[Day: Saturday, March 1st. Time: 6:15 p.m.] [Weather: Clear, red skies as the sun is just dipping below the horizon. Chilly.] [Earlier today was the festival! Many people showed up, including many people you knew, like Remi, Eriko, Riko, and to a lesser extent, Taro. Wasn't that nice? Shortly after the festival ended, Kyon went around gathering the lot of you, and you're now standing on the lawn of the campus, surrounded by tents and stands on three sides and a wall on the other. There's a tree for you to sit under, too, if you feel so inclined.] [Session Start!] * Satoshi sits on the ground underneath the tree. He's changed into a long- sleeved shirt, sweatpants, and a jacket. Warm, *dry* clothes. His hair has pretty much dried out by now, too. * Taki is happily sitting under the tree, she's been standing all day and her knees may yet forgive her for it. * Haruko stands up but leans against the tree, she's still in the coveralls still has a tinge of make up on, and seems quite happy. * Katie stands not far away with a faintly worried expression as she idly picks at the paint stains on her shirt. Her sleeves are likely rolled down now, and she's wearing a gray overcoat. The satchel's there though, in all likelihood, it's not carrying what it usually does. * Kyon leans up against the side of one of the tents, and keeps looking around. He's wearing his leather jacket over a Sakuragaoka baseball jersey, and uniform pants. * Haruko briefly exits her happy reveire. "Something wrong Katie?" Hm? Oh. Nothing more than usual. * Katie looks over to Kyon. "Where's Kaede?" * Kyon doesn't look back at Katie. Instead, he just keeps scanning the area. "Went home. Said he had too much to do." He smirks. "He can leave it to me, anyway." * Haruko frowns at Katie's comment and then gives a light sigh. "Aww, I wanted to check if any of those students I sent his way actually followed through. Guess I'll have to wait." * Taki nods at Haruko and says a bit horsely, "We got a few from you, thanks." * Katie studies Kyon for a moment, then shrugs and goes back to chipping the paint off. "All right." * Haruko then glances Katie over again, but doesn't press the point, and insteads rests her head against the tree. Yep. Thanks, I think. Then again, you did build the heater for me, so it all turned out well. * Satoshi smiles. * Haruko grins at Satoshi. "Good! Next time I'll see if I can only send the one's with weak throwing arms." * Kyon rolls his shoulders, and mutters something under his breath in Chinese. * Satoshi chuckles. "Nah. After a while, it wasn't so bad." * Haruko smiles. "Pretty good fair, all told. Think we should have at least some new recruits." * Haruko thinks for a moment, and then frowns again. She glances up at Kyon. "We should talk at some point, but it can wait." * Satoshi closes his eyes and leans back against the tree. It's been a tiring day. * Kyon looks sidewise at Haruko, and nods curtly. "If he doesn't get here soon, then we'll go talk now." He jams his hands in his pockets, and looks around again quickly. * Taki leans back untill she's laying in the grass, "If he doesn't show up soon you may have to wake me up." * Katie gives up on the paint and shoves her hands in her pockets, looking around. * Haruko nods. "It's mainly in regards to my research on the Reiji matter... I don't know if that would require privacy." * Haruko sighs and closes her eyes. Although her head remains against the tree and her hands stay at her side. * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Still shouldn't do it here." * Satoshi opens his eyes and looks around a bit. "So who are we waiting for?" [Time: 6:45 p.m. Just after the sun sets (the sky is still blue and, in one direction, orange), Matthias comes along, flanked by Goro and Kaoru.] * Haruko nods. "That's probably wise... bring it up whenever you want." * Katie flicks her eyes in that direction. "Them." * Satoshi notices the arrival of Matthias and company. "Ah." Goro grins/leers at Katie. "Awww..." * Kyon scowls, and looks down at Matthias. "Took you a long time." * Haruko opens her eyes and stops leaning against the tree. * Taki attempts to set up as she hears Satosh speak, "Wha?" * Satoshi frowns at Goro, but remains sitting. * Taki then swallows and winces, trying to sit