thenearshore | May Training

Entry tags:

May Training

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: July 15
Where: Bishamon's temple, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods (although there's none this time) and shinki

The product of many meetings and recommendations, at last it has taken shape. On this day, in anticipation of the new arrivals who appear in a recognized pattern, Heaven has partnered with the new gods and shinki to organize a very helpful informational reception.

The shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided kindly towards Bishamon's temple. And in that vast complex they are brought to a traditional-style dojo.
Here the newly arrived gods are gathered, so finding their partner is more simple. The gods and shinki are free to take their time during this day to learn about the aspects of their new life from Amaterasu's shinki, or from the many veteran new god and shinki volunteers.

God Training

prayers

Shinki Training

informational pamphlets

borderline

Physical Training

Rest and Refreshments

In Summary:

Get all the information you can handle
Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
Get in some training
Don't get dehydrated
Spectate if you want
Have fun~

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[If this wasn't the designated Shinki training, if he hadn't come here specifically to help out with it, there would've been no force in the world that would've stopped Souji from immediately running up and hugging Ayumu. As it is, he says nothing at first. He's not sure what to say. She was a god, she was his friend, she went away... and now suddenly she's here. He's seen her look in his direction at least once, but hasn't noticed so much as a flicker of recognition, and so he'd pretended not to notice her in turn. He's not sure how successful he's been. She'd always been so attentive, right?

He doesn't know what to do, so it takes a while for him to approach her. But her attempts at stealing food and, apparently, escaping from there are distressing. So he hurries after her, already pulling a mint green tunic over his head and holding it out to her.]

Please miss, you- [He blushes faintly, careful not to let his gaze drop beneath her face.] You look cold. [That is a BLATANT LIE, it's the middle of July, and it's not like Souji is wearing anything under the shirt either, but still.] Maybe you could borrow this?

[It is a blatant lie and even in Ayumu's present mental state, she picks up on it. Between the warm weather and the faint blush on his cheeks, it's not hard to figure out he's offering to help her protect her modesty. Somehow it doesn't feel like something to be concerned about to her but his words manage shake her out of her irrational compulsion to flee somehow.

Really? What was she thinking trying gather supplies and bolt when the guards were distracted? Why would she want to do that? It's not an answer she should seek or wants to know but despite everyone's kindness toward her, something about this place feels unsafe to her right now. Maybe it's because she seems to be the only woman in a male occupied area at the moment, though why that would concern her so much is a mystery.

Without her memories in place, neither is her reason to maintain a facade. For a moment, she looks simply exhausted, her good eye bright as if she might start crying. She doesn't though, instead dropping her supplies on the ground and reaching out a shaky hand to take the tunic from him.]

Thank you.

[For a moment, Ayumu almost feels like she wants to say more but she doesn't - at least, not right now. Her confusion hasn't completely cleared and there's an underlying unstable air to her right now now but at least, she seems to be calming down.]

[It's honestly a bit frightening, seeing Ayumu acting so fragile. But more than that, it's heartbreaking. It's not right. It shouldn't be like this.

But in a situation like this, Souji knows instinctively what to to. Unlike her, he's no longer floundering, no longer quite so unsure of himself and who he is as he had been at his very first arrival. Hijikata's presence has helped ground him too.

So he smiles, gently and kindly, because he has to be strong for her. She might not remember who he is, but he knows that she is a friend, someone he respects greatly. When people like that falter, you're supposed to provide a solid place to stand.]

It's alright. It's really confusing at first, right? [Unbidden, he crouches down and deftly starts gathering up the things she's dropped. Partly to be helpful, and partly because... the way she looks right now, he somehow wants to pose as little of a threat as possible, though he's not sure why. He doesn't want to think too closely about it, either.] It'll get better with time.

It is confusing.

[Once the tunic's in hand, Ayumu simply slips out of the under-kimono she'd been wearing and lets it fall to the floor. Unfortunately, this means she's stark naked, giving everyone in the area a view of the character for 'evening' on her breast along with a few more scars lining her sides, hips, and abdomen. Thankfully, she's quick to put on the offered tunic and make sure and pick up the discarded garment to put on once more.

The young man's demeanor is enough to tell her that he isn't an immediate threat to her, not when stooping down to pick up what she'd dropped leaves him wide open to an attack. Someone who truly meant to do her ill wouldn't do such a thing unless it was a trap. But so far, this doesn't seem to be one of those situations.]

Nothing's familiar. What is this place?

['Heaven', she'd been told but Ayumu's not convinced. Something about the name itself makes her want to scoff.]

