GODLY AUDIENCES - TAKAOMI SHISHIMARU

[divus]

Comments

[bakaomi]

[ the last time taka was in the armory a bed was set on fire

but he sits down at the desk ]

Is this your room...?

[divus]

Yes and no.

[Fortune takes a seat on her mattress, then. The stuff in here is fairly old-fashioned - what you'd expect to see in Fantasy Egypt, anyway - but it's comfortable.]

I have a room in the other part of the temple. But... I'm trying to stay out of the way of the other gods this week. I don't want to do something to upset them, and have one of them put me on the suspect list if there's a trial. You could all vote me out of the competition that way...

[And she still really wants to win.]

So I made this when I made my wing. ...this is the house I grew up in.

[bakaomi]

[ oh... that makes sense. granted takaomi doesn't see how fortune could upset the others, but he's beginning to form a bias and his opinion should not be counted. ]

Are you from Egypt?

[ he's never been but. it looks very egypt-y. ]

[divus]

[She giggles.]

Some of the gods who were originally from Earth asked that, too. I'm not... but from what I read, Egypt is very similar to this place.

[bakaomi]

Really...

[ is she an alien. is that why her hair is weird. ]

What's it like?

[divus]

[nah ambition is just rude]

It's very peaceful here. ...Or... it was. Before...

[Fortune hesitates, then stands up to look out a window facing north.]

Do you see the tower they're building over there?

[bakaomi]

[ he leans over to try to get a better look, even though he knows what tower she's talking about. ]

Yeah. What's it for?

[divus]

There's a much larger city to the west, across the desert. That city's ruler is... looking for something out at sea, I think. He wants to build a tower that stretches so high he can find whatever he's looking for.

[...]

My people didn't want to let him build in the ruins... so he made them.

[bakaomi]

[ he actually stands up then, walking over to the window but pausing behind her. ]

He sounds like an asshole.

[ he knows it's an understatement. ]

[divus]

[It makes Fortune giggle, at least.]

He was the person I hated most in the world, for a while.

[bakaomi]

Hm? Do you like him now?

[ ... or liked, since she wouldn't be able to have contact with him anymore, right? ]

[divus]

[cheerfully:]

No, I just found people I hate more.

[bakaomi]

[ oh goddammit he laughs ]

[divus]

Hee hee! That's the second time!

[she's WINNING]

[bakaomi]

[ oh

he covers his mouth, as if that will take the laugh back ]

[divus]

It's too late! You can't take it back now!

[bakaomi]

Tch...

[ FINE!!! ]

Okay. You got me.

[divus]

So, since I won our bet...

[Hmm. What does she want from him?




she doesn't actually know. she kind of thought she was going to lose, deep down.]

[bakaomi]

Hm? Having trouble?

[ honestly he hadn't thought of anything either, but

fortune will never know that now. ]

[divus]

Hmm...

[She tilts her head to the side.]

Before I pick... Takaomi, can I ask you a question?

[bakaomi]

Yeah, go ahead.

[ he is used to being the one to ask that. ]

[divus]

...will you still come and see me now that we don't have a bet anymore?

[bakaomi]

... yeah.

Unless you want to get rid of me?

[divus]

No! I was going to--

["use the prize to get you to keep talking to me". Now that she almost says it, Fortune realizes that sounds kind of weird and crosses her arms.]

I just wanted to make sure. That's all.

[bakaomi]

Are you embarrassed by something?

[ it's in moments like this that he really wishes they didn't wear masks. ]