2750/Plotting Victory

Plotting Victory
Date of Scene:	28 August 2025
Location:	Dreamscape
Synopsis:	Molly's spirit has been saved and wisked to the Dreamscape. Her friends are excited to see her.
Cast of Characters:	Molly Skyline, Emi Hoshino, Rashmi Terios, Amanda Faust, Ikiko Hisakata, Mamoru Chiba, Coco Kiumi, Usagi Tsukino

---

Molly Skyline has posed:
It's over. Finished. The nightmare, that is; the attempt to destroy Molly's last grasp on existence, all told through the lense of her future (or at least a possible future) as experienced in her dreams, over and over and over.

Seriss' corruption in Molly's dreamscape remains, but around what was a ruined Onsen there is now a space that's free of it, where colorful flowers bloom, butterflies dance about in the air, and a white Toyota Supra is parked outside the restored building. Inside, eeverything is like it likely ought to have been before; the building is a mix of Japanese and Medieval British architecture, and is filled with all the things Molly likes, from Lego to RPG books to car stuff, and pictures of her Moms and all her friends.

laying on a bench, on her side, is Molly; teenage Molly, looking just like she ought to in a pink dress and her jacket covered in patches, peacefully sleeping; mounted on the wall above her is Starcrash, in staff form.

For a moment, one might swear they saw someone else; Tiefling Molly looking out a window, or Mid-Thirties Molly sitting in a corner, tinkering with her prosthetic arm, but they're gone upon a second look.

Six year old Molly definitely makes an appearance, sitting on the floor and still wrapped up in joyfully consuming some mint chocolate ice cream.

Eventually, Molly stirs, and lifts one hand to rub her eyes, letting out a soft mumble of something completely unintelligable.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
There's a palpable sense of relief from one Emi Hoshino -- Oneiric Guardian Emi -- as she takes a moment to catch her breath. She bends forward, hands on her knees, and then lets go of the webs she'd been holding onto. They dissipate into so much pink sparkles and gossamer. "KenKen, can you sense anymore nightmare?" she asks of the spider -- who has seemingly manifested out of her clothes in the size of a regular jumping spider and in the palm of her hand. She sets the spider down on the ground thereafter and lets it scurry off. Seems her companion is going to scout around for her, see if there's anything else to be identified this way.

The three Mollies are now stared at by her. She holds her tongue. She doesn't know Molly. Molly doesn't know her. Best if the next move comes from someone who has some kind of relation to.

"It's probably best we don't linger here. We don't know if there's any more trouble on the way. We can get her to the Radiant Heart Dreamscape -- she'll be safe there. Or to Mamoru's." She glances around once.

To Amy, she turns her head and says, "Yeah, no. I'd just grab her dream self. Excep there's three of her, so I guess I'd try to bring all three to start." She makes a face.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
They're back in Molly's Hideout... And thank whoever, it's at least a little restored... And filled with all the accourtrements the cave once held, and more besides. Upon seeing a flash of Tiefling-Molly out the window, and then a bit more of Child Molly on the floor, Rashmi turns, mouth open to ask Emi a question... only to find the Oneiric Guardian just as thrown as her.

...Welp.

Swallowing her questions, she turns instead to the Molly on the bench, kneeling down as the girl stirs, placin a hand on her shoulder. "Molly-chan, we're not dreams. You with us?"

I mean... best to pull the Band-aid off now, before things get emotional and blubbery and damn it Rashmi *tears later help now.*

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods to Emi, and wonders aloud, "How does that even work...?" She doesn't actually expect an answer, and starts walking around the pocket of un-corrupted dreamspace.

    After that last dream segment where she matched kid-Molly, Amy's a teenager again, though the clothes stand out as a little off because the t-shirt and pants are a bit loosefitting unlike the clothes she usually wears, she almost never wears cargo pants IRL, nor does she keep phone/flashlight/multitool on her belt, and the field jacket matches the fit of the rest of the clothes instead of being very oversized like IRL.

    Whether she's wearing glasses, and whether she has red or white hair and red or blue eyes, is kind of in flux for a bit before settling on white/blue when she next speaks.

    Amy tries to talk to the other Mollies, but they're always gone when she reaches them -- until finally, she sees the kid Molly while she also sees sleeping Molly, and looks between them, scratching her head. "I had a dream like this once. It was weird and I don't remember how being me and kid-me at the same time really, like, worked..."

