March Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: October 25th
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided to the Meeting Hall, where a traditionally styled dojo and training ground have been made available for the day. The gods and shinki are free to take their time during this day to learn about the details of their new life from Amaterasu's shinki or from the many veteran new god and shinki volunteers.




God Training

Newly arrived gods are escorted into what looks like an old, large warehouse behind the Meeting Hall for an informational meeting covering the basics of proper god behavior. Several chairs have been moved in, but they're squeezed together between packed shelves and boxes of old ritual clothing, scrolls and rusty or chipped household goods. A minor deity is giving the speech, and none of the white-robed shinki enter. They are encouraged to discuss the information with each other and ask questions of more experienced gods, as well as instructed to guide their new shinki appropriately.

Shinki Training

Various shinki in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's hosuehold are stationed around the dojo, passing out helpful informational pamphlets. They will be happy to instruct the newcomers in the use of the borderline as well as offering an explanation of what is expected of a shinki and the importance of teamwork with other shinki and with gods. Shinki are encouraged to work together to practice what they've learned and discuss their perspectives.

Back copies of the "From Ama" magazine, including puff pieces about new or rising gods or successful shinki, advice columns for resolving problems between gods and shinki, temple photographs and other articles of interest to gods and shinki, have been brought out in boxes and piled up next to a table holding a few remaining copies of the shinki questionnaire for any new shinki who want to keep one around until they can answer the included questions.


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

Physical Training

The dojo is stocked with a wide variety of practice weapons, traditional and modern, to offer some practice opportunity to gods who, for example, find themselves with a sword shinki but are at risk of cutting off their own toes. It's also useful for veteran new gods wishing to train with their current partner shinki. Several magically animated straw-stuffed training dummies, many of which have been carefully mended and patched with neat black stitching, are set up on the lawn with a white-robed shinki hovering nearby to watch over them. They make good training partners, although anyone who comes too close risks being targeted for a sparring match whether they wanted one or not.

The white-robed shinki are still busy cleaning and preparing the Meeting Hall for the big annual meeting of the gods. They'll recruit anyone who looks as though they're not too busy in order to help scrub floors, weed, sweep paths and walkways, and shoo away any unwelcome little spirits that are hiding away in dark corners of the hall. Heavy lifting is good exercise... right?

Rest and Refreshments

There are casks of fresh, cold water near the dojo to make sure no one gets dehydrated, but for those who've finished working, hot tea and enough seasonal treats are available to make it look as though the Heavens bought out an entire sweet shop. They're being distributed by a few shinki in indigo-blue and plain brown robes with the sleeves tied back, who aren't above teasing the newcomers a bit.

Young shinki are playing in the nicely manicured garden, trying to catch crayfish at the lake edge, dashing around playing tag and hide-and-seek. Just be careful you don't get caught in the middle of a game of "Kagome"! If you do, you'll really be stuck until you guess someone's name.

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Get in some training
• Enjoy a traditional tea
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[foxrightsactivist]

i. physical training

[Though Kaden has obtained his shinki informational pamphlet, the full spectrum of what is going on still needs some time to process. Half of the information in the pamphlet doesn't make much sense, though it probably will after a while, but for right now he just wants to explore. Whenever his god finds him, he can ask about the things he doesn't understand.

The sound of practice swords hitting each other makes something in the back of his mind tickle and tease at remembering, but exactly what it is, he can't say. Still, the noise draws him in, and before he knows it he's... stuck sweeping one of the outer walkways, because one of the white-robed shinki had saved him from one of the magically automated training dummies that he'd got a little too close to, and helping out with the chores just seemed to be the right thing to do in return.

At least he looks pleased with what he's doing, if the gentle bob back and forth of his big, fluffy tail is any indication.]


ii. rest & refreshments

[A nice, cold glass of water is just what Kaden needs after sweeping out the walkways of the dojo, but following his nose towards the refreshments has proven to be a bit of a distraction. Before he could even set his sights on food, he'd noticed the children - more shinki? - playing in the garden, and upon closer inspection, realized that they were trying to catch something in the water.

