Reaper Squad

[Midnight Maiden]

Well, to say that Teresa wasn't pleased with the thought of having a babysitter- let alone someone that was seemingly so easy to talk to -was an understatement. Whether he knew her past already or not, she didn't want to go and accidentally spill it all to him just because he seemed like a nice guy. No, Teresa only wanted one person to know her past and who she was; herself. So, she avoided responding to the bit about Sanae being able to handle her, focusing instead on the agreement that she didn't need a babysitter. Don't worry. I don't need some knight in shining armor to come to my rescue. "Aw, you think I'm half-way decent? I'm flattered," she quipped.

In response to Joshua calling out Teresa's look of sympathy about his death, the girl just grew a bit sheepish, annoyed that it'd been so obvious and that her boss had caught on. She simply crossed her arms once more, looking away at nothing in particular. It wasn't like him saying he'd killed himself helped make her feel any better. ..That's how bad they were to him. Briefly, Teresa pondered if she would've done the same, had she actually survived and made it to Paradise.. But didn't give it too much thought. She was dead, so 'what if's were pointless. And to be honest... She was much happier with it being this way. The remark about not wanting to look like a perverted old man earned a slight grin from the girl, despite the fact that it was followed with a creepy grin. "Less suspicious? Or... Less likely to be called out for groping people?" she teased.

The Glader was less playful when Joshua spoke of how he used to only use his Composer form. She recalled it quite vividly; a stunning, bright and awe-inspiring form that, as Josh said, was quite angelic. It was nice.. But the female imagined it'd be a bit overwhelming to see all the time. "Well.. Good that you don't detest it anymore," she stated, nonchalantly. To be honest, despite all of her teasing, Joshua looked fine in whatever form he was in, to her.

"Hm. As much as I'd love to be some average stupid girl with no sense of individuality..-" Before she could finish the sentence, Teresa immediately shut up, tensing visibly. Joshua's little mind control jab seemed to have done something that none of his others had done before... Triggered an emotion in her. An emotion that Teresa would never admit to having, especially over something she very well knew was a joke: Fear. It wasn't towards Joshua, but rather, towards the idea of mind control. She'd been so close to being controlled once before...

Flashback

Teresa had gotten Thomas to follow her away from the girls of Group B without a problem, once they were close enough to the Safe Haven. It was taking everything in the female to keep from breaking down right then and there and bawling her eyes out. From turning around to face her best friend and tell him to run as far away from her as he could. It was truly all she could do to bite down on her tongue so hard that it felt as though she were about to make it bleed. This is for Tom. If I don't do this.. He'll die. They'll kill him, she reminded herself, as though knowing this would make what she had to do any easier.

It didn't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqv_b93oGhk

Thomas was launching questions at her on quick fire, but Teresa didn't answer. She didn't say anything until the moment that Aris joined them, pressing a knife to her best friend's back. I'm so, so sorry, Tom.. she thought, wiping at her eye with the back of her free hand, playing this off for having had some sand of the Scorch blown in her eyes. Luckily for her, Aris took the lead with Thomas in front of him, and their destination soon came into sight. It was a simple door.. But it glowed green; radioactive. A vivid reminder of what heartbreaking act Teresa would have to put on, now.

She worked hard to swallow the lump in her throat as Aris shoved Thomas forward. But when the ravenette saw that confused look in Thomas's eye.. This got all the harder. I.. I have to do it. I'm so sorry. "Teresa.. What's going on?" Thomas asked, looking between Aris and Teresa with obvious confusion. In that moment... Teresa's heart shattered into a million pieces. "I never loved you, Tom. Aris and I, though.. We had a thing before the maze," Teresa declared, lying through her teeth. At this point, Aris was next to her, his hands on her hips. It was disgusting to the girl, and she wanted nothing more than to shove this boy away and embrace Thomas. But she knew that if she were to do that.. She'd be signing a contract for his death.

So, instead, Teresa was forced to follow the specific plan that WICKED had assigned to her and Aris; she got up on her tippy-toes, wrapped her arms around the boy's neck, and.. Kissed him. Unlike the one and only time she'd kissed Thomas, she felt nothing. Just this cold emptiness, and her heart shattering with the course of action she'd just taken. Not to mention, an intense disgust like none she'd ever felt before. And the part that made her heart hurt the most.. Was that she knew she'd just broken the heart of the one and only friend she'd had in the entire world.

The girl moved away from Aris as quickly as she could, averting her gaze. She couldn't look at Thomas... Or she'd risk blurting out the truth. No, instead, all she could do was keep her eyes off of him and follow into the chamber the door led to. Aris added to the blow, saying that Teresa had only been manipulating him from the start. This blow made the female internally cringe, still trying to avoid looking at Thomas. But, she couldn't for long; the boy surprised her by lashing out at her and Aris. Aris seemed a little stunned, but Teresa forced herself to do the unthinkable; when Thomas lashed out and hit her, she hit back, being as gentle as possible. Subconsciously, she was trying to apologize via their telepathic connection, the same words going through her mind over and over: 'I'm sorry, Tom'.

But their connection was gone. Severed by WICKED the moment they'd stolen her away from her group and forced her into this.

For maybe a second, Teresa's stunning blue eyes met Thomas's brown ones. The male was too hurt and feeling too betrayed to notice, but the female Glader's eyes spoke the same words as her mind. They were like this for maybe a moment longer, before Thomas tried to punch her.

Aris managed to drag Teresa out of the way of the blow, quickly shoving her out of the room and getting out as well. The boy locked the room, and released the gas. Nonfatal... And infinitely less painful than the pain of a broken heart. The moment that the deed was done, Teresa sank down to a sitting position against the wall of the cave they were in. And, for the first time in thirteen years... Teresa Agnes cried.

Trying hard to force the memory out of her mind, the girl didn't seem to bounce back and lighten up again. She avoided replying to her boss's comment about mind control altogether. It made her.. Feel, too much. So, instead, she just replied to his next comment about her aversion to touch. Luckily for Josh, Teresa's little instinct to fight it was still overridden by the fact the memory was still plaguing the front of her mind. She was too entrapped in it to do anything about this right now. "Yeah, well.. I thought it was agreed that that wasn't happening. Therefore, I am not your mindless lapog and you don't get to touch me whenever you-..."

The thought trailed off as the angel began touching her leg again. This time around, it seemed to be in a playful manner, rather than a predatory one. The response this garnished from the Glader was... A very confused one. She stared at him with a steely gaze, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She was about to ask what the male was doing.. When she found that she was subconsciously starting to smile. The odd way he was touching her was making her.. Smile? Almost laugh? It must've been the way he was touching her; it just felt... Odd.

The female bit her cheek, trying desperately to keep herself from smiling.. And especially laughing. That was the absolute last thing she wanted right now. "W-what are you doing?" she asked with annoyance, though, when she opened her mouth to speak, it allowed that smile and a small laugh to show through. She wasn't especially ticklish in that particular area, to her luck, but it was entirely possible that she was more ticklish in other areas.. ;D "S-stop th-that!" she demanded with another small smile. Clearly, she hadn't ever been tickled before.

The fact that Joshua still had so little faith in her wasn't very surprising, with all this he kept telling her. As much as she disliked it, she also understood it. She'd kind of accepted it, in a way, as one could say. "Look, Josh, I get that you don't trust me. It makes perfect sense. I've accepted it. And if you're tired of hearing my promises, I'll gladly shut up. I just said I'll try, and if I do fail.. Here's a preliminary 'you were right', and I hope you have fun taking me out," she dismissed with a shrug.

Normally, the younger Reaper would probably have made some jab at Joshua about him choosing to be polite, but she really didn't have it in her anymore. Hell, even his attempts to brush himself off and his complaints about being dirty didn't amuse her. "Yeah, well, enjoy it. I don't think I recall you showering at all while we were searching for Arya," she mused, shoving her hands- and her key, with them -into her pockets.

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Teresa's little whip quip earned her a smirk in return from the Composer. "No, don't flatter yourself. Half-way decent isn't exactly a compliment, especially when you must think I'm half-way decent yourself. Otherwise you wouldn't have agreed to stay as my Conductor." He paused for a moment before flipping a lock of his ashy blonde hair and adding, "And you probably wouldn't have looked at me the way you did just now, with so much sympathy."

Teresa may have said nothing in reply to his sympathy statement, but it bothered him nevertheless. Joshua felt he deserved sympathy from nobody. He may have had a rough life, but that didn't mean he was an entirely innocent person, devoid of sin. Especially after he had died, Joshua did some rather cruel things to people. He did whatever he had to do, in fact, to push forward his agenda of jacking Shibuya from the Composer and taking her place. Back in his early days of the afterlife, it had almost been an unhealthy obsession.

Flashback

While serving a customer, out of the corner of his eye, Mr. Hanekoma glanced to the door of his shop when he heard it creek open. He frowned upon seeing who entered. Dropping what he was doing, he walked over to the young man who had entered.

"Josh, what the hell are you doing in here?! Do you wanna get erased?! Get your butt to Hachiko and start looking for a partner! The game will be starting any minute! You died and I got you into the Reapers' Game; you got your wish. Now go play it so what I did for ya isn't all in vain!"

Joshua chuckled, a cocky smirk on his lips as always. "Please, finding a partner will be simple, dull even. I came to you so I could enquire about something far more important."

Scowling, Mr. H crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "All right, kid, what do you want? Let's make this quick though, yeah?"

"Sure. What I wanted is... to know where the Composer resides. I'm rather interested in meeting this person, perhaps even challenging them."

"Uh, Josh, ain't you getting a little ahead of yourself? You got a game to win, and missions to focus on. You really don't have time to track down the Composer."

Joshua shrugged. "Who says I can't do both? I'm sure I'll have plenty of time. I'd just like to know where this Composer resides. That bit of information would be quite helpful to me in the future."

Sanae narrowed his eyes. "Helpful how? What do you want with the Composer?"

With an ambiguous giggle Josh replied, "Don't worry about it, Sanae. I promise you I don't intend anything foul..." yet "...I'm just interested in finding out more about this person."

Sanae sighed. "I'm not at liberty to say where the Composer stays. If you want to find out where they are, you'll have to look for them yourself."

Josh frowned. "Well, how am I supposed to find them? Don't you have any hints that could help me? Any at all?"

Relenting from his intent of telling Josh nothing he finally replied, "Well, give me your phone, kid. I can put a tracker on it that will help you find her."

"Her?" Joshua questioned.

"Ugh, you didn't get this information from me though. You hear?"

