[Time: 4:40 p.m. Haruko returns to the school.] * Haruko walks in and quickly makes her way to the lab, hoping that he's still there. [The lab's open, but empty.] * Haruko walks in looks around carefully and then sighs. She checks for any machines left on or signs that someone will soon return. [Seems like the lab's only open for student use.] * Haruko runs her hand over a keyboard of a random computer and looks at it for a moment. "Someday I'll master you too, y'know." She then decides to check if Arisu is around Chikako's office. [Haruko utterly fails to notice a someone entering the room with a cardboard box, and walks right into it.] * Haruko goes "Oof" and falls down. She then tries to scramble out of the way. "Hey, watch where you're going!" Eriko peeks out from behind the box and blinks. "What are you doing here?" * Haruko chuckles. "Told you I was going to come and talk to Hirokazu. What's your excuse?" She grins with that question. * Haruko gets up and brushes herself off, in a fairly doomed attempt to maintain some dignity. Hirokazu peeks around the corner of the door. "Huh? You wanna talk with me?!" He gets a big grin. * Haruko quickly supresses a brief look over embarrassment that flashes across her face. She tries even harder to look dignified. "That I do." * Haruko glances at the box and attempts to gain some control of the conversation. "New computers arrive?" He looks bewildered but happy and glances at Eriko, who rolls her eyes. Eriko: "Just one. We're finishing off our current budget before the new one comes in." * Haruko nods and gives a slightly enigmatic smile to Eriko. "Good to know that the computer club is making such efficient use of it's funds." She gives as much of a shrug as she can and walks into the room. "Not really. We have to spend it or we just lose it." She sets the box down. Hirokazu follows her in, carrying a much smaller box. * Haruko then gestures over to a secluded but still visible corner of the lab and turns to Hirokazu. "So let's talk for a moment once you're done." * Haruko thinks for a moment and turns to Eriko. "Unless you want to be included... Which would be fine." Hirokazu looks at Eriko and shakes his head rapidly, but she just folds her arms. "Not like I have anything better to do." * Haruko chuckles. "Alright, so please close the door and we can talk while you're setting the computer up." Eriko closes the door while Hirokazu glumly starts setting up the computer. * Haruko takes out the deck and tosses it over next to Hirokazu. "You recognize that I'm sure." Hirokazu looks at them and shrugs. "That fad that's been going around school. So?" There's a neat little trick with that deck, you've seen it before, drawing the four of cups twice. What you don't know is the implication of that trick. "What trick? All I did was draw some for someone who wanted to use them in a game." * Haruko takes the deck and shuffles it and grins. "Now here's the test I can easily fake, but it's a fun place to start." She holds it out to him. He looks down at it. * Haruko tilts her head. "So was I right?" He shrugs. "Well, yeah, there's a lot of tricks to it. The VP had one last time, too. It's just not very interesting." * Haruko nods and smiles sweetly as she hands the deck over. "This time you shuffle, then give it back to me and draw while I'm holding it." * Haruko pulls up her sleaves and smiles sweetly. "You have a choice to make now, I'll expect you to keep testing this, but what I'm about to tell you you can take on faith and the promise of future evidence, or we could let my friend Satoshi explain it, he can give better proof but I thought you may want to hear it from me." He blinks confusedly. "...I have no idea what you just said." (Go Haruko!) * Haruko nods. "I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself." I'm about to tell you something truly insane. Choose now whether you feel like hearing me out, because if you aren't willing to consider it, I'll just be wasting my time. [Hirokazu seems so distracted by Haruko that his brain's barely comprehending what she's saying] :P (It's okay. My brain wouldn't comprehend it normally.) "Insane? Awesome." * Haruko nods. "Good man. There is a reason you draw that card, you're atached to it. If you hold out the deck for me, I'll draw the Queen of Cups every time, that's my card." "They're sticky?" Eriko laughs. * Haruko almost rolls her eyes, but chuckles instead. "Perhaps aligned would be a better word." Point is, you're an Arcana. Like about a dozen people at this school and around eighty total, one for each card. Eriko isn't one, but she's almost certainly saner than most of us." "Aligned? Did someone ... huh?" Eriko: "Someone has to be." * Haruko nods at Eriko. "Certainly." She then looks back at Hirokazu. "You had a question?" "I figured if they were misaligned, you should reprint them with the proper alignment. And make sure that doesn't screw up the font." (See, this is why Haruko needs someone to be there with flashy powers. It's all about the flashy powers.) * Haruko chuckles for real this time. ( Turn to water, Haruko. That'd convince him. 