Borderline 101

[young_oldman]

Who: Adachi and Lu Meng
What: Lu Meng teaches his fellow shinki about borderlines
Where: Sanae's temple at the Far Shore
When: Evening, June 4th
[It wouldn't do for a shinki to go around without knowing how to cast a borderline. A god relies on their shinki to protect them, and a borderline allowed a shinki some measure of security against ayakashi when/if venturing out on their own.

That's why Lu Meng had approached Adachi and asked if he was interested to learning how to form a borderline. The increasingly warmer afternoon sun means this lesson is held in the late evening, at Sanae's temple grounds. Lu Meng collects Adachi from their home and leads him outside, greeting the other shinki before asking:] You mentioned that you've never cast a borderline. Has anyone told you how one is formed?

Comments

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi was approaching this like most things: as awkwardly as possible. He fidgeted where he stood before Lu -- which, for a guy that turned into a flip phone, was pretty intimidating next to his scrawny self. ]

[ It was a moment before he could let out a steadying breath. ]

Uh, there were some people talking about holding a class on it awhile back, but that was around when my first god disappeared. I didn't get a chance to attend.

[young_oldman]

[So they're starting from scratch. That's fine.]

Then I'll explain from the beginning then.

A borderline is an ability unique to shinki; it serves as a "border" to protect us from the ayakashi. A shinki can form a borderline by making this hand gesture [Insert gesture here and forming the line between him and the ayakashi.

[Lu Meng performs the necessary motion, calling out "Issen!" before pulling an imaginary line in front of him. Mimicking the action, a purple light slashes across the ground in front of him, forming the ubiquitous borderline that the shinki are known for.]

The borderline is primarily used to defend against ayakashi. The wall itself does not harm, but with practice a shinki can summon a borderline to slice through ayakashi. Keep in mind that doing so will only wound them. An ayakashi can only be killed when a shinki is wielded by a god.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi let out a faint noise, his eyes widening in surprise. Well, the skill itself sounded underwhelming, but it looked cool at least. Still, it was kinda shitty that all they could do was give the bad guys a little cut that didn't seemed to do much. Hell, if some guy just cut him, he'd probably be pissed... or cry in a corner. ]

[ ...yeah, okay, so maybe it was useful. ]

Question? Is the weird shouting necessary?

[ Because that was the most important issue here. ]

Sorry for the delay! Chinese New Year happened. Do let me know if you'd like to drop/handwave.

[young_oldman]

No. Simply saying the word should do.

The key to a successful borderline is focus. Contempt and derision towards the thing or person that you're trying to create a barrier against also aids in the process.

[Lu Meng dispels his borderline and gestures at Adachi to give it a go.]

Don't be disheartened if it fails to materialise. It generally takes more than a few tries to summon your first borderline, but with consistent practice it will become second-nature to you.

No worries.

[sleight_of_hand]

Uhh... okay...

[ Adachi made a face, holding his hand the way Lu Meng did, and trying to make the motion. His tongue tripped over the word for it, however, coming out as an awkward Ishen instead. ]

...erm. This may take some work...

Thanks

[young_oldman]

Issen, not Ishen.

And that's not a problem at all. [He assures the other shinki.] We can practice for as long as you need. It is imperative though that you learn how to cast a borderline.

If you're up for it, we could take a trip to the Near Shore and find some weak ayakashi to practice on. Having an actual target to focus on can be quite effective.

[sleight_of_hand]

Issen... Issen...

[ He repeated it to himself a few times, just to try and get his tongue to stop twisting around it. It was a moment before he returned his attention to Lu, and he hesitated a moment, rubbing at the back of his neck. ]

Uh... we're not going to put ourselves in danger doing that, right?

[young_oldman]

[Lu Meng nods, and waits for Adachi to familiarize himself with the word. On the question if they would be in danger by participating in this exercise...]

There will always be an element of danger when confronting ayakashi. But I'm confident of my borderline, and these will be weak ayakashi you will be practicing on. I'll ensure that no harm comes to you.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ He's not so sure about that, and it shows on his face. Still, Adachi let out a breath, shaking his head to try and pull up what confidence he had. ]

All right. W-what's the worst that could happen? H-heh...

[young_oldman]

That's the spirit. [Have a manly clap on the back, Adachi! He might now know much about Sanae's latest shinki, but he'll warrant a guess that Adachi doesn't have much fighting experience. Lu Meng can't really fault him for being scared and uncertain about the whole business.] I know that ayakashi can be fearsome but if you're prepared to face them, you will have less to fear.

[It's not long before both men find themselves on the Near Shore. Lu Meng brings Adachi to the front of an old, abandoned and dilapidated shrine, tucked away at a quiet corner of the street. And although the sun is shining in full force, the shadows cast by its rays stretch long. As the two shinki make their presence known, a small, slimy and shapeless head stretches out from the shadows, all eyes focused on the intruders. Rattling, with spittle drooling out of its oozing maw, the ayakashi begins to gloop forward, slowly approaching the pair.

Lu Meng turns to Adachi and gestures at the ayakashi.]

This one. Try to summon a borderline between it and us.