thenearshore | 012 | The Beach Episode

Entry tags:

012 | The Beach Episode

Who: Everyone!
What: Beach party
When: All day June 5
Where: The beach
Summary: A beach party for all of the Far Shore residents

[01-27 Edit: Continue your threads at the overflow post to evade captcha!]

There were certainly a lot of broken hearts and emotional roller coasters recently, so the Heavens have decided it's time to allow their people to let loose and have some fun for a little while. Through some magic - or possibly just a lot of money - they have managed to rent out an entire private beach for the event so that they won't be interrupted by any Near Shore residents. The beach is beautiful and well-maintained, the ocean goes for as far as the eye can see, and rocky outcroppings offer a handy place to dive into the water on a test of courage.

It's a beautiful summer day, perfect for swimming and cracking watermelons and playing some beach volleyball. There's even some soft music permeating the air so that nothing is every silent on this fun-filled day.

New arrivals, after having been met at the Meeting Hall, would have been immediately redirected to this party. After all, they should be enjoying themselves as well.

Swimwear

ugly

old

weird

Playful Fish

The sea critters are excited about the party too. They're happy to swim up to anyone in the water and will even come up to the shallows to take a look at the fun happening on the shore. Toe nibbling and brushes of scales are in your future, so you'd better get used to the idea if you plan on being in the water.

Barbecue

Some basics have been provided, but everyone has been asked to bring a little something to the barbecue as well if they can. So you're more than welcome to grab one of the many grills and start frying things up. Heck, there are even fishing poles available if you feel like hauling in a few of those friendly fish to grill. Additionally, summery drinks have been provided, including iced tea, lemonade, water, and horribly fruity cocktails.

After Dark

Just because the sun is down doesn't mean that the party's stopping! The barbecue will continue well into the night, lit now by the stars and a huge, roaring bonfire. The bonfire is maintained by Amaterasu's shinki and climbs higher than any bonfire has the right to. Also, there are floating lights in the water so that people can continue swimming now that it's dark. And if you happen to get too drunk to go home, don't worry. A white-clad shinki will be happy to put you back to bed at the end of the night. Additionally, some sparklers and small bottle rockets have been provided for your entertainment.

In Summary:

Get some sun
Go for a swim
Make sure you're in a swimsuit
Enjoy the food and activities
Don't drown
Have fun~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That's too bad. He couldn't begrudge other people their tastes, but there is that brief moment of obvious, if attempted hidden, disappointment. Oh well. There were surely SOME things around here--]

Do you think it would taste good? I'm willing to try it out.

[Soy sauce, salty as can be. But done right.. it did seem as if this person knew a lot more about cooking than he did, trusting the experts was a good idea wasn't it?]

I've never tried it before. But if you're willing to be my taste tester, I'm certainly willing to try.

[Forrest smiles, actually a little excited to be broadening his culinary horizons.]

Soy sauce is very salty, so I'll mix in a few other things to cut the flavor.

[Like ginger, also from the sushi platter. And a bit of sugar. He's talking out loud to himself a bit as he works.]

...

[It's not the first time he's been a guinea pig really.]

Alright. I'll trust your judgment.

[How bad could it possibly go? A little sweet couldn't hurt, and maybe it would help balance out the incredible salt after all. He clasps his hands behind his back lightly, rocking a little on his heels, and settles in to watch with interest.

Everything is worth study.]

[Well, it smells good, anyway. Forrest marinates the fish in the sauce he's concocted as it's grilling, making sure to get a good char on each side before plating and serving.]

Here it is. I hope it's to your liking.

[The plate is taken with a murmured thanks when it's offered, but he doesn't dig in immediately. Nope, smelled first. Food isn't just a stuff it in your face sort of affair for this guy apparently.

It smelled good. Not like candy, or overly sweetened honeyed sauces.

A piece of the pleasantly charred fish is broken off and sampled, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed. ... Definitely better than most of the other things he'd tried.]

It's good.

[Short, definitive.]

I think maybe a bit of garlic would work well with it too, though I'm not much of a cook.

[..pardon him while he's going to inhale the rest of this.]

[Forrest seems pleased that it's gone over well, and he's all too happy to add another recipe to his repertoire. Even if it wasn't quite perfect, it was still a very good first try.]

Garlic... I'll remember that. Thank you.

Mm. I think I should be thanking you. So, thank you.

[After all, this fellow's gone completely out of his way for him! And doing things that weren't in his usual recipe list as well.]

If I might trouble you a bit further, are you by any chance one of the shinki or gods of this world?

You're quite welcome. It was fun, making something new.

[Forrest is all smiles, nodding back at him.]

Yes, I'm here to fill in for the goddess Lakshmi.

[The dish is carefully set aside and from somewhere on his person is drawn .. a spiral bound notebook and a pen. ..Huh. They seem harmless, and his interest also harmless. So far. Curiosity, the bane of his existence.]

Lakshmi, you say. May I ask a few questions? I only arrived here myself this afternoon and the young man I met with was helpful but of course there's always.. gaps.

