2705/By Her Side

By Her Side
Date of Scene:	14 July 2025
Location:	Panthalassa Kingdom
Synopsis:	Hippo comes clean as to his role in the whole situation, and explains what the Cove of Wishes is, and how it involves Yuri. Rihito gets the suggestion to transfer his ailing sister to the Mitakihara Hospital.
Cast of Characters:	Coco Kiumi, Madoka Kaname, Rashmi Terios, Hinoiri Kirara, Amanda Faust
Tinyplot:	The Dreams the Tide Cradles

---

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Hippo and Yuri had been called separately to the meeting meant to discuss the unexpected matters related to their relationship. Not to keep each of them unaware until the last moment, they had been made aware upfront, but because Coco and Gaito had agreed that the likelihood their nerves would get the best of them was quite high, so their respective intervention was necessary to calm their worries. Neither of them wanted the two lovers to feel like they were being called to a summary execution.

The choice of location had also been influenced by this decision, a nice cafè away from the main road of which Gaito vehemently defended the quality, despite the relative anonymity it seemed to have gained over the years. The building was quite exquisite to the eye, sporting two turquoise floors with light purple windows and decorations of various seagulls bringing life to the glass.

The grey-haired prince has already reserved a table for the occasion, one of the most desired spot, a spacious terrace enriched by many different kinds of algae from which you could admire the town below. Gaito had freely admitted he liked staying there in his free time enjoying a cocktail, and imagining the wishes and desires of the passersby. Excellent practice for when he is going to be the one ruling, he called it.

He and Yuri are already sitting there by the time everyone else has arrived, each of them holding a drink in their hands. The penguin is instead at Coco's left side, following her in his human form. He gives Yuri a smile when they first show up, watching her like he has just received a dose of energy, a sentiment shared by the green-haired dark lovers, who mimicks playing Hippo a melody on piano, to his joy.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Neither Madoka nor Homura had any room to judge when it came to yearning for a certain someone's love, so they weren't particularly inclined to be harsh. However, the moment the pairing between Hippo and Yuri became known to them it all seemed a little off, as if it were another anomaly of this world. It's not that Madoka suspected anything nefarious, it's just that it didn't make a lot of sense and the timeline didn't add up. There's no reason, at this point, to assume that Hippo did anything to cause this, but... tugging at loose threads is how someone unravels a mystery, right?

    At least, that's what Madoka read in a detective novel the other day.

    The loving pink and black couple are standing side by side as they arrive at the cafe with the rest of the group. Madoka was more than happy to engage in light chatter along the way, but Homura often stayed quiet and kept her opinions to herself. Kamiko and Lydian were also hovering behind them, talking about what cafe treats they wanted to try.

    The sight of Yuri not being hostile to them gives Madoka a slight pause, but Homura takes it in stride. The pinkette smiles slightly at the green haired Dark Lover, and nods her head towards the grey-haired prince. "Hello! Thanks for meeting with us."

    Homura glances at human-form Hippo, wondering silently if he's going to make a run for it.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Of all the things Rashmi never expected to feel a kinship toward, it was *Gaito* of all people, and his hobby of people-watching. The Gaito she'd heard tell of was far too withdrawn and depressed to show any interest in such fraught and unsafe topics as *other people,* and this was... a bittersweet window into What Might Have Been.

Though, given all the differences between their world and this, who's to say if an even slightly well-adjusted Gaito was in the cards for her world? Questions for Late-Night Deep Conversation And Ice Cream, later.

As she approaches the table, the Devicer dips in a bow, and voices a heartfelt echo of Madoka's thanks, before finding her seat. At the moment, she glances over the menu, keeping quiet so those with questions can ask them.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara had managed to, fortunately, keep her mouth shut about the idea of Gaito one day 'ruling'. Probably for the best. Because this was NOT the Gaito she once knew. And as such, the guy probably did not deserve to catch shade just because the guy she once knew was kiiiind of a douche bag. He wasn't exactly the world's greatest jerk. He was actually... okay, he wasn't the best guy in the world, but he wasn't some monster, either. He was just... a guy. A normal guy. That was okay.

... Well, as normal a guy as you got in like.... being magical underwater royalty.

... And for a magical unicorn from another world, that was close enough to 'just a guy' to fit for her.

And then when Hippo and Yuri saw each other... she couldn't help but see that interaction between the two of them and cock an eye. Okay. THAT... was adorable. A grin formed on her lips.

She took a seat, glancing at the menu and well... As she had been known, in the past, for being a tad... ahhhhh... one could say... How you might say...

Extreme...

With her... reactions... she decided to let one of the others take the first nudges... And fortunately, it seems Madoka was doing just that. "Nice to see you two, doing well," she said with a small smile, keeping her eyes on the menu and a small grin on her lips.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Back to Panthalassia! Amy thinks over how to dress for a serious conversation underwater; the cropped top and shorts from the other day just seem a little... underdressed maybe? Hmm.

    What she actually shows up in is a red one-piece with an olive-green rash guard cut like a short-sleeved cropped zip-up jacket and black swim pants. Her hair is tied into a ponytail, with additional ties every few inches so it can't become a mess in the water.

    An unconventional choice, but if Motoko Kusanagi can show up to mission briefings in basically the same thing but with even lower-waisted pants, this is probably fine, right?

    She waves to Yuri and Gaito with a smile -- being around and conversing with Gaito lately has made it a bit easier to remember that this is an alternate timeline where they're not evil (probably), so Yuri just gets a brief 'huh' look before Amy smiles and waves and approaches.

