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

[nopixiedust]

In crowded streets?

[Honestly, she swears. She doesn't deserve this. Neither does Maxie.]

[priforprince]

He's fine.

[ Look how very fine Maxie is. In fact, Maxie looks.....used to this.

What sorts of places did Hibiki ride this horse back home. ]

[nopixiedust]

...And he'll even be fine if someone shows up using sentence-enders?

[She needs to vet this horse, and not in the health way.]

[priforprince]

I've invested in rigorous training for that.

[ Maxie looks nonplussed. He's not the one with that issue. The "training" (mostly being subjected to videos and candy-colored cardboard cutouts while carrying the Hibiki doll on his back, as the real Hibiki watched from within a cement-block fortress) had had no effect one way or the other.

None of the possible problems with this situation, in short, have anything to do with the horse. ]

[nopixiedust]

[She guesses that's the best she can ask for...]

You better keep him safe, then. I've heard all sorts of weird stuff happens during festivals.

[Well, more like only that one time.]

[priforprince]

Everything will be fine.

[ Hibiki tugs the reins to get Maxie looking straight ahead again instead of pointedly off to the side.

More importantly - Wendy. Who tends to enjoy this sort of event more than Hibiki. Hibiki won't begrudge her shinki this pleasure, even if she doesn't share it. ]

How are you faring?

[nopixiedust]

Huh? Oh, it's been fine! Have you seen those dancers yet?

[Hibiki loves that kind of classical stuff, doesn't she?]

[priforprince]

I'm headed that way next.

[ Cutting a bold swath through the visitors atop her mighty steed. Ugh. She wants a pricopter. Or for her pirate ship to fly in the sky like a proper pirate ship should. Attending such events at the same level as everyone else just isn't as satisfying. ]

I trust it was educational.

[nopixiedust]

[Do not tell Wendy about the pricopter, Hibiki, so help her god. Literally.]

Yeah, it was fun! Although I'm not sure how much I would use that kind of dance when doing idol routines.

[priforprince]

[ But if she doesn't have a pricopter, whence will she leap dramatically down when she has important announcements? These are legitimate concerns!

Hibiki nods along. ] Well, the finest routines will incorporate other influences. It's proof the performer has internalized a variety of top-class styles.

[nopixiedust]

Oh? So you've seen people do that, mixing up different dance styles in their routine?

[If she could see an example, it'd definitely be very helpful...]

[priforprince]

Would you like to witness it?

[ Hibiki has, for months, refused to think about things like that routine. Yet in this instant, she's suddenly determined that it's a good idea. She's all in favor of showing Wendy this part of her life. Of showing Wendy...the person who blends the classical with the idol in utter perfection.

And that's the bit she's not gonna think about here. ]

[nopixiedust]

[Well, that's something she's not expecting, and Wendy perks up immediately.]

Is it something we can watch easily?

[priforprince]

Indeed.

[ She could project it right here, right now, but, that is insufficiently fancy. ] We'll head back and watch it upon a fitting stage.

[nopixiedust]

[Oh boy, here they go for extravagant nonsense. Wendy won't object, however.]

When are you going to be done giving Maxie his exercise?

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki considers this for exactly half a second. Then she flashes a smile and offers Wendy a hand. ]

Climb astride.

[ We're gonna ride a horse back to the temple. Like the celebrities we are. ]

[nopixiedust]

[...Oh. Of course. This is how it's going to be. Why did she ever think otherwise? Sighing, Wendy still reaches up to grasp Hibiki's hand and hauls herself up onto the back.]

He's fine being teleported, right?

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki just smiles. ] Clasp me tightly.

[ It's a ways back to her shrine, you see. But this horse is fast. ]

[nopixiedust]

[SHE DOESN'T NEED TO BE TOLD TWICE]

[and Hibiki is the kind of person to do ridiculous stunts]

[priforprince]

[ What's ridiculous? This steed is a mode of transportation. Therefore, he shall transport them to their destination, with a panache worthy of a majestic god and her shinki. There is a pleasing economy to teleportation, yes- ]

Haah!

[ But what's the point of a horse you don't get to ride through city streets, regulations governing the lesser mortals be damned?

Enjoy the breeze, Wendy. Maxie is the one thing about Hibiki that moves fast. ]

[nopixiedust]

[There's probably a lot of points to riding a horse in places that aren't packed city streets, frankly. Wendy feels certain about that.]

[What she doesn't feel certain about is their chances of not hitting someone in the head with a hoof, and she peers around Hibiki warily. Please don't let a pedestrian get hit, please-]

[priforprince]

[ Even if you don't trust Hibiki, Wendy, Maxie is an individual in whom one can have fullest confidence. He is a stalwart and reliable purple horse whose stupid-looking forelock is offset by his dependability under fire.

He has to be, to be Shikyoin Hibiki's chosen mount.

Mostly the only people who notice them are kids, though a few older girls and even one middle-aged woman do look up and over as they pass. Somebody says "kyaa". It may have been the older lady. ]

We'll use the theater in the temple for your viewing.

[ Hibiki feels confident she can make smalltalk while making this journey. ]

[nopixiedust]

[There's no sounds of violence accompanying that "kyaa", so Wendy figures it's safe to ease up a little bit.]

Oh, should I make tea and snacks then?

[priforprince]

If you'd care to. [ A tiny, cozy home party. That does sound more pleasant than all this urban clamor. Especially since Hibiki's looking forward to watching what she plans on showing Wendy, as well.

It's been...it's been too long. The time has come to show Wendy exactly what she can aspire to be, and exactly what is in store for all of them, after the revolution.

Maxie stops at a red light without being told. He is a good boy. ]

[nopixiedust]

[A very good boy. Wendy squeezes around to pat his neck.]

It'll be nice. What kind of blend do you think will go well with whatever it is you want to show me?

[Teas have to be chosen with the seasons, after all. She knows how Hibiki is about that kind of thing.]