2844/Rooftop Reassurance

Rooftop Reassurance
Date of Scene:	21 November 2025
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Molly goes up to the rooftop for lunch, hoping for company and being well rewarded by Rashmi being there.
Cast of Characters:	Molly Skyline, Rashmi Terios

---

Molly Skyline has posed:
It's noon in Tokyo, in the middle of a perfectly ordinary day -- though perhaps the word 'ordinary' is doing a lot of work here. For Molly, even though this isn't her first day back at school since dieing and getting resurected as a daimon host, things are definitely not... normal yet. But, at least she's got new spectacles, still with the round lenses just like she's always prefered.

Sometimes it's best to solve th easiest problems first; if nothing else, then you have less problems.

It might also have caused a minor stir first thing in the morning when, instead of getting off the bus, Molly was dropped off directly by Samantha Skyline behind the wheel of a sky blue Porsche 911 -- not hers, but a customer's vehicle that needed a test drive anyway -- and that doesn't happen every day either.

Thankfully, it's lunch time, and Molly has managed to contain herself not to just run to the rooftop, but to at least walk there in a dignified manner, in the hopes that she'll be mostly but not entirely alone up there.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And, turns out she's not! Propped up against an HVAC unit, bundled up aginst the growing fall-to-winter chill, Rashmi seems to be reviewing something on one of Nicomachea's holographic screens, and munching on a fairly sizable bento box from the cafeteria plaza. As the door opens, her head perks up, and the grin that spreads on her face is *radiant.*

"Hi, Molly-chan!"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Hey, Rashmi-chan."

Molly manages a smile, but it's not quite the ear-to-ear grin that she'd normally have had; she hasn't produced one of those since before... well before.

Nevertheless, the releief that someone is up here and it's Rashmi in particular is palpable, as she crosses the short space and plops down beside her. She's got her own box of food from the cafeteria, and after unslinging her knapsack she goes about the process of arranging everything so she can eat -- which is still a process of experimentation, trying to figure out how to balance everything ahead of time so she won't have to worry about holding anything while she's holding chopsticks.

It is not a quick and easy process.

"I'm really glad you're up here. I didn't want to have lunch a lone but I also didn't want to have it with people who didn't, y'know, understand."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Yeah, I kinda get it," Rashmi says after a moment, watching Molly arrange things to her liking... which is why she's sitting on every impulse to correct the placement of things; this sauce would be best next to the tempura, etc. Because if Molly wants help, she'll *ask* for it.

Hopefully.

"Then, I'm glad I'm here, too."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Eventually, Molly sighs, and gives up.

"I know that's not how things are supposed to be arranged," she admits, "But I feel like it's going to... I don't know. Work. Maybe. Or something. Or at least, hopefully not fall outta my lap and send everything from tempura to the dynamite roll tumbling onto the floor." She follows this up by using her teeth to tear the end off the little paper packet the chopsticks come in, and then holding one in her teeth so she can break the other one loose.

"So... after this last year it feels really weird to just sit down and be like 'how was class this morning' but... I really wanna know? How was class this morning?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I mean it does," Rashmi chuckles, "but also like... I wanna tell you? Even if it's the same as most mornings; math is awful, English is weird because of all the ways it's *like* Mid-Childan and all the ways it's *not,* and civics is my favorite class. Basically I get all my highs and lows out of the way the first half of the day," she says, laughing.

"How about you? Have they got a lesson plan you can live with, or are they recommending you a cram tutor?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Both," Molly answers. "I've missed so much stuff, I just... if I want to start post-secondary with you, I don't have a lot of options. I need to work until I drop basically. So, summer school will be in my future, no question about that, and probably the following summer as well, and I'm going to be doing extra classes to catch up so my Sundays from now on are going to be like, homework." She sighs softly. "But they also don't want to overload me with nothing but work and I'm pretty grateful for that."

"I think I'd be a lot more okay with this if I still had two arms," she mumbles. "Like... why. Why? Why did she do that to me, it wasn't necessary, I wasn't fighting her, I wasn't... I can't even say it was spite, there was literally no reason to do it."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Well if you want help, or just a study buddy, let me know?" Rashmi says, shifting closer. "Because with everything else... there's probably a good few people invested in helping you out, study *parties* might not be out of line."

But then Molly comes back to a subject closer to hand, and Rashmi sighs, shaking her head. "Honestly... I think spite's close. She *loved* to hurt people, to cause pain, and when the two of you were separated she was already losing control over... well, everything. So yeah... I wouldn't have put it past her to have attacked you just so you wouldn't *get* to be a hundred percent happy being back."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Honestly, I think she was actualyl going for my head. I suppose I'm lucky she only got my arm."

