isleofavalon | [closed] the magical girl house

[ Minako thinks cupcakes are the perfect way to get Monika fully integrated in this house. After all, Minako sure knows at least one person in this house who could never resist anything sweet to eat.

And it's not like Minako herself is going to turn down the idea. So when she hears Monika calling out like that, it doesn't take long at all for the girl to appear in the room as well, quickly taking a seat and already grabbing one of the cupcakes, holding it between both of her hands. ]

Monika-chan, I didn't know you were a baker! And these shapes are totally cute.. they're hearts, right? [ Sure, technically the cupcakes might kind of look average.

But Minako is always here to support her friends, even if it's by giving them way too much praise. ]

[ Monika nodded. She was glad the shape was recognizable, even if barely. Someday she'd have the skills to make cute little faces of shapes on the cupcakes, but for a start she was pretty proud of herself. ]

Mhm! [She smiled.] I don't have much experience baking but you got to start somewhere, right?

[ She took one herself, though she didn't eat it just yet. ]

I must thank you again for inviting me here. It's so much nicer than my hotel room, ahaha!

[ She wondered if the invitation had had anything to do with the heartache issue she'd confided in last month... Even if it did, it probably didn't matter. It was nice to have a friend who cared enough to invite her. ]

Aww.. Sheesh, don't even waste words on thanking me!

[ Minako quickly shakes her head, as if she doesn't even want to entertain the notion that this is something she ought to get thanked for. ]

Isn't this only natural? I thought it sounded so sad that you were planning on being all by yourself.. That kind of thing doesn't suit a girl like you! [ Especially not when Minako knows that Monika - technically - has been alone for so long already, trapped in a game without any other people like her around. There's no need to let her be alone even longer. ] Of course I'd want to make sure you have company. And I like to think I'm pretty good company, and I know my friends are too!

Can't stop me, ahaha~

[ To her, that was worth a lot of thanks. She was really happy at that opportunity. She'd been delaying her move over and over again in part because she hadn't wanted to find herself all alone. This was perfect. ]

Well, I'm used to being on my own. [Wait, that sounded depressing. She really didn't want to take things in that direction today, so—] But I'll admit, I've always enjoyed the idea of sharing a place with a few friends.

[ It was comforting, in a strange way. Knowing there were real people around her, that she wasn't alone in some tiny reality. Even though she'd mostly gotten over her paranoia that maybe Avalon wasn't real, there was always that doubt in the back of her mind. And the presence of other people helped tons. ]

Mhm! They seem really sweet.

[ Don't think she doesn't catch the way Monika quickly tries to avoid that mood dip there! Minako's too observant when she tries to not notice it, but she will be kind enough to not point it out when Monika already seems like she's trying to switch the course herself.

Instead she just smiles, taking a bite off the sweets and letting out a sound that sounds like approval. They are good! ]

Well, I think everyone here enjoys the idea of having someone around again who can bake. [ Makoto was always the one filling their house with baked goods, after all. It feels like a hole was left here without those. ] You don't even want to know how bad I am at this sort of thing.

[ Monika was very grateful she said nothing about that. That was the same reason she avoided talking about Minako's friends who had disappeared... The empty space left was why she had been invited in the first place. But that was a heavy topic and for once she wanted to avoid bring the sad topics with her. ]

Don't I? [She smiled.] Maybe you should be my assistant next time I bake something.

[ Maybe she could go for something even more ambitious... But what? ]

One of my friends was a pro at this. She made the most delicious and cutest cupcakes. She drew cute cat faces on them.

Cute cat faces?

[ Minako gasps. Apparently Monika stumbled upon a magical word here, because it sure is getting a reaction out of Minako. Not a bad one though, no, instead there seems to be some sort of glee within her surprise. ]

Oh, that's amazing! We simply have to try it out! [ That proclamation is followed by a semi-awkward pause, with Minako's smile shrinking a tad. ] .. if you really don't mind having me as an assistant, I mean! I promise I'll try my best to not make things harder..

Ahaha! Do you like cats?

[ It sounded like she'd stumbled on a magical word indeed. The question was whether that word was cute or cat! ]

Mhm! I seriously doubt you could make things worse... [She winked at her.] In return, I could be your assistant next time you do magical girl things. No better way to learn than from a pro, right?

