[closed]

[theunluckygirl]

Who: Jennifer & a couple people

What: Jennifer's nora'd, and talks to a couple friends about some memories she regained

When: June 1st...I GUESS??

Where: The temples for Hijikata, Sharak, and Masaki's god

Summary: points to the 'what' section. I might add more starters for people later ehhh





[Talk Nora to Me -- Hijikata]

[She feels like she's going to have a heart attack and faint already, and she's barely crossed the threshold of his gates. She's unannounced, it's rude, she should've said something but if she'd <>said something he would've expected her. his way, if it turns out he's not home, she's free to leave. No obligation to continue! It's perfect.

Unless, of course, he is here. She feels her heart skip a beat and her stomach twist uncertainly, but she takes a deep breath and reminds herself that she's made up her mind about this. It's her decision and she's made it and darn it she's going to go through with it! Unless he tells her no.

What if he says no?? She didn't actually plan for that and while the beauty and general calm serenity of the temple goes a long way in helping her calm down, her heart still races. Jennifer both really hopes to see him, and really hopes she doesn't.]

[There's a dirty joke i could make here about roosters but for Jennifer's sake i won't -- Sharak]

[The place is pretty in its simplicity, Jennifer can appreciate it. Like with Hijikata she doesn't announce her arrival beforehand, both hoping to see the other woman and hoping Sharak will be out for the day so she has an excuse to leave.

The conversation she wants to have isn't as big a deal as nora-ing (though she briefly toys with that idea too, if she's being bold today why not go the full way?), but it's still deeply personal.

And, Jennifer thinks with a sigh, not something she should be sharing anyhow. Sharak isn't her god, there's no reason for her to care, but in the brief time spent with her, Jennifer's grown fond of her. She wants to continue the meditation thing, it's helped!, and it offers her another excuse if she can't get her nerve up.

Ugh. She takes a breath and glances around, hoping (sort of) to catch sight of Sharak and make her presence known if Sharak doesn't already somehow know she's there.]

[Muffled 'Welcome To The Jungle' playing in the background -- Masaki, maybe Dio??]

[Unlike her previous adventures, Jennifer feels more confident about speaking to Masaki. They were closer friends, she thinks, of a sort, both being shinki and all. That makes them more equals, and therefore Jennifer more comfortable.

Also unlike her previous adventures, she feels she's reached a point where she has to reach out first to make her intentions to drop in known. Not so much out of politeness (though it is partly that, since it's Masaki's god's temple, not her own) but because Jennifer has shown up and gotten horribly turned around in the weird jungle.

So she pull out her phone to slowly send a text]

Masaki? I came by your god's temple to see you. But I think I may have gotten lost. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. I should have said something beforehand, but I suppose I wanted it to be a little bit of a surprise? I'm sorry.

[Help. :(]

Comments

[koukai_kirai]

[The shrine is peaceful -- a modest complex of low, old-fashioned buildings surrounded by lush gardens, nestled up in the hills near the sea. There's only Hijikata, Souji, and a bunch of ducklings, so even with the occasional visitors coming and going -- their students at the dojo, or Ayumu coming to spend time with them, or the friends they've made on the Far Shore -- it's usually rather quiet.]

[Fortunately and/or unfortunately for Jennifer, it doesn't take long for her presence to get Hijikata's attention. He's out in the front garden, just strolling around and having a smoke, when he spots her and comes over.]

Jennifer. It's good to see you.

[He doesn't go so far as to smile, but Hijikata isn't the sort to waste that sort of pleasantry on people if he isn't actually happy to see them.]

[theunluckygirl]

Mr. Hijikata. [It's said on an exhale, like a sigh-- she's pleased to see him, but also terrified. The anxiety might show in the way she twists her fingers together and shifts her weight, watching him.]

It's good to see you as well. I, uh, I was hoping to find you. [Obviously, since she came to him. She feels her face grow warm with color.]

... I'm sorry. It took almost all the courage I had to bring myself here...

[koukai_kirai]

[He definitely notices that she seems on edge -- you don't survive years of people with swords trying to kill you without a decent eye for when someone seems unusually tense. But, well, this is Jennifer. She's a little bit on the jumpy side at the best of times.]

[Why, he wonders, would it take all her courage to bring her here? He doesn't like the sound of that, in the same way that he doesn't like the sound of a lot of things that happen to Jennifer, but he keeps his disposition as calm as he can in spite of it.]

What's going on?

[Straight to the point. Hijikata's never been one for excessive word-mincing.]

