thenearshore | -Overflow- for 24

[Hakkai chuckles lightly.]

That is a broad definition.

[Any definition that could plausibly encompass him is far too broad. He's not arguing, though. He's lost enough friends recently that he won't try to convince anyone else to flee, if they're not doing it on their own.

He's silent for a moment, then adds thoughtfully:]

But it's surprising how many people it doesn't cover, isn't it?

Yeah, there's enough people it actually doesn't cover that it's a decent litmus test, at least. [Chances are, if you're incapable of not being an asshole in front of someone else for a few minutes, you're probably an asshole.]

I haven't actually met that many legit assholes here, though. Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe they're just not, who knows.

[He wouldn't really wish himself on non-assholes given his opinion of himself, but it's kind of nice to have them around.]

Or the assholes you've met are also dishonest people.

[He's smiling very cheerfully through that line. Does he mean himself? Probably! Is he going to say it out loud? Not in public, although he assumes Davesprite can catch the nuance, considering.

He just couldn't resist.]

But if they're not lucky enough to meet you, that's their loss, I suppose.

I mean. Do assholes generally care that much about being honest when it's not an excuse for further assholery.

[Like people who claim that they're just telling the truth when they're throwing insults around like they're going out of style. He gets the impression Hakkai's referring to himself, but he's not going to help him get there for once.

His feathers do prickle a little awkwardly at that last remark, though.]

Pretty sure we'll have to agree to disagree on that one, my dude.

[Hakkai chuckles, shrugging, and glances away. He's uncomfortable with one of those topics, and Davesprite is uncomfortable with the other: so, really, they're even. He finishes the last mouthful of wine in his glass, and turns it in his hands, considering the light on the iridescent lees.]

So... I admit I'm surprised nothing around here has caught fire yet.

Are we sure it didn't just catch fire somewhere we can't see it yet. [Davesprite is not entirely reassured nothing is going to catch fire tonight, considering their track record on things catching fire both figuratively and literally at Heavenly gatherings.]

Or maybe they actually did the fucking unthinkable and put a security detail on other than the shitlords at the front door.

It does seem almost too good to be true, doesn't it?

[He chuckles lightly.] Although if things are going to catch fire, in my experience, it tends to happen at the end of the evening.

I'm not going to give them too much credit yet.

Sounds like it lines up with my experience, though I've been here a pretty long time myself by this point. [He doesn't actually know how long Hakkai's been around, other than "longer than him", but that one seems like the kind of observation that even later arrivals could make.]

For what it's worth, I'm not planning to give them any credit until the night goes entirely fucking seamlessly and I'm home in my nest.

It's a little frightening to think we're both veterans, isn't it?

[Compared to the other newcomers. Compared to real gods and shinki, of course, they're mayflies-- and yet.

He laughs under his breath, shrugging.]

Honestly... I'm not, either. Although I may head home early. It's been a long day.

Kind of, though it's probably more frightening to people who remember more of not being here than I do. Still, five and a half months here is a thing.

[Exactly what thing, he's not entirely sure yet, but certainly a thing. It doesn't feel weird to him, somehow, to be in this kind of limbo situation for so long.]

Hajime and Kairi are both way more party people than me, so I'm probably gonna end up leaving before them, at least. Maybe I can get to sleep before the loudness gets back to the temple.

[Hajime and Kairi... yes, that must be a very loud temple after parties. And a cheerful one.

There are worse fates, but still.]

Headphones, maybe? [Noise-cancelling ones....]

You and I must have come here at close to the same time.

I mean, I have noise-cancelling headphones, but earbuds or something are usually better for that sort of thing. [Not to mention that it helps a lot if he's using the headphones for something, which isn't conducive to sleep.]

I came around the middle of April, I'm pretty sure, whichever time it was they decided that cleaning up the entire damn Heavens was a good welcoming party.

[Spoilers: It wasn't, as far as he's concerned.]

Ah yes. I got here during the doll festival myself. The spring cleaning wasn't so bad, compared to some other activities they picked for us, but it does seem heartless to put newcomers right to work....

