[Day: Unknown. Time: Unknown] [Weather: Non-existant] [You're outside the upsidedown Tokyo Tower with some British guy who has all the answers. Technically, Jin is there too. Let's see what happens.] [Session Start] * Satoshi stares at the old man. "W-what do you mean?" [Oh, and Kaede looks bloody and in a great deal of pain.] * Haruko looks more confused than shocked by Winstons latest statement. (Confused look #26: Not even going to try to speculate) * Taki blinks at the old man, and hugs Satoshi tighter, "What's that?" * Winston stares right back. "Didn't I just say?" Perhaps you could be so kind as to elaborate. But... of *course* I'm the Ace of Wands! It's what I've been drawing since I found out I was an Arcana! * Kaede...um...bleeds. And looks at Winston. He doesn't say anything yet though. I thought it was pretty obvious. * Taki nods. * Katie sighs. "And here I thought there wouldn't be any more riddles." She looks over at Kaede, frowns, and nudges Haruko with her elbow. * Winston chuckles. "My dear, my whole experience as an Arcana has been one big riddle. And I'm much older than you." * Haruko gets nudged, looks at Katie, then out of instinct looks at Kaede, gasps, and runs over to him. * Kaede shakes his head and grumbles, wincing and holds his side. "The cards...really don't mean anything, do they...?" * Haruko gets to the healing. "Perhaps you could allievate our youthful ignorance with your venerable wisdom." If you mean that little trick where you draw your card... Well, that's all it is, really. A trick. That would be nice. ...So we can just pick whichever card we want? * Katie blinks. So... does that mean *none* of us represent the cards we thought we did? Oh, it's not that simple. But to assume you'll always pick the same one... So how do we know what cards we REALLY are? * Winston looks over at Kyon, "Well, you can tell them about that." Oh, I assure you, most of you are just what you've thought. Most? Not all? * Kaede looks over at Kyon and his expression dulls a bit. * Kyon rocks back on his heels and regards Winston coolly. "Can I, now." * Haruko looks concerned, but she also seems to be getting used to seeing Kaede this way. She mutters to herself, "I've seen Pintos that spend less time in the shop than you need Kaede." She then goes back to paying attention. * Taki barrows a confused look from Haruko and gives it to Kyon. All except for you, Hideo. That's the second time somebody's called me that. My name is Satoshi. Satoshi Watanabe. *Not* Hideo. * Katie tilts her head. "There's Hideo again. Who is he, Winston?" * Kaede looks over at Haruko carefully, the tip of his mouth curling in a faint smile. "It's a knack." * Winston takes off his hat and rubs his forehead with a handkerchief. "Oh dear. This might take a while. Jin, fetch us some tea, would you?" It's not every day you can anticipate an elevator falling on top of you... [Jin nods twice and runs off.] * Katie grimaces. * Haruko gives him a brief warm grin. "Fair enough, just be careful that nothing happens to you that I can't fix." * Satoshi looks frustrated. * Taki looks up at Satoshi..."An...elevator fell on you?" Fell on Kaede. * Satoshi looks very, very embarrassed now as well. It sort of... broke when we were trying to operate it. * Taki shakes her head, "All that happened to us was that we ran into him...and the thing with the mask, you had a falling elevator, and they had Saki..." * Haruko gives Katie an embarrassed look. "Somehow I think I'd have been more useful to them than to you." * Winston puts his hat back on. "One question at a time. Hideo is, simply put, the name of the current Judgement. That's you." ...WHAT?! ( Haruko gets kidnapped by the elevator! "... Or not." ) ...I heard you wrong. Hah?! Right? Right? * Satoshi starts looking very panicked. No, I don't believe so. ...wait. But..but...but... I may be old, but my ears are as sharp as they ever were. * Kaede looks over at Satoshi. But I'm *not*... I'm Satoshi Watanabe, the Ace of Wands. *Not* Hideo. And definitely *not* Judgement. * Taki nods rapidly. * Katie turns and looks at Satoshi. Then looks at Winston, then back, then back again. She's... surprised, to say the least. * Haruko purses her lips for a moment and smiles. "It's rather reassuring that it should be you. So long as you can maintain your identity, I can't think of a better one." So...the Band was half right after all? * Kyon shakes his head quickly, and moves his hands out of his pockets, flexing them. He looks over Winston sidewise. "Where's your proof?" * Winston sighs. "I can see this is going to take a while. The