2nd foggy night ▣ [dream/accidental video]

[handshakegreeting]

Warnings: Does "Goddess of the Dead" cover it? If not, trigger warnings for first degree murder, accidental death, abandonment.

All is quiet, all is peaceful...

Nothing is distinct, yet all is clear. The meadow, the trees, the sound or running waters and a newly-formed waterfall roaring to life. All is at peace, faces blur into one another. There is laughter, the joyous noise of a courtship- of romping and spending time with the one you loved. Everything is as it should be, and the mind is free of worry.

All is calm, all is joyful...

Then there was a wedding, the bride meeting her bridegroom. There was nothing but love in their eyes for one another, a red string uniting them long before they meet face-to-face. But she spoke first, and the scene repeats- this time with him speaking first.

"I love you."

The valley is filled with spiderlillies... and suddenly, an unearthly scream echoes from all around as it all goes black, only to be broken the the sound of a newborn child crying and the anguished cries of a woman. Fire.... There's nothing but fire all around. She can't see, smoke filling her line of sight before there's a grunt of pain and then pure, unadulterated anger. The child screams only once more before falling silent at the sudden sound of metal slicing through flesh in midst of the roar of the flames.

"No... stay with me. Thou must..."
"I-I don't want to... end like this..."

There is much sobbing, the flames growing out of control even with their tears as the lover cradles his beloved, forehead resting against hers as they both weep. The voices grow indistinct in the flames until a badly burned hand reaches up to painfully brush up against his pale face.

"I am sorry, my beloved...I..za...na...... I-I canno-"
"No-! Please, do you not recall our promise? Thou must-!"

But the bride falls silent, greying head of hair leaning against his chest as her hand falls. He catches it, holding it close to his face as he weeps over her lifeless form as she vanishes in red embers...

Alone... Alone...

It's so dark, one cannot see well especially through the thick, heavy fog that encompasses the area around the two figures as they speak. The words are incomprehensible, but the feelings between them. The relief, the hope that they could be reunited...

But then he vanishes and she chases after him, heart racing as she sends aspects of herself after him.

"No... Don't leave me behind. You promised me..."

YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD NEVER LEAVE MY SIIIIIIIDE!

She awakes with a start, eyes red as they blink at the dreamberry before she tosses the blasted thing at the stairway, ending the feed. Perhaps a cup of tea... would do...

[ooc: Responses from the goddess may be short, or none at all. After all, who would truly want to comment on a vague remembrance of ones own fall?]

Comments

[Action]

[angelphones]

[... Katsu can't help but feel sorry for her, and want to comfort her. She might be a goddess, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings or emotions. So he heads out, a little box in his hands, and follows what he hopes is the right feeling. He blinks at her odd decorations, but knocks gently on her door.]

action;

[handshakegreeting]

[...The door seems to open on its own, the small entryway opening up to the main living area. There is only one pair of shoes waiting there on his right- the shoes she wears while in this form.

Little sound to be heard from the strange house other than the sound of a tea kettle heating up on the stove within the confines of the kitchen. It is almost as if, after that accidental showing of her face, she nearly expected someone to come forward. Whether it be friendly or otherwise.]

action;

[angelphones]

[He takes off his shoes politely, and heads towards the kitchen, looking around for Izanami.]

... I brought you something.

action;

[handshakegreeting]

[She's standing there, back turned to the doorway as she picked up the kettle from the stove and carefully prepared the tea. ...If it is one thing she particularly enjoyed that humans created, it was the electric stove for obvious reasons.]

A considerate gesture, though hardly necessary.

[Her voice is cold, though she turns around with two cups in her hand. Very few men recalled her enough to leave flowers at the site, and even then those gestures were rare as she continued on with her existence. Izanami gestures to the table beside him, as well as the cushions. Join her for tea, child messiah?]

action;

[angelphones]

[He smiles at her, and places the box down on the table, opening it up to reveal some onigiri and some an dango. He sits politely, tucking his legs under and behind him.]

Are you feeling any better?

[ex_heartening282]

[ Kairi's stuck feeling a riot of emotion after witnessing this particular dream. First and foremost: sorrow, for the lovers who couldn't be together. For the bride, left alone despite a promise that'd bound the two together.

This, despite it all, might have been her own greatest fear. Being left behind.

