005 | Sakura In The Night

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Cherry blossom viewing
When: Nighttime March 26, 2016
Where: A park with sakura trees
Summary: Heaven is throwing a small party to view the sakura and let everyone relax.



After the absolute disaster that happened with handing out chocolates, the Heavens are tripping over themselves to make up for their inability to properly handle the situation. They are eager to make amends and assure everyone that they are hardworking individuals who want nothing more than to make everyone's stay here enjoyable or at least pleasant. To that end, they have invited all of the gods and shinki to a lovely flower viewing, since the sakura are in season.

And by 'invited', they mean 'mandatory', of course. You will accept their apology, whether you like it or not.

It's not all bad, though. The Heavens have provided various kimonos that can be worn, if you haven't brought your own, but you're not required to wear a kimono. They would, however, really like it if you did wear them. It's very traditionally Japanese, after all.

The party is taking place at night so that you can all hide your merrymaking from the Near Shore residents and also because the night sky is beautiful against the cherry blossoms. So try to at least enjoy yourselves while you're here.



Banquet

Every kind of food imaginable is available for your eating pleasure. On top of that, there are dozens of different kinds of desserts ready to be devoured as well. For the older crowd, booze has been provided and is being served by white-clad shinki bearing the golden chrysanthemum of Amaterasu. They are, however, refusing to serve alcohol to anyone who looks too young to drink, sorry guys.

Cherry Blossoms

The blossoms are absolutely gorgeous this year, and they are at the peak of their blooming right now. Nearly every single bud has bloomed and the pink petals are floating by everywhere you go. There is an ethereal light emanating from each of the trees, lighting up the area with a soft, pink light, yet it doesn't seem to be drowning out the brightness of the stars at all. It really is the most beautiful cherry blossom viewing anyone could ever hope for.

"Secret" Corner

Somehow, the Heavens have managed to make one small corner of the grotto into a completely secluded area. There is no marking or signs to indicate what this corner should be used for, but anyone entering it will suddenly realize that this is a place for lovers to meet privately. Only those that you enter the corner with will be able to notice your presence, and you will be unable to notice anyone else's presence as well. Enjoy yourselves, young ones!

Counselling

Off to the side, there is a tiny table set up with a small, nicely written sign that reads "Gentle Counselling". On the other side of the table is a sweetly smiling shinki who is willing to listen to your problems and answer any questions you might have. She is also here to help out any gods that are having a hard time dealing with knowing about how their shinki died and any shinki that is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that they are dead. Counselling will also gladly be offered to anyone who is still pissed off or upset in any way about what happened after White Day.



In Summary:

• Enjoy the cherry blossoms
• Eat lots of good food
• Promise it's not poisoned
• Spend time with people you like
• Meet the newbies
• Have fun~

Comments

[subtract]

He pauses, turning his head a little so he can look at Roxas with both eyes. There are things I can't tell you...

Ah. He was created to guard information, right? So it's probably something to do with that. Makes sense. The other Roxas must be involved in some of those secrets, so it would be against his programming to reveal that information to Add freely.

"Fine then, don't worry about it." He raises a hand to wave dismissively. "You can't tell me everything unless I prove my worth, correct? But that's too much of a pain, so I'll just ask the source directly."

That would probably be much easier, anyway. His god is way too vague sometimes. It's probably just these conditions of his getting in the way, but maybe he'll be able to get some real answers now that he has a second Roxas to interrogate.

"... However," he starts again, still watching Roxas from the corner of his eye, "I disagree with your definition of a soul. More specifically, I don't believe that a soul is something that can't be created artificially. Things like memories, emotions, all of that is just a result of chemicals and electrical signals in the brain. It's complex enough to be difficult, but it's not impossible to recreate in some fashion." By his own definition, is it possible these Nobodies are just afflicted with brain damage? If the effects are that they've lost memories and emotions, it seems to be a suitable explanation...

[cloak]

Roxas shakes his head in answer to that theory. "There was only one person I was supposed to test." And even now with that scant clarification, he can feel that strange dread creeping up on him, one he's sure has everything to do with this world, and little to do with anything within himself. Strange that world would have such an effect, but not impossible.

Of course, not much seems impossible after his time in Monad. That world was made of data so it made a lot more sense to him in some ways, but it's done something for his level of disbelief.

"It's...something about this world," he thinks, and he's somewhat relieved when he's able to say that much. At least he can tell Add that, even if he can't tell him about his past. It may not count for much in Add's perception, but it's something to begin with. "We'll have to settle with disagreeing where hearts are concerned."

