2260/Amyvention

Amyvention
Date of Scene:	22 January 2025
Location:	Mitakihara Ward
Synopsis:	Rashmi invites Amy along on a shopping trip for moisturizer... and uses the opportunity to drill down past some stubborn emotional buildup.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Amanda Faust

---

Rashmi Terios has posed:
It's a bit over an hour before noon, and between regularly checking in on Entrapta, and Rashmi needing to pull her head out of her own work, it occurred to her that her friend and fellow redhead could use some time just doing person things. And since she'd been needing to restock on some supplies...

<< TXT to Amy -- Hey Amy-chan! So Don Quijote opened a branch in Mitakihara, and I need to get more skincare stuff. Wanna come with? We can get lunch at Kara-Age Fried Chicken after? >>

While Rashmi isn't *certain* that Amy's availed herself of WeTube tutorials on skin-care... given the heavier concerns she intends to broach, it's probably slightly better odds than a coin toss that she's not. So if Amy agrees, this'll hit more than one target with a single Barret.

When faced with the choice between being kind, and tactical, always choose both.

Amanda Faust has posed:
It's A PERFECTLY NORMAL DAY in the life of PERFECTLY NORMAL AMERICAN EXCHANGE STUDENT, Amanda Faust!

    A somewhat disheveled Amy sits at a corner table in the cafeteria, reading manga on her phone as she munches on breakfast. On the page, J the assassin has been through a lot. 'Impossible... It's impossible... This sounds idiotic, but... We live in a universe where... if two people butt heads in an exact spot on the tops of their heads, they switch bodies?!' Amy bursts out laughing, then quiets down as a few students look at her, muttering, "I feel you buddy, it turns out I live in a world much crazier than that..."...

    ...Amy sings in the shower, whatever's popped into her head. "I came Back as a Bag of Gro-ceries Acc-i-Dently Tak-en Off the Shelf be-Fore its Ex-pi-Ra-tion, daaaaaate. Now it's either I'm deeead and I hav-en't done an-y-thing that I want, or I'm still ALIIIIVE and there's nothin' I waaaant to doooooooooo~" The lyrics are weird but that's They Might Be Giants for you....

    ...Getting dressed, Amy holds the underwear in front of her, frowning slightly as she checks which side has the tag printed on the fabric. She turns it around 180 degrees and looks again. Then turns it and looks again. Then turns it and looks again. .oO( It's like trying to plug in a USB drive! One of these days I need to get some with the little bows so you can tell which way is front easier... ) ...

    ...Sunday! She can relax in the morning, settling in on her computer. Glancing at a Datcord channel... MeTube video links? Don't see a lot of those here. This is... an animation of someone in Chinese listing all the gender-bending SCPs? I knew about the red rock, but these others... wait, -JP designation? *type type, click click* Japanese SCP originals... They sure sent a lot of guinea pigs through that door after they got tired of using D-class. You'd think they'd use animals for the experiments more often...

    Beep beep boo beep biip beep! Amy looks away from her computer over to her phone. From her friend Rashmi? Amy smiles at the thought, and reads.

<< TXT to Rashmi: >> You have conceived of an idea most ingenious!
(several seconds later) Wait skincare?
(A few more seconds) Okay. I guess I can learn. And fried chicken sounds wonderful!

Some time later:
    Amy arrives, wearing her oversized beige winter coat over her red sweatshirt and skirt with black leggings because it is cold! Seeing Rashmi, she waves! And then gestures dramatically toward the store. "'I have conceived of a store most ingenious, where people can buy all manner of goods at a discount!' But seriously where does the name come from? I checked Hayaipedia and it didn't say."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Owing to it not being a school day, Rashmi herself is in her favorite matching off-white knit sweater/cap/mittens combo, with a heavy gray wool skirt and dark green leggings. Because, yes it is ruinously cold and they will *need* something for the cheeks when this is done.

