View source for 2286/Gates of Disorder: That Really Happened

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2025/01/27
|Location=Beach
|Synopsis=In the immediate moments after Gates of Disorder, Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon arrive on the scene, to heal the wounded and to purify the corrupted. There's no miracle. There's no fixing this loss.
|Cast of Characters=107,41,38,43,145
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Text to Mamoru: Riventon searching Dusk Zone for Molly. Stand by for emergency heal.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sent. It looks like an order but it is more of a request she has absolute faith he'll help with.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the aftermath of all of this... focusing on the immediate problems in front of her is the only thing keeping her from focusing on catastrophizing.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's starting with checking that all of them are still breathing.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Especially the ones that are turning purple.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's not sure if whatever magic has happened to them is worse than stopping breathing, but she can't treat that.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Next is going over them looking for injuries that need treatment. The kit she handed to Rashmi mostly just has suppleis for cuts and burns. But it's better than nothing, right?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>Rashmi is... not doing at all well. She's tending to the civilians because that's something she can do besides sit around fretting, but, you don't need a lot of brainspace to swab and bandage cuts, or check bruising for broken bones.<br> <br>Which means she's... lagging a bit in her responses, having to pull her attention out of whatever chasm it leaps back into. Given what just happened, and Rashmi's general problem-solving nature... part of her is still looping back those horrible last moments, over and over again. That would explain the silent tears streaming down her cheeks.<br> <br>It probably *really* doesn't help that as exhausted and tainted by exposure to the Dusk Zone, there's a good amount of Dark Energy eating at the edges of her thoughts... Which would explain why the Barrier keeping this vision out of a nightmae from the mundane world seems... glitchy, flickering down and again, and shot through with worrying purple threads.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Too late for Molly, but still soon enough to at least help the civilians-- and maybe the rest of their friends--<br><br>When Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask arrive, it's right off the beach, jogging, with the glitchy purple-threaded barrier at their backs. They're there only moments after Mamoru's textback to Amy:<br><br>Mamoru TXT: ok. bringing usa<br><br><br>Then there they are, and Mamoru looks incredibly alarmed, taking off his gloves when he sees the unconscious civilians and the one starting to turn purple. "Usako, this place is bleeding with dark energy... Wait, where's Riventon? Why do you all-- look like he failed...?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>They're at Mamoru's place, enjoying an ordinary evening, Chibiusa in the ballpit, Usagi trying to teach Mamoru how to play Cooking Mama in multiplayer, Kazuo in his gothic room of many screens, it's an ordinary evening - <br><br>And then it very much isn't, and there isn't much explanation or time, only Mamoru's serious eyes filled with concern, and then her gloved hand in his, as they teleport away - <br><br>And then they're on the beach, in a barrier that flickers and glitches, the remnants of a tower and a wooden platform in sight, with civilians on the floor - a small heap of them, unconscious from what must have been an energy drain, but with Rashmi and Amy kneeling over the civilians. <br><br>They're running, wet sand bedamnd, Usagi wih the Spiral Heart Moon Rod in hand - <br><br>"I'll purify them! It might take more than one go, there's so ''much of it'' -" <br><br>She can feel it in the air, with every step closer to the civilians. It's a relief to carve the golden circle in the air. <br><br><span style="color:#ff00df">"Moon Healing Escalation!"</span> <br><br>Silver beams of light - they pass harmlessly through Amy, but the two civilians who lying next to each other, both varying degrees of purple,twitch and groan, even in the depths of their unconsciousness. If Rashmi and Veronica are in the line of fire, they'll feel it to a lesser extent - a stinging, soothing burn, like peroxide poured over a wound that just happens to be their hearts.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Princess of Sarek (145)}} has posed:'''<br>The portal was there earlier, and now it's not there anymore, a costly victory for their group. There are the victims to attend to, but between her lack of any particular training in first aid and the completely fruitless last second trip into the dusk zone, there isn't much more that Veronica can do than check the victims of the experiments keep breathing.<br><br>Her thoughts meanwhile have now fallen between convincing herself that the wound she saw wasn't necessarily fatal and wondering how fast can Riventon really act to find Star Devil. The Dusk Zone didn't seem small by any means from what she had briefly seen when she wasn't busy with a monster.