[subtract]

So it was a test for only that one person...? That must mean he isn't allowed to even attempt to test anyone else now. That's too bad, but again, it's not like he can't just interrogate the 'source' instead.

The other, more important half of Roxas' explanation goes mostly ignored as Add shrugs, staring back up at the trees again.

"He didn't strike me as someone without a soul." He says it mostly as an afterthought... though there is still one line of questioning he hasn't pursued yet. "... You said it was due to his connections that he's able to respond naturally. Can you at least clarify that point?"

[cloak]

"He's borrowed a heart from someone else, I believe. It explains a number of attributes that would otherwise be anomalous - for example, his physical characteristics and capacity for emotional response." A pause, then, as he considers... "Though I don't think it's the same thing, I guess I'd emulate that, too."

It's not the same in that he doesn't think he's got a simulated heart inside of him, exactly - he still wants to deny that with everything he has. He might've come to accept that he could feel, but what comes with that is not something he wants to touch on. Not right now.

Perhaps never, because of its implications.

If he decides he has a heart...so much comes with that.

"Our affinity for light, for instance - it's twice borrowed in his case. Three times in my own."

[subtract]

"He borrowed a heart?" Wouldn't that be like... stealing someone's soul? Can you 'borrow' those? Add doesn't sound very convinced.

"If it's borrowing, then that would mean he removed the ability from someone else so he could inherit it for himself. If you also inherited an ability in this way that he currently has simultaneously, that wouldn't be 'borrowing'. Perhaps the term you mean to use is 'sharing'?"

... Although, the idea of sharing a soul doesn't sound any less ridiculous.

[cloak]

"In my case it's an emulation. Just a recreation of what someone else could do." And Roxas has long since become accustomed to that reality, one in which he doesn't have much of anything unique unto himself. Some of his abilities were unique to being what others had called "AI" but aside from those most of his properties were built to resemble the original.

Now, in the case of said original...

"Sharing wouldn't be exactly right. He'd have had someone else's heart, and that person's out of commission without it." That much he knows and understands regarding the matter, if so little else.

[subtract]

"An emulation of something is still its own separate existence, so that would be a copy of a heart, not a borrowed heart." Stated very matter-of-factly. The idea of programming an AI to replicate human emotions is an interesting subject to him, but whether his 'heart' is accurate or not, it's still different from whatever heart it's based on. Calling it borrowed would be inaccurate no matter how he looks at it.

As for the other one... borrowing might be right for it after all. What an odd concept.

"The person this other Roxas borrowed from agreed to this?" he asks. If not, that would definitely be stealing. Sounds like a dangerous power.

[cloak]

Roxas doesn't see the need to further clarify, surmising that Add has the point. He doesn't mean literal borrowing in his own case, only that someone else's abilities and appearance are part of someone else. But he's phrased it that way throughout his time in Monad.

"...Agreed? No, it's not exactly like that. It was something that occurred because of the factors involved, rather than a conscious choice by either of them." His universe is a complicated place.

[subtract]

"I don't know if I'd call something like that 'borrowing'..." Is that stealing? Or does it still count as borrowing because he planned to bring it back...?

Maybe trying to sort out the exact reason behind it is too much of a headache. He sighs, resting an arm across his face.

"Whatever. It probably doesn't matter," he grumbles. "How much longer is this stupid party going to last...?"

[cloak]

"I don't think anything is keeping any of us here," Roxas suggests after a few moments of consideration, tipping his head back to look at the sky overhead. He isn't much for crowds after his initial existence in the Datascape, and Monad never did anything to change that.

Here and now, though, he doesn't find himself particularly minding. People seemed to have good hearts, at least, for the most part. But he prefers quiet moments like this, and he can imagine Add isn't so much for large gatherings either.

He'd so often holed himself up in his apartment in Monad, it seems to him. Then again, he could be mistaken.

"Did you want to leave?"

[subtract]

"They still made us come here..." And, more importantly, it would be a very long walk if he wanted to leave on his own. Roxas can teleport, so it's part of his divine responsibilities to act as a taxi for his shinki. That's how Add sees it, anyway.

"Staying here any longer than necessary would be a waste of time."

[cloak]

"Guess that's true. I wonder if they're trying to make us forget what happened." Not that Roxas can forget, and not that he will. He picks himself up then, brushing his coat off idly before he says anything further.

"I'll take you back then, if you want."