( open ) when he opened the box, he aged 300 years

[minogame]

Who: Urashima and you
When: July 11-12
Where: Various
What: Urashima remembers something from the past and basically ages 300 years tbh.


1. ( 7/11 ) Waking up, Eris' Temple (closed)

(Urashima has always been an early riser. From the moment he arrived in the Far Shore, he was always one to wake up in the morning and get moving-- whether it be helping out around the temple, training on his own, or finding a friend to bother. It was an old habit, developed from months of waking up early to train and clean at the citadel, not that he remembered. He only knew this was a thing he did and he didn’t mind.

As he wakes, he turns over in his bed and recalls a dream he’d just had. A dream? Is that what he’s remembering right now?

Being in a room, tucked away to the side but also on display. Men and women crowding around him to point and exclaim, “There it is. Urashima Kotetsu.” That’s him. That’s his name but someone reaches out to him and picks up. Not by the arms, not from the stomach, but they pick up so easily, turning him over in their hands and it feels so wonderfully natural… “Is it authentic?” Someone asks and he practically glows because he knows the answer. Yes, he’s an authentic Kotetsu sword.

And that’s when it hits him.

Snapping up in bed, he practically falls out of it, scrambling to find his sword. To find himself. He finds it nearby (it’s always nearby) and he grabs it with shaking hands, heart racing, breath gone. That wasn’t a dream. When you remember a dream, you know its a dream. When he remembered this one, it felt real.

The realization sends him into a panic as he tries to stop the memory from seeping into mind, taking place, filling in empty spaces with something. He’s a sword. He’s a spirit. A tsukumogami.)

No… no, no, no…!

( Urashima's a good kid— a good shinki. Always keeping himself in line, Oona's never had to feel any sort of twinge of guilt from him and for all of his naïveté and youth, he was confident and brave, never feeling any real fear.

Until now. He's never felt this way before. Not in his time in the Far Shore and not in his old life— never in over three hundred years. He's afraid to the point he's working himself into more and more of a panic. Good morning, Oona. )

2. ( 7/11 ) Afternoon, a park in the near shore (open)

( After he'd had a chance to recover from his earlier panic, Urashima tries to find some time to think about his new memory properly. Not that there's much to really think about. Being a shinki, he'd never worried about his lack of memories. Things simply were the way they were and everything would be okay. Of course, he'd had basic knowledge of some things but for other things, he'd had to assume. He'd assumed he knew how to use a sword before and that he liked practicing just like he'd assumed he'd been human. And now, in an instant, he'd changed. He'd gone from being human to never being a human at all. With a single memory, he'd aged.

In the park, he sits on the edge of a bridge over a small stream, leaning against the guard railing. His feet kick at the air and he holds out his sheathed sword in front of him. He'd tried to leave it behind at the temple but after remembering… he couldn't quite leave it behind. It's a good thing normal people don't notice shinki and gods.

He keeps it sheathed but he knows exactly what the blade looks like. He knows the carving on the blade— Urashima Taro, the forge date. Over three hundred years.

He frowns and lets out a loud, frustrated sigh before trying to say the word on his tongue, )

Tsukumogami…

( Those who know Urashima might also realize that while there are other children in the park, Urashima doesn't appear particularly interested in playing with them right now. )

3. ( 7/12 ) Morning, the Far Shore (open)

( Now that he's had a day to adjust. Urashima appears to bounce back to his usual self. He's taken to exploring the Far Shore a bit, passing the different temples on some sort of curious quest. And maybe you're just minding your own business doing your own thing or maybe you look like you need to be bothered but one way or another, Urashima asks, )

Hey, hey! Have you ever heard of "Ryujin?"

Comments

[mermaiding]

[Oona crosses her arms over her chest, plunking the little turtle onto her shoulder for her to chill out as the mermaid watches Urashima splash about.]

Is holy water, but, see? You are fine. So, whatever has happened, it is fine, yes? I am not becoming monster and neither are you. Must calm down.

Remembered something, yes? But, you are just fine. Only thing hurting me is your panicking. When you are calm and not crying, we will talk through it.

[minogame]

( Kamekichi will rest on Oona's shoulder but Oona isn't the only one feeling Urashima's emotions right now. When you've been together for over five hundred years, you can't help but be a little sensitive, okay!

