2669/An Intermission From Violence

An Intermission From Violence
Date of Scene:	03 July 2025
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Rashmi is ready to hand off Starcrash's defense module to Seriss; and it's all part of the plan. A plan that needs Coco, Hinoiri, Madoka, and Mamoru on hand to make it work, and to fight the dark sorceress if it doesn't.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Mamoru Chiba, Madoka Kaname, Hinoiri Kirara, Coco Kiumi, Molly Skyline

---

Rashmi Terios has posed:
It was time.

Class is out, homework is done, sun is set. Chrono had handed the Device part back, and reported that the module was 100% TSAB-cleared for reinstallation.

...But *before* Rashmi does something stupid like 'make a deal with a Daimon,' backup would be a smart idea. *Purifying* backup, an even better idea. Thus, the call went out.

<< TXT to HINOIRI, COCO, MAMORU, and MADOKA: So I'm probably about to make all our lives a little harder, in the hope that it gives us a way to rescue Molly-chan. I can't get into specifics until afterward, but would you be willing to stand behind me and look purifying and/or healy while I barter a favor out of Seriss Nyx? If so, meet me at Mamoru's cat cafe so I can explain at least a little bit, then make the call. >>

Minutes later, Rashmi was sat at one of the larger tables, one hand wrapped around a chilled boba, the other lazily scritchiing between the ears of a calico with a purr lke a rusty chainsaw. Poor Chrono... cats are wonderful.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
It's a yukata again! But the one Mamoru's wearing right now is a deep bright August sky blue with golden-yellow gingko leaves scattered all over it, and a matching golden-yellow obi. He comes over trailing an extremely large and fluffy calico cat behind him, who looks indulgently at the one Rashmi is scritching and then comes up to sit at the table like a people. "Anko, if someone Rashmi-chan actually invited needs a seat you'll have to sit elsewhere," Mamoru tells this big cat.

Then he sits down in the chair next to Anko, settling in with his absurdly sweet iced latte thing. "What if I look carelessly menacing? Do you need me in fancy lad henshin or in armor henshin? I don't actually know if I can look menacing right now I'm too full of hearts and rainbows."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
<< TXT from MADOKA: Is this what Coco told us about? I'll be right over. >>

    A little while after the texts are sent out, a Labyrinth portal opens outside the cat cafe, and Hope Blossom steps through with her pink hair arranged in a bob cut. Since they are likely trying to cut some kind of deal, henshining with Sio seemed like the best choice.

    In an empty room of a nearby building, with clear view of the street, another portal opens and deposits Homura, who starts pulling things out of her shield in order to set up a sniper nest.

    Hope Blossom walks through the front door and finds Rashmi. She smiles at her and takes a seat at the table, inviting a black cat to sit in her lap for a bit while she pets it. "Coco talked to me a bit about this, but I'm guessing things might have changed since then. I'll be here, and if things go really sour, Kamiko is nearby too."

    She then notices Mamoru, blinks, and then smiles brightly at him. "Hehehe, is that the mood of a recently married person? Glad your honeymoon is going well."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Cure La Licorne had accepted the invite and arrived as, well... Cure La Licorne. Because while she had no qualms about them knowing who she was... She was still very, very keen on Obsidian having no idea that Hinoiri Kirara had gained magic again.

Also, she uhhh... She had glitter in her hair. That was unrelated. To anything. And probably didn't need to be asked about. She walked in, giving a small wave. "Hey," she said. Then glanced to Mamoru and gave a light snort. "Go for the armor and try to look from the side, if you don't look at her dead on, you can maybe hide juuuust enough giggly smile that you'll pass as grim and mysterious."

"... Though honey moon and happy dad energy... yeah... not sure you could pull off gruff grrrrr right now," Licorne said in a teasing tone before smiling to Hope. "Hey Hope Blossom. Guess what? I finally figured out the code to not have to do the silly pose thing after *every* single finishing attack. So long as it's part of a combo attack, but not the *Actual* finishing shot? I don't have to do the full pose after! Neat, right?" Ahhhh, pretty cure powers... they were a *science*.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
<PHONE> Coco Kiumi texts Rashmi Terios: I will be there right away.

A very succint reply for something, she understood, where time was of the essence. And so she transforms right away and flies her way to the cat cafè, keeping herself over the rooftops to avoid as many eyes as possible. The less disturbances the Veil has to clear, the better. When she arrives there, she falls down to the entrance of the cat cafè and moves to were the others are sat with a quick stride, waving at the group and sitting down as well. No problem is made of the chair Anko is occupying, rather she moves her hand over for a quick pet, before joining it back with her other on the table.

No sooner she has taken her place that Seira appears next to Coco after a brief shine of the orange pearl, waving seriously at the others and waiting for the contact with Seriss Nyx to be established.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
As each files into the cafe and takes their seat, Rashmi's smile grows brighter and brighter. It is, after all, one thing to state that you're willing to help out no matter what. It's entirely another to see just how many of your friends are willing to do the same, and as Coco takes her seat, she knuckles a bit of glitter out of the corner of her eye. Yes, definitely glitter. Not the other thing. Because Hinoiri brings all her transparent excuses with her!

"Yeah basically," she says, answering Madoka first. "For Hinoiri-chan and Mamo-kun... Seriss Nyx has locked Molly into her dreams. We have... a plan... to do something about that, but she's *also* been throwing a lot of veiled threats around about my family, and Molly-chan's family, and frankly if I'm willing to just pay her ten thousand yen to *stop talking* I'm also willing to give her any bribe to take them off the table. So... I'm going to do something stupid, and offer her a piece of Starcrash that Molly-chan never had. It's... kind of lucky, honestly, that it didn't fall into my hands until after... After."

And yes, she does glance Hinoiri's way while saying that, but it's with the kind of reassuring smile that says that she holds *zero* grudge for *why* it happened when it did.

"I mean I'd go for the armor too, Mamo-kun... mostly I'm asking you all here because I want witnesses, and I would not trust her as far as I can throw the Moon. So if she *does* do something on-brand... we fight to scatter."

Falling silent for a moment, she takes a deep breath. "If everyone's okay with that... let's step outside, because there's enough magical folk in this building I don't even want to Barrier inside it."

With that, she taps her hands on the table, sets her boba aside, and gets up from the chair. "I'll try and be right back," she says to Anko, smiling.

Once the group has assembled on the street, Rashmi puts up a Barrier -- carefully excluding the BAKE Neko from any dimension-shifting shenaniganry, and extracts her phone from Nicomachea.

