<@Grysar> [Date: Thursday May 20th. Kyon and Wataru have gotten together at Kyon's place in the evening. Another day, Katie may have mediated this, but she's working on her campaign poster and the plan to spy on Yorihisa. If this goes badly, Haruko can be blamed for the genesis of the idea.] <@Grysar> [The two of them are perhaps best positioned to answer a few questions: What are the secrets of each person at the Kokusensha party? Who leaked those materials to Taki? What cool stuff can Wataru find in Kyon's small collection of arcane books?] <@Grysar> [The temperature is pleasant for summer aside from the humidity and the skies cloudy, which helps keep the city a little brighter even as the sun goes down.] <@Grysar> [Start!] * Wataru is wearing a clean, new brown hoodie with a little bit of red abstract embroidery at the shoulder. Despite the weather. He is also wearing freshly-washed dark blue jeans - his best - and a pair of masculine socks. And he is standing in said socks, in Kyon's library, trying hard to not stare lasciviously at all the books. * Kyon stands next to him, hands stuffed in the pockets of his dark jeans, and a slate gray polo shirt, as well as simple black house slippers. He cocks his head and looks over the books, as well. <@Grysar> [Kyon's room is spartan, and spacious as the futon is not laid out. There's a large and simply carved wooden chest of drawers, a window on one wall and shelves with square baskets on another. On the wall with the door there, there are four calligraphy scrolls. Among Kyon's arcane books are one on occult syncreticism as well as one with some prophecies and artifacts that have at least some overlap with those known among some Arcana.] So uh. I guess... I mean, how do you want to do this? I guess we can strart by laying out the questions we want to try answering? * Kyon nods curtly. "Right. Working out the scope of this. There's a few different parts." * Wataru nods. "Yeah. All right, cool." Just like a class assignment. We did one of those together before. We can do this. I can do this. "So I guess I should take notes? You don't have like, a whiteboard or something, do you?" * Kyon looks towards the living room. "We do, but it's got our election tracking and plans on it. Think the other side might be clear, though." He pads out of the room and down the hall to check on it, before calling back, "Yeah, it's free." Cool! If you want to use that, couldn't hurt! * Kyon nods quickly. "Sure. Anything you need from in there, you can move it over here." * Wataru takes a moment to assess the library. He reverentially picks up the occult syncretism book (omg) and, when it catches his eye, one about artefects that looks like it may involve something to do with the Pentacle. "All right," he calls. "Coming." * Kyon watches as he comes in, trying to check out what books they are, and pulling the chair over to have more of a view of the board directly. * Wataru places the books on the table, in plain view, like a person who is not stealing any books, and looks at the clear side of the whiteboard. "So," he says. "What don't we know?" * Kyon nods back, and thinks for a beat. "From my side, we don't know who sent those documents to the Knight, or what they meant by it. And we don't know who's who and who's going up to what from the people in that letter." The knight? Of Cups. Sooo... Taki. Right. * Wataru goes up to the whiteboard and writes - WHO SENT TAKI DOCUMENTS? - WHY? * Kyon nods quickly. "Must be some reason they wanted me to pay attention to those people at that event. Even if I'd've ended up going, probably wouldn't have talked the way I did, or asked the things I did, otherwise." I don't know a ton about the event except what was in the letter thing. Remind me what you mean by "who's who" and that thing about people going up to something? What you just said? * Kyon nods, sitting forward on the edge of the chair. "So one of the documents that got leaked was an email from within my publisher, about the guests at an upcoming event. And it's tied in with the Council of Mysteries books - the email was to the author of that. There's assessments and secrets about each of the special guests. But the names and some of the info is blocked out." Part of the question's then who is who in that email. And then part is who wrote it, and then also who leaked it. * Kyon flexes his hands, and continues, "I went to the event already, and I met the people and talked about it, but I haven't tried hashing