(no subject)

[candlestick]

Who: Anyone who wants to learn the lore first hand
When: During dinner hours
Where: The cafeteria
What: Zuo Le tells anyone who wants to know what happens when you give a ghost your real name
Warnings: None

[ There is some embarrassment that comes with seemingly being the first chump to accidentally give up your real name, and because the consequences of Zuo Le's actions were a lot less dire than they could have been it does take him a few days of hemming and hawing to decide how he wants to fess up to his own foolishness if he does at all. It's not as if anyone else is out there just casually dropping their real name just because they were distracted when someone asks for one.

At least, he's assuming no one is...

But what happened with Anzen as well as the appearance of more ghosts throughout the school means it would be irresponsible of him to not say anything. People need to properly understand the risks, because he does not imagine most of what lurks in these halls will be as benignly self-serving as the creatures he foolishly spoke his name in front of.

It still takes a good fifteen minutes into the dinner hour for Zuo Le to psych himself up enough to walk towards the middle of the room, hesitate before gracefully hopping up onto the bench of one of the tables and loudly clearing his throat. ]

I do not want to take up too much of your time, but I wanted to make you all aware of the risks that come with uttering your real name allowed.

[ Are people looking at him? Surely people are looking at him right now. Zuo Le shuts his eyes, his cheeks getting a tinge of pink to them as he pushes on. ]

I... made the mistake myself recently.

[ Fucking cringe...... ]

And it seems that those who know it have a troubling amount of influence over the named person.

[ He'll open his eyes back up, and look around at whoever is listening, lips pressed together as he waits for the inevitable questions. ]

Comments

[presgarddihellis]

[Miskatonic Smith is one of the people looking at him.

he had been poking at the rectangular frozen and reheated pizza that's on his plate, but then he slowly looks over to him and just. stares. blank-faced. not his usual polite smiles, not his even vaguely annoyed expression that he has been wearing just two seconds prior.]

... pardon?

How much is "a troubling amount"?

[candlestick]

[ He probably can't just get away with saying "a very troubling amount" with a meaningful look can he? Zuo Le takes another deep breath, wondering how specific he'll have to get. It's embarrassing more than anything in this case, though he is not unaware of the fact that given what he's learned things could have been worse for him...

Things could still be worse for him, even if so far when wandering across the nekomata things have gone much the same. ]

I was unable to resist the demands made of me.

[isdf]

[Yuma stops eating his carefully cobbled together meal (for nutritional balance!) to listen. Once Zuo Le finishes speaking, he simply asks:]

What exactly happened?

[candlestick]

[ Ha... Yeah, he figured this question was coming up at some point. ]

It was when we first became aware of the housecats. I may have...

[ No, there's no point in couching it in language like that. ]

I said my name in front of them when someone else asked for it, or at least asked for a name to call me.

[ His rate of speaking picks up as the nervous embarrassment starts to creep in. ]

I've never had to hide my true name before, and wasn't thinking for just a moment, and...

[ And here he pauses to sigh heavily. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[Pausing in the process of lifting up her pizza for another bite as he hops up onto the bench, looking amused. Amusement that very quickly shifts to something more and more serious as he speaks.

Pizza: dropped back onto her plate. Suzuha: standing bolt upright and shouting.]

Woah, woah, woah, wait! What got your name??

[candlestick]

[ Oh, he didn't quite expect that reaction, especially because he's fairly hale and whole compared to some of the people here. ]

The... the housecats.

[ As he has been informed they are called. ]

And Rin.

[inexorableiron]

Dude!

What'd you do, dude? Get fuckin' tricked by somethin' hot?

[candlestick]

[ PLEASE DON'T ASK IT LIKE THAT, SIR? Zuo Le is visibly getting redder in the face. ]

I simple spoke out of habit, nothing more...

[darkholder]

[listening to all of this, before:]

...What kind of influence? Are you alright?

[candlestick]

When asked to perform a task, I found myself unable to resist the request.

[ Compelled, forced, whatever word someone wants to use. The point is that he had no ability to say no to it. ]

I was not harmed in any way though.

[ Other than his sore ego. He truly did get off easy. ]

[bowtiedbones]

[but he's not possessed or mauled...]

A... person has influence over you?