The young man giggled. "Of course not. My lips are sealed."

"Tee hee, this form does have its perks for me," he simply replied to Teresa's groping comment, not denying her words in the slightest. "But, tell me, what form do you think is better? This one? An older one? Or my Composer form? I've had a few reapers who have told me that my younger form looks less... intimidating. Some of them feel it looks unfitting for the leader of Shibuya. Not that I care what they think, I'm just curious what your opinion is. Regardless of what anyone says, I'll wear the form I please. I most certainly won't switch to please anyone. Switching all the time would be too much unnecessary work." Josh wrinkled his nose. The Composer rather hated doing a lot of hard work.

It was then that Teresa seemed to space out after his mind control comment. He paused for a moment and looked at her, wondering why she was reacting that way. Did the idea of it bother her? Snapping his fingers to try and get her attention again he added, "I was only joking. I'd never use such a thing. My last Conductor actually tried to, but I'm not the kind of person who would even attempt to do so. As I said, I believe in free will. However, I do beg to differ. I can touch you whenever I want." Now that he was standing instead of sitting, he tickled her on her side--stepping back afterwards in case she attempted to hit him. Her laughter amused him. "I didn't know you were ticklish. A useful bit of information, I would say."

Joshua stiffened for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "Don't say that. I honestly don't have fun taking out my Conductors for betraying me. Even John White, and as much of an asshole as he was, wasn't fun to take out. I don't enjoy destroying someone who I once chose as an ally whom I was supposed to trust." He frowned. John was probably the hardest one to take down out of any Conductor who had betrayed him. That influence Akibahara had over the man, which greatly increased his strength, did not make him an easy opponent in the slightest. Fighting that man had been the closest Joshua ever had come to dying while he was the Composer...

"Yes, I likely stink; I get it," Joshua grumbled, folding his arms. "You haven't showered either, so you're not exactly clean yourself." Not so subtly, Joshua wiped the hand that had touched Teresa's hand--when she helped him stand up--on his pants. "Anyhow, why are you still here talking to me when I dismissed you? Maybe you really are having a rough time leaving me?" he questioned, partly teasing. "I'm not going anywhere. And if you need me, I reside in this building as well so if you need me, locating me will be simple."

@Hospes​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

Ah, and there it was; their little cycle continued. He teased her, and she teased right back. She wanted to keep her word about not teasing Joshua, but the temptation to tease him was so much stronger, and it felt impossible to stop herself. "Well, if it ain't a compliment for me to be half decent.. It ain't a compliment for you to be half-decent, either," she responded, dismissively. "Besides.. What's it to you, if I think you're decent?" she asked, feigning disinterest. In truth, though, she found Joshua to be more than just half-decent. Especially after the Aki incident, when he had actually shown himself to be a lot kinder and more thoughtful than he let on. The comment about her look of sympathy just seemed to annoy her. "Hm. I wasn't looking at you with sympathy," she mumbled, crossing her arms with something of a pout. "I think you're just mistaking my annoyance with you for something else," she teased.

The fact that Joshua responded to her groping comment with a comment about his form having perks, Teresa couldn't help but scoff. "You're ridiculous sometimes, ya know that?" she stated, shaking her head. The fact that Joshua was asking her opinion which form she liked the best, however, definitely caught her off guard. For a brief moment, she stared at him with something like curiosity, as though searching for any trace of sarcasm. After all, she doubted that he could be serious.. Right?

But, it seemed that he was.

The response to this was a brief, rather awkward pause. After a few moments, though, the dark-haired girl responded. "What're you asking my opinion for?" she inquired, tilting her head and raising a brow at the Angel. "I don't see why it matters. 'Specially since ya said others' opinions on your appearance don't affect which form ya use," she pointed out, matter-of-factly. To be honest, Teresa had no real preference over what form Joshua used; she was happy with all of them. After all, appearance didn't exactly matter to her. "..Regardless, it's good that ya don't listen to that klunk. I think that your obsession with rear ends will intimidate people plenty," she remarked, teasingly.

Even with her less energetic teasing attempts being made, having her boss snapping in front of her face wasn't the most pleasant wake-up call from those memories. She didn't, however, let that show. Rather, she kept her typical confident stance, chin up and head remaining high.. Even if she was hurting. "I get that you were joking," she muttered, rolling her shoulders slightly, almost as though she could physically shrug the recollections away. At the mention of the last Conductor trying to use mind control, Teresa could only shudder. "Well.. I'm glad I wasn't around for that." That was the understatement of the century.

Joshua's declaration that he could touch her whenever he wanted earned a deep frown from the Reaper, on top of an annoyed look. "Yeah? Well, if you touch me-.." Once again, the female found herself cut off by Joshua beginning to tickle her again. This time around, the Glader found it much more difficult to refrain from smiling- and, worse yet, laughing -. Much like before, the smile and laughter that came with this action of Joshua's wasn't.. Forced, like it usually was. However, it was obvious that Teresa was trying to hold it back. The tickling made it hard to really do anything but try to squirm away from Joshua and slap his hands away. "St-stop that!" she stammered through laughter. Even with the smile plastered on her pale features, it wasn't hard to tell how annoyed she was.

Relieved when Joshua stopped tickling her, Teresa tried to take a deep breath, hoping to calm back down. Her smile was quickly dropped, and a deep pout fell upon her features. "Look, I don't know what being... 'ticklish', means, but I am so getting you back for that," she told the angel, wagging a finger at him. "..And don't even think about doin' that again." Even if he did.. So what? It was doubtful that she would do anything about it... For now, anyways. It was clear she was demonstrating a lot of self-restraint. Because oh, man, did she want to slap Joshua for this.

Noticing the way that Joshua looked at her when she made the remark about hoping that he enjoyed taking her out, the girl could only sigh, leaning back against the wall. "I wasn't serious, Josh," she replied, tone a bit softer. "I know that.. Has to be hard to do."

Once again trying to lighten the mood, the ravenette quickly moved on to a lighter topic. It wasn't hard to notice Joshua wiping the hand he'd taken hers with, but it only earned a small laugh from the Reaper. "Right, of course. Well, at least we're in it together," she quipped. But, when Joshua called her out on the fact that she was lingering, Teresa just felt sheepish. But, she covered it well: "Yes. The thought alone is absolutely horrifying. But I suppose if you'll still be nearby, I can handle parting with you," she joked, pushing off of the wall. For a brief moment, she stepped right in front of Josh, looking up at him quietly. There was a pause, before the Glader raised her hand, as though about to smack him...

...But, instead, she simply patted his face. That had probably just been some sort of attempt to get a rise out of him. "See ya, Josh. Enjoy your chat with the kid." With that, she moved away from him entirely.... Before setting off to find her room.

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Oh? Well good. I wouldn't want a compliment from you anyhow," Joshua replied, a half smile on his lips before he replied to her next statement, aka their endless cycle of bickering. "Hah please, Teresa, if you really were that annoyed with me you would've went back to your room by now. I did dismiss you, after all." Joshua giggled. "You don't really seem all that annoyed to me, not while you're wearing that obviously amused expression on your face after continuing to tease me." If he were to say that he wasn't enjoying their bickering, Joshua would've been lying himself.

For a moment, after their brief bicker, the Composer felt himself grow slightly embarrassed when she called him ridiculous and even stared at him for a moment. Was asking the opinion of someone else really all that ridiculous? Of course he had said it didn't matter to him what anyone else thought about his form, but the fact he had bothered to ask may have hinted that he cared more than he let on. Joshua had at least cared enough to asked Teresa.

Joshua folded his arms and scoffed. "Fine, maybe I won't ask your opinion. If you say it doesn't matter, it probably doesn't. But, perhaps even if it doesn't matter, one could think I was simply interested to hear what your thoughts were even if they had no importance. It's not as if I have many people around to ask things, after all." It was true that Joshua didn't have too many people around to speak with when it came to simple things. He had to keep it this way for his own reasons, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Joshua nodded. "Yes, my last Conductor actually made a special pin with the ability. He made sure to give out the pins to everyone in Shibuya, reapers included. Once everyone had them, he activated them and they began controlling everyone in Shibuya. It's a long story but... Shibuya was saved in the end." Thanks to my proxy. Neku came in handy for more than just a couple of things.

The very annoyed look Teresa shot Joshua, despite the smile that was written all over her face from laughing, caused the Composer to actually utter a small, real laugh himself. From her head down to her toes Teresa seemed to be irritated by Joshua tickling her, and he found that very amusing. He also found it rather amusing that Teresa didn't seem to know what being ticklish was. Because of this, Joshua laughed yet again.

"A-Are you... serious? My word, you are serious, aren't you? Hah! You really don't know what being ticklish is! How odd!" He laughed again. "Ticklish is a funny feeling you experience when someone rubs you in a sensitive area and it makes you laugh. How can you not know that? Even small children know what it is to be ticklish. Oh, Teresa, you crack me up." Joshua placed a hand over his mouth to quiet himself, uttering an apology to her afterwards. "Tee hee. Forgive me, but that's rather cute."

Choosing not to even reply to the topic of his Conductors betraying him again, he instead skipped to teasing her one last time about lingering behind with him. "Yes, well, I do hope you can find some way to deal with departing from me. Farewell, Teres--"

"..."

He paused for a moment when she patted his face, unsure how to react at first. He paused for a moment, until she had turned to leave, giving her a smack on the butt.

"Buh bye," he said with a little wave. Once Teresa had set off, a grin passed over Joshua's lips. "Oh, and that reminds me..." With a snap of his fingers, he magically made a picture of himself appear hanging over the bed in Teresa's room.

Picture

"Hee hee, I told her I would do it."

@Hospes​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

The moment that Joshua denied wanting a compliment from her, Teresa merely raised a brow. "Oh? Well, if that's the case, I suppose that I'll only ever criticize you; and now you'll never know if my criticism is truthful or not," she jabbed with a faint grin. However, when the angel in front of her pointed out her clear amusement, she only shrugged and quickly conjured up an excuse. "How would ya know if I'm amused with you? Maybe I'm simply amused with my own teasing. Did ya ever consider that, Josh?" she pointed out, grin remaining plastered on her features.

It was actually... Nice, to be in the afterlife. In her original life, Teresa had never had the time for having.. well... Fun. The first three years of her life were the only good ones. Then, when she was four... The sun flares came. Brought the vast world around her to ruins; but it only got worse from there. Her family had survived; lived in one of many ruined cities, now made of only small, makeshift huts crafted with the few supplies they had. Not even a year later, though.. Was when they came. WICKED. Infected everyone with the Flare, and a journey with a bunch of misfits who only ever died in the end later? Teresa was taken in by WICKED. Forced to do everything they asked of her. She'd pulled a prank or two around the facility, sure, but aside from that?

