25 - Troubled Waters

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Alleviating the troubles caused by conflict in Heaven
When: October 10
Where: Orihime's meadows in the Far Shore, as well as various places in Japan, China and Ireland
Summary: Orihime has been tasked by the Heavens with resolving the conflict caused in the mortal world by the new gods' struggles against one another. Several gods have been killed recently, and their violent deaths have led to dangerous corruption being released in the mortal world. Help Orihime expunge the corruption and return the human world to a peaceful existence.







Orihime's Meadows

Before traveling to the Far Shore, gods and shinki can meet and make plans near Orihime's modest home at the edge of the Southeastern District. Her dwelling is too small to accommodate even one team of gods and shinki arranging something as serious as this, let alone several. It is obvious she thought about this fact, and has crafted four cloth tents out in the meadows surrounding her home. The sounds of the milky way river are now joined by rustling fabric in the wind, for each tent has a flag mounted atop it and standing in front of it:

• The blue tent belongs to the team for Ksitigarbha. It has a sigil in black on the flag.
  
• The green tent belongs to the team for Li Tieguai. On its flag, a mortar and pestle in white, but the visible part of the pestle resembles a staff crook.
  
• The red tent belongs to the team for Cu Chulainn, with an impressive reproduction of a two-headed dog celtic knot in shining silver.
  
• The brown tent belongs to the team for Loki. Its flag bears a two-headed snake in gold.
All four tents are spread out in cardinal directions. Near each tent, she has a few stacks of wooden prayer tablets related to each of the problems, as well as maps and supplies for those who might need them.

In the center of all four tents is a simple chair and table where Orihime herself is generally sitting, talking to others nearby, or writing notes based on those conversations. She does a lot of listening when people ask her for new supplies she hadn't thought of previously, but has only been supplied with four shinki runners to get those supplies, one per group. Additionally, she cannot teleport down to the Near Shore herself, nor can anyone use her home to teleport down to where each of the troubles are; that is a problem for each group to solve on their own, with Orihime only able to mediate and provide suggestions.

Child's Play

Kshitigarbha, protector of children and of hell beings, is one of the recent casualties. Without his protection, it seems that babies' fears are giving rise to new and awful ayakashi throughout the city of Xi'an. Shadows on the wall above the crib, oversized stuffed animals, monsters hiding in the closet or rattling the windows at night -- all the fears of earliest childhood are taking real, malicious form. Babies are panicking, parents are exhausted, and all this stress is pulling in even more ayakashi! Someone needs to lure out these nursery nightmares and defeat them before the situation gets worse.

As gods and shinki work to rend the ayakashi tormenting children, they may notice a strange shadow passing by in the street outside, or scratching noises at the nursery window. Something more seems to be waiting outside....

Flu Season

With sky-high living costs and limited space, Tokyo has a large homeless population. Li Tieguai, protector of the poor and patron of medicine, was another recent death: now, winter's coming, and without his protection it seems like everyone's getting sick at once. They're suffering from everything ranging from plain old head colds and 'flu to more serious things like pneumonia or infections. Help pass out tea, soup and blankets, make sure they get the right medications, and get the sickest people to the hospital.

Carrion crows crowd close around the sick and croak, watching the gods and shinki helping them.

Wild Hounds

As if honoring the fall of the Hound of Chulainn, stray dogs have begun to form into large, dangerous packs in rural and suburban areas of Ireland, and even well-trained housepets have started breaking their leashes and joining them. They're starting to chase and bite humans, and it's only a matter of time before someone gets killed. Gods need to defeat the ayakashi possessing the "leaders of the pack," and get the pets back to their worried owners.

The groves of trees where the dogs are lairing seem unusually dark and shadowy, and footsteps seem to echo those of the gods and shinki tracking them down.

Prank War

Teenage pranks are turning unusually cruel and dangerous lately: with Loki gone, a few groups of bored kids have coalesced into more serious gangs in Chiba, and they've been seen setting fires, tormenting animals, vandalizing businesses and intimidating or robbing people walking alone at night. Someone needs to stop them from causing trouble, put them on a better path, or turn them in to the police before someone gets badly hurt.

Even as they're working to stop the teenagers' mischief, something seems to whisper to them and encourage them to join in and cause a little trouble. After all, it's just some fun....

Boss Battles

Those who helped to resolve the problems caused by the gods' deaths have one final enemy to face. Four dangerous ayakashi are behind these conflicts. Each character can participate in one boss battle, but it's fine for characters to form multiple different groups (i.e. multiple threads under one boss's comment.) To ensure that the NPC knows when to respond to your characters, please indicate which characters will be in a thread in your first comment.

