[Day: Thursday, February 13th. Time: 5:30 p.m.] [Weather: Cool and snowy.] [Having gone to Kyon's to meet with Kyoko, you planned for future actions. Then you left. Kaede, Taki and Kyoko went home. And Kyon was already home, so he didn't go anywhere. You're outside the apartment.] [Session start] * Satoshi scuffs at some of the snow with his shoe. "I don't feel like going home yet. You guys want to stop somewhere for dinner?" * Katie shivers and stuffs her hands in her pockets. "Sure, but I have got to get out of this skirt." * Satoshi looks at the girls. "Heh. Guess I don't suffer from that problem." * Haruko nods, but doesn't look all that cold. "Yeah, something more comfortable would be nice." ( Satoshi doesn't? But I thought he was a cross dresser ;_; ) (No. He's just going to turn into a girl someday. ;p) (I have *no* idea how that joke got started.) * Katie sniffs. "Well, we could head home and meet somewhere later. Or, if you wanted, you could meet my parents. I don't think anybody's met them just yet." * Satoshi shakes his head. "Nope. I haven't met anybody's family yet." Except Illusionary Taki's Illusionary Dad. I don't think he counts. Nope, he doesn't. No one has met mine either. Sounds like fun, I don't really need to change. * Haruko adjusts her outfit so that it looks slightly less worn and frumpy. And my dad's been out of town for weeks, so there's no way you could have met him. ( I gotta RP parents? Aw. ) Mine are nice, although I don't normally bother taking friends home. It never really occurs to me. * Katie nods and rubs at her nose. "They never said it, but I think they want to meet you." * Satoshi smiles. "It'd be nice to meet them." Let's get moving, then. I'm freezing. * Katie does that. * Satoshi nods and follows. * Haruko chipperly follows along. * Satoshi adjusts his jacket and hopes that Katie's parents won't be too put off by the fact that he looks like he's been involved in a few fights. [30 minutes later, you get to Katie's house. It's a one story, middle class house that's not terribly large, but not stuffy either. It's juuuuuust right.] (Like the three bears! Which bear am I, again?) ( I dunno. The pink one? ) * Katie heads to the door. And, yes, there's a birdfeeder hanging from a nearby tree, though it's empty. (Carebear STARE!) * Haruko fixes up her outfit and hair again, wanting to be presentable for Katie's parents. She looks slightly perturbed as she tries to rub out a grease stain. [Um... You get to the door. Yeah.] * Katie pulls out her keys and fiddles with the lock some, then opens the door. She steps in, calling, "" ( Katie does not trip over the foot stool, and anyone who gets that ref deserves a banana. ) * Haruko then scurries up to stand a few foot behind Katie and adopts a wide natural smile. (Dick Van Dike?) ( Haruko deserves a banana. ) * Satoshi follows the others in and tries to look relaxed and friendly. ( Wheee! Yay, nick at night. ) (I want a shoe phone. ;_;) (Me too, dangit. Have Rei make one. ;p) [The front door goes pretty much into the living room. Straight ahead is a hall with a buncha doors. Left is a kitchen where a strange woman (to most of you, except Katie, since she knows it's her mom) is fixing food. Food is good!] * Katie kicks off her shoes and doesn't bother with slippers. "" she calls. * KateMom looks over her shoulder. "Just a sec, dear!" She's preparing supper. * Haruko takes off her shoes and glances about for obvious guest slippers. * Satoshi shrugs and just sets his shoes in the entryway. * KateMom is middle aged, with straight black hair and grey eyes. She's wearing jeans and a sweatshirt under an apron. She mighta been cute once, but because she had a kid, aging and stress has gotten to her, and it shows :P * KateMom is cooking noodles, veggies and chicken! Mmmm.... (I'm such a trouble maker.) * Katie hangs her jacket up and waits for her mother to pay attention already. * KateMom finishes the food. She quickly puts it onto plates and sets them on the table. "I wasn't expecting guests! It's a good thing I made extra." * Katie blinks. "" * Satoshi looks a bit embarrassed. "Oh, err... you don't have to go to any trouble for us." Oh, it's no trouble! I'm afraid we don't have very much, though. * Haruko broadens her smile. "Thank you for your offer, I'm sure we'll be quite alright with whatever tasty dish you've prepared." * KateMom smiles. "Well, I hope you find it to your liking. You must be Katie's classmates?" * Katie shakes her head and grins, switching to Japanese. "They are. These are Haruko and Satoshi. I realized that you didn't meet any of my friends yet." * Haruko nods her head and bows. "Pleasure to meet you." * KateMom bows in return. "The pleasure is mine." * Satoshi bows appropriately. "It's nice to meet you." * KateMom bows to Satoshi too. * Katie waves for Satoshi and Haruko to follow her. "Come on, I'll show you my lair of evil." * Satoshi laughs. I can't really picture that. * Haruko laughs, hangs up her coat, and follows Katie. * KateMom calls, "Don't be too long! Supper will get cold!" * Katie walks, saying, "" over her shoulder as she goes. She stops at the second door to her left and opens it. Inside is a decent enough sized room, though it's made rather small by the sheer amount of clutter in it. Half the far wall is taken up by a window... likely one of the largest (if not the largest) in the house. There's a bookcase overstuffed with books - most in English - and carvings all *over* the place. * Satoshi looks around. "Hey, pretty nice. You made all