Japanese always were so stubborn, even when they were wrong..." * Winston smiles at Kyon. "I'm old and mysterious. What's yours?" * Haruko frowns a bit at that. "Perhaps you could explain what Judgement really means then." * Kyon smirks back. "I'm young and forthright. And that's not proof." We have no proof either way. We've seen that the cards don't always work. So we might as well know both sides before we decide. ...yeah. Don't argue with me. I'm British. * Katie rubs at her forehead. "" She switches languages. "As fun as talking about how one culture is right over another is..." And she's American. We can argue this all day...night...whatever. * Haruko giggles at that, she doesn't seem to buy it though. You could be from Mars. I don't think that matters right now. Mm... Yes, truthfully, everyone in that blasted war was wrong at some point. Except Switzerland. God bless the Swiss, I suppose. ( Well, good chunks of Latin America stayed out too I think. :P ) So...those shadows.... * Kyon shakes his head quickly, and smirks harder. "Moving off track? Think there was supposed to be proof." Those shadows are the people you've judged. *I* haven't judged anybody. I'm not this Hideo. * Kaede rubs his chin with the hand that isn't trying to hold in his vital organs. * Taki blinks some more and looks confused. I can't be! How can I be? * Katie puts a hand on Satoshi's shoulder. "Satoshi. You don't know what Judgement is." Look. Does it really hurt to hear him out before we frantically thrash about saying "This can't be happening?" Because, quite frankly, a lot of this stuff SHOULDN'T be happening but is anyways. It's something that everybody wants to kill. Isn't that enough to make anyone *not* want to be it? The proof is my power. I know everything. ... * Kaede snorts. (What's the capital of South Dakota?) And I'm sure there's no way we can prove you right or wrong in that respect. (Pierre. Why?) ...what about that shadow mask thing? I don't have to prove myself to you. I'm going to say what I must; you take it how you will. * Kaede smirks slightly. "But if you know everything, you already know how we'll take it." * Haruko glances over at Taki for a moment. "Satoshi may need some help dealing with this." She then looks back at Winston. "Fine, we won't argue for a bit, please go on and inform us, we can judge afterwards." I know everything; I'm not psychic. Here I thought the Japanese were respectful to their elders. Hmph. * Haruko grins. "You're telling me not to act like a stubborn Japanese person, I listened, you can't have it both ways." Sorry, I apologise for not accecpting everything you say as fact. * Katie shrugs. "I'm only half and was raised in another culture." She smiles faintly. "" * Kaede pushes his glasses up his nose and gives a slightly neutral glance. "I don't believe I showed any disrespect." Espicialy when you say you don't know something and then a short time later say you know everything. Well, the Americans always were... Bah, enough of this! * Haruko caughs politely. "But we're interrupting you, do go on." I forgot where I was. You were telling us how Satoshi is Judgement. Describing the nature of Judgement. You were saying Satoshi was Judgement because you said so. * Satoshi has fallen silent, and has settled for simply staring at the old man. Oh, yes. Quite right. Hopefully, Jin remembered to tell you of the surviving Arcana from the World War II period? He said there were five. Quite. And we know at least one. But nothing besides that one wanted to talk to us. Which would be you. * Katie nods. Indeed. I'm one. Having not been in Japan at the time, there's no way I could have been killed by the bomb that fell on Hiroshima. * Haruko gives Taki a significant look and turns towards Satoshi direction before looking back at Winston. Then there's Saki Morikawa, whom I believe you know. * Taki tightens her hold on Satoshi and nods. I'd like to know more about her, but I'll ask later. * Kaede sighs and pushes up his glasses. "So that leaves 3 more..." Alright. * Haruko looks like she was about to speak but nods her head at Katie's comment. (Ha! Beat you to it!) The other is Death, Saki's counter-part. Also the Devil Reversed. Quite literally the Angel of Death. ...So there are two Saki's running around? ... That's a bit of a complicated question. * Haruko grins and comments rather softly. "Oooh. I thought death counted as one of the five, I was right for once! Guess even broken clocks..." For now I'll answer it this way: There are, but not the Angel of Death. Who is it, then? I'm not sure. In fact, I don't actually know