"Hiiii, Amy-chan!" Rashmi says, answering the wave... and then blinks, as the first question out of her friend's mouth is one she can't answer immediately. For a moment, her eyes unfocus, then she blinks, chuckling to herself. "Apparently the founder Had Opinions about Japan's retail practices," she says, chuckling. "Now bear in mind this is a bulk-goods place, so... I intend to come out with lotion in liter bottles. You have been warned. C'mon!"

With that, she leads the way to the train station, keeping up idle chatter along the way. How've you been holding up, Entrapta's doing well, talking about Nicomachea's upgrades because that's never *not* on her mind, even when she's supposed to be taking a break...

All in all, talking to Amy like friends do, but managing to never slide into expectedly girly things. Rashmi be bookworm, not fashionista or gossip hound.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy blinks. "So he thought going against those standards would be like tilting at windmills? That's not very optimistic..." She turns and looks at the storefront. "But it looks like it turned out pretty successful!"

    They're buying in bulk! Amy smiles, "That's the way to do it! Between the coat pockets and my bag I should be able to fit a few if you need."

    In they go! How are things? "Uhh, mostly pretty well..." There is something on her mind she's avoiding, it seems. But she'll bubble on about other things! "It was wild that whole thing with the Snow Kingdom Chanteur, did you hear about that?" and "Wait, you can upgrade your Device?! Do you get cool new powers?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"More like he appreciated the Don's rebellious spirit," Rashmi chuckles, as they emerge from the train station, and head down the street to the store in question... One which, Amy gets to learn, has even been shortened to 'Donki' so even casual talk about the place is astoundingly on-brand.

"No, tell me!" Rashmi says, when asked about Chanteur, eager to hear about more Christmas adventures, and the question about upgrading Devices earns a chuckle. "I mean, most people can't... That's why this is basically a test for my Meister qualifications; Chrono says that if I can do this, on Earth, using only the parts I find, it'll be enough of a test of my ability that the TSAB'd recognize my status pretty much immediately. And cool new powers... Sort of? I've got an idea I'm gonna be field-testing when I do the rebuild, which... I mean it *would* be pretty cool."

Inside Don Quixote is... pretty much like the inside of any other shop in Japan, only the stuffed and crowded aisles are mostly given over to... well, pharmacy stuff. OTC remedies, toothpaste, soap and personal care... And entire shelves stacked tall with bottles of lotion and cream and hair stuff and and and...

"...So part of why I asked you to come with me, Amy-chan? I don't... really know much about things like makeup and fashion. I've only needed makeup like... twice, and Mami took care of it for me, and I just buy what I like and feels comfortable when it comes to clothes. But things like lotion and hair care? That's not really *beauty* products, it's really about making you *feel* good."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy has heard mention of Donki and gathered it was a store -- now she knows! Can't believe I missed this back when I had to pay rent. I could have saved some money...

    Amy recounts their adventure in Chanteur, how they were invited to the coronation but spent a couple days as guests in a castle in a winter wonderland inhabited only by snow fairies ('fairies' more in the sense of, say, Totoro's soot sprites, than Tinkerbell) and its ruler, Princess Sharon, who promised they'd finally see her people at the coronation -- only to instead close the portal to Earth and declare the guests were the new citizens.

    It turned out the kingdom was destroyed by a dark energy meteor about a millenium after the Silver Millenium ended, Sharon was in stasis as a result, and had only just woken up infected by dark energy. Amy only briefly mentions how she thought it was better to surrender and try to sneak out later but the others ran instead, which only seperated her for a bit and didn't really help, they got back together, purified Sharon after she smashed her own castle with a daikaiju, and then they all found themselves back in Japan.

    And so the discussion comes to skincare! Amy listens, nodding at the first part. "Mio did my makeup for the dance, I haven't... learned, I don't know if I... well yeah I guess I don't really need it and I don't know how to feel about it but I'm also kinda curious?" Talking about that still makes her blush in embarassment.

    Hair care... Amy nods and smiles! "Your suggestion to use conditioner helped! I had stopped because in high school the first time it got so greasy that if I used conditioner it'd be greasy again before the end of the school day... But it's different now."

