably yes.. but feel free to check with me on plurk or discord!)

After a while she figures though that she should probably at least tell some people about the true nature of her kitty. It's going to be really awkward if someone sees him transform and freaks out about it in the middle of battle.. So while carrying the cat in her arms, Madoka makes her way through the train to try and look for people she's close to.

When she finds one of them, she'll offer a small smile and say: "Um.. Sorry, but do you maybe have a moment for me..?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, this was a discussion Madoka was so not expecting to have now of all times. Especially when she's spent so long avoiding having to face these exact questions. At least the one upside to it is that it might draw attention and a bit of the heat off poor Maru, but it's like everything freezes up inside of Madoka as she hears both of her dads' questions.

And Maru is trying his best to explain.. she can't just keep him curled up by himself anymore when he's really trying hard too. Now she has a free hand again, she carefully scoops the cat up to hold him against her. Hopefully to give him some comfort in the middle of all of this, but honestly, also just since she needs it herself if she's going to have to talk about this.

"I.. It's just like you say, papa. That's the same thing I told Maru when he asked me why I wanted to make a contract with him.. I want to be stronger. So I can protect the people important to me." Tony and Ignis included. Not that they aren't amazing, they absolutely are, but Madoka of all people knows how easily people can fall regardless. "Back home.. I.. I had to watch all of my friends die. You know about what happened with Mami-san already, but she's not the only one who died. Sayaka-chan, my best friend since I was really young, turned into a witch. Another friend of mine tried to fight her and died that way too. And everytime I've been too weak to be able to do anything to help.."

She looks down, not daring to meet either of their gazes.

"I thought that if I worked together with Maru, at least I could be stronger here. So that wouldn't have to happen again. But.. if I'd go home.." She falls quiet for a moment. "I-- I'm going to make a contract then, dad. With Kyubey. I'm going to wish for the power to be able to erase all witches before they're born, whether it's in the past, present or future. Because.. that's the only way to save the world. The only way to keep all that pain and sorrow from just repeating over and over again. There wouldn't be any monsters anymore. No one would have to suffer anymore..."

"I know I'd probably have to sacrifice myself for a wish like that.. but.. I'm the only one who can do it."

Tony closed his eyes, lightly pinched the bridge of his nose, and tried to push down the rage he wanted to unleash on them, the train, the whole bloody multiverse. Why was he powerless to save the ones he truly wanted to save?

"Why are young people always in such a rush to grow up? All of you. Every single one. You want to be strong and independent and.. you see your innocence as something so disposable and trivial. You can't be convinced otherwise. Yet, you don't realize until you're my age how precious that truly is. It's the greatest, most cruel irony in life." He finally opened his eyes and looked at his daughter, the girl who was selling her soul to protect those who should be protecting her.

He shook his head and his gaze shifted to that cat. "Maru, how much blood are we talking about? You say a drop, but is that literally a drop one time and it's over or is it a drop each time or.. you've been honest so far, and I appreciate that, but I need to know this too."

Maru wasn't expecting to be picked up, but when he was he immediately started to purr. He could feel how much this was hurting Madoka to say and he wanted to try and help that... Though he knew there wasn't much he could do. Except maybe to stretch his head up just enough to bump against her chin, still with that same soft, rumbly purr.

It hurt to know what she'd been through. While he didn't understand humans, he understood the suffering they went through. Each one different to the other. He could only offer his strength to one person though. And Madoka was the first in many, many hundreds of years that he had chosen. He could have said no. He could have denied her... But there was just something about the girl. Something in her eyes.

It was at that point Maru knew he would go with her. Whatever happened, he would, if he could, return home with her. It wasn't as if he had anything back home left for him. His bond to Mahiru had already been broken. He had brothers and a sister but they could go hundreds of years without seeing each other. They wouldn't miss him. No... no he would stay with Madoka. He wouldn't let her sacrifice herself alone.

