messianic | IC

[Well. There goes Okuni... Minato blinks curiously, but definitely is just taking a moment to look over the place. Huh... it's definitely a shrine, there's no doubting that. More historical then the one he's familiar with...

...

...

...

He turns, and gets firmly distracted by the Presence of the wayword Kumou youkai, crouching to look more closely. I... it's cute....]

Oh... hello. Do you live here too?

[Sorry, Okuni, he'd follow but animals are Important.]

[Animals are very important, she can't blame him...

The tanuki (because Okuni and Baren are rude af and DIDN'T EVEN NAME HIM THIS TIME) looks Suspicious, before gingerly approaching. In Okuni's memory, the tanuki's a cute, soft animal who's far too affectionate for any wild animal to behave and should really think twice before fluffing up towards strangers... Imagine if she knew he was a youkai, then Tanuki could transform and full body glomp Minato right this second.

Instead, Tanuki pushes his round, fuzzy head into Minato's ankle... AFFECTION!!!]

Alright, I brought out as much stuff as possible, so help me choose --

[Okuni MATERIALIZES from the house with an armful of things ranging from fireworks (??), a comb, pots and pans, a bag of rice, rifles that aren't rifles but are actually just fake, a whole bunch of clothes, and LOTS OF OTHER THINGS that she's managing to hold with only two arms.]

-- Oh, tanuki! He came out to see you, huh? How rare.

[or did Minato's pure protag powers summon him??? Okuni crosses the lawn to meet them both, then deposits her pile right next to Minato.]

[Is that really rare...? Minato was just happy to see another animal around that doesn't have extra limbs. But he just smiles a little at the tanuki, gently reaching out to pat his head.

Also.

Why do you have so much shit, Okuni.]

Um... you want to pick what to bring back out of all of those things...?

[Tanuki is happy... TANUKI WAS STARVED FOR AFFECTION THIS WHOLE TIME!!! Also Tanuki is picky about the people he approaches, so he's a Rare Chara. His giant busy tail moves back and forth with joy...]

I haven't decided yet. I know food's useful and all, but it's not that fun to bring back... What do you think about the fireworks? We can probably only bring back one, huh? Throwing just one firework doesn't sound fun, either...

[The Tanuki enjoys all the head-skritches, then moves forward to try and paw Okuni's ankle. PICK HIM, OKUNI!!! PICK HIM!!!

Okuni pulls out a freaky looking mask instead and looks at it with a critical eye, hmmm]

[POOR TANUKI!! LOVE TANUKI, OKUNI......]

Okuni-san... Well, they're your belongings, right? You should bring what you want the most. It might be a couple of months before we ever see anything like this again.

[Immediately chucks out the window what Batman said in favor of being more sentimental.]

[LISTEN TO BATMAN, MINATO!!!

Okuni holds the mask out like she's picturing it on Minato's face, hm.]

What I want...? [tHAT'S AN EVEN HARDER QUESTION!! Tanuki paws at Okuni again, then turns to Minato for Help... PAWS AT MINATO JUST AS URGENTLY!!]

I don't know if I have anything like that here.

[after all, Baren's not around. She looks over at the anxious Tanuki and then laughs,]

What's with him? He must want you to feed him or something.

[Why are you like this.

Minato just tilts his head, looking between the tanuki and Okuni.]

Don't you think it's just that he's missed you and wants you to pay attention to him?

[That...would be his guess, anyway.]

[LOOK SHE HAS A REASON FOR BEING THIS WAY...]

He lives at the shrine, but it's not like I own him. He's a wild and free tanuki!

[But even as she says that, she scoops him up and pats him on the head a couple of times.... tanuki!!! don't miss her, she'll moe....]

You can stay here and welcome Baren when he gets back, okay?

[baren is a lonely butthead who will cry without okuni, she attempts to put Tanuki down, but Tanuki just leaps from her arms and right into Minato's]

[Geh. Tanuki's a pretty heavy, solid wait, so Minato staggers a little from catching him, though at least he doesn't drop him... small favors.

... ...]

Someone can be wild and free and still miss the people they're used to having around... don't you think?

[Just...something about how she said that is so strange to him.]

[Okuni blinks at the question, then she looks thoughtful.

Then she reaches out as if to take Tanuki from Minato, instead she just squishes the raccoon's face together with her hands, nice...]

It'll be fine! You're a tanuki of the Kumou Shrine, so you understand, right? Good fortune comes to those who smile!

[SO SMILE, TANUKI!!! and also you too, Minato.]

[Smiling sounds so fake.

And also that was very startling, though he just blinks... poor Tanuki.]

... Is that right...

[Good fortune comes to those who smile, huh...?]

That sounds a bit like a motto.