    And then the sleeping Molly stirs, and Amy joyfully rushes to her side and tries to hug her if she's up for it, "Molly! You're awake! I mean... well... you're lucid! And you're okay! Relatively! We've missed you so much!"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Tsukiko just sits where she is, taking the moment to relax. Molly is... well, safe might still be a bit of an overstatement, but 'no longer in immediate danger' is reasonable enough, given the circumstances.

And besides, the previous implied offer of letting her canine ears be petted is still available -- mostly to kid-Molly, but the offer still stands for the other Mollies as well.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Or to Mamoru's, persistent on the edge of ruins--

--which is where Mamoru and Usagi come from, in henshin and also in slight deshabille. They come around from the other side of the building and in, and Mamoru at least is sheepish and trying not to look it. He straightens his pique vest as they approach, like he's Captain Picard, and he glances from the Molly on the bench to the flickers of other Mollies, and he opines, "Just her."

Then he shifts his weight and says, "I was thinking about that, and I think it'd probably be better to stay at the school, so it's easier to be social, but like if Seriss comes to the school looking, she could use my place as a hidden safe room? And Emi-san, you or I could get her back out to the school when it's safe again."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco takes a look at all three of Molly. Makes sense not to linger here: right now they don't want to meet Seiriss just as much Seiriss instead does, and she would probably guess the Radiant Heart dreamscape is the best possible place, assuming the Crystal Heart seeps into it and isn't confined to reality.

The question is: is it ok for each of them to simply grab a Molly and go, or does Emi have to make use of her powers for it to work? "Is that something we can help with?", she asks the Oneiric Guardian.

"Would Seiriss have more trouble than the normal nightmare type moving around the Radiant Heart dreamscape thanks to the Crystal Heart?", she brings up instead when Mamoru considers their destination. "I don't know how much the fact she actually exists counts here."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon is a little less sheepish than Mamoru, but when isn't she? The girl barely ever acknowledges shame, and especially not when they've all done good.

She sees Molly after Molly and pretty much ignores all the ones that aren't the Molly who exists in reality, letting Amy and Rashmi be the ones to rush in.

"Oh, good! She's awake, so we can get out of here then?" Coco's asking if the school will make more trouble for Seriss Nyx, and Usagi pipes up, earnest, "I think the school's more likely to cause trouble for her than anywhere else on Earth, honestly. It's at least got some protection, thanks to the Heart."

Molly Skyline has posed:
It takes a minute; while conversation is going on around her, Molly is busy waking up (or doing whatever passes for waking up while still in a dream). The first thing she sees is Rashmi of course, and she rubs eyes with knuckles before looking again; just to make sure. Just to be safe.

She's sure, and she's safe.

"Yeah," she whispers, swinging her legs over the edge of the bench and sitting up slowly. "Yeah, I'm... I'm here, I--"

She stops abruptly as Amy's arms are thrown around her, and after a moment to process what's going on she returns the embrace, squeezing her eyes tightly shut so quickly that a drop of moisture escapes each, rolling slowly down each cheek.
"I'm here, it's me," she confirms at last, once the hug with Amy reaches its conclusion. "I... I don't know... exactly what happened but I've been in that loop for..." She trails off, and shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. A long time. How long has it been since Seriss tried to kidnap Hotaru-chan? I just... I'm sorry, I'm a bit lost."

Molly looks up at everyone, and tries to smile like everything's fine. And in some ways, things are fine; but not in enough ways. But it's a start, perhaps. At least the air in here is sweet and free of corruption. Molly casts her eyes at the sunlight coming in the windows, at her friends, and then down at her arms; at her left arm, in particular, resting her fingers on her forearm.

"I don't know how moving me to the school works, but... I'm sure it's a good idea, but can we just, like, stay here for a few minutes? Just a few. It's just, this, right now, surrounded by all of you, I finally feel safe. Like, for the first time since all this started, I don't have to fight with everything I've got, constantly, just to exist. I'm just... I can relax. Finally."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Tsukiko reaches over and hugs Molly -- not as kinetically-energetic as Amy's hug, but still wordlessly relaying emotional support. "Glad to see you again," the wolfgirl finally says, a warm smile on her face.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"...I'm afraid that's just it, Molly-san," says Tuxedo Mask gently after a half-second's hesitation. "It's not safe here, and you can't relax yet. We are not safe here, you are not safe here, none of us can relax until we leave here with you. Leaving could be as fast as opening a door out to my place with a rose. Sailor Moon and I just came back from there. There's plenty of space to relax."

He almost says something else, but doesn't -- he holds a rose up out of nowhere, again, and slices a door in the air. There's mottled half-green sunlight on the other side, and a wooden door and the scent of the sea.

