[closed]

[chibisu]

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.

Comments

[trustheart]

[Cheering them on. Chris laughs a bit.]

You keep saying stuff like that. It's like... you assume what I want is to be with her, or whatever.

[unlucky7]

[There's a slight raise of her brows.]

Are you saying you don't?

[As friends, as a fellow performer, as something romantic, any of them could fit. It doesn't take much to tell the two are incredibly close.]

[trustheart]

[Chris ruffles like an angry bird, but only momentarily.]

I mean. Well. Yeah, she's one of my best friends. I just don't wanna come off like I'm not thinking of my own future too.

[unlucky7]

I don't think it comes off like that. Perform with her, go solo, I'll support you.

[Ginia pauses to look out at again. When they first met, Chris had already mentioned she fell asleep and several months passed over the span of a single night.]

What's waiting for you and Tsubasa back home? Anything good?

[trustheart]

Oh, there's a lot waiting for us. Our friends, our work, school, her career... I really miss everyone, honestly.

[She lets out a sigh.]

I guess it's kind of selfish to wish they'd come here. I don't want to think about any of them becoming a shinki...

[unlucky7]

[It's a relief to know they're not dead and things seem like they're going back to a good situation. While Ginia doesn't like to think about people disappearing suddenly, it's good to know at least there's something for them.]

I don't think it's selfish to want your friends here. Completely understandable not wanting them here as shinki.

[Again, even, though it seems like her group has been lucky in showing up as gods.]

Tell me more about them?

[trustheart]

Yeah... you're right. I just don't think I could take another Maria situation, again.

[She's quiet as she figures out how to respond to Ginia's last part.]

I don't even know where to begin. The whole gang is... a lot.

[unlucky7]

[Would it have been worse arriving sooner and seeing Maria as a god and suddenly a shinki? Ginia doesn't know what caused the change and it bothers her to some level. She also wouldn't say she knew Maria well, but there was enough of an impression she got Maria's picture and handkerchief when she disappeared.]

We spoke a little when she was a god, but I didn't get to know her until she was a shinki. I liked her. I wish I got to know her better.

[It's the feeling for a lot of people. At least she got to know them a little instead of not at all.]

First words that come to mind then.

[trustheart]

[Chris knows about all that, and she's entirely certain she would have taken it even worse. But... she takes that feeling, puts it in a tiny box, puts that in another box, puts that box in a safe, wraps it in chains, and then throws it into the ocean.

She focuses on the last part, before a single word comes to mind.]

... Troublesome.

[unlucky7]

[An involuntary huff escapes at the choice of word. It's a telling word, but one Ginia understands too. Troublesome is troublesome, for all the good and bad it can be.]

The kind of troublesome you roll your eyes at but you know you wouldn't have it any other way?

[trustheart]

[Chris finds herself smiling despite herself, and chuckles slightly.]

That's right. They're a huge pain in the neck, really.

[And her smile gets even wider as she says that.]

[unlucky7]

What makes them such a pain?

[Ginia has her hunches. They range from "no chill and always getting into trouble" to "showing how much they care about you."]

[trustheart]

Oh, you know. Getting into trouble, having to fuss over them, always being lovey dovey with each other in public, inviting themselves over without asking, eating my food...

[Yep. That smile ain't going away.]

[unlucky7]

Horrors of horrors. Poor you, surrounded by such troublesome friends. I'm sure you never do the same.

[Ginia's smile is knowing. Look, she's seen you eat, she's pretty sure if anyone is stealing food from her, it's because she's been stealing someone else's food. Such are the joys of friendship.]

[trustheart]

[Chris actually looked offended, briefly, at that.]

I'd never steal someone else's food, Ginia.

[It's said, deathly seriously. In Val Verde, taking food from someone else usually meant forcing them to go hungry, which in turn? Often meant sentencing them to death.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia feels pretty certain she's seen Chris take food from Tsubasa, but maybe that's an understood arrangement. The subject turns a little more serious than she expected, but she knows a bit about Chris's past too. It's understandable with that context.]

Sorry, didn't realize it was a touchy subject. I'll keep in mind your non food-thieving ways.

[Unknowingly, it's something she understands. Food was kept to minimal and efficient requirements. Anything else they managed to obtain was always shared among the nine of them. Live together, suffer together, survive together. For a very long time, that was a big part of Ginia's life.]

[trustheart]

[Senpai is different... and generally doesn't eat a lot anyway. It's a sign of trust/how committed Chris is to getting on her case.]

Thanks. Uhm. Sorry I got snippy.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia waves her hand dismissively.]

Nothing to apologize for, I get it. Promise.

[Ginia wonders if there's anything else she should know in advance, but they can talk about that later. It's a day for good feelings and taking it easy. Best to bring it back to the previous topic.]

Lovey-dovey, huh? Cute couples all among the friend group?

[trustheart]

[Ah yeah, that puts Chris back on course.]

Yeah, exactly! There's Hibiki and Miku, and Kirika and Shirabe! And the worst part is neither of them seem to realize it!

[unlucky7]

[There sure are a lot of pairs and it doesn't escape Ginia's notice that 'Chris and Tsubasa' are also a pretty notable pair that maybe also haven't realized it too.]

I take it they spend most of their free time with each other and are pretty inseparable otherwise? Working together like they can read each others minds?

[trustheart]

You know it. They're also clinging to each other and saying and doing things that they should save for home...

[Chris has begun twirling her hair around her finger. Ginia may or may not have noticed her doing it before, in situations where Chris is holding back on things.]

[unlucky7]

[It's a tic she's noticed before. Hard not to. Ginia types a message, considers the words a few seconds longer. It's not like she hasn't noticed things between Chris and Tsubasa and wondered. They're both gods, so it's not really a problem. What she isn't sure is what Chris or Tsubasa want.]

Do you wish you had someone to cling to and say things to?

[trustheart]

[Chris's eyes widen, before she immediately shrinks back a bit, embarrassed.]

... It's not just that. I'm not completely comfortable with PDA, after... everything that's happened to me.

[unlucky7]

[Hm. Right. It's something Ginia can empathize with, both in a forgotten underlying way, and also because she's dealing with the lingering effects of more remembered mistakes]

I get it. Promise.

[There's a small pause as Ginia realizes something, fingers tapping on her phone.]

The kinds of prayers you get, do they that bother you? The love and/or sex ones I mean.

[trustheart]

[Chris winces slightly, as she hears those words, even though they're exact ones Chris wanted her to pick up on.]

A bit. I don't know how to answer them. At least, not the ones that aren't protecting people from... you know. Unwanted attention. I know exactly what to do there.