thenearshore | Semi-open - You are the sun

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Semi-open - You are the sun

Who: Son Goku and friends.
When: December 5th and 6th
Where: Huitzilopochtli's temple and Tokyo.
What: Catch-all log for some things. Training with his shinki, hanging out and wandering around town.

A. December 5th- Morning (closed to

kagenonadeshiko)

[It's a chilly morning beneath the treehouse currently posing as the temple of Huitzilopochtli. There's no snow on the ground here yet, thankfully, but there's a bit of frost on the ground this early in the day.

But that's not really their concern at the moment. Goku is doing warm-up stretches, humming to himself happily and thinking about how good the breakfast they just had was. That will entertain him all the way till lunch.]

So, you wanted to practice fighting and stuff, right? [He straightens up to start stretching out his arms.] Do you wanna spar? Uh, I've never really fought a fox before but we can try it if you want!

B. December 5th- Afternoon (Open)

[Eventually, Ayumu has better things to do with her day and Goku still needs to be fed. He could go beg food off Hakkai or Chikusa, but he suspects they have better things to do with their day too. Instead Goku decides to take a trip to the Near Shore, wandering the streets of Tokyo and ending up in Togoshi and trying to haggle with a vendor selling croquettes.]

Hey, if I buy four, can you give me five instead? [Goku, what. The seller at least looks more bemused than offended.] Or, or! If I buy five can I try one of those others ones as well? Please?

[You can get away with a lot with a face like this. He's probably not actually going to get any free food though.]

C. December 6th (closed to

erogappa)

[Once again, Goku needs to eat. It's sort of a running theme in his life. He also craves company, another running theme in his life. Ayumu can only spoil her new god so much, Hakkai has a job or something lame like that and Chikusa and Ken are too busy paying attention to each other so-]

This way, this way! [Goku is dragging Gojyo to Inokashira Park one early morning. No, this will totally be worth it, he promises.] Someone told me there's some guys here who sell really yummy yakitori!

[Normally at this hour the park would be full of joggers and people on their way to work, but it's oddly quiet today. Maybe it's too cold for them. Goku is fairly bundled up himself and he's still pretty chilly, after all.]

Gojyo, come on! I'm hungry!

D. Wildcard

[Anything we've plotted elsewhere, we can throw it into this log if you want.]

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[Already in vessel form, Ayumu pads across the grass, tail swishing idly. She sits down on the cold grass, pondering how to go about this. Sparring's certainly an option but perhaps a bit too advanced to start with. Then an idea hits her.]

Throw some sticks? Or a ball? I can practice running, jumping, and catching that way..

[Yes, she is suggesting they play fetch in all seriousness.]

Like fetch?

[Goku calls it how he sees it. Or hears it, as the case may be. He blinks at Ayumu a few times, wide-eyed and still getting used to talking to a fox.]

... I guess we can do that! [It's weird, but it sounds like fun!] I don't have a ball, but there's plenty of sticks and stuff around here!

Yes, something like that. Then maybe I'll be ready for sparring later on.

[She notices how wide-eyed he is. Truly, all of this must be surreal for him. But how to make it easier for Goku to adjust? She cocks her head, looking as thoughtfu as a fox can, before speaking.]

If it helps, think of it as training or playing with your dog back home.

[Then she starts scanning the area for sticks.]

[It's strange, but not upsetting. It's just Ayumu, after all. Goku laughs at her suggestion.]

But you're not a dog! Come on, it's fine, we can do this.

[Goku also starts scouring the ground for sticks.]

Anyway, I wasn't training my dog to fight monsters or anything. This is different.

[Honestly, he probably barely trained that dog at all. He was not nearly responsible enough for that then.]

[ It's too cold for anybody to be out, Gojyo's decided, stumbling along in the early morning light. His breath is a thick white cloud around his face, and he can feel his body heat being drained with every exhale. ]

You're always hungry.

[ It's not that meat doesn't sound good. It's just that a big cup of coffee -- maybe from one of those places that puts in chocolate sauce and whipped cream and sprinkles? -- sounds so much better. There's parts of downtown where you can't walk ten feet without passing three coffee shops. Why couldn't there be one here? ]

I'm always hungry, everybody's always hungry. Just a town full of [ Brrr. He tucks his hands tighter against his body. ] hungry ghosts.

[ A big cup of sugered coffee, and one of those buttery cinnamon things the size of his head. Yeah, that's more like it. ]

This better be the best damn meat on a stick I've ever tasted, shrimp.

[You gotta burn energy to stay warm, Gojyo. Maybe that's why Goku keeps running ahead and then running back to make sure Gojyo's keeping up.]

I'm not a ghost or a shrimp! [Yelling also keeps you warm. He's not properly annoyed yet though. The promise of food and a day out with Gojyo is enough to keep him cheerful.] But I am really hungry! I wanna eat ten thousand skewers of meat!

