[Day: Wednsday, March 26th. Time: 4:00 p.m.] [Weather: Chilly. Very cloudy.] [You're chillin' by the tree.] [Action] I don't know...ARE you really Katie? * Taki glares at Kaede, her hands are balled into fists and her shoulders are shaking, but she seems unable to act. * Haruko as calmly as she can puts away the needle she's working with, keeping the white robe in her lap. It also starts drizzling, but it's probably not noticable yet. * Kaede looks up harshly at Katie. There's a hint of fear and anger in his eyes. And still doesn't notice Taki. * Katie stares at Kaede for a long moment before she literally shrieks, followed by harsh screaming: "I'm not her! I'm not, I'm not, I'm not! How-" She stops as she doubles over, coughing and catching the tree to keep her balance. * Kaede looks up at her, a bit shocked and sets his kaban down. He frantically searches through it. * Taki tears her eyes away from Kaed as Katie starts to scream, "Katie!" * Haruko immediately leaps to her feat, flapping out her robe. "Take the other end Taki." * Taki ignores Haruko and tries to teleport up into the tree. * Haruko tries to move beneath Katie. I....damn it. * Katie whimpers something, but it's nothing intelligable. She looks down and away from the others. * Kaede looks up at Katie to see if she's steadying herself. If she isn't, then he goes to help Haruko. He's pulled out his notepad by now though. * Haruko makes sure Kaede gets the other end and grips the robe tightly, positioning herself so Katie would fall into it, were she to fall. 2d6-3 * Diceroshi throws the bones for Taki (2d6-3) and gets 1. * Katie digs her hands into the bark and keeps her balance just fine. She's still coughing. * Haruko looks a tad relieved, however, she doesn't let her guard down just yet. * Taki arrives next to Katie in the tree and wobbles momentarily before catching herself on tree trunk, she pants once or twice before managing to blurt out, "You...you are Katie...and nobody will take that from you again." * Kaede looks up and shakes his head, putting his hand on the bark of the tree and punching it. * Katie shrinks away from Taki, though there aren't really many places to go. She swallows and whispers something, though it's too harsh and quiet to make out. * Kaede laughs nervously. "You're...you're both so composed...you don't think it could happen again." He kneels down, shadowing his pad with his body and scribbles something frantically on it. * Haruko fixes her eyes on Kaede and says slowly with some force. "Katie needs us all to be composed and cautious, no matter the situation." * Kaede swivels around on the ground, pointing his pad upward. On it is two word in the tiniest print possible. "Read it! Katie, read it!" * Haruko then fixes her gaze on Katie again. * Taki tries to give Katie a little more space, but she has even less room. She whispers to herslef mostly. * Katie looks to Kaede, fixing a teary gaze on him for half a moment before her eyes move to the pad. * Kaede is completely ignoring everything else, looking up a bit scared at Katie. 2d6-6 * Diceroshi throws the bones for Katie (2d6-6) and gets -3. * Katie blinks again, then rubs her eyes with the back of one hand and looks again. She swallows a second time and speaks, with a quiet but harsh voice: "Katie Andrews." * Taki nods. * Haruko keeps her eyes on Katie, and slowly lets down the robe, as the danger appears past for the moment. * Kaede 's breathing heavily and keeps looking at Katie. His fingers slack as the pad drops out of his hands. He laughs a little nervously again. "Right...right..." He sighs and closes his eyes afterwards. * Katie looks at him, then away and doesn't say anything more to that. She's in her tree. * Haruko comments quietly. "In the future, perhaps we should rely on Satoshi for these checks." * Kaede swivels his eyes towards Haruko. "No. What good are we if we can't depend on ourself?" But... * Kaede takes a long deep breath and sighs, almost bawling up as he speaks in a whisper. "I was so certain..." I don't...I can't... * Kaede looks at his hands. They're shaking. "What's wrong with me?" (... the opening... *sniff* If only I were there...) * Haruko looks down. "You're the guardian she choose, it's a tremendous responsibility. I couldn't handle it." (*giggles madly) (*beats Kyon bloody with a wrench* You do NOT want to be there now and say something like that.) * Taki lightens her grip on the tree trunk and tries to slide into a sitting postion on the branch she's standing on, "...I am such an idiot..." We can't...we can't even trust our own senses. We can't depend on Satoshi. I mean...how would we know? (*cackles*) Why, Katie? Why were you being so evasive...? [For the record, it hasn't stopped drizzling yet.] * Taki sighs and leans her head