"We can go to the school from there at your leisure."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Stay here, right when they are vulnerable to being found again? Coco isn't really a fan of that proposal, and the flash of concern on her face does actually nothing to hide it.

"I know you just woke up, but please just hang in there a little more. It should probably be better if we speed up to Radiant Heart first, then you can take a break there." Especially since Usagi is sure the Crystal Heart is still effective in dreamspace in warding off Seriss.

"We will be with you every step of the way, ok? You are not alone anymore", she extends her hand towards Molly, offering a smile.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
Emi is aware that everyone needs their moment. She's not going to get in the way. Unlike everyone else here, seemingly, she's not Molly's friend. She doesn't know the girl. She barely recognized her, in point of fact, as the girl that was with Amy the first time she met the latter before anyone aside from her even knew what the dreamscape actually was.

"A few minutes," she says, in the kind of tone that suggests that they've barely got that.

"We tarry at our peril."

Her tone of voice suggests 'I can't believe I actually got to say that line'.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
As Amy crashes into Molly, Rashmi's restraint goes with it, and she just throws her arms around her friend next to Amy and Ikiko, squeezing for dear life. But at Mamoru's words, Rashmi nods against her friend. "It's been a couple months... and they're right," she manages around a thickening throat. "C'mon... just a few more steps, and then you'll be *really* safe. And then we can talk about what's next."

Though loath to let the purplenette go, she does just long enough to stand... and as Coco extends her hand, Rashmi does too.

And for a moment, looks over her shoulder at Emi, with narrowed eyes and a big smile. AHA. A FELLOW NERD.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Fortunately, other people bring up that things aren't really safe here, so Usagi doesn't have to do it. She would have felt pretty bad about it, see - but she can at least answer a question.

"It's still the same summer! But I think it's been a month or two," Usagi says honestly, "But I was kind of evil at the time - don't worry about it, it's a long story, and I'm fine now! But I wasn't really paying attention to stuff like the passage of time and everything that was going on around then, so..."

There are enough people offering hands.

"Come on, Mamochan's dream place has drinks and cookies. Don't you want a drink and a cookie?" She is not against bribery.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy squeezes when Molly returns the hug, and pats her back when she says she doesn't know how long she's been in that, then lets go and steps back.

    Seriss Nyx tried to kidnap Hotaru? Oh right... when was that, the battle where all the buildings made it really hard to target Seriss? Amy's not sure offhand either.

    It wouldn't help in here, but she wonders if maybe she should keep some sort of log of things.

    Molly asks to stay a moment and says she feels safe and Amy nods in understanding.

    Mamoru and Emi speak up. "Yeah. You deserve a rest. Just for a minute, then... then we go, and you can have your real rest. Catch your breath."

    And Amy has a Thought and can't surpress a smirk. "Short Rest now. Long Rest later."

    She's suddenly transformed again, hefting her recoilless rifle. "I'll keep watch." She says with a smile, and walks out to the edge of the 'uncorrupted' area. "...Not actually sure how to tell time in here," She mutters, "Not like I can use a watch."

    And then wonders, quietly, "...Is Seriss actually able to come here, or is this all abstract for her, like iconic cyberspace, and all she can do is send her creations...?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly's eypes remain squeezed shut as she receives the ultimate hug, and opens them again once people have released her, brushing the back of her hand across her cheeks. She listens to the logic; that they're really not safe here, and her gaze dips. Not really safe here. Not really.

"But it's... it's my mind," she protests, even though she knows the truth of it. She sucks in a breath, and sighs audibly as she holds out her hands, clasping one with Coco and the other with Rashmi, letting herself be pulled up to her feet.

"But I suppose... she's been in my head this whole time and she still is. I don't think she's ever come here, but I suppose nothing says she can't. I just, I hope when I get back, that it looks like this, and not what she did to it. Whenever I'm awake and she's in control, I can feel her as well as see her and I can feel her corrupting everything that I am and turning it dark and cold and alien, and I want so badly to feel like me again, and right now I almost... almost do."

Tiefling Molly reappears, just long enough to give a thumbsup. Prosthetics Molly does too, standing in the corner and looking towards the group clustered around Molly, with a look on her face like she's proud of something, before vanishing again, with the brief sound of a revving engine.

"Okay. If we have to go, we have to go. I'm ready. Let's go." She casts her eyes around at everyone, and even with tears on her cheeks, manages a smile. "Thank you all for coming for me."

