27 - The Gods' Meeting

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: The Meeting of the Gods is here at last.
When: October 30
Where: Heaven's Meeting Hall
Summary:







Pre-Meeting

Guards at the front door are carefully checking each god who enters off on their list of attendees, and taking the names of each of their shinki attendants.

Once the participants are past the doors, they are guided down the hallway to a huge meeting room by one of the guards, who will announce them by divine title, and each of their shinki by whatever name they gave. It's an open question as to who's actually listening, though, because the room is swiftly filling up with gods and shinki. As well as the newcomers, old gods are here, some in human form attended by their uniformed shinki, others in stranger shapes -- giant bears, round-bellied tanuki, turtles, dragons, and more. There's even one tricolored tabby cat in a small blue cap, seated majestically in the arms of a uniformed shinki and chatting with another god.

Buffet tables bearing every kind of food and drink imaginable are set up at one end of the room, and a dais with a podium is at the other, draped in bright gold and white bunting and emblazoned with a chrysanthemum emblem.

Early Announcements

Finally, the socialization comes to an end, and the meeting itself begins as Ookuninushi grabs the microphone and steps up to the podium. The year's most popular gods are named first: Hotei, one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, is in third place, Tenjin in second and Ebisu in first place. Each steps up to bow and accept their accolades in turn: Hotei is a big man with a wide smile, Tenjin a tall, ascetic man wearing old robes and concealing his smug expression behind a fan, and a tired-looking younger man in a business suit announces himself as representing Ebisu, who is watching over the Near Shore during the event.

Next, the most popular new god is announced: Ookuninushi has to stop and wrinkle his nose at the name for several seconds before he pronounces it-- Nekhbet, a new arrival in the Heavens.

He moves on to call for a moment of silence recognizing the difficulties of the last year. Many gods have faced reincarnation and returned wearing unfamiliar faces! The Heavens can't yet explain the cause of these changes, but Amaterasu herself urges them to welcome their friends' new incarnations as brothers and sisters in the Heavens.

His final announcement is that, after the successful resolution of the trouble associated with some recent deaths, Orihime has been restored to her place among the eight million gods.

Fortune Weaving

Announcements finished, the main activity of the evening begins. The white-robed shinki bring in huge baskets filled with wooden prayer plaques, setting them down all around the room, and the gods begin to form into circles around each basket. The older gods will gladly explain to any confused newcomers that they're weaving fortunate connections between mortal lives as they spread the plaques out and tie strings off together with great care. All the plaques have names written on them; some are filled out with prayers, some just with notes, and others adorned with pictures of flowers, animals or favorite characters.

Gods and shinki are given blank plaques to inscribe with their own names, too, in order to give them the chance to make fortunate connections as well. (Not necessarily romantic, the other gods will assure them! There are many different kinds of fated connection.)

Help out, take the opportunity to chat, and make some fortunate matches for yourself as well as these hard-working petitioners.

Midnight Disaster

Just shy of midnight, while the gods are still matching up plaques, finishing the last of the banquet, and getting into drunken arguments over who to connect to whom, a shinki in a dark suit torn at the shoulder comes dashing into the Meeting Hall.

"Calamity!" he cries-- and tells the assembled Heavens that a mysterious blight has fallen across a sleepy residential community in the Tokyo suburbs. The blight, a huge circle covering about two blocks, is sucking the life out of everything inside it: plants are wilting, and people and animals have fallen into deathly slumber. As if that weren't bad enough, it's also attracting big, dangerous ayakashi. Ebisu and his shinki are there now, but there aren't enough of them to fight the ayakashi and move the people trapped inside the blighted circle to a safer place before they die.

Volunteers will need to fight ayakashi and rescue the mortals trapped in the blight -- once they're outside its edge, they'll begin to wake up and recover on their own.

In Summary:

• Enjoy the banquet before the announcements
• Hear about the most popular gods
• Help make fortunate connections for the living
• Respond to a disaster
• Have fun~

Comments

[revolutionfalcon]

If you want to waste your time asking, go ahead.

[Since Chikusa seems to be the one most interested in it right now.]

