And I thought I knew my friends...

[buntails]

Characters: Ami and Usagi (also OPEN to all)
When: during body-swap
Where: in a small park area, currently snowy
Rating: PG; they're sweeties
Summary: Usagi is studying passionately, Ami is goofing off. Something is not right here, and a glimpse was captured on the PCDs.

Comments

[aquaticbeauty]

As the book slipped out of her hands, the blonde dumpling-haired girl let out a pathetic whimper, swiping her hands in a frantic attempt to retrieve the precious tome that was plucked away from her. "Usagi-chan, wait! I'll lose my place!"

She stumbled forward, stopping short before the snow. She recoiled underneath the awning, taking hold of one of the golden pigtails on her shoulder, and toying with a strand of her long hair sheepishly. "Usagi-chan, please come out of the snow, you'll get sick dressed like that!"

[aquaticbeauty]

Ami smiles, looking ahead and nodding. "Yes. We need to stay warm if we're going to make it though this winter." And it was only beginning, too. At this rate, it was going to be relentless.

[buntails]

On the brighter side, it meant plenty of snow, something Tokyo usually didn't see more than a few flurries of. Usagi never felt too dampened by the weather once the temple was ready for it.

"Hey, Ami-chan! We can fool everyone like this. We can just not tell them we're switched!" Yep, still not good at focusing.

[aquaticbeauty]

The suggestion made Ami's face fall in absolute horror. "B-but why would we do that?!" First off, as a victim of practical jokes in her lifetime, Ami was terrified at the prospect of playing one on those around her. Secondly, there's no way she could imagine fooling people into thinking she was Usagi. She just wasn't friendly enough, or out-going...

"I..." Ami started to wibble. "I could never manage to replicate your sweetness, Usagi-chan..." The act would be up before it even started.

[buntails]

"For fun!" It was just a joke, after all; it wouldn't hurt anyone. "And Ami-chan is really sweet so that won't be a problem either!"

Won't, not wouldn't? Uh-oh. Ami better think fast to get out of this one if she's going to.

[aquaticbeauty]

"B-but..." The very idea scared Ami. What if they made the person angry?

Still, she would hear her friend's plan out. It was only the polite thing to do. "...wwwwwhat did you have in mind?"

[buntails]

That... was a good question. She hadn't thought beyond 'switching places is always hilarious in manga and television shows'.

"They'll be scared enough if they see you having fun instead of studying," she suggested. Though here... If things were forgotten, studying wasn't as important anyway.

She didn't have the heart to tell Ami that yet.

[aquaticbeauty]

Ami rose an eyebrow, and a smile crossed her face. "You know, Usagi-chan..." It was now her turn to put her hands on her hips. "I think you just want people to think you're a good girl studying!"

[buntails]

Usagi didn't miss a single beat, the shameless girl. "That's just a bonus," she said slyly. She liked it when Ami teased her; it felt happy and friendly.

"Hey, if we're switched... think I'll have some of your smarts when we go back to normal?"

[aquaticbeauty]

This was an upswing in mood for both of them; Ami welcomed it.

"If you ended up taking some of my smarts, that'd mean I'd be losing some, and that's unacceptable!" Ami said with a wink.

[buntails]

"No way," Usagi decided, and it was Ami's sweet voice sounding enthusiastic and energized. "You're the genius, you'd keep bunches still! You'd still be perfect."

"And anyway, I already passed the entrance exams, so I don't need that many!"

[aquaticbeauty]

Ami was used to hearing Usagi's voice in this teasing tone she used - but even still, it was softer than she was accustomed to, and while some might have considered it pleasant, it was off-putting, to say the least.

Especially when she reverted to her demure self. She felt her cheeks burn and she started to poke her fingers together bashfully. "Usagi-chan, I'm far from perfect..."

[buntails]

Usagi, however, was very proud of Ami's skills and intelligence, which meant she was taking no hints from the shyness.

"You'll never get anywhere if you don't have confidence in yourself!" And these words didn't sound too strange in this voice. "So let me have confidence in you, too, and you'll get everywhere."

[aquaticbeauty]

Ami blinked a few times, running that last sentence through her head to make some sense of it. She softly smiled, and let out a small giggle, her eyes warming to match her smile. "Usagi-chan, are you implying that by you having confidence in me, I will grow confident in myself as an inevitable side-effect?"

Widening her gait to catch up from behind herself to beside Usagi-as-Ami, Ami looked down at Usagi's typically-clumsy feet as she strolled along. She didn't seem to feel any unbalance in Usagi's gait, which led her to wonder what she could attribute Usagi's klutziness too. Most likely rushing, moving ahead before she was entirely ready to do so. That seemed to be consistent with Usagi's overall behavior, but...

"And when you say 'everywhere'--" Ami looked up at the snowflakes fluttering down from the silent, cloudy skies. "--was there someplace in particular you had in mind?"

[buntails]

Ami, don't overthink it! Usagi laughed anyway, a melodious sound that was somehow gentled. "Listen up!" she called out, mock-serious. "It's time to start showing Ami-chan around anyway! Let's get going on that shopping we talked about!"

It was as good an excuse as any to hang out awhile. They had decided to do it after all... before that very idea sidetracked them once they realized Usagi would have to try on the clothes for Ami right now.

Oh. Right. That.

[aquaticbeauty]

"M...mmh." Ami's reluctant nod came as a peep from her throat, and she followed her friend at her side, loyally and dutifully. Any onlooker wouldn't notice much difference when they weren't talking, save for "Usagi's" downcast eyes and thoughtful look, and "Ami's" bright-eyed jaunt ahead.

She just wasn't going to think about the clothing part. Not yet, anyway.