As it stands currently, he still hasn't retrieved his glass of water, but he's kneeling at the edge of the lake with a handful of young shinki on either side, tail waving happily behind him.]

If you really want to catch one, you've got to do it right! Let me show you how it's done! Watch carefully, okay?


iii. wildcard

[Want something else? Hit me up!]

iii. wildcard-ish?

[sing_for_me]

[Alex hadn't even realized it was time for another training day at the temple. Time seemed to go slower lately. The thought of attending didn't appeal to her, deciding to opt out this time around. It would be difficult, seeing all the shinki there, but not hers. Or would he...? There were people that would disappear but reappear before. It was possible that Temeraire might return there as well.

She checked the time on her phone. It was getting late..possibly the tail end of the training, but there may still be people there. Barry's baleful voice echoed in her head.

There's nothing for you there. Why bother?

But that was it. She had nothing to lose anyway. Not anymore. He was either there or not.

By the time she arrives at the temple, it was late into the afternoon. There's a moment of hesitation before she enters, looking around for the giant reptile. Something does catch her eye-- a tail-- but not the scaly one she was expecting. Smaller too. And...fluffy? There was a broom in his hand, but he didn't look like the other robed shinki.]

Um..excuse me. Have you seen..a dragon..around here?

[foxrightsactivist]

[The sound of a voice interrupts Kaden's focus on sweeping, ears twitching before his eyes move to look at the person that's speaking. The girl in front of him smells like... trees? A forest, maybe? Still, she seems kind enough - a little sad, even - so he gives her a smile and settles his hands on top of the broom handle. Surely they won't get mad if he stops for just a second.]

A dragon? No, I don't think so. Why, did you lose one? That seems like a pretty big thing to lose.

[How do you lose a dragon? Unless, maybe, it's a small dragon. That would make sense.]

[sing_for_me]

[Alex barely contained her surprise when she spotted the ears next. This was a person..with an actual tail and animal ears. She averts her gaze, at least not to be rude and stare at his..parts..for too long.]

Y..yeah..sort of..I---

[A familiar feeling starts to hit her. The same one she got when she met Temeraire. She cuts herself off, turning from left to right to try and catch a glimpse of him. But it wasn't coming from any other direction. The feeling was coming from right here. Her brow furrowed, confused. Tem was no where in sight. In fact, the only one here was--

Her turning stops when she's facing the young man once again.]

...It's...you..?

i!

[welcome_home]

[ There is a little girl peeking around the corner of a wall, eyes wide as she watches the unfamiliar figure sweeping off a walkway.

Or, more pointedly, watching the mesmerizing sway of the large fluffy tail behind him. She knows it's rude to stare, but...

It's so fluffy looking. ]

[foxrightsactivist]

[Kaden continues his sweeping for a long moment, seemingly unaware of the presence nearby as he does his best to get as much dust and dirt off of the walkway as possible.

But, eventually, something almost instinctual is prickling the hairs on the back of his neck. Ears twitching, he looks up and around, nose subconsciously seeking out new scents until finally--

Oh! It's a kid. Setting aside his broom for a moment, he gives her a bright smile.]

Hey! Are you lost?

[welcome_home]

[ Nanako gives a quiet squeak of surprise at being caught, quickly ducking out of sight behind the wall once more. But when he calls out to her, she peeks back out once more, taking in the sight of his smile. He looks nice, so she steps into sight, casting him an apologetic glance. ]

No, I'm not lost. Sorry, I didn't mean to stare.

ii

[alchemists]

Why are you trying to catch something?

[foxrightsactivist]

Huh?

[Kaden's ears swivel back before his head turns to look, but this particular attempt at catching a crayfish is botched anyway. The children go scattering off to do other things as he stands up, brushing the grass and sand from his knees.]

