Birthday List v2.0! [Voice/Text]

[collagehero]

Hey, everybody, it's me, Hajime! I didn't do a birthday post last month because everybody was so busy with their visit to Isla Empieza. We were on Phantasia, so sorry we missed you all! We'll all need to get together again some other time.

Anyway, now that it's a new year, it's time for a new BIRTHDAY LIST! Lots of people on the old list went home, so it's super short now. Let's all work together to make it big again!

[She then copies down the names of people from old list that she knows haven't left (in actual chronological order this time!)]

JANUARY
2 - Gaius
6 - Roxas

FEBRUARY
2 - Rin
16 - Elissa
22 - Homura

MARCH
27 - Lea

APRIL
??? - Mitsuhide
1 - Pinkie Pie
7 - Harlock
14 - Maribelle

MAY
7 - Vyse

JUNE
9 - Itachi
10 - Codi

JULY
6 - Namur
7 - Susumu Kodai
16 - Selphie
23 - Sasuke

AUGUST
1 - Boris
20 - Olivia

SEPTEMBER
27 - Clementine

OCTOBER
8 - Zozo

NOVEMBER
3 - Keimi
13 - Henry
24 - Me!

DECEMBER
3 - Cap'n Di-Stri
17 - Ban

Comments

[Voice]

[collagehero]

Well, I'm not talking about your boat, I'm talking about Onichika's boat! Onichika and my captain are sort of the same person kinda, and the captain definitely doesn't mind things like that!

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

I guess you could ask him about it.

[It's not like it made any difference to Ban either way ]

[Voice]

[collagehero]

I guess I'll do that if he ever writes something in his journal! He never seems to...

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

Or you could write something in yours and have it locked to him.

[Voice]

[collagehero]

He wouldn't read it, though. He's all "Arrrr, I don't have time for that nonsense, matey!" Because he's a pirate.

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

Sounds more like he's illiterate. Or.. stupid.

[There was a lot of valuable information to be gleaned from the journals]

[Voice]

[collagehero]

Oh, no he's really smart! He says he builds things like robots and battleships and things like that! He has blueprints allllllll over his cabin! I wasn't supposed to be in there, though, so don't tell him.

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

Oh does he now?

[That was an interesting tidbit of information.]

I guess he's just busy with all those other things then. It takes concentration to put something like that together.

[There was something else he wanted to ask...]

I was just wondering.. since this whole shard mess should really be handled by teamwork in order to get us all home... would you mind telling me how many shards you have on board?

[Blame this on Rin... he wasn't going to ask]

[Voice]

[collagehero]

Hm? None! Why, did you find one?

[It's not a lie. The shard is nestled safely in her cleavage and she's having a snack in a tavern on Isla Empieza, not on board at all.]

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

[You're rationalizing]

Feh- guess that kid was all hot air anyway....

[Or you're lying to me too. I wasn't born yesterday kid, I'm not sure I believe you. So that leaves him right where he started. Having no idea where the shards were... maybe he should leaf through the journal to see if anyone had been foolish enough to reference them before]

Not just one~

[Voice]

[collagehero]

Then none, right? 'Cause Dog hasn't said anything about one in a loooooong time.

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

Why you-

[Don't be so smart... Teenage girls were always a pain]

Just because she hasn't advertised them, it doesn't mean they aren't out there. Sheesh.

[Voice]

[collagehero]

But Ban hasn't found any~

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

.. And Hajime has one.

[It was one of the first times he’d used her name and not called her either “miss superhero” or “the morale officer”]

[Voice]

[collagehero]

[If he thought she would be impressed, the whole thing is kind of ruined by the solid minute of loud, obnoxious cackling.]

Hahaha, you were all "and Hajime has one!" hahaha Ban.

[She'd be pointing and laughing at him if they were face to face.]

I don't tell lies, but you're still all cool like "GOTCHA!" Poor Ban!

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

[........ Oh this calls for some serious line-facing right here.]

