thenearshore | [closed]

Entry tags:

[closed]

Who: Ukoku and friends (I'm sure they're friends)
What: luring people into his hell temple to do bad magic for bad reasons, nice conversations
When: some days
Where: aforementioned hell temple
Warnings: crows in a literal pie

[ The enchantment was a little too much. His fault, maybe, for being economical (see also "lazy") about it, but it doesn't really matter. It worked, and it's still working. The question, now that things have changed, is whether it's still useful.

But there's no benefit in being quick to throw away Ni Jianyi. So he shows up at the temple of Dionysus, not a priest (a not-like-the-other-old-guys professor, at best, with a hoodie over a dress shirt and his stupid yellow monkey hair tie wrapped around his wrist on top of an incongruously sober black watch), and knocks. ]

[ Generally, nothing she does really surprises Ukoku—but the text asking after his hangover (as if he had no experience handling them) came close. That was a week and a half ago. He's never expecting her, strictly speaking, but now, less than ever.

The temple has changed since she was last there. The boxes around the perimeter of the atrium are gone, as are the sigils—and the pool in the center. It's been replaced by a crater with sharp, curving edges.

Ukoku himself is out in his makeshift lab, behind the temple. ]

[ It's been days since the pool disappeared, and the most Ukoku has said about it—in passing—is that he made a mistake with some magic. Nothing to worry about! He's been busy, too, either out of the temple or in the greenhouse (which now has zero plants) when Guy's not, and he may or may not be inconspicuously checking whatever easy, boring lab work Guy chooses to do for him.

On this particular day, though, Ukoku actually makes a point to locate him as soon as he gets back to the temple. ]

Guy?

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More samples will tell us whether it's an anomaly or a constant. If everyone has it that's promising, but if it's the same every time, it's probably not worth looking at.

[ He watches her for a second, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table. ]

Is that what you're curious about? How we can all do these things?

[Her attention is drawn to his fingers, watching them move and tap. The question startles her a little, but her expression just grows confused rather than surprised.

She hadn't thought of it quite like that. She was curious just by nature, but she hadn't thought to question why she wanted to know beyond 'why not?' Yuri looks away, taping idly through pictures on the screen]

I'm not sure...I suppose, a little. I hadn't thought of it. I guess I just got excited thinking about all the things I could start discovering or looking into now that I'm building a base. [Yuri pauses a moment, then shrugs, admitting] I'd like to know that too, though. But it's just one thing on the list.

[Which provides her a perfect segue into a casual, innocent:] Where's your sutra, by the way? I haven't seen you with it yet. [She keeps her eyes on the screen, but her body is tense with anticipation]

[ The casual innocence is wasted on him. He peers at her in the blue light, pointedly silent. ]

Do you know what a sutra is?

[ He shuffles around behind the chair, and then his fingers are gliding around her throat, gently tilting her chin up. ]

[For a second she thinks those fingers might curl around her throat and choke her; the thought of that happening doesn't even scare her so much as the realization she's not sure what she'd do if he did.

Ruefully she concludes she needs to pick the locations of these surprise attempts better. SHe is, effectively, trapped if she doesn't just teleport away and it's reminding her of all the stupid heroines that go to directly confront the serial killers in their own homes in movies without telling anyone where they're going or what they're doing. Is that where she's fallen now? To the level of B-horror movie heroine??

Despite how close she is to Ukoku, more so she'd dare to think than anyone else in this place, she couldn't forget that Ukoku is dangerous; and while she's reasonably sure that so long as things remain entertaining and interesting between them he'll let her keep coming around, she's also just as sure that he could kill her with no hesitation or second thought.

Right, okay, no time to think about that. Her breath hitches slightly and she stares up at him, feeling extremely vulnerable and exposed with her throat bared like this, but she presses her lips tightly together and reminds herself to breathe. Yuri carefully keeps her voice steady]

A Buddhist scripture. [She can google, you know.] I know it's powerful-- magic, of some kind. [Probably, anyhow. That she assumes herself] And something that Sanzo priests are supposed to have-- you're supposedly one of those priests, aren't you? But I haven't see you with one.

