thenearshore | [closed]

Entry tags:

[closed]

Who: Ebisu, Aomi, and various out-temple workers
What: Time for a relaxing trip to Kanagawa, before the next thing blows up.
Where: Kanagawa
When: Sometime after that compound mess

Kanagawa Prefecture has a lot of good points. There's an opening to the ocean, a lake for touring, beautiful views of Mt. Fuji wherever you look, and all sorts of interesting museums or temples. Aomi, the organizer of this little trip, agrees for everyone to meet at Iiyama Kannon an hour or two before noon. An easy famous place that people hopefully won't get lost going to, and all. Until then, well, people are free to go wherever they like. They don't even have to stay in Atsugi, where the meeting area is supposed to be. There are beaches not that far off, zoos to enjoy various animals, parks where carefully cultivated flowers are in gleeful bloom, a bustling Chinatown, and even the little island of Enoshima.

When the time comes to meet up, however, Aomi can be found alongside Ebisu with a bulging backpack and he does a quick headcount to make sure everyone is there before continuing on. The ultimate destination isn't any of the many tourist attractions in Kanagawa, but rather he leads away from the cities and towards the forests of the prefecture. Aomi would have made sure to remind everyone that morning over text to wear hiking boots.... so hopefully they all remember to do that, because the path chosen is one that has no actual path at all. Hopefully no one gets hurt, although it shouldn't be too hard.

What's the destination? That much becomes obvious once they hit some more even land, where a small stone monument has been placed at the base of a fully blossoming Japanese wisteria. Here, Aomi will let everyone know it's fine to take a break, and settle down. It's here that he'll help spread out some various picnic blankets and begin unpacking from his enormous backpack. He's been courteous enough to pack lunch for just about everyone, and a good variety in case any one dish doesn't suit someone. There's delectably spicy yokosuka curry, juicy shirokoro horumon, rare to get shonan pork sausages, and a variety of sushi that takes full advantage of being from a seaside prefecture. Everyone is free to relax beneath the wisteria blossoms and enjoy the view peeking out from the trees.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Now that's showing off. Ginia blinks as the shift in hair color, keeping each one in mind as the conversation moves on. She knows that and some forms are easier to parse to loosely admit to, but love overall still feels like a ball of spun glass; delicate and intricate, prone to shattering under the slightest pressure.

Or maybe it's not love but her feelings overall. Ginia can't dismiss her feelings or deny what they are, but it's one thing to keep them inside where no one else has to see, another to voice them.]

You're the stronger of the two of us then.

[Even if she knows her temple, her god, her boyfriend all care, she's been wrong before and it's not a risk she can deal with.]

Relationship. You and...?

[An open statement for him to fill in or deny as he wishes.]

[Deliberately so to try and lighten things. Why do they always have the heavy conversations...

... but it seems they just fall to them, don't they? Like this is something only the two of them can provide each other. Sometimes he feels like he's taking the place of her gods during these talks. Sometimes...

...

There's so much fear. He doesn't want to live bound to it.]

... Iskandar.

[The apparent age of this place skews young and while Ginia appreciates living in the company of adults, there are topics she can't discuss with them. As it turns out, Waver is the closest thing she has to a fellow adult sounding board. But it's perhaps something in their natures too. The lonely, the struggling, the ones doing their best to stay afloat with what lifelines they have to cling to.

So when Waver confirms it's Iskandar, her expression softens into a smile. Her own trepidation and uncertainty is her own. For Waver, there is only gladness. There's a stability there Waver needs (though she also doesn't know about all the questions their being brings too).]

Alas, Terumi will be so heartbroken.

[There, an attempt to lighten the mood.]

Love, live, be happy, Waver. If someone around here is facing their fears and walking on, I'm glad it's you.

And you must tell me what it's like being the man to bring Alexander the Great to his knees.

[If she only knew... everything...

But living with it has brought one unexpected boon.

Waver is careful what he brings to Iskandar. Waver takes care with how he brings it. Waver spreads his emotional baggage across as many people as possible to carry the burden... (some of them mortal bartenders who he can't kill with a word and whom he makes sure forgets their conversations). Waver tries to aggressively attack his problems so he keeps as even a keel as possible - not easy, as he knows he's a mess. Waver tries to keep tabs on his Temple's emotional state. Tries to resolve what he can...

Things are fragile. That is a shinki-God relationship usually, and especially here, even if on one side, the shinki is different. But Waver is proactive about it and understands the fragility more than he lets on. They're both living with secrets.]

Until he sees Iskandar. Then poor Natsumi will have to get the smelling salts. And a couch.

[Sorry buddy... your bara tastes are known.]

