October Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: September 4th
Where: Meeting Hall, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



In anticipation of the latest round of new arrivals, Heaven has partnered with the new gods and shinki to organize a very helpful informational reception.

It seems Bishamon's temple is unavailable this week due to business, although she has generously allowed a number of her shinki to go on with their usual tasks of passing out pamphlets and assisting the newcomers to settle in.

Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided kindly towards a traditional-style dojo and banquet hall towards the back of the meeting hall itself. The gods and shinki are free to take their time during this day to learn about the details of their new life from Amaterasu's shinki or from the many veteran new god and shinki volunteers.




God Training

Newly arrived gods are escorted into a banquet hall for an informational meeting covering the basics of proper god behavior, although the minor deity conducting the meeting is in too much of a rush to take questions afterwards. They are encouraged to discuss the information with each other and ask questions of more experienced gods, as well as instructed to guide their new shinki appropriately.

Shinki Training

Various volunteers are stationed around the dojo, 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 as well as offering a lecture on the basics of what is expected of a shinki and the importance of teamwork with other shinki and with gods. Shinki are encouraged to work together to practice what they've learned and discuss their perspectives.

The garden is available for borderline practice, and a few of the last training's slightly tattered crayon-drawn borderline targets have been brought back out and pinned to bales of straw to make a practice area. One of Amaterasu's shinki is drawing replacements with a large inked calligraphy brush. His targets are simple but elegant, but somehow, before they make it over to the target bales, they're ending up crayon-scribbled into much brighter colors. Maybe it's the child shinki who are in charge of putting them up? They do seem to be giggling a lot, and Amaterasu's artist shinki is looking more and more annoyed...

Physical Training

The dojo is stocked with a wide variety of practice weapons, traditional and modern, to offer some practice opportunity to gods who, for example, find themselves with a sword shinki but are at risk of cutting off their own toes. It's also useful for veteran new gods wishing to train with their current partner shinki.

There's an additional task that the hosts are more than willing to ask for help with. The Meeting Hall seems to be suffering an invasion of cute soot sprites. Although they're harmless little spirits, they leave smears of ash and soot wherever they go, and the shinki are running themselves ragged trying to keep the hardwood floors and white walls clean! They're handing out cleaning rags and flyswatters to squash the soot sprites flat and scrub the resulting smears away -- and, for the softhearted, butterfly nets: although they implore anyone with a net to be sure they let the soot sprites out again far, far away.

Rest and Refreshments

The meeting hall's facilities are less modernized than Bishamon's: there are rainwater barrels set out by the dojo with fresh towels for hardworking gods and shinki to wash their face and hands. The water is ice cold, so it's very refreshing, too-- brr!

By lunchtime, the banquet hall where the gods' informational session was held has been cleaned out and re-set with cushions to sit on around long, low tables. Gods and shinki who come inside for lunch will be served a plain but hearty meal, with soup, rice, fish and pickled vegetables to refresh them for the afternoon's training.

The hall will stay open even after the lunches and tables have been cleared away, so that those who want a quieter space to talk with their new partners can find somewhere in the room. Hopefully the occasional stampede of soot sprites won't be too distracting.

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
• Help catch soot sprite pests
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

Physical Training

[darkestbefore]

[ Yona had been only passing through, actually, intending to head for the archery range that was often set up to practice on, but she pauses to watch the unfamiliar man pick up the spear and give it a twirl, seeing how easily it came to his hand. She suspected he was new, or newish - she was good with faces, at the very least, and his was not one she'd spotted before.

When he turns with an apology, she realizes she'd been staring and casts him a sheepish smile as she shakes her head. ]

Oh! Not at all. Please, don't feel like you have to stop on my account.

[irishfriskey]

[It's a beautiful young lady. He smiles when he looks at her, and gives a small nod.]

I don't mind at all.

[He quickly takes a step to the side.]

Since you're probably looking to get a weapon yourself.

[And he certainly doesn't want to get in the way of someone's training.]

[darkestbefore]

Ahh, I was just stopping to pick up a bow before heading to the archery field. [ She supplies him with a smile, stepping past to pick up one of the ones propped on the racks. she glances over at him with a curious look. ]

You're very skilled with that, however.

[irishfriskey]

Thank you. I suppose I should be. It is my name, after all.

[He gives her a small nod.] My name is Lancer. It's nice to meet you.

[darkestbefore]

Oh, I see! [ There are so many strange names like this popping up of late. That seems too much to be a coincidence, but she just smiles at him and gives him a polite bow in greeting. ] My name is Yona. Or Áine, as that's my god title in this place, but Yona is fine. Have you just arrived, Lancer?