But then he stopped purring and lowered his head, not sure what to do when he was directly addressed. He almost looked back up to ask Madoka what he should say, but he didn't think the angry man would have liked that. So he dropped his head onto Madoka's arms and heaved a heavy sigh. "... None. If I could help it... As small an amount as I can... But it'd be each time we fight." He paused, chewing over his next words, and finally he managed to turn his gaze to look towards Madoka's dad. "... I could show you...?"

The advisor nodded, even if it felt like his heart was breaking. He could understand Madoka's actions and even that this cat had a helping hand in it somehow. She had watched her friends die which had to play havoc with her when they couldn't see Tony. Funny, up to this point he had really thought she was so much stronger than him and took it well. But it was just a mask she wore. Maybe the thought of him being away terrified her too.

Ignis didn't really want her involved in any of this, and if it were up to him he would tuck her away somewhere safe. Women fighting were bad enough and he'd bumped heads with Aranea that time in the woods, telling her that women shouldn't fight. It wasn't that they couldn't but that they shouldn't have to. His daughter with Tony fighting was even more of a thing he didn't wish to see. That was why from mission one he was always protecting her without an issue.

And try as he might, he couldn't sit any longer. He went over to his daughter and swiftly kneeled, wrapping his arms around her. This was Noct's and Tony's fates all over again and he didn't want to be powerless to save them. He had to save everyone and would sacrifice himself in their places if that's how it went down. He had to save his family, his loved ones. But just like with Noct, Madoka might have to walk Noct's road and he didn't want that for any of them, Tony included.

As he held onto his daughter, his hero piped up about them being in a rush to grow up and the strategist turned to him to reply. "Anthony, all of us may have wanted to be young and innocent. But our lives have taken a different turn to where we want to help instead of being helpless. My home fell to the enemy empire and whether or not I wished it, I was sent away before that happened. I had a duty to perform to the new king, and I couldn't just stand by and do nothing." He took a breath and looked up at the man, holding onto their daughter and spoke in a softer tone. "Madoka has seen her friends die at her young age and doesn't want to see any more perish." That too, was Noct's road and Ignis walked it right alongside the king no matter what.

And as much as he didn't like the idea of his daughter sharing blood with someone (because blood had the ultimate magical properties that could be used for ill) if that was her pact, he had to respect that even if it went against himself. So after the cat offered to show Tony what he was talking about, he slowly let Madoka go. Then he rose and walked over where the knight stood, standing off to the side. "All we can do is be there for her and protect her while she's here. And..mayhaps the fates will be kind and send her home with us."

Because Ignis didn't even want to think about going home without Tony by his side.

Edited 2020-05-21 04:51 (UTC)

Tony gave Ignis a hard look. How the hell would he know anything about youth and innocence when he didn't get to experience it nor the boy in his care? Besides, even if he had, he was still far too young to see it from a much older perspective like Tony could. When you were older you didn't (or at least Tony didn't) wish to be young and innocent, you wished for those who were young and innocent to be protected and enjoy that part of their lives. He wanted for Mady that the greatest thing she had to worry about was how to bake a cake right or dealing with boredom around the train. He didn't want her being afraid or thinking about how to save her world.

"I know." He knew what Mady and Mami had told him about her fate. He hadn't realized it was more than her best friend who had died but it didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was how fast he was losing this fight. "Maru, can you show us using my blood?"

Maru hadn't expected the pompadour to just up and hug Madoka like that. With him in her arms. The kitty was squished and he gave a soft, pitiful little squeak but then bit down on any further noise. Being squashed was the least he could suffer with for putting this family through such torment. Though there was definitely some relief when the man let them go and he was able to breathe again.

He had no idea what Pompadour was talking about though. What did his home falling have to do with what was happening now? It wasn't nice but Maru didn't think it was the same thing. He didn't plan on bring down countries and he was pretty sure that Madoka didn't want that either. Unless he was missing something...? There seemed to be a lot more to this family than met the eye. And he hoped later Madoka might be kind enough to explain things to him more...