Six year old Molly appears, still clutching the ice cream like a vital treasure; and she stands, looking up at Ikiko, one hand raised up. Just in case the offer to pet the ears still stands.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Tsukiko grins and scoops up kid-Molly, settling the youngster on a shoulder of the wolfgirl for easy reach of the ears... and ease of traveling while ear petting occurs.

"Let's get out of here before we draw any more notice," Tsukiko nods to the others. Fighting while carrying a passenger isn't something she's in a hurry to try, and she suspects that Molly is well aware of the complications of high-speed maneuvers with an out-of-balance load.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Your dream self is vulnerable to her still," explains Emi to Molly, sympathetically, "or else she wouldn't have been working so hard to keep you contained and kill you. The best thing you can do is be in her blind spot until you can take back what belongs to you from her."

Emi can't pretend to know what Molly's going through, not really, but she seems confident about this. She studes the multiple Mollies and then turns to Mamoru.

"Your place first, or want me to take the lead directly back to school dream?" She's just making sure.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"The way to Mamochan's place is faster than the way back to the school, I think," Usagi judges, glancing back at Mamoru; he could make a rose easy. "Then Molly-chan could get her short rest, before you lead her back to the school?"

It's a suggestion not a directive, but it's a confident one - if the whole purpose is short rest then that's what they can do.

Amanda Faust has posed:
> She's been in my head this whole time and she still is.
    Amy inclines her head a moment. It sucks, what Molly's been through, what Seriss Nyx has done; At least through magic, somehow, they're able to take Molly away from it.

> I want so badly to feel like me again, and right now I almost... almost do.
    Amy hangs her head lower. "One day... One day you'll get to, every day." That damn Seriss Nyx...

    When Molly says she's ready to go, Amy lets out a breath, and turns and walks back over to the group, waiting for everyone else to go through, unless they insist, before following after Molly.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Also," Rashmi says on the hells of Usagi's blatant bribery, "You'll have a dorm room!"

It's really not much of a deal-sweetener, but hey; the school's for kids to be safe.

And then Molly declares her readiness to go, and Rashmi nods. "C'mon," she says, leading Molly toward the door opened by Mamoru's rose. "I haven't seen Mamo-kun's dream world, and you *need* to see... how the school dreams of itself, I guess? Or just the way the magic makes it look? It's amazing, anyway."

A thought strikes her, and she hangs back just a moment as the group begins its move toward the door, and she turns her back just long enough to take in the onsen... Her heart *squeezes* at the thought of why this hotspring might be in her dreamscape, and she breathes a vow to *get Molly back here for good,* then turns to follow the others through.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Tuxedo Kamen chuffs out a little laugh. "My place first, door's already open," he says, stepping sideways half out of Molly's dream, standing with one foot in hers and one foot in his. "And I really want you guys to try these cookies, yeah! Mako-chan has been trying to reproduce the recipe and I think she's got it, but you guys will have to be a panel of judges for the real thing, after this."

He pushes the door open wider, then reaches over on his side to open the wooden door. It opens with a creak into a bright open courtyard...

...with a subtle mosaic pattern they walk in on, and stone walls enclose the courtyard on three sides, fruit trees hanging over the tops of the walls. There are two doors in those walls, the one they came in through with the grape vines on trellises overhead, and one that's open and leads down to a rocky beach with a little strip of sand--

There's a villa in front of them, with white walls and a red tile roof, and pretty outdoor furniture. There are benches and chairs, some in the shade of a wide awning and some in the sun, and on a table out of the sun are a couple of pitchers of strawberry lemonade, a bunch of glasses, and a plate of donut-shaped white cookies. (They are actually just kaak warqa with cardamom added.)

"Welcome to my grandparents' home," Mamoru says cheerfully. "If it gets too warm out here, there's room inside too, but the breeze is so nice. And you can't hear the waves on the rocks as easily in there."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly allows herself to be taken through the door; and she takes it all in, just for a moment, before she disengages her hands from Coco and Rashmi's, picks a spot under the nearest fruit tree, and just kind of undergoes a controlled collapse, plopping down on the ground and resting her back against the tree. She closes her eyes, and lets ou a quiet, world-weary sigh.

"Sorry," she says at last. "Just, I've been struggling endlessly for a logn time and I need a minute. I just, please let me just sit here for a moment." She pauses, and looks up hopefully. "Actually, I'd love a cookie," she adds, blushing softly.

"I need to tell you things. Seriss isn't stopping and shne isn't slowing down but I think, just... maybe, just maybe we can beat her. And maybe I can get my body back out of it, and be me again. I really, really want to be me again."

You are not alone anymore.

