[Day: Tuesday, March 4th. Time: 5:30 p.m.] [Weather: Cloudy, but warm.] [Kaede continues his questioning of the uncooperative drug dealer, Yurika Miataka. Everyone else is present, excepting Kyon, but Haruko is busy distracting the guard, and Taki and Satoshi don't have much to say. Will Kaede get any answers out of this girl?] [Mini Start] * Yurika is lying on her cot, hands behind her hed. Her legs are raised, one knee across the other. I'm smart enough to know that it'd be stupid to ask questions like "Where'd the drugs come from?" and things like that, right? I don't know. Are you? * Kaede sits casually back opposite Yurika and adjusts his glasses. "You don't like me much, do you?" What do you think? I already told the cops: I don't know anything. * Kaede lets out a deep sigh. "But I'm not the cops. If I can help it, I'll have nothing to do with them." So? What'd you come here for, anyhow? I came here for a friend. * Yurika looks over at Kaede. "Do you even know why I'm here? I don't have any friends anymore. I probably never will again, either." Of course I know why you're here. My friend was...involved with you, after all. * Katie doesn't say a word, and just watching the conversation carefully. * Yurika looks over at Kaede. "Who? And I'm not letting it happen again...does the name Sakuragoaka mean anything to you? * Kaede frowns slightly. "I promised I wouldn't say the name...I tend to keep those promises." Fine. Whatever. Yeah, I heard of Sakuragaoka. So? * Kaede sighs and looks over at Katie, tapping his ears. * Katie nods and pulls one of the helpers out slightly before setting it back in. * Kaede answers offhand to Yurika. "Do you know what happened there recently? We were attacked." * Kaede shakes his head at Katie and taps his ear again, then doing an "x" sign in front of his neck. Yeah, cops asked me if I had anything to do with it. * Yurika chuckles humorlessly. "Like there's anything I can do from here." What did you say? * Kaede looks at Yurika evenly. "Did they believe you?" Does it matter? * Katie raises an eyebrow, but removes the helpers: first her right, then her left. Actually, no it doesn't. Because I figure I can guess. But I believe it. * Katie then reaches into her pocket and presses a button on her recorder. * Kaede nods to Katie and leans over to Yurika, whispering the name very low. * Katie presses the button again. * Kaede eyes Katie very briefly but doesn't comment. * Yurika shrugs. "I remember her, yeah. So?" So...I just don't want her caught in this...so I need to know... It's too late for that. She already tried to buy from me. I know that. But... * Kaede rubs his forehead. "Do you have any idea what this drug actually does to people?" Yeah. * Kaede looks her in the eyes. "And I assume you have no qualms about that...or else you wouldn't be in here. * Yurika doesn't say anything to that. ...what will happen to you if you give out any names, Yurika-san? Nothing. Because I don't have any names to give out. You're in here...the worst has already happened... Uh huh So why don't I entirely believe you're being honest? How should I know? I don't know anything about you. * Kaede rubs his forehead. Urge to kill..rising. "...how exactly did you hear about Morikawa-san?" Heard what happened to a bunch of other guys. * Kaede nods and sighs. "She's..not to pleasant in dealing with this situation, no." But tell me, why SHOULD I believe that you don't know anything? * Yurika laughs. "Why should I care?" * Kaede smiles slightly. "Fair enough." Have I told you my name? It's kind of rude...me knowing your name and you not knowing mine... You wouldn't be here if you didn't know my name. Fair enough. Mine's Kaede Takeuchi. And I'm rather unimportant when it comes right down to it...so I can't see a reason why you'd want to talk to me to be honest. I'm not a reporter, not a police officer, I'm not even rich nor famous.... * Kaede looks down and off to the side as he says each. Yeah. But...I guess...I'm getting some friends who are starting to think I'm important...or something. And I like that....so I want to do what I can for them..and this is part of it. No cops, no rewards, no nothing...it's just...personal. * Kaede looks over at Yurika. "But I can't suppose that'd matter much...I'm probably just wasting my time here..." * Yurika shrugs. So the name Chariot really means nothing to you? * Kaede keeps his voice low again in case the guard can/wants to hear. It might. It might not. * Kaede eyes her carefully. "Well, what is it you want?" I want my life back. Yeah, that'd be a good start. * Kaede stands up and looks down at Yurika, pushing his glasses back up. "...I figured. But do you mean just from this jail or from the people you got involved with too?" * Yurika thinks about that. "I... don't know." * Kaede walks more into the cell, looking at one of the walls, arms folded behind his back. "Well..." * Kaede peeks over his shoulder back at her. "Supposing that we end up catching the people responsible for these drugs. If you're able to get freed because of information you provided, wouldn't that be a good start on both paths?" * Yurika frowns. "You're not going to catch them." * Kaede looks more fully over his shoulder. "What makes you so certain?" The cops sure as hell can't. All they can do is hold people like