... like living in one of Homer's epics. Iskandar is every bit as passionate as his hero.

I look forward to the gossip in the baths that night.

[Everyone sure loves their gossip in the temple. RIP Terumi.

Ginia's face scrunches a little, a tiny huff escaping. So she did open up the conversation for details, but now she's realizing she doesn't want them.]

I'll leave the epic stories between you. Iskandar is a glorious hunk of flesh, but he's also like an uncle so any details would be weird.

[She reaches across the table and gives his hand a small squeeze. Live, be happy, survive this somehow. He's doing better than most, worse in other ways, certainly better equipped to handle things in his own way. Iskandar will watch out for him, but shinki must care for themselves too. They are their own salvation and their own downfall.]

I suppose it's only fair to say I'm dating Kimi, but anyone who spends any amount of time at the temple knows. The betting pool sure was wild when news broke.

Save me the juiciest bits.

[Even the part-timers.

No... he's not going to talk about that - what's happening, if it's happening. Sex is... private right now. Very private, even if Iskandar's alright with acts of exhibitionism that would shock everyone else in the Far Shore. Partly because he's a shinki and the nature of the link has made things such that Waver would only participate in any act with him present.

... any other romantic relationship would have to be platonic. There are situations where boundaries must be drawn.

... and this is a situation where he knows he has to leave the shinki state somehow. Waver squeezes back. He knows he's undergoing both a slow death and a transformation of some kind. His own salvation and his own downfall.]

Homer's not around anymore and I sure as hell couldn't do the telling justice, so my lips are sealed.

[There's a quiet huff of a laugh.]

And that one I know - I was just waiting for you to bring it up. Terumi and Natsumi spilled a few details.

I'm very happy for you. He's a hell of a man.

[Sex, or at least the broader subject of physical intimacy and association emotions, is a subject Ginia broached with Kimi early on. They are shinki, their feelings are never their own, and with two gods apiece and two young, it feels like an impossible situation.

But a shinki shouldn't be denied their emotions either.

If, when, anything happens, they can sort things out in the aftermath. Frankly, it's more embarrassing with Chris even if she's a love goddess.

Ginia inclines her head and huffs. She's not surprised at all he heard from them.]

I suppose it felt like if I brought things up too soon, it'd all go wrong. We've been taking things slow.

He really is. Kimi wasn't the first of Ebisu's shinki I met, but he left the strongest impression.

[Shouldn't... but sometimes there's no choice, as he well knows. Waver knows Chris has her issues... is likely a survivor... but does Ginia know? Maybe, maybe not.

As long as Chris knows there's a relationship... it should be fine, Waver decides. He's long made the decision to treat a God's past as delicately as a shinki's.]

Slow is best when you're feeling uncertain.

Tell me about him? The things that make you laugh, the things that drive you crazy, ... all those little things that make it special...

[Let's dwell on the good things we have, Ginia. Existence is shit but they have good things.]

[Ginia does know about Chris's past, in part at least. She's protective of her tsundere god and will rain fury and hell on anyone from her past who may try to harm her. And Chris is aware of Ginia's relationship. If anything else happens, they'll talk it out.

Slow is best when you're barely held together by a thread, confidence swinging like a pendulum because it's too easy to care about the opinions that matter so much. There shouldn't be accolades for basic human decency, but with the life Ginia's had, the most basic acts of kindness count.]

I met him around New Year's. He needed help with a tour group and was offering 100K yen. I ended up accepting because I wasn't that busy, a hike sounded nice, and it's good pay for an hour of work. I was impressed at how personable he was and how he kept the group entertained. My part was easy; all I had to do was keep ayakashi away and there weren't many.

He knows sign language, so he has that working in his favor. He offered to show me around, was going to give me his number before he got distracted and had to leave.

[But the fact they still ended up meeting a week later, that she ended up joining the temple even sooner after... it sure ended up in his favor, didn't it.]

When I joined the temple, he gave me a jar of konpeito and left origami stars on my desk whenever I wasn't looking. I began leaving origami animals on his desk in return. we've been doing that back and forth since then. I've since filled up the jar with all the stars he's made.

[It's the little things, it always is. The handful of colorful paper stars that made things feel like it'd be okay, a nice bright keepsake for her room.]

He's so confident and grounded, utterly shameless and teasing, it all goes together nicely. I admire how composed he is. I know he's been a shinki for awhile so he's had time to ground himself, but it feels like its who he is too. He's gotten me through some hard times.

[Is it silly there's so much she can say about him? That it comes so easily and that there's even more she could talk about? His smile, his laugh, the way he smells after he's been working in the kitchen, how at ease he is working with people. Does she really deserve him? Ginia still wonders that from time to time even if she knows why he asked her out.]