    Lotion though... "I did notice my skin is softer now." She can't help smiling. "One of the first things I noticed." She pulls her arm from her coat and pulls up the sweatshirt sleeve, rubbing her hand over it, holding it out for Rashmi to feel too. "So soft!" And then she looks thoughtful. "But, I may have had to care for it less on account of this body being a magically-regenerating puppet that feels like it's my body. On the other hand, it seems like everyone's skin in general is pretty soft? From like, hugs and stuff and incidental touching, I mean, I'm not weird. ...Okay I am weird, but not like... you know what I mean." She giggles nervously.

    "A-anyway, I'm not averse to trying it and seeing if it makes a noticeable difference. I didn't think things could be this soft, so maybe I can get even softer!" she continues, cheerfully!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"It's new," Rashmi says gently. "I kinda get it, don't worry. It's different, and you can't help but notice, but people don't really talk about it in general, so it's hard to *know* when to talk about it, right?" Obligingly, she takes hold of Amy's hand, running a thumb over the back, and nods to herself. "Here," she says, holding out her own hand to compare, as she turns to the lotion products and, most importantly, the testers. Once Amy's done comparing, she finds one with a scent she rather likes -- cinnamon and vanilla, apparently -- and pushes out a small dab, rubbing it into the back of her hand until no trace of product remains. "Now... try again," she says, holding out the hand with a smile. "The smell's not supposed to be strong, just something you'll catch a bit of here and there throughout the day. It *really* helps if it's a smell you like, otherwise... well. It'll be a bad smell you can't get away from."

At which point her eyes soften a bit, and Rashmi tilt her head. "Also, Amy-chan," she says gently. "When you talk like that, it's like... I kinda worry? Like it sounds like you don't really *care* what happens to that body, even though you... kinda only have the one, y'know?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy smiles in relieved awkwardness as Rashmi says she understands. She repeats Rashmi's gesture on Rashmi's hand; Neither of them notice an abnormal level of softness. She observes the tester, and rubs the pads of her fingers over the back of Rashmi's hand. "It just feels like you just rubbed lotion into it." On the mention of smell, she smiles at Rashmi, that same just-can't-help-smiling as when she was gishing about softness before, "It already does that! Well, sometimes. It comes and goes... but like, some days after a lot of walking, or fighting, especially when the scent gets caught in my hair and then I notice when it gets pushed into my face, you know?"

    She realizes Rashmi has moved on and is concerned. There's a look of 'you've got it wrong' on her face, and Amy tries to find words. Then she looks a little sad. "It's... it was like that, before. Ironically. I got used to thinking of my body as like a, meat robot I drive around that provides life-support for me, some like, the consciousness, the mind inside."

    She smiles again. "Since the change, that just isn't how it feels anymore at all!" She continues, seriously: "But like, I was mentally aware of the idea, and of course for those first couple months I kinda thought of myself as a man turned into a girl and still that 'guy' on the inside, so... When I found out the truth about soul gems, it was a familiar concept. Easy for me to casually talk about."

    She smiles, and hugs herself. "Rest assured, this body is very important to me! I've yet to find a way to get another one, let alone one just like this. I know without it, I'd be... like that Witch at the bookshop."

    Amy looks thoughtful, holding a finger to her cheek. "Although I guess I am less concerned about injuries and health and such... Not to be careless about it, of course, but the fact is any small health issue I can regenerate easily, and it will take far more than even a mortal wound to kill me, so... In that sense I'm happy to put myself in the way of a villain's killshot aimed at one of you, you know? At least once, they won't be expecting me to get back up."

    She looks back at the testers. "You know, in movies and stuff, whenever a guy said a girl smelled nice and she hadn't just like, obviously used perfume or strongly-scented shampoo, I figured either he was being creepy or the joke was he was so awkward he accidentally comes off as creepy. I didn't know it was true!" Her tone mellows. "Figures, right? That the only way I'd ever find out girls smell nice is by turning into one. ...So maybe a sort of sweet, flowery scent? I don't really want to cover it with other scents on me... when I got deodorant I didn't want anything strong-smelling, and all I could find was like, lavender or rose, wasn't quite right but whatever..."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Right, but on the other hand," Rashmi points out. "Do you know how *much* harder they need to hit? And even if so, doesn't the magic you use to heal also mean you have less magic to spend on fighting? Being that I've directly benefited from that view, I'm not *upset* about it, but like..."

