<@Grysar> [Date: March 29th, 2004] <@Grysar> [The long awaited lunch has arrived! You're all gathering at a restaurant atop one of Tokyo's central department store. There's a breathtaking view of an adjacent park, out the window many stories below.] <@Grysar> [The table was ready when you arrived, Yusuke had gotten here early, but is off chatting with the chef.] <@Grysar> [Anatoly is waiting at the table and smiles at you and Akemi, yes, not just Akemi, when he sees you arrive.] <@Grysar> [Start!] * Kaede approaches the table and keeps his managerial stoic face on with approaching Anatoly. Which means he bows without making much expression or much comment. He doesn't remember who set this up, Anatoly, Akemi, or him, but it's nice gigs! * Anatoly is actually rather sharply dressed. That said, it's a suit you've seen before. While he's always quite fashionable, his roatation of selection of formalwear is not that large. * Anatoly stands and bows. "I wish I could stay past the first few courses, but duty does call." He nods to Akemi. Akemi's next gig only had a dressing room available an hour before hand, and Anatoly does pride himself on properly setting up his equipment to properly tend draw out her inner glamour. * Kaede starts to comment in reply, but closes it and looks at Akemi for a moment. Why is he staying at *all*, is the unspoken question. Sadly he's not a telepath like Satoshi. <@Ardweden> [Akemi doesn't look back at Kaede. Instead, she's beaming at Anatoly. "That's okay! We're really glad you could make it!" She goes to him squeezes his hand, and air kissing his cheeks. Other people in the restaurant totally put effort into ignoring the spectacle.] * Kaede mouths, from his half bow, We are?, before looking at the totally ignoring us crowd. "Well. Perhaps we should sit." * Anatoly air kisses in return. "The pleasure is all mine. This place is of your caliber, but typically beyond the reach of a lowly hairdresser such myself." He interrupts what would almost certainly be an overly dramatic bow to demonstrate his low stature to take the queue and sit. * Yusuke emerges from the kitchen, smiling. He's suited up, though not wearing a tie. Somehow he tailors his shirts such that open neck actually looks for him. More remarkable is the bold blue satin diagonal sash he wears under his jacket. Is that a thing? Is it becoming a thing? Who knows? (Well, maybe Akemi, she's fashion smart). <@Ardweden> [Akemi almost certainly does know, and she squeals upon seeing Yusuke. "Yusuke!" she calls, bounding over and hugging him, then for real kissing him on the cheek.] * Yusuke kisses her cheek in return. "It is ever too long between our meetings." * Kaede takes his seat while Akemi is busy and takes off the napkin. At least he's been taught *some* manners in fancy restaurants. "I don't agree. We are all equals here. We all have our part to play. You are as much a part of this team as any of us..." * Anatoly beams to watch them. Now that's a couple worth shipping. <@Ardweden> [Akemi sighs. "I know. Maybe we can set up another date in a week or two?" She heads to the table to sit next to Kaede.] * Kaede glances at Akemi for a moment and taps the table nervously for a second before going for water or tea. Suddenly very thirsty. * Yusuke sits as well and a waiter brings appetizer course: prawns and jellyfish with an ume sauce. It has also been too long since I've seen you Kaede. And Anatoly, always a pleasure. * Anatoly nods. "The pleasure is mine, although I'll confess, Kaede was the one that managed to make all the schedules work somehow." * Kaede smiles and for the first time it's somewhat genuine before he nods over to Akemi. "Honestly, she has been hinting at it for a while it's a wonder I didn't recognize it earlier. But I suppose that is what being chronically busy will do for you." He glances at Anatoly, a little surprised that he's being given credit. <@Ardweden> [Akemi grins at Kaede. And claims some appetizer for herself.] * Kaede watches the grin like a minnow would watch a shark's teeth. "*Definitely* hinting." * Yusuke nods and samples the prawns. "When I catch my breath, I do notice that old connections have oft drifted away in the eb and flow of performing life. Sometimes hints are necessaary." He sighs. "That does remind me, how is Satoshi-san? I'm not sure I did ever properly thank him for his hospitality." * Kaede narrowly avoids spitting out his water midswallow, though he does cough for a bit, finishing the swallow. Smooth move there. Trying to recover his breath while looking down at his glass. "He...well...he is in the States..." * Yusuke titters, "Ah, the first of us to truly become an international star. Truly deserved, I'm sure." * Anatoly looks a little lost but laughs along. Obviously something is funny. <@Ardweden> [Akemi smiles. "I hear he's doing very well with hockey."] * Kaede glances at Akemi, oddly serious, then dabs the corner of his mouth to keep the water from leaking. "Yes. Of sorts. Star is a matter of debate really though..." He glances down at the appetizers, as if considering whether he's hungry or not. Or contemplative, hard to tell. * Yusuke smiles, "Only a matter of time, I'm sure." * Akemi looks back at Kaede and tilts her head slightly. <@Grysar> [As you are