A god, a shinki and a dog, bring all the food

[futhark]

Who: Ginia, Caster and a special guest later
What: Caster and Ginia try to find Votelli
When: January 6th
Where: "Mysterious" forest back on the Near Shore
Warnings: None for now, will update if needed



[ Dropping by the forest has become some of a ritual by now. Archer makes a box full of food, riceballs, vegetables, octopus-shaped sausage- whatever he feels like making that day. Let's not stifle his creativity in the kitchen. Then when all is done Caster and Ginia take them, sometimes taking a dog, Regal, along with them.

Today is no different, Caster warps them all into the wintery forest. It's been really cold lately, maybe they should have brought something warm for her to wear instead? If that's the case, they can always leave parts of what they have now. His spell being enough to give protection of the cold for the time being.

Caster gives Regal a pat on her head and starts walking, she matches his tempo immediately. ]

Hmm, Ginia, think we should wander in a different direction today? [ He turns around to see advice from his shinki. ]

Comments

[unlucky7]

If you wanted to stay in Japan, Mount Takao could work. It's a common hiking area so you'd be able to see more people.

[Which could work well in staving off loneliness and finding more people to believe in her outside of the cult. On the other hand, it might draw attention from the Heavens more.

She looks at Caster, phone tapping against her chin before she types.]

Could you find a place for her in Ireland?

[futhark]

[ The mention of Ireland surprises him ]

Sure, I could but- that's on the other end of the world. [ It's also noticeably colder than here, the winter lasts longer in Ulster. He's not sure if uprooting a small goddess for far away from her home country would be a good idea ]

Question is, where would you want to go- [ he turns to Votelli with a genuine question ]

[fleetforestsprite]

I want to stay here. It's my home. But I don't want the Heavens to find me.

[And maybe, if she has a shrine, she wants to be close by that, too. She chews her lip doubtfully.]

I haven't been to Mount Takao. Where is it? Is there already a god there?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia pulls up a map on her phone and plots out Mount Takao relative to their current location. It's further south from where they are, almost two hours by car. She turns the phone around and moves in to show Votelli the screen. There are also other mountains and forests around to move to.

As for the second part of her question, Ginia reclaims her phone to do a quick search.]

There are some shrines for tengu on Mount Takao. Is it a problem for gods to share an area, or is more you might be more noticeable to the Heavens?

[futhark]

If you wanna stay, then you stay.

[ The moment where Votelli says she wants to stay here, is the moment where all ideas need to be revalued. He puts his hand on Ginia's shoulder. The map won't hurt, sure, but is this really their place to suggest her to leave her homeland? Homeland is important. ]

Do you have a shelter here? Somewhere to live in.

[fleetforestsprite]

[Votelli nods at the second half of Ginia's question.] If I'm living around other gods I don't know, any of them might see me. It's different with humans. -- Or with gods and shinki I know won't turn me in.

[The glance she shoots Ginia and Caster is uncertain. She thinks they won't turn her in, but Ginia did tell other people, and she admitted as much.

Maybe this isn't safe, but they're nice, so it's worth a try.]

I can make a place to stay wherever.

[unlucky7]

[She glances at Caster as he sets a hand on her shoulder, her ideas tempering. Safety is important, but so is home. Making the best of the current location it is then.

The uncertain glance is a mark Ginia can bear. She knows what she did and can live with the consequences. Above all, her desire to help and protect is genuine.]

You can make a shelter anywhere I'm sure, but is it safe? There's ayakashi around, do they give you trouble?

[futhark]

Hey, that's good. As long as you get place to sleep [ For a second he got worried she didn't have anywhere to sleep and just traversed the forest. In that case, he'd suggest they make a shelter first. But since she got taken care of that.

The mention of ayakashi from Ginia sours his smile. The sensei doesn't want her to get a shinki, but doesn't that really makes her more susceptible to his control? ]

So deep in the forest ayakashi are probably less active then where there are more people. But then you probably should want to see more people- [ To help them and make more followers for once, that's always a big thing for a god, right? Also human trails means she might meet a soul she could name as a shinki ] -hey... have you tried watching over mountain trails?

[fleetforestsprite]

Yes. But humans don't notice me, so it doesn't really matter.

[She shakes her head, lacing her fingers together, and looks away.]

And there aren't too many ayakashi here. When there are, I can hide.... Are you really worrying about me?

[unlucky7]

Yes, I am.

[The answer comes quick and it's honest. She's not entirely innocent, but most of Votelli's actions can be traced back to Sensei and the cult's influence. Without them, would she be merely another minor god living her life?]

I know you can take care of yourself, but what happens if you're injured? Or blighted by ayakashi? I can't say I trust Sensei either. He could do a better job taking care of you.

[futhark]

Humans might not notice you, but your actions will stay with them. [ Caster walks closer towards her, Regal following him with interest and tilt of the head. ] If someone gets lost in the woods, on a mountain trail- lead them back home, tell them your name.

[ Caster's quite new to the whole- "being an active God" thing. But he respects his followers, he heeds their wishes if he can, and somehow, for some reason- there is more and more of them. It's not hard to make the connection. He produces a small bottle with water out of his robe- another crazy-prepared thing his Exemplar does - and offers it to Votelli. ]

They might return with offering for you when they return to the woods for another trip. [ That's how you get followers, even if they can't really see you, right? If he guesses right, the cult members are only people who believe in her, and their leader keeping her sheltered and only for their own use. They are the ones who put her at odds with the Heavens. If she could gain a footing in followers outside of them, and the cult was to be obliterated - would she still be a "rogue god"? Is she really the one in the first place? Or do they walk a dangerous road by getting involved with her- ] Here- This bottle holds purifying water from the spring in my forest. Use it to heal yourself if you get hurt by ayakashi.

