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

[takenwithhim]

[Sousuke nods at the explanation. He knows about Eros only by proxy, having instinctively recalled a few little facts and then hearing Rin talk about it. Maybe an event in the past that might’ve ended up with him doing a little bit of research on Eros, but that’s his own business.]

I think that’s common.

[At least as far as Rin goes, his god doesn’t like the idea that he’s “someone else” and he’s made it clear that as much as Sousuke’s a human and not a tool or mere shinki, Rin is Rin and not some random, reincarnated god despite bearing Eros’ mantel. Sousuke respects that decision, though it doesn’t stop the occasional tease. (Hey, Rin teases him about being a dog a lot more than Sousuke teases Rin about being Eros. So there.)]

Wouldn’t know. Most of the gods aren’t even “the gods” they’re called. It’s only a label for some.

[Listening to her talk about the potential job, Sousuke picks up a set of darts. The person manning the station apparently isn’t taking much count right now so while he won’t win anything for his efforts, it doesn’t cost him anything either. Sousuke eyes the dart board across the stand and then tosses, not exactly trying like a pro, but the flippant effort lands in the third-smallest ring.

Sousuke knows he has good hand eye coordination despite his size.]

Someone mentioned a life guard. It might be possible.

[pure_radiantics]

[Kairi smiles - that's the kind of thing that Roxas hasn't spent much time talking to her about, but on the other hand it's not something she can relate to either. Maybe that's why it's easier talking to other shinki sometimes.]

I think there are others who see it as... maybe they didn't ask for this label, but there are people depending on them to fulfill those duties anyway. Answer prayers and the like. So those people just don't want to let other people down - because they didn't mean to pray to someone who's in that position. They just want help. So if we can help them out anyway, I think I'm okay with that.

[It's definitely easier to focus on prayers and how to help out Roxas's other shinki if possible than what kinds of jobs are possible when people forget about you.]

A life guard's not a bad idea, actually - since you can rescue people whether they saw you five minutes ago or not. Are you really good at swimming, then, Sousuke?

[takenwithhim]

[For all most the gods and shinki try to profess that they’re in partnerships and there are equalities shared among them, the truth is that there remains a huge imbalance. Not all of it’s on the gods either; Sousuke’s well aware there are topics and subjects, knowledge and skills, that take another shinki to relate to between shinki. The two kinds, gods and shinki, simply can’t experience the same thing.]

Some requests go to specific gods. But I guess that makes sense. [Strange to think random prayers get filtered to different gods. It’s a system, however strange. As for the rest of that, well… Not quite what he’d been intending, but since this is Kairi and he remembers quite well their discussion last time because they have very different views on things, he simply lifts his shoulders in a slight shrug.] So long as they’re not being forced.

[Sousuke picks up another three darts and shifts one to his other hand. Having had his practice tosses, he makes eye contact with the game operator and then focuses on the dart board again.]

My body is.

[And takes aim before letting fly and landing close to the center of the board.]

[pure_radiantics]

[She blinks a bit not wanting to disturb him while he's throwing his darts. He has a lot of focus, she thinks, which is a good thing. She tries not to grip her lantern too tight while considering how to politely phrase her question.]

Sorry, do you mean you're being forced, or you're good at swimming?

[She'd hate to presume anything, especially since she feels like she knows Rin a little by now. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd force anyone to do anything.]

[takenwithhim]

[Sousuke’s satisfied with the first dart’s location. Okay so if his initial position put it there, then pick up the second one, lift to the same or similar height as last time, dart level with his eyes. Aim it towards the center again and get a good grip towards the thicker part, far away from the tail.]

I’m forcing myself. My body knows how to swim extremely well. But if I try to swim, my mind locks up when I think about it.

[He’s not trying to be difficult. It’s honestly a hard thing to describe and he can’t go too in detail with it or those nauseous feelings will come back. He knows it has something to do with… well… everything he can’t remember, which is obviously a no-go zone as he’s learned. So… he has to give confusing, short answers that won’t make much sense.]

