Evening brush(Ami thread, wear angst boots)

[Anastasia]

Stopping in her ascent, ceasing the stepping echos in the whitewashed stairway, Sakura turns to you. "Ami," she asks simply, letting her tone relax as well at your lead.

[Bean Bandit]

What do I want to say...how do I want to say it?

Ami looks at her mother, feeling the weight of her feelings crushing her under them...and can't bring herself to burden her mother with them.

"...I love you." Ami says suddenly, with feeling enough that even she's a little startled. She smiles nervously and nods. "...I just wanted to say it...um." Embarrassed, she turns, and makes to start walking again...

[Anastasia]

Am is halted a moment later.

"Ami-chan," your mother blushes then smiles warmly, moving to take you in a hug. Firmly pressing you against her own body and evoking images of daily hugs after kindergarten class...

"What's wrong, Ami-chan," she asks into your ear. "Something's bothering you, isn't it?"

[Bean Bandit]

Ami barely resists the urge to cry as her mother hugs her, the warmth, both literal and emotional, pushing back the gloom a little, feeling five again...and not minding that all that much.

She hugs her mother back, and nodding into her mother's shoulder. "Yes." she confesses softly.

[Anastasia]

Gently rubbing your shoulders, "Do you want to talk about it," she asks. Mmmm, she smells good in a motherly perfume sort of way. Comforting...

[Bean Bandit]

"Yes." Ami sighs and slumps a little, her voice wavering. "But I can't...I don't even understand enough to explain...I try not to complain, but..." Ami trails off, sniffing a little and just letting herself be comforted.

[Anastasia]

"Ami," she says, soothingly, "If you can't complain to your own mother...but I understand. If you need to, call me anytime. I'll be here for you."

[Bean Bandit]

Ami shivers, slightly weak with gratitude for those simple words. She hugs her mother tightly.

"Thank you..." she murmurs quietly. "When I can...I will. I promise." she adds softly, gently relaxing her grip, blushing and hoping she hasn't made her mother late.

[Anastasia]

With a soft smile and understanding, "I'll look forward to it, Ami-chan." And thus, with that, the two of you head on.  The third floor is the low grade floor for overnight stays and observational cases, which is a good sign that Natsume isn't in any serious danger.

Leading you along, she leads you to room 312 - an old man sits right outside the door, iron gray hair short with a certain severe, trained expression sitting on his face. A bandage covers most of his crown, as if he's taken a nasty head blow in the past day. "Doctor Mizuno," he rises lithely, showing no sign of his age. His blue eyes shine with a light that belies his seeming age, no stoop to his back that you can notice. Wearing a traditional gi and robes, he could almost be right out of Rei-chan's temple.

[Bean Bandit]

Ami blinks, looking curiously at the older man, and smiling slightly. She was rather formal...this might explain it. she thinks to herself, He looks more...stiff than Hino-jiisan. I wonder if he's a teacher, or a relative? She quietly doesn't say anything, but waits for her mother to speak or dismiss her, as the case may be.

[Anastasia]

"Mr. Kusanagi," she nods respectfully. "Has Natsume awoken yet?"

To this, he confirms, "She has a few minutes ago. She seems well enough, despite her...accident."

[Bean Bandit]

Ami nods, filing that way. At least she was relatively unharmed. She'd never been that seriously hurt during her martial arts training, but then she'd never excelled at it, either.

She simply listens to her mother and the older man, staying quiet and out of the way...

[Anastasia]

OOC - Paused and merged into Natsume's thread.