menial | 1 ~ when did I stop believing in Santa Claus? [audio/action]

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1 ~ when did I stop believing in Santa Claus? [audio/action]

[action]

[A teenage boy is extricating himself with some difficulty from having been dumped, or appearing, in the middle of the fountain in the center of the village. He's muttering to himself and clambering out. He's dressed in the generic-enough North High uniform, but of more interest may be what he's saying -- which is picked up by the split-open journal next to him.]

...Really, Haruhi? After all of that, I'm in some other time and place again?! Oh, boy. She really just doesn't stop... Where the hell is it this time?

[Once he gets up and brushes himself off, he can be found staring with slightly less bewilderment than you might expect at his surroundings.]

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'I'm pretty sure freezing is just part of the entertainment agenda for Haruhi, anyway.'

R-Right. Lead the way.

[And lead the way he does. Keiichi doesn't bother with chat, instead focuses on getting the guy into the store, inside it's warmer and comfortable, but with how soaked the other is... He probably doesn't notice a thing.]

What size do you use? Don't worry about the cost, everything is free in this village so just grab whatever fits you and you like.

[he'll start looking too, because the store receives clothes from every world present and it always ends being a quest to get something specific.]

...Everything is free?

'If I've stumbled onto a hippie commune, well, that would be something new. I guess that's all I can say about that.'

[He does go rummaging around, however. No reason to turn it down. He scans through the racks before finding an outfit that looks pretty similar to his own.]

Yeah, food, clothing, housing... No point of a currency inside here after all, the town gets provided everything automatically and without problems.

[Keiichi looks at the other for a moment.]

Have you noticed what you have on your back yet?

'...Ask about the first part later. I've got a bad feeling about this.'

Do I even want to notice whatever this is?

Depends on how fast you want questions to come to your head. And how much in denial you want to be. If you want them fast and the denial to not last long then you would want to notice it.

[Pause.]

You'll notice it either way the moment you change clothes.

Don't want any of it.

[He sighs.]

'People say there's no sense in delaying the inevitable. But if it's inevitable, why not delay it as long as I can?'

[He nevertheless pulls the outfit off the shelf and looks around for someplace to change -- it's starting to get really old, being wet and cold.]

[Keiichi laughs a humorless laugh.]

Hold into that feeling, I bet you're going to think that a lot today.

[He points to where the changers are and waits for the other to be done... Or scream when he notices his wings if he's that type.]

[He goes into the changing room dutifully and, naturally, recoils when he finally sees the wings.]

'Is it bad that my second thought was, It could be worse?'

[Gingerly and awkwardly, he just puts on the new outfit over top, after drying off a bit, and returns.]

I see your point.

[He's still smiling, not an amused one or cruel, but... After being here for almost two years it turns to be almost endearing to see New Feathers' reactions to the place.]

I was sure you would. Now, before anything else, two things. Be careful with those wings, they are extremely sensible, bluntly put a kick to your groin would hurt less than a tug on them. And if they get ripped from your body you die, instantly. If only one does it will regrow with time but you will probably wish you had died meanwhile.

And secondly, I'm Keiichi Maebara, welcome to Luceti, your new residence for the next God-knows-how-many days, weeks, months or years.

Well, when you put it like that, how am I supposed to resist the temptation?

'No, actually, I've learned not to mess with things that I don't know anything about.'

[He shrugs and greets him with a touch of formality.]

Nice to meet you, Maebara. My name's [What's that? A plate fell off the shelf suddenly?]. But most people call me Kyon for some reason.

'Why did I even say that? I could've totally avoided that stupid nickname!'

I'm sure you have many questions... But why do people call you Kyon?

[Also the nickname rings a bell but he can't really put it in place.]

'Yes, I have many questions, but gotta ask about the stupid nickname first. Of course.'

It's just a stupid name my sister spread to everyone I know.

I take she's your little sister.

[It kind of fits.]

Okay, what will be your first question?

Naturally. If you happen to be afflicted with one yourself, I'm sure you understand.

'My first question? Where's Haruhi? Better yet, where's Nagato? Get me out of here! But I suppose that question wouldn't do much good.'

I take it this isn't the old world I was in. I don't suppose you've seen a shortish girl with a yellow headband and a ridiculous attitude?

