2333/A Fond Farewell

A Fond Farewell
Date of Scene:	17 February 2025
Location:	The Shed
Synopsis:	Feeling the need to gain some kind of closure, Rashmi holds a memorial service for Molly in the Shed. People who knew her, and people who did not, all come by to provide offerings to honor her memory. As the service begins to wind down, Hinote comes by to offer condolences... and the possibility of hope that Starcrash, at least, survived the Dusk Zone.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Chrono Harlaown, Hinoiri Kirara, Amanda Faust, Coco Kiumi, Usagi Tsukino, Chiyo Sakai, Miho Inada, Hinote Kagari

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Rashmi Terios has posed:
After nearly three weeks, Rashmi is... starting to grow tired of *hurting.* It's easy to keep hope alive when that hope is 'with enough glittery violence, we can have a better world!' Not so easy when the hope is 'Maybe the best friend who I saw get impaled through the chest, and *then* stranded herself in a dimension of life-hating suffering, managed to survive this long?'

And the strain of ignoring the evidence of her own eyes has begun to tell; even though Nicomachea has managed to convince her to *not* make use of his simulator suite to sift for the tiniest crumbs of clues... She's still been distracted; too distracted to keep up with her studies, too distracted to effectively patrol, and just the other day she actually *swore* at a monster.

Granted it was the animate avatar of Cyberbullying, so one could say she had to speak its language, but still.

So a quick text message was sent out to her contacts, followed by a stop at the local conbenis, for pop and snacks.

<< Hey, everyone. Gonna give Molly a send-off at the Shed after school. Drop by if you want? >>

As the appointed time nears, Rashmi herself is sitting at one of the desks, trying to read a book. A new addition to her wardrobe that wasn't there earlier is a denim jacket, fashionably 'distressed' and covered in patches. Most notably, it seems a bit large for her, as if it once belonged to someone with an overall larger frame than a somewhat-tall Japanese teenager.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Believe it or not, Chrono was handling this well. Totally well. He...

He was not handling it well. But he seemed to be handling it well. Even to Rashmi, it likely seemed he was handling it well. In an ironic twist, the only one who'd likely known he wasn't handling it well was his mother and his familiar. Both of whom had managed to keep their mouths shut about it because, well...

It had been oddly familiar to him. The loss of a soldier. Another warrior in the fight against evil. Molly... had died.

And it was his fault. He didn't say it, because he knew others would deny it. He didn't suggest it, because he knew others would argue. But it was his fault.

He had training. They didn't. They may have all been the same age, or close to it, but age meant nothing. He was a soldier. He had CHOSEN this role. They were civilians. Many had chosen, somewhat, but they didn't have much choice. It was them, or nobody. The only one who likely truly understood that something was up with the soldier... was Haruka, who was so busy with races she likely hadn't had time to process it.

... But this was Chrono's fault. It should have been him, but it wasn't. His duty was to protect, he'd failed. He was trained, offered the training wheels he'd needed, to become the soldier he was, which they hadn't. And he could do nothing. He was helpless. He was hopeless. And Molly had died here and so he had to accept it. That she'd died. That she shouldn't have, but she did. And others would.

And it was his fault. He'd give an arm, a leg, his life, to ensure it hadn't. But it had, so now? He had to offer to comfort and support... To be the person they needed him to be. To carry the burdens Rashmi couldn't. And keep it all silent as he worked. To seem like, to him, it was just another day in the TSAB...

... But it wasn't. Blood had been spilled and once again the reality of this cruel, vicious, terrible world was shoved in his face.

He was in uniform, when he came. Full uniform. A waste of magic but you know what? Molly deserved it. And when he entered the room, he reached out to, very gently, put an arm on Rashmi's shoulder. To give a small, gentle smile. He was here, she wasn't alone.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara did swing by. Just for a minute. She ummmm... she brought... a miniature, from the games that Molly had seemed so focused on. She hadn't, admittedly, known which ones. It had required her to ask around a bit to make sure she got the RIGHT game down... but... she did, eventually get the right kind.

"I ummmmm... sorry... back home it's... kind of tradition to... bring something of their... I know I didn't know her very well, but considering her henshin and... stuff... I thought..." It was of a tiefling sorceress. "I'm... not really the best at these. But... I thought... it'd be the right thing. I'm... sorry for your loss." She'd give a quick hug goodbye. And then? Then she'd go away. She uhhhh... admittedly... didn't belong here. She had her own traditions and the like where she was from and this was more personal. But... she had wanted to do something for her, before leaving.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy did not have a lot of hope by the time they actually left the beach... and none, when they never heard back from Riventon. It is perhaps a blessing that as a Puella Magi it was not a practical option for her to go to the Dusk Zone--she doesn't have to wonder if she would have made a difference by going with the others.

