1750/Breakdown

Breakdown
Date of Scene:	14 July 2024
Location:	Plot Room 4
Synopsis:	Rashmi and Chrono come to visit Molly at her Moms' rooftop restaurant; mainly to work on Starcrash, but also to tell her they're going on a very dangerous mission in the morning, which leads Molly to have an emotional breakdown. Afterall, it's harder to stay behind.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Chrono Harlaown, Molly Skyline

---

Rashmi Terios has posed:
It has Been An Entire Day. A pleasant visit to Casa del Outer was cut short by a possessed Mamoru trying to drain the *entire city* starting with the hospital...interrupted by Barrier...

...there was an incredibly high-octane battle under covver of a Barrier...

Mamoru has been saved from certain doom, and reunited with his Usagi...

And Rashmi and Chrono just wanted to go back to the Casa and pass out for the weekend.

It was *just* about dinnertime, however, when Rashmi remembered she'd promised Molly she'd give Starcrash a look-over, spent about five minutes feeling bad that The Battle For The Fate Of The World (Senshi) had driven thoughts of checking in on friends that weren't present. Thus, after dinner she texted Molly.

<< TXT -- Hey Molly-chan are you and your parents okay? Only that big-time energy drain, that was a problem that's *mostly* over. I'll tell you about it when I get there. >>

After putting her phone away, she leaned tiredly against an equally wiped Chrono. "Hey, so... Remember how we didn't want to do anything for the next ever? Well, I promised Molly-chan I'd do a deep scan of Starcrash, see if I can register enough of his core signature that Nicomachea can locate his missing bits. ...And also see if I can adapt anything we have for *his* use."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was... well... He just took one look at her. Just one, slow, lingering look.

Then...

"Very well, have fun," he said, in a dry, calm tone.

Seriously? Was he really going to--

Only for his smile to appear a moment later. "Of course, I should probably check on her myself and there is no way I would leave you alone to fends with this on your own after that ordeal." He reached out to take her hand, giving a small, affectionate squeeze to it.

"You handled yourself magnificently out there, by the way. I couldn't have asked for a better Enforcer-in-training at my side. I take it your studying with Hannah is going well, then? If you're working to see what repairs you can exert on Starcrash?"

Probably for the best she did that. He.... he still had the urge to put the fear of the TSAB in Starcrash whenever he spoke with it.

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly has been hard at work all evening, basically doing a solo job of cleaning up the rooftop restaurant dining area and the kitchen. She's done with vacuuming, has the chairs stacked up for most tables to leave the floorspace free (and indeed the tables pushed out of the way, making the floor nice and open), and has dusted. Currently, she's working on the kitchen, humming happily while she works.

There's one table still set up with chairs around it. It's the one in the corner, that has the best view of the Tokyo skyline of the entire restaurant.

As she works, the purplenette is busy stacking up ramen bowls beside the sink, rendering clean the evening's leavings. She's got a set of earbuds in and is listening to something bouncy and upbeat, so she almost misses Rashmi's text. ...Almost.

<< TXT -- Both my Moms are fine! I spent the whole time just making sure nothing bad happened at the restaurant since I've been helping here all day. Upside, Moms are both pleased, and I've got plenty of ramen. >>

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Pretty well! But I'm not sure I can actually *do* anything about his repairs," Rashmi says, squeezing his hand in return and chuckling at the deadpan joke. "I have a theory about it, but I'll go into it when we get there and I see if it pans out. Also you and Molly-chan can talk tactics while I'm staring into Starcrash's guts!"

Y... ya... yaaaaayyyyy...?

When the time comes to join Molly, the two of them leave early enough to make a *lazy* flight out of it. Rashmi's mana channels are still strained, and Chrono worked hard against an opponent orders of magnitude beyond a hard training fight with her own self... Slow-flying to the Okujoo seems like a good idea.

When the two finally land, Rashmi looks... *wiped.* One of her boots is scraped up, the skirt on that side has a couple ragged chunks taken out of it, and honestly she looks like she could nap for a week and it might help a bit.

