008 | OVERFLOW

[godsoffortune]

This is an overflow post for 008 | Sakura 2.0: You Can (Not) Have A Picnic. Please bring any further comments here and link to your threads at the original source.

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Lilka

[fizzipocus]

Sora

[fizzipocus]

[From here!]

[Unfortunately, since she didn't know any better, she was just assuming that the heavens were throwing a party for more altruistic reasons. Oh dear.]

It's Lilka! I'm a new shinki, but I guess you knew that already...

[oathkeeper]

[He smiles gently at her while he opens his bento, cracking his wooden chopsticks.]

It's nice to meet you, Lilka! And I'm a god, my workng name is Baldr. It's not always easy to tell who's what though. Most people don't expect me to be a god.

[He chuckles. It is a little irritating sometimes that people think he doesn't look like a god. Oh well!]

Have you met your god yet?

[fizzipocus]

[She opened her picnic basket upon seeing Sora do the same with his bento. She went straight for the jelly roll, and while there was a reason for that, she wasn't thinking about it.]

Maybe that's because everyone's expecting the gods to be a little scary? They think you're going to say "bow down before me!" or something like that. [Though now that she said it, she was glad that wasn't the case.]

Yeah! It still feels weird to say this, but Tsuzuki is my god.

[oathkeeper]

[Sora laughs at her explanation. He starts munching on some happy face octopus sausages.]

Yeah, no thanks to that either! I don't want anyone to bow down to me! That's just plain weird!

[If someone bowed down to him he'd be grabbing at them to get back up!]

Oh! Tsuzuki! He's really smart and nice. You're lucky!

[fizzipocus]

[She did feel lucky about being a shinki for a nice god, but it raised some questions now that she had heard that from someone else who had been here longer.]

Am I that lucky? Does that mean there are gods who aren't nice to their shinki here?

[oathkeeper]

I don't know Tsuzuki that well, but I've heard a lot of great things about him. I think you'll be happy!

[Sora scratches his cheek and frowns.] And yeah... Not all gods are nice to their shinki. Some of them are real jerks.

[fizzipocus]

I want to do something for them, then! It just doesn't seem right to let those gods keep being jerks, don't you think?

[Even if it was just a small gesture, that was better than nothing in her book.]

[oathkeeper]

[Sora tilts his head and wonders about that. Some of them were pretty nasty. But she has a point.]

It's a good idea! But what kind of stuff can we do?

[If any of them tried to bully them back, he's glad he could step in as a god himself.]

[fizzipocus]

Um... I haven't thought that far ahead yet. [Blurting it out just seemed like a good idea at the time.]

It'd be good if they had a place to run to when staying at their temple gets too hard, but I don't know where that'd be.

Tsuzuki

[fizzipocus]

[From here!]

Battler? That's a weird name. [And her current mental image of what he looked like could not be further from the truth. Sorry, Battler. She didn't say that in an attempt to be mean, at least.]

But I'm glad he's friendly! That makes it easier to ask him about being a shinki.

[sweetdeath]

Yeah. I can help if you need to know anything about this place! I've been here a couple months now.

[Tsuzuki flashes her a quick, rueful smile.]

... But I'm not a shinki, so I can't be a whole lot of help with that.

Seriously, if you need to talk, though...? [He trails off encouragingly.]

[fizzipocus]

[Was there anything she wanted to know right now? She crossed her arms and tilted her head in thought. Maybe there was something.]

Well, I... [A pause.] A-actually, never mind. But if there's something else, I'll tell you about it! [Saying what she was really thinking would just be a downer.]

[sweetdeath]

... You seriously can ask me anything, you know.

[It sounded like she had something in mind, but Tsuzuki isn't sure, and he can't feel anything suspicious through their new bond. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. Right? Right!]

[fizzipocus]

[Well, since he said anything...]

Am I really dead?

[She didn't feel that different, and as far as she could tell, the only difference was the strange tattoo on her wrist. Really though, thinking about that was just her trying to find an answer that wasn't the one she knew was reality. She rubbed at her wrist, suddenly feeling self-conscious about it.]

[sweetdeath]

[The humor immediately drains from his expression, and, quietly, he nods.

It's something he's had to talk a lot of people through. It's never easy for anyone to deal with: being dead, but also, being still around.]

I'm sorry. As far as I can tell, every shinki's the spirit of someone who's died.

[He keeps his gaze on her face, watching for reactions. This is a little different from talking to a new Shinigami: for one thing, she doesn't remember her own death. For another, he's got to spell out some other things.]

I know it's hard to get used to. I'm dead too.

[fizzipocus]

Oh. [She deflated at his answer. It was an answer she had been expecting, but that didn't make it any easier for it to be confirmed. While she didn't know who or what she had left behind, there were probably people who were sad about her death, right? And she had just left those people behind. While it wasn't her fault, she still felt bad about it.

Hearing that Tsuzuki was also dead didn't help that feeling either.]

Sorry, I shouldn't have asked, huh...?

[sweetdeath]

It's always okay to ask me whatever you need to know, got it, Lilka?

[Tsuzuki smiles at her, a little worriedly. Of course she's upset; anyone would be upset to find that out. Especially when they don't know who they are, or remember their own death.]

And I've been dead for a long time. I started work as a god of death after that, um, almost a hundred years ago now. [He looks briefly stricken.] Has it really been that long?

[fizzipocus]

'Kay... Thanks, I'll remember to ask. [She covered her eyes with her sleeve as she felt her eyes begin to water. It was a lot for a 14 year old to handle, especially all at once. She took a deep, slightly shaky breath, and only spoke up again when she was sure her voice wouldn't crack.]

That is a really long time, but you don't look old at all. [LILKA...]

Amaterasu

[fizzipocus]

[from here!]

[Oh. Um. Well, this was a little awkward. Might as well just blurt it out.]

Wait, wait! Thanks for telling me that and all, but I'm talking about you too! It wouldn't be good if you went in there alone!

[ammyterasu]

[Blink blink...! The girl stares at Lilka, then looks around herself curiously, then back to Lilka.]

Me...?

[Then she smiles.]

I'm definitely fine! I have to go help the next place!

[fizzipocus]

Then I'm going with you! [There was no way she could let her go on their own! It was a little strange that she was casual about it to the point of smiling, but whatever, that wasn't important right then.]

Where did you get that bucket of water? I'll go get another one!

[ammyterasu]

[Oh! This girl is obviously feeling well enough to help. The young girl smiles again and points towards the river.]

There's lots of buckets and lots of water over there. Go get one, I'll wait for you.

[fizzipocus]

Got it! [With a nod she turned around to get a bucket full of water, although it ended up being heavier than she thought it would be. Luckily she didn't spill on her way back. ...Well, she didn't spill that much, to be more accurate.]

Where's the place you were talking about?

[ammyterasu]

[The girl waits patiently and looks very pleased at the other's return!]

This way! Follow me!

[She spins and starts heading through the smoke and trees towards some of the still-lit fire.]