005 | Sakura In The Night

[godsoffortune]

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~

Comments

[kagenonadeshiko]

[It takes some walking to get to her temple and really, it's a relief to be away from the party and headed home. Or rather what passed for home here. It's much easier to enjoy the night with fewer people around.

She doesn't miss that observant look, glancing at him curiously.]

Expecting trouble, Ross-san?

[shiitan]

[There was a tenseness in his posture only until she spoke up and he knew she was looking. Ah, there was the slight slouch again.] No. I'm not taking any chances, though.

[Something about walking in the dark at night bothered him more than he thought it would. The worst part of it was he couldn't even explain why he felt that way. His wariness aside, Ayumu's temple seemed to be pretty big, just like Inari's. Maybe it was even bigger.]

Or are you saying I should expect trouble from the shinki who live here?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Well, that was an interesting shift in demeanor. Perhaps there's more to Ross than meets the eye. Ayumu tucks away that knowledge for now.]

Oh, no, not at all. Unless you're afraid of children?

[After all, Ayumu's the most dangerous resident this temple has to offer. She laughs lightly and heads toward the courtyard. It's a big, open area. This should suit their purposes well.]

Hmm, this place works fine, Ross-san.

[Ayumu graces him with a smile. Being out in the dark late at night might make him uncomfortable but it invigorates her.]

[shiitan]

[He was expecting her sudden cheer about as much as she had expected that shift in demeanour. Not to mention her question about being afraid of children prompted a rather sour look that almost approached comedic levels from him. The courtyard was a distraction from that at least.

A big, open area like this was perfect for testing powers, whether they were godly ones or magic. He remembered her talking about only doing that at shrines, so this was going to be interesting.]

Let's start small at first.

[To illustrate his point, he disappeared and reappeared on Ayumu's other side.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

Oh!

[Ayumu blinks a little in surprise. She didn't see him do anything special first and come to think of it, she hadn't seen Susano'o do anything besides vanish and reappear further away.]

That looks simple. So you just think about where you wanna go and wind up there?

[shiitan]

Yeah. Imagine that spot clearly and think of it as if you want to be there more than anything in the world.

[After saying that, he was hit with a sense of deja vu. He furrowed his brow in concentration. Had he given directions like this at some point before he died?

...Oh well. That wasn't important now.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

That sounds easy enough.

[Precision and mental focus come as easily to her as breathing. Ayumu's always been a fast learner. She'd had to be to survive and succeed in her work. After a few moments of studying the spot in question, Ayumu nods to herself, recreates a mental image of it in her mind, and wills herself to that spot.

And with that, she winks out of existence and reappears in a different spot. Her aim's off by just a fraction but this was her first real attempt.]

Oh! That really was easy.

[Maybe she's starting to get a handle on all of this gods and magic stuff after all.]

[shiitan]

[Ross blinked. That magic wasn't difficult (for him, anyway) but he still wouldn't have expected anyone to get it right on the very first try. He could only assume that sort of natural talent was one of the perks of being a god instead of a shinki like he was. It was certainly enough to tell him that whatever the source of her powers was, it was different from his.

While it would be so easy for someone to be jealous of those circumstances, for Ross it only prompted feelings of curiosity. But despite that...]

Now practice that 1000 times and I'll be back in the morning to check on you.

[kagenonadeshiko]

Sounds reasonable.

[To a woman accustomed to harsh, vigorous training from a young age and a harsh instructor in her own right, it really does sound reasonable.]

But it's late and I do need to sleep sometime. I'll get started on it first thing in the morning.

[Ayumu chuckles.]

Goodnight, Ross-san. Or perhaps I should call you 'sensei'?

[shiitan]

[He could have taken that back and said practicing that much wasn't necessary. Still he stayed quiet on that front. He wasn't going to actually say so, but he wanted to know if she would actually do that much, or even just a fraction of the amount.]

You can, but I won't answer to it if you do. [He didn't look bothered by it either, though.]

Well, 'night. [He turned his back with his hand raised as a casual wave. Ross looked back once when he exited the temple, but that was all he did before making his way back to Inari's temple for the night.]