[Grysar/Jihatsu] [Date: Evening of May 11th. The sun has set, but the city retains heat naturally. There's a humid spring breeze that keeps the air fresh. The soft din of an eclectic mix of dance music can be heard from two floors below, but is faint enough to not be a hindrance to conversation.] [Haruko and Wataru's conversation was politely but firmly interrupted by other party goers who call on the assistance of Haruko, Jae-Yong and Hyun-Soo, to transitioning to the part of the evening where the dancing gets going in the living room. The crowd has begun to thin out some, and some of the less dance inclined of the guests have been collecting people in the craft room and wiring Game Boy Advanceds together to get their Mario Kart on. Haruko feels torn in twain, but prioritizes the dance for now, as GBA people don't need a hosts help to get started. In all the hustle and bustle, and as some of the food is consolidated or refrigerated to make room, Wataru takes the opportunity to grab a selection of the best of the remaining food and return to his waiting compatriots on the roof.] [Wataru casts longing, lingering stares at the Mario Kart setup before returning to the roof and being sad about not playing Mario Kart. But he is too shy to actually engage in core party activities.] [Once Wataru reaches the roof with food, he can see that Katie is still there, Maki has returned from the bathroom, a trip that might have been extended by some Mario Kart, and Kyon has headed off to take an urgent phone call.] --- [Ardweden] Katie is, in fact, there, looking much like she did when Wataru left - sitting at a table, drawing something on her sketchpad, with snacks and water nearby. She's taken the time to pick up after Hiromi, who left a bit of a mess with the yakiton and everything, so it's practically like the other girl was never there. --- [Jihatsu] "Food delivery." Wataru smiles a little, and places the plate on the table. --- [Ciara] Maki has sort of been bopping around various parts of the party and at one point almost came back to the roof but heard unfamiliar people talking and decided that she wasn't quite up to Unknown People in her Introvert Retreat. So she headed back down, nommed a few things, chatted with Known People briefly and played a quick game, and then eventually returned to the roof once it was safe, waving at Katie when she looked up from her sketching. They've spent a bit in Reasonably Companionable Introvert Silence, with Maki playing something on her handheld while Katie continues to draw. Maki's got headphones on, which should hopefully not distract Katie too much. Despite the headphones, she hears Wataru say that he's delivering food and immediately perks up. "Welcome back," she says, removing the headphones and doing a quick save on whatever she's playing before putting the handheld in her pocket and getting up to investigate the food. --- [Ardweden] Katie looks up with a noise that sounds like a mix of greeting and agreement with Maki, and she leans over to grab a small handful of the seaweed-wrapped rice crackers. She quickly eats two of them, then asks, "How's the party?" --- [Jihatsu] "Noisy," Wataru says, looking back over his shoulder. There's something wistful in his expression. --- [Ciara] Muffled music wafts up from below as Maki peruses the snack plate. "Noisy," she says, completely missing Wataru's expression, "is definitely something we're not." She picks up a piece of kimbap and examines it. "I don't think I've tried this yet." --- [Ardweden] "It's pretty good," Katie comments between crunching on rice crackers. She's looking at her sketchbook again. --- [Jihatsu] Wataru smiles awkwardly, he, the maker of kimbap! "They're playing Mario Kart," he says... --- [Ardweden] "Nice, MarioKart is fun," Katie says with confidence. Yes, she's only played it twice and both times with Wataru, but in her limited experience, it's definitely fun! She turns her eyes up to Wataru. "It's probably super noisy at a Haruko Party, though." --- [Jihatsu] Wataru nod nod nod nods. He sighs and takes a seat. And takes a food. --- [Ciara] Maki, meanwhile, has nommed her way through a few pieces of kimbap. "This *is* good," she says. "And if you want to play Mario Kart with less noise..." She pulls her silver GameBoy Advance SP out of her pocket. "We'd have to take turns playing against the computer, but. It's doable." --- [Jihatsu] Wataru blushes--! He smiles at Maki. "That's really cool. Yeah." --- [Ardweden] Katie smiles and picks up her pencil, working on whatever she's working on. This is so much better than when Hiromi was up here, with or without Kyon. --- [Ciara] Maki reaches into her other pocket, pulls out a game cartridge in a plastic case, and swaps it with whatever game was in the DS. "Here," she says, holding the system