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]

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[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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It's not as ridiculous as it could be.

'I suppose I could even draw a parallel or two. Unwillingly.

...Then again, there are one or two things about that story which are ridiculous. Two years? Whatever different world this is this time, something's way off, that's for sure. However, after past experience, I have laboriously learned that it's best not to question these things immediately.'

In fact, I'd lay a wager that that's one of the easier ways to befriend Haruhi.

I'm also leaving out a lot of details. [She can't avoid that slightly mischievous look on her face.]

So what, it's a lot harder than that usually?

'Oh, boy. I have a feeling that I might enjoy some more of those details. Or be horrified, or both.'

Compared to being dragged in, groped and forced into maid costumes, I'd say it's an improvement. [He hastily adds:] Not me. Another one of the Brigade members.

That's actually not uncommon here. I've seen her pull that, only bunny costumes, I think. Not me, one of the members of the Brigade. I'm...kind of not in the Brigade.

'Let's again lay aside the question of exactly who else is in the Brigade in this world. I'm sure I'll find out in due time, and I honestly don't want to think about it.'

It might be more disturbing in some sense if she didn't try to do that. But either way, it seems like a rougher way to get conscripted into friendship.

[He pauses.]

So, why not?

[That's a new question.]

Why not what? Why not be in the Brigade?

[He nods.]

...I don't know. I guess it never really occurred to me? I mean Haruhi runs it and I'm friends with a lot of people in the Brigade...I guess it's just not my thing, you know? I'm happier being here and working with clothes. [She gestures to the area of the shop around them.]

I guess I'm surprised she hasn't asked you to join. 'By which I mean "forced", of course.'

I guess it's just one of our boundaries. Either that or it's a way for us to spend some time apart. She ropes me into helping out by making costumes and stuff, and usually I turn up for the parties. Not sure if that counts.

Well, actually, I guess that makes you an honorary member. We've had those before.

[This is reassuring to him, actually.]

So. How about some of those details? How you bugged each other?

You think? [She never considered herself an honorary member, but the more she thinks about it? The more it makes sense.] I guess so.

[She gestures to a chair off to the side.] Have a seat, in that case. You want me to start from the beginning?

[He follows her direction.]

On the whole, it's the place I most prefer things to begin.

Okay...where do I start. [She's going to go ahead and choose to skip over the part where Haruhi used to be Haruki and Haruki was in love with Kyonko before Kyonko left and there was Shiki and Neku who were just starting to be a thing before Neku left. So that means the start is...]

Well like I said, we met right around the time both of us had our friends from home leave this place. I was living alone, and Haruhi was living in a house with another friend of ours, but she was kind of...depressed I guess? I wouldn't call it depressed, more like cranky. [It was depression. It was definitely depression, but she doesn't want to share all of the details.] I kept visiting the house out of boredom and to check on her to make sure she wasn't going to go on a rampage, she finally got annoyed enough and told me just to move in if I was basically going to be around anyway.

Living with someone lets you learn a lot about them...

[All of that would certainly be some cause for circuit explosion in his brain, so that's probably for the best. He pauses for a moment, though.]

'I know that form of Haruhi depression. Or melancholy. Whatever you want to call it. One thing's certain.'

That was probably a good choice. Haruhi in that state's hardly safe.

'As for the rest of it, it's hard to tell exactly what Haruhi meant by that without having heard it. Whether that was her trying to pretend everything was okay, or if she was really in that kind of place... I wonder if I've really been that lucky all this time as to avoid her being in danger of 'going on a rampage'?'

Anyway. Go on.

I figured as much. I got called an idiot enough times when I was trying to get through to her. Anyway, you know...this village gets put under a lot of experimentation. The Malnosso have put us through a lot but I guess thanks to them I got to learn a lot of stuff, see a lot of things she probably wouldn't have told me about. I think that's ultimately why we're friends. We know too much about each other.

'...Now I almost feel like an intruder.

Wait, what? I am an intruder, aren't I? And I should get home as soon as possible. From whatever's going on here. And then all of that 'things she probably wouldn't have told me about'... Whatever this ride is, I think I want off.'

Sounds like it really did take some magic spells, then.

'Taniguchi accused me of that when Haruhi first spoke to me. But looks like it came true. I really don't know how to feel about all of it. There's something wrong with Haruhi being close to... other people. And I don't know if it's habit or cautions about the world's safety [or jealousy?] or what.'

Congratulations on achieving the seemingly unachievable. For a normal person, anyway.

Science, magic, who knows what it really was. [She shrugs, just giving him an unreadable look for the time being.]

What's that supposed to mean anyway? "For a normal person."

In my experience, there aren't that many normal people who can get through to her.

'Unless the other shoe (or scarf, in this shop) drops and it turns out, once again, she's some ancient doomsday android in the shape of a cute girl.'

I like to think I'm pretty normal. What does that make you then?

'Good question.'

An anomaly?

...you know, that makes sense, considering. Does it bother you?

At first, sure. These days I generally tell myself it means I have as much of a a special role to play as anyone else in the Brigade. Representing some semblance of sanity.

[At least, in his version of the Brigade.]

Yeah? ...what can you tell me about the Brigade where you guys are from? She only really briefly mentioned it.

'Weird to think the Brigade is any different, really. I still don't know how much is prudent to say, though. Maybe the version for the public?'

Well, it's a pretty long story at this point. But basically Haruhi got to high school looking for something interesting, joined all the school clubs, left them, and decided to start her own. Cue forced conscription of various people that, whether by luck or design, ended up working a lot better than you might have expected. To keep her entertained, anyway.

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