Spreading her hands helplessly, she turns back to the lotions, considering... "Also... what scents *do* you like? Have you ever just smelled something, and it made you have to just pause and go 'Oooh, I like that'?"

While she can apparently jump back and forth among the topics, she also has an awful poker face, and it's pretty clear that she can tell a clear disconnect in Amy's body language and word choice. "About the movies... I mean, part of that is true, but it's movies, so it's, y'know... exaggerating for effect. Like... shampoo and lotion that smells nice *isn't* just a girl thing, but there's that whole thing about some things being 'girly' and some not, so it gets odd if *boys* smell like flowers, even though it really shouldn't? But none of that really matters for now... Why don't you see if there's a smell that *really* stands out, in a good way?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Well yeah, but like, scrapes are nothing. Direct hits from most dark energy blasts are like one- or two-thirds of a wolf." Amy blinks, and holds her hand to her face. "Yukihime was talking about how summoning ten wolves uses up all her magic..." She takes a breath and lowers her hand. "Anyway, yes, fixing a mortal wound would be a not-insignificant amount of magic -- to be avoided generally, yes, but certainly preferable to a friend dying."

    Scents that she likes? "Huh. I mean, there's foods I like, but..." She furrows her brow in thought, honestly combing through her memories for something she wouldn't usually think to note. "Yeah, probably, but I'd need to think about it for a bit."

    She listens. "Yeah I know, sometimes whatever shampoo was cheap turned out to be scented but I'm not talking about whether a scent is 'girly' or not, I mean like... You must've noticed Chrono smells different after a fight than you do. I have a few of my old shirts and they smell kinda... musty, compared to the rest of my clothes."

    She closes her eyes. "A scent I like... I have to think. ...I keep thinking of food smells. Besides that... I guess I usedta like the smell of cold, somehow... But I dunno if that's like. Smell-I'd-want-in-a-scented-candle-in-my-room, you know?" Amy thinks for a long moment, furrowing her brow. "Like, strawberry or blueberry or vanilla or somethin'd be alright... I feel like there's something, some specific non-food scents that have made me go 'ooh that's nice' but I'm just not recalling; now that you made me think of it, maybe I'll notice next time I smell something like that."

    She opens her eyes. "Flowery isn't a bad thing. I just dunno what kind of flower, I haven't gone around sniffing different ones and categorizing them, you know? ...Something... like, sweet, wet, and flowery. I'm not sure how to describe it. I dunno why I described a smell as 'wet.'"

    Amy holder her hand to her chin. "Hmmmmm. There's probably like, chemical explanations of phenomena like that. Might be something I could look up..." She shakes her head and smiles. "Anyway, for now, does that bring anything to mind?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Well you could try this..." Rashmi says, roaming the aisle until she finds her target; a eucalyptus/spearmint lotion that proudly proclaims itself to be vegan, as well. "The smell of 'cold' almost always starts with some kind of mint, and eucalyptus is a nice complement to that, most of the time. And I *have* noticed Chrono smelling different after training, yeah. But it's just one of those quiet benefits I don't talk about so he doesn't get self-conscious."

Then she levels a long look at Amy, raising an eyebrow. "But Amy-chan... don't you realize there are people who feel the same way about you? That they'd rather get hurt, even hurt bad, than risk losing you?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy smells the mint. "Whoof, that's stronger than I meant... but I get what you mean yeah, that's a very chemical 'cold' smell." She thinks for a moment. "I think I might mean ozone. Or something offgassing from an HVAC system. Probably not healthy... Associated with pleasant memories of getting relief from a hot summer, not necessarily what I want to smell of, though..."

