<@Grysar> [Date: January 2, 2004. The weather remains clear and cold. 
Kaede and Satoshi had agreed to meet up downtown that afternoon and then 
figure out where they wanted to go from there, maybe a walk, maybe 
dinner. There are a fair number of students out this Friday night, as 
it's supposed to snow again this weekend.]
<@Grysar> [Start]
 06* Satoshi waits for Kaede at the appropriate time. He's wearing his 
usual cold-weather ensemble: jacket, scarf, long-sleeved button-down 
shirt, jeans, sneakers.
 06* Kaede is busy in a heavy long-coat, blowing out a faint breath as he 
checks his phone, clear and cold. It's business casual, like most of the 
clothes he happens to be in nowadays. And just in case, he's got a pair 
of earmuffs and gloves on. The gloves probably don't help with actually 
pressing the buttons of the phone, but he may or may not actually be 
pressing the buttons anyway.
 06* Satoshi calls out to him as he approaches. "Kaede!"
 06* Kaede looks up at the call with a neutral expression, barely raising 
up from his phone and raising an eyebrow. "On a first name basis already, 
are we, Watanabe-san?" But there's a small smile at the side of his 
mouth. More genuine than Kyon-smirk potential.
 06* Satoshi grins. "It's been almost two years now. You should be used 
to me at this point."
 06* Kaede blows out another breath as he places his phone back in his 
pocket and adjusts his fingers, cricking them a bit in the air. "I'm 
still adjusting to *people*, really. Two years puts me almost to about 
normal level." He lets out a small sigh and stuffs his hands in his 
pockets, glancing off awkwardly to the side.
<Satoshi> At least I'm not trying to hug you in public.  I have it on 
good authority that you give the best hugs, though.
 06* Kaede gets a momentarily dark look, then shoves his hands deeper, 
looking to the side and grumbling. "Katie Andrews’ authority rests on 
'what she believes would be the most amusing at the time.' I would not 
take her opinion as anything more than that."
 06* Satoshi is still grinning. "I know. I won't." He clears his throat 
slightly and sobers a bit. "Anyhow, I know you're busy, but I'm glad we 
could meet up today. It's good to actually see you."
 06* Kaede smiles slightly at that and takes his hand out to wave it. 
"Me. Katie. Even Haruko sometimes. Multiple tracks. Multiple things. It 
happens. We're not all international travelers like you though."
 06* Kaede throws his hand back in his pocket as he steps forward and 
gives Satoshi a half-look. "I'm half surprised you haven't forgotten how 
to speak Japanese yet."
<Satoshi> <Nah, that could never happen.>
<@Grysar> [It is winter, but it's still downtown Tokyo. Hurried passersby 
rush past you, rerouting around the pedestrian obstacles and going hither 
and yon.]
 06* Kaede glances at Satoshi for a moment and smirks. "<You know I've 
gotten better at *that* too, right?>"
<Satoshi> <Good!  You'll need it if you're coming to America with Akemi 
this year.>
 06* Kaede nods slightly, expression still neutral. "<That's why, 
really...>" He then goes quieter as he steps aside, looking for and 
considering a place to go. "<...the last thing Shiraishi-san needs is me 
holding her back...>"
 06* Satoshi scoots out of the way alongside Kaede. "Her career's really 
taking off, then?" he asks, switching back to Japanese.
 06* Kaede gives a small nod, switching back as well. "Unbelievably." He 
then looks around. "Could probably use something to warm up."
<Satoshi> There's a coffee shop nearby.  We could sit for a bit if you 
wanted to get out of the cold, or just get something to go.
<@Grysar> [The way to it is a pedestrian shopping arcade. While still 
open to the elements at either end, they're brightly lit, protected from 
the wind, and gain some heat from the stores.]
 06* Kaede shrugs slightly and gives Satoshi another half-smile. "You're 
the guest here, aren't you Watanabe-san? It should be your decision."
 06* Satoshi adjusts his scarf. "Eh, I'm not picky. We can wander through 
the shopping arcade on the way there and see if anything else strikes 
us." He pauses. "Oh, I guess the other thing to do while we're out is hit 
a bookstore and see if I can get a copy of that book."
 06* Kaede looks over at Satoshi, raising an eyebrow at that statement. 
"Maybe you *should* be pickier, Watanabe-san." He then looks in the 
direction of the book store. "I don't know. Should we really be giving 
that kind of person business?"
 06* Satoshi sighs. "I don't really *want* to give him business, but I do 
want to know what's going on. And I can't exactly borrow it from a 
library before leaving the country for a few months."
<@Grysar> [There are two book options in the Arcade. A first story new 
stand that also stocks manga and newer releases. Farther along there's a 
thin multistory establishment that emphasizes new and used books.]
