[Day: Saturday, April 17th. Time: 7:30 p.m.] [Weather: Thunderstormy! It should be dusk outside right now, but thanks to overcast skies, it's much darker, making it effectively night. In fact, you could say it was a dark and stormy night.] (Geez, Haruko, what's got you so mad? ^_~) [We find Haruko and Taki at Haruko's home after a very, very long day. One way or another, they got in touch with Satoshi, who's on his way over. Woot.] ( They went after my bike.) [Haruko's parents are conveniently out of town until tomorrow. Woo hoo!] [Session Start] * Haruko is still sitting by the coach Taki went to sleep on. She has the tea tray at her side. She has left occasionally, first to grab her homework and after making headway on that she's switched over to making stencils. * Satoshi arrives at Haruko's and rings the doorbell. * Taki has Intense Sleeping Action on Haruko's couch, because, well, Haruko put her there. * Haruko gets up and walks over to the door. She glances through the window, presumably sees Satoshi, and opens it. Evening, Haruko. * Satoshi steps in and removes his shoes. * Haruko gives a weak smile. "Evening Satoshi. Taki's on the couch. She's healed up but asleep again. My fault really." What happened? * Haruko closes the door behind Satoshi. "Glass in front of the bike. I think someone threw a bottle." She frowns. "I'm betting Kei, I took note of the type of bike, so we can check that out." She then sighs. "My defensive driving wasn't good enough and we went down." Oh, geez. You okay? * Haruko nods. "Only paint damage." You, Haruko. Not the bike. * Haruko blinks, puzzled by this. "Oh." She looks herself over. She's a bit bruised, probably a cut or two, but nothing still bleeding. "I'm alright." * Satoshi sighs bemusedly and walks over to the couch to check on Taki. * Haruko reclaims the tea tray and goes into the kitchen. "Want anything to drink? Or eat?" Just some water, thanks. * Haruko starts to make up a fresh batch of tea and then goes for a glass for Satoshi. * Taki doesn't seem to be hurt and is sleeping under a blanket, but her clothes seem to have had a rough time of it and there are a few small bloodstains. * Satoshi takes a seat on the floor next to the couch and watches her sleep. * Haruko fills the glass with water and brings it out to Satoshi. "I'm getting a bit worried about her sleep. I know the fields tire her out and she doesn't really control them. But I don't think Akemi or Matthias tend to take that long to recover." * Satoshi looks up at Haruko and takes the glass from her, then takes a sip of water. "You're right. I'm getting worried, too. She's been constantly tired lately, much worse than before." * Haruko nods. "We'll talk to her about it." Yeah. So, what else did I miss? * Haruko goes back to the kitchen to monitor the tea making. "That's about it. She's been napping since then. I've worked on homework and butterfly stencils." * Satoshi blinks. "Butterflies?" ( Yep, I'm helping her get a tattoo. ^_~) * Haruko steps out of the kitchen and looks over to Satoshi. "Well... If it is Kei, I don't want to challenge him to a fight or anything." She's got a sheepish smile. So you're going to sneak up behind him and paint butterflies on him? [Outside there's a bright flash of light, followed by a loud crackle that wakes Taki up!!] * Satoshi startles slightly. * Taki starts and sits up quickly, then she lifts a hand to her head and rubs at her eyes. * Satoshi looks over at Taki and smiles. "Morning." * Taki blinks at Satoshi. "...Already?" * Haruko shakes her head and smiles. "I think he might appreciate having his motorcycle detailed. I think 'love' on one side 'peace' on the other. With lots of little butterflies." * Satoshi eyes Haruko and stifles a snicker before turning back to Taki. "Nope, evening actually. But you've been tired a lot lately..." * Haruko keeps working on the tea for now. * Taki nods and stifles a yawn. "... The fields... When it's up, I don't notice, but after it comes down... I ... liked it better when I just got a little dizzy on the long ones..." * Satoshi reaches up and gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We could practice trying to control them." * Haruko stands over at the entrance to the kitchen for the moment. Her eyes rest on Satoshi. You really shouldn't be running around tired all the time. We worry about you. * Haruko nods. "And I think Matthias and Akemi have been able to come back with a bit more ease. Maybe they've figured out easier ways to deal with it." * Taki nods. "It's ... not that I want to ... If... if there's something I can do to help somebody I try... and ... mostly what I can do is teleport." Well, yeah. We're not asking you to stop trying to help, but if you try practicing, eventually you'll figure it out. It's like learning to stop a puck. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d8) and gets 2, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "I'm down with that. You know me." 