006 | High School Debut

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Substitute teaching
When: All day April 5
Where: A large public school in Tokyo
Summary: There are too many teachers sick and the Far Shore residents need to help fill in!



For some reason or another, many teachers have gotten sick just as the new school year is starting! In a panic, the school is seeking out every substitute teacher they can find, which is still not enough, and so the gods have to step in as reinforcements. And the Heavens are insisting on Far Shore residents helping strictly because this sickness seems so darn suspicious.

So anyone who looks old enough is being asked to step in as a substitute teacher and anyone who looks young enough is being asked to blend in as a new student, all to help the school and find out what exactly is causing this mysterious illness plaguing only the teachers of this school. There are many subjects open to teach and all Far Shore residents are expected to act as if they properly belong in this school while conducting their investigation. That means you'll have to teach properly or attend classes, depending on which role you've taken on.

Some gods might even find it useful to try and get information out of students by possessing one of their own, therefore guaranteeing the trust of the others around them. It's all up to you how you choose to investigate!

Newcomers will find the following note in their pockets as they are transferred to the school:

Greetings and apologies for the strange introduction.

I am sure you have many questions and concerns, but you have appeared at a very inconvenient time. Please attempt to help us, if you can, and we will reward you to the best of our abilities.

If you have any questions, you can seek out the counselor. Too many students underestimate what a good counselling session can do towards helping to alleviate their fears and uncertainties.

Kindest regards,
☼ Amaterasu ☼



Classes

Being a big school, there are dozens of different subjects available. As teachers, you can practically teach anything you would like to, and as students you are facing a constant stream of completely different kinds of information. Maybe the school needs to tone it down a bit on how many different subjects they offer...

Hallways

The hallways are always a great place to mingle and get to know the other students in the school. You'll see all sorts in the hallways, ranging from the beautiful girls being followed by their fanboys all the way to the delinquents who are promptly making their way away from the classrooms for the rest of the day. Hopefully somebody around here will be able to give you a heads up as to what's going on.

Lunch

Lunchtime is the easiest time to gather gossip and information. Whether you are staying in the classroom with a bento or heading to the cafeteria to wrestle for some bread or spending your lunch in the faculty room with the rest of the not-sick teachers, you will find that both the students and the faculty are more prone to chatting during lunch. And a lot of them talk about a curse laid on the school because of the late principal...

Counselling

Surprisingly enough, there is a white-robed shinki in the counselling office of the school, and the golden chrysanthemum of Amaterasu can be found on her tunic as well as on the door to her small personal office. Oddly, all of the other students and faculty keep passing the door by, but the counselling shinki simply continues to smile gently all the same.

FINAL BOSS

Turns out there is something causing the illness in the teachers, and it's an exceedingly large ayakashi, one so large that no single god could possibly take it down. You'll have to all work together to weaken it enough for the rending to work on it.

The battle for the FINAL BOSS will be posted on the OOC date of July 17, all threads involving destroying him should go there when it is posted. All other events leading up to the FINAL BOSS battle should slowly build to figuring out that an ayakashi is at work.



In Summary:

• Blend in
• Make sure to go to class
• Don't forget lunch!
• Investigate the illness
• Seek counselling if you need it
• Defeat the FINAL BOSS
• Have fun~

Comments

[revolutionfalcon]

[It's probably a good thing Takuto's agreeing, because that and his general air about it at least gives Shun the indicator that it wasn't an intentional attempt to wrong-foot him. Though his anger doesn't completely evaporate, he at least goes from looking like he's seriously considering maiming the guy to letting out a long, hard breath and crossing his arms. Opening one golden eye, like looking at him with two might set him off again, Shun gives the boy a calculating glare up and down.]

...You're lucky it did, or I would've done a lot worse than that. Why the hell were you in a pack of girls in the middle of the hallway, anyway?

[He didn't want to know earlier because he assumed it was an intentional choice, but if this guy grabbed at something that desperate to get out of it then it clearly wasn't.]

[tauborn]

[Takuto finally seems to relax a bit, now that they're in the explanation portion of the getaway. At least, until the stranger not-boyfriend asks him what he had been doing.

He'd been flirting, mostly. It hadn't started out like that, or maybe it had, but things just kind of escalated and... well, it's probably better to just be out with the truth.]

I was talking to them--trying to find out about the principal's curse or whatever on the school. And things just... got out of hand.... That was last break between periods. They were waiting outside for me this time.....

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun's eyes narrow a little, like he's not so sure the getting out of hand wasn't at least partially because of this guy, but he's not so interested in the affairs of stalking people that he's going to press.]

Did you actually find anything worthwhile out? [He's been gathering information himself over the course of the day, posing as a teacher rather than a student, but it can't hurt to hear if there's more. Then again, he's not exactly confident that this guy found out anything except how unpleasant being mobbed is.]

The only reason I intervened in the first place was because you were drawing too much attention. Hell, I thought it was a fight until I looked closer.

LOL I DIDN'T REALIZE HE WAS PRETENDING TO BE A TEACHER THAT'S EVEN BETTER GOSSIP

[tauborn]

[Takuto shakes his head.] They don't really seem to know much about it. Just talking about ghosts and trying to spread scary stories.

[He really is the worst spy. He can't do anything without becoming the center of attention. In a world where other people wear masks to hide their identity, Takuto's the one with fastastic color-changing hair, shouting multiple catchphrases during a blindingly fabulous transformation sequence. It's a good thing that being a student comes naturally to him, because despite being in drama club at his old school, he is a terrible actor. He sighs.]

