29 - Autumn Leaves

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Uncover the remaining secrets of the mysterious forest.
When: Nov 29 - 30
Where: Chichibu National Park & the Central District
Summary: A heavily forested wilderness area in Chichibu National Park is attracting dangerous numbers of ayakashi, and Heaven's forces suspect that this might be the mortal forest that was connected to the Heavens in order to kidnap gods and shinki a few weeks ago.






Walk in the Woods

On the morning of the 29th, Heaven's messenger doves drop off small folded cards at the doors of every temple. The cards read,


We believe that we have identified the location on the Near Shore where the human accomplices were working. As it is a large area, we offer you this information, in case you are able to assist us in searching for clues to the identity of the culprit. Please investigate with caution: there are reports of ayakashi in the area.


Attached is a map to a large national park in the Kanto region, with a section of the park cross-hatched in red pen. Anyone who goes to investigate the marked area will discover that it is heavily forested and contains about a mountain and a half; the ground is steep, muddy with autumn rain, and slick with dead leaves, though some red and orange colors are still grimly clinging to the branches overhead. Watch your step! The supernatural menace seems to have faded, but the purely natural hazards can do almost as much damage.

Heaven's forces, wearing white short jackets with gold chrysanthemum emblems over much more sensible jeans and hiking boots, can be seen here and there throughout the forest, searching for clues themselves. If somebody gets in a real jam, they might be willing to lend a hand.

Mysterious Trees

Towards the center of the cross-hatched area, investigators may begin to see some familiar signs. Are those bits of torn-down spell papers still fluttering from nails driven into the trees? Vines and tree branches cut and broken by the hostage rescuers breaking through? Footprints, torn bits of black hooded cloaks... there are clues aplenty here.

There's something else, too: a mysterious presence still seems to haunt the forest. The trees might not move when anyone's watching, but it seems like they're in slightly different positions every time you look away and back. And what was that flicker of movement in the underbrush? Is there still someone here?!

Comment on the NPC REQUEST/CLUE SEARCH thread below to request specific details, or to go hunting for that mysterious presence.

Ayakashi Attacks

There's more than one mysterious presence in these trees... and some of them are definitely not friendly. The forest's aura is unsettling and creepy enough to partially mask their approach, but ayakashi of all types and sizes seem to have been drawn here. Some wind along tree branches or soar through the air on fleshy, wide-spread wings. Others crawl or even burrow in the ground.

And all of them are excited at the possibility of a divine meal. Look out!

Autumn Leaf Viewing

An area of the Central District planted with maple along a stone-walled canal has been decorated with hanging lanterns, comfortable spread mats and cushions, and an abundance of delicious food and drink on the afternoon of the 30th. Everyone is invited: new gods and old, those who helped investigate the Near Shore forest and those who didn't. For those who did investigate, though, one or two of the white-robed shinki who are helping with the party preparations and enjoying the food and drink themselves will take the opportunity to pull them aside and ask about their findings.

The party includes games as well as food and drink. Kites, poetry games, tag, hide-and-seek, card games and dice games are going on all over. There's even some determined board game and mahjong players who have brought their favorite game to the outdoor venue and are setting up on mats with immense care.

At one edge of the landscaped area where the party is being held, the ground slopes up, and is planted with a riot of bright gold, white and rust-red chrysanthemums. Like the ones that bloomed everywhere a few months ago, these flowers exude a sense of peace, confidence and security to anyone nearby, and especially those who pick the blooms to wear in their hair or their buttonhole.

In Summary:

• Investigate a wild forest
• Watch out for nasty trees
• Exorcise an ayakashi infestation
• Enjoy some hard-earned relaxation
• Have fun~

Comments

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku tilts his head back to stick his tongue out at Gojyo.]

If a creepy lech comes into her house and starts lookin' at her, of course she's gonna be scared! You should thank me for telling her you're not gonna do anything weird.

[Thanks guys, they'll be here all week. Tip your waitress. Goku turns back to the girl.]

