[Date: Thursday, Jan. 24th. Time: 2:50 P.M.] [Weather: Cloudy and cold. It just finished raining about an hour ago.] [Today we'll start with Taki, sitting in her last class as the bell rings.] [Session Start] * Taki yawns and streaches as the bell wakes her from the light nap she was taking on her book. * Taki then puts it in her bag and goes out to the lockers. * Taki walks down the hall twords Katie's locker. [Taki reaches the lockers, where Katie and Shingo are.] * Katie turns to Taki and waves at her with a grin, then goes back to switching books. * Shingo calmly puts away his books, which he has no way to carry home, gets out his bokken, and gets ready to leave. Hi everybody! Morning, Taki. * Katie pulls her jacket out of her locker, then slams it shut. "How're you doing?" I'm fine, but my teacher could put rocks to sleep. most teachers can. * Katie nods. "It's better to just find something neat in what they're teaching and think about that." * Taki tilts her head for a second and then nods. "I'll try that tomorrow." You could try reading ahead, and then ignore them in class until they ask you a question. * Katie snickers. I don't do that, but then I don't have a problem staying awake in class. But if I'm ignoring the class, how am I supposed to know when the teacher is asking me the question? Last time I tried something like that I wound up standing out in the hall. It helps if you listen. * Taki nods again. * Shingo waits for Taki to catch on. * Katie bites her lip to keep from giggling. It doesn't work very well. * Taki blinks at Katie. "Is there something on my face?" * Katie fights back her laugh. "Oh, nothing Taki." * Shingo has a completely straight face. Uhm...Ok. * Katie grins from ear to ear. "So, I wonder when Chikako's going to show up." When we least expect it. * Katie blinks at Taki. "You haven't been expecting her?" * Satoshi walks past with a group of friends, laughing at a joke and not paying attention to anyone outside his group. I expect her to show up, I just can't predict when she'll run us down. * Katie doesn't pay any attention back. Neener. :P [...when suddenly the group vanishes. Along with most of the other students hanging around.] * Satoshi blinks as his friends disappear. "What the hell?!" * Katie blinks and looks around. "Oh no." ... * Katie looks over at Satoshi and nudges Shingo. "" she says quietly in English. Where'd...Oh...great. Where is she? * Satoshi turns and looks over his shoulder, scratching the back of his neck as he does so. Okay, what's going on here? Which one of you did that? None of us. We can't do this. Who are you? * Taki opens her mouth and watches Shingo steal the words. Satoshi. Satoshi Watanabe. And you know what this is? Yes. And I mean _who_ are you. Which card. Card? ... * Taki facepalms. What? We'll explain later. Okay. Obviously you guys know something I don't, so... how do we get out of here? As far as we know, you can just walk away from whoever generated it, and eventually you'll come out. But right now I want to know who generated it. * Taki nods. [Saki staggers down the stairs, hunched over. She's swaying from side to side a bit, and looks kind of drunk. But you can spot a smirk on her bowed head.] If it's Kyoko again, I- ... Saki. ...Oh hell. * Satoshi notices Saki. "Oh, this can't be good." * Katie looks over at Saki, and her eyes go wide with no small amount of terror. * Shingo readies his bokken. All thoes in favor of running realy fast? * Saki looks up ever so slightly. "... Heh." * Satoshi looks at the others in puzzlement. * Katie backs away from Saki. "Not again. Please, not again." * Shingo steps between Katie and Saki. * Satoshi walks over to Taki and whispers to her. "I get the distinct impression that something is *really* wrong here." * Saki staggers forwards a few steps. Just in time.... Hungry... * Taki whispers back "Yeah, she's killing people, it's a long story and I think it can wait." No. * Satoshi's jaw drops. You'll have to go through me first. Shingo, remember what happend last time? I won't lose again. Shingo, don't be stupid! You can't take her alone! Fine... * Satoshi manages a strangled "no..." [Roll init] d6+8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Shingo (d6+8) and gets 11. d6+5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Katie (d6+5) and gets 6. d6+5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Satoshi (d6+5) and gets 8. d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (d6+7) and gets 8. [Saki, Shingo, Satoshi/Taki, Katie] [Saki's turn] 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Shingo (2d6) and gets 7. * Saki suddenly sprints forwards, much faster than it looks like she should've been able, and throws a punch at Shingo's gut. Her hand glows blue just as it impacts, and Shingo is knocked off his feet, nearly colliding with Katie as he hits the ground. [Shingo's turn] OOOF! * Shingo jumps back to his feet and launches himself at Saki, bokken first. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Shingo (2d6) and gets 12, a CRITICAL FAILURE!!! "God hates you, and so do I." Shingo! * Satoshi blinks. "This isn't happening." * Saki catches the bokken in her right hand, delivering another blow onto Shingo's chest with her left. He flies back into a locker, denting it. [Satoshi's turn] GHUH! Shingo! Are you all right? * Katie blinks as she realizes how stupid that sounds. Oh well. ^^; * Satoshi blinks rapidly. "The hell is this?" * Satoshi backs off and puts up his arms in a defensive position. [Taki's turn] * Taki runs over to Shingo "I think we run away again." NO! Not yet! * Satoshi looks at Shingo. "I think she's got the right idea. You're gonna get yourself killed Shingo! * Shingo coughs up a little blood. * Katie stares. "Taki, get him out of here." I can take him. * Taki waves goodbye to Saki. "Don't worry I'll take all of you." 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6) and gets 7. (DR1) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6) and gets 9. (...I hate you Dice) ( Oh dear. ) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6) and gets 5. [The entire group ('cept Kyon, who wasn't there) suddenly finds themselves on the roof. Unsurprisingly, with Saki's cohorts] * Katie blinks and whispers to Taki, "Why'd you take us *here*?" * Satoshi puts a hand to his forehead. "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder..." * Taki erks! "I forgot they were up here." * Katie facepalms. * Eriko falls on her butt, her cigarrette falling from her mouth. "Geezus!" * Ryuji looks over, calm as ever. "Oh? What have we here?" * Shingo falls to one knee. * Katie looks at Ryuji and Eriko, then at the stairs away, then back. * Satoshi looks over at Shingo. "Look, this kid needs help." * Shingo shudders and climbs to his feet, bokken held rock steady. You kidding? You show up from out of nowhere and ask for a medic? * Eriko stands up. * Katie grits her teeth, and her eyes flash with anger. "Would you rather us show up some other way?" How about using the door? * Satoshi whispers to Taki again. "Can we really afford to stand around like this?" Oh. Sorry. We'll just go out and come back through the door, then. * Shingo starts walking toward the stairs. * Taki whispers back. "Why would Saki think we came up here?" * Katie reaches out and grabs Shingo by the arm. "" she hisses to him. * Satoshi whispers again. "I mean your friend. He's hurt. Shouldn't we be getting him some help?" * Taki nods and whispers back "Yeah, but I don't know how far I can go, and I don't want anybody else to see use suddenly appear." * Shingo shakes Katie's hand off. I'm not going back. I'm leaving. You can come if you want. * Ryuji speaks in his odd hlaf-whisper of a voice. "Perhaps you should seek the nurse. Or maybe call an ambulance. I can call them from here, if you like." * Katie looks at Ryuji, then Shingo. "It's his choice," she says reluctantly. * Ryuji shifts his hands on his katana as he waits for a response. Shingo? * Shingo opens the door down into the school. I'll be fine. * Ryuji nods. "Very well." * Katie stares at Shingo, then shakes her head. I'm going with you. Thanks for the offer, Ryuji. * Satoshi mutters, "Whatever..." Sorry to bother you. * Satoshi looks at Ryuji and Eriko. "Yeah, sorry to disturb you." Yeah, you should be. * Satoshi turns to walk away and rolls his eyes. * Shingo goes down the stairs. * Eriko grumbles and lights a cigarette. * Katie walks after him, a worried look on her face. * Taki walks to the stairs and starts down. * Satoshi follows the rest. [And down they go. Down, down. They find Kyon at the bottom in the lobby.] ... Kyon. * Katie waves at Kyon. * Shingo turns and walks out of the school. Shingo! * Kyon pushes himself off the wall he was leaning against. "Hey." He watches Shingo walk out, smirking. Hi Kyon, you seen an madwoman go by here recently? Katie curses in English and runs in front of him, turning around. "Stop right there. He can probably help." ... * Shingo nearly walks into Katie. Don't mind me. I'm just an innocent stranger caught up in things he has no goddamn clue about. * Katie glares at Shingo. "I know you have problems with him, but you *need* medical help." * Taki whispers to Satoshi "he's heard that one