thenearshore | [OPEN!] How nice it'd be if we could try everything

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[OPEN!] How nice it'd be if we could try everything

Who: Irisviel von Einzbern and YOU!
When: February 22nd through February 28th
Where: Around the Far Shore and Near Shore
What: Exploring the area, spreading some cheer, and getting chased by ayakashi; it's what you expect for a new shinki.

[02/22 - Far Shore - Around Giant’s Grave's]

[Irisviel is on a casual stroll around the grounds of her temple. Her pace is easy-going and casual, but there's a focus to the way she walks too. There's a small wicker basket draped over one arm. Occasionally she stops to mark a rock with a piece of chalk or scratch something into a tree or the ground with a small dagger. Once in awhile, she holds her hand over the marking, a soft glow emanating from it.

Her walk is disrupted as she yelps, her next step taking her into knee-deep water. The mossy bog swirls around her legs, the ripples the only difference between the ground she was standing on and the water she's now in.]

I suppose this is the source of blessed water for the temple.

[Her tone is a little more sour than usual.]

[After her unexpected walk into the bog, Irisviel can be found marking out the perimeter of water source with strips of fabric tied to sticks. Once she's done, her walk around the temple grounds continues, unperturbed by the slight squelch of her boots.]

[Any date - Far Shore - All Districts]

[With the abundance of wildflowers growing around the district, it'd be a true shame to not put them to use. Irisviel, wearing a long white and gold dress, can be found sitting in a field on a blanket, wrapping bundles of flowers with twine or weaving together flower crowns.]

Hello, would you like to help?

[Irisviel can also be found visiting temples directly with a basket full of flower bundles. With so many gods and shinki around, the only way to meet them is to put in some effort. It's also a nice excuse to see the different temples. Don't mind Irisviel as she wanders onto temple grounds in search of the entrance and/or inhabitants of the temple.]

[Any date - Near Shore - Window Shopping]

[The Far Shore is beautiful and impressive enough, but there's even more to see on the Near Shore. Irisviel is wide-eyed and full of joy as she walks along a shopping district, practically glued to the shop windows, though never entering the stores. There's one downside about being a new shinki to a new god; no income. No matter! The joy of exploration is enough! Find Irisviel wandering through shopping areas, strolling through parks, or even visiting shrines, all in the name of exploration.]

[Any date - Near Shore - Ayakashi!]

LINE!

[Irisviel backs away from the barrier, hand still raised in front, as the giant bat-like creature beats against the clear barrier separating them. Its numerous eyes twitch about as it hisses and claws, diving at the barrier. It holds, but its efforts draw more ayakashi in, some on her side of the barrier. They're smaller ayakashi, but they hone in on her.

Run. It's time to run. Irisviel flees the site, fear flooding hot as she tries to put as much distance between the ayakashi and herself as possible. Shrines are safe, where's the nearest one? She cuts through alleys and side streets, slowing to leave borderlines behind her, feeling them break as she moves too far away. But Irisviel can only run so far and as her breath turns ragged and her limbs feel heavy, patches of blight burning from where ayakashi manage to scratch or peck at her.

If running doesn't work, then fighting it is. Irisviel slashes another borderline in front of her and turns to face the ayakashi chasing her. A spell wells in her, survival instincts seizing hold. Slow them down, stop them in their tracks. Plucking hair from her head, she snaps her hand out, channeling energy into the thin strands to make them thicker, stronger, from delicate hair to thin wires.]

Shape Ist Leben!

[Her hand flings out as glowing blue wires snap forward, entangling the ayakashi in a web of wires. It can slow them down, but it won't hold forever nor will it rend them. Now what?]

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[ Berserker recognizes when his shinki is in trouble -- their emotional link is beneficial for that. It's not panic that fuels his running, but determination. He needs to protect his tools at all costs, especially one as valuable to him as Irisviel. His approach is not quiet nor subtle, his footsteps clearly audible.

Red spear in hand, he sees the restrained ayakashi and runs them through. It's disturbingly efficient as he pins them further to the wall. Gae Bolg won't kill them, but the damage is done. It buys time.

He turns to Irisviel and doesn't say a thing, except for what's necessary. ]

Come, Miruki!

[ No wasted motion, no wasted efforts. An efficient machine. ]

Edited 2018-11-23 02:42 (UTC)

[A god can always feel their shinki, but a shinki has no similar awareness of their god. When Beserker barrels her way, spear impaling the snared ayakashi, relief replaces fear. She doesn't let it distract her though, hand clutched in a fist, wires taut.

At the sound of the command, she's surrounded by light, traversing the distance between them in an instant and materializing onto Berserker's body in place of his armor.]

