1842/Friendship and Facilitation

Friendship and Facilitation
Date of Scene:	06 August 2024
Location:	School Library
Synopsis:	Adora has thrown herself wholeheartedly into studies, and Ami comes to give her a break -- as well as help her study. They have a talk about friendship, food, and other things!
Cast of Characters:	Adora Rainbowfist, Ami Mizuno

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Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
A new world, in which she's evidently a 'scholaire', and expected to go through basic training all over again more or less. Adora was ... surprisingly okay with this, as she was already in the library with a few books on basic math, reading, and history, as well as a book from that accellerated japanese course that a lot of foreigners go through that seems to work mysteriously quickly.

It's probably magic, really.

But that's beside the point, as Adora was looking at a book of some relatively basic math, and one can almost see the steam rising off of her head as she tries to comprehend it. Sure, she was good at tactics so she wasn't exactly unintelligent, but it was, literally, like learning a new language. A difficult concept even when growing up exposed to said language.

Also there's a few manga on the table that she'd brought with her from her dorm room to look at, since the pictures were enjoyable even if the japanese in them was still incomprehensible to her.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno was a rather common sight to see in the library. Enough so that the librarians paid her no mind, and most of the regular students that studied here knew to leave her to herself. Especially when her arms were as full of books as they currently were.

She'd come with a goal in mind however, and that goal was currently seated at the table looking much like many of her own dear friends would when attempting to work on such problems. Though her approach is quiet (this IS the library), Ami isn't attempting to sneak up or surprise Adora. Her path leads her toward the table the blonde is at where she pauses smiling in a friendly way.

"Hello, Adora. I'm Ami Mizuno. I'm a friend of Bows'," she explains simply. "Setsuna informed me that you might be needing some help to get settled into things around here? I'd be more than happy to help if you need."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
Really, if left to her own devices she might have made Usagi look good with some of her scores, especially in english or history. So it's probably lucky that Ami was currently doing that careful walk up to Adora right now. Adora mostly wasn't paying mind to her at the moment because students walking by wasn't that weird.

Until Ami talked at least, mention of Bow and Setsuna gets a look from Adora, quietly taking in Ami as she rubbed one of her eyes -- had she been starting to doze off sitting up there? ... Possibly. "Ah, hi. I'm Adora. I uh." She pauses, looking down at the book. "...Yeah, I probably need it." She points at the spot she's at on the page. "I managed to find the first bit that's not as familiar to me, the symbols are about the same but these other symbols..." She taps the non-math writing. "Are kind of hard to translate." Which is /weird/, she's used to being the one able to read weird mysterious symbols, not being the one who can't!

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno tilts her head to the side slightly to regard the parts pointed out. A small, soft sigh comes as she remarks, "Oh, my. I can see why you're having such difficulty then. Not to worry," she assures as she sets her own books down on the tabletop. "I'm the top student in the school."

"I'm also not a slave driver when it comes to studying like some of my friends claim. Honest." If they just *applied* themselves she wouldn't have to raise her voice to keep them on track! Really!

"If it's been something that you've been struggling with for a bit now, perhaps we should take a bit of a break before jumping into it? I did bring some snacks with me and they usually don't mind if we eat in the library so long as we're quiet and clean about it."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"Yeah. I learned some basic math in the Horde so I recognized a little, but since then I haven't ... needed to learn much more what with the whole war thing and stuff. ...I'm sure there's something like this in my world though, a lot of the stuff the mages do are very complex and probably involves math." Not that Adora understood any of /that/, really. That took a lifetime of training in a different focus.

Not that Shadow Weaver didn't try.

Not a slave driver. Hm. Probably part of her mistake was starting with the familiar instead of swapping immediately over to, well, the foundation of learning anything else. "I can probably ke--" And then her stomach betrays her, giving the tell-tale gurgle of someone who's probably not eaten recently enough. ...Even if she had. "...Snacks sound good." Adora says, giving a bit of an awkward little laugh as she rubs the back of her head. Even at the mention of a break though, Adora was pulling a book over towards her. This one was different though.

It's a basics cook book.
...And probably why she's hungry.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno smiles politely pretending not to have noticed that gurgle of stomach. It was a sound she knew well enough though usually it was from Usagi. That doesn't stop her from reaching down to her bag to pull out a little fabric wrapped bento box that she places gingerly on the tabletop, though. She had come prepared after all.

