December Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: September 25th
Where: Bishamon's temple, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided to Bishamon's temple, where a reception area and a traditionally styled dojo and training ground have been made available for the day. 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 Western-styled reception hall within Bishamon's temple 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 shinki volunteers, both in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's shinki and in Bishamon's red-piped black uniforms, are stationed around the dojo, passing out helpful informational pamphlets. They will be happy to instruct the newcomers in the use of the borderline as well as offering an explanantion 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.

Someone has brought two overflowing boxes of back issues of From Ama, the Heavenly magazine, which includes profiles of successful shinki and gods, historical tidbits, and the occasional magazine quiz to help shinki determine how well they're currently working with their god or what their greatest strength might be.

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.

This month, a clever shinki magician has created a dozen straw-stuffed training dummies, some with sword-length sticks and some with polearm-length sticks, that have been enchanted to really fight back. Unfortunately, the spell isn't perfect yet! They're good training partners, but sometimes they might go a little haywire and try to smack passersby.

Rest and Refreshments

Along with bottled water, there are several large boxes of energy drinks and vitamin drinks in small amber glass bottles, and an array of protein bars and meal bars. One particular shinki in white, a bespectacled twentysomething man, is explaining the health benefits of everything on the table (even the water!) with great enthusiasm to any guest who looks even a little confused. It takes great tact to discourage him.

Party games have been set up on the lawn near the refreshments table: Twister, Kubb, lawn Jenga, and more.

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
• Play some games
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[priforprince]

[ Shinki Training ]



[ Hibiki has absconded to the gardens with a stack of the From Ama magazines and is intent on reading them over tea. If you're looking for an issue that appears to have vanished from the stack, she did drop a few on her way over and can't be bothered to pick them up.

Someone else will take care of that. And it's no concern of hers whether anybody trips. ]

[ Physical Training ]

[ One of the straw dummies has cornered somebody that had been sitting in a fancy chair off to the side! The chair has been knocked over on the round, burgundy-and-gold sun-patterned carpet beneath it, and the dummy is now whacking this person as hard as it can with a wooden sword. The legs peeking out over the top of the chair twitch with each impact, accompanied by the sound of a dull - thwoomp?



Come and rescue this helpless individual! ]

[ Refreshments ]

Only the choicest of foods enter my body.



[ Hibiki waves away the shinki before he can even build up a head of steam, on her way to check out the spread.

Then she reaches it. And half her upper lip curls on one side.

Perhaps she'll...pass, today. ]

RnR~

[horthath]

I'm surprised you didn't bring your own today.

[ Hello, prince. She has chosen to grace you with her presence today. But thankfully she's chosen to keep your personal space... with an olive branch, to boot.

Her hands are behind her back as she has a small box with her. ]

Were you in the mood for something more... [ looking at the table ] deserving of your delicate palate?

[priforprince]

I can obtain an alternative with ease.

[ It wouldn't do to make a lady worry.

Now, the obtaining. Natsuru should be available. She doesn't train that intensely at these, at least from what Hibiki has observed previously....

(Why do these happen so frequently, anyway? Anyone who comes to every single one must have something wrong with them.) ]

[horthath]

I'm sure you can but why look for the alternative when one has been delivered to you?

[ Cue the most generous of smiles as she presents the box. It's a rather moderately sized thing, the kind you'd see being used for takeaway pastry stalls in department stores but this box is unmarked. Clearly it was bought merely to transport the pastry offering it holds. ]

I thought to make up for imposing my company on you the last we spoke.

[ Said offering is a professional looking slice of gateau chocolat. There's a certain glossy finish to the top layer of icing, a darkness to the cake that's almost like black velvet... and she's also generously dusted the top with flecks of gold and a stencil of Hibiki's face because why not play to the ego? ]

1/2

[priforprince]

!!

[ In Hibiki's mind's eye, that isn't just a beautiful piece of cake. That piece of cake is glowing, it's so majestic. ]

--G-gateau chocolat....

[ And of such an obviously luxurious quality! Hibiki had only been casually hungry before, but now she only has eyes for this slice of cake. It is that amazing. ]

2/2

[priforprince]

[ But a celebrity never interrupts their dignified demeanor to betray their true eagerness, so Hibiki simply holds her head high.

Her eyes look like a little kid on Christmas morning's, but nobody tell her that. ] Well, I suppose this offering can fulfill that purpose.

[ She holds out a hand, palm up. Box here, please. ]

[horthath]

[ Bingo~

She'd gone on a hunch, really. The chocolate from the statue they first met at, choosing gateau chocolat over a regular chocolate cake to match Hibiki's... Hibikiness. Of course she'd picked right! ]

It should. That's homemade.

[ And she graciously places the box in Hibiki's hand before folding her arms behind her back again. ]

I'd be happy to make it again for you, just ask!

[priforprince]

Homemade, hm...

[ This gives Hibiki slight pause. To her discerning celebrity eyes, all appears in order, but she shall offer this challenge anyway. ]

My palate accepts nothing but the highest-quality ingredients.