[DON'T CALL SMILING FAKE, MINATO!!!! Tenka will rise from the void and grab you into a headlock.]

I suppose they are. They're words to live by. [The tanuki can't smile??? but he at least waves his great big bushy tail around excitedly, possibly hitting Minato in the chest with it.] Don't you have anything like that, Minacchi?

[And nobody wants that.]

A motto...? Words to live by?

[Huh...

Minato pauses for a long moment, but he already knows the answer. "I chooseth this fate of my own will."

For better or for worse...isn't that what he had to live his life by to the end? To take responsibility for all of his actions, and to never regret what he's done.

...]

Yeah, I guess I do... maybe. I'll have to think about that more. [So he's not sharing them.]

... Anyway, have you decided on something to bring back?

That's fine.

[THAT'S RUDE but also fine, Okuni's curious, but she's also satisfied if Minato at least thinks about it... Everyone always has some kind of code or words to live by, she's sure Minato has something like that too.

She reaches over to pluck tanuki from Minato's arms.]

I'll bring back a firework!

[okuni.... but the Tanuki does not look as Devastated, instead he's fine. he understands that Okuni is like this. She picks up said firework from the pile and holds it out for Minato to take.]

[That's surprisingly kind of her, and Minato's quiet for a long moment--he's admittedly a little surprised she doesn't press, but when he thinks about it...

... She's kind, and he knew it. She's a very kind person, and she knows that he's still thinking over what that means for himself. So he'll take that kindness and accept it with a quiet nod, and focus on what they're bringing home.]

Mm, okay. Let's do it. [He'll take it, though he crouches down to give Tanuki one more pat before he goes.]

It's probably safe for you here anyway. [That's just a gentle murmur to the animal, before he stands. READY...!!]

[Tanuki!! Loves!! Minato!!! Even if Minato is not a Kumou, Minato is still a good. He'll follow the two of them all the way to the exit... goodbye frands.]

Alright, let's go!

[how do they get out if they jumped in a hole... the answer is that they just have to get to that grassy spot and HEY, THEY'RE GONE!!! BACK TO EXTREMELY HOT CHROMA]

So, what did you think, Minacchi? [did u like her home!!]

It was beautiful there.

[Minato's response comes immediately and sincerely!! After all...even if it was a little run down, it seemed like...]

You live in a beautiful shrine, Okuni-san.

[She expected something more along the lines of 'interesting' and also 'frankly i'm not surprised that's where you live okunibeans', so 'beautiful' catches her off guard.

Okuni blinks at Minato, instinctively looking for that hidden 'BUT' that she's naturally come to expect from people (that's what hanging out with just one other person who's equally badly behaved does to you), but then she looks away once she realizes she won't find it.]

Now I'm curious to see how your home looks like, if you think mine is pretty.

[Because it is to her, but it just isn't to other people?

Minato??

is weird??

But she already knew that. . . . maybe he lives in a shack too? maybe he's a shack person]

[She's definitely not going to find a 'but' out of him, because Minato's eyes are fixed on the shrine, and he seems completely, totally sincere here.

Because... it is.

He pauses for a moment, trying to think of the words he wants here.]

It has nothing to do with where I live. I just think... you can really tell when a home is loved.

[There are mansions that are beautiful, sure, but they're cold too--they exist to be admired, but not to be lived in.]

I think a shrine like this must really be loved by the people who live in it... and that makes it beautiful. That's all.

[minato confirmed not to be a shack person

just a good person

that's even worse!!!!!

Okuni did not sign up for these sudden feelings. She has a strict amount of them at a time and only dwells when necessary. Thinking about the shrine always leads to thinking about her mother and Baren, and but Vvery rarely does she think of the shrine without thinking of it burning down, of Botan never bothering to appear again, of the villagers that curse its name, of Baren's crying face.

It's not as if Okuni hates all of that. Whether it's pain or happiness, Okuni thinks that she'll love that place regardless.

It's just... rare.

To hear those words. To be reminded of when Baren and her and her mother were happy, without anything else looming above those memories.]

[And for it to be said from someone else -- someone who doesn't immediately hate her and Baren and the Kumou name and the shrine for all of the misery it supposedly represents....

Okuni snaps open her fan and......... immediately hides her face.]

. . . .

[that way he can't see her flustered expression!!! HER EARS ARE RED!!!!]

I'm leaving!

[SHE

CAN'T HANDLE THIS

THIS IS TOO MUCH DERE

SHE HAS TO LEAVE]

[BYE OKUNI. Minato's familiar with when people have an emotional reaction to something; he knows when to push and when to stop pushing, and so quietly, he offers a small smile and nods to himself.]

... Talk to you later, Okuni-san.

[And peacefully, he'll head off in the other direction, and give Okuni time to come to terms with things on her own.]

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