June Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: December 7th
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.

Once they've had a chance to have things explained, they'll have the chance to relax and enjoy an afternoon party.




Meeting Hall

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.

The speaker delivers her welcome speech with the intonation of someone who's practiced it many times. Newly arrived gods 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. They are allowed to remain in the room as long as they wish, should they want to discuss questions with each other or with more experienced gods who are here to help out.

Shinki Training

Various shinki in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's hosuehold are stationed around the dojo, passing out informational pamphlets that have been freshly printed. They will be happy to answer any questions or instruct the newcomers in the use of the borderline. They also accompany their answers, or lessons, with 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.

The dojo is back to its old, fully functional self; a set of motionless straw targets line one wall, to be used by people practicing with any of the weapons spread out on tables or hanging in racks on the walls. Outside, six animated straw targets wait in an area marked off with red ribbons and warning signs. Anyone entering the marked area may find themselves in combat with one (or more) of the magical training dummies. Those who leave the marked area, though, won't be chased.

Physical Training

Beyond the dojo, a scavenger hunt has been set up throughout the grounds of the Meeting Hall. Brightly colored plastic balls are hidden in shrubbery, tucked into support beams, floating among reeds in the ponds, and lurking in even cleverer hiding places. When a god or shinki gets their hand on one of them, they will burst open to reveal a hidden prize, such as candy, small toys, or accessories. How many can you find?

As well as the scavenger hunt, the white-robed shinki are engaging in more serious physical training and will be happy to let new gods or shinki join them. Sparring matches with practice weapons from the dojo, jogging laps around the hall, sit-ups, push-ups... or, for the younger shinki, competing to see who's the fastest to climb a tree.

Rest and Refreshments

Midafternoon, once the last of the scavenger-hunt prizes have been found, the white-robed shinki will turn their hands to clearing away the training equipment and laying out a lovely buffet table. Bright lanterns are hung from the trees, and a few shinki even take up a station on one side of the training area and begin playing shamisen, koto, wooden flute and drum. Although their instruments are traditional, their music selection ranges from some very classic Japanese tunes to others that sound surprisingly modern. The koto player can really rock!

Old and new gods and shinki alike are welcome to circulate, socialize with their friends, partake of the buffet food and enjoy the music. There's even room for those who feel inspired to dance, and plenty of privacy offered by the extensive garden for those who would rather retreat with their new partners to have a serious conversation.

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
• Relax at a party
• Have fun~

Comments

[disciprined]

[--and that's one less thing to worry about.

[As the kind of girl who reads and memorizes explanatory pamphlets, Mirei thinks she has a fairly good idea what the nagging feeling that she ought to be at training to greet any new arrivals might mean. It's a new sensation, and far from a welcome one, yet the only real surprise about it all was that it took such an unusually long time about making itself known to her. That, by the laws of the world she has found herself in, a God alone is vulnerable... well, Mirei knows that only too well. The alternative, though, isn't something that a girl who thinks in terms of friends and partnerships is entirely comfortable with.

[Okay. Presume her calculations are accurate. How, Mirei wonders, is she supposed to know exactly who she is here for? Do they have signs, like people have in airports? It's a ridiculous idea, but hardly less so than simply wandering around in the hope that--]

Excuse me?

[--and, just like that, she knows.

[The details announce themselves straight after. Mirei is looking at a girl of about her own age, a girl who would remind her a little more of Sophy, if she was perhaps just a little less like Dorothy. Nobody she knows, and she isn't sure if she's disappointed or relieved, barefoot and bewildered and dressed, of all things, in a hospital gown--]

Oh, good lord...

[--and what are the people in charge here thinking of to bring a girl here like that? She's in public, there are boys here! Quick, almost unthinking, Mirei shrugs off her blazer and drapes it round the girl's shoulders. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. It will do, at least until she can find her something better.]

I presume you're new?

[deathmetalist]

Are you sure?

[It's not like she means to take the other girl's clothes, but she accepts the blazer for now.]

Wow, thank you! [As it is she still needs a full change of clothes, but it's better than nothing. It's not like a hospital gown is a great fashion statement. Or really appropriate either.

Lifting a finger up to her lips, Yui nods, turning thoughtful]

Yeah, that's right. I suppose I died and wound up here! [Not that she can remember anything. Although ultimately she doesn't want to think about that anyway.] So is this supposed to be heaven? It's kind of weird, isn't it?

[disciprined]

Extremely. And please, don't worry about it.

[Yes, that was a sigh.

[Mirei has read the leaflets. She has listened, repeatedly, to the introductory lectures. Some things, however, you can only learn by doing: logic of a chemistry class, of standing wearing safety spectacles over her own glasses over a tube of hot copper sulphate. Nobody had mentioned this, had thought to tell her that the first thing she would be doing when faced with a shinki was scrambling to find the poor girl clothes that fit!

[She wouldn't be finding those here. Mirei looks the other girl up and down, she nods: close enough. They will have to find her things of her own as a matter of urgency, but until then--]

I'm afraid this is going to seem strange, too. I need you to take my hands.

[Here. Mirei holds them out to her, palms up. Please, just take my word for this.]

[deathmetalist]

[ . . . It's happened.

Yui suspects that she looks pretty good. Not that she's really looked in a mirror yet. And maybe a hospital gown isn't the most attractive attire to meet someone else in, but maybe that simply speaks even more volumes about her!
She lifts a hand up and quietly whispers-]

Are you...?

['That way...?']

[disciprined]

[Please don't make this any weirder than it has to be--

[The best thing to do is to move swiftly on and pretend the implications haven't made her color, and not waste any more time than she has to wishing that there were only a way to go from here to there which didn't rely on this girl having to touch her.]

I have clothes at my - well, my temple, I suppose. This is the quickest way to get there but I need you to be touching me first, and if I'd been making this up I'd have said something far less ridiculous.

[deathmetalist]

I'm not sure that things can get weirder than they already are.

[Winding up dead and shuffled around in a weird place. Handed a pamphlet in greeting. . . it's kind of strange all around.]

I didn't realize you were a god, though! Borrowing a god's clothes is fine? [Somehow she doesn't seem too different from Yui herself. Though-- there is a sort of respectable aura about her. Is it that or the glasses...?

Regardless, she reaches out to grasp a hand since she's not exactly sure how it all works. But as crazy as it all sounds she believes her.]