228/Trial by Fire

Trial by Fire
Date of Scene:	11 August 2023
Location:	Public Library
Synopsis:	Sunbreaker is annoyed and decided it's EVERYONE else's problem. Rashmi and Molly disagree.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Molly Skyline, Hinoiri Kirara

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Rashmi Terios has posed:
Just because the school year's out, doesn't mean that there's no studying to be done!

For Rashmi's class, the assignment was for an historical essay on notable events at major landmarks of Tokyo. For her own part, Rashmi has chosen Kabuki-cho, on the assumption she'd be having fun reading about historical theater.

She had never been.

Turns out the Entertainment District of Tokyo has had an even more colorful history than would be appropriate for a high-school essay!

Luckily in the Meiji Period, it was a duck sanctuary. So sure, let's read up about ducks!

Three hours into her study period, and the blush *still* hasn't fully faded from Rashmi's cheeks, but study music piped directly into her head via Device Telepathy is a fine distraction while she takes notes in an out-of-the-way study desk by the computers.

Molly Skyline has posed:
When you live in a second-floor suite that is above two businesses, and one of those businesses is a tuner shop, there are occasions where staying at home just is not tenable. Today, one of Molly's Moms is working on installing turbos into three cars, and the noise level is... Well, suffice it to say that all parties have agreed to upgrade the soundproofing as soon as possible.

As soon as possible does not mean today, however, so Molly has decided to relocate herself to the library; the world renowned shrines of not having to listen to overpowered automobiles being revved up to obnoxious levels, also known as quiet. She's got her backpack slung over her shoulder, is dressed for a casual day as she would've in England, and is busy perusing the fantasy section.

She doesn't read Japanese particularly well yet, and there's only one way to fix that. For the moment, she's entirely engrossed in trying to pick out something that looks fun to read, judging her choice exclusively by what's on the cover.

Ahh, that one has three muscly men in loincloths holding axes. No doubt that'll be fun, nothing was ever boring where wannabe-Conan-the-Barbarians are involved. She picks that one and flips open the cover for a look.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was in the library today, because... well... She was here quite often. A place where she could get all the books she desired. To learn more about this world. What better place? She was still trying to get a grasp of things, after all. However, she had run into... an issue.

Namely, while there was something that had managed to finally truly catch her interest, make her actually... want to know more about it? Something in this world that truly had her eye. It was... the Bike. Not just any bike, though. The motorcycle. Sleek. Elegant. Refined. Sharp. It looked like style mixed with awesomeness. And she WOULD have one.

Unfortunately, apparently they required a license. which she, apparently, was too young to have. That didn't concern her, she'd just fake it. Good thing about being part of an organization that didn't mind making false IDs and the like. She'd worry about that, later. First... how dangerous they were.

And now she was annoyed. Because they were also a PAIN IN THE BUTT to get. She'd assumed she'd just be able to make one... it turned out that the parts themselves were incredibly special designed and, ugh. So she'd need to purchase one. Which meant she'd need more money. Which meant she'd need to acquire money.

Which meant she'd need energy. The red and orange haired girl left the library after returning her books. Fists at her side... but the moment she was outside she started grumbling darkly under her breath. Fine. If she needed money...

She knew just how to earn it.

Heading down an alleyway, there was a moment of light when black flames enveloped her. Then, a few moments later the lights in the library... flickered out for a moment? Just a moment, though. Weird, that.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When the lights snap off, Rashmi's head snaps up, eyes wide. Power outages are not unheard of, but in the center of the Tokyo metropolitan area? One would imagine there would be *some* kind of warning!

Slipping out of her chair, she creeps toward the lobby, one hand closing around the starburst charm hanging around her neck.

    << Nico, I don't like this... Are you picking anything up? >>

    *BONG!* << NO ANOMALOUS READINGS DETECTED PRESENTLY, MASTER. >>

That is... somehow less comforting than perhaps it ought be.

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly is completely engrossed in her book, busy flipping pages as she decides wether or not she wants to sign this book out. Or, at the least, sit down with it for a bit. It's not like her ability to read Japanese has improved in the last two minutes, so signing it out is probably the better course of action, but she's still working up to that decision.

Then there's a momentary power outage, and Molly basically just doesn't react. Power outage? Perfectly normal. In a country where you still heat your house with coal in some places (just... stay away from the Nutty Slack and you'll be fine), the power grid is not exactly up to date and the lights flickering are annoying, but something Molly is entirely useful.

It does seem a little weird in Tokyo, sine the city has always been hyped up as the technological super capital of planet Earth, but hey. Nothing is ever truly perfect, right?

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
For a while, nothing happened. In fact, it seemed like everything was going to be just fine. Nothing else--

And there it was. Outside the library, one person collapsed. A moment later, a second collapsed when they started to make their way towards it. Just outside the library, a youma appeared! Engine roaring to live, the youma... had... apparently been made from someone's CAR! RUDE! A nice, fancy one. Painted red. In this case, the youma's engine revved loudly, before it took off. A few screams tearing through the air as it lunged towards a couple, great hands reaching out towards them!

Sunbreaker, meanwhile, was floating above... grasping a small gem she'd made from the gathered energy, before it disappeared. Odd, normally she was much more... gloaty about now. But she wasn't even LAUGHING this time. Not even a little mockingly! Strange.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
A sudden flare of Dark energy grabs hold of Rashmi's attention, a handful of heartbeats before she gets the telepathic ping.

    *BONG!* << ANOMALOUS READINGS DETECTED, MASTER. LOCATION IS JUST OUTSIDE THE FACILITY. >>

    << Thaaaanks, Nico... >>

Wisely, she stops before grabbing hold of the main door-handle, and looks around the area. Dark, occupants either hiding or not looking in her direction, and a bright light is going to be *all* someone adjusted for the darkness sees... right? Anyway better to leave the building already transformed.

"Nicomachea: Set Up!"

    << COMMAND INPUT AWAIT. >>

From the outside, the door to the library is thrown open, revealing a rather techno-magic-y magical girl, with an armored book hovering over her shoulder. "STOP!"

...Oh my V it's a car youma. *Why is it a car youma?!*

Molly Skyline has posed:
<< There is a problem. >>

Molly flips to the next page of her book, engrossed. Afterall, the main character is hilarious and she needs to know more about what happens, and she definitely needs to take this book out so she can read it later.

<< There is a problem. Outside. >>

Molly flips the page, and is busy reading it, until it registers that Starcrash has been speaking to her. "Eh? Hunh? Wha? What do you mean a problem?"

<< Dark Energy. There is a Youma. We should go fight it. >>

"Oh, uhm. Oh! Right." Molly ahems, and sets the book down on a table, laid down carefully so it stays open at the page where she left off; and then she exits... Out the window. Well, on the ground floor, anyway, but it's the most expedient way to get outside, and puts her a little ways up the street from Rashmi, who'm she still hasn't seen yet -- in her defense there is a car that's gotten angry and is taking it out on its surroundings.

"Starcrash, Set Up!" she declares, feeling her heart racing; she's about to be in a fight. Again. And she has to be wether she likes it or not.

<< Standard Configuration Loading >> acknowledges her device; she takes the earing off her right earlobe as it forms into a long metal staff tipped with a star-shaped blue jewel, and her appearance takes the look of a punky, lightly armored sorceress.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker blinked a few times when suddenly the door was crashed open. "Seriously? I JUST--" Aaaaand then there was a broken window. She reached up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Seriously? SERIOUSLY? It has been TWO minutes for Sora's sake! I TIMED IT!" Okay, no it hadn't and no she hadn't, but it FELT like she only JUST got here. HOW? "Do you sparkle skirts just grow on the trees or something? Is that what's going on here? Did I go and shake a skirt tree?" she asked before lifting up a hand and forming a small ball of dark flame, aiming it at Rashmi first...

Only for suddenly the youma to take off, engine reving, and CHARGE straight at her.

Sunbreaker blinked a few moments, before turning towards the girl who jumped out of the window before sighing again. "Okay, were you trying to run away and jump out of the window on accident, or... actually, nevermind."

She then sent the ball of dark energy flames at Molly. "I don't care."

"All I want is for you all to GO AWAY!
Why must you all constantly make me teach you I'm not here to play?"

Wait, was there background music? Was she SINGING?

"You think you all can stop me from having a little fun?
I guess I'll have to teach you why you should run."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
*BONG!* << FLIER FIN >>

Small, dragonfly-like wings sprout from Rashmi's ankles, and she launches skyward to avoid the youma's lunge. Her attention is distracted by the fact that Sunbreaker seems to be targeting... well, a *new* magical girl, and at least one that she can work more closely with.

"Lady I'm *just trying to study,*" she shouts back, as a magical circle spreads out in midair beneath her feet. "It's a *library,* don't you know you're not supposed to be disturbing people trying to read?! How'm I supposed to get homework done with youmas flying all over the place?!"

*BONG!* << TIME-SPACE BARRIER >>

From the jewel embedded in the book it spreads out; a bubble of gray-green energy, shifting the battle and all magical folk within its environs just... half a dimension over. Just far enough to ensure that the only damage to the library, is the damage Molly did flying out of it. And that there are no innocents to get in the line of fire.

"Hey are you okay over there?!" she calls to Molly, still not yet recognizing the punky Sorceress.

Molly Skyline has posed:
<< Incoming Fireball >>

"I saw it!!" Molly dives to the side, and finds herself skidding across the pavement on her side to avoid getting turned into a crisp. She finds herself on her hands and knees; not the most glorious start to her second fight. And, there's witnesses. How embarassing.

<< Perhaps you should try using Flight >> suggests Starcrash. So helpful.

"Not yet!" Molly scrambles back to her feet, and brushes the back of her hand over her bottom lip after eating pavement. "Wait, you can fly?! You never told me that!" She grips the staff tightly, and points up at Sunbreaker. "Yeah, she was trying to study! And I was reading a Conan the Barbarian rip-off and it was absolutely great! And you interupted that with the silly car thing! What's your problem anyway?!"

That's right Molly, go for the British approach; be rude.

"Starcrash: Eclipse Beam!" she shouts; well, at least she's enthusiastic. The staff she's holding shifts and reconfigures a little, before the punky sorceress grips it with both hands and aims, firing a lance of silvery energy back up at the person lobbing fireballs, 'cause that just wasn't cricket.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker blinked when Rashmi started yelling at her for attacking.

"If you had managed even the slightest bit of comprehension,
You'd have noticed the library was not the target of my attention."

Yes, she was definitely singing. Definitely. Worse... they could almost feel that pull, that urge to sing themselves. The words coming to their minds unbidden. But, as magical beings themselves, they could resist it.

Sunbreaker's gaze wandered back to the other girl. She seemed... honestly... "Listen here you little child with pathetic casting,
You're up against the big leagues so you'd best flee or you won't be lasting."

Both Sunbreaker and the Youma, however, were taking note of what surrounded them. Was this like Riventon's? Was she now 'trapped' here? With them?

A small smile formed on her lips before she turned towards Rashmi.

She lifted a single finger up to the air.

"I know not what this Conan is or his legacy as a barbarian,
But if you both desire it so I will turn you happily into carion!"

The sound of the revving motor could be heard again...

Before it suddenly came charging at Rashmi from behind! However, Sunbreaker was focused on Rashmi... waiting for her to dodge or parry... and holding out her right hand. A lance of darkness formed in her hands. Not flame. Just darkness. Her eyes glowing black for a moment while the flames around her grew more. "You may think you've trapped me here with a pair of fools,
But you'll soon see that in my box I have many to--" However, as she launches the lance... Molly hits her in the back of the head. Throwing her aim off.

The lance pierced through the air. Missing Rashmi...

Passing by her so close she could feel the raw destructive force in it. The burning power...

Before it struck the youma. Vaporizing it.

Sunbreaker blinked a few times, staring at the crumbling remains of dark energy.

... Welp. This... was... a bit embarrassing.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The lance was entirely unexpected.

While Nicomachea himself has excellent reflexes, Sunbreaker truly is a cut above the usual fighting, and thus the auto-triggered Solar Shield was *still forming* when the raw Dark power flashed millimeters from her face, causing her to freeze momentarily in shock and horror.

    "...Okay," she says in a small voice. "...Okay. Okay. Okay."

Looking over her shoulder to see the remnants of the youma drifting toward the ground, she slowly turns to look back up at Sunbreaker.

"...I guess... your box has one less toy..."

"But did breaking it give you *any* joy?"

Oh *wow* she's a terrible singer, and sheer embarrassment is enough to prompt her to shake off the creeping influence of Sunbreaker's ambient magic.

A quartet of glowing, golden balls shimmers into existence around her, and she rallies the shreds of her courage. "A-Anyway! What are you even *here* for, now?! You're not getting any more energy, and we've only just *started* fighting, there's no way this'll end okay for you!"

As the Barrets spread out and take flight, zipping and juking like fireflies as they close on Sunbreaker, Molly hears a worried, but familiar, voice in her head.

<< So um... Keep shooting at her, I'll try to create an opening you can use to hit her with everything we both have, okay? Don't worry; we got this. >>

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly is, in fact, more than a little bit shocked when the car youma gets disintigrated. That was pretty lucky, actually, but entirely unexpected; and she knows with experience that when you have the Lucky feat and you blow all the uses early, you'll live to regret it. (Or possibly not live to regret it; Dungeons and Dragons can be like that, may her level 4 druid rest in peace. Or pieces. Maybe both.)

"I--" Molly opens her mouth, about to say something, when a very familiar voice is echoing inside her skull. "Rashm-- I mean, err, Terios-San?!"

<< Perhaps you should try using-- >>

"Starcrash we need to have a talk later about things that you can do that I needed to know about before this particular moment!" Molly might not be able to pull off the rhyming, but she's got rhythem and for a moment, it comes out like she's rapping it. "Well alright! Let's try flight!" What's the command for flight? "Uhm. Wings?"

<< Flight mode activated >> Starcrash acknowledges; a pair of feathery wings (or rather, blueish energy that looks the part) appear in the air behind Molly's back. (They're not very big.) She crouches, and leaps up into the air. "Okay, Terios-San! I'll do my best! ...Solstice Beam!"

Once again, her staff reconfigures; the star-shaped gem changes color to a bright yellow, and this time she opens fire; with a shining, hot beam; that first blasts a hole in a building but she does try to chase down Sunbreaker with it as she's taking to the sky. Is she trying to hard to multi-task? Maybe. Does it look cool at least? Yes.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker blinked and actually looked... well... the flames were dying down around her and she held out her hand again. Two gems. Would this... ugh. This was SO frustrating. For the first time since she'd come to this world there was actually something she wanted more than POWER. And STILL these girls were getting in her way! What had she EVER done to deserve this?!

Plenty of things, but she didn't see that.

She glanced towards Rashmi. "Only... just... started fighting?
I guess this is a bit unexciting."

The four orbs flew at her and she sighed.

"I wonder why I can't get my heart in this battle?
Is it because of what has made my heart perform such a rattle?"

And then the building behind her is BLOWN UP!

She turns and stares at it with wide eyes.

"Right, Sunbreaker, now isn't the time to feel meloncholy!
Very well, child, shall we perform a grand finale?!"

The orbs and beams flew at her...

And she, once again, was enveloped in black flames, disapearing?

It didn't take her long to be revealed, though. She was on the ground. Her hands were together. She seemed to be casting... something? What...

The orbs reached her first! But she then opened eyes and... how had that girl done it? Thrown her own flames back at her? That... Flambe spell? Swirling... She held out her hands. "Fire whirl," she said. Flames circled around her, enveloping the orbs, shattering them. HA! She could do it, she--

But unlike Chiyo, she didn't have that flame in her heart. She didn't have that passion. That drive. Not to mention she was only imitating what she had THOUGHT she saw, an attempt to mimic it, doomed to failure as she couldn't understand the core of what had made it what it was. While her flames were able to envelope the orbs...

