[Day: Saturday, April 23rd. Time: 1:15 p.m.] [Weather: It's snowing! Still.] [You head down... up... whatever in the elevator to the Tower Reversed. Most of you. Taki and Satoshi are still in the Tower, but they can come in whenever. But the rest of you are there. Check out the upwards falling snow, yo.] [Annoyingly enough, there's people already here who intend to disrupt your plans, either by choice or just by being there. In the center, sitting on the couches opposite from each other are Masaru Uehara and Shun Mijunkuro, better known as Gustave and Zein. They're playing Poker and Chess at the same time.] [Session Start] * Katie bursts out of the elevator and spares the guys half a glance before rushing to one of the windows and putting her hand to it. Upwards falling snow! * Kyon stalks out of the elevator, following Katie to the windows, but he keeps a sidewise eye on the pair of game players. * Katie is taking some fairly deep breaths. She puts her forehead to the glass. * Kaede heads out of the elevator as well, casually and takes a glance around. [Masaru murmurs, "Check." Shortly afterwards, Shun does, too.] * Katie gets a grip (maybe more than one) and looks over at the game. She can probably see it perfectly from there. (Yes, but can she plan 12 moves ahead?) (An excellent question.) [It doesn't last long. Masaru murmurs "Checkmate." Right after, Shun says, "Full House."] * Katie raises an eyebrow. "What are the stakes?" she can't help asking. * Kyon turns around and leans against the window, and regards them coolly. [Shun takes the cards and shuffles. He doesn't look up as he answers: "Just for fun."] You played a game just for fun? It really is the end of the world. [He nods. "Wagering our lives wouldn't mean much, don't you think?"] It hardly ever does. Yet he does it anyways. * Katie gestures to Shun. "Kyon, this is Shun. Also Zein. Shun, this is Kyon." * Kaede lets out a slow breath and closes his eyes, lifting his glasses and rubbing underneath. [Masaru grumbles. "Oh, sure. Just ignore me, why don't you? Hmph."] * Katie grins a little. And Masaru there was my therapist for a session. [He glares at Katie. "Alphonse, thank you very much."] * Katie sticks her tongue out at Masaru. "Fine. Alphonse." * Kyon nods curtly to Shun. "So. Why are you are? Other than to play." ( He am 'cause he am. ) [He shrugs. "Why not? May as well make the most of it. Or maybe I'll cheat death, just this once."] * Kyon rolls his eyes. "You're so sure that you've got no options?" Twiddling your thumbs awaiting death is the new chic. Haven't you heard? [He pauses, then nods. "Yeah, pretty much."] Then would you mind telling us what we want to know? [He laughs. "Heh. Maybe."] * Katie smiles. "All right." She pushes herself off the window. "We want to know about this 'prophecy'. And two of the artifacts." ["The one that says we're all going to die?"] That's the one. * Kyon rocks off of the window, then jams his hands in his pockets and takes a couple of steps forward. "Yeah." [He shrugs. "That's pretty much all there is to it."] * Katie rolls her eyes. "Just 'we're going to die'. Nothing about how, when, or why?" [He smiles. "What's it worth to ya?"] Nice to know you're still Shun. What do you want? ["Hmm...." He taps his chin. "Good question. What could I possible use at the end of the world?"] The world not ending? * Kyon rocks back on his heels and smirks. "Another life?" Or at least a chance at that. [“Sorry, try harder.”] * Kaede shrugs. "Your funeral. Literally." ["Yours, too."] So it is. Do you need to get laid? I'd think that would be pretty popular. ["Why? You offering?"] Sure. ["Cute. But you're not my type. Sorry. Try again."] It was worth a try. Look, Shun. It's pretty clear you don't actually want to die. We don't, either, but we want to do something about it. You can help or not. Leaving us guessing? It doesn't help either of us. * Kyon gives Katie a sidewise look, but then goes back to looking at Shun. "Did a reading before. Might be there's a way through it." [Shun grins. "Is that what you really think? Has it ever occured to you that maybe this is exactly what I'm going for?"] * Kyon shrugs quickly. "If all you really wanted to do was die, you could walk out those doors now and fall. Not buying it." * Kaede looks at Katie. "Yep, he's certainly Arcana." ["What if I wanted to see everyone else die?"] Then you'll be disappointed. Not everyone dies, even if whatever happens happens. Check the history. ["Tell you what. You give me one of the Artifacts, then yeah, I'll tell you what you want to know. Sound good?"] * Katie shoots Kyon a dubious look. * Kyon rolls his eyes. "You couldn't have information worth it. No dice." [He shrugs. "Suit yourself. See you in Hell."] Besides, there are two others here who might know anyways. ["If you say so."] * Katie hums. " You're quiet, Alphonse." * Kyon blows out a breath, and turns his gaze to Uehara. [Masaru bristles. "Oh sure, NOW you turn to me, when you can't get what you want from him. Is that it? Huh? Huh?"] Session Time: Thu Mar 15 23:00:00 2007 And unusually touchy. Sorry about that. * Kyon shrugs curtly. "If you spoke up sooner, we'd have dealt with you first." ["If you'd dealt with me first, I'd have spoke up sooner!"] * Kaede rubs his