I have one.

[ But, you know, quid pro quo. He taps his thumbs against the soft line of her jaw, smiling down at her. ]

Who've you been talking to about Sanzo priests?

[It's hard, sometimes, to discern if he's annoyed by her questions or her finding out or something. She wets her lips with the tip of her tongue and belatedly realizes that little gesture gives away her wary nervousness.]

How badly do you want to know that answer, I wonder... [She muses quietly] What are you willing to give me to find out? [She'll probably tell him anyhow regardless, but she's curious]

[ To her credit, he wasn't expecting baby's first extortion attempt—but he laughs anyway, in part because it was unexpected, and lets go of her, half-collapsed over the back of the chair. ]

What am I willing to give you?

[ Nothing of consequence, naturally. He pushes his hair out of his face and takes a sweeping look around the little room. ]

Hypothetically, let's say you can ask me for anything— [ he pauses for wording— ] anything it's within my power to give. What do you want?

[She twists in the chair to look at him, not sure how she should feel about the laughter--a little embarrassed, a little annoyed...]

Oh. [She looks away again, expression thoughtful. She certainly hadn't thought that far ahead, having never believed he'd ask or let it get to the point of asking to begin with. Well, she still owes him a favor, so it's probably only right to ask for one in return.] I'd rather just say you owe me a favor--I like the idea of you owing me something.

[ There's no way this will result in a life lesson at some point. ]

Good. [ It's a quick, easy response. ] Deal. Who was it?

[Well he's dishing them out left and right if Sanzo and Sharak's shenanigans are to be taken into account.

She narrows her eyes at him a little as if to say 'what, that's it?' before she moves on. She'll think of something later to actually ask for, maybe.]

Sharak Sanzo. She thinks I'm a friend of Genjo Sanzo. [She taps her fingers idly against his desk and leans back in the chair] I know him, at least, so it's not that much of a stretch. [Yuri pauses a moment and turns in her chair again to eye him skeptically.]

Do you have a clip-on tail too? [THIS IS IMPORTANT]

I have a bunny tail.

[ He's kind of smiling. Moving on: ]

Did she say anything interesting?

[ He shoves away from the chair and ambles toward the door, stopping there by the box with the stuffed monkey. He tosses it elsewhere, into some other box, and shakes out the white coat underneath it. ]

[SQUINTS AT HIM. She turns the chair to watch him, tucking one leg underneath her to get comfortable.]

She said her sutra was called 'Kouten.' And that she's disappointed the tannery she used to go to is gone. [Yuri looks a little amused at that. Why are sanzo priests so weird.] We mostly just talked about a few things--how different cultures and religions can form, life and death... [YOU KNOW. CASUAL SHIT.] She doesn't seem to hate me though, so I can probably ask about more when we meet again. About the sanzo priests and all, I mean.

["When" not "if" because Yuri is curious, so of course they're going to meet again. She'll make sure of it. She tilts her head and watches him.] If I find anything interesting out, I'll probably tell you. [Probably. Now she's just teasing.]

You were smart not to mention me. She and I don't see things the same way.

[ Leaving aside that he asked her not to. She did say she wanted praise! ]

Come here.

[She hates how pleasantly surprised she feels about that and looks away a moment as if suddenly distracted by another origami animal to hide how pleased she is.] Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Professional differences?

[That doesn't sound concerning at all. She gets up from the chair and walks over, curiously eyeing the coat he'd pulled out]

Professional differences.

[ He throws the coat over her shoulders. It's his, but it doesn't particularly fit him—on her it's even longer, even more awkward. She's swimming in it. He tugs the lapels closer together and closer to him at the same time. ]

If you want me to tell you about the sutras, it'll cost you that favor.

