009 ★ Video

[unbreaker]

[School has let out for the day by the time this broadcast goes up. You can tell because Josuke hasn't changed out of his uniform. (Never mind Heropa High doesn't require uniforms. Or the fact that Josuke wears his uniform a lot.) He's seated cross-legged on the carpeted floor of his bedroom which, for those of you who know that it's usually overrun with animals, happens to be curiously quiet today.]

So, uh...

[He raises his right hand and scratches lightly at his chin.]

I guess it's been sort of a while since I had anything to say on the Network? Sorry about that.

[It's really weird thinking he hasn't made a post for a couple of months. Not that he hasn't been around on other peoples', driving them nuts by pushing their buttons. In fact, one of those people is even responsible for Josuke feeling the need to make this post!]

Anyway, I actually got a couple of things I wanna talk about today! First up, Veterans Day just passed...we don't celebrate that back home, but we got Self-Defense Force Day and it's pretty much the same thing. You know, for remembering the people we've lost to wars. I figured since we're fightin' a war and we've had casualties, too—lost people either due to the fighting or the Porter—we deserve a way to remember 'em by. So, uh...I set up a message board for doing just that.

[Briefly, Josuke leans forward to take up his comm and tap out a LINK that soon appears onscreen for everybody to access. The comm's set back down again in front of him, then. Probably on a stack of school textbooks and homework he'll forget to do until five minutes before class Monday.]

If you got people you miss who aren't here no more, check it out. You can say something about 'em, or say what you'd have said if you'd been given a chance to say goodbye.

The other thing is, and it's pretty important, too... [Josuke's eyes narrow, his expression becoming serious.] ...even if Halloween did just pass, there's been more talk of fear lately than I think's healthy for anyone. Especially 'cause there hasn't been as much talk in circulation about how to overcome our fears.

I'm not an expert, but I do know the first step to owning your own fears is not running from 'em. It's not supposed to be easy, so don't get discouraged if at first you feel like it's gonna be impossible. I promise, it's not. Take a look around you and see how many people you got supporting you? A whole imPort community, some of 'em probably from your home. You can do this. And this is how.

[This is it, this is what this post has been building up to.

Josuke's gaze flicks to the side, towards something off screen, and while he tries to keep his expression militant, it's obvious in the arch of his brows and the faint grimace curling his lips that he doesn't want to do this. And why? Well, because he's afraid.

Afraid of the turtle he suddenly scoops up and holds out in view of the camera. Its little feet waggle nonthreatening in thin air and, as its tiny head slowly pokes around from left to right, it's clear that it's trying to make sense of what's going on.]

You just gotta...reach out and grab your fears with both hands. L-like so. And tell 'em, "You don't got me! I got you."

[Because he really looks like he's got this, right? But at least he's trying!]

A-and that's how you do it!

[Now, uh...how does he turn off the broadcast without looking like he's in too much of a hurry to set the turtle back down again? Looks like using his toes will have to suffice!]

Comments

[oceanthief]

But...how else would you get them? They don't just show up on their own.

[also what the fuck is a kid, don't you morons come out fully formed and ready to serve the glorious gem empire.]

1/2

[unbreaker]

You mean you don't know?

2/2

[unbreaker]

Wait! I'm not being the one to give you the talk!

[oceanthief]

[THIS ISN'T THE ONLY TALK SHE HASN'T HAD YET JOSUKE YOU'RE RIGHT TO TRY AND FUCK OFF OF THIS ONE]

I...what's there to talk about? You're not making any sense.

[unbreaker]

It's nothing! Nothing, forget it!

What were we even talking about before all this, anyway? I forget, but I'm sure I was trying to get around to asking you to hang out again sometime!

1/2

[oceanthief]

[do you see this, Josuke? this is the longest, flattest stare you have probably ever received from someone this little. and it is staring right through your bullshit and into your soul.]

[oceanthief]

[luckily for you, Lapis decides to fade back into passivity on this one and let the subject die an ignoble death. somehow she has the feeling that the conversation isn't one that she actually wants to have.


seriously though, what is there to talk about? she knows damn well how a Kindergarten functions and there's no way you get more of a species without it.]

Are you sure?

[sure that was the intended goal or sure he wants to hang out with her again? impossible to tell.]

[unbreaker]

[Maybe one day they'll have one of those bizarro conversations from Hell, but not today. Definitely...definitely not today.]

I'm pretty sure. I think?

[Wait, what's she asking if he's sure about? It's hard to be sure when he doesn't know!]

We haven't hung out recently. [And he wants to give her a reason to value her time on Earth, right? So hanging out together is a good place to start.] We should totally change that. Maybe, I dunno...we could see about going canoeing?

