1060/The World's Expert

The World's Expert
Date of Scene:	18 February 2016
Location:	Makoto's Apartment
Synopsis:	Ami has recovered enough to leave Takashi's and instead come over to Mako's for advice on boys and homemade pizza. Mako is good at one of these things.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Makoto Kino

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Ami Mizuno has posed:
Several hours after school lets out, and a cab pulls up near Makoto's home. Ami emerges from the cab dressed in tights and a sweaterdress beneath a very oversized blue coat. She turns around and pulls out a backpack, and a large suitcase, then starts her way towards the door with slow, plodding steps.

It takes her a while to reach Makoto's, and by the time she gets there Ami is out of breath and flush with effort. She's apparently still not 'great', even if she's doing 'better'. Leaning on the doorframe, she gives a weak knock, then waits.

Makoto Kino has posed:
She's not kept waiting long before the door opens and Makoto, on the other side of the open doorway, is blinking at her in vague surprise that quickly turns into dismay as she gets a look at the state her friend is in. "Ami-chan!" she exclaims, and promptly steps forward to support her and help her off the doorframe and into the apartment. "Why didn't you text me? I would've come out and helped you carry your stuff!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I'm fine," Ami says defensively to Makoto. But she sure doesn't complain about Makoto helping her inside. "Just needed to stop to catch my breath. I'm better than I was when you came by last weekend," she explains.

Ami drops her backpack just inside the door, then toes out of her loafers. Then she lets Makoto help her to a seat. "It's just the suitcase is heavier than I thought," Ami explains quietly as she sinks into her oversized coat.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"So stubborn!" Makoto complains, with great affection, as she steers Ami to the couch. "What's the use in being the tallest and the strongest if nobody lets me carry heavy things for them occasionally?" She's teasing - mostly. Once Ami's settled, Mako goes back to the entrance to bring the suitcase in, and closes the door behind her.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, though," she adds as she comes back towards where Ami is sitting. "Want some tea or something to warm you up a little?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Mmmm, tea sounds nice," Ami agrees quietly, nodding her head as she settles in. Ami grabs the collar of the coat and drags it up over her nose, then closes her eyes. For a few moments she just breathes through the collar, then opens her eyes again. "I'm so glad to be out of there," Ami mumbles. "Everything was starting to become really awkward and uncomfortable."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto pauses for a moment, regarding Ami with a mixture of sympathy and curiosity, before she nods. "You mentioned." Starting off towards the kitchenette area to get the tea going, she glances back over her shoulder. "What happened? Did he get weird on you again?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Yes?" Ami says thoughtfully, then bobs her head to either side uncertainly before saying, "No. Not really? It wasn't him, it was ..." she trails off, then sighs. "I sorta wasn't thinking. I was fed up with being couped up in his house, and Usagi-chan accidentally packed me a cute dress, so ... I put it on for the day to make myself feel better, and then I thought I as feeling well enough to go out for dinner."

Ami grimaces as she admits, "Well this was on Valentines' Day," she explains. "And the walk exhausted me. And we were by the ocean so I was distracted. And I sorta just let my mouth start running and I wasn't thinking about what I was saying. And something I said ... you know how sometimes when you're listening to two people talk, you can just ... tell that they're going to be an adorable couple even though they aren't talking about anything related to their relationship? Well that kinda happened. I accidentally called his house 'home', as if it was mine. And then in the same sentence I said I was stuffed like a pidgeon on wedding rice. Ugh. I didn't mean any of it like that, but afterwards he kept teasing me about it."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Mako listens without comment, beginning the tea preparations with the ease of long habit that allows her to focus her attention more on what Ami's saying than on what her hands are doing. "Hmm..." It's a slow, drawn-out, thoughtful sound, the only reply she makes for a little while.

Only when the water's heating on the stovetop and a pair of cups have been set out on the counter with the tea canisters does Makoto turn to face Ami, clasping her hands loosely behind her back. "So," she says, "was it awkward because you don't actually like him as much as what you said made him think you might, or was it awkward because you do like him that much but his pace isn't matching up with yours?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"That is the question, isn't it," Ami replies, looking up to Makoto uncertainly. Her expression tells the story quite well: Ami is uncomfortable with even trying to figure out the answer to this question.

Very awkwardly, Ami looks away and says, "I honestly don't know. I don't know if I like him or not. We've got a lot in common, and he has such a tragic past. He understands me when I get in depth about magical theory or mathematics. But," Ami emphasizes, "I don't know if I like him, or if I just like having someone to talk to about these kinds of things."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"...I guess I don't really have a way to know what that's like," Makoto admits with an awkward, apologetic smile. She can admire Ami's intelligence all she wants, but that doesn't change the fact that any time Ami starts going into any detail about some project she's working on or puzzle she's unraveling, there's no way for Mako to wrap her head around it.

She draws in a breath, thinks as she lets it out. "Did he know that teasing you about that stuff was making you uncomfortable?" she asks.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I don't know," Ami repeats herself with a shake of her head. Drawing her legs up to her chest, Ami curls up in a little ball. In the oversized jacket, she looks a little more childish than her fourteen years would suggest. "I mean, he knew he was teasing me, becaus ehe said he was, but I just completely failed to cope."

"He actually stopped when he realised I wasn't coping," Ami explains, "and tried to help me calm down. And then I was so exhausted and full of food and the ocean was nice and I was warm and we stayed quiet long enough that I wound up falling asleep. I feel so out of sorts; like this poison is just undermining my ability to be any kind of trustworthy source of information. Like who's going to trust a girl that can't even stay calm under a little stress form a boy?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Leaving the kitchenette, Makoto crosses the apartment to come sit down next to Ami. "That's not being very fair to yourself, is it?" she asks, brows drawn together in concern. "It's not like it's just 'a little stress from a boy' - it's a whole lot of things all piled up together, and you were worn out and in a situation you weren't used to and still recovering from something that almost killed you. Having a fit of not dealing for a little while under all of that doesn't mean you're unreliable."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami leans over against Makoto, putting her head on the much taller girl's shoulder. "Yeah, but I'm only dealing with all of that because I wasn't cautious like I should have been. I knew there was a risk of Kunzite becoming mind controlled gain."

Ami sighs and reaches out to wrap her arms around Makoto's forearm, rather than her knees. "I haven't been very reliable at all. But I just want to figure out what I'm feeling. I don't understanda most of these emotions, and it's an uncomfortable place to be."

Makoto Kino has posed:
The hand that Ami's not monopolizing reaches over to rest on her arm, gentle and warm. "I know it's not as easy as saying 'don't blame yourself,'" she says quietly. "But it's not like it's just your fault, either. None of us have had each other's backs like we should. Everybody's been messed up lately."

A troubled frown shadows Makoto's face for a moment, before she shakes it off and smiles at Ami. "I'm sure it is really uncomfortable, not understanding. But you'll definitely figure it out. I have faith in you." Her hand on Ami's arm gives a soft little squeeze. "And if talking through it helps, I'll listen as much as you want."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami striaghtens just a little, and then looks up to Makoto uncertainly. "I wish I shared your faith. Boys are complicated and confusing," she mumbles unhappily. "I'm just glad I'm out of there so I can try and figure out what I'm feeling." She frowns, just a little, then sighs. "I don't even know if these feelings are even really mine, or just the influence his energy is having on me since we were sharing it for so long. I've never shared energy with someone like this before, and it's so embarassing."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto's mouth twitches a little at the mention of sharing energy, but she valiantly tamps down her reaction. "Well," she says instead, "it sounds like the first step is to give yourself a little time for that energy-sharing stuff to wear off and see how you feel about him then. If that's what it is, the effect should wear off, don't you think?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami tilts her head at Makoto. "Yeah, that's what I decided, too," she agrees quietly, studying her friend thoughtfully. "It's why I'm here a little earlier than I perhaps should be. I needed to get out of there and start clearing my head. What's that look for?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Nothing!" Makoto protests, a little too quickly, and looks away. Yeah, even she can tell that's not convincing. Mako's never been good at hiding what she's thinking.

"'Sharing energy' sounds pretty serious, is all," she admits after a moment. "But I know what you meant, and I'm not going to start teasing you about stuff when Agera-san doing that made you uncomfortable."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"It is serious," Ami replies, half-whining as she looks away. Her cheeks are red with embarassment, and she huddles into that oversized coat unhappily. "And it's exactly what we've been doing for the better part of two weeks. I've had his energy crawling through my system seeking out the poison to destroy it, and he's had my poisoned energy crawling throug his system, trying to destroy him. It's ... really intimiate. It's exactly what it sounds like."

Ami looks back to Makoto worriedly. "And that's why I don't know if all of these feelings I have are honest, or if they're just influenced by his energy. And .. even if they're honest, I don't even know what they mean. Do I have a crush on him? Is this just what it feels like to have a boy that' a friend? Is it just because I feel like he understands me? I don't know."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto promptly scoots around so that she can wrap her arm around Ami over the coat and hug her. "Having him save your life like that probably doesn't help things, either. I'm sorry, Ami-chan. It sounds pretty complicated."

She sits like this for a little while, giving Ami some time for the spike of embarrassment to perhaps settle some. Eventually, she lets out a self-deprecating laugh. "You're talking to the world's expert at getting the wrong idea and falling for guys who aren't right for me," she says. "Anything I could tell you that wasn't totally hypocritical would probably be terrible advice. But definitely, for right now, give it some time. See how you feel when you've recovered a little more and you've worked his energy out of your system. Then at least you'll have one less question to find the answer to."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami nods her head at Makoto, then hugs her gently before settling back against the couch. Once more Ami hunches down into her jacket and draws the collar up to her nose, then closes her eyes and sighs. "I just hope I can recover without his energy in me. I'm doing a lot better than I was, but it's still not entirely gone. I want to try and go back to class on Monday. I miss school."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"I bet," Makoto says with a fond laugh. "The teachers have really been missing you, too."

She reaches to brush her hand lightly over Ami's hair and then gets up from the couch and onto her feet, heading back towards the kitchenette. The tea's not going to make itself. "If that's the plan," she says brightly, "you should get plenty of rest between now and then. What do you want to have for dinner?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami's blush is a far more healthy one, this time, when Makoto tells her the teachers miss her. "Well, I miss them, too," she says quietly, then watches as Makoto heads towards the kitchen. "Yeah, rest is definitely what I've been hoping for. Other than doing my laundry and taking a few walks, I mostly just plan to sleep on your couch."

The question of dinner draws a thoughtful expression from Ami, then she grins just faintly. "I really want cheeseburgers and a coke, but I suspect you're going to make me eat something healthier than that. How about pizza and a coke?" Cause that's so much healthier.

Makoto Kino has posed:
The look that sweeps over Makoto's face on hearing this is just the right combination of surprise and vague indignation to be downright comical. Then, after a beat or two, she laughs. "Fine, fine," she says, green eyes sparkling. "You've been having a hard time lately, so I'll indulge you."

Of course, if Ami thinks Mako's going to order fast food, she's gravely mistaken. The wheels behind those green eyes are already turning, thinking of what she's already got on hand and what she'll need to make a run to the grocery store to get besides Coke. "What would you like on your pizza?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami's eyes widen a little. She actually gets pizza? Sweet! Makoto's pizzas are probably going to be amazing. "Oh, uh," she says, thinking, "I like a little bit of everything, so why don't you make it how you like it and we'll share." At least she's not picky. And besides, 'chef's choice' is likely to make it taste even better. Her mouth is watering already at the idea of it.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ami asks curiously as she finally starts unbuttoning that oversized jacket to take it off. "I'm doing a lot better than I was. I even cooked my own breakfast this morning."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Yeah?" Makoto's expression brightens with genuine interest at this news. "How'd it go? What'd you make? Tell me all about it" She putters with making the tea as she listens to what Ami has to say.

"I'll have to make a run to the store," she notes, thinking. "For your Coke at least, and probably some other stuff. We should start the dough for the crust first, though..." Without more than a glance, she reaches up to open a cabinet and start pulling out canisters, feeling - honestly - happier than she has in several days. Her world still isn't right, but it feels like it's at least starting to get better.