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[fractaljesus]

Who: Joshua Kiryu (fatgun) & Yaha-kui zaShunina (fractaljesus)
What: Housemates sharing interests
When: A few days after getting settled in as roomies
Where: Their shared house
Warning(s): None. Two nerds being nerds.


There are books everywhere. On the shelves, on the floors, the countertops--it would be easier to list where books aren't. Even one of the beds is covered in them, completely disused otherwise. However, despite the mess, they are all stacked up in neat towers, perfectly balanced like pillars stopping just short of holding up the ceiling.

In one corner of the room, seated in the one chair not weighed down by tomes (though it had been, he'd just moved them to the floor beside it) is Yaha-kui zaShunina, nose buried deep in a hardcover volume. The Natha had promised him books as their incentive for cooperation, and he was making good on that promise.

It may be difficult to believe it, but there are two other people who also live in this cramped house (well, one person and a dog). zaShunina doesn't even look up from his book when one of said housemates comes through the door, but he does acknowledge his arrival.

"Welcome back."

Comments

[fatgun]

The books are a lot less irritating than the dog, in Joshua's opinion. The books just stay where they are and don't follow him or take up his bed or get in his way, yapping the whole while. He minds the books so much less. That doesn't change, however, that there are ton of them, and it's reaching the point that soon Joshua, who is not very tall, won't be able to see around anything in his own house.

When he arrives home this particular day, he seems to have been out buying himself trinkets with the silver he earned the first day here (no such thing as savings). He puts a bag down on top of a stack of books on top of the coffee table and pushes a pair of sunglasses up off his face to really, really be sure the whole room is seeing his critically raised eyebrow.

"Are there more books now than when I left this morning? It was hardly half a day."

Reading time is now paused for Joshua time, what's up.

[fractaljesus]

Well, zaShunina had planned on continuing to read when Joshua came in, but he can all but hear that raised eyebrow, so he pauses in his studies to move his bookmark and shut the book he'd been poring over to give Joshua his full attention.

"There are." He confirms, idly fingering the portion of his origami bookmark sticking out of the top of the book. "The Natha have them delivered to this address, as per our arrangement. Another twenty arrived during your absence." And he's gone through five of those twenty already. The rest are stacked in a nice little tower beside his chair.

"Is it troublesome?" It doesn't bother zaShunina, but even he's having to take extra care not to knock any of them over with his cloak when he walks through the house (he's taken to just forgoing the bulky garment altogether when at "home," leaving him with just his skintight black bodysuit). It's not much of a stretch of the imagination that it might be problematic to the others living in the same space.

[fatgun]

Twenty more. Joshua hums, not moving his bag but reaching over to the next closest stack-o'-books to lift the front cover of the one on the top, considering it. There are so many, he couldn't even identify the new ones if he had to.

"I don't know about troublesome," he says, side-stepping around the table to see what kind of space he can make on the couch. He'll try not to make any towers too high for this book jenga.

"Hee hee, it does make it an adventure trying to get around the house. Have you thought about getting a couple shelves?"

[fractaljesus]

There's probably some space left on top of the end table if he moves the lamp.

At the suggestion of shelves, zaShunina scans the living room. Yes, he's considered it, but since he doesn't have any money, he can't very well go out and buy more furniture. He's only recently become aware of the concept of currency in the first place--a job is something with which he's still only vaguely familiar as a method of trading labor for money, which can in turn be traded for other goods and services.

"I have considered the possibility of shelving." A beat, wherein he places the book he'd been reading atop the stack beside his chair. "It is the acquisition which is the complication."

No job = no money = no shelves.

zaShunina pushes himself to his feet (with his arms actually attached this time), wading through the sea of books to assist Joshua in moving the books on the sofa, carefully placing them upon premade towers with mechanical precision, perfectly aligned. Eventually, with the two of them working together, enough space to sit is successfully created.

"Additional space will be required, or it will be necessary to stop the shipments." He hasn't gone through every book in the house yet, so even if they stop, he'll still have a few days' worth of reading left. He doesn't like the idea of running out of things to read, though.