against the tree. * Katie grabs her satchel and puts it on her lap. Instead of answering Kaede, she looks towards Taki and half-whispers, "Are not." * Taki then tilts her head so she can look at Katie, "I'm glad one of us thinks so." * Kaede slumps on the grass and sits on it. Grabbing a tuft full in his hand, he clenches it a little. * Haruko comments quietly to Kaede. "So long as we can trust in the heightened senses, there's always an easy check." * Katie smiles a little. She's probably crying, though it's a little hard to tell because of the increasing drizzle. * Haruko says that in an even, emotionless tone. Yeah. I guess that's one area where these powers haven't screwed with us. * Taki closes her eyes and lets it rain on her. * Kaede hangs his head even more, getting wet and pulling the tuft of grass out. He tosses it idly in the air as he comments to the ground. "I'm--I'm sorry, Katie." ( They haven't? I better fix that. ) * Katie moves, placing her feet on the branch down and to one side, then swinging down from that branch and out of the tree. * Haruko looks over to Katie, the emotion returning to her voice. "Did you have trouble getting to sleep last night?" * Taki opens her eyes as Katie starts to move, and watches her decend the tree. * Katie nods. * Taki wipes her face on the back of one of her sleaves and then takes the shortest way down. 2d6-3 * Diceroshi throws the bones for Taki (2d6-3) and gets 5. * Taki arrives at the base of the tree, still sitting agianst it's trunk. * Haruko rests a hand on Katie's shoulder. "If you ever want to talk, feel free to call, no matter how late, I could just listen." * Taki makes a noise, it might be a laugh or a sob or both at the same time. * Taki shakes her head twice quickly and the forces herself to her feet. * Katie flinches, still speaking quietly. "Okay. Maybe we should go somewhere?" * Kaede hasn't moved from his position. Yet he's still pulling up the grass and tossing it. * Haruko takes her hand of. "Where would you like to go?" ( You could go find Yushiro again! :P ) (Bah, BSaki needs to find Yushiro.) ( We weren't looking for him in the first place. That's for 'Team Yushiro Investigation!'. * Kaede stands slowly and keeps his back to everyone. "Maybe I should just...go." * Katie starts. "No!" She winces. "No. Don't go." * Kaede stops and turns around, startled. "Wh--why?" * Haruko goes over to her bag. * Katie looks him in the eye. Her own are still bloodshot. "Because we shouldn't be alone." * Kaede hangs his head. "But...I just make a mess of things.." His eyes still look the normal hazel though, although they're a bit red as well. * Haruko sits down and gets sewing again. This may take a bit. * Taki walks over to Katie, and speaks fairly calmly, "Where do you want to go, if it's one of our homes I can take us there and then make some tea and some soup and we can dry off and talk." * Katie nods. "Okay." * Kaede keeps his head down not looking at anyone. * Taki nods at Katie and then turns to Kaede, "Because you still haven't messed things up as badly as I have. And we both need to work to make them better, no matter how often we fail at it." If there was any force behind her words there might be some impact, but it's fairly obvious she doesn't feel that way. Wha? What have *you* done? * Haruko reaches the end of the seam she's working on, she starts with a finishing stitch, briefly refering to the instructions. I... I... ::points at her own face:: Was talking to the fake a month ago. And probibly did exactly what she wanted me to. But this isn't the time. Yes but...what's done is done. You can't change that. Besides, that's over now...it is... * Katie rubs at her eyes again. "Can we go?" * Taki ignores Kaede and nods at Katie once before looking at Haruko, "Your parents know right? So they wouldn't be tooo surprised if we dropped in? My place is a bit small... and Everybody else probibly has family home..." * Haruko nods. "You're welcome in my house. I could make tea." * Taki nods, "Thank you." * Kaede sighs and pushes up his glasses before walking over to get his kaban. * Taki turns to Kaede now, and doesn't say anything as he's started moving on his own. * Haruko finishes the stitch, smiles faintly, and puts away the white sheet. She says quietly to herself. "Half done." * Haruko then frowns again, and the drizzling stops, she loses the expression and walks over to Taki. * Kaede half-glances at Taki. "What?" * Katie rubs at her eyes again, then her hair. Wet. Nothing at all. ... * Taki waits, she gets rained on. Let's just...get this over with. * Kaede walks over to Taki. * Taki has everybody, me teleports to the nice safe and mostly out of the way spot in the temple Haruko showed her that one time. (barring dice hate anyway) 2d6-3 * Diceroshi