[Ginia knows Joscelin has no reason to lie, but when she reads the message on the BBS, it feels impossible. Hakkai is a God of Fortune, he's been around for a real long time, he's residing in the Central District, he can't be gone. But the things that keep them here are so unknown and it feels so easy for them to unravel and disappear. Everyone knows the amount of time spent here doesn't mean it's less likely to disappear, but the false sense of permanency is... well, it's something to hold onto.
Ebisu's temple has a good view of the district. Ginia paces along the windows, looking for a glimpse of Hakkai's temple. Instead, she finds a single damning sight; an empty plot of land in the distance.
He's gone. He's really gone. As easy as anyone else despite his time and status.]
It was a shock; I felt very strange when I woke up and then when I was changing clothes I saw that the name he gave me was gone. You remember how prominent it was--there's no way I'd miss it.
I haven't yet. I never do know how to approach them as a collective unit; one on one is slightly easier but only just. Ken's taken a bit of a liking to me but Chikusa is a tough nut to crack. I still don't feel that I know him very well, despite the fact that his bedroom was practically next to mine.
[He presses send and begins typing another message. He's typing for quite a long time, deleting and rewriting before another message pops up:]
I think the only person that knows Chikusa well is Ken. Hakkai, maybe, though I wonder too.
[It's telling Chikusa died and became a hafuri for Hakkai. Shit, what happens if the god you're a hafuri vessel is no longer around? With how rare hafuri are, is that something anyone knows?]
I've known Chikusa since my first day and I don't know him well at all. I like him though.
[It takes a little bit of time to find Ayumu's temple but it's not that tricky! Soon he was outside of the front door. He hesitates, at mister Hakkai's temple he had always just entered and made his way to Joss' room. But it was different here, he didn't know if that was allowed. So he knocked on the main door, as loud as he could.]
[Toyo answers the door, somewhat sloppily dressed. Her twintails are uneven--one is significantly higher than the other--and the ribbons around them are inartfully tied. It seems it is Joscelin's turn to dress her this morning, and the combination of his inexperience and preoccupation Hakkai's disappearance means that she looks rather the worse for wear.
The little girl leads Romeo by the hand to Joss's bedroom. He's sitting on his bed with a book in his lap, but it's clear he's not reading it. Instead, he's just staring at the wall. Toyo sidles in next to him, somehow sensing the turmoil of emotions inside of him despite her soulless nature.
[ He wouldn't swear normally but... D2 has literally killed for Hakkai, he's so important to him. D2 should have waited to move out to get more time with him if he'd known ]
Hello Toyo-chan! [Romeo grins at the little girl brightly and is happy to be led up to where Joss' room is. His smile falters when he sees his friend, he looks so sad.
Romeo understands, if Elfnein disappeared... the thought is so bad that Romeo doesn't even want to think about it and he punches the air with the hand that isn't holding Toyo's hand.]
Joss...
[He reaches out to clasp his hand.] Come on let's go out and do something.
[Because sitting in his room isn't going to help him keep his spirits up!]
[Joss is far too preoccupied to notice the swearing and probably wouldn't even if he didn't often have the vocabulary of a snobby, well educated sailor himself.]
[Joss looks slightly puzzled. Romeo's grabbing at his hand, and Toyo's staring at him with a remarkable amount of concern on her little face for a soulless shinki. He doesn't want company right now--he'd just made the announcement because, after telling Ayumu and showing her the empty spot where the name Hakkai had given him used to be, he thought more people needed to know that a God of Fortune had just up and disappeared. But they're not letting him. His baby sister and his best friend are refusing to allow him to wallow and it's quite frustrating.]
Whatever you want! You can choose or if you want me and Toyo can choose something we think you would like!
[Because sometimes when your spirits were really down low you didn't really want to do anything! So it was up to your friends to help you!] We can go to the movies again or go get yummy food or go to a park.
I wasn't actually named by him so... I'll just, try to do whatever I usually do I guess... [ He doesn't sound very motivated about it. ] What about you?
As it stands, I think the only person who knew how to turn time around is gone. Also, I'm not sure I'd trust him with this anyway.
Hakkai patched me up after the ablution I helped with. We had a good talk. He was always someone you could count on. Or at least that was my impression.
