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

banquet

[soundsurfing]

[Dodging, ha! Beats way too impaired right now to think of dodging. He's turning away from a table with his own set of food and drink, and turns right into Tsuzuki.

At least he's too drunk to be upset over getting food and liqour all over him and the floor.]

Whoa! Hello yo!

[He starts brushing himself down with his hand before making a face and grabbing a napkin. He uses that while licking his hand free of food and stuff.]

banquet

[sweetdeath]

Sorry!

[Tsuzuki grabs another napkin and starts trying to help clean the guy's shirt front off. It's really not working. There's chocolate in there, and dessert sauces, and one big smear of gravy--

He's sad to see those desserts go. They looked amazing.]

Uh, I -- [... he has no idea where there might be a change of clothing, but if this guy wants any of the stains to come out, like, ever, he's probably going to have to change and stick this one in cold water to soak.] -- You probably should soak this. Sorry!

[Did he already say that? He probably already said that.] I didn't see you....

[soundsurfing]

Whoa whoa yo, it's cool!

[He's frowning down at his clothes, but mostly because he's thinking the same as Tsuzuki. That was a waste of good food. And now he smells like a strange combination of pastries, alcohol, and other things.]

Dude don' worry 'bout it. S'all good. [He takes a moment to look around, squinting into the group of people. There might be those helper Shinki around that he can give it to.] Wasn't payin' 'tension either. You aight?

[Tsuzuki don't look as Beat grabs the neck of his shirt to just pull the whole mess up and off, wrinkling his nose. Gross. At least it just mostly landed on his shirt, which means he's not going to take his pants off or anything.]

[sweetdeath]

Huh? Yeah, fine. [Tsuzuki's not even blinking as Beat pulls his shirt off -- after all, they're all guys here, right? Okay there are plenty of women at the party too, but they can go find a bathroom and soak it in the sink and it'll all be fine. Yeah. He nods cheerfully.]

I bet there's a sink somewhere. Let's go check.

[soundsurfing]

Huh? Oh sure.

[He's not even thinking of soaking his shirt, he just wanted it off him. He gives the food and drink a sad look and begins to move to look for a bathroom, only to stop and stare off into the distance.]

Dude... do dead peeps an' gods even need bathrooms?

[sweetdeath]

Oh, yeah, sure. What goes in must come out!

I mean you won't die if you don't eat, so I guess you don't have to, but who wouldn't eat? It's delicious.

[And cooking at home is fun! Even if nobody else is willing to eat his food, which is just because they're spoilsports. He grins at Beat and starts off ahead, looking for a bathroom sign.]

[soundsurfing]

Huh... true yo, some foods the best!

[Well, the more you know, though he'll just forget it shortly after. He moves to follow after Tsuzuki, bundling his shirt up so he doesn't accidentally smack it into someone else and transfer the goop.]

Oh hey dude, names Beat! [He catches up with Tsuzuki and grins, holding out his hand. He doesn't remember if it's the hand he licked to get stuff offa it. He hopes it's not.]

[sweetdeath]

Asato Tsuzuki! Nice to meet you. [Huh, handshakes? Pretty Western of the kid, though with a name like that maybe he's not actually Japanese, who knows? Tsuzuki doesn't remember which hand he licked, either, but he doesn't particularly care; he cheerfully clasps it for a handshake.]

So are you new around here or one of the, you know. Old hands?

[Weird, there aren't actually bathrooms along this corridor. At least not so far. He lets go of Beat's hand and pokes his head into a side room: nope, library.]

[soundsurfing]

[That hand is being shaken so hard it's like Beat's pumping an old fashioned water pump, eventually letting it go when Tsuzuki releases it to keep walking with him.

He's forgotten they're looking for a bathroom. The library makes him curl his nose, boring.]

New, on'a the dead ones. Uh, Shinki. You dude?

[sweetdeath]

God! I mean, I'm still dead, I have been for-- [He counts off the decades on his fingers, then frowns thoughtfully.]

... I think it's a different year here. Does that count?

Maybe we should look for a kitchen instead.

[Sure, he's changing subjects, but it all makes sense to him. If he can't spot a bathroom then he'll find a kitchen and either of those would have a sink! There's got to be a kitchen pretty close for all the food to be just the right temperature in the banquet hall.]

[soundsurfing]

[The question makes him go silent as he ponders it. Does it count? He doesn't know. The concept is puzzling him and he opens his mouth to basically verbalize a question mark when the subject is changed.

And just like that his inebriated brain forgets the problem.]

Sure, dude. If peeps are Gods, is there gonna be kitchens? Can'chu jus' summon stuff from thin air?

