Kairi | Souki 爽 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pure_radiantics) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thefarshore2017-04-25 11:24 am
pure_radiantics) wrote in thefarshore2017-04-25 11:24 am
[Video] About Ablution
From: Kairi & Yukine
Date: Dusk on July 8, 2016
[ Kairi and Yukine both look worn out and stressed. They'd each been holding a Borderline active for a very long time, relatively speaking, on top of the emotional strain of the confession they heard and the empathy they tried to give back.
The backdrop will tell anyone who knows the area that they're not far from Hakkai's school, just not directly inside it anymore. Kairi speaks first. ]
This message is for my fellow shinki specifically, although I hope gods will be sensitive to this as well. I know that we as shinki struggle with the knowledge that our gods can feel things we feel. It's not something we can change, though. The biggest thing they can feel from us... is guilt. You might have heard it called by another name: blight.
Blight is... it's like this acid on your skin. It hurts. Guilt makes the blight appear, but you can also get it by touching someone who's blighted. That goes for touching blighted gods and shinki both, but it also goes for touching ayakashi, which are nothing but blight. There's a way to reverse really bad blight - the guilt kind, because holy water can fix the kind you get by touching someone.
It's called an ablution. It's not easy and it's definitely not painless and it requires the support of your god as well as three strong shinki friends.
[ She'd started to get a little hysterical in her description of how much effort goes into an ablution, but then she pauses to take a breath. Her voice gets quieter, more purposeful. ]
... I need you all to hear this: I have witnessed two ablutions now, and participated in one of them. It's awful what someone has to go through during that, and it's awful to watch it too.
So please, if you start to feel some blight, don't hide it and refuse to talk to your shinki or god about it. It doesn't just go away like a bad cold. It gets worse and worse and worse.
[Yukine edges into frame, the bags under his eyes and tight expression worth more than a few words on their own.]
I've been telling you guys from the start to get along with your gods. This is a part of it... a part I'd hoped none of you'd have t' see. But it's happened.
When you do something you feel guilty over, admit it. Pretending to smile and acting like everything's fine does neither you or your god any good. Talk about it, fight about it. [He gives a jagged smile as he adds in a low voice,] You can go a bit crazy. Gods don't die so easily.
But after getting it all off your chest then apologize and start fresh.
... Shinki are spirits. We're just across the line from ayakashi. We're human... none of us are perfect. The darkness... is always by our side. So be careful. Don't let it in.
... Damn. That's all I have to say. I'm going to go sleep for a few dozen hours now.
[ Kairi leans a little then, like she would have given Yukine a hug but thought better of it, so he gets a shoulder lean instead. ]
Yukine brought up a good point too. Since our gods feel all this stuff, but "don't die so easily"? They're basically going through the ablution too. They're hurting just like their shinki is.
[ But she doesn't leave the focus on Yukine by that point, knowing without voicing it that he'd been on the other side of the ablution before. That had come up earlier today. So she stands back up straight and pulls her phone back so that he can leave. It's getting late, after all. ]
So that's our warning. Please take care of yourselves and your shinki friends. And please be understanding if you see some blight, offer to help with it or tell someone who can help. I know it's scary.
Thank you.
[[OOC: Both Yukine and Kairi can respond to this BBS post, but if you'd like one of them specifically you can ask for it in the subject line or tag.
Chronologically, this happens not long after Hakkai's Ablution.]]
Date: Dusk on July 8, 2016
[ Kairi and Yukine both look worn out and stressed. They'd each been holding a Borderline active for a very long time, relatively speaking, on top of the emotional strain of the confession they heard and the empathy they tried to give back.
The backdrop will tell anyone who knows the area that they're not far from Hakkai's school, just not directly inside it anymore. Kairi speaks first. ]
This message is for my fellow shinki specifically, although I hope gods will be sensitive to this as well. I know that we as shinki struggle with the knowledge that our gods can feel things we feel. It's not something we can change, though. The biggest thing they can feel from us... is guilt. You might have heard it called by another name: blight.
Blight is... it's like this acid on your skin. It hurts. Guilt makes the blight appear, but you can also get it by touching someone who's blighted. That goes for touching blighted gods and shinki both, but it also goes for touching ayakashi, which are nothing but blight. There's a way to reverse really bad blight - the guilt kind, because holy water can fix the kind you get by touching someone.
