2017-10-10 - A Meeting of the Minds
| Title: A Meeting of the Minds | |
|---|---|
| Summary: In which Ami Mizuno and Setsuna Meioh nerdbond | |
| Who: | |
| Where: A library | |
| OOC - IC Date: Tues Oct 10, 2017 / Tues Feb 24, 2015 | |
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
The libraries in Tokyo are some of the biggest anywhere. With a multitude of different ones to choose from, Ami tends to stay close to home. However, there is the occassional reason for her to venture further than normal and today presented one of those situations. Being known for her grades and maturity, the student had been approached by a couple of teachers and parents about helping their students to which she willingly agreed to give them tutoring sessions. Even though exams were over and the school year was ending, there was never a wrong time to study right?
Just beyond the rows and rows of books, there are round tables. The particular table they are sitting at is the furthest from the noise and distractions of people coming in and out. She wanted to make sure her students could focus after all! There are many books piled on top and just on the other side of an open book, a tired-looking student is eyeing the page, but clearly not focusing on what Ami is enthusiastically telling him.
Once she realizes his focus is elsewhere, Ami pauses and places a hand on his shoulder. "Are you listening? This is very important!" He groans but nods, "Yes Mizuno-san!" He takes a pencil, erasing something that looks like a math problem before rewriting it. She laughs a little, not at him but rather his expression. It reminds her of a certain other student she tried to help with school work.
With a glance at her phone, Ami closes the book in front of her. "Okay Hideo-san, let's close up here for today. Your mom will be here soon!" The student doesn't hesitate to grab his books, shoving them into a bag before offering a polite bow to Ami and running off. She, meanwhile doesn't appear to be so ready to leave, instead opening a new book and leaning over it.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Meioh [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
Even though she's folded up in a studious hunch over the library table she's claimed, it's impossible to miss how toweringly tall Setsuna Meioh is. Black designer jeans clothe long legs beneath a pastel floral embroidered jacket: a bit of spring to encourage the coming season closer, perhaps. She presides over an impressive spread of cracked books, projecting an aura of scholastic command as if they're battleships armed with knowledge and she, their admiral.
The young woman with the long evergreen ponytail has also chosen this corner of this library for a combination of privacy and available materials. Possessed of impressive capacity for focus, Setsuna doesn't mind that she's ended up so close to a study session; in fact, she casts a curious eye that way from time to time, and keeps her ears open. A consummate observer.
Once Hideo is released and makes a break for it, Setsuna leans back in her wooden chair and looks over at Ami Mizuno, openly seeking eye contact, with a friendly expression on her face. "You are a /very/ good teacher. He will appreciate it later, even if he does not today. And surely, his parents already do."
She recognizes the Juuban uniform and continues with an introduction and a deep nod, suggestive of a bow: "I am Setsuna Meioh, university student in the astronomy department at Infinity Insitute. I beg your pardon for listening in, but your lessons are very good, and worth listening to." The many tomes she's cross-referencing bear that out, most dealing with the history of astronomy and the development of the telescope.
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Ami turns another page in the book, sighing. It wasn't bad to do her own research but when she didn't even know what to look for exactly, it made it that much more difficult. All the mansions on these pages don't give her any hint of what she should be looking for. The dream had been terrible and she could remember everything so well. Well, everything except the details of the house itself. It was such a passing thing and the adrenaline of what happened made her forget or maybe unable to see the details.
While she reads the book, turning the pages quickly, a voice catches her a little off-guard and she turns to see the woman sitting nearby with the green ponytail. She laughs to herself at the statement, "Ah thank you." She blushes a little at the compliment. "He's smarter than he realizes and I just hope he takes it seriously." Ami seems to care a lot about the student by the way she talks about him.
As Setsuna introduces herself Ami smiles, "It's nice to meet you Meioh-san. I am Ami Mizuno, soon to be high-school student, at Juban." There is a little bit of pride in her voice with her introduction and then she glances from her book to Setsuna's table.
"It looks like you have your own kind of study session going on." Ami smiles and quickly reads over a few of the titles, all of them having to do with astronomy and related subjects. "Oh, that looks really interesting!" She says, pointing to one particular book on the solar system. "I find that learning new things is so fascinating. There is always so much more to learn!" Ami realizes just how nerdy this makes her sound and she looks away from Setsuna.