Coco's words resonate in her ears, and she smiles up at the mermaid from where she sits. "I never have been," she replies. "I know we haven't been able to talk most of the time. But I know you've all been there, with me, the whole time. I could see it and hear it every time you fought her." She glances to Rashmi, "Every time you demanded that she give me back. I heard it."

The purplenette points up at Usagi, "So maybe we can go to like, recovering evil-holics anonymous together or something," she muses. "And I like the way you offer bribes."

Six year old Molly joyfully pets Ikiko's ears; for as long as she's able, before they come through the door and she vanishes, remaining firmly stuck in Molly's own dreamworld. It's just the real, current Molly who comes through.

But the little one's joy at Ikiko's ears was palpable nonetheless.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
Emi, who essentially missed the entire New Moon Saga and only heard about it all -afterwards-, stares at Sailor Moon a moment. Just stares at her. Like she's trying to figure out how -that- can work. After a moment, she just sort of nods. She figured it out.

Emi is restless. She's letting the others give the comfort they can, well aware that sometimes it needs to come from the right vessel and that just isn't her, not right now. Instead, she lurks on the edge of things, patrolling. Watching. Expecting trouble any moment. She stops, mismatched eyes unfocusing for a moment before she startles back to activcity and resumes her pacing, oozing tension coiled tight as piano wire.

Amanda Faust has posed:
> I really, really want to be me again.
    Amy feels at the things Molly's been saying for the past minute, and hugs Molly again. And smiles when she says she heard them. "You... you'll be you again. We'll find a way somehow."

    Amy steps through to Mamoru's dream world...

    Armor and weapons gone, she's in some flowy white dress/khaftan-type thing and sandals reminiscent of Earth Kingdom wear as she looks around. "Woooow. I was kind of out of it when I saw this place before, this is..."

    She turns all the way around, looking in every direction.

    "...You dream all this, whenever you want? Amazing. Is it your mind palace...?" Oh, it's his past-grandparents' home that he's visited. "Neat..."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Tsukiko stumbles a half-step as the weight of kid-Molly is suddenly (and understandably) no longer on her shoulder as she enters Mamoru's dreamspace. She smiles at how much joy the little one had, and makes a small mental note about it -- after all, as she understands it, one's dream-selves are reflections of one's actual self, so a comfort to one aspect is likely to be at least somewhat of a comforting thing to the core self.

"I definitely wouldn't mind cookies," the wolfgirl grins to Mamoru. "Especially Makoto-baked cookies, and I wouldn't be surprised if the memory of the originals make these taste even better on top of that."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Whaaaaaa~!" is the first sound out of Rashmi's mouth upon setting foot in Mamoru's dreamscape. And it truly *is* like a dream, the perfect little house on the perfect seaside view and the perfect amount of beach, and *perfect lemonade and cookies*--

And once again she's right there to hug the British girl, when Amy disengages. "Okay," she says when Molly talks. "You first. Then I've got a secret weapon for *you.* But you're probably only gonna get once chance to use it, so let's hear the plan first."

With refreshments not far away at all, she starts pouring out glasses of lemonade -- the first going to Molly, with a couple cookies added -- and setting them out, catching the eye of whoever she can to silently offer drinks. Waitress gotta waitress, apparently.

"Mamo-kun, this... is *unbelievable,* thank you so much for just... letting us be here."

A couple cookies are placed aside with a meaningful look to Ikiko, and only *then* does she try one herself... and blinks. It's not the *same,* but, the flavors are similar enough that *she* might take an interest in recreating the recipe.

Rashmi makes a mental note to see if her mother would part with some *fresh* cardamom from the greenhouse...

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Tuxedo Mask blushes faintly at the praise, but he flaps his hand. "It's mine, but it's always been here. I use it for stuff but I didn't-- I didn't build it. You're all very welcome here," he says almost-- almost shyly. He sees Amy shift into the clothes he remembers buying for Serenity in the Golden Kingdom, and smiles. "Thanks, you guys." He absolutely snakes a glass of the pink drink, and a couple of cookies he puts on his finger like he's twelve.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's very relaxing to be back in the villa, which Usagi has plenty of fond memories of. Once they're through, she plops down on the courtyard, letting the breeze blow through her bangs and enjoying the sound and scent of the dreamed up sea.

"I'm terrible at all this stuff, so I don't really know how it works, but it does look just like the real place."

She grins sheepishly at Emi's look of understanding, as she clearly puts together how an evil Usagi could work, and shrugs at Molly.

"Enough of us has been through it that we probably could do an ex-evil anonymous thingy. Though, not sure why we need to be anonymous."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Lemonade. Cookies.