Molly finally gets around to eating something; a piece of dynamite roll dipped in soy sauce, and she still insists on doing it the wrong way like foreigners and tourists always do, and she just takes a moment to chew and swallow.

"Now I have to figure out how to do everything all over again, including how to work towards my dreams 'cause I still wanna race. But like.. she's dead, she's gone, and she's still taking things from me."

Molly eats another bite, and turns her gaze sideways to look at Rashmi, somehow managing to smile. Because her best friend is right beside her, and that helps.

"I guess I just... wish I knew what to do."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And that smile is returned, with gentle enthusiasm. "And you'll figure it out, Molly-chan... I know you will. I mean... it's not like 'what to do' has really changed *that* much. We're teenagers, Molly-chan. We try things, we make mistakes, we learn, we try again. Just like every other teenager, y'know?"

Leaning over, she rests a hand on Molly's right shoulder. "I'm not saying it's not gonna be hard, Molly-chan," she says gently. "But you got this. After everything you've managed to do all this time? You got this. And we'll be right here to help when you need it."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly sighs softly, "Yeah, but most teenagers don't have to start over from the beginner at age sixteen," she sullenly complains.

The purplenette looks down at her left arm, and then back to her lunch, and the piece of yam tmepura becomes the next victim. "Though, now that I do have my body back, it's like... I haven't actually aged since the day on the beach?" You know. That day. "It's really weird. I feel like I've been through enough that I should be forty years old by now, but physically I haven't changed a bit, other than the arm thing."

There's the arm thing again. There's gotta be something more fun to talk about.

"So like... Any idea what you want to do after High School?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"College," Rashmi says immediately. "Then public service, politics... Magic never really changed what I wanted to *do* with my life, it just... helped move it along some, y'know? Like you did, the first time we met, up here. I don't... think you'll ever really know *how much* you helped make my dreams possible, Molly-chan."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly blushes deeply, and burries herself in her food for a moment. And, hey; at least she seems to have her appetite back, as opposed to when she was nibbling on that piece of banana bread at Mamoru's place like she was the smallest finch from the Galapagos.

"Glad I could help," she murmurs. "And like, that's awesome, what you want to do, politics and public service, and like... guarantee you I'll vote for you. I'll move so I can be in the right district so I can vote for you." She shrugs her shoulders lightly, "I just wanna go zooming around a track as fast as four wheels will carry me, but who knows, maybe I'll find some way to make it benefit other people."

Molly takes a breath, and leans back against the HVAC unit. "So I know I warned you the other day that I might... struggle a lot, but, also? It really is good to be back. To have my body back. ...Even just most of it."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I mean if your dreams were any indicator, you couls donate your winnings?" Rashmi says with a shrug. "You might wanna put more thought than that into it so you can, like, *have* an income, but still. That feels like a good starting point to me?"

"And I remember the warning," she goes on, "but, yeah... More than anything it's really, really, *really good* to just... *have* you back. I figure, that's the absolute most super important thing. The rest? We can figure out along the way."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Actually, that's not a bad idea," she muses. "I'd have to actually win something first."

The purplenette finishes up her lunch, and tosses the empty box aside to be dealt with when she stands up, but not right now -- Molly has become a degree more messy lately, which she's acknowledged -- and she leans over sideways to rest her head on Rashmi's shoulder.

"Thank you," she says, quietly. "For never giving up and for... just, for everything. When Seriss wanted me to give up and just face away it was... I wanted to, a lot of the time, to just get it over with, but then I knew that you weren't quitting so I couldn't either. And it's really good to be back. It is. I pomise it is, even if I'm not overly good at showing it right now."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"You're welcome," is all Rashmi says for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "And the moment I knew you were alive... I wasn't ever *gonna* give up. Cos I know you'd've done the same if it was me... That's what made it such an easy decision. And maybe what comes next now won't be so easy... but not giving up? Still n easy choice."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly closes her eyes, and rests where and as she is. It has been a long time since she's been able to do things like just sit and exist alongside her best friend -- or any friend at all for that matter.

"There's things that... I feel like I should talk about. That I want to talk about. And I don't want to, at the same time, or maybe I'm just scared to. But I don't know how to talk about them, and I guess just... maybe defaulting to complaining about my arm a lot of the time is easier and simpler 'cause it's obvious and it's obviously a problem and I feel like people would expect me to be upset about it."

Molly Sits up straight, and brushes her fingers through her hair -- first one side of her head, then the other. "My Moms are already staying up late at night to research prosthetics but I know I'm never gonna get anything even remotely like a real arm."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Maybe not," Rashmi says quietly, "but you can definitely get good enough you can compensate for it, and it'll just get better from there."

