ratsoftobruk | No stranger would it be

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No stranger would it be

[Goku rarely remembers his dreams. They're usually good, full of food and friends. Sometimes they're not, just cold and lonely or terrifying and bloody, but they all fade when the sun rises. Reality demands too much attention to let Goku linger in dreams.

He doesn't remember what he was dreaming about when he blinks awake- probably- but he promptly forgets even trying when he notices his surroundings. Instead of a comfortable inn with Gojyo snoring nearby, or the softest patch of ground he could find with the others around a campfire, he's... somewhere else.]

... Sanzo? Guys?

[In the distance Goku can hear gentle music, but there's no response. It's peaceful and quiet and the kind of place Hakkai would probably call "serene". Goku takes a few tentative steps down the wooden walkway, stopping briefly at the koi pond it overlooks. He's kind of tempted to jump in and wade in the water, try to pet the fish and pick water lilies.]

I've... Been here before?

[He can't think when. But it still feels familiar. Abruptly Goku turns away and heads down white hallways further into the building, turning each corner like he knows exactly where he's going. He doesn't have a clue, but he feels like this is the way he should go. Not this room, not that one, not further so he can go outside, he wants-

This door. Goku stops, no clue what distinguishes this door from any of the others he's passed. It doesn't look different. But from behind it he can hear papers rustling and maybe an irritated sigh.

Hesitating for just a second, Goku slides the door open a crack.]

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[ The stack moves across his desk with amazing speed. From the inbox to his scrutinizing gaze. Whammo! Fwip! Outbox. It's one fluid motion, pausing only for his examination of the page. There is usually nothing very interesting to see. Though Tenpou occasionally requisitions odds and ends that Konzen has not a clue what for.

The pile somehow never disappears, no matter how efficiently he works.

Inbox - pause - whammo! - fwip - outbox. Inbox - pause -

He senses the door opening a crack. Konzen's stamp stops mid-air. He's gotten very good at detecting this sort of tip-toeing behavior. That's when he really knows Goku has done something stupid. ]

I can hear you, you know.

[ He sets the stamp aside and waits for Goku to come in and 'fess up to whatever mess he's gotten himself into this time. ]

[(Konzen's the coolest paper pusher in town.)

Goku feels a rush of relief at the sound of that voice, all other concerns vanishing. He grins and opens the door the rest of the way.]

Sanzo! [Oh- wait. Goku stops, staring at Konzen blankly for a moment. Not Sanzo. It feels a little like a punch to the gut, not because he isn't happy to see Konzen but because the sight of him behind that desk, in this room, with the patched over window behind him is just... A lot. He's not sure why, but it's a lot of something.]

... Konzen, right?

[ (Of course he is, he makes it look easy!)

Konzen gives a start at the name Sanzo. The last time he heard that name, it was in that odd sort of here-not-here universe. Oddly enough, he never mentioned it to Tenpou or Goku. It's not as though it made any sense. Besides which, it was somewhat painful somehow. ]

...right.

[ He's not sure whether he ought to be relieved or not that this Goku is back, or that he remembers him this time. Maybe he should have consulted Tenpou about the last time, if only he weren't convinced he'd imagined it all. He pushes the paper aside and looks at the boy. Big(ger) Goku is as he remembers from that other time, not much changed. ]

What happened? Did you find your way back?

Um, I dunno. [It's not weird if he just stares at Konzen for a minute, right? Right.] I don't really know where this is.

[Sometimes Goku just ends up places and he's not quite sure where or how. He was with Sanzo and the others, right? But now he's with Konzen. That's not terrible, but it is strange. He lets himself into Konzen's study and sits in the chair by the desk, pulling his knees up to his chest while he watches the man.]

What are you doing here, Konzen?

Edited 2018-07-01 02:52 (UTC)

[ Maybe it had been the other way around. Konzen was the one who was lost. But he had been in no hurry to go back. It was all rather surreal, like a dream. He'd assumed Goku found his way back to where he was supposed to be. As he watches this Goku drop himself into a chair in this office, Konzen thinks that it wasn't just his imagination. His confusion shows on his face. ]

I work here, [ he states the obvious answer because he's not sure what else to say. ]

You're in heaven. Don't tell me something happened to you Down Below? [ Or someone sent him up here again, like before. ]

[It might be worth commenting on how comfortable Goku is here, just making himself at home in Konzen's office. But it's not like he's one to stress out over that sort of thing anyway.]

Wait, what?! [Goku jumps in his seat, suddenly startled and looking around.] Heaven? Seriously?! How'd I get here?

[In his defence, it's not like there was a "Welcome to Heaven" sign on the way in.]

How would I know??

[ That's just agitation, misdirected. Maybe it's mostly supposed to be directed at himself, because he's the one who's supposed to watch out for Goku, not the other way around. Clearly if Goku finds himself terribly lost, it's Konzen's fault. Even though he can't possibly be responsible for this Goku's welfare.

He sighs and starts again. ]

What were you doing before you got to my door? Did you see a gate?

[This is definitely all Konzen's fault. Goku is innocent.]