At first, Molly just takes the time to enjoy something good to eat and drink, the occasional tear following a well worn trail down her cheeks as she enjoys this moment of rest, surrounded by friends. But, as soon as she gets the chance, she looks up at Emi when she's nearby, and expends a couple breaths on working up a bit of courage.

"Hey, uhm... I know we only met once, and you don't really know me, but... thank you for coming to save me." She manages a smile, "Thank all of you. It means a lot to me."

The purplenette sucks in a breath, and lets it out slowly. "Okay. So. Seriss. What you know already I'm sure, she's... trying to bring back Mistress 9, or to reopen the portal to the... whatever the place is called, the Tau Dimension? Do I have that right? Only, you managed to stop her getting Hotaru-San so she's on to plan B, which is trying to open a portal herself, and she's got this... thing she called a Damnation Key -- 'cause of course she uses cheesy villain names for everything -- and she's getting ready to do it."

Molly pauses to take a bite out of a cookie, and mmmms, letting the flavor linger on her tongue for a good moment before swallowing.

"Thing is... when you destroyed Atropos, you didn't just make her angry. You scared her. You hurt her. She poured everything into those three creations -- more than she should've. When you destroyed one it weakaned her, and now she's afraid. It's just... she's dangerous, too."

Molly polishes off the cookie in another two bites. "So... you need to destroy the other two. Then she'll be vulnerable. I think. And... I think I know what to do then."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy tries cookies, and "Mm!"s appreciatively. "I snuck some of these in the past... I guess those and these are both memories... Delicious, delicious memories."

    She looks to Molly as matters of Seriss are discussed. "So we did hurt her... I was wondering, if with a couple of grief seeds, I could outlast her and wear through her recharges and shield bullshit... but if killing the other Fates will weaken her even more...

    "...Oh right they're dream-cookies! We can't get fat! And they're infinite!" She just stuffs a mouthful in her mouth and slowly chews.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
Emi is giving Molly her space, and letting her friends keep close, but when she's addressed, she fixes her eyes on her and then bows to her, low.

"If you hadn't fought so hard, nothing I did would have mattered, Molly. You stayed in the race despite everything and that's what matters here. I was merely in the right place to help at the right time. They'll fix this," she says, giving a nod towards the others, "and then you can get back to your nerd shit for real."

She cracks a little smile, despite it all.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Tsukiko nods appreciatively to Rashmi, then sits down to enjoy the cookies and the lemonade and listen to Molly's info. "Scared animals will bite," the wolfgirl acknowledges with a philosophical nod to the purplenette.

    (what kind of animal she thinks Seriss is remains unspoken, although Ikiko isn't one to besmirch her beloved strays of Tokyo, so it might not be the otherwise obvious choice)

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco is glad that Molly is feeling in a good mood, despite everything. This is the first big step in her freedom in a while, and it's important that she too believes it, that they are more than capable of telling Seriss no and kicking her out of Molly's body. They are long past the time when they are trying to find a way to help both.

Seriss has been consistently nasty, and even in a place as visible as the dreamscape she has given no sign of ever wanting anything other than evil and destruction. The mermaid really has no trouble believing that she is not stopping, not even if they make her.

Things could have been so different, but if even watching Molly having different versions of herself stay determined again and again didn't teach her that, then she is not sure what actually can change her mind. It's troublesome.

Meanwhile, they are moving into the house of Mamoru's grandparents, and they find themselves in this luminous place with its own annexed beach, and Coco can only think it must be a sight for sore eyes for Molly after all this time trapped.

Having a quality house on a beach is a surefire way to win Coco's approval. It certainly has so much open space and the interiors look so welcoming that she doesn't think Molly will have any trouble recovering from everything they have gone through.

She remembers the event with Mistress 9, and how it had led to a whole new development for Hotaru. She was very happy that the eager girl that had kept her company during the events with Sunset of Sora had finally gotten her freedom, and her own powers.

Seriss wanting to get all of that progress back... The mermaid scowls at the thought. They had stopped her, and Hotaru had been informed, but she still doesn't want to even think about the possibility that could get undone.

"Well, if Seriss has learnt that she is not invincible, maybe it's a good time to get her to hold off. But I am not sure it would work, if she is still going after Hotaru despite us stopping her. What is it that you want to do, Molly?" If the racer has a way so it doesn't have to be one or the other, Coco definitely wants to hear it.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Okay good," Rashmi sighs. "It's just something we have to do that's *stupidly hard,* not *ridiculously impossible.*"

Setting down next to her friend, she pats Molly's back when the purplenette can't stop the tears, and thinks the task through. "So... You're saying she... wait, so the reason she was throwing so much around was she was *siphoning off her own creatures?* That's... *so dumb* what the heck. But no... it tracks."