Kshitigarbha - Child's Play

Li Tieguai - Flu Season

Cu Chulainn - Wild Hounds

Loki - Prank War

In Summary:

• Check in with Orihime and your new teams
• Save scared children
• Help the sick
• Tame stray dogs
• Stop pranks from going too far
• Watch out~

Comments

[onedrinkwithme]

Orihime's Meadows:

[He may have not replied to the lady's message, but he replies by arriving to the meadows upon the appointed hour. Sukomi the soulless shinki dutifully follows her god as he packs up some various items such as his familiar long gloves, a couple vials of holy water, and his trusty satchel that he uses regularly for his trips between Germany and Heligoland. Looking at the tent set ups, he takes a couple prayer tablets from a couple of them and reads them over. While he may not enjoy needless bloodshed, Aymeric knows he is not fit for helping the sick nor stopping pranks. Fighting ayakashi seems to be his only choice but if it fits his skillset for now, he will use it.

But before he heads off, he may spot someone he recognizes and gives them a small smile of encouragement.]

Are you nervous?


Child's Play

[While children may find it hard to sleep at night and try to stay near their parents for comfort, someone else decides that it might be a good idea to try and lure any ayakashi away from the homes. It just so happens that what is causing the distraction is a well timed light show and a tall pointy eared man with a sword being the cause. He is also ensuring those ayakashi following him instead of the children...

If anyone is looking for some enemies to Rend, Aymeric has folks covered. He can distract while others can hit with any surprise attacks.]


Wild Hounds

[Unlike the nightmare fueled comrades, facing off dogs is a different matter. It also didn't help that any pup in the vicinity of Aymeric could smell his cat on his clothes that they immediately decided to pounce. With Sukomi in shinki form, the elezen rolls and dodges the claws and bites. He's unsure how to face this kind of enemy when they don't seem to be ayakashi. But better him than an innocent.]

Of all times to notice Mandragora's scent on me...

Wild Hounds

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Edge has spent the past week or so fretting madly and worrying about Zelda. Looks like today really isn't going to be different, huh? There is little he can do here to really help or bolster her plan, to be honest, so Edge settles for making sure the dogs leave her be while she's working.]

[Which has him facing down a growling pack, hands out and making placating noises.] Hey, settle down.... good dogs, nice dogs, non-biting dogs... just leave me and the nice Princess alone, okay? No eating us.

B

[reformedsinner]

Yes, I can -- ah, is there anything else I can bring?

[He hasn't yet been to the clinic. It's not too far, from the maps he'd seen at Orihime's tent, but he doesn't know how crowded it might be.]

Another blanket?

[Another person who needs more sustained medical attention? He looks around, squinting behind his glasses.]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai folds his arms, and smiles quite deliberately at the young man as he continues struggling and trying to spit out excuses.]

You're right, they don't.

Do you know anyone who lives in this neighborhood?

[That's directed at the young man, who doesn't stop scowling defiantly, but the dart of his eyes to one side suggests he does. Hakkai raises his eyebrows.]

Imagine if you'd killed them in a house fire. That's no game.

[reformedsinner]

Oh, is that all? Well -- let's try not using magic first.

If that doesn't work, by all means, enjoy yourself.

[He glances back to Leo, and smiles with abrupt, bright cheer.]

Shall we try sounding like authority first? I'll shout at them, if you can ensure that no one runs away.

[brynwieldr]

[Leo nods and gestures towards the gang. He can keep them there with magic, so there's no reason for him to move.]

[sweetdeath]

Yeah, I was just wondering if you could help me with some of the supplies. I didn't want to take you away from helping him, though.

[Tsuzuki's smile is soft and honest; he rubs the back of his neck, and adds:]

What were you doing, anyway?

A

[nibelungvalesti]

[Even in her armor, the Valkyrie is small and not exactly bulging with visible musculature. Nonetheless, kicking her is like kicking a brick wall.]

[Specifically, kicking her is like a human kicking a brick wall. Not to dismiss Saiyans, but she is still a goddess.]

[She looks down at the boy with no real expression, her face impassive and judgmental. Well?]

[boneofsword]

[At least she's willing to hear him out. Zelda's reaction reminds him of Add, the same void he had seen in those rescued from the core. He doesn't straighten.]

Can you name me for this mission, and revoke the name afterwards? It's my duty to fulfill.

