Scene #1097: The Meloncholy of Setsuna Meiou Episode 1097

Owner	Pose
Ami Mizuno	It was shortly after school had let out that Ami finds herself heading for the familiar house she'd been visiting more often as of late. The bag she often carries is packed with all the necessary books she might wish to reference or read and slung over her shoulder. She'd at least changed out of her school uniform and into something a bit cozier, and warmer, before heading out. The sun hadn't even fully set yet when she knocks on the door waiting before poking her head inside. "Hello? I hope you don't mind a visit," she offers by way of greeting. "Hannah's busy banging away and I couldn't focus so I thought I'd swing by."
Setsuna Meiou	To be honest, Setsuna hadn't been home all that long, since she'd stopped on the way home to grab a few things. For her part, however, she also wasted no time getting out of required dress and into comfortable attire. Which, for her when she's goofing off around the house is generally some t-shirt that's oversized enough to basically be a one-piece dress on her. In this case is a dark green one with an antiquated picture of a D&D wizard that bears the legend 'It's called 'SPLASH DAMAGE', you crybabies. Suck it up or go whine to the cleric.' She's absently lounging around on the couch as she waits for something to come on...when she hears the knock at the door. A blink and an absent clamber off the couch, she ends up looking around the corner of the entertainment room and down the hallway to the front door just as Ami pokes her head into the house. The taller woman smiles, "Ami-chan! Come in! Come in!" Straightening up, she walks into the kitchen, "Well come in and make yourself comfortable. You're always welcome here."
Ami Mizuno	"Thank you. I really don't mean to impose so often." Ami does step inside though pausing only to duck down to remove her shoes. There was no sense treading in any potential snow and muck from outside. The bookbag is clutched to her chest as she does so to avoid the risk of any precious books spilling out. "I feel I ought to pitch in to help a bit though, since I am. Have you eaten yet? I could make-" A pause comes as Ami stands and quickly runs over the list of things she knows how to make well in her head. "-Sandwiches." It was something at least even if it wasn't the most elaborate thing. A sandwich was good and filling and she most certainly knew how to make one properly. After quickly hanging up her coat she joins in the kitchen. The bag is left just on one of the stools there so as to not be in the way.
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna shakes her head and chivvys Ami over to a seat, "How many times do I have to tell you, it's no imposition?" The taller woman shakes her head, "Sit. Sit. And don't worry about food. I'll order us some pizza or something. Get extra so that Haruka and Michiru can have some whenever they manage to wander home." A tablet is produced from somewhere and stuff is tapped out, "Anything in particular you want on yours?" Orders are taken, then sent and Setsuna walks over and retrieves a pair of large mugs from a rack that seems to hold ten of the same style...grabbing one from either end of the rack. She also snags a small rack of various teas which she brings over to the kitchen island along with one of those little appliances that keeps a supply of water hot so it can produce near-boiling water on command...and then she puts a mug in front of Ami...and said mug has the astrological symbol for Mercury prominently across one side of it, "So anything special bring you by, or just needed to get out of the way of overenthusiastic Belkans while they're working?"
Ami Mizuno	"Yes, but... Oh if you're sure... Okay." Ami tries to protest meekly as she's ushered over to a chair. At such insistence though she can only sink down into it with a little smile at the hospitality being shown as per usual. Her arms cross lightly in front of her while she watches Setsuna move around the kitchen. "I'm good with just regular cheese pizza," she provides being ever the simple one. Once the mug is produced though? Her smile widens dramatically. "Oh, wow! Where did you find this? It's so cute!" Her hands uncross to wrap her fingers around the mug regarding it a few moments longer before filling it. "Mm, mostly that. Lyra's being very needy for attention since she's busy and I just needed some fresh air." A pause comes before adding, "I guess I haven't visited in awhile either. Not since the Firefly fight."
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna sets some green tea to steep for herself and makes sure Ami has easy access to the assortment so she can choose her own, "Oh, don't worry about it, dear. I've got more money than I'll ever know what to do with. Side effect of being able to peek at likely futures while playing the markets since speculative investments became a thing." Which, if one knows their history, means she's been playing markets since the PHONECIANS were wandering around the Medditeranian. She then absent adds, "Oh! Don't forget the day or so after when Hannah dropped by as well."
Ami Mizuno	"That must be useful. I haven't really looked into stocks. Though I imagine it would just be a matter of finding the right formula..." Ami trails off in favor of fishing around in the bin of tea until she finds a blueberry green tea to drop into her own mug. It sounded good! The hot water is poured in to let it steep as she settles back onto her chair considering this. "You're right, I did forget about the meeting with Hannah for a moment. So much has been going on since then. Meeting with Riventon, too." Her expression softens a bit. "Did I mention I'd spoken to Zoisite awhile ago?"
