thenearshore | [Open] Break my back till the mornin' comes

Entry tags:

[Open] Break my back till the mornin' comes

Who: Schuldig

volksdaemon etc.
What: Helpful!Schuldig (thank you Eros) is out and about helping gods & shinki answer their prayers and other miscellaneous desires
When: May 27+
Where: Near Shore for most Open Prompts
Warnings: none currently but new CR please fill out his powers & permissions post.
Prompts are in Action format, but I can switch if you'd like.

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[Closed Prompts in comments]

[OPEN] Near Shore: Grisly Kabuki Show
[A long time ago, okay two weeks ago, someone had anonymously suggested to Schuldig that he go to see a kabuki show. Not just any kabuki show, though - Yotsuya Kaidan, the Ghost Story of Yotsuya - on the promise that there was 'plenty of grisly revenge for you there.'

Now that he's being subtly encouraged to get out and about more, he's planning to see it. If you see him on his second or third watch, he might even be outside of the theater conning scalpers out of their own money - a deal that's not a deal sort of thing where he buys 7 at the cost of 10 - so that he can give them to people waiting in line.]

[OPEN] Near Shore: Beach Bum
[Schuldig's pale skin is getting tanned and those sunglasses he's normally only wearing like decoration are actually getting use, finally. Feel free to notice him lounging or trying to chat up the lifeguards.

Then there's the matter of trying to be a good-hearted God of Mischief down here. If he notices that there are people haggling down 'tourist' prices from the locals, he uses his telepathy to calm both parties down. If he sees kids playing pranks, he'll help them not get noticed by parents or authority figures as they run off. That sort of thing.]

[OPEN] Near Shore: Ayakashi
[If you've wandered near that fishy ayakashi and gotten yourself trapped, he'll definitely notice, or try to keep you away from it if he notices you wandering too close. He can hear the thoughts of ayakashi getting closer - the raw, tangled mess of raw emotions that is - as well as those of gods and shinki without strong mental shields.

If you actually do manage to get yourself trapped, he'll have to call a shinki to get you out of there, but he might still do it. Depending on who it is and depending on if you got yourself trapped so that one of his followers didn't get caught.]

[OPEN] Near Shore: Fireworks
[Trying to get a better spot to watch? Schuldig might use his telepathy to convince some noisy neighbors on a blanket to take their drinking elsewhere so you can have that one. Or he might be able to get a crying baby to fall asleep. The line for drinks & food could be a lot shorter as soon as he decides to go there, standing behind you in line. If you're trying to get an adult beverage and you're not an adult, he has no problem getting you one. Drinking customs in Europe are different, so he doesn't care.]

[OPEN] Far Shore: Anywhere But His Temple
[Even while very empathetic towards the human race now - specifically his followers - Schuldig doesn't plan to invite people out to his temple. As a result, he's out wandering. Specifically, he's combing the place for one of Amaterasu's lackeys somewhere down the chain of command with low enough mental shields that he can read their minds. It's a promise he owes Jae-Ha, actually.

As a result, Schuldig could be found just about anywhere standing off to the side with a thousand-yard-stare as he canvasses small sections of the Far Shore for just such a lackey.]

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[Any other day he'd be gloating about how many followers he's attained, but then Schuldig meanwhile is noticing something similar. Namely that for every 3-5 kids with the green armbands he finds, there's a much darker influence over their minds. That's something Schuldig can notice with certainty. He's only ever checked in on the minds of ayakashi though, not humans being tempted by the echoes of ayakashi words in their heads.]

What the hell...

[He reaches out to Goten.]

'Something's going on with these kids for sure - a dark cloud hanging around their minds. Not all of them though, just some of them. Have you noticed anything like that, Goten?'

[Though it's when that one ayakashi hops off further down the alley, Goten follows. More of the teenagers members come into view, their arm bands clear for the eye to see. Goten can't see into anyone's mind like Schuldig can but spotting a few of the teens with the little horned ayakashi on their shoulders is a red flag.

