February Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: October 15th
Where: Meeting Hall, 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 the Meeting Hall, 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 traditional reception room within the Meeting Hall for an informational meeting covering the basics of proper god behavior. A minor deity is giving the speech, and none of the white-robed shinki enter. 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 in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's hosuehold 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 explanation 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.

A training game has been set up through a section of the Meeting Hall gardens, with little cut-outs of ayakashi hidden in the landscaping, tucked into bushes or taped under bridges. Prize ribbons are being offered for every ten "ayakashi" a shinki (or team) discovers.

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. Several magically animated straw-stuffed training dummies, many of which have been carefully mended and patched with neat black stitching, are set up on the lawn with a white-robed shinki hovering nearby to watch over them. They make good training partners, although anyone who comes too close risks being targeted for a sparring match whether they wanted one or not.

The pond behind the dojo has had dozens wooden poles sunk in it, spaced a few feet apart, with a bunch of brightly colored ribbons tied around the pole in the very center. Some of the white-robed shinki are practicing scaling the poles and leaping from one to the next, until they get close enough that they can snatch a ribbon from the center pole, and several have fallen in and are being teased by their fellows.

Rest and Refreshments

Instead of snacks being served at the training session, this week, white-robed shinki with little flags are conducting groups of newcomers and volunteers down to the Tokyo Daijingu shrine and into a street festival currently being held in Tokyo. Traditional dance troupes are performing on street corners, and vendors have every kind of fall street foods, from barbecue to takoyaki, chocolate-dipped bananas and red-bean pancakes. New arrivals will get a white-and-gold envelope with spending money for the fair, although gods and shinki who have had some time to settle in will have to handle their own lunch expenses.

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
• Go to a festival
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[kokuyoyo]

[So this is someone who can actually fight right off the bat. It's an observation he stores away in the back of his mind as he make the bare minimum of movement required to avoid the first couple of hits, barred only when he sweeps out his hand for a barrier or counter attack. It's been a while since he's sparred with another shinki who's honestly got an idea of what they're doing.]

[Still, there's another trick to use.... and that's shooting out a borderline that's not an offensive one, but a barrier, right in front of her. If she collides with it, that'd be ideal... not that he's really expecting it.]

[unlucky7]

[Sparring practice so early on was not what Ginia expected, but it's welcome. Her lines are still weak, but what they lack in present strength, she makes up for in speed and aggression. She studies his movements as they fight, picking up the different ways to use borderline offensively and defensively.

When there's a flash and a sudden barrier in front of her, a grin spreads across her face, catching herself before she can collide. Clever. Her hand drops to her side and she draws and slashes her combat knife across his barrier as a test. She doesn't expect it to do much, but any more information on the nature of barriers is good to know.]

[kokuyoyo]

[The knife meets resistance as it skims across the borderline's blue surface... but not in the usual way of being hit. Instead, it's as if she's trying to slash at mud, the way it goes through the strange blue energy emanating off from the barrier. A slowness, almost.]

[From the side, Chikusa pauses long enough for her to experiment- he's willing to be generous when it doesn't require much.]

...Not a lot of people figure out how or can do it... but some lines can be different than usual.

[unlucky7]

[Fascinating. Her fingers lightly touch the barrier where her knife struck, feeling how solid it still is. The reprieve is appreciated, it's not the kind of thing afforded in a real fight. Ginia backs away from the barrier and bows her head at him. Her other hand pulls out her phone, typing out a quick message and letting the phone read it out loud.]

Different how will you show me?

[kokuyoyo]

[Touching the barrier with skin instead of metal only reinforces how odd it is. It's chilly- numbing, almost, like walking in the rain for far too long, and leaves a sense of exhaustion in her fingertips.]

[At the sign of the phone, Chikusa pauses. Oh, another who can't speak. Well, at least it's not uncommon.]

...It's not the same for everyone. The person who showed me... his were black and exploded when attacked. Mine are... more subtle.

[unlucky7]

[Don't physically touch someone else's barrier. Noted. She briefly considers testing her gun on the barrier, but dismisses the idea just as quickly. The last thing anyone needs is a bullet ricocheting off who knows where.

She nods as she looks for the edge of his barrier to walk around it.]

Are there other ways of training borderlines besides practice?

[kokuyoyo]

[He's kept it pretty long, honestly, but he lets it fall once it becomes clear that they're still talking. No reason to keep it up now that she's done with it.]

Depends on the practice... I guess. I've been told mine is strong... and I've made sure to at least do a few draws of it every day.

[unlucky7]

[Appreciated. She slowly approaches back toward her starting position. They might be talking now, but the possibility of a surprise attack is always present and tension carries through her posture.]

How advisable is it to find ayakashi to practice borderlines against?

[kokuyoyo]

It.... depends. [His head tilts a little to the other side, thoughtful.] There was just a lot of extermination work on the Far Shore.... so all the more powerful ones should be taken care of.

...But... you'll still want to carry shrine water with you regardless....

[unlucky7]

How effective is shrine water against ayakashi? Pamphlet says only shinki & their god can kill one.

[kokuyoyo]

It hurts them. For ones that are weak enough... it should chase them away.

....And, more importantly, it will wash away any blight you get... [Which is the best use, really.]

[unlucky7]

[Note to self: Get a water bottle or flask as soon as possible.]

Thank you for the information. Anything else I should keep in mind?

[kokuyoyo]

...You can use any shrine to go inbetween the Shores. So.... keep in mind where the nearest are.

[unlucky7]

[Always have a way in and a way out. Ginia nods again.]

Thank you. I won't keep you if you want to go.

[kokuyoyo]

[Well, he doesn't need to be told twice. As far as he's concerned, he's done enough to potentially make it easier for himself, if someone else's borderline is needed. Having one be shattered... helps, in his opinion.]

[Of course, his opinion is also that he's shuffling off without much of a goodbye, so.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia doesn't think much of it as she goes back to waiting for her god and strengthening her borderlines.

And if it occurs to her later they never changed names, well, no matter. They'll probably run into each other again at some point.]