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

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Absolutely! Racing against my own time isn't my style, when I can make it a competition against another opponent to push myself to excel!

[creepface]

I w-w-would li-like that. [ He nods enthusiastically. Running is a lot of fun, so he's very happy to join him. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

All right! Now we're talking! Come on, let's line up at the start.

[Edge heads right over there, taking a spot on one half of the race's beginning.]

[creepface]

[ Rasu hurries with, and waits for a signal to start. When it comes, he's running pretty fast, especially considering how easygoing he seems to take it, humming some sort of tune and arms moving around more than usual for those who try to win a race. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Okay. Ready! Set -- go!

[Classy guy that he is, Edge even hesitates a moment after he says go, so he doesn't give himself an unfair head start.]

[creepface]

[ He didn't need to really, but that's okay, Rasu doesn't mind. He just runs anyway, lab coat threatening to fall off when they're about halfway. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Huh, wow, this guy is faster than he looks. Edge is quick on his feet, but this seems like it might call for a little of his scouting...]

[Judging his moment carefully, Edge leaps from the path over a garden patch, landing lightly on the other side to shave a long corner off his run. Races go to the swiftest, but that doesn't necessarily mean the fastest runner!]

[creepface]

[ Well that has him completely startled, not having expected that. Hey, no fair, he just wanted to have a fun run, that's not cool.

He's so startled by it that he falls face first when his eyes follow the leap and he doesn't look where he's going.

Oops. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Winning is important -- but it isn't everything. Edge turns, hopping on one foot with the dregs of his forward momentum.] Wow -- are you okay?!

[creepface]

[ His face is burning in embarrassment - and some snow and dust.

He sits up, wiping his face on the sleeve of his lab coat. ]

Y-yes, I'm o-okay, I've had w-worse. J-just a bit s-sore on my n-nose.

[ See, doesn't even get a nosebleed. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Didn't twist an ankle or anything, right? [That's the first thing he'd suspect when it came to a fall like that, that he'd stepped wrong. Boy, he'll feel guilty if that happened!]

[creepface]

N-no, I'm w-wiry. [ To be honest, for how clumsy he can be he's broken surprisingly few bones. ] I was j-just startled when you ch-cheated.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Cheated?! [There goes any concern he might have had.] Shortcuts aren't cheating! If you were chasing down an ayakashi and cut it off by going over a fence instead of around, that's intelligent heroism!

[creepface]

[ He cringes at the initial outburst. ] But we were j-just r-running... [ That sure is a pout on his face. ] I just wanted to r-run...

[onehandsomeslickninja]

...I thought for sure I'd made it clear it was a race. [Edge runs a hand through his hair awkwardly, fingers finally coming to rest at the base of his skull.] If it's just running you want, that's a whole different thing. We can do that, though.

[creepface]

Y-yes, you run in a r-race... On a t-track. [ That's what a race is. He knows, he worked at a school. They have races. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

And I never put foot outside the track! [That's how this works, right?] I thought you knew how this was set up -- did you not know there's a pole at the end, then?

[creepface]

I a-assumed it was part of s-some other game... [ Why would there be a pole in a race where you run? ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Oh -- jeez, no, you get a ribbon from the top of the pole and run back. That was how they set it up. I guess it's simulating a rescue or at least obstacles if you had to run in real life.

[creepface]

Oh. Um. I can't d-d-do that...

[ He has no idea how he'd get up the pole. Possess a bird and get it? Would that be cheating? ]

I th-thought I was just r-running, so, um, I didn't, th-think about the... um, pole.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Wow. Okay. You're exactly the sort of person this training is aimed for, so I think this took a good turn. Let's take this in steps then, shall we?

[Edge assumes either this guy wants to train, or he's going to train. Probably not the least bossy thing he could be doing, no matter that his intentions are good.]

[creepface]

I, um, it i-is? O-okay?

[ Well, he'll try it, he supposes. Why not? He's got very weak arms though, so if he has to climb that it's going to take a lot... he's not even sure it's possible for his kind of spirit to build muscle, he's never thought about it. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Hey, that's what training is for! Let's get this done! Edge leads the way over to the pole, pointing out the ribbons at the top.] See, there you go. It's important to be versatile, especially in the kind of situations we face.

[creepface]

[ He stares up at it. And stares. For a long while, with out saying anything. ]

U-um. Is p-possession ch-cheating?

[onehandsomeslickninja]

I -- uh. What?

[You lost him. Edge just offers the most puzzled look.]