016 | The Good Old Days

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Ageswapping
When: July 15-17
Where: Everywhere
Summary: A breach in the space-time continuum is messing things up.

Edit: OVERFLOW is here!



The Far Shore has been dealing with a lot of space-time pulsating through the past week or so and everything is culminating on the night of the 15th, even though the Heavens are preparing for an all-out Obon bash. They had planned to have the celebration on the 15th itself, but Amaterasu asked to postpone a day due to the horrible feeling that is permeating the Far Shore.

And it turns out she was right to postpone everything. In fact, it will have to be postponed another whole month at this rate...



Before

Late in the day on July 15th, the new batch of shinki will arrive to a Far Shore with a thick, tense atmosphere. All night on the 15th it feels like something is about to happen - and it's difficult to tell whether that something will be good or bad. Any attempts to contact the management of the Far Shore have fallen on deaf, slightly harried ears and so everyone is left to their own devices to try and figure out why things are so tense.

July 16

Just after midnight, an explosive shock wave rips through the Far Shore, bringing on the age changes with it. Even the spirits of the Far Shore seem to be affected - for example, the library goblins are either toddling around on wobbly legs or are dragging themselves from place to place and looking decrepit. There are a few gods and shinki that seem to have been exceptions from the change, though it is not clear why.

July 17

Another wave of energy comes in the early morning of the 17th. Fewer people are affected this time and it seems to alter those people's ages a second time. There is no rhyme or reason to who is being affected further. Several of the library goblins have just dropped dead from severe old age. Oops.

Aftermath

Late on the 17th brings about one final burst from the energy that has been plaguing the Far Shore. For a short moment, every new temple glows with a soft light, seeming to beckon to their owners. But the light is gone quickly and everyone will find themselves back to normal with complete memories of everything that happened during their age adventures. The goblins that died, though, are still very dead. Looks like the library will need to get some new help soon.

In Summary:

• Meet the newbies
• Get aged or de-aged
• Deal with other too young/too old people
• Try to handle the consequences
• Have fun~

Comments

July 17

[justclaws]

[Kija still has no real idea who this red-haired woman is, except she's a Princess and he knows for absolute certain definite that she is the most important person in the entire world and he is supposed to be protecting her with his life.

[Yes, he is still five.

[No, this changes absolutely nothing at all, okay, thank you.]

Princess? Where are you going?

[YOU MIGHT GET IN DANGER I MUST COME TOO.]

[darkestbefore]

[ Someone calling her Princess has her stopping short in surprise, glancing behind her and then, realizing the youth in the voice, lowering her gaze until she finally spots the source. ]

Kija! [ He hasn't changed back. Oh dear.

Turning around, she comes to crouch down in front of him, resting her arms on her knees as she surveys him. She'd met him the day before like this, of course, but as she'd been four at the time, that hadn't meant as much as it did today.

Goodness. He was adorable no matter what his age. She gives him a warm smile. ]

I was going to check on you, actually. But here you are, and you've saved me the trip. Good morning! How are you today?

[justclaws]

[No.

[No, he really has not.

[Also the princess really must not do things like crouch to his level, she's so important that it's only right she's much taller than he is. Yes, she was much smaller yesterday and normal people can't get old so quick, but clearly the Princess can do absolutely anything she wants and today she wants to be a grown-up. This makes total sense and he is definitely not meant to be questioning it.]

You do not have to worry about me, Princess. But I'm all right.

[Kija tries to peer over her shoulder. Not because he in any way wants to talk to someone else. He just wants to know where she's going.]

May I come with you, please?

[darkestbefore]

I'll do my best not to worry, then. Will that make you happier?

[ Touched by his serious demeanor, she can't help but smile, because some things have clearly never changed, no matter what age hs is.

Still she offers her hand to him in invitation. ] If you'd like to come with me, I'd be honored to have your company. But were you headed somewhere else already?

[justclaws]

Thank you.

[She's smiling. That means smiling back.

[As for the question... well, even if he had been going somewhere else which he really completely hadn't, it would clearly be a lot less important than whatever the Princess might be doing. Or the fact that he is meant to be looking out for her. So: no, definitely not doing anything. Ever. He shakes his head.]

Uh-uh. [KIJA YOU ARE NOT A BABY USE YOUR WORDS.] No.

[He looks at her hand. He looks at his hand. Something about this seems really not correct. It's her hand, he surely shouldn't be touching it. Even if he really, really wants to.]

Are you sure it's all right?

[darkestbefore]

[ She cocks her head to the side, not sure what the problem is. But she doesn't lower her her hand, not when he's looking so confused himself. ]

Of course it is. Do you not want to? [ Is this a strange boy thing? ]

[justclaws]

Yes. I do want to.

[He just doesn't think he's in any way supposed to. But - if the Princess wants him to, disappointing her would be bad, too, in a way that feels much, much worse. So there, if she says it's okay--

[He takes her hand. It's really nice. Is it bad that he thinks that?]

Thank you.

[darkestbefore]

[ She smiles brightly when he places his hand in hers, closing her fingers gently around his much-smaller hand before pushing to her feet once more and smiling down at him. ]

You're very welcome, Kija. Let's see now. Now that I have found you, where do you think we should go? Are you hungry at all?

[justclaws]

Um...

[He isn't really sure where they should go. He looks up at her just in case it isn't a real question, like... like do you want to put on your shoes, but no, she seems genuinely curious.

[Kija supposes that means he doesn't have to pretend he isn't hungry so she can do... well, whatever she wants to do. At least he hopes it is.]

Well, a little. I'm all right, though.

[darkestbefore]

Well, I'm a little hungry, too, so why don't we go back to my temple and see if we can find some food, hmm? Would you like that?

[ She gives him a smile when he peers up at her, giving his hand a light squeeze. ]

You can tell me all about what you've discovered while you've been here. Have you seen anything interesting?

[justclaws]

I've met a lot of people. You're the nicest, though.

[And there's been nothing more interesting, either: you're the most important person ever and just being round you makes me just not care that I have no idea how I am to get back home, or even if I'm meant to go...

[Only he can't say all that in case it embarrasses her, so Kija makes himself think of something else.]

Oh! And a lady showed me her cathedral. It's sort of like a temple, but much colder.

[darkestbefore]

Am I? [ His compliment gets a warm smile from her, fond and bemused, because Kija at this age was just as genuine and effusive as he was when he was an adult. And so serious! It startled her a little, and made her wonder if he'd ever had time to just be a child. ] Thank you for saying so, I'm happy you think so.

A cathedral? What was it that made it cold? [ Since there were a few ways of interpreting that.

Trying to decide the easiest way to get back to her temple from here, she finally crouches down in front of him once more. ] Shall I show you a bit of magic?

[darkestbefore]

[ New thread here. ]