⇨ SHABONDAMASHII

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 92 - Day 99
Where: Shabondamashii Bathhouse
What: With the Silver Mirror claimed and the animals of Eden relocated, it's time for the carnival to kick back and enjoy an interdimensional bathhouse and the surrounding festival city. Meanwhile, the scattered shards of the Mirror have an unexpected effect.
Warnings: Dark/Light halves acting weird.

THE BIG CLEANSE↴ As the carnival recovers, the Ringmaster has brought it to the gates of a famous interdimensional bathhouse to rest. She won't be joining you for most of it, though she will be checking in frequently and available by radio. She's fixed a large portion of the Silver Mirror after it shattered, but it seems like pieces are missing. She doesn't want to rest until the missing shards are dealt with, and the Mirror itself is locked away safely. ► YOUR OTHER HALF: The shards missing from the Silver Mirror didn't just disappear - after breaking apart in Eden, fragments of the object embedded themselves in the spirits of those not already touched by its powers, and those that had been the most fae-touched. That means, your characters. The effect of this, explained in more detail on the plotting post, is that some characters will be splitting into two versions of themselves: the Light, and the Dark. This doesn't mean good and evil, of course, it's far more complicated than that. Splits can start happening at any time after arriving in Shabon, and initially characters won't know how to rejoin with their twins. Later on, it will become apparent that they need to reconnect via the shard of the Mirror they share... of course, in order to rejoin, you have to have both halves, and not all twins will be as eager to go back to the way things were before. This plot point is optional. ► SPA DAY: When you're not engaging in metaphysical division, you are free to enjoy the many luxuries that Shabon offers. Things will mostly have an east-Asian bend, like what you would see in the movie Spirited Away, but as long as it doesn't affect the setting much, you can honestly have whatever spa-type services available that you want. Food is served both in restaurants and 'buffet' style. There are also well paid sex workers here, if that is your thing, but make sure to tip well. ► FESTIVAL TOWN: The city surrounding Shabondamashii is largely meant to catch the business of interdimensional tourists. There are frequent parades and other events held, and the architecture is very closely packed. It's easy to get lost if you leave the bathhouse, but it's definitely worth it if you like party. You can pick out a few outfits for yourself and some fun nick nacks, but nothing that would normally require mod approval.

Comments

[reflash]

He tests the air with his tongue, a rapid set of up-and-down movements like a snake trying to get a better idea of its surroundings.

"No, I just don't want to go back yet."

Not with his other half still there, the reminder of just how pathetic he really was before.

[exaomori]

It sounds an awful lot like he's running away form something. It isn't like this was the kind of thing he actively enjoyed.

"We can walk around for a bit, I guess." Take the long way back, at the very least. Maybe scout out some places to look at tomorrow after her hangover wore off.

[reflash]

He isn't relieved. He just accepts Shura's agreement and moves on, threading his way deliberately through the crowd. There's something missing in him, and he knows it, but he doesn't know how that's possible. Isn't he the perfect part of Okumura Yukio? He shouldn't feel like there's something wrong with him. It must just be because he's not used to this yet, he's not used to feeling like the person he wants to become. Or it might be the alcohol. He doesn't know.

[exaomori]

Shura isn't in the mood to try and play nice, just keeping a watchful (if inebriated) eye on Yukio. They can walk around, and she might stop to look at something here or there, but she'll try to let him set the pace as much as possible. He was the one who didn't want to go back, after all. She doubts he'll talk about what's going on, even if he's drunk. Besides, he'd just resent her for it if he thought she got him drunk just to interrogate him.

[reflash]

"Shura-san?" He says, after a few moments. She won't need to pry, because he's more than willing to talk. After all, he might be helping her. "What parts of yourself would you get rid of, if you could?"

[exaomori]

"Part of me I'd get rid of?" She repeats, turning to look at Yukio. Well, she had some stretch marks, sure, but she can't really think of anything that she'd change.

"Mm, dunno. Wasn't much point in thinkin' 'bout that kinda thing before, y'know?"

[reflash]

"I'm not surprised," he says, not quite condescending but pretty close. Of course Shura isn't the sort of person who thinks deeply enough about her own personality to identify things she dislikes.

