87/Meeting Miss Meiou

Meeting Miss Meiou
Date of Scene:	15 July 2023
Location:	Guidance Office (proxy Nurse's Office)
Synopsis:	Ami wanders into the nurse's office. Not all is as it seems.
Cast of Characters:	Setsuna Meiou, Ami Mizuno

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Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Just like any other school of note (especially one with a swank budget like this one), Radiant Heart Academy has an infirmary to take care of any students that manage to get themselves in minor scrapes and to triage and treat students who manage to hurt themselves more severely pending transfer to somewhere where higher-order care is available.

At least, that's the general rule. Given the budget Radiant Heart boasts, the infirmary's a bit bigger and more well appointed than most. There are several beds (which are currently not in use) and to an eye familiar with the medical world, there's enough well-laid-out kit that it's quite likely that, in extremis, one could actually do surgery here.

Still, most of the room is broken up with little rolling-wall medical dividers, with the bulk of the area set up for the kind of service one would need for a typical average assortment of students. Reasonably nice chairs, little triage areas, that kind of thing. The walls have various posters one might see in a doctor's office, though most of them are a bit more aimed at student-level things like common adolescent illnesses and the like. The pain chart, however, probably catches the eye, as it reads:

1: Why am I here?            6: Hornets!
2: Probably need a Bandaid.        7: Why is this happening to me?
3: Alright, this is annoying.        8: Am I dying?.
4: Merely a flesh wound.        9: Mauled by Wolves.
5: Hornets?            10:Unconscious.

Overseeing the place is the school nurse, a very tall woman with extremely long green hair wearing a labcoat over what looks like a purple dress of some sort. At the moment, she's got her back to the door and is fiddling with the room's tv while absently rolling a pen across the knuckles of her left hand.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno wanders in after knocking. Maybe the nurse had felt someone hesitating outside the door, maybe not. Either way, the bluenette looks around with wide eyes.

After a moment, she spots the nurse and clears her throat. "Excuse me," she says quietly, hoping not to startle the tall lady with that amazing hair. "I was looking for the school nurse?" Her voice is quiet in general, it seems, almost hushed with reverence. That's a little weird, admittedly, but she doesn't seem to notice. "I was wondering if she wanted some help..." Her gaze lands on some relatively state-of-the-art device, and her blue eyes light up. "Wow," she says, before starting to launch into... honestly, nearly a lecture about it! Who is this girl?

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
These days, Setsuna is pretty hard to startle, especially since she did ear someone at the door but decided to wait until it became clear if they were just gawking (she's well aware what kind of effect teenage hormones can have, and she sees no reason to needlessly embarrass someone who may or may not be trying to regain a train of thought.

At least, that was the reason for the last few people who were hanging around at the door. As she hears the quiet voice, she looks towards Ami over her shoulder before offering a friendly smile and turning to face the younger student, "That's me, Miss Mizuno."

Apparently, she knows who you are!

She opens her mouth to respond to your query...but then blinks a bit as you go off on a tangent about the brand new monitoring equipment (temp, blood pressure, O2, heartbeat and a bunch of others with a state-of-the-art-tiny sensor). After a few moments, she smiles again and shakes her head as she steps over towards you, "Yes, the Academy didn't spare any expense, it seems."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami pauses midsentence to stare at you knowing her name, mouth hanging open a bit. Then she smiles wide, nodding. "It's nice," she admits after the momentary shock passes fully. "I guess I didn't give you any kind of chance to reply." A beat, as Ami tilts her head. "I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Miss...?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna waves her hand dismissively, "Oh, it's no bother." She looks left and right before leaning over a little to 'conspiratorially' whisper behind her hand, "Truth be told, when I first saw the layout, I was pretty impressed, myself." Then she gives a little wink and stands up to her full height once more. Technically, she's only 5'10" in Imperial measure...but apparently the woman is utterly comfortable wearing 3in heels...so is easily mistaken for 6' even.

She absently goes back to rolling the pen across her knuckles with her off hand, "Meiou. Setsuna Meiou."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami can't help but crack a grin. She feels at ease with the woman, even though they've never met before. And despite Miss Meiou looking so young, Ami gets an "old soul" feeling from her... which makes a lot of sense to the younger girl. After all, she's always gotten along well with adults. Moreso than her peers, anyway.

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Meiou." Ami dips a little into a bow, not formal or anything, but appropriately deep for meeting someone who is in a position of authority.

After coming back up, Ami blushes just a little. "I asked you a question earlier, then absolutely didn't let you answer! Please, forgive my rudeness." Another bow, a little more formal this time, before straightening. "If I may, can I get that answer?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Once more, Setsuna waves away, "You weren't being rude at all. As I said, I can completly understand the distraction." She looks around, "Well, to be perfectly honest, I *TECHNICALLY* don't really need any help, as you can see..." She trails off, letting the question SEEM to be answered in the negative before she smiles again and says, "...BUT...it's early days yet and It's far, FAR better to have help available and not need it than need help and not have it...so yes, I could certainly use a bit of assistance now and again."

The woman give a bit of a shrug, "Heck, if you're planning to go into medicine, it will probably even look good on your resume."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami smiles a bit, and nods in acceptance when Setsuna trails off that way. The smile that blossoms after the nurse says she could use help after all is radiant. "Thank you, Miss Meiou! You won't regret it, I'm sure. My mother is a doctor in the emergency department at a hospital in Juuban."

After a moment's hesitation at Setsuna's mention of her resume, and planning to go into medicine, Ami frowns a bit. "Why have you read my records, Miss Meiou? You can't have read every students." Of course, this Ami has no idea yet that she's Sailor Mercury, let alone who Sailor Pluto would be.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna turns back to face Ami and gives her a very arch look for a moment, even managing to do the raised eyebrow trick that gives some people so much trouble, "Can't I?" She lets the intense look drag on JUST long enough to possibly make resolve waver...then she smiles once more.

"In point of fact, I've really only skimmed the student directory...but between:"

And here she flips her pen to stand up gripped between her first and second fingers, "...A note about your EXEMPLARY academic record..."

Then somehow a second pen appears in her hand, held between her middle and ring fingers, "...that strikingly beautiful shade of hair of yours..."

Finally, a third identical pen appears between her ring and pinky fingers, "...and the fact that I recognized your family name from seeing your mother's bio in the Juuban General registry when I was deciding where to do my residency and got a bit curious..."

She then shrugs and all three of the pens disappear, "No offense, Miss Mizuno, but you're fairly memorable."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami turns beet red, and nods, a bit abashedly. "I..." She shrugs, at a loss for words, but obviously deeply ashamed of herself. It's a long, quiet moment on her end at least.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
The taller woman covers her mouth to hide a small giggle before shaking her head, "Nothing to be embarrassed about, Miss Misuno. It was an honest question." She gives herself a little shake as if to reset herself a little, then looks around for a moment before walking over to one of the cabinets in the corner and rummaging around for something, "...now, then...as the daughter of someone who works in the medical profession, I'm quite certain that, through simple act of exposure, you're well aware of what comes next."

She seems to be collecting SOME kind of equipment, but by the way she's standing, her body is blocking whatever it is from view.

"It is the bane and savior of every medical professional...that which can either doom us or save us...that which we curse despite it's necessity and are bound to it by unbreakable chains..."

At which point she turns and hands Ami a clipboard with several papers attatched before spinning another pen (this one blue, but sadly not really magical) out of seemingly nowhere to hand to the younger woman, "...PAPERWORK."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami groans at the paperwork, but it's good-natured. "Thank you, Miss Meiou," she says, of not needing to be embarrassed. "Although I think this paperwork will be punishment enough." But Ami not-so-secretly adores paperwork, and starts to look through the forms on her clipboard. The pen is held in her left hand and she uses it as a guide to keep her place on the pages she reads. From how fast she goes through the pages, it seems she's also a fast reader!

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shakes her head, "Oh, nothing TOO onerous. Just a bit of medical history, requests to pull your immunization records and any certs you have for CPR and the like, requests to allow you to TAKE the certs you don't have, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."

As she does the bit of latin at the end, the taller woman unconsciously goes into the intonation and mannerisms of Yul Brenner doing the line from 'The King and I'.

Someone had a LOT of boring hours to watch movies.

"Also there's a bit at the end authorizing us to get permission from your parents by email or text or whatever." Setsuna gives the sad smile of one who knows from personal experience, "Given your mother works in Emergency Medicine, I imagine that her schedule is..." She trails off for a moment, searching for the term she wants, then settles on the charitable, "...CHAOTIC, at best."

Given Setsuna is an RN, it's a reasonable assume she knows from personal experience the type if not perhaps the degree.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami giggles. "I do enjoy Yul Brenner," she admits, smiling at Setsuna before glancing at the clipboard. She nods. "This is pretty boilerplate," she says, and taps the (sadly mundane) pen against her lower lip, thinking. "I can imagine you'd really understand my mom's schedule," she says, voice a little wistful. She doesn't explain the wistfulness, just buries herself in the paperwork instead, standing in the middle of the office.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna smiles as you catch the reference, gives what can only be described as a 'full body' shiver when you mention 'understanding', "Oh, yes. Been there. Done that. Got the overlaundered scrubs to prove it."

