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

[trademark_skull]

...I've heard that's the way how humans always handle things too. [The unnecessary violence stuff. He sees those ears though, Aymeric, he knows you're not one of them.] We try to be better than them.

Of course, fighting is one of the most important thing to a demon too. But a true demon, will know the best time to use it.

[trademark_skull]

Ah- [Leans forward. Emizel can do one more as an example, just to get him started.]

You should do it like this. [Gets the first tie in so everything is held into place, and kept it firm. Now slowly adds more to it.]

..A-and there. It ain't that hard actually.

[yoshinocherry]

[Far be it from Yuna to squash her shinki's enthusiasm, and really, they haven't gotten much of a chance to get a feel for fighting side-by-side yet.]

Let's go right around the area, there might be something coming, or something lurking just inside the blight.

Major Heavensward Spoilers Below

[onedrinkwithme]

[Are you sure, Emi?]

We are mortal and we disagree and it passes a point where words can no longer reach and we must force our ideals on to those who are 'wrong'. That is what we as mortals seems to have done even since the beginning. And I and my people are not alone.

From birth we were told about how a great many dragons wished death on the people of my country and home. That for a thousand years we waged a battle that seemed to never end...and we had believed it, myself included before I reached adulthood. But I listened to the man whom I can truly call my father and it was he who shaped me into what I can accomplish today. But even as we fought, I did not wish to conquer but protect my people.

And then we had learned the truth; about how our ancestors had committed a grave sin and would have it covered to keep balance...but I would not have any of it.

I am far from virtuous and free from sin but once I had learned the truth, I would not stop until the bridge between man and dragon would be fully repaired. We have taken the first steps and it will be not be the last...but we have ended a thousand year struggle in truth of these revelations. That must speak volumes about how there is indeed good within us mortals if we can look beyond our own faults and come together in a common goal.

[ammyterasu]

[There's a faint glow on her skin as she reaches out to lay her hand over his gently, in reassurance.

It's true that, as a god here, he may be as powerless to influence events in his home as she is. Still, as long as he led well, she's sure that his people will be able to overcome his loss. After all, it's always possible for such a thing to happen, among mortals.]

I am certain that they will.

[ammyterasu]

Yes, that's right! With hard work anyone can become a bringer of good fortune.

[Assuming that such a thing is also part of their nature, after all. But it's clear that it's a part of this young man's nature, even if originally he was a demon himself. She beams encouragingly at him.]

[reformedsinner]

It's possible that you're underestimating them! While they may not have much knowledge of the Far Shore, mortals would be the greatest experts in their own technology.

[He raises his eyebrows at her, and adds:]

I could investigate the question myself....

[fortunesmiles]

Ah, yes... [Komaeda remembers that, too.] And I suppose calling Garry out of nowhere to deal with an ayakashi might upset him... [His shinki is...easily startled, to put it mildly.]

Will your borderlines be enough, now that you're not backed into a corner anymore?

[fortunesmiles]

Not without asking, no. [Komaeda smiles faintly.] Shall I find someone?

[junkyarddog]

Yeah, but they won't have anything else tonight, byon. [Ken's voice is indistinct at best through mouthfuls of food, but luckily Chikusa's got a lifetime of knowing Ken to have gotten good at deciphering him while he's talking with his mouth full.] And Hakkai-sama probably isn't making dinner, so what'll you eat tonight?

[junkyarddog]

Soot sprites, byon! [Ken grins wolfishly.] I caught a whole bunch one time! Kakipi made me wash up afterwards, though... [Ken was absolutely black with soot, of course Chikusa made him clean up.] And it was fun chasing fireflies at the festival, but some of 'em blighted me 'cause they weren't really fireflies...they tasted bad. [He makes a face.

Yes, Ayumu, he may in fact be telling you that he has, straight up, had entire ayakashi in his mouth. By accident. It's a good thing he spit them out; who knows what would happen to a shinki that actually ingested an ayakashi.]

[junkyarddog]

[Really, Ken's mindset isn't too different; he thinks she needs protecting, certainly. But he also believes that as long as he's with her, she's plenty protected as long as he has anything at all to say about it.

Anyway, she's a god, and gods fight ayakashi with their shinki. She might be a really young god, but being her shinki means that this is the sort of thing they're supposed to do together, right? And if he looks after his god properly, it stands to reason that it won't matter what kind of danger she's in because he'll protect her from it.]

I'm ready, byon!

