thenearshore | Hiyoko is a busy girl...

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Hiyoko is a busy girl...

Who: Hiyoko and Nageki/ Hiyoko and Sheryl/ Hiyoko and Open
What: Talking to animals, a maybe!date, and who even knows what else.
When: The weekend of April 15th-17th
Where: Meilikki's temple, several places around the near shore, and the zoo.
Warnings: Hiyoko is weird.

Nageki-

[On Saturday, Hiyoko picked up Nageki right on time at his new god's temple. She's got her hair pulled back with a cute flower clip and made sure to wear something relatively nice. She still doesn't know if this counts as a date though, so she didn't bring flowers.

He wouldn't want flowers anyway. Do they make book bouquets? Their first stop is a little cafe where they can chat. But she does have something a little more exciting planned for later. It takes a little more effort than she likes to get somebirdie at the cafe to come take their order, but at least nobirdie will listen in on their conversation.]

I'll have a cappuccino please!

[And a big smile in Nageki's direction.]

Order whatever you want, okay?

Sheryl-

[Finally, a chance to show off her magnificent palace! It's got so many wonderful features her glorious abode back home lacked. Like an actual door.

Yeah, Sheryl may be a little disappointed to discover that this 'palace' is actually a rustic hunting lodge. It's very well crafted though, as befits a goddess of the hunt. And the view overlooking the expanse of rocky wilderness is impressive. Considering Hiyoko used to live in an actual cave, this is definitely a step up. And since Sheryl wanted to meet some animals, she's got one of the bears up here and also a wood grouse. They can find an elk later if she wants to chat with one. Or if she's hungry. Hiyoko is determined to be a good hostess.]

Hi! Welcome to Mielikki-land!

[That's... probably not it's official name. Hiyoko waves cheerfully. The bear copies her after she nudges it.]

Open-

[So after a certain conversation, Hiyoko is curious about what her newfound powers could be used for. And whether animals in the zoo enjoy their lazy but uninteresting lifestyle. So on Sunday, she's taking some time to visit the local zoo and find out for herself. Which means it's a good thing people don't notice her. Because she sure is just sitting in front of one of the cages, deep in conversation with a tiger. ~~If Kija does decide to tag along, they can totally hit up the bear enclosure though.~~]

I mean, security is a thing I completely understand. Nobody wants to go hungry. But, c'mon, be honest. Don't you ever miss stalking your helpless prey though the jungle?

[Anybirdie is welcome to bother her. If you... actually want to talk to the crazy girl.]

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[A little disappointed that it's not the grand palace that Hiyoko is hyping it up to be? Perhaps, yes, but that disappointment comes and goes as swiftly as the wind after Sheryl takes a really good look at the lodge. Very rustic and quaint, yet there's a certain charm to it that she can describe — in her own words — as "homey".

Yes, homey. By glancing at the lodge, she just conjured up an image of two people huddled under one blanket in front of the fireplace during cold, winter nights.

That image goes poof when Sheryl jumps, her mouth agape, an expression of shock at the sight before. A bear just waved to her!]

O-Oh! Hi there!

[How did Hiyoko do that?! Hastily, she waves hello, casting a gaze at the hostess before her eyes linger on the bear with a look that clearly says "please don't eat me!"]

[The privacy is nice, yeah, but Nageki has a sinking suspicion someone's going to try to sit on them thanks to their limited presence. He points at the menu board, quietly enough that he might be missed even if he wasn't a shinki.]

Tea will be fine.

[This is weird. And only partially because he'd been so reluctant about it in the first place. Mostly, really, because he wasn't sure if this was a date or not. He doesn't know how you'd act if it was a date. He doesn't know how to act if it wasn't a date, let's be real.

At least he's dressed mostly decently. He's replaced his sweater with a nicer jacket. There's that. That's a start, right? It's not like he had anyone to ask...]

[Hiyoko runs over to Sheryl excitedly. The bear slowly lumbers after her. Honestly it just looks sort of bored. He really doesn't understand why this is so exciting.]

So what do you think? Pretty nice, right? Let me give you a tour. C'mon.

