[Open] Bring no ill will to hinder us

[darkestbefore]

Who: Yona and anyone!
When: June 29 - July 4th
Where: The Far Shore / The Near Shore
What: The goddess Áine settles into her new role here in the Heavens.


A; Temple

[ Although her first day had been filled with travel and excitement and then the dangers of the attack on Amaterasu's temple, the days following had settled into a more sedate pace. Her shock at seeing her temple for the first time had been an emotional one and it had taken her a while to adjust being back in what she could only think of as her father's castle once more. And if the first few nights had had her waking abruptly from nightmares, at least there was no one close enough to hear.

Despite the dark memories that still haunted the halls of this place for her, Yona puts on a bright smile and tackles her new duties with a determined attitude, seeing to her temple and learning as much as she can about this new place and what will be expected of her here. She can often be found in the gardens or in the orchard, sometimes working or maybe just wandering and exploring. Sometime within the first few days, an empty portion of land behind the orchard is cleared to make a simple archery range and visitors might occasionally hear the rhythmic thwip of arrow after arrow being released and finding its mark - not always perfect but consistently close enough. ]

B; The Far Shore / The Near Shore

[ Yona doesn't spend all her time within the walls of her own temple, however. She's gotten far more accustomed to roaming and exploring and while determined not to ignore any of her duties as goddess, she's also very curious about her new home and those that inhabit it. So in between tending to her own duties and her shinki, it won't be surprising to find her out exploring the Far Shore, seeing what she can learn of the other gods, shinki and temples in her vicinity.

It's not only the other gods and goddesses that interest her but also learning more about this world and her own responsibilities. A trip to the Near Shore finds her some of the information she's hunting for and she spends an afternoon or two curled up somewhere quiet, under a tree or by a pool of water, with a stack of books beside her, covering a variety of topics - from stories and lore about the god she is here to represent or history of the world she's been brought to or any other topic that might have been brought up or caught her eye recently. Also, the technology of this world continues to fascinate her, so you might find her poking curiously at the phone she'd been given upon arrival, still trying to figure out how it works and learning how to navigate the BBS and whatever else she might happen to stumble across. ]

C; Other

(( Want something else? Feel free to leave a prompt or a starter to encounter Yona somewhere. She'll be sticking to the Near Shore for the moment as she gets settled into her new home and duties here. Any questions can be PM'd to this journal or you can hit me up at chaneystarr! ))

Comments

B

[rainbowmaster]

[Johan himself has taken to walking around the Near Shore.

In a way, it resembles much of his own home, but at the same time, not quite. People don't Duel here, card spirits seemed to not exist at all, and since he didn't have his own shinki to keep him company, it did leave Johan a little lonely with the company of his Deck.

Not that he minded it, but there were times when being alone in such a big temple can be lonesome even with his family surrounding him.

So, it comes to a bit of a surprise when he sees Yona settled by a tree with books beside her and she seems to be fiddling with her phone.]

Yona?

[darkestbefore]

[ She glances up at the sound of her name and recognizes him immediately from her first day here. Setting her phone aside, Yona casts him a warm smile in greeting. ]

Good morning, Johan. Are you out exploring as well?

[rainbowmaster]

I am.

[He walks over to her.]

It can get a little boring being inside of my temple all the time, so I figured exploring would be a good chance to familiarize myself here better. Were you doing the same?

B

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein has been exploring the Near shore while trying to get hang of the whole goddess business now, the amount of people studying and reading books makes her happy. ]

What books are you reading?

[darkestbefore]

[ She pats the spot on the grass beside her in invitation in case he'd like to join her, smiling up at him. ]

My temple can be rather lively at times. [ Between Shizuo still learning to understand his powers and uprooting her trees by accident and her dragon companions stopping by, 'lively' might be a bit of an understatement. ] But I wanted to see more of the area around my temple anyway. This place is very interesting. And the temples are all so diverse!

But at the moment I was merely taking a break and trying to learn more about this. [ She gives a sheepish smile as she holds up her phone for him to see. ] We've nothing like this in my world, but everyone seems to use them a great deal here, so I've been trying to understand it better.

[rainbowmaster]

[He returns the smile as he goes to sit beside her.]

