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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 15, 2008 9:15:44 GMT -5
Ami had stayed in the pool for a bit after Mamoru left. When she decided to get out, deciding that she should try to be sociable and not hide from her friends on her day off, she had dried off and threw the light blue dress back on over her swim suit.
She was very surprised at the way that the servants seemed to be behaving as she walked through the halls towards her quarters to change. Whenever she passed one, she received strange looks or giggles, sometimes even a glare. The one time she passed a knot of servants, they had quieted until they thought she was far enough away not to hear, and then it had just been whispers that she could not quite make out.
While Ami was not knew to being talked about - before she had met Usagi there had been rumors that she was uppity and too good for anyone else. Even in College and Med School there had been whispers about her, though she had had the girls and did not let it get to her. However, being here, in her home - even if the sprawling palace was as much a community as it was a home - it hit her particularly hard.
She squared her shoulders and walked to her quarters with a set determination, though she felt her cheeks burning with a blush that she tried to ignore. While she had no idea what the gossip could be about, Ami was more than smart enough to figure out that it was about her.
When she reached her quarters, she closed the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes. "Maybe I'll just stay in here for the rest of the day..."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 15, 2008 10:48:58 GMT -5
After a stressful couple of pre-dawn hours in the palace kitchen followed by a relaxing, peaceful one drinking tea and watching the sunrise with Rei and the oh-so-rarely-seen Ami, Makoto decided to spend a little time tending to her garden before the afternoon rains come along. Before heading for the gardens, she changed into a pair of well-worn khaki clamdigger style pants and a pink t-shirt that had several set-in stains. The perfect attire for gardening, she could get down into the soil and not have to worry about ruined clothes.
When she reached her garden, she took a look around and sighed. It had been a while since she'd been out here and it was quite obvious. There were weeds popping up everywhere and plenty of flowers and leaves that needed desperate pruning. She took a moment to decide where to start first, and nodded to herself as she selected the rose bed. She set down her gardening basket and donned her gloves and got to work.
At least an hour had passed when she heard two voices coming nearer. She glanced up to see who they belonged to and found two palace maids apparently on lunch break. They didn't notice Mako as they continued past. Mako didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help but perk her ears up when she heard mention of Ami and Mamoru's names.
"Really? Well I heard it from Angela who heard it from Mikey who heard it from Pam who saw the two alone in the pool! Story is they were in 'deep' conversation, if you know what I mean..."
"No way! Oh, the scandal that would come about if Usagi were to find out about this!"
"I know! Isn't it just awful? OH! We absolutely have to tell Kyla! Let's go find her"
Makoto stood as the two girls scurried off to find this "Kyla" person. She raised an eyebrow and shrugged to herself. Something wasn't right with this, and she needed to find out what was really going on before this current rumor got out of hand. She removed her gloves, placed her tools back into the basket and headed for the pool to warn Ami.
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When she didn't see Ami in the pool, Makoto became quite worried. All along the hallways, she'd heard the whispers and the two names those whispers carried. She sped up her walk as she headed for Ami's quarters, keeping her fingers crossed that her friend had not heard any of these malicious things. "Oh gods..." she mumbled to herself, "Please let her be in her room."
Makoto had become quite used to the way simple things could be wholly blown out of proportion by the gossiping staff. It had happened several times to herself already, so she knew she could handle it. But Ami...that would be a different story. She was so busy with her residency that she hadn't been around the palace much at all other than for a place to sleep. While Makoto knew that Ami'd been gossiped about in school, mostly by students jealous of her mental prowess, she wasn't so sure that she'd been subjected to the cruel rumors that were so easily spread here.
She finally reached the door to Ami's quarters, said a small prayer under her breath, then gently knocked on the door. Not waiting for a response, she said "Ami-chan, it's Mako. We need to talk."
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 15, 2008 11:02:13 GMT -5
Ami looked up from where she was safely curled with a book when she heard the knock. She was putting the book aside when she heard Makoto's voice. While she'd normally be glad to see her friend, there was something about the words and the tone that made her grimace.
Taking a deep breath she called, "Coming!"
She forced on a smile and opened the door, "Mako-chan!. It's good to see you. Come in, please." She gestured for the taller woman to enter her rooms.
The sitting room was neat. There were a few paintings on the light blue walls. Except for the book that was on the arm of the plush arm chair, nothing could be seen to be out of place, but the room itself was not sterile. There were pictures placed neatly of the girls, a desk that was carefully arranged, and a small table with a chessboard set up on it, though Ami rarely convinced one of the girls to play with her.
"Is everything ok?"
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 15, 2008 12:53:05 GMT -5
Makoto had held her breath until she heard Ami's voice call out that she was on her way. As Ami opened the door and smiled, Mako's stomach wrenched. That smile was not a genuine Ami smile. She knew. Makoto tried to give a slight grin and entered as requested. She walked to the center of the room and waited while Ami closed the door. Once it was safe, she responded to Ami's inquiry.
"I'm not sure Ami-chan, why don't you tell me? What happened after you left the shrine?" she asked, knowing she'd failed miserably at hiding the worry in her voice.
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 15, 2008 13:01:06 GMT -5
Ami sighed, "I'm not sure." She gestured for Makoto to take a seat. "Do you want something to drink?"