Well... There'd never been any chance for her to have some light in her life. As she'd said before; she never had a chance.

Regardless of all of that, the point was, even with the few Murder Games she had partaken in.. Teresa was much happier here with Joshua and the Reapers than she had been with WICKED or the Gladers. And, for once, she had someone that she did get to have fun with, even if he occasionally got on her nerves: Joshua. And, needless to say.. It felt good.

Completely oblivious to the fact that Joshua's question had been something of a display of caring about what she thought, the young Reaper simply rolled her eyes once more with a slight smile towards her Composer. Whether he cared or not, it was kind of cute, the way he got so defensive over the matter. "Ah, well, if it really matters that much to you..." she started, playfully. "..My thoughts are that you look fine in whatever form you take. I have no specific preference on any of your forms; so long as you're happy with it, I am, as well," she dismissed, nonchalantly.

When the Composer spoke further about the last Conductor, the female wrapped her arms around herself slightly, practically getting chills from even the mention of the matter. For whatever reason, the story seemed to make her more than a little uncomfortable. It reminded her too much of the fact that, had she not complied with WICKED's plans, willingly, she likely would've been controlled... Just like Chuck and Gally. "..Good thing it was saved," was all she added on the matter.

Now, however, it was Teresa's turn to be embarrassed. The way Joshua was laughing at her made a slight pout form on her features once again, and she looked away out of embarrassment. "Hmph." It isn't my fault nobody taught me that. "Well.. I don't like being.. 'tickled'," she stated, the word rolling off of her tongue as though it were foreign. "..so you should keep your hands off of me, if you know what's good for ya." And there was yet another empty 'threat'. The most Teresa was likely to do to him was a slap, or maybe a light punch. Okay, or maybe she'd yank him around by the shirt a bit. What was more embarrassing than him laughing at her.. Was him calling her cute. "It isn't 'cute' to not know about something that you were never taught," she muttered, defensively.

The comment about hoping she'd find a way to deal with the departure just earned a final look of amusement. "What? Like slapping you around a bit before I go?" she asked, playfully. Though, the fact she was joking was obvious. "Anyways.. Right. 'Farewell'," she repeated him, seeming to be impersonating the way he said the word. However, the moment she'd backed off after patting his face- which, to her dismay, didn't earn her desired reaction -....

Upon Joshua slapping her butt, a brilliant shade of pink immediately seeped into Glader's pale features. She whirled on her heel, grabbing Joshua's offending hand with more force than necessary. Within moments, the girl was up in the Composer's face once again. The difference was.. The petite girl was clearly frustrated immensely... Though, her frustration levels seemed higher than her embarrassment. "...Touch my rear again and you lose this hand."

Aww. Wasn't that aggravation and embarrassment just adorable. :|

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"So your criticism will be like a game of Russian roulette then? A hit or miss? How interesting. Truth be told, I feel as if your criticisms are already like that. Its rather difficult to tell at times whether you are telling me the truth or not when you say something directed at me. You contain far too much sass and sarcasm for me to tell at times," Joshua replied. "And I doubt it's just your own teasing you're amused with. If that were the case, you would likely tease everyone in your life. But it appears at times that I am the only one you tease the way you do. So it isn't the teasing alone you are amused with, it's teasing me you seem to enjoy. There's no denying that, you slippery little fox," he told her with a wink.

Knowing he was already dirty and it mattered not what he leaned against, Joshua leaned his back against the wall as he continued to wait for Arya and Sanae to finish their conversation. Their conversation was taking quite some time to finish, but oddly enough it didn't feel that way with Teresa's banter entertaining him. This girl was definitely about as entertaining as Neku had been in the past, if not more entertaining. Neku would grow angry and give Joshua the silent treatment after a while of putting up with the angel, but Teresa never seemed to give up; the young reaper was never at a loss for words no matter how much he teased and prodded her.

To Teresa's next comments, Joshua wasn't exactly sure how to respond at first. He looked fine in any form he took? The angel quieted and took out his phone, fumbling with it for a moment as if he hadn't heard her. He flipped it open and closed it a few times, hitting a few buttons on it as well before finally mumbling, "Tch, w-well whatever happened to you saying all you'd ever do from now on is criticize me? Unless this is one of those incidences where you said I may not know whether you're truthful or not..."

Truth be told, Joshua was a tad flustered by her remark. He was expecting, and sort of hoping, she would tell him he looked wimpy in his present form or that regardless of his form she couldn't stand to look in his direction. So the exchange was a rather surprising one. Part of him quickly dismissed her comment, thinking that she truly may have been criticizing him. He much rather would've had it that way. He knew how to handle being teased better than being complimented.

As soon as he had the chance to speak of something else, Joshua quickly took it--especially since it was a more embarrassing topic for Teresa than it was for himself. "Nobody really likes being tickled, but it's something you'll have to get used to now that I know where you're ticklish," he teased, almost ambiguously threatening her with the possibility of being tickled again. It wasn't as if Joshua intended to tickle her on a regular basis, but now he knew of something he could subtly threaten her with if she was being too annoying.

"Slap me around before you go? What a bully you are! You'd slap around a poor, defenseless angel right in his own home? You are quite the cruel young lady, Teresa Agnes," Joshua responded to Teresa's very last playful comment directed his way. It was after that comment in particular that their playing grew a bit more hostile for a moment.

After that little exchange, Teresa should've walked away and left. Emphasizing should've. However, Teresa instead turned around--cheeks flushed red--and got up in Joshua's face. The Composer honestly wasn't intimidated in the slightest. By now, he was more than used to Teresa getting up in his face for a variety of things. In one way or another, Joshua occasionally did piss her off enough to cause this.

"My, my, such agitation! I can't tickle you, I can't touch you, I can't give you a spat on the behind. How many times do I have to tell you that I'll touch you if I so please, hm?" More playfully this time, he poked her right on the rear end again. Would he really lose his hand? If Teresa had the gall to do it, Joshy said bring it on!

@Hospes​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

The little comparison of her criticism being similar to a game of Russian Roulette was... Actually an amusing thought. Maybe that was why the Reaper chuckled softly; or maybe it was Joshua claiming that he felt it was already this way. "I suppose it'd be comparable to that particular... 'game'.. yes," she confirmed, a soft sigh passing from her lips. Unlike most of the time, though, this wasn't a sigh of annoyance, or of anything of the like. Rather, it was a sigh of... Content, maybe? "Heh. Well, maybe so, but I can assure you; if my criticism is serious, rather than a teasing remark, you'll know," she assured. "However, I'm not the only one that contains sass and sarcasm. Sound familiar?"

On the other hand, the comment made about her only ever teasing the Composer earned a long pause. Was he the only one she teased like this? Sure, she made a few sassy or sarcastic remarks to others on occasion, but never like she did with Joshua. Maybe it was because all of her friends that had known... Well, Teresa, and not 'Viviette', had all died. Ash, Hurley.. Hell, even Ryu had been something of a friend to her, and he was gone, too. But, then again, maybe it was something else? What is it about you that makes me do it, anyways? "..So what if it is? It.." Pausing very briefly, Teresa tried to come up with an excuse. "...It isn't like I've got anyone else around to tease. Maybe that's why you're the only one," she denied, trying desperately to ignore the 'slippery little fox' comment, as well as the wink Joshua shot her. 2embarrassed4replying

It was quite obvious from the way Joshua reacted to her indirect compliment that she had embarrassed him more than a little. But, why this was was what had the Conductor confused. She frowned slightly, raising a brow as he aimlessly fiddled with his phone. "What? Ya asked for my opinion. I gave it. What's the big deal?" she asked. Had she done something wrong? Was that supposed to be some sort of trick question?

Well, it didn't take long for the answer to come. Joshua pointed out that she'd said she'd only ever criticize him, just before asking if this was one of the times he wouldn't be able to tell whether she was being truthful or not. And that question right there.. Well, it made it impossible for Teresa to refrain from laughing. "That's called a joke, Josh; I wouldn't be a very good Conductor if I weren't serious every once in awhile, would I?" she replied, trying to stifle her laughter. "Look, point is, you look fine. If some Reapers say otherwise, don't let it get to ya. Just stick to what appearance you prefer," she told him, dismissing any concern he might've had about her opinion. "There's my thoughts on the matter. Take 'em or leave 'em."

And of course, Joshua had to go and threaten her with tickling her again. Her softer expression turned to another annoyed one, and she shot Joshua a look. "..I don't advise that. I might... accidentally.. punch or kick you, if you did," she warned, giving a subtle threat of her own. To be honest, if she did it, it probably would be accidental. At least.. Partially.

"'Poor, defenseless angel' my ass," Teresa replied with mild amusement. "Or, I suppose I shouldn't use that terminology," she sighed, "..with your clear affinity for rear ends." Was that supposed to be another teasing remark? "I wasn't really going to, but if you'd like, I could certainly..-"

As though to provide an emphasis on this, Joshua had to go and touch her behind once again despite her warning, making the female turn a deeper shade of red. Annoyedly, she moved to try to snatch both of the angel's hands into her own. "You can tell it to me all you want, but I'll reinforce that it isn't within your best interest to do so. For example.." Teresa trailed off, pausing briefly. Okay... So the hand threat had been a massive bluff. But, she wasn't about to tell Joshua that. No, instead, she thought up a new threat. "..I'll let you keep your hands... But I think another visit with the dirty ground might be in check. Wouldn't ya agree?" she inquired, almost teasingly. Frustrated or otherwise, it appeared that she still had it in her to go at it with the male.

"..If you're going to do any of those things, I much prefer being touched or tickled. I don't appreciate you touching my ass."

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Krieg]

Outsider.Traitor.Forgotten.Guilty.Outsider.Outsider.Outsider

So many thoughts ran through Arya's mind, even to this very moment, as the Producer suavely spoke in a caring, almost fatherly disposition to the fallen teenager. Even in a land of immortality and paradise through the ire of most individuals, Arya couldn't help but feel absolutely and dreadfully isolated. Her lack of vision probable affected this, her entire experience of Shibuya being mostly silence filled with the meddlesome ramblings between Joshua and Teresa. Honestly, the She-Wolf was still holding firm to the belief that the two were actually a ranting, raving elderly couple. But, alas, such thoughts were but the inner ramblings of a once loyal servant to the Arch-Demon.

