May Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: July 15
Where: Bishamon's temple, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods (although there's none this time) and shinki



The product of many meetings and recommendations, at last it has taken shape. On this day, in anticipation of the new arrivals who appear in a recognized pattern, Heaven has partnered with the new gods and shinki to organize a very helpful informational reception.

The shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided kindly towards Bishamon's temple. And in that vast complex they are brought to a traditional-style dojo.
Here the newly arrived gods are gathered, so finding their partner is more simple. The gods and shinki are free to take their time during this day to learn about the aspects of their new life from Amaterasu's shinki, or from the many veteran new god and shinki volunteers.




God Training

Bishamon herself, as well as Amaterasu's ever-present shinki and any volunteering gods, will be the foremost source of information regarding being a god and what is expected of them, such as prayers. It is encouraged that gods group up together to practice what they've learned and discuss their ideologies.
Newly arrived gods are still expected to communicate to their shinki the information* they themselves get oriented with when they arrive.

Shinki Training

Various volunteers are stationed around the building, passing out helpful informational pamphlets. There are many shinki, including Bishamon's and Amaterasu's, who will be more than happy to train in using the borderline and some of the basics of what is expected of a shinki. It is encouraged that shinki group up together to practice what they've learned and discuss their ideologies.
Bishamon's lead shinki Kazuma offers a lecture to new arrivals that will thoroughly cover some essential points about teamwork with both shinki and other gods.

Physical Training

The dojo is stocked with a wide variety of practice weapons, traditional and modern. There are volunteers here as well, willing to assist in basic training. (Or even more advanced sparring, depending on the volunteer.) Essential for gods who, for example, find themselves with a sword shinki but are at risk of cutting off their own toes.
Also useful for veteran new gods wishing to train with their current partner shinki.

Rest and Refreshments

There is a garden off the dojo that is free to be used for rest and conversation.
Should anyone wander outside the designated area, some shinki of Bishamon's will attach themselves to them and not leave them be until they return to the dojo.

There is a refreshments table provided. It is covered with light snacks and various kinds of hydrating drinks. There is a little sitting area set up for people to relax in after they have finished their training or if they're just taking a quick break to cool down. Even hand towels are provided by Bishamon's helpful shinki. The Heavens wants everyone to stay in good condition!

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Get in some training
• Don't get dehydrated
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[kagenonadeshiko]

Shinki Training

[Somehow the sight of a traditional dojo soothes Ayumu's nerves more than the meeting hall had. The guides there had been kind, offering her a change of clothes, but after regarding them with agitated suspicion for a moment, refused out of a feeling somewhere between defiance and pride. But she allows herself to be led, barefoot, to Bishamon's temple, at least, clutching her white under-kimono closed along the way.

Her hair's loose, falling in a disheveled waterfall down her back save for a long bangs hanging down unnoticed over her blind left eye. A person studying her closely enough might notice that it's skewed slightly lower than her right and the eyelid droops a little more than halfway closed. Her left wrist appears permanently bent at a slightly awkward, unnatural angle and there's visible scarring from many cuts on her legs.

Presently, Ayumu seems far more interested in reading the information pamphlets than joining in on the training though she can be seen studying the participants on the sidelines. From her stoic, near expressionless demeanor, Ayumu doesn't really give off that much of a talkative air from afar but she's quick to ask people who approach her about the information detailed in the pamphlets.]

Garden

[Is Ayumu trying to exhaust the patience and cordiality of Bishamon's shinki? Maybe she is. When she isn't observing others in the training hall, she's swiping snacks and bottled water from the refreshment table. She also keeps attempting to sneak out of the designated area, arms full of spoils, consequently leaving her yukata wide open in the process and giving passerby a clear view of scarred, bare skin underneath it.

There's an air of urgency and determination to her strange behavior. She certainly appears confused, disoriented, and in need of a helping hand.]

Garden

[spes_phthisica]

[If this wasn't the designated Shinki training, if he hadn't come here specifically to help out with it, there would've been no force in the world that would've stopped Souji from immediately running up and hugging Ayumu. As it is, he says nothing at first. He's not sure what to say. She was a god, she was his friend, she went away... and now suddenly she's here. He's seen her look in his direction at least once, but hasn't noticed so much as a flicker of recognition, and so he'd pretended not to notice her in turn. He's not sure how successful he's been. She'd always been so attentive, right?

He doesn't know what to do, so it takes a while for him to approach her. But her attempts at stealing food and, apparently, escaping from there are distressing. So he hurries after her, already pulling a mint green tunic over his head and holding it out to her.]

