thenearshore | [Closed] If we're breaking the rules it's fine

As she steps up towards the entrance to Ebisu's temple, it's not Kimi who's waiting for her outside, but another one of Ebisu's shinki. It's Unmi, dressed sharply in the usual salaryman suit and busy checking his phone. When he hears Ginia approaching, he looks up and nods to her professionally.

"Ginia, isn't it? Kimi apologizes, but he couldn't come down to greet you himself. I'll be bringing you up to the room where you can talk."

Ginia bows her head toward Unmi and offers a polite smile, phone already out in her left hand. There's a message partially written, but she quickly appends it before playing it.

"There's no need to apologize, I realize how busy all of you are. Thank you for taking the time to see me. I brought food from my temple as a gift to all of you."

She's seen how hard Ebisu's shinki work from the first visit. Some assorted onigiri, yakisoba, pork cutlet sandwiches, and mochi strike her as a welcome snack.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it." Unmi manages a smile, but it's a bit distant still. At least he doesn't hesitate to hold the door open for her into the large lobby. "Here, I'll show you the way." That is mainly making it to the elevator and picking the right floor to go up to, of course. Hopefully Ginia isn't expecting any big conversation. Unmi stays quiet for the most part as it takes them up and up.

When they arrive at the designated floor, it opens up to what looks like another small lobby and office, with pilse of paper and folders everywhere. There's a pair of double doors in the middle. When Unmi opens them, it opens up to what looks like a massive professional kitchen. A good dozen shinki are inside, hurrying to still make food- it looks like she's come to the end of a lunch rush of sorts. Kimi can be seen making his way through all of it, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and an apron draped across his neck. He waves at Ginia when he sees her and Unmi.

"Hey! Sorry about this. You're right on time." Reaching behind himself, he starts to undo the apron even as he gets closer. "Thanks, Unmi."

As the meeting is entirely for business, Ginia expects nothing more than polite professionalism. There's no awkwardness as they stand in the elevator, relief more than anything at the lack of expectation to talk.

Ginia gives the floor a cursory glance as they pass through, not wanting to pry but fascinated at the workings of such an important god. It's not work she envies though, especially as they step into the kitchen. Here she gawks more blatantly; Archer would love a kitchen like this, no doubt. She notes some of the appliances as they pass by, turning to look at Kimi and smiling at him. Holding up the wrapped bundle of food, she types on her phone.

"No need to apologize. I come with an offer of food, but I think I underestimated the amount of people."

"Oh, it's fine." Shrugging out of his apron, Kimi waves a hand dismissively while the other reaches out to accept the gift. "That just means I'll eat it all for myself and not share with anyone."

"Kimi!" one of the shinki on the line yells out. "You bastard!" All Kimi does is stick his tongue out at her before nodding back to the office room the came through.

"Anyway, lets go talk in there. It'll be a little quieter." And better for a more serious conversation.

There's a sense of familiarity with the banter. It's wild enough at times in a household of four, what is that like in a temple at such a greater magnitude? Ginia laughs to herself and raises a hand apologetically as she hands over the gift. There are three tiers of boxes inside, maybe enough food for ten people or a handful of very hungry individuals. She raises a hand apologetically to the other shinki as they head back to the office.

In the office, she waits for Kimi to sit down before taking the most appropriate seat. "I really appreciate you taking time to talk to me. I also realize the topic I wish to discuss is sensitive."

While Ginia makes herself at home, Kimi takes the time to figure out where to put the food. There's a not-so-surprising lack of room in the office, and eventually he just has to put it on a small stack of paperwork and hope that does it well enough. Unmi takes up a position by the doors, closing them and standing up straight.

Once he's done, Kimi goes around to the front of a desk to face Ginia and leans against it. His fingers curl around the edge of it, and he sends an easy smile at her. "Yeah, it is pretty sensitive," he agrees, even as Unmi watches carefully from where he is. "Can I ask why you came to talk to our temple in particular about this kind of thing? The young master isn't a god of historians or anything, after all."

Ginia considers Unmi by the door and Kimi in front of her, the layout of the room. She could fight her way out if she had to, though it would only take minutes or less for them to trap her with borderlines. A fight is the last thing she wants, but also knows she's treading on dangerous territory. Hopefully Ebisu's shinki are reasonable and willing to hear her out.

"Because I know from a trustworthy and reliable source Ebisu was wrongly executed in relation to masked ayakashi. There are two events this year relating to masked ayakashi or the like I want to know more about. It stands to reason even if Ebisu was only blamed for the act, he must know something in order for the blame to be pinned on him."