"I'm not a very good cook unfortunately. But I have some sandwiches, fruit, and some..." She pauses to take the lid off the container revealing some nicely cut up sandwiches. Apple slices. And something vaguely resembling a donut but smelling of flowers, and covered with pistachios. "My friend Mako-chan gave me something called 'kaak warqa' which is like an exotic donut. She's trying to perfect the recipe for a friend of ours, and has been making quite a lot."

"Don't worry too much about the math for now. The part you're having trouble with is in Japanese, which is likely where the issue is. It's just a word problem instead of written math. We can work with that."

The goodies are nudged over toward Adora with a smile. "I'm afraid I don't have anything to drink with me right now unfortunately. There's a vending machine just outside the library if we need."

"Ah, and if no one told you yet, one of the teachers has a 'self defense' class after school for those of us that need to know how to fight. It's called self defense but it's really more for using our powers."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
'Not a good cook' Ami says, and then presents Adora with probably one of the prettiest little meals she's had. Not to say that the meals in Bright Moon weren't great too, but it's a different kind of elegance to the neat little bento box in front of Adora. "That looks like a good cook to me." Adora comments, reaching in to pick out one of the apple slices to take a small bite from it. She doesn't mention the fact she isn't exactly the best judge.

"Going in the wrong order, then... I thought it'd be easier to start with something familiar looking." She flips pages through that cook book until she found a similar picture to the sandwiches that Ami had presented. Of course, the cook book had the same issue that the math book had, she could look at the pretty pictures and even understand some of the symbols, but they were still written in japanese.

"Oh. I had not been informed of the self defense class, no, I will have to sign up for that, then. Learn how the fighting in this world goes." Especially since she doesn't /think/ Light Hope is here to train her like she is back in Etheria. "So... how do you know Bow?" She asks curiously, taking another apple slice. She is being mildly polite and seemingly hesitating on anything over half of anything in the bento box. It was to share, after all.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Sandwiches are easy, and excellent for eating on the go. It's the one thing I'm good at." In regards to food anyway. Ami was excellent in so many other areas! The compliment draws a smile in spite of her insistance otherwise.

When the cook book is swung around to show her she nods a bit at it. "Familiar is fine in some instances if it helps you get to understand things easier. If you're having issues with the language itself though that would be top of our list to tackle. It will make the rest much easier once that's taken care of."

A slice of apple is taken but not eaten immediately. "Hmm. He's helped myself and my friends out quite a lot since his arrival here." Breifly her blue eyes sweep over the library just to ensure no one was eavesdropping. "Don't worry about signing up for the class. It's very much one of those things you can just drop in and work with when you need. There's two parts to it though: One for the regular students, and one right after that will probably help more."
"Have you met Usagi-chan yet, by the way?"

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
Adora actually writes a little note in a notebook after Ami's comment. Sandwiches are easy and excellent for eating on the go. Information is useful, especially food information! "So sandwiches are kind of like rations here..." But tastier. "A lot of what's familiar isn't... very useful here though. Tactics and stuff..." She glances around the school. "Are a bit... out of place here, I can already tell." Though not bad for equating to math.

"Well, knowing the angle of attack to start with is important in this case, at least." So maybe tactics /were/ relevant. But that's beside the point.

The talk of Bow gets a small smile from Adora, giving a bit of an affirming nod. "Yeah. That sounds like Bow. He always was there for us when we needed him, and almost always had something to help with any situation." And also keep her and Glimmer from doing anything too crazy, even if there were a lot of times they didn't pay attention to those warnings.

"Usagi-chan? I..." She pauses. "Ah, yeah, I did. She was there when I first got here, though she was, uh. Wearing her special uniform. She told me her name but from what Nurse Meiou said, I probably wouldn't recognize her outside of that special uniform."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno is quick to shake her head abruptly at mention of sandwiches being like rations. There weren't many things outside of school she was very passionate about (could this really be called passionate?) but it was close. "Oh, no! We have things like energy and protien bars, too. That's far more like rations. Sandwiches are just easy, quick meals that don't take long to make or eat. They're far superior when they're an option." Here she nods solemnly having stated her thoughts on the topic. "Healthier, too. They can have fresh vegetables, meat, and other things to vary the flavor."

