[January 3, 2004. Evening.] [Ciara] Satoshi gets back to his apartment, kicks off his shoes, and hangs up his jacket. He takes a look at the chair where Wataru had been sitting just a couple hours ago, sighs, and heads to his room. As he boots up his laptop, he stares out the window at the lights of Tokyo. One more night of being in an empty apartment. Then he’ll be back in the dorms, although Paul won’t be coming back until closer to when classes start. He wonders what would happen if he asked Grant or Liam to let him crash with one of them for a few days. On the other hand, if Liam did say yes, Satoshi’s not sure he’s ready to deal with that much Canada right now. Once his laptop finishes booting up, he sends Katie an e-mail. Date: January 3, 2004 Subject: (no subject) To: Katie Andrews It’s been an interesting day. If you’re not busy, do you want to call or get on messenger? I feel like I really need to talk about things. It’s not anything bad; it’s just... unexpected. Satoshi [Ardweden] Maybe forty-five minutes later, Satoshi gets the following e-mail: Date: January 3, 2004 Subject: Re: To: Satoshi Watanabe Is calling still okay? Kyon's still with family & I need a break from reading. Katie [Ciara] The response is almost immediate. Date: January 3, 2004 Subject: Re: Re: To: Katie Andrews Yeah, calling's still fine. Don't worry about the time; I don't think I'm going to be sleeping much tonight. I'm trying to start time zone adjusting, plus I think I'll be sleeping a lot on the plane tomorrow. Satoshi [Ardweden] Katie sees that right away, as she hadn't even exited her e-mail yet, and she reaches to one side to pick up her phone from her desk. She cycles through names a little bit before she lands on one that she hasn't touched for over a year and a half - Satoshi Watanabe's cell - and calls him. [Ciara] Satoshi picks up after the second ring. "Hi, Katie. Thanks for calling." [Ardweden] "Sure," Katie says on the other end while she stands and stretches. Hm, she's kind of hungry... She starts padding to the kitchen, closing her bedroom door behind her before the cat can dart in. "Sorry it took so long for me to check my e-mail." Kumaguro's attempts were foiled again, and he fixes his kitty stare on Katie, but she doesn't seem to care. [Ciara] "Oh, no worries." Satoshi leans back in his desk chair. "So... you remember how I was supposed to meet up with Wataru today?" Meanwhile, Satoshi feels a little *ping!* in the back of his mind. It's something he's felt before, but he can't exactly place what it is. That having been said, he feels like it's related to Wataru somehow. ~Wataru?~ he asks, even though he's pretty sure Wataru is nowhere around and there's no possible way he can hear Satoshi. [Ardweden] Katie opens the pantry. "How could I forget?" she asks while looking over what's available. She reaches for a bag of sesame sticks, just in time for Kumaguro shove his head against her leg. She grabs a can of cat food, too. "Did you do it?" [Ciara] Satoshi reaches for a pen out of habit, only to realize that he's packed up the contents of his desk. "I thought you'd remember. Yeah, I did. It was... interesting." [Ardweden] "Do you want to talk about it?" Katie asks as a formality while setting pantry contents on the kitchen counter, because obviously he does. She goes to get Kumaguro's food dish. [Ciara] Satoshi stands up, pushes in his desk chair, and heads back to the living room. "Yeah. I... I'm not sure where to start, honestly." He paces a bit. "Did you... pick up anything about him last week when we were all at dinner together?" [Ardweden] Katie sounds mildly puzzled, because she is mildly puzzled. "Pick up how?" [Ciara] Satoshi keeps pacing. Even though he's wearing socks and walking on carpet, Katie might actually be able to realize this. "Well, you mentioned the fan thing in your e-mail, and I..." Now he stops and collapses back down into the chair he'd been sitting in earlier. "Okay, promise you won't tell anyone else this. Please." [Ardweden] Katie's eyes open wide at Satoshi's request for a promise, and she freezes in place, hand still on the can of cat food. She can hear Satoshi pacing, but she isn't listening to anything. It's only for a moment, though, and then she snaps out of it and says, "I won't tell anyone. I promise." [Ciara] "Okay. Okay, okay." Satoshi lets out several breaths, and finally says, slowly, "When he said he wanted to get together... he was actually asking me out." [Ardweden] Katie *almost* gets the can of cat food all the way open when Satoshi finishes his sentence. She stops again. "What? Really?" And then Kumaguro yowls, and she says to the cat, "All right!" and finishes opening the can. "Kumaguro's getting demanding in his older age." [Ciara] Satoshi can't help but laugh at that last part, as he did hear the cat noises. He relaxes a little. "Yes. Really." [Ardweden] Katie scoops cat food into the bowl, her phone cradled between her shoulder an ear. "What did you do? I hope you were nicer to him than I was to Taki when she told me. I think I laughed." [Ciara] Satoshi shakes his head, although he's on the phone so there's not really much point to it. "No. I