[010]

[ceiling_cat]

( private | text )

The Composer's Proxy has been brought back to Discedo after a brief disappearance. Presumably, he was returned home during that time: he now remembers the week immediately following the game. However, he seems to have lost all memory of his earlier stay in Discedo. It is possible that he is from a fractionally different world. However, I have not yet observed any differences in his demeanor and his memory of Shibuya and the Game. Memory modification is the most likely explanation.

The Composer...

...If they modify memories, I doubt I'll ever get any of these submitted.

I'm worried about the Composer. His emotional state has not improved during the past month. Although his Proxy's return may move him back towards stability, I have yet to observe any changes.

Mere stability is not the goal I am hoping he will achieve. It would provide no more than a short-term fix: the Composer's refusal to emotionally engage with the world led to increasing dissonance and stagnation in Shibuya prior to his Game with the Conductor. Unless that problem is dealt with, Shibuya's current renaissance will not last forever.

Neku Sakuraba's participation in the Game has come to an end. Nonetheless, the Composer's attachment to him provides an opportunity to induce the Composer to open up to at least one individual. Even if memories are erased in the transition between Discedo and our world, emotional states should be maintained. It is a slender chance, and yet the dangers of allowing the Composer to undergo this level of emotional distress while in his District are too great.
Unfair though it may be, I need to use Neku for this now.

( public | Japanese audio | text translation )

Hey Josh, bad news - looks like the library's lost everythin' except the fiction section and some how-to books. Not that the fiction isn't interestin' stuff. I could probably drop some by your place on my way back home.

That said... it has been way too long since I worked on a canvas that was the right size.

Anybody wanna point me at a boring wall with a good view?

Comments

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

"Stop. Right. There."

He'd ask Mr. H, if he had to. No way was he listening to that, even if there was an explanation hidden in there somewhere.

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

Joshua smirked, though his expression lost much of its humor. "He punched me in the face before I could get a word in."

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

That was... well, no, not unexpected, though Joshua up and telling him was. But... punched him in the face, huh? Why hadn't he thought of that. Probably wouldn't work, now, tempting as the prospect was.

"...You deserved it."

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

Joshua seemed to actually consider this for a moment, eyebrows slightly raised with his head inclined just so. "Hm, I may have. That you had thought this place was the ruins of Shibuya. I believe Mr. H told you he was from after our game but hadn't yet been revived?"

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. He mentioned it."

How Josh knew that, he didn't want to know. Stalking and eavesdropping, probably. Somehow, he wasn't surprised.

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

"Finally starting to notice, are you?" Joshua purred cryptically, and thought of certain pictures he still had on his cellphone of a certain busy street in Shibuya with an enthusiastic girl taking off her partner's pants in the middle of the street...

And then Hachiko, of course. Both times.

"But yes, I issued a Mission Mail to him to light a fire under his tail, so to speak. He didn't seem to appreciate it all that much." Sanae hadn't, either, but that was another issue entirely.

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

...That settled it. Screw demigod, Joshua was the devil.

"You did that to a me who hadn't--and you're surprised he punched you? I'm surprised he didn't kill you."

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

"Now when did I say I was surprised, Neku-kun?"

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

"Seemed like you were."

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

"I was banking on the fact that, in his timeline, he'd just failed to shoot me. I was impressed! I hadn't realized you were capable of such moderation." He shrugged again. "Also, I had my chip at the time and didn't really see it coming, in the more literal sense."

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

"So you were defenseless. For once."

That must have been weird. Now that Joshua could rip monsters in half without a second thought, he could do whatever he wanted. What had he done before he got his chip out?

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

"More 'normal' than I'd ever been used to, I suppose."

Not that Joshua particularly wanted to think about that too much, but wrestling the conversation onto a different track would be much too obvious. He left Neku's silent question unanswered.

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

Somehow equating Joshua and "normal" just wasn't working. Wonder why that was.

"...So. When was that? When I showed up before."

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

"Almost two months ago, now. He disappeared a week before you arrived."

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

"He didn't stay long." Maybe that meant he'd be able to leave soon, too.

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

...Josh snorted, a tiny breath of a laugh. "No, I suppose he didn't. Apparently you and I were both here before that, as well, but neither myself or the last you had any recollection of it either. The scientists enjoy toying with us."

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

"Who does that sound like."

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

"And it must clearly be my fault that you've also gotten yourself caught up in my retribution, then, yes?"

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

"Retribution?"

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

"Karma coming back to bite me in the ass. Whatever you want to call it."

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

...What was wrong with him? This was... weird. He couldn't say just what was off, exactly, but something was.

"...Either way, I don't think this place is made for retribution. Yours or anyone else's. If it was, I wouldn't be here. Beat wouldn't be here."

[commentlog]

[holyjesusbeams.livejournal.com]

"I don't particularly believe it, myself. There are just those amongst us that would like to. In any case, Neku-kun, we might want to get you cleaned up before your scant belongings are irreversibly ruined. Grab Mr. H's materials and come along~" he waved a hand over his shoulder, leading the way back inside and barely giving Neku a chance to keep up, much less do as he was instructed before that.

[commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Hanekoma, emerging from his room with the towel it'd taken way too long to track down, nearly ran into Joshua in the front hallway. He set his heels just in time, eyebrows going up - what were they doing in here? Neku, behind the Composer, had his box of paints in his arms.

Probably getting cleaned up, come to think of it. Neku wasn't going to be happy when he found a mirror and realized there was even blood on his headphones. Hanekoma'd forgotten about that, himself, more focused on the stuff stuck to his wall. There was a long, cold bath in his future. He was going to put it off for a bit, though.

"Sorry for the wait," he said. "Lemme get those, Phones."

[commentlog]

[iamnotatunaroll.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." He handed the box over. "...Hey, sorry about the..." Damn it, he didn't want to apologize in front of Joshua, since it was really Joshua's fault--he definitely could have made that less messy; he was trying to screw with them--but all the same... he really should have been watching. The blood on the painting was partially his fault. Joshua was still a bastard, but that didn't make Neku totally blameless.

"I should've been watching."

[commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Hanekoma chuckled, tucking the box under his arm and waving the other hand in casual denial.

"Nah, don't worry about it, Phones. Those things're pretty fast." Neku might have spotted it if he'd been watching, but no more than a second sooner - definitely not enough time to keep the blood from splattering on the painting. "You go get yourself cleaned up."