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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 11, 2008 11:53:27 GMT -5
Ami was determined to fully enjoy her day off. Sure, Usagi could grab her if she needed her for anything, though she desperately hoped if that was the case it would not involve shopping. However, until such an emergency arose, Ami was determined to relax as much as she could. It helped that this particular form of relaxation could be justified as necessary to her as a Senshi - after all, water was her element, and she had not been able to fully immerse herself in it for a while.
So it was that the Ami had found her way down to the pool in the palace. Once there, she stripped off the light dress she had used as a swimsuit cover, revealing a modest but attractive light blue bathing suit. She was glad that she had found a time when the pool was empty. She knew that someone else could easily come, but she was glad she'd at least get to swim alone for a minute or two.
For Ami, there was no hesitation to immerse herself in water. No dipping her toe in and taking time to acclimate herself to the water. Regardless of it's temperature, Ami moved straight to the diving board, a big grin on her face as she looked forward to being surrounded by water.
Her dive was graceful and simple, and she closed her eyes as she entered the water, feeling all the stress melt away. There was no real danger for Ami in water. She could not stay under indefinitely, but the fact that it was her element meant that she could sty under for a significant amount of time. When she finally emerged, she was smiling and rolled onto her back, wanting to simply float before she began doing laps.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Dec 12, 2008 0:44:53 GMT -5
Mamoru made his way down to the pool in the palace, intent on getting away from the current stresses of the day. A swim was not what he ordinarily would have chosen to help him relax, but it was also somewhere that people wouldn’t think to look for him right away. He wasn’t even married to his lovely queen yet, but still it seemed as if everyone had something that he needed to be doing. He hadn’t had a moment to himself in quite awhile it seemed and it had finally gotten to him. He needed some time to himself so that he could relax and actually think about everything that had been going on recently.
When Mamoru entered into the pool area his gaze was immediately drawn to Ami floating on her back simply relaxing. For a moment he thought about leaving without disturbing her, but then Ami really wasn’t someone that would pester him about anything. Besides, she would probably understand his wish for peace and quiet for as long as he might be able to get it. It never even occurred to him that it might not be the greatest of ideas to be found swimming alone with one of the senshi, if only because his soon to be wife was easily provoked into jealousy.
He quickly stripped off his shirt and tossed it neatly into one of the chairs nearby. Mamoru didn’t particularly want to startle Ami by simply jumping in and besides he also wasn’t one to suddenly immerse himself in what could be cold water. He crouched at the side of the pool and called softly, “You seem to have been able to relax fairly well ...”, while testing the water’s temperature with his hand.
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 12, 2008 0:56:07 GMT -5
Ami opened her eyes hearing Mamoru's voice. She blinked for a moment and then a grinned, dropping from floating to treading water. "In water? Always." There were precious few men that Ami was as comfortable around as she was her girl friends. However, she had known Mamoru since she was 14, and for most of that time he had been dating Usagi, so Ami tended to be rather comfortable around him, thinking of him almost as an older brother - it also helped that he had gone into medicine as well, even if a different branch.
She laughed softly watching him test the water. "I'd say it's comfortable, but I realize that I may not be the most objective judge on that matter."
"How are you doing? I know I'm not around much right now with my Residency, but I would guess that it remains about as stressful as a busy emergency room around here all the time." She had been so glad when rotation at the ER had ended, she shivered slightly just thinking about it.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Dec 12, 2008 1:18:44 GMT -5
Satisfied that the water wasn’t shockingly cold, Mamoru slipped into the pool before answering Ami. He grimaced slightly finding the water a little cooler then expected, Mamoru glanced Ami’s way and dully said, “No I would say that you aren’t the most objective judge on the matter.”
Smiling slightly to let her know he was only teasing, he added, “The stress is hard to get through, but its only natural I suppose. You can’t expect things like changing an entire world’s government to go easily. There was bound to be some problems, but still its nice that you are here today. Usagi has missed being able to spend time with her friends.”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 12, 2008 1:29:20 GMT -5
Ami suppressed a giggle. It was not her fault that she always found water comfortable. Even ice did not strike her as as cold as everyone else found it. She moved back to floating on her back, deciding to forgo laps for now as that was something she did not usually do with others around, though Michiru had coaxed her into it once or twice.
"I'm sure, and I'm sorry that I'm not about to help more often." Though she had found that her logic and straightforward acceptance of facts were not always welcome at the diplomatic table, she did sometimes feel as if she should be around to help more often.
Ami smiled a bit at the mention of Usagi. She would need to make sure to spend some time with her today as well. She just hoped that it did not have to be spent discussing wedding stuff. "I'll make sure to try to catch her today since I have another long shift tomorrow."
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Dec 12, 2008 2:41:39 GMT -5
Mamoru shrugged vaguely and said, “There isn’t any need to apologize. You are here as much as possible right now and things wouldn’t have come this far if not for the things you have done.” As far as he was concerned, the senshi had been far more help to Usagi then he could ever be.
Although not nearly as strong a swimmer as either Ami or Michiru, Mamoru was perfectly capable of holding his own. He swam the length of the pool once before adding, “Anyway you know very well that Usagi would hate it if you were to give up being a doctor just so that you could be around to help muddle through these stressful times. We are doing fine, I simply needed a break from the constant stream of people that had some paper that had to be signed right then or some other thing that just couldn’t wait for another minute.”