[She is just so genuinely proud of her new home. It's so much fancier than her cave. The first stop on her tour is likely to be very enlightening.]

Let me show you the door.

[She's not kidding.]

Now I don't have to hang animal skins to keep the cold out.

Edited 2016-08-14 22:26 (UTC)

[It's not as if she knows how to act on a date. Or whether this is a date.

Yeah, this will be awkward. While they wait for their drinks she tries desperately to figure out where to start.]

Um, so...

[Say something, say something....]

How have you been? Is your new god nice?

I think he can hear my thoughts. [There's no lead up to that apparently. He pauses for a moment, one hand holding his other on the table and he's staring very intently at his knuckles.]

Miss Tosaka, may I ask you something?

Wh-what? He's not violating your privacy is he?

[Geez, can't he just get a nice god? Her tirade about personal privacy is derailed by his question though.]

Huh? Sure. Ask me anything.

[He's been sitting on this question all week, hesitant and nervous, and now that he has the chance, he doesn't know how to phrase it. He can't small talk around it, can't just pretend it hasn't been weighing on his mind since she invited him out.

He can't ask why she has such an interest in him, no matter how confused he is by the matter. She clams up whenever he asks her questions that involve him. Besides, the question is more important than a personal relationship.]

What is it like where you're from?

[Now that he thinks of it, it's cold and impersonal.

But he's cold and impersonal himself. And this distances him from the question. Hiyoko might actually answer it now.]

I can't remember anything about when I was alive. The only world I know now is this one, but I don't belong here. I've never had the chance to ask any of my gods what it was like where they're from.

[Once she realizes it's not a personal question she relaxes. There can't be any harm in just describing where they're from.]

Different. I mean, a lot of it looks mostly the same but...

[She chuckles, suddenly aware how weird this is going to sound.]

There's not so many humans around. Before I got here, I had never even seen so many humans in one place. Most of the population is birds. There's also a lot of areas still in ruins even though the war was a long time ago.

Aren't you a human, Miss Tosaka?

[Though now that he thinks about it, it both sounds ridiculous and yet... it makes sense. He had felt very strange about the extent to which he was expected to eat poultry. And there's also their shared vocabulary, but he'd heard her use as well. His eyebrows furrow in thought.

So were they humans from a world populated by birds, then? ~~close. so close.~~

It just sounds so absolutely ridiculous.]

Of course! Do I look like a bird?

[Both that line and an accompanying giggle are out of her mouth before her brain catches up to the fact that Nageki doesn't exactly look like a bird right now either.

Crap. Is there a non awkward way to say 'btw, you ARE a bird?']

[He refrains from making a bird brain joke.]

Not at all. And I suppose it would be strange for someone who's a bird to be fighting bears. [Seriously Hiyoko what is with you.]

... Have you been doing all right here? [She's acted so worried about him, it makes him wonder if the reason might be difficulties with things on her part. And if things are so strange for her...]

[ He's decided to make himself useful and wander about town today. At least take a detour on his way back from the convenience store. As he hasn't been to the zoo before, he decides it should be a good idea to go... at least once.

And then there's this girl he spots in front of the tiger cage just when he approaches. There's a tilt of his head when he realizes she isn't addressing him... but the tiger. ]

It might have never seen the wild before... if it was bred in captivity.

[Oh, so the bear isn't going to eat Sheryl, after all... time for a sigh of relief, a hand on her chest while she takes the effort to compose herself. She's a guest in someone's temple, so she must act the part!]

It reminds me of those lovely homes that people go to when it snows outside. I've seen them in magazines.

[She means that sincerely. A home doesn't have to be extravagant to look nice. Her eyes linger on the door, and she arches an eyebrow at the mention of animal skins.]

You used to hang those skins?

[And of course, Kija will be at the zoo, as planned. He might have to sneak out of his own temple, since he might not exactly be allowed to go to the zoo unsupervised after climbing into the bear enclosure last time... But he makes it! He's here!

Hiyoko is easy to spot, considering she's sitting there talking to a tiger - and Kija's big scaly dragon arm likely marks him as the only "white dragon" around who isn't someone's pet. So. Here he is.]