[ She was also helping Drake, but he was more of a comic superhero than a magical girl, variety would help. ]

Of course you can come with me at that point if you want to!

[ Usually Minako would be a lot more apprehensive about this, especially since even though Monika has been through difficult things before, it doesn't seem like the other has had to ever deal with actual fighting or combat back home..

But.. well, it's not like anyone is exactly helpless in this place, considering everyone has magic. And if Monika would end up in serious trouble, then Minako could just save her since she'd be right there, right?

Hence the easy agreement. It comes with a smile on her face - a smile that doesn't fade when she touches the other question. ]

And.. yeah, of course I like cats. I had a cat as my sidekick back home, you know! [ You know, the typical cute magical girl animal sidekick.. ] And I have a cat as my familiar here too, but he's nowhere near as great. It really makes me miss Artemis.

Isn't there a way to get your cat back? Last time I went to the Elphame Traders they had on sale a mean to get back an item or pet from home.

[ Whether a "sidekick" would count as a pet though, that was another matter entirely. That reminded her-- ]

Oh, I never showed you the weapon I got, did I? [It was in her room... Okay, that would be a good test of her kinetic abilities. She extended a hand to try and summon it to herself... .... .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Nothing.] Oh, um, ahaha... I'm gonna go fetch it!

[ Gosh, that was embarrassing! She was new at kinetic magic, but still... She got up quickly and rushed to her room. ]

[ Yes, it's the same thing Minako figures. Artemis is a person, after all, even if he chooses to stay in his cat form most of the time.. But she figures she shouldn't bother Monika with the details.

No, especially not since the other looks so embarrassed before walking off. Instead Minako just smiles encouragingly after the other when she witnesses Monika practically running off in a dustcloud, making sure to call out: ]

It's fine, it's fine! [ The last thing she wants is for the other girl to feel this embarrassed..! ] Take your time, okay?

[ Monika had yet to unpack her things— She hadn't had much to move in the first place, but there were still a few boxes waiting to be opened. But after a couple minutes, she finally came back with a staff in hand. It was pink and looked just like a pen, with a heart-shaped jewel at the top of the pen-staff. ]

There it is!

[ She seated herself back down and opened a small compartment on the bottom half of the "staff. Using kinetic magic, she slid her phone into the compartment. It clicked, fitting in perfectly. ]

I've had Darin make it for me. What do you think? [She handed Minako the pen-staff.] There's a mechanism insides that connects the phone to the heart jewel. So any technomancy magic I use with my phone, I can instead use with the staff.

[ Monika wasn't a real magical girl, but heck if she wasn't going to use every possible tricks to look legit. ]

Ooh..

[ Minako does seem rather intrigued as she takes the object from Monika for a moment. She turns it over in her head, staring at it with a gaze that does seem to be observing it more than most people would. After all, Minako sure has experience with magical girl equipment, so it's easy for her to compare this to some of the things she has used before, or that their friends have used.

As her gaze finally moves from the pen-staff over to Monika's face, Minako does look sufficiently impressed. ]

That's pretty cool! Not to mention clever, that they managed to figure out a way to conduct your usual magic through this thing. But..

[ It does seem like there's one thing on Minako's mind. It's nothing too serious - more just that she's curious. ]

It's not like you need something like this to use your magic, right? [ Since she said she could use her phone. ] Is it just because you think it looks cuter?

In part, yeah. [She blushed a bit. She felt called out on going for cute things. That was Natsuki's part normally...] But there's also a more practical use.

[ She took the pen-staff back to give an example. ]

Spells stored with technomancy can't be directed. They just shoot out from the screen in a straight line. It's not very practical. [Then she pointed her staff at Minako and--] Open a healing spell! [Following her words, a spell came from the heart-shaped jewel and straight to Minako, though it probably had no effect unless she had bruised herself earlier or something.] See? With the staff, I have some control on how to direct the spell. It's much more convenient than to awkwardly try angling my phone so the spell goes where I want.

[ ... ... ... ... That and it was really cute and gave off big magical girl vibes. But she was going to downplay that aspect as much as humanly possible. ]

[ Pssshaw, Monika, it's totally okay to like cute things! As if Minako of all people is going to judge her for that.