    And then when she's close and takes a seat, she asks for a sweet tea and then double-takes at the drinks Yuri and Gaito are holding. How does that work. She waves her hand over the table and feels the resistance of the everpresent water. Whatever concern she had about decorum isn't enough to restrain the unfiltered brain-mouth connection. "...This is some Spongebob Squarepants shit. Not the piece of media I would have expected to get anything about undersea physics right." she opines, staring in amazed curiosity at the drinks.

    "...So, is there an enchantment on the glass that makes it do that, or...?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Hello, Gaito, and Yuri", the blonde girl nods at the other figures awaiting for them, and Gaito gestures to their table in a calm demeanor, and waits for everyone to get their orders in, while he lets his glass form small whirlpools with rotatory movements. A few treats had already reached their table and then "disappeared", Kamiko and Lydian may pick up on, but there are still a few set aside that would whet a want for more.

Coco has given no sign of wanting to do so, at the moment, just taking a good look at Hippo while he remains silently looking at Yuri. Rihito in the meantime had taken the seat to Coco's left, and instead looks at his relative. "Have you been waiting here for long?", he considers the small empty plates too.

"Thank you for enriching my Kingdom with your presence", he replies back to Madoka, offering her a smirking expression, then shaking his head at Rihito. "Just the time needed to make sure Yuri can be at ease", Gaito observes with a nod, to the green-haired girl's embarrassment at the prodding.

"These aren't really underwater physics as you mean it. You are right about an enchantment", Gaito replies to Amy. "If you have money to burn, get one of the drinks here, and swim out of this kingdom. I think you want to avoid it though", Gaito observes with a nod at the sudden experiences.

"Hippo, you have been spending quite a lot of time with Yuri, right?", Coco replies, bringing up the obvious so that they break the ice. "Yes", he nods, holding his hat down as if both it and Hippo's courage might run away.

"I... Yes, I have been doing that", Hippo admits. "I was very happy of a world with a Yuri that is safe, and completely normal. And she and I have both been holding onto each other a lot, in our respective desire to stay together", he admits with a nervously happy blush.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka decides to approach this matter with gentleness, because even in the best case scenario this is a very vulnerable and intimate matter that they are encroaching on, and Homura has decided to let her girlfriend take the lead because there's really no question when it comes to who between them has the highest Charisma stat. The pink girl smiles softly at Yuri, and then places a reassuring hand on Hippo for a moment in the hopes it will make him feel at ease.

    "First off, I want to apologize for prying into your personal affairs," says Madoka. "Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be any of our business, and the feelings you have for each other are cute and sweet. There's a... sacredness to that we wouldn't want to intrude upon, but..."

    Madoka is at a loss for words, so Homura steps in. "... But these circumstances are not normal. We're in another world, idealistic compared to ours in many ways, one that is... fortunately, very convenient for many of us in the way that our home world isn't. You two, especially." She gestures towards Hippo and Yuri as she says that.

    Madoka reaches over to Homura's hand and holds it as she looks towards Hippo and speaks. "For the most part... I wanted to ask you some questions. In this world, Hippo and Yuri started dating little over a week ago, but... this Hippo is from our world, and this Yuri is from here. We haven't actually been around here a week. Do you mind... telling us a few things about how your relationship got to where it is?"

    Homura squeezes Madoka's hand back and continues, "Mostly, we're trying to figure out some of the anomalies that are happening in this world, and also we're looking for clues on how to get back to our own."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods at the comment about underwater physics. "I guess that's true. I'd be crushed, right?" Amy considers this. "I don't think even a Puella Magi can survive that."

    As Hippo describes their happiness, Amy smiles, it's nice just to see someone happy like this. She nods in agreement at Madoka's not wanting to intrude.

    But, well... Madoka lays it out pretty well. Amy doesn't have much else to add right now.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara cocked an eye and... oh yeah. They were definitely hitting on it... She ordered something fruity soon enough, deciding to quickly fill her mouth, rather than letting words spill out of it.

Huh. It was weird. Last time she'd seen Yuri, the girl had been trying to murder her. So like... seeing her like this was a liiiiittle conflicting. Buuuuut... She'd made mistakes in the past, not like she could hold them all against her.

Her eyes narrowed slightly when Madoka left out something else important. They'd run into echoes of the dark lovers... errr.. 'true lovers'... snrk... Except Yuri hadn't been there. Which meant something. And if Yuri WASN'T there... She decided to pipe in with one small, teensy... tiny question of her own. Just one, letting Madoka, the more subtle member of their group, still handle most of the questioning. "Actually... I'm curious about that, myself. Yuri... *are* you from here?" she asked. "Well... entirely from here?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Curious to see what Panthalassa considers a refreshing fruit drink, Rashmi makes her order, plus a plate of seaweed snacks for the table to nibble on. Madoka is an *extremely* incisive questioner, and Rashmi listens with deep interest in what the pair has to say in response, and Hinoiri's question also surprises the Devicer; she hadn't thought of that. But it could tell them a great deal about their current situation, thus she listens with interest.

She has her *own* questions, but there's enough to be answering for right now, and who knows? Answers may lead to more questions.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Gaito shakes his head at Amy's comment. "Yes, you would, but I wasn't speaking of something so fatal. If you go out of the limit with your drink on hand, it will mix with the water, that's what I was talking about", Gaito looks at her in the eye.

"Hippo told me a lot about it", the girl in the red dress nods. "How we can't really reunite where he comes from since the Panthalassa and mermaids are on different sides, and even crashed , and spent a lot of like that, and fought together", she repeats with a slow and deliberate nod. "I don't think it matters that things are a lot better here. You should just be happy you are living here", Yuri considers strongly.

