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

[unlucky7]

[Writing a prayer instead of a name seems safer. Ginia pulls the placard out of her coat pocket and looks at the smooth blank space before glancing around.]

Do you see something I can write with?

[letteropener]

[In a flash of golden magic, Celestia produces a quill and a vial of ink, which she offers to Ginia along with her brightest smile. A useful trick to have for one who enjoys reading and writing as she does!]

[unlucky7]

[Oh! Magic is so useful. Ginia bows her head and smiles at Celestia as she takes the quill and dips it into the ink. A few drops of ink might drop onto the plaque as she tries to figure out how to word out her prayer.]

I pray for the happiness of my god and his shinki.

[Her handwriting is a bit careless from being unused to writing with a quill and a few more ink drops dot the wood, but there. A prayer. Hopefully Caster, Archer, and Lancer don't mind.]

[letteropener]

Oh, your god has several shinki?

[Celestia had been watching, cheerfully snooping out of good-natured curiosity.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods, gently waving the plaque to help dry the ink before setting it aside.]

Archer and Lancer were already there when I joined his temple. They've been very kind to me.

[letteropener]

He's... very lucky.

[Celestia, unable to even keep one shinki, can't keep herself from a brief moment of jealousy. But it passes; she pushes aside the feelings, then restores her smile once more.]

That seems like an excellent prayer. I wonder who it might connect you to that will make it happen.

[unlucky7]

[The effect of her words go unnoticed as shrugs and, before she can regret it, drops it into the basket and mixes it in with the other plaques.]

I guess it's up to fortune at this point. Thank you for the quill and ink.

[letteropener]

Quite happy to oblige. And if you see any of mine while you're looking at these, I trust you'll fix me up with somepony good. [Celestia winks playfully at her.] I'll certainly do the same for you.

[unlucky7]

I'll make the best matches I can for you.

[What she wants to ask if they can tie their plaques together, but maybe that's unnecessary; they already met and have met again. There's nothing else that needs to be done.]

[letteropener]

Oh, wonderful! Though I do hope what little power is behind this ritual doesn't cause anything too weird to happen. [She leans in to lower her voice.] If it thinks I belong with one of the horses in the Near Shore, I might freak out.

[unlucky7]

[A tiny huff of a laugh escapes at the absurdity and mental image of the statement, Ginia's face scrunching up in amusement.]

That would certainly be a misstep on behalf of the heavens.

[Speaking of, Ginia waves a hand lightly at everyone in the room.]

I didn't realize there were so many gods and shinki. Of all kinds too.

[letteropener]

[It really would. Make light of it though she might, Celestia is truly disturbed by the equines she's met here -- as humans would be to find a version of their own species with intelligence lowers than the animals they knew.]

Neither did I. It truly makes me wonder why so few nonhuman gods or even shinki appear in the Far Shore.

[unlucky7]

[A good question. Ginia's mood sobers a little as she looks around at the room. Eight million gods, the old and the new. The new are of barely any significance in numbers and age, but they are being welcomed as fellows tonight.]

Do you feel lonely?

[letteropener]

I'm afraid so, yes.

[Her smile doesn't falter, but it shows in her eyes.]

The Far Shore can be a lonely place.

[unlucky7]

If there's anything I can do, please let me know.

[The Far Shore can be a lonely place, and it distresses Ginia to know Celestia can feel so lonely here. There's no hesitation in her words as she types them out and plays them.]

If you need a shinki, feel free to call on me.

[letteropener]

Thank you, Ginia, but it's all right. You already have a god.

[Celestia doesn't need a shinki, so much as she needs friends, and a familiar face or two would be particularly nice.]

[unlucky7]

[Caster is not a god who accepts nora and Ginia does not want to betray his trust or go against him. She does not regret her words either, though she doesn't say anything more on it, especially not with so many other shinki and gods around.

Still, she'll let the offer stand.]

Then can I come over to bake with you?

[letteropener]

Of course you may. I'd love the company.

[And since that hits far closer to the heart of what troubles Celestia, she accepts unhesitatingly and with a broad smile.]

My temple is always open, especially to friends.

[unlucky7]

[Friends. Ginia's head snaps up a little and her eyes are uncertain. She likes Celestia in the same way she likes a lot of people in the Far Shore; with respect, fondness, and with a general williness to throw herself in harms way with little regard for her safety.

Yet somehow it doesn't register as friendship. Friends feel like some other unobtainable thing for a reason she can't explain. There are allies, there are acquaintances, there are people she would protect out of duty. Yet there are no friends, not in her skewed view.

She'll figure it out one day.]

You're always welcome at Caster's temple too, if you would like to visit.

[letteropener]

[it's because Celestia looks like a regal Amazon, isn't it Celestia used the word and meant it, and few are more qualified to use the word and mean it than Princess Celestia. And she is certain the one she can name would agree.]

I will keep that in mind, and bring cookies if need be to earn my way in with the rest of the crowd there. Those always work. Now that I'm good at them, of course.

[unlucky7]

[Looking like a regal Amazon helps around this tall bi mess, yes.]

I'm sure they'd love them.

[They're a very easygoing bunch, Caster, Archer, and Lancer. It wouldn't be hard at all for Celestia to work her way in.]

Have you met Archer? He does all the cooking at the temple and is very good at it. I'm sure you two could swap recipes.

[letteropener]

[Heaven help her if Celestia ever gets huggy.]

Oh, well, so long as he has vegetarian recipes! My wings have never taken me by there, but I'm certain with an invite from you I'd have no problems dropping by someday.

[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.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia chuffs lightly and smiles. Good luck with that. There are no shinki more devoted than Archer and Lancer.]

You can try, but I'm not sure they'll budge. But thank you. I like it there. The temple is nice and they've been very kind for me. Archer set up a bedroom for me and bought me towels even though he didn't have to.

[Her smile fades slightly if only because she's still not used to kind favors unasked. Even if Archer was acting out of duty, his kindness deserves to be repaid and she's not sure how to do that.]