    She wasn't trying to keep Molly out of her mind by throwing herself into helping Veronica, but it's helped her to not think about things like what to tell Molly's moms.

    Rashmi's message reminds her, though: Molly deserves a proper send-off.

    Amy shows up to the Shed in her school uniform. It's the most formal clothing she has. Eyes slightly watery as she looks at those gathered, and notices the jacket, and opens her mouth, not sure what to say, she just steps forward to hug Rashmi, tightly, for a few seconds.

    After letting go and stepping back she looks to Rashmi and opens her mouth again, but... what to even say? She hesitates.

    Amy looks over Chrono's uniform. He's a soldier. "How many of these..." her eyes tear up more as she manages to speak, "...have you been to...?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The extent of what Coco knows of the situation is mostly limited to the event with the rating nightmare. That thing hadn't spared its punches, and there were a ton of uncomfortable comments all around. She was still thinking about hers.

What she thinking of even more, though, was the comments it had reserved for Rashmi after all. She isn't really stranger to loss, and she can imagine what the redhead is probably going through. All the more so because that had been chosen as her insecurity.

So, when Rashmi sends the message she is in the Shed mourning Molly, Coco shows up in a pale yellow dress, the least vibrant thing she has in her wardrobe, bringing with herself something she had prepared, a bouquet of red roses and white lilies.

When she shows up inside the Shed, she approaches her friend for a hug, then takes a step back. "I brought these here, for her", Coco says, turning over the bouquet to Rashmi. "Red roses for respect, and white lilies for hope."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When Chrono dame in, it was all she could do not to start tearing up again. Because she *knew* the words bouncing around his head, so similar to the ones bouncing around hers. Except he would claim ultimate responsibility, because Molly took a Device into a fight that she couldn't hope to win. And what was a TSAB Enforcer *for* if not to ensure the safety of Device Mages? She could see it in his eyes, and when he put a hand on her shoulder, she simply got up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged, tightly.

Hinoiri showing up was a bit of a surprise, and the miniature brought a soft gasp to Rashmi's lips. "...Thank you, Hinoiri-chan," she said, when she could trust her voice to speech. "It's perfect... *Thank you.*" The hug, gratefully returned, and while the unicorn would have been *welcome* to stay... Rashmi wouldn't force it.

When Amy comes up just to hug, Rashmi returns the gesture, squeezing her eyes shut. "Thank you, Amy-chan," she says softly... Then steps back, keeping an ear out to hear Chrono's answer to the question, managing a watery smile for Coco.

"...It's perfect, Coco-chan," she says to the mermaid... and accepts the bouquet, turning to move a desk against the wall. A tall drinking glass, etched with the English words 'I Didn't Ask How Big The Room Is, I Said 'I Cast Fireball,' is removed from Nicomachea's inventory, and set down to hold the bouquet, and the figurine carefully arranged in front of the flowers.

"...I think Molly-chan would be *so happy* you all came," she finally says to the room, turning to face the assembled well-wishers. "She was always... I mean I can't say she didn't think she *mattered* much? But she did worry about making a difference. I just... wish she could *see* how much of a difference she made. How much she *mattered.*"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown glanced towards Amy... "Too many." The first was his father's. That had been the last time he'd cried, before coming to this world. And that was all he'd speak on the matter. It was... personal, and private.

He'd, admittedly... decided against telling Molly's parents. He'd intended to... but... but it wasn't right. They could never understand. He couldn't make them understand. And it had been the school who, in the end, convinced him to abandon such pretences.

He'd hug Rashmi tightly when the time came, closing his eyes. Trying to give what strength he could to her.

Before focusing on her grave again.

This wasn't her fault. IT was his. He let her interfere. If he had stopped her, confiscated the device... would she be alive?

Would others have died?

For not the first time he had his mind, his will, tested by 'what ifs'. Every Enforcer often did. 'If I took the lost logia and used them for good, imagine all the good I could do.' 'Imagine all the complex problems I could solve, easily.' 'I could make things right.'

