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

[unlucky7]

[Ginia smiles as his borderline absorbs her attack. Good. He's learning fast and will only get better. At his first attack, Ginia throws up a barrier in front of her, just long enough to absorb the attack and protect herself before she drops the barrier and closes in on him, throwing three fast attacks all from different angles.

One wall at a time, a max of three attacks at once. These are the limitations everyone is held to. The moment an attack hits his barrier and is absorbed, Ginia sends out another attack, keeping up a salvo of blows.]

[swordofzero]

[The attack worked. Alright it hit her barrier and got absorbed but he had successfully thrown an attack, it seemed he was getting the hang of it.

Again his barrier shattered after the second attack and he had to react quickly to jump out of the way and throw up a new barrier against the third attack] Line!

[The attacks keep coming and for a good while Suzaku is on the defense, throwing up a barrier and being ready to throw up another when they shattered concentrating on defending himself, getting out of the way and creating borderlines.

But gradually he threw out more attacks. Drop a barrier, throw an attack, remake a barrier.]

[unlucky7]

[He's getting the hang of it, but defensive skills can be used offensively too. As she breaks through his barrier, she slams out another line. However, it's not an attack, but a barrier popping up directly in front of him, cutting off where he'd cast his own shield as three more of her own attacks come at him.]

[swordofzero]

[The line was close and Suzaku realised quickly that he would not have space to put up his own borderline to stop her attacks. He jumped backwards again, making enough space to throw up another barrier.

Once the third attack was absorbed he dropped the barrier and moved, trying to get to an angle to fire an attack around the borderline she had thrown up to cut him off.]

[unlucky7]

[A borderline can cover a fair amount of space, but he doesn't have to go far. Ginia pulls down her barrier and recasts it in front of herself. However, no more attacks follow and though her hand drops down, it dips into her pocket and pulls out a phone.

She types up a quick message and then plays it through her phone, a mechanical feminine voice reading her words out loud. Ginia's expression is light, though her posture is still poised, ready to move if he decides to attack.]

Your reflexes and instincts are good. Do you feel like you better understand borderlines now?

[swordofzero]

[When no more attacks were incoming Suzaku stopped attacking as well and stood still, at ease it could be called.

The voice on the phone was strange, but really everything was strange and Suzaku couldn't remember anything to compare it to so he just nodded, taking it in his stride.]

Thank you. I understand them a lot better now, you're a good teacher. [He smiles at her and bows his head politely]

[unlucky7]

[She's not military, but her posture is similar, relaxed, but still attentive. She nods at him and drops her borderline as she casually walks closer. She's still tense, always ready for an attack, but her advance still reads as friendly, one hand relaxed at her side, the other typing on her phone.]

Honestly, just repeating what someone did for me on my first day. You looked like you could handle it. I'm Ginia.

[swordofzero]

[His borderline drops as well and he seems more relaxed, if still quite formal.

He was still grateful for her helping him, he had learned some things about borderlines and also about himself. He liked sparing, he was quite fast.]

I'm Suzaku Kururugi, it's nice to meet you Ginia. Have you been here long?

[unlucky7]

Not that long, almost two weeks now. If you have any questions beyond what the pamphlet covers, feel free to ask.

[The introduction pamphlet has good information, but is lacking in details in some area. People were kind and helpful on her first day and the least Ginia feels she can do is return the favor for someone new.]

[swordofzero]

[He nodded] Thank you. [He thought for a moment, the information pamphlet was a good start but some of the information was confusing.]

It says we have a vessel form. What exactly does that mean?

[unlucky7]

[Ah. Sounds like someone hasn't met their god yet. Really, the onboarding could be handled so much better.]

When a shinki is given a name by a god, being called by that name turns you into your vessel form. It's a form that is meant to aid your god in fighting ayakashi. For example, I turn into a sniper rifle.

[Which, on reflection, sounds like an absolutely ridiculous statement to make.]

[swordofzero]

[So they literally turned into a different form. That sounded... strange. Not that Suzaku had anything to compare it with but it struck him as not a normal thing.] And that is how gods and shinki fight ayakashi. With the weapons that shinki turn into.