He looked away from the guy with glasses to the angry man who still looked at him like he was the most evil creature he had ever laid eyes on. Maru felt himself pressing more into Madoka, as if to get away from that gaze. Looking at him was impossible now. "... I can't." He spoke softly. "I can only drink the blood of my Eve now..." His creator had so much to answer for.... if he had still been alive. His head lifted to look up at Madoka, seeking permission. "Is it alright..?"

Madoka mostly stays quiet, listening to them all. It's so difficult to talk about all this. It's even worse since it's not even the first time she's had to do it - although at least back home her mother didn't have the full context of the situation. She probably had no idea what exactly Madoka was about to do when she said goodbye to her. This time the details are all on the table, and Madoka feels horrible for probably worrying them tons with it.

The girl does at least very gratefully lean into Ignis' hug, closing her eyes for a moment. She's even grateful for his words, though she knows there's no use in arguing the right or wrongs of her situation when it just is what it is. She has no other choice than to grow stronger. Than to offer herself up. It's either that, or she just watches everything be destroyed, all the people important to her die. Apologizing for it won't do much when she's going to do it all the same.

She's only snapped out of her thoughts when she realises Maru is talking to her specifically. Madoka glances down at the cat in her arms, still looking like there's a lot on her mind, but doesn't answer him directly. This isn't her call to make, after all, not after everything that's gone down just now already.

Instead she looks up at her fathers.

"Is it okay? It.. It's not that bad. He's already done it before.."

That was the thing. Ignis didn't know about youth. He knew even less than most about it if it really came down to a discussion because his whole life had been about responsibility and duty. Running amok with a group of children playing 'reindeer games' was something he knew nothing about. But he too would side with Tony as far as the worst thing Madoka should have to worry about was burning a cake or dinner. However, she didn't have that option and they couldn't give it to her much anyhow. She was dumped with every other child that didn't belong on a battlefield onto one and forced to witness fighting and death. Those things the advisor would absolutely keep his daughter from knowing if he had a choice.

Thing was he didn't have that option and neither did Tony so they were both out of luck. And on top of that none of them had a good fate going home. Madoka would more than likely pass, Tony would, and Ignis would go blind while trying to fight against the fate of a king.

But as long as she was here, Ignis could only walk beside his beloved people and fight to keep them safe. It was all he could do and he would do so with love and pride.

At Madoka's question now he took a deep breath and looked at Tony. He made no effort to comfort the man though he needed it in the advisor's green eyes. There was the slightest nod and blink at her question for permission for his own part, as it was best they could see the actual thing taking place in front of them rather than make some horrified imaginary monstrosity in their minds. But he looked at his mate to see what he wanted the girl and her familiar to do.

Tony's voice is firm, not leaving any room for argument. It wasn't as sharp as earlier though, not quite a snapped response. "You're not doing anything until Ignis and I have ruled on whether or not you're getting thrown down the garbage disposal. Madoka, stay here. Ignis and I are going to talk and come back. If you bite her before I get back, you're going.. it's just going to be bad. Don't do it."

He looked at Ignis and nodded toward the door. "Let's go to the kitchen." He still didn't know what he thought, but he knew what the priorities were. Protecting Madoka, even from herself, was clearly the top. He'd thought they had been doing well at that, but this made it obvious they hadn't. Somewhere along the line the message that she should have patience and learn skills rather than find a short cut and jeopardize her life hadn't been successful. It wasn't Maru's fault exactly, but that little runt was pointing a light at their failure and Tony didn't care for that one bit.

He blinked as his mate started in about Maru getting tossed in a garbage disposal but he looked back at their daughter and gave her a smile, trying to silently reassure her that everything would be alright.

