[open + 1 closed] and on on and on and on we go

[redotiertwo]

Who: A: Davesprite and Hajime, Everything Else: Davesprite and you!
When: A: July 24th, B: July 27th, C: July 28th, D: The remainder of July
Where: A: Neith's Temple, Everything Else: Various places around the Near and Far Shore/basically wherever is convenient
What: Davesprite remembers everything about a certain Jade Harley, including various resurfacing existential questions about himself and their disastrous parting.
Warnings: Davesprite's usual warning for issues of self-hate and depression, which will likely be particularly strong in this post. Mentions of an animal death and some mild body horror stuff in prompt B.

[A: July 24th, Neith's Temple, Closed]

[Initially, Davesprite thinks it's a nightmare that he experiences waking up on the 24th. Senses of panic, memories of a kind and warm girl who had died but somehow not died, context stripped out of it but that Davesprite remembers himself the same human he had been while aged down before it and what he is now once the memories of her alive again start. Visions of her incredible power, of travelling with her and feeling okay for once in his life...of disappointing himself and disappointing her and cutting all ties for her own good.

He wakes with a thrashing undulation of his body as if to throw off the seeming nightmares, only to crash out of his nest with harsh and sharp awareness of what he now realises aren't nightmares, but memories, all the details trickling in to fill in the gaps, but only the ones that involve the girl who he now remembers is named Jade Harley. The fact that he'd actually screwed up that badly in his past life explains so much and yet so little without anything else to frame it, and for a few minutes, he just lies in the floor and starts up at the ceiling, wings splayed out over the carpet. His shades are slightly askew, and for once, he doesn't reach to fix them, instead just pushing a taloned hand beneath them to press against his eyes with the palm, claws curled against the front of his hair.

The pit of disgust and shame in his stomach won't go away, and it's strong enough that the real question isn't if his god will feel it, but when.]

[B-D, Open]

[B: Various Near/Far Shore Locations, July 27th]

[He might have actually gotten himself out of the temple yesterday to mingle with the newcomers, but Davesprite is still dwelling on his newfound memories a good few days after the fact. He knows it's probably dangerous in some way, but it's impossible not to look at them and wonder exactly how badly he might have fucked up - exactly what it was that led him to turn from a human into a sprite. He knows, now, what the other half of him is, remembers Jade's pity for the bird he somehow impaled (he doesn't remember that part, but he knows himself, and knows better than to actually take "that could be anyone's sword" seriously). It means he feels a natural inclination to hang out with the crow populations around here, so wherever crows can be found, Near or Far Shore, Davesprite can be found too, wings folded neatly as he shares out some birdseed and occasionally steals a bit for himself.

Once he's finishes with that, he breathes, drops his hand, and slowly pulls at the sword sticking out of his stomach. He almost expects it to hurt more knowing why it's here, but it comes out painlessly just the same as ever, and he leans over a bit to stick his talons into the gap and stretch it out a bit. It's still completely clean and bloodless, and he whistles quietly as he sticks a finger deeper in.]

I thought this would be less fucking weird knowing what it was, but no, still hands down some of the weirdest shit about me, and that's competition stiffer than your average one-handed internet user.

--

[C: Various Near/Far Shore Locations, July 28th]

[So, isolating himself isn't quite going as well as Davesprite expected. It seems like there's no room to swing a cat in this place without hitting a temple, and even when he finds the occasional uninterrupted perch to muse on things, he seems to end up encountering people before any more than a few minutes have passed.

It's not too difficult to get the drop on him even so, and finding him within temple grounds certainly won't be an uncommon occurrence. Generally, he'll be perched up in trees, fingers raking through his wings as if he wants some way to take them off, or tail curling spasmodically and violently like he's trying to make it lose coherence.

He used to be human. He was human, for those two days time had reversed. He can't help but wonder if he'd feel less ill-at-ease with everything about himself if he could somehow become that again, instead of a sprite without place or need. A game guide removed from the game he was built for.

What a worthless existence.

At the sound of anyone approaching too closely, Davesprite finally perks, looking over his shoulder with feathers ruffled as if he's about to fly away.]

Shit, am I about to get fined for trespassing, because I didn't bring my stereo to blast some choice anti-authoritarian music all the way back to the station.

[He's trying to gloss it over with his usual deadpan attitude, but his tone is bland and forced, and his wings are still hunched over with the flared feathers marking out his defensiveness.]