Closing her eyes, Rashmi takes in a deep breath. "So... You probably wanna know *how* we could even come get you. Well... Oneiric Guardian there, when I told her what Seriss had taken time out of her day to tell me, said that she could track you to your dreams if Seriss had something she'd touched. And... turns out Hinoiri-chan found Starcrash's last module. Which is a *whole nother story itself,* but turns out... That module had a bunch of defense spells... and his telepathic interface. Which I installed in Starcrash."

"...And I didn't tell her she could command him with her thoughts now."

Rashmi lets that sit for a moment, to make sure Molly understands.

"So Coco's right," she says. "Tell us what you want us to set up."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"I am so grateful, to all of you," Molly murmurs, leaning in to the pats on the back from her best friend. "If it weren't for all of you I wouldn't be here. And... I do need you to keep fighting, for a little while longer," she adds, looking up at Coco, and then Ikiko, and Emi.

"So, you have to kill her creations, and you have to get Clothos first. Lachesis won't be vulnerable until you do. And, I don't know how Seriss will react when you do, so... Be ready? She might lose her temper."

The purplenette bobs her head, "Sounds like I'll get one chance to use Starcrash, so that's... I think that's good. If my plan works I'll only get one chance anyway. And I know this is going to sound like a really bad plan, but it's tbe best I've got."

Molly takes a bite from her second cookie -- having cookies is really, really great -- and allows herself to enjoy it for a moment.

"So, you can't run Seriss out of mana. Every time she's close to empty she just... takes spent mana from the environment and recharges herself, so unless you straight up don't fight her at all she can't run out. But that's how we're going to beat her." Molly sucks in a breath, and dries her eyes again.

"Fight her. Once the you've killed Lachesis, goad her into taking the field, and fight her until she's out of mana, and then just... drop everything you can on her, have everyone use their biggest spells, so when she recharges she'll have so much mana coming in that she -- that I -- won't be able to hold it all. She doesn't have to be inside me all of the time, she can... exit for brief periods. If there's that much mana, it'll hurt, but she won't want to discharge it so she'll just use me like a battery for a few minutes. But as soon as she does, I can give Starcrash a command and use all that mana against her."

Molly pinches the bridge of her nose, and looks down at her knees. "I'm pretty sure it'll work, too. I've... had a long time to think this up."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's eyes widen. "Hee hah hoo hent ah--" She chews, and swallows. "She can use spent mana -- our *own attacks* to recharge herself? *damn*.... I'd like to have a backup plan, and more contingencies, but... This sounds solid. I just don't like there being only one chance..."

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Dreams are my magic," confirms Emi as Rashmi calls attention to her role in things. She's stopped pacing for the moment, at least, to listen to the explanation. While she can't play a direct role in facing Seriss in the real world, that doesn't mean she may not find a way to be useful.

"That ... sounds like the kind of terrible plan that might just work out."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Better one chance than no chance," Rashmi speaks up. "But it's a *good* terrible plan, because it relies on one thing; Seriss reacting badly to being beaten. And by that point, she'll have definitively lost three times, with no more backup. So her reacting badly is... preeeeetty certain. We just need to make sure *everyone* doesn't forget who the targets are, and engage her too early."

Sipping her own lemonade, she nods slowly as she works through the plan, then looks up at Amy, nodding. "Devices *can* do that," she says, "but it's not easy, and the Device needs to be *strong* enough to channel that much power. Nicomachea... isn't. Starcrash might be... And there's a chance he won't survive it if he can't. But it's the best plan we've got, and I can *promise you* Molly, when this is over Starcrash is getting a *complete* rebuild."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Tsukiko lets out a low whistle. "Well, if you're confident in the plan, I'll help out to the best of my ability," she nods grimly. "I'm just glad that we'll undoubtedly have a large variety of mahoujin to help pull this off, because it sounds like we'll definitely need plenty of mana-spenders to properly overcharge her out of your body."

    ...come to think of it, how much mana does the wolfgirl actually go through during combat, not counting finishers? :|a

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Stuff her so full of mana that it backfires against her? That sounds like the kind of thing that would work, but she is not sure how much she can contribute then. Her best tools aren't really all that different in magic output, and even if she sends out a few of her Live Stages crashing out against her, she is not sure how her purification interacts with things.

She certainly doesn't have a big flashy magic power to use a lot of energy on.