"Vision, I want vision. That is the only way you will help me." Arya spoke blankly, leaning back in the seat, feeling the man's pat. Unlike the other two, Arya did not indulge herself into an almost game of seeing whose suffering was worse than the others'. In fact, ironically, Arya's purpose before being reborn as a Reaper was to end such suffering. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the She-Wolf craved the dream of a world where everything went right, where Father and Mother were still her, when Jon could still muse her hair, where Ellie and her could play in the Wolfswood. To say her quest was not noble, not justified in the slightest of senses is pure ignorance.

"And...I want to know why I am here again." Arya repeated softly, sighing with an almost exhaustion. "I've threaten your people, everything, by serving him. We dreamed of rewriting reality, no more death, no more life...only salvation. I want a real answer, I want the truth, ye." Arya's voice raised in intensity, her hands clenching into fists. Having been apart of a raging war for six months, the Northerner couldn't help but think of herself as a prisoner-of-war. Was she but an assist, a tool just in case another cosmic threat arises?

"I spent six months in that library, a'ye, six months trying to get 'er back and find that bastard." Arya softly repeated, clinging to memories as if to find some semblance of comfort. "Instead of fin'ding answers, I found only grief and sufferin'...and now I sit here, blind n' broken. Ye honestly believe I am going to get anywhere here, err, whats yer name...Sanae?" the Northerner's voice grew, sounding distraught, sitting up in her seat. As per usual, her apathy switched to misery, as if Arya herself find herself trapped in a loop.

"I'm blind, young, and a traitor. If ye see somethin' special in me, then by all means, let me know..."

"Otherwise...ye came to the wrong Stark, friend..."

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"No, it doesn't sound familiar," Joshua remarked. "I have no idea who else may reply with comments of sass and sarcasm." Of course, the Composer was joking. "But yes, your comments are rather similar to Russian roulette, aren't they?" he mused. "Except, they aren't really as dangerous that game." He paused for a moment before adding, "No, I take that back. You comments probably can be as deadly as that game on certain occasions." Joshua chuckled. "In fact, they may even be deadlier than a game of Russian roulette. Some of your comments truly pack a punch. It's a good thing I'm used to receiving such punches..."

"Oh, is that so?" Joshua questioned, not believing Teresa's comment stating she would likely tease others if she had them around. "You do have others around. You were around many people during the Arch-Demon war, and it isn't as if you're the only person here in Shibuya. There are other reapers around for you to interact with. This means I'm not the only person who is around that you could tease if you so desired." Joshua smirked. "But don't fret, it's not as if I blame you for wanting to tease me. I've been teased for as long as I can remember. I'm used to it."

Taken in a non-joking manner, it was possible to see a bit of serious truth in Joshua's statement. He truly had been teased all of his life. As a human, he had been teased for being thin, prissy, wimpy, for his dislike of dirt, and for his good grades in school. But no, those weren't the only things he was teased about. He had a whole other world of trouble when it came to his power of being able to see dead things. He was teased about that problem most of all.

"There is no big deal; there is nothing wrong," Joshua replied, straightening the collar of his shirt to busy his hands, hoping to contain himself from becoming flustered this time. He dropped his hands after a moment, however, turning his gaze on Teresa for a long moment. "Nothing wrong at all," he mumbled, almost seeming to zone out for a moment. He was so zoned out, in fact, that he didn't even really notice Teresa laugh or tease him when it came to him not catching the fact he had joked before.

He just stared at her.

Maybe even with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

In truth, he was a bit surprised by her comments. As mentioned before, he was rather used to being teased about his regular, human appearance. He found it strange--yet oddly comforting--that she would tease him when it came to just about everything under the sun, but didn't feel the need to tease him when it came to his appearance.

"..."

I look fine, hm? A different sort of response, but I'll take it. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Teresa is a bit different... in ways I don't really understand yet.

After a long moment of staring, Joshua finally realized he was doing so. He broke his gaze afterwards, and quickly returned to teasing Teresa as if nothing had ever happened. "I'd be interested in seeing you try to punch me if I tickle you. I believe the appropriate response would be to tickle me in return. You could try, at least. I doubt you'd ever be able to find out where I'm ticklish," he taunted, winking at her.

"Call me what you like. Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me--not your words, at least. I've become immune to your witticism."

It was shortly after that comment that Teresa snatched up both of his hands. "My, this is sudden. Sorry, dear, but I don't hold hands until the first date," he teased only to instantly shut up a moment later when Teresa threatened to push him onto the ground again. His expression quickly hardened in order to mask his utter disgust toward the idea. "I-I think not! You wouldn't dare!"

@Hospes​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Outsider.Traitor.Forgotten.Guilty.Outsider.Outsider.Outsider

So many thoughts ran through Arya's mind, even to this very moment, as the Producer suavely spoke in a caring, almost fatherly disposition to the fallen teenager. Even in a land of immortality and paradise through the ire of most individuals, Arya couldn't help but feel absolutely and dreadfully isolated. Her lack of vision probable affected this, her entire experience of Shibuya being mostly silence filled with the meddlesome ramblings between Joshua and Teresa. Honestly, the She-Wolf was still holding firm to the belief that the two were actually a ranting, raving elderly couple. But, alas, such thoughts were but the inner ramblings of a once loyal servant to the Arch-Demon.

"Vision, I want vision. That is the only way you will help me." Arya spoke blankly, leaning back in the seat, feeling the man's pat. Unlike the other two, Arya did not indulge herself into an almost game of seeing whose suffering was worse than the others'. In fact, ironically, Arya's purpose before being reborn as a Reaper was to end such suffering. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the She-Wolf craved the dream of a world where everything went right, where Father and Mother were still her, when Jon could still muse her hair, where Ellie and her could play in the Wolfswood. To say her quest was not noble, not justified in the slightest of senses is pure ignorance.

"And...I want to know why I am here again." Arya repeated softly, sighing with an almost exhaustion. "I've threaten your people, everything, by serving him. We dreamed of rewriting reality, no more death, no more life...only salvation. I want a real answer, I want the truth, ye." Arya's voice raised in intensity, her hands clenching into fists. Having been apart of a raging war for six months, the Northerner couldn't help but think of herself as a prisoner-of-war. Was she but an assist, a tool just in case another cosmic threat arises?

"I spent six months in that library, a'ye, six months trying to get 'er back and find that bastard." Arya softly repeated, clinging to memories as if to find some semblance of comfort. "Instead of fin'ding answers, I found only grief and sufferin'...and now I sit here, blind n' broken. Ye honestly believe I am going to get anywhere here, err, whats yer name...Sanae?" the Northerner's voice grew, sounding distraught, sitting up in her seat. As per usual, her apathy switched to misery, as if Arya herself find herself trapped in a loop.

"I'm blind, young, and a traitor. If ye see somethin' special in me, then by all means, let me know..."

"Otherwise...ye came to the wrong Stark, friend..."

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

Although Mr. Hanekoma knew there was little he could do to ease the young teen, a smile remained fixed on his lips. The coffee-loving hipster angel had dealt with so many broken, lost causes during his many, many years of life that the look on Arya's face was nothing new to him. He realized there was little he could say or do to make her feel better. Like a broken bone, a broken heart would take time to heal. And sometimes, even if a heart could heal, it was possible that heart would never work the same way again. The only thing Sanae could do was be around for the girl and to listen to what she had to say. He know the young she-wolf needed guidance. Sadly, she had been getting it from all of the wrong places lately.

"Nah, vision isn't going to completely fix ya, kiddo," Sanae began, wiggling a finger at her. He moved closer to her, showing he wasn't afraid of her by poking her between the eyes. "These may need fixing, but even if they get fixed," he paused for a moment to poke her small chest, directly over here her heart was. "vision isn't gonna help this get any better. Understand? I ain't exactly sure what funny little curse you have placed on you, but try not to look at it as only a bad thing. You're a swordsman--er, swordswoman, yeah? Think of your lack of sight as a way to learn more how to rely on your other senses. Might do ya some good, and make ya stronger in the long run even when you do get your vision back."

"Anyhow, I can't really answer your next question. I'm not the one who brought you here. You'll have to get your answers from Joshua. But even if you do ask him, don't expect that you'll get any answers outta him. The guy tends to have reasons behind everything he does, but he doesn't exactly like to explain his reasoning until everything he intended to happen has already happened. Don't worry 'bout it though. You'll find out in due time. If I were you, I'd just work on adjusting to this new life. It'll be a doozy, but I'm sure you'll get used to it."

The Producer paused for a moment before grinning larger. "Yeah, the name is Sanae, Sanae Hanekoma. You can call me Sanae or Mr. H. Whatever your comfortable with is fine by me. Anyhow, kid, I know you really want your answers; I can tell. But don't worry about rushing to get them. You'll gain them in due time. You may never have found them in the world of the living, but things will be different here, you'll see."

The man paused yet again before adding, "But if you're that eager to know at least one reason why you're so special, I'll give you this: you're Arya Stark. You're the only Arya Stark. There never has been or ever will be another Arya Stark ever again. You are unique. And the pain you've went through is something anyone can easily see by looking at you. That's a good thing. Maybe if other people see it, they'll learn from it and better themselves. Kid, you have potential as long as you're alive. Never forget that."

Sanae moved away from her for a moment, leaning against the wall. "Anyhow, that's all I really needed from you. Joshua's got a key to your room. You'll be staying here with us for a while. Whenever you're ready, you can head out and see him. And if you need anything, come visit me any time. Or ask for me and someone will help ya find me. Even if I can't help, you can vent to me. My ears are always open. I'm always here to listen," he said, his voice full of care and kindness.

@Krieg​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

Just grinning as Joshua claimed that he didn't know anyone else with sass or sarcasm like hers, the younger Reaper went along with it. "Oh, really? Huh. You know, I could swear that I know a certain shank that's just as bad about that junk as- maybe worse than -I am.. But it appears his name is slipping my mind," she teased, playfully. It seemed that her boss's further comparison of her comments to Russian Roulette only made her grin return.. At least, when he said her comments could be as deadly. "Damn right. An' don't forget it," she declared with a wink.

Her playful air did seem to diminish slightly when Joshua made his comment about being used to being teased. Serious or not, it still reminded the female about Sanae's story about Joshua's past. So, in a weak attempt to switch to a more positive topic, she responded. And what her response was was... Well, not expected. "..Hm. Fine, maybe I do like to tease you in particular," she conceded, feigning nonchalance. "Others simply aren't as entertaining, when it comes to sparring with words."

