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

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki bursts into outright laughter at that. And -- sorry, Chikusa -- here comes another friendly shoulder clap.

He's really fond of invading other people's personal space.]

Wow, you're a cynic!

[kokuyoyo]

[....Tsuzuki is going to become a "friend", isn't he. Chikusa has a sinking feeling about this.]

...Yeah. [What, he can't deny it] But I'm pretty sure I'm right.

[sweetdeath]

[If by that, Chikusa means somebody who's going to shove his way into Chikusa's life... then yes. Yes, he probably is.]

Maybe so. I like thinking of friendship as being a little bit about, you know, liking somebody, too.

[kokuyoyo]

....And if you generally don't have strong feelings one way or the other...?

[Chikusa is still pretty sure he could count the number of people who count on one hand, still.]

[sweetdeath]

Then I guess you'll have to stick with friends being the people who won't leave you alone.

[There are worse fates.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Chikusa isn't sure, but, ok]

....Do you do this to everyone?

[sweetdeath]

-- wait, do what?

[Now he's just not sure he understands. It's not like he's doing anything unusual, right?]

[kokuyoyo]

...What you're doing right now. Like touching me a lot.

[sweetdeath]

Now you're making it sound weird. I was patting you on the shoulder! That's not weird!

[That's not even "touching a lot"! If he were getting real touchy, he would've ruffled the guy's hair or something.

If Chikusa were shorter. And if he weren't wearing a hat. Hair-ruffling is basically off the table as it is, but it's the principle of the thing.]

[kokuyoyo]

....You've touched my shoulder three times now.

[In the same conversation.]

[Then again, maybe that's just Chikusa being weird about casual tough.]

[sweetdeath]

That's not weird!

[Now it feels weird, though. He'll just... he'll just be keeping his hands to himself then.

Maybe, like, behind his back.]

[kokuyoyo]

[ s q u i n t ]

....Most people don't touch me that much. Unless they're a child.

[Or, to be more specific, Nanako.]

[sweetdeath]

Maybe you've just got a scary face.

[More like, offputting levels of deadpan, which Tsuzuki isn't bothered by himself, but.]

Anyway, geez, I don't think it's that big a deal, but I can stop if you've got an issue with it.

[kokuyoyo]

...I don't think it's my face that scares people away....

[It's probably the casual talk of murder, if anything.]

Isn't it just weird to touch people so much...?

[sweetdeath]

I don't think it's weird! Most people are fine with it!

[He winces, rubbing the back of his neck in obvious embarrassment.]

[kokuyoyo]

...People are so weird....

[He doesn't understand them at all.]

[sweetdeath]

Why's it weird to pat somebody on the shoulder? Come on!

[He's still wincing.

Teenagers are such a pain in his ass.]

[kokuyoyo]

....Doesn't that just make it easier for someone to get close enough to kill you?

[IT'S A LEGITIMATE CONCERN, RIGHT]

[sweetdeath]

Are you planning to kill me?

[This is not a concern he has about most people. Some people, sure! Some people come at him with lead pipes! Ayakashi have tried to eat his face.

That doesn't mean every gawky teenage beansprout shinki he runs into is going to get treated like they're one breath away from stabbing him in the kidneys.]

[kokuyoyo]

...I meant the other way around.

...Although I guess that's also a way that it's worrying...

[sweetdeath]

Well, I'm definitely not planning to kill you. I mean, you're friends with Ayumu.

[And Ayumu is much, much scarier than he is.

Therefore, Chikusa's safe.]

[kokuyoyo]

[His gaze drifts skyward for a moment in careful thought.]

....True. She tried to break his nose and ribs, so.... all she'd have to do to you would blow in your direction...

[sweetdeath]

Wow, thanks. I'm a little tougher than that.

[Not better in a fight, mind. Just harder to take down.]

[kokuyoyo]

[...Alright. Just.... don't mind if he starts to reach over to touch your shoulder right now, Tsuzuki.]

[sweetdeath]

[Aww, look at him trying to get used to casual affectionate physical contact!

That's definitely what he's doing, right?

He's not trying to stab Tsuzuki or something, right?

... Okay, it's a little worrying, but Tsuzuki's not about to dodge.]