"After all, you have all you could possibly have", Yuri continues. "I appreciate the fact you are trying to be delicate about it, but it doesn't really matter to me this Hippo isn't actually the Hippo I started dating. He is the same, both inside and outside", Yuri defends her position.

"It's ok, Yuri", Hippo takes her hand. "They deserve to know, and not just because some of them are my friends. They deserve to know about us", he corrects her, gently caressing his hands.

"I promise you that none of us sees your love as trouble, Yuri", Coco intervenes. "We just want to return home. You know that, right?", she smiles. "If you don't think so, please, at least let us hear Hippo's side", Coco intercedes. "You will have plenty of time to have gone on a lot of dates with him." Of course, this doesn't solve that Hippo risks being stuck alone again."

"I approached Yuri first because she had seen me already, and I told her that I am in love with her, and I want us to be together, and she accepted it. If you are going to look for someone who wants things to stay the same, I do. I am the one who cherishes all of her", Hippo remarks to Hinoiri. "The night you all were at a sleepover, I went to a place Noel was chatting about, and I made a wish to reunite with her. I am sorry, I didn't know it would bring us to another world", Hippo lowers his head.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Kamiko and Lydian, with their minds on snacks, have gone to handle the ordering of food for the Madohomu collective. A slice of chocolate cake for the Chara to share, and a plate of sugar cookies for Madoka and Homura. Cups of hot cocoa for the four of them, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

    The lesbian couple, meanwhile, are sitting and listening to Yuri defend her position. They are quiet and considerate, letting the girl speak her piece without interruption, and when Hippo speaks his own mind they listen intently.

    Homura asks, "Noel... that would be...?"

    "Another mermaid princess," confirms Madoka. "So... wait, you're telling me that you went to a place and made a wish, and you think that's why we're all here?"

    The raven-haired Puella crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, glancing between Madoka and Hippo. "Well, that's as solid an explanation as any. Mind telling us the details of this place?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
...Welp. That is *exactly* the kind of desperate, unthinking action that magic exists to turn into Problems. "So you made a wish to be reunited, and here we are," she says quietly, nodding. Honestly, even if that was the entire story, Rashmi couldn't even be mad about it. Loneliness and desperation have driven people to dumber actions than this.

When Madoka asks for details about the place Hippo made the wish, Rashmi nods firmly in agreement. "Honestly there has to be more to this, Hippo-san... Unless this place of Noel-sama's is something *really* weird, I don't see how it could have -- pardon the pun -- splashed back on us, just because Coco-chan is connected."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy ohhs and nods after Gaito explains what he meant. "So more an enchantment or... different physics of Panthalassia, than anything specific to the glass."

    Yuri and Hippo say they're happy as they are; "I'm a bit concerned for what happened to the Hippo of this timeline," Amy notes, "But... you two probably know what he'd want more than me." And she nods in agreement at Coco's words.

    And then...

    This was because of a Wish.

    Amy's eyes widen at Hippo, but then she looks down at her ring thoughtfully, and then back to him. "I can hardly complain about... wishing to make your life better. I think... you should be able to do that. This is... The fault of some... I don't blame you for accidentally bringing us here, is what I'm trying to say." She smiles awkwardly.

    Rashmi makes a good point, though. "Yeah... that is weird. There's more to this. What... did you know anything about this wishing thing, besides that it grants wishes?"

    She looks back at her ring. "...I admit, it's more possible than I would have thought to find yourself making a wish knowing nothing about the granter."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara sighed and gave a small nod. "Magic wish granting locations... kind of checks out. Your world is weird sometimes," she said. "A bit surprised Yuri back home never mentioned this... then again... I guess her and I weren't exactly the tightest knit." She gave a soft sigh. "Yeah... can't... really get mad at that." She glanced towards Madoka and Homura, then back to the pair. "I think a lot of us have seen the uhhhh... ramifications of things we'd do for love, be it romantic, familial, and just about anything in-between," Hinoiri said.

"But that doesn't... explain the echoes. Or why we got sucked in here. So like... let's assume this world is another dimension, right? The... nearest dimension that could grant said wish. Why would the echoes come with? And what happened with the original Hippo? Is he out there somewhere? Actually... could you take us to the place you made the wish?" Hinoiri asked. "Maybe it'll have some like... echoes of how we get back home? May--" She then stopped. "Hippo... do... you want to go back home? If... you can stay here... if we can find the other Hippo and... like... both of you... can be here... uhhhh... do you... errr..." She then glanced to Coco. She wasn't exactly clear on his duties. And frankly... it wasn't... her right to ask this, now that she thought about it... She just... quickly focused on her drink. Focusing on drinking her underwater drink sounded much wiser.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Noel is another one of us", Coco confirms what Madoka is saying. "She comes from the Arctic Ocean, and was the other mermaid Gaito had kidnapped alongside me. She is very gentle and carefree, I think you would like her. She is also very studious about magic, so her chatting about the cove with Hippo is normal", Coco considers, though admittedly now they are way out of normal.

Hippo gulps slightly. "Yes, but it's an occasion that

only comes once every 100 years. It's called the cove of wishes, and it was that night or never again. I had to hurry up so that I would be there when the tide was at its slowest", Hippo explains more. He holds Yuri's hand more.

"I am sorry I didn't say anything right away, but I wanted to enjoy it while it lasts. I was also trying my best so we wouldn't be stranded here", Hippo looks at everyone pleadingly.

