psych / phones

*          The young man is astute   which Claude can appreciate. Far be it from him to pass up on an opportunity to work with someone who had a head on his shoulders. His easy smile quirks a tad more as he listens, turning over the other’s observations. He’s not wrong by any stretch, though there’s so much they don’t know that it’s easy for anything at this moment to sound correct.

He’s not a fan of uncertainty. All the more reason to get to the bottom of this soon.

     “Right you are. Now then…” His eyes scan their surroundings. They certainly weren’t short on options. “I was going to make my way down this leftmost hallway. I’ve gone the opposite direction, but I’ve heard down here there may be some offices. Sound good to you?”

He’s always been pretty sharp; important skill set for situations like this, an aptitude for perception is vital ( the difference between life and death— almost ). Reasonably, even if he has precautions about engaging strangers, the fact is that he does not seem awfully out of sorts, so he can hope things will go fairly smoothly. As it stands, Neku does not get his hopes up ( or let his guard down ) at a time like this; he’ll feel more at ease once they actually can make progress.

No timer ticks here, but he gets the feeling that they don’t have all the time in the world; and irregardless, even if they did, one of them would tire eventually. Best to not waste time.

      “It’s cool dude. You alright?” The amusement in the voice that comes from beneath the mask is faint but it’s there. As much as he hadn’t meant to scare the guy, the reaction is too good. Trying his best to arrange his mask into something close to wide-eyed innocence, he gives a little salute with one hand. “I was just wondering where you got your headphones. Kind of hoping the answer’s a place in this… dimension, I guess? Mine are holding up, but knowing a good place to cop some new ones in case of emergency’s always smart.” 

“Oh, did you want my help? You could have said. You were doing so well that I didn’t think to join.”

joshua could perhaps help more, if he had all his powers back – but at the moment, they were gone. all he could do was drop a couple of trucks and vending machines on noise, as little a treat.

he’s not quite keen on neku discovering the limit of his powers – but being honest would probably the best way here. they were partners again, like it or not. it’s not something that joshua minds letting neku know at the moment. but as long as neku doesn’t ask, he wouldn’t say otherwise.

… powers.. lack of it… he feels powerless. he feels ridiculously human again, at the mercy of the world – wasn’t that why… he’d left his life? it’s all coming back to him again. 

haha! at least he could still levitate. flying was always a good thing.

“You’re right. I gave you too much credit. Bronze star it is.”

joshua is simply not used to worry being directed at his being. the idea of someone being worried about him is one that is alien to him– he simply is not someone people cared about, both in the life before and the life of now. even here… he’s simply a weight on neku, he believes – at the same time he wants to believe he wasn’t. what a rather odd thought. 

joshua’s more childish than he thinks. 

lives were not entertainment. but in the big picture, neku had been a sacrifice – one that he’d taken lightly, in gleeful thought that shibuya would be gone. now– 

well. he’s still a immature god. the sacrosanctness of human life is lost on him. the trauma is hard for him to grasp when he’d so easily thrown his own away. 

“Not even a little bit of enjoyment? That’s a little sad.”

joshua follows neku easily, falling into step as he did during those 7 days.

“I’m glad you think me as a walking encyclopedia, Neku, but even I can’t tell you things about places I’ve never been. Why don’t you google it? Maybe you can find Wi-Fi with that resourcefulness of yours.”

Expression is highly skeptical of the words that come from him: this coming from the person who said do better, do something, how could— he highly doubts that he would have done so ( not without being antagonized for it, at least ). As it stands, for the moment it isn’t really an issue, and he thinks both of them are smart enough to avoid any obvious signs of danger, but well...no, Neku would rather not think about it for too long. They’ll tackle that bridge when they get to it.

It’s not like he’s not oblivious to the fact that, as per usual, he is being annoyingly avoidant, almost cryptic in manner; whatever he’s hiding, Neku isn’t entirely sure if he wants to know. It’s hard enough to consider that Joshua is seemingly more human this time around, than when they’d first met on Shibuya’s streets— doesn’t want to think about what that might mean. Humans are awfully fragile, after all.