didn't laugh. We talked for a while. It went really well, actually." [Ardweden] "That's great." Satoshi might be able to hear the smile on Katie's face. She sets the dish on the floor so Kumaguro can have it, then grabs her sesame sticks and wanders into the living room, turning on the light. [Ciara] Satoshi looks surprised, not that Katie can see it, but then his face relaxes and he smiles. "We're going to keep in contact while I'm away." [Ardweden] "It sounds like you guys really hit it off, then." Katie flops onto the couch and opens the bag of snacks. "Better than me. I think he might be scared of me. And he obviously doesn't like Kyon." [Ciara] "I think we have established that I am possibly one of the least scary things on the face of the earth." Satoshi relaxes in his chair. "But yeah. I don't really know what happened between him and Kyon. Or if anything really happened. I mean, Kyon is... Kyon. Apparently they had a few classes together." [Ardweden] "Kyon's an asshole," Katie says, matter of factly and with some amount of affection. "It could be that's all it is." She grabs a few sesame sticks. "Anyway, I don't know if it's me or us, or if it's just that he's skittish in general. Like his first reaction to anything is to hold back and hide, or maybe lie. I get it, but still. It's really impressive that you got through, even if he does have a crush on you." She pops the sticks into her mouth. [Ciara] "I think it helped that we had some common non-Arcana ground to work with." Satoshi looks across the room at the other chair again. "Talking about hockey put him at ease. Unfortunately, I don't really have any advice on other topics that might help him relax. I'm hoping that after talking with me he'll be less nervous about talking to you guys." [Ardweden] "I'm gonna try," Katie says, after swallowing. "Next time, I'll meet him without Kyon. But... it's Arcana." She grabs another sesame stick. "Did you talk to him about it?" [Ciara] "We talked about it some. He knows about my telepathy. I felt like I had to tell him. I didn't want him finding out from someone else and then wondering if I'd been reading his mind all along." Satoshi stands up and stretches. "He asked if you all had powers, and I said yes, but it should be up to you to tell him. It wasn't really a surprise to him; it's just that no one had really talked about it, apparently." He walks over to the window and looks out. "He's telekinetic. He thinks you've seen him using it, even." [Ardweden] "Yeah," Katie says, "when he stole Masaru's paintbrush." She stretches her legs, taking up as much of the couch as possible. "I wonder how powerful he is with it. Probably very, since he's a Major. That's kind of how it goes." And then, as if it just occurs to Katie to ask: "Did he tell you why he took it?" [Ciara] "No, I... didn't actually think to ask about it." Satoshi sounds a bit troubled now. "It could just be some sort of strange sociology thing. He talked about studying groups and connections and things along those lines. He could be trying to do it with Arcana as well. I read a story once where a person could find out things about people by touching their belongings. I wonder if he can do that, too." He pauses. "I did ask about Haruko's card. He still has it, but he promised he'd give it back the next time he saw her. She may actually want to schedule a meetup with him just for that purpose." [Ardweden] "Yeah," Katie says softly, while looking at a sesame stick between two fingers. "It's strange he didn't give it back to her then. We'll see if he does." [Ciara] "He promised me he would. I think he'll keep that promise, but I also think Haruko might want to take the lead there because I'm not sure he's really going to be seeking her out." He starts heading back towards his bedroom. "Speaking of, I'm thinking of e-mailing her and Kaede and Kyon - and you, of course - as a followup since I mentioned I was going to be meeting with Wataru and I'm sure someone's going to ask me about it sooner or later. I'm just not entirely sure how much I should tell. Obviously I'm not going to talk about him asking me out, but... the telekinesis should be fine, since you mentioned it already, and that he knows I'm telepathic, and that he's curious about other powers but didn't press me on them." [Ardweden] "All of that makes sense. And no, I wouldn't talk about him being gay or bi if I were you. That's really personal stuff, and keeping it secret shouldn't endanger the group in any way. Did you tell him about anything else, like your strength or what happened back then?" [Ciara] "Oh, I'm definitely not going to tell anyone else that. I just felt like... if I didn't tell you, then I'd have to be incredibly, annoyingly evasive when I talked about today, and you would not have the patience at all for that. Besides, I trust you," Satoshi says in a very matter-of- fact tone. "I haven't told him about my strength yet, and I didn't tell him all that much about the past. It was getting late, and there's really only so many revelations you can absorb in a day. He knows there's more I haven't told him yet, but I'll be talking with him again, so there's