View source for 2228/Oh, Philosophy, How I Hate Thee So

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/12/16
|Location=Mitakihara - Infinity University
|Synopsis=Seth and Kazuo talk status, dark energy, getting-to-know-you, and philosophy. There are even a couple of points on which they actually share a perspective! ... maybe two.
|Cast of Characters=109,184
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's a clear and cold day -- not as cold as it ''has'' been, there's no snow, and no ice threatening at the rim of the fountain, but the temperature's hovering close to freezing and there's enough wind to make it feel worse. A certain clutch of upperclassmen has been in and out of class. Mamoru Chiba missed the first couple of days this week, one of his cohort who'd previously been out for medical reasons for a couple of ''weeks'' bringing in his pile of essays due. Swapping out. And the one of that batch who's ''always'' there, the short-haired blond boy from Okinawa who can twist half his teachers around his little finger with an easy grin and a couple of clever jokes, has suddenly been calling out sick too.<br /><br />("Chiba-san was out last year about this time, wasn't he?" "For ''months.'' All winter. It's why he had to quit track.")<br /><br />Seth may or may not ''care'' about the gossip -- may be interested, apathetic, openly hostile -- but it's hard not to be aware of it. And it might be odd to think that he knows things about that particular clutch of people that most of the gossips are never going to.<br /><br />When he emerges into the center of campus at the end of the school day, though, and finds one of those people scanning the crowd and then walking directly toward him... it's not one of the people from that group who actually ''attend'' the school. Black wool coat, long white hair, half a head or more above the rest of the crowd. He'd look too old for the campus if it weren't for the university students.<br /><br />What Kazuo Takeba is doing looking for him is an excellent question.

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>An excellent question indeed, since Seth is not expecting to be approached by anyone at this hour. He's walking out, now that the day is over, wrapped in comfortably warm clothes from head to toe - yes, he has the school uniform underneath, but are you going to make him open that trenchcoat of his? -, complete with gloves and a wool cap. He seems a little lost in his thoughts, adjusting his school satchel to his shoulder and set it neatly against his side.<br /><br />He looks up at the sky for a moment, and starts walking towards the front gate. He hasn't noticed the oldest of the Shittenou just yet.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>In which case, the first that Seth registers of the visitor may be the voice. "Locke-san." There is no good-afternoon, or good-day, or any other kind of greeting. Mostly. "Still doing well?" ... that almost counts. Kazuo turns and falls in beside him, matching his pace at a reasonable conversational distance.

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Seth Locke stops for a moment, looking at the source of the voice. "Takeba-san", the tone shows a bit more of proper. "I'll tell you once I get home and unfreeze myself in a warm bath." He opens and closes his gloved hands as fast as he can to keep circulation - and therefore warmth - going. Damn failing circulatory system.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Can't help with that. Would tea help you to endure the journey safely? Or coffee, for that matter?" Kazuo doesn't look aside at him at the question, though certainly the motion of Seth's fingers is in his peripheral vision. Only scanning forward, in case of someone in front of them stopping dead in their tracks for no apparent reason.

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Seth Locke hmms a bit, factoring things in head. Like, 'what's with this guy today?'. He could just outright ask him - the last time they met there was a bit of a quarrel, after all -, but a bit of diplomacy goes a long way. After a moment's thought, he nods, "Okay, I guess." He pulls his phone form his pocket, and starts typing in a message. "Any good place for tea, around here?"

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's a school. There must be." Kazuo turns his head for a moment, frowning, then focuses on a particular group -- a little cluster of high school students, three girls and two boys. A year ahead of Seth, and a year younger. "Let's see where they go."<br /><br />'Where they go' turns out to be a dessert place primarily, pastries and confections, but there are hot drinks all the same. Good enough. Kazuo pays for the order without a blink; his attention is more on Seth than on their interactions with the staff. Evaluating his expressions, what's visible of his face, how he moves -- what he can see of how Seth moves through the layers of clothing, anyway -- and contrasting it against their last encounter.

