Ami Mizuno has not been her usual self, lately. Or perhaps more specifically, she's retreated back into the Ami Mizuno of a year ago: the shy, quiet girl who never sought out friendships, studied hard, and was rumoured to be a robot by her peers. That Ami didn't know Naru, or Usagi, or Makoto, and wasn't Sailor Mercury.
Such a sudden and major backwards slide has been making Usagi upset, but Ami hasn't opened up to her about whatever's wrong. Worse still, Ami and Makoto's relationship--normally strong and warm--seems to have cooled towards only vague acknowledgement of one another as fellow entities.
Not a healthy state for the Senshi to be in by any stretch of the imagination, but at least so far no one has volunteered what happened. Or maybe no one's been brave enough to ask.
At the moment, Ami is eating her lunch alone on a bench by the tennis courts, so far from her friends' usual haunts as to be practically on another planet. As usual, she's spending more time focused on her computer (the sky blue and gold Mercury computer; at least she hasn't given *that* up) than she is on her eating, which means the food disappears quickly into her mouth with hardly any time taken for tidiness or savouring the actual food. It's just calories, to the Senshi of Knowledge and Exams, apparently.
Naru is, to some degree, neutral ground. Her job, as often as not, is to worry. Although of late, her job has been to mostly try not to just perish on the spot at the end of a workout, but by and large, to worry about the whole pack of them.
Naru too, has been fairly independant of late. Off doing her own things. Talking to folks, trying to study, and today it finds her on another planet. The one that exists out by the tennis courts.
Naru plunks herself down on the bench, setting her lunch bag by her feet, clad in shiny new running shoes, no less. She doesn't comment for the moment, just gets out her bento to consider what she packed for lunch today.
Ami doesn't even seem to notice Naru when she sits down. A little frown crosses the bluenette's features, but it's probably not at her new lunch-buddy given the way she leans in to read the screen a bit closer. "Really?" she asks of the device, then makes a disgusted noise and scrolls back up to a previous page.
She rereads everything in there again, finishes shovelling food into her mouth, and only then does she acknowledge Naru's presence by looking up at her. She studies the girl a moment, blinks once as if in confusion, then her eyes widen. "Oh! Hello, Naru-chan. I'm actually glad to see you. I've been meaning to talk to you." Which doesn't really seem to match with how much she's been hiding, lately.
"Really." Naru quietly deadpans as reply on behalf of Ami's computer.
Naru doesn't inturrupt beyond that, calmly taking up some of her lunch to get to eating as she waits for Ami to catch her presence on the instant replay that will probably happen eventually. There's a smile. "Hi. Ami-chan." She pops a bit of pickled vegetable into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before continuing, a hint of surprise at that. "You have? What's up?"
Ami blinks at Naru's confusion, then smiles anyways and ignores it. "I have," she says. "I've been putting some thought into your desire to be useful, and I think I've found one of the most perfect things for you to do. It's actually a task I was asked to do, but there's way more work than I can do alone, and I think it will benefit you and the rest of us, tremendously and in equal part."
Naru quirks her head, all the more interested as she listens to Ami explain. "I'd be glad to help out." she tucks a leg up under her on the bench, lasting about five seconds like that before she shifts positions again, to stretch her legs out and cross at the ankle. She reaches for her water bottle, to take a drink from it as she listens.
Another smile, then Ami explains, "We're putting together an information network for all of Virtue. It is actually a physical compound beneath Seiyou Public School, three floors deep, comprised of a closed circuit server system, with a lobby and access terminals. In addition to setting up the physical environment, I am also responsible for developing security, indexing the data stored in three systems--heartnet, TSAB's databases, and the Eternity MAIN system on the moon--into a useable archive. Basically we're creating a big library for Virtue members to use to research their current issues. I might think about giving it some artifical intelligence, long term, to preemptively send out important data to Virtue's agents when it detects they might need it, but we'll call that phase two. Anyways, with all the responsibilities on the project, I need help," Ami explains. "TSAB and the Taisha are providing funding, physical labor, and software expertise, but I still need someone to help me parse through all the data and properly tag it for indexing, as well as screen harmful things out. That's where I thought you could help."
"Giving your database intelligence ends badly in basically every movie that they've ever tried it in." Naru points out pragmatically. "What's TSAB?" She asks first, as she listens closely, and it's clear that she's listening closely. "And Taisha?" She pauses to get a bit more of her own lunch into her. A generous lunch, even assuming she often feeds Usagi too. "That sounds /amazing/, by the by. I would be delighted to help!"
