<@Grysar> [Date: Tuesday, April 6th. Noontime.] <@Grysar> [Chikako obliges Kyon to meet at the Tully's coffee house near Keio campus at lunch time. She warned in advance that she might need to slip out for her campus newspaper work, so she's sorry if she gets an interrupting phone call, but it's important.] <@Grysar> [She apparently doesn't quite have it in her to outright stand him up for a bit, and she's standing by the counter as students and faculty shuffle in and out. A strong smell of roast coffee beans pervades the establishment and the conversation is at a low din. There are some outside tables available though if you can stand the cool damp air.] <@Grysar> [Start!] * Kyon comes in right on time, wearing a charcoal polo shirt and lighter grey slacks, black shoes, charcoal armwarmers, and his hat and sunglasses. He looks around to try to spot her, and then makes his way to the counter, waving curtly. * @Chikako nods politely as he approaches. She's wearing a long-sleeved, cream-colored blouse, a black skirt, and black pumps. She has a stylish black leather bag slung over her left shoulder and her phone is clutched in her right hand. * Kyon gets in line next to her and looks at the menu board. "Hey. You order yet?" * @Chikako nods. "I just did." * Kyon looks over the board more, trying to pick something out. "Let me pay for you. Since you did me the favor of coming out when you were busy." * @Chikako inclines her head, her slightly curled dark brown hair bobbing as she does. "You don't have to go to the trouble, but thank you." * Kyon shakes his head quickly. "No trouble." He tries to place his order, if it's his turn? <@Chikako> [It is Kyon's turn!] * @Chikako waits patiently for her order to come up. * Kyon orders an Americano, and signals that he'll pay for both of them. <@Chikako> [The cashier takes his order and accepts the payment.] * Kyon shuffles down the line to wait for the pickup, and looks around the cafe. "You want to sit inside or outside?" <@Chikako> I think I'd prefer inside. Outside is a little cool. * Kyon nods quickly, and points to a table in the corner. "There?" <@Chikako> That looks good. * Kyon nods curtly. "I'll grab the coffees if you want to stake it out." * @Chikako shifts her bag higher up on her shoulder. "Sure, thanks." She walks over to the table, sets her bag carefully on the floor, and takes a quick look at her phone. <@Chikako> [Very shortly after, the orders are up. Chikako has a mocha soy latte.] * Kyon carries over the cups to the table and puts them down. He takes the seat facing the wall, and removes his sunglasses. Way easier to see this way! * @Chikako gives him a small smile. "Thank you." Then she taps a button on her phone a few times before closing it and shutting it on the table. There's a tiny little brass handbell charm dangling from it that makes a tinkling sound as she does so. * Kyon settles in, resting his elbows on the table, wrapping his hands around his cup. "How've you been? Busy?" * @Chikako nods. "Yes, very. Writing articles, keeping up with my classes... I'd imagine you're quite busy, too." * Kyon smirks. "Yeah. School, the team, the business. Lots to juggle. Can't usually get the time to do things with people otherwise." * @Chikako has a somewhat wry expression. "Some things stay constant." She picks up her latte and takes a sip. * Kyon snorts a laugh, and shakes his head curtly. "Yeah. Good that you've been keeping up, though. What's your beat these days?" * @Chikako sets her cup back down on the table. "Well... while I would love to say hard-hitting investigative journalism, I haven't quiiiiiiite gotten there yet. Keeping up on some politics, especially university-related issues. And..." She leans forward slightly. "A little bit of gossip and fashion writing, to pay my dues. Gotta work my way up the ladder. " * Kyon nods quickly. "Yeah. And those are challenges, too. Still have to make them real and readable, right?" * @Chikako nods. "Right. It's not that I don't find them kind of interesting, either, it's just that I don't..." She gestures slightly with her left hand, revealing a delicate silver bangle. "I don't want that to be the only thing I ever do." * Kyon looks down at the bangle, and then up at her face, expression neutral. "You'll get there. You have the drive and the talent. Just starting out still." He sips at his coffee. * @Chikako smiles more broadly this time. "Thank you." She takes another sip of her own drink. "So... I have to ask. Why now to catch up? It's been a pretty long time." * Kyon smirks wryly, and wraps his hands back around it. "Partly it's time. Partly it's that there's something I wanted to talk with you about." * @Chikako looks intrigued. "Really, now?" * Kyon nods quickly, and turns the cup around in his hand, lowering his voice