thenearshore | [closed ] Lately, I've been,

Entry tags:

[closed ] Lately, I've been,

Who: Sanae and Bishamon
What: talking
Where: somehwere in heaven
When: Backdated to May 21st
Warnings: None!

[ To say that Sanae's upset about a certain shinki's begrudging post is an understatement. Because not only is she shaken, she's worried! Is it actually true-- that a god can take another's shinki without either the god's or the shinki's permission?! Is it true that there is no defense against that, no repercussions for such a heinous act of enslaving a soul as a tool?! Sanae, bleeding heart that she is, simply won't stand by it. In fact, she wants to do something about it. ] B-B-....

[ She begins her greeting, sputtering and already tearful. ] Lady Bishamon.....!!!

[ Surely, surely a god with such a large ~~harem~~ of shinki must be concerned about this as well! Surely she would sympathize! Of course Bishamon's sympathy might be more appropriate if the goddess actually knew what Sanae is upset over this time. As it stands, Sanae only sent her the text message:

can i talk to you about something please?? it's really important!!

｡：ﾟ(｡ﾉω＼｡)ﾟ･｡

After which she messaged that she'd be coming over. So. Yes, here she is, pretty much uninvited, flinging herself at Bishamon. ]

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[ She hadn't realized how bad things had gotten. Sure, there were nora here and there and they did seem to have agreed to be nora in the first place. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then those shinki-turned ayakashi happened. And then this happened. It was concerning. Deeply concerning.

Though she did agree to meet with her. After all, she'd opened her doors to the newer gods in case any of them needed tutiledge or guidance.

But of course, you'd have to excuse Kuraha's surprised look when someone comes to them in such a state... and practically lunges herself at their god. But the fact that Bishamon hadn't called for any of them gives him reason to relax and actually step back. Viina on the other hand had been waiting in the front courtyard so she's right there when Sanae calls for her. She's quick to wrap her arms around her just to steady her. ]

Sanae... What is it? What has you so upset?

The-- the post with that shinki...! [ She mumbles and sniffles, trying to steady her voice. ] It was just so sad, there was so much hate in it, and-- and he said that shinki could be taken by other gods...! Or made to be their shinki without asking...!

[ She snaps her head up at Bishamon, tears staining her cheeks. ] Is that all true?!

[ And a small frown came to her. She reached up, lightly brushing away a tear from Sanae's eye with a bit of her shawl but the frown was still visible despite that soft gesture. ]

It is. At least it is now.

[ What could she say? What else could she say? Would it be more cruel for her to sugar coat her words? No. It would be more cruel to hide the truth. What if this danger caught her unaware? She would rather the other gods be prepared and their shinki protected.

After all, hiding the truth did no one any good. ]

What happened to that shinki was unspeakable. I'd told him it was an unwritten rule. No god would ever impose a name on another shinki and even if they did, the consequences would be dire.

[ A beat. ]

If I find out whoever was responsible, I will take them to justice.

I'm worried, Lady Bishamon... [ She says, blinking when Bishamon wipes away one of her tears. Ah, how embarrassing to be crying in front of a god of war. But she can't help it. Sanae has always had an open heart, a big one at that. She doesn't wear it on her sleeve, she shows it on a giant billboard with flashing lights and waterworks. ]

About my own shinki, and other shinki... What if it were to happen again? [ And the better question is, how many times has it already happened, but gone unreported? It's a chilling thought. ] Is there any way to undo a naming? Or to prevent it from happening?

I want to help, too.

[ She doesn't judge Sanae for crying. There are those with bleeding hearts, after all. Bishamon has her own toward creatures that come to her like this, after all... but she feels nothing but ire for such a disrespectful god. ]

We have to be vigilant from hereon out. I don't mean to sow distrust amongst gods but it would be best that both gods and shinki know how to defend themselves and each other.

[ She closes her eyes though, sighing. ]

The only way to undo a name is to have the same god revoke the name. There's no other way.

[ There's a shake of her head as she opens her eyes. ]

These gods... these new shinki... they don't know any better. They barely understand the value of a name or what they did.

