1591/Derpy Lion

Derpy Lion
Date of Scene:	11 June 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Game Center Crown
Synopsis:	Ami. Naru. The aforementioned lion. Also, projects and dating issues.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Naru Osaka

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Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami emerges from the alleyway, tired and red-eyed from crying. She wipes her face to try and recover some semblance of dignity, then makes her way back into the Crown. There's not much else she can do, right now.

Climbing the stairs to the second floor, the bluenette stops briefly by her bookbag to grab a makeup kit and her tablet, then takes both with her into the bathroom, leaving her pizza and the rest of her things on the table.

Once in the bathroom, Ami moves to the sink and washes her face, then looks up at herself in the mirror. Her hair has grown a little long--almost chin-length, right now. She needs a cut. The striped blue-and-white tanktop she's wearing has slipped off of one shoulder, so she fixes it, then smoothes out her blue skirt. Untying the decorative scarf she had on her neck, Ami checks her pulse briefly, then shakes her head and sets it aside almost rudely.

Setting up the tablet beside her, Ami pushes a few buttons on it, then leans forward to inspect herself in the mirror. A little makeup will cover the signs of tears, and maybe help her feel a little less alone, right now.

Naru Osaka has posed:
When hiding in the ladies to cover up the signs of tears and get a grip on one's self, the last thing one generally wishes is for company. Unfortunately, even when the Crown is quiet, there's a fairly high chance that someone is going to come in at some point.

It's just not always quite so likely to be someone familiar.

Naru has clearly only just arrived to the Crown, to guess by the fact that she's still got her bookbag over her shoulder and she is most of the way to a stall before her brain catches up with her glance in Ami's direction.

"Ami!" Naru's voice sounds downright pleased to spot the bluenette and there's a smile that fades as she considers Ami more closely. "Are you alright?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami startles at the sound of Naru's voice. She's busy applying eyeshadow, and now she has to fix a smudge. The bluenette sighs and wipes away what's there, then glances at Naru through the mirror. "Hi," she says quietly, then goes back to applying the makeup. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just ... Mako-chan's had a rough time, and she said some things that got me a little emotional. Not her fault," she notes. "Just a lot of stress going around right now."

Ami swallows, then says, "I ... owe you an apology. Kunzite already told me you know what I did, so I guess I won't go into why. But I should have known better. I'm sorry."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Is she doing alright? Endy said she was pretty ticked, and I saw the baking." Naru asks as she abandons, momentarily, her initial plan to come and lean against a sink. "And you have more than enough of your own stress too." She adds with a sympathetic note to her voice.

"I don't think you have anything to apologize for." Naru notes quietly. "I don't think it was your fault, and I don't blame you." She pauses a moment. "It sounds to me like you've gotten the raw end of the deal from top to bottom on it all, and that makes me want to say sorry to /you/, not the other way around." There's a little smile. "Sympathetic sort of sorry."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
The bluenette pauses in her makeup long enough to shake her head, then goes back to it. She's not exactly talented at this; makeup is not something she uses often, so she goes slow and takes her time to make sure she doesn't screw up.

"It is my fault," she explains to Naru. "The first time he gave them to me, maybe I could claim ignorance as a motive. But the second time, I knew better. I knew what they were and I was arrogant enough to think I could deal with it."

Ami sighs and leans away, then wrinkles her nose. "I look like a raccoon," she grumbles, then grabs a tissue to take it all off with so she can start over.

"But anyways, I just wanted you to know that I really am sorry," Ami says, turning to regard Naru briefly. "Whether you think I've reason to be or not, I am. And it's important to me that you know I never meant to hurt you."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It's not an unreasonable thing to think." Naru agrees on the ignorance. "They.. well.. they didn't suck. Let's put it that way." She reaches a hand out, to just gently touch Ami's arm. Not enough to mess with the makeup, as a hug might, but enough to be a touch.

"With all the times I seem to need rescuing or babysitting, I know you're not out to hurt me. I.. well. I got you something. It's just silly." Naru explains as she pulls her hand back and goes digging in the bag of holding that is her school bag.