You came.

[The words aren't surprised, but grateful. Irisviel allows the brief moment of sentiment, smiling at him. Blight burns, but she can ignore the pain as she focuses on the ayakashi still wrapped up in her glowing wires. She reaches out and focuses on grabbing the wires in her mind, pulling the smallest ones together. Her motions are mirrored in reality, wires vibrating as the ayakashi twitch and struggle.]

Shall we destroy them, Berserker?

I would never leave you in danger.

[ The garment still feels strange to him, but he can't complain too much because of the protection offered by it. Irisviel's blight would need to be taken care of as soon as this battle is over, but that's a thought pushed to the back of his mind. For now, the only focus is destroying the ayakashi, the things that put his tool in such danger. He couldn't fault Irisviel for getting in to the danger, either -- he wouldn't count it as a mistake.

He grabs Gae Bolg, readying himself to tear it from the wall and loose the speared ayakashi. ]

Destroy them until there's nothing left.

[ A strong feeling of bloodlust flows through him. Fighting like this is nothing but paperwork, but if it needs to be done, it should be done right. He rips the spear from the wall and lets it fade away. With his hands covered by the cloth of the long sleeves, he could find a way to rend them...A brutal way. ]

[Irisviel is not one who relishes violence or finds enjoyment in a fight, but she does not shy from it. Fighting ayakashi is their job and having experienced firsthand the speed and relentlessness they honed in on her, she cannot let them attack and hurt anyone else. They are beings of negative energy, they will not be missed.

At Berserker's side, confidence surges through her. She holds her head high, feeling the slight grip of his fingers around her sleeves. They are long, but that only means there is reach from the sleeves.]

As my god wishes.

[An ayakashi cannot withstand the force of a god and vesseled shinki working in tandem. The smallest and weakest, when Berserker grips or slashes them, will crumble under the slightest pressure, fading into dark ash without leaving a speck on Irisviel's pure white sleeves. The larger, that one will take more work as it manages to work a wing free, shielding itself with a leathery wing tough as steel.]

[ Berserker finds no joy in battle, either, it's simply what must be done. It's as tedious and mechanical as paperwork. The violence within him is simply a consequence of making sure his task in complete. Total annihilation is the only answer.

There's a surge of some kind of strong emotion within him as the smaller ayakashi are destroyed. It can't be described as joy or anything really positive, more like war lust. It's cold and calculated, brutally efficient.

To use his bare hands or to call forth that spear again...He chooses to use his hands. It's just the easier option and the more direct. He tears at that hardened wing, undeterred by its strength. If anything it makes Berserker just that more determined to tear it apart with his own hands, continuing his relentless assault. ]

[Irisviel focuses more magic into the wires, willing them harder and stronger, to keep the ayakashi from thrashing about so Berserker can get a better grip. Do ayakashi feel pain or do they work solely on instinct? As Berserker tears and rips at the wing, hands protected so efficiently from blight by the thin layer of fabric, the membrane of the wing tears and splits, joints crack and pop. The inky dark red skin of the ayakashi with its twitching eyeballs is revealed, flesh gouging with each attack.

As her frenzied flight attracted ayakashi, so does their fight. As more ayakashi creep and fly in, Irisviel snares them with her wires or resets her borderline to keep them away. She winces a little at the violence, at the tug of his fingers digging into fabric and ayakashi, but remains silent as she focuses.]

[ Relentless efficiency is the best way to describe Berserker's method. He doesn't stop until the creature has been completely destroyed, simply moving to the next target. A beast that stops for nothing, his only desire to run. ]

You're doing well.

[ Genuine praise as he tore the largest one apart. It's needlessly brutal, but brutality serves as a warning. With his normal opponents, it drove away anyone else who might challenge him. The same logic might apply to the ayakashi -- a warning to avoid this god. Blight doesn't concern him for now, very little of his skin exposed to their touch and that which is is hard to get to. Pain is something he ignores, that he feels so strongly but it does nothing to deter him.

A machine built to kill. ]

Thank you.

[His methods are brutal, uncomfortable to behold, but it is efficient and is what must be done. Ayakashi are beings of negativity that can do nothing but hurt. The less the better. Irisviel focuses on the praise instead, allowing it to bolster her mood without distracting her.

Motes of black dust swirl around them as Berserker tears through the ayakashi, rending each one in turn. The last ones try to flee on instinct, but Irisviel's wire traps snare them, pulling them back in so Berserker can tear them apart. When the last ayakashi disappears into dust, Irisviel wires disappearing into nothingness. She exhales a long sigh of relief and looks at Berserker.]

Oh, you're hurt. Let me help.

