The World of the Non-Living

From: Minerva
Date: August 17th, morning

[ Pursuant to a conversation he’s had with Shizuo, Tatara’s become curious about a particular topic he was a bit too exhausted to delve properly into, (especially with a man he’d just met).

But, who better to ask than the Far Shore?

So Tatara flips on the video feed, his face clearly visible. He’s seated at some kind of breakfast bar. a countertop covered with odds and ends of knickknacks. A fish, (who may or may not be familiar to some), in a small tank swims in the background. ]

Good morning~!

A friend recently mentioned something to me -- something called an “ablution”.

Previously, I knew only that they’re for a shinki who has been very bad, and blighted their god. But, I wonder... exactly how bad would a shinki have to be to warrant an ablution? What’s the process like? What are the chances of success?

[ He pauses here. In immediate retrospect, this all looks pretty bad, doesn’t it? So Tatara waves his hands at the camera feed for a moment, shaking his head. ]

I’m not asking for myself, of course! [ A patter of nervous laughter. Neither of his shinki have done nothing wrong, he promises! ] Just curious, that’s all!

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.