"So, you are going to leave even if we are really happy together", Yuri grabs clumps of her dress' skirt while she considers their reality. "I don't want to lose that." Hippo gives her a peck. "I don't think you'd lose anything. When the magic comes undone, the original Hippo will still be here, and I know he will love you without reserve", Hippo promises, under a pensive look from Coco.

She didn't think he deserved to have his heart broken again, but it's also true that something isn't right with the wish. "Why would it replace the other Coco with me? Or Rihito? Nikora? Nothing would have changed about your wish if you and Yuri were the only ones affected. Gaito, would it be possible to talk with the Ancients? If they have been around that long, they might know more than what we can find out right now", Rihito considers. "A meeting with the Ancients? You mean Michel?", Gaito raises an eyebrow.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Okay, so it's a Cove of Wishes, and it only grants wishes every hundred years, but why--

'You mean Michel?'

"...Ah," Rashmi says around a long, heavy sigh. "...*Now* I think I understand how we all got roped in."

Lifting her glasses, Rashmi massages at the bridge of her nose. "Gaito-sama... D'you know that name? Is there anything you can tell us about the Ancients that isn't on the Internet already?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The chara listen intently as Hippo tells them the story about the Cove of Wishes, mouths full of cake and resting on tiny pillows next to the shared plate. Homura reaches over to pet Lydian's head with her finger.

    The named Michel gets mentioned, and Homura and Madoka share a glance for a moment. Madoka's expression gets a bit more pensive and serious. If Gaito is different here, then there's no reason to assume that Michel wouldn't also be, but still... it may be unsafe to just assume that.

    Madoka asks, "I too have to wonder what Coco is wondering. Why replace some of us but not all of us? I can understand Hippo taking the spot of his other, considering what his wish was, but the others? It doesn't make a lot of sense."

    Homura shrugs and says, "Well, the ones who we know got replaced aren't just those who were at the Pearl Pier, but also tied to Mermaids and Panthalasa in some way. There may be a correlation there."

Amanda Faust has posed:
Maybe both of you can be here.
    Amy looks from Yuri, to Hippo, to Hinoiri. "Yeah, this is why I don't want to get duplicated. I know there's no 'original' and no 'copy', we'd both know that and never treat the other differently, but... who gets the 'life'? Could you guys stand having two of me? Is it endlessly confusing tracking which one of us you talked to about what? Is Yuri girlfriend to both of you?"

    And then she realizes and looks at Hinoiri awkwardly, "Oh right, I guess that kinda happened... and nowadays people can form a polycule... if they want... but that's not for everyone..."

    The truth comes up. The wishing cove. "Once every hundred years... what are the odds..."

    She then looks startled at something he said. "When the magic comes undone? Is there a time limit on this, or...?"

You mean Michel?
    Amy freezes. "Right... he's good in this timeline too, huh? Ugh... Well, I guess we warmed up to you quickly enough..."

Now I think I understand how we all got roped in.
    "You do?!" Amy stares at Rashmi, a bit nervously. "....I didn't actually get dumber, right, like, is this some obscure thing you've figured out or know and not something that should be obvious to everyone...?"

    She desperately goes over things in her head looking for something she's forgetting. "How does a wish to be with Yuri tie together with Michel tie together with sending the rest of us with Hippo to this world...?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded along, listening and... "Oof. Yeah. A once every hundred years wish... kinda... yeah. Something you devote a lot of energy to, I imagine," Hinoiri said, taking another sip of her drink. She couldn't blame the lil guy. Especially when, well...

She ate the sun. Not a single hoof to stand on. Not. A. One. And her mentor wasn't even like... gone. She was just scared at the time to talk to her!

She almost choked on the drink when she heard the name Michel, though, and was fortunate enough to NOT have drink shoot up her nose. BARELY. "A-ah. Right. M-Michel. Right. I-I guess... we need to s-see M-Michel?!" she asked, her eyes focusing on *Coco* once more. VERY FOCUSED.

"... Actually... wait. Was anyone but us AT the Pearl Pier? Like... didn't they rent the whole thing out for the big slumber party thing? Or were there other guests?" she asked.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Yes, Michel. In your dimension, he may be evil after his return to the planet, but here he never left and had only been kind to humans, mermaids, Panthalassa and any other magical creatures that don't subsist off of dark energy or anything that is. We talked about him last time, together with how they chose to stay."

Coco doesn't have an answer either to the problem of their other life's mysterious disappearance. Anything she could think about doesn't feel right, after all why does it matter to Hippo's love how many Coco are around? Or Rihito? They hadn't even known each other that long.

"They had all checked out by that time", Coco replies to Hinoiri. "Nikora was waiting for a new group of clients to do business with, but she wasn't particularly worried then. I am not sure what she will do now, with the absence of a week, but her business sense is second to none, I am sure she will have no problem returning things as they were", she reassures Hinoiri.

"If he is from here, he has no reason to attack, that's definitely a step forward", Rihito comments. "And we will be able to know more about him so that we can understand him more back home in our timeline."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Homura gives Amy a sideways glance and points out, "You wouldn't be the first person in the world to have a twin sister, and magic isn't hidden here. Coexisting with your alternate self may not be as difficult as you think."

    Madoka muses out loud, "Oh? Then maybe we should introduce ourselves to this world's version of my mom and dad."

    Homura glances away, a little nervous. "Well I mean... if we had to, but we don't know that we aren't going back yet."

    Rihito brings up a good point, and Madoka smiles brightly, speaking while Homura tries one of the cookies. "Oh! That's true. If we can understand him in this world, maybe we can reach him in the world we came from. Then maybe we can have a peaceful resolution that works for everyone, right?"

