July Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: December 22nd
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 more experienced god and shinki volunteers.




Meeting Hall

God Training

Newly arrived gods are escorted into a small meeting room, with tatami floors and a stage 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. Paper and pens are provided to all the attendees as an unsubtle suggestion to take notes on the information they're given.

The speaker delivers his welcome speech in a rather bored tone, occasionally stumbling and checking his own notecards. He particularly dwells, towards the end of the speech, on the fact that an unauthorized god has recently tried to access the Heavens, and any contact from other gods asking to access the Heavens through their temples should be immediately reported. 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.

A variety of weapons are available in the dojo for shinki and their gods to practice with, and a row of straw targets are set up along one wall. Outside, in an area carefully roped off with red ribbons, are six animated training dummies, also made of straw and dressed in plain cotton jackets and trousers. They will immediately engage anyone who enters the area marked with the ribbon, but will not pursue opponents outside it. A white-robed shinki nearby keeps a sharp eye on the animated dummies, and will intervene if anyone tries to destroy one.

Physical Training

A race track has been laid out, winding through the gardens to a towering pole, 9 meters in height, planted in the center of a pond with a cluster of pretty ribbons tied at the top. White-robed shinki are standing by with stopwatches: anyone who wants can race their friends along the path, with the first one to return to the starting point with a ribbon winning the challenge, or solitary racers can recruit a shinki to time them and try to beat their own speed. But be careful not to fall off the pole! The pond isn't dangerously deep, but the bottom is very muddy, and in late December, it's also very, very cold.

On the lawn near the dojo, a wide circle has been marked out in white paint, and big baskets set around the circle are filled with sachets full of chalk dust in a rainbow of colors. Pick your color, grab a handful of sachets, and join the fray! Anyone inside the circle is a fair target to have one of the sachets thrown at them, and on impact, they splash out enough brightly colored dust to mark the spot they strike. Head or torso hits are an automatic out, leg hits mean the target isn't allowed to move from their position, and arm hits mean they can't use that arm. Borderlines -- and any other magic -- are allowed, and the game can get intense.

Rest and Refreshments

The weather outside, although not freezing, is quite chilly, and in the middle of the afternoon, the shinki will invite everyone into a prepared banquet hall for food and to warm back up. Charcoal braziers set in the center of square tables radiate warmth, and are covered by grates; other shinki bring trays of fresh ingredients, both meat and vegetable, that can be grilled over the hot coals.

After the meal is finished, one of the white-robed shinki, a middle-aged woman with her hair cut in a fashionable modern bob, enters the room with an expression of great, if restrained, delight, pushing a cart with a portable karaoke machine and speaker on it. She sets up the karaoke machine at one end of the room, and begins encouraging others -- both her fellow shinki and the newcomer guests -- to join in with a song. Whenever there's a break, she puts in music selections of her own; she has a trained, jazzy voice and a great fondness for midcentury enka.

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, sing and barbecue
• Have fun~

Comments

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Shinki Training

[Stalking on up to the marked area, Nia pulls her two ring-blades free from her belt, then twists her wrists to limber them up as she grips them. Then she turns to look at the strange artificial-looking beast at her side, who regards her with a look of quiet patience.]

All right, then. You ready for a proper workout? It's about time I put you through your paces.

[The creature nods, and with that, Nia steps into the cordoned area, her Blade right behind her. As a dummy turns to approach her, she lifts her weapons, just as a shimmering line of blue light bridges the gap between the Blade and her.]

Here we go! Eeeeeiiiyaaah! [Her lunging strike comes with a twist that looks faster than ought to be possible, and the ringblades slash into the dummy with ferocity. The transfer of power in play is obvious; her companion creature is augmenting her.]

Refreshments

[Nia looks uncommonly frustrated as she drops a long, thin slice of steak onto the brazier's grilling surface, followed by a slice of zucchini and then a few asparagus ribs. As she sits back, the muscles in her jaw work slightly -- then she finally throws up her hands.]

I hate to admit it, but this is actually bloody clever.

[reformedsinner]

Ha ha, it is, isn't it?

[She looks so furious about it. Hakkai sprinkles salt onto a neatly gutted fish and sets it to grill on his side of the charcoal.]

Careful not to get your knees too close to the bottom of the brazier! It's hot.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

I have a little less to worry about there than you. [He might not be the tallest guy in heaven, but he's sure got her beat.]

[She eyes his fish with some avarice for a moment.] You have another one of them? It's all steak over here. [Which isn't bad, but... fish.]

[reformedsinner]

I suppose so! Still.

[He scoots over to check the platter of raw ingredients on his side of the table.]

Ah yes, here. I'll trade you for any king oyster mushrooms you have.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Uh, sure. No problem. Which are those again? [There's a couple different kinds, and Nia, as it happens, has never studied mushrooms.]

