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

[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...

[rrbando_rambo]

Dale looked aside, considering her request and the kindest response he could muster. When he did return her gaze, his ears lay back in visible repentance. “Er, sorry about that. I musta been dreamin’.” Why he was here in this room was the baffling bit about it. Was this Chip’s idea of a joke? Actually yes, it probably is. “I can fix that.” He offered, hoping to make amends at the least by returning the power cord to it’s proper outlet.

[waterfell]

Ami relented with the apology - a little. She nodded, and once the cord was plugged back in, and her work safe, she left that for the much more interesting question of what Chip was doing here.

Dreaming, he'd said. While it may have been a joke, a quick look passed over Ami's face that suggested it meant something to her.

"So this is what rodents dream of?" Hassling people with computers? Actually, it probably was. That or raiding her kitchen.

[rrbando_rambo]

“Gosh, your power cord was a blanket a moment ago! My dream wasn’t about computers or anythin’ really, thinkin’ more…samurai warrior. With his trusty blade at his side he fought to serve his master of the hidden warrior art!” He recreated the atmosphere of his dream with an increasing tone of excitement and high adventure in his voice. The chipmunk had some impressive pantomime sword techniques, to boot.

Dale, that cuteness is an unfair weapon.

[waterfell]

They were carefree dreams, of adventure and travel. A chance to step out of Dale's normal life and be the person he wished he could be, experience the things he wished he could have in his life. Ami understood that.

"A samurai warrior should be dignified," she told Dale, who was more enthusiastic than restrained. "And has a lot of hard work to learn the sword."

Teehee! :3

[rrbando_rambo]

He reverted to gentleman’s fencing again, practicing his technique as he had with Chip in their spare time. “You sound as though ya know what it’s like.” Dale had fully absorbed her words and expression, she didn’t look hostile and now he visibly relaxed in her presence. His eyes wide and curious, invested in whether she was the real thing.

[waterfell]

Ami goes with the simplest answer. "I'm from Japan." Growing up there, it's inevitable to absorb a little of the tales about samurai, and their history. At least for someone already academically-minded.

More truthfully, the shitennou she fights alongside had been warriors like that. And she herself is a soldier.

[rrbando_rambo]

“Maybe you know all the stories better’n I do!” She had gartered his attention, bringing his gaze up to her once more.

“What is it really like?”

[waterfell]

"Tokyo is a modern city," Ami points out. There are pockets of traditional culture, of course, but it's become very different over the centuries. "It doesn't strongly resemble the samurai times you seem to admire."

[rrbando_rambo]

A blink of disappointment appeared on the chipmunk's face, but it looked as though Ami could have been omitting something. His hopeful gaze remained, hoping to convince her to speak of herself.

"You inta that modern stuff?"

[waterfell]

"I also like reading about history," Ami admited. It could be fun, even now, to immerse herself in different eras, different aesthetics, different worlds in a way. Escapism, perhaps.

Or maybe she just enjoys reading, and there's no need for her to think that much about it.

[rrbando_rambo]

Dale wrinkled his nose at this. History wasn't his forte.

"You actually read?"

[waterfell]

Did fish swim? Did birds fly?

"It's one of my hobbies." And if he's saying 'actually'... "Are you saying you dislike reading?"

[rrbando_rambo]

A shrug. “Well, I dunno.” The only way to get him to read, Dale reflected, is to involve some sort of superhero or science fiction type of plot. That was a yarn he was ever delighted to spin, he expressed as his ears picked up and smiles returned.

“Chipper was always the readin’ type. Ya gotta sit down and think when ya read, I can’t stand it.” He folded his arms and turned at an angle in mock protest, his wagging tail betraying this.

“I’m the doin’ type. You and Chipper are the thinkin’ type I guess?”

[waterfell]

The question seemed to tickle her fancy. There was a very small smile.

"Maybe I'm both," Ami decided. She certainly wasn't content to sit and wait, and do nothing, any longer; she made the circumstances she wanted for herself. The doing type.

"Don't disparage books."

[rrbando_rambo]

"I only think when I have to. Same goes fer readin' anythin' that isn't fun."

This rang especially true in his Ranger duties, when he wasn't goofing around to keep spirits high he was working right into a plan of action. Most of the time this was to keep the Rangers from an otherwise certain demise.

"Is that what you were doin' before? Readin'?"

[waterfell]

"It was a computer program." Or perhaps she should have said it is a computer program. She had no intention of leaving off work permanently. This project was too engrossing, too energizing. She liked it.

She had a feeling someone telling her he hated reading wasn't fond of the patience and detail necessary in working with computers, either.

"An experiment with concepts of artificial intelligence."

[rrbando_rambo]

“Artificial intelligence, huh?” This, Dale had to see. He scurried over to get a good look at the screen. Seeing a wall of code however didn’t really inspire much interest though. It was a smart hobby to be sure; he might have tried to impress Ami with his full attention had she been a field mouse named Gadget Hackwrench. He craned his head to look up at Ami, wearing an amused grin.

“This stuff is fun for you?” There was a hint of mischief in his saying this.

[waterfell]

"It serves my purposes." She had plans for her research, and besides, who didn't love computers and robots and holograms? She was not a field mouse named Gadget Hackwrench, but she did like technological projects.

[rrbando_rambo]

"Yeah, but do you really enjoy it?" He shrugged in reply.

[waterfell]

"Of course." Why else put this effort into it? Why else focus her strengths into this area and this type of work?