thenearshore | [Closed] You have heard the pleading of your followers

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[Closed] You have heard the pleading of your followers

Who: Goku and Nephenee, Goku and Nia.
When: December 23rd and December 24th
Where: The Near Shore
What: Prayers 56 and 72.

December 25th
And the guy said- He said, if he catches a bunch he'll cook 'em up and give 'em to me!

[Goku bounces along the path leading to the lake happily, occasionally slipping on a patch of ice and quickly righting himself. It hasn't been a long walk from the nearest shrine, but they are a bit out of the way here. This side of the huge fishing lake is practically deserted; most signs of civilisation are far off on the other side. But here is where Huitzilopochtli's follower likes to set sail from, so this is where Goku is headed. Hopefully Nephenee doesn't mind the hike.]

If you help, I bet he'll give you some too! We just gotta figure out what's scarin' all the fish away or somethin'. You'll help, right?

[This is what happens when your shrine is the closest to the site, Neph, you get a monkey knocking on your door asking permission to travel through your temple grounds. At least he asked first and invited you along for the ride. They're coming up on a car with an empty boat trailer hitched to the back, parked next to the pristine lake.]

I bet the fish'll taste real good!

December 24th

Woah.

[Christmas Eve in downtown Tokyo is an amazing sight. There's more people on the street than Goku has ever seen in his life- or it sure feels that way. There's a market going on, with cute gifts and food on sale, and navigating through the crowd looks near impossible. Especially when you're a good couple of inches shorter than most people there.]

Um, okay- [Goku ducks to the side to avoid being run into by a lovestruck couple, more focused on staring into each others eyes than paying attention to where they're walking.] I'm supposed ta find a lady here- she's tryin' to do some shopping but she doesn't speak Japanese!

[Hopefully she speaks Chinese or... Welsh... or this is going to be a real comedy of errors. Goku grins at Nia cheerfully. Getting back up had just seemed like a smart idea, after how things had gone the last few times Goku ventured to the Near Shore. He might have asked Gojyo, but he probably would have just ended up flirting with the poor woman and Goku can't allow that. Ken and Chikusa are busy with each other and that leaves-]

You'll help, right? We just gotta find her and help her get some stuff! It'll be easy!

[Nia is so nice and generous. Who knows what Goku actually said over the phone to get her to come along.]

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[Okay, Goku's found the flour. It's a little tricky, what with having to peer around the boxes already in his arms, but he's found it. One problem: this is a very well stocked grocery store. There are many different kinds and brands of flour.]

Plain... Wheat... Self-raising... [Muttering to himself as he goes down the aisle. Which one does Hakkai usually get? Goku can't remember.] Rye... Bread...

[This is confusing. Did she specify on the list? He should have taken it with him. Instead, his only option is to take a bag of each. They're kind of heavy, but he can manage! Just gotta be careful to balance them properly on top of the boxes of cereal.]

[Wait, hold on. There are just whole bags of potatoes here in the bins below the loose ones! Hell, why does this have to be like this...]

[Dumping out her selection, Nia grabs a bag and heaves it over her shoulder, then heads back for the front, aaand -- wait, where's Goku?]

[Where is Goku? It's impossible to tell, really. There's no sight of him in the store.

There is a walking pyramid of groceries balanced precariously in someone's arms headed in Nia's direction. Several bags of flour, cereal boxes, candy and probably some other junk, all piled up and attracted a few odd looks from other customers as they barely avoid knocking it over.

That's kind of weird.]

[Nia stops.]

[Stares.]

[There's no question in her mind.]

Why?!

[The pyramid pauses mid-step at the sound of Nia's voice. It slightly alters it's course to take a few steps towards her. Then a bag of flour on top of the pile wobbles a bit and the leaning tower of stupid stops again.

There's a feeble whine from behind the pile of groceries.]

Heeeeeellllllp...

[Can he hear how her arms are crossing and her eyebrows lowering in her voice? Because she's trying very hard to sharpen it, to make sure he gets the full mental image.]

You know, helping you would just stop you from learning.

[It's the kind of sound Goku recognises instinctively and ducks his head down in response to. Not that Nia can even see his head anyway.]

I'm learning, I'm learning! [Next time, bring a basket.] Come on, I can't see! Niiiiaaaa!

Yeah, I don't even know where to start with this. [She's not even tall enough to reach that top bag of flour -- though hang on, the way it's tipping that point might be moot. She moves forward to stabilize the center with the hand still holding the potato bag, then reaches up so the teetering flour can tip into her other one.] Okay, here we go.

[Goku is more than strong enough to handle the weight of all this stuff, but the balancing act is a little trickier. It's hard when the structure doubles your height.]

Just help me- yeah! [The top bag of flour falls right into Nia's hand and Goku shifts to make sure nothing else falls.] We just gotta get all this outside now! Right?

