Scene #2859:

Owner	Pose
Molly Skyline	Another perfectly ordinary day at school. No aliens, no monsters, no fights, no dark energy, just... school. And if you happen to be Molly, a lot of school; and so far today, no bullies either, which is nice. The Purplenette is seated in a corner of the cafeteria by herself, with her knapsack jealously protected between her feet, and a bowl of yakisoba in front of her, which she's doing her best to eat except that the bowl ''keeps moving'' because the bottom is slippery and she can either operate the chopsticks or stabilize the bowl but not both at the same time. Such are the inconveniences of life. As she eats, she looks around to see if any of her friends are about for her to wave to -- or if that bully is about and she needs to hide from him and his bunch.
Rashmi Terios	One of the best things about Radiant Heart Academy has to be the cafeteria; not only is there a fantastic spread available on the daily, but sometimes local businesses get to set up a stall for a week. Which is always a treat for a food tourist like Rashmi, but doubly so when, like this week, the local business is a boba shop she already adores. So it's in high spirits that she drops into the chair next to Molly, setting out a bento and a large cup of milk tea with cinnamon, apple jelly, and chocolate pudding. And thes she plucks a dampened washcloth from... somewhere... and drops it in front of Molly's bowl. "Here... this'll keep it from sliding around."
Emi Hoshino	So, a spider lands directly on the table Rashmi and Molly are at. Out of nowhere. It's huge, too. And multicolored. Prismatic, one might even say. "HIIII," it says, waving its forelegs at the two of the before scuttling up to the bowl to peek inside. Spiders do not eat yakisoba, but that doesn't stop them from being curious about it. It is, of course, KenKen. "AUGH," is what Emi says as she belatedly chases after her erstwhile jumping spider familiar. "Get back here," she hisses at it, holding her arm out for the spider to leap back to her. "You're going to get squished," she informs her, giving apologetic looks to the pair. Not that they likely mind beyond the initial 'SPIDDER!!'.
Molly Skyline	Molly very nearly jumps out of her skin. Rashmi can see it; it's only by the grace of all that is good that Molly's skeleton doesn't leave her flesh behind and run off down the hall. As it is, she almost drops the chopsticks and keels over before she's had a chance to greet the redhead, and when the spider greets her, she rests her hand over her heart. "Don't... startle me like that," she gasps, as she reaches up to brush under her eyes with her knuckles. "Hi, Kenken. Hello, Rashmi-chan, and thanks," she adds, setting down her chopsticks for a moment so she can arrange bowl on towel so it'll stop sliding about. "And hello, Emi-chan, and Kenken you should listen to her 'cause she's right." The purplenette brushes a hand over her brow, and phews softly. "Right. I'm awake. How is everyone?"
Rashmi Terios	Rashmi has gotten... used? to spider mascots? Sort of? Two isn't that many, but even in the world of mahou it's weird that it's happened twice. Which means when a giant rainbow spider plops dpwn on the table and peers at Molly's bowl, Rashmi doesn't fall backward over her chair, screaming. In fact, she manages not to scream at all! The full-body shiver that travels from toes to crown does however knock a good few locks of hair out of her plait. "Hiiiii, KenKen," she says when she can trust her voice. "And hi Emi-chan! Have a sit! I'm... well I mean, double awake at least," she says, opening her bento to reveal... a slightly better class of box lunch than one would find at a conbeni, because this is still a school.
Emi Hoshino	"Yeah, sure," says Emi after a halting moment when she's invited to sit. So she does. KenKen hops up to her shoulder where Emi is clearly used to her being. She reaches up and pats the spider on the butt, which it lifts like its some kind of horrifying cat. "So anyway," she says, "KenKen used to be a nightmare. Old habits die hard, I guess. Sorry about the fright." KenKen makes a little huff sound. Can spiders huff, really? Probably not, but this one did.
Molly Skyline	"I have nightmares about spiders," Molly admits, as she fans herself with her hand, still holding the chopsticks. "So yeah, I get that, just... I..." The purplenette pauses, biting her bottom lip and apparently calculating how deep she wants to dig this particular hole that she may or may not be standing in. In the end, she decides on 'not overly deep'. "Okay yeah so anyway. ...I'm not sure I got to properly thank you yet, Emi-Chan, for your part in rescuing me -- which was a big part, 'cause I think I really would've faded away in the dream loop if you hadn't helped me there. So, ''thank you''." Molly smiles, "And the time I spent afterwards in the school's dreamscape was unforgetable. Chasing flying neon frogs, riding a unicorn... Who can say they did that?" Molly turns her gaze back to Rashmi, and phews, finally getting to look back at her lunch. "Also, I'm glad you're both here, it means that bully can't easily harass me again if he turns up."
Rashmi Terios	"It's okay," Rashmi says by contrast, chuckling and murmuring a quick "Itadakemaaaaasu" over her bento. As Molly thanks the goth, profusely, she monches away, nodding her agreement with the relevant bits. But then her friend mentions the bully, and Rashmi's face sours... and for just a moment, KenKen gets a speculative look, as if she might make a request of the pair... but she shakes her head, content instead to stir up her maybe-too-sweet tea concoction, before taking a sip. "How 'bout you, Emi-chan?" she asks, instead. "How're you holding up?"
