Look around, look around

[toremainbehind]

Who: Izumo and Open
When: Early August
Where: Far Shore, possibly Near Shore.
What: Post-Ablution stuff. Coping with missing friends and returned memories. Izumo doesn't appreciate haunting season.
Warning: N/A


A. Cnoc Áine - After Shizuo’s Ablution

[After performing the ablution on Shizuo with Chikusa and Goten, Izumo has decided to stick around Yona’s temple to keep an eye on the two. Normally he wouldn’t be around the temple so much, only ever coming and go briefly to visit Shizuo or Yona. He usually sticks to the room that ended up being his, but he’s actually out and about in the temple now.

If he looks a little tired, just pretend that he isn’t instead.

However, anyone around the temple might spot him in the halls or somewhere outside. Come and talk to him? Drink with him?]

B. Double Cross Bar - Memories On A Wall

[The moment he’s learned that Sora and Roxas are gone, Izumo felt a bit—not sad, per se, but something close to it. While he wouldn’t exactly call himself sentimental, he’s decided that putting up a photo wall can be at least one way of keeping memories alive.

So, after a day or two, he puts up a post on the BBS:]

If anyone has any photos of Sora and Roxas, mind if I have a copy? I’m working on a project right now, so I thought it’d be good to start with those two first.

[Anyone who does come to the bar will find Izumo leaning against the counter, focused on a blank wall to the side. He seems thoughtful, though he does glance over at anyone who comes in.]

C. When Will Dreams End? [Closed to Totsuka]

[He sent a text to Totsuka earlier that morning upon awakening. It’s not like how he reacted when he first remembered Anna, but now some things the man has said the few times they’ve met makes sense.

Choosing his bar instead of Mikoto’s temple or Totsuka’s temple was a good place to talk. With it still closed, it gives them the proper privacy they need.

Really, Izumo didn’t enjoy waking up suddenly remembering people from his past life, but it’s even worse now because this time, he’s aware of one fact about the god: he’s dead.

By the time Totsuka comes to the bar, Izumo already has a drink in front of him.]

D. Fade to Black

[It’s August.

It’s summer and it’s haunting season.

So, it’s not surprising that Izumo is being haunted by some ghosts that decides to play with him. Which is why he’s looking fairly unimpressed at a floating lighter, the sounds of childish giggles heard around him.]

E. WildCard

[Feel free to make up your own prompt if nothing here interests you!]

Comments

[thevanguard]

Why do people like this stuff? Give me another one.

[ Because that's the smart move here, right? ]

[toremainbehind]

Because it gets you drunk.

[But here, have another shot.]

[thevanguard]

[ He downs that one, too. If this is supposed to be an acquired taste, he is not acquiring it fast enough. ]

Ugh. [ he leans forward to thunk his head atop the bar. ] But is being drunk really that great? And I mean, don't you get hungover afterwards and then feel even more shitty?

[toremainbehind]

The only great thing about being drunk is that it lets go of your inhibitions and clear your worries for however long you're drunk for.

[He shrugs.] But yes, you get hangovers the next morning and those are terrible. It just depends on how wasted you want to get.

[thevanguard]

So it's an emotional bandaid.

[ He makes a face. Maybe this was a terrible idea after all. ]

[toremainbehind]

Pretty much.

[Why else do you think people drink?]

[thevanguard]

[ He hadn't thought about it that much. He thinks?

He sets down the empty shot glass and stares at it for a long moment. ]

Hey, Izumo. Do you think I'm doing something wrong?

[toremainbehind]

Why do you think you're doing something wrong?

[He takes out a cigarette and lights it with a snap of his fingers.

Izumo looks at Yata curiously.]

[thevanguard]

I dunno. Because I can't form a Boderline or anything and I don't know what I'm doing half the time. Does that make me a bad shinki?

[ Does that have something to do with why none of his gods stick around? ]

[toremainbehind]

That doesn't make you a bad shinki, Yata.

[Honestly, he knows another shinki here who's been here longer who still has trouble with their borderlines.]

[thevanguard]

But isn't that what we're supposed to be here to do? And I can't even manage the basic spell we're supposed to learn.

[toremainbehind]

People have different strengths. The reason you haven't managed to do a successful Borderline yet may be because you don't have a resolve of some kind. [He waves a hand.] For example, wanting to protect yourself or whoever you're with. That can be a sort of resolve.

[thevanguard]

Or it's just easier to set them on fire.

[ But Izumo's got a point. He hasn't really had anyone he's needed to protect. Not long enough to figure it out, anyway. ]

[toremainbehind]

Well, setting things on fire is easy.

[He gives him a smile.]

But that doesn't mean you fail at being a shinki, Yata. You just need to take it easy and learn it all as you go. Maybe if you find someone you want to protect, it'll come to you.

[thevanguard]

And if I don't? I'm not sure I'm cut out for this whole... 'protecting people' stuff.

[toremainbehind]

You never know until you try it out first.

But if worst comes to worst, you can still depend on your fire to help you out.

[thevanguard]

I don't think fire's supposed to be very good at protecting. Isn't that the opposite of what fire does?

[toremainbehind]

Not quite.

[He gives a shrug.]

Fire is used for multiple purposes - defensive, offensive. Take Mikoto's god power, for example: he has healing fire. Instead of hurting, it heals anything including blight.

[thevanguard]

Whoa, really? I thought only holy water worked like that? [ Okay, so maybe he's a little impressed by that. ] But he's a god. Isn't it different with him?

[toremainbehind]

Not particularly.

[Izumo smiles.]

Alright, another example. Do you remember Amaterasu's temple burning down? Instead of using it offensively, both of us were able to manipulate our fire to form a shield to protect us from the flames. It could have been easy to let our flames go, aiding in burning the temple down, but we only used it instead to protect ourselves and whoever else was with us.

[thevanguard]

And it blocked out the other fire?

[ Yata absorbs this information in fascination. ]

Can you show me how to do things like that?

[toremainbehind]

[He gives a nod.]

I can show you.

[thevanguard]

[ His face lights up in anticipation at that. ]

Really? Yeah!