The World of the Non-Living

From: Ayumu Yamazaki
Date: September 22nd

[In all the time that Ayumu's resided on the Far Shore, both as a goddess and a shinki, she's never once started her own thread on the BBS. It's very rare for her to even comment and it wasn't until her tenure as a shinki that she bothered to check it occasionally. She's deeply uncomfortable with using modern technology outside of emergency situations unless it involves browsing cute animal pictures and videos.

So for Ayumu to put her aversion aside long enough to make a post, it has to be for something really damn important to her. And this announcement is.

As soon as the video starts, it shows Ayumu seated at the kitchen table. She's wearing a long sleeved blouse with a high collar and her hair's loose but been neatly brushed. Usually, her body language radiates confidence and self-assurance but today, she's hugging her arms in an unusual display of shyness and uncertainty.

It takes her a few moments to start speaking; the view wavers back and forth briefly as she reaches out to adjust her phone, trying to get it properly centered for her recording. Once satisfied, she breaks out into a bright, cheerful smile and starts talking in a rather animated fashion.]

Hello! I hope everyone is having a good day. My name is Yamazaki Ayumu. Some of you may know me as Hakkai-sama's exemplar but many of you I have yet to meet.

[She gives a slight self-deprecating laugh before continuing.]

I'm making this video to inform you all of a personal project of mine that I'm working on. I'm sure that most of you know that a shinki's life can be an unstable and unpredictable one as their gods and homes vanish can vanish without warning. I believe the solution to this problem is to build community resources outside the gods they are bound to.

[The longer Ayumu talks about this, the more confident and passionate she seems. There's a slight sparkle of excitement in her good eye. She reaches for something out of view and there's the sound of papers rustling before Ayumu is replaced with a close up of a somewhat clumsily drawn but surprisingly detailed sketch of an idyllic temple. Kairi might recognize it as the one she'd spent time cleaning up but Ayumu added cutesy little doodles of what are presumably supposed to be happy, carefree shinki frolicking with cats and other animals.]

This is the Community Home for Lost Shinki, a shelter designed to provide a safe sanctuary for any shinki who finds themselves suddenly bereft of their god or feels unsafe in the service of the god they've been assigned to. My goal is to lessen the anxiety of shinki who are uncertain or uncomfortable about their future here on the Far Shore.

[There's a brief pause as another idea occurs to her on the spot. Oh, she should sell the potential benefits to the new gods as well, shouldn't she? Her tone becomes very grave and serious as she goes on.]

It will also ease the strain on gods who are unfit or unwilling to be responsible for a shinki. As I'm sure many of us are aware, none of us have arrived here of our own free will. But it's imperative that we cope and manage the best we can in this situation as a community.

[Ayumu pulls the drawing back and she's visible again, a genuine, sweet smile on her face. This is the essence of who she is - a woman who's dedicated her life to the service of others.]

As a member of this community, I propose a charity event to raise funds for this project. Perhaps a swap meet?

['Swap meet' comes out a little awkwardly on her tongue; it's not as unfamiliar as it was when she first heard but it's still a relatively new phrase and concept to her. The video cuts off here rather abruptly. Maybe she ran out of recording time?]