[OPEN]

[reformedsinner]

Who: Cho Hakkai and you!
Where: Around the Far Shore and Near Shore: Gojyo's temple, the Great Hall, Near Shore shopping and other temples
What: Shopping and checking in on the injured. NOTE: In all prompts, Hakkai will be in his youkai form (image reference) - pointy ears, vinelike markings across all visible skin, claws, left eye yellow and slit-pupiled, right eye green and round-pupiled.
When: April 23 - 25
Warnings: Mention of injuries, possible bad language.

Dionysus' temple (OPEN - 4/23 to 25)

[The temple, thanks to the efforts of Gojyo's silent first shinki, is spotless apart from some stray cigarette burns that can't be cleaned away. This leaves Hakkai a little at a loss for things to do.

He's going to try to make himself at home, though, if Gojyo's willing to let him stay: and that means there are a few tasks on his list. One is going through the kitchen cupboards and cabinets and inventorying what's actually there and what will need to be bought. Another is going through the bookshelves -- the selection here isn't nearly as wide and academic as Elsa's library, but there really are still plenty of books, and if Hakkai can get them re-sorted by subject instead of by shape and color, they could be a useful resource.

There's a collection of deepening bruises on his right arm, but they're largely hidden by his shirtsleeve; otherwise, he's almost ashamed of how few injuries he'd taken in the fight. Goku had been distracted by the others too quickly; Hakkai had been lucky, and also distracted by the others, once Goku had finished with them.

He can be found there almost any day, if someone drops by, with a handkerchief tied neatly above his long, pointed ears to hold his slightly longer hair out of the way while he sorts books or seasonings.]

Shopping Trip (OPEN - 4/23)

[It's a good thing no one tends to notice shinki, Hakkai has concluded. He's wearing sunglasses and has tucked the tips of both of his ears rather painfully back under the handkerchief he has tied around his hair, but there's nothing that he can do about the vivid dark green vines marked across his face and hands, or the nails that are unquestionably claws.

Oddly, the markings seem to be getting the bigger reaction. He's caught in a loop at the moment. Every time he succeeds in getting the attention of the woman at this particular farmer's market booth, she looks at him in shock and disgust, hurries to another customer, and then legitimately forgets his presence by the time she's done.

Help?

He looks like he's starting to get a little annoyed.]

Visiting the Injured (Open to previous CR - 4/23 - 25)

[Gojyo's not completely comfortable having him in the temple yet; or maybe the problem is that he's too comfortable, because he keeps stopping himself mid-sentence and getting awkward. Hakkai's decided it's better if he's not constantly underfoot.

This will be an adjustment, and Gojyo's the one bearing most of the burden of adjusting. It's only fair to give him a little space. And besides, Hakkai's heard from far too many of their students and teachers that they'd been injured in the fight. He's checking on the ones he hasn't had the chance to see yet.

He's out dropping by temples with a basket full of small get-well gifts: a few pieces of fruit in a bag with a sachet of medicinal tea. Be cautious of the sachet of medicinal tea. From the smell, you don't want to know what's in it.

He raps neatly at the temple's front door.]

Excuse me! Is anyone home?

Open Prompt - Any Day

[Feel free to drop by or run into him somewhere else if your character might!]

Comments

Shopping Trip

[fullcowl]

[He knows the feeling of people ignoring him, even before ending up on the Far Shore. He looks up at Hakkai for a moment, and then to the worker.

The marks around his face and hands, the claws, the ears- absolutely none of that is new to Izuku. It's just part of who this guy is, unfortunately people here seem less accustomed to it than people back home.]

Um... Would you like some help?

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai's eyes are narrowed with annoyance, but his expression brightens cheerfully and he gives the boy a polite head-duck as he speaks. God or shinki, if he can notice Hakkai so casually; or, even more useful, a human with spiritual powers.]

Ah, in fact, I think I could! I'm having a little trouble convincing her to take my money. These are the groceries, and -- [He casts a glance over the shopping basket as he holds it out to Deku, and pulls out a few bills from his pocket.]

-- This should be enough to cover the cost. I'd be very grateful.

[fullcowl]

[He'll take the shopping basket and the money.]

Alright. It's no problem.

[He gives a friendly smile, and begins the attempt to get the women's attention. Judging from the time it takes, Izuku's definitely a Far Shore resident. But she doesn't turn away from him, even if she does raise a brow at him.

Still he pays for the groceries and hands them over along with the change.]

It's kind of hard getting people's attention, isn't it?

[reformedsinner]

Yes, it really is.

[Sigh! Hakkai tucks the change back into his pocket and accepts the groceries.]

Thank you for your help! Ah -- I'm Cho Hakkai, by the way. Shinki of Dionysus.

[There's a slight pause before his god's name; it's as if he's not used to saying it yet, but he glosses over the tiny hesitation with a bright fanged smile.] Are you a shinki as well? Or a god?