[D: Wildcard, Remainder of July]

[Davesprite can be found dotted all over the Near and Far Shore for the remainder of the month, possibly musing on something, possibly merely looking defensive and flighty, or possibly hanging out with more crows. Feel free to assume he's ended up on temple grounds or similar.]

Comments

A~

[birdstheword]

[It doesn't take much time at all. Maybe its the intensity of what Davesprite is feeling or just how close by he is but regardless Hajime winces.

She had been minding her own business, making some toast and jam as a early morning snack. But now, her appetite isn't as present. Leaning back on the kitchen counter, She lifts her hand to rub the back of her neck thoughtfully. This actually isn't the first time she has felt this sting so early in the morning. The last time this happened with her first two shinki, Rise and Yuuki, it had been related to remembering something after waking up. Granted...something about this almost feels heavier. So maybe not.

Another mintue, maybe two and shes off.]

Something is up. Something, something, what could that something be~

[She hums quietly to herself as she makes her way through the temple, she passes by Yuto's door only stopping briefly before continuing on down the hall. It's when she's at Davesprite's door that she stops and turns fully towards it.

She waits a second or two before leaning in, pressing her body against the door and smooshing the right side of her face against it. Listening, trying to figure out if her favorite birdy-boy had gone back to bed. It's hard to tell--- so she knocks. Her knuckles rap rhythmically on the door as she finally steps back]

Pssst! Davesprite. Did you go back to sleep?

[redotiertwo]

[It's probably a testament to how out of it Davesprite is right now that the reaction from behind the door sounds more startled than anything - wings ruffling, and the sound of something heavy being pushed from the floor. Putting his shades back in proper place, Davesprite eyes the door somewhat warily. He doesn't really want to talk about this, but...if he has to talk about it with anyone, Hajime's the one he really should be doing that with.

There's a few moments where he still considers evading the subject, but eventually, he lets out a long breath.]

Look, yeah, I probably could sell you that I did, but I don't really want to insult both our intelligence by implying I don't think you're feeling at least some of this shitshow. That's what gods are supposed to do, right, feel their shinki having freaky existential breakdowns.

[His tone is as flippant and deadpan as ever, but it's also very forced, and there's a dragging sound as he flicks his tail up and wraps the more substantial part of the end around the door handle to open it. His feathers are still raised and unsettled even as he brings his tail back to coil behind him.]

[birdstheword]

[When he opens the door, Hajime gently nudges it all the way open with her toes. She stands there, arms crossed behind her back with eyes wide with curiosity. Not judging but very curious to what is going on with her favorite shade of orange shinki. Despite her neutral expression there is concern gleaming in her eyes though. She lowers her leg to take a large step in. One, two and she's inside.]

I'm feeling something tingly. Stronger then a tickle.

[She stands in front of him, pivoting from heel to toe. She's not going to force him to talk. Not about something like this but she doesn't want to get stung all day either.]

Existential breakdowns? Is that why it feels so heavy? That's no good, Davesprite. You're right here. I can see you super clear.

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, it's. It's a thing, that's for fucking sure. [It's not surprising that Hajime would be feeling it pretty strongly, since Davesprite still feels like he just went ten rounds with a mental block of concrete. However much of it spills over, it'd have to be pretty severe by shinki feelings standards.

Davesprite wants to look at least halfway composed, but he's not even sure he has the energy to stay upright as he is now, so instead he settles back in his nest and curls his tail around himself to help prop him into a relatively acceptable sitting position.]

The existential part isn't really as big a problem right now, it's kind of just extra fuckery to something that's been going on since that time warp bullshit last week and--

[...And they're probably not going to get anywhere productive if he keeps rambling like that, so he pauses and changes track.]

So. You've had shinki do the random access memories thing before, right.

[birdstheword]

[Hey she doesn't mind the rambling. Even if it takes half or the whole day. As long as Davesprite is talking maybe it would help get all these jumbled thoughts together so he could better understand them. If it's going on since the aging thing then it's building up a bit and that's not good.

She strolls over, stopping by the nest which looks mighty cozy.]

Ding Ding. You're not the first that has been with me and had it happen to or the first I've known it to happen to. I thought something might be up. Hey, hey. Do you wanna tell me about what you remember or what you can about it?

[redotiertwo]

Not really, but I also don't want to seal the can until it starts turning into blight, so I'll do my best. [At this point, he mostly just sounds...tired. Not in the sleep sense, but the sense of having long exhausted his ability to care much about anything. His talons thread through feathers mindlessly as he goes for the general gist first.]

