001 | The Welcoming Feast

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: A little bit of explanation, thank goodness.
When: Early morning. (February 15, 2016)
Where: The Heavens. Specifically in the Meeting Hall.
Warnings: Exposition is coming your way, sit back and enjoy the show!



The Heavens have summoned you. And there is no way to turn down a summons from the Heavens. Of course, some of you know where you are and what you are probably doing here, but most of you might be completely confused as to what is going on. All gods have been ushered into the meeting hall, where every person suddenly becomes anonymous and obscured, while every shinki has been gathered up outside in the hallway, both sets to listen to the same message sent by Amaterasu herself. And while you cannot see her properly or really figure out what her voice sounds like, you definitely know that it's her speaking:

'Welcome, one and all, to Takamagahara. There are many new gods and shinki here today, and I hope you all find your stay pleasant. I wish that I could explain to you exactly why you find yourselves here now, but I am unsure of the details myself. Please make use of the shinki dedicated to our services in order to make yourself more acquainted with your new position. You can find them by looking for my golden insignia.

As compensation for the trouble you are all being put through, I have had a wonderful feast prepared. I only hope that it is to your liking. Feel free to eat and drink as much as you would like, though please do not leave before the clock chimes midnight, for that is when your homes will be prepared.

I ask that all pre-existing gods please help those new to our ways. Let them know what is and is not acceptable and what duties will be expected of them. I am counting on your all to support the Heavens in this confusing time as we attempt to sort things out.

Thank you all for your time. And I am truly sorry that you have found yourselves in this situation.

With that, the figure that is Amaterasu bows deeply and disappears from their sights. The gods are released from their chamber and the shinki are allowed to roam. All exits are manned by a white-clad shinki, bearing a golden, embroidered Chrysanthemum on their chests. So, technically, there is no way out. You can't even seem to teleport out by any means.

All that's really left to do is enjoy the food and hope that you'll actually be able to leave after the clock chimes midnight. Though the clock doesn't seem to work on a minute-by-minute basis either...



Banquet Hall

There is food from literally every culture and walk of life here. Everything is prepared gorgeously and deliciously, no expenses spared. There are shinki bearing the Chrysanthemum carrying out new platters of everything as it's eaten up and nothing seems to go hot or cold as time passes - it always at the perfect temperature for eating and it never tastes anything but delicious. Maybe there's a little magic making it taste so good...

On top of the delectable dinner, there are plenty of desserts and every kind of alcohol available and constantly being refilled. The liquor is being offered to gods and shinki alike, no matter how old they are/look. Let's hope that you can hold your alcohol.

Counselling

In the main hallway, there is an innocuous door with a small, nicely written sign that reads "Gentle Counselling". Inside the door is a small room with a few sweetly smiling shinki inside who are willing to listen to your problems and answer any questions you might have. They are also here to help out any gods that are having a hard time dealing with knowing about how their shinki died and also any shinki that is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that they are dead.

Did Someone Say Games?

A large room connected to the back of the banquet hall has a wide variety of games set up for everyone to enjoy. There are old-fashioned board games (like chess and Othello) as well as newer ones (like Candy Land and Sorry!). On top of that, there is every kind of console available with every video game ever made - and plenty of handheld devices for everyone to be able to play. The devices don't seem to work outside of this room, though, so you'll have to stay there if you want to keep playing. Gaming is, after all, a great way to get to know new people!

After Midnight

Finally, the clock starts to chime. It seems like it's been days and yet only minutes at the same time. Time seems to work so strangely here in Takamagahara and it's hard to keep up with what's going on. But now that the shinki guarding the doors have left their posts, you are more than welcome to leave. In fact, the Heavens seem to want you to leave because all of the food has disappeared, none of the games work anymore (including the board games, which keep flipping over when you try to play...), and the friendly shinki are smiling as they usher you out the doors.

You are welcome to start wandering around Takamagahara, but it's an ambiguous sort of place and might just take you straight home anyway. Feel free to go home and start bonding with your partner. Or sneak home with someone else because your partner is a meanie-pants. It's up to you!



In Summary:

• Amaterasu says you're stuck here and she doesn't know why. Sorry!
• There's lots of food to eat, though! Eat your fill.
• Oh, and there's booze too. Try not to get TOO drunk.
• Guidance/Grief counselling is available, if you need it.
• Use gaming to get close to others!
• Try to start bonding with your god/shinki. Or just form new friendships. Whatever you feel best doing!
• Have fun!