'Specially when you came back. ) (Yeah, well she wanted to be nice to Taki. ^_~) (Helpful suggestion Brett, thanks. :P) ( ^_^_v ) Forget the vocabulary. You are the four of cups, I am the Queen of Cups. So we each draw our own card. Got it? "Uhhh... Okay. What do I get if I win?" * Haruko thinks for a moment and goes for a new approach. "Forget the cards. I'll cut to the important bit. You're an Arcana, the good news, you get super powers, the bad news, there are a fair number of insane people out there who also have them. My power is healing and I'm one of the sane ones." "Awesome! Where can I get this game?" Eriko snickers. * Haruko grins. "You're already playing it, you just don't know your powers yet. And as you seem to be a good guy and she," Haruko gestures to Eriko. "says you check out, we'd like you to join us." * Haruko takes out her cell. "Maybe I should call in Taki. I can't do a demo unless someone is already hurt." Hirokazu grins. "She does?" He looks back at Eriko, who rolls her eyes. Hirokazu turns back to Haruko. "Alright. This sounds like a great idea. I'll bring it up to the club next meeting." * Haruko rolls her eyes and starts to dial in Taki's number. "There's something you're missing. But it's easier to show it." * Haruko does still keep a friendly overall look while rolling her eyes though. Hirokazu blinks. "Really? Hmmm..." He snaps his fingers. "A talking cat!" * Haruko tilts her head as she dials. "Hmm?" "Yeah, and... and... a rocket launcher! That can be my power. I summon rocket launchers." * Haruko giggles a bit. "Sadly, they are assigned based on your card, not so much something you can choose." "Like a character creation thing? That'd be cool." * Haruko holds the phone up to her mouth. "Hey Taki. Things are going well here, but I could use a flashy power demonstration." Computer lab, we're all standing by the door. (Call me, Call me just come on in iTunes >.>) ( That's great. I really need to rerip my bebop CDs so I can listen to those again. Stupid dead harddrive. ;_;) Hirokazu babbles about how cool this game will be. * Haruko grins over to Eriko. [Taki arrives suddenly!] * Taki arives in the middle of the room without any sort of fanfair, "You rang?" Hirokazu takes a step back. "Woah! Girl from nowhere!" * Haruko grins at Hirokazu. "Isn't modern technology great?" "Yeah. That was awesome! Do it again!" I'll have you know I came from a cafe. * Haruko smiles over at Taki and then turns back to Hirokazu. "See, the thing is. We're not talking about a game, all this is real. That's the hard part to get." * Taki moves over a few feet without passing through any of the distance in between, "What this?" He nods. "Yeah, it's a great story." [Taki finds she's in the computer lab with Hirokazu, Eriko, and Haruko.] * Taki waves to Eriko and walks to Haruko. * Haruko waves back. "Alright, Taki, would it be hard to take Hirokazu somewhere and then come back? That's probably the least tramatic way to get it to sink in." Not any harder than it was for me to get here... * Taki turns to Eriko, "is there anybody up on the roof?" Eriko shakes her head. Hirokazu: "The roof? Alone?" He gets a wide grin. * Taki eyes Hirokazu, "On second though...howabout just across the room." * Haruko sighs and glances of to Hirokazu. "One condition of joining our particular Council. You've got to restrain the lewd comments." He blinks. "What lewd comments?" (We've been promoted from rambling mob to Council? When did this happen?) (Just now. ^_^ ) ...I see you have a lot of work to do Haruko. * Haruko gives a him a gentle smile. "Yeah, but some of that can wait another for another day. Short version, being so excited to be alone with a girl can make her uncomfortable." * Haruko nods at Taki. * Taki nods back. "Why?" Uhm...becuase most girls like guys who at least have the appearance of self controll? * Haruko nods. "That's part of it. The other part is that we don't always want someone hitting on us. It's one thing with a guy you know and like, with a stranger it's awkward." Hirokazu: "Wha? I never did that!" Eriko runs a hand through her hair. "I think you're wasting your time." * Taki blinks at Hirokazu, "I may regret asking this, but what were grinning about when you thought the two of us were going to the roof alone?" * Haruko grins. "Perhaps, but we can save this lesson for another day. Just for now, new rule, don't act so excited to be alone with a girl, it's cooler to be sauve. Got it?" Hirokazu fidgets. "Um... Well, that's..." ....Right, see? You're nearly getting the hang of this. Now your prize is a free trip to the other side of the room. * Taki grabs Hirokazu's wrist before she can think better of it and crosses the room. [End]