[open] i'm a dangerous man put some money in my pocket

[slantedcross]

Who: Youji + you
What: Emotional hangover, some god power exploration...
When: Slightly backdated, June 1-3 as needed
Where: Outside his home, let's be flexible.
Warnings: Not so far. Will update as it becomes necessary.

June 1

[It's not really 'liquid courage' if you don't need courage in the first place, but there you go.

Youji is seated in an outdoor cafe area, it is barely past noon, but there's a bottle of wine on the table and he should probably, probably look for someone to share it with, because otherwise he will drink the whole thing. He's got enough in his system to dull his thoughts, but his reflexes are fast behind and if he's talking between glasses...

So to someone at the next table or just passing by (i.e., you), he lifts the bottle as if to pour, and smiles sheepishly.]

I have a spare glass, too... this is too much for one person.

June 2

[Back in that same cafe area... now he's got coffee instead of alcohol. Must have been a rough morning.

He's also got a sketchbook out in front of him, and few scattered pages are ripped and balled up around him. He starts to sketch, but is clearly frustrated by something, and when he's not ripping out more pages, he's very vigorously scribbling over drawings of these three women. He isn't the best artist, but he was passable enough to teach it credibly.]

Meditations on... what, exactly, am I doing? Wish I had that painting to destroy, now...

June 3

[Surprisingly enough, he's back in the same spot. He's already turned the waitress away twice, though, as he checks under the table and all the chairs, looking frantically for something.]

I know I've ripped it half to shreds by this point but is this any way to...

[He knocks a few balled up papers and swears as he bends over to pick them all up.]

Where is my damn sketchbook?

Comments

[fullcowl]

[Hedonism? That's a little familiar, wasn't he talking to somebody like that over the BBS a while back?]

Are you Hedone? I think we talked a while back.

I'm not sure those gods exist...? Or at least, I've never heard of them.

[slantedcross]

I am... are you... [He thinks back-- he actually doesn't use his god name too often--] Aidos.

It seems like they should, but maybe they're too modern. Once the Internet happened, I don't think new gods really came into existence.

In any case, if you are Aidos, you don't have any delinquency for me to contribute to, do you? Aidos seemed very straight-laced and proper.

[fullcowl]

Yeah, I'm Aidos. My name's actually Midoriya Izuku, but I can't change it on the network.

[There's a pause as he considers it.]

I'm not sure people would necessarily want those gods? Um... I don't have much delinquency? I got into some fights I shouldn't have, but that's about it.

[slantedcross]

Well, I don't think people want death gods, either... think Sisyphus. But it happens.

[It's more that what exists... should probably have an overseer of some sort.]

[fullcowl]

Death isn't preventable. But that stuff happens too, even if they don't have gods.

... There aren't exactly new gods, as far as I've seen. But there's a lot of fiction now. Like superheroes and monsters. I wonder if that's where people's beliefs end up going.

[slantedcross]

Clearly we need to step up our preventive efforts.

[Resting a tired chin in hand.]

It wouldn't surprise me. The main difference has to be that most people already know those aren't real-- 'fiction' meaning just that, whereas they did believe gods were real for such a long time... and still do in many cases.

I mean. Certainly I do, now.

[fullcowl]

[He can't be everywhere, even if he wants to be.]

I'm... not sure if there are gods at home, even after this. It's impossible to deny they... we exist here though.

[slantedcross]

On one level, I suppose it doesn't matter. If someone believes or doesn't believe, it's impossible to dissuade them.

I never saw any evidence of them back home, certainly. I'd say "they" first, as well. "We" is such a hard concept to work with, I wouldn't even put myself in charge of a goldfish.

[fullcowl]

Doesn't look like we can opt out of being gods though. Even if we don't feel qualified for the position, we've still been assigned to them.

... I wonder how they picked.

[slantedcross]

You're more generous than I am. I wonder if they picked, and even who 'they' are.

I don't know much about the ones who were gods or shinki before we started arriving, but here and there, it feels like they've been thrown, too.

[fullcowl]

I wish I knew. Is there anything above gods?

I've been talking to Bishamon a little bit. She doesn't seem to know why we're here either.

[slantedcross]

The universe itself, maybe. Chaos. Void. But those are concepts, not... self-aware, I hope.

Whoever wishes the god into existence, maybe...

[That's a long road to wander down...]

I've never met her. She's usually knowledgeable? What's her domain?

[fullcowl]

It'd be weird of they were sentient. [... Maybe he doesn't want to think about this. It seems like the kind of thing that'll make him think in circles.]

You haven't? She's native to this world. If I remember right it's war and punishment of evil-doers.

[slantedcross]

How would you suggest approaching her? Friendly or romantic, I could do either.

[Though depending on how she defines "evil-doers."]

[fullcowl]

Uh... I think friendly is probably the safer option?

[Who knows if she has a boyfriend. Izuku went with friendly, but he's not gonna hit on anybody.]

[slantedcross]

But safe isn't very romantic... [Which was very likely the point. Youji was usually good at romancing targets and their associates for assassin work, but trying his luck on an actual goddess, who knew she was without being told... well, if he ever needed to kill himself and didn't have a weapon nearby, it might be a good idea.]

It's not very exciting, either, but maybe there's enough of that going around.

[fullcowl]

[Vaguely alarming. Does he want to get injured or something?]

Do you really want exciting?

[slantedcross]

Hm. [Pause for thought, because... that's a very good question.]

In limited doses. [He says finally.] Assuming I can turn it off when I'm tired of it.

[fullcowl]

I feel like exciting doesn't stop on command.

... At least, not usually.