thenearshore | [Semi-Closed] Heads I Win, Tales You Lose

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[Semi-Closed] Heads I Win, Tales You Lose

Who: Schwarz and business acquaintances
What: Meeting Loki's OG Boss
When: June 12
Where: Loki's Hollow
Warnings: General meeting of broken moral compass gods and the poor not-as-bad people who got bonded to them

The icy cavern outside of Loki's Hollow is a fair deterrent to standing around outside of the alcove entrance for very long. If you do know where to find the latch on the little table, it's no trouble at all. It pops the turning door when touched, which leads into the main living space. That much is communal.

Unlike many other temples, Schuldig's isn't very large. Perhaps that's because he has the full expanse of the exterior cavern and a hallway leading into it that he gets to 'guard' as part of his temple. In the warm space, there's really only the two bedrooms and a guest bathroom plus Schuldig's master suite. It's a luxury hotel space tucked away in a mountain, the likes of which have become popular in Europe of late, the kind of place Schuldig spends very little time in unless he's sleeping. That's why it's not an ideal meeting space... unless you want that meeting to be as clandestine as possible in the Far Shore. And today, introducing his shinki to the newly-arrived boss and meeting his shinki in turn, that's about all the temple needs to be used for. At least the entryway-plus-living room is quite large. Maybe they can be convinced to play some cards.

[[OOC: If Schuldig or Crawford hasn't told your character the location of Loki's Hollow, or your character's power doesn't allow them to spy, please ask about finding Schuldig's temple.]]

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Since the run-in with Urashima a few days ago, Chikusa's luck has been a little better.

While his attempts to learn more about ayakashi and the blight they carry is still going a little more slowly than he prefers, other things he's been putting his focus on have been doing decently. Even uncertain of how much good they'll do him, he's gathered some more poison for his weapons, and acquired a camera for whenever it might next come in handy.

Yet it's still that first one which has so much of his attention, although he has to admit it's probably for the best that he hasn't acquired the necessary ingredients just yet. Bringing such a despicable and revolting thing into his god's temple... No, there's no way he would even humor the thought. At the same time, although Hakkai had agreed to let him store some things at his school, Chikusa isn't comfortable trying out experiments and the like there, either. This is more.... private, and dangerous, than he can afford to do at a place like a school.

That's why he's currently wandering through the Far Shore now, spine slouched, fiddling with a yoyo, and a simple dark gray slouch beanie in place. There are plenty of abandoned temples about, he's come to learn, and it's worth at least checking out the various places to see if one could suit his purpose well enough.

Even as he thinks that, his gaze flicks around, a quiet tension in his stomach. The Far Shore is still a mystery, and something deeply ingrained in him tells him that the further he ventures from more occupied temples, the more he has a chance of running into something unpleasant.

A little paranoia has never hurt anyone.

Jennifer wouldn't say she's anxious, exactly, so much as wary. Schuldig isn't one to divulge secrets and reasonings onto her--and she doesn't really expect him too either. She's a shinki, it's not her place to really question things, and generally she does a good job of not doing that. She simply does what she's told when she's told (well, usually), and observes from the sidelines; despite her quiet, reserved nature there's very little she misses.

But none of this stops her from being insatiably curious. She knows they're having guests, which is enough alone to make Jennifer's curiosity fly into overdrive; they never have guests. She's made tea and cleaned up--not that there was much to clean since they hardly ever spent time around the temple--and decorated with the flowers she's been taking care of at various gardens to make the place look as inviting as she can. She's tying to play the dutiful hostess, okay?

Jennifer fusses over a vase of flowers, arranging and rearranging to keep her hands visits as she ponders over just what kind of person would be coming to visit someone like Schuldig, and who he'd trust enough to do so.

Dana hasn't been spending too much time around Crawford, not when there's still so much to learn. She's haunted the library and crossed and re-crossed the Heavens' walking paths, and she's found... well, she's forced to admit, she hasn't found much.

