[Open] We all suffer, but we recover...

[revolutionfalcon]

Who: Shun Kurosaki and you (+ Shun and Ken Kaneki for prompt D)
What: Shun trying to find information on gods and shinki, plus trying to find out who to trust and visiting/getting visits from gods or shinki he's familiar with.
When: Prompts A-C: April 11th forward-date, Prompt D: April 10th
Where: Pretty much anywhere around the Far Shore.
Warnings: None yet, other than Shun being Terrible At People.


A [Information-seeking - any temple]

[After being in this place less than a week, Shun can already rattle off an extensive list of things he finds suspicious about how it works and the dearth of pretty much anything upfront. He's been hurting for information beyond the basics, and though he's been stuck settling in for the last few days, he's not going to just sit around and stew about his lack of knowledge on the way of things here for any longer. This time, he's going out in search of it, because if there's one thing he's not known for doing it's sitting around while he could be making headway on something important.

That said, he still hasn't particularly familiarised himself with polite society details again after suddenly being dragged out of still fighting a war, if on slightly different terms than he used to. This in combination with him being incredibly suspicious in general is probably going to result in him being found lurking in temple gardens and side-eying through windows rather than actually knocking on anyone's door. That said, anyone approaching him is going to get something closer to the impression that they're the one at fault for being so unobservant to someone lurking around their house, if the dry look and dour tone is any indicator.]

About time. How long have you been here? [It's something he needs to know upfront so he knows the kind of information he can get out of this, but it's rather abrupt to anyone with any idea how normal people start a conversation.]

--

B, i and ii [Visiting and being visited - Nekhbet's temple or temples of gods he's met]

[This whole prospect of having to familiarise himself with an entire detachment of people, most of whom he's never met before in his life, is quickly reminding Shun how much he hates doing exactly that. He knows the importance of friends and connections, but keeping track of new people to the extent he likes to and processing all that new information takes a toll after a while, and he starts to fall back on refamiliarising himself with people he's already spoken to before.]

i.
[Gods whose names he's learnt are a little easier to track down, and some of those few may find him doing what he wasn't doing earlier - knocking on their temple door, though it's about twice as hard as it really needs to be. Better hope your hinges are strong.]

ii.
[Then again, he can't be out all day, and in-between all this he'll be returning to his own temple periodically, whether it's to do habitual things like eat or drink, or process some particularly troublesome information. Anyone who'd like to visit the temple hidden in a hill, the long front walls and windows making it somewhat obvious nonetheless, will be some degree of welcome depending on how familiar he is with you.

Then again, he might be opening the door to meet you already by the time you get that far. He doesn't like being surprised, after all.]

What? [This is apparently his version of a polite greeting.]

--

C [Wildcard - evening of the 11th, any Far Shore area apart from temple grounds]

[Under cover of darkness, Shun feels a little more comfortable exploring the Far Shore at large. It's force of habit to operate in shadow and cover when he can, and after a day of dealing with people, he's prepared to just memorise the lay of the land here and find landmarks and vantage points he might need to make use of one day.

With as much to think about as he's had since getting here, though, he finds himself pausing at some of these locations, many of them spots with a nice view out across the area. Whether he's sitting in a tree or perched on a pile of rocks, it's clear to even casual passerby that he's focused on deeper things than the scenery.

That doesn't mean he's letting anyone get close unchecked, though. Whoever chooses to approach will be met with a level glare and a calculating glance up and down, and the rise of a subtle, ready tension in his previously slightly more relaxed form.]

You're out late. [It's said somewhat suspiciously, like he has any more right to be out at this hour.]


D [Closed to Ken Kaneki]

[Prayers. Somehow, he didn't think he'd be answering any this soon, but a role is a role and humans don't need to stay suffering because he's still getting his head around this place. Like hell he was ever going to get anything done with that empty shell excuse for a shinki, though, so he considers his options in terms of other new people and who would be least frustrating to try and team up with until he settles on one. They've met more than once, too, so it's less of a gamble than dealing with some of the others he's only known more briefly.

It's evening now, and he's waiting around a somewhat seedy-looking building on the Near Shore, leaning against the wall like he belongs there. The white-robed shinki is lurking just out of sight, and though Shun's eyes are closed right now, there's a subtle tension to his face that says he hasn't outgrown his suspicion of it.