"Heyyyy, Molly-chan," she says with as much brightness as she can muster, and a slightly floppy wave as she de-henshins, assuming the light sundress and floppy hat she'd worn to start the day. "House call~!"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was.... admittedly... he looked fine. Unless you knew him well. He always stood straight, always looked like he was prepping to go into combat. Always looked like he was ready to fight any and all comers.

But he was exhausted. It was apparently in the slight fade to his eyes, the way his mouth just didn't turn up all the way.

If he was offered a chance to nap for a week, he'd take it. His own mana channels were as strained and he didn't even want to fly HERE...

But, duty called when friends would wait at home.

"Hello again, Molly-chan. Starcrash," he said the latter's name with a tone that VERY MUCH hinted at a future as Steiner's calculator if it was endangering its wielder.

Molly Skyline has posed:
As Rashmi and Chrono are arriving, Molly is just finishing. She's not wearing her henshin tonight; just some damaged black jeans and a cropped t-shirt with a curled up xenomorph on the front, with an apron overtop that she's just taking off and tossing over a hook in the kitchen. As the two touch down, she peeks her head out and waves, flashing a grin.

"Hey, you two! I'm super grateful you could both make it, I know it's been a day for both of you. For me it was just long. Grab a seat!" She holds up one hand, making the 'just a second' gesture as she ducks back into the kitchen. Moments later she emerges carrying a tray with three bowls and three plates.

"Hope everyone likes Hakodate Ramen, 'cause that's what's left," Molly explains, arranging the bowls on the table. "On the upside it's still hot and I gave everyone extra egg 'cause we had some. Oh, and Matcha Tiramisu," she adds, setting out the plates.

With that done, she pulls the blue jewel off her earring, but doesn't expand Starcrash into his staff form just yet. For the moment she's just waiting for her guests to sit first.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi's arm stays behind Chrono's back, as the pair move to the table. Knowing well how exhausted the poor Enforcer is, she fully intends to make sure to support him as best she can... even if it means keeping him from collapsing where he stands without breaking his Aura of Competence when possible. Making sure he sits first, she puddles into her seat, then looks up, smiling. "We had dinner not too long ag--"

GWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR! goes her stomach.

"...But calories are mana," she finishes, cheeks turning red. "And it smells *wonderful,* thanks!"

Safely seated and with food in front of her, Rashmi looks a little less wilted... but only a little. "So... The short version; That guy who healed you? Well the Obsidian Director he escaped from got ahold of him a few days ago, and he showed up today possessed by the demon that *sponsors* the Director. That big energy drain? Was the demon trying out its new body." Leaning to one side, she rests the side of her head on the top of Chrono's. "It's all right now, but... There were a lotta ways the Sunbreaker fight was actually *easier.*"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a light chuckle, shaking his head. "I'm not sure if you noticed the... re-enactment of sleeping beauty going throughout the city a few hours ago, but we were dealing with that," he offered as a small suggestion. He also glanced to Rashmi... and sighed.

"I'll be honest... I found the Sunbreaker fight to be much more difficult on my end."

Because he wasn't there. He had to take on the duty of monitoring the dangerous relics and ensuring she couldn't get a hold of them. As such.... that sucked. A lot.

"In order to ensure that everyone got home safely, we were forced to burn through quite a bit of our reserves. So indeed... calories would be delightful right around now. I'm actually quite ravenous."

"Has Starcrash been treating you well? Not making you overexert yourself, I hope?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly takes a seat after Rashmi and Chrono, and for a moment, looks positively dejected. "I'll be honest, I found both of these fights really hard on my mental and emotional well-being," she explains. "Because I missed them. When you," she nods to Rashmi, "Were fighting Sunbreaker, I was laid up in hospital, so I couldn't help you. And today while you were all busy fighting to save... I mean, basically everyone I guess, I was here waiting on tables 'cause I promised my Moms I would." She sighs, "Which sounds like the lamest of excuses now that I say it out loud."

