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

[reformedsinner]

Orihime's Meadows

[Hakkai is pausing by the tent for Li Tieguai, and eyeing the sigil embroidered on the flag with a critical gaze.

It's not so much that he minds it, really, but this all seems a bit...

Well. Can't a god die in peace?

He has a large duffel bag with him, which he's setting on a table next to the tent while he picks up a few of the prayer tablets and skims over them. The bag clinks loudly, clearly full of something in jars.]


Flu Season

[Reluctantly, here he is. He'd prefer to resolve whatever it was that Loki's assassination set loose, but he does have a certain responsibility to his own followers, too. After all, he was the one who chose to dash off and get carelessly killed.

Answering prayers, on its own, isn't going to be enough to fix that: so here he is, in Ueno Park, with his medicine-carrying duffel bag. He's stopping by each improvised shelter to check on its occupant, clearing his throat loudly before he does. That doesn't always get their attention. This person, for example, seems to be quite soundly asleep, though their feverish flush suggests that when Hakkai manages to wake them they'll probably need some of the medications he's brought.]

Excuse me, ma'am. Excuse me!

[Maybe if he shakes her shoulder....]


Prank War

[This? This is an entire street with bags of kitchen trash thrown into the road and burst open, all the way down for several blocks. Hakkai is standing at one end, staring down the trash-strewn thoroughfare, with a handkerchief held primly to his nose. It might be October, but it's not cold enough yet that all that trash doesn't reek.]

... Hmm, do you suppose cleaning this up might be a good way to start rehabilitating them?

[He's certainly not about to do it himself.]

Flu

[replicatedform]

[Fortunately, someone did notice Hakkai. The fact that he's a Far Shore resident is probably a point in his favour.

Overhearing Hakkai, a cloaked swordsman walks over towards him and the sleeping person. Despite his appearance, he looks worried as he goes to check, standing near Hakkai.]

What's wrong?

[reformedsinner]

[Her breathing is raspy and congested. Hakkai frowns, and kneels next to her, touching the back of his hand to her forehead.]

She's quite feverish.

[Illness isn't actually something he's very good at diagnosing. That breathing sounds bad, though. He does have some pills for lung congestion in his bag, but getting her to swallow them might be more difficult.

He looks up at the cloaked man.]

Can you get a bottle of water?

[replicatedform]

[With a quick glance, he immediately understands and nods.]

Got it.

[They should have plenty... Yamanbagiri quickly goes to get a bottle. At the table where they're serving soup and tea, there's an adjacent table for water, both bottled and in cups with a small water tank. He quickly grabs one bottle and returns.

Once he's back, he holds it out to the other man.]

Here. If you need more, the table's over there.

[He quickly tells him where it is, in case Hakkai's staying in the shelter for a while.]

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.]

[reformedsinner]

Can you see anyone from up there?

[After all, Chikusa's head is about twice as far off the ground as his own, from up on that wall. And he has wings.

Hakkai doubts it'll be that hard to track down kids who were plausibly implicated in this, although, as annoying pranks go, it's probably less harmful than some other options. No one, unless their nose is very delicate, was hurt.]

[kokuyoyo]

I'm not that high yet.

[A sigh whispers through their connection, showcasing his annoyance at having to extend any further effort, but then Chikusa extends his wings to get airborn. With all the fights he's been picking with the resident crow population in other places, he's had plenty of practice at getting better at it.]

[Eventually, he's able to make it higher, to where air currents are a little kinder, and he gazes around carefully.]

....Forward. Third left. Fifth alley. Probably.

[At least, they're teenagers, and they're in a group, and if that's anything to go off of...]

Orihime's Meadows

[skygaze]

[Suou isn't overly interested in any of the events that are going to take place. He's around for Nanako and to ensure she doesn't get hurt. Honestly, he was against joining in on this thing but there was no deterring her so here he is looking around.

He stops just as he passes by Hakkai, the loud clicking from the bag getting his attention and curiosity. What use did he have for that? He stares at the bag, trying to figure it out.]

...If you're going to fight won't your stuff break?

[It's not Suou's problem and he's assuming Hakkai is going to fight because why would anyone keep to the side lines? He doesn't know what's in the bag, just that it sounds breakable.]

[reformedsinner]

I'm going to leave most of these with the people who are treating the sick.

[He'll help, too. The fact that Loki's death has led to problems of its own, though, means that he won't be able to stick to the issues caused by his own death.

Besides, he's not sure he wants to dwell on them. He'd already made the choice and dealt with its consequences.]

And hopefully, there won't be too much fighting to be done there.

[skygaze]

[Suou gives a slow nod as he looks from the bag to Hakkai]

I'm hoping Nanako focuses on the sick more then the fighting...

[He doesn't have an issue with it but thinking about her fighting anything running around makes him very uneasy. Treating the sick sounds at least less dangerous.]

Do you really believe that?

[He's no judging Hakkai, he's curious as someone that isn't as experience with everything going on]

flu season

[redotiertwo]

[If nothing else, Davesprite is absolutely determined to have Orihime reinstated as a goddess by the end of today, so even if he can only really help with the flu outbreak, he's applying himself fully to it. Thankfully, the humans quickly forget the orange blur distributing food, blankets and supplies through the air around the park.

