"isn't this a lot for your first day?"

[kokuyoyo]

Who: Chikusa and Axel
What: Hey Axel, did you know your new shinki has a worrying amount of criminal knowledge at 15? Well, now you do. (Prayer 23 at the least)
When: A couple of days after the festival (May 28), and then after that, probably a little wibbly wobbly on the time front
Where: The Near Shore
Warnings: Chikusa's questionable (lack of) morals, yakuza, inevitable ayakashi violence The day they return from what had been a festival (and which had quickly dissolved into wholesale slaughter), Chikusa had trudged along back to the temple with Axel and promptly fallen asleep in a shower. Fully clothed.

So that is a good indication of how their first day together went.

It's been a few days since then, and Chikusa has spent at least more than a few of that sleeping, probably more than was really normal, after Axel got him out of the shower. However, for as much as he'd like to sleep forever, the shinki has other ideas in mind. If there's one thing that the festival has proven to him, it's that he's not nearly strong enough to be of use to his god. So, with all the perseverance of a cat at a door, he's been following Axel around the temple pressing about prayers and if it's possible for them to do one.

Whether because of Chikusa's persistence, some mysterious work ethic awakening in Axel, or because this simply caught his eye... Here they are now, on the Near Shore. However, instead of doing whatever is required, Chikusa instead has found himself being tugged along through various Losts-and-Founds and thrift stores instead.

It's actually a decent concern. While Axel's coat has apparently gone mostly unscathed, Chikusa's middle school uniform has had no such luck. Fighting, hiding out from an explosion, and various bits of stray viscera made their mark on his clothing, and, even with all the cleaning he's aggressively done while not bothering Axel, it's still a bit worn. With a bit of searching, they've managed to find some suitable clothes and a backpack to shove his old ones in. From behind the curtain of a changing room, Chikusa's voice rises out.

"Will you tell me the details of the prayer now, Axel?" Shortly after, his head pokes out, and.... Apparently he's found a new hat, a knit one of mostly purple (with a horizontal stripe of orange through the middle) now replacing his plain white one from before. Listen. It was important.

Comments

[small_reservations]

Axel nods. It'll be easy to slip past any remaining humans, and be ignored by the police. "They'll never notice us. We can get out easily."

... Of course, they might have other problems. There's a faint rumble, and the building shakes for a few seconds. Then there's a loud crashing noise. Dust rains down on their heads, as Axel just stares. "... What was that? An earthquake?"

[kokuyoyo]

Besides Axel, Chikusa subconsciously wraps his arms around himself, shuddering. Something feels… off. Not repulsion (not yet), but something he’s not comfortable with. He knows that earthquakes are a thing Japan deals with, but…

“Axel…. Return me to my vessel form, please. Just in case.”

[small_reservations]

He didn't call him Axel-sama... this must be important. Given that this building has doubtless survived many earthquakes, it shouldn't be damaged so easily, and an earthquake large enough to cause damage like what they just heard would be less localized, so...

"... An ayakashi?! Come, Saiki!" He holds out his hand, ready to accept Chikusa's weapon form again. "It's gotta be huge!"

[kokuyoyo]

And just like that, he’s pulled back into Axel’s hand. It’s a warm grip, one that settles him, and Chiksua would breathe out if it meant anything while he was in such a form. Like this, it feels like he doesn’t have to worry as much. He’s Axel’s weapon and, this way, he can defend him better.

If it’s large enough to affect the building, then at least we won’t be having a problem with hitting it…

[small_reservations]

"Yeah, but I don't think a little acid will cover it!" He starts hopping, literally hopping down entire staircases, to reach the ground floor. "Got anything with more... boom?"

[kokuyoyo]

Hastily, Chikusa thinks. It's possible that someone else would be more panicked, but he'd holding out pretty well as he does his best to think on it. More explosive power, more explosive power... He digs through what he knows, but what he knows seems to be mostly things used in poisons, or medicines- don't ask him about the acid.

However, something suddenly hits him. Nitroglycerin would work. It's used to treat heart conditions, he thinks- too much can make blood pressure low, causing fainting and seizures, among other things. But yeah, it's mostly known for explosives, isn't it...?

[small_reservations]

Acid was mostly Axel's idea, to be fair. If they work together, who knows what they can do.

However, Axel's limited knowledge as a not-even-high-school-graduate is not going to help them here. He's got to rely on Chikusa's expertise a little, and it seems like that's paid off.

"That'll do it! How much do you think you can produce?" Maybe he should burn something, power them up, but... It's hard to find a good sacrifice in a once-abandoned Yakuza building.

[kokuyoyo]

Almost immediately, an apologetic tone filters through their bond. Chikusa doesn't want to say this, but...

I don't think too much... At least not all at once. This form is.... still new to me. I'm sorry...

If only he could do better, be more certain of his abilities... I'll work on becoming more adept at your vessel as quickly as possible after we dispatch of this. I promise.

[small_reservations]

That... ow. That's stinging, yep. "Don't worry about it. Everyone's got an adjustment period. Just do your best, and we'll make it through."

To be honest, he's not sure they will, especially as he rounds the corner and sees the towering ayakashi before them. "Whoa. You... you seeing this?" It's corpulent, it's horned, and it's pushing over another building as people flee before its thunderous steps, which they attribute to an earthquake.

[kokuyoyo]

It's hard to miss.

Still, already he's quickly looking over the massive creature. To take out a large target like that... Chikusa's mind is already whirring with a strategy. Alright.

If I may- injure its feet first. Keep it from wanting to move so much. Then its eyes so that it doesn't see us. We can work from there.

[small_reservations]

"Good call." Axel flicks out the yoyo, tapping into Chikusa's expertise with it, and bounces it back to his hand. "How long is your string? I don't want to get closer to that thing than I have to."

It's certainly not long enough to reach from here, so Axel jumps to an empty-looking part of the building and calls out.

"HEY UGLY! Take on someone your own strength, huh!"

[kokuyoyo]

As long as you need it to be.

Somehow, he know that's true. While a normal yoyo string wouldn't be nearly that long, he's clearly not a normal yoyo. Neither are the ones he uses, in fact. So he can say such a thing confidently, even as he gets ready as the revolting gaze of the ayakashi shifts to them.