But the rest of the explanation sounds believable enough that Minako is willing to just assume that it's most of the reason. She knows she'd be pretty annoyed if she wouldn't be able to aim her magic properly.. It's a good thing that her own light magic doesn't seem to be that way.

(Granted, she could just think on and think of why Monika would have to use this particular shape instead of something less cute and more simple.. But right now Minako isn't thinking about it hard enough to arrive there.) ]

Makes sense. [ She nods. ] Technomancy seems so amazing to me in general! I mean.. can you just do anything with it, as long as you involve some piece of technology?

[ Like how Monika's phone has to go into the wand first. ]

[ She nodded. A lot of people didn't know how to take advantage of technomancy, but Monika thought it was hands-down the most powerful magic type in Avalon. ]

Not everything but a whole lot! Most people don't know how to properly use Technomancy. But my, um, unique insight into manipulation data means I have a lot of ideas. I kinda feel like a pioneer, ahaha!

[ It was no exaggeration to say Monika had thought of what can be done with technology and computer coding more than most people on this island. Despair had driven her to really dark corners back then... Still, she kept on smiling. ]

Haruka was one of your friend, wasn't she? [They had never mentioned each other, but putting details together it felt like a logical conclusion.] I met her last month and I'd told her some tips to use her technomancy.

[ Oops... She'd meant to avoid talking of her friends, but the topic was unavoidable sooner or later, huh? ]

[ Unique insight indeed. While Minako isn't the kind of person to understand technology on that level at all - please, she's from the 90s, computer coding wasn't exactly something every teenage girl was getting into, let alone able to get into - she does know about Monika's background, after all. If she was stuck inside of a game, she sure must've figured out a whole lot about that game. But she knows well enough to let that topic rest, not wanting to dredge up anything uncomfortable.

.. speaking of dredging up uncomfortable things, thankfully it seems like Minako is able to remain smiling just fine in the presence of that remark. ]

Ah.. really? I didn't know you met Haruka-san already! [ As always, it's hard to tell if Minako's lack of sadness is genuine or not - but it mostly is in this case. After all, she knows she'll meet everyone again back home. It's just a matter of waiting out her time here. ] What did you think of her? Isn't she so handsome? Honestly, I felt like I could have a crush on her the first time I saw her back home!

She is! And so professional... She seemed to be such an experienced fighter. We nearly ended up fighting because of a misunderstanding. [Monika smiled even so— It wasn't a bad memory at all. It would have been, had the misunderstanding not been cleared.] Gosh, I would have been so utterly defeated...!

[ There was no shame in admitting to being inexperienced. Though, something else Minako had just said caught her attention. What was that...? She could have had a crush on Haruka? ]

I didn't know you were into girls too Minako, ahaha!

[ 100% innocent remark, maybe with a slight ounce of teasing in there. Most certainly not a discreet way to see her reaction so she has an idea of what her preferences are. Nope, perish the thought. Minako had always mentioned boys, so that was only natural for it to be a tad surprising when she mentioned crushing on a girl, right? ]

Oh..! Well, if someone is that beautiful, then what does it matter if they're a guy or a girl, right?

[ Minako smiles as she says it, clearly not taken aback by Monika's question. Even though it's definitely true that when she's talking about this sort of stuff, she's usually talking about guys..

But she seems to have zero difficulty as she continues: ] After all, wouldn't it be weird for the goddess of love and beauty herself to only limit her to liking only some kinds of people that way? I have to keep my interests broad, and my heart wide open!

[ Even though she has issues actually letting herself love someone else, like she's told Monika about before, but ssh, ssh, let's sweep that right under the rug, okay.. ]

But.. what kind of misunderstanding did you and Haruka-san even have?

I think it's a really great way to see things! [She beamed and nodded.] I'm kinda the same. If I find my soulmate, what gender they are really doesn't matter.

[ The irony wasn't lost on Monika though. Minako kept her heart wide open, yet she refused to allow herself to fall in love. That was so contradictory... Though she could start seeing a picture form in her head.

She kept her heart wide open, yet she placed a barrier forbidding any love... Old romantic dreams crushed under the weight of reality. But why keep her heart open then? That sounded like a cry for help. For someone to help her remove that barrier so she could finally live the life she wanted!

