We need to work deeper

[waterfell]

Mercury is in a vast, open room made of marble with elegantly carved pillars and supports, that all could have come from a temple in ancient Greece. But instead of an altar, pride of place is given to a massive supercomputer. The terminal and viewscreens take up the entire far wall, where she gives them her full attention.

Her eyes barely move as she studies the computer intently, scrolling through lines of code and occasionally taking down notes. There! She sees exactly how to fix that problem now, one that's been nagging at her for what seems like weeks. But after long enough, her head starts to droop over the console and the words on the screen blur into her thoughts, and then into darkness as she falls asleep.

Ami wakes with a start. Nighttime shadows remind her of how long she's been sitting in this chair, with a can of tea leaves and a hot cup of strongly brewed tea to keep her company while she works through the long hours. The marble hall becomes a comfortable room, modern and spacious, with heavily-laden bookshelves and tropical fish. The massive supercomputer is none other than her laptop. With a pang of irritation, she realizes she can't remember the answer that was so clear a moment ago in her dream. She sits up straight, and goes back to her task right away.

Her eyes barely move as she studies the computer intently, scrolling through lines of code and occasionally taking down notes...

(ooc: since it's a dream in a dream, people can feel free to choose which to catch her at/flit through both)

Comments

[decaying]

Kanda knew Ami was a hard worker but he sure hadn't expected her to work this hard. How long had he been sitting on a chair at her table waiting for her to so much as recognize the fact he's been in the same room with her? He had expected her to be quiet sure, but it had been hours! He was growing impatient!

"Ami, I'm had it with this."

He couldn't take this anymore, he got to his feet and walked over to where she was working. "Look at you, you're falling asleep on the chair. Stop working. Let's go."

Go where? He didn't know, he just- get off the computer, Ami!

[waterfell]

She looked up when he spoke. How long had it been...? Oh. The tea was cold.

"I wasn't falling asleep," she insisted, in the face of the evidence. She gave the monitor another look before turning back to Kanda. She amended the statement with the truth: "Just for a moment."

Where to go, was really the question. And it might take physically dragging her out of the room.

[decaying]

He frowned at her answer and made an annoyed sound with his tongue teeth. Here he was trying to be patient, something Kanda almost rarely never showed, and she wasn't even working! So much for trying to be nice!

"Just get up. I'm sick of being locked up in this place."

Truth be told, as much as he enjoyed being in Ami's personal space like this, he really didn't like standing still. Her apartment wasn't a good place to meditate, everything smelled of her. How could he concentrate with that? It frustrated him to admit so he merely showed his uncomfortableness with annoyance. As usual.

[waterfell]

"I was close to realizing the solution." But a second look at Kanda's face made Ami hesitate. Some fresh air might do her good. Clear the fog and let her think clearly until she could remember that elusive idea.

"We'll go," she decided, somewhat begrudgingly. She stood, and as a token to the cooler weather, she picked up a nearby jacket.

[decaying]

Victory. Kanda's expression eased as she gave into his requests. Good. He grabbed his own jacket and slipped it on waiting for her by the door like an some pet dog waiting to be taken out on his walk.

"You'll get it later once you clear your head." He offered in condolences. Didn't matter since all he wanted to do was get out.

[waterfell]

As they stepped outside, Ami didn't pay much attention to their surroundings at first, half lost in her thoughts. Only gradually did the crisp air, and the noise and bustle of traffic, reach her.

She seemed to know where they were going, at least, or have somewhere in mind. She moved with purpose, until she finally decided to share with Kanda, "We're going by the library."

[decaying]

"What?!"

People on the street turned their heads at the loud voice. Kanda didn't care. How the hell could Ami decide to go to the library after being stuck all day in doors! More studying? No, not while he was here. He reached over and grabbed her hand pulling her in the opposite direction. Stay away from the library, Ami!

"Like hell I'm going to some Library." No, he wasn't even going to think about. Lavi used to try these stunts too and he knew how to handles this: force them away from it. He'd lead her somewhere, anywhere.

[rrbando_rambo]

The very atmosphere of her dream had lulled Dale into a semi-napping state of his own. Thinking the laptop charger cord was his blanket however, he had wrenched it tightly in his grip, and evident by the interruption in service to Ami from the cord, it seemed he had taken to gnawing on it in dreaming. He moved fitfully in his sleep, enjoying the warm den where Ami worked, the scent of tea and his own musty smell keeping him contented there. Dale hugged the cord tightly to his chest and turned over in his rest.

[waterfell]

She'd been focusing very intently, when suddenly the screen dimmed. Ami quickly saved her work, something she'd done minutes earlier but it never hurt to be sure. She leaned down to look for what she assumed must be a loose cord, and found-

A chipmunk.
In a loud, Hawaiian print shirt.
Half asleep, cuddling her computer cord.

