thenearshore | 19 | Peaceful Departure

19 | Peaceful Departure

Who: Everyone!
What: Celebrating Obon
When: Evening August 10
Where: The Near Shore
Summary: Mortals may be partying, but there's lots of work for the denizens of the Far Shore to do.

It's the final day of Obon and spirits are being sent back to their homes -- both the ancestral spirits that have been welcomed home for the duration of the festival and the mischievous spirits that have been plaguing the Heavens. But some of them might not go easy, so Amaterasu has requested that gods and shinki old and new alike help ensure the spirits' peaceful departure.

Mukae-bi

Fires have been lit on hillsides and near cemeteries to lead the spirits back to their resting places and to protect them on their way, but angry ghosts and ayakashi are trying to quench the fires so they can attack weaker spirits. Keep the firewood stocked and the fires blazing high while you fight off the attacks.

Heavenly Exorcisms

Guarding the Gates

Hidden pathways into the underworld in caves throughout Japan are open from sunset to moonset on this night to allow the spirits who have temporarily left to return. Gods and shinki must watch over these pathways and ensure that no dangerous ayakashi take the opportunity to escape from the underworld before the moon sets.

After-party

After the moon sets, the denizens of the Heavens can finally kick back. Everyone is invited to a private hot spring on the Far Shore, where a midnight banquet spread is waiting in thanks for their hard work. Wash off any blight in the hot springs and enjoy the banquet before heading back home for a good night's sleep.

In Summary:

Keep the fires burning
Exorcise those annoying spirits
Fight powerful ayakashi
Enjoy a banquet
Have fun~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Natsuru's one of the early birds to the hot springs as well, and may have even gravitated to the back of this particular pool too. She hums a melody to herself, still under the impression that she's alone and no one is hearing her sort-of-practicing a song she might be learning.

Unlike Celty, she is a little self-conscious, but she also doesn't mind socializing a little in a shared bath. And once she realizes there's another woman nearby, she looks up with an awkward, shy little smile.]

Oh-!

[She scoots in a bit closer. Not too close for comfort, just in case the woman prefers to be on her own, but clearly willing to approach.]

Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you! I didn't realize there was anyone here...

[It's not that Celty minds the company, but she certainly doesn't want to spook anyone either. Especially after all the fighting they just did. She doesn't quite want to end up on the receiving end of a borderline or anything else.

She shifts a bit as she notices the other woman approach but she offers a wave. At the same time though she leans back a bit harder against the rock she's up against. The steam and fog from the bath is obscuring things, but if Natsuru gets much closer she'll be able to well make out Celty's clear lack of a head.]

[For now, she doesn't move in much closer, wanting to respect the other woman's space in case she's not keen on being too close to a stranger in the bath. It's weird that she can't make out any features above the neck in the steam, though. That could make it difficult to know who she's even talking to.

So while debating whether to scoot in just that little bit closer again, she decides to work on that strangers bit. She really seems to be trying to make out some kind of identifying features...]

We haven't met, have we? My name's Natsuru. I'm Maria-sama's shinki.

[Well this is a little bit awkward. Even with her phone nearby in a plastic baggie there's still the proximity issue when it comes to communication.

But on the other hand the folks she's met have been nice enough. And understanding. It helps a bit to be supernatural in an already supernatural situation.

It's not something that she'd use to chat all the time but it's worked a few times thusfar; with a wave of her hand a few streams of smokelike shadow swirl in front of them, forming the word "Celty" in front of Natsuru on the surface of the water.]

'Celty'?

[With a curious, slightly surprised glance at the swirling shadows forming the word, Natsuru speaks it out loud. At least, how she assumes it's pronounced. Then, she looks up at the empty, steam-obscured spot where Celty's face should be.]

Is that your name? [She smiles, scooting in just a little bit closer. She can't really see her new acquaintance that well at all.] It's nice to meet... [She blinks, frowning curiously when she realizes that the woman's features aren't forming in the haze where she's looking for them.] ... you?

[She hasn't been scared away yet. There's still time to explain, if Celty can think of a way.]

[There's a bit of a shift when she's asked about her name, a nod that comes a bit more from her shoulders than her head. She got it slightly wrong with the hard C rather than the S sound, but that's a bit more of a moot point right now.

But as Natsuru gets closer Celty shrinks back just a touch, her shoulders clenching protectively. She doesn't do much else but she doesn't want to cause any trouble and she hopes the other bathgoer will see that.]

