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

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...Really, you don't know?

[That's so weird. This girl is definitely weird.]

[Well, her and all the rest of them here in the Far Shore.]

For one, the height. A lot of guys might not like that, but they're idiots. The tiny lolita look is overplayed, plus tall means you've got a lot more leg to appreciate.

[unlucky7]

[Leg kind of guy, huh? Good to know. Ginia lightly runs a finger against the edge of his spine as she types.]

Anything else?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[...You know, he wants to appreciate this, but it's more than a little suspicious. Not that he wants her stop, but--!]

You're obviously in great shape. Not that you're giving a ton of clues about it, but just from watching you move, I'm betting quarters bounce off pretty much every inch of you.

Except for up top, you got a pretty smoking rack.

[unlucky7]

[He should be. It's all ammo for her to use in the future. Or maybe save forever. Who knows. Her head tilts lightly as she considers his assessment. He's certainly not wrong about any of it.

She looks again at the minions, picks up another stack of cash as one passes by.]

What do you plan on doing with all of the cash?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Wha -- that was an abrupt shift. What happened to hitting on her? If her goal is to keep him off-balance, she's doing an admirable job -- though Zetta recovered from this one smoothly enough.] How about I take you out to dinner?

[unlucky7]

[Dinner with a giant, floating book. There's always something stranger. But also, who turns down free food, especially on someone else's dime? Ginia thumbs through the stack of cash as she pretends to consider his offer.]

Are all of your friends coming along too?

[She waves the stack of cash at the minions.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Technically, those guys are just semi-sentient extensions of my mana power. [He's bragging a little, because bragging is in Zetta's nature, especially when the conversation is about him.] Loyal minions. I can invite them if need be, and... uh, it helps me get around, but they don't have to be anywhere I don't want them to be.

[unlucky7]

[...Huh! That's actually quite interesting. It's amazing hearing how everyone's abilities work.]

Good to know. I only want you; having them around might kill the mood.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Oh, she barely knows the half of it -- but not because Zetta is trying to keep secrets. She just hasn't got him bragging enough yet.]

...Boy, you're telling me. Yeah, trust me, these jokers aren't gonna be hanging around for a meal with any hot girl I actually want to be out with.

[unlucky7]

That seems to imply you're often around the company of hot girls you don't want to be out with.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Well. [Zetta tips slightly, a gesture to draw his attention back to said minions. A few of them are female, and by all objective standards, attractive enough. But 'vapid' is a good word for them; they give the impression of only being half-there.]

[If nothing else, perhaps the Overlord deserves a little credit for wanting some personality in a woman.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods slowly. Mm. Fair point.

Also that stack of cash she took from Zetta's minion? She casually sticks it inside her coat.]

When do you want to get dinner? My schedule is open.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Whether Zetta notices and doesn't care or is just too busy checking her out is a question for the ages.]

Believe it or not, my schedule's pretty open. How's tonight sound?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia taps her phone against her chin. She planned on helping out at the Meeting Hall until the other shinki kicked her out so tonight works perfectly.]

Works for me. Meet out front around 6?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Sure thing. Oh, hold on.

[In response to an unheard command, one of the minions pops back over with a bright wave, yanking the Overlord's phone out of the massive leather belt that is apparently what she thinks qualifies as a shirt.]

Why not pop your number in there in case one of us is running late?

[unlucky7]

[Fashion is a very personal and subjective thing and Ginia does not judge the tastes of others. She regards the phone with a brief flicker of suspicion, but he has a fair point. If he ends up being obnoxious later, there's always blocking him. When she finishes, she returns the phone to the minion.]

I'm going to get back to work, I'll let you get back to your cackling. See you later.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Hmm. He'd kind of been expecting her to weasel out of that. Maybe she's actually serious about this whole thing?]

[This doesn't seem like something that should have worked...]

Right. See you later, then. [More puzzled than arrogant, as he scrutinizes her in an effort to figure out her game.]

[unlucky7]

[Her game is simple: even if he's an evil, giant floating book, a free meal is a free meal. And the more you know about someone, the better off you are. And if he was lying about dinner and it was just a ruse to get her number, blocking him is easy enough.

So when 5:50 rolls around, Ginia stands outside the Meeting Hall, smiling to herself as he browses the internet on her phone. She's dressed no different from earlier, save perhaps her jacket is a bit dustier and her boots a bit more covered in soot. For such a nice place, they really don't dust it enough.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Zetta is a little more precise; up he wanders a few minutes later. Or to be more precise, up he comes a few minutes later, carried by a minion who seems utterly inured to the task.]

[He's briefly surprised to see her, but quickly breaks out a grin.]

Well hey there again, G. Work up an appetite?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia glances up from her phone and waves. Hey, he actually showed up. She flashes a smile as she types. With how much work there is to do, she's been busy all day. Dinner is definitely welcome.]

I'm starving. Where to?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Near Shore's a pretty busy place -- what grabs you? Me, I could go for some hot wings. [She looks like the type of girl who'd go for hot wings, though he's totally guessing on that. Kind of a tomboy, he figures, especially compared to a lot of the teens around here.]

[unlucky7]

Whatever you want, I'm not picky.

[Not picky, not used to making decisions, either or. Food is food and if he's the one paying it makes sense for him to choose anyway. Though his assessment of her being a tomboy isn't far off. With her hair back in a ponytail and wearing black cargo pants and a black leather jacket, she certainly gives off that impression.]

As usual, DW image uploading doesn't work right :(

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[There's nothing wrong with black and leather. She definitely rocks the look, enough to make Zetta regret the lack of a body. Still, no one ever accomplished anything by bemoaning setbacks!]

Grab on, then. I'll get us on down to the Near Shore.

[unlucky7]

[Instant teleportation, a nice perk of being a god. Ginia lightly sets her hand on Zetta's spine. Do your thing.]

((ooc: Jacket link!))

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Smug in how so far everything is going his way, Zetta drops them down to the Near Shore. No fuss, no muss; they're simply there, on the sidewalk in a less crowded part of the city, unnoticed by those who walk around. The Overlord remains propped up by a minion, but beyond that it's just her and him.]