[closed] And I got street savoir faire

[oathkeeper]

Who: Sora & Joshua
What: Sora pops in to see Joshua because stuff and things and they should talk about it!
When: May 14
Where: Tsukuyomi’s temple
Warnings: THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP



[Wow, Sora is pretty impressed with Joshua’s temple. This is his first time here and he’s wondering why he hasn’t swung by before. Must have something to do with all the insane stuff that’s happened lately. Fighting neoclassical drakes and having shinki turn ayakashi and almost dying really eats into your social life.

Things finally seem to be settling down and Sora has enough energy to want to check in on Joshua. After all... He can feel that Nageki is gone and that means that Joshua...

Yep. He needs to check in on Joshua. Plus perhaps get his opinions on a certain annoying mind reader that’s been bothering him a lot lately too. And then there’s the issue about Neku and Riku both gone now...

He knocks on the door. Anybody home?]

Comments

[leggierissimo]

[Good. Joshua is actually a little pleased to see it, if only because it breaks the seriousness of the topic. Really, he's getting tired of bouncing between shinki. At least with his Conductors, he's had a choice...]

The time you remember him being here was not the first time. Nor is this my first time being here. I apparently left for a while, around the same time Neku-kun disappeared the first time. I came back, and he returned a couple of weeks later. So, yes, it's very possible for someone to come back.

[Because he may have been listening. Again.

Also, it's more like his house just flat out doesn't exist, buuut.]

Actually, if this were a truly parallel world, I would exist in it, and the Game would exist in it. As far as I've seen, though, I haven't seen an alternate me, or an alternate Neku-kun. And the Game, as I'm familiar with it, doesn't seem to exist at all.

[oathkeeper]

[Sora doesn't even notice that Joshua listened into his mind again. He's too happy at the thought that Joshua and Neku both had come back before. It gives him another spark of optimism and hope that he'd see both Neku and Riku again someday. Hopefully sooner than later.

He smiles brightly at those thoughts and then and nods.] Is that why you don't seem that worried about Neku? If he comes back someday I bet he'd be assigned to you again. At least, that's how it should be.

[If Riku came back as a shinki he'd want him to be assigned to him. Being separated the first time had been terrible. Or for Riku to come back as a god. Add did, just recently, so Sora knows it's a thing.]

Right, no game and no multiples. I guess that makes sense. So the two are really completely separate worlds. Just with some things in common.

[leggierissimo]

[... he. What. Sora, how did you even come to that conclusion. For a moment, Joshua looks at Sora as if he's grown a second head, but it's quickly gone as he shakes the expression of surprise away.]

Neku-kun is fine where he's gone, provided it's back where he belongs. It's one less thing that I have to worry about.

[It certainly isn't loneliness or anything, if that's what Sora is trying to imply. He doesn't want Neku to come back. He has better things to do in his own world.]

There are such things, obviously. I'm not particularly fond of feeling trapped, though.

[oathkeeper]

[What?! What's with that look?! Sora just stares back at him like everything he said was pretty dang normal. If they're gonna be in this place for a while they might as well be in this place together. It's okay to want to see friends. It's okay to miss them.

Well, Joshua does have a point there that he has to agree with but still.] I'm sure he is, I'm just saying if he does come back, it'd be nice to see him. I didn't really get to talk to him the last time he was here. And you guys are friends, so it'd be cool to see you guys paired up again.

[Because yeah, they are trapped but lately Sora's been rather fond of being here. And friends make this place home. For now, anyway.]

[leggierissimo]

[Normal, maybe, for Sora. Not at all normal for Joshua. He can't even begin to understand how someone can be so... optimistic and cheerful and like the walking, talking personification of a ray of sunshine. It's almost downright offensive.

Which might be why his lips nearly pull up into a sneer, and he leans back against the counter, hands braced on the edge.]

Neku-kun isn't my friend.

[And, rightfully, he never should be.]

[oathkeeper]

[Sora is taken aback by that. How could Joshua say something like that? The Joshua and Neku he knows are friends. Joshua worked so hard to fix things so they could all go home eventually.

Oh. Right... Sora's expression falls. Joshua doesn't know about the things that Sora does. That Shibuya. Yeah. Timelines. This is the darkest timeline isn't it.]

You really think that?

