thenearshore | 005 | Sakura In The Night

Entry tags:

005 | Sakura In The Night

Who: Everyone!
What: Cherry blossom viewing
When: Nighttime March 26, 2016
Where: A park with sakura trees
Summary: Heaven is throwing a small party to view the sakura and let everyone relax.

After the absolute disaster that happened with handing out chocolates, the Heavens are tripping over themselves to make up for their inability to properly handle the situation. They are eager to make amends and assure everyone that they are hardworking individuals who want nothing more than to make everyone's stay here enjoyable or at least pleasant. To that end, they have invited all of the gods and shinki to a lovely flower viewing, since the sakura are in season.

And by 'invited', they mean 'mandatory', of course. You will accept their apology, whether you like it or not.

It's not all bad, though. The Heavens have provided various kimonos that can be worn, if you haven't brought your own, but you're not required to wear a kimono. They would, however, really like it if you did wear them. It's very traditionally Japanese, after all.

The party is taking place at night so that you can all hide your merrymaking from the Near Shore residents and also because the night sky is beautiful against the cherry blossoms. So try to at least enjoy yourselves while you're here.

Banquet

Every kind of food imaginable is available for your eating pleasure. On top of that, there are dozens of different kinds of desserts ready to be devoured as well. For the older crowd, booze has been provided and is being served by white-clad shinki bearing the golden chrysanthemum of Amaterasu. They are, however, refusing to serve alcohol to anyone who looks too young to drink, sorry guys.

Cherry Blossoms

The blossoms are absolutely gorgeous this year, and they are at the peak of their blooming right now. Nearly every single bud has bloomed and the pink petals are floating by everywhere you go. There is an ethereal light emanating from each of the trees, lighting up the area with a soft, pink light, yet it doesn't seem to be drowning out the brightness of the stars at all. It really is the most beautiful cherry blossom viewing anyone could ever hope for.

"Secret" Corner

Somehow, the Heavens have managed to make one small corner of the grotto into a completely secluded area. There is no marking or signs to indicate what this corner should be used for, but anyone entering it will suddenly realize that this is a place for lovers to meet privately. Only those that you enter the corner with will be able to notice your presence, and you will be unable to notice anyone else's presence as well. Enjoy yourselves, young ones!

Counselling

Off to the side, there is a tiny table set up with a small, nicely written sign that reads "Gentle Counselling". On the other side of the table is a sweetly smiling shinki who is willing to listen to your problems and answer any questions you might have. She is also here to help out any gods that are having a hard time dealing with knowing about how their shinki died and any shinki that is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that they are dead. Counselling will also gladly be offered to anyone who is still pissed off or upset in any way about what happened after White Day.

In Summary:

Enjoy the cherry blossoms
Eat lots of good food
Promise it's not poisoned
Spend time with people you like
Meet the newbies
Have fun~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This isn't Ayumu's first trip to the corner. She'd come across it earlier, too, only then she had a bottle of sake with her. Now the bottle's gone, along with her glum mood, and the woman's all smiles, flushed cheeks, and good cheer as she approaches, her steps a little wobbly. When she bumps into Ross on his way out, she stumbles a little, clutching at his shoulders for support.]

Ross-san! It's Ross-san! Hello!

[Oh geez. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened to Ayumu--or rather, the person he knew as Yumi. He had only met her recently, but that didn't stop him from imagining how much she must have had for her to start acting like this.]

You're going to fall over if you keep trying to walk around.

[He said that, but he made no effort to dissuade her from using his shoulders to steady herself.]

[ooc: sorry for the late tag, I've been sick all week. :( ]

[Ayumu laughs, still hanging onto him for balance. Truth be told, she's not nearly as drunk as she seems. She's mildly tipsy and in a much happier mood than she'd been earlier. So what's a little harmless pranking at a party? Besides, she can always practice her drunk act.]

I'll be fine! But if I fall, you'll catch me, won't you, Ross-san?

[There's another carefree laugh and wobble.]

[OOC: No worries! I hope you're feeling better. Being sick's awful. :/]

Nope. [Uh.] You made it this far without me catching you. You don't need me for that.

[Yeah, he was not the one to go to for earnest or playful responses. Not to mention he hadn't forgotten that she had seemed somewhat resistant to his help last time they met.]

I'll pull you up if you fall down, but that's all.

So mean! But if you help me stand up, I guess that's okay.

[Ayumu beams at him, now clinging to his arm. They had gotten off to a rocky start but surely they could make amends somehow. She's willing to try, at least.]

So were you meeting someone special, Ross-san? It's a corner for lovers, you know.

[Urk. He was not prepared for this. Her question didn't exactly help things either. Drunk or not, his first thought was that she had some sort of angle here.]

I know that now. That's why I was on my way out. [Yeah, he definitely wasn't going to answer that question.]

Why are you in here if you already knew that?

[That is a good question. Why is she going back there? Truthfully, she spotted a familiar face coming out and got curious about it but she can't say that.]