[A few light cuts or scratches from a claw or wingtip, nothing serious, but he is her god and Irisviel has a vague sense there's something she can do. She holds out her hands, a soft glow forming under them as she channels her mana. At the same time, the ability linked to her vessel form activates, a healing wave washing over him and easing his pain. Understanding echoes in Irisviel and she laughs.]

Oh, yes, I see, that must be my ability...

[ That ability is certainly unexpected, but not unwelcome. Irisviel's usefulness as a shinki is becoming clearer to him now that they've fought together and now that this ability showed itself. This tool is to be protected at all costs, her well-being a stronger priority than ever. ]

That wasn't necessary, but thank you.

[ The threat gone, that war lust in him fades. Apathy washes over him once again. ]

Return, Irisviel von Einzbern. We have to deal with your blight.

[ His own needs could wait. ]

[White, flimsy fabric is replaced with the dark spikes and form of his armor. Adrenaline fading, Irisviel gives him a tired smile, pale cheeks a little flush from exertion. A small patch of blight spreads across her cheek along a light scratch, more tiny patches visible along her scalp. She checks her hands for blight before carefully brushing her hair back.]

Thank you for coming to my rescue, Berserker.

[It's important he knows her gratitude. She takes a step in and then another one, reaching out to take his hand.]

Yours must be dealt with as well. It's painful, isn't it.

You don't need to thank me, I just did what was necessary.

[ Berserker takes her hand in his, a protective gesture more than anything. It's easier to lead her this way, though he doesn't know where the nearest shrine is. He's more irritated with himself, not having thought to bring a flask or something of the water from Giant's Grave. ]

It's nothing I can't handle...Do you have water on you? [ A good question to ask first. ] Or do you know where the nearest shrine is?

[Irisviel shakes her head, eyes glancing downward.]

No, I forgot to bring some with me. I'm sorry, that was foolish of me. I won't forget to bring water next time.

[It's a lesson most shinki learn one way or another and she won't forget the speed they found her and the feeling of terror. Her hand tightens around his. If she'd been a little slower, if her spells hadn't held... but ahh, why dwell on what is past? Irisviel shakes off the feeling as she considers the area, trying to retrace her steps.]

I don't quite know, though yours shouldn't be too far from here. [She points in the direction she'd come from.] If we go back this way, we'll reach the main street.

[ In most circumstances, he would consider that a mistake, but not this time -- just like himself, she's new to this. She, like himself, likely didn't consider the possibility of being attacked. It's something to learn from; if she makes the same mistake again, then it will be a problem. Berserker is willing to tolerate more from her because she did so well in the fight and has proven herself to be useful. ]

So long as you learn, that's what matters.

[ Berserker nods and heads in the direction she points with purpose. His strides are long and powerful, the pain of the blight not slowing him down. If anything, it's driving him further, the need to take care of Irisviel overriding anything. It's a practical need, after all. ]

You found the bog, I'm guessing. [ A bit of humor in his voice. ]

[With her shorter legs, Irisviel picks up her pace to keep up without any complaint. She glances at her white boots, the color slightly off a little past the calf, giggles lightly at his comment.]

It would have been nice if it was marked with something. I set up markers around it, hopefully no one else stumbles into it now. Should we store some in the temple for future use?

[It would be easier to use than trekking to the bog or other shrine. Less plant material too.]

[ Berserker nods as he continues his purposeful pace. Having it marked served to help anyone who may seek the water on his land to heal their own blight, too. He's not keen on visitors, but he's been warned it'll happen and it's not unexpected. ]

We should. Faster to get to it. [ Easier. ] There should be containers we can use in the temple.

Once I return to the temple, I'll begin storing water.

[They reach an intersection. Irisviel pauses briefly as she looks down the two streets, spotting a sign that stood out even as she ran from the ayakashi and lightly tugging Berserker down that direction.]

I'm almost finished with the barrier around the temple grounds too. Once I'm finished there, I can begin forming one around your shrine.

[ He follows along at that tug without so much as a sound of protest. ]

You've been keeping yourself busy making sure everything is safe...I expect nothing less from you.

[ His expectations of other are a little bit high, to say the least, but he sounds pleased. Well, as pleased as he's capable of sounding. ]

Continue to do well.

It is clear there are enemies to be cautious of to us and our followers. I would not wish to see anything harm come to Avenger or you. My work is the least I can do.

[But the praise is nice and appreciated. Irisviel smiles, a blush touching her cheeks.]

But thank you, Berserker.

[They reach the main road and Irisviel pauses again to check which direction will bring them back to his shrine, checking for recognizable landmarks.]

Have you seen your shrine yet?

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[OPEN!] How nice it'd be if we could try everything

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