His eyes drop back down to the one he was following just as he goes to hop onto one of the unaffected teens. Goten forms a fist with his left hand and extends the index and pointer fingers before quickly drawing a borderline]

Line!

[The boarderline appears, blocking the ayakashi mid jump as it knocks back to the ground. Whew. Well at least one teenager is safe...sorta. That's when he hears Schuldig's voice too. He blinks, putting a hand over one of his ears like that will help him hear the god better]

I donno--

[wait.]

.... 'I donno about a dark cloud but I found some ayakashi's on some of them! They're really small though.'

[Even though he's a mile away easily, Schuldig stands up when he hears Goten's response.]

'A what? Multiple ayakashi?'

[He's only ever seen big ones before now - how could so many little ones be working in concert when they can barely think beyond basic needs? That would sort of explain the dark mental cloud but still-]

'Is it possible to just... contain one and bring it back? I mean, grab one of the kids that has an ayakashi without it getting you too.'

[Schuldig doesn't know how they can possibly track a nest of ayakashi down, but apparently they're going to have to try.]

'Yeah...they all look sorta the same.'

[Goten bites his lower lip thoughtfully as he looks at the teenagers. It probably wouldn't be hard and Goten did say he'd bring back anyone that was acting weird. Having an ayakashi on your shoulder did count. Alright!]

'I'll try. Back on the roof top, right?'

[Not that it really matters. If Goten focuses enough, he can sense Schuldig out. The god already knows that too. So he doesn't wait for another answer as he Draws another borderline, trying to scare off the ayakashi that tried to leech onto one of the unaffected teen. If Goten can prevent anymore, he's going to. Luckily the little ayakashi hops off after a few more failed attempts and a small ki blast to follow for good measure.]

Yeah! You better not come back!

[It's only after he's sure the ayakashi ran off that he continues on with what he needs to do! Dropping the borderline, Goten floats over and swoops down to snatch up one of the infected teens. Wrapping his arms around the boy's waist, he floats off with him ignoring the hissing ayakashi on his shoulder and then surprise yells of the others. The struggling the teen puts up doesn't really bother Goten too much either, though it makes it a bit more awkward to fly as he shoots up above the building tops.

He's not so gentle when he drops the teen on the familiar rooftop of the bakery either.]

'How do you get an ayakashi off someone?'

[Schuldig was basically hoping that between enough redundancy mechanisms - from Goten's power to his own to Goten possibly just flying long enough to find him again and even using his cloud if he got tired - Goten would be able to find his way back as soon as he found something of interest. He wasn't even sure if Goten would have to go back out multiple times, or want to, before he found what Schuldig needed. Apparently the kid was just that intuitive though.]

'Yeah, I haven't moved from this roof top.'

[Around on it, sure, but the same building.]

'We're about to find out.'

[He peers into the child's mind and, sure enough, there's a kind of darkness hovering over it. He walks up and touches the kid's forehead, much more gently than Goten felt him do once before. The young man stills while Schuldig looks around, trying to figure out how so tiny a creature could exhibit so much power over one of his followers. At the very least, he's determined not to leave until he figures it out. Right now, his follower's safety is his highest priority.]

Edited 2017-01-23 02:56 (UTC)

There was a decent group of them down there. I can bring more up here if you want.

[The talking mind thing is really cool but weird, so Goten naturally starts speaking when he can acutally see Schuldig. But it's when the god gets close and reaches out to the teen that makes Goten stare. That touching forhead thing is really what makes Goten tense a little. Even if it's not him, he recognizes it no matter how gentle Schuldig is with this person. Seeing the young teen go still makes Goten frown that much as he floats there and his brow curve down with concern. But Schuldig wouldn't hurt his own followers right? There's no reason to anyway. Still, it makes the young shinki uneasy so he averts his gaze finally to look back over the side of the roof, letting the god do his thing.

Maybe he should go bring another person up here or go track down that lone ayakashi again.]

Edited 2017-01-23 02:59 (UTC)

'No I don't think we'll need to.'

[Right now he has to keep speaking telepathically because of using this power on the kid.]

'Something's happened with this ayakashi - like it's controlling the emotions of this kid.'