before, a short time ago...from us." ...I'll be fine without him. Maybe, but I think you'd be better with him. * Satoshi whispers back in an amused tone. "Really? Right down to the 'no goddamn clue'?" * Kyon looks at Taki. "Nothing beyond the usual. Saki went by and got her bike. That's all." He turns to Satoshi and looks him over dispassionately. * Taki whispers back "Close, but not quite." [You might wanna do descriptions.] * Satoshi looks back. "Kyon... Sorata? The Student Council Vice-President?" * Kyon stands straight. He's tall, with dark orange hair cut fashionably down over his forehead, red-brown eyes, and is wearing the normal uniform, with two exceptions: he's wearing matching grey armwarmers, and a dark ash colored leather jacket. * Satoshi is slim yet athletically built, and of slightly above average height. He has black hair that comes down to just past his chin and is cut perfectly straight. His eyes are brown. His nose is crooked; obviously it's been broken at some point in the past. When he opens his mouth, you can see that his second left tooth is missing. * Shingo is a little kid. No, smaller than that. Smaller. That's about right. About four and a half feet tall. No telling what he's doing in high school, cause he can't be more than twelve years old. He's got short, messy black hair, plain brown eyes, and his most defining feature is a huge and exceptionally ugly scar, about half an inch wide, running from his right temple down across his right eye to just under his nose. * Katie is a short, pretty Caucasian girl with gray eyes, brunette hair that falls to her shoulders, and (currently) a hard expression. She looks about fifteen or sixteen years old, and is wearing a standard school uniform. She also speaks with a noticeable accent. * Kyon nods. "Yeah. Let me guess. You're new, and you don't know who you are." [Chikako is a pretty young girl. Her hair is short and brown. Her hazel eyes are hidden behind glasses. She's constantly grinning and seems eternally optimistic. She also happens to be standing right next to you.] * Katie yelps, then laughs nervously. "Hi Chikako." Hm? I know who he is! He's Satoshi Watanabe, captain of the hockey team! It's so cool! ... * Katie giggles despite herself. * Satoshi looks curiously at Chikako. * Taki shakes her head a laughs a bit. Do I know you? I brought you today's paper! It's so cool! * Kyon shakes his head. "Right." I'm Chikako Kurita, editor of our school's ultra cool newspaper! Ahh, okay. * Satoshi smiles a little. * Chikako hands Katie today's copy. "And here it is! It's so cool!" * Katie grins and shakes her head as she takes it. "Thanks Chikako." * Chikako nods. "It's cool. Catch ya later!" * Chikako runs off! Bye Chikako! * Katie waves. "Take care!" Nice, uh, meeting you! * Katie looks over at Shingo to make sure he's not leaving. ... * Katie seems satisfied with this not-response, as she opens the paper and starts to skim. * Satoshi looks at Taki. "Okay. Kyon I know, and that guy's Shingo, but I didn't get your name, or hers, in all the... ah.. confusion." * Shingo turns and starts walking now that Katie is distracted. Hey! * Katie holds out an arm to stop Shingo, not looking up from her paper. "My name's Katie Andrews." * Shingo walks right under Katie's arm, being just THAT short. * Kyon smirks at Shingo's back. "Looks like you got beaten up, Knight." * Katie looks up from the paper and glares at Kyon. "Shut up." * Satoshi looks confused. Yes. Yes I did. I'm Taki Shimiru and tha...t's somebody who's already introduced herself. And now I'm going to go recover. And practice. * Shingo keeps walking. * Katie sighs. You want me to go stop him? Shingo, get back here. There's more we can do together than alone. I'm not going to be doing anything until I'm at least partially healed. * Katie folds the paper and puts her hands back on her hips. "Maybe Kyon knows a place where you can get fixed up without too many questions." Then you can wait here for a bit while we finish making introductions. ...why? Uhm...because allies are good, but friends are better? ... * Katie facepalms. No? We need all the help we can get, and it's best to know where that help is coming from. I'm friendlier when I'm not coughing up blood. I'll get to know him later. * Shingo nods in Satoshi's direction. * Satoshi folds his arms and leans against a wall, figuring that his questions can wait until this gets straightened out. * Katie looks over at Kyon. "*Do* you know anywhere we can go to get him healed up? Besides places that'll ask too much?" * Kyon looks bemusedly at Katie. "My apartment. It's where I go. Or the