... well, I do, but somehow I doubt that 'Drakengard 2' is a valid one. I'm tempted to say that I'm putting this on hold while I try to do a rewrite of what I've got, but we all know how well I can hold a deadline, and how long that'd likely take. I could blame it on the weather, because I'm kinda expecting a Yautja to show up sometime this week if the upcoming rain doesn't do anything against the heat and humidity - see, this is exactly why I prefer fall or spring. And, damn if my ISP isn't loopy because of the impendingly stormy weather or something. I've had spotty net connections at best over the past ... well, since yesterday. Annoying, not to mention ... okay, I currently have no social life outside of the net. You can see where this would be bothersome to me.
Or I could bitch at random things until you forget that this was supposed to be another segment of ENR ... oh, wait. See the above paragraph.
Aaaaanyway ... yeah, or I could just say to hell with it and write on. Hmm. I think I'll do that.
And yes, I like hearing myself talk. Eh, type.
Exhaustion, thy name is ... well, whenever I actually figure that one out, I'll be sure to share it.
Meanwhile, I'll just give myself a pat on the back for defusing a confusing situation, or would have if I weren't too busy with not collapsing.
Ren had gone off, presumably to the residence of his cousin and her Otome, the latter of whom had been a mite ... odd after she'd sent my door to the next life, and not odd in a 'ha ha' way either. If I'd had a bit more fortitude on me at the time, I'd have been nervous. Barring that, a little concerned about Ren. There and then, though, the only thing that came to mind in relation to the matter was how much more paperwork I'd be forced to deal with if he didn't show up in the morning.
Yes, I'm selfish like that. Go figure.
Amazingly, Miyu's unexpected ... well, perhaps not unexpected, just slightly ill timed ... arrival didn't result in more than a momentary increase of tension from the two Shizurus. The younger one I could understand, and I'd later find out about the encounter Viola had with the blue haired android out in the Lutetian borderlands.
I didn't really blame the Meister Otome for being ill at ease with her when I did, given that she wasn't exactly one to give information freely. And even when she did, one shouldn't expect a straight answer.
Speaking for myself, I'd had the fortune of being of interest to her due to my mode of arrival and nature, so we'd gotten off to a fairly good start. Well, we hadn't tried to kill one-another at the very least. Which in my book goes under 'good start'.
Viola hadn't had that advantage, as their meeting looked more like a spot of chance than something that had actually been planned.
While the Otome was there though - and after she and her counterpart had gone off for a good hour or so to talk about ... it's really not my place to pry, you know ... and they were very careful about not being overheard, not that I had the chance or the time to do so in any case - a few bits of recently acquired information made their way from Black's files into her hands.
Aaaaaand, I really didn't have time for more, since ...
"What is everybody in this world playing for, Madam President?" I replied with a question. "Technology. Though not exactly the kind that most covet. I've said it before, my motives in this can be boiled down to selfishness. Enlightened self-interest, if you're willing to stretch that."
Part of me had wanted to make her at least be less ... understanding?
Okay, you know, I may have a problem.
It's core is the simple fact that, while I can do being an inadvertant bastard just fine without as much as noticing, I can't seem to bring myself to push people away 'for their own good' to save my life.
My guess is that I'm affection starved, though if you share that with anybody I'll cut your heart out with a dull spoon.
"Mou ... Katz-kun, that sort of thing is a give with everybody, in any position of power, and you manage to be more fortright about it than most," she replied, pushing her glasses up a miniscule bit.
"Yourself included?" I asked, interested in keeping the conversation that I'd been hoping to end as soon as possible going all of the sudden.
"Ambition is as much part of office as anything else, though degrees may ... vary," she cocked her head to one side. "My hope is that I will be able to maintain it as a benevolent sort of ambition for as long as I am able to. At least until I retire."
That was ... unexpected. For all the talks we'd had, this one seemed to be verging on the painful sort of honesty that can make or break a friendship.
"From someone who's been chasing a dream for a while now," I tried my best to grin, "I think you'll do alright. Although maybe I'm not the best person to ask, seeing as the last time I got mixed up in ambition of that particular ... scope ... it ended up starting a war."
I paused for a moment, before quietly adding. "Looking back now ... I wouldn't change a thing."
"A ... war? In the outer lands, you mean? One of the skirmishes?"
"Did you ever get Fujino-san's story from her?" The change of topic had Yukino pause for a moment. Then she nodded. "Mine is similar in a way. You could say that I'm very much not from around here."
"We'd thought ... at first that is, that she'd been hallucinating. Cloning technology remains mostly Lost to us, but not neccessarily on the whole," she allowed cautiously.
"Yukino," I said as seriously as I could. "Please, for the love of all that's holy and not, I am not, was not, and will never be related to Nagi dai Artai in any way, shape, or form."
'I hope,' was silently added.
That was a bit of a breaker for the somber mood we'd been hovering around, letting us enjoy a few chuckles.