So yeah, how I turned into a human during the timefuck thing. Not a fluke, I used to be human. The other half is a dead crow, because that's exactly the kind of fine thing you want the other half of you to be. And this is going to be pretty long trails for telling you what I remembered, because it was everything about one person. [There's a somewhat bitter laugh.] She kind of reminds me of you, actually. Her name's Jade Harley.

[birdstheword]

Appricate that!

[Really, she does. Blight isn't fun for anybody. Espeically if they can talk things out or at least attempt to. She won't pretend to understand Davesprite but they are connected so she can feel through that bond. It maybe tangled and weaved in a delicate way and hard to decipher, but it is there.

For once, Hajime is quiet. Letting him talk as she listens on with interest. But it does raise a lot of questions she's not too sure he can answer or knows the answer to. The difficult thing about shinki is that you couldn't prob them as much as everyone else. It was tricky! And no matter how curious Hajime got, she wouldn't do something to harm Davesprite.]

Jade Harley....mmm so you got to remember lot of stuff about her? That's different then stuff I've heard of before. Mmm, from my shinki I mean. It's happened to others but it's usually between shinki and people here from their worlds.

[She can't get too detailed with that either which draws a sigh out of her as she waves her hands near her head. She's so hungry for more.]

Dazzling bright orange isn't the color combo I would expect to get from a dead crow and a human. There's gotta be more to that story but tell me more about Jade? If she's like me then I bet she's super cute!

C

[reformedsinner]

[The meditation garden in Hakkai's brand-new back yard is well supplied with trees, and the trees, luckily, are sturdy enough to hold a sprite (or a youkai, or a human for that matter).

Bright orange still stands out, though, and he'd spent a few minutes plucking culinary herbs for the chicken he'd been planning on roasting for himself and Ayumu tonight before deciding to approach his visitor.

His deadpan is a little more believable than Davesprite's as he tosses back:]

Surely you know a protest song or two?

I have the kettle on inside if you'd like a more comfortable seat.

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite's not entirely sure how to react to Hakkai's offer. He's not too surprised about his presence, since he saw the message on the network about him coming back as a god even if he didn't answer it, but he gives Hakkai a rather long look, using the question to disguise his deliberation time.]

Yeah, but you know the cops, if I try to get hold of a microphone or loudspeaker to really drive that effect home they're just going to confiscate it like the no fun allowed assholes they are. At least I can make that shit way harder with the miracle of wireless speakers if I use a stereo.

[After another moment or two, and somewhat reluctantly, he uncurls himself from the branch and drifts down towards the ground.]

Probably a waste of time ditching out at this point, huh.

[reformedsinner]

It's not mandatory, but you look like you could use a cup of tea.

[He gestures back towards the back porch, almost hidden in greenery from this part of the garden, and adds, thoughtfully:] Or coffee. Hot chocolate?

[He's stocked the kitchen with an eye towards hosting, since he and Ayumu both seem to like to cook, and someone has to use up the powdered hot chocolate at some point. And it has been a while since he spoke with Davesprite.

Since then, something's clearly happened.]

[redotiertwo]

I could use some kind of fucking drink, I'm just not sure it's tea. [He's let up a bit on his attempt at the cool, disaffected facade now. He still only sounds about half serious, but most of all, he just sounds tired. Nonetheless, he floats towards the porch at the invitation, his tail curling up almost self-consciously.]

I dunno, dude, host's choice. If it gives me a minute's break from thinking about things then I'll take whatever's going. For the record, I am seriously regretting that one time we shot the shit about memories now that the remembering stuff part has actually happened.

[reformedsinner]

Ah. I know that feeling.

[Hot chocolate will have to do: it is soothing, and while there's sake in the house he probably should not contribute to the delinquency of a minor. Unless he really needs it.

And, sadly, they have no apple juice.

He leads the way briskly, setting his handful of herbs on the counter by the cutting board. As promised, the kettle is on the stove, and from the rattle of its lid it's just starting to come to a boil.]

I take it the memories weren't pleasant ones.

[He's busying himself with mugs and spoons as he says it, to gentle the implied question.]

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite doesn't need his good apple juice vibes tainted by this memory business anyway. As it is, he just nods and follows Hakkai inside.

Looking around for an unobtrusive, open spot on the floor, Davesprite puts himself into a vaguely sitting position supported by the curl of his tail. There's so many ways he could answer the implied question there he doesn't even really know where to start, but one of his hands gravitates to his wings again, and he has to pause himself when he notices.]

Probably would've been even less pleasant if all that age bullshit the other week hadn't already dropped that sweet piece of foreshadowing that I used to be human. Didn't see the plot twist about the other half of this form being a dead crow coming, though.