“As if you ever gave me much credit in the first place.” A grumble under his breath; all things considered, it’s not really a point he stresses too heavily on; it’s not much in the scheme of things. Joshua’s opinion when it comes to those sorts of things strikes him rather fickle, anyhow. It is for youth’s own good to not hold much weight to such trivial things, bicker and make light of it as if it is not a distant echo of something else.

It’s easy to think of things as a one way street; as if concern expressed on his behalf is not a gesture that might come back around ( easier to not get hung up on human emotions and let down by something much less human. Or more human, perhaps, depending on how one wanted to look at it ). And perhaps, in a way, he is some sort of weight on him; always has been, really, though pretty sure only because Composer lets things be that way: it would not take much to remove himself entirely, but something keeps him here. Proxy has carried that weight once, and he will carry it here, again and again— doesn’t that please you, Composer? Is that not what you want? Will you finally let him be crushed by that weight, or...?

( Perhaps, for once, they might strike a balance )

And for all he speaks of understanding— he doesn’t try to understand himself, or perhaps he tries too much; but there are things he’s missing too, so it is hypocritical of him to act as if he does understand, not that such a thought ever occurs to him. That’d be too self aware! Don’t judge him too harshly, now, he’s still a teen at the end of the day.

“A game might be meant to be fun— what is fun about the fear of dying again? Is watching people die in front of you supposed to be enjoyable?” How do you find an experience that traumatized you to be enjoyable, even in isolated bits and pieces? No anger lies in rhetorical questions, there’s nothing sharp to this ( another day, anger might have been quiet and simmering beneath the surface ). Erasure might not be the same as dying, completely; but some part of it feels selfish to say that it was ‘enjoyable’, knowing what was sacrificed during the long game. Perhaps some part of him still cannot be completely truthful here. “Besides, even if it was fun at times, being able to do things I wouldn’t have done otherwise...how much of it was real? Didn’t you say that yourself? No point of trying to make it out to be something it’s not. Sad, perhaps, but...” That’s what makes Neku appreciate those weeks more, in retrospect. There are other feelings and thoughts there too, but he doesn’t want to acknowledge that in a moment.

what did that room mean, indeed. even if joshua’d been asked, it was likely neku’d be blown off with a smarmy smile and an non answer— the cryptic room after all, had been inhabited by a cryptid itself.  ( oh, but that wasn’t joshua’s room necessarily, was it…? his room was the vast throne room under shibuya— a lonely god in a lonely room, on a lonely throne. )

( no wonder he didn’t make much use of it . )

lucky neku — today, joshua seems far more intent on analyzing their surroundings than antagonizing a certain proxy. hand to his mouth, teasing pausing in thought—  the astra research lab is a rather safe first bet, but held less information than he’d liked. the hand wavering is not one joshua notices. the human hesitation is ignored.

life ( or death ) was never easy, hm?

the tap on his shoulder is met with a smile and a hand dropping away from his mouth— easy, easy. joshua’s laid back stance must be familiar, with how he puts his hand in his back pocket, shifts his weight backwards.

“Running away, are we?”

teehee. that smile? joshua, dearest. please wipe it off your face.

“… You do have a point. Gold star.”

a pause, as he looks down the empty hallway, then back. his smile is ever maddening.

“But even if you’re oh-so-worried about me, I think I can manage just a bit more, Neku. Why don’t we try searching a bit more? I thought you liked adventure. This is just like running around Shibuya, isn’t it?”

Easy, hard— if this were a game, if he were to consider his life to be stuck in some sort of game once again; this would be something close to some cruel hard mode ( what kind of cruel joke is this, anyways; jerking people’s lives around for entertainment? He should ask— ) It must be easy to be so laid back when it’s not your life that hangs in perilous balance once again, hm? Maybe not, though; it’s usually a dangerous idea to underestimate him...Neku thinks he’s kind of like Kariya in that way, except he’d probably find Reaper to be a more pleasant company than Composer. He’ll count his blessings that he doesn’t seem too keen on antagonizing him. Yet, at least. He expects that he’ll get bored eventually, honestly.

