nexus_sages | (no subject)

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Without warning, someone emerges into the Nexus through a swirling portal of light.

The smartly-dressed young man, one-handedly adjusting a pair of dark-framed glasses on his nose as he walks, appears to be quite involved in paging through a book of some sort, hence not noticing that he is most likely not where he was actually intending to be. It's only when he finally looks up from the book--

"--I can't be sure as of yet, but it appears...that it...might..."

Yes, this is definitely not where he meant to end up.

He blinks slowly - once, twice, three times, absently taking a bookmark from his pocket so he can close the book and take a very good look around.

A brochure from a nearby table finds its way quickly into his hands, and while it doesn't really explain things to his satisfaction, at least it gives him a bit of an idea to work with. Now...a question. Which involves picking one out of the multitude swirling round in his head.

"...How - hypothetically, mind you - would one go about showing their appreciation to someone who was kind enough to take them in? Without overstepping their boundaries," he hurries to add the last bit, looking sour.

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"Tattoo?... Oh, this." Kazuma moves his hand to eye the mark, looking somewhat amused. "It's my name mark. A sign of ownership, I suppose you would call it - ah, do forgive my rudeness. You've not heard of shinki, have you?"

The Nexus, for its part, seems uncertain how to translate that term.

"And yes, she knows." More amusement.

((Indeed Japanese. *does the embarrassed derpfacepalm, is clearly tired*))

"Ownership?" Okay, now she's starting to think very bad things about his 'boss'. She's only partially distracted by the question. "Shin-ki? No. I don't know what that means."

Yes, her pronunciation is bad; it'll get better. These things take practice, after all.

((It's okay, not every anime's set in Japan.))

Kazuma doesn't seem bothered by Verity's pronounciation. Her accent pegs her as obviously not Japanese, and hey, she's trying.

"We shinki are basically the weapons and protectors of the gods." Yep, here comes the proooobably unbelievable stuff. "All of us were originally lost spirits - the essences of people who died or were killed, but still held within them the urge to live. Being marked as shinki gives us the opportunity to be alive once more. This is my name," he tugs his sleeve down just a little for Verity to see the mark in its entirety. "Kazu. To that effect, the human name I have been given by milady is Kazuma."

It is a fairly complicated business, really.

((I was definitely not running on all cylinders either though, lol. Feeling a bit better today!))

It's nice to get credit for trying instead of getting laughed at. She will be working on it.

Nothing about that seems unbelievable to her. Odd? Maybe a little. New? Definitely. But not unbelievable. She's the best friend of a god of lies; she can believe in all sorts of things. No, that's not where the problem is. "But she owns you?"

It may be a very complicated business, but she's pretty fixated on that fact right now.

((Glad you're feeling better!))

"Yes, she does. The alternative--" He makes a face, shuddering. "The alternative is to be without a master and utterly useless - or to have many masters, all of whom give a name of their own to the shinki without a former master first releasing that name. To be owned by many gods...I would sooner become an ayakashi than let myself become a stray."

He shudders again, then pulls the pleasant smile and demeanor back on with small effort. "Lady Bishamon is a kind woman with a sharp sense of fairness and good judgment, willing to give purpose and name to any unowned shinki she may find. It really isn't as awful as it may sound."

His obvious revulsion to the idea of being unowned gives her pause and makes her stop to think. There's a reason he's reacting that way, and while it may be conditioning, she doesn't want to assume. She doesn't look like she loves the idea, but she'll try to keep an open mind.

"So you need someone to give you a name before you can... do things?"

"Basically, yes. The name links us to the Near Shore, the world of the living. Without a name, we are mere spirits and highly susceptible to the corruption of ayakashi--" he pauses, realizing he should explain just what ayakashi are. "It would not be inaccurate to call them monsters, spiritual ones. They are spirits who have already been corrupted, who are no longer pure and no longer wish for life - only for revenge."

Kazuma offers her a grateful smile, shrugging a little. "I understand the concept of enjoying one's ownership may seem strange, but I assure you, we aid Lady Bishamon just as much as she aids us."

The idea of 'spiritual monsters' momentarily gives her quite the wrong mental image. It involves yoga pants and expensive coffee and is best not discussed further. But that's still no excuse for that smirk she sports for a moment there.

"That's not the reassurance you might hope it is," she points out before shrugging. "You're right that I don't like the idea of people being owned, but compared to the alternatives you've mentioned, it sounds like you got lucky."

((*snortgiggle* Hee. Now I have that mental image.))

"It is quite lucky. Imagine it as a sort of resurrection, if that makes you feel better. A second chance at life."

((You're welcome!))

"I do like second chances," she admits. And boy is that ever a loaded subject with her.

"So what does 'kazu' mean? My dad named me Verity, which means truth and a high probability of a drinking problem."

"It means 'portent' or 'omen'. I suppose as Lady Bishamon's oldest and closest shinki, it is quite fitting."

He looks a little unsure whether to laugh at...well, he thinks the 'drinking problem' part is sort of a joke? He hopes so, anyway. People don't tend to self-deprecate like that unless they're joking about a bit... Well, a smile never hurts anything, really, so that's what he'll do.

"Oh yeah? What're you supposed to be an omen of?" More to come, she supposes, but you never know. Especially in a place like this.

She wishes she were joking. But since he's smiling in a vaguely confused sort of way, she'll explain. "There's a famous quote, where I come: in vino veritas. In wine, truth. So you can imagine what everyone got me when I was legal to drink."

"That I'm afraid I couldn't say. I tend to be terrible at predicting things - that's more for the god of poverty, really - and I doubt my existence portends something other than 'Lady Bishamon's assistant'."

He nods slowly, looking interested now. "I see. That would make things terribly difficult."

"Everyone's important, even if we can't see it." That's what people keep telling her, but don't ask her to explain why. "Have you ever asked her why she gave you that name?"

She gives a small nod and then a shrug. "It's not the worst thing he ever gave me."

"Honestly, I never thought about asking. There may even be no reason behind it but that she liked how it sounded." He lifts one shoulder in a not-quite-shrug. "But perhaps I may ask sometime."

He looks sympathetic - and a bit curious - at her comment, but doesn't pry.

"True, but that's a reason." Not that it's hugely important if it doesn't matter to him. Her curiosity isn't that important a thing to sate.

She sighs, and considers not telling him--but that would be rude. "I accidentally got cursed to always know when something's a lie."

"That sounds quite complicated." Kazuma looks genuinely sympathetic.

"Oh yeah. It's not always great. But, on the other hand, I've never been disappointed by a politician." Because she's never believed any were going to keep their promises, but details. "And I don't have any pesky body-image issues due to Photoshopped ads."

"I see." Now he grins a little. "I like your sense of humor."

That gets a look of surprise from her. People don't usually see that she's joking about any of this. For a moment, she wonders if he understands why. It doesn't look like he does, which is kind of a relief.

"Thank you. I like you, too." Not quite what he said, she knows; but take the compliment, dude. They don't come around too often.

"Well, that's a relief. I don't tend to get on well with those who don't." Definite grin, now.

That gets a laugh from her. "No, I don't imagine most people would. You'd have to be one of those unbearable optimists."

That gets a wince along with a laugh out of Kazuma. Clearly he knows at least one unbearable optimist. "How do people like that exist, anyway?"

Rhetorical question, yes.

Haven't they all? Unbearable optimists get around. "I have no idea. I'm going to go with 'magic' because nothing else makes sense in this context."

Rhetorical, perhaps, but she can try to joke about it all the same.

"Sounds accurate enough." Especially considering the optimist he's thinking of is a fellow shinki.