For now, though, he's keeping alert for the sound of footsteps. Hopefully it's not long until he gets them, because he spends more than enough time alone with this shinki in his temple.]

Comments

[birdstheword]

[Luckily Hajime is already close to the door the moment he knocks on it. She back tracks and skips over to it. Despite the heavy knocking, she opens it without the slightest bit of hesitation. Her eyes trail up to meet his face to which she instantly perks up]

Kuuroro-san! Hello! What are you doing here? Have you come to visit me?

[She giggles at that. It's cute. Though acutally he's probably here from someone else-- That thought makes her settle down. Her smile doesn't fade but it softs at the edges.]

Ah---If you're looking for Yuto, he's not here anymore.

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well, that's hardly a surprise. He wasn't expecting having any trouble getting hold of Hajime, at least, despite the fact that he is at least partially here to check up on Yuto.

He's just about to correct her on that more harshly than he really needs to - given she's not entirely wrong - but she seems to have already guessed his intent, and what she says after the more typically excitable introduction makes his expression darken for a moment. The last thing he needs is to lose Yuto again.

...But then, she's still smiling. Given she couldn't manage that when telling him what Yuto had been up to here, he can't believe that means something bad has happened. Still, his tone is a little cautious and even more suspicious.]

What happened to him?

[birdstheword]

Ah! First come in, come in!

[She reaches out for his hand and tries to grab it in atempt to pull him in. Regardless of how he does get into her lovely home, she shuts the door behind them. The temple inside reflects a strong Egyptian theme, fitting to her goddess. Though it's clear from some of the added decorations, Hajime is slowly giving it a more cutsy touch.]

My home is your home, Kuuroro-san, so don't hold back, okay?

[She smiles sweetly.]

Nothing happened to Yuto though! He wanted to leave so I let him...Yuto wanted to go with Yuya, since Yuya didn't have a shinki. He'll visit lots though, he said. Sorry you missed him but it's still good to see you! How have you been?

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun draws his hand back immediately out of reflex - he knows how he tends to react to sudden contact, and it wouldn't be pleasant for either of them. Instead, he steps through the door as soon as he recognises she won't take no for an answer, and a brief glance around the temple makes his eyes narrow a little.]

Figures. Some of the design in here is similar to mine. [They are both from the same pantheon, which still seems a little strange to him.

Despite the invitation to not hold back, his only movement is to walk a few paces further in so they're not talking about this in the doorway. If she wants to move them somewhere else, that's her concern.

At the very least, he doesn't seem too worried once he listens to what she has to say. His expression eases a little, and though there's still a slight frown on his face, the sigh he gives is resigned.]

Of course, he would want to protect him. I suppose I can't complain about that. [Given he's seemingly been living in Yuya since he disappeared back home, living with Yuya can't be much worse.]

I'm fine. I've been getting my bearings.

[birdstheword]

[Hajime is a very touchy person. Shun is someone she's going to have to restrain herself with. But that was easier said then done. Hajime takes no hard feelings to the action. It's just odd to her. But okay, he can keep his hand to himself]

Is it? Have you decorated yours at all?

[Shun will go where Shun wants. She stops when he stops but at least it's not in the doorway]

It's important that Yuto is happy. I didn't want to let him go...but it's his choice, you know? I do miss him...

[Her smile doesn't fade though its clear that the enthusiasm in her voice does slip a bit. She's not trying to hide her feelings. She's both happy and sad that Yuto is no longer her Shinki. She adores him so his presence is already missed. ]

If you want to visit Yuto, you'll have to go by Yuya's shrine. Sorry, I should have texted you I guess!

[It sort of slipped her mind. Whoops.]

Are you feeling more comfortable then? If you want, we can go have a walk around!

[revolutionfalcon]

No. [It's not a surprise at all, but even if he had been remotely interested in decorating, he's been busy with other things in the last few days. It's been hard enough even trying to think of the place as "home".

He's not sure whether it's strange or not that Hajime seems so attached to Yuto after what's a relatively short time, but he supposes she must be the sort to make connections like that quickly. It doesn't mean he's going to argue with what she has to say there.]

If he's happy there, then I'm not going to ruin it for him. He deserves the chance to be.

[In a place like this, where he doesn't remember the war and yet has still been losing people, maybe he'll finally get a chance to actually have some peace.]

