genessia | Dust devils, bug devils, all the devils!

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Dust devils, bug devils, all the devils!

Betelgeuse was bored and he really didn't feel like working. Ironically, he decided to perch himself on top of the employment building, while dreaming up some fun to inflict on, well, everyone else. He was in the mood for some chaos. A small breeze blew a scrap of paper down the street past Betelgeuse and he began to grin.

Holding out his hands, Betelgeuse let a wave of his juice roll out into the sky, stirring up the atmosphere. The wind picked up, forming miniature dust devils. Some of the dust devils picked up enough debris to be visible, but some didn't. The devils were about one to two feet across and anywhere from two to six feet in height. Grinning in delight, Betelgeuse sent out a second wave of magic, filling most of the dust devils with various nuisances, such as beetles, spells, water, and/or dirt. Some of the devils were strong enough to knock a person over, if they got hit, but none were strong enough to damage buildings or cause serious injury.

Betelgeuse was determined to have a good laugh. So, the dust devils bounced around, some on the ground, some in the air, bouncing into people. Those unfortunate enough to get bounced by a visible dust devil would find themselves covered in the debris or otherwise annoyed by whatever the devil was carrying.

ooc: Feel free to make up something obnoxious for the dust devils to do to your character! Anything that doesn't cause serious injury/damage is fine. :D Or, just come by to cheer Betelgeuse on/tell him off!>

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No sooner had Betelgeuse released the dust devils when a small voice piped up behind him.

"Helloooo! Hey! Mister!"

Oh jeez. Had she been there all along? It was a little girl, short and slight, with glowing green eyes and a blue eye-like sphere floating in front of her chest. She was rocking back and forth on her heels and toes, her hands hidden behind her skirt.

She seemed to perk up when he finally noticed her, a smile spreading quickly over her features.

"Hello Mister! You're up really high so I came up to see what you were doing! Also you were laughing. You have a silly laugh. I like it!"

Edited 2014-07-31 17:48 (UTC)

"Hi there, kid, how ya doing?" Betelgeuse said, grinning. "Yeah, I have a bit of a joke going and I'm waiting to see how it goes. Come on over and watch!"

"I'm doing good!" She walked up to Betelgeuse, swinging her arms a bit. "Are you doing good? I hope so."

She peered over the side, scanning the street below, blinking. "A joke?" She tilted her head. "Hey! There are windy things down there. Is that what you made Mister? That's so cute! Are you a wind youkai or spirit? Maybe a god of the air?" She turned to look up at him again.

Edited 2014-08-01 15:43 (UTC)

"I'm doing good, too," Betelgeuse agreed, chuckling.

He watched as a cat sniffed a dust devil and got covered in water for it's trouble. Betelgeuse cackled.

"Yep, I did. Nah, I'm no god or anything. I'm a poltergeist...a ghost! I'm called BJ. What's your name, kid?"

Koishi frowned a little as the cat got wet. Then again, it was just water. No harm done.

"Ohhh! You're a ghost. I know a lot of ghosts. There are three nice ghosts where I come from and they play instruments. They're really good at it."

She brightened quite a bit. "I can't remember names ever since I dropped my head. Not usually. Only sometimes. But my name is Koishi Komeiji though. I'm a satori youkai! It's nice to meet you Mister. It's fun to see unusual magics being practiced."

Edited (Added a little more) 2014-08-02 05:06 (UTC)

Betelgeuse turned a bit, so he could get a proper look at her.

"Nice to meet you, too. If you want fun with magic, then I'm the guy to hang around," he boasted. "Don't worry about the name thing. Not many people know my real name, here, cause I can't say it. SO, Koishi? What the heck's a satori youkai?"

"Wow! Really? I can see that you like to have fun. There's some tar there too. Stuffed into little cracks that branch off from little holes where bolts were... But its mostly fun!" Already she wasn't making sense, though she continued as if she had.

She blinked and tilted her head. "Ohhh. You don't know what a satori youkai is? has it really been that long that we've been forgotten? Or do we not exist where you're from?" She tilted her head.

"A satori youkai is a type of mind reader. We can see thoughts as easily as we see anything else. It doesn't ever turn off though so I made my power go away forever. Because people don't like it when you read their mind and then they get cranky and throw rocks at you." She tapped her closed third eye. "See? My sister can read minds though. That's why she lives alone. People have noisy heads."

