[open] how long is forever? sometimes, just one second

[bon_bon]

Who: Konzen and open
What: Drowning in work, sorrow, and/or drink. Also prayers.
When: May 11-15
Where: A bar, a park, a temple, a stationary store, a karaoke box
Warnings: n/a


 [ open ] May 11, morning-afternoon: A Kumamon wedding

[ So things aren't exactly amazing right now. People are disappearing and it's kind of scary and depressing. The best thing to do in such situations is to fall into a familiar routine, and for Konzen, that inevitably involves work. He ramps up his hours at Itoya and obsessively goes through all the prayers he gets and accepts even the most mundane shit. Especially the mundane shit. This one is right up his alley.

A bride-to-be has pleaded for him to help with her wedding invitations. For some reason, this is a task she'd rather entrust to a god rather than a specialist in … whatever the hell invitation writers are called. Fortunately for her, Konzen is both. He doesn't work at the premier stationary shop in Tokyo for nothing.

And look, he's even recruited some help. He'll pay you for it, too. All you have to do is show up at the Itoya and he'll usher you to one of the workrooms where such things are done, and sit you down with several hundred sets of embossed cards, envelopes, RSVP notes and their envelopes, postage, and a specially designed Kumamon ink stamp that the bride wants placed just so on each of the invitations. You'd better practice getting the ink placement perfectly, because Konzen's a pro at this sort of thing, and he'll let you know exactly what he thinks if you suck. ]


[ open ] May 13, evening: Are you serious about karaoke?

[ And a couple days later, and he's still at it. Prayers, that is. Today it's some kind of assignment at a place that's called a 'karaoke box.' Konzen is familiar with the concept, but has never actually been to one, himself. He shows up at the place after work and waits outside. He's been told that someone else is supposed to work with him on this, which is just as well.

There's an almost-ayakashi thing that's been hanging around the place for a few weeks and the owner of the establishment has finally pled to the gods to help get rid of it. Honestly, it sounds pretty benign, but it's bad for business when rumors go around that the place is haunted. From what Konzen understands, the spirit just wants to go out with a good song. Who doesn't, right? It's not the fault of the dead that all the customers who've been frequenting the karaoke box are tone deaf.

Hopefully, whoever arrives to help Konzen has a good voice. Because Konzen's in no mood to sing. Or so he thinks. ]



[ closed: Youji ] May 11, evening: The best counselor ever

[ It's been a couple days now but it has really yet to sink in that Tenpou and Kenren have disappeared, possibly forever, into the nether. Or wherever the fuck people go after the undead-life of a god-turned-pseudo god. If Konzen were the optimistic sort, he might think that they've finally moved on as they right well should have to begin with, on to samsara, the next cycle of life. Nowadays, he's wondering if everything he's learned about life is just bullshit. Whatever. It's not exactly good to mull over things you know nothing about.

He surprises himself by agreeing to go out with Kudou Youji, that guy he met at the picnic shortly after the whole Seiten Taisei debacle. The guy kind of reminds him of a darker and edgier version of Kenren for some weird reason, which might be why he simultaneously likes and dislikes him. Konzen doesn't really think this is a contradiction.

Anyway. So here he is. Bar Remembrance, this place is called. That's a pretty dumb name, he thinks to himself, as he opens the door and finds his way to the bar. Though for a stupidly named place, it looks comfortable and well stocked. Apparently they're known for their excellent sake collection, but Konzen doesn't know that. ]



[ closed: Sanzang ] May 12, morning: A better counselor, maybe

[ He comes to the park sometimes to train. Or more like swing his naginata around like he knows what he's doing. Though actually, he is getting better at this. You can't practice this much and learn absolutely nothing, after all. He'd probably do better if he had a proper teacher, but he hasn't really felt like looking for one. His mind has been occupied mostly by work, and caring for the kids, and more work. Better to fill your head with things so you don't have to remember the gaps that are there in your heart.

He carries Haru in his naginata form, walking through the park to find the clearing that he knows is just beyond the trees right there. He pushes through the branches and then stops. ]

Oh.