[Sora says evenly, looking at Joshua like he might not believe him yet. There's no shred of friendship in there? It's hard to believe, different timelines or not.]

[leggierissimo]

[Right about now is when Joshua is going to tune all of that out. He's heard enough, thank you.]

It's really for the best that he isn't. Let things go as they will, mm? Not everything is sunshine and rainbows, Sora-kun.

[So what if Neku invited him to the meet-up? He never planned on showing up. Not really, anyway.]

[oathkeeper]

[You can tell him that all you want Joshua, but Sora is still not gonna fully believe that 'not friends' comment. He rolls his shoulders and lets out a loud huff.]

... Okay. I guess.

[BUT THERE he'll let the Neku topic drop away for now.]

Anyway, can I ask you something else since we're on the topic of not-friends?

[leggierissimo]

[That's Sora's prerogative! Clearly a direct approach, though, isn't working in the face of boundless optimism.

Sora's questioning has Joshua tilting his head, though. He's glad for the change of topic, even if he knows it's bound to come up again later, but this has him genuinely curious enough to easily take the bait.]

Mm? Someone bothering you, Sora-kun?

[oathkeeper]

[Joshua might not think he's friends with Neku, but Sora still considers Joshua his friend. They don't hang out as much as he'd like but Joshua was the first person he thought about when this issue came about for Sora.]

There's another mind reader around here that managed to get in my head a few weeks ago. He likes to pull pranks on me and annoy me. Do you know a way to get him to stay out of my head?

[Since Joshua is a mind reader himself he had to know how to deter them?]

Well one time I was able to get him out of my head pretty easy... But just the one time.

[leggierissimo]

[... another mind reader? That certainly catches his attention. Joshua is very much interested with someone that has that ability.]

Oh? You don't happen to know his name, do you?

[But... the matter of blocking someone. Typically, that requires more finesse than someone that doesn't have the ability would have by default. Sora has managed to do it once, though...]

How did you manage it that once, out of curiosity?

[oathkeeper]

[Sora crosses his arms and looks mildly annoyed.]

His name is Loki. Part of my Parthenon, and he's a giant bully. He always hides out of sight and mind controls people around me. I haven't been able to see what he looks like or what his human name is.

[And then he glances at Joshua and a smile tugs at his lips. Well... Joshua asked. So he thinks-

Sang a song in my head! You know... Like...

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears
It's a world of hope and a world of fears
There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all...]

[leggierissimo]

[Mind control. Hm. It sounds vaguely like imprinting, but... just how effective is it? A god name, at least, is something to go by. He can find out the rest himself.

... and then Sora opts to mentally chime in with that, and before more can be said - or sung - Joshua is effectively blocking off all mental communications. But not without an utter look of distaste crossing his face.]

... I can't see why that doesn't work every time.

[oathkeeper]

[Hmm? What's wrong, Joshua? Don't like his song? It's so catchy though! Gets stuck in your head! Sora raises and eyebrow with a puzzled look on his face. He was only trying to show Joshua how he did it! Why does he look so disheveled? Weird.

But he grins because hey, it did work again didn't it?]

I guess I could try that every time but I might run out of songs that I can sing off the top of my head...

[Or he could always try to learn more...!]

I could practice on you, maybe?

[If Joshua has no other ideas! :D]

[leggierissimo]

[No. That's absolutely enough. In fact, he will pay you to stop. Thankfully, being able to tune Sora out is enough, and after that initial moment of looking thoroughly disgusted, Joshua manages to situate himself back to a regular level of composure.]

No practicing on me, thank you.

[Clears. Throat.]

The problem you're going to run into with that is, you may not be in an adequate situation to sing someone out of your head at all times. If something is happening that cuts your attention short, that's enough to break the effect. Really, the only way you can reliably force someone out of your head is by being powerful enough to actually do so. And, unless you have some sort of mental capabilities that I'm not aware of, that doesn't seem to be the case here.

[oathkeeper]

[Sora puts a hand over his mouth to stifles a small laugh. That face.

But then Joshua makes some fair points. Sora's not talented with this sort of thing at all, he has no mind reading or blocking powers or spells that can help him with this. He frowns slightly.]

And I'm guessing there's no way for you to teach me some new mental capabilities so I can do that, huh?