The comment was slathered with sarcasm, but behind this, there was some truth to it. Teresa honestly didn't know if this was the real reason that she loved to tease Joshua, specifically, but the fact that he never seemed to give up on teasing right back was something she felt was a big piece of it.. Or, at least, it would make sense that that was it, right?

The way that the angel denied there being a problem only served to make the ravenette raise a brow. "..Then why are ya so antsy?" she asked, seeming unconvinced. The thing was, right after she asked the question, Joshua began staring at her. She blinked with surprise, staring back with something like confusion. "Uhh.. Josh?" she asked, clearly caught off guard. No response came. The way he was staring at her made the girl a bit embarrassed. What had she done that made him do this, anyways? Regardless of what it was, Teresa responded the only way she knew how. "L-look, Josh, if you're into me, you should just say it instead of checkin' me out," she teased, almost awkwardly.

Seeming to be relieved once their teasing had resumed, the Glader seemed to relax a bit again, losing her previous awkwardness and.. Faint embarrassment, even? "Hmph. As if I'd want to touch ya to even try to find out where you're ticklish," she quipped. "I'd much rather hit ya. Since you seemed to want to consider me a bully.." But, would she really? As much as she teased him, it was still doubtful that Teresa would really ever beat up on the Composer.

"So, if my words can't hurt you.. I guess I'll have to solely criticize ya, after all," she told him, a rejuvenated playfulness laced through her voice. "Or I could go mute. I'm sure I'd make a grand mute." That's right, Teresa Agnes was a boss at charades. Totally. She kicked WICKED ass at that game, yo.

And, of course, the moment that Teresa had grabbed Joshy, he couldn't resist making a joke about it. It made Teresa's already heated face get a little hotter with annoyance, sure, but the thing was... It didn't change that Teresa couldn't resist making a jab right back. "Are you asking me on a date?" she asked. While there was no grin on her face, at the moment- rather, an annoyed expression -, her tone of voice made it clear that it was merely a joke. But, her expression did shift when the male displayed disgust with the idea of being put near the ground again. A sly grin tugged at her lips, and judging by her expression, this wouldn't be the last time Joshua would be hearing that threat. But, instead of vocalizing this, the dark-haired female put on a falsely innocent look.

"Ah, but you said it yourself, Joshy; 'I'm quite the bully'. I would dare, and I'll do it if you continue to touch my butt. So, it may be in your best interest to stop, Composer~"

Mwahahaha! She was so evil and clever! >:D

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Yes, miss," Joshua teased in reply to Teresa's playful comment and wink. "Tee hee, remind me never to get on your bad side then. I'm quivering in my tennis shoes just thinking about any of your deadly comments ever hitting me that hard." He paused before adding, "Oh, and if you ever see this shank who apparently is very sassy and sarcastic, tell him I'd like to meet him. He sounds rather interesting. I bet he's pretty good looking too." Joshua found himself chuckling afterwards. What even was a shank? Teresa's slang could be rather amusing at times. Not to mention, quite different from the way Joshua spoke in a very proper, educated manner.

"Gee, you sure are giving me a lot of compliments lately," Joshua remarked when Teresa finally admitted that she did actually enjoy teasing him. Whether she was being sarcastic or not, Joshua still couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease her a bit more. "I'm glad that you think I'm good with words. You're not so bad with words yourself. Of course, I'm better. It's just your sass and stubborn will not to give up that keeps you going with all of the words you continue to spew out." Despite his tease, Joshua did genuinely find her more amusing to banter with than most.

Despite his cover up, it was apparent that Teresa still had noticed Joshua staring at her. "I wasn't checking you out," he mumbled, a tad defensive. "There was something on your face," he lied, reaching out to suddenly flick her on the face with his finger. "There, I got it," he teased. "Huh, but maybe I am into you. The long locks of dark hair and stunning blue eyes are nice and all, but it depends if I approve of your rear end..." Winking at her, he reached out again, but instead he touched her hair, twirling a longer lock of long hair around one of his fingers. It was painfully obvious he was trying his damnest to act like a creepy little asshole. He was pretty good at it too.

"So violent!" Josh exclaimed when Teresa claimed she would much rather hit him than anything else. "I wouldn't recommend doing that if you like your job. That just wouldn't be nice." It wasn't as if Joshua was entirely serious with his warning though. If she hit him and he had done something that obviously deserved being hit for, he would probably overlook it. Joshua wasn't that strict when it came to the actions of who he worked with, especially Teresa. He had let her off the hook when it came to a lot of things by now.

"Hm, if you went mute I imagine working with you would be dreadfully boring. But it would be a lot quieter. I can just picture it already: sweet, blissful silence. How delightful. You are more than welcome to make this suggestion a reality if you wish, however, I can't picture you as the type to remain mute for long. You're more the type of person who can't keep her mouth closed for long." In this case, Joshua was actually quite the same. Most of the time, Joshua actually enjoyed talking a lot, either teasing people, rambling on about history, or anything else that came to mind. Back in the days when he hung around with Neku, this was one of the many things that got on his nerves about Josh.

"Hm? Me ask you out on a date? Why, do you want me to? I never said I intended to, I only said I don't hold hands until a first date. If you find me appealing I suppose you can ask me, but I would brace yourself for cruel and heart-shattering disappointment. Tee hee. I'm like a stray tumble weed flowing through the breeze, unable to be caught and tied down to anyone person." He smirked. "But if you have a crush on me, you're more than welcome to ask. You never know what I might say."

Joshua frowned. "No, I will not touch your butt. Just let me go. I'd rather not come in contact with the floor again, thank you very much," he told her, wrinkling his nose. It appeared as if she discovered one of Joshua's few weaknesses. Touching her butt again wasn't worth being pushed onto the floor again. Pouting, he added, "You really are a bully. How cruel."

@Hospes​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

"Hmph. I'll tell you the same as I told your friend; just call me.." And there was the hard part. As easy as her name seemed to roll off of her tongue, she despised it. It was just another label thrust upon her by WICKED. But at the same time.. The female didn't want to admit that her name wasn't really her name. She didn't want to be questioned on why this was, and have to explain her past to anyone. So, she simply replied with her little label. "..Teresa. Not 'miss Teresa', 'Teresa darling', 'dear', or anything else," she informed him. When Joshua spoke of not wanting to get on her bad side, the girl couldn't help but chuckle. It was doubtful that her boss could get on her bad side, but she wasn't about to tell him that. "What makes ya think you aren't already on it?" she asked, playfully.

Joshua complimenting himself made the Glader smirk, and she simply shot a reply right back. "Ya know.. I'd have to disagree. He's pretty shuck-faced, and he has a knack for rubbing people up the wrong way," she jested with an amused look in her eyes. "But, I guess I'll tell him next time I see him.." There was a pause, before the female poked Joshua in the chest. "..I think ya have a date with the mirror. I hope it's a good kisser."

For whatever reason, it didn't seem that the girl liked that Joshua had pointed out she was complimenting him. She frowned deeply at the Composer, seeming annoyed. "..I ain't complimenting you. That was sarcasm," she replied, her tone almost defensive. Even so, she seemed to take the angel's claim as a challenge of sorts, and because of this, couldn't resist making a witty response. "You wish. I obviously have the ability to leave you at a loss for words. Therefore, I'm just as good with words as- if not better than -you are," she retaliated.

Noticing his slightly defensive tone when he denied having been checking her out, the young woman merely chuckled once more. But, before she had the chance to tease him about this, Joshua went and flicked her on the face. Once again, her frown returned, and she huffed slightly in annoyance. "What? Is that the only excuse you can come up with to flick me?" she asked, almost boredly. That slightly bored tone quickly evaporated upon the Composer's next words he spoke to her, replaced near immediately with something between frustration and embarrassment. One part of the Viviette persona from the incident with the Dark Presence that still had effect on Teresa was that- though it wasn't really a fear -she didn't like to be touched by others. "..And you accuse me of giving you compliments," she muttered. Soon after, though, she moved to swat his hand away. "I don't need your approval, of my 'rear end' or otherwise.. And haven't I made it clear that I don't like being touched?"

There were.. Some exceptions to this, she supposed. Wrestling or sparring could be fun. She often interacted with Little Guy, though, he didn't quite count in Teresa's mind since he was a Noise. She.. No, Viviette.. had managed to keep from flipping out completely when Will had kissed her. Hell, though she tried to forget it out of embarrassment, Teresa had even hugged Joshua once.. And that had been more than bearable.

The fact that the Composer seemed to actually take her hitting comment seriously was.. Well, kind of funny, even though it probably shouldn't have been. "Yeah, I'm violent. Your point?" she queried with faint amusement. Even with all of the joking that Teresa did, she didn't exactly.. Enjoy, her violent tendencies. She never had, and never would. But with how she grew up, from having to survive in a village full of people who accused her of being a demon because she survived the Flare, having to be able to survive around the Cranks that were already far-gone and had succumbed to the need to kill, and to her trials in the Maze and the Scorch? Well, she'd never had a choice in it. It was that or die. And, in the end... The latter was what she had done. "..Hm. Maybe I'm not nice. Maybe I'm not suited to be Conductor." Was she... Being serious? Or was that supposed to be a joke?

The brief, spacey and semi-serious funk that 'Subject A1' had been in was cut short by the time that the Composer had commented on her statement about going mute. She tried to keep up a playful spirit, but she wasn't quite as enthusiastic. "Well, if you want someone quiet as your Conductor, feel free to choose someone else. Or, opposed to your belief, I could go silent. It isn't that hard to refrain from talkin'."

What the Reaper wasn't exactly expecting was for her tease to provoke a little speech from the angel whose hands she was holding captive. It was a good thing that her cheeks couldn't get any redder, because otherwise, they probably would've. Instead? The girl simply kept their little ongoing jabs at each other up. "Well, the fact that I'm 'holding your hands' and that you said you didn't do that 'til the first date made it sound like you were requesting one," she explained to the angel, jokingly. "But, I'm afraid that I can't request that you go out on a date with me. Tumbleweeds aren't really within my range of interest," she teased. "..I do find it quite odd that you're perfectly happy fondling people's rears, but not holding hands," she added as a further tease.

Andddd there it was; all the proof that Teresa needed that her newest threat would prove useful after all. The female giggled, almost mockingly, as though rubbing it in that she'd won. "Hehe. I am still holding your hands, aren't I?" she mused, acting as though she'd forgotten. Contentedly, the female released Joshua's hands, a mockingly sweet smile on her lips. "Bully or not, I appreciate you being a good boy," she teased, speaking to him as though he were a dog. Oh, yeah, she was smug as hell right now. It wasn't often that she managed to get Joshua to stop touching her butt, no matter how much she threatened or slapped him, so she intended to enjoy this a few moments longer while it lasted.