And so it isn't just sympathy she feels, either. But empathy, on the lowest level. Because who could ever match this level of loneliness? She never will, she knows this. All she can do is reassure this goddess that she isn't alone in this place. ]

I'm here. [ She won't reassure her that everything's okay. Just that she's not alone now. ]

And I will be as long as you want a friend.

text;

[handshakegreeting]

[The reply doesn't cone until much, much later. For in her world, she is seen as nothing. Either as a fallen god, or as the gas station attendant who suddenly vanished after the 20th of March this same year that only a handful of those whom she spoke to even knew existed.

Though now she is so jaded by the facts that she had been literally left to rot, that she became Yomotsu-Okami to some... to hear a child's voice, a voice filled with light and a similar sorrow in her voice...reaching out.

She frowns at the device on the floor, but picks it up later and sends a response via text much later.]

Very few would show such kindness to one who rules over the dead. Thank you, child of man.

[...She supposes. While side-eyeing the device.]

voice;

[ex_heartening282]

It... doesn't really matter what you are. Your heart still can hurt.

And I'd like to be your friend. You don't need to thank me.

[ Kairi uses voice because... honestly, she's too tired to type. ]

Someone told me earlier that I'll never be alone while I'm here. It's only right that I say the same to you.

[ Because so long as you have even one friend... you're never alone. ]

voice;

[handshakegreeting]

[A heart that could ache, even after it stopped beating. Though that is assuming she even has one now- after who knows how many lives she either led to be destroyed, or helped to grow by awakening their potentials. In fact, she even laughs quietly-

If this child truly saw her, would she still think the same thing?]

Brave words for one who knows not the fickleness of the soul, and what reality can truly be for those who have learned it long ago.

[Yes, she truly did switch to voice- but was it because of consideration of someone who was exhausted, or was it something else?]

Do you truly believe you can see beyond what you wish to see in the fog of lies?

voice;

[ex_heartening282]

I know. I can't imagine the kind of pain you've had to deal with.

But good friends can help heal a heart. [ She's seen it with Riku. ]

Yes, I can. I don't know how... it's something I've always been able to do.

[ The ability to sense the light and darkness in others, to gauge what kind of people they are at a few paces. Such is being a Princess of Heart. And she doesn't know the half of it. But if it can help here, she'll do whatever she needs to.

She pauses briefly, and then adds: ]

My heart does the seeing for me. I think... yours might be able to do the same, if you allow it.

[video] 1/2

[dancingonapin]

[Aziraphale watches with intense fascination, this nagging feeling of familiarity stemming from the situation. Why does this all sound so familiar? He thinks about it for a while, about all the mythology he'd ever studied...

Oh, aha!!]

Izanagi! You were trying to say Izanagi!

[video] 2/2

[dancingonapin]

[Wait... wait oh, no, this isn't another...]

.... You're the goddess Izanami.... aren't you....

[video]

[handshakegreeting]

[...She does not hide the unnaturally glowing red of her eyes under her illusions, nor some of the decaying burns on her cheek. She is very much not pleased with the initial reaction, though the angel seems to have at least realized his error of judgement. Even so, it did not cover for his transgression.]

How very astute of you to realize my identity through my former husband's name.

[Bitter and betrayed after all these years? Why, yes.]

[video]

[dancingonapin]

[Good job Izanami, you've successfully frightened him. His eyes are wide and movements both nervous and worried. He swallows before continuing.]

W-well it was the entire dream that really made me realize it, Izanagi's name is what made it click... Err, sorry for what happened to you, miss... You're truly the goddess Izanami then?? [How many deities existed here exactly? He's having a field day!]

[video]

[handshakegreeting]

[Then she's doing it right, considering she's still rather raw after that revisiting of her own past. However, Izanami does indeed quell her own anger for a brief moment at the apology. Someone would live for a brief while longer, at least.]

That I am. And who might you be? [Oh, a handful or two.]

voice;

[garbagecanned]

[...Ah. Awkward. So. How does Yosuke feel with seeing something like that?

Awkward. Pretty much - how does he even say anything to this? As much as he hated the things he did, he...kind of felt sorry for her?

But unfortunately, it still didn't completely change the disdain he had for her.]

Uh. [Very eloquent Yosuke.] Awkward. The whole dream thing sucks, doesn't it?

