AUDIENCE: HOMURA

[retellers]

Comments

[retellers]

Yeah, it is.

[ but they don't get to linger on that because-- ]

What, no! They're not being sacrificed to the disturbance! That's-- we don't even know what that is exactly!

[horologia]

I- it wasn't an accusation, or anything! Just, you know, a just in case, maybe if you were being forced to keep quiet because of the rules, or something like that-

Because um, from where I am... even if we're collect Nova, that doesn't really solve the problem of the Nova being lost in the first place, right? So, maybe, I thought, because of the way Hajime-san... the Realm might have forced us to buy time by offering up something else instead?

[ listen she's aware of how it sounds even as she goes on. ]

[retellers]

[ they are just so. distressed. ]

We are not performing ritual sacrifice to appease-- whatever!!! No!!

[horologia]

That isn't- well, good, I think?! I mean, I don't think that isn't good, I meant that it's good we're not performing ritual sacrifice brought on by some twisted concept of equivalent exchange-

[ they're distressed, she's distressed and flustered, it's a good time, ]

[retellers]

There's nothing equivalent about murder!!! Homura, no!!

[ they take a breath to calm themselves down and grab her by the arms and just. very seriously: ]

I would never ... let any of you get sacrificed. Okay?

[horologia]

But that's how it worked, for all the hope we gave people we—

[ oh well she sure is being held now. that stops her dead and has her freezing up, mouth closing as she stares back, wide-eyed.

after a moment she finds her voice again. ]

... How can you promise something like that? You don't know any of us. We've all... only just met.

[retellers]

Why wouldn't I? I'm responsible for you, even if I don't know you. And even if I wasn't, no one deserves to be sacrificed, not for any reason. There's got to be another way.