After a moment's hesitation... she thumbs a number she'd previously had muted. Molly's secret burner phone.

Molly Skyline has posed:
The phone rings exactly three times before it is answered. But it is answered, laying to rest any question as to wether or not Seriss hung on to the phone.

The voice that comes through from the other end is the most bemused version of Seriss that has ever been heard.

"Rashmi, good afternoon," she greets her. "I presume it is Rashmi, I'm sure you haven't allowed your phone to fall into the wrong hands. One must be careful, afterall." She can be heard on the other end of the phone, walking lazily across a tiled floor, moving with a lazy self-assuredness.

"What a pleasant surprise. Now what can I do for you today, hmm?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"... if I can help with the dream part, I am more than happy to," Mamoru adds, henshining in plain sight as he stands from the table. He has a big sip of his latte first, and also bends down to put his face on Anko after Rashmi's told her she'd be right back, and Anko wriggles out from under him and off the chair. Her voice comes from under the table, "Carrrreful, Rrrrrrashmi and Coco. You are nicer to Anko than Mamorrrrru."

He follows after Rashmi in his armor, then, pauldrons sparkling in the hot sun, cape sweeping behind him as he walks. He's absolutely positive Rashmi knows what a dumb idea this is, so he doesn't bother putting his two cents in. Instead, when they come to a halt and the barrier's up, and Rashmi calls Seriss, he crosses his arms and waits silently.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Hope Blossom gives at La Licorne a 'really...?' stare for a moment. Then she crosses her arms and considers it in a better light. It's only natural that Hinoiri would be constantly trying to optimize, right? Yet at the same time, having a Victory Pose at the end sounds really fun.

    She keeps her more critical thoughts to herself so as to not harsh on La Licorne's high, and instead asks, "So what would you call that? Pose canceling? Combo cancel? Victory skip?"

    Madoka doesn't know what those words mean. She heard them on a charity stream about speed runners, but she suspects Hinoiri might be into that kind of thing.

    The plan is laid out, and Hope Blossom reluctantly leaves the adorable kitties behind where it's safe before stepping outside along with everyone else. The Humpty Lock, in all of its clover-shaped pearlescent sparkliness, hangs around her neck as usual.

    The phone rings, a monster answers, and Madoka frowns. "We just have a proposition for you. We want to make a deal." As far as Madoka has seen so far, Series does honor deals. She lets others get into the details.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco nods at Rashmi's explanation. Considering how much interest Seriss Nyx has in Starcrash, it's only natural to use a missing piece of it as a bargaining piece, and it carries so much of Molly that there is probably no better object to get them connected to Molly's dreams. They will probably have to push past Alala themselves, but they already have that part figured out. All they need is to get her out before they somehow turn the tables on them.

She smiles and nods at Rashmi at her request to step outside and looks at Hinoiri while the Page Mage sets up the barrier in a safe space. "Wouldn't you be better off with some kind of victory pose? I would have thought you would have jumped at the chance to have one", she slightly tilts her head questioningly. "Shouldn't you aim for a... pose rewrite instead of a pose canceling?", she piggybacks on Madoka's terms.

But the time for chatting is over, and The Monster on the Other Side of The Line picks up. "It could hardly fall in worse hands than yours, Seriss Nyx. Molly was supposed to have it, not you. But we want to talk with you this time, so we won't hold it against you." Coco doesn't know for sure if her voice works through phones, but it's probably a good thing to in her case to imply she won't be using her magic, for now, to avoid Seriss quitting the call on them.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Cure La Licorne gave Rashmi a confused, but friendly smile. What? What did that piece have to...

And when she found out? "Wait, what?" She asked. Blink blink. Blink.

And she recognized the thing that Rashmi now had and she was even MORE confused and bewildered and what?

Still, she followed along, none the less, arms crossed and trying to look intimidating. She, at least, was lucky in that her outfit was at least designed to look dark and angry. She then snorted at Anko and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, no, I call it 'Not having to feel like a dork every time because that pose is *incredibly cringe* every time. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so *dorky*. Though, if you two can figure out how to do a pose rewrite? Please, let me know. I would love that. The hear thing is absolutely *killing* my jam." Ahhhh. It wasn't the optimization... it was the cringe. Soooo much cringe.

As Seriss' voice came over, she went quiet, eyes narrowing on the phone. She cracked her knuckles instinctively, though. Amazing...

Two seconds in and see already had the incredibly urge to punch something. Wild. She bit her tongue, lest she say something that made this harder for, well... everyone...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"It is Rashmi," The Devicer confirms, once everyone who wants to say somethiing, has. "And friends. Because I have something you want, and I want to bargain for it."

Closing her eyes, Rashmi tries to pump herself up into saying what she's going to say, because despite all the plans... it's *Molly's stuff.*

"...Starcrash isn't complete," she says, finally. "He's missing a module, that had a bunch of defensive magic in. And you've been throwing my and her parents names around a *lot* really threateningly casually so... Let's trade. I'll give the module to you -- I'll even *install it myself* to make sure it's done right -- and you leave our parents alone, forever."

Drawing in a deep, shuddery breath, she tips the phone a bit closer to her mouth. "Come find the Barrier. We're not going to be looking for a fight. I just have my friends here in case you *do* decide to break a bargain."

Please oh please let her be more greedy than curious...

Molly Skyline has posed:
At first there is no answer.

Then, the phone simply hangs up, with a soft 'click'.

What follows is a relatively brief wait; and for anything else it really would feel brief. Not more than a few minutes, but with absolutely no indication of wether Seriss is coming or not or in what capacity, it must seem like a long time, depending on who you are. But it really doesn't take long, before...

Seriss arrives.

Dropping through the top of the barrier in full Henshin and carried by two pairs of translucent red wings, she lands in a crouch near Rashmi and her friends, bearing Cygnus Lich in staff form.

"Cygnus," she begins as she straightens, "Charge Supernova, range zero, use fifty percent of available mana. If any of the five targets present initiate hostile action, deploy Breakwall and fire. Otherwise hold the spell."

<< AFFIRMATIVE. CHARGING. WARNING; DAMAGE MAY BE INCURRED >>

"Noted." Seriss tilts her head, and smiles pleasantly at those present as she approaches, resting her staff on her shoulder. "Well, then, with that necessity out of the way. ...Rather a lot of backup that you've brought for a deal. One might forgive me for thinking this is some sort of trick to lure me into an ambush." She quirks an eyebrow upwards. "But that kind of thing really doesn't suit you, Rashmi. However I'm uncertain about..." she gestures towards Coco, Madoka, Hinoiri, and Mamoru, "Everyone else. but I trust that all of you will behave, yes? Now."

