20 | Shopping Frenzy!

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Helping a grand opening go well
When: August 21
Where: The Near Shore
Summary: The owners and employees at a new shopping center are begging for help. Bad luck has plagued them, and their grand opening is this weekend! Gods and shinki alike have been asked to respond to their prayers on Opening Day, find the source of their misfortune and ensure that the opening goes smoothly.



The Yamada Corporation is opening a new, high-class department store in a Tokyo suburb. They've been running advertisements for weeks and excitement among their prospective customers is at a fever pitch. Unfortunately, things inside the project aren't going so well. Construction has been delayed, deliveries are wrong, employees keep getting sick or hurt on the job and it's starting to look like the grand opening will be a grand disaster. Their fervent prayers for help have reached the Heavens, who are passing them along to you to be granted... but with an addition: Heaven, too, is very interested in learning where that bad luck is coming from.



Maintenance Madness

For a brand-new building, Yamada Department Store is having a lot of maintenance issues. Toilets are overflowing, lights are burning out, stair railings are coming loose, and either the air conditioning is set so cold there's frost on the vents or it's not working at all. The overworked maintenance crew needs all the help they can get! How many gods does it take to change a light bulb?

Secret Shoppers

Are you really going undercover to make sure you stop problems before they start, or just enjoying a day of high-class shopping on Heaven's dime? Whatever your real motivation is, all expenses are covered... but you'll still want to keep an eye out for mishaps. Unfortunately, the grocery and bakery in the basement are under construction (they've had some flooding problems) but there are still six floors of designer clothes, consumer goods and restaurants to enjoy.

Retail Rescue

Between mysterious accidents and that nasty flu that seems to be going around, the department store is badly understaffed. Grab an employee uniform and someone else's nametag and pitch in before the lines get too long. There are positions open in every department, from the restaurant on the top floor to book sales on floor one.

It's not just sales and service you have to worry about: thanks to the store's misfortune, displays are toppling over, the wrong orders are coming in, fancy candies are melting all over the shelves and ink tags are exploding on their own. This is hard work!

Intrepid Investigators

The Heavens aren't just sending so much supernatural help to this department store to keep their faithful followers happy. They have reason to suspect that there's something more sinister behind this mysterious streak of extra-bad luck. Between keeping the lights on and the customers happy,
you've been asked to search the store and investigate all of the "unlucky" incidents in order to determine what's going on. The shinki who brought you this request hinted that Heaven would look favorably on anyone who uncovered something particularly useful....

If your character is investigating the department store and needs to know what they have found, please comment to the "Investigations" thread below with a link to your thread. Your hint will be provided.

Investigation threads longer than 10 comments will earn 200 followers for every god in the thread and 20 exp for every shinki. Once your thread reaches that length, please turn it in by replying to your hint under the "Investigations" thread to let us know you've earned the bonus.

In Summary:

• Keep the lights on
• Take some time out to enjoy a shopping trip
• Make sure the customers are happy
• Discover the cause of the bad luck
• Have fun~

Comments

[reformedsinner]

[Curiously, glancing back at Chikusa:] Pezzente?

That's not your cat's name, is it?

[kagenonadeshiko]

I suppose you're right. But seems like it'd be complicated to resolve anything. Gods and shinki can't exactly speak freely, can they?

[Ayumu sounds genuinely perplexed.]

Maybe I'm wrong. I'm still trying to understand how this all works exactly. But I imagine it'd be hard to just let go of someone you were once close to.

[Satisfied that the bleeding's stopped, Ayumu puts the gauze aside in favor of the antibiotic cream. Briefly, she wonders what she might do in a situation like that - being close to someone, losing them, meeting them again only to have been forgotten while still harboring those same feelings. Would she be able to leave things just as they are?

It's an entirely rhetorical question, of course. Considering how awkward Ayumu feels around people for reasons she just doesn't know, it'd hard to imagine herself having ever been close to anyone.]

'Kay. About halfway done now. It just needs the ointment and a bandage now.

[She unscrews the cap to the tube and squirts a thin line along the cut.]

[kokuyoyo]

The cat is Pookie... [A considering pause.] I think she wants to start a gang...

[Cats.]

Pezzente is the goat...

[reformedsinner]

It is hard. [He remains placidly still for her ministrations, looking off into the distance. It's convenient that when she's fussing over an injury on his cheek, there's no need -- nor even any way, since the cut is on his right -- to meet her eyes. Her face is a blur in his peripheral vision.]

But it's not as if we can't speak freely; I can't speak of our past, of course.

I can speak as freely as I like on any other topic.

[And, as Sharak had said, it's not as if there's a shortage of things in the present to talk about. He still likes Gojyo, their past entirely aside. He's confident -- perhaps unwarrantedly, but confident -- that they can find a way back to friendship that won't risk his survival. The lie should hold, for now.

(And if it doesn't, he'll face that necessity when it happens.)]

[reformedsinner]

The goat. How did you end up with so many animals?

[Cheerfully, he adds:] Let Pookie know that if she'd like to recruit either of my cats, she is welcome to.

[kokuyoyo]

[Somewhat sulkily, Chikusa frowns at Hakkai's back.]

Bon is the bite fetishist's fault.

