[closed] it was greek to me

[bon_bon]

Who: Konzen and Tenpou
What: Blundering through that place Down Below
When: April 14
Where: Near Shore
Warnings: n/a


So they arrive with a flash, from the temple of Athena to the other side. Down Below. The Near Shore. It seems to have all kinds of names, but it all means the same. The place where the mortals reside. The living world that had eluded them in their past life. It's now just a wish away, close your eyes and ffft! already arrived. Konzen can't quite get used to how simple it is. He still remembers keenly how they struggled to reach the gates of heaven and earth, leaving behind a bloody trail and heartbreak before the end.

Now it's just anti-climatic.

"It's still weird," Konzen remarks as they emerge on the grounds of the temple on the other side.

He and Tenpou have been in touch since their arrival here almost daily. This, however, marks their first time really venturing into the Near Shore together (not counting the disastrous first day there at the school). And to this day, Tenpou hasn't asked him what happened to him and Goku at the Dimension Gate. Maybe that's for the best. After all, who needs that kind of image in their head?

Comments

[blossomstorm]

Tenpou definitely hasn't asked about that, and he doesn't plan to. The fact that Konzen is here is enough of an answer for him in that sense. Tenpou doesn't need to know more, but if Konzen wants to talk about it, he will listen.

It's early afternoon, it's a sunny day, and Tenpou is wearing his lab coat outfit again. He showered earlier, but when he got out his lab coat wasn't where he had left it. His soulless shinki had taken it. Presumably for cleaning, but maybe for burning? He never seemed to like it very much. Tenpou had to insist to get it back this time. And then his shinki stared accusingly at him until Konzen arrived and they left. Apparently, even soulless shinki were capable of having strong opinions.

Looking at his feet as they walk, Tenpou idly entertains the idea of buying new clothes, but his part-time job doesn't pay until tomorrow and he has other things to spend money on, so that will have to wait. Probably forever.

"It is," he agrees, resuming the conversation. "I still prefer walking in general, but teleporting is convenient in cases like this."

[bon_bon]

The gate death thing, it's not going to come up. And not just because Tenpou probably already knows something bad happened. And not because Konzen would have done anything different, either. It's because there's an uncomfortable amount of guilt he still feels from that moment when the doors were about to close. The things Goku had to see... Konzen might wonder whether Kenren or Tenpou feel the same guilt, too.

"Or necessary, anyway."

As far as Konzen knows, you have to teleport back and forth between the dimensions.

Konzen wears a regular buttoned shirt and slacks with sandals. His clothes from when he arrived have been laundered and ironed, but he hasn't really felt like putting them back on again. Tenpou, on the other hand, can't seem to quit that damn labcoat. It's looking worse for wear.

They pass through the temple gates and begin walking down a stone stair that's lined on both sides with tall trees. At the bottom is a street, where it seems the city meets the sanctuary of the temple grounds.

"I used one of those automatic devices the other day. Did you know they can dispense hot cans of tea?"

And the devices, they're everywhere. Do humans really drink that much?

[blossomstorm]

"Ah, they dispense other things, too. There's cold drinks too, and food vending machines... Some even dispense hot food. I've never used one, though."

The thought of Konzen using one of those is new, but now that he mentioned it, Tenpou is curious about it himself. Anyway, Tenpou said he would show Konzen where his workplace is, and then they could grab something to eat. Vending machines are convenient for residents of the far shore because they can't ignore them. Hopefully they won't have that problem when they sit at an actual restaurant later, but there's no use worrying about it now.

Walking down these stairs while talking about human technology with Konzen feels slightly surreal. But it's been this way these past few days, in general. He's starting to get used to it.

"Have you been answering prayers?"

[bon_bon]

It's surprising that there's a thing that Konzen has done that Tenpou has not, especially in the mortal realm. Konzen arches his brow curiously but leaves it at that.

The sunshine filters down through the tree branches, flickering light onto their path as they make their way toward the street below. The sound of people and the city bustle sound muted from up here.

"Uh. Not really," Konzen says. He's been preoccupied with other things in the last week.

"...have you?"

[blossomstorm]

[ There are many things Tenpou hasn't done, although Konzen might expect differently... In the case of vending machines in particular, Tenpou has some experience with a different type-- capsule toy vending machines, which led him to the discovery of monthly lottery tickets for prizes by a certain famous company, and so on. But bringing up otaku gambling culture to Konzen out of the blue seems like a gratuitous invitation for judgement. ]

"I haven't either. I always forget to bring my shinki."

[bon_bon]

Honestly, Konzen would probably want to hear about Tenpou's weird little adventures. He's curious how his friend finds this place. The differences to the place they called Down Below.

They make it to the bottom of the stair and come out onto the street. Konzen pauses here so Tenpou can direct their way.

"What do you think, of your shinki?"

They're kind of wrong, aren't they? Compared to the others, anyway.

let's just imagine that my last tag was in the right format. yes.

[blossomstorm]

(Konzen, please ask if you want to know. If you show an interest, he'd love to tell you. At least then his invitation for judgement wouldn't be gratuitous.)

Tenpou leads them down the street to the right as if he's done this a lot. And he has, these past few days. There isn't a lot of people around, because of the time of the day, but there is a residential area to the left. And where they're heading, it's mostly parks, temples and schools. The downtown area for this city is further ahead.

