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

[pure_radiantics]

[Yeah that makes sense to her. Loads of sense. Most people learn the Wall form first and thus prefer it, being better at it on sheer duration of time.

Not Keith.]

LINE!

[She draws her hand down immediately, towards the ground to slash at her feet in as quick a motion as she can. It's possible that his attack will still breach her defenses, though, so she keeps her eyes focused forward to dodge out of the way of the attack if necessary - but mostly to focus her attention on the spot of the wall where she thinks it will impact.]

[yousaytron]

[Keith's borderline, while quick and flashy, fizzles and dissipates shortly after colliding with Kairi's barrier. He doesn't waste any time in sending out a second one,]

Line!!

[Sending it her way, as if to assault her borderline to crack down on it.]

[pure_radiantics]

[She puts both hands up to keep her focus on the barrier wall. Kairi only allows a small smile, but it's enough of a distraction. Keith's quick second Line cracks against her own Line and the both of them shatter together.

Kairi stumbles backward a bit in surprise.]

Woah!

[yousaytron]

[And with that, Keith pauses for a moment, poised to throw out another borderline should he need to, but holding back to keep from tiring himself out needlessly. Besides, he wants to make sure that last attack didn't actually reach her after cracking the barrier.

She looks fine, but just to be certain,]

You alright?

[pure_radiantics]

Hm? Oh, yeah! I'm tougher than I look!

[She flexes one arm. It's not like she can deadlift 100lbs, but it's sturdy muscle there.]

I was just a little startled, that's all. I'm glad you were able to break my line, though! That means I can still get stronger.

[yousaytron]

[Okay, that's good, that means the two of them can keep going. No point in taking this too seriously and getting one of them sidelined for real, or anything like that.]

Good. [Then, right back into the training,] Now let's see you do the same.

[It's not really in the spirit of the work they've been doing up until this point to use the short pause to his advantage, but Keith casts a defensive wall in front of himself, as if to goad her into cracking it down. Let's see what you can do, Kairi.]

[pure_radiantics]

Oh boy... you sure you want to see the best I can do, Keith?

[Now she's the one goading. Regardless, she starts by waving up to the sky.]

Hey Nimbus~?

[The cloud swoops down to Kairi's ankle-height and she jumps on it like a surfboard, then rises up a few feet above where Keith's line is drawn. From there, she says: ]

Borderline!

[And the hand-held form of the attack style which she calls Dagger form appears in her hand. She jumps from the short height in an attempt to drag it down Keith's wall - using the gravity to pull her down more than she could on her own strength alone.]

[yousaytron]

['That's hardly fair!!' he wants to say, but stops himself. What better way for training to actually be practical than to call in unexpected elements? It's a matter of adapting, and honing reflexes, and his are sharp enough to quickly bring his own focus toward his barrier, attempting to strengthen the point of impact to withstand her attack.

It lasts, briefly, fending off the initial assault for a moment or two before the whole thing gives in. Keith's barrier collapses and shatters, while the shinki himself jumps back to avoid any followup attack Kairi may have planned.]

Not bad-! ['Impressive!']

[pure_radiantics]

You really think so?

[She laughs and smiles while coming to a coasting rest with Nimbus, like a piece of paper gently falling nearer to the ground.]

I only just tried it earlier today - with Davesprite, when he agreed to train with me up in the air.

[She says, but then looks concerned like maybe Keith doesn't know who Davesprite is.]

He ah... he was the one who said I should 'totally add it to my arsenal'.

[It's not a decent impression of Davesprite, but it is an affected accent of some sort.]

[yousaytron]

[All right, it looks like they're reaching another temporary lull in the training session, so Keith eases his guard up a little.]

What is that thing, anyway?

[Referring to nimbus, of course. It looks like a cloud, but certainly isn't acting like an ordinary puff of water vapor.]

[pure_radiantics]

You know I'm not 100% sure, but Goten called it his "cloud friend."

[Perfectly obvious name, right?]

He found it one day. It wasn't until the beach picnic day that I just started naming kinds of clouds at random - it reacted when we said "Nimbus" so we figured that was a name it likes.

[She bounces gently on top of Nimbus.]

It can hold my weight and it's very fast - as fast as Goten can fly. That's about all I know.