Of course, the way she chose to mock him was... Not exactly to be expected. She didn't back off just yet, but rather, leaned up and... Kissed him on the cheek? Wow. Bold, much. Judging by how smug she looked as she finally backed off, this action had likely been an attempt to get a rise out of him. Regardless, with a smirk and a small, almost taunting wave, Teresa finally moved to go. "See ya, Josh."

Damn. That girl had guts.. And would probably regret that, later.

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"So picky about your name!" Joshua teased Teresa, faking a dramatic gasp. "Let's just say my friend and I have a habit difficult to break; we often call people by dear, miss, sir, or other such titles. It's no insult, it's just the way we tend to speak," he told her with a wink. "But if it bothers you that much, I suppose... you'll just have to get used to it," he added, a teasing smirk covering his lips afterwards. Joshua called just about everyone under the sun by whatever titles he pleased, save for those who held his absolute respect. And there was only one person in the multiverse who Joshua respected with his entire being: Sanae.

"Oh, but aren't people who are like that quite entertaining? I tend to think so. They are rather unique individuals who are interesting to interact with, at least from my experience. But, perhaps that is simply because few people have what it takes to rub me the wrong way." Yes, this was likely because, instead of being rubbed the wrong way, Joshua was doing all of the rubbing himself. His asshole switch was usually on 24-7. He rarely turned it off, and when he did it was for brief, fleeting moments. The way he acted had become his way of life after a while.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself. You didn't leave me at a loss for words. I took a pause for a moment before I continued speaking. There's a difference." It was a terrible cover-up to explain why he hadn't replied to Teresa right after her compliment, but at the moment Joshua couldn't think of much more to add. The Composer felt that since the words she had used were a compliment, they didn't count toward her so called challenge of witty banter. It wasn't her banter that had stunned him, it had been her compliment. In his eyes, that most definitely didn't count!

"Hm, well I'm sorry, sweetheart, but we don't always get what we want," Joshua replied, skipping over Teresa's accusation of him flicking her to get out of making a better excuse for going silent. Skipping to the part where he could instead tease Teresa was always much better. "Like I said before, I'll touch you whenever I want. It's not as if I like being touched either, but you still touch me all the time," he added, partly complaining. Although Joshua didn't have a situation like Teresa had with her alter-ego known as Viviette, Joshua naturally didn't like being touched by anyone. It was just part of a feeling that came with having been alone for such a long time.

"Yes, forgive me for stating the obvious," Joshua replied sarcastically, wrinkling his nose when Teresa did indeed agree with him about being violent. "Just be sure to keep your violent hands off me. No hitting, slapping, or shoving me to the ground if you can help it." He paused for a moment afterward, taking in her comment about being a Conductor. "Whoever said being nice was in the job description of being a Conductor?" he questioned her, a smirk forming on his lips. "My last two Composers aren't exactly what you would call nice."

Commenting on her next statement, he added to his previous one. "And I never said being a Conductor meant you had be to be mute either. It certainly is a good thing you aren't the Composer. I fear you would have strange job requirements for your Conductors to fulfill," he teased with a chuckle. "Gee, what would ever happen if you did become the Composer? Shibuya would cry out to the heavens, begging for mercy most likely," he added, the smirk never leaving his lips.

While his hands were still held captive by Teresa's, Joshua's cheeks actually began to redden a bit deeper. "H-Hmph, holding hands is different. Didn't you just say you didn't like touching? Why are you even holding my hands? L-Let me go already," the Composer grumbled. He turned his head and gazed in another direction, continuing to grumble under his breath

As soon as Teresa did finally release his hands, Joshua quickly folded his arms against his chest. He was about to take a step back from her, but stopped moving, caught off guard when she kissed him on the cheek. His eyes widened and he suddenly stumbled back in an awkward manner, lifting a hand to frantically being rubbing his cheek as if she had just given him cooties by his action. He looked like a little boy, disgusted by an elder touching their lips to his cheek.

"Y-You shifty fox," he stammered, his cheeks still red from when she had a grasp on his hands before. "You dislike touch? It's hard to believe it when you act like that." What is she trying to do? Give me a heart attack? Goodness...

He was flustered. And saying that was even an understatement. He was not only flustered though, but also a tad embarrassed that she had caught him off guard in such a manner that he had lost his composure. No pun intended. He couldn't let this slide; oh no he could not! Attempting to shake off the blush, and the temporary feeling of being flustered, Joshua tried to think of a way to quickly turn this situation back on her, and at least make her a little embarrassed as well.

"Or maybe you just like touching me. Ah, that must be it." He then winked at her in a sickeningly sweet manner. "Very interesting. You just can't keep your hands off me, can you? You must be too attracted to me for your own good." He giggled, finally calming after he had come up with some sort of comment to say to her. "Farewell then, Teresa," he then told her, waiting to see if she really would leave without saying another word.

@Hospes​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

The teasing that Teresa was receiving from Joshua about her name only served to annoy the Glader, and she directed her gaze elsewhere. "I don't think it's an insult," she snapped. For whatever reason, this discussion seemed to be annoying her quite greatly. The reason behind this was.. Well, not something she was keen on talking about. "My point is that your formal little titles and.." she paused, thinking back to the way the Producer had kissed her hand and how to phrase that. The fact she was considering this was likely obvious. "..gestures, aren't meant for people like me," she finished, jaw clenched slightly. People like her.. Tch. "But fine. If you want to play pretend, go right ahead."

Trying to shake off her annoyance with the angel, the female only clicked her tongue in response to her boss's claim of people like what she'd described being entertaining. "I wouldn't know. People from where I'm from aren't exactly like that," she sighed. At least that wasn't a terribly upsetting thought. Trying to keep up the teasing to pull attention away from the more serious statement she'd made, the female quickly added: "..You're the only one I've met like that, and you're just.. Annoying," she joshed, forcing a weak grin. However, it didn't meet her eyes, that seemed to simply return to their normal steely state. Blocked by walls that had been built up over many years, and would likely take ages to knock down.

It appeared that the angel's words didn't quite convince the scrutinizing ears of Teresa Agnes. "You're correct - there's definitely a difference between taking a pause an' being at a loss for words... Which, no matter how much ya deny it, you were obviously the latter," she jabbed, that forced grin remaining spread across her lips. "Clearly, my cleverness overrides your mind, making your little jabs come to a halt," she opined, jokingly. "There's no other explanation as to why I can make ya stop running your mouth.. Unless ya really are into me." Huh. Where along the line had the pair upped the stakes by throwing in remarks about liking each other? Teresa wasn't really aware, but it was.. Funny. Embarrassing, but funny.

And, of course, her boss couldn't resist aggravating her again. The female glared at the Composer with distastefully obvious annoyance, but, instead of snapping at him, she merely fell silent. The glare lasted a good while, but Teresa eventually pulled her eyes away to look off to the side. This wasn't the first time that she'd done something like this; in fact, these brief spurts of silence were.. Slightly common. They were similar in nature to the way that she fell quiet while entrapped in her memories, but the look in her eyes wasn't quite the same as when that happened.

Regardless, eventually, she spoke again. "..If you're going to use those shuckin' nicknames instead of calling me by name, at least use a more suitable one. I'm not a sweetheart," she defended, though there wasn't terribly much annoyance in her tone. "Hm. If that's the case... I'd be glad if you could conjure up some sort of spell so that we can't touch each other. You not being able to touch me would be nice," she teased, weakly.

"Hey; if ya don't want my 'violent hands' on you, you better behave yourself. They can be hard to control when people get on my nerves," the female teased, her grin growing slightly more sincere. But, said grin quickly faded when the Composer said that Conductors didn't have to be nice. Good. Then having The Betrayer as your Conductor won't bring ya any trouble. "Yeah, well.. That's good for me, then," she answered, voice a little softer.

When Joshua jokingly asked what would happen if Teresa was Composer, the dark-haired female froze up a little once again. She almost seemed... Scared? Quickly, Teresa raised her hands in front of her slightly, almost defensively, and shook her head. "Ahaha.. Yeah, no thanks. I don't want anything to do with your little position," she told the Composer, trying to keep any fear or sheepishness from seeping into her voice. "I, uhh.. I'm hardly cut out for this position. Let alone your little throne." Wow. Teresa really must not have wanted to be Composer, if she was rambling off like that and practically admitting Josh was better suited than her. Was it that she didn't want the position? Or could it maybe be that Teresa didn't want anything to happen to Joshua that might lead to her having to take over?

Who knew?

But, her slightly frightened and sheepish demeanor quickly evaporated when she noticed that her boss was... Blushing? Oh, God, this was too good. Teresa was a sensitive person behind her walls, sure, but the fact that she had made Joshua blush made it impossible to suppress a smile. She chuckled lightheartedly, biting her lip in attempt to at least somewhat hold back her smile. "I was holding your hands because you touched my ass, even when I told you to stop," she answered, blankly. "Heh. It's rather cute that that embarrasses you so much, though. I don't believe I've seen you blush so deeply before..." she commented, still smiling brightly with amusement. Was she just trying to get a rise out of him, or could it be that... She was actually sincere?

But, regardless, that little embarrassment she'd evoked had nothing on Joshua's next reaction.

Now, Teresa bit her lip all the harder as she watched the Composer's clearly thoroughly embarrassed reaction, trying desperately to keep from laughing. However, as hard as she tried, it still slipped through. "Ahaha.. I'm sorry, but your embarrassment really is too cute," she pointed out through her laughter, before she finally managed to pull the reigns on said laughter. Suffice to say, her attempt to get a rise out of him had been more than successful. "Shifty fox or otherwise, I'll have you know that I still don't like touch. Even if it gets such amusing and adorable of reactions as that," she told him as she turned away to depart.. but found herself stopped in her tracks by Joshua's next words and the exaggerated wink he shot her way.

Immediately, Teresa felt her cheeks heat up with mild embarrassment and powerful annoyance. She hurriedly tried to turn away, hoping Joshua hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of her heated face before she did so.. But, to her dismay, he probably had. Even so, she couldn't help but fire off a defensive retort. "Hah, you wish! If we're goin' by the logic that touching someone means you're attracted to someone, you're much more attracted to me than I am to you. You can't seem to keep yourself from touching me- be it tickling, groping, or hair ruffling -, can you?" she responded.

Oh, dang. Joshua had certainly embarrassed her, but Teresa still had her ammo!

