[057] After the storm

[buntails]

[This is Usagi, arms wrapped tightly around herself, unusually subdued and serious. She's seen the town in flames, her friends dead, her friends kill, and- she doesn't know how to look at anyone or what to think. She'd tried to heal Yuma, and it had made things worse (even if easier for the others to finish the battle) and her powers... her

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[aquaticbeauty]

[Ami stands in Usagi's doorway, her face mostly blank, but with a hint of concern. There was a lot of information coming from everyone, about everything, and it was proving difficult to sort it all out and devise some sort of plan...

...but Usagi's video had cut into her contemplation, and when Ami saw her Princess in distress, she felt compelled to leave her room--where she had holed herself up into--and came to her side.]

Usagi-chan.

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[buntails]

Ami-chan... [She looks up, torn between confused and surprised. Of course Ami is visiting, and of course she loves Ami, but she's not sure she's up to seeing anyone right now while she sorts through her thoughts.

Except of course she wants to see them. Being lonely would be worse. Far worse. After a moment, she doesn't quite smile, but she shifts over on the bed to make room.]

Come sit?

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[aquaticbeauty]

[Wordlessly, Ami steps into the room, straight towards Usagi's bedside. She sits onto the edge, stroking a hand across the blankets to smooth them. Looking down at Usagi, she felt an ache in her chest for the girl. For someone so strong, she was reversely so fragile when it was all over.]

I think I'm beginning to understand. [Not that Ami was nearly as affected--not apparently, at least--but all she could do was try to comfort Usagi. Would it even reach her?]

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[buntails]

[Once Ami sits down, Usagi leans lightly against her.]

My power hasn't failed like that before. It'd be alright, except... Yuma-chan and everyone really had to suffer for it.

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[aquaticbeauty]

"Usagi-chan." Ami spoke softly, but with a hint of conviction. "This isn't our world. You can't expect to be this world's savior, too."

Which wasn't to say that there was no point in trying, just..."I think, as far as this world goes, it's everyone's responsibility." Ami gently rested her hand against Usagi's head, and cradled her to rest it between her neck and her shoulder. "It wasn't your failure. It was everyone's."

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[buntails]

"It's not about that," Usagi persisted. "I understand it's different here, and I don't care if it's me or someone else who can help them, but they shouldn't have had to suffer like that."

And she didn't like being useless, dead weight hiding behind the skills of the others while she has none herself, as so often happens.

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[aquaticbeauty]

Ami quietly sighed. She knew that saying that wouldn't cause Usagi to shirk responsibility, but perhaps this was a proper segue into finding a true solution.

"You're right. They shouldn't have to." Ami kept her voice a low murmur, just between the two of them. "But unless we can get everyone to work together, rather than in these factions they keep forming without consulting the rest of us...things are going to fall through the cracks, aren't they?"

[Action]

[buntails]

Talking to Usagi about working together was definitely preaching to the choir, but aside from a few people she's convinced to work with groups, there hadn't been much progress in that.

"I know it might not always be possible to become close." This was a hard admission for her, born over the past couple years. "But when they don't work together even for this, we're definitely weaker trying to find a solution."

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[aquaticbeauty]

Ami slowly nodded. "This should, more than anything, serve as an example of what happens when we don't work together." Ami pulled her lips into a thin line, and continued, staring at the wall across from Usagi's bed.

She circled a few fingers through one of Usagi's pig-tails idly, hoping to comfort her in spite of the serious discussion. In a way, it was comforting for her to feel the closeness of her dearest friend in the wake of this horrific event.

"Had we been told that this summoning was to occur, we could have been on stand-by, and at least attempt to subdue the things that things that went awry."

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[buntails]

"If we'd known, we definitely would have been there!" There was no question of that, and Usagi looked troubled though she calmed a little under Ami's touch. "But... I know we don't know John well, so.. that was probably his decision."

And an understandable one, she supposes. But her own way has always been to do things together; it worries her.

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[aquaticbeauty]

"John?" Was that the boy who summoned the Animu they saw? The one who apologized? If it was, then..."I think he realizes that was a mistake."

Whether or not Rei-chan does, however...remains to be seen, doesn't it?

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[buntails]

"None of them could have known what would happen. They just... wanted to find an answer, a solution, like all of us do." That was the tragedy of it, really. It was natural, understandable, and dangerous.

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[aquaticbeauty]

"But even so, you know better than to do things on your own, don't you, Usagi-chan?" She crossed her ankles, tapping her toes on the floor beneath the bed. "You wouldn't keep it a secret."

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[buntails]

She's done things on her own before, if she really thinks the others won't understand and she's really sure her way of handling it will work out for the best. Of course, over the years, she's also learned that it still goes a lot easier when the others are there.

She avoids the question while she has no answer.

"More importantly... Ami-chan are you really alright? You aren't hurt, are you?" They'd all been in that battle, but as so often happened back home, Usagi didn't seem to bear many traces of wounds now.

[Action]

[aquaticbeauty]

"Eh?" Ami straightens up a bit and turns to Usagi. She smiles mildly, and lightly swings the leg which was burned during the battle. "Your healing power and my medical knowledge took care of that!" She sighed and looked down to her leg.

"Fortunately my power allowed me to maintain a barrier of cold after that first bout of fire." She was foolish. The moment she saw the fire, she should have activated her fog so it wouldn't have happened at all. She had taken up valuable time Usagi could have spent healing or protecting others.

"You look fine." At least on the surface, from what Ami could surmise. She knew that Usagi would manage physically, but she could at least return the gesture. "Are you hungry?"

[Action]

[buntails]

"Not really, not right now." Not after everything she'd just seen and experienced; it was going to take awhile before she'd be quite ready to act normal again. The smile was hard to keep on at times like this, though she'd find it again.

She hoped.