soul_campaign | .001 [voice]

[ Easily slips his sandals off -- sandals which he's grateful for, considering the heat of this city -- and locks the door behind him before taking a seat on the sofa. He smiles when Joshua brings the ashtray. He's not really that heavy a smoker, but he has a feeling that's going to change while he's here. He can't help but frown a bit though when he takes the tea.

With a deep breath, he sets it down and leans forward. ]

Completely. It's giving me one hell of a headache. [ He takes his sunglasses off to pinch at the bridge of his nose, a soft sigh escaping him. ] How long, Boss?

[ Joshua's settled in here, judging by the look of the place. Sanae had just seen him before waking up here. They'd both been on their way to...

Damn timelines. ]

[And he takes a seat right beside, crossing one leg over the other. A hand rises to twist in his hair with a little more force than what begets how calm he looks, the only indication all isn't just one of those things.]

Asprin's your best friend. It's probably a side-effect of everything.

[At that question, his eyes drop from the other's face and settle to focus on some small area of carpet. And his fingers loosen, clump of ash twisted as far as it'd go. His voice is small.] ...A month. I got the alarm, by the way. ...Nice feature. Someone told me that everything's just supposed to stop from where someone's taken, but we- or me and another you- were halfway upstairs when it happened. I have little idea if that's even classed as the UG. Even if it's stopped, the RG won't stay attuned to the UG if that's non-operational.

[And he exhales. He's pondered timelines too...]

...So the best-case scenario is the entire 3-week learning experience was for nothing.

[ ... A month. A whole month. No. It couldn't be this was his Joshua, he could always tell the difference. It had nothing to do with his abilities as a Producer, he just always knew his Joshua compared to an alternate. There's another long pause. ]

Can't have been that long.

[ And he snaps into action mode and pulls out his phone. The thing is more or less a brick right now -- he's been putting off fiddling with it, not wanting to deal with the let down of being unable to make the thing operational again. There was a lot of special programming in the thing that BREW would have completely eliminated. He could still access the editor, that was a start at least. His thumbs fly over the keys as he digs through the code, making edits here and there. ]

Let's hope the past month's all a psychotic episode triggered by the realization I'm human again then. Oh, and in this body. That's got to contribute.

[Despite the catty remark, he turns silent, allowing Hanekoma to fiddle with the inner workings of his phone. He merely sips some of his tea. It's not like Hanekoma needs to concentrate. He knows this stuff - but still. Respect and all. Hanekoma's the only person he truly does respect, so of course it's shown. ]

There's no way in hell I was hanging out in Limbo or wherever for that long.

[ There's an edge to his voice as he fiddles with the phone. No. No. No. Damn. Way. There has to be some sort of time distortion between them. Some sort of weird relativistic thing happening.

He finishes and snaps the phone shut, setting it on the table to allow it to reboot. He doesn't speak, just resting his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers in front of his mouth as he watches the phone go through its reboot process.

There's silence... and then a dull, low, pulsating beep.

And all of the color drains from his face. That sound only mean one thing. It's an overdue notice. ]

[His eyes dart to Hanekoma's face at the beep. Convinced there's absolutely no chance of Hanekoma looking at him for the immediate moment, his eyes close quite defeatedly. His tone was similar. But they open just a beat later. And he feigns ignorance.]

That doesn't sound good~

[And lightly, consolingly, he bumps the side of his head against the fallen angel's shoulder. It's the only consolation he can offer. And it's brief. But it's there.]

...I have an idea, if you're interested.

[ He reaches out to silence the phone. He can't bring himself to turn it off yet, but he can't stand to listen to it either. He closes his eyes when he feels Joshua's head against his shoulder, but doesn't acknowledge it. Just takes a few deep breaths to keep himself together. ]

Do tell.

It relies upon us both getting out of here. Obviously, I'm still working on that part, so you'll have to bear with me.

[A pause. It probably can't be done. Even he doesn't know if a UG, any UG, let alone one as chaotic as Shibuya could be actually formed by a Composer - not just modified as seen fit. He knows what he's saying is dangerous. Assembling Soul into Players and Reapers is difficult enough, something only him and Hanekoma can do. But he knows he's capable of far more than most Composers. His Imagination's always been off the charts. ]

...If this detour from hell ever ends, I'll rebuild Shibuya. If it's gone, there shouldn't be anything left of me once Death City's finished with me. Death City space dust, I imagine. Though if I have anything close to Points, I'll have some time. I'll reform it from whatever's left. Kind of like a factory reset. Kind of.

