[open] the wheel is come full circle

[bon_bon]

Who: Konzen and open
What: Flailing with a pole-spear thingie; being a worried papa; getting help from an assassin; face-to-face with karma
When: April 11 (unless otherwise indicated)
Where: A park in the Far Shore; somewhere in front of Elsa's place; a vending machine
Warnings: n/a (except maybe cussing? This is Konzen after all)


Prose always welcome! Will match format. :)


[open] Failing/flailing

[ So the rules of this heaven are just as arbitrary and idiotic as the heaven that Konzen knows. That should come to no surprise. This whole ayakashi business is a lot of nonsense if you asked him. These eyeball monsters are practically everywhere, and yet a god or shinki alone is powerless against them. He always knew that divinity meant shit, but this was just rubbish. It meant being pinned down inside a school cafeteria snapping and arguing with Tenpou and Kenren while getting clobbered by ayakashi snot because three gods (two of whom were actual accomplished military officers) could do jack shit against it without their shinki.

This is the reason why Konzen is here today, in this small park on the Far Shore. He's brought his shinki Haru with him so he can figure things out on his own. Goku might also be his shinki now, but he knows that he can't really bother him very much. It's not safe to be around him. He furrows his brow a little at the thought, but pushes it to the back of his mind. ]

Miki.

[ The eerily silent young man beside him nods and disappears in a flash of light. In Konzen's hand is a naginata, made with a light but sturdy wood pole with red tassels and a curved blade on one end. It feels rather clumsy in his hand. He's never really handled such a weapon before. Or any weapon, for that matter. He stares down at it for a moment, wondering what to do next. Maybe he should have borrowed some How-To books from Tenpou's library before coming out here. ]


[open] Not suspicious at all

[ He feels a stabbing pain in the back of his neck. There is something else too, a heavy and anxious feeling that he can't quite wrap his head around. It makes him restless and upset. It keeps him up all night, pacing. He just knows something is wrong.

Goku.

What is happening to him? Konzen wants to rush over and see him, to check in on him. And yet, he knows that his very presence could trigger something bad. Make this cluster of dark emotions even worse. Maybe he'd known before he named Goku that this might happen. He just never realized how hard it would be. He feels so powerless again, and the fact that he might even be part of the problem just makes it that much more painful.

Nevertheless, he can't just sit around doing nothing.

And so he finds himself lurking about the front (or thereabouts) of Menrva's temple, not looking weird at all, of course not. He's hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of Goku without making himself too obvious...just to know that he's okay. ]



[closed: Omi] April 12: Hot cans of what

[ They call it 'the near shore,' which Konzen thinks must be this world's equivalent of Down Below. The human realm, that place beyond the Dimension Gate where they were all headed in their great escape. Of course, it never happened. They had said that the cherry blossoms bloom differently there compared to heaven. Something about being so close to death that they try that much harder to look alive. It sounded like philosophical BS, but somehow it made sense to him back then.

It feels strange, how he can just will himself to that realm now and find himself there, among the humans and the famous cherry blossoms (though they've mostly turned already by now). Tenpou used to come here a lot, bringing back strange knickknacks to add to his collection. Konzen walks around, awed by the sheer magnitude of things all around him. Buildings that soar high above his head. Vehicles that beep and move across massive boulevards. And the people! Konzen has never seen so many in his life. It's overwhelming.

He finally escapes into a smaller side street to take a breather. And hopefully grab something to drink. He finds himself in front of a large container known as a 'vending machine.' He's seen enough of these around to know that they dispense beverages when you insert coins in them. He has a little bit of money, from what he found lying around Helios's house. (Yeah he helped himself to it, whatever). He's not quite sure which ones he's supposed to use, though. He knits his brow together and pushes the coins around in his palm. ]



[closed: Sanzo] April 13: I am not you

[ There's a small and secluded area of the park near Helios's house that Konzen has come to like. It's nicely shaded by a circle of trees, and it's an outdoor space that doesn't catch a lot of people's eyes as they're passing through the park. He finds himself going there in recent days to practice his naginata and to just get out of the house every once in a while.

And maybe the place reminds him of that one spot in heaven where they all had sake under the cherry blossoms. Just a little bit. He's not sentimental at all.

He heads toward there now, his shinki in hand and a bottle of water in the other. He's dressed casually, a basic pair of slacks and a button down shirt, with comfortable shoes for moving around in. He pauses suddenly when he hears a voice. It sounds weirdly familiar. He frowns.

Him.