time." [Ardweden] "Yeah." Katie sits up, now, and sets the bag aside. "And you trust him. That means something." She thinks for a moment, then says, "I... don't know if he will end up liking me, though. Or trusting me. He's not first meeting me when you did. But I'll try. If and when he finds out what some of us have done... well." Her eyes go to the woodprint blocks on the wall: her, Kumaguro. "We'll see. We can't all be friends." [Ciara] "I'm hoping that he'll start to trust you all." Satoshi starts typing something on his computer. "He's nervous and not sure what his place in the whole Arcana world is. But I'm not naive enough to assume that just because I'm friends with people, they're going to be friends as well. I mean, two of my closest friends are Kaede and Haruko. Although... they actually seem to be better around each other lately. Anyhow. Not friends doesn't automatically mean enemies, at least." [Ardweden] "Yeah," Katie agrees, "I learned that lesson. And it's better for us to teach him than someone else, probably. What're you typing?" [Ciara] "Working on the e-mail to send to everyone." He stops. "Mind if I run it by you first before sending it out?" [Ardweden] "Not at all!" Katie goes to put the rest of the sesame sticks away. [Ciara] "Great, thanks! I'll send it over as soon as I'm done." He resumes typing. "So, are you going to be able to come see me off at Haneda tomorrow? Haruko offered to give me a ride, but I have a suitcase and it won't fit on her bike, so I'm just transiting over. She'll be coming for a bit, though. Kaede seems unlikely since he's busy as usual." [Ardweden] "Sure," Katie says while she closes the pantry door again. She moves to get some water for herself. "I could take the subway with you, if you want. Kyon won't be back until evening anyway. I guess you're packed already?" [Ciara] Satoshi stops typing again. "It'd be nice to have some company. Thank you. And yeah, I've got everything all packed up. Didn't bring too much back with me this time, mostly just clothes and some books and my laptop." [Ardweden] "That's packing pretty light," Katie agrees. She sips her water. [Ciara] "Well, I was only going to be back for a couple of weeks, and I had some stuff I left here. I got lazy about cooking, though." He looks back in the direction of the kitchen. "Mostly ate out." [Ardweden] Katie leans against the counter, sipping her water. "Yeah... I don't know about you. But I don't like cooking much in general. It can't be very much fun for one person even if I did." [Ciara] "It's a lot of effort for a single person." He clicks something on his computer. "When Jin was around I got pretty good at egg dishes, but that was for both of us, so." [Ardweden] Katie laughs. "I'm sorry, that's just-" She laughs some more. "I wonder how he's doing." [Ciara] Satoshi taps his desk. "Yeah, me too. I haven't seen him since, well, pretty much since that night. He said he was going off with his grandfather." He sighs. "As crazy as everything was - and seriously, don't get me started on the chickens - I miss having someone around." [Ardweden] "That's not really a problem in Maine, is it?" Katie asks. "With Paul living with you? At least he isn't going to take you somewhere random." She pauses, trying to put words together. "I guess you can't talk about everything with them, but Arcana isn't as big a part of your life anymore... and you seemed fine enough our last year at high school." [Ciara] "Yeah, well." There's a definite undercurrent of guilt in Satoshi's voice. "It's not like I have to talk about everything with the guys over there. There's enough to discuss without getting into that." He sighs. "Besides, it's not necessarily having someone to talk to so much as just having someone there, sometimes. And Paul's not going to get back until closer to when classes start." There's a pause. "This first semester, I was really too busy to miss people, if that makes sense. I was adjusting to being in a different country, speaking a different language, working my butt off to actually make the team and then practicing like mad... I didn't do the greatest job of balancing that and classes, but I'm going to work on that this coming semester. But it wasn't until things were almost over that I started realizing how much I missed everyone. And... and it hit me again tonight. How much I'm going to miss you all." He takes a few deep breaths. "I didn't decide to go abroad to get away from anyone, or to escape the Arcana weirdness. I did it because I want to follow this crazy dream of mine for as long as I can." [Ardweden] Katie was tempted to ignore the guilt in Satoshi's voice, but by the end she sighs. "You don't have to defend yourself to me. I'm glad you have dreams and want to follow them. I wish I did. So you should do it, if that's what you want." She sips her water. "But yeah. You're missed here, too. At least it won't be that long before Paul shows up, right? And you have people you can hang out with - you're not stuck in your dorm room." [Ciara] "Yeah, we're jumping right back into practice, so I'll be spending a lot of time with Liam and Grant and the other guys. So that'll