I don't mean any offense, but I doubt that this is the first time such a thing has happened. [ Sanae says apologetically, sniffing. Her eyes remained misted, but she seems to have calmed down somewhat. ]

As gods, we must protect--...that was what I was taught in my own world. If someone is suffering-- especially at the hands of another god-- it is our responsibility to right that wrong. Or at least prevent it from happening again. [ There should be a way to stop future incidents like this. If not, one can be damn sure Sanae is going to at least try to help. ] There are brilliant gods from all over the worlds; surely we can come up with something.

[ A pause. ] Lady Bishamon... it-- I'm almost afraid to ask but, it wouldn't be blasphamous for me to look into creating that sort of thing, would it?

Some things never change between worlds. We must indeed protect what we can - even if another god is behind the suffering.

But... come with me. We should talk about this inside.

[ She motions Sanae to follow her inside the manor. This is a difficult thing to talk about out in the open. As much as she trusts her shinki, talking about things like this can cause... trouble. ]

This doesn't happen often... but I suppose I should explain what I meant about the importance of a shinki's name to begin with and why this wasn't an issue until now.

[ She follows as instructed, and thankfully uses the time during the walk to her office to calm down a little. Dabbing the sides of her cheeks with her sleeve, she nods to any other passing shinki of Bishamon's until she closes the door behind them. ]

...Eh? [ Have a head tilt. ] And what would that be...?

[ As they enter, she motions Sanae to the couch. At least here, they can talk about sensitive matters without worrying about compromising the Secret. ]

Before the first newcomer arrived, we named our own shinki. It wasn't anything like this before. Amaterasu had nothing to with the matter. All those shinki you saw... I named myself.

[ And she had bumped into a few shinki here and there: three children, an energetic young lady with glasses, a tall glamorous beauty with wavy dark hair. All these were her shinki. ]

Most these shinki treasure their names and in turn, we treasured our shinki because we had named them and we had found them. Every god knew this feeling. Every god knew why forcing a name on another is the greatest measure of disrespect one could ever show another god.

[ A breath. ]

Names are taken lightly now. No god understands how important a shinki is to a god. They were assigned. Nothing more than a forced partnership.

[ That's a lot of names ~~of her harem~~ to memorize.... ] I... see. So it never happened, that a shinki was forced to be partnered with a god. [ A pause, and she bites her lip. ] My own shinki is incredibly loyal to me, and I've promised him never to take a nora. But if he were to be named a nora not of his own volition, I know he would be hurt.

I've been trying to think of ways for him, and other shinki, to protect themselves, and I think I have a few ideas, but these are all strategies for prevention.

Is there a way for a shinki to deny his or her name, or to refuse it after the fact? Or a way for a shinki to be taken away from their god?

[ She does shake her head at the first part. No, it's never happened. It's never been something the gods dealt with. And sadly, that does serve as her answer to that second question. ]

If it were so easy for a shinki to deny his name, this wouldn't be so concerning. A name can only be removed by the god who gave it.

[ There's a small frown though. ]

I may have a few ideas but it will involve making sure every shinki is capable of protecting themselves to a degree. Though, I have to ask... what exactly did you have in mind?

When I stopped by the library, I came across a book of songs... But as a friend pointed out, they can be rather lengthy-- especially in a time of crisis. But, perhaps using the kotodama-- the spirit of the word-- would allow the shinki to channel the essence of the song into but a few syllables, enabling them to use the spell in a timely manner.

Ah, but even then, it might take practice, and many shinki are new here. Some do not even know how to draw boundary. So, then I thought of something else--

[ She takes a breath. ] Besides equipping them with more knowledge and practice eon how to use songs and draw boundaries, I was thinking of designing a sort of ward. Ofuda and omamori are already used as devices for protection, and some can even be designed to prevent possession by spirits or deflect curses. If something like that can be augmented to deflect an untoward naming, it would help those who are not strong enough to create a barrier on their own just yet.

Lastly... shimenawa. In my world, it has the power of binding a god's power. [ And sometimes gods willingly adorn it before walking upon the earth. ] That may not be the case here, but it's not an uncommon belief among humans that it has such properties. [ And since belief fuels their power-- ] If we can tap into that belief, we can infuse it into some shimenawa to give a shinki an extra means to stop a god from abusing their power.

[ There's one last pause before she continues, a hesitant look on her face. ] That being said, I haven't really started on any of this yet. I'm not sure if some of these things will work, but I'm willing to try.