Meanwhile, Urashima can't help but look like he's been completely betrayed. He was shoved in the water like he was some small turtle and he isn't some small turtle you can just throw into ponds! He has his pride!! But he's listening and whens he mentions his panic hurting him, there's a twinge of guilt that he aggressively tries to stifle for her sake. )

--sorry... ( It's quiet and small. He's doing his best to calm down and the cold water and the truth definitely helps. Still, he can't help but feel funny. It's a strange feeling when you go from empty memories and a forgotten to the vaguest of memories that spans centuries. ) I didn't... I didn't mean to...

( Hurt her. And Kamekichi opens her mouth in a wide, scolding roar yawn. )

[mermaiding]

Apology accepted. But, it is not your fault either.

Talk these things out, rather than bottle up or crying alone. We are partners, yes? Can talk to each other. [She's quiet a moment, considering, before carefully holding onto Kamekichi securely before she jumps in as well. When she surfaces she shakes her head, just enjoying the water a moment.]

When you are ready to talk about what it is you saw, we can talk.

[minogame]

( Kamekichi floats the way turtles do and takes to swimming around them in the pool before circling back next to Urashima. He reaches to pick her up, keeping her half in the water and half in his hand. His other hand holds onto his sword, keeping it out of the water. Even if his human body is fine with being in it, he knows water isn't good for metal. )

I remembered my name. ( He's quiet, for a second, trying to figure out how to explain. All shinki remember their name, at least, all of the new ones like him. ) I always thought it was Urashima like Urashima Taro... but it's because of him. ( In the water, Kamekichi's tail flicks once. "Correct." ) And I was named that because of... the carving on my blade.

When I remembered that I remembered I wasn't... really a person. I've always been a spirit.

[mermaiding]

['Carving on my blade' means nothing to her and she tilts her head, glancing to the sword in his hand. So they had the sword around since before he was born and ? ??? That's what Oona's thinking, at least.

She wonders too, why it matters.] So, you are not human? You act as if this is bad thing. Knowing you are not human should best feeling! Humans are boring and stupid and mean. And you are upset?

[She pauses a moment to actually collect herself and heaves a sigh] You know what you are now, though, right? Should be important thing. Now you know who you are, now you discover what to use that information for!

[A pause and she belatedly asks:] What kind of spirit?

[minogame]

No, they aren't.

( He quickly disagrees to humans being stupid and mean. He doesn't remember any important people from his past but he's met plenty of people here who were surely once human and he's met plenty in the Near Shore. They'd all been kind to him he was always impressed by the things they would tell him. But he doesn't push for arguing now because why is he upset? He feels like he's aged a hundred years and he can feel the empty weight because there's not a memory in in all of those years. )

Mm. ( He nods. ) In Japan, there's a legend. People have... things. If that thing can last for one hundred years, the thing is granted a spirit called a tsukumogami. Before I was a person, I was a thing. ( And he lifts his sword some, ) This was me so I was a sword spirit.

[mermaiding]

[She gives Urashima a flat sort of look, because this is sooo not a topic they're going to get into right now. Individual humans might be fine, but on the whole she's found humanity itself to be deplorable. Why should she care about them when they never cared about her, after all?

But she listens and leans in to look at his sword-- er, him? Look at him? How does this work now] Ahh... Explains things, then, like why you turn into sword thing for me, maybe. [She taps her chin thoughtfully] Are you sad? That you are not human, that you are spirit? Can not think of yourself as just 'a thing' any more. You are still Urashima.

[minogame]

( If all humans are bad while some are good, can't all humans be good while some are bad? This is what Urashima thinks, at least. It's something they can argue later, or rather, something he hopes they don't have to argue about.
He wouldn't back down. )

I don't know. ( If he was sad or not. It was a lot to remember, even if it was just one memory. ) I always thought I was... and then I wasn't this morning. But it didn't feel bad or sad...it just felt... right?

( It's hard to get the words out but he tries his best, )

Like why I turn into a sword and why I knew this was mine when I found it and why I knew how to fight already but also... ( Whispering. ) I felt real. Like, really real.

[mermaiding]

[Oona looks thoughtful a moment and then shakes her head.] Then, hold that feeling. In the end. Urashima is Urashima, sword or boy, you are still you. We are still talking. Does being sword change anything you have done? Suddenly, has all the good you did become not good?

[She shakes her head and then holds out a hand to him to help him out of the pool] You are real. You are just more, hmm.. What is the word? 'Cool'. [And she grins broadly.] I do not know how to help, I am no good at things like this. But you are my shinki and you are part of my clan now. Human or spirit, I do not care. Because you are Urashima. So just keep being 'Urashima'.

[It's just that simple!!]