1634/Real Solutions

Real Solutions
Date of Scene:	30 April 2024
Location:	Club Building
Synopsis:	After the meeting with Michiru, Ami storms off in frustration. Usagi quickly catches up with her to calm her down. A few solutions to the problematic relationship with the Outer Senshi are discussed, and a few decisions are made about their own relationship.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Usagi Tsukino
Tinyplot:	We Got The Beef

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Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami was furious. It wasn't that she was angry at any one person-- No, wait, yes she was. Michiru had told her she wanted to work things out, to help bridge the gap between the two groups of Senshi months ago. She had really, really been hoping that while there was tension here over this particular situation that it would be dealt with. That level heads would prevail. Not that she would have insults tossed back and forth, condescending attitudes from people of the same age, and just...

Her progress down the hall is stopped when Usagi catches her hand. A breath hitches in her chest as she's turned and caught into the hug. She's practically shaking with anger, trembling as she's held by Usagi. Another breath is taken as she pulls in the slightly sweet smell of Usagi.

"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan, I just... I'm so frustrated that she would just..."

The hug tightens and holds while she breathes deeply working to calm herself. It was rare she lost her temper like that but not TOO rare. It was just usually short bursts. "Are you okay?" She finally mumbles out.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi hugs Ami as tightly as she can, a living pressure jacket for a long moment. She can feel her trembling, and the hitch of her breath, and she feels - bad, honestly. Because she could have been calmer, more patient, more kind, with Michiru, but she hadn't wanted to, not with the other girl coming in with her bitch meter dialed to a hundred, and the argument still fresh in her mind, but it's Ami who was suffering for it now.

The tension between her and Setsuna - and her and Michiru, now, apparently - should have never gotten to this point.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," Usagi says firmly, honestly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I might be short, but I could have totally been the bigger person back there, and... I'm sorry. You were offering real solutions, and I should have followed your lead."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Usagi-chan, I'm not upset at you. Not at all. You have every right to be upset over this situation," Ami assure as she allows herself to be hugged. It was such a calming, nice thing, and something she didn't get much of. Getting it now from Usagi was Definitely What Was Needed.

Her grasp remains loose in case Usagi wants to pull away though, and she even wonders if she ought to first. The urge not to is given into just this once.

"You're both my friends, and Michiru-chan has said before that she wanted to not be isolated from the rest of us. So that this whole thing happened is just so-so frustrating!"

A little huff of breath is let out. She raises her head at least to look at Usagi offering as much of a smile as she can. "I thought things would go well at first because she kind of started apologizing before it just got twisted up like that. And she wasn't listening, at all, and."

Another breath. Her hand lifts from the hug to lightly sweep over Usagi's cheek with a softer tone. "I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be the level headed one to begin with. I was offering suggestions to try and mediate, and then I lost my cool. I could have tried harder to turn things around."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"If you're not upset at me, how could I be upset at you?" Usagi points out, very reasonably in her opinion.

She's not released Ami at all, hugging her right there in the Club Building hallways. School's been out for like, probably two hours by now; most club meetings are long over. They've got plenty of time without interruptions.

"I'm not gonna lie, Ami-chan, I didn't think it was a real apology at all. Like, who says they're applogizing but only if this instead of that? That's like, half the reason why I gave a bad one too. And you are level headed! But like, show me the girl who can keep her cool in a situation like that, huh? It was like we were in the hotseat from the second we got here."

She puffs her cheeks like an especially irritated squirrel. "Who even says the most important thing is Tomoe-san? That's just her priority."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami giggles. It's not that she's dismissing the fact that a child should be important, but the way Usagi's cheeks puffed out in irritation as she talks about it was simply adorable in ways she couldn't quite put into words. It was a good thing she didn't need to. The sight brightens her mood quite a bit and her usual easy smile returns.

"You're right. It was tense on all counts, and while I think she may have started out meaning to try and make things work she let her own emotions get in the way as well. Even if she acted like that wasn't the case."

A deep breath is drawn in gathering her thoughts. "I can still reach out to them and act as a point of contact if we need. For now though, I think where we go from here is up to you."

A bit of teasing amusement tinges her tone as she tacks on, "After all, you are our Princess."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Ami's giggling pulls a smile to Usagi's own face, a loosening of some of her tension. Even if things aren't great - even if that conversation was awful in a way that churns her guts and lights up her temper - being able to take care of Ami helps. Helping, helps.

"We all did. We've all got our feelings about things, and I bet Setsu - Meiou-san - was probably pretty upset, when she told Kaiou-san, so that probably didn't help and," she shrugs.

It's not that it doesn't matter. It does, and the fact that Michiru would rather think of her as a petulant child than a person with real concerns hurts - but maybe it's just ... not as important. Especially now.

"I told Mako-chan about what happened, and about Tomoe-san. That's why I was late - I don't want to keep her and the others in the dark. I'm planning to tell Minako-chan tomorrow, and catch up with Rei-chan too. Other than that... I'm working on like, writing out why this makes me mad, and Mamochan suggested separating it into like, personal stuff and tactical stuff. I like your idea of having regular meetings though, to share deets and info. No matter what personal stuff goes on, we should do that."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"That's an excellent idea. Writing things out is a good way to put things into perspective and help you figure out what needs to be focused on," Ami agrees with a solemn nod. "Mamoru-kun is right about that. And... You're very right as well. Setsuna was likely upset when she told Michiru about this, if how she reacted when we were there is any indication."

It's about now that Ami starts to slowly realize they were still hugging onto one another in the middle of the club room halls. It was late, so there weren't too many students about, but that didn't mean the likelihood of being spotted being all huggy was zero. So even as she touches upon the points brought up, she starts to glance side to side as if searching for potential threats that could disrupt this quiet moment.

"And the meetings too. Even if it's just to catch up it's a good chance to socialize as well if there isn't much going on." There usually was though. "I'd suggest a neutral area though. Not Setsuna's house, or the Shrine, for instance."

Her gaze flits back to Usagi finally as she realises there really isn't anyone around. With a softer, much calmer voice she offers, "Thank you for checking on me, Usagi. I know you're frustrated too. We'll make this work though." ... Was she meaning the issue with the Outers, or something else?

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi doesn't mind hugging in the middle of a public space at all. If someone wanted to make something of it, she'd look them in the eye and ask them when the last time they got a hug was. Instant kill shot for students with enough jerk energy to make fun of someone getting a hug.

But, they probably should at least move from the middle of the hallway, so she squeezes Ami once more, patting her back gently, before withdrawing, and looping her arm through Ami's, so they're still linked.

"Of course I'm going to check in with you. And all of those ideas were good ones... maybe when everyone's less upset - me included - we'll be able to sort things out..."

And then she looks at Ami, then their joined hands, and then -

"Ami-chan, I think I'm pretty good at being a girlfriend. I have a bad track record with getting dates crashed, though. Do you think you'd be okay with that?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Date? DATE? It seems to finally occur to Ami that this is where things were leading. Of course she knew, and her heart does skip a few beats while holding onto Usagi's arm in turn as she considers it. That near-panic she tended to feel when she got love letters, or that time when a magical oyster tried to tell her romantic fortune was... thankfully absent.

Her grip on Usagi's hand tightens with a firmly confident squeeze as she finds herself smiling brightly. "I tend to break out in stress hives when I'm faced with romantic situations that I don't feel certain of how to respond to." That little truth bomb is dropped with a perhaps reassuring giggle.

"I don't feel that way with you though, Usagi-chan. I think I'll be okay giving it a try. Besides, we're usually there to help on your dates anyway," she points out.