Which was when Haruka had decided that enough was enough but Yukino had some function to attend that evening, an obligation that came with the station she held, that I really hadn't ... er, no, I had heard. I had just wanted to ignore its presence.
... it's still a bit of a mystery to me how the hell I ended up stuck in a suit, playing escort. It was an oddly pleasant evening, although I retained enough presence of mind not to actually engage in any conversation for long enough to get annoyed with somebody.
Because I really, really, really hate conversations about business and finances. Which, I suppose, is one of the reasons I'll never make a good director of a trading company, but there you go. Since Aries had a lot of trade going on with both Windbloom and various other parties that could best be reached when going through that particular city's capital, that was mostly what Madam President was conversing about that evening.
Which is how I came to be entirely ... unnerved ... while sharing a drink with the only other person there who was as uncomfortable in the place as myself, though perhaps not hiding it quite as aptly.
Though why she was so quiet during the whole period, I didn't know. Most odd. Haruka Armitage doesn't do quiet. Just ... no.
Although, come to think of it, she was a mite fidgety.
Eventually, the gathering did disperse, and we each made our way to our respective abodes.
Hence, my earlier comment about exhaustion. The day had been uncommonly long ...
"What, exactly, is that?" asked a voice from the door of my office. Hmm. Alright, Fujino was still up too.
"Tea," I commented after taking a sip of the steaming brew.
Shizuru responded by wrinkling her nose in a show of ... annoyance.
"That ... is _not_ tea," she slowly replied.
Well, yes, I had managed to hide some of my mint tea stash from her quest to replace every bit of tea in the building with imported Zipang green tea.
"I like it, it makes me feel nostalgic, and ... Shizuru, please, must we do this now? The day has been taxing."
She gave me what I read as a skeptical look. Or it could have been something else entirely, I wasn't really certain.
Then she sighed, and fell into one of the conference chairs that were still littering the floor space of my office.
"You are right about that, at least," she gave a sigh that sounded the way I felt, then gave the steaming pot of brew on my desk a ... wary ... look, before inclining her head towards it. "I suppose you only live once."
I answered the unspoken question and poured her a mug, then handed it to her. She took a sip. Grimaced slightly.
"It's a wonder you can taste anything at all of it behind all that sugar," Shizuru said.
Alright, so I tend to overdo it where that's concerned sometimes.
"So," I sat myself in the chair behind my desk, leaning back as far as the backrest could go. "How'd your part of it go, then?"
It was then that I was again reminded of the ... unique sense of humor she had. And that I really should know better than to drink hot bevrages when she's in that sort of mood.
"Well, Viola-san and myself decided that, no, it could not really be considered masturbation."
Oh well, I was going to have to have the shirt washed anyway. What's a few tea stains here and there?
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm
Or I could bitch at random things until you forget that this was supposed to be another segment of ENR ... oh, wait. See the above paragraph.
Aaaaanyway ... yeah, or I could just say to hell with it and write on. Hmm. I think I'll do that.
And yes, I like hearing myself talk. Eh, type.
Exhaustion, thy name is ... well, whenever I actually figure that one out, I'll be sure to share it.
Meanwhile, I'll just give myself a pat on the back for defusing a confusing situation, or would have if I weren't too busy with not collapsing.
Ren had gone off, presumably to the residence of his cousin and her Otome, the latter of whom had been a mite ... odd after she'd sent my door to the next life, and not odd in a 'ha ha' way either. If I'd had a bit more fortitude on me at the time, I'd have been nervous. Barring that, a little concerned about Ren. There and then, though, the only thing that came to mind in relation to the matter was how much more paperwork I'd be forced to deal with if he didn't show up in the morning.
Yes, I'm selfish like that. Go figure.
Amazingly, Miyu's unexpected ... well, perhaps not unexpected, just slightly ill timed ... arrival didn't result in more than a momentary increase of tension from the two Shizurus. The younger one I could understand, and I'd later find out about the encounter Viola had with the blue haired android out in the Lutetian borderlands.
I didn't really blame the Meister Otome for being ill at ease with her when I did, given that she wasn't exactly one to give information freely. And even when she did, one shouldn't expect a straight answer.
Speaking for myself, I'd had the fortune of being of interest to her due to my mode of arrival and nature, so we'd gotten off to a fairly good start. Well, we hadn't tried to kill one-another at the very least. Which in my book goes under 'good start'.
Viola hadn't had that advantage, as their meeting looked more like a spot of chance than something that had actually been planned.
While the Otome was there though - and after she and her counterpart had gone off for a good hour or so to talk about ... it's really not my place to pry, you know ... and they were very careful about not being overheard, not that I had the chance or the time to do so in any case - a few bits of recently acquired information made their way from Black's files into her hands.
Aaaaaand, I really didn't have time for more, since ...