everything. My power is rather that I am capable of such. * Taki would facepalm but her hands are full so she just buries her face in Satoshi's side. * Haruko takes a few seconds to translate that into mechanical terms and then nods. * Katie doesn't react to that outside of a shrug. And the fourth is Hideo Watanabe. * Kaede rubs his head slightly. ...um, no? So who's Satoshi then? * Haruko just listens and heals for the moment. Decendant? Didn't I just say? * Katie speaks up, "If Satoshi is Hideo, then why does he think differently?" No. You said Hideo. You didn't explain why he THINKS he's Satoshi, if that's wrong in the first place * Kaede then blinks at Katie. * Katie smiles faintly. That's a more complicated story. Could you please tell it? But... I've got memories. Of being small, of my parents... I was born, I grew up. I'm going to turn seventeen in August. I *haven't* been alive since World War II. Wait...before we get off track, you haven't mentioned the fifth yet... Your memories are fake, implanted by the last Temperance seconds before she died. Is Temperance the woman who can erase memories? Indeed, though Mamiya Kanae's powers do not yet rival her predecessor's. But... but my *dad*! He's in LA. Right? She doesn't seem very temperate to ME. * Taki nods again. * Haruko grins for a moment and then drops the expression as the larger situation sinks in. Of course not. That's just what you think. But he hasn't called in a long time, has he? * Satoshi says, quietly. "...no. He hasn't." * Katie looks at Satoshi with no small amount of sympathy. "If what you say is true, why was it done?" * Taki mutters so quitly that Katie is probibly the only one who can hear her say, "Even if the entire world says otherwise, you're still Satoshi, we'll just have to prove them wrong." In order to stop Death. Saki Morikawa. Explain. * Haruko looks rather disturbed and then also looks at Satoshi with sympathy. "The past is out of our hands, but who you've choosen to be is a good person, one of the best I know. Whatever you come to remember, whatever of this is still true, you can still be him." Stop her? How? Is *she* the one who's been making people disappear? * Winston smacks his forehead. "No, in 1945!" * Kaede looks over at Satoshi and nibbles a bit on his lip to think. But...Satoshi's memories don't go back that far... Indeed they don't. * Haruko tilts her head and nods at Taki's comment. False memories, remember? Didn't you just say it was done in 1945? Why do I look like I'm a teenager, then, if I'm supposed to be this old? Do I not age, like Saki? But wait....if we believe you, then what ABOUT the disappearances? If Satoshi...or Hideo, whichever...doesn't know he's Judgement, then how can he, well, Judge? Oh, no, you're not immortal. Sorry to disappoint. How could somebody in 1945 know what a kid would need to know now?...And what about all the time in between? I don't want to be immortal. I want to be who I think I am. * Haruko looks as if she really agrees with everything everyone else is asking about. * Winston waves his hands. "Calm down, one at a time." He looks over his shoulder. "And where the devil is my blasted tea?" Chicken. * Katie snickers despite herself. * Satoshi makes a noise that's somewhere between laughing and crying. * Haruko snickers briefly before regaining her composure. Before turning back to Winston she comments to Kaede. "You really don't go for half measures injury- wise, do you." * Taki tightens her hug for a moment. * Kaede takes a deep breath and tries not to laugh, but loses the amusement as he turns to Haruko. "...what do you mean?" * Katie looks at Satoshi and Taki for a moment, then turns her attention back to Winston. "One at a time. Let's start with why Satoshi doesn't look older than he does." That is due entirely to the World: Mitsuko .... whatever the hell she calls herself now. What did she do? Reduced his age. ...how old am I *supposed* to be, then? * Haruko gently pats Kaede's shoulder with the hand she's healing him with. "This one was fairly serious, it's taking a while to heal." She then turns back to Winston. * Katie raises an eyebrow. "Even if she did reduce his age, if it was in 1945, he should look older than he does." Unless she did it more recently? A bit less than a hundred. (...dude. I'm *ancient.