Molly takes a moment to recompose herself, before shifting Starcrash into being a staff, which she lays across the middle of the table. "Starcrash has been great," she offers. "I'm the one who takes the foolhardy risks these days, not him. Usually. And he shields me with the best shield he knows how to make, which is the only one he knows. ...I feel like if we could find some of his missing memory banks, it would really help him out a lot."

she settles back in her seat, and picks up her chopsticks to fish some noodles and a bit of scallion from her bowl. "Turns out I could also use some calories," she adds, before popping it in her mouth.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi lifts a hand to squeeze Chrono's shoulder. "I know," she says gently. "I know it sucks sitting on the sidelines. And I'm sorry to both of you that you had to even once." There's no 'but,' there; putting a silver lining on it would be insulting, and she knows it. "Molly-chan, I do want to point out something though; if Chrono and I and the others *weren't* enough today? You and the other others would have had to work a *lot harder* to make sure people like your moms were any kind of safe. I don't like thinking 'what ifs,' but... Sometimes it helps to know there's backup you can depend on, y'know?"

The redhead even manages to *eat* thoughtfully sometimes... times like today. "One of Starcrash's biggest problems, Chrono? We think his spell-creation system is in part of his missing memory banks. Or... part of it at least. Not to mention the rest of his Grimoire, but... To me, that's the *big* one. Which is part of why the scan, today. I wanna see what's there, what's missing, and what might be *half* missing, enough that the programming can't compensate."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod. "Good. A device shouldn't be the one pushing its wielder to make poor choices." Pause. "An intelligent device's duty is, sadly, usually to worry about their owner because they are often more reckless than they need to be. But... indeed."

"The fact of the matter is, if *everyone* was there, it wouldn't have functioned well. We need people to protect the places we can't, otherwise if we're forced to fall back, we'll have nowhere to fall back *too*."

"... It doesn't make it much easier to know that, though. That I cannot deny."

He then glanced back to Rashmi, seeming to contemplate it... before sighing. "I... really wish I could help more in this department. I have a lot of the necessary programs, but if Starcrash can't actually process them properly, it doesn't do much good. The mix of hardware, software and loss of data complications does, admittedly, make it a... very difficult case."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly sighs softly, "Yeah, I know, and you're both right. Just, next time there's a really big fight, I hope I can be there. I don't always wanna be the back-up chick. ...Even... if it is a useful thing to be doing."

The purplenette brushes some errant hair out of her face, and gestures towards where Starcrash is sitting on the table. "So... yeah, it's complicated. And I do get that there's definitely some problems to overcome, and maybe if we can find some of his memory banks, that'd help? But, like, I want to make sure of one thing, I wouldn't trade Starcrash for any other device. Even if he's missing some bits. It's my job to do everything I can to help a friend when they're in trouble, and I'll never give anything less than my best on that front."

She pauses, furrowing her brow. "So, uhm... how does this scan work? Other than Nicomacea doing his... thing. Whatever that is." She blushes softly, and ahems. "Pretty sure what you're about to do isn't in Starcrash's current capabilities."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah and that's never been on the table," Rashmi says after savoring her egg half. "That'd be like abandoning a dog just because it's too excitable to train easily, just... *wrong.* No what I want is, either we find his missing parts, or find a way to build replacements he can use. So... for the scan, it should be pretty simple."

Scooting her bowl to one side, she unclips Nicomachea's charm from its cord around her neck, and with a mental command the book takes his shape. The Device, she opens and rests on the end of the table. "Nico-kun... I know we've had a long day, but you heard all that, right? Got enough in you for one more?"

<< *BONG!* >> << CONFIRMED, MASTER. DEPOT INVESTIGATION SHALL COMMENCE. >>

With that, a small disc of magical energy forms above the book's pages. "Just... Set Starcrash there," she says, as a multitude of holographics screens blink to life around her head, each angled for optimal viewing. As she waits for Molly to do so, she applies herself to her ramen with a will.

