thenearshore | 001 | The Welcoming Feast

Entry tags:

001 | The Welcoming Feast

Who: Everyone!
What: A little bit of explanation, thank goodness.
When: Early morning. (February 15, 2016)
Where: The Heavens. Specifically in the Meeting Hall.
Warnings: Exposition is coming your way, sit back and enjoy the show!

The Heavens have summoned you. And there is no way to turn down a summons from the Heavens. Of course, some of you know where you are and what you are probably doing here, but most of you might be completely confused as to what is going on. All gods have been ushered into the meeting hall, where every person suddenly becomes anonymous and obscured, while every shinki has been gathered up outside in the hallway, both sets to listen to the same message sent by Amaterasu herself. And while you cannot see her properly or really figure out what her voice sounds like, you definitely know that it's her speaking:

'Welcome, one and all, to Takamagahara. There are many new gods and shinki here today, and I hope you all find your stay pleasant. I wish that I could explain to you exactly why you find yourselves here now, but I am unsure of the details myself. Please make use of the shinki dedicated to our services in order to make yourself more acquainted with your new position. You can find them by looking for my golden insignia.

As compensation for the trouble you are all being put through, I have had a wonderful feast prepared. I only hope that it is to your liking. Feel free to eat and drink as much as you would like, though please do not leave before the clock chimes midnight, for that is when your homes will be prepared.

I ask that all pre-existing gods please help those new to our ways. Let them know what is and is not acceptable and what duties will be expected of them. I am counting on your all to support the Heavens in this confusing time as we attempt to sort things out.

Thank you all for your time. And I am truly sorry that you have found yourselves in this situation.

With that, the figure that is Amaterasu bows deeply and disappears from their sights. The gods are released from their chamber and the shinki are allowed to roam. All exits are manned by a white-clad shinki, bearing a golden, embroidered Chrysanthemum on their chests. So, technically, there is no way out. You can't even seem to teleport out by any means.

All that's really left to do is enjoy the food and hope that you'll actually be able to leave after the clock chimes midnight. Though the clock doesn't seem to work on a minute-by-minute basis either...

Banquet Hall

There is food from literally every culture and walk of life here. Everything is prepared gorgeously and deliciously, no expenses spared. There are shinki bearing the Chrysanthemum carrying out new platters of everything as it's eaten up and nothing seems to go hot or cold as time passes - it always at the perfect temperature for eating and it never tastes anything but delicious. Maybe there's a little magic making it taste so good...

On top of the delectable dinner, there are plenty of desserts and every kind of alcohol available and constantly being refilled. The liquor is being offered to gods and shinki alike, no matter how old they are/look. Let's hope that you can hold your alcohol.

Counselling

In the main hallway, there is an innocuous door with a small, nicely written sign that reads "Gentle Counselling". Inside the door is a small room with a few sweetly smiling shinki inside who are willing to listen to your problems and answer any questions you might have. They are also here to help out any gods that are having a hard time dealing with knowing about how their shinki died and also any shinki that is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that they are dead.

Did Someone Say Games?

A large room connected to the back of the banquet hall has a wide variety of games set up for everyone to enjoy. There are old-fashioned board games (like chess and Othello) as well as newer ones (like Candy Land and Sorry!). On top of that, there is every kind of console available with every video game ever made - and plenty of handheld devices for everyone to be able to play. The devices don't seem to work outside of this room, though, so you'll have to stay there if you want to keep playing. Gaming is, after all, a great way to get to know new people!

After Midnight

Finally, the clock starts to chime. It seems like it's been days and yet only minutes at the same time. Time seems to work so strangely here in Takamagahara and it's hard to keep up with what's going on. But now that the shinki guarding the doors have left their posts, you are more than welcome to leave. In fact, the Heavens seem to want you to leave because all of the food has disappeared, none of the games work anymore (including the board games, which keep flipping over when you try to play...), and the friendly shinki are smiling as they usher you out the doors.

You are welcome to start wandering around Takamagahara, but it's an ambiguous sort of place and might just take you straight home anyway. Feel free to go home and start bonding with your partner. Or sneak home with someone else because your partner is a meanie-pants. It's up to you!

In Summary:

Amaterasu says you're stuck here and she doesn't know why. Sorry!
There's lots of food to eat, though! Eat your fill.
Oh, and there's booze too. Try not to get TOO drunk.
Guidance/Grief counselling is available, if you need it.
Use gaming to get close to others!
Try to start bonding with your god/shinki. Or just form new friendships. Whatever you feel best doing!
Have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, okay.