It wasn't exactly the happiest reason to go into the kitchen but obviously Tony was working himself up. More than a few different times Ignis had the thought of holding Tony's hand or giving him a hug or something. But he stayed away and withheld the affection that he so very badly wanted to give. So he went into what he called 'mission mode' or whatever it would be called to remain quiet and act as if nothing was amiss though inside it was a very different story altogether.

His heart was heavy as everyone around him seemed determined to sacrifice themselves one way or another and the advisor just wished he would be able to save everyone. Looking at his knight's face now though, the man wasn't happy. He wished he could somehow take this all away and make it all better with a word or something though he knew he couldn't.

And he still wanted to kiss him.

Edited 2020-05-22 02:52 (UTC)

When he didn't hear any argument from Ignis, he turned and headed downstairs. He was fuming but it was more controlled than some of his more famous fits of rage. He was bristling and far too irritated for affection. He was scared for the girl and angry at his lack of ability to prevent her pain from back home. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try every door until he found a way. What if they used his time machine to go back before the witches started...

Once they were in the kitchen, Tony folded his arms across his chest and shot Ignis a frustrated look. "What the hell? Weren't our lessons helping her? We'd been teaching her how to use a bow and she had her taser. Instead she decides to go and make some deal with that cat- who is really a teenage boy."

He waited and wasn't doing so for long when Tony started expressing his feelings. "They were helping her Tony. She'd been using her taser and her shield on the previous missions as well." Ignis made damn sure she had both before they left and checked with her again during the mission too.

Green eyes lowered at the mention of the boy who seemed far more cat like than a teenage boy. "What was it you termed him..a vampire of sorts? And didn't the boy say he had a creator?" Well no wonder Ignis had sensed magic in him really. But then there was the fact he was a boy. "Madoka obviously is very attached to him and he to her. I'm not rather fond of how their pact is made or that it even exists but the cat did offer to show us and I would rather see for myself how it works and what it exactly entails."

He looked at the knight and shook his head, thinking back on Tony's words at how he trusted Ignis and not himself to keep her safe. "You didn't fail her darling. She just found another way to try and protect the ones she loves..which I'm sure we're in that mix."

There was a wistful smile on his face. "She's most certainly your daughter in that sense. She's rather hard headed, determined, stubborn and will go to great lengths to protect those dear to her."

"By letting him drink her blood? You're okay with that?" He challenged. "He made our daughter his source of blood. His only source. I don't care what he can do for her, that fact alone is damning. How could she agree to that?"

He ran a hand along his beard irritably. "She's too young to protect people like that! You don't give a child a gun even if it can be used to protect the ones she loves. That would be irresponsible. You don't give a knife to a toddler. Do you know how many safety features I have built into Peter's suit? Dozens! And the suit I built, didn't take away his ability to back out of what he was doing and go back to a normal life should he ever want one."

"I would rather see with my own eyes than imagine whatever it is." Ignis countered swiftly, shaking his head. "And no I'm not okay with it, but what is the alternative? Do you plan on forcing her to give up a source of comfort? What if you take it away? Then what?" And that's where he stopped, realizing he was going to say words he couldn't take back with logic was way too sharp for this or any conversation.

So he lowered his head and spoke more conversationally. He had made a vow he wouldn't argue with Tony anymore after all. "She's too young to see her friends die too, but she's already seen that. So what about how she feels and seeing it from her point of view? And tell me what would you do regardless of your age in her shoes? What if it was you? Would you be content to just stand back helplessly and wring your hands, hoping they'll come back to life? Or would you want to go after those bastards whatever it took and make them pay for what they've done?"

Edited 2020-05-22 04:04 (UTC)

Tony huffed annoyed that he couldn't argue against that particular logic. He was the type to want all the information he could have before making a decision. Here he was functioning without the main puzzle piece because of what it would require. "How can he be that important to her already? She just found him only a few days ago." Although he knew better than that. Morgan could get attached to things so quickly too.

He sighed and tried to calm down. "Yes, but she and I are very different. That pack she makes back home is going to destroy her. Mami says there's another who can fight in her place. Plus, I'm not letting her leave here without me." He didn't know how he was going to do that, but dammit, he was!

