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

[declamando]

[A: Physical Training]

[Maria's been keeping to her schedule with training herself even outside these meetings - it was a habit back home, and hadn't become any less of one here. But while the straw training dummies are useful as temporary opponents, they...definitely have their flaws.

Maria's sparring one of them, a blade in her hand only a little longer than a dagger, letting it press her back towards the weapon racks so she can take it out with a comeback attack. However, halfway through its last motion, its head twists suddenly and it goes rampaging back towards the path.]

What the-- [But she can see from here it's about to run into a person, and she doesn't have much time to catch it up. Turning towards the racks, she quickly grabs a heavy bladed whip and lashes it out towards the out of control dummy, with aim that only an experienced user would be able to manage.]

Stop right there! [She only barely gets that out before the whip takes off the dummy's head, and it stumbles drunkenly and a bit confusedly before flopping over. As she bundles up the whip and starts to head over, Maria looks a little troubled by how easy that was.]

I suppose they're still fragile, aren't they?

--

[B: Rest and Refreshments]

[Standing a little away from the refreshments table so she doesn't get her ears talked off by the shinki over there, Maria's holding a stack of flyers and approaching anyone who comes close enough.]

Sorry to bother you, but I'm setting up a training class outside of these meetings and trying to get the word out.

[She holds out one of the flyers - it's a neatly handwritten and drawn message about agility training through dance, citing inspirations from various kinds of combative dancing styles as well as more normal ones like ballet and street. The address on it is listed as Sparkle Motion Studio, a location on the Near Shore.]

B

[redmare]

Oh, hey Maria-san. Training, huh?

[Chinatsu takes a flyer, staring at it for a long moment.]

.... You really do all this?

[Her interest was instantly piqued. After her experiences with dance so far, she wanted to do more, and if she could combine thag with combat training, even better..!]

[declamando]

Yes. I train at my temple normally, but there's usually people in need of some help among the newcomers. [So she can both get some training in and make sure everyone understands what they need to, which to her is a fine combination.]

I'm not a master of all of them, but taking certain moves and techniques from those styles doesn't need that. It's mostly just what adapts best to a fight that matters here.

[Of course, she's not going to object to teaching anyone further, but it seems Chinatsu's thrown her lot in with Hibiki anyway.]

[redmare]

Then..

[She glances up bashfully at the woman, her voice a little softer than usual. She gathers up her courage before speaking up more.]

is it okay..if I attend some of your trainings?

[declamando]

[The show of shyness is a little...cute, really, but mostly a surprise to see from Chinatsu considering how she came off last time. Still, Maria only seems surprised for a moment before she smiles.]

Of course. Everyone's welcome - the more the better, really, since the class can't keep going with too few people.

[redmare]

[Chinatsu’s face lights up in excitement.]

Really? Thank you, Maria-san! I promise I’ll work hard!

[declamando]

I'm sure you will. It seems like people not putting in the work is something it's rare to have to worry about here.

[That enthusiasm about it is definitely a little endearing, though. Even if it's not a performance, it's nice to inspire a reaction like that.]

How have you been? It's been a while since we've talked.

[redmare]

[Chinatsu couldn’t wait to get started.]

I’ve been alright! Quite..a lot’s happened..I guess. Um..Like, I’ve got a new god.

How abot you?

[declamando]

[Maria looks surprised at that.] I'm sorry to hear you lost your old one. But it's good to hear you have a new one. I hope they're treating you well.

[As for her, she thinks on it. There are a few things she could say about the month, but she chooses to focus on more recent things.] A few things as well...the biggest one would be that Barry, the other owner of Sparkle Motion, disappeared about two weeks ago. I've been trying to get things figured out in his absence.

[redmare]

Ah..thanks. They’re...decent people.

[Chinatsu listens, recalling at least hearing the name Sparkle Motion.]

Oh man..I’m sorry about your friend, Maria-san. Are you alright?

[declamando]

[That summation makes Maria laugh a bit.] Well, it sounds like you're in a "decent" position with them, then.