[That might really turn him into a ghost. It's fine, he'll be fine.]

[Maybe it's her forgotten history of deep undercover work that makes her so prone to assuming the identity of whatever facade she's adopting at the time. Placing herself in the mindset of who or what she appears to be comes to her naturally.]

I suppose you're right. There's benefits to a form like this, though. You're the only one who knows this form is me. I could easily gather information like this from those who simply see me as an animal.

[It's just a bit of idle chatter while she hunts for sticks. There's something almost therapeutic about this task. Ayumu continues nosing through the grass.]

[This might be the kind of thought process that works better with Hakkai than with Goku. He's back to being confused.]

Who would we want to get information from? Can't we just ask people stuff?

[Bless him. Goku picks a stick up off the ground, shaking dirt off it. It's about as long as his arm.]

Does this work?

[ Some days he really can't tell if Goku's twenty or twelve. ]

You eat that much, you're gonna turn into a whale.

[ As cold and miserable as it is out, as much as he'd like to be curled up in bed still (or maybe lazing on the couch in the front room with a cup of tea while eight tons of dog snored on his feet and Hakkai puttered in the kitchen... shit, he's really got it bad, doesn't he? This is just getting embarrassing)... it's nice to be out with Goku. the kid's good for his mood, what can he say? It's hard to be sad or down when he's around -- mad, sure, annoyed definitely! But not sad. Not worthless. ]

I'm gonna have to roll you back to your temple, drop you into that sinkhole and use you as a raft.

[Oh, this precious child. What Ayumu wouldn't give to be able to be that pure again. Surely, there must have been a time in her life when she'd been innocent. There's a twinge of sadness that's quickly shoved down in favor of answering his question.]

That stick should be fine to start with. If it turns out to be too big, we can always break it in two.

No way! [Goku elbows Gojyo in the ribs, bouncing along next to him on the path.] I'm not a fat kappa like you!

[Both of these boys need a sandwich, let's be real. But Goku is more than happy to start scrapping with a dumb jerkface cockroach if he wants to start something. It can keep them warm while they find where the hell this yakitori stand is. It's a long-standing technique that hasn't failed them yet, not that Gojyo remembers that.]

You're the one who's gonna be in trouble. You're too lazy, you'll never work off all the stuff you eat.

I'm not lazy, I'm conservin' energy!

[ It's a little strange, though, isn't it? There's nobody else in the park right now. Sure it's early, not all that long after sunrise, but where are all the joggers? The grandmothers taking walks? The gardeners and custodians tidying the place? ]

Unlike some shrimp, I'm not gonna wear myself out before we get there!

[ And shouldn't there be, like, birds and chittering squirrels? It's quiet. It's really quiet. Gojyo drops his voice, from mock-the-monkey down to something more like an inside tone -- still casual, but definitely not for bystanders' ears. ]

So, who told you about this place?

[ Because it's sure starting to feel like a trap. ]

What, you get tired that easily? [Goku tilts his head back to stick his tongue out at Gojyo.] You sound like an old man.

[It is quiet. At first it passes for the usual, peaceful still of a winter morning but... The city is bustling not too far from here. Everyone's day has already started. They were shoulder to shoulder with people before entering the park, but the further they've walked the less people they've seen. Now there's no one around. ]

Just some guy... [Goku looks around, staying close to Gojyo and matching his tone.] I was in a restaurant yesterday and a guy was talkin' about it.

[Come to think about it, didn't he also mention he hadn't been back in a while? And that there was no way he was taking his girlfriend here any time soon? Huh.

It's very quiet in the park. It's weird that there's the sound of a third set of footsteps somewhere.]

[ That's definitely weird. ]

You're eavesdroppin' on private conversations now? [ His tone is casual, light, and from all appearances he's just strolling along with his little brother, taking in the sights of the park. But scanning the area for threats is something Gojyo didn't have to learn -- it's instinctive, easy as breathing.

The footsteps seem to be coming from the other side of the stand of trees, off to the right. It's hard to tell, with the way sound bounces around in wooded areas, but he's pretty sure that's where their visitor is. Gojyo nudges Goku with his elbow, aiming him subtlely in that direction. ]

Next you'll be walkin' around smellin' people, like Ken does.

I talked to 'im too! I wasn't being rude or nothing.

[Just a casual conversation between two bros. Goku leans in the direction of the sound when Gojyo nudges him before straightening his course again, signaling that he's noticed it too without alerting anyone else. It's a familiar routine, one he's so used to it barely registers as one. It's not uncommon for someone to try and to sneak up on them these days.]

Ken's not doing anything wrong, it's not like he can turn his nose off. What, you don't look at people?

[Man, who's trying to mess with them now? Goku is ready to summon his staff and leap into the trees to find them, but he's not sure if they're planning on letting whoever it is make the first move right now.]