I'm Takuto Tsunashi, a god.

IT IS the responses have been like half "seems legit" and half "seriously" when it comes up

[revolutionfalcon]

[There's a faint snort as Shun hears that. So it wasn't even worth the hell.] Figures. The teachers haven't been much better, but at least they only spent part of the time arguing over whether the story was true or not.

[Though Shun isn't the best at introductions, and even less good at them in situations like this, he manages to at least give one that doesn't sound hostile. Mostly.]

Kurosaki Shun. [With a grimace crawling onto his face, he goes on after a moment.] I'm supposedly a god too, though I only came here today, so as far as I'm concerned they can keep their titles to themselves.

[tauborn]

[Takuto raises his eyebrows and shrugs at Shun's response to titles. He's not the first new-to-Heaven person Takuto's met today, and the other wasn't too keen on being Heaven's chosen, either.]

It'll make more sense in a bit, I think. I haven't been a god very long, but even I know that this is a bit of an unusual situation.

[revolutionfalcon]

I talked to the "counsellor", so I know at least the basics. [Not that he seems too impressed by them regardless, judging by the look on his face.]

Those soulless things they forced on some of us instead of proper shinki had better be part of that "unusual situation". If I'm supposed to be relying on something in combat, something that has no will but to follow is useless.

[tauborn]

[Takuto's face turns a bit alarmed.] S-soulless what?

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun turns slightly and points further down the corridor behind him. Half-hidden behind a locker and starting creepily at both of them is a white-robed shinki, face expressionless as a porcelain doll and looking about as lively as one, too.]

Soulless shinki. Apparently the higher-ups here can't even manage to count their shinki and gods right.

[tauborn]

[Takuto eyes it and tries not to cringe back. It's so creepy. Thank heavens for Mizael... literally.]

I... I really don't know what to tell you.

[revolutionfalcon]

Just be grateful you don't have to actually deal with it. [Hell knows how he's going to live with that thing creeping around for however long it takes him to get a proper shinki. The subtle inhumanity of it just means he's expecting to be randomly attacked even if, logically, it's supposed to be dedicated to service.]

At least it's probably not normal, if there's gods here who don't know about those things. [His tone makes it clear it's a reluctant concession.]

[tauborn]

I'm pretty sure that it's definitely not normal. I thought lots of the other gods had several shinki....

[He sighs, hoping Shun doesn't feel too bad about how things have turned out.] Maybe it just means that the shinki who is right for you is still out there, you know... living?

[He winces a bit. He's not sure that made it better, to be honest.]

[revolutionfalcon]

Maybe they didn't want to give them up so easily. [There's a slightly harsh note in his voice there - even if shinki are considered weapons here, if a person fights alongside you, they're a comrade. He certainly wouldn't give one up without good reason, if he had one that was more than an empty, subservient shell.

Wording the situation that way doesn't really make it better, and Shun lets out a slight hiss through his teeth and turns away.]

I've seen enough death without thinking of people dying for my use.

[tauborn]

I meant... I thought having shinki was pretty common and not like... a god would have to pass on a shinki to a different god. [He couldn't imagine giving up Mizael, of course. He grimaces a bit and tries to look hopeful despite Shun's rather dark words.] Maybe that's why you have a soulless shinki. Maybe the Heavens know you've seen enough and they don't think it's fair to make you see it again.

[This conversation definitely took a very somber tone but at least there's a tiiiiny silver lining?]

[revolutionfalcon]

Obviously not, if they're having to do this. [Still, he's more focused on the latter point, and the creeping grimace on his face says Shun's having trouble reconciling the two problems here. On one hand, he instinctively can't trust anything with that little humanity. On the other, it is true it's preventing him from seeing more death.

In the end, his cynicism wins out.]

I doubt they spared that much thought or sympathy. It just means I'll be expecting it more when it does happen.

[Loath to linger on himself too long, he figures he might as well try to get more information on the other's circumstances.] How long have you been here? You don't seem so new.

[tauborn]

[Takuto actually laughs a little bit at the question.] I've been a god for two weeks.

[It doesn't feel long at all. He still feels like he's just stumbling around in his new role and has no idea what he's supposed to be or do. It doesn't help that so far he's still incredibly embarrassed by his own temple and thus would like to invite friends over but also can't. Still, it's not as if he found out he was a god this morning.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well. It's two weeks longer than he has, at least. But maybe he should just be grateful he's not that far behind some people.]

They must bring people in more often than I was expecting, then. [He assumed it was some kind of by-need situation, where more would come in for things like this...then again, maybe it is like that and he's mistaking how often serious problems happen around here.]

At least I might not have to deal with that thing for too long, then. [Tossing up having to see more people die and looking constantly over his shoulder for an inhuman follower he can't entirely trust, he'll take the former. At least he's used to it, and as long as they're not explicitly dying for him, he'll deal.]

[tauborn]

[Takuto shrugs uneasily at Shun's comment about more people coming. He really doesn't know how often it happens, and no one really seems to know why, either. Apparently, not too long ago, it was rare for gods and shinkis to be called to the Far Shore--or the Near Shore--in groups like this....]

Yeah, maybe you'll find your shinki soon. [He hopes so, anyway. No one wants to see a creepy soulless doll in place of a shinki!]

[revolutionfalcon]

Maybe. [He leaves the comment rather open, since he's not going to count on himself being that lucky, but at least he can hope. Turning back towards the door, he gives Takuto a brief incline of the head, which is more than he would've spared him at the start of this conversation.]

I've wasted enough time here - I'm going to keep looking. That mob is probably gone by now.