first notes § a classy diner

[jurisdick]

who: goro & you
where: diner
when: first week of may
rating: pg-13 (probably? will update if necessary)
the story: a detective walks into a diner for some pancakes and....

option 1 - for the employees

[ while this isn't leblanc, per say, it still has a rather comforting feel to it. he isn't sure if it's the decor or the general energy in the diner, but it seems to call to him the same way that the tiny curry and coffeeshop did back in tokyo. it's not insanely crowded but it has enough interesting faces to keep him intrigued. still, that's not to say he's actively seeking conversation. rather, he's brought a book from the library down to the diner to thumb through as he takes a break from investigating the hot mess he's found himself in.

there's a pencil stuck between his teeth, brown fringe covering his eyes as he skims the pages of the book. occasionally, he plucks the pencil out to scribble something down in the margin, and then just like that, the pencil returns dutifully to his mouth.

he hasn't ordered yet, a bit lost in thought over the pages of paradise lost. ]

option 2 - for others

[ now that he has his coffee (it's really a necessity in life), he's taken a break from the pages of the riveting story to glance around the diner. simply surveying the area for any "familiar faces." one leg is crossed against another, dangling off the edge of the stool, toe of his shoe tapping light sounds against the counter in front of him.

as usual, each and every lock of hair is perfectly in place and he's wearing his tan jacket complete with a drab, striped tie. although he enjoys the tranquility, he can't help but catch the gaze of anyone who walks into this diner. namely, you.

there's a bright, undeniably charismatic smile that appears and he lifts a hand politely up in way of greeting. ]

May I ask you a question?

Comments

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji practically lives in the diner and knows at least the faces of the people who come and go. This face is new, though, and so he approaches curiously. He's not going to make the guy order something, but that won't stop him from interrupting his reading because he can't stop minding other peoples' business.]

What are you reading?

[The apron gives away that he works there, at least.]

[jurisdick]

[ politely, he closes the book, using his pencil as a bookmark. his hands lace neatly under his chin and he regards souji with a picture-perfect smile.

there's something familiar about souji, though he's definitely sure they've never met prior to this. maybe it's the silly apron. ]

Paradise Lost. Have you read it?

[eatsyourscience]

[Hey man, this apron is totally manly. He just doesn't want to get hot grease on himself.]

I've read parts of it.

[He's had a lot of down time lately, being stuck in Wonderland.]

You're new, right? [It's pretty obvious.]

[jurisdick]

[ keep telling yourself that. ]

Yes. I arrived a few days ago. [ he nods, and what an interesting few days it's been!, and then unlaces his hands so he can extend one out across the counter. ]

I'm Goro Akechi.

[eatsyourscience]

[Strange things happen when Souji shakes peoples' hands, so it's with a very slight hesitation that he reaches across the counter to shake Goro's.]

Souji Seta. I've been here awhile. I might be able to answer questions, if you have any.

[That's his standard offer to new people. He can't promise that the answers won't be "no one knows" though.]

[jurisdick]

[ don't worry he isn't a gas station attendant.

he makes careful mental note of the name and nods. ]

I do have a few, if you aren't busy.

[eatsyourscience]

I'm not. Unless you want something to eat.

[jurisdick]

Not at the moment, thank you.

[ maybe in a bit.... after all, he has all day apparently. not much else to do around here. ]

This may sound a bit odd, but have you noticed anything peculiar in relation to time?

[eatsyourscience]

I've been seventeen for six years.

[He thinks that should answer the question handily.]

[jurisdick]

[ .........

???????

give him a moment. ]


Ah.... come again? I think I misheard you.

[eatsyourscience]

I've been here for six years and I haven't gotten any older. [His tone of voice doesn't change at all, it's as neutral as ever.] Time doesn't really pass here at all.

[jurisdick]

I see.

[ .... weird.

but since he's offered up some fairly useful advice, goro might as well return the favor. ]

It seems that my teammates and I have different recollections of our time before here.

[eatsyourscience]

[He leans one hip against the counter, his hand on the other hip.]

How do you mean?

[That could be a couple things. Either they came from different time points or different time lines, and Souji has no real experience with the latter other than the knowledge that they exist at all.]

[jurisdick]

[ how does one even begin to explain what they mean? especially when they don't understand it themselves. it's like explaining calculus when you are illiterate in math.

still, he can afford to give away this morsel of information for free. ]

I seem to remember things they don't. A month worth of memories.

[ there's a frown as he presses his fingers against the closed book. ]

[eatsyourscience]

[Well that Souji can speak to from experience, though it's a bit hard to explain without rambling on.]

When some of my friends were here before, it was like that for us, too. I was from March and they were from the October before that.

[He doesn't mind sharing this information--he can't imagine how it could be used against him, and wouldn't think anyone might do so even if there were some way.]

Time stops at home while we're here. That's why you wouldn't have remembered any of them disappearing a month ago.

[jurisdick]

[ think again, souji -- ]

.... I see. [ that does make sense. after all, there would numerous questions about time paradoxes had that not been the case. still, it begs the question....

his brows furrow more and he stares distractedly down at the counter. ]

And there's no way to reset time? [ it's mostly just a rhetorical question, since he can't imagine someone having an answer to something as deep and intangible as that. but still, he can't help but pose it aloud. ]

[eatsyourscience]

Do you mean go back to before you got here? I've never heard of something like that happening.

[He doesn't know everything that happens in Wonderland, but he's pretty sure he'd have heard about something like that.

He's incredibly curious about why Goro would be interested in time resetting, but he doesn't ask. At this point, he's sure Goro wouldn't tell him no matter how much charm he has.]

People here reset sometimes, though.

[jurisdick]

[ sorry souji, but your social-link isn't high enough yet for that doozy. ]

The people reset?

[ now that's an interesting notion. he hadn't exactly thought any of it possible, but then again with the fact that everyone except the cat forgot about him. or hadn't met him yet. ]

How so?

[eatsyourscience]

Sometimes after a person leaves, they come back again, but don't remember having been here before. [So it's like a reset.] Sometimes the opposite is true, but in those cases, they usually aren't gone for long.

[jurisdick]

So like magnets, constantly pulled together.

[ ... not like he knows anything about magnets or anything. not at all.

he looks a bit lost, gaze distant, not staring at anything in particular all of a sudden. sorry for the spacing out, souji.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji watches him space out for a minute in silence before shaking his head.]

You seem lost.

[jurisdick]

Perhaps I am.

[ it's said lightly, as if it's just a friendly joke. there's a tiny shrug and he stares back down at the book once more. ]

This place is very different from what I'm used to.

[eatsyourscience]

What are you used to?

[His social link isn't high enough for that question to get a serious answer, but he asks it anyway. He can't help getting all up in everyone's business.]

[jurisdick]

[ you know, you're starting to remind him of a certain, messy-haired brat he knows. ]

Something a bit more normal.

[ that's not really an answer, but it's at least something. he leans his cheek against the back of his hand, looking off to the side to survey the empty diner. ]

I heard there's magic here.

[eatsyourscience]

You could call it that. A lot of people who come in bring their own kinds of magic with them, too.

[Including him! Although he wouldn't call Personas magic, pretty much everyone else here thinks of them that way.]

But Wonderland's magic is in a category of its own.