the13tharcana | IC contact post for Adstringendum

[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.

[More that he'd accepted the fact long ago. But he would happily stay in Shibuya. As tempting as the rest of the world might be, Shibuya is all he truly needs.]

It wouldn't surprise me, considering what happened a couple of months ago. Maybe this will teach you a lesson in lying to people that are only looking out for your wellbeing.

...I didn't want her to worry about me, that's all.

[And this seems to happen all the time, doesn't it? Maybe he should really start being more accepting of people's help at this point. But he somehow can't help it, especially if he's getting into trouble because of his own stupidity - or should he call it curiosity? - most of the time.]

Though I guess you're right. And at least it wasn't really my fault for getting into trouble back then. Maybe I shouldn't have felt as guilty about it.

Of course. There's nothing to feel guilty about if you haven't done anything, after all.

[Even Joshua knows better than to piss off the white mage. There are two kinds of people that you just don't disrespect - those that heal you when you're sick or injured, and those that handle your food.

He hums softly, turning his head and regarding Ryoji with a somewhat thoughtful look.]

... say, Ryoji-kun. I'm a little curious about something. I thought you might be able to help me out.

[Well, Ryoji apparently still didn't know better in that regard. And getting on the bad side of the wrong people without even meaning to was evidently a hidden talent of his. His encounter with Shizuo was was a pretty recent proof to that.

Joshua's request comes unexpected, though, and all Ryoji does is look at the other curiously himself.]

Uh... sure? What is it?

[A hidden talent that, honestly, had Joshua rubbing his face in disbelief at times. Something about Ryoji must just be incredibly unlikable. Or maybe it's simply bad luck. The wrong person at the wrong time?

The look of curiosity gets a soft laugh in reply, and Joshua tilts his head a little, stepping closer.]

If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it? Or would you rather I ruin the fun?

[He'd definitely like to think it was the latter option from that list...

And oh, Josh, now you managed to get him intrigued. Whatever it was that you had in mind there, Ryoji was totally clueless about it. If anything, it only made him smile more.]

Now you're getting me curious. You wouldn't happen to need my help with pulling a prank on someone, would you?

[Funny, Joshua is thinking the same.

He's silent for a moment, giving Ryoji an almost scrutinizing glance for a moment, as if judging his outfit or making sure nothing is out of place. In reality, all it is is a bit of hesitation. Some part of him is still very unsure about this, about bothering to get this close to anyone... but a larger part of him is effectively squashing down that worry. It's nothing to worry about at all, after all!

So, without saying anything, and with little warning at all, he's just going to go for it. Pressing up on his toes to make up for the height difference between them, Ryoji will quickly find a pair of lips pressed to his! Just a simple, chaste sort of kiss, but a kiss nonetheless.]

[... He had no idea what to expect, really. And once Josh gets so close to him, it literally takes a second for Ryoji's smile to drop completely, while both his brain and his body come to a halt.

In that single instant it also hits him why Josh might have been acting so out of the ordinary this whole time, and how it's bloody Sunday, and just how could he have missed this-- ... There was an event going on, wasn't there? And Joshua was evidently being affected by it. Otherwise... he'd never do something like this...

The realization adds very little to the mixture of feelings that were overwhelming him by now, though. And now his thoughts were racing, as Ryoji tried to figure out what would be right and what would be wrong to do in a situation such as this... and whether Joshua would actually be able to forgive him for it later on.

He still hesitates for a moment more, but as those soft lips pull back... slowly, he's reaching up to Joshua's face and cups the side of his face gently, then he does the same with his second hand, and Ryoji's shifting closer himself this time, just enough so that his lips hover just inches away from Joshua's.]

Curious... hmm?

[Somewhere at the back of his mind there's still that voice telling him that he shouldn't do this. And yet... Ryoji's half-lidded eyes slowly close as he tilts his head a bit, and he leans in to try and show Josh a more proper kiss this time.]

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