I think with all the fun that happened in Shibuya's deciding game, you and Megumi seemed to forget for a moment that you're not the only ones which love Shibuya - and you're also not the only ones which know the streets. ...After how wrong I was, it's the only thing that seems right.

[He pauses. He's not a fool. He knows full well that if he can even do it and survive while doing it, he'll be easy to take down as a result. No reapers. No conductor. Weakened. And with the Taboo...

...No. The state of Shibuya will have to be altered, rolled back, to how awful it was before the deciding Game.]

...And I'll just have to shoot Neku again. Shibuya will still need to be corrected since if I even survive the rebuild, I'm not planning on being taken down in the Rubicon by stray Taboo, thanks.

[ As hopeful as Joshua's words are, it's all just static in his ears. Shibuya's UnderGround is gone. After everything. All he'd done, all he'd sacrificed... it's gone. The music, the people, the Imagination... Because of this stupid city and its stupid problems and stupid BREW dragging them here.

There's a cold pit of anger in his stomach the likes of which he hasn't felt in centuries. ]

It's a plan.

[ A decent one too, considering what they have to work with. But Sanae is nothing if not practical, and Joshua's plan hinges on them being able to get back. And being able to even raise his vibe, or do anything, they're stuck in Death City, Nevada, and that is not a fact that Sanae is going to forget any time soon.

Inhaling deeply, he pulls out his cigarettes and lights one. ]

For it, I need you to stick around. I'll need a lift back to Shibuya's RG. Don't die on me.

[Rightly so. If this shot in the dark has any chance of working, he'll need to conserve all of the power he can. Arriving back with a flatlined vibe from the jump is failure right away.]

...There's something semi-related you might have way more expertise in than me, too.

[And something he'd probably be interested to know...]

[ Mortal. Again, that word is thrumming in the back of his mind. He takes a drag off of his cigarette. ]

I'll do my best.

[ Exhaling, he finally turns to look at Joshua. Anything to get his mind off of all of this shit. Work would be good. He can always rely on Joshua to give him more work. ]

What is it, Boss?

[Merely a quite pleasant smile. Smoking is definitely not helping with the don't die on me thing, but he can be understanding. Rarely.]

...Do you remember the stories you told me when I was a child? You mentioned other Undergrounds, and every Composer having a different set of rules. Some of them don't have missions, some don't have time limits. As long as worthwhile Soul is refined and worthless Soul is trashed, targets and quotas are met - it's pretty much up to the Composer how he wants to run things, correct?

[A small pause. And he tilts his head slightly.]

Someone in the loop here told me about human Soul. The Kishin - demons - corrupt it. Murder living people for their Soul, and consume it like so many Noise do with our Players - only of course not exactly legally. By my rules, anyway. By here? Who knows. Anyway, the guy in charge here. He's little more than a child himself, but his name is Death the Kid. Apparently he's got a way to put uncorrupted human souls to where they're supposed to go.

[Similar, huh. Details, of course, are not the same. But. Rules.]

...Wouldn't it be a hoot if all of this is just another system?

[ He takes another drag as he listens to Joshua. Nods a bit and taps the end of his cigarette into the ashtray. That's been the weirdest part so far. It's so similar and so different to home. Partnerships and Soul and missions. It's causing some serious cognitive dissonance. ]

Oh, it's definitely another system. Next step is to learn how to work inside it.

[ He quirks his usual smile at Joshua, but it's a bit strained. ]

So what about you, Boss? Weapon or Meister?

[He nods. That's all of the confirmation he needs. While before it was just a suspicion, Hanekoma's nod on it makes it fact. Currently an Angel or not, the man knows the system. And he knows it way better than anyone.]

Talk about falling through the cracks. I'd recommend you picking his brain a little. He might get suspicious if I talk to him again, especially given our last conversation.

[Human worth, always a doozy. He falls silent at Hanekoma's next question. As he said to Neku, even though it's preferable to being a Meister, he feels more insulted than anything that he's classed as a Weapon. Really. He simply tilts his head, deciding to show Hanekoma rather than voicing it.

He raises one hand to his knee and holds it with palm upward, back of his hand resting upon it. There's a bright light - light as piercing as any in the room of reckoning - and a long, familiar looking ~~stolen by a certain buyer for Gatito~~ angel feather appears within it. It's long, and sharp. Seemingly glass, but much stronger.]