throws the bones for Taki (2d6-3) and gets -1, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "I'm a child of extremes. Have a crit, and a nice day to go with it." (Aww, I love you too Dicy. ^_)) ) [You're there! Precisely, no less.] * Katie blinks a few times, looking around. [There's a fair number of fairly comfortable placees to sit, pillows are available.] * Haruko puts her bag down at the side of the room, takes off her shoes, and then goes to make tea. * Taki takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. It's pretty. * Taki calls out to Haruko and then probibly winces after Katie does, "Towels? Where?" (The temple and Haruko's house, for the record, aren't directly connected. But Taki hasn't actually been in Haruko's house, just to the door, so this works.) * Haruko calls back. "I'll get some." * Kaede sets his kaban down, takes off his shoes, and sits down on a comfortable spot, hard, folding his arms across his chest. * Katie looks for a good place to pile her shoes and jacket. Wet. * Taki nods and turns to Katie, "Sorry about yelling." * Katie shrugs, finding that spot and removing her shoes and jacket. "I'm kind of used to it." Her voice is regaining its normal volume. * Katie walks back to the pillows, steals two or three for herself and more or less flops as she pulls out her phone and dials home. * Taki looks down at her shoes, "I'm not." * Haruko comes back with a set of fresh towels, passing them out. She then leaves the room again. * Taki pulls off her shoes and takes a towel from Haruko, "Thanks." * Kaede slumps on the pillow and lets a long hard breath out. "I'm sorry, Katie.." * Katie listens to the phone ring. "It's okay, Kaede." And then she speaks into it. "" * Taki pulls out her schrunchy and starts toweling off her hair- this takes a while, she's got a lot of hair. * Kaede clenches his fists on his knees and they're still shaking as he whispers. "No..no it's not." He shakes his head slightly. * Katie rattles off a number, then continues, "" * Katie takes the phone from her ear and hangs up. * Haruko returns to the room bearing a tray holding a kettle and four cups on it. * Haruko sets it down in the center of the room, and pours tea into each cup. * Taki runs the towel over her arms and legs before wraping it around her shoulders and slowly walking over to where Katie. * Katie dries herself off with the towel. She looks up at Taki. * Haruko steps away from the tea, she goes over to her bag and gets out a bundle of folded red fabric. * Taki takes a seat, "I'm sorry...I want to say more, but I can't find the right words." It's okay. * Haruko gets out a sheet containing a pattern and instructions for the lower half of a Miko's robe. She reads it over a few times, then gets sewing again. * Taki sighs, "You want me to bring you your tea?" * Katie blinks. "If you want." * Kaede hangs his head a little and just stays in his spot silently now. * Taki gives Katie a weak grin, "I can't do anything about the big problems right now, but the very small ones, thoes I know what to do with." * Taki stands up and walks over to where the tea cups are and picks up two of them, "What about you Kaede?" * Haruko reaches over and picks up her own tea, takes a sip, returns it to her tray, and resumes the sewing. * Kaede doesn't answer. * Taki shrugs and puts one of the cups back. * Taki carefully walks the remaining cup over to Kaede and kneals to present it to him. * Kaede doesn't look up but holds out his hands to take the cup. * Taki silently puts the cup in his hands, and then rises and walks back to the tray. * Kaede says in a small voice. "..thank you." His hands are shaking the cup a little. * Taki picks up the remaining two untouched drinks and brings them to where Katie is, "Here you go." * Katie takes it. "Thanks." She puts it on the floor and pokes Kaede in the arm. * Haruko frowns and undoes a stitch, while getting herself another drink of tea. (I thought they were farther apart than that) * Kaede doesn't react to the poking, just looking at the tea. (like ) (Never been established. ^^;) (Whups ^^;;) (Kaede probably didn't sit right next to anyone, that's for certain) * Katie sighs and picks up her cup again, having a sip. (Yes, but he also sat down first!) (But we can just say she crawled over to him) * Haruko keeps sewing. * Taki takes a seat on the far side of Katie from Kaede and takes a sip of her tea. (so, how is the tea Haruko? :P) (Should be pretty good. :P) * Taki looks up at Haruko, "This is good Haruko, thank you." * Haruko nods and says in a slightly distant tone. "You're welcome." * Haruko then refills her cup. She's actually still a bit wet, but oddly enough, she just doesn't seem to care. * Taki nods once and then closes her eyes for a second. * Kaede stops shaking