1748/Rooftop Udon

Rooftop Udon
Date of Scene:	13 July 2024
Location:	Plot Room 3
Synopsis:	Rashmi and Molly meet on a rooftop, to share some udon and sushi after a fight. Rashmi has advice and ideas to offer, which Molly is very grateful to accept.
Cast of Characters:	Molly Skyline, Rashmi Terios

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Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly has had a rough couple of nights.

Yesterday, she met a Belkan Knight who for no particular reason beat her until she couldn't stand. Not that she didn't get a few licks of her own in, but she definitely lost that fight. At least it ended when she could no longer stand, and her barrier jacket took the brunt of it at least.

Tonight, not half an hour ago, Molly and Rashmi just got done teaming up to beat a Youma, and once again Molly's barrier jacket was left just about slagged, and she's got hte bruises to show for it. But hey, they won, the Youma got fully dismantled and even with a black eye the purplenette's mood is absolutely none the worse for wear.

Now she's just settling in on a rooftop, with a box of take-out food. Hers, speficifically, is some Oyako Udon. Well, also some sushi rolls she got to share. Nevermind the fact that her Barrier Jacket still looks like she tried doing an Icarus; that's a problem for later. Right now, she's hungry. (When isn't she some degree of hungry?)

"Okay so, that went well," she decides, as she plops down with her feet dangling over the edge, and rests Starcrash on the ledge beside her. "I think you did better though. You definitely did a better job of not getting put through a wall."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"You did pretty good too!" Rashmi says, just before inhaling a mouthful of noodles. Apparently, she's the sort that likes to leave the toppings for the middle of the meal, as she manages to keep tempura-fried shrimp and lotus to the side in the process. "Also important; you got the last shot in. No matter what, as long as you're the one who walks away, it went great. But do you know *why* it caught you out like that?"

This is not their first fight together, and by this point Rashmi has made such a habit of recording her fight data, Molly knows well she can bring the scene in question up into a hologram, like an athlete reviewing their performance.

Also her Barrier Jacket is slightly different, these days; there's something glowing brightly in the canister attached to the back of her belt.

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly doesn't answer immediately, she's too busy doing a little inhaling of her own -- noodles, chicken, egg... she likes to eat noodles and toppings at roughly the same rate, but almost always has a little of something left over at the end.

"...If I had to hazard a guess, it's 'cause I'm a full caster class who likes going melee too much," she admits. "But... well, I mean, I can multi-class... y'know... do the real life equivalent of taking a level in fighter, maybe?" She gobbles another mouthful, while she watches Rashmi it, and waits to see if that's the answer Rashmi had in mind or not.

The glowing canister, she definitely has noticed, but hasn't asked about yet. Her eyes have definitely wandered in that direction, though.

"Getting the last shot in, yeah, that's definitely satisfying. Beats what happened last night. At least she didn't try to like, drain my entire *soul* like Sunbreaker did, she just beat me up and left. I feel like she just does that kind of thing recreationally."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah tell me more about that, by the way?" Rashmi says, plucking up her lotus slice, then looking up. "'Cos I *think* I know who you're talking about, but, what'd she look like? Also... Just because you're a mage doesn't mean you'll never be good with close-in work. Like... When you're fighting, what's the thing you concentrate on most?"

Cronch goes the lotus, and a moment later, Rashmi swallows. "Because if you practice at it long enough... Fighting's like chess. Chrono's *amazing* at setting things up to guide you into a trap, but it's with the same magic he can use to attack from a distance, y'know? It's like... Think what'll happen *after* your move, then have plans in place for that. If you get good enough at it, you can plan in advance. I'm still getting there myself, but it's something I try to keep in mind."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Oh! Chess! I'm good at chess!" Molly's expression brights considerably. "Well, at least, I like to think I am. I promise you'll not be catching me with any scholar's mage shenanigans, at least." She ahems, "Mind you, chess is usually about what you're willing to sacrifice for victory -- like forcing your opponent to take your queen so you can checkmate him with your bishop and rook -- and I'd rather not sacrifice things in real life if I can avoid it."

