25th: The Defense of Haruhi Suzumiya

[godbent]

[Voice]

Okay, so listen up, everyone. There's a new girl in town who I want you all to recognize and keep something in mind when dealing with her!

[And then to the book, she holds up a picture of Mikuru (tpdd). Taken with the journal and ripped out - namely, it's just her making tea in a cute pink yukata. Something simple and non-invasive for the time being]

This is her - Mikuru Asahina. She's cute, right? Of course she is!


[And then this face]

If any of you guys are harassing her or hitting on her or whatever and I hear about it I'm reserving the right to pepper stray or taser you. You got that? I'm serious too, don't you doubt that for a second.

[...Okay no with that done with back to smiling! She laughs where briefly before-]

Now! If you want to see her or you just want to helped out - particularly all you New Feathers, bonus points if you have something interesting to show us - recall that the SOS-Brigade is open to taking requests even now. Now that the holidays are over and the winters settling in on us, now's the prime time to do it! Got some stuff which needs investigating? Some emotions you can't deal with, some other inane task we can mend when it comes to interpersonal issues?! Sign right up! the HQ's right in the center of town, you can't miss it.

[... Hm. Yeah that should do it Request post for the Brigade is here, just recall!]

-And for today anyone coming to see Mikuru I'm screening first.

[EDIT: For the record if anyone wants action threads with Mikuru (or Haruhi! or both!) for whatever reason both are at the HQ right now.]

Comments

[menial]

['Yeah, and any anticipation mine was a little overshadowed by that insanity with Asahina-san and Asahina Michiru and whatnot.

I suppose you could argue that having two Asahina-sans in my life was enough of a birthday present.'

...So yeah, have a faraway look, and then, realizing he didn't say anything:]

Uh--Y-Yeah.

[godbent]

Incidentally, I still don't know when Yuki or Koizumi's are.

[menial]

['My guess for Nagato would be, well, Tanabata. But that would be confusing to say, wouldn't it.']

I don't know them either.

[godbent]

Mikuru's is in March.

[It seems to fit the topic on hand, after all. She wonders, idly, if in the future they did something to celebrate that or not...]

[menial]

['...Is it? Well, that doesn't answer any questions about how many of them she's had, either way.']

Did she tell you that just now?

[godbent]

No, I've known that for a while.

[menial]

Huh.

[Pause.]

Guess for all the time we spend together, there's a few things we Brigade members don't know about each other.

[godbent]

Y...yeah. I guess there is.

[And a small visible wince at that]

[menial]

['...Huh. Well, Haruhi hadn't mentioned what Shiki said, that she knew about her own status, to me. Is that what that's about, or is there something more behind it? If it's that, well, we all have a variety of secrets like that...

At any rate, that one was a hit, wasn't it? I've got more work to do... though maybe not now.']

Oh well. That happens.

[godbent]

[And she just sighs, shakes her head, composes herself] Yeah, it does happen like that sometimes.

[menial]

Maybe it's not a bad thing, right? Maybe that just means we've still got places to go.

[godbent]

...That's so sappy.

[menial]

...Well, it's just a way to look at it.

[godbent]

Yeah, if you like romantic B movies or sports movies from the 70s or something which aren't Rocky.

[menial]

...Okay, whatever, Haruhi.

[godbent]

[...Fine whatever she's going to lounge on the couch and hum the Rocky theme]

[menial]

['Is she going to spend the rest of the night thinking about Rocky?

...I already said "Whatever", though.'

With a glance at her, he goes back to looking through the pictures and the list, trying to link them up and looking for more clues as to some of the stuff that she's been up to so far.]

[godbent]

[Well there's a few old events in the backgrounds - Tanabata, some other things like that. Some of them aren't photoes but just the little images from the journal ripped out of the pages too]

[menial]

['There's a lot contained here. I wonder if any of these members ever had to run damage control like we did. I resent the thought that they'd get to do that... And yet I resent the thought that they'd be able to be part of the Brigade without doing it, too. Much resentment.

What am I doing with this, anyway? Haruhi's said her piece for now. It doesn't seem like there's much else of interest in here... no clues, no bookmarks, no mysterious brigade logo. Nothing to rescue this situation from being what it is, I guess...']

All right, Haruhi. It's pretty late. I guess I'll get going now.

[godbent]

Fine.

[Yeah, that's right. Go. Maybe you wanted to see Shiki, blab some more conspiratorial stuff with her? Maybe you wanted to spread some more secrets which she doesn't even know about? Why should she trust you with this anyway when she can't even trust you.

But no, don't think about all that]

[menial]

[If he knew, telling Shiki would be the last thing he'd want to do.

'She seems pretty unhappy with how this went. Or maybe just with me in general. Can't say that's a surprise. But we've clearly both got things to hide.

The problem for me is that she's no worse than she was before. Like I said, I like her as much as ever. But it's different and I apparently just don't know her.'

He gets on his things again.]

...All right.

Thanks again for showing me.

[godbent]

That's just simple Brigade history, you don't need to thank someone for that, jeez.

[Ignore that she shows no one else. But she nods to herself and sets up]

[menial]

['I suppose not thanking her would have been met with cries of ingratitude.']

Right. My mistake.

...Later, then.

[godbent]

[And as he's leaving-] Goodnight.