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Understanding other people isn't hard ─ it's impossible. [Affiliated with Asteria]

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conductorphones:

It was clear by the other’s reaction that mentioning the barista the right thing to do. Neku made a mental note to gift the artist something special, he was starting to lose count of how many times Mr H’s advice saved him from peril.

The gun descended slightly, yet Neku’s heart continued to pound heavily against his chest. Despite how well composed he appeared to be– it was genuine– but inside, his emotions were turmoil. The thought of being killed, once again, by Joshua’s hand just as they were starting to connect on a more intimate level back home…

He hoped the association with the game would have been enough to trigger memory within Joshua, his vigilant staccato had come to a dramatic pause after all.. but then it jumped back into a symphony of inquisitiveness. It was evident now, this was not a case of amnesia (even if Neku was constantly resisting the urge to hurt Joshua with his bare hands, the thought of something greater, like a piano dropping on his boyf- friend’s head to give him said amnesia was just absurd), the music was not avoiding memories or lacking them, but at least, Neku could rest a bit easy. He was not as tense anymore.

The Conductor’s eyes down casted, and his hands slipped into the pockets of his shorts, a habit of his when thinking back to those days. He recalled Mr. H’s words- how lonely Joshua must have been all those years, and to hear music from that era. It was a terrible symphony Neku was all too familiar with.

“He didn’t say much.” Which was true, the first time Mr. H met the two as a pair he did initially, and very briefly, inform him about Joshua’s abnormal upcoming. This Joshua was not the same now, he could see it when their eyes met once again. “Just that you saw things no one else could. And that I should trust you.”

Neku could make out more of his appearance, Joshua’s shorter platinum strands, and how his jeans were smudged and his shirt was still unbuttoned near the collar. Good thing to know some things never changed.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Josh. You might think I’m lying, but if you put the gun down, if it’s still not enough knowing about my connection with the game or Mr. H, I can show you what I’m talking about.” Neku took a step forward, furrowing his brows in solemn words. He had wanted to settle this without imprinting, but if he knew this Joshua, if he knew himself from before the Game, there would never be enough assurance.

“I know better than to play against you.”

Joshua frowned, eyes narrowing further as he contemplated the boy’s words, conflict clear on his visage. There was, of course, the ever-human instinct to simply abandon all his reason and trust in the other- especially in this situation, where he was hopelessly lost in an eerie, dark place, and all alone. Surely allowing himself to rely on another, even a little, would provide some sort of comfort?

Then again, Joshua had always been alone. This was hardly any different, and he had learned how to cope long ago. Depending on someone else, nonetheless a suspicious stranger, would only complicate matters.

Resolutely, he lowered the revolver to his side, straightened his posture, and fixed the other with a defiant stare.

“I suppose if you have information you’re willing to share, then I’ll spare you,” He let out a sigh, as if it were a great burden not to simply gun down the boy where he stood, “But I still don’t trust you- I’ll make that decision after you tell me everything you know. Sound Fair?”

It was still entirely possible that the boy was lying to him about everything- even the part about knowing Sanae- and thus Joshua refused to trust the other so easily. All he had been given so far were words- nothing of substance, no proof, no evidence. Joshua was no fool, and he would not risk his life over something so intangible as trust.

Information, though? That was something he was willing to take a gamble on. If the boy did turn out to pose a threat to him, well- 

Joshua was still armed, at the very least.

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conductorphones:

Letting the comment on his attire pass, Neku considered for a brief moment to scan him. The other did not show signs of lowering his weapon, but establishing trust was something the Conductor set to do without the use of his abilities.

“I want to figure out why we’re here,” Neku answered truthfully, eyeing the other bravely and arms down at his sides - a nonthreatening demeanor.

“I’m not pretending. I.. I know Mr. H. You know him, right?” A short pause, unsure of the extent to reveal his connections with the artist. It’d surely tie him to the game, but with Joshua’s permission, Neku could also share some memories and maybe then would it free him from this predicament. “Owns a shop down CAT street with overpriced coffee. I work with him.. sort of.”

Searching the other’s expression, Joshua could find no trace of dishonesty from the other boy- it was sort of irritating, really, how sincere his eyes were. Unused to being looked at in such a way, Joshua found himself at a loss. He lowered the gun, just slightly; enough so that if his finger just so happened to slip, at least the shot would be nonfatal.

