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

[kokuyoyo]

[Funnily enough… While this would be an easy target against Chikusa regardless, what Ayumu can’t know is that it’s actually a freshly opened wound, something he’s still quietly stewing over. After all, Axel hadn’t said, explicitly, that he didn’t want him- only that the whole system wasn’t something that sat well with him. But in the eyes of a lost and confused wandering soul like Chikusa, one who had only found peace when he’d found someone to serve and dedicate himself to, it might as well have been those exact words.]

[It’s a scary idea, that he might be discarded, or replaced. More than he could have even expected, it strikes deep into the core of himself, a fear more strangling than a noose. So Ayumu’s words actually hit the right way for emotion to filter through his usual dull expression, eyes widening enough so that the flicker of alarm is visible in their pale depths. By the time she’s done, his shoulders are hunched even more than his slouching frame tends to make them- the picture perfect image of a scolded teenager.]

...I was going to learn more skills to be more useful to him…

[He does want to be more than merely competent.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Her expression softens ever so slightly but her tone retains its serious edge.]

That's better. It's important to be useful to those you serve - as useful as you possibly can. Learning how to do more things is a good start.

[Ayumu's given it her all for her own superiors since she was younger than Chikusa and continues to do her absolute best to help Toshi as much as she can.]

It's both rewarding and an honor to serve others. Even if sometimes success means sacrifice.

[There's a distant look in Ayumu's eyes as she says those words, almost like a mantra, her jaw set in determined line. Then she suddenly gives a warm, encouraging smile.]

So what skills are you looking to learn?

[kokuyoyo]

[For obvious reasons, he has no idea what he'd been doing up to this point- up until he had died. Still, everything she says makes perfect sense to him, and he gives an agreeing nod.]

[Serving is what it feels like he was always meant for. If he could accomplish something, learn something, and have Axel be happy or pleased by it... Chikusa thinks it'd be the greatest feeling of relief in the world. He just has to find out exactly what that is.]

I still have to find out what Axel-sama would need most... If there's something in particular he's interested in, or that he's weak in. But I think regardless of that, I need to familiarize myself with the city... If this is where one of his shrine's is, then I need to learn it completely, not just the major roads and places.

I think that will be important... especially if ayakashi are so varied and could be anywhere.

[A pause as he considers things some more.]

...And I'm not sure how important it would be... but learning more domestic tasks, maybe... and about the Greek pantheon... But those aren't skills, exactly.

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Ayumu nods like a satisfied teacher. He seems to be a quick learner with a keen mind. Both are valuable qualities for a student. Not that she has any formal plans to take him on as a pupil. She doesn't take on many students but the ones she does come out stronger than they were before.

They just also tend to come out hating her. Perhaps rightfully so. At this time of the day, Ayumu has no reason to believe Susumu doesn't hate her for how she trained and treated him.]

Those are all good goals to have.... Information is important, even if it seems tiny, insignificant, or unrelated at the time. Others might see things differently and be able to make connections you can't.

[Ayumu still isn't consciously aware of what she's doing or why she's giving him so much advice. But subconsciously, interacting with the boy this way just comes naturally to her.]

You never know which skills or knowledge will be crucial to the completion of a job. Circumstances, objectives, and opponents can vary greatly so it's best to be versatile and well-informed about a variety of things you're likely to encounter just in case. With the right training, knowledge, and skillset, you can make yourself irreplacable.

[Or so she's always believed and it resulted in her excelling as a shinobi within the Oniwaban. And only one person could ever succeed her in skill and prestige - the brother she personally trained to replace and eventually surpass her.]

If you're interested in learning domestic skills, I could probably teach you, Kakimoto-san. I preside over the hearth, too, after all. And maybe I could join your studies sometime. I could stand to learn more about the Romans myself.

[kokuyoyo]

[That makes him pause. While she’d been unexpectedly generous to him when they’d both been going for the same thing, he hadn’t been expecting something like this. But… if she has a connection to Axel, making sure his shinki does well is important. It makes sense. So he gives a small nod.]

Then… I’ll call you when I’m more settled.

[kagenonadeshiko]

'Kay. I'll look forward to hearing from you then, Kakimoto-san.

[And to the tell the truth, Ayumu doesn't go out of her way this much for most people. Even with the connection to Axel, she wouldn't ordinarily reach out to quite this degree but.. there's something almost familiar about this boy. It's an odd sort of nostalgia and one she can't quite bring herself to think about too much, at least not today.]

I should probably let you go, though. I'm sure you're still getting acquainted with everything.

[Given how gods and shinki come and go around these parts, it's important to learn how to move independently, too, in Ayumu's opinion. Not that she hasn't always favored self-reliance over dependence on others.]

[kokuyoyo]

[A nod- it's true. There's a lot he still has to learn, and he's surprised to find that he really is learning a lot even just being in a place like this. Perhaps, just maybe, his luck will hold out.]

[Or, alternatively, he'll just continue to steal a lot of food. That's just as fine too.]

[Without another word, he steps back into the crowds, slumped frame seeming to naturally blend in even more than the natural advantage that shinki have in the Near Shore, practiced and quick to disappear past the people even with his lanky frame.]

[He's... been given a lot to think about.]