[Made sense.] Have you fought ayakashi? [She said two weeks, Suzaku wondered how frequent attacks from these ayakashi were]

[unlucky7]

[Her mouth turns in a slight frown at his question as she shakes her head. To others, not fighting might come as a relief. To her, it's a duty unfulfilled, a source of growing frustration in her daily life.]

Not with my god. I have considered finding smaller ayakashi on the Near shore to test my borderlines against, but it's considered risky and dangerous at best.

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku frowned as well. Though the fact there were not a lot of attacks might be a good thing Ginia seemed not happy about it. He understands a little, if this is their duty and reason for being here then it must be frustrating to not be doing it.] Do you know why you haven't fought with your god yet?

[unlucky7]

Fighting is not in her nature. I do not judge her for it. Not everyone should fight.

[Even if Ginia was certain she could defend Nona--and she would do anything to defend her--it was probably for the best. Nona is gentle, her talents lay within understand the words of nature. Archer's words spring into her mind. Not all gods are fighters and truly she needs one that is. Just as equally, Nona needs a gentler shinki that suits her more than she currently does.

She regards Suzaku. He already shows promise with borderline, moves with the ease of someone who knows how to fight. But there is a difference between someone who can fight and someone who wants to fight.]

I hope you get along with your god.

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku found he agreed with that. Not everyone should fight if it was not in their nature. And those that did not or could not fight should not be harmed, they should be protected. It was good that this god had someone as capable as Ginia to protect her.]

I am sure I will [It strikes him as it doesn't really matter, he can do his duty even if he and his god don't get along for whatever reason.] It is our job to protect them after all.

[unlucky7]

So it is.

[Even with some misgivings about the compatibility of her current partnership, Ginia agrees with his words. Shinki have their roles set out for them and should carry them out. But in also with talking to various shinki and gods, Ginia realizes it's not that simple either.]

What do you think is more important; loyalty or personal happiness?

[It's an abrupt change, but it's a question that's been on her mind and as it stands, sometimes it's easier talking to complete strangers than acquaintances.]

[swordofzero]

Loyalty

[He says it automatically before he even thinks about it. Like it is so ingrained into him that he doesn't need to think about it. That's... A new thing he has just learned about himself. Loyalty is definitely more important than personal happiness. It feels right to him even if he has no idea why.]

Do you think otherwise?

[unlucky7]

[Chalk up another to loyalty. Ginia lightly crosses her arms over her chest, phone tapping against her elbow. Perhaps not everyone sees the ideas as diametrically opposed, but to Ginia, there's the feeling it has and always will be one at the cost of the other. And for as ingrained as loyalty is in her, sometimes Ginia feels like it's something she'd rather have torn out.

Her arms unfold, she begins typing again.]

I don't know. I suppose I'm trying to figure that out for myself. Would you still choose loyalty at the cost of personal happiness?

[swordofzero]

Yes. [Again the answer comes naturally.] If you have loyalty to someone or something then it is your duty to remain loyal, no matter the cost.

[It seemed so clear to him. But he understands that it must be less clear for her, if she is asking.]

[unlucky7]

[Loyal, no matter the cost. There was a point in a forgotten life when Ginia was loyal without question. That time also irrevocably broke her and the weld job to put her back together was patchy at best.

She gets loyalty, she gets duty. Be a good shinki, protect your god, protect the people of the Near Shore. She gets that and she wants to do all of that and she understands Suzaku's words.

But.]

Even if the cost was your life?

[swordofzero]

Yes. Even if the cost is your life. [That's what loyalty is. If you are not prepared to give it your everything then are you even truly loyal?

Actually...] If you are not prepared to die for it is it even true loyalty

[Wait does that even matter if they are already dead?

He figures it does. The concept is still the same]

[unlucky7]

["Maybe I'll never know what true loyalty is" is the immediate thought that enters her mind. She can't imagine giving up her life for someone else.

At the same time, she couldn't stand to see someone else hurt if there was something she could have done. And if you come back after dying--although at the cost of your memories--does it really count as dying?]

May you have a worthy god.

[swordofzero]

Thank you [He thinks it is meant kindly. He doesn't see that it will make a difference though, he will serve to his best ability regardless if that is what his duty here is.]

I hope you find the answer to your question.

[unlucky7]

[She has her misgivings about his answer, but it is a genuine sentiment. As for his second statement, Ginia simply gives a terse smile and nods.]

Anything else I can fill you in on?