Who's Yuya's god? [They have been in contact already, but he doesn't recall it having come up.

In any case, there's no point crying over spilt milk in regards to the lack of contact, and her proposal gets little more than a shrug.]

I don't really care. It's your temple, do what you like. [If that means showing him around or walking around outside, he'll deal with it.]

[birdstheword]

Bingo! Bingo! Kuuroro-san, you're a good friend, you know? I already thought you'd understand since you're Yuto's BFF but it's still great to hear! Yuto's happiness is most important. If being with Yuya does that, then that's how it is!

[Hajime claps her hands together, beaming brightly-- at least until he asks her that question. A good question. She crosses her arms thoughtfully, searching her mind for the answer. Did Yuya or Yuto mention it? Hm hm hm hmmmmmmmmm She holds up a finger after a moment and:]

I have...no idea! I never asked! I've only talked to Yuya twice and met him once but that was back at the school in the middle of a fight with a Ayakashi soooo~ we didn't get to talk much!

[She gives a small shrug before her hands land on her hips as she whines out his name.] But Kurorororororooooooooooooooooooooo~ you're the guest!! But you want to do matters a bazillion times more! What do you wanna do? What do you like?

[revolutionfalcon]

[At this point, he has a few compunctions about how good a friend he's been to Yuto recently, but they're not really worth bringing up, so he just gives a shrug.]

It's not just a matter of us being friends. He'd deserve it even if we weren't.

[While it is a little painful that he feels closer to Yuya now, Yuya was here previously, or so he was told. It makes sense, given the rules of this place, that that's how things would be.

At least he's not the only one out of the loop on Yuya's god, but he makes a note to find out what he is at some point. It seems a little odd it hasn't come up.

The drawn-out whine of his "name" makes him wince slightly, though he's given up on telling her off for the ridiculous nickname when it's clearly a waste of time and breath. The look he ends up levelling her with is edging derisive, but he supposes he wasn't all that clear about his circumstances even if the food thing hinted at them earlier.]

If I haven't been able to eat what I like for years like I told you, what makes you think I've had time for things I like to do? It's not important anymore, even if I did remember.

[He does a little, but it's mostly what he's been able to do by happenstance while still fighting his war - competing and showing his skill.]

[birdstheword]

Trueeeeee~ But I still stand by what I said!

[Deserves it or not, it still takes a good friend for that. Yuya may not remember Shun but Hajime believes it'll just take time. As long as Shun doesn't take the 'watch from afar' approach.]

Then use your time here to figure that out! We have things to do as gods but it's not action pack twenty-four seven, you know! You have time to figure out what you like. What makes you, you! Be more selfish!

[ex_savor573]

[The area that Shun says to meet him in looks a little...dangerous...if Kaneki were to characterize it. Still, he supposes he's a god, and it's extremely improbable anyone would notice him. Not to mention, he's got some kind of weird power that'd probably come in handy even if he did nmanage to run into trouble.

No such difficulties rear up as he makes his way along, and soon enough he spots Shun. He trots over to where his fellow god is waiting, taking note of his likewise vacant shinki. Since their first mission, Kaneki has managed to at least get Hana some clothes, but she remains just as vacant as ever.

He really wishes he knew what soulless really entailed...were they like robots?

Well, something to ponder another time]

Sorry if I kept you waiting.

[revolutionfalcon]

[Opening his eyes at the sound of approach, Shun pushes himself off the wall and turns to meet Kaneki, eyes passing over him to scan over the other soulless shinki for a moment before returning to the god. It's certainly...something to know he's not the only person with one of these, though he's not sure what. Reassuring? Maybe, if they didn't raise a lot of sticky questions with answers not forthcoming. Frustrating? Well, he's not the only one dealing with them, at least.]

I wasn't here long. [It's not a huge concession, but it's a note that he doesn't have to worry much about it. Frankly, he was expecting to be waiting longer.

Putting his hand against the wall he was just leaning on, Shun indicates the building with his head.]

As far as I can tell, they're in there drowning their sorrows. I don't know why it took them this long to pray for help in a place like this.

[ex_savor573]

[Kaneki follows Shun's indication, looking up at a neon sign, half burnt-out and flickering against the encroaching night. The establishment looks like a dive bar, by all accounts...which does lend itself to Shun's theory regarding what the people inside must be doing.

Slowly his gaze drifts away from the sign and to the door, lingering there]

Maybe...maybe they're someone who doesn't normally pray?

[It's his best guess. Not everyone prays for help, and if it took drunken desperation, it must be someone who wouldn't have done it otherwise. At least, it stands to reason]

[revolutionfalcon]

Either that or they prayed so many times to deaf ears they gave up until now. [Every word of that comes with a biting bluntness, because even if it's a pessimistic comment it's one Shun's seen and experienced himself. There are a lot of reasons not to pray, and not being the type is the best case scenario.

Regardless of why the person they've chosen to answer is doing it, though, they're here to help somehow, and Shun steps around Kaneki to the door of the bar.]

Come on. Might as well try to get them before they get so drunk nothing works.

[He steps in, the seediness of it somewhat familiar to him given the kind of haunts he ended up in on occasion back in his world.]

[ex_savor573]

[There's a bitterness to those words that it would be impossible for Kaneki to miss. His only answer is a thin frown, having no firsthand experience with praying for any deity to intervene on his behalf... And even now, he's wondering why two gods such as themselves have wound up with this particular sort of prayer to answer.

Maybe it's got to do with the way the Heavens aren't working as they're supposed to, but he's got no way of knowing for sure. Whatever the case is, he follows Shun into the building, glancing around as he speculates which of the barflies might have prayed for them.

One bent over the bar and wreathed by shot glasses seems a likely candidate]

Do you think it's that guy?

[He gestures to the man, supposing there's no rudeness in pointing if they're not bound to be noticed]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Before answering, Shun skims quickly over the rest of the bar to check for any other likely candidates. None of the other patrons in the bar look quite that woebegone, so the one decorated with glasses is probably their best bet.]

Unless they're a lot better at hiding their sadness than that prayer sounded like, it's probably them.

[Considering the situation for a moment, Shun's eyes narrow a little before he steps forward.] Let's go.

[Though prayer kind of implies they're supposed to be going about this in a godly manner, Shun's first move is to tap the man's shoulderblade sharply in passing. Though the reaction is delayed, the man's head turns, and Shun uses the moment to swiftly shove away the man's current shot glass before taking one of the stools next to him.]

Drinking doesn't solve anything. [Straight to the point.]

[ex_savor573]

[Well, that's...certainly the direct approach. Kaneki can't exactly argue with it, having seen Shun get results before. Grabbing attention at all isn't the easiest of tasks for them, having to first seize and then hold focus, so although he wouldn't have been so direct on his own, it might be the right idea.

They don't know just how long they can actually keep the man's attention, even if he prayed for them to be here.

He takes a seat on the empty stool at the man's other side, caught briefly in pensive silence before he decides to speak up]

He's right. It's a depressant, so it's not going to help your mood, for starters...

[Perhaps not as assertive as Shun, but he's trying]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Though Shun isn't exactly a fan of extended contact with people, given the man's attention already seems to be slipping slightly, he's pretty sure he's going to have to suck it up. He taps the man's leg with his foot on the side closer to Kaneki as the other god speaks, banking on the man being too drunk to realise the contact didn't come from that side. It seems to work, and he picks up where Kaneki's somewhat less direct tone trails off. If they're going to get through to this guy, it's going to take more than just a standard talk.

The man blinks a little confusedly, like he's trying to figure out where this sudden intervention is coming from, and though his hand roams for the shot glass that was in front of him earlier, it's out of the way enough that he doesn't find it.]

And if you're that invested in finding or waiting for your daughter to come back, do you really think she wants to come back to this wreck?

[It's not a nice way to put things and Shun knows it, but it seems to have an effect, the man's face scrunching up in a way that makes it hard to tell if he's parsing the insult or straight-up ashamed. In any case, he feels like Kaneki will probably try to lighten the blow if he goes too far.]

A!

[shadowrevenger]

[To be honest, if Ren had been home, he probably would never have noticed someone lurking around. None of the scant number of windows on the lower level look in on the main living area of the temple, and his rather unfriendly guard dog has been absent the last few days.

But he wasn't, and instead he happens to arrive back home in time to see Shun lurking around. And of course, the thing to do when you see someone skulking around your home is to try to sneak along behind them--and he's terrible at that, so he's noticed very quickly.]