for a moment and says quietly. "...ow." * Taki opens her eyes again and looks over at the K's. * Katie blinks. "What?" * Haruko picks up her cup again and closes her own eyes for a moment. Which proves to be a mistake, as she doesn't quite hold the cup steady on the way to her mouth.. * Kaede sets down his cup and rubs where she poked and looks up at her. "What was that for?" You weren't looking okay. * Haruko opens her eyes the moment the first drop hits her skirt, and the rest of the falling liquid turns clear and floats back into her cup. She rubs at her leg as she drinks again, eyes open. That's all? * Taki totaly misses this display of powers, she's trying to stay focused. * Haruko looks over at Katie for a moment, and switches to a very faint smile, from the neutral/frown expression she's held for a while. She then puts down her cups and gets back to sewing. Yeah. Does there have to be something else? No. But I was a jerk to you. Why should you still care? * Katie sips her tea, puts it down, and curls herself comfortably on the cushions. "Because that's what friends do." She pauses half a second, then grins a little. "Stupid." * Kaede sighs and picks up the cup, leaning back a little and looking more at the ceiling. "What I wouldn't give to have some of your patience." * Katie says, perfectly seriously, "You're friends with me. That takes patience." * Taki tries to take a sip of her tea, and then makes a face as she strains it through her bangs. She puts her cup down and and tries to brush her hair behind her ears using her hand. * Kaede snickers slightly. "No. After being friends with Remi, being around you takes no patience whatsoever." See? She takes even more. * Kaede sighs and regains his mopey expression. "I suppose..." * Haruko opens her mouth for a moment and then shrugs and shuts it. She then carefully takes her cup in both hand and drinks more tea. * Taki takes another sip and continues to watch. Yeah, me too. Are you going to drink that? * Kaede shakes his head and sets down his cup, putting his hands behind him and arching his neck way back. "'Chosen guardian' huh? Tssh. What a joke." * Taki blinks. * Haruko 's eyes flit over to Kaede for a moment, but then she looks down at the dress she's working on and concentrates on that instead. * Katie blinks, too, watching Kaede to see if he'll say anything more. * Kaede doesn't. * Katie is silent for a little longer, then: "I never thought of it like that." ( How anti-climatic ) (What'd I do? ;_;) ( I mean, I always thought Satoshi was my chosen guardian. Or Kyon. Not you.) * Kaede looks at the ceiling. He's listening but not talking. (Kyon's our chosen asshole.) (Someone's got to do it.) * Taki isn't saying anything, just looking past Katie and occasionaly sipping her tea. * Katie has another sip of tea, then looks more or less at Haruko. "Why'd you think of it like that?" * Haruko blinks and looks up to Katie. "It doesn't matter..." She then takes a breath. "But if you want to know..." I'm curious too... * Taki shakes her head and looks over at Haruko. You've looked to him a lot recently, and he's been there. He's accompanied you to the lockers each day, I felt sorta bad taking him away from you for Remi, and wouldn't have if she hadn't asked, if she wasn't still in the hospital. * Haruko looks down again and goes back to her sewing, immediately screwing up a stitch and trying to redo it. Oh. No, it's not like that. I mean..we just have the same class together and... I think? * Katie looks back at Kaede. "It's okay about Remi. She's been through a lot, too." (Japanese high school.... they have ALL their classes together >_>) And we do, so... yeah. I don't like being alone as much anymore. (Is that how it works?) (Yep.) (Katie wears a different disguise to each of her classes.) (Wahoo!) * Haruko seems to have settled a little, her stitches are even again. You're sure...? * Taki sighs, and mumbles something that not even Katie can make out. * Katie takes a breath, then nods. "Yeah." I wish I knew what to do about her... ( Note to self, kill Kaede, become Katie's main escort. ) (Close, but no cigar) * Haruko says quietly. "If you want it, I have advice, but it's probably nothing you haven't thought of. I'm sorry." (So she's either thinking about the former or the latter) Haruko, is it okay to carve here? What is it, Haruko-san? * Haruko blinks, "Go ahead." She then looks to Kaede. "She loves you, I think you should visit her at least uuntil she's out, and by then figure out your feels and make them clear, leaving her wondering is worse." * Katie has another sip of tea, then digs around in her satchel for a bundled up piece of wood and knife. * Kaede grumbles and rubs his forehead. "Why is what I want to know? I mean..." * Taki nods absently and