[Day: April 23. Time: 1:00 a.m.] [Weather: Snowing] [Kyon meets Haruko!] [Mini start] * Haruko had been drinking with Eriko and sent a text message to Kyon that she wanted to talk to him before the group met in the morning. She's ambling back to the room she's sharing with Taki. Kyon can pick where he wants to meet her. * Kyon sits in the small lounge area near the elevator at the end of his floor. He sends Haruko a message saying: "In the lounge on my floor. Still awake?" * Haruko glances at her phone when it vibrates. She checks it, quickly replies and walks over. Her face is still a bit red from before, but it seems like she's starting to let the effects fade. * Kyon is sitting in a chair near the window in the lounge. He's got a glass of water on the table in front of him, and is wearing a dark blue t-shirt and ash grey sweatpants, along with hotel slippers. * Haruko walks over and collapses in the nearest chair. She's still got her normal streetware on aside from shoes. She's wearing her hair down in an effort to look older, but by now the style has faded. "'evening." * Kyon nods curtly at her as she sits down, and looks at her bemusedly. "Not as drunk as I expected." * Haruko toys with her hair. "The accursed hotel bar is too high class." * Kyon smirks. "And convenience stores ask for ID when you try to buy sours?" * Haruko shakes her head. "I got something on the way in, but I didn't want to go out again because of the cold." * Kyon nods quickly. "Minibar?" * Haruko shakes her head. "Didn't find one. I powered some strawberry juice into strawberry liquor. Your room have one?" * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Didn't check. Haven't spent more than an hour or so there. Had to take care of our astral projector's ego first." * Haruko snorts. "Well, that's important. She still with you?" * Kyon looks out the window at the snowy night. "No. Got her own room somewhere. Already had made arrangements." * Haruko nods. She's then quiet for a minute with a thoughtful look. She then quickly glances around to make sure that they can talk without worrying about being overheard. * Kyon keeps looking out the window. "Our room's at the other end of the floor. Should be safe." (Haha, I saw that coming.) (Hey, why else would Haruko want to meet in the middle of the night.) (Because she has no concept of timing?) * Haruko nods. "Let's use it." She ceases concentration and fairly quickly loses a bit more red. "Maybe I'll be lucky and there will be a minibar." (Haruko completely misses any innuendo. :P) * Kyon looks at Haruko sidewise, with a raised eyebrow. "Katie's there. Okay with that?" Uh... no. ::Haruko frowns as the hope of more booze once again fades:: ( And you're *already* keeping me up with all your chatter.) * Kyon smirks at the change in looks. "Right. Also an alcohol vending machine around the corner there." Really?! * Kyon looks back out the window. "Don't stay in hotels much?" We don't really travel much. Be right back... oh, any brand of yours in it? * Haruko stands up. * Kyon looks up at Haruko. "If you want sake, there's Arisugawa in there. None of the beers, though." Good enough. * Haruko scurries down there and back. She swings by Eriko's room to grab two glasses in case they're necessary. After a few minutes she's back and looking far too pleased with herself. * Kyon looks back from the window when she comes back. He smirks. "Got the good stuff?" * Haruko puts down the glasses and opens up the sake. She pours herself one and holds it at a slight tilt back towards Kyon. "Of course. You want?" * Kyon looks at the glass, then nods curtly and takes it. "Haven't tried this for a while." * Haruko pours herself a glass and puts it down. "So, shall we get to business?" * Kyon swirls the sake in the glass and nods, looking at her over the rim. "Yeah. What's the problem?" * Haruko keeps her voice fairly low. "Well..." Haruko ponders the glass and then takes a drink. "People sometimes die from fights. I get that. But I'm not going to be an accomplice in a third murder." * Kyon takes a small sip, then sets the glass down and picks up his water. "Right. You want to be sure no one's going to get hurt more than they need to be." * Haruko nods and looks relieved that he seems to understand. "And when someone's down... Look, I don't have a way to guarantee they won't come after us. Katie's convinced me of that. If we live through this week, maybe we could work something out then. But it doesn't change my answer." She takes another drink. * Kyon nods curtly. "So no matter if they might come back, it's not worth it for you. To be clear." * Haruko nods. "We beat them again. Look, if they try to escape fight 'em. If it's a killer I won't ask people to hold back. But you don't kill unconscious people. They're like prisoners." * Kyon nods quickly. "Right." He leans back in his chair, and looks at Haruko full-on. "So the people tonight were killers. Downed killers. But I have no way to hold them." I know. Well, Sho's killed. I figure Chariot was directly involved. Scyther, who knows. But that's beside the point really. * Kyon nods quickly. "Right. Point is, we need a way to hold people without them getting away to make killing them outright not the most strategically sound choice." I know, but I can't do it in a week. Well, if chloroform works I can be your prison warden as long as I stay awake, but I can't guarantee it'll work. But the thing is, this prophecy, it threatens all Arcana. Old enemies are probably not our real worry. * Kyon takes a sip of water, then sets down the glass again. "Could be. Based on what we get told next, could be the right tack. Got to convince the enemies of that, though." Maybe fear convinces them. Or maybe fear makes them start thinking like Katie. Chariot had a chance to finish us off. He ran away instead. I don't know why, maybe