She also hasn't found any sign that this place isn't exactly what everyone claims it is. It might be short on fluffy clouds and harps, but she's not a big fan of harp music to begin with; and she's forced to admit that the way temples seem to allow her to travel magically from one place to another isn't easily explained. Not by any sort of scientific explanation she can come up with, anyway.

So, despite all her looking, she's a little more at a loss than she'd been to begin with. She hadn't put up a fuss when Crawford offered to invite her along to meet his allies. Solo investigations haven't gotten her anywhere, so maybe it's time to start working with others.

She pauses just inside the entryway, arms crossed as she surveys the room. It's really not too large -- no bigger than a particularly expensive hotel suite -- but then, there aren't too many people here, either. They fit.

Clearing her throat, she glances at the nearest of the other visitors, and puts on a businesslike smile.

"Hello. So, you're here for the meeting, too?"

Schuldig's got all of two people to order a time and a place to show up at his temple through telepathy since Crawford wants an opportunity to talk to them. They at least know what he's capable of - they should, they're his shinki. Meanwhile Crawford's got his own shinki to bring. And if Nagi does show up, that's on Crawford too. Schuldig himself was tasked with bringing Chikusa in. He's not a shinki to either of them and, unlike Nagi, not from their world to boot, but Crawford saw something in him that Schuldig was aware of even in his warped state.

So, better than a telepathic invasion, Chikusa gets the honor of an in-person meeting. He scans as he teleports to look for the young man, whom he doesn't have a constant signal on like his own shinki, and eventually finds him by those abandoned temples. Makes his life easier, anyway. He teleports behind a wall to start, the only sound a magical appearance noise and his weight settling on the floor. From there he can get a bead on Chikusa's emotional state while finally calling out.

"Been awhile, huh Chikusa?"

"All of your fidgeting is enough to drive a lesser telepath up the wall, you know," he says stepping out from his own bedroom. However, knowing the reasoning behind her anxious energy, he supposes he can do something about that. Probably should, so as not to waste (more) of Crawford's precious time. "You want to know who else I could possibly trust to bring into the temple, is that it?" Since he's so obviously fond of having other visitors over.

"Remember what I warned you about that first day? Goes double for this guy." He settles onto the couch, spreading his arms and crossing one leg over the other. "My boss finally showed up." Yes, boss - he figured if he made it clear what the hierarchy was, she might be as respectful to Crawford - if not moreso - than to Schuldig himself. "He knows who I am - has known for years. He's got his own brand of Talent, so I know you'll be wise to not anger him." He closes his eyes. "Crawford. American, despite the posh name." Then he opens them to take stock of her following all of this or not.

Jennifer jumps slightly in surprise, being absorbed enough in her work to not really take notice of him at first. Of course, once he's in the room, it's hard to not notice him; subtly isn't really Schuldig's middle name or anything, or maybe it's just becase he's her god that she's so aware of him once he's in the vicinity.

She turns and faces him quietly, hands folded neatly in front of her as she listens; she doesn't have to really say or ask anything when she knows Schuldig will tell her just about everything she might need if she waits long enough. The reveal that it's his boss showing up is certainly a surprise, and she doesn't bother to hide the equally surprised expression. "Your boss..." Jennifer echoes it, not quite disbelieving but... It's hard to imagine Schuldig bending a knee--figuratively speaking--to anyone. She can only imagine what kind of man this Crawford was then.

"Is he an easy man to anger?" Because Jennifer goes out of her way to not anger people anyhow, but still.

At the first faint sound of something changing- a sound he can't identify, the sound of feet adjusting onto earth- the yoyo snaps back into his palm even as he's twisting on his heel to face the direction of it. Already his brain is running through the motions of letting out a spray of needles the second he has a bead on the new company.... except then he realizes there's a wall in the way, and his legs tense, ready to carry him to somewhere more advantageous.

Only then there's a voice speaking and, perhaps just as important, it's one he faintly recognizes. Minutely, he lets his body ease up. It's that one person... What had his name been again? Skye? Skylar, that's right...