Comments

[leggierissimo]

[And that is precisely why he's giving the name of the god he's been assigned, rather than his actual name! Only Neku got anything in addition, and even then it was only a nickname, not his full name.]

So I can tell! And you seem to be enjoying yourself a bit much, but I suppose that was the intention.

[He chuckles, shifting his weight into a bit more nonchalant pose, both thumbs tucking into the pockets on the backs of his pants.]

I haven't seen him, but I'll be sure to let him know your whereabouts if I do, since you seem so familiar.

[sweetdeath]

No need! See-- [He leans in, lowering his voice into a confidential mutter.] -- I'm kind of taking a break from being a Shinigami being here, and I bet he wouldn't be happy about me skipping work....

[Straightening up again, he gestures cheerfully with his drink.]

But who could pass up this kind of a party? Man, the office back home never has the budget for this stuff!

[leggierissimo]

[... ah? One particular word in there piques Joshua's interest, and it shows in his expression.] Shinigami?

[From another Game, perhaps? Or something else entirely? ... this will need to be investigated. But, in the meantime!]

So, that makes you which god, then? Considering you remember.

[sweetdeath]

Shinigami. Hey, don't tell, okay? It'll be our little secret!

[That did catch the other guy's attention, didn't it? Tsuzuki hopes it's not because he really does know Enma. That could make things awkward in a hurry.

Would he still have to pay back his debts?

He shrugs, and sips the cocktail.] I'm Tajimamori. It's the first promotion this century!

[leggierissimo]

Of course.

[Hm! Now, that is interesting. The fact that he said a Shinigami means that there are more than one, and the fact that this is a promotion just indicates that he's an underling of some sort. Of Enma's, he assumes. But, rationalizing that will come later, once he's alone with his thoughts.

For now, the actual name is catching his attention. Joshua can't be happier that he dodged that bullet.]

Ah? I'll be sure to foist all unwanted desserts on you, then.

[sweetdeath]

I'll give 'em a good home!

[He's perking up at that, forgetting his nervousness about Enma and about Tsukuyomi's exalted position: getting everyone's unwanted desserts is a perk of the title that he hadn't thought about.]

You ought to try some here, though. They've got the best eclairs I ever had.

[leggierissimo]

Well, that was quick.

[Seems like this one got a fitting god position, too. Hm! Possibly a trend. He'll have to keep an eye out for that. It should be easy enough to determine a person's personality simply by their god alone, if that's the case.]

Maybe at some point. I'm not all that hungry, though.

[sweetdeath]

At least get a doggie bag.

[Tsuzuki shrugs, and takes a bite of one of the cream puffs on his plate, savoring it before he swallows and continues. This guy seems nice enough, or at least not too big on smiting. It's probably safe to relax around him.]

Who knows, they might not give us a food allowance. I guess you don't have to worry about that if you're established, though! How does this work? You know, the shinki thing, and -- however they're gonna set us up....

[leggierissimo]

We'll see.

[aka, no.

Still, this guy seems a bit... clueless? It's difficult to tell if he's doing it on purpose or not, but it seems like he's just genuinely not concerned by any of this in the least. It had been easy to make the mistake of pinning him for a shinki. Hopefully, first impressions are correct.]

I daresay you won't have much to worry about. They're making accommodations for you, so why wouldn't you have some sort of food allowance? [Joshua may be making this up as he goes, but it sounds reasonable enough, yes? Shrugging, by the way.] Who knows if it will be any different with the gods and shinki pulled into this place from elsewhere? I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

[sweetdeath]

That'd be nice. Even if I don't have to eat, being hungry is no fun!

[And Hisoka doesn't have to eat either, but if they don't have a regular supply of coffee, Tsuzuki's pretty sure he'll have to get a part-time job to fund it. There's an interesting thought: if they don't get paid here, is he going to have to moonlight?

He's had enough jobs as a cover that he can probably figure something out, he thinks, and shrugs it off cheerfully.]

It might be different for us! I don't even know how you guys do it, though. Are shinki supposed to be summons?

[leggierissimo]

That it isn't! And I'm sure you can eat all the sweets you want without any unfortunate side effects.

[Speaking from experience, of course. Well, provided he doesn't retain his RG body for long, anyway. Hopefully, that won't be an issue here...

Though, being asked that makes him pause, just for a second, to think over how to answer that one. If he's to keep up his ruse, it needs to be a reasonable answer, of course. He hasn't utilized Neku yet - it's only been a short time since they even met up with each other - but he does recall a name. 'Onki'. It lingered in the back of his mind, like it was calling to him to use it, but he had refrained at the time. Was that what it was?]