[It's a blunt request. There's another reason too, another duty to follow. Caster tried to save her, thus making it clear whom he chose to follow; now it's Archer duty to aid and follow her the best he can.]

[reformedsinner]

[Ah, magic users. Hakkai considers the man for a moment, hoping he's not going to use that strange gravity spell -- at least not while Hakkai's in range of it, that is.

The delinquents, for their part, could probably use the object lesson.]

Excuse me!

[He turns, and heads towards them at a ground-eating stride.]

That's just about enough. You'll need to clean that up immediately.

[A few of them round on him; one's still determinedly scribbling bright-red obscenities over the wall, and a couple of the kids nearer the far side of the group are making a break for it.]

[sageprincess]

[Later, when she gets her feelings back and has worked through the delayed despair brought on by everything that happened in the core, she will feel really bad about worrying Edge so much. But for right now, she only gives him a bland warning--]

If they have been possessed, then it is unlikely that they will listen to you.

[--as she flings one of the strips of meat out in the other direction. A few of the hungrier dogs might break rank and go for it, but the delicious scent of a shinki and a goddess is probably more tempting to the ayakashi-possessed leader...]

[brynwieldr]

[Except they run smack into an invisible wall of solid something. One of them even falls over from the impact with a bloody nose.]

Don't make this harder on you than it's going to be.

[letteropener]

Allow me to present a scenario: these youths approach an innocent animal with the hope of tormenting it, only for you to confront them and warn them that they are risking their lives. They will of course disbelieve you... only to find that on the one hoof, the innocent animal is now a very dangerous one, and on the other, the person they have disbelieved is now doing all those things. Then, between your interfering with their perceptions and my magic, we should be able to very powerfully impress on them just what they have done, what it is doing to others and themselves, and why they should not do it -- both to improve them and for fear of punishment.

And should that prove insufficient, I also have a certain persuasive technique I might be able to deploy.

[brynwieldr]

[Leo just stares at Celestia for a moment before laughing and giving a small round of applause.]

I like this idea. Much more impressive than what I was thinking. I'll come at them from one direction, you from the other? Less likely to bolt.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[They'll have a nice long talk about reasons and motivations for sure, but that can be later! Right now, trouble!]

Yeah, but they're focused on me. [And not her.] I've got a couple ideas, but -- any luck on coaxing the leader into range of that splash of yours?

[If they can break the ayakashi, he probably won't have to hurt any poor dogs, which he would consider a definite plus.]

[letteropener]

If I may.

[The pony tosses her head back, at which her form is engulfed in a golden light. A slash seems to twist around its center, bursting the shell of energy which holds her -- leaving behind not a pony, but an elegant longhaired housecat, its coat a telltale white with a twist of rainbow colors around its tail and its eyes a familiar magenta.]

[See how the 'helpless animal' comes into play now?]

[reformedsinner]

[The kid with the bloody nose is trying to stanch it with his shirt. His friends are clumping together next to him, looking both ways in fresh wild-eyed panic.

Hakkai smiles, and doesn't so much as slow down until he's almost even with the two teenagers who seem to have chosen "threaten" as their way out of this. Unsurprisingly, they're the largest of the bunch. One of them seems to have modeled his wardrobe off some early-2000s yakuza fashion magazine, from the oversized all-white jacket and cargo pants to the backwards baseball cap. Under it, while tall, he's lanky. The other, while not trying quite as hard with his attire, is smacking one fist into the palm of his other hand.

Better get out of here, four-eyes, he snarls. Hakkai smiles at him, and tilts his head to one side.]

My, my. No respect for property or for your elders! Your parents must be so disappointed.

[Surprisingly, it's white-jacket who takes the first swing. Hakkai ducks under it, catches his wrist, and comes back up to a standing position with the boy's arm twisted painfully behind his back.]

[heartshutter]

[ Of all those gathered here attempting to help the sick and dying, for some reason Tatara hadn't been expecting none other than Li Tieguai himself, (that's who this is, isn't it?), to offer to come along with him. But, he's flattered, nonetheless. ]

Hm... [ From where he's standing, he twists about in place. He's trying to think of things that the clinic might be in short supply of, other than helping hands. That's a pretty hard ask when he's not sure of the other location's current inventory. ]

I think I can keep her warm, for now; and there'll be more blankets at the clinic. [ A beat. ] Maybe some of the tea?

[ If she'll take (and keep down) fluids, that is. ]

And if you see anyone else who might need help, I'm sure we can make room somehow!

