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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. :(]

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[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?

[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??]

[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.

Edited (don't mind my repetitiveness) 2017-01-06 04:57 (UTC)

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.]

[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?

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.

[He caught onto her surprise, though it was unusual to him, after having met so many people with strange powers for someone to find him strange and unusual for what he could do alone. Now, the '6'4", flamboyant vampire' bit usually got them going.

Right now his flamboyance was dampened by how charmed he was by the young girl's impeccable politeness.]

Oh, it's not a problem, Ms. Jennifer. Masaki has a way of being particularly welcoming, so it's not terribly unexpected.

[Dio let her hand fall from his, not intending to hold her hostage. He then turned away and waved at her to coax her to follow him.]

Let's get you inside. I'm sure you didn't come to have a chat with me. [Unless she did. He doubted it but who knows what Masaki said to other people?]

[If it helps, Jennifer seems to live in a constant state of forgetting weird things exist; she'll be as startled the 8th time as she was the 1st. It's a problem.

She follows after him gratefully, storing the 'is he a cat or a human' question in the back of her mind (she'll ask Masaki later).]

Ah, no, not this time, I'm afraid. [Jennifer smiles lightly, albeit nervous. Don't take it personally though, she's pretty much also in a constant state of anxiety.] Miss Masaki helped me before, and I've simply been a bit too busy to follow up in talking with her. [she's quiet a moment, her gaze curious on Dio's back as they walk]

...Do you and Miss Masaki get along well?

[He didn't seem terribly disappointed to not be who she was looking for. It just meant that once she was settled in he could be on his way, prowling about his jungle once more. Maybe he could help her out once she was ready to leave, if he didn't get carried away with the idea of making a path in the underbrush.]

I certainly think so, and I hope she does as well. I care for Masaki quite a bit. [That was an understatement, but he couldn't go around speaking about their past, and so his feelings for her simply had to be downplayed.

It wouldn't be long before they happen upon his temple, the immediate look of it being perhaps somewhat intimidating, especially in how the entrance seemed rather well hidden.]

I imagine she gets along well with most people. She can be a spitfire, though. [He smiled as if she should already be in on that little 'joke', leading her under a little overhang to where there was a small mud room before the main door.]

Here we are.

It must be very nice. [Her tone is polite, if a bit wistful.] Many of the pairs care for each other very much. It's wonderful, really. I'm glad for you both.

[If a bit envious too. There's a soft 'oh!' of surprise and awe when the temple comes into proper view. Jennifer doesn't even bother hiding how starstruck she is; all of the gods' temples she's been to just take her breath away.

And while Jennifer isn't sure if there's another part to the joke Dio's making about Masaki, she can at least acknowledge he's totally not wrong here.] She's very kind, and...spirited. [It's a little distressing to Jennifer how nice Masaki is, honestly.]

Thank you very much for leading me here Mr. Dio. I would have been wandering the jungle for hours still if you hadn't come along, I think.

I assume you do not have such a relationship with your god. [He doesn't pry, simply deduces. It wasn't his place to get involved, he supposed, but if she was a friend of Masaki's...]

It may not mean anything now, but please feel free to consider this a safe place if you need one. [Maybe her being a polite young English woman also helped. So Dio had biases. It wasn't currently hurting anyone.]

Anyway... you should head inside, I think. Masaki will be happy to see you, and should you need it, I'll be here to escort you out later. [He had some night prowling to do. He'd be out for some hours anyway.]

[Jennifer goes quiet at that statement and looks away, as if ashamed.] We work well together. I'm just a shinki, after all. [Therefore, it's not her place to judge her relationship with her god] As long as I can serve him well enough, that's all that really matters. That's all I want.

[Alright so that's a lie, sort of, because her feelings on the matter have become more complicated now, but she sends Dio a shy smile] Thank you, Mr. Dio. I'll remember that. [She curtsys again before ducking inside to meet up with Masaki]

[Dio pressed his lips together at that, feeling somewhat upset at that. Not terribly surprised, truly, but upset nonetheless. It was easy to think of shinki as just 'things', rather thank people with their own individual needs and wants, but after having Masaki for his own... it was just hard for him to imagine doing that himself.]

It is my pleasure, Ms. Jennifer. [That was all that he said on the subject, however, allowing her to move along to see her friend, Dio takign off into the woods and taking his rather comfortable jaguar form once more.]

You're here! I was just coming out.

