[Day: Tuesday, April 12th. Time: 1:00 p.m.] [Weather: Warm, humid. It had been drizzling lightly, but it's not anymore.] [We pick up where we left off, on the school roof. Taki is passed out, Katie is angsty and depressive, and Saki either sucks at or isn't trying very hard at making her feel better.] [Session Start] * Taki is on the roof, and sprawled out, and knocked out, and holding The Cup, but at least she's still breathing. * Katie is there. Her arms are wrapped around her legs, and her shirt is torn open. Her forehead is currently against her knees, and she's shaking, but no noise is coming out. * Saki takes the Cup from Taki. She looks at it, frowning, then stuffs it in her jacket. * Taki doesn't respond to The Cup being taken. * Saki takes a seat on the rooftop. She leans back, folding her hands behind her head. "Well." That's all she says. * Katie coughs a couple of times, but she doesn't say anything. * Katie looks up after a long moment, one gray eye opening to fix on Saki. It's pinkish. "" she asks, hoarsely. She sounds curious, really. * Saki shrugs. "" * Katie nods. * Saki shuts her eyes. "" * Katie nods and says, dully, "" "" * Katie nods again, then sets her forehead against her knees again. "" * Taki 's breathing changes a bit, becoming faster and shallower. A probable indication for people that pay attention to these things that she's starting to wake up. * Katie doesn't react. She must notice, though. Therefore, she is heartless. * Saki chuckles. "" * Katie closes her eyes. "" * Katie doesn't say anything to that. * Saki doesn't either! * Satoshi opens the door to the roof and runs out, stopping short when he sees the unconscious Taki and in very bad shape Katie. "What... what happened?" * Saki sits up. * Katie doesn't look up. "" Her voice is still very quiet, just a shade short of a whisper, and extremely hoarse. Hi, Katie. * Taki stays right where she is, but she might have twitched a bit, maybe, if you didn't blink and miss it. * Satoshi walks over to where Taki is lying, kneels down, and checks on her. * Taki is still passed out, but showing signs of waking up soon, other than that she doesn't seem to be hurt at all. * Satoshi looks over at Katie, then at Saki. "What happened?" * Katie doesn't answer. * Saki is to the point! "Apparently, they got into a fight and lost." * Kaede opens up the door again. He's not as winded as he sounded on the phone, because he took the subway, but he probably didn't rest up the stairs. He walks over slowly and puts his hands in his pockets. That's about right, yes. * Saki glances at Katie, then adds, "Badly." * Katie twitches, but she doesn't move. And she doesn't say or do anything to Kaede appearing. * Satoshi looks over at Kaede when he arrives, then back at Saki. Who was it? Someone defending Tenjirou. I didn't get to see the whole fight. * Kaede sighs and looks at Katie idly, tilting his head. "She got cursed." Cursed? ( She ate the cursed frogert. ) (But it came with a free topping!) * Katie shifts and stands, almost mechanically. She turns to face Kaede and Satoshi. Her gaze is haunted, eyes pink from crying, and face tear-streaked. Since her hands are at her side, it's easy to see that her shirt's torn open... she doesn't seem to care, though. The bra's white, but more importantly, there are burns on her torso and abdomen, and in the center of each cluster of burns is a pentacle-shaped scar. * Satoshi inhales sharply. "Oh my god..." * Kaede grits his teeth as he looks at that. "Yes.." * Katie looks right past Satoshi and Kaede, at nothing in particular. * Kaede keeps walking over, sighing. "I'm sorry I didn't go with you..." * Taki definitely moves this time; a half-hearted attempt to curl into a ball. * Katie doesn't turn to watch Kaede. "It's okay." No it's not. I'm supposed to protect you...even if I don't...don't agree with what you're doing. * Satoshi sees Taki's movement out of the corner of his eye and puts a hand on her arm. But he's still just staring at Katie. * Kaede sighs and looks down at her. "Why did you go...?" I don't know. You don't know? You'd better know, Katie Andrews. I'd hate for you to have almost died for no reason. * Katie shrugs. * Kaede he walks forward, finally getting to her and taking off his jacket, putting it back-forward over Katie's open shirt. "How are you feeling?" * Katie pushes the jacket back to Kaede. She still doesn't look at him. "Hurt. Lost. Dead. Broken." * Kaede holds it back to her. "Keep it. At least for now." * Katie shakes her head. She closes her own jacket, utilizing the little-used buttons. * Satoshi blinks back tears and looks down at Taki. * Kaede then looks at Katie. "And you're not dead. At least not yet. That's twice you've escaped death, Katie Andrews..." Not for lack of trying. * Taki puts more effort into curling up, but she hasn't opened her eyes. So you're telling me you went there to get killed? I don't think so. * Kaede lets out a relieved sigh. "Good." * Katie turns her head a bit to the side, almost back