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

[cloak]

[Roxas wonders, though he can't manage to ask, whether that means he'll be of no real help after all. If this form is meant to be used to combat a threat, what good would he be?

He's silent for some moments longer than he means to be, unable to think of a way a coat could be used effectively in a fight]

...Your hands are warm.

[He doesn't know if he imagines or really senses that, but it's something he can ground himself with, in his current unnatural (and not very useful) state]

[subtract]

[The answer gets a small smile out of him. It's a uselessly vague comment, but Roxas doesn't sound distressed at all... so, he'll take it as a good thing.]

Alright. I'll try you on, then. Tell me if it starts being uncomfortable for you. [He gives Roxas plenty of time to answer, letting the coat hang over an arm as he takes off his armoured jacket. Better to adjust to this now than wait until they're in the heat of battle.

When he does get the cloak on... it fits a lot better than he'd expect. Strangely roomy. He pulls up the hood for the full experience.]

... Hmm. I don't feel any different. Aside from not being able to see as well... a passive effect, perhaps? Most likely supportive in nature, but further testing may be needed...

[cloak]

[Being worn is certainly a novel experience. Roxas doesn't have anything to compare it with, and so he wouldn't know how to describe it if he were asked. But he thinks he doesn't mind it, and it seems that Add has a better idea of what his practical utility might be than he does, which comes as something of a relief.

Granted, he doesn't know what passive ability he could have, but it's better than thinking he has no practical use at all]

How do you test something like that?

[He inquires, because it's certainly relevant to his interests to find that out. And the sooner they know, the better in case they're dealing with threats, right?]

[subtract]

Mm, that depends on what it is... usually these things come intuitively, so it may be better to simply bring you along for a variety of situations until your ability triggers. Once we know what it is, we can try to trigger it intentionally to see what other uses it might have.

Don't worry about it too much, Roxas. [and now he can go back to being a coat with his own body inside it. Add picks his jacket back up with Dynamo.] Even if your ability is situational, a shinki has more uses than a simple tool. You're far more valuable than you could imagine.

[... more so than Add can even speak of. He falters, emotions surging up his throat, but he forces himself to swallow everything back down. There's so much he wants to say right now, to tell him, to apologize for... but it's impossible. If he says even a little too much, it could kill him. He has to keep acting like they're strangers.

It takes a little longer this time for Add to collect himself. He clears his throat, slipping his jacket back on and decidedly pretending that weird pause never happened. He doesn't look at Roxas when he speaks.]

There's something else I need to do. [a lie. He already found Ain, so his business here is done. He just needs a moment alone to make sure he's not going to do anything embarrassing in public.] I'll come back to pick you up in a little while, so you can do whatever you want until then.

[cloak]

[He speaks so emphatically about his value that Roxas can only wonder whether it's a kindness or every god views shinki in such a way. After all, it's unclear what all he can do, so how can his value already be determined? For what little he knows of himself he might not even be capable of much.

But these are thoughts he can concern himself with on his own time. Gods are probably pretty busy, or there wouldn't be so many of them, so he nods in understanding when Add says he has other matters to attend to]

Okay. I'll go train then.

[Better that he works on doing what he should now than wait until later, surely]