thefarshore | (no subject)

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Posted: May 6th, Morning.
From: Anonymous (he's trying!).

This is for all shinki:

What do ye do about a stubborn, sometimes reckless, selfless god? I wanna help them, but every time I try, I'm not sure they appreciate it.

I feel like I'm angering them an' I don't want to.

[This is his way of asking for help. He really did try to mask his sometimes outdated and awkward spelling/phrasing, though it seems to shine through nonetheless. ~~Please don't kill him, Shun!~~]

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[It's long into the afternoon by the time Shun wakes up on the 6th. The mission in that cursed town ran into the small hours of the morning anyway, but it's a combination of that and his complete exhaustion that has him rolling out of bed hours later than he would have liked. He still doesn't feel entirely rested, but he does feel a hell of a lot better than he did the previous day. It's a start.

These days, it's become customary for him to browse the heavenly BBS of a morning, to make sure he doesn't miss important warnings or notifications, and he's just gotten dressed and is browsing the network on his duel disk when he notices the anonymous post. Or, more accurately, the "anonymous" post. It might be passable to some, but having lived with Joker for a good almost three weeks by this point, the manner of speech stands out in the writing. That combined with the disagreement they had the previous day makes it unmistakeable, and he pauses halfway through his motion to the door to go and get something to eat. A moment later, he backtracks his steps, sitting slowly on the end of his bed to read the thread.

Most of the advice is good, he'll give them that - though it's not altogether surprising when he recognises some of the usernames. But when he likes to consider himself alert and at least halfway decent at reading people, he can't help but feel a little thrown by the fact that he hadn't realised this was a problem at all; it had come up, obviously, but he hadn't ever intended to be angry about the help. Not that he entirely realises why some of the things mentioned are a problem, but he's not going to find out sitting around here.

So as soon as he's finished reading, he gets up again and walks down the long, spiral staircase housing all the temple's main bedrooms. He needs to eat, and it's basically impossible to avoid passing through the kitchen and lounge area going between the bedrooms and the exit. It seems like as good a place as any to catch his shinki for a talk.

Whether he's heard coming down the stairs, preparing food, or whatever else, he's likely to be found sitting on one of the couches in the space directly across from the kitchen, flicking through the rest of the day's posts with one hand while eating a container of leftover soup with the other. As if to accentuate the lack of social grace happening here, one of his feet is braced against the coffee table, the other crossed over the top of it. Then again, he's making somewhat of an effort to not be intimidating about this, which means he's erred more on the side of casual than is typical for him.]

[Joker comes into the lounge area, munching on an apple. He has a scroll under his arm, clearly meaning to study it. He is trying to better his reading skills, bit by bit - for a variety of reasons, but mainly because he wants to. He isn't a scholar and he never will be, yet education and information mean a great deal to him ~~likely because he lacked the former severely in his life~~.

However his studies come in second place when he sees Shun. Immediately his expression brightens, teeth flashing in a cocky grin.]

Heya Shun! What're ye up to? [Choosing the seat beside the god, he crosses his legs too, taking another bite from his apple.] Anything good on th' network?

[The question gets a level look from Shun, and though he's not the type to bother with mincing words, he does consider them for a moment before he speaks. Apparently he's been giving off the wrong impression here, and he'd rather not continue.]

Not much, other than some decent advice - though there's something they missed that I could add.

[After a tap or two, he turns his screen around, and regardless of its relatively small size, it's not hard to identify Joker's post on it.]

If you're posting anonymously and you have a distinctive typing style, look at what others have written and imitate that style as much as you can. It makes it a hell of a lot less likely you'll get outed at a glance.

[His tone isn't judgemental, or even annoyed - the remark merely sounds like advice. Putting the disk down, he continues, eyes on Joker and words as determined as anything he ever says.]

They're right. Talk to me. I want to hear what you have to say, whatever it is.

