[Hanekoma's grinning as casually as ever, but he looks a little flushed, and are those dark circles under his eyes?

That's definitely a drippy-looking nose. Maybe he shouldn't have been running around in short sleeves and sandals after all.]

Heyyyy! Had fun with your party?

I was just wonderin' if anybody out there's got tea leaves they're willin' ta trade. I prefer green, but I'll take black or herbal if that's what you've got.

[Thoughtful.] I can trade ya fresh eggs, meat, or --

[He turns the camera to display a half-finished tempera mural in black and white covering one wall of his room -- it's a boldly outlined forest of graffiti-style skyscrapers seen from above, dwindling down to tiny streets under a brilliant sky.] --we can work out a trade for some wall art.

[He pauses to stifle a hacking cough.] Speak up quick, just in case goin' out gets tricky again in a day or two!

( private | text )

( 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?