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The american boy just looks... Affected by the cold, for the most part. Nothing that very special to look at. With his order on in hand, he heads towards a vacant table.<br /><br />As he sits, he pulls the gloves off his hands, which he opens and closes repeatedly; then, he places his hands on the sides of the warm cup, to warm them up.<br /><br />Then, waiting for Kazuo to sit, he pours some sugar on his tea. "So", he asks him. "'Still' doing well. That implies you were wondering, or expecting, that something might have happened to me."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Given our last conversation, it seemed like a reasonable concern." Kazuo's choice is coffee rather than tea, and is stark black, unsweetened and unadorned. He holds it between his own hands in a similar manner, but without the initial prodding of circulatory system. "It was a concern of your own at the time, after all. One might hope it might have lessened, but only certain people do well by trusting such hopes."

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Oh, it's always one of my concerns", Seth replies. "And unfortunately, I'm not one of those certain people." He sips his tea, the warm liquid causing him to let a small breath escape.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Well to be concerned, then." Kazuo studies his coffee, frowning a little down at it. "If it's gotten worse, it's concealing itself well. But that happens, from time to time."

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You still think I'm infected from... Whatever that was?", Seth keeps his voice down. "Can't these just be... I dunno, natural causes?"<br /><br />And in his mind, he thinks, 'Please be natural causes, please be natural causes, please be natural causes...' on and on and on.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I think that when I challenged you, you reacted in a way consistent with certain kinds of problems," Kazuo says, matter-of-fact. "That does not necessarily mean that you ''have'' those problems. But it means that I can't rule it out." He shrugs, even, still without taking his hands from the cup. "It could be natural causes. But responding to a challenge with defensiveness, belligerence, disproportionate agitation... sometimes that is natural. But when it's a marked change from general personality, it's often a sign of trouble. Long-term and subtle influence, if the miko you spoke with could not detect it or send it away."

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Seth Locke shrugs, "I was never one to shy away from open accusations. I face my challenges, for better or worse." He adds, "And twice, count them, /twice/ now, I've had an ofuda thrown at my head to see if it sticked." He sighs, "But, I guess like they say back in the west, 'third time's a charm', so I guess I'm patiently waiting for someone to try to stick yet another ofuda on my head so I can get this behind my back."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It won't be me," Kazuo says with perfect solemnity. "One thing that I guarantee I am ''not'' is a miko."<br /><br />In case that weren't already blindingly obvious.

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And it is blindingly obvious, even to Seth, so much so that his look gets wracked by surprise at that reply. "O-kay... Thank you for clarifying that, Takeba-san. I shall endeavour to seek a miko elsewhere."<br /><br />And then, he changes subject, "So what things are you, if you don't mind my prying?"

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo inclines his head to the question, letting the other topic drop away. "History student," he says. "Physics hobbyist. Runner. Tutor. Bodyguard, after a fashion, when necessary." Which may or may not include the answers Seth was actually looking for.

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Seth Locke hms at that, again sipping his tea. Once the cup rests back on the plate, he replies. "Man of many talents. I expected to find 'demonologist' somewhere in there, with specialization in dark magical energy, or something." He shrugs, "But, titles... What do I know, right?"<br /><br />"I suppose I'm a student, at least for the time being. And a brother. And a father figure; mother too..."<br /><br />He omits the 'it might not last long, though'.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I don't study demons, per se," Kazuo replies. "But certain types of monsters, yes, and I spent five years living in a body composed of dark magical energy, so there are some applications I'm reasonably familiar with." ... he says that in the same tone of voice that he said 'history student.'<br /><br />There's a certain amount of considering Seth, at that last. "So you have a brother. But your father isn't around much? Early mornings and occasional Sundays?"

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo's reply leaves Seth perplexed. "Wait, you mean like... A conjured up body?" After some moments of thought, he shrugs off the possibilities. "Not just a brother; a sister, too", he replies. "And my father is more like, 'never around, always working, doesn't bother'. My brother's his assistant, but at least him I get to talk to over the internet every once in a while."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo's tone turns drier yet, just for a moment. "Believe me," he says to the conjured-up body comment, "it wasn't my idea. Nor would I recommend it even for critical cases. Some rescues aren't."<br /><br />He listens to Seth's litany of family, and inclines his head over his still-untouched coffee. "My father was like that," he says. "But there were no other children to take care of, so it was less unfair to me than to you. Your sister -- do you see her more often?"