Rashmi really knows how to eat fast, when she's motivated. It's almost as if food just disappears when one looks away!

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod. "That's not an uncommon thought. Many people who have an intelligent device tend to keep it long after better devices become available. It's part of why so many parts of devices can be upgraded in so many ways."

While Rashmi tore into her food, he was far slower, calmer when he ate. It wasn't that he wasn't hungry. He was starving.

But, he was also always aware of how he presented himself. He really never did calm down... especially after all that happened.

"We'll likely be leaving the city for a few days soon, Molly. This... is going to be a big battle. You're welcome to come with us, when it happens.... but..."

"There's a decent chance some of us won't be returning. There will also be a lot of people staying behind, to keep the city safe. While so many of our forces are gone, it wouldn't be... uncommon... for Obsidian to launch an assault accordingly."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly picks Starcrash back up and returns him to being an earing, so she can plop him down on the little disk, before she resumes devouring her food, more or less the same way Rashmi is. She's been working in the restaurant all day and she's starved! Even if her mana reserves are totally full. Well mostly full. She might've cheated a little here and there.

"I haven't been in a big battle yet," she mumbles, "So... I dunno what I should do. I guess I'll do whatever it is that's most useful for me to do, and if that's defending the city, I'll defend the city. But..."

She trails off, and kind of stops halfway through her Ramen suddenly unable to keep eating, at least for the moment. "If you're both going to face that kind of risk, and I'm not there with you, I... I dunno. My best friend, and her boyfriend, and.... and if I didn't go? I'm not sure I can take that. I might throw up from worry. If I don't come along you have to text me the moment it's over to tell me you're okay."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And as Rashmi eats, the little disk is surrounded by a column of rune-inscribed ribbons of light, slowly passing up and down over the little earring. Her eyes flick up to the screens arrayed around her head, which soon become utterly stuffed full of scrolling numbers, bar graphs in constant motion, progress bars, lines and lines of text, and in one window, a silhouette of Starcrash in staff form, that slowly begins to be filled out.

"We can do that," Rashmi says softly, brushing the screens away for a moment to focus on Chrono, on Molly. "Just... If you don't go? Please... Look out for my parents? I'd actually feel a *whole lot better* if someone I trusted was concerned about their safety."

There is a *whole lot* behind that request that she isn't saying.

Is too afraid to say? Probably

But it makes sense that she'd ask her best friend to care for her family. Leave as few people as possible without support, after all...

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod. He tried to search for the right thing to say, but well... there wasn't much he could say.

He became a TSAB Enforcer at a, admittedly, breathtaking age... specifically because he lost his father to an event like this.

There was no way he could say it would be 'okay'. If anything happened... if...

And he looked to Rashmi. And his gaze softened. And then, over their own communication network, just to her...

<< Rashmi, I know you will likely say you do. But do know you don't have to come. I have a duty, a vow I made. You don't. You have a family to protect. The choice is always yours. >> He doubts she'll take it... but he'd always understand if she did.

... Instead.... "If you stay behind, just ensure you keep up patrols. Chances are, with a lot of our forces busy, the youma in the region will become more active. They'll need all the forces they can muster in the local area to ensure nothing terrible happens."

In the event of the horrors of being left behind... allow one to be distracted by work. That was what he did.

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly is doing her best to look cool, calm, and unworried.

She's lousy at it. The girl wears her heart on her sleeve.

"I'll... I'll keep up the patrols," she mumbles. "And, Rashmi, I'll look out for your family. I promise. But, both of you, you two are my my favorite people in the world and I'm going to spend the entire time worried sick, just off what you've told me, and I need you both to come back, okay? Because I *need* you."