he heard the cops, maybe that Green guy was coming again. I don't know what the best strategy is, but if we're going to rule by murder, I won't be a part of it. * Haruko takes another drink at the end of her rambling. She's bright red again. * Kyon shakes his head quickly. "What I want is to keep my team safe. We play it right now, maybe we don't have to be on the offensive like this." * Haruko leans back in the chair. "I'm not asking to be kept safe. If you can show restraint until we have time to find a better system I will give you everything I have, including my life. I know it's not just about my life, but it's all I have." * Kyon looks across at Haruko, then picks up the water glass again. "Right. Try to just lay people out without putting them down." He glances out the window, keeping his eye on Haruko sidewise. "Want you on our side still. But it could happen that people die while fighting. Particularly if we have to use the Sword again." * Haruko nods. "I know. I'd like if we showed restraint, maybe don't break out the sword or water and electricity or the like if they aren't cold-blooded killers. I know people may still die, but I'd like to try." * Haruko refills her sake glass. * Kyon nods quickly. "Don't have to take people out if they're not bent on taking us out entirely." * Haruko smiles. "Right. That makes sense. So can you go over this with the group tomorrow? I think, well, people have reasons not to listen to me." * Haruko takes a smaller drink after she says that. * Kyon nods quickly, and smirks. "I'll talk with Katie for you. But don't expect an apology from her for today." * Haruko laughs. "Of course not." She then leans forward putting an elbow on the table to support her head. "I'm glad I decided to follow you. It might be the best choice I've made since this started." * Haruko is smiling broadly and much more at ease then she's been all night. * Kyon turns the smirk up a notch. "Good business, not to leave people with regrets." * Haruko chuckles. "Oh, tomorrow, if we have time, could you do a reading to help me find Norishige? Ryuji's way too out of it to be a prospect, even if he'd change his mind for a quick fling." * Kyon raises an eyebrow. "You want to date a guy who believes he's still fated to fight us one more time?" * Haruko grins. "I'd fight him first. With enough rain, his seeing-eye-bird won't be flying to help him." * Kyon shakes his head bemusedly. "Got this all worked out?" Yup! Well, assuming he's not fated to fall in love with someone else and live chastely until then. But we'd be reading the same cards he is, right? * Kyon nods quickly. "You want a reading, can have one. But be prepared for him not to be ready for it." * Haruko nods. "Yeah, well he seems my best prospect. I hate to say it, but the Arcana dating pool sucks. And given our situation, I don't want any non-Arcana back in my life." * Kyon takes the sake glass up again, exchanging it with the water glass, and taking another sip. "Wait till it all plays out. Then it should open up again." * Haruko chuckles again. "That assumes I make it out alive. I'll take my pleasures while I can get them, thank you." * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Just be careful." * Haruko nods. "I will be." She glances at her glass of sake. "I hate to let it go to waste, but I think I've had enough." * Kyon looks out the window. "Before you do, should finish discussing business. Might still want some." Hmm... well, that might be it. Oh, I also figured out that if I downgrade my phone, I can afford a bike on my own. If you still want to fund me, I'd put it to higher quality brakes. Being careful and all that. * Kyon shakes his head quickly. "Right. Can help to cover it, if you need it." He smirks. "For you, the more safety features, the better." * Haruko grins sheepishly. "I could only get so much practice on stolen cars and arcade games." All the more reason to be safe. * Kyon moves to a cooler expression. "On the other topic. If the Nine of Cups shows up again, or Katie's double, I can't guarantee safety." * Haruko nods. "I don't think anyone could. Well, I won't help her hunt them. If they're stupid enough to come after us again I just won't help her with them." * Kyon cocks his head. "If we were in a fight with them, you wouldn't help?" If we're on the defensive, yeah. I'm not going to go chasing after them though. * Kyon nods tersely. "Right. Won't ask for you to." There any other cases? I figure right now !Saki, Sho, and maybe whoever put Meimi in a coma are the only real killers we know for sure about. * Kyon mulls this over, then shakes his head quickly. "Only other person I can think of, don't know how to deal with him yet." * Haruko looks up seriously at Kyon. "I don't think I can give you any worthwhile advice on that. But if you want to try anything non-lethal I'll do whatever you need me to. Even if it isn't necessary for the group or the prophecy." * Kyon looks at her for a few moments without changing his expression, then nods curtly. "Right. I'll remember that." There any other business? * Haruko hasn't touched her glass again. Although she's still leaning forward and looks as if she needs that supporting arm to keep her head in place. * Kyon shakes his head quickly, and smirks. "Go to bed before you fall into your drink." * Haruko laughs. "Okay. Should I clean this up?" She gestures to the bottle and two glasses she brought with her. * Kyon nods quickly. "Take it with you. Might want it later." He presses himself up smoothly out of his chair, in one fluid movement. * Haruko nods and refills the bottle as best she can with her glass. She cleans up the quarter or so of the glass that spills thanks to her unsteady hand. "See you tomorrow." * Kyon nods to her curtly, then starts stalking down the hallway, waving back over his shoulder as he goes. [End!]