thenearshore | 007 | Clean Up Your Act

Entry tags:

007 | Clean Up Your Act

Who: Everyone!
What: Spring cleaning
When: All day April 15
Where: All around the Heavens
Summary: The Heavens don't like things being cluttered, so it's time to clean up a little bit.

Main Hall

While the main hall of the Heavens seems spotlessly clean at all times, that's not the case at all. In fact, it's been at least a decade since the last time they actually cleaned everything out properly. There are a lot of hidden closets and back rooms that have layers of dust and dozens of boxes filled with nothing but junk. Who knows, though! You might find something interesting and useful in there along with all the garbage.

Suprises

Unfortunately, some of the older temples on the Far Shore seem to have some interesting surprises tucked away, ranging from cursed artifacts all the way to magical creatures locked up in long-forgotten rooms. You are free to be creative with this as a way to get your characters into trouble while cleaning.

Complimentary Dinner

After all of your hard work, you deserve to have some tasty food and refreshing beverages. So the Heavens have provided that for you, so that you can wind down after a long day. It's not as fancy as the banquets they often put on, but there is a nice array of food and drinks for everyone to enjoy.

Counselling

As usual, there is a white-robed shinki bearing the gold chrysanthemum of Amaterasu sitting at a table in the Main Hall. There is a small sign that denotes her as the counselling shinki. Anyone is welcome to approach her, and she will smile serenely at anyone passing by as well.

In Summary:

Clean up your home
Help clean others' homes
Get the main hall clean too!
Hope no hidden magic jumps out
Seek counselling if you need it
Enjoy your complimentary dinner
Have fun~

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Ah, is that how it is? [She nods in understanding, confirming that yeah, she's an adult.] Over 18 is considered an adult here, right? I'm over 20, so I should be fine!

[Sanzang laughs a little, arm still looped around his.] So, do I just concentrate and we'll teleport there?

[ She's twenty! Yes! He pats her hand, debating whether or not to drape his arm around her shoulder... but then she suggests blindly teleporting out into the ether and no no no. No. ]

Let's find one of those staff shinki and get directions, okay? [ Arm around the shoulder, yes! ] Teleporting can be dangerous if you don't know right where you're goin'.

[ There's got to be one of Amaterasu's gold-and-white shinki wandering around nearby. Shall they take a stroll and find one? ]

I'm sure we'd be fine! [It usually turns out fine in the end, after all, but she's not stupid (surprisingly)-- she's aware that yea, that could be a bad idea. She'd sort of been hoping that if she just thought about teleporting to 'home' or something this world's mechanics would kick in and take here where she needed to go.

His idea was probably much safer. So she lets him put his arm around her shoulders and lead them off; he reminds her a bit (okay a lot) of Magoichi, which may or may not be a good thing honestly.]

What about your temple? What does it look like?

Edited (i deleted half my tag before sending like a moron) 2016-08-18 21:14 (UTC)

[ It probably would have been fine -- he hasn't heard about anyone else who got themselves stuck in a tree -- but he also hasn't told anyone about that so it's also possible that everybody is crashing into shit all the time and just not being public about it. Best not to risk it.

Thankfully, there's one of the white-and-gold shinki just down the hall, handing out cleaning supplies with a simpering smile on her face. Gojyo hates her already. ]

My place? It's not bad. It's real rich-lookin', you know? Lots of gold everywhere.

[ Which he hates. But chicks like bling, so... ]

You'll have to come see it some time.

Gold? Just gold? [That would get a little tacky, and she says that as someone who wears a lot of yellow and gold colors herself.]

But I will, I'll stop by some time! I'd like that. [She untangles herself from his arm to approach the shinki in question and speaks cheerfully to her. The shinki keeps up the same bland politeness, but Sanzang is animated and cheery enough for the both of them.

Thankfully it doesn't seem like her temple is too far or anything and she hurries back over to grab Gojyo's hands, bouncing in excitement] I got the directions! Let's go, Master Dionysus! [Because he hasn't given her another name so.]

Not just--! [ He tries to protest, but she's already swinging off to ask directions of the shinki up ahead. Damn but she's a bouncy thing! He catches her hands when she returns, nodding along with her bouncing.