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d8-2) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 8. * Haruko nods and takes out the tea tray. "And we can see what we can do to help you deal with how tired you get in the meantime." * Taki shakes her head. "I...If I mess up a block ... it takes ... a few seconds to recover... but... it's been a week... and every time I'm starting to get back... it happens again." She pulls her feet up onto the sofa and then pulls the blanket up over herself. * Satoshi says, gently, "Then we need to figure out how to stop it from happening." * Haruko puts the tray down by the sofa and takes a cup for herself. "And we can talk with Matthias or Akemi about how they recovered after they passed out in Tokyo Tower." * Taki nods. "Things just... keep happening." [Lightning flashes again, followed by crackling.] Right. But this is important and we should work on it. I don't want you to pass out in the middle of who-knows-where. * Haruko nods. "Like that time with Chariot." * Taki says, quietly, "I don't want that either." 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d6-2) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 5. [There's lost of sirens in the distance.] * Satoshi blinks. "Did that lightning hit something?" * Taki assumes there are windows and looks towards one. "... Maybe?" * Haruko goes back to making stencils. "Maybe." She walks over to the television and turns it to a network, volume fairly low. "We'll see if there's anything big." * Satoshi gets up and looks out the window. [If something was hit, it doesn't appear to be anywhere nearby.] I don't see anything. * Satoshi walks back over and sits down near the couch. * Haruko leaves the television on for now just in case. She keeps clipping at the stencil she picked up. Anyhow... teleportation and field practice. Does it matter if you do long-range or short-range teleports? [The TV does have a weather report, though. "... And as you can see, we're in the middle of the storm right now," a man says as he gestures to a Doppler radar. "The thunder will probably last until around eleven p.m., with rainfall continuing until one."] Pretty nasty storm. * Taki watches Haruko for a few seconds and then looks at Satoshi a moment after he asks his question. "N-no... The only... they don't ... happen in my apartment." They don't? * Haruko glances back to Taki. "Not me!" She then smiles. "Although I do want to see my work on the Doppler sometime. Taki, do you have your notes in your bag?" [He gestures to a spot southeast of Tokyo. "As you can see, the storm may pick up again tomorrow. But there's a chance it will pass us, too, or we will simply skirt the side of it."] * Taki nods at Haruko. "... But... I... I think it's in my bathroom... with your other helmet... Sorry." (Ahh, Haruko's delusions of grandeur. ;p) * Haruko nods and keeps working on her stencil. She looks over to Satoshi. "She has been keeping notes on when it happens." (Yup!) That's a big help. So when *does* it happen? Or is it pretty random outside your apartment? It... yes, mostly. [The newscast flips back to a reporter. "Thank you, Injimo-san. Coming up next: A motorcycle with two passengers crashes on the highway. Or does it? Was there an accident at all, or was it a prank call to the police? Stay tuned for Ghost motorcycle."] I wonder if there is a pattern... * Satoshi looks up. "What was that about seeing your work on TV, Haruko?" * Taki blinks at the TV. * Haruko runs a hand through her hair and blushes. "I rather hope nobody was taking pictures." ( Ghost motorcycles. Sounds like an average day for me.) (What sort of visors do Haruko's helmets have?) (Clear plastic) * Taki nods slightly. "...I ... I should have come back sooner." * Haruko snorts. "I shouldn't have sent you away. I forgot you could take motorcycles." * Taki looks at Haruko. "Thi... this was only the second time." * Haruko nods. "But I had already had some cool ideas how we could use..." She shakes her said. "I'm being silly. Go on Satoshi." Where was I... oh, yeah, a pattern to the fields. It's a shame we don't have those notes, but is there anything you do remember about them? * Haruko finishes the stencil and spreads out the five she's made. She gives them a satisfied nod and goes back to homework. * Haruko 's five stencils are all butterflies for the record. All similar sizes, but slight different designs, some with wings at various states of flap. * Taki looks up as she tries to remember. "It... your apartment mostly... but I've gone there most." Has it ever come up when you were alone? * Taki shakes her head. "N... not that I remember." * Haruko nods. "That fits with it not happening in your apartment." So maybe it's in proximity to us? Or just me, even? * Haruko shakes her head. "It happened when she teleported me to the hospital." * Taki closes her eyes for a moment and then shakes her head. "Sh... I wrote down who I remembered... I Haruko's, I think." But