2134/Packing and unpacking

Packing and unpacking
Date of Scene:	17 November 2016
Location:	Mizuno Highrise Apartment - Uminari City - Jubaan Avenue South
Synopsis:	Ami is packing for her trip, and the conversation with Naru is unpacking all sorts of questions and concerns.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Naru Osaka

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Ami Mizuno has posed:
Travel on short notice is not one of Ami's strong suits. Doubly so once the realization that she's doing something truly insane sets in. For the first hour after getting home, she went over information transfer, ensuring Naru was prepared to take on the Archive, and setting up emergency protocols.

With that out of the way and Kunzite gone, Ami and Naru are left alone in the large highrise, packing a bag for a trip that Ami never expected to take, and really doesn't have the clothes to manage well.

She's probably going to need to go shopping during school hours tomorrow to get a few items.

The problem is, despite the bag being open on the bed, and several clothes laid out beside it for selection, Ami is just staring at them dumbly while she processes what she's really about to do.

"Naru, am I crazy?" Ami asks her, uncertainly. "This seems crazy. My mom's going to kill me. Usagi and Makoto are going to kill me. Why am I doing this?" Quick, better distract her before she spirals into complete breakdown.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Fortunately, calm in the face of crazy is one of Naru's strong suits. She's got paper and pencil out to make a shopping list, and/or a borrow list as they work on getting things together.

"You're not crazy, you're acting on an unexpected opportunity." Naru explains with that characteristic calm. "And also, I think, mitigating some of the risk of Takashi going alone, which sounds like is bigger than I understand the nuances of."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Some of the risk!?" Ami asks, then laughs a little bitterly. "Pretty much every scenario I can think of where Takashi goes alone results in him coming back broken beyond resolve. I don't want to have to kill my boyfriend before I even get a chance to kiss him," she grumbles unhappily.

Ami sighs and holds up a thick blue button-up blouse, designed more for functionality than fashion. She looks at herself in the mirror with it, then glances towards Naru before dropping it into the 'definitely' pile. Better functional clothes where she's going; no sense staying henshined all the time.

"I just wish I had more time to prepare for this," Ami explains as she starts going over the items she's already pulled out for packing. "I wish I knew more about where we're going, how we're getting there, what kind of problems we're going to face. When I took the girls to Paris last year, I spent two weeks just surveying our objective before I even bought the tickets. This feels insane."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I suspect kissing him right before you kill him is probably not on the table either. Which is why you're going." Naru points out and then pulls out her phone to check weather in random locations. "Layers are probably best, so you can add or remove depending on how warm or cold it is. I know improvisation isn't what you're most comfortable with, but I don't think Takashi knows what's there /either/, and when he mentioned 'sinking', I can see why there isn't a slow measured response."

Naru mmms softly. "So work with what you do know and what you can extrapolate from that. It was his mother's lab, yes? What do you know of his mother and her research?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Very little," Ami admits as she starts picking through sweaters and jackets to find appropriate layers for the trip. "I know that she died before he knew her, and that she was a researcher for Eclipse. According to Takashi, she was researching dark energy. His devices have hinted that she cared very much for Takashi; I honestly think the core for his main device may have been something of hers, to begin with."

"I know," Ami continues as she picks out a few more items, "That she was researching dark energy. Takashi believes she was trying to harness its power, and that his unusual condition is a result of her 'gift' to him; that she wanted him to save the world with that power. I am skeptical. I think it was a mistake; what little scraps I've found about her imply that she was more like Murie Curie, and that the exposure to dark energy was an unexpected hazard. Takashi's power is likely an accident, and if it were my mother, she would regret very much what she'd done to me.

"I know that not all parents are goodly," Ami says, turning to regard Naru. "Heaven knows, my own father isn't exactly a saint. But I don't think she wanted this for him. I hope we're going to find evidence of what she was really doing, there. And I'm worried that it will devestate him to find out what she was like."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru listens, and moves over to start arranging into potential outfits to ensure everything goes together and there's no clothing orphans that just take up space and don't go with anything else. She doesn't inturrupt, there's little noises of 'mmm' and 'ah' as she listens, accepting all of the information and letting it mull a bit before she offers anything of her own.

"No, not all parents are goodly." Naru agrees with a nod, her voice still slow, thoughtful. "The vast majority of them, like so near to all as to almost be effectively all, want what's best for their kids. Sometimes they aren't very good at /doing/ it, or knowing what that actually looks like, but they don't want to hurt their kids." She is quiet again, thoughtful as she smooths a shirt in her hand before laying it down onto a jacket that it goes well with.

"Which makes the trip still crazy, but all the more important." Naru takes a slow breath, held a moment and let out again. "You know him better than I do, of that there is no question, doubt or arguement. I hope it doesn't devistate him, I hope he absorbs it into his worldview, possibly not accepting it yet, and it slowly grows rather than shocks."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"His father seems to be a piece of work," Ami says frustratedly as she bundles a dress she probably won't wear. But she's not going with no cute clothes, damnit. "Abandoned him, mostly seems to want to pretend he doesn't exist. He seems to treat Takashi like a failed experiment. And ... maybe he was. But I have to hope that's not the case."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Fathers really do seem to buck the trend of good parenting. If any of our male friends have kids someday, we are going to have to kick them not to be morons about it." Naru agrees with a nod and then frowns. "Not failed. Even unexpected results aren't a fail, although it's hard to keep that in mind when things aren't going as you expected. Even more so, a /person/ isn't a failed experiement."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami glances at Naru for a moment, as if trying to get her head around that worldview. In her mind, it's clear experiments very much can fail, and if creating a person was part of the experiment, then from the perspective of the experimenter, it's still possible to fail.

