3/27/2003

12:52 AM

Logfile from Tomite.

 

Mandarin Plaza - 1502

It looks like an average two bedroom apartment. The furniture is second-hand, and the overall impression is somewhat shabby, with the exception of the shotgun/rifle collection hanging up on the far wall.  Pretty boring place, really, but there's a TV and some game consoles, at least

Obvious exits:

Exit

 

By the end of the show, and several Tivo settings to record later, it would seem Lexie likes it! Well, maybe around the fifth beer it stopped mattering.  "Wha' a sleazebag!  How could he do that to her, ditching her for that witchy bitch? "  She slams her beer bottle down on the coffee table.  "Yo, what now, hostage?  Maybe I can ransom you for a carpet steam cleaner and a few pizzas." She teases, grinning widely.

 

Chase is still settled on the couch, eyeing the door and the fire escape every so often. Only thing is, after as much beer as he has drunk (which doesn't take much for this light weight youngling) he is in no shape to try to make an escape. "Oh, I could do for some pizza. But I'm not sure they'll want me back for that, might have to make the terms a little lower."

 

Lexie waves a hand dismissively, laughing.  "Don't sell yerself short!  I have to buy a new hairdryer after as much as it took out of my old one t' thaw my hair."  The window's still wide open, as she's more interested in 'playing' with her guest rather than anything too terribly serious.  "I'm sure they'll miss you.  Since you look like a kid they'll probably think you can't take care of yourself. And besides, you're a hothead! Wanna nother beer?"  She stands, only slightly swayingly, and saunters over to the kitchen, rummaging for edibles.  "Yanno, I can probably fix the stereo.  My ol' man, the ghost you saw, he taught me how to fix just 'bout everything, not just cars."

 

Chase doesn't even try to get off of the sofa, because he more than likely would find himself flat on the floor. "You got any juice? I could really go for some juice." Because with all of that soap opera watching and beer, his head is just a little bit fuzzy around the edges. "I can take care of myself, real well. It's aniki that seems to think I need watching, that is when he isn't too busy beating me round the head. You know, he tried to get me to move into his building before all of this. The nerve of the guy. But I'm in there anyway, so I really isn't that much of a point anymore." Said stereo is eyed, "I won't apologize for the hair, but the fact that you didn't topple over from all that weight makes me respect you, a little. I dunno about that stereo though. Looks pretty much... dead."

 

Lexie returns with a jug of apple juice, which she hands over without a glass, and another beer for herself. "I was a Marine."  She answers, plunking back down on the couch. "S'where I learned to shoot, and I was one of the best at that.. Though my actual assignment was as an aircraft mechanic. Runs in th' blood I guess.  But have you thought about some fake facial hair? Makes even a youngling look older. Oh, I can fix it. Hafta resauter and replace some of th' boards, and of course the casing'll look like hell.. But I can make it work 'gain. Not that those skills do me any good with superpowered kids runnin' around."

 

Chase is handed a jug. His bladder probably can't take that much more of this. "You know, I actually considered going into the armed forces, but my parents were hell bent on my going to college, so there I went. I learned to shoot on our ranch. Lots of hunting to be had. The thing about New York, you can't just go out and go after deer or anything. Although I suppose oni hunting is just as fine. Maybe." He takes a healthy drink from the juice, eyeing the stereo. "If you can get that fixed, I might just take it back from you."

 

Lexie laughs, elbowing him merrily. "Pal, if ya can't take the miko, then y' really can't take an oni.  First of all, your fighting form is /terrible/.  Second of all, too many of them can heal. I unloaded a whole clip into Gouka last week and the dumb bitch healed right up!  It's so damn frustrating." Of course she's ranting a bit, she's somewhat intoxicated.  "They're all rich fancypants sonsofbitches and I get blamed for everything they do. So it's my turn to kidnap someone! So there!" She waves an arm in the air, to emphasize her point.  "Dunno bout college.. Got kicked out of High School and sent to juvvie.  Military's about all there was, yanno?"

 

Chase groans. "See now, this is /exactly/ why I've been trying to be at the dojo more often. I absolutely /suck/ at anything close like this, as you can tell. Nah, I'm one of them out-dated seishi, much better suited out on the battle field. But I try to make do." Again, being drunk and thus the talk. "Gouka? If ever there was an oni name, that sounds like it." He drops his head back against the back of the sofa, rolling his head to watch her, "Home schooled myself. Weren't any schools close enough. Never been to juvvie, and don't plan on it any time soon."

 

Lexie shudders involuntarily. "If ever there was a place I don't wanna go back to, it's jail.  Been in twice. You toughen up real quick."  She comments, patting him heartily on the back. "Hell, if y' can take being thrown about by an enemy, I'll teach y' some of the basics all military-like.  I took the nationals in thai kickboxing one year back when I still cared enough to bother, before I really got into guns."  She answers. "Anyways, yeah.. That's her senshi name.   Actually, she's a librarian. Not a bad gal, if y' can get past th' fact that she tried to rape onother oni. We got our problems, I won't deny that."  She shrugs, frowning.  "None of us are what you'd call people persons, as of such.  I'm amazed we can stand one another, you know? Hey, wanna play Mario Cart?"

 

"Nope, never been to jail, but there have been plenty of close times. But if they keep sending fat cops after you, there is no way you'll get caught." Yes, this comes from previous experience. Chase winces a little at the pat to his back, still smarting from the salt shot from before. "Never met an oni I liked. Well, I did like Reese, until I found out she was an oni. You know, she kissed me, quite a few times at that, and then promptly kicked my ass too. Just once... I wanna beat the snot out of one of you guys." He shifts, sitting up, "Mario Cart? Sure thing."

 

Lexie lifts her tank top enough to expose a thin scar along her side, grinning.  "I got knifed when I tried to stay out of things.  You learn to establish yourself. Trust me, you'd be best staying out of it.  Reese is a good lady. Dunno why she's an oni, and dunno why she dates a loser like Sebastian. But Rathan's a good fella too.. Not much of an oni, but a good fella. Anyways, Reese is still kinda shell shocked after what Gouka tried."  She kicks on one of the game consoles, putting the cartridge in and tossing him a controller. Drunken Mario Cart, full contact style!  "But can you blame them? A seishi finds out who you are as an oni, and suddenly who you are as a person ceases to matter, and they get treated like trash.  No freakin' wonder there's so much animosity."

 

Chase eyes the scar, and is left to slowly nod his head in appreciation. Hands lift and fingers fumble as a controller is suddenly being tossed his way, but he does manage to catch it. "Well, lets put it this way. I was still a little put out at the time of not getting a chance to kick Dylan's ass, because he turned out to be a Byakko. I mean, Anana is my girl, and when I found her in the part... that wasn't good at all. And then Reese started in on me, damn if she didn't say some things that really pissed me off. So I went off on her." He shrugs his shoulders, hiccups once, and blinks blearily back at the TV.

 

Lexie smiles dryly, selecting up her character.  "It's damn funny if we aren't still suffering for what Dylan did.  I hated him as an oni; You're welcome to keep him, believe me.  Anyways, she's still allright.  Not that I care what other people think anyways."  Her grin turns sly.  "Now play so I can get better at this game!"