out yet who's who." Right, that one. Well, what if we started there? I uh, have some notes on that already. On who matches up to who? A bit, yeah. * Wataru goes to get hs notes! * Kyon sits back in his chair now, craning his neck to watch him go off. * Wataru isn't going very far. He returns with a notebook! "Okay, so," he says. And explains what he (and Katie) figured out so far! We sort of backtracked on the idea of each of them representing a suit, but it was an idea. * Kyon looks at the chart, and then thinks for a beat, eyes flicking back from the pad and then up in thought. "Could be, but yeah. Can't say if the Arcana direction's always that direct." * Wataru nods thoughtfully. "So, got any more clues from your conversations and stuff there?" * Kyon twists his lips to the side. "The detective has some idea that something's going on, and he's been investigating long enough. But I don't think he's really aware of any of this for real, even if he thinks there may be something. But we might have to loop back around to him." Oh yeah? Like, Arcana stuff? You think he's on to us? Not exactly. He knows some things don't add up. And has for a long time. But then you have to make the leap to supernatural elements. Magic. Cabals. Councils and powerful artifacts and reincarnation. * Kyon smirks slightly. "It's a long jump there from domestic crimes." * Wataru smiles. "Yeah, fair. So how does he think that all that connects to the other guests? Or am I the one making a leap now? Did he go to the dinner to investigate?" Could be. Get more info. Everyone was surprised to see him on the guest list. You got anything from him? Not much. Which is why I think we work back to him. Okay, gotcha. So who was the yakuza-connected history novel guy? * Kyon taps the empty line. "Probably our luminary. Definitely seemed into history. And he'd brag about his connections, but then he'd be looking over towards the detective and clam up. He's not discreet. So he's probably tracking whether it's safe to say." Okay... you got a name at all? What's a luminary? * Kyon shrugs quickly, and dips into his jeans pocket, pulling out the business card holder. "A category you come up with when someone's important but you can't say exactly why." He riffs through the cards in there and comes out with the one for MORI Takahiro. * Kyon snorts. "Although it does say he's a luminary on his card." Wow, sounds like a real piece of work. Okay. Mori. * Wataru writes it in! * Kyon nods quickly. "Only other person it could be is this guy." And he taps on Oshiro. "But he's the one who wants the ending to be darker. And he definitely knows the author. He kept half saying his real name, and then tacking Tsuki on the end." Which fits with him being the one that they love, whoever this person writing the email is. Okay, so... Oh, do you think the "Lieutenant isn't into Mystery" thing is about the detective? Was he a lieutenant? If so, who's the mystery guy? * Kyon nods quickly. "Yeah, he's a lieutenant. Maybe mystery's too much like his job." Do you know what he's into then? Or who's into mystery? * Kyon thins his lips. "I still think we solve some of the others, and try to get back to the Lieutenant. I have less info for him than the others." He frowns, thinking about mystery. Okay, fine. * Wataru runs his hands through his hair. "So just tell me where you want to start then." * Kyon then runs through all the stuff he learned from talking with the various figures at the publishing party. [Insert OOC realizations here!] So, wait, does anyone except me find it weird that literally three of these people's kids went to school together? And at least one of them is Arcana? * Kyon thins his lips. "We got used to it. Seems like people get pulled together that way. Back in high school, lots of clumps happened like that. Just look at Katie and Haruko and the rest of them. All the high schools in Tokyo, and so many of us are at that specific one?" So should we be assuming that all these people have Arcana offspring? The detective too? <@Grysar> [Kyon and Wataru work through the four names on the whiteboard (https://goo.gl/rbuUqn Occult Detective Agency tab).] * Wataru thinks, *now I'M doing it.