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

[reloves]

Sounds like you're recommending pretty much everything.

[ Since she doesn't even know if there's anything else here to eat to begin with. Which makes her laugh a little - although it seems to be in a good-spirited sort of way. ]

Maybe I'll just go for the chicken. I shouldn't eat too much.. I've got to look after my figure, after all!

[rockthemonkey]

Well, it's all good! So you should try everything!

[Goku is very helpful, what is she talking about? Goku takes the laughter as it's meant and just smiles back.]

Really? Why would you worry about that? [If you're hungry, that's more important than anything else. Maybe she's worried about her looks? But if she ate a lot, she might get lots of muscles! Goku's been counting on that dream for years now.] I bet you'd be really pretty no matter what you ate!

[reloves]

[ Minako's eyes suddenly go wide, and she dramatically grips at the front of her shirt like she has sudden pain in her heart. ]

A critical hit..! You know exactly what to tell a girl! [ And especially what to tell Minako, considering she soaks up every single compliment like a sponge. ] How can I not sit here and eat something with you if you've reassured me like this?

[rockthemonkey]

Huh? Are you okay?

[She's not hurt, right? What critical hit? Man, girls are weird. Girls are so weird.]

... Uh, yeah! You should eat somethin'!

[reloves]

[ Girls are indeed weird when said girl is Minako, Goku.. She may not exactly be the best example here. She seems unfazed by his confusion though (she probably gets that reaction a lot, considering how weirdly overdramatic she is all the time) and instead just nods. ]

Great! Should I get my own or could you spare one tiny piece for a cute girl?

[rockthemonkey]

... Well, I guess you can have a little bit.

[He gets the feeling that Hakkai and the others would scold him for not sharing with a girl. Goku nudges some of the meat on his grill in the direction of Minako.]

But if ya want more, we better get more too!

[reloves]

It's alright. This much is enough for me.

[ Especially since she doesn't want him to have to abandon his meal he seems so excited for to go grab more. It's not like much more would still fit on here by now, anyway.. ]

You can have the rest! Don't you know that they say you already don't feel hungry anymore if you see other people happily eating? [ Says who, Minako. ]

[rockthemonkey]

They do? That always makes me way hungrier though!

[Then again, most things make Goku hungry. He's not about to argue when someone tells him to eat though, so he'll just dig in.]

[reloves]

[ Minako's going to take it pretty slow with her own food. She has way less than him, after all, and she figures with the speed he's digging in on his own food, they'll finish at about the same rate. ]

Can you see food at all without getting hungry? [ Because it sure seems like he can't. That's kind of cute though, so Minako seems amused as she asks it. ]

[rockthemonkey]

... Not seein' food makes me hungry too.

[Goku is hungry a lot.]

[reloves]

[ For a moment she stares at him, speechless, but then she just bursts out into giggles. ]

You're cute! [ Which, for once, she means in the regular sense of the word and not the flirty way. ] It's good to be so straightforward and honest about things!

[ That's at least what he seems like so far. ]

Saying that sounds like you have more than one stomach though. Like a horse! [ No, that's cows.. ]