[yousaytron]

[He... has absolutely no idea who this Goten fellow is, but that isn't terribly important to learning about this cloud thing.]

That's kind of weird. [He doesn't sound like he's weirded out by it at all, however.] But, I guess there a bunch of things here that seem pretty weird. ['A magic cloud' sounds fairly tame in a world of gods and people-weapons, honestly.]

You can just summon it whenever you want, then?

[pure_radiantics]

Weeeeelllllll...

[Kairi sits down on the cloud on her knees.]

I think the cloud will come whenever you call its name, but it's possible that Goten needs his help at any given moment. So I try not to just call Nimbus for long periods without permission, like going on a longer trip to the Near Shore. Usually for a prayer reason.

[yousaytron]

[So, it's basically at her beck and call, she's just considerate about it.]

Something like that's gotta come in pretty handy, I'd imagine. [A quick escape from a tricky situation, a nice way to get the upper hand in a fight, stuff like that is indispensable in a world like this one.]

[pure_radiantics]

Oh yeah! [She nods excitedly.] And fun at the same time.

[She feels the cloud slowly shift backwards and forwards like a rocking chair.]

This doesn't feel like the kind of thing that I'll ever stop enjoying, you know?

[Because she has no way to fly on her own, after all, so Kairi isn't used to that at all.]

[yousaytron]

[Flying, somehow, doesn't really have the appeal of 'special' to Keith, one of those threads of thoughts that seems like it might be unusual, but ultimately unwise to try and chase after for any deeper meaning. Still, he kind of gets it, and getting to actually experience it on something as minimal as a cloud definitely seems like it'd be pretty exciting.]

Think you can still fight while you're on it?

[Let's keep practicing...!]

1/2

[pure_radiantics]

One way to find out!

[She looks all too eager to find out for herself as much as to answer Keith's question.]

I gotta warn you I had some practice with Davesprite earlier...

2/2

[pure_radiantics]

Oh wait - Davesprite can fly. This wouldn't be too fair to you, would it?

[yousaytron]

[That's considerate of her, but-]

Training should just be practice for real situations, right? Real situations aren't always fair, so it's good to figure out how to overcome them.

[pure_radiantics]

Well, if you're sure!

[Kairi starts to back away from him on top of Nimbus - mostly level with him, but Nimbus is hovering in the air. She has her hand up in prep to perform a borderline. Now to see if he'll strike first.]

[yousaytron]

[Her being on something like that definitely gives her an advantage - it should be easier to react and avoid an attack from him, so he has to be fast about whatever he throws her way. Still, he isn't going to give her too much time to get ready, though once she looks like she could defend herself, he slashes down with his own attack,]

Line!

[Coming your way, Kairi!]

[pure_radiantics]

Go!

[She falls to her knees and grips Nimbus tight by the front and they go zooming past the attack, weaving to one side and aiming straight for Keith like a game of chicken. At the last second, they pull up in a loop-de-loo and, on the arc back down, Kairi extends her hand to try and attack back.]

Line!

[But she's also never done this before, so her aim could be off just enough with Keith's reflexes. He's probably used to 3D fly-fighting enough that he doesn't quite get as 'distracted' by her maneuver as she was hoping.]

[yousaytron]

[Her avoiding his attack is no big surprise, so when she dodges, he makes sure to follow her movements closely.]

Tch-! [The cloud is nice and speedy, but so are his own reflexes, and her attack is met with-] Line! [A shield thrown up to interrupt it soundly.]

[pure_radiantics]

Agh!

[At the last second, realizing Keith isn't going to dodge, Kairi remembers that she doesn't have to give up on her attack. She can apply pressure on it instead. She pushes her line against his, trying to breach his shield if she can.

At the very least it's good practice to see how long they can both hold out.]

[yousaytron]

[A test of endurance now, huh? She's not giving this one up quickly, so Keith doubles his focus down on holding his own shield up. It seems like something that would be pretty simple, but honestly, it's the kind of thing that eats up a lot of stamina very quickly, isn't it?

After a few very intense seconds that seem to last even longer, he drops his shield, finally swiftly dodging to the side as he does, just in case he didn't manage to outlast her attack.]