A second meeting. [closed]

[sweetspringwater]

Who: Suijin and Hijikata, Shun and Izumo
What: A second conversation with a few people first met by chance.
When: Wednesday May 11
Where: At each of the god's temples, or wherever they happen to be.


There is no particular reason it is this day, at this time. It is simply something that Suijin has had in her mind to do for a while, and today happens to be the day she does it.

She selects the phone number and waits for him to answer.

Comments

Hijikata

[sweetspringwater]

(ring-ring)

[koukai_kirai]

[Phones are something of a new thing for him, still; there's hardly anyone who even has his contact information, besides his own shinki and a select few close acquaintances. So when he sees a call from an unidentified number while he's in the middle of his daily training, it takes him a few rings to even decide whether he's going to pick up.]

[Obviously, he does, or this would be a very short thread indeed.]

Hello?

[sweetspringwater]

[(She would just try again. Failing that, show up in person anyway~)]

Good day, Hijikata Toshizou. This is Suijin speaking.

[And although she fully expects him to remember her, she pauses a moment to allow him to reply.]

[koukai_kirai]

[That gets him to pause for a moment, then toss aside his heavily-weighted training sword and start walking out to the front porch of his dojo. Training is important, but if she's got something to say, it can wait.]

"Hijikata" is fine.

What's going on?

[His tone is something like "businesslike" -- clipped and sharp, but not in a way that seems intentionally rude or aggressive.]

[sweetspringwater]

[She can appreciate getting directly to the point. Her own tone is a contrast to his- calm and smooth.]

I would like to ask you a question. In person.

[koukai_kirai]

[That's... unexpected, but he's certainly willing to at least entertain her question, if it's a good one.]

Hm. Well, if you found this number, I take it you'll have no trouble finding my shrine.

[sweetspringwater]

None at all.

[Actually, finding the number had been more difficult than teleporting herself to the front door of his shrine. Teleportation is a simple matter, especially with the phone as a connection.]

I am at your front door now.

[As it's more polite than appearing at his side, although she could have done that too.
Accompanying Suijin is a tall shinki dressed in a traditional style of worker's garb and with a cloth wrapped around his short hair.]

[koukai_kirai]

[He's definitely making a mental note about how easy it is for the gods with better connections to the Heavens to track them down, but it can be a brief note, for now -- Suijin, he's all right with so far. He appears at the front gate of the shrine once he's got his sandals on, still dressed in his training clothes, and bows in greeting as he cuts the connection.]

Come in, then. Make yourself comfortable.

[He gestures tentatively towards a small pavilion near the side of a pond, surrounded by a pleasant, well-kept garden. It seems to him like one of the better places in the shrine to entertain a guest -- and even a guest with business to discuss ought to be treated with hospitality.]

[sweetspringwater]

[The garden does indeed look pleasant, and her gaze lingers on the pond.
This is an atmosphere she is well acquainted with.

Suijin follows him towards the pavilion, and as she walks she makes an introduction,]

Hijikata, this is my shinki. His name is Kayo, vessel name Tsuki. I call him Kayonaga. [The tall young man nods at the god.]

Is your own shinki not here now?

Shun

[sweetspringwater]

(ring-ring)

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun almost doesn't answer the phone; he's in the middle of a practice sparring session. It's just the fact that he has no actual opponent today that means he lets himself pay attention to the alert, and though he eyes the screen for a moment at the unknown number, he answers it regardless.]

What? [Polite as ever, he is.]

[sweetspringwater]

[Yes, so polite.]

Good day, Nekhbet. This is Suijin speaking. Although we did not introduce ourselves at the time, we met at the sakura fire.

[She'll give him a moment to recall that.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[The voice isn't difficult to recognise, and Shun turns his attention fully from the equipment he was about ready to go back to.]

I didn't expect you to contact me after that. [It's not as if they didn't get on, it's just that he still has certain thoughts on how most of the older gods operate.] Something important, then?

[sweetspringwater]

Yes, you could say that. [Although it is not particularly urgent at the moment, it is important.]

I would like to ask you a question, in person.

[revolutionfalcon]

[It only takes Shun a moment to consider that. Though he's a little wary about inviting people he doesn't know well to his temple - unless she wants to talk in the meeting hall, he supposes - Suijin had certainly come off among the more decent old gods he met that day. And he doubts the old gods are frivolous enough to claim something unimportant actually is.]

Now? I'm not doing anything that can't wait until later.

[sweetspringwater]

Yes, now.

[And she teleports herself to the front door of his shrine. It is a simple matter, especially with the phone as a connection.]

I am at your front door.

[As it's more polite than appearing at his side, although she could have done that too.
Accompanying Suijin is a tall shinki dressed in a traditional style of worker's garb and with a cloth wrapped around his short hair.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun could make a remark on that being a bit more now than he was thinking, but that would be a waste of his time and hers, and instead he hangs up the phone, electing to teleport from the basement to the upstairs. Opening the door, he eyes Suijin and the accompanying shinki with his usual calculating look before inclining his head to each of them. He looks somewhat ruffled, though the dampness of sweat in the front of his hair and the lack of his usual heavy coat hint at it merely being a side-effect of having been caught in the middle of training.]

Come in, then. [If they're discussing something important, they might as well not do it in the doorway. Just down the hallway and to the left, a space opens into the kitchen on one side and a basic gathering room on the other, a low table placed between several stark white couches, and it's this he'll be leading them to if she accepts the invitation inside.]

Izumo

[sweetspringwater]

(ring-ring)

[toremainbehind]

[The phone call is a bit unexpected, and seeing an unknown number on the screen is also a bit disconcerting.

However, Izumo does decide to pick up the call.]

Hello?

[sweetspringwater]

Good day, Izumo Kusanagi. This is Suijin speaking.

[She fully expects him to remember her, and pauses to allow him to reply before getting to the purpose of her call.]

[toremainbehind]

[A flicker of surprise and then:]

Suijin, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?

[sweetspringwater]

[Such a gentleman, despite the unexpectedness of the call.]

I would like to ask you a question, in person.

[toremainbehind]

[There are a few questions running through his mind. It has been a while since he's last spoken to Suijin, having recalled their conversation in an almost fond manner.

He wouldn't mind speaking to her again, though he can't help but be a little wary at the same time.]

Of course. Would you like to meet somewhere to talk then? [He'd invite her to the temple, but Izumo figures having them meet somewhere would be a bit more accommodating. Besides, he was already out and about doing what he can to gather some more supplies for the diner, anyway.]

[sweetspringwater]

[Suijin is silent for a moment, listening carefully to the sound on the other side of the line. Is he on the Near Shore now?]

It is a simple matter for me to meet you wherever you are. You may call me again at this number once you are in an appropriate location.

[toremainbehind]

[He is.

At her words, Izumo tilts his head, simply arriving in a park not too far from the Cat Café.]

I'm currently in a park close to this Cat Café. [It's private enough for them to have their talk...whatever it is Suijin wished to talk about.]