Mm, somewhat! Shinki have special names. Figure out your shinki's other name, and that should be the trigger.

[sweetdeath]

[Hanki, he thinks, unprompted. It's as if he'd already known the name, and just needed to be asked for it to spring to the forefront of his mind. He shakes his head, gaze going briefly distant: is a name really all that he needs? No invocation, no sigils, no contract... unless the connection between a god and a shinki is the contract already, and Tsuzuki just wasn't paying attention when it was forged.

Well, if Tsukuyomi says so, then Tsuzuki will believe it! Or, at least, he'll give it a shot. It seems to fit what he instinctively knows. He nods earnestly.]

So does that do anything other than just summon them?

[leggierissimo]

[Oh, good. That explanation worked. Joshua has never particularly liked not being in the know, but it seems as if his instincts are directing him correctly here! At least it hasn't ruined his facade. ... though, it makes him wonder just what it actually does do. Something to test later.]

Not to my knowledge. [Which is true! He really doesn't know.] But, all shinki are different, I suppose.

[sweetdeath]

Yeah, I'll have to try!

Thanks, Tsukuyomi. It's lucky I ran into you, huh? [Tsuzuki flashes him a sincere smile.]


So are there any other older gods around here? [He glances around. He's spoken to a few other gods already, but they all turned out to be as new and confused about the whole process as he was. Or more. Mostly, more.]

[leggierissimo]

Of course.

[But ah, there's a question he doesn't even need to think on to answer. He's already had the answer given to him earlier in the evening! With a quick glance around, he spots a taller woman with long blonde hair, and motions in that direction.]

She's been around for a while. You're more than welcome to talk to her if you want to continue to be star-struck.

[sweetdeath]

Hey!

[--and Tsuzuki stumbles over his words and stops there, because what if objecting that he's not star-struck at all is going to annoy Tsukuyomi? He'd rather not find out if this guy can kill him. He's done it to other deities of food.

On the plus side, Tsuzuki's not coughing up eclairs, so he's probably safe.

He tries, belatedly, to recover, and flashes a cheerful grin.]

Uh... thanks. Which one is she?

[leggierissimo]

[Oh, he sees that falter. Don't think he doesn't. But that internalization is even more interesting, and it's taking all he can not to let just how amused he is show outwardly. Instead, he's settling on a simple, hopefully at least slightly intimidating smile, considering the reverence Tsuzuki seems to be showing!]

Bishamonten.

[sweetdeath]

[This double-take is a lot more evident than the last one. She's tall. Blonde. Statuesque. Could be a model-- that's Bishamonten??]

You're kidding.

[leggierissimo]

Not a bit! If you don't believe me, go initiate a conversation.

[Really, please do. He'd love to see it.]

[sweetdeath]

Uh, I... maybe later.

[He's still visibly boggled. He's seen statues of Bishamonten! Bishamonten is supposed to be twelve feet tall with muscles on his muscles, a fiery aura and a war club in hand.

Adjectives Tsuzuki didn't expect to go with that list: "beautiful."

He's sure not going to risk gaping at her face to face, though, because just being beautiful doesn't mean she might not wind up in a smiting mood if he trips over his tongue.]

[leggierissimo]

[Well, either way, Joshua's got his entertainment. The thought of watching this go down is enticing, of course, but just being able to read as much off of Tsuzuki is nearly just as good. And who knows what he'll see in the future!

For now, though, he'll just wave a hand. Dismissing it is just as easy.]

If that's what you want to do. I wouldn't recommend delaying networking for too long, though.

[sweetdeath]

Why not? What's going on?

[He's just a minor deity, after all! Does he really need to know all the big names?

It's an intimidating thought.]

[leggierissimo]

Who knows? But it's best to be prepared, hm?

[What he really means is, he wants to watch you flail.]

[sweetdeath]

Nobody seems to know.

[It's kind of disheartening, but he's not going to think about that too hard while there's an open buffet. There will be time in the morning to start figuring out what's going on. If even Amaterasu's at a loss, then it's going to take Tsuzuki a while!]

[leggierissimo]

It is a bit disconcerting. When even the highest don't know what's going on, there's likely something going on behind the scenes.

[He admits, the idea of this being some sort of mutiny hasn't escaped his thoughts, nor has the idea of just what happened to the gods that were in their positions before they arrived. Perhaps these positions aren't meant to remain filled forever. Cycling through the rounds?]