He gave me a knife for white Day. Want to see it?

Oh I know that type... especially the shameless part...

[There's an exasperated but amused sigh; it's a fond memory that chase on the beach.

Does Waver deserve Iskandar? He doesn't know either, but he'll fight to be with him, and fight out of the shinki state to stand beside him. And then fight through all the pain of his past to stay there.

He's home. ... Waver deserves home.]

May I?

[Ginia pulls the knife out of her pocket and hands it over. It's a beautifully ornate knife and she carries it as a protective or lucky charm as sorts, something she can roll in her hands or fidget with as needed. It's still a knife and maybe Kimi's right; perhaps one day I'll come in handy if someone overlooks it.

But it'd be nice if it stayed as something nice to look at too.]

The chocolates he made were very nice too.

[Waver carries fans to make people used to him with one to downplay the fact that when the feathered fan comes out, it's a weapon and not just a fancy ornament.

The long hair is actually for mana storage and not vanity; all the fussing is for the purposes of maintaining that battery and nothing else. Hair ornaments are not just decorations, they function the same. Clothing is armor, manners are weapons, words are weapons.

Waver uses being overlooked and underestimated. It's hard to accept... but that is one of his best weapons.]

It's beautiful.

... but handmade chocolates? Wow. It's sounds like he put a lot of work into them. How were they?

[... but... it's clear what should have more value here. To her.

And so Waver's going to put the value in the chocolates. In the effort and care of the making.]

[A knife is an usual White Day present. She told Kimi as much when she found the knife hidden under the box of chocolates. It's also the perfect gift for the right person and she's not sure what it says about her that he'd give her a knife. It's either a means of protection for someone who can't stay out of trouble or a pretty piece of art. It's a thoughtful present. All of the presents she received on White Day were.

But the chocolate means a lot too. Kimi is an excellent cook. He could have made her anything and she would have been impressed, but he picked a recipe he hadn't made very much (but still made for her) and with fruity flavors to offset all the chocolate she'd receive.

Ginia flips through the pictures on her phone and pulls up a picture of seven colorful chocolate spheres in a box, one piece obviously missing from the empty slot. She holds it up for Waver to see, her smile soft and sentimental. She gives him enough time to look before reclaiming her phone to type.]

They were delicious. I can't imagine how long it took him to make or when he found the time. Kimi's an incredible cook.

You make me very curious how good. You know how I enjoy food.

[Waver has no shame in this vice. Or drinking.

He is resisting giving into smoking though. Despite the nicotine cravings.]

Kimi helps with meal prep so if you've eaten at the temple, you've probably had his cooking in some way.

[With all the decades, if not centuries, people have in the temple to refine skills, the food that comes out of the kitchen is damn good. One of the pleasures of the afterlife. A truly spoiled experience, if only there was more time to enjoy it.]

It's clear how much he enjoys cooking. I imagine he'd have reservations for months if he ran a restaurant.

[Did he cook when he was alive or was it a skill he picked up as a shinki? Ginia can't help wonder even if she knows voicing anything is dangerous.]

He cooked for us the night of the compound raid. It was nice having a meal with only the two of us. Shrimp tempura and soba.

... I have. It's good food.

Forget months, though. Try years. With people squabbling for spots like concert tickets. I know I'd be in the fray.

[He's a hungry ghost with good taste!

... oh, hungry ghost... I think I've heard of the system this is based on now...

It isn't just Shintoism at play here... I just need to find a book...

But none of that shows as he props up his chin with a wistful smile.]

None of us cook at the Temple well. Well... Iskandar grills well if nothing else, and Satya won't kill you but...

You don't eat my food... my food eats you... do you know what I mean?

[It's not that bad, but Waver needs to stop accidentally trying to do alchemy while cooking.]

Now that sounds something special. Maybe I should take a lesson or two...

...

... uh. Actually I want your boyfriend to survive me. Takeout it is. I at least can choose good wine.

[The hottest new restaurant on the Far Shore. It's a nice thought, but it feels like bad form to daydream about ideas for other people. Working as Ebisu's shinki is a complete lifestyle Kimi seems happy with, even with the current stress caused by an unfortunate staff shortage.

Happier thoughts, happier thoughts.]

If you weaponize your cooking, I'm sure more than a few would be interested in it.

[Send it to a cultist as a special delivery, hah.]

But I'm surprised you have trouble cooking too. It's so logical.

[At the base at least. Following a direction and understanding some basic terminology, that's the easy part. Ginia isn't a great cook, but she can follow along well enough and at least be useful enough in a pinch. Making adjustments on a fly and seasoning to taste? There's the tricky part.

