"Great, so, um…what exactly does that mean? Are we going somewhere, then?"
Josh's reply seemed to strike a nerve. The man's gaze fell upon him, his eyes widening, even if only a little, as if the words Josh had uttered were a foreign language. It appeared the man had never had the question set before him, a thought only confirmed by the stunned silence that followed.
*I said something I shouldn't have, didn't I?*
"Are you forgetful, or unprepared, kid? It said it quite clearly on the letter we sent to you! Do you have that right now?! If so, pull it out!"
*I, what do I do? And…I guess they wear the same clothes here as well?*
"I…um, lost it?"
Yet another silence.
"Good lord, kid. Of course I have to pick up the dropouts! But—no, it's fine, I'll lend you mine so you can go over anything you missed then. Did you at least pack a bag?"
*I can't tell if this is how professionals behave. How he speaks doesn't exactly strike me as the type I'd hear from them. Shouldn't he at least ask for my home address to confirm or something? And—wait, why were they meeting here of all places? That's rather strange, isn't it? I've probably gotten my hopes up, then. This doesn't seem to be something important or anything. Well, there still may be something. After all, he's holding a sword, and got here without an explanation. So, why not?*
Dejection settled over him, and Josh let his eyes fall half-shut as he leaned back against the bench. It was no exaggeration to say that he'd had extremely high expectations of the ordeal. Some part of him had hoped that the encounter might reveal a purpose, something to guide his new life here. Something that may have forced him into being something better, or shaped him into something new entirely. Still, his hopes weren't diminished entirely. The man definitely had a mysterious aura about him, and that sword had to have come from somewhere.
And at least he had his bag packed.
"Yeah, I have a bag. It was just the letter I forgot. I have…"
If this was the type of event that would require clothes for an overnight stay, then he wasn't prepared. If this was an event that required he bring his own food and drink, then he wasn't prepared. If this was an event that required a weapon, then he wasn't prepared either. In truth, he was woefully, utterly unprepared. He was stripped of anything that would be useful for whatever awaited him.
"…everything ready."
However. If he wanted a second chance, he needed to face the truth. Beginning again meant beginning at the lowest point. He had no connections, no relationships, no experience, no history, and also no first impressions. But was that really such a bad thing? He could make an impression as a more social man, one whose attitude attracted newcomers.
As it stood, he was currently making a first impression right now, though a terrible one. This was the man's first impression of him, and he didn't want it to go to waste.
*I need to make a better one, starting right now!*
"I'm ready to go."
"Alright, then. I'll escort you to your dorm, then you're on your own. We're going to be using the Warp Station, so we'll need to stroll through the town a bit before then. You can check out the letter while we walk. Get up."
"Yup. Yup. My bad."
After an awkward pause, Josh remembered he was still seated. Startled, Josh slung his bag over his shoulders, and cracked his knuckles, the noise breaking the silence that had begun to envelop them. He bent to touch his toes, then stretched his arms and legs. Not in preparation for whatever was to come, but to do something familiar. He made sure to stretch every day both before and after school, but today he'd allow for the second to happen a little earlier. At last, he raised his eyes to the man before speaking.
"Oh, uh, do you mind telling me your name?"
Cheeks flushed, Josh raised the question that had begun forming in his mind. He had been referring to him simply as the man. This was an old habit of his. He had never been able to remember a name unless they had been a significant figure in his life, but that was the old him. He wanted his new self to be the type that was considerate enough to remember names. A more respectful human being.
"Yugh, don't tell me you're seriously blushing? How do you expect to catch a woman with that attitude?! A man's supposed to be strong! The name's John, John Hoshino. Now, tell me something. Do you like girls? Come on, walk with me!"
"What…!?"
The course of the conversation had shifted, but it wasn't in an undesirable way. It had been a while since Josh had held his own in a back and forth conversation, and he felt the need to strengthen himself in that particular quality. Thankfully, John seemed ready to offer advice, something that could hopefully strengthen what other qualities he had, and also give him ones he didn't know he needed.
Josh hurried to catch up to John, who had already set off to the town square. He could hear the ponderous noise of his own footsteps, and with each step, he began to realize just how desperate he must've sounded. He forced himself to slow his pace until he finally caught up to John, where he slowed down to a walking speed. His breaths came in short gasps when he finally reached him, and when John turned his head, it was to laugh at the sight of Josh.
"Panting after such a short thirty second jog? At least you ain't fat, but scrawny sure isn't much better, eh? Now, tell me, do you like girls, or are you the type to go the other way?"
John raised an eyebrow at him, causing Josh to realize how ridiculous it was to be lectured by a man well into his middle age, a stranger no less, about what he could do to be better. A sting of absurdity lodged itself in Josh's head, and refused to remove itself.
*Wait, isn't that what teachers are though?*
And with that, the feeling of absurdity was drowned out.
They passed by what appeared to be a bakery, or at least the closest thing this new world had to offer. Behind the windows lay pastries that closely resembled the ones Josh would see back home, their shapes, smell, and decorations all similar. By his own measure, it was still around 8 in the morning, and Josh's lunch had consisted of only a cup of coffee and one bagel.
*Focus, dumbass!*
"Yes, I do like girls. But what does that have to do with this? Also, how can you tell I'm skinny in the first place? The reason I wear this hoodie is so people think I'm thicker than I actually am!"
John laughed once again, cracking his neck.
"Let me tell you a couple of things kid. I'm married first off, so anything I tell ya I learned from my wife all right? This is first-hand material. Two, you're a teenage boy, when don't your problems concern girls? And three, your hoodie isn't helpful at all when someone's actually looking at you. You ever had someone look at you real close kid? Answer me that now."
The duo passed a group of dancers, their carefree movements fluid and graceful, like a flowing river. One of them,a woman, caught sight of John and waved, as if they were acquainted. John returned the gesture with an easygoing wave, and it was then that Josh realized that John's sword had been sheathed. Maybe even for a while now.
*He's a quick draw. Or I'm just not paying attention. Likely both.*
"No…no, I haven't ever had someone look at me real close, I guess."
John paused, slowing his stride until the two came to a halt. He turned his gaze to Josh, fixing it square on the boy. The intensity of it was enough to make Josh uncomfortable, causing him to shift his gaze away from John's and to the floor.
"I remember when I first met my wife," John began. "She was, without question, the most difficult woman I'd ever met. I even thought she was a bitch at the time. But the closer I looked, the clearer it became that all that was pretty much an act. She was—and still is—one of the most beautiful souls I've had the privilege to meet. Right up there with my mama and daughter."
To look at someone closely though, is more than just seeing past one layer. It's to see past every last layer, and see who they really are. There aren't many instances of this though. I believe parents can do it to their children, spouses to other spouses, and some friends to other friends. But not many others. Sometimes, you may not like what you see, but that doesn't mean it was worthless. After all, they were important enough to look at, right? And something else I want you to remember, kid. People can change, it—"
"Do you really think so?!"
Josh's sudden outburst split through John's monologue like a cleaver. Almost aro once, the boy covered his mouth, his face burning, his cheeks tinged the color of blood. In only a few minutes he had grown closer to John than he had to anyone at school with a significantly larger amount of time. He had hit it off with John, and didn't want to screw it all up.
"I'm sorry—I just—do you really think a person can change?"
But he craved the answer for a question that, for so long, almost to the point where it felt like an eternity, had been churning in his stomach.