*) ( I know I wanted to date an older man, but... o.o) Quite. She did it twice. She was taking care of you for a while. Now, what's missing here though is why so many Arcana would go through so much trouble to keep this underwraps like that, but I assume you'll get to that. She was? When? * Taki nods, "You seem to be undoing a great deal of work." So Mitsuko is the last surviving Arcana. And that's what I was about to ask, yeah. * Winston taps his hat. "Your memories of your FATHER are fake. His mother perhaps? * Kaede adjusts his glasses casually. But my mother... she *left* us! (Think of it this way, Satoshi. You can order Saki around 'cause you're older than her.) That's correct. ( Yeah, Satoshi. Go try to order Saki around :P ) But she's this... World? Why did she leave? Why was she trying to pressure me into... or was that fake? I wouldn't know what she was trying to do; she always had her own ideas. * Haruko watches Satoshi with a sympathetic look that shows a desperate wish for the ability to heal more than physical damage. Well, if nothing else, *that's* at least true. As for why she left... Same thing. She's fond of resetting her age every 20 years or so; never goes far past thirty five. Then that's probably why. ...oh. It's possible. I'm not saying she couldn't have had other reasons, however. ... * Katie looks up, then back to Winston. "So, why would they do this? What's the point behind making sure Satoshi lived so long, and without knowing who or what he is?" Did... did I *have* a father? Is he like the one I remember? But I know enough about her to know that. She desires to stay eternally young. Well, you must have come from somewhere. Of course you did. Back in the 1920s I imagine. If we take what this Winston says with any grain of truth. Y'know, your country lost because of me. * Kaede pushes up his glasses. He doesn't really seem particularly perturbed or startled. Just still a little annoyed. I haven't heard anything more belivable than what the band had to say about Katie being Judgment. * Haruko tilts her head. "You were at Los Alamos?" Mine did not. But can we get back to the question I asked? Please? No. I wasn't. And yes, your country WON because of me. * Katie nods. "I'd really like to hear about that, but like you said, one thing at a time." * Haruko looks rather dubious, but nods in agreement with Katie. Very well. Remind me what your question was again? Why did they do this? Memories, age changes... all of that. What's the point? That, I don't know. Then why haven't you used your wonderfull know-everything powers to find out? Because they don't work like that. If they did I'd use them to play the races and make millions. (...Why the fsk am I channeling Sagiri tonight?) * Haruko doesn't really react to that statement. "Could you tell us more about Judgement?" (Hey, it's good for her.) * Katie sighs and folds her arms. (Because you've just been told that your not-exactly-but-probably- close boyfriend is Judgement.) * Kaede takes a deep breath. "Let's finish the questions we've already asked first." (And eighty years your senior!) (Ahh yeah) (And he owns his own apartment :P ) (Yeah. Who pays the rent on that? ;p) (The World!) But mine's kind of related to that...if Hideo, Satoshi, whatever you want to call him, doesn't remember he's Judgement, how are these people still being Judged? Or are the disappearances something completely different? I'm *not* making all those people disappear... am I? How can I be? I don't know what's going on! * Katie rubs at her forehead. I don't know anything! * Haruko nods to that and says quietly to Kaede. "Sorry for interrupting." Shut up. Please. It's fine. * Taki hugs Satoshi tighter, "Calm down, please." No, those are being done by someone else. From your contact with Saki Morikawa, you ought to be able to figure out who. * Kaede looks over at Katie and quirks an eyebrow. * Katie brings her left hand to her cheek and taps a finger against her temple, where Satoshi can see, before running it through her hair. "I'll ask a third time. Why did they do this? It's a lot of work." And I'll tell you again I don't know. He already said he didn't know. * Satoshi shuts up and looks at Katie. Ask someone who was in Japan at the time. * Satoshi then stares at Winston. * Katie nods. "Then I must have missed when you said it the first time." She brings her hand down. "Do you know why so many people thought I was Judgement?" It's good cover for the one who really is, isn't it? ...That narrows it down to Saki, who probibly doesn't remember, Saki who wants to eat us, The World who nobody knows where is... It works. But why me? * Satoshi says, quietly, "But she went through so much... why?" And why so many people think Judgement's related to these disappearances when they really aren't? I think they're linked. As I recall, only one group had you pegged for Judgement. That was