<@Grysar> [Date: Evening of May 20. The secluded table Kaede has secured at Cafe Kitsune still affords a view of the cloudy dusk sky with some streaks from sun set still remaining. The view of Tokyo Tower is partially obstructed, as those tables with better views aren't secluded. Yorihisa agreed to come on fairly short notice after hours, and it was implied that Kaede would be picking up the tab.] <@Grysar> [He's presently running a little late, but that's given Kaede ample time to set up the muted listening device and for Katie to find a place to listen in through the phone.] <@Grysar> [Start!] <@Grysar> [Katie finds a small corner atrium with a less glamorous view of a neighboring building. If lines were out the door at a few of the businesses on this floor, she'd have to deal with overflow crowds, but it's not that hopping tonight so she has the space to herself.] <@Grysar> [There's a bench that's comfortable enough, but designed to be a little too small to nap on.] * Kaede is in waiting, choosing the relative privacy of a table off to the side. His phone is in his pocket, close enough to be left on his person. He's also left an Akemi at home. As nice as it'd be to have her here, she'd be a bit of a distraction. He takes the time to check his watch. He's not used to Yorihisa and other people (who aren't Taki) not being punctual. * Katie doesn't seem to care much about that; she's got her phone and her sketchbook and is set up to do some art, with earbuds in (don't bother her) but she's not playing any music. * Katie texts Kaede: 'this working? say or do something i can hear.' * Yorihisa is shown to the table by a waitress. He's wearing a monochrome shirt with a thin raised collar and a nice pair of chinos. It fits him well, but he still seems a little uncomfortable in them. * Kaede 'hears' the text then taps the table a few times, but that's probably not enough to be clear. "Clear as can be. I'd test it further but..." His voice drops off as Yorihisa approaches and he moves to stand, giving a polite bow of greeting. "Murimora-san." * @Yorihisa gives a curt bow in return, "Takeuchi-san." He sits down and takes a swift glance at the drinks menu, letting Kaede take lead in the conversation. * Katie texts, 'he's here. yeah.' * Kaede pauses for a moment as he opens the menu, but his eyes are mostly on Yorihisa with a hint of curiosity. "Was there trouble? It isn't typical of you to be late..." * @Yorihisa sighs, more tired than dismissive. "The recent announcement of candidates has meant both the technical and political side of my jobs have gotten very busy simultaneously. I assume that relates to why I'm here." * Kaede tilts his head at that, voice and expression impassive. Not without sympathy but definitely business-like. "We can postpone if it would keep you..." Though he does move to sit down, perfectly eager to proceed. "I must admit, I am not used to business meetings of more of a political nature. Most of my meetings tend to involve either ways to sensationalize, capitalize on popular trends or the ever exciting trying to calm down slathering dogs excited at the prospect of having beautiful pop models so close in proximity to them." * @Yorihisa processes that for a moment. "That sounds utterly exhausting. Thank you for putting the challenges of politics in perspective." The waitress swings by and he orders a house blend espresso. * Kaede does smile a little at that. It's small, but it's there. "It is not exactly what I would consider a forte, but it is something I've found myself growing into. I'm well practiced in the art of saying 'no.'" He does order a coffee for himself, then waits for the wait staff to leave to continue. They're probably used to private business conversations happening here. "Not to say there isn't *some* overlap. As I'm sure you've heard..." * @Yorihisa slightly returns the smile. "Are you perhaps refering to Leon Vladimir Stanley Fukuyen-san? My point stands." * Katie texts, 'ugh yusuke's so gross.' It seems that, absent anything important to say, she's going to provide some color commentary. * Kaede can't help but give a long sigh, though whether it's to Katie's commentary or Yorihisa's is hard to say. "Please don't humor him by utilizing that full name. It's ridiculous." But then he does take the time to give a small nod. "I don't know what he hopes to achieve but better men than him have attempted sensational acts in the hopes of name recognition." He shakes his head slightly. "Reminds me all too well how much this can become a glorified popularity contest." <@Yorihisa> Since both Fuyuken-san and Weiss-san are my constituents, I've been avoiding taking a public position on that race. That said, if you ever wish to reconsider registering to vote, you can give your opinion weight by that means. * Kaede turns to look at Yorihisa as he shifts the tone slightly. "I did not come to speak of him precisely though. Moreso, if I am to involve myself in the judging, I figured it apropos to understand more of the