Tower. That's far, though." Doctors always ask why you're coughing up blood. You could lie. They'll call the headmaster. Or the principal. I can't afford that. I'll be fine at home. * Katie looks back at Shingo. "And whoever takes care of you won't find out?" Won't sombody there notice and tell the headmaster? I told you. I'll be fine. * Katie opens her mouth to say something, then sighs. "Fine." [Time: 3:10 P.M] They're used to me having a few bruises. It'll be okay. And so will I. I'll see you tomorrow. * Katie stands there dazedly. "Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow." * Kyon nods, and smirks. "All right. Go home. Feel better. And better luck next time." * Shingo starts walking for the train home. * Taki sighs. "I hope you feel better by then." * Satoshi watches Shingo leave and shakes his head. * Katie stares into the distance for a moment, then sighs and flops into one of the lounge chairs. "" * Kyon waves sarcastically at Shingo's receding back, and turns to Katie. "So, who beat up the kid?" * Katie looks over at Satoshi, then bursts out laughing. Graaahhk! * Satoshi looks at Taki. "You okay?" I _AM_ the only person around here who doesn't speak English! * Katie giggles uncontrollably. "Poor, poor Taki. I'm tempted to just speak English all the time just because everyone else in this school seems to understand me." * Satoshi grins. "Sorry." Please, don't. Well, I could just tutor you more... * Taki gets big Akari Kanzaki eyes, "Please, would you?" * Katie yipes. "Okay, if you teach me how to do that." * Taki returns to normal. "How to do what? Beg for help?" * Katie coughs. "No, tha- never mind." She looks over at Kyon. It was Saki. Say more here or somewhere else? * Kyon shrugs. "The student council room should be free." Okay. * Taki nods. * Katie stands and stretches. "Oh, Satoshi needs things explained to him." Yes. Yes I do. Very badly. Shingo said something about a card. * Kyon blows out another breath and looks at the boy. "Another fledgling. You're everywhere lately." * Satoshi looks at his arm. Funny, I don't appear to be sprouting feathers. * Katie beams. "Popping up like dasies." Must be something in the air. * Kyon scowls. "You might as well be. Can't imagine it means anything good." Wonderful. * Katie nods as she loses the smile. "No, it probably doesn't. Care to lead the way, Vice President?" * Kyon nods, and stalks wordlessly off towards the stairs. * Satoshi follows. * Katie walks after him. * Taki walks after Katie. [They reach the office.] * Kyon takes out a key, unlocks the door, and goes inside. * Katie heads on in and glances around. * Satoshi walks in. * Taki walks into the office. [There's a big rectangular table with a bunch of chairs around it.] * Satoshi walks to a chair on the left side of the table, pulls it out, and sits down. * Katie has a seat at the table. She takes a pen out of her satchel and starts playing with it. * Taki takes a seat. * Kyon takes his usual chair, sits back, and looks down the table at Katie. "So. He has no idea who he is?" * Katie nods. "That's right." * Satoshi looks at Kyon. No, I don't. I was just walking along with my friends, and... oh, *crap*! They're probably wondering where the hell I went! * Katie rubs her forehead. "I think Saki did that." Yeah, but where did they go? * Taki nods. It's... kinda hard to explain. * Kyon nods. "She did. Or there's another one here." She was the only one who showed up. Anyway, um... I felt something, though. Right when whatever happened... happened. * Kyon runs a hand through his hair. "Right. You want me to explain. Fine." He reaches into his pocket, and takes out the slightly battered deck of Tarot cards. He gets up and walks down to Satoshi. "Here." What do I do with these? Shuffle them. Okay. * Satoshi takes the cards and shuffles them. * Taki watches Satoshi. * Kyon holds out a hand for them. * Satoshi hands them back. * Katie tilts her head, still twirling her pen between her hands. * Kyon holds them out in a fan, backs to Satoshi. "Pick one." * Satoshi reaches out and carefully pulls a card from Kyon's hands. Show it to me. * Satoshi holds the card out to Kyon. [Surprise, it's the Ace of Wands.] * Kyon nods. "Congratulations, that's you. You're an Arcana. The Ace of Wands, to be precise." And this means... what, exactly? ( It means you're a PC! ) (Well, yes, I figured that. ;p) * Kyon smirks. "What it sounds like. You are an Arcana. Not too many of those around." Arcana represent tarot cards. Kyon, Taki, me, you, Shingo... we each represent a different card. And Saki? Is she one too? * Katie hesitates for a moment, then nods. "At