I don't like what I'm seeing lately

[bussounoshima]

Who: Sharak Sanzo and Forrest; Sharak, Celty and Gojyo; Sharak and people.
When: Early August
Where: The Near Shore and other places.
What: Prayer #47- a prayer for prom. Prayer #40- a prayer for reuniting. Then general catch-all for the month.




A. Prayer #47- closed to Forrest. August 2nd.

[To Sharak's credit, she tried. The first few prayers from a distressed teenager struggling to fit in at school may have been passed over- surely this isn't the kind of protection Aditi is meant to offer- but eventually she'd succumbed. Reflecting on some of the stories she's heard about the original Aditi, she supposes that social climbing could technically come under her dominion.

So she'd come down to the shopping mall to meet this poor girl, found her crying in a dress shop and... tried to help. A few recommendations (outfits Sharak thought looked very nice) were met with horrified stares. A speech about how conventional beauty was meaningless and that pride in yourself was what really mattered was dismissed with rolled eyes. A suggestion that the girl should just wear whatever felt right made her burst into tears.

"Nothing feels right! I may as well just go dressed like you and make it easy for them!"

Ouch. Sharak may not have been the best pick for fashion advice, it's true. She grumbles and searches through her phone contacts... Didn't she see someone talking about this sort of thing on the network a few times...

Ah, right, Lakshmi. Sharak says off a quick request for assistance, from one Hindu deity to another.]



B. Prayer #40- closed to Celty and Gojyo. August 3rd.

[This prayer is a little easier, Sharak thinks. They're back in Japan, at one of the many festivals going on around this time of year. The town itself is fairly small, but it feels like everyone from the prefecture has come to visit today and see the shrine, play games and generally have fun. The crowds are dense. Sharak turns to her two shinki, contemplating how ironic it would be if she ended up losing them in the crowd as well.]

We're looking for the kid first, then we'll get her to her parents. Her name's Fusako, sounds about eight, and probably pretty upset if she's praying to be rescued.

Ready to go?



C. Wildcard

[Plot with me on plurk or else where and we can throw it in here too.]

Comments

C her go splat - August 5th

[genkireaper]

[ It was recently when Botan had discovered that things weren't always solid for her. There was a difference between being aware of how you were something more spiritual, and actually passing through objects. Not people, though- Botan learned that the hard way.

So after resting almost the entire day yesterday, thanks to having to exercise her healing abilities, the shinigami was trying this ability out. Which meant flying through the trees, literally, and through a few of the temples and other structures. It wasn't instant, either. This took a conscious effort, though not too much, and there wasn't much of a way to tell when she was successfully holding that kind of form (unless she flew into something.)

Imagine Botan's surprise when she was flying through the air, and suddenly she was sort of smacked and bounced back off of nothing. (Must've been in spirit mode.) ]

Ow. What in the-

[ Now that she wasn't being a speed demon through the air, the closer she got to that impact point, the more that she started realizing that something was there. Which meant that there was a blue-haired teenager in the air, riding on an oar, pushing her hand into that weird feeling zone.

Curiosity, and all. ]

[bussounoshima]

[Most of the time, Sharak tunes out the hum in the back of her head as the Kouten sutra powers the barrier surrounding the temple. Once the spell has been cast, it doesn't require much attention to run. But it's easy to notice when someone passes through it, or attempts to. It might not stand out too much if she's not paying attention but whatever just smacked into the barrier, the sutra definitely registers it as foreign.

Sharak pauses what she's doing and frowns. Someone is trying to break into her temple. The honourable Sanzo-sama checks that her gun is loaded- an unnecessary safety measure, it's always loaded- before heading outside.]

Oi! [She glares up at Botan from the ground, hands on her hips.] This is private property, punk!

[genkireaper]

[ The scolding comes just as Botan is trying to press her hands through, not so dissimilar to a child poking their hand through a chocolate fondue fountain, and looking up at an adult. Just in the manner where it's clear that she's not frustrated, but also sees nothing wrong with her actions right now. After a second or two- ]

Oh good, that means you can explain.

[ There were easier ways of doing this, but Botan pulls up to loop upside down and fly downwards to be more on level with this woman,. It's more flourish than necessary, and something probably done because it's fun, instead of reading the seriousness of this situation. It's not like she can read that there's a potential threat yet, and Botan promised to keep her mind reading to herself. ]

I was simply flying through the area, getting a feel for the Far Shore, and what I'm capable of, and suddenly I smacked into this. From all the way up there. Of course, because it's invisible, I couldn't see it. So I was getting a closer look, and it's not exactly made with your standard kind of energy. Of course, now that you're here, I can see it's linked with you, but it's so subtle compared to everything else, I'm more drawn to sense everything else in the area.

