* Haruko stands quietly in the hallway for a now. * Kaede sighs then looks at Haruko. "So how do we find out more about how she was taken? We already checked her place...." * Haruko rubs at her eyes and then looks back. "I don't." She then pauses and gets slightly more firm in her voice. "The Jackals may be our best bet." The Jackals... * Kaede then eyes Haruko. "You sure you want to do this?" * Haruko shakes her head. "I'm not sure at all. There's three other people we can try. But they won't be any easier." It gives us something to do... * Kaede sighs. "But Satoshi's going with them...that's good." * Haruko sighs. "None of this is good. I hope he works out how he feels before anger decides it for him." * Kaede looks at Haruko. "Sometimes it has to be done..." He shakes his head. "But not like this...Katie probably hates me for saying so.." * Haruko shakes her head. "She doesn't hate you. You just let your feelings get mixed up in your logic some." * Kaede snorts. "First time for everything." (Yeah. Sure. First time.) And I know she doesn't. (*throws peanuts at the gallery*) * Haruko smiles slightly at that. "Good." She then walks into Satoshi's apartment. "Let's figure out our plan where nobody might be listening in." ( And also raid Satoshi's fridge! ) (There's eggs in there.) * Kaede rolls his eyes. "It won't make much difference really. It'd be faster if we started walking. We don't have any instant transportation like we usually do." * Haruko shrugs. "Sure, people just keep telling me I need to be more discrete about these things." She steps out again and makes sure the door locks when it closes. (Assuming the door has one of those autolocks available.) No. People tell you you need to be more subtle. There's a difference. ( Ask Yvonne :D ) (Who's neither discrete NOR subtle ^_~) How do you mean? * Haruko gets walking to the nearest subway. You mean what's the difference? [You get to the subway!] Mmm, maybe you need both though.. * Haruko nods. "I have an idea, but I'd like to be sure I'm understanding you right." She then looks slightly amused. "Well, make up your mind and then let me know." She goes down the stairs and pays to get through the gate. [Haruko succeeds!] * Kaede laughs slightly. "Well, subtle would mean to make your intentions less...transparent. People won't always do what you want if you're always making an obvious attempt to manipulate them. But discretion...that's choosing who to tell what...I think that'd be a good idea too. * Haruko nods. "So, Jackal territory or make a try for Natsuko, Senshirou, or Zein?" * Kaede walks in silence for a little while, then says softly. "Mmm...Natsuko...she has a little thing for Tenjirou doesn't she...?" * Haruko nods. "She cared about him. We're probably going to have to deal with her sooner or later. I'm just not sure when is best." Now's better than later. Zein's standoffish and we don't know what to expect from him, and Senshirou's a loose cannon. * Haruko nods and heads in the direction of a train to Tokagawa. "Senshirou might be manageable as a distant ally, but that can wait. Anyways, I doubt she's still at school. We could get in the right neighborhood and see if her family has a listed number." [The train isn't there yet.] * Kaede stares sternly ahead and says matter-of-factly. "Senshirou is not going to be our ally." (And lines are drawn on this issue. ;P) Well, maybe a non-aggression pact. * Kaede snorts again. "And what do we have to offer him exactly?" He's apparently alone now. Better us than the black card or the like. He's alone for a reason, Haruko. * Haruko nods. "I'm not saying we should work with him, even if we need muscle. The thing is, lots of Arcana are crazy and evil, but if we're going to get through this we'll want to be on good terms with all those who aren't actively hurting people." Senshirou isn't? He took any excuse he could to attack us, Haruko. He's worse than Tenjirou because he's more subtle about it. * Haruko shakes his head. "Oh, he is. But he each time he attacked because we fought with his ally. He has a code, a twisted code, but a code." * Kaede glares at Haruko. "He 'attacked' because he searched for the flimsiest excuse to be provoked into attacking. Don't tell me you actually buy that." * Haruko shakes her head. "Look, he's evil and there's no justification for what he did. But if we deal with him we can be pro-active about keeping it from happening again, if we don't, we can't." She sighs. "The wheel of fortune is going to keep throwing us all against each other. Either we start to build a society, or the blood will never stop flowing." * Haruko does make sure she stands and talks to Kaede away from everyone else in the subway and in a quiet tone. [All three other people.] * Kaede snorts again and folds his arms. "There'll never be community with people like that around..." He then sighs and shakes his head. "Katie's being pro-active if you think of it like that..." * Haruko shakes her head. "We're basically a twisted sort of warrior caste. You think there weren't samurai or knights like Senshirou?" She nods. "And yes, she is. I'm trying to make sure she doesn't feel she has to end up killing him." Oh she does. She just doesn't have to murder him. * Haruko eyes Kaede. "That's not good enough for me. However, there's probably not much point in discussing it further for now." No there's not... * Kaede then sighs and lowers his head slightly closing his eyes. "There will always be insane people in this world, Haruko-san. And if you give them enough power like those do, the only way to fix it is to end it... * Haruko shakes her head. "Tenjirou rapes and is ready to kill. He's shown no signs of being open to negotiation or intimidation. Senshirou has. Are you really ready to become a death squad for everyone like him? Because I'm better there's at least a dozen Arcana that are something like him." You make me sound like an executioner. I'm far from it. * Haruko nods. "I respect your standard, it's a way to keep you from going way too far. But even if you can keep to it, how much blood do you want on your hands?" It's not a matter of want, it's a matter of necessity. And if it comes up to defend myself or the people I need to, then I will. Well, I'll see if I can deal with him on my own then. And maybe keep it from becoming necessary. * Kaede frowns. "It's your life..." It is. ::she dabs at her eyes again:: The hard part isn't that it may end because of my choices, I'm not happy about that, but I've accepted it. The hard part is that I may not be able to protect someone because of them. * Haruko 's voice gets much weaker as she says that. You do the best you can. If it's ineffective, you try harder. There's no more to it than that * Haruko shakes her head. "That's not what I mean. Someone I care about may get hurt or die because I won't cross a line." * Kaede sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, dropping his head a little. "Hesitation makes for poor decisions. Know your priorities, Haruko." * Haruko 's voice gets firmer but she closes her eyes. "I do. I won't let Fuyuko or Natsuko be killed, not just because they want revenge. If they become monsters in their own right, so be it." She opens them again. "I'm still figuring out where the line is, but it isn't enough that it's necessary." When the time comes, you'll know. Worrying about it only makes your anxiety worse No one said anything about killing Fuyuko or Natsuko.. * Haruko shakes her head. "I'm not willing to just react, so I need to work through the consequences before hand." She gives a sad smile to Kaede. "I pray it will never become necessary with them. But if it does, I've made my choice." * Kaede leans back and puts his arms behind his head. "That was Hamlet's problem too, you know..." [Kaede's arms vanish!] [Not really. They're just behind his back.] [Like magic! Or not!] * Haruko grins slightly. "Well, at least I take better care of my school friends and the people who care deeply about me." [The train comes! End!]