011 | Black Parade

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Parade of the dead
When: All day May 26
Where: Shinjuku
Summary: The Near Shore needs a little protecting from the dead



The last few days have been filled with festival food, high energy, and lots and lots of parades. Near Shore residents really know how to enjoy their holidays, stopping up traffic for hours on end as floats and palanquins go by and filling the streets and courtyards in the area with food stands and festival treats. Many Far Shore residents may have found themselves drawn to this particular festival, as it is being held in honor of a shrine.

When an unexpected parade starts up, the people gather round to watch the impromptu spectacle. It's a little strange, yes, but nothing too terribly off-putting. That is until the parade reaches the shrine itself, at which point all hell breaks loose as the members of the parade start attacking anything and anyone in their way.

The Heavens will then call upon all the gods and shinki who are available to help, because these attackers are not normal at all - they are, in fact, the undead.



Let the Festivities Continue

The festival is a large, booming one. There are dozens upon dozens of food stalls set up all over the place with so many different kinds of foods that it could make your eyes go buggy, most of them fried in some way. On top of that, there is live entertainment walking around, stalls with souvenirs, and lots of excellent company nearby. Surely you'll be able to enjoy the festival to its fullest.

The Walking Dead

It is not immediately evident that the parade is being manned by corpses, but keen observers would be able to pick out the noticeable rotting elements of the dead. Anyone with a soul-sensing ability might even realize that they're not soulless, just lifeless. When the parade reaches the shrine, every god and shinki will be needed in order to protect the Near Shore from this menace. Corpses must either be exorcised or completely mutilated to the point where they can no longer move in order to release the soul.

Not Rootbeer Floats

On top of the mass of dead bodies being possessed by stray souls, some of the floats on wheels in the parade seem to have been taken over as well. They are moving slowly and with purpose towards anyone that crosses their path. At first, it may seem like the float is just veering a little off course, but it will soon become evident that it's headed towards you. They may be slow, but they're very large as well, meaning there's a lot more than needs to be destroyed to release the soul.

Souls, Souls, and More Souls

As souls are released from the objects they've taken control of, the air will become thick with a hazy fog of souls rushing away, into the air, and out of sight. This may make the continued fighting a little more difficult, but it means that the job is getting done.

Through some innate sixth sense, some of the dead people may seem familiar to certain gods (or shinki with specific memories). They can recognize some of the souls as friends or compatriots from their home world that had died. And these souls will recognize them as well.

Any characters not currently in the game that have actually died in their canon are free to be used for this part of the event and played out as NPCs by you and whatever partner you are playing with. All of these individuals will react in a similar way, though - they will beg to be released because it hurts them so horribly to be here right now and, of course, they can only be released in the same way that all the other souls are being released: exorcism or total destruction.

In Summary:

• Enjoy the festival
• Help save Near Shore residents
• Take down the dead bodies
• Try not to cry
• Cry lots
• Have fun~

Comments

[eternalshield]

Zeno's the only one who can never go away, so don't worry about that.

[He squeezes Urashima's hands between his own, not enough to hurt but slightly past the point of comfort, to emphasize his sincerity.

He runs off toward a parked a car, and a subdued Abi watches him go.]

He'll never be like us. You have nothing to fear.

[minogame]

( It's comforting but also sad. Something is sad and he can't explain it because he doesn't understand it. Something beyond the fact that Zeno is going to have to kill a suffering friend.

Zeno leaves and Urashima holds the headband tightly, casting a glance at Abi, )

I'm not afraid. ( He isn't. ) I'm sad. More sad than before, I think.

[eternalshield]

That's... fair. [Abi's head bows, and a slight catch is apparent in his voice.] I wish we could bring him with us, but staying here is... I can't...

[Zeno has opened the door to a car, and lays his arm right where the door formerly was, closes his eyes tight and sets his jar, before slamming the door shut.

And cries out in pain, because in no way will that not hurt.]

[minogame]

( The only one that can never go away. The one they can't take. It all sounds cryptic and vague, but pieces are beginning to click and a theory starts to form on his tongue, )

Can Zeno-- ( Die? But before he can ask, he hears him yell and his attention snaps from Abi to him, ) Zeno!?

Zeno!

( Bye, Abi, he sure is running to his friend. )

[eternalshield]

[His hair's a bit more wild-looking without the headband to hold it back and he's got sweat on his forehead and he's gritting his teeth trying not to cry out again because the pain... but they're in pain, too, and if this is the only way to end it...

He only accepted these powers because he wanted to be able to make people happy. And this is what he chose when he drank the dragon's blood-- he's terrified to see what they gave him when he became a god on his own.]

Hi... [Breathing hard, and letting the damaged limb hang at his side.] Give it a minute... it's slow when Zeno is far from home...

[Because the damage is already healing, and a bright golden shine is becoming visible as the dragon scales form.

Abi trots over behind Urashima, pushing up Zeno's bangs to better see his face. His mouth twists, and he inhales a little sharply, and tries to swallow back a sob.]

I hate to do this to you... and, selfishly, I hope you'll hate it, too.

[minogame]

Zeno, your arm.

( Even if he's told not to worry and that this is how things need to be done, it doesn't make it feel anymore right. But it's healing and those are... Eyes go from Zeno's arm to his face and back. Those are scales?

But wow, what the heck, Abi? Urashima isn't going to tolerate that. )

Stop that! ( And he'll reach to grab Zeno, as if trying to pull him away, protectively, ) You don't get to hurt him like that.

( With words. )

[eternalshield]

[Abi shrinks back in on himself, feeling the truth of that. Zeno accepts the protectiveness, and Urashima gets a hug with the human arm-- the dragon arm he holds a little away from himself, as if it were diseased.]

If Zeno guessed his meaning correctly, he just wants to be sure that Zeno cares enough that he won't enjoy this.

[Urashima is such a good child. Why are all these good children dead so long before their time, while Zeno's life is endless? Zeno hugs his little turtle friend close.]

[minogame]

( Urashima twists his mouth. Even if that's the reason behind his words, he still isn't happy, not when his friend has to suffer. And wow, Zeno, Urashima might be a kid but he's spent pelnty of time alive. )

Then he didn't have to say it like that...

[eternalshield]

[Anybody under 1,700 is a short-lived child to him. IT IS NOT PERSONAL.]

He didn't... [Zeno can agree with that, not really liking that Abi's response to being hurt is to hurt back.]

Learn from it, though, and don't be like him. [He gives him one more squeeze, and presses his headband in Urashima's hand again, a subtle last-chance warning, before approaching Abi-- who kneels, head bowed, and accepts the blow from the golden scaled arm when it comes.]