thenearshore | [closed] stretching our hands towards the light leading into tomorrow

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[closed] stretching our hands towards the light leading into tomorrow

Who: Shun and his closer CR/CR he wants to get to know better (+1s are welcome if it's not a character he actively dislikes)
When: Evening of June 25th
Where: Temple Nekhbet
What: Shun finally reconciles with the idea of doing things for fun and taps into his inner nerd for a games night. ~~who's ready to lose at pandemic~~
This is also a mingle, so while I will have direct interaction options for Shun in the below prompts so people can just tag in, feel free to make your own toplevels using them as well!

[At some point in the few days prior to the 25th, Shun sends a small group of people (Wendy, Ginia, Ayumu, Nanako, Pyrrha, and Chris, with Chinatsu naturally invited in the first place) a short message. Despite being as direct and no-frills as Shun tends to be instead of casual like these kinds of messages probably should be, the general gist was bringing a few people he's known for a while and others he wants to get to know better together at his temple for a night of gaming. Because here we are after over an IC year and Shun's only just really publicly admitting he's a games nerd.]

i. foodflix and chill

[Shun can actually cook...as long as he has someone else to taste it, but at least two of his shinki are capable of doing that, so it's fine. And it means there's plenty of good food for people to share, because force of habit still rules and most of what Shun's made is the kind of food you share in a big group instead of single-person serves. Just don't steal the whole pie and it'll be okay. The soulless shinki Michiya, Sakuya and Tomoya will be around to offer drinks and to prepare portions for people who don't want to do it themselves for whatever reason, so go ahead, be lazy, sit back on one of the many soft chairs or couches (or the weird cushion pile in the corner) in the lounge area, and eat and chat to your heart's content.

And probably don't be Shun, who has a very tiny portion of pie and is eying it off with the suspicion level one generally gives a loaded mousetrap.] I still feel like they made me add more sugar to this than I needed to.

[If anyone else has had the pie...yeah, it's entirely normal sweetness level for pie, Shun just doesn't know what "too much sugar" entails.]

ii. it's time to d-d-d--board games, actually

[In terms of gaming, there's a selection of both easy and difficult, cooperative and non-cooperative games available, generally requiring 2-4 players. Some deckbuilding games like Legendary or Ascension might be easier to just grab a partner for, but if you want to ~~lose at~~ play a co-op game like Pandemic or Forbidden Island, you can either grab some actual people or some of Shun's slightly bemused-looking soulless shinki, who will do their best. There's also some sillier ones like Jenga, and possibly a copy of Exploding Kittens that Kotori snuck in at some point.

Regardless of what you're playing, Shun may well elect to join in, which at least speeds up any setting up that's going on. He might bring Kotori with him if a third player is needed, too.] Are we starting or do you need more time with the rules?

[The rules are there and may have been read beforehand, but sometimes watching someone play works better.]

[[*Feel free to play any of Shun's soulless shinki for the purposes of these threads - Kotori is the only non-soulless, so there should be enough soulless to make four players if needed. Also feel free to handwave more ridiculous games like Twister or Cards Against Humanity on the assumption that Kotori snuck them in.]]

iii. okay here's the card games

[Shun also plays some of the local collectible card games now, since Wendy kind of put him onto a few on his birthday. There's spare decks and rulesets around on one table if anyone wants to learn, though if Shun catches anyone picking through them by themselves, he's probably going to come over to offer a hand himself.]

It works better if you play a game against someone else. [As such, if there's already two people discussing learning how to play together, he'll probably leave them alone. Or just watch from a distance.]

iv. wild

[Feel free to make or tag in with some other temple prompts! The only off-limits place in the temple is the upstairs bedrooms, so the library, garden, hot springs, unused underground bedrooms and training rooms are all available locations. Shun also has six cats and two possessed bird plushies, a hawk that likes to bounce up in people's faces for attention and an owl that's kind of lazy and you might not even be able to tell is possessed until it moves in your peripherals. Also, of course, the garden has two dozen vultures in it.]

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[Ginia waves at Shun as he draws near. Kotori is sitting next to her and in front of them is a tower of Jenga blocks in a few different colors. Apparently Kotori didn't buy regular Jenga, but Truth or Dare Jenga.

Look, Kotori, if you bring the games, you have to join in too.]

We're just about to start. The red blocks mean you have to answer a question truthfully, the green blocks you have to do a dare, and the wood blocks you don't have to do anything. Want in?