[ None of this goes over her head. After all, Kazuma knows about songs. Kotodama and protective charms aren't anything new either. After all, certain things do carry over among worlds.

The application, however, is something new. ]

Shimenawa? The kind they use in temples?

[ A pause as she thinks these over. This all sounds pretty feasible to her. But naturally, one other thing comes to mind... ]

We'll have to find a way to test this out if we manage to find a way to make this happen. Though if we do manage to find a way, it should be enough for a shinki to buy themselves some time to escape.

[ They're gods, after all... it'll take a god to take down another god. ]

[ Ah! It seems that Bishamon approves of some of her ideas! Sanae feels encouraged. ] Do you know Add? He's like an engineer, almost, and the best way to go about this is scientifically-- at least, the experimenting part. [ Not the magical stuff. That's not very scientific. ] I'll be collaborating with him to try to make something. [ ~~Once the mun returns from hiatus.~~ ]

But you are right, the wards and shimenawa will require testing. I don't mind being the subject of those tests, if need be, and I'm sure even some shinki would want to see if they can resist being named by holding a ward.

[ But then there's another pause, and almost shyly she asks: ] A-and.... I presume you would like to help out, too...?

[ If not directly, then maybe lending a lab or some space for testing. ]

I haven't spoken to him personally but I have heard his name.

[ Mostly because she had made it a point to at least know who these newcomers are, more or less. But this is promising, if anything. A combination of magic and science? These two could be into some really complicated things come the time... but then complications do lead to development.

To that question, she does nod. ]

Of course. Please expect cooperation from myself and my shinki if need be. If I can provide assistance in any way, please don't hesitate to ask.

But I have to ask... how have developments been coming along, if any?

Not... much. [ She admits, rather disappointed in herself as well.

She inclines her head towards Bishamon. ] If I can ask-- what was your idea?

It mostly involved making sure every shinki knew the basics of self-defense. A borderline, at the most. Use of a basic weapon.

[ She has to admit, Sanae's idea is far more practical if they can get it off the ground. What she suggests can tide them over until it can come to fruition. ]

But this is a start. At least we know where to focus our efforts.

[ A self-defense class would be helpful, so long as everyone could learn it-- or rather, it would be equally helpful if those who already know how to make one would teach others about it.

At last she smiles, brushing hair behind her ear. ] Okay... I think we have a start of what we can do to help out where we can. I'll get to work as soon as possible, and let you know the progress, alright?

Of course. I'd appreciate it. If there's any help my shinki or I may offer toward this, please let me know.

[ That's a load off her shoulders. At least other gods are taking this seriously.

There's a pause though as she turns her attention back to the other goddess. Another thought's come to her - one that people might need to know. ]

...by the way. Did Sousuke tell you who to look for?

[ Sanae tilts her head to the side, tucking a loose strand of green hair behind her ear. ] No, he didn't.

[ Then again, she didn't mean to ask. ] I had the impression that he was still being threatened, so that he couldn't be able to tell.

[ There's a nod at that... and a pause as she brings the shinki's description back to mind. ]

His name is Loki. Look for a man with long orange hair and blue eyes. He gave no other name save for the name of the god he was assigned to.

He also warned me that this god is capable of reading minds... and long distance teleportation. We'll have our work cut out for us if we're to find him.

Loki.... [ She repeats, committing the name and the description to memory. ] Right.

[ She nods. ] Teleportation and mind-reading. [ She hums to herself, bringing a hand to her chin. ] The latter, I don't know exactly how to combat. [ But having your mind read isn't the end-all be all. ] But teleportation can be stopped, as long as we set up a closed space. Once they're in an area, they won't be able to teleport out.

...Although, I haven't ever set up something like that before, only read of it. [ A frown. ] Ah, there's a lot more research to be done, I guess-- but at the very least, we have a start.

There's still a lot we have to learn, both with figuring how to combat this god, capturing him and protecting all these shinki...

[ There's a long exhale there. Such a long to do list. ]

Either way... I'll be happy to provide you with anything you need: research material, testing grounds... if you need anything, you know to reach me.

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[closed ] Lately, I've been,

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I'm sorry I took so long! D:

that's okay!

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1/2

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ALWAYS LATE

NO PROBLEM!

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