[ From far higher than where she was when the woman yelled at her. Of course, it's probably because she was in her 'spirit' form that it was so forceful. Naturally, Botan opts to leave out that she was also going through the temple buildings occasionally, because those were small details.

Oh, and Sharak, you may've found a real talker, because she's rambling, and ready to continue. ]

[bussounoshima]

[Sharak glares intimidatingly and- when that shows no signs of slowing Botan down- crosses her arms. Oh. One of those types. Well, that's easy enough to manage.]

You can tell all that, can you? [Detecting the connection to Sharak (or rather, the sutra) is rather impressive. This girl must be pretty advanced.] What else can you sense?

[The girl said she wanted Sharak to explain, but Sharak thinks she'll be just as happy to keep talking instead.]

[genkireaper]

[ Just think of her as being along the same lines as Goku, but waaaay less on the food thing. Mostly because she doesn't really need food, and didn't die hungry, so isn't tempted by any of those phantom pains. ]

Oh, I can sense plenty of things. Like the different kinds of people here, though even the different kinds of humans have their own unusual subtleties.

[ That answer is surprisingly short, compared to how she was rambling. Mostly because it reminded her that she wanted an explanation. Of this thing that's stopping her way too effectively. ]

So what is this, exactly?

B

[erogappa]

[ This is going to be impossible. Just look at this crowd! How are they supposed to find a lost kid in this mess? ]

Did she say where she lost them? Or are we just goin' in blind?

Sorry for making you wait

[lookingforhead]

[Celty doesn't mind this wish so much, though she does wonder if there are perhaps better ones that they could apply themselves to. Her helmet shifts left and right as she looks between the other two. They're more likely to frighten the girl than be seen as helpers.]

Do we have a picture of her? Or at least a description?

np!

[bussounoshima]

[Whaaaat? Celty, that's crazy. These tall, muscled and scarred looking assholes aren't intimidating at all! Surely any child would be comforted to see them approach! The small woman with the kitty ear helmet is definitely the scary one, you should probably hang back.]

They were all here at the festival and she lost them in the crowd. Other than that, we're going blind.

[erogappa]

[ Everybody's thinking very loudly. Gojyo just sighs, and runs a hand through his hair. ]

No problem. We'll just ask every little girl we see who looks lost if her name's Fusako. What could possibly go wrong with this plan?

[ It actually might not be such a terrible plan for a different group of people, but as it is? They're gonna get the cops called on them, aren't they. ]

August 3

[tuishou]

[Japan isn't necessarily well known for its people having urges to fire off multiple rounds on their machine guns for no goddamned reason, so there's some difficulty to doing this in as stealthy a way as possible. He'd slipped through the doors before closing-- before the last employee left and locked the doors and cabinets behind them. The firing range was advertised on the smaller size-- 40 meters instead of, what? 50? 70? in length but it wasn't as if that was what mattered. Neji had learned where the rentals were stored overnight and had even waited a full ten minutes after the lights were turned off before he flicked a necessary few back on overhead and picked the lock to the gate that's supposed to keep the wall of weapons out of harm's way should a break-in occur, y'know.

The handguns hanging off the wall, he's familiar with because of a suicide or two. Not the greatest thought to usher him into this endeavor. Revolvers he can pick out because of movies. Rifles, shotguns-- they're bulky, ugly things. Neji's already too horribly out of his depth of experience to make any educated sort of guess, so he scans through the grips of the pistols. Whatever's most worn is popular, and what's popular must at least be decent. And besides. He's pretty sure 'Colt' is an American standard-issue brand, isn't it? 'Standard issue', his brain tells him, is always better than just 'decent'.

The damn thing is heavy. The ammo is neatly labeled under the desk. The way to the shooting bays is clear and there's a paper target still hanging from an electric arm (someone will get yelled at tomorrow for failing to tidy up--)

and it's a good thing the building is so quiet. There's only so much Neji can accomplish by staring down at his haul-- he's not an idiot and he manages to get the magazine into the pistol. The target's close enough from where he stands that he decides to shoot. But of course the trigger is jammed, and he knows it's not supposed to be and] Shit.

[He tries to pull again-- nope. Fuck. The entirety of this is just unnecessarily complicated. He's got all night, though... he'll figure this out.]