But thoughts like that inevitably went sour. Things like the jewel seeds granted so, so many miracles and fixed so many issues... until they didn't. As all of the obvious problems were solved, new ones filled the way. If he used them to destroy the threats, what other issues he wasn't aware of would flood in to fill the gaps? If he could undo Molly's death, or give power to the other sparkles to protect them, or...

Every what if that plagued the mind was pushed aside, slowly, put in a neat little box. There were so rarely easy, simple solutions to such complex problems. No matter how simple a problem looked from the outside, there were so often a thousand smaller, internal issues... just waiting beneath the surface, requiring one to not rush and take the slower, calmer path... the one where... sometimes... terrible things happened. Things like Molly dying.

... Even when it should have been him.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi Tsukino had come to pay her respects, and had, in her dorm, changed from her usual school uniform into a dress that was subdued and dark, rather than sparkling and cute. Even before she approaches the Shed, there's tears beading up, being blinked quickly away -

A service is a very final thing. They don't have a body to give to the Earth or commit to ashes, but they might - they might never get that, and Molly-chan...

She deserves to be honored.

Luna rides on Usagi's shoulder, as she sometimes does - today, more for comfort, than anything. The two have had long talks into the night, when Chibiusa and Naru were asleep, about her frustration, her fear, her resentment, of how little she could do for people who mattered to her now, when before -

The Silver Crystal has been silent, on this matter. The glow wavering at times, bright and gently cool at others, but even that bright glow only frustrated.

Today, tucked in her broach, it's a soft and dim sputter of light, as Usagi grieves.

The first one she approaches is Rashmi, and if the other girl is comfortable with it, she's given a tight hug, while Chrono receives a bow of greeting, polite but not overly formal.

She's got flowers in her hands - a small bouquet of white lilies, which she had quietly explained to the florist were for a funeral, to escape the judgement, It was true, after all.

They're in a small vase, and she swallows.

"I wasn't sure if anyone might want to, to put together an alter or something, for remembrance," she explains quietly.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai comes shortly after Usagi to join the memorial being held in the Shed. She'd come from home though, not the dorms, after having gathered a few items herself. It's all tucked away into an overly bulky bag which she sets down on one of the tables pushed to the side well out of the way.

It wasn't the first funeral she's been to. Not by far. The odd circumstances of this one didn't help at all, so she'd taken what she knew of funerals to bring a few items of her own. A smal brazier, incense, and neat little offering plates.

It's all taken out and set up calmly near the flowers the others have already put out while wearing a solemn expression. Only once it's set does she finally remark, "I'm sorry I'm late. I wasn't sure how much time you had to set things up, so I borrowed some items from Ojiisan." She steps over to her friend and roommate, Rashmi to give her a little squeeze to her shoulder. "It's the best I could do on short notice."

Miho Inada has posed:
    Miho got the news earlier. She knew the life has risks. One of the reasons why she pushes her training. The rookie mahou knows that her inexperience makes her a risk for something like this to happen. She doesn't exactly have any clothes for something like this, so she choose to henshin. The suiken is formal noble clothing. As she approaches the Shed, Miho henshins into Yukihime.

    Yukihime calls forth a few bunnies with her. Support bunnies. She scoops one up, taking a deep breath. This is gonna be hard for her. The mahou moves into the shed, the bunnies hopping with her. Their task is simple, to soothe. Yukihime's magic flows through them, allowing them to have that small aura.

    She pats her pocket. The small mp3 player is there, and the song she made after partnering up with Molly and Laura is preloaded. As Yukihime moves into the room, she settles into the back of the room. She doesn't say much of anything as of yet, trying to come to her own term with this part of the life.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    'Too many.' Amy thinks about that a moment, and then gives a small nod.

    At Rashmi's words the redhead looks at the other girl. "The funeral's not for her. It's for the living."

    She looks away. "I was never a spiritual man." Neurochemical connections encoding yet another seldom-accessed memory and thoughts update. "I don't know if I'm a spiritual girl. I mean... we've seen so many things, but this..."

    "This is unchanged. We don't know what happens after. I thought there was no soul and you're just gone, but even if there's reincarnation, without memory, it's the same."

    She shakes her head. "Sorry, I... what I meant to get at was..." her eyes tear up, "She touched all of us," she sobs and a tear runs down her cheek. "No I... let me finish. She..." She wipes away another tear, "saying she lives on through how she's affected us is trite, but there's truth in it. I was... You know I've been kind of... Too ready to sacrifice myself."