Betelgeuse blinked at the mention of tar, but what the hey. He's known weirder types and he thinks out loud sometimes himself, so he just let's it go. The interesting thing was the bit about mind-reading...

"Could be either one, babes. You from Earth? When I left, we were half way through the twentieth century," Betelgeuse explained. "Eh, people are over-sensitive about stuff. I think it'd be great to just read minds! Though, hey, a bit over-whelming, if you couldn't turn it off. I totally get ya!"

"Yeah! It's hard to make friends when you can look at them and can see their secrets and things. People think we judge them but its hard to judge just one person when you can see everyone's sins. That's why sis can get so grumpy..."

Koishi's eyes followed a dust devil that passed over a fountain, becoming an instant sprinkler and soaking everyone and everything in range. She broke into an instant smile and then laughter, pointing down at it.

"Mister! You should do that on super hot days! I bet it would make a lot of people happy and it would be really really fun!" She clapped her hands. "I bet you could wash things like that too. People appreciate it when things are clean."

"Aw, c'mon. What's a few dirty little secrets? Just means the person has the sense to actually live their life! I don't think I'd trust someone I knew didn't have any secrets," Betelgeuse protested. "What's she grumpy about--the secrets or people thinking she's judging?"

Betelgeuse watched the water display with glee, chortling merrily at the shouts of outrage that reached him.

"They don't seem appreciative. Anyway, I'm not going to help people be all bent out of shape over a little, honest dirt."

Koishi's laughter turned into a bit of a frown. "Aww... They don't like it. Something like that in the Gensokyo village would be a big hit during the summer. Everyone would come out and play in the water to cool off. It would be so fun."

She looked up at the ghost, nodding several times. "Yeah. When you know everyone's secrets and misdoings it loses any sort of shock. It's hard to get mad at someone for something they did when so many other people also do it."

A small pause, the little satori blinking. "I don't have any secrets or lies. Not anymore. My head doesn't let me keep them. But that's okay. I don't need them. I'm too simple for anything like that."

"Well, they'd probably like it better, if I hadn't set a bunch of dust devils full of stuff on them," Betelgeuse said, cackling with glee. "I'm sure the less stiff-necked types would enjoy a fountain to play in."

Betelgeuse nodded absently, more focused on fun than philosophy.

"Yep. I'm six hundred years old. I don't get shocked at what people do anymore, if I ever did," he explained, then grinned at her. "Aw, don't worry, babes. It's cool. I mean, for all you know, you had plenty of secrets, before your memory went to shit. Just don't let that keep you from having fun is all."

"I can still remember some things!" Koishi pursed her lips some. "But a lot of things are gone that were there before. Like my age. No matter how many times sis tells me I always forget. I was two hundred and eighty one before I dropped my head though. And that was a long long long time ago. So I guess I'm pretty old then! But that's okay. I like doing things and seeing Sis happy. That's a lot of fun for me!"

She tilted her head a little, hand drifting up to hold her third eye. "No... Satori youkai can't keep many secrets when we live together. Words are clunky and difficult to use. Not like the ebb and flow of thought. There are things you can say in an instant with perfect clarity that would take a whole book to say with words."

Her brow knit some as she watched the dust devils. "Frowns frowns frowns... Frowns and shouting. I know you like attention but aren't the diminishing returns bothersome? Frowns and shouting are always the same. Human anger is so simple. So predictable. To make it new you just add more and more and more and more. Then the humans get together and burn your mountainside and try to kill you or seal you away..."

She ran her finger over the lid, a sliver of white appearing. "I prefer laughter. Laughter is light and shifty and is always new and curious. It's lovely, even though it lacks the impact other emotions like fear have. You should make people laugh. Then you'll laugh too. I bet you'd never be bored if you did that."

"Well, that's okay. I have days I wish I could forget how old I am," Betelgeuse admitted, nodding appreciatively at her description of satori youkai. "Much as I love secrets, that sounds like a powerful gift. Sure would prevent misunderstandings!"

Betelgeuse turned to the devils. A few people down there were laughing, mostly at other people, but, yeah, there were a lot of frowns. He shook his head in disdain.

"Well, here's the thing, babes. In my experience, I tend to annoy people and make them frown, whether I mean to or not. Sure, I like making people laugh, but hell! If they're sourpusses anyways, I might as well go ahead and have my fun. Right? Anger or laughter, I'll take whatever they have to offer. I laugh at people all the time, either way."