[fullcowl]

It's no problem at all. I'm Izuku Midoriya.

[He notes the pause, but won't say anything about it. There's probably a reason for it, after all, with all the people disappearing.]

I'm a god, Aidos. [Even as long as he's been here, it's strange to say.]

[reformedsinner]

Pleased to meet you, Izuku. Aidos -- it's not a god Hakkai's immediately familiar with, but he can look it up later. He stores the information away and smiles politely down at Izuku.]

I actually have a little more shopping to do today! Would you mind giving me a hand? If there's anything you need, it's my treat as a thank-you for your help with the cashier.

[fullcowl]

Nice to meet you too. Um, Deku is fine to call me by. [It's a nickname he's really used to, unlike Aidos. To be fair, he's fairly certain nobody is that familiar with the goddess he's supposed to be the reincarnation of.]

I don't think I need anything, but I wouldn't mind helping out for the rest of your shopping.

Shopping!

[soindebt]

[Ludger was always on the lookout for new ingredients. He has no memories of the food back home, but that's okay, this place makes up for that.

It's when he's at a booth close by that he notices someone is having some troubles. God or shinki, that's got to be super irritating. Ludger takes his own wares and moves to the other persons side.

... Definitely not human, but that's okay. Those green marks are pretty ingesting.]

Excuse me? Need help?

[reformedsinner]

I think I may!

[It just keeps happening. Hakkai has a few small bags of purchases he's already made, but his basket here has a selection of fresh vegetables in it, and at this rate, the leeks are going to have wilted. He ducks his head politely at the other man.]

If you'd be able to help me? I think it's something about my face that keeps putting her off....

[He can't quite resist flashing a sharp-fanged smile.]

[soindebt]

[... Okay. Those teeth set him on edge a bit. Ludger tries to maintain his composure, which means that it might be obvious he's kind of scared.

He takes a deep breath before flagging the stall owner. Once he does have her attention, Ludger gives her his most sincere smile.]

We'd like to pay please.

[reformedsinner]

Ah. Sorry.

[The flinch is a little obvious. Hakkai raises one finger, curling it politely in front of his mouth to hide the pointed teeth, and pulls out a few bills to hand over to the other man.]

I believe this should be enough?

[soindebt]

[Ludger feels bad now. That kind of reaction is beyond rude, and he doesn't want to leave a bad impression on someone he's just met. He nods and takes the money, paying the nice lady. He's sure to hand the change right back to the other man before smiling slightly.

Lets try this again.]

I'm Ludger.

[reformedsinner]

[Nice isn't the word Hakkai would use, not after the looks she's been shooting him, but he doesn't bother spending another thought on her. He's got his groceries and his change, which, really, is the important thing here. He smiles politely back at Ludger -- careful, this time, not to show his teeth -- and inclines his head.]

Cho Hakkai. Thank you for your help with the groceries. It seems there aren't very many youkai in Japan.

Temple!

[fontechnician]

[It's been a little over a week since Guy arrived in the Far Shore and so far, he has yet to properly visit any of the temples other than the one he lives at. Sort of. Sometimes he's tempted to see about getting a hotel room in Tokyo until enough lighting is installed in the temple.

One of the first temples he decides to go up to is a literal night and day contrast to Mahakala's, impressive and inviting. And he feels slightly underdressed wandering up to the front door dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, but that's a problem for later and he knocks on the door anyway]

Hello? Is anyone here?

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai's passing through the front hallway with an armload of books that are going to go in the nonfiction shelf instead when he hears a knock on the door and immediately veers towards it. The voice isn't familiar, but it could be one of Gojyo's friends he hasn't met.

He sets down the books on the hall table and pulls open the door, beaming politely.]

Hello! How can I help you?

[Unobtrusively, he lets his left arm fall back to his side and controls a wince. It's possible he shouldn't be dragging piles of books around just yet.]

[fontechnician]

[Upon seeing Hakkai, Guy's gaze goes immediately to his ears, vine markings, and mismatched eyes briefly, but he doesn't say anything about them.]

I don't really need anything, I'm not familiar with everything yet, so I'm just...visiting, I suppose. [He laughs a little.] I'm Guy.

[He holds his hand out for a handshake.]

[reformedsinner]

Ah, I see! Are you a new shinki? [Hakkai reaches out to take his hand lightly; it's not a very powerful handshake, but then, he's not yet sure how to manage a powerful grip that doesn't involve clawing the recipient. It would make a terrible first impression.]

Cho Hakkai, and this is Dionysus' temple. Would you like to come in? I can make tea.

[fontechnician]

[Close enough. It's a handshake nonetheless.]

If I'm not interrupting anything important...and yeah, fairly new. It's been about a week since I [Died? Came to?] ...got here. Dionysus, huh?

[reformedsinner]

No, I was just reorganizing our bookshelves! Please. [He steps back from the door, gesturing Guy in.] You are quite new, then. May I ask who your god is?