[ Genjo Sanzo. The other one. ]

Sorry, I didn't realize someone else was here...



[ closed: Hakkai ] May 13, afternoon: A familiar face, sort of

[ He sent a brief text asking if he could talk. Konzen's not exactly sure what about, but for some reason he thinks that he should tell someone about it from … that faction? He's not even sure what to call them anymore. And given how Hakkai seems to be the one who's got himself the most together (at least outwardly), he figures he should probably talk to him, first.

It's been a few days since they disappeared, and maybe Konzen is a little calmer now. The rising sense of panic doesn't seem to come as often, though it could be because Konzen's kept himself busy twenty-four-seven since it happened. He put off contacting Hakkai until now, but it needs to be done. And so he arrives at the temple of Dionysus (still as tacky as ever) and takes a deep breath before knocking on the door. ]



[ closed: Omi ] May 14, evening: Sometimes, you just wanna shoot something

It's a little messed up (and yet somehow not all too surprising) that even the kids are more talented at killing things than Konzen is. He's not exactly sure he wants to know why Omi is so skilled with projectile weapons, but anyway. Maybe that's a conversation for another time.

What he does know is that he's good at it, and Konzen is not. An offer was made and accepted. Somewhere down the line, maybe Konzen will actually have a skill set that will be handy the next time he has to face down a jello monster or a large winged dragon that spews fire from its mouth. When you're a god in this heaven, you never know what the fuck you'll encounter.

He sits on a bench in the park, examining the darts Omi has laid out.

"Where did you even get this stuff from?" he asks somewhat curiously. It's obviously not his shinki weapon.



[ closed: Goku ] May 15: Lost

[ It's a little rough, hiding your sorrow from the one person who would understand it most. Goku didn't know Tenpou and Kenren like he used to, but he must be sad about it all the same. That's just the kind of person he is. Even back in heaven (their heaven), it's not like they knew each other for so long. But bonds like that, they form quickly and forever. And it doesn't matter if the memories are gone. Like Konzen promised him the first day they met here, he will remember for the both of them. And now, more than ever, it is true.

He tries not to talk about it. Maybe that just makes it worse. Goku might have noticed that Konzen has been busier than ever, diving in head-first with work and prayers and training and so on. Today is no different.

And like all the prayers he accepts, Konzen puts a lot of diligence into it, no matter how small the request. This time, it's a prayer for a lost puppy. Konzen has printed out the pup's picture. He's a small fluffy looking thing (a "Maltese" apparently). When they arrive in the neighborhood where the dog was last seen, Konzen hands Goku the picture. ]

His name is Moshi. The owner told me he likes the smell of pancakes and bacon.

Comments

Let's be Karaoke Stars

[solar_avatar]

[ It was probably one of the first times that she had officially been asked to help someone out. Youji told her to help people out when they were being drained, but that was a different experience compared to saying that she was to help someone out with a disturbance at a... Karaoke shop? No, box. But it was a business, of a kind that was a little unfamiliar.

Now that there wasn't a mass disturbance endangering the public, going around to reach this business with everyone seeming to look through her was a little odd. A little curious. Though that makes way for all the excitement when the golden-haired woman reaches the establishment. In fact, she runs over to the entrance, realization hitting when she sees the design choices. ]

It's a sing bar! Oh, the person I was going to help...

[ The name was unfamiliar, so Trance took out her phone to review the details. Even though she might have just exclaimed her discovery right near the very god that being assisted. (Oops?) ]

*sparkles!*

[bon_bon]

[ He waits patiently, wondering whether he should have confirmed what time he was supposed to meet this second person. Fortunately, he doesn't have to wait very long.

He glances up when he hears someone approaching. Weirdly enough, her hair is about the same color gold as Konzen's. Goku would probably get a kick out of that. He quirks his eyebrow. ]

Sing bar...?

[ Though really, it makes a lot more sense than 'karaoke.' ]

Are you here for the assignment?

