Heaven's BBS| TEXT+Picture

[thekillerwhale]

Posted: May 1
From: Poseidon
Screened from: Haruka


Someone please help! Σ(°Д°；≡；°д°)

Comments

[koukai_kirai]

That's... almost impressive. I don't think I ever would have guessed.

And of course. Protecting the mortal world is essentially our job now, isn't it? It isn't like they can fight them.

[thekillerwhale]

I think you're the first one I've almost impressed and not in a good way... orz

And...that's true, I guess. But I've never fought anything before.

[koukai_kirai]

What does "orz" mean?

[He died in 1869, ok, emoji are a strange new concept that no one has sufficiently explained yet.]

You'll have to learn, I'm afraid. With the way the last couple of weeks have gone, I wouldn't drag my feet about it in your position.

[thekillerwhale]

"orz" is a person kneeling with their head down close to the floor. It's an emoji that's defeated/depressed.

Have things been getting really bad here? I'm still really new to all of this, so I'm not sure what is going on and I want to make sure I don't try to fight something and put my shinki in danger.

[koukai_kirai]

Right. Emoji.

[...Souji's talked about those. And uses them sort of a lot. He still doesn't really get the point, but at least the meaning in this case is clearer now.]

I've only been around for a few weeks myself, but things have been... volatile. There was the attack on the picnic, an incident with modified ayakashi coming after us here on the Far Shore, and it seems another ayakashi went on a rampage just a few days ago.

[He thinks for a minute before adding something. He's never been much of a teacher, himself -- not fond enough of form and tradition and the hierarchy of the organized martial arts schools, too brusque and impatient to be good at going easy on beginners. And Souji isn't exactly ideal for beginners, either, not unless they happen to have incredible instincts and a high tolerance for getting black and blue until they learn to block better.]

[But... What, is he just going to let the civilians who got dragged into this stay helpless and get hurt?]

There's a dojo at my shrine. I can try to show you some basics, if you want.

[thekillerwhale]

[Thankfully for Hijikata, Makoto's a really good athlete and a great student.]

That all sounds really terrifying. But that only means that learning how to fight is really important now.

[Even if he's really a big teddy bear and a pacifist.]

Really? I would actually really appreciate that! Thank you!

I'm Tachibana Makoto. Makoto is fine, though.

[koukai_kirai]

["Makoto", is it? He wonders how it's written. Probably not with the kanji that the word immediately brings to mind for him, but all the same, that's a slightly odd coincidence.]

Hijikata Toshizou. Or Hachiman, here.

[He doesn't really have a preference between the two, as long as the few people who knew him in his old life still call him what they used to.]

The shrine is on a wooded hillside by the sea. Stone path leading up to a wooden torii. I'm usually around, if I'm not seeing to business on the Near Shore.

[thekillerwhale]

Woah! Hachiman?! I remember learning about him in school! That's really cool.

Okay. Should I let you know ahead of time that I'm coming? Should I try to bring my shinki?

[koukai_kirai]

He had a lot of major shrines when I was alive, too. At least I can say he's left me with a reputation that won't be TOO easy to uphold.

I don't care, as long as it isn't too early in the morning. You can call a little in advance if you want to be sure I'm not out dealing with a prayer or anything, I suppose.

Your shinki can come if they want to, but if your primary concern is fighting ayakashi, then what I can teach them will be of limited use. As a general rule, they won't be in human form when the fighting starts.

[thekillerwhale]

I understand the feeling. Poseidon's supposed to be the god of the sea and really powerful and I don't really feel that way. I just feel like myself. LOL

I'll be sure to call. I don't want to interrupt you or anything.

And that's true. It's probably for the best. My shinki hasn't been in a good mood since he got here which is understandable. I'm not really impressive. LOL (╯︵╰,)

[[ooc: I just realized that Makoto would totally have learned about the Shinsengumi in class and know who he is. And especially since he really likes Japanese history and literature, he would remember. Would that be okay for him to fanboy at him?]]

[koukai_kirai]

Even if you don't feel impressive, you have to do your best to be someone your shinki can believe in. That's what you owe to someone who relies on and looks up to you.

[He's always believed that, and he has a lot of experience both with people looking up to him and with... an interesting cocktail of self-image issues.]

[[OOC: Go for it! I don't mind at all. He'll be a little bit confused and possibly slightly embarrassed, but probably happy on some level!]]

[thekillerwhale]

[Wow...this is amazing. He feels like he's found a sensei!]

You're right. I'll do my best! I want to make my shinki proud. He's really important to me and has been for a long time, so I don't want to let him down.

This may sound weird, but were you named after the same Hijikata from the Shinsengumi?

[koukai_kirai]

Then I trust you'll work hard.

Not "named after", no. You've heard of me?

[Izuminokami did tell him that he was famous in the future, and Sanae did seem to know about the Shinsengumi when he first encountered her, but Makoto is the first person since then to bring it up, so it's a bit of a surprise.]

1/2

[thekillerwhale]

[Makoto is freaking out internally on the other side of the line.

Okay. Maybe he'll freak out in text too.]

OMG! REALLY?! I learned all about the Shinsengumi in school!

OMG! I GET TO TRAIN WITH HIJIKATA! This is so cool!

2/2

[thekillerwhale]

Sorry about that. I just got really excited.

But still! Thank you so much, Hijikata-san!

[koukai_kirai]

[...Okay. Okay, he'd sort of figured Izuminokami's obvious fondness for him was making him get all enthusiastic and overstate just how well-regarded the Shinsengumi was in the future, but... apparently not?]

[Wow. That was.... That sure was a reaction? He's not really sure how to respond to it?]

[...Sort of reminds him of when Ichimura was a kid, actually. Which isn't the worst thing to remind Hijikata of.]

Thank you, I think.

Like I said, just be prepared to work hard.

[thekillerwhale]

[Just wait until he tells Rin!]

Please don't go easy on me! I'll do my best.

[koukai_kirai]

Good. That's what I like to hear.

Get in contact whenever you're ready to begin. As I said, I'm likely to be around, anyway.

[thekillerwhale]

Right! I'll contact you soon!