[ She meets this young lady's eyes: take your cue. ]

[horthath]

Please. What kind of peasant do you take me for?

[ There's a little flip of one of those perfectly tied twintails over her shoulder. Such doubt doesn't phase her! The proof of the pudding is in the eating, after all. ]

I think my shinki really came through when I said to find the best ingredients in both near and far shores. Like I'd feed you otherwise! That'd defeat the purpose of trying to make you something impressive anyway.

[priforprince]

Then, sampling shall be a pleasure.

[ Utensils....Here. Hibiki helps herself to a perfectly-proportioned portion and takes an elegant bite.

How is it? ]

physical training

[kokuyoyo]

[Honestly, Chikusa only came over this way because he thought that he'd get to see Hibiki being beaten up. Yet, like with so many other hopes and dreams.... He's been betrayed.]

[One yoyo thwack to send the aggressive practice dummy crumpling to the side, and Chikusa slouches over to investigate. How you holding up, fake?]

[priforprince]

[ The doll may have only had the metaphysical stuffing beat out of it, but it's still seen better days. The head is listing to the side, and some of the stuffing is clumping up on one cheek where it got pushed out of the way.

"Hibiki" has the doll equivalent of a black eye. She's lumpier than usual all over, even, and has a few strained seams. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[Sucks to be "Hibiki".]

[Chikusa glances over it for a moment longer, considering some things, before he starts to go through his usual bag that he tends to carry everywhere. Soon enough, he's pulling out a.... is that a marker?]

[Yep. And he's reaching down to slooooowly start a mustache in the middle of "Hibiki's" face.]

[priforprince]

[ The doll does not protest. It does, however, look rather forlorn.

Over by the refreshment tables, Hibiki shivers, sending ripples across the tea in her teacup. ]

Such a foreboding feeling...

[ She frowns at her tea, which has settled down. ] Was it nothing?

[kokuyoyo]

[Chikusa has done worse things to sadder looking people.]

[Right now, he just focuses on finishing the mustache, and gets up to his feet with the marker being capped definitively. To the side, the enchanted practice dummy is getting up, so it's time to make his escape.]

[Bye "Hibiki"]

[priforprince]

[ Bye "idiot".

Hibiki runs two fingertips over her lower lip, then smirks. ] Well, it's none of my concern.

[ She gets tea on that upper lip when she sips. ]

Physical Training

[ittenbari]

Oh no!

[The dummy is easy enough to dispatch with a flying kick to the head, but it looks like it's caused problems that are going to be a little more difficult to fix...

Sakon leans over to see if there's anything he can do to help when he realizes he's seen this person before. Because this is someone you remember if you've seen them before.]

Geez, this keeps happening to you, doesn't it? Maybe you should start wearing a helmet.

he's still not wrong about the helmet

[priforprince]

[ The person on the ground does not say anything.

Because it is a stuffed doll.

Or perhaps because it's stunned from its recent traumatic experience! ]

[ittenbari]

[To be honest, Sakon's not smart enough on the best of days to immediately tell the difference.

Which is why his immediate reaction is to panic more.]

Hey! Hey! Can you hear me? Are you okay?!

[Yelling probably isn't going to help, but...]

[priforprince]

[ The figure in Sakon's hold lolls its head back in a dramatic impression of a faint. This is totally because it is not okay and not because it can't move unless things like gravity influence it.

One hundred percent. ]

[ittenbari]

Wha--! No!! Hey!! Don't die on me!

[Shaking someone vigorously probably isn't the best way to keep them from dying, but it's not like he's thinking rationally about the whole situation. Or like he thinks rationally about most situations.]

[priforprince]

[ The Hibiki doll flops all over the place as Sakon shakes it, whacking him with its poor battered limbs. It will even bump into his head with its head.

This person Sakon has failed to save is very soft and squishy! ]

[ittenbari]

[The headbutt is what gets him to take a second to consider the situation.]

Hey, what're...

[He squints at the doll and turns it from side to side, finally noticing that something is a little fishy.]

Wait, what's...

[This is definitely unusual.]

WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU?!

[Well, it was a step in the right direction.]

Physical Training (with an allusion to Shinki training)

[light_of_willpower]

[Why, was Trunks not surprised to find a 'doll' in the God's place again? Honestly, he was torn by equal parts frustration and amusement--which might be why he kept an eye out for Apollo. First noticing them absconding with the magazine stack, and now this...

Sighing, heading towards the over-turned chair. Not hard to catch the dummy's arm as it goes to hit the prone target to keep it from continuing it's beating. Confirming that yes it is indeed a doll, and not the God in question. If so, then where is the missing God?]

[priforprince]

[ The doll sways in Trunks's hold - it's seen better days, what with some of the seams starting to strain from the stuffing getting all moved around inside from the beating.

The dummy turns and approaches Trunks menacingly. But not even the threat of the beating being renewed will induce the doll to reveal Hibiki's location.

Its lips are sealed. ]