Last Days In Death (Open)

Though some very intriguing things had changed since Valan’s last visit into Otherworld— namely some oddball Shinjin here and there which excited him greatly— there were things that had remained the same for as long as he had been alive. Over five thousand years and these things were still sorely lacking in fluidity and adaptation.

Ogretown was one of them. The rules and conduct here were as strict as they always had been. Of course, Valan was aware of exactly why this was; many Ogres had incredibly important jobs working with Yemma or in other areas afterlife bureaucracy...

To Valan these Ogres did the real work around here. They kept things together and acted as they needed to actively preserve the delicate balance of reality, unlike the general banal passiveness of Valan’s fellow Shinjin that simply watched or held their heads high, keeping their precious ‘secrets’.

As such, Valan had great respect for Ogres as a whole. They were far more honest, forthcoming and blunt. Far more real than his own peers. After a bit of quiet wandering and surveying of the settlement, Valan noticed a particular duo amongst the sparse crowd that milled about outside; a grumpy looking blue Ogre and a Konatsian— a mortal! Apparently the Konatsian was searching for something to eat! Surely if not much had changed in Ogretown over thousands of years then the same few mystical eateries should still be around!

Valan jogged to catch up with the passing duo, confident that he could easily find a little café nearby. “Excuse me good sirs, I overheard you are looking for a place to eat. Do either of you frequent Ogretown? If not, I believe I know where you could go; just head towards the middle of town and you should see a few cafés. There is a chance that you might find something suited to your tastes.” Valan advised with a calm smile.

Valan listened politely, and bowed his head as well in response to the Konatsian. It was always nice to meet people with such good manners! The Shinjin held his arms behind his back and straightened his posture a bit more as he gave the situation a bit more thought. “Hmm..” A specific place might have been a bit more difficult without guidance. As luck would have it, Valan had graciously been provided some clues. “That does sound familiar, I have heard something of the sort mentioned in passing a few times. I do believe it is towards the middle of town, as I said.”

The next little intriguing tidbits of information came from the young Ogre companion; their names. Valan quirked a curious brow, tilting his head to the side slightly. “Oh? King Kai’s new student?” Valan paused before shrugging slightly. It was no small feat to be given the opportunity to be trained by King Kai, it was a rarity. Valan just didn’t like to judge people solely on a single thing. “Well, congratulations… Buuut, I am sure there is more to you than whoever is your tutor, more to you than any title you might hold. The worth of a person should not be based on only successes nor should it be based on only failures.” Valan looked to Yudi, he didn’t hear as much about the Ogre as he did the Konatsian but whispers did travel around. “To answer your question Yudi, I have heard a few things here and there, both good and bad. Additionally, I find it disrespectful, untruthful and naive to formulate a solid opinion on someone without meeting them and getting to know them myself.” Valan explained, smiling once more. “My name is Valan V’saal, it is a pleasure to make your combined acquaintance. Shall we go procure that fabled sandwich? I would be more than happy to be your guide.”

“There is no need to thank me, you earned the right yourself to be King Kai’s student.” Valan chuckled, noting that Typha sighed before responding. “Am I correct in assuming that you have been noticed quite a lot as a result? Is it perhaps tiring?” He asked, before looking to Yudi. “Ah there is no need to be so formal; though I am Shinjin, you are equally as deserving of kindness and respect as I am. To be honest, Yudi, I think Ogre’s deserve more credit than they are currently given.” Valan explained, hoping to put the Ogre at ease. “I am certain you shall be recognized for your efforts soon enough.”

Valan smiled once again. “Very well, let’s go.” He stepped forward, awaiting the other two to follow along— not behind him, but at his side instead. It was clear as day that Valan wished for the three to walk as equals.

As for Typha’s question, Valan initially didn’t seem like he wanted to answer as he winced slightly. “The ‘job’ of any given Shinjin isn’t normally so glorious as you might have been lead to believe— the obvious ones aside of course.” By that he clearly meant King Kai and the rest of the cardinal Kai that watched over the other galaxies since they were the only ‘higher ups’ that Valan had much in the way of respect for. “Many of us are given jobs that require us to simply watch the goings on of the mortal realm without interacting, or tending to the Kaiju tree if we’re lucky.” With the way Valan spoke, he was obviously bored just thinking about it all.

Now, Valan wasn’t going to unload all of his issues with the system onto people he had just met, but he wasn’t going to outright ignore or dance around a relatively harmless question. “I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I can act freely. I’m currently fielding a research project that allows me to enter the mortal realm as I see fit.”

The trio wouldn’t need to talk about much before arriving at the town square. The residents here efficiently went about their business, long lines in a few food places barely had a chance to exist longer than a few minutes as a result. Valan looked around for any sign of the place Typha and Yudi were looking for. “From what I remember, the sign is a faded red and it looks like it has horns on the side. A bit on the nose for a place named after King Yemma but that’s how it’s always been I suppose.”