[irishfriskey]

[He gives a small nod, bowing slightly back to her.] I have. I wanted to come train immediately. I really wanted to hold a spear.

[He gives a small spin to it.] All gods have a second name, then?

[darkestbefore]

Mmm, not all, but many of us who were brought here new do. We arrive just as new and confused to all this as the shinki do, but... Well. We were also someone else before coming here. [ She winces, because she knows how touchy a topic this is with so many shinki. ] Most of us are brought here to fill in the role of a god or goddess who existed long before our arrival, so it still feels a little strange to consider their name our own.

[irishfriskey]

Ah, I see. It's unfortunate I can't remember anything, however. [He would have liked to be able to tell her more about himself.] Hm. I'm looking for my god, however. I don't think you would be them.

[darkestbefore]

Ahh, no, sorry. [ She gives him an apologetic glance at that, shaking her head. ] But I'm certain they will come find you soon. I know it must be more difficult waiting for that, as a shinki, but the god you belong to will be able to feel you, or at the very least that they are connected to someone here now. Sometimes it takes a little bit to discover where that feeling is coming from enough to locate you. Or, if they are as new here as you, they might still be trying to understand everything all at once as well. But I am certain they will come find you as soon as they can.

[irishfriskey]

I suppose I will continue to be patient. [He doesn't really have much of an issue with that. But it would be nice to learn more about himself.]

But if you don't mind, would it be alright if I trained with you? I'd rather get some training in than none.

[If she was open to it, of course.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She looks surprised at the request for a moment before giving a small laugh. ]

I do not mind, but my skill with a blade is considerably less than that with a bow. I'm afraid I may not be much of a challenging partner.

[irishfriskey]

I actually wish to train against your bow. If that's alright with you.

[It's something he feels he wants to get better at.]

[darkestbefore]

Against my bow? [ She looks startled by this request, not accustomed to getting asked for that. ] Are you certain? What did you have in mind?

[irishfriskey]

I'd like to try and deflect them. I can only do so much with long distance weapons, after all.

[darkestbefore]

You want me to... shoot at you? [ It's not that she hasn't done something similar before, but that had been with Hak and she had infinitely more faith in his ability to deflect her arrows than she did this stranger's. ]

Are you certain that's a good idea?

[irishfriskey]

I am.

[He nodded. Taking the spear and giving it another spin.]

I want to see if I can. I won't get hurt.

[or if he does, it won't be that bad.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She still looks uncertain, but she gives a slow nod. ]

A-alright. If you're certain? I can try.

[irishfriskey]

I'm certain.

[He steps a bit away, and nods, looking at her.]

Alright. I'm ready!

[darkestbefore]

[ She is not sure about this at all, but she takes a deep breath and settles into a now-familiar pose, lifting her bow and taking aim at a target beyond him, just in case. Taking a moment to focus, she takes a deep breath and exhales... and then releases the arrow, fighting off the urge to clench her eyes shut so she doesn't have to watch. ]

[irishfriskey]

[He spins his spear and the moment the arrow gets close to him, he knocks it away, smirking towards her. No problem.]

Alright, fire another.

[darkestbefore]

[ She blinks at the ease with which he deflects that and his easy smirk has her relaxing a little at last, feeling a little more comfortable with his request, now that she knew he was capable of deflecting in much the same way Hak had always been. In fact, that smirk in itself felt very familiar for very similar reasons.

She gives a soft laugh and lifts her bow again, looking more comfortable in her stance now. ]

Alright, then prepare yourself!

[ This time it's much more focused and aimed, a different intent behind the shot. ]

[irishfriskey]

I am!

[He likes that she's getting more okay with shooting him. Spinning his spear, he knocks the next arrow away, but it's much closer than the last one. If this is how he has to die, then he's clearly not giving his all to live.]

Again!

[darkestbefore]

[ She takes aim again and lets another one fly, staggering her shots at different targets around him to give him more than one area to deflect from. It serves as a sort of practice for her, her targets shifting with each shot, even as she spaces them carefully so she doesn't overwhelm him. ]

[irishfriskey]

[He spins and swings his spear, knocking almost every arrow away. The one that he misses goes right over his shoulder. He takes a moment to blink. That could have cut him.

He approves. Pausing for a moment.]

You're very talented.

[darkestbefore]

[ She'd seen the one he missed, too, freezing in horror, her eyes wide. ]
Oh, no! Are you alright?