[Katie and Satoshi are not headed to the store!] [Action!] * Katie is not headed to the store! She's still in the chem room! She tried waking Saki up, but it didn't work, so now she's just sitting on a desk and idly turning a pencil in her hands. * Satoshi is looking over the notes he attempted to take earlier. * Satoshi sighs and shuts his notebook. He then looks up at Katie. "How's she doing?" * Katie shrugs, still looking at the pencil. "Out. The fight didn't help her gaping bullet holes." No, I guess it wouldn't. What's with that guy, anyway? * Katie sighs. I think he gets off on it. * Katie reaches down to her satchel and opens it, pulling out her sketchpad. She flips to a blank page. * Satoshi shakes his head. "That's just..." He shakes it again. * Katie shrugs and glances up to Satoshi with half a smile. "Takes all sorts, doesn't it?" Yeah, but... what's *wrong* with all these people? * Katie shrugs and looks back down. She starts sketching. "Power does funny things to people." * Satoshi looks straight at Katie. "It's... it's just going to keep getting worse, isn't it?" * Katie bites her lip for a moment as she makes a line. "I want to say the worst is behind us. What I- it shouldn't be anything as bad." But 'should' and 'are' are two different things. Thinking it won't is too much to hope for. * Katie looks up, again, to the boy. "They want to break us." * Satoshi says, barely above a whisper (though of course she can hear him), "I know. Have they?" * Katie focuses past Satoshi. "" She goes back to sketching. "Maybe they did break me." But you're still here. So? So you can't be totally broken if you're still here. * Katie snorts. "Really." Again, a gray eye looking up to him. "Do you even know who I am anymore?" No. I guess I don't know. Would you tell me if you could? Maybe, if you wanted to know. I think it's better than not knowing and being afraid to find out. I think so, too. * Satoshi moves closer to her. "So tell me." * Katie blinks at Satoshi, then she looks back at her sketchpad. "I'm..." She starts on it again. "I'm Katie. I don't know if I'm the same Katie. I-" She takes a breath. * Katie continues, quieter now. "" * Katie pauses for a moment, then keeps going. "" She bites her lip. "" For a while, now, I've been scared to talk to you. Scared that I'd say the wrong thing, because I didn't know how to deal with everything. You've noticed it. You'd have to have. I didn't, really, until recently, and that's sad. I don't know if you're crazy or not. I don't know if I am, either. I'm angry, too, and I might have killed someone. Or at least really hurt them. And it felt good. Which scares me. ( I was going to have Saki wake up, but... bear with me if I don't for a bit :P ) * Katie squeezes her eyes shut. "" I want to say something comforting, that it'll be better, that I'll be able to protect you. Yeah, well, look at what a job I've done so far. You're one of my closest friends, and I've barely talked to you since everything. But... I don't know. I guess... whatever comes, I'll face it with you to the best of my ability. I have to face it, don't I? * Katie laughs a little. "" She opens her eyes again, looking at the pad. " I honestly don't think it was because of you. Like that should matter to me anymore. ( It's her deep dark secret. He dad forgot to pay for shipping and handling when he sent her to Japan in a crate. ) (And they all wondered why I'm claustrophobic.) (Did he at least leave her air holes?) ( He could only afford one. ) * Katie chuckles. "" I'm sorry I've been stupid. * Katie doesn't answer for a long moment. Then, finally, she says, "Okay. " My place is here with you all. * Katie looks at Satoshi oddly. "That's not what you're supposed to do." ( I thought it was with the chickens. ) Oh? What am I supposed to do? * Katie snorts. You're almost as dumb as- hug me. Stupid. * Satoshi laughs. "I am stupid." He hugs her. * Katie smiles and sets her pad and pencil aside, then hugs back. She buries her face in his shoulder. Aww. * Saki wakes up. "Ugh." She rubs her eye, then lolls her head over towards Katie and Satoshi. "Hey you two, get a room." * Katie looks up over to Saki over Satoshi's shoulder. "Please. We're not even kissing yet." * Saki sits up, rubbing her eyes more, then glances around. "Where the hell...?" * Satoshi starts and looks at Saki. "Aheh. You've got it wrong. And you're in the chem lab. Brought you down here after the fight." * Saki stares at Satoshi. "... Fuck. Means I lost." * Katie breaks the hug, turning to look at Saki fully. "What do you mean?" * Saki shakes her head. "My memory's kinda fuzzy... But usually the one who wakes up from being unconscious is the one who lost." * Katie blinks. Uh, you both did. Yeah. He wasn't in any great shape, either. He went down first. Oh. * Saki tries to stand up, and very nearly falls over, clutching her ribs. She sits back down. * Katie opens her mouth, sees that happen, and nods. "Yeah, I was gonna say." Haruko should be back in a little while. Mm.