Molly slurps up another mouthful of noodles, and mms, "Gonna have to remember this place. ...I'm bad at doing strategy in a fight, though. You're right about that. I usually just blast away at stuff until it stops moving and hope for the best. So, right, last night. Didn't work super well either. It was this lady who said she was in a bad mood, looked like a knight, had two shields floating next to her that reconfigured to shoot stuff at me, and she liked to punch." She purses her lips for a moment, "Oh, and she literally never dodged anything I did. She used defensive magic but otherwise just sucked it all up. It was like shooting rubber bands at a triceratops. And when she was helped me back up to my feet, patted me on the head, and left."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Right," Rashmi chuckles, "but there's something to be said about being able to guess what'll happen when you do stuff. ...I mean, not least 'what's gonna happen when you use a cutting beam in a crowded area,' Miss-Glad-I-Have-A-Friend-With-Barriers-chan." The ribbing might sting, if Rashmi were not being as gentle as possible about it, with a truly fond smile on her face. "Just... remember where you are. Use the environment to your advantage. If you duck into an alleyway and they have to follow you, that's three whole directions you don't have to watch. Your Eclipse Beams put up a lot of ice, why not practice using them to build up walls and obstacles and stuff? And... I know Nicomachea has a spell-development engine, was that part of Starcrash's missing memory banks?"

None of this, honestly, is said with any kind of judgment or upset. This is just a girl seeing her friend getting unduly battered, and wanting to help.

"Also, did her Device speak English, or German? Because I may actually know who it is."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly listens to Rashmi's criticisms with a mild blush, but not the sort that comes with hurt feelings. She's just paying rapt attention to what Rashmi has to say, because if there's one person who's opinion and advice she values above all others, it's her best friend.

"...That's... I can't believe I didn't think of that," she admits. "About using ice to build stuff up. And yeah, I know, I kinda... fire off beams and barrets and stuff a lot, usually without getting too concerned about what *else* I might be hitting aside from the Youma, I'll totally grant you're right there."

She pauses for a moment, munching on some more noodles and a bit of egg. "Her devices -- I'm pretty sure her shields were two seperate devices, I didn't know you could do that -- were speaking German. She did this thing where she stuffed me in pinball hell and then seemed genuinely impressed when I got up after it." She glances sideways at Starcrash then, and pats the weapon lightly on the haft, "As for Starcrash, yeah, I think he's missing that. I just have *no idea* how to go about looking for missing memory banks, y'know? It's not like he remembers where they are."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi nods slowly, chopsticks bouncing at the corner of her mouth for a moment. "...Yeah I think I know her. Kind of. She showed up at the Korma once, all conflicted because she came here to kill Hannah-chan, and when she got the chance it wasn't the kind of fight that made her feel really good about it. I think... she's a pretty bad match for Obsidian, and she'll probably end up a Refugee from Evil at some point."

Looking up, she tilts her head. "Pinball hell, huh? ...If it's anything like what I can do with my shields, *I'd* be impressed too. My brains would be rattling around like your dice in a mostly empty box, personally." Taking the chopsticks out of her mouth, she monches contemplatively on her tempura shrimp. "I have a couple thoughts on how to help with that... D'you know if Starcrash has room left in the banks he *does* have? Because I might -- *might,* mind you -- be able to build something he can use to keep a lookout for them. And even if not... Molly-chan, Starcrash-san, I'd like *both* of your permissions to give him a full scan. If nothing else, Nicomachea-kun's got a *great* sensor suite, and Hannah-chan's been teaching me how to fix Devices. ...I even built a project of my own this week, and so far it's working pretty good!"

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly sets out the sushi rolls she bought to share -- one California roll (because of course, she's foreign), one Dynamite roll, and one Spicy Avacado roll. "Uhm... I don't think they're full," she muses, as she sets out some soy sauce and wasabi, before scraping her chopsticks around in her Udon to gather everything up for one last mouthful. (She balanced wrong, so it's just noodles.) "Hey, Starcrash, how full are your existing memory banks? And would you mind Nicomachea-kun giving you a full scan?"

<< My memory banks are presently eighty-four per cent filled. Recommend preserving at least eight per cent empty. Nicomacea may perform a scan. >>

Molly bobs her head, "Well, if it's fine with Starcrash, it's fine with me," she agrees. "Have some sushi? And, yeah, miss Knight lady didn't really... seem like the people we usually meet from Obsidian. She liked fighting, but that doesn't mean anything. I like fighting. And she wasn't like, mean to me or anything, she just bet me up and then politely told me I was tougher than I looked, basically."

Molly plcuks a piece of the Avacado Roll with her chopsticks, dips it in the soy sauce, and munches it happily. "...Okay also, I gotta ask. Your cannister is glowing now?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah that was my project," Rashmi says with a grin, reaching back and popping the canister off her belt with a faint *hiss* and a cloud of sparkling-golden steam. Bringing her hand around, she holds it up for Molly to see the light of her mana practically *seething* inside. "So... I don't actually have really good output, honestly. I can't fling beams around like you can, and I'm *way* far away from Nanoha-chan's throw weight. But I've been thinking about how the TSAB uses magic like we do electricity, and... I mean that means they'd have to have batteries and generators and stuff, right? So after some trial and error and design work, I came up with this; a mana accumulator."