She gestures with one hand.

"Proof, if you please."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Oh, Seriss hung up. That's just great. Of course, Hope Blossom is expecting a little bit of rudeness from the actual, literal villain so it doesn't bother her that much.

    Hope Blossom glances at Coco, and then at Hinoiri. An eldritch fortune cookie that looks like a 4-dimensional object got rudely forced into 3-dimensional space appears out of the air, and as it opens a small slip of paper with Witch Runes written all over it hovers out. Fortunately, the otherwise illegible script conveniently narrated a squeaky voice from nowhere (Kamiko).

    "Seek not to slay the cringe. Instead, seek to slay the part of you that cringes."

    The broken halves(?) of the fortune cookie hover in the air. They are probably edible, but do you really want to find out?

    Madoka gives Hinoiri a thin smile and says, "Have you tried different poses in front of a mirror? Maybe if you find one you really like, it will swap out? Sharpsong-chan might know better than me."

    ... and now Seriss is here. With a spell preloaded. Hope Blossom frowns at her and crosses her arms. She isn't going to start the fight today. Not when they actually want this trade to happen.

    Madoka takes a step back, holding up her hands to show her palms. She's more or less unarmed. The Puella hiding in a nearby building is another matter entirely.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Oh they're very honorable," Prince Endymion says with a smile. "I'd stab you for fun, just ask Cure La Licorne here, but they'll keep me from misbehaving."

He does watch Rashmi closely though. Appeasement literally never works, so he's hoping that Seriss actually doesn't go after parents, now that she'll have more defensive spells. Maybe Rashmi boobytrapped the module. Or something.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco frowns when what they get in response is her hanging up anyway. Guess she really couldn't tolerate anyone but Rashmi being present. That is... really not comforting right now, and if she could go back on her decision not so sing, she would. Hope Blossom's glance only gets her a shrug in response. She doesn't really think what she said is responsible for Seriss' quitting, as annoying as the fact it happened anyway is.

"How long has it been since you have had these powers?" Coco asks Hinoiri. "Maybe you should give it a chance so it gets to know you rather than forcing it out at the earliest convenience. Magic can be rather prickly, and I don't think you are being being forced into those poses because that's the deal you have."

Seriss' appearance in the middle of the shop makes Coco cross her arms. So she came indeed. Is this what she has been doing up to now? Charge that spell to get all of them out in a single strike? She starts considering the odds of getting all of her friends to the South Pacific before the attack impacts this place. It would at the very least be doable, maybe, if they got warned in advance.

She gives Madoka a look, wondering if there is a way she could sneak that to her under Seriss' notice. The pinkette is the only person here to have actually visited her home, and she is not sure Device telepathy would be very safe with Seriss here.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Cure La Licorne crossed her arms and tried to look imposing, glaring at Seriss in much the same way she'd try to look at something she wanted to wipe off the back of her shoe... Primarily because she was something she'd LOVE to wipe off her shoe.

Madoka's advice... however... Huh. She did not at that. It wasn't a bad idea. She'd need to try that. Maybe come up with some new poses. Something fun, and that didn't make her feel as silly and over the top... yeah...

Still... She'd had them a while now. But, despite her comments... She wouldn't tamper too much. She was a ot happier with them than she was without them. Having power was awesome.

Her fists kept clenching and unclenching. There. There was a face in *desperate* need of a fist. If ever there was one. Wow. She just... Was THIS how so many people she'd met had felt? She was starting to get it. DANG... How dare that girl take Molly and...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"..." Rashmi doesn't even manage a syllable, when Seriss hangs up. Turning back around, she lifts her shoulders and spreads her hands. "Well that was... a thing."

While trying to figure out how best to prepare for a sudden assault -- She *did* after all tell Seriss to look for the Barrier -- she cannot help but giggle at the advice given to Hinoiri, *especially* that which came in fortune cookie form.

But like with *everything else,* Seriss comes in to ruin the good vibes. Rashmi narrows her eyes, as *Starcrash* is told to charge an area-levelling spell... Then holds out her hand for proof.

"Not with lives at stake, they won't break a deal. I know you well enough to know that if they *did,* you'd probably target Molly-chan's parents first *just* for the punishment. Nicomachea?"

    << *BONG!* >> << COMMAND INPUT EXECUTE. >>

Did the book put extra stress on that last word? Hard to say. But his central display crystal glows, and out comes a boxy, techy-looking thing, about half the size of a toaster. "Starcrash's defensive module," she says, lifting an eyebrow and taking it in hand to offer out. At her elbow, Nicomachea's gem glows once more, and this time a small toolcase emerges, which Rashmi takes in her free hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
Seriss casts her eyes back and forth amongst Rashmi's defenders. As they rest on Licorne, she cannot help but smirk. "Swing a punch if you must, but understand the consequences," she warns. "Perhaps it is best to reign in your violence today, and save it for another time. Rashmi did call to bargain, afterall. It would be incredibly poor negotiation tactics for you to start something, but then... you teenagers to things like that."

The dark sorceress looks bemusedly back and forth between Madoka, Mamoru, and finally settles her gaze on Coco. "Nothing to sing about today?" she inquires. "Probably for the best. Cygnus, if the mermaid starts any form of music, classify that as hostile and react accordingly."

<< AFFIRMATIVE >>

Seriss reaches out to take the module, turning it over in her hand as she inspects it; but not too closely. Have ot keep an eye on the trouble-making teenagers, afterall. She glances at Mamoru once again -- boys can be so impulsive. "Cygnus, verify the module."

<< AFFIRMATIVE. SCANNING. MODULE ID NUMBER FOUR-SEVEN-SEVEN-ALPHA-TWO VERIFIED AS MISSING DEFENSE MODULE >>

"Well."

Seriss holds up the piece of technology in front of her. "Well well well... If only Molly had had this installed before fighting a hopeless battle, she might've survived it. Wherever did you find it?" She holds out her hand, offering it back to Rashmi for the moment -- afterall, the deal hasn't yet been accepted -- "So. You install this, and I agree to bring no harm against your parents or Molly's. Do I hve that right?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Homura is watching this exchange from a window, still and silent so as to not draw attention. If need be, there's no way she wouldn't use her powers to get Madoka out of this.