Emi Hoshino	"It was nothing, really," says Emi, with the self-effacing humility of a Japanese girl and a look of distinct discomfort at the praise. She looks away, down, and shakes her head. "I'm fine," she says, "Or I will be. Nothing that needs to sour lunch." She doesn't even HAVE a lunch. She was just passing through when KenKen made took it upon themselves to force social interaction. The spider is a traitor. She's leaning towards Molly, covering one of her mismatched eyes with a hand to study her. "Hmmm," she tells her. "Well, you're not having capital N nightmares, so that's good, but I'm getting the distinct sense your dreams aren't entirely back to normal." Yes, Emi is totally changing the subject.
Molly Skyline	Molly catches the sour look from Rashmi; and it's hardly a surprise. If someone was bullying Rashmi then it's unlikely the loss of an arm would prevent Molly from going straight for the time-honored British reaction: sock a bloke in the chops. And nevermind the consequences. Well, we all do what we have to. "I've got some fried chicken if you want it," Molly offers, looking back towards Emi. "I usually make sure to have some stored in Starcrash just in case I'm ever super desperate for a little mana top-up, so I don't mind sharing." She pauses, and purses her lips, mmming softly. "I don't really know what defines 'normal' for my dreams," she admits. "I mean... I'm pretty sure I do have predictive dreams from time to time but... I don't really know... ''anything'' about what that means or how to deal with it."
Rashmi Terios	"Well," Rashmi says with a wry smile, "you could do worse than telling our friendly neighborhood Oneiropope about it." Yes, she was paying attention when Mamoru called Emi that, and yes it tickles her enough to use it until told otherwise. "But I mean... given everything you went through, 'not back to normal' doesn't feel all that surprising, y'know?" Another sip of tea, then she asides to Emi. "Pocket chicken from a Device Mage is the best pocket chicken to have, by the way; Device storage keeps stuff the way it was the moment it got stored, not even a microwave necessary."
Emi Hoshino	Emi Hoshino's face scrunches up at being called 'Oneiropope', in the long-suffering way of someone who has resigned them to the catchy nickname sticking. "I... ok?" she says to Rashmi, squinting at her. Device chicken? Well, okay then! She'll go with that. "No, it's not really surprising. It's going to take some time for your dreamscape to repair itself, too. You're going to be rebuilding it for a while, and it's going to likely be a whole new constellation of things for a while. When I can get back in, I'll pay your dreams a visit, see if I can help you sort things back into equilibrium."
Molly Skyline	Molly sets her chopsticks down, and holds out her hand, "Retrieve Tori Katsu," she instructs, and a bowl of ''steaming hot'' chicken arrives, to be placed on her table nearest to Emi. "Eat as much as you'd like, there's plenty," she explains. "Sometimes I get my Mom to make some for me and t hen, uhh, grab... some when nobody's looking." She blushes softly, and ahems. "But, uhh, yeah. Dreams. Sometimes, not so great. I still worry that I'm going to wake up and all of ''this'' is a dream and I'm still a prisoner in my own body, and either Seriss is winning or she won and the Earth is a playground for daimons and everything is terrible." She sighs softly, and nods to Rashmi, "I did go through a lot, didn't I? I... I sorta hope this next year is boring. It won't be, we're mahou, but I can ''hope''."
Rashmi Terios	"Pocket chicken," Rashmi repeats with a grin... which slowly falls away as Molly describes her current mental state; not the horrified look of someone hearing it for the first time, at least, but even still. "We can always hope," she says, nodding firmly. "But 'next year' is gonna have to wait a little bit, at least."
Emi Hoshino	"If you're reading you're not in a dream, so read a lot," is what Emi tells Molly. "If the words make sense, you know. It's a simple hack to know if you're dreaming, but it does work." She then shakes her head. "Sorry. I know for a fact we've got trouble up ahead, but when don't we have trouble up ahead around here?" KenKen skitters over to Emi's other shoulder.
Molly Skyline	Molly focuses on her noodles for a couple of mouthfuls, and finally shrugs her shoulders. "It's fine. I'll be fine. Starcrash gave me the option to say no when he first revealed himself to me and asked me if I wanted to fight, and... I said yes. I knew it'd be dangerous and I knew there were risks. I..." She glances down at her left arm. "I didn't figure on it happening to ''me''," she says at last, "But I knew it could happen and... Anyawy I knew there were risks, and what happened happened. Play with fire and get burned. And it's not like I'm quitting, so if there's trouble up ahead, then I'll be there for both of you when you need me." Just the same, Molly sets down her chopsticks, and pulls a book -- a paperback Star Trek novel -- out of her backpack, flips it open, and skims her eyes over a few lines before putting it away again. Just to be safe.
Rashmi Terios	The advice on how to tell if you're dreaming raises Rashmi's eyebrows; who knew it could be that simple? But when Emi confirms the trouble up ahead, Rashmi nods slowly. "That's why I said 'next year' has to wait... And, Molly-chan? Nobody would blame you if you wanted to quit... But I'd also be shocked if anyone who's met you thinks for a moment you would. Just... do your homework, okay? 'Homework' in this case being 'learn as much about the oncoming threat as you possibly can,' which nine times out of ten means 'studying the murder boards in the Shed,' y'know?"