    Kamiko chimes in, "I mean... assuming we can convince him to give up on cleansing the world of humans, maybe."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...What? No," Rashmi says, blinking, puzzled, at Amy's outburst. "Why would you-- no look. On our world, Michel's about making people happy, right? *His* vision of happy, specifically?" She looks to Coco for confirmation, but continues her train of thought.

"Ever since we got here, I've been trying to figure out why we're even here. Hippo-san making a wish makes sense as to how *here* is the place *he* is, but not us... But it makes more sense if our Michel got in the way of that wish, somehow, twisted it... It'd be a *great* way to get Coco-chan out of the way, and we were just -- oh I'm so sorry -- splash damage."

Cronching on a couple fries, she blinks at the sheer fact that *crunchy, crispy snacks exist underwater* and slides the basket Amy's way. "...Try some! And I could also be *way off,* but... Yeah I agree with you guys, there's no way talking to Michel here won't tell us *something* useful."

Amanda Faust has posed:
Why would you--
    Oh f*** she slipped up-- but Rashmi moves on. Thrown a bone, she nods hurriedly at the question about Michel.

    And then it all clicks together and she smiles at understanding it after all. "I see... And it's fine. Unavoidable. Water is a huge part of life and has been important for literally all of human existence, so there's a lot of phrases and idioms involving it. Like horses and trees."

    Amy lifts a crunchy crispy snack to her mouth and then freezes at the thought of pony-Rashmi tripping over herself with constant puns. She relaxes again, "Are you gonna be all self-conscious next time you visit KiraKiraFantastica? I mean, it'd be like Hinoiri feeling weird every time she uses a phrase with 'human' in it, or me--" She blinks. "Yeah okay fair I guess a change in one's environment does kind of stay on the brain."

    Amy's eyes widen a bit as she finally pops the seaweed crisp in her mouth and crunches it, "Mm...! These are good!"

    Homura mentions coexistence with an alternate self, and Madoka continues the thread. Amy looks... worried at the idea. "I can't do that to her. I'd love to meet an alternate me -- we both would -- but..."

    She looks down at the table and trails off, thoughts whirling in her head.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"If you want to, I will try to help in any way I can, Madoka-chan. Doing it here is definitely easier with no taboo on magic, but I can also come with you. The pinkette already has her friend being focused on some other task, so they will have more to work with", Coco considers.

"We would have to be careful. I definitely don't want one of you to get hurt due to this idea", Rihito adds. "If there is any sign it doesn't work, you stop right away." He briefly sighs. This talk of you hitches at him. It feels wrong to talk about others putting in the risk. If only he had a surefire way to answer when he does it as well.

"I am not really so important that his only way to deal with me would be sending me to another world", Coco considers. "Why wouldn't he just walk up to me and absorb me like he did with Seira if he wanted me gone. But I don't know why Seira hasn't been replying to me, she considers instead. "She had no problem talking with me in Crystal Tokyo. Why would she stay silent here?", Coco bites her lip.

The blonde mermaid smiles at the puns. "Rashmi, you are welcome with any pun you want to make."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods emphatically to Coco. "I mean, it's worth a try at least. Assuming he's willing to talk to us." After all, they likely have some values in common, or so Madoka assumes. Time will tell if she's wrong on that.

    Homura looks to Rihito, nods, and then hooks an arm around Madoka's while looking at her girlfriend. "Well, if Michel were to suddenly turn on us, I have to admit it'd be a surprising turn of events. So far, the main threats against us have been from anomalies or their fallout." Turning back to Rihito, she says, "I'm confident in my ability to escape... most situations, but I can offer no guarantees."

    Madoka frowns at what Coco says after. "Seira hasn't been talking to you? This started since we came here, right? That's..." The pink girl taps her chin. "... kinda strange. A shame too, since she might have been a way to communicate with the other world."

    Amy's response to Homura's suggestion causes the purple-eyed Puella to raise an eyebrow, but... right now seems like not the best time to press for details.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "We might as well give it a shot and... well... who knows? Nothing wrong with trying to understand our enemies. You lot all figured me out and... not gonna lie. The more you understood me, the more I liked you... the harder it got to fight you. Made it reallllly hard to blow you up near the end..." she mumbled. "... The switch over was... a lot easier in some ways, and harder in others, than I thought it would have been. Who knows? Maybe you can work the same magic on Michel."

"And trust me... puns... puns are universal. Kirakirafantastica is filled with them. Half our city is filled with them. Some of the greatest types of magic are singing magic, rhyming magic and, of course, pun magic. Supposedly if you can travel between adjacent dimensions where the boundaries are thin enough, you'll be likely to find hundreds, if not thousands of puns if you look hard enough in everything, street names, cities, you name it."

"And I can think of a whole bunch of reasons Michel wouldn't try and walk up and absorb you in the middle of the street, Coco. You're sitting with a few of them right now."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Okay so the puns aren't as painful as she'd thought; this is good news, and Rashmi flushes a bit and ducks her head in embarrassment. "Well all right," she chuckles, looking to Rihito and giving the boy an understanding smile.

"I *definitely* don't want to get hurt either, Rihito-san, don't worry. If things start to get sketchy, we run, I have no problem agreeing to that. As to Coco-chan's question... Coco-chan, which of the Mermaid Princesses has been resisting him most directly? ...Preeeetty sure that's you. And you have *so many friends* who can fight at your side, just moving directly to take you out of the fight is... I wouldn't call it a good idea? Not to mention just being able to *hear* you singing makes all of us that much stronger."

