KIROKAZE
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Xuebing Du
Cosmic Funnies

祝日 / Permanent Vacation
Today's Document

@theartofmadeline

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wallacepolsom
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
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ellievsbear

tannertan36

titsay

Origami Around
Peter Solarz
Game of Thrones Daily
d e v o n

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@remnantrule
Crow of approval
Source
Fabergé, Chick, 1899-1908 (source).
( → bounced from @the-composer !! )
As he waits for their orders— or rather, Joshua's, Hazuki looks him up and down from behind, studying his posture, scrutinizing his demeanor— the way he speaks to the cashier, makes payment ( is that a black card? ), takes hold of their drinks—
and extends them towards him, offering him a choice between them.
Though they look a lot less familiar than anticipated, he recognizes what flavors they are. A hand rises out of his pocket— though it stops halfway, and hovers.
His first thought is to snatch the matcha drink for himself, as it's his senior's favorite of the two options, and he's really hoping to deprive Joshua of it. However: Hazuki understands the one before him is an entirely different person— a perfect stranger, and melon could be his favorite flavor, instead.
( But what if tastes in tea-and-milk-based drinks are consistent across worlds? What if they're not? He's had no way of knowing. )
He instead delays his decision by addressing the subjects broached. "Heard from whom?" Hazuki knocks the back of his finger against one of the drink lids. "And 'shaky' in what way? As I've told you: the state of affairs has been wonderful from where I can see."
Teeth then gnaw down the inside of his lip for a second. "Save for the relentless existence of rot like him— he didn't 'spurn' Joshua—" or me— "so much as forsake his whole community— his family."
"Which is why I find it interesting you ask that about him." He concludes: free hand returning to its pocket, he dips forward to take a sip each from both drinks, his gaze remaining fixed to the Composer's.
He parts his lips from the latter straw with a smack, still bent over. "I figured you would already have an idea, seeing as how your own Fallen Producer must've crossed you, at least once?" ( Unless they had both decided to fall together. )
@musicalities →
not evie wanting to just crack open an ice cold can of coke for him knowing that'd be a terrible idea XD
okay no because haz would be extremely fascinated with all the sensations so he finishes it within half a minute
{ for realsies tho. holy shit he hasn't consumed anything in like, five whole years. holy shit dude
the-composer:
Joshua’s tickled by the accuracy of the label he’s given this one; this particular blend of MIkagi is indeed spicy. Hazuki’s undaunted approach when provoked is a clear indication to Joshua that he would go tit for tat in whatever way he were to be challenged.
“Don’t worry, friend, I’ll keep my mouth to myself,” he says oh so flippantly as they come up on Bubblevision – only to stop just shy of the ingress. Slowly, he turns to face Hazuki with a hard-set stare.
“And why are you so invested in what’s going on down here with my counterpart again…?”
Haz regards their apparent destination with an intrigued raise of the head. Now that he gives the prospect of drinks a thought... he realizes that he hasn’t had so much as a drop or a crumb of anything in the past four — or perhaps, five — years.
Before he can attempt to remember what taste is like, however, a most pointed question is asked of him.
Given the sharpness of the change in topic, and that of the gaze trained on him, Haz reasons, that the answer he gives will in turn determine the information that he himself can reap from. And so, from within the lining of his jacket pockets, he rubs his fingers together, handpicking his words and crafting an accompanying frown, colored with concern: “I mean to catch up— it’s been over a year since we’ve last talked. I’ve been tied up with my onboarding, as you do, and it’s only now that I have the time.”
“And to learn that, while I’ve been away, he’s been keeping company with a copy of his backstabber of a partner... you must understand that as his friend, I have to worry.”
answer some questions and get an ominous warning
⤑ leave and don't come back
it's not safe here for you. you can go anywhere else but not here
the-composer:
“Your service? Sounds heroic. What happened to Shinjuku? Did it get purified, by chance?” Joshua’s overactive imagination is already trying to get ahead of him in his eagerness to learn about the deviations from his own timeline (the multiverse is like a neverending story that never seems to get boring).
Joshua notes Hazuki’s reluctance to draw near with a smug smirk.
“Why so aloof? I don’t bite.” Though he had a feeling this one would bite first, if given the chance. Joshua nonetheless steers them toward the nearest boba place, figuring food on the go would best serve this interaction. “If Shinjuku’s gone, do you reside in Shibuya?”
“That it did.” Hazuki’s eyes are momentarily drawn to the city skyline, in the direction of the area that, until its Purification just a handful of years ago, had been his heaviest, most torturous burden; the greatest source of his agony.
Good fucking riddance.
That remark not only pries him away from his musing, but a chuckle out of him, however wry. “Apologies. You just behave as if you want to.” It also earns the native Composer a few, swift steps worth of added closeness— if only out of Haz’s respect for his brazenness.
