foundfate | PSL (closed)

PSL (closed)

[The shop had finally settled again. It was a bit of a relief, because it hadn't anchored to a world in nearly two weeks, and Watanuki's food stores had started to run low. A shopping trip would be in order, mostly to replenish his nonperishable before the shop set out looking for another world in need of his help.

Usually Watanuki could guess when a move was about to happen, but sometimes it happened out of the blue. Like this last move, which had come so soon after arriving in the previous world. That usually meant that his services were in dire need and that people's souls were calling out to him, even if they didn't quite know it themselves yet. Watanuki would just have to wait for them to come to him.

His first visitor, at least, wouldn't take too long to get there. Watanuki always had a sense of when someone was to arrive, and as soon as the shop's gates had opened and revealed itself to the busy streets of Yokohama he had felt the impending arrival of a customer. It was enough to pique his interest, because he didn't usually get a visitor on the same day after a shop move. Someone was very perceptive, it seemed.

By the time his guest would arrive, Watanuki had already set up some tea in one of the sitting rooms. The summer was at its end, and the cool breeze felt nice enough that Watanuki had decided to open the movable doors to reveal the backyard, which was still bathed in the greens of summer. They could stay cool without the need of an air conditioner that way.

From there, he waited. He had a feeling that his guest was a particularly clever one, so he felt sure that they would find their way to the sitting room on their own.]

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[If Dazai was paying attention to Watanuki, he would see a flash of something in Watanuki's eyes when he heard what Dazai said there. That something was like recognition, like he had heard something similar to Dazai's words before somewhere. Or perhaps Dazai's situation was familiar to him in some way.

Regardless, Watanuki ended up looking down to his cup swirling it gently by rotating his wrist as he spoke.]

I knew someone like you, once. His power wasn't the same as yours, but his situation was similar. He had been gifted with a unique and sought-after power, one that people would have paid a high price to have, and yet he didn't see it as the gift everyone else considered it to be.

[Neither that expression nor the story that followed were expected.]

I know the value of my ability just fine, if you're implying the opposite. It's just that compared to others, it doesn't impact my quality of life. No transformations, no additional tricks, no fancy weapons or super strength. There's only me, my hands, and the occasional broken bone. Blocking punches can hurt, you know! Let me tell you: there have been a few times when I wondered if my arm was going to tear off my torso if I was off by even a few millimeters.

[(Still, Watanuki wasn't entirely incorrect. Dazai, no matter how selfish he was, also didn't see any purpose in sticking around as a person, in the same way that he didn't look at his own ability beyond utilitarian value.)]

You have the power to stop the gods, and yet you call yourself an ordinary man.

[When Watanuki said that, it was calmly and with an interested lilt to his words. Yes, this was definitely familiar, and Watanuki was also aware of the fact that Dazai would have to figure it all out on his own. Watanuki himself hadn't listened to others' words when they had warned him. No, he had to take the long road and grow into his powers.

Dazai couldn't do that, though. He didn't have a century to learn who he was.]

That information's classified.

...so I should say, but it's obvious by now you have other sources.

[What a bombshell. Dazai's words also acted to emphasize a warning he'd given before, on Watanuki being a person of interest here in Yokohama.]

Then, by your words, that actually was Arahabaki, rather than an artificially constructed ability. Moreover, the creature my ability could not affect is still in a class of his own.

[Any bit of self-reflection, he'd nudge to the side. That wasn't exactly an activity he did in front of an audience.

(A single-person audience, on the other hand, might be exactly what he needed. There was only so much Dazai was willing to tackle on his own, parts of his mind and past remaining objects to be looked at, not dissected. Alone, his intelligence could work against him, undermining any growing pains in favor of comfort.

Even if that comfort turned out to be self-destructive in the long run.)]

It was. And he isn't the only one you have met either.

[Watanuki was sure Dazai could guess who the other one was. He was smart, after all. Possibly too smart for his own good.]

No power is limitless. Even gods can be stopped. Ergo, your own powers have their limits too. But it is certainly much more than anyone realizes.

It is probably for the best that your ability blocks any Sight, because I think you might not like the attention it has drawn for you.

[But if he was curious, he did have a way to find out. Possibly.]

But a power is only as useful as the owner makes it to be. No matter what you do, you will only see what you expect. The person you remind me of, he gave up his power willingly and had to spend 100 years gaining it back. I suspect you do not have nearly that much time for a personal journey.