Reaching out to pat Amy's shoulder, as if she understands why the Puella has that face at that suggestion, the Devicer takes in a deep breath, eyes turning back to Gaito, Yuri, and Hippo. "...But we *do* have to go home, Yuri-san... I don't know if Hippo-san does too, but, that's for him to decide. So... Gaito-sama, I think... we need to find a way to talk to Michel."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's head swivels to Coco at the offer of help to Madoka.

    That's right, she's friends with a magical mermaid princess, but... There are still issues with helping her other self.

    "Pun magic?!" Amy can't help grinning excitedly at Hinoiri. "Oh, I'd love to see that..."

    As the discussion continues, she looks back to Coco. "Maybe he can't absorb you after all for some reason?" Or several reasons, she nods to Hinoiri. "Or it was a target of opportunity..." Amy blinks.

    "That's right, he's an Ancient. Could he have known about the cove of wishes and gone to make use of it, only to get beaten to the punch by Hippo? If he was able to influence things somehow... Sending you away, sending us away might not have been planned, but if presented with the opportunity he should take advantage of it, right?"

    Amy sighs and slumps in her chair slightly. "Aww man... with us out of the way he and his minions are probably giving our friends hell..."

    She sits up again and shrugs. "There wasn't another you in Crystal Tokyo... what if you got swapped and the you from here went to our world? Maybe Seira can only talk to her, now..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Not a single word", Coco sighs disappointed and worried both. "Must be this world isn't easy to hop into unlike Crystal Tokyo, and that's why she cannot talk to me. I can only hope she is doing well since she is stuck with Michel and Glimmer. She is probably missing talking with someone not from Obsidian, and worried about not being able to reach me too."

Rihito nods to Homura. "It might be tough, but sometimes it's what you have to do", he agrees with her. For him, that likely means staying out of their way as much as possible. Unless he finds some way to help that doesn't require magic like what the anomalies have been reacting to. Only he can't sing, and musical instruments probably wouldn't help even if he had one.

Coco smiles at Hinoiri. She didn't mean to make it sound like that, but it's still nice to hear the unicorn express her support. "Rashmi, I may be the only Mermaid Princess opposing him, but I am as much of a threat to him as any of you. We are all working together on this, ok?", she smiles at her.

Coco shakes her head at Amy. "He probably can absorb any of us if he feels like it, but you have seen it too, right? That pained expression before he disappeared last time. I don't think our Michel is completely healthy." She turns to Gaito. "Did he overcome any illness here?"

The grey prince shakes his head. "No, there has never been any mention of Michel being ill. I am pretty sure nobody wants anything to happen to him between those that love him and those that fear the power vacuum he would leave, so it would be talked about anywhere." He nods to Rashmi. "I will make sure you get an audience with him."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The news about Seira is troubling. Lydian picks up a cake crumb off the plate the size of her mouth and eats it while thinking. The events of the day that should have been Seira's birthday still weigh on her sometimes, and she hates that things went the way that they did. The art chara also doesn't particularly like the idea of something like that happening to Coco or anyone else. After swallowing, she says, "Well, when we get back we better talk to her lots. I'd hate to leave her there all by herself."

    Madoka finger pets Lydian and says, "I guess that's our main concern, isn't it? We left a lot of friends and loved ones behind in that other world. I'm glad that Hippo gets to be with Yuri, but... I'm sure people back home would miss me."

    Homura frowns and looks up at the ceiling, "Your other 5 Chara didn't come with us, either. I hope they're doing alright." She and the three Dokas exchanged worried looks for a moment.

    Kamiko turns to Gaito and says, "Thanks. We really appreciate that. Though... what Coco brings up about the sickness is a good point. Is it something to do with his motivations? Also..." Kamiko looks up at Rashmi and the others. "I'm not entirely convinced that our Michel messed with the Cove of Wishes. Something like that would only work once, and we're not the only ones who'd stand against him."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh absolutely," Rashmi agrees with Coco, beaming. "But both things can be true at the same time! And if this isn't our Michel's doing, well... then I'm wrong, and I'll just have to get better information," she says with an easy shrug. "But as theories go, it'll do until I find a better one."

Seaweed fries are offered around, and the Devicer nods to Gaito. "Thank you, Gaito-sama. No matter what answers we get, it can only help."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a light shudder. "Ah... sickness. That brings back memories. I gotta tell you, as someone who tried to absorb the powers of everyone... absorbing someone's powers, *anyone's* powers... it does not feel good. That might be an after effect of what he did to Seira," Hinoiri said. "Especially if she's only partially there."

"... Then again, I wasn't in my right mind at the time. But I also only absorbed the powers, not the person as well. There's no telling what *that's* doing to him. Especially as more and more of them get knocked out of him. That can't feel good."

She then glanced towards Madoka. "And... that's... a good point. I don't know... a lot about Charas. But I know they shouldn't be too far from their makers for too long. They can, like... I know it won't dissipate them or anything... but it's just not good for them, emotionally. They'll cause a lot of chaos. Is there someone who will look out for them while you're gone?" she asked Madoka.

She... took one of the offered fries. Hmming... "Not as good as hayfries... but that might be because pony and human tastebuds are different."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy doesn't have a lot more to say at the moment. She takes a moment to actually eat.
'

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I like that", Coco smiles to Lydian. "We will talk to her to make up for all the lost time!" And give Seira all the care they possibly can. They really have a lot to catch up on once they come back.