Well. He guesses they're going right into it. That's commendable in its own right, honestly. When it comes to business like this, not everyone is so upfront or honest. Of course... this is assuming she is doing so. Kimi will at least drop his own act, although his expression isn't hostile. It's only considering, gaze calmly evaluating as he looks to her.

"Is it alright if I ask who it is you talked to?" If she can give a name of someone they know for sure, then that will be at least some reassurance.

Time is too valuable to waste dancing around the topic. Whether the masked ayakashi are connected to the cult or a separate problem to deal with doesn't matter in the moment; what does matter is the problem is bigger than all of them. Ginia watches Kimi as the smile disappears, resists the urge to check Unmi's expression though she's still marking his location.

"Nekhbet." Ginia hesitates a second before playing the message. It's not a secret; Shun gave the information to a roomful of people. She still doesn't want any trouble coming back to him. "It was not in the context of malice, but for understanding. He also mentioned hearing gods mention a "Sorcerer" controlling ayakashi."

"Nekhbet..." Kimi looks over to where Unmi is, whose expression seems to have settled on wary professionalism. He's definitely been keeping an eye on Ginia probably as much as Ginia has been keeping an eye on him. "That would be Popular-God-chan, right? Who came up to Kiwami and the young master?"

"That's right," Unmi confirms, still keeping a calm voice himself. It's not as relaxed as Kimi's but he's not getting worked up at all. "The young master promised to speak to Bishamon-sama on his behalf."

"Well, he would ask that." Kimi huffs out a faint laugh before looking back to Ginia. "At any rate... You're not entirely wrong or right. But, you know-" He tilts his head towards her. "The young master is newly incarnated. He wouldn't be able to tell you anything."

Popular-God-chan? In a less serious situation, Ginia would laugh at the moniker. There's still a hint of a smile and a light huff. Shun is good at picking up nicknames he probably hates it seems. She waits until the two shinki finish talking.

"That I am aware of. I suppose then I'm seeking less his interpretation of events and more those were around. Specifically, I'm interested in information about a situation in May and July."

Ginia pulls up a photo on her phone and hands it to Kimi. It's a screencap of a network post with the following highlighted:

There was a large park in the center of this town, and it had a weird circle. Picture attached It was around the entire park, there were candles around the edges. It looked like there was a cup in the middle, with a swirling eye pattern mask on it.

Assumption: a large scale ayakashi induced this state. (Demon?)

Pushing himself away from the desk, Kimi strolls at an almost leisurely pace until he's a little closer to where Ginia is so that he can lean in to get a better look. His reaction is almost immediate; most of Ebisu's shinki learn to be pretty fast readers with their jobs being what they are. His mouth gives a little twist and he huffs.

"We didn't get involved in that," he tells her. "We don't have as many people as we used to... and so we've really been working double to keep things going smoothly." Tilting his head down towards his chin, he looks at her over the rim of his glasses with quirked up eyebrows. "As you might have picked up on." While hiring out is still perfectly acceptable for any temple, especially if they're overworked or being asked for something they can't handle.... It hadn't been any of their first choice.

Still... Straightening up, he glances over at Unmi again before deciding on something. "But Heaven... did come see us shortly after that happened." He looks back at Ginia and flicks one finger up. "Can you pull up that picture the guy attached...?"

The number of shinki around is still so much more than the new gods, but Ginia's seen the empty desks on her first visit. There's an easy assumption to make; if Ebisu was wrongly executed, no doubt he lost plenty of shinki in the process, either because they fought to protect him or for other reasons.

(Is there a reason they haven't come back? Is returning from death unique to the new gods and shinki? Or did something else happen? Questions upon questions layer in her mind, but Ginia knows better than to push her luck to sate her own curiosity.)

Ginia nods back as she pulls up the post and opens the attached picture, turning her phone back to Kimi. With her phone occupied, it's easier keeping her comments until the end.

If Kimi has any immediate thoughts on the sigil itself, he doesn't show it. Instead, he looks over the picture carefully, reaching up to adjust his glasses from where they'd slipped down earlier.

After a moment, he says, "Humans are capable of making those kinds of things, you know." He nods at her phone. "Shinki or gods could, too. But it's not something anyone can just pick up right off the back. You have to know what you're doing. Especially with this kind of thing, it takes a lot of skill. But usually, you would use it to attach to an ayakashi itself."

