thenearshore | [CLOSED] Where'd you wanna go?

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[CLOSED] Where'd you wanna go?

Who: Ken, Butch, Hakkai, and Chikusa
When: August 23nd or thereabouts
Where: Epona's temple, Li Tieguai's temple, and then Epona's temple again
What: Chikusa is named by two gods; Ken is only named by one of them. The garbage duo yin and yang have become unbalanced, and Ken wants to fix it.

[After their explosions of grief and guilt that led to their dual ablutions, Ken and Chikusa had both been too exhausted to do much for several days. And, as far as that goes, Ken can also be kind of slow on the uptake. He hadn't quite processed that Chikusa is now a shinki to two different gods - Butch, Ken's new god, and Hakkai(who Ken still only vaguely knows). But once he'd finally realized it, he'd asked Chikusa - in a mixture of shock and anger - how he can serve two gods at once. He'd thought that, when it came to loyalty, he and Chikusa were on the same page: each of them giving their full, unreserved loyalty to their god. How can that be possible with more than one god?

As it turned out...they do still have very similar ideas of loyalty. They just apply it in very different ways.

...I'm still only loyal to one god, Chikusa had told him, blinking slowly. I'm loyal to Axel-sama.
But if Axel-sama can't be here...then it doesn't matter how many names I have, as long as there's at least one so I can cast lines and spells. So I can defend us...Axel-sama would want that. They're just names in the end...

Ken's been thinking that over ever since Chikusa said it. It doesn't sit right with him, not quite; he thinks maybe it's because he doesn't see how being loyal to Axel still, if he's not even around, can mean anything. Actually, he's not even sure how he'd do that if he wanted to. If Axel came back, Ken would go back to him in a heartbeat like he'd never left, sure...but that only applies if Axel does, indeed, come back. Until then, Ken's happy to serve Butch. (And he tries not to think guilty thoughts, like how Butch takes better care of him than Axel ever did, and is around more than Axel ever was. He doesn't want to get blighted again and cause more trouble.) Chikusa's obviously different, but as long as they're both happy, what does that matter?

Well...it does matter, to Ken. It took him a day or two longer to figure out why, though. But now he knows - it bothers him because he and Chikusa were Axel's, and they've been partners for a long time now, and now Chikusa's...serving another god that Ken isn't. They're not partners when it comes to serving Hakkai; if anything, Chikusa's moving on to being partners with Hakkai's other shinki instead. Like he's still only partners with Ken because they happen to be assigned to the same god, and doesn't actually care what other shinki he does or doesn't end up working with when it comes to any given god.

What if Butch disappears? Ken won't have any god left, and he'll lose Butch, which is bad enough...but he wouldn't have any connection to Chikusa left, either. He'd be left behind, with no partner.

He hates every part of that thought. Is borderline scared of it, even. And he sets about avoiding that fate without even thinking to ask Chikusa what he thinks, or what he wants.]

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[ Of course, Ken's first stop is his current god; he's too inherently loyal and obedient to go get named by another god without asking (begging, if necessary) for permission. But he feels...uncomfortable about it. (Guilty is the word, but he thinks maybe if he doesn't think of it as guilt, he won't get blighted. ~~Sure, Ken, that's how it works.~~) So when he tracks down Butch, he looks distinctly uneasy, weight shifting from foot to foot.]

Hey, can I ask you something...?

[Having obtained Butch's permission, Hakkai is the next person to track down. This is the most uncertain stop on Ken's itinerary today; he doesn't know Hakkai very well, only having attended the man's ablution - he wasn't a god at the time, apparently? Ken only vaguely understands this and doesn't much care - and also having been caught by him stealing food from the school's kitchen back when he'd been turned into a kid. He hasn't made the greatest impression on the man, as far as he knows. And while he's going to offer to serve the guy, it's blatantly not because he necessarily likes or is inclined to be loyal to Hakkai - it's just because he wants to keep being partners with Chikusa. All of this after Hakkai was present for his and Chikusa's ablutions, and heard Ken talk about how he thinks he's bad at being a shinki.

Ken realizes this might be...kind of a hard sell. But if he has any redeeming qualities, stubborn determination tops the list.

He's...not exactly sure how one goes about going to talk to someone on whom one wishes to make a good impression, and his tsun tendencies are in full force in the face of his awkwardness and uncertainty. So upon arriving at Hakkai's temple...he skulks around the front of the shop for a few minutes, deciding on his tactics, before striding right up to the door and pounding on it.] Hey! You home?

[Finally, Ken's accomplished his objective, which has put him in a state of excited elation. He races back to Epona's temple in Cheetah Channel, rocketing through the grounds until he finds Chikusa, who he nearly tackles. Ken's exuberance isn't so much 'infectious' as 'borderline physically dangerous'.]