[Way to go, man.]

voice;

[handshakegreeting]

[Does awkward truly begin to describe it?

It takes four hours for a response. Way to go, Yosuke. Way. to. go.]

An eloquent way to state something that is quite obvious on its own, Hanamura.

[Oh look, it even included a short golf clap.]

voice;

[garbagecanned]

[Oh, welp. He can't say he ever knows how to talk about this sort of thing with a normal person, much less a goddess.]

Hey, someone had to say it. [He knows that sarcasm when he...er, hears it.] Right?

voice;

[handshakegreeting]

[Don't worry about it too much, since he is still young and learning about the world though she is rather tempted to say why Susano-O befits him so.]

I suppose it would have happened whether it was you or not. [Sarcasm, and now annoyance. Someone's on a roll.]

voice;

[garbagecanned]

[He's mentally younger than most of his other friends, poor thing.]

Probably. Maybe for someone else it would be less...awkward. [He has that effect on people.]

voice; private

[quakega]

[This... this was...

The woman from the beach party, right? The dream that was broadcasted just sucks all the air right out of Terra as his eyes widen from shock. Not over the person's identity, but over how there was a similar element with his recent nightmare.

He opens a line of communication, but leaves it as a voice transmission. Filtering it also seems like a good idea, since... he doubts she really wants to have everyone listen to this.

... awkward; he wants to talk, to say something--let her know he empathizes, but... the words don't come for almost a full minute.] ... I'm not the biggest fan of fire, either.

[Awkward, quiet, a little shaken from his own nightmare. No comment about the rest of the content, or any awkward questions about it, which is likely for the best.]

voice; private

[handshakegreeting]

[...Yes, yes it was.

There is no response for quite a while, mainly because yes... it certainly is awkward and she hadn't meant to reveal herself to anyone with her history in the reality those children were familiar with, let alone the entire network as a whole. Thus when she realized what occurred...

The fact that it was a memory- a very ancient one that continues to plague her, however- that is what hurts the most.

It takes even longer for the god to respond, but when she does... her voice gives little away on how she feels. Yes, it is best to shove those feelings away for now.]

Then it would seem as though there are some commonalities...

[-between both god and man, despite how those children reacted to her assumptions. There is an empty, somewhat humorless chuckle from her end. She knows, because she saw that dream as well. Almost funny, how she dropped the charade because of this.]

voice; private

[quakega]

... yeah. [Plenty of commonalities. Death, tragedy. Old memories better left in the minds of those that held them--closely guarded, personal events that are best left as secrets to all but the closest to your heart.

The pause is still lengthy, but he picks up again, his tone still quiet, still awkward. It's strange, but... with this odd common thread--fire and tragedy--he feels a little like sharing.] ... it took me a while to face the fear; it was years before I could cast a proper Fire spell. I kept smelling smoke, feeling the heat, and panicking.

[Which isn't good when trying to master a volatile element like fire. Another pause, and there's something weightier there; not just empathy, but... something else. Something with more weight; he almost doesn't sound like he's only just turned twenty.] It never gets any easier, dealing with the pain of loss; not really. The events might be long past, but the emotions felt then, the memories... they still scar our hearts.

[Otherwise, why would they be dreaming about it?]

voice; private

[handshakegreeting]

[That would be the case, had she anyone to share it with on her own. But then, most of those in her world already knew at least a version of the retelling. It wasn't much of a stretch with that knowledge in hand.

She listens quietly, maybe even chuckling under her breath at some point. It had taken her quite some time to be able to cast her child's element as well. Not a day went by without both the bitterness of anger or frustration that things had come to that point. And now, to hear a child of man bearing similar feelings... the weight of survivor's remorse was rather apparent to one who sought the desires of man.]

It took me quite some time to be able to utilize the same element my child was born from as well. [One hint, and then she continues.] It isn't merely loss, but the betrayal that sears those painful marks upon the soul, child. One would do well to recall this 'truth'.

voice; private

[quakega]

Betrayal... [He frowns, pondering this. Thinking about it--about how it felt just from the supposed betrayal in Radiant Garden, and comparing that to the sting of loss that had never quite gone away...

... he could see how that could be considered 'betrayal', in a way.] ... I'll try to remember that.

[Still never something he would wish anyone to feel.]