It's called an ablution. It's not easy and it's definitely not painless and it requires the support of your god as well as three strong shinki friends.
[ She'd started to get a little hysterical in her description of how much effort goes into an ablution, but then she pauses to take a breath. Her voice gets quieter, more purposeful. ]
... I need you all to hear this: I have witnessed two ablutions now, and participated in one of them. It's awful what someone has to go through during that, and it's awful to watch it too.
So please, if you start to feel some blight, don't hide it and refuse to talk to your shinki or god about it. It doesn't just go away like a bad cold. It gets worse and worse and worse.
[Yukine edges into frame, the bags under his eyes and tight expression worth more than a few words on their own.]
I've been telling you guys from the start to get along with your gods. This is a part of it... a part I'd hoped none of you'd have t' see. But it's happened.
When you do something you feel guilty over, admit it. Pretending to smile and acting like everything's fine does neither you or your god any good. Talk about it, fight about it. [He gives a jagged smile as he adds in a low voice,] You can go a bit crazy. Gods don't die so easily.
But after getting it all off your chest then apologize and start fresh.
... Shinki are spirits. We're just across the line from ayakashi. We're human... none of us are perfect. The darkness... is always by our side. So be careful. Don't let it in.
... Damn. That's all I have to say. I'm going to go sleep for a few dozen hours now.
[ Kairi leans a little then, like she would have given Yukine a hug but thought better of it, so he gets a shoulder lean instead. ]
Yukine brought up a good point too. Since our gods feel all this stuff, but "don't die so easily"? They're basically going through the ablution too. They're hurting just like their shinki is.
[ But she doesn't leave the focus on Yukine by that point, knowing without voicing it that he'd been on the other side of the ablution before. That had come up earlier today. So she stands back up straight and pulls her phone back so that he can leave. It's getting late, after all. ]
So that's our warning. Please take care of yourselves and your shinki friends. And please be understanding if you see some blight, offer to help with it or tell someone who can help. I know it's scary.
Thank you.
[[OOC: Both Yukine and Kairi can respond to this BBS post, but if you'd like one of them specifically you can ask for it in the subject line or tag.
Chronologically, this happens not long after Hakkai's Ablution.]]
no subject
[Yukine puts his hands in his pockets and leans back against a conveniently nearby tree. Starting from there, huh.]
Shinki and gods can get blight from touching an ayakashi. It's looks like a dark purple bruise, but it burns and can spread. It can be cured with blessed purification water from a shrine. A lot of new gods and shinki are in the habit of carrying around a bottle of them now, I think.
Usually those cases don't get too serious.
I'm tellin' you all that so that you can see how this other blight is a little different.
The other blight happens when a shinki stings their god. That's when a shinki does something that they feel guilty over, but aren't sorry for doing it.
The sting gives the god some blight. They start feeling weak and sick. It also shows up on the shinki. Like eyeballs. It doesn't hurt though, weirdly.
Anyway, that can be dealt with if the shinki admits what they did, apologizes, and then the blight can be washed off.
But if the shinki isn't sorry, and keeps doing things... that's the case that's serious enough for ablution.
You follow so far? I don't want to overload you or anything.
no subject
A burning dark bruise that can spread. Minor cases that can be washed away with holy water. More serious symptoms being stinging, weakness, nausea, and... eyes? It's difficult to imagine the last one but then again, it's something she never wishes to see. )
Yes, I think so. Is it possible for a shinki to not be aware of the severity of their blight? ( If it doesn't hurt them and the symptoms can only be seen on their part, was it possible for the blight to manifest in a place they couldn't see? Like their back? ) If so... it's important for us to speak to them before it's too late then, right...?
no subject
It’s possible. If they ignore the symptoms of their god, ignore their own conscience, and if they don’t look at themselves. I think the blight usually starts from the back of the neck.
Yah… for sure it’s easier to deal with sooner. The old gods usually do ablutions if they’re stung even once. I can see why, because the longer it goes the harder it is to get rid of… So I guess I’ll tell you about ablution now.
The blighted shinki is confined. Three other shinki recite the spell and trap him in a purgatory using their borderlines. And he can’t get out unless he either confesses everything and becomes cleansed, or he degrades completely into an ayakashi and breaks out. It’s… um, an extremely painful process, like Kairi said in that post. And personal. The shinki says… difficult things to hear, when they’re in there.