[reformedsinner]

The ones with the tall and wide white stem and a gray-brown concave cap.

[He cranes his neck. It's possible she doesn't have any over there...]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

[Tall stem, that helps a lot. This other plate is shorter ones... Nia stands up, stretches one arm out as far as it can go, and just barely catches the plate she sees with the tips of her fingers.]

Not exactly the most accommodating setup though. [She inches it closer, gets a better grip, then sits back down to pass it sidelong.]

You know about mushrooms then?

[reformedsinner]

Oh my, thank you. [He accepts it, and passes his plate with its fish over in her direction.]

Yes, I enjoy cooking -- I can recognize most of the commercial species in the area.

Of course, I'm still working on recognizing wild ones....

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Really. Wouldn't have pinned you for the cooking sort at first glance. [Nia's shrug is tiny, barely a motion of her shoulders.] More power to you though around here, what with shinki always being hungry and all. Bet you get a lot of call for that.

[reformedsinner]

I knit, too.

[Laughing, he begins setting out the mushrooms around his fish on the grill, sprinkling them with a bit of soy sauce for flavor.]

But it's true, most people appreciate a homemade meal -- whether shinki or god.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Guess that probably earns you a lot of friends around here. [Even Nia would be swayed a little, not that she's going to admit it out loud.]

[On that note, she turns over her own slices, letting the heat hit the other side.]

You seem like the sort who's happy to be here.

[reformedsinner]

[Very lightly:] Oh, do I? I'm glad to hear that. I try not to offend my hosts.

[He prods the side of his fish with the tip of a chopstick, judging the resistance of the flesh.]

After all, we're in their power.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Ahh, you're the diplomatic sort. [Okay, slight respect increase. Nia doesn't appreciate anyone who's all happy about how things are around here, but she can understand an act.] Haven't got a diplomatic bone in my body, so I don't bother pretending.

[reformedsinner]

I'm not always that good at it myself, but I try.

[His glance up at her, under his eyelashes, is dry, inviting her to share the humor.]

... But everyone has their strengths! Honesty is good in its place, too.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Better than me, pal. [Everyone was, as far as she could tell. So it went. The way she figures it, she's being honest to herself, more so than anyone else is. Or if they're being honest, they're crazy.] But I'm not gonna change for the sake of fitting in.

Kind of galls me to admit this food is even good... but it is. Can't pretend otherwise.

[reformedsinner]

There's something to be said for knowing who you are, too.

[And, smiling cheerfully, he sails right along onto the topic change she'd intimated.]

Why, yes! Heaven's catering really is quite impressive. When they've fed us here, it's been excellent, although this is the first time it's been cook-your-own.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

[Isn't really all that much of a change. She's annoyed she likes the food. It's easier to hate the Far Shore when there's nothing good about it. Little things make the black-and-white a little greyer.]

Yeah, but it seems more classy than lazy the way they're doing it. Unlike sending us to a wrecked-up hot spring hotel.

[reformedsinner]

Ha ha, that's always the ideal, isn't it? But from what I've heard, many of the guests at the hotel got quite nice gifts for their trouble!

[Some weirder than others. Many inexplicable. But nice, regardless.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Yeah, I got a pillow. Full of something weird, like grains or rice or a thing like that.

Best sleep I ever had though, I'll give it that. [Can't complain on that score. Honestly, night after night of terrific sleep has done a fair bit for her mood here.]

[reformedsinner]

Hard pillows are better for your body, they say.

[So, if a rice-stuffed pillow makes for better sleep...

... then, frankly, Hakkai's jealous. He wonders if he can find any for sale.]

I left a bit early to check on things at home myself.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Pity, you missed out. Lot of people were waving around some interesting stuff. [She shrugs slightly. Working hard and dealing with the frustrations there isn't everyone's thing after all.]

[reformedsinner]

So I hear! Ah well, there was quite a to-do list back at my temple as well. I believe most of my shinki got something, at least.

[His shrug is perfectly cheerful. He adjusts a mushroom slice on the grill.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

How does that much stuff pile up back home? [Nia's barely done a thing around home herself, though to be honest the place is so large when you add in the tunnels that she feels like she rattles around in there.]

[reformedsinner]

I run a school, and I have quite a few followers now. It wouldn't do to disappoint them.

[Besides -- although he doesn't plan to explain it aloud -- the thought of turning a corner and running into Ayumu again had been a little too much to bear after two days. There was only so much work he could do around the hot spring to take his mind off of it.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

A school?

[Nia pulls a strip of meat off the grill with her chopsticks, but her attention is almost entirely on him. First she's heard of it, and given how the the place views 'teaching' as 'cram everyone in this training hall and let them go at it', she hadn't even thought something more like a school would be around.]

What's it teach?