thefarshore | heaven's bbs

Posted by: Nekhbet
Date: January 24th

So, did anyone else run into the kid god on the volcano? I hear the Heavens have been claiming he was defeated, but me and a few others were there for that and "defeat" isn't the word I would have used. It looked a lot more like he sealed himself away or escaped.

We need to be prepared for the possibility of him coming back, but if anyone actually got him to talk instead of just retaliating, it'd be useful to have that information to work with. I get the impression nobody told him what he was going to be dealing with, but he definitely thinks us and the old gods are one and the same, so he's going to need convincing if any of you decided there was a misunderstanding.

[Or, as he doesn't really want to put it in case the Heavens are overseeing the conversation, in case anyone decided they want to protect him. Shun's been meaning to do this for a few days, but he's been given even more reason to be focusing on work in the last two, so why not use this to take his mind off things a bit.]

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[Listen... In his defense, he was worried that Shun might not understand anything too subtle. He's concerned, alright?]

We'll look forward to your arrival. Let us know when you're on your way. Is there anything in particular you'd like?

[Sorry, what was that about turning down food-]

No. There's not much point going out of your way.

[Since he's...not planning to eat anyway, surprise surprise.

Ebisu will get another text about three hours later noting that Shun's on his way over. He definitely looks rather like he's been busy - he's put-together enough to not be wildly impolite, but it's pretty obvious it was a bit of a rush job of cleaning himself up before he came.]

[When Shun arrives- hopefully through the front door, Temple Ebisu is rather tall- Unmi will be the one to greet him down in the entrance and he wastes no time in escorting the man to the elevator. Ebisu's office is up on the higher floors, of course, and it includes a small dining area.]

[Yes, there is yosenabe already set out waiting for Shun along with a bowl for Ebisu. Listen. He is a polite host.]

[It's not only Ebisu who's waiting for him, however. Standing behind him at the ready are two of his shinki, Kimi and Kunimi- the latter being his exemplar who was there with him on the first day he took an active interest in these new gods. Ebisu nods to Shun as he arrives.]

I'm glad you could make it.

[Shun rolls his eyes slightly at the sight of food, not troubling himself to feign any sort of politeness despite the situation. He does, however, incline his head to Ebisu in return.]

If I make a post asking for information and someone wants to give it in person, then I'm not going to overlook that. [It had been pretty obvious that was Ebisu's overall intent with the response, and now that they're at his temple, Shun feels no need to be secretive about the fact.] So now that it's private, you may as well get to the point.

[He imagines Ebisu can understand that kind of intent, as a god of business. They both have other things they could be doing with their time, so it benefits them both most to make the exchange quickly.]

As expected of you, Kurosaki-sama. [Straight to the point, no detours. Ebisu really can appreciate that.]

[So... He raises one hand up to gesture back towards Kimi, who's seeming more serious and solemn than the last time Shun saw him.]

We ran into the god, Sotero, when we were near the mountain ourselves. Kimi has nora'd for him, and he can confirm that the name he received seems to indicate that Sotero-sama is indeed not defeated.

[Shun has to pause briefly at that to look between Ebisu and Kimi, because at least one thing about that seems ludicrously unwise to him.]

It's one way of getting information, but letting yourself be named by a god whose allegiances we know very little about doesn't seem like a great idea to me. [It does, at least, mean Shun now knows the name of the god, and he looks decidedly unsurprised at the notion that Sotero wasn't defeated.] I figured as much, anyway. He wasn't hurt when he leapt into the volcano, just scared, so there's no reason why that would've been the end, especially considering his powers. I suppose the question now is how he got in in the first place.

I know... [Ebisu is openly concerned, hands curled into fists on the table's surface.] But the method which Heaven employs- and did employ during that- also didn't seem like a great idea. It's not solving the core issue.

[Which is, of course, that someone wants to destroy or disrupt Heaven. If it were an older god, maybe they'd take advantage of any weakness. But when he'd been so young...]

[Kimi raises a hand to himself. "I suggested it personally. I don't think a god so young would have reason to go against Heaven unless he were told by another party... which means I doubted he would have anyone else. He confirmed that he doesn't have a shinki, and he demonstrated an inability to skillfully lie. It's risky but it can help us if we play it cautiously. I don't think he is bad."]

[A little stupid and hot-headed, but...]

[Ebisu pipes up.]

Besides, I made him sign a contract. [Oh, right-] I've offered him shelter in one of my shrines on the Near Shore, after all, if he requires it.

I have a feeling they aren't interested in solving the core issue, which is that given what I've seen of the system, I'm not at all surprised someone wants to overthrow it. [He's against their enemies largely because they don't care for the collateral damage they're causing, but he can't deny the Heavens have an unfair, ridiculous system in place that he'd just as happily see tossed out.

He does listen to Kimi and Ebisu's combined explanation, though, and lets out a slight hiss through his teeth.] It definitely sounds like he's been indoctrinated by someone. The same person as Votelli, if I had to guess.

[He'd assume Ebisu already knows about Votelli, but if he doesn't, he'd guess he's safe to inform based on how he's handled Sotero so far.]

Overthrowing it would be too far...

[But then, he supposes he's biased for that sort of thing. He is one of the most powerful gods in Heaven right now, even recently reincarnated, and his own family are those in high positions... such as Amaterasu herself.]

[Still. Any violence is violence to be avoided, so long as it can be helped.]

[And the best way to do that... is with more information. Ebisu perks up at the name.]

Votelli...? Then, that would be the god who was responsible for the forest incident?

I didn't say it was a good idea either. I just said I can see why someone would want to.

[At the very least, they need a serious reconsideration of how they do things, because right now he's seen it to be both oppressive and ineffective.

Shun gives a faint hum of assent to Ebisu's guess.] Another kid god - a girl with power over plants. The fact that they're both about the same age and have the same kind of raw power over an element makes a connection obvious enough.

[Not to mention the fact of them both having very little actual awareness of the Heavens but what they've been told.]

That makes sense...

[Ebisu frowns down at the display of food before him, thinking about the information he has.]

I wonder if by connecting with Sotero, we could learn about Votelli. If I could keep both of them from doing any worse harm to themselves or the Heavens, it would be for the best. [No one should die, after all.] It'd be good if we could learn about who is responsible for this as well.

However, it might take a little while... and, if they're not proper gods, then it means getting in contact with them is even trickier. Hopefully he drops by one of my shrines soon...

It depends on whether they even know that much about each other. Votelli didn't mention knowing of any other gods that I remember, so there's a good chance they've been separated.

[It would make more sense - lessens the chance of exactly that happening, one of them giving away information about the other that would best be kept secret. Shun can't imagine "Sensei" would be that sloppy about his methods considering how things have been so far.]

I'd guess the man Votelli calls Sensei is behind both of them, but that means we have to track the bastard down before we can do much else, and we haven't had much luck with that so far.

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