[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/970858026363940874/1145534185273041026/Homura_Bammer.png[/img]

[color=f6989d]"I'll show you the beauty that your hatred has blinded you to."[/color][/center]

The forest grew silent as not just Oros but Homura finally left the safety of their leafy embrace, the new magical girl was shaken and her form dissipated as she roamed the streets of Hibusa town, she held her arms close to comfort herself as the cold night air did nothing to offer a moment of peace. She wasn't rushed, nor did she plan on going anywhere in particular as she allowed the roads to carry her to a destination of their choosing.

Every corner she turned. every step she took, she was terrified that a magical girl would pop out and harm her. She had no quarrel with either group, no place in their violent affairs so why was she attacked? She'd even apologised for blindly shooting her arrow and almost hitting Rei! She thought in the few months she'd lived here that she'd have some sort of understanding of the town and it's magical girl culture, but nothing came to mind.

Each passing vehicle could be the same one that pursued her earlier, each headlight an opportunity to be spotted. She no longer felt that warmth that her fire had always brought her as the still air gripped her instead. She felt naked and alone, with nothing to comfort her besides the far-off neon signs of an old arcade, a relic of a building still harbouring ancient technology and prizes of wonder.

It didn't take long for her to decide to step inside, the automatic door slid out of her way and the warm, bright building offered her a place of solace. She was finally somewhere her weary mind could rest, but her wallet could yet not.

Homura perused the aisles of ancient arcade machines, claw machines and coin pushers until her eyes landed on a particular box, one containing a teddy bear, a pink heart stitched between it's arms. Slowly, she approached with curiosity gripping her as paternal instinct kicked in. This cute little thing had nobody to love, nobody to share that love with. She would make sure to change that. Her coin purse opened with a struggle, as if attempting to change the mind of the naïve girl, but her hands continued to work as she finally managed to pull out a 100 yen coin. The machine readily accepted her offering and whirred to life.

[color=f6989d]"Don't worry little guy,"[/color] Homura said to the inanimate stuffed toy, [color=f6989d]"I'll get you out of there."[/color] The claw accepted her input and moved mechanically, contrasting to the gentle movements of the girl behind the controls. She worked to position the claw perfectly above the bear, no millimetre off the precise location the claw needed to be and so her index shyly touched the button to lower the claw.

It shook as it descended, all of her preparation wasted in just a single wire that was all too loose. Sweat dripped from her forehead as the claw lowered itself further and further until it met the body of the teddy bear. Each finger wrapped around it's soft, fluffy form and gripped it as tight as the thin rods could. They did their best to hold the bear still, ascending with it in their grip. Homura breathed a sigh of relief, but far too early. One claw slid out from under the stuffed toy, then another. As if an action star, the bear plummeted toward the floor of the crane, entirely in slow motion.

Homura's hand reached for the glass and her face contorted into one of despair. Her knees gave in from under her and as the bear hit the floor of it's unrelenting cage, Homura fell to the ground. Her hand still rested upon the metal carcass of the machine, she promised to save the bear, and yet failed in her task. She sat there in silence, grieving the loss of one that needed her help the most. [color=f6989d]"I'm so sorry."[/color]