thenearshore | Into the Woods (featuring an actual catgirl)

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Into the Woods (featuring an actual catgirl)

Who: Nia, Shizuo, and Votelli
When: 1/20
Where: The mysterious forest in the Near Shore
What: Nia and Shizuo have questions and an offer for Votelli.

[Nia leads the way, one hand over her eyes -- which she didn't need to shade, in a forest under a grey sky, but it's reflex. She'd left her Blade behind, coming essentially helpless save for her Borderlines, figuring Votelli would be more comfortable that way. Right now isn't a good time to upset her, not when she wants her to meet Shizuo properly.]

[Despite her outward appearance, she's downright sweating inside, wondering if she's making a mistake. But she can't let that show, even if Shizuo's getting a nice gutpunch of her worry and anger and fear. Sorry...]

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[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....

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Into the Woods (featuring an actual catgirl)

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