least, I was told she is. And she used an Arcana ability, unless that was someone else." Yeah. You've stepped onto a battlefield. Judging from the kid, you noticed that already. And obviously, she's on the opposite side. Battlefield? * Satoshi swears under his breath. * Kyon smirks, and shakes his head. "As far as I know, she's unaligned." Look, there's gotta be some mistake. I can't... I'm not... She could be with on one of our allies' side, too. * Katie drums her pen against the table. "I know, Satoshi. But we don't have a choice, either." * Kyon leans forward. "You were in the hall with them. And everyone disappeared but you and them?" You've got a strange defintion of allies, then. Last I checked, allies don't trap each other in weird dimensions and attack each other. Yeah. Everyone disappeared but me and them. The back of my neck started to tingle, too. * Kyon nods. "Then you are one. Need more proof?" * Satoshi sighs. No. Actually, it explains a lot of things. And if Saki attacked, she doesn't know she's on our side, or doesn't care. Don't you guys have some sort of communications system? If this is a battlefield, wouldn't you have bases somewhere? * Kyon shrugs. "I do. On the whole, you know who you know." Okay. So, I know you all. Now what. Actually... Hmm? I don't know you. What are your cards? * Katie waves with her pen. "Page of Swords here." Ahh, I'm the Knight of Cups. At your service. * Kyon shuffles the cards in his hands, picks one out idly, and puts it on the table. * Satoshi picks it up. Queen of Wands? * Satoshi looks at Kyon. Does this mean I have to swear fealty to you or something? * Katie giggles. * Kyon smirks. "You want to recognize me as superior, I'm all for that. But it doesn't mean anything." Not in that sense. Ah. So Ace of Wands doesn't relate to my shooting ability. Shooting ability? ::headtilt:: * Katie blinks at Kyon's comment about 'superior', and fights back the urge to laugh more. Hockey stick. Wand. Close enough, right? * Kyon sighs. "Wand doesn't have anything to do with what you use. It's about who you are." * Satoshi looks down at himself, then at Kyon. He starts to open his mouth, then shuts it. * Katie tilts her head and starts paying closer attention. So what makes us alike, then, and them *points at Katie and Taki* different? And Shingo, too, whatever he is. Knight of Swords. * Katie sighs and pulls out a notebook, giving into the urge to doodle. * Taki waits for the answere to Satoshi's question. For example. Ace of Wands. You're probably bold or creative. Energetic. S'true. But so are lots of people. Do you have a hard time finishing things? * Satoshi blinks in surprise. How'd you...? Because you're the Ace of Wands. But that's crazy! That was years ago! Long before I... before any of this started! * Taki blinks. * Katie blinks and looks up at Satoshi. * Kyon shrugs. "The cards have meaning. That's the way the Ace of Wands works." So I'm doomed to screw up just because of some stupid card? No. Not all traits from a card have to show up. It's more likely. * Satoshi slumps back in his sead. "Swell..." * Kyon snorts. "For example. I'm not female." Gosh. I wouldn't have guessed. * Kyon walks back down the table to his seat, sitting down and leaning back into it. "The cards don't determine everything. They skew the percentages." * Katie looks over at Kyon, turns the page, and starts drawing. So, it's more like probability or something? * Kyon nods. "Some of it will always be there. Some of it won't. The less important something is to the meaning of the card, the less likely it is to have to be there all the time. * Katie grins as she sketches. "Like gender." * Satoshi smirks slightly. * Taki shrugs. * Kyon glares at Katie. "Right. The Page of Swords is male on the card." I know. I was using myself as an example. * Katie smiles innocently at Kyon. Ah. More for me to learn, I guess. Hmm, do the number cards even have gender, Kyon? The characters on the cards can be male or female. But it doesn't mean anything more than the non-number cards. Ahh. Okay. * Kyon turns the chair so he can glance out the window. "Now. The situation as it is now." * Katie goes back to doodling. * Satoshi listens. * Kyon holds up a hand. "There are two known factions. There's the Band. Very ugly, dangerous group. They don't hold back. They can be very violent." The Band? Are they really one? * Kyon smirks. "Their music isn't bad." * Katie looks up. I've never asked... how many people are in it? * Kyon looks at Katie. "At least seven. Not counting the non-arcana groupies." * Katie wrinkles her nose. Groupies. Swell. *I* don't get any