thenearshore | Into the Woods (featuring an actual catgirl)

[It takes them about half an hour of wandering through the forest, looking, before a slight figure steps out from behind a tree. Votelli keeps one of her hands pressed to its rough bark, eyeing the two of them uncertainly.]

What are you here for?

[ Enough of a gutpunch that Shizuo really can feel that cocktail of emotions. It has him patting to rest a hand on Nia's head, before her shoulder. When hearing the kid show up, Shizuo pulls a cooler pack off his shoulder, crouching down so he wasn't towering over both of the girls.

It always feels weird when you're considerably taller than everyone else. ]

A couple of things. We brought some more sandwiches and stuff too, but...

[ Fishing through his pants' pocket, it takes a couple of moments before an old key with Celtic knotwork is pulled out and held in offer. ]

Not saying you have to use it or anything, but after hearing some of the stuff from Nia, I... Uh, well, my temple has some tunnels that you can get through from the cliffside by the river, and there's rooms built into there. Just in case you're scared or feel unsafe, you should have places you can go, y'know?

[ Is he offering a place to stay? Yes. Shizuo is very poor with his words, however. Which he's hoping Nia could make up for... Ah, they really weren't the best pair for sensitive things, huh? ]

[Shizuo really is a giant compared to the two girls. Nia might as well be Votelli's age for how tall she is.]

And I came...

[She lifts her hands up, clasping them over her chest. Over her Core Crystal, actually, though only she knows that. This is such a terrible risk, but -- what choice does she have? Sit back and do nothing? She can't, she won't.]

When we first met, you -- asked something of me I couldn't do then. But I've been thinking, and talking about it, and... I can't abandon Shizuo, and you'd be right not to trust me if I did. But if you'd be willing to take a nora on... you could name me, if you like. I'll prove you can trust me, and more of us too, if you'll have me.

Are you serious?

[She gawks at Nia, and then her gaze flicks suspiciously to Shizuo. So -- his shinki's going to let Votelli give her a name, and he's offering a safe place to stay?

This can't be a serious offer, right?

Slowly, she straightens up to her full height. (It's not very tall, but she's making an effort.)]

I'm okay with naming you if you're okay letting me. Where's that temple, though?

[She holds her hand out, and adds, in a small voice:] Can I see the key?

Yeah.

[ They were both serious, on everything they said so far. Nia wasn't the type to jump and make these kinds of risks, especially with the harsh stance she's had since arriving on the whole situation with shinki being named and treated by the original god's ways. ]

I trust Nia, and from what I heard about this Sensei, I'd rather you have ways of being safe and trying things yourself. She really wants to do this, and I've said from the beginning that I'd support her choice in other gods, if she wanted it.

[ And with that hand out, the blond gently sets it in those hands. Geeze, they seem small, even compared to Nia's in some ways. ]

It's yours, so see it all you'd like. What you'll want to get to is the Dagda's temple, over in the Northeast district. It's more open and has more trees than some of the other grounds. So if you go down into the forest, which is past the cliff, that's how you'll get to the back entrance.

[ He's figuring that, with all the trees, she shouldn't have too much trouble. At least, that's what he's guessing. ]

Plus, if you decide to name Nia, then you should be able to sense where she is and just teleport over there. Not that teleporting's always easy, but it's easier to go to a shinki and your own places than anywhere else.

I should warn you... I'm not really a good shinki. [Nia glances away, as if the tree over to their side has some secret within it she really needs to spot. These words aren't just for Votelli, after all.] I'm angry and bitter and don't like being a shinki at all. But I have to be one, that's what I am. So.

[She inhales, bracing herself, and looks back to Votelli.]

Having a god I can trust has made a difference, though. You need someone you can trust too. I may have a lot of problems, but since I have to be a shinki, I think it would be good to be your shinki too.

You're a person, though.

[Gojyo'd said he wasn't a good shinki, either, but he hadn't let her name him because of it. Nia's letting her anyway, and Nia's god...

... he's really okay with it, Votelli thinks, darting an uncertain glance at him. She doesn't know what to think about that. Maybe he's really trustworthy after all. There's still one big problem, of course.]

And I can't get to the heavens on my own. Because they haven't recognized me, so I don't have a temple there.

For all that, you still take responsibilities onto yourself, and take them seriously...