inner workings of this Council. As I'd mentioned prior, this whole ordeal seems to have sprung up out of nowhere and I still struggle somewhat to see the catalyst to resurrecting an old system. Other things seem to be at play here." * @Yorihisa makes an mm sound, raising his elbows adjacent to the table and folding his hands under his chin. "It is a legacy platform I admit, but the motive is simple. Much of the horror of the Oni war came from anarchy. It has been better since there, but we've faced no true crisis. It's not the system I'd have designed, but I'm a programmer, not a constitutional lawyer. I'm sure people would hate my version." * Katie texts, 'this is more than i've heard from yorihisa than from every time i've talked to him combined.' * Katie then texts, 'whose bright idea was it?' * Kaede's expression darkens a little at that. Yorihisa's statement, not Katie's. But he's been getting too many conflicting reports from the past and what already happened with the Magician to comment. But it's quickly gone. "The idea had to come from somewhere though. Whose idea was it?" And a brief moment of relief. Katie and him are on the same page here. * Yorihisa's answer is a bit practiced. "I had a role in the iniitial gathering people at the Tower. Our readings suggested avoiding factions for the initial convention. For those of us with memories of the past, some form of Council was the default. The question was how to reform it." * Katie texts, 'lol way to dodge. he's been practicing that in the mirror.' * Kaede gives a small grin at that. "That answer sounds very political of you." Then he softens a little, leaning forward. "That doesn't really answer the question. Speaking the party line has never suited you, Murimora-san. I've always seen you as more of a free thinker than that..." * Katie texts, 'oooh flatterer ;)' * Yorihisa sits up a little straighter, his tone easy. "I didn't keep the minutes, but I believe Matsushina-san did the first reading on who to include and Arai-san verified it. Yamagata-san wasn't the first to talk about how undemocratic the old system was, but she had the most constructive suggestions. Others had some information about how to access the Council Chambers, but prefered to leave the convention details to the younger of Arcana." * Kaede will get you for the peanut gallery comments later, Katie. He's *trying* not to respond or have a reaction to them. You have no idea how 'winky face' sounds to him in his head. * Kaede tilts his head, expression neutral. The nudge missed the intended mark a *little* but at least it didn't go awfully off-kilter. "You'll forgive me, I'm not entirely familiar on the names..." <@Yorihisa> Sorry, formality is big for the Council. Matsushina Norishige, the Four of Swords and bearer of the owl. Arai Hinako, the Heirophant and bearer of the belts. Yamagata Kazuko, the Nine of Wands and bearer of the minutes. * Kaede *tries* not to snort at "bearer of the belts." It fails. "Right. Of course..." Then he pauses, his tone again softer. "To be honest, I hadn't heard much about Yamagata-san until this whole ordeal with the Council came to light. Invested interest?" <@Yorihisa> [The waitress drops off your coffees, reads the table, and swiftly gives you privacy, leaving one menu if you have any further orders.] <@Yorihisa> She's running for office now, so she obviously has some ideas what she'd do with power. But she was repeatedly on the recieving end of anarchy. There may be more going on there, but Tokyo and national politics has always been impenetrable to me. * Kaede nods, leaning in a little. "But you said she was the one most opposed to the original structure...?" * @Yorihisa shakes his head. "No, I'd say she just had the most concrete ideas about fixing it. Aside from Matsu-- Norishige, there wasn't much appetite for going back to choosing Councilmembers by reading alone." * Kaede visibly flinches at the idea of that. "Readings? Really?" And then he regains his composure. "Why does that not surprise me coming from him....?" <@Yorihisa> You've met him at least once. Three times, to be precise. * @Yorihisa raises his eyebrows slightly at that. Sounds like there's some history there, but he's a busy man. "Next question?" * Kaede snorts. "You make it sound like an interrogation." * @Yorihisa grins slightly. "Don't stand on protocol after telling me to speak my mind." * Katie texts, 'is he smiling? he sounds like he's smiling. huh.' * Kaede nods, almost absently, more in response to Katie although it fits here as well. His hands go out. "You did catch me, I think. To be honest, I am still trying to wrap my head around all of this Council nonsense so finding out where it all came from is *my* invested interest. Could say I'm following in the footsteps of my predecessor in that way." His expression sours a little on that. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised you'd even think to humor me in this fashion. There's very little benefit to you in doing so." <@Yorihisa> Yours was more of a hot war, mine was more of a cold, but we were on the same side. There were things I wasn't at liberty to say when number 1 was still in the realm of the living. But I do believe in this Council. Your predecessor tried to keep the old one honest before it made an enemy of him. I don't intend to repeat that mistake. [ You mean "In making an enemy of me"? * @Yorihisa nods and sips his espresso. * Kaede snorts. "If only everyone saw the benefit of keeping me as an ally. Not that I believe I am a prize to be held by any means, but some people treat dissent as the enemy." He sips his own coffee. "Cold War seems to imply this has been going on for some time. Is this linked to the Emperor's involvement in the past? Or is that tangential?" * Katie texts, 'this is working. i don't think yorihisa has a lot of people who are close to him / understand. so stay sympathetic & discrete & he should keep talking.' * @Yorihisa looks impressed and nods. "Precisely. We discovered the extent of Sho Shinjo's possession and his preparations too late. I think it would be unfair to call him the first casualty, but..." Yorihisa was starting to lose a bit of composure but catches himself. "That's when I understood how high the stakes were." * Kaede gets a soft expression, maybe a little bit more so with Katie's prompting, but it's only pushing him a bit more where he would naturally go. "You mean the Emporer?" There's a sympathetic pause before he responds. "...I don't remember if you ever really shared how he died. Or how the two of you got to working together. Seems like you've been caught up in this longer than I really suspected..." <@Yorihisa> It's a bit elaborate, but suffice to say we were attempting something like an exorcism. One that would have bound the past Magician's power or ideally ended the possession entirely. * Kaede snaps to sudden attention at that. "Exorcism? Of past lives? That's *possible*?" <@Yorihisa> The Emperor had some rulemaking ability. I didn't fully understand it at the time and it's a moot point now. But I'd say there are ways to fortify ourselves against the past or to be more accepting of it. * Kaede nods, sipping his coffee. "And you had been working with him for some time prior to that?" <@Yorihisa> Since not long after I discovered I was an Arcana. Those were still my early days, but those days stick with you. * @Yorihisa takes a drink, trusting Kaede understands that point. * Kaede does definitely understand that point. "So was that all that was involved? I highly doubt there were just two players in this Cold War you speak of..." * @Yorihisa laughs. "Between yourself, Judgment, the Hermit, and the Page of Swords, surely you've put it together by now, Takuechi. So what's your theory?" * @Yorihisa takes another long sip of his coffee. "She can join us too if you like. Cards suggested you two are still thick as thieves." His glasses glint slightly, catching the candle on the table. "Your treat for the drink of course." * Katie texts, 'he's guessing.' * Kaede looks amused, just for a moment, though it's hard to tell. His fingers fold together. "Really now. I thought it was Norishige-san who followed the cards as gospel, not you." * @Yorihisa looks a little surprised but shrugs. "When the cards say the same thing as good tradecraft, I certainly believe them." He shrugs. "So, your theory." * Kaede shakes his head ever so slightly, holding up his hands. "I never stated that we weren't close but Andrews is hardly my keeper..." He lets out a long sigh as he looks at Yorihisa. "You're playing that game where you want to find out how much I actually know so you can skirt around the issue of actually saying anything meaningful. Like I said, you really *have* started to wear the suit of a politician." * Katie texts, 'to be fair not saying anything meaningful isn't new for him.' * Kaede resists providing a snort to that. *Come ON, Katie.* He just dodged a bullet here. Don't blow it by making him crack up. * Katie has no idea what effect she's having on Kaede! ... Okay no, she totally does, who are we kidding. * @Yorihisa sets down his empty cup. "I have more respect for you than that Takeuchi. No way you'd play all your cards in answer. But we can play a different game if you like. Are you willing to answer my questions in turn?" * Kaede gives the tracest of smiles at that. "Depends. Am I allowed to encourage *you* to theory craft as well?" * Katie texts, 'if you give him some careful info he might a. contradict himself and then you can corner him or b. you can convince him you already know something damaging & he'll work to cover himself, giving us info we need.' * Katie continues, 'plus opening up like this can make you more bffs.' 