✗ ✗ ✗ [ Reduction 04; Video ]

[leggierissimo]

[See Josh. See Josh sitting outside, dressed only in his shirt, his slacks, his shoes, and his scarf, with no coat or sweater in sight. His cheeks are a bit pink from the cold, contrasting sharply against his skin, but he isn't shivering

Comments

[action]

[greatcuppajoe]

[Oh hey, look who! Hanekoma's coming around the side of the house in short sleeves and sandals as usual, waving hello to Josh with his free hand. His other one is full of a brace of ex-bunnies with very large teeth.]

Hey there, J! [A sliver of a grin.] Playin' in the snow?

[action]

[leggierissimo]

[Well, well. Don't let Beat catch you, Sanae, he's being horribly motherly without Rhyme around.]

Of course. It's been a while.

[action]

[greatcuppajoe]

Sure has. Can't remember the last time snow stuck this long in Shibuya!

[He chuckles, setting the rabbits down on the top of his makeshift wood oven and chucking a log in on top of the settling coals.] It's kinda nice.

[action]

[douchecouture]

A few decades, at least.

[He leans forward, resting his chin in his hand, elbow on his knee.]

I saw something interesting a couple of days ago.

[action]

[greatcuppajoe]

Oh yeah? [His tone is just a little too casual, in the way that means he's wary; when Josh makes that face it's never a good sign.]

What was it?

[action]

[douchecouture]

A few days ago, when all of those tombstones were everywhere, I noticed something... odd, while near yours.

[He'll just let that sink in for a second. Guilty conscience yet, Sanae?]

[action]

[greatcuppajoe]

[Hanekoma's actually a little bewildered. Nearly enough to cheat and check on what Josh's thinking, but odds are that even here Josh'd catch him at it.

The one time he'd spent too long at his own tombstone, all it got him was the chance to watch an unpleasant old memory.

He picks up a handful of snow, covering for his confusion by scrubbing a few specks of rabbit blood off his fingers with it.]

Gotta admit, I'm not sure what that could be.

[action]

[douchecouture]

[Not covering it too well, from where Josh is sitting. He just continues to smile, tapping his lips with his fingertips.]

A funny thing, really. It certainly looked like you were in trouble with the higher ups.

[action]

[greatcuppajoe]

[Oh. Now he gets it, jolting and relocating into the conversation.

-- there's a disturbing implication there, if Joshua saw that at his tombstone. He's not concerned with that, though; what happens, happens -- he's more worried about what obviously came with the revelation.]

Oh, I am. [Silent for a moment.] So it came with the whole explanation, huh.

[action]

[douchecouture]

It did.

[Now, he'll actually stand, making it look like he's just stretching his legs.]

It's been one hundred and forty years, Sanae. I didn't take you as one to break such a strong bond of trust. I suppose I don't really know you, then, do I?

[action]

[greatcuppajoe]

It's not something I did lightly, Josh. [He's meeting Joshua's gaze evenly, though something about the corners of his eyes suggests a wince.] Nor somethin' I enjoyed.

Destroying the District was an unacceptable outcome.

[action]

[leggierissimo]

Obviously.

[Though whether that's an answer to the first comment or the second, he won't say.]

Though, I suppose it turned out for the best in the end.

[action]

[greatcuppajoe]

[Hanekoma sighs.] Yeah, somehow.

For what it's worth, Josh? I'm sorry I let things go so far. ['Sorry' doesn't begin to cover it... but he can't honestly apologize for the assassination attempt. The situation, though: that he bitterly regrets. Worst he's done on the job for a long, long time.]

[action]

[douchecouture]

I suppose I'm just lucky that I picked the right person as my proxy.

[Because if they hadn't been able to handle that Taboo Noise... well, who knows who's hands Shibuya would be in right now.]

To think, the whole time you were helping me out, you were plotting behind my back. How devious of you.

[action]

[greatcuppajoe]

That's the truth. [Taboo Noise entirely aside, if Neku hadn't gotten Josh broken out of his spiral, things would've ended a lot worse.

He just shrugs in response to Joshua's last comment. He doesn't feel like defending himself. Besides, from a certain point of view, it's nearly a compliment.]

[action]

[douchecouture]

[Ah, but that's something that even Josh isn't willing to admit just yet. Even though he knows that it's true, he won't speak a word about it.]

So, what are you going to do?