[Like he can, really, but apparently in a much more... blight like way.]

'But I can see a tether - like a line leading away.'

[Not the kind of thing he'd have noticed without direct contact, that's for sure. He lets the kid go, but encourages him to pass out - it doesn't remove the ayakashi, which is still hissing ferociously at them both in the kid's mind and out in the open.]

Unfortunately there's only one way to get rid of an ayakashi - but this one seems like it's a conduit... like a soldier bee from a colony.

[He corrects it for Goten's benefit.]

Need to find the hive queen to solve this problem, I think. Damn.

[Goten looks back over his shoulder when he hears Schuldig speak up. His eyes drop briefly to the teen who just appears to be knocked out. No blood. Okay good. He relaxs briefly, shoulders dropping.

Conduit? What?]

Huh?

[He blinks slowly. Hive queen makes more sense But the ayakashi didnt look like bees. He looks back the hissing horned ayakashi. They need to get rid of the ayakashi to help the gang out...]

We can't pull them all off of your followers or something? It can't be that hard right?

[Schuldig gives a patient sigh that he definitely wouldn't have granted Goten before. Like this, he's understanding of the fact that Goten's just making suggestions, so he can at least explain WHY he thinks that's a terrible idea.]

I have something like 12,000 followers. A solid chunk of them in this gang. So let's pretend it's... a quarter of that. That's 3,000 people. Maybe it's less than that even - maybe it's only 1,200 people, a tenth of all of my followers.

[He's been trying to diagram this in the air with his hands being far apart and getting smaller and smaller, yet still very far apart. Not touching.]

Do you really want to help me pull off a thousand little neck-sucker ayakashi? Especially without the ability to Rend?

[He already has an idea in mind, but he has to convince Goten it's a better option.]

For one thing, it could take several days. For another, it's dangerous for both of us in terms of getting blighted. That's why I suggested just going after the Hive Queen. It's more efficient - and if it doesn't kill off all her little spawns, then it should at least confusion them enough to stop making this yakuza gang a threat the police have to worry about.

Just one problem with going after the Hive Queen...

[Those are big numbers. Even as Schuldig makes them smaller, they're still big numbers. The blank look that he gives the god shows that he isn't really following. All these thousand numbers and then quaters, tenths and what not---but as he continues to explain it, it becomes more clear.

Okay, Goten can follow that. He nods slowly.]

So instead of tracking them all down, if we find the Queen then it'll do all that work for us?

[That's what he's understanding at least. Finding one mom ayakashi does sound way more appealing then tracking down ever single little small one. That's assuming they aren't multiplying or something either. Taking down one is way better then taking down a thousand. Goten is more focused on how to find her rather then worrying about what to do when they find her. He's never really fought an big ayakashi before. Archie never used him or let him try. Now that his god is gone, he's figuring out more on his own.]

So lets do that! That Queen can't be that hard to find right? I bet she'd get upset if we did get rid of some of the little ayakashi. Maybe she's like their mom? I know moms don't like it when their babies are in trouble.

[He feels a bit bad about suggesting it but the little ayakashi aren't exactly children. They're hurting those human teenagers after all, right? Who knows if ayakashi even view things like that either.]

[At least Goten manages to get his main point in the end. He really wouldn't have put it past the kid to suggest that he'd be super fast at catching over a thousand tiny creatures no big deal, just like catching grasshoppers in a meadow you know.]

No, I don't think she'll be that hard to find now that I know what we're looking for.

[He's telepathic, not omniscient.]

But yes taking out the Queen should do all of that work for us by the looks of things. Each one of these little things is actually just a small part of the Queen. So less like a mom, and more like a kind of mold or fungus that split apart a thousand times and dropped those leftover pieces onto these kids.

[That's more for Goten's benefit than anything. He sensed the boy's apprehension. Besides, with the ayakashi being so mindless, it's not like there could possibly be a parental relationship there.]

I just meant our problem with going after the Queen is the same as our problem with going after these little guys. We can't really get rid of them as we are.

[Welp. Gotta ask.]