Before anything else happens though, she has an idea, "If it's not rude, would you mind if I joined you. I hate to take up a valuable table." She smiles, realizing that it would be easier for her to move than for Setsuna to move. Should the older student agree, Ami will quickly make the transition over.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Meioh [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
"A good teacher makes all the difference in the world." Her garnet eyes are warm. "And it is good to meet you, Mizuno-san." The name even sounds familiar... something about a girl genius? Setsuna isn't the biggest rumor-monger in the world, but word gets around about certain luminaries in scholastic circles. "Juuban has a fine tradition behind it, and a great many talented people go there, but if you are the Mizuno-san I've heard of they'll be lucky to have you."
She follows Ami's gaze and nods in the direction of her books. "Ah, thank you. There's a great deal to admire about early humanity's striving for the stars. It is... an inspiring topic." The blue-haired girl blushes and looks away, and Setsuna offers a quick agreement: "There is, you're right. Please, join me, I'd be quite happy to spend the evening studying alongside a fellow..."
And the statuesque woman gives a soft chuckle. "As someone I know would put it, a fellow geek." It sounds like she means it in a warm, inclusive way, and she's already sliding some of those astronomy books to make companionable room for Ami's history books.
"What are you studying tonight, now that you have the freedom to pick your topic?" She takes a neighborly peek at some of Ami's titles as they join the table. "Ah, history -- anything specific you're researching? I study astronomy, but call history a... lifelong passion of mine." There is a Mona Lisa smile on her face, like she's remembering an old joke.
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
"That's true!" Ami says in regards to the remark about teachers. "I always seem to remember my favorite ones." Even the best students have favorites, after all. Her name being recognized, makes Ami shift a little uncomfortably in her seat. "Ah...thank you." She should be used to being recognized by now but it always seemed to catch her off-guard and the student finds it flattering but also a little embarassing. Of course, she wouldn't deny it was her either. "You're right about Juban Meioh-san. People say it's not the most prestigious school here but I love it." There is a warm smile given.
Ami hrms to herself a little, thinking about the search for things beyond the world they knew. "It's good to have a dedicated interest like that..." While Ami wouldn't say she was an expert or had done a ton of research on astronomy, the subject itself is an exciting one and a testament to how far technology and the world around them has advanced and expanded beyond the realm of what they knew.
She smiles when the older student agrees to let her join and moves over with a few books of her own. They are weighty books but not so much that it takes her long to make the move. She laughs, although a little uneasily, about the nerd remark but notably doesn't comment further on it.
Opening the book to the page she left bookmarked, Ami glances down at the page again as Setsuna poses the question. "Oh, uh..." There is an awkward silence as she considers a quick way to explain it and then finally, "Well, I heard about this old mansion and I was trying to find out some of the history on it." A pause. "Unfortunately, going solely by what people saw, I have come up empty." It wasn't a complete lie but it wasn't like she could explain the actual reasons why she was interested in the research beyond just saying that it was in a dream and that felt strange.
"It's good to meet someone else that is interested in history though. You don't find that very often." Ami thinks about it for a minute. "I love hearing about the way things were in the past but they are both two very different subjects right? I mean, history and astronomy. I can see the correlation though." Ami takes a moment to pause and turn another page. Somehow she has managed to focus on the conversation but also her book as well.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Meioh [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
"Ah, the history of a specific place, I see. That is a challenge," Setsuna nods, eyes narrowing a bit in thought. She doesn't question the reason Ami gives for looking into the mansion, seeming more interested in the research question itself. She taps a grey-lacquered nail against her chin.
"Have you sought out respected elders in the surrounding community? Living memory holds secrets libraries cannot dream to. Of course, memories are malleable things, so you must always consider your source." She tilts her head, bangs swishing with the motion. "If you're seeking history beyond the human lifespan, that won't help, of course."
Ami shifts the topic to Setsuna's own studies and the tall woman nods with quick enthusiasm. "The connection between history and astronomy... it was a very political thing, the development of astronomy. The needs of kings and ship's captains held great sway over the sciences."
She, too, flips a page, reads for a minute in shared silence, and then speaks up again, perhaps spurred by something she's read. "Imagine: even before they had telescopes, astronomers were calculating the orbits of the planets, through math and patience and sheer dedication." Setsuna looks back up, to the soon-to-be-high school student. "Is there anything you are passionate about studying, Mizuno-san, for your own sake? A favorite subject?"
