chibisu | Ebisu's Inbox

Ebisu's Inbox

[For anyone who is familiar with Ebisu in person, they might be expecting the sound of a cute child on the answering machine.]

[They do not get a cute child's voice.]

[Instead, it's the voice of a young man, speaking calmly and professionally.]

Hello. You have reached the personal phone and temple of Ebisu, one of the Gods of Fortune. He and his shinki are currently busy right now, so please leave a message and someone will respond back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you, and have a nice day.

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On second thought, maybe I'll sneak into your room and look for your porn.

[Hah. Nah, it's probably easier looking through his browser history. Ginia leans out of the way against a counter and watches. He's adorable when he's fidgety and she takes a stealthy picture, smiling a bit to herself. It's nice. Isn't this what couples do? Would he mind if she came over more? Do they even really have the time? A tiny sigh escapes as her gaze falls downward, looking up as he speaks to her.]

What do you have? I'm not really choosy, though I haven't played a lot of video games. Mostly rhythm games and visual novels.

Oh my. All you need to do is ask.

[Because yeah, most of it is definitely in the computer at this point. Gotta keep up with the modern age and all. While he messes with the presentation of the bowls, Kimi shrugs.]

I got a lot of everything, most that I haven't finished yet recently. Uh, a few horror games, some of those really technical combat types... Oh, there's a fun game where you just go around taking pictures of fantasy animals.

[Pausing, he taps his bottom lip with the chopsticks he has.]

Which sounds sort of nerdy when I actually say it out loud... A farming game? I just grab whatever is popular or looks fun at the time, so I have a bunch of stuff.

[Horror is out of the question on a good day. Though on a good day, maybe it'd be less scary watching him play. After everything today, a combat game seems like it'd feed too much into her stress. On the other hand, taking pictures of fantasy animals sounds like a great time on any day.]

Taking pictures of fantasy animals sounds pretty cute.

I guess I'm looking for any kind of distraction.

[Her chest feels tight again. Ginia's fingers tap along the back of her case, trying to stave off a growing feeling of dread. It feels like she's drowning. The day should have felt triumphant in some way, but there are only more questions, more unsettling revelations.

She won't be a dark cloud in such a bright room, she won't drag Kimi down with her.

But it's hard feeling strong right now, so maybe it's time to count on someone else. Mi, many, no one here is alone. Ginia waits until Kimi's hands are free, until he's not doing anything too time sensitive or dangerous. She steps behind him and wraps her arms around his waist, holding him close as her face presses against his shoulder. He's warm and real and without their stab vests in the way, Ginia presses fully against him.]

Sorry I'm weak. [She signs in front of him.] Bear with me.

Then you'll like this. It's a kind of spin off from this other really popular series- one of the more action ones. But apparently people liked the designs so much, so the company actually took a risk in making something a little different. It's pretty...

[Kimi stops himself when he feels her stepping closer, and only waits for a moment so that she can adjust against him before he reaches up to gently curl his fingers against her hair. His other goes downwards, resting against her fingers.]

Of course. It's okay to be weak.

[Is it? Ginia laughs harshly, a huff of hot air across his shirt and skin. She leans a little into his hand, holds him tighter though careful not to squeeze him too much. She hits hard. She knows her strength. Maybe she doesn't know her strength. Strength and weakness, her scale of herself is broken when what is normal? What's the baseline to judge herself against?]

My second temple was full of fighters. I thought it was where I belong, what I wanted.

[Her signs spill from her hands. Strangely, it doesn't hurt as much as she thought it would to think about those months. It'll still take awhile for all the embarrassment and shame to burn off, but it doesn't ache as much.]

They were faster, stronger, I couldn't keep up. Or maybe it was all in my mind, I don't know. I made a lot of mistakes there.

[Maybe one day it'll be easier talking about it. Right now, looking back on those months still feels too embarrassing and shameful. Ginia tries to refocus and tie together the stray thoughts drifting around. It's a level of honesty she's not used to, but bottling everything will eventually suffocate her and her gods too.]

I didn't learn it was okay to be weak until I came here. I guess I'm still getting used to the idea. There's a lot I'm getting used to still. But coming here was the best thing to happen to me. I guess it's the case for everyone here from what I've heard.

[And I could have lost everything. It's nothing she needs to say; Kimi was there, he knows. Her breath skates across him again. Ginia glances at his neck, traces up to where it connects into his jaw.]

...I really want to kiss you right now, but I'm afraid of making the same mistakes again.

Edited 2019-03-21 20:09 (UTC)

[Patiently, Kimi keeps his hold on her, reading her hands as she tells him her worries. There are a lot of people who are quite fond of her already in the temple, as relatively short a time she's been among them, and he knows that she's seen of as reliable and strong. But this sort of thing... It doesn't seem too surprising.]

[Strength is good for a lot of things, but it's a weight of its own when left in the hands of people who don't have confidence or knowledge of other things in life.]

[A soft smile flickers across his face at her last words, and he turns his head just enough to look at her.]

If you know what the mistakes are, then you know what to look at for, right? If you want to kiss me, then you can kiss me... but you can wait, too, until it's not so frightening. You don't have to rush.

I'm right here.

[He's better than I deserve, Ginia thinks, but isn't that undercutting Kimi's judgement? He could have asked anyone out on White Day or at any other time. It didn't have to be her, but it was. Trust in his judgment, trust in him.

Because he's the one right here.

Ginia lifts her head from his shoulder and smiles at him. Oh, Kimi. They're not very far apart, it'd take no effort to kiss him. And she wants to. She wants to feel his lips, against hers, see what would happen next. Maybe she'll push him against the counter, or the wall, or the floor likes he wants. He could do the same to her. Forget food, forget video games, they could pass the time with each other, remind each other they're still living in the afterlife after another brush with death.

That's why it'd be a mistake.

Just once she'd like a kiss tied to happier memories. Just once, she'd like to look back at things and remember the moment as itself and not the circumstances around it. Is it silly? Maybe, but it's how she feels.

Ginia pulls away, hands lingering a little as they slide off his body. Sorry, Kimi, getting pinned against a wall will have to wait. But she feels better, some of the dread of the day burned off. Sentiment takes its place, eyes shyly averting and cheeks red.]

Thank you, Kimi. You're a good boyfriend. ["I hope I can be a good girlfriend for you."] I'll let you finish cooking, it'd be a shame to let the food go to waste.

[It is not entirely a surprise when those hands move themselves from around him, and he looks back with a smile that she might not see with her avoidance to eye contact right now. At least his hands are easier.]

So many compliment, and you haven't even taken a bite. The good news is that it's mostly done now.

[Just a little bit of arrangement, and ta da! Scooping his hand beneath one bowl, he offers it to her.]

Take a seat and I'll get the game stared up. The graphics are pretty good, although I haven't gotten to explore everything yet.

[It's not as if she hasn't had his cooking before. Ginia takes the bowl and carries it to the couch. The pillows are comfortable; she nests into them with one at her back and one on her lap. As she waits for Kimi to set up the game and join her to eat, she takes pictures of the food. The plating is nice and it's a nice memory for an otherwise stressful day.

...It wouldn't be hard sending the rumor mill turning. The night shift needs entertainment too. Ginia whistles to get Kimi's attention, taking a picture when he turns her way.

It's also the first opportunity she has to look at his shirt. Her brow furrows as she puzzles over it, face crinkling and huffing in amusement when it clicks.]

Nice shirt.

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