If I'm- If we're going to take care of this problem quickly, and use the Rend spell to get rid of the Queen, I'll need to name you. Temporarily, as I'm sure you'd prefer.

You sure? The city is really big...

[But hey, if Schuldig thinks it won't be hard he won't question it more then that. This guy is the strongest god he's ever met so it might be easy for him. Goten on the other hand doesn't really know where to start. Maybe at alot of them would be around the Queen?

Comparing it to mold does help a bit more. So its like a big monster just dropping off parts of itself that latch on to humans. Okay. Thats when the question comes up. Goten blinks and stares up at him. He's actually actively looking for a god so there's no chance he would be paired with Schuldig. He doesn't like that idea at all.]

B-but don't you already have a shinki you can call or something? I donno even what that's like.

[Schuldig shrugs, teetering on the edge of threatening in the way he looked at Goten.]

I do. But you wanted to know my real name, so I thought you were going to see this through until the problem was fully resolved.

[So he doesn't come out and say it, but he also doesn't plan to tell Goten if the Queen isn't taken out.]

Otherwise, I'll have to go all the way back to the Far Shore and look for them in order to call them.

[Which is also a half-truth. He could teleport and call one of them and it would be sorted out fairly quickly. He just doesn't want to explain to either of them how he ended up in this predicament, bringing the yakuza into the picture in the first place.]

I said I would release you afterwards, didn't I?

[This kind of pressure is still far more respectful than Sousuke ever got.]

[Goten blinks slowly at that. He frowns stubbornly, taking a step forward with a stomp of his foot. Maybe he's feeling just a little braver because Schuldig hasn't exactly done anything to him. That this is almost completely different then the first time they met. It's weird and Goten doesn't understand or know what's changed but there is something.]

Huh!? That's not fair! You should still tell me your name cause I did what you told me to do. You even said I wouldn't need to be your shinki or do anything with ayakashi! You can't change things like that!

[His hands clench into fists absently. Of course he knows that isn't Schuldig's fault. He didn't know, or at least that's what Goten thinks. They both found out it was actually an ayakashi doing this to his followers so of course that changes things. Goten knows that but he doesn't want to admit it. But...]

[He crosses his arms, calmly refusing to rise to Goten's tantrum. Definitely different from before, but he remains firm.]

And you didn't need to be my shinki before the ayakashi came into the picture. I'm a telepath; I'm not omniscient or prescient.

[That's his boss. And yeah this is his own mess he's trying to clean up, but time is the critical element here.]

You're the one who said you don't even know what it's like to fight an ayakashi. Don't you want to get over that fear? Or is protecting Rin and Sousuke not worth that much to you after all?

[He knows Goten isn't actually afraid, but it's his last gambit to goad the young not-quite-human shinki instead of forcing it on him or quickly leaving and just not telling the young man his name.]

I...I don't even know what those are!

[Omniscent? Prescient? Stop using words he doesn't understand. It just makes the young boy that much more frustrated. He didn't want to team up with this god in the first place, his only motive was to protect his friend and his god. He never signed up to be this guys shinki. Not after their first meeting. Not after what he did to Sousuke either! It isn't fair.

But it's Schuldig's next few words that make Goten stop. He glares at the taller god as his energy suddenly flares up around him. Its visible to people like Schuldig but otherwise it just seems like a gust of wind came from the child. Harmless but it's presence is there.]

I'm not scared! And protecting them is important to me so don't say that!

[He can't do anything though. Getting in a fight with Schuldig wouldn't do any good. He wouldn't get his name or anything and making him mad would probably end up like their first meeting if not worse. That's the only thing keeping him from charging the Schuldig or flying away. He's smart enough to know either won't solve anything. It's only after a few more seconds of staring him down that Goten's energy drops and his arms lower. He's gotta protect Sousuke and Rin...

Goten slowly nods his head. Fine. He'll do it. But he doesn't have to like it.]

....After we find that ayakashi queen thing you better keep your word.

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[Open] Break my back till the mornin' comes

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17/20

18/20~!

19/20 <3

!! 20/20 !!

whee /submits

/o/