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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[Oona nods slowly, because.. Yes? Natsuru is a girl? She knows this!] Yes. Girl.

[She perks up] Boyfriend! [She just thinks 'boyfriend' is the word for 'lover' or 'mate' or something.] ...No?

....does Mother have a son she never told me about? You look like Mother might, but with my hair.

[Well, now we know which side Leo favors]

[Damn. When he puts it like that, he sounds like a real asshole, doesn't he? It stings, too, that frustration and resentment, the wounded pride, the sense of indignation at undeserved guilt and humiliation...]

[Shit.]

[Hijikata stares at him, trying to regroup. He's supposed to be good at coming up with plans, isn't he? How does he do this? How do you fix this?]

...I wasn't thinking. I...

[What is this feeling?]

Do you really think so?

[Leo starts heading for Lakshimi's temple.]

[ his mouth drops open once more. ]

Monsters?? For real?

[That's less of a stringent requirement than he was expecting, and though Shun doesn't really describe himself as all of that, he knows there are a few gods who seem to treat him as such, so he inclines his head.]

I've seen enough desperate people pray and then suffer for lack of answer. I have no interest in doing anything but prioritising people and innocents when I act as a god. And I don't know what you'd consider to make an authority figure or role model, but to me, actions speak louder than words. I do what I can to guide the newcomers here and try to make something out of the disorganized mess the older gods started with when we began arriving here. The more people know what they're doing and know the situation here, the quicker they can take up their own mantle.

[It's not really Shun's business what they do with it from there unless they start hurting people, but when he considers it, he...probably falls into the categories described by Reisi a bit more than he'd like to admit.]

[Oona looks startled by the swift response, but she takes the sandwich anyhow with a wide-eyed look.]

...Eat? [She tilts it around curiously, before nibbling on one edge before her eyes light up in delight. There's a pleased noise and she looks around hopefully] Eat more?

[ She can't help it. You're kinda adorable, Goten. ]

I have some fish left at my temple, if you think that would help lure him out?

[ Nanako gives a soft laugh when she hears his stomach growl, turning to reach out for one of the nearby bento boxes to hold it out to him in offering, making sure not to make any sudden movements to startle him further.

It felt a little bit like trying to coax one of her brother's stray cats closer for a little affection. ]

Here. You can have it. And there's more where that came from. It's alright.

[Hijikata blinks down at the young girl, wondering for a moment if she can't see or hear him right, either.]

[Well, there's a way to find out.]

Hey. You want to watch where you're going, kid?

Many of us have. But I don't know how long for sure. Just that you answered a bunch of my questions for me when I first arrived, so you were at least here long enough to feel comfortable doing that.

[ She gives a soft laugh at that, looking sheepish. ] I certainly didn't expect to be repaying the favor in quite this way, but... Is there anything I can help you with, Shun? At least until we get all of this sorted and figure out what's happening.

[There's a hiccuping little cough and Oona scoots back in alarm, watching Forrest with a wary look.]

Eh? Ehh... [She makes an uncertain, scared noise and looks around. There's an inquisitive little whistle directed Forrest's way, trying to discern if he's friend or foe]

[She peers into the box and takes the ice in her hands, before immediately back into the box] Cold! [But she reaches for it again, looking pleased before she carefully sets some of the ice to balance on her legs.]

Water? [She's never seen ice before okay SHE DOESN'T KNOW.]

[He's still angry, and hearing that Hijikata said something so deeply unfair without even thinking about it doesn't exactly make it any better. He doesn't reflect on it right now, that Hijikata must feel some of it; this molten lump of hot, churning emotion that feels like it might chew him up from inside his stomach is not a private thing. To his god, it is a form of punishment.

But Souji also isn't a vengeful person, and anger doesn't come naturally to him. After the initial humiliation and lashing out in self defense comes something more vulnerable, a clawing insecurity and a sense of having been found lacking somehow, even though he knows he'd done nothing wrong. So his next words, intended to be as sharp and humbling as Hijikata's words had felt to him, sound far too much like a plea instead.]