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna shakes her head, "No, you hadn't." She taps her chin for a moment, "...frankly, I don't think I've ever met him except in passing. What's he like?" Absently, she takes a sip of her tea and gives Ami a bit of a curious look. There's also the little event of Ami's slip of the tongue...but the older woman isn't going to press just yet.
Ami Mizuno	Ami Mizuno tips her head upward to consider a spot on the ceiling. It doesn't reveal any new revelations really. "Over the top at first. He met me at the door with a rose. He was just so theatrical. After a few minutes though he changed. I think he was trying very hard to impress me." A deep breath is drawn in, held in her chest, and then let out slowly before she speaks again. The blue of her eyes seems vividly clear at the moment though slightly out of focus just at a spot past Setsuna's shoulder. Recalling something far away and long ago. "In the past he and I were together. Back then. I knew it before I went to see him for this meeting. We talked. We had lunch and spent some time together. I decided that the past is the past. It may be my past but it's not my current past. I'm not who she was." Turning her attention back toward the mug she stares into it a moment, then lifts for a dainty sip. "Mm. I told him that I don't want to try to pick up where we were."
Setsuna Meiou	The older woman nods, "And how did he take that? Well, I hope?" She takes a long, contemplative sip of her tea, "...well, I can understand wanting to make a clean start of things and not letting the past rule you...but don't be so against letting the past define you that you let THAT define you." She shrugs, "Maybe one day you'll feel different. Maybe not. You're young. Keep your options open."
Ami Mizuno	"Surprisingly well. I think he was as afraid of the possibility as I was." Ami lets her shoulders slump a bit. Not in depression, but relaxing, as the warmth of the tea seeps into her fingers. Another sip allows that relaxing warmth to soak into her core as well. "I'm not letting it define me. I just think, falling in love would be amazing. Enough so that I don't want to skip over the important steps of it actually happening. People change with time, don't they? Haven't we? I've had another lifetime so far. That's a lot of change."
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna hrms and nods...then she abruptly stands up amd walks down the hallway to the front door. Once there, she reaches out, opens the door and catches the delivery driver standing there with his hand raised to knock on the door. With a twist and a flourish of her wrist, the greenhaired woman produces a few bills that she deposits in between the young man's knuckles, then she's taken the stack of pizza boxes from him, patted him on the head, then closed the door before he had much chance to react. Then she walks back, sets a pizza box down in front of Ami, "There you go, dear. That one's yours." Another box is set in front of her chair, then the other two are set aside as Setsuna resumes her seat. As she opens her box to reveal what seems to be a chicken carbonara pizza, Setsuna looks at Ami, "Yes, we all change with our lifetimes. The good and the bad and the eh all add up to make us who we are."
Ami Mizuno	When Setsuna gets up for the door suddenly, Ami sits up straighter craning her head in that direction to see what had gotten her attention. "Is everything alright?" She begins while twisting in her seat as if she might get up. It's just the pizza delivery boy though. A little flush creeps over her as she settles back looking slightly embarassed at having forgotten they had ordered pizza, as well as Setsuna's spot-on timing with catching the door. "Ah. Thank you," she murmers reaching out to open her box for the basic cheese pizza. It was good, and chewy, and melty. Hard to go wrong with that. "I forgot for a moment that we ordered pizza." A little chuckle comes at herself as she'd apparently been a bit too focused on the conversation. "Right. That about sums it up. Yes, I was her in the past. The 'me' now mixed with the 'her' then make us someone a bit different. Maybe things will happen the same. Maybe they won't. I want to be the one to make that choice though." With a firm nod she flashes a confident smile in this case.
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna absently pats Ami on the head as she passes, then settles down and starts in on her pizza, "I'm glad you were able to come to some kind of conclusion about it and not end up agonizing for months over things." She smiles a bit, "...granted, you never struck me as the type to do so...but it's been a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time since I was in anything like that kind of situation myself...and my housemates are in such a devoted relationship that it literally pulled them together across time and space." She shrugs, then winks, "...so perhaps I'm not the best suited to judge such things."
Ami Mizuno	"They are, aren't they?" Ami smiles softly at the very mention of Haruka and Michiru. If there were any more perfect couple besides Usagi and Mamoru it would be those two. "It's really hard to imagine them not together. The only relationships I've seen in my life before this are my parents. Or my mother at least." The little head pat causes her to reach up to touch her hair in case it got out of place out of habit. It really wasn't though. That was one perk of having short hair. "I saw Michiru painting once, and we spoke about my father. He was a painter too. My mother always told me such things were frivolous and not what the 'real world' needs." A slight shake of her head comes as she reasons over this. "At some point in her life he must have been right for her though. Just not for long. Anyway, there's no point in not being rational about things. Being overly emotional just isn't my style." With that she takes a bite of the slice she pulls out letting out a little sigh of enjoyment.