Ah, so you've found your shinki then?

[He gives a nod.] There are a lot of different temples here, but I guess it's because everyone has a different taste in their temple or it might hit a little too close to home.

[Johan adopts a curious look as he looks at her phone.]

If you want, I can teach you. Back from my world, we've had phones similar to these.

[darkestbefore]

[ Yona glances up from her book to see a little girl in front of her and she smiles as she turns the book around to show her the pictures. ]

This one is about faeries. I've been told the goddess I am here to assist is linked to the people of the fae, so I've been trying to understand their lore.

[darkestbefore]

We sort of found each other, yes. But there are also companions I know from home who have also been here longer than I. [ She shifts to angle herself towards him, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms about them.

Her expression falters a little when he mentions the bit about their temples and home. ] Ah. Yes. When I discovered mine... It's certainly very...nostalgic. [ Her tone might give away that she's not sure that's a good thing. ] But I suppose that makes sense. Everyone I've spoken to so far seems to come from very different places, so their temples would reflect that.

[ She looks a little surprised at that, then laughs, a little self-conscious. ] I appreciate that. It seems that many here have something similar, because everyone seems to use them so naturally. Even my shinki. To me, it just seems like some strange magical device.

[rainbowmaster]

Companions...are they gods as well or shinki? [Because if they're shinki, then he can understand.

His mind flashes back to Fubuki.

He studies her.] Nostalgic...in a bad way, I'm guessing? [Judging from her expression, anyway. He chuckles, grinning a bit.] I'm not so sure my temple really reflects where I come from.

[Johan smiles at her.]

Well, it's not that difficult to use. I'm sure you'll be able to get the hang of it quickly.

[darkestbefore]

[ Her expression falters a bit. ] Both, I'm afraid. Two of them are here as gods, but one of my close friends... he's a shinki here. He belongs to another god. I'm not sure who. I'm not even certain how he... [ She trails off before shaking her head, purposefully pushing that away with a wry smile. ] Needless to say, he didn't remember me, however.

I'm not sure I would say bad. It's... complicated. [ Yona gives a soft hum as she thinks over how to phrase it. ] It's a place I left behind me, thinking that perhaps I would not see it again. There are happy memories there, but there are also others I'd rather not revisit. [ Terrible ones, in truth, and it was these she was having the most trouble coming to terms with. She still could not go into her father's rooms. She'd gotten as far as the door before turning away in tears. The door remained closed and locked for the time being.

Still, it's not difficult to return his smile, especially when it comes accompanies with that encouragement. ] I hope so. There's so much to learn here already. But I'm enjoying discovering so many new things.

[alchemists]

[ Faeries are quite pretty in pictures, whoever the goddess this person is serving must be something. ]

It sounds interesting, that set of folklore is one I don't know much about.

B

[nopixiedust]

Having trouble with things like that too, huh?

[Enjoy this random girl just getting all up in your business, Yona. Still, she can recognize technology bewilderment a mile away, having been the same- actually still the same, she guesses. So she's made a detour from her walk to come over and investigate.]

B

[clothes_make_the_man]

[Forrest has been busy for the past few days, running various errands. He's on a pretty tight timetable, but every so often he needs a break. The gardens at his temple are relaxing, certainly, but a total change of scenery is really what's called for here. So while he's out strolling in the park, he happens upon Yona sitting under a tree with her books. Catching her eye as he passes by, he smiles politely.]

Ah... hello. Lovely day, isn't it?

[darkestbefore]

Neither did I. [ Yona answers with a smile and a shake of her head. ] I'd never heard of them before coming to this world, or hearing about this goddess I am to represent. She was a queen of theirs, or so the stories say. They sound very different from any other people I've ever encountered before.

[darkestbefore]

[ Other than a slight start of surprise - because she'd been more immersed in her study of the device than she'd realized - Yona doesn't seem to mind the interruption, glancing up at the unfamiliar girl with a warm smile. ]

Was it that obvious? Yes, I'm afraid so. Such devices don't exist in my country, but everyone seems to use it here, so I thought I'd better start learning.