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Ami seems to think about the question about alternate sources of information. "Well, I had considered that too but haven't gotten that far yet. The fact that I have very little to go on, not even a location, doesn't help." She sighs a little. "I know this doesn't really make sense and it's actually hard to explain why I am interested. I am probably just chasing a dead end. I just wish I had more details." Ami shakes her head a little. "It's not really that important I suppose. Still, at the very least, I have been able to find other exciting things on the history of great mansions here in Tokyo."
"Political huh?" Ami places a finger on her chin for a minute. "Yeah, I can understand what you mean by that. Astronomy dates back a long way. I kind of like the idea of how people used to navigate by the stars." Ami can just imagine the explorers in her mind and see how they got around using the north star and all.
The random tidbit of information makes Ami smile. "Yeah. That's neat and because of them, we know what we do now about the stars and planets out there. Of course, with telescopes and modern science, it's so much easier right?" She likes to think about having the kind of passion that the early explorers and astronomers had. It had to have taken a lot of dedication and patience to do that kind of work.
The question about her own interests kind of catches her off-guard but she quickly nods. "I do, Meioh-san!" She seems suddenly very excited. "I love math and science but it's not just the subjects themselves. I want to be a doctor so I know how important they were." Ami pauses for a minute. "I also volunteer at the hospital and it's amazing to me to see how everything interconnects there. The science behind biology and the human body and then the math used to figure out medicine dosages and machine calculations. It's so fascinating!"
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Meioh [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
Not knowing the /location/ of the mansion does get Ami a quizzical look, but Setsuna doesn't question it. Instead, she offers well wishes. "I hope you find it, Mizuno-san. In the meantime, all of those extra side discoveries..." She gives a knowing chuckle. "Those are the best part, sometimes."
Setsuna's finger drops to a specific line in one large, dense-looking book when Ami speaks of navigation. "Not just the stars, but the planets. Jupiter herself briefly served to help navigators find their way through the movement of her moons -- a Jovian clock, it was called." She sounds oddly familiar, speaking about the planets that way. Maybe one of those weird astrophysics nerd things...
"Modern science allows for studying deeper mysteries yet, and space has those aplenty." The bit of a smile Setsuna offers has its own touch of mystery to it. She doesn't smile often, and those that do appear are small things, but they each seem sincere for all that. She's warming to Ami quickly, though it may be hard to tell with how subtly Setsuna expresses that. "You give a great deal of thought to things," she says, and it comes out as a somber compliment.
She's quite glad to have asked Ami about her favorite subject. The subsequent enthusiasm has Setsuna thinking this blue-haired girl will be a very good doctor indeed. "That sounds less like an interest and more like a calling, Mizuno-san. I hope you do not think me too bold when I say that you appear more than up to the task, between your mind and your love for the subject."
Her chevron earrings, the same garnet as those deep eyes of hers, point ever downward even as she tilts her head again. "It is a hard path, but I think you already know that," she intuits. "A calling is a special thing to have."
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
With the subject of the mansion it's probably better, in Ami's mind anyway, that they move on. The only way that she could possibly get more information would be either to end up there again, something she really hoped didn't happen again, or perhaps talked to Dr. Hanasaki again but that too seems like it may not prove fruitful. After all, the sensei hadn't actually been there.
Her eyes widen with fascination at Setsuna's talk about the planets and Jupiter. It actually makes her smile a little and think about her fellow senshi but more than that, "Wow, that is amazing." It seems to be new information to her or at least something she didn't remember coming across before. "Jovian clock..." Ami repeats the term, commiting it to her memory to look up later possibly.
"I love that there is so much to learn. We will never be able to stop exploring because there will always be something new to be found!" her eyes sparkle, finding it easy to talk to the university student. It's almost like they have known each other for longer. At the compliment, she shrugs. "I guess that is how I have always been, even when I was very little."
"A calling?" There is consideration given to this remark. "I guess so! Some people think that it is just because of my mother being a doctor that I want to follow in her footsteps but really...I love the idea of being able to use the knowledge I have acquired to help others and even save lives." For a moment, she thinks back to her recent encounter and talk with Kasagami and how glad she had been to be there to help her out. "The ability to look past the personality of someone to help them out... it doesn't matter if they are friends or not. Everyone deserves a chance..." It seems like her words are not just talking about physical well-being but maybe she is.
"I know it's hard Meioh-san but I know that this is what I want to do. It's why I work so hard all the time. My grades... they wouldn't mean anything without knowing what I wanted to do." Of course, this feeling isn't shared by a lot of students who feel like the work means nothing but not for Ami. It means a lot.