[He glances down at his shirt and unrolls it, wondering why he's not wearing it and oh's when he spots the stuff on it. Right.]

[sweetdeath]

How much did you drink?

[Tsuzuki's doing fine! Okay, he's a little wobbly on his feet. Okay, he's flushed. But he's fine.

... or, anyway, he's been this drunk plenty of times and mostly it wasn't a big deal. He slings an arm around Beat's shoulders and heads off, announcing:] Getting stuff out of thin air is hard! You've got to get it from somewhere. Everybody has a kitchen someplace or they're just taking the food from the mortal world, which I guess they could....

[That, though, means it's going to be a lot harder to find a sink. Gods have to wash their hands sometimes, though! Or fill a glass up with water! It'll be somewhere. He's sure.]

[soundsurfing]

Ssssssssssssssssssoooooooooooooo lots dude, I'm way drunk.

[He's too drunk to even try and pretend he's not, but he seems to be doing well. Until Tsuzuki tosses an arm over his shoulder. He cheerfully tosses his own around Tsuzuki's after shifting his shirt under one arm, and almost takes them both down in the process, though he manages to keep them standing after a bit of a stumble.]

So you jus' don' wish it in, wow dude, whats the use of bein' a God?!

[He pft's loudly and starts directing their movements a little when he hears music again. He's forgotten again, leave him alone, his brain is beyond pickled.]

[sweetdeath]

Lots of things, like... living forever and not getting old.

[He stumbles, and leans back against Beat to balance out the other guy's attempt to lean on him before they list off to the floor. In a burst of honesty (and, okay, he has had a lot to drink himself) he confides:]

Actually that's not good. S'... you know. It gets old.

Hey, what's that music? [He turns his head, tugging Beat towards the sound -- or is Beat trying to go that way already? He's not going in a straight line, so it's hard to tell.]

[soundsurfing]

Yeaaaaaaaaaaah dude sounds like it'd get borin'.

[He makes a face to that and goes with Tsuzuki when he tugs or, no wait, he was going in that direction anyways. He shoves his shirt into the arms of a surprised Shinki that's been wandering around to refill drinks - he doesn't need it!]

That dude, is the sound of fun! You ever kar'okied?!

[sweetdeath]

Every party! C'mon! Let's go!

[Karaoke! Tsuzuki loves karaoke, at least as long as his boss doesn't get to do any songs (Konoe's voice could kill at twenty paces. One hundred if it's amplified.)

But Konoe's not here, so he forges ahead.]

What kind of stuff do you wanna sing?

[soundsurfing]

Anythin' that ain't gonna put us to sleep dude! It's a party, which means we gotta rock it!

[He stops a little when they enter into the game room, blinking blearily to gain his bearings at the new surroundings until he can find the karaoke machines. Tsuzuki's dragged - or is Beat dragged? - over towards it, Beat grinning ear to ear.]

They better have some good shit yo.

[sweetdeath]

I wanna do enka! You know, you can put your heart into it...

[Okay, it's slow and soulful, mostly. But it's great music! He loved it back when he was in his fifties! Enka can rock a party just fine.]

[soundsurfing]

Enk- no way dude!

[The look Beats giving Tsuzuki is utterly disgusted]

I said we gonna rock it, not put peeps to sleep! I'm sure they got some rap or rock or somethin' to start us out wid!

[sweetdeath]

Everybody loves enka!

[... seventy years ago. He remembers it like yesterday, though.]

... and I don't know any rap.

[soundsurfing]

Grandma's love enka dude! Get wid the times!

[Tsk. Beat pulls Tsuzuki over to one machine and begins going through it.]

Jus' follow the words that show dude, you ain't gotta know it!

[sweetdeath]

Hey!

[Tsuzuki tries to snatch the remote. He's gonna put at least one song he knows in there while Beat's busy putting in his whatever it is he's picking! Beat's drunker than he is so this is definitely going to work just fine. He's certain of it.

And if not he can just get the guy a drink and they'll all be friends again!]

[soundsurfing]

HEY!

[Beat mimics the word and starts trying to keep the remote from Tsuzuki, pouting drunkingly when the other manages to snatch it.]

Aight fine but if you put in Enka, I'm dunkin' yer head in the punch bowl dude!

[Emphasized with pointed poke to Tsuzuki's chest.]

[sweetdeath]

Geez, fine! [He swipes at Beat's hand, pouting, as Beat pokes him in the chest.] I'll put in one and you put in one. That's fair, right?

[Man, kids these days have no respect for classic music.]

[soundsurfing]

... Yeah that's cool.

[Pouting over with, Beat goes back to looking at the songs thoughtfully, waiting for Tsuzuki to pick one.]