 

Chase picks his own character as well, snickering, "Still wanna get me an oni. That'd be great." Bring it home. Show it off. Promptly get yelled at by everyone for it. Now /that/ if family. "Or maybe I could just figure out a way to get out of here as soon as I sober up," Or possibly a drunk escape would be interesting, "and take you with me. Sure, you're just a miko, but a damn fine shot at that."

 

Lexie laughs delightedly, hitting the button to start the game. "Oho!  I look forward to you tryin', my friend.  What was your name again, anyways?  Hey, after this game, I can call Dylan and gloat.  That'd just make my day."  She's too drunk to play well, and videogames really aren't her forte anyways. "Kidnapping one of us is kinda pointless though. Nobody will ransom for us, not even for me. It's a rule with us.  You can't swim, you sink."

 

Chase's eyes lock onto the game, and already his little cart isn't doing all that well, mashing his finger on the gas, only to bounce into the wall. Uhm. "Chase," he prompts. "Well, it wouldn't be for very long, anyways. I mean, I'd just want to show you off, and basically prove to them that it... sorta wasn't the other way around." *snicker* "I catch enough hell for various things that aren't even my fault to begin with, telling them all that the yin no miko got me so drunk that I ended up being her hostage isn't gonna make things any easier."

 

Lexie arches both eyebrows (Althogh she's doing just as badly, keeps running over banannas), grimacing. "Hey, I took you prisoner afore I got you drunk!  Anyways, I don' think I'll keep you or anythin' either.  Just for kicks, I guess. Your seishi don't have anything I want, anyways. " Although she still has a bunch of their artifacts.  Like a shinzaho and some other crap. "Ah hell, I give up. I won this time, well, not the game, but you know what I mean. So I get to brag!"  She dives for her cellphone totteringly, laughing.

 

Lexie begins to dial her phone.

 

Chase eyes his controller as the car goes into the wall again. "I think my controller is broken. Sure you didn't shoot it." Clearly it isn't in inebriated fingers. He smirks, and then glances over at Lexie is diving, for a phone. "What in the hell are you doing? Who are you calling? If you are calling for pizza, make sure you get a supreme." Wait. "You don't want to keep me anymore? Why not? Awww geeze, now a Yin doesn't even think I'm worth being kidnapped."

 

<Phone> Lexie asides to Chase, "Of course I think yer worth bein' kidnapped.  I just wanna gloat. Now hush up while I taunt Dylan." She uncovers the receiver and calls, sounding obviously intoxicated, "Yo, is this Dylan's house of Bail Bonds?  We book 'em, you give 'em a white tiger get-out-of-all yer sins free card?"

 

Chase peers. "You called Dylan?" He sets down the controller, dropping it in his lap, reaches for the juice and instead ends up grabbing Lexie's beer can instead for a drink. "Is Suna there? Don't say my name. Whatever you do, don't say my name. I'm so going to get into trouble after all of this. I think I'll try to sneak out of your fire escape, might be safer." He starts to stand, wobbling just the slightest and almost spilling the can to the floor.

Lexie covers her phone, frowning. "Aw, why not? I love taunting him.  I dunno if Uruki is there.. Nice guy, by the way, we had tea once.  " She staggers after him, laughing. "Okay, okay, stick around! I won't tell him your name!" 

 

<Phone> Lexie laughs after a hushed, harried conversation in the background, bemusedly.  "No, no, Dylan, ya got it all wrong. Th' question isn't what I want, but what you want.  Or what you currently are missing."

 

Chase is still wobbling there, blinking over at her, "Awww, now I think you're being sneaky about it. But he is a Byakko, maybe he'll be stupid and not figure it out. Or maybe John forgot about me, and aniki didn't go to classes at NYU today and..." There are so many possibilities of being missed. "I've only been gone a day. They probably don't even know I'm gone yet." He can hope, right? He abruptly yells rather loudly, "I'm not here, Dylan!" And he isn't drunk, nope.

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Aw! You kno you just live fer these conversations!"  In the background, Chase yells, "I'm not here, Dylan!"  Before the miko continues, "Ah hell, yer just no fun t'night.  No death threats, nothing even remotely interesting.  It's barely worth my while to tell you what I want!""

 

Lexie decides the best way to keep Chase from falling to his death is to tackle him and sit on him, giggling drunkenly.  Well, maybe she would've been a little more cool if she'd been sober about it.. "Nono! This'll be fun!"

 

Chase clearly has some rather fuzzied reflexes, and so being tackled and sat upon isn't all that far from being a possibility. And down he goes, coming close to cracking his head on the discarded controller. "See now, if I was Anana or something, then you might get some death threats... of if you called Brice, then you'd be in for something else. But, no, its just me." He sighs faintly, blinking up to her, and then comes the snicker, which is really close to a giggle, "Heh. I've got a miko sitting on me. This is a first." So easily amused.

 

Lexie grins goofily.  "Well, if they don't appriciate you, lemme keep you! You're so much nicer than my oni.  An' you have good taste in music an' TV shows!  Anyways, he's mad, he's just being a big ole pisser about it.  Man, if they knew how cool you were, they'd be freaking!"  She reaches down to ruffle his hair, laughing.  "Hey, what should we ask for? Maybe a pony? Or pizza? Or more beer?"

 

<Phone> Lexie blinks blearily at the phone. "Woah, hey, I'm s'posed to do the kidnapping here. What're you doing to Kai? Makin' him drink bottled water and listen to Men at Work, or what?"  She rubs her chin again. "Yah, he put up a hell of a fight. I can't just let him go, naturally!  We demand pizza. And Kai!  And.. Um.. A pony."

 

Chase has enough problems with his hair without people messing with it. Where /did/ his hat get off to anyways? Hands are batting half-heartedly at her's, snickering, "Stop it now. You keep rubbing it the wrong way and you're gonna give me shivers." He bursts into laugher once more, "A pony? Ohhhh, then I can finally teach Anana how to ride properly. I... I don't think I need any more beer, or maybe I could use another, or not, or..." He doesn't even know anymore. "A new stereo!"

 

Lexie oohs! "And a stereo. I'll remind him of that next.  Hey, can I get static?" She rub-rub-rubs, then tries to shock the tops of his ears. "Ha! This is the most fun I've had in ages! Next time you git to kidnap me."

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Ah hell, can't you do  your magic water thing and send it through? Fine, fine, we'll pass on the pizza.  But how about a new stereo?  Chase is askin' for one of those and I want to be a good host an' all." She hiccups and tries to remember why exactly she /did/ kidnap the guy. "Whaddya mean Kai isn't feeling well? You didn't do anythin' to him, did you?  I wanna know now!  It's no fair hinting at it an' not telling me."  "

 

"Aieeeee!" Chase manages, turning his head to the side to try to cover his ears. "Help! She is torturing me!" With zaps to his ears. Ack. Even Brice doesn't get this bad. "I don't think they'd let me keep you though, but it might be fun. You'd have to buy the booze first though, because I don't think aniki would get some for us." And to match her hiccup, he hiccups as well, "Kai? Isn't that the Seiryuu? Kutouese... dogs, ever last one of them."