* * Kyon shakes his head. "Not assuming, to me. More like, being ready. It's not that everyone is connected. But there's more connections than you'd think. Could be the Wheel, could be something else dragging us around." * Wataru rolls his eyes. "Okay yeah. Great. Super love it." He sighs. "So the bottom line is, there's a shitty secret society of rich assholes who like books, and most of them have kids who were Arcana in Osaka back in the day or at least have other connections there. And they meet... what, just for fun? Or for something more sinister? Did you get any sense, besides Sagara being there," Wataru deliberately uses his name, because Kyon's nonsense is starting to rub off on him dammit, "that there was illicit business afoot in that meeting? Arcana business?" * Kyon cocks his head and thinks about it for a second. "I think it's just that most of them are rich. The board helps with the money there. And some might have wanted to see the original guest of honor, and not me. But that doesn't explain the detective. Like I said, he might have been there on something beyond regular police business." Because it was weird to see him there. That was a surprise. * Wataru nods thoughtfully. "Okay... All right. So, I mean, that's something. I still don't quite see what any of this gets us, but I think we've got most of that one letter decoded, now, right?" <@Grysar> [And having been at it for a while, they took a dinner break, to resume later.] --- <@Grysar> [Kyon and Wataru are making stirfry together.] * Wataru is chopping some onions for the stir-fry. "So, you coming to the lake thing?" * Kyon nods curtly and slices up some peppers. "Should be." "Cool." He pauses for a moment, sliding a cleanly chopped half- onion to the side before starting on the other half. "So, any special food requests? I'm kind of asking around. I've been put in charge of organizing food." * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Don't like pork or pig products, but otherwise, I'm not picky." "Ah, good to know. Ixnay on the igpay." Wataru's hand falters just a fraction as he realizes the goofy shit coming out of his mouth. "Satoshi's gonna cook oyakodon; you got something you feel like putting together, one night?" * Kyon thins his lips, and says, "I can. Anything else already taken?" * Wataru glances over, a faint smile on his lips. "Oyakodon a particular favourite?" Nah. Just don't want to volunteer something already accounted for. "Fair enough. So, no, not that I know of!" * Kyon nods, and thinks for a beat, before saying, "Ganmodoki." * Wataru tilts his head. "I'm not sure I know what that is." They're tofu fritters. Usually with some spices and minced vegetables. Then you serve it with simmered vegetables. "That sounds really good." * Kyon smirks. "So I'll make them." * Wataru nods, and pushes aside the other half onion. He didn't look like he was paying that much attention while chopping, but the squares are surprisingly even and just the right size for a stir-fry. "I think I'll pick my dish last, for the same logic as you. Hm, I'm not even sure how many nights we're going for - I should check that before anything." * Kyon nods quickly. "Could check the email. Or text Haruko." * Wataru quickly considers the options. It might irk or confuse Haruko to text her about how he's hanging out with Kyon... Tempting. "Maybe when I'm not all oniony." * Kyon nods back quickly, and peels carrots in long fast strips. "If Katie were here, she'd know." * Wataru eyes his technique. "Yeah, what's she off doing, anyway? - None of my business, sorry. She joining us for dinner?" Better to just make some and leave it for her. It'll keep. Fair enough. Where do you want these onions? * Kyon looks over at it, and then chops up the carrots. "By the stove. It's nearly ready to go." * Wataru nods and puts it over there. "Anything else?" * Kyon shakes his head. "Take a seat, I'll get it together." <@Grysar> [The meal comes together swiftly enough and Kyon definitely knows what he's doing with it. Before long, you've both had what you want, more or less, and conversation drifts back to the topics that brought you together.] "So, Typewriter-chan," Wataru says. The dishes have been brought back into the kitchen after a satisfying meal, but they've sat back at the table for now. * Kyon nods quickly. "Right. So who is it. And why leak it to who they leaked it to." "God," Wataru groans. "Seriously. I mean. The only reason has to be that they *want* it to be handled a mess, right?" * Kyon smirks. "Could be. Or to try to divide her off more from us, beyond the physical distance." "Why would they want to do that?" * Kyon looks at him sidewise. "You haven't dealt with her much yet, right?" "Couple times, honestly. It's sad - we were really getting along there