[At least this is a straightforward enough game in theory that he would have been surprised if anyone needed to review the rules, though he's not familiar with this variant. Aside from knowing it was in the pile of games Kotori brought in, and he gives her a bit of a flat side-eye when Ginia explains the rules.]

I suppose I can't not try it when I'm the one running this thing. [That's his excuse, anyway, though Kotori laughs softly into the back of her hand at it before elaborating.]

We made a bet, so he can't back out of any of the games I brought or he'll lose it.

[Ginia stifles a soft laugh behind her hand. That sounds like a bad bet to make but also the kind of bet impossible to avoid. She looks over the colorful wood tower, the prompts written on the blocks all facing downward.]

Why don't you go first, since you're the guest and all?

The guest in my own temple? [Shun says that somewhat dryly, though he is technically a "guest" in that he's the one they invited over to play, so he gets the drift.

Kotori's already looking altogether too amused for Shun's liking, though, so he meets her eyes as he very deliberately pushes and then pulls out one of the plain wooden blocks from a middle section and then puts it on top.]

You're both going to have to put some effort in if you want that dare to pay off, though.

[There are equal number of blocks of each color and an attempt was made to evenly distribute the blocks, but the red and green blocks are definitely weighed more toward the middle and top.

Ginia goes next after losing to Kotori in a round of rock, paper, scissors. She studies the tower before pulling out a truth block from the top. Might as well keep the game moving, right?]

What is my pettiest pet peeve?

[She signs the question on the block and considers it, tapping the block against her chin.]

I think it's when people don't screw a lid onto something tight enough and you pick it up from the top and it falls and spills everywhere.

[With that tiny truth out of the way, Ginia places the block on top of the tower.]

[Shun has to consider that for a moment before seeming to understand what she's talking about and nodding.] Sounds like it'd be both annoying and a waste.

[Not the kind of tiny problem he usually encounters himself, but he keeps it in mind as Kotori takes her turn. Apparently taking the riskier option, Kotori pushes out one of the red blocks and flips it over to read.]

...Oh, this one's a free dare, so one of you has to make something up. [At that, Shun turns his head to Ginia with an arched brow.]

You'd probably do a better job of it than me.

[It's a problem easily solved by not grabbing things by the very top, but that's precisely why it's a petty pet peeve.

As Shun turns to her for a dare, Ginia huffs.]

I'm flattered you think I know anything about this.

[It's the sort of thing Kasumi or Natsumi would be great at. Kimi too. And while she can think of some ideas, the game is early and the night is young.]

Take a selfie with as many of the vultures as you can.

[Kotori laughs at that, then gestures to Shun.] Give me some of that jerky you carry around for them, then, otherwise I'm going to have trouble getting them in the picture.

[Shun gives her a bit of an aside glance at that before reaching into his pocket...and he does indeed withdraw what appears to be a packet of some kind of jerky and hand it over to her. He'd been grooming some of them earlier, so he didn't bother to take it out of his pocket.

Kotori promptly leaves, and then comes back in about a minute later, waving her phone a little. She's managed to cram...eleven visible vultures into the picture, which is mostly a lot of heads all trying to get at the jerky at once while she takes the photo with her other hand.] I don't think any more of them would fit in.

[Ginia looks at the picture and bursts into laughter at the sight. The back of her hand presses to her mouth as her shoulders shake, quiet huffing escaping. That's an impressive amount of vultures.]

You have to send me a copy.

[She manages to sign as she regains her composure.]

You know we still need to figure out what happens if someone knocks the tower over.

[Shun's expression remains mostly straight when he sees it, but he does give a faint snort that might be trying to be amused. He's still not the best at that sort of thing.

Though at Ginia's suggestion, he considers for a few moments.] The logical thing would be a truth and a dare, but if you've knocked the whole tower over it seems like the forfeit should be something bigger.

[Rather than essentially "do the things you've been doing the whole game anyway, but both this time".]

Cash pot wouldn't be bad but...

[Her signs trail off as she waves a hand between herself and Shun. With his earnings as a God of Fortune and her salary, neither of them are hurting. Kotori isn't hurting as a part of his temple.

Anything too publicly embarrassing isn't either of their styles. And it's only a game so it doesn't need to be anything too high stakes, especially with the three of them.]

I know. If you knock over the tower, you can't work for a week barring any major emergencies.

[Shun can't help but squint a bit at that suggestion, since gee, that seems awfully targeted.]

The only person that would actually be a punishment for is me, so unless you're suggesting personalised punishments for knocking over the tower, I'm going to have to vote against that one.