[He made a face.]

That's way too long. As it is, some would claim I've overstayed my welcome on earth.

[That other god might be Atsushi, if legends of Byakko and sacred tigers held true. And as for this person Watanuki was referring to...

Well, now.

Dazai exhaled and kept his hands steady as he poured another round of drinks.]

It won't be the first time I've drawn unwanted attention, thanks to my ability and other activities.

[Wouldn't be the first time his curiosity got the better of him, either.]

What other uses would you suggest, then? No Longer Human is an inflexible off switch that works in absolutes, and it's not for the lack of trying.

[Thanks for the drink, Dazai. Watanuki nodded in Dazai's direction as a silent 'thank you'. ]

It is inflexible because you see it as such. All abilities can grow, and all abilities can become flexible.

[Watanuki looked to his other side- the one away from Dazai- and spoke to a seemingly empty space. ]

Will you bring me Doumeki's bow?

[There was no audible response, but a few seconds later one of the sliding walls opened up and then closed. Then Watanuki returned his attention to Dazai. ]

The first step, however, is being open to that growth. If you refuse to change, then your ability will remain inflexible

Edited 2019-10-04 12:09 (UTC)

[Who this Doumeki was, why he had a bow, and who had brought it out of its storage were, unfortunately, questions that would detract from the other things Dazai wanted to ask at the moment.

Already, he had an inkling to what kind of growth Watanuki was suggesting. It was the same type Atsushi needed to get ahold of the tiger, and a path that needed a lot of time and investment.

In other words, it was an inconvenient long cut.]

Is this really a no spoon situation? Mental gymnastics didn't work the last time, and I make for a terrible Neo.

You're not going to suddenly be able to do it just because you want to. Unfortunately, living is a journey of self-growth, and there are no real shortcuts. You can pay your way to improvement, but that involves giving up something else in an equivalent exchange. And in this case, 'buying' the skill you seek will not get the results you want. You must do this the hard way.

[Always talking about deals, this one. But hey, he did seem to be a good salesman at least? He wasn't going to screw Dazai over with a bad deal, or so he claimed.]

Your nullifying ability makes you an excellent candidate for becoming an exorcist.

[Or an Onmyoji, with a bit of work, but he got the feeling that Dazai wouldn't have the patience for the constant prayers. Watanuki wasn't about to try getting blood from a stone.]

Though that same ability makes you unable to see the spirits you would be exorcising. You would need a partner for such work, one who can act as the 'sights' for your preferred weapon, but it is possible to do. Such partnerships have been done in the past.

[It wasn't that Dazai didn't know the value of hard work. This time around, however, his tendency to breeze through most things worked against him.

The change required of him was a difficult one. Neither was it a coincidence that exorcism was involved - here, he shot another look at the space where Oda might be. If there was a more direct expression of the man's wish for Dazai to do good, this was it.]

Interesting. Are you proposing I work for you? [Don't play dumb, Watanuki, he knew what was up. After all, this was similar to the tricks he used with Chuuya and Atsushi.] Moreover, isn't being a pure spirit or something to that effect supposedly a requirement for actually being an effective exorcist? It shouldn't have escaped your notice that I'm the furthest for that.

[Not even touching on the topic of the bow yet. A gun might suit him better; Dazai wasn't about to sully the elegance of archery with his relative lack of arm strength.]

Edited 2019-10-04 23:32 (UTC)

I wouldn't mind it. It's been a while since I have been partnered with an exorcist. With the barrier around the shop, anything that would mean me harm doesn't usually make it in.

['Usually', because there were always exceptions. And exceptions were bound to happen, given how interesting this particular world was turning out to be.]

The 'pure' thing is a bit of a misnomer. Your action in the moment of an exorcism needs to be pure, yes. But that is more of a 'pure intent' than anything regarding how clean or dirty one person's particular soul is. And while it is easier for a 'pure' person to maintain that kind of purity in their actions, anyone can do it with a bit of training. The whole "someone must be pure at all times" thing is gatekeeping on the part of those who think the status of 'exorcist' is sullied by the presence of someone not like themselves.

[It was then that the door slid open once more, and an archer's longbow came floating out. Well, 'floating' wasn't quite accurate, it was clearly being carried by something. But that something was invisible to Dazai's eyes.

Watanuki carefully took the bow into his hands and thanked his invisible helper before turning his attention back to Dazai.]