[ So it's not like you're just angry and bitter all the time, Nia. Sometimes you're nervous, or harder to get a feel for when you talk fast and can't be understood because of that accent.

... That last part is probably just Shizuo, though, he figured. ]

You can get in with permission to use shrines and temples from other gods, right? There's not that many places, compared to someone like the Gods of Fortune, but you can use mine. Ah... But we didn't teleport originally. We just walked through the forest on the Far Shore's side. How'd it end up being connected?

Yeah, yeah, just warning you what you'll get coming through the link from naming me. Don't want anyone saying I wasn't fair. [She swipes a hand in front of her like she's batting at a string, pushing it and the compliments away.] I thought you gods could teleport however you wanted, though?

Not into the Heavens. You can only get there through a shrine.

[She wrinkles her nose, and admits:]

I don't know how it got connected back then. I know all those guys were doing something, that's all.

[And she'd been supposed to help them out, but no one actually explained....]

Yeah, it's not an 'everywhere and anywhere' kind of thing. We can get to the Japan areas easily because the old gods are letting us use their shrines to go back and forth, with how many things happen there.

[ He might also have a couple of small ones in the country too, but there's so many in others, it's hard to tell. ]

I don't really know anything about making shrines to go between the shores, and you'll want permission from more local gods, but you can still use mine. I can teleport us so you know where a couple of them are- is it easiest if they're at or by forests for you? Sorry, I'm not really sure what you can do, or how far you can do it...

[ He's clueless, but he tries. ]

I just know we shinki can't do any traveling at all like that without a shrine. But I can split my time down here, if you don't come up. We'll work something out, okay?

[Following Votelli's lead, here. She's kind of like a bunny, too easy to frighten if they move too fast, that's how Nia feels.]

I can go anywhere, I just like to live in forests. [She puts a proprietary hand on the bark of the nearest tree.]

... If it'd be okay to use your shrine, I wouldn't mind visiting.

[ Okay, he could only shrug- not sure how to phrase what he thought, or what exactly he was thinking at this point. Maybe something about the kid's comfort? ]

But yeah. Feel free to go ahead and use my shrine. Especially if this Sensei person tries involving you with anything you're not sure or comfortable with. You can visit or use it as a place to hide for a while.

[ Though with Votelli saying how she likes to live in forests instead, he's wondering if she's more likely to hide in the forest more than the room itself. Given how it seems to have stayed to blend into Cu's forest, that'd be a large hiding ground. ]

Yeah, the forest near the shrine is pretty nice. Not as big as this one, but... We could knock up a shelter for you there if it'd be more comfortable than the tunnels.

[Nia's willing to help on this score. Maybe even coax Votelli into living there a little, if they can. It has to be better than roaming around this damp and dismal forest down here, with no company except that Sensei guy.]

[She kind of wishes Shizuo hadn't mentioned him, though. Skittish, remember? So she watched Votelli, hoping the name doesn't change her attitude. It's got to come out at some point, but this feels too soon...]

... Okay.

[She does seem to sag a little at the mention of Sensei, but she doesn't argue. Instead, she turns to Nia, winding one tangled strand of hair around her forefinger.]

Um, can I name you now?

[ What? He's not good at sensitive things like this, Nia. He told you this before they left, and plenty of times when they were getting to know each other. He's shitty at words and clumsy with situations at the best of times.

But he made a point of saying that if this Sensei person tried forcing her hand, and not trying to limit interactions with the person at all. Geeze, they still needed to know more about this guy, too. ]

Ah, yeah. Here, lemme give you two a bit of space.

[ By backing a ways to another tree, to lean comfortably against it. Just enough to not be crowding the whole thing. ]

[She isn't either, Shizuo! It's a miracle all her blathering about what a bad shinki she is hasn't screwed this up either, but she kind of figured, sadly, that Votelli was a little desperate.]

[Nia clasps her hands over her chest again.]

Yeah. Go on, I'm ready.

[As ready as she can ever be, anyway.]

[Votelli raises her hand.]

My name is Votelli. Grasping thy true name, I bind thee here. With borrowed name, I make thee my servant. The name answers, the vessel to sound. The name, Kusa. The vessel, Sou. Come, Souki!