those carvings?" * Haruko scans the room, staring out the window for a moment, before resting her eyes on the carvings. "Wow!" * Katie walks in, idly brushing her fingers along her desk as she goes, which is covered with newspaper, shavings, and... erm, has a few knives on it. The walls have a good number of bird posters, too. Sure. I'm working on this one. * Satoshi moves closer to get a better look. * Haruko leans in curiously. * Katie picks a block of wood off her desk and holds it for Satoshi to see: it has the makings of a nest, and what might be a bird or egg in it. Hard to tell just yet. Neat! * Haruko vigorously nods her head in agreement. "I hadn't realized you had such a love of birds." * Satoshi looks around the room again. "Yeah." * Katie smiles sheepishly. "Yeah, well. It took a lot of time to learn." She chuckles. "Dad always said I was obsessive." Me, I always had trouble staying focused on something long enough to get obsessive, with the exception of my skating. * Katie plunks her satchel on her bed, then goes to the closet and starts extracting clothes. "Anyway, have a look around, or you can stay in the living room. I'm going to go get changed." Oh, right. * Haruko giggles at Katie's previous comment. "Yeah, parents tend to think anything you do for more than four hours a day is obsessive." She then tilts her head for a second and ponders what she just said. * Satoshi heads for the living room. * Haruko tags along. [As they walk towards the living room, a man enters from the front door.] * Katie shuts the door as they leave. Time to get dressed! Offscreen. [Katie's dad is a tall, thin, short, sandy-blond haired, brown eyed man wearing a suit. He gives the impression that he's tired.] He peers at the new people. <"Are you friends of Katie?"> * Haruko glances at Satoshi, confused, keeping up a smile. * Satoshi nods. He bows. * Satoshi looks at Haruko and nods again. He looks puzzled a bit, then remembers where he lives and makes an attempt to bow back. * Haruko takes a cue from Satoshi and bows. "Haruko Kinsha" He bows awkwardly to Haruko, too. * Satoshi wonders if he should have shaken hands instead. * KateMom looks in from the kitchen. <"Hi honey! I didn't think you'd be home for supper tonight."> * Satoshi turns to Haruko. "Mr. Andrews asked if we were Katie's friends." * Haruko smiles and then stands politely. "Thanks Satoshi." You're welcome. * Haruko continues speaking softly to Satoshi. "I really need to learn the basic english greating phrases. I don't want to be rude." He turns to his wife. <"Oh, the meeting was cancelled, so..."> * Satoshi answers softly. "I'm sure Katie would be happy to help you out. And if she's busy, I can try." * Haruko grins gratefully in response. * Katie emerges triumphantly from her den of evil, wearing jeans and a cream- colored sweater. She blinks, then grins. "" * KateMom lays her head in her hand.<"Oh dear. We don't have enough food for everybody now..."> He looks back to Katie and tries to smile, but he looks too tired to do it. <"Yeah. The meeting was cancelled, so I didn't have to stay."> Could you? I'd hate to trouble you with that... * Katie frowns a little. "" She nods at her mother. * Haruko looks politely and patiently confused. <"I know, I know."> * Satoshi murmurs to Haruko. "Katie's mom was upset because there wouldn't be enough food for everyone. Katie said we'd get food somewhere else. And her dad's home early because a meeting got cancelled." Kinda reminds me of my dad a bit. * Haruko nods. "Is there a simple english phrase for 'goodbye, nice meeting you'?" Katie's dad hangs up his coat and hat, then staggers over to the kitchen. * Satoshi nods. "Yes. " * Katie ducks back into her room and returns with her ever-present satchel, sans textbooks. "" She walks over to her mom and half- whispers, in Japanese, "Try to make sure he doesn't work to make up for no meeting, okay?" * Haruko tries to sound it out, coming mildly close to the correct pronunciation. * KateMom nods to Katie and winks. * KateMom waves to the others. "It was nice to meet you too!" Katie's dad looks thataway too. "Umm...." He's too tired to decipher that, sadly. * Katie grins conspirationally and goes over near the door, where she pulls on a pair of boots. "" * Satoshi goes with English. <"Sure. No working today."> ( Little does Katie realize he's going to go in early tomorrow. ) * Katie grins and pats her father on the back. "" She waves. "" (Sure she does, considering he does it all the time. :P) He waves to Satoshi and Haruko. <"Nice to meet you."> * Haruko waves sheepishly. She then heads to the door and puts on her shoes. * Satoshi waves back. * Satoshi puts his shoes on. * Katie grabs her jacket and is out of there. * Haruko grabs her own jacket and heads out. * Satoshi follows the girls out. * Katie breathes out a long sigh once they're away from her place. "That went pretty well." * KateMom is now known as Kirby * Satoshi nods. "Your parents seem pretty nice. And you've got a neat room." * Katie chuckles. "Rooms are only as neat as you make them. I just have a lot of stuff." (Neat as in interesting, not as in non-messy. Satoshi is in no position to complain about the messiness of other peoples' rooms. ;p) Yep, perhaps we'll get to meet them some other time. And yeah, they are. I wish Dad wouldn't work so much, though. I think he's having trouble adjusting, too. * Satoshi chuckles. "I understand. I wish my dad didn't work so much, either." Adjusting to life in Japan? ( He works a lot 'cause his co-workers all speak English :P ) Yeah. (Shh!) * Katie pulls on her gloves. "Well, where to?" Well, we're in your neighborhood. Anyplace you can recommend? * Haruko shrugs. * Katie considers. "Well, there's a pretty good teriyaki place a few blocks down." Sounds good to me. Me too. * Katie grins and leads the way, then, resuming the previous conversation. "But, yes, Dad didn't really want to come here. Mom did." Ah. * Satoshi nods. For as many trips as he makes, my dad probably *should* move to the US. I think he got an offer once, but he didn't want to make me move. * Katie chuckles. "Did you want to move?" * Haruko looks at Satoshi, curious as to his reply. [It doesn't take long to get to the Teriyaki place.] [It's a small restaurant with nice, affordable prices.] (Yes, because Katie's not rich, unlike *some* people. <.