It's not that funny...

[Though if he had a shard, he'd be cackling like mad too.]

Alright. So if you don't tell lies... I've got another question for you.

[It was nagging at him that Rin had answered "None of your business".. and not "We don't have any". It felt like that were all caught up in some sort of liar game...]

If you don't have a shard on board, [Catching the earlier distinction] Do you and/or your crew have one in your possession?

[Gawd.. this sounded so stupid. Trying to coax an answer out of a teenage girl based of a hunch. There was no real evidence here... ]

Gem or no gem.. I will find a way to get back to where I belong. Not just for myself either...

[Voice]

[collagehero]

I already told you no~! Who else do you want to find a way back for?

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

You did.. to an entirely different question. Not going to answer this one?

[He huffed, getting tired of this nonsense. Focusing on the shards reminded him what he should be doing... what he should be spending every waking moment working towards.]

Look, I'm glad this is such a joke to you.. but it's not to me.

Someone's life is at stake!

[The sound of something toppling to the floor was heard as his temper got the better of them. Wow... Hajime did have a weird way of getting people to tell her things without even asking for it]

That birthday I mentioned? If I don't get back on time it's going to that girl's last birthday ever!

[That's why he couldn't afford to be patient. He couldn't afford to bet on the time discrepancies to work in his favor and send him back right to the year he'd been plucked from. Only one shard.. was known to be out there, and theoretically you needed all of them to get back.. and that was only if no one was lying about that!]

[Voice]

[collagehero]

And Ban didn't tell his friends, of course.

[It's a matter of fact sort of statement. Sure, she doesn't know the exact situation, but he's already told her about one of his friends that could help. He's been so busy trying to trick her into telling her about the shard and out of knowing anything about his actual problem that she figures that her summary of the situation must be true.]

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

[Just like when she pegged him as not possessing any shards, she was right on this too.]

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

[There was a long delayed silence as he tried to collect himself. Although she couldn't see it, he was practically digging his sunglasses into the bridge of his nose.. as if holding them there would help him keep his emotions under wraps. He wasn't really doing a good job at that]

Nobody knows... [..........................] .. not even the girl. [Ban had never bothered to explain the voo doo curse to Himiko. For some reason, he'd wanted to protect her from it.. including all knowledge of it. He was going to tell her... sure. When the time was right. Tell her the truth about her brother's death..]

[Voice]

[collagehero]

What good is having friends if you don't rely on them? I'm sure they'd do everything they could for you if you told them.

[It's kind of frustrating that there's nothing she can do to help, with time and distance and reality and everything in the way. She's used to there not being any problems she can't fix for someone somehow.]

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

I rely on them!... for somethings...

[She was right, and he knew it. There wasn't anything Ginji, Paul, or the others wouldn't do for him.... asking others for help was never something he liked to do. He avoided it whenever possible.]

.. but this is my responsibility. Not only did I make a promise to someone, but this is something I need to do. [Read as: want to do. The voo doo curse is a dangerous thing, and he was hoping to involve as few people in the whole mess as possible for their safety as much as Himiko's.]

[Even superheroes have some limitations]

[Voice]

[collagehero]

Then they'll definitely want to help! That's what friends are for! Everybody can only do so much, so that's why we need other people to step up and do what they can, too.

[That's pretty much the core of her life philosophy right there. Before she left, she had a discussion with someone who told her that the world didn't need superheroes, that instead it needed everyone to be a hero themselves and she didn't quite agree. The world can certainly use superheroes, but superheroes need everyone's support as much as everyone needs theirs in return.]

[Voice]

[just_a_minute]

It’s not like they can do anything... now! I’m stuck here, and they’re stuck back in Shinjuku!

[Where he should be. If he’d only confided in them sooner]

[Voice]

[collagehero]

Well, then you'll just have to figure out how to get back the way you want to! There's a lot we don't know about magic! Maybe you should ask Dog what she knows. She'll probably just grump, but maybe she can help!