The shining hot beam of Molly's pushed through the whirlwind of flame... and struck her. She let out a pained shriek, forming an X over her chest with her arms. Even then, the blast sent her stumbling back, leaving a skidding mark across the ground.

Her flames... were almost fully gone. Her arms bruised. And she...

She shook her head. Trying to clear it. Was it that dark energy? Why did she feel so...

Wait. Takashi had warned her about this. Dark energy fed on the negative and it could sap your... oh. Oh no. She shook her head. Two gems would have to do.

Slowly, she got to her feet and glanced towards the crater of her own attack. Then the building that Molly had destroyed. Then Rashmi. She gave a sigh.

The music fading away. "... If anyone asks, the youma messed this up. If you tell anyone about me missing like that, I'll find you and I'll make your lives living tartarus," she said coldly, her eyes narrowed. "Count your blessings. I've got something more important to deal with."

Then, in a flash of dark magic, not flames this time, she was gone... Dusk porting away.

It weighed heavy on her, though. She'd messed up. In a way she hadn't in ages... Even worse. She'd lost. She'd been BEATEN! Sure, it wasn't her fault, she'd just... been distracted. She'd been gentle with the newbie. She'd tried to let her go. Yeah. That was it. Definitely that was it.

But she'd been unable to imitate the magic of that other Sparkleskirt. Been unable to reflect the assault like her. Instead, it had crumbled, leaving her bruised and aching. Once again, focusing on her own flaws, she failed to miss the obvious.

The biggest mistake she'd made? Underestimating the two girls and assuming they couldn't be actual threats. It wasn't her weakness that caused her to be limping now. It was their strength.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And just like that, Sunbreaker was gone. The Fire Whirl was a monumentally terrifying attack, and if it wasn't for Molly, it'd be very likely that Rashmi would have been ashes on the wind, as far as she could tell.

But now? Gone.

Eyes wide, breath coming a little faster than usual, Rashmi just... sort of drifts toward Molly, the Barrier still displacing the general vicinity and allowing for a lack of bystanders to see her trying not to lose it in the aftermath of a truly high-stake battle.

"So uh.... Hi?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Hi!" Molly likewise drifts through the air towards Rashmi, holding her staff loosely at her side. She holds her breath, having literally not encountered anyone else who can do this sort of thing up until now, and suddenly extremely self-conscious about 'getting it right'.

Which she eventually recognizes as silly, since they did win. So they must've gotten it more or less right.

"Uhm... Oh crap, we did like, a whole lot of damage." Her brow knits in deep concern. "Uhh, we should get outta here, like, before... I dunno... before the cops show up and see what we did! Am, am I a..." seh blushes, "Bad... person? Look what I did!" she points at the building she hit with her beam.

"Oh my god I'm so bad at this."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh no it's okay," Rashmi says hurriedly. "That's why I put up the Barrier, none of this actually happened to Tokyo. We're kind of, um... I guess you could call it half a dimension to the left? You *did* break the window though, but I can't get everything, so... Um."

Clearing her throat, she holds out her hands, and the huge armored book floating over her shoulder obligingly drifts down to settle above her hands. "This is Nicomachea, who's your friend?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"...Oh. Oh, well, that's... fortunate, then." She pauses, and blushes deeply, "Uhm, I thought the window opened, but then it didn't, and it just... didn't seem like I had a lot of time to get outside before anyone got hurt, but I might be able to fix the window. I might have something for that."

She glances down, and holds up her staff. "This is Starcrash," she explains. "And, I'm super glad that I'm not the only person around here who's, y'know, suddenly wielding this ridiculously powerful magic and fighting monsters and evil girls."

She bites her bottom lip, and glances at her staff. "Err, Starcrash, do I have anything that can fix windows?"