[ And there Shizuo is, staying off to the side while mostly keeping an eye on Votelli. Nia will just turn into her vessel form, but it's the girl that'll have to take the burden of those final moments, and whatever else may come when the process happens.

Maybe he'll just... get a bottle of water handy. ]

[The vision is swift -- but violent and brutal. Nia faces down a massive creature, nigh-apocalyptic in size, with power flowing into her from a tiger-like beast whose name, 'Dromarch', is the last thing she calls before one massive paw stomps her into the ground.]

[Outside of Votelli's mind, Nia shines with a light that reforms her --taller now, her hair magnificently long, her ears even more prominent vertical spikes, her clothes replaced by a magnificent and flowing kimono that tapers down to what amount to a leotard. At the same moment, a hilt appears in Votelli's hands, and from it erupts the long liquid-blue blade of the Catalyst Scimitar.]

[Votelli is stock-still for a long moment after the blade forms in her hand, after Nia reforms in her stranger, sharper guise nearby. When she looks up, there are tears beading on her lashes, but she wipes them away with a quick dash of her hand.]

Wow.

[She looks down at the blade again, and then up and over at Nia.]

You're a really strong shinki....

Yeah, she is.

[ One that he didn't use very often, especially when he was out trying to get a handle on his god power, but that had nothing to do with Nia's capabilities. ]

She'll make you stronger and keep you safe. This is the same vessel form that she has for me. It's got a bit of a learning curve, but you'll get the hang of it.

[Nia can't say a thing there. No one knows her secret -- except Goku, the bastard! -- and she doesn't want them to. Keeping her identity hidden is important, she can't say why, but deep down to her literal core she's convinced that she has to. So the truth of her shinki power, that it's just resonance, can't escape her lips.]

Yeah, that's literal. When you need it, I can give you extra strength. And -- there's a lot more to it, but you'll learn that over time.

[There's still fear lurking inside her, wondering what she's done and what will come of it. But equal to that fear is her willingness to see it through. She doesn't call it courage, but she won't let fear make her falter. That's for sure.]

Wait, it's the same vessel form? Really? Isn't that kind of weird?

[Votelli might not know much about shinki, but she does know that the kind of thing a shinki becomes ought to be specific to their god. Something about the bond, or--

-- well, maybe Nia is different. Or maybe the new shinki are different. She subsides, and nods, a little quelled.]

I don't mean you're weird, though, Nia! It's really amazing.

[She can feel that her new shinki is a little afraid, but she doesn't know why. Impulsively, she adds:]

I won't let anybody hurt you.

Is it?

[ For all that Shizuo knew about vessel forms, was that they usually were a certain way for a reason. Without knowing many nora, or their forms, he had no way of knowing how personalized and different they were between the gods.

What he did know was that, while there was fear, Nia was also stubborn and set in her ways. ]

That goes both ways. Just as, if either of you get in trouble, I'll be around too.

I don't know anything about it.

[Her eyes dart to Shizuo. Her statement is technically true, she doesn't know much about shinki forms, but she understands the idea of 'the bond'... and there's only one meaningful way she can form the bond that can ever truly unite her and the wielder of her weapon.]

[This could be bad...]

[But she turns back to Votelli, fingers pressing together in front of her chest. The new name is scribed above the crystal in her chest, while the one Shizuo gave her seems to pulse inside the crystal as if written on the inside.]

I'm not afraid of getting hurt, though. Actually, like this, I'll heal any wound I take. And I can heal you too. Heal and protect. So I won't let anybody hurt you, either.

Can I call you? If anything happens, and I need help?

[She eyes them both.]

-- Um, I guess I need a phone first, though.

Y-

[ Oh yeah. She'd definitely need a cell phone for that. So, for a moment, he glances at Nia. Not for advice, but in realizing and understanding that she'd want to make this work in any way they could. ]

I guess we'll have to work on getting you a phone. But yeah, you can call when you've got one. If you need help, and it's possible, you can also go to one of the Dagda's shrines and hide in the Far Shore at my place for a while as well.

[ What was the kid afraid of happening, though? Was it the rest of the heavens, or from something happening with this 'sensei'? It didn't seem like his place to ask, really. ]

Of course you can call me. I'm your shinki now, right? [Nia offers a bright smile, one she may not entirely feel, but the sentiment she expresses is absolute truth even if she isn't the all mindless happiness.] That means I'm your partner, I'm going to stand by you and protect you when you need me. So yeah, you call me whenever you need me. Or whenever you want me.