However, his second question — or third, if that previous one somehow counts — garners a confused thinning of the lips. “No? Why would I reside anywhere else other than within the Higher Planes?”
the-composer:
Condescending, snide and shady – isn’t he just the whole package? Joshua can’t imagine why his counterpart’s never brought him up.
Slapping on his smarmiest smile, he crooks a beckoning finger to request he follow him.
“How are things in your neck of the multiverse? I assume you’re your Shinjuku’s Composer? Tends to be the common theme across the MIkagi model.” Joshua, after surreptitiously firing off a few texts, has gathered his purpose right now is to buy time, so he’s decided he’ll give him a brief walking tour to throw him off the scent before seeing him off. Hopefully Hazuki finds nothing worth his while, simply seeing another run-of-the-mill iteration of Shibuya, and leave of his own volition.
Misery and revulsion both flicker over his face, though it’s somewhat of a comfort that he’s not alone in the haplessness of having a whole city of strangers off-loaded onto his psyche. “That I am.”
"Or rather, was. I hold the title permanently as an honor conferred for my service as its last Composer, but Shinjuku is no more, and it is designated to remain as such, for good.”
He takes a few brisk steps towards the utterly bizarre Kiryu, keeping somewhat of a distance between them — he’s not in as much of a mood for proximity as he was the last time he visited — yet still keeping up with the latter’s pace. “All that’s to say: things have been nothing short of heavenly on my end.”
the-composer:
“Guess you’ll have to suss out the truth for yourself, then, and draw your own conclusions. By the way, how long are you staying, exactly, friend? I want to be sure you’re well-accommodated while you do your little immersion study. In fact, why don’t I show you around? I’ve got plenty of recommendations for places to stay, if you’re looking to make this an authentic experience.” Whether or not Hazuki took him up on the offer, it’s heavily implied he wouldn’t be rid of Joshua’s overarching presence while he conducted his… research.
The outsider’s eyes crinkle slightly. Guess he will.
“I definitely don’t mean to stay here for long.” He rolls his shoulders, straightening his back. “Seeing as there’s no one here I really mean to spend time with anyway,” he adds, with the assumption that his resident Joshua’s not present in this Shibuya, presently— even then, he’d prefer to have their reunion back home.
Then again: conjecture doesn’t always amount to stone-cold fact.
“I figure a walk around town would be nice, though.”
the-composer:
Bingo.
“Intrigued, or jealous? Since you’re a guest, why don’t we just cut out the gristle here and bite into the good stuff. I’m happy to impart my insight as a Kiryu myself unless you’re just planning to… observe. But I’ll drop you a hint: what attracts him to my City are the people and the vibe.”
The “vibe”... what, meaning the lack thereof? Because, truth be told, for Haz, standing within this world feels... rather vast. Abundantly vacant. Empty.
He cocks his head. “I don’t quite understand— your Producer made a real point of disabusing me of the belief that he’s here for its people.” Well, person. Though Haz is aware that relationships can come in many, many forms past the physical, he just... couldn’t help that assumption, considering the circumstances.
He still doesn’t respond to that question. He’s aware of what Kiryu is trying to draw out of him. It won’t work.
“Then again... so far, I’ve only encountered the likes of him and... well. The likes of you.”
“How righteous you are!” He sounds sincerely impressed with that level of priggishness.
“No, I consider myself more of an effulgent delight. And I’ve no need to defend him. That one is more than capable of holding his ground. I’m surprised he even let you treat him so abhorrently, but I suppose he was enduring you to get a thorough feel for you. Which makes me wonder… are you perhaps here looking for someone? I’d be happy to help.”
He knows sarcasm when he hears it, but he also knows better than to acknowledge it. ( It really is such a shame for this Kiryu. Such a shame, indeed. )
"Your source informed you of our encounter— and yet he didn't apprise you of why I was visiting to begin with? How curious." He lets out a soft huff. "Then I'll have to do it in his place."
"I'm... intrigued, as to what draws a certain parallel of yours here."
the-composer:
“Ah, now that I’ve got your undivided attention…” He indulged himself a little victory giggle. “He’s actually flea free and he’s updated on his shots. He could do a lot less tomcatting about, but he cleans up very well. Sounds like you two didn’t have a very nice tete-a-tete. Not a fan of the Hanekoma species?”
"Just not a fan of deceivers and self-concerned scumbags. Like most people."
"Though yours is..." a whole different level of frustrating— "a whole different breed of degeneracy, I'll give him that much." He narrows his eyes.
"Can't the same be said of you? Are you sincerely coming to his defense?" It's such a shame....
“Ahh, Spicyki, my sources tell me you’re actually a bona fide bitch and frankly I love that for you ~ ♡“
"...Ah—" have they, now— "do you, now?"
"By the way: does your source happen to be a certain fleabag?"
@the-composer →
"You're probably stupid in other ways."
"Maybe."
"I do understand how microwaves work— and I think that's what really counts here."
For all of his many faults, he knows how to work household appliances.