Emi Hoshino	"Different parts of the brain are engaged. That's the scientific explanation, anyway. Magic makes things a bit hazier and the dreamscape hazier still, but I've never found a book I could read in there, so..." Emi shrugs her shoulders, leaving KenKen to hang on for dear life. "Yeah, just focus on you for now. It's a good idea."
Molly Skyline	"Yeah," Molly replies with a wry smile. "You're right, Emi-chan, I ''should'' focus on me. But ''Me'' happens to be this scrappy, kinda dumb girl who doesn't know when to quit and can't resist getting into fights when she thinks the cause is worth fighting for. And my friends are always worth it, so..." Molly shrugs her shoulders, "So I'll do my homework, and I'll get caught up on everything that's going on, and hopefully it won't be too long before I get my first prosthetic so I can have two arms again -- well sort of anyway -- and I'm gonna study like mad so I don't get held back a year from starting University, and... I'll be here for my friends. ''Always''. I promise. Whenever you need me, if there's a big fight gonig on even if I'm having a crap day and I'm upset at everything and I want to throw everything I own at the wall because I'm frustrated and upset and hurting because I'm angry about losing my arm, if you need me, I will ''always'' come."
Rashmi Terios	By this point, Rashmi has finished off her bento, and is frowning, just a bit, over her tea. "Just... Molly-chan can you do me a favor, too?" Looking up, she meets her friend's eyes. "Stand up for you, too, okay? You're my friend, and I'd really, really like it if you'd wrap that energy around your fist and fight for someone who means a lot to me." Having said her piece, she turns an apologetic smile to Emi and KenKen. "Sorry... So also, is there any way either of us can help you, out here, Emi-chan?"
Emi Hoshino	"So, you know, this is good and right and true of you, but it is also one of those things where 'if you're not taking care of you, you can't take care of anyone else things. It's great to go out on a li--," she abruptly cuts herself off to replace that word with something else, "it's great that you want to do so, but not making sure you're in the right place is gonna get you, like, yelled at by an angry unicorn or something. Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything." Emi side eyes the exits to the room. Just in case said unicorn might be lurking somewhere.
Molly Skyline	"...Okay I will," Molly replies, quietly. "Look, I know I'm... kind of a handful right now. In various ways. But I will do my best to look out for my own well being as well, and I'll accept it when someone tells me I'm not." She pauses, and sighs, dropping her chopsticks in the middle of what remains of her noodles, and mussing up her hair. "I'm gonna need help with the bully and his friends though, like... Okay, I can bust out Starcrash and fight a Youma or an Evil Sorceress or whatever, and that's fine, but I can't very well use him against a mundane boy who's decided to be a an absolute wanker, and... trying to fist-fight someone with one arm is ''scary''." The purplenette smiles at Emi, "I know which unicorn you're referring to, and I wouldn't want her yelling at me either. And, it's okay to use phrases that refer to limbs and arms, they're pretty normal and I mean, I get it. But thank you."
Rashmi Terios	"Help you will always have," Rashmi says quietly. "But Emi-chan's right, and trust me when I say that unicorn'd be perfectly happy to yell at you too, Molly-chan. You'll be okay, eventually... we just want to make sure 'eventually' doesn't involve a side-trip though a drastic intervention. That tends to be hard on mahou... and buildings..." Shaking her head, she finishes off her tea, digging out a spoon to finish off the pudding. "Just remember... We all still have your back too."
Emi Hoshino	"Mmmhm," says Emi at Molly's assurance. She's still not going to do it, though. "Uh, sure. Bullies. I can like help with that if you need someone to look at them and be all weird to get rid of them. Last time I pretend to be yandere. Always a good one." She sweeps her bangs out in front of her eyes to complete the look.
Molly Skyline	Molly smiles, and holds up her hand in defeat, "Okay, okay, I surrender. I promise to try really hard to look after myself." She drops her hand back down to her lap, and scrunches up her mouth like she's in deep thought and totally unsatisfied about it. "Look, this is... I'm sure it'd sound weird but I'm willing to bet you two will get it. I spent so long fighting to just ''be me'' that now that I don't have to anymore, I'm trying to get back in touch with what ''being me'' actually is. Does that make sense? It's like, I gotta figure it all out all over again. And it's not like I had it figured in the first place! Well, outside of wanting to be a racecar driver, that's never gone away. And wanting to be a good friend." Molly shrugs her shoulders lightly. "But I mean... maybe that's enough?"
Rashmi Terios	"Of course it is," Rashmi chuckles. "Everything else... well you said you didn't have it figured out before, so really how far are you set back? Don't worry, Molly-chan... we gotchu. And by 'we' I don't speak for Emi-chan, I just mean like all of us in general, y'know?"
Emi Hoshino	Emi listens for a moment and her guard drops just a little. It's an almost imperceptible shift. Almost. "Yeah. I mostly get it," she answrs after a moment. "Mostly."