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna sighs at the comment, "I think far, far too many people get too caught up in things and overcorrect one way or the other. Especially if there is hurt involved." She absently gestures with a square of her pizza, "...after all, pain is a wonderful teacher...but just as with cats, I've found that humans are also more than capable of learning a lesson TOO well." After a few moments, she frowns slightly, "...I spent a very, VERY long time doing nothing but stand a post and be what the job required of me." The greenhaired woman shakes her head, "I don't want any of you girls to have to go through that. Never get so consumed in the job that you forget how to be a person as well. If you do, you'll have lost anyway." She then snorts, "...not that I can really see Usagi letting that kind of situation really develop if she has anything to say about it."
Ami Mizuno	Ami Mizuno ducks her head with a grin. There was no denying that. "No, certainly not. If anyone helps to ensure that I don't work too hard it's her." There's a small pause as her eyes dip down. Thoughtfully she adds, "And you as well, lately. Thank you. I know I've been singularily focused on my studies. I still am in some aspect, but now it's because I want to help my friends as well. Whatever happens I know we can all work together to solve it." "And," she adds wagging a finger at Setsuna. "You ought to take your own advice a bit, too. I see you trying to take everything on quite often."
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna snorts and rolls her eyes as she finishes a piece of pizza, then once she's done says, "The thing that sucks about wisdom is that you never get it until AFTER you need it." A shrug is given, "...in any event, I've had a long, long time to not only learn wisdom, but also to learn how to multitask extremely well. Trust me, I make sure to take time for myself." And then her grin softens a bit and she says, "...and to be honest, I'll admit that I DO take a rather great enjoyment out of seeing you girls at your hobbies." After a moment, she snorts, "...like a few weeks ago with Haruka's birthday. That one took a bit of setting up but it was SOOOO worth it." She absently grabs her tablet and starts swiping through...looking for something.
Ami Mizuno	"It was her birthday? I didn't know!" Ami blinks rapidly as she considers that. Did she know many of their birthdays at all? The slice is placed down to swipe her hands over a napkin quickly before reaching for her phone to plug in a quick reminder to herself to find out and plan for them herself. "I didn't ralize. I'll have to get her something, even if it's a bit late. I mean I don't have to," she's quick to hastily add. "I know I'm not being forced or anything. I'd like to do something though, even if it's small. I feel as if I ought to make up for lost time that we all could have been friends, in a way." Maybe she was talking a bit too much now. Plus she didn't really know what Haruka LIKED other than Michiru and racing. She looks up from her phone with lips pursed together in a small thoughtful frown. "Do you think she would like one of those bladeless fans? I know she mentioned liking the wind in her hair while running. I wonder if that would be similar."
Setsuna Meiou	After a few moments of searching, Setsuna manages to find the video and turns the tablet around to show it as she hits play. It's an image of what seems to be the inside of an elevator as the doors open to show a parking lot outside. By the angle of the image and the way it's moving (as well as a hint of a very particular shade of green flickering by during a bit of movement), it's a pretty good guess that the camera was set in one of Setsuna's earrings. On the video, she turns around and starts walking backwards as her voice can be heard saying, "...we're supposed to be checking out," and here in the playback Setsuna's voice shifts slightly as if she's recalling something, "...a nice Volkswagen..." As she says that, Haruka's expression falls ever so slightly as she likely imagines the Volkswagen that basically everyone knows about, the VW Beetle...a very much NOT 'go fast' vehicle. The camera turns a corner...and for a brief moment, one can see a plaza with multiple banners on poles declaring this to be the Nürburgring and the car that is glimpsed is very much NOT the dumpy roundness of a VW Beetle...though it's possible that Ami might have somewhere absently picked up that the Bugatti imprint that's easily seen on the incredibly sleek looking car sitting just ahead IS one owned by the Volkswagen corporation. The point of view turns back around quickly just in time to catch Haruka's expression as she herself turns the corner...and the look of stunned shock and surprise on her face as she realizes that instead of some sedate puttery everyman vehicle, she gets to drive the world's most powerful supercar...and as she does, Setsuna's voice can be heard to softly say, "...happy belated birthdays, Haruka."
Ami Mizuno	Ami Mizuno pauses in her considerations of what might or might not work when the tablet is turned around. The phone she holds is set aside absently as she leans forward to peer better at the video on the screen. It's not long into the video when she starts to get an idea of what might be going on. A car of course, and of course Setsuna could afford something that extravagant. The locale though... "Are you in Germany?" It's asked though she doesn't reeeeally need the answer as a moment later in the video it's confirmed. Then the actual car comes into view, and Haruka's reaction too. Ami grins broadly, and sits up with her hands clapping together. "Oh that's wonderful! She must have loved that. You're so thoughtful, Setsuna-san!"