The talk switches to Usagi's special uniform though. Here she nods, smiling in an almost proud manner. Shifting her weight back into her seat she lets her hands fall lightly to her lap. "Yes, that's right. It will kind of make sense once you meet her out of her 'uniform' so that you can see the resemblence, but the magic does help to keep our identities safe. I'm Sailor Mercury," she explains. "One of Usagi-chan's friends, and guardians." A pause as she hesitates to add the newest addition to her 'titles'. Her face turns a bit red, "She's my girlfriend."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"Ah so you have ration bars here too. These are ... portable and fast meals. That makes sense." Adora looks at the sandwich, reaches to take one of the sandwich sections to take a bite from it. "And definitely better tasting." She takes a second bite, she wasn't as over-excited about food as she originally had been post-horde but she still seemed to be savoring even relatively simple things greatly. "I'm honestly not sure what was in the rations I ate growing up, they all kind of tasted the same but I never felt, like, sick or anything on them. ...Most other foods I've had taste better than they did though."

Especially meat. Meat is delicious. "Sailor Mercury... right. And I'm She-Ra, though I think you already knew that." Adora reaches to tap the bracer on her wrist with the giant gemstone set in the wrist area. She was half-tempted to show it off, but has /just/ enough presence of mind to not. At least not in the middle of a library. Books are fragile. "Girlfriend..." She pauses, thinking of Sailor Moon, and then looking at Ami. "...She's very beautiful and seems very nice." It's an approving comment, though it's pretty obvious Adora isn't really sure what else to say about it.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Nutritionally sound foods can be good but it's not really something enjoyable, even here. We're lucky to be in a city where food cost isn't overly high, so it's easy to try a variety of things. We're also fortunate to be an island nation. It's easy to get fresh seafood from the ocean, and fresh produce from the mountains since neither is overly far away." Did she just slide in a bit of a lesson there about the nation? Maybe. It's habit.

Ami does have the presence of mind to duck her head apologetically at the apparent awkwardness her remark had brought up. "She is. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable mentioning it. It's still a newer relationship and I'm trying to get accustomed to speaking of it."

Rather than dwell on it or give more information to make it FURTHER awkward, she regards the bracer that was shown off with an approving nod. "I've heard the name, but in all honesty I'd never had a chance to know your predecessor. We were only in a battle together once before. I thought that might help a bit, too, since you're new here. I don't have any pre-conceived notions about you."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
That gets a nod in response from Adora. "Agreed! After going to Bright Moon I got to try so many other foods made for the princess alliance. It was almost overwhelming at first, but a good kind. ...Kind of like here." And there's a lot of distractions here. Though her friends probably still need her help with things, she's sure. "Food costs are low... ocean... fish... and produce from mountains..." Another little note written by Adora.

...Yes all of the notes have been about food, the girl knows her priorities.

"Ah, no, it's not ... uncomfortable, I just. Didn't really know what to say about it because I don't really know either of you very well." Adora says, lifting her hands in one of those disarming motions, smiling a little towards Ami. "I haven't really had much room for relationships beyond Bow, Glimmer, and the other princesses in my life... and some people from the horde. ...Though I probably can't count them as friends anymore." A couple thoughts of the latter causing small pangs of pain which aren't very well hidden on Adora's face.

"Oh." There's a pause. Ami didn't really know her much. That's. Actually... weirdly nice. Adora gives a soft exhale. "That's..." She pauses to gather her thoughts. "Kind of ... nice? I don't have to worry about ... disappointing you by not being 'your Adora'."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
There's a small bit of relief evident in Ami as well as she continues to sit fidgeting a moment or two. The tension in her shoulders eases a bit. Sometimes she wasn't certain if she'd said too much or not. "I don't have very many friends myself. I'm usually studying. It's not been until I met Usagi and the others that I began to become more social, so I'm still not very good at it." Very not good. Especially when.... "I sometimes blurt out what I'm thinking without realizing how it sounds. It can be a bit embarassing at times."

"But," she adds flashing a small smile back toward Adora. If there was anyone that could perhaps understand the whole concept of past/future versions of people, it was the Sailor Scouts. "While I'm sure there will be those that will miss the 'other Adora', I think you'll find many more are very willing to get to know you, too. Some of us have had past lives and can remember them-- Or parts of them at least. So seeing someone we know, but not *knowing* them, is something we're familiar with."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"I... am kind of similar, except I've usually been, well, fighting. Or training. Or doing /something/. I'm almost... anxious when I'm not." Which is why Adora had already thrown herself into trying to study, even when wholly unprepared for it, really. "Bow and Glimmer were my 'Usagi'. Before that, it was... well, I had friends, but it was still... different than the friends after meeting them." The comment about blurting out what she's thinking gets a bit of a soft chuckle. "I kind of had... a lot of similar problems when I first came out of the horde, just... the differences in how I was trained. Things that were normal in the Horde but... aren't elsewhere."

