Homura awoke with the sun, as she did every morning anymore. She'd only gotten about four hours of sleep, but that was enough for her—she had to catch up to Madoka.
Right now she found herself under a rocky outcropping on the border between the Reach Kingdom and the Kingdom of Whiterun, right on the crest of the Sungard mountain range separating the dreary canyonlands to her south and west from the wide-open vista of the Whiterun plains. Sunlight filtered in from the east, lighting up the amber grass that contrasted with the blue sky and white mountains in the background, and gave Homura her first glimpse of central Skyrim.
… And she had to admit, the region she was stepping into was far easier on the eyes than the murky, rainy badlands she'd been trapped in since arriving on Nirn.
She'd been kind of surprised there had been no-one at the border between the two kingdoms to hold her up. Then again, she'd avoided the main roads of travel that would have required her to go too far north or east before doubling back, adding more days to her journey, and she supposed that pre-industrial countries would have had a harder time policing every inch of their territory. It wasn't like one little girl was an invading army, after all. Of particular relief was the fact that she'd somehow escaped the notice of the Forsworn, the paramilitary militia defense of the Reach. Bandits were one thing, but the thought of facing Daedra-worshiping wildmen wielding ancient dark magic made even her give pause.
Still, she hoped her luck would continue. Homura opened her map and spread it over the flat rock she'd slept next to, though she'd studied it enough by this point to have memorized it. Right now she was going to follow the Whiterun-Reach border up until she hit the Kingdom of Haafingar that covered the majority of Skyrim's northern coast from Solitude to Whiterun. To the far east lay Skyrim's final major political player—the Kingdom of Eastmarch that stretched from Winterhold in the north to Riften in the south.
"Well well well," said a scratchy, gravely voice, "What's a pretty little girl like you doing out here all alone? Don't you know being out on your own is dangerous?" Homura looked up from her map at the three new arrivals. In the front was a lizard person (an argonian, Homura reminded herself), and he was flanked by two nords, a male and female both looking to be in their mid-thirties. They were mildly armed and armored, but in no particular uniformity, cluing Homura into the fact that they definitely weren't soldiers, or even organized members of a guild like the Blades.
… Probably bandits, considering their aggressive posturing.
Homura rolled up her map and stuffed it back into her pack, "I'm busy. What do you want?" she asked plainly, already preparing for the upcoming fight as she ran through possible attack strategies in her head, though she had yet to draw a weapon.
The three bandits began to surround Homura, sizing the teenager up. The leader spoke, "Oh, we're just friendly passersby, willing to help out strangers in need for a… small fee." The other two chuckled at that as they grinned at Homura hungrily. Presumably they saw her as an easy mark.
"Is that so?" Homura asked him, feigning interest like a parent would a child's fantasy, "And that fee would be…?"
"Why, however you can afford to pay, of course," the argonian said, the implications left clear. They were going to take what they wanted, as much as they wanted.
"I'm afraid I won't be requiring your services," Homura replied, "Good day to you."
The argonian frowned, "That's… not how this works, little girl. Your pack and your weapons, now, or we kill you and leave your corpse for the Forsworn."
Homura finally turned to the lizard man, "… Is that leather armor?" she asked him, motioning to what he was wearing as she remained infuriatingly calm and civil.
"I…" the bandit was taken off-balance by the sudden shift in conversation and the lack of groveling, "… Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"
Homura only gave the barest of smiles as her eyes vanished from view under her bangs.
It was barely dawn the next morning when Mami and Madoka left. Aia presented them first with a small bag of coins; "payment for their work" as Bren put it, and inside was enough for a night or two at an inn and to book passage on a ship. She then gave them a sack full of food, supplies, and a handful of restoration potions for their trip—and neither girl was foolish enough to reject that. She gave both of them hugs before sending them off; her and Bren waving as they left town.
Mami had elected to carry the supplies while Madoka pulled the small "wagon" (really just an oversized wheelbarrow) holding Sayaka's slumbering body. They'd covered her with a blanket and her cloak, both to make it look just a little less suspicious and to protect her from the elements.