Molly looks down at the analysis going on, going over her device. Her Starcrash. What Chrono said about interchangeable parts for intelligent devices makes perfect sense. "I shouldn't go, I'm too... I'm too new at this. And Rashmi was just telling me, rightly, last night that my strategy sucks. I don't want to be a liability and get someone else hurt or... or whatever, saving me. So I'll stay here and do the patrols but I swear if you guys don't call me and tell me you're okay the second you get out of there, I'm gonna lose my chips, and you ain't seen a British girl come absolutely unglued before I promise."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I don't want you to stay because I think you'd be a liability," Rashmi says quietly. "I want you to stay because Chrono's right, and I'm scared about what'll happen while we're gone. If you're here, I won't be as scared."

She leans her head on Chrono's, sighs, and answers over the same private channel.

<< I made a vow too, >> she says, her voice holding no anger or defensiveness. << What happens to you, happens to us. I want to go because it's for a couple really good friends who need help, for a world that doesn't know it needs saving yet, but mostly? I want to fight because you're fighting. And I'd never forgive myself if I let you fall without doing everything I could to stop it. >>

*PING!*

Rashmi straightens, gesturing the holographic screens away; all but the one with the silhouette, which she expands, the silhouette now mostly filled in. "...That's weird," she says as she leans over the table to look closer, reaching out and 'taking hold' of the hologram, then expanding it further.

It is, very clearly, a 'transparent' view of Starcrash's staff form, but there are more than a few places where the detail is... lacking. As if something is connected, or at least reads as connected, but inaccessible.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod. "We will. Trust us. I have been trained by the greatest instructors the TSAB has to offer and been through countless dangerous situations. On top of it, since arriving on this planet I've seen nothing but miracle after miracle."

"The magic here is strange and unlike anything else in the universe at large. It can be dangerous, but it also has made all of the mages of this world incredible. With Rashmi by my side, there's nothing I can't handle. And with everyone else? We'll stop this. And the moment we're out, we'll let you know... but..."

"... As much as I don't want to, the fact is that... well... while the worst can, feasibly, happen, it is unlikely... there is also someone else who I think would need you..." he said, before glancing to Rashmi.

And well. She'd likely know who. If something happened to him and her... and to the other outers... Leaving her alone? Again? Nope...

"But, again, that's incredibly unlikely."

He then glanced to Rashmi's scan, cocking an eye. "That... is strange. Sadly, this is more Hannah's expertise than my own."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Also, next time there's something this big brewing, tell me earlier than the day before, please?" Molly pushes her by now empty bowl of Ramen aside, and flops down, landing her face on the table and covering her head with her hands. "I started fighting against monsters and villains willingly. I didn't assume that finding Starcrash was 'destiny' or that I have an 'obligation', I wanted to do it. I could've taken him to the nearest pawnshop or hucked him in a river."

"Which, I would never," she adds hastily, looking towards the earrnig.

"I can't let my friends go and take all the big risks while I stay home every time. Just... next time. Please. Keep me in the loop. I know I'm a scrappy hothead with bad strategy, especially when my friends are threatened, but I really can help."

With all that said, she looks up, taking a moment to brush her knuckles under her eyes, and looks back to the scan.

"So... I dunno what all that means," she murmurs. She swallows, looking like her heart is, quite clearly, racing. Probably with worry.

"Starcrash is missing bits?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Well," Rashmi says, looking faintly pleased with herself in the look she gives to Chrono. "I've been taking lessons from her. She *wants* to train me up to full Meister, but, I'll be happy if I can just fix issues like this."

That said, she turns back to Molly. "It's not just that he's missing bits," Rashmi says, shaking her head. "That'd be different. It's like... There's something he's trying to remember, he knows he knows something, it's on the tip of his tongue, but he just. Can't. Remember. Because look," she says, revolving the hologram to give the two a better viewing angle. "Look there, and there... I'm pretty sure those are where some of his memory banks are stored. But the thing is, they're *reading* as installed, not missing. He's just erroring out, trying to *access* them."

"They're there, but not there."

