tiger fun! (closed)

[moonlightbeast]

[The funny thing about Yokohama is that there are so, so many nooks and crannies that contain evidence of its wild past. It's not uncommon to see a small patch of earth full of trees and nature, but for it to be framed on all sides by apartment buildings or shops. It's a strange amalgamation of 'nature' and 'infrastructure' that is only possible in cities like this, which have existed for centuries and have gradually encroached on the surrounding forests.

Deep within Yokohama exists one such patch of nature, a 'park' about the size of three city blocks. To the north, a train station. The east contains some shops. To the south is a river. And finally, to the west, a school. But interestingly enough, this 'park' has remained undeveloped. No paths run through it, other than the dirt paths made by teenagers cutting through it to get to the stores on the other side. The road that had once existed there had been paved over some time ago, and the stone path from the road to the shrine remains half-hidden under plant growth and dirt.

But should anyone try to follow that stone path, eventually they will reach a small shrine. It's probably about 40 square meters at most, and with much of the interior taken up by the necessities for running a shrine, it's obviously not meant to be a home. But something has made its home there. Something has managed to crawl through the broken rice paper and nestle in to what little space inside is available.

The shrine's exterior is in really bad shape, too. It looks like nobody has tended to it in a hundred years, if not longer. The roof tiles are in dire need of repair, much of the exterior is covered in vines and fallen leaves, and the wood is showing signs of weathering and rot. Even the collection box out front has a busted top, revealing the small cache of coins still located inside.

Yes, this shrine is in a terrible state. Hopefully someone can find it and notice this.]

Comments

[dereban]

If they're not the kind of guys I'd want to be with, then there's no point, right? I can't get anyone to like the real 'me'. [...] Sorry, I really shouldn't be complaining about all of this to you.

[moonlightbeast]

That's what we're here for, you know. To listen to the worries and prayers of humans, and to help. Though admittedly, my method of dealing with problems is punching them. And sometimes eating them. So if you did attract the wrong kind of guy, I could take care of that problem for you.

[dereban]

I'm normally not a believer normally, and yet here you are anyway. But I doubt you can help me out, though. No god has helped me with my problems or issues before and it certainly isn't going to change now.

And you wouldn't help me if I didn't help clean this place up, right?

[moonlightbeast]

It's more that I couldn't have helped, if you hadn't cleaned up. I was stuck as a cat until you did something about it.

[And he's not really going to answer the rest there, because wow those insecurities. He'll have to warm her up gradually to accepting that she's wrong about all of that.]

[dereban]

Even so. Anyone else would do, right? If someone else cleaned up and it wasn't me who did something about it. [ The insecurities are extremely strong with this one and it shows in how her voice sounds a little... sad, actually. ]

[moonlightbeast]

You saw how messed up this place was. Do you think anybody else stopped here, in all those years?

[dereban]

Of course not. [ She's very much aware of that fact. ] But even so, someone else could have stumbled upon this place eventually... even without me coming here, right?

[moonlightbeast]

People are a bit self-centered. How many would take a hidden trail through a patch of nature, when trains exist now?

[dereban]

Not many. But 'not many' doesn't mean that it's impossible.

[moonlightbeast]

It's not impossible, no. But you know, for all the people who stopped by sporadically over the years, you're the first in a long time who has really looked at my shrine, and at me.

[dereban]

That- [...] I wasn't doing it for selfless reasons. I wanted to see if you could help us with the problem we were having. [ She essentially wanted to use him. It's kind of cruel, thinking of it like that. Although there's a mention of "us" there, so it seems that she's talking about more than just herself, so is it really as selfish as she says it is? ]

[moonlightbeast]

Just because it wasn't selfless doesn't mean it was pointless.

[Honestly, trades like this are common among spirits, and he just takes that revelation in stride. He's grateful to her regardless, and will listen to her problems.

Speaking of which:]

What problem were you having, by the way?

[dereban]

[ Would it be okay to tell a deity this...? She's honestly not all that certain, and a part of her is kind of scared, really, given that she wasn't supposed to say anything to begin with. ]

There's been... someone, messing with me and my friends for a while. I thought that maybe if gods were real, they could put a stop to it. It's kind of stupid to admit, but I'm terrified of what might happen just talking about it here.

[moonlightbeast]

It depends on who or what is messing with you, really. If I'm stronger than them it's no problem, but if they're stronger than me it'll take some more work.

Do you know their name?

[dereban]

It calls itself "Heartseed".

[ She wonders if he's ever heard of it, an entity that can concoct supernatural phenomenon in other people. ]

[moonlightbeast]

"Heartseed"...

[Atsushi thinks on that for a moment, frowning slightly as he does so.]

That might be an alias of some sort. Beings like me, they tend to use many names. Finding out their true name is going to be important here.

[dereban]

What a pain. [ There's a bit of a sigh when she says that. ] And it's fine for beings like that to fuck with people. .?

[moonlightbeast]

I mean, not every spirit will, but it's not against any rules. Might makes right, and unless someone stronger tells them to knock it off then they can keep doing it, so long as they follow the rules for interacting with mortals.

[dereban]

[ She rests a hand under her chin, a little thoughtfully. There's rules...? ] And what rules are those?

[moonlightbeast]

One: follow the rules of karma.

Two: no turning humans into spirits.

Three: Don't mess with humans claimed by someone else, unless you're trying to take that spirit's territory.

[He says all of this casually, as if it is normal.]

[dereban]

[ While he might be answering casually, Inaba is taking this seriously, nodding her head as she understands. ]

Number two doesn't apply to any "shifting of souls", right?

[moonlightbeast]

No, that's different. What I mean is, someone couldn't make you into what I am.

[dereban]

[ She can't help but sigh a little heavily, her shoulders sagging quite a bit. ] I figured. What a pain in the ass... I might potentially have to deal with more of their crap in the future, then.