[That body language is unmistakable. If it weren't for Natsuru's curiosity, she might have noticed it sooner and backed off. But she keeps scooting in close, blinking in surprise as it becomes clear why she can't see any features. Or a face at all.]

Ah-?!

[She doesn't recoil in fear, though. With Celty looking so nonthreatening, and even nervous, Natsuru's panic quickly becomes on behalf of her new acquaintance. Is she really okay???]

Is... Is that... normal? You're not...?

['Hurt' doesn't seem like the right word. But she doesn't know what is. She's never met a woman without a head before! There's no mistaking her tone, at least - she's not afraid of Celty, she's worried for her. And maybe a little confused because this is the first time she's ever met someone without a face to put to the name.]

[Celty flinches slightly at the word 'normal'. She's pretty at peace with herself but it's still one of those prickly words when it gets thrown about. But she can't blame the girl for using it either.

She leans forward a bit so that Natsuru can get a clearer view, but when her hand surfaces from the water she stops. Her neck turns a bit to look at her empty hand and then she flashes a "one minute" gesture. The headless woman paddles off to the edge of the bath and returns a moment later with her phone in a plastic baggie, typing in a message as best she can.]

Dullahan [It takes a few backspaces before she spells the word out properly through the plastic cover while also trying to make sure it doesn't get any water inside.]

[The term is vaguely familiar, since Natsuru's goddess is an Irish mythological figure. She's visited their supposed homeland on the Near Shore once or twice. But she has to guess at the actual meaning.]

That's what you are? So you just don't have a, um... you know...?

[Look, it feels weird just outright asking someone why they don't have a head. At least it's distracting her from noticing Celty's body. She has a nice figure, and noticing that would feel significantly weirder without some kind of face to connect to the body as well.]

[Celty's heard of a few gods traveling about to far off places for business on the Near Shore, and if she catches wind of a trip to Ireland she'd certainly like to go along, but for the time being she's fine with her current roads to roam.

She pauses at the question but then gives a bit of a non committal shrug.]

I'm...not sure.

I feel like I had one, but it's just not here. I'm not sure if it has something to do with my death or not. But I'm pretty sure that I was always like this and that's how it is, with it not being attached at least.

I don't have any memories to back it up. It's just a feeling I have.

[That's a lot to use her phone to explain. Natsuru's patient, though, and it gives her something to focus on besides Celty's lack of a head. By the time she's done, Natsuru's settled on looking vaguely where Celty's head should be. She does seem to act almost like she has a head. Even though it's not there right now.]

Oh. So you're a shinki too?

[She idly gazes into the water for a moment, smiling sadly.]

I don't even have any feelings like that. But I'm just a girl, like anyone else! [She very intentionally avoids using the word 'normal' this time. And she focuses her attention back on Celty, so she'll see if she responds.] I guess if I didn't have a head, or something, I'd have to think a lot more about it, huh? That's got to be hard.

[It really is, especially in a pool like this. But Celty's typing is swift from habit so ingrained that even death and memory loss couldn't take it away. Her shadows seem to help out a bit too, working like extra fingers. She also tends to show the phone over between line breaks, as if she's taking a breath. It's a very conversational way of communicating by text.

Her neck and shoulders bob slightly at the Shinki question, a simple yes not requiring anything further.]

I guess I'm lucky? Better than not knowing why I was like this at all. But it's probably better to just feel everything is okay than panicking about it. Especially since we're not supposed to dwell on it.

[There is of course the question of 'what could kill a dullahan', but it's not a train of thought she lets herself chase.]

[That's true. It feels a little unsettling even talking about thinking about it. The nature of their existence now, on the other hand, she's free to think about as much as she'd like.]

I'm not sure I'd be able to get along without a head, though. Do you not get hungry either? ... I think I could get away without talking if I had to; but if I couldn't sing, I wouldn't be able to perform...

[Her train of thought has gone so far on this already, and only now does she realize that this might not be the most polite track for the conversation to follow.]

Ah... I mean... y-you don't have to talk about that anymore, if you don't want to! I've just... never met anyone who didn't have their head... you know... attached.

It's okay. I think I'm okay with it because this is who I am. Like, I must have always been like this. Or something like it. I do wonder where my head might be but I don't feel like it's...missing if that makes sense?

[She doesn't know why, but since she's been here she's at least been reassured by a sense, a gut feeling, that wherever her head is, if it exists, it's okay. Or at least nothing she needs to worry about.]

It's fine. It's nice to not have to worry about frightening people. I don't know whether to say it's nice to be your first or to be sad you can't introduce me to others like me.

