thenearshore | 016 | The Good Old Days

Entry tags:

016 | The Good Old Days

Who: Everyone!
What: Ageswapping
When: July 15-17
Where: Everywhere
Summary: A breach in the space-time continuum is messing things up.

Edit: OVERFLOW is here!

The Far Shore has been dealing with a lot of space-time pulsating through the past week or so and everything is culminating on the night of the 15th, even though the Heavens are preparing for an all-out Obon bash. They had planned to have the celebration on the 15th itself, but Amaterasu asked to postpone a day due to the horrible feeling that is permeating the Far Shore.

And it turns out she was right to postpone everything. In fact, it will have to be postponed another whole month at this rate...

Before

Late in the day on July 15th, the new batch of shinki will arrive to a Far Shore with a thick, tense atmosphere. All night on the 15th it feels like something is about to happen - and it's difficult to tell whether that something will be good or bad. Any attempts to contact the management of the Far Shore have fallen on deaf, slightly harried ears and so everyone is left to their own devices to try and figure out why things are so tense.

July 16

Just after midnight, an explosive shock wave rips through the Far Shore, bringing on the age changes with it. Even the spirits of the Far Shore seem to be affected - for example, the library goblins are either toddling around on wobbly legs or are dragging themselves from place to place and looking decrepit. There are a few gods and shinki that seem to have been exceptions from the change, though it is not clear why.

July 17

Another wave of energy comes in the early morning of the 17th. Fewer people are affected this time and it seems to alter those people's ages a second time. There is no rhyme or reason to who is being affected further. Several of the library goblins have just dropped dead from severe old age. Oops.

Aftermath

Late on the 17th brings about one final burst from the energy that has been plaguing the Far Shore. For a short moment, every new temple glows with a soft light, seeming to beckon to their owners. But the light is gone quickly and everyone will find themselves back to normal with complete memories of everything that happened during their age adventures. The goblins that died, though, are still very dead. Looks like the library will need to get some new help soon.

In Summary:

Meet the newbies
Get aged or de-aged
Deal with other too young/too old people
Try to handle the consequences
Have fun~

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[He twitches when he sees Quattordici's head poke out, but stays in place until the other boy starts to trot over, whereupon he jolts up. His legs are stiff and clumsy as he tries to move, but he barely notices.]

If it's big and has a kitchen, it'd fit a lot of kids... [But that last part has him shift uneasily, and he shakes his head a little. The weird fuzziness is still there...] There's no one in there now, right?

[Celty's shoulders hitched once more at his last words. Lost. That's not good. And he's not the first child she's run into feeling that way.]

I can try to help. Do you know where your house is? Or your family?

[Asato's smile slips a little at that question, once he's puzzled it out, and he ducks his head.]

Um, no. I, um. I don't remember my family.

[He's trying valiantly not to get upset, but his bottom lip's quivering just a little. He should remember them, shouldn't he? Family is important. Family's the most important thing, but he can't remember anybody at all.]

[Well, at least that's one thing he can count on being consistent between them. Always patching things up and coming back together to a single point. Sometimes they never agree, but settling for agreeing to disagree is better than nothing, isn't it? No scars, no loose ends. Just quiet understanding, a fist bump, and life would return to normal. That's easier said than done right now, considering Sousuke's a puppy and they're both younger than they should be, but Rin's mostly over the shock anyway, so all that's left to do is find the right balance for the situation. How to make it work... They obviously can't control their age. Can't wait for their wardrobes to change size, if at all.

He watches his shinki tilt his head as he thinks it and can't help but smile a little at the sight. It is charming whether Sousuke wants it to be or not.]

I guess it's better than nothing.

[said as he scoops Sousuke up into his arms again then stands from the floor. Hn. Should probably change him back before they do anything else though. Ok. If he just–

–fwump.

Annnd that would be the sound of his pants and boxers hitting the floor. Oops.]

[Oh, come on, don't be so sarcastic with him! And anyway, he's already doing Rin a huge favor here with the blankets, so as far as Rin's concerned, he's coming out of this a winner. A somewhat sleepy winner... but a winner either way. Although now that he thinks about it, is he really that sleepy? Maybe just tired. Or relaxed. ... Honestly, the thought of falling asleep so soon doesn't settle well in his stomach. Being this way with Sousuke again–

He never thought he'd feel so comfortable.

