<@Felicity> The sound of the surf is what comes to you next, crashing on the shore not too far from where you balance on your board. The setting sun edges the approaching red-and-white Ford pickup in gold and turns the sand pink. The pickup parks above the beach; you see the driver's side door open and a familiar woman step out, but before you can acknowledge her, the wave you've been chasing swells beneath you, lifting you up... <@Felicity> [Satoshi, I invite you to roll a Hold Steady if you want to stay on your surfboard.] * @Satoshi is about to wave to her, but then lets out a startled yelp as the wave rises underneath him. He's able to keep the board stable, at least, and doesn't go pitching into the water. * @Felicity snerks, but affectionately. She cups her hands and shouts: "Woo! Get it, champ!" * @Satoshi laughs and yells back. "Just wait for the next one!" * @Felicity hoists a six-pack of beer. "Or, you could call it!" * @Satoshi looks around. Are there any good waves coming? <@Felicity> [There's one that looks pretty promising, not far away.] * @Satoshi calls out "One more!" <@Felicity> [The wave is swelling quickly. Will you be able to make it?] * @Satoshi steers as fast as he can. He thinks he's got it! Hopefully! <@Felicity> [The wave lifts you up, careening towards the shore. It's exhilerating, and for a moment, you don't think of anything except the feeling of freedom, the junction of air and water, the pull of gravity... You stumble a bit at the end, and get harmlessly drawn under the water, but that makes it even better, really. Because as far as surfing goes, you're nobody special. You've gotten this far through practice, just like anyone else, and there's a lot more for you to learn. Surfing belongs to you alone. You make your way to the beach with a feeling of satisfaction.] * @Satoshi lets out a happy sigh as he pulls his board back onto the sand. It's a wonderful feeling, and he's all smiles as he heads over to where Felicity is waiting, next to wear he left his stuff. He sets the board down and reaches for the towel to dry himself off. * @Felicity is in high-waisted bluejeans, a soft grey Journey band tee she's turned into a tank-top, and shiny aviator sunglasses. She tucks her long strawberry blond hair behind her ears and grins, waiting for you to finish drying off before handing you a can of Coors Light. "You're actually getting pretty good out there." * @Satoshi cracks the can open and takes a swig. "Thanks! Yeah, there were some good waves today. I'm starting to get the hang of it. Got a long ways to go, but it's all good." * @Felicity cracks open her own beer. "Cheers to that." She leans back against the front of her truck. * @Satoshi looks out over the horizon as he continues to drink, taking in the sun, the sand, the waves. It's a gorgeous day. He casts a quick sidelong glance at his companion. * @Felicity is watching the sunset, and you can tell despite her sunglasses that she's got something on her mind, like she's waiting for the right moment to bring something up. She's your sister, after all, in every way that counts, and you can tell when there's something she wants to say. * @Satoshi finishes his beer and sets the can down, then turns to look at her. "Hey. What's up?" * @Felicity exhales. "We've got another newborn Arcana on the planet." She glances at him. "It's a Major, this time." <@Felicity> [You're not sure how your sister knows these things, but it seems to be tied to her ability to sense when an Arcana is letting secrets spill. She's only realized fairly recently that she can get a vague sense of them existing where they once did not, since it's been a dry few decades, in which the three of you have been trying to keep order in a very Arcana-impoverished world. But recently, it seems like the Wheel has finally come around for another turn. And... it’s definitely speeding up.] <@Felicity> "I did a reading, to see if I could learn more, but Major is all I could feel confident about." * @Satoshi reaches for another beer. "Well, you knew what my next question was going to be." He takes a sip out of this one. "Got any idea where?" * @Felicity pushes her sunglasses up to the top of her head. "Not sure. But I felt it pretty strongly, so maybe not Japan, for a change. Could even be nearby somewhere." She shrugs, and takes a sip of beer. * @Satoshi leans back against Felicity's pickup. "I was beginning to wonder if they were all going to come back in Japan." He lets out a sigh. * @Felicity chuckles a bit. "Might have made my life easier. Ugh, can