...There's more, too. Maybe our suspect Composer's Imagination is a little lacking. There's nothing fun here. This is a partial form, apparently. I can't call any Noise with it. It's reduced to just being something that gets blood all over me.

[Of course, no concern for the stabee. Of course not.]

[ Conceptually, it's all quite similar to the way the UG worked. And Sanae learned long ago not to get bogged down by details.

He smiles a bit at the feather, but it turns to a smirk as he looks at Joshua again. ]

Show me full form?

Do I have to?

[He's way more interested in Hanekoma's abilities, whatever he is is reservations soon fade however. A request is a request, and the other might actually have a plan... So. He stands, brushing off his jeans and turning to the other.}

...Put your hand on my shoulder. Arm's reach?

[It's not like he wants to clatter to the ground at the transformation, but it's not like he wants Hanekoma to have an eye poked out.]

[ He laughs a bit. ]

'Have to' are strong words.

[ He stands and does as instructed, resting his hand on Joshua's shoulder. His eyes are intent on the other, taking mental notes. ]

It's disappointing.

[Having to do anything is completely alien to him, after all. It's more the fact he views his transformation as so disappointing. Maybe it's ingrained in him from when he was human, when he had to abide by rules and not make them, when he was powerless - that he didn't want to disappoint this man. Maybe it's still there, somewhere. Maybe that's why what Hanekoma did in Shibuya bothered him so much. It meant he was a disappointment, right?

He pushes that thought from his head however and waits until Hanekoma moves.]

It's very simple. To change, you just pretend you're raising your vibe and -

[The same bright light. And Hanekoma is standing there, a shining, glass-feathered spear in hand, one of the bladed feathers not so far from his face. Just far enough away so he's not given an impromptu facelift. Such was the reason for the arm's length request. There's a voice, Joshua's voice, in Hanekoma's head. But despite their bond, Hanekoma isn't a meister. It's faint. Very faint. ]

Don't drop me.

[ He squints a the bright light, and next thing he knows there's sharp feathers next to his face. He takes a closer look, running his fingers over the side of the feathers. And he smirks. ]

But short for a spear, ain't you?

[ He can hear Joshua, but just barely. He tosses the boy-spear easily to his other hand, giving it a twirl. ]

Light, though. Good for close combat. You manage to make a Pact with a partner?

You're usually the short one.

[When he's in his real form, anyway.]

I suppose it's something to do with this body being reused here. I don't exactly know.

[He turns silent for a moment, even with the fact he's being twirled like a baton and Hanekoma is some (very) deranged cheerleader. Finally...]

Yes. Neku. He was next door. Same timeline. ...I thought I was finally rid of him. Turns out he returned to Shibuya's RG though, about a week before you came through.

[A small pause. He's pleased Neku got that happy ending with all of his friends. Just a little jealous. And well aware anyone else managing him will be next to impossible. He's fully aware he's dead in the water without him.]

Edited 2013-04-20 02:17 (UTC)

[ He graciously ignores the short comment, adjusting his grip and testing Joshua's weight. It's more than weird to think that about a person, and the fact that he's literally holding Joshua just makes it all the more bizarre.

He's got Joshua upside down, inspecting the spikes on the end when the words register. Neku was here? And he was Joshua's Meister...

With a soft sigh, he returns the other upright. ]

I'm sorry, Boss.

[ Commiseration first. Then wondering how the hell Neku managed to get out. ]

No need. Since he wasn't exactly a Proxy, he wasn't important here. Just useful. I don't want to think about what will happen if another him is taken from the middle of that Game. What happens here might affect another version of him's stability.

[As practical as ever, of course.]

On the note of important people, if you're finished, what can you do? Are you a Meister?

[There might be way more hope in that question than what he intended to express.]

[ He arches his eyebrows when Joshua brushes off Neku's disappearance, but doesn't call him out on it. Not when he hears the next question. Shakes his head and stabilizes Joshua against the floor, allowing the other to transform back. ]

Nope. Weapon. Not sure what kind yet, though.

[Perhaps a wise move. The brushoff is partially untruth, but the remark about the consequences of another version instead holds weight. He indeed transforms back, brushing some stray hair from his face.]

...Oh.

[And he tries so very hard to make that 'Oh' not sound so acidic.]

Show me? I want to see.

[ He steps away when Joshua transforms back, a small, apologetic smile on his face. ]

Sure, but you're gonna have to walk me through this process. Like raisin' your vibe, you said, right?

[ Well, at least he'll get to continue to exercise that muscle. ]

.001 [voice]

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