[fatgun]

Let the lamp stay, it did nothing wrong. Joshua hums again, at the shelving dilemma - maybe if zaShunina had posed in an ugly swimsuit for an hour the other day, he'd have 400 silver sitting around to do anything with including buy and install some shelves. But too little, too late; nothing for it now. Once there's enough space on the couch for Joshua to settle into, mercifully not throwing himself down with enough force to jostle the book piles, he takes a seat.

"Haven't you heard of e-books? Or are you one of those sentimentalists who likes to feel the pages?" He wouldn't be surprised, actually - there's nothing wrong with paper books, but there are so many in this house already, and only more on the way. Soon they'll have books in the bathroom, and nothing good will come of that.

He leans forward to grab the bag he left on the stack on the table, sitting back to rifle through it while he goes on, "In the meantime, you might as well tell me about what you were reading." Share with him.

[fractaljesus]

Sorry, posing for suggestive pictures just isn't his thing.

"Are e-books available in this world?" Because he'd be on that like a fly on shit if they are available. On Earth, he'd had Kado--he could store as many books as he wanted in the eight cubic kilometer giant cube--but the confines of this tiny house are quickly becoming apparent, and a way to save space wouldn't be amiss.

zaShunina picks up the book he'd been reading from the stack beside his chair and runs a finger down the spine. It's illogical, but as Joshua says, he does feel a sense of sentimentality for the bound volumes. Each one is different in form--a uniqueness lost when transcribed into electronic text.

"A collection of stories from Greek mythology." He holds it up to show off the cover; a simple green book emblazoned with 'Greek Myths and Legends' in gold lettering. "I like mythology. Mankind fabricates stories to explain phenomena they do not understand. It is a clever way to try to impart meaning upon the world around them." Even if they are wrong.

Well, in this realm of many worlds, who's to say there isn't a world out there where Zeus is having a grand old time banging everything in sight?

[fatgun]

It's a pretty book, he supposes, and pretty books are a completely acceptable place to siphon off Imagination, but—Joshua likes a little more pop! in his creative vices. He waves a hand, first— "You have a phone, so it's only a matter of time." Before someone creates an e-reader app, obviously... He's sure.

Now, as for mythology, he's not wrong. Mankind's boundless creativity for inventing stories to explain that which they don't understand is something he usually appreciates. There are limits - if understanding is impeded by repeating the same stories over and over, things will stagnate quickly... But hey, mythology is alright.

"Hee hee, most people would be offended if you explained it like that to them." People are so sensitive about being told they don't get something! "But I don't think you're wrong. What's your favorite?"

[fractaljesus]

"Favorite?" Does he have a favorite? He's never considered it before. The story he likes the most... He thinks on it a moment, going over the myths in the book in his head. If he had to pick a favorite, perhaps it's... "Prometheus--a titan who stole fire from the gods to gift to mankind."

It's a tale he with which zaShunina can... empathize? Is that the right word? He feels a sort of resonance between himself and the titan, but he's not sure how to categorize that feeling. It's a more complex emotion than happiness or anger. "For his transgression, he was chained to a rock wherein an eagle would consume his liver every day."

He opens the book to the relevant page, wherein an illustration of a man bound to stone with and eagle devouring his liver stares back, and offers it to Joshua.

[fatgun]

Just sucking in information without forming an opinion on it isn't worth much, Joshua thinks, so of course he asks for something as simple as a favorite. He could make the obvious overtures, that someone's favorite of anything can say a lot about them, but they're both learned... human-shaped boys, here. They know.

So he takes the book, studying the picture with interest before he flips the pages around it, skimming the text. Greek mythology is not his area of expertise; he has, maybe fittingly, about a common high schooler's knowledge of the texts. So: neato.

"Hee hee, how violent. So are you Prometheus, or the gods?" He can hazard a guess, remembering that ascension of mankind business, but it's no fun to just assume. He flips back to the picture, idly tracing a finger along the edge of the page. In this particular scenario... well. Roleplay some Greeks with him, zaShunina.

[fractaljesus]

"You are speaking metaphorically." He observes, straightening up. "Between the two options, I am 62% closer to Prometheus than the gods. However, I would say that I am neither."

There are other stories, other mythologies to which he could compare himself as well, but the tale of Prometheus was the one he could call his favorite of the stories from that one specific book. He could compare himself to Lucifer, or to the Overlords from Childhood's End, but neither of them would be quite right, either.