[Hakkai was not without his faults and skeletons dragged out of the closet. It takes a lot of bravery to admit you're a murderer on the network. That kind of blunt honesty isn't unappreciated though.]
You're not thinking about going after Heaven again, are you?
He took me in after you saved me. Ayumu had asked him to, you see. I think they had been together before, in the past. They always did remind me of a divorced couple.
[Writing that makes him laugh a little. And then the pain hits again. Hakkai had always been there, a steady figure that he'd come to take for granted. Whether it was at school or at home, Hakkai had always seemed so stable, so responsible. Joss feels unmoored without him.]
He was someone you could count on. Always. Did you know he even made plans for us, after he was gone? He wrote us all letters and left me an enormous stack of money.
[No, Hakkai was not without his faults, but Joscelin tended to see past them. After all, he's a murderer too.]
No. Not that I don't want to, but what would be the point? They'd just try to kill me again. It wouldn't get Hakkai back, or any of the others, and I refuse to let Ayumu and Toyo down.
[Is this what maturity feels like? He's not used to having a support system. The last time, Ayumu had essentially been it. He'd had Nari, but Nari's refusal to discipline him had made a bad problem worse. But now he has a small group of dedicated friends he doesn't want to abandon, and a mother figure who treats him with both respect and loving firmness. It's strange.]
And what is that? I've got Ayumu, at least, but what about you? Who named you, anyway?
Ayumu is my Mistress. I'm her Exemplar, whatever that means. I will commit myself to taking care of her and her other shinki, who is still just a child.
[Toyo keeps looking up at him with those big, brown eyes, and Romeo is just so damn earnest. It's working. No matter how determined he is to be miserable, it's a very difficult thing indeed when the two of them have teamed up against him.
Particularly not when the little girl hears the word 'park' and visibly perks up with a hopeful, "Niichan?"]
God fucking damn it. Fine, you win. Let's go to the park. Ayumu's temple on the Near Shore is pretty close to one.
Making plans sounds like something he'd do. I don't know if he was someone that was happy here, but it was obvious he cared and wanted the best for the three of you.
[So it's no surprise he had some contingency plans in place. As a God of Fortune, the amount left probably wasn't an insignificant amount either. It'll serve Joscelin well, Chikusa and Ken too.]
Not going to lie, I'm glad you're not going to take action. You've grown some since when we first met.
Can’t think of any. I seem to have truly mastered the art of the first impression.
In my defense, I didn’t mean to attack Hakkai the way I did. We were both suffering the effects of volcanic gas. He thought I was some sort of demon and I thought he was a witch trying to kill me...which was actually true, because he blasted a hole in my shoulder with magic. Though he healed me right after once he’d realized his mistake.
[Ah, memories.]
I suppose I am. Though I think it says quite a lot about the rest of you for putting up with me, beastly as I am.
[After all, Ayumu had disappeared shortly after the volcano. The anguish he’d felt at losing her and the ablution that followed hadn’t exactly been fun.]
You are. Your love of cutesy things is baffling to me.
It's probably some kind of natural response to want to take care of small, cute, defenseless animals until they have claws sharp enough to shred your hand open. I'm simply following my coding.
Or perhaps kittens have advanced hypnosis or brain-washing powers.
[If if it was something that would make Toyo happy too then it was definitely a win in Romeo's eyes! Joss seems angry and sad still but hopefully a park will cheer him up!]
Let's go to that one then! Toyo-chan we all need to put our shoes on before we teleport, do you know where yours and Joss' are?
Hibiki named me after Forrest disappeared. Not that I'm going to live with her even now. [ He's a Nora but he isn't advertising it where the Old Gods would see. Otherwise he would mention Chris and Alex, though it's not a secret among the new population anyway. ] But I generally work some, with language tutoring, and train when I'm not helping with prayers and the like, though fighting is about the only thing I'm good for.
[ There is a smile in his voice then. ]
It sounds like Ayumu has a good, dedicated helper in you, then.
[Joscelin answers before Toyo can, unfolding himself from his seat on the bed and heading towards the door.]
They're in the entryway. Shoe cabinet. Come on, Toyo, you can show me that you've been practicing with the laces.
