Heaven's BBS | Audio Only

[heartshutter]

Posted: July 18th, evening
From: Minerva

[ After settling in a new shinki and checking on Mikoto, Tatara takes a moment to himself to sit outside in the sunset and talk everything out. No video this time, friends -- he doesn’t feel like showing his face. And he has a valid reason for that. ]

Hello everyone. For those of you who might not know yet, Johan Andersen is gone. I went by his temple today to find it missing. From what I know, this means he’s gone home.

He was a dear friend of mine who will be sorely missed. He was--...

[ ...more than just that. And now, he’ll never know.

Tatara’s voice breaks a bit there, prompting a pause. But this isn’t a time for mourning, he reminds himself; he really should stop talking about Johan as though he’s lost when for all he knows, this is a happy affair. For all he knows, Johan got to go home -- back to his family, his friends, all those people who missed him dearly; perhaps even more than Tatara will. So after the noticeable pause for breath, an airy sort of chuckle follows. ]

I know wherever he is now, he’s happy.

[ That’s right -- wherever he is, I’m sure he’s just fine. ]

I took his shinki, Sakon, home to my temple. He’ll be with me from now on. I’ll keep him safe.

[ That’s the important part: Taking care of those left behind; those who are sad, (even if he is, too). He takes a breath, and even over audio only, one can practically visualize the forced smile he dons. ]

I guess that’s it! See? Everything works out in the end.

Somehow, it always does.

Comments

audio

[blizzardrock]

[He knows what it means for a god's temple to be gone, it's just...]

Are you sure?

audio

[heartshutter]

[ There's a long pause before Tatara answers, and even then, it's not much of one. ]

...I'm sorry.

[blizzardrock]

[So he's...missing. Somehow...that seems kind of familiar. But, well, of course it does; Fubuki's lost his own god before.]

It's always very sudden, isn't it?

[heartshutter]

I can't say I have much basis for comparison, but in this case, it was.

[ A soft sigh. ]

One night we were texting; the next, he's gone from my contacts list. Like it was all some kind of strange dream...

[ A sweet one, too; though he won't say that. ]

I wonder, will his duel spirits have gone with him? [ He'll miss Ruby's playful trilling, too; she was always just as sweet as he was. Tatara would surely trade away something for one last chance even to just scratch behind her ears. ]

I can't see them, so... eheh. It's kind of hard for me to tell.

[blizzardrock]

[His what. Something that someone couldn't see... Johan's invisible friends?]

I'm...sure they would. [His voice is slightly unsteady.]

[It recovers when he continues, though.]

They don't seem to leave much behind. Except the memories, I guess...

text

[chickshades]

hey
you sure youre ok?

[ Even if he's only just gotten to know Totsuka (in this life, at least), he feels like he has to ask. ]

text

[heartshutter]

I'm fine, I'm fine! Don't sweat it!

[ Subtext: He might need a hug. ]

But thank you for checking, San-chan. That was very sweet of you.

Re: text

[chickshades]

[ He has no idea who Johan is, but he lost his god recently and knows it's not easy having someone you grew close to suddenly disappear. ]

i dont believe you

text

[heartshutter]

[ Tatara has never had trouble detaching from something or someone before, so this is all very new and foreign for him.

He'll still handle it the same way, of course: by telling himself it's alright until finally, it truly is. ]

Come by, then, and see for yourself! My door is always open.

Re: text

[chickshades]

ok
ill be there in a few

[ Probably just has to actually get dressed and let Celestia know he's heading out. He'll eventually use the temples' shrines to teleport over. He's not sure where in the temple Totsuka'd be, since he's only been by that one time. So he's gonna send one last text. ]

im here
where are you?

text

[mostsuitable]

I'm sorry for your loss. That he is happy and at peace doesn't immediately relieve feelings from that loss, but I hope you and others will be well and soon find the strength to move forward.

text

[heartshutter]

Kind souls like Johan are likely to be deeply missed by many people, but we will be fine - I guarantee that. Everything always works out somehow in the end. As they say, this too shall pass.

Still, I appreciate your condolences. I'll pass them along to any others who reach out to me, too.

anon text

[rev13_3]

Was his god name Tonatiuh?

text

[heartshutter]

It was, yes. Why do you ask?

anon text

[rev13_3]

Thank you. I only met him once, and was not privy to his mortal name.

Chin up. It hurts to have such a connection severed, but don’t lose your head.

From: Kairi; Video

[pure_radiantics]

I'm sorry to hear about Johan, Tatara.

[ She did recognize him by name; they spoke once. ]

Thank you for taking care of his shinki.

[ It's probably impolite to talk about Sakon's problems, especially in public and in light of Johan's disappearance, but after all Sakon's the one still here. ]

audio;

[heartshutter]

Of course! I couldn't think of anything Johan would appreciate more than looking out for those he left behind.

[ Plus, Sakon's face... one would have to be positively heartless to ignore it. As it is, it's likely forever stained in Tatara's mind. ]

Re: audio;

[pure_radiantics]

[She nods. She didn't know him well, but it's a fond sort of feeling she'd like to attribute to his memory anyway.]

Have you and Sakon talked at all about... naming him?

[If so, perhaps she will express her concern after all.]

audio;

[heartshutter]

I have. He's asked to keep his name from before, so I'll work with that.

private - audio;

[pure_radiantics]

Okay this is hardly my place to mention it, but as a fellow shinki I just... worry.

He's one of the people who's had really rotten luck with losing gods, Tatara. I think you're a kind person taking him in after Johan, so I hope you'll also be the kind of god who can help him out more than normal.

audio

[shiitan]

[For some reason it grated on him to hear Tatara be so sure about that happiness. Was it really fair to say that about someone who couldn’t protest even if they would have wanted to?

But that was besides the point anyway.]

Did you give him a name when you took him in?

audio

[heartshutter]

[ It's all just blind optimism, which is all Tatara has to go on now.

And he needs it, to abate the supposition that Johan hasn't just gone home. The idea still creeps in around his quieter thoughts, something in his gut that sits there like a brick no matter what he does. ]

He had one from before, and asked to keep it. But, I made him part of my family, yes.

audio

[shiitan]

[Okay, after that last part, it was a very good thing that there was no video feed. Sometimes his lack of experience with technology was a perk.]

"Family"? That's the first time I've heard it put that way.

audio

[heartshutter]

That's a shame. Is yours not like a family?

audio

[shiitan]

[Him and Schuldig? Family? He didn't even have to think about his response.]

Absolutely not. Hearing that is making me feel sick.