Heaven's BBS | Text

[reformedsinner]

Posted: July 18
From: Li Tieguai

Good afternoon, everyone. Please excuse my change of name: this is Cho Hakkai.

I appear to have reappeared. Although I don't want to give undue hope to anyone who's recently lost a god or shinki, I'd like to announce that my classes will be continuing as usual.

To those who were living upstairs at the school the past few days, I expect you to help me clean up the mess. You know who you are.

[There are animal cracker crumbs everywhere.

And apart from that he's just not going to mention the events of last few days. At least he wasn't an actual child, but....]

Does anyone have an idea what might have caused it? I'm certain I felt something in the air for a few hours before it happened.

Comments

video;

[mermaiding]

Ah, so, are not human. [She looks pleased with the confirmation and the difference in body language is almost instant. She becomes much more relaxed and languid, though her eyebrow does raise at the offer.

People were so helpful around here. Once upon a time, she wouldn't have questioned this, really. It was nice and something to expect, just the sort of niceness everyone should exhibit regardless of clan or species.

She'd long grown past such naivete, however.]

Why? Do not think there is much to give in return.

[reformedsinner]

Certainly.

[He's tempted to ask... but no, maybe later. Not, in any case, on the network.]

[reformedsinner]

We've all recovered, although with the change happening so soon after my shinki's arrival, I'm afraid there's some catching up to do.

[Buying her a proper wardrobe, for example. Discouraging her from going outside wearing his shirts and no pants.]

video;

[reformedsinner]

[Not anymore... he doesn't say, because he can see the way she relaxes at that admission. Youkai treatment by humans has taught him enough about how humans respond to different beings: once, he'd hated youkai. Now, he's seen enough to have an equal contempt for youkai and human abuses, from fear and from power.

He shrugs, smiling cheerfully at her.]

I haven't had the chance to test out most of these remedies. If I make one for you, I'd like you to tell me how well it works and if there are any unexpected effects.

[nailed_navigation]

If you are need of some additional services I doubt that Viina would object if we send over some help. Is there something in particular that you would be needing some help with?



[Hey- I'm sure that there are some spare clothes somewhere in storage that could fit her, and hey- free clothes are always a good thing, right?]

[solaris9]

Guess I haven't learned that much yet.

I met lots of people though. I mean I could get to know them all over again, but I'd rather not forget anymore.

[ He just made those memories. For him, it's all that he has now. It scared him a little, realizing how he almost forgot again. He wonders if that's how Hakkai felt when he turned into a god. Maybe Goku can become a god one day, so he can find out... ]

Your friends must be glad you're back.

Text 1/2

[returnedfromtheline]

That’s right. As far as I know.

Text - Private 2/2

[returnedfromtheline]

[That curt answer is followed up with a private message:]

Oi, are you okay with that being in a public thread?

[reformedsinner]

[The shopping trip is already very firmly scheduled for the morning, but--]

I may take you up on that, Kazuma, thank you. I'll have to speak with Ayumu first.

[reformedsinner]

Mostly, they are! Although I may have to be careful not to tease them too much if I want them to stay that way.

[Callin' you out, Yuri.]

But I know what you mean.

Of all the memories I've made here, I think it would be the people that I'd regret forgetting the most.

Text - Private

[reformedsinner]

It's not something that hasn't been said publicly on the network before.

Why would I not be okay with saying it in an open thread?

[erogappa]

[ That aura was terrible, is what it was. Whoever -- whatever -- caused this, it was building for awhile before it burst. Who knows how bad it could have been if it had continued to grow? Would they all have died of old age, or turned into babies?

But there's something else he needs to know. ]

How old are you now?

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai blinks at his phone, doubly thrown off balance: first because he'd been idly wondering about motives and methods, and second because it's going to take him a while, he suspects, to get used to the fact that Gojyo doesn't know.]

Twenty-four.

[erogappa]

[ And kid-him had been seventeen, and didn't know Gojyo. So they'd met sometime in the last seven years of Hakkai's life. Gojyo feels the stirring wrongness of thinking too much about his past and pushes the thought aside, for examination later.

Seven years is a long time. Did they meet recently, or was it not long after... The wrongness stirs again, more sharply, and Gojyo swears under his breath. Later. He'll do this later. ]

Really? I would have guessed closer to 30.

[ There. Throw some shade at the asshole, that'll help keep his mind off how long they've known each other. ]

[smilingbullet]

<(｀^´)> You should tell people when you show up sooner（｀Δ´）！

[ Even though...he sort of knew once he remembered Hakkai, and realized that "Cho Gonou" was him... But he had worried and thought he might continue to not remember and stay as Gonou. ]

Anyway I'll come help clean a bit. Also, I owe you a meal.

[ Just. Don't talk about that whole thing about him being a kid, he's trying not to think about it at all since it might make him wonder about Things. ]

[reformedsinner]

Why, I'm flattered. Do I seem that mature to you?

[He'd been caught off guard, but -- why does Gojyo want to know his age? Just to guess how long it's been?

How careful should he be in answering those questions, even when they're completely unrelated to Gojyo's own life? He stares down at the phone for a long, unsettled moment, before breathing out, and hitting send.]

[reformedsinner]

Please forgive the delay! I've been indisposed.

[He's been seventeen. Which is, really, close enough.]

You don't owe me a meal, but I do have a short shopping list if you insist....

[erogappa]

If that's the word you want to use then sure. But only with your limiters on. With them off you look a lot younger.

[ Good, subtle way of bringing up his limiters: achieved. ]

I was surprised you were wearing some as a kid.

private; text

[reformedsinner]

[... Or he could have been working his way around to that question.

Well. At least the answer to that doesn't involve Gojyo's own past, at least, not until the very end.]

I wasn't wearing any.

[erogappa]

Yes you were. Your clan mark is kind of obvious you know.

[reformedsinner]

I was born human.

It's a long, and personal, story.

[erogappa]

That's not possible. You can't just turn into a full youkai.

video;

[kokuyoyo]

[For a second, all he can do is stare blankly. They were kids, she's fucking with him, right?]

...What even happens from this whole thing, anyway.... [He'd say "arrangement" but he has a feeling big words would just make this more complicated.] I'm not moving out of my god's temple.

[reformedsinner]

Why would I lie to you about this?

[erogappa]

I don't understand half the things you do. But I do know that you can't change your kind. People. Species, whatever the right word is. You are who you're born as and that's it, you live with that.