That's very much the issue. It is logical. I should have no trouble following a simple set of instructions.

[HUFF PUFF. HUFF PUFF.

Then Waver sighs a laugh and raises an eyebrow.]

... such as Chikusa, though? I don't think he needs my help on that front.

[And yet, and yet. Ginia hides a smile behind her hand, though the slight crinkle of her eyes and hunch of her shoulders as they lift up give it all away. So even all-knowing mages have something that can defeat them.

An, yes, Chikusa. There's someone that would appreciate weaponized food. She hasn't heard about his poisoner side, but she knows he's shifty enough to appreciate such things.]

There's someone I appreciate while also wanting to keep an eye on. He ambushed me with borderlines on my first day.

[There's the sound of a whine at that. It's so embarrassing.

... he is a domestic disaster.

Definitely shifty and ruthless enough to appreciate such things. Waver might not know of his poisoner side, per say, but he's interrogated cultists in a pizza van with him and boy, oh boy, was that ever an educational experience.]

To be honest, it would be an insult to him not to keep an eye on him. Both as a matter of respect and because... well, he's Chikusa.

That so, though? Was he your teacher?

Man hits hard. I saw him go to town during the compound raid.

[Still debating on man versus boy for Chikusa. He leans to man for him versus boy for Judar. Both are feral shitteens but one is deadlier than the other, and it's not a question of the pure power they're packing.]

Edited 2019-04-01 08:06 (UTC)

[Ginia's nod encompasses a lot; Chikusa was her teacher and she knows how hard he hits with his borderlines. From sparring on her first day to sparring again in December, she knows his strength well. No doubt he's only grown more since then.

Hafuri vessel, a stronger shinki, a more powerful shinki, so rare because of the cost needed to become one. A hafuri's power is a shinki's own power, forged by their devotion to their god enough to lay their life on the line. But there must be more to that.

Ebisu's shinki all put their life on the line to hide his location and there's not a hafuri among them.]

He's one of the first shinki I met when I arrived. I think I'd call him a friend.

[There's some uncertainty there and it's not as if they know each other well, though who really knows her well these days? Robbing homes, suffering through an ablution, capturing ayakashi, and talking casual crimes, they have a way of building bonds. Perhaps friends are the people you can drag to hell and back with minimal complaint.]

Better a friend than an enemy at least.

[Don't seek death, Ginia. Death is easy. Living... living is hard. That is a greater devotion... and it took him ten damn years in mortality to figure that one out. Love your gods, yes, love your family, yes... but learn to love and accept yourself.

And you'll gain power greater than hafuri. That's the trick. To moving on. To breaking free from this wretched state.

Waver takes in that nod. There's so much contained in her eyes.]

... you're telling me. Keep him close, regardless.

[Who truly knows another, who truly knows themselves, memories or not? A question for the philosophers and the sages.]

[Living and valuing her life is the hardest lesson for someone whose life trajectory has said otherwise. Ginia isn't looking to die any time soon, but in service of a god who has died so many times for the sake of humanity, for a family that's endured so many losses, there isn't anything she wouldn't give for them. It's a dangerous siren song the power of hafuri, the highest sign of devotion a shinki can claim (so proclaims Heaven).

It's also among a family that won't let go so easily, friends that want her safe, that slowly, Ginia is learning there's value in herself and not only what she can offer in service.]

There are worse people to know. I suppose he still owes me a favor, but maybe it's settled itself too.

[Ginia picks at the last of her food, sips at a tea that's already cooled. She trades and deals and has maybe given more favors than she's gotten back, but alliances are perhaps where the benefit comes in. It's by accident she's acquainted with all three Gods of Fortune of the new generation, stranger yet she considers two her friends.]

You keep him close too. Also try to meet Hakkai if you haven't already. I feel like you two would get along.

Absolutely.

[Waver's about finished with his tea; the wagashi he's taking slower. Ah... Hakkai... yes, they've met. He senses such commonality with Hakkai; some differences too.

(unknowing Taoist pantheon buddies among other things)]

I've met him and I rather like him. I believe we probably have a couple of things in common.

Though I don't know him well. Tell me about him?

[A dry and sarcastic sense of humor. Polite disdain for authority. A strong sense of what's right. The kind of person you want on your side, but at least they'll have the decency to stab you in the front if you even see them coming. A few things in common, maybe.

It's mostly the dry sense of humor.]

I wouldn't say I know him well, but I respect him. He gave me some good advice when I arrived, when I was still sorting things out.

[Generally speaking, she knows Chikusa better. But Hakkai has her respect. Ginia pats her left shoulder and smiles dryly.]

He's the reason I still have my arm and didn't die a second time.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject