012 | The Beach Episode

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Beach party
When: All day June 5
Where: The beach
Summary: A beach party for all of the Far Shore residents

[01-27 Edit: Continue your threads at the overflow post to evade captcha!]



There were certainly a lot of broken hearts and emotional roller coasters recently, so the Heavens have decided it's time to allow their people to let loose and have some fun for a little while. Through some magic - or possibly just a lot of money - they have managed to rent out an entire private beach for the event so that they won't be interrupted by any Near Shore residents. The beach is beautiful and well-maintained, the ocean goes for as far as the eye can see, and rocky outcroppings offer a handy place to dive into the water on a test of courage.

It's a beautiful summer day, perfect for swimming and cracking watermelons and playing some beach volleyball. There's even some soft music permeating the air so that nothing is every silent on this fun-filled day.

New arrivals, after having been met at the Meeting Hall, would have been immediately redirected to this party. After all, they should be enjoying themselves as well.



Swimwear

Anyone who doesn't have swimwear will be provided with swimwear to fit their needs. Unfortunately, the Heavens don't have access to a lot of swimwear, so you'll likely wind up with something ugly, something old, or something just plain weird.

Playful Fish

The sea critters are excited about the party too. They're happy to swim up to anyone in the water and will even come up to the shallows to take a look at the fun happening on the shore. Toe nibbling and brushes of scales are in your future, so you'd better get used to the idea if you plan on being in the water.

Barbecue

Some basics have been provided, but everyone has been asked to bring a little something to the barbecue as well if they can. So you're more than welcome to grab one of the many grills and start frying things up. Heck, there are even fishing poles available if you feel like hauling in a few of those friendly fish to grill. Additionally, summery drinks have been provided, including iced tea, lemonade, water, and horribly fruity cocktails.

After Dark

Just because the sun is down doesn't mean that the party's stopping! The barbecue will continue well into the night, lit now by the stars and a huge, roaring bonfire. The bonfire is maintained by Amaterasu's shinki and climbs higher than any bonfire has the right to. Also, there are floating lights in the water so that people can continue swimming now that it's dark. And if you happen to get too drunk to go home, don't worry. A white-clad shinki will be happy to put you back to bed at the end of the night. Additionally, some sparklers and small bottle rockets have been provided for your entertainment.

In Summary:

• Get some sun
• Go for a swim
• Make sure you're in a swimsuit
• Enjoy the food and activities
• Don't drown
• Have fun~

Comments

[reformedsinner]

No wind spells? Really?

[Hakkai's tone is mildly interested as he leans forward, glancing at the stick and the hand holding it.]

You must have interesting arm muscles.

[mithrarin]

I... don't know.

[Any good humor he might have had at his efforts is gone, now, as he's reminded that he doesn't know ANYthing...]

I just... knew how to do it.

[reformedsinner]

I apologize.

[The sudden loss of humor is too obvious, and the pauses make it just as obvious why the other man's mood has soured. Hakkai sketches a tiny bow.]

... You're a shinki, aren't you?

[mithrarin]

That's what I'm told.

[He has no reason to believe. He has no reason to disbelieve. The word has no meaning to him.]

[reformedsinner]

And new?

[Poor man. Hakkai raises his eyebrows.]

Ah -- the first day is always hard. My condolences, incidentally.

[mithrarin]

As far as I know. I could have been here years, after all. [The anger isn't directed at Cho, just the situation in general.] I don't know anything. And I don't know why I should believe what I'm told, either.

[reformedsinner]

Wherever your soul was before, if your memories are newly lost, you're likely new to the role of shinki.

[That's something like reassurance... not a lot like it, but at least a little. Hakkai isn't in any mood for sugar-coating the reality of the situation, and Dust seems to have a reasonable grasp on it already.]

We forget if we're killed and return, but I haven't seen you around the Heavens before, and I try to keep track of the new gods and shinki.

[mithrarin]

I'd take more comfort in that if I hadn't apparently managed to get myself killed once already.

[Which has to be the case. He's here at a sensible age, healthy, fit. And his instincts, and some drive inside him, tell him he can fight, he should fight.]

Die here and you lose nothing, then...

[reformedsinner]

On the contrary. Remembering so little, I've found that I value it more.

[Hakkai crosses his arms, glancing away from Dust and out at the sea. Most of the shinki here must have died violently. They're young, healthy... many of them children.

If they're truly dead at all. He still wonders if Gojyo had been right.]

[mithrarin]

And yet it's so cheap. So easily taken away. And evidently... easy, if it's so well-known.

[Dust might as well be a statue save for his quiet voice. This just keeps getting worse.]

And yet apparently our reason for being here is to swim?

[reformedsinner]

Monsters are probably going to emerge from the sea at some point.

[Hakkai sounds tired.]

Disaster seems to be the usual end to parties like this, so perhaps it's best just to expect it.

[mithrarin]

[A faint smile flickers over his face, visible beneath this hat.]

I couldn't tell you why, but that sounds more my speed. Although shouldn't we have weapons...?

[reformedsinner]

Well, technically, we are weapons.

Or other useful household objects. [Hakkai's smile is dry. He might've said the same. He's rapidly losing his ability to find the regular disruptions a pleasant change, though; maybe it's the souls he'd seen at the last one, or maybe it's just that he wants a better target.

Whoever is doing this to them would do nicely.]

[mithrarin]

I'm... fairly certain I'm not a credenza.

[Really. This drive to fight might make him a weapon in some metaphorical sense, but a household object?]

[reformedsinner]

Have you transformed yet?

I believe some of us are pots. Or fashion accessories.

[mithrarin]

[The silence Dust regards this statement with, all confusion and pointed disbelief, ought to be all the answer he needs to give. You're pulling his tail, right? If he didn't think, or fear, there might be some truth to this he'd be walking away right now, but...]

[reformedsinner]

I suppose you'll find out when you do!

[Unfortunately, it is one hundred percent accurate, and not even exaggerated.]

[mithrarin]

You're kidding.

[The real, sharp anger in Dust's tone still isn't for Cho, but the way his clenched fist trembles at his side from how tight he has his muscles tensed, it might be dangerous nonetheless.]

[reformedsinner]

I'm not.

[Despite the anger in Dust's voice and the tension in his posture, Hakkai remains utterly relaxed and casual. He shrugs, and lets his hands fall open to his sides.]

It's just another part of being a shinki.

[mithrarin]

[Without a target to unleash it on, Dust can't maintain his anger for long. After a moment, he bows his head, his voice low but still intense and audible.]

...What kind of person was I to have earned hell after death.

[reformedsinner]

It's a subtle kind of hell. Some people even seem to enjoy it.

[And some people, on the other hand, really aren't suited to be objects for strangers' use, passed casually around as their old owners disappear one by one. Hakkai keeps a faint smile on his face, but there's real bitterness in his tone.]

[mithrarin]

[Dust is much less subtle in his feelings, every word like a knife slicing the air.]

What's to enjoy about it?! What's to enjoy about not knowing anything?!

[reformedsinner]

"Ignorance is bliss," or so they say. I don't understand it myself.

[mithrarin]

Who's 'they'?

[There's no small amount of implication in that question that Dust may have found a target for his anger.]

[reformedsinner]

In that particular case, it refers to middle-aged people with very little imagination.

If you're looking for whoever brought us here, that's a more challenging question.

[And one that Hakkai would very much like the answer to himself.]