The Slums

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

Tsumiko turned towards Carin and frowned, releasing samantha. "Did she? I'd like to believe that, but what proof do you have? Do you know how many times I've seen somebody make the same foolish mistake, regardless of what they've 'learned'?"

Tsumiko's left eye flashed light blue, while the right flashed deep red, for just a moment.

Carin

Samantha immediately scampered around to hide behind Carin, putting the young goddess with her red eyes and light purple hair between herself and the one who healed her. All Carin did was smile, placing her arms behind her back and looking up at this oh so familiar looking girl. "I shall be with her, and this time I believe she will listen when I warn her about such things. I can feel it."

As if hesitant to disagree, Sam just nods. Repeatedly. "I-I promise I'll listen from now on!"

"Mmhmm." And then Carin bowed her head to Tsumiko. "Thank you very much for helping her out. I'm glad such a good person lives in this place."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

"Tch." Tsumiko felt upset for somw reason she couldn't really artuculate, seperate from this girl's abject foolishness.

She turned her head away, tears coming to her eyes.

"I'm hardly a good person." She stood up, feeling rather wobbly all of a sudden. Maybe using all of that magiv hadn't been a good-

Tsumiko crashed onto the ground with a thud, groaning from her sheer exhaustion.

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

"Tch." Tsumiko felt upset for somw reason she couldn't really artuculate, seperate from this girl's abject foolishness.

She turned her head away, tears coming to her eyes.

"I'm hardly a good person." She stood up, feeling rather wobbly all of a sudden. Maybe using all of that magiv hadn't been a good-

Tsumiko crashed onto the ground with a thud, groaning from her sheer exhaustion.

Carin

Before she could hit the ground, Tsumiko found herself in the arms of the young-seeming girl. It was an effortless catch and hold, because Carin could see the signs of discomfort. And then she said, "Only a good person would put so much of themselves into helping another for no gain at all. Stubborn girl..."

Carin knew the words couldn't reach her now, so she picked the girl up into her arms and began to move down the alley. "Samantha?" She said to her follower, her perked up a bit in guilty relief due to Tsumiko's unconsciousness. "Please go home. I will speak with them soon, should you pray to me."

"... okay."

And with as much faith in Samantha as Samantha had for Carin, the young goddess left her behind so she could take this other poor girl back to her humble shrine.

Just a little nook at the end of another alley. Just a table with a tarp pulled tight, an overhang to protect it from the weather. On the table were cheap scented candles, only half of which were lit, and dried flowers. Carin gently knelt next to the shrine, and placed Tsumiko's head on her lap facing up. And then she waited.

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

Tsumiko found herself standing in a large cavern filled with magic energy. A dark circle floated far above her. A girl whom looked exactly like herself stood laughing underneath it, while a second, raven-haired woman laid on the cold ground, imprisoned and unable to move even an inch.

She was trapped, she couldn't move either. She couldn't speak. She couldn't do anything, nothing could stop this tragedy! She reached out, into the air, but then...

Her vision turned to static, and the scene disappeared.

The next thing she saw was from an overhead view, floating high over the sky as she watched the consequences of her wish unfold. Mud flowed freely from the mountain, oozing out of every hole like pus from a burst pustule. It destroyed everything, everyone in its path. Even this high up, the acrid stench of burning biomass seared itself into the girl's nostrils, overwhelming her senses, making her eyes water, and filling her mouth with a burning sensation. She floated upwards, higher, watching the mud spread over Japan, into the sea, and onto Korea.

Maybe it wasn't the smell that was making her eyes water, after all...

Tsumiko moaned in her sleep, tossing and turning in Carin's arms. She cried out in fear, pain? Or was it something different.

Regardless, it certainly didn't seem like it was a particularly restful experience.

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

Tsumiko found herself standing in a large cavern filled with magic energy. A dark circle floated far above her. A girl whom looked exactly like herself stood laughing underneath it, while a second, raven-haired woman laid on the cold ground, imprisoned and unable to move even an inch.

She was trapped, she couldn't move either. She couldn't speak. She couldn't do anything, nothing could stop this tragedy! She reached out, into the air, but then...

Her vision turned to static, and the scene disappeared.

The next thing she saw was from an overhead view, floating high over the sky as she watched the consequences of her wish unfold. Mud flowed freely from the mountain, oozing out of every hole like pus from a burst pustule. It destroyed everything, everyone in its path. Even this high up, the acrid stench of burning biomass seared itself into the girl's nostrils, overwhelming her senses, making her eyes water, and filling her mouth with a burning sensation. She floated upwards, higher, watching the mud spread over Japan, into the sea, and onto Korea.

Maybe it wasn't the smell that was making her eyes water, after all...

Tsumiko moaned in her sleep, tossing and turning in Carin's arms. She cried out in fear, pain? Or was it something different.

Regardless, it certainly didn't seem like it was a particularly restful experience.

Carin

There was an uncomfortable feeling that settled into Carin's gut the longer she stayed incarnate in the world. Every moment she spent in flesh was a moment she could have been in spirit, listening for prayers and doing her best to answer them. She could have been guiding her followers when they needed her, watching over them, keeping them safe. The young goddess felt... was this the guilt mortals described? Yes, this seemed close to that feeling.

