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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That's one word for it, sure. [And into the shop they go where she disappears into a back room to grab a towel. She returns, tossing it to him and returning to her stool behind the till.] But even that's almost generous, don't you think?

[He catches it gratefully, if not particularly gracefully.]

Oh, it's well over generous. It's practically the Red Cross of adjectives.

'Not that snarking at it will remove its fundamental indignity.'

Anyway, thanks for the kindness to a stranger. [He hadn't quite processed that there was some connection with Haruhi yet; it was more of an instinctive reaction.]

[...he's actually kind of funny. That's a plus. She just shrugs though, leaning her elbows on the countertop to watch him.]

It's not a big deal. I was where you are now about...ugh, what has it been now, almost three years? Something like that. Besides it's way too cold out there now for somebody to be wandering around dripping wet.

Anyway...I'm Shiki.

'Three years. Somehow that sends a shiver down my spine unrelated to the chilly clothes. I think. Hard to tell, really.'

Nice to meet you, Shiki. [He gives his name as well. If he were to remember the connection with Haruhi, he'd also mention his nickname, albeit reluctantly, but for the present moment he doesn't.]

Are you saying you fell into that fountain too?

'Pure thoughts, naturally. I have no reasons for asking besides information.'

Nice to meet you, too. Annnd not quite? I mean more like I wound up here without knowing what was going on and being totally lost. I had friends waiting for me here, but it still was hard at first.

...sounds like you might have someone waiting for you here, too. I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but...

'Well, there goes that.

...Ah, right. She said something that sounded like she was referring to...'

You mean Haruhi?

Exactly what I mean. Not sure what her plans were for the day, but she's around here somewhere.

Oh, boy.

'Well, if I'm being honest, I would rather have her here than no one. I think.'

...I think I might let that issue sit for a moment. [He sighs.] How do you know Haruhi?

[Well. This might be an interesting conversation suddenly...]

She's one of my housemates...and my best friend.

[He looks rather like he's restraining himself from a laugh.]

'And she seemed so normal, too. I guess I just can't have any good things in my life. Not that I wouldn't refuse to call her an enemy, either. Wait, too many negatives. Point being, I, too, would call her a friend; if I needed someone to bail me out of jail, I could reluctantly turn to her and accept the ensuing punishment. On second thought, that may have been a bad example, as I can't think of any penalty the justice system could enact that would be harsher than Haruhi's equivalent.

However, distractions aside! Best friend, that's something else entirely. I would have thought that... Well, no point in speculating.'

You don't say. How did that happen?

[She just gives him a flat look.] I never said it was perfect, so get rid of that look. [But she can't help but grin again anyway...it's a long story, isn't it? How can she explain her friendship with the Suzumiya girl in a short amount of time?]

Let's put it this way. Her friends left about the same time my friends left and we bugged each other enough that we wound up bonding. It's the short version anyway. Sounds pretty ridiculous, right? Trust me, I know. She drives me crazy half the time but that hasn't stopped me from living with her for the last two years.

She needed a friend, I needed a distraction. Somehow it turned into something genuine.

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...

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