for a minute. I wanted to be her friend." He sighs. * Kyon frowns slightly. "She's hard to deal with. People with good intentions and bad execution usually are. But she cares and she's strong. Particularly if you need an escape, or a way in somewhere." He rolls his shoulders, and adds, "Plus you could push her away without too much effort now. Could be worth it just for that." "What do you mean?" He asks, curiously. "Why...." he shakes his head. "What does anyone have to gain from isolating her?" * Kyon blows out a breath. "She's connected with our group. Someone involved with Shuffle and with the new council setup clearly doesn't like us. Doesn't want us to know what's going on or be involved. So then breaking us up or pushing someone away is a way of weakening the group. And she's the easiest target." "....But... I mean okay," he says, and takes a sip of water from the glass in front of him. "But then doing that *while* feeding us information is... How does that fit?" * Kyon shrugs. "It'd be a complicated play. Probably depends on who it is who did it. So let's loop back to that." * Wataru nods. "Suspects?" Yeah. We had some ideas. But they all seem... dubious. But you had a vision of what she was looking like. Who put the letters together. I mean, maybe *she* was a minion, but: a woman, maybe our age, aybe younger. Japanese, as far as I can tell. No nail polish, small fingers. Maybe like, a high school student? She had a satchel that's not unfashionable for high schoolers, really. I mean, I've seen a bunch." * Kyon nods slowly. "So that gets rid of a few people. And just to be clear - it's the same person who wrote the frame note for the party one. Not the one with the mysteries and clues itself. Right?" She added the notes, yeah. And wrote the Shuffle letter. But like. None of this is her work. She was only ever copying things. On, of all things, an old typewriter. But if we find her, then we have a good link back to find the people doing it. Even if it isn't her work itself. She's in our age group. * Wataru sighs. "I guess that gives us some kind of an advantage, sure. So are we working from the assumption that she's an Arcana?" * Kyon thinks for a beat. "Yeah. We're assuming that everyone working on Shuffle in a major capacity is. So when Haruko and Katie and I discussed it before, the #1 person we thought of was Yamagata. Would she fit?" "Hmm," he says, thoughtfully. "Isn't she a bit older? Like older than us even?" * Kyon nods. "But maybe she has young hands. Not too much of a difference." I can't remember seeing her with a satchel at all... You? * Kyon shrugs. "Even if she did, she's trying to be elegant. Politician dad, big ambitions. So probably not hers." He frowns. "Hmmm." He scratches the back of his head. "I could maybe do a reading. Not sure on what, exactly." He looks at Kyon. "That library of yours - you do readings and stuff too?" Yeah. The main reader for our group. * Wataru is slightly taken aback, and nods. "Sorry, I didn't know. That's awesome." He regards Kyon with a different kind of gaze. "I wonder if there's a way to collab on a reading. Is that - is it even done?" * Kyon blinks, and considers for a beat. "Never had anyone to try with. I'd have to do some research." "Yeah, same," Wataru says, and actually grins. * Kyon nods back. "Can work on that next... although." He cocks his head. "Speaking of tarot readers. Yamaoka, she'd be in the right age range. And could have that kind of style. Think she may still go to school with Takeuchi's sister. So she'd be around." "I don't think I know her." Belatedly, Wataru gasps a bit - Kyon referred to someone by NAME! The group consulted her in the past when I wasn't around and we needed a reading. Good to have backups. * Wataru has a wry smile. * Wataru spots the books he brought out from the library earlier lying nearby, and picks up the occult syncretism one, looking at the cover. * Kyon leans back and looks up towards the ceiling, thinking, and then goes to get a notebook, flipping through some pages, and then says, "Right. She's in high school, still with Kaede's sister, hangs out there and eats with them sometimes. Probably knows the King of Swords, but not nailed down there. Isn't a solid vote yet for anyone." He thins his lips. "Which probably means that if she wanted to help, she'd go to Takeuchi, not our errant Knight." "This is Yamaoka you're talking about?" he looks up from the book. Yeah. <@Grysar> [The occult syncretism has no dust jacket and a