Please miss, you- [He blushes faintly, careful not to let his gaze drop beneath her face.] You look cold. [That is a BLATANT LIE, it's the middle of July, and it's not like Souji is wearing anything under the shirt either, but still.] Maybe you could borrow this?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[It is a blatant lie and even in Ayumu's present mental state, she picks up on it. Between the warm weather and the faint blush on his cheeks, it's not hard to figure out he's offering to help her protect her modesty. Somehow it doesn't feel like something to be concerned about to her but his words manage shake her out of her irrational compulsion to flee somehow.

Really? What was she thinking trying gather supplies and bolt when the guards were distracted? Why would she want to do that? It's not an answer she should seek or wants to know but despite everyone's kindness toward her, something about this place feels unsafe to her right now. Maybe it's because she seems to be the only woman in a male occupied area at the moment, though why that would concern her so much is a mystery.

Without her memories in place, neither is her reason to maintain a facade. For a moment, she looks simply exhausted, her good eye bright as if she might start crying. She doesn't though, instead dropping her supplies on the ground and reaching out a shaky hand to take the tunic from him.]

Thank you.

[For a moment, Ayumu almost feels like she wants to say more but she doesn't - at least, not right now. Her confusion hasn't completely cleared and there's an underlying unstable air to her right now now but at least, she seems to be calming down.]

[spes_phthisica]

[It's honestly a bit frightening, seeing Ayumu acting so fragile. But more than that, it's heartbreaking. It's not right. It shouldn't be like this.

But in a situation like this, Souji knows instinctively what to to. Unlike her, he's no longer floundering, no longer quite so unsure of himself and who he is as he had been at his very first arrival. Hijikata's presence has helped ground him too.

So he smiles, gently and kindly, because he has to be strong for her. She might not remember who he is, but he knows that she is a friend, someone he respects greatly. When people like that falter, you're supposed to provide a solid place to stand.]

It's alright. It's really confusing at first, right? [Unbidden, he crouches down and deftly starts gathering up the things she's dropped. Partly to be helpful, and partly because... the way she looks right now, he somehow wants to pose as little of a threat as possible, though he's not sure why. He doesn't want to think too closely about it, either.] It'll get better with time.

[kagenonadeshiko]

It is confusing.

[Once the tunic's in hand, Ayumu simply slips out of the under-kimono she'd been wearing and lets it fall to the floor. Unfortunately, this means she's stark naked, giving everyone in the area a view of the character for 'evening' on her breast along with a few more scars lining her sides, hips, and abdomen. Thankfully, she's quick to put on the offered tunic and make sure and pick up the discarded garment to put on once more.

The young man's demeanor is enough to tell her that he isn't an immediate threat to her, not when stooping down to pick up what she'd dropped leaves him wide open to an attack. Someone who truly meant to do her ill wouldn't do such a thing unless it was a trap. But so far, this doesn't seem to be one of those situations.]

Nothing's familiar. What is this place?

['Heaven', she'd been told but Ayumu's not convinced. Something about the name itself makes her want to scoff.]

[spes_phthisica]

[He glances up at her instinctively as he hears her move, and then immediately drops his gaze, cheeks once more growing pink. Not that he thinks it is all that strange for her to be so utilitarian about changing her clothes - mostly, he's embarrassed on his own behalf. He ought to have the sense to give her some privacy, at the very least.

Shirtless, he doesn't really have much to gather the things in other than his arms, but he can shove the water bottles in the pockets of his pants, at least.

He pauses momentarily at her question, biting his lower lip. "Heaven" really doesn't say much, does it? For most people, it's an abstract and far-off kind of word.]

It's a place where gods live. And a place for people who serve them, like me. Well, like us. [It's so strange, talking to Ayumu as if she's an equal now. As a senior to her, at that. It doesn't feel right at all, but addressing her as he would a goddess would be weird.] It's... a complicated place. But it's not bad. [He offers her a slightly more sheepish smile.] I don't know what kind of life I had before coming here, of course, but I think it's the sort of thing I would've hoped for after I died.

[kagenonadeshiko]

Gods don't exist and neither do ghosts.

[Ayumu says it so bluntly, automatically, despite everything she's been told since her arrival. In life, she'd been far from a spiritual person, more concerned with the tangible world and how to survive it and in death, that hasn't changed. Even while she lay dying, her thoughts had been full of real people - her family, her friends - rather than what would happen to her after she drew her last breath.

Of course, she doesn't know that herself or know that the young man presently in her company happens to be one of the people on her mind when she'd died.]

