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

[monkeyblue]

Yep. Replacing it, even.

[thevanguard]

[ ....That gives Yata pause as he blinks at Saru, confused. ]

Huh?

[monkeyblue]

For a queen.

[thevanguard]

You're putting in a bigger bed?

[ He looks startled by this. ]

I mean, yeah, we could probably use one but that... you... Really?

[monkeyblue]

If you don't mind.

[And now he's trying to pretend it's not a big deal that he just admitted to wanting a bigger bed.]

It'll be more comfortable than the sofa or trying to squeeze together on the one you have now.

[thevanguard]

Well, no, of course I don't mind, but... Isn't that expensive?

[monkeyblue]

Do you know how much money people pay me to fix their laptops when they get viruses from their own stupidity?

[thevanguard]

....No?

[monkeyblue]

A lot. It'll be fine, if you want it.

[thevanguard]

I... If you're sure it's okay? I mean, I can try and pay you back for half of it anyway, it might just... take me a bit?

[ He'll go talk to Izumo about taking on extra shifts or something... ]

[monkeyblue]

Tch, it'll be fine. Just no more reckless suicide charges.

[thevanguard]

Heh. [ Yata smirks at him, crossing his arms over his chest. ] No promises.

Besides. [ He points off to where the pair of kids were settling in with their mom. ] Admit it. We did good.

[monkeyblue]

...yeah. I guess.

[kokuyoyo]

Sometimes.... But I haven't had to repeat too many yet for the whole summer season.

[Yes, he wore beanies during summer. Of course he did.]

The more I get.... I might not ever have to repeat.

[kokuyoyo]

Mm.... [He gives a slight nod, easing up even more. Hats are a good conversation topic.] He has nice taste...

[People who truly understand the novelty hat life are treasures.]

And mostly... I just came here to see if anything got ruined.

[unlucky7]

[Learning about the sheer variety of deities and their domains will never cease to be interesting. Ginia listens attentively, fascinated by the spread of Áine's reach, while also interested in the overlaps with other deities; there sure seem to be a lot of sun gods around.

She smiles at the mention of Caster. Yes, it would make sense for him to help Yona out. Knowing he is exactly the deity he says he is, Ginia wonders if it's strange for him to see others filling the roles of his gods.]

Aine seems like a very interesting goddess. Has Caster told you any interesting stories about her that you don't mind sharing?

[thevanguard]

You guess?? [ He elbows him sharply before pointing at the kids again. ] That? That was worth it.

[unlucky7]

I'm sure he knows some. I'll ask him when I see him. The temple is a large wood lodge in a dense forest. It's very beautiful and comfortable. He also has three white dogs that roam the property, but they're friendly.

[At least two are. The third is a very good guard dog, but like all good guard dogs, knows the difference between a welcome guest and a trespasser. It's also a strong contrast from her last temple and from the light smile that forms as she writes, the new location suits her well.]

[letteropener]

[Celestia is also very good with animals, so no fear there. Her smile twitches not at all as she spares herself a moment to miss her own pet.] It sounds like a wonderful place. I think you'll be very happy there.

And don't mind me watching to see if anyone there has taken an interest in anypony else. [Without shame, Celestia winks.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[That tone already has Shun planning to just walk once he's done with these plaques, because he didn't come to this party to be talked down to by someone who still, as far as he's concerned, isn't doing their job. What she says after only solidifies it, and as soon as he finishes tying together the two boards he's currently on, he stands up, looking down at her.]

I don't have a problem with learning, even if we're not going to be here forever. But if you expect me to become some arrogant overseer from on high like you lot are - to the point Suijin had to come to me and others for our viewpoints early on because none of you had dealt with any of the people you're supposed to be protecting for so long - you've got another thing coming. So find someone else to talk down to and push into line.

[With that, he turns on his heel and starts heading off towards one of the other baskets. It's still possible to talk to him before he goes, but making him actually stop to listen might be harder.]

[unlucky7]

[It'd be cruel if the target in question weren't the physical embodiment of negative energy and a danger to humans.

Ginia's ears flatten as they pick up the low muttering hiss of a hungry ayakashi.]

"Smells good... smells so good..."

[A lumbering humanoid ayakashi lurches around the corner, elongated arms dragging behind it as it stumbles toward them, bloodshot neon eyes popping in and out of a staticy body.

Ginia leaps in between the approaching ayakashi and Zetta and throws down a borderline.]

I'll hold it off! You and your minions run!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...Wait, what?

['You and your minions run'? Zetta is pretty sure he's literally never been told such a thing in 35,000 years of existence -- well, not as a threat, anyway. The statement baffles him so profoundly he can only stare at her in amazement.]

...What the hell?

[unlucky7]

Unless your shinki is somewhere nearby, we can't rend it! I'll hold it off. GO.

[Her hackles raise as her mouth pulls back in a snarl, sharp teeth waiting to tear into ayakashi flesh. It's not that she doubts him or his minions--okay, maybe a little--but the less to get injured the better.

The ayakashi swings its limbs into her borderline. Ginia winces at the impact, feeling the slam on a physical level, but her borderline holds.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...You know what?

I don't think you really get the whole 'badass freaking Overlord' thing.

[The book is on a whole new level of intensity. Zetta can get riled up easily enough, as has been proven time and again, but those are harmless explosions, yelling and flailing and indignation. This, though, cuts straight to his pride. And his pride is a dangerous thing to cut.]

Put that Borderline down and stand back.

[unlucky7]

[UGH. Not that she has any right to complain when the last time someone told her to run, she jumped right back into the fray.]

Fine! Don't disappoint me!

[Ginia drops the borderline with a huff. Easier to conserve energy that way. Though the second her barrier drops, the ayakashi rushes forward with incredible speed, dangling arms flailing through the air. Ginia pounces out of the way as the monster closes in on Zetta.]