[oceanthief]

[you could always explain to her that humans need to breathe in water sometime. that would be so much better than the reproductive system.]

...canoeing?

[ok, no, she's hit her limit of questions for one conversation. she's going to have to suss this one out on her own. she can do it! surely it can't be...that hard...

fucking hell, what the shit is canoeing supposed to be. what does canoe even mean as a verb? it barely sounds like a real word fuck these humans and their stupid made-up bullshit.

no, come on, get it together Lazuli!! if you wait too long he's totally going to know that you don't know! CONQUER SOCIAL REQUESTS DRIVE THEM BEFORE YOUR FEET YOU CAN DO IT GIRL]

If you want to, I guess.

[N A I L E D I T]

[unbreaker]

[...she totally has no idea what canoeing is.]

Um.

[Well, that's okay, because Josuke's never gone canoeing before and he'd probably tip the fucking boat anyway, so...]

Actually, I was kind of hoping maybe we could do something you like doing? What do you do in your spare time?

[oceanthief]

[if anything, the question just means that Lapis has dug herself even further into a hole. now not only is it obvious she had no idea what he was asking her, but now she's expected to talk about her interests. interests that...don't really exist.

fuuuuuuuuuck.

if anything, she looks even more out to sea without a life vest right now. Lapis makes one last stab at saving herself, taking refuge in the tried and true strategy of extreme passivity. maybe he'll go for it.]

No, really, it's fine if you choose.

[unbreaker]

I can't choose, I don't know what you like!

[oceanthief]

It's fine if I don't like it. [she looks away from the camera nervously, then finally gives in and admits:] I don't really do much.

[unbreaker]

[Josuke stares at her quietly for a moment, pondering the truth of her admission. Finally, he figures she's probably not lying to him...if only because she has no reason to lie about this. Which makes things kind of awkward, because how can she not do much? There are so many hours in a day, doesn't she get bored?]

Oh, well...

[He still really wants to get her all brushed up on Earth's comedy, but it seems more important now to just get her out and about in general. Doing, you know, all sorts of fun activities. That way she can actually find out what it is she enjoys doing the most.]

...you wanna go rollerskating?

[Yes, with four wheels. Fuck rollerblades, man.]

[oceanthief]

[she can not do very much by virtue of not really liking this planet and honestly not caring about it enough to let her natural curiosity spur her into investigating more. after spending thousands of years in a prison, it's pretty easy to fall back into that isolation again.]

Is that...what it sounds like?

[rolling on skates??? is this correct this time??????]

[unbreaker]

Yeah, but you're not sounding too keen on that suggestion, either...

[Which is a little disappointing, because that at least he can do and he likes to think they could have fun doing together. But maybe there'd be too many people for her tastes?

...so, he's got another idea.]

Forget rollerskating. How about I surprise you with something else, instead? It'll be nice, I promise.

[oceanthief]

[don't feel too bad, Josuke, it's difficult to get her sounding excited for pretty much anything if she's not mad. that's just the way Lapis is now - as much as it upsets her herself. this was nowhere close to the gem she used to be before being locked in that godforsaken mirror.]

That's fine.

[and she sounds like she's even leaning towards the positive side of neutral with that affirmation. hooray for not having to make a decision on the spot!]

You can't really pick anything worse that I haven't seen on earth already, so...I trust you.

[that's not. really all that much of an encouragement, but Lapis is trying. she is trying really hard.]

[unbreaker]

[On the contrary, hearing that she trusts him...puts confidence back into Josuke's smile and warmth in his eyes. Trust is a precious thing, and trust is something he never wants to break. He'll be careful with hers, especially as she doesn't seem like the sort of person to readily trust just anybody.

So...what he's got in mind? He'll be taking extra care with arranging it. And keeping his fingers crossed that the other party he needs to agree to help out will actually do just that.]

...alright, I won't let you down.

[oceanthief]

[that's an expression that Lapis has become familiar with recently. she'd seen it on Steven's face before, on Naruto's here, on Tara's before she'd been taken away...

it's so strange. people keep looking at her like that and Lapis really has no idea what could possibly have caused it. while she's incredibly leery of simply handing out her trust, she doesn't hold any pretensions that it's some sort of treasure that people are questing after. there's not much about her that could make someone else so pleased, and yet here she was again.

he can't see it, of course, but her bare feet tangle up in each other in a physical manifestation of her confusion...and maybe a little happiness, too.]

I don't think you will.

[her expectations are nonexistent, after all. but that seems like something she shouldn't say - maybe she is learning a little bit about talking to people.]