“I don’t want to hear it from the person who hardly contributed to fighting noises for half a week.” He doesn’t think he’s pissed him off yet, today— which is odd, he might think certain implications might have gotten more of a remark than that, but it’s helpful in gauging. Just a bit. All things considered, he’d rather not piss him off, because he’d like to count on his help if it really comes down to it. Neku thinks it’s probably a good indicator that he doesn’t intend on being too helpful for now, however. Lazy asshole.

( No, it’s not quite lazy; indifference, maybe— he knows feelings of apathy well, and...he doesn’t want to expand on that thought too much. Joshua’s still an asshole, regardless )

“Only one point? Sorry to have let you down.” Dry sarcasm comes in response ( gold star, what a joke— ); though it’s hard to pinpoint which part he’s in agreement with. The fact that he’s going to end up being the one fighting, perhaps? All jokes aside, he doesn’t really like the thought of being ‘responsible’ for him, like Composer’s keeper or something— leaves an odd taste on his tongue. And he’s still smiling like that. Unnerving. Not that that’s anything new.

Lips purse a little. It’s not like proxy ever really tries to hide concern— and one day, that will be your undoing. Maybe today, if he’s unlucky enough. It’s another thing to have that brushed off like it is of no consequence; not that it is entirely surprising given who he is speaking to.

( Do you think he does not worry, or do you think he should not be worried about you, Joshua? Perhaps you think he is foolish for doing so? He’d be inclined to agree with that sentiment )

*          The voice of a stranger   makes him pause immediately. Claude turns, not sure what to expect, and gives him a once over. He anticipated others being interested in this place, and anticipated that perhaps they’d be less than friendly.

Regardless of the intention, his easy smile is in place. After giving a “thank you”, he focuses on the matter at hand.

     “Well, there’s reasons I’m sure. You could be right: there could be nothing important here and exploring this place is a waste of time.” Harsh if true, but he wouldn’t lose hope yet, not with other options. “It could also be that they just didn’t have the chance to destroy the evidence yet. Could have left in a hurry, which…” He gives the place a look around, observes its unkempt state. “… honestly? It looks like they left in a hurry, whoever was here. Regardless though, we won’t know unless we look, right?”

While perhaps not the friendliest of people, he’s not particularly looking to antagonize here. His guard isn’t down, by any means, but he knows it’d be far from a good idea to openly pick a fight like that— self-preservation and all that. Come on now, he’s a little sharper than that; careful judgment of the situation here, regardless of who might have the upper hand here.

      “Yo fam, where you get those headphones?” Perched on a lamppost, Miles can’t help but question, considering how big and how soundproof they look. It doesn’t hit him until a moment later that he might not have been heard, and therefore swings and drops into view in front of the kid with the headphones, head cocked curiously. “Man, you ain’t heard a word I said, huh?”

With all the chaos unfolding, Touya was thankful he at least brought a weapon with him. Regardless, he found this entire situation rather infuriating. There were plenty of places he still wanted to explore, particularly outside of the city, yet he wasn’t going to risk it— well, not risk it anymore than he already was. He had about three quarters of water left in his water bottle and he greatly hoped it would be enough to make it to the surface.

Making his way to the surface, he could see someone a little ways away, trying to get to the surface as quickly as they could. However, at the same time there was a monster heading straight for them. Unsure if they noticed it or not, Touya picked up the pace, intent on blocking the incoming attack.

“To your left! There’s a monster heading your way!” Touya shouts. While he was running as fast as he could, he was unsure if he could make it in time. Touya wasn’t sure if he could defend himself against the incoming attack, but gods he hoped he could!

Urgh. If there’s one complaint he might have about the long game, it’s that he’s become way too dependent on people ( which, okay, not necessarily a bad thing, but it feels odd to fight without a partner at his side these days ). It is what is it though, nothing much he can do to really change that in this current moment. Hurry, hurry, common sense urges him to get a move on; even with no timer ticking away on his hand, there is a familiar sense of adrenaline running through his veins, as if he has to worry about that. 