Pause. "I'm talking way too much about the past, aren't I." The talk about the 'Other Adora' results in Adora falling quiet. To let Ami finish her words, more than anything. She shifts a bit in her seat, a mix of discomfort and nervous energy as she tries to put together her own thoughts in response. "Yeah. And... I'm kind of excited to meet everyone myself I just." She pauses. "...A part of me isn't sure how to talk to Bow or Glimmer or even Catra because they knew the other me and probably relied on her -- I mean not Catra she doesn't really rely on anyone -- but yeah. It's. A lot." She reaches for that japanese book to flip it open to the tenth page. At least she'd already at least tried to learn a little bit of it, probably. "I'm sorry. You uh. You came to help me study, not hear me talk about the past."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno purses her lips together in a thin line while listening to Adora's concerns over how to interact with her friends. All she can do is shake her head firmly. "I can't speak for Glimmer, I don't know her. Bow though? He missed his friends. There were a lot of issues with the other one and I believe she retreated into herself for awhile. Quite awhile."

"And Bow..." She trails off with her eyes darting downward quickly, uncertainly. Had he told her this before? She wasn't sure. "He had his own issues. His mind was being taken over by Crystal Hope and we had to take a chip out of his neck to free him from it. I had to... I did something awful to him."

Her voice lowers, wavers at this, and she shrinks into herself a bit. "It took me quite awhile to be able to face him again, and I still don't like thinking about it. I think maybe you should start by asking him about his story though. He could use a friend that knows more about your world than all of us do."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
Hearing that Bow misses his friends... gets a small shift in Adora, like a shift in focus even as she read that book. "I see... I'll make sure to find him soon then." And maybe Glimmer. Catra... Catra she's sure she'll find her eventually too, but that's beside the point.

The talk of Bow's mind being taken over by Crystal Hope does get a bit of a curious look. "Crystal Hope? ... Taking over his mind?" Crystal Hope. Crystal Hope. Who is Crystal Hope? Maybe she's like Light Hope, but an alternate one that ... somehow attached to Bow? "Yeah. ...I definitely am going to need to ask him about his story and what happened."

A subtle glimmer in the gemstone on her wrist at the talk of Crystal and Light Hope. "And... I don't know the situation, but for what it's worth." Adora reaches a hand out to gently attempt to rest it on Ami's shoulder. "I'm sure you did what you had to. I... recently had to experience doing the same kind of thing." She doesn't elaborate there. "So, you know. He's... he's probably forgiven you, I'm sure. He's always been the one who keeps us together even when we're fighting."

Was it even her right to say something like that, not knowing the situation? ... Whatever, she probably can't make things more messed up than they already are. She'll just have to try to act like normal. ...That hand on Ami's shoulder probably stays there a little too long before Adora realizes and awkwardly pulls her hand back to flip the page in the book on japanese. "I mean. Not that I can actually talk for him." She adds awkwardly.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno lifts her head a bit at the hand on her shoulder to cast Adora a thankful look. It was one of those things that had left her feeling a bit haunted by her actions as well as memories of past actions that had suddenly surfaced from the spur-of-the-moment tactic. She hadn't even known she could capture someone in a bubble of water that way before.

Her own hand lifts to pat atop Adora's with a far more self-assured look as she states, firmly, "It's never a bad thing to think the best of our friends. That's actually a really good thing. You're right, he has forgiven me. We've talked about it. It's just... One of those things that I have to live with, too." Not a pleasant memory.

When Adora looks back to the Japanese book she nods firmly. "If you'd like, we can cover a few topics today, and I can work up a study plan based on your strengths and weaknesses so that we know where best to focus next time?"

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"Glimmer and Bow are great, too. They really are. And the other princesses. Frosta, Perfuma, Mermista... Nettossa, Spinnerella..." Adora smiles softly, clearly reminiscing on some good moments. "...Though they can be a bit hard to get along with, sometimes." She pauses.

"Ah, yeah! Uh. That sounds like a good idea. I already know some of where I'll probably need extra studies, just because of well." She separates out the english, social studies, home ec, science, and the japanese books. "I don't have really much experience with these or they don't exist in my world ... at least not this world's version of history. I have a little bit of experience with math and, physical education, and a little bit of health."

Her phys ed appears to have been swapped for Kendo since there's not a normal physical education book there -- probably something Setsuna set up for her, because of She-Ra. "...So uh... that's probably a good start." Her tactics training coming into play a bit to separate the biggest 'threats' out first. Yep.