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

[goingbananas]

That’s all right. [ He attempts a slightly less strained smile at her words. ]

I wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t want to help out. [ Although…yeah. Once the excitement’s worn off he can’t help but feel like shit, even though Serena’s probably moved on by now. To a better afterlife than this, hopefully.

Know what’s worse than a shinki who can’t locate his master in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? The fact that the gods themselves can be so remarkably…human. ]

Anyway, I think my god would have approved. [ Probably. ]

[declamando]

[Well, that's something Maria can appreciate in itself, and the faint smile on her face becomes a bit more genuine. It keeps striking her how kind the people here seem to be overall.]

In a situation like this, any hands are valued, especially if they come from people who really do want to help. If this is how we operate in a crisis, I'm confident we can overcome it.

[At the very least, with time. Maybe they can't undo what damage has been done or stop these events before they happen, but they can decisively win this fight.]

That's good, then. If your god is as kind as the others I've met here, I think they would too.

[goingbananas]

[ That’s a lot of encouragement for a guy who’s never seen combat before today, but it definitely does perk him up—if only a little, as he grins at her in turn. He loves it when people have the gall to remain confident in the face of adversity, and after seeing her in such a vulnerable position, too…

Well, shit. ]

Then I definitely can’t quit now. [ For the time being, however… ] Can I at least walk you to somewhere safe? Dealing with that can’t have been easy.

[ He’s not going to elaborate on what—or who—“that” is. ]

[declamando]

[While the offer is appreciated, Maria smiles a little sadly and shakes her head.]

I'm afraid I wouldn't stay somewhere safe very long. Don't worry too much - I've dealt with some terrible things before this. But there are innocent lives at stake here still, and I know I'm not the only one who wants me to protect them.

[He didn't elaborate, but he didn't need to. This isn't even the first time Maria's encountered Serena's spirit, and the last time, their shared wish to protect life had come to light. For the sake of Serena and her presence here, Maria couldn't live with herself stepping off the battlefield.]

[goingbananas]

[ So she’s just about as restless as he is, eh?—maybe even more so, if she’s handled a lot worse. He might not recall much about his own familial connections, but that, strangely enough, makes them all the more precious in his eyes.

He shakes his head with a smile, as if resigned. There’s no way he’s getting in the way of another person’s drive to succeed, after all. ]

Serena’s pretty lucky to have a sister like you, then.

[declamando]

[At the compliment, Maria laughs a little awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair back behind her ear. She's not the best with sincere compliments, given her general opinion of herself, but she does try to have as much grace as possible about the situation.]

I'd say I'm luckier to have had a sister like her. But thank you anyway.

[The mention of Serena's name, though, reminds her of something she's overlooked, and though it's possible he heard Maria's name when he came to the rescue, she still figures it's the polite thing to introduce herself, and bows her head politely.]

And it'd be rude to leave you without a name. Maria Cadenzavna Eve, though here I'm also called Nuada Airgetlám.

[goingbananas]

That sure is a mouthful. [ He snickers, bowing back and briefly—he’s never been quite at ease with formalities, anyhow. But he does tip the brim of his baseball cap at her. ]

I think I’ll get the hang of it eventually, Maria. [ Or just…call her by a silly nickname, or something. Sky’s the limit when you’re all nice and new to this place! ]

I’m just your average shinki, Shunpei Sanada. Nice to meetcha! [ Despite the…circumstances. ]

[declamando]

[That's not the first time she's had that reaction to her name, and by this point, it's more amusing to her than anything - especially judging by the slight grin on her face. It's a little strained, given what just happened, but if there's one thing she considers herself good at, it's displaying a front to cover her true emotions.]

Just Maria is fine, yes. It's a bit unwieldy to try and say the whole thing all the time.

[And it's probably better than trying to shorten it another way...not that she's really sure how someone would shorten her name beyond just using the first one.]

It's a pleasure to meet you too, though hopefully next time it'll be under better circumstances. [She could have left that unsaid, but she's sure they're both quite aware of their current situation.]

[goingbananas]

Well, if I survive I’ll make sure it’ll be. [ Better, that is, although he wonders if his humor is probably a bit too morbid at this point.

It’s a lot easier to cope with the traumatic if he tries to laugh at it a little, though… Or smile in the face of adversity because he’s a little bit off-kilter himself. ]

So please look forward to that, Maria~

[declamando]

[While Maria isn't quite the type to make jokes like that herself, she can recognise the attempt and where it's coming from, and gives a somewhat amused, if also slightly strained, smile in return.]

I'd like to look forward to no casualties from this at all, but I'll save that hope until the end of the night.

[She doesn't want to speak too soon when it comes to something like this, and they probably won't know if any of the civilians caught up in it didn't make it out until the end.]

[goingbananas]

[ She’s a good sport; he appreciates that. But, he doesn’t fail to recognize that he does kind of count among the civilian population…at least until his own god confirms otherwise. Kind of fun not really knowing what you’re doing in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

With a nod, ]

I’ll stay out of trouble. [ It’s probably going to be an empty promise, in the end, but he does want to reassure her that he’s at least not going to number among the casualties later maybe ]

[declamando]

[Well, it's an attempt at a reassurance, at least, and Maria takes it as such with a graceful nod.]

Then that's one less person to worry about, I hope. [And while the conversation has been about as pleasant as it can be given what just transpired, Maria's recovered enough from the shock to feel a little restless staying here, and she half-turns to look over the rest of the festival.]

Thank you again for your help, but I think it's time for us to get back to handling what we can of this. I'm sure I'll see you again sometime.

[The heavens aren't exactly small, but the chances seem high that they'll run into each other beyond this.]