She nods at Tsukiko's assertion. "I will do my best too."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"And I'll take a chance over no chance," Molly confirms. "It's dangerous. Especially for me. But I don't think there's any other way and she has to be stopped, she can't be allowed to open a portal. Just, prioritize killing her creations first, then provoke her. I'm sure that part will be easy."

"Starcrash can do it. She installed the Power Regulator -- you know, the one from Chrono-Kun's ship, that I was keeping secure in Starcrash, until... I traded it for time, to warn you she was going after Hotaru? I don't raelly know what kind of power upgrade that's given her, but she did it, so." She sighs audibly. "Be prepared. Make sure everyone's got their best defenses up. She's basically incapable of holding back."

Molly pauses, poening her mouth to talk, then shutting it again, and palpably working through something. "So, one last request... I know you all saw my dream. And it is a prediction, it's... I don't think it's written in stone or anything, but it's at least a likely future, for me. So..." she sucks in a breath. "When I wake up, properly, I don't know how much I'll remember, if any. If I don't remember, please don't tell me. Don't tell me anything. I know it looks like there's... things, and people, that I should be warned about, but I also... I mean apparnetly I'm going to win a lot of races and donate all the winnings to charities? And it's important to me to do that. I want to do that. Even if it means my life outside of racing is not, y'know, super great. But I think... I have to believe it's worth it."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When Molly just says 'she installed the regulator into Starcrash' Rashmi looks... horrified, furious, curious, furious again, horrified some more... "So let me see if I have this right," she says slowly. "She doesn't know what she's doing... So she took a *part that's supposed to go into a spaceship* and *handle and direct power output designed for a **spaceship's power needs*** and she just... duct-taped it on in there until it worked."

Once again, Rashmi has found new depths of sensibilities to offend, and it will not surprise her at all if a handy chair gets winged at Seriss' head before the fight concludes.

But then, Molly has a more pressing, somewhat bleaker request. "If you don't remember," Rashmi says quietly, "then I promise... You won't be told."

A lot of emotions pass over Rashmi's face, none of them terribly happy... But none of them terribly *resigned* either. Because now she has one more reason to fight the Fade, equally critical to Mamoru and his boys' lives. And if there's one thing she's learned over the last couple years of being a magical girl?

Magic means never giving up when there's an even better future to fight for.

"Okay... If you're ready, Molly-chan, it's probably time to find you a dorm room. I'll see if we can't find mine, when we get there."

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"I won't be of much help, but tell me when and I'll try to be help however I can from the Dreamscape. Given matters as they sit, I'm going to be playing guard dog quite a bit."

Emi points at Moly.

"And you -- you will get to explore the Radiant Heart's dreamscape with me. Lucky you. I can even hook you up with a dorm room for now, make things as normal as they can be for you -- though you'll need to mind ... a lot of things, actually, come to think of it."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    YAmy nods to everything said about the plan. "It's a shame I can't help hold the magic... I can fit so much." She holds out her left hand with the ring on it. Then looks to Rashmi. "Hey, do you think there might be a way? Not to recharge me, but if I could even temporarily hold, let alone use it..."

    "And in the meantime..." She looks to Molly, then Emi. "Like... what happens now? What's... life in the dreamworld like, for Molly, until then? ...Can she sleep here? Can she dream?"

    She takes a couple more cookies and stuffs them in her mouth.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Tsukiko gives Molly a big hug. "With all of us working together--"

    --and it's clear that she means more than just the mahoujin present at the moment--

"--I'm sure we'll all get through," the wolfgirl says with honest encouragement... and the barest hint of a wince, paired with a glance towards Rashmi that all but says I am so glad I can likely count on you for enough defensive magic to help me survive being hit by a really pissed-off Seriss.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I can work on that", Coco asserts. She has an easier time breaking youmas than she has wantonly spending energy on things, and she should probably be good as far as shielding goes. Even if things go wrong, they should be able to improvise something that works.

The fact they know she has an unknown ace is definitely troublesome, but well, if it uses a spaceship's output, even if she doesn't know much about tech, it kind of looks wasteful to her. "How is she sure it doesn't use more energy than she needs?"

"I promise not to tell you", Coco tells Molly at her request. Though she hopes that it never comes to that, and either way, those dreams... They don't include any of them, right? That's a pretty big flaw, because nobody here would just stand there watching even if they didn't know it would happen.

"I don't think Seira really sleeps", she tells Amy. "She doesn't need to, the same way she doesn't need to eat or drink. I guess that for Molly it will be the same." Barring the access to food that Molly does have.