    She looks perplexed and with detached curiousity at Rashmi describing boyfriendsmell as a quiet benefit. I guess I'm just gay, she thinks.

    She goes down the line of testers, smelling very tiny bits of them. "Strawberry or blueberry's a classic. Honey has got it partly right but there's a... I don't have the word for it, a note in it that's also out of place. This coconut smells pretty good! This other brand of coconut scent doesn't... huh. Chocolate, I don't want to smell like candy, exactly..."

    After Rashmi levels that look and tone at her though, she freezes, and turns to meet Rashmi's gaze and look away awkwardly. "Well..." She looks back at Rashmi. "The difference is my body is literally, physically, harder to kill and can survive what would be mortal wounds for others." Beat. She looks away. "But I guess anything that actually risks losing me is different. I..."

    She leans against the shelves. "Is this about... because I tried to sacrifice myself when Aloisia exploded? I..." Thoughts spin through her head, and she tries to get them in a sensible order.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Good nose," Rashmi chuckles, nodding. "Try the sakura, or the jasmine? Both of those might work really nicely with honey, and... which of those two coconuts has the more cocoa butter? That might help make that make sense." Scent-shopping is always an interesting time, and generally fairly pleasant... but, as Rashmi knew it would when she started steering the talk to deeper matters, Amy asks what it's about.

"Partly," Rashmi says, and there's not actual upset or anger in her voice. "Partly it's the words you use to talk about yourself, but you explained where *that* came from... but still talk like that. Part of it is just... Iunno, things I've heard you say, usually during fights? You talk about an ideal world like it's gonna be one without you in it. And I want to make sure if that thought *is* in your heart, because then I can help do something about it."

Mirroring Amy, Rashmi also leans against the shelf. It's not body language she's used to, but there is a feeling of being more at ease than her preferred hug would convey. If her long conversations with Catra have taught her anything, it's to figure out how to meet someone where they are, before you bring them closer to where you are.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy glanced back at the labels when that was asked. "The good one. Wait, cocoa like in chocolate?" At that point she was getting the phone out to start searching hayaipedia, but... then they're discussing more serious matters.

    Like an ideal world without Amy in it. She cringes a little. She's silent for a moment as she thinks of words. "I..."

    "At first I... I thought of things as like. When I still thought I was, at first I thought I was the adult and had to protect you all. And that was clear bull after a few youma fights. Adult memories and experience don't make anyone more prepared for what we go through. But..."

    Amy, not meeting Rashmi's gaze, tilts her head down a bit more. "I had... already had my chance, and was getting one a, a second one I don't deserve while you hadn't even, while others, I worry some of you will end up not getting your first chances."

    She holds out a 'let me finish' hand. "And to that you said, or someone did... either that I deserve it, or that it doesn't matter, I'm here and I should take this chance. And so I... I tried to think of what I'll do... after."

    She turns away a bit more. "If I Fade I won't be me anymore. The girl who takes my place, I wish her the best, but... it hurts, to think about and plan for her." Amy takes a breath, catching emotions starting to creep into her voice. "And if I don't Fade..."

    Amy looks at Rashmi, holding back tears at the wrongness of the world. "I only have a place here and now as a magic warrior! If I lose that I'm... and what do you think happens to the rest of you?! We're gonna graduate, and go our seperate ways, and we'll swear to keep in touch but we won't, we'll have lives and, and..."

    Her voice starts to break, and her back slides against the shelves as she sinks down into a crouch and looks down at the floor. Crying creeps into her voice. "And I won't. I only have a place here at Radiant Heart. I don't have a dream I can chase like being an idol or a game designer or a doctor or anything... I like... this..."

    She sobs. "I get to -- *sniffle* -- I get to have these wonderful happy years! And, and I know I'm not doing the best at savoring every moment, but I should, and I treasure this, I'll... I'll at least get this this time! *Sob* And not waste it worrying about..." A tear runs down her cheek. "What comes next."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Amy-chan..."

