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~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This guy who she's running right towards is a fully grown adult in his 20s who, despite that, is still shrieking just like a little kid and toppling backwards as she (and the bizarre fruit-themed parade surrounding her) barrel into him at full speed.]

WHAT IS THAT APPLE DOING--

[It's laughing. It's dancing and laughing. Maybe he's having nightmares, too.]

HUAAAAAHHH!! Aaahhh....aaaaa.....

[ IT'S GONNA GET HER and this guy was in the way and now she's having trouble standing up because she's freaking out.

Cue flailing limbs on top of this guy, and then falling on her side with her hands clapped over her ears. The sound keeps coming, though. From....everywhere.

"LET'S GOLDEN PINE LET'STRAWBERRY GO LET'S GO-RANNY SMITH!"

And the fruit surrounds them ominously. Any attempts to touch it, however, will whiff right through. It's just an illusion. ]

It's -- it's okay! Um --

[He's going to try to punch the fruit. Why's it talking like that?!

Except his fist goes right through, and if he weren't already sitting down he might've fallen right over.]

-- It's not real!

[How is it not real? But it didn't hurt him and it didn't even feel like there was something there. Emboldened, he tries to kick an apple.]

[ "OWATERMELON! THAT HURTAMARIND!"

Despite the voice saying this, however, the fruit continues to not be real. That foot will go whiffing right through the apple.

The little girl, surprised by this, sniffles and blinks. That...he...but that can't be. It's a lie. And yet... ]

It's...not real?

[ When she says that, all the fruit glitches in place, vanishing for a moment before popping back into view. When it reappears, she squeaks and claps her hands tighter over her ears. ]

Whoa! Did you see that?

[With more confidence, he swipes one hand through a nearby banana. It goes through with the same casual ease, and he begins to grin.]

Look at that! It's not! It disappeared for a moment there -- repeat after me: it's not real.

Th-that's a lie!

[ She shrinks away, but is clearly torn. ] E-everybody lies! So...

[ But she saw it. She saw him. He's touching the fruit, and it isn't hurting him. So it's...true?

SO CONFUSED.

The fruit wavers again. ]

It's not a lie! You saw it that time, right?

[She's gotta have seen it! All of the weird dancing fruit flickered out for a second!

Tsuzuki waves his hands energetically through a sentient Carmina Burana's hat worth of dancing fruit, trying to prove to her that it's not just harmless, it's not there. It seems like every time she doubts, it flickers. Maybe it's connected to her somehow?]

It's a...it's a l....

[ But it. It's really passing through his hand. She scoots away, afraid of him, but also....

What if she tried? ] I-it's not. It's not there.

[ The fruit wobbles. When it returns, it's fainter. And so is the voice, still screaming puns. ]

It's not! See?

[It went away again! Yeah, it's definitely because of her. Maybe it's some kind of psychic parasite that's feeding off her belief?]

[ The voice paralyzes the little girl, causing her to flinch away, but - but - what if she - what if she - ]

It's not there. It's not there.

[ She screws up her face, digs her fingers into her hair. ] It's not there, it's not there, it's not there -

[ She squeezes an eye open. She thinks about seeing that guy's body pass through the fruit. ]

It's not there!!

[ "HOLY LYCHEE!" says the voice, and vanishes. So do all the apparitions. The little girl looks relieved for a second, then flops onto her side.

That took a lot out of her... ]

You did it!

[Tsuzuki beams at her, and gets back to his feet, brushing all the road dust from getting tackled off his pants.]

Nice job, kiddo. Hey, I'm Asato Tsuzuki, by the way. Nice to meet you.

D-don't get close.

[ He may have helped her beat the fruit, but she still doesn't trust him. After all, if the fruit wasn't real, maybe he isn't, too.

Maybe this whole world is a lie in even more ways than she'd thought. ]

Geez, fine, whatever. I helped you! Why are you acting like I'm the bad guy here?

[Plus, importantly? She ran into him, not the other way around. He's lucky he didn't hit his head. He'd be out cold.]

You might be lying.

[ She's not so far gone that she's started hiding her own intentions, or anything. (Yet.) ]

E-everybody else lied....every last one of them.

[ Just thinking about it makes her hands inch towards her ears again. ]

... but you've never met me before, right? There's a lot of people you haven't met! Just because you knew some jerks who lied to you doesn't mean everybody's a liar.

[Nailed it. That'll definitely reassure a panicky small child.]

[ She shakes her head. ] They all lied! E-even...even the ones who said "Young Mistress".....

[ Yeah, crying now. Panicked, hurt, angry crying. ]

....even the ones who said they were friends......

[ The angriest little glare. ]

Y-you're gonna leave too, aren't you?! Liar!

Um -- I mean -- I don't...

Who are you? I don't even know your name!

[How did he get to be a liar for maybe leaving?! He didn't think it was going to be his job to take care of her forever! She just ran into him!]

H-hibiki.

[ Hicbiki, more like. She hiccups in the middle of trying to say it.

The strangest part is that he knew how to make the scary voice go away. Everybody lies, but he was right. This does not add up. Except. Except.

She decides to test the theory that makes the most sense. ] Y-you're...not real.

[ If he vanishes, then she will know! If not....Then things will be very, very confusing. ]

... Am too.

[Nope, not a single flicker. He's staring at her as though she's grown an extra head. Poor kid, is she that confused by whatever was messing with her? It sounds like this goes back further than just being scared once by a talking fruit monster.

Although those puns were terrifyingly bad.]

[ They were. And things are now very, very confusing.

Hibiki rubs at her temples with the heels of her hands. ] ...Liar.

[ But she uncurls. A little bit. ]

What's it gonna take to convince you I'm not lying?

[He's still here and still not flickering. At least she's not as scared now? Maybe? And the fruit monster is gone!

Really, the situation's headed nowhere but up. It's just that he doesn't totally understand what the situation is yet.]

Th-then...

[ That is a good question, and one Hibiki had not really thought over. She considers it. She sits up. Everybody lies. And when they're done lying, they leave. That is the way the world works.

So, the simple fix for that, where it won't matter if he's lying or not... ] Become a butler.

[ Because then there's nothing actually between them! He's just staff! That'll fix it.

Except, no, that's not strong enough. Hibiki thinks about the kind of person she'll need to become, to exist in a world full of lies. She thinks about the happiest she's ever been. It was the school play, and she was - ]

Become my butler.

[ Boku no shitsuji.

This false world full of lies needs to be cut apart by a Prince! ]

I, um...

[Butler?! He's nobody's butler. He doesn't have the right manners, for one thing, but if that's what this poor kid wants in order to help her calm down and get over being as scared as she's been, then he can pretend, right?

It's not like it's a real job.]

... okay, if you want. I'm not good at being a butler, though!

It's okay.

[ He said yes. This is encouraging. He's real. He can keep the bad stuff away. And even if he's lying, if he hurts her, she can just fire him. Simple.

She tries to smile, but stay calm, and in control, like a Prince. So it comes out more of a smirk. Whoops. ]

You just have to do what I want.

I guess I can do that.

[Or at least keep an eye on her. She's just a kid... even if that smirk is a little bit creepy.]

First, how about I walk you back home?

July 17

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