And just like that, the trio left town and were now headed south to Morthal, from which they would take the main road east to Dawnstar.
"… Madoka." Mami said with more seriousness than Madoka had expected. She'd been in thought.
"Hm?" Madoka asked.
Mami was quiet for a moment, considering how to phrase this as delicately as possible. She didn't want a fight, but she needed to understand Madoka's opinions and goals before anything happened. Finally, she just blurted it out, "… What will you do about Homura?"
Madoka was initially surprised at the question; it had come out of the blue after all. But she'd also been thinking about this over the past few days, and her expression shifted to serious and contemplative as she studied the dirt road they were walking on.
"I…" she sighed, preparing herself for a difficult debate, "She's my friend."
"She wiped our memories and took away our free will," Mami retorted.
"I know," Madoka said regretfully.
"She imprisoned you."
"I know."
"She hurt Sayaka—"
"I KNOW." Madoka replied angrily, far more loudly than she'd intended. Mami stepped back, taken by surprise at Madoka's outburst and suddenly very self-conscious for having pushed her into it. The pinkette steadied herself, brushing her hand through her hair as she tried to make sense of everything, "I know. She's done terrible, awful things. But she's still Homura. I can't just…" Madoka couldn't even finish that sentence, "All she ever wanted… she just… she wanted all of us to finally have a happy life. I don't agree with what she did, especially after what happened, but I can understand why."
"She wanted you to have a happy life," Mami said, "On her terms. The rest of us were just collateral."
"That's not true—"
Mami cut her off tersely, "She nearly erased me from existence for speaking out. I'd say it is." Mami shuttered as she recalled Homura's would-be final words to her: she'd find Madoka better friends. The blonde had been so uncomfortably close to ceasing to exist. Not just dying; ceasing to be.
Madoka didn't reply. She simply kept her gaze on the dirt path before them, a conflicted expression on her face.
"We need to know how we're going to deal with her if or when we see her again," Mami added after a moment of silence.
"… 'Deal with her'?" Madoka asked in uncharacteristic irritation, shooting Mami a look of disappointment, "She's not just some problem to get rid of!"
"She betrayed our trust and took advantage of us. She doesn't deserve a second chance to—"
This time, Madoka cut Mami off as she stopped walking and turned on the other girl, "You have no idea what she's gone through. She's suffered more than almost anyone," she exclaimed in sorrow, "You don't remember our original universe, or how she sacrificed herself and spent years, alone, trying to save us, over and over. If it weren't for her, we'd all be dead right now," she subconsciously reached for her soul gem ring as she repressed a few memories, "… or worse."
Mami was shocked into silence. She'd never seen Madoka like this before—she'd always been so unsure of herself. Quiet and cheerful, and never so direct. Then again as Mami had to remind herself, those versions of Madoka hadn't been entirely whole, had they? They'd been missing memories. Context.
Madoka let out a shaky breath and brushed away any tears that were forming, "… She's my…" she struggled for the right words, "… my very best friend, and I won't abandon her. Not ever."
Mami glanced at Sayaka's sleeping form, "… Even if your other friends don't feel the same way?"
Madoka's eyes followed Mami's, and she sighed with remorse and regret but said nothing, her conflicted emotions doing battle within her.
"I don't say this to be cruel," Mami told her, "But whoever she was before, Homura Akemi is now a threat, and I cannot in good conscience allow her near you."
Madoka looked back at Mami, hurt in her eyes with a tinge of betrayal, "… So telling me what's good for me is fine, as long as you're the one doing it?" she asked quietly with sadness, before gripping the wagon's handles and resuming her walk. Then again, maybe she deserved it. Maybe she didn't have the right to make choices, after what she'd done.
Immediately Mami felt guilty. She hurried up to rejoin Madoka's side, "… I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just don't want you to get hurt."
"She could never hurt me," Madoka said quietly, "It would be against everything she is."