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

[futhark]

[ Ah yes, he could attack her when she introduces herself. Didn't cross his mind, they're not in the win or die situation, and then honor is important- albeit his honor is a bit different, for example throwing sand into enemy's eyes is a legit tactic ]

Cú Chulainn- [ That's his god-name, sure, but not only ] but people around here call me Caster.

[ Yeah, that never gets old. ]

Your turn.

[unlucky7]

[Throwing sand is a perfectly legit tactic, don't know what anyone else is complaining about. Honor doesn't matter if you don't come out of a fight alive.

Cú Chulainn. Caster. Ginia gives a slight bow of her head. Her hand twitches before she pulls out her phone. Good old technology communicating for her.]

I'm a shinki. My identity doesn't matter.

[futhark]

[ Isn't that your identity, sort of. At least a role, and duty ]

Are you telling me you don't have a name to give?

[ Is this the moment he comes up with a nickname for her? Or gets insulted that she thinks giving a name in exchange is below her? Fortunately, he doesn't really get insulted by such things. ]

[unlucky7]

It's not a name that matters.

[To no one but her god at least. She's a shinki, another tool. Why people want to know her name is beyond her.]

[futhark]

Quite on the contrary, it's everything that matters.

[ Oh don't get him started on names and how important they are. Shinki are literal personification of that. ]

[unlucky7]

How so?

[She shifts a little on her feet. She's not being deliberately difficult, it's just personhood isn't a part of her known existence. A tool in a forgotten life, a tool in death.]

[futhark]

[ Being a tool isn't that bad if someone asked him. It all depends in what hands you fall into- and unfortunately, that depends on your luck ]

A name is what defines us here, gods and shinki alike- just in different ways. Fortunately, even if you really lost your name- [ it is a possibility ] -you can still cherish the one you receive from your God.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia's hand briefly flutters up to rest over her heart before it drops down. All right. He makes a fair point.]

Spar with me. I'll give you my name after.

[futhark]

You cheat me out of my name, and now you make demands? [ Caster can't help but laugh at that. Well played girl, well played girl. ] How cheeky!

[ And that's when he disappears, mid-chuckle. When he appears it's right behind Ginia, staff in his hand, ready to strike- ]

I'm game![ He says, which loses him the most of surprise- but instead of using the weapon he aims a kick aimed at her stomach. Of course, he's not going all out, it's a spar after all, but should she take the kick, the force might make her fly. ]

[unlucky7]

[There's barely time to blink at his disappearance and his sudden reappearance behind her. She turns and takes a leap back to put distance between them, hands raised defensively high and low. She catches his kick in a blow, but the force is far more than she anticipated.

As she tumbles through the air, the briefest thought that maybe she shouldn't have picked this fight crosses her mind. But in it already, she gets her feet back under and finds her footing. Trading gun for knife, she fires off a few shots at him while she has the benefit of space, hand slashing through the air and sending a borderline at him behind the balls of paint.]

[futhark]

[ With a swirl of the staff, he destroys the incoming shots almost effortlessly. It also splatters the paint everywhere and now to the blue, red and green splashes are visible both on him and on his weapon, but-ah well, this can be taken care of later. ]

Keeping your distance, good, good- [ Ah, yes, those perky long range opponents. Well, he's more suited to do the same in this class, but he's not going to be firing flames in a spar.

Caster does not notice the incoming borderline until it's too late though, and he can't just divert its trajectory. He dodges, barely, cut fragments of fur from the hood, tiny shred of the coat and perhaps even some hair floating where he just was. ]

Clever. [ His grin turns wolfish, and he moves forward quickly to close the distance between them, he's aiming low at her ankles, a sweeping strike to throw her off her feet. ]

[unlucky7]

[It's an interesting thing to know borderlines can work against gods to some degree. Ginia can understand why the information is left out of the introductory pamphlet, but the knowledge bolsters her mood and in turn, her borderlines. She throws more lines at him as he approaches, some straight on, some at an angle, but as he closes the distance on her, she takes a page out of her earlier impromptu training session with Chikusa.

The next borderline she casts isn't an attack, but a barrier directly in front of him. Maybe he'll crash into it, maybe he won't, but Ginia's on the move again. More lines for attacking, more for walls pop up almost chaotically, a jagged maze left in her wake to slow him down so she can take a few more shots at him with her paintball gun.]

[futhark]

[ SO BORDERLINES WORK AGAINST GODS, why no one has ever told him that? Now, that's an interesting spin. He jumps over, ducks under, and dodges the lines as they approach- but that does make him keep the distance. The closer he is the shorter the window to dodge after all

And faced with a surprise and unknown he does exactly what he always does in situations like these. Cuts it short as soon as possible.

This time by taking advantage again of that useful skill unique to the gods- he teleports right before her. The distance is just enough for her to stop at the right moment before hitting the top of the staff pointed in her direction. She's fast, and got good reflexes, yeah she got it, he's certain she won't run right into it. ]

Nice moves, I never saw borderlines used like that.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia catches herself as he teleports in front of her again, throwing up a barrier between them. As much as she hates to admit it, the constant use of borderlines is draining. It's a strange feeling of tiredness she hasn't felt before, a shortness of breath, a bit of heaviness in her limbs. Leaving the final one up, the other smaller barriers dispell, freeing up the space and cutting off the energy expenditure.

She regards him silently, warily, but takes out her phone and types and plays a message.]

Someone earlier fought me with borderlines. I learned some tricks from him.

[There's a small pause before she adds on:]

I still need to improve.

[futhark]

[ Caster pokes at the barrier- it's tempting to try and break it, but perhaps some other time. That's enough for being a jerkass for now, possibly. The fierce intensity of battle fizzles out as quickly as it flared up. ]

It comes with time. [ And practice, but that's given. But then he changes topic suddenly ] Hey Spunky, think you can indulge me? there's nice place nearby when they're giving out drinks.

[ Unlike her, he's not having any sign of tiredness- they could go with this training for much longer, but first meeting might not be the best time to push the boundaries past the limit ]

[unlucky7]

[Wait, what? Ginia blinks at the sudden offer for drinks, unsure how to respond. Getting something to drink does sound good after a good day of training, but... huh? What? She falters, trying to suss out any trickery behind his words. It's also for that reason, she stays behind her barrier.]

I'm still waiting for my god.

[And she should stay on the grounds until her god finds her. Right? Caster, help her out here.]

((ooc: To anyone following along, it's been brought to my attention Borderlines Do Not Work That Way. Oops. My apologies! Instead of deleting and rewriting tags, we're handwaving things and assuming the borderlines work as they should. Apologies again for the mistake and any confusion. We now resume the regularly scheduled drama.))

[futhark]

Ah, I see, then it can't be helped. Shame. [ And that's how you miss the street festival ]

Some other time, maybe? [ She still didn't tell him her name, and he will Remember That. ]

[unlucky7]

[She hesitates. There's weight in an agreement to meet again. It's a promise, and they feel dangerous. But...

She already made a promise earlier, did she not? The barrier disappears between them. If there's a time to strike, it would be now and she knows it. Instead of playing the message, she holds out her phone for him to read.]

My name is Ginia.

If my god permits me, then yes.

[futhark]

[ An idea that it would be good moment to attack doesn't even cross his mind. They're not enemies, they're all here on the same side after all. A camaraderie no Servant should get used to, but here he is... ]

Very well, Ginia. [ He smiles, and puts his hood up ] Good luck in finding your god then.

[ Most of those he knows give their shinki a free reign, but there is always chance of someone more controlling ]

See you around!