thenearshore | 011 | Black Parade

Who: Everyone!
What: Parade of the dead
When: All day May 26
Where: Shinjuku
Summary: The Near Shore needs a little protecting from the dead

The last few days have been filled with festival food, high energy, and lots and lots of parades. Near Shore residents really know how to enjoy their holidays, stopping up traffic for hours on end as floats and palanquins go by and filling the streets and courtyards in the area with food stands and festival treats. Many Far Shore residents may have found themselves drawn to this particular festival, as it is being held in honor of a shrine.

When an unexpected parade starts up, the people gather round to watch the impromptu spectacle. It's a little strange, yes, but nothing too terribly off-putting. That is until the parade reaches the shrine itself, at which point all hell breaks loose as the members of the parade start attacking anything and anyone in their way.

The Heavens will then call upon all the gods and shinki who are available to help, because these attackers are not normal at all - they are, in fact, the undead.

Let the Festivities Continue

The festival is a large, booming one. There are dozens upon dozens of food stalls set up all over the place with so many different kinds of foods that it could make your eyes go buggy, most of them fried in some way. On top of that, there is live entertainment walking around, stalls with souvenirs, and lots of excellent company nearby. Surely you'll be able to enjoy the festival to its fullest.

The Walking Dead

It is not immediately evident that the parade is being manned by corpses, but keen observers would be able to pick out the noticeable rotting elements of the dead. Anyone with a soul-sensing ability might even realize that they're not soulless, just lifeless. When the parade reaches the shrine, every god and shinki will be needed in order to protect the Near Shore from this menace. Corpses must either be exorcised or completely mutilated to the point where they can no longer move in order to release the soul.

Not Rootbeer Floats

On top of the mass of dead bodies being possessed by stray souls, some of the floats on wheels in the parade seem to have been taken over as well. They are moving slowly and with purpose towards anyone that crosses their path. At first, it may seem like the float is just veering a little off course, but it will soon become evident that it's headed towards you. They may be slow, but they're very large as well, meaning there's a lot more than needs to be destroyed to release the soul.

Souls, Souls, and More Souls

In Summary:

Enjoy the festival
Help save Near Shore residents
Take down the dead bodies
Try not to cry
Cry lots
Have fun~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, it's only been about 10 days I think? But it's been really good so far. I get along with all of them well enough, Raichi and Senri I mean. Brandon sticks to Sora's temple a lot but I see him every now and then. So it's kind of like living with a lot of brothers, I guess - everyone mostly does their own thing, but I know they'd be willing to help me out if I asked. I trust them for that kind of thing.

[She's all smiles as she explains her burgeoning little family.]

Plus it means that Roxas is okay with me texting him to ask about this or that, since he's got two other shinki to keep track of. I can do my own thing if I want, or I can ask if he wants to hang out too. Today's a little of both.

[She pulls out her phone anyway, instinctively checking for a message from him.]

No texts yet, so he's probably still walking around with Sora.

[That’s not a long time. He assumes the ten days is how long she’s either been a shinki or had another shinki brought under her god. Turning to the side, Sousuke heads away from the dart stand, walking beside her as she talks. Rin will probably get along well with any shinki he gets, but again, Sousuke doesn’t like the idea of his god taking on another shinki. For multiple reasons.]

Sounds like a little family.

[He remembers she’s the one that had said so much about friendship. But before he comments on that, she moves on and he frowns slightly at the implication and the way she draws out her phone.]

And you’re fine with that? Sharing him with other shinki.

Well... I kind of have to be, right? They had him to themselves first - Raichi and then Senri.

[But she does swing her lantern a bit in thought.]

I think it is a bit easier to think of it like a family, though - sharing is naturally something you do with friends and other people you care about. So I don't have to share him, I just do because I care about Raichi and Senri. And of course I have to share him with Sora.

[She laughs a bit at that. The very idea of her being jealous that Roxas spends so much time with Sora... it just sounds so silly to her, when they're clearly so close and Sora wants such good things for Roxas.]

As long as Roxas is safe when he takes prayers, I think it's fine.

[That makes sense, if she’s the “most recent” shinki her god’s tending to. But the question remains the same. She’s sharing her god with the other two and Sousuke remains quiet beyond her initial response. Maybe it’s selfish, but he doesn’t want to “share” Rin with another shinki.

The swimmer’s not heartless though; if it’s required or there’s no other choice, sure. But were it up to him on any normal day? No…]

Maybe. It depends on what you think a friend is.

[And they’ve had this conversation before. Her views on friendship and his differ pretty widely. But Sousuke doesn’t want to get into the discussion again and slips his hands into his pocket, dismissively lifting his shoulders in a silent ‘never mind.’]

As long as you and your god are happy, then do what feels right for you.

[They don’t have to agree on everything and that’s all right.]

011 | Black Parade

no subject

no subject

Wrap or move to a non-captcha thread?

Assuming they'll be talking further about mundane things, wrapping is fine.