[And lo and behold, the reason she hadn't bolted right when she got the message (and giving Dio time to bound back into the jungle, jaguar form and all) as in the form of her wet hair, her clothes half damp.

Aka she'd just been in the shower. She's a little breathless, and she comes up, making to take Jennifer's hands.]

I'm so sorry! I should have warned you, it's really easy to get confused and lost in the jungle and it's dark and-

[Wait, hold up.]

How'd you get inside? I'm not sure why, but the entry way is kinda hard to spot.

[Jennifer smiles reassuringly, letting Masaki take her hands]

It's alright, I'm sorry for worrying you. I should have messaged you again to let you know everything was alright.

[She looks behind her towards the door, but Dio's long gone by now, so she turns back looking sheepish] Your god found me and was kind enough to lead me here. I was a little frightened at first-- It's not every day you get a giant cat talking to you out of nowhere like that, but it all worked out well in the end.

It's just good to see you're all right.

[She offers Jennifer a bright smile, though it fades a little in the explanation.]

Dio was out there? Oh-I didn't think to warn you about that. I was pretty startled when I saw him like that the first time. Jaguar, right?

Is that what it's called? I kept wanting to say 'leopard' but I wasn't sure.

[She smiles slightly] But yes, he startled me a little, but once her learned I was your friend he was very helpful. Though I'm a little worried what might've happened if I hadn't been...

[She's... sort of joking. Sort of. She shrugs, a bit sheepish.] I suppose it's best I don't find out. I'll try to stay in your good graces.

Different kind of cats. Leopards and jaguars have similar coat patterns, but jaguars have a more powerful build. They're also bigger then leopards.

[Things she learned during her time with Dio! She might have also seen him in various cat forms. (Including house cats). Very educational.

But she shakes her head a little, still smiling.]

I'm sure it would have been all right, so long as you were polite.

Oh. [She looks at Masaki in a sort of awe] You know that off the top of your head? You always impress me, Masaki.

I'm always polite. [The surprise is almost a little comical, like maybe in some twisted way Masaki might think she wouldn't be polite. She wouldn't think that, right??

Right, back to the task at hand] I'm sorry for dropping by so suddenly, by the way. I should have at least asked if it as alright first, but I... I thought if I didn't just do it I wouldn't be able to get the courage up to see you.

[She laughs a little in disbelief, shaking her head.]

Not really. I looked it up once I knew my god was a patron to jaguars.

And I know you're polite. I'm usually the rude one, not you.

[She chuckles quietly, and motions for Jennifer to follow her further into the temple.]

I haven't even offered you tea yet. But really, it's okay. I would have dropped by if you told me where you temple is. What's up? I'm not going to bite you or anything.

Is that what he looks over? I'm afraid I haven't done much research on other gods...

[Wait, hold on-- There's a spluttered protest ("you're not rude at all!"), but the mention of her own home makes her hesitate and trail off. Her tone grows apologetic] I... Loki doesn't want me telling anyone where it is, I'm afraid.

[And ah, there's the question. Jennifer twists her hands together anxiously, silent for several long seconds as she figures out how to respond.] I... remembered something. From when I was alive.

Oh, that's one thing he does. He's one of those gods that covers a lot of different things.

[She waves a hand, and while she smiles at Jennifer for her protest-she grows sombre at the confirmation that Loki still doesn't want anyone to see his temple.

After what Sousuke went through, she has to wonder if Loki has a reason he wants his privacy. But before she can voice it, Jennifer makes her confession.]

What...?

[Masaki stares at her for a few moments, stunned, before looking over her.]

Are you all right? You haven't shown any signs of becoming an ayakashi or anything?

[Jennifer quickly shakes her head] No, I'm fine. It was like a... a dream. I woke up and just knew that it was real.

But I can't remember anything besides this memory. If I try, I start feeling terrible again... So I suppose only one piece was returned to me for...some reason. I don't know why. [She clenches her hands together tightly, body shaking slightly.] It's...scary, but I'm... glad, I think. I don't know...

[A dream...her expression is troubled, but she nods. She knows all too well what that terrible feeling is. She's encountered it more than once. But knowing that Jennifer hasn't turned into an ayakashi for it makes her relax a bit.]

I don't know why either. But you know what? That's okay.

[Some things are better not to think about too closely.]

Would you like a hug?

[She looks startled at the offer and at first looks ready to protest. But then her mask seems to cracks and her shoulders slump]

Yes, I... I think I would like that. [A hug might be just what she needs right now.]

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shockshot - 2017-01-23 02:45 (UTC) - Expand

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