 

Lexie claps her hands together. "Dogs! You haven't met Benito yet!  I used to raise rottweilers, but he's the only one I have in the apartment. He's locked up in the bedroom, though.  Oh, oh, hey, I know what'll upset him!  Here, listen to this."  She pauses at the phone, grinning excitedly as she prepares to drop some other kind of bombshell as soon as Dylan counteroffers.

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Dude, I'm skunk as a drunk and he still sounds like you're torturing him.  Fine, two can play at that game!  I've got Chase here an' since I can't even git a pizza for him, I guess I might as well kill him.  Hey, I'll letcha get back to doing your.. Um, freaky weird gay byakko thing with white chi shinin' out yer ass and all that. Bye!""

 

Lexie hangs up her phone.

 

Chase blinks at the clap, and then chuckles at it. Why? Because he is drunk. "Benito? Ohhhhh, canni see him? I like dogs." He tries to twist under Lexie, but he more than likely won't make much headway. Hands even try to reach over and push at her hips. "Awwwwwww, you're gonna kill me? I thought you liked me? I was going to get to kidnap you some time. Right?"

 

Lexie latches onto Chase-- Guess even a Marine can't hold up to fourteen beers.  "Are you kiddin'? I just said that to make him mad. I love you, man!"  Bud flashbacks, anyone? "Oh! Oh!  I'll get him."  She half-stumbles half-crawls over to the bedroom door and opens it up for her rottweiler. Benito, although freakin' huge, is a well-tempered dog that thinks, most unfortunately, that he's a lapdog.  "Hooooow's my baby? That mean ol' Sebastian Never let you sleep inside. Wasn't he so horrible? We should shoot him!"

 

Chase is rolling over onto his tummy as soon as she is clambering off of him, and thereby getting awfully woozy with the sudden movement. "Ooooooh." Lets just let the world catch up with him now. He rises up to hands and knees, hair looking quite mussed, "Well, I love you too. And I love you little dog too. He is niiiiiiice." Yep, drawled out and everything. "Canni shoot him? Puh-lease? We could go over there right now and take pot shots. It'll be /fun/."

 

Lexie manages to her feet-- For about half a minute, anyways. "You do? Man, you're th' best!" She calls, before slumping onto the couch again.  "I spent a whole damn lifetime, cept, well, I can't remember a few years of it, loving Kai.  It's soooo not fair!  What's he do? He goes an' porks a few seishi an' I see more of his brother, the psychopath!"  Sniffling, she flops back down on the ground, peering at Chase. "You understan' what it's like, don't ya?  Ya work for Tenkou, do yer job, get yer ass beat, an' then the Yin offer ya a new life that isn' fixing cars or getting yelled at by dumb white college kids over the cost of parts.  And suddenly you're not just th' town pariah or a troublemaker, now yer the antichrist cept someone forgot to goddamn tell you about it!"  She flops her head down on his shoulder, sulkily.

 

Lexie's phone begins to ring.

 

Chase got lost there for a moment, but in the very next he is bobbing his head like any understanding and sympathetic drunk would. "Ohhhhh, it'll be alright." He reaches an arm around to gently pat at her back in that proverbial soothing way. "Things just happen that way. It'll all work out, or they can go screw themselves. I feel for you. I really do."

 

Lexie beams, squeals delightedly, and clings. "You're so niiiice! Hey, izzat my alarm?" She blinks a few moments before recognizing her cellphone. "Oh, maybe it's someone I kin piss off. Lemme take this call, darlin'."

 

Lexie picks up her phone.

 

Phone> Lexie answers the phone, clearly plastered. "Eeeeeeeey!  Fonzie!  Wha's happenin', my cool 80's TV show man?"

 

Chase has always been a very agreeable drunk. Just going with the flow, although that squeal leaves his ears ringing. "Ow... I think I need another drink." Again, he should be reaching for the juice, but instead is after that beer can once more. *snicker-snicker* "Who the hell is Fonzie? Do I know him?"

 

Lexie falls over backwards onto his lap, cellphone and all, giggling hysterically. "No! No! It's a joke. So it's funny.  I don't even know who it is. Hey, gimmie a swig! Just pour it on me, I can't sit up.."

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Yeaaah!! Heeey, Anana! We wuz just talkin' about you. Hey! I love this guy Chase. I think I'm gunna marry him.  Oh, you wanna talk to him? Holdon, and lemme ask him, okie?  "

 

Lexie holds the phone, waving it in the air. "Yo, wanna talk to her?"

 

Giggling is infectious, and so there Chase goes, snicker-giggling right after her. Thank goodness the sofa is right there for him to lean against, or she would have taken him out again. His head can only take too many sudden moves before retreating into unconsciousness. "Maybe you could get Fonzie to come over and he'll bring a pizza." Beer is hugged close, before he seems to think better of it. "Heh. I can do that. Open up. Wide... wider." Another snicker, an attempt and having a serious face, which fails, and pour he does. Until a phone is being pressed to him. "Anana? Ohhhh, sure. But just as long as she isn't mad at me. I don't like her being mad at me." But he hands over the beer to take the phone.

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Duuuuude! She's not mad at you. Hey, gimmie th' beer.. Here ya are, Anana-nanna-bannana.. Hee!  You kin be a flower girl. Oh, wait, yer older now. Bridesmaid, then!"

 

Lexie pouts, folding her arms. "Ah hell, she's no fun.  I don' want cookies. I want more beer!"  She takes a swig, with a lopsided smile. "Bananna bannanna banaananana!"

 

<Phone> Chase takes the cell phone after a bit of fumbling, and the exchange of can for phone. Damn these fingers, they just don't respond like they used to. "Anana? That you? Didja here that? She wants to marry me. My first marriage proposal. Isn't that cool?" A moment, and then a drop in voice, "You aren't mad at me, are you?"

 

Chase reaches down to this time give Lexie the hair-fluffing that she so rightly deserves, "Aw, she just takes some getting used to, and she is too young to get us beer anyways." *snicker* "Hush now, she'd get all mad if she heard you saying that." He tries to press a finger to Lexie's lips, still snickering.

 

Lexie pouts, crossing her eyes, and leaning against poor, hapless Chase. "Fine, fine, I'll be good.  For now.  But she really ground it in to me when I let Minai go.  Nobody believed that she escaped! I spent like, an hour making up the story and nobody believed it." She sulks again.

 

<Phone> This has to be the most surreal conversation that Anana's had for a while, really. Normally the people she talks to are the ones boggling at her, not vice-versa. "I'm not mad at you," she says to Chase, the phone having been passed over to her fellow Genbu. "And if you come home soon, I'll make sure that the others aren't, either. Sounds oka..." A moment of complete silence follows this trailing off -- something Weird has just happened, after all -- before Anana just shakes her head at the sight greeting her. "I've got to go, Chase. Come home soon, pretty please? Bye!"

 

Anana hangs up her phone.

 

You hang up your phone.