to Saki, but not quite. "Thank you, Saki. You tried." * Saki leans back again. She doesn't say anything to that. * Kaede sets his jacket off to the side and sits next to Katie, looking at Satoshi. "Hope I didn't interrupt your class." * Katie remains standing. Now she's looking off in a different direction. Exciting. This is more important. * Satoshi looks at Katie. "I don't want you to die, Katie. But you..." He stops and blinks again. * Katie doesn't respond. She might be waiting for Satoshi to go on. * Kaede looks at Saki, then back at Katie, shaking his head. "Still believe Tenjirou's the greatest threat out there?" * Satoshi puts his face in his hands. His body shakes. * Satoshi looks up, tears streaming from his eyes. "You're going to get yourself killed if you keep going on like this!" * Katie winces. * Kaede looks at Satoshi and sighs, closing his eyes. It's hard to tell if he agrees with Satoshi or not. You are! And *then* what are we going to do once we've lost you? * Katie doesn't react for a long, long moment, and then she says, just as softly as this entire time, "I don't want to die." It sounds like she's certain of that. * Kaede speaks hesitantly. "We'll...we'll live on, Satoshi." How, Kaede? * Kaede closes his eyes. "We'll have to. You lived on when you found out your family wasn't real. I lived on when my mother left and my father died. And Taki..." ( Taki lived on when she found out she was bi. ) (Ha!) * Satoshi swallows hard. "Just so long as we all live?" * Taki curls up a bit more. Sometimes it's all you can do. * Kaede firms his lips up. "It's hard to accept, but..." He looks at Katie and goes silent for a moment. If it happens....if it happens...Katie wouldn't want us to do anything but live. * Saki yawns. "Man, you're talking about her like she's already dead." Stop talking like she's already dead! (I'd tell Saki to get out of my head, but it's really the opposite. ;p) ( Beat you to it! XD ) * Katie doesn't wince this time. * Kaede closes his eyes. "You don't seem to understand. Have you failed to grasp the reality of the situation?" She's not dead! I think that's pretty real. * Kaede opens them back up and peers right at Satoshi. "People *could* die. Good or bad. We have to accept that possibility. Even if we don't want it to happen." What? You think because we're "good kids" we're immune? * Satoshi inhales sharply, then lets it back out slowly. No. Then stop treating it that way. No, she's not dead. But she could have been. We have to make sure that kind of situation doesn't happen again. * Satoshi opens his mouth, then closes it and nods slowly. It was my fault. * Kaede glances at Katie slowly. "I'm not denying that." Do you think the Cup can get rid of the curse? * Kaede just looks at Katie silently for a while. It heals, doesn't it? That thing? Probably. But you sure you wanna do that? It...depends on which curse you're talking about. * Satoshi looks around. "Wait... where's Haruko? Was she here?" She was...busy. Oh. * Katie touches her chest, then her abdomen. "How else will I get rid of it?" * Kaede glances at Katie. "She's actually the reason Katie's not dead right now." * Kaede then looks at Katie more firmly in the eye. 'Are you really ready to make that kind of sacrifice?" * Katie might be looked in the eye, but she doesn't focus on Kaede. "How else will I get rid of it?" she repeats, just as softly and calmly. You could kill the guy. Without him making me burn? Gotta be quick. * Kaede shakes his head. "Not us personally. He's seen almost all of us. As soon as he saw us approaching, he'd activate the curse." I'm not a fighter. Kyon could. If he were here. But he's not, and we don't know when he's getting back. So we're stuck... * Saki looks at Satoshi. "Bet you could do it. You're a tough guy, eh?" We know where he lives, but that doesn't mean much. Two Arcana there, minimum. They'll be ready, if they stay. * Satoshi gives Saki a flat look. "No." * Kaede thinks for a bit. "...Shun might know. Or Winston." * Saki shrugs at Satoshi. * Kaede sighs. "I'm...tired of relying on other people for information." It's...a pentacle, right? Seems so. * Kaede wonders. "Well...pentacles are often used in witchcraft and hexes...those kind of things?" Other than tarot pentacles? Right. I'm thinking...perhaps there's something similar that's been tried elsewhere. Doubt it. Like what? * Kaede glances at Saki. "No?" It doesn't hurt to check. If there's some resources out there on anti- hexing... * Saki shrugs. "This isn't the kinda thing you can find in a history book." Didn't say history. But...even so... Better than nothing. Try. Yeah. * Saki shrugs. "Good luck." * Kaede takes out his computer and checks out some pagan sites, searching by symptoms. I'll probably end up trying the Cup, but we'll see. Saki? Hm? You probably won't ask, but if you do need my help and feel up to it, let me know. * Saki shrugs. About the response we expected. * Katie must have expected that, too, because she turns her attention forward and walks for the door to the stairs. * Satoshi looks at Kaede. * Kaede glances up. "Wait, Katie. Where are you going?" Away. I need to think. * Kaede frowns. "Alone?" * Katie shrugs. She opens the door. "Someone call Haruko and make sure she's okay. Thank her for me." ( "You're breathing too loud. It's distracting me.") (It is.) * Kaede shakes his head. "Katie..." I need to think. It's not about that. You've got your cell right? * Katie nods. Call....when you're done. Alright? Okay. * Katie leaves, softly closing the door behind her. * Kaede goes back to his typing. He's got a determined look on his face. * Satoshi watches her go, then wipes his eyes and checks Taki over again. ( Computer roll Kaede. ) (Specializa--wait. Why bother asking?) 2d6-7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d6-7) and gets 0. * Taki has curled most of the way up into a ball and still hasn't opened her eyes. (This is when you tickle her.) * Satoshi quietly says, "Taki?" [After a few quick searches, Kaede becomes doubtful that he'll find any significant information about the problem Katie has on the web.] (Most of my characters would do that. ;p) (I want my own Tickle-Me-Taki) (* Taki flails and then slums!) * Kaede sighs. "No good. I kind of figured, but it doesn't hurt to check all resources." This is purely Arcana related. So there probably aren't any books we could find, either. Unless there's a library hidden somewhere in the Tower... Doubt it. * Taki mhmms. Like I said. Winston or Shun. Yeah. * Satoshi looks back down at Taki. Or....we could try killing that body guard. But that'd just make things perpetuate worse. We don't know what powers that Shika has for one thing. And we don't know who else Tenjirou has... Shika? * Kaede rubs his head. "*How* does someone like Tenjirou get so many allies?" Seduces them? Not if they're male. Rather pale male at that. Pale male? Yes. Actually... * Kaede thinks for a moment. "Actually, I'd say he was an albino. That kind of stands out..." Oh holy crap. * Satoshi pales. Not as pale as the aforementioned albino. * Kaede glances at Satoshi. "Yes?" I've seen that guy before. He was in my shower. No, don't ask how he got there. I'm assuming Jin was involved somehow. But Taki and I have spoken to him. He... was *really* strange. He *seemed* harmless. Obviously, he's not if he's one of Tenjirou's allies. * Kaede eyes Satoshi. "You don't say..." What did he say? He laughed a lot. Um... what else? It was so long ago... he liked video games, I think? And he was a musician. * Satoshi blinks. "Did he say he knew Akemi?" Nothing usef--wait, WHAT? * Kaede just outright STARES at Satoshi. * Taki mumbles/murmurs something something. * Satoshi thinks. "He *did*. He sang a duet with her on his album." Then after he left, Taki called Akemi and asked her if she knew him, and she does. His name was... Yusuke. Yusuke and a bunch of other weird names. * Kaede grits his teeth a little and clenches his fist. "That bastard." * Kaede takes out his phone and starts dialing Akemi. Meanwhile, he's heading for the stairs. Kaede! What? I'll stay here until Taki recovers. Let me know what you find out. * Kaede calls that out without skipping a beat. * Saki may not be paying attention. It's hard to tell! * Taki opens an eye, and assuming Satoshi is still kneeling over her, blinks a few times and then squints up at him. * Taki murmurs. "'atoshi?" I'm here. * Saki is here too! In case you've forgotten. 'Ood... wanna go home...wanna sleep... wake up... neverhappen. I know how you feel. ...Ah. I ... screwed up ... everything. Wanna go ... can' even ... that. I don't think you screwed up everything. If you want me to take you home, I'll do that. 'Anks. I want to know more about what happened, but I can wait until you're in good enough shape to tell it. For now, though, whatever I can do for you, whatever you want me to do for you, I'll do. ( Ask him to stand on his head and drink water upside down! This could be your only chance! ) (If it will make you feel better, I'll do it! *powerpose*) ( Ask for marriage! ) ( It could also be your only chance :P ) (*powersnerk*) (I really don't think that's going to happen.) (She could, however, ask Satoshi to help her fix herself up with Katie. ;p) ( It could! Satoshi offered! ) * Taki rolls her head to the side so she can look up at Satoshi with both eyes. She swallows and takes a moment to compose her thoughts, when she speaks her voices is clearer, but still tired. "Want sleep. Want Katie safe. Want everybody safe." (I suppose you could parse it that way...) I'm not sure we can get everyone safe. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try... ... Thank you. * Satoshi sighs. "Katie went off somewhere to think. Kaede's calling Akemi." That guy... the one who was in my shower that time... what exactly did he do? Kaede said he was here. There. There? * Taki closes her eyes again. "At the 'partment... Came here get Cup." * Satoshi blinks. "Actually... yeah. You guys didn't fight Tenjirou here. You couldn't have." Well, you probably could have, but it wouldn't have made any sense... I'm sorry, I'm babbling. Don... worry; 'kay for now. Jus wanna go home. I'll take you home, then. Are you feeling okay enough to stand up? ...Dunno. Maybe? Let's find out? * Satoshi stands up, then bends down and offers her a hand. If not, then I can carry you. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6) and gets 8. * Taki manages to get her hands onto the ground, but lifting herself doesn't seem to go over to well. "...No..." Okay. * Satoshi kneels back down and scoops her up, then stands again. "Comfy?" ...Yeah. Good. * Satoshi looks over at Saki. "Saki? Whatever you did to help, thanks." Yeah... We'll see you later. * Satoshi heads for the door, shifts Taki so one of his hands is free, and opens it. * Saki waves without sitting up. [Satoshi and Taki head off. Meanwhile, Kaede cuts school also and heads into the city on his bike.] [Kaede arrives in a busy section of the city, where no building is below twenty stories tall. There's so much glass on the windows that the whole area is very bright and shiny.] * Kaede pulls to the side of the road and double-checks the address, looking up at the buildings. [The building in particular he stops at is at least thirty stories tall. Maybe more.] * Kaede checks again. Did she give a floor number? ( She did! #34 ) * Kaede looks for a place to park his bike. [There's a bike rack!] * Kaede locks his bike up then steps into the building. He probably looks a bit silly in the school uniform but it would have taken too much time to change. [The building has a big lobby. There's elevators in the back, and right in front of them a desk with a security guard behind it.] * Kaede sighs and looks up at the guard, then to the elevator. He walks towards the desk, because trying to avoid them would look suspicious. [The guard eyes Kaede suspiciously. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?" On the desk in front of him is a clipboard containing names and times; looks like this is where non-employees have to sign in.] * Kaede looks at the guard evenly. "I'm Akemi Shiraishi's manager. Here on business." "Rather young for a manager." It's her choice. [He pauses a second. Then he asks, "Can I see some ID?"] * Kaede shows his ID. He's got nothing to hide! [He takes the ID and gets out his phone. "Hello? Yes, there's a boy here named Kaede Takeuchi, who claims he's Akemi Shiraishi's manager. Could you check on that?"] [There's a pause, then. "Yes? Oh, she is? And he is. I see. Strange. Oh well."] [He hangs up and hands the ID back to Kaede, then gestures to the clipboard. "Sign in here, please."] * Kaede signs. Sometimes it pays to be honest! [He motions towards the elevators once Kaede finishes.] * Kaede goes to the elevator and presses the 34th floor button. Assuming that's where she is [There's four elevators. They're numbered weird: 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31- 40] * Kaede goes for the last group then. A bit confusing, that. [The elevator door opens. Out walks a familiar figure: Sho Shinjo.] (Knew it. Knew it!) * Kaede ignores him and enters the elevator. * Sho steps out of the elevator! He looks at Kaede and gets ever the faintest of grins, then heads towards the building's entrance. (This is the real reason that Katie takes the stairs.) 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d6-2) and gets 5. (Yes, except 34 flights of stairs... @_@) (Especially considering he's continually run up stairs today...) [As the doors close, Kaede hears Sho mention to the guard, "I'm heading downtown. If Sosuke shows up, tell him..."] [And then the doors close. Momentarily, Kaede arrives on the thirty- fourth floor. It's a short hallway that leads to two double doors.] [On the front of the doors is Takahara Studios.] * Kaede calls up Katie from the elevator. [Kaede doesn't have time! The elevator is already at the 34th floor! ... Dayum that's fast.] * Kaede calls from the top then as he steps out. * Katie picks up after a ring and a half. "" Her voice is still incredibly quiet. * Kaede answers as he walks forward. "Sorry to bother you. Do we know a Sosuke?" ( PFfft. He's not sorry. ) "Not as far as I know." "Why?" Just keep an ear out for the name. Need to find out more about him. "I will. Tell me more when you have the chance." * Kaede nods and shuts off the phone, straightening his jacket and walking forward. [Behind the door is a big room. On the left side is a panorama of a beach, and nearby is a buncha beach accessories: Umbrella, lawn chair, beach ball, etc. To the right are some doors leading to offices. Against the far wall are some chairs and a water cooler. On one of the chairs is a boombox, blasting music from the latest pop idol.] [Akemi is against the panorama, posing as a photographer takes shot after shot of her. She's wearing a very small blue bikini and a wide-brimmed straw hat.] * Kaede glances at Akemi and heads for the water cooler. Okay, so maybe he does a little more than glancing but he does head for the chairs after he gets some water. * Akemi poses as the photographer takes shots. It's clear she's been doing this for a while, as she seems to know how to pose before the photographer describes it. * Kaede just sits quietly until they're done. Hate to disturb an artist in her, uh, work. He does seem mildly impressed though. [After about ten minutes, the photographer calls for a short break and begins to set up for the next set of photos.] * Akemi wraps a white towel over her shoulders and walks over to Kaede. "Herro!" * Kaede can't help but laughing a little this time. "Why do you always answer like that?" Why not? English is sexy. I wouldn't know... Aw. You don't pay attention in English class? So you're saying I'm going to need to learn English for the next stage in your career? * Akemi nods. "You'll need it when we start going abroad. Learn French and German too, while you're at it. * Kaede shrugs a bit. "Never interested me much. I know basic phra--wait. We're going abroad now?" Of course! You don't expect me to be a small-time girl, do you? Well...I didn't say *that*... * Kaede does seem to be boggling over it though. * Akemi nods. "Good! Then it's settled!" Settled? What's settled? * Akemi giggles. "You're going to learn French and German so I can go abroad and make billions. Millions of billions. I'll...but...what about the shop? * Akemi waves it off. "We'll hire professionals with some of the money I make." I...guess...I just never really considered... * Kaede looks at Akemi. "You really want to go through with this?" * Akemi giggles. "Mmmmmaybe." And you already know these languages. Huh? Oh, no, I only speak Japanese. * Akemi grins. "But that's why you're my manager." She pokes Kaede's nose. But you need me to deal with the merchandisers. Well, obviously. And you're paying me for this? Uh huh! Well then, there we go. * Kaede holds up a finger. "We can't expand too fast though. We have to establish a firm base here before we move on." * Akemi nods. "Give me another six months." But to do that, you're going to need to expand beyond bathing suits. * Akemi grins. "I've got a few ideas in mind." Good. We can discuss them later. * Kaede glances at the photographer. [He's changing the beach panorama for a rooftop in the city one.] You want to discuss this someplace else or you have more shoots to do? * Akemi glances at the photographer too. "He'll probably be a while, so we've got a bit." Good. Someplace quiet to talk then? We can use one of the offices. * Kaede nods. "Lead the way. * Akemi leads the way to what looks like a meeting room. It's got four comfy chairs around a square table, a nice carpet and a plant or two. It's also got a window. There's quite a view from here. Akemi takes one of the seats parallel to the window, crossing her legs. She drapes the towel over the back of the chair. * Kaede sits down in a chair perpendicular to her and sets down his kaban, taking off his jacket. He sighs and wipes his glasses. "So..." Buttons! * Kaede just eyes Akemi. "...what?" * Akemi grins. "That's what you sew, isn't it? Buttons." I don't get i...oh never mind. * Akemi laughs. * Kaede sighs. "Are you going to tell me more about Yusuke or not?" * Akemi leans back. "First, you tell me what happened." * Kaede rubs his nose. "I'll tell you what I can..." I honestly don't know the whole story. I wasn't involved...at least I didn't want to be. Makes two of us. * Kaede sighs and leans back in the chair. "I'm sorry." * Kaede closes his eyes. "Alright. Have you heard of Tenjirou Torajima?" I know him. Do you know what he does? He used to sing for a band. He wasn't a professional like Yusuke though. More than that... * Akemi fidgets. "And he's got a power. A bad one." * Kaede nods slightly. "Do you know about the first time I met Tenjirou?" * Akemi shakes her head. * Kaede tries to remain calm. "You like Nanami, don't you?" Of course! We went underwear shopping together the other day. * Kaede closes his eyes. Tightly. Very tightly. "So if I told you the first time I saw Tenjirou was when I found him feeling up my sister..." * Akemi looks down. "I'm sorry." You don't have to be...it's not your fault. * Kaede opens his eyes slowly. "But...despite all that...well...he keeps coming after us...he's kidnapped quite a few people, and hurt others..." And for some reason, Yusuke's on his side. That's where she found him... * Akemi frowns. "But Yusuke wouldn't... He must have had a good reason." A good reason to help a rapist? * Akemi pauses a second, then nods. And a good reason to put a pentacle on my friend's chest and tell her she's going to die if she doesn't cooperate? If that's the case, it better be a VERY good reason. * Akemi shakes her head. "Yusuke wouldn't do that unless he thought he didn't have a choice. He hates violence." * Kaede closes his eyes. "So you know about the power, then." Maybe. * Kaede keeps them closed. "Tell me, Akemi. You've met Katie. Does she *really* seem like that much of a