"You can't decide who bonds with who and how fast." And considering how tender hearted Madoka was, Ignis wasn't surprised at all. She made friends easily on the train and on missions. People flocked to the girl and were protective of her. The girl simply had her own kind of magic.

The ring then felt really heavy on his hand at Tony's pronouncement that he wouldn't let Madoka go without him. Realistically the advisor knew there wasn't a way for the other to follow through on his statement but it hurt all the same and Ignis said nothing. There was only a nod of acknowledgement as the sobering logic set in.

Tony scowled and looked down. He knew how sweet Madoka was too and of course she would bond that fast. He wanted to say otherwise, but Ignis was right and they both knew it. In fact, he was likely right about this whole thing. They'd walked away prematurely and should see how this bond worked. He'd hoped Ignis would be more on his side, but then they'd both be wrong.

He glanced up at Ignis when the other man was so quiet and rolled his eyes. "You're coming too. We're going to take Romeo and Joss to Italy, saving Madoka's world, going and saving your king, and then going on a cruise. Haven't we talked about this already?" His lip curled upward on the side.

Ignis understood only too well about bonds and fighting and wanting to save the world even at the cost of one's life. Even if his world was different from their daughter's, the theme seemed to run the same and there was no escaping it. It was the same thing no matter what, but the fact that Madoka would choose to turn and fight made him nothing but proud of her. That was their little girl and no matter what happened, that's who she was. Paths may be different in different worlds, but it was all the same in the end.

Tony's glance wasn't heated anymore and had they continued to be at odds, the advisor would have walked away. His heart already felt torn that he couldn't travel back with Madoka and fight at her side, and fighting with Tony about it would push him over the edge. He listened to Tony's nonsense and just smiled a little sadly, clenching his ringed hand into a fist. Fantasy land could wait. "If this is settled, I do believe our daughter is waiting on us. And it isn't good manners to keep a lady waiting."

Tony was frustrated that Ignis wasn't putting as much weight behind Madoka's lack of experience and young age as he was, but that was how it was. He knew it came from Ignis' own youth, most likely but it didn't make it easier to accept.

Ignis' reaction seemed stiff and perhaps a bit cold, but he didn't say anything about it. The long and short of this situation was the decision had already been made by their daughter. He decided he'd talk to her later alone. For now, he was going to go see what this.. whatever it was, looked like.

"After you."

At least Madoka is listening well now. She's not going anywhere, still waiting in the same spot for the two of them to return. The only thing she's taken to is trying to soothe Maru a little, since she figures it can't have been easy for him to have had to listen to all of that. It's not that she blames either of her dads, but she still wants to make sure poor little Maru doesn't take it too personally.

Which is why she's put the cat on her lap and is gently patting his head.

"It's okay, Maru.. They don't mean it that way, you know? They're just worried about me.." Which, okay, she can't really blame them for. The situation probably does sound really weird to any third parties. But it seems that Madoka's trust in him hasn't been shaken. "I'm sure they'll come to understand that you're a good kitty."

Maru's ears lay flat against his head, a head that was lowered, eyes closed. The two men walked away to talk and he knew his fate was in their hands...

"I'm sorry..." He whispered quietly. Madoka was sweet, but he had no doubts that if they decided what they did was wrong they would hurt him. And he knew he would be powerless to stop them. Unless Madoka told him to, Maru wouldn't rise a hand to defend himself.

Was he a good kitty though? Inside he knew he was a monster. But something had made him hope... just a little bit... that maybe Madoka would change that. It didn't look like that would be possible though. He knew what he had to do now...

He had to put duty first here. If it were up to him personally other things would be going on. However, due to timing and not wanting to drag this out Ignis hid his feelings behind the duty of what needed to be done. It was an old trick in his book, to put duty first and focus on that above everything else. At times it was all he felt he had as he did now. Ignis had simply put his armour on so to speak and shoved his feelings aside. Old habits.

