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

[declamando]

You would, especially since it's such an important meeting place. If something doesn't get used that often, it only makes sense to keep it clean between those times.

[The last time she remembers this place being used for an actual god meeting was back in May, so it's been some time. In any case, since they're between chasing down soot sprites now, Maria turns her attention to Wendy with a smile.]

You're with Hibiki's agency, right? I don't believe we've met before.

[nopixiedust]

Oh- yeah. I'm her shinki, too. [Ignoring Japanese sensibilities, she sticks her hand out. Hey, chasing soot sprites means they're on that level, doesn't it?]

I'm Wendy. I've seen you a lot on the BBS!

[declamando]

[Maria isn't Japanese herself, so the ignorance of local sensibilities goes unremarked on as she returns the offer for a handshake with a slightly amused look.] Yes, I've seen you on there a few times as well. I think having a shinki like you must do Hibiki some good.

[She's a lot rougher around the edges than she would've expected Hibiki to associate with.]

[nopixiedust]

[Oh, well, Hibiki has to have talked about her, of course. Wendy shakes her head in what's sort of like fond exasperation.]

I don't think much has changed.... She still tries to break out the carriage for just mundane stuff.

[declamando]

[That gets a laugh out of her, and she shakes her head a bit.]

I don't think anything's going to change that. I worry about her attitude towards performance sometimes, but I also don't think she's one to easily reflect on herself. [Her tone gets a little more serious as she goes on there, because it's not really just that which is the problem.]

Is she alright, to have as a god?

[nopixiedust]

Definitely not.

[Wendy certainly isn't going to argue there, if her blunt and plain tone is anything to go by. Hibiki has a lot of flaws, to the point that it's almost a miracle that she's managed to get so far as she is. Then again, Wendy isn't particularly surprised, either. Hibiki is a Rich Person (tm).]

But, you know, even like that, she's not really a bad person, although part of that is probably because I'm a girl.

[declamando]

[The bluntness makes Maria laugh, even if it's somewhat sympathetic. This definitely isn't what she was expecting from Hibiki's shinki...but then, it's probably the kind of attitude she needs from one.]

No, I wouldn't say she's a bad person, even if I'm...not sure how wise giving her a position of power like that was. Her ego is just a little big, but she does care about others in her own odd way.

I'd say the being a girl part probably helps in being her shinki, though, you're right.

[nopixiedust]

You can say it's enormous, it's okay. [Be truthful, Maria.] But she does want people to be happy.... even if she thinks the key to happiness is just her existing.

[which is sure a way to think about things.]

She thinks music can make her home... connect to this place, I guess.

[declamando]

[That gets a slight laugh out of Maria.] Yes, it's...something to watch. I can understand the motivation, but it's unfortunately always going to be a little shallow when she has such a simple understanding of happiness.

[It's kind of sad to watch, as well, considering Hibiki doesn't seem in the habit of allowing people close.

Her expression gets a little more serious at the mention of Hibiki's mission.]

That's this "PriPara" she talks about so often, right? I don't really understand it myself, but I'm really not sure that's going to work out for her.

[nopixiedust]

I think it's something like a dream of hers... or something. I don't know a lot about idols still.

[Maybe it is putting yourself as the ultimate way for people to be happy. Wendy just focuses on the dancing and the singing.]

Anyway.... I'm hoping for the best but preparing for the worst with it. I mean.... People randomly got turned into little kids and old people a while ago, didn't they? Who knows what could happen.

[declamando]

As far as I can tell, she's trying to sort of...bring a part of her world here in a more literal sense. Music can do a lot of things, but I don't think moving universes to her whims is one of them.

[It's a bit of a shame that it seems Hibiki might be missing the fact of music being able to connect her to her home even without having to literally bring it here, but Maria doubts she'll be convinced. Unfortunately, sometimes someone has to be allowed to fail before they'll make realisations.]

It is true that we've had some strange things happen in the time we've been here, though, so I suppose there's not much to do but wait and see.

[nopixiedust]

Right.... I have some things thought out for if it goes badly.

On the bright side... There's probably nothing she could do worse than that Add guy did, right? [Optimism.]

[declamando]

That's good. I'm honestly not sure how she'd react to it, she seems so used to everything going her way.

[She's seen Hibiki freeze up or quickly cover for something obviously unexpected before, but something like this is probably going to have a lasting impact, like what happened with Venus.]

I suppose not. Though I didn't see as much of that myself as I'm sure some others did.

[nopixiedust]

I didn't either... but Hibiki got herself in over her head again.

[So, you know, the usual.]

When that time comes, do you think I could call you? Just for company for her, and stuff like that.

[declamando]

That's a shame. [Maria does feel like she should've been there, but she'd largely been trying to beat things back around her own temple, considering the grotto was a great hiding place for the noise ayakashi.]

It should help if you do. She seems to hold me in high enough regard that it might take her mind off things a bit just spending time with her.

[nopixiedust]

Yeah, I'm sure it will at least help her a little bit.

[She's not sure how bad it might get for Hibiki. But with someone this melodramatic...]

She could even faint knowing her...

[declamando]

[The mental image of that makes Maria laugh, though she tries to hide it a bit with the back of her hand.]

I was under the impression she was in the habit of trying to make other people faint instead.

[What with the exaggerated prince act, and all.]

[nopixiedust]

Oh, you'd think. [A sly smile spreads across her face.] But that all goes out the window when she hears things like sentence enders.

[declamando]

Trust me, I know, I've seen it. [She definitely still looks pretty amused at that, even if the main circumstance had been the fight with that strange sentence-ender ayakashi.] Still, I haven't seen her actually do it yet, which must be a testament to something.

[nopixiedust]

I live with her, so, trust me, I definitely see it a lot. Maybe one day when I invite you over, you'll get to see for yourself!