nose again. "I so do not have the patience to deal with this today." (Is that really different than most days?) (No.) (What Katie said.) (But if Kaede has to say it, then it's even worse today.) * Kyon blows out a breath. "Right. But you can deal with us now." [Masaru looks up at Kyon. "And what do I get? Huh? Huh?"] * Katie sighs a little. And *she* was the one getting therapy from *him*. * Kyon shrugs quickly. "What do you want?" ["I dunno."] [He points at Shun. "But you were gonna give him something! I want something too!"] * Katie facepalms. [Shun snickers. "This oughtta be good."] * Kyon nods quickly. "Right. How about a free supply of Arisugawa sake? For a year." ["Hmm... Alright, that sounds.... hey! Wait a minute! What good is a year supply going to do me when we'll be dead in two weeks?"] * Kyon smirks. "You can get really drunk in the meantime." You can drink it real quickly in two weeks? You might need it. [He pouts. "Hardly seems worth it."] Do you even know what we need to know? [He pauses, then says, "Alright, I accept."] * Kyon blows out a breath. "So what is it?" [He claps his hands together, gleefully. "We're all gonna die!"] * Kyon rolls his eyes. "That's all you know?" Specifics might be appreciated. Called it. ["That's the gist of it. A few weeks from now, the oni get summoned and tear the world apart. We could stop them with the right touch, buuuuuuutttt.... We still gonna die."] ( So there are oni but we aren't them? Interesting.) * Kaede raises an eyebrow "Right touch?" ["Some complex ritual or somesuch."] ["I dunno. That chick with the weird hair knows about it."] ... Which chick with weird hair? (I don't know nothing!) ["I dunno. She's got hair." He motions at his head. "Weird hair."] Color? Style? Anything? [Like... one of those big cats. You know, from Africa. And she wears bondage gear."] (She has a mane?) (Okay, that's weird hair.) (Even for anime. I'm impressed.) * Katie blinks. "Never met her. Do you know how to get in touch with her?" ["Nope!"] Useful. How about the artifacts? Do you know anything about them? (If her name is Matsu, I'mma going to have kill somebody.) ["Nope. But if you find any, I'll take them." He points at Shun. "He wants them, so they're probably important."] [Shun laughs. "You guys getting your money's worth out of him?"] * Kyon shrugs quickly. "We are if he just gets the non-alcoholic sake." More than we would be with you. [Masaru hmphs. "Anyway, we're all going to die no matter what you do, so there." He nods matter-of-factly.] [Shun taps his chin. "I wonder...."] * Katie waits. [He doesn't seem forthcoming!] * Kyon looks at Shun sidewise. "Don't want to say anything?" ["Not for free."] * Kyon rolls his eyes. "If you're not even going to give any hints, not going to make many deals." ["Let's just say there might be a way to survive."] [Masaru blinks. "What? You didn't tell me that."] That probably won't work if we give you what you want. * Kyon looks at him coolly. "And you still want the same trade? Thought of anything else you want to try for?" ["Too bad I'm not so interested in alcohol, huh?"] Are you interested in art? * Kyon smirks. "Or literature?" ["Why? Going to steal a Van Gogh for me?"] No. But I could probably make a good copy if that's what you wanted. ["What use is a copy?"] * Katie shrugs. "Or something original. It's just a thought, and it's something I do well." ["All I care about are my games."] Then you're cheating yourself by not even giving yourself a chance to play. ["It's no fun if the wager blows."] If you think there's a way through, then taking the rewards that pay off in the future if you win become worth it. ["What rewards are we talking about?"] * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Money? Access? What do you want to try for?" ["Access to what?"] Editors. Books. Companies. Sports. I have connections. ["Oh. That stuff."] * Kyon shrugs quickly. "If you don't want that, then say what you want." ["You know what I want."] * Kyon rolls his eyes. "You like your games so much, maybe you want to get involved with that. Could introduce you to a casino owner that my family's company supplies beverages for." ["Hmm... Maybe... Not enough by itself, but it's a start."] * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Right. You're not getting an Artifact from us. If that's the only trade you're willing to make, then me coming up with things to offer is pointless." [He considers. "Can you get four chicks to strip naked and mud wrestle? We can bet on them."] Sure I can find out where you could watch that, if you want. That the sort of sports you usually watch? [He smirks. "I don't actually care. Just wanted to see what you'd say. I'll tell you what, though.... I'll give you the information you're asking for. But if we somehow survive all of this, one of you will have to accept my Russian Roulette challenge afterward."] You're going to survive just to die? ["Or you are. Either way, those are the best kinds of games."] * Kyon rocks back on his heels and considers. "We get to choose what method you use for the roulette." ["As long as it's fair."] * Kyon nods quickly. "Then fine." ["Alright then. So... about this prophecy..."] * Kaede glances at Kyon for a moment but doesn't comment. [Session End]