up. Matthias shrugs. "I'm a busy man." * Katie turns to get a better look at Goro. "Hrm?" Goro looks intimidating in the darkness. They don't call him a goon for nothing. * Kyon shakes his head quickly. "So am I. Don't keep me waiting this long." He rocks off of the tent to a standing position. "So what did you want to tell me?" Matthias waves a copy of the school newspaper. "January 18th's issue, when the fifth person vanished. It's also about the time that some sort of new drug begain gaining the public notice." * Katie blinks. * Taki blinks and then nods slowly. * Haruko doesn't seem all that surprised by that, but still seems to be listening intently. * Satoshi tilts his head slighly and listens. * Kyon shrugs tersely. "Not anything I don't know already there." I read the newspaper. Matthias continues: "There were more before this incident, but this is where the drugs start to get noticed. However, they were apparently around for a while." "Judgement has only been active since mid-December; maybe a bit earlier, but not enough to change things." * Kyon nods curtly and rocks back on his heels, a cool expression on his face with a slight twinge of impatience. * Taki blinks again. * Haruko tilts her head. Matthias folds his arms: "So, suppose that Judgement isn't targetting other Arcana indescriminately." "Judgement may very well be a response to the drugs." * Haruko nods. "Have you discovered more ties between the disappearing people and the drugs?" * Taki blinks again and tries to speak but she starts to cough. * Satoshi looks at Taki. "You okay?" * Katie looks at Taki. Ow...I think I hurt my voice...Anyway, does that mean that Chariot is working for Judgment? Or are there other drugs? Matthias: "Look at it this way: on one hand, all the Arcana taken by Judgement could have been involved with the drugs. This is probably unlikely; I'd know if one of my men were using them." * Taki rubs her throat and winces. * Haruko nods and then glances sympathetically at Taki. * Kyon cocks his head, and keeps his eyes on Matthias. "Right. Don't think everyone who's gone was using them." Matthias nods. "On the other hand, the kidnappings could be done by those distributing the drugs. It might seem far fetched, but the fact is that there's very little information on where the supply is coming from." Aren't there multiple suppliers? * Haruko blinks and rubs the side of her head. "So, perhaps Arcana are being used to create these drugs?" * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Met one of the guys who was distributing. Didn't seem the kidnapping type." He pauses, then continues, "Unless he saw the person as a threat." Matthias: "I hadn't heard anything about that, but even supposing they are, it doesn't change the possibilities." * Katie frowns as she considers. Matthias looks at Kyon: "I don't mean the dealers. I mean the people you don't hear about. The ones running the operation." What I don't understand is why there's so little information on where the drugs are coming from. You'd think there would be a leak. "In fact, I'd almost think the dealers were a diversion." * Taki blinks again. Goro sneers at Katie: "That's what the boss just said!" A diversion? From what? Matthias: "That's exactly it. There's such little information. Someone would need a lot of resources to keep this quiet." * Katie turns her attention to Goro and says calmly, "Not really." She nods at Matthias' statement. * Satoshi frowns. "The more we talk about this, the less I like it." Matthias says to Satoshi: "To throw the police off track. The police would look for a pattern, or try to get the dealers to talk." * Satoshi nods. "Makes sense, then." * Taki nods. * Haruko drums her fingers on the side of her face. "So you suspect that the producing organization works with, or perhaps is Judgement? And that this organization by and large leaves the distribution to others?" Aside from a select few distrubtions that actually matter to the organization. Matthias: "Not necessarily. Judgement might be working with the organization-- or organizations --, but it's also possible that it's working against them." Matthias: "It's deffinately involved somehow, though; too many readings have been done to find out for them all to be wrong." * Haruko paces a bit. "So drug-tied