[That he can do, and he seizes on the idea with grateful speed. He's still a little unsteady on his feet, but the night air is supposed to help with that, right? (It usually doesn't, but there's a first time for everything.)

Stumbling, he hurries off, looking from side to side for anyone in that distinctive white-and-gold uniform.

It'll be a few minutes before he's back, but when he does, he's looking more confident.]

Okay, I got it. C'mon, Hisoka!

[He can feel another name, too, but he doesn't know that one. Hanki?

He'll think about it later, when the buzz wears off. There's time. There'll be plenty of time.]

[ Maybe it won't turn out to be an absolute comedy of errors and general incompetence, not that it'll be safe to say until it's over.

That comes to mind after Tsuzuki actually comes back successfully, though he's not sure he should have any real faith in the guy even if he did ask someone wearing the chrysanthemum livery. Venturing in the dark of night with someone else (even an unreliable someone else) is better than doing it alone, so he reluctantly trails after him when beckoned. ]

[That's never a good bet with Tsuzuki. He's going to try, though. He reaches out to put an arm around Hisoka's shoulders, and stops halfway, remembering that Hisoka doesn't remember, and that's probably going to get his hand burned.

He smiles uncertainly, instead, and converts the reach into an extended hand.]

C'mon, I can go there... you know. Directly.

[Words like teleport are too many syllables for his tongue right now, and slurring them is just going to make Hisoka more annoyed, he's pretty sure. Step carefully, Asato, he tells himself. Think.

He wishes he hadn't had so much to drink. Suddenly, stupidly, he feels very lonely.]

Edited 2016-02-23 02:57 (UTC)

[ Hisoka flinches away reflexively when he thinks that his god is reaching for him, and has to fight a flush that comes to his too-pale face when it looks to be an overreaction. His gaze drops to Tsuzuki's hand, focusing there for a moment.

It's galling to feel so overwhelmed, but unavoidable. Right then, all he has to rely on are whatever ingrained responses he has and hope that he doesn't screw everything up. ]

Don't get us lost.

[ He can't append any sort of consequences for failure to the statement, if only because he's not sure what he could do if it happened. A lot of yelling, maybe, but that would be a toothless threat unless he saved the yelling for the morning when a hangover kicked in. It's all he has in this case given the differential between them. He reaches out reluctantly.

Besides, inebriated and tolerant isn't necessarily going to be a permanent state. It's important to remember that much. ]

[Tsuzuki takes his hand with care, trying to think quietly. The effort, screened through his last five drinks, comes out muddled, melancholy blunting the sharp edges of his loneliness and the fear that, trying to get to know Hisoka again, he's going to mess it up this time.

He has to be careful, because he's still not sure, he's never really been sure, how their partnership managed not to fall apart the first time. So he doesn't know what to do that's right, and what's wrong--

Shoving the thoughts away before they lead right down into a well of drunken self-pity (because they need to get to the shrine, and he's holding hands with Hisoka, who can probably sense every iota of this) he summons the effort of will to move them, and focuses on home.

The garden shivers away around them, and a small, traditional house appears. There's barely a garden around it, just a sliver of land, but every inch is planted in sunflowers silvered by the moonlight. Tsuzuki drops Hisoka's hand as hastily as if it had burned his again, and blinks. It's the alcohol making his eyes sting with sentiment. Yeah, definitely. He hastily wipes them on his sleeve, which doesn't help much, and clears his throat.]

Hey, look, Hisoka. They really did make us a house.

[It's just so nice. They're being so nice. Tsuzuki's not sure whether he's happy, or petrified for the moment when the bill comes due, but whatever it is, it keeps making his eyes run.]

[ It's not as bad as he thought it'd be. There's an anxious tightness in his chest that feels as implacable as a vise, but his endurance is merely tested and not pushed beyond reason. It'll never be comfortable, he's sure, but that brief period of time where his hand was in his god's larger, warmer one proved to be illuminating in the strangest ways.

The one-sided familiarity is entirely genuine.

(So what could that mean?)

It's spinal reflex to withdraw away when given a chance, not that he goes further than a stumbling few steps. Some atavistic instinct makes him think his past is a bad choice to focus on when he's with his god, so he forces himself to engage in something else entirely. It's hard not to be tangled up in his own thoughts, but he does look up when Tsuzuki speaks.

He deliberately looks away to offer some small privacy. ]

Of course they did. You're one of them.

[ Them being the gods, of course. It's not for 'us,' he wants to correct, but maybe that detail isn't that important right then. ]

Yeah, but--

[Tsuzuki wipes his sleeve roughly over his eyes again, and blinks a few times to clear the cloudiness that's left. He can think of a lot of ways to end that sentence: he's not really a god here, he's not from here, he's not working for them, they don't even know him. It's nice.