Hello! Are you making progress?

[Her home would look great in a magazine! Lifestyles of the hunters and gatherers.]

Thanks! It's got windows too, so I can see outside!

[Door and windows. So fancy.]

Animal skins are the best way to keep the cold and rain from getting in a cave. If you hang them over the entrance, it's actually pretty cozy.

[This not being remotely interesting, the bear yawns and rubs it's face with a paw. Seriously what's wrong with caves?]

[She laughs.]

Maybe. But I know a couple of birds who might give a bear a run for it's money.

[Okosan could at least outrun one. And Yuuya has an anti tank gun. That'd probably kill a bear.

His concern is a surprise, and blossoms a warm feeling in her heart.]

It's pretty weird, and there's a lot of stuff I miss, but... I'm okay. I'm pretty adaptable.

[She turns to the newcomer, frowning.]

In that case shouldn't he want to at least experience life in the wild? It's way too sad to spend his whole life not knowing the freedom and majesty of his ancestors!

Hi!

[She stands up, brushing the dirt from her clothes. Then she shrugs.]

Most of the animals here were bred in captivity. And they really like the steady supply of free food.

[She can't really blame them for that.]

But a few of them are interested in trying out an independent lifestyle.

I suppose similar people... birds... would congregate together. [Weirdos, he is saying. Weirdos.

Ok a giant rifle does not count Yuuya would be cheating.]

You made friends with a bear. Your adaptability was never being questioned. I just hope that everyone's been treating you well. [He's not nearly as friendly as her and they treat him well so he's sure she's fine, but...

[Hiyoko's temple would be the best-looking one in that magazine, true facts.

What Hiyoko says next causes Sheryl to hike her eyebrows all the way up, so high that her bangs are now hiding them.]

I didn't know you used to live in a cave! That does explain why you had to use those skins to keep warm...

[Perhaps the hostess travels a lot or really likes the outdoors! She seems like the type to Sheryl. It doesn't take long for the bear to capture her attention, with its yawning and face rubbing that evokes some quiet laughter from her end.]

[Wow... lazy non-warriors... Well, those are a hopeless case. But the others-!]

Ah! Which ones? The bear?

You know... I guess that makes sense.

[ He offers a bit of an apologetic smile as he approaches. ]

So... has he said anything interesting?

[ Konzen finds that he has to step out of the Far Shore every now and then. Something about that place just feels too lukewarm and comfortable for his liking. It reminds him too much of the life he'd left behind. Maybe all heavens are the same. The bullshit is definitely unchanged.

He steps out into the city of the Near Shore, quite accustomed now to the sights and sounds that were once such an unknown thing to him. He finds himself going down a street he hasn't been before, and then another, until it leads to a place where they keep animals in enclosed spaces. He's seen a similar place before: the horrible basement laboratory of Litouten. The failed experiments had been kept caged and prodded, all in the name of a madman's revenge.

This place bothers him.

He also feels some odd sort of affinity here, as if the animals in the enclosures speak to him. Not in so many words, but he feels them, somehow. Curious, he walks around to see what he might discover.

He pauses in front of a cage where a large tiger sits, facing a little girl. She doesn't seem afraid. But maybe this mortal is too young to be fearful. Goku was once like this. Konzen feels a little wistful. ]

Well, I went to school in the city but living there is too pricey.

[And a lot of birds don't want to rent apartments to humans anyway.]

Caves are very economical and can be pretty cozy if you know how to fix them up. And there's nothing like living off the land to get your blood pumping!

[But then she shrugs and gives Sheryl an embarrassed smile.]

I do sort of like the idea of a real house for a change though.

[She still can't believe that they're just giving her this lodge. It's so fancy!]

Mostly just stuff about the zoo. Which keepers he likes, which ones are jerks, that kind of thing.

[She stands and stretches.]

Most of the animals I talked to do wish they had more room to run around. But they also really like not having to worry about starving.

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Hiyoko is a busy girl...

April 15th

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Re: April 15th

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Zoo!

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zoo

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Re: Zoo!

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April 16

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