Only a minute or two! [He gives Shun a bright smile, completely unaware that he may have misinterpreted the question.] Did you need something?

[revolutionfalcon]

[That was the exact answer Shun was expecting from at least one wise guy today, though that smile looks a little too innocent for it to be an intentional attempt to piss him off. It doesn't stop his expression from immediately souring, and a fist clenching about halfway to where he was about to rub his face in already rising exasperation. Once upon a time, he was good at dealing with people.]

Why the hell would I ask you something I could see with my own eyes? I asked how long you've been in this place. The Far Shore.

[That last amendment comes quickly, before the guy manages to mistake him for meaning this specific temple ground as well.]

[shadowrevenger]

[At least Ren doesn't seem to be put off by any sour looks or abrupt words. His smile doesn't falter at all, except to look a bit sheepish for misunderstanding.]

Oh, I see. Mmmm...

[Hang on, he has to glance thoughtfully at the sky and (for his own sake) pretend for a moment that he's thinking about it and doesn't already know exactly how long he's been here.]

Since February, so...a month and a half? Maybe a little more than that.

[revolutionfalcon]

[A month and a half is actually the longest Shun's heard so far, and there's a brief mite of interest in his expression before it clears back to neutral. For all the misunderstanding they just had, he could potentially get some decent information off this guy.]

Has anything changed in that time? I'm looking for information on how the higher-up gods here operate, and more detail on the rules around shinki.

[Because he did not get a hell of a lot of anything useful from the white-robed messengers beyond the "can't talk about the past" thing, which he would've figured out himself. And what he especially wants to know is if anyone's found a way around it.]

[shadowrevenger]

[Oooh, he's new and he's being proactive about learning the rules of the new game. Ren can definitely appreciate that. He isn't sure he'll be able to help as much as this guy is probably hoping for...but then again, some help is always better than no help at all.

Any amount of trying to help is going to mean standing for a lot longer than he's feeling up to right now, though. So he gives Shun a much calmer, more professional smile than before and hopes that his curiosity will outweigh any impatience for answers.]

I should be able to help you with some of that, but would you mind if we go inside and sit while we talk? I'm recovering from an illness and I don't want to fall over on you in the middle of it.

[Halfway through, he's already turning to start heading back toward the front door, clearly intending to go whether Shun follows after or not.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[There's a very slight pause at the proposition as Shun considers it. It puts him at a disadvantage to be in the temple of a god he isn't familiar with, but he has no real reason to mistrust this guy other than the fact that he mistrusts most people on principle. Besides, if he is sick, any fight would probably be one-sided.

Walking after the god, Shun gives him a rather sharp look. While he can't necessarily say this doesn't add up, it does sound a bit odd.]

I wouldn't have thought gods would get illnesses. Unless it's just another name for something those messengers warned about.

[There was a lot of fluff when he first came in about "blight", and though he hasn't heard much about it other than that it's dangerous, it's the only thing he can really think to assume in this situation.]

[shadowrevenger]

[The wry smile Ren flashes him is what he hopes is answer enough that he guessed exactly what's wrong.]

Their warnings were right. You should definitely try to avoid it.

[He pushes open the door, and from there it's a fairly short trip down a hall to the large courtyard that makes up the main room of the temple, where there are several chairs and low couches to sit on as well as a couple of kittens curled up on one of them.

Ren immediately makes his way to a seat opposite a cork-board with playing cards haphazardly stuck in it, gesturing for Shun to sit anywhere.]

So, higher-ups or shinki first?

[revolutionfalcon]

Hmph. They at least had to be right about something.

[It's not any particular surprise, but Shun's opinion on the reliability of the higher-up gods isn't hard to tell just from the tone he takes. The bitterness is there and has been practically since he got to this place, but it would be stupid to assume all the information provided was inaccurate or incomplete.

Following Ren down to the courtyard, his eyes are drawn immediately to the chair with the kittens due to the faint movement of their flanks, but once he establishes it's not some kind of threat, he takes a seat on one of the chairs nearby them and looks over the courtyard. The corkboard is...interesting, but they have more important things to talk about, and though he does pause a moment to decide which information to prioritise, it doesn't take long.]

Shinki. I'm guessing nobody's found a way around the sealed past thing.