"The TSAB are the time-space administration bureau," Ami explains without even a hint of impatience at Naru's question. "They are the reason so many parts of a space ship keep falling on Earth; they broke up in subspace. Ah ... they are also mostly Mages using Intelligent Devices like the one I keep offering you," Ami says with a faint grin. "Although I suppose theirs are Midchiildan and the one I've got is Belkan, but the point remains. Which, by the way, is why Artificial Intelligence movies are universally dumb. AI isn't going to end badly; it's already working successfully.
"As for thet Taisha," Ami says, returning to the point. "I have absolutely no idea. They're allies, but they're very secretive and seem to be working on their own projects. Still, they're dropping multiple millions of dollars on this project, and allowing me to spearhead it with oversight from Lindy-sama, so other than wondering who they are I really can't complain."
Pause.
"So does that mean you'll help?"
"Yes." Naru answers that last question first and then holds up a finger. "But waiiit.. back up a point or three. Cool on the who .. even the secretive who.. cool.." She seems to be doing her own instant reply, but on rewind rather than jumping chunks. "You keep asking me if I want to be a magical girl. Not if I want to use a device. Which I think, based on what I've been learning, I would need to be a magical girl to do /anyhow/." She pauses a moment. "Which I'm not. Or at least I dont have an awake Chara, that Rhythm could find." Because those are the sort of absent phrases that Naru gets to use these days.
Ami blinks at Naru's confusion, then holds up her wrist. There, dangling from a slender bracelet, is a small charm shaped like a glaive. "Naru, meet Eiszapfen," she explains with a faint smile. "Eiszapfen is a Belken Device. From what I've gleaned--which I am quite sure I know very little right now--Belkan Devices are used by the Belkan Knights to conduct their tasks. The devices are far less intelligent than Midchildaan Intelligent devices, but much more than Storage Devices, whose AI is so rudimentary I think your home computer may have them beat.
"Eiszapfen specializes in melee and ice combat magics," Ami continues the introduction. "I still don't know the full properties, but it converts into a halberd for combat mode, and also has a movement mode which allows you to project ice before you in a sheet and skate on it with the device's assistance. You could probably traverse the city in a matter of minutes," which is impressive, given it takes hours to do by car.
"In order to wield Eiszapfen," Ami explains to Naru, "All you need to do is interface Eiszapfen with your Linker Core--a process Eiszapfen would be capable of doing for you, as I understand it. In fact, being a magical girl already makes it harder for me to use Eiszapfen. This is what I've been suggesting you use.
"It was Takashi's," Ami explains, growing just a little quieter, now. "Someday, when I've freed him of this evil that has hold on him, I mean to give it back to him. But I see no harm in you using it between now and then."
"Belken? Midchildaan?" Naru asks as she looks at the bracelet and charm dangling from Ami's wrist, nodding slowly at the information provided. "My Linker Core? I have a Linker Core?"
There's a soft mmmm sound at the mention of it having been Takashi's and then a little nod from Naru. "I really so very hope that the theory that he was born with the dark stuff entwined in is wrong, and that he was just really young. It's going to suck massively either way, but the later seems somewhat less ominous than the former for untangling him."
Ami grimaces at Naru's hopes and looks away. "It's not wrong," she says quietly, as her eyes find the ground. "He was born that way. I just don't think he was meant to be. It's not the great 'gift' he thinks it is, and I don't think his mother wanted this for him."
But Naru asked questions, so Ami tries to find the answer, "Midchildaa and Belka are two planets out in the multiverse. I know very little about them, I'm sorry. Maybe we'll find information inthe TSAB databases when we archive them. Your linker core ... is like your magical center. Everyone has one, near as I can tell."
"Brutal. Not impossible, just harder." Naru is going to stick with the optimism. "No.. it's not a great gift." She sighs and reaches over to pat Ami's arm sympathetically.
"That's the theory on the Chara as well. Everyone has one, but only some are awake and present and /doing/ stuff. Probably very similar notion through all the magical traditions, really, just with different names and perceptions on how it works."
Ami takes a breath, then looks back to Naru. "Yeah. Well," she says, "best as I can tell, wit the devices from Midchildaa and Belka, it's not chance that awakens them, but decision. So .." she dangles the little halberd charm again, "If you want it, it's here." She shrugs a little, then looks back down to the device in her lap. "Have you heard of wraiths?" she asks curiously.
"Chance doesn't seem to really favour me." Naru comments, just a touch dryly. She considers for a moment and then nods. "I will need to learn.. alright everything really. I dont know how to use a weapon, or how to fight with one, or anything. But that I can learn."