Rashmi crouches down next to the crying girl, looping an arm around Amy's shoulders. "Hey... Hey. You're right, that was me who said it, but... That wasn't all I said. And it's not all I *believe.* Look... I'm kind of okay with the Fade? Like I'd rather not, but... even if I don't, unless we go to TSAB space tomorrow, I'm pretty sure my life is still going in the same direction. It's a dream I had since I was small, sure, but you guys? This whole magic insanity? It's really the only reason it's a dream that's in *reach.* Even if I don't remember why, I'll owe you and Usa-chan and Molly-chan and all the others just... *everything.*"

Sighing, she gives Amy a brief squeeze. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try and fight the Fade. Because not only will that take us out of the fight... *That's* your ideal world. Where you've had time to figure out where you want this new life to go, and reached for it, *while* hurling rockets at vampire radio antennae. And it's a world *worth* fighting for, and who knows? If it's so weird that there're so many of us, who's to say we *won't* have figured out how to stop Fading before you *really* have to worry about it? Until then... Amy-chan, you're my friend. I want you to be *happy,* for as long as you live. I just... want you to live like you *planned* to live a long time, is all, y'know?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amanda listens, trying to control her breathing. She winces at 'ideal world', and sobs again at hearing that wish for her to be happy, not just now but her whole life.

    "Like I planned?!" She snaps out. "My only dream was, a, dream is what you think of every day, right, a future you can't stop imagining? All I had were daydreams and fantasies of getting magically turned into a girl, or surviving long enough that we got to pick our bodies. I didn't know some things, but for me, it was never something I could work towards."

    "There was just, surviving long enough to hope someone else makes it true. People want me to find some dream, some career, and prepare for it? I did that the first time! I got all those good grades and then went to study computers, a pretty damn sure thing, right?! But all that praise, all that 'you're so smart', it goes away the moment you graduate high school and it never came with help in the first place, let alone after! I struggled for way too many years just to get a degree because my parents said it was the only way forward, and then, nothing! A stupid piece of paper doesn't magically get you a career, it turns out!"

    "There wasn't a place for me, I came to teach English as a hail mary because they'll let basically anyone try it, and I wasn't that good at it! I'da been sunk but this school, I dunno why, gave me a chance no one else did and when I said I had computer skill they let me transition from teaching to IT."

    She takes a breath and glares up at Rashmi, then her expression softens to sadness; her rage not at Rashmi, but at the world. "Right now I can only earn my keep because of magic. I could work at Radiant Heart again, but for how long? Maybe we stop all the villains and Radiant Heart's not needed anymore. Maybe management changes. Maybe some law change means I have to go home, I don't even know. Hell, maybe when I graduate they just don't have any positions open! And that goes for any skill I could learn or job I could have! All I'll be doing is hoping it all doesn't fall apart. You know what my dream is now?!"

    Her expression says, 'shit, I shouldn't have said that', and then there's that look of being resolved to say what will make Rashmi stop.

    "What I imagine every day is not having to worry about that. Being..." she looks disgusted and ashamed and frustrated, "being taken care of. Being one of Hannah's consorts or, or housewife if she couldn't leave Earth seemed like a possibility but she's never around anymore. So I imagine finding some place, or some person, who'll... support me and I don't have to worry. Here or, or in some magical isekai world, I'd even take a bad end if I ended up cared for and didn't have to worry about that."

    She sits and hugs her knees to herself. "So there you have it. I should be like... having some proper dream but instead" she sobs. "Something's broken. Under your friend's wonderful qualities is a greedy, selfish bitch."

    "And you only even care about giving me a chance in the first place because I'm a cute girl now. You don't have all this concern for random adults you see every day. The teachers, staff, they could be struggling and you wouldn't even know."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
While the sheer vehemence in Amy's reaction is shocking, and Rashmi does rear back a bit in surprise, her arm never moves. She doesn't pull away, like Amy might be aiming for. Or, worse, expecting, in the face of that helpless rage. And, indeed, for a good few moments afterward, she falls silent, eyes on the floor and flicking back and forth. She's not upset, she's... searching. Words are always important, and doubly so at this moment, so they have to be *right.* And, finally, what she starts with is;

"Usagi-chan only ever wanted to be a housewife,"

There's a pause, to let that sink in. Then. "Did you know that? We talked about life after magic, way early on, and that was her dream. I think her and Mamo-kun were *just* dating, but... that was her whole life goal, even before him."