limited to the lunch hour, the second course arrives before the appetizers are entirely finished. Seasonal mountain herbs. They are all good and fresh, but the standout is fukinoto (butterbur buds).] * Akemi oohs and thanks the waiter! * Kaede focuses for a moment before he pulls his look up and meets Akemi's look and blinks. "What?" * Akemi then says to Kaede: "You had your Serious Face on." * Anatoly attempts to discreetly check his watch. I've seen a few serious faces in my time, but yours puts my manager's to shame. * Kaede looks inwardly, or tries to, which involves him almost crossing his eyes towards his nose. "I have a serious face?" He sounds confused. The most serious. * Akemi looks at the others. "Isn't that right?" * Yusuke titters but his expression is more charmed than mocking. He has a non-serious face? * Kaede nods to Anatoly. "Exactly. What he said." * Akemi looks at Yusuke. "Help. They're agreeing." * Yusuke leans forward and shares the herbs. "Ha, first time for everything. But yes, Anatoly. Kaede is always all business, but there are times when that business appears to weigh on him more than others. Akemi is right of course, that appeared to be one of those times." * Akemi gets some herbs on her plate, which she nibbles with a little smile. * Kaede takes one of the appetizers and recovers nicely, pulling it onto one of the smaller plate. "Come now, you're going to give away all my secrets. How will he ever take me seriously if he knows that I'm sometimes not serious?" * Yusuke then leans back and holds a hand palm up. "Indeed, forget I said anything Anatoly. And I do not mean to pry. But when one has a sibling such as mine, it is vitally important to learn to watch for heavy moods." * Kaede gets his *very* non serious face as Yusuke says that. A frown. And going back to focusing on eating. * Anatoly eats the herbs before checking his watch again. "Drat, I shall have to learn more of dear Kaede's secrets another time." He takes one last quick bite before excusing himself with a bow. "See you after lunch darling." <@Grysar> [After the proper goodbyes are said, your corner table does actually feel a bit secluded in Anatoly's absence, perhaps by intention. Kaede can clearly see when the waitstaff is approaching and absent hidden Katies there's no other patron in easy position to overhear you.] * Kaede waits for Anatoly to go, then takes his napkin, patting his mouth again as he responds, calmly. "...heavy moods is an understatement. No offense..." * Akemi doesn't say anything to that, or even really react. She just finishes off a prawn. * Yusuke doesn't seem offended. "Yes, perhaps an understatement, ahahaha. But I do not think we are gathered to talk about Shika. I'm off to see her afterwards, but this should not be one of those heavy times." * Kaede lets out a breath, taking another appetizer. "How *is* your sister? You inquired about Watanabe-san. Fair's fair..." * Yusuke takes a bit of sea urchin. "Indeed." He ponders for a moment before taking a bite, after savoring the dish for a moment and swallowing he continues, "Well enough, pre-med is more challenging than she expected in some ways, but she much prefers its challenges to those we faced back then. Still, she is grappling with problems that are not always well suited to her traditional strengths." * Kaede nods. "She can't..." He frowns, then corrects himself. "The past is the past. We don't need to dwell on it. Although there always seems certain people who are stuck on it...." * Akemi glances at Kaede, but again, she doesn't say anything. She's being very quiet today. I consider myself more of a child of the future, at least when I have a choice in the matter. * Yusuke smiles over at Akemi, "Of course, it helps to have friends that by their very presence remind us that we all have so much more we can strive to be." * Kaede coughs and looks at Akemi, having the courtesy to be embarrassed on her behalf. "We all have choice. At least I like to think so..." He glances down at his plate. He's been picking. "Akemi tells me you had connected with a social media site?" * Yusuke nods. "Multiple," He rattles off a few, mostly Japanese but a few early American ones including an early Myspace. "Most recently, Shuffle. It has some intriguing features." * Kaede frowns and gets a little more focused on his food. "...Shuffle..." * Akemi laughs, and there's a nervous edge to it both boys would probably recognize. You're using Shuffle now? I didn't know. * Yusuke nods, "It's actually been the first site I've used that really pitches secure communication as a feature. Ahahaha." He loses his smile slightly, "That said, they are genuinely eager for artists and the company has been very cooperative in everything my manager asked for. I've got quite a page set up, I'm told." * Kaede tilts his head to the side. "You're told? You mean they haven't shown you?" * Yusuke laughs again, once again smiling. "Oh, I've seen it and even played with the features on my account, it attracts people but I can't really judge its quality. But I'm a bit rubbish with computers. Surely Akemi has told you of the way she dominates me whenever we play video games." * Akemi grins at that. "I am the greatest at Mario Kart!" <@Grysar> [There's a lull in the conversation as