[RDMgryphon] (encrypted) From: Taki Shimiru Date: Evening Monday February 23, 2004 (Japan) Subject: Trip Report To: Katie Andrews, Kyon Sorata, Haruko Kinsha, Satoshi Watanabe, Kaede Takeuchi, Wataru Yamada Today I met with Nicola Arai’s older sister Hinako, The Hierophant, but I’m getting ahead of myself with that. I’m kinda sorta trying to date the younger sister, but it’s not going well. (Given who her sister is, I don’t think she’s ever actually had a secret before.) Nicola wants to meet all of you, so one of the things I talked to The Hierophant about was how much it’s okay to tell normal people, and what Temperance is even doing. Right now she’s out of the country, but actual demonstrations of power are out, getting very specific about them is out, admitting that we’re special depends on the person, but, if they get curious and start poking around she’ll take their memories. As for the Council of Mysteries, she says she hasn’t read the book yet, but wants a copy of the draft. I think I’m missing something there, but I’m no sure what. So, when would be good dates to meet with people? I’m thinking dinners in small groups so she doesn’t get overwhelmed like Wataru did for everybody but Satoshi, unless he's planning on coming back sooner than I thought he was. If anybody has anything else they want me to ask about, I will, but there’s no telling if I’ll understand the answer I get. -Taki --- [RDMgryphon] (encrypted) From: Taki Shimiru Date: Evening Monday February 23, 2004 (Japan) Subject: Side Trip To: Kaede Takeuchi I’ve got another, seventy-ish percent normal friend that it was recommended that get in contact with Akemi, and she wants to drag her boyfriend along. Any chance of that happening soonish? Please? -Taki --- [Grysar] Haruko sees the email and replies before taking note of anyone that might have replied first. (encrypted) From: Haruko Kinsha, Date: Morning Tuesday February 24, 2004 (Japan) Subject: Trip Report To: Taki Shimiru, Katie Andrews, Kyon Sorata, Satoshi Watanabe, Kaede Takeuchi, Wataru Yamada Sorry to hear things aren't going well yet, but it sounds like you're actually communicating and mutually aware of the semi-sorta dating. That's crucial. I'm happy to meet, but the way my classes are set up and are ramping up, it's going to be a pain. My transport money is all tied up in a race (I should really consider recruiting a new treasurer), and I'm currently on a Maki-guided seminar-based meal plan. That said, I've been hitting the pool pretty regularly after school, trying to get in shape for being in the ensemble for a musical next semester. I can get a few guest passes for that. Alternately, I do have a bunch of passes to the upcoming race. I'm mostly involved with morning stuff. I'll be there all day to support the club, but there's a fair amount of downtime for slipping off to talk. If neither of those work, I'm sure we can work out some dinner plan, it's just harder than it would usually be. On Hinako, I don't really know. I think she typically knows more than she says but it isn't like she's omniscient. That's Winston's power and I think even that must have some real caveats. None of the rest of us speak with her, so thanks for reporting what you heard and please keep it up. Odd that Temperance is out of the country, though maybe she started taking more vacations after she was no doubt busy for months because of the near apocalypse. People don't talk about that as much as I would have predict, though I guess to everyone else it was just weird statues that went away one day. I imagine she was real busy for a while. No specific questions for Hinako at the moment. I'm sure that will change, but best to wait until i've got something important. Maybe let her know what we're trying with Ozora-san. It would be great if she has an advice, but either way I'd feel more comfortable if she was in the loop. (Any objections Yamada-san or Takeuchi-san)? Haruko --- [RDMgryphon] (encrypted) Date: Morning Tuesday February 24, 2004 (Japan) Subject: re:Trip Report To: Haruko Kinsha Okay, I’ll ask if she’d be interested in going to the pool or watching your team race, thanks. Is this one of those pools with slides and stuff, or just a big long pool for students to practice racing in? -Taki --- [Ardweden] (encrypted) From: Katie Andrews Date: Tuesday Afternoon February 24, 2004 (Japan) Subject: Re: Trip Report To: Taki Shimiru, Kyon Sorata, Haruko Kinsha, Satoshi Watanabe, Kaede Takeuchi, Wataru Yamada The Council of Mysteries book is out. The second one isn't. We got a copy because Haruko won it at one of the book signings. (The author is Masaru Uehara's brother, Aka Uehara, & he's under a pen name.) I can get a copy ready for you. Just let me know when you want to stop by. Sounds like kind of dating Hinako's younger sister is kind of awkward but I don't know she wants to meet us, esp. since you were also talking about Temperance and what's allowed & not to talk about. Why does she want to meet all of us if she doesn't know about Arcana? Does she know about Arcana & the Temperance stuff was about something else? And are you sure it's a good idea at all? I