The redhead pauses for a moment, brow furrowing. "...Molly-chan," she says slowly. "You know you can talk to me about literally anything, right? If you don't have the words... try talking around it a little, give yourself a running start, y'know?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly bobds her head, the faintest movement up and down of everything above the neck, as she draws her knees up against her chest.

"Yeah I know," she mumbles, as she stares at the rooftop over her knees. "I..." She stops, and shakes her head. "I don't even know where to begin, like, there are so many things, I spent almost a year watching someone use my body to try to hurt you and everyone else real bad and she took joy in it, and just... everything, right down to watching her beat all my highscores in the arcade, and she made sure I saw."

The purplenette shrugs, "I dunno, I guess I'm worried that people are gonna lose patience and expect me to just like... get over it. Like it's over now. Except it's not over for me."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"No," Rashmi says, shaking her head. "*Nobody's* gonna expect you to get over it, Molly-chan. There's a lot of us who're still fighting things we've beaten in the past... You saw some of that in my dreams. And maybe you can ask Mamoru sometime, how he handles it. Of everyone I know, he was the closest to where you were."

Letting out a long sigh, Rashmi closes her eyes. "I was *so furious* at the arcade," she murmurs. "Because I *knew* why she was there, and I *hated her so much* I could barely breathe..."

A full-body shudder runs through her, and she shakes her head.

Molly Skyline has posed:
"One of the worst moments," Molly grumbles, "By far was when she decided to pick a fight at Okujoo Ramen, nd I was beyond terrified that something was gonna happen to my Moms, and I was screaming at her, begging, pleading with her to do anything else, and I'm positive she could hear me but she didn't care. I offered her basically anything. When I gave her the passcode to Starcrash's secure storage, that wasn't the first time I offered it to her, it was the second."

Molly sighs softly, "i'm glad she didn't accept it then because nothing happened to my Moms and you really needed the tip-off to save Hotaru." She pauses, and shivers, "I think now I'm scared to let my guard down and relax 'cause I couldn't the whole time I was her host."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah," Rashmi sighs. "That *was* awful, and you're probably right that she didn't care."

Opening her eyes, she retrieves a melon soda and cracks it open. "I don't blame you for feeling like that, Molly-chan," she says, taking a sip. "But I think that's one thing that'll get better with time, every day that passes being proof you really are free. I don't... know how long it'll take, to get there... but I know you will, Molly-chan."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly rolls her shoulders, "You know... I used to completely hat the idea of the Fade, and I still think it's a bad thing don't get me wrong, but... eventually, I think it'll be good to forget that I spent a year of my life a prisoner in my own body, chained in darkness while someone else used me to hurt everyone I care about in all sorts of ways."

The purplenette glances down to her side, "I wonder what'll happen to my memories about my arm? It's not like I'll be able to forget not having it," she muses.

Her eyes flick back to Rashmi, and she quirks her lips upwards at the corners, "Got another one of those? ...I don't have Starcrash's storage right now obviously, and uhh... I didn't... think to get a drink."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Does *Rashmi* have extra cold drinks?

Might as well ask if rain falls, or if Tokyo has a cicada problem in the summer.

Without a word, she extracts a bottle of strawberry Ramune, opens it, and pops down the marble, before handing it over.

"If I had to guess," she says quietly, "you'd just have no more idea than your moms do, y'know?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Guess I don't have to worry about it for a few more years yet." Molly purses her lips. "Actually, that's... another thing, I don't think I'm actually any older physically than I was when... y'know. When it happened. I was definitely in like a mid-twenties version of me while Seriss was in control. Did I just... go back to being exactly what I was before, minue an arm? Or am I imagining things?"

Molly accepts the drink, and about a quarter of it disappears in one long gulp. "Thanks," she expresses, and finally manages a decent smile, as if forgetting about everything else just for a moment as the sugar rush takes hold.

"Rashmi-chan, I want you to know, even if I'd known what was going to happen to me... that day on the beach. I'd still have done it. To save you and everyone else, I mean."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I mean I think you do look the same age?" Rashmi says, shrugging. "I haven't really noticed because, I mean, I'm too busy being happy you're here, y'know? It's magic."

Which seems to be explanation enough for the redhead.

But when Molly says she has no regrets about that day, a complicated series of emotions crawls across her face, as she toys with her bottle. Finally, she seems to settle on; "I know... and that kind of proves why Starcrash picked *you.* Because no matter what... you've always been the kind of girl a magical warrior ought to be. And I'm proud to call you my best friend, Molly-chan."