< >.>) * Satoshi laughs. "NHL team nonwithstanding, it probably would be pretty hard to play hockey in Los Angeles. And..." He pauses, then frowns slightly, thinking. "I don't know. I really do like it here. I've been to a few other places, and none of them felt quite right." [There's a few customers inside, but most of the tables are free.] Really? Like where? * Katie holds the door open for the others. Where else have you... What she said. Thanks Katie. * Haruko walks in. * Satoshi seems a bit distracted now. "Thanks..." He walks in. Oh, um... I've been to the US a couple of times. Canada, once. And Europe... I think France. Wow, all of a sudden I feel like I've never actually been anywhere. Wow. Aside from Japan, I've never been away from the States. Well, except for that one time we visited Niagra Falls. Not like I stayed very long in any of them, or got to see all that much... I dunno... probably not the best circumstances for deciding whether or not I'd like to actually *stay* somewhere. * Haruko nods sympathetically. * Katie nods and sniffs, putting on a snooty air. "Besides, Los Angeles is such a dirty city. You should have moved to Iowa." * Satoshi laughs. "Never made it to Iowa, but I think you're right about LA." Oh? Is Iowa particularly clean? And, actually, I haven't been outside Japan in a while. Four years, I guess... no, wait, my dad did take me with him on a trip two summers ago. Iowa is... particularly average, I guess you could say. It's in the midwest. Really, though, it's not dirty at all, but then, there's no major cities there, and nothing to trap the dirtiness people make. * Katie goes to get food. Mmm, food. * Satoshi nods, and follows Katie to the food. Yep, he's hungry. * Haruko follows along. "Oh, that sounds kinda boring." [The cook looks at you expectantly. When you approach, he smiles. "Hi every-bo-dy!"] I dunno, sounds rather nice to me. * Katie shrugs. "It's as boring as you make it. I didn't think it was boring, but then, it's home." (*facepalm* I shouldn't be surprised. I really shouldn't.) What can I get you to-day? Beef teriyaki and rice, please. I'll have the chicken, shrimp and vegetable dinner please. * Haruko glances over the menu. "Nice restaurant pick Katie. Chicken teriyaki with rice, please." * TeriyakiGuy happily marks down the orders and cooks the food. He finishes momentarily and serves it with a grin. * Katie pays for it. "Thanks." She goes to find a window seat, so she can watch the snow. * Satoshi pays for his meal and takes his plate, then follows Katie. * Haruko accepts the food and pays the man. "Thanks!" She then follows Katie and sits down. * Katie sits and digs into her food. "Been a while since I killed a cow." Well, *you* didn't kill it. I mean, it was already dead, and if you hadn't ordered it, someone else would've... and I don't think I want to think about this too hard. * Haruko laughs and starts eating. * Satoshi eats some vegetables. * Katie grins at Satoshi. "Sure." So what are these other countries like? I haven't really traveled outside of Japan. Hmm... Katie'd probably be better qualified to tell you about America. As for Canada... it's cold. Really cold. That's why they have so many good hockey players. Nothing much to do during the winter except skate. * Katie chuckles. * Haruko nods, eyes wide. "Wow, I don't mind the cold, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there." Shuffleboard too, Satoshi. Heh. I didn't get to experience that. And like I said, I wasn't there all that long. * Haruko smiles. "Okay then, what's America like Katie?" It depends on what part you go to. Not like what most Japanese think, we don't all wear cowboy hats and carry guns. Even in Texas. I'll admit, I *did* wonder about Texas. * Haruko laughs. "Good. But don't tell me everyone doesn't drive big fast cars, I'd hate to have all my illusions shattered." I don't think you'd *want* to drive in LA. Mmm. The only place in the country with drive-through liquor stores and where a sawed-off shotgun is called a concealed weapon. * Haruko giggles. "Well then, I certainly wouldn't want to walk, now would I?" * Katie snerks. "Actually, the worst crime record in the States belongs to Detroit. But yeah, every city has its bad parts. Especially the big ones. Just like here." Absolutely not! From what I've heard, the only good thing about Detroit is its hockey team. And they're almost *too* good... LA did knock them out of the playoffs last year, though. * Katie snickers. "I wouldn't want to live there. They make a lot of cars, though, which Haruko might like." * Haruko narrows her eyes a bit at Satoshi's comment. "Yeah, I know some good American cars. I wouldn't say the city is only good for it's