But of course, that doesn't make the person worthless, or the knowledge gained useless.

She doesn't argue the issue, verbally. Instead, she turns back to her packing and mumbles, "Whatever the case, the youma are more his family than that man is. He's never really had one. He's never known what it's like to have a caring parent or trustworthy friends. I get so frustrated with him because he doesn't trust me, but then I remember that he doesn't really even know what trust means."

Naru Osaka has posed:
It's probably more of a semantics language issue than an ideology issue. Damn artists.

Naru nods, equally not pushing the issue. "That's a hard habit to break, too. And takes a lot of time and patience and frustration. He has no idea, and learning what it means doesn't happen quickly." She gives a half smile. "Another reason to go on crazy trips with him, really."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Maybe," Ami agrees. She pauses in packing to look up at Naru concernedly. "In the back of my mind, I can hear Makoto listing all the reasons this isn't a good idea. 'How can you trust him, Ami-chan?'" she asks, putting on her best Makoto impression. "'He's going to try and take advantage of you. If you can't even trust him not to grab you in public, how can you trust being alone with him for weeks or months? It's not safe. He's probably going to try to use dark energy to manipulate you again.'" Ami sighs and sits down on the edge of her bed, clutching at one of her sweaters.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru pauses and crouches down in front of Ami, to be able to look up at her. "Because he asked." She answers simply enough. "Because this time, he didn't just grab you and go. He asked. Because the awful part about trust is the vulnerable bit." She sighs softly. "I know I should be discouraging you, for all of Makoto's really good reasons, but .." She pauses again. "It feels important. And I trust you. Both to stand up for him, but more importantly, to stand up for yourself too, and to come home or call if it's too much, and we'll be on the next flight there, or sooner."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami looks down at Naru, meeting here eye-to-eye with all the worries and fears made obvious in her gaze. "I'm scared," she admits to Naru quietly. "I don't want to lose this opportunity. I don't want to let him be right--I don't want him to get hurt. But what if she is right? What if he's already beyond hope of redemption? What if I'm just deluding myself because he's got a pretty face and a brilliant mind, Naru-chan? I don't want to be a victim of my own foolishness. And I don't want to lose Makoto over it, either."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru offers a hand, but doesn't force the touch. "I don't think it's foolishness to hold hope. Possibly I'm an optimist, but I've heard of too many people who /have/ found redemption to dismiss it quite yet. Perhaps that makes me foolish and delusional as well, but while he's hardly unattractive, no one could accuse me of being distracted by his brilliant mind or pretty face."

Another slow breath, let out in a bit of a sigh. "It sucks." Naru declares. "It sucks that this is so damn complicated, that everything is."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Touch is one thing Ami is always quick to accept, at least in private, when it isn't embarassing. She grips Naru's hand with both of her own and squeezes softly, then lets out a sigh. "I never asked to be a Soldier," she points out quietly. "I never asked to know magic, or be caretaker for the knowledge earth needs to survive the evils out there. I'm still not sure I want any of these things. I just wanted to be a doctor; to help people. And now ..." she trails off, looking away towards the wall.

A moment passes, and with it goes Ami's insecurity. She bottles it up, hardens her resolve and her expression, then lets out the bad energy with a steadying breath. "But asked for or not, these are my responsibilities. Sailor Moon needs me to be exactly what I am. And if Takashi is destined to be the next Beryl, then someone has to understand him well enough to be able to stop him. So I'm going," she says, looking back to Naru again. "And I'm not going to trust him. But I am going to try to save him. You'll be alright with the database," she reinforces, more for her own sake than Naru's. "And if Makoto doesn't understand, then I will just have to fix things with her when I get back."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru squeezes Ami's hand in return. "Life seems to be all about the unexpected, the curveballs, the shouldering of responsibilities that no one expected to face at fifteen, or ever." She nods at that steeling of resolution, her expression gentle. "You /do/ help people, if not quite as a doctor, but you do. More than you realize, I suspect. And I have faith in you. You're there for Sailor Moon, but you have support too, you're not in this alone."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I know," Ami says with a faint nod of her head. "I forgot that, for a while ... while Mina was gone. But even when I forgot it, people were still there. I think I didn't realise how much they were there until Makoto stopped talking to me. I'm not going to take it for granted again. But I still have a responsibility to learn everything I can about those who oppose Virtue. And that includes Takashi."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"If you aren't learning everything you can about everything around you, then you aren't you. That bit I have no concerns about." Naru smiles just a touch and then adds with a slightly bigger smile. "If I hide my tracker in your stuff, will it work for you? Cause I am totally tempted to, but I figure you have it linked to me, so it would be a wasted gesture."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"It would," Ami agrees with a nod, "but I intend to put a tracker on myself, as well, and trigger it to notify you and the others. Don't worry, if something happens to me you'll know. And as long as the Senshi get together, they can teleport to where I'll be quickly, and take you with."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"If its all going horribly horribly wrong, I'm probably not much help on site, but I don't actually /know/ exactly." Naru gives Ami's hand another squeeze. "I'm glad that you're doing that. That, in and of itself, is really reassuring. And you'll call lots, right? Not just because we're going to be worried about you, but omg you're going to South America! It should be beautiful!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Don't underestimate your powers, Naru," Ami cautions the girl gently. "You wield the power of creativity, which is quite probably the strongest form of magic I've ever theorizded. What you lack in brute force, you more than make up for in versatility. You are--and will be--immensely useful, as a magical girl."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"And its only been a few weeks, and I don't yet know how to use them well. I will never be a front line type." Naru smiles gently with a little nod at the caution. "Which isn't the main problem. The main problem is that I'm brand new at using them, and that will change. I make other people better, generally, and that's pretty awsome."