<@Ardweden> [Sunday, February 22. Early Evening.] <@Ardweden> [Kaede asked Saori over to his and Akemi's apartment, using the promise of food to sway her. It didn't take much swaying. Heck, she didn't even ask how he got her number. (How did you get Saori's number, Kaede? Actually, never mind.)] <@Ardweden> [Akemi is off with some other friends tonight, so it will *probably* be just the two of them. She did tease Kaede lightly about his date with a high school kid, though. And Saori didn't promise she'd do a reading for free *or* for food - the food is just to get her over - so he may have his work cut out for him.] <@Ardweden> [Or maybe not!] <@Ardweden> [Saori's not there yet, but the clock is ticking and she should be shortly. What's cooking, Kaede?] <@Ardweden> [Start!] * Kaede has decided to go with hot pot, of all things, which makes the prepping rather nice, although the secret is in the broth. Which he is still setting to simmer. Right now, he's working more on carving the spread into more manageable pieces. Not that Saori wouldn't probably dump a whole steak in, it just wouldn't cook properly. <@Ardweden> [Look. You don't know if Saori can't cook a steak, Kaede.] <@Ardweden> [Also she'd probably just nibble the edges.] * Kaede can make all the speculation he wants. You don't own him, narrator brackets. He dips a laddle in the broth and stirs it around as it comes to a light simmmer. <@Ardweden> [Kaede cooks for a few more minutes until there's a buzzing - someone wants to come in!] * Kaede is expecting someone already, so he sets the simmer a bit lower before going to let Saori in. Presumeably Saori. If it's Jin, no we don't have any chicken, get out. <@Ardweden> [Kaede makes his way down and, yes, on the other side of the door is Saori! She's wearing a long coat and snow boots. Never mind that there isn't any snow anymore.] * Kaede gives a polite nod and lets her in for food, though she can probably already smell it. Also he doesn't offer to take her coat. He's learned his lesson. "Thank you for coming down. Sorry for the short notice." <@Ardweden> [Saori steps in! "Notice me any time there's food involved." And then she eyes Kaede. "There *is* food, right?"] * Kaede snorts. "Or money. But yes. Come in." And he steps off to the side so Saori can finish coming in and he can close the door and go back to prep work. <@Ardweden> [She does! And then she looks around, taking it in. "You have a nice place," she comments, going to the table and putting her backpack on one of the chairs.] * Kaede gives a small nod at the compliment, closing the door before going back to set out the hot plate and plug it in to keep it warm. "Well, it isn't as if I can take all the credit. More one of necessity." He goes to work the cords in their proper places so they're not tripping hazards. <@Ardweden> [Hopefully Saori won't trip! She hasn't yet. She does, however, go to the kitchen to look and smell what's the haps.] * Kaede isn't going to grab a spoon to whack Saori's nose out, but he does clear his throat to indicate she's *probably* in the way. <@Ardweden> ["ooooo" She doesn't notice right away.] * Kaede reaches around her to grab things. Just maybe to make a point. "Really wasn't sure if you still run that little table of yours as a side job. It's not as if there's everything we can...talk about with Nanami around." Maybe she noticed that time. Maybe? <@Ardweden> [Maybe! Saori moves to one side. But not out of the kitchen entirely. "Yeah, we can get down to business. You need me to tell you the future?"] * Kaede hesitates, stopping at that, near the table but not setting things down yet. "...sorry. I wish I were better at small talk." He does set it down then turns around with a small sigh. "Besides, it's not as if I know if you have a lot of people to talk to about what happened..." <@Ardweden> [Saori blinks. "What what?" She gets out of the way again, assuming that she's in the way. Is she in the way?] * Kaede snorts, then looks up at the ceiling. "A joke. Don't worry about it." He pauses for just another second. "Actually, this isn't about reading the future...not exactly...just needed an expert..." <@Ardweden> ["Oh! Well, I'm an expert in all sorts of things!" Pause, and her stomach growls. "After dinner. And not for free."] * Kaede groans. Ever so slightly. But tries not to let it show. He does pinch his nose though. "I've always wondered. Where does all the money go at any rate?" <@Ardweden> ["I'll tell you!" Saori chirps brightly. "But not for free!" And then she looks at the food, then back to Kaede. "Is it done? Do you need help?"] * Kaede looks up at Saori and gives her a slightly amused look. "If you'd like. But not for free." <@Ardweden> ["Fine!" she says, holding her hands up and going to sit at the table. "No help for you!"] * Kaede goes over to collect the ingrediants. "I'll tell your best friend you've been trying to exploit her brother behind her back. I'm sure she'd be *more* than interested. Besides, you're getting food. That should count for at least *part* of the payment..." <@Ardweden> [Saori folds her arms and eyes Kaede, then she sighs. So put upon! "It's not exploitation! It's an exchange of goods and services! But okay. *Part* of the payment."] * Kaede