Konzen almost turns right around. But it grates him a little bit to feel like he should have to retreat. Besides, much as he hates to admit it, the man isn't a complete stranger. In fact, he's probably much more than that. Maybe he can't avoid him forever. Still…he's not fond of being shot at, so he makes sure to not sneak up on the maniac. His footsteps should be obvious to anyone, but especially to someone with a hair-trigger like Sanzo. He pushes some leaves out of his way and steps into the clearing. ]

Comments

park!

[razzledazzles]

[It was a nice day to poke around and see just what was going on. He'd been aiming for the park, but a little bit of carelessness causes him to land a little bit too close to Konzen. Wind kicks up suddenly as Jae-Ha lands right next to him, just in time for him to stand and smile at that weapon.]

Why, hello there! Sorry, did I drop down while you were in the middle of something? [He looks back up to Konzen's face.] My landing was a bit off.

[bon_bon]

[ He stands there contemplating the weapon and is just about to give it a test swing when suddenly someone lands right next to him with a swish of wind, so suddenly that Konzen almost drops the naginata. ]

What the--??

[ His heart is pounding in his chest as he scrambles to grab the pole more securely. ]

What's it look like???

[ Actually, he wasn't exactly in the middle of anything, except maybe he might've hit the guy by accident if he'd really gone through with the test swing. Which might be why he's so pissy now. ]

[razzledazzles]

[If Jae-Ha is sympathetic, he certainly doesn't show it. Instead, he blinks and glances around the park like that might answer what it is that this man is doing. A weapon seems normal enough to him, even in the middle of a place like this, so—]

You're admiring nature?

[bon_bon]

[ This jumping around business, he's seen other gods do it. And he knows he can too, but it's kind of disorienting. He doesn't even teleport much, for the same reason. In any case, things like this could happen. He feels a bit vexed that the guy seems to be so unaffected by Konzen's ire. It deflates him just a little. ]

Hardly.

[ He sighs and straightens up, taking giving the guy a once-over. Green hair. Who has green hair? ]

You should watch where you're going when you're landing like that.

[closed]

[killsthebuddha]

[ There's nothing casual about Sanzo's appearance, not when he hid behind the regalia of a station that the dead man no longer possessed. He sits half lotus at the base of a older tree with a natural paranoid's caution, the broad trunk shielding his back from anyone that might want to come after him from behind. In the first weeks of finding himself here in this new existence, he hadn't had a need to meditate or recite sutras.

Now, however, he was off balance enough to grab for anything to steady him. Like the robe and sutra, he had all the trappings of a monk and that included the knowledge, but no idea if he ought to have anything of substance beneath it. His voice is clear and confident, carrying among the trees, and it makes it all the more evident when he falters just once.

It's when he recognizes Konzen's presence later than he should that he does so, and he cuts himself off sharply. His eyes are narrowed when they open, taking in the sight of him. ]

[bon_bon]

[ Sanzo is dressed in the way he looked in the flashback, only more formally so (and with less blood on his robes, but Konzen doesn't want to think about that). He sits in meditation, chanting the Heart Sutra with a voice as clear as a bell. It soars. Konzen wonders whether this is how he sounds like when he speaks, because there's a strange sort of lucidity to it that resonates in a way that he's never felt before.

Gyatei gyatei haragyatei harasōgyatei boji sowaka...

Konzen must admit he is riveted. But the moment is broken when the voice cuts short and the eyes open. He stares back at himself. Only this time, he can at least be thankful it's not a gun he's looking at, but his own reflection. He stands there for a moment, not speaking. And hopefully his stance will show that he doesn't come to fight. The staff he holds unassumingly to the side. ]

[killsthebuddha]

[ For a moment there, it had felt like being someone else entirely. Maybe that's why some of the calm carries over even now that he's been disrupted, but Sanzo isn't entirely certain. Seeing that face in this setting is different, entirely unlike when he'd been left reeling by an unfathomable presence.

(By nothing. It'd been nothing.)

He still doesn't like it in the least. His voice holds none of the clarity from before when he acknowledges him with a rough, abrupt: ] So it's you.

Not in the least suspicious, of course...

[reformedsinner]

[It's a movement under the trees at the edge of the property that catches Hakkai's eye as he's taking down the laundry he hangs to the side of Elsa's courtyard. He stops with a sheet half-unclipped in his hands, replaces the clothespin, and leaves the basket on the cobbles as he heads purposefully in that direction.

It's not that they mind visitors, even later in the evening.

It's more that, as far as Hakkai is concerned, there are two options: one, that person lurking at the edge of the temple will leave. Two, they'll be invited in. Lingering and watching is simply unacceptable.]