[He glances up at her instinctively as he hears her move, and then immediately drops his gaze, cheeks once more growing pink. Not that he thinks it is all that strange for her to be so utilitarian about changing her clothes - mostly, he's embarrassed on his own behalf. He ought to have the sense to give her some privacy, at the very least.

Shirtless, he doesn't really have much to gather the things in other than his arms, but he can shove the water bottles in the pockets of his pants, at least.

He pauses momentarily at her question, biting his lower lip. "Heaven" really doesn't say much, does it? For most people, it's an abstract and far-off kind of word.]

It's a place where gods live. And a place for people who serve them, like me. Well, like us. [It's so strange, talking to Ayumu as if she's an equal now. As a senior to her, at that. It doesn't feel right at all, but addressing her as he would a goddess would be weird.] It's... a complicated place. But it's not bad. [He offers her a slightly more sheepish smile.] I don't know what kind of life I had before coming here, of course, but I think it's the sort of thing I would've hoped for after I died.

Gods don't exist and neither do ghosts.

[Ayumu says it so bluntly, automatically, despite everything she's been told since her arrival. In life, she'd been far from a spiritual person, more concerned with the tangible world and how to survive it and in death, that hasn't changed. Even while she lay dying, her thoughts had been full of real people - her family, her friends - rather than what would happen to her after she drew her last breath.

Of course, she doesn't know that herself or know that the young man presently in her company happens to be one of the people on her mind when she'd died.]

It doesn't seem real. Like I'm in a dream.

[Whether that's from the surreality of the situation or the lingering effects of the severe trauma Ayumu had gone through before her body finally gave out is anyone's guess.]

[In a way it's especially odd to hear this from a person who had helped him settle in and come to terms with his new existence when he first arrived. A strange sort of irony, leaving him grateful that he can repay her for her kindness now, her also somehow hollow.

He shakes his head with a smile, straightening up with his slim arms stacked with her plundered snacks. Still non-threatening, some back part of his mind supplies, hurriedly trying to forget those marks he'd glimpsed on her body.]

We're not ghosts. A ghost sounds like a sad thing, or a scary thing, right? We're just... people. We used to be alive, and now we're spirits who have moved on.

[His expression gentles yet again.] I was pretty overwhelmed at first, too. Do you want to go for a walk, maybe? It's pretty here. It might help clear your head.

[A walk to clear her head sounds like a good idea. She's dead. Ayumu knows that much. The how or why isn't important. There are more immediate concerns such as where she is now and where to go from here.

Ayumu nods slowly, looking vulnerable and lost. Maybe even a little scared. It makes her look younger somehow. She knows nothing - not about herself, this place, most of what she's seeing and somehow that bothers her . It makes her feel far more naked and exposed than her state of near undress did. She crosses her arms over her chest, hugging her arms a little for a moment looking like she might actually feel cold despite the summer warmth.]

'Kay. We can go for a walk.

[Her voice comes out small and almost young sounding and there's a faraway look in her good eye.]

[Souji gives her an encouraging nod, and then glances down a moment at the stuff in his arms, frowning slightly.]

Hold on a moment, okay?

[He hurries back quickly to the snacks table, setting down most of the things in his arms. But he comes back still holding a bottle of cold green tea and a small bag of mixed sweet and savory snacks. Twisting the cap off the bottle he takes a sip and then offers it to her.]

Do you want some? I thought it might be nice to have something to drink while we walk... and the rest will be here for later.

[He's trying to be calming, soothing, show her she's not trapped in this place or being denied anything she needs. Trying as hard as he can not to show how unsettled he feels to see her like this. Trying over and over not to ask himself what happened to her.]

Anyway, we can go practically anywhere in the Heavens from here, so taking a look around the place could be really useful for you later. You know, get the lay of the land, that sort of thing?

[Ayumu takes the bottle sipping it gingerly. She glances at him briefly. Now that she's calming down she does notice he seems a little ill at ease somehow. But the idea that he might know who she is doesn't really occur to her. If Ayumu doesn't know herself or what this place is, why would anyone else? Prying without reason feels wrong to her somehow.]

I don't know what else is here. I didn't notice much on the way to Bishamon-sama's home.

[She'd been far too disoriented and confused to question much and simply let herself be led here. It wasn't as if she'd had any other place to go.]

Please show me around if it's not too much trouble.

[It's just as well that she doesn't, mostly for Souji's sake. He's never been much of a liar, mostly defaulting to pretending he hasn't heard or doesn't understand when confronted with anything he doesn't want to reveal. And he honestly doesn't know what to say about it right now. You were here before, as a Goddess, and you were my friend? The thought doesn't seem quite as repulsive and wrong as talking about their past lives, but still like dangerous ground.

He's going to need to ask Hijikata about what to do.