    Hope Blossom knows that, and while Device telepathy might carry risks, Witch Sticker telepathy is still a viable path for the two of them to speak. With a very simple thought, everything could stop. If Madoka seems a little too relaxed or casual, it's because she knows something that nobody else does.

    However, for the sake of the plan, Hope is being good for now. If she wanted to ambush Seriss, she'd probably have a lot more mahou packed into her Labyrinth. That, and Homura would be doing the meeting while Hope Concept hid somewhere.

    No, she's here to be a deterrent, and an escape route if necessary. She doesn't even threaten back, nor does she flinch at Seriss's threats.

    "Yes, that's right," she confirms as Seriss asks. "There's no reason to drag them into this anyways. It doesn't benefit you at all, and you'll get something you want."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Mmmmngggg..." Cure La Licorne gave an... unprompted sound when Rashmi said what that device was. Starcrash's DEFENSIVE MODULE?! She closed her eyes for a second and... Why. Hadn't. Rashmi. Told. HER?! She'd been using that to... If she'd known... She'd... Oh...

And oh, then Seriss said those words and she had to take another slow, deep breath. And her flames got a liiiiiittle hotter. "Trust me, girl... If I was going to take a swing at you, I would have by now. I'm not interfering."

Violence violence SO MUCH VIOLENCE. Was this her fault? Did she... If she'd known, she wouldn't have... Why didn't Rashmi TELL HER?!

She was very grateful she was off the dark energy, though. This was such a good time to NOT be on the dark energy puffing, cause oof...

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Any form of music is quite the overreaction", Coco's lips turn into a thin smile. "I could have the Live Stage put on a soundtrack and you would be no worse for it as long as I don't sing", she replies calmly. After all, she doesn't need to sing to open portals, Seriss' amendment means nothing to her plan. But with Madoka staying still, she puts it in a corner of her mind for now, even if she is a bit nervous whether there would be time to get all them through without prior warning if the worst does happen.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Endymion is more reckless than impulsive, but it's like Rashmi said -- not with lives at stake. Or maybe, only with lives at stake. He hooks his thumbs into his sword belt and watches, stance relaxed, resting secure in the knowledge that his presence is making Seriss split her attention in another direction.

'She might have survived it.'

He's so tempted to speak up there, to tell her thank you for saving Molly's life from the Dusk Zone, to tell her her own cruelty will be the source of her comeuppance since as long as Molly is still there, there is hope--

Anything he says could be used against them.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi would be... *almost* amused in this moment, that half the people she has standing with her, has an escape plan for *everyone* all ready to go. If she finds this out later, she'll be laughing until she falls off her chair. She does, however, visibly flinch at the sound Hinoiri makes, and risks a glance behind her, to catch Hinoiri's eye and just... shake her head, ever so slightly.

"Seriss," she sighs, turning back to give her nemesis her full attention. "Can you just, like... not? I know it feels *really good* to poke at me like a mean girl, but like... I fought the Dark Energy Manifestation of Cyberbullying, and it went *way* harder at me about Molly than you ever have. So just... stop?"

"But that's the deal," she continues. "The module for our parents' safety from you and yours. If anyone else comes after them, well... they'll deserve what happens after. But you don't even *begin.* And I will install it, right here right now, as part of the deal. Test it somewhere else later. Everyone walks away."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"No need to take chances," Seriss replies to Coco. She smiles; and Licorne's reaction... garners her attention, as she gazes at her with a calculating eye. Why would she react that way?

Intriguing.

"And what about you?" she asks, nodding towards Mamoru. "You've been awfully quiet this whole time. I assume you can speak, so that means you're opting to be silent. Afraid there are some beans you might spill, perhaps?" She nods towards the cafe, "Got a cat that needs to be kept in the bag?"

Her eye wanders over the windows; did she see Homura? Does the look she gives Madoka indicate anything? Perhaps now.

"I don't take orders from you, Rashmi," she counters as she turns her attention back to her host's best friend. "But. You do have quiet the interesting piece of tech in your possession. Now, say I accept your offer; what guarantee of safety do I have, exactly, that when I let you start tinkering with my device that the lot of your friends don't get sudden, ill advised notions of savagery?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I just don't have a lot to say to someone like you," Mamoru says kindly, not tensing when Seriss looks at him, not flinching when she looks at the cat cafe. "Forgive me if I don't feel like feeding your appetite for hateful words. But if it'll keep you from talking any more, go ahead and aim your orbital lasers at me while Rashmi does you a favor, just so we don't inconvenience you with the savagery you can dish out but can't take."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Homura stays perfectly still as Seriss's eyes point in her direction. Maybe if she's perfectly still she won't be noticed? Or maybe she's just perfected the art of saying, 'I'm eternally tired of your crap' with nothing more than a look in her eyes.

    Hope Blossom crosses her arms as she looks at Seriss, tilting her head to the side. "Are you saying you're defenseless without Molly's Starcrash? I was just assuming you'd have other protections."

    A jab, and an intentional one, aimed at Seriss's pride. Someone who spends so much time making threats and belittling others likely has some kind of an ego, Madoka assumes.

    "We're only here to make sure we'll still be safe if you try anything. We'd rather not fight here actually. Besides, any trickery her will make it harder to cut deals in the future. That's why we have rules of war and parlay."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
'No reason to take chances'. Well, she certainly is living by that, but Coco can't exactly blame her with how much she knows that they want Molly back. It's definitely a troublesome situation, but there has to be something they can convince her with.

She does have thoughts of how to convince her, but she has to be careful if she wants to be sure that it doesn't turn into a chance for her to try and blast them. "Because we don't have a way to bring Molly back even if you are defeated. I am sure somebody like you wouldn't just watch her superior fail and be kicked out of Hotaru's body and not prepare for that same situation. Is that right? That would be an insult to your intelligence", Coco stares at her, trying to leverage her pride.

That is probably how far she can take her "theory" without giving away they know about Alala, and she doesn't dare say anything more than this, else their plan vanishes in a puff of smoke, and she doesn't really want to imagine if there are ways they could hurt Seira more than they already have.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Cure La Licorne did, at least, manage to calm down by the end, at least. Arms crossed, sighing and watching as they talked amongst themselves. And biting her tongue. But oh...

The urge to violence... She took a small step back and paced, just a bit. Well, her presence here was more to make sure that Seriss didn't try anything. And so she was putting a liiiiittle bit of distance between her and Seriss, so *She* didn't go and punch her in her stupid, well deserving of a punching face.

Because she ws an adult and controlling herself, today.

Just today, just this once.

As a treat.

