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

[impetuouswind]

[Temeraire's hair is in terrible disarray, and he has to spit a lock of it out as he sits up and brushes it clumsily away from his face. He blinks at her, frowns as he focuses more closely on her face -- he finds that human faces seem much more individual when he is the same size, or perhaps it's something about human eyes that make it easier. It would be easier still to recognize them if he had any sort of decent sense of smell, but even putting his tongue out makes no difference to his ability to smell in this form.

(And he's been told it's quite rude. He's not sure why.)]

Yes.

[And, hesitantly, as he gets a knee under himself to work on standing:]

Are you Ayumu?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[She looks at him, surprised. It's not the first time someone Ayumu didn't recognize somehow knew her name but the majority of those individuals seemed to be long-time residents whereas she's certain she's never seen this handsome fellow before. Surely, she would have taken notice of a charmer like this one?]

Yes, I am.

[She smiles, watching him get to his feet. He's looking a little shaky there; if he looks like he's going to fall again, she's quick enough to catch him. The sootsprites might get away but hunting them down has been a surprisingly fun way to pass time today.]

[impetuouswind]

[His knee is sore, and his elbow, but Temeraire manages to get up without falling again. He's been practicing running, and jumping, with Trunks' advice and assistance, but he hadn't thought that he should practice jumping while holding a long pole before he tried it. Now he knows it's a bit more challenging.

He tries putting his ruff forward at Ayumu in pleasure that he'd guessed right, an attempt that comes out as a strange nose-wrinkling, lip-stretching grimace that bears a dubious resemblance to a smile.]

What do you think?

[And, carefully -- but this he has practiced, and he accomplishes it without incident -- he turns in a circle, hands outstretched.]

This is my vessel form. It fits into buildings much better, does it not?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[In that moment, Ayumu is thankful for two things: one, that she's blessed with a quick mind and two, that she's apparently a convincing actress and able to mask the awkwardness that comes from the fact that the cute young man she was just checking out happens to be the dragon she met a few weeks ago. Her expression brightens, her smile widening.]

Temeraire! It's so good to see you again.

[Why does it feel like this sort of thing always happens to her? Even that weird face he just made is oddly cute.]

Looking good! I mean, your normal form is lovely, too, of course. But I imagine this one makes doing some things a little easier.

[Smooth, Ayumu.]

[impetuouswind]

[Very smooth: or, at least, smooth enough that Temeraire doesn't notice in the least. He nods earnestly in agreement.]

Oh yes. Although I am not as good as I would like to be at moving around yet.

[He preens slightly at her praise, brushing his hair back behind one ear.]

But I can read and write without nearly as much trouble, like this, too!

[kagenonadeshiko]

It seems like it'd be difficult to adjust to a new body.

[Especially a handsome one like that. Being a dragon, he probably wouldn't realise just how good looking his vessel form, would he? Now that the awkward moment has passed, her maternal instincts are kicking in. Needing to learn how to move in a form puts both him and his god in a vulnerable position. Given how dangerous this world can be, it's a little worrisome.

Maybe she should keep her eye on him for a while...]

But I'm glad to hear you're finding some things easier. I doubt the Heavens ever expected to accommodate someone so large.

[From what she's gathered, it's taken Heaven quite a bit of time to learn how to accommodate the smaller folks.]

Have you read anything interesting lately?

[impetuouswind]

No, indeed. It is very inconvenient to try to visit anyone in my form.

[He pouts briefly; very briefly, because the mention of books cheers him up immediately.]

Yes, I have found a book of classic poetry! It is very good. I do not think I have had the chance to read Japanese poetry before, at all, and it is almost as interesting as Chinese.

[kagenonadeshiko]

[It's just not fair. Even that pout is cute. At the mention of poetry, she beams.]

Oh, do you like poetry, too, then, Temeraire? I haven't read much Chinese poetry, I don't think. But maybe I should start. I could use the practice.

[The texts at the temple help, too, and Hakkai offered his assistance with reading as well but the more she can do without requiring his aid, the better as far as she's concerned.]

Tell me more about it?

[impetuouswind]

Yes! -- I think.

[She must understand, too; he glances at her, half sheepish. He can't remember what he has and hasn't read, but books and poems are familiar, even without knowing where he might have seen them before. Perhaps someone had read them to him, someone he also can't remember anymore.]

The text I found was the Hyakunin-issho. Do you know it? I think it is a classic? [The uncertainty in his voice makes it clear that he really hasn't read much Japanese poetry. Yet, anyway; he will have to get recommendations now, since he seems to be fairly good at reading the language.]