<br><br>And the dark essence of the place still clings to her, sneaking negative thoughts in any hole it finds into the barrier of recursive thoughts she has built to keep the despair away.<br><br>A lot of it finds its way into the concern she feels for Rashmi, that made it clear in those last seconds she had known Star Devil personally. Yet she can only watch the redhead go back and forth between the unconscious people.<br><br>The Princess of Sarek nods at Sailor Moon's arrival, and the stray energy of her purification causes a small wince, with how many times she had been hurt in the last week. At least, the dark cape on her thoughts feels a bit less oppressive now.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Magical Rocket Girl Red looks up from applying antibiotic and a bandage to some civilian's cut. "What? How did you know to come ''here''?! Did Riventon...? Did Chrono tell you?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...Riventon is still looking, I presume." She tries not to think about how long it would take a wound like that to bleed out.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The purple people turn un-purple. "That's probably a good thing." She re-checks their breathing. "I wonder what's keeping them unconscious. I guess maybe going in there hit them like draining...?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's got to focus on things in front of her... Things where there's something for her to ''do''...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>Rashmi actually starts when Mamoru speaks up, turning wide and streaming eyes up at her friends. "She--" Her throat closes for a moment, and the Device Mage swallows, tries again. "--she was in the Dusk Zone when the portal collapsed... She *destroyed the tower,* there were monsters coming in and swarming her and *oh god* I saw her get hurt so badly..."<br> <br>And then the Moon Escalates, and there isn't *space* to think of anything but the soul-deep stinging of peroxide fizzing on her open emotional wounds. Her fingers dig into the wet sand, and the effect of the purification on her can be *seen.*<br> <br>Barrier Jackets and Barriers are, after all, magical constructs fed by a trickle of her personal magic, and they both were just as stained as her soul was. It might be reassuring, to see the blotches and striations of purple fizz off of her Barrier Jacket. It might be less so, to see the same happen to the *sky.*<br> <br>From the sand next to her, Nicomachea voices a sharp *ping!*<br> <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:#ffffff">&lt;&lt;</span> <span style="color:#ffff5f">PROVISIONAL FILTER UPDATE COMPLETE. CIVILIAN CASUALTIES GRANTED GUEST ACCESS TO BARRIER SPACE.</span> <span style="color:#ffffff">&gt;&gt;</span><br> <br>Some days, Rashmi is *so lucky* that she has (notional) people to do her thinking for her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Tuxedo Mask's jog comes to an end next to Amy, and he lays fingertips against the purplest one-- and gets this ''look'' on his face behind the mask before the Escalation hits and the purple visibly subsides. He's more pale than he was, but that's a white-edged background horror now. "I'm psychic," he tells Amy.<br><br>But there's very little actual serious damage, physically, after the tangle of the one's insides fell back into place with Sailor Moon's purification. "Just make sure all the gashes and scratches get antiseptic in them," he says, quiet, to Amy and Rashmi-- more to Amy, Rashmi is busy.<br><br>"And maybe someone," he glances at Veronica, "can call for emergency services because we found three unconscioous people on the beach, if they don't wake up."<br><br>In the meantime he's moved to the one with the bruised ribs and is silently fixing that.<br><br>He holds out his free hand to Rashmi. It's an offer. She knows the kind of peace, however limited, his healing can provide-- a moment of respite, of quiet steadiness that's bigger than anything on Earth, sometimes just enough to get one's feet on the ground.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>The Escalation works - on the corruption, at least. The civilians lose their purple tinge, returned to their baseline ''human'' status, instead of a monstrous 'becoming a terrible, terrible thing' status, and even the sand that had been tainted by the Demonphan's death loses the dark tinge and aura, reduced once more to nothing more than sand. <br><br>The second she can be sure it's over - the second she sees Rashmi's barrier jacket and barrier settle - she rushes over, thinking Molly, Molly, Molly - <br><br>In the Dusk Zone. With the monsters. ''Hurt''. And they don't have a way back. <br><br>Mamoru is offering his healing. Usagi is offering a hug, and words that she has to believe, even as the horror begins to set in in waves. <br><br>"Riventon will find her, and then - we'll heal her. We'll heal her, and she'll be okay. There's - there's no way Riventon won't find her, we've all heard how cocky he is, he must know that place well, and you told him where we were, so he'll know where to start, I bet, and once she's out, ''we'll heal her''." <br><br>The Silver Crystal, in its place beneath her broach, flickers and gleams, light spilling out from her bow. They'll fix this. They'll fix this. They have to fix this. <br><br>They'll fix this... what else can they fix. There's a tinge of something ''dark'' still, something that lingers - <br><br>"Sarek-chan," she realizes, and if Rashmi hasn't pushed her away by now, she releases her on her own. "That wasn't enough. Can you come here? I don't want to leave ''any'' of that taint in you."