Hippo's face becomes pale at Madoka's comment and he bows down to the pinkette. It is true that they have no contact due to him. "I am really sorry! I thought the cove would have just brought her back, not forced us to another dimension, this is all my fault!"

"Try not to think too much about it, Hippo. That's done now, and we can only focus on fixing it", Coco says taking a moment to think about Kamiko's thoughts. "And Michel isn't easy to miss. If he had been there, I am sure Hippo would have noticed him, or even just felt him." Hard not to when he glows for a kilometer and his magical energy is blatantly obvious.

"You are welcome", Gaito grins to Rashmi. "I can't tell you anything on that. Michel has never been sick", he replies to Kamiko. The sole idea is absurd.

Rihito smiles awkwardly at the talk of sickness, and looks at Hinoiri. "I know how problematic sickness can be. My sister Michal has been ill ever since she was born, and her health hasn't gotten at all better ever since she grew up. I am glad you are better now." He skips over the part where she caused it. That wasn't the point to him.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Sure!" says Madoka cheerfully to Hinoiri. "There's Homura-chan!" The mentioned Puella gives a blank stare ahead as if wondering how to break the news to her darling, but relaxes when Doka chuckles. "They might get into trouble, but really they're used to looking after each other. Lydian often takes the leadership role, but in her absence it will probably be Sio and Brai who manage things like making sure our cat is fed. Tia and Rens tend to be pretty well behaved after their purification. Medo... if I were to guess Medo will be spending her time in the nurse's office or in hospitals, trying to help out like she often does."

    Madoka starts to look a little bit sad. "I don't think anyone's really there to look after them aside from each other, but I'm sure if they explained things to people like Kyouka and Setsuna they'll be able to find a solution."

    Homura closes her eyes and says, "Maybe we should have brought them along. That might mean they'd be causing mischief here instead of back home, but at least we'd be keeping track of them."

    When Rihito mentions his sister, Homura glances towards him. "Before becoming a magical girl, I had a chronic heart condition. It's part of the reason I had to transfer to Mitakihara. The hospital there was the only place that could treat me. I also understand what a burden that can be."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    After chewing her food and thinking for a bit, Amy looks to Hinoiri. "I'm glad we were able to get through to you. It doesn't seem like it was a good life, before."

    And nods to Gaito. "Yeah, thanks for the treat. Sorry for our rude entrance. ...I guess we still haven't solved who made those projections appear, or why it happened..."

    Amy freezes, wide-eyed. "Wait... did... were we the only ones that saw them!? Does that mean that takoyaki seller just saw us like... randomly blow shit up for no reason?! Yeah, no wonder you got a call... eesh..." She holds a hand to her head.

    Eventually she mutters, "The immortal's never been sick, huh... I wonder if our Michel blames his sickness on humanity... what happened..." She looks to Gaito. "The vision that divided our worlds... did it give any details about what would've happened?"

    And also she looks to Homura with mild surprise at the news of the heart condition. "Huh... I guess at least getting these new bodies worked out for us two, huh?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a soft sigh and shook her head. "No, don't beat yourself up too much, kid. Wishes are like that. If wishes always worked the way we wanted them to, there wouldn't be so many stories focused on the morals about them backfiring... and... well... There wouldn't be things like Kyubey. Wishes are hard. Because life is complicated. And there's rarely an easy solution. And magic is incredibly, incredibly difficult, with few things ever being easily fixed. Nobody is going to get mad at you for gambling on trying to find the thing that made you happy," she said, giving him a small smile. "You weren't trying to put the world at risk or sacrifice anything. And you didn't mean to involve us. It just... happened. And mistakes happen, to the best of us, I should know, I've made plenty," she said in a cocky voice.

"But no, Amy. Remember? Gaito came to us, saying we'd fought his... snicker... True lovers, remember? So they saw them, obviously." Yes, she said the name.

"... and... yeah. I got a lot better once I got some sense knocked into me. And those powers kicked out of me. Hopefully the same will be true for Michel. On both counts." Pause. "Our Michel, not yours," she clarified quickly.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"They're right, Hippo-san," Rashmi says gently. "Mistakes happen, and when they do it's better to worry about fixing them than assigning blame. Nobody's mad at you."

"...So," she says, finishing her drink. "Where should we go from here? I expect it'll take a bit of time to get an audience with Michel, so..."

While it's good to have a direction to go to, the Devicer seems a bit at loose ends on what to do in the near term.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I am sure it won't be much longer, Madoka-chan", Coco tries to reassure her, approaching her for a hug. They have just made a pretty big discovery after all. From there it shouldn't be too hard to find the solution. Especially if this Michel is as cooperative as Gaito says. Considering how cooperative Gaito himself turned out to be, that's not so unlikely. "Maybe by the time you are back, they will have found a way to put their mischief to good use instead."

"Thank you, I will do my best to fix it", Hippo tells Coco, Hinoiri and Rashmi, still a bit pale.

Gaito looks at Amy. "The visions allegedly predicted what in your world are the three wars between mermaids and Panthalassa. So the Ancients decided to stay to avoid things getting to that point. You have seen the result."

A chronic heart condition... That's really not something to speak of lightly. "I am happy magic was a solution for you. Heart problems are really harsh", then he takes a pause and adds. "If the Mitakihara hospital is good enough to keep it at bay, perhaps I should admit Michal there. Other doctors haven't really found a cure."

"I am sure we will find a cure", Coco speaks up. "When we are back, I will visit her with you, to see if my powers make it any better." At that suggestion Rihito gives her a thankful smile.