    Tears start to run down her cheeks and she wipes them away with her fingers. "And now I know... how much you all would've hurt if I'd..." She manages a controlled breath instead of another sob, "I might... not be the only person who had to learn that lesson. I think... I guess I'm saying that, reminding us all to live, is... a legacy, of sorts," she looks at the others, "I don't know how to say things well but you get what I mean? I guess this is why people write speeches for things like this..."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Usagi, Chiyo, Yukihime, all come in and bring with them, offerings of remembrance and comfort, and Rashmi's heart squeezes tightly for a moment. For the cousins, she nods to the desk pushed against the wall, with its figurine and its bouquet of flowers. "I didn't really have a good altar, so... that'll be perfect, both of you." Each of them gets their tight, heartfelt hug, and a whispered 'thank you' and Amy begins to speak. At first, Rashmi's face is unreadable -- one does not usually take well to being rebuked at the memorial service they're putting on -- but Amy continues, and Rashmi's entire being softens.

"I don't think anyone *wants* to be good at this kind of thing," she says. "But you're right... How you feel now, how all of us feel... that's the hole in your heart, in the shape of someone who mattered to you. Like I was saying... Molly-chan... I think she'd be a little surprised too, how much she mattered to people. But one thing she never, ever lost sight of, was how much people mattered to *her.*"

Moving back to Chrono's side, she takes a deep breath. "Amy-chan and Chrono were there, but for the rest of you... Molly-chan, she..." Rashmi swallows, closes her eyes a moment. "Every one of us knows how much it means, to have the power to protect people who can't protect themselves. And I know the three of us, and the others, we beat up on ourselves like 'what if we were faster? What if we paid better attention?' but that's the easy way out. The *hardest thing to do* is to remember that Molly-chan didn't do what she did because she valued us over her. She did it because if she didn't... then maybe all three of us, her, Chrono, me... and all the civilians we were trying to get out... maybe *all of us* would have been stuck back there."

Rashmi looks down, pressing a hand against her mouth until she can swallow the lump threatening to choke off her speech. "But if we want to remember her the way she *deserves,* then... we have to face the truth. None of us could have done any better, and if not for her, then... a lot *more* lives would have been lost. Including ours."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Chiyo arrives, and Usagi gives her a brief, welcome look, though there is a pang - relief mingled with guilt. For whatever reason, she'd been able to bring Chiyo back. The Silver Crystal had granted that wish.

She really, truly, wishes it had granted the one for Molly, too.

And then Amy has many things to say - deep and meaningful things, and she hates that it took - that it took this - to make her get it through her head, that her life has value, but - Usagi nods, and swallows.

"That's right. It wasn't... I wasn't there," she says quietly, "But Molly-chan... I may not have known her as well as Rashmi-chan and Chrono-kun, but she wasn't the kind of person looking to throw her life away. Wishing it could have been different is normal - but she was good, at being Star Devil. And she made sure everyone else made it home."

She sets the flowers up at the little makeshift alter, and promises to herself quietly to see about getting something more formal, more put together. Maybe the Shed is the perfect place for it, a place that lets them remember everything Molly was, unlike outside, where... where the missing person posters are still up, around campus, around the wards, around everywhere.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai gives the hugs necessary to those who need them. She didn't have much she could say about Molly as she'd only met her a time or two. That didn't mean she couldn't pay her respects and be there for those that did, though. Besides... She was currently mourning her own recent loss as well. This would perhaps be cathartic for all involved.

Hearing how she had died though? That causes her to glance away in guilt and recollection at something similar. Quietly she sinks down to sit just leaning her head into her hands as the others share their condolences.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy listens to Rashmi and Usagi, sniffling and nodding along. "She died a hero." Sniff. "Not that that's much consolation..."

    She pulls a tissue from her pocket, blows her nose, dabs her eyes, and drops it in the wastebasket, only for more tears to flow.

    She hugs Chiyo back, and then picks up one of Miho's comfort bunnies and cradles it in one arm, petting it.

Miho Inada has posed:
    Yukihime takes a moment to compose herself. Her breath comes out in a soft blue fog for a second. "I...have not gone on many...missions I guess we call them. I did train with her briefly, fighting against Chrono. She knew the costs.", she says. The mahou closes her eyes. "Its a cost that none of us want to pay, but we don't want others to pay the cost either. That is the price of our gifts.", she says. Her voice is controlled, but tight.