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Princess of Sarek (145)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yes, I can do that", Veronica detransforms to retrieve her phone, wondering why Tuxedo has avoided addressing her by name. Transforming again afterwards, she starts fumbling with her keypad, and the dialup echoes tensely in her ears, anxiously waiting for it to pick up.<br><br>"You called the 0120-461-997 Japan Helpline. What's the emergency?" Veronica hears from the other side of the phone, just as the Phantom Thief looks around for identifying signs.<br><br>"Yes, we are at Yumegahama Beach, section number 58, and there are people with some bruises and other wounds. They are breathing, but completely unconscious", she recites, keeping her voice flat despite the bundle of nerves lying behind.<br><br>"Ok, please note the time of this call and wait there, help will arrive as soon", the voice replies before leaving it to Veronica to hang up. "Ok, done", she tells Mamoru, putting her phone away in much the same manner.<br><br>"Thank you", the Princess of Sarek breathes gratefully, approaching Sailor Moon when she offers to get out all of that taint from her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Emergency services? "Oh shoot, I totally forgot. Can Chrono handle it?" Oh Veronica's got it, good.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But you see. Mamoru walked over to Amy and said 'I'm psychic.' And Rashmi is struggling to get an explanation out and he's holding his hand out. And Amy. ''somehow'' gets it in her head that the reminder that he is psychic is a request for information in a hurry. So she reaches out--<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Molly, looking at them, a tentacle THROUGH her, the portal closing.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A rushed impression of some events leading up to that -- The others going into the portal, Amy and Hinote confronting and fighting Viluy in front of her tower, but it's just brief images, not specifics, because her mind goes back to<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Molly, looking at them, a tentacle THROUGH her, the portal closing.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy imagines Riventon, flying through the monster-filled realm she glimpsed through the portal, searching,<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;--She pulls her hand back.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>At first, Rashmi actively shrinks away from Mamoru's offered hand. Not because she doesn't trust him, no... the fear in her eyes at she stares up at the empath-in-formalwear... but Amy solves that problem, and her ribs are *still hurting* and Usagi wants to hug her so...<br> <br>For him, she shoves the mental loop into a box, and sits on it. There's so much more to cover anyway;<br> <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The lingering feeling of a world where even air and ground hate with palpable strength.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Demon sheep, careening into them like bowling pins.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;( A very brief, faint flash of self-approval at turning one into a skeet target with a simple flight spell )<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The memory of what it did to their magic, how the Eclipse Zones paled in comparison; where the Eclipse Zones were enervating, the Duzk Zone was *crushing.*<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also ow, ribs.<br> <br>The feeling of peace, of steadiness, is gratefully leaned on... But it also provides the safety necessary to bring her barriers crashing down, and the thin wail that spirals up from deep in her chest tells Usagi that sh very well might be hoping in vain.<br> <br>Nobody knows what *really* happened to Molly, but they know enough to guess.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Thank you, Princess," Mamoru tells Veronica gratefully, and, hearing her, takes his hands off the civilians. They should still be just injured enough.<br><br>Usagi's performing a litany of assurance in the background of<br><br>''two people at once'' feeding him their perspectives<br>their experiences of what happened<br>their feelings their visuals ther sensory input<br><br>He freezes for a second, and he looks worse than he did touching the purple civilian, and then Rashmi can feel the flood of active healing for her, seeing especially to her ribs, and between the purification and the healing, she should physically feel phenomenal now.<br><br>But the things they saw? The two of them can feel him reacting in realtime, bang bang bang, at the speed of thought. ''Oh.'' There's a lot of that, at gut level, understanding exactly why they think it doesn't matter if Riventon finds her.<br><br>Usagi says they'll heal her.<br><br>They'll feel his intimate familiarity of the dusk zone, and the sickness in his stomach at any of them having been in there at all, and then Molly, with a tentacle through her, and Mamoru will not lose it, he will simply dissociate with surgical precision.<br><br>He doesn't say there's still a chance she'll survive. After all, the difference between Demonphan, a smear of ash on the sandy beach, and the civilian whose insides were rearranging before Usagi purified them, is not terribly great, is it?