She walks over towards one of the counters, absently kicking a wheeled stool over so that it JUST BARELY comes to rest against your thighs so you'll know it's there, then she turns around and leans on said counter, now rolling her pen through her right hand's fingers, "So how are you liking it here in the Academy?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami gives a sympathetic smile at the remembered, apparently distressing, memories. She then works on her paperwork, sitting as she does, seemingly without notice. She's too engrossed in writing to notice the question, but after a moment it filters through her brain and she looks up. "Ah!" she says, with a little laugh. "Well," she says thoughtfully, "It's nice to not stand out as much as I did at the schools in Juuban." She shifts a bit, uncomfortable. The stool twists with her, which seems to startle her into stillness. "I have a wonderful roommate," she says after a moment's serious thought. "She treats me as if being super-smart is something to be proud of. I'm..." She trails off, a little lost. "Have you met Hannah Steiner, Miss Meiou?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
The pen in Setsuna's off hand reappears and twirls for a moment in synch with the one in her main hand as her gaze tracks slightly up and becomes a bit unfocused. She stands there like that for a beat or two before finally shaking her head, "No, I cannot say as I have. I'd probably recognize her to say 'hello' to, but I have not yet met Miss Steiner in person."

She then gives a bit of a mock stern look to Ami, "And don't ever let anyone tell you that being super-smart ISN'T something to be proud of. We all have things we're good at, and not everyone is good at everything." She frowns slightly, realizing that an example might be in order, "...like one of my roommates who went into entomology..."

There's another bit of a pause from the green haired woman...this one more significant and easier to recognize as someone actually trying to NOT shudder, probably because all of Setsuna's 'dexterity tricks' go absolutely still for a moment before she continues, "...which I could NEVER do."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami nods, too engrossed in her paperwork to notice the oddity Setsuna displays as the nurse checks her mental records. "Well, Hanno-chan is adorable, and super kind. You'll like her!" she says absently, before looking up at the word "entomology". She shudders a bit, as well. "Spiders," she says, simply, and shudders harder.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setusna is suddenly clutching her pens in her hands, making the plastic creak a little as she says with utter revulsion, "...cockroaches...persistent little bastards that creep in from the Dawn of Time..."

After a few moments, she visibly takes a few deep, calming breaths, then relaxes her white-knuckle grip before shaking her head and sending her hair cascading back and forth behind her.

Another deep breath, then she goes on, "...well, if she's your roommate, I imagine I'll probably meet her sooner or later if she's as friendly as you say."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami notices that time, and she stares at Setsuna. "Uh," she says, a bit wary now. "Are you okay, Miss Meiou?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna blinks and realizes she got caught out, then shakes her head and gives a bit of a bemused grin, "Sorry, Miss Mizuno. I've just had a LOT of bad experiences with those persistent little..." She trails off, takes a deep breath, then goes on, "...well, let's just say none of the adjectives I would use to describe them are fit for polite company and leave it there."

In her head, she's remembering the times at the Gates of Time that a roach would just...SHOW UP...and how it took her several hundred years worth of digging through the Gates' code before she found the incredibly minor coding error that would occasionally deposit her a wonderful little entomological visitor from the days when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
    Ami tilts her head and narrows her eyes, thoughtful. "Actual cockroaches?" she says finally. "I'm confused, sadly. Literal cockroaches are, indeed, disgusting." But her eyes stay on Setsuna, serious and wary.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna gets that bemused look again, "Yes. BIG ones." She holds two fingers about 6cm apart, "Kept just...randomly...showing up one place I lived. Took forever to track down where they were coming from. Turns out it was a fault caused by the effective equivalent of someone forgetting to close the brackets on a little used subroutine as a friend once put it."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami nods, shuddering. "That's super gross," she says, before staring at Setsuna again. "Effective equivalent? But--you presumably lived in physical space." She sounds mystified. "Oh, and I finished this paperwork." She stands and walks toward Setsuna, holding the clipboard out. It's full of neat handwriting and a tidy signature on the bottom.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna's grin widens a bit as Ami picks up on little bits that she's analogizing and making very pointed inferences. This *IS* a sharp one. After a moment, she goes on, "The institution I worked at had tested out one of those concrete depositors that basically 3d print a building. A glitch left a little crack where nobody could easily find it that the little bastards were using to get in."

The finishing of the paperwork gets a slight eyebrow raise, then Setsuna gives it a quick glance over to make sure nothing was missed, "Excellent."

She then turns to the big multifunction scanner/copier/printer that is a mainstay in any medical environment and starts scanning the pages in one by one before going over and filing them in a nearby cabinet, "And as soon as your mother gets back to us by email, you'll be official."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Thank you, Miss Meiou." Ami gives a little bow. "I am looking forward to working with you." Her smile is warm and friendly, but she's guarded now, and it's obvious to someone who knows her. Which, technically, Setsuna does, just in a different timeline. It's fine. Everything's fine.

When Ami is free to leave, she goes to find a spot under a tree to sit and think. Something isn't adding up, and Ami isn't sure she likes it.