Yes, even when Sousuke still manages to throw jabs at him when they've just gotten cozy. Grumbling, Rin reaches his arm out so he can shove at his best friend's shoulder.]

Or maybe you'll fall this time.

[He knows they’re going to get into another argument again. But through the weeks, Sousuke’s come to realize that’s simply how they work, him and Rin. Competitive, stubborn, hotheaded, and opinionated, of course they weren’t going to agree on everything. And every time they fought, sooner or later, they were together again. Guess he can’t just up and let Rin go now can him. Sheesh, what a troublesome guy… Someone Sousuke knows he doesn’t want to be without. Of course, he’s never been a kid with Rin, so this is… going to be interesting. Sousuke hopes Rin’s not planning on keeping him as a puppy the entire time, but like hell’s he going to say that. Doesn’t need to be giving Rin any ideas.

(And he did just lick him a moment ago, so there’s that.)

At least Rin’s smiling again. Good, he doesn’t like it when Rin’s teary eyed and crying.]

Better be. I’m not gonna walk around naked the whole t-oof!

[And up he goes, breath rushing out of his lungs as Rin picks him up. The air rushes around him as his god stands up and Sousuke makes an annoyed whining sound in Rin’s arms. Seriously? He’s gonna carry him around too?

He perks for a second, head cocked and one ear swiveling. Was that a “fwump”? Yes, that definitely was. And seeing as Rin’s arms are up here… Not like he can see anything from this scooped up position.]

Oy. Your pants fell down.

[Sure, after you stop bossing him around! But the blankets are done and he’s settled and there’s no way he’s going to bother mouthing off about it right now. Way too comfortable in the bed. Winner? Was there even a competition? Sousuke snuggles into the pillow a little more before relaxing completely. Eyes closing, breath easing. Man, after the day they’ve had, he’s looking forward to getting some sleep finally. Recuperate for whatever tomorrow brings…

… except there’s still some nagging, little childish thought in his mind telling him he’s going to miss out on something fun if he goes to sleep.

Why should it be that way though? They’ll still be the same people tomorrow, even if they do go back to being teenagers. Right? They can do the same things they did as kids. Well, minus getting baths together…*cough*

He’s just about to tilt over into the dozy world when suddenly there’s a hand shoving at his shoulder. Sousuke rocks a little at the push and opens his eyes, a grumpy, annoyed pout coming to his face. Seriously, Rin?]

Mrgh… Push me off the bed and I’ll throw you out the window. Got it?

[Calm down, calm down. He isn't going to carry him around all day like this. ... maybe for a few minutes longer just so he can enjoy the moment. What? He likes dogs. They've established this. And even better: he's a puppy. Which means he has more opportunities to test some things out. Like stairs. How's he gonna handle those? Or hardwood floors, the bigger world outside. Hn. Ok, so maybe "a few minutes longer" could turn into an hour.

Or... so he thought.

There's suddenly a cool breeze down south, cooler than it should be, and it only takes him a second to realize why that is. In his panic, Rin sets Sousuke back down on the ground... only to realize he can probably see everything from that angle.]

Ah– dammit!

[SCRAMBLING. Trying to grab his pants and tug his tank top down at the same time without ripping or lifting anything shouldn't be this much of a trial! Don't peek! Just give him a second!]

[Sousuke, there's always a competition! Haven't you learned this about Rin by now? If you don't stay on your toes, how can you prepare yourself to win? Not like Rin has anything against claiming all the successes. If Sousuke wants to hand them over, that's more than ok with him. Another thing that won't change, even if they wake up tomorrow back to their normal bodies. So he shouldn't be restless. He shouldn't worry about falling asleep. Change happens. It always does.

... But does it have to so soon? ~~Baths together though... They can talk about that later.~~

Determined then to hang onto a few more precious seconds, Rin snickers softly then trades his arm for his leg beneath the sheets, nudging at Sousuke's leg this time with several persistent pushes. It's not enough to shove him off the bed, but it's probably more than enough to keep him awake. Oh yeah. He's testing you. Not afraid to admit that.]