hockey." Okay. Hockey and cars. The symbol of its hockey team is a winged wheel, you know. * Haruko grins. "Well that's alright then." * Katie laughs and goes back to eating. So... say you could go anywhere in the world you wanted to. Where would you go? * Haruko adopts a thoughtful look. "I've never really considered that. Hmmm..." * Haruko continues to ponder, leaving a piece of chicken suspended between two of her chopsticks, with a few grains of rice falling into her lap. * Katie watches Haruko with mild amusement as she eats. * Haruko suddenly looks up smiling and trying to snapping her fingers. Unfortunately, this allows the chicken to fall from the chopsticks, slightly staining her dress. * Haruko dips a napkin in some water. "Darn it! Anyways, Germany, they have that road with no speed limits and some amazing vehicles." * Haruko dabs at her skirt with the wet napkin. "Nothing we couldn't replicate of course, but it is important to learn other country's techniques." Heh. But of course. Of course. I don't think it's going to happen here, though. * Haruko frowns. "Yeah, you're probably right." Sadly, yes. * Haruko grins. "Fortunately, the police can't be everywhere." ['Specially this day and age.] * Satoshi taps the table as he thinks. "For all that I'm the one who asked this question, I'm not really sure I have an answer." Mine's easy. I want to go to the Galapagos Islands, at least once. * Haruko finishes cleaning herself off and resumes eating. "So tell us what you're thinking, we don't need a single answer." * Haruko then thinks for a few seconds and turns to Katie. "More for the animals than the science history I assume." * Katie grins at Haruko. "Both. The birds are supposed to be amazing, and I want to see where Darwin did his work." * Katie shrugs. "Current goal is to become an ornithologist, really. So, yes, I'm interested in the history." Oh? I didn't realize science figured so prominently among your many talents. I shouldn't be surprised that you want to study birds. Mmm. I guess you could say it's the academic bent. * Satoshi grins. * Katie chuckles. "Like I said, obsessed." She looks out the window. Heh. * Satoshi ponders. "Well, let's see... Seattle, I think. My dad and I used to watch this American movie about it. Looks like a neat place. And then maybe someplace in Europe, like Sweden." I know. One's a city, the other's a country. Sweden? That sounds fun. I'll go with. Seattle's a little misty for my tastes. That's alright, but what's special about them, why are you drawn there? The movie for Seattle. I'll admit, that's about the only reason. Sweden... well, there's the hockey aspect, of course. Lots of good Swedish hockey players. But I've looked at books about it, seen some travelogues... it just looks neat. I have a horribly one-track mind, don't I? * Haruko giggles. "By that logic I may go to San Fransisco, I've seen a few good movies from that city. And don't worry, nothing wrong with a one track mind." San Francisco... yeah. Almost made it there once. * Haruko smiles. "Well, maybe we could go there sometime. After your trip to Sweden with Katie." * Katie laughs. * Satoshi grins. "Hey, why not?" Well, we'll need money first, but once I finally get something to drive I won't have to scrimp and save as much. Oh, well, I'll just have to become a world-famous hockey player and get drafted by the NHL. Then, I'll come back in the offseason, and we'll all go traveling together. How's that? * Satoshi grins. * Haruko laughs. "Works just fine for me." Of course, then I wouldn't be living in Japan anymore. And at that point, I might get tired of traveling. Maybe that's not such a great plan after all. * Satoshi thinks. "But to actually be a professional player... man." You can do it. But you'd be traveling with us, how could any one ever tire of that? * Satoshi looks at Katie. "You really think so?" * Katie pops some food into her mouth, chews, and swallows. She's still looking out the window. "Yeah, I do. I don't need to see you play to know that." * Satoshi blinks. "Wow... thanks. Don't think anyone's ever told me that before." * Katie looks over at Satoshi and smiles. "Have a little faith." Heh. I try. It's sort of like my highest aspiration. Well, no "sort of." It *is* my highest aspiration. * Haruko smiles. "I hope you reach it, you certainly deserve to." * Satoshi blushes a bit. "Thank you." * Katie nods. * Haruko takes advantage of the pause to eat more of her chicken. [Through the door comes a boy about your age. He's Asian, looks Japanese, but his hair is blond, his bangs combed back. It ends in a single pony tail at his waist. His clothes are unusual: A greyish-white Chinese tunic that falls to the knees, slit up the side, and loose, greyish white trousers. And following him is Kaede.] * Satoshi looks up. "Hey, it's Kaede. And... somebody else." * Haruko is too consumed in her consuming to notice them enter until Satoshi comments on it. "mmpfh, oh, weird." * Katie looks over and blinks. * Kaede starts to step inside the restaurant then stops suddenly, blinking and adjusting his glasses, looking confused. * OddlyDressedBoy walks over to your table. * Katie mentally shrugs and smiles. "Hello." * Satoshi looks at him. "Hi there." * Haruko waves. * Kaede wrinkles his brow and starts to look behind him back outside, unconsciously stepping inside. ( If anyone's curious, he's dressed in the style most Chinese wore in the early 1900s. Watch Once Upon a Time in China for an example :P ) ( Or look here - http://www.fashions-china.com/men.htm Last one on the top right. Except not so fancy. ) ( Yikes! A chronomancer, or someone who just dresses differently, hard to tell in these herky jerky Arcana times. ) * OddlyDressedBoy looks everyone over, then says almost timidly. "Um... Hi." * Haruko stand up and bows. "Hi, my name is Haruko Kinsha. Would you like to sit down?" * OddlyDressedBoy gets a few surprised stares from people in the restaurant, but doesn't seem to care. He nods and gladly takes a seat. * Kaede sighs and swivels around, just turning short of tripping backwards over a chair as he looks up at the group, narrowing his eyes a bit...he's dressed in a casual set of overalls. * Katie waves Kaede over. * Kaede walks carefully over, keeping one eye on the strange comer but not making much of a word. Heya, Kaede. * OddlyDressedBoy looks at everyone, kind of timidly, keeping his head low. So, I take it you know Kaede? * Kaede pulls up a chair, still looking around. "Err..hello everyone." * Kaede glances over at Haruko, then at the guy and just shakes his head slowly, keeping one eye on him. Hi Kaede. * OddlyDressedBoy glances up at Kaede, then turns back. "... Um, I don't think so." * Kaede scratches his head, looking down a little. "It's good I found you at least, but.." Oh. 'Cause you guys seem like you came in together, so we all figured you knew each other. * Haruko looks confused and acknowledges Kaede with a nod. She then waits, hoping for an explaination from Kaede. * Kaede looks at the guy again, then looks at everyone with a steady gaze for a moment before speaking. "...Is there a bathroom around here..?" ( I just realized what's wrong with the outfit in that pic. It doesn't have a belt. ) * Katie blinks at Kaede, then wordlessly points it out. * Kaede smiles slightly. "Could you show me? I'm no good with directions at all..." * Haruko scratches her head, she then turns back to the stranger. "So, if you don't mind me asking what's your name?" * Katie smiles sympathetically. "Certainly." She stands and starts leading Kaede there. * Kaede stands up and walks over with Katie thankfully. Um... Jin. Nice to meet you. I'm Satoshi. ( Woo! Video games always come through for me! ) (Heh.) ( Jin's ourfit looks like this, except grey-white: http://www.crysania.com/lastblade/recca.html ) * Kaede glances back before turning to Katie and whispering. ( And he's got considerably more hair :P ) * Katie frowns a little and whispers back. * Haruko smiles and actively turns on the charm. "So how are you doing? And would you like anything to eat? The foods been fairly good I think." Uh... Yes, but.... * Jin reaches into a pocket, and comes out with four very odd looking coins. "... This is all I have." * Satoshi blinks. "Neat. I don't think I've ever seen anything like those before. Where are they from?" * Katie nods and whispers something to Kaede. ( People can make a cultural arts (chinese money) roll :P ) ( Though that kinda gives it away. ) (Heh.) * Kaede gives a slight nod and looks up for the bathroom, turning towards it as he leans over again to whisper. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Haruko (2d6) and gets 11. (No knowledge for me) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Satoshi (2d6) and gets 5. (Hm. I actually made that.) [Satoshi confirms that the coins are, in fact, Chinese in origin.] Um, well.... * Katie rubs at her cheek with one finger as she murmurs. ... I'm not sure. Regardless of where they are from, perhaps I, ::she glances up at Satoshi:: or maybe we, could cover you for one meal. * Kaede shakes his head a bit. Not sure? They look Chinese to me. I'm pretty sure that's what they are. And yeah. We can certainly do that. * Jin looks down at the coins, for almost a full ten seconds. * Jin finally says afterwards. "...Oh." And puts them away. * Haruko maintains her smile, but the corners are twitching a bit. "So, what would you like to eat?" * Satoshi blinks, a bit confused. * Jin blinks. "I'm not sure." * Kaede waves and smiles awkwardly. "Thanks Katie..I don't think I could have found it without you." At that he heads into the bathroom. Not a problem. ( Or with her, given how long that took c.c ) * Katie chuckles dryly and shakes her head, walking back to the table. Are you a vegetarian? * Katie has a seat. * Jin blinks at Haruko. "A what?" * Haruko blinks. "Do you eat meat? You know, chicken, cows, all sorts of creatures we kill for food." * Kaede comes out of the bathroom, wiping his hands because he washed them like a good little arcana. * Jin looks up at the ceiling. "Um...." * Jin looks down again. "I am... I mean, I do... I think." * Haruko nods. "Right then, feel free to take a sample of my dish, it was rather good, and if you like it, you could get yourself one." * Jin peers at Haruko's dish. * Haruko gets up to grab a clean set of chopsticks and hand them to Jin. "Or don't if it doesn't look appealing." * Katie looks at Jin curiously. "" * Kaede sits back in his seat, taking a deep breath. * Jin takes the chopsticks and looks at them curiously. * Jin takes a chopstick in each hand and pokes the chicken with them. Hey, at least he didn't try to eat them. How about this. What do you remember? Remember? Yes, remember. * Haruko sighs quietly. I was supposed to, um, tell you something. What's that? I'm... not sure. * Kaede closes his eyes and listens quietly. * Satoshi tenses a bit, in case this has to do with Meimi. Or the Band. Or anything like that. ( Suddenly, Satoshi is crushed by a chandler. Then Jin says. "Oh, now I remember! Satoshi, move