Mamoru still had trouble allowing his true thoughts and feelings to show around most people. Still, even though he would probably never be as comfortable around them as he was with Usagi, he had been around them long enough that he was able to relax somewhat around Ami and her fellow senshi. Therefore he didn’t mind losing some of his normal dignity and complaining just a bit.
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 12, 2008 12:02:10 GMT -5
Ami blushed at the compliment and then smiled, nodding, "I know, and I think that's part of what makes her so great a leader. And I'm sure that the world leaders will come to understand that she's not going to be a dictator." Ami understood why they would be hesitant to change everything even after the recent battles, but she also knew Usagi.
She looked over at him sympathetically. Sometimes she forgot how stressful things must be at the palace, but after her morning with Rei and Makoto and now talking to Mamoru, she remembered that long residency hours might not be the worse stress in the world, or even in Tokyo right now. "I'm sure it will all eventually calm down. Transition can't last forever."
Of course, with the end of transition, would come the end of any sense of a normal life. Though, Ami had to admit, that she had accepted that a long time ago.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Dec 12, 2008 14:00:24 GMT -5
Mamoru hid his grin at Ami’s blush, not wishing to embarrass her further. He swam another two laps to burn off the tension he was still feeling before joining Ami at her floating. He knew that he would have to leave soon, after all he did have things he had to be doing. However, he was going to enjoy this rare break from duties as long as he could.
Glancing over at his swimming companion he replied, “You are right, I know it will end eventually.” Deciding to change the subject, he asked, “How is your residency going?”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 12, 2008 14:37:50 GMT -5
"Now that I'm actually working in Pediatrics it's really quite enjoyable most of the time." She smiled warmly. She enjoyed helping to make anyone feel better and fighting disease, but there was something especially rewarding about working with children. Perhaps there was a bit of irony that the almost too mature child had grown into a young woman who wanted to preserve and protect childhood.
"It's difficult sometimes, though. Seeing so many children who have life-threatening diseases. I have to admit, there have been nights that I've come home and wondered if I really want to go into Pediatrics after all." The last was spoken very softly and was a huge confession from the genius. She sighed and shook her head, clearing the melancholy thoughts.
"I'm sure you remember what it's like. Long hours, little sleep, and developing the taste for coffee." She chuckled, "It's great to be working with patients, but I think med school was actually easier."
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Dec 13, 2008 1:48:31 GMT -5
Mamoru listened to Ami speak and nodded in agreement. He frowned somewhat when she gave her softly spoken confession about wondering if she should have ever gone into Pediatrics, but he didn’t respond. He knew Ami well enough to know that she really did enjoy her job and simply had a hard time dealing with the children she couldn’t save. She was a strong woman though and he knew that she was perfectly capable of handling whatever she came across, especially with the shoulders of her friends to cry on if she ever needed them.
“I remember those days, they were tough but worth it in the end. As for school being easier, I suppose it would have to depend on the person really. To some the long hours of studying wouldn’t exactly be an enjoyable experience...”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 13, 2008 11:28:29 GMT -5
Ami chuckled. She'd spent enough time around the other girls - particularly Usagi - to know that not everyone enjoyed studying as much as she did. "I know, though I cannot imagine how anyone could find the acquiring of knowledge anything but exhilarating." She winked at Mamoru to show that she was just kidding.
She closed her eyes for a moment, just enjoying the water and the quiet company. "Though I have to admit, I don't think I would have survived med school without the girls making me take a break from time to time. That even got to be a bit much for me at times."
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Dec 13, 2008 15:20:16 GMT -5
Mamoru glanced over at his companion in amusement for a moment before returning to just relaxing. He knew that he couldn’t stay here forever, eventually he would have to get back to his duties. However, it was nice just being able to relax here with someone that didn’t expect something from him.
He glanced back toward Ami when she started speaking again and nodded in agreement. He knew how close the senshi had been and how they had helped each other through everything they had gone through. “You would have survived, but not as happily I think.”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 13, 2008 18:12:20 GMT -5
Ami nodded. "Probably." She had remembered some of the other students who did not have friends dragging them away from books, and none of them had seemed particularly happy at all. She smiled a bit, even if being a Senshi demanded a lot, what it had given her was more than worth it.
She glanced over to him, "Are you going to try to continue your work when you're officially king and things have calmed down?" It wasn't that Ami didn't understand how important being king was, she just knew how hard anyone worked to reach what he had.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Dec 14, 2008 0:47:16 GMT -5
Mamoru glanced over at Ami, vaguely startled at her question. In all honesty he hadn’t really thought about whether he was going to continue his job after becoming king. He really enjoyed the work he did, but he also knew that being a king could turn out to be a demanding job. He had kind of assumed that people would just expect him to stop doing what he was doing now and concentrate full time on being king.
“Well, to be honest I hadn’t really thought about. I really enjoy my work, but it might be too difficult to both continue working and being a king. I suppose it would have to depend on how calm things get around here.”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 14, 2008 0:57:53 GMT -5
Ami smiled, "I doubt Usagi wants you to give up your dreams either, Mamoru. Perhaps..." She chewed on her lip a moment, "I know it's not the same thing, but perhaps you can stay active in it... as..." she sighed "as a hobby?" The word was not quite right, but Ami was not sure how else to say what it was she was thinking.
She shrugged, though not dismissively, more in admitting that she had actually probably gotten in over her head by mentioning it, "At the very least, I think it'll help you as a king. Think of all the ethical issues that you have insight into."
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