This is not a gift. It is a personal weapon of someone who was very precious to me. You may touch it so you can hopefully feel the pull to channel your ability into it, so you can understand what I mean when I talk about weaponizing your ability. Take care with it, because I do not take kindly to special objects like this being damaged.

[Was.

Dazai knew the weight of that word. He kept a symbol of it, too: a lone matchbox, with the exact same number of sticks from the time he got it. The same number of scratches on the phosphorous strip at its side, and only the slight fading of the box art showed its age.

This bow, too, had been cared for in a similar manner, both by its original and current owners.

'Doumeki.' Dazai would certainly be looking up that name, if such a person had existed in his side of the world. Should he also be the shopkeeper's husband, Dazai figured he should at least pay his respects to the guy he was learning from, however indirectly.]

Gatekeeping, hmm? [That, too, took some of the weight off his chest. Dazai set down his sake cup and wiped his hands on his trousers before holding them up to receive the carved wood.] Good to know someone with standards that don't choke.

They don't like me much either, so I never had any reason to keep up with their stuffy habits.

[Another story for another day. It seemed Watanuki was full of those lately, and willing to share.

But for the time being, he passed the bow over to Dazai. It showed its age quite readily: the string had definitely been replaced a few times in the past, and the wood itself had well-worn grooves from where hands had grabbed it time and time again over the decades. Along with that were some small nicks and chips, damage from battles fought in the past. But despite the wear and tear, it was well maintained, even in the present.

The bow itself did not call out to Dazai like it would call out to its former master. However, if Dazai paid close attention, he would feel a subtle tug from it, like something was tugging at his very essence. 'Use me', it seemed to be saying. Of course, if Dazai had the physical strength of steady hands to use a bow was another question entirely. Plus, Watanuki had not supplied an arrow, though if Dazai tried to use the bow he would get the feeling that he didn't need a physical arrow to shoot.]

Do you feel anything from it?

[Watanuki would be able to tell the precise moment the foreign sensation hit Dazai: the brunet was suddenly too still, and an openly flummoxed expression showed on his face. This was even before he could appreciate how old the bow was: the craftsmanship was unlike the equipment Dazai saw in photos of modern archery tournaments.

Heck, it even took him a moment to realize he was spoken to. Dazai blinked, a little dazed.]

What is that?

[Restless energy thrummed in his fingers, and he didn't even know...

Except he did.

His limbs moved. Dazai saw himself standing up, as if he was in a dream. The bow was heavy when he lifted his arm. He got the impression he'd slice his fingers if he pulled the wrong way. His posture was off. His breath was unsteady. Arms and shoulders too low. Sweat rolled down his back. Muscles strained.

Stop thinking and face the garden.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale, and put your fingers on the string. Pull as you would draw a breath, steady and deep.

Exhale.

It's not unlike training with a sniper rifle, even if the arm positions are different. There is only a bullet, an arrow, the wind, a target. In this trance, everything else is immaterial.

Inhale. There is only one point in the distance.

And when you exhale, let the arrow fly.

(When he let go, something pulled.)]

[Watanuki fell silent when he saw Dazai stand with the bow. He had expected a pull of some sort, maybe an itching irritation at most. But seeing Dazai, who was clearly not trained in archery, stand so tall and insistent even in the face of inexperience told him all he needed to know.

It was questionable as to if Dazai would be able to see his own ability trying to form an arrow shape in his hand. Power like that was never really a solid manifestation, and it couldn't even really be called an 'arrow' yet. It was more of a long, narrow blob of power, one trying to conform to the unfamiliar weapon. But Watanuki could see it just fine: a blank space, like a void that existed to suck up negative energy and cleanse the world.

He didn't expect Dazai to fire the bow, but when he did, Watanuki saw a flash of something else. Instead of a bow, it was a gun. And instead of a mass of void, it was a carefully-formed bullet, one aimed right at a short man surrounded by pure Chaos. The bullet was fired, and it went right through the man's heart. Except it didn't harm the man's body, he was left completely intact. But the chaotic energy surrounding him and marking trails up his arms and face broke away the moment the bullet pierced him. The man, now cleaned of that energy, staggered forward a couple steps until he passed out on the ground.

A vision of the future, Watanuki realized. A moment that had yet to pass.

In the present, Dazai's 'arrow' thunked into the wood of the fence, leaving a small round hole where it had struck. It was to the left of where Dazai had been aiming, too. And as soon as the 'arrow' hit the fence, it dissipated. The energy was gone, and it would slowly return to Dazai's body.]