some. "You know about Shuffle?" * @Chikako quietly scoots closer to the table. "The new networking site. What about it?" * Kyon tips his hat back a bit on his head. "So there's been someone poking around on there, looking for info about me and some people I know. And I think it's someone from our old school, from what we know about what they know already." * @Chikako frowns. "Are these people they're looking for the information on are also from our old school?" she asks quietly. "It seems like a reasonable assumption." * Kyon nods curtly. "Yeah. A lot of my people. Some others, too, though, from Sakuragaoka." * @Chikako shifts in her seat. "The group from your last year there?" * Kyon nods again, and takes a sip. "Except it's like this. We're not on there yet - we got invites, but we haven't gone on. But people seem to be finding out information about us, anyway." * @Chikako's mouth twists. "That's not cool." She taps the lid of her coffee cup. "So do you have someone that you think is involved, or is it just the fact that they're looking for information on you all?" * Kyon looks down at his coffee, and then up at her. "A couple of people. Takeuchi's been looking around online, thinks there are some connections, too." * @Chikako starts to reach for her bag and then stops. "Sorry, habit," she says. She picks up her coffee cup again. "What kind of connections?" * Kyon smirks. "According to him, it's connected to this author guy. Wrote those Council of Mysteries books. You heard of them?" * @Chikako nods. "There are a couple of girls in my classes who talk about them, but I've never read them." * Kyon nods quickly. "So he may be connected. Trying to learn more about all the weird things that happened around the school." * @Chikako tilts her head slightly. "Do you think I should read them?" * Kyon frowns. "Don't have to. Although you could if you want. But he's involved, we think. And you remember the head of the computer club at our school?" * @Chikako swirls the remaining drink in her cup. "Yeah, Murimora-san. He's involved?" * Kyon nods again, still frowning. "We think so, anyway." * @Chikako frowns. "Do you know he was at Keio for a while? He dropped out halfway through his second year." * Kyon blinks. "Nah, didn't know that. Why'd he drop out? Keio's no Waseda, but it's a good school." * @Chikako makes an amused sound. "I beg to differ." She takes a sip. "I heard he got some sort of job offer, but it's kind of strange. Why would a company want someone who'd just dropped out? Or want him to drop out?" * Kyon leans further over the table, talking a bit lower, clearly intrigued. "Yeah. Maybe he had some skills they really needed?" He smirks. "Or was he that good a programmer?" * @Chikako responds, quietly, "Well, he *was* the president for his second and third years. But if he was really good, why would he drop out halfway through the year?" * Kyon nods back quickly. "Something good enough came along. Or something scary. If he just got sick, he'd take leave." * @Chikako sets her cup down on the table. "Should I delete my account on Shuffle?" * Kyon cocks his head, and regards her for a beat. "If you're willing to help, I'd say leave it. Let us know if anything weird happens with it. If anyone contacts you. Could make for a good story, too. Connect with some other people who'd go through it, plus your personal experience if it does happen." * @Chikako nods. "Okay." Then she grins. "Besides, what kind of journalist would I be if I ran away from a good story?" * Kyon smirks, and nods curtly. "Yeah. Just be careful. And let me know if I can help with anything." * @Chikako looks down for a moment. "I will. It's... it's been nice talking with you. Oh!" She reaches for her bag and pulls out a card with her contact information and holds it out to him politely. "I just had these printed." * Kyon takes it from her properly, bowing a little over the table, and takes a case out of his pants pocket, offering her one of his Arisugawa ones in turn. * @Chikako takes it with appropriate ceremony. "Thank you." * Kyon nods back to her curtly. "You're welcome." He looks at her for a beat, and says, "And really. I mean it. If you need help with things outside Shuffle, too. You've got my card." * @Chikako starts to say something, but is interrupted by her phone ringing. She looks at it. "I'm sorry. I need to take this. It's the call I've been expecting." * Kyon looks quickly at the phone, and then back up at her. "Yeah, go for it. Thanks for coming out." * @Chikako picks up her bag and phone - the tiny bell on it jingling as she does so - and coffee cup and gives him a quick smile before standing up and heading out to take the call. * Kyon watches her go for a couple of beats, then replaces his sunglasses and downs the rest of his coffee. <@Chikako> [End!]