But oh, she wanted to, so bad. And that was why she was biting her tongue, because she could not be trusted. Already the flames that made up part of her henshin were blazing a bit more than normal and it was obvious she was *so* living up to that monicker of righteous indignation...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Because I trust them," Rashmi says, summarizing. "I trust them to trust me. And if everything we've said isn't enough?" The Devicer shrugs. "You're gonna have a hostage too, y'know. *I* won't be able to use Nicomachea for anything but Device repair until it's done, and I'm guessing you could proooobably do some real harm to me before anyone got to you. So... You like hostages, right?"

Showing her teeth in something... adjacent to a smile, Rashmi tilts her head. "So do we have a deal, then? If we do... I'm gonna need to be able to put him in maintenance mode for real."

*This* was the rockiest part; no room to retreat, no more posturing, just a choice to make. Accept the deal, or don't. And after the *last* time she pulled that stunt, it's at this moment, this crossroads, where everything is most likely to go badly...

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Lachessis, enter the barrier. Deploy on sentry mode. Defensive responses to hostile actions only. Do not initiate combat."

As Seriss waits, one of her two remaining weird monoliths plummets from... orbit? Somewhere high up, least, and comes to a halt hovering ten feet above the ground, near Seriss. Across its face, slits open up to reveal eyes surrounded by teeth where eyelashes should be.

<< ## WAtCHFuL GaZE ## >>

"Cygnus Lich, power down Supernova and enter maintenance mode."

<< AFFIRMATIVE. >>

is that... relief, from the device? Couldn't have been. Still, the spell is allowed to dissipate, evidenced by a hiss of steam from Seriss' vents across her staff and barrier jacket.

<< SPELL: SUPERNOVA RELEASED. MANA LEVELS RESTORED. ENTERING MAINTENANCE MODE >>

Seriss holds her staff out in front of her and takes her hand off it, leaving it hovering in the air in front of her as she folds her arms. "Your parents, and Molly's parents, off the table as potential... targets. And in return, the missing defense module." Seriss nods once.

"Alright Rashmi Terios, and her friends. We have a deal."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Hope Blossom's pink eyes glance at the weird... monolith... thing and almost feels relieved to see it. It means that Seriss isn't trying to look completely defenseless. If the dark being didn't make at least some kind of implied threat, Madoka would be suspecting a trap or a trick.

    It also means that the rest of her friends will keep their guards up, because let's be honest that thing is really off putting.

    The more Hope looks at it the less relieved she is that it's here.

    "Has anyone ever asked you about your... aesthetic choices? They're... pretty interesting." Madoka is trying to put it nicely, though the hesitation in her voice makes it clear she thinks they're weird af. "The whole eye/mouth thing is um... not something I see a whole lot of."

    What does she even say about this? It's not like she's never seen anything freaky before, but most of the freaky stuff is from a Witch that has either lost her mind or was born without one.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"That thing is creepy," Prince Endymion says judgmentally, crossing his arms over his breastplate as he eyes the monolith thing. He leans back away from it, shifting his weight without actually stepping back in place. His face says he wanted to use expletives for emphasis, but his rating says not today. "Why is her taste so bad?" he leans forward a little and asks Madoka sotto voce. Not that sotto.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Cure La Licorne turned towards Seriss the moment that Rashmi said she'd have a 'hostage'. Oh. Yes. Seriss would have a hostage. And Licorne would put her through the ground if she thought she could take advantage of that fact. The flames grew a bit more. Just give her an excuse. The others game a few comments of their own. Reminded the other girl, after all... Seriss was supposed to be 'oh so tough, oh so strong'.

But it was taking so much for her to not snap at the girl. To not tell how how pathetic, how wak she was. How she'd been a part of that organization. Going after the defenseless didn't make her strong... it made her a coward. It made her ruthless... But it made Hinoiri sick. It made her FURIOUS.

Instead, she bit her tongue. She bit it and chewed on it and she just paced, glancing towards that... thing... up above. And she walked, and paced. And she raged. And she trusted the others to put coherent back thought into words so she didn't need to snap back with every. Single. Word. SHE SO DESPERATELY LONGED TO!

"Because people like her have as much style as they have class, taste and tact," she answered the prince before she could help herself, fuming.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Well, this is working, somewhat, even if she doesn't like how Rashmi is putting herself at risk. But something has to be done to get them out of this impasse, and as long as they don't move a muscle, they have no reason to worry about Rashmi's safety.

She would like to take a breathe of relief when the threat is dearmed, but the two Seriss creatures landing here in Exchange doesn't really allow it. She really likes choosing them freaky, huh?

"Ok, we will do things your way. But don't do anthing we would make you regret later", she tells her.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"We have a deal," Rashmi echoes, and reaches out to take hold of the staff. "Nicomachea? Depot Investigation."

    << *BONG!* >> << DEPOT INVESTIGATION >>

What follows is a good few minutes of painstaking, mysterious work, that seems to mostly involve 'rotating' the Device in more dimensions than exist in observable reality, hunting for the plug that fits the module. And along the way, she makes sputtering noises Hinoiri might remember from her motorcycle needing work, and *other* noises that Hinoiri might remember from the *mechanic* when it needed work. And with every new crime against Devices she finds, she doesn't even *look up* from her work to call out.

"The next time you want to make your new toy fit your brand, *give your head a shake and don't.*"
"Cannot believe you thought it was a good idea to plug the samoflange into the widget. Was the blinky light not blinky enough?!"
"*So* lucky it's me fixing it and not the one who trained me, you'd be spending a week pulling your teeth out of your patella..."

Look what was done to Starcrash *deserves* a lecture, and until her work is done, *maybe* she can lecture Seriss into not abusing a Device.

The odds are so slim they'd disappear if they turned sideways, but a mahoujin is nothing if not hopeful. And wherever she is, Hannah might just teleport in to elbow-drop Rashmi's kidneys if Seriss *didn't* get a yellin'.

But finally, *finally* she finds the spot she's looking for, and gently slots the model into place -- pausing to push once, then wiggle a bit just to see if it *does* wiggle (it does not) -- and retracts her work, glaring balefully at Seriss as she holds the Device out.

"TSAB regs say what *you* did to him breaks five different cruelty laws alone, and that monster of yours is the *second* reason I'm even consenting to give him back to you."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Seriss remains in Henshin as Rashmi starts her work. She stands there, uncomfortably close by and watching with her arms folded as the meister sees to her task, installing the defense module into Cygnus Lich -- and with a look inside, she can see just how badly affected Starcrash has been by the immense amount of dark energy being pushed through systems that were never meant to accomodate it and in some places have been jury-rigged to accomplish the task at best.