At the mention of Hanekoma, Joshua found his eyes widening. He certainly hadn’t expected this boy to know of him. Still, Joshua did trust the older man-probably more than anyone else he knew, in fact- so he supposed he could at least hear this boy out. Whether he was telling the truth or not would surely reveal itself in due time.

“You... work with him?” Joshua raised a brow, perfectly aware of what implications such a thing would hold, and he was rather certain that Sanae had never mentioned anything about hiring any part timers. Slowly, everything was beginning to make a bit more sense.

Joshua let out a huff of amusement, “You know, you can tell me if that old man said something about me to you. Why act like you know me personally? Game connections or not, we’ve never spoken.” He narrowed his eyes, thumbing the trigger of the revolver that was slowly growing heavier in his grasp, “Do you think it wise to play games with someone pointing a gun at you?”

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Pet hunting

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demondeputy:

The kid didn’t seemed to appreciate Hoozuki’s remark all that much, a frown on his reddened face as he quickly got back onto his feet. It almost seemed like a cat that had been forced to take a bath; the image slightly amusing and hardly intimidating.

“Is that so? Then, must I suppose laying on the ground is some sort of hobbie of yours?” he said, the serious monotone of his voice making it sound all the more mocking. In fact, ti was almost belittling. “As they say, to each their own. Yet, I would suggest to do it in a less hazardous place.”

Hoozuki’s eyes narrowed slightly to the sight of the boy’s hair full of twigs and leaves. It was such a messy sight he couldn’t quite stand it. Things had to be clean and in order.

Frown deep, Hoozuki stared at the kid as he made his question. Now that he thought about it, he haven’t covered his horn and pointy ears like he did when travelling to the human world. Not like there was much point in hiding when he wasn’t even sure of what the place might be.

“That’s to be expected. Humans aren’t supposed to meet with oni before their death” very clear, very direct words “And you’d still have to fall to hell for that.”

“If you require an answer, I’m what you’d call an oni.” Still annoyed by the look of the leaves on the boy’s hair, Hoozuki clicked his tongue and reached forward with his free hand as he talked. His objective to get rid of the things and maybe brush the boy’s hair a little. It was just so, so annoying to see his hair like that. 

“The name is Hoozuki and I’m the deputy of the Japanese hell, a pleasure to make acquaintances with you, mister…?”

“It could be,” was Joshua’s flippant response, sliding a hand into his pocket as his stance became casual. The man- albeit strange- didn’t seem to harbor any ill intent towards him, that much was clear.

It wasn’t as if he held any sort of self-preservation instincts, anyways- rather, the complications that came from such confrontations were too much trouble for his tastes. As such, he greatly preferred not being attacked in the middle of a very dark forest, thank you very much.

“Ah. I don’t suppose you’re an inhabitant of this place, either, then?” Joshua was not at all surprised by this knowledge, and accepted it with ease. He was, however, surprised when the other stepped forward and touched his hair. Unused to physical contact as he was, even something as small and insignificant as this, Joshua instinctively recoiled, taking a startled step back.

The second he’d managed to regain his bearings, however, he frowned and cleared his throat, embarrassed by his own overreaction. At least he’d managed to stay on his feet, this time.

Continuing forward as if he hadn’t just undergone a lapse in his composure, Joshua gave the other an easy smile.

“Yoshiya Kiryu, but feel free to call me ‘Joshua’. I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with the afterlife, I suppose you could say. Nice to meet you.”

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Writing.

He had always dreamed of living in a small room by the sea, far from the troubles of the mafia and from his own sins that followed him like a shadow. There, he would sit by the window, under the soft caress of the sun and engage in the writing of a novel. His own novel.

Sitting on the little stairs at the front of the apartment building, Oda lazily gazed at the light orb over him. It didn’t felt as warm or bright as the sun. And there was no sea he could observe either. But he was away from the mafia, and he had the time.

Acting all hasty about leaving when there were no clues on what was happening would be nothing but an elaborate suicide. And he wasn’t Dazai to enjoy such a thing.

So, for now, he would write. He had got a notebook and a pen from the store. He just needed something to write. Something interesting.

As he wandered in his thoughts the green of his eyes met with someone. In silence, he continued to stare at that white-haired someone for a while. Once he felt eyes over him, he nodded as some sort of greeting.

