💣 003 | audio

[devoutish]

Yeah. This Christmas thing. It's just fucking over the top, innit? You do know we're barely into December? You need to calm down, all of you.

[Alfie's tone is chiding, but in a light and teasing way that isn't really meant to be taken as a serious condemnation - he's actually been in an okay mood these past couple of weeks. This is just one more car on the culture shock train. The Christmas celebrations and decorations that he's is used to seeing at home are much more subdued, and definitely don't start this early in the season.]

Is this an American custom, or a twenty-first century custom? If I were to pay a visit across the ocean, would the Europeans be kicking up this much of a fuss? Fucking hell.

Comments

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Oh, that's Japanese. Americans just get New Years and some president's birthday or something.

February is Valentine's in America and Japan, and Japan has White Day. Valentines, the girls are supposed to give chocolate, and White Day the boys are supposed to return the favor. Kinda messed up America only has the one for the girls.

[ Nevermind that's not how it works in America. ]

[Audio]

[devoutish]

[Alfie wouldn't know the difference anyway, honestly.]

Does the president's birthday also cause a big fervor here?

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Not that I know of. I think most people just use it as an excuse to have a day off of work or something.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Well - I can't complain about that, can I.

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Who would want to?

That's why I like working for myself. Anyday is an excuse for a holiday that way.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Have you quit your assigned job, then?

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Oh yeah.

[ The shrug is almost audible on his end. ]

I'm a detective, and they had me stuck as a traffic cop. I wasn't putting up with that.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Don't tell me - you're now a vigilante.

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Hell no! Private detective.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Ah, there you go. Much more respectable.

[It's... probably hard to tell if he's being serious or not.]

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ It really is. ]

Uh. Thanks?

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Yeah. And you are? You've got a name, surely.

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Oh! It's Adachi. Tohru Adachi.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Solomons.

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Ah...

[ Wow. That. Give him a moment to try and wrap his tongue around th-- nope. ]

Nice to meet you, sir.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Have you been here a very long time, Mr. Adachi?

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Uh... about a year now I think? Things have kinda blurred together.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Yeah? Funny - I'd think you'd remember your arrival date clearly.

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Well, I was kinda happy to be here, but a lot happens in a year, you know?

But I think it was sometime before November?

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Why were you happy to be here?

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

'Cause it's a lot better here than at home at the moment.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

But if you were at home, you could fix things for yourself.

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Haaa... not really. Things were out of my control at that point.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Bad enough to abandon a fucking world over?

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Let's just say, my role in it was over anyway, and the world was in better hands than mine, and leave it at that, hunh?