Master Dionysus. She really is a piece of work. ] Let's go!

Yay! [She cheers aaaand they're off! Look, she's excited, okay? She can't really remember the last time she was at a proper temple.

Though Kanzeon's temple seems to be an ornate mix of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese to reflect the versions of her throughout. Despite her earlier good cheer, Sanzang's quiet in her surprise, overwhelmed.]

Oh... Seeing it makes it more real, huh...

[ He's never going to get used to teleporting. But they land safely enough, right in front of one of the shiniest, most ornate places Gojyo's ever seen.

Huh. It's about time somebody here got a real temple. ]

Now this is more like it! [ He's watching her out of the corner of his eye, though. She seems blown away by the place, which looks a lot like the temple at Chang'an that the real Sanzo used to live in. ] You think it's got a pool?

It's nostalgic. [She clasps her hands in front of her, subdued as she looks around the grounds] It looks like Kinzan Temple...

[Even her smile isn't as bright when she looks at him again, but she's clearly trying] Mm, maybe! That'd be fun, right? We could go swimming! Maybe there's a hot spring around somewhere too!

Shall we look around?

[ Damn. She is really, truly crazy. It's making him feel kinda bad about all this, actually. ...But she's here now, and there's no helping that! Might as well enjoy the good bits. ]

Wild horses couldn't stop me. [ He grins at her, and throws in a wink for good measure. ] But I should warn you, I didn't bring my suit.

[Sanzang throws her head back with a bright laugh] That's alright, neither did I!

[She doesn't care, really. Oops. She turns and takes his hands again, giving him a light tug] Hey, come on, let's look around! It's nostalgic, but it's not totally the same. There's no other monks or my friends running around.

[Sanzang laughs again, more subdued, and lets him go when they start walking around, hands clasped behind her back] I haven't been back there in so long anyway... It's a little too quiet, ahaha. Back then, I had so many people visiting. Even if they couldn't stay long, it was always fun to see Ryorin or Master Gojyo again. And if they came, then Reikan, or Ginkaku and Kinkaku would come too. [She trails off wistfully.]

[ And Gojyo stops, right there, immovable stone pillar shaped like a man. ]

Ginkaku and Kinkaku. [ He says the names slowly, like he's sounding them out for the first time. There's no way those names ended up in the paper. Hell, other than his team, he doubts there was anyone left alive who'd ever heard them before. ] Where did you hear those names?

Hm? [She stops a few steps ahead and turns, facing him with an honest, wide-eyed confusion. Why had he stopped like that??]

They're twins that traveled with me for a while... They were very cute! Kinkaku had very pretty blonde hair, and Ginkaku had silvery hair. [She smiles, wistful and nostalgic, but even someone like her can read the atmosphere here and the mile drops to a concerned look.]

What's wrong?

[ There's really only two options here. Either she's an imposter, sent to lure them all into a false sense of security so that she can steal the sutra... or she's really a version of Sanzo from some strange world where he's a Master and the kids had got a better ending.

He knows better than to hope for the second one, but he's never been very bright. ]

How the hell do you know about them? They didn't travel with us, they died, so how the hell do you know their names?!

[Sanzang looks shocked and then heartbroken] Died? But that's-- Is that what happened to the ones in your world...?

[She's not sure if he's a different version of one of her traveling companions (likely, given her general reaction to him and how comfortable she is) or maybe his version of the well-known story is just different (also likely).

She presses a sleeve to her mouth and half-turns away, her grief a little more overwhelming than she expected it to be.] They were just children... [She trails off and closes her eyes a moment to collect herself before she answers.] In my world, they traveled with all of us. At the end of our journey, they went home along with everyone else- Master Gojyo took them back himself...

Master Gojyo buried them both on the side of the mountain. [ He means it to sound bitter, but he just sounds sad. And given how torn up over it she seems (not to mention that strange familiarity)... ] Shit. You're really him, aren't you? Only a girl.

[She lowers her hands so they're clasped in front of her and gazes at him solemnly.]