*~glint shine~*

[solar_avatar]

[ Just as gold, and somehow longer. Though her skin is just as golden and sparkled under the light, after a bit it's easy enough to tell that it wasn't some weird makeup choice.

Someone responding to her revelation, however, absolutely lights up Trance's expression. She looks over to the delicately-framed man with a smile as wide as Goku's could be. Because he could hear her and asked that, meant- ]

I am! Hi, my name's Trance.

[ She earnestly extended her hand for a very friendly handshake. ]

How can I help?

[bon_bon]

[ Maybe it's the neon lights under the sign of the karaoke box, but her skin looks like it's glowing. Konzen squints at it briefly before he glances down at the offered hand. He hesitates before he remembers, this is how some mortals greet one another. He's not sure what he thinks about it, but cautiously puts out his hand for the brief shake. ]

Konzen.

[ He nods toward the building. ]

There's a little ayakashi problem here. The owner thinks it's a ghost.

May 13; Karaoke

[volksdaemon]

[Schuldig is not a happy camper. He'd been trying to get someone else to go out drinking with him and now he's just bored on top of being buzzed. Not a good combination. As he's passing by one of the karaoke bars, he notices one of the familiar minds from the picnic. This time, Schuldig's able to just get curious about who the guy is when last time they didn't really say anything much at all. He remembers the name 'Goku' and that's all.

So Schuldig ducks into the bar and grabs another beer from the bartender before plopping himself down unceremoniously next to Konzen.]

You don't look like the type to come out here just because.

[bon_bon]

[ There's a circular lounge area inside, just beyond the lobby. Konzen sits there on a couch that lines the entirety of the wall waiting for his assignment partner. People come and go, getting drinks at the bar before shuffling off to their individual rooms (boxes?) with their friends to sing. The muffled sounds of drumbeats and melodies can be heard from all around, leaking out from the various rooms.

Konzen glances over to the guy who's suddenly sitting next to him. He tilts his head, wondering why he looks so familiar. Maybe it's someone from the picnic... ]

What type do I look like? [ he says with a snort. He's not disagreeing, necessarily. ]

[volksdaemon]

[He leans back a bit, smirking.]

Like a hippie, to be honest with you.

[It's mainly the long hair. When it's longer than his, it's 'weird.' That plus the forehead dot.]

But based on chasing after some kid... maybe like the kind of person who needs some quiet in their free time, not a raucous place like this. Which makes me wonder if you're not here 'just because.'

A Kumamon Wedding

[tadanokusuriuri]

[His god gets him out and fighting fairly often, but it's still...]

[Difficult.]

[It's difficult to keep himself from feeling restless whenever he's not up against an ayakashi, like he needs to be doing more. So the Medicine Seller -- Hakari, as he's taken to introducing himself, since he's not selling any medicine here or anything, and not having a name to go by is more conspicuous in his new surroundings than just accepting the name he's been given -- has taken to wandering the Near Shore, keeping an eye on potentially troublesome ayakashi that cross his path, getting to know the surroundings that he might be called on to fight in.]

[When someone actually notices him enough to try and recruit him to help with something, he figures they've got to be a god or another shinki. And gods and shinki... they have interesting work, don't they? Work worth doing.]

[So he thinks at first, but now he's in a room full of envelopes and stamps and whatnot, and honestly, he's a little confused. He does as he's been instructed with the first set -- pressing the stamp down just so, putting the papers in the right order, tucking them neatly into the outer envelope -- then turns and holds the envelope up, looking up at the man who recruited him.]

...Like that?

[He... He feels as if he must be missing something, somehow. That's it?]

[bon_bon]

[ Yup, that's it. If you're looking for a pitched battle against some monstrous ayakashi, you've picked the wrong job. Though it might come to some surprise that Konzen has seen his own share of combat. He doesn't really look like much though, on that score. He's tall and willowy, and his skin is pale and unmarked from hardship. Except for a deep scar on his palm, but that's not always noticeable.

