the13tharcana | IC contact post for Adstringendum

[Now that was... a bit unexpected. Maybe not the message regarding the meeting itself, but the enthusiasm Josh seemed to be full of while contacting him like that, definitely. Did something good happen?

Either way, Ryoji's comes to their usual meeting spot way before noon. He can't help but wonder if there is some kind of particular reason for Josh wanting to see him, or whether he just wants to hang out, like always. Whatever the case is, he is looking forward to either.

He waves at Josh once he's close enough to see him.]

Good morning! Or good afternoon, more like it.

[He's just feeling unusually chipper today! And he's rather in the mood for some company. Especially from such a close friend.

Joshua is sitting on the railing of the bridge when Ryoji arrives - early, excellent! - but upon spotting his friend, he hops down, expression a rather bright smile.]

Ryoji-kun~! So nice to see you!

[No, really, for a moment there the whole eagerness makes him pause inwardly and wonder whether Pink wasn't trying to pull some kind of prank on him. But he was pretty sure... this was Josh. There was no mistake this was Josh.

Ryoji blinks, returning the smile eagerly.]

You seem to be in a particularly good mood today, Joshua-senpai. Did something nice happen?

[Of course it's him! It couldn't possibly be his counterpart. He isn't nearly that cynical.]

Not that I can think of. I'm just happy to be spending time with such a close friend~

Oh. Alright, then.

[He's still blinking for a moment there, as if to make sure there wasn't some kind of catch behind it all. But Joshua really did seem to be honest with what he was saying. How unusual.

...A really nice kind of unusual.]

Would you like to go somewhere? Or should we stay here?

[As honest as you'll get out of him. Which... is probably saying something, considering how he normally is.

Joshua slides his hands into his pockets, still smiling, but tipping his head a little in thought.]

It doesn't matter to me. What would you like to do?

[Okay, no, Josh, really, you honestly woke up at the right side of the bed today or something? Because Ryoji was pretty sure it wasn't his birthday today.]

You shouldn't be asking me such questions, haha.

[And that was totally a joke, but the obvious implication was still there.]

We could go someplace, if you're up for it.

[Actually, he woke up feeling kind of lonely. But this was definitely doing the job of fixing that!]

Why not? It sounds like you've made your mind up anyway.

[Smiiiling.]

Lead the way.

[It's just an idea he's gotten, since Josh asked, really. Ryoji simply realized he hasn't been there in a while. And even though it was a pretty recognizable place as far as the whole city was concerned, and Joshua probably knew or heard of it at some point, he's never been there with the other on his own like this before.]

Let's go, then~ It's not that far away from here.

[Remember that particular waterfall that appeared here after the earthquake in January? That's exactly where Ryoji was taking you, Josh.]

[No one ever said that Joshua's sense for adventure was lacking. And while a walk is a tedious thing, especially while it's warm out... he's willing to make the walk, because he has company.

And he's not actually reading your mind! So he has no idea where they're going. This will be a huge surprise.]

[As they make their way towards their destination, shortly a faint buzzing sound of falling water can be heard, and it gets louder and louder as they go on, so that may already give Josh a clue. The air around here is a bit more humid, so it's not as warm here by default.

...Hopefully you won't complain if your hair catches a bit of moisture like this, Josh. Soon, there's a pretty big waterfall standing right before them.

This place was actually where Ryoji met with Okita a while back, after the other disappeared and came back to Adstring overnight, wounded and blood dripping from his side. This is also where Ryoji told him that he wouldn't mind being Souji's blood donor, and the memories rushed back to him as he turned to look at the falls before them. But if Josh wasn't reading his mind, he wouldn't be able to catch upon any of it.]

Have you been here yet?

[Of course, the closer they get, the easier it is for Joshua to pick up on the sound of the waterfall! It's been a while since he's come here, but... honestly, it's one of his favorite places to be. The closest thing to a waterfall that Shibuya has is part of the drainage conduit that the Shibuya River has been turned into.

The breeze from the falling water sets a few strands of hair fluttering. He's not even worried about the mist in the air. He can deal with a little humidity.]

Once or twice.

So it's not that much of a surprise for you...

[And here he wished it would be... Oh well, it was a nice place to hang out around, either way.]

But I guess it's only to be expected that we're slowly running out of places to discover.

[Seeing as they've both been here for a while now.]

Oh, no. It did surprise me. After all, I had no idea where we were going.

[See, Ryoji? He's putting a positive spin on it, at least.

He steps over a little closer to the waterfall, closing his eyes, letting the mist hit his face.]

Had you ever seen a waterfall before coming here, Ryoji-kun?

[Well, Ryoji can't help but smile at that. And as Joshua approaches the water, he follows suit, standing just a little further away. But instead of concentrating on the waterfall, he finds himself staring at the other boy instead.]