[She hasn't, and Joss spends several minutes painstakingly repeating the "how to tie your shoes" lesson before he gives up and does them for her. He's in full big brother mode, and he's taken to it like a fish to water.
Eventually, everyone is all suited and booted, and they're ready to go.]
You do? Umm, several. English, German, Hawaiian, primarily, but also Japanese, French, Spanish, Dari, Russian, Arabic.... If there are others I haven't discovered those yet. I know Italian and Hindi, but I'm not fluent enough to teach them.
I think you can probably be sure of it. Not that I know for sure but your dedication seems to be a lot.
[Romeo followed, gathering his own shoes from just outside the entrance way whilst Joss and Toyo got theirs from the cabinet. He watched as Joss explained to Toyo how to tie her laces, he really was a good teacher!]
Right! Let's go!
[And with that they all teleported, leaving the temple in the heavens to a shrine on the Near Shore.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dredefulchilde) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thefarshore2019-06-03 10:01 pm
voice
Are you at miss Ayumu's? I'm coming over!
Private | Text
Ebisu's temple has a good view of the district. Ginia paces along the windows, looking for a glimpse of Hakkai's temple. Instead, she finds a single damning sight; an empty plot of land in the distance.
He's gone. He's really gone. As easy as anyone else despite his time and status.]
I'm sorry.
How are you holding up? Are you at Ayumu's?
Have you talked to Chikusa or Ken?
voice
[Sorry Romeo, he's feeling bitter and cagey.]
no subject
It was a shock; I felt very strange when I woke up and then when I was changing clothes I saw that the name he gave me was gone. You remember how prominent it was--there's no way I'd miss it.
I haven't yet. I never do know how to approach them as a collective unit; one on one is slightly easier but only just. Ken's taken a bit of a liking to me but Chikusa is a tough nut to crack. I still don't feel that I know him very well, despite the fact that his bedroom was practically next to mine.
[He presses send and begins typing another message. He's typing for quite a long time, deleting and rewriting before another message pops up:]
I miss him, you know.
no subject
I think the only person that knows Chikusa well is Ken. Hakkai, maybe, though I wonder too.
[It's telling Chikusa died and became a hafuri for Hakkai. Shit, what happens if the god you're a hafuri vessel is no longer around? With how rare hafuri are, is that something anyone knows?]
I've known Chikusa since my first day and I don't know him well at all. I like him though.
I know. Anything I can do?
Re: voice
[It takes a little bit of time to find Ayumu's temple but it's not that tricky! Soon he was outside of the front door. He hesitates, at mister Hakkai's temple he had always just entered and made his way to Joss' room. But it was different here, he didn't know if that was allowed. So he knocked on the main door, as loud as he could.]
action
The little girl leads Romeo by the hand to Joss's bedroom. He's sitting on his bed with a book in his lap, but it's clear he's not reading it. Instead, he's just staring at the wall. Toyo sidles in next to him, somehow sensing the turmoil of emotions inside of him despite her soulless nature.
Joss seems surprised to see Romeo.]
Oh. Hello.
no subject
[ He wouldn't swear normally but... D2 has literally killed for Hakkai, he's so important to him. D2 should have waited to move out to get more time with him if he'd known ]
Re: action
Romeo understands, if Elfnein disappeared... the thought is so bad that Romeo doesn't even want to think about it and he punches the air with the hand that isn't holding Toyo's hand.]
Joss...
[He reaches out to clasp his hand.] Come on let's go out and do something.
[Because sitting in his room isn't going to help him keep his spirits up!]
no subject
He was never anything but kind to me. Even after the mess of the ablution. He took me in, talked sense into me when I needed it, and kept me fed.
The whole time I was with him, I never went more than a few days without hunting.
no subject
Where are you going to go from here?
no subject
And do what?
no subject
[Because sometimes when your spirits were really down low you didn't really want to do anything! So it was up to your friends to help you!] We can go to the movies again or go get yummy food or go to a park.
no subject
I wasn't actually named by him so... I'll just, try to do whatever I usually do I guess... [ He doesn't sound very motivated about it. ] What about you?
no subject
Hakkai patched me up after the ablution I helped with. We had a good talk. He was always someone you could count on. Or at least that was my impression.