I like the scenery! It's a nice area to share drinks with friends, too. I don't need a lover of my own to enjoy myself in there.

[And clearly, Ayumu is oblivious to ways that statement can be misinterpreted.]

[He certainly could call her out on that statement, but really, there were easier targets to pick at. Not only that, but doing what he could to avoid discussion of the scenery was arguably more important than that for him.]

You don't need one? You're not trying to make yourself feel better about it, are you?

[Hey, if she could poke fun at him for not having a special someone to come here with, then he could too.]

[For a split second, Ayumu frowns. That statement strikes a little bit close to home. Maybe not in the sense of a lover but it's true her homesickness did play a big part in her drinking that sake to begin with. She recovers quickly enough, her smile returning.]

No! I don't need one. Do you need one, Ross-san?

[Great comeback there, Ayumu.]

[There was a little smirk of amusement at her empathic answer. To be honest, if there was a list of things he felt he needed, a lover was probably dead last. They had that in common at least.]

What a question to ask someone. I think that counts as prying into my personal life.

[The childish teasing will continue until morale improves. Or forever.]

Oh, I see. It's prying when I do it but not when you do it.

[She's not genuinely mad though. The sake's put her in a relatively buoyant mood. Ayumu pokes him playfully in the chest.]

That's not very fair now, is it?

No, it's not fair at all. [Except he seemed almost proud of that fact. To make things worse, even if she had gotten angry, it wouldn't have been much of a deterrent anyway. He was incorrigible like that.

As for the poking, he just put his palm in the way instead of of actually trying to stop her.]

Is that all you're going to do about it?

[Ayumu notices and maybe it's the sake but it seems cute to her right now.]

Hoping I'll do something more, Ross-san?

[Her poking turns to a swift tickle maneuver at his side.]

I don't--

[Unfortunately for Ross, he was cut off mid-sentence by Ayumu's tickle attack. He let out an unintentional chuckle or two, but he clapped a hand over his mouth to try to stop any more from escaping. Nope. He definitely wasn't laughing. She couldn't make him!!

He was also trying to evade her tickling, but that part wasn't quite as easy as covering his mouth.]

[Well, isn't he adorable putting up a fight like that? The more Ross resists, the more determined and persistent Ayumu's tickling becomes. That laugh's cute and she wants more of it.]

Just let it out, Ross-san!

[Tickle, tickle.]

[Finally, he relented and stopped trying to keep Ayumu from tickling him. Instead, he snapped his fingers with his now free hand and vanished into thin air, only to reappear at her side. Yup, he cheated and used his magic to teleport away.]

Now it's your turn.

[Now he was the one who would be doing the tickling!]

That's not fair at all, Ross-san!

[Ayumu's more amused than anything though. The teleportation trick is interesting. If Susano'o's display in her temple and what's she'd managed to do herself at the shrines are anything to go by, she should be able to do something like that.

It takes a bit of conscious effort to let him tickle her in response. She's not used to being touched, much less tickled like this. But a calculating gleam shimmers in her eyes a brief second.]

How did you do that?

[She makes a show of trying to resist his onslaught, giggling all the while.]

Exactly!

[If he noticed that gleam in her eyes, he certainly didn't react to it. The only reaction he did have was stopping the tickling from his end. He'd already made his point, after all. Plus, the surprise attack part of it had been the most fun anyway.]

You really want to know?

[As amusing company as Ross is, Ayumu's a little relieved when he stops tickling her. She's trying her best to curb her instincts in peaceful situations but it's definitely a work in progress.]

I do. It seems like quite the useful trick!

[If she could somehow learn to utilize it and apply to combat, ayakashi fights would be so much easier.]

It comes in handy. [In more ways than one, even. Not to mention that he was not above using those powers in unorthodox ways.]

It's not just a trick, though. It's magic. [There was so much more he could have done to make that sound outlandish, but that was all he said.]

But many things are magic here, aren't they?

[At least to Ayumu it is. The future's full of many wonders to an old-fashioned kunoichi like herself.]

I've only done that at shrines but I wonder if I could do it other places, too...

[She also seems to be dropping her drunk facade for the time being. Ayumu's looking pretty sober now.]

[Other places, huh? Now it was his turn to be intrigued.]

Then let's go and find out. [Yup, right now. Plus, it meant getting out of the secret corner. Win-win.]

Sounds like you're sober now, so that shouldn't be a problem, right?

Sure. Why not?

[A little tipsiness shouldn't hinder this too much. Maybe it'll even be a benefit given how relaxed she is.]

Have a place in mind, Ross-san?

[Really, any place would do as far as Ross was concerned, but maybe a part of that was coming from a misunderstanding on his part. If he had to pick one, then the first option would be a place where he had spent a lot of time.]

If you just need any place, the school will work. Have you been there before?

Not yet. Is it near here?

[Ayumu's not sure she wants to venture too far from the party tonight but if he's persuasive enough, she might consider it.]

Secret corner!

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