due largely to a dream one of their members had. And the confirmation of another member. That's the other part, yes. * Haruko 's starting to look angry. But we're in a weatherless realm, so everybody stays dry. She quickly hids the expression behind a calmer more practiced one. * Kaede folds his arms across his chest, looking between Katie and Winston. You'd have to ask him why he said that. * Katie nods. "Fine. If you won't tell me why Shingo had the dream, I think Kaede has something to ask you now." That leaves one question...the fifth. You still haven't mentioned the fifth. Is it Sho? The fifth what? You said there were five who were still alive from the bombing Or Jin did rather. Original Arcana. Was it the World or someone else? I thought I'd made that clear. Let me restate: There's myself, Saki Morikawa, the World, the Angel of Death, and Judgement. So...how does Sho know Satoshi as Hideo? * Kaede frowns to himself as he thinks. One of them must have told him. ...or he's the Angel himself. You're both wrong. Either's possible. * Kaede looks up at Winston and blinks. * Taki blinks. * Satoshi finally speaks. "Memories of his past life?" Is that where he'd remember Hideo from? In his case... I guess you could say there was a sixth survivor of sorts. Who? A...sixth. Wonderful. * Taki just shakes her head from side to side. * Haruko manages to keep her voice calm. "Do tell." The man you know as Sho Shinjo has ALL of his memories from his previous life. So much so that they've overwritten his own consciousness. * Katie nods. I...see. Which one is he? The most dangerous man of our kind: The Magician. The Magician? Great. What makes him so dangerous? (He has the power of Smug!) * Haruko frowns for a moment and then looks over to Satoshi before turning back to Winston. "Sounds like an evil wizard of tradition, motor of many evil plots doubtless." She puts some emphais on tradition and motor. Oh... Maybe the fact that he can almost literally do whatever he wants. The Magician has the power to redefine reality to his liking. ...Then why on earth did he let us go that first day? For fun? If any man could become God, it's him. * Kaede lets out a slow breath and looks at the sky. Which is currently the bottom/top of the Tower. "Wonderful." Yikes. ...that's not good. At all. * Winston shrugs. "Your guess is as good as mine." * Haruko rubs her right temple with her free hand before coughing for a moment and tapping it. So not only can he do what he feels like, but he's not even living in the present. And yet, some people would rather hide the memories of an innocent. * Kaede shakes his head slowly. "I'm sorry, but frankly speaking, some of you are just screwed in the head." * Taki detaches an arm from around Satoshi and points to Winston, "I've got one last question for you, and it's even one that you should have an answere for. What are you getting by telling us this?" * Katie grins suddenly at Kaede. "Only some of us?" * Kaede smiles faintly at Katie and pushes up his glasses again with his fingertip but doesn't respond. Powerful as he is, he can be dealt with. After all, he died before. Ahh. I'm telling you this because I believe that the purpose of the Arcana may quite possibly happen in your lifetime, and I feel you six youngsters may be the most capable of dealing with it. The purpose? * Taki blinks, and puts her arm back around Satoshi, "Oh?" What, you think you're like the X-men? * Kaede stares at Winston. "...you've got to be joking. This sounds like a poorly contrived plot to me." You don't have powers 'just because'. * Haruko looks distracted. Which really wouldn't be noticable but there aren't any vehicles or magazines around. (We don't have nearly enough spandex in our wardrobe, nearly enough angst though.) * Satoshi looks at Katie for a second, and rubs the side of his head. * Katie looks vaguely amused. "I never thought so. Do you know why we have them, then?" * Winston eyes Kaede, then says, "Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe I should've sent Jin to someone else." Well, no. I always suspected we had a purpose... * Haruko snaps with it. "Do we get to save the world?" * Winston shakes his head. "I don't know that." There are those who say everything has it's purpose. * Kaede looks steadily at Winston. "Sometimes, I wish you would have. But he found us. And he's annoyed us to no end. So we should at least get some satisfaction out of it in the end." You might have noticed that Jin isn't the brightest bulb in the box, but at least he's on your side. Be grateful. So you also probably wouldn't know why all the