[theunluckygirl]

It's nothing bad. [She's quick to reassure him, but then she hesitates and looks uncertain.] Well, I suppose, depending on how you look at it...

[But why are you here, Jennifer. She's stalling, she knows. In her head she had a little speech prepared, explaining her rationale and what brought her to this conclusion and all, but as she struggles to figure out where to begin, what comes out is a blurted:]

I want to become a nora to you.

[Nailed it.

She claps her hands over her mouth immediately with a gasp, eyes wide. She stands completely frozen, waiting on a response]

[koukai_kirai]

[So it's gotten bad enough with her god to come to this.]

[Hijikata glances around, though of course they're alone -- he knows Souji is busy right now, and otherwise, there's no one around. Then he nods towards the residential building, because even if they're alone, it somehow feels more private than being outside in the gardens.]

Come inside and have some tea, and you can tell me why you've decided that.

[It's not a "no", and it's not likely to become one, but he does want to be sure that she's as sure as she needs to be.]

[theunluckygirl]

[It's not a no, she tells herself, but it's not a yes either. Somehow the idea of having to explain herself is more daunting than asking to be a nora to begin with.

She almost tells him to forget about it, forget she ever asked, she's going to run away and hide and they can forget this ever happened. Wouldn't it be easier that way?

...Easier, sure, but it would make everything she did a waste. She thinks of the memory she's recently regained and takes a breath, lowering her arms to her side.] I... Alright. [She'll follow him to wherever the tea is, hands clasped firmly in front of her as she tries to figure out how to sort her feelings into words.]

This isn't a sudden decision. [She feels it's important to explain that, first.] I've been thinking about it since we last spoke, really...

[koukai_kirai]

[He leads her inside, nudging his shoes off on the veranda. The weather's started to heat up, so half of the walls -- all the movable shouji type common in old houses and temples -- are slid open to let the breeze blow through, revealing pleasant views of the garden at every turn. Hijikata walks into what appears to be the kitchen, picks up a tea kettle and puts it over a little cooking fire left over from breakfast, then waves Jennifer towards a cushion to sit on and settles down cross-legged on the floor to listen.]

How have things been since then?

[dioception]

[Dio wasn't used to uninvited guests, but he also wasn't quite as paranoid as he once was, thanks to Masaki also living with him. No doubt she'd made some friends who might want to visit her!

This visitor was a young girl, but boy did she seem lost. He supposed someday he should make a path through the foliage, but the getting lost part was also part of it's charm. So too was the part where he could stalk the poor girl in the form of a jaguar.

If he were more cruel, he'd jump out and scare her, but if she was Masaki's friend then he should try to avoid giving her a heart attack- if shinki could have heart attacks.

He was still as silent as a nearly 200lb cat could manage as he approached, speaking up before he could be seen.]

Looking for something?

[theunluckygirl]

[The first rule of being lost is to not move. Jennifer knows this, so she doesn't bother trying to move further along the path--for a given value of 'path' here. She stares at her phone for a few seconds, as if hoping that if she stares it down a reply will come back faster.

There's movement, somewhere-- her head snaps up and she looks around, mouth opening hesitantly in preparation to call out, but Dio speaks first. She inhales sharply and squeaks, hands flying up to clutch together at the hollow of her throat.]

I- I-- [Jennifer swallows hard and turns around, searching for the source] I'm sorry, I... I'm here to see Miss Masaki?

[Was that a giant cat moving around? That wasn't what had talked to her... was it??]

[dioception]

[Dio approached the young girl, trying not to startle her since she'd mentioned Masaki's name. As funny as it'd be, he was at least going to try to be nice for her sake.]

Got lost? I'll help you out, then.

[That's nice of him, isn't it? Tell Masaki how cool and nice her jaguar god is.

He trudged in front of her when he'd finished, sitting down.]

You aren't far.

[theunluckygirl]

Thank you. [She responded with an automatic politeness, but it didn't stop her from staring openly and taking an uncertain step back when he came nearer.

Maybe Masaki's god had random talking-- leopard? Things??- around his temple. Jennifer has no idea what kind of big cat this is other than 'not tiger' and 'not lion' (and certainly not bear, oh my!) and hopefully 'not interested in eating blonde british girls.' Or maybe it was Masaki's god? She supposes with the different worlds and all, a world of sentient talking animals exists that had people who could become gods here.

Sure, that was plausible as anything else in her life right now.]

