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

Retail

[diehardreaper]

[The tray comes in a little forcefully so he has to balance himself. One of the disadvantages of having one arm was having to be extra careful when it came to balancing trays. Thankfully the contents slide sliiiiightly against each other but don't fall over. ]

Right!

[ He does spin once though, turning to glance back at Nari. ]

Table 5 wanted a refill on the beni shoga, by the by.

[ He's no master at Japanese food himself, really but the perks of having a gourmand boyfriend finally paid off. ]

It's... the pink stuff, I'd wager. Could you have a fresh bowl ready by the time I get back?

[ And with that, he's hurrying off to deliver the tray. ]

[nolittlesecret]

[Beni shoga? Pink stuff.... the only pink stuff Nari can think of is pickled ginger. Soooooooo he's gonna assume that the stuff that's wanted is that.

By the time Ron's come back, there's a bowl set up as well as a new tray ready for the next table.]

Table 2, and the pink stuff for 5.

[diehardreaper]

'Preciate it!

[ And he's back just in time, too. For a guy with one arm, he's pretty quick when it comes to waiting on tables. All it takes is one glance to confirm he's got the right stuff before sliding it over onto the tray he has. ]

Back in a jiff! Hang in there, alright? Just about time for the end of the lunch rush'n we can prolly take our own after if you fancy!

[ And off he goes again! ]

[nolittlesecret]

[Hey, as long as the work was getting done, one arm or a million, that's all that mattered to Nari.

He nods and stops. Eating? Oh........... that might be a good thing to do.... since the orders have died down, thinking about what to make for himself and possibly his helper-waiter was a good plan.

At least he'll wait till the other comes back.]

Watcha in the mood for? I can cook a lot of things.

[diehardreaper]

[ When he comes back, he's leaning against the counter and watching the crowd. People are finishing up their meals, some are paying their tabs... at least they can take it easy for now.

But he glances over his shoulder. ]

Mm... I'll take whatever's easy. Could you put a pot on the stove for me? I'll brew us a decent cuppa if you can handle making the nosh.

[nolittlesecret]

Hope you don't mind American comfort food then. Grilled cheese sammies and tomato soup.

[So. British. So, so British. He'll comply by setting a kettle on the stove though, because Nari knows British people make good tea.]

Unless you want something less treasonous to the crown.

[diehardreaper]

[ He's a good traditional English chav, cut him some slack. ]

Sounds aces! Though I'm prolly a bit too far for the queen to strike me down for consuming American grub, eh?

[ There's a grin back as he makes his way to the kitchen, poking around cabinets to look for any tea leaves. A moment after finds him smiling wistfully as he notices a canister of barley tea. But he sets that aside with an 'a ha!' as he's finally found the black tea. ]

I'd wager you're one of us then? You can see me, after all.

[nolittlesecret]

[Well, Nari is not very traditional German or Irish, so one of them has to pick up said slack.]

Cool, cool. Been craving it a while now, and they surprisingly have American cheese slices in this joint.

[American cheese. One step away from government cheese.

AND GOOD THAT HE FOUND THE BLACK TEA this ginger is not a barley tea fan.]

Yep. Incarnation of Neptune, at your service.

[diehardreaper]

The precut kind?

[ He seems amused at the prospect. Consider it one of those modern conveniences he still hasn't gotten over. But back to making tea. The canister he has to struggle a bit with, holding it against the counter just to keep it steady while he pries the cover open. ]

Neptune? Fancy that... Baron Samedi, if it pleases you. Ron's fine, though. Ronald Knox.

[ And he grins back. ]

I'd offer a handshake but it's a little busy at the mo.

[nolittlesecret]

Yep. Wrapped in plastic and everything. Best cheese to melt for a quick fix. Though if this were home, I'd be using a few different cheeses.

[Reaching over, he steadies the can to make it easier to open.]

Coulda' just asked me to open it. [Back to the god thing.] Voodoo god? Associated with the dead, right? Been to Louisiana during the Halloween season. Pretty famous down there.

[diehardreaper]

Yeah, that's the one! I've only been there once and it was due to this place. The Baron's wife was a bleeding wild bird.

[ He can't help but chuckle from the memory and let out a breath after as he inspects the tea leaves. Yup. Good kind. ]

Bit of a habit, I'm afraid! Felt I had to get used to figuring things on me own after I lost the blasted thing. Only thing that fazes me now are bottles and lids, really.