out to Wataru. "You can go first, if you want. I think I'm going to have more of these snacks you brought up." --- [Jihatsu] Wataru sort of feels nine years old, but maybe in the best way. He starts up the game! "I made that, actually," he says, if (when?) she noms another piece of kimbap. --- [Ciara] Maki has, in fact, grabbed a selection of snacks and settled in to munch some more. "Oh, really?" she says, after consuming kimbap. "That's cool. This is something I like about parties like this. Chances to try all sorts of different food." --- [Ardweden] Katie hums in vague agreement. "We brought beer," she comments, not looking up. "Kyon figured Haruko would appreciate it." --- [Ciara] Maki nods. "Haruko is never *not* going to appreciate beer." --- [Ardweden] "Tell me about it," Katie says, rolling her eyes but without any real bite. --- [Jihatsu] Wataru smiles, listening while he tries to get Toad ahead of the race. --- [Ciara] "She was super excited to come up with a cocktail list for this, too," Maki adds. "But I shouldn't snark too much, because she did a lot of work pulling things together. I can organize, but big social stuff is not my forte." --- [Ardweden] Katie snorts a little laugh. "Well, yeah. That's because she'll wither away if she can't have parties. Cocktail parties, I guess. It's Haruko in one of her natural habitats." --- [Grysar] [Over the din from lower floors, Katie does hear two familiar voices outside. The pace of new arrivals has dropped off and the departures have crept up. Apparently the last time the front door opened was neither, as now Haruko is now on the outside chatting with Ken Hibiki. They're keeping their voices down, but since they're outside, she can eavesdrop without much trouble if she so desires, so long as she's also not paying special attention to whatever Kyon or anyone not on the roof is up to at the same time. Wataru, if he wanted, could 'Figure a Situation out', though they don't get shouty at any point so he wouldn't notice otherwise.] --- [Jihatsu] Actually... Wataru doesn't have much to say, and is content half listening to Katie and Maki's conversation. --- [Ciara] "The natural habitats of a Haruko..." Maki begins counting them on her fingers. "Parties, particularly cocktail ones. Places with dancing, if not already parties. Motor club rooms. Surrounded by boys." --- [Ardweden] "*Always* surrounded by boys," Katie agrees, with a little eyeroll. "Is she at least getting better about thinking of them as humans?" Haruko and Ken leave the house to talk, and she starts listening in. --- [Ciara] Maki makes an amused sound, then casts a quick glance in Wataru's direction. He seems pretty focused on the game, so... "Yeah. She's not trying to collect them all anymore." --- [Ardweden] Katie laughs, with a little snort sound. She puts her sketchbook and down so she can reach for more snacks. Kimbap! --- [Jihatsu] Wataru hunches his shoulders a little bit, listening in! Boy collecting, OH NO? --- [Ciara] Maki laughs too, relaxing her shoulders a bit. She looks over at Katie's sketchbook. "So, you don't have to show me if you'd rather not, but I'm kind of curious about what you're drawing?" she asks, somewhat shyly. --- [Jihatsu] Wataru glances up, also curious! -- but, Oh no, Toad missed a turn! He frowns back down at his game. --- [Ardweden] "More party stuff," Katie admits. "We're concentrating on models and people in class, so I figured I'd get some practice in... The party's got a neat mix, even if I don't really want to hang out with them." She moves the pad away so Maki can see, and she flips through a few pages: she's been doing small sketches of boys and girls from downstairs in various poses and outfits, only occasionally interacting with each other. There's even a picture of Hiromi (with a slightly cross, slightly embarrassed look), using a napkin to get yakiton sauce off of her fingers, and a less finished one of Wataru looking with concentration at Maki's GBA. "It'd probably be more accurate if I was down there, but..." --- [Jihatsu] Wataru can't help but look up again, because ART. "---Hey, that's me." :o --- [Grysar] [Katie eavesdropping update: Haruko has provided Hibiki with a cocktail, and after a brief exchange about his preference to not make a spectacle of himself by going inside, she's now elaborating about the ways in which she is dangerous.] --- [Ardweden] "Yup," Katie says with a smile, presently resisting the urge to draw Haruko and Ken. She moves the sketchbook so Wataru can get a better look; the sketch is quick and unpolished but she's definitely been going for accuracy, and what Katie notices can be a bit different. There's even a ghost of the little crinkle that shows up between Wataru's eyebrows when he's looking at something with concentration, half-hidden under his