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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Get ready to learn. That's what the Filial spirits do around here. You get in touch with them and you learn from them about elemental magic. There's seven of them all representing the different elements, but some of the spirits are harder to talk to than the others.

'...And how do I increase my MP? By leveling up?'

To be honest, I think my innate magical capacity is close to zero. And closer to the negative side of it than the positive side.

If you're willing to try, you can always learn. That's basically all there is to it. The spirits will listen if you work hard enough.

'Sounds like my grandfather. Never convinced me to study hard, either.'

Did you learn?

I've been learning, but it's not my first priority if that's what you mean.

I think I might be better off staying away from all of that stuff. It goes over my head.

Fair enough. Okay, so what would you want to learn?

I don't know that there's anything I really want to learn. Except how to get home if I can.

That...is going to be a long learning process itself. We're still trying to get ahead, but we keep getting set-backs.

...I can imagine.

'If only I had a hint about why it happened... The real reason, that is. How could it really have to do with what they say it does?'

Still. In my experience, these things do end.

'Wait, that's indiscreet again.'

...what experience?

[He laughs nervously.

But he already knows that's not gonna work on Shiki.]

...How much do you know about Haruhi?

...depends. How much do you know about her? [There's no way she's going to be the one to spill all of the secrets.]

'Well, we could keep going on like this, I suppose. Though, "depends", Shiki?'

I'd say... significantly more than a normal human would, in our universe. Despite being a normal human myself.

'In fact, I kind of flattered myself that I knew her the best of anyone. Though now, who knows.'

I know more than most people in this universe, if that helps. I know how she handles things when she doesn't like them.

'Handles them' consciously or subconsciously...?

Guess you could call it subconscious.

'...I think that's enough for me.'

...So you know about--Closed Spaces. What else?

I know that's she's...technically God, basically. She knows she's God. Beyond that, not much. She never really delved into stuff from back home.

[The phrase 'she knows she's God' strikes a pang of shock and a little bit of horror through him, and he quite nearly jumps to his feet.]

...What do you mean, she knows she's God?

'As if there was really another interpretation of that! Still, if she knows that, what am I still doing here? What is she doing here?!'

Who told her?!

...oh my gosh don't you dare tell her I told you that she knows! [There's a pause though.] Of course she knows. How else do you think I would have found out?

Believe me, no one's telling anyone that you told me that she knows, and especially no one's telling her!

[Breathe.]

I would presume through the usual channels. Other people who found out and told you because of an interest in keeping the world from exploding.

'That said, if she knows, why isn't the world, well, exploding?'

...are you telling me that normally when she finds out stuff like this everybody just...dies?

--Well, as you can imagine, we haven't exactly wanted to test that hypothesis, but at least once or twice we were on the brink of needing a whole new world to live in, yeah.

[He paces, a little agitated.]

...damn it. [She just sighs, tapping her fingers on the countertop.]

...they're the ones who told her, I guess. The Malnosso. Inadvertently.

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