[nolittlesecret]

No one ever said religions were made up of sane people. I mean, hell, look at the Greeks and Romans. Those stories make me seriously wonder if those people weren't on LSD or something half the time.

[He nods and goes back to food prep.]

Hey, I still have to ask for help, and my problem happened when I was a teen. I don't have stitches anymore, but scarring along the stomach can still tear if aggravated with just the right amount of heavy lifting.

[diehardreaper]

Can't speak for that lot but I can tell you they don't exaggerate with my lot.

[ Back to tea prep. The water looks to be reaching the right temperature. But he does pause, glancing at the other. ]

This is... fairly recent. Bugger all the good it does. What happened to you though if I could ask?

[nolittlesecret]

Can you even properly practice voodoo without being on something?

[Isn't that like a part of it? Maybe he should research more.

............. well. Ron technically is the only person who has ever asked.]

Bully decided that she would rather have me dead, but she didn't do a good job.

[diehardreaper]

Blimey, I dunno. Mostly bladdered to the gills that lot was! Prolly the wildest party I've ever been to and m'not the sort to shy away from them to begin with.

[ And he speaks as he fixes the tea, putting enough leaves in for two. But he listens, wincing at the end of the sentence. ]

M'sorry to hear it, mate. Prolly a good thing she didn't manage to do you in at least.

[nolittlesecret]

So they are your kinda people.

[He shrugs, stirring the tomato soup a few times before replying.]

I'm not alive, either way. Got done in by drunks.

[diehardreaper]

Bit wilder'n I'm used to, really... but you sound to be one of my lot too, by the sounds of it.

[ He's leaving it to steep, the smallest smirk playing on his lips. ]

How long passed? Or was showing up here the first memory you had the minute you got did in?

[nolittlesecret]

[Good question...]

Not sure. Apparently I was a shinki here before I woke up as a good. Could be days, weeks, months... All I know is that when I died, it was pretty peaceful. For having been filled with a few bullets.

[diehardreaper]

[ There's a small frown though, finger tapping the top of the counter as he watches his tea. ]

Not the only one... Happened before. One was a shinki of mine, the other one was a friend... and the third...

[ Because what was Zero, really? There's a shake of his head though. ]

Bit mad though, innit? God one minute, shinki the next'n vice versa. Whoever's in charge of this place certainly isn't right in the head.

[nolittlesecret]

I'd.... like to know why I didn't keep my memories, though. The others I spoke with kept theirs.

[That's because they didn't walk into traffic and die on accident. At least Nari doesn't remember death #2]

I think I like being a god versus a shinki. For various reasons.

[diehardreaper]

Can't say. Asato didn't keep his... wager Zero didn't either.

[ And pouring the tea into two... mugs. It's what's most accessible, after all. ]

Couldn't blame you either, picking a god over being a shinki. Awful mess not knowing who you were...

[nolittlesecret]

I can always ask Hakkai if he kept his, but... seems a little personal in a way.

[Mugs are good! Nari himself will be finishing up what he's made, putting bowls and plates on a tray with some silverware. He picks it up and motions for Ron to follow him to an empty table.]

Met some people who knew me as a shinki, and according to them I was... different.

[diehardreaper]

Yeah, sounds awful rude... lest he's willing to offer the information first.

[ Without thinking twice, he places the mugs on a tray along with the cream and sugar, carrying it with him the way he served those orders earlier and following after the other god. ]

Different eh? How different?

[nolittlesecret]

That dude is hecka mysterious. Maybe one day I'll see if the conversation will bend that way.

[He sets his down and takes the one from Ron to make things a little easier, setting it down as well. Then he sets the place for each of them and sits down.]

From what I've gathered? I was a pretty big dick compared to with my memories. My theory is that maybe I may have unintentionally been guarding myself even without remembering why.

[diehardreaper]

Been around s'long as I have, I'd wager. Every bit as mysterious then as he is now.

[ He says a quick thanks before settling into his own seat, reaching for the milk and sugar to prepare his tea. It's a practiced motion -- one hand pouring the milk before taking two teaspoons of sugar and stirring. Clearly he's used to this by now. ]

Might've been, yeah... Being a shinki affects everyone differently, I'd wager. Most don't take well to hearing they've died, after all. If you'd been a right todger for it, couldn't blame you.