groupies. Great. Now I know why it's called a war. * Kyon smirks. "You thought because Sho is Sho, it was just two people fighting?" No. Why should I? Sho is the other faction? And he's one person? Then why be surprised at the number? I wasn't surprised so much as... dismayed, I guess. * Kyon turns back to Satoshi. "The other faction is Sho Shinjo. He's a very powerful Arcana. Possibly a major one. I can't find out what." There were a lot of cards in your deck, though. So there's that many Arcana running around out there? * Kyon puts out his other hand. "He claims to have a group of his own. I haven't seen it. It could be there." Well, the Tower's pretty stationary. Tower? That's your... our base? * Kyon stands up and goes to the window. "The Tower reversed is Arcana ground. Only Arcana can get there." Where is it? Tokyo Tower. Sorry, but last time I checked, Tokyo Tower was standing upright. * Kyon turns and gives a hard grin to Satoshi. "Go to the South Entrance, hit the down button." Down button? But there's... * Satoshi's eyes widen as he comes to the realization. * Katie doesn't look up from doodling this time. "Yes, there is." * Taki smiles at Satoshi and nods. Oh. Wow. You *literally* meant reversed, didn't you? * Kyon looks back out the window. "That's what it looks like." * Satoshi mutters softly. "Well, I'd rather have that than deal with the real thing, I suppose." It's not that safe of a place, though. Any Arcana can get in, and that means good and bad ones. But I thought the factions had their own... of course. Why would you know about that? You're not one of them. But if you're not one of them, then... what are you? What are we, really?* Kyon shrugs. "It's not unsafe, either. And it might be the real thing. If you want to walk out the front doors and check what happens, by all means, let me know." * Satoshi goes slightly pale. I'll pass, thanks. It is kind of fun to watch it snow up though. * Kyon turns. "I work for no one. I work with the Eight of Cups. He is allied with Sho. For now." * Satoshi laughs a little. "Okay, that I might have to see." * Satoshi nods. * Katie smiles. "I'll go with you. It's interesting." * Satoshi smiles back. Thanks. I'd like that. Do I know the Eight of Cups? * Katie looks up at Satoshi and blinks, then chuckles. * Taki watches Satoshi and Katie and grins a bit. * Kyon rolls his eyes, and shrugs. "Possibly. He doesn't attend this school, though." Ah. Okay. Now then. The real problem is Judgment. * Satoshi looks startled. "There's more?" * Kyon nods. "The reason why Sho and the Eight are working together is because of Judgment. You've heard of the recent string of disappearances?" Yeah. That... * Satoshi swallows. That's related to... this? Something has just been taking Arcana and making them disappear. No trace. ... * Satoshi stares blankly ahead. * Katie blinks. "Satoshi?" We can't determine exactly what it is. But we have gotten together and worked out that it is most likely Judgment responsible for these. ...no. * Satoshi turns to Kyon. Hmm? You mean to tell me that in addition to all these factions and this war and everything else, something's making everyone disappear?! How much worse does this *get*?! There's Saki. Her too! * Katie glances at Taki and sighs. "Yeah. Saki wants to eat us. Well, she seems convinced that Taki, Shingo, and I would make a tasty snack." * Kyon smirks. "The person responsible for least one of the disappearances. And she might be with Sho. She could be a very powerful Arcana as well." ...god... * Satoshi's face twists. * Katie watches Satoshi with concern. This... this... ...why? * Kyon shrugs. "Because you're Arcana. It is how it is." No. I mean, *why*? Who started all this? Why are there Arcana to begin with? What possible good can come from... * Satoshi waves a hand in the air. * Kyon shrugs again. "Does it matter? There are. This is how it is. You deal with it." ...all this? * Katie shoots Kyon a look. "In other words, he doesn't know." And I don't, either. I don't like it any more than you do, but he's right. We do have to deal with it. We don't know, but we will find out, and we will surive...even if I have to follow Shingo around and yank him away from everything. Well, yeah. I'm not just gonna lay down and... die. Good. * Kyon looks coolly at Katie. "I deal with the things I know and the things I don't the same way." * Katie looks at Taki and giggles. "Going to be his guardian angel?" But it does matter, Kyon. Or it might. I would like to know, for one. If that's what it takes, I hope it doesn't. So would I. * Taki nods in agreement with Katie and Satoshi. [Session End, then]