Existing on another plane of reality are many hundreds of cities catering to the unseen world of spirits. These cities are vast and strange, in many ways familiar, but inhabited mostly by creatures from folklore and myth. Most of them do not actually live in the cities for long, instead passing through them on their way to new places in the human world to call home, or just visiting for a vacation. In fact, the cities are quickly evolving into massive tourist spots, and spirits are just eating it up! Sometimes literally.
Of course, the problem with rapid expansion is the need for more labour. Lesser spirits are numerous, but projecting the image of an exotic getaway calls for something new. That's where you come in.
You aren't the first and you won't be the last taken from outside the spirit realm and put to work here, in the growing city of Koriko. Don't worry, though; the witch that runs the island picked you because you have a debt to pay. Just by working here, she'll absolve your debt and grant you a little favour in return. Just sign your name away and you'll be put to work serving the vacationing spirits.
[ There are certain words that can be used to describe tricking someone into incurring a massive amount of debt, and then forcing them to sign away most of their rights in order to pay it back. There's a lot of choice words that the young man making a pretense at sweeping has for that particular situation. There's a certain venom as they roll around inside of his head right now, his back pressed against a wall, the small section of porch he's supposed to be cleaning up looking no neater than when he started sweeping in the first place.
He had a name at some point, still has a name technically, even if he can't recall what it is right now. Lately people have been referring to him as Fuku, but he knows that isn't what he was originally called. Lately it's been irritating him more and more than he can't recall what the original name is.
Though more than anything right now, it's mostly been irritating him that he keeps getting stuck with the most grunty of grunt work, he lets his head roll back against the wall with a dull thunk. ]
How much longer are we supposed to keep this up for anyway?
[ While he may struggle to remember some things, his memory is not so full of holes that he can't remember he was never a big fan of chores like this. ]
[ this wasn’t supposed to last so long. he’d come here for something, and that something soon became many things, chores and debts that would pile one on top of the other until it was like a credit card— what had been the first exchange? he can’t say for certain, and what’s worse is that isn’t the only thing his mind has failed to retrieve. the red head can’t recall exactly when he started responding to taiyo, and taiyo it had stayed as if that was the name he’s ever known.
chores were necessary— and cleaning has become a part of taiyo’s life much like his passions. keep strong. eat well. he needed that. contrary to fuku, taiyo has a scary amount of energy put to test after test, dashing left and right with a cleaning cloth in hands to finally dry the freshly mopped floors.
it looked like he was always racing someone. for the time being, himself. those little challenges kept him moving, and he’s pretty sure he’s bet his friend he could dry faster than last time. ]
[ The endless positivity that some people can view the world with is truly impressive sometimes, and somehow also something of a kick in the teeth for Fuku, who couldn't muster up that kind of enthusiasm for cleaning even if it would clear out every last coin of his debt.
He sighs as he leans forward now, resting as much of his weight as he dares on top of the broom as he watches Taiyo energetically zip around the porch. His gaze roams over the wooden floors that Taiyo just finished zipping over with that cloth. ]
Looks spotless enough to me.
[ He hasn't moved an inch from his spot to actually examine the work done here, but Fuku really can't muster but so much passion for something unless he actually cares about it, and god(s) help him, he really can't possibly care less about this particular task. So he stands up and dusts off his hands like he'd actually done even a fourth of the work that Taiyo had. ]
Pretty sure that means we can go ahead and wrap it up here.
[ ah, let him just maybe . . . check and see if it's actually good. taiyo doesn't want to get in trouble, and if he could— he'd like to get a ticket back home as fast as possible! even if he's gradually been thinking less and less about it, and more of just doing an overall good job. (this too, is volleyball). ]
You finished pretty early, Fuku! [ cheerfully said; not that he means to actually imply anything . . . taiyo is pure of dumb. ] That means it's break time!
[ Tayo truly does not seem to have a malicious bone in his body. Too honest to not say exactly what he means, so one can rely on the fact that if he sounds cheerful he really does mean what he's saying, because it's only when his tone gets angry that he's trying to pick fights.
... That doesn't mean what he says doesn't ever feel like a jab direction at Fuku though, who starts slightly at the comment, ready to defend himself against someone who isn't even trying to point out shoddy work in the first place. ]
I'm a quick worker!
[ It takes a second for him to course-correct, realizing that he's about to give himself away if he keeps running his mouth in the direction he's about to. ]
... So of course I finished early. Break time is exactly what it means. C'mon, get off the floor already.
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SPIRITED AWAY-INSPIRED AU
no subject
He had a name at some point, still has a name technically, even if he can't recall what it is right now. Lately people have been referring to him as Fuku, but he knows that isn't what he was originally called. Lately it's been irritating him more and more than he can't recall what the original name is.
Though more than anything right now, it's mostly been irritating him that he keeps getting stuck with the most grunty of grunt work, he lets his head roll back against the wall with a dull thunk. ]
How much longer are we supposed to keep this up for anyway?
[ While he may struggle to remember some things, his memory is not so full of holes that he can't remember he was never a big fan of chores like this. ]
no subject
chores were necessary— and cleaning has become a part of taiyo’s life much like his passions. keep strong. eat well. he needed that. contrary to fuku, taiyo has a scary amount of energy put to test after test, dashing left and right with a cleaning cloth in hands to finally dry the freshly mopped floors.
it looked like he was always racing someone. for the time being, himself. those little challenges kept him moving, and he’s pretty sure he’s bet his friend he could dry faster than last time. ]
Woo— [ done!! ] Until it’s spotless!!
no subject
He sighs as he leans forward now, resting as much of his weight as he dares on top of the broom as he watches Taiyo energetically zip around the porch. His gaze roams over the wooden floors that Taiyo just finished zipping over with that cloth. ]
Looks spotless enough to me.
[ He hasn't moved an inch from his spot to actually examine the work done here, but Fuku really can't muster but so much passion for something unless he actually cares about it, and god(s) help him, he really can't possibly care less about this particular task. So he stands up and dusts off his hands like he'd actually done even a fourth of the work that Taiyo had. ]
Pretty sure that means we can go ahead and wrap it up here.
no subject
You finished pretty early, Fuku! [ cheerfully said; not that he means to actually imply anything . . . taiyo is pure of dumb. ] That means it's break time!
no subject
... That doesn't mean what he says doesn't ever feel like a jab direction at Fuku though, who starts slightly at the comment, ready to defend himself against someone who isn't even trying to point out shoddy work in the first place. ]
I'm a quick worker!
[ It takes a second for him to course-correct, realizing that he's about to give himself away if he keeps running his mouth in the direction he's about to. ]
... So of course I finished early. Break time is exactly what it means. C'mon, get off the floor already.