"What do you want?" he asks, trying to judge how much he should care about the appearance of the other man. If he's just roaming like so many other people seem to do, then Chikusa supposes he can ignore him, although he might want to cross this temple off of his list of potential places to work in.

Turns out having your god's temple in such a secluded no man's land makes the idea of being a lazy recluse very encouraging. Even more when you have a cozy bedroom that shields you from the howling, wintry breeze.

Mikazuki has his tea set and a selection of snacks out as usual, a tried and tested way of entertaining. After all, it's only proper to show hospitality to new friends. To anyone who passes, this shinki would extend a welcoming gaze.

A shame if the tea was to go cold.

Schuldig has the benefit of knowing everyone in attendance's role, and not just because he's a telepath. He approaches the woman and doesn't offer a handshake due to her very business-first manner, something he figures he could even appreciate. There were a lot of young kids around. But he catches her attention before continuing. "I would be the host, actually."

He raises a chin to her. "Name's Schuldig. You would be Crawford's shinki." By simple process of elimination since he's not met her. "I hope that he's impressed upon you how seriously I take my privacy here." He makes a vague gesture around the not terribly large space. "I'm not a god of fun or fancy. I deal in clandestine plans."

He looks around because 'host' doesn't mean 'meeting manager' precisely. He doesn't want to overstep Crawford's plans. So, he defaults to introductions Schuldig makes a motion to Jennifer. "That's one of my shinki over there cleaning, Jennifer. And the other is a man - Mikazuki Munechika, but I usually shorten that."

Her question gets a laugh from him along with her imagination providing 'bending a knee' even figuratively. Yeah, well... More like there was a nice benefit to being on his knees around Crawford. Most days. Not as much lately, due to finding out that Crawford was from his past.

"On the surface, no - unless you're me." He smirks. If he wants to, he knows how to get a rise out of Crawford, and at least as a god he has a small chance of getting out such a situation alive too, as opposed to an infinitesimally small one. "But under all of that, he'll hold a grudge as long as I will and pay it back with interest. That's our way." Geez, ours, because that's better than calling a two-man team by its team name?

"I was going to say that someone like you is unlikely to ever anger him... but he knows I haven't addressed your other master yet either." He's finally getting over that "emotional bender" he'd been on and realizing that as much as he didn't like it when he first found out, he likes it even less now.

It's a good thing Jennifer isn't a mind reader, honestly. "I see..." She likes to think she's inoffensive enough that this won't be a problem; she can't see herself doing anything to make him so mad as to develop a grudge, but, then again Jennifer seemed to excel at making people hate her for no good reason. Not that it happened much here anymore, but it's a feeling she got.

Schuldig's comment about her 'other master' makes her go still and a chill goes over her, like her blood runs cold. "You've... told him?" It shouldn't matter, really, and Jennifer doesn't know why Crawford would care, but she doesn't know why he wouldn't either; she knows nothing about him, after all. She watches Schuldig with a very careful scrutiny, trying to gauge his emotions and response to formulate her own responses better. Whatever would anger him least and placate him.

"Not much," he replies casually, still not moving from his spot. He's caught on that Chikusa's on edge, not that he blames the kid. That kind of paranoia is healthy in their line of work. "I hear you met a friend of mine. Imagine my surprise when he said he wanted me to extend a personal invitation to meet us both."

Scuffing the ground on purpose, he shifts on his spot but still doesn't remove the wall as a barrier between them. "Name of Crawford ring a bell at all?" Maybe that'll get Chikusa to back down a bit? If not, then it could possibly take a bit more effort... and maybe a show of power with his telepathy, but he'd rather not, if Crawford likes the kid for a new Schwarz slot as much as Schuldig does.

Something they agree on. There are days that Schuldig doesn't want to leave his bed either, and he's used to the cold weather anyway. Not the cold of the cave, but the cold weather of the Far Shore too.

Schuldig walks up and leans against the wall near where Mikazuki is taking tea. "Crawford should be here any minute. I expect we'll have to try training more often now." He looks over at the sword-spirit to see how that might go over. "You know, more advanced spells and the like. Stuff I can't teach you as a god."

"Dana Scully," she agrees, and holds out a hand to shake. She may be taking the businesslike approach, but there's no reason not to be at least minimally civil. "You're right, I'm Crawford's shinki."

Her glance around the room follows Schuldig's gesture, and she offers him a thin smile.

"And I think I can handle secrecy. You have two shinki, then? Is that usual?"

"He tends to exaggerate, you know."

Between her preoccupation and Crawford's own...skill set, it hadn't taken much to pass by her unnoticed. He had settled himself in a hall chair, content to watch her flitter about for awhile, analyzing this shinki of Schuldig's, until her fidgeting had become to distracting for even his patience.

Whatever fear of god (the irony of that was amusing) Schuldig had instilled with her, had certainly set this diminutive girl on edge. (He had no doubt this was Schuldig's doing. There had been working together far too long not too recognize the signs). Her mental state of being was of no concern of his, but, for the time being, it did him no good to have her unraveling just yet.

"Whatever he's said about me might not be true..."

He stands and offers her a civil smile.

"You must be Jennifer."

"Oh!" She gasps in alarm, turning about to face the man who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Her brow furrows in mild confusion and she glances in the direction of the front entrance as if somehow there'd be a sign to clue her in on if he had simply been that quiet, or she that distracted-- or both. It might have been both.

Thankfully for Crawford (and Schuldig, in all honesty), Jennifer's timidness belied her mental strength. Once she's established that she must have been too distracted-- and honestly, if he's Schuldig's boss she can't be at all surprised that he could slipped in undetected regardless--she answers his smile with a shy, sweet one of her own. "He hasn't said anything bad." She's quick to try and reassure him, and it's not... really a lie?

Jennifer dips into a polite curtsy then, bowing her head as well. It comes too easily to not be something nearly instinctive to her, a gesture she doesn't even really think about. "I am. And you must be Mr. Crawford. I'm very pleased to meet you." The truth of that statement was also debatable, but truly she was at least curious to meet him. "Loki--That is, Schuldig... He said he's mentioned me." Jennifer doesn't quite wince, but it's clear she's not sure what Crawford's been told and how much of it is wholly accurate. "But I'm afraid I've been told comparatively little about you, sir."

A friend of his? Crawford? Chikusa shifts through his memories, trying to remember when he's met anyone new. The beach party, of course, is the obvious choice- there's always new people to meet at gatherings like that, and he'd taken particular note of everyone there since he had been able to tell easily that they were all from the Far Shore.

Schuldig will note that Crawford's appearance passes through Chikusa's mind, although it's not attached to any name, before the teenager finally speaks up. "No... But why bother with a personal invitation for simply meeting people?" He feels like he could make a few guesses, but he wants to see what answer he gets first.

Loki's temple seems more and more like a pillow fortress day by day. Mikazuki was grateful that his boss would share the same standards when it came to comfort.

He turns to address Schuldig as he comes over, filling a cup for him. "That is very kind of him to offer. I look forward to learning new skills."

"Of course I told him," Schuldig answers automatically. "Since you're still interested in working with us to get me that title, he had to know all of the elements in play. That includes all of my elements too. He's been out of the loop of course, having just arrived, and that's not something he enjoys - being out of the loop." If it was annoying to a telepath to run into Gods whose minds he couldn't read, it was just as annoying for a precog to arrive somewhere without even a hint that it would happen, plus a four-year gap to catch up on.

One thing she may catch is that his phrasing is more deliberate, less clipped and nasal drawl than normal, as if the very thought of Crawford arriving any minute is enough to make him sit up straighter and speak more eloquently - but also with less flair. He's gotten snapped at for that already, just in the time since Crawford's arrival.

"But since you are cooperating towards that goal, that's why you're here today. To meet with him and make sure he approves of the arrangement or gives me some parameters I have to work inside of for the sake of the mission." Which for someone like Nagi may have been an interesting challenge. To Schuldig it's more of a regrettable consequence. "Then we're back to answering prayers like the powerful shinki you are."