“Though the road is long, it is still a way to be gone, your path to be taken.” For a moment, Valan put on a very ‘wise elder’ tone of voice. He couldn’t hold it for very long though, it felt really stuffy to him and probably looked kind of ridiculous from the perspective of others. Valan did of course have a sense of humor, easily having a little laugh at his own expense. “Basically what that kind of means is as long as you are trying to improve yourself for the better, you will always feel better about yourself no matter how slow it is you progress.” Valan nodded to Yudi supportively. If he found himself in need of any advice, it was likely that Typha would guide him.

Noting Typha’s confusion at Yudi’s question, Valan simply shrugged. “I personally wouldn’t expect those of the Living Realm to know what it is, especially not one so recently departed from said realm.” It wasn’t like the Shinjin people ever bothered to truly interact with the universe they were destined to manage, Valan wouldn’t blame anyone if they never even heard of a Shinjin let alone the Kaiju tree. “To answer your question, Typha; a Kaiju tree is what my kind com from, over time fruits grow to produce more of us. It is a big deal, you have to be trustworthy and dependable to be given a position tending to it.”

After a few moments of looking around it seemed that Yudi had spotted something, Valan promptly followed, making sure the others didn’t wait for too long. From a better vantage point, Valan saw the sign— indeed it was the faded red that he was looking for, shaped like he thought it would be... Though it was a bit more worn down than he had pictured. “Ah, yes that is the place.” Regardless, the sandwich shop was still getting customers, so that was a good sign. “Looks like it’s still in business. Shall we?” Valan looked to the others, waiting patiently for their input.

“Hm?” Valan quirked a brow after hearing Typha giggle. “Did I say something funny?” The Shinjin snickered, genuinely curious, he never really saw himself as a funny guy. Making someone laugh, though, even if by accident was a much more rewarding thing to be doing than being a humorless drone like he viewed many of his peers. “You are most welcome.”

Then came the discussion of taking these sandwiches back to the living world at some point... ’How quaint, he believes he will either be revived or escape, hmm?’ Valan pondered, doubting that Typha would willingly become a ghost— he had an Ogre companion after all, who more than likely discouraged such an act. “How do you suppose you’ll be returning to the realm of the living?” Valan inquired, tilting his head slightly. There were only three ways to manage such a feat; and only one of them has no downsides. “As for the sandwiches, well, I could always bring some out of Otherworld to celebrate? I wouldn’t mind, it’d be yet another reason to not stick around up here for very long.”

“Hmm.” Valan stroked his chin for a moment following Typha’s reassurance that he just thought of something funny. “Well, if you say so! To be honest I wouldn’t blame you even if you did find humor in what I said” He responded finally with a cheery smile.

Apparently Typha had a few allies on the other side; none other than the acting Guru of Namek... “How quaint that you do not call it New Namek, though I suppose enough time has passed...” Valan idly mused, spacing out slightly before snapping back to attention. “Nevermind that, it is good that you have friends that you can rely on. It is good that you remain positive. Optimism seems to be a rapidly dwindling trait amongst Mortal-kind from what I have gathered. Many need symbols of hope to guide them, you know. It has always been that way, I think.”

Valan chuckled, giving Typha a smirk. “No need to worry about where you end up or where you’re going. I’ll easily be able to contact you as long as I’m in the same dimension as you.” He said, tapping the side of his head before sending a telepathic ping to Typha without a message, subtly notifying the Konatsian what he was capable of. “You’ll just need to tell me where to go after that. But yes, let us procure some local delicacies.” Valan added with gusto, also joining the line. “I wonder if there is anything new on the menu...”

“Hmm?” Of course the two were confused, it took Valan a second but he figured out why; there was no way in hell they were as old as him, they had a different perspective on the universe. “Ah, well.. I heard many rumors that a long time ago Namek was turned to dust at the hands of a foul and evil creature. Some time passed, it was restored out of thin air as if nothing had happened and it was thusly dubbed ‘New Namek’.” Valan shrugged, it wasn’t like this was revolutionary information that changed the present day or anything, at least in his mind. “Regardless, it seems that it has been long enough that no mortal of this time could know.”

Valan smiled, feeling quite proud of himself that someone wanted to learn telepathy. “I could teach you how it works one day if you’d like, but there is no need to rush into it.” Surely, King Kai’s training would take precedence— Valan knew that much. As it turned out, the menu was exactly the same as Valan had remembered it being. “Hah, ‘don’t fix what isn’t broken’ seems like a fitting phrase for this situation. I think I’ll get the classic myself as well.”