 06* Kaede takes out his phone and makes a couple of press of buttons. "I 
can get you a copy," he says assuredly, keeping his focus on the glow of 
the screen. "Me, I may get it from the library after all." He wanders 
through the Arcade, not much eye on where he's going.
 06* Satoshi walks along, looking at various food places. "I don't 
normally go for that sort of thing, but in this case I don't feel bad 
about it at all. So if you could get me a copy, I'd be grateful."
<@Grysar> [There's a few clothing shops. Kaede recognizes one brand that 
does use Akemi for modeling work. There's also a conveyor belt sushi 
place and an aquarium selling fish as pets advertised by an animatronic 
fiberglass carp above the entrance. Down at the far end is the coffee 
shop Satoshi mentioned earlier.]
 06* Kaede breathes slightly and looks mildly annoyed as he tilts his 
head to look at Satoshi. "Someone's using our lives and writing about it 
without our permission. It's as if a whole conspiracy theory kook is 
becoming a best seller. I believe morals went out the window a long time 
ago."
 06* Kaede then stops in front of the clothing shop and looks over the 
mannequins in the window carefully.
 06* Satoshi looks at the shop. "One of Akemi's?"
<@Grysar> [There is an internet cafe atop a first story video arcade 
about a quarter block down.]
<@Grysar> [Kaede can recognize a poster for some of Akemi's work in the 
back of the store. There's also a mannequin that's a bit taller and more 
statuesque that's modeling that particular outfit.]
 06* Kaede nods slightly as he looks over the design. "Yes. She insisted 
on being..." He then notices the mannequin and squints. "...that outfit 
is far more suited for her..."
<Satoshi> Than the mannequin, you mean?
 06* Kaede responds dryly. "Most things are better on a regular person, 
yes..." But he then gestures to the model. "Fashion is built towards a 
certain figure type. What may look perfect on Shiraishi-san may look 
awkward or misproportioned on, say, Cardinaux. It's all in how you look 
at it..." He pauses, thoughtfully, and adds, "...I had not thought of 
Cardinaux-san in quite some time..."
 06* Satoshi hmms. "You mentioned her the other day, too." He grins. 
"Should Akemi be worried?"
 06* Kaede looks coolly over to Satoshi, again raising an eyebrow. "As 
far as I *recall*, I don't yet have a plane ticket to France. Unless Jin 
suddenly has it in him to get a heaping of wild baguettes, I believe she 
is safe. But I'm sure she'll appreciate the efforts from her valiant 
knight."
 06* Satoshi lets out a breath. "Ooof, fine. So, proceeding onward for 
warm drinks?"
 06* Kaede gestures towards the net cafe. "We should go gather drinks 
then meet up there. That way I can get you your copy."
<@Grysar> [Near the front of the arcade, a variety of players are focused 
around a mix of rhythm and dance/instrument games. The back has more 
classic fighting games and one new Gundam release getting a lot of 
attention. There's a claw game in the front stocked with zodiac animal 
plushies.]
<@Grysar> [The stairs up to the second floor are easily accessible, 
although on the first floor Katie would likely be flinching from the 
din.]
<Satoshi> Eh, they might get annoyed if we bring in outside stuff if they 
sell drinks there.
<@Grysar> [The second floor advertises drinks and a small selection of 
food. There's both desktops to use "Top GAMING machines" they promise, 
and wifi/ethernet connections for bringing your own device. There's a 
cheaper rate if you want a computer just to check your email and use 
Netscape.]
<@Grysar> [This particular establishment does offer a shower, but for 
members only.]
 06* Kaede gives a shrug and goes on in without comment. Satoshi can be a 
silly rules-abider if he wants to be. He won't stop you, Satoshi. He 
needs to go...TO THE INTERNET.
 06* Satoshi follows Kaede. The Internet awaits!
<@Grysar> [And you can get situated easily enough. The rates are 
reasonable and the selection isn't bad. There's a fair number of people 
here gaming, but Kaede can spot which of the ordinary computers aren't 
clogged with viruses and malware.]
<@Grysar> [There is a reasonable FFXI crowd. Some of them are chatting 
with one another. This particular linkshell is all tiny taru-taru and 
hulking galka for whatever reason.]
 06* Kaede nods and wanders through. Yes. The computers without malware 
are less annoying. *Fortunately* he can tune most of them out. He goes 
for one of the cheaper rate things. They're just going to download 
something quick. Besides, if push comes to shove, it's not like he can't 
get through the blockade that prevents more things from being used 
momentarily.
 06* Satoshi follows Kaede, pausing for a moment to look over at the FFXI 
players. "I think my roommate was playing that for a bit, until he had to 
stop once they got really unreasonable about him needing to log on at 
specific times."
