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

[revolutionfalcon]

[He is more willing to answer that one, and he answers promptly, like he's a question he's had to field more than a few times before even if it isn't usually in sign language.]

Almost six and a half months. Longer than most.

[There's maybe a handful or two of people who've been here as long as or longer than him, and he's hoping it stays that way. They don't need to lose any more experienced parties.]

[unlucky7]

[Six and a half months isn't a lot of time all things considered, but if he's one of the longer residents, it's a startling bit of information.]

How long are people usually here? Where do people go?

[revolutionfalcon]

[This is going to be a somewhat difficult concept to explain in a language he doesn't have the best grasp of, but Shun takes his bearings for a moment before trying to sign it out.]

Disappear. Nobody is sure where. Back to their worlds is what people say. Some people stay for months. Others just weeks.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia processes all that. She's about to ask if there's any indication someone is going to leave, but no, that wouldn't be a disappearance then. Going home seems hopeful, but where do you go when you're already dead? Her jaw clenches at the idea and she huffs to herself.

She begins to thank him, but catches herself. Instead, she asks:]

Do you want to leave?

[revolutionfalcon]

[That question gives Shun pause, and his eyes narrow faintly again. It's a question where he has to consider how much he wants to say, and eventually, he signs out a rather short answer.]

I have business back home. [He doesn't really want to stay gone forever, since he has friends here now as well, but he would like to resolve what's left unfinished in his own world before he comes back to this one.]

[unlucky7]

[To pry beyond that would be rude, so Ginia accepts the answer with a nod.]

Have people disappeared and returned? If they have, do they remember being here?

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun definitely prefers that people don't press on that particular subject, so he moves on to the next one easily.]

Yes. Some remember, some don't. Some come back in different positions as well.

[unlucky7]

[The unexplained swap between roles was mentioned in the started pamphlet, a single sentence at the bottom. To go from shinki to god or vice-versa... it's a troubling thought, though something deeply appealing lurks within it too.

She wants to ask more, but the present line of questioning steers too close to personal information. It'd be poor to start off on the wrong foot with an unknown god. Though on that note:]

May I ask your name?

[revolutionfalcon]

[That, at least, Shun isn't too reserved about giving away, and introducing himself is a pretty basic skill to have in any language, so he does that a lot more promptly and fluidly than he has his other signing this conversation.]

Kurosaki Shun. Nekhbet sometimes. You?

[unlucky7]

[There's a pause before Ginia replies, maybe longer than it should. Because she's had her reservations all day about giving out her name, not out of any need of secrecy, but because she hasn't seen the point. She's just a shinki, a tool to do a job. Why would anyone care about her name?

But enough people have harped on her enough about it, and after meeting the one person so far that knows sign language, maybe it's worth giving her name this time.]

Ginia.

[She spells out her name, then also gives her name sign: the letter "G" combined with the sign for "seven".]

[revolutionfalcon]

[It takes Shun a moment to figure out the second thing is a name sign - he's not the most familiar with them, but the context of it combined with the lack of sense the signs would make otherwise makes it hard to mistake as anything else. He doesn't have one himself yet, since he was never really sure he'd need it, but he's at least aware of the concept.

He nods slightly, as if committing the name to memory, then glances towards her weapon and signs one more thing.]

I'll leave you to it. [He has training to get back to, and surely she does as well.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia holds back thanking him again for all the information and instead gives a bow of her head and a wave goodbye. Everyone's busy here, no need to take any more time than needed. Without waiting for a further response, she turns back to her rifle, checks over it, and resumes her training and waiting for her god.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[The extent of Shun's politeness in leaving is a slight nod before he walks off. He does keep his eye on her and her riflework until she gets out of his line of sight, though.]