The Slums

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

Tsumiko fell silent for a good while. She laid on the floor, legs under the Kotastu, simply looking at the ceiling and staring.

She didn't answer yes, though.

[Aiden]

Carin

The silence grew more comfortable for Carin at that realization. So she settled in to quietly sip her tea, across from Tsumiko, until curiosity overtook the young goddess. She let out a soft hum, and moved to imitate the girl across from her.

So they were both laying there with their legs under the kotatsu.

It was as warm as one girl's memories of a memory could make it.

[SINIB]

Carin

The silence grew more comfortable for Carin at that realization. So she settled in to quietly sip her tea, across from Tsumiko, until curiosity overtook the young goddess. She let out a soft hum, and moved to imitate the girl across from her.

So they were both laying there with their legs under the kotatsu.

It was as warm as one girl's memories of a memory could make it.

Tsumiko

After a good long while, Tsumiko asked a question.

"What are you, anyway?"

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

After a good long while, Tsumiko asked a question.

"What are you, anyway?"

Carin

"I'm a Carin."

But then she realized that wasn't the kind of answer Tsumiko would appreciate, and giggled to herself. "Please, forgive me. I don't usually get asked - people tell me what I am."

Carin shifted a little bit under the kotatsu so their feet were touching a bit.

"They tell me I'm a goddess. I guess I'm just trying my best to live up to that by helping out."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

After a good long while, Tsumiko asked a question.

"What are you, anyway?"

Carin

"I'm a Carin."

But then she realized that wasn't the kind of answer Tsumiko would appreciate, and giggled to herself. "Please, forgive me. I don't usually get asked - people tell me what I am."

Carin shifted a little bit under the kotatsu so their feet were touching a bit.

"They tell me I'm a goddess. I guess I'm just trying my best to live up to that by helping out."

Tsumiko

"Pft. Don't worry, you're not a god. Gods don't exist any more." Tsumiko giggled a little bit. It sounded girlish, cute, even. "It's nice to see you trying to help people, but shouldn't you be a little more proactive? If you'd just materialized and grabbed her, she wouldn't have been able to make that mistake."

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

"Pft. Don't worry, you're not a god. Gods don't exist any more." Tsumiko giggled a little bit. It sounded girlish, cute, even. "It's nice to see you trying to help people, but shouldn't you be a little more proactive? If you'd just materialized and grabbed her, she wouldn't have been able to make that mistake."

Carin

"Well, I get stronger when people pray to me - does that count? If nobody did, I wouldn't exist." Carin decided that total honesty was the better approach when dealing with this girl. Withholding information would just be used as an 'aha!' later on and then the little goddess would never get anywhere. "Right now I can only take form around my shrines. Then I had to run to reach her."

She let out a sigh, as if disappointed in herself.

"Normally I just... tweak things. A bit of good luck here, some inspiration there, good dreams to replace bad ones, the strength to get through tough times."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

"Pft. Don't worry, you're not a god. Gods don't exist any more." Tsumiko giggled a little bit. It sounded girlish, cute, even. "It's nice to see you trying to help people, but shouldn't you be a little more proactive? If you'd just materialized and grabbed her, she wouldn't have been able to make that mistake."

Carin

"Well, I get stronger when people pray to me - does that count? If nobody did, I wouldn't exist." Carin decided that total honesty was the better approach when dealing with this girl. Withholding information would just be used as an 'aha!' later on and then the little goddess would never get anywhere. "Right now I can only take form around my shrines. Then I had to run to reach her."

She let out a sigh, as if disappointed in herself.

"Normally I just... tweak things. A bit of good luck here, some inspiration there, good dreams to replace bad ones, the strength to get through tough times."

Tsumiko

"Just trying to manipulate people never ends well." Tsumiko answered flatly, sullenly, as if Carin had ticked off a nerve. "You need to have a firmer touch than just covertly manipulating feelings if you want to get anywhere."

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

"Just trying to manipulate people never ends well." Tsumiko answered flatly, sullenly, as if Carin had ticked off a nerve. "You need to have a firmer touch than just covertly manipulating feelings if you want to get anywhere."

