<@Grysar> [Date: April 9, 2004. Evening.] <@Grysar> [Satoshi and Liam are back in their hotel room having shared stories of the Boston Tea Party and the fact that Joshua was actually a rockin' tour guide to the Museum of Science.] <@Grysar> [Liam's doing a last review of dossiers on the opposing team. They're pretty sparse, just mostly drawn from write-ups in the DU Clarion and Denver papers near the end of season.] <@Grysar> [Before long, it's time for all good hockey players to be abed, but there's a quiet contemplative moment for conversation, if Satoshi wants it.] <@Grysar> [Start!] * @Satoshi is lying down on the hotel room bed, staring at the ceiling. "I think I feel about as ready for tomorrow as I'm going to be. Nervous as hell, but excited." He pauses briefly. "I honestly didn't think I'd make it this far in my first year." * @Liam grins, "Well, it was less of a surprise to me, so long as there were no Canadian teams in the NCAA." He does take a moment to put away the dossiers though and looks over to Satoshi. * @Satoshi chuckles and turns his head to look at Liam. "We've worked really hard for this." * @Liam nods. "And you're right. This is too much to expect. Hard work, luck, the right combinations, and the hard work of the upperclassmen in particular." * @Satoshi lets out a breath and pulls himself into a sitting position. "I really want to win this. For them, and for all of us, really." <@Liam> Damn right. * @Satoshi swings his legs over the side of the bed. "It's going to be *weird* not having any more games after tomorrow. But I'm going to try not to think about that too hard." * @Liam nods and moves over to his bed. "Yeah, be in this moment. We don't know when or how it will come again." * @Satoshi closes his eyes. "That's very good advice." * @Liam's voice is a bit quieter. "I've told it to myself a lot this week." * @Satoshi opens one eye, then the other. "Yeah?" he asks in a quiet voice. * @Liam nods, but makes no further comment. * @Satoshi shifts his position slightly. "You've been kind of quiet today. You okay, really?" * @Liam shrugs. "I didn't really expect to get this far either. And our classmates have been great and cheered us on the whole way. But I was hoping to have someone that meant a lot to me personally in watching in the stands." * @Satoshi frowns. "Ah. Yeah. I was... thinking that might have been the case." * @Liam lays back on the bed and does not elaborate. * @Liam has been appreciative of the way Satoshi has supported him these past months on relationship matters, most notably back in Bar Harbor. But at the same time, he's also noted Satoshi's conscious choice to not really intervene and to notably stay away from *all* matters romantic. The wingman does seem like he actually wanted a more aggressive role from Satoshi here and less supportive passivity. However, he's not at all sure tonight's the night and he might have just mouthed to himself to be in the moment. * @Satoshi sighs. "I am probably the last person who should be giving advice on this sort of thing, but... in high school, I let things go on longer than they should have, with the person I was dating." * @Liam sits up and looks over at Satoshi. "Care to elaborate on your argument, counselor?" * @Satoshi snerks. "Man, do you ever stop being a pre-law student?" <@Liam> No. * @Satoshi shakes his head. "I shouldn't be surprised. So..." He takes a moment to put his thoughts together. "Things were nice, at first. But after a while it started to get weird, and it was pretty obvious that there was someone else she was interested in more. But we kept going, because I was afraid to hurt her and... it was easier to stay that way, until it wasn't." * @Liam listens attentively. "I can believe that, but could you elaborate on how your theory fits the facts of this case?" <@Satoshi> Okay, well, you can tell me to back off, but... have you guys been talking much lately? * @Liam considers this for a few long moments. "You don't have to back off, but if we're starting this conversation, then we're finishing it. Questions don't just go one way and you may not like some of the answers. Agreed?" * @Satoshi nods. "Okay." <@Liam> We talk less these days. I did ask about that and she said not to worry, when she wants to commit to someone else she will and she'll let me know. She's angry more these days and her humor is darker. * @Liam ponders for a moment. "She may still be carrying a torch for you. Notice anything on your end?" * @Satoshi is about to answer, and then Liam continues with the bit about carrying a torch, and he's completely thrown. "Uh, what? Why? And no, I haven't talked to her in... a month? Longer? I don't even see her all that often." * @Liam nods. <@Liam> So, evidence. * @Satoshi blinks. "Are you asking me to provide evidence or is that indicative of a statement you're about to make?" <@Liam> 1) When we first met, she was definitely checking out the team freshmen. 