[Closed] For cruelty has banished me

[royaltyloyalty]

Who: Dokugakuji, Shinji, and Dust
When: May 7th
Where: Soulless Shinki Temple
What: Curiosity leads to new bonds and an Ablution; Mission 03 "A mission for purification"

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Comments

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[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.

[mithrarin]

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.

[royaltyloyalty]

[ 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. ]

[hedgehogsdilemma]

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.]

[mithrarin]

[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.

[royaltyloyalty]

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?

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[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.]

[mithrarin]

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.]