Sorry, we didn't know there was anyone else here. Do you live here on your own?

[fleetforestsprite]

[This time, she covers her mouth with one hand when she giggles, looking up at Gojyo with curiosity instead of caution.]

Your face isn't scary.

[She reaches out, then, putting her hand on a nearby tree with the comfortable air of someone patting a friend's arm, and looks back at Goku.]

Yours isn't either. I'm not alone, but I'm not supposed to let people see me.

[erogappa]

[ She's not one of the cultists, is she? She's sure not acting like one of the brainwashed people. And she's not threatening them, or hiding outright, or leading them into a trap, so.. it's probably safe to talk to her? Probably?

She's a nice kid. He's sure it's fine. ]

How about we make you a deal. [ Unfolding his arms (which, ew, he's still got the dew-damp musty little doll in one hand), he mashes one palm into the shrimp's hair, just because he can. The doll he lets hang in his other hand, completely visible to the girl. ] We won't tell anyone we saw you, and you don't tell anyone you saw us either.

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku makes a face when his hair is messed with, but brightens up again quickly. He's used to it.]

Yeah! We'll cover for you! [To who? Who are they hiding from? Who knows.] I think we were lookin' for someone else anyway.

[She doesn't look like any of the cultists and she doesn't seem like the god or whatever that was behind it. She's a cute kid, that's all. A cute kid that lives in the park. Hanging out with trees.]

[fleetforestsprite]

As long as you don't tell anybody you saw me....

[They both promised, so it's fine. She doesn't have to hide again right away. She presses her hands together, fingertips all lining up, and smiles.]

Who are you looking for?

[erogappa]

[ With a final palm-grind to Goku's hair (good luck getting that snarl to lay down again, kid), Gojyo holds up the creepy doll. ]

We're lookin' for whoever put these up.

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku wrinkles his nose and then shakes his head violently to help his hair spring back into place. It's a mess, just like it's supposed to be.]

A few weeks back there were some really weird guys here messing with people and leaving those things around. Did you see 'em?

[fleetforestsprite]

Those? [The tension is back; she retreats from them a half-step, brushing one of her hands against the trunk of a nearby tree, as though for support.]

I, um, why do you want to know?

[erogappa]

[ Her reaction is just what Gojyo was hoping for -- she knows about the cultists, and she's not a fan of theirs. He tucks the doll into the back pocket of his jeans, and smiles kindly at the girl. ]

They hurt our friends. We want to make sure they don't hurt anybody else.

[ And the best way to make sure of that will be to kill all of them so thoroughly that nobody ever thinks of doing something similar again. But he doesn't think she needs to hear that part. ]

[rockthemonkey]

[Wow, something is clearly bothering this girl. She seemed so chill just a minute ago. Goku blinks a few times in confusion before giving her his best reassuring smile.]

Yeah! There was kinda a big mess, so we're tryin' to figure out what was going on. [Nothing scary about that!] Can you help us?

[fleetforestsprite]

I can't tell you anything.

[She fiddles with a lock of her tangled hair, giving the two of them a scared glance.]

He'll know I talked to people, and he'll be mad.

[erogappa]

[ There will never be a version of Sha Gojyo who can shrug and walk away when a kid is scared of somebody powerful. (Although this version is going to need to shrug out of his backpack in a minute -- it's not so bad when they're moving, but if they're standing still then his shoulders need a break!) ]

Who's gonna tell him? [ He gestures back and forth between himself and Goku. ] Us? He hurt somebody really important to us. We're not gonna tell him anything. We just want to make sure he can't hurt anyone else, ever again.

[rockthemonkey]

[That someone will be mad at her doesn't mean they're a bad person. It doesn't even mean that she doesn't like them. But she looks scared and it's only now that they've gotten to this topic that she's really worried.]

We already told you, right? [Goku points to himself and to Gojyo.] We didn't see you and you didn't see us. He won't know anything.

[Goku doesn't really understand much about what's going on. But he knows how to keep a promise once he's made it.]

