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

[menial]

[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.]

Comments

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

It's the simplest one I can think of. [Very simple.]

That 'time and place again' thing? Whatever she did to you in your world, this isn't her fault.

[That begs the question of why this guy blame her first.]

[Voice]

[menial]

'Whatever she did to me? More like whatever she hasn't done to me.'

If you knew her like I know her, I think you'd find that as hard to believe as I do.

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

Since I only know her from talking to her from time to time, as well as her many announcements about the SOS Brigade, can't say I'm as lucky as you.

[Should he say 'poor bastard' or '...oh' about this guy's apparently many experiences with her?]

[Voice]

[menial]

...The rest of the SOS Brigade is here, too?

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

...I don't know? Most people in it was recruited from the village and I don't really know if any of them are from her world.

[Voice]

[menial]

...Most people in it?!

'Didn't we just get done deciding that no one new deserved to be in the SOS Brigade?!'

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

Pretty much.

[It's more like 'everyone', but Kouki does not know the extent of the recruiting history.]

...That a bad thing?

[Voice]

[menial]

It's ... unexpected.

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

[Shrug, which might be hard to see through the journal's camera.]

At least the brigade helped make things lively around here.

[Voice]

[menial]

Well, that is its mission. I have no doubt that when Haruhi wants to make something lively, she will. The question is more if it can ever become unlively again.

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

This is Luceti. 'Unlively' is the precious calm before the inevitable, monthly storm, even without her help.

[Voice]

[menial]

'Wonderful. These words that could have belonged to my own internal monologue were coming at me from outside. Only one thing to do about that.'

...Oh, boy.

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

Just to be sure, did anyone give you the run down of the situation here yet?

[Voice]

[menial]

More or less, I think so.

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

That's good, so I won't accidentally repeat stuff you already know about. Including the guide?

[Voice]

[menial]

Yeah, I've got that ready for some light bedtime reading.

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

You'll get plenty of time for that. At least the experiments won't happen until after the New Feathers settled in.

...Generally.

[Voice]

[menial]

'How confidence-inspiring.'

Do you mean to fill people with trepidation, or is it just incidental?

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

Not on purpose, since it's really a heads up for what's to come.

[Voice]

[menial]

...Right.

'Well, that was optimistic.'

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

On a brighter note, there's some good people here to meet.

[Voice]

[menial]

I'm sure there are.

'And some difficult ones, too, probably.'