me, hoping I cough up some answers. We're not the cops. We actually have an investment in catching these people. Whereas the cops just have a job to do. Exactly. * Kaede walks back around the cot slowly. So what do you make of me? * Kaede sits down and gestures with his thumb over towards Haruko. "Or of us rather? Would we be doing that to the poor guard if we were working with the cops?" I don't know. So you'd like to see the suppliers taken out. So would a lot of people. I still don't see what the difference is. The difference is I asked what you want. So how would you deliver? Like I told you. If we catch the people responsible, and you're a help, that'd look very good on getting your life back. And with them out of the picture, there's no one to seek revenge after you get out. * Yurika frowns a bit. If you don't want to talk here where the cops could hear you though, you could always put it in writing or something like that. * Kaede shrugs slightly. "I don't like wasting my time, Miataka-san. So if I AM just wasting my time, just say so." * Kaede starts to stand. * Yurika closes her eyes. "Even if I did want to help, how could I? I don't even know who gave the drugs to me in the first place." * Kaede looks over at Yurika for a moment and slowly sits back down. "No? Then how did you get them in the first place?" * Yurika opens her eyes. "You probably won't believe me, but I got these phone calls, telling me to go somewhere and wait for thirty minutes. * Kaede smirks slightly at that. "Yurika-san, you'd be surprised at what I wouldn't believe. Go on." So I did. Looked around, didn't see anything. Then thirty minutes would pass, and they'd just be there, in plain sight, along with some cash. I coulda missed them the first time, I guess. But every time? Why wait for thirty minutes though? Why not meet you right away? Nobody met me at all. * Kaede blinks slightly. "No one? The drugs would just...appear?" * Kaede turns and looks towards the rest of the group pointedly. * Yurika nods. "Not out of thin air or anything, but..." * Kaede turns back to Yurika, listening intently. It's like, I'd go stand there for a while, then turn my head after thirty minutes, and there they'd be. Did they ever ask for anything in return? To sell the drugs, obviously. Well, yes. But what about the money? You never paid for the drugs to supply? * Yurika shrugs. "I kept it." Then she blinks... "Wait a sec..." * Yurika sits up. "They never asked for anything!" Doesn't that seem strange? That someone would just give you the drugs, let you keep all the money for yourself, and not even ask for anything?" I didn't really even think about it before, but... yeah. Why would they do that? * Kaede looks down slightly, taking off his glasses. "I assume they just wanted the drug spread..they didn't care about anything else..." And...it's worked. People don't tend to question it when a golden opportunity is right in front of their eyes... But they don't get anything out of it. No? Did you hear about what happened at Sakuragoaka? * Yurika shrugs. "I don't think so... I mean..." Yeah, you asked me that. We were attacked. By drug-crazed lunatics. They died of overdose. Every one of them. They didn't even know why they were doing it. They just attacked.." * Kaede lowers his voice, his tone taking on a bit of a scowl. "...Loyal subjects..." So what, someone just has something against your school? No...it's...complicated. But it's starting to make sense... But...if the drugs are a way of controlling people... * Kaede glances slightly at Yurika. "Dealer and addict alike...." Hey, I never used 'em myself. * Kaede frowns. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this..." I know... Now..you said you might know Chariot too? * Yurika nods. "That's what the person who contacts me calls himself." * Kaede frowns even more. "Really...." * Kaede stands up and looks out at the hall. "One last thing...Katie, could you grab a piece of paper and pencil and hand it to me?" * Katie nods. She pulls a notebook and pen out of her satchel and hands them through the bars. * Kaede takes them and turns back to Yurika, holding them out for her. "Could you write down the place he asked you to meet you? That'd probably be a good first place to look." Um... Okay, but it changed. It was a different place each time. * Kaede frowns slightly. "Really? Well, write down a couple that you remember..." Ok * Yurika writes them down. * Kaede doesn't lose his frown, watching Yurika write a few but not checking them out just yet, waiting for the paper * Yurika finishes and hands him the paper. * Kaede takes the paper and nods. "Thank you Miataka-san. You've been a great help." Just don't forget your part of the bargain. If we get a chance, I'm sure we wouldn't mind visiting you while you're here...I'm sure it must be awfully boring staying here... I never forget a promise. You got that right. * Kaede bows and goes up to the gate, signalling the guard. "Excuse me, I think we're done here, for now at least." * Kaede looks over his shoulder. "Thank you, Yurika-san." [The guard doesn't notice, too busy talking to Haruko.] Yeah. * Kaede clears his throat, gesturing to Haruko that it's alright to get the guard to start paying attention again. [The guard breaks off conversation with Haruko to let you out.] [Mini end]