[junkyarddog]

Oh. [Ken's understanding of all this isn't particularly nuanced; he certainly can't argue with Judar's theorizing. He scratches his cheek, eyeing Judar's scissors again.]

Does yours have any strings? Are those the ones you're gonna cut, or are you just gonna cut 'em at random?

[junkyarddog]

I wasn't protesting 'em before. [Ken hmphs.] I only took 'em away when you were making stupid comments about gum without even trying it.

They're still stupid, though. It'd be easier to just not talk to me than to wear some dumb earmuffs.

[trademark_skull]

[Naturally, Aymeric would just happen to talk to the type of demons who's job was to not only keep humans, 'mortals' in line, but also redeem the ones that had fallen too far. It's the reason why the little reaper had taken more interest in Aymeric's story now.]

...All sins can be eventually be forgiven. It won't be easy, it may seem like forever, but if you work hard enough you can always redeem that.

[kokuyoyo]

Eh.... Food.

[Truly eloquent, this Chikusa Kakimoto.]

[Still, it doesn't really matter, right? There's always something in the fridge or cupboards, and he's pretty sure that shinki can't really starve to death anyway. After all, they're already dead, and he always feels hungry, besides.]

It doesn't really matter... We have our stores still. [Because that's a bit of paranoia that will never leave.]

[onedrinkwithme]

[It's rather humorous because he has no idea that is his job. To Aymeric, it is sharing a true story that has a grain of hope. But among them, the elezen gives a soft smile.]

I would not expect any less.

[nolittlesecret]

Me either, but I'm proof. So's my boyfriend.

[Which in the long run was very convenient. Nari's not sure he could have dated a shinki after all in case memories returned of someone else that could impact any love life.]

... maybe... I just find it funny I was picked to be the god of the sea when I'm terrified of boats. Everything else suits me, though....... and when it comes to doing well, ya mean just doing things like listening to requests and prayers, right? And the occasional having to play firefighter?

[hellskitchen]

[ It certainly seems like it doesn't matter. Rin has always been curious about how the process goes, but there's probably no science to it. He thought maybe they put people in the shinki for those who could support others. And maybe gods were chosen by their leadership skills. However, when Rin thinks of Add, he's not really a leader, but he certainly is intelligent and a good strategist.]

I guess, there really isn't a standard. So if that's the case we just have to make our titles our own. You're clearly doing that, Mr. Popular.

[onedrinkwithme]

[Bless her heart, she's trying. He can still feel all the worry, gods that will never go away but Aymeric cannot fault Amaterasu for trying to help calm the situation. He has to remember that what is commonplace for him may not be the same for another. She doesn't need to try and reassure him but the fact that she's doing it in the first place does speak as to who she is...probably. Can only be an assumption on his end but he can see that she is trying.]

...thank you, my lady.

[redotiertwo]

I can hold it off fine, but we're gonna have to bank on it not getting any backup.

[His borderlines are certainly enough for this one, but there's a veritable shitton of ayakashi roaming around, and if they get caught up in a pack, that's definitely not going to do it.]

I don't think I've ever seen this many ayakashi in this tiny a space.

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun lets out a faint hiss of annoyance through his teeth at that last comment, for a variety of reasons. The pettier point of it just annoying him to be called things like that goes unsaid for the moment, though.]

I couldn't care less about titles or claiming some kind of role that I was dragged into anyway. People on the ground don't deserve to suffer for the incompetence and problems going on up here. That's all.

[As far as Shun's concerned, he's not doing anything particularly thoughtful or even worth recognising. He's just using his resources in this position to answer people in legitimate need.]

[revolutionfalcon]

["Only for a while" is the problem with having a motivation like that anyway, he supposes. There's only so much more rope that gives someone.]

Did she grow out of needing your help? [Not necessarily directly related to the discussion, but...Shun's curious. He can relate to the feeling of wanting to help and protect someone younger, so it's hard not to wonder how that ended.]

[sweetspringwater]

[Suijin runs her fingers along the hem of her sleeve again before making a slight dismissive gesture at the end.]

Of course, if you wish to, you are entirely free to do so.
When you make the opportunity to speak to Kurosaki of it, you can ask him for a copy of the video.

[And be the second person tonight who insists on (potentially) wasting time. Him and Kurosaki have a few points in common, don't they.]

[reformedsinner]

[His smile widens, with a very slight air of condescension -- perhaps the old gods' blind spots are larger than he'd thought -- and he offers her a shallow bow.]

I'll be sure to let you know if I find anything of use. Thank you.