plain cover. The artefact book has a cover with a jumble of drawn items, some of which align with common elements in tarot cards.] Hmm. So maybe we should start with, who knows Taki? Who fits the bill and also knows Taki? <@Grysar> [If Wataru opens the occult syncretism book as he's pondering other matters and leafs through it, he finds that the book is organized in two broad categories. Places where, often through geographic or cultural links, different schools of occult have intermixed somewhat freely. The other half of the book is more about topical mixing and matching, often criticized dilettantism by practicioners of a single tradition, the book argues that it can be an effective approach when the different sources are philisophically aligned, even if the intermixture is not organic. There is a somewhat spotty index with some tarot entries in both sections.] * Kyon drums his fingers on the underside of the notebook. "Yamaoka does know her, but I don't know why she'd go that way." He frowns. "Hard to say why anyone'd choose her if they're based here." Thinking what, they're in Osaka? It did get dropped off with her. Not sent. You could take a train down, but why bother? Unless you want to leave it with that specific person. Or just because that's the convenient way to go. * Kyon thinks for a beat. "Wait. She got it before she left. Got dropped off, not sent, so nah. More likely to be someone local then. Could take a train up, but why bother." * Wataru nods. "I mean, you know people way more than I do. I'm very new to this whole scene." He thinks for a beat. "How about Shuffle? Is there like - is it like a roster of people, with pictures and stuff? Any way to do a search?" <@Grysar> [Shuffle, the Arcana-side of the social network, does have a certain amount of baked in privacy, as most Arcana have good reason to be paranoid.] Might know a lot of people, but if it's not someone coming out of nowhere, nothing really matches that well. And we could try Shuffle if it comes to that. But we could try a reading first. Focus differently, maybe we get some different info. * Wataru nods, and starts flipping through the syncretism book. "I wonder if there's anything in here about combining the skills of two spellcasters." The book is extremely alluring - it's hard to not get derailed just reading a cool paragraph along the way. <@Grysar> [Wataru, flipping through, finds one discussion of divination that does mix Shinto practices and Tarot. Frustratingly, it touches more on evidence for cross practices rather than actual techniques or approaches, though you do feel that if Kyon properly ritually prepared this space, it might help. To Wataru's surprise though, there's a picture in the glossy black and white imprints at the center of the book that recalls a piece in Aunt Midori's found art collection. Sort of a white baton that looks like it has a candle head on both sides from a Meiji-era picture of a Shinto shrine. The book is uncertain about the direction of influence, but it is strikingly similar to a baton that appears in Rider- Waite depictions of the Magician and the World. This doesn't help much for your immediate goal though.] * Wataru stares at that baton for a while. And then stares some more. * Kyon is glancing through his notebook, flipping pages, and then notices that he's not hearing anything anymore, so he glances up at Wataru. "What's up?" My aunt... she has a thing like this. * Wataru turns the book, showing him. It probably means nothing, but. <@Grysar> [Kyon's picked up a thing or two campaigning, but for this, his best source is actually Hiromi, who has been serving on Council with Hinako. Her basic read is that Hinako seems both powerful and isolated. She has some weight with everyone, but no real close friends. Her relationship with Taki seems like a standout, and Kyon can deduce from what he knows that one of the big triggers there is Taki's relationship with her sister, but another may be that Hinako was about as close with his group as with anyone else, and Taki's been the only one that's actually deliberately talked with her.] * Kyon looks up from the notebook, and then towards the book that Wataru is showing him, furrowing his brow. "No, that could be important. We should take a look at it." * Wataru nods. "Okay." For now, though, he lets the book close. "I'm thinking right now, maybe I should do a reading. I already did one about who might be behind this, but maybe looking into why could be a good avenue