Edited 2017-01-17 02:09 (UTC)

Yes, of course. I can't claim to know everything about this place, but I'll answer what I can.

What is Lakshmi's sphere of influence? How long have you had that role?

[All of it, vitally important to know. And much, much more..]

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of welath and beauty. I've been holding the role for a few months now.

[Into the notebook it goes.]

Are you forced to do as the higher gods bid or allowed to do as you wish? ...Do you have a shinki of your own?

The other gods have been largely...

[how to say this politely]

...hands-off. They don't seem to mind what we do as long as it doesn't endanger heaven.

[And even that seems to be a pretty loose definition.]

I have two, yes. One was assigned to me when I arrived, and the other also serves my father.

By hands-off do you mean absent entirely or merely inept?

[Xehanort has dealt with a lot of 'hands-off' people before of both varieties. Still, more notes get jotted, because if nothing FORCES him to play by their rules, he might do things his way instead.]

...Did you have to go looking for your shinkis?

It's... a complicated situation. I think there's some sort of unrest among the gods. There may be a traitor among them.

[Unfortunately, he doesn't know much more than that, and he signals as much with a shake of his head.]

Psyche and I were drawn to one another. I'm afraid I can't explain it much more than that.

[That draws a blank look. A traitor to what? What would a traitor even do? What are they fighting besides monsters?]

Do you know what 'traitor' even is in this context? Someone creating monsters?

[There were gods of evil and gods of good, how could that encapsulate anything like 'traitor'?

He didn't feel particularly drawn anywhere. A faint frown crosses Xehanort's face before he raises one hand to rub it. That won't help much in finding his own.]

And here I'd hoped there would be an easier way of finding my own. I don't feel drawn somewhere, or to anyone..

I think someone - or perhaps an entire faction - is trying to overthrow Amaterasu, the head god in charge of Takamagahara. I'm afraid I don't know anything more than that.

[Forrest frowns too. He'd really like to be able to tell him more, but that would require knowing more himself.]

You should know your shinki when you see them. You'll receive a vision of how they died. But you have to be careful never to tell them about their past.

I see. I suppose I'll have to find out why that's a bad thing while I'm working on everything else.

[Not all revolutions are bad, after all. A great many were beneficial! But if there was no further information at this time, nothing could be done about that. There would be plenty of time to try to find out later.

Honestly, this talk of seeing someone die neatly removes his train of thought from the previous topic, and Forrest is regarded with a wide-eyed expression that in anyone else would look alarmed. As it's Xehanort, clearly it can't actually be alarm. Surely.]

I was told to avoid talking about their pasts, which generally should be really easy, but .. watch them die? They're dead? Undead?

Well... it isn't as if Amaterasu is a bad goddess, at least from what I've heard.

[Isn't a plan to overthrow someone like that reason enough to call it a bad thing? He doesn't really want to argue the point, though, so he's happy to move along.]

Yes. Dead would be more accurate than undead, though. Shinki still possess a will and a mind of their own, they just don't have their memories from when they were alive. But naming them involves seeing their deaths.

History has had plenty of kind, well intentioned but fairly inept rulers. I don't know but it could be a case of that here.

[It is 100% a guess, and Xehanort's willing to make it clear it's a guess. Amaterasu could ALSO be the most on-the-ball ruler there's ever been.

There was so much to find out and not enough time to do ANY of it in. He scrubs his face with one hand, frowning. Why was nothing ever straightforward and easy?]

It seems they and I have something in common at least. I haven't found mine yet but I am not looking forward to seeing someone die. And then not being able to even offer a condolence over it.. How do you deal with it?

It... was rather shocking at first. The very sight of it brought me to tears.

[Forrest frowns, closing his eyes and bowing his head a moment as he remembers the experience of seeing Psyche's death. Niles' was even worse in many ways, but at least he knew what he was in for.]

...I suppose everyone must deal with it differently. Condolences aren't entirely out of the question, as shinki do know they're dead, but... I try not to think about it.

[Tears. It wasn't likely he'd be moved to that point himself, but when was the last time he'd seen someone die?

When had he ever seen someone die? The thought is strange and bitter so he puts it aside.]

I'm afraid I won't be able to stop thinking about it. And not being able to tell them anything related..

[Unease flickered up at the thought of telling them about it. That in-built warning system again..]

I suppose I'm going to have to get used to keeping knowledge to myself very quickly or risk accidentally creating monsters.

[Well, Forrest is a bit of a sap that way. He can't even stand the sight of blood.]

I wish I could say it gets easier. I just try to focus on the things I can do to help.

[Best to get used to it. Being a god of death would likely mean seeing a whole lot of dying and dead people. Likely he'll be able to maintain his detachment with a bit of practice and just overcome it.]

What sort of things do you do, that help?

[This has a note of curiosity to it. He might not imitate it but knowing what another person did..]

(no subject)

clothes_make_the_man - 2017-01-24 22:46 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only