thenearshore | Sleepover!

Entry tags:

Sleepover!

Who: Forrest, all of his teenage CR, and CR of that CR
What: Giant sleepover log
When: The night of June 21
Where: Lakshmi's temple
Warnings: Cuteness overload

[Forrest has never had a sleepover before, so he's pretty excited to host one at his temple. He sends out invitations ahead of time to everyone he can think of, letting them know to bring pajamas, snacks, and even a friend or two if they want. He's clad in a frilly pink nightgown with ribbons and bows for the occasion, and he's temporarily converted Lakshmi's audience chamber into a space where the guests can all party and sleep. It was already mostly full of pillows to begin with, so all he had to do was move some more in and set up some tables for snacks and things. One of the tables conspicuously contains all of his beauty supplies, because like hell is Forrest hosting a slumber party without makeovers. Anyone who shows even the slightest bit of interest will get their makeup, hair, or nails done. Soft music and the scent of lotus blossoms drift through the air, creating the perfect atmosphere for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves.]

((OOC: If you've got a teenager that Forrest has talked to more than once, assume he invited them. Friends of friends are totally welcome as well. Everyone can feel free to put up their own toplevels, and everybody tag everybody and mingle to your heart's content!))

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You mean Sora and Roxas, right? The incarnations of Baldr and Artemis?

[As opposed to some kind of mythology tale where Baldr and Artemis got together.]

Yes, they're partners.

[In answering his question, she kind of sees where he's going with it.]

Although, I don't know what you said last. A lot of people want to know why we're here and are looking into it, I think.

Aa. I meant their temples. Didn’t you say their temples were joined or close together?

[Most all the other temples were far spaced from each other, so to have some so close was unique.

And he definitely isn’t saying something regarding relationships… Is that how she took his question? Whoops.]

Someone suggested we’re here to help the old gods because things got too much for them. Someone else thinks we’re… batteries or something. An energy source.

[For what, who knew.]

Ah... sorry. Yes, their temples are close together. Much closer than the other temples, although I didn't think about that until you mentioned it.

[She definitely thought he was trying to ask about a common thread being their temples sitting close together because they were a couple. That's the line of logic she hit, anyway.]

... And thinking about stuff like this keeps you up at night? [She looks over her shoulder back to the party.] Enough you can't really hang out with other shinki?

[That's the other impression she's getting.]

[Sousuke nods slightly in agreement. If temples were positioned by people’s relationships, then Sousuke’s pretty sure Rin’s temple would be a lot closer to Makoto’s.

He blinks at the question and then glances behind after she does, looking at the party. Oh…]

Not all the time.

[There have been some nights where he’s lain awake wondering about this life he leads. As for the other part…]

I’m not really one for large crowds.

I'm glad it's not all the time.

[And she is. No matter who the person is, night terrors and lying awake thinking about anything mean you won't be a pleasant person the next morning. A good night's sleep is important.]

But I met you at the festival and we had a great time together, didn't we?

[She's trying to keep her tone light, not scolding. This is important to her, but at the same time she does know a little about Sousuke by now.]

I get not spending a lot of time at big parties like this, but it's nice to do it every once in awhile, don't you think? That way you can meet new people face to face and maybe find one new friend out of it.

[It's a line of dialogue she's espoused to at least two others at the party tonight and one she's expecting to need often in the future.]

[No, there are plenty of times Rin purposefully wears him out through the day and evening to the point that he’s crashing dead asleep at night. And other times, Sousuke’s simply someone who falls asleep easily. Because sleep is wonderful and should never be missed.]

Great until the zombies showed up. [A momentary frown there because… that’d been very painful.] Rin wanted to go, so I went with him.

[He’s not going to deny he had a good time. He definitely hadn’t been raring to go to it, nor had he been raving about it when he got home (though there was a far more somber reason for the latter). But he did have a nice time watching Kairi play games and getting some dart tosses in himself.

If she’s trying to scold him, it’s going to just roll right off his back. Still, when she pushes the point, Sousuke pops another tomato off the cluster and looks out at the pools beside them.]

Not everyone needs to have a lot of friends, Kairi. [His voice softens a little.] Sometimes, you can be content with one or two true friends that mean everything to you...

[She cuts right back in though.]

Do you do have two true friends then?

[She can guess the one but she'll be very surprised if he supplies a second name. It won't be her, she's aware of that much. But her whole point had been 'one new friend' because she was pretty sure he had exactly one currently - Rin.]

[Sousuke blinks once, but then sighs quietly.]

Probably not, by your definition.

