016 | The Good Old Days

[godsoffortune]

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~

Comments

[reformedsinner]

Cho Gonou. I'm a teacher at the school down the way.

[He gestures vaguely down the path: it's a much more complicated set of directions than that, since he's been walking for a while, but that will do for now.]

What's your name?

[He crosses his legs and folds his hands on his knee, looking up at the summer-bright leaves on the trees overhead. Even in the early dusk, the green stands out, and he'd never appreciated adults being too pushy in their attempts to help as a child.

Hopefully this boy feels the same way. Gonou's less skilled at dealing with the sort of children who want hugs and baby talk when they're upset.]

[ripplesoflosttime]

A teacher?

[He nearly perks up at that.

Teachers--teachers can be trusted, right? But no, something still isn't quite right. This person still isn't his teacher, whoever he is, and Lavi is confused as to why he's thinking that.

But he studies Gonou, seeing the way he's looking at the trees and the way the dusk slowly begins to settle.]

My name is Shaye.

[reformedsinner]

Yes, that's right. It's a pleasure to meet you, Shaye.

[Gonou stays where he is, watching the boy out of the corner of his eye as Shaye carefully studies him in return.]

You know, even if you're not lost, I have a confession to make. I don't know how I got here at all! I woke up at the school this morning, but the last thing I remember must have been a long time ago.

[ripplesoflosttime]

[The tiny redhead looks a bit confused.

This person is new here, too? He shifts a bit, his guard lowering slightly as he takes him in.]

Are you a god here?

[reformedsinner]

Apparently.

[He's not thrilled about this "god" concept, but he can admit it seems to fit the facts so far. He'll register his objections when he meets someone -- anyone -- who knows what they're doing.]

What about you? Are you a god or a shinki?

[ripplesoflosttime]

Shinki.

[There's something akin to hate in his tone, appearing briefly before his tone grows cold again.]

At least, that's what they've told me.

[reformedsinner]

I see.

[That means, if the pamphlet was telling the truth, that this child is dead. Dead, and stripped of every memory of his short life. Gonou falls silent for a moment, still looking up at the trees. The sky beyond them is shading towards purple and dark blue now.]

Obviously, I don't know what it's like, but I'm sorry to hear that.

[ripplesoflosttime]

[He shakes his head, looking at the trees and the sky beyond them.

He's almost tempted to fall quiet here, but this is an adult and he can't bring himself to be at peace yet. Then again, this person is also a god who seems to have been forced here, too.

Lavi curls up, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.]

I want to be sad about it, but I can't.

[reformedsinner]

You don't have to feel any particular way about it just yet. It's a complicated situation.

[And complicated situations make for complicated feelings, which, for a child, are hard.

Gonou is silent for a moment, and then adds:]

Do you have somewhere to stay here?

[Why is he curled up on a park bench when night is threatening to fall?]

[ripplesoflosttime]

I don't like it here.

[It's as honest as he'll get.

There's a pause as Lavi thinks it over. In truth, he does have somewhere to stay. He does have a goddess, apparently, and she might be freaking out over losing him.

He could go to the school to meet up with the group of children that's gathered.

But Lavi doesn't really have a place to stay that he feels comfortable in yet.

So, he shakes his head in response to the question.]

[reformedsinner]

I'm afraid I don't know this place very well yet myself, but if this is to be trusted, Bishamonten has been looking after new gods and shinki.

[He pulls out a tightly folded brochure from the training session the previous day. It'd been in his pocket, luckily, and that makes it now the source of almost all of his information about this new place.

Or a clever prank... but the information all hangs together with his experience. He hands the brochure over for the boy's inspection. It's nice to know.]

[ripplesoflosttime]

The goddess of war?

[Or whatever she wants to call herself.

He takes the brochure, looking through it. His eyebrows furrow a bit.]

Do you think you could trust this Bishamonten?

[reformedsinner]

That's right. I haven't met her personally, so I can't say, but I think it's safer than sleeping out here or sneaking into a stranger's temple for the night.

[Almost anything would be, and while he wouldn't trust her with anything more important than helping with a place to sleep until he knew her better, that's a small enough request that it seems unlikely it would garner a negative response.]

[ripplesoflosttime]

Are you going to go?

[Because while Lavi hates the idea of being with someone, he hates it even more being in an unfamiliar place without at least one familiar face.

Then again, that could be the child inside of him just fearing to be alone.]

If you're not, I'd rather take my chances out here.

[reformedsinner]

No. I've been staying at the school.

[He pauses, glancing at the boy, and adds:]

If you'd rather sleep there, there seem to be a few extra futons in the cupboard.

[ripplesoflosttime]

[So Gonou isn't going to the temple.

Lavi doesn't really react as if he's disappointed, though he nods at the suggestion.]

I'll take the futon.

[reformedsinner]

All right. If you hear any crashing noises in the middle of the night, wake me up? It's probably the children upstairs destroying my kitchen.

[It has been a long day.]

[ripplesoflosttime]

[He blinks, looking up at Gonou.]

You mean that group of children who doesn't like adults?

[He's met one of them earlier, inviting him, and Lavi took it. The only problem is that the tiny redhead often goes off on his own before he returns to anyone or anywhere.]

[reformedsinner]

Unfortunately, I do. I can't very well throw them out if they don't have anywhere else to go, and they've moved in.

[He sighs, and shakes his head. On the other hand: it sounds like this boy knows of them, and, as a small child himself, he might be able to talk to them without confusion, booby traps, biting, and things being thrown down the stairs.]

... It's all right for them to stay up there on weekends, but come Monday we'll need those rooms for classes.

[ripplesoflosttime]

[Gonou, you're out of luck if this tiny redhead can talk to them out of it.

He might just join in.]

They won't move out by Monday. [Said as a fact.] They might try to take over the school.

[reformedsinner]

If it comes to that, I might have to be a little less tolerant.

[If they try to take over his school, it will be war. He has ingenuity, size and a fair amount of martial arts training on his side. He suspects he can handle a bunch of half-feral children.]

I'm hoping to work out a deal. They can stay in the unoccupied rooms, for example, and have the run of the place after classes are done....

[ripplesoflosttime]

You'll fight against kids?

[That's actually a bit amusing.

Gonou vs. children.

But Lavi blinks once.]

You'll need to talk to the one in charge about that.

[reformedsinner]

I'd evict them. [If they fight back, well, look: he's bigger than they are and can pick them up and remove them if he has to. He'd prefer not to hurt any of them.

They're obnoxious, but they're just little kids, after all.]

Which one of them is in charge?

[ripplesoflosttime]

They might bite you. [Probably not really, but they'll definitely fight back.

They're kids after all.

He blinks once.]

There's Quattordici and Quarantonove.

[reformedsinner]

I'll wear heavy gloves.

[His tone is dry, and he nods at the names, making a mental note. They're complicated, clearly foreign, but he doesn't recognize the language.]

What do they look like?