thenearshore | 008

[And that's exactly the kind of thing a kid would say. Shun weighs him up for a moment with a glance before giving a slight sigh. It's never easy to deal with kids and their optimism when one mistake in "helping" could end a short life.]

I'm just saying that for what people are being brought here for, I wouldn't have expected someone your age to be here. Using a child as a weapon or expecting them to command a domain isn't the kind of thing decent people would do.

[He's already dead, what's there to lose?]

Oooooh. Well I don't mind being here.

[Not that really is a true opinion since he doesn't remember anything else. But memory aside it doesn't seem so bad.]

Maybe they don't have a choice or kids are important too?

[He gives a small shrug]

I'm not saying kids aren't important. [It might be telling that that's the first thing he feels the need to get off the table, and the immediacy of his response is significant even by his standards.] But people don't drag children into combat. Or at least, not easily. The heavens have claimed already that they don't know how people are coming here, so not having a choice might be closer to right.

[If not completely right, perhaps. There might still be some unseen party behind it, even if the heavens really aren't responsible for bringing them.]

How long have you been here? It's not always like this.

[Goten doesn't really mind any of that. There's something inside that is urging him to want to try fighting. To see how strong ayak-thingies really are. But it's also something he doesn't really understand. He really wants to ask why its such a bad thing but Shun's question grabs his attention first]

Oh, um....a couple of hours I think? I just got here today. What about you mister?

[That's about what he thought, as well. Not least because he's seen plenty of people he's never seen before around, and the heavens seem to only have events on this scale when new people are coming.]

About three weeks. Nobody's been here longer than a few months, anyway, if what I've heard is right.

That isn't that long. No wonder this place is kinda weird. I'm suppose to met some god person soon too. But how do you tell anyone a part. Everyone just looks normal---well you have really cool hair, but that's not really that weird.

[Not that Goten has much room to talk with the spiky mess of hair he has. But he calls them as he sees them]

[Shun gives him a mildly odd look at the comment about his hair, but mostly because he doesn't really consider it interesting enough to be worth commenting on. The question isn't one he can answer well, either.]

Shinki have a marking on them somewhere, but not all of them are visible, so that's not a reliable way to do it. If your god is looking for you then they should know you when they see you anyway.

So I'm just suppose to wait until they find me? Is that how it worked for you too?

[That's fine, Goten isn't in any rush. It actually gives him more time to do what he wants and explore.]

I'm a god, but I did know my shinki on sight when I met them, so that should be the same.

[It's interesting meeting someone who seems to be assuming people are shinki rather than gods. Still, Shun's serious look softens a little after that.]

Don't worry about it. If they don't find you, someone will take you in.

If you say so. I'm not that worried about it, but everyone I've talked to said it's important to have a god. I could fly around and maybe spot them... I hope they're nice---and can cook!

[He grins, laughing a little. He thinks with his heart and stomach first and for most. He looks up at Shun.]

Oh! It's nice to meet you by the way, mister! I'm Goten.

[He gives a small polite bow before smiling up at him]

[The sheer left-fieldness of that last comment gets a faint snort of laughter out of Shun, easier than he'd probably let it slip to someone closer to his own age. Despite his complaint about children being brought here to be weapons, it's good to actually see them be able to be kids as well. It's been too long.]

They'll provide for you whether they can cook or not. It's not like there's a shortage of places to get food from on the Near Shore if they can't.

[With the conversation taking a turn for the less serious, though, and this kid seeming pretty optimistic about the whole thing, he manages to draw a slight smile out of Shun as well.]

Kurosaki Shun. They call me "Nekhbet" here as well, but I still don't really care about god names.

Really? That's good to know!

[Food is important okay. No one likes the feeling of hunger. but it's not like he can die from lack of eating anyway. But if Shun says it's fine, he'll trust him on it. Clearly he knows the ropes and has been here longer after all.]

Your name is pretty long then, huh? I don't think I could say your god name thing right even if I tired really hard.

[Shun said it with ease but that's probably because if you are that god, you should be able to say that name.]

Kurosaki Shun...Oh! I'm Son Goten! I sorta...forgot the first part.

[Two names. You use two names, or three for a god, to introduce yourself. But is the family name that important?]

You don't care about god names, but do you care about yours? What do you want me to say when I call out for you?

[Shun mostly just uses both names when he introduces himself to stop potential complaints from people only getting his surname, but he nods slightly at Goten adding the rest of his name. Presumably if Goten is the name he introduced himself with, that's the one he prefers, anyway.]

Just say Kurosaki, don't bother with all of it. [And don't just use his first name, because that's a whole other can of worms.] The only time you'll ever see my god name is probably online, anyway. For some reason this place automatically makes us go by god names there.

[Not that he would've had a particularly imaginative username otherwise, but he can still be mildly annoyed at not being given the choice.]

Hopefully your god isn't any more insistent than I am about their name, or you might have to get used to another strange one.

Kurosaki.....Kurosaki! Okay! Whatever you say.

[That's way easier to say then saying his god name or the full name. Though, Shun seems like the easiest. But he did say it was Kurosaki so whatever makes him happy. It is his name! Goten is pleased with just that.]

Umm, if it is really weird then I'll come find you and you can help me say it! Uh, I mean, if that's okay?

[Normally Shun wouldn't advise coming to find him, given how he tends to react to visitors, but it's hard to turn down a kid this earnest. He's not looking sour about accepting the suggestion, either.]

If you think that's easier. My temple's in a hill, it's hard to miss once you can tell it's a temple.

[The windows give it away pretty easily closer up.]

A hill? That's really cool! I didn't know hills could have temples in them.

[Hopefully...he can find it? But worse case, that is what phones are for right?]

Thanks Kurosaki! If you need anything, I'll do my best to help you too!

Neither did I, but then I hardly thought about temple design before I came here and started seeing it everywhere.

[He'll just skim past mentioning the fact that he's pretty sure the reason the design is as such is that it's meant to be like a burial mound. Probably a bit morbid to dump on the kid during their first conversation.

The enthusiastic offer gets an accepting nod, but he tips his head towards the rest of the picnic.]

Just focus on finding your own place here first. I'll keep an eye out for you.

008 | OVERFLOW

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