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[jurisdick]

[ leave a message; he'll get back to you, he's polite. ]

Comments

[jurisdick]

[ is this better? ]

i never said it was my dream. it's merely an interesting hobby.

[coolerjunpei]

[that's better]

it sucks. i'm having a great time being a janitor. we prefer "custodian," just so you know.

[jurisdick]

i considered that, actually.
but then contemplated the many meanings of the word.
janitor is much more limited in its uses.

[ is that a burn? ]

[coolerjunpei]

it's not your job. i get to pick the word, and custodian won by a landslight.

[landslight. he doesn't know.]

[jurisdick]

i wasn't aware that we got to pick our own titles. that's very progressive.

[ he's not going to tell him. but he's snickering to himself. sorry, junpei. ]

[coolerjunpei]

[now he knows for sure... that landslight is a real word. thanks Akechi.]

yeah... it's a union thing? i guess? either way, i'm not crushed about not being a detective anymore.

[jurisdick]

how many cases did you lead?

[ he's not being facetious. for once. he's just genuinely interested. ]

[coolerjunpei]

[well get ready to be disappointed, buddy!!]

did i tell you i wasn't that kind of detective? i was real drunk. it's more like private eye stuff, and most of it was one big case.

[jurisdick]

[ he remembers the private eye bullshit, but ... ]

yes, you were very ... interesting. to say the least.
still, you must have some interesting stories, at the very least.

[coolerjunpei]

you don't have to worry about my feelings. i know i'm a bad drunk.

here's a story: had lunch with a coworker one day, next day, he's tossed off a roof and there's nothing i could do about it. so i'm done playing detective.

[it's 3am, Akechi]

[jurisdick]

... that's quite dark. i don't blame you.
did you find out the reason?

[ ... oh. wow honesty hour. okay he's "here for it." ]

[coolerjunpei]

[Junpei didn't start this, Mr. 20 Questions did.]

no. there might not even be one. that's just the way people are.

[jurisdick]

[ ?????? ]

really? do people get thrown off roofs daily in your old world?

[coolerjunpei]

they might as well. they kill each other, sell each other like stuffed toys... sure, not everybody, but enough.

[jurisdick]

[ .... you've pinged him for real, junpei. congratulations. social link up!!!! ]

yes.. it's a rather troubling reality.
most people ignore it or are blissfully oblivious to the troubles of society.
it's a shame that things turn out this way.

[coolerjunpei]

[he sort of wanted this?? probably not this way...]

just a shame? i guess. thinking you can save everybody might actually be worse than ignoring it.

[jurisdick]

[ ..... good god, his cold heart is being warmed??? in the most terrible way. ]

i agree. it's very short-sighted and naive to think that way. it's impractical and only prevents real progress.

[coolerjunpei]

yeah. yeah, i know. what do you mean "real progress"?

[jurisdick]

[ .... ]

towards fixing things. at least, that's what you'd hope.
but i have to wonder, is that as short-sighted as everything else?

[coolerjunpei]

is this one of those "how far would you go to fix everything" things? what if you can't?

[jurisdick]

i'm personally of the opinion some things can't be fixed and we have to live with those consequences.
then there are others that'd go to the ends of the world, so to speak, to try.

[coolerjunpei]

[how... relatable. cynical for a teenager, but relatable.]

yeah, i know all about that.

[....]

it's not like everything sucks, you know? fixing everything for everyone is impossible.

[jurisdick]

it also presupposes that people want things differently. that they want someone to fix things.

isn't that a bit selfish, too?

[coolerjunpei]

well... maybe it depends on the thing.

[Like, for example, if someone's trying to burn children to death—]

but you're not wrong. being happy with what you have is, you know, something.

[jurisdick]

it's a lot more than most people have. it's human nature, i believe, to always want something more.
a sad truth.

[ yeah no, burning children is bad news. even he can get on board with that. ]