 

Chase blinks for a moment, and then blinks a little longer as the phone is suddenly hung up. "But... But..." And then he is staring right on back down at Lexie, "All she did was tell me to come home soon, and then she hung up." He doesn't know if he should be happy that she isn't mad at him, or mad that he is being dismissed. "See now, I told you. Shouldn't have kidnapped me, so I don't think they'll get mad 'bout this at all, unlike Minai."

 

Lexie pouts.  "Well, I like you!" She exclaims, ruffling his hair in return. "You dun need 'em, then!  You can hang out here all you want!  Can I keep you?"  She props herself up on couch pillows.  "The seishi aren't any fun.  But you are! You even wanted to fight, that's great!  I'll teach ya all I know!" She declares, waving a hand in the air.

 

Chase was going to pout as well, but at Lexie's declaration, he bursts into smiles once more. "Well, I'm supposed to try to escape, but if you keep sitting on me that sure ain't gonna happen. And this room keeps rocking." Dizzy. Dizzy. Dizzy. "And you've already got me, until I sober up that is. Or maybe I could just stick around. You're fun, and can fight."

 

Lexie breaks off into giggles again. "It's nice to forget, fer a change." She answers, hugging him again.  "We could make prank calls!  Yeah!  Prank calls!" She hands him his cellphone. "Oo! Make a prank call! You can hang around so long as you still are drunk enough t' like me."

 

Chase smiles happily, a sloppy smile. Oooooooh. Hugs. He hardly ever gets those. "Prank calls? Ohhhhhh. That'd be funny. No. No. You do it." And he is trying to pass the phone right on back to her. "I'm no good with them. They'd figure it out right away." He hiccups again, rattling all kinds of things in his head in a dizzying way. "I don't think I could even find the numbers."

 

Lexie says, "Not to wooooorry! I have a bunch on autodial."  She beams widely. "Let's pick on.. Subaru! She's a dumb ole Byakko!"  She fishes out her phone and dials."

 

Lexie begins to dial her phone.

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Hello ma'am! Is your refridgerator running?"

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "It's supposed to be a prank call, you twitty Byakko!  Lord, you're stuck up!"

 

Chase's eyes drift shut, his body wavering slightly from side to side. "Suuuu-bar-uuuuu. Suuuub-aru. I could really go for a sub right about now. A big ol' one with plenty of meat and cheese and lettuce and jalapenos and... maybe not." He blinks his eyes a few times to peer down at Lexie, trying to shift out from under her, "She didn't like that?"

 

Lexie pouts, letting Chase up. "No, she said she didn't want any repair service. I may work for the dark gods, but I'm not a damn telemarketer!"  She pouts again, stifling a sigh.

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Well, I haven't done this in years.  Maybe being sober would help. Anyways, I'll think of a better one next time. Byeeee, Cat!"

 

Chase is trying once more to pull himself to his feet, using Lexie, the sofa, just about anything to try to gain his feet once more. It takes quite the feat for him to do so, legs braced rather far apart as hands extend to either side to try to balance himself. Only, his head doesn't agree with this, and the room goes spinning before him. "I heard she was kind of a serious one, I think. Maybe... is your room spinning? Tell it to stop."

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Oh, Chase and I are making prank calls.  Well, I think I kidnapped him at some point but I don't quite remember.. Anyways, how've you been? Let up the skirts for Tokaki and loosened up, yet?  He's been as depressed as a pig in a.. Uh, something.  I don't remember that either."

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Why's everyone always callin' me a bitch!  Ah well. I guess it's cos it's true. Yeah well. Aaaaaanyways.. Hey! Chase!  Siddown. Yer gonna fall over, an' then I can't marry youuuu."  Yep, she's plastered."

 

<Phone> Lexie says, "Sweet aunt Jemima, woman!  Mandarin 1502, and make it Heineken!"  She beams over at Chase. "She's bringin' more BEER!  Yeaaaaah! And of course I'm drunk. I lost count after ten. See you so-oooon!  But you can't have Chase. I'm keeping him."

 

Lexie hangs up her phone.

 

Chase's gaze is once more trying to focus upon the window, and fire escape beyond, but it keeps blurring in his vision. "I'm supposed to come home soon. Anana told me so. I think I'm going to try to escape you now." Hand reaches out to grip the back of this chair and that as he tries a few more steps towards the window. "Marry? Oh yeah.... I want to marry you too, but I don't think they'll like that." Wait. "More beer?"

 

Lexie laughs, plunking down on the couch.  "Ha, it's okay. It was a nice dream for a bit there. But the beer'll wear off soon enough and you'd change your mind.  Besides, you can use the door."  She hugs one of the couch pillows, stretching.  "She's bringin' more beer, yeah."

 

Subaru walks into the apartment.

 

Chase is still staring at the fire escape, or at least trying to focus upon it. "Escaping by using the door? That's no fun." *hic* "And this is closer anyway. Maybe..." If only the room would stop tilting. A hand stretches out to brace against the wall. He worked this hard to get standing, the least he can do is stay upright. "I... I don't think I need any more. You gave me enough." Although very tempting. "You know. Gotta clear the head." *snicker-hic*

 

Lexie laughs again, hugging her pillow on the couch.. Beer bottles litter the floor and the stereo and CDs are full of bullet holes.  "Duuude! Yer so plastered you'll fall to your death! "  She holds up her hands, laughing.  "Okay, yeah, you've had enough. Crash wherever you like and sleep it off."  Door's unlocked, neither of them is in much shape to stand and answer it.

 

That door, though, is just getting knocked on, as Cat's outside with two six-packs of bottled heineken, using her foot to kick instead of the standard knocking. What, exactly, she's doing is anyone's guess. "Oh, fine." She just sets one of the boxes under her arm, then opens the door, eyeing the disaster area and the two insane people inside. "You," she states, "are nuts."

 

Chase would blame Lexie for his state, but seeing as being drunk is preferable to being tied up, this works for him. Or something like that. If the durn room would stop moving around so much. He is standing just shy of the window, in clothes that are not his own, eyeing it with as much focus as he can. "But I'm suppose to go home and-" Okay, the new voice is enough to cause him to loose that tenuous grasp of balance, and down to goes. "Awwwww, damn. And I was nearly there." Squinting at the newcomer. "Did /you/ come to rescue me?"

 

Lexie waves a hand in the air, turning around on the couch till she's hanging upside down over the front.  "Noooo!  She came to let me kidnap her. Isn't that right?  Hey, do you like my new place? Well, it looked better before we got into a fight, but isn't it neat?  Have a beer! Pull up a peice of floor! "

 

"Depends on whether you want to be rescued at this point, Chase," Catherine replies, setting down the beer just out of Lexie's reach at this point and surveying the wreckage. "It's not frozen, at least. I think /you/ got into a fight, Lexie. How're you holding up, the both of you?" This is where she mulls over the possibilities of quick-sobering Chase and hauling him off, really, versus the temptation to just join in on the insanity.