the cooked course arrives and the previous dishes are taken away.] * Kaede waits for the rest to leave, then starts to take parts of the cooked course. "Well...that *would* be part of it...didn't Akemi tell you?" * Yusuke makes a face, "This is about the card bits and that antisocial-type that will teach us all to make connections, isn't it?" * Kaede frowns even deeper, then taps his finger on the table. "Yorihisa Murimura, yes." He readies a bite. "Or Six of Pentacles. If you'd prefer." <@Grysar> [The cooked started with grilled white fish, Yusuke did explain that he's gone pescatarian though he seemed chagrined about it. It was followed by a cold salad with an *amazing* dressing, and a one pot dish with daikon radish sprouts. All quite good.] * Akemi picks at her food, quietly. * Yusuke nods, making note of the name. "I think I recognize him from a few of the large gathering, always typing away on that laptop of his. I'm not sure what his game is and ahahaha, I'm afraid I'm not that eager to play. That said his people and my people seem to get along without any trouble." * Kaede adjusts his glasses. "My apologies. You said you were trying to avoid heavy talk and here..." He sighs, picking up a bite. "Perhaps Anatoly is right. Perhaps I *am* all business. I don't know how to be not..." * Akemi sighs, finally, and puts down her chopsticks. "It's fine, Kaede." She places a hand on his before looking at Yusuke. "The Shuffle stuff is pretty scary. Kaede did a reading and The Magician showed up." * Yusuke waves his hand, "As Akemi said, you need not apologize." He then processes that, "The Magician? That's a card I'd hoped not to hear of again. Although perhaps its related to that book promotion that was a template for my site. It sounded like some sort of Harry Potter thing, except more Japanese." * Kaede looks at his food, completely stopped eating at this point. "It's worse than that. The World is involved..." * Yusuke looks over to Kaede, "The World? I don't think I actually know much about that one, at least in this lifetime." * Kaede gestures with his hand. "It's...rather complicated really. Probably not the place. Actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you about..." * Yusuke nods and listens. * Yusuke does not stop eating though. This is serious, and important, but he's not going to let this food go to waste or lose its taste as it cools. * Akemi is eating around her food as much as she's actually eating her food. * Kaede glances up. "We think this has something to do with the old Council. Not entirely sure. Which we know dreadfully little about. Which takes research. Which...you know...takes knowledge of the past...and Akemi said..." He gestures with his hand in her general direction, letting it hang in the air, implication unsaid. * Yusuke nods, "I have some memory of that. I was a member I believe. It's all cloudy, as you'd expect." I know the Council spent a lot of time being concerned with things, with the murders, with The World, with Judgment. Ahahaha, but not in that order, not in that order at all. * Kaede nods, then hesitates, looking at his meal. "I...well...I know we have not been exactly dealt the hand to be *close*. Or even necessarily friends. We've gotten better over the years, sure, but..." He shrugs. "You've always been more connected with Shiraishi-san than I. So I'd understand if it was intruding to ask what you *can* remember..." * Kaede looks up. "I mean. Specifics if you can." * Kaede glances at his food. "Tell you what. You tell me all you know. And I'll let you know why we're so concerned about The World. And Shuffle. I mean. Not here. But I promise, this is important and it would be good to know what you might be getting into..." * Yusuke nods. He looks contemplative, "You are important to Akemi, that's enough to make you important to me. And I suppose as long as you're sharing I can share in return." <@Grysar> [Yusuke walks you through some of what he knows of the Council. The initial details line up with what you have heard before, including the description of the chambers, Kyon's predecessor as head...] Some of the members were more idealistic, like the Cup priest. I think I often was just trying to survive. I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for..." He closes his eyes, thinking. Near the end, I think, I remember a partial Council meeting. Just barely quorum. The white haired woman with the wand was there. She was pushing through something, hard. I believe there was a deal with The World. I was rather shocked by that, I thought that The World was an enemy of the council, that she even had spies that she used against us. * Yusuke rubs his temple with two fingers. "Is there something in particular you're looking for? I haven't had many dreams and they're a jumble." * Kaede ponders this. "Right now, I think, almost anything would be helpful. Mostly, if The World is trying to revive the Council, knowing the Council's agenda and inner workings would give us something to look for..." He frowns now. "Enemy?" <@Grysar> [With Yusuke distracted and Akemi eating around her food, most of the dishes go unattended. The matcha course that closes the meal arrives as your hour is nearly up.] * Yusuke waits for a proper moment. "Enemy may be too