relents, rolling his hand in a slight motion. "It's negotiation. I want to make sure we *both* get a fair deal. Don't worry. I knew coming into this I wasn't looking at a consultation for free." He turns off the stove. "I just don't wish to be taken advantage of either..." * Kaede gestures to the rest of the bowls of cut vegetables. "And if you'd like to help, you can help me carry those over. I promise. No charge." <@Ardweden> [Saori laughs. "You want me to pay you for my labor? Sounds like exploitation to me." But she hops to her feet and goes to take the bowls to the table!] * Kaede rolls his eyes, ever so slightly as he sets things down at the table. "Clearly you don't understand my sense of humor." Or do. She did laugh after all. <@Ardweden> [Clearly! Saori puts bowls on the table and, to her credit, she doesn't sneak any of the contents into her mouth.] * Kaede grabs another bowl, pausing for a moment. "...should we wait until after dinner to discuss terms? I really did want it to be a pleasant meal." <@Ardweden> [Saori shrugs. And looks at the food, clearly hungry.] * Kaede relents, just closing his eyes and handing her a bowl. Permission to dig in. <@Ardweden> [YEEEEEEEEEEEEES SHE TOTALLY DOES.] <@Ardweden> [ALL THE FOODS.] * Kaede is more casual about it, dipping the food in the warm broth, taking a side serving of rice, careful in his collection. It's only once Saori's started in on a healthy portion that he plays with his phone, loading up the picture he took of the earlier spread he went over with Satoshi and slides it over to her without comment.<@Ardweden> [Saori picks up the phone and looks at it, chewing on meat and rice as she does so. "What's this?" she asks around her food.] * Kaede folds his hands, Gendo Ikari-style, minus the classy gloves as he looks over at Saori. "A read we did earlier. We're not exactly happy with our own interpretation though. So we'd like a second opinion. Just in case we're missing something." He sighs as he stands up, picking up his own plate. "Not that it means our interpretation is necessarily *wrong*. We both know the cards aren't * Kaede exactly always kind. But it'd help to have multiple options to pursue." <@Ardweden> ["Mmm, okay, I can do that. In faaaact if all you want is *that* then I'll do it for..." She counts on her fingers. "Three more dinners." More food - in her mouth! So good.] * Kaede tilts his head over to the side. Is that exploitation? Or a good deal? "I...wait. You want me to pay in food?" <@Ardweden> ["For *that*? Sure." Saori shovels more food in her mouth and says something else, but it's too garbled to make out.] * Kaede tilts his head to the side, curious. "What's that?" And he does go to get her some more tea to drink. Or offer more rice. Or both! Growing girl. <@Ardweden> ["Oh, this is really good!" And she'll totally take both! "You're a great cook."] * Kaede looks curious, unfazed by the compliment. "Is that really all you said?" <@Ardweden> ["Mmm hmm." There's food in her mouth again.] * Kaede grins slightly at that. "So I can bargain it down to two above- average dinners instead of three just average ones?" <@Ardweden> ["... Depends. What's 'average'?"] * Kaede goes back to the task at hand, looking down at his food. "At any rate. We can discuss whether another reading is in order when the time comes. In the meantime, you tell me exactly what you need to know to help with this one so we can help each other out." <@Ardweden> [Saori works on polishing off her plate of food before she looks at the phone again.] * Kaede's slowed down the eating a bit, giving Saori all the time she needs to look over the spread. <@Ardweden> [She eventually finishes her food. "Okay," she says again, pushing her plate away.] <@Ardweden> [Saori unzips a pouch in her backpack and pulls out a well worn deck of tarot cards. She wakes Kaede's phone and looks at the picture again, then starts setting out a copy of his spread: The Magician, Justice Reversed, Seven of Cups, Three of Cups, Nine of Swords. "So what's the deal with this reading?" she asks as she does so.] * Kaede waves his hand casually. "How much do you need to know?" <@Ardweden> ["Much as you can tell me, if you want something accurate." She lays down the Nine of Swords and looks at it. "It's not like it's *my* reading."] * Kaede sighs and then leans back slightly. "Are you aware of The Council of Mysteries?" <@Ardweden> [Saori looks up at Kaede, finger still on the card. "That's a light novel, isn't it? Are you gonna try to write something like that? Oh! Did you want to find the author and ask him for his autograph?"] * Kaede snorts. "No." Then his lips thin as he gets more serious. "You have to understand, Saori. What's said here doesn't leave this room. I'm not one to give you free info..." He pauses. "I expect you to keep this between us, alright?" * Kaede pauses, then adds, "Or...at least not give the info without an exorbitantly high sum. I'm not naive here..." <@Ardweden> [Saori laughs and crosses her heart. "Not unless someone pays me a *whole lot* of money." She grins. "I could read it in the cards, anyway."] * Kaede taps the table, considering, "Not without knowing that it's even a question to ask, I imagine. Even the best ways of figuring out