thenearshore | [Open] Bring no ill will to hinder us

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[Open] Bring no ill will to hinder us

Who: Yona and anyone!
When: June 29 - July 4th
Where: The Far Shore / The Near Shore
What: The goddess Áine settles into her new role here in the Heavens.

A; Temple

[ Although her first day had been filled with travel and excitement and then the dangers of the attack on Amaterasu's temple, the days following had settled into a more sedate pace. Her shock at seeing her temple for the first time had been an emotional one and it had taken her a while to adjust being back in what she could only think of as her father's castle once more. ~~And if the first few nights had had her waking abruptly from nightmares, at least there was no one close enough to hear.~~

Despite the dark memories that still haunted the halls of this place for her, Yona puts on a bright smile and tackles her new duties with a determined attitude, seeing to her temple and learning as much as she can about this new place and what will be expected of her here. She can often be found in the gardens or in the orchard, sometimes working or maybe just wandering and exploring. Sometime within the first few days, an empty portion of land behind the orchard is cleared to make a simple archery range and visitors might occasionally hear the rhythmic thwip of arrow after arrow being released and finding its mark - not always perfect but consistently close enough. ]

B; The Far Shore / The Near Shore

[ Yona doesn't spend all her time within the walls of her own temple, however. She's gotten far more accustomed to roaming and exploring and while determined not to ignore any of her duties as goddess, she's also very curious about her new home and those that inhabit it. So in between tending to her own duties and her shinki, it won't be surprising to find her out exploring the Far Shore, seeing what she can learn of the other gods, shinki and temples in her vicinity.

It's not only the other gods and goddesses that interest her but also learning more about this world and her own responsibilities. A trip to the Near Shore finds her some of the information she's hunting for and she spends an afternoon or two curled up somewhere quiet, under a tree or by a pool of water, with a stack of books beside her, covering a variety of topics - from stories and lore about the god she is here to represent or history of the world she's been brought to or any other topic that might have been brought up or caught her eye recently. Also, the technology of this world continues to fascinate her, so you might find her poking curiously at the phone she'd been given upon arrival, still trying to figure out how it works and learning how to navigate the BBS and whatever else she might happen to stumble across. ]

C; Other

(( Want something else? Feel free to leave a prompt or a starter to encounter Yona somewhere. She'll be sticking to the Near Shore for the moment as she gets settled into her new home and duties here. Any questions can be PM'd to this journal or you can hit me up at chaneystarr! ))

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[Neji doesn't often go away from his own... territory to simply wander- not the Far Shore, anyway. The world of the living is new and confusing in a way that has him stubbornly wanting to learn more of it. Meanwhile, the realm of the gods (and shinki and other things, whatever) has structure to it, he guesses.

It has expectations. It has a definite Yours and Mine.

...and he is definitely not in his. The orchard somehow drew him in. It's summer. It's hot. Shade was welcome but then there was the... archery range. And something in Neji twists at the sight of the practice going on--

precision is] Good. [Not great but. Huh.]

[ She hadn't realized she was no longer alone, so focused on her draw-aim-release-repeat that she hadn't noticed him until he spoke, breaking the otherwise silence of the morning. It has her pausing in the automatic reach for yet another arrow, fingertips slightly reddened and calloused from the practice, a slightly startled expression on her face as she blinks and comes out of that state of intense focus. ]

Oh! You surprised me. I'm sorry, I hadn't realized anyone else was here.

[--oh. Neji's quick to apologize... or something. He won't step any closer (that'd be making this personal, he thinks, and it isn't something he's keen on doing without permission of someone who obviously belonged in the home he was trespassing on). But he does neatly incline his head.

Anyway.] You have no reason to apologize. You were hard at work.

[The 'work' itself is something Neji steals a second to glance at again. His gaze lingers on the targets, and again-- there's that. Lurch. In his chest. It's annoying.

It's also rude to not look at... whoever this was, that'd been practicing, wasn't it? He turns back to Yona. Nods (gestures) to her hands.] Have you been practicing for long? [Or is she just... delicate?]

[ At the gesture, she glances down at her hands and her smile turns somewhat sheepish. The answer is a little of both, but... ]

Ah, well... Not as long as some. I'm still learning. It hasn't been very long since I picked up a bow for the first time. But this is also the first time I've managed to squeeze in a practice here since arriving. I was worried I'd be even more out of practice.

[ Her head tilts, her expression turning curious. ] Is it something of interest to you? Archery?

[So that answers a question Neji hadn't bothered to even think of-- the girl ahead is a God. Suddenly he does feel a twinge (it's tiny, honest) of remorse at strolling into unknown grounds just because.] Mmn.

[Small noise of understanding, and yet he shakes his head.] It's the first time I see someone practice with a bow. ['He thinks', but like hell he'll go on and say it.] It caught my attention. Throwing knives and stars are as far as my weapons sense goes. If I have to fight, I suppose I prefer hand to hand combat.

[...--]

There's no real battle that will pause around you while you rest, so it's good that you keep going. [Is what he meant, y'know, initially. He thinks briefly to apologize again for interrupting-- but faced with a goddess or not, Neji figures that'd just be too much.] If I'm an inconvenience, I can leave. [If not... he's curious, too.]

[ She's quick to shake her head to reassure him. ]

It's no inconvenience. In truth, I'm not use to things being so quiet. [ Travelling with the group of companions she does has made being alone here in her temple - other than with her shinki - an abrupt change. Even if some of her companions are also here and drop by more than most.

When he explains about his fighting style, she nods, thinking of Jae-Ha. ] I hope to learn swordplay as well, but mostly I've only had a little chance to practice on my own and watch others. [ A pause, before she holds the bow out to him curiously. ] Would you like to try?