She was not trying to stall, but she really did not know what had happened to cause people to be talking about her.
As she moved to get something if Makoto wanted it she tried to answer the question as best she could. "I went swimming. I haven't gotten to swim in a while, and I just really felt like reconnecting with my element would be helpful. While I was there, Mamoru came in, apparently needing a break from all the stress of being the future king."
She shrugged, honestly thinking nothing of the fact that Mamoru had been there. "He swam, I floated, we conversed, he left, and I swam some more."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 15, 2008 13:16:46 GMT -5
Makoto sat down in the nearest chair. "No thanks, I'm all set."
She listened to Ami's description of what had happened and her heart just sank further. She knew Ami, and she knew that Ami was completely innocent. Of course she was, why would anyone ever think anything inappropriate of Ami-chan?? Makoto sighed.
"Ami-chan, I'm afraid there's been a horrible misunderstanding and somehow I get the feeling you may already know." She leaned forward and lowered her voice, just to be sure that nobody passing Ami's door would hear. "Apparently someone saw you and Mamoru alone together and, well, assumed the worst." Her face grimaced at what she knew would come from this statement. She knew Ami wouldn't take this news lightly, and mentally readied herself to give her friend any and all the support she needed to get through this.
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 15, 2008 13:34:44 GMT -5
Ami turned from the drinks and moved to sit down herself. Fortunately, she got sat before Makoto could explain to her exactly what the misunderstanding was and why she was now the subject of the palace's gossip.
When Makoto's words set in, Ami's eyes widened and her face blushed bright red. "I... I wouldn't... I mean..." She shook her head, looking down at the carpet. "I...I... I was just... we were just... swimming. Nothing else. I..." She closed her eyes, trying to make this go away. She whispered, "I wouldn't do that to Usagi." Besides, Mamoru was a friend, and while he might be handsome, Ami did not think of him in any romantic way.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 15, 2008 14:02:03 GMT -5
Makoto rushed to her friend's side and knelt beside her. She took her hand and looked up into her eyes. "Ami-chan, I know. I really do. The things people say around here...they can be awfully cruel. I've felt it first hand too. Please don't take it personally. You know it isn't true. I know it isn't true." She sighed and squeezed Ami's hand. "It'll die down in a couple days, I promise. Everyone will have moved on to the next target and this will all be forgotten." Her eyes pleaded with Ami's, hoping that her words were enough to soothe the heartache she knew her friend was suffering.
"Please, Ami, cheer up. It'll all be over soon and we'll all be looking back and laughing at how silly this was."
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 15, 2008 16:03:32 GMT -5
Ami did not flinch away from Makoto's eyes, but she did sigh. She spoke particularly softly, though the flush did not abate. "I know that, and you know that. But will Usagi know that it isn't true?"
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 15, 2008 16:33:44 GMT -5
Makoto softened her gaze and gave Ami's hand another soft squeeze. "Oh Ami-chan. You know she'll understand! A rumor's a rumor and she has absolutely no reason to believe any of it!" She smiled softly and continued, "Usagi has known you the longest out of any of us. She knows any thought of something like this would never enter your mind. Please don't worry too much, Ami-chan. It'll all be ok, really."
She let out a small chuckle. "It could have been worse. This round of gossip could have been about Rei-chan. It'd take months for the staff to get the scorch marks off the walls!"
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 15, 2008 16:37:40 GMT -5
Ami nodded, and she knew that Makoto was right. She should have more faith in her friend and queen. It was just that Usagi did tend to get a bit jealous where Mamoru was concerned. "I can't show my face out there though... everyone thinks that..." Her blush, which had just began to fade again deepened.
The comment about scorch marks did make Ami chuckle a bit. "Maybe her way of dealing with it is better than mine?"
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 15, 2008 16:53:51 GMT -5
Makoto laughed, "I don't know if I would call scorching the palace walls 'better'."
She released Ami's hand and patted her on the leg. Then smiled and stood. "I'll tell you what. You won't have to show your face 'out there', but you have to at least let me cook you dinner. You can't stay boarded up in here and starve to death." She winked at Ami and said "I'll even brave going back into that disaster of a kitchen just for you."
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 15, 2008 16:59:28 GMT -5
"At least that effectively discourages it, right?" She smiled a bit.
She then grinned quite sincerely. "I'm not going to turn down a Mako-chan meal, especially not when I'm used to hospital cafeteria food." It wasn't that bad, but it was definitely not Mako-chan's cooking.
"Thank you." The offer of food was nice, but her friend coming to make sure she was ok and helping her through her first close experience with the rumor mill was what Ami was truly thankful for.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 15, 2008 17:14:07 GMT -5
Makoto smiled, thankful to see Ami happy again. She may not be 100% yet, but she seemed to be doing a lot better already.
"Good," she said, "because I wasn't going to let you turn me down." She turned and walked to the door. "You stay put, and I'll be back in a jiffy." She winked, then opened the door and made her exit.
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Once in the hallway with the door closed behind her, Mako let out a sigh of relief. 'Well that went much better than expected', she thought. Nodding to herself at a job well done, she headed for the kitchen. 'Let's just hope my second trip goes a bit better than this morning'
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