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

[roeh]

[She's nods and it's a slow, deliberate movement.]

Yasusada it is.

[Maybe it didn't matter to him but his feelings mattered to her. Because she had decided. He was one of her crew now and she would never deny one of them their agency. Whether it's by choice or design, she has an ally in this place. Although it's a fledgling thing, taking off on shuddering wings with no indication of whether it will fly or fall. But it's a start. Like so many others she's weathered before.

Her fingers tighten around her knees and she regards him with less suspicion and a measure more of ever sobering respect. They have little reason to trust each other yet but they'll never get anywhere without it.]

Mórrígan. Does that mean anything to you? [It's a start, but she wants to share the end.]

[okitactless]

[He smiles in acknowledgment, and again it's a boyish look, almost shy. He may be centuries old, but he doesn't know that, and his body can't be more than 20. The innocence in his eyes makes him seem even younger than that, but he's no child-- that's something he can prove in battle, if not anywhere else.

Right now, though, he's more than content to go at her pace with this meeting. How could he expect her to love him instantly? He hasn't done anything to earn her respect yet. He's more than eager to start, and if she wanted, he'd be happy to hit the battlefield right now. But he does possess some semblance of restraint, and charging in without knowing anything about each other would be unwise. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her because he was too hasty--for that, and for her comfort, he can be plenty patient.]

No... I'm sorry. I don't think I've ever heard it before today. [He hesitates, biting his lip.] ...Are you angry?

[roeh]

[The question gives her cause to pause. She had spoken out of curiosity, not doubt and she doesn't hesitate but rather deliberates on how to proceed, another query in the quirk of her lips.]

Not with you. [Speaking softer this time, she hopes to sound reassuring. Because she is angry isn't she? That's what this is all about. The drinking, the sharp tongue. It's all a distraction from the roiling fury that threatens to burn her up from the inside and the only release is to spit fire at anything left standing in her way. That's always been her way, hasn't it? Hers is a path that's left scorched and battle scarred.

Perhaps it was always meant to be like this. She thinks of the legends that threaded together the streets of her youth, the titles and epithets that decorate her service. It wasn't the first time she'd been named for a goddess of war and death.

Fine. If that's what they want, that's what she would give them.

As the cloud finally lifts from her face, it's replaced with a simmering determination. The only question is now sitting before her. Because she may be on a war path, but she won't force anyone to follow.]

It's the ones that did this. Whoever, whatever's responsible. I'm going to stop them.

[okitactless]

["Not with you", she says, and maybe he should be worried about just how relieved he is to hear those words. Where are these feelings coming from? What drives him to care so much about some things, when he's so ignorant about others? Just what kind of life did he have before all of this...?

Those questions clamor for attention in his heart, and he'll only be able to stave them off for so long. But tonight, right now, he's far more concerned with his goddess--especially with a declaration like that.

The ones that did this... his brow furrows, and he tilts his head, uncertain.]

The ones who ended your life? [But even as he says it, he knows that's not what she's talking about. But she can't possibly mean...] ...Amaterasu...?

[roeh]

Maybe.

[Truthfully, she hadn't gotten quite that far. Coming from a life where everything went pear shaped more often than not and even the best laid plans were upended on a near daily bases, Shepard had learned to carry a near lethal dose of suspicion with her wherever she went. No matter how she looked at what had happened, how she turned it over in her mind and examined all the pieces of their lackluster explanation, something wasn't right. But you can't persecute someone on a bad feeling.]

If she's lying and I find out she's behind it, then yes. But I intend to find out.

[Carefully, she starts to rise, surprisingly steady on her feet until she stands at attention with one hand extended to him. Even she realized it was going to take a lot more digging to get the proof she needs to really act.]

It's not going to happen overnight though.

[okitactless]

[Okay. Anger, but not rashness. The urge to fight, but not to rush in blindly. He can understand that.

He's still worried, admittedly. It seems dangerous, especially from his point of view, when he doesn't actually mind anything but the amnesia. And he likes Shepard. The other gods had seemed nice enough, true, but she's his god--and maybe that's coloring his perceptions, but she seems strong and smart and someone he'll be proud to belong to. If this leads them down a dangerous path and something happens to her, what will he do then?

It seems like a heavy question, and in a way, it is. But the answer is obvious.

Reaching up, he grasps her hand in both of his, carefully accepting her support and rising to his feet. His clothes make him seem smaller, thinner than he really is, especially the haori, draped over him like the sky itself. But he's strong, and decently fast, and while he may not remember the source, the influence of Okita Souji runs in his blood. He won't fail her.]

What do you need me to do?

[roeh]

[Shepard has always been a rather good judge of character. It was practically a necessity to survive the slums where she grew up, reading between the line, decisions made on the fly, and it served her just as well in the transition to military life. Even now, she's scrutinizing, summing him up, trying to surmise how best he could fit into this plan. Although trust was fragile, she was still putting her her life in his hands and in a way, he was doing the same in making this choice. Seeing it like that, the various shades of him start to come out.

The clothes, that style, even the form of his deference spoke of a time long past to her, one that the vision confirmed. She is vaguely familiar with it, in spite of her informal education but she can't help thinking that Kasumi would be able to fill in all the detail she's missing. Her expression remains impartial although the memory hits her deep. What she wouldn't give to have them now, as a sounding board, as support.]

I need a partner.

[She says the words as soon as the thought springs to life and it sounds right. She doesn't speak of loyalty because that's a given and she doesn't speak of obedience because it's already implied with the question.]

I need someone who can think for themselves. Someone who can see what I don't and who isn't afraid to tell me so. [Still with her hand in his, she levels him with a meaningful look.] Can you do that?

[okitactless]

[A partner.

His first inclination, above anything else, is to shy away. It's too much. He's just a Shinki--a partner to some extent, but surely not one who does the kind of things she's looking for. Wouldn't that be better suited to another god?

...But then, how would he know?

He's the one without his memories. He's the one who was chosen, if not by her, then by someone who thought he'd suit her. It's his duty now, the very purpose of his life, to do what she asks of him. To support her in whatever ways she needs. And someone, or something, must've thought he was up to the task.

So it's a little bit frightening, yes. And it definitely won't be easy--not when he has no idea what kind of skills lurk, hidden, inside of him. But if nothing else, he can give her everything he has. He can become what she needs, or die trying.

He's already dead anyway. And this time around isn't so bad.]

Yes. [He nods with just a little more conviction than he actually feels. But it's not a promise he's making lightly.] I can do that for you, Mórrígan-sama.

[roeh]

Woah. [She pulls back a step with her hands up as if to brace against the impact of his words.] That's a bit serious even for me.

[But it's a measure of his principles as well as respect, she realizes a moment later, the implication slow to catch up. Even without his memories, that must have been important to him, to leave such an impression. And the hesitation before he answers, the hints at uncertainty, it's not lost on her but she's glad for it. It's exactly what she's asking for, not a blind disciple -- she has little use or patience for idolatry -- but someone with a certain mettle who weighed the odds and drew their own conclusions. It seems he passed the first test.

Slowly, she clasps him on the shoulder, reassuring. In a way, his respect wasn't all that different from chain of command. Even she wouldn't spit in the face of such things.]

If you really gotta stick with the formalities, it's Commander. Commander Shepard.

[Compromised as she is though, it's hard to keep a glimpse of her own uncertainties from poking through.] To be honest, Mórrígan feels a lot more like a title than a name.

[Exactly how many of those did she have to carry now? Hero. Butcher. Every one that found its way into the bag weighed her down, made each step feel a little slower and heavier but she wears them like a badge and has yet to drop a single one.]

[okitactless]

[The shoulder touch feels a little bit