[bussounoshima]

[People make such a fuss about guns being fired around them, Sharak has noticed. At least, in Japan and on the Far Shore anyway. After a tiring few days, some recreational firearm use sounds like fun and going somewhere designed for that is easier than picking a secluded space in the middle of nowhere. Besides, she needs to pick up some ammo. The employees won't kick her out so long as they don't notice her, so she stays quiet while they pack up and smokes a cigarette in the corner.

It also puts her in a good position to watch Neji sneak around.]

If you want to learn how to use a gun, you need to learn how they work first. [She strolls down the row of shooting lanes towards him, knowing without looking at the gun that it's jammed.] At least, if you want to be any good at it.

[She peers over his shoulder at the pistol, cigarette hanging loosely from her mouth.] ... Do you want to get good at it?

[tuishou]

[The smell of the cigarette had been easy enough to ignore-- there's the overpowering scent of oils and metal lingering in the air. Plus the... concentration hadn't done Neji any favors in that regard. He's aware he's being approached, anyway, and moves to methodically place the pistol back on the table, as if that'd been his next move all along and he wasn't just ridding his hands of the thing to avoid being seen as clueless a second longer.

There's an urge to argue and say he did know how to use the gun; he was just tired and had been for days, it was just late, he just had so many other things on his mind. But sometimes he's good at self-restraint and Neji turns to look at the woman fully for a second. --just to note the stance, just long enough to learn he's not about to get a gun pulled on him.

Another second ticks away. There really is no reason for why he despises confessions.

Neji nods once, slowly.] I learn quickly. [Which basically just meant] I didn't know anyone to ask for help and there was no point in advertising that I don't yet know how to use one.

[bussounoshima]

Smart. [She'll concede that much, but:] The smarter thing to do would be to quietly figure out who to ask for help and ask them.

[There are people running around fighting on the Far shore all the time. It comes up in conversation. You just need to be a little social. Sharak looks at Neji for a moment before moving to the table. She picks up the pistol and removes the magazine.]

Watch carefully. [Then she smoothly and steadily disassembles the Colt, taking apart the springs, the trigger, the slide and all the other major parts of the handgun. She lays them all out of the table, neatly organised and spaced out. Then she steps back and looks at Neji.]

Put it back together.

Let's see what this becomes (other than a hot mess)

[bartenderizing]

[ It's sort of weird. When told to meet up, Shizuo's generally pretty prompt- Not rushing there obviously, but not dawdling. This time, when Sharak said to come up to the temple, he takes a good amount longer than he probably should have, even when taking into account the time to get through his own temple. Really, it's just going from one temple on top of a huge hill, over to another that also had a bunch of stairs. Not that he could feel tired or worn out from this kind of thing. So he climbed, glancing over at the occasional chicken that was doing its thing.

Huh. Didn't Goten mention something about a rooster? Not that Shizuo would feel it attacking him, though he should hear its anger.

Getting up the hill enough to start seeing the temple a lot better, and almost there, Shizuo can kinda tell why this wasn't a place you knocked at for announcing you were there. Shouting it is- though he really just raises his voice more than actually yells. That should be good enough. ]

Oi, Sharak!

[ Aside from obviously bathing and wearing clean clothes, he's not taking actual care of himself. This would be the first time Sharak would see the wild 'mane,' as Izumo calls it, instead of how straight he's usually kept it. Even more, as thin as he normally was, there was also a hollowness to his appearance. It's less like he's just been really tired, and more that the guy was probably punishing himself without realizing it, masking it with trying to recover from the ritual. ]

[bussounoshima]

[Hey, if he can find something to knock on, that works too. But shouting works just as well. There's an angry crow from the other side of the temple, apparently Shizuo picked a good approach for avoiding the rooster. Sharak pulls back a heavy tapestry to look down at him.]

... Hey! Come on in.

[Messy hair, doesn't look like he's been eating properly... She'll want to check his blight situation when he gets closer too. None of that concern shows on her face though, as she drops the curtain and heads back inside.]

[bartenderizing]

[ A good, smart rooster knows better than to let crows venture far on their property. It was Shizuo's timing that worked out more than his approach.

Following Sharak in, past the tapestry, he'll soon glance over at the carvings in the walls. Given how season-appropriate his clothes were, it wouldn't be hard to see that the back of his neck and shoulders were clear of blight- though one seemed a little swollen, it otherwise looked fine. ]

The place is very... Open. So no normal doors?