 06* Kaede types away, keeping half of his attention on Satoshi. "Was his 
group in another part of the world then? I'd heard of that happening more 
and more. It's somewhat of a necessity in online communities." Probably 
best not to ask him how exactly he knows.
<@Grysar> [And, so with information from Katie and Satoshi's assistance 
grabbing supporting tidbits, Kaede eventually has some success...]
<@Grysar> [First off he's found a publisher’s copy of the book. It has 
printer’s marks on it and he isn't absolutely certain this is the version 
that actually went to press. But it should do the job.]
<Satoshi> I think some of them were in Japan, yes.  There's an auto-
translate function, plus he's actually trying to learn Japanese and a lot 
of things are in katakana.
<Satoshi> And I translated for him a couple of times if I wasn't busy.
 06* Kaede blinks, then turns to look at Satoshi oddly. "Isn't 
that...um..." He gives up and then just outright states. "Why?"
<Satoshi> Sometimes people would type in Japanese.  The auto-translator 
doesn't always cover everything.  I didn't do it too many times.  Got 
busy with practice and classwork.
 06* Kaede blinks and notices there's a bit of miscommunication here, 
turning to look at Satoshi strangely. "...no. Not you. I meant him."
<Satoshi> Honestly, I don't know.  Some people really like gaming and 
going for the more difficult to beat parts.  So maybe that was it.  
 06* Satoshi chuckles. "I think I disappointed him when he found out I 
don't really read manga or watch anime or play games."
 06* Kaede blinks at Satoshi for a moment, then looks him over. He's 
*really* lost in this conversation. "I...um..." He tries to think of the 
implications of that. "...did he think you were a shut-in?"
<Satoshi> No, I think he believes everyone in Japan is into these things.  
When I showed up in hockey gear it startled the heck out of him.
 06* Kaede snorts slightly and goes back to typing. "Playing a game in 
order to get equipment in order to get higher numbers to get better 
equipment to get higher numbers...it always seemed like a pointless waste 
of time to me..."
<@Grysar> [Kaede's phone buzzes with an update on the viewership numbers 
and click throughs for Akemi's foray into a web ad campaign.]
 06* Satoshi shrugs. "Yeah, I don't quite get it either. How's the search 
going?"
 06* Kaede blinks, then pauses on the Akemi thing, pulling it up. Huh. He 
looks it over, because really. This stuff's important.
<@Grysar> [It's going pretty well. If this keeps up, they might be able 
to get superior camera equipment so that Kaede doesn't have to personally 
ensure image quality after a photo shoot. That should enable getting 
higher numbers of views in the next campaign as there's a wider range of 
sites that could be served if Kaede can delegate.]
<@Grysar> [Between Kaede and Satoshi's efforts, they're able to figure 
out that no, the mass market doesn't take it too seriously. That said, 
there's a group of core believers or people that enjoy pretending to be 
the same. As a result of the Oni weirdness there's also a non-trivial 
percentage of the population that think it's a fictionalized version of 
actual religious or mystical occurrences, "like The Da Vinci Code."]
 06* Kaede frowns a little at the last bit. "...well not surprising. But 
that's not entirely good..."
<@Grysar> [There are also websites that are a bit harder to get into 
where people discuss actual government cover-ups. There's a fair crank 
population, but they've also broken some information that the ruling 
Liberal Democratic Party did not want to get out about mishandled 
environmental crises in the like. That book is one of several discussed 
as obvious (to most) fiction but a possible source of Straussian leaks 
about what really went down.]
<@Grysar> [Finally, off in a different corner of the internet, Hirokazu 
is using the publicity to reskin his next update of his tarot-themed 
dating sim.]
<@Grysar> [He does not have publisher's permission.]
<@Grysar> [There is a tsundere engineer, but reviewers have 
praised/damned that plotline as surprisingly tasteful.]
 06* Satoshi eyes the various results. "That's a lot of..." He pauses. 
"...stuff. But most of it's so off the mark that it doesn't seem too 
concerning. If there's a second book, though..."
 06* Kaede sighs a little. "The problem with publicity is that it draws 
the *actual* attention...the more public false information is, the easier 
it is for those with more information to access and research it..." He 
pauses for a moment, then adds, "...like us."
 06* Satoshi frowns. "Yeah. Unfortunately I'm not really seeing much of a 
way to deal with it right now. Especially in my case. But I'll read the 
thing and you guys can keep me in the loop."
 06* Kaede taps his fingers on the keys, considering. "...I could encrypt 
it. That'd just trigger the conspiracy theorists to think the government 
is cracking down harder...but what they would put, hard to say..."
