001 - I think I preferred the time loop.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

(... Something was off. I couldn't exactly put my finger on what. Hold it, yesterday was the 31st of August. I remember that. That means today has to be September 1st. Which of course means, summer vacation is finally over. Not many people would generally be pleased to know that they're going back to school, especially when they haven't done their summer homework yet. But in this case, I think it's cause to celebrate now that I've actually gotten out of a time loop lasting almost 600 years. Of course. There's one problem. This isn't my room. ... Haruhi's gone and done something again, hasn't she?)

[And so our intrepid hero climbs out of his bed at 1246 Williams Road and goes to find a phone.]

Miss Asahina wouldn't be any help and Koizumi's a pain to deal with... I wonder if I can call Nagato from here?

[And so, he attempts to dial the number. Obviously, all he ends up with is a public call.]

Nagato? You there? Did she go and do something ridiculous again?

Comments

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Yes.

No.

This town is not a construct of Haruhi Suzumiya.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

So how exactly did I get here? And what happened to that endless recursion of time we were stuck in?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

. . . ?

Following the 15532nd iteration, the time loop was resolved.

As for this town . . . that is unknown.

[For the girl who knows everything, this is perhaps surprising.]

[slave_of_suzumiya]

But we haven't reached the 15532nd iteration yet. *sigh*

So what do we know about this place anyway?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

. . .

[Yuki explains. Everything, from the drones to the brainwashing to Grady, to Westport to Russia, to his previous two iterations here, to Haruhi and Ryoko's presence. Everything.]

((I apologize for this copout! But I am on a slowatus and if we were to wait for me to tag back every time with everything Yuki wants to say, it would take forever. =( I'm very sorry.))

[slave_of_suzumiya]

... Okay. I'm pretty sure I only really understood about half of that, and even less has really sunk in.

I'll let it slide for now, but you'll probably have to explain it again in simpler words when we have the time.

((No prob. I've been around long enough with Ash to already have at least half an idea about most of this stuff anyway. XD))

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

. . . In short.

It is a dangerous prison from which escape is nearly impossible. You will learn . . .

[slave_of_suzumiya]

Great. And I thought it was bad enough back home when I only had Haruhi to worry about... Can't you just hack your way out of here with your interface powers or something?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

[Don't ask questions you know the answer to, Kyon. All you get in return is a shifting sound as Yuki looks down.]

[slave_of_suzumiya]

Right, of course. You would have done that by now, wouldn't you? Is there anything at all we can do other than nothing?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Gather data.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

And I suppose you've got that one covered without my help. I guess that leaves me to just keep out of trouble then?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

It is difficult to maintain observation of all within the town. Your assistance would be welcomed.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

Really? I have trouble imagining you having difficulty with much of anything...

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

My abilities have been restricted here. Full operation is currently inaccessible, although it is not compromised to the point that the intake and analysis of data spheres is impossible.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

Well, if you need my help with anything, just give me a shout?

(... A shout? An ironic phrase considering how Nagato barely ever speaks above a whisper. I'm sure she probably gets the meaning anyway. Then again, if she did take it literally, what would Nagato shouting even sound like? Of course, that's not the important thing here...)

I mean, I still owe you a lot for all the times you've helped me out.

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Nothing is owed.

. . .
. . .
. . .

Shout . . . ?

[slave_of_suzumiya]

You sure? I mean, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have even lived to see today.

... Just let me know if you need anything?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Understood.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

So, it's basically just you and me as far as the Brigade goes for the moment? No Koizumi, Asahina or Suzumiya?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Aside from Haruhi Suzumiya's drone . . . no.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

And the drones are the ones who act like completely normal people from this era, right? ... I'm not sure I could even imagine seeing Haruhi like that.

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Imagine it.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

Honestly, it's kind of a scary thought to potentially see Haruhi be normal...

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Normal as in

The possession of standard personality traits

Or

The absence of her significant data manipulation abilities?

[slave_of_suzumiya]

Well, I was thinking more of her personality. It's somewhat a relief to hear she isn't capable of anything strange like closed space or whatever?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Not as a drone.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

So Nagato, about how long have you been here anyway?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

One year, seven months, eight days have passed.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

One year, seven months and eight days? (Well, it figures that Nagato of all people would give an exact answer like that...) It's been that long and nobody has figured out how to get out of this place?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Longer.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

And here I was, thinking that the time loop was over. Instead is seems I've ended up somewhere worse.

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

Significantly worse.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

Anyway, you mentioned something about the time loop being resolved? Does that mean you're from the future relative to what qualifies as my "present"?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

[Very good phrasing, Kyon.]

That is correct.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

[Well, he was concerned that if he didn't clarify, he'd get a bunch of technobabble about the relativity of perception of "past" and "future" which he wouldn't be able to comprehend?]

So when exactly are you from then?

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

There is no exactness about the nature of time.

[Translation: Mun cannot make heads or tails of the Haruhi Suzumiya timeline due to its non-chronological order and can only say that it's from after Season 1 and 2 are complete. Endless Eight is early on in the timeline, though.]

[slave_of_suzumiya]

... I was expecting a clearer answer than that.

[Pffff... No problem? It's not all that complicated though.]

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

In the chronology, we are separated by exactly fourteen and three quarter amalgamations of parsed 'time-frames' from the point at which you will return to the stable time loop.

[slave_of_suzumiya]

Right, I see...

(Except for the part about... everything you just said. Darn it Nagato, would it really kill you to say things in a way that a normal human like myself can actually understand!?)

[bogusmagicker.livejournal.com]

[She quietly flips a page in her book.]