<br><br>By this time his empathic floodgates are closed, and the only thing that comes through from that is the sinking feeling that falls into Mamoru leaving a gently firm emergency medical hologram in place of his unhelpful emotions.<br><br>But he doesn't let go of Rashmi's hand, still offering that still, cool glade in the forest primeval, for as long as Rashmi wants it. And he reaches over and pats Amy's hand. "Thank you," he says gravely.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>There's information sharing happening, and Usagi winces to see it, two hands touching Mamoru, two sets of memories, two sets of emotions, and she watches the color drain from his face, and the horror setting in - <br><br>Hersnd in the smallest part of her heart, she starts to mourn, as she realizes they may not get Molly out of this, after all. <br><br>She can't think that way. Veronica needs her, to purify the taint settling in, the Dusk Zone's touch, and it's ''strange'' to actually ''sense'' it, to ''feel'' it, this way, and she wonders if it's because of all her recent encounters with it, if she's finally learned it. <br><br>It's a thought she explores, even as her body, on autopilot, completes the circle, golden light blazing in the air, before silver begins to fill it. <br><br>"This will sting, but when it's over, you'll feel - you'll feel better," she warns Veronica, because she might have been winged earlier, but it will hurt more as the primary target - <br><br><span style="color:#ff00df">"Moon Healing Escalation!"</span> <br><br>Light. Again. Flooding over Veronica, pouring into her spirit from the outside, the stinging-burning-soothing sensation of a wound scoured clean and packed tight, the clarity of everything being set to right.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Princess of Sarek (145)}} has posed:'''<br>"Of course", Veronica replies placidly looking at him with all the calm she musters while her temples pulse with a headache from the combined effects of the Dusk Zone and the charges against her protection. She counts herself so, so lucky none of it actually got to her.<br><br>She is not sure she is more foolish for having stepped back in or for thinking there was anything she could have done with all the drain that had seeped out. Sailor Moon thinks they will heal her...<br><br>That same Sailor Moon is now burn-healing her with purification, a wave of power that feels like fading and reforming, emerging from that torrent of light anew, now finally with only her own thoughts to deal with, and she can find value in the Soldier of the Moon's words, even if with a cautious approach.<br><br>Last thing she had seen, Star Devil had dealt them all a big strike in the attack that destroyed the tower, so maybe there is something. As vague as that something may be. And even if the worst has happened, she deserves something.<br><br>"This feels so much better", she sighs with relief. "Thank you, Moon", the Phantom Thief gives Usagi a smile.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a little bit of crosstalk -- '''''that's''' what the dusk zone was like?!'' -- and feeling back from Mamoru, his reactions -- his understanding, his trying not to think about it--<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She didn't feel him think it directly, but Amy's estimate of Molly's outcome being ''not good'' -- okay not mincing words, ''not alive'' -- raises somewhat in Amy's mind. So she pushes that down, and focuses on the memory of the medical hologram, and she's running out of other things to think about. She looks around. Find something, anything... Yes. Right. Get antibiotic on ''alll'' the cuts and scrapes of the victims. Just... just focus on that...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'Thank you', he said, and she... she can't words right now. She just gives a little nod as she gets back to work.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>All her life, Rashmi has trusted the experts.<br> <br>It's a simple fact of life; if you want something done right, ask the one who knows the task best to do it. Do you need split-second analyses of the individual capabilities of a group, and tasks organized efficiently? Ask Chrono. Do you need non-magical triage and first aid done? If not Setsuna, ask Amy. Need help figuring out the best menu for a get-together? Ask Makoto or Chiyo.<br> <br>Do you need a realistic assessment done of someone's likelihood to survive in the most hostile environment imaginable?<br> <br>Ask the man who was Hematite.<br> <br>So even though the grief crushes her heart like the flood she and Chrono barely averted in Paris... she feels his sick horror, feels the overwhelm, and feels him pull back.<br> <br>And she looks up at him, with tears in her eyes... And lets go of Mamoru's hand. Not for her own benefit, but for his.<br> <br>Because down in the very depths of her heart, there's still a part of Rashmi that would rather die than hurt someone else simply by needing help. And that feeling is the very last sliver of thought, before the connection is broken.<br> <br>Usagi has moved away to purify Veronica. This is good. Amy has moved away to see to the civilians. This is also good. Now Mamoru can move away to tend to his own hurts, and this is also good.<br> <br>Too much needs to be done, after all.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Boy does Mamoru get not being able to words. If he weren't running on his emergency medical backup routine, he wouldn't be able to either. There's agreement on what to do: yes, antibiotics on everything. Yes. Constructive and better done sooner rather than later.