'you know you want to be best friends with yorihisa.' * Kaede can't express how much he hates you right now, Katie Andrews. Like, literally can't express it. It'd blow his cover. * @Yorihisa subtly nods for a waitress to refill his cup. "In moderation." * Waitress brings another espresso over and has a pot in hand. She glances to see if Kaede wants a refill as well. * Kaede gives a small nod of affirmation to the Waitress with a subtle "please." He takes his eyes off Yorihisa just for a minute to do so. "Fortunately for you, I don't have the patience for shoji. Entrapping someone in their own words for mere self-satisfaction has never been a pleasure of mine. You're free to ask, so long as we are on an even playing field here." <@Yorihisa> [More coffee all around and then privacy.] <@Yorihisa> Then let's keep things moving, we're both busy men. I was initiated into the Arcana by the World. She was already working with the Emperor at that point. * Kaede nods, sips. Waiting for the question. * Katie texts, 'surprisingly open about the world already.' <@Yorihisa> I know you've never really been a group guy, but what is your stance towards the World, and do the Page of Swords and Judgment agree with you? * Kaede nods. "*Initiated* is new. It was figured there was a connection there..." He sips his coffee slowly. "You have to admit she does not have the best press available..." * @Yorihisa holds his hands, palm up. "Things would be different in a world where the two of us had swapped places." What I do find interesting is that you picked the two of them *specifically*... <@Yorihisa> Interesting to be sure, but are you that surprised? * Katie texts, 'he might know about my past connection w/ the world. only thing that easily makes sense. but then the question is how.' <@Yorihisa> I'd like to know them all, but that would be an abuse of a single question. Surprised about the Page. Not so much about Judgment. They have more of a....well...distinct connection with each other. And we could pretend you brought Katie Andrews up because you know she's a snoop and tends to be into the meat of things, but I suspect we'd both know that'd be a dodge. * @Yorihisa snorts. "Snoop? By that logic, Wozniak-sensei is a bit of a tinkerer." * Kaede gives Yorihisa a slightly amused but otherwise even look. "Come, Murimora-san. Tell me how you *really* feel..." <@Yorihisa> That she's your spymaster if not your leader, to the extent you have a leader, don't make that face Takeuchi. * Kaede will totally make that face at you, sighing as he leans back. "Spymaster? *Really*? Have the others become so paranoid about us that they levitate us to a pedestal of masterful intrigue? Next thing you know, I'll be hearing which one of us you feel is our executioner." * @Yorihisa looks at Kaede for a second. "It'd give the obvious answer, but that's a trap that would give you more grounds to complain rather than actually answering my original question. Suffice to say I am not paranoid about Andrews-san, I respect her as a peer in certain matters." * @Yorihisa holds up a finger. "No, I tell a lie, I am paranoid about her, but in fairness to me, her line is quite good at what they do." * Katie texts, 'lol I am a ~MASTER OF INTRIGUE~' * Kaede nods, but it's hard not to hide the slight distain in his voice. "How very diplomatic of you..." He then lets it go, taking his cup back into his hand. "But back to your original point, I'm not sure what to think. We've come up against the World often enough, in the shadows more than practice, to develop more than a little healthy paranoia about it all. You use the terms Spymaster, but that doesn't hold a candle to how we've felt about the Hierophant and the World when it all went down. Not to mention Temperance. *Someone* has been the puppetmaster in all of this and the strings were never really revealed to us, forgive us for being a little bitter about it...." * Katie texts, 'gonna put that on my business card.' * Kaede looks up at Yorihisa and continues. "During the early days, need I remind you, Judgment was hidden against our better knowledge. Which brought people down to *literally kill us*. And as far as we all know, that was all solely the World's doing and you expect me to have sympathy for her? That's more than a bit delusional..." * Katie then adds, 'sounds like he does know about the last page of swords, who very much was a spy for the world.' 'nice turn on the questioning.' * @Yorihisa takes another sip and thinks for a moment. "Believe me, you overestimate the organization of the Council. Nonetheless, I'll be blunt. Your group has made some real enemies. The reading was a Machiavellian one, exclude your group from the first round to make it easier to bring everyone later. If it helps to blame someone for that, blame me. But it worked. People peaceably came together. Disputes are arising in campaigns, not in fields." * Katie texts, 'dodge. he didn't answer for shit re: world.' * Kaede snorts derisively. "Look me in the eyes and tell me I give a shit about making enemies. There's a reason I don't have a horse in this political race. It's because I've never been the type to dress up excrement and act like it doesn't smell. You still haven't answered my question." * @Yorihisa has been playing catch up on Kaede's