Now that you mention it... There was a waterfall in the open-air hot springs I've been to during my school trip in Kyoto.

[Then there's an amused chuckle as he's evidently trying to remember it. Not only the scenery itself, but everything that happened during his stay there. The 'sneaking upon the girls' part included.]

But that one was really tiny compared to this one. I'm not even sure one could label that one as an actual waterfall.

[Not surprising. And today, he doesn't seem to mind! Maybe he's just gotten used to the idea already.]

Mm, how lucky. I hadn't been to a hot springs for quite some time before coming here.

[Mostly because the closest one to him back at home is well outside of Shibuya's limits, but.]

This place just seems to be full of firsts, doesn't it?

But you've been to one before, so it still counts, right? How long ago was it?

[He's simply curious, really! And he question just makes his smile widen.]

For me, definitely. [Which was probably more than understandable.] I somehow have a hard time imagining that's also the case for you, though.

[Then again, if Josh had indeed died at the age of nineteen... Ryoji has no idea how his life as the Composer looked like, overall. And now with the topic brought up, it kind of makes him wonder.]

Oh... about 145 years ago.

[Not even bothering to lie about that one. Ryoji already knows how old he is, so there isn't much of a point. ... he isn't going to mention that fifteen minutes into the visit, he'd fainted from the heat, but.]

There's a lot here that I never really got to experience back home. The geography in Shibuya isn't all that diverse, I'm afraid.

So I was right in assuming you visited those while you were still alive...

[And really, Ryoji has a hard time imagining what that needed to feel like. He was kind of in awe that Josh remembered something like this in the first place, considering it happened such a long time ago.]

I could say the same about Iwatodai, so I think I understand what you mean. And if you put it like that, I guess this place is able to pull a surprise or two every once in a while even for someone like you, after all.

[And it wasn't just about the geography. It was also about the events and about all the different kinds of people that appeared here, putting together one huge mix of potential surprises for everyone. Nobody had something like this back home.]

Too bad there are no hot springs here, huh.

Only once. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, and it was a distance from home anyway.

[He has a good memory. Sometimes, things mesh together... but a moment of sorting things out usually does the trick. The human mind isn't naturally meant to hold a century and a half of memories. Not that he's a normal human anymore, but.]

This place has quite a few surprises, really! For example, back at home, I never would have been able to experience the Great Wall in person, or any of the other fine ruins that have been transported here.

[... though he has to agree. It is about much more than just geography and structures.]

Oh, there is. Have you never been to the clinic?

[Well, if it was something unpleasant to talk about, Ryoji wasn't about to ask further.]

So... am I to understand you couldn't distance yourself from Shibuya once you got bound to it?

[Because the same thing would happen that was happening here? Plus the fact that time wouldn't stand still in the city back home. And Ryoji already knew what that meant, with Josh not being the only one interested in the whole Composer position.]

...There are hot springs at the clinic? [...And just how did he miss this kind of fact?]

[Only because it's somewhat embarrassing. If not for that little tidbit, he wouldn't be concerned at all.]

That's right. Abandon the throne, and it's free for anyone to take over.

[It isn't his favorite thing to think about, honestly. Leaving the position open to be snatched up beneath his feet... He'd rather just go ahead and Ascend, if he was going to willingly do that.]

Of course. Well, behind it, but I digress. [Where do you think he bathes, Ryoji?]

[You knew him a bit by now, Josh. Ryoji would find something like that way more worrying than embarrassing, really.]

Well, you couldn't leave, but you were still happy with it, weren't you?

[And like Ryoji already said, Josh could try to enjoy his time here precisely because of that fact, at least. Even if he understood that it was something hard to accomplish by now.]

...Now I need to check those out. Preferably when Unohana-san isn't around. [Well, there was the lake right next to the Greek Houses, so Ryoji somehow didn't bother looking for any alternatives himself...]

[Yet another reason for not talking about it. It isn't that big of a deal, anyway.]

I wouldn't have it any other way, to be honest.

[He's definitely enjoying the bit of freedom that this place allows. Even if he's limited in the places and things he can see... it's definitely worthwhile. Although, too much of a good thing...]

Ah? Why when she isn't around? Don't tell me you're afraid of her, Ryoji-kun.

[Which pretty much meant that Josh was well aware of what he wanted and was content with it. Yet another feat Ryoji couldn't help but find admirable.]

I think Masaomi-kun expressed it pretty well once. Like, when you sometimes say that people can give you the evil eye? She definitely does that with both.

[He chuckles, because it doesn't sound any less ridiculous coming from his own lips.]

But really, it's not like I'm afraid of her or anything! [He so was afraid of her.] It's just that if I had a choice in the matter, I'd rather not run into her. Especially after what happened last time...

I'm somehow convinced that I'm still on her black list for lying to her back then.

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