neverplaysfair | Game 057 [Action]

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Game 057 [Action]

(( Backdated to yesterday ))

[ Normally Joshua would poll the audience on his anniversary, but this year, he gets a bit distracted. You see, a collection of spray paints has shown up in the store, so Joshua is taking the opportunity to make off with all of them.

Or, trying to. His bag sort of breaks, so at some point between the store and 39 you might find a spray paint can rolling towards you with a Joshua chasing after it. ]

Grab that for me...!

[ Alternatively later in the day you can find him adding another mural to the back of his house to accompany the ones to either side. As it slowly takes shape it reveals itself as a cityscape, viewed from a very high angle.

Four years. What he wouldn't give to be home right now... ]

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I preferred things at home. I would have done something about it otherwise.

That's one of the few things truly disappointing about this place. The ability to change one's situation is more limited than anything I'm used to. In the end, we are just a small village trapped in a bubble. There's only so much to be done with it.

Somehow, it feels kind of weird to hear you say that. [Shinji sounds vaguely amused. He didn't know him very well, really, and he was fine with that, but still, it wasn't the kind of thing he'd have expected him to say.] But I understand. There's only so much you can really do for yourself here.

Indeed. This place will change plenty for you, but when it comes to bringing your own change... it's much more limited.

Which is why I'm painting now.

Because it's your own change?

[He repeats it because it sounds a little weird to him, but he thinks he gets it.]

Because I'm bored. Hee hee.

[ Though Shinji did get it right. ]

[He snorts quietly. Of course he would say something like that.]

I guess that's enough of a reason. You seem too complicated for simple reasoning like that, though.

Mmm, but do I also seem complicated enough to give you what might only seem to be a simple reason?

Of course. [The way he says it, it's almost like it should be obvious.] I never really know what kind of answer I'm going to get from you.

Isn't it more fun that way? It means we'll never have a dull conversation, after all. If there's one thing you could count on, it's that I won't stick to the expected.

I don't know, it's not really fun when you're just confused all the time.

[But he's kind of teasing when he says that, because really, it doesn't matter all that much to him. A conversation's a conversation, right?]

Mmm, I wouldn't call myself confusing. But I suppose I have a different perspective.

Yeah, because you actually know what you mean. But I guess you're right, at least the conversations aren't usually boring.

I'd certainly hope at least that much held true for both of us. After all, if I'm both boring and confusing, what good would a conversation with me be at all?

W-well, I don't know about that. [He looks away a bit awkwardly. He wasn't so sure it was true for both of them. Maybe Shinji wasn't confusing, but he was sure he was boring.] But it's either that, or I start learning how to paint.

[And that's definitely not going to happen!]

Do you want to?

[ DON'T BE SO SURE, SHINJI. Though admittedly Josh might not be the best person to learn from, in no way is that going to stop him from offering. ]

[Shinji shakes his head.]

I-I'll pass. [He almost leaves it at that, but then—] It's not that I haven't tried. It's just, uh... not really for me.

[Maybe the fact that he tried because Haruhi made him had something to do with it.]

Did you accidentally paint your cat? Hee hee.

What? [He raises an eyebrow, frowning.] N-no, of course not! It is kind of messy, though. And when I tried, I didn't know what to paint.

Whatever comes to mind. Or if you're a sentimental sort, whatever's in your heart. Once you get started, it's easy to keep going.

[Huh... He looks over at the painting again, a thoughtful look on his face.]

Then what's this? Sentimental, or just something that came to mind?

A little bit of homesickness.

[ Joshua turns back to his work and takes a step back to get a better view. ]

This is the city where I used to live. It was one of my favorite views.

[Shinji's eyes widen a little, as if the explanation suddenly gives the image a different meaning. He'd kind of had a feeling that it was meaningful somehow, but admitting that it was homesickness... Something like that wasn't usually easy, was it?]

It's so different from here. No wonder you miss it.

From a few hundred thousand people to a few hundred. It was certainly a change. I've managed to keep the memory of it just fine, but for all the advantages of this place, I'd much rather be there than here.

Even if there are good things about this place, it's just not the same. [He could accept that now. No more unnecessarily conflicted feelings, at least for now.] But a view like that... I bet it would be pretty hard to forget, no matter what kinds of things happen here.

Perhaps. But time takes all memories eventually. It's just what we do about it that decides how quickly or slowly it happens.

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