the13tharcana | IC contact post for Adstringendum

[Ryoji managed to calm down a whole lot himself in the meantime. The slight unease was still there, but at least the tension and nervousness managed to subdue almost completely. He kept telling himself that there was nothing to be scared of. And simply talking about it wouldn't do anybody any harm.]

I am positive about it. Because if there's anything I managed to figure out in all of Adstringendum until now, it's this.

[There's a smile appearing on Ryoji's lips all of a sudden as he turns to look at the sky. He extends a hand in its direction as well, looking almost... proud, for some reason.]

Or at least it seems to work in my case. I'm not sure if it applies to everyone else. Not to such an extent, at least.

[Of course there wasn't anything to be afraid of. This was Joshua, after all. Joshua wouldn't hurt him. The worst he could say is "no", and... well, he'd already said that, in a sense, hadn't he? So there really wasn't anywhere else it could go in the direction of being worse.]

How are you so sure?

[It's genuinely curious, and Joshua glances back, watching Ryoji. Unless Ryoji had tried it before, he honestly wasn't sure how you could make such a claim.]

It's a bit difficult to put into words, but... Basically, when I was still a Shadow, my whole existence was connected with the Universe. And even now, after becoming human, I still haven't lost that link.

[Yup. Nutcases all around you, Josh.]

Have you ever heard of something called the law of attraction, Joshua-senpai? How people's thoughts have the power to bend reality, given the right circumstances? I've experienced it happening back in my world, and I feel it happening here as well. People just don't even seem to realize it.

[If it wasn't for this law, then Ryoji most probably wouldn't be here to begin with, actually. Though he'd definitely be happier about the whole fact if it wasn't people's self-destructive thoughts that managed to do the trick here, drawing Nyx down to the Earth and all.]

In other words... I can't really explain it, but this is something I simply know I have influence on. Because the Universe is still answering to me in that regard. I won't leave this place, for as long as I'll wish to stay here.

[Ryoji had no idea if Josh would even believe him or get any of it, actually. But at least he tried to explain it somehow. Aaand... yeah. He told himself not to be leaving out the most important detail out of all of this. It was what made all of this work in the first place, after all.]

And sorry Joshua-senpai, but... my wish to stay by your side is stronger than anything else I have ever wished for. It's not even something I have influence on anymore.

[Oh, no. Joshua believed him. Really, it wasn't too odd a concept. After all, he's fairly certain that if he told someone he could communicate with a city - not the people in it, but the city itself - they would think he was crazy, too.

After all, his own mother had forbid him as a child to talk about seeing 'ghosts' and 'demons', just so Joshua wouldn't be labeled insane.

Another moment of silence passed as Ryoji finished speaking. ... somehow, these same words didn't have the same impact that they had a couple of months ago, when he'd first heard something like them. Not quite as surprising, not anywhere near as startling or upsetting... was he becoming used to this? Already?

He laughed.]

Well, aren't you the lucky one, then.

[Josh... Ryoji kind of expected you to freak out. Or stay silent. Or simply look at him funny. Not laugh. And definitely not say something like that.

Not that it wasn't a pleasant surprise. Aside from... being a little bit confusing, perhaps.]

On which part? Having the Universe listening to me or not having any influence on my wishes anymore? Because it can definitely get tricky with the second part there, if you ask me.

[Oh Ryoji, you couldn't possibly think that you're the only one capable of surprises. Just because you managed to catch Joshua off guard a time or two...

Joshua's laughing slowed into a soft chuckle, and he turned on the railing, now facing the same direction as Ryoji, propping his elbow on his knee once more and turning to watch him.]

Having the Universe listen to you. If we all had the conscious decision to stay or go, I think this place would be a lot less pessimistic.

[The shift made Ryoji turn to look in Joshua's direction this time as well. But the moment he noticed that the other boy was already staring back at him-- he literally froze in place. And whatever it was that he actually wanted to say...]

Ah, well...

[...What were they talking about just now again?]

[Alright. He definitely couldn't hold back a little bit of soft laughter at that. Really, Ryoji... you must have it so terribly bad for him, to be left nearly speechless just by him turning to look at you.

... oddly, this kind of control felt... nice.

He slipped down from his perch, landing gracefully on his feet and slipping one hand into his pocket. With an easy little smile, he stepped over to Ryoji, looking down at him in careful consideration for just a second or two.]

You aren't worried anymore, are you?

[His immediate thought was that Josh managed to fish out something from his thoughts. And if that laugh wasn't enough of an indication, the moment the other boy moved and started approaching him - or was he about to leave? - it made him freak out on the inside even more.]