Are you Tezca... Tez... [Jennifer trails off, her face growing red and she fidgets, voice growing smaller in her embarrassment] Miss Masaki's god? [Nailed it.]

[dioception]

[Dio liked that politeness, immediately becoming somewhat endeared. Not so many people with manners like that these days, are there? Ans he could tell she came from the same country of his own birth. Of course she did.]

Tezcatlipoca, but you may call me Dio. [It was easier than his God Name for one, and it was the name he was used to. And since she was being polite, Dio felt the compulsion to do so as well, turning back into his regular, human(looking) form in order to extend a hand toward the young girl.]

A pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name?

[theunluckygirl]

Oh! [She takes a step back in her surprise, eyes wide. ?? ??? HE TURNED INTO A HUMAN? Was he always human but could turn into a cat? Was he a cat that could turn human??? What the fuck.

She doesn't respond right away, still caught up in her surprise, but manners are almost instinctive by now; Jennifer takes the offered hand and executes a curtsy automatically] Pleased to meet you, Mr. Dio. My name is Jennifer. I, ah... I'm a shinki belonging to Loki.

[The back of her left hand bears her kanji mark-- kekki, bloody--so she supposes it wasn't something she had to add when it was rather obvious. Well, whatever.

She gazes at him curiously; Masaki seemed to think favorably of him, and it was because of their partnership that she'd held very different views of the shinki/god bond than Jennifer did.]

...I'm sorry for showing up unannounced. I... It wasn't my intention to trespass.

[bussounoshima]

[The barrier makes Jennifer known to Sharak before the shinki can herself. As soon as Jennifer comes near it, Sharak looks up sharply from her position on the floor, surrounded by books and papers. Ah. They have company. Well, before she goes down the hill to invite Jennifer in, she had better tidy all this up.

While Sharak is piling up papers and putting them to the side, the man of the house also notices Jennifer. The rooster runs down the hill, clucking wildly, before stopping sharply just out of kicking range (it's possible he's learned). He bats his wings and crows threateningly!

Luckily, Sharak hears all this from the temple and just rolls her eyes. Shouting from inside:] Ignore him!

[theunluckygirl]

[JEsus christ it's a lion rooster get in the van.

Well the attack rooster does it's just fairly well, because Jennifer's yelping and jumping back in alarm before she can stop to consider the fact she's being scared by a glorified chicken. Boggled, Jennifer stares, wondering what to do. Getting pecked would surely hurt but--

Oh, there's Sharak.] But-- he seems to be trying very hard! [Jennifer attempts to sort of inch around the rooster towards Sharak's voice. She's semi-concerned about hurting the rooster's pride by ignoring him]

[bussounoshima]

[The rooster keeps darting back and forth, threatening Jennifer but never coming too close. He's all talk.

Sharak's at the temple entrance, on top of the hill, now anyway.] He's trying to be a pain in the ass. He won't follow you inside.

[And there's her invitation.]

[theunluckygirl]

[Jennifer still looks a little concerned, but after moving around him and making her way up the hill without incident, she relaxes enough to greet Sharak with a shy smile.]

I'm sorry for coming over unannounced. I hope I'm not interrupting something...?

[bussounoshima]

Nothing significant. Just some reading.

[She wasn't getting anything too useful out of it. Sharak starts to walk back inside and nudges a pile of books under an end table a little further.]

I've got time for a break. How have you been?

[theunluckygirl]

Well, thank you. [Her tone is almost painfully polite and distant, though she seems to at least realize it when she blushes and shakes her head.]

Sorry, I suppose I'm nervous. But things have been-- fine. I suppose I can't complain. [She doesn't know what else to really compare it to so for her everything is going about as well as she expects it to be. Which... That isn't very reassuring either.]

I wanted to do more with the meditation, if you had the time. And... [Jennifer hesitates, wondering how to word this.] I remembered something, from when I was alive. [She continues in a bit of a rush:] I didn't really know who else to talk to about it and you seem kind and smart, so I... [She trails off, embarrassed, and suddenly wishes she could take it back]

[volksdaemon]

[Schuldig's less-than-normal jerk attitude didn't stop him from keeping tabs on his shinki. So when Jennifer allowed herself to get Nora'ed on June 1st, he knew within a few hours. The spell that kept him on an emotional bender warred with instincts of feeling betrayed. He'd treated Jennifer far better than Sousuke, for one, and taken her on prayers. He didn't see what more a shinki could expect after the rough start. He'd set boundaries and let her roam on her own. Had he given her too much freedom then?