Rashmi falls silent for a moment, then gets out of her seat, walks around the table, and just *hugs* Molly. "Hey. I understand. No more Big Fights until we've got Starcrash fixed up and you're comfortable taking huge risks too."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a soft sigh. "Sorry, Molly. I'll be honest, we only just found out today. This trouble has been brewing a while, but the activity, us going? That was kind of sprung on us as well."

His eyes then turned back to the display. "Does he lack authorization? It could be that bits were contained without the right privilages. Would you like me to take a look?" Hey, software, THAT he knew how to work! Albeit... even in that regard he was probably limited. He wasn't a meister, after all. So if it wasn't locked via TSAB access, then his privilages would likely be useless.

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly Skyline wraps her arms around Rashmi and clings to her in turn, closing her eyes and squeezing tight for a long moment.

"I'm comfortable taking huge risks now," she replies, "Just... I don't... I have to be big enough to say I don't think I'm ready. Starcrash definitely isn't ready. He's only just remembered that he can do shields, remember?" She sighs softly. "Chrono-Kun, I know you were upset with him for not wanting to do anything but attack and forgetting that he's supposed to protect me as well, but it's not his fault if his memory banks are messed up. He's doing his best, I promise. ...But that said, please take a look."

Molly doesn't look any less worried. She looks like she's going to dissolve into tears at any moment, in all honesty. "I'm sorry, I'm probably making it hard for you two to go do what you have to do," she mumbles. "But I can't help being scared."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Don't be sorry for being scared," Rashmi says, patting Molly's back. "I'm *terrified,* myself. But next time, you'll be coming with, okay?" Said, as if there was guaranteed to be a next time.

For the world to need saving, probably. For the two of them... well it's better to have hope than not.

When Chrono offers to try his hand at the software side, she nods. "More eyes are always better," Rashmi says with a smile as she moves back in her seat. "Starcrash was part of the Arthras' complement originally, from everything I could tell. If anyone'd have authority, it'd be you."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was silent for a few moments before glancing to Molly. "With... all due respect, Molly. I understand. You desire to keep him safe. However, keeping their wielder safe is one of the fundamental, basic principles of any intelligent device. For it to put you at risk, and fail to attempt to protect you? That is something, were things slightly different... Starcrash would have been entirely refurbished by now. However, the damage... may explain partially."

He then took out a small, ruby earing... before pausing. He held it up for a minute. "Huh. One moment."

And then, a moment later, he was... well.... uhhhh... in a red, rather... feminine cut... maintenance... outfit. With a single red, ruby lens over the right eye.

"I see... Urahoshi was working on it before we ran into issues. She was a genius in her work. Unfortunately, was is the operative word now. Her memories are missing, but she... was definitely updating and repairing it at the time."

"It looks like the job was interrupted. Probably when we had to go after the jewel seeds. And... that's not good."

"That likely means the pieces could be scattered all across both time and this planet."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Ordinarily, Molly might gush over how incredibly CUTE the red outfit is on Chrono -- and not in any sort of way except completely genuine -- but she's far too stressed out at the moment to really pick up on it, other than to notice but not really say anything.

"I just... The woman who ran the orphanage I spent most of my years in before my Moms adopted me always said, it's a poor carpenter who blames his tools, and I just... if I get myself in trouble, I know what Starcrash is capable of and it's my fault, not his." She doesn't seem to be in any particular hurry to un-hug Rashmi, either. The situation and the gravity of it all, very clearly sensed.

"Okay, so... bits and pieces of Starcrash are scattered not just across space, but time as well? ...Somehow I doubt one of them is just going to turn up in my bedroom tomorrow morning. I'm betting it's going to be more like, I don't know, go back to Feudal Japan and convince Tokugawa Ieyasu that what he really wants to do, is let this weird British chick into his bedroom for like, five minutes."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Well," Rashmi temporizes. "We're definitely not gonna be traveling in time. That's still pretty impossible, not least because Setsuchan would *actually* murder us. But-- hm. I'll need to talk to Hannah-chan, I think this is a level or five beyond me. Or--" she trails off, screwing up her face for a moment as the urge to talk about something obviously painful and frightening wars with the need to help her friends.