Shifting a bit to give Amy room, but not to remove contact, she goes on. "And I'll tell you what I told her; that I think it's a wonderful dream, and it's *worthwhile,* and if that's what you want most out of life... Go for it. It's probably gonna take more work than you expect, but if it's what you want more than anything you'll be okay with that."

Shifting, she tucks her legs up under her, and tilts her head. "And I mean... you're kind of right, but also kind of wrong? I can't *do anything* about what I don't know about, but I *do* care. I'd be happiest if *nobody* had to struggle, or if they did, *everybody* had help. But magic isn't enough for that, so... To politics I go."

Sighing, she takes off her glasses, rubbing a finger over the bridge of her nose. "And before you say it... I know. Odds are I won't get much of anything done and the people I want to help might not get it anyway because democracy is the worst form of government *except for all the others.* Doesn't matter. Because if flying around and throwing laser balls at thorn-controlling scientists is taught me anything? It's that *nothing* is too stupid to succeed if you have enough hope behind you."

Replacing her glasses, she turns a gentle smile toward Amy. "So no. I don't think your dream is stupid. I don't think it's stupid to *want* to have magic for the rest of your life. But I would like you to apologize, for thinking so little of me that I care about you because you're a cute girl. I get why you might think that... But your mental map of reality isn't accurate, and there you missed *big.*"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy winces when Usagi's brought up. She heard that, too, she could see it coming, there's a hole in the logic somewhere, "Usagi's different! She's... she does so much, and she's gonna be a mom, and she did so much, and, and, she has Mamoru and if I still had Hannah it'd be different..."

    She looks away, "Others are different too. They... she... they earn it! And, and with someone like Hannah around maybe, maybe they could figure out how I could earn it too! But... without that... just hoping that..."

    She teases out the thread of thought. The inconsistancy did stick out, and it's going somewhere. "With Hannah I'd... she didn't need me, but if she did end up stuck on Earth I'd wanted her to be happy, because she, because she made me feel so wonderful... so anything I could do to, to help her..."

    She looks at Rashmi. "I can't really... transfer that. That's... Like, I can't fill out job applications for who's gonna... for who's gonna feel about me like she did, and I them! And aside from something lucky like that happening again..."

    "I got nothing. And we're supposed to... to earn our keep, one way or another. To be worth it, to the world. I'm sure Usagi does that."

    Amy pouts, feeling foolish but sure there's a point in there somewhere. "...The dream isn't about that, specifically, anyway. That was... something I could imagine then, that I can't now. Now I... Even without Hannah, I still want to be taken care of, and that's an unfair expectation, isn't it? That was my point."

    She looks up at Rashmi. "As for you. Maybe. Maybe not you, as an individual, though it seems unlikely. Because where were all the people like you during my life? I know Radiant Heart is a nice place, but you expect me to believe there are only such nice people here?"

    Amy blinks. "Shit, wait, could that really be true?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Amy," Rashmi says. "Stop. Stop talking about *my friend* like she's worthless. If you can't see it when you say 'I,' then say it like that. 'Rashmi's friend didn't earn people being nice to her.' D'you see how *horrible* that sounds? *Nobody* deserves to be talked to like that, and I won't stand for my friends bein treated that way."

Loosing a breath, Rashmi gets to her feet. "Amy... you forgot the fact that the moment magic got involved the rules for 'what ought to happen' went right out the window. Or maybe you didn't, and you just can't wrap your head around it. But you gotta understand..."