He leans over the guy's shoulder and takes a scrutinizing look at the stamping placement. ]

Try to get it all the way to the edges. Without smearing.

[ He sits next to him and takes a scrap piece of paper to demonstrate. Any aficionado of stamping would admire his technique: it begins with the inking, which is done with an even roll from one edge to the other, placing the exact same amount of color over the entire stamp. Then he carefully sets the stamp down over the paper at a 90 degree angle with just the right amount of pressure to make sure that enough ink is applied without over-doing it. He pulls off the paper and there, you can see, a perfectly shaped Kumamon smiling up with rosy cheeks. ]

Like that. Got it?

[tadanokusuriuri]

[The Medicine Seller doesn't know what he did in his past life -- at least not any more than his name seems to give away -- but he doesn't imagine he's too familiar with this sort of work specifically. But he does have a steady hand and a great eye for detail, and he can see that the job Konzen did was masterfully done.]

[He just still for the life of him can't fathom why.]

I... understand.

[This is baffling.]

[He takes up a new piece of paper, and with pale, slender, purple-nailed hands, he repeats the task again, before looking up at Konzen for some kind of confirmation.]

did Youji choose this place? i wonder

[slantedcross]

[Youji's just had a drink poured for him, and raises it to Konzen. He feels a little melancholy himself, but that's nothing new. What is new is the sudden lack of people to go drinking with. Really, even he will sometimes what you need is a pal, and not a one night stand.

And since he has none of those, of legal drinking age... not here, and not anymore, well. He'd offer Omi the stiffest alcohol they had, what with Ouka in the picture, but he doubted Omi would appreciate the gesture.]

I am well in need of a depressant, how about you?

M..maybe he did? Lol. Sorry about the name. I stole it from another show

[bon_bon]

I suppose I could.

[ A depressant sounds quite depressing. But that suits Konzen's mood, so he just snorts and takes the drink that Youji pours him. ]

... did something happen?

[ Because hey, it's easier to talk about other people's problems than one's own. ]

nah don't be sorry, it made me laugh

[slantedcross]

I think it's been happening.

[He's about to take a sip of his drink, but-- oh wait-- no. Stops himself. There was that shinki divorce... but he doesn't want to get into that.

Instead, he makes it about someone else. Konzen has the right idea.]

This girl comes in as a shinki, right? I happen to know how and where she died, and we have a mutual friend. I'm thinking about bringing him back a sample of tonight's selections, and he's not even old enough for it.

That kind of girl, you know. One of the special ones. [And then he has to drain his glass, because Omi... Omi still thinks they're siblings, doesn't he? How many glasses of wine does it take to destroy that particular set of neurons?]

muffled dance dance revolution music playing in the bg

[sanzohoshi]

[He's caught her mid-practice herself, freezing on a turn; she's up on tiptoe, other leg raised and ready to step to. She blinks at him, surprised, and then brightens considerably.]

Oh, Konzen! [She lowers herself to stand flat and beams at him, waving one sleeve in greeting.] Don't worry, it's fine! I was just practicing a little. But what are you doing here? [She eyes the naginata curiously. The trees around the clearly are missing some strips of bark that suggests her dancing wasn't the only thing she'd been practicing out here.]

♬♬♬

[bon_bon]

[ She seems to be practicing ... dancing? Konzen isn't very knowledgeable about such things, so that's what he assumes. Though he wonders what's up with the frayed trees. (Violent dancing?) ]

Er. I was ... going to practice too. I can go somewhere else.

[sanzohoshi]

Nonsense! I was going to be finishing up anyhow! We can share the space or something just fine. Er-- Sorry about the trees!

[She grins, waving a hand dismissively. Hopefully he hadn't been planning on attacking the trees himself or something.] I didn't know you knew how to use that... [But a naginata kind of suits him, she thinks.]

Familiarity

[reformedsinner]

[Alerted by Konzen's text, Hakkai gets the door himself instead of leaving it to Asshole. He offers a small, polite smile, standing back.]

Good afternoon. You said you'd like to talk...?