it didn't *always* happen. * Taki nods. Well, she passed out when she teleported to help us with Chariot. She didn't take anyone with her, but we were there when she arrived. So if being alone makes the difference, it's arrival conditions that matter. Y... yeah. So it might not matter who you take, but who's waiting there? * Haruko smiles slightly. "Good. So we have one way for you to save your energy." * Taki blinks at Haruko. "But... if I need to get somewhere that fast... won't somebody be there?" Well, can you stop the field by doing a quick second 'port? * Taki shakes her head. But doesn't that work sometimes? * Haruko nods. "Yeah. It won't help most of the time. But if you need to take the field down you could go a short distance away where you'll be away from people." * Taki looks at Satoshi and nods as Haruko starts to speak. "... Most of the time... I don't realize it's up... untill after it's down again..." Do you start feeling a little more tired when it's up, or does it just hit you all at once afterwards? Well, at least it means you can always go home when we split up. ::She blinks and thinks for a moment;: It's ... kinda both. [Krack-BOOM! The lightning flashes again. And takes the TV and lights with it.] Oka- Damn. Do you have a flashlight, Haruko? Or candles? Or ... something? * Haruko frowns and turns off the television. "Yeah, just a moment. I've got glow sticks in my backpack, but since I'm home I've got better options." Session Time: Fri Aug 05 00:00:00 2005 * Haruko makes her way over to the kitchen. * Taki waits on the couch and Satoshi should be able to hear her shifting position and pulling the blanket around. 2d6+3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d6+3) and gets a natural 4 for a result of 7. * Satoshi waits in the dark, hoping his eyes adjust soon. (By the way, if either of you have the ability to see in the dark, now's a great time to discover it. ^_~) (Self inflicted body roll because of awkward) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Haruko (2d6) and gets a natural 3 for a result of 3. (Haruko wins!) (And I'm not planning on that power, it's more of Katie's department.) (If she doesn't already, yeah.) * Haruko 's foot catches on the table but she stops herself and moves around it. "I really need to sew some skivvies. I could just go watery in these situations then." After a bit she gets to a cabinet, opens it, and takes out a few and a small electric lantern. 2d6-1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Satoshi (2d6-1) and gets a natural 5 for a result of 4. * Satoshi shudders. * Taki doesn't say a word. Haruko? You okay? * Satoshi reaches up to pat Taki on the arm. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d8) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 10. (d8?) (...thank you) 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d6-4) and gets a natural 8 for a result of 4. * Taki is still up on the couch, and starts a bit when Satoshi puts an arm on her leg. "Ah." * Haruko turns on the flashlight first and then fiddles with electric lantern for a moment. It comes on and lights up the room fairly wll. "Just fine." Oh, sorry. * Satoshi blinks in the light. I just... just had the feeling that something just went really *wrong*. * Taki had pulled herself into the classic Katie arms around legs position under the blanket and blinks. "Wh... what?" I don't know. Just that something terrible happened. (And now she blinks? *tries to figure out how the tenses in that sentence should work.) * Haruko walks back and puts the lantern at the table. She then walks over to her backpack to get the glow sticks. "Any feel to who?" She sounds worried. * Taki looks at Satoshi. "... I didn... Where's Katie? ... And Kaede?" No. And I don't know. I think we should call. * Haruko gets out her phone and checks if she has service. * Taki nods. [Haruko does have service! She knows because her phone rings.] * Satoshi reaches for his phone, in case for some odd reason his is working and hers isn't, then stops when hers rings. * Haruko 's eyes widen and she answers the phone. * Taki looks at Haruko worridly. God, I hope I'm wrong. Hello? * Kaede speaks fast, and rather frantically over the other end. The rain can be heard pretty clearly on the other end, so most likely he's calling from outdoors somewhere. "Haruko. Thank god you answered. I need you over here *now*." (Haruko put on speakerphone? Or should we just ignore that?) (Ignore it, she hasn't speaker-ed.) * Haruko nods. "Right. Where are you Kaede?" (Brett just thought it'd be easier to say it in the main channel :P) (Probably is) "Hold on..." * Taki starts to look worried. * Haruko holds the phone with her neck and looks to Satoshi. She makes a gesture of writing with one finger on her palm. She then points to her backpack. * Satoshi reaches over, grabs Haruko's backpack, and hands it to her. * Haruko digs in it and grabs a pen and paper. * Kaede replies quickly but