know I kind of dragged you back into this stuff but I thought you were trying to get away. Though I guess if you're kind of dating the Hierophant's sister, that's not really away at all is it. Katie --- [RDMgryphon] (encrypted) From: Taki Shimiru Date: Tuesday Afternoon February 24 2004 (Japan) Subject: Re:Re: Trip Report To: Katie Andrews, Kyon Sorata, Haruko Kinsha, Satoshi Watanabe, Kaede Takeuchi, Wataru Yamada Tomorrow after classes let out? I should probably actually read it myself before I hand it over. I brought my copy of volume one with me when I went to talk with her, but she said she’d get her own and wanted the draft of the second as soon as possible. Nicola doesn’t know the hows or whys or the actual what’s of Arcana, but she knows her sister is “special” and knows pretty much everything and is kind of a strange person. She knows that I am also two of those three things. It’s probably a terrible idea, but trying to keep her secret from you and the reverse is a worse one. As for my getting away, I’ve applied to schools in Osaka and Fukuoka, so I’m still trying a little, but I’ve got sort of a sinking feeling that something’s gonna happen again. Hopefully it won’t. (Also, I totally forgot Temperance’s family name, I was just crushing on the hottest girl in school and my friends finally talked me into asking her out. I wasn’t expecting anything actually coming from it. ._.) -Taki --- [Grysar] (encrypted) Date: Afternoon Tuesday February 24, 2004 (Japan) Subject: re:Trip Report To: Taki Shimiru Big long pool. They setup of diving boards when it isn't near time to use it for a racing meet. Also, sometimes they play music underwater during the lap period. But not too much to offer beyond being a heated indoor pool. If you want to do a waterpark sometime this summer, you know I'm in. Though I should start saving now. Haruko --- [RDMgryphon] *text message from Taki to Nicola* Hey! People in college don’t seem to have much free time. ;_; My friend Haruko’s going to Tokyo Tech, and her time’s all been eaten by projects. She says that we can watch her team race, or hang out at the campus pool, or wait until she has more free time and maybe hit a water park or something else fun this summer after the semester is over. <3 --- [Ciara] About an hour later, Taki receives a text response from Nicola: "Is there a way we could arrange something more private? A swim meet/pool meetup does not seem the best way to go about things." --- [RDMgryphon] Text message from Taki to Haruko How many people are usually around when you go swimming? And what kind of a race are you doing anyway? If you told me, I forgot. --- Text message from Taki to Haruko: How many people are usually around when you go swimming? And what kind of a race are you doing anyway? If you told me, I forgot. Text response: Depends on when. Normally 5-20 though in morning have had it to myself sometimes, but that's weird hours. The Motor Club tries to do 1/season. This 1 is off road. Using my bike for once, but 2nd half is buggies and others>me for that. Although maybe I just need to train Hibiki 2 be good navig8r Text message from Taki to Nicola. It won't be that bad. Haruko says that there are only 5-20 people at the pool, and they're all going to be Tokyo Tech students who don't care who either of us are. Sometimes she has it to herself in the morning, but we've got class. Nicola texts back: Yes, but a pool is not exactly a place to talk? Taki -> Haruko Is there anywhere between the pool and your dorm room that we could talk? It's gonna be kinda hard to hold a conversation while you're doing laps. ^^; There's two free swim lanes. But okay. Let me think of a place. Motor Clubhouse? Library study room? Library study room? Can we get one to ourselves? Probably. That's probably a winner. * Haruko sighs. Ok. No food there obv. How long should I book it for? What's the shortest and longest you can get? Dunno! Maki normally does it. I'd guess 15 min to 3 hrs. Okay, I'll ask if this works for her. To Nicola: Okay, the most private can talk place would be getting a study room in their library to ourselves. The only downside is that we can't bring anything to eat with us. Nicola texts back: That is fine. Yaaaaay! Now we just need to decide how long to reserve the room for, and on what days. --- [Ciara] (encrypted e-mail) Date: Evening of Tuesday, February 24 (Japan) / Morning of Tuesday, February 24 (Maine) Subject: Re: Re: Re: Trip Report To: Taki Shimiru, Katie Andrews, Haruko Kinsha, Kyon Sorata, Kaede Takeuchi, Wataru Yamada FYI, I'm not coming back until the second week in May. I have spring break for the first two weeks in March, but we still have games and practice, so it just wasn't that practical for me to try to come back. I'll be a bit more available for video chats/phone calls, though, since I won't have classes and Paul will be back home, so if you want to try that, let me know. (This actually applies to all of you, though I know you're all really busy.) Good luck with university admissions. Satoshi --- [Jihatsu] Wataru drops his messenger bag on the couch and hangs up his trenchcoat, then makes himself a