then puts her tea down on the floor and sprawls. * Katie unwraps it, revealing a half-finished sparrow in flight, unsheathes the knife, and eagerly gets to work. * Haruko grins for a moment and looks over to Kaede. "Romantic love is irrational, stupid, blind, and ultimately makes relationships far harder than they would be otherwise. Just accept that and move on." ...gee, thanks Haruko. It's what you always thought. * Taki isn't watching Katie carve this time, but still winces the first time she hears the knife on the wood. ... * Katie doesn't look up. Concentrating on the bird. * Kaede slowly glances at Katie and then looks away. * Haruko goes back to sewing. "Be sarcastic all you like, but I'm right. There's no use dwelling on the why, you need to figure out how you feel." * Kaede rubs his head. "You know...hearing my own words back to me sound kind of stupid..." (I am truly, non-sarcastically proud of Kaede right now. Who'd have thought?) * Haruko grins, and then frowns for a moment, and then giggles, and then goes to drink some tea. (You or Kyon? ;P) Yeah. (Yeesh. No respect at all.) (Me. Kyon wouldn't really care. =P) * Haruko having actually apparently been moderately successful, goes back to sewing with a gusto, she's smiling a bit now. So, do you want to talk about her, Kaede? I don't really know what to say. I mean...I've always known she liked me...but is it because I'm the only guy who was ever marginally nice to her? * Haruko continues her sewing and tea drinking. Why ruin a good thing by speaking further. (I wouldn't know how that feels. Not at all.) * Taki rolls over so she could see the K's if she were to open her eyes again. Since when did this turn into a discussion of my personal life anyhow? * Katie opens her mouth, hesitates, and continues, "It could be. And you're the one who brought it up." Not really. One of you brought up Remi first... Haruko did. But you asked for the advice, remember? * Haruko nods, and keeps her mouth shut. I guess. * Taki opens her eyes. * Kaede rubs his forehead and grumbles. "I was so desperate I asked Kyon for advice. I must be out of it." * Taki grins for a bit, "Didn't help?" * Haruko scrunches her forehad slightly at that and glances over at Kaede with a curious expression. She then looks back down at her sewing, and fixes the stitch she just screwed up. * Katie bites her tongue, making some very careful lines with the tip of her knife. It's Kyon. What do *you* think? * Haruko snickers. * Katie giggles, despite herself. * Taki sits up, "He can't be jerk all of the time." * Taki nods once and fumbles around for her teacup. Sure he can. He can just be a jerk for you or a jerk against you. I vote for the first. I'd second that. Definately. * Taki shrugs. * Katie flips the knife and starts shaving a few pieces off here and there. * Taki picks up the teacup, "Maybe that's why I allways get tricked...I keep beliving that deep down somewhere all the people around me are nice." * Kaede folds his chin into his arms. "And I'm telling him we don't really need help. Not the kind he's offering either..." * Taki drinks the drink. No, Kyon... * Katie hesitates, then shakes her head. "He's hard to explain, but not." * Haruko sighs at Kaede's words and drops the smile, she concentrates on the sewing, and seems to be trying to tune out the conversation. * Taki blinks at Katie. I know. He's been through a lot. Still doesn't mean he shouldn't try. I mean, even *I* try... And Arcana troubles, well you can always say it's screwed up because of the fact that you're Arcana. Whereas me... * Taki closes her eyes and leans back. * Haruko seems to keep her focus on her work. * Taki speaks quitly and pauses while she thinks up her next few words, "Being Arcana...has messed up all our lives...But...being Arcana is also the reason I'm still alive. And the reason I was able to meet all of you..." So for all the pain it's caused...I'm still just a little glad I'm the Knight of Cups. * Katie looks up at Taki, smiles a little, and goes back to carving. "I guess it hasn't been all bad." * Haruko makes a small nod of agreement. * Taki nods at Katie and falls silent again. If I'd never known I was part of this whole mess...I guess I'd still be stuck in my own little world, never talking to anyone beyond the silly store. * Katie laughs suddenly. "You talk to the store?" * Taki snorts and grins at Kaede. * Haruko grins slightly, but doesn't look up. ...no. * Kaede does not look amused. Aww. I bet it's lonely. * Haruko pours herself some more tea, only manages to half fill her cup, and stands up and goes to refresh the kettle. * Katie finishes off her tea and keeps working on the bird. ... * Taki looks down and swirls the last third or so of her tea around in the bottom of her cup. [Session End]