Naru nods at the next question. "Big, looming, potentially skeletal guys that Kunzite texted me about?"
"I guess those are the ones," Ami says, nodding just faintly. "Kunzite sent me a briefing on them to share with the archive," says the bluenette, as she offers her tablet over to Naru quietly. "And also a notice about something my asshole boyfriend," not ex, "is up to. I really do need to talk to him and get the ethical oversight we agreed to worked out," she says with a sigh.
"It is boyfriend again?" Naru asks, aiming for confimation without condemnation. "I /thought/ it was, but Usagi wasn't sure, but she was kinda distracted at the time." She offers a smile and reaches for the tablet to take it and read. "I expect your briefing probably didn't include 'text me or Kyouko immediately if you meet one'." Naru quirks a little smile about that reality of her life. "What's Taka up to this time?"
Ami wrinkles her nose up cutely and shrugs. "I guess it's boyfriend again," she says, not really committing, either. "I'm not sure. We sorta ended the night with a 'we'll see'. But now Mako-chan is upset with me, and I can't really blame her. I thought it was the only way I'd get him to agree to giving me ethical oversight on his projects. Or well ... maybe I just really wanted to be his girlfriend again. I don't know what it was. Everything's gotten confusing and hurtful because of him."
"I dunno if I'm a complete optimist or naive or what.. or possibly both, but I can see your side. I can see wanting to be his girlfriend again. I can see wanting to help give some ethical oversight." Naru's voice is quiet. "I can also see how Mako would be really upset. It's complicated and that part sucks, a lot." She takes a deep breath, held a moment and then offers Ami's tablet back to her. "Can I help that at all? Making things better with Taka? Which probably is way beyond my paygrade, to turn him lightside."
A little gesture at the tablet and a nod from Naru. "Same things Kunzite warned me about, although I got a much shortened version without tactics or details, which makes sense."
Ami shrugs and tucks the tablet away in her shirt. Somehow it fits even though there clearly sin't enough room for it. "Makoto says she thinks the oversight is a good idea," Ami suggests unhelpfully. "She just was hurt because I agreed to be his girlfriend again. And I understand her side. I just ... didn't know what else to offer him. I can't let him keep hurting people, Naru, but I can't hurt him, either."
"Do you actually want to be his girlfriend?" Naru asks quietly. "I mean, not hurting him aside, and not hurting people aside too. And you might not be able to answer that right now, and that's okay too. I .. would probably do the same thing in your position, but eventually you have to remember that your feelings matter /too/, and you can't be his girlfriend /just/ to keep him out of trouble. That's not really being a girlfriend." Naru pauses and then there's a twist of a half smile. "Of course this advice is coming from someone who has never so much as had anyone look at me like that, let alone go on a date, so take it for what it's worth."
Ami shrugs at the question and reaches down to close up her bento box. "We have a lot in common," she explains to Naru. "He understands science and mathematics on the same level I do; metaphysics, too. And he made me feel special. Wanted. The same way Usagi-chan makes me feel. I don't know if I want to be his girlfriend. But ... I feel like I'm going to regret not finding out if I want it."
"Yeah. I can imagine being able to talk to him about math and science is awesome." Naru nods and she's quiet for long moments, looking down at her own lunch before she starts closing it up again too. "I can't argue with wanting to find out if you want it. I'm worried, cause he says some worrisome things, but that's more a 'for the record' comment, than I'm about to stop you comment."
"Of course he does," Ami tells Naru with a faint smile. "He's possessed by a malignat darkness that consumes his thoughts and encourages him to evil. What do you expect? He doesn't even know how to recognize worrisom comments, really. Especially insidious ones that don't appear worrisome at a glance."
"Yep." Naru nods. "I know. If he wasn't possessed, there'd be a whole lot more 'Okay, Ami, this is a /stunningly/ bad idea.' cause then he'd just be worrisome without somethign that can hopefully be fixed powering it."
Ami grimaces just a little, then shrugs. There's really nothing more to say ont he topic ... so she doesn't. Instead, she says, "Don't bring this up with Mako-chan or Usagi-chan, please. I think they feel betrayed right now, and I don't want them to be reminded of it. I'll ... figure out what to do about this eventually. And I'll call you this weekend to get you inducted into Virtue for the sake of helping with this project."
"Thank you." Naru nods, leaving off the relationship quandries for the moment and returning back to projects and Virtue. "I should be around, up to my eyes in studying. I'm going to spend this evening at the library, lest I get too tempted by my paints at home." She smiles a touch and tucks her bento back in her bag. "It'll work out, Ami."