"But...what about you? With your knowledge of astronomy and everything...what do you plan on doing?" There were a lot of ways to use that knowledge after all and Ami is genuinely interested in the answer as she looks towards the older student.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Meioh [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
Ami's natural and sparkling love of learning engenders a kindred gleam in garnet eyes, and they crinkle at the corners. "There always is something new." She sounds so sure. There is a moment, there, when the inquisitive bubbling nature of Ami Mizuno stirs the same feeling of /knowing/, but... it passes, with a shake of Setsuna's head.
"It does sound like it comes from within you," she agrees when Ami speaks about her mother being a doctor. "Not only Juuban, but in a few years, whichever medical school you select will be fortunate to have you to teach. That sort of dedication will see you through."
In a rare turn of events, Setsuna Meioh has found conversation in a library that holds greater interest than the books she is studying. She realizes this herself with a bit of a start, and Ami is asking her about herself. Her expression takes a turn for contemplation. As serious as her mien becomes, it is a mask for deeper and darker thoughts; there is a gleam of sadness in her eyes, a surfacing thing rather than something new or fresh.
Setsuna is thinking about the future she knows exists in which she is a solitary guardian at the Time Gate; she is thinking about how that future might /not/ exist, soon. Neither possibility holds much room for furthering her beloved studies. There must be a faint scent of roses in the air, or maybe just a smooth round weight in one jacket pocket reassures her.
The young woman takes a deep breath, and replies with one of her truths. "I'd like to continue my studies. Astrophysics... wherever humanity strives to become closer to the stars, that is where I would like to be." She emerges from well of her thoughts to blink a few times, then offers a small shrug. "That is my plan, at least, while I attend Infinity."
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Ami seems unsure of what there really was to say at the praise she is given, at least initially. Finally she offers, "Really? I am glad that you think so. It's nice to have encouragement. I hope to make everyone proud." Her friends, her parents... they weren't the only reason she worked so hard but it would be a lie to say that it didn't make her happy to see them happy as well. Also, she cannot deny the twinge of happiness she felt when she got a good grade and was recognized for it, even if it did outwardly tend to invoke feelings of embarassment.
Watching the older student deep in contemplation, Ami seems concerned. The silence is pretty awkward for some reason as she notices Setsuna's eyes seem sad. It almost makes her outwardly question it but then Setsuna speaks and she listens. "I understand. Well, I bet you will be awesome at it. It seems like you're really passionate about it." Ami offers a reassuring smile.
"It's really good to be able to talk to someone else about this kind of stuff Meioh-san. Most people that are my age don't really give me a chance to." Ami sighs. "They are all so busy living in the moment that they don't think about their futures or what awaits them...even my friends." She shakes her head a little with thought. "I mean, I love them and they helped me a lot but sometimes it's hard, especially in school when they don't want to pay attention or are thinking about other things..." Like dating or shopping, she thinks to herself.
"Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate your time." Ami feels like she has known Setsuna for a long time just from this conversation. "I guess I should consider you my sempai right?" She smiles, hopefully, and then randomly adds. "I have been to Infinity before. It is a really great school from what I have seen and heard."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Meioh [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
"Ah -- thank you, Mizuno-san," comes Setsuna's reply to the compliment about her studies, and she receives it with quiet grace. "I... am passionate about it, you are right." She realizes her quiet has had an effect on the conversation and draws herself up a bit.
The other girl continues, and Setsuna settles her chin in one palm to listen to Ami speak about the loneliness of intellectual enthusiasm among her peers. She has an intent, intense way of focusing, as if she is bearing conscious mental witness rather than simply paying attention. Every once in a while she nods a bit or makes a small "hm" sound.
When Ami mentions Setsuna being her senpai, though, that gets an upright-sitting blink, a bit owlish for a moment, before the tall university student smiles without mystery. She's charmed and allowing it to beam unclouded through her expression. "This has been the most unexpected and lovely of conversations, Mizuno-san, and I am honored to be considered such by you." A deep bow of her head, formal despite her seating at a book-coated library table, underscores that sentiment.
"If you would ever like to visit Infinity's facilities, please, do not hesitate to call or text me." She tears a scrap of graph paper from some notes; the back has a rounded edge of a comet's parabolic path scribed in black ink. Setsuna writes her cell phone number on it and slides it over. "It would be my pleasure. Or, if you would just like to discuss astronomy, or medicine, or history..." She thinks a moment, there. "In fact, I know someone else who's a great fan of history. Perhaps we could all have tea sometime."