help." Satoshi looks down at his keyboard for a moment, and his hair shifts into his face. "Crud. My hair's getting long. Well, longer, I guess. I meant to get it trimmed while I was here, but I never got around to it. Think I'd look all right with it pulled back?" [Ardweden] "Are they bad at trimming hair over there?" Katie asks, mildly curious. "I think you'd look fine." She heads back to her room, taking her water with her. [Ciara] Satoshi rolls a few strands of hair between his right thumb and index finger. "It's more that it's a pain getting off campus. But maybe I will try pulling it back and seeing how I like it." [Ardweden] Katie closes her bedroom door behind her. "You should, just to see. Your hair's about that long now. Actually, maybe long enough to braid..." She grins at the thought. "I can do it tomorrow, in the train or at the airport." [Ciara] Satoshi laughs. "Okay, you're on! I am going to have the most stylish hair in all of Orono! And I think the e-mail's about ready for you to look over. Shall I send it to you?" [Ardweden] "Great! I love braiding hair; I'm just kind of crap at braiding my own." Katie sits down at her desk, poking her computer out of sleep mode. "Ready." [Ciara] "That seems like it would be pretty tricky," Satoshi agrees. He clicks something. "Sent." A moment later, the following encrypted e-mail appears in Katie's inbox: Date: January 3, 2004 Subject: Today's Meeting To: Katie Andrews So I met up with Wataru today like I said I was going to. We actually hit it off pretty well. There was some hockey discussion, and also some Arcana discussion. I confirmed that he's telekinetic; he now knows I'm telepathic. He asked if you guys had powers; I said yes, but I wasn't going to elaborate. He didn't push. I am hoping that this paves the way for him to be more open with you guys; that having been said, he's still pretty nervous about things and there's a lot he doesn't seem to know. I haven't told him everything about myself yet, and I'd prefer that he hears it from me. Also, Haruko, I confirmed that he does still have your card. He promised he'd give it back the next time he saw you, but I'd suggest taking the initiative and maybe setting up a meeting with him. Like I said, he's still pretty nervous and I'm not sure he's quite at the point where he'd reach out to you on his own. We all know from experience that I am the least scary one here. ;) I'll be seeing some of you at Haneda tomorrow, and then I'll let you all know when I arrive in Maine. Satoshi [Ardweden] Katie leans towards her computer screen and reads the e-mail once, then again. "That looks fine, but you might want to confirm what he *does* know." [Ciara] "You mean about me?" Satoshi asks. "Because I'm still finding out what he knows otherwise." [Ardweden] Katie rolls her eyes, not that Satoshi can see it. "No," she says, "about Arcana. You said that he doesn't seem to know much. What does he actually know? Nothing?" [Ciara] "It honestly seems that way," Satoshi muses. "Just what he saw that day and what he's found out from us. He really wants to know how he fits into the whole Arcana thing." [Ardweden] Katie sighs, and she falls quiet, thinking about that as she reads Satoshi's e-mail again. After a few minutes, she finally speaks up again. "All right. Well, the e-mail's fine." [Ciara] "Is there something else?" Satoshi asks. [Ardweden] "No. Not really," Katie replies automatically. She sighs again, pushing herself (and her chair) back from her desk. "Just... I know Wataru feels comfortable with you, and I don't want to break that trust, but..." She trails off, trying to think of how to phrase things. "There's a lot he doesn't know, but at the same time, he knew enough to seek us out. He knew about Reiji, and Jin, and Winston. And he was there that night. He knows that we were, too, but he still doesn't trust us. So if he tells you something, about his powers or his past or the connections he had with people, and you think this would be new information for the rest of us, can you let me know?" [Ciara] "He saw us that night," Satoshi says, "though given that he wasn't even sure about powers, I don't think he picked up very much from it. But if I find something out that'll help us, then yes." He stifles a yawn. "Despite my best efforts, I'm getting pretty tired. I may try to get some sleep tonight after all. See you tomorrow at the subway?" [Ardweden] "Okay." Katie rubs at her eyes, but she keeps any stress out of her voice: "Send me when you're leaving, okay? I can meet you at the station by your apartment." [Ciara] "Sure thing. See you tomorrow, then! And thanks for your help." Satoshi doesn't quite manage to stifle his yawn this time. [Ardweden] Katie laughs lightly at the yawn. "Go to bed. See you tomorrow, Satoshi." She takes the phone from her ear and hits a button, ending the call. [Ciara] Satoshi sends out an e-mail to Katie, Kaede, Haruko, and Kyon (which will be the start of a new thread after I get back from dinner). Then he heads off to sleep. At the airport the next day, Katie gets the last hug and so earns the +1 from Satoshi's intimacy move. And yes, his hair looks great. Thread end!