Grinning, she fits the canister back into place, and snags up a Dynamite piece. "So I've set it so all my spells cost just a little bit more mana than usual, but all the extra goes into there. When it's filled up? I have enough to throw out one good Bombardment spell, or something similarly high-energy. Right now it's just the beam, but, all I have to do is work out spells that can take a higher energy budget to change that. It's... kind of part of why I *really really* want to teach you how to use that spell-creation program, which means I have a very strong interest in getting Starcrash back his stuff."

Lifting a shoulder, she lifts the bowl to her lips and, somehow, manages to chug all the broth in a single drink, letting out a gusty sigh when the bowl is lowered. "So maybe tomorrow, you and I meet somewhere were I can give Starcrash a complete scan. That way, if I can't do anything else Nicomachea'll have his signature stored to memory. So he can let me know if anything in this city pings as him."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly mirrors Rashmi's decision, eating up a piece of Dynamite as well. She mms, "I don't think I've ever seen Nanoha-chan fight," she admits. "I mean, I've heard about it, and I don't think I approach her level either. But I'm not trying to, either, I'm just trying to be the best Molly Skyline I can be." As she speaks, she's watching what Rashmi is showing her; and her eyes have gone all kind of big, looking at the golden steam.

"Rashmi-chan, that is absolutely without doubt the coolest thing I've ever seen. And now I *know* gotta get off my duff and get to improving myself, or I'm just gonna keep getting smacked around by people that I oughta be able to hold my own against, and honestly as cool as it was fighting the Knight last night, it'd be even cooler if I could be the one to beat *her* next time."

The purplenette tilts her head, and gazes upwards into the sky for a moment. "Y'know, I could offer to clean up the kitchen tomorrow night when the restaurant closes. They won't keep track of how long it takes, so if you want to drop by, you can scan, I'll clean, and I can basically guarantee you they'll be enough ramen left over of some sort or another for us both to get something to eat while we're at it."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"That," Rashmi says, "sounds like an *awesome* idea. And don't feel bad, Molly-chan. Half of the problem with figuring this stuff out is, you don't know what you don't know, until you know it, then you wonder how you never managed to know it in the first place. You've got a pretty good suite so far, it's just a matter of 'how else can I use this?' and before you know it, you've built a toolbox for most situations." And at the praise, Rashmi is absolutely blushing in pleased embarrassment.

"And if you ever want to test out new ways to use your spells, let me know. I'd be *happy* to be the wall you bounce stuff off of, even literally."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Actually," Molly muses, "Sometime? I'd like to spar with you and Chrono. Like, both of you together, taking me on." She holds up a hand, "I don't for a second think I'd win that, but I feel like honestly, most of the fights I've gotten into since all this started up for me have been unbalanced against me. That lady last night kicked my butt. Sunbreaker put me in my place like I was a kitten. I've only beaten a Youma solo once, otherwise I've always needed help -- not that needing help is a bad thing or anything mind you. So if fights are always gonna be unfair, I might as well practice that."

Molly snags a piece of California roll, and gazes back out over the nighttime city skyline. "You're always extremely welcome to bounce anything you need to off of me, too," she adds. "And, I'm really grateful. You're helping me figure out all that stuff I don't know a lot faster than I would on my own."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I mean," Rashmi chuckles, "I never want people to make half the mistakes *I* did, so... I'm happy to do it, Molly-chan. You're my best friend too, y'know? I wanna see how high you can go, even if it's way past me. Though I also wanna tell you a secret."

Monching on spicy avocado, she leans in over the sushi rolls and lowers her voice. "I don't *ever* want to be caught alone if I can help it. It doesn't matter how strong I am... When it's jsut me it's only how strong *I* am. When it's more than me it's how strong we *all* are. Teamwork'll win fights way more than me being the best."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly nods her head, "I fully agree," she replies. "I'm not looking to become a lone warrior or go glory seeking or anything. I just wanna be prepared 'cause we're not up against monsters or, like, people, who're gonna play nice and not seek every advantage they can get."

A piece of Avacado goes in her mouth as well, and she takes the time to savor it. "Pretty sure I'll find plenty of ways to keep making mistakes," she adds, grinning mischievously. "Just, hopefully not too many of the kind that land me in hospital for a week with broken glasses and a struggle to find the will to, like, exist. But if I gotta dive between a baddie and you, or someone else? I'd totally do it. You know I would. Self preservation isn't my best skill."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah," Rashmi says fondly, shaking her head. "But I would too. And remember, we have a saying here. 'Fall down seven times, get up eight.' That's all you need to do to get better; make mistakes, and keep going. You've been doing great at that so far, keep doing it and you'll be amazing in no time."

Leaning back, she looks up at the night sky, smiling faintly. "And, honestly? I can't wait to see it."