[semi-open] i reached out my hands and seized something shapeless but precious

[revolutionfalcon]

Who: Temple Nekhbet residents, visitors, and concerned parties after the event (basically anyone who Shun is on good enough terms with to feasibly be allowed into his temple. If you're not sure, ask!) There'll be a couple of closed prompts in toplevels too.
When: November 15th-17th
Where: Temple Nekhbet
What: Post-event temple mingle, for concerned parties, some in-temple problems, and the grand effort to actually get Shun to sit the fuck down for a few days.

[The vultures on the grounds of Shun's temple are a little calmer than usual in the wake of the recent incident, though perhaps that's courtesy of their usual meticulous care being taken over temporarily by Kotori, who is much more willing to keep them off people on the grounds than Shun is. In a slightly different, but equally carelessly-worn kimono to the one she was wearing in the video post, she's grooming a couple of the messier birds, who seem very attuned to her presence.

If anyone comes by intending to visit or at least look in on Shun after what happened, she'll invite in people she knows happily, or even those who responded helpfully to the network post and seem to know Shun well. However, she may tactfully suggest they not stray too much further than the well-lit visitor's room furnished in plain white linens until she can bring him in...or track him down, as the case may be. He's probably tried to sneak out of the temple at least once since he's been up to getting out of bed.

However, he's certainly not the only person about the temple, so feel free to take the opportunity to meet other residents or regular visitors as well.]

Comments

[revolutionfalcon]

[At the particular point in the day the dust bunny is making its approach, Shun is just coming back out of the temple from having eaten something, so he does happen to be in the doorway to spot the small, fast-moving object approaching.

The vultures are definitely very interested in that moving object, though, so the dust bunny-ish creature is right to be concerned about that, since a few of them definitely look like they're considering chasing it down. Once it "trips", Shun manages to catch it in his hands before it lands on his shirt. It looks almost like one of those dust sprites that keeps turning up in the meeting hall...except that's a very familiar-looking combination in its eyes, and Shun glances up somewhat cautiously.]

Ain? [Unless Ain's decided to take the form of a dust bunny for some reason, Shun's going to assume he's somewhere in the vicinity.]

[abgrund]

[ the sprite blinks up at him for a few moments, and then a dark mist trails out from behind it, pooling onto the floor. the fog resolves itself into ain's familiar form, with his lower body remaining a cloud of ethereal smoke - but there's some sort of amulet strung around his neck now, and it appears to repress the nauseating aura that he otherwise emits.

the shinki just.... stares at shun for a few seconds, with the same hollow gaze as last time. ]

You......

[ how best to cram several questions into one sentence without sounding excessive? ]

.... are well?

[ if left unattended, the dust bunny will launch itself from shun's hands onto ain's hair and duck into the voluminous strands, out of sight ]

[revolutionfalcon]

["Taking the form of a dust bunny" it is, then. Shun watches the fog pool into Ain's shape - and from over by the trees, Kotori stops what she's doing briefly to watch it too - keeping a close eye on him in case something goes strange. Or stranger, as the case may be.

He doesn't bother stopping the dust bunny when it leaps out of his hands, though that's partially because he's busy looking faintly bemused at Ain's question. Though he supposes it's not exactly a new kind of reaction from Ain, since he had seemed to express some concern when Shun had been fighting in the blighted area.]

I'm fine. Considering what happened. [He says that very certainly, similar to the last time Ain had asked how he was.] What about the people in your temple?

[He'd gone back over the alert posts once he'd gotten himself upright enough to do so, and seen Add's message to Kotori about missing two shinki.]

[abgrund]

[ they've had this discussion before, with ain not quite buying shun's words because humans are supposed to be transient and fragile; but there isn't much use in arguing when the human has asked another question. ]

We.... rescued them.

[ and it's something very important, too. heru and rin are his friends... who should not return to nothingness, not right now. ]

[revolutionfalcon]

[In this situation, Shun is somewhat frustrated already with being told how he should be recovering, so he's pretty much intentionally trying to avoid arguments on the subject.

In any case, he gives a somewhat satisfied nod at Ain's answer. While he's not friends with anyone in Add's temple, he at least knows all of them, and has some kind of decent impression of them. None of them have struck him as particularly deserving of having that happen to them.]

Which of them was it? [Ain and Add had both answered the post calling for help, so that leaves Rin or Roxas or both, to his knowledge.]

[abgrund]

[ easy questions to answer, so his reply is swifter than usual, without much of his halting manner ]

Rin, and Heru. Heru first, then Rin.

[ heru is a nice soulless shinki who sits and has staring episodes with ain. he's a good guy. ]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun doesn't seem altogether surprised by Rin being named, though he does let out a faint breath of annoyance.] That one definitely seems like the type.

[He'd almost suspect Rin went running in after the other one and got captured that way, though it would help if he knew more about said other one.] Is Heru a soulless?

[Shun's never heard of any god managing to gather more than three shinki without one of them being of this world in some way. He himself might not have a soulless, but Kotori still isn't of the newcomers' number.]

[abgrund]

[ rin definitely is.... very lively. he becomes very taxing for ain to keep up with at times, but he does the cooking and tries his best. that's enough for him. ]

Yes.

[ a beat, as he remembers how heru doesn't question his everything at all ]

He.... is a kind person.

[revolutionfalcon]

[As far as Shun's concerned, soulless don't seem to have the capacity to be "kind" so much as just "inoffensive", but that's not really a discussion he feels needs having, so he just shrugs.]