"I spoke to the human responsible for summoning the demon. What worries me is the eye design found on the cup. I was also told in July, ayakashi wearing a mask with an eye design tried to open a vent in Heaven."

The cult, the demon, the masked ayakashi, they're all disparate things, but if something is tying them together, doesn't that mean there's a greater target to take down instead of three isolated events? Ginia knows she's maybe trying to tie together the impossible, if only because one large enemy is so much less daunting than three enemies.

"Where did the masks come from? Is there any significance behind the design? Can it work on things besides ayakashi? Humans? Shinki or gods?"

And there's the deluge of questions. Ginia's fingers tap against her phone as her message plays, plenty more to ask.

"So that's what happened..." Kimi glances over to Unmi again as if silently asking him something. "We'd assumed something like that had occurred, especially when Heaven came knocking, but we had kept out of the details." If they'd gotten too close to it, after all, well... Who knew what Heaven would assume and decide to be the truth of the matter. Best to keep to their corner of the Far Shore, and tend to their own still sore wounds.

Still, she's asking some more questions, and at least they're all ones he can answer. Kimi just isn't sure if he should, and perhaps the hesitation shows in the way he scratches the back of his head. "Anyway, no, it only works on ayakashi. That's their intent. The design is just a part of it, I think, so I don't know anything about that." Maybe Iwami would have, once upon a time, or Ebisu, but....

And here's the trickiest question, and Kimi lightly taps his heel against the floor. "Anyway, like I said... They're made. I can't tell you where that one came from-" He points to her phone again. "But the magician responsible had to make it. That, or they had access to something impossible."

What happened? It's the question Ginia wants to know the answer to, but knows better than to ask. If even Shun would destroy the mask rather than keep it somewhere to keep his shinki safe, if a god was executed for it, then there's no storming into things and demanding answers.

It all goes back to the creator of the masks. Or...

"What kind of impossible things?"

"Well, to start with," Kimi says in the exact tone of cheer coming from someone about to deliver bad news, "it would have to do with going into the Underworld, where a good chunk of ayakashi originate from and dwell in. Which is heavily guarded by Heaven at almost all times."

Ginia blinks at Kimi, eyebrows raising.

"That's incredibly specific for something so impossible."

Just pointing it out. While acknowledging the difficulty, Ginia can't help but impossible things as challenges to work past and find a way around. It's possibly due to having a god known for legendary feats of strength and will in his life. It's probably more because she's that kind of stubborn.

Good thing she has no desire bypassing the guards of Heaven to descend into the Underworld beyond treating it as a thought experiment.

"The fact still remains someone was making masks and tried to open a vent in July. I know they haven't been seen since, but given the cult's activities, it's hard not wondering if all of these are related."

Kimi quirks his head right back at her. "Something being specific doesn't make it possible," he responds simply, none of his usual airiness apparent in the statement. They all know that as a matter of fact, now.

"Anyway... I can't deny that this cult being behind things is possible. They've already shown they can do complex magic. But then, that should make it a little easier to find them, ideally. I mean, in this day and age..." Kimi holds his hands out to the side. "Doing magic like that isn't exactly commmon."

"Is there anything about the masks worth looking into? Someone summoned a demon in a park after draining children of their energy. A vent was almost opened in the Heavens, Amaterasu's temple was burned down. A blighted zone in a circle hurt plenty of people, and now there's a cult trying to overthrow all of us." Sentence after sentence plays as Ginia adds on message after message. "I'm tired of seeing people get hurt and nothing changing but scraps of clues here and there."

She exhales heavily and clenches her jaws, fingers tapping against the phone.

"Sorry."

A period of silence goes through the office after the electronic tirade. Kimi is the one to break it. "Do you.... want a moment to stretch your fingers, or something?"

Unmi sighs.

"Listen, it's a legitimate question," Kimi tells him over his shoulder before shaking his head. "Anyway.... I can understand all of that. And... A couple of years ago, our young master wouldn't have been so young, and he could have helped. But..." A pause, the words carefully being rolled around in his head before he deigns to choose any to release into the air. "It's a difficult position we're in here, in what we can do. Our temple, and the young master... They come first." Letting out a breath, he ruffles his hair. "Do you know if there's anyone who even still has one of those masked ayakashi, or a mask itself?"

Ginia can't blame him for his answer. You take care of your own and when your god is a child that was already executed once (and so many other times Ginia doesn't and will probably never know about), being protective is understandable. She bows her head in acknowledgement and apology.