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Everyday, since she lives with me", Seth replies. "As an older brother, I'm taking care of her, when nobody else can or doesn't seem to bother." He sounds protective, very much so. "I just hope I'm doing a good job..."<br /><br />Aaaaaaaaand!, subject change, "You were... 'rescued'? I'm not following."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"At very least," Kazuo observes, "you are by definition doing a better job than certain other people in your family." That's a more neutral comment than it would have been from an American; sometimes, there are extenuating circumstances.<br /><br />And also, some people are slightly broken, but that's beside the point.<br /><br />At the question, Kazuo scowls down at his coffee, then drinks some of it and resumes his normal expression by the time he's looking up at Seth again. "By 'some rescues aren't,'" he says, "I mean 'tempting as it might be, don't think of that kind of construct as a potential solution for the terminally ill.' It isn't."

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And the comment of 'terminally ill' is rattling Seth's mind at this point. You can actually see the irises in his eyes regulating as his blood pressure shifts.<br /><br />"...The thought had never crossed my mind, up until you mentioning it." A long pause, people pass by, and Seth looks at his cup, still steaming from the hot liquid. "I guess it's a bliss, being blind to those possibilities." His voice struggles to remain steady.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Mn." The sound Kazuo makes is not a word, no. He studies Seth for a moment, then shakes his head. "I'm going to spook you every time I talk to you, aren't I. Probably safer if I keep my distance, then."

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You're not the scary thing in my life", Seth replies. "I've seen scary. I revisit it just about every night. Every day, I see it still."<br /><br />He pulls out two pills from a bottle, and gulps them down with some tea. "It's not you that spooks me. It's the resolution of what's past this, the step into the Great Unknown, the discomfort of uncertainty."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo's eyes half-lid, but he says nothing at those first words; nothing till Seth's taken that medication, and gone on from there. There's a brief tilt of his head, considering the other for a few moments. Taking time to choose his words, even for as simple as they prove to be. "Why would that frighten you?"

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Consider the possibility that you live your life to the best of your ability", Seth replies, "and then you find out it's not going to last much longer. You have people living for... Decades, really, and when it comes to you... Yeah, well tough!" He pauses there, "Even more, what if everything you believe in is a lie, and there's nothing out there? Is there something to go on for? Is all we do meaningless?"<br /><br />He sighs, "Take your pick from there."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo regards Seth for several moments more. Saying nothing. Then, deliberately, drinks the remainder of his coffee, and sets the empty cup down, cradling it between his hands.<br /><br />"Would you prefer it," he inquires, his voice and his inflections remaining polite and formal, "if someone murdered you tonight and spared you the rest of the worry?"

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Given how my last thoughts would likely drift away to what would become of my sister, I'd have to say better not", Seth replies. "I have a lot at stake here, too."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Then you've answered your own fears," Kazuo replies. That tone never changes. "No matter what else happens or what else proves to be true, you believe that your life has meaning in its effects on others; you prefer life over nonlife, for at least certain others and for yourself, even with no guarantee on how long that will last. Flirting with the attempt to claim otherwise is fashionable, but ultimately a waste of the time you do have."

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"And this is where the conviction of men is shown to falter into a paradox brought about by self-contradictions", Seth nearly exclaims. "Oh, philosophy, how I hate thee so."<br /><br />"Then, why does it seem to me like this shouldn't be happening?" He touches his chest.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Because it shouldn't." Kazuo's tone still hasn't changed, for the most part. Words a trifle more clipped. "Do not mistake an attack against you for the malice of the universe. An individual entity's malice or greed, negligence or despair, or even a group's, is not a coordinated attack on your person by the entirety of reality. It is rather an attack ''against'' our reality, or at least against our world, through your person."

:'''{{#var:184|Seth Locke| (184)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Seth Locke takes in those words, as he finishes the rest of his tea. After he's finished, he says, "I'll, uh... I'll give what you said some thought, but I must go." He starts putting his gloves back on, "I need to meet up with my sister."<br /><br />As he gets up, he comments, "I'm glad we talked, Takeba-san. Maybe we'll do it again sometime soon." And he starts headin out. "Until then."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo rises as well, steady and even. "Maybe," he says. "Good luck to your sister. And to yourself." There is no 'until then,' neither as promise nor as limitation.<br /><br />But at least Seth's hands are perhaps a little warmer, under the gloves.
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