threat to you? No. That's all the more reason this doesn't make any sense. * Kaede sighs and leans back in the chair. "I'm sorry to burden you with all of this. If you want her to tell you, I can give you her number..." * Akemi thinks for a minute. "Hm.... Lend me your phone? I'll call Yusuke and find out why he did it." ...why call Yusuke? So I can find out why he did it. I just said so! Yes, but don't you suspect he wasn't being completely honest with you? And if he's not, then you calling him would alert him, wouldn't it? Huh? Why would he lie to me? Same reason he'd put such a death curse on my friend. Or work with Tenjirou. Well, I'll decide whether I think he's lying or not after I speak with him. And you don't want to speak with Katie? I'll talk to her too. And I suppose you'd just use your own phone eventually anyways... * Akemi nods. "That's right!" (Only she doesn't have it on her, because she's wearing next to nothing.) * Kaede sighs. "I'm half tempted just to tell you to forget it..." ( Nope. But she does have it somewhere around here, because Kaede called her on it :P ) * Akemi shakes her head. "Too late for that." If you don't tell me, I'll find out myself. I know... * Kaede holds out his phone. "I've already told you...but I just have to ask you...would you trust someone who works with Tenjirou?" * Akemi takes the phone, but she doesn't dial just yet. "What if this was your sister instead of Yusuke?" * Kaede frowns. "What do you mean?" Just what I said. What if your sister was helping Tenjirou, and out of her own free will. * Kaede frowns more. But he doesn't say anything. * Akemi doesn't either. Instead she dials a number. * Akemi waits until someone picks up. "Hello? Oh, hi Shika! It's Akemi." I'm good. Oh, yes, I think they've gotten even bigger. * Kaede half wince-blushes at that statement. * Akemi watches Kaede for a reaction, grinning. "Sure, you can touch them some time. We'll make an appointment." Hey, is Yusuke around? (She was talking about the flowers in her garden! You perv.) ( What? I meant my bank accounts) (Touching bank accounts makes no sense.) Okay, let me talk to him. * Akemi waits a bit more. Herro! * Akemi giggles. Oh, um... I need to ask you about something. Did anything strange happen today? Strange. Like.... Arcana strange. (Yup, she's talking to Yusuke all right.) * Akemi sighs. "Yusuke, did you use your power on someone?" A friend of mine told me. I don't think he would. * Kaede eyes Akemi as she chats on the phone. His expression is blank. * Akemi blinks. "Why?" Uh-huh. * Akemi starts to lose any cheer she had. ".... Uh-huh." Oh. So, you're really working with him? What do you mean? ... Oh. * Akemi sighs. "I know." So that's why. * Kaede turns his expression more on Akemi as she says that, trying to catch her expression. She needs to find someone else. Maybe I can help set her up! * Akemi sighs again. "Yeah, not too likely, huh?" I know you wouldn't. Don't worry. Yeah Okay. Uh-huh. Hey, I gotta go. I'm at work and they're about ready for me again, okay? Oh, sure, I'd love to! I miss you two too. Okay. Tee Tee Why El! * Akemi hangs up. (*cracks up*) (HA!) * Akemi dials another number! Katie's number. * Katie picks up after two rings. Her voice is still a little hoarse, and it's definitely still soft. "" Herro! "Akemi? Why are you using Kaede's phone?" * Akemi giggles. "I stole it." * Kaede snorts. * Katie doesn't sound surprised. Or amused. Or condescending, for that matter, or much of anything. "Oh, okay. And that's " That's what I said. "It was close. What's going on?" Well, Kaede came by and we started chatting about stuff while he's pretending not to look at my bust. He said I should call you to find out how you got a ... death curse, was it? Yeah, a death curse. * Kaede shakes his head. "She doesn't believe me." * Akemi covers the phone briefly, not that that stops Katie from hearing. "You could've told me that before I called!" * Katie sighs. She stays silent while Akemi and Kaede work out their issues on the other end. I meant you. You don't * Akemi blinks. "Ah! I'm here. Sorry!" "It's okay. Do you want the why or just the how?" Both. "Okay. Do you know about Tenjirou and his power?" Yeah. Kaede asked me that first thing too! "Okay. I don't know if he filled you in on this part, so I'll tell you. You probably know that he uses women and stuff." Yeah "He's also been involved in kidnappings. One of the recent ones... probably the most recent one was me." Oh. * Akemi covers the phone again. "You didn't tell me she was kidnapped!" She uncovers it. "Go on." "Yeah, 'oh' about covers it. I don't know how they got me, but I lost about a day of my life. I woke up, and I was drugged, my powers were gone, and I was handcuffed to a pipe in a basement." That's horrible. * Katie continues, sort of detached, sort of not, but calmly, "I heard Tenjirou and another boy named Ryo talking about selling me. Later, The Chariot showed up. Maybe that's who they were going to sell me to." "Pictures of me are also