That’s most of why I wanted to talk to people personally about this. An ablution ends up being really personal. Besides that, it can also be contagious. The shinki might say things that … make other shinki think bad things. And if that seed of a thought grows… the other shinki can fall. We’re just across the line from ayakashi. That darkness is always by our side. It can be… easy to be swayed.
[Yukine pauses uncomfortably again, then looks directly at the god with the most serious expression he's got.]
Listen, Sakura-sama-- I think it’s important that gods and shinki know what to do in case this comes up, and I don’t want anyone to die because they didn’t know. But I’d much rather that it doesn’t happen in the first place. It’s preventable, you know? If everyone knows how to do an ablution without really understanding how horrible and painful it is, maybe shinki and gods will be tempted to just let things get bad, because they know of an ‘easy’ cure.
They should be afraid - terrified - of having to do an ablution.
So, I'm trusting you with this information, okay?
no subject
And there it is. The ablution she'd been wanting to learn about. Her hands twist as he explains the process-- the ideal and worst case scenarios. She thinks of her own shinki-- of Tsuzuki-- and how good he's been to her so far. He'd helped her at the festival when they first met and around the temple as they both tried to find their footing in their new roles in a new realm. If anything were to happen to him while he was under her care...
She's quiet when Yukine finishes, taking everything in, turning it over in her mind. )
... I understand. Thank you for telling me, Yukine-kun. ( Truly. ) If I can ever help... p-please, let me know.
There isn't much that I can do if it gets to that point... ( Since it seems to require actions performed by shinki more than anything else, ) B-but before things get too bad... I-I'm a healer and my... my temple ( Gods, that still sounds weird to say. ) has a purifying spring... ( She's prepared!! She's a goddess of life, after all. ) A-and I can ask Tsuzuki to help too.
no subject
But she seems honest and gentle and nice.]
Thanks. And you new gods seem to have a lot of different powers, so you never know when a healer might come in handy.
...Tsuzuki though? [Hold on. That name seems familiar.] Oh! Do you mean Tsuzuki-sama? It's been a while since I've seen him. He's back?
no subject
Tsu-Tsuzuki...sama? ( She isn't a fool and she's already begun to figure out what Yuzuki means but she needs to hear it for herself. ) Was... was he here before?
no subject
Yep. Tsuzuki Asa... what was it? Asamo? Asato? Tall like this [he gestures with his hand], brown hair, god of sweets.
Unless, there's another guy called Tsuzuki. It... wouldn't be impossible, I suppose.
[What Yukine would call 'impossible' has certainly shifted a long way in the past few months.]
no subject
( She frowns and twists her hands, fidgeting a bit as she listens and quietly she corrects, )
Asato. ( Tsuzuki Asato. This tall, brown hair, and... ) W-with violet eyes...? ( The god of sweets...? A god? Her stomach turns. ) I-I'm sorry, Yukine-kun.
Tsuzuki... H-he's... my shinki.
no subject
[Yukine gapes at her for a long moment.]
He came back... as a shinki? What the hell-- [Yukine looks like he's struggling as he tries to put his thoughts and words in order.]
Sorry, Sakura-sama. I didn't mean t' surprise you with that. I... I've heard that some shinki disappeared and came back as gods. I guess... it can go the other way. But- But... maybe don't let him know that he was a god here, if you can. I just... I've just got a bad feeling about that. [His expression distant for a moment then he shakes his head, looking up at her reassuringly.]
It's better to focus on the present, after all.
no subject
Yukine's warning snaps her from her thoughts and she keeps frowning. She's a small and timid person and right now, she's clearly worried about what she's just learned, but her mind is already made up and there's a quiet determination in her eye. She already accepted this. )
I won't but now I'm worried... d-does anyone else here know him? ( How can she prevent things from going wrong. ) What if.... what if they say something....
no subject
Other people that knew him... will probably say something. I know I would have. And it'll confuse him. But ... mmm, honestly, I don't know. You new gods and shinki are so weird, there's nothing that we can really go off of. I'd say just be there for him. If he's confused, try to calm him down. If he wants the truth... then it might be better to tell him the truth rather than evade it. 'Cause that might just hurt more.
...I'm sorry that I don't have better directions for you than that, Sakura-sama.