of study." * Wataru tells Kyon anything he wants to know about the previous reading, so that they're on the same page there. * Kyon listens and nods along, and brings up what he knows about Hinako, sharing back with Wataru. <@Grysar> [Hiromi ultimately has found Hinako to be somewhat imperious and secretive, but also, if pressed, she has to admit that Hinako has clued her in a few times where Yorihisa has been trying some maneuver that the Wand Councilmember didn't really understand. She seems to be a believer in tradition and fate, but a more skeptical one by far than Norishige, who she sometimes tries to talk out of the certainty of his reading, making some reference to times she's been fooled in the past. Hiromi's assessment, with some interpretative assistance from Kyon that worked passed her own issues, is that the Heirophant has her own agenda, but it is *her* own agenda and one that sometimes puts her at odds with the other political operators on and around the Council.] * Wataru feels a bit weird doing a reading with Kyon right there watching, but he manages to find his center and breathe low and deep. He gets out his deck, shuffles it, pushes books aside to leave open space in front of him on the table. Then he closes his eyes and draws one card, then another, then a third, placing them in front of him in a horizontal row. He opens his eyes. <@Grysar> [Past influence: Knight of Swords, reversed. Emotionless coercion. Present influence: Two of Cups. Friendship or love, but unstable and incomplete. One that would be enhanced by greater self love. Outcome: The Moon. This feels like the person you're getting the reading about, but more a state of mind and action than necessarily the Moon Arcana themselves. Trickery, illusion, showmanship.] <@Grysar> [The Heirophant had appeared in your prior reading, possibly representing Hinako's influence directly, possibly secret keeping, maybe both. You can still feel the card's influence here, but it is not so central to appear in a three card reading.] * Kyon looks down at the cards and rests his hands on the ground facing across at Wataru, folding his legs underneath him and resting his chin on his fist. Hmm. There's a lot going on here. Still getting Hierophant echoes, too, even though her card's not here. <@Grysar> [Since it's a clear reading, I'll add that the Knight of Swords Reversed pertains to the situation Typewriter-chan has been placed in. Two of Cups pertains to her motivation. Moon pertains to who and what she has become as a result.] "Now this..." He taps the Moon. "This is who we're dealing with, but not literally the Moon, I..." He squints. "Illusion. There's some tricks happening." He looks at the other cards again. "I get the sense that maybe... She... She's being coerced into something. She's not in a good place, this reinforces that from the last one... And she might have strong feelings for someone," he touches the middle card, "but it's not going well. And that's why she's doing this..." * Kyon frowns. "So... we're thinking of someone who'd trust the Knight enough to be who they'd contact with info. Someone getting forced into something, even if she has strong feelings for them, so they have to put on a show in the process." What if it's the girlfriend? * Wataru's eyes snap up. "Nicola?" He looks back down at the cards. "That would explain the Taki angle, for sure.... But Nicola's not Arcana, is she?" Even if she's not, her sister is. Her sister's the Hierophant. And Nicola's in the loop? She could know what all this information is about and why Taki needs it? * Kyon shrugs. "Not like I know her well enough to say. Could be other people this'd point to." "We'll have to find out if she has any part-time office jobs or whatever. And a satchel. Why wouldn't she just talk to Taki about stuff outright, though?" Because it'd make her sister unhappy? We don't know the situation with them. * Kyon snorts. "It'd be easier with anyone but the Knight for this. I don't have a read on her and the people around her that I do on the rest of the group. I know more about people in Maine than I do about her connections." * Wataru giggles. "I mean, same." <@Grysar> [And after discussion and contemplation, the suspect list is down to Hinako, Nicola, and Mikage, and Kyon has some leads going forward and Wataru has an artefact to investigate.] * Kyon cleans up the notebooks and makes sure there's food ready for when Katie gets home from her own interrogation time! <@Grysar> [End!]