[bon_bon]

[ Konzen nods and enters the house as Hakkai holds open the door. Now that he's here, he wonders suddenly if he should've just texted.

But no, some things are better in person. ]

I wasn't sure who else to talk to.

[reformedsinner]

I don't mind you dropping by, you know. I doubt Gojyo will, either.

[He's resting, at the moment; he hasn't been sleeping for more than a few hours at a time since his return, and he'd settled down in an armchair while Hakkai worked with one of his students. Hakkai hadn't had the heart to wake him when the lesson was over.

He follows Konzen, waving at one of the sitting rooms that Gojyo isn't using for his nap. There is one real advantage to a house so ludicrously oversized for three; apart from accommodating Sanzo and Sanzang whenever they want to stay over, there are more than enough rooms to entertain guests.]

Has something happened? [Is Goku -- no, Konzen would have told them immediately if anything happened to Goku. The thought prickles the hair at the back of Hakkai's neck. With all the disappearances, he shouldn't be taking anyone's continued presence for granted.]

May 15; Looking for puppies!

[konobakazaru]

[Goku has definitely noticed that something is up. It's like Konzen has purposefully taken up more work than usual, and he knows that when he's trying to distract himself from something, he goes out and does all kinds of chores. Maybe it's the same thing. But that means that something is bothering Konzen, and the thought makes Goku feel uneasy. Whatever it is...

But doing a prayer is nice. He hasn't done a prayer since he was with Sho, and that was a good couple of months ago. It's like he's getting to stretch his legs again after sitting cramped up in a small place. Even if it's just looking for a puppy, and not fighting ayakashi or anything. But hey, that could always happen, so he isn't ruling that out yet.]

Who doesn't like pancakes an' bacon? [Goku grins, taking a good look at the photo before handing it back. It's easy enough to remember.] Maybe we can look around restaurants! Places that do breakfast an' stuff.

[bon_bon]

[ Konzen's eyebrow twitches. Of course that's the natural response from Goku, isn't it? Though the answer to that question might surprise Goku: Konzen doesn't care much for bacon. Or meat of any kind, for that matter. He keeps it in his house though, for the kids. ]

All right. There's a main street around the corner from here. We can start there.

[ He tucks the photo back into his pocket and starts walking. ]

So what have you been up to? [ Just a casual inquiry, really. Not trying to be nosy or anything.. ]

[konobakazaru]

[He's noticed, in the times he's taken notice of what Konzen eats. ... maybe for reference if he's going to bring anything home, just to see what he likes! But it's fine, not everyone likes meat anyway. He'll just take whatever meat there is that Konzen doesn't want.]

Yeah! An' I'll look for other places, too, if he's not there.

[Goku falls into line behind Konzen, letting him take the lead. It just seems right, somehow.]

Eh? Oh, uh. I helped build a house on the Near Shore for a couple of days! An' I've been helpin' out with other chores, too... Sorry I've not been home too much.

[oneblackcat]

Ever since Konzen cared for him during that illness, Omi has wanted to do something equally meaningful on his behalf. Learning how to kill things wasn't a very orthodox reciprocation, but the situation is hardly ordinary. Self-defense is going to be essential, and for those without a lot of muscle or fighting experience, it was necessary to rely on brains and distance.

He has some throwing knives in his jackets, too, but darts will be easier to learn.

"My shinki got it... I'm not actually sure where. It was a gift."

[bon_bon]

An odd sort of gift, maybe. But practical, especially if the recipient was already adept at throwing sharp projectiles in combat.

"Hm," he says as he picks one up and examines it. It looks sharp. It seems weighted, which he supposes it should be, to have some manner of control when you throw it.

"Did you teach yourself how to throw these things?"

[oneblackcat]

"More or less," Omi says with a touch of sheepishness. It was basically true, after all, and it nicely omitted the role any confidential vigilante organization might have had in the matter.

"It took a lot of training, but it makes a nice defense. They're effective short-range and long-range, they're easy to conceal and carry, and they don't rely on having a lot of muscle or fighting ability.