<< You do not. >>

"...Oh. Uhm, nevermind."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Aheh... Then this is gonna blow your mind. Starcrash, and Nicomachea, and a bunch of others like 'em? ...They're from space," she says, eyes wide and unbelieving behind her glasses. "Space! And I even *met* someone from there who's stuck here! An *alien!* A GERMAN ALIEN!"

Utterly unruffled by his Master's exuberance, Nicomachea shoots a quiet registration request to Starcrash. Another contact for the friends list, perhaps?

"And it's weird, there's *so many magical people around here!* I've seen one who does cooking magic, apparently Sailor V is real and she has a *whole team,* I'm pretty sure there was this adorable werewolf girl, a psychic gothloli..."

By now, Rashmi is waving her hands above her head; she's been sitting on this for a while, clearly.

Molly Skyline has posed:
"And a punky nerd girl from England who has a magic space staff?" Molly offers quietly, still blushing as she holds Starcrash behind her back with both hands.

Starcrash, meanwhile, goes ahead and accepts the registrationg request, while sending back one of its own. Definitely gotta expand that friend list. (Also need to get it to some sort of number that isn't zero. One will do.)

"I hope I get to meet these people," Molly adds, "So far you're the only person I've met who's... I mean.. anything like, like me. I thought I was the only one. Starcrash is not very forthcoming with information."

<< You don't ask an abundance of questions. >>

"I... what! Don't say that. I ask lots of questions."

<< Only impertinent ones. >>

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Request accepted in turn!

"...Nico-kun says that I have to ask the right questions a lot, too. He hates the comparison, but it's like trying to find something *really specific* on Google. If you don't ask the right way, you're not gonna get the answer you need. But um, I mean you'll probably meet them! I'll try to find a way to introduce you to some of them, too. But... oh! Right! Stuff I Had To Be Told Before I Knew."

Rashmi takes in a deep breath. "You can actually just talk to your Device by thinking words at it. There's also a spell that'll let you do that for other people. If Starcrash doesn't have it, I'm pretty sure Nico can give him the spell. ...Also spells are basically files for us, and Nico's starting to teach me how to program new stuff into magic. Ask Starcrash about Barrets, they're good low-power attacks for keeping attention on you."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Oh! Like what you just did, so I could get an opening." She stops, biting her bottom lip. "I know, uhm, actually none of that. But I've only had Starcrash sine a couple of days before school started." She uhms, "Well, before I arrived at school anyway."

She shifts the staff to rest on her shoulders, behind her head. "It's weird. My favorite class in D&D is the sorceress, and I wound up with a staff that's everything I'd hope for my sorceress to get. Is that just a lucky coincidence, or what?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I mean I've only been doing this for like a month, so... There's a *lot* I don't know. More I'm gonna learn, too. Nico's got me on summer school for all of this, so like... Maybe when you've got a lot of time to kill, you can ask Starcrash about everything that's in his grimoire. And... Heh." Rashmi grins, lifting a shoulder. "I mean, who're you talking to? Giant fantasy literature nerd gets a magic book from space?"

Shaking her head, she clears her throat. "We should probably get going, though... But now that, well, we know who each other is? You can have Starcrash send me messages when you want to talk about all this stuff. And if you *don't* have the Barrier spell I used, um... maybe hold off on the beams for now, so actual buildings *don't* get wrecked?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"I think beams are kind of Starcrash's primary thing. But, I'll check and see what spells I have later, and if I need Barrier I'll make *sure* I get it from you because not reducing Tokyo for rubble would probably be the best way to make sure my Moms don't ground me for the rest of eternity."

Molly lets herself start drifting back towards the ground. "Uhh, I hope I don't get in trouble for the window, but I guess we'll see. I might be helping my Mom do dishes in the sushi place for a while. ...I'm *really glad* we were both here today, Terios-San!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Rashmi's fine!" the redhead calls out. "You saved my life today, Molly-san! Don't ever forget that, okay!"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"I think you saved mine too!" Molly blushes, but she's grinning. "We needed each other, Rashmi-san! I'm so glad to have met you!!"