[pure_radiantics]

Oh... I'm sorry I asked.

[And she's genuinely bummed out she dredged up something unpleasant for him to talk about. It sounds like a phobia to her, but she keeps that to herself. Maybe in his old life he was deathly afraid of the water... but that wouldn't explain being able to swim extremely well either. Hmm... It won't do HER any good continuing to think about it either if she's trying to convince HIM to move on from the topic too.]

We can talk about something else instead. Like how you're apparently good at darts too, Sousuke.

[Ah... she almost pointed out it could be because he has so much upper body strength but she realizes that doesn't quite make sense except to get the dart to stick in place, not his aim, but it takes upper body strength to swim well, right? 'Extremely well' anyway.]

I'll start looking for Rin too, see if I can find him for after you're done with the darts.

[takenwithhim]

[He brushes off the apology. Had could Kairi have known? Especially with the way he’d answered so roundaboutly. With a refocus on the darts again, Sousuke let fly and the sharp point embeds itself in the board with a solid thunk. Again, close to the center, but he’s not making any bullseyes at the moment. While he’s good enough to routinely land close by, there’s no magical ace going on here. He has to focus on it though, otherwise he’ll end up thinking about swimming.

And he doesn’t want to deal with that right now.]

Apparently. [He’s definitely not practiced darts, but…] Rin and I work on targeting with our respective powers when we train.

[So he has practiced that way. Of course there’s a big difference between trying to land a tiny dart in the middle of a board and trying to smash his god’s face with a ball of water the size of his head. (Look, he’s trying to dodge this pink beam of concentrate energy that’ll knock him into a hell of an infatuated daze if it so much as grazes him; water to the face is fair turnaround!)]

It’s fine. I’m not attached to his hip.

[Yes, he does want to be able to see his god because of his experience with being stolen, but he also knows both he and Rin do not want people thinking the two of them have to be together always. They’re still separate people.]

[pure_radiantics]

[She knew he'd said something similar earlier about not needing to be right at Rin's side at all times, but it was for a different reason this time so she just smiles and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear while she's considering how to better phrase it.]

That's okay. I just wanted to look for him while I was looking for Roxas too. I'm supposed to meet up with him soon.

[She still claps when his dart hits the mark, though.]

That's a really good way of training! I'm just trying to build up some stamina right now, I think.

[She's... mostly been left to her own devices where 'training' is concerned these days. Soon enough it'll change, but for now running laps is good enough.]

[takenwithhim]

[Sousuke picks up the third dart and eyes the board where his previous two remain embedded into the cork. He has a good collection of points, but then again, he’s not really looked at the prizes yet so it’s a moot point. Giving the dart a few turns between his fingers, Sousuke glances to the side at his companion.]

I see. Who knows; they might have met each other.

[Slim chance to none, but there’s no telling in this place. He silently appreciates her compliment and eyes the board once again. Of course he’ll aim for the center and take what comes of it.]

Stamina for what?

[There’s strength endurance, pain endurance, and as far as shinki go, borderline endurance. He’s not sure he wants to tell her his and Rin’s prime targets are each other…]

[pure_radiantics]

Uhhh... all kinds, honestly?

[She shrugs her shoulders a bit.]

I don't know how else to do it without Roxas and I going on prayers together - [Which they hadn't done yet.] but just... stamina for dealing with all of this stuff.

[She holds her arm with her free hand then.]

I'm not afraid of being in a fight and trying to help him. I'm just afraid of getting worn out too fast.

[Since combat doesn't seem like it was a 'natural' part of her life before.]

[takenwithhim]

[That works. He nods to the answer and focuses on the dart board again. For a few seconds, he aims, and then silently throws it forward. The dart lands with a ‘thud’ in the second-most center ring, right on the edge. Probably skimmed off the metal rim actually… But that’s satisfactory for him.]

Do you train together with him? You don’t have to go on prayers to get experience.

[He understands the concern of being worn out. Rin and he have worked on that plenty and it’s not uncommon for them to end up winded and dripping before either of them are satisfied with “this round” of training. Sousuke accepts a rather solid pack of tickets as a prize. Something to exchange for things later (like maybe food or drinks).]

[pure_radiantics]

I guess I could. Him or Sora, or Raichi or Brandon. Brandon's one of Sora's shinki, but since we live so close, we can probably training together too if he's up for it. I think the only person I couldn't get to train with me would be Senri, but that's okay. He's a gentle giant type, very quiet.

[And makes her adorable things so he's A+ in her book.]

Nice job! Will you come back later with Rin to get some more, then?

[It seems like it if he's pocketing them for now.]

[takenwithhim]

[Sousuke listens as she goes through a list of people. None of the names obviously ring any bells for him, but at least the comment’s given her things to think on that’ll help. Hopefully. He’s still a little speculative about gods having multiple shinki though; honestly he prefers not to think about Rin having another shinki.]

Probably not. Unless he wants something.

[Then he’d use the tickets for him. If not, he’ll probably just give them to someone who needs them. He’d had more enjoyment with throwing the darts than winning any prize.]

What’s it like? Living with other shinki under one god?

[pure_radiantics]

Well, it's only been about 10 days I think? But it's been really good so far. I get along with all of them well enough, Raichi and Senri I mean. Brandon sticks to Sora's temple a lot but I see him every now and then. So it's kind of like living with a lot of brothers, I guess - everyone mostly does their own thing, but I know they'd be willing to help me out if I asked. I trust them for that kind of thing.

[She's all smiles as she explains her burgeoning little family.]

Plus it means that Roxas is okay with me texting him to ask about this or that, since he's got two other shinki to keep track of. I can do my own thing if I want, or I can ask if he wants to hang out too. Today's a little of both.

[She pulls out her phone anyway, instinctively checking for a message from him.]

No texts yet, so he's probably still walking around with Sora.

[takenwithhim]

[That’s not a long time. He assumes the ten days is how long she’s either been a shinki or had another shinki brought under her god. Turning to the side, Sousuke heads away from the dart stand, walking beside her as she talks. Rin will probably get along well with any shinki he gets, but again, Sousuke doesn’t like the idea of his god taking on another shinki. For multiple reasons.]

Sounds like a little family.

[He remembers she’s the one that had said so much about friendship. But before he comments on that, she moves on and he frowns slightly at the implication and the way she draws out her phone.]

And you’re fine with that? Sharing him with other shinki.

Wrap or move to a non-captcha thread?

[pure_radiantics]

Well... I kind of have to be, right? They had him to themselves first - Raichi and then Senri.

[But she does swing her lantern a bit in thought.]

I think it is a bit easier to think of it like a family, though - sharing is naturally something you do with friends and other people you care about. So I don't have to share him, I just do because I care about Raichi and Senri. And of course I have to share him with Sora.

[She laughs a bit at that. The very idea of her being jealous that Roxas spends so much time with Sora... it just sounds so silly to her, when they're clearly so close and Sora wants such good things for Roxas.]

As long as Roxas is safe when he takes prayers, I think it's fine.

Assuming they'll be talking further about mundane things, wrapping is fine.

[takenwithhim]

[That makes sense, if she’s the “most recent” shinki her god’s tending to. But the question remains the same. She’s sharing her god with the other two and Sousuke remains quiet beyond her initial response. Maybe it’s selfish, but he doesn’t want to “share” Rin with another shinki.

The swimmer’s not heartless though; if it’s required or there’s no other choice, sure. But were it up to him on any normal day? No…]

Maybe. It depends on what you think a friend is.

[And they’ve had this conversation before. Her views on friendship and his differ pretty widely. But Sousuke doesn’t want to get into the discussion again and slips his hands into his pocket, dismissively lifting his shoulders in a silent ‘never mind.’]

As long as you and your god are happy, then do what feels right for you.

[They don’t have to agree on everything and that’s all right.]