 

Chase is back to piecing things together, confuzzled at all of the words, but unable to stop a chuckle at what is being said. Why? Because he has the best excuse in the world: completely plastered. "Awwwww, but you said you loved me, and you wanted to keep me. If she came to be kidnapped too, I'd be jealous." He remains as is on the ground, head hanging forward so that his hair overshadows his face, "I dunno if I even want to be rescued, seeing as nobody wants to. If and when I get sober again, I'll probably be mad, but I'm not right now. Lexie is at least fun. You're fun, Lexie. I'll let you keep me."

 

Lexie cheers, and falls off the couch.  "That's great! Okay, Cat. I don't need to kidnap you. Gonna keep him instead.  That's great!"  She rubs at her cheek, as thoughtfully as she can manage.  "Oh, Dylan's torturing Kai or something like that.  "Well, I can't kidnap you, since Chase says not to, but you can stay an' have a drink anyways!  They dunno what they're missin' out on. he's th' best!"

 

Catherine offers Lexie one of the bottles of beer, having opened it for her and everything, before she leans upon the wall nearest to Chase, offering him a drink as well while she opens another for herself. Good coordination, really. "Dylan's torturing Kai? Really. I doubt that, but anyway, I doubt you could keep ahold of me long, Lexie."

 

Chase is going to crawl his way over towards Lexie, seeing as walking is really a very bad, bad idea at the moment. Too far to fall. Bottles and cans are nudge aside as he makes his slow progress over to the woman, only to flop beside her, leaning his weight to his side. "We're going to get married, and she is going to teach me things and nobody understands her. But I do now. And she is really funny and she likes to rub my head." As evidenced by the less than groomed appearance. Bottle offered is given a wary glance, but seeing as he has no will at the moment, he takes it. Maybe that'll get rid of the encroaching headache.

 

Lexie pouts. "He was! I heard 'im screaming. They're probably making him watch chick flicks. "  She snags the beer and takes a deep swig, with a happy sigh, putting her arm around her captured seishi's waist. Boy, is she going to freak when she sobers up. "His hair is fun to play with! You should try it!" She announces, wishing her vision didn't keep dimming out.

Okay, definitely surreal. Catherine just watches the two for a moment, shaking her head. "I feel sorry for you two," she notes, taking a swig of the beer from her bottle. "I don't know if anyone understands you, Lexie." She sets the bottle down upon the floor, eyeing the two cautiously. "Right, you two keep on drinking."

 

Chase continues to hold the offered beer in his hand, but he doesn't look as though he is about to drink from it or anything. But Lexie is looking awfully snuggly at the moment, he winces just the slightest at the arm around his back as it brushes a sore spot,  but he is now leaning into her with his head seemingly dropping onto her shoulder all on its own. "I need to go home," he mumbles. Alas, thinking it and actually accomplishing it are two different things. "Maybe I'll escape tomorrow." *mumble-mumble* Okay, he'll just pass out now.

 

Lexie frowns, a moment of lucidity crossing her expression. "...Nobody does. But I dun expect 'em to, no more."  With that, she snuggles up to Chase, and reaches up to ruffle his hair, and doesn't quite make it.. She's fast asleep with a seishi pillow. And probably won't remember half of it in the morning. z.z

 

 

3/28/2003

12:42 AM

Logfile from Tomite.

 

 

Mandarin Plaza - 1502

It looks like an average two bedroom apartment. The furniture is second-hand, and the overall impression is somewhat shabby, with the exception of the shotgun/rifle collection hanging up on the far wall.  Pretty boring place, really, but there's a TV and some game consoles, at least

Obvious exits:

Exit

 

When the two awaken, they'll be greeted with an interesting sight -- the apartment, rather than being a complete disaster area, is actually fairly tidy, most of the damage of the shots cleared up, the CDs tidied, and there's actually something fairly appetizing cooking. If they have the stomach for it, of course. Catherine, for her part, is just sitting upon the floor, her back against the wall, and apparently asleep.

 

Chase doesn't look like he wants to awaken any time soon. Nope. He is all kinds of comfortable cuddled up with Lexie, the faint glimmer of what could be drool at the corner of his mouth. Mmmmmm. Snuggly. Wonderful pillows here.

 

Lexie is usually a tosser and a turner, but after fifteen beers, it's amazing she isn't comatose.  Still, she has to wake up sometime, no matter how much she fights it, her head starts pounding like a jackhammer as soon as she starts to regain conciousness.  Hm. Warm, soft.. No, definitely not snuggled up to her dog, those are clothes.. Slowly, very slowly, in the recesses of what part of her mind has started to function, she begins to realize that something is very wrong here in Lexieland.  "Mmph?"  Maybe if you give her another half hour she'll brave opening her eyes to the painful light and finding out what it is.

 

Catherine may seem like she's asleep, but at the first motion from the comatose pair upon the couch, she gets smoothly to her feet, running a hand through her hair and moving towards the couch. "Chase, wakey-wakey," she says, reaching out to rest a hand upon the seishi's shoulder. "I speak from years of knowledge when I say that you're going to get smacked when your pillow wakes up." Her voice is quiet, given that she's practically leaning over the young man in an attempt to whisper into his ear.

 

No. See, the pillows are not supposed to move. They are supposed to stay right there and let him sleep upon them. "Dun'move," Chase mumbles, just snuggling close to Lexie's side. Consciousness would he a very bad thing for his head right about now, so we'll just stay retreated into the quaint little place between being asleep and fully awake. The voice from the other causes another bit of scattered mumbling, "Mom? Mom? I'm up." Although his eyes are certainly squeezed shut. Shoulder touching elicits a low mumble. "I'm up." He doesn't move.

 

Lexie is most unfortunately, now awake as well.  And she looks.. Not angry, but confused as all hell.  Ever cautiously, she looks sloooowly over to see just who she's clinging to.. And goes very wide-eyed indeed. What in the five hells?  But her throat feels like cotton.. So she'll just keep her trap shut for the moment and hold very still until this all makes sense. Which it should any moment. No, really. O.O

 

Catherine restrains the urge to facepalm and leave Chase to the possible tender mercies of Lexie with a hangover. It's been a very long time since anyone's equated her with a mother. Oh well, roll with it. "I'm going to get a bucket of ice water in thirty seconds, young man," she says sternly, tossing Lexie a little bit of a wink as she spots the woman awakening. "Unless you're up and ready to go in twenty, I'm going to get your brother, and I assure you, /he's/ not going to be as nice as I am."

 

Okay, it is the mentioning of brother that actually gets the boy's eyes to flicker open, only to immediately shut once more. "Aieeeee, the light." Chase is wincing, a hand coming up to rub at his forehead and over-shadow his eyes. Blearily blinking, he is squinting after

Catherine with obvious confusion. And then he is turning ever so slowly to look up from his pillow and try his best to focus upon Lexie's face. And that face is way, way too close for him to do so easily.

Lexie gives up on trying to remember, and releases Chase once it looks like he's awake. She tries to stand, and instead falls almost face-first onto the carpet.  "...Gods, my head."  She mumbles, along with some things in Italian which sound remarkably like cuss words.  She puts her hands over her eyes, trying to block out that godawful light. "Yo, don't talk so loud, wouldja, Cat?"