knowledge are useless if one does not know what knowledge is actually of use." <@Ardweden> [Saori juuuuust grins.] * Kaede then figures it's best not to delay it. "Anyhow. The source of the information is personal. *Too* personal. Information that someone would not know without having some sort of in." He gestures to his phone. "So. An attempt was made to figure out how the author comes about his information and it comes up with that..." * Kaede frowns. "I'm not certain I like the implications it provides. But really. That's where you come in." <@Ardweden> ["What information? What happens in the book?"] * Kaede's frown deepens, though he doesn't look at Saori. "Do you really need that information...?" <@Ardweden> [She blinks. "Look, you're the one who's using the word 'information'. I just wanted to know what *you* meant."] <@Ardweden> [Saori folds her arms. "If you want to just ask me a question so I can do my own reading..."] * Kaede rubs his head carefully. "It's not you, Saori. This just...isn't something that's easy to discuss..." He pauses. "The material for the book...well...you'd know. You did a reading on it." <@Ardweden> [Saori furrows her brow. "No I didn't."] * Kaede looks up at her, insistant. "Yes. You did. *Way* back." <@Ardweden> [Saori shakes her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't done any readings on that book or the author, and it's pretty recent anyway."] * Kaede rubs his head. "One of...you haven't read the book, have you?" <@Ardweden> ["Sure, almost everyone at school's read it. Why?"] * Kaede starts to open his mouth, then closes it, shaking his head. "Just...trust me." He looks away. "Do you want to help or don't you? It may be easier to do your own reading but you'll have to believe me. Some of what comes up in the book is just far too personal to be coincidence..." <@Ardweden> ["Mmm my own reading's gonna cost more than a few dinners." Speaking of, Saori piles some more food onto her plate. She picks up some meat with her chopsticks. "So what's the question then? How's he getting his info? Looks like that's the spread to me." And then she puts it in her mouth and starts chewing.] * Kaede nods. "Where the source of his info is." He sighs. "If it comes down to it, we may need a second reading but I'd like to understand the first better before we get to that." <@Ardweden> ["Yeahokay," she says around her food as she looks again. "Okay, so this." She points at The Magician. "That's who the reading's about. Your author, right? But it's also method and how he sees himself. So." She finishes chewing and swallows. "So he's not a *literal* magician though he could be pulling rabbits out of his hat and doing illusions and stuff."] <@Ardweden> ["But really, he's an author. I think he's a guy who has the traits of The Magician, so like, he's got good control over himself and the world around him. And words, obviously. He shapes those worlds and makes people think certain things, or see certain things. As long as he keeps thinking he's got mastery over that and maintains control over himself and his spheres of influence, he's gonna be pretty unshakeable."] <@Ardweden> [Saori shovels more food in her mouth, waiting to see if Kaede's got a question or comment.] * Kaede takes in his breath, but really does well in not letting his relief show overly much as he glances over at Saori's inspection of the phone. "So...the author. May be sharing traits of the Magician as a world creator. That makes...sense.." * Kaede then frowns, thoughtful. "Manipulative though...we're dealing with someone smug. Someone who thinks they're untouchable...that's what you said, right?" Not like any other Magicians they know, nope. <@Ardweden> ["Yeah, I think so. He probably feels very confident. But he *is* competent, or he wouldn't be The Magician. So I wouldn't underestimate him."] <@Ardweden> ["So here," Saori continues, pointing out Justice, Reversed. "That's in your problem spot: Justice Reversed. The really obvious interpretation is a kind of injustice, and it is, but it's probably more than that. I mean, your problem is also probably more than that." She puts vegetables over rice.] <@Ardweden> ["Like, if you think about it, it is your problem. You think it's unfair that this is happening, right? Justice is being perverted. Stuff's coming up that you don't even want to *talk* about. Of course you don't want someone else to talk about it. But maybe it's also the reason he's even doing this in the first place." Vegetables and rice: in her mouth.] * Kaede considers for a minute. "How many interpretations are there of the problem spot? I mean. It seems there could be many." * Kaede wanders over to gather more food goods and set them in front or near Saori. He's playing the good host here. "I mean. It's possible this could be the reader. I.e. us. Or it could be the perception of the subject whether it is the truth or not...right?" <@Ardweden> ["Yup! And thanks!" Yoink! More foodstuffs on her plate! Some of it moves quickly into her mouth, and she chews for a bit before continuing. "Since this is a reading on him and his methods, I think it's really focused on him. So." She swallows. "This is the problem. Justice Reversed."] <@Ardweden> ["He probably finds something