"Nekhbet had one, but destroyed it out of safety. If there are any others, I would assume they're in the custody of Amaterasu or the older gods of Heaven." And therefore far more out of reach.

"Forgive me for overstepping."

"I see." For a moment, Kimi thins his lips and looks back to Unmi. "If you had one of the masks... We could at least look at it. Give you thoughts on it. It's the least we could do, without getting into trouble. But..." A shake of his head. It's too much. Too risky, right? He has no doubt that Heaven would murder a child again, at even the slightest signs of suspicion, and not hear any defense. Heaven is always right....

"Then that means we'll have to investigate the photo more!" a voice pipes up from nowhere.

Kimi jolts as he twists around on his heel, hand at his chest, and Unmi steps forward with a look of alarm. Ebisu's head pops up from behind a paper filled desk, blinking innocent from where he apparently crawled out from. As he steps out, Kimi immediately hurries over to him. "Young master- "

"I came," Ebisu announces plainly, looking back up at his shinki, "because you seemed really anxious." As Kimi pauses to process that, he takes the man's fingers in one of his grip- a child's attempt at holding a hand.

Kimi stares down at it, blinking, before sighing with a smile. "Ah, was I that bad...?"

All Ebisu does is smile. "I wasn't blighted," he tells him before redirecting his attention to Ginia. "I'm sorry that I couldn't arrive to greet you sooner." He clearly wasn't supposed to be here at all.

The last thing Ginia wants her investigation to lead to is the death of a god, a child, especially one already executed not too long ago. Humans, shinki, enough have already died at her hands and she won't add gods to that list. She accepts Kimi's words with a nod, ready to thank him for his time when another voice breaks in.

Ginia bolts out of her seat and stares at Ebisu. The light handhold between god and shinki breaks her surprise; she smiles briefly before hiding her expression with a deep bow, typing as she's still facing the floor. He's a powerful god in status, but still a child. He's lucky to have such protective shinki.

"Please, there's no need to apologize. I'm certain you were busy with other things."

"Ah, don't bow, don't bow-" Tugging Kimi along, who follows almost limply, Ebisu raises up his other hand to try and get Ginia to stop. "You shouldn't bow to a god that isn't your own!"

So many new shinki don't know how things work in the Far Shore... One day, he'll really have to make a video about it, or something! For now, he merely nods. "Anyway... I heard that we might have a visitor, but you're right. That's no excuse, however. But you're investigating some of the spells that have been cast, right?" He didn't manage to catch the whole conversation, just some, towards the end.

Ginia immediately straightens up, the logic of Ebisu's statement sinking in. As Caster's shinki, bowing to another god could be interpreted as deference to another god above her own. An embarrassed flush crosses over her cheeks and it takes all her will to not bow her head in apology.

She glances at Kimi and Unmi before she types, carefully choosing her words.

"I'm looking into whether there's a connection with the current cult, a demon summoned in May, and the appearance of masked ayakashi in July. Your shinki have been incredibly helpful and I'm thankful for their insight and knowledge."

"Then we'll help." It's an immediate statement, no hesitation, and both of his shinki seem to be expecting it. That doesn't mean Unmi doesn't make a faint noise of concern, however, finally pushing away from the door so that he can go kneel down besides the young god on both his knees.

Kimi, on the other hand, just gives the kind of long, deep sigh of someone who was expecting this particular end result and has already surrendered himself to it.

"Young Master," Unmi tries, his voice carefully gentle. "Getting involved would surely attract Heaven's attention. Even though we are innocent and merely trying to help, they may get concerned- "

"The concern is with us!" The outburst quiets the elder shinki, taken aback, and Ebisu forges forward. "Mortals have died beneath my watch, on a day that they should have been safe! The Gods Meeting is the day when I am to watch over them, in the absence of all others! And yet..." Ebisu's face screws up, fraught with deep and powerful emotion. He's still a child, dwarfed by the larger frames of his shinki, but there's something old and passionate in the way he looks at all three shinki- Ginia included. "Humans died, then. The Far Shore should never affect humans to such a degree. Their lives are precious! In this day and age, no demon should ever affect them. If a new god wants to go against Heaven, then I don't care- "

"Young master," Kimi says lightly, in the same tone of voice of someone who is 100% unsurprised and not as worried as he probably should be. Definitely not as scandalized.

"-that's their business!" Ebisu's free hand reaches up, digging into the cloth over his heart. "But I can't abide by the loss of human life! They aren't involved in this- they shouldn't be harmed! If there's anything I can do to help them, then I have to."