"Joshua. Do you enjoy reading?" zaShunina asks, wading back into the sea of books, carefully reading the spines of each one though he knows thoroughly the names and positions of all of them.

[fatgun]

A percentage does the added bonus of reminding Joshua of someone he's glad not to have yapping math puns in his ear all the time; Greek mythology math is just so much more palatable. He smirks.

"It's just a fun little exercise. I think I might be the bird." Nobody asked, but still - he's somewhere between god and man and certainly isn't a gift-giver more than a punisher, all things considered. That leaves, well, what it leaves. But moving on: does he enjoy reading!

"Music is my creative vice of choice, if I had to choose." There's not really a question and he doesn't have to think about it: of course it's music. "Books are hit or miss."

[fractaljesus]

He could point out that the bird is an avatar of Zeus, and what that could mean, but what Joshua says next interests him more.

"Music?" zaShunina pauses in his scrutiny of his collection, peering around a tower to make eye contact with his housemate. "An arrangement of tonal beats into a composition that follows a set rhythm." He's never really been able to appreciate music for what it is, instead analyzing every aspect from a mathematical standpoint--a collection of aural formulas. He never just listens.

"These rhythms can affect emotional states based on their composition. Moreso if vocal channels are present."

[fatgun]

Oh. Oh, wow. Joshua lets him go on about what music literally is, since that's always fun, but he's already pulling his phone out of his pocket and flicking through the menus to access his brand new, kind of weird music library. Some boy calling himself after breakfast sent him a lot of playlists, so it's not exactly what he'd have chosen for himself, but it's something.

"Hee hee, very good." He holds the phone up, wiggling it significantly before he offers it out. "Here, pick something and listen to it. Don't tell me about the arrangement, tell me what you think. The best approach is a hands-on one, after all!"

[fractaljesus]

But overanalyzing things is how he functions, Joshua!

Rather than dodge books to make his way back, zaShunina detaches an arm, plucking the offered phone from Joshua's hand to bring it back to the anisotropic being. Awkward though he is, he does know the proper use of a phone, and so scrolls through the list of titles that mean nothing to him. There's a thoughtful hum as he scrolls back up to the top. If the names mean nothing to him, may as well begin with the first one on the list--a song called "Drive it Like you Stole It."

zaShunina remains perfectly still and silent as the song plays, considering the lyrics and composition despite Joshua. Well, he just said not to tell him about the arrangement, he never said anything about not breaking it down to its basic parts at all. But he wants an opinion, and that takes zaShunina a few seconds to decide upon after the final note fades away.

"The percussive line is strong, and the lyrics are intended to be uplifting." Oops, he's analyzing it. "It is not unpleasant to listen to." But he can't say it's to his taste.

[fatgun]

Nice arms, always a treat. Joshua simply leans back on the couch to watch zaShunina and listen to the song. This is... fascinating, honestly; the song isn't to his tastes either, really - not much of Eggsy's playlists is, but having the noise is better than nothing. He can't say he finds anything there truly abhorrent, the same way he'd go stir crazy in the complete quiet.

But great analysis of the drum beat, zaShunina. Joshua grins, shaking his head in put-upon disbelief. "You almost had it!"

How does he explain the incredibly profound effect of music to someone who says things like "it is not unpleasant," hmm... He gestures for zaShunina to pick something else while he speaks, "How much do you know about Imagination? Or maybe we should go backwards a little and ask if you even feel inspiration. How about it?"

[fractaljesus]

Almost had it? zaShunina's not entirely sure what he'd almost "had", but he does as bade and scrolls through the list again, settling one a random one in the middle, but doesn't let it play yet for the sake of the conversation.

"I do feel inspiration." He confirms, though he's aware that his definition of 'inspiration' might vary a bit from Joshua's. A sudden idea or extrapolation upon an older idea. Something may inspire something else, but he has yet to be inspired by music. Some tell stories--is that what he meant? Should he feel an especially strong emotional response when listening?

"Imagination is the formation of ideas or concepts not physically present. Inspiration and imagination often work in tandem." A beat. "Books often inspire me. It is the same for you with music, I assume." Maybe he just hasn't heard the right music for it to 'click' yet.