[Running a little on autopilot at a coat being thrown over her, she slides her arms in to wear it more properly before she even considers what the hell he's putting on her to begin with. She stumbles at the tugging, nearly into him as she loses her balance, and places her hands against his chest to steady herself.]

What-- [Yuri looks at the lab coat, baffled, and then up at him with a furrowed brow-- partly because she's confused at this sudden gesture, and partly because of his comment. She huffs.]

No way. I'll just find out what I can from her. [SHE'LL GET A NEW SENSEI. A BETTER SENSEI. Okay no. New Sensei probably wouldn't give her a labcoat.] And I'll just cross-reference it with you.

Her sutra is nothing like mine.

[ It doesn't even matter what a simplification that is, really. ]

I can tell you as much about hers as she can, or would. You don't think she's going to give away all her secrets, do you?

Bragging, Ukoku? [Is this some weird sutra-waving contest she's unaware of?

She pauses to consider that, but it doesn't really need considering. She shakes her head.] No, of course not. But it wouldn't be as fun if I just got all the answers from you right away.

[Yuri pauses again, looking a little surprised at her own words and purses her lips, regarding Ukoku with a sort of accusing look, like he planted those words there. Which, in a way, he did. She wouldn't have thought something like that before without his influence.]

...Would you even tell me everything?

I'll tell you anything you want to know!

[ It's saccharine-indulgent, a lie so clear and silly it's almost a joke: he might have tacked some shitty term of endearment on the end. He throws an arm loosely around her shoulders and starts back toward the temple. ]

Mm-hm. [SureJan.gif] But for what price?

[Because 'everything' would definitely be worth more than one favor. But she lets him lead her out, pulling the sleeves up on her--his? her, now?--lab coat so they don't slip over her hands ridiculously.]

Maybe being a sanzo priest isn't for me after all. [As if she'd actually put any thought into becoming one in the first place. No thanks, y'all are walking disasters.]

[ Joke or not, he gives her an amused, searching look, long enough to be uncomfortable. ]

You're already a—what did you call them? The priestesses where you're from. Crow-something, yeah?

[She glances at him, but instinctively looks away after a moment as his gaze grows too heavy.]

Nuregarasu no Miko. [She mutters her clarification, but shakes her head.] ...There aren't anymore priestesses and the religion's all but died out back home. It's not like I'm officially recognized as one or anything. [It's more like she's a spiritual successor? Sort of?? She's not sure how to describe it, but her point still stands, there was no one to recognize her as one anyhow.]

But you can do what they could, and that's what you've been doing here, isn't it? Heaven even gave you the robe, if I remember. "Priestess" is just a title. Do you need someone else with a title to give it to you?

[ He shifts the arm propped on her shoulder so he can reach her hair more easily, run his fingers through it, soothingly repetitive. ]

I can do that.

It just seems proper that way. [Look, she likes traditions, to an extent. It'd just make it feel more... complete.

There's a soft, sudden inhale when his hand moves to play with her hair, and she looks to him quickly. Would you, now she wants to ask, skeptical on just how much he's just joking-- a seemingly constant struggle in conversations with him most days. Half the time she felt like she was back on that cliff again, teetering on the edge of...something.

She tilts her head up in acknowledgement] Alright. [A murmured acceptance, like somehow if she speaks too loudly it'll ruin whatever this--thing is. A moment? Were they having a moment? A vaguely unsettling, strange moment? And besides, she's curious. A trait that used to imply something good, but now seemed rather damnable] And what do I have to do?

I don't know! When my predecessor died, I got a name. That was about it. [ It's the absurdly minimalist version, but it's not untrue. ] But you have no predecessor, and no one here can contradict you on the particulars. You can make it whatever you want, and you can use those abilities however you want to.

[ He's still playing with her hair, walking slowly through the atrium toward the front of the temple. ]

What do you think would make it real to you?

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