thenearshore | [Closed]

Who: Riku and Alice (

madcuriosity); Riku, Sakura (

festal) and Tsuzuki (

sweetdeath)
When: July 6th-9th
Where: see prompts
What: Riku and Alice team up to explore their temples. A few days later, Riku and Sakura take up their first prayer together.

[ A – The Far Shore, starting off in the forest, probably both Hekate's and Idunna's temples | July 6th ]

With the festival over and done with, Riku is left to figure out what to do now… and where to go, most importantly. He knows his temple should be around this area somewhere, yet he finds himself suddenly just in front of what looks like a rather dense forest.

It may be about time that he admits at least to himself… he's utterly lost.

He sighs to himself, muttering: "Gonna have to find a map of this place sometimes soon."

Oh well. He's gotta find his temple again eventually, right? Right!

[ B – A small town in the Near Shore | Prayer #31 | July 9th ]

Well, Riku and Sakura promised that they'd help another get used to their new duties… and what better way is there than to take up a prayer together?

So here they are, right in front of the animal handler's place… a small shelter, usually holding a variety of animals.

"Well, this is the place…" he says as they near the door, hands resting against his sides as he turns towards Sakura. "You ready?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Unlike Riku, Alice had the unique position of now being able to understand every animal. She's always talked to animals, and in Wonderland and the Looking Glass, she had always been able to understand them as well. In the normal world though? Well, now she wasn't even in the normal world but she could understand them there too, when she went to the... near shore, as it was called.

So no map for her, but a rabbit.

The white rabbit wasn't wearing a waistcoat this time, nor did he insist he was late. Only that Idunna should follow him this way, this way!

Which is why when the rabbit let out a cry of alarm at the sight of Riku, it ran off as quick as a... well... bunny and Alice cried out for it to come back.

"Wait no! He's friendly!"

Riku blinks when he hears the sudden alarmed animal cry, turning towards the source of the noise and very surprised to suddenly see–

"Alice?"

Of all the places, he really hadn't expected to run into the Princess of Heart again in this forest.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm following the white rabbit! What are you doing, Mr. Riku?" she asked as she looked about and saw the white rabbit peeking out from behind a bush. She then turned back to Riku.

"Are you following a white rabbit too. I didn't see another one. Is it showing you your temple too?"

"Well, I kind of got lost."

He reaches up to scratch at the back of his head, a faintly embarrassed smile tugging on his lips. Then he shakes his head.

"I hadn't seen any white rabbits until yours just ran away. Sorry for chasing it off, by the way."

Especially if it was actually showing Alice the way to her temple.

"Well, you helped me earlier, I think it only right I help you!" she smiled as she grabbed Riku's hand. She pulled him, lightly over to the little rabbit from earlier and crouched down.

"I beg your pardon, but could you show us his temple first? Do you know where it is?"

The rabbit looked between Riku and Alice before nodding, hopping out from behind the tree.

"Oh splendid! We just have to follow the white rabbit!"

Riku blinks as he watches the exchange happening before him, a little startled when Alice reaches for his hand, but willing to let himself be pulled along.

"Follow the rabbit, huh?"

Then he shrugs. It certainly beats being lost in the forrest.

"Wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've ever done."

Well then, off they are to follow the white rabbit!

"There's nothing weird about it. I've followed plenty of rabbits, I've never regretted the decision," she explained as she followed said white rabbit who was making sure not to get too far ahead of the two of them.

"What would be the weirdest then? If this is something you think is weird?"

The prayer in question had been one that made Sakura particularly sympathetic. From the nature of the prayer, it sounded like the handler in question was trying all that they could to protect their animals only to fail and take the blame for themselves. It's something she can relate to, being a healer herself and struggling to save others during a time of war in which her own country was a participant in.

From outside, everything seems so normal. It almost makes her wonder if this is the right place but Riku sounds certain and she trusts him. "Ah..." She glances back at Tsuzuki to make sure he's ready too. "Yes, let's go."

Tsuzuki nods back at her, straightening up and hooking his thumb through his belt loop as he considers the animal shed. There's heavy wire mesh over all the windows, nailed down, fresh, new and shiny like someone was trying their hardest to make sure nothing could get in or out of the building. None of it's damaged, though. So how's whatever's hurting the animals getting in?

Maybe it's somebody who can open the doors?

That's an uncomfortable thought to have, and he shrugs it off as he smiles at the other two cheerfully.

"Yeah, sure. Lead the way, Riku!"

Nothing damaged, everything so quiet… one might think that there is nothing wrong in this remote place. Clearly this isn't the case, or else they wouldn't have gotten this prayer… probably.

In any case, he's been asked to take the lead, and when has Riku ever shied away from taking a leap into the unknown?

He goes towards the door, then knocks against it.

"Hello? Is anyone in?"

Sakura isn't really sure what to look out for. She does note some of the extra security but everything in this world, especially the Near Shore, seems strange to her. Was this normal security? Or extra security? She couldn't tell but it seems strange that a creature could manage to get into a building like this.

No one answers and Sakura leans a little closer to listen. She can hear animals inside-- dogs barking in an echoing room and metal. Cages, maybe? The animals don't sound distressed, though. More than anything, it just sounds like the animals reacting to Riku's knocking.

From inside, they can hear someone call out, "It's open." They sound busy, like they're calling in the middle of something.

"Shall we go in?" She asks quietly, "... Everything s-sounds okay from here, though, don't you think...?"

"Sure, but we can't tell from out here. We should go talk to her." The woman's voice had sounded distracted, but she'd said the door was open, which means it's okay to come in. Anyway-- "Wasn't she asking for somebody she could talk to about this? So that's our job!"

Solving the problem with her animals can come later. Right now, she wants somebody to help her feel better. Tsuzuki claps a reassuring hand on Sakura's shoulder and reaches out to open the door with the other.

It comes open easily, hinges creaking, and he makes another mental note: the windows are all covered against animals, but if the door's left open during the day... what if she made a mistake, and left it open at night sometimes? It's really starting to sound like someone's sneaking in and stealing or hurting her livestock.

Inside, there are cages stacked up in two big rows in the first room. Speckled red and black hens peck and stroll back and forth, or settle like giant cosmetic puffs with beady dark eyes focused on the strangers. The floor is clean concrete, with a scattering of straw, and there's an inner door barely visible past the coops.

Asato, charmed, taps at the nearest cage. The black-and-white hen inside promptly pecks him, hard, on the hand.

"Ow!"

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