[He considers the pile of books, considers how his arm feels, and decides to leave them where they are for now. It'll be good to take a short rest.]

Shopping

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, it's the fucking circle of life up in here, even if they flip so far off the handle they come back around to reunite with it and say their goddamn wedding vows at the sight of us, they're just gonna forget it in two seconds anyway.

[(Literally) hovering near the stand is a violently orange bird-ghost-human thing, his expression difficult to read behind his shades but mostly just looking kind of bored. As if to prove his point, he taps the shoulder of one of the stallholders - they turn, jump almost comically high in horror, and then double-take as if to make sure they just saw what they did...except their attention slips on the second look, and they just seem to wander off in a mild daze.

It's more frustrating to him than he'd care to admit, but he just levels this guy with a long look.]

So I'm probably stealing all the thunder off someone waiting in the wings to point out the obvious as soon as I exit stage left, but did you consider wearing literally anything that might have covered those markings or your eyes while you were going to the trouble of tying up your ears.

[reformedsinner]

I was hoping the eyes wouldn't draw too much attention. As for the markings...

[He spreads one hand delicately, suggesting a shrug. The vines are all over his hands, his neck, his face -- there's no way to cover them outside of covering all his visible skin.] I think that anything I could wear to cover them would be more eye-catching than the marks.

Well, there's no helping it. You seem to have a similar problem.

[Hakkai raises his eyebrows at the young man. Orange, winged and half-feathered: not even covering all of his skin would help, not when he'd have to do something about the silhouette of his wings and his inability to touch the ground.]

I don't believe we've met?

[redotiertwo]

[Looking him up and down, Davesprite takes the comment with the faintest quirk of the brow. It's hard to tell whether he should be sympathetic or not given his own issue is considerably worse, but eventually he settles on erring to the side that doesn't involve being an unnecessary douchebag.]

I dunno, long sleeves and some comical oversized shades could probably break them up enough that it wouldn't be as big of a thing. Either that, or take the pity path and get some dressings happening, tell anyone who pays too much attention that they're stitches and it'll stop them staring half as much.

[It probably wouldn't work under normal circumstances, but with how hard it is to get the attention of these people in the first place, he figures it can't be too hard to fool their lack of it.

"Inability to touch the ground" isn't quite right, because when he's done with his commentary, he skims downwards, part of his tail bending to hold him a little like some kind of naga. Though the wispy end clearly isn't entirely solid, the rest of it seems to be.]

Then it's time to start believing it now, mind-blowing change and all. [He extends a birdlike, taloned hand in a vague invitation to shake hands.] Davesprite. Pretty sure you're the first hand I've shaken here with reciprocal talons, much as the other guys are missing the fuck out on that.

[reformedsinner]

You don't think sleeves down over my hands and sunglasses would be just as suspicious?

[At that point, he'd really look like a thug in search of a dark alley. And the dressings -- well.

It's not a terrible idea, he thinks, and reaches out to shake Davesprite's hand in return, grip light to avoid accidentally clawing skin. Cheating with his limiters would probably be more effective, once he's found them again, but Davesprite's disguise suggestion might help until then.]

Cho Hakkai. [He smiles, briefly.] Likewise. I haven't quite gotten the hang of handshakes with these yet.

[redotiertwo]

People wear oversized clothes all the time, and if you think shades make you suspicious then get out your finest dictionaries and poetic annals, because we're gonna need to have some words.

[Still, he's apparently not offended enough at the implication to not shake hands. At this point, Davesprite's grip is a little more knowledgeable, having been doing the talon thing for a while now, but he still keeps the claws as far from skin as he can without looking like a complete weirdo.

Drawing his hand back and leafing a loose feather out of his neck ruff, he rolls the stem between two talons.]

Feels like I'm pretty used to them, judging by how quick I got used to handshakes and general expressions of not being a douche, but it's hard to say for sure with Eternal Sunshine going on upstairs.

[reformedsinner]

[Eternal Sunshine means nothing, but it's hard to say for sure is enough for Hakkai to make a vague guess at the implication; he nods understanding.]

Ah, you're a shinki too.

I suppose I must have had these my whole life, but I had limiters on when I arrived, and only lost them a few days ago.

[He glances down at the small basket of vegetables he's collected, and sighs, leaning across the counter again as the last of the other customers walks away.]

Excuse me, ma'am!

[There's the startled and disapproving look again. She starts to turn away, and he raises his voice.]

I'd just like to pay for these. If I may.

[There's a world of menace in the if. She glances back, a little pale, and he produces a bill from his pocket and slides it across the counter before she can look away again. To Davesprite, he continues conversationally.]

It's not so much that sunglasses are suspicious as it is that important line between "fashion" and "dressing so no one can describe your appearance to the police." If I hid enough of my skin to hide these, I suspect I would cross it.