people who disappear may be judgement's work and the rest may be the organization? Or do you hold Judgment responsible for your man's disapperance?" * Taki blinks again. * Katie rubs at her forehead. Matthias: "I don't have enough information to go on, but either way, it looks like Judgement is the key." * Satoshi sighs. He's confused. * Taki speaks quitly, "So...You need Judgment to solve the drugs...but the drugs are one of the only clues to Judgment..." Matthias: "Not the only clues." * Kyon rocks slowly back and forth on his heels. "Judgment's what we needed to know about for a long time. If it's related to the drugs, for or against it, might be we should get some. See what happens." Matthias: "The readings say Judgement is here, at your school. It's only a matter of finding out where." * Satoshi stares at Kyon. "And bring Judgment *and* Saki down on us?" * Kyon glances sidewise at Satoshi. "Can tell the biker girl why we're doing it first." You think she'd listen? True, we could. It's risky all the same. * Kyon shrugs, and smirks. "If she doesn't, she can come along and beat up the dealer. Might make her happy." [Someone says: "Either way, something'd get done." Standing on the wall behind Haruko is Saki!] * Taki looks up at Kyon, "Would they even talk to us after what we did to..." coughs again. * Katie turns and looks up to Saki. She waves. * Haruko glances back surprised, and then waves. "Hello Saki." * Satoshi looks up at Saki and blinks nervously. Matthias looks back and forth, and says, "Seems you already have a headstart on these drugs." * Taki looks up and over at Saki after she stops coughing. * Kyon shrugs quickly, glances at Saki, then back to Matthias. "Run into them a few times. I can see them being tied in." Saki just looks down on you all and smirks. "So, I'm listening." * Kyon turns a bit on his heels to face more towards Saki. "You know where some of the dealers are. Right?" Saki shrugs. "Only the dead ones." * Kyon cocks his head and frowns slightly. "No ideas where to find the stuff, then?" Saki shakes her head. "Not unless I get some new leads, or unless the Chariot shows up. I can't think of any others who are in any kind of condition to talk." * Kyon turns back to look at Matthias sidewise. "You know any?" * Haruko looks at Saki. "Do you think Chariot is one among many dealers or special in some way? Perhaps tied to the producers." Matthias: "I'll ask around Serizawa. Some of them used to do illegal business before I straightened them out; they might know where to look." Saki: "At a guess? Probably. The guy's invincible; he wouldn't settle for being a peon." Saki: "But I sure as hell ain't gonna look for him to find out." * Katie nods. * Taki nods. * Haruko nods. "Alright. So Chariot is probably the main henchmen, and I can't think there are many because this is a small organization because nothing leaks. So probably Judgment is the boss or the opposition." * Taki nods again. Matthias: "That's assuming Judgement is even a person." Matthias: "Up until now, we've thought it to be some kind of force." * Kyon rocks a bit more quickly. "The Chariot doesn't know us. No reason to suspect anything. Getting information from him should be possible." I think a force would make more sense. Assuming it's either is a mistake, though. * Taki tilts her head and then nods. * Haruko looks at Matthais, "True... Although your opposition theory would seem to fit with the card. It's supposed to be positive change right? Fighting drugs would fit." Saki shrugs, "Whatever. If you can find him in the first place and think you can question him before he tries to kill you, go for it. If it comes down to a fight, though, you've already lost." * Kyon turns back towards Matthias, and nods to Katie. "Not going to give up on the force idea. People have a hard time hiding nearly this well." Matthias nods: "Don't close off any realms of thought." * Kyon looks up at Saki sidewise, and smirks. "Does he always try to kill customers? Bad for business." Saki: "Damned if I know. I didn't bother to ask questions." * Haruko looks at Matthias. "So do you think the producers are in human form, or forces as well? Can't be certain, but what would you guess?" Kaoru: "They'd have to be human." Matthias nods to Kaoru: "Orders have to come