[sageprincess]

[She doesn't return his smile, but she thinks in that moment that he's a good match for Sakura, and glances back down to the man.]

I was... ensuring that his dreams would be peaceful ones. [Hm. That's odd; she's not used to speaking about her god power like it's a good thing, and her words come out a bit stilted because of it.] Such is the nature of the power granted to me by my goddesshood. Unfortunately, I am unversed in medicine and healing magic, so this is the most I can do without direction.

[koukai_kirai]

[To his credit, the kid’s definitely looking pretty uncomfortable with that idea, little though he likes being told off by a couple of meddling jackass adults. Hijikata can see that in his sudden hesitation, in the guilty flicker of his eyes. Look, it’s not like I meant to do something like that...]

“Meant to” wouldn’t stop a thing like that.

[Hijikata glances around, then nods his head towards a nearby window, where an elderly woman is trimming some bonsai.]

That lady up there has grandkids your age, probably. Think they’d care whether you “meant to” hurt her or not?

[As if that wasn’t a harsh enough question, Hijikata reaches out with his power as Hachiman, weakening the boy’s defiance, strengthening any urge he’s got to back down, to apologize, to make things right...]

[koukai_kirai]

[Hijikata grunts quietly in resigned agreement, nudging a particularly aggressive Pomeranian away from himself as hard as he can without hurting the creature.]

They’re really a nuisance, though. I hate having to hold back...

[He always has. It’s why he’s a great soldier, and technically not so great as a martial artist.]

[kokuyoyo]

A - Orihime's Meadow

[Chikusa arrives with Hakkai, looking about as annoyed as one can expect from the usually dull teen. While it's not unusual for him to slump or look dead eyed- in fact that's his basic state of being for anyone who has known him for more than five minutes- both things seem especially bad today.]

[And the cause of this is the tent to Li Tieugai that he's staring right at.]

...It was troublesome enough as it was... [He sighs, bowing his head and keeping his eyes momentarily hidden from underneath his gray beanie.]

....Are we going to keep this thing...

[Because what else is Orihime going to do with a giant tent dedicated to this asshole?]

B - Flu Season

[The overwhelming presence of the crows can be unsettling to a lot of people. They seem to be everywhere for those trying to help the sick and homeless, watching them with too bright eyes. Are they following the gods and shinki, or are the numbers simply that great?]

[One thing is for certain...]

[A fuck-off giant crane has just divebombed the latest group of them watching some wayward shinki or god.]

[The Sarus crane, somehow, has a simple black beanie attached to its head, flopping around wildly.]

[You're welcome.]

C - Prank War

[When teenagers are cocky and reckless enough, they think they can take on anything, especially when they're up to being little assholes. In regular city life, that's probably true.]

[When the wild comes to play, however, they're a lot more uncertain.]

[Anyone searching around for these wild punks will find a group of them clustered uncertainly near the mouth of an alley. They've been backed up nearly out of it by... Oh, look, it's that same Sarus crane with the same black beanie somehow attached to it. The kids are muttering to each other, sometimes about how to deal with this bird larger than some of them are, sometimes to dare another teen to try and grab the beanie off.]

[Whenever one of them makes a move forward, however, the crane lashes out, snapping out with a sharp beak and making the teens scurry back with mixed yells and (nervous) laughter.]

[Well. The bird is keeping them out of the alleys, at least.]

[nibelungvalesti]

The true measure of power is not how strong a blow you can strike, nor how great a foe you can defeat. The true measure of power is accomplishing your goals.

[For all her own ability in battle, she hasn't the power to accomplish the full spread of her goals... assuming, perhaps, that she wants to any more. So she understands.]

If your goal is to do this properly, it will take more power than if you simply struck out without restraint. Is that truly 'holding back'?

prank war

[kokuyoyo]

[From atop a nearby brick wall, a Sarus crane looks apathetically at the mess of a street.]

You'd have to find them first.

[Which is the problem. There are a lot of shitty teenagers running around.]

b

[kokuyoyo]

[One would ponder the wisdom in trying to speak with a large crane that seems to have gotten misplaced in the area.... but, then again, this crane is somehow wearing a beanie, so Izumo likely has an idea that he's not talking to an ordinary bird.]

[At least, one would hope.]

[The crane has been dead eyeing the local crow population as well, but he slowly looks away from them at the sound of Izumo's voice. There's a slow blink, and he slowly strides over to see what exactly he's talking about.]