[exaomori]

“Nn, whaddaya tryin’ to say, huh?” Excuse you, mister. She was occupied with other thoughts until recently, thank you very much!

[reflash]

"You're simple." In a lot of ways. She's always been simple. Straightforward. "There really isn't..." ugh, he can't get his tongue around the words properly. "Isn't anything you'd change?"

[exaomori]

Tell her how you really feel, Yukio?? Shura clicks her tongue, feeling just a little vexed.

"I am tryna' make changes, y'know. I just can't do half of 'em here. Carnival ain't really the place to go lookin' for a life partner, y'know?" Unless Yukio wants her to marry a carnie.

[reflash]

"Unless you were going to stay." He isnt, of course, but he can't deny the thought had crossed his mind more than a few times.

[exaomori]

“What, tryin’ to get rid of me or somethin’?” Even if things were bad, she still planned on going back. It was all the more reason to go back, considering who and what was on the line.

“What brings that up, anyway?”

[reflash]

"No." He wasn't thinking of her staying here, really. What did bring it up?

"I was just... talking." Shura, are you really surprised that he's just talking? "You shouldn't stay here, you should go home."

[exaomori]

She is a little surprised that he’s talking, but not that he blew off her question.

“Not much reason to stick around if you an’ Rin ain’t stayin’.”

[reflash]

"I don't know if I want to go back." He admits, because he's absolutely drunk right now, tail dragging on the ground and attention scattering as he fiddles with something someone's selling at a roadside booth. "I could do just as well here-- better here than back home."

[exaomori]

She pays attention to whatever little bit he's playing with, half out of sincere curiosity (A gift for later?), but partly because she thinks if she looks at him directly he might get spooked.

"Better? How d'ya mean?"

Well, both worlds had him under some greater power's thumb. She could see why he was at the very least tempted to pick his poison.

[reflash]

"I'm already learning how to be a doctor," he explains, sort of.

"I don't have to teach classes, and I'm learning a lot of things." Swordsmanship, fatal verses, getting better at his existing meisters. "And I don't have to worry about Rin, he's not getting into trouble."

[exaomori]

“Less pressure ain’t bad.” Not that he wasn’t actually really taking advantage of it and addressing the way he still bottles everything up. But in the end it was still too close to running away from home for Shura’s tastes. “I guess that doctor’s takin’ care of you if you’re even considering it.”

[reflash]

"It's weird. Even before this," and by 'this' he means this split, "everything was so much easier here. I didn't know things could be this easy."

He's just stating facts right now, because things have been easier, even with his constant fights with Rin and the changes to his mind and body. He picks up something else from the booth and drags his claws over it, then puts it down. (If he isn't careful, he's going to accidentally steal something).

[exaomori]

“‘This’?”

It was as close to him admitting he did something as she could get. She keeps her expression cool and only vaguely interested. If he knew what she was trying to get at, then he’d just pull back.

Though was he about to pocket that trinket? He couldn’t be that drunk....

[reflash]

It helps (a lot) that he doesn't have pockets. He puts one thing down and picks up something else, really not caring what it is as he finds something else to fiddle with.

"This." He doesn't know exactly what it is, and she clearly doesn't either. "Nothing happened to you, because you didn't need to get rid of anything."

[exaomori]

Shura picks up something herself, a little barrette. She holds it to her hair, but she'd have to find a mirror to really decide whether she liked it or not.

"What, you go to some weird spa or somethin'?" If he stole something... Well, she'd definitely have to add in a lesson about sleight of hand if that's something he wanted to pick up.

[reflash]

"No..." he says, trailing off as he picks up another hair clip and hands it to Shura to try on, since she's doing the hair clips thing right now. "It just happened unexpectedly. "It happened unexpectedly, but it's better this way."

[exaomori]

It's sad that Shura in some ways that Shura trusts the fashion sense of a teenage boy, but Yukio didn't seem in the kind of mood to purposefully hand her something he could then make fun of her for, so she goes ahead and tries it on.

"You ain't sayin', what, though. Y'think this looks better than the other one?" She holds both of them up to her hair, switching between them.

[reflash]

"This one's a rose, so it matches your mark." Apparently this version of Yukio got all the fashion sense. Also he's skipping that first question, partly because he doesn't want to talk about it and partly because he's considering the medic of hair accessories.