Um, I don't think so. [Goku shrugs off Konzen's agitation easily, more than used to it. If he were really in trouble, someone would be hitting him.] I saw some waterlilies and a kinda fancy chair, but there was no one around so I just walked this way. I dunno how I got here.

[Helpful. Goku settles down a little, looking around the room.]

... It feels familiar.

[ No gate. That's just great. Konzen doesn't know about any other way Down Below. Waterlilies sounds like his meddling aunt might have something to do with this. He'd go straight there now and give her a piece of his mind, but he knows she's off today on some errand for Jade Emperor. He grumbles a little under his breath, annoyed at someone who's not even here. ]

I suppose it should. You used to live here, too.

[ He gets up to peer out the window, suddenly curious if his Goku is still out there playing, or whether this one somehow replaced him (temporarily?) ]

I did?

[He supposes that makes sense, if Konzen lives here and he used to know Konzen. It kind of seems like a weird fit, all quiet and pristine, but the temple in Chang'an had sometimes been like that too. So long as Sanzo was there, Goku was happy. He probably felt the same way about Konzen when he was a kid.

While Konzen looks out the window, Goku takes the opportunity to look around the room some more, curious about anything to do with Konzen. The papers on the desk are all far too difficult for Goku to read, but the flowers in their small vase make him smile.]

With you, right?

[ ~~ooc: What if lil Goku was there too tho~~

His glance around the courtyard beyond reveals no second monkey. Konzen isn't sure what to think about this. Should he be worried? Or just accept this as another odd cross-over? He turns back and sees Goku looking around the room. It's white and clean, for the most part, but there are a few pops of color that didn't used to be there. The flowers in the vase on his desk. A jar of half-used crayons. A stack of books from Tenpou's library - an odd mixture of comic books and literature (of Tenpou's selection). ]

Yeah, with me.

[ He smiles, briefly. ]

[~~ooc: I was gonna let that be your call! He can be there if you want.~~

Crayons, books, books with kanji he doesn't recognise- ooh, comic books. Goku tugs at one of them to get a closer look, accidentally messing up the whole stack.]

Ah, sorry! [Goku can't exist in a space for longer than thirty seconds without starting to disturb things. Oh, well. It's revealed some sheets of paper stuck between the comic books with crayon drawings scribbled all over them. Goku makes a not-so-careful attempt at removing them for a better look.] It's weird. It's nice here, but I never thought I'd lived somewhere like this.

[Not that he'd had any clue he'd lived anywhere different, before the cave. He didn't have any expectations.]

[ ~~ooc: I'm cool either way...what do you think?~~ ]

Goku.. [ Konzen resists the urge to make him stop touching things. Yeah, those books don't belong in his office. But at least they were stacked neatly. But knowing Goku - in whatever form - it would only be a matter of time before they got knocked over.

He gives up and takes a seat on the floor. ]

Where did you think you lived?

[ Does Goku ever wonder about his life before...? But he wouldn't blame him if he didn't. ]

[~~ooc: maybe not for now. We can have him show up later if wanted but for now he's off making a mess somewhere else?~~]

I dunno, I just- ack! [He just wants to look at everything- oh, whoops, there goes the stack of books. Goku leaps out of his seat, trying to catch them as they fall, but he doesn't have nearly enough hands and just kind of ends up crouched by the desk with a tower of books half collapsed on his head and in his arms. You know what, he's just going to sit on the floor too and let them fall onto his lap so he can sort them out there.]

... I never really thought about it all that much. [These books were in a neat stack on the desk, now they're being moved to a not-neat stack on the floor. It's practically the same thing.] When I was in the cave, I didn't have any idea what kind of other places there were... But I thought maybe I'd been somewhere warm.

[He'd hoped so, anyway. The cave had always been cold, even in the summer, but Goku could have sworn he remembered what being warm was like.]

After that, Sanzo found me. "Where" didn't really matter then, I guess.

[ ooc: Okay! Sounds good to me. ]

[ Out of the many books, Goku will find several random volumes of "Ninja Hattori-kun," "Candy Candy," and "Touch," which might sound kinky but it's actually about high school kids playing a game called 'baseball.' And then there's "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (a memoir)," "Astrophysics for Dummies" and "The Once and Future King."

There's a bookmark in the last one, where Konzen left off. He helps to push the fallen books into stacks on the floor, where they can stay, for now. ]

...

[ It's hard for him to think about Goku being stuck in a cave for 500 years. He frowns a little bit, and then says: ]

Tell me about Sanzo.

Edited 2018-07-03 00:55 (UTC)

[Some of the books look like fun, though "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (a memoir)" mostly just looks confusing. Goku's not here to look at books though. Konzen is far more interesting.]

Sanzo? [Goku's favourite subject! Though he's a bit befuddled as to why they're talking about him. It also feels kind of weird to describe the man when someone that reminds him so much of him is right there.] Well... Sanzo's great! He kinda looks like you ["kinda"] but you're a bit taller and your hair's way longer.

[But that's just what Sanzo looks like and Goku knows that doesn't really cut it. He goes quiet for a second while he mulls it over.]