[See, that question relies on what he thinks a “true” friend is in the first place. And while he’s pretty sure he’s not the kind to just up and call someone a friend cause they get along well, he’s also sure that… defining a “true” friend is kind of like trying to define what “love” is. Abstract and completely self-contained in each person’s opinion.]

Why is this so important to you?

[His voice isn’t rude, but the question does insinuate that she’s pushing some personal questions. Whether it’s making him feel self-conscious about his definition of friendship against hers or slightly annoyed that she seems to constantly try to drive this friendship point home to him… is her guess. It’s not like he’s going to up and say “I have no friends” because that’s a pretty pessimistic thing to say.

But then again, looking at his current relationships, what can he say about them? And is it really so necessary to categorize them as friends and not friends?]

Well, you were the one who said true friend instead of friend. That's the only reason I wanted to know about that.

[That part of it anyway.]

Because, if you said you only had one... well then my point remains. I suggested you could find one new friend here tonight. That still leaves you in the range of having two true friends. I'm not trying to say that you need to befriend everyone ever, Sousuke.

[Like she has the reputation for.]

I only wanted to make sure that you were still meeting people at all, so that of those... call it 10 people you meet, maybe 3 of them you can get along well with, and maybe one turns into a 'true friend' the way you're thinking of it. That's all. But the longer you spend meeting one person at a time, the longer it'll take before you meet those 3 people you'll actually get along with.

I invited almost all of those people in there, you know - [She gestures back to the room.] I know very little about most of the people I invited, but the way I see it... they don't know a lot about themselves either. We're shinki, Sousuke. We're learning more and more about each other every minute of every day, by being in different circumstances to see if they feel natural or not. Maybe none of the people who can become good friends with you are here tonight. But I feel a lot better knowing that you tried. Maybe next time, you'll find one of the people - not here tonight - that you do want to be friends with.

[And she smiles at him genuinely. Simple process of elimination, right?]

[She’s going to hang on every word in regards to this friendship subject, isn’t she… Honestly, he’s never met someone who’s so into defining and exploring the notion of friendship. In a way, she reminds him of Rin, but Rin seems to be more natural regarding the idea of friendship. Sousuke stays quiet and listens, though he’s still wondering about Kairi’s insistence.

Granted, she does have a point. And he can see where she’s going. They’ve already had a conversation regarding how he views the creation of a friendship. She says that he could find one new friend here, but as far as Sousuke’s concerned, he isn’t going to know that person will become a friend. Not without future meetings and further relationship building down the road. Just because you meet someone once and get along doesn’t mean that they’re your friend.

But arguing that point isn’t going to get them anywhere; they simply have different opinions on friendship. And no, he’s not going to befriend everyone ever… That’s simply too many people he doesn’t want to be hanging around. He’s a small crowd kind of guy.]

If it makes you feel better…

[He sighs softly, rubbing at the side of his neck. She’s so enthusiastic and good-natured; it’s kind of a pain. No offense, Kairi, but he sometimes thinks his over-excitable god’s a pain too, so you’re in good company.]

Earlier I got to talk with one of the guys who spoke with me during that network post.

[The one where he was having a venting session over shinki vs god inequalities. Yeah, that one. The only one.]

[She is in fact satisfied with his answer. Because she knows which network post he's talking about, and it wasn't nearly so happy-go-lucky as some of the things people have brought up. She even references his post, without mentioning his name, to other people as an example of shinki she knows has had it worse off than her in terms of trying to adjust.

So Kairi holds her arms and nods to the side a little with a small shrug.]

It's not about making me feel better... but I am glad you had that opportunity.

[Maybe connecting with someone about a more serious topic would be easier for him. For all their challenges communicating, that was still how they first met after all, talking about a more serious topic than going to festivals and hanging out for fun.

Then, she allows herself a small laugh, just to try and break the tension.]

Am I allowed to ask his name? I promise not to run over and force him to spill his guts about every detail of your conversation or anything awful like that. I'm just curious if it's one of the people I invited or know already.

[It might have been a rough network post, but he’s never once regretted making it. Because it’s something the shinki all need to know about. While he can’t really point out if anything’s changed, there’s a vague feeling that the post has made a difference, even if small. It’s unfortunate he had to go through that and he’s still not over it (never will be), but if that’s what it takes to protect other shinki, he’s glad the burden fell on him and not on someone else.

Sousuke offers a little tilt of his head at Kairi’s dismissal of making her feel better. He knows it’s not to her comfort, but whatever.]