[Kotori tilts a hand, like she half agrees with both of them.] Yeah, as much as I'd love to see that happen to him, it feels kind of unfair because I'm certainly not going to be complaining about a holiday if I lose.

I think personalized punishments is the way to go with only the three of us. A broad approach only works well with large groups.

[And a forced vacation is the best punishment for Shun given the current situation. But what to give Kotori...]

Kotori, want to help me file some paperwork if you knock over the tower?

[Self-serving as always.]

[Kotori draws a sharp breath at that, but still seems in good humour about it.] Well, I don't want to, but I think that's kind of the point, isn't it?

[That said, Shun looks like he's trying to consider what would work for Ginia, but is finding himself a bit stumped. He's only really in the habit of noticing things people dislike if they're the things they really, absolutely want to avoid and shouldn't be used as a joke.]

You might have to help me with this one, I don't usually look for things people don't like unless they're more serious than something we'd use for this.

[Ginia's brow furrows thoughtfully as she thinks about a suitable forfeit for her. Surrendering her phone is out of the question. Even with a magic bracelet making sign language understood, her phone is still crucial for communicating and for her work. It's a bit too serious for this kind of wager.

Giving up work for a period of time she would also hate, but it would also affect Ebisu's temple in negative ways. Even if things are quieter, they're still no less busy.

So something silly then. A post on the network? An outlandish outfit? Something she has to do?

...oh. A conversation comes to mind and she sighs.]

I dye my hair platinum blonde and have to keep it that way for a period of time. I like my hair enough I'd hate to do it, but it's not entirely irreversible.

[Shun arches a brow at that, but he can see why it would be a reasonable forfeit given it's a fairly significant change. Kotori is the one who ends up saying what Shun's thinking, though.]

That's weirdly specific. Have you used this as a forfeit before? [It's more teasing than anything, but she finds it a little funny.

Shun nods a little in agreement with the question, though what he actually says runs a bit counter.] It wouldn't really make a difference anyway, if that's what works for you.

Not quite a previous forfeit. Kimi dared me to dye my hair after I dared him to dye his while we were talking about dyeing Ebisu's hair.

[And as her hair is still the same brown it's been since her arrival, it's obvious nothing happened.]

While it's possible I can get Kimi to dye his hair as a result, I wouldn't consider it a net positive outcome. I don't think blonde hair is a great look on me. A month before I'm allowed to make any changes, let's say? A week feels too short.

Dyeing black hair always seems like it'd be more trouble than it's worth. [Says the guy with natural teal, but in any case, it's not a topic he knows a huge amount about. Beyond the obvious issue of darker hair colours generally needing to do something nasty to it first to get the colour to show up.]

Sounds like it makes sense, since it's less of an active thing than the other two. [In the sense that Shun would have to be actively employing a lot of self control to not work for a week. In any case, it's his turn again, and he...goes for another plain block. Someone's taking the boring way out, though calling him out on it might get a better result.]

If you only move the plain blocks, you're setting yourself up for more problems down the road.

[Assuming the tower is still standing at that point. It almost feels like they need to amend the rules to two losses instead of one, but that's moving the goalposts too.]

Besides, Kotori spent all this time getting the game and setting it up. The least you could do is share some juicy secrets or do some silly dares in the process.

[Ginia surveys the tower and goes for a dare block that's in a safe position to move.]

'Eat or drink something spicy, sour, or bitter.' [Ginia considers what's on the snack table before looking at Kotori.] What's the worst you can hit me with from the kitchen?

It's hardly going to be worth it if you don't have to put in some effort for it, is it? [Is Shun's prompt reply to that second thing, to which Kotori gives a faint snort like that's exactly the kind of response she was expecting. There's something of a halfway challenging smile on his face at that, too, as if trying to prompt them into making it harder for him to avoid the worse blocks.

At the question, Shun and Kotori look back towards the kitchen almost simultaneously, then look at each other.] Kurosaki-sama isn't exactly adventurous with his foods...I think we have lemons? And maybe chili flakes.

[Shun nods a bit at that.] That and some pretty bitter preparations of coffee. Or natto, if you're one of the people who doesn't like that.

Edited 2019-08-13 14:13 (UTC)

[No one really wants to bite into a lemon, but it feels like a waste of a good lemon. On the other hand, Ginia is definitely one of those people who doesn't like natto. It's stringy and sticky and her face scrunches in light disgust at the thought.]