[ It's probably a good idea to get a little closer first, right? And get an idea of who's over there before they show their hand and attack? It's possible it's not an enemy... okay, not likely, but possible. And if it is an enemy, then they still don't want to announce that they've both got magic summon sticks right up front. Right? ]

Not in the bathroom I don't. [ No, they don't shit, but bathroom time is still private time for a healthy red-blooded 20-something, and he's never going to get over Ken being able to smell him in there. ] That kid's got no sense of privacy... like some shrimps I could name.

[ There's a stirring sense of wrongness growing in the back of Gojyo's mind as they approach, and it's really no surprise when they round the corner of the path and spot the ayakashi. Gojyo swears quietly under his breath -- it's huge, the size of a city bus, with claws as long as his leg, and it's...

Huh. It's digging through the dumpster. ]

Just when I thought they couldn't get any more disgusting.

[Huh. For some reason, he felt sad for a second there. But this is a good day! Goku pauses for a second before shaking it off.]

Alright! [Goku tosses the stick in the air and catches it again.] You want me to throw it really hard, or just a little?

[Who let the two brawlers of the party go off on their own and try to strategize? Who keeps letting them do that? Goku wrinkles his nose as they turn the corner. That's gross. Ayakashi are gross.]

Not another one of those things! [And it's way bigger than the boogeymen from the other park. He's not sure how Ayumu would do against it. But this thing doesn't seem to be bothering any humans.] ... Should we leave it alone? It just looks hungry.

[Eyes sticking out of the bear's back turn to face Goku and Gojyo and there's a hissing sound from them. "Hungry... Hungry..." The ayakashi raises it's muzzle from the dumpster and sniffs the air thoughtfully. Whoops.]

... Hey, I think it can smell stuff too!

[ Fuck the element of surprise -- Gojyo's got his summon weapon out, held (backwards) with the spade blade forward like a spear, ready to jab. The ayakashi's too big to leave here in the park -- who knows what it's been up to with the people here? -- and it's far too big to just pin under a borderline and beat on until it runs away. They have to fight it.

He has to take a name from Goku to fight it. Fuck. This was not how he wanted the day to go. ]

I think I've lost my appetite.

[Oh, okay, they're doing this. Goku summons Nyoi-bo as well, not quite sure how they're going to kill this thing but pretty sure they can at least beat the crap out of it. Pretty sure. Okay, it's really big for something he's not allowed to touch with his hands or feet.]

I'm still hungry, so lets beat it up quick, okay? [The bear gives a low growl in their direction, a dripping tongue lolling from it's mouth as it eyes them hungrily. Gross. Goku twirls his staff in his hand and moves a few steps away from Gojyo to give him room to fight.]

We should- [Side-glances at Gojyo, notices how he's holding shakujo again.] ... Why do you keep doing that?

[The ayakashi cuts him off with a roar.]

Keep doin' what? [ Before he can even finish his question, though, the bearakashi charges, drooling mouth snapping for Goku. ] Shit. Look out!

[ Ssssssmells good it snarls, and Gojyo can't help but shiver. Whatever they are, they were sure built to react to these things, he thinks angrily, running forward to jab at the ayakashi. The sharp blade has been more than enough to take limbs off of ayakashi before... although never ayakashi this big. ]

You keep- woah!

[There's barely time for Goku to jump high enough, but his staff is pointed at the ground and quickly extending to help him leap up into the air and over the bear like it's a pogo stick. The bear snaps it's jaws around the air where Goku was as the monkey boy lands on his feet behind it.]

Gojyo! Quit messin' around and slice it up properly! [There has to be a reason Gojyo is holding his staff weird and using the spade to attack with and that reason is probably that Gojyo is fooling around and not being serious. Probably.]

[ Goku leaps over the ayakashi -- damn, that staff of his is great!, Gojyo can't help but marvel, even as he's jabbing the flat blade at the ayakashi's neck as the creature snaps forward at the spot Goku just occupied. The blade scores a thin line along the side of the bear's neck, but it's like stabbing a block of granite -- his blade all but bounces off, and he has to scramble backwards as the bear turns on him, mouth wide and full of too-sharp teeth. ]

I'm tryin'!

No, you're not!

[Maybe it should be flattering that Goku's so sure Gojyo should be kicking more ass than he is right now. Maybe it's not. He takes a swing at the bear's back legs, which makes it stumble. But Nyoi-bo is more for smashing than cutting, and no normal (or normal magical) weapon is going to seriously hurt an ayakashi.]

Don't you wanna kill it? Cut it's head off or somethin'!

[ The bearakashi doesn't seem to be slowed in the slightest by their efforts. If anything, they're just making it mad. Gojyo jabs at it again, again going for the throat, but he has to get too close to make contact. The bear lunges for him, claws digging up great furrows of soil as it advances.

This isn't working. ]

It's too big! [ He can only swat and slap at the beast for so long before it's totally proved worthless, okay? ] Just fucking name me already!

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Semi-open - You are the sun

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