For now, he just nods understandingly.]

Honestly, it is better that they take you here for introduction, it was pretty abrupt when I first arrived. But on your first day, I think everyone can understand why you're disoriented. And I'd of course be happy to be your guide.

[Without really thinking about it, he reaches out his hand for her free one, impulsively tactile as ever, but he does hesitate with it mid-reach as he realizes that the gesture might be overly familiar. He smiles a bit awkwardly, looking like he's not sure what to do with his hand now.]

Ah, I'm sorry. That's a pretty weird thing to do if you've just met, huh?

[The gesture surprises Ayumu somehow but she's not sure why. For a moment, she looks at his hand a little warily. Her first impulse is to smack it away and withdraw but Ayumu stops herself. She's being irrational again. This man has been nothing but kind to her so far and now that she's calmed down enough to notice and think through his behavior, he's put a lot of effort into putting her at ease.

But she finally concedes, reaching over to take his hand. Ayumu doesn't mind it, not really. And there's something comforting, anchoring about having a warm hand to hold. For some reason, it feels like it's been a long time since anyone's thought to take her hand. Or like she just isn't used to it somehow. It's nice though.]

It's okay. I don't mind.

[It feels like a small but somehow significant victory. He's managed, then, to put her a bit more at her ease - or at least not presented any significant threat to her. His smile brightens, and he gives her hand a very gentle squeeze.]

I'm glad. Come, it's- ah!

[He starts walking, but a sudden realization brings whatever he was about to say up short. She doesn't know who he is, right? Which means he shouldn't know who she is either, at least for now. So even as he keeps walking at a leisurely pace down the sloping hill that the temple stands on, he turns and grins a bit sheepishly at her.]

I haven't even introduced myself, have I? I'm Okita Souji, and I'm Hachiman-sama's shinki.

[Reflexively, without really thinking about it, Ayumu squeezes his hand back in return. Her lips twitch up a little at the corners in an almost-smile when he grins at her. It's bright like the sun and strangely infectious somehow.]

Yamazaki Ayumu. I don't know yet who I serve.

[Now that her mind's starting to clear and her emotions are starting to recede and stabilize once more, Ayumu's starting to feel a little curious about who that might be.]

[He can't help but think that in a sense, this is the third introduction now. The first, with her perched above him while cleaning, Yamato's callused hand clutching his own tight, a faint bustling being heard from other rooms. And then again, after she'd been killed and she came back without memories... but it hadn't been like this. She'd still been a goddess. She hadn't been as vulnerable as this.

Then again, a sudden insight whispers, maybe as a goddess she was just a lot better at not showing her weaknesses. Maybe with at least some of her memories, she'd had more reason to.

Either way, he has to change how he talks to her a bit, but he can still show her the kindness she'd always shown him.]

I'm sure they'll find you soon, Ayu-nee. [And he'll keep at least part of the way he'd addressed her before.] And regardless of who it is, you'll always be welcome to our temple too, okay?

Ayu-nee?

[Something about that name makes Ayumu start, her grip on his hand loosen just a little. That name... What is it about that name... but before she can think about it too deeply, she's overcome with a sudden feeling of revulsion. No. No. She can't.

Without thinking, Ayumu slowly pulls her hand back out of Souji's grasp, looking almost pained, conflicted. She looks away, studying a rock laying on the side of the path.]

Please don't call me that. Just Ayumu is fine.

[The naked change in expression is new - Ayumu has never before been so painfully open with what she feels he's pretty sure. But without memories, wouldn't everyone be different in some ways?

Memories... It's not hard to imagine what she'd reacted to. It's happened to him a couple of times, little niggling hints followed only to find a sudden abyss opening up in front of his feet, a huge and terrifying NO resounding through his thoughts.

It makes him wonder if Ayumu as a god liked him calling her that because someone else had done the same before. But he can't ask now. Instead he sighs, lowering his head in apology.]

I'm sorry. I'll- I'll call you Ayumu like you said. It's not good to think about things that- that feel wrong in this place. [It's the best, if most halting warning he can give her, because he doesn't quite know how shape words around it.]

Edited 2017-06-06 20:40 (UTC)

[She appreciates it, even if it bothers her a bit to have to say such a thing to someone who's been this kind to her. Her face falls a bit; she hadn't meant to push him away like that. It's just like he said - there was an overwhelming sense of wrong about that name. Being so cold doesn't feel right either so Ayumu tries to think of a good compromise, one that won't trigger such a violent internal response. Finally, she gives his hand a light, almost apologetic squeeze.]

Or you could just call me Ayu. Just Ayu. I think that'll be fine.

[At least, simply dropping the suffice feels okay enough to her.]

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May Training

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