I am. I am Genjo Sanzo-- at least, I'm one version. And it seems my version of the Journey went a lot differently. [A pause and she adds] Will you tell me your real name now?

[ Does it even matter if it's a trap? They've taken all of Sanzo's memories as it is -- there can't be anything Gojyo could tell anybody that their kidnappers don't already know.

With a sigh, he relents. ]

Sha Gojyo. ...No 'Master'. [ And, because the mood was getting far too heavy, he tosses her a wink. ] 'Least, not in public.

[Sanzang can't help but smile a little, and she steps forward to examine him closer.] I had a feeling-- My heart knew you even if my mind didn't.

But, Hakkai was right. You're nothing like the Gojyo I know-- You have hair, first of all! [She laughs gently and reaches out to touch the hair in question] It's beautiful. I'm a little jealous. Mine's so short and boring!

The Gojyo I knew was almost totally bald, and he wore glasses.

[ He brushes her hand off this time -- Sanzo or no, she doesn't get to feel up his hair and call it beautiful of all things -- but his hand quickly redirects to his own very much not receeding hairline. ]

Don't even joke about things like that! [ Bald and with glasses, damn. Sounds like some old man. ...Holy shit, there's a version of him that lived to be an old man? ] I'm gonna die beautiful and young, with all my hair still on my head, thank you very much.

[Sanzang pouts a little when he brushes her hand off, and more when he talks about dying.]

Hey, don't say things like that so easily! [Her tone is a bit more frantic than she actually wanted it to be, but come on Gojyo!! She just met you (...again? Er-) and you're talking about dying already?] You should live as long as you can!

Besides, Master Gojyo-- Ah, hmm... Why don't I call him 'Wujing' so we don't get confused? Master Wujing wasn't that old anyhow! He was, hmm... Maybe a little older than you are now? [Based on looks, anyhow.]

How old do you think I am?!

[ This is getting personal now, geez! Gojyo rakes a hand back through his hair, as though testing to make sure it's all still there. There's a strand or two tangled around his fingers when he pulls his hand free, but no more -- he's not going bald yet, stop making him think he's gonna go bald! ]

You're the one who needs glasses to read!

Hmm... Maybe only a little older than me...? [She taps her cheek, tilting her head this way and that in a mock uncertainty.

The corner of her mouth twitches and then she can't hide her smile, which quickly makes way for giggles, and then full-out laughing. She doubles over; it's not really that funny, but it's like everything overwhelming is spilling out, and it's either in this way or crying, so...]

I want to hug you, but you'd probably push me away, huh? [She wipes at her eyes, grinning] Still, it's been a while since I laughed like this!

Well yeah, when you say it like that it makes me not want to. [ --he grumps, still pouting about his hair. Also there's the whole idea of hugging any version of Sanzo that just feels... life-threatening.

Still. With a kind of half a shrug he holds his arms open, and this is very strange, just for the record. It's probably really stupid of him to be this trusting of what's effectively a perfect stranger. But he can't deny that he knows her. ]

So tell me about Master Hakkai.

[She looks surprised at first and ten her eyes get very misty despite her pleased smile. With a laugh she throws her arms around his waist and hugs him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

Again, it's not the same, exactly, but he's warm and something feels undeniably safe; Sanzang was a trusting person by nature, true, but she can't even begin to feel threatened here. It's Gojyo! At least a Gojyo! She's too happy to think of anything else.

His question makes her laugh a little; the Hakkai she'd met here had been a little eager to hear more about her version of Gojyo, so she figures it's fitting this Gojyo would want to know abut her Hakkai.

She pulls away some to look up at him, amused] He was a traveling chef, he was wandering all over trying to find the 'perfect flavor.' Whenever we stopped in a town or village, he had to go everywhere tasting everything! But he was gentle and nice-- he was always trying to stop everyone from fighting, and any sort of happy or sad story would make him cry.

[Sanzang laughs softly again, her expression warm and a bit wistful] He was a pig demon and certainly looked like one; and he was big and laughed with his whole body... When our journey was over... He's the only one who stayed at the temple with me for a long time. Everyone else left and went their separate ways, even Goku...

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erogappa - 2016-08-24 21:47 (UTC) - Expand

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