[bon_bon]

[ He was hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the monkey, but he's been puttering about for a little while now without much luck. This is so ridiculous. Maybe he ought to just send him a message through that phone thing. Surely that can't do any harm, right? A quick note...

But no, it's Konzen's own existence that could potentially cause harm. He can't very well remind him of that and make him upset all over again. Konzen frowns and paces a little again.

And then freezes. Someone approaches him from the house. Crap. He turns toward the person and then ...

Oh.

Him.

Konzen stands there with a wary expression, unsure what to say to the man who looks like Tenpou but is not Tenpou. He's not exactly inclined to like him very much right now. ]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai eyes Konzen with equal wariness. It's Sanzo's double: Sanzo's double, lurking around outside the temple, and standing out like a beacon at close range, with his longer version of Sanzo's brilliant blonde hair catching the slanting light.

Hakkai clears his throat.]

Excuse me. Can I help you?

["What are you doing?" -- is the subtext, which he's perfectly willing to make text if Konzen doesn't choose to hear it. He stops several paces away, crossing his arms.]

park

[skyleopardess]

[Yoruichi's sitting up in a tree a good few meters or so off to the side, hidden by the foliage in the upper branches. She notices the new arrivals, raising her eyebrows when it becomes obvious that this man has no idea what he's doing with his weapon; he holds it gingerly, as though it might bite him.

She could sit there and watch him try to work it out on his own, which could be entertaining in its own right. But it might also end with her having to heal him because he'd managed to slice himself up, which is less fun.

So she climbs down to a lower branch where he can see her, calling out in greeting. She sits easily in the tree, her legs dangling as she leans her side against the trunk.]

I take it you've never used one of those.

[bon_bon]

[ The naginata seems impossibly long, a little taller than he is. He's not sure why his shinki becomes one, as opposed to some other weapon that might be easier to handle. Then again, Konzen would probably be shit at any weapon. At least at first. He wants to get better at something, so he can defend himself if needed. And be useful to whatever plans that Kenren and Tenpou might have, eventually.

He tries out a practice swing, but he stops mid-way when he hears a rustle above him in the trees, followed quickly by a voice. Up there? He blinks in surprise and glances up. ]

Uh.

[ A woman? How long has she been up there? Konzen looks a bit confused and chagrined. He knows it's pretty obvious how new he is at this. ]

Not really, no.

[skyleopardess]

[Yoruichi grins down at him, but it's good-natured rather than malicious.]

Do you normally use a different weapon? It's hard to adjust if you're not used to it.

[She assumes Konzen must be used to fighting with something else--it doesn't even occur to her that they would have drawn non-combatants in for their war.]

park!

[existentialcrisis]

Ukoku enters the park like an inkblot on the landscape, darkly conspicuous. By all appearances he's just out for a walk: his hands are in his pockets; a cigarette dangles from his lips. He's wearing slacks and a dress shirt, no tie, paired incongruously with sandals. All of it together lends him a purposeful air of eccentricity, like a university professor.

He has an easy smile on his face as he comes closer. He invites himself to sit down on the grass, ankles crossed, leaning back on his hands. "Don't mind me. You don't get to see someone using one of those every day."

Nor is it easy to find the Art Object outside his temple, most of the time. Ukoku's robes are still in a haphazard pile on the floor where he ditched them for something less identifying. He left for the park almost as soon as the crows noticed.

[bon_bon]

A naginata is probably a fairly good weapon for someone like Konzen, who's not exactly the best at close combat. It has reach and can prove advantageous to someone who lacks a lot of upper body strength. Unfortunately, it's a long and unwieldy thing that takes some time getting used to. He wouldn't feel so nervous swinging the thing if it didn't have a sharp blade at the end of it.

He sweeps it up and around, turning. Konzen gives a start when he finds himself facing a familiar face.

"You."

The crease between his brows furrows. The guy from the school. He doesn't even know his name. Not his real one, anyway. (The god one doesn't really count, does it? Konzen is no more Helios than this man is Mahakala). Konzen didn't think he would be seeing him again.

"What do you want?"

[existentialcrisis]

"Nothing! I'm allowed to say hello, aren't I?"

Ukoku shifts to take something out of his back pocket—a little red notebook with a stubby pencil, both held together by a rubber band—and drops it next to him. He's not going anywhere, sorry.

"Are you getting the hang of it?" He nods at the naginata. Not to imply that it's obvious how new he is to it, but, well.

definitely not suspicious

[arealhardnose]

[Carrying one shinki's emotions had been difficult. A second had been hard too, but manageable given Sanzo's steadiness. A third--

Well, it's been difficult ever since Gojyo arrived, but now with Goku as her shinki too, it seems exponentially worse. Elsa has been keeping to the temple since the incident at the Near Shore school, and today that includes walking around the grounds and running into an unexpected guess, it seems.]