Perhaps jury-rigged is the wrong term -- it implies a level of amateur clumsiness that is not present -- but the right one fot the skillfully applied work of cruelty might not exist.

"You like my creations? I did not entirely choose their forms. They are built that way partly out of necessity, and partly... I took inspiration from some of the horror films that Molly liked to watch." She shrugs her shoulders lightly, "They were good films. She had good taste in that regard." The last being said pointedly, directly to Mamoru.

Rashmi's comments are weathered without comment; and that bemused smirk never leaves her lips, as she closely observes the work being done, as if watching to make sure that Rashmi isn't secretly packing a grenade or similar magical trap into her device. Satisfied, by the end, that she has not done so, Seriss waits for Rashmi to finish.

"Cygnus Lich, reboot," she instructs. "Restore functions, and verify installation of new module."

<< REBOOTING. >>

<< REBOOT COMPLETE. ALL COMBAT SYSTEMS ONLINE. MODULE ID NUMBER FOUR-SEVEN-SEVEN-ALPHA-TWO DETECTED. VERIFYING INSTALLATION. INSTALLATION VERIFIED. NEW SPELLS AVAIL-- >>

"No need for that level of detail here," Seriss interupts. "Well. It seems all of you have held up your end of the bargain, I will uphold mine. The individuals you wish to be kept safe will not be threatened, and I will ensure that no damage in incurred to the buildings where they live and work outside of combat within a barrier." She turns her eye towards Coco, and flashes a smile. "And, not worry, little mermaid. I don't regret anything."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka was trying to be nice but there's a point at which trying to be nice makes you a weirdo and she's starting to wonder if she's crossing that line.

    Like... she's not going to stop being nice but she's being a little self conscious about it.

    "Maybe she just wants to watch what she eats?" she responds to Mamoru.

    The weird fortune cookie from earlier starts flapping like a pair of butterfly wings and flits closer to the two of them. "I don't think that's it, Doka," responds Kamiko's disembodied voice. Then it flaps a little higher so it can get a better view of the Starcrash and Kamiko says, "Oh good, I'm not the only one around here who's like that." She doesn't clarify what she means by that.

    Hope Blossom just... keeps smiling and staring at Seriss. The explanation on the aesthetics makes sense at least. In a really strange way.

    The installation goes smoothly, and Madoka's forced smile gets a little bit wider. "Okay! Deal complete then, right? Do we have anything else to go over? I hope I don't have to say that if you go back on your word, we'll be very cross with you."

    Ugh what does she even say right now?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Endymion laughs, straightening up. "Literally why do you care what I think of your taste? Wait--" his eyes widen and his arms drop to his sides. "Wait, do you want us to think you're cool? Like... are you legitimately hoping for likes on social media from a bunch of human high school kids?" He laughs again, this time in disbelief. "Nah, nah, don't worry, Hope-chan. Wow. I never met anyone else when I worked in Obsidian that was actually that pathetic."

He glances back at Seriss as if to say 'you wanted me to talk', then looks back to Rashmi. "Your call, boss, we done?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Cure La Licorne was going to end up gouging a hole in the ground with the way she was pacing at this rate. She was thinking so many, many violent thoughts.

Was this Seriss HER fault? She swore, if they got Molly out of this.... She was going to hug her, tell her how adorable her accent was, hug her again, get her ice cream, hug her a third time, take her to Kirakirafantastica, teach her about ponies, hug her a fourth time, get her a like... something fancy from her home, and just... Something.

For now? There'd just be the click click click of angry heels as she paced and waited for this to be over, the ground scorched from where she had walked. Good thing they were in a barrier. And she was waiting. Because this girl? Oh...

She had seen Seriss Nyx pull some crap...

and she was BETTING that Seriss, the moment the deal was 'done'... was going to try and launch a 'sneak attack'. And if she did? Licorne was going to be ready to knock her on her flank... If she didn't? Well... they were in a barrier and a nearby wall would get punched instead.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
There is lot of tension as Coco watches Rashmi work, and even more when she has to watch the Meister recognise all the ways the Device has been abused. She would think that to Rashmi, this would probably be the final nail in the coffin Seriss has hammered down, but probably Seriss has already passed that point.

"Maybe you should have considered taking after Molly in things other than her movie tastes", Coco speaks up. "I think you could have learnt so much more if you weren't so fixated on what others want from you, but I don't think you could ever reach that level of autonomy." A suggestion, an accusation and a regret together.

Coco scoffs at being called little mermaid, but she doesn't add to that anything more than she has already said. She doubts Seriss is making a reference considering what she just admitted to. She nods when the others ask if they are done, and waits for the answer.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Acceptable," Rashmi says as Seriss lays out the terms. "So, yeah... I'd say we're done here."

Upon saying that, she turns to walk back to her group of friends, turning back to fold her arms upon reaching them. "Once you three have gone, I'll drop the Barrier."

And, oh, Rashmi knew *so well* how badly Starcrash had been abused even before... But to see the work of *deliberate pain* has, admittedly, gotten her to shake in place with a fury that is a distant echo to Hinoiri's. But she simply waits. And stares. And waits.

"Thank you all," she murmurs, "this... would have been *so much harder* alone."

Molly Skyline has posed:
People are talking. People are talking to Seriss. Things they have to say are being said; but it seems that all of it -- the comments about Molly, how Seriss ought to behave and how much she ought to have taken as inspiration from her host, Mamoru's barbs about her tastes, Madoka's threats...

All of it seems to be secondary, in Seriss' mind. Unimportant, as she scrolls through menus on her Battle Visor, visible a hologram in front of her face but rather impossible to read if you're not the one it's meant for.

"...Fascinating," she decides, choosing to entirely ignore what was said to her. "Yes... this will do nicely." She finally reconnects to reality, and glances about herself at those assembled. "...Oh, you lot are still here. Planning to go get something to treat yourselves with from the cafe no doubt. Well, do say hello to Puffball for me, she's my favorite. And she likes the liver treats." She tilts her head upwards, and nods. "Lachessis, stand down and retreat, our business here is complete."

The tooth-line eyes across the monolith's surface all snap shut with the sound of, well, teeth hitting teeth. The creation clows purple and vanishes; and then Seriss herself, a moment later, repeats the action, leaving the barrier just as it was before she arrived.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Hope Blossom gives Rashmi a smile that is both mortified and sympathetic. "Of course!" she says, "I'm more than happy to help," while not sounding happy at all.