[candlestick]

[ His eyes close again, the pained expression is so real right now. ]

Ah... actually... the cats do.

[beathollow]

Ah... are you hurt?

( somehow, with the fear and the stories of monsters wanting names for ill intent, it didn't strike her that someone might slip up eventually. ... better now than later, she supposes, but... )

[candlestick]

[ He shouldn't have. It should have been something he was more alert and on top of. He's confident he won't do it again at this point at least, though it's a little too late to help him now. ]

I wasn't injured in any way. I can at least assure you of that.

[faultlieswith]

That was the one thing they warned us not to do. What were you thinking?

[ Also WOW, that is probably the worst consequence of sharing her name that Ishmael can think of!!!! ]

[candlestick]

[ Yeah, look he knows. He knows. He looks properly chagrined about it too. ]

I was not, that's the problem. I have used my own name for my entire life, and in a brief lapse of vigilance...

[ He presses his lips together tightly for a moment. ]

I don't want anyone else to make the same mistake, so maybe if they realize what the stakes are they won't...

[gamboler]

[ It seems that those who know it have a troubling amount of influence over the named person.

So...that's how it is? ]

Well, you don't need us to tell you that was an exceptionally foolish thing to do. [ So, he won't! Even if he just did. ] How did you learn the consequence?

[ He...sure hates the idea of it! So much!!! ]

[candlestick]

[ He absolutely just did, and Zuo Le will stand there and take it for now. He realizes that's the case, so he can't exactly quibble with anyone over it. ]

When I said my name out loud, it was in the presence of the housecats.

[ The nekomata, but there aren't a lot of non-people cats where he's from, so he's using other people's terms.

Though here is the part that he knows sounds extra foolish, but... ]

They immediately demanded that I pet them after hearing it.

[praiseful]

[ And here is one of said pink-haired girls from Yakuyoke who has been mentioned here and there as the person who also heard Ji's true name... Nei could have caused a bit of a stir with this announcement, truly!! But she remains on the fringes for now, just enjoying a pudding cup in peace. ]

[candlestick]

[ He won't go seek her out, but he does glance in her direction pretty much every time he brings her up, which has happened a few times now.

No need to drag her into his mess more than he already has though, right? ]

[mogger]

So basically... if someone knows your name, they basically own your soul or something? That's... pretty messed up.

[ hopefully the cats and nei don't take advantage of this!! ]

[candlestick]

I wouldn't put it that way.

[ Own his soul?? Jeez... ]

But they do seem to have strong influence on me...

[suplexer]

[ There isn't all that much space to eat in the dormitory or in their rooms, so Tifa tends to prefer taking her meals in the cafeteria. Which is how she's here to hear all this from Ji.

It's unexpected, when he climbs up onto the table. Of all the things Tifa might have expected him to announce, though, this wasn't one of them. Maybe it was only a matter of time before someone slipped up, but it's still worrisome that it happened at all, even if it does give us some useful information. It's not worth whatever Ji might be put through as a result... ]

... Influence? [ She sounds uncertain; nervous, even. ] How do you mean?

[candlestick]

[ He can't blame her for that nervousness. He feels that everyone here should knowing the weight their names now carry. It's why he wanted to say something in the first place, even if it puts him in a uniquely awkward position.

It doesn't mean he likes being the bearer of bad news, especially when the bad news involves his own mistakes. ]

I mean that when given a direct order, I wasn't able to resist following it.

sidles in late-like

[hotaerosol]

....... Influenced by cats. That's a good one.

[It's said flatly, though, so it's not as though he's outright denying it; it's just so much fanfare for a name of all things, even if he has been about as careful with his own (and that of most others, let's say) as one would be with the number 4 in an apartment building in Japan.

Maybe he should rank it up a little.

A small shake of the head to himself.]

Sounds like you were damn lucky. Doesn't seem like anything else heard.

[candlestick]

[ Zuo Le frowns at that, not finding much humor in it, though neither does the guy who just flatly made that comment. Maybe he could agree if he weren't the person this was all happening to. ]

So far at least...

[ But that stress on the word seem is apt, and Zuo Le himself can't be sure that something more nefarious didn't grab his name in that moment too. Who knows what happens just to have it spoken aloud? ]