"I thought with everything, and the break up on top of everything, you probably could use a bit of silly, and I spotted it when I was out shopping with Kukai." Naru emerges from her bag with a little blue stuffed toy. A blue lion that can only be described as derpy lion. So much derp. "He just made me giggle." She offers it to Ami.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami pauses when Naru touches her arm. She glances at the other girl, then sighs and turns around to face Naru. "I'm terrible at this," she says, dropping the brush back into her eyeshadow She wipes it back off again while Naru pulls out the derpiest lion ever, then looks towards the thing. Ami opens her mouth, then tilts her head and squints a little, and can't help but chuckle briefly in amusement.

"What the heck is he, even?" she asks, reaching up for the thing. "He looks ridiculous," she notes, but hugs the lion anwyays. "You didn't have to do that," she notes to Naru, looking to her best friend's best friend gratefully.

Silence reigns briefly, before Ami asks, "Does it bother you, knowing what you know now?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru watches that moment of consideration, and that thought train trying to process what .. how.. and she giggles softly when Ami chuckles. "I think he's supposed to be a lion, but he's absolutely ridiculous." She agrees with a bright grin, as if 'ridiculous' was utterly part of his charm. Which it is.

"Of course I didn't /have/ to, that's the best part of little surprises. You don't /have/ to, so they are even better." Naru smiles as she watches Ami give the lion a little hug.

"Which bit?" Naru asks after that little bit of silence. "Knowing that there's so much more to the world? No. That doesn't bother me, quite the opposite. Knowing that I can't really affect it much? Sometimes. I feel helpless and useless a lot." She admits quietly, looking down at the tile floor rather than at Ami directly. "Knowing that the people I love put themselves in grave danger on a regular basis? I get to worry about the pack of you a lot, but that's my part in it, I suppose."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami nods her head, then sets the lion down beside her on the counter and turns back to her makeup. She stares at it a moment, then gives up and puts it away. People are just going to have to deal with the fact that sometimes fourteen-year-old girls cry.

"There's a lot of sacrifice to it," Ami notes quietly, although it sounds more like she's convincing herself. "Sleep is a luxury, boyfriends are either a liability, evil, or don't prioritize us. And of course we put ourselves in grave danger." She turns to glances at Naru briefly, then asks, "Would you want all of that, if it meant you could have a little bit of power in exchange?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru shakes her head slowly at that all important question and she looks over to Ami. "No." She answers simply enough. That lone syllable lingers in the air a moment before she elaborates.

"Certainly not right now." She adds after that moment. "And that also presumes that I have a choice in the matter. You didn't. Usagi didn't. Endy didn't. None of you had a choice in the matter, and for all I know, there might be something that I just don't yet know." She looks a little rueful. "I feel sort of like a coward saying it though, that I wouldn't choose it, and as if I'm being mean to you guys who didn't have a choice."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
That draws a wince from the bluenette, and she nods her head. "Yea," she says softly, "we really didn't get a choice. And right now it's really hurting ... a lot of us," she explains. "We have this duty to defend Earth that we were born with twice over. We failed once, and now we have to do it again, and it's ... actually kindof oppressive."

Ami takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. "But someone has to do it. And I guess that's us. So we'll do it, because we have to. What if there was a way you could help, though, without being a magical girl? Would you do it?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Yes." Naru answers that with perhaps even less hesitation than she offered the no before. She erms softly and then smile sa little. "That was another reason I wanted to talk to you, so that I could offer to help, however would work out well for the five of you, without stepping or toes or anything."

