thenearshore | [closed]

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[closed]

Who: Ayumu, Goku, Hakkai, Chikusa, Ken, Ginia, Gojyo, Shun, Lavi, Nia, + brief appearances by Chinatsu and Caster.
When December 8th and 9th
Where: Goku's temple and various locations in the Far Shore's western district.
What: What starts out as an ablution to purify a blighted shinki turns into utter disaster in the western district.
Warnings: Character death, body horror, graphic violence, potential references to torture, sexual violence, and suicidal ideation in the ablution thread. Will add further warnings if necessary!

[The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Even in Heaven.

In the wee hours of morning before dawn, a loud, inhuman, cacophonic shriek shatters the silence in the western district. Afterward, a large, black mass hastily passes through the region. It skitters and softly thumps across rooftops in both pursuit of prey to sate its ceaseless hunger and flight from those intent on its destruction.

As it travels through the dark, the upper silhouette of a woman astride a giant spider can be glimpsed, ghosting and leaping across distances many more lengths than its size with stunning agility. For those that can steal a glimpse of the woman's face, they'll discover that the features are those of Ayumu Yamazaki - if hideously deformed by the addition of three extra pairs of beady, black eyes sprouting up over its forehead and beyond.

Those tracking its trajectory will realize that the ayakashi is bound for the northwestern edge of the district as if seeking desperate escape from every vestige of Amaterasu's realm and influence.

A telltale sign of the ayakashi's passing are faint wisps of spidersilk hanging from high places or bits littered across the ground. However, these secretions are dangerous to the touch, blighting anyone who comes into direct contact with them. A very faint, tar-like odor lingers in the air where it's been.

Maybe it'd be wise to keep under cover or at the very least, steer clear of its path until the danger's passed.]

[OOC: Ayumu's ayakashi form looks similar to this minus the skulls, with furrier black legs, and the aforementioned resemblance and eye deformities. Players are free to reference or comment on any of the description above in their own threads or posts if they like!]

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[With Ayumu dead and gone, Lavi hovers a bit in the air for a moment longer before he finally slowly descends to the ground. He doesn't say anything, but Shun might feel the shinki growing somewhat numb.

There is no guilt.

A pang of sadness, but no regret. Lavi doesn't feel bad for having to kill Ayumu when she's become like this. No, if anything, he just feels empty at having to do something like this again to someone he cares about.]

[Shun definitely feels that shift in emotions, and his jaw tightens a little as he leaps off Lavi's bird form. Another one of his shinki tried to make himself numb recently, and that went some bad enough places that he's not really interested in letting Lavi do it even if this is only a fleeting arrangement.

As he lands back on the ground, he lets out a long, hefty breath, glancing back towards the pit. It's not quite enough to rattle him, but putting down someone he considered an ally is sucking an unpleasant pit in his stomach.]

Lavi. [It's a command of sorts, to return him to his human form.] Cutting yourself off doesn't work. We went through this already.

[He has to revoke Lavi's name before they part, but he's reluctant to leave him alone like this.]

[The call of his name has him shifting his wings before he returns to his human form.

He takes a deep breath, running a hand down on his face as he exhales.]

Sorry, sorry. Habit.

[Whether he realizes it or not or even remembers, it's been deeply ingrained into him to not show too much emotion or reveal them. Sometimes, it's just so easy to go back and stick to what his instincts are urging him to do. Cut himself off before he grows too attached.

They're not supposed to mean anything to him.

But Road's giggle echoes in his mind, her taunting words still so sharp and clear.]

[Shun lets out a slight hiss of breath before glancing over the area around them. It's still unsafe ground, and he doubts those snakes have gone anywhere. So he focuses himself for a moment, turning his attention to above them.

A much larger robotic bird than even the one Lavi had seen him summon the first time he discovered the power materialises in the air over their heads, Rise Falcon's four exhaust pipe lined wings stretching out in the dead air. Shun leaps onto its back without hesitation, and beckons to Lavi as the bird turns its head and focuses its six red, glowing eyes on the less familiar person.]