<br><br>When Rashmi lets go, that's when Mamoru's eyes brim and shine too-bright, with feeling it all ''with'' Rashmi, still, because now it's as immediate in his mind as it is in Rashmi's. And so is her beautiful overwhelming love of Molly, and the devastation of her grief.<br><br>And the reality of what both Amy and Rashmi saw.<br><br>"I'm so sorry," he says in the thunderous silence of his head, hearing the beach through a tunnel as he reattaches himself to his emotions. He blinks, and then his hand's wiping at his face. "We should-- we should go. I'll text Riventon to let me know," he adds slowly, "if he finds her. Unless he'll tell Nicomachea..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>Veronica is purified, the darkness banished in a flood of silver light, and when she thanks Usagi, the Soldier of the Moon shakes her head. "Anytime. I mean it - if you ever feel like you're tainted, again, just let me know, and I'll purify you." <br><br>It's the least she can do. <br><br>The call is made to emergency services, which means the civilians will have help, which means - which means the only one left who needs help is Molly, and none of them can do it. She clutches her broach, gripping it until her knuckles are white and the round edges dig into the meat of her palm, and she thinks - <br><br>'Please. ''Please.'' You made it possible, once before.' <br><br>But the Silver Crystal's glow doesn't increase. The shine doesn't spill over the sand, as it had the streets of Tokyo. <br><br>A miracle doesn't occur. <br><br>"Mamochan - Mamochan's right. We shouldn't stay here. People are coming to help ''them'' - so let's - let's go, somewhere else."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Princess of Sarek (145)}} has posed:'''<br>Yeah, they probably don't have any time to linger here. Any second now before the emergency services reach this place. They will probably expect someone here, but good luck to them with the Veil. She doesn't know if they are about to disperse or all go to the same place, but she will follow the others.<br><br>Perhaps they are going to use the second entrance again. Even if they would get there again because they have been collecting bruises like stamps. "Sure, let's be on our way", she agrees out loud, trying not to think of the supplication Usagi gives to her own power.<br><br>A power that could bring people back, and immensely extend lifespans apparently, and it's staying there silently. Nothing like Usagi's own heart. Instead, a stone has a heart of stone as well. It's up to them to think of something to make it somehow better.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We should go.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy looks up from the person she's presently putting antibiotic on. "A... Just a second." She applies a bandage, and closes up the kit, zips it up, standing up and tucking it back under her cloak.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She follows Mamoru.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;' ''if'' he finds her. '<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It was said out loud.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hold together a little longer. Don't break down here, emergency services are coming.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She follows the others. Push it all away for now. Detach. You're a rock that has to drive this body somewhere safe. Focus on that right now.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>Finally, there's just no energy left to cry with anymore. The tears slacken, then cease, and shortly Rashmi has her glasses off, scrubbing at puffy and reddened eyes.<br> <br>'We should go.'<br> <br>But what about Molly! her heart shrieks. What if they leave and she shows up and she's hurt and nobody's around to help her!<br> <br>Trust the expert, her head replies, and the very thought is a vaccuum that sucks all the energy right out of her.<br> <br>"...Yeah," Rashmi says, lurching to her feet, as the Barrier begins to flake away into nothingness, a crash-translation back to the real world. "Yeah... we should go."<br> <br>Focus on what *can* be done, if you try to do what can't be done you'll spiral until you end up filing papers for Riventon.<br> <br>And whatever you do, Rashmi, don't you *dare* even *think* about looking in the general *direction* the Silver Crystal.<br> <br>Miracles don't happen every day. That's why they're miracles.<br> <br>She turns in a random direction, and takes all of two steps, before a thought occurs to her.<br> <br>And she looks back, haunted and lost.<br> <br>"...Where are we going?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>It's still at a little bit of a remove from him -- if Mamoru didn't have such a strong sense of self, he'd have serious trouble detangling his own memory and theirs. But it's still at enough of a remove that he can now stay grounded and be faintly rueful that his face is stiff and sticky from salt. "If you want you can come to my home. Chibiusa's there with Kazuo right now. There's space to cry and space to break stuff and a ball pit to hide in." A beat. "Or we can go bother Setsuna-san."