( Well, perhaps something worse than erasure surely awaits him if he doesn’t make it out, hm? )

That said, Neku doesn’t rush in blindly, he may not be defenseless without a partner, but the sensible course of action is to wait for a good opening first, strike second. One less worry, though guard is never down; unfortunately, underwater is not quite the same as fighting on land..or anywhere else he might be used to fighting, it is not quite as easy to detect oncoming foes. Movement from the corner of his eye has his attention, but it is not until warning comes that he can pinpoint exact location of nearby danger.

You remember standing on a glass panel, once, fish beneath your feet. He doesn’t really like to think about what took place in that room, the events of that day, but— sometimes he cannot help but wonder about what that room might mean to Composer. What that room’s name might mean: it is hard to guess if it is a misnomer or completely on the nose, if he had anything to do with it then there is no telling what it means ( or rather, if it means a thing at all ). Oh, he could ask, he can always ask, even if he does not expect an answer; and you wish you could scan composer to get an idea of what’s on his mind but, well: that’d be proving his point, wouldn’t it?

Hand lifts momentarily, waveringly so, before dropping back down at his side. In the end, there are still some gaps he cannot close...no, he cannot bring himself to close? Is it cowardly to be afraid of that change? Perhaps that is proxy’s fate, to remain in Composer’s proximity, but nothing more than that. How unfortunate, but it is a step up from being victim.

On the bright side, if he died here, drowning would at least be a change of pace.

Slow exhale. Fingers tug at mask absently, it feels like there’s less he can use to distract himself than usual down here— though perhaps that’s for the best, really. The fact that they don’t entirely know what they’re up against down here means that keeping some guard, and less distraction would be more beneficial to say the least. You know, to even if not getting hurt might not be the biggest concern here?

“Watch it. This place looks pretty old.” Unsurprising, given that it seems abandoned...or lacking upkeep, if not. Certainly, it would be foolish to just charge ahead blindly, abandoned or not ( though he doesn’t seem like that type, thankfully enough ). Even if perhaps their largest concern is a papercut and some faulty flooring, at most— what were they even trying to research here, he wonders...? Given how easily accessible this place was, it doesn’t seem like a good sign, so perhaps the real secrets were hidden further away? Hm. He’ll have to speculate on that a little further.

Really, the fact that they can just wander in like this leaves him a little uneasy: but then again, it’s probably natural to have his guard up at a time like this, especially for someone like you. If he hears anything else but them, he shrugs it off as being a rat ( do they have rats down here? Maybe a newt or something would be more fitting...that does not stop a chill from running down his spine ).

  Despite any thoughts about these rules being a pain, she was beginning to understand the logic behind it, and as a result, other details and intricacies of this land took on a bit more sense, as well. Although she did not care much to follow nor understand society’s structure, it would at least benefit her in knowing what will and will not get her into trouble …

She nods to his statement, as it confirmed the conclusion she reached, herself. “ Okay. I get that. ” Simple enough, right? But he loses her ( again ) as he continued talking. Famine, running out of food? Having been taken care of by others up until stumbling into Koi, she never bothered to question how the food given to her was procured nor considered the nature of its source; but she did know that the city’s parks had entire populations of wild birds and the like, so surely as long as they were around, there would be no issue …

But she supposes that if there were one-hundred other people like her out there eating all the BBQ and hunting down all the birds, then there might not be enough left for her… huh.

“ I guess that makes sense. So, that’s why you use money? Because it doesn’t run out like food does? ” Very noble … maybe the shiny circles aren’t so useless, after all! They save the food from disappearing! “ Hm! Okay, I accept that! As long as I have ‘money’, I can get all the food I want, and there won’t be a famine! ”

Does she get it? Well, he knows she’s understood part of it at least, and in the silence that follows, her expression seems a little lost: but contemplative too, which is good, because he’s not really sure where to start on elaborating on that front— he has no clue which part he lost her at, which is probably for the best. You’ve already started to get a little bit of a headache from trying to figure out what’s her deal.