You can ask whatever you want. [That “allowed” kind of nettles him; he doesn’t think he’s being overbearing or restrictive towards her.] Shuusei Kagari. We talked about how shinki might be able to earn money.

[Considering after they initially spoke about the whole shinki vs god inequality thing, their following conversation topic was a little less dramatic. Thankfully.]

Seems he’s making do, but it’s not perfect or easy. [Better than ghosting (stealing) things.]

[She didn't want him to think she was prying or nosy without couching her language the way she did. Just the sort of overly-careful thing she thought about simply because of trying to learn his boundaries and how she could befriend him in a real way.]

Shuusei! Okay, I do know him a little.

[Not quite as well as some people, but about as well as she knew Sousuke. And she was the one who invited him to the party.]

He's probably doing better than I am, anyway. I got so busy lately I didn't even have time to think about it, after we talked about it at the parade. How about you - are you interested in it at all, now that you've had some time to settle in?

[Because while she hadn't come out and asked, she was pretty sure he'd been a shinki longer than she had.]

[Well, he doesn’t think it’s too prying or nosy. He does wonder why she’s still making a big deal about it, but more or less figures that’s simply something important for her. He’s not one to judge too much. Rin’s a pretty friendly guy too, and then there’s Goten and Makoto…]

I’m not surprised.

[The other guy’s pretty enthusiastic so him and Kairi knowing each other at least somewhat’s almost expected. Besides, they were both talking in his network post, so mutual conversation topic at another time. Besides, Shuusei’s here at the party at Kairi’s invite, right?]

He said it’s hard to hold a job down. I’ve been interested in finding a job or something for a long time, but since people can’t see shinki, the idea of holding a job in the far shore is impractical. [A small sigh.] There aren’t other options though.

[None that he’s heard of at least. But he would like to make some other money instead of relying on Rin’s godly income, even if he and his gods are anything but expensive boys.]

Well now that I'm thinking about it again... maybe some sort of delivery service? That way it doesn't matter if you're visible for too long. I mentioned dog-walking to Wendy one time too, since animals can respond to us a lot better than adults.

[Kairi taps her own chin in thought as she keeps on this line of conversation. It's less awkward, from what she can tell. She leans on one hip too.]

And last I talked to Shuusei, I think he was trying to make food. That wouldn't be a terrible thing either. Or maybe -- ooh here's an idea -- maybe odd jobs around the Far Shore itself? The other Gods have money already, right?

[She holds her own elbows afterwards.]

I think that's basically what Forrest does anyway. He makes clothes for other people in the Far Shore.

[Hey that’s not a bad idea. You get calls and then take the thing to where it needs to go. Though doesn’t delivery usually require getting noticed so you can get the delivery acknowledged? He could just leave it by the door… It’s something to think about though.

The “dog walker” comment earns a slight snort, but he holds his tongue. (Look, Kairi doesn’t need to know Sousuke turns into a dog.)]

Delivery sounds possible.

[It’s odd, thinking about getting a job of sorts up here in the Far Shore. Most of the gods are already residing in temples, castles, and palaces, and plenty of them have servants. The idea of “needing” something outside of protecting people over on the Near Shore in order to earn offerings... Then again Sousuke’s a shinki and Rin pretty much provides for him (something that never stops annoying Sousuke’s self-reliant self).]

Odd jobs… I’ll post something on the network asking about it.

[Look at that. Mr. No Friends is going to actively reach out (this time without the bad attitude).]

Edited 2017-04-11 00:12 (UTC)

[Kairi smiles broadly at Sousuke as he works through some of what she's said and then even adds to it.]

Oh! A network post would be perfect!

[She's tried a couple of times to talk about spells or borderlines or this party, but not about work ideas... even though she's answered several other people talking about the same thing. Weird.

And because she doesn't want to sour him on it, she considers this a perfect note to end on.]

I'll keep an eye out for it, okay? For now I should probably get back to the party, see how everyone's doing and let you finish your walk.

[Or whatever else he was planning to do out here.]

[It’s something at least. He’s sure there have been others in the past since this is definitely not a first time topic, unlike his last network post. But without it, he’s not going to get a lot further just swimming in place.]

Aa. It’ll go up sometime.

[He hears the departure in her words and offers a small nod in acceptance. Of both her decision and her encouragement. Time to move forward one way or another. At least get to know what his options are. He’ll have to bring it up with Rin too.]

Doesn’t sound too crazy in there. I’ll head in later for a refill.

[And tosses the now-empty stalks of his cherry tomato cluster into a torch nearby.]

Ja ne.

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