The next morning, Kate walks into the office, and yawns. "Good morning,"
she sighs.
"Boy, you sound like Doujima," Sakaki grins, and Kate makes a face at him.
"I've made some coffee," Hattori offers, and the long-haired woman merely nods, not trusting her naturally caustic tongue to curb itself should she talk. She follows him to the kitchen and helps herself to a strong cup of coffee. "Um, you might want to add some cream," the office clerk suggests, but is ignored as he watches her down the coffee with only two teaspoons of sugar. "Oh my."
"Thank you," is all she says, and now he nods as she follows the rest of the group into the conference room with her cup half full.
Kate sits down at the raised table, and listens with half an ear as Amon cautions the Hunters about stepping into the Ring of Ogham, and that they were lucky to have escaped with no injuries. She watches as Michael calls up various autopsy images of the victims, along with the construction sites, theorizing that Kono's bitterness at having been laid off is the cause. No, really, she thinks, not even listening anymore.
Not that this case is the thing catching her attention now. It's the way everyone looks. Or rather, how they don't look. She blinks, but she can see right through them. Like she's got on X-ray glasses or something, everyone is rendered as skeletons, their jewelry or glasses standing out like garish décor. Even the furniture looks like outlines of themselves, and Kate has to stifle the hysterical giggle that threatens to spill from her lips, as even the dignified Zaizen looks like, well, a skeletal ghost of himself. This isn't the first time her Craft has manifested itself as such, it's just the first time she's never summoned it, and it both frightens and exhilarates her. Casually, she looks into Zaizen's office to see if there's anything interesting. Bummer, all the papers are lying flat so she can't read them. Oh well, another time.
"Kate? Kate?" Sakaki is waving a hand, normal this time, in front of her face. "The meeting's over."
"Sorry, had a hard time sleeping last night," Kate says half-truthfully. Not that she's going to tell the team of the all-nighter she spent studying spells, then burning them, to augment her Craft. Maybe she should've waited until after they caught Kono, but she didn't want to risk the parchment being found in her possession. In the meantime, she's borrowing a page from Yurika's book.
Karasuma nods, "Me, too. But if we're going to catch Kono, we have to be on our toes."
Kate nods back, "Guess I'll need another cup of Hattori's coffee."
She pretends not to notice Amon's look of disdain, or rather, his usual lack of friendly expression. If he smiles, his face might crack, she thinks, and again has to stifle the hysterical giggles. She'd better get some sleep tonight before she turns into a raving hyena.
"Boy, you sound like Doujima," Sakaki grins, and Kate makes a face at him.
"I've made some coffee," Hattori offers, and the long-haired woman merely nods, not trusting her naturally caustic tongue to curb itself should she talk. She follows him to the kitchen and helps herself to a strong cup of coffee. "Um, you might want to add some cream," the office clerk suggests, but is ignored as he watches her down the coffee with only two teaspoons of sugar. "Oh my."
"Thank you," is all she says, and now he nods as she follows the rest of the group into the conference room with her cup half full.
Kate sits down at the raised table, and listens with half an ear as Amon cautions the Hunters about stepping into the Ring of Ogham, and that they were lucky to have escaped with no injuries. She watches as Michael calls up various autopsy images of the victims, along with the construction sites, theorizing that Kono's bitterness at having been laid off is the cause. No, really, she thinks, not even listening anymore.
Not that this case is the thing catching her attention now. It's the way everyone looks. Or rather, how they don't look. She blinks, but she can see right through them. Like she's got on X-ray glasses or something, everyone is rendered as skeletons, their jewelry or glasses standing out like garish décor. Even the furniture looks like outlines of themselves, and Kate has to stifle the hysterical giggle that threatens to spill from her lips, as even the dignified Zaizen looks like, well, a skeletal ghost of himself. This isn't the first time her Craft has manifested itself as such, it's just the first time she's never summoned it, and it both frightens and exhilarates her. Casually, she looks into Zaizen's office to see if there's anything interesting. Bummer, all the papers are lying flat so she can't read them. Oh well, another time.
"Kate? Kate?" Sakaki is waving a hand, normal this time, in front of her face. "The meeting's over."
"Sorry, had a hard time sleeping last night," Kate says half-truthfully. Not that she's going to tell the team of the all-nighter she spent studying spells, then burning them, to augment her Craft. Maybe she should've waited until after they caught Kono, but she didn't want to risk the parchment being found in her possession. In the meantime, she's borrowing a page from Yurika's book.
Karasuma nods, "Me, too. But if we're going to catch Kono, we have to be on our toes."
Kate nods back, "Guess I'll need another cup of Hattori's coffee."
She pretends not to notice Amon's look of disdain, or rather, his usual lack of friendly expression. If he smiles, his face might crack, she thinks, and again has to stifle the hysterical giggles. She'd better get some sleep tonight before she turns into a raving hyena.