    "Her journey here has ended, but it continues as well. One day, we will meet her on her journey as we continue ours.", she says, petting her bunny. She takes a moment to breathe out. The mahou bites her lip a little bit. She wants to say more, but holds it in. Yukihime looks around at everyone. She rubs her arm a little bit. Yukihime feels a bit guilty about things, especially about not helping out as much as she thinks she should.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Worry about making a difference... Was that what she was thinking of last when she went away? That maybe this was the way she could be worthy of others? She really hopes that wouldn't be the case. They make a lot of efforts, and knowing one of them thought so little of her own... She wishes she could have been convinced otherwise.

A silent nod is given to the new arrivals while Coco listens to what Rashmi has to say. True things, she understands, but... If only Rashmi didn't have to say them.

A part of her considers trying to heal away the pain with her song, but as much as it hurts her, the mermaid can't take this moment away from Rashmi and she would only hurt her more if she tried. This is the care and love she held for Molly.

"She cared about you as much as much you care about her. I am sure that weighed a lot in her decision back them, for you and Chrono and everyone", she gives her agreement to Rashmi's words, for the worth it adds.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"She did," Rashmi answers Coco, nodding quietly. "And I think that was the biggest thing in her mind; that she wanted as many people safe as possible. Maybe that makes her a hero? I don't know... I just know she knew duty. She wouldn't ever let anyone be forgotten, or left behind, and she made sure we couldn't risk ourselves any more than we had to... not even for her. And I'm gonna miss her."

Drawing in a shuddery breath, she looks over the gathered group with a tight, sad smile. "So... I don't want this to be nothing *but* sad, as hard as that's gonna be. THere's a lot more to her life than how it ended. And those of you that knew her... well... maybe you've got a story or two, for the ones who didn't know her quite so well. I've got a couple... and I made sure to bring enough drinks that everyone'll probably find a favorite," she says, nodding to one of the other desks, the one most often pressed into service as a snacks tray.

"Like they say... 'eat, drink, and be merry,' because if Molly-chan found out we let ourselves get broken forever -- even a little -- just because she wasn't here... she might have an opinion or two."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari walks into the room. He decided to henshin to attend. But he's left the coat, the mask, the hat at the door, leaving him in a fancy black suit. Look, when you can just magic up a suit, you magic up the suit. It isn't ties and tails like a tuxedo but it's respectful and black and he walks in.

"Hey everyone." he says tersely as he walks into the room and gives a soft nod. "I hope you all are doing well." he says as he walks across the room and gently keeps a straight face as he crosses his arms and considers options.

"I need a moment." he says quietly as he considers. He'll figure things out in a moment.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna, having been quietly with Usagi, leaps from her shoulder to the desk, and brushes against Rashmi gently, a cat offer of comfort, and a willingness to be petted, if it would be a moment of consolation.

As she does this, Usagi considers Molly's request, and says -

"Molly loved racing. When I think about her, one of the things I remember is how much she wanted to be a racer, and how much she loved cars. I always thought it was kind of funny - she can fly, after all, but she still wanted to race in a car, and get it all fixed up, put the pedal to the metal, like the Americans say."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "We won't be broken forever."

    Amy snugs the snow bunny, and goes to pour herself fruit punch from the drinks table.

    She takes a sip.

    "I first met her at the school dance. The Princess Prom I mean. Hannah-chan and Yoru-san needed extra time to get ready, so for the first part of the night I... I've never known what to do at social things like that. I kept trying to talk to people just as their dates showed up, ha, and I danced with Gretchen, which must've been a curious sight to the nonmagical. But then, for just a couple minutes before my date and her date showed up, I heard Setsuna-chan talking to Molly, and..."

    Amy blinks. "Dang, that's how I found out Rashmi-chan and Setsuna-chan were both geeks, as well as Molly-chan..."

    She looks to Rashmi, eyes tearing up. "If not for her I might not've... who knows if I still woulda become friends with you two? And, and that helicopter trip, and helping Setsuna-chan computer shop, and every time we talked..."

    She sobs as tears flow, but she's smiling thinking of the times they shared.

Miho Inada has posed:
    The bunny that Amy is snugging leans into Amy, and gives a bunny version of a snug. Yukihime takes a deep breath as she watches everyone. She spots Hinote, and offers a small wave. She walks over, and nods her head. The mahou lets out a quiet sigh.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi nods, smiling tearfully at Usagi's story. Racing *was* always Molly's first love. "Yeah, she... she was pretty sure her moms got her an old car to fix up, while she waited to get her driving license. And she was *so happy* just to talk about it, how she'd tune it up, all the ways she'd end up spending hours in the shop just working on it... Yeah she can fly too, but it was the kind of dream that *nothing* could be better than for her, y'know...? Flying and driving, they're just two different worlds."

And Amy starts talking, and making the connections between Molly and her other friendships, and her fellow redhead gets a gentle hug. "Yeah... Trust me I get it, there's a *lot* I never would have done if I didn't get courage from knowing her."

Stooping, she gathers up the snow bunny sent her way, and spends some time just hugging it, wordlessly... and her attention is taken up by Hinote, and he looks *pensive.* But not the sort of way he's looked, when pondering the Mystery of the Missing Molly. This feels more... *serious.*

"Well I mean... as well as I guess we *can* be, Hinote-kun, since... *memorial.*" Helplessly, she gestures to the makeshift shrine set up against the wall, and again to the desk loaded with drinks and snacks. "Have something, and what's bothering you, Hinote-kun?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari gives Yukihime a tight hug, a kiss on the cheek and leans over and whispers. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." he says so only she can hear. Then he looks to Rashmi. "I know. But it's important to still ask. I've also been doing my best to come to terms with something." he says. He walks to the center of the room and adjusts his tie, since he's not wearing the fedora to adjust. It's a tic.

"Everyone. I've been spending the last many days seeking any sign of Molly-chan. I've been looking since day one." he says quietly. "I've been looking from rooftop to rooftop and seeking and looking and going back places we shouldn't." he says.

"But." he says. "I've also been keeping my ear to the ground. And I've been speaking to it on occasion."

"And the ground answered back!" he says, reaching into his suit and pulling out a folded piece of paper. He gently holds it out to Rashmi. "I enter into evidence, Article 1." he says.

"I have reason to believe..." he says. Choosing his next words carefully. "That Molly could be on this side of the portal." he says. No claiming she's alive. But...

If there's any hope to bring her home...

He doesn't announce what's on the paper. That's for Rashmi to do if she decides.

He lowers his hand, and keeps silent now. He seems prepared to accept a slap.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy holds the bunny a little tighter as it snugs her, setting her punch down to scritch its head.

    Hinote makes his announcement.

    Possibilities spread out before Amy in her mind's eye. She can see that Hinote recognizes this is... not exactly socially acceptable, but also that he has evidence enough to believe strongly (and he's not Chara Changed right now), strongly enough to say something despite the awkwardness.

    Amy sets the bunny down on a desk.

    She walks over next to Hinote. And she--

    --turns to face the others.

    She takes a breath. "If it were me, I'd want you to look into anything you could. That's why I keep reminding people the soul is in here," she lifts her hand in front of her and points at the ring, "So there won't be any tragic mistaken assumptions one day."

    She lowers her hand, and turns to Hinote, seriousness in the red eyes looking into his. "But, ah... This isn't like finding a body without a soul gem and no Witch. Things looked pretty final. I'll help you look, but... what did you find?"

Miho Inada has posed:
    Yukihime hugs Hinote back. She wanted to just lean there, and just let go where others couldn't see. Then Hinote whispers he's sorry. She wonders what he's about to do. For now, she moves back to the wall. Then Hinote makes his claim.

    The mahou freezes almost as much as her ice. She watches Hinote, then Rashmi. Yukihime waits to hear what Rashmi has to say. In the back of her head though. What got Molly...could very well be on this side as well. That there's a real danger thats active.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When Hinote begins, Rashmi has a sinking feeling in her gut. While this memorial wasn't... perhaps as *official* and useful to everyone as it could have been... She knew that Hinote... that Tracy, and by extension, Pulp Noir, had been holding out hope for longer than she, personally, felt herself capable of doing.

And that ball of ice in her gut was really, *really,* *seriously* concerned that Hinote would start talking about Hollow Earth or something that would more clearly resemble a Tracy-fueled mania.

And then the paper comes out, and the suspicion is carefully, *so* carefully worded, and for a moment Rashmi just feels like the biggest jerk in the world for *suspecting* Hinote to be unserious about this.

