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

c

[nopixiedust]

Jeez, don't you have any faith in me...?

[She'd been approaching slowly and quietly, after all!]

[revolutionfalcon]

That depends on the situation. [There's a slight dryness to Shun's tone that indicates he's perhaps not being entirely serious, but it's difficult to tell. Regardless, he flicks a few more pieces of fruit out to draw the birds away from her path a bit.]

[nopixiedust]

I am a very reliable person across the board. [At least her smile is a bit playful as he redirects the birds, and she creeps a little closer.] Do you like birds? Besides vultures, I mean.

[revolutionfalcon]

I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have some kind of reason. [Shun flicks out a couple more bits of fruit, apparently considering that remark a sufficient answer to her question. He's not the type to easily say he likes something, but if he didn't like them, he's not sure why she thinks he'd be here.]

[nopixiedust]

You could be bribing them into attacking people you don't like. [Once close enough, she settles herself down onto the ground.] You'd probably like that.

[revolutionfalcon]

I have vultures that I don't need to bribe for that. [He would've thought Wendy would have heard all about that from Hibiki, but then again, she doesn't seem like the type to admit her failures.] You should know, since your god keeps getting on the wrong end of them.

[nopixiedust]

[...]

Shun, I told you to call me if she was bugging you.

[revolutionfalcon]

Most of those times were before you said that. And last time she was annoying Chinatsu, so she deserved everything she got.

[As much as Shun doesn't like people making nuisances of themselves to him, it will never inspire the same sort of ire born of them pissing off the people he's close to.]

[nopixiedust]

You know, I'm still not entirely sure what's going on with Chinatsu, and we both know that Hibiki's view of the whole thing is going to be colored. What's going on?

[She can't fix it with only a little information, after all.]

[revolutionfalcon]

I don't know the details. I know she pissed off Chinatsu somehow, and it must've been because of something that idiot said. Her pathetic excuse at an apology was basically saying to overlook if she said something "distressing", so she clearly has no idea what it is she's actually done.

[He hasn't been around the both of them at once more than that and the thing at the Autumn reception, so he doesn't have much more information than Wendy.]

Chinatsu said something about "orchestrating" things at the reception. I doubt it's just that she thinks she's controlling, but it might have something to do with it.

[nopixiedust]

....So you know about as much as me, then.

[Goddammit, Shun.]

[revolutionfalcon]

It's Chinatsu's issue. I'm not going to force her to talk to me about it if she wants to keep it to herself.

[And it seems like she does, so he's been leaving it as is. He's also not exactly motivated to push anyone back towards Hibiki.]

[nopixiedust]

You're just going to set vultures on Hibiki instead.

[revolutionfalcon]

It's not my problem if she's incapable of apologising, but I'm not going to let her insult my shinki.

[Says the person who couldn't give the tiniest amount of damns about most insults directed towards him. Shun has somewhat different standards between treatment of him and treatment of his friends.]

[nopixiedust]

Did she insult Chinatsu, or are you talking about someone else?

[revolutionfalcon]

If she's pissed her off and just assumes she's going to be forgiven, that's basically insulting her.

[It's at minimum not giving her the consideration their supposed "relationship" should deserve.]

[nopixiedust]

....Stupidity isn't an insult, Shun.

[revolutionfalcon]

There's stupidity and then there's thinking you haven't done anything wrong to someone you claim a connection to. If she actually respected Chinatsu she'd step up and ask.

[Shun certainly isn't going to argue against Hibiki being stupid, but there are worse things than stupidity involved as well.]

[nopixiedust]

I meant emotionally stupid. I think sometimes she doesn't know how to deal with people if it's not in the context of something like out of a fairy tale.

Which doesn't make it good, obviously. She's like a dumb little kid. [Wendy likes her, sure, but still.]

[revolutionfalcon]

That doesn't mean I'm going to give her a pass for doing this sort of thing. Chinatsu deserves better people around her than that. [Especially considering he's felt her uncertainties and dislikes when it comes to things like not being in control. He can sympathise, which is perhaps part of why he's so steadfastly taking her side on this.]

Judging by her garbage excuse for an "apology", though, I can't argue with that comparison. [The flowers and the melodrama gave the impression she was expecting that to be some kind of emotional climax to a story.]

[nopixiedust]

I'm not asking you to give her a pass, I'm asking you to just not attack her with vultures.

[revolutionfalcon]

If you want that, she needs to learn when not to try ordering me around. There are things that will shorten my temper even further than usual.

[Like mourning, for example, which Hibiki has interrupted him during twice.]

[nopixiedust]

I'll give her a lesson in "Shun Management Techniques", then.

[It's a single lesson, and it's "stop bugging Shun". Well, maybe a couple of lessons...]

[revolutionfalcon]

Somehow I don't think just a lesson is going to work if she hasn't taken the hint yet.

[Granted, he hasn't exactly had reason to set vultures on her their last few meetings, but she's still made token attempts to order him around before he reminded her of what that would likely lead to.]

[nopixiedust]

Some people need things spelled out for them, Shun.

[Especially if they're a dumb noble.]