It doesn't seem real. Like I'm in a dream.

[Whether that's from the surreality of the situation or the lingering effects of the severe trauma Ayumu had gone through before her body finally gave out is anyone's guess.]

Shinki Training

[reformedsinner]

[He has the god's informational pamphlet in one hand, but otherwise, Hakkai's blending in as he ducks through the crowd of shinki. He's wearing his limiters, and his monocle is in place and unbroken, camouflaging the scarring around his right eye.

He'd seen a flash of a vision when they told him his shinki's name. It wasn't much -- just a face, clearly distressed -- but then, he hadn't named her yet, either. He had recognized her immediately. Ayumu, they had said, but the face he'd seen was the one he recognized as Hestia. Yumi. A nickname or an alias, and an ironic choice of partner for a one-time shinki, he thinks.

At least he knows how and why to protect her from knowing about her former life.

The drooping eyelid doesn't conceal her identity, and Hakkai spots her quickly. He pauses beside her, and politely clears his throat.]

Excuse me. Yamazaki Ayumu?

[kagenonadeshiko]

Yes?

[Ayumu looks up from the pamphlet, mind spinning a little at all the unfamiliar terms. On a different day, she might find it very helpful, she thinks but on top of the newness of everything else, it's more than a little overwhelming. The man speaking to her is a stranger but everyone here is a stranger. Part of her wishes that she'd thought to arm herself with one of the weapon's lying around.

The stare she gives him is a little on the piercing side but her posture remains controlled and very still. For a moment, she debates asking him how he knows her name but that knowledge isn't going to help her present situation any, is it?]

Do you need something?

[Her tone isn't unfriendly but it is a little wary, not much different from what any woman might use at being approached by a stranger who seems to know who she is somehow.]

[reformedsinner]

[He bows, exceedingly correctly. It's more or less the same response he'd expected: wary suspicion, a guarded tone... she'd had the same underlying steel when he knew her before, but now, it's laid bare.]

My name is Cho Hakkai. It seems we've been asked to work together.

[And, although it still seems terribly wrong, he clarifies:]

I am your god.

[kagenonadeshiko]

Oh. Like in this then?

[Ayumu holds up the pamphlet. She's not sure how she feels about all of this and a small part of her wants to laugh at the idea of anyone being her 'god'. At least, this Hakkai character is polite so she'll do her best to be polite in turn.]

I haven't read it all the way through yet. It all sounds very complicated and some of the words are strange.

[How she knows this is beyond her understanding but she knows it and that's what matters. Ayumu's not sure she understands what a 'Google' is but it's a very funny word she'll be repeating out loud to herself later.]

[reformedsinner]

Yes, exactly. I'm glad someone finally put that together -- really, the Heavens weren't ready for us at all at first.

[He feigns a put-upon little sigh, trying to help put her at her ease, and folds his hands.]

I'm sorry to interrupt your reading, but there are a few things I should talk to you about before I let you decide if you'll be interested in working with me. Would you mind a stroll in the garden?

[There's a glint of his own steel showing through his mild-mannered smile.]

I'm afraid it's a little crowded in here.

[And some things -- he's sure she'll hear the subtext -- shouldn't be said in a crowd.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

A walk in the garden sounds good.

[Especially with how he's presenting all of this to her as a choice. Something about that feels different somehow. It's nice. She appreciates it. Ayumu closes the pamphlet and stands.]

Bishamon-sama has a beautiful home.

Garden

[mithrarin]

...Hey, are you all right?

[Dust is fairly good at reading body language, which comes with being a warrior by (literal) nature. Hers is bad in a number of ways, and after a moment of watching he can't help but step up to ask.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[So Ayumu's been spotted again. This time she'd been sure she'd found the break she needed. The guards were preoccuped with someone else. She's fast, even arms laden with supplies. All she had to do was gain access to rest of the house. The exterior had looked large, like there'd be ample hiding places.

If she could just get to one and rest a little...

Ayumu turns to the speaker, clutching the water and snacks to her chest almost defensively, regarding the stranger cautiously.]

I'm fine.

[She lifts her chin a little defiantly, her tone chilly but proud. It's very obvious that no matter what she's saying, she is clearly not fine at all.]

[mithrarin]

[It really is, and she has to know that. Dust smiles, very slightly, and a little sad despite the humor.]

Right... Well, how about, would you like some help carrying some of that?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[She pauses a long moment just looking him over in sharp assessment. He's smiling a bit. Is that sympathy? While her pride rejects it, a calmer, colder part of her mind knowing that she can use sympathy to her advantage.

