thefarshore | HEAVEN'S BBS

Yeah. Maybe you'd like a sake cocktail?

[Tsuzuki swirls the swizzle stick in his drink, smiling ruefully. No depressing topics, huh. Well...]

Uh, let's see. I actually grew up around Tokyo myself! It's been a long time, though. Over a hundred years. Things have really changed....

[A sake cocktail... Maybe he'll try that next! Ah, but those thoughts are interrupted when he calmly tries to register what Tsuzuki is saying. Oh, so he's familiar with this place, and...

Wait.]

A hundred years?!

Yeah, I haven't been Tajimamori all that long, but before that, I spent a pretty long time as a god of death.

[Which explains the age and the twentysomething face all at once. Tsuzuki goes for another sip of his drink, glancing at Jae-Ha to see just how he was reacting to that.]

Oh, I see, so you were already a god.

[.......]

How is it that a god of death was brought here to be a god again...? That seems excessive.

Haha, I know, right? It's weird!

[Tsuzuki takes a slightly too-big swig of his cocktail and coughs.]

-- Anyway, um, gods of death are a little more like shinki. You know -- we're the souls of the dead, given special powers and a new job working for the Lord of Hell.

What about the memories of your life? Did you still have those?

[This is very interesting, so he puts a pause on flirting for it. The next drink he takes is a little long, as well.]

... Yeah, that's the one thing that's different. It didn't do anything to the memories of our life.

[He eyes Jae-Ha sidelong.]

In that case, it doesn't sound so bad at all.

[Holding old memories fondly... And maybe watching over anyone he left behind, too, if that was something that was possible. At this point in time, Jae-Ha is really sad that he can't recall a single thing, and yet there are these strings tugging at his heart like pieces of him are missing.

It's horrible. He's glad Kija is here. He doesn't look over as he watches his drink.]

I have no way of knowing if these feelings I have hold any real meaning other than it "feels right." Though I suppose some who keep their memories would like for them to be erased. The grass is always greener, right?

Maybe. I wouldn't want to lose even the bad parts, though. [Not because the bad parts were worth keeping, but because to lose them, he'd have to lose everything. His sister, their house, the garden: the memories of love as well as the memories of hate. He swallows. It's awful, what shinki go through. It's hard to wrap his mind around a violation like that, forgetting your entire human life.]

For you guys, though... do what feels right, okay?

It doesn't matter if something feels good because it meant more to you in life. If it means something now, that's good enough.

Tsuzuki, you have a kind heart to go along with your kind smile, after all.

[Jae-Ha smiles warmly himself once he finally looks up and over.] These feelings of what's right or wrong in my heart are the strongest thing I remember. I wouldn't dare go against something like my principles.

But thank you.

[Tsuzuki laughs, a little awkwardly, and rubs the back of his neck. It's nice of Jae-Ha to say that, anyway. But it's more important that he seems to be confident in what his principles are. For a shinki, that's gonna serve him well.]

Okay, good. I think you'll be fine.

You think I'll be fine, as in, you think I'm beautiful?

[That doesn't even make any sense to anyone but Jae-Ha, who thinks his principles are just another sign of his beauty. Love him.]

Whoa, wait, what?

I mean, sure, you're good-looking! I'm not into guys like that though!

[This might not strictly be accurate. It is, however, Tsuzuki's story and he's sticking to it.

It's a good way to clear up anybody having any unfortunate thoughts about the kind of date this is, too! Because the answer is "two guys, hanging out and having a drink, not in a romantic way, at all."]

So long as you think I'm beautiful, that's fine.

[Jae-Ha doesn't buy that excuse... And well, he's smooth with rejections, anyway. Don't they just make a chase that much more interesting?

...Not that he's chasing this man, of course. He doesn't chase men, no, not at all. He'll just casually drink even more sake.]

Yeah... sure.

[Something about that smile is a little creepy, Jae-Ha. He's not convinced that you're not actually chasing him even though he said he's not... well. Anyway. He's still got a pretty good cocktail to work his way through! Which he's going to take another big swig of. Yeah.]

So, as a god, do you have many shinki, or just one?

[Jae-Ha, meanwhile, has moved right on to being nosy. It seems he's nearly finished his first drink already and isn't affected at all.]

[It's just sake, so Tsuzuki's not blinking at the fact that Jae-Ha doesn't seem to be affected by one of them. He's only halfway down his own mixed drink so far.]

Just one now. That's kind of a long story, though. How many does your god have?

A long story? That just makes me curious.

[But he won't pry any further if Tsuzuki seems unwilling.] Currently, my god has two shinki. Myself and one other.

Yeah... my last shinki got -- he died. And came back as a god.

[Tsuzuki winces and takes another swig of grapefruit-and-vodka. It's still hard to say it, but it's getting easier.]

Nobody's got any clue how something like that could happen, as far as I know.

Who's the other one?

[Jae-Ha pauses just after having his sake topped off to glance over at that.]

That sort of thing... I'm terribly sorry. Is that a common occurrence? Both the death and becoming a god afterwards.

[...At least he's back, he assumes, but it's still... Death. He assumes. He frowns.]

His name is Kija. A beautiful guy with white hair and a strange hand. I believe we were connected in our last lives.

Not really. A few shinki have been -- hurt that badly, but they stayed shinki.

[The god thing? That's just weird, and Tsuzuki still has no idea how it could possibly have worked.]

Oh, hey, I think I ran into him at the school too! So you guys are--

[He breaks off with a sudden worried look.]

-- Is that safe? You know, thinking about... [He waves a hand in a gesture that's meant to mean shinki past lives, but mostly just looks like a wave.]

Stayed shinki... I see.

[Weird, then, that one didn't. He hums as he thinks on both that and the next topic that's brought up.]

I wondered about that, as well. But our connection isn't something that can really be ignored. On top of me having a leg just like his hand, there's a pull I feel from him. We're bound by fate, as much as I hate that word.

So... even if you didn't know each other in your past life, you're connected.

Huh.

[Yeah, that, plus the leg and arm thing... Tsuzuki can see how it would be hard to ignore. It's probably lucky that they're both shinki. He had enough trouble keeping things about their connection from Hisoka, and there was no obvious reason for Hisoka to know.

He picks his drink up again, realizing it's almost empty.]

Hey -- want a refill?

[He glances over at Jae-Ha's.]

I'd love one, please.

[Thanks, buddy. He's still only managed to draw most attention on accident.] It's strange, isn't it? Imagine waking up with no memories, but a pull in your heart that tells you another piece of you is here, walking around.

I can tell where he is right now, in fact, and he can tell where I am.

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