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

[kokuyoyo]

At least if there's one thing to never worry about with Chikusa, it's him paying attention. He watches attentively as her fingers form the gestures, committing them to memory for when he has a little time for himself. When she's done herself, he sticks some food into his own mouth and writes out the kanji.

"These." He turns his own phone around. "One of them is simple, since it's just the first kanji of my name..." Hakkai is kind of dumb that way. It's really impressive.

[unlucky7]

Ginia was hoping for something a little more phonetic, but practicing reading kanji is always good. She huffs at the explanation for one of his names, the obviousness of it clicking in. What works works. Checking the kanji on her phone to confirm the spelling and signs she needs, Ginia shows him the signs for Chiki and Inki.

"Which spell were you going to cast? Bind and Silence have obvious signs, I'll have to think on some of the other ones."

[kokuyoyo]

Listen, learning kanji is good for her... For any of them, really, as far as Chikusa can tell. The names of shinki, after all, are based in kanji. If they're going to be practicing any sort of spellcasting, at least on this level, then Chikusa knows they need to have a solid grasp on it. It's a good thing that he's already become familiar with it himself, and has only made strides to become even better... He isn't going to fail on such a simple step.

At her question, he chews thoughtfully. "I think... Bind would be good enough, for starters. It's the one most useful on an immediately level." Stopping someone in their tracks? Always a good move. The 'shutting up' part he can figure out later.

[unlucky7]

The first spell everyone seems to know when they move past borderlines. It's definitely useful, though being able to turn invisible definitely has its perks. Ginia nudges her grilling food over and takes a few more bites of food before moving away from the grill. Even if bind will lock the target in place, she'd rather not risk anything landing on the hot grill.

She shows Chikusa the sign she's used for bind with success and then sets her hands on the table.

[kokuyoyo]

Watching is easy. Doing it is a little different, especially since he can't see how he looks from a frontal view. Chikusa still tries, positioning his hand a little stiffly as he's just been shown. For now, he's not trying to cast, merely get a hang of the movements.

"...I'll probably practice a little with this, first." He nods to the food she's just put down. "You can keep eating if you want."

Since she's doing him a solid, he won't spring a surprise attack on her. Well, right now. That's something.

[unlucky7]

All's fair when it comes to shinki spells and Chikusa is pragmatic as they come, but Ginia trusts he wouldn't needlessly hurt her. Which is something in itself, trusting him. She moves more food to her plate, happily eating away as she watches him, offering minor corrections to his signs.

[kokuyoyo]

The corrections are appreciated, and remind him vaguely of when him and Ken were pushing to learn Japanese. It had taken a lot of work, back then, to rush into a whole other language. But it had been so important that they get to Japan...

The reasons why for that are a little bit beyond him, he knows, so Chikusa tries to focus a little more on his signing.

"Do you teach a class on this...?" he asks in the midst of it. He's pretty sure there's a class for this at the school, at least.

[unlucky7]

"Lavi was teaching at the school, but I've been helping out with tutoring a few people. I have a few small groups and individual lessons, I can fit you."

Or try to at least. With a few days into her new role at Ebisu's temple, she's still trying to get a sense of her new schedule. It's busy, that's for sure, but it's not like shinki need sleep, right?

[kokuyoyo]

Shinki might not need as much sleep, but Chikusa has never let that stop him. As he focuses on the way his fingers fold, he speaks up. "Umbra, right?"

[unlucky7]

Ginia nods, considering what sign to use for the spell. It's an invisibility spell, but the name points toward a shadowy nature.

"Is it invisibility as a visual effect or are you also intangible too? How long does it last?"

and cut

[kokuyoyo]

"Visual only. For a beginner, it might only last a short while, but..." He begins to talk to her indepth with what he's learned, and Umbra's limits, remembering to steal food to eat now and then.

[unlucky7]

Ginia listens attentively as she eats, asking occasional questions to further her understanding. A spell that renders the target invisible to everyone but the caster has plenty of uses.

After more thought, she settles on the signs for Umbra as a combination of shadow and hidden.

"I can't imagine too many people know Umbra."

[kokuyoyo]

"I wouldn't say that. It's hard to tell. I learned it from someone who's the type to share what she knows." Kairi has been around longer than some people, but she's a soft-hearted type. Chikusa has no illusions about how readily she'll spread around her knowledge.

"It's also a basic spell. Anyone can learn it without having to really know anything else about shinki magic."

[unlucky7]

It's not hard to guess he probably learned from Kairi. She fits the definition of someone who shares what she knows and is powerful enough to teach people too. All right, with how many people she knows, no doubt a few more than Ginia previously thought know Umbra.

"That's surprising. I would have thought an invisibility spell would be harder. If I'd known, I would have gone with that over bind.

Besides song spells, what advanced spells are there?"

[kokuyoyo]

"You'd think..." But it's startlingly simple. Chikusa idly bats away Mukurou from biting at his ear. "It might have something to do with our natural state of being... if I wanted to make an uneducated guess. We're already partially invisible to mortals. Maybe it's just tapping further into that."

It's really up in the air. If he ever wanted to, maybe he could harass Sabimei into answering the theoretical... but, instead, Chikusa just continues. "I managed to find a dizziness spell that seems to be more difficult... And I think the Song of Fire probably falls into the same higher tier. Possibly that's on purpose, if there's any order to all of this."

[unlucky7]

It's a fair point. If they're already largely invisible to anyone from the Near Shore, adjusting it so people from the Far Shore can't see them isn't the biggest stretch. Especially as it's a spell that works as a self-cast.

"I imagine there's some degree of order even if we don't know it." And unless the old shinki become more forthcoming about spells or it becomes easier to find things in the library, who knows if they'll ever find out the full range of spells.

Ginia clears the last of her food from the grill.

"Care to give signing a spell a shot?"

[kokuyoyo]

It sure would be nice if they could learn more... Sabimei is, of course, the clearest choice of contact for this, but it's clear that learning from him will take forever. With their existences precarious as it is, well...

But that's enough of that. Instead, he nods to himself. He... thinks he has the forms down. Now to cast...

Needless to say, they're going to be here for a little while.

[unlucky7]

Ginia makes small adjustments to his signs here and there, but as the minutes tick away with no appreciable effect, it becomes clear it's not his signing that's the problem or anything with him. A test of him verbally casting the spell and her signing the spell both prove to work perfectly.

Which means ultimately:

"Maybe signing a spell requires knowledge of the language behind it after all. I suppose it would be too easy if people could copy the signs for the spells."

And frankly, if it means only a handful of shinki can sign spells well, maybe it's for the best.

[kokuyoyo]

"Ugh."

But then, that sort of response isn't surprising coming from Chikusa. If he could just get it in one, that would be the best for him... But if he's going to use this sort of alternative well enough, then he clearly will have to... actually practice. Sighing, he slumps back into his seat.

"Then... I guess you'll see me at a lesson or two..."

[unlucky7]

"Sure thing. We'll see if we can't get you on a fast track or something."

Complete fluency doesn't seem to be a requirement if Kairi is an indicator. She signs very well, but she's also still learning. Could Archer sign spells? It'd be interesting using him as a baseline to test.

"I wonder if there any other ways to cast shinki spells? A written form, perhaps?"

[kokuyoyo]

"I'll look into it. There's still a lot we don't know... I know for a fact that there are things like the spells engraved in the Meeting Hall..." He's taken plenty of pictures of them all, back when they were asked to help out with the gods meeting. Back then, it had been a perfect opportunity which he hadn't been interested in losing.

For now, he finishes off his food and pushes himself up to his feet. "Anyway... I'll see you then."