out of the way!" :P ) (Ow. Thanks *so* much.) * Katie frowns slightly and runs a fingernail down her chin. "Do you remember where you were before you showed up in the restaurant?" Well, where were you before you came here? I don't know. I had to come here to talk to you... so, um, I did. * Haruko just smiles warmly and approvingly, hoping to keep Jin relaxed as everyone else gives him the third degree. ...And you brought me too for some reason. * Jin looks timid, but doesn't look frightened at all. Mmm. Any idea what about? * Jin blinks twice at Kaede. "I did?" That or the person who directed you to come here did the same to me..except I know a bit more of WHY I'd be here.. * Jin nods. "About the Arcana. I think." * Satoshi nods. Ahh, now we're getting somewhere. Oh, all right then. * Katie goes back to eating. * Jin scans counter-clockwise around the table, first at Katie. "You're the Page of Swords." * Jin moves his gaze to Haruko. "You're the Queen of... Cups." * Jin continues to Satoshi. "You're the Ace of Wands." * Jin squints hard at Kaede. "And.... Two. of Pentacles." * Kaede sighs and rubs his forehead, knowing it'd come to this. "Hmm..." And you? * Haruko snickers, "Yeah, cups, not to be confused with the Queen of Wands" I....'m not sure. * Kaede pulls out the tarot pack that he still had from earlier and starts to shuffle it. "Well..we can find out.." * Satoshi mutters. "Why am I not surprised?" I... don't know. * Kaede sets the cards on the table and looks up at Jin. "Go ahead and cut and pick one." * Katie whistles. "At least you don't think I'm Judgement." * Jin peers at the cards, then at the table. "Um... Nothing to cut with." * Katie smiles. "Then just pick one." * Jin shakes his left arm, and a three-sectioned staff falls into his hand. "I have this, though... Want me to hit it?" * Kaede looks evenly at Jin. Oh, that's just an expression. You just use half of the deck and... uh... * Kaede looks at the staff for a second, not showing much surprise at all. "That's alright...just a note though, it's not good to draw weapons in public places." * Haruko stares at Jin for a moment, then after striving mightily returns to a normal expression. * Jin blinks. "Weapon?" He looks at the staff. * Jin fits it back up his sleeve. * Kaede tilts his head with a neutral expression. "Some people would consider..oh never mind." * Satoshi just blinks a few times. "Ohhhh... kay." Anyhow, just pick a card. Any card will work. * Jin blinks a few times, too, confusion obvious on his face. Um.... (Brett, hats off to you...you made someone even more...well, whatever, than Kaede ^_^;) * Jin picks a card. "This... no..." He picks another and puts the first back. "This... no. Um." He repeats the process. * Kaede blinks at Jin and slaps his own forehead. "Just ONE card...the first card you pick." (Hee.) Oh.... Ummm.... * Jin peers at the cards thoughtfully. * Jin looks over at Kaede. "Is there any one you want in particular?" * Haruko blinks again, finding comfort by slowly releasing her grip on reality. * Katie chuckles softly. "Here." * Kaede shakes his head. "No, no...just pick whichever one feels right to you." * Katie picks up the cards and shuffles them, then spreads them face down towards Jin. "Take one and turn it over." Um... Okay... * Jin blinks, then takes a card. * Jin turns it over. It's the Page of Swords. "Here." * Kaede nods a little and picks up the cards, shuffling them again and spreading them out. "And just to make sure there's no confusion..mind doing it again so we can be sure?" Okay... Which one do you want this time? * Katie blinks. You decided to pick that card, didn't you? Because it's mine? Could you draw Sho's card? * Jin nods. Um.... Sho? We don't want a certain card..we want you to pull YOUR card. * Katie tilts her head. * Haruko shrugs. "Worth trying." (Ooh, devious. I like your way of thinking, Haruko. ^_^) * Jin frowns at Kaede. "I...I'm not sure which one it is." * Kaede glances over at Haruko and then back at Jin. "Well, that's what we're trying to figure out..you might not even HAVE a card." I do. I'm pretty sure. Then try drawing again. And don't think of which card we WANT to see. Um... Okay.... * Jin draws again. * Jin flips it over. Queen of Wands. * Katie shakes her head. * Jin blinks at Katie. "But I thought...." Nope, sorry. that can't be it either. * Kaede leans back in his chair and lets out a little sigh. * Jin looks at Kaede questioningly. Do you know who that card corresponds to? Um... You told me not to think of which card you wanted to see, so... I didn't. * Kaede groans and slaps his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that..?" * Jin blinks a few times at Kaede. "Do you want another one? I can draw another for you if you want." * Kaede thinks on how to word the next question. * Haruko leans back in her chair and closes her eyes. Alright... * Kaede picks up the cards and shuffles them again. "Let's see now...maybe you can draw the card we're looking for." Which one is that? * Kaede spreads the cards out on the table and nods to Jin. * Kaede smiles slightly. "We'll see won't we?" * Jin blinks. But, um, how can I draw it if you don't tell me what it is? You've done it before... I have? * Haruko leans forward again. "You can act on your own accord, without instructions, right? * Kaede looks at Jin. "Just draw the card we're looking for." * Jin looks himself over. "I don't see why not." But... Which card is that? If I tell you, it won't be a proper test now will it? Close your eyes. Reach