GODLY AUDIENCES - MADOKA KANAME

[divus]

Comments

[frilly]

[ She has to think on that, taking her time to munch on some cake. ]

I don't know, actually.

The cycle of magical girls used to be to fight witches until they give in to despair and become one themselves. My job is just to erase the witches before they're created, allowing girls to pass away in peace without having to turn on the world they once protected.

But because I'm removed from the cycle itself and exist only as a concept, or as a paradox... I don't really know if something like reincarnation exists. If it does, it's not something I can observe.

[divus]

Sounds like a pretty hard job. It means knowing where witches are coming from, finding a way to erase them, and kind of managing the whole world. Not that being a magical girl sounds much safer. [Fighting witches, huh.]

In a case like that...does that mean you're really not real? [Maybe that explains why Madoka's so. Madoka.]

[frilly]

[ Madoka ignores that entire first part, because she doesn't want to linger on the difficulties. It's hard, but for some reason she doesn't want to admit it right now. ]

I'm real. I may not exist within time and space as a person anymore, but I'm real.

[divus]

Good. [He seems weirdly serious about that, too, even while he's sitting here eating shortcake.]

...in our world, people like me are allowed an option of trying to be reborn after they die. Start the cycle all over again, maybe change their powers, live a short life and die again. You do that three times and live a good life all three times, you earn a ticket to a perfect paradise. So you can see why I asked how it works for you.

[Because if Madoka's out of the cycle then does that mean she's bound forever? The magical girls? Everything.]

[frilly]

That system sounds difficult...

[ She doesn't want to minimize someone else's struggle. Just one lifetime can be very difficult, let alone three. ]

But it's nice to know that in the end, people can reach that paradise.

[divus]

Most of our lives were difficult in the first place. [...]

But. That's depressing, so maybe we should talk about something else? [He's. Trying to be nice.] I'll admit, most of you don't actually stick around long enough to have a real conversation.

[frilly]

[ Madoka nods agreeably, but looks thoughtful for a long quiet moment, trying to think of what else to talk about. Current events is not exactly an uplifting subject around here. ]

I think everyone is just nervous. We're all trying to balance our time with each other, on top of the gods.

[divus]

Sort of puts you guys at a disadvantage to tell you the truth. It's a short game and there's a lot of you and a lot of us. But some of you have been managing pretty okay. You've been talking to a lot of people here, haven't you?

[frilly]

I've been trying. But even I haven't had as much time for the gods as I would like.

[divus]

You're trying which is more than I can say for some others. [He props his head up with a hand for the moment.] Who've you really had a chance to speak to so far?

[frilly]

Everyone is doing their best. That just looks different for different people...

[ she looks sheepish to admit: ]

Um... Mostly just Sincerity. I've talked to Beauty and Indulgence... Merriment and I ice skated together for a little... [ that's not really?? talking??? ]

And you.

[divus]

I wouldn't say everyone, but you're probably nicer than I am. [...] That's a pretty weird mash-up.

I want to give you a sort of assignment for the rest of the game. Try to talk to all of us at least once or twice before making any final decisions.

[frilly]

I'd like to... But it feels hard to manage. We're running out of time to use.

[divus]

We have a couple of weeks, right? There's ten of us, and seven days a week. That's less than two of us a day. I'm not saying you have to, but it's worth a thought.

[frilly]

I'll try.

It's always worth at least trying.

[divus]

Absolutely. If nothing else? They'll probably like whatever you bring them. [That is to say his shortcake's gone now, thanks Madoka.]

[frilly]

[ she's so glad!!! ]

Uehehe... It's been fun learning to cook like this. It's kind of relaxing, you know?

[divus]

I always got that impression. I never learned a lot myself, but it always made me feel a little more useful when there was a lot that I couldn't change. We tried to make the kitchen in the temple as stocked as possible for you guys, but...[A gesture to the pavilion they're in.]

When I lied here, I never had to make my own food.

[frilly]

Mm-hmm. I'm not very smart, and without my magic, there's nothing very special about me. So it's nice to have something I can do for people.

[ despite the blatant insecurity behind those words, she doesn't sound particularly upset about it. ]

Can you just make whatever you want, here? Or - do you even need to eat?

[divus]

We don't need to, exactly, but most of us like to because it's a normal human thing. We can still taste everything and all that but it's not a live or die kind of thing. Otherwise we can just make whatever we want. Call it a god perk.

[frilly]

That's a very nice perk.

[ she's envious. ]

[divus]

We get a few of them. Never need to eat, never aging, new powers...overall it's not a bad deal, but you can see why putting a bunch of us together in one place might've caused some issues.

[frilly]

It's tough to compromise with other people when you have so much power yourself. That makes sense to me.

But I also think it's lucky to have others with you. For me, when I rewrote the laws of the universe, I also gained new powers. Since I exist outside of time, I don't age. And since I don't physically exist, I don't need to eat - and can't.

And those are all fine... [ okay admittedly she misses eating. ] But the hardest part is being alone.

[divus]

...yeah, that would sound like a rough gig. [Sort of. Sometimes he thinks he'd vastly prefer to be alone given everything that happens all the time, but Madoka's a child and also a lot friendlier than he is, so it makes sense.] There has to be a way for people to see you though, doesn't there? Especially if you're the one working with the universe and stuff.

[frilly]

Mm, sort of. Homura-chan remembers me because her magic was time travel. And... My little brother can still see me, because he's too young to know any better...

But Homura-chan can't see me, and Tatsuya is growing up.

Aside from that, the only times I can see anyone is when I come to meet a magical girl when she passes away.