"Yeah... Sometimes I feel like a dummy. I gained the world but lost the simple comfort of my sister's mind. Not much I can do about it now though. And I've learned to use words better... It's funny I suppose. Sis and I were never this close before. Even with the mental connection. Maybe all he hard work we've put into our relationship has strengthened it." A small nod, the third eye opening a little more.

Koishi sat down on the edge of the building, letting her feet dangle over the side as she watched the people down below. "I understand that. It's easy to annoy people, especially when you don't even understand you're bothering them. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't still try to make people laugh. That's like giving up. And you're creative and funny and really smart. I can see all those things in you. So you can't give up. No one can ever make everyone laugh, but I bet you could make a lot of people laugh if you took the time to. And there are a million ways to do it too!"

She clapped her hands. "Humans are strange They have laughter for everything. Anger, fear, joy, sorrow. And then so many different other types within the types and its so nice to see them all. The colors and flavors and tones all pulsing and meshing together. Especially when you get a lot of people together. The patterns are beautiful to watch. And they make me want to laugh too! With your head and your magic you could find all sorts of laughter in people."

A small pause, the little satori glancing over at the ghost. "Joyous laughter is overrated though. It's just like elation. Too pure and too short and not interesting enough. It's really bright too. If you want to try for something like that aim for 'deeply moved' or 'jovial' instead." Oddly specific but quite possibly useful.

"Aw, you're no dummy, kid. Trust me, I've known enough of those to tell! I'm not so good at relationships, but you sound pretty happy with things," Betelgeuse encouraged.

Betelgeuse studied her closely for a few moments, then shook his head.

"No problem. I've never given up on anything. Thing is though, making people laugh is just...a hobby or a way to interact, y'know, off the clock. My actual job is scaring people...scaring humans away from places occupied by ghosts. I never really thought about making people laugh a regular thing. Not sure I've ever inspired 'deeply moved' in anyone."

"... Your job is... To scare people?" She tilted her head, blinking. "There's an umbrella back home that exists for the purpose of surprising others. But she's an umbrella so that's okay." Her third eye swayed from side to side. "You could make people laugh as another job. Or you could even do both at the same time. Humans laugh when they go through haunted houses. They scream too. But they always laugh."

She kicked her feet a couple times several deep blue tendrils sliding out of her sleeves to grip the lip of the building as she leaned forward. "I don't have any hobbies really... Except for danmaku. That's a lot of fun. But no one plays danmaku here. At least I haven't met anyone who does."

"Yup. Well, you might say I'm an umbrella. I keep idiot, newbie ghosts from getting hit with exorcisms. In my world, that's basically a way to kill ghosts. When I'm doing the exorcist gig, I'm not trying to make living folk scream or laugh, just leave."

Betelgeuse leaned back on his elbows, still watching the chaos below.

"Danmaku, huh? What's that? Maybe you can teach people here to play."

Edited 2014-08-10 05:31 (UTC)

"Fair enough I suppose. You're like... A super protector person thing. But for ghosts instead of people." She reached up to readjust her hat against a somewhat strong gust of wind, siting back again so she wasn't leaning out quite so far. "There's a lady where I live that exorcises things. But she's exorcising evil. Not ghosts. She has lots of ghosts that hang around in fact. She's okay with them around so long as they don't pester her directly."

Koishi swung her legs around so she was sitting with her back to the drop, holding out a foot and turning it this way and that, examining a scuff on the toe of her surprisingly heavy boot.

"Danmaku...?" She perked up a little. "It's strange. Before I came here I never had to explain it." She turned back toward the ghost, eyes once again bright. "It's a form of non lethal dueling. Magic or objects are used as projectiles and the goal is to use the projectiles to create patterns and suppression in the air to dazzle your opponent so you can hit them. Each combatant starts with a predetermined number of pre-made spell cards and you're in big trouble if you run out. The duel is over when someone forfeits or can't fight anymore."

"Did she ever think she might be pestering them? Gotta look at it from our point of view, kid. We come along, then we die, a change in our state of being, and all of a sudden the living think everything is about them! We don't matter anymore."

Betelgeuse listened with interest to the description of Danmaku. It sounded like his kind of game!

"Heh, now that does sound interesting. I got plenty of magic. What do you hit your opponents with? The projectiles? So, you lose a spell card, if you get hit?"