[revolutionfalcon]

I don't know much about what he's done when I haven't been observing, but it would probably be useful to have more people looking out for that. [Ain doesn't typically seem malicious to him, but that doesn't change the fact that there's a certain lack of understanding there. If it can be corrected just by guidance, it would be a lot better for all of them.

As for the question about Roxas, Shun considers how much he should actually say. Then again, it's been a long time since the previous person by that name disappeared from the Heavens.]

There was someone here as a god a while ago with that name. But he doesn't seem like the same person, even if I didn't know the other one that well either.

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well, at least the cat appears to be enjoying herself, which makes one of the three of them. Shun is mostly just resting a hand against his face.]

It might be worth your while to spend time with some of the other cats around the Heavens as well. To understand your god better.

[That is definitely one way to put what Shun is suggesting, which is basically "learn what hellions cats can be when they really want to and appreciate the fact that this one is mostly not".]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well, that's something, but the only way Shun's seen used by the newcomer gods to purify anything is blessed water, so he doesn't really want to figure that's what's being suggested here.]

So how is it done? I'd rather not leave that area festering like that. [It's right near a remote town, and one person going up there and disappearing would do a lot more damage there than in a larger city like Tokyo.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well, Shun probably won't have any more luck with the matching based on wishes, so he offers a hand.] Show me the ones you were having trouble reading.

[That, at least, he knows he'll be able to help with.]

[priforprince]

[ The figure nods. ] Until all the victims are brought to safety.

[ And off they leap! Follow or not, as you wish. They are fully subsumed in this role.

Saving people is their duty as a god.... ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

I could climb, but how would you do it? Anything that just gets you up there like -- [Edge snaps his fingers.] -- puts you in danger.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Then definitely let me know before that.

[A flick of his wrist has a few shuriken fanned out between his fingers, and Edge tenses slightly even as he continues his stalk forward.]

Come out, come out, ayakashi... Here's a tasty human waiting for you, definitely defenseless!

[His taunting and luring probably has little to do with it, but up ahead a pair of shadows seem to split from the darkness they'd been a part of. Just fringe ayakashi, more like vultures who only intended to feast on the kill once the predators were done with it.]

[sageprincess]

[She doesn't laugh, exactly, at Alex's loss for words, but a touch of amusement does alight in her eyes.]

That is something that is almost familiar to me, in a way. Many of the guardian deities of my world take non-humanoid forms.

[Still... she glances over to where Stationmaster Tama and her shinki are conversing.]

... Though I would not have thought a simple cat to be so popular.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

It is cute, and that's awful! That's clothing that's supposed to be cute on girls, not dogs!

[sageprincess]

[Zelda recognizes the wistfulness in Mai's expression, but it's not something she feels comfortable pointing out, given that they are near-strangers themselves. A slight quirk of her brow is the only inquiry she makes to it.

She is rather inexperienced with such things, after all.]

A very optimistic point of view indeed, but nevertheless we once again come to the point of it all being something of a gamble.

[sageprincess]

... I see.

[Sort of. Her brow is furrowed, and it's quite clear she would like to interrogate Ain further, but you know. Maybe she shouldn't do that at a party, to someone she's only just met.

She places a hand over her heart, bowing her head slightly.]

Well, however it is you have come to reside in this world, I owe you a debt. I know not how long the void's essence would have remained within me without your assistance, and so I thank you, sir.

[kokuyoyo]

[ s i g h ]

I guess... since Hakkai lives in the central district as well.... It won't be that much effort...

[He can just pass it by on the way to somewhere else.]

[yasei]

Mind your feet~

[ The warning comes a bit late. Only maybe on purpose.

Obi easily skips up on the wall and looks at Tsuzuki trying to kick in the door. ]

You could just pick the lock, it's much quieter. Or use a window, since they're easier to break.

[sageprincess]

[Another time, she might have found amusement in his jest, but not tonight. She shakes her head.]

I do not. I have found that the prayers made in this world are usually limited in scope, the resolution of a single issue or the defeat of an ayakashi causing the problem typically being enough to satisfy them.

This activity... appears to work on a much grander scale, to my eyes.

[kokuyoyo]

[It's fine, but he doesn't bother with any effort to say that. There's only a quiet squeeze of his fingers into the back of her shirt. It's the same kind of quiet gesture that he'd use with Ken, back when they used to be hunting down mafia- the kind of gesture used for when words are too dangerous.]