It has to be natto. Natto and throw some chili flakes on top if I'm only doing a bite.

[Kotori laughs a little bit at the thought of that, and gets up to go handle it herself, waving a hand at Shun when he tries to get up as well.] I know where everything is, it'll be fine. Just remember to eat the rest of it tomorrow.

[Shun frowns a bit at that, like she said something somehow offensive.] I don't waste food.

[In any case, it only takes about a minute for Kotori to pop out of the kitchen again with a spoonful of foul-smelling fermented beans. There's more than just a few chili flakes on top, too, though they're the type one throws into general cooking, so they're not exactly that hot.

Still grinning, she hands the spoon over to Ginia.]

[In terms of fermented foods, natto is fairly benign. Easy on the stomach, plenty of health proprieties, blah blah blah. Ginia knows what she likes and doesn't like and there's a sigh of reluctance as she takes the spoon.

The chili flakes add a bit of heat that's actually nice. If she liked natto, it'd be an appealing topping. But as she doesn't, Ginia chews with a look of mild disgust at the sour flavor.

She's quick to go for her soda once she swallows, but it doesn't really help.]

I really can't understand the appeal at all.

[Kotori looks like she's trying not to laugh the entire time, while Shun mostly just looks kind of confused what's so bad about it. Then again, he'd gotten used to natto before the war gave him issues with strong tastes, so it's something he went back to fairly easily.]

I don't understand the problem with it, but it's probably something to do with acquiring the taste or something. Like durian, except the problem with that is usually the smell from what I've heard.

[He doesn't find it particularly offensive, but he supposes that might not be the case for someone not adjusted to it. Like how others don't necessarily find highly sweet foods offensive in the way he does.]

I suppose if I liked the flavor, I could handle the smell. I've heard stinky tofu is similar too. It's not so much the taste of natto, but the texture of it.

[Also it looks like someone sneezed on a bunch of beans. There's no escaping the overall look of it.]

I guess this means if you have a food or drink challenge, you're drinking soda or having a spoonful of sugar or something.

[She's not wrong about that, and Shun nods a little as Kotori offers a hand out to take the spoon so she can return it to the sink.]

I don't keep soda around, so it'd be sugar or any sweets anyone might have left over. [He does sometimes bring sweets home for the other residents of the temple, he just rarely has them himself.] It's the kind of thing that's still going to take me a while to get used to again.

[There's an understanding nod.]

It's different, but I don't think I had a lot of sugar growing up. Guess I'm making up for it now.

[Sugar, flavors, there's all sorts of food Ginia is enjoying. Turns out when you're raising a band of child soldiers, nutrition-filled gruel is all you really need.]

Though the caffeine in most sodas don't work on me. It's why I don't really drink coffee either. Alcohol is a bust as well so most drinks are for the flavor and not much else. Can't think of any food I don't get the full effect of.

Something to do with your technology? [He indicates his own eyes, since his only experience with her enhancements is related to her using them to enhance her sight. Still, if they were something small and internal, it makes sense to him that they'd filter out those sorts of chemicals.]

I'd rather drink coffee for caffeine anyway, but it doesn't hit me the same way as it does others. Probably relied on it too much in the past.

[The secret weapon of many a late-night patrol group: freeze-dried instant coffee that takes approximately a million years to go off.]

Pretty much. Blood filtering, as far as I understand. I think I'm also protected against diseases too.

[It makes sense given her past job. No danger of her getting drunk or poisoned or anything like that. Not being able to take over the counter medication is an annoyance, but being able to monitor and adjust her sense of pain balances that out. Somewhat.]

I should bring some good coffee by for you. If you're going to drink it black, might as well make it the good stuff, right?

[With all the heavy coffee drinkers around her temple, there are definitely a lot of good varieties floating around.]

Hey, Kotori, what foods do you not like?

Makes sense. [Considering what he learnt from her dream and what she told him about her past, if someone was going to enhance someone like that, it's a logical thing to toss in.]

I got a few bags of good coffee for my birthday, but I'm open to trying other varieties. Those ones are mostly Iranian styles. [Courtesy of Ren having been the one to gift them to him.

At the question, Kotori raises a brow, but answers promptly enough.] Uh...I don't really like foods that stink or things that squish in your mouth, like meat fat or some types of offal. I'm not that picky, usually.

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[closed] stretching our hands towards the light leading into tomorrow

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...I so meant that to say "host" but it's a funny enough slip to leave

i thought you might've but figured it worked anyway

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