[Votelli smiles.]

Okay. Okay, I will. But you have to be careful, all right? I don't want you to get in trouble!

Ah, it's fine. I'll take any brunt from whatever trouble happens. It'd be nothing for me.

[ Which, by the tone of his voice, is no brag. He'd dealt with worse troubles, in his opinion, back in Ikebukuro.

Speaking of, he'll offer a hand to Votelli. Nia knew how to tag along for the teleporting, but this was a good measure to see if the girl was willing to trust him this far as well. ]

Here, I'll take you to where one of the closer shrines is. That way you can make the jump to my temple on the Far Shore easily.

Trouble's worth it if you're doing the right thing.

[Nia slaps her hand onto Shizuo's shoulder demonstratively, then offers her other to Votelli too. They may not be one big happy family or anything, but the two of them are open to her and welcoming her. Will that count for something?]

[It seems to count for plenty. Votelli takes Shizuo's hand in one of hers, and Nia's in the other, looking up at Shizuo's face.]

Okay.

[ Nodding when her hands were in both his and Nia's, the blond teleported to the nearest shrine he could tell was around. One that wasn't particularly in a forest, but there was something in the distance and the land was... Well, it's winter, wet, and there's a lot of grass. So it's lush for the circumstances. The shrine itself didn't have much in the way of offering plates or shrine decorations, but there was a circle that led to a few other Celtic dieties. Nothing ostentatious, but well cared for. ]

Now, I'm not gonna go pulling you into the Far Shore unless you feel ready for it. But now you know where one of these is, and you've got permission to use whichever ones of the Dagda's you need. It'll toss you into the yard, which is pretty open, but it's easy to get to the cliff and forest.

[ He's sort of repeating himself, but it's more to make sure that, no matter what the girl decided today, she'd know what to do in a pinch. ]

And this is where I'll pop through when I'm coming down your way too. [Most likely, anyway. She wonders, can they set up a closer one? Or is that too risky?]

[She lets go of Shizuo's hand as they appear in the shrine, and turns in a circle to take it all in, eyes wide and fascinated. Don't mind her; she's dashing off to examine the circles, bare feet scuffing through the grass and picking up fresh grass stains as she goes.]

Thank you. It's nice!

[ If only it were so easy. At least, with the girl being a god, it's only so far as a teleport to cross over to the other side. If she had a shrine, then Nia would have a closer place, but otherwise... Maybe there was someone else with a closer shrine that would let Nia use it?

For now he's fine watching as the girl enjoys herself, looking over the shrines and everything. ]

Yeah, they set it up to worship a few gods. You'll want the one of the guy with the staff, to the left of the woman with a spear and birds.

[ Of course, with permission already given, it was easy for Votelli to cross over and see the abode proper. The ground's a bit drier there at least. ]

[She really is just a kid. How often has she ever really got the chance to be one? Gods get treated differently, she knows, but even so. Being set on the Far Shore? Having to attack people with vines?]

[Just means both her gods get to feel a little splash of her anger, but she shoves it down quick enough.]

You ever been into the cities in the Near Shore, Votelli?

Huh? Yeah, sometimes--

[But she'd felt that spike of anger, and she rubs her chest, frowning in confusion as she turns away from the statue of the man with the staff before she teleports to the other side.]

-- Not a lot, but Sensei takes me there sometimes.

What's wrong?

[ Yeah, they both certainly did. Shizuo had learned to grow used to the spikes of anger, however. ]

You'll, uh, get used to that. If I'm guessing right, she's getting angry about the way things have been for you. Couldn't really blame her on that.

I did warn you. [Nia looks away, sheepish for a number of reasons -- not the least of which is that Shizuo has her number, and she's not sure how to feel about that.] You just looked so happy running around to look at the place, and it bothered me that you hadn't had the chance more.

So I was thinking maybe we could take you to the Near Shore someday, try some good food there. Make a day of it.

It's okay. [Votelli looks confused, glancing to Nia, and then back to Shizuo.] Really, I mean, it's fine. It's just because I was supposed to stay safe.

But, um, I guess if you want to take me somewhere, that'd be nice....

Into the Woods (featuring an actual catgirl)

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