But what's important here is that he and Hisoka have a place to stay for as long as they're here. That might be forever, he lets himself think, for the first time, and manages a smile that's shaky, but real.

He'll figure out what he owes for this later. Right now, he's just going to let himself be happy about it.]

Never mind. C'mon, let's see if they gave us futons too!

[ This is what a god is really like?

His god?

What he'd expected in a deity was nothing like this drunk, emotional man who consciously tried to think quietly when they had to touch, and insecure in ways that he's sure he doesn't want to understand.

Maybe godhood was something that had to be grown into?

He chances another glance at Tsuzuki, hesitant, but at least the god is smiling now. The tension plaguing Hisoka eases off at that for some reason, but it leaves a bone-deep weariness behind. He's too tired to worry anymore, suddenly feeling like he's at the very end of his stamina, but giving into that isn't an option yet. ]

They'd better have. [ The remark is quiet, a plaintive sigh as he resigns himself to following Tsuzuki around. ] I won't serve some drunk that doesn't even get futons in his budget...

H-hey!

[Tsuzuki's step hesitates halfway, and he braces himself against the front walkway's pillar with a hand, shooting Hisoka an injured look. That's not fair!]

I didn't even buy anything, somebody else made it!

[He sits down on the porch, fumbling with his shoelaces.] If s'not any furniture we can go'n get some tomorrow....

[He's not going anywhere tonight, that much is for sure. He'll sleep on the floor if he has to. Hisoka can have his coat.

He's got some money in his wallet. Maybe 1500 yen, counting the scant handful of small change... they can get a discount futon? Used? Somewhere?]

Where's the-- [He waves a hand vaguely at the ceiling, looking around, and straightens up.] You know. Light?

[It's got to be somewhere. He fumbles both shoes into the same hand and starts to feel along the wall. Could be a switch, or a lantern somewhere, if this place is as old-fashioned as it looks....]

[ Right now, this is all Tsuzuki's fault no matter how many wounded looks he shows Hisoka. If they get to the morning in one piece, he might be willing to be a little more charitable. ]

It's yours now, so you take responsibility.

[ Right now, being entirely unfair seems reasonable enough when he's fighting off drowsiness. He doesn't go past the entrance when he peers in, balking at the idea of venturing in.

It'd be his luck if they were assigned the afterlife equivalent of a historical property. The inconvenience of it isn't entirely unfamiliar, somehow. ]

Maybe you're unpopular with the greater gods. [ Modern amenities were clearly not outside the scope of the gods given the party they'd come from. Given how the rest of the night has gone, the worst of any situation seems likely. After a moment, he retreats to take his shoes off, too. ]

Like I said, 'll get futons if....

[There is a light, and Tsuzuki finds it mostly by luck: the cord dangling from a ceiling light hits him in the face, and when his flailing hand catches and tugs it, sends a flickering yellow light throughout the room. It's pretty cozy. Tatami, and a little display alcove with a vase in it across from the door. Tsuzuki pads in stocking feet across to the far door, and slides it open. That looks like a bedroom, complete with a closet along the far wall that might even have futons after all.]

Maybe they got my work record? [He laughs, disappearing into the bedroom to wrestle with the closet door. This place is even smaller than the one he rented back home, but if it's really his, it's special anyway. And it's bigger than the house he grew up in.

He wonders if he'll have to pay rent. Wasn't there something about granting prayers? That sounds okay... at least, if he gets to pick the prayers.

The closet door squeaks on its track as he finally tugs it in the right direction to slide open. Sure enough: futons, and it looks like there are some clothes folded up on the lower shelves.]

Look! I guess they didn't hear, haha.

[ Silence is all that Tsuzuki gets in response to his chatter. Given the distinctly negative trend of Hisoka's commentary, this might be a small blessing. It isn't likely he'll be willing to give Tsuzuki any credit for the fact that they have a passable dwelling.

He hasn't even made it all the way into their little home, in fact. He sits slouched in the vestibule, his shoes set neatly off to the side.

And he's sound asleep.

With an auspicious start like this, there should be no doubt that it's going to be the most functional partnership. ]

[The lack of any sarcastic comment makes Tsuzuki poke his head back out of the bedroom. Hisoka didn't leave, did he? -- No --

His instant spike of concern fades as he gets close enough to the vestibule to realize that Hisoka's just sleeping, and, quietly, he sneaks back into the other room and pulls down a comforter from the top shelf. Hisoka's probably still sensitive to heat and cold: it's not like either of them is any more dead than they were before, and so Tsuzuki scoots the shoes all the way to the edge of the wall and tucks the comforter gently down around his partner's shoulders.]