[bussounoshima]

[The decorations fit the theme of Aditi and her children. Cows, stars, chickens, storms... The odd, multi-trunked elephant. That's all on the tapestries, rugs and the few walls present though. There isn't much in the way of furniture in the building, at least not in the rooms Shizuo is getting a look at. This is definitely a "just find a spot on the floor" kind of home.]

There are a few, but not many and none on the exterior. Lady Aditi liked to keep her home open to her children, I suppose.

[And then Sharak moved in and put a fucking magic barrier around the whole thing. Aditi's about protection, okay, it fits. Sharak leads Shizuo through the temple into the kitchen (one of the few rooms with a couple of solid walls, wow!). She notices the swollen shoulder but it's Shizuo. He doesn't feel it.]

This way.

A

[clothes_make_the_man]

[Forrest hasn't met Sharak before, but coincidentally he's been looking to meet and help out some of the other members of the Hindu pantheon, so this is a good opportunity. It doesn't take him long to find the shopping mall in question, since he spends a fair bit of time looking around various clothing stores himself. And once he's there, it also doesn't take long to find the most distressed teenage girl in the store.]

Ah... you called?

[bussounoshima]

[The distressed teenaged girl and the grown woman glaring at her. Sharak turns when she hears Forrest approach and glares more.]

I already gave her every lecture about confidence and how meaningless conventional beauty standards are you can imagine. Everything she tries on is apparently "ridiculous" and when I picked something out she looked at me like I'd grown an extra head.

[Apparently the Sanzo aesthetic doesn't really mesh with highschool girls. Sharak steps to the side and gestures to the girl.]

Fix it and I'll owe you a favour. Sound good?

[clothes_make_the_man]

...I see.

[Yeah, that is not the right approach here at all. Forrest glances awkwardly to the distraught girl for just a moment before nodding back at Sharak.]

I'm sure I can help. It's true that it's important to have confidence, but it's important to look your best too.

[The girl nods, sighing.]

Finally, someone gets it.

[bussounoshima]

I think I look fine. [Not that she cares about fashion, but she does put some work into her own appearance. Check out those nails.] But I also haven't worn a dress since I was eight, so what do I know?

["Nothing!" The girl snaps. "Who wears fur anymore? In August!"

She might have a point.]

wildcard

[solaris9]

[ Being small was very scary at first, but not so bad later on. In fact, he met a bunch of people who were super nice, including the old lady who, on second thought, was probably not one hundred years old. Maybe more like ninety? Hard to tell.

Anyway, after getting big again, Goku decided he'd like to meet her as his actual self, just in case. (Of what, who knows). He remembered that she gave him her number on the telephone thing, so after a little while passed, he sent her a message.

The conversation started like: Hey Sanzo! It's me, Goku. As if she wouldn't already know this, being on the receiving end of a message entitled: from, Goku, but anyway.

One thing led to another and now he's heading to her temple so they can teleport over to the other side to see real live people. He's very excited about this prospect. He arrives a few minutes after the agreed upon time, having been side-tracked briefly by a strawberry patch on the way here. ]

Hello??

[ He calls out as he approaches the gate, peering in with curious eyes. ]

[bussounoshima]

[After a few months of dealing with the Genjo Sanzo Party's more... "complicated" members, Sharak is glad Goku is back and ready to start up a friendship with no prompting at all. It's refreshing. She's pretty sure he's the smartest of the group, after the dragon, so maybe he'll even be a good influence on the other idiots.

The temple building is on top of a tall hill, chickens wandering around wild and pecking at the grass, and as Goku approaches he might feel a certain tingle. He's been invited, so Kouten recognises a friend, but there's definitely something there.

There's also Sanzo there.] Hey. [Walking down the hill to greet him, in the middle of lighting a cigarette with one hand and waving with the other.] Good to see you, Son Goku.

[solaris9]

Heeey!

[ Goku waves with one hand while rubbing the back of his neck with his other, as it seems a bit prickly there. Maybe a bug bite, but nothing too alarming. His face lights up when he sees her. She definitely looks tons younger, but still very much the same somehow. Less wrinkly though, and more muscular. Impressively so, he thinks. ]

I'm a lot taller, now. [ He grins. ]

[bussounoshima]

[The way she holds herself is the same. Apparently, not much of significance will be lost in her old age.]

So you are. [As she approaches she holds out her free hand to measure his height.] You must be at least three hundred and six by now.

[He's a lot older than that, but that's not important.]