...Worried?

[...Oh. --OH. Oh god, Josh, why were you staring at him and smirking like that? This was just like his conversation with Hanekoma all over again. Josh, you knew Ryoji was lying from the start, and you were just going along with it all this time, weren't you?

He seriously wanted to bury his face in his knees for the little comfort that would give. But he knew that wouldn't really fix anything. And really, what was the point in hiding from someone who could read your thoughts like from an open book? Ryoji was pretty much cornered from the moment he'd come here.]

Okay, I admit... I wasn't completely honest with you earlier. This isn't actually about anyone leaving, nor dying, nor...

[And then there was a defeated sigh as Ryoji's gaze traveled away from Josh all of a sudden.]

...It's about me. Or about you, depending on how you look at it, I suppose.

[... actually, he hadn't noticed that Ryoji was lying at all. Which was the strange part - normally, he would have picked up on that from the beginning. But with Ryoji... he found he had to remind himself to look at his thoughts. Somehow, he'd come to enjoy the little surprises. And this was certainly one of those surprises.

When Ryoji admitted what the actual problem was, Joshua at least had the decency to appear a little surprised by it. Admittedly, the reason why Ryoji was upset didn't surprise him in the least, considering how much Ryoji seemed to take this seriously.

He tilted his head, tapping his fingers against his thigh.]

Go on.

[Ryoji... stayed silent for a longer moment there after that, though. Becuase it was definitely easier said than done. And the fact that Josh was still staring at him... wasn't really helping.

...Oh, well. Here went nothing.]

Well... you've told me before that these things tend to fade, right? So I kind of clinged to the fact that might be the case, and... concentrated on staying friends with you, because that's what you wanted. I didn't mind that, either. I was happy to be able to spend time with you just like that, anyway.

[Inhale, Ryoji. Exhale.]

But... Those feelings didn't fade. If anything, they've only gotten worse. Even if it didn't really bother me at first... But lately, I've started to have a hard time dealing with it myself, I guess.

Hence why I... Well, I just figured I could try giving both of us a bit of space. Before I became roo much of a bother and before things got even more out of hand.

[There's a pause there as a slight frown makes its way to Ryoji's face. Josh might also notice... a faint blush if he looks hard enough.]

Especially after that last text I have sent you... I mean-- aren't you still mad at me for that?

[... so those feelings hadn't faded. He'd been hoping they would, honestly - that way, he wouldn't have to deal with how incredibly awkward the situation was all around. He'd been hoping. Unfortunately, fate just didn't see fit to listen to what he wanted.

But at the same time, with the space Ryoji had tried to give... he'd found himself missing the near-daily bugging.

Even if the last time had included a few words he... didn't really want to hear.]

I see.

[Joshua brought his fingers to his lips, glancing off to the side and looking... rather indifferent, considering.

He still didn't want anything like this. He didn't want to become attached. This wasn't his city. He didn't intend on staying here. And while Hanekoma had told him to "enjoy the moment"... friendships, any sort of relationships here were too unstable. You never knew which moment would be your last with any given person, and while that was true both here and in his own world... here, people would return and not remember a thing about you.

He understood Hanekoma's urging. He understood the entire concept. He'd already taken it to heart a little in this place, had already begun to branch out and forge friendships, even if most of those were forged without much say on his part...

And Ryoji had just proven wrong his thoughts of being worried of someone leaving. Well, in Ryoji's own case, anyway. Provided that was actually how things would work.

Joshua let out a little sigh, rubbing his hand over his face and continuing to look away.]

It's been far too quiet this week.

[... that was the closest he would get to admitting he'd missed Ryoji.]

[Well, that... wasn't really what Ryoji expected to hear. All of a sudden, he found the whole tension leaving him. Because even after spilling his heart out like that, Josh didn't tell him to get lost, and wasn't leaving yet, either. ...Even if he didn't deny being mad about the text thing. But then again, he also didn't say that he was.

And-- Well, the answer made him chuckle, albeit softly, and it was probably easy to notice that Ryoji seemed both happy and... perhaps a bit confused all of a sudden.]

...Does that mean that it's actually okay for me to keep on bothering you?

[Looks like both of them are full of surprises, hm?

Of course Joshua wasn't mad about it. It had made him feel... a bit uneasy at the time - alright, maybe more than just a bit, considering just how many times he had refused to answer - but he wasn't angry.

He smiled, chuckling and tilting his head, finally glancing back at Ryoji with a little wave of his hand.]