[That makes two of them hoping to learn swords. In the meanwhile

yes he'd like to try

no he's not looking forward to making himself out to be an idiot. Neji stays a quiet a while, wondering how to get out of this dilemma and... it's pretty simple.] Show me. If you don't mind. You won't have to go slow for my sake, but I'd like to see how to hold it once more.

[ Her smile is easy and genuine as she gives him a nod. ]

Of course. Come this way. I can show you the same way I was shown.

[ Maybe a little easier too, because Hak, for all his skill, hadn't been the greatest teacher at the start.

She moves back to where she'd been shooting from earlier and he might notice a second quiver nearby, already emptied of arrows. She'd been here practicing for some time before he'd found her. She doesn't comment on that, just slips into the stance Hak had shown her, taking her time and focusing, but also giving Neiji time to watch her movements as she drew the bow, took aim at the target and released.

The arrow thwacked into the target just a hair left of dead-center. ]

[There's something to be said about the ease Neji finds himself in. It's not often he'd be so tame so as to allow this sort of natural interaction to pass- the fact that he holds no weapon while the lady does is no more a thought in his head than the idea that he could subdue her with no trouble, should the need arise. It's entirely out of mind. He follows obediently.

Maybe getting away from his own goddess' temple for a day is refreshing.

Anyway, of course he notices the empty quiver. He notices how careful she is in placing herself, in finding just the right position to work the bow. Everything about her movements is deliberate and she wants it all to be as perfect as she can (for her teacher's sake? for her own?)

and Neji wonders if that's why her aim sucks.

'Almost' perfect is almost worse than missing the mark entirely.] Is it heavy? [If she wants to hand him the bow, he'll take it and give this game a go. If not-- heck, he's game for another round of observation, too.]

[ She gives him a rueful smile before shaking her head and holding it out to him. ]

Not too much. Here, you can see for yourself. I'm still working to build up my strength, though. When I first started, I could barely shoot more than a few feet, let alone hit anything.

[ Hazards of being forbidden to so much as touch a weapon all her life. There was a fairly steep learning curve as a result. ]

[He takes no time in taking the equipment from her and if he's surprised one way or another over the thing's weight, he won't show it. (He's also not used to holding things so... bulky in his hands, and it takes a moment to readjust his hold.)]

You've certainly made progress.

[Neji stalls for a moment (and doesn't mind that it's obvious) and looks at the target ahead. Okay. He didn't get a clear sense of distance but his estimate should be-- fine. So. His turn, then? His impassiveness melts away, makes way for something resembling boyish concentration. He grips the, well, grip just as Yona did. He reaches for an arrow and sets it on the rest. Looks up again, at the target. Shifts his weight and stance into something more appropriate. Lifts the bow and draws the string and

takes a breath and sets it down.

The infuriating thing about Neji Hyuuga-- he'd really rather not lose.]

[Almost impulsively, though, he positions himself again. Brings the bow back up and sets his gaze out front. He's surprised his fingers ache but it's a high draw anyway.

thwikt

If Yona's arrow is left of center, his is left of hers and by more than just a hair. And Neji's left trying to explain it away... red-faced.] --It is pretty heavy.

[ But Yona just looks delighted, clapping her hands together in pleasure at his success - even if he doesn't see it as such. ]

You hit it! And on your first try! You don't want to know how long it took me to hit a tree at first. [ Too long, in her estimation. ] You're already starting out much better than I did.

[Oh oh no. She's succeeding in making it worse. Meaning now he's actually, undoubtedly

embarrassed.] Well, it's not... much different from landing a shuriken. [It is, though.

Ah-] My name is Neji, by the way.

[ Is he embarrassed? She just smiles at him warmly, because as far as she can tell, there's nothing really to be embarrassed over. Although she looks intrigued at his answer. ]

What's a shuriken? [ Not something anyone she knows fights with, that's what. ]

Oh! I'm Yona. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[You know, it doesn't matter because now there's a way to steer the conversation away from his imagined failure. Pride's a fickle thing, that ought never be questioned.

He inclines his head a tad in acknowledgement-- it was a (surprising) pleasure to meet her too.] A shuriken, Yona-sama, is a throwing star. They've got four, or eight points, and are smaller than the palm of your hand. They're light. [Of course, because they're made for... throwing. And wait-] I haven't got any on me to show you.

[It seemed like a wonderful way to attract trouble, didn't it? To wander into gods' homes carrying weapons? No thanks, that wasn't what he'd set out to do.]

Oh! [ Still, she looks very intrigued by this description all the same. ] So it is similar to a throwing dagger that can be hidden in the palm of your hand? I have a companion back home who is very adept at throwing blades, but his have always been thin and long to tuck between his fingers.

[ She absently wonders if Jae-Ha had ever heard of these shuriken? ]

Perhaps you can show me some other time?

It's different. The shuriken are more sensitive. [With a half-shrug, he figures that without a way to demonstrate that's the best way he can describe them.] The kunai- the daggers- are weighted. That makes them easier to aim.

I wouldn't mind showing you; it would be a way to repay the lesson. [He holds up the bow again a little-- please help, is he supposed to set this down or??]

[ She holds out a hand to take back the bow when he seems finished with it, easily sliding it up over one shoulder once more. ]

I would enjoy that, if it wouldn't be too much trouble? There's many things people use here for fighting I've never seen or heard of. It's a little frightening, honestly, but I suppose they must be necessary, if the fights we've been brought here to fulfill are as dangerous as they say.

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[Open] Bring no ill will to hinder us

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