Sanzo's... He's like the sun. [It's really the best comparison Goku can think of.] ... He's really bright.

Like me? [ Konzen isn't sure how he feels about that. He's also not sure what to think about this whole 'sun' business. Clearly Goku doesn't remember saying the same thing about Konzen not that long ago (well, a lot longer for this Goku..) Should he feel jealous of this Sanzo? No, of course not, that's just ridiculous! Why should he?

At the end of the day, Goku has someone he cares about who looks after him. Isn't that the best thing for him?

Konzen snorts softly.]

...I suppose that's a good thing.

Yeah, he's really pretty!

[Like you, Konzen! Judging by Goku's grin, Sanzo at least makes him happy. That has to be worth something.]

But you seem a lot nicer than him. Sanzo yells and shouts at people a lot. Some people think he's really scary when he's mad. [Goku's face does not look like he agrees. Sanzo is not scary, sorry.] Oh, and he smokes a lot and you don't. You smell nicer than him!

[ People call Konzen a lot of things, but 'nice' isn't one of them. His eyebrow twitches a little bit. Truth be told, the whole yelling and shouting at people thing sounds closer to himself. ~~Maybe he has more in common with Sanzo than just his looks.~~

Goku doesn't seem to mind the yelling Sanzo. If anything, it seems he's rather fond of the guy. Goku always did have peculiar taste. But given his personality, he should be making friends wherever he goes. ]

Hmph. Smoking. Tenpou smokes a lot. You're right, it stinks.

[ But he says that with some fondness, himself. He's long given up trying to curb Tenpou's smoking. Now, he just associates the smell with with his friend, and his library. ]

[Konzen hasn't gotten properly mad at Goku yet, as far as he can remember. If he did, he might change his tune. Konzen might actually be scarier than Sanzo somehow.

Goku snickers.] I'm used to it, coz of Sanzo and Gojyo, but it smells really bad! [But he still associates the smell with them, with relaxing on the porch with Sanzo, and can't bring himself to actually dislike it. But when you have Goku's nose you can't really ignore a smell like that.]

Um, do you wanna know anythin' else? [He could talk about Sanzo for hours.]

[ It's probably lucky for Goku that Konzen is unlikely to find himself yelling at him in the near future. Given what he knows about what happens to him, it seems petty and stupid to get mad about the little things. Another thing that Goku has changed about him, albeit unknowingly so. ]

You said you were traveling? How's that going?

[ Konzen's never glimpsed anywhere beyond the realm of heaven. He's only ever heard about places from Tenpou. He wonders about it, now. All the places Down Below. ]

[Spoil the monkey, Konzen. You know you want to.]

Ah... We got fired. [Goku makes a face.] But we're pretty close now, so we're gonna keep goin' anyway. We just gotta take a quick break because we kinda got beat up.

[By Nataku. Goku fidgets with the stack of books next to him for a second before looking back up at Konzen.]

... Hey, so, um- if this is Heaven, there's gotta be a lotta people here, right? It's not just you, Konzen?

Fired?

[ Fired, and then beat up? Fired because they were beat up? As usual, Goku's explanations make very little sense. He doesn't seem too enthusiastic about explaining that whole situation, though. ]

Er. Obviously. [ He doesn't live here by himself, that's ridiculous. But who else would Goku know up here? Surely not his meddling aunt. ] ....why?

Yeah, those three head aspect guys were being dumb jerks. We told 'em to fuck off.

[Sorry, Konzen, your monkey is a hooligan, insulting gods and defying heaven- which probably shouldn't come as a shock.]

But they said Nataku had our job now and we saw him and- [Goku pauses and presses his lips together tight. He's still not sure what happened.] He was upset. He was cryin'. Do you know where he is?

[ Head aspects? What the hell was he talking about? Though if they were gods, then it doesn't surprise Konzen that they're jerks. Most of them are. Or at least the ones Konzen knows about. ]

Nataku is...

[ He hesitates there. It hasn't been that long since Goku came back from visiting Nataku, sulking and feeling hurt. He tried to explain to him that Nataku has other things going on, that he must've had his reasons for ignoring him. (Not that Konzen has much knowledge about such things himself). Goku didn't understand. He shouldn't have to either, which is what makes Konzen angry. The kids just wanna be friends, but Nataku is no ordinary child. ]

It's complicated.

[He's not a kid anymore, but Goku still doesn't understand. Everything is complicated and simple at the same time and then at the center there's someone that Goku can't stop thinking about. It's not so much that his feelings are hurt this time- if they are, it doesn't make much sense why- or that he's feeling lonely. He has friends of his own, names to call, and Nataku was just...

Goku falls back against the table, head hitting it with an audible thunk.]

That's a super shitty answer, Konzen.

Hmph.

[Konzen huffs, feeling slightly defensive. After all, it's a true enough answer. He's not really sure he's got any good ones for Goku. Not enough to satisfy all that he wants to know, anyway.]

I don't know that much. He's the War God. I'm not exactly part of that...situation. What do you wanna know?

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No stranger would it be

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Wow, super late.... ;;

Five hundred years...

;;

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