For a moment, there's silence in the office under the weight of Ebisu's words. When it's broken it's by Kimi, who hefts out a sigh and smiles over at Ginia. "So I guess we're helping," he says. On Ebisu's other side, Unmi gives a light groan that isn't as deep as it could be and rubs his face.

"Ah, I'm too old for this..."

"Ha ha, and yet you can't retire, Unmi-san."

When Ebisu offers to help, Ginia is inclined to agree with his shinki. He's done enough, it'll only put him back in danger, it's not a price worth paying for him or his shinki.

She didn't expect so much conviction. He is a child, but he's still a god who has been around for quite some time and Ginia realizes in this moment this is what it means to be a god. Ginia tears up from the dedication in his words, nodding absently. Yes, yes, isn't that they should do? They should protect humans, keep them safe because they're precious and they make the world so wonderful.

Ginia wipes her eyes and smiles, spine moving to bow again before she catches herself. Ebisu isn't her god, Caster is, and yet... guilt and conflict roll about in her mind. She wants to protect people, to defend those in need, and she respects Caster, loves him, but his answer for why she should only stay loyal in name to him and no one else has never sat well with her.

If she should not bow to another god, then she'll turn her acknowledgement to the shinki. She inclines her head toward Kimi and Unmi and smiles, a breath shuddering out.

"Please, let me help. I am willing to do whatever I can to assist, even if it's lightening the workload of your shinki for a day or two."

With the room in agreement, Ebisu lets out a long and quiet breath. It's not often that he shows any sort of temper; the flush from it is slow to fade from his cheeks. Still, he'd meant what he had said, every bit of it. He's not a god of combat, he knows. When it comes to ayakashi, there's only so much he can do. This cult, as well, might be unfamiliar to him. Maybe they can only do so much. But... They have to try. As much as possible, they have to try, because these short-lived lives are more precious than anything. Even he can understand that. While Ginia composes her words and Ebisu calms down, Kimi just glances between the two thoughtfully, holding his own thoughts inside his head.

"Thank you for the offer," Ebisu says finally, once he's certain that he can speak again without working himself up. "If it is to do with this current issue, then getting us anymore information on the magic that this cult uses would be very helpful. If there's another masked ayakashi, it would be good if we could get that as well to study, I think."

"Ah," Unmi says, pushing himself up to his feet with a sigh. "We should have all observed that circle in the forest a little more closely... If we had been able to get any sort of picture of it, perhaps we could compare it to this incident you were interested in..."

Picture of the circle? Ginia scrolls furiously through her photo gallery, pulling up the photos of the sigil Archer had sent her. The quality isn't the best given it's a cell phone picture taken in low light from high above, but the interlocking circles and geometric shapes making up the sigils are visible. She sends them off to what she presumes is Kimi's work email given their earlier exchange.

"My exemplar obtained pictures of the sigils while he was in the field. We haven't had luck identifying any of the symbols, so more eyes are always welcome."

She pauses, lips pressing together and brows knitting slightly before pressing on. It wasn't information she was trying to conceal but in light of the offer of help, it also seems fair to share.

"I can also provide a look at another ritual circle. The human responsible for summoning the demon used ayakashi to drain energy from children prior. He was forthcoming with information when Nekhbet and I approached him. What he gave us is slightly different from the picture on the network post."

Edited 2018-09-14 06:49 (UTC)

"Oh- that's far more than I expected." Unmi perks up, and his face eases up into an appreciative smile at Ginia. "We'll do our best to look into that as well, although it might take a little while. One thing at a time."

"The temple is busy," Ebisu confirms, brow furrowed as he thinks. It will be even busier as they try to look into all this information without alerting Heaven, he knows... but there's not really any alternative. He's knocked out of his thoughts by Ginia's next words, and his head snaps up at the same time Kimi gives an impressed whistle. "Ah- you've been really busy!"

"It'll definitely be a good thing to have on hand," Kimi confirms. "We can see if there's a connection between them and our own work, at the very least, or use the information as a jumping point. It can't hurt to check." At least, it won't hurt so long as they don't get caught.

It's easy getting things done when your god was in a coma and you needed to stay busy and you aren't the temple of a god of fortune. Ginia smiles at the praise, though it also feels slightly unnecessary and thus embarrassing. She's simply doing her part to help like any other person.