hesitantly, as if he's checking something. "A bus stop..." Pause. "It's a short walk from the hospital..." Another pause. "About 5 blocks or so." Which direction? And is walking fast enough or should I steal a car when I get there? * Taki moves up to very worried. "Wh...what's happened?" d4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Brett (d4) and gets a natural 2 for a result of 2. * Haruko 's voice is oddly calm through this. She's either suppressing or redirecting her emotions. * Kaede replies. "North of the hospital. And a car might be a good idea. I don't like it, but this is an emergency." Right. We'll call you back when we get to the hospital. * Satoshi blinks and stays quiet for now. No sense distracting Haruko while she's still talking to Kaede. * Kaede stops her short. "No you won't." Check. What's the situation then? I don't have my phone. You'll have to call Soleil's cell. (""'s on those.) * Haruko quickly reaches into her bag for two more glow sticks. She hand's one to Satoshi and one to Taki. "Right. I'll call back this number then." She then hangs up. "We need to get to the hospital." She looks sadly at Taki. "Immediately." * Haruko then closes up her bag and puts it on her back. * Satoshi stands up and moves to help Taki up. "What happened?" * Taki stares at Haruko for a bit and then gets helped up by Satoshi without taking the glow stick. "Wha... what's happening?" He didn't say. Just that there's an emergency. ::she frowns:: Maybe you should hold Taki in case she collapses when we get there. ::she pockets the extra glow stick and picks up the lantern:: (Or you could always go with "You know what you doing.") * Satoshi nods. * Haruko walks up and puts a hand on Satoshi's arm. She holds the lantern in her other hand which is currently reaching up to remove the lock picks from her hair. * Satoshi carefully holds onto Taki. * Taki takes a deep breath. "This... isn't my day." Then she puts a hand on Haruko's shoulder. When is it ever our days? * Haruko doesn't comment on that. Her hair flops down as she removes the lock picks. R...ready? Yes. Yes. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6-3) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 7. (Bah, DR) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6-3) and gets a natural 9 for a result of 6. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d6) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 10. [Bam! You're at the hospital.] ([Taki dies from exhaustion. As she was the main character and you didn't know it, the series is cancelled. The End.]) * Haruko quickly scopes out the scene for good cars to steal. Nothing fancy, just something easy to get into. Ideally one that looks like it won't be missed. "Satoshi, could you take my lantern?" ( ... Sorry.) Sure. * Satoshi takes it. * Taki wobbles a bit and looks at the lantern. "... I guess it's not up." * Haruko slips on her gloves, removes the ruler looking thing from her backpack, and heads towards the nearest prospect. Assuming there's no obvious witnesses around. [Haruko spies a Buick. Woo.] [Haruko's pretty safe, given the lighting and weather.] * Satoshi holds Taki steady. "Guess it's not." * Haruko slides the metal ruler down by the cars window and works to pick the lock. ( Roll 'um ) 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Haruko (2d6-2) and gets 0, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "My momma always said, you gotta take the good with the bad. Here's some good." [Haruko so totally opens that door.] (Haruko discovers that the owner left the keys in.) * Haruko slips in, checks for any security systems, and then jumpstarts the car. (And the best in 80s rock) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Haruko (2d6-3) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 4. (Electronics (security) make by 2) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Haruko (2d6-3) and gets a natural 4 for a result of 1. (Lock pick make by one. Damn, why couldn't I get these rolls last night. @_@) (What happened last night?) (Err, last week) ( Haruko had three rolls to get out of a traffic accident, and didn't :P ) (It was fate.) ( Nope ) (Damned fate) (DOOM.) [Haruko gets the car going! It blasts Oldies music from a tape in the radio. But it's Oldies Japan, so...] * Haruko presumably gets the engine making a satisfied rumbling. "Let's roll." She unlocks the rest of the doors the easy way. ( It's not even *good* oldies.) * Satoshi helps Taki in before getting in himself, being careful not to leave fingerprints. * Taki gets helped into the car and tries not to touch anything. * Haruko gets moving. She goes as quickly as she feels is safe. Which is pretty quick. But not quite as quick as that one time where she had the encounter with Reiji. [It doesn't take long to get to the spot. There's Kaede, and a very injured-looking Soleil. Both her legs seem broken, and her nose and mouth are bleeding.] * Haruko quickly parks the