<@Nicola> [Date: Evening of Saturday, April 24th, 2004] <@Nicola> [So much has happened lately. So much.] <@Nicola> [Mysterious packages and meetings with the Hierophant and distribution of items and people getting really angry.] <@Nicola> [The last we saw or heard from Taki, it was four days ago, April 20th. Since then, well, she's been pretty overwhelmed, physically and mentally. She's been running a fever while frantically trying to get the last of her pre-move work finished. She managed to let Haruko know that she was sick, but that's been about all she's been able to handle regarding the Arcana crew.] <@Nicola> [She's still not fully recovered, but the move is tomorrow and if she doesn't get a chance to see Nicola tonight it's going to be *weeks* before they can see each other again.] <@Nicola> [They've made arrangements to meet at a restaurant Taki has chosen.] <@Nicola> [And now, the time has come, and Taki is waiting for Nicola to arrive!] <@Nicola> [Session Start!] * Taki, in light of the fact that she still feels miserable, has made the unusual move (for her anyway) of picking a traditional Japanese place instead of one where she'd be able to cook for both herself and Nicola. She's wearing her coat over what's still her nicest blue dress, and a particle mask, and huddled in on herself as she waits and fidgets with her phone. * @Nicola walks up. She's wearing a long black coat with a fur-trimmed hood, black leather gloves, and black heels. "Good evening. Have you been waiting long?" * Taki stands up quickly and is pretty sure she didn't wobble. "No! I, mean, no, not long at all. You look great." * @Nicola bows slightly. "Thank you." She looks concerned when she straightens. "Are you sure you are feeling up to this?" I would feel worse if I didn't. This way I can sleep for the entire trip tomorrow with a good memory of my last night night in Tokyo. * @Nicola smiles. "This makes me happy to hear, and I will do my best to help with pleasant memories. Let us go in, then, so we do not aggravate your condition." * Taki murmers "You are a wonderful and kind woman." as she turns and walks beside Nicola into the restaurant. * @Nicola softly says "Thank you." <@Nicola> [Taki was able to make reservations beforehand, and the two are given a place to leave their shoes and coats. Slippers are provided. They are shown to their table, which is low and has cushions for kneeling. There are hot towels provided for them to wash their hands, and the server bows politely as she leaves the menus for them and goes to bring water and tea.] * Taki sits across from Nicola and mechanically washes her hands. She doesn't seem to be paying attention to much that isn't Nicola and what's visable of her face around the mask is flushed, but her smile's at least showing through her eyes. * @Nicola raises her cup once the tea arrives. "To your success." * Taki blinks once and then shakes her head to clear it. Then she pulls down the mask and raises her own cup. "To yours and the forfillment of our hopes, future Doctor Arai." * @Nicola does not quite touch her cup to Taki's because sick, but she smiles. "Cheers." * Taki grins wider and says "Clink, cheers." Then she drinks and replaces her mask. "This's pretty good tea." * @Nicola nods. "It is." <@Nicola> [The server comes back and takes your orders and so food will arrive at appropriate points during the evening.] * Taki started again when server came back but managed stammer out an order for something without fumbling for the menue, she didn't completly forget where she was at all! * @Nicola takes another sip of tea. "My classes are off to a good start. I think it will be a fair amount of work, but also exciting." Oh? Are you working with real animals or is just pictures and diagrams in books so far? * @Nicola shakes her head. "Real work is a few years off. Just pictures and diagrams, and fairly basic ones at that, but I find it very interesting." * Taki nods. "I guess everybody really does have to start at the beginning... What's the most interesting thing you've learned so far?" * @Nicola thinks. "So far it has just been absorbing a lot of new information. There will be group projects later in the semester, and I will miss Shizaru-san's organizational skills for those." * Taki nods. "I'm seriously envyious of her ability to delegate things to people who can do them, but I'm sure you'll do fine..." She giggles after a moment. "It won't help for this project, but in a couple of years you'll be able to find out how many times your teachers have heard 'My homework ate my homework.'" * @Nicola laughs. "Oh, that is entirely possible!" She leans back from the table for a moment to let the server set down some plates and bowls. * Taki does the same. "It all looks so good." * @Nicola picks up her chopsticks. "It does." * Taki starts with soup and spoon. She's eating slowly and deliberatly. * @Nicola chews carefully, then swallows. "Also, I received good advice about biology classes from those who are a year ahead of me." * Taki grins. "Horay for them." She then holds up her thumb and forefinger a few cm apart. "The problem with going to a teeny tiny, but still prestigious school is that I don't get very many choices like that to make, and if I fail something, not that I'm planning to, but if I do, I might have to wait a year for it to be offered again. But I'm pretty confident I can get it all the first time!" * @Nicola nods, her earrings moving slightly. "How busy do you think your classes will be keeping you?" Well, the fist semseter is going to be mostly stuff I already know so that shouldn't be too bad and it's just going to be the time it takes to make things, but then the buisness classes start getting rolled in and it's going to get harder for me from the second semester on. There's even a bit on their website "Will it be okay if I've never held a knife before?" "Yes!" * @Nicola leans forward slightly. "Well, I hope everyone knows not to hold the sharp end." * Taki nods. "But, when you're cutting hard things, or carving you sometimes need to hold the back of the blade, or the sides for more control. * @Nicola has some more tea. "Really?" * Taki nods and looks in dismay at the lack of cutlery on the table. Eventually she picks up a chopstick and uses it and the fingers of her other hand to give a brief demonstration of technique, totally forgetting decorum in the process. * @Nicola watches intently. "Ah, I think I see." The server, of course, chooses that moment to arrive to refill tea, but she is a professional and does not look askance at this odd display. * Taki drops the chopstick and proceeds to slowly turn as red as her bangs. <@Nicola> [The server walks away.] * Taki picks the chopstick up again and neatly places it next to its partner and then puts her hands in her lap. * @Nicola puts hers down as well. "Are you all right?" Mildly dying of embarasment. You? * @Nicola reaches out and touches Taki's hand very briefly after first doing a quick check to make sure no one is watching. "You are fine." * Taki's blush doesn't go away in the least, but she's smiling again. "Thank you." And now she goes for the tea. * @Nicola picks up her chopsticks again. "Please let me know when you safely get in tomorrow? I wish I could help, but... Sunday family dinner." She makes a brief face. * Taki nods. "I will. I wish I could stay here with you, but I can only be in one place at a time." * @Nicola sighs. "Until then, there are phones and computers." * Taki raises her teacup. "To the magic that is video calling, the future isn't perfect, but I like some parts." * @Nicola raises her teacup. "To the magic of the future." <@Nicola> [End!]