2) You're one of the standouts on the team, and exhibit a variety of traits she finds appealing, athleticism, intelligence, broad world view. Admittedly a bit lacking in pride, but that cuts both way. Follow me so far? * @Satoshi says, skeptically, "Okay..." <@Liam> 3) I'd posit that your tendency to avoid romantic matters and the complexity of your self-image means that you're rather bad at detecting that sort of thing. I'll cite evidence from our fans if you like, but you'd probably prefer I not. * @Satoshi makes a hmm sound. "Yeah, well, I *did* say I wasn't the best person to be giving advice on this sort of thing. Which apparently isn't stopping me right now." <@Liam> Logic and evidence remain true, regardless of the source. <@Liam> And, for my fourth and final point. <@Liam> I seem to recall a phone call, made the night after Valentine's day. I believe you have told me that it's a holiday that has made it over to Japan, so perhaps you follow my meaning here. * @Satoshi looks confused for a moment, then has a realization. "Oh, uh, that. I told you I deleted that, remember?" * @Liam nods. "And she remembers nothing of that night. So I think she may once have carried a torch for you, and I can detect that sort of thing, but I don't see it now." <@Satoshi> All right, so regardless of torch status... * @Satoshi sighs. "Why are you still interested in her?" * @Liam checks his bag. "Wait, not nothing, but... No, don't have the file." <@Satoshi> What file? * @Liam looks over to Satoshi. "Nationalism aside, she's a skilled skater, aggressive, hot, and a challenge. Maybe someone..." <@Liam> Oh, it was a few days afterwards. Grant had said he was concerned about her. You'd then mentioned your friend that Paul characterized as I believe. Probably nothing, but when things strike me as odd I start a file just to be safe. * @Satoshi blinks. "You keep *files* on people?" * @Liam gestures over to the opposition write ups. "Yes. But not friends. I keep files on incidents. Memory is highly fallible in predictible ways, but that doesn't mean it can be reconstructed. If she had later decided she was worried about what had happened, I wanted to have my notes ready. * @Satoshi shaakes his head again. "You are the most disturbingly organized person I know, although the number of colors of post-it notes that you've managed to find is impressive." * @Liam looks at Satoshi uncomprehendingly. "When you spot contradictions, what do you do?" * @Satoshi opens his mouth to answer, then shuts it, thinking for a moment. "I... it depends?" * @Liam just looks at Satoshi and waits. This is a look that often prompts Joshua to say, "Eyes elsewhere, Campbell." * @Satoshi feels rather like he's on the witness stand right now. He scratches the back of his neck. "Sometimes things just don't make sense. I'm not as good at... logically getting it all out." * @Liam nods. "Right. I mean it's genuinely hard. Law school isn't just an elaborate scheme to seperate students from money. But that's what notes are for." * @Liam emphasized 'just' in that sentence. Every now and then he looks up tution at some schools he is considering. He tends to be in a dark mood those days. * @Satoshi looks to the side. He's starting to think about the old days, and he doesn't really want to think about just how fallible his memory actually is. "I guess... what I'm trying to say is that ... your arguments haven't convinced me. About why you're still interested in her." * @Liam pulls out his small pencil and post it notes case zipper bag and tosses it over. "Burden of proof is on you, Sato. Interest is a capricious thing, you know." * @Satoshi catches it and pulls a pad out of the bag. He taps the pencil against it. "Not everything's logic, you know. Some of it's feelings, too." Maybe it's just the fact that he saw him earlier today, but Liam's making him think of Kaede now. He's not sure how either of them would react if he pointed it out. He sighs. "Look, you're my friend and this is something that's obviously making you unhappy, and I'm wondering if ... if it's worth it." <@Satoshi> Maybe I give up too easily on things that aren't hockey, I don't know. But I want you to be enjoying yourself in a relationship. * @Liam smiles briefly. "Thanks, but honestly, I do get lonely. I long have. No offense to the team there." * @Liam thinks for a moment, forming his argument. * @Satoshi waits for it. * @Liam looks back at Satoshi and then over at the clock. "Getting on bed time, but I promised finishing. So sure, I'm infatuated with her and no other girl has come close. Does she return it consistently, no, but she does sometimes and she thinks there's a chance it will work. We've probably been on a downward course since February, but I don't know what prompted the change then and it might change again...." <@Liam> But seriously, if you meet someone that's a person you could see spending your life with, are you seriously not going to take your shot just because you might miss? Has anyone ever made you feel that way, Sato? * @Satoshi sighs. "I think it's way too early to think about spending my life with someone." His expression turns sad. "I don't even know if there's anyone who I'd..." He shakes his head. "I've got enough going on in my life right now." * @Liam walks over and puts his hand on Satoshi's shoulder. <@Liam> I disagree with your the front end and back end of that, but I respect the middle. Tomorrow we give it our all. For now, you don't have anyone you feel that way about, but I do. That's all. * @Satoshi nods. "Okay. I can accept that." He tries to smile. "Tomorrow, we'll give it our all." <@Grysar> [But tonight, they sleep! End.]