[There's a pause, and then she adds a wink emoji to make it clear she's joking.]

[There's a moment where Natsuru blinks and it is very plainly obvious that she has no clue what to say. A moment that feels much longer to her than it would to the headless woman. It's just a brief pause, and then she's visibly relieved when she sees the wink emoji. You had her going for a second there, Celty.]

W-Well, you get used to this sort of thing here, right? There's much scarier things than a person who doesn't have a head. Especially when she's really nice.

[Ah, that just slipped out. It's a quick judgment, yes, but Natsuru feels pretty certain of it. Still, she blushes at just blurting it out like that.]

[Celty's neck and shoulders roll in a soft nod at Natsuru's breakdown. She won't deny she's unique and certainly stands out among the others by the absence of her head, but she's hardly the strangest thing about their community of Shinki and Gods. Or at least she's not much more strange than the next person.

At being called nice though the shadows that stream from her stump grow a bit thicker. Almost as if she's blushing.]

Thank you. You're nice too.

[It's incredible how Celty's body language seems to suggest at what her head might be doing if she had it attached. Even though Natsuru's not really thinking about it, she feels a strange kinship with the woman at the feeling of warmth rising to her own cheeks. Which is ridiculous, Celty obviously can't blush. But maybe she feels the same, regardless.]

Th-Thank you...

I mean, you know... we're all in this together. It's... nice, having friends to rely on. Especially for shinki.

[Or so she assumes. It's not like she agonizes over her lack of memory of friends or family she might have had before. She literally can't, it's part of her nature as a shinki. But... the absence of those memories might make the connections she forges here that much more important to her.]

Yes. I think so too.

[Celty's not been here long enough to think of things quite the same way as Natsuru, not measuring the value of the friendships in relation to the absence of what might have once been there.

Rather, it's nice, and really just enough and all she needs, to have people with whom she can trust to know who she is. Deep down she feels like she herself is enough to declare her own existence, but it's nice to be able to let her guard down. A guard she's been keeping up more to protect others than herself.]

[Natsuru's smile brightens at Celty's agreement. It's official as far as she's concerned. They're friends, or at least they can be now that they're getting to know each other.]

I've never been friends with a dullahan before, you know. I don't... really know where to look, when we're talking...

[That's especially difficult since they're in a communal bath together at the moment. And they just met. This seems like the sort of thing one should clear up early in a new friendship, though.]

That's another reason I have the helmet. Just pretend my eyes are up here I guess.

[She waves her hand around the smoky shadows. The top of her neck makes a good focal point too.

She then pauses briefly as a silly thought wiggles into her mind.

'Did I just say "my eyes are up here?".' Her shoulders shake in a soft silent chuckle at the absurdity of it.]

[That gets Natsuru to purse her lips briefly, almost holding back a small chuckle. She noticed that specific phrase too. It's funny, but it does make her blush a little.]

Okay, sure!

[And with that, she manages to focus her attention on the odd smoky shadows where Celty's head should ideally be.]

Do you wear a helmet everywhere? That seems a little inconvenient...

I had it with me since I arrived here so I guess there's a reason I had it. If there's anything else I used when I was alive I don't remember.

But it does stand out sometimes.

Mm. [She nods in agreement.] ... Probably better than going around without it, though.

[She looks ever so slightly guilty at that, thinking back on what went through her mind when she first saw a headless woman in the bath. If it were out in public, Celty would have stood out even more.]

Ah, but it doesn't bother me, okay? So you don't have to worry about it if it's just us!

[Will they be hanging out like this in the future? Who knows! But Natsuru wants to leave that door open!]

I appreciate that. Thank you. And please don't feel offended if I choose to wear it.

[She squirms a bit, in a good mood. Adjusted as she is to her state, she's still happy everyone has been so accepting of her. But sometimes it just feels right to wear the helmet and she hopes that a mood of the moment doesn't cause accidental offense or worry either.]

I think I might go, but thank you for talking with me. It was nice to meet you.

Not at all! Whatever you feel like is fine.

[She doesn't mind, as long as Celty understands she doesn't have to if she doesn't want to. It must be uncomfortable wearing a helmet all the time... or maybe it's not, since she doesn't actually have a head under it? Anyway, Natsuru's smile remains as Celty begins her farewell, and she nods in reply.]

All right. It was nice to meet you, too. [Blushing slightly, she adds:] I hope we can talk again sometime...

[She thinks she'd like to get to know Celty better. Though, maybe with more wearing clothes, next time.]

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19 | Peaceful Departure

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Sorry about the formatting in the last one

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