...ah. This must be 'fate' too.

[This time, however, he didn't use the word 'hitsuzen' to mean 'fate'.]

[Watanuki might be interested to know that Dazai actually hadn't seen anything, when most of his focus was drawn inward, on the very motions involved in shooting... well. Whatever it was.

Neither was Dazai in any mood to appreciate whatever success he had in bending the bow, or to catch Watanuki's unusual word choice. Pain flared on his arms and shoulders the moment he snapped out of the trance, and Dazai collapsed to his knees, exhausted and breathless, sweating all over. One would think he just participated in a marathon without the right preparation, with how much he shook.

At the very least, he managed to spare both the bow and the porch floor. He still held on to it when he fell, however, and his thighs bore the brunt of the impact when the wood rapped above his knees, making him hiss.

That was going to bruise.]

Edited 2019-10-05 05:36 (UTC)

[Dazai would feel two sensations shortly after his collapse: a cold presence on his right, just barely hovering over his right shoulder, and the warm press of Watanuki's hand on his left shoulder. One sought to comfort, the other to steady Dazai and keep him from falling over.]

Careful. The first time is always draining.

[Whatever had just happened, it seemed as though it was not outside of Watanuki's expectations. There was still concern in his voice though, and after those words of reassurance he asked a rather important question:]

How are you feeling?

Deader than dead.

[Feverish, too, when the energy he just released crept back into his system, for all the good that did for his sore muscles. With a shaking hand, he fumbled with the collar of his shirt, grimacing at the sensation of cool air on his actual skin. Damn, he still wasn't used to that.

Dazai tried to lean on his right side, too. Save him from shrivelling up in the humidity, Odasaku.]

What just happened?

[He wasn't referring to how he just crashed to the floor.]

[The cold spot on his right side stayed close, but didn't touch Dazai directly. It was unknown if Dazai's touch would 'dispel' a ghost, and Odasaku didn't want to test that quite yet.

Watanuki, meanwhile, nodded to the space next to him. Once again an unseen servant of some sort opened a door and disappeared into the shop. Then Watanuki turned his attention back to Dazai, keeping a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady.]

You actively used your ability for the first time.

[Interestingly, Dazai hadn't quite made that connection yet. Thinking of himself as an exorcist, of all things, was yet another adjustment.]

As opposed to just touching people? [He grumbled, a touch dramatic.] All those broken bones could've been avoided. Figures this just happened now.

Sometimes it takes a bit longer to find the answers you're looking for, unfortunately.

[Since Dazai seemed to be fine, though, Watanuki would take the bow out of his hands and set it to the side. The bow was cranky about being used so roughly, but it would be fine. Just irritable.]

With a bit of practice we could find a weapon that suits you better.

[Well, bow, your very recent wielder was a noob.]

I might have one in mind.

[He glanced at the cold air to his right. If Odasaku had been around for his funeral preparations, he'd know what Dazai was referring to.

Also, don't mind him using the floor as a pillow. Dazai would've wanted to take off his coat, too, but the longer he lay there, the lazier he got.]

[Odasaku might know what Dazai was referring to. But if he did, Dazai wouldn't be able to hear the answer anyway.

And there's Dazai on the floor, looking ready to take a nap or something. Watanuki sighed in response before speaking again.]

We can discuss it later if you're that tired. And I have spare beds if you would like to use one.

[That not hearing part was something Dazai intended to fix, however temporarily.

As for that offer - Dazai waved a hand.]

Maybe later. I've every intention of finishing that.

[He pointed at the sake bottle.

Because priorities.

Rolling to his stomach was an easy way to get to it, too, even if his shoulders were aching.]

What sort 'f things d'you need an exorcist for, anyway? [He frowned at his hand. Stop shaking; the sake was gonna spill!] You can deal with whatever drops by, can't you? Or is it a payment issue?

[The equity aspect of Watanuki's inherited ability might be a factor, for all he knew]

[Hey now, no spilling the sake! Watanuki reached over to take the bottle and pour some more into Dazai's cup, so that if he did spill then at least he would only spill that tiny amount. ]

I am merely a shopkeeper. I am not suited for combat, nor is my power good for exorcisms. In fact, my power makes me a target. I haven't been able to leave the safety of my shop in years because of that.

Think of it as someone needing a bodyguard. I need to leave this shop and go into your world eventually, but doing so without adequate protection is foolish at best.

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