B

[kokuyoyo]

[While Yona is roaming the Far Shore, she'll soon come upon what seems like an extremely simple temple: Greek in design, pure white, circular and in the size of a very small house. A familiar lanky figure, now wearing a black earred beanie, is patiently piling the groceries out from a shopping cart onto its pristine white steps. At the sound of someone approaching, he looks up warily but pauses.]

...Oh. You from the fire...

[darkestbefore]

[ She glances up at the voice, surprised by the interruption, but after a momentary blink she smiles at him and inclines her head in agreement. ]

It's quite beautiful. I thought I'd enjoy the nice weather myself while I was out exploring for a while. Were you doing the same?

[rainbowmaster]

Ah...so you, too, then... [He says it almost absentmindedly.

There's something absolutely horrible realizing that your friend has died and encountering that friend in Heaven where you realize they won't remember me. And telling them the truth can potentially hurt them.

A tilt of the head.] It makes you uncomfortable staying in that place.

[A look of understanding.]

That's good to hear. After all, learning is fun when you can learn to enjoy it, even if it's not something you're familiar with. [But Johan leans a little close, taking out his phone in order to show her.]

But, this is how you use it. [So he'll give her a run down on how to use the device.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She'd been intending to pass by, but when he glanced up and recognized her - and she realized she did as well - she paused to approach instead, offering him a smile of greeting. ]

Yes. So we meet again, it seems. Hello. is this where you live?

[tuishou]

[Neji doesn't often go away from his own... territory to simply wander- not the Far Shore, anyway. The world of the living is new and confusing in a way that has him stubbornly wanting to learn more of it. Meanwhile, the realm of the gods (and shinki and other things, whatever) has structure to it, he guesses.

It has expectations. It has a definite Yours and Mine.

...and he is definitely not in his. The orchard somehow drew him in. It's summer. It's hot. Shade was welcome but then there was the... archery range. And something in Neji twists at the sight of the practice going on--

precision is] Good. [Not great but. Huh.]

B

[fadingsunshine]

[Kaya is walking around the roads of the Far Shore after going to class. She's carrying a notebook, a pen, and a dictionary inside a cute bag that matches her sundress. If Yona raises her eyes from the book or phone she's reading, she will see a familiar girl on her way to Hebe's temple.

Luckily she's feeling better after talking to Zeno, so she's not fostering any negative feeling about Yona. Not that she would anyway.

Come say hi? She's not in a hurry, she's just enjoying the fresh air.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She glances over at him sympathetically. ] You as well?

[ A hesitation before she gives a slight nod. ] A little. I thought perhaps time and distance would make the more unpleasant memories fade a little in the pain they evoke. Maybe it will yet. [ ...just not yet, it seemed. ]

[ She watches avidly as he shows her what to do, copying his motions with surprisingly adept success, committing it to memory (even if she's not sure she'll be able to duplicate it once more after he departs, but maybe?) ] It's amazing to me how something so small can do so much!

[darkestbefore]

[ She hadn't realized she was no longer alone, so focused on her draw-aim-release-repeat that she hadn't noticed him until he spoke, breaking the otherwise silence of the morning. It has her pausing in the automatic reach for yet another arrow, fingertips slightly reddened and calloused from the practice, a slightly startled expression on her face as she blinks and comes out of that state of intense focus. ]

Oh! You surprised me. I'm sorry, I hadn't realized anyone else was here.

[darkestbefore]

[ As Yona had been sitting a while anyway and she was starting to get hungry, she'd just decided it was time to get moving, straightening up and gathering her belongings. When she steps back onto the road, it's just in time to see Kaya approaching and her expression brightens into a sunny smile as she hurries towards her. ]

Kaya, hello!

[rainbowmaster]

We weren't close friends, but he was still an important friend.

[Ah--no wonder. Johan gives her a smile, somewhat sympathetic.] I hope then that you'd be able to bear those memories in time, but maybe you shouldn't simply focus on the unpleasant ones. It might help to think about all of the good memories, too, but that's just my suggestion.

[After all, Johan doesn't know what Yona's gone through, so he won't push.

Johan chuckles, grinning.]

The wonders of the technology. Once you familiarize yourself with it, you'll get to find out all sorts of things on it.