..... Alternatively, maybe Monika was still just projecting hard. ]

Oh, do you remember one of last month's quest? Some kind of lunatic was disguised as some kind of movie character and attacking people at night. [The change in topic was welcome, better than get lost in thoughts right now.] I'd kind borrowed a costume to train like a magical girl, ahaha...

[ Okay, that part was embarrassing so she looked away. Besides that costume had been more like Zorro... ]

So of course, when Haruka saw me costumed and training with a weapon, she thought I was the lunatic. Thankfully, we cleared that misunderstanding pretty quickly.

[ Minako hums as the other girl asks her about that quest, clearly remembering it - and the image is already fully forming in her mind when Monika mentions borrowing a costume. Oh, talk about absolute terrible timing for that..

Though, thankfully, Minako doesn't seem to judge the other at all for getting that costume in general. It does seem like Monika.. really likes magical girls, huh? As odd as that idea is, considering it's literally the life Minako has been born with. ]

Ah, I'm glad to hear that.. I wouldn't want to see you or Haruka-san hurt. [ Especially not over a dumb misunderstanding, of all things. ] You really were practicing like that out in the open though? That's so bold of you!

[ It's the kind of 'bold' that could easily be misinterpreted to mean something negative, but it doesn't sound like Minako is saying it that way. Maybe she's instead just impressed at Monika's self-confidence. ]

[ Thankfully, there were no misunderstandings here. But it was still a bit embarrassing... She wouldn't have called it bold, but stupid. ]

Well, it was nighttime, I was hoping nobody would see me...

[ But on the topic of her being bold and disguised... There was something she wanted to add. Truth to be told, she didn't really like the idea of being a "magical girl" so much. It was fun and she'd kind of fixated on it after receiving some encouragement. But... The more time passed, the more wrong it felt.

It wasn't her. If she was doing stuff like fighting for justice and whatnot? She'd want people to know who she was. Monika. Not some masked superhero. She felt selfish really... But she needed external validation. People knowing of what she's done and being pleased with her. If she did it all and nobody would ever know that was her? She'd probably stop before long. ]

But I think I'll let go of the whole disguise and magical girl thing. It's not really me. I've been trying way too hard to become someone new ever since I arrived in this world... [She closed an eye.] I'm keeping the pen-staff though. That's too handy to let go of, ahaha!

[ It mostly sounds like a good thing to Minako. Not really for her own sake - even though the magical girl thing definitely is a little awkward - but mostly for Monika's own sake. If she's realising that it's best to just be herself.. then that's definitely a good realisation to have.

But something still gnaws a little at the back of Minako's mind. Just enough for her to give the other a smaller smile, one that seems a tad apologetic. ]

I'm glad if you were able to realise that, but.. [ ... ] It's really just because you realised it yourself, right? It isn't because I was having a little trouble with the idea at first, is it?

[ Look, she just doesn't want to be the reason for Monika to let go of a dream, in case that might be it after all. ]

Oh no, it's not at all because of you!

[ She shook her head. Last thing she wanted was for Minako to think it was her fault. It was all because of how she, Monika, was. ]

I think you really need to be selfless for that. [A pause.] Assuming a secret identity, doing all those wonderful thing but never receiving any praise or compliments?

[ Over time, that'd become... Unbearable. She wasn't particularly vain or egoistical. But she needed for her efforts to be recognized. She needed other people to look at her and approve of her. She needed people to like "Monika," not "Doki Dream." ]

I realize it probably sounds very selfish, but it's more that... [If she were to judge, she'd say she was somewhere between "selfish" and "selfless."] I need external validation. Like, a lot. [She laughed.] Over time I'd become that super cliche former hero who becomes evil because she's not happy with her life, ahaha!

Edited 2021-11-01 13:49 (UTC)

No, rather than it being very selfish.. I think it's probably just normal?

[ .. is she saying that it, in turn, means that Minako is the abnormal one here? Maybe, though it's at most implied rather than actually said. After all, Minako has never ever thought of wanting acknowledgement for anything she does, easily devoting her life to someone else without ever having second thoughts about it.

But most people probably wouldn't think that way, and she knows it. ]

Especially since.. well, you know. Your circumstances. [ She keeps it at that, not wanting to remind the other too much of what she's been through. ] Now you're out here with all of us, it's probably pretty nice to have people acknowledge you as the person you are, right? I get that!

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