If you didn't mean it, you- you could at least say you're sorry. If you really didn't mean it.

'Too'? Have you met many of them today?

[ Nanako sounds amused at that prospect as she leads him over to her temple and where the supplies of bentos she'd gotten ready this morning are still stacked. ] Not all day, but I set aside some time this morning to make them. I thought everyone would have their hands full today and it might help. You're right that there's a lot of confused people. I can't do much about that yet, but I could at least help with this.

Mmm, here we go. There's a couple different kinds, but you can pick any of them that looks good to you, okay?

I was. You got in my way. Maybe you should watch where you are going.

[She doesn't so much as give him a second glance, instead looking around for a suitable place to change clothes. Ayumu could just do it in the street and maybe she will. No one can see her; it's how she was able to steal new clothes in the first place but she has a feeling this man would throw a hissy fit and people like that are embarrassing to stick around.]

Or learn to walk faster. You're too slow.

Well, that's not very nice of him, is it? [ She closes her fingers around his in a warm grip, reaching out to ruffle his hair lightly with the other. ] I'll get you some ice cream. What kind do you want?

Uuwah!

[Nope! He's gonna cover them up with his hands.]

I'm an elezen, we are supposed to have ears like this.

[She takes the cracker and squints at its shape-- surprisingly she seems to know it, because she makes her best impression of an elephant trumpeting noise and bursts out laughing at her own poor attempt.

She nibbles on the cracker, then looks curious at him] Eat? [Her tone is more questioning and concerned, gesturing towards him. He had some to eat too, right??]

[Lifting his head, he stares up at her. A flash of relief softens his features ever so slightly. At least Suijin hasn't been effected by whatever-this-is but it sort of makes sense considering how busy this time of year can get for her.]

Suijin...

[He sighs.]

Other then being reduced to a runt? Not good. My whole shrine is in an uproar over this. Kaede is trying to play damage control for me but...

[He just rubs his neck as another sting makes his hiss quietly. He hasn't been stung by his own shinki in years. years this is not a good day to be Fuujin! But at least he has memories.]

We need to figure out what is going on. I don't know the fate of Ammy or Raijin yet, I was going to see her next.

[Cause who really cares about Raijin when he doesn't know if he's smaller and more kickable then he is right now]

I'm...

[The word sticks in his throat for a moment. It doesn't seem natural, in his own voice. He feels like he can just about count on one hand the number of things he's ever been properly sorry for...]

[The absence of the warmth and laughter in Souji's expression is heavy. Knowing it's his fault, that he did that for nothing, that he doesn't know if he can do anything to make it better, is a little nauseating.]

[Right and wrong are beneath gods, he's heard, but shinki are there to help them understand anyway. And right now, he doesn't feel like a mighty god, he feels very much like a goddamn kid.]

[It's funny. Souji's always been able to shut down his bullshit, hasn't he?]

...I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that.

[Well, she's happy now, so that's what matters, right? He settles down besides her, curling his knees up to his chest and nodding.]

Cold water. Really cold.

I'm paying attention. You're the one barreling around like you've got someone on your tail.

[He glances around for a moment, checking to see if she does.]

What's got you in such a damn hurry?

Maybe a little...You already teach me practically everything else.

[He still has plans for that. Plans for making Izumo food sometime.]

I won't, promise!

[ Goten doesn't like messing up your stuff, fighting is fun but he's not to overly gung ho about it outside of some personal goals he had before this change up happened.]

[It's possible. No one noticed Ayumu's theft when it occurred but the vendor's bound to notice his wares are missing before long and only an idiot lingers on scene. But maybe he is one. Ayumu's certainly looking at him like he is.]

I wanna get dressed. This shirt doesn't fit me and I'm barefoot. It's hot.

[The pavement's been hurting her feet for a while now but Ayumu's been trying her best not to think about it. She's on a mission.]

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016 | The Good Old Days

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