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Gee, you can never stop yourself from being stubborn, can you?" Joshua replied after Teresa once again complained about his titles and gestures. "Too bad there isn't an off switch for it," he added, teasing her briefly. "Anyhow, don't worry; I'm done playing pretend, as you put it. I won't further attempt to change your view about something you refuse to change. But I will admit it is frustrating when you say people like me as if you're some manner of alienated monster. I feel that is far from the case..."

"Annoying? That's all you think of me?" Joshua smirked. "You're lucky I'm not like a lot of other bosses out there in the multiverse. If you said such things to other bosses I can only imagine you'd have ended up without a job rather quickly." The angel didn't really care if she insulted him though. In fact, he it really amused him, and he always enjoyed seeing what witty, sarcastic remark she would come up with next.

Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Joshua replyed, "My, you certainly do love including the possibility of me being interested in you romantically often in your jabs. It's almost as if you're trying to hint at something..." He trailed off for a moment, the smirk widening in his mouth. "I wouldn't get too hopeful, Teresa. I am a lone wolf. I'd only break your heart," he teased with a wink. "But we could always have a fling if it suits you." Although he was entirely joking, it was almost hard to tell with him being so talented in the art of dry humor.

After the brief silence, when Joshua spoke again he said, "Oh, don't complain so much. If you think my titles are bad, you should hear Sanae's..." Joshua smiled for a moment, remembering how Mr. H used to drive Neku crazy by calling him phones. When Neku would insist on the man using his real name he would agree but then act as if he forgot his real name moments later. But, now that he thought about it, Sanae only ever had done that to Neku.

"That's good for you? As if you're not nice?" Joshua questioned with a snort. "You're probably one of the nicer Conductors I've had, to be honest. So if you're worried about your reputation when it comes to that, you really don't have to." Joshua paused before adding, "Oh, and I'm not sure if you've been thinking about it, but knowing you it's possible, that Betrayer title of yours is something you can let go here. It holds no meaning to me or anyone else here in the afterlife. If someone ever uses it against you, just ignore it or..." He narrowed his eyes. "...send them to me."

The Composer folded his arms, scowling when teased him about his blushing and called him cute. "I'm getting tired of this conversation. I told you I wasn't going to touch it anymore, so I won't unless you give me a reason to. Such as, continuing to get on my nerves with this conversation. So, make like a good little Conductor and cease these actions, all right?" he grumbled, turning away from her for a moment. He was so flustered, he was actually getting a bit irritated. Well, that was new.

He only continued to grumble when Teresa made her own attempt to get back at him after he had made her flustered before. "You twist my words, you foul minx. I stated your failure to keep your hands off me displays your attraction for me. I never mentioned someone else or what I'm attracted to-- Ugh, look you're starting to confuse me already. I'm too tired to figure out anymore decent comebacks. Are we finished here yet, or what?" he questioned, starting to tap his foot on the floor like an impatient old lady.

@Hospes //ooc: After 10,000 years I've replied again! XD
@Krieg @Thuro The Assassin Potato //also tagging you guys so you see the hype is still alive, somehow. XD lol.​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

"Yeah, I can," she admitted, though she was unable to even muster the slightest grin. "..So can you, though," she pointed out, seriously. But, her features did brighten the slightest bit when Joshua finally relented, and she nodded her thanks. "Much appreciated, Joshua." Even so.. Any of her cheerfulness and/or relief were washed away by Joshua's next words.

"You don't know what I came up from, Josh," she replied, expression somber. "That's exactly what I was considered to be." The female couldn't help but think back to her time with her village, after her parents' deaths. After she'd been injected, but had shown no signs of having the Flare. She remembered how they'd all kicked her- a child of no more than four or five years of age -right after she'd lost everything she had: from being physically pushed around by them, to being yelled at, generally demeaned, and being called evil and a demon, them leaving her for death with the rotting corpses of the people she'd loved, and even them all trying to sacrifice her.

Yes, her view that she was a monster was nothing new.

Even so, Teresa didn't want to linger on those thoughts, or to let Joshua think that she was getting down over memories - so she quickly hurried to move on. "I didn't say that was all I thought of ya. It's just the first thing that came to mind," she explained, nonchalantly. "Besides.. I think that if you were going to fire me, you'd have done it a long time ago," she added, throwing Joshua a wink. "Which, ya haven't, yet. Hell, you even surprised me with a promotion. What does that say? Are you a masochist?" she joked, playfully.

That particular little remark was enough to embarrass and annoy Teresa yet again. She pouted faintly, and immediately went on the defensive. "Oh, please. The only thing I'd be hopeful for is you not wanting to date me," she retaliated, poutily. The suggestion of having a fling only served to further embarrass the female, though it wasn't obvious. "As if I'd want a fling with you," she muttered. "I'm sure you'd enjoy that, though, wouldn't you? I hate to disappoint you, but I have more decency than that."

Of course, Joshua telling her not to complain just made her huff. And, she promptly began complaining in a joking manner. "I think that you shouldn't complain about my complaining," she stated in as playful a tone as she could muster.

And then the Composer went and ruined her attempts to bring back a lighter mood by delving deeper into her offhanded comment about not being nice. The ravenette just sighed heavily, her hand rising to her neck before she forced herself to respond. "Yeah, well, you'd be the first to associate me with the word 'nice'," she remarked, under her breath. Even as she said this, though, the girl found herself a bit surprised. She didn't fully recall speaking to Joshua about her past as the Betrayer, but it was entirely possible she'd simply forgotten about it. But, that wasn't what surprised her - it was him telling her to send anyone who tried to pick on her about it to him.

There was a long pause, and soon, her hand moved from her neck to her opposite forearm. "Err.. Thanks, Josh, but I think I can handle myself just fine," she assured, offering a weak smile. "It ain't like anyone here has what it takes to break me down, anyways." That statement held a lot of truth. It took a hell of a lot to bring the female down. With how she'd grown up, she was like a soldier. A warrior. No matter how hard people tried, she had yet to completely shatter.

And, yet, so many people had left so many irreparable cracks in her being. Teresa Agnes was broken, but she always managed to piece herself back together, even stronger than before.

..You know. Not including being strong against threats to have her butt touched.

"Ahaha.. Right..." she replied, trailing off sheepishly. "Well, would you look at the time? I should get going, huh?" And with that, Teresa finally moved to leave... But not without throwing one, final parting jab over her shoulder. "Heh. It's alright, Joshua - you don't have to admit your attraction to me. Your 'confusion' from being 'tired' makes it quite clear." >:D

AND THEN TERESA HIGH-TAILED IT BECAUSE SHE WASN'T ABOUT TO STICK AROUND TO LET JOSHY GET BACK AT HER

Now that that was all out of the way, Teresa- feeling quite accomplished, considering she'd achieved her goal of getting a rise out of Joshua -started searching for her room, any trace of a blush from her boss embarrassing her now washing away. She felt awfully content, studying her pin keychain that held the key to her room. Before long, she had managed to find her way to said room, unlocking it absently.

The room was nice, but Teresa hardly took note of this. No, rather, it had finally hit the girl just how tired she was. So, the first thing she did was lock the door.. Before she promptly got on her knees and greeted Little Guy with a smile. "Hey, Little Guy.. You miss me?" she asked, though she knew no answer would come. Even so, she at least got an enthusiastic bark. "Yeah, I missed you, too. Anyways.. Whaddya say we hit the hay?" she asked, rhetorically, climbing to her feet before turning to face her bed- and thus, the rather inappropriate image hanging over it -...

...To which, her entire face burned a brighter red than ever.

"JOSHUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty FINALLY DONE. XD​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Ah yes, so it seemed Teresa may have gotten Joshua with some of her comments at the end, but in the end the Composer felt he had gotten the last laugh.

After Teresa had left, it wasn't long until he heard her shouting come from down the hallway. In response to her shouting, the angel simply grinned in satisfaction.

"Tee hee, she found it. Victory is mine~"

So, with Teresa finally out of his hair--thank god--he pulled out his phone and continued to look at it while he waited for Sanae and Arya to finish up their conversation.

@Krieg​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Prologue Ending

After a short while of waiting, Joshua watched the door to the Producer's office open. The angel placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes. "Well, that took you long enough. Are the two of you finally done talking?" he asked, beginning to tap one of his feet impatiently.

Sanae let out a laugh upon seeing the look on Joshua's face. "Heh! Now ain't you impatient? You should be thanking me! I didn't talk to her nearly as long as I would've had I not been wanting to get back to my shop." He turned to Arya, placing a hand on the top of her head before gently ruffling her brown hair. "I'm gonna leave you with Josh now, kid. If you need anything, walk into my office any time. For now, I'll catch your lot later." He looked over toward Joshua again with a knowing smile. "And I hope you ain't picking on your Conductor. If you do, I'll know."

"H-Huh? Of course I'm not," he sheepishly replied.

"Right, boss, right," Sanae replied with another laugh. "I'll talk to you later," he told them before heading back into his office.

After Sanae had gone, Joshua turned to Arya. "All right, we have a lot more things to discuss, but I feel both you, I, and Teresa could use a few days off before we jump into doing anything else," he explained. "So, follow me."

Joshua moved to head down the hallway of the building, walking a ways with Arya until he came to a particular room. "Here," he began to say, reaching into his pocket to take out a key. He used the key to unlock the door before handing it to Arya. "This will be your room. There is a girl staying in the room right next to yours; her name is Coco. She'll take care of you for the next few days."

The Composer paused for a moment, thinking to make sure there wasn't anything else he needed to go over with her before he left her for the night. "Oh, there's something you should be aware of, if Sanae hasn't told you about it already." Josh pointed to Arya's sword, Needle, that she always carried at her side. "In the afterlife, the only way anyone can activate power is with pins. The way your sword is now, you won't be able to use it. If you attack with it, the weapon will not cut. It's powerless. In order to use it, I'll have to turn it into a pin."

Without even asking, Joshua reached over and took the sword from her. Instantly, he engulfed it in a white light. The weapon then began to transform, morphing into a small, circular pin in the palm of his hand, a golden pin with the Stark's family crest on it.

"Now, whenever you possess this pin, you will be able to control and use your sword." He waved it near her face, but then surprisingly tucked it into his pocket. "But for now, I'm going to hang onto it. No, wait, I'm actually going to have Teresa hang onto it. When she feels you're ready to have it back, I'll tell her it's okay to give it to you. But, for now, I believe you could use a break from it."

