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

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki frowns thoughtfully.] I'll ask Hisoka.

[He might not know the name, but -- does losing memory mean losing information about everything? Or just your own past? He's talked to a few shinki who have forgotten themselves, but they all seemed to be handling themselves just fine at the buffet.

Either way, it's got to be hard, but he shakes off his brief concern and sits next to Vector.]

Balance, huh. I wonder what kind of prayers you get, then. "It's no fair, I only get bad luck, balance it out"?

[Chuckling, he tries the chocolate cake, and makes a wordless noise of appreciation through the mouthful.]

[jyajyaaan]

Hisoka? Is that a friend of yours? [He inclines his head curiously as his pupils turn wider and more childlike at the idea.]

And yeah, I wonder~ I don't mind helping with some issues, but I'm actually more interested in the more serious cases. I like people who struggle for their believes. [Chuckling, he gestures towards the cake.] How is it? I heard that there's nothing chocolate can't fix, but I've never had the joy of tasting it myself.

[sweetdeath]

My p-- my shinki. [They're still partners, even if the rules are different in ways Tsuzuki hasn't totally gotten a grasp on yet, but it's easier to explain it with the terms that this world uses. He takes another big bite of the cake, looking more interested at Ma'at's suggestion that he's more interested in helping people struggling for their beliefs.]

So can you really not eat anything? [He eyes the guy's strange face.] I thought that was a mask....

[jyajyaaan]

[His eyes narrow briefly at that slip of tongue and he leans back, chuckling to himself.]

Partner, huh? It's good to have somebody like that around.

[Vector is a person who lives and dies for his decisions all the time, to the point where he won't even try to hide that seeing the same kind of raw emotion and inner fire on other people's faces gives him a deep sense of satisfaction. It's life and chaos and sometimes also egoism, but why should that be bad?]

It's a bit of both, actually. [He gives him a wink.] Long story short is that my kind can't stomach things from the human world. I'm still amazed the air here isn't poisoning me anymore.

[sweetdeath]

Yeah, it is. [So he's transparent: he smiles, ruefully, because it's not like calling Hisoka his partner is weird at all. Even if he has the strange feeling he shouldn't bring it all up to Hisoka... and maybe that makes sense? Hisoka's going to be upset enough about having no memory without hearing that Tsuzuki knows all the details he's forgotten. He dismisses that, leaning forward in interest at the explanation.]

So you're from another plane? Are you some kind of spirit?

[Probably not a demon. Tsuzuki's met a few of those: they are unmistakable.]

[jyajyaaan]

[It wasn't hard to guess considering the circumstances, and a negligible wrong assumption to be corrected on, had he been wrong. Feeling pleased that he got it right, he keeps up the friendly smiling act around Tsuzuki.]

Yes and no. I'm a Barian. Our world is one that is ...

[He pauses and frowns as he tries to come up with a good explanation that's also simple and easy to give. Twirling his hand, he makes a reaching gesture.]

... consider it something similar to a parallel dimension to the human world? We are alive, but it's very different from how things are in the human world.

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki nods. Yeah, that makes sense; it's something like the Illusionary World, or the world of the gods or demons -- a parallel existence. It's strange that Ma'at can't eat human food, though, or endure the air. Probably being a deity here is what makes the difference.]

So, were you ever part of the human world? Or were you always separate?

[Once, the shikigami had lived side by side with humans, before retreating to their own realm. If Barians are the same way, maybe there are myths about them, the way there are about other spirits.]

[jyajyaaan]

A bit of both, if old myths are to be believed. [He shrugs his shoulders. He doubts that Tsuzuki actually wants to hear the whole creation myth of the Barian world and its inhabitants.]

The Barian world is a high energy world, and so are its atmosphere and most of its inhabitants. Barians who come to the human world are severely weakened by the lack of energy there and can have trouble assuming their true shapes to the point where a longer stay is very dangerous. Similarly a prolonged stay in the Barian world can be very hazardous to any human who does it.

[Another little shrug as he casually omits the whole cycle of reincarnation thing.]

I can imagine that some unlucky travelers might have helped create stories about ghosts or weird creatures in both worlds. Most of the known gateways have been sealed a long time ago, but it still happens occasionally. That's where I came into play.

[sweetdeath]

Oh yeah?

[This is interesting, and it's giving Tsuzuki time to steadily make his way through his dessert platter, too. He nods along with Ma'at's explanation, and swallows, clearing his mouth when it seems to be coming to a pause.]

Spirits used to spend more time in the mortal world where I'm from, too, but it's... not friendly for them anymore. There's not enough belief, or enough room.

So what do you do if somebody slips through?

[jyajyaaan]

[Watching all the food vanish into Tsuzuki is fascinating. He stops and watches him going through it silently for a couple of moments before he resumes their conversation.]

Some things are better left forgotten, I think.

What I do depends on from which side they come and if it's intentional or not. If they just were at the wrong place at the wrong time I try to track them down and send them back again. Help if there's a need and possibility to help. [A little pause as his eyes focus on something far away and he frowns, voice dropping a note.] ...and if they're seeking to exploit it or use it in order to harm others I track them down as well. I'm less nice in those cases.

You must have been a pretty special human if you met spirits that often.

[sweetdeath]

Oh, sure.

... Most of them I met after I died, though!

[By far the majority. He pushes a piece of carrot cake to the side of the plate. It's got raisins in it, anyway, so his appetite flagging doesn't have to look like it has anything to do with the subject.]

[jyajyaaan]

After you died??

[His eyebrows shoot up.]

How is that supposed to be possible?!

[sweetdeath]

Well -- I was a god of death back home. Nothing like this! We were just salarymen, but you get the job after you die.

It's been a while!

[He tries a laugh, which sounds a little more convincing, and draws furrows in the carrot cake's icing with his fork. It's just weird, describing these things to people. Aren't all the shinki here dead, too, anyway? And Tsuzuki wouldn't bet on the mortals being alive. Mortals don't become gods without dying first, as a general rule.]

[jyajyaaan]

A god of death? Is that even possible?

[He sounds intrigued rather than disbelieving -- he has been dealing with a lot of spirits prior to his death, even been able to summon some deities. So it's not that out there to think that there are some entities that make sure that things are going their natural order... or whatever else it is Tsuzuki has been doing.]

[sweetdeath]

Haha, sure!

[Tsuzuki shrugs, and actually takes a bite of the cake, relaxing a little.]

It's not like we actually collect every soul of a person who dies. Most of them make it across on their own, but if one goes missing, somebody needs to go figure out why -- that's us.

[He shrugs again.] I guess they'll have to find a new hire, huh? Anyway, this is a lot nicer.

[jyajyaaan]

Hmph. If it's really as badly paid as you say, then that might take them a while.

Still...

[Leaning forward, he rests his chin on one of his hands.]

Does it ever happen that a soul can't be found anymore? If it gets lost that badly, or stolen.... What happens then?

[sweetdeath]

We find out who stole it.

Sometimes it's out of our jurish... [He stumbles on the word (he's blaming the Mai Tai) and tries again, with exaggerated care.] Jurisdiction. Otherwise, we don't lose a lot of them.

[Sometimes, yeah. Those souls, well, if Tsuzuki knew what had happened to them he wouldn't have failed to solve the case.]

[jyajyaaan]

Haha... Is that so? [His eyes turn sad for a moment as he averts his gaze.

'Don't lose a lot of them', huh?

That'd be a real laugh if it weren't such a bitter memory to stomach.

Closing his eyes he leans back and sighs.]

I used to be scared of spirits, back when I was young. It's a silly thing, because the only thing that awaits Barains once we die is the total erasure. The leftover energy that we still have can be taken in by somebody else, but our minds, souls... That what makes us us simply gets destroyed. ...I like your happy end more.

[sweetdeath]

Are you sure?

[Tsuzuki's gaze is distant, sliding away from Ma'at to linger on some sight that's not in this room at all.]

Well... there are ways for our souls to be destroyed, too.

[jyajyaaan]

Very sure.

[Shrugging his shoulders, he makes an remorseful face.]

I am still surprised that I woke up here, rather than... Whatever else. My last moments wasn't pretty.

[sweetdeath]

You died? [Then there is something that survives, if his soul was drawn to this world. Tsuzuki files that away, and eats the last cream puff on his plate.]

[jyajyaaan]

Yeah. It was either just me or a friend who refused to let go even if it killed us both, so the choice was obvious.

I don't know if it's the same for you, but your souls can die too, right? What does it take for a god of death to die?

[sweetdeath]

For our bodies to be destroyed. We're like you Barains in a way, I guess. We're hard to kill, but if this body goes, that's it for second chances.

[Very, very hard to kill. The regeneration of a Shinigami's body won't stop unless every last cell is destroyed... Tsuzuki blinks, bringing his eyes back into focus on the here and now, and dismisses the thought.

It hasn't been very long since the inferno. He still thinks of it when he's not careful not to.]

... It's lucky you got pulled over here with the rest of us, then, huh?

[jyajyaaan]

[He doesn't miss Tsuzuki's small moment there and secretly files it away for later. Death isn't exactly the best topic to press for a discussion upon your first meeting.]

I guess. I'm wouldn't have thought that somebody like you had enemies, though. Wouldn't safe guidance be something most want?

[sweetdeath]

Most people don't want to die.

[Sure, when you find people who have been somehow trapped between life and death -- ghosts, zombies, vampires, the victims of demon contracts -- they usually want out. When it's someone looking for a way to miss their appointment with death, though, they don't like Death in a cheap suit knocking on their door.

Maybe people will be happier about a god of desserts. Who wouldn't pick cake over death?]