A distraction. Ami tugged on the cord, careful not to break it herself. "You can't sleep there," she told Dale bluntly.

[rrbando_rambo]

Dale's grip remained stubbornly fixed as he traveled in the direction of Ami's tug, appeared to have been glued there. "Hold the phone... sounds like a case for us." He had been talking in his sleep and it had roused him out of dreaming. He blinked heavy eyelids before beholding Ami's blunt gaze falling over him, causing him to turn tail and hide under her lazy chair with a shriek. He camped under the chair and observed her from a safe vantage. "Heh, that was your computer cord, huh?" As he peeked out from his position, eyes fixated on her and mirroring some apprehension at the face she wore.

[waterfell]

Ami startled visibly. She may have talked to the chipmunk, but she hadn't really expected it to talk back. Evidently, she'd been more tired than she'd thought. She was working too hard after all. Talking chipmunks did not (normally) exist, and were certainly not in her room.

It was pure curiosity that compelled her to answer him anyway. She stood tall, looming over the small animal, peering down at him from the advantage of her height.

"Who are you?"

[rrbando_rambo]

After noting she hadn't had the intent to hurt him, Dale mirrored her curiosity a moment more before he disappeared again beneath the easychair. He surfaced again as he clambered over to the other side of the chair, over the seat and up the backrest. With a friendly wave he peeked up at her, remaining crouched in caution.

"I'm Dale..." There was a hint of a smile showing in his eyes, but not quite forming into a smile yet. "If I didn't know better you look like you'd just seena ghost."

[waterfell]

"Apologize." Though not particularly heated, the word was fairly blunt. And he had been tugging on her computer cord and hindering her work.

This close, the Hawaiian shirt looked even louder, if possible. He also looked, well... come to think of it, he wasn't scampering around the room on all fours like most tiny animals might. He was on two feet. Curious, that...

[tasercopter]

"Hey." Reno crept up behind her, glancing around at the bookshelves and fish. "Workin', huh?" Though she had summed up the situation well enough, to her mind, she thought of something else to add. "Looks pretty boring."

[waterfell]

Working was never boring. It was the opposite. It kept her mind focused to avoid the crowd of thoughts that cropped up, unbidden, if she didn't concentrate.

Ami turned sharply.

"It's not boring if you understand its goal," she said complacently, her posture relaxing slightly as soon as she recognized Reno.

[tasercopter]

"It's not boring if you understand its goal," Reno mimicked. "You sound like my boss, y'know, and that's sad." No one should ever sound like Rufus--not even Rufus should, most of the time. "I get it. I know work. I work damn hard. But c'mon, you can work later."

She put a hand on Ami's arm. She was dreaming too, and she wasn't about to waste a dream staring at a screen. What would be the point of that?

[waterfell]

Ami turned her head to look at where Reno's hand lay on her arm. After a moment, she looked back at the screen, considering. Though she might seem to be ignoring Reno, she was saving her work.

Better not to lose it if Reno got ideas.

"Let's go, then," she said belatedly, once she was finished.

[tasercopter]

"Yeah, good," said Reno, who might not always have listened to others, but who liked to be listened to. What she said was only good sense anyway. "Don't worry about that." She swatted at the computer with a few quick keystrokes--more a joke than a sincere attempt to ruin Amy's work, possibly not in time to do any harm.

"Now lemme think. Where should we go? A bar? A fight? Or both?"

[waterfell]

"I'll go to the bar," Ami conceded. "However, the fight is your own concern." Translation: She'd be watching with interest and amusement. And expecting to watch Reno win.

She probably wouldn't offer any help if it went the other way.

[luv_n_looks]

[in a summer dress this time instead of formalwear, but Mina is as flawlessly beautiful as ever. she's wary, but she can't resist drawing slowly closer, pressing one hand to a wall and smiling just a bit.]

Some things never change.

[waterfell]

[Ami looks up sharply. She hadn't expected an interruption. She doesn't quite turn to face Mina.]

I was researching a subject that interested me. [No, some things never change. She's still as prone to become lost in her work.]

[luv_n_looks]

Everything interests you in one way or another. [the smile threatens to grow as she clearly is thinking of fond memories of a sweeter Ami, but Mina remembers who she's talking to] It's something that's great about you.

[waterfell]

It's information that can be useful. I'll use any advantage towards my goals.

[luv_n_looks]

[folding her arms and grinning] You're only proving my point, you know.

[waterfell]

[She never quite likes hearing that she resembles her former self. She has few good memories from those days - something Mina would be quick to guess the reason for.

So Ami answers somewhat flippantly, with a too-bright smile.]

I've accomplished a lot more research without the sailor senshi to hinder me!