( Isn’t it enough that he’s at least gotten something through to her? That’s a good enough place to start, right? He doesn’t really need to trouble himself with this, after all, just he’s...bothered? Concerned? No, frustrated, perhaps he’s just frustrated to know that there are people who live in blissful ignorance, apparently. There’s no benefit to helping her understand, after all, but not all actions need to have some sort of profit )

Sylvain doesn’t realize he’s staring, at first - it was more like observing, really, until he’d gotten himself lost in thought. It really wasn’t his style to just openly stare at others, usually. The clothes are really… well, not like anything he’s ever seen before. Part of it. Can’t help but be a little fascinated by that.

He blinks once, and then again, his head turning to look at the booth and then back to the other after a short pause. “Haha, sorry, sorry!” The apology comes first, “Didn’t mean to stare, really. That was probably weird.” Of course it was. “Got lost in my own head a bit – you said play, though? What kind of game is it?” Sylvain’s always been the sort of curious type, after all.

It’s hard to not feel a little prickly, but— when it becomes more apparent by stranger’s body language that there’s no ill will meant, he can relax a little. Again, it’s not like he’s not unaware of how...unique, his clothing might seem ( if not perhaps, a little outdated, but it’s not like he was dying to keep up with the trends, it’s just clothing ); so as long as it’s not coming from a place of judgment, he doesn’t care too much about the specifics.

❝ Ah… ❞

Kanon blinks in surprise at his words, eyes wide as she processes them. That’s… well…

That doesn’t mean we should be miserable about it now, right?

He’s right, isn’t he? Moping about and being sad will just taint those precious memories, no longer filling her with warmth in her chest. It’s just not worth it. Maybe her memories will be so strong that she won’t end up forgetting, even once she goes back home. Sure, they’ll be more bittersweet than anything, but it’s better than forgetting everything completely. That’s… that’s what matters!

❝ Ehehe… ❞

Kanon giggles to herself, giving Neku a smile. He was blunt, but it was something she desperately needed… and she didn’t realize that until now. However, what really made her curious was how sure he sounded of himself, like there was no doubt behind his words. Has he gone through something like this before? Maybe this sense of familiarity was helping, even though the experience wasn’t… good, to say the least. Hm…

❝ Thank you, Neku. That really soothed my worries. ❞

She feels a little lighter, now. Funny how things work out, huh?

It’s a little hard to judge how well his words are received, though that might be because he doesn’t pay attention to her for a long moment— in those few words, you may have revealed a little too much about yourself, really. It’s not a bad thing, per say, Neku doesn’t think she’s the kind to use that weakness against him; but he’s spent so long shut off from the world that even now, it’s a little hard to be open. Which is to say, he’s not entirely sure how comfortable he is with that, but it’s a little too late to take his words back, so he’ll have to live with being a bit uncomfortable and move on.

     hilda couldn’t help but laugh, as softly as her voice could let her and yet she was still called out from doing such after seeing him fall from nothing. she couldn’t just hide her amusement and why should she? “oh! sorry, i just couldn’t help it, especially when it came out of nowhere like that. but you seem to be okay, that’s all that matters. but… now that you mention it, those shoes do look pretty old, no wonder you tripped.” 

     “hmm… something warm, huh? if you’re offering then i wouldn’t mind tagging along with you. did you have something in mind?” hilda wasn’t exactly sure what he was referring to but if it has something to do with a warm cup of hot chocolate then she’d be up for it. as long as he was paying, that is. unfortunately, she wasn’t used to the cold at all.

“Glad one of us can make light of this.” Couldn’t help it. Right. Very convenient. It’s fine— well, okay, it’s not entirely fine, but it’s...acceptable. She’s not nearly as derisive about it as she could be. He can only imagine how ridiculous he must’ve looked for her to laugh ( so that’s, uh, embarrassing ). He’s physically fine, so that’s probably the only good that he’s getting out of this. Though that particular comment on his shoes seems rather uncalled for, even if he’d been the one to bring up the subject. “They’re not that old. Just not really suited for this kind of weather. You know, like snowboots?”