[Somewhere, deep inside, Joker likely curses. He had tried his best to be anonymous, but he does have a certain way of...expressing himself. With such a heavy accent, sometimes he has to sound words out in order to spell them semi-correctly. Unfortunately that gives him away.

His hand tightens around the apple and his face pales of all color under his make-up.]

Ah...right ye are! I um...

[Well he doesn't seem...mad? Joker shifts uncomfortably.]

I jus'...worry about ye. Yer important to me an' I wanna be the best friend...and shinki...I kin be.

[It's almost the opposite of mad, how Shun looks right now - though he's calm as ever, there's a certain air about him that says he's as wrong-footed by this situation as he assumes Joker is. Though he recognises well enough that he's been trouble for his comrades before, generally there was only one of them brave enough to approach him about it, and that didn't tend to require much talk on Shun's part. So his idea of how to navigate a situation like this is more than a little underdeveloped.

Though it's probably not the source of the problem here, there's something about that explanation that doesn't entirely sit correctly with Shun, and it takes him a second to figure out exactly what.]

Friends talk about things like this. If you were so worried about approaching me that you had to ask for advice without a name attached, then I have to ask if you're considering me more as your god than your friend.

[The question is a good one and it silences him while he gives it the thought it deserves. To him, Shun is both a friend and a god. Shun can do things that Joker could never imagine in his wildest dreams, but, despite that, Joker sees him as wholly human. A remarkable human, then. When he thinks of gods, they seem...

Distant. He could never empathize with them, really.]

Ye amaze me, I won't lie about that. But you're my friend more than my god. I wouldn't understand a god an' they wouldn't be as...human...as you.

[Which means, he owes Shun an apology.]

I acted rashly. I'm sorry.

[That's some reassurance, at least, and Shun inclines his head in acceptance of that way of looking at it. Though he hasn't really used the term himself yet, at this point, it's difficult not to consider Joker a friend as well.

Shun's mouth twitches a little at the apology - however genuine, he still finds them unnecessary - but he doesn't turn it down so much as he normally would, and when he replies, his tone is measured.]

I don't really see the point in apologies, but if we're talking about errors, I want to make myself clear. Before you arrived, when I had that soulless shinki who did nothing but fall to my every order, I had a lot of time to think about the kind of shinki I'd be comfortable with. Someone who would fight alongside me, not under me. Someone who would question my judgement, and still be there the times I ignored that questioning. I wanted an equal, not a weapon.

[It's much easier to be sincere when he's already on a roll, and there's only the briefest break in his speech before he goes on, utter confidence in his tone.] I don't want you to leave this conversation thinking you haven't lived up to that, because you have. More than I could have hoped for.

[The way Shun thinks is...new to Joker. He couldn't say why it's new - damn near everything feels new as it is - but this is refreshingly new. The difference leaves him stunned and speechless and his lips too twitch, almost smiling, and there is a definite flush on his cheeks.]

Shun, I - [This acceptance; this appreciation strike him in the heart.] I prefer ta be equals. I didn't wanna assume considerin' the layout of gods and shinkis, but ye never struck me as someone who would lord over someone. I guess that's why I like thee so much.

I'm not scared of fightin' an' if you deem a cause worth a fight, I will too. [No question. No hesitation. When Joker gives his all, he gives everything.]

[That part, at least, is good to hear, and Shun gives a satisfied nod to that answer. He hopes that the desire to be equal means that Joker won't prioritise Shun's own causes over any he might have, but at least they seem to be getting onto the same page now.

Still, since his behaviour yesterday was also up for discussion, he figures he should explain that part too. Joker's not the first to have brought it up, and he crosses his arms as he considers how to put it in a manner that doesn't exclude him again.]

...As for you worrying about me. It's not that I don't care what you think or don't care about myself, but I'm used to being the one who takes on that burden for others. Having someone do it to me is something that's still new, and this is actually the second time I've had this conversation with someone this week. If it's really distracting you all that much, I'll work on it, but I'll need time.

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action, after all the other things...

action;

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