Nah, luckily or not I'm an only child. But I've had quasi-little sisters so I can imagine what's like. I hope that the nickname is the least of the evils she has done to you, [Was that an explosion? Probably, it sounded distant though distracting enough, not that Keiichi seems to pay attention to it. Yep, explosions aren't that strange here.].

You're ahead of it with that assumption, good for you.

[Keiichi chuckles though the description of the girl makes him pause and frown for a second.]

Ah... So that's why your nickname sounded familiar, you know Haruhi Suzumiya, right? Yes, she's trapped here too, Yuki Nagato was here for a while as well but that was months ago, over a year I think, do you know her as well?

Just the typical stuff you expect from annoyingly active little sisters.

'In fact, that may be one vestige of normality to which I cling. Which is sad. But no time for this. Nagato was here...? But now she's not? Haruhi's trapped here? I should try to call Nagato after this. She should be on my phone if nowhere else, right?'

...Right, we were both roped into the SOS Brigade.

[Which he used to call ridiculous, but these days, he's come to accept openly.]

Yeah, I supposed you would know her, the Brigade was smaller in your world, right?

[Pause.]

Actually, before anything else, do you want to go to it? To the SOS Brigade headquarters, maybe Haruhi will be there... If not it's still probably a better place to talk and explain things than standing here.

'What does he mean, smaller... The headquarters? Is this a world where she truly has expanded the SOS Brigade into a multinational corporation of some kind? The possibilities are ghastly.'

...All right.

Let's go then.

[He will start to lead the way. Fortunately it's not far so the trip is quite short. Kyon will probably notice the building with the SOS Brigade sign on it the moment they head for it. That's definitively bigger than a classroom club, but not big enough to be a multinational corporation.

Keiichi leads him to the inside, past the front desk and into the meeting room.]

Oi, Haruhi?! Santa Clause brought you an early present!

[Yeep, sorry Kyon but you're an early Christmas present.]

[It's worth noting "front desk" is more of a table with a couch behind it and a shower curtain dividing the two "rooms" right now. So they're pending renovation right now, sue her. It is distinctly an SOS-Brigade building though. The random crap everywhere, not just the stuff on the map there show this. Most notably, a barrel, some masks on the wall, a half-set up game of othello on the (much larger than home) table. and, most tellingly, Haruhi Suzunmiya in the back of the room on a laptop.

She looks up absently- oh, Keiichi, she looks back at the laptop, not noticing Kyon yet. She's working on something important okay!!

It's worth noting her hair is being worn a little longer than it would have been back home, even if she's more or less the same age]

Yeah, what's that?

'Santa Claus? Please, let's not deal with that particular discredited issue.'

[He follows them in while looking around. Tea. Board games. Books. All of these things are relatively familiar.]

'It seems Haruhi's taste in decoration tends towards the replication of old patterns. And that's Haruhi, all right. Not like I didn't just see her a few hours ago, so it's not as if it's a surprise.

But something that does look different about her... she's edging towards ponytail territory? I guess I'm not complaining. Well, nothing to be done now, except...'

Yo, Haruhi.

It's New Feather's time, what could it be?

[Keiichi just chuckles a bit before Kyon makes himself known.]

They threw him to the fountain just now, I brought him here right after he got dry clothes.

[In case she wants to do the explaining or something. Keiichi goes and takes his usual seat at the table, expecting Kyon to take a seat as well.]

[ Yo, Haruhi.

...No way. She looks up from her laptop. And slowly, her eyes get wide, her mouth gapes. Blatant amazement. She stands, quickly, causing the chair she was sitting in (it's a wheely chair) to go flying back into the window/backwall That's- Kyon?! He's here- almost a year later, he's here?! For the first time in years, the real - her - Kyon is here?! She's actually at a loss for words for all of a few seconds]

[What is- how does she?! She flushes a bit and squirms in place before chiding herself - no! She shouldn't be thinking that far ahead! And even if she did, she shouldn't be ashamed or whatever, she has her own life! and she doesn't owe anyone, least of all Kyon, any explanation! He's not even - what did she even see in him?! She looks between Kyon and Keiichi.

Yes, it's obvious what to do here. she regains her composure and-]

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[Action] - /crawls to bed, more tags tomorrow

[Action] - night!

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1/2

2/3 I lied