thenearshore | [Closed] For cruelty has banished me

[ Dokugakuji finishes his teleport and has his cadre of shinki revert. ]

Shinji, Meji, Masaji.

[ After they all appear, he hums a little, not noticing that someone else was well within listening distance. Not like he was saying anything embarrassing or particularly private. ]

This is it alright, Shinji. This is where I found Masaji. They assigned me Meji, so he showed up before I was even at my temple, but Masaji was different. I found out about a wandering shinki that'd been dismissed and I came over here to find her, not realizing back then just how... common that was. How they all come back here whenever they're not needed.

[Getting to see this place first hand is pretty interesting, but the way Dokugakuji talks about it sounds so... depressing? It's good that there's somewhere for them to go, but it's sad to think that they don't have anything else to do without a god to serve. Like they're truly tools to be used strictly at someone else's convenience.]

How many of them do you think are here...?

[If it's so common, there are probably a good number of them around, he'd figure.]

A lot.

[Dust detaches himself from the wall where he'd been leaning and watching, a frown on his face.]

And there's corruption in there too. Blight.

[ Doku doesn't know this guy but he cares way more about what he said. He lifts his head. ]

You can tell this sort of thing - like some kind of Keeper for them? How's that possible?

[ He turns to Meji and Masaji, body language suddenly nervous. ]

They've never stung me once. I'm... not sure they even can. How could they get blighted just waiting around here to be picked up by the next god who needs them?

[ It's a callous description, but he's more thinking about how the Heavens sees them and spitting that back out in frustration. ]

[That's so... ominous. Shinji takes a step back, as if to put himself in between Doku and his other two shinki. His god had already passed the big question, how would that even happen, but that still leaves him wondering,]

Is it even safe to have them wandering around here if that's true...?

It's pretty obvious. [Dust nods quiet agreement to all their points, though explaining how he knows is easy enough.] We're talking ablution levels of blight. Not subtle. And yes, it probably is very dangerous to let that situation last. But I don't want to just...

[He twitches the sword he holds in his hand, reverse-grip. That is not a palatable solution, not if there's any other way.]

Do you know any gods who have shinki who can perform that?

Ablution... I've only heard whispers about that kind of thing.

[ And it's no wonder, since Dokugakuji himself can't perform the ritual if he understands this stranger - "gods who have shinki who can perform that". Some kind of extreme version of blight by the sounds of it. Not good, and not something he can leave alone either.

He looks over at Shinji. ] It's your call if you want to help, Shinji. [ Then back to the stranger. ] I'm... guessing that Masaji and Meji can't do it - my two soulless shinki here with me.

[Ablution... it's not a term he's actually heard before, but he does recall mentions of bad blight leading to 'a ritual using three shinki'... that's probably it, right? Or, at least, something similar, he'd imagine.

Still,] I've - I've never really done anything like that before? [Not that he wouldn't want to help, but how much would he really be able to help if he's completely clueless?]

It's not an easy spell to learn, or perform. If you don't know it... and I don't even know if soulless shinki CAN learn it...

[Dust's free hand clenches. Damn it, foiled again. At this rate that soulless shinki will give in entirely to blight.]

[ Doku is a little incredulous. ]

What about you? If it's so complicated, you must have learned it from someone else too. You don't know anyone else who can cast it that you could call?

[ He looks back over at shinki. ]

Besides, with two shinki who know it very well, the third one can kind of just follow along - right? Or this teacher of yours might be able to teach Shinji quickly.

[It's honestly pretty disheartening to have him put it in such discouraging terms, but if the situation is really so dire, Doku's rallying attempt is enough to keep him from feeling completely helpless in this situation.]

I - have been learning spells, [So it's not like it's a completely foreign concept to him,] If someone can show me what to do, I'll - I want to see if I can help.

I learned it a long time ago... when there were more people here than there are now. I can try to teach it, but I'm not sure it can be learned that quickly...

[Dust flexes his hand slightly, thinking back to those days.]

And we're still one short, then. You can see why this frustrates me. Has frustrated me, for a while now.

[ Doku isn't one to just stand around in a crisis like this. ]

Be frustrated, then - but do something about it.

[ He pulls out his phone and walks towards Dust with it outstretched. ]

Or find someone else who can. Call your teacher. If not them, give me the name of someone else. Blight spreads quickly, so let's act quickly.

[ Shinji's willingness won't do any good at this rate, and Doku doesn't want to be a weak leader in front of his shinki either. ]

I-I'll do my best to learn it quick.

[Leave it to Dokugakuji to rally enthusiasm from his troops, as it were. Shinji can't necessarily hold anything against Dust if the situation is so dire, yet unable to be taken on solo, but... surely, something could be done besides simply waiting for another person to show up and help?

He has no real criticisms to offer up to his potential teacher, though, thinking that the pressure from his god would be more than enough.]

[Dust tightens his jaw for a moment, though his voice only gets quieter amnd more intense when he speaks.] The people I learned from are gone. I've been looking for others to help with this, and finding no one. The only person I can think of is Kairi -- and even that leaves us short, because I can't do anything myself when I don't have a name.

Edited 2019-06-04 01:40 (UTC)

Don't have a...? Well, no wonder you're hanging around this place then, huh.

[ Doku's intensity lessens by a fraction. ]

I don't know much about shinki spells, but I do know about... wayward shinki. Sheltered a few in my time.

[ He lowers his arm, trying to lower his head too in an attempt to get closer to eye level with Dust. He has no idea about Dust's aversion, he just thinks the hat's in the way. ]

You tell me, then - how important is this to you? Important enough to want to be named right now? Whether you stick around with Shinji and I is up to you too. But you said you need a name; I'm offering one. If you've got that, you only need one more person, right?

[Kairi, that name's familiar to him. That's... the girl who wrote those shinki pamphlets. Someone that knowledgeable is sure to be able to help them out, and even if he's never personally met her, it's something of a relief to hear that she'd be an option to call in for backup.

And then... that leaves Dust. It isn't surprising that Dokugakuji would make an offer like that, and the admission from Dust does a good job of cutting through some of the tension. He exhales softly as he watches the exchange, not wanting to interrupt.]

Yes. If we can fix this, do it.

[No hesitation, no delay, no time needed to think it over. At this point, the act of naming means less than nothing to him, not when his previous experiences had made no difference to him at all.]

[...good luck trying to get beneath his hat, though.]

[Closed] For cruelty has banished me

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