human Arcana I've seen are part or full Japanese, right? You're the only difference. * Winston nods. "That's right. I've travelled far in my lifetime, but this-" he gestures, "is as close to Japan as I'll ever come." Then I guess the next question is why do you think we're the best ones to handle whatever this is? Call it a hunch. Is it that we're not crazy? Hunch of my own, but... Although it helps that you go to the same school as Saki Morikawa. And was almost eaten more than once. So...if we're all done...one more question...if you know.... * Katie grins. "I'm nowhere close to done. Go to it, Kaede." * Haruko glances quizically over at Satoshi for a moment and tilts her head. * Kaede takes a deep breath and looks straight at Winston. "What happened to Reiji?" His mind couldn't comprehend the power of the Pentacle he found. Trying to use it cost him his sanity. * Kaede frowns. "He tried...to use it? How are you supposed to use these things?" * Taki waits for him to get around to explaining what that has to do with the purpose of the Arcana since she said her last question allready. I don't know. And I don't care to. I may be old, but I'm still too young to become senile. That's a good point... * Kaede shakes his head. How can there be one, anyway? Is there a Sword, too? And a Cup, and a Wand? Is there a Cup and a... what she said. Indeed. One for each suit. And quite frankly, his chances would have been better if he'd gone for the grail instead. If he knew where it was. (The cup's the holy grail! They'll be a knight guarding it... Hmm.. which ones aren't taken) His own suit...am I right? (Wow...Taki Can be in two places at once) (One of them is reallly old Taki. :P ) Quite right. However, that doesn't mean that he would have fared better, just that he might. * Kaede frowns slightly. "So that means...I'd have the best chance so far...but..." Why would someone want to use one? What do they do? I'll answer the second question first: I don't know. * Haruko grabs her Utena guide to Tarot with her free hand and glances through it. * Kaede buries his face in his hand. He seems to be thinking. I do know that they are very powerful.... I'll call them weapons, although that might not be the right word; they're not just weapons. They have a number of uses, I believe. As for why someone would want to, Reiji was attempting to locate the Pentacle before the blacks could. He succeeded, but only moments before they caught up. He must have tried to use it in desperation. The blacks? The Black Cards? What are the blacks exactly? Turned cards, corrupted Arcana? * Winston nods. Yeah. What she said. ...Could you tell one story at a time please? Oh, sorry I said that other one was my last question. * Haruko nods. "Mine can wait if you have anything more on the Pentacle." Corrupted Arcana is a good way to put it; the blacks were created as a result of a mistake during the creation of the Arcana. * Katie nods. "Go on." They look human. They act human. They may even SEEM human, but they are evil. * Taki tilts her head. * Haruko looks fair intrigued. "Wonder if they can be fixed. Do you know how it happened during the creation?" No, because I don't know what was involved with the creation. When were the Arcana created? I don't know that, either. At least as early as the first World War. There were a number of mistakes with the creation process; the blacks were just one. * Haruko nods. "What others are you aware of?" The reversed cards were another... Although I believe they were also inevitable. And quite possibly, the Arcana were just created too early. Maybe why is a better question then when. * Taki nods at Kaede. * Kaede slowly looks up. Black cards *and* reversed Arcana... Oh.. so those are seperate things. * Winston nods. "Correct." * Katie says, quietly, "Reversed Arcana are as much a part of a tarot deck as upright ones." * Winston nods. "The reversed were bound to happen, even if they're considered a mistake." How many of them are there? * Winston shrugs. "As many as there are you." There's the tower... Oh? Do they live up here? So there's a right side up tower someplace. No. They don't. * Winston nods to Taki. "It's in the world you come from. You've been there." But it is not the only Tower in existence; merely the most well known. Oh? * Haruko tilts her head. "Oh... so they're in our world." Haruko flips through the book some. "Wonder if I ever met mind, I think she's likely to be boring, so I may not have noticed. Hmm.. I'm rambling." Haruko then shuts up for a minute. (Let's see, the school, that construction site...) Chances are, if you've been drawn to multiple catastrophies in the same location, it may well be a Tower. * Katie makes a vague gesture. "So, this is the World Reversed, then? You can get here by going outside of the Tower Reversed?" Briefly. Before you fall upwards to your doom. That would be a problem. What if you go to the top...or bottom...or whatever floor of the Tower Reversed first? * Winston shrugs. "I wouldn't know." Then how do we get here? Because I'd hate for this to be the only time I talk with you. * Satoshi shudders at the mention of falling. Even upwards. * Taki rides it out. Most Arcana discover a way to access this place. * Kaede snorts. "Where there's a will there's a way. I thought I escaped that sort of rhetoric." You can always try to get Jin to bring you here. And where the bloody hell is my tea?! * Haruko speaks softly to herself. "Probably possible to leave the tower via some sort of rope system to find out... Course you'd have to climb everywhere, maybe some human fly like devices." He's not very good at doing what people want him to. Should have offered him chicken for when he got back. Maybe he forgot. I wouldn't put it past him. Could Jin be in trouble? There is an evil Saki up here, possibly other dangers too. So can Jin get us out too? * Kaede looks over at Haruko with a side-glance. "Whichever you feel like answering first." * Winston nods. "He can. And I doubt he's in trouble. I taught him well how to protect himself." * Haruko looks relieved. "Good." Who is he, by the way? What card? Isn't it obvious? The Fool. Told you. Ahh. Ah. Well, with these things, sometimes the obvious is the last you expect. * Katie blinks, then smiles faintly. "You wouldn't know if Chikako is an Arcana, would you?" She's not. Neither is Eriko Miyashita, much as she'd like to be. How about you? Which one are you? And my sister? She IS my sister, right? I'm an old man and the only one who isn't Japanese. Guess. Hermit Congratulations. I'd give you a cookie if I had any. * Kaede smiles faintly. Not everyone you meet is going to be Arcana. Not even blood relatives. * Katie opens her satchel, looks through it, and pulls out the near empty bag of storebought chocolate chip cookies. She tosses it to Kaede. Is there an Ace of Wands out there? * Haruko bites her lip for a moment then looks straight at Winston. "I have a question or two about Yushiro and the drag-porting that I'd like to ask before we're done, until you've answered other questions." * Kaede takes a deep breath. "So she IS my sister after all. After all this...information, I must say that's relieving.." He fumbles for the cookie and blinks twice. Indeed there is. You've met him once, briefly. I believe he called himself Gustave. * Katie blinks, then bursts into laughter. ...*that* guy. Well, he *did* say he was the first of those who carry staves... or was it clubs? Oh? ::looks through book:: that fits. Well, he's certainly nice enough. * Kaede just...stares at Haruko. * Katie gasps. "Canes." ... Canes. Thank you. What? He's a little weird but basically he's a fun guy. Particularly compared to all those psychos out there. A...LITTLE...weird? * Katie calms down, more or less. "He just tries too hard." She giggles. * Haruko pouts slightly. "I like him. He's fun." She then turns to Winston. "Does anyone else have an immediate question, or can I ask about the drag- porting and the beatings?" * Kaede hmmphs and munches on his cookie. Good Kaede. Yeah, I have some. About Reiji and Kyoko. But you can go first, if you want. * Winston shrugs. I'd ask one, but I'm sure one of you will get back to it eventualy. * Haruko nods. "Thank you Katie. Winston, what do you know about the weird teleports that Jin often shows up after?" Not much. It's not exactly a teleport, either; it's just his way of doing things. Oh, so Jin is behind all of them? I don't know; I just know that he can take people places without them noticing if he wants. * Haruko nods. "Does he work for anyone else or just you?" He's my adopted grandson. (Awww.) Grandson... do you have children? (Awww!) * Taki nods slowly. Yes, and grandchildren, too. But I don't see them much lately. They still live in Cambridge. Just as well; I'd rather they not get involved in the Arcana business. * Haruko nods and says genuinely, "You must miss them, but it's good of you to look after Jin." A Hermit through and through... * Katie nods. "I don't blame you." She looks to Haruko. "Are you going to ask about Yushiro?" * Kaede sighs faintly. "Something I wish I could be sometimes..." Believe it or not, I live in a chataeu on a mountain in China. * Taki