Hey, four-eyes, guess what!

[It, frankly, hasn't been long enough since Axel has disappeared... but Chikusa thinks him and Ken are getting better.]

[At least, Ken likes Butch's temple- the space, the animals, the god himself. It's good for their animals, as well, with not even Pezzente seeming out of place. So Chikusa doesn't have to worry about it all. Which is good. As they both know, after all... He hasn't been in much of a state to do much.]

[Going to the shopping center at the Heaven's behest (and getting so many "just in case" things) has apparently helped start him up again. In the couple of days that have passed since then, he's a little more 'awake' then he initially was. He'll get up more instead of curling up in his room, and he's actually taken to looking over Butch's large temple grounds instead of staring dully at it all from their bedroom window. There's still lapses, where he'll just sit and stare and 'sleepwalk', but he's more awake often then not even if he's not moving.]

[Today, when he'd gone to wander to find Ken, it had taken him a good while for him to realize that the blond had wandered off. The revelation had been... mingled in his chest. It's probably selfish that he'd rather they stay together, but, at the same time... It's good, right? If Ken goes off to do other things, instead of wasting away... or being overcome by guilt. Maybe it's time that he do the same.]

[So he shuffles off to the library to tend to the books he's clearly ignored and do some searching he know he promised he would do. It should be no surprise that he comes back with some books, and it's those that Ken will find surrounding the other teen as he reads through one on altar making.]

[Not that Ken cares about books, especially considering the speed with which he slams into Chikusa with.]

[Predictably, there's a grunt, and Chikusa tries to shift upright as he squints at Ken from behind skewed glasses.]

Ken... Did you have to do that?

[Hakkai's inside, not even very far from the front door; his workroom is second on the left inside, and he tends to leave the door open when he's concocting remedies. The pounding on the door carries easily.

Blinking -- he doesn't get that many visitors -- he sets aside the mortar and pestle, picks up one of the towels from the sink, and heads for the front door, wiping bits of greenish salve from his fingers.

He doesn't know who it is, so they don't get a Please come in. Instead, he pulls the door open himself, and pauses, towel still in hand, to stare at Ken.]

May I help you?

[And -- although he doesn't feel anything wrong -- his eyebrows draw together in a frown a moment later.]

Is Chikusa all right?

It's fun, byon. [Ken grins down at Chikusa. He's in one of the better moods he's been in since Axel vanished, certainly.] I said guess what.

He's fine, byon. He was just hanging around the temple when I left him. [Ken's tone is casually dismissive; clearly Chikusa isn't what he came to talk about. He gives Hakkai a sort of wary, borderline challenging look.] I wanted to talk to you, byon.

[It really is a good mood, enough of a change that Chikusa is actually inclined to play along with it although the way he lets his head fall back might not say as much.]

[What would put Ken in a good mood... Something really tasty in the trash? No, that wouldn't have him in Cheetah Channel running around. He got to pet more dogs? Not quite but maybe closer...]

...You brought home more dogs?

Nuh uh. [Although Ken seems to accept that as a logical guess.] Hakkai gave me a name, byon.

[If he says this like it's a personal accomplishment, that's because it is one for him.]

[And Chikusa jolts.]

[The immediate thought which comes to his mind is something bad happened and Hakkai needed a shinki. Ken seems far too relaxed and happy for it to have been forced on him, and Hakkai wouldn't do that anyway. Chikusa is fairly certain about that.]

Did something happen?

I asked him to! [Ken says this like it should have been obvious, as though he hadn't reacted angrily to Chikusa's having more than one god within the past week.

It makes even less sense considering how Ken seems genuinely pretty happy being with Butch, now that the depression of Axel's disappearance has abated enough for occasional normal activity to return. It's clear that if Ken had to have another god besides Axel, Butch was an excellent second choice.]

[...What.]

[Such a mind bogglingly nonsensical answer stuns Chikusa into silence, and all he can do is blink a few times at Ken. Last he checked, Ken had been outraged at the idea of splitting their loyalty- even if that really only meant how many names were on their person. So how could this sudden drastic change of heart have happened?]

[Unsure, slow in a more cautious way, he straightens up and stares at Ken as if enough of it will have the other boy making more sense.]

But.... Why? You don't even know Hakkai that well..

[It's never worked before, Chikusa, it's not likely to help now.

At the question, Ken rocks back slightly in his crouch until he's sitting, huffing out an annoyed breath.] So we're shinki to the same gods, stupid kappa. We're supposed to work together, right?

[He says this aggressively, offhandedly, as though it's incredibly obvious and he's borderline aggravated at having to spell it out...but there's a little sidelong glance he throws Chikusa as he says it. One that says he's more worried than he lets on, and that he's checking Chikusa's reaction to his statement.]

But...

[But what? Chikusa isn't sure how to explain it, how completely out of nowhere this is. Words, people, they've never been his strong point. Helplessly, he stares at Ken and tries to just... explain himself.]

[It's hard. Very much so. After a moment of rolling the words in his head, however, and tasting them on his tongue...]

...We didn't... stop working together... Right? [No, that's not right, but he doesn't know what else to say, besides maybe-] And Butch... We live here as his shinki?

[Hakkai inclines his head, accepting, although there's something almost equally wary and challenging in his own expression. He steps back into the front hallway, pulling the door open further, and gestures for Ken to enter.]

Then we can talk. Please, come in. First door on the left -- I'll just put this towel back in the workroom and wash my hands, and I'll be with you in a moment.

[The first door on the left leads to the sitting room, a sparsely but pleasantly decorated space with several couches and chairs arranged around a few low tables.]

Yeah, but... [Now it's Ken's turn to flail for words.] But if you were doing stuff for Hakkai, you wouldn't be working with me, right? You'd be working with his shinki. [He's vaguely aware of the existence of Ayumu, but he's never interacted with her extensively.] And if something happened to him, you'd be in trouble, right? And if Butch-sama disappears, then we wouldn't even be working together at all anymore, byon!

[Of course Ken doesn't feel safe, doesn't trust that Butch won't vanish on them like Axel did. He's pretty scarred from that still.]

We're supposed to stick together, right? So it shouldn't just be part-time, byon! [He scowls at Chikusa.] If I hadn't asked Butch-sama to name you too, we might've already stopped being partners! Is that what you want?!

[Ken prowls into the shop behind Hakkai, looking at - and surreptitiously sniffing, although he's not channeling right now and his nose isn't at its peak functionality - everything. It smells weird, and his nose wrinkles with distaste. Most of it seems to be coming from Hakkai himself; he's definitely been working with some weird stuff, it seems like.

By the time Hakkai finishes washing his hands and comes to the sitting room, he'll find Ken pacing it like an excitable animal, investigating everything with no clear regard - or, perhaps, awareness - for the concept of keeping one's hands to oneself. At least he doesn't seem to have damaged anything, though.

He looks up when Hakkai walks in.] What were you doing that smells so bad, byon?

[Another of Ken's arguably good points - he's direct.]

No.

[It's a quiet word, hushed, but it comes out in such a rush that there's no denying Chikusa's feelings on it. Of course he doesn't want to stop being partners with Ken. Of course not.]

[It takes Chikusa a second to calm down from that sudden spike of anxiety- Hakkai and Butch probably both feel it especially with how Chikusa is generally a quiet presence. Still, that last accusation- that last hypothetical- had been a surprisingly worrying one. With his fingers still curled up tense against the ground, he takes a quiet breath to try and focus on everything else that's been said.]

Gods... don't keep us apart, Ken. [A reminder to himself, as well, just to keep the spike of emotion down.] We can stay with each other no matter what...

[Hakkai watches Ken pace for a few more steps, and then takes a seat, himself, in one of the comfortable upholstered chairs.]

Making medicine. The god I represent here is associated with healing, and I get quite a few prayers for health: it keeps me busy.

[He crosses his legs, folding his hands neatly on his uppermost knee, and inquires:]

If it's not about Chikusa, Ken, why are you here?

[Ken relaxes some at Chikusa's emphatic no; knowing that the other boy wants to stay with him means a lot. Still, he scratches his head.]

They may not keep us apart in general, but their duties might if we have different gods and different duties, byon. But now we have the same gods, so it's fine, right?

Oh. [Ken cocks his head, considering this new information for a moment. Then he re-focuses on the actual purpose of his visit.]

I want you to name me, byon. [He says this almost defiantly, as though he expects objections to argue with.]

...Hakkai... hasn't asked me to do anything as his shinki...

[Faintly, he wonders if Ken has realized that Butch hasn't exactly done so either. Probably not. They've both gotten two very flexible and patient gods. Still, that's clearly not the point here, and Chikusa's gaze starts to drift downwards to where his fingers are curling against the ground.]

...Did it bother you that much...? That I had another god?

No. [Ken huffs and looks away in a gesture that screams 'yes'.] ...we're supposed to be partners, that's all.

[Slowly, bit by bit, his fingers go to nudge against Ken's foot.]

...I wouldn't let anyone make us stop being partners. If anyone had tried... I would have killed them.

..So I'm glad we chose our gods, instead of Heaven doing it.

[Ken huffs again, but this time it sounds more satisfied than sulky or feigning casually dismissive.] Yeah. You couldn't manage without me anyway, lazy kappa.

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[CLOSED] Where'd you wanna go?

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Chikusa

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