"Well my world is one of monsters and spirits and demons and youkai and lots of other strange things. Someone has to keep order and its hard to do that when you're constantly being bothered. Her job is to keep everyone safe, living or dead. The problem is that the reaper of souls is slow to do her job and ferry the spirits off to the places where they need to be."

"Like one time the snake godess of the mountain came down and had my sister's hell raven pet named Okuu swallow the sun god. So she went power crazy and wanted to burn the land until the sand turned to glass. So the grumpy shrine maiden came down and made her stop. Now Okuu is back to her old self and everyone is happy!"

Her cheer broke into a full smile at the ghost's question. "Yeah! You hit your opponent with them. They're blasts of kinetic energy and heat, but not enough to cause any real damage... Though I suppose a human could get hit in the temple or something, but that's not the goal of the duel. A spellcard is a special attack! They only last a little while so you have to stop after a certain amount of time or after your focus is broken. You can also use a spell card as a bomb to clear the enemy's shots and try to break their focus but then you have one less spell card to use as an attack. Here-"

She reached into her sleeve and offered him a card. It was excellent quality material and beautiful in its decoration. Framed in hand painted thorny vines it framed an upside-down photo of Koishi. She was upside down, numerous green vine like strands of magic behind her. There had been a lot of work put into it to make it a work of art. Underneath the picture was the text「胎児の夢」framed in a lovely compact box. Underneath was a description of the attack, also written in Japanese, as well as a number which was probably the number of seconds the card was maintained. The entire thing had been covered in a semi-gloss giving it a uniform dull shine.

"The nice tengu lady on the mountain will take pictures of your spell cards if you ask. This one is 'Embryo's Dream' and the nice tengu lady really liked it."

Edited 2014-08-10 20:26 (UTC)

"If you say so, kid. Sounds a helluva lot different from my world. I mean, we got ghosts, spirits, demons and all that, but none of them bums have jobs, not unless they committed suicide."

Betelgeuse studied the card she showed him. He grinned, sensing the magic.

"That's pretty. Energy and heat, huh? But, you could, theoretically, use anything, as long as it didn't cause any real damage, right? I think I like this game."

"Yeah. Anything will work for a spellcard as long as its a physical object. It's just there to keep people from cheating. The card itself has no magic. The nice purple moon lady used magic to help preserve mine though. Because I asked real nice and she wanted some sand from old hell so I brought that to her. She likes sand, I guess."

She reached up taking the card back, tucking it away in her sleeve. "I have a whole bunch of cards. Its sometimes hard to just pick a few." A pause, the youkai tilting her head. "Well... Yes. You could. A nice lady with a puffball uses swords and she cuts the air so fast that it hits you hard. The grumpy shrine maiden and the nice mountain shrine maiden both uses paper talismins. The devil maid throws knives. They're really sharp but she's good at throwing them and they never hit vitals. Most people use magic though. The technique is fun and you can even make your 'bullets' to be shaped like anything."

The little youkai held out her hands, a light blue ball of power taking shape in them, expanding outward into a heart. "See?" She let it shoot up into the air, letting it fragment into many pieces creating an arc of firework-like explosions that fizzled after a short distance.

"Uh huh. Heh. Sounds pretty intense, kinda like a sport or something. You got leagues or teams on your world, anything like that? I can't imagine duels like that not drawing a pretty good crowd," Betelgeuse speculated. "That's pretty good, kid. How about things like possession? Is that allowed?"

"Sport? Maybe just a little." She inclined her head. "No. We don't have any special leagues but you're allowed to team up with someone to create a singular pattern."

At the mention of crowds, Koishi perked up quite a bit. "They do! It's always a lot of fun when a crowd gathers. They cheer and whistle and things. Beauty is very important in these duels. In fact that's half the fun. An actual fight would just be bloody and ugly, so why not settle disputes with art?"

Her third eye swayed a little bit, the youkai drumming her fingers on her knees. "Umm... Possession? Maybe? But not full control. You could make a timeout card and possess your opponent so their movement speed is much slower or something. Or use yourself as a non damage 'projectile' and hold them still for a moment to make it harder for them to dodge. The point of a spellcard is to make it possible and escapable but to make it so dazzling and beautiful and chaotic that your opponent just can't."

Figure I'd go for a direct approach... Since Koishi can fly and all.

:D Good idea

Also, the hugging. So much hugging.

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Hilariously, these are all in canon explanations to justify the game-play.