[Hakkai was not without his faults and skeletons dragged out of the closet. It takes a lot of bravery to admit you're a murderer on the network. That kind of blunt honesty isn't unappreciated though.]
You're not thinking about going after Heaven again, are you?
no subject
[Writing that makes him laugh a little. And then the pain hits again. Hakkai had always been there, a steady figure that he'd come to take for granted. Whether it was at school or at home, Hakkai had always seemed so stable, so responsible. Joss feels unmoored without him.]
He was someone you could count on. Always. Did you know he even made plans for us, after he was gone? He wrote us all letters and left me an enormous stack of money.
[No, Hakkai was not without his faults, but Joscelin tended to see past them. After all, he's a murderer too.]
No. Not that I don't want to, but what would be the point? They'd just try to kill me again. It wouldn't get Hakkai back, or any of the others, and I refuse to let Ayumu and Toyo down.
[Is this what maturity feels like? He's not used to having a support system. The last time, Ayumu had essentially been it. He'd had Nari, but Nari's refusal to discipline him had made a bad problem worse. But now he has a small group of dedicated friends he doesn't want to abandon, and a mother figure who treats him with both respect and loving firmness. It's strange.]
no subject
Ayumu is my Mistress. I'm her Exemplar, whatever that means. I will commit myself to taking care of her and her other shinki, who is still just a child.
[Speak for yourself, kiddo.]
no subject
Particularly not when the little girl hears the word 'park' and visibly perks up with a hopeful, "Niichan?"]
God fucking damn it. Fine, you win. Let's go to the park. Ayumu's temple on the Near Shore is pretty close to one.
no subject
[So it's no surprise he had some contingency plans in place. As a God of Fortune, the amount left probably wasn't an insignificant amount either. It'll serve Joscelin well, Chikusa and Ken too.]
Not going to lie, I'm glad you're not going to take action. You've grown some since when we first met.
no subject
He was a good man, though he never admitted it.
[Now that’s a surprise admission from Ginia.]
In what way?
no subject
[Ginia is willing to accept he's probably politer these days, but that first month? Yikes.]
You're thinking of other people. You're caring about other people.
no subject
In my defense, I didn’t mean to attack Hakkai the way I did. We were both suffering the effects of volcanic gas. He thought I was some sort of demon and I thought he was a witch trying to kill me...which was actually true, because he blasted a hole in my shoulder with magic. Though he healed me right after once he’d realized his mistake.
[Ah, memories.]
I suppose I am. Though I think it says quite a lot about the rest of you for putting up with me, beastly as I am.
no subject
[JUST. SAYING.]
Your manners could still use improving, but you aren't without redeeming qualities. I suppose I'm a bleeding heart softie too.
no subject
[After all, Ayumu had disappeared shortly after the volcano. The anguish he’d felt at losing her and the ablution that followed hadn’t exactly been fun.]
You are. Your love of cutesy things is baffling to me.
no subject
What's so confusing about it?
no subject
no subject
Or perhaps kittens have advanced hypnosis or brain-washing powers.
no subject
Let's go to that one then! Toyo-chan we all need to put our shoes on before we teleport, do you know where yours and Joss' are?
no subject
[ There is a smile in his voice then. ]
It sounds like Ayumu has a good, dedicated helper in you, then.
no subject
They're in the entryway. Shoe cabinet. Come on, Toyo, you can show me that you've been practicing with the laces.
[She hasn't, and Joss spends several minutes painstakingly repeating the "how to tie your shoes" lesson before he gives up and does them for her. He's in full big brother mode, and he's taken to it like a fish to water.
Eventually, everyone is all suited and booted, and they're ready to go.]
Right. Let's get this over with.
no subject
[Nothing like one polyglot finding another.]
I hope so.
no subject
Umm, several. English, German, Hawaiian, primarily, but also Japanese, French, Spanish, Dari, Russian, Arabic.... If there are others I haven't discovered those yet. I know Italian and Hindi, but I'm not fluent enough to teach them.
I think you can probably be sure of it. Not that I know for sure but your dedication seems to be a lot.
no subject
Right! Let's go!
[And with that they all teleported, leaving the temple in the heavens to a shrine on the Near Shore.]