[fleetforestsprite]

[Her shoulders hunch defensively.]

You just wanted to talk to me so you can make me tell you about him, don't you?

[erogappa]

[ What? Aw, no. Gojyo crouches down -- she's a distance away, but it just seems like the right thing to do when talking seriously with a kid. ]

We want to make him go away. [ The doll is damp in his pocket, and with a scowl of disgust he pulls it out and drops it onto the forest floor. ] That'd be good for you, right? Wouldn't this be a nicer forest if he wasn't around?

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku is already crouched down low, but he stares at the girl pretty intently while Gojyo talks. Is she scared of "him" or distrustful of strangers or both? He doesn't get it. But he didn't mean to upset her.]

... We were lookin' for whoever set this stuff up, but if you don't wanna talk about him that's fine. [Gojyo might wanna push it, but they can't force her to talk.] We can talk about somethin' else. What's your name?

[fleetforestsprite]

If he wasn't around I'd be all alone.

[Her voice is small, but she wrinkles her nose and straightens up, trying to look distant and disdainful.]

You're just here looking for him, so you're going to leave. [Since they just want information--]

--I'm Votelli.

[erogappa]

[ She's alone, other than this him? Gojyo takes a deep, slow breath, mind whirring.

If she's human, there's a whole world down the hill where she can have company. Friends. And if she's not human, then is there any reason she couldn't come with them? There's plenty of space in the Far Shore, and it's not like one more heretic spirit would mess things up any worse. Right? ]

Hi Votelli. I'm Gojyo. [ He nods at Goku. ] This guy here is Meat Free Pocky. We're gods.

[rockthemonkey]

[Oh. She doesn't want to be alone. Even if that guy is scary, he's better than being alone. Things make more sense now, at least to Goku. There's no point asking her to do anything that might hurt that guy then.]

I'm Goku. [He whines that a bit. He can't even correct Gojyo's pronounciation of his other name because he can't do any better a job saying it himself. But he's Goku!!]

Votelli, huh? [Urgh, what to do, what to do...] ... Are you hungry?

[He has snacks.]

[fleetforestsprite]

You're gods? [Her voice spirals up into a squeak, eyes going wide as she looks between the two of them.]

I'm really not supposed to --

I mean --

Real gods? From the Heavens?

[erogappa]

Real as you are!

[ A human girl would have laughed about that, right? One more sign that Votelli isn't human... or at least, not entirely. ]

Have you ever been to Heaven? It's pretty nice!

[rockthemonkey]

Well- [Goku barely stops himself from contradicting Gojyo. He hates lying. But those other gods said he was a god too, so maybe it's not lying? It's not like being a god is anything special.]

The people are pretty nice. Otherwise Heaven is kinda boring. [Goku has not really been around long enough to be bored of the Far Shore, but he can't help how he feels.] I think Earth is more fun. There's lots of different things to see here.

[fleetforestsprite]

[She shakes her head vigorously.]

I've never been! He says it's full of--

[--She breaks off, reddening, and her shoulders hunch up.]

It's fine here. Just lonely sometimes.

[erogappa]

[ Look, heaven is actually terrible, okay? But that's because he's not there voluntarily. Given a choice between living alone in the woods and hanging out with talking horses and glowing cherry trees, though? He'd pick having people around. Maybe Votelli would too. ]

I don't like bein' alone either. [ If they're going to hang around and chat for awhile, then he's going to get comfortable. With a groan he shrugs out of his backpack, drops it on the forest floor, and sits on it. ] Oh, that's better. [ He rubs one shoulder wryly. ] Do you have any family anywhere else?

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku nods his head as vigorously as Votelli shakes hers.]

Yeah, being alone sucks! [We're all desperate, clingy people here, it's fine. Goku smiles and sits down cross-legged. They're not going anywhere now.] You should come visit us! We can introduce you to our friends!

[They're all weak to cute, young children, so that should go great. She can come get spoiled.]