car, ideally somewhere fairly out of sight. But if that's not available she'll handle just nearby. She puts the car in park, engages the parking break, but leaves the motor running. She then gets out of the car and runs over to Soleil. * Kaede looks over quickly at the running. It looks like he's on the defensive as he reaches for something, but then relaxes when he realizes it's Haruko. "There you are." * Satoshi quickly climbs out of the car and runs after Haruko. * Taki not so quickly climbs out of the car and winds up opening the door with her hand inside her sleeve. She hurries after Satoshi and undoes all of Haruko's hard work of drying her off. * Haruko leans down by the girl and starts healing her while at the same time looks her over for any immediate life threatening injuries. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Haruko (2d6-2) and gets a natural 3 for a result of 1. (Forgot the +1. Make by 4) [Haruko gets the feeling that Soleil has several internal injuries as well.] * Kaede takes in a deep breath and leans back in the bus stop's shelter before closing his eyes. What *happened*? I... * Kaede stops himself short. He sounds rather ashamed to admit it. "I don't know." * Haruko frowns as she heals. "She's worse even then she looks. We should either teleport her away her try to move her somewhere dry at least to help with the shock." * Taki looks back at where the hospital is and then winces. "B...back to your house?" * Haruko nods. "Somebody please turn off and lock the car. We won't need it anymore." I'll do it. * Satoshi goes to do so, again being careful not to leave fingerprints. * Haruko focuses on healing Soleil. She trusts that everyone else can form up around her. ( Gimme hearing checks at +4! ) * Taki kneals next to Soleil. "D...do you remember anything?" 2d8+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d8+2) and gets a natural 8 for a result of 10. 2d6+4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6+4) and gets a natural 3 for a result of 7. 2d6+4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Haruko (2d6+4) and gets a natural 8 for a result of 12. 2d6+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Satoshi (2d6+2) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 9. (I missed by one! ;_;) (d8, Kaede?) (Heh, knew those rolls couldn't last forever) (...thanks!) 2d6+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kaede (2d6+2) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 12. (No thanks. That's worse than the d8s :P) (Bets that Khalil will be rolling d6's all of tomorrow?) (Heh.) [Soleil doesn't answer Taki. She's not conscious.] (She was kinda asking Kaede. Kneeling because she wasn't expecting Soleil to stand up for the teleport.) * Kaede staggers over towards Taki. For someone who was with her when they were attacked, he doesn't look anything except wet. (Kaede didn't know she was addressing him, actually) (So it's IC confusion!) * Taki looks up at Kaede. "D...do you?" * Kaede stares at Soleil for a moment, then at Taki. "What?" * Taki looks back at where Satoshi went. "R..remember anything?" * Haruko keeps healing Soleil. She doesn't comment on the discussions. * Satoshi returns in a few minutes, having dealt with the car. * Kaede pauses for a moment. "No. No I don't." He rubs his head. "I woke up in a puddle." Satoshi felt it happen. Maybe he can read you once we get back to my house. Felt it happen? * Kaede looks at Satoshi strangely. I just got a feeling that something had gone really wrong. * Taki puts one hand on a probably undamaged part of Soleil and another on Haruko's shoulder. The boys are going to have to use their own hands. "L... let's just go." * Satoshi puts his hand on Taki's shoulder. "But worry about it later." * Haruko nods and heals. * Kaede closes his eyes again and puts a hand on Taki's other shoulder. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6-3) and gets a natural 3 for a result of 0. [Suddenly you're back at Haruko's.] Field's up. * Taki takes her hand off of Soleil and steadies herself on Haruko's shoulder. "Augh." * Haruko keeps healing. "Satoshi. Could you please elevate Soleil's feet using a few pillows? Taki, try porting to my room. It's empty so it should turn off the field." * Kaede blinks and looks at Satoshi. * Taki nods and doesn't even stand up before she vanishes. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Taki (2d6) and gets a natural 6 for a result of 6. Down. * Satoshi goes to get pillows. * Haruko focues for a moment and gently tries to lift as much water as she can off of Soleil. That water then floats over to the kitchen and goes down the sink. What's that all about? * Satoshi returns with the pillows and starts propping Soleil's feet up. Quick version. Taki's field doesn't come up when there's no one else around. Why would that be a trigger though? We were discussing that earlier. Right now, we don't know. We have other concerns at the moment. [Session End!]