Sometimes it's fun to get a close look at things! As long as you treat them kindly and let them go afterward, anyway.

physical training

[festal]

( Sakura is no stranger to these parts but it's not because she's the practicing type. At least... not in the usual sense. It's not uncommon for people to hurt themselves while training or work themselves a little too hard for one reason or another.

She's tending some anonymous shinki who'd gotten herself knocked back by a particularly aggressive training dummy. It's easier to carry her healing staff than it is to carry an entire first aid kit. When she's finished, she sends the shinki off with some advice to be more careful and she gets ready to go about her usual observations.

But there's someone who isn't training and... Sakura goes quiet when she sees an all too familiar fluff of fur. It brings memories of warm afternoons and pleasant naps and... why is he here? She looks away (hopefully before he notices!) and begins to fret. Was he a god like her? Or... but how? How could he die? He couldn't have died? That doesn't make any sense to her. Lost in her thoughts, she barely realizes the shinki she's just healed has gone to get their revenge against her training partner. She barely recognizes what whack, whack, crack of a training dummy being broken apart. A dummy's head rolls right at her feet and well, with her gaze down at the ground and not paying attention...

Sakura let's out a loud shriek and jumps back, )

Eek!

( Now she's falling backward and all flustered and-- this is so embarrassing. )

[foxrightsactivist]

[By this point, Kaden is almost finished sweeping this hallway. He'd not made a solid deal with the robed shinki, though, so he's not sure if one hallway is enough to make them happy, or if he'll need to do more. But the steady sound of people hitting practice swords and training dummies has become a soothing background hum to him at this point, long past making his ears twitch with each loud 'crack!' that echoed through the training grounds. It's still loud in his ears, sometimes, but it's manageable, at least.

That scream, though, is not a usual noise, and it has his ears jolting upright and swiveling backwards in a matter of seconds. every hair on his tail standing on end. He doesn't need to turn around before moving - he's quick and agile, and within a split second he's behind Sakura to keep her from falling, hands braced on her upper arm and her back respectively.

... huh. Something about this girl's scent seems... familiar? But how?]

Hey, that was pretty close! You almost hurt yourself pretty bad there. You okay?

i

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun figures a quick look over the meeting hall area can't hurt too much before he takes a break, considering what had been going on in there the other day while people were cleaning and he'd been trying to patrol.

It's a little bit hard when the next bit of the corridor is substantially taken up by someone's big, fluffy tail, though. It doesn't look familiar, which only lends to the rather flat look Shun gives the tail and whoever's attached to it.]

You're in the way.

[foxrightsactivist]

[Hey, he's just doing his job here! Or, well, a temporary job. It's something to do while he waits for his god to show up. And he's doing a good job, too, if he has anything to say about it. This floor is so clean, you could probably eat off of it.

There's someone suddenly speaking up behind him, though, which has him turning to look. His ears had caught the sound of footsteps, but there were so many robed shinki wandering around that he'd just assumed it was one of them.]

Oh! Sorry about that. I was just doing what those robed shinki asked me to do.

[With a smile and a nod, Kaden steps back and out of the way.]

1

[kokuyoyo]

[...That is a person with a tail, and that person with the tail isn't Ken.]

[Chikusa has already been asked a couple of times if he'd be interested in helping out, and he'd dead eyed every shinki who had until they'd left him alone. He never really comes to these things to really help out, of course. His interest is more in sizing up the kind of people that have just arrived.]

[So he's standing to the side, leaning against a wall, when Kaden bobs by with his broom hard at work, and Chikusa pauses, blinking... to just watch that tail. That on its own wouldn't be particularly noteworthy... save for as he starts to slowly trail after him, still watching the tail.]

[foxrightsactivist]

[Kaden has passed a lot of people in his task of sweeping, so passing one more isn't much of a cause for response, save for a lift of his head and a smile as he approaches. He wants to stop and talk to everyone, but this is an important task! ... or so the robed shinki had said.

But when his ears pick up footsteps following him, he turns to look over his shoulder, only to find that same person he just passed, now walking behind him, eyes focused on his tail.]

Er. Hi? Can I help you?

ii.