Hearing a familiar voice trying to stir someone takes his attention, though, and Davesprite corkscrews and flips himself over to swoop out of the air and land by Hakkai's side, still holding a few of the supplies he's been moving. The woman looks pretty feverish, though it's hard to pick details like that from the air.]

I've got a cold pack somewhere in this mess if you think that'll help wake her up. [He shifts one of his arms a little, and the pack sticks out a bit from between the water bottles he's also holding under his arm.]

[reformedsinner]

Good morning, Davesprite -- yes. I think that might help. If we can just cool her down a little, she might be able to handle swallowing.

[A pill, and then as much water as she can keep down; dehydration is dangerous, too, even if it's not too hot today. He reaches out to work the cold pack free from its spot between the water bottles.]

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite tweaks one of the bottles out as well with his telekinesis, leaving it to float in the air within easy reach of Hakkai and making it much easier to get the cold pack out.]

I have to admit, this is way more fucking intense than I was expecting from the whole dramatic "conflict in Heaven makes conflict on Earth" speech.

Prank War

[lionhearrt]

[ With his hands in his pockets, cigarette tucked between his lips Mikoto doesn't look bothered by the stench. He walks beside in him in silence, shrugging at the question. ]

Go ahead and ask them.

[ By all means, make the suggestion to them. ]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai chuckles lightly, shading his eyes with one hand. There's a little group of people halfway down the street, clustered around ... is that someone they're bothering?]

Perhaps I shall. Would you like to accompany me?

[A girl's voice screams, Leave me alone! from the center of the group, and Hakkai's eyes narrow immediately. He picks up the pace.]

Orihime's Meadows

[trademark_skull]

[It's true, Emizel was not good with remembering everyone's god name yet. But he did recall that Li Tieguai sounded familiar. It made him feel even worse now that he couldn't remember who that was.]

[It was then as he was exploring around the tent that he saw Hakkai. A bit pleasing to see him here but-- wait.]

[Emizel looked up to the tent flag, the name, and back to Hakkai. He remembered now.]

You--

[Something sank to the pit of the demon's stomach. A little bit odd for a reaper to get worked up about believing they're seeing a ghost.]

Aren't you supposed to be--

[reformedsinner]

Ah, gods do come back from the dead! Sometimes, ha ha.

[And the new shinki can, too. Sometimes. After so many deaths that haven't ended in resurrection, Hakkai has no illusions about their odds.]

I'm embarrassed to have caused so much trouble, though.

prank wars

[minogame]

( Urashima brings the collar of his sweatshirt over his nose, try to avoid the scent as much as possible. Even Kamekichi has retreated into her shell (but still some how manages to stay on her shoulder). )

Ugh, gross. They better.

( He keeps an eye out for any sort of trouble makers and-- )

There.

( A group of boys, dressed in high school uniforms and clearly playing skipping school. )

[reformedsinner]

Excuse me!

[Hakkai nods to Urashima and starts striding towards the boys, raising his voice in the classic snap of an annoyed teacher. One of them starts guiltily, dropping a trash bag he'd been about to hurl into the street, and another pulls himself up to full height, trying to look intimidating.

Get lost! shouts the would-be intimidating one, and Hakkai turns his most thunderous frown on them.]

Shouldn't you be in school? Look at this mess!

Flu

[saiyanhybrid]

Do you need any help?

[Long time no see, Hakkai.

Gohan lands beside the other god, carrying a few blankets himself as he looks over at him, curious.]

[reformedsinner]

Oh, hello, Gohan. [Hakkai glances up at him, with a quick flicker of a smile.] I'm afraid she may be too feverish to wake up and swallow any meds just now.

[Which does cause a problem, considering that all of the medicines he's brought, magic though they are, still have to be swallowed. He reaches out to check her temperature with the back of his head, and exhales, frowning in concern.]

She may need to be taken to a doctor's office.

Prank War

[hakingitup]

[He looks down the road and towards where ever the kids could be right now. He rubs the back of his head. It's awful, sure, but that's a little dramatic, Hakkai.]

Sure. Where are they?

[Because hey, he learns lessons that way. But they have to catch the brats first.]

[reformedsinner]

I'm afraid we might have to find them first. With this much of a mess, though, they shouldn't be hard to spot.

[Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he starts down the sidewalk, glancing around. It's freshly scattered garbage, to the culprits can't have gotten far.]

Meadows

[smilingbullet]

[ D2 doesn't have anything to carry things he'd need from here but he was making a list anyway, for later. So. ]

Any advice on what might be good to bring along?

[ Hakkai knows far more about this than he does.

D2 would attach himself to Hakkai in a hug right this moment, but that would be causing a scene (he's pretty sure Hakkai probably might not appreciate that sort of scene here/right now) and they're both here to work. Hugs would have to wait. But the relief of actually seeing him in one piece (with memories intact) is obvious on his face. ]

[reformedsinner]

Ah -- hello!

[D2's keeping his distance; Hakkai offers him a cheerful smile, wondering if he's quite all right. It's crowded here, though, and that must make it a little challenging to be as outgoing as he often is.

Hopefully, it's not because of the question of his having involved D2 in a botched assassination that led to the deaths of two of the gods whose flags are snapping in the breeze overhead.]

Blankets, water, and soup -- I have medicine here [he hefts his bag] but making sure that they all stay warm and well-hydrated will be important too.