"...Let's call it a reason to come back, Molly-chan, okay? None of us like to leave things undone."

The 'uniform' makes her smile for a moment, and she seems to feel an explanation of necessary. "...That's Urahoshi-san's Device, Molly-chan... That's why the Barrier Jacket looks like that."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown glanced up to Molly. "Perhaps. But there's a simple difference with that."

"When we met, Starcrash was only showing you how to put yourself more at risk. Something it should, at all times, know better than to do. It is damaged, yes, and lacking tools. But if I was, say, flying a ship and aware that the dimensional transporter wasn't working, but then I took a new pilot to drive it? I would be at fault, not them, if we were dimensionally trapped. This isn't a 'poor tool' situation, this is a 'Starcrash should know better' situation."

He then looked down at the device. "But it has improved, from what I've heard. So long as that continues, there is no reason for me to interfere. And... no. Traveling through time is unlikely to happen. What will likely happen is that these pieces could be scattered who knows where, or appear in time distortions. Locating them will take time, we'll need more information on where pieces of where the Arthra fell. A little under a year ago there was a time distortion, where pieces of the Arthra landed. We should examine the site, see if any of the pieces were buried there."

Some pieces will need to be found, others replaced. Luckily, devices are quite durable so the pieces.... if from the past.... might even be functional still."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"You better come back," Molly whimpers, as a tear rolls down each cheek. "You've got a friendship to finish, I expect you to still be telling me when I'm doing it wrong when I'm a bent over old lady who can't remember how to turn the TV on."

The purplenette sucks in a breath, and lets it out slowly. "Okay. No trips to Feudal Japan, which is probably good 'cause I won't wanna wind up getting expected to commit Sepuku or anything. Not that I'm a Samurai anyway." She tilts her head sideways, gazing in Chrono's direction. "Do you want to send me the location?" She pauses. "After you come back? Send it to me after you come back, and the three of us can go check it out together. Rashmi-chan can pack us curry for lunch, you can lecture Starcrash about being a good device, I'll learn to be better at being a mage."

Molly pauses, and sucks in another deep breath. "Also, hey, nothing wrong with a boy wearing a dress. It *is* cute on you."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And Rashmi just bites her bottom lip for a moment, then gestures for Chrono to join them. << She needs more hugs than we physically have the ability to give her, >> she sends, squeezing the poor Brit. "Absolutely," is all she says aloud. "After we just, like, go to karaoke or something to celebrate being back. There will be *so many snacks.*"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown blinked and then sighed. "I... don't think she'll lecture you that long. But yes, I can send you the information once we return. We'll go to the area together." Last time he was there Fate almost bisected him. Hopefully it'd be better this time.

However, then Molly said it. 'Cute in a dress'. Red flared his cheeks and he reached up a finger to scritch his cheek. "It's... not a dress. It is the uniform of the device maintenance officer of the Arthra. As it is her device."

He reached up and the henshin disengaged, allowing him to grab the earring and it disappeared into his pocket.

Cute. He wasn't cute. He was very serious soldier. Gahhhhh.

... But, with Rashmi's... egging... slowly... he sighed and came forward. And would join in the hug. "Don't worry. I'll keep Rashmi safe and she'll keep me safe. There will be a tomorrow."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly Skyline shifts to disentangle one arm from Rashmi, and wrap it around Chrono, making it a proper three-way hug. She sucks in a breath, letting it out slowly.

"You two are the ones who are going, and I'm the one who's turning into a wreck," she laments. "I hope when it's time for me to go, that I'll be as brave as you two are. Or even just half as brave. ...I admire you. Both of you."

Molly shuts her eyes, and breaths, taking a moment to re-steady her emotions. "Okay so... next weekend. We go check out this distortion, where hopefully there are no weirdos waiting to make us try being in more than one piece, and see if we can upgrade Starcrash. ...And right now, there's still that matcha tiramisu. And it's *good*, I promise."