"Ah, about his lack of interest in everything? I've tried to find out more about this, but Athena's library doesn't have a lot of information on the Far Shore. All I was able to learn is that shinki like ours are sometimes referred to as soulless."

you'r fine x) <3

[bon_bon]

(Yeah, yeah. He will!)

Tenpou turns in a very practiced manner, and Konzen follows. People walk past them without a second glance as they make their way down the narrow street.

"Soulless. Hmph."

He'd suspected as much. The emptiness in Haru's gaze reflects eerily back at him.

"They're real rat bastards, aren't they? I guess taking their memories wasn't enough."

[blossomstorm]

"There certainly are a lot of things wrong, but I'm not sure we should assume they did that. It could be a side-effect of the blight, or something else."

[bon_bon]

"You're being diplomatic," Konzen says with a snort. But he doesn't expect anything less. It's Tenpou-like, to consider all the angles, after all.

"...I was blighted the other day," he adds. Since they're on the subject. "I think something upset Goku."

[blossomstorm]

". . . When was that? How bad was it?"

People continue to ignore them as they walk, even though some of them also avoid running into them without realizing. It's really strange, how this works.

[bon_bon]

"A few days ago. It was bad, but it went away with some holy water."

It stung. He'd gotten blighted when they'd fought the jelly monster, but this was something else. It was accompanied by a restlessness and a persistent ache in his chest that told him something was wrong.

He unconsciously rubs the back of his neck where it had been blighted.

"It's weird. Like...I thought I could feel what he was feeling. It's different, with Goku."

Unlike Haru, who seems to reflect nothing.

[blossomstorm]

Tenpou notices his hand movement and walks silently for a bit, considering what Konzen said.

"Did you talk to him after that?"

[bon_bon]

"...no."

He can't. Konzen might've been the cause of it to begin with. It's a frustrating dilemma.

"I went by Elsa's temple, though. I uh, ran into Hakkai."

(When Konzen was lurking there...)

[blossomstorm]

"It might not be bad for you to talk to him about it, though... You are one of his gods now. In that sense, it can't be bad for him to know he has your support."

As for Hakkai...

"How did it go?"

[bon_bon]

"...." Konzen doesn't reply to that first part. Because somehow, he can't bring himself to tell Tenpou how Goku started crying when they first met. Even if Goku has no memories, there must be some part of him that knows. And Konzen was the trigger.

"He was helpful," he says. And maybe he doesn't even say it grudgingly. It doesn't mean he likes Hakkai at all. But maybe he dislikes him a little less than before.

"He said he'd talk to Goku. Did you know that you can revoke a shinki's name?"

[blossomstorm]

Tenpou nods. "I knew."

There's more people around them now, mostly students and office workers on late lunch break. Konzen and Tenpou are still a few blocks away from where they are heading, walking at a comfortable pace.

"Are you considering it?"

[bon_bon]

"I think it might be better, for Goku," Konzen says. And it's not because Sanzo has some dark notions about what it means to be a shinki. Konzen has decided that you get to choose what it means. It doesn't matter what others say.

"To keep his distance from me."

[blossomstorm]

Tenpou takes his time to answer to that.

"Knowing Goku, that might hurt him more than it might help him, though. He's already aware that you two know him, so he may have made the connection to me as well... So I'm not sure if we're not affecting him by not seeking him out." He takes out his cigarettes. "Anyway, I don't think he'd appreciate it if you made that choice on your own. You'd have to talk it over with him."

[bon_bon]

It's all very roundabout, isn't it? It might be his presence, it might be his avoidance, no one really knows. But the rules of this heaven are fucked up, either way.

He quirks his brow when Tenpou speaks the last bit though. He considers not mentioning anything for a moment, but ends up saying it anyway:

"Hakkai said the same thing. About letting Goku decide."

Is it really that obvious that Konzen would decide what he thinks is best for the kid?

[blossomstorm]

"Did he?"

If he did, Tenpou's assesment is probably not that far off.

"Well, Goku isn't a child anymore. He doesn't know us, and arguably, we don't know him either. But it's already too late for us to pretend we don't know him. He might see this as rejection, and that might hurt him more if that's what we're talking about."

He looks at Konzen as they wait for the traffic lights to change. There really is no nice way to say this.

"But I'm not sure that's the case. Even if you say you want to protect him that way, is he the one who will be protected?"

[bon_bon]

Of course it's not a rejection, he could never do that to Goku. It doesn't occur to him that it might seem that way, now that they are strangers to him. But it's not that part that Konzen finds alarming.

He turns to him, confused and vexed. It shows on Konzen's face.

"Are you saying I'm doing it for myself?"

[blossomstorm]

"He's not the one who remembers, so he can only be affected by what we show and tell him. The god-shinki bond goes one way."

[bon_bon]

He sighs.

"I know. But what do you expect me to do? Put on a face?"

He's not good at that sort of thing. Tenpou knows this already.

[blossomstorm]

Tenpou lights a cigarette and resumes walking.

"No, that's just acting. But you can make an effort to start from scratch and get to know Goku again. If he wants this, we all can."

Sanzo's words to Tenpou when they first met made an impression-- their shinki selves were different people, as far as they were concerned. But the feelings of those who remembered were true as well.

"I can't speak for him. But I don't think the Goku we know would appreciate it if his opinion wasn't taken into consideration."