The advisor refused to show anymore sadness in front of his daughter too, as he'd deal with that later too by himself as he always did. So for now he silently stepped aside and let Tony lead while remaining quiet and observing.

Tony had no idea what was going on with Ignis. The whole point of stepping away to talk was so they'd come back as a united front and have their feelings heard. Obviously something had gone wrong here, but he didn't know what exactly that was. He knew he Ignis had been right about Maru and Madoka. He would've done the same thing she had to protect others. He just didn't want anyone, particularly his sweet daughter, to have to do anything to protect him.

Still, they had a situation to defuse. Going into the room, he saw how dejected Maru seemed and upset Mady was. This was his fault, he knew. Coming further into the dining room, he sat down next to them. He thought for a minute about what to say.

"I didn't mean what I said as we were leaving. I'm not- I wouldn't ever actually do that." He glanced back at Ignis, hoping this was helping. "Back home my wife and I built this house in the foothills of a national park in New York. It was a beautiful thing with one of those wrap around porches. Anyway, we would take hikes through the woods and one morning Morgan- my daughter- and I found a nest of abandoned baby birds. Have you ever held a baby bird? They are so fragile and tiny. You'd swear if you looked at them too hard they'd get hurt. Well, we took those birds home and gave them a nest out of a shoe box and did the best we could. Long story short, we managed to not kill them and they were able to fly away eventually.'

"My point is, sometimes it feels like people I care about are like those birds. They're fragile. They're precious. I have a hard time seeing others as strong because I know how easy it is for them to get hurt." He looked at Mady and put an arm around her. "You want to be strong and protect those you love. That's admirable, but what kind of father would I be if my first priority wasn't keeping you safe? I wouldn't be a very good one and I wouldn't be doing my job. Do you understand?"

With how sad and fragile Maru seems right now, Madoka can't help but hold the cat closer to her when the two men come back. Not that she really thinks they'll just fly off the handle and hurt him, but she can't help but instinctively be protective of Maru all the same while he's like this.

But as Tony sits down next to them, Madoka quietly listens to what he has to say, glancing between both of her dads as she does. And although she still doesn't look really happy by the end, she nods a little. "I understand.."

She really does, it's not just a lie to placate him. It's why his anger - although kind of scary - is something where she can see where it's coming from. Madoka knows he worries about her, which is why she kept the truth of what she's going to do when she's back home secret to begin with. It'd just worry her fathers if they knew.

"But.. Maru is here exactly for that. He can protect me." Even at times when Ignis or Tony can't be there for some reason. "I know you still don't trust him, dad, but please give him a chance.. Even if he was bad, there's no way he could do anything with how many people are always around." But he's not! He's a good kitty. The best kitty! She squeezes Maru gently as she says it. "And even though I'll be able to fight too because of him, I promise I'm not going to put myself into some really big danger here. I'll be really careful. And I'll always have him with me."

The situation back home is a much bigger mess to untangle. And it's much harder to make promises about any of that. But this, at least, is something she can promise and intend to keep herself to.

"Can you please trust me this one time, dad..? You know I'd never want to break a promise with you and let you down."

The two men returned and without quite meaning to he tensed up and pressed himself closer to Madoka. He knew it should have been he who was protecting her, but in this instance he was pretty helpless against the two men. Madoka's fathers. He couldn't defend himself against their words. He knew what he was. He knew he was a monster and they had every right to treat him as such. He just hated how much it was hurting Madoka...

Slowly he lifted his head to look up at his Eve. He hadn't yet spoken, and didn't feel it was right to do so, but he would protect her. At the cost of his own life he would, though since he was tough to kill, he felt he would be together for a long while.

She pulled him close and his eyes closed, a soft purr rumbling within his chest. He tried to help her feel better and lifted his head more to bump his head under her chin. "Always." He finally spoke in a soft voice.

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