really unfair. Maybe there's an imbalance of power or something, which is kind of interesting with The Magician, but it could be something currently out of his spheres of influence, or maybe he thinks he's more powerless than he actually is..." She stirs some food on her plate. "Anyway, the thing is, he isn't seeing the whole picture. And he wants to do something."] <@Ardweden> ["With Justice Reversed, it's often a sign that things don't look right, but a struggle will proooobably only make things worse."] * Kaede sighs. "Real or imagined slights. Always a chronic problem." He breathes out more, thinking of something else. "Always." <@Ardweden> [Saori looks up to Kaede. "Yeah?"] * Kaede shakes his head. "It's nothing." Leaning over and pointing to his phone. "What of the next card?" <@Ardweden> [Saori looks at Kaede for a moment, but she shrugs. He's paying! In food, true, but still paying. "Well, these look like different methods he uses to get his info. Um... Seven of Cups, here." She taps. "Promises and illusions and hard choices. He probably offers people things that they want, but there's gonna be a cost, whether they realize the full extent or not."] So...hidden costs you mean? <@Ardweden> ["Yup. I mean, you can get gold and it's exactly what you want, or you can find a poisonous spider in your cup and hey! You have the cup! But you're also bitten and your life sucks."] <@Ardweden> ["OR he can TELL you there's a spider in your cup so you should take this cup over here. But is there a spider in your cup? You don't know! You didn't take it!"] * Kaede snorts. "A very Magician way of offering the cups." He looks up at Saori, a little impressed. "I was right to rely on your counsel. I think you might have earned a bonus regardless." <@Ardweden> [Saori grins. "That's because *I'm* the best at this." She claps her hands, getting into it. Maybe she should read other people's reading more often. "OKAY so this. Three of Cups." Point. "People working towards a common goal. You might have a Magician - one Author - but there's more than one person involved."] <@Ardweden> ["He's got a network. Informants or supporters or both, and they're all working together and with him."] * Kaede frowns, leaning over to look at the cards again. "Is the answer to who in the cards or would that be a seperate reading altogether?" <@Ardweden> [Saori looks herself, then says, authoritatively, "Separate reading if you want anything specific. But these people see each other at least mostly as equals."] * Kaede sighs. "Was pretty much already certain of that answer..." He pauses. "Maybe later. It wouldn't do to do a reading too early. There wouldn't be any info to make sense of the cards." He nods his head. 'Continue." <@Ardweden> ["If you say so," Saori says, amiably. Food must really do wonders. "Okay, sooooo this one." She points at the Nine of Swords. "That's being haunted by fears, real or imagined. It's anxiety and regret and nightmares, and all of that stuff. I'm not... *entirely* sure how it fits. Maybe he's facing his own fears or helping other people face theirs. It could also be bringing them to light and <@Ardweden> waiting to see what happens, then using that. Or it could be both."] * Kaede picks up his bowl and sighs, carrying it over to the sink. "Glad I'm not the only one confused by that part in things." He steps towards the sink. "So...if he's as manipulative as the Magician says, could it be interpretted as exploiting someone else's fears? Like blackmail or something?" <@Ardweden> [She nods. "Yeah, it could be. Just taking advantage of it somehow."] * Kaede hrrms as he considers that, then lets out a breath, scrubbing the bowl. "Well. At any rate. It does provide a few more angles to explore. So thank you..." His lips thin before he adds, more subdued, "You didn't have to do this, you know." <@Ardweden> ["Hey!" Saori looks at Kaede in mock offense. "You're paying me, you know!"] * Kaede coughs, clearing his throat, then holding up his finger. "You can refuse service to anyone, can't you?" He does give her a half smirk. <@Ardweden> [Saori rolls her eyes. "Fiiiine."] * Kaede folds his arms. "But you did help, so thank you." He walks over to offer her more vegetables to go. "Honestly though. Without paying you or feeding you, I have to wonder what you even see in Nanami." <@Ardweden> [Saori pshes. "She's my best friend. She's awesome! You probably wouldn't know, being her brother and all."] * Kaede snorts again, turning back towards Saori. "I *am* her big brother. Which puts me in the position of knowing she's awesome and never ever letting her know about it." <@Ardweden> [She smirks. "Your secret's safe with me! Unless she pays me a lot of money."] * Kaede smirks right back. "Go ahead. She'd never believe you anyway. It'd take me knowing people socially." <@Ardweden> ["Don't you? Aren't you an idol's manager?"] * Kaede shakes his finger at Saori, pulling himself off the counter. "That's different. That's *business*. You understand business, right?" <@Ardweden> ["Yup! And that's why *you're* going to pay me. Three more dinners."] * Kaede gives her a smile and holds up three fingers. "Three more dinners." He starts to clean up more. "Glad we could do business." <@Ardweden> [End!]