B

[kokuyoyo]

....You could always store other things in there besides a sword, if it's like that.

[Chikusa had only meant to pass through the Near Shore to get some things for the temple, but he had managed to pass by just in time to see Davesprite take a sword out of his own abdomen, which, well. It's certainly an interesting sight to see. The lanky teen himself is easy to spot even before he decides to come closer, cyan beanie with its little pompom on top an easy indicator.]

[redotiertwo]

[Oh hey, it's this guy. At least this is somewhat of a distraction from all the awful on Davesprite's mind right now, and he waves the sword casually in one hand as he takes his talons out of the hole.]

I mean, I could, but then I'd have to find somewhere else to put this when the hole is pretty much custom-built for it. It's not stomach hammerspace, even if I wish it fucking was because that would be some incredible shit right there.

[kokuyoyo]

Judging by how some people are, just carrying it around to swing at your leisure works....

[Unless you need two hands, but hey- Chikusa never said he did it. Stopping a small distance from the crows, he looks over them.]

I didn't take you for the kind of person who would stick his hand into his hole in public.

[It's said so completely deadpan that it almost sounds straightforward.]

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, but carrying it like that means wasting a hand, when I could just have it in its sheath like a normal person.

[Granted, most normal people actually have a sheath and not a hole through their stomach, but who cares about that.

And if Chikusa thought Davesprite was going to do anything but rise to that sex joke, he was incredibly wrong.]

Sometimes you can't find a private room, you know. It was just me and my bros here until you showed up, and keeping quiet about that sort of thing is just part of bro code understandings. [Looking Chikusa dead on in the eye the entire time.]

[kokuyoyo]

But then you're wasting a sheath.

[Or, you know, a hole through your stomach. Whatever.]

[Not to be deterred, Chikusa meets that gaze dead on, and doesn't seem to visibly react.]

Is the bro code the same thing which makes feathers mandatory or is it a code that anyone can be a part of?

[redotiertwo]

Are there other things people use sheaths for that aren't holding a sword, because if there are you're going to have to let me in on this brave new world I haven't yet been exposed to.

[An actual sheath can be used in swordfighting as well sometimes, but his isn't exactly traditional. Chikusa had better have some pretty good reasons as to why having a free sheath would be better than a free hand.

It's always good to run into people who actually understand the concept of sarcasm, and Davesprite keeps their Very Serious deadpan exchange right on track.]

Depends. Usually rules mandate some level of feathering happening to get into the fold, but we bend the rules for people who have the right connections. It's like politics, but with feathers instead of common decency.

C - Mielikki's Temple

[very_goodman]

[If Davesprite is moving from tree to tree as he broods, it's probably no surprise that he eventually ends up at Mielikki's temple. Especially since he's friends with Hiyoko - descendant of the survivors of World War Bird, and also Barry. And speaking of Barry, he's out for a little stroll in the fields today when he looks up and sees his orange-tinted friend sitting up in the branches.]

Tresspassin'? Nah, I don't think Hiyoko's gonna care much, and the bears and elk don't really eat birds.

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite would honestly probably be avoiding the place if he knew whose temple it was - Hiyoko is pretty cool in his book despite being a survivor of the apocalyptic bird wars, and he'd want to pass on meeting her in his state. As it is, though, he uncurls himself slightly when Barry answers, if only out of the realisation he probably looks incredibly suspicious right now.]

Shit, if this is her temple I should probably clear off just on principle, she's dealt with enough weird bird shit without me adding to it.

[very_goodman]

But she loves weird bird shit!

[I mean, it's true.]

You kinda look like there's somethin' on your mind, though.

[redotiertwo]

[It's definitely true given that weird maybe-pity-maybe-not bridge crossing they'd had at Tanabata, but Davesprite doesn't really want to think about that now that he remembers what his last romantic escapade was like.

Though his feathers ruffle a bit at the observation that he's occupied, he doesn't actually move away even if he suddenly looks like he'd very much like to.]

Yeah, I guess you could call a shitload of extra memories getting laid down on there something on my mind.

[very_goodman]

A whole shitload, huh? I just got the one.

[Still, though. Awkward.]

You, uh... wanna talk about it?

[redotiertwo]

I think this was a package deal, everything with a certain person in it. [The question from Barry isn't really what he wanted to hear, even though he was expecting it, and he presses his talons into his fringe.]

I'd rather forget it ever happened, being real, but damn if it isn't a lot harder to forget shit when the people who run this shitshow aren't wiping your mind clean.