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[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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[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.]

[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.

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!)]

[... 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.

[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.]

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?

[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.

... 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.

... Yes that does go against all sense and logic, Neku, which we need a lot more of being trapped in another universe that is completely separate from the parallel universes of our timeline. [He'd been discussing this with Sho. Cyclical infinity and whatnot.]

Your unwarranted trust is actually more disconcerting than if you were angry with me... [Wow, he actually preferred Neku to be angry with him?] Don't elevate me to the level of friend, though. I'd prefer it if we were allies.

... I can deal with that. But... look. We can't afford to waste time on bickering, I guess. We need to figure out what's going on here.

... And why the hell they decided bringing Pi-Face here was a good idea. You probably know even better than I do how much chaos he can cause.

I won't bicker with you if you don't bicker with me. I've already been working on how to get home. [With theories flying left and right, and none of them all that useful yet.]

I'm keeping Minamimoto out of trouble for now, he knows better than to cross me. The most he'll do is cause a mess, but he won't dare harm anyone. So far he's been cooperative...... as cooperative as is possible for him, anyway.

If he causes problems I can probably take him down.

[Possibly.]

At least, between me and Shiki we might be able to... I know I've at least got more power in terms of the Persona thing than he does.

He likely wouldn't start causing issues until the Thirteenth Hour when his power is unlocked, in which case I can easily take him out with my own power. But trust me, Minamimoto is anything but stupid. He won't pull a stunt like that.

He's currently fixated on a solution home, and getting himself killed is no way to reach that solution. So, like I said, cooperative... for Minamimoto.

[His eyebrows raise. Huh. He'll have to try using his pins then... though maybe it still wouldn't work unless he made a pact with Shiki. He'll have to see.]

Right.

... And what are you going to do, aside from keeping tabs on Pi-Face?

I'm with him on finding a way home. [He looks away, hands going into his pockets.] We've been discussing theories, but so far neither of us know enough to get home.

We'll all go home, okay Neku? Back to our world, to Shibuya.

Good.

[There's an awkward moment of silence.]

... I don't know if you care, but there's a couple other people here who are dead where they're from, or should be.

...Dead? [Joshua furrows a brow.] ... I'm not sure how that fits into the equation. All that it really confirms is that the god who brought us here is insanely powerful, which we already knew.

I guess, yeah.

[Hm...]

Do you think me and Shiki will need to pact to use our pins? Or will we be able to use them at all here? They weren't working before...

Did you try using them during the Thirteenth Hour? It seems as though the city turns into a temporary UG and allows access to UG-related powers, such as my abilities, Sho's Reaper powers, and likely your psychs as well.

A pact... shouldn't be necessary, but I'm not sure how this world works in comparison to ours.

They weren't working then before other people from our world showed up. I'll have to try them out.

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