I think I'd like him too. [This isn't a lie, though her only basis for it is 'friend of a friend' right now.] Have you been friends long?

[ Adults, huh. So saying he’s actually 43 might be a bad idea, right now. ]

Sometimes size ain’t gonna matter. Speed an’ knowin’ what to do’s much better. Only havin’ size ain’t all that useful in the end.

[ He seems bright enough to Butch. Being “bright” isn’t always being book-smart. Butch isn’t. ]

Quick learner, ain’t ya?

Yeah, but I'm not good enough yet. I need to be able to protect Quarantanove. [He looks momentarily thoughtful.] And I bet being bigger helps. [Then he brightens.] And I'm already really fast!

[At the compliment, Quattordici puffs up with pride.] I gotta be if I wanna learn stuff, right?

[Quattordici shakes his head.] Nobody I saw, and I looked pretty much everywhere. [He looks thoughtful.] Since it's so big, maybe we could hide there even if people do come...?

You'll get there, iffen ya keep trainin'. Sometimes it ain't much help at all. They gotta know what to do with their big size, them big fellas. Some ain't got a clue. [ He smiles a little wider. ] You are?

Yeah, I suppose so. Still though, [ He's careful not to startled him too badly when he reaches out to ruffle the kid's hair. ] seems ya got learnin' these kinda things in ya, it means you'll learn faster'n iffen ya didn't.

[Yeeeaah, that’s exactly why he’s not calming down. Maybe not all day, but Sousuke’s well aware of how much Rin likes dogs. He’s seen him talk to them while they’re walking in the parks, reminisces about a puppy in his past, and the swimmer’s still not completely convinced his changing into a dog for his vessel form is entirely something done by chance. After all, the castle has taken Rin’s preferences and character into account; what’s to say his shinki isn’t similarly sculpted?

And to make things even more incriminating, well… Sousuke’s a puppy. And he’s getting scooped up already, snuggled, giving puppy kisses too (not mentioning that anymore), and other things. He’s not sure he wants to know what Rin’s thinking about or has plans for. Plenty to turn a few minutes into an hour or twelve. Worst part is… Sousuke’s pretty sure he’ll eventually go along with it. Sigh.

At least for the moment, they can focus on Rin instead. And his dropped drawers. Sousuke snickers and of course Rin’s going to hear it. But when the world does down--] Oy! [His paws touch the floor and—god dammit, Rin—How’s he NOT supposed to “peek” (see: see everything) when his god plops him down right in front of his crotch?! Teal puppy eyes wide and that image stuck right in his brain and all.]

OY! Rin!

[There’s a momentary flashback of a certain redhead come bursting into the bathroom only to get a full body shot of Sousuke showering off without the door closed. What, is this paybacks for that? Dammit! He wanted to do it on his own terms! ~~Wait, what the hell did he just say?~~

Of course all this coming from the kid that just a moment ago suggested “we” get a bath.]

Hey! [Crap, his god’s dancing around trying to get his pants up and Sousuke quickly jerks to the side, not wanting to be around if Rin’s going to come crashing down on the floor.] Leave it! Rin, stop! You’re gonna fall and hurt yourself! Oy! It’s fine! Leave’m on the floor!

[Well this morning’s one for the records, such a complete and utter mess.]

[He knows but can’t they have a competition over who can fall asleep the fastest right now?! You’d think by this time Sousuke’d be wise to sleeping in the same bed as Rin… but apparently ever since that one night after the fireworks on the beach, when Rin said they’d drag another bed in here, Sousuke’d never bothered to make that necessity happen. It was just… stupidly comfortable. Even if this kind of crap happened more often than not.

And there he goes. Not content with the hand on his shoulder pushing—or heeding Sousuke’s warning—there’s now a leg nudging at his own beneath the sheets. Push. No motion. Push. Nothing doing, Rin! Push. He’s gritting his teeth and doing his damnest not to move, you know. Push. AUGH that does it! Sousuke grunts and shoves right back with his leg, trying to put Rin’s leg back on his side.]

Mnrgh, Rin! I’m gonna smack you!