But seeing and hearing this young woman with such a familiar face suffer in her sleep for reasons unknown, Carin knew this was where she belonged right now. She smiled sadly at the sight, and placed a hand over Tsumiko's forehead. "Rest easy, sweet healer. You deserve better than your dreams allow you."

A sense of soothing comfort settled gently onto the girl with her head on the goddess' lap. And then, Carin tried to give her a better dream than whatever came before. Something... like home?

A kitchen, table and chairs. Domesticity. Someone there with her, even if it had to be Carin herself.

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

The world faded to black once more, and Tsumiko found herself sat at a table with people she was both intimately familar with yet had no clear idea who were at the same time.

Is this from their past? His past? She wondered as she slowly began to eat food quietly, listening to the people around the table just, well, chat. Chat like she figured people did when they were having a good time.

Tsumiko quieted down, but she looked-lonely...

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

The world faded to black once more, and Tsumiko found herself sat at a table with people she was both intimately familiar with yet had no clear idea who were at the same time.

Is this from their past? His past? She wondered as she slowly began to eat food quietly, listening to the people around the table just, well, chat. Chat like she figured people did when they were having a good time.

Tsumiko quieted down, but she looked-lonely...

Carin

A soft voice interrupted the dream of faded memories. "Is this better?"

Across from Tsumiko was the girl from before, only a bit older. Physically, she resembled the dreaming girl's own age. She too was sitting at the table, hands folded on top of it as she ignored a bowl of rice.

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

The world faded to black once more, and Tsumiko found herself sat at a table with people she was both intimately familiar with yet had no clear idea who were at the same time.

Is this from their past? His past? She wondered as she slowly began to eat food quietly, listening to the people around the table just, well, chat. Chat like she figured people did when they were having a good time.

Tsumiko quieted down, but she looked-lonely...

Carin

A soft voice interrupted the dream of faded memories. "Is this better?"

Across from Tsumiko was the girl from before, only a bit older. Physically, she resembled the dreaming girl's own age. She too was sitting at the table, hands folded on top of it as she ignored a bowl of rice.

Tsumiko

"Another person invading my dreams, huh..."

Tsumiko leaned back, laying down on the floor. "What do you want." She asked quietly. She was so used to people wanting stuff from her, so what was one more?

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

"Another person invading my dreams, huh..."

Tsumiko leaned back, laying down on the floor. "What do you want." She asked quietly. She was so used to people wanting stuff from her, so what was one more?

Carin

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you would like this dream." Carin ducked her head at that, turning her eyes down to the table. This was not how the young goddess was usually received. "You passed out from the exertion of saving Samantha, but then I saw you... struggling."

She looked back up to Tsumiko, and smiled hesitantly again. "I just wanted to help you feel better."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

"Another person invading my dreams, huh..."

Tsumiko leaned back, laying down on the floor. "What do you want." She asked quietly. She was so used to people wanting stuff from her, so what was one more?

Carin

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you would like this dream." Carin ducked her head at that, turning her eyes down to the table. This was not how the young goddess was usually received. "You passed out from the exertion of saving Samantha, but then I saw you... struggling."

She looked back up to Tsumiko, and smiled hesitantly again. "I just wanted to help you feel better."

Tsumiko

"Thanks, I guess, but what do you really want? Nobody ever comes here without wanting something or other."

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

"Thanks, I guess, but what do you really want? Nobody ever comes here without wanting something or other."

Carin

Blink. Blink.

"That is what I want. For you to feel better."

The goddess tilted her head and looked at Tsumiko in confusion, red eyes meeting hetero-chromatic.

Then she sat back again and smiled. "My name is Carin."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

Tsumiko didn't believe her, really. She'd been burned by phantoms too many times, ghosts visiting her in her sleep, only to vanish in a puff of smoke after a painfully short time.

Taiga was gone.

Illya was gone.

Mitsuzuri was gone.

Saber was gone.

Even Thea was gone, and she was real.

But, she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of Carin. She could tell. That girl was full of deceit, and she wouldn't be fooled.

Nor could she do anything about it.

"You can call me Tsumiko, I guess."

[Aiden]

Carin

Ah. This one had been hurt before, hurt deeply. It might have even been recently if Tsumiko was this closed off. Carin took a cup of tea into her hand and sipped from it. "Mmm. Well, I'm watching over your body until you wake up from this one. You can leave whenever you like."

Another sip. "Huh. This is good tea..."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

"Yes, it seems like my parents were great cooks, all three of them."

She sounded exceptionally bitter as she spoke, turning over on the side so she could hide herself from Carin.

Her heart throbbed in anguish, her breathing getting more labored.

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

"Yes, it seems like my parents were great cooks, all three of them."

She sounded exceptionally bitter as she spoke, turning over on the side so she could hide herself from Carin.

Her heart throbbed in anguish, her breathing getting more labored.

Carin

Tsumiko could hear the sound of a cup being gently placed back on the table.

"... would you rather I left?"

Carin sounded as sad as she felt.