"I don't have good photos on my phone, I'll send over scans of the notes as soon as I'm back at my temple." There's the urge to bow again out of polite respect, but Ginia keeps in check. "Please, if there are other ways I can help, Let me do so. I appreciate all you're offering, but I don't want to bring trouble onto you or distract you from your primary duties."

"I told you, didn't I?" That somber look settles onto Ebisu's young face again, and he holds himself up straight. "This is my duty. That much was decided from the moment they attacked humans, on my watch. Nothing is more important than that."

A pause, and he glances down towards the ground with one tiny hand curled at his chin. "Although, if an opportunity to make Japan the greatest financial force in the world came up, it'd be hard to choose..."

Kimi and Unmi both politely cough into their fists at the same time, and the child god snaps out of it. "Oh! But, if you insist, then would you let us know if there are any shinki looking for work out there? We'd also appreciate it if you noticed anything that Heaven is doing that we might miss, with our temple being as notable as it is." It's a lot harder to eavesdrop when everyone knows you're a famous God of Fortune, or any of his infamous nora shinki.

Ginia laughs softly and covers her mouth with her hand to also hide her smile at the joke. At least, hopefully it was a joke.

"Of course." There was someone asking on the network for part-time work, certainly there are others seeking employment too. "If I find someone looking for work or hear something you should be aware of, what is the best way to contact you?"

"Calling by my number is more than acceptable!" Ebisu nods cheerfully. "One of my shinki is always keeping an eye on my phone. I also have a business card-" Digging in his tiny and adorable waistcoat, he pull a card out of his pocket and holds it out to her.

It's very professional. He even has an email address and everything.

"Any of these ways is more than acceptable. I'm also trying to make sure to attend more events which occur in the Far Shore."

Ginia has to keep reminding herself Ebisu is actually far older than he is (though still a child in his current incarnation) and hide a smile at how cute and professional he is. She takes the card, resisting a bow out of business etiquette, and tucks it into her wallet.

"Thank you. I'm sure more of the new gods and shinki would be happy to see you more."

She hardly wishes to speak for anyone, but as one of the more approachable and personable, it does well for building relationships. Being a small child probably helps too.

"Thank you again for having me on such short notice, I understand how busy all of you are. I can see myself out if it's easier."

"Oh, if you wouldn't mind!" Ebisu seems a little relieved that she recommended it first. "I'm going to have to talk with my shinki a lot on this, and what we'll need to do..."

He trails off, blinking as Kimi taps down on his shoulder, and the shinki quickly begins to sign over to Ginia with a sly grin on his face. But before you leave, do you want to see something funny?

It's a straightforward direction to the elevator and out to the lobby. She's curious what the other floors hold, but it's rude to sneak around and they are busy. Ginia is ready to make her exit when Kimi quickly signs at her. She nods back, curious what Kimi plans on showing her.

Kimi's grin only gets wider, and Unmi rolls his eyes. Apparently, at least one another in this room knows what he's going to get up to.

And that is... Very, very quietly and carefully making his way over to the door of the kitchen. Kimi has been working in his space for decades; he knows the way to get over there quietly. He glances back over his shoulder, just to make sure everyone is still watching, before he lightly puts his hands against the handles. There's a moment where he's clearly straining his ears as if he can ear anything- spoilers he can't- before he gives a self satisfied nod to himself-

And abruptly tugs the doors open.

Two different people go crashing to the floor, and more than that have to avoid falling over them. More than that were at least not stupid, just standing, and a few hold their hands up. One even starts to back away, as if trying to keep some form of innocence. Deeper in the kitchen, an older woman's voice clearly calls out, "Dipshits!"

Kimi just starts cackling. "Office gossip culture! We're all a bunch of nosy- ow!" And that would be him, getting punched in the ankle by one of the other shinki who'd fallen down.

Ebisu just claps his hands delightedly. "Oh, that saves me some trouble!"

There's a rather undignified snort from Ginia as Kimi throws open the doors and the shinki tumble in. Of course. Of course. With so many shinki, there are bound to be a few nosy ones, and she can't blame them either. How often do visitors drop by, especially from the new generation?

Her hands clap together twice and she smiles broadly before she types.

"I'll keep that in mind if I visit again. I'll leave you all to your duties, please enjoy the food."

"We'll be certain to get in contact with you," Unmi promises, and Ebisu gives a small wave to her.

"We'll make sure to live up to your expectations!" If all they can do is research, with battle being out of their expertise, then Ebisu will make certain they can at least do that.

[Closed] If we're breaking the rules it's fine

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