on the Internet, taken from when I was gone. My eyes are open, but like I said, I don't remember any of it." That's despicable. ( I would've used E-bay. ) (Damn right.) "Kaede showed up, and so did others. They saved me. But Tenjirou, Ryo, and The Chariot are still at large. And Tenjirou, at least, is a repeat happening." "He tried to kill in that fight. He had a gun. He held Haruko hostage. Tenjirou doesn't know when to stop. And..." * Katie pauses for a long moment, then says, "And if he could do it once - if he could take me from my home without me knowing - he can do it again. Maybe he can do it to any of us." * Akemi listens. "So I came to the conclusion that we are not safe as long as he's at large. He's not worth the space he takes up, but even past that, he's dangerous and has to be stopped. And our safety is my biggest worry. I hope you understand that." * Katie keeps going. "I don't think it's right. I never did. But it's what I thought had to be done. It's not like a cell can hold him." Kind of. But what does that have to do with the death curse? "You know the why now." * Katie lets out a sigh. She's silent for another minute before she continues, "Tenjirou was hurt in the fight. Badly. I'm not a fighter, you know... I'm not very scary, even though people keep trying to kill me. But even I know how to kill someone in his sleep." * Akemi doesn't say anything. "Just kill him and get out. That was all I wanted. Nobody hurt. But... it took too long, finding out where he was. He found his friends, and he had their protection. And then I..." * Katie continues after another long pause, "I did something very stupid. I'm still not sure why I did it, but I knew it was probably going to fail the moment I tried. It was like I felt myself unraveling. I knew Tenjirou was getting away, and I knew he had a friend with him, and I went after them anyway." "I thought we could focus on Tenjirou, then Taki could teleport us out. Maybe it almost worked. I don't know." "Tenjirou's friend stalled us for a while. I don't know why he's working with him, but I don't know why anyone would choose to. He was very smiling and casual, though, and he didn't seem to care about what Tenjirou had done. People... they can be horrible." Yeah... * Kaede watches like someone who's missing half the conversation. "He said he hated violence, but he must not hate it that much, because soon after he hit me once in my chest and once in my stomach. That's the curse. I have scars and burns there now, and to hear it be told, I nearly died. All I know is that it felt like I was on fire. I passed out from the pain." "I don't know what happened after that. Taki vanished me out, and I still have the marks. I think he can turn it on whenever he wants. I'm not going to count on it not happening." I see. * Katie doesn't say anything for a moment, then she asks, "Why did Kaede come to you, Akemi?" Again, it's not accusatory or anything, just vague curiosity. * Akemi thinks carefully. "People want to use me." I guess I don't mind. But it's a shame that some people only ever call me when they want something. * Katie chuckles, but it doesn't sound like there's much humor in it. "That sounds like the way of the world. I'm sorry if it ever seemed like I wanted to use you, Akemi." "But I always figured you were better friends with Kaede." Oh, that's okay. It's not that I mind. It means I'm popular. "I hope you're at least you're not popular with the murderous, kidnapping crowd. That seems to be me." * Akemi uncrosses her legs, and recrosses them the other way. "Anyhow... I don't blame you for hating Tenjirou. So many people do." * Kaede sighs and shakes his head, leaning back more. But one person doesn't. "I hope you don't mean you." * Akemi laughs. "Me? No way! He hasn't tried anything with me, though." He wouldn't dare. "I'm glad you have protection I don't, then." But no, it's not me. It's Natsuko Kourakuen. If you know Tenjirou, you must know her too. "I remember her. I remember not liking her very much. She has a lot of misplaced pity." Well, I don't know her that well, but from what I gather, she's a nice girl. It's just a shame she's in love with Tenjirou, of all people. And I mean, really in love. Not the fake forced kind. * Katie is silent for a long moment, then she says, "Then she's an idiot." * Akemi doesn't respond to that, but she does frown. "Natsuko has friends, then, and one of them decided to put a curse on me because she's in love with the wrong man?" * Kaede just watches Akemi's reaction each time. Doesn't want to interrupt * Akemi finally says, "Think of her that way if you want, but she's got friends. She's been best friends with Shika Maria Vivian Fukuyen since elementary school." That's the sister of Yusuke Leon Vladimir Stanley Fukuyen, who you've met. * Kaede winces at the mention and turns away. "I don't really have any other way to think of her, Akemi. She's in danger by protecting Tenjirou, and there really isn't much of anything good to him. But if she's