text; @The Seventh Crown of the Seventh Demon King;

[unrequite]

[ Four lines of text. ]

This is written in Victorian.
Kore wa Laterano-ji Higashi-go de kakareteimasu.
This is written in Higashinese.
This written by in Yanese. (Might be bad. Sorry.)

Please do let me know how many of these sentences you understand.

[ The first is in what would be considered Earth English, the second is what would be known as Japanese written in Romaji, but he's called it "Laterano-ji Higashinese". The third was written in Japanese, the fourth was written in some rather poor Chinese. He's called the languages themselves clearly incorrect names. What's more important, though, is that only the second one should parse as phonetic, and should only be understandable to fellow Japanese speakers. The rest are in whatever language is most understandable to whoever reads it. Funny, huh? This city sure is strange! ]

Comments

[cranekin]

Ah, it's difficult, isn't it? Especially these days.

Yes. There was a time when our cultures were similar in ways. When I was young, most literature was written in Chinese but we'd also developed our own script as a part of our own identity.

Most of it is boring history.

[unrequite]

The history you're talking about or the history written with Japanese. It's a shame either way, I suppose. You should tell me about something that interests you instead.

[cranekin]

Most history is boring. It's why most of it never even gets recorded.
And even the records are filled with more boring things.

(No one cares about what ordinary days were like. What ordinary people did. It's all battles and wars and other big events.)

Oh?
I thought you were a linguist. Are you actually just interested in people?

[unrequite]

I'm professionally interested in people, in fact, but words are a large part getting to know others, so one does what one must to study these things. I like to learn, though. I'd love to learn about what you find interesting.

[cranekin]

I see.

(It's a good thing this isn't in person or with voice or else this guy might hear the way he has to think. )

My interests...
I like surprises.
And stories, too, as long as they aren't boring.

(Very general, very vague. No real elaboration.)

[unrequite]

I see. Do you create both, or is your life a quest to find that which breaks your monotony?

[ Don't worry, most people are better off not meeting Midnight face to face 👍 Bullets dodged like the Matrix. ]

[cranekin]

Surprises are essential in life.
If everything goes exactly as planned, life stagnates and the heart dies slowly. I enjoy creating surprises but since I'm generous, I like sharing them too.

[unrequite]

Not a trace of domesticity to you, then. Like a thief in the night. [ That's lovely, in its own way. ] Several would find the lack of stability a rather unappetizing premise... How long have you lived by this philosophy?

[cranekin]

I'm not a thief.

(He might be #ALotToDealWith but he's not a thief and doesn't like being compared to one.)

Hmm
I can't remember.
Since I was young, I suppose.

(A thousand years ago. Maybe a little later but not by much.)

[unrequite]

Since you were young... Well, I'm sorry about the accusation. You see, you stole my heart so easily, I assumed you were an expert at the art.

So, what would you call yourself, then? A professional at the art of dazzling others?

1/2

[cranekin]

(Society sure has come a long way since composing poems with layered meanings huh.)

[cranekin]

(He digs it. )

Eh? I don't have to do anything to dazzle anyone.

(Don't ever let anyone tell you Tsurumaru Kuninaga is not confident.)

I'm quite renowned back home as I am.
Though, I do enjoy a good performance.

[unrequite]

Oh? But that's the hallmark of any professional. It looks effortless from the outside... Unless you're a prodigy of some sort. A genius of startling moments, a true inborn talent when it comes to generating that which is unexpected.

[cranekin]

I'm something of a natural.

(Naturally beautiful. A natural swordsman. Those are the things that matter most. As long as he was a beautiful and good sword, he would be valued. Of course, having a human form now adds something new to the mix but this is a relatively recent development for him.)

But when it comes to surprises...
I guess I learned over the years. I've been surprised many times so I learned to be surprising too.
But it's been so long. I couldn't tell you when it all began.

[unrequite]

[ Since childhood, then. (That someone here may not have had a childhood, literally, hasn't occurred to him yet.) ]

A lifelong interest in surprises... Is surprisingly stable, I think. I'm sure I had different interests as a child than I do now.

I'm glad, though. Staving off apathy is no easy task.

[cranekin]

(He became a sad white haired anime boy very early.)

It isn't but someone has to do it! So I accept.

But I've told you about about myself. It's only fair you should tell me something, too. What did you like?

[unrequite]

Me? Well, let's see. I think the only one I remember — and I suppose the exception to the rule — is reading. I love books, learning, always have. I really don't remember what else I liked as a child that would have been out of the ordinary. Playing outside was a fairly normal thing, I think.