Gaito groans at Hinoiri's snicker and averts his eyes. "Well, just do whatever you want for now. You are my guests. I will send to call you when things are ready."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Homura glances to Hinoiri and points out, "The True Lovers that they saw might not be the Dark Lovers that we saw. After all, the former were running an ice cream shop and the latter were trying to capture a mermaid princess."

    To Amy, Homura shrugs and tilts her head. "It is what it is. I likely wouldn't be an effective magical girl if I couldn't run or jump without getting tired. I personally don't mind, because I feel like I got what I wanted out of it, but I still resent Kyubey for doing that without the knowing consent of the other party."

    Madoka sees Coco going for a hug and happily accepts, because that's her nature, but also because it is worrisome even if Madoka is trying not to fret about it too much. "Thanks, Coco-chan. I'm sure they'll be okay."

    Homura nods to Rihito and says, "They were able to help me, and I happen to know that the staff there is very sweet. Especially a certain nurse's aide who volunteers there."

    Madoka giggles and says, "Eheh, that's true. If Michal goes there I might run into her." Then to Gaito she smiles and says, "Thank you. We'll look forward to hearing from you."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. And snorted slightly when Homura didn't miss a chance to flirt, of course not. "Thanks, Gaito. Gotta say, you're muuuuch easier to work with than your, ahhhh, other half."

"... I might want to look at some of the magical research tools you have here. See how things vary from the stuff I did back home, if-- OH!" She got to her feet. "The leylines! I need to check the leylines!" Hinoiri said. "Gaito, I need to see a map of this world's leylines, or... well... I need to see if I can get the tools to check them. Holy crud baskets. Guys, this could be pivotal. I mean, it might not like... fix anything. But it *could* tell us something about the history of your world."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi can't help but smile at Hinoiri's teasing of the King of Panthalassa, and his like-a-teenager reaction to it. It's only a smile and a quiet chuckle, though; wouldn't do to embarrass a potential friend right out of feeling helpful.

But then Hinoiri mentions the ley lines, and Rashmi perks upright in her chair, eyes wide. "...I think I see where you're going, Hino-chan, and that's *definitely* worth looking into while we wait."

Another clue that *isn't* at their museum... the very idea of a point of comparison has her hand curling around her pendant in anticipation.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy also nods along at the others' re-reassurances of Hippo. She already said what she thought earlier, and this is much the same.

    Amy mutters, "Easy cure for heart conditions, get a whole new body! Heh..."

    They might not have seen the same Lovers. "That's a good point."

I still resent him.
    Amy looks down at the table. "I don't. This is... still better. I'd rather have this." Beat. She frowns. That doesn't feel quite right, though, because she does feel bothered, but that's not exactly it...

...And those powers kicked out of me.
    "I guess my experience was atypical. But I remember going from 'I just want to live and get out of here' to... well, no, that wasn't what started it. That was just... once I'd decided... I purposefully... I remembered Calaveras's memory, and focused on the idea that everything had been taken from me, and I needed to show them all and take what I deserve... And then I wanted revenge... And then I was convinced the power would be useful."

    "At that point, you guys could still talk me out of it..." She looks away. "Well. ...I was still afraid to do anything dumb, and then like..." She shakes her head. "Not important," she looks back to the others, "You were able to purify me and that's what matters."

    "I can imagine how it keeps progressing from there... Feeling you have to keep it, take more, believe you can do great things with it, and after you fuck things up, the sunk cost fallacy kicks in... but how long has Michel..."

    She blinks at Hinoiri. "Wait, how did you even get it, anyway? It didn't exist in KiraKiraFantastica... did it just seek you out because of your plan to ascend and Show Them All?"

    Amanda taps her chin thoughtfully. "Would it be helpful to figure out how Michel got it?"

    Oh hey, hugs! Amy stands and walks over to go for making it a group hug.

I have to check the leylines!
    "Leylines are real?! ...Can I see a map too? It'd be helpful for a tabletop campaign one day, maybe, heh..."

    And then the thought at the back of her mind sort of clicks into place.

    "Well. Okay, I can't resent him for the consequences of getting a Wish..." She looks to Homura and Madoka, "But I do resent that all this... that getting all this, and the consequences, is just... it's just a way to gather energy? I got a body that fits and a chance to redo adolescence because I make more emotional energy that way."

    She gesticulates with her hands. "The life-changing parts that mean so much to me I can't hate him for the consequences are... I'm just a tool to him. My happiness is just a tool. And swooning over Hannah or feeling depressed or feeling confused or figuring stuff out and feeling new feelings and feeling loved by my friends, it's all just because he gets more energy if I Witch."

    "Like I'm a puzzle box he only helped in hopes he'd get what he sees as the prize inside and ok yeah I hear it now, I guess that's also just kinda..." she slumps her shoulders and mutters, "like yeah welcome to this side sister, huh...?"

    She gives Hinoiri an awkward smile. "See what I mean? Always there... I guess thinking about being human probably sticks to the brain the same way..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"You volunteer there?", Rihito smiles at Madoka. "I will be grateful for any aid you can give her. Thank you very much, Madoka-san", he bows towards the pinkette.

Gaito's chair slides back at Hinoiri's energy. "Fine, sure, I... will see what I can do." Is she a future historian or something? She is really excited about exploring their leylines. "Just try not to break anything. Those things don't come cheap."

"I don't think it will. Dark energy is as much a state of mind as external corruption. You may get corrupted purely for holding the wrong thoughts too long", the grey prince looks at Amy after she has finished her speech. "See you, everyone. I will get you news as soon as I can. Finish up here, everything is already paid for." With that, he stands up and leaves.