And there's still another part, a smaller part that's still rational that's really not sure what she's doing or what's making her act this way. Without any memories or knowledge about herself, Ayumu's lost in this situation.]

I can do it on -- No, wait. Sure. Take them.

[Her expression is one of utter bewilderment as she slowly hands over some of her spoils.]

[mithrarin]

[Sympathy? Maybe, but his smile is just for how ridiculous her claim is, and how she has to know that.]

[Dust accepts the offered goods, certain that no one here is going to complain. They're open for all, so if she wants to snatch them and eat them elsewhere, who cares? Something else must be driving her like this, and for whatever reason, he wants to help if he can.]

Where are you headed?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[At the moment, Ayumu's a little too confused to know much beyond the fact that she's dead and in a strange place surrounded by people she doesnt know and landmarks she doesn't recognize. But the questions are calming her down a little, appealing to her rational mind and coaxing her away from these irrational, compulsive escape attempts.]

I.. I don't know. Somewhere safer.

[She's feels way too vulnerable and exposed right now.]

Shinki Training

[pure_radiantics]

[Kairi's one of the people mentioned in the pamphlet, so naturally she's helping pass out flyers too. She isn't the one who hands one out to Ayumu, but eventually Kairi does see her reading one. That's strange... She doesn't know Ayumu disappeared because she never found out the god belonging to one of the shinki she'd comforted on the BBS.]

Ayumu...?

[She's not sure why she'd be in the Shinki area of Bishamon's compound unless she's taking one of the flyers for one of her new shinki?]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Ayumu looks up from the pamphlet at the sound of an unfamiliar voice saying her name. The ex-hearth goddess is looking considerably worse for the wear since she was last seen by Kairi. Her left eye is disfigured now, skewed slightly lower than her right, the eyelid drooping almost completely closed now. Her left wrist is stuck at a slightly unnatural angle as if it had been broken and healed wrong and there's visible scarring from many cuts on her limbs.

Whereas before her expression had usually been calm, there's a brittle quality to it right now, as if her composure is hanging on by a thread. The same alertness is there though as she regards the girl uncertainly. Ayumu's still not quite sure how to respond to most things she's encountered today and certainly not a girl she's never met somehow knowing her name.

Finally, she settles on a simple polite greeting.]

Hello.

[pure_radiantics]

[Kairi does look a little shocked. Okay a lot shocked. One hand comes up to her mouth. The simple hello, without recognition, makes her remember what Tsuzuki had been talking about...]

Hello... it's nice to meet you, Ay- I'm... Kairi.

[She bites her lip.]

I'm a shinki.

['Like you.']

[kagenonadeshiko]

Oh, I see.

[Instantly, Ayumu relaxes and warms a bit. Most of the people she's met today have been shinki and it's been a small comfort. She's not really sure how she should act in the presence of gods who aren't her own yet. Hopefully, she'll have more of an idea once she speaks with hers.

The girl seems flustered. Maybe because of her appearance? Ayumu hasn't gotten a really good look at her reflection since arriving but she can see her scars as well as anyone can and she picked up on the fact there's something wrong with her eye pretty quickly. She's still unsure how this girl seems to know her name but her instincts tell her to not make a big deal of it and put it aside for now.

Ayumu manages a smile for the girl and at least, that hasn't changed. It's still the same kind, gentle one she's always had if slightly awkward in this situation.]

It's nice to meet you, too. I think I read your name in this.

[She holds up the pamphlet.]

[pure_radiantics]

[Kairi tries to smile because she does want to befriend Ayumu again.]

That's right. Izuku decided to write that pamphlet and he asked to put my name in, so I agreed.

[She rubs her arm sheepishly, still trying to get a handle on how she's supposed to react with a former god she knew fairly well, unlike with the message Tsuzuki made just yesterday to the BBS.]

Is that something you're interested in learning today, or you just recognized it from there? I understand it's a pretty stressful day your first day out.

[kagenonadeshiko]

It's been pretty overwhelming. It's a lot to take in.

[Stressful is one way to put it but then Ayumu had aleady felt uneasy and exposed surrounded by so many strangers in an unfamiliar place. The other new shinki don't seem to be experiencing the same weariness and mental strain she is and Ayumu's not sure why that is. Is it normal or just her? It's hard to say.]

I don't think I'm in condition to learn much today.

[Her smile turns a little rueful.]

But there's a lot I'd like to learn once I've had time to settle in and get my bearings. I'm sure I'll have many questions in the future.