glasses. --- [Ciara] "These are really good," Maki says. "You have a good read on people, not just the way you capture how they're standing and holding their arms and stuff, but like... their personality, too." --- [Ardweden] "Thanks." Katie shifts a little in her seat and reaches for her water bottle, her smile toning down a bit but no less genuine. She twists off the cap and has a drink. "I like it," she admits. "Watching people. Trying to know them, I guess. They're interesting." --- [Ciara] Maki smiles back. "Yeah. I think I get finding people in general interesting but not really wanting to hang out with them." --- [Ardweden] Katie snorts a little laugh. "That's me." --- [Jihatsu] Wataru smiles crookedly at his portrait, and seems to be about to say something when his game ends! Aww, he came in 4th. :/ --- [Ciara] Maki hears the sound of a race ending and looks over at Wataru. "How'd you do?" --- [Jihatsu] "Distracted by cool art of me," he admits sheepishly. "Placed 4th, which, I meeean I guess there's worse." He hands the GBA over. "Your turn?" --- [Ciara] Maki grins and takes the game back from Wataru. "Also worse things to be distracted by." --- [Jihatsu] Wataru smiles! "Yeah." He peers to see if he can catch another glimpse of the art. "You made my hair look cool," he says. Almost like it's a complaint. --- [Ardweden] Katie laughs a little. "Your hair's different," she says. "I think that's pretty cool." --- [Jihatsu] Wataru hunches his shoulders a bit. "Yeah, I know. Genetics I guess." "Wait, you think it's cool?" --- [Ciara] It's Maki's turn to be off to the races, boop boop. She picks her character and starts up a new course while attempting to keep one ear on the conversation. --- [Grysar] [Meanwhile, at ground level, Haruko has covered what makes her dangerous, and her fears that she may be endangering her friends. The topic shifts to why answering Hibiki's question as to why she thinks he's an Arcana.] --- [Ardweden] Katie blinks at Wataru. "Yes?" --- [Jihatsu] Wataru smiles crookedly, looking over the horizon. "I don't think anybody's said that before." He pauses for a second. "Thanks, I guess?" --- [Ardweden] "Sure," Katie responds, easily. "Just being honest." She pulls the sketchbook over and starts sharpening up the picture, a little. --- [Jihatsu] Wataru isn't sure what to do about this, so he just does nothing. He eats some peanuts. --- [Ardweden] Katie sketches in silence, then! She can totally silence for a while. Well, silence except for Haruko and Ken being fraught but not super dramatic out front, and the noises from the party proper, and Maki's video game anyway. --- [Ciara] Maki apparently gets super in the zone when she's playing Mario Kart, as she hasn't said anything since she started her race. She actually moves a little while she's playing, tilting her arms and sometimes even her whole upper body when she's going around a particularly sharp curve. --- [Jihatsu] That's That's really cute D: She's really cute. Wataru wonders briefly whether he has a crush on her. --- [Ardweden] Katie keeps listening in on Haruko and Ken. She has since moved on to starting to work on Maki playing MarioKart! It can be a companion piece to the Wataru one, maybe. --- [Grysar] [Haruko is now elaborating about the election, but her promise that Hibiki Will not be asked to get involved does not seem to be making the situation any less fraught.] --- [Ardweden] Katie _really tries_ to resist rolling her eyes. Fortunately, she's a pro, so she manages it! And keeps sketching with a straight face. --- [Ciara] Maki races on, leaning into a turn as the music picks up for the last lap. She lets out a little "oh nooooooo" and there's the sound of a shell thwacking and a kart spinning out. --- [Jihatsu] Wataru smiles in sympathy! "Ganbare...?" --- [Ciara] "Luigi is a *jerk* who has it in for me, apparently!" Maki calls back. --- [Jihatsu] "Man, that guy!" >:[ --- [Grysar] [And around the time the race is finished, so too are Kinsha and Hibiki. The split is quiet and amiable. Before too long, Haruko will be back inside and playing Mariokart, rather competitively even by her standards. Her choice of drivers is Yoshi, but that particular detail may be beyond even Katie's hearing. ] --- [Ardweden] Katie isn't going to bother listening in on Haruko's MarioKart game. There's one right here! Speaking of, she looks up at Maki. "What'd he do?" --- [Ciara] "Red shell!" Maki doesn't actually look up from the screen, as she's almost done... ...sadly, the red shell was enough to knock Maki back into fifth place for that particular race. And so Katie continued to watch video game nerds in their natural habitat, Wataru and Maki continued to be video game nerds in their natural habitat, and everyone enjoyed the remaining snacks and drinks. [Thread End!]