Schuldig shakes his head. "Because it's more than just Crawford - I told him about meeting you too. And both of us agreed you have the... personality suitable for working with us on some ideas. He and I go way back, as it happens." Not like he could blight-and-turn-ayakashi Chikusa anyway. Didn't matter if the kid knew that. "You may not remember him, but he remembers you. Tall guy, dark hair, glasses-- oh wait." He snickers and gestures vaguely up and down at Chikusa. "Minus the beanie, he could be your father. That guy." He knows Chikusa knows him now.

But then Schuldig shrugs. "Why not come chat with us both in person? I'll teleport you there, nice and easy." Best god perk for someone as frenetic as Schuldig could be sometimes.

"Another shinki with a family name," he notes. "That's more unusual than a god with more than one shinki, I'll tell you that much." But he's also gloating a little bit despite having done absolutely nothing to earn either of his shinki. They just showed up one day. He owes a lot more to the Heavens for that good fortune than he lets on.

"I'm glad Crawford found more trustworthy individuals to bring into the effort." Of course, he can kind of tell she's arguably the most clean-cut of those in attendance, except maybe Jennifer. That's his own bias after seeing his own shinki's death and watching her willingly nora herself underneath of his nose, though. "We could use another adult's perspective anyway, I think."

He's genuinely not sure how old Mikazuki thinks he is and Jennifer he treats like a tween, though she doesn't deserve that either. And if Chikusa and Nagi show up, well then that just drops the average age by 5 years at least.

"Ah," is the only response to show Chikusa's recognition, at least verbally. That's right, he knows him. Perhaps he should have expected this, although he can't imagine that he'd expect it from Skylar of all people. That man- Crawford- had mentioned that they would talk again sometime soon...

It makes him wonder just what either of them saw in his 'personality' that makes him any kind of person of interest.... although he has to concede that Skylar seemed to be watching him successfully steal from a lot of food stalls. If that's the case, he can only imagine what kind of "ideas" they have...

Which might not necessarily be a problem, but he has his god to consider, and a lot of things of his own to work on. He can't be too reckless with what little company he keeps...

But that's jumping the gun. For now, there's something more immediate to consider. "Where would 'there' be...?" And, with no small amount of dryness in his deadpan tone- "I was under the impression that going with strangers to somewhere unknown was something people were told not to do."

"Is it? My name is all I remember." And why would surnames be odd? Scully's seen enough of this world to know that most of the people in it seem to have family names. If shinki do remember their real names -- if hers isn't a fake planted in her mind --

That's just one more thing to be paranoid about. She represses her desire to scowl, and rubs her temples instead.

"There are a lot of teenagers stuck here with us," she agrees, because that, at least, she can agree with. "Should we be involving them in--" She gestures vaguely at the room. "This?"

"Don't worry about it."

He hadn't actually expected Schuldig to divulge any great secrets, but Crawford would be surprised if there hadn't been at least a little complaining. It was Schuldig's way after all, and it sounded like they had been in each others' company long enough to warrant it. Perhaps she's too polite to say so. He shrugs.

"He did mention you, but not by much. It makes me wonder how things have been going around here..?"

Schuldig nods. "I would agree with that normally. Unfortunately it's in my best interest to keep the location of my temple hidden. That's why the only way to get in there is by teleporting with Crawford or myself. I'm very picky about who's allowed in. Crawford has decided you passed muster." Although the fact that Chikusa's worrying what his god will think makes Schuldig a little skeptical on that note.

"Any more than that will have to wait until we're in his presence. Not my business to explain our business to just anyone." He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. "And just anyone could be 'round the corner." He crosses his arms again. "So I'm gonna teleport back out of here again in about 30 seconds. You tell me if you're coming or not." Of course if he says no, that makes him wonder if Crawford will want Schuldig messing with his memories or something to get rid of all this hint-dropping to someone they end up not working with.

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[Semi-Closed] Heads I Win, Tales You Lose

hi fucker whattup

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hey beanpole just chillin

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do you mean creepin or

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pretty much

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