 

Catherine isn't completely without a sense of pity, really; she pulls the shades on the windows, then fetches a mug of coffee, depositing it upon the table beside Lexie. "Hold still," she warns Chase, an impish grin overing about her lips as she leans forward to kiss his cheek. One does have to feel sorry for Lexie at this point, most likely, as there's a flash of bright white light. Chase gets to have the fun of one very concentrated moment of hangover-ness, and then there's no more.

 

Chase slowly rolls up to sit, refraining from leaning against the nearby sofa. He continues to rub at his forehead as if trying to massage some sort of sense into his head, that and get rid of the throbbing, throbbing pain. "I think I'm dead. I've got to be," he mumbles, softly. Softly. His headache seems to grow in volume as his head turns, but then he is being smooched. "Oooooohhhhh." He winces, and then is reduced to blinking quite exaggeratedly. It takes him a moment to assess things, namely the fact that his head doesn't feel as though it is going to explode anymore. Slowly, green-irised gaze shifts to spy Catherine, "Oh, you can do that again anytime."

 

Lexie winces and covers her eyes, making a face. "Damn magic users." She mumbles, before managing to her feet, successfully this time, and peering at Chase for just one long moment before staggering off to the kitchen. Need.. Coffee.  Need to not look at the two seishi standing in living room. Need sanity. Need hand grenades.

 

Catherine pulls back, arching an eyebrow. "Just for that, Lexie, you're not getting the same treatment," she says in jest, then offers Chase a hand up, jerking her head towards the door. "There's coffee already made, and when you can stomach it, chicken soup, Lexie." Someone was busy, apparently. "I /had/ thought about doing that earlier and leaving you with the hangover, Chase, but I think that would've made you even more miserable."

 

Chase is blinking after Lexie, and frowning quite considerably. His gaze flickers away to look at the floor as he tries desperately to put together what has happened the last couple of days, and is failing miserably. He looks to the remains of the stereo, the gun cabinet, and then is reaching around to rub at the back of his neck. "What the hell happened? How did I...?" His gaze draws back over to Catherine, as if seeking her help for the answers, only to take her hand as he moves smoothly back to his feet. "Okay... where are my clothes?"

 

Lexie mumbles, pouring herself a coffee cup and sinking against the counter. "I don't need a seishi to heal me. I'm a big girl. I can deal with a hangover." She murmurs, taking a swig of the coffee.  Well, if she said anything, it'd be admitting she didn't remember either!

 

"That /would/ explain why that doesn't quite fit," Catherine says dryly, eyeing Chase's attire for the first time. "And it's not healing anyway, Lexie. And you're growling, and I think that if you slump anymore, you'll wind up falling onto the floor. And no beeper for 'I've fallen and I can't get up', either. Now, what /is/ going on here?"

 

Chase reaches a hand up to rub at his hair now, and then patting his head. "Damn. Where'd my hat go?" He starts away from Catherine to begin the process of trying to find it. As he does so, he passes by the stereo once more, and the memory is jogged. "You stole my stuff." Okay, so that is a beginning. "And I tried to get it back." He is frowning once more, blinking over to Catherine, "I think I got married last night. Did we get married?" No ring. Hrm.

 

Lexie pales.  "Sweet mary moses, we didn't, did we?  My aunt Antonia would kill me if I got married to someone and didn't invite the family.." She trails off a moment, looking sheepish. "To be honest, I don't remember a damn thing. But I do remember that you left the stereo and I appropriated it fair and square!"  She gestures to the bullet-riddled equipment. "I'm not in much shape to argue, so you can have it back.. If you can carry it out."  See, she has some good humor left.

 

"No, you didn't get married, and what other things were stolen? I'll help you carry it back, but believe me, I can't fix the stereo," Catherine says, resigning herself to the need to be the responsible one again. "And /why/ are you younger than... I'm not asking, I'm not asking, can we just go? And before you ask, no, I'm not fixing whatever time-witchery happened to you, Chase, because it wouldn't last."

 

"Bondage was involved. I remember being tied up." And now Chase is squinting over at Lexie, his mind going places that it really should not be going. "Did the Yin no miko tie me up, have her way with me, and then actually marry me?" He /is/ wearing her clothes. "Oh sweet Genbu." And he doesn't fully remember any of it. Stereo is eyed. "Uh. No. You can keep that." Catherine is peered at once more as she speaks, "She took some of my CDs and... I don't remember what else. How long have I been here? Brice is going to shoot me." Oh, shooting. That provokes another memory.

 

Lexie looks up at Chase, opens her mouth, then shrugs. "...You know, if I did, I can't recall. Sorry, it's just one big blur."  She thinks better of her hangover, and adds some brandy to her coffee.  Now that'll help a bit.  "Um. You can keep the sweats too, then." She comments, almost meekly.  Well, some of the CDs might have survived, but.. Well, jeez. Now she's wondering if she tied Chase to the bed and had her way with him. But he looks awfully young, which isn't usually her taste and.. She's going to try to erase the mental images. >.>

 

"Bondage, marriage, sometimes it's all the same," Catherine says, rolling her eyes. "Believe me. Are you sure you just weren't wandering the Village last night or something? I can tell you that unless you somehow managed to coherently say vows in front of a priest or a Justice of Peace who was also drunk last night before I came over -- and from what I'm hearing, I doubt that would have been possible -- you're definitely not married. For another thing, Chase, I'll deal with Brice."

 

Chase is smirking over at Lexie, still wondering. "A blur," he echoes as well, frowning. He is squinting about the expanse of the room, before peering back at Catherine. "I'll have to take your word for that." At the mention of Brice again he is frowning, possibly looking a little worried, "No, I'll figure out something. Maybe he doesn't even know I've been gone." He'll hope. Yep.

 

Lexie takes another swig of her spiked coffee, rubbing at the rings under her eyes with her free hand.  "Well, if I find any prenups, I'll let you know. Musta been one hell of a honeymoon." She comments fuzzily.  "What I can remember doesn' make much sense anyways."  At least, she doesn't /want/ it to!

 

Catherine rubs at her temples tiredly. "Look, Chase, the longer you stay, the more likely it is that you'll be caught later and be /really/ screwed. I thought you were in trouble, not getting drunk," she says with a weary little laugh. "Work it out later, Lexie. Or I can make up some stuff, I'm sure."

 

Chase just plain gives up looking for his hat, scowling. He glances back up, looking to Lexie once more, sharing a glance with her. "Yeah... no sense at all." He is glancing away though to peer at Catherine, "Best to get going then. Anyone know you are here?"

 

Lexie flops down on the couch, wearily. "I think he was.  I won." She states, stubbornly.  "Well, until I got drunk. I think. I'm not sure."  She draws up her knees, huddling over her coffee cup.  The headache at least keeps her from making too much trouble.  "Seeya, kids." She mumbles.

 

"Nope. Lexie tried to prank-call my cellphone, which I have no idea how you got the number for, but all the same, enjoy the remainder of the beer in the fridge, Lexie. Come on, Chase." Cat's not one for dramatic entrances or exits unless the situation calls for them, and this one really doesn't. "Later, Lexie." Let's see if Lexie ever finds the aspirin again after Catherine hid it. It's a favorite prank, really.

