26 - The Gods' Month

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Helping the Heavens prepare for the yearly Meeting of the Gods
When: October 20 - 21
Where: Around the Heavens (and maybe some mortal shopping trips, too!)
Summary: Amaterasu has been told that the newly arrived residents of the Heavens want to take a bigger part in security and administration, so she's convinced her shinki to let them help with preparations for the big yearly gala. It's also time for shinki to rate their gods and gods to find out what their shinki really think of them....







Security Precautions

The white-robed shinki guards are working hard to secure the Meeting Hall for the arrival of all the gods of Japan. Hard-working shinki are scurrying everywhere! Despite Amaterasu's orders, they're still a little unsure of and standoffish towards the strangers who they're supposed to work with, but there's a lot of work to do, so they're happy to hand out jobs to small groups of newcomers before returning to their own duties.


• Help clear out any small spirits who might have sneaked back into the Meeting Hall after the spring cleaning, from sootsprites to nekomata, animal spirits from the park or well-camouflaged plant spirits.


• Check the magical writing worked into art or inlaid in wood all over the building to protect the Meeting Hall from attack, and make sure none of it is scuffed or damaged.


• Join in on the patrols around the building or spend some time guarding one of the gates. It's boring, but the shinki appreciate the help.


• Test the integrity and extent of the magical protections with glass balls that turn purple outside the protections on the Meeting Hall and clear inside them. But don't drop your glass ball! They're fragile.

Event Preparation

It's not just security that the shinki are asking newcomers to help with. They also have plenty of work to do getting ready for the festivities! The Meeting Hall floors need to be swept and scrubbed, the gardens need to be trimmed and tidied, artwork needs to be dusted, flower arrangements arranged, damaged furniture repaired and rafters cleared of cobwebs. Anyone with particularly good handwriting can help write out invitations and name cards, too.

Besides cleaning and calligraphy, there's lots of food and beverages to purchase! Grab a shopping list, a wad of cash, and head to the Near Shore to pick up the necessities. (Don't forget to keep the receipts.)

Rate Your God

Shinki have the opportunity to submit surveys on their life with their new gods before the big event, and even request a transfer if they want one. Early in the morning, every new shinki will be visited by a small white dove carrying a scroll that, when unrolled, reveals the following questionnaire:


What is your name?

What is your god's name?

How do you see your duties as a shinki?

What is your favorite part of life with your god?

What is your least favorite part of life with your god?

What advice would you like to give your god?

Do you wish to be assigned to a different god? []Y []N


Fill it out, discuss it with your fellow shinki, forget about it until you find it under a pile of junk mail in two months: the choice is yours! Gods will receive a copy of the answer that their shinki submit to "What advice would you like to give your god?" -- there's no name attached, but they might be able to guess.

Heavenly Record Keeping

Gods don't get to skip the paperwork entirely! Although the Heavens aren't asking them to rate their shinki, new gods don't have all of their vital statistics on file quite yet, so they get a questionnaire too. The same white doves will drop their scrolls by in the morning, with the following set of questions:


What is your name?

How many shinki do you currently have?

What are your areas of divine responsibility?

How do you see your duties as a god?

What traits do you most want in a shinki?

Do you wish new shinki to be assigned to you? []Y []N


Unlike the doves attending on the shinki, the doves who drop off the gods' scrolls will remain close by and chirp loudly until they finish and submit their questionnaires. If a god is particularly lazy about it, they might even start pecking.

In Summary:

• Help protect the Meeting Hall
• Lend a hand cleaning and shopping
• Rate your gods
• Help Heaven keep its records up to date
• Have fun~

Comments

[unlucky7]

[.......

Ginia sighs and puts the basket down.]

I'll be right back, I'm going to get a cart.

[And she's going to walk away.]

[kokuyoyo]

[....Yeah, he'll just wait here.]

[At least, when she comes back, other things are in her basket, and an inspection will show that they at least belong on her list.]

[unlucky7]

[And lo, she returns with a small shopping cart, the two tier kinds you stick baskets into. She places her original basket on top and begins sorting out everything not onto her list into the bottom basket.]

How often do big events like this happen?

[kokuyoyo]

[From where he's been fiddling with his phone, Chikusa looks up, and the cat looks up with him.]

Ah... fairly regularly.... Although they've never asked for our help like this for as long as I've been here... It's just been invitations.

[unlucky7]

So they clearly have a budget for events like this.