Joshua then stepped back from Arya, gesturing to her door. "Anyhow, you're free to rest for the night. If you need anything, be sure to let the girl next door, Coco, know about it. I'll catch you later. Good evening," he told her before turning to walk away. For the time being, he had plenty of people keeping an eye on Arya, so if she got out of hand he would know about it.

@Hospes @Krieg @Thuro The Assassin Potato

ooc

This is just one post I wanted to make before posting the collab so that we may be able to move on with the story. Savvy, once we move on--after I post the the collab--feel free to assume that Teresa has Arya's pin Joshua mentioned. Anyhow, I'll be posting the collab up next! Stay tuned! :)

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Chapter One

A few days after Arya's arrival in Shibuya--early in the morning before the rise of the sun--something stirred within the streets of Shibuya.

Most of the city remained quiet for a time; the disturbance started in one particular area: Udagawa. A dark rift opened up near the famous CAT mural located in that district and a hoard of creatures began to pour from it. The creatures that came forth were noise, the beings which normally inhabited the afterlife.

While noise appearing was a normal occurrence in Shibuya, they never appeared in hoards as large as the one which appeared that morning. It was so large, in fact, that it sent waves of energy out and gave Shibuya a massive earthquake. It could be felt everywhere, even down by the Shibuya River where Joshua, Teresa, Arya, and Sanae were currently located.

The Composer, who was resting peaceful within his chambers, found himself immediately awakened by the rumbling of the quake.

"Mm?"

...

Yawning, Joshua stretched his arms and sat up, sleepily rubbing his face.

"Ngh. Okay, what was that?"

Before he could even think another thought in attempt to try and answer his own question, the door to his room flung open.

Appearing a bit more serious than usual, the Producer stepped into Josh's room with alarm written all over his face. "Josh, get up. We've got problems."

"Yes, of course we do. Don't you remember our little talk about barging in on people while they're sleeping? Especially when said person is a rather irritable angel who will have a very bad day if anyone interrupts his beauty sleep?"

The Producer shook his head. "It's not that. This is far more important. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have bothered you. Get up and get dressed. Afterwards, meet me outside. There's something I gotta show you."

---

A short time later, Sanae lead Joshua out into the streets of Shibuya, showing him the massive hoard of noise before them. Finding the situation a serious one, Joshua adorned his Composer form.

"I'm surprised. We haven't had a hoard this big in a while," the angel told his friend with a frown.

"Yeah, I get what you're saying," Sanae remarked, standing at a distance with Josh. "What would you have us do, boss?"

"Well, we'll need to take care of it. Awaken all of the reapers in the area. Have them come out and start hacking away at this massive population."

"Sure thing. What do you intend to do?" Sanae asked the Composer.

"Me? I need to go grab Teresa and Arya. They're still back at the base. If any noise break inside, they may not know how to handle themselves. I need to make sure they're--"

The Composer cut himself off, spotting a strange looking noise in the distance.

"What the--"

The Producer glanced ahead, looking to see what Joshua was staring at. "Huh, that's a unique looking thing. Let me guess, change of plans? Want me to go grab Teresa and Ayra while you investigate this thing?"

Josh nodded. "Bingo. Make sure they're safe, okay? Bring them to Hachiko and make sure they stay there."

"Got it."

Quicker than the blink of an eye, the Producer sprouted a pair of angel wings from his back and took off into the sky. Joshua stayed behind, stepping closer to the mysterious noise that looked different than the others.

---

After the start of the earthquake, Teresa would hear a quiet whining from within her room. Little Guy would jump off her bed and rush over to the door, beginning to scratch at it before he started to bark. A moment or two later, a scream could be heard outside of the room...

@Hospes

---

Shortly before the earthquake, Arya would hear a knock at her door the next morning. "Hey, it's Coco, I'm coming in!" chirped the young reaper before entering Arya's room. "Guess what? It's morning! So I thought I'd, like, bring you some breakfast! Cool, huh? I brought you something I bet you've never had before! Pancakes! The Composer doesn't like them because they're too sweet, but you're a kid like me so I figured you might like them. Tee hee. Cool, huh? Wanna give them a try?"

Before Arya could say another word, the earthquake arose. Coco gasped and staggered around the room, attempting to keep her stack of pancakes perfectly balanced on the plate. Somehow, she managed to succeed at her task.

"Whoa! An earthquake! That's weird, huh? Kinda scary. Oh well, at least the pancakes are--"

Arya and Coco would then hear a loud cry in the distance.

A bat noise suddenly swooped into the room and rammed into Coco, knocking her over.

"Ahhhhhh!" she screamed, gasping when her pancakes fell onto the floor.

"MY PANCAKES!?!? HOW COUD YOU! YOU WILL PAY!" she cried, angrily standing back up.

After knocking her over, the bat dove through the air and attempted to attack Coco, going after her with sharp claws.

@Krieg

---

The Noise came up to Joshua, tail a wagging. He didn't seem like the others that were infesting Shibuya, almost friendly in nature. He sat on the ground, head tilted, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. He had eyes that practically screamed 'pet me'.

Definitely friendly.

Unsure what to think about such odd behavior from a wild noise, Joshua cautiously approached the pup. Once close enough, he reached down and hesitantly placed a hand on atop his head. "I wonder..."

Closing his eyes, Joshua tapped into one of his powers and made an attempt to read this noise's mind. While noise commonly didn't have thoughts, this one seemed unique and The Composer figured it may be worth a try.
The first thing that Joshua would hear would be a resounding...

"Dude."

The rest wouldn't be a thought as much as a resounding and confusing flurry of images and feelings. Sadness and a feeling of loss that had no context, a small amount of anger towards a dark haired woman that had killed him, and pain, so much pain. But that was only the negative part of the mix. There was more. Joy towards his memories. A gruff man that had seemed to have a massive chip on his shoulder. A boisterous warrior that had saved his life. And one other person higher than anyone else. A girl that he had partnered with, bonded with, and had more or less become his best friend. She had a name there, the single memory that did.

Teresa.

"Dude?" the Composer uttered, repeating the first word he heard within the dog noise's mind. Confused for a moment, Josh quieted as he mentally thought over all of the images he had seen inside his mind. There was a great familiarity about this noise that Joshua immediately recognized. This noise wasn't a noise at all, in fact. He was a player, one who had played in Joshua's most recent game. He was...

"Hugo?" Joshua mentally called out to the noise, seeing if it would respond to the name. Josh was nearly certain that this noise was none other than Hurley, one of the players whom he thought to be long gone.
The dog woofed and wagged his tail, excited. Even if the Noise wasn't a hundred percent sure of what it was itself, it recognized the sound of its own name.

"I knew it," Joshua declared, not shocked in the slightest when the noise responded to the name. "You're Hurley, a player who participated in my past game. Well, I don't know how you're still around and ended up as a noise, but today is your lucky day."

Joshua placed a hand down on the dog's head. "Your soul is still in tact so I can turn you back. Let's do it right here and now."

Truth be told, the middle of a hoard containing hostile noise wasn't the best place for Joshua to turn Hurley back to normal, but he was curious to see how the man would handle himself.

Joshua's hand glowed a pale yellow light for a moment before the light enveloped the dog noise. When the light faded from Hurley's noise form, lo and behold, he had become his human form again.

After Hurley had become himself again, the hostile noise around Joshua and Hurley began to glare at them menacingly.

"The only reason they weren't attacking us a moment ago was because of Hurley being a noise. But now that he's human again, they'll hunt us. This should be interesting."

That was Joshua for you. Nice enough to change Hurley back, but still asshole enough to change him back in the middle of a dangerous situation just to have a little fun

"Welcome back, Hugo," the angel said, grinning at him.

Hurley swept Joshua up into a massive bear hug, tears totally not leaking from his eyes as he shouted "I'm alive. I'm alive."

The joy in his voice was heartbreaking, the simple fact that is life had been restored overwhelming the large man. Why anyone would have hurt him in the first place is beyond reason, but even now he wasn't really mad at Mikasa. He just was happy to back with the living. Maybe he'd be a little mad later, but more likely he'd like to see Jack or Charlie again. Or maybe his new friends, Ash and Marcus. Or maybe even Teresa.

Hurley stopped his inadvertent crushing of the small angel for a moment, worry for Teresa briefly overtaking his joy. Had she survived without him there to watch out for her? She was just like this little kid and she'd been so defenseless when they'd first met.

Meanwhile, he was completely oblivious to the fact that they were surrounded by his former companions. I mean, give the guy a break. He'd just came back from the dead. But still, he was likely going to need his pins back soon.

"Gah!" Joshua cried, surprised when he was suddenly swept up into the large man's arms. Wriggling like a worm, Joshua tried to break free from the man to no avail. How embarrassing.

"Okay, you're happy to be back from the dead, I get it. Just please put me down!" he exclaimed, continue to squirm in an attempt to break free from Hurley's grasp.

When Hurley finally did let him go, Joshua stepped back from the man and began straightening his collar in an attempt to compose himself.

"I swear if you ever do that again--"

Joshua cut himself off, suddenly levitating off the ground.

With white beams of light, he attacked a small hoard of noise that was about to jump Hurley. Afterwards, he landed back on the ground. "Okay, I wouldn't do that to you. But just don't do that again, okay?" he told Hurley. "Anyhow, we're in a bit of danger. A hoard of noise is attacking Shibuya. I hope you have your pins on you," Joshua said, narrowing his eyes.

"Uh, my pins?" Hurley asked. Then it clicked. Those little things that had given him his powers in the game. The power to lift stuff without touching it. The power to heal others. And his personal favorite, the uber aweseome human torch pin.

"Oh. Dude. I Lost those when I died the second time. That uh, that Japanese girl might have taken them from me when she uh, barbecued me."

That was a fun memory, but he wasn't dwelling. He was alive now, and that was good enough.

"Do you think I could get those back? I was able to help some people with those." Hurley looked down at his large body rather pointedly. "I'm not super y'know, athletic."

Joshua smiled at Hurley's request. "Oh, right, you lost them. I'll get them back for you." The angel then spawned Hurley's pins in the palm of his hand, offering them to the man. The thing he didn't tell him about, however, was the fact that these were not his original pins. Honestly, Joshua had no idea where they were, and he had no time to track the others ones down, so he had given the man new ones. "Here you are. I certainly hope you aren't rusty with them." Narrowing his eyes, he glanced into the distance seeing that more noise were approaching. "In a moment, we will have many more enemies approaching again. You'll need to be ready."


@Thuro The Assassin Potato

Collab by Klutzy Ninja Kitty and Thuro The Assassin Potato​