 

Chase is scampering after Catherine, but not before snapping up a few of his CDs, hesitating, and then nabbing a few more to cradle in his arm. He shoots the miko another odd glance, narrowing just the slightest as if trying to focus a few more things in his mind. Declarations of love? Naaaaaah. "Get ya later, Yin." He flashes her his trademark puckish grin, and then leaves off with Catherine.

 

Lexie just fishes out her cellphone, noth bothering to say goodbye to the seishi-- She's a little too confused, here.  Hell, she can't remember right. Declarations of love, phaugh.  Time to call the oni and get a hold of some tylenol.  "...."

 

The Berkley Apartments - 202

Really nothing more than a college dorm come to life in an apartment building, 202 has a distinct hand done feel about nearly everything in the room - from the blue-and-white walls to the reupholstery on the couch and armchair. The perfect example of working on a budget. Electronics are limited to the computer propped on the desk, a small radio, and a tiny televison, while the kitchen is little more than a niche in the wall. A second doorway leads to the bedroom, even smaller than a dorm room because it has to share space with the bathroom as well. Posters and photgraphs decorate the walls, and books are scattered on every surface imaginable, often three or four deep, and all on sujects that do not typically involve numbers: history, philosophy, psychology, world religions, literature, politics and various languages - even some /in/ a couple of those languages.

Hikitsu is here.

Obvious exits:

Exit

 

Subaru comes into the area from elsewhere.

 

Chase at least had the good sense to sneak upstairs and get on some clothes that actually belong to him before leading Cat back down here. "You really don't need to hang around, you know? He probably didn't even know I was gone." And then he is rapping upon the door.

 

"Are you /sure/ you want to do this?" Catherine asks as they stand outside the door, pale eyebrows arched at Chase. "A phonecall tends to be a lot safer and less physically damaging." Her voice is amused in spite of herself, though.

 

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes he did. This is Brice right now: *worrygrowlfumeworryfumecursefumeworryangerfume* The otouto is /so/ dead meat. But thankfully, Brice isn't expecting the otouto to show up on his doorstep. So when he opens the door, the Hikitsu-mask of calm is carefully applied. "Yes?" Then he recognizes the visitor. Well, visitors, but he's only concerned with one at the moment. Run Chase. "/YOU!!!/" Yep, the mask is gone. He grabs Chase by the front of his shirt and hauls him bodily into the apartment in a couple blinks of the eye. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS?! ANANA CALLED AND SAID YOU DISAPPEARED TWO DAYS AGO, I WAS WORRIED SICK-" and so on and so forth, except with lots more cursing.

 

Chase is still under the premise that nobody knows he was even gone, and so Cat's words simply receive a shrug of his shoulders, "Why not? It'll be fine. And I have no clue what happened to my cell anyway." Along with his hat, clothes, most of his memories of the last day or two. "John doesn't have a phone anyway. So this'll work." And as the door opens, the teenager turns to offer Brice a cautious smile... and then get yanked right off of his feet and dragged within. "Aaaaah!" Ohhhhhh durn. He knows. There goes the whole plan. "Uh, hey Brice." He'll just wait out the yelling and cursing, working to come up with some explanation. Something.

 

Catherine just follows right along after Chase is hauled into the apartment, letting Brice rant for a moment before she takes a step forward and takes ahold of Brice's wrist, just letting her hand close about it and no more than that. "One, Brice, breathe," she says in a calm voice, "Two, he's back now and none the worse for wear. Three, he would have been back before if I hadn't wound up being a bit late. Blame me. Do you really want to try to kick /my/ ass?" Sweet smile.

 

"No, but I'm sure as hell gonna kick /his/," Brice growls, still watching Chase and not seeming to take in who's restraining him, just someone he doesn't wanna beat up (which means no Namame. Drat.) "Chase," he starts again, visibly restraining himself, "/what happened./" Not a question. "John called Anana and said you didn't come back, and she called me and said you weren't answering your cell." Which of course makes Brice immediately jump to the worst conclusion - which isn't that far off. "You've gotta /tell/ someone when you just go running off, I don't wanna have to put you under the same guard Nick's got on Anana!" He really /was/ worried. Chase is the only otouto he's got.

 

Chase is looking rather uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable, and mostly at Brice's displeasure. Yes, he even hangs in head in shame, hand reaching up to rub at his bangs. "Sorry. Sorry. I didn't... I didn't plan on stuff happening. It just did, and I was hoping nobody would have noticed, I think..." He sighs, now transferring the rubbing to his forehead. "I was just-" Wait. "What?! I sure as hell don't need to be babysat? It's bad enough I've gotta stay with John, but I don't need someone keeping an eye on me all the time." Anana. That sparks another fuzzy memory, leaving him frowning.

 

Even if hitting Brice upside the back of the head isn't going to a whit of good, Catherine's going to do just that with her free hand -- the other one's still remaining upon Brice's wrist. "As I recall," she says with determined cheer, "Chase, no matter how old he might look now, is actually over eighteen." It might be the false ID that gave her that impression, but who knows? "I don't know what happened to make him look younger, save to tell you that /I/ didn't do it, but the point remains that one, he's over his majority here, and two, in the past, I'm sure that he would have /also/ been considered old enough to deal."

 

The whack makes hism glare at his attacker, and he finally realizes it's Cat. "I have news for you later." But that can wait 'til later. "Chase, stuff /just happens/ to you a lot, and it did last time too! Even if you really /are/ eighteen, I'll do what I have to do to keep you safe!" Brice may not be expressing it in the best way, but he really /is/ concerned, not angry. "I pulled you out of too many situations last time to know that you can't /help/ it. I /don't/ want to have to do it, but I don't want to lose my little brother either!  Even if it's just calling me and saying 'I'm going to the dojo' or wherever, it'd make a lot of us-" especially him "-feel better to know!"

 

Chase shoots Cat a glance, gaze at first pleading and then thankful to her. And then it is back to Brice, and the teenager is once more looking a little uncomfortable at what he has to say. "I wasn't planning on what was going to happen. Just went to the  old place, found some stuff that I needed to return to a couple of people in the building and..." A moment of thought and then he resumes, "And I saw that the yin no miko had my stolen stuff in her place. So I went in to get it and..." Another moment. "She shot at me." That last part seems to bring a bit of understanding to his eyes. "Ahhhhh, that explains my back. But we got into something of a tussle, and there was this spirit, and she was shooting and... I woke up tied up the next day, I think, tied up." He is looking rather pleased now, actually remembering a few things, finally. Such a smile.

 

Catherine gives him a smile for his glare, though it's a little bit of a smirk at this point due to the fact that this is worse than being caught in her siblings' arguments at home. "He's still a seishi, and can take care of himself," she comments, "News? And a spirit, and she /shot/ you? I didn't see any wounds..."