'Night.

[Standing up, he sways and catches himself against the wall as the room does a drunken wobble (or is that him doing the wobbling? It sure feels like the floor.)

He's going to be so, so hung over. Maybe Hisoka'll sleep late... maybe he'll have time to try to figure out if this place has a kitchen and coffee... maybe pigs will fly, he thinks, yawning, and wobbles into the back room to drag down the other comforter without even bothering with a futon. He shrugs his suit coat off, leaving it on the floor -- he'll worry about that tomorrow too -- and he stretches out.

In a few more seconds, he's snoring.]

[ It's early when Hisoka wakes, briefly confused and alarmed before he's able to recall just what went on during the past night. He'd dozed off-- and that drunk had just left him there!

His righteous indignation is cut short when the comforter slides off his shoulders, and he realizes where it may have come from. Hisoka fumbles with it, folding it up and deciding not to think about that any more than he has to. He bypasses the unconscious deity on the floor when he puts his blanket away, not awake enough to deal with that nonsense.

Somehow, Tsuzuki's discarded jacket gets put away while Hisoka investigates his new surroundings.

This was his home now, wasn't it? It's strange to think that, like home isn't a concept he's entirely used to.

He's quiet as a mouse as he rummages around, any noises he makes are easily masked by a certain someone's snoring. It isn't so bad as he had first feared, managing to take stock of the house, wash his face, and find they weren't left without the means to make coffee, at least.

It's enough to fortify him to deal with the problem at hand. He ends up crouched near the sleeping man, briefly studying him, and reaches out to grab the edge of the comforter.

He yanks. ]

Hey, stop sleeping on the floor like some kind of vagrant. [ There no accident in how his voice is mercilessly louder than it needs to be. ]

[The soft sounds of Hisoka moving around the house hadn't even come close to interrupting Tsuzuki's sleep. He's tangled up in the comforter, snoring alternating with the occasional mumble, deep in a confused dream where he's trying to find something, but no one will talk to him: there's someone pursuing him, and he can feel their hands squeezing his head, but as long as he doesn't look they can't do anything worse.

The loud voice and tug on his blanket startle a yell out of him, and he grabs for the blanket in a panic, light hitting him like a punch in the face as his eyes pop open.]

Wha -- M'awake -- ow.

[He props himself up, blinking. His shirt is hopelessly creased, a few buttons popped open from tossing and turning, and his hair is half sticking up and half sticking directly into his eyes.

Oh, Hisoka's here.

Why is Hisoka here?

There was a party, and... this isn't his place.... With a pained mutter, he grabs for the comforter that Hisoka's pulled away.]

... five more minutes.

[ Huh. That had a decent effect,didn't it? It's clearly not enough quite yet, but now Hisoka knows he's on the right track. In a way, he's testing his boundaries right at the start. He won't know how far he can go with this guy if he doesn't push. ]

I didn't get a choice about being here.[ He huffs as he catches that stray bit of confusion. ] So you don't get to laze around all morning!

[ Even if it is early.

He rocks back, trying to keep Tsuzuki from getting the blanket back. He won't give this up without a fight. ]

What time is't?

[Why's Hisoka saying he doesn't have a choice? Memory begins to slot into place as Tsuzuki makes another, halfhearted grab for the retreating blanket. Oh yeah, they're not in the same realm at all. He's supposed to grant prayers. Hisoka doesn't remember...

It's funny, Hisoka's almost the same even when he doesn't remember.

He tries to comb his hair out of his eyes with one hand, wincing against the bright morning light. It's got to be only eight or nine in the morning. After a party, that's just mean.

He offers his partner a shaky smile, and, with an effort, sits up. There's a bracing smell wafting from the other room.]

'S that coffee?

[His stomach lurches at the thought, but he's gotta start somewhere if Hisoka's not giving him the blanket back. He's gotta figure out how to make this work. He's supposed to be a real god, right?

And maybe after a couple cups of coffee and some aspirin he'll even feel up to breakfast.]

[ For some reason, that tentative smile makes his chest tighten and hesitate a little long to speak. He felt primed for some response when he antagonized him deliberately, but this is so... harmless.

Or maybe the proximity to a heavy drinker first thing in the morning is making him nauseous. He takes a deliberate breath and stands, fussing with the comforter to put it away. That seems like a perfectly good final nail in the coffin for Tsuzuki's chance to sleep in. ]

Yeah. [ He wrinkles his nose in distaste, aggravated with himself for his sudden loss for words. ]

Okay... [Tsuzuki's not sure coffee is really going to help, but maybe it'll wake him up a little? With plenty of sugar. And cream. And he still smells like stale liquor, which is probably why Hisoka's making a face at him. He'd just passed out without a bath last night.

That is kind of gross.

He wobbles to his feet, stretches, and heads towards the smell of coffee, absently rebuttoning his shirt as he wanders.]

You had some already, right?

Edited 2016-02-24 22:03 (UTC)

[ Tsuzuki is definitely pretty gross right now.

From the corner of his eye, he watches the man ungracefully make his way out of the room, apparently taking stock of the closet. ]

Some. It could be worse.

[ One didn't have to have their memories to retain a government employee's hard-earned ability to drink caffeinated beverages, after all. He follows along to keep an eye on Tsuzuki, taking on the challenge of warily observing him while still wanting to seem somewhat disinterested. ]

Mmh. [He sounds dubious: all coffee tastes pretty bad until you add enough cream and sugar, in his opinion, and it all tastes pretty similar afterwards. Hisoka's the real coffee drinker.

Tsuzuki just really needs the caffeine. He sniffs the air appreciatively as he wanders into the kitchen: it's small, but neat, and there is a refrigerator. His head's hurting a little too much to think about searching there, so he checks around the coffeemaker instead, looking for sugar and creamer packets.

Hisoka's following him, with a look on his face that Tsuzuki can't quite interpret.]

So, how'd you sleep? You looked tired, so I didn't wanna wake you up.

[Sugar packets turn out to be in the cupboard next to a couple of mugs: he stacks them up on the counter next to his chosen mug with great care. Creamer eludes him.]

[ It's such a prosaic conversation topic.

It wasn't going to be easy to figure this guy out. Maybe that shouldn't be too shocking, but he doesn't think that this deceptive complexity is because he's a god. ]

Mm. [ Which is not an answer, but more an indication of thoughtful consideration. Despite the fact that he'd crashed out while sitting in the hall, he managed to sleep hard enough to recover. The nauseous headache from last night had faded until it was little more than memory, and sleep eased the strain on his body. ]

Not bad. Better than you. [ There, that little jab can soothe his smarting pride about getting caught at falling asleep like an over-tired child.

It's probably too early to get too serious given Tsuzuki's hangover, but now he's thinking about the incident that led up to it. ]

That 'party-' [ There is a distinct note of distaste to the way he says that word. ] It'd have been better if they let us get to work right away. I wonder why they trapped us there for so long.

[ Surely, it'd have been less exhausting. ]

[Tsuzuki, at a loss, pulls open the refrigerator door. Oh, huh. There's the creamer. It's the real kind.

He really wonders if they're gonna get a salary.]

'M gonna have to get a job...

[He doctors his coffee with a heavy swig of cream and leans back against the counter, sipping it carefully as his stomach lurches with complaint. The party had just seemed kind of nice to him. Welcoming the new employees, and stuff.

It was awfully nice for that, though, so maybe Hisoka's right to be suspicious of it. He frowns at his cup.]

... maybe they wanted to make us play along. Or figure us out.

Amaterasu said she didn't know why we were here, either, right?

[He remembers something like that, before he'd started drinking, after which the memories get blurrier.]

[ Hey, it's not like he's accusing Amaterasu of playing them. Even for him, that's probably a bit much. Yet, it doesn't seem wrong to think there's more to it.

Hisoka frowns and goes to pour himself a cup of coffee. He needs it. ]

From what I could tell, no one there knew, either.

[ But actively trying to get a read on the situation hadn't gone well, so he could have been wrong. It had been a reasonable experiment, but he'd hit his limit fast and learned that lesson painfully.

He could be wrong to feel suspicious, but shouldn't anyone when dropped into his situation? Should he have felt less paranoid about being abandoned among strangers to serve a god through no choice of his own?

Those are questions he certainly wouldn't ask the god in question. ]

But maybe it's just that you gods can afford to take it easy. I don't know.

[Tsuzuki snorts into his coffee.]

That's the first time the higher-ups ever let me take it easy.

[Not completely true: they do hold those yearly workplace vacations, but Tatsumi skimps so much on the budget for those that there's not a whole lot of taking it easy most years.

The dart-throwing technique for picking their destination doesn't help.

It really is a good question, though, even if Hisoka's getting sarcastic about it.]

It's too early for sarcasm... [It's a plaintive mumble, and he raises his voice as he continues.] Do you think we're replacing other gods? And shinki?

[He's heard of Tajimamori, even if it's not a big name. There has to have been someone in that position.]

001 | The Welcoming Feast

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