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>The second Rashmi is wiping her tears and standing and looking lost - that's the second Usagi gives up on the Silver Crystal. It's not happening. She doesn't know why, she ''wishes'' she knew why, she ''wishes'' she could make it better, that she could cut a path into the Dusk Zone, that she could ''find'' Molly and carry her to safety, that she could sew shut the pit of grief open behind Rashmi's eyes - <br><br>But she can't make her wishes come true. For whatever reason, whatever purpose, she doesn't have the power. This time, there's no miracle. <br><br>So, stepping up behind Rashmi, choosing to focus on what she ''can'' do, which is support her friends. In this case, literally, because with the strength of her henshin, she scoops Rashmi up and into her arms in full Princess carry. <br><br>"We're going to Mamochan's place," she says, taking the choice out of everyone's hands. "There's food from Makochan in the refrigerator, and there's blankets, and there's everything else Mamochan said. Are we ready?" <br><br>Yeah, she's just holding Rashmi now.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Princess of Sarek (145)}} has posed:'''<br>Rashmi can't really go on like this, Veronica sees it, but the alternatives that come to Veronica's mind aren't alternatives at all, only paths to more hurt..She should push those thoughts away.<br><br>The Princess of Sarek follows with the others to Mamoru's place, where Rashmi has been promised some relief, and just accompanying her is enough for now. "It's a good place", she echoes Moon and Tuxedo.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amanda is dissociating now but when thinking back on this later -- maybe even very soon -- perhaps she will remember seeing Sailor Moon, clutching the Silver Crystal and, Amy can't read minds but she cannot for a second imagine Usagi thinking 'eh, Molly isn't worth it. Not this time.' She can't be wanting anything but what they all wanted when they saw the portal close: A way to fix this.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even a... 'real' isn't the right word. But Amy was handed power by an amoral and uncaring alien whose general policy is to increase the suffering in the universe so that it can last longer; she can't purify, as far as she knows her power cares naught if she is good or evil or pure of heart, it simply spends her soul. And Sailor Moon... well she's ''not'' like that.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But even Sailor Moon can desperately want a good thing. Can, Amy doesn't doubt, be willing to burn some or all of her soul for it--<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;--and yet it does not happen.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe not being able to do such things at all doesn't mean Amy is as distant from such a magical girl as she thinks.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But right here and right now, detached from all that, Amy is just thinking fondly of Mamoru's place and hanging out there and so is positively disposed to going along with this. She makes her body follow the group, not even thinking to nod at the question of readiness unless directly and specifically queried.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>Chrono *hates* being princess-carried. So much so, that Rashmi very nearly trained it our of her repertoire of 'how to help someone get where they need to go.' And... well it's understandable for Chrono. When you're very much a late-bloomer in the height category, and you're a trained and seasoned professional agent... you need all the dignity you can scrape together.<br> <br>Rashmi, by contrast, has no hangups. More importantly, she has barely any motivation to speak of. Usagi could throw Rashmi over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and it's entirely likely the only noise she'd make about it is the involuntary croak on landing. As she folds up her glasses, Nicomachea floats down within arms' reach, and Rashmi just gathers the book up to her chest, and closes her eyes.<br> <br>It is at this point, that both Usagi and Mamoru will find they have text messages from 'Rashmi.'<br> <br>&lt;&lt; Greetings, Guest Users 'Usagi' and 'Mamoru.' This unit believes Master will sleep soon. When she does, I request that you speak this verbal command: 'Emergency Contact Override: Deactivate Telepathic Simulation Suite. Duration: 72 hours.' &gt;&gt;<br> <br>&lt;&lt; Master does not deserve what she may do to herself, had she access to my simulation tools. &gt;&gt;<br> <br>&lt;&lt; Thank you. -- Nicomachea &gt;&gt;<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>While everyone's checking to decide whether they're going there or not, Mamoru takes out his phone and texts Kazuo:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru TXT: molly died<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru TXT: no body yet<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru TXT: coming home w/ ppl in shock<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru TXT: pls stay w/ SL we know how to reheat makofood<br><br>Kazuo will make of that what he will.<br><br>And then he looks back, and Veronica and Amy are coming, and everyone else is busy except that Rashmi's being carried by Usagi, and Nicomachea's ''texting him'' and Mamoru nods unnecessarily. "I'll get the guest room ready, or Kazuo will," he tells the group at large, gesturing at Rashmi-- and then they leave.<br><br>They take the rooftops like they live in a platformer, and come in through the rooftop entrance, and there are couches, there's a very large television hiding as a mirror, there's a nice little rage room, a ball pit, a big bathtub...<br><br>And plenty of space to cry, in the quiet or in company.<br> <br>
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