out, and take one. * Jin closes his eyes, reaches out ant takes one. * Jin flips it over. It's the Ace of Wands. * Jin does it again. Two of Pentacles. * Jin does it again. Page of Swords. Keep going. Okay. Well, he's really good at finding us... * Jin does it again, Queen of Cups. * Jin opens his eyes. "Good?" One more time please. * Jin closes his eyes. "Okay, um...." * Jin opens his eyes. "But... we're out of cards you want to see." No we're not. I dunno; I could go for a few more. Um... Okay.... * Jin draws another, eyes closed. Judgement. * Jin draws another. Moon. * Kaede frowns and groans. "Definitely not the one we're looking for. Okay. I could've done without that one. But it's probably on our minds... and so's that one. * Haruko gulps. "Thank you, Jin." Mmm. Maybe if we cleared our minds? * Katie chuckles. "How zen." He still hasn't drawn the one I was thinking of. I am one with the hockey puck. Ommmmmm. * Jin draws another. Queen of Wands. "But if you don't tell me what you're looking for, how can I draw it?" * Kaede sighs and closes his eyes, muttering under his breath. "And I was so sure.." Wait wait...maybe there's another way.. * Jin draws another. The Tower. Jin? How could you tell what cards we corresponded to? * Jin opens his eyes. "Is that enough? Stop Jin, stop... He hasn't pulled Taki's card yet. Interesting. Maybe not good. * Jin looks to Haruko, blinking a few times. "I'm.... not sure." * Jin looks over at Satoshi, then reaches down and draws the Knight of Cups. Good now? * Haruko blinks, "Can you try doing what you did to us on yourself?" Yeah. How about... Ryuji? Ryuji? Yeah. Or Saki. Or Ryo. * Jin shakes his head at Haruko. "I could, but... I can't remember which one it is." If he's not consistant, how can we know for sure which cards fit with which? Saki? Ryo? Besides, I think he can only pull cards we know..he has so far.. * Satoshi sighs. "This really isn't getting us anywhere." I can pull any card you want. Okay. Shingo. Remi. Kyoko. Reiji. I just thought you'd, um, rather see something familiar. This may be fruitless, Jin, would you like me to show you how to use those chopsticks? After all, he still hasn't drawn the card I'm thinking of...the one the wheel's supposed to lead us to.. Wait, you can show us unfamilar cards, that's quite alright, good even. * Jin blinks at the chopsticks. "These? Um..." Any card you like. But only if you tell me which you want. * Haruko keeps looking straight at Jin, but demonstrates the technique for using them. * Jin watches Haruko. That probably means we have to know the card we want, knowing the person isn't the same, he doesn't know himself right now so he can't show us his card. * Jin tries to imitate with his own chopsticks, but drops one on the table. * Katie shakes her head as she gathers the cards and shuffles. * Haruko stands and walks over to Jin, and demonstrates the technique again, making sure he can clearly see it and watching his style. * Katie flips the top one off the deck so it lands face up. * Jin tries again. He manages to hold the chopsticks, but not properly, so he can't pick anything up. * Haruko smiles. "Better." She then glances at him for permission and shows him how to adjust his hand to hold them properly. [Katie draws...] d78 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Brett (d78) and gets 1. (...) [The Fool. Katie draws the Fool.] * Katie blinks. * Kaede looks down at the card, then over to Jin. "That...makes sense actually.." * Katie picks it up, shuffles it in, and draws again. [Katie draws...] d78 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Brett (d78) and gets 41. [Five of Pentacles.] Now this is different. * Katie repeats the process. * Jin looks almost in awe as Haruko shows him how to do it. He grins when he realizes it for himself. d78 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Brett (d78) and gets 40. * Kaede looks down at the card, then looks up at Katie, eyes narrowing, waiting for the next time. [Four of Pentacles.] ...Meimi you think..? * Katie nods and shuffles it back in. "No, I don't." No. I'm real. You know, it's kind of funny. We've met plenty of Wands and Cups and Swords, but Kaede's our only Pentacle, and... Perhaps, but doesn't mean the form on the cards are... * Satoshi blinks at Jin. Ah, so you know Meimi? Um... Sort of. And how do you know Meimi? I'm... not sure. * Kaede adjusts his glasses, gazing steadily at Jin. * Haruko echoes Jin's grin at his success. "So, try the food, maybe a full stomach will help you remember. Even if it doesn't it's good to eat." * Jin nods to Haruko and eats. He remembers how to eat. (Hurrah!) * Kaede turns to Satoshi, letting out a deep breath. "What do you mean?" * Katie shuffles thoughtfully. Like it? I can get you a whole bowlful if you are hungry. Well, in our group, we've had at times three Wands, two Swords, and two Cups. Remi and Reiji are also Cups. Kyoko's a Wand. The crazy druglord was a Sword. But no other Pentacles, besides you. It could be nothing. Just a coincidence. * Jin nods. "'S good," he says around eating. But it could mean something. I dunno. It's..hard to say. Is there something Pentacles mean as a whole? * Kaede glances back at Jin. "I still say that first card may have been accurate...." Not sure. I don't really know much about the significance of the tarot beyond what people have told me. * Haruko waits til Jin finishes her chicken, and then buys more. * Kaede turns back in his chair, holding his hand out to Katie. "Let me try." * Katie hands them