“How’s it going?”

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One could only stay on their feet for so long, after all- and Joshua was still a human, and very much living, despite how he may have loathed both of those things. Growing weary from what had thus far been a fruitless investigation, he resigned himself to getting some rest.

Ever the realist, Joshua couldn’t say he truthfully expected to find any sort of hints to their whereabouts- everyone else he had encountered seemed just as clueless as him. Typical.

Still, doing nothing allowed his nerves to take ahold of him, and he could not deny his growing curiosity at their predicament. At the very least, four walls and a roof over his head would be welcome- to provide the illusion of safety, if nothing else, as Joshua had a feeling that this place was very far from what could be considered safe.

He intended to keep his wits about him; but first, some sleep.

As he approached the apartment building where he had first began his search, he noticed a man seated on the front steps, and he could not stop himself from frowning in mild irritation as the man’s eyes met his. The halfhearted greeting that was carelessly tossed his way was just as unwelcome. The man, who was substantially taller than Joshua, was seated directly in front of the door, too; just perfect.

“Fantastic,” Joshua drawled sarcastically, not bothering to hide even an ounce of his annoyance, “Did you need something from me?”

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Pet hunting

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demondeputy:

Hoozuki didn’t really expected to meet anyone in the engulfing darkness of the forest. He highly doubted there would be anyone in this place that would share his sadistic enjoyments -which even in hell were sometimes too much- or his taste for bizarre pets that could better work for a horror film.

Since he haven’t even pictured the thought of a human with so little instinct of self-defense to willfully venture into the forest, he didn’t detailed much on his surroundings. The only way he would show some interest in anything besides the mankiller-size beast, was that he felt a clear intent of bloodlust directed in his direction.

Which wasn’t the case.

Unaware as he was of the presence of someone else, the first stumbling sound lifted all the danger alerts. Fingers gripping strongly at his weapon and a dark shadow over his eyes, he prepared to fling his weapon right onto the source of the mysterious sound.

However, the very human whine of pain that followed right after made him stop on his tracks. Still wary, he decided to walk over and see what exactly was he dealing with.

The cracking of dry leaves under his wooden sandals, Hoozuki took a long stare at the pathetic sight of a young man laying flat on his back. Not the most threatening or intimidating specimen.

It almost felt bad to leave him like that. Almost. If you were enough of a klutz to fall over your back in such a dangerous place, you deserved to stay down and reflect over your actions.

“This is no place for children who can’t even stay on their own two feet.” he said with a little sigh of disappointment, resting the mace against the ground, no intention of engaging in a fight with such a pitiful contender “If you aren’t hurt I suggest you stand up quickly and return to the town.”

Joshua’s frown deepened at the strange man’s demeaning words, feeling an embarrassed blush creep up his neck, yet he could not deny the validity of the other’s words. It had been a foolish venture, after all, spurred on by nothing but desperate curiosity.

Still, Joshua had always been nothing short of stubborn, and to turn back after he had been advised to was simply out of the question. The spectacular fall he had taken earlier had been enough of a blow to his pride.

Wincing in pain as he hauled himself back onto his feet, Joshua let out a derisive snort. “I can stay on my feet well enough,” he bit back, doing his best to brush himself off. This was his favorite shirt, and there were probably twigs in his hair now- eugh.

Now that the man was closer now, however, and Joshua was able to get a better look at him in the dim light, he was clearly not a normal person. Joshua, far more used to the abnormal than someone his age should be, found himself mildly intrigued.

“What are you?” He inquired simply, his expression flat save for a small, humorless smirk. “Most people I meet don’t tend to have horns, you see.”

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conductorphones:

He could see (or rather hear) it now, the small town in the distance.

He’d thought perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him, but the music wasn’t fooling him. Distressed melodies attempting to unite, uncertain of where to go. Sort of like his feelings at the moment, wanting to meet others and figure out what the hell they could have done to piss off a higher being and be subjected to a punishment as lame as this.

Any justifications for their kidnappings were pushed to the back of his mind in a sigh. At last his journey through the dark roads would soon come to an end. Except.. it would probably take him a while longer to meet up with others because the instant he was on the move, he heard it. A music so familiar bringing chills, an emotion between worry and short-lived relief, and it wasn’t so much as a gun being pointed at him, again, but the person behind it. That voice..