you imagine? If this keeps happening? Just - just all these shithead little pubescent Arcana just setting shit on fire and popping fields and shit?" She drags at her face a bit with her hands. "At least if they were all in the same place I wouldn't be getting on a plane every five goddamn seconds." <@Felicity> [You're proud of your sister's commitment to her mission, but you can't help but feel a little rebuked, even if she didn't mean to this time. She may not be as intense on this topic as Natsume (you still can't get used to that name), who has made no secret of wanting direct involvement in the new generation of Arcana, but you know that Felicity wishes you were on the same page as her for this. Looking at her now, you can tell that she's trying to hide her sadness. That she wishes you would tell her you've changed your mind, and that you'll be sticking around, with her, for this new chapter.] * @Satoshi makes a sympathetic sound. "God, they really are all going to be teenagers at the same time if this keeps up, aren't they?" * @Felicity grooaans. "Kill me." * @Satoshi finishes beer #2 and reaches for his shirt. "Maybe it won't be that bad. Maybe they'll grow up happy. And free." * @Felicity looks away. <@Felicity> "This is always what it comes to," she says, sounding younger than her thirty-some years. She hops up and sits on the hood of the pickup, legs dangling down. "I just wish you agreed with me about how to get there." <@Felicity> [It's true - you and Felicity haven't been seeing eye to eye as often lately, especially on this topic. But that's nothing compared to growing chasm between you and the woman who raised you. You look out towards the crashing waves, relentless and unstoppable. Natsume is just as certain that directly supervising the young Arcana is what's best for them, as you are certain that they should be <@Felicity> left alone. For now, Temperance is keeping you together with reminders that you have the same goal, but...] * @Satoshi pulls his shirt on over his head. "I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I want them to be people first. Not tools, not like she..." He stops, thinks for a moment. "I know we are what we are. I know who I am, and what I may have to be." * @Felicity scowls and chugs the rest of her beer. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "I'm with you, Takeshi," she says, fidgeting with the empty can. "I... I haven't told her yet, you know. About this new one." She looks at him, sidelong, from under her hair. * @Satoshi looks at Felicity. "What would happen if you didn't tell her at all?" <@Felicity> [As you broach the topic, you can’t help but feel a little guilty speaking against Natsume, despite it all. You're alone on this beach, and no one will overhear you, but it's still the World's world, and you and your sister never seem able to talk as freely here as you do during your frequent charting expeditions in the World Reversed. The feeling irritates you. After all, respecting your elders loses a bit of its shine when they've ended up a decade younger than you...] * @Felicity straightens. "Maybe she finds out some other way, I guess. Or maybe the kid grows up Takeshi-style, without us fucking around in his life. Or her life." * @Satoshi sighs. "I'm not doing so badly, I'd like to think." He stretches. "For as much as we're based around the concepts of Fate and Fortune, she tries to leave as little to chance as possible, doesn't she?" * @Felicity stares at the can in her hand for a long moment. Then she throws it with all her strength towards the sea. It lands with a chink on the sand. "I can't go with you, Takeshi. If you do your thing. Retire or whatever." She keeps her eyes on the horizon, where gulls are silhouetted against the last sliver of the sun. "I won't stop you, but I'm needed here. One half of Team Damage Control has to stick around and keep things from going crazy. It's why I exist." She closes her eyes. "Just... promise me. Promise you'll tell me, if you go. That you won't just disappear." * @Satoshi reaches out and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I promise. I won't just disappear. I won't do that to you." * @Felicity leans towards you, the gesture turning into a hug as she hides her face against your shoulder. ~You better,~ she emotes at you, fingers tightening into the fabric of your shirt. The sun dips below the horizon with a flash, and the world darkens.... And then darkens some more, as you feel yourself falling out of time, and towards something different. <@Felicity> [End!]