over. * Kaede shuffles the cards and flips the first card over, letting it land face up on the table. d78 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Brett (d78) and gets 51. [Kaede draws... Knight of Pentacles] * Kaede looks down at the card and scratches his chin. "Hmm..yet there's still no reversed cards..." ( They're reversed to the people across the table :P ) * Kaede sets the pack back down on the table. (That doesn't count! ^_^;;) ( Says YOU :P ) * Katie finishes her food and looks to Jin. "Do you have a place to stay?" A...? I don't think so... * Haruko returns to the table and hands Jin the new bowl. What are you going to do after giving us the message? * Jin looks quite pleased, and digs right in. Um... Not sure. He still needs to REMEMBER the message first... * Katie nods. "Well, he needs a place to stay, either way," she decides. That's true... * Satoshi nods. "Yeah." Perhaps the tower reversed? Is that a place one could sleep? I wouldn't put him there. Not with who it attracts. The Tower Reversed may be supposed to be safe, but I wouldn't want to sleep there. He could stay at my place, if he didn't mind sleeping on the couch. * Jin raises an eyebrow. "Sleep in a card?" He peers at the deck. No, wait. I get up early. Probably not a good idea. There's not much room at my place I'm afraid... * Katie nods at Satoshi. "Mine wouldn't work out. I don't think Haruko or Kaede's would, either." Uh, Jin... do you have any objections to waking up at 5 in the morning? Correct, my parents would look oddly at me bringing home strange men. Unless he slept downstairs..and I don't think he'd like that.. 5? Um... I don't think so... Okay. Guess you can stay with me, then. Okay. * Jin stands up, takes the bowl, and moves over near Satoshi. * Kaede frowns slightly. "Are you sure you don't mind, Satoshi?" Nah, I don't mind. None of you guys has a place for him, and I won't be disturbing anybody by taking him in. Besides, it's just for one night, right? * Kaede stands up and rubs his head. "Sorry to put this up on you regardless.." I'm not sure... * Katie chuckles. "Maybe Kyon can take him in. I don't know if he'd go for it, though." Well, we can look for another place if that doesn't work out..I'm sure we'll think of something. S'okay. And, yeah, you could probably stay for a while. At least until we figured out why you came to us. * Kaede frowns at Katie. "Nor would that cat..I think he may wake up with claw marks all over his face." I forget if we already asked Jin, but do you remember who sent you? * Jin shakes his head. * Katie smiles and reaches over to press her hand against Jin's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will come to you eventually. Until then, welcome to the group." Um... Okay... * Kaede picks up the cards, looking strangely at them for a moment before pocketting them as he stands up. * Haruko grins. "All we ask is that you keep being nice and don't hurt any of us, pretty simple rules, that work for you?" I... think so. Well, could you promise to tell us beforehand if you need to break them? Who knows what you will remember, but even without memories, you can control how you will act. At least that's settled. I guess I've got some things to look into before... * Kaede lets out a small shudder. "Tomorrow." Tomorrow? * Jin nods. "I can do that, I think." Tomorrow? Thanks Jin. Just...oh never mind.. * Katie mmms. "Valentine's Day." She looks at Jin. * Jin blinks at Katie in ignorance. * Haruko giggles, "Sheesh, how the heck am I supposed to figure out a vehicle for him." * Katie just smiles. "Shoes, maybe?" * Jin blinks. "Shoes?" He looks down at his feet. ( Which have shoes, but the old Chinese-style. ) * Haruko laughs, "Perhaps." She glances down to note his shoes. Let's...just go.. * Satoshi nods. "Yeah. C'mon, Jin. Just follow me." Okay. * Jin follows Satoshi. * Katie stands and stretches. * Haruko looks up at the clock, "Yeah, I should be getting home. Good night guys." Night Haruko. Yeah. See you tomorrow, guys! * Jin blinks at Haruko and Katie. "They're not coming?" We live in different places. * Kaede waves and looks up at the sky. "Night." Oh. Uh, no. You're staying at my place tonight. We all live... what she said. * Jin looks over at Kaede. "Him too?" Him too. Oh. * Haruko waves. "Good bye Jin." She then heads towards the door. * Katie waves and grins, then heads off for home. "See you later." So, yeah. Just you and me. * Kaede just shakes his head and waves over his shoulder again, hands in his pockets to keep them warm as he trudges through the snow. * Jin imitates Haruko. "Good bye." Oh. Okay. So, c'mon! * Satoshi heads for home, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Jin's with him. * Jin waves to the random customers. "Good bye. Good bye. Good bye." * Jin follows Satoshi, but an angry Teriyaki man chases them when he tries to leave with the bowl. Uh, Jin? You have to leave the bowl here. They need it later for other people. * Haruko heads home, giggling. * Jin blinks and looks at the bowl. "... Oh." * Satoshi suddenly realizes that this is going to be a *loooong* night. * Jin hands it back to the Teriyaki man. Chopsticks too? Yeah. (Kyon's gonna LOOOOOOOVE him...) I've got some at home, though. You can have those. * Jin hands those back too. Those are disposable, though, but the Teriyaki guy reailzes not to make a fuss. Oh. Okay. (btw, for the record, is Jin cute?) * Jin is hecka cute. (Okay, has Jin divested himself of the shop's possessions?) ( Yes :P ) (Good. Now, we go home.) [Mini end :P]