as stubborn as I remember her being, it doesn't matter what Tenjirou does or what anyone tells her." Probably not. "So you know Yusuke and Shika?" Yes. "How well?" They're old friends of mine. I did a duet with Yusuke once, and Shika's fond of my chest. "I see." * Katie pauses for a moment, then says, "Akemi, I don't want to hurt things between you and your friends. And if they are friends of yours, they must have... something that I can't see. Maybe because I was too busy burning to death while Yusuke smiled." * Katie, again, didn't even sound sarcastic or bitter there. She just said it at the same level as everything else. Yeah, he's a good actor. He wasn't burning you to death, Katie. Right after you lost consciousness, he recalled most of his energy. All but a bit to make it seem like you were still burning. * Katie sighs. "I don't trust him. But I do trust you, so I'll believe you until I find out otherwise. Can he activate it again?" Nope. That was just a big lie he fed you to get you to go away. Those marks will fade in a few days. A week at the most. "Well, I didn't have much choice in it. I was kind of unconscious at the time. You talked to him recently?" Right before I called you. "Okay. How does he feel about Tenjirou?" He hates him. "But he feels obligated to protect him, because of his sister, because of Natsuko." Right. * Katie is silent for another long moment, then says, "So you know, Akemi, I never tried to hurt Yusuke, even when I knew he was hurting me. It was all about Tenjirou." * Akemi nods, though Katie can't see it. (But Kaede can!) "That's good." "I have to think about things. I have to think about a lot of things. But I'd like to talk to him at some point, if you think it's a good idea. Maybe Shika, too." "I'd like to work something out." You could try... "You would know better than me. Maybe Shika's a bad idea. I don't know." Shika... * Akemi shifts herself again as she thinks on how best to put it. Shika's nice... but... she's very protective. And she kind of has a short temper. And, um.... You'll probably want the guys to... then again, this is Kaede and Satoshi we're talking about.... (... Hmm, if Shika hits on Satoshi, does that mean Taki's a lesbian?) Unless you're hiding another guy up your sleeve. "There are a lot of guys out there, but bringing him up to speed is another question. I shouldn't talk to Shika, then?" Well, *I* like talking to her, but... "But what?" * Akemi sighs. "How do you feel about having your chest groped?" "I can't say it's happened to me much. It's her way of saying hi?" You could put it that way. But on the other hand, talking to Yusuke alone won't do much good. I know that as long as Shika is involved, he will be too. "Not so fun, then. But I think I can stand it, now that I know ahead of time." * Akemi giggles. "Like I said, I don't mind. I like when people touch my chest. Kaede won't do it, though." "It's his way of showing he cares. If you're above 'waste of valuable time', you're winning." Aww. That's sweet. "He can be sweet sometimes." * Akemi checks the clock. "Well, it's getting late here and I'll probably have to get back to shooting soon... Oh!" Katie, whatever you do, don't get on Shika's bad side, okay? "She's dangerous?" Very. "Well, that explains a bit. Okay. How do you figure I should set up a meeting?" Umm... Hm... I'm not sure. It'd be a lot easier to do if they didn't think you were out to get them. "I'm not out to get them, really. I don't want them hurt." "Would it be better if you were around? Both groups know you." Ummm... Maybe it would. And it'd give Shika someone to fondle besides you. "Yes. And you enjoy it." * Akemi giggles. So, okay... Tell you what, I'll set something up. I'll call you. "All right. When should I expect it by?" In a day or two? Hmm... But... They might bring Tenjirou. "Tell them not to. They can't. Tell them to leave someone else to protect him if they think it'll be a trap, but they can't bring him." "Tenjirou hates me, and I hate him. It won't end well, and you'll be in a bad situation." I know, but they can't leave him while they're expecting another attack, either. "Natsuko, then. Or someone else." I don't think they'd leave her alone though.... Well, I'll talk to them about it. Well, I gotta go. I'll get back to you. "Okay. Let me know later today or tomorrow. You have my number, right?" I do now! "That works. Thanks, Akemi. Hope the rest of your shoot goes well." Thanks! "Nice English there. " * Katie hangs up. * Akemi hangs up. She holds the phone out to Kaede, smiling. "I think that went rather well." * Kaede stays silent for a while after, then takes the phone. "Akemi..." You remembered my name! Yay! You don't really think I'm trying to use you, do you? How do you know I was talking about you? Maybe I meant someone else. I don't...because I just want to make... * Kaede frowns suddenly. "Oh hell with it." He envelops Akemi in a big hug. "Thank you..." * Akemi blinks. "Well, this is a nice change." You're welcome. [Session End!]