snorts. ...a wise man. On a mountain. In China. Do you live for cliches or is it just coincidence? * Winston shrugs. "It's only twenty minutes from Hong Kong by train. * Haruko nods at Katie's comment. "Huh.. anyways, what do you know of Yushiro Kageri, suspected six of swords and perpetrator of a beating of Maki and Nanami." * Winston shrugs. "I know he exists. Aside from that, scarcely a thing." So Yushiro is the six of swords? Or are you not sure of that. I don't know. * Katie tilts her head. "How about The Band?" * Haruko sighs, "I suppose it was too much to hope for." She then nods deferentially to Katie. "All done." I know little more about them than you do. Do you at least know which cards they represent? * Winston nods Most of them. * Haruko moves back slightly as Katie takes over questioning. She's still healing Kaede though. * Katie grins now. "Would you mind telling us?" Takeo Kirishima is the Six of Wands. Natsuko Kourakuen is the Eight of Pentacles. Shingo Ryuuzaki is, as you already know, the Knight of Swords. Tenjirou Torajima is the Nine of Cups. And Senshiro Hachioji is Strength. I don't know the others. * Katie nods. "I'm going to change topics now. Reiji came to see you, right?" * Taki twitches at the mention of Tenjirou. * Winston nods. What did you talk about? The same thing we are? * Haruko scowls at Tenjirou's card. "And it had been such a nice suit." * Haruko then goes to look stuff up in her Utena book. A number of things, actually; it's not the first time he's been to see me. * Katie nods. "How about Kyoko?" I've never met her. Do you know why she's missing? Or even if she still is? * Winston shakes his head. "No, but it can't be good for her." * Katie scratches at her cheek. "Do you know what happened to Jiro?" * Winston nods and looks down for a bit, then back up. "He's working for the Blacks." * Taki blinks. I was afraid of that. * Katie winces. "" She stops herself, then switches languages. "Why? He wasn't anything like I remember." Yeah. Why? I liked him. Thought he was a pretty nice guy. * Haruko stares at Winston for a moment. * Taki nods, "He wasn't all that bright, but he had a good heart." * Winston nods. "He suffered such a shock that he became lost. That's when the Blacks came to him." * Katie stares. Meimi? * Winston nods. Can he be saved? Is he one of them, or simply working for them? It's hard to tell. He's not one of them, but I don't know of anyone who ever came back after going to the dark side, if you'll forgive the pun. Hopefully we can make him a first. * Taki nods, "He deserves better." * Katie still looks shaken, but starts to manage, "I- I see." She swallows. "What are the Blacks trying to do? Destroy the world?" From what I know of them, they feast, in a purely metaphorical way, on the suffering of others, especially Arcana and Reversed Arcana. * Haruko looks disgusted. They're quite willing to bide their time and appear on the pretense of good, but they only seek to cause harm. Take my advice: If you don't know how to fight yet, learn. That's hideous and stupid. I guess we will have that combat training after all. * Winston shrugs at Taki. "They're not human, no matter how much they appear to be so. They don't think like humans do." * Katie nods slowly. "I'll try." She takes a deep breath. "No, what's really hideous and stupid is that we're fighting each other when there's something else out there designed to destroy us. They don't have as much of a choice as we do." * Haruko nods and looks at Winston. "Would you be able to help us learn, like you trained Jin? We could perhaps practice up here." * Taki nods at Katie. I can try to, but I'm old now. I don't know if I'll be able to. * Haruko bows deeply. "Thank you, I'm certain your experience will be a great boon to us." I'm sure that if you can't do it, you know somebody who can. * Winston shrugs. "Jin certainly could, provided you managed to get him to." * Katie nods. "Thanks." She pauses. "Mind if I ask more questions? I know it must feel like I'm... um... you, and I guess I am, but..." I'm not sure if I have enough chicken for that... * Winston grumbles. "As you can see, that's no easy task. I still don't have my-" [Jin shows up, carrying a cauldron.] * Katie blinks. Tea? I do belive it's arrived. * Winston swats his forehead. * Haruko giggles. [Jin walks up and sets the cauldron down. It's full of green tea. "I brought enough for everybody. I think."] * Katie grins. "Thanks, Jin." * Haruko looks for cups. Thank you Jin. [Jin didn't bring any cups, just the cauldron.] * Haruko comments in a bemused tone. "Thanks Jin." [Session End]