The easiest thing for the spell to calm him down to was waiting. He waited the rest of the day on the 1st and all day on the 2nd for her to tell him. Nothing came. He admittedly spent more time out and about from his temple on those days due to an anxious feeling of needing to be helpful to others, as if that would prove anything to Jennifer.

So it's from lying in his temple bed that he contacts her on the 3rd, not caring where she is.]

'Hey Cheerio. Is there something you'd like to tell me?'

[theunluckygirl]

[She's in the temple as well, for once, reading quietly in her own book from some book of fairy tales. They were comforting, especially as she's been trying to figure out just how to break the news of her nora-in to Schuldig herself.

While she's sure he must already know-- she assumes, in one way or another, that Schuldig just knows everything--she hasn't been able to bring it up herself. The timing hasn't seemed right, she couldn't figure out the words to say. But the second Schuldig's voice hits her head, her entire body tenses and goes cold. He knows. There's no escaping it now.]

'I was going to tell you.'

[She's scared, sitting up in her own bed and hugging her book to her protectively. Should she apologize? She's not particularly sorry about it, it was her decision and she'll stick to it, but she's not sure how to explain herself. There hadn't been much thought to her decision beyond wanting to do something she wanted, for herself, for once.]

'I'm sorry. For not telling you earlier. I-- I didn't know what to say.'

[volksdaemon]

[It's telling about Schuldig that he's not interested in seeing her face just yet. It wouldn't tell him anything he doesn't already know about her emotional state - nervous, namely.]

'I'm not sure I believe that. I think you would've been happy if I'd never said a word about it.'

[But she also knows there was no way for him not to find out. She's not stupid, and he's appreciated that about her since Day 1.]

'I told you I keep track of my shinki and you did this anyway. Let's start with why - why did you create another enemy for me?'

[He'd be a bit more impressed about the balls on this girl if he wasn't busy rooting around to figure out which god it was she allied herself to.]

[theunluckygirl]

'I, well, yes--' [She won't deny that. If they could've both just ignored the elephant in the room indefinitely, she'd much prefer that over confrontation.]

'Enemy...?' [Her voice is faint with horror. She doesn't know how much more powerful Schuldig was than Hijikata, or even if he was, but she's scared enough of Schuldig to believe he'd be a huge enough threat. Logic doesn't really have a place in fearful respect. Of course, Schuldig can probably pick up now who the god is since her mind immediately turns to Hijikata before she can think to stop it from doing so.]

'That wasn't-- You don't have to be--' [She grips tighter at her book.] 'I...I just... wanted to make a decision on my own... for once.' [She hadn't chosen Schuldig to be her god, it had gotten decided for her. And while she would never say anything terrible about the partnership--it worked out for both of them as well as could be expected, they both performed their designated roles--she'd just wanted control over her own servitude, just once.]

[volksdaemon]

'Oh you certainly did make a decision.' [He sits up in his bed, glaring across the way.]

'You invited me into a tug of war over you without even telling me I'd entered the game. Not nice, Cheerio. Not nice at all. And that guy?' [He scoffs a bit into their connection.] 'He's not some do-what-you-want pacifist god I can ignore or have a nice little chat about to get my shinki back. You've put thousands of people in a terrible position.'

[That's when he starts in on the guilt-tripping, because his followers are most important right now. His tone is calm, but frustrated and worried about how to proceed.] 'You know I answer prayers that include taking out ayakashi. How am I supposed to fight them with an unreliable shinki who could disappear from my side at a moment's notice? You'd risk my life and that of my followers for your decision you've made. You were my only dedicated shinki I took on prayers - and you should know why by now.'

[theunluckygirl]

[It takes all Jennifer has to not feel so guilty as to cause some kind of actual blight here, but the anxiety and bad feelings spike in intensity.

Still, she remembers the feeling of anger-fueled strength from that memory, the feeling of never wanting to be so cowardly again. She sinks her nails into the feeling, using it now to help her] 'Mr. Hijikata has a shinki of his own that is an actual weapon for him to use. He doesn't need me to fight ayakashi with, so there's little danger in him summoning me without notice. I'm sure he'd ask me first if I could go along.'

[UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE.] 'There's no need for some kind of custody battle. My loyalty hasn't wavered.' [And even children learn to share.] 'If you talk to him... If you talk to him, I'm sure you'd be able to work something out. He's a good, reasonable man.

And I... I will apologize for not telling you sooner, but--' [Jennifer takes a deep breath and sinks those nails in even further] 'I... will not apologize for my decision.'