onslaught, answering the first charge as a more damaging second follows up. His cup shakes, spilling hot espresso in his lap and leading him to forcibly set it down, spilling out onto the saucer. <@Yorihisa> Fine, you want to know who kept you out longer than I had to? It wasn't the reading, it was the same guy responsible for defending against your multiple hacks. And if you tell me that if you'd been included from the start you wouldn't have tried it I'll call you a damn liar.... <@Yorihisa> But you think the Judgment thing was us? She swore an oath she'd respect Judgment's independence and she kept it. That was the Magician and the Fool Reversed, maybe not in that order. Between them and Magician Reversed I did my damnedest to protect our school while keeping operational security and I failed. You can blame me for that too. * Katie texts, 'surprised he knows about any sort of judgment independence. also he really was awful at defending the school. not like he teamed up with anyone else defending it, & there were at least two groups.' * Kaede looks at the spilling of the cup without a trace of sympathy. He just doesn't have the effort. "This isn't meant to be a blame game, Murimora-san. You want to change our opinion of the World? This is your opportunity to do it. But acting as if we are not worthy of answers, especially at this point, does you no favors..." For the record, if I hadn't had reason to be *suspicious* of all of you and your motives, no I would not have hacked into the servers just to hack into them. The Mysterious Council of Mysterious Gig when you're already worried about cloaks in the shadows? Use your head for once. That's enough to make *anyone* with an unhealthy level of paranoia put their guard up." 'this is a weird combination of him being a confidant to people i'd think tell others nothing, & incomptence b/c he wouldn't team up with any of the groups actually defending the school.' 'also my level of paranoia is perfectly healthy thank you.' * Kaede takes the moment of Yorihisa's distraction to catch up on Katie's text. This time he *does* snort, but it's low and easy enough and masked in him pushing a few napkins over to the man. See? He's only 80% heartless at most! * @Yorihisa loses his voice a bit and coughs, drinking more espresso that sends him into another coughing fit. After a moment he continues, "What the hell do you think this is? Fine." He takes a breath, "Maybe I defended one person on my own, you saved me from that once. I tried to make up for it with that call, but it's really not the same. You were the real defenders. The only thing I really did was to make good on the Emperor's sacrifice and help keep the Magician off the field until the final battle." He slumps in his chair. "And if I'd kept my mouth shut before that, the Emperor would have had the time he needed and none of this might have happened." 'aww he sounds so down and sad. maybe he needs to talk about it, some sympathy & shared vulnerability & acknowledgement he did his best (even if he was probably dumb about it).' * Kaede loses his frustration and irritation for *real* sympathy here, pushing the napkins a little closer. "Don't misunderstand me. If there's one thing you know about me, it's that I don't go into situations seeking praise..." He sighs a little as he sits down himself. "None of us are perfect, Murimora-san..." He actually *does* sound genuine here. "It's easy to fall into the trap of taking far too much responsibility on yourself. Believe me, no one knows that better than I..." And he looks askance for a moment. '*does* he know that about you? i guess he does now.' * @Yorihisa looks up catching his breath, not trusting himself to speak again yet. * Kaede can't give you a "Shut up, Katie Andrews" right now, you monster. * Kaede turns to look at Yorihisa, now keeping up the trace sympathy and going on his own without any coaching. "You...and the Emperor were...close, were you?" * @Yorihisa nods, quietly. * Kaede lets out another sigh, leaning back in his chair. "You know I have a sister, right....?" * @Yorihisa nods again. "I don't think we ever met, but your family was one reason you had to skip club meetings." * Kaede's voice goes a little quieter, it's apparently he only half hears the response, just enough to hear the acknowledgement as he adjusts his cuffs. "I tried...so hard to keep her out of the conflict once I got dragged in. But she kept getting involved. Through no fault of her own. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how..." His fingers get tense as he focuses, trying to relieve them. "No matter how many times...she got hurt. Kidnapped. There were really no rules of War there..." * Kaede turns to look at Yorihisa. "I even tried to tell her once...demonstrate it. She thought I had finally broken down. Gone crazy. Practically disowned me as a brother. And there were multiple *multiple* times where I refused to act on the people who would later hurt her..." * Kaede's palms have gone a bit white from the clenching of his hands which he tries to breathe in and release again. * @Yorihisa nods. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Real path is somewhere in the middle, but by that point no one trusts you anyways." <@Yorihisa> The name Isamu Konishita mean anything to you? He was one your group brought down. * Katie texts, 'even when giving sympathy he's an asshole.' 'also i didn't know that happened, kaede. or i don't remember. i'm sorry.' * Kaede keeps is expression neutral. "Not entirely. There were a lot of cards... We knew more people by suit than name..." * @Yorihisa shakes his head. "Ace of Pentacles, he was a black card in Osaka." Yorihisa grits his teeth, "We both found our powers around the same time. He was more of a science nerd, but was excited about figuring out fields, what powers could and couldn't do, all that minmax your D&D wizard stuff. The World didn't really know his history and didn't trust him, but he was easy to talk to." <@Yorihisa> When rumors started spreading in the real early days, he got real scared. I thought I was smart, mostly kept my mouth shut. Just said that he didn't need to worry, I was working with some people, it'd be okay. But loose lips... He must have joined up real early. And he found out who those people were? <@Yorihisa> Konishita probably already knew, was tryng to figure out our time table and report back to the Magician. That guy acted big, but he could be a real subtle asshole when he wanted to be. Unlike you, who is a very direct asshole when you want to be. * @Yorihisa shakes his head but seems slightly cheered by that comment. * Kaede nods, then contemplates. "So you...the Emporer...and the World. Worked pretty closely together in the past then? Was there anyone else involved?" <@Yorihisa> I never figured out how the Magician got past us. When Saito- senpai was flung from the Tower, it was probably too late even then, but I'd always wondered if I could have... * @Yorihisa looks up. "Well..." He contemplates for a moment. "You've got to already know Temperance was active then. She takes her job seriously seriously and that means sometimes being a pain for everyone." He frowns, "What happened to your sister isn't fair at all. I know you don't believe in the Council, but protecting the ordinary people around us from all this matters too. And as is, the system can make it worse." * Katie texts, 'oh wow, listen to him he sounds actually human!' * Kaede nods, then leans back with a fold of his arm after settling down his coffee cup. "Knowing people were active and knowing who was collaborating with whom are different things. As you said though, it was less organized than it appears, but think of it from our perspective. It *seemed* like there was a certain order to it. People acting on certain unseen hands. It'd help if..." He pauses, then looks at Yorihisa now. "I'm assuming you and the World still work together, yes?" <@Yorihisa> It isn't the ninties anymore. There's only so much venture capital for a social media system that has invested millions in elaborate tarot-based security measures. She's not my boss anymore, but she's trying to support the emergence of a something better from the ashes. * Kaede chuckles. "Wasn't implying a *boss* but..." He looks at his hand for a moment before he brings it down to his cup. "You seemed concerned about my own opinion of her versus those of my compartiots. I'd have to say that may have the opportunity to change a lot if she would be would be willing to speak with me...or one of us in general." 'yes do it!' * @Yorihisa looks deeply contemplative. "She's really sought to hand off things to the younger Arcana. And the Judgment situation is complicated for both of them. But I think it may be possible to arrange a meeting of the minds with someone you both trust." * @Yorihisa checks his watch. "And I need to go." He swiftly counts out enough bills to pay for both of you and lays it on the table as he stands up. * Katie texts, 'pay instead; that was the plan. might make him like you more.' Did Katie literally hear Yorihisa count out money? * Kaede holds his hands up at the bills. "Please. Allow me to cover it. Especially for doing me a favor. It would shed the light on so much." And he was already midstream with that before Katie's text. In sync much? * @Yorihisa shakes his head. "Passing on isn't a favor. But we should talk about ordinary people some time. I know we don't see eye to eye on many things, but you are my constituent. And thank you for the coffee." * @Yorihisa bows and makes his exit. * Kaede waits for a moment. Long enough for Yorihisa to be long gone before he takes out his phone, dialing Katie. Not that she needs it, but it feels more comfortable to do it this way. "Well that went better than we'd hoped..." * Katie picks up immediately. "It sure did." She sounds like she's smiling, at least a little. "Thanks for agreeing to do this." * Kaede adds a grin to his voice as he responds himself. "Any time, Spymaster." <@Grysar> [End!]