"What is everybody in this world playing for, Madam President?" I replied with a question. "Technology. Though not exactly the kind that most covet. I've said it before, my motives in this can be boiled down to selfishness. Enlightened self-interest, if you're willing to stretch that."
Part of me had wanted to make her at least be less ... understanding?
Okay, you know, I may have a problem.
It's core is the simple fact that, while I can do being an inadvertant bastard just fine without as much as noticing, I can't seem to bring myself to push people away 'for their own good' to save my life.
My guess is that I'm affection starved, though if you share that with anybody I'll cut your heart out with a dull spoon.
"Mou ... Katz-kun, that sort of thing is a give with everybody, in any position of power, and you manage to be more fortright about it than most," she replied, pushing her glasses up a miniscule bit.
"Yourself included?" I asked, interested in keeping the conversation that I'd been hoping to end as soon as possible going all of the sudden.
"Ambition is as much part of office as anything else, though degrees may ... vary," she cocked her head to one side. "My hope is that I will be able to maintain it as a benevolent sort of ambition for as long as I am able to. At least until I retire."
That was ... unexpected. For all the talks we'd had, this one seemed to be verging on the painful sort of honesty that can make or break a friendship.
"From someone who's been chasing a dream for a while now," I tried my best to grin, "I think you'll do alright. Although maybe I'm not the best person to ask, seeing as the last time I got mixed up in ambition of that particular ... scope ... it ended up starting a war."
I paused for a moment, before quietly adding. "Looking back now ... I wouldn't change a thing."
"A ... war? In the outer lands, you mean? One of the skirmishes?"
"Did you ever get Fujino-san's story from her?" The change of topic had Yukino pause for a moment. Then she nodded. "Mine is similar in a way. You could say that I'm very much not from around here."
"We'd thought ... at first that is, that she'd been hallucinating. Cloning technology remains mostly Lost to us, but not neccessarily on the whole," she allowed cautiously.
"Yukino," I said as seriously as I could. "Please, for the love of all that's holy and not, I am not, was not, and will never be related to Nagi dai Artai in any way, shape, or form."
'I hope,' was silently added.
That was a bit of a breaker for the somber mood we'd been hovering around, letting us enjoy a few chuckles.
Which was when Haruka had decided that enough was enough but Yukino had some function to attend that evening, an obligation that came with the station she held, that I really hadn't ... er, no, I had heard. I had just wanted to ignore its presence.
... it's still a bit of a mystery to me how the hell I ended up stuck in a suit, playing escort. It was an oddly pleasant evening, although I retained enough presence of mind not to actually engage in any conversation for long enough to get annoyed with somebody.
Because I really, really, really hate conversations about business and finances. Which, I suppose, is one of the reasons I'll never make a good director of a trading company, but there you go. Since Aries had a lot of trade going on with both Windbloom and various other parties that could best be reached when going through that particular city's capital, that was mostly what Madam President was conversing about that evening.
Which is how I came to be entirely ... unnerved ... while sharing a drink with the only other person there who was as uncomfortable in the place as myself, though perhaps not hiding it quite as aptly.
Though why she was so quiet during the whole period, I didn't know. Most odd. Haruka Armitage doesn't do quiet. Just ... no.
Although, come to think of it, she was a mite fidgety.
Eventually, the gathering did disperse, and we each made our way to our respective abodes.
Hence, my earlier comment about exhaustion. The day had been uncommonly long ...
"What, exactly, is that?" asked a voice from the door of my office. Hmm. Alright, Fujino was still up too.
"Tea," I commented after taking a sip of the steaming brew.
Shizuru responded by wrinkling her nose in a show of ... annoyance.
"That ... is _not_ tea," she slowly replied.
Well, yes, I had managed to hide some of my mint tea stash from her quest to replace every bit of tea in the building with imported Zipang green tea.
"I like it, it makes me feel nostalgic, and ... Shizuru, please, must we do this now? The day has been taxing."
She gave me what I read as a skeptical look. Or it could have been something else entirely, I wasn't really certain.
Then she sighed, and fell into one of the conference chairs that were still littering the floor space of my office.
"You are right about that, at least," she gave a sigh that sounded the way I felt, then gave the steaming pot of brew on my desk a ... wary ... look, before inclining her head towards it. "I suppose you only live once."
I answered the unspoken question and poured her a mug, then handed it to her. She took a sip. Grimaced slightly.
"It's a wonder you can taste anything at all of it behind all that sugar," Shizuru said.
Alright, so I tend to overdo it where that's concerned sometimes.
"So," I sat myself in the chair behind my desk, leaning back as far as the backrest could go. "How'd your part of it go, then?"
It was then that I was again reminded of the ... unique sense of humor she had. And that I really should know better than to drink hot bevrages when she's in that sort of mood.
"Well, Viola-san and myself decided that, no, it could not really be considered masturbation."
Oh well, I was going to have to have the shirt washed anyway. What's a few tea stains here and there?
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm