compnetwork | ♪001

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♪001 | Video

[Joshua is holding his wrist out before him, smiling at the watch's camera. This thing is interesting... this whole place, really, is interesting to him. He's sitting in a cafe, with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. While aware of his need to spare the money he had for food here- after all he was practically human again- it did good to rest his nerves.]

I've been investigating this extra thirteenth hour in the day as others are calling it. It's quite interesting, really, for more reasons than one. Most interestingly... restrictions on my abilities are lifted during the Thirteenth Hour.

[In other words, he's completely human every other hour of the day, and that's incredibly frustrating.]

I'm perfectly aware that there are those here who are more experienced with this world than I am. I'd like to know more about the Thirteenth Hour, if it's possible. What exactly it is, why it exists, what effects it has on this world... Anything you can tell me~

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... Nuggle? I'm afraid I've never heard of what a 'nuggle' is before...

[Nope, sorry, he has never read the Parry Hotter series, nor any similar sounding book series.]

[Neku folds his arms across his chest.]

... Hey.

[Considering he'd had time before Joshua got here, he still hadn't gotten his thoughts together enough to be anything coherently accusatory.]

You wanted to talk? So talk. [Joshua stops about five feet in front of him, looking perfectly calm... while not actually feeling all that calm underneath. If Shiki was any indication, Neku probably wasn't going to like him any more than she did. Probably less.]

[Neku opens his mouth to say something, and then closes it. He balls his hand up into a fist, winds up, and launches a punch at Joshua's face.]

I guess the multiverse is a circle. We're so far along the circumference that we're almost back to the starting point. But it's just out of reach. But this world is populated by humans, with architecture like ours, general laws like ours... same physics, too!

Hm? Who? [he cackles a little] An Angle? I wonder if this is even out of their discipline.

[Joshua's eyes widen as Neku's fist flies at him, reacting quick enough for a thin, invisible force field to stop Neku's punch from connecting. His fist will just bounce back as if he'd hit plexiglass.

Joshua takes several steps backwards.]

That isn't talking, Neku. Violence isn't going to solve anything so here, let me start the conversation for you.

Clearly you're mad at me. I can understand that much. What I want to know, though, is why- or rather, what exactly it is that I've done to make you so angry.

An interesting theory. If we viewed it like a spectrum, you could say our universe is red and this one is violet. Similar in nature, almost side-by-side, but on completely different wavelengths.

[It surprises him a little that he knows that Angels are capable of crossing universes... how much did that Fallen Angel tell him?] I'm not sure. It might be out of my own power to even contact one, but if anyone from our universe could cross over to this universe, it'd have to be an Angel.

What you did? Really. You can't imagine what you did?

How about shooting me and dragging me into the Game? How about treating me like a pawn? How about putting a gun in my hands and trying to get me to shoot you, and then you shooting me again?

[He can't stop his voice from rising, or his body shaking from anger.]

How about trying to erase Shibuya? Or maybe, just maybe, getting me to trust you and then pretending to die, only to come back and reveal yeah, you were the one behind a lot of this stuff.

I thought you were my friend! And then you made me go through all of that, and then you forced me into a duel and shot me and...

[He takes a moment to try to breathe. All of this anger's been building up, and it's all he can do to not cry from frustration.]

... If you erase Shibuya, Composer or no I'll hunt you down from wherever I am and kick your ass. It doesn't deserve that. Other people don't deserve that.

[(Never mind that it was hard enough beating Shades... but I can't just let everyone get Erased like that!)]

Well we got here. There's no such thing as a one-way door! The target is 700 nanometers!

[Lots. And he actually listened, then] How are you gonna flag down one of those feathery functions, anyway?

[... Neku didn't know, yet, that he had spared Shibuya... Philemon, what kind of game were you playing at here, to pull Neku from that moment in time out of all others?

Joshua's face goes grim and stares Neku in the eyes, attempting to stare him down and make sure he didn't try anything. If Neku summoned a Persona against him, Joshua didn't stand a chance... not if Neku had been here for a while already and knew how to use one.]

Neku, calm down and breathe. Did you want to talk about this or were you looking to cause me as much physical harm as possible?

[He takes a step backwards, just to get some more physical space between them, and takes a deep breath. Dammit, all of this hurts to think about.]

... Start talking.

At least for you there certainly isn't, I'm sure. That's an awfully small target, though~

[Joshua wonders how much he'd be able to reveal... though knowing Sho, he probably knew more than Joshua even realized as it was.] I know one of them personally, I can contact him across universes psychically. Granted he isn't 'out of range' as it were.

[Joshua folds his arms across his chest and tilts his head.]

I'm not exactly sure where to start.... But I suppose if we're going to make this conversation as simple as possible, I'll let you in on one little fact: We happen to be from different points on our timeline. I happen to be from the future..... Two weeks ahead of your future, if I'm not mistaken.

... So what happens?

[He's not sure he wants to know. He's not sure if he even believes him. But he might as well hear what he has to say.]

Well, technically, the target is between 620 and 740 nanometers. The wavelength of red light. Or can't you keep up with your own metaphors, zero?

Ha. The Angle said that the Composer kept an Angle ally. Never said what they DID for you, though. Well maybe you can pick up on his frequency and get his asymptote over here.

I'm not sure that you'll trust me... [But he supposed it was worth a shot.] You came from just after the end of our duel, correct? We can start there...

The duel I challenged you to was a test, to see if humanity was capable of change. Not only that... [He'd wanted to see if Neku found anything worthwhile in Joshua to spare his life... and apparently he had.]

I had already made my decision on what to do with Shibuya before we'd dueled, remember? That decision was always to spare Shibuya... the real choice you had to make was whether or not I would remain its Composer.

After the duel, I returned you and your friends to life, let Shibuya continue to exist, and you didn't hear from me again.

... Do you believe me?

I think you're taking my metaphor a little too literally... Though if we really are going to equate our universe to red light, it's still quite a longshot to a small target. Especially considering the fact that 'red light' would likely consist of all of our infinite parallel universes.

If anything he'll be picking up on my frequency..... You know, this Angel friend of yours happened to know quite a lot about me. I'm curious to know exactly who your mysterious contact is~

[Neku's quiet for a long few moments as he thinks it over. He has no evidence, no reason to trust that what Joshua's saying is true. Not with all that he was put through.]

[And yet...]

... Trust your partner, right?

[It's the one thing he'd learned, over and over again. Things always seemed to get better when he could face things with someone else, instead of against them. It's still... difficult, to say the least. But there's something. And he can't let go of that one simple phrase.]

I wish I had more proof than my word.

[Joshua glances away and stays silent for a bit, in thought... As much as this wasn't his desired solution to their current problem....]

We don't have to talk to each other, if it isn't necessary. I'm trying to find a way home as it is, and I'll take you and anyone else who belongs in Shibuya with me... but otherwise we don't have to see each other anymore.

Then it's even MORE apt! There are digits here from all different kinds of worlds. Each of their worlds has their own set of parallel planes, divergent timelines. There are infinite points on this line. And I don't mean a lot, I mean actual infinity. A nanometer is actually generous, given the scale!

Ha! Like I'd tell you. I won't tell anyone. He told me what he did was zetta high treason, and I'm not low enough to sell him out.

We're talking about a figurative nanometer, Minamimoto. In actuality, yes, we are literally looking at infinite other universes where we just want one. To put universes on a spectrum is, itself, being generous.

But given that our own set of parallel universes is infinite, I suppose it isn't too much of a stretch to believe that we could at least reach our own part of the spectrum. If we can accomplish that much, finding our way back to our own original universe becomes infinitely easier.

[Hmm...] Yes, you're right, whoever the Fallen Angel is is going to suffer severe consequences for what he did. If you won't give me an inkling to his identity... how about a motive? Did he explain why he was helping you?

I doubt something like that would be on the visible light spectrum. Try 10 to 400 nanometers.

I can tell this isn't going to be easy, no matter what kind of metaphor we slap on it. Each little world and its parallel universes are... probably... separate from one another. Probably. They're the points.

[Sho has SOME morals, man; don't bite the hand that feeds you ~~and makes sure you get revived properly~~] .... Backup. He said I was backup. I asked him what he meant by that, but he wouldn't say. And that's the truth.

Since when do you know any physics at all, yoctogram?

... You're an asshole, Joshua. You're a manipulative asshole and I don't really have any good reason to trust you or take you at your word for anything.

I can't forgive you.

[... His expression softens slightly.]

But despite all of that... I do trust you. I don't think you're really as bad as you try to make people think you are deep down... or something.

And you're my...

[(I can say this word. Dammit, self. Just say it.)]

... you're my friend... despite all actual rules of logic or sense.

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♪001 | Video

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