 

Brice groans. "See, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about." But after that he drops the subject - it's a better thing to talk about when the brothers are alone and he's in slight more control. No, no, not saying anything about guns, no no no... With another visible struggle, he wills himself to change the subject. "Yes," he said to Cat, "news. Chase, you should hear this too." As nerve-wracking as Chase's disappearance was/is, this is in some ways even more frightening. "Chiriko's convinced Trevor isn't Hotohori, and he has Chichiri doubting it as well, along with me mostly siding with him. APparently Trevor's stars don't match Hotohori's, and he's been giving a lot of valuable information to the Yin no Miko that he would normally have the discretion to keep private."

 

Chase is simply moderately pleased he is remembering a few things, and shows it with his grin. Now if he can just figure out that marriage part. He blinks over at Catherine and grins faintly. "She's a pretty good shot. I'll give her that. It'll be okay. Just stings a little. I don't need you kissing away anything else." But his attention is back to Brice, and then comes the frown. "Wait. Trevor? The /singer/." He rather liked him. "What's Anana think about that? Does she know?"

 

Catherine releases Brice's wrist, moving quickly towards the door and making sure it's closed before she returns to the two, her face paler than normal. "If his stars don't match, then it's true, he's not Hotohori," she says softly, then glances at Chase, the tension that was written in her frame broken. "I don't normally do that. Didn't even need physical contact, but it makes it easier." When she glances back to Brice, her expression is serious, but no longer with that freaked-out edge. "Has there been any news on how they plan to deal with this?"

 

"Yes, Trevor, the singer. Anana doesn't know - we had other things to talk about when she called." Like disappearing Chases. Brice shakes his head at Cat's question. "No, I haven't been able to call either of them, or any of the others." Then again, the only one he knew to start with (aside from the miko and Hiroshi) was Trevor. "Hiroshi's certain of this, and even Johnston agrees that he's got some traits that just don't match. Hiroshi thought they might have gotten to him, or he turned - but I just can't imagine the emperor doing something like that. Everything I've heard about him said he was more loyal than any of us even! It's one bad choice or another, or willful blindness. I don't know what they're going to do."

 

Chase ducks his hands into the pockets of his pants, frowning. "He gave me a signed CD and everything. But considering Hiroshi knows his stuff, I'm sure he'd have the right of it. Well, if Trevor isn't one of those Suzaku, then who is he?" But Brice's continued explanation causes the boy to nod once more. "Want me to follow him? I could keep an eye on the guy and he'll never know I was there." Even if it is the Suzaku, that sort of situation still sucks.

 

"If Hiroshi knows, it's likely that Anana does; they always seemed close," Catherine comments, shrugging a little bit. Of course, she tends to have little clue of what's going on aside from her own factional insanity these days, even if she has been around since the beginning. "We'll see, we'll see. And we'll deal with it as a whole if it comes to that."

 

"It's likely, but I don't know how much time they've been spending together recently. I definitely ran into them just as Chiriko broke the news; if he's told her since then, I don't know about it." Brice glances at Chase, seriously considering his suggestion. "...I'm not about to tell you what to do, but if you do, just don't get caught. He could be a Yin plant - which is really the only explanation I can think of - and that means we'd have no idea of his real powers, or he could have Yin following him. I was actually thinking 'Miya could, since he has the illusion and movement abilities... But I still haven't properly met him." Brice shrugs. Life is weird lately. "I told them to call me if they needed anything and gave them my number; they haven't, so I /assume/ they're okay for the moment."

 

Chase is shrugging his shoulders once more, flickering a glance to Catherine. "Well, if the Suzaku have their suspicions, I'm sure they'll figure something out and how to deal with it. Sounds like he has been around awhile though and considered to be their Hotohori... that's got to be weird." Understatement. "We'll have to pop by Suna's again some time so you can see him."

 

"Definitely weird," Catherine agrees, "but you haven't seen weird until... oh, Byakko's ass, /please/ tell me it isn't Miboshi. The Suzaku had enough hell with him last time." Her hands go up to her temples, and she sighs. "Far better to think of him as a Yin plant rather than a Seiryuu seishi that I think even his /own/ seishi want to kill."

 

"He was, until he started passing information to Lexie and sympathizing with her too much. Apparently Hiroshi sees things, and he told Trevor about it, and Trevor told Lexie. He also told her about the same-time-summonings and bonding idea, but fortunately she seems to think it's impossible and impractical. And actually Chase, I've only been to the penthouse once, and that was before Dylan and Minai got turned back." Brice gets that startled look on his face as Cat curses - wow, wasn't expecting that. "Miboshi? Who - or what's - that?" He'd ask more, but suddenly a wide yawn escapes him, and he can't muffle it. "Sorry," he says when he's finally done. "I should probably go to bed; I was up early." Not to mention that worrying takes a lot out of you.

 

Chase is blinking at Cat as well, his attention upon her quizzical. "Miboshi... this sounds like a a whole other tale that would be great to hear about." And something that'll get him out of telling Brice about other adventures with the yin no miko. At aniki's yawn, the teenager nods his head. "Yeah, head to sleep. Sorry about... stuff." He offers Brice a warm, though wry, grin, then moves as if to give him a pat on the back. And the looks that follows is definitely one that means they'll be talking later. Head bobs and he moves as if to lead Cat towards the door, "Give Ash my best."

 

Time to beat a strategic retreat -- even Byakko know something of strategy, after all. Brice's surprise at Cat's cursing goes unnoticed; after all, she's had Matt in her apartment for a while, and she's gotten used to it. "Oh, I'm full of stories," she says dryly to Chase. "Miboshi's a Seiryuu seishi who had the ability to possess people's bodies. More, I'll have to explain later. Sleep well, Brice. Shall we go, then, Chase? Need me to buffer you against John's wrath?"

 

"I wanna hear this one Cat; sounds like it'll be interesting." To say the least. A possessor? You /sure/ he's not a Yin? He returns Chase's look, promising a discussion session, before beating down another yawn and nodding. "I will Chase, don't worry. Night you two." And he leaves them to let themselves out and stumbles into the bedroom, shutting the door to change.

 

Chase is wincing. Ack. "Dammit. I'm going to catch hell from all of them for this now, aren't I? Sometimes that Yin no miko can be just as bad as all of the rest of the oni." For a moment there, he briefly considered just sacking out on the couch here, and not have to deal with John, but... "Sure, lets get going."

 

"I'd offer you a refuge, but I think I still have some of the Seiryuu crashing out at my apartment," Catherine says, heading for the door whether or not Chase follows or not. She might as well help with ensuring that Chase remains in one piece. Mediation, oy.

 

Chase blinks at Catherine, and then smiles to her, "As tempting as that sounds, I think you have already done more than enough for me, Catherine. And I don't think that I thanked you properly before. But... what I said before I mean, you can do /that/ to me any time." He flashes her a wink, flickers a glance towards the ceiling, and licking his lips, "I don't think John is home anyway. I might just crash here, and deal with everyone else tomorrow. Again, thank you, Cat. I'll tell you about the age thing another time."

 

Being flirted with by a sixteen-year-old. Isn't this a flashback? Catherine just reaches out and rumples Chase's hair. "I think I can guess, actually," she comments, returning the wink. "Hope it does you some good to have to grow up a bit again. You're still cute, but just a little young for me." And she's out the door.