Carefully, she takes the offered piece of paper and unfolds it, eyes scanning the print -- mostly the big black marker sections -- with eyebrows rising. In a low, *almost* unbelieving monotone, she reads. "Project 86: Black Aurora. Page 12. Redacted, redacted, how does this even classify as recordkeeping-- ... ..... ........ ...Recovered Starc-- decive will require re-- and upgrades for suitability. Testing to begin--"

Rashmi is many things, but a detective is not one of them. She has a mental ear for stories, true. She knows people, also true. But on any given day, she would put more faith in Pulp Noir's powers of deductive reasoning, than her own. That's why, the last time they spoke of Molly, Rashmi told him, she hopes *his* hope bears fruit.

But as far as hope goes, this is slim pickings at best...

But if you don't trust the expert, then what are experts for?

"...Hinote-kun," she says, very slowly, "this could mean a lot of things... But the *least* of them means, it... sounds like they recovered Starcrash."

Looking up, she casts wide, stunned eyes around the room, then back down at the paper, then up again to Hinote. "...I *need* to ask... is there a way to verify this? One that *doesn't* involve talking to people that probably shouldn't know we have apparently classified corporate communications?"

Miho Inada has posed:
    Yukihime sucks in a breath. She has been on the outside of the deeper stuff cause she's still a rookie. But...still. The young mahou takes a deep breath, and places herself against a wall. She slowly closes her eyes, and steadies her breathing.

    The bunny Rashmi was holding is hugging her leg a bit. The air around the bunny gets colder, and things might feel a little different if Rashmi touchs the bunny. The bunny twitches its nose a little before speaking. "Testing? This bunny working? Good.", it says with Yukihime's voice.

    "So ummm this isn't a familiar, nor can it fight. Its...my magic holding the snow and giving it movement. The other thing? Since...its my magic, I've been practicing looking though its eyes, smelling, and other things. I can...push my senses into them. I just...can't fight. I'm just a tiny bunny...", the bunny says.

    "Also, I haven't tested to see if while I'm in one that gets smashed...do I get hurt? Rather not test that. Still, harmless snow bunny here.", it continues. The bunny hops up on the desk next to the other bunny. "Also, yeah, I can still move my body and such, but since I'm currently looking though the bunny's eyes...", the bunny continues. "I also learned how to...snowport recently. If we neede to...scout, I could help.", the bunny says...Yes, talking bunny...Not the strangest of things, but still odd. Miho has been practicing on her abilities outside of fighting.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown had, verrrry slightly, tensed up, when Hinote mentioned he had reason to believe Molly was here. Oh, he'd seen it before. These kinds of... theories. A belief that, somehow, they hadn't died.

He'd seen them before. 'Sure, X was on that ship when it went, but he'd been working on...' or 'Surely this time they had a plan to escape the...' or 'I just know, in my heart, that she escaped...'

It was never pretty. And it was never, ever something that could be proven, verified, without any doubt. He'd had people claim that they were just body doubles...

Sometimes, incredibly rarely, something happened and those wild hopes proved to be true. But those miracles were so, so rare they might as well have been non-existent. And a part of him wanted to tell Hinote to just. Shut. Up. To not give false hope.

... But he'd seen enough in this wrld. enough laws of reality be not just broken, but shattered into a thousand pieces, that he couldn't just... assume there was no merits. And that was what made it so much worse.

It wasn't that it was hope, unlikely to ever materialize...

It was that it denied them any true, proper closure. Allowed the wounds to fully heal.

"... And where was this taken from?" he finally asked.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Hinote steps up, and Usagi feels a frisson of horror, though it thankfully doesn't show on her face - she's just stiff and still and staring and -

And then there's a document. And there's Amy saying that people are more than just their bodies, and she kind of is torn on it's not the same thing, and at the same time there is a selfish part of her that thinks, maybe that's why the Silver Crystal couldn't do anything, and she's frozen, and -

Rashmi steps up, and Usagi closes in, listening.

This isn't a lot to go on, for hope. But Usagi? Usagi is an expert in hoping.

"I don't think we can hack them, and I don't think we can get someone in there," she says, frankly, and she looks at Yukihime apologetically, "A pure white bunny isn't super stealthy. If it was like, a flee, or a roach, maybe -"

That would be so gross but maybe.

"But talking to someone on the inside... or jumping a scientist, I guess - that's an option. That's an option. And -"

She pauses, then asks, slowly, "If they recovered Starcrash, is there anyway to like... send him a message? Or... a ping? Like they keep doing?"