I haven't had a soulless shinki since my first anyway. But I'm guessing he ended up influenced like the other soulless shinki who were in that forest. I'd like to know who managed to conduct control over them on that scale.

[abgrund]

[ they're not quite the same to ain either, but that's a discussion to be held for another day. if anything, heru reminds him of himself - so it's important that he be given a purpose for existing.

if not, he might as well just give the soulless shinki some sort of eternal peace. ]

I don't like it....

[ he frowns, remembering how the forest shut the metaphorical void gate in his face. it would have been mildly distressing, if he still had the capability to be distressed ]

You don't know either?

[revolutionfalcon]

No. If I did I would've announced it so people could try to track them down. [There's more than a little bitterness in his tone at that, because he really would like to take down whoever was responsible for this in particular. It's pure luck that most of the people close to him avoided being taken, not to mention how dangerous the forest became for them even outside that.]

The fact that they managed to link something like that forest to the Near Shore and influence so many people means they're a danger to all of us. And that's probably not the only thing they've done.

[A lot of the stranger occurrences here have been things that could obviously only be done by someone wielding significant power and the ability to get into the Heavens to pull them off. And now this has turned up, and all he can hope is that they might get a target out of it.]

[abgrund]

[ ain is even less informed than shun, so he doesn't really have anything useful to contribute in this aspect. it's interesting, in a way, to see that the struggles of the living world are mirrored in this world as well.

everything will return to nothing, in the end. it's true regardless of what realm. ]

You're looking for them. [ it's not a question, rather something to affirm to himself with. ] And then what?

[revolutionfalcon]

I want to know who keeps screwing with us. [That trace of bitterness in his tone stands out a lot more saying that - it rings altogether too familiar with him, being attacked repeatedly and being able to do so little about it. He might have more power here, but it's definitely not afforded him any further ability to deal with their enemies.]

Then I find out why. And get rid of them if necessary. [If they have a reason for doing it that's not just laughs, that's one thing, but if they're trying to achieve some end without care for who they hurt and why, then they're going to have a problem.]

[abgrund]

[ he runs shun's words over in his mind, thinking. it's in line with what most people have said - and he supposes he should be a little surprised, with someone so young trying to take on such a cause. but at the back of his mind, he isn't. it just seemed right, somehow. ]

I see...

[ well, since he's living here now, might as well. ]

Then, I want to help too.

[revolutionfalcon]

[In a similar vein, Shun would almost be surprised that Ain was interested in helping...except his interests seem to largely lie close to home, and this does technically fall into that area as well.]

There's not a lot in the way of leads right now, but there's more people getting interested in starting to search. We might be able to piece something together if enough people start finding bits of information.

[Or so he hopes. Even though he's specifically searched for information on some of the recent incidents, he's come away with very little to show for it.]

[abgrund]

[ it's easy to give up on everything, but he's since been pushed to care about at least a few things. this is one of them. ]

Okay.

[ a slightly longer pause, and then: ]

.... does it bother you, to wait?

[revolutionfalcon]

Yes. Especially if I'm having to wait for my enemies to make a move before I can do anything. [Shun at least says that much straightforwardly, and with some hint of a sour tone. It's definitely not an uncommon situation for him to be in, but it's also definitely not something that one adjusts to more the more it happens.]

It's been like this for a while. We just keep getting questions and almost no answers.

[abgrund]

[ he listens with quiet attentiveness - impatience used to be a value that he attributed to mortals, but it seems like shun's motivations run deeper than just a keen awareness of time.

so, in an oblique question: ]

How old are you?

[revolutionfalcon]

[That is definitely a somewhat suspect non-sequitur, and Shun narrows his eyes slightly. Still, giving out just his age in theory isn't that important in a place like this...]

Seventeen. Does it matter? [He'll be eighteen in another month anyway, but saying that in any form would mean giving away his birthday, which he's much less prone to do.]

[abgrund]

[ that's actually quite young. yet, it doesn't surprise him somehow, an acceptance that becomes inexplicable due to his loss of memories. ]

I suppose not......

[ not when this place is half inhabited by kids ]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun knows all too well there's plenty of younger gods (and shinki) than him here, so he can't really see why it would be important at all. Then again, his at-home circumstances contribute some to that as well.]

It's not important. And there's bigger things to focus on, especially now in the wake of that incident.

[Standing here discussing age isn't going to help anyone or do anything.]

[abgrund]

[ such interesting creatures, humans are.... ]

I see.

[ he lifts a hand to his chin, in mimicry of him seeing add thinking ]

I've learned something....

[revolutionfalcon]

[That seems like a weird tangent from Shun's point of view, and he raises a brow at Ain's comment.]

What are you talking about? [He can't imagine it would just be something like the fact that age isn't really a concern in the wake of much bigger problems, but then again, Ain does seem to have a rather bizarre way of thinking.]

[abgrund]

About humans.

[ maybe speaking his thoughts aloud wasn't that good of an idea, but it seemed like something he should do or shun would ask questions.

that's the extent to it, though. ]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun eyes Ain for a few moments as if wondering whether he's going to elaborate, but when he doesn't, he just shrugs slightly. It seems like they've come to the end of conversation in any case, or as far as he can tell.]

Is that all you came to ask? [If Ain came here for a reason and that's been fulfilled, he might as well not keep him.]