April Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: November 6th
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided to the rear of the Meeting Hall, where a traditionally styled dojo and training ground have been made available for the day. The gods and shinki are free to take their time during this day to learn about the details of their new life from Amaterasu's shinki or from the many veteran new god and shinki volunteers.




God Training

Newly arrived gods are escorted into a much nicer room than the warehouse where the last set of new gods got their informational speech. It's a smaller meeting room, with tatami floors and a small dais at the front of the room where the speaker stands. A minor deity is giving the speech, and none of the white-robed shinki enter. They are encouraged to discuss the information with each other and ask questions of more experienced gods, as well as instructed to guide their new shinki appropriately.

Shinki Training

Various shinki in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's hosuehold are stationed around the dojo, passing out helpful informational pamphlets. They will be happy to instruct the newcomers in the use of the borderline as well as offering an explanation of what is expected of a shinki and the importance of teamwork with other shinki and with gods. Shinki are encouraged to work together to practice what they've learned and discuss their perspectives.

Butterfly spirits are swarming the flower garden to one side of the dojo, fluttering across bright pink late-blooming cosmos. Shinki who want to practice more precise borderline aim can try using them to gently herd the butterflies one way or another, or, if their borderlines aren't quite that good yet, they can try to catch one with a net. Just be careful! It would be a shame to hurt them.

Physical Training

The dojo is stocked with a wide variety of practice weapons, traditional and modern, to offer some practice opportunity to gods who, for example, find themselves with a sword shinki but are at risk of cutting off their own toes. It's also useful for veteran new gods wishing to train with their current partner shinki.

The animated training dummies are missing this week, although the mundane ones are still intact on their stakes; the white-robed shinki who has previously been seen looking after them is wandering among the mundane training dummies, muttering, making notes to himself and swearing under his breath. Anyone who stares at him for too long, god or shinki, newcomer or established, is going to find him marching over and assigning them a task. Measure the air temperature in each square foot of the dojo, determine the exact height of each dummy and the location where it's most likely to be hit by opponents of different heights, hook an accelerometer to someone's sleeve while they smack a dummy around -- there seem to be hundreds of little, fiddly measurements he needs, and he's not taking no for an answer.

Rest and Refreshments

There are casks of fresh, cold water near the dojo to make sure no one gets dehydrated, and a fresh autumn-themed lunch will be served a little after noon. Rice with mushrooms, salt-grilled fish, roasted sweet potatoes and fresh fruit are on the menu; the shinki will try to accommodate any special dietary requests, and both the new arrivals and more experienced volunteers are welcome to partake.

One of the white-robed shinki has a whole pack of half-grown puppies that she seems to be trying to train. A few have mastered sitting, a few have figured out how to fetch, and all of them are young and excited enough that they're dashing off in all directions at the least provocation. Watch out! Dog incoming! Maybe she needs some help with that?

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Get in some training
• Play with the dogs
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[rockthemonkey]

No, this is mine! Bad dog! No! [Despite his words, Goku is not good at driving off puppies. They're just took cute! How can he push them away or get really mad? Even over food? Well, maybe over food.

Luckily Kaden intervenes first. The puppies stop ferociously licking Goku's face, turn the Kaden and then run over to him, barking happily. Goku breathes a sigh of relief.]

Whew... I nearly lost it...

[foxrightsactivist]

[AND THERE IT GOES, THE LAST FISH HE HAS. Except he's setting the plate down gently on the ground and letting them have at it. He's not going to just throw a plate of fish. What if it hits someone?

At least they seem distracted enough, though. Mission accomplished!]

Is your food okay? They can be a little rambunctious! I don't really know how much they're taking from the training they're supposed to be going through...

[rockthemonkey]

[Now that he's safe and the puppies are preoccupied, Goku relaxes, lowers his plate and shoves a piece of fish in his mouth.]

Ifs ho'kay! [Goku, don't talk with your mouth full.] Thanks for helpin'. Maybe they're meant ta be hunting dogs?

[Hunting for. Food.]

[foxrightsactivist]

[Kaden would also be shoving food in his mouth... had he not used it as bait. Fish is one of his favorites. A sad look is given towards the food tables, but it can wait. Surely they won't run out.]

You know, I don't think she ever said what they were being trained for. But what are they supposed to be hunting?

[That's a scary thought. People hunt foxes for sport, don't they...?]

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku just assumed that fish was for the dogs, not that Kaden had given up his own lunch... Who would ever do such a thing?]

I dunno! Rabbits, maybe? [Hmm, what did Goku and the others hunt for when they were in the mountains?] Think they could take down a deer?

[foxrightsactivist]

[Kaden, that's who! He's a sucker for animals, and it went to a good cause. Besides, if he wants more fish later, he can get some!]

Probably... But are there deer in Heaven? [He tips his head in contemplation, ears lowering just a little.] I hope they don't hunt foxes. I haven't done anything!

[rockthemonkey]

[Kaden is clearly a saint. And, now Goku takes a closer look and starts paying attention with his nose, clearly not a human.]

I don't think they'd- [... Goku leans forward, peering at Kaden. Now the dogs aren't all in his face, it's a little easier to smell other things as well. This guy is...] ... You're a fox! But you're- you've got- ... you're a fox!

[A fox shaped like a human. Not the weirdest thing Goku's seen, but still unusual.]

[foxrightsactivist]

[Oh. That's funny. That's cute! Of course he's a fox! But the dogs must have distracted from the fact.]

I sure am! I thought the soft ears and fluffy tail would give it away!

[For all that anyone else would probably be offended, Kaden is at least grinning. It's legitimately funny to him.]

[rockthemonkey]

Well, most of 'em don't look like you even with those!

[His ears do look very soft. Goku's seen some weird stuff over the years. Most youkai look practically human, with only minor superficial differences. But some of them are a little more distinctly inhuman. He's seen a woman turn into a spider before.]

... Are ya youkai then?

[foxrightsactivist]

[Youkai? Kaden tilts his head, expression sobering for just a moment as he contemplates that. If only he'd come here with some memory of who he once was - who he still is, really - but apparently this place had chosen to stick him in the role of shinki instead of god.]

I'm not really sure. I don't really remember anything about myself except for my name, and the fact that I'm the best when it comes to grooming. But maybe I am one of these youkai things! Or... youko, maybe?

[It's a joke. But he's not sure why youko is such a familiar word. Maybe there's some truth to it after all.]

[rockthemonkey]

[Oh, right, shinki aren't allowed to think about themselves. That must be rough. At least he still has his name.]

You... ko...

[Thinks about it for a minute.]

I don't get it.

[foxrightsactivist]

I saw it on those "fone" things once! Alex - she's my god, Oshun - picked a word meaning fox as my name, and I was trying to look up more about them, but I couldn't really look for long before I just felt weird.

[Kaden waves a hand, not seeming to be phased in the slightest by Goku not getting his joke! It doesn't ruin his fun to have to explain it. Heck, he hadn't even known the word.]

But the "fone" said something about youko being just another word for youkai foxes.