[This is a slightly dramatic sigh, as he shakes his head.]

I'm guessing no serious shit went down at that one, because I haven't heard about it. [People are usually decent at letting everyone know about things that serious shit went down at, so logic dictates that it must have been quiet.]

I'd like to know what exactly is supposed to be worse than spring cleaning. Other than fighting a demon, I guess that was pretty bad.

[Even if he didn't actually fight the demon.]

Zombie attacks, chocolate....

[Hakkai spreads his hands in a shrug that absolutely drips helpless innocence.]

It's been challenging at times! Thankfully, the doll festival did stay quiet, outside of a few little scuffles.

[What a convincing gesture. It's so convincing that one of Davesprite's eyebrows definitely isn't creeping at least halfway up his forehead.]

Seems legit. But I guess if we're talking odds, which I usually don't because fuck math, they have to have at least a couple of events that don't go to shit.

[Terribly convincing. Hakkai is in no way still upset about either of those incidents, of course.

He smiles.]

You know, I'm sure I could find you some probability worksheets! There have been some that run quietly. And I've noticed that their little welcome parties have run smoothly, by and large. Perhaps Bishamon's temple isn't as much of a target?

Please don't. [He's a useless arts and humanities guy, Hakkai, not a math one. He mostly just sounds deadpan about the subject, though, as with just about everything else.]

I mean, she's a war god, I guess, they're probably expecting that's the kind of god who would be all over the unending wrath of the heavens sort of deal.

[Hakkai chuckles. He won't insist; it's mainly teasing, anyway.]

War gods do have a reputation, I suppose... but anyone who feared the unending wrath of the Heavens wouldn't be attacking Amaterasu so often, I'm sure.

[So perhaps the difference is that Bishamon isn't a target of theirs. She doesn't seem very ambitious, for one thing -- as far as Hakkai can tell, she's relatively content in her own position.]

Considering the average competence of the ones who are supposed to be dealing out the unending wrath, I'd probably take my chances.

[But then again, Amaterasu does make for the shinier target. There's enough war gods here that nobody's going to be vying to get into that position, whereas "leader of the Heavens" is pretty exclusive.]

Oh, I don't know about that. [Hakkai smiles cheerfully at Davesprite.] In direct combat, they're quite effective.

[And he just won't mention how he knows that. Elsa's attack on the Meeting Hall to rescue Goku might not have gone as well as they'd hoped -- and Hakkai blames that, at least in part, on the fact that she'd refused to do any worse than maim; death is much better at preventing your opponents from telling one another where you've gone and blocking your escape.

It's sometimes a little embarrassing to think that she'd been influenced by magic that left her in a murderous rage, and it still didn't leave her willing to kill outright. He'd gone much further with much less excuse.]

Do I want to know how why you sound you know that for sure instead of just theorising. [Davesprite isn't quite letting him get out of that train of thought that easily. Especially considering the previous conversation tangent. On one hand, whatever it is probably happened before he got here since he's never heard about it, but on the other, it does sound like the kind of thing Hakkai would end up involved in given the right circumstances.

He just has to wonder what those right circumstances were.]

There was a small incident with my first goddess, just before she disappeared.

[It's one of the reasons he'd wanted to believe, for so long, that the disappearances were deliberate punishments imposed by the Heavens for wrongdoing. So few of them fit that pattern, though. He'd had to abandon it at last.]

I definitely believe that it was a "small" incident. [No he does not. The Heavens have failed to intercede for some pretty significant things, so for them to be prompted to fight with Hakkai and his goddess, he's going to guess they were doing something a bit more noteworthy than that.]

It'd be way harder to shittalk them if they actually showed that kind of actually being fucking competent all the time instead of just once in a blue moon.

Unfortunately, investigation and combat require very different skill sets.

[He's not convinced at all that they have anyone skilled in investigation. They hadn't caught the murderer, after all. They don't seem to have caught anyone involved with the burning of Amaterasu's temple -- and while they claimed to have resolved the issue with the chocolates, Hakkai isn't even sure he believes those weren't just scapegoats.]

-Overflow- for 24 - Autumn Reception

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)