Get on. I'd prefer to be somewhere safer before I revoke your name. [Where they're not risking the ground trying to crumble beneath them, snakes, or the potential of leftover webs that the ayakashi Ayumu may have left.] And I'll see you back to your temple after that.

[He does not trust Lavi not to try isolating himself in the wake of something like this.]

[The bird gets a wary look in return before Lavi does jump onto its back.

He's half tempted to say something to Shun, tell him how he doesn't need the god seeing him back to his temple. However, now isn't the time for that, and he he'd rather not get into an argument with Shun about this anyway. It'll just lead them back in circles and Lavi is weary enough where he'll acquiesce to most things.

So, he simply gives him a nod of understanding.]

[Shun was half expecting Lavi to argue, but he prefers it this way, without the need to have to bodily drag Lavi onto Rise Falcon or something along those lines. As soon as Lavi is on, it rises up a little further and then streaks off back the way they came at a surprising speed, contrails briefly left behind by its exhaust pipes.

Once they're a good distance away from the abandoned temple and back close enough to the districts that they're unlikely to get ambushed by a stray ayakashi, Shun lands Rise Falcon in a clear area and climbs off, waiting for Lavi to get off as well so he can remove the name properly.]

[It's honestly a little weird to be riding this. He doesn't know how Shun does it to be honest.

But when they land and Shun gets off, Lavi follows suit, landing quietly on his feet in front of the god.]

[However reluctant Shun might be to leave Lavi to deal with things alone, he's even more reluctant to not stand by a temporary agreement, so as soon as Lavi stands in front of him, he extends a hand. Meanwhile, Rise Falcon disappears into motes of light - they can walk back to Lavi's temple from here, most likely.]

Hyouki, I release you. [The name lifts from Lavi's form and shatters, fading into the daylight and abruptly cutting Shun off from Lavi's emotional feedback. It's not a specific thing, it's just suddenly less than there had been for that short amount of time.

He lets his arm drop, then turns in the direction of where Lavi's temple is from here.] Are you going to tell your god what happened?

[Even if Shun doesn't oppose nora, he prefers the idea of letting a god know if you've just gone nora to someone, even temporarily. And he'd like to be reasonably sure Lavi isn't going to try and clam up on this entire incident.]

[Once the name is cut off from him, Lavi rolls his shoulders a bit even if he knows that it won't really matter. Shinki doesn't exactly feel something when the name is cut off, but it's almost like a loss no matter how brief it was.

At the question, he nods.]

I am.

[Even if he might not divulge the full information to Cardia, she still needs to know he had briefly nora'd to another god for a task this dangerous.]

[Shun inclines his head slightly in recognition - though he might ask Cardia himself later to be sure - and turns his attention ahead for now.] Come on, then.

[It's not much of a walk from here to Cardia's temple, but still, after that he feels like Lavi could use whatever company he can get.]

[Lavi nods and follows after Shun, keeping quiet.]

[At least it's not too long of a trip considering where they landed, but Shun lets the silence remain for most of the journey there. It's only when they get within sight of the place that Shun glances back towards Lavi again, expression piercing.]

Remember, you don't need to keep this to yourself. And I don't want to have to chase you down again to hear about something I should've heard about earlier if you claim to trust me.

[A flicker of surprise before he nods.]

I'm going to talk to Cardia first about this.

[As much as he can anyway.]

....But I'll see you soon, Shun. [This isn't the sort of thing Lavi can keep to himself without risking another blight, after all.]

You'd better. [It's not quite threatening...or at least not properly. It's more in the manner of what an older sibling or parent might say in scolding their charge. But Shun's not going to impose on him talking to Cardia, so he only accompanies Lavi as far as the edge of the temple grounds.]

I'm going back to check there's nobody else still trying to follow her.

[Lavi nods at that.]

Alright.

[It might be better for him to get some distance from that site, anyway...]

Stay safe.

[It's said very bluntly for what would probably be a nice sentiment from anyone else, and it's apparently as close to a farewell as Lavi's getting as Shun starts to head back the way they came.]

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