Rashmi reaches a hand down, to help Amy up. "...You were always worth it. Even when you weren't a cute girl. That you didn't get friends, or chances, or opportunities, that's the *world failing you.* You're not stupid, or selfish, or worthless, and *I can prove that every time you point a rocket launcher at a fire-breathing yakisoba cart.*"

At the final question, Rashmi can't help but laugh. "No, there's jerks at the school. It's just that barely any of them have magic, because magic hardly ever happens to *real* jerks. You just... tripped over the perfect, self-selecting filter to give you all the friends you could ever need. Because *you are one of us too.*"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy cringes again, it does sound horrible. "Then why?!" She almost screams it.

    The world failed her.

    As she stands up she chuckles at Rashmi's example, "I'm going to assume you don't mean to undermine your point with a magic example and would have countless others."

    "...You know, it's funny. Whenever I said everyone else was wrong and should treat me better as a kid, everyone agreed that I sounded like a selfish brat." She says with a smirk.

    Realization flashes over her face.

    "Oh shit that's really it, isn't it. Asking for decent treatment isn't--- Damn."

    She attempts to update her model of the world but runs into a problem. "But everyone around me got on fine! They 'earned' it according to everyone else, and they didn't have trouble! Why just me?"

    "And nonono I mean, I know there are some jerks at Radiant Heart, but I mean... it's the only place I've ever been where... uh..." She scratches her head awkwardly, "'Decent treatment' is even offered, let alone not even having to be asked for!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Some people need help and don't get it," Rashmi says quietly. "There's other people who don't care *who* needs help as long as they're fine. But that doesn't mean the people who need help don't *deserve* it. It's not just you, it happens all the time, everywhere on the planet. And as much as I wish we could go back in time... Well, I have it on good authority that the gates are busted. But we can do better *now.* And this is where I wanted to start."

"To convince you that people care about you, and you deserve that. Everything else is gonna be a *lot* harder to fix until you can get that locked in," Rashmi says, moving in for a hug. "And if we can also have a nice day out in the process, well... Even better."

For a moment, Rashmi closes her eyes, sighing heavily. "I'm so... *so* sorry for what happened to you, over your life, Amy-chan. But there *are* decent places, they're just... not rare, but hard to find. Not everyone gets the chance to find them."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy bursts out a "Ha!" at the comment about the gates being busted, and nods. "I've seen it, too."

    She wraps arms around Rashmi. Get that locked in... "I thought I did... but maybe I... don't know what it means... haven't internalized... that you actually care, in a different way than people who said they cared before."

    "...I'll work on it. That might take awhile. Be... patient with me." She smiles at a realization. "That's a thing that's okay to ask! Damn!"

    She also digs a pack of tissues out of her bag, blowing her nose. "I'd like to have a nice day too. A nice... rest of my life."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"And patience is something I'm happy to give you, Amy-chan," Rashmi says warmly. "And support. That helps too, remember... Now, c'mon. If you're gonna have a nice day, we can start by homing in on a smell you don't mind carrying with you all day. And *then,* kara-age."

Letting go of the other redhead, Rashmi turns to get -- yes, an entire liter bottle of the cinnamon-vanilla lotion. "Oh also, important; moisturizer doesn't need to be an all-over thing. Hands, feet, knees, elbows, neck are where you tend to need it most. Make sure you get the ankles when you do feet."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy smiles. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you, too! I'm not... good at intuiting what I can do for people, so... it's fine to tell me when there is."

    For now, she'll get small bottles of the coconut-with-more-cocoa-butter and strawberry scents to try. "If I really like it, I can get big bottles next time." As for the directions, "Huh. I'll remember that, weirdly my legs usedta get drier than my feet?"

    A thought does occur to her: "So how did you learn about all this, anyway?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"WeTube and my Mami, really," Rashmi says, shrugging. "Turns out there's a tutorial for almost *anything* on WeTube, if you put in the right search phrase. After awhile I was checking with Mami on whether what I just saw was true, but it didn't take long before I figured out what works best for me. Which... Feel free to ask me about this stuff too, y'know! Not everyone figures it out early, and I'm always happy to help. And I *definitely* will let you know if I need help too... Being able to ask has almost literally saved my life too many times already."

With lotion bought, it's out the door, and on to delicious fried chicken!