I can't put a stop to it, so why not?

[Full of surprises, indeed.

Though truth to be told, the biggest surprise of it all - this small confession aside - was probably the fact that Josh had called him out here in the first place. Because that alone showed that Ryoji wasn't... indifferent to him? That Joshua cared about him, at least to some extent? That thought alone...

And putting a stop to it? You could if you wanted to, and you knew it, Josh. They both knew it. If leaving you alone would make you happy, then... But it wouldn't, would it? Not anymore, at least... huh.

Ryoji closed his eyes, a small satisfied smile lingering on his lips.]

I guess you're stuck with me, then.

[Oh, he was quite aware that he could put a stop to it. But, over the last several months, he'd come to enjoy Ryoji's company. There wasn't anyone in Adstringendum quite like Ryoji, nor anyone that understood his views on... well, pretty much everything.

No, it wouldn't make him happy to not have Ryoji to talk to. Not at all.]

I suppose so~

[Joshua hummed softly, managing to sound slightly amused as he did so. For a moment, he glanced up to the sky, pondering... but while Ryoji's eyes were still closed... hm.

Carefully, he leaned down, a mischievous little smile spreading across his face. He moved in until his lips were inches from Ryoji's, and whispered softly:]

Stop worrying so much, or you'll end up having a heart attack~

[And to top it all off, he pressed a brief kiss to Ryoji's cheek before quickly pulling back, smiling like he were holding back laughter.]

[Well... Josh was apparently careful enough for Ryoji not to notice him getting so close at first. Not until the other boy spoke, anyway. So it probably wasn't much of a surprise that when that whisper reached his ears, Ryoji was taken a bit off-guard.

--And then, he was taken totally off guard.]

[For a moment there, Ryoji just... stared. At Josh. Wide-eyed. And blinked. And then blinked some more, as if trying to figure out what the hell just happened.]

[...No, really. What. ..........What?!]

[...Josh, you-- didn't. You just didn't--]

[Okay, okay. He was calm. Perfectly calm! Life was beautiful and nothing hurt! And he totally wasn't a confused puddle of goo right now. These kind of things--

--shouldn't be affecting him this much.

...Yeah, they probably wouldn't. If this was anyone else but Josh. Haha... ha...]

[--But no, no, there needed to be a logical explanation for all of this.

Either Joshua has done it just to cheer him up. For which... he should be thankful, he supposed. Even if... he'd be on the verge of telling the other not to do that ever again, if this was the case.

Then there was the possibility that Josh was simply trying to tease him. ...For which he should probably punch him in the face right now. ...Only that-- you know, he'd never do that.

And the last option?

Well...]

[Oh hey, Josh. Ryoji was kind of staring at you now. And he was kind of, sort of... smirking.]

...Joshua-senpai?

[The way he's called out the name had a both questioning and teasing tone to it. As if Ryoji were to just ask something by the lines of 'did something change?' or 'what was that just now?' and 'how am I to interpret this?']

Edited 2012-07-04 16:15 (UTC)

[Honestly, it was growing increasingly more difficult to hold the laughter in, watching Ryoji go through that myriad of faces. It wasn't hard to predict Ryoji's reaction at all, really. Of course he'd expected Ryoji to panic a little.

But he hadn't quite expected that little smirk at the end.

No matter! Joshua didn't falter one bit. Instead, he slid his hands into his pockets, amusement settling into a smug little smile. He could hear the silent questioning in Ryoji's tone of voice, but for now... he wasn't going to answer.]

You worry too much, Ryoji-kun.

[Avoiding his question now, Josh, were we? Now Ryoji had even more reason to get suspicious. And the way you were smiling at him? Did you actually want for him to get confused by this, Josh?

Just what kind of game were they playing here? ...Because - okay, basically? From what Ryoji understood, at least? Josh just showed that he didn't mind his advances anymore. And instead of finding them disturbing, he even started to bite back himself. Now if this wasn't supposed to give him ideas...

Yeah, all in all, maybe the other boy did have some kind of point with the whole 'worrying too much' thing. And Ryoji couldn't help but chuckle, amused by all of it all of a sudden.]

Do I?

[Hey, this actually managed to put a smile back on his lips. Well, Josh, if getting Ryoji's mood back on track was your intention all along, you could definitely consider yourself victorious.]

Thank you for calling me out here today.

Edited 2012-07-04 22:42 (UTC)

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[offline] 1/7 ...because of reasons |D

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[offline] ...and done xD

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