[sweetdeath]

[Ooh. Tsuzuki's no good at crayfish catching himself, so he's drawn in just as surely as the kids that the guy with the tail's trying to teach. He stops a step back, craning his neck in fascination to try for a better look.]

Aren't they pretty fast?

[foxrightsactivist]

Oh yeah, they're super fast. That's why you have to be quick!

[And, as an example, he places his hand on a rock... and then quickly moves it, his other hand sweeping in to close around something that couldn't have been seen in the transfer of rock from one place to another.

Pulling his hand from the water, he cups it gently with his other, slowly uncurling his fingers to reveal a small crayfish, wriggling to try to escape. The surrounding children erupt in gasps of delight.]

See? Not hard at all.

I

[purr_ince]

[Adrien had seen Kaden wandering around - he'd done the same thing when he was new. Getting lost in trying to find his way, which was both a good and bad thing. But he remembered Kairi helping him so even if this new shinki is busily working - Adrien is bounding over with a warm welcoming smile. Plagg is tucked away in the pocket of his over shirt, small paws holding a wedge of cheese that he's happily gnawing on.]

You're a new arrival, right? Do you need some help? I can tell you a little bit about life here if you wanted?

[foxrightsactivist]

[Meeting new people has been the highlight of Kaden's day! ... granted, it's been all he's done all day, since everyone is new. But that's beside the point. Still, so far everyone has been fairly nice! And being approached by one more person is just the icing on the cake.]

Yeah, I'm new! I just got here today. I don't really know much about the place, so I'd really appreciate it!

I - physical training

[clothes_make_the_man]

[Forrest isn't much for the usual physical or combat training, but one thing he is very good at is cleaning. Using Lakshmi's power, he doesn't even have to get down on his hands and knees to scrub the floor - all it takes is a simple wave of the hand and all the dust and dirt is gone. He's having such fun with it that he ends up practically dancing down the hallway, until he rounds a corner and gets a face full of oddly familiar fluff.]

O-oh, I'm so sorry...!

[foxrightsactivist]

[While he's been sweeping, he's had to move out of the way for a few people. It's understandable, considering it's a walkway. People walk on walkways! That's what they're there for. But he'd not expected to be bumped into like this. At least he doesn't fall over, but he's immediately turning to make sure the person behind him isn't falling, either.]

Whoa, hey, are you okay?

i

[deniles]

[gross. happiness. He shakes his head for a moment before starting to move closer to him. His feet are quiet. And he has, amazingly, avoided running into any chore giving people.

So when he gets up behind Kaden, he waits until he's bent over in half...]

There's something on your tail.

[foxrightsactivist]

[Normally, Kaden's ears pick up every little noise. But not this time. He's so preoccupied with his sweeping that Niles' quiet steps coupled with his inattention means he's not expecting that voice behind him at all, and it makes him jump and yelp sharply.]

O-on my tail? What is it!?

wildcard, post-ii

[pure_radiantics]

[Kairi hears the ongoing game but doesn't want to interrupt. She's been around god and shinki both that are so young it's painful to think about, but the way he's entertaining them is so sweet that she just wants to observe for a bit. By the time they're done, she knows that this can't be Dust, but she definitely noticed the ears and tail.

So she starts with a small wave.]

Hi there - are you one of the spirits here in the Far Shore?

[She knows there are animals... and with her recent memory of two-legged animals, she's suddenly very curious about him.]

[foxrightsactivist]

[Kaden's hands are wet from so many attempts at catching crayfish, but he's shaking them dry in the air, wiping what little bit is left on the front of his leggings. All in all, the kids had seemed pretty entertained, and that's what matters the most!

When he hears a voice behind him, he turns his head, ears flicking and tail twitching as he tries to identify the voice. Not anyone he knows... but then, he really doesn't know anyone, does he?]

I am! I'm a shinki, and I just got here today, in fact!

[He gives her a bright smile, turning to fully face her, the tail behind him swishing a time or two.]

My name is Kaden! It's nice to meet you.