[He didn't ask for the dog, Hakkai!! He didn't ask for one that eats hats!]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[It's truly a blessing Ayumu's face is just a blur right now because for a moment, she looks downright skeptical at what he's saying. To her ears, it sounds a bit like grasping at straws but she hasn't known him or this world very long. Their perspectives are probably quite different on this issue.

Even so, she can't help but think that trying to rebuild a friendship that can't acknowledge its own past, its own foundation, is already doomed to fail. But for once, she keeps her mouth shut and just focuses on closing up the ointment tube then opening up a band-aid to place over the cut. Once it's on his cheek, Ayumu gingerly smooths it with a fingertip.]

Well, good luck working things out. And there. It's all bandaged up now. Would you like me to do your hands for you or do you think you could manage those on your own?

[reformedsinner]

[That sounds a little dubious, Ayumu --

Hakkai turns back towards her, considering her expression, as she finishes smoothing the bandage over his cheek. If she'd let any of that emotion show on her face, it's gone now, and he smiles at her with a self-deprecating edge.

He knows it's a foolish attempt, of course, but then... he's no better at avoiding Gojyo than Gojyo had been at avoiding him. At least, this way, he feels better about the possible disaster.]

I think I can manage my hands... but thank you.

[With a quirk of his eyebrows, he adds:] For your patience.

[leapinglizard]

The best part?

[How can any one part of such a magnificent specimen truly be counted as better than any other?]

Well, just look at this face.

[leapinglizard]

Whoops!

[Jae-Ha laughs openly, followed by a flippant gesture. Clearly, he's not that concerned.]

Didn't mean to startle you. I could give that thing a good kick, too, if you like.

[leapinglizard]

If you want to try, I should be able to reach, with a bit of a boost.

[There are chairs and stepladders to be had, certainly.]

It might do it, but I do think there's something more than shoddy electrical work at play here.

[leapinglizard]

The cut of the cloth is more flattering, as well. Some ornament is nice, too much is gaudy.

[It should bring out the wearer's natural beauty, after all.]

There's a delicate balance to be found.

[leapinglizard]

What would you combine it with?

[Honest curiosity, of course. He doesn't know up from down when it comes to modern trends, he only knows what he likes-- and deems as being beautiful enough to suit his aesthetic.]

[leapinglizard]

Bolts?

[The concept seems to go over his head. Even if he remembered much about architecture, it would all be pretty ancient-- much like Yona's temple is.]

Oh, the little--

[He makes a vague gesture with one hand before holding his index finger and thumb about two inches apart.]

Thingies that hold things together! Let's see... [He turns to examine the floor behind him, but not without asking for clarification in the form of:] They're shiny, right?

[reformedsinner]

Believe me, I remember.

[Eats hats, and tackles people and youkai, and tries to make friends with cats who have absolutely no interest in being the friend of a dog ten times their size...

Bon is a troublesome pet.]

I thought you were planning to give him to Sharak?

[reformedsinner]

The hexagonal thingies that hold things together, exactly!

[He's careful not to snicker as he does the same along the other side of the floor.]

Yes, they're made of steel, and a new one should be easy to spot.

[kagenonadeshiko]

I'm Ayumu Yamazaki, exemplar to Hakkai-sama.

[Ayumu speaks politely but warmly, bowing in greeting. There are few better ways to get on her good side than by complimenting her work.]

I guess one could say the same of myself. Sometimes one can learn much more as an observer.

[While Ayumu's far from lazy and a hard worker, she also chooses to be a smart worker.]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Hibiki-san.

[kokuyoyo]

[Just a long, long pause.... That, in its own way, is probably telling.]

She made me go back to get him...

[reformedsinner]

[It's extremely telling. Hakkai chuckles softly.]

She called me about it, too. -- Still, you might get her to take care of him from time to time. Did he tackle her?

[It could be a harder sell if he tackled her.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

Of course.

[She'd spent most of her life detached from her emotions, a crack in her psyche that had only widened when she'd been in the hands of the enemy before she'd breathed her life. And now that she's dead, she'd carried that trait with her into the afterlife.

So even if Ayumu'd had her memories, she still wouldn't have recognized the jealousy in her own heart.]

Have you learned anything relevant to the mission at hand?

[However, she still has instincts and right now, they're screaming at her to retreat from this subject.]

[isayvol]

[Lance freezes, looking dumbstruck, his smile still in place.

Then it twitches.

And he... miiiight be yelling now.]

What??? What d'you mean, "No"?! You have to at least try them!!

[freezetheheavens]

[He takes the charm back.]

As if we need any more bad luck.

[Toushirou sighs, though he does give the shinki a nod in thanks.]

[kokuyoyo]

[In response, all Chikusa does is get out his phone, fiddle with it, and then press it against Hakkai's back.]

[A certain portion of a conversation will be playing.]

[priforprince]

[ There are few better ways to get on Hibiki's good side than treating her with deference and respect, so both parties are quite satisfied thus far! ]

Have today's observations been fruitful?

[ She hasn't forgotten you've asked a similar question. But she'd rather reward good information with good information, if possible.

The Prince grants special favors. ]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki is in grave danger of bursting a blood vessel. She makes a noise that could, if one were so inclined, be considered an actual growl. ]

This was your idea.

[ So say they can stop, already. That way she wins by default.

Hah. ]