[She leans over the cart to look at the assortment in the bottom basket.]

Do you actually want any of it or you were adding items for the fun of it?

[kokuyoyo]

Amaterasu... is the head of the pantheon. So... I guess that's expected.

[He leans over to look at the items he put in.]

....It was for dinner.

[unlucky7]

[Aha. Whether it's the truth or a lie isn't Ginia's problem. She pulls out the stack of cash from inside her pocket, pulls out enough bills to cover the basket, and holds it out for Chikusa.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Actually a truth! For once. As he's offered the money, Chikusa pauses.]

...Is that yours, or theirs?

[unlucky7]

Theirs. With all the shinki running around delivering supplies, it's pretty likely a bag of groceries goes missing in the shuffle.

[Her expression doesn't change. If the old gods can afford regular galas, what's a few thousand yen toward extra groceries?]

[kokuyoyo]

[He knew he liked her for a reason. That seems to satisfy him enough as he accepts the money, accepting it into his pockets.]

Numbers can get mixed up... [He tilts his head towards her.] You?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia shakes her head as she tucks the wad of money back into her coat. They may be able to walk around unnoticed, but there's still no reason to flash money when you don't need to.]

I ate earlier and I'm only beginning to learn how to cook so I don't want to get anything I won't use.

[kokuyoyo]

[A very slight nod. That's practical. Chikusa prefers not to waste too much food when he's just learning as well.... Although, on the other hand, he eats anything just so it doesn't go to waste. Ken as well. There's that bright side.]

Is that the only list they gave you...?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods and holds out the list for him to see. It's mostly sauces, oils, and spices.]

Some soot sprites stampeded through so I only got assigned the one. Once I drop this one off, I was going to see if they had more to do.

I'm also not in a rush.

[And with nothing frozen in the cart, there really is no press for time.]

[kokuyoyo]

Ah.... Those things.

[Chikusa's nose wrinkles up for half a second.]

All sorts of nonsense ends up in that building, apparently...

[unlucky7]

That's surprising to hear.

[If only because you'd think the Meeting Hall of all places would be the most secure from spirits. Guess not. But as along as it's more of the harmless types, then maybe it's okay too.]

By the way, what's your name?

[kokuyoyo]

[....Oh. Right. That thing he constantly forgets to bother to do.]

...Chikusa Kakimoto...

[Which is rather Japanese for someone with a clear Italian accent.]

[unlucky7]

[No judgement here on all fronts.]

Ginia.

[And with that exchange out of the way, she gestures down at his basket.]

Did you need anything else?

[kokuyoyo]

No.... This is fine. So back to them, then...?

[It's not like he has much of a reason to stick around on the Near Shore himself.]

[unlucky7]

[Might as well. Ginia gives the list and basket a final look over to confirm everything on the list was picked up. Nope, all good. Maybe the next list will have more than just sauces, it'd be nice to wander the store some more.

She begins to wheel the cart toward the checkout line, typing as she walks.]

What are you going to cook?

[kokuyoyo]

[Occasionally, as they walk, the nekomata around Chikusa's shoulder leans down, pressing a paw down to the cart just because it can, apparently. He ignores it, waiting for her phone replies.]

Mm.... Spicy recipes. I'm not good at figuring out the balance...

[unlucky7]

[She nods slowly. There's a precision to cooking she likes, but the freedom allowed in adjusting a recipe to taste is intimidating. Since she's only cooking for herself at the moment, there's space to figure out what she likes, but it's still hard not feeling like she's making a terrible mistake if she considers deviating from the recipe.]

Do you only cook for yourself or does your god eat too?

[kokuyoyo]

....My god.... sometimes.... but it's mostly for Ken. My partner.

....and Hakkai as well, I guess. Our current god. [Since Axel isn't here anymore, a fact which never fails to sting a little.]

[unlucky7]

[It must be nice to have someone to cook for. Ginia wonders if Chikusa means partner in the romantic sense or in a more general way, but it's none of her business to ask.

'Current god' also doesn't go unnoticed.]

What do you think about him? Your current god.

[kokuyoyo]

He's an idiot.

[There is zero hesitation.]

....But... he makes more sense than a lot of other people... which makes it more annoying when he's an idiot.

[unlucky7]

[His immediate response is surprising and she huffs at how easily it comes, but his follow up is the kind of thing said if there's some fondness. Generally.]

You don't mind serving him then?