    She glances towards Coco and shrugs. She doubts it was a reference either. Kamiko's disembodied voice says, "... I actually like that movie, though."

    Seriss leaves without much fuss. She turns to Mamoru and says, "Eheh... back to the cats, I guess?"

    Kamiko appears out of a Labyrinth portal and asks, "Can I have a snack, too?"

    Madoka glances in Homura's direction as the two of them have a silent conversation, and after a moment it seems like the Puella is starting to pack up. The ambush wasn't really needed this time.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Cure La Licorne blinked a few times and... Oh. Seriss didn't pull any bull. She just... left. And her eye twitched. Okay... Well... then... She took a slow, deep breath... And then...

Stormed off and PUNCHED one of the barrier walls. Crumbling the side of the building. Then, taking a slow, deep breath... Before turning and... "I am *so*, *so* sorry for everything I put you all through," La Licorne said for... well. Probably the hundred thousandth time. But well... If she'd ever made them close to this mad...

"... And... Rashmi... I'm... especially... sorry... I hope you know, if I had had any idea... I wouldn't have... I thought it was just a... I mean... I..." she trailed off, the shame evident on her face, before she sighed and glanced away.

"... I'm just... so sorry..." she mumbled. "Also... Sorry I wasn't able to say much. I knew if I did I... would... really... not be able to control my tongue right now."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru purses his lips, looking at where Seriss disappeared. He drops his henshin the very first second that he can, then nods to Madoka. "Back to the cats. Was that supposed to be a threat, or was that supposed to be Seriss taking a stab at Rashmi by touching another thing?"

He starts walking back toward the cafe and glances back at Kamiko. "Of course." And then he breaks into a big grin. "You were perfect at the wedding! Thank you so much!!"

He went from trash-talking to practicality to... oh right thinking about ~his amazing wife~ and the fact that he's--

Yeah he's back to vibing. He holds out his hands as he walks. "Anybody want some happy dad energy?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Hearing Seriss talk amicably like she is just a satisfied customer... That is something that Coco would not bring herself to tolerate, but this is not the moment to cause a scene. She has to be glad that all of it has gone correctly, and that they are all in one piece.

"Of course, Rashmi, when you want us to help, I am always around", she smiles at the redhead. "I guess she was subtly reminding us she knows a lot of things Molly knew. That, or she is spying us, but her power plays have certainly overstood their welcome", she frowns.

"It's a nice movie, I can see how that is treated as a classic", she replies to Kamiko with a smile. "At least the plan worked", she whispers to her friends, just in case Seriss really has spies around.

An amused smirk shows up on Coco's face at Mamoru's offer. "We can see it from out here", she chuckles. "I am glad you enjoyed your wedding, you really deserved a good one", she smiles. Perhaps happy dad energy would be nice after Seriss, but she waits if someone takes him up on it first.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And it is, truly, not until Seriss is gone, that Rashmi lets the Barrier fall... at which point she turns and just *hugs* Hinoiri. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she says. "But at the time, you... didn't deserve *that* on top of everything else. I forgave you like five seconds after you gave it to me, Hino-chan." Squeezing one last time, she steps back, taking in a deep breath. "Okay... back to our seats, and now I get to tell you *everything.* And yes, Kamiko, snack is on me."

When Mamoru offers dad energy, Rashmi grins, but shakes his head. "I'm okay... I mean I *hate every time sheopens her stupid mouth,* but... well you'll understand soon."

And true to her word, when they're all situated, with Kamiko happily monching on the snack of her choice and the others have their favorite drinks in hand, Rashmi begins the exposition.

"...So I talked to Emi-chan a few days ago. Seriss had told me that she'd locked Molly-chan in her dreams, so... I needed an expert. Turns out I got two, cos *Coco-chan* found us halfway through, with more news; Seriss got one of.. Michel? Michel's lieutenants, Alala, helping out... And Alala's thing is trapping someone inside dreams. So... Emi-chan said if I could get something she'd handled into Seriss' possession... She could use that link to break into her dreamscape. ...And that module was the only thing I could think of that she'd accept without question."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka glances towards Hinoiri with a slight frown and, for once, she actually lets herself really accept the apology, because while it's respectable to be sorry because you want peace, it's a bit more real to apologize once you finally understand.

    Hope just shakes her head and says, "You're past all that now. I'm glad you've outgrown it."

    Kamiko cheers and flies around Mamoru and Rashmi as she's offered a snack. Mamoru compliments her on her officiating and the fairy, along with all of her infinite pink tiny hair strands that go off into who-knows-where, flies up to him and happily flails her tiny arms. "It was lotsa fun! I'd happily do it again. Though um... eheh. Well I guess you only needed that once. Still!"

    Later on, Kamiko is having a piece of cake as big as she is. Madoka has dropped henshin and Sio has joined her sister in munching the cake, because minidokas share food. Homura is also sitting next to Madoka and listening. The Puella crosses her arms and her legs and leans back in her seat. "'Michel' is correct, and Coco told Madoka-chan and I about the plan to reach Molly."

    Madoka nods and says, "I'm just glad she actually took it."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru (lightly) slaps the table. "Do you have any idea," he says, flatly, "how in I am. I am always down for dream stuff? And I wanted to ask Emi-chan if she thought the roses that helped with Hinoiri-chan's rescue might be a help here. If you have one, you can get into my dream. Like, you can fall asleep with it and bring it with you and you'll have a door you can get to that'll open into a liminal space I keep for the purpose." He pauses, realizing he's giving away how much of a nerd he is about this.

He... sits back with his latte and looks arch, pushing his glasses up. "At any rate, THANK YOU for being as trustworthy about having a plan as I thought you were, because wow, not knowing that going in? Rashmi-chan. That was a trustfall."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Cure La Licorne sighed and shook her head, smiling none the less to Mamoru. "I'm good on happy dad energy, thanks though." And... she hugged Rashmi back. She appreciated it. She did. A lot.

Sitting down and ending her henshin once she was sure they were all alone. "Yeah... girl has a face in need of a slap... Which is a shame, because Molly had a much nicer face, one in need of head pats." See? It wasn't just the face, it was what you did with said face that mattered.

"... Coco-chan and Emi-chan do good work, though. If they can help? You're in good hands. And if that can help get Molly out of there... even better," Hinoiri muttered.