[ He worries, yes. But he's also conflicted if they are not accidentally doing something that is very against Heavens. But- they are not letting her travel through shrines, they are not letting her into the Heavens, so they are not going against the official orders.

Being a capricious (heroic) spirit, being a capricious god, same thing. ]

[fleetforestsprite]

I'm big enough to take care of myself now, so he doesn't need to, anyway. [She puts her hands behind her back, looking at them a little dubiously.]

And I know how to wash off blight. There's a spring...

[Still... it's a nice gift, isn't it? She unclasps her hands from each other, and reaches out, slowly, to take the bottle.]

I don't have a shrine yet, so they wouldn't have anywhere to leave an offering, anyway.

[Gojyo'd said he'd make one, and maybe he will, but he hasn't yet.]

[unlucky7]

[Yet. Amazing how a single word can change a sentence. Ginia remembers the last time they spoke, Votelli was nervous about setting up a new shrine in case Sensei noticed. Granted, the context had been setting up a shrine for Caster to create an easy point to teleport into and a place she could stay at, but "I don't have a shrine yet."

Is someone making her a shrine?

The easy someone to assume is Gojyo.

...Well, no complaints there. If it gives Votelli a place to stay or even a space to claim as her own, good.]

Would you like a shrine? Or a place to mark out as yours people could leave offerings at?

[futhark]

[ Yet. So it's in the works, is it? Caster takes a few steps back to give the girl back her space, now that she took the small gift. ]

Those who come back with thanks might make a shrine by their own hands. A hollow of the tree. A branch with an amulet. A carving. This all could be a shrine if they see it as it, right?

[ Or does it work differently for gods in this land, and an actual building is required? ]

[fleetforestsprite]

[Votelli ducks her head, smiling shyly.] That could be a shrine....

I guess I would like one. But what if the Heavens can see it? Could they see it?

[She looks to Ginia and Caster, nervously.]

It couldn't be in this forest!

[unlucky7]

[That's... a good question, actually. The Heavens don't seem to know who the rogue gods are and Votelli seemed to be able to get into the Heavens fine with the forest (though truth be told, all the specifics of how they moved from one location to another is still lost on her). But is it because she doesn't have a shrine? Would creating a shrine instantly make her known?]

I'm not actually sure, to be honest. But if there's a way to give you a shrine and keep you safe, I'd like to try. Is there another location you'd like to set something at?

[fleetforestsprite]

Maybe somewhere closer to humans. Like, at the edge of a farm?

[There are a lot of little roadside shrines or farm's-edge shrines, and her own might get lost among the homes of a thousand minor spirits. Yes, that could be all right.]

But it has to be close to a forest, or trees, anyway.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia consults her phone and studies the landmarks and surrounding areas. Something closer to humans but still close to trees in some way... as she scrolls around the map, she notices a few promising options appear repeatedly.]

What about an orchard? This area has several farms offering pick-your-own fruit options with additional attractions aimed at children. They'd be more likely to notice you.

[fleetforestsprite]

An orchard?

[She blinks at Ginia, clasping her hands behind her back.]

You mean where they grow fruit trees?

[unlucky7]

Yes. This area specializes in strawberries and grapes, but peaches and plums are grown around here too. Would you like that?

[futhark]

[ Caster takes a look over Ginia's shoulder as she checks the map, and withdraws before she shows it to Votelli. Yeah, that could work. ]

That sounds like a pleasant place. It's middle of the winter but would you want to go there and check?

[ Warping to a map point is totally a thing that would work ]

[fleetforestsprite]

[She looks uncertainly between the two of them, and then nods, with a little smile growing on her face.]

Yeah. Okay, yeah, I want to see!

[unlucky7]

[There are a few different orchards in the area. Ginia pulls up one in the area with peach trees to give Caster a look at the location. There's the arrival area with a short walk up to the main building that's a safe spot to teleport to. It's a scenic orchard with the grove of peach trees, trellises of various types of grapes, greenhouses for strawberries, and a main building for eating, shopping, and activities like mochi pounding or soba-making clasess.

She loops her arm around Caster's arm and offers her hand to Votelli.]

[futhark]

[ Thank you google maps for helpfully showing photos of the location. That helps a lot more than just a map. He pokes the screen to get the map smaller, to show in which direction the location is relative to Tokyo or one of the other cities he visits frequently. His free hand lands on Regal's head- if they're all going then they are all going.

But (un?)fortunately the photo also had a view for a low mountain that made a nice backdrop for the orchard and rest of the location in question. That's where they land, on top of that mountain, with the view on the whole area

That's not as keikaku]

Ahaha, sorry. Guess the mountain called me- Woah, it's such a calming view. [ Regal immediately makes a short run forward. Carefully, carefully, there is a lot of snow, and you can easily get white dog lost among it. ] I guess-- that's the building Ginia shown.

[ He points at the valley as he narrowed the correct location down. ]

[fleetforestsprite]

Oh. [She shades her eyes with both hands, mouth dropping open as she takes in the view.] Oh, it's pretty up here--

[-- and there goes the dog running away...]

Come here, puppy! Come on!