hot chocolate before sitting down in front of the computer. Where a bunch of encrypted emails are waiting for him. He shifts in his chair, the weight of a long schoolday lifting all at once, and opens the first message in the thread. He gets out his notebook, rereads the email, and jots a few things down as more pieces fall into place. "Hierophant - Hinako Arai - ally - knows what Temperance wants (why/how???), has non-Arcana sister Nicola." And then at the end, under "Other", "Nicola Arai - dating Taki, kind of." That the Hierophant knows what Temperance wants and thinks is vaguely troubling, but he knows so little about what's actually going on in this world of Arcana that he tries to suppress his worry. It could be totally normal, after all. And the team seem to trust the Hierophant well enough..... When he gets to Haruko's email, he finds himself uncertain about how to reply. He keeps his thoughts simmering on the back burner while he goes through the rest, and then it hits him, as his brain finally catches up with him. _I was just crushing on the hottest girl in school and my friends finally talked me into asking her out_ Wataru pushes his chair back slightly, taking a deep breath. He swallows, backtracks, reads everything again. He picks up his hot chocolate and sips it, looking out of the window. Nobody cares. Taki likes girls, and her friends - logically, two different groups of friends even, judging from the phrasing - don't care. They even encourage her. He drinks half his hot chocolate before returning to his email, and looking for a way to draft a response. (encrypted) From: Wataru Yamada Date: Late Tuesday Afternoon February 24 2004 (Japan) Subject: Re:Re:Re: Trip Report To: Katie Andrews, Kyon Sorata, Haruko Kinsha, Satoshi Watanabe, Kaede Takeuchi, Taki Shimiru Haruko-san, I don't actually know this Hinako-san at all, or what relationship the rest of you may have had with her in the past, so it should hardly be for me to judge whether she should be brought into the operation. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised you all seem mostly positive about expanding the, uh, communicative sphere of who we talk to things about and who we trust. I mean, I feel like I'm barely in that sphere myself (and rightly so, of course) so I guess I feel a bit awkward about bringing in more people, but I'll accept your judgment call on this, all of you. (He looks at that paragraph, feels that it is super awkward and overly honest and terribly unspecific in tone, and he realizes that he can't bring himself to pay enough attention to it to make it better. He stares at it for a moment before continuing.) Let me know what you decide about timing/small groups, if you want me to meet Nicola too. I'm free most evenings. Shimiru-san, and everybody else too I guess, I do kind of want to echo Katie's concern though... Are we really confident that there's nothing fishy about her wanting to meet us all? Has she expressed as much interest in meeting your other, non-Arcana friends? Should some of us (me, for instance, since I'm guessing you probably haven't spoken to her about me specifically?) stay out of it so that we can have a failsafe on the outside in case something bad happens? Sorry but I've decided to be more forthcoming about my wariness ever since Takeuchi-san confirmed that a hint of paranoia is probably healthy given our circumstances. Anyway, yeah, let me know. Sounds like there's a lot going on. Take care, Wataru He presses send, and goes to make himself some dinner, pushing Arcana and dating both out of his mind. --- [Grysar] Haruko sees this email after class on the 25th. Between a late night cramming and her morning video chat with Satoshi, she hasn't noticed if anyone else has replied. She frowns and stares at it for a moment, blocking the sidewalk before she gathers herself and goes to sit. (encrypted) From: Haruko Kinsha Date: Late Tuesday Afternoon February 24 2004 (Japan) Subject: Re: Re:Re:Re: Trip Report To: Katie Andrews, Kyon Sorata, Wataru Yamada, Satoshi Watanabe, Kaede Takeuchi, Taki Shimiru Wataru-san, Given your concern, I am comfortable holding checking in with Hinako-san until we have had another meeting with the Ozora family and have a better sense what we'll be doing. We should try to do that soon I think. Haruko suggests some possible times in the not too distant future that fit Kyoko's restrictions. She thinks back over the mornings events and grimaces for a moment. I meant it when I asked for objections. I can often bull through getting my own way, but I want to make sure my suggestions are actually to the respectful of those I'm working with and not just a reflection of how I think things could be. (Haruko stares at that for a second, pensive. Little unsubtle there lady, but it'll do.) Anyhow, I'm meeting with her tomorrow. Like I told Satoshi this morning, I don't think it's that odd that she wants to talk to people. There's much she can't know about Taki's past. Learning about her comrades gets around that problem to a degree and is still a good way to get the measure of a person. That said, I think your failsafe idea is sensible