Those searching pings, looking for Hotaru.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari looks deadpan as he gathers himself. "It comes from someone inside. Nightengale. A Codename. Someone who thought they we're giving me information to take down mundane portions of Obsidian. I don't think they could understand what they had, they looked horrified when a giant rhino-like youma burst through the wall after us." he says.

"Someone was controlling it. She was followed. I don't know if they know what we have exactly, except I have enough information to cause a small mundane headache for the financial division and real estate divisions of Obsidian if I wanted to." he asides.

He might, he doesn't say that though.

"Anyways. That's where it came from." he says. "I fought a youma for that. That's enough proof for me they didn't want me having it."

"As for verifying it, I don't see any reason to falsify a document like that." he says. "But if they have Starcrash. They most likely know more about Molly after the portal shut." he adds. "More than we do."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi, like Chrono, tensed up. Not because she didn't want to hope, or didn't want to believe Hinote, but the small, cowardly part of her wanted to write 'fin' on this chapter, close the book, and leave it at bittersweet beginnings. But there were too many avenues of action from here, and even if it was just recovering Starcrash...

Didn't that wounded old soldier *deserve* a rescue, repair, and maybe a new Master to get back into the fight with?

Her eyes found Chrono's, and she reached over to gather him up into a long, tight hug.

"I know what you're worried about," she murmurs. "But this is for Starcrash. If... If the impossible happens, I'll be *so thankful* but I can't assume more than that if I want to hold it together." Letting the TSAB agent go, Rashmi takes a long, deep breath, and turns to the others. "I have... his last missing module."

Not a *word* on how that happened, and there never will be so long as word could get back to Hinoiri.

"Nicomachea can set up a communications ping. If we keep it to about every half hour or so, it should generally go unnoticed, it's barely more than a WiFi signal uses to keep a connection open. If we find a signature match for Starcrash while I'm out... that's two ways we could find him."

Trying to keep the trembling out of her voice, she laces her fingers in Chrono's, and squeezes his hand.

"But if he's being held with one of those Device women..."

Closing her eyes, she shakes her head. "Even every half hour might be dangerous. But worth the try, at least."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy wasn't likening Molly's situation to her own. She generally isn't assuming anyone but Puella Magi or Heartseeker Rifle victims are keeping their souls outside their bodies. She was just saying she wouldn't want anyone to give up on her too easily, so she supported Hinote if he was sure he had a lead...

    Which was hard to do, but... it is how she felt, so she stood up to say it. She looks visibly relieved when everyone listens, instead of accusing Hinote.

    Although, after the note is read out, she observes, "You could have just led with "I have reason to believe Obsidian recovered Starcrash."

    Usagi points out that bunnies aren't super stealthy. "I mean... they're quiet like ninjas, and small as long as no one looks down... If there's any furniture to hide behind, it could work... But crossing open rooms or hallways will be a problem. How many can you sneak in at once?" She thinks back to Kyubey, running into the Dusk Zone portal and dropping, and then a second running in and making it inside. "If you let go of one, can you take control of it again later, or does it unsummon?"

    A number of times, she's thought about how controlling bodies like that would be good for exactly this purpose...

    Hinote discusses Nightingale. "If you contacted one... could there be others?"

    She looks to Rashmi. "Wouldn't you have to ping near Obsidian Tower, or does distance not matter? Is it possible to set up a relay? ...Could we get one of the Belkan parade devices to do that? 'Device women'?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"You're right, Rashmi-chan. We can't leave Starcrash, or Molly, or... anything."

She's almost said 'or any pieces', but - she held back. No need to make it extra morbid.

"I think planning it out... talking about it... is a good idea. We know a lot of people, between the lot of us - we can figure this out. We can do something about this, that's careful. If we're going to consider going in there... I don't think we want to consider it lightly. Even just with bunnies."

Serious eyes, as she looks around, and then she glances at Rashmi -

"Device Women, as in... the Witches who did this? Or... are their device users besides Riventon, in Obsidian?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Three that I know of," Rashmi answers. "There's one that I ran across in a Witch Labyrinth... There's Fate Testarossa, who is... pretty much their side's Nanoha-chan... And Fate's mother, Precia. Who I saw *once,* the first time a piece of the Arthras fell, and... I think I *might* prefer getting Joker's attention again. ...Maybe. Coin toss, I guess."

With that, she shrugs. "That's the gamble. If Starcrash is with one of them, and picks up a ping, will they notice? Don't know. But it's worth trying."