[Nia's, fortunately, stronger than she looks too. The flour makes her grunt when its full weight hits her, but she tucks it under her arm and curls her hand around it.]

I'm... not going to say I'm the most rule-abiding person in the history of the Far Shore, but it might not go well for your lady out there if we don't pay and she's the one caught holding stolen goods.

Speaking of which, guarantee you're getting a supplementary prayer that goes, "some god bought too much, help me haul it all home." And not "some god bought too much candy, help me eat it", just so we're clear.

... I didn't forget! [He forgot. He forgot they had to pay. Whatever.] Uh, can you lead the way? I still can't see.

[He can at least follow the sound of Nia's voice.]

And I picked all this out for her! I thought she'd like it! I can help carry stuff, no problem!

If she wanted candy and -- and whatever the bloody hell is in this box with a demented rabbit on it that says it's for kids -- I'm pretty sure it'd be on the list. Are you the god of well-meaning but dunderheaded overachievement?

[Nia's voice is his beacon as she leads the way down the aisle to the nearest checkout lane. She might be complaining at top speed, but she's still enabling...]

Her family might like it! Or she might! It looks really good!

[It looks like you might get diabetes by breathing too close to it, but Goku is young enough to have childish tastes. From a certain perspective. Goku follows Nia obediently, used to following in the footsteps of criticism and insults.]

And I'm the god of- uh- a bunch of other stuff! Not anything like this!

Well, I guess if she doesn't want them we can find another use for 'em. Okay, stop there. [He can hear the thump as she drops her potatoes and bag of flour on the belt, then with a little grunt hops up to pluck the next-highest bag off the pile.]

You sure the candy isn't for you?

[Goku bends his knees so that Nia can reach the bags a little easier. He's not sure what else he can do until the pile is a little smaller.]

Of course not! ... I mean, unless she doesn't want them. I don't mind eating 'em if she doesn't want 'em.

[He really doesn't mind.]

[Actually that helps a lot, and Nia sets up a good pace of pile to belt. Why, he might even catch her knowing smile to go along with the 'mmhmm' that sounds all too like she might not give his explanation the greatest credence.]

Seems like your style. You're a guy with simple tastes, aren't you? Probably just ask everyone for food for this holiday thing coming up.

[Now who's the master of subtle?]

[Nia removes a bag of bread flour that finally reveals Goku's face and his wide, innocent eyes. Surely he has no idea what she's implying!]

... Can I do that? Just ask people for food coz of that Christmas thing? No one told me that!

[The bastards! Goku had no idea this was the best holiday ever!]

What am I, god of holidays? [How does that even work Nia] Actually the way I hear it, people are just supposed to get you what they think you'll like.

I like food!

[There's no real need for subtlety when dealing with monkeys, Nia. Goku is lit up like one of the trees outside.]

I like candy and takoyaki and egg rolls and meat buns and fruit and dim sum and loads of stuff!

[It's how she is. If you're open about things, people can use them against you. You've got to be very careful, if you don't want to get hurt, even for something as small as a little present.]

That can't be the only thing you like. [And there's the last bag. Nia waves him on ahead to go hit the register.]

I like other stuff too...

[Goku pulls a box of pocky out of his back pocket and adds it to the pile before moving on to pay. He has to fish a bunch of change out of his pockets as the cashier rings everything up for them, but he can do that and talk to Nia at the same time.]

But food's real good. Other stuff is probably harder as a present. [He thinks for a minute. What does he like?] ... I like eating with everyone else! Everyone all together, you know. And hanging out and playing games and doing stuff. [Aw, there's the Christmas spirit.] And fighting! Fighting's fun!

[There's... the Christmas spirit...]

[You know what, she'll take it. It's information. And she doesn't point out that the one time she'd seen him fighting, he really didn't look like he was enjoying it. Even she's not that bad.]

But I'm betting you don't know how to cook.

[He'd have enjoyed it a lot more under different circumstances. Giant spiders are just fine to fight. Good friends less so.]

I help Hakkai sometimes... [How helpful he is in the kitchen is up for debate. Give him clear instructions and he'll do chores perfectly competently but it's hard to not eat raw ingredients when they're in front of him. Goku tries to count out change and think at the same time and it's very tricky. The cashier is definitely getting impatient.]

I can make instant stuff! But they wouldn't let me in the kitchen at the temple and when we're travellin' we just go to restaurants or Hakkai takes care of it. So I haven't tried much.

[Ha ha, good, good. She's learning some valuable stuff here, in--]

Wait, you know that guy?

[Friendly enough sort that she'd met at the training meal, who was talking about how he could cook?]

...Can't say I'm surprised, honestly...

[As far as Goku's concerned, they're just making conversation. It hasn't even occurred to him that she might get him a gift anytime soon.]

Hakkai? Yeah, I've known him since forever. [An exaggeration. But not by as much as they'd think.] Everyone here seems to know him too, it's kinda weird.

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