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From: Xuanwu
Date: February 26

My new shinki woke up grumpy this morning. He may also be planning on sneaking in where he shouldn't be. I'm both apologizing in advance, and sharing an image of his current appearance just in case:

He likes dried fish, large pillows, and ear scratches. Be wary of touching his tail or his belly, and especially do not offend him by claiming that he is an inferior creature. I will not be held responsible for the damages he will cause.

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Buy him? I didn't. He showed up after getting directions from one of the white-robes. Why?

You're talking like you own him so I figured you had to have bought him somewhere.

I suppose it's because he is a cat, so I tend to treat him as one. Honestly though, he is his own owner outside of being my shinki.

I'm glad to hear that. Some of these gods, they get the idea that because they have that title instead of being shinki, they're somehow better than everyone else.

So is he really a cat?

I see no reason to act that my gaining a god's title should make me anything than I already am.

[ There is a slight irony in his words. Shen Wei was the Black-Cloaked Envoy, the near immortal warrior of a war that should have ended. His power outstripped that of any other Dixingren besides his own twin, and he knew that he was feared as much as he was honored. Should this name the Heavens have given him make him different? No. It was just one more on top of what he already had. ]

Aren't there tales of animals that gain human-like intelligence after living so long? He can be human when he wants, but he seems to enjoy being a cat more.

[ Oh, 'kay. He's the king of posh bullshit, got it. ]

So long as it's what he wants to do, I could really care less.

[ Not really. He wants to be a nerdy scholar, but everyone else thinks he is a great thing. ]

We all have our habits, I suppose.

Habit? [ That's a weird word for it. ] It's his habit to turn into a cat? Like a nervous thing? Instead of cracking his knuckles, poof, he's a cat for a couple hours?

No? That isn't what I meant. I'm sorry. This thing 'autocorrect' is annoying.

[ Sure, grandpa, blame the autocorrect. ]

So what did you mean?

[ Look. He's infamous back home for making the IT techs ban him from their whole floor. He's lucky the phone hasn't blown up on him yet. ]

It's his nature. It's what he is. Someone who can be either a cat or a human as he wants.

[ People who could turn into animals and back? You know, that's actually a hell of a neat trick. He's brimming with questions... but he can't risk the cat guy reading the answers.

Being a shinki sucks. ]

Is he dangerous? Is that why you were warning everyone about him?

[ It's less of a trick and more of their nature being from the same alien ship that Shen Wei's people came off of. But yeah, can't really say that really.

It sucks for a lot of reasons. ]

We're all dangerous in one form or another. No, it is more of a head's up? I don't want someone try to kill him thinking that he's a stray cat.

You come from a strange world Xuanwu my man. Nobody does that here. Some people here even likes cats more than people and let them get away with all kinds of shit.

I come from a world that was at war, so I suppose that it's inevitable. I know I should not presume, but being trusted with an unique person I just want to be careful.

[ See, now Gojyo feels bad. He thought he was calling out some asshole god who was treating his shinki like his possessions, but really he's just trying to make sure this cat guy stays safe. ]

Yeah okay I get it you're a real hero, don't need to rub it in.

[ He understands that, and he tries to not be that kind of person. However, he does kinda get into an imperial mode thanks to years of being the closest thing to royalty in his nation. ]

I never asked to be anyone's hero. All I ever wanted was to end the fighting and keep everyone safe.

[ And give him a moment or two as things become clear and then there is a moment of facepalm. He is so bad at trying to keep things secret. ]

I'm sorry, you were being sarcastic? I didn't mean to take it literally.

[ And now this dude's just fucking with him. ...That's deserved, he supposes. Gotta give the guy credit for not just telling him off and ending the conversation! ]

Do you believe in karma? Because somebody who wanted to stop fighting and keep everyone safe ending up here sounds like you pissed somebody off.

[ Would it surprise him to learn that he isn't? Shen Wei is such an earnest nerd really. Except when he goes into OP Envoy mode. ]

I can think of worse places to be for an afterlife.

If you can think of better ones too then my point still stands.

What would be the point? Self-torture over what ifs and could bes? I am here and now, I will try to make it better.

[ Gojyo stares at that reply a minute, trying to decide if he's pissed off or just tired. He'd meant his karma comment as a joke -- a dumb joke, sure, but still -- but now they're getting into the whole what is this place and let's make our new house a home and all that other shit that he's just so tired of.

This place is never going to be better, not unless they set it on fire and salt the ashes. But if Xuanwhoever wants to look on the bright side of death for awhile, then let him. He'll come around, eventually... or he'll vanish.

Or both. ]

Wow. I haven't ever heard anyone say that before. Good luck with your better.

[ The problem with not having very much experience with technology was the fact that he had a hard time communicating with this thing. He could pick up clues through voice or face-to-face, but the type doesn't tell him if it was trying to be a joke or not. Shen Wei is trying, but his understanding of a text conversation is that of a 90 year old given his first smartphone really. ]

I'm sorry, did I misunderstand?

[ It's a good two hours later that the response comes in. After telling Xuanwhoever off, Gojyo'd set his phone down and got to work in the bar -- there's always work to do in a bar, he's discovered. There's always inventory and cleaning and repairs and the books have to be balanced -- he's pretty good at that part -- and the Friday Men like fancy cocktails so there's time that has to be spent learning how to make those... It's really time consuming!

So by the time he gets back to his phone, he's a little tired, a little dirty, and a little drunk. He's also forgotten how to set a conversation to private. ]

Why do you think you're here?

A mutation of a system that's replacing those that should be reborn with wandering souls of the newly deceased or otherwise unanchored intelligent beings. We're a fluke, a flaw, a sign of a sickness and no one really knows what sickness that is.

I also know that if I wasn't here, I wouldn't be alive so there is that as well.

Or do you think I have some sort of blindness to this place?

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