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

Security Precautions

[replicatedform]

[When he notice someone's by a bush, Yamanbagiri pause for a moment. And then walks over out of curiosity.]

Is there a problem?

Re: Security Precautions

[drops_acid]

[Cardia sits up and turns to look at the sound of his voice.]

Not really a problem. But there's a little spirit under there and I'm trying to coax him out.

Re: Security Precautions

[replicatedform]

[He crouches down to see, and bends down to look for it.]

What kind of spirit is it?

[drops_acid]

Some kind of small animal. I didn't get a very good look but I though maybe it was a dog?

[If he has good eyes, he can make out the wary eyes of a small white fox huddling at the back of the bush.]

[replicatedform]

[His sight is decent, but not that good.]

A dog, maybe? Or... a fox? [He glances at her.] It might be wary of us, or scared. We'd have to show we're trustworthy to it.

[drops_acid]

How can we do that? I doubt it can understand us...

[She's more curious than skeptical.]

[replicatedform]

Maybe... if we offer food?

[Food offering is pretty universal...]

[drops_acid]

[She smiles.]

Oh, good idea. They had some snacks in the other room. I'll be right back.

[She stands and hurries off. A few minutes later she returns with a plate laden with samples of just about everything they had to offer.]

I wasn't sure what would be best...

[replicatedform]

[Standing up, he glances at the plate and nods.]

I'm not sure either, but we can try them one by one.

[He pick the first thing, a piece of fruit, and crouch down. Holding it in his hand, he holds it out in front of the bush. Maybe the creature can smell it and come?]

[drops_acid]

[It sniffs curiously, nose twitching with mild interest. But it stays put. After watching it for a moment, Cardia starts looking over the other options. Little cakes, some sort of spinach pastry, sausage slices...]

Perhaps it doesn't like fruit? Maybe we should try the cake?

[replicatedform]

Can it even eat cake?

[Then again, they're in the Far Shore. Maybe this animal can eat more than the Near Shore animals?

He put the fruit back and pick up a small piece of cake. It looks nice and he can faintly smell the scents. He holds it out.]

Here you go. [And getting another idea, he place it on the grassy spot in front of the bush.]

[drops_acid]

[Cardia shakes her head.]

I don't know. To be honest, I don't know that much about animals.

[Leaving the treat on the grass was a good call though. It may be too skittish to take food from someone's hand, but a delicious smelling morsel just sitting on the ground is too good to pass up.

It starts inching forward slowly.]

[replicatedform]

I know a little about animals. But I don't know about animals that lives here.

[He watches it carefully, and then moves backward a little. So far, it seems like this cake is working.]

[drops_acid]

I suppose animals on the far shore would be a bit different.

[Seeing him move backwards, she does as well. And while the little fox pauses at the sudden movement, the distance encourages him to move ever closer to the cake.]

Oh, he's getting closer...

[replicatedform]

He is...

[The fox sniffs at the cake curiously. He looks up at them, and then at the cake. Carefully, he opens his mouth and take the whole cake into his jaws.

Yamanbagiri stares, almost anxiously? Does it like it...?]

[drops_acid]

[Cardia is also on the edge of her seat. The little fox does seem to be enjoying his cake, licking his chops with an almost satisfied expression. So tasty~

Cardia smiles.]

Aww, how cute. I think he likes it.

[replicatedform]

[A small smile appear on his face, and he nods.]

Yeah, I agree. [He glances over at her and lower his voice.] What are we going to do with it now?