for multiple reasons. Haruko --- [Rowyn] (encrypted) From: Kaede Takeuchi Date: Afternoon Friday February 27, 2004 (Japan) Subject: Re: Side Trip To: Taki Shimiru ....what? --- [RDMgryphon] (encrypted) From: Taki Shimiru Date: Late Evening Friday February 27, 2004 (Japan) Subject Re: Re: Side Trip To: Kaede Takeuchi What what? I’ll try to be more clear if ask. Also, I was told that another of my “normal” friends would benefit from meeting Akemi. Maybe on that shoot she invited me too? --- [Rowyn] Kaede, as Katie, wakes up to a morning of emails. Not anything he's not entirely unused to. It's best to get them done early on a Saturday regardless. But this is ridiculous. And Akemi's not even around to see it. She did have to sneak off early for a show after all, but at least they were going to do lunch. He squints. He sighs. Okay. So this is where Kaede's business training comes in. When faced with a mass of overloading work emails, you tackle the one you are dreading to respond to first. That way the rest of the day just ends up seeming much better and smoother by comparison. Oh well. Might as well get this one over with.... ------------------------------------------------------------ (encrypted) From: Kaede Takeuchi Date: Morning Saturday February 27, 2004 (Japan) Subject: Re: Side Trip To: Taki Shimiru No. Wait. Let me see if I have this straight. Because I want to make absolute certain I'm understanding you properly... Firstly, you remain disconnected from the group for extended periods of time. You wish to concentrate on your own thing. That's understandable. Commendable even. Then slowly circumstances bring you back in. Your first note of greeting is to express amazement over the quantity of emails that we had been discussing. Your second is to make a specific request to me. Keep in mind, we have been gradually growing more paranoid about a potential ongoing threat and someone leaking information. And you wish me to introduce an acquaintance, sight unknown, sight unseen, to my rising star of a girlfriend who, in addition to having her own difficulties with paparazzi looking for scandal and crazed fans trying to break the lines for an interview, is also potentially directly involved in these dangers by association with me. We never were all that particularly close, Shimiru-san. I don't really have any obligation here. But despite that, when I express *confusion* at this, you respond, not with information on why I should allow these friends to meet her, what their agenda or motives might be, or even what their names or *association* with you might be, but state that there just happens to be another friend as well you would like to invite to the party. Whom, I might add, you also have not given me any information on why. By the way, Taki Shimiru, how are you? What have you been doing while we've been away? Oh, dating Hinako's sister, that's nice, I'm glad you're concerned with my health and all of that. The worst part is, Oh Knight of Cups, that I of all people have to remind you of how social relationships work. Sigh. Incidently. If Akemi truly did invite you along, I suppose I'd have to oblige her. But I would very much like to know more of the why and what of these friends before I even consider it. Lest your lack of caution kill us all. Sincerely, Takeuchi Kaede. --- [RDMgryphon] (Afternoon, Saturday Feb 27, 2004. Japan) Taki Shimiru has survived another half day in the Japanese school system and returned safely(by bus and her own two feet) to her own room where she can be pretty sure that there’s nobody looking over her shoulder as she checks her email on her phone. Her schoolbag and books are spread across her desk to at least give some plausability that she’ doing her homework. And she reads. Was Kaede always that paranoid? Well, no he even said he’s getting worse, and winding up dating Nicola was pretty improbable… except he’s dating AKEMI. Improbable describes how they live so she starts to type in a reply explaining this… only she starts to realize that she’s leaving a lot of stuff out. So she trashes the letter and tries again and is about a quarter of the way through her first day at class and meeting Shizaru when she decides that’s not important; Kaede likes things short and simple. The third draft is a timeline and discarded after Taki couldn’t remember enough dates and the small screen on her phone made keeping track of what she’d already said difficult. The fourth draft is in her Burn Before Reading notebook and abandoned because her life reads too much like the ramblings of a bored middleschooler, and she’s gotten too hungry to deal with this fact. After making some snacks, the fifth draft actually is purely fiction where hypothetical Taki doesn’t screw up so much, and is torn up two pages in. The only sign of it’s passing is a note in the margines that writing is harder than she remembers and that people get mad when you don’t get permission to use them in stories. Number six isn’t so much a letter as a collection of recursive notes with their own notes about what’s important enough to actually try to explain to Kaede and still a work in