[The simplest actions are often the best, and he's skilled as a shinki for a reason. The second he has some room between himself and the building, his hand snaps out to draw a bright borderline inbetween them. It's a strong wall, shimmering like water and the same blue. Not even a moment when it's gone up, he's reaching out to grab his phone. A few quick taps...]

[All he needs to do is draw up a map, and then him and Nanako can teleport elsewhere. The world's worst game of tag.]

[reformedsinner]

I haven't heard of anything like that happening -- although many of the shinki whose memories returned seem to have had it happen while they slept.

[His mouth quirks, not quite far enough for a smile.] Not for weeks, though.

And-- [inclining his head towards her longer hair, as she brushes it with her fingertips--] did your hair grow that much while you slept?

[yasei]

I do, actually! I got a whole lecture about her from Miss-... [ Actually what is her real name? He only knows her God name. ] From Miss Yog-Sothoth. [ He speaks at a lower volume, a conspiratorial whisper. ] She's apparently called Miss Tama. What was it... 'Honorary Eternal Stationmaster,' Tama Daimyoujin.

[His voice takes on its normal cheerful volume. ]

I don't know how to write that though.

[ He doesn't actually know how to write kanji (or hiragana or katakana). ]

[kagenonadeshiko]

The buffet does look pretty appetizing. It looks like the cooks put some real effort in.

[She laughs a bit at the comment about security.]

I never understand what half the magic in this place is meant to do. But I think it's foolish to depend on it too much. And unwise to allow others to view your security plans before they're in place. It's a perfect opportunity for an enemy to gather information on its weaknesses.

[Another soft laugh.]

Of course, it's a good way to trick those who see it with false plans, too.

[sageprincess]

[She is here to help!! She also fishes out her phone from a hidden pocket that really has no business being on a princess dress.]

Yes, that would expedite things further. Now how did I-- [Give her a second to figure out how to reach the contacts menu again.] --ah, there we go. Here.

[She holds it out for Chikusa to take. It will... probably be faster if he makes the new contact himself...]

[roundtablerebel]

[ Mordred might applaud Caster's ability to stack so many people on his back if it wasn't so funny to look at. He really does look like a big blue pack bull. She folds her arms and grins. ]

Five for one? I'll take that bargain.

[ Mordred gestures for him to hand them over and promptly begins shoving the newly arrived cargo into the truck. She thrusts a thumb in the direction of the fleeing man who seems to have picked up his pace upon realizing that Mordred has an accomplice. ]

Better hurry, he's gettin' away.

[ She should probably mention that she saw some big-hairy Ayakashi down that way but eh, details. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[Don't worry, Zelda... He understands completely. And fortunately has fast hands. So he'll just.. immediately put in his contact information, and take note of how to reach her himself.]

If I figure out anything else... I'll let you know. So that there's no wasted effort...

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Well, there's something Ayumu doesn't see every day. Just when she thinks no one can take her by surprise, a little girl suddenly sprouts wings and flies. Ayumu's smile doesn't waver though; instead she just leans over to inspect the ball like it was a particularly impressive sandcastle the child had just made.]

And this light can heal? It feels very nice. I can see how it would be a big help to everyone.

[And she means that sincerely. Healing magic is useful in general; she owes her to life to Hakkai's after all.]

I'm sure you'll be a big help!

[yasei]

[ From the looks of it, it seems important to choose the right strings, too.

He watches intently and with interest. ]

Hoooh... Like that... I see, I see.

[ He chooses two strings of his own to give it a try.

Obi is good at observing and memorizing, so he has no problem remembering how she ties the knot. ]

But you really do have nimble fingers, Little Miss.

[abgrund]

[ there is no need to thank him. he merely restored the balance, placed things where they should be. darkness with darkness, and light with light. mixing is... inappropriate. logic dictates that he doesn't have anything to do with this woman, but...

... it lingers. the feeling lingers, sharpens into a dull pain, like a vine wreathed with thorns. so, he must remove it ]

No need to thank me.

[ it's just how it should be.

he looks down again, the focus in his manner dissipating like mist. ]

Be well....

[ with that, he turns to leave, unless she has something else to say to him ]