"I'm in if you need me, but... Not sure how good I'll be for it. I can be a can a bit... hit or miss with those things? I keep swapping between unicorn and human. Life style changes and whatnot. But I'll help however I can, if I can," Hinoiri said with a smile.

She had a strawberry boba tea today... and as she drank it... she couldn't help but grin as Mamoru started nerding out. And... "Well. I guess everyone always did say you were pretty dreamy, huh?" she asked him in a teasing tone.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Sorry," Rashmi says with a sheepish chuckle. "I'll try really, *really hard* not to make you have to again. And... that's *one* thing, and I would *absolutely love* to have you with us when we go rescue Molly-chan, Mamo-kun. But um... two other things. One is... Chrono was *very very insistent* that he check the module's programming before I gave it over. And I double-checked it myself, but... *he's* the programming expert. So... expect a really nasty surprise at the worst possible moment for her. Two... Y'know how Seriss keeps giving all her orders verbally? That's cos Starcrash's telepathic interface was missing... turns out it was in the module *I just gave her.* And to be honest... it's a straight coin toss whether he volunteers that information. If he doesn't? That means Molly's got access *Seriss doesn't.*"

Leaning back in her chair, she taps her fingers together. "So yeah... I had a *lot* of plans, and now it's just we get to see how many of them worked. Hinoiri-chan, if you *can* help in dreams that's great, if not? She's gonna get a lot angrier and a lot more vicious, and having *more* purifiers on the lookout for her is only a smart idea. Maybe you'll even get to punch her in the mouth!"

She opens her mouth to say something else, but a thought occurs to her, ,and she peers quizzically at Homura. Attached at the arm to Madoka, it's only *just now* occurring to Rashmi that she was nowhere to be seen when the deal went down. For a moment, Rashmi entertained the idea that she was at her secret helicopter pad, making ready to turn dreams into reality... But with a shake of her head, she dismisses that as too silly *even for magic.*

"So... If any of you happen to see Sailor Saturn out on patrol? Stick close to her, she's Seriss' primary target."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Homura went unseen by nearly everyone but Seriss, apparently. Her secret is safe. Well, most of her secrets. Actually a lot of her big secrets got out like a year or so ago when she was off dealing with other things and honestly she's really happy things turned out as they did and not like... a million times worse.

    Madoka listens to Rashmi's recounting of the plan and blinks. "Oh. So Chrono did something that was almost undetectable, and Seriss... we can be pretty sure she isn't some expert Meister considering that she didn't just take the module and install it herself, so there's a solid chance she wont pick up on what happened."

    Homura frowns slightly more than usual and closes her eyes. "That's still a risk, you know. If Seriss finds out that it was tampered with, we'll need to worry about your family... or any other hostages she could take or retaliate with."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded, a small grin forming on her lips as she realized more and more what Rashmi had planned. "Oh. Ohhhh that's malicious... I like it," she said, grinning wide. "Approved. I think I like this side of you, Rashmi. Kicking the flanks of people who deserve it."

"... And I really *do* love the idea of punching her in that smug face of hers... gosh I hope I never got that smug and gloaty when I was..." Pause. "Yeah... I bet I was... at least I never threatened anyone's parents..." she muttered bitterly.

"... But as far as I know... Obsidian is, generally, trying to avoid going the 'hostage' route. Occasionally you get someone who goes too far, but it's kind of like why they stopped coming after me once you girls stepped in. They know if they go too far, cross the line, and escalate too hard? They have a lot to lose, too. And as much as they think they can take all of you... they also don't want to have a bunch of magical girls trying to murder them every time they go out. The fact sparkles aren't trying to murder them until one of them goes off the deep end works in their favor, too. That and there's soooo much backstabbing going on behind the scenes as it is, nobody over there wants to be the one who draws enough ire... so the threats... well... there's a good chance they're just threats..."

"... Not good enough to take the risk, though. But... In theory she has an out, now. To avoid escalating without losing face. So she should know better, and not try it. If she does, she's likely going to get in trouble herself."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"It was a thing that gave us problem last year, when Gaito used it to keep sending Usagi nightmares, it's only fair we use it now", Coco nods at Rashmi's explanation of the dream connection. "If it also restored a way for Starcrash to receive orders from Molly, then it's doubly a good choice. Can Molly keep doing it undetected, or is it a thing Seriss will realise after Molly uses it once?"

"I will absolutely be careful if I happen to meet Hotaru, I got you", Coco winks at Rashmi. And besides, so many things happened between the nice girl that spent time with her at La Casa when she was drained of powers and the Sailor Senshi that apparently can go out without problems, that she thinks they really ought to catch back up if they can.

She hums at the consideration Seriss will retaliate. "Seriss cannot reach overseas, or can she? We could get them to spend time there the same way it was done for Usagi's family, or maybe we could try convince them to check in at the Pearl Pier. I think it would give even someone like Seriss pause if she had to go through 4 more mermaid princesses and an angry hippocampus."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah," Rashmi says to Homura. "I have thought about it... This whole thing is a *gigantic gamble,* and it scares the heck out of me that I'm doing it, but... This is also the first time in *six months* I could actually do something to *really help Molly-chan.* I can't not pack as much into it as possible, y'know?"

At Hinoiri's approval, Rashmi gives the Cure a wry grin. "Yeah you were *never* horrible enough that I was just completely over you breathing air for months on end, don't worry Hino-chan. Even at your worst, you were so, *so much better* than Seriss just as a person. Like... I've *tried* to figure out if they're threats or not, and I'm still not sure. Looking at Starcrash... I thinks she just likes to hurt *everything around her.*" This last, said with the kind of shudder one normally reserves for spiders that are *not* Emi's or Ahmya's.

"If it does come to that, Coco-chan? Definitely I'll try and figure out a way to get them there. Because you're right, more than half the mermaid princesses *in the world* is pretty serious protection."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Homura considers the various responses and offers for protection. It's probably true that Seriss can't reach overseas, and it's very probable that she can't reach undersea without the help of a certain sea prince who is totally dead wink wink.

    The Puella is still and silent for a moment before she speaks again. "Well, this isn't your first rodeo. I'm sure you can handle it." Another pause, and then she adds, "... but if you need help with the evacuation, call me."

    Madoka reaches over to squeeze Homrua's hand, then looks at her gathered friends. "It probably wont come to that. Hopefully, all that will happen is that Chrono plays his trump card at the exact right time and we're able to..." She taps the Humpty Lock around her neck. "... resolve the situation. Likely with the help of our purifiers. Such as a certain married woman, for example." Pointedly not looking at Mamoru.