progress when it’s time to start work on dinner instead. --- [RDMgryphon] (Encrypted Email) From: Taki Shimiru Date: Afternoon, Monday, March 1, 2004, Japan Subject: Re:Re: Side Trip To: Kaede Takeuchi Okay Takeuchi-san, I admit that this was another of those times that get I ahead of myself, and calling our relationship two years ago a friendship is an exaggeration, and that expecting to pick it back up again and continue several years later was too much to ask. When I’m in a good mood, it’s too easy to assume it’s the same for everybody else. And you are right. I’m not being as paranoid as I should be. When Katie first mentioned the social media thing, I dismissed it as just that creep from the computer club continuing to be a creep. Now Remi is mixed up in it, and people from the government, and possibly Satoshi’s mom. This is frightening stuff. As for the give and take of our relationship, I did offer to pass questions along to Hinako-san, but nobody took me up on that. If there’s something else that’s within my ability to do for you; well, I won’t make open promises because you would just sigh at my naivety, but I will consider them. These are the people that I’m trying to schedule meetings with yourself and/or Akemi-chan. [Picture of a very pretty ice blonde girl with half-asian half-nordic features wearing a school uniform and smiling at something slightly to the left of the camera] This is Arai Nicola, my girlfriend and the younger sister of Arai Hinako, The Hierophant. While in retrospect their being related is obvious to me, and I’m sure that you or Katie would have known it before I finished saying her name, I was deliberately avoiding thinking about Arcana at the time we first met. I didn’t work up the courage to actually ask her out until after I was prodded by Haruko and a couple of my normal friends. She is determined in a quiet way, and absolutely wants to keep her parents and too many other people from finding out about our relationship. Unfortunately, that’s not a promise or a secret I can keep from Haruko who already knew, you, who could just ask my phone for my other emails, Satoshi, who could just ask my mind, Katie, who could just ask me, or Sorata, who could ask anybody else I just mentioned. Wataru, of course, could just ask the cards and is who I was actually thinking about when I said that trying to keep a secret from my old friends would be like trying to keep a secret from her sister. To put it in terms that you would think in: she wants to know the quality of the people trusted with one of her secrets. Next year she’ll be starting the veterinarian studies program at Kurobane, and while I doubt that you’ll ever share any classes, maybe you can give her advice about campus life and teachers to recommend and avoid for general education classes? (Also, I don’t think you or Satoshi would do that if it wasn’t a life or death thing.) [Picture of a short, but still taller than Taki, dirty-blonde Japanese girl in the same uniform as Nicola leaning on a taller, muscular boy wearing the boys version of the uniform and a baseball cap.] These are Hasegawa Mikage and Oshiro Kenji, they’re currently dating. Mikage enjoys fortunetelling with a crystal ball, but as far as I can tell she doesn’t have any actual power with it. Hinako-san was kinda mean to her about it when they met, but she was also the one that suggested that meeting Akemi would be good for her. If I go to Tsuji, Mikage be my roommate. Kenji is the second baseman for the school baseball team, and managed to get a sports scholarship, but it’s not in Osaka, and it’s causing a lot of tension in their relationship. He’s a pretty good guy and definitely the normal one in my group of friends. I don’t know what Akemi-chan’s schedule is like, but hopefully there will be a shoot someplace easy to travel too soon. If you have other questions about how my life has been since we parted ways, I will try to answer them, but for now this email is getting awkward to scroll through on my phone. I hope it’s managed to enlighten you a small amount as to what’s been going through my head. I wish that I could claim that fear and uncertainty weren’t factors in my reaching out to all of you, but I’m trying to lead a slightly more honest life. So I am left hoping that you will accept the debts I am asking of you and that we can find an acceptable way for me to repay them. Taki Shimiru. --- [Rowyn] Kaede does eventually get around to responding. Several days later. The response is respectful, although it does seem a little more formal. Almost more business like than cordial.. Checking in with Akemi shows that she is willing to set things up. Kaede does manage to get across that, while he's still not convinced that Hinako's statements do not come with their own agenda, he's willing to check it out.No comments about debts. No comments about questions about her life. Definitely no comments about the Social Media project or Remi, but maybe that's just not an important enough topic. The email does give the impression that he is still uncertain of the desperation but willing to do it and sets up a couple of times. [End!]