strong for the Council, but it felt right to me. I do not think The World was on the Council, although that one had the authority to attend by virtue of the card. But I know The World always prefered to work through intermediaries, even when the deal was struck." * Kaede pauses as he eats the meal, waiting for the distraction to settle, then changes the subject. "Nevermind. It's not important for now. It's actually funny that you mention Watanabe-san earlier. Cause honestly, I was thinking of going to the States..." * Yusuke looks surprised. "That's quite a trip." He looks to Akemi, she hadn't mentioned this. * Akemi blinks, also surprised. And to Kaede: "Really? You mean with the label next year?" * Yusuke nods, "Oh, I remember the possibility with the label. I'd love it if my label wanted to promote 'Pink Scare' over the Pacific." * Akemi beams before Kaede can say anything. "This'll be great! I have to brush up on my English. " She hugs him. "And we can see Satoshi, too! Maybe I can just take a semester off of school; I think they'll want us for at *least* a few weeks and it'll be really hard to arrange my classes around that..." * Kaede frowns and considers how to put this. "...was actually thinking a lot sooner than that." He looks up at Akemi seriously. "Watanabe-san's ran into a bit of trouble...nothing he can't handle. But familiar faces..." * Yusuke's smile broadens at Akemi's excitement. It then fades. Oh, and if there's a semester, we can go sightseeing! Maybe we can see the lady with the torch, or go to see the cracked bell, or- huh? * Yusuke picks up his tea and drinks it slowly. * Kaede frowns. "...I didn't want to bring it up like this, but it just seemed like it needed to be said." He sighs, poking at his food. "We can set up a reunion tour when we get back. Anatoly would love a duet with you too. And I think the draw would be enough to cover the cost, but..." * Yusuke's reddish pink eyes flit between his two lunch companions. "Whatever Akemi wants on that front, of course." * Akemi pulls away from Kaede. "What trouble? What are you talking about?" And then: "I want a duet *now*." * Kaede frowns. "But it'll take time to set up. I'm not sure we'd be ready..." I did have high hopes and was able to clear some studio space on fairly short notice, but I'm not sure short enough to do it before a big trip. * Yusuke isn't smiling now and he's watching Akemi rather attentively. * Akemi says, with a too chipper smile, "Of course we're not ready!" And then she loses the smile. "You wouldn't give me a duet with Yusuke in *forever* until you want something and- and I- This isn't fair." * Kaede stops cold in his tracks, utensils settling on his plate as he looks at Akemi. "You never *told* me you wanted it that badly. It's not as if I was withholding it from you..." I shouldn't have to tell you! He's one of my best friends! Just like you have your best friends who you want to hang out with! * Yusuke frowns and nods in agreement, "Insisting on things isn't her way, she shouldn't have to." * Kaede looks taken aback, starting to stand up as he scoots his chair back. "But if you don't tell me, how will I know...?" He glances to Yusuke. You are not helping... * Yusuke looks back at Kaede evenly. He's not here to help you. But- I thought you knew how close we are. * Akemi takes her napkin off her lap and twists it between her hands before throwing it over the food on her plate. * Kaede flinches and looks away. "That...doesn't mean I automatically knew you wanted...look I..." * Yusuke stands up and walks over to Akemi and puts a hand on her shoulder. He comments quietly, "You can go on to Anatoly's ministrations. I've got the bill." * Akemi looks up at Yusuke, and she nods. "Thanks," she says, quietly, before standing and turning to Kaede. "I've- I've got work to do, you know?" She blinks a couple of times, rapidly. "We can talk about this later." And then she starts to leave, walking quickly and forgetting her coat. * Kaede sighs and moves to gather her coat, looking at Yusuke apologetically. "...I'm sorry I didn't..." He sighs and folds it over one arm, closing his eyes. "You really think it can be set up quickly?" * Yusuke walks over to his coat with a sigh. "Depends on the timing of your trip. Doing it before hand would require a lot of leg work and I'm not in a position to do it." * Yusuke adjusts his sash as he sits down; its iridescent blue catches some of the red in his eyes. "And a small word of advice. Think carefully about the sacrifices she makes, without you insisting, to ensure you can do things with your best friends." * Kaede nods as he looks over at Yusuke, and then at where Akemi left from. "...I was considering asking you along but I didn't see a reason to go on a world tour yet until we build up more..." He shakes his head. "Thinking too much like a manager. Not enough like..." His shoulders sag. "I do realize that. It's just..." He frowns softly. "I can't always know what she wants unless she tells me..." * Kaede glances at Yusuke. "Do what you can. I *do* know she values you as a friend. It's just..." He frowns... "I didn't show that very well tonight. I realize that..." He thanks Yusuke and heads off after Akemi, with a lot less enthusiasm than he came in with. <@Grysar> [End!]