<Satoshi> But then if the writer is paying attention, he'll know someone 
did that.
 06* Kaede blinks then looks at Satoshi curiously. "To...*all* the 
sites?" He doesn't think it's really being tracked that closely...is it?
<Satoshi> How far were you planning on going?
 06* Kaede glances at the screen. "Today is just research. Going further 
could have long-term implications..." His lips thin. "Although..." He 
sighs and hangs his head. "...we are not Temperance."
 06* Satoshi exhales slowly. "No. No we are not. Keeping it to research 
is good."
 06* Kaede leans back and turns his gaze back on Satoshi, pulling away 
from the computer. "Which do you prefer, Watanabe-san?"
<Satoshi> I don't think there's a reason for us to move quite yet.  I'd 
rather discuss it with the others before doing anything further.
 06* Kaede snorts a little, then types some more. "You *always* do, 
Watanabe-san." He concentrates as he goes back to his work. "But that's 
not quite what I meant..."
<Satoshi> Sorry, all this is starting to throw me off.  What did you 
mean?
 06* Kaede waves his hand slightly as he leans back. "There was a movie a 
while back. That talked about having a choice. There was a blue 
pill...and a red pill."
<Satoshi> I think I heard people talk about that, but I never watched it.
 06* Kaede nods and sighs, gesturing for one of the drinks. If Satoshi 
got the drinks. "One of the pills...ends the story. You go on living your 
life in ignorance and don't need to delve any deeper. The other? Lets you 
dig deeper and see the truth." He turns back to the screen. "Which do you 
prefer, Watanabe-san? You have a life back in the States now. You have 
people who don't need to know who you really are. You can ignore that any 
of this really exists. We *all* can..."
 06* Satoshi did get drinks at some point. He's quiet for a bit. "Taki 
thought I was running away. By going to school in America. She thought I 
did it to get away from everything. Which is sad on several fronts 
because I'd been thinking about going to college abroad for a while, and 
I never brought that up when we were together. And to some extent..."
 06* Satoshi takes a few breaths. "To some extent, maybe I *have* been 
running away. I really haven't been thinking about everything that went 
on. I avoided talking about it. I was starting to get reasonably good at 
pretending it didn't exist. But I don't think I can pretend anymore. 
Things are happening. There's these books, there's Wataru... is it 
picking up again, or am I just realizing it never really went away?"
 06* Kaede leans down a little and pushes up his glasses carefully. "I 
don't believe Shimiru-san is in the best position to criticize. But the 
question is if you're ready to start thinking for *yourself*, Watanabe-
san?"
 06* Satoshi looks a bit wounded. "I think I have to be." He takes a sip 
of his drink. "I'm not giving up on my plans, but I have to ... Kaede." 
He sits down heavily. "I think I need to find out more about what I 
really am capable of."
 06* Kaede smiles a bit at Satoshi and responds, evenly and not 
unsympathetically. "A lot. A lot more than you give yourself credit for 
at least." He goes to look at the sites and hmms. "I believe I should 
send these to myself. Others may want some of these links as well."
<Satoshi> Yeah, I'd like them too.
<Satoshi> Ugh, now I kind of wish I had more time here... but we've got 
e-mail, so.
 06* Kaede taps his finger on the keyboard. "E-mail. Phone. I could set 
it up so that you could have unlimited free international calling if 
you'd like..."
 06* Satoshi thinks for a moment. "...that might be a good idea just so 
we all don't have to worry about draining our bank accounts talking to 
each other." He looks at Kaede. "Thank you. And thanks again for working 
on my phone before I left the first time."
 06* Kaede pushes his glasses back again. "Simple hack really. The other 
one...well..." He thinks for a moment, then adds, "...could probably do 
it in a way that's *somewhat* legal..."
 06* Satoshi chuckles. "You know me too well."
 06* Kaede snorts then shuts off the computer so he doesn't keep logging 
time after sending off the websites to himself for further perusal. "More 
that I do not want the authorities suddenly busting down your door for 
having an illegal phone."
 06* Satoshi stands up. "That... would also be good, yes."
 06* Kaede sighs and then looks back to the outside. Somehow it looks 
even *colder* now. He glances back at Satoshi with a curious expression. 
"Ramen? Or udon? My treat."
<Satoshi> Ramen. I need *real* ramen before I leave.  Instant ramen is 
*terrible*.
 06* Kaede nods and walks on out. "And maybe I can show you Shiraishi-
san's latest set while we're out."
 06* Satoshi follows. "Sure, I'd like that."
 06* Kaede nods, then clarifies with "The *work safe* set." And *now* 
he's out.
 06* Satoshi blushes furiously. "I... don't even..." And he walks out the 
door.
<@Grysar> [End!]