"Not being able to help, not being /willing/ to help? I might find the notion of being a magical girl rather intimidating, but I can't imagine not trying to help as much as I can." Naru adds, shifting a little as she leans on the sink.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Then there is something I could use your help with," Ami replies quietly, taking a breath. "A research project. I'd need to give you access to a terminal for Eternity MAIN, so I'll need to talk to Luna first, but assuming she doesn't disagree ... I need you to look into Mamoru's history. There was a school he was supposed to attend that has a weird past. Kunzite was there, too, and was supposed to meet with him the night that Mamoru's parents died. Oddly, all record of the school vanished that same night, and now it's a house. So ..." she trails off. "It's not urgent, but it's important that we figure out what was going on."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'd be glad to." Naru answers easily enough, nodding and then quirking her head. "I was also wondering if I could help with communication too? I seem to keep surprising people. Keeping people in the loop. The boys have the advantage of living together." She takes a bit of a breath. "I could use your help in brainstorming something too, but that can be a bit later." She hefts her school bag a little more up onto her shoulder.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Tech...nically," Ami says with a grimace, "we have heartnet for that." Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a cell phone that's sky blue, with the symbol of mercury etched on it in gold. "They're hooked up via a custom magical wireless network. There's a forum, too. And we can text all of Virtue. But ..." she trails off thoughtfully. "Sometimes people are too busy. Let me think about it, though."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I get the sense, and I'm just guessing, that you guys probably leave that for the /really/ important stuff, and the only sort of important stuff, or the just nice to know stuff you trust in remembering to mention." Naru watches the mystical cell phone and then asks thoughtfully. "How often does Usagi lose hers?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami grimaces just faintly at that question. "I haven't ever seen her use it. Ever," she notes amusedly. "It's entirely possible she lost it and has been ashamed to admit it." She considers the phone in front of her a moment longer, then flips it open and thumbs out a quick message. When she's done, she closes it and places the phone back in her pocket.

Looking up, she smiles at Naru a bit, then asks, "So how are you and Kunzite doing, anyways? You two look really cute together." Guesses based on third party rumours.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"That goes past possible, all the way to likely." Naru flickers a little smile at the notion of Usagi's phone being MIA.

"Oh! Oh we're just friends." Naru shakes her head quickly at the guess. "I mean, we go to dance class together, but it's not like /that/." She blushes just a touch at the notion. "We get along really well though. Which considering how we met is pretty impressive."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
The bluenette smiles a little conspiratorially and glances at the door. "'Just friends'?" she asks, arching a brow. "And you go to dance class together? Naru-chan, that sounds like more than 'just friends' to me! That sounds like you're dating!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Totally just friends!" Naru protests with a little giggle. "He's more like a big brother than anything. Besides, I can't imagine Kunzite dating, although it'd be awesome if he did, but I can't picture it."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"You could suggest it," Ami notes thoughtfully, then shakes her head. "Sorry, it's not my business." But oh the reblogs she plans to get on Tumblr for this one, tonight. If she can find the time to write it.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Dating someone who isn't me." Naru clarifies and she quiets a moment and then admits softly. "I'm pretty sure that I'm the only girl in our class who doesn't have any real interest in dating. Or maybe I just haven't met someone I wanted to date."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami's face shifts to brief discomfort, then she spreads her hands. "Yeah," she mumbles, "I guess not dating is technically better than dating someone who is controlled by their evil base emotions because they were born with tons of dark energy that threatens constantly to consume them." At least, that's the conclusion she came to.

"Still," Ami says, "I wish I could have a fairy tale romance, like ..." she trails off, then considers. Usagi isn't quite that, anymore. Neither is Makoto. Do Fairy Tale romances really exist?

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'd feel less like a weirdo if I wanted to date anyone. Even dark energy consumed and controlled by base desires. Or a crush, that'd be fine too." Naru half mumbles in a flurry of admission. "I'm not sure they exist. They must. There's so many stories of them."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami sniffs amusedly, then hugs Naru briefly before she turns to start collecting her things again. "Maybe your'e just into girls,"she suggests with a shrug. "Anyways, I have some homework to do. I'll get back to you later this week about the research project. Do you need anything else?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Don't seem to be." Naru has apparently considered this notion. She gives Ami a hug and smiles. "I do, but another time. You have homework, and I probably do too, but first, I'm starving." She pauses and then adds. "And I have to pee something fierce." She did have a whole different motive for coming in here in the first place.