I don't think I have either. The styles look different somehow.

[She means the Western style ones specifically but without memories to help her place context, she's struggling to find the right words.]

Cities are nice. It's easy to hide in them.

[Ayumu nods, beaming. It is a big word for a little boy and she's pleased he knows it.]

Yes. The jugular is the name of a vein, right here.

[She gently nudges his finger to the proper place.]

If you cut someone's throat here, they'll bleed out quickly and everything will get extremely messy. But there's another spot, an artery, that's quite effective for dispatching an opponent long enough to escape or hide them to avoid discovery.

[Ayumu guides his fingers to another spot on his throat, where his cartoid artery is located.]

If you can get someone in a headlock and apply strong enough pressure here, they'll fall unconscious. However, if that doesn't work, a sharp blow to the back of the head works well.

[As Ayumu speaks, she slips unconsciously into a patient instructor tone, one that she's perfected by adulthood but she's already capable of assuming with ease as a teenager.]

[Quattordici does see the hand coming, and he flinches a little at it not out of surprise so much as kneejerk fearful expectation when Butch touches him. But after the hair-ruffling ends, and he belatedly processes what just happened...his eyes open again, and he blinks at Butch for a few moments as though he's never been touched by someone older than him in a positive way before.

Then, after a moment or two longer, as the idea that what just happened was a nice thing finally penny drops into his mind, he breaks into a broad, bright grin.]

Can you show me other stuff? [The idea that maybe he's good at learning makes him want to try it more.]

It's weird magic but it could be useful if it was better controlled or more stable. Turning back time seems like it would be very handy.

[A slight pause before continuing.]

Have you lived here long?

Um.... We just met. But he's nice. He's a lot braver than me, and protects me a lot!

[At least, that's the idea, although they haven't had to get into a situation like that just yet.]

He's out right now... but maybe when you find your backpack and come back, he'll be back too.

Um... Could you show me inside? Is that okay? If there's no one there...

[Then it should be safe, right? Still, he feels like he'll be able to make a slightly better decision if he knows what it looks like for himself.]

[The further this little lesson goes on, the more he seems to ease up, letting her tilt his head and tap where she needs to in favor of paying more attention. If she wanted to kill him, it's becoming clear to him that she could have done so a while ago.]

But a headlock means you have to be strong, right...?

[His skinny arms don't exactly inspire confidence. Maybe he'll stick with something to the back of someone's head.]

[He's thought about that. Some shinki turn into small things, inanimate things, destructive and dangerous things... All those things more or less reflect the personality and preferences of their god. And Sousuke-- Well. A dog might not have been his first choice (looking at his best friend, he was sure something stiffer and edgier like a bazooka would have made sense) but the more times he took this form, the more times it made sense, not just for Rin, but for Sousuke too. He needed to move. To be independent and free. Honestly... he wouldn't have accepted anything else.

Although, it certainly has its disadvantages. Take, for example, this. Being so small means he's at the perfect height for certain things. He just never thought this would count as one of those "certain things."

There's a hell of a lot of puppy yapping and screaming going on while he tries not to trip over his own feet and clothes, and by the time Rin resorts to grabbing the bottom hem of his tank top to yank down over his thighs, his cheeks are bright red and his heart won't stop pounding up into his throat. What did he see!? He couldn't have... could he?]

S-Sousuke, turn around! Don't look!

[Not like they haven't seen all this before (given their sport and all) but this situation is entirely different!!]

[Ohoho, has he finally hit a nerve? Or should he say, has he finally hit another nerve? Wow, he's awfully good at this. He can't remember being this good at it back in the day. But he's not complaining, not one bit, because poking fun at Sousuke's always been his favorite past time, and somehow doing it as a child feels so much more fulfilling. Maybe it's because they're smaller and there's no need to worry about being pinned down or sat on without any chance of getting up again. Sousuke might still be taller, but he's lost all that muscle mass, you know!

So he's going to milk this for all it's worth. Poke, poke! Wah, you can't shove him back to his side! That's not fair at all!

Scooting in closer, he giggles.]

Go on, smack me then. I dare you!

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016 | The Good Old Days

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