“J-Joshua?” Neku raised his hands defensively, a twig snapped underneath his shoe.

It couldn’t be, here? His music wasn’t as blinding. Joshua’s was nothing short of a game, thriving off the unknown and keeping his intentions well hidden. He wasn’t an open book like this guy, no hint of arrogance or even a taunt thrown at Neku for reacting so defensively. Neku half expected to be shot on sight considering the fearful loneliness radiating from the other, but he couldn’t leave him. 

Perhaps a temporarily inconvenient case of amnesia or Joshua finally decided to– no. It was not going to end this way, Joshua being human or not and wait– human?

“Hey, it’s me.” Although tense in position, a solemn retort came with ease. “What’s with the hostility? If this is about what happened the other day.. I’m not going to apologize for helping them out.”

Violet eyes narrowed, and Joshua kept the revolver trained firmly on the other boy in front of him, his attempt to speak familiarly with him only furthering his suspicion.

“I don’t know you,” Joshua stated simply, and it was the truth. Even if he had ever seen this boy in passing- be it on the streets, or in class- there was no one close enough to him to be able to say the things this person was saying. Joshua didn’t spend time with anyone. He didn’t talk to anyone- no one his own age, at least, of which this boy appeared to be. It was a safe assumption- no, the only logical conclusion- that Joshua had never spoken to the boy in his life.

“… And I’m fairly certain I’d remember someone with such bad taste as yours.” he remarked as an afterthought, eyeing the boy’s strange outfit. “So, what do you have to gain from pretending you know me? What do you want?”

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Pet hunting

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demondeputy:

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There were… things alive in the woods. Things that most would have found too grotesque to even look at. Beast. Monsters. Nightmare material walking on reality -if this could be called in such a way. Horrifying things which Hoozuki had happened to see as he arrived to the city, yet had promptly ignored in order to investigate.

He had now investigated most of the place just to find nothing useful. He had at least met with some humans, so there was that. But neither seemed to know anymore than himself. Anger pilling up, he decided it’d be good to unleash it. Find something to educate.

And the beast seemed like a good idea. He could try and match himself up to one of those, see how strong they really were. And so he ventured to the forest.

One would think that, perhaps, being in a wholly unfamiliar setting, one would be inclined to play it safe and stick closer to the more populated, well-lit areas.

Joshua had never cared much for caution, and after investigating block after block of uninhabited houses and empty stores, his patience was wearing thin. He refused to let the panic bubbling within him cloud his senses, however, and he set his sights upon the one place he had yet to set foot in- namely, the wooded outskirts of town.

Now, however, as tree branches scratched his arms and rocks hidden in the underbrush tripped him up, he was thoroughly regretting it. Joshua had never set foot outside a city in his life; even if there was a clue to be found among these damned trees, he doubted he would recognize it.

Joshua squinted in the darkness, slowing to a stop as he observed movement in front of him. A person, he assumed, walking steadily away from him. His hand instinctively went to the pocket of his jeans as he debated whether or not to confront them.

As he moved to take a step back, however, his foot hit yet another of the accursed rocks that the forest floor seemed to be littered with- balance lost, he became a helpless victim of gravity as he tumbled backwards and landed with a pained “oomph!”, leaves crackling and twigs snapping beneath him.

It would seem his decision had been made for him, Joshua realized as he lay flat on his back, scowling up at the shadowy canopy of leaves.

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@conductorphones

It was dark- inescapably so, Joshua was soon realizing, as he traversed the dim streets that refused to get any brighter no matter which way he turned. Lost and alone in unfamiliar territory, every nerve in Joshua’s body was on high alert, and every so often he would thumb the trigger of the revolver in his hand apprehensively. He was unsure who or what he would encounter- all he knew was that he could and he would shoot.

It was subtle, and easy to miss- nothing more than a shadow in his peripheral that informed him that he was no longer alone. Joshua, alert as he was, stopped dead in his tracks, moving to face whoever it was that dared approach him. 

It was only light enough for him to make out the vague outlines of something distinctly humanoid; Limbs trembling with nerves, Joshua raised the revolver.

“Tell me who you are,” He demanded of the figure, his voice even, masking any traces of the unease he currently felt.