Carin

"Huh? Little things like that are all I can do most of the time." Carin sat straight up then, looking over the kotatsu at Tsumiko and frowning thoughtfully. "I'm still too small to heal the sick, or things like that. All I can do is be providence and inspiration."

Then she sighed. "Besides, I'm pretty obvious about it. They all know I'm doing it."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

"Just trying to manipulate people never ends well." Tsumiko answered flatly, sullenly, as if Carin had ticked off a nerve. "You need to have a firmer touch than just covertly manipulating feelings if you want to get anywhere."

Carin

"Huh? Little things like that are all I can do most of the time." Carin sat straight up then, looking over the kotatsu at Tsumiko and frowning thoughtfully. "I'm still too small to heal the sick, or things like that. All I can do is be providence and inspiration."

Then she sighed. "Besides, I'm pretty obvious about it. They all know I'm doing it."

Tsumiko

"Hmmph..." Tsumiko fell silent, seeming to be thinking about something important for a minute or two. "What foods can you make in my dreams, anyway..."

Her stomach rumbled.

[Aiden]

Tsumiko

"Hmmph..." Tsumiko fell silent, seeming to be thinking about something important for a minute or two. "What foods can you make in my dreams, anyway..."

Her stomach rumbled.

Carin

Carin just smiled at the thought, leaving Tsumiko to mull over her words on her own time. Instead she just asked a more important question. "Is there anything you would prefer?"

When next Tsumiko blinked, a bowl filled with rice with pork cutlet over it was sitting in front of her on the kotatsu.

"I like this one, myself."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

"Hmmph..." Tsumiko fell silent, seeming to be thinking about something important for a minute or two. "What foods can you make in my dreams, anyway..."

Her stomach rumbled.

Carin

Carin just smiled at the thought, leaving Tsumiko to mull over her words on her own time. Instead she just asked a more important question. "Is there anything you would prefer?"

When next Tsumiko blinked, a bowl filled with rice with pork cutlet over it was sitting in front of her on the kotatsu.

"I like this one, myself."

Tsumiko

The girl sat up, picking up the bowl and looking over it with watering eyes. She clicked her tongue and took a deep breath, taking a bite out of it. It was really tasty.

She put it back down though, biting her lip. She wanted to speak, but couldn't.

Instead, she laid back down on the floor, rolling over.

[Aiden]

Carin

The young goddess could tell Tsumiko enjoyed the food, so why was she still so sad? Carin hummed, and leaned over the kotatsu a bit to look at the other girl.

"Was that one no good?"

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

Tsumiko laid on the ground, tears leaking out of her eyes. She rolled over, projecting a pillow out of thin air and burying her face in it.

"Mmm-no, it was good..." Tsumiko sounded muffled,  sniffling into the pillow. Of course it was good, how could it not be..."

She felt her heart sieze up a bit suddenly at that moment, and the air began to buzz with a faint aound of static, the cieling getting fuzzy. Tsumiko didn't seem to notice, was the strange part.

It felt like the walls, the air, everything, was watching carin closely. Observing her, like a predator hunting prey.

[Aiden]

Carin

How strange that the dream she had created for Tsumiko could be intruded upon this way. As the form Carin used to interact with the dream moved around the kotatsu to sit next to the mortal (?) girl rather than across, she reached out.

Hello?

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

Tsumiko finally rolled over groaning, going back to looking at the ceiling for a moment before sitting back up, picking up the food, and digging in. She shoveled it into her mouth, practically swallowing it whole, and showing no manners whatsoever. It was fast, efficient, and she finished the entire thing within half a minute. Her stomach grumbled some more, and she looked at Carin with big, hopeful eyes.

She licked her lips clean of stray rice grains, but missed one on her upper lip.


Meanwhile, the air seemed to grow positively heavy, gelatinous. For Carin, it felt like she was moving through petroleum jelly as she got closer to Tsumiko. A warning.

"Yes, hello. What are you doing here, in our domain? Who are you, really, and what are you doing to her? Why don't you answer my questions before you do much more to her?"