[Her expression becomes a bit more serious at the mention of Barry's departure, though.] It's sad, of course, but I'm fine. The main problem is actually that most of the remaining members of Sparkle Motion disappeared at the same time, so it's only me and one dancer now. It's making our future as an agency a little uncertain.

[redmare]

I guess.

[She shrugs, but her smile does fade when Maria's tone changes.]

Er...sorry, I don't actually know that much about your agency.

[Heck, she still wasn't so sure about Hibiki's either.]

Is it the same as Hibiki's?

[declamando]

[Maria nods a little, her look remaining on the serious side even if her tone isn't so grave about it now.] It's the same sort of thing, a talent agency, yes. The main difference is that CelePara is handpicked by Hibiki, while we take anyone with the ability and the interest at Sparkle Motion, since we also just run a studio for people to practice their dance and singing. We did have a rivalry with CelePara, but obviously that can't really be maintained when we only have two members and she has...I think about six now, was it?

[Including Hibiki, and judging by those recent performance videos, that should be it.]

A

[kokuyoyo]

....They're still made of the same material.

[Ability to move or not. Chikusa has learned this quite well. Hopefully one more training dummy won't be missed, because it's been quite neatly taken apart.]

[That's not the important thing right now, however. While Chikusa had been ready to bolt out of the way of his own accord, now he's face to face with someone he hasn't seen in the days since the moon viewing. Honestly, much like he has with a couple of other people, Chikusa has been just trying to avoid Maria after that.... tense conversation.]

[Well, that failed. Letting his hands ease up in his pockets again, he slowly glances over at her.]

[declamando]

[Maria only slightly purses her lips at the sight of Chikusa - she hasn't forgotten that conversation either, but she has to bear in mind the circumstances of the night. When everyone was a little bit messed up from the emotional influence, she can't exactly dive on the argument they had as being one they would have had normally.

Still, it didn't seem to completely change anyone either, and they came to somewhat of a stalemate. So she doesn't smile, but she also doesn't pick up that thread of conversation so they can just argue to a standstill again.]

I suppose, but they might have been better served animating slightly stronger dummies. A lot of people here don't seem to hold back when they're training.

[kokuyoyo]

....Just as many people have no idea what they're doing, either...

[So, really, murder dummies or injure people (worse)?]

[declamando]

Most people won't willingly go that hard on a person. [Some will, but there's a line between hard enough to learn and so hard you'll do damage. Maria prefers to stay firmly on the lighter side.]

Aren't there usually sturdier targets anyway?

[kokuyoyo]

....Isn't that just other people?

[Even Chikusa has sparred, for a given understanding of that word, if only because training dummies can get you so far.]

[declamando]

No, I don't just mean other people. Sometimes people need a target sturdier than straw that isn't another person.

[She glances around the area - she swears she's at least seen things like wooden sword towers before, so it seems odd that they would have taken that away.]

[kokuyoyo]

They're probably around... somewhere.

[It takes effort to move things as heavy as that, after all, even with as many shinki as Bishamon and Amaterasu do.]

But things like that.... probably didn't need distractions.

[declamando]

I suppose we would have been worse off if they'd tried to animate something stronger and they went off like that.

[Maria sighs slightly at the oversight before turning her attention back towards Chikusa.] Have they been doing that often?

[kokuyoyo]

...24% chance so far.

[He'd shrug, but he's already finding unnecessary movement to be distasteful, so he doesn't.]

But that's only roughly what I've seen.... I haven't been keeping track that much.

[declamando]

[Despite herself, a very brief smile of amusement tugs at the side of Maria's mouth at that.] Most people who haven't been keeping much track of it wouldn't have a statistic.

[The smile fades again as she goes on, though.] I suppose at least it's not a majority, then, but that's still a dangerously high failure rate for something like this.

[kokuyoyo]

It's just from what I've seen.... and I can't be sure if I'm just counting the same one twice.

[Some are recognizable from their battle damage, but he can't be sure of that. So. By his standards, this isn't the most reliable notekeeping.]

[declamando]

I see. Though there is only a limited number of them, so that would narrow down the possibility a bit.

[She's only counted a dozen herself, and a few of them have sustained very obvious injuries. A few others might have even been destroyed by now, the way people have been going.]