thenearshore | [indiana jones theme playing in the distance]

[ Jakob doesn’t even want to know how he’s doing that, so he wisely turns to Zelda instead, ayakashi or no fucking ayakashi. ]

Yes, that’s—what? [ He doesn’t mean her soulless going into vessel form—it’s hard to judge her when both Add and Ain still keep theirs around—but her very suggestion outright horrifies him more than the rats do. ]

Why, you—you certainly needn’t go out of your way, my lady! I assure you that my domestic skills are more than up to the task.

[ He inclines his head at Zelda's words, content at keeping to rat watch duty. He can swat them as they come up, and he could call for his own shinki if Zelda does not wish to step on small snarling creatures.

However, Jakob's outburst seems to warrant a response - it might be more conducive to working together if he can do something to smoothen Jakob's indignation. ]

I think it would be better to work with the lady if that is her wish, [ he suggests with a blink. ] That way it will be best for all of us.

[She's starting to think your priorities are a little wonky there, Jakob. Ain's speedy intervention keeps her from getting too frustrated though. She takes a deep breath before answering, and only has to clear her throat a little after doing so thanks to Ain's void-veil.]

Yes, I have utmost faith in your skills, Jakob, believe me, but even if it is only by a small amount, would four working hands not be faster than merely two? I did not ask the two of you for your aid in this with the expectation that you would do all the work yourselves.

[Geeze, what do you take her for, a princess that has actually been raised like one? Hah!

Meanwhile, some light shuffling beneath the floorboards resumes, but no tiny snouts emerge to get swatted. It sounds instead like they're moving to another part of the house...]

[ Someday he really will find himself a princess that’ll actually let him wait on her hand and foot, huffs!!! For now though, he has no choice but to relent. ]

A—As you wish, my lady. [ He’s still very unsure about this, but she’s the last person he wants to argue with, much as he’d love to bring up the old adage of too many cooks in here. ]

But… [ he stares uncertainly around them. It’s not just the floorboards that feel hollow—the entire place is. ] We must proceed with the utmost caution regardless. It feels as though this place might collapse on us at any minute.

[ Ain doesn't much have ears to prick at the movement of the rat ayakashi, but he takes note of it nonethenless. It seems to be directed down the hallway; they should be more careful when they go there. ]

Don't worry about the collapse. I can protect you so you can focus on the search.

[ They are bound to have more experience with this kind of investigations, so he's content with sitting back and watching, in a way. Since maintaining his strength to project his power at a moment's notice will take his attention, it's best to let the other two take charge. ]

Thank you. Both of you.

[She says with a nod, satisfied. Now, was that so hard? Just agree to her demands and she is a much more pleasant person to be around. Her own long ears make up for Ain's lack, noticeably twitching as the sound drifts farther away, but... such small nuisances shouldn't cause too much trouble, and they're here for information regardless.]

If this place has been abandoned for as long as the rumors suggest, then it is little wonder that it has fallen into such disrepair. Not having anyone around to tend to it for a year or more would do that to any building.

In any case, where would you suggest we start, Jakob?

[This time she'll follow your directions for real! Things seem to be quiet enough now that the rats have scurried away, so...]

[ The princess wins either way, so he has no choice but to roll with it.

And roll with it he does, as he turns his attention to navigating the precarious structure of this building, albeit to a lesser degree than that of his companions. Kind of rough not having superpowers or nonhuman anatomy here, but at least his sense for the inner workings of a household remains intact. Hence he finds that he has a ready answer to her query. ]

It might seem counterintuitive, but I think we might as well begin from the bedrooms. Even taking into account the minimalist interiors these old estates are so fond of, bedrooms remain the most intimate of places. If there are any secrets, they are likely to be hidden within.

[ A bedroom would imply that this place housed a deity who needed to sleep. But then again, something of similar kind and not necessarily similar function would suffice - an alcove, a place of privacy. ]

You'll have to contend with the rats.

[ Which seem to have scurried into the direction of the deeper hallway. They have light with them, and he's sure he can prepare himself to catch the other two should they fall; but it's by no means a pleasant task. ]

After all I have seen here, I believe I can handle rats.

[She has Seen Some Shit, alright. Rats can't hold a candle to the void or that ayakashi giant that spawned in Ireland in the wake of Caster's temporary death.]

But I can understand that reasoning. Something akin to a diary would likely contain the best lead as to what happened in this place before the god's disappearance, I think, and it is difficult to imagine such a thing being kept anywhere else.

[Poking her head out from the room they've been investigating, she glances around the grounds of the old estate, and... hesitates.]

... Though I fear I am still not entirely familiar with this architectural style-- where would you imagine the bedrooms would be in this place?

[Given the fears of instability, she doesn't exactly want to ask one of the other two to lead the way, but...]

[ Jakob is pretty sure most of them need sleep anyway, on account of how annoying it would be to deal with mortals otherwise.

To say nothing of the weird shit they get up to here in the Far Shore. Rats ain’t nothing compared to rampaging monkeys and misbehaving volcanoes in these parts. ]

The center of this castle would be my best guess. [ His knowledge of these kinds of architecture is rudimentary at best, after all. Mentally, he’s cursing himself for not thinking of reading up on ancient architecture before undergoing this expedition. But after all, it had been a bit sudden, and in his haste to please her he’d forgotten one very important detail about this whole affair— ]

But if I might be so bold…why undertake this task yourself, my lady? Surely there are others more specialized for this task.

[ Ain doesn't comment out loud, walking forward to the hallway and peering over. There are several rooms that branch out and then stairs leading downward all the way at the very end. ]

I shall catch you if you fall, worry not.

[ He's cheating by levitating but that means he doesn't need to worry about himself. ]

[Zelda will follow the boys without complaint if they're going to lead the way, instead falling silent for a moment at Jakob's question. Not in a way that suggests she's upset with him for asking it, but rather it's a more contemplative silence, one in which she is debating what all she should say.]

... There is a reason the old gods of this world are vanishing and being replaced with those of other worlds like us. I am hoping that if I am able to find some kind of evidence of their disappearance, some clue as to why they have vanished, then I might eventually be able to bring them back... and relieve myself of this role that has been placed upon me.

[They can't just leave, even if a portal exists to allow it - Add's experiment proved that much. But perhaps if she can find where the real Metis has gone - perhaps if she can bring her back... then the mantle of godhood that binds her here will disappear, and her soul will be allowed to return to Hyrule where it belongs.]

I recognize the odds for accomplishing this are incredibly low, but... even if I am not suited for the task, as I know of no one else who has investigated this with any kind of depth, it is something I must do regardless. My duty to my people demands it.

[Still, she chews her lip a little, hints of regret weighing down her brow.]

Please, forgive me for roping the both of you into this foolhardy quest.

It is not foolhardy in the least. [ Mostly because it’s her doing it and not…you know, Add. And Jakob has had some vague idea that Add had been doing something similar to what they were doing now, by tampering with the void like that.

But is he really justified in feeling better about Zelda handling all of this? Evidently whatever powers that be keeping the gods here and sending them away on a whim or turning them into shinki are very interested in keeping their methods a secret—and they are too powerful and too inscrutable in a way that reminds him of Ain and an old conversation they’d had together.

He still isn’t sure how to feel about all this. But the fact that he’s questioning this entire situation at all counts for something, doesn’t it? ]

It is…admirable, in fact. Though perhaps “brave” might be the better word for it. I do not claim to understand how godhood must feel— [ And that goes double for you, Mr. Spooky Lord of the Underworld. ] —but I know that your work cannot be easy, even on the best of days.

[ Ain has his own opinions about the Heavens and a certain dismissiveness towards their claims to eternity. Surely they cannot outlast him, he merely has to wait and see. However, that's not the case for many humans. They cannot afford a fate tied to the void and he will not force them to. He has to change his plan of thinking when working with them. ]

You are doing this for our sakes too, are you not? Then we will assist the best we can.

[ Information can be collected, analyzed, and extrapolated. He has a stake in it this way, even if he has no desire to return to his previous world. ]

I... do admit to a certain selfishness in my desires, but-- yes, if I were to find any information regarding this, I would be hard pressed to find any acceptable reason to keep it secret.

[Unaware of the philosophical ponderings her words have inspired, she smiles slightly at Jakob, though it's a little sad around the edges in a way that suggests she doesn't really believe him.]

But, thank you. Your words are kind. [Things Jakob has never heard directed at him for 500, Alex--] I imagine there are precious few among our number who are truly cut out for this line of work, but it seems to me that the majority of us are trying our best regardless, so...

[Gotta keep on keeping on, she supposes? ]

[ Something about her smile strikes him to his core, though he could not have said why. Princess types trying their best against overwhelming odds—where had he heard that before? It brings to mind the late Lady Sakura, but—

He shakes his head, as if swatting away that compliment. “Kind.” Geez. If she were anyone else… ]

Of course. Please excuse me for asking an inappropriate question. Right this way, please. [ Might as well take the lead since she’s relying on him to not fuck this up, right? At the very least, he can get that look of distaste upon seeing the dilapidated state of their destination out of the way before the rest of their party walk in. Cracks in the walls, a damp ceiling on the verge of caving in, cobwebs, thick layers of dust…how are they even supposed to find any clues under all this?! ]

[ Much of the room is in shambles, which adds to the difficulty of their search. However, Ain has part of a solution to it, at least. ]

There is a lot of dirt.

[ He folds his arms and his shadow elongates, sprouting a tendril to curl around and pick up some fallen debris. Since the texture of his shadow hands isn't really physical, he can deal with the dust. ]

Don't suppose I could absorb it?

It is all right.

[She offers as reassurance to Jakob, though she drops the matter after that, as that shake of his head suggests pressing further will only lead to frustration. Her expression falls as she follows after him into the messy old room, quickly lifting a hand to cover her nose and mouth with the voidcloth as she takes in the sight.]

This place... certainly has been left abandoned for quite a long time... [She mutters, before Ain's shadow catches her eye. She looks back up to him, brow furrowed.] That will not cause you any harm, will it?

[It's... a lot of dust. Like, almost an impossible amount of dust for how long gods have been disappearing? This looks like this place hasn't been touched in decades rather than a mere year or so...]

[ Okay…that’s creepy. He almost feels sorry for whatever’s caught up in all that debris Ain is somehow scooping up. ]

If you think it necessary, Ain. [ He doesn’t really want to fight the guy at the moment, especially if Ain can do it more efficiently. Sorry, Zelda, there are definitely double standards at play here.

But Jakob goes further inside, careful to keep out of Ain’s way as he surveys the area. ]

But forgive me, my lady. I had not realized that our search might come to an end here. With this much dirt and decay, it is unlikely that any sort of diary or records have survived.

[ Why would you feel bad about dust, Jakob? It's just dirt. ]

It won't.

[ If anything, his recycling capabilities are top-notch. Ain raises his hands as if conducting an orchestra, and a black orb appears in the centre of the room. It begins sucking in most of the dust and copious amounts of air, ruffling some of the rotten sheets in the process. However, no dust gets to the people where they stand.

After a few moments, something appears to be pulled out from under a moth-eaten rug... some sort of oblong object. Wonder what could it be?

He lowers his hands and the eyeball vacuum stops sucking in air. Maybe they can take a look. ]

[indiana jones theme playing in the distance]

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FLIPS MY EXAMS im here

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