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.]
[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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[Her cool is lost, how does she salvage- inhale, exhale]
Anyway, forget it, I'll take him there.
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That's true, the dying for a week part is important information but it's mostly a trivia kind of data than anything else. Anyway, if Haruhi will take you there and all I suppose I'm not needed. I'll see you both tomorrow, I suppose.
[Immediate withdrawal the moment Haruhi steps into action? Not at all, must be your imagination.]
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--Uh--Yeah. See you, Maebara.
'Not a ton of psychopaths around? These days? Haruhi, as ever you fail to reassure.'
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[And he obediently follows along, not having much other choice in the matter anyway.]
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Keiichi's a weirdo anyway, you need to recognize that. There's really no one who focuses on the death thing as much as him or certain other fatalists do.
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Fun guy to have in the Brigade, then.
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[ :I ]
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'An odd question? Maybe, but I'm just wondering how different she really is.'
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[He voice drops a bit at the end there. Thinking back to Rena, who tried to kill herself, or to Usagi, who died - exploded - in front of her. A note of the fear and weakness she felt in those moments might bleed through a bit. Also she might derail from going to Welcome Center. It is literally just across the street but she starts to talk past it, perhaps willing him to follow.]
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Hope you're not talking from experience there.
[He will have very little idea about where they're going, and he will in fact just follow blindly.]
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Then... has anything happened to someone else? A--[friend?]--close associate or whatever?
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Yeah, bad things have happened before. [She evades it confirming or not confirming death though - they now leave the square.] But why are we even talking about this? Jeez, there's got to be other things you can ask about.
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...Sure, I guess. How long did you say you've been here?
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[He looks alarmed. It's even longer than he'd thought.]
Things must've changed a lot for you.
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[but that's glossing over all the bad things]
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So are you pretty satisfied with it...?
['Or more satisfied with the world than you used to be? More satisfied with this world than our actual world?']
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Like your Brigade.
[Yeah, it's 'her' Brigade now.]
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[A beat]
In any case- [And now she looks them around, heading back towards the square. Clearly having decided she's derailed enough] I've also gained a lot of skills and knowledge.
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['Haruhi, if I were to add up everything you're saying, it smacks unerringly of "responsibility." I never thought it would come to this. Should I be relieved? Maybe I don't even have to take her with me when I get out of here. She doesn't even want it. Why is this making me so annoyed?']
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