Can I help you with something? [she asks, approaching him. With any luck, this will distract her from the unease she feels.] Are you lost?

[bon_bon]

[ He's so engrossed in watching for signs of Goku from his spot next to a tree that he doesn't realize he's been approached until she says something. He turns to face her, looking somewhat surprised and maybe a little embarrassed. ]

No. I was just ... [ looking for someone? Waiting for someone? Both sounded innocuous enough, but then she might ask for whom. ]

... stopping for a minute, [ he ends lamely. ]

[arealhardnose]

In my front yard.

[Not that she minds, exactly, it's just that he isn't someone she's familiar with -- even if he does look like Sanzo.]

Sorry. I don't mind if you stop here a while. You're not a student or a teacher, so we haven't met before, that's all. I'm Elsa Randall. [She doesn't qualify that with her god name, since she's already said this is her temple.]

park

[bighand]

[Kija doesn't have business in the park, exactly, he's just out and about probably because he can't be trusted to stay at home and try to cook or anything. He spots Konzen while wandering through the park, and beelines over once he realizes what he's doing with his shinki.]

Good afternoon! [BUDDY] I'll spar with you.

[Kija, he didn't ask.]

[bon_bon]

[ He's maybe (sort of?) getting the hang of it. At least, it doesn't feel completely stupid in his hands. Miki gently tells him a few hints on how to best move, and it's helping a little bit. But it's exhausting. He takes a brief break to wipe his sweat with a handkerchief and take a drink from his water bottle. ]

Kija...?

[ It's a familiar face, from the school. The kid who has the colorings of Gojun. Konzen looks at him skeptically. ] Do you have a weapon?

[bighand]

[Kija sure is Here. And brightening, since Konzen remembered his name and totally wants to spar with him! He can tell. He does not, however, have a weapon, but while he shakes his head he's still looking quite cheerful and raising his right hand.]

I don't need one, as I am equipped with this hand. Any weapon I'd try would pale in comparison!

[oneblackcat]

For someone so independent, Omi could be incredibly bad at taking care of himself. A combination of poor sleep habits, inclement weather and overexertion has taken its toll, and though he's out and about as though fit as a fiddle, he's only functioning by virtue of coffee and undiluted denial. His face is flushed with fever, his body alternates flashes of hot and cold, his muscles feel stiff and sore, and both his physical and mental functioning are rather slower than usual. The fatigue he blames on three hours of sleep. The headache he writes off as a mundane nuisance. The sore throat is just something with the weather. Sure, he's not feeling in top condition, but it's nothing to be concerned about.

It's not like he's sick.

All the same, with the fatigue and the occasional chills and the headache, a hot coffee to tide him over until tonight sounds really nice. He cuts down one of the side streets towards a local vending machine that he knows offers hot beverages, noticing someone else is already in line for it. That's okay; he doesn't mind waiting a minute. It gives him time to fish out some change.

It only becomes curious when they seem to still be hesitating to put coins in. Omi had assumed they were just counting... maybe they aren't local though. Or maybe they're double counting because they came up short.

He steps and leans into their field of vision-- and nearly leans too far! Whoops!

It's okay. Bit of a stumble but he catches himself. No kissing the pavement today. He offers an amiable grin.

"Which one do you want? I'll get it-- I don't mind. I have extra!"

[bon_bon]

Perhaps the denomination he needs is not in his palm right now. Konzen pushes the coins around with some confusion and is so engrossed in it that he doesn't notice the kid until he's practically stumbling into his space. Konzen blinks with surprise. He's been walking around a bit today, and so he's accustomed to being ignored by most people. He isn't expecting to be noticed. He glances over his shoulder, just in case.

"Oh."

Being shown how to pay for a drink by a runt kid who's probably not much older than Goku makes him somewhat chagrined.

"I'm not ... sure. I may have enough, here."

50 and 50 to equal 100. But perhaps the device only takes the 100 coin. It doesn't say.

[oneblackcat]

Has he been too stealthy without even realizing it? Omi isn't sure what to make of the surprised look... and his mind is cloudy enough that he's not really coming up with alternative explanations. All he does catch on is that sort-of declining, maybe because he's embarrassed about the idea he seems like he's so broke he can't even afford a vending machine drink. Oops... Omi hadn't meant to insinuate that (even if it was one of the possibilities that floated through his mind).

"Ahh, sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I just felt like doing something nice... are you sure you won't let me?"

It's getting a little bit pushy, maybe... but he really wants that coffee!