from someone. Even if there's a force behind it, someone is in charge." * Haruko nods. "That would further support the opposition idea then." * Katie rubs at her forehead. Matthias shrugs: "It's too early to tell." * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Interesting theory, but we need to back it somehow." He turns more fully to Saki. "No ideas about where to find the Chariot?" Saki shrugs. "No idea. When I find him, it's usually because he happens to be there." Jin found him once. He did? When? Well, he led us somewhere, and then Chariot came. I figure the two were connected. * Taki blinks. * Katie looks up into the sky. "He brought me, Haruko, Kaede, and Saki to a warehouse. The Chariot showed up later." Saki raises an eyebrow: "That freaky guy?" * Satoshi looks confused. "I... I didn't know about that. Was this before or after you and me and Haruko got... sidetracked that one night?" Mmm hmm. Before. * Haruko nods. Think there's a connection there? * Haruko lightens up. "Yeah! Those were drug murders. It fits." One was a suicide, and we don't know if it was connected to drugs. * Taki looks a bit confused, but doesn't speak. * Haruko thinks. Saki: "Those guys in the paper? Thought that was overdose." Different people. I think. * Katie nods. "Different people." Saki mmms. * Haruko rubs her forehead, "This is too complicated. We need Chikako or that other reporter." * Taki nods, "Write it all down." Matthias: "It'll get clearer as we get closer to the source." Karou nods. "The important thing is we have somewhere to start looking." * Haruko keeps pacing. "When did the ties to this school first show up? Before or after Jin?" * Kyon eyes Haruko oddly. "In the readings?" * Katie blinks and turns her attention to Haruko. "What?" Saki shrugs: "Depends. When did you pick that guy up?" * Haruko nods. "Look, he's being influenced by something, twice, to bring us into involvement with drug cases." Wait, Haruko. Stop. Back up. Ties to the school how? We hang out with him. We go to the school. * Taki leans back on her hands and watches Haruko. Saki shrugs: "So?" "Hate to tell you, but lots of people go to this school." * Kyon blows out a breath. "No. Judgment and the school go back before he showed up." * Haruko nods. "But he is an Arcana, with an unknown card, influenced by an unknown power, related to the drugs." * Satoshi frowns. "I'm still not sure about that..." Saki: "So am I. Sorta. Maybe." * Taki nods at Kyon and blinks at Haruko. * Kyon rolls his eyes. "Also related to the Moon somehow. And that could fill in all your unknown powers. And you can't get anything out of him. Stop jumping so far." Related to the Moon, sure. Related to us somehow, yes. But we don't know if he's related to the drugs or Judgement. * Haruko shrugs. "Twice we showed up by unknown means at drug related scenes. Twice he was there." But he's shown up lots of other times and places. * Taki speaks up for the first time in a while, "Has he...ever taken you someplace...that wasn't?" * Katie nods at Satoshi, then turns her attention to Haruko. "When? I could count the warehouse as Saki-related, not drug-related." When we first met him, he showed up at a restaurant, and he brought Kaede with him. Saki shrugs, "It's not the first time I'd been to that place." * Katie looks at Saki. "It isn't?" Saki shrugs: "Been there at least once before. Hell, you were there." Really? Can you remind me? The only other time I was there you weren't... exactly you. * Taki blinks at Katie and Saki "...Wait...you remember when you tried to..." * Haruko watches the interchange. Saki shrugs. "It was about... oh, a month or so ago. Beat the crap out of some Seiryuu student who was going to buy drugs from them later that night, then I went down there." Saki frowns. "Come to think of it, you weren't there after all." Then she shrugs and points at Kyon, "But he was." And Satoshi, "Him too." * Haruko looks confused. * Katie nods. * Satoshi blinks. "Why am I not remembering this?" * Taki nods and rubs her throat again, "Oh, nevermind then." Saki shrugs, "It's been a while. I barely remember what I did last week, let alone a month ago." Wait... yeah. That was a really long time ago. I mean, we had Jiro and Meimi with us. [And so after that, you all went home.] [Session End!]