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 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-]

You better not catch a cold.

[YEAH !]

'Enjoyable as it is to cause Haruhi such conniptions, I have to be curious as to why. Shock? Okay, fine. Weird squirming? Kind of endearing. And then the attempted smooth brushoff? Well, not entirely unexpected.'

If I do, I'll be sure to direct you to the person responsible for a penalty.

[Keiichi just... Keeps eying Haruhi and her reactions, he has nothing to say at the moment, thinking it's better to let them get over with the sudden meeting. He's also wondering if he should be worried or not... Or even why he should be worried.]

I'd just punish both of you by proxy.

[SIGH. Okay, waving that aside, she's collected herself now! She now starts to walk over to Kyon, looking him up and down. Surveying...]

Which means just me, right? Delightful, Haruhi.

'And now it appears to be time for the mule to be inspected.'

[He stands there, hands raised, a faintly displeased expression on his face, but without actually backing away.]

Satisfied?

[Okay... pointing at his face! Looking up and-] What is the last date you remember?!

[Evasively:]

I thought you said SOS Brigade trips weren't dates.

'Not that I don't know what she means, but why not stall?'

Why, what's the last date you remember?

Of course they aren't- now I asked you first, now hurry up and answer!

[She does narrow her eyes at the " not dates " thing. and get a step closer. Menacingly.]

[He sighs.]

April... April 16th. Or was it the 18th?

'Actually, I can't really think about details like that at all right now. Particularly not with that Beloved Leader's face looking at me from that unpleasant angle.'

[And now she takes a step back, surprised]

Wai-wait, you're from all the way- ...[No, that makes no sense. Yes, he's started talking to her in April, but he'd be more surprised, he wouldn't be this casual. He wouldn't- So that means the only answer is-]

Second year or third year?

'Breathing room!'

Second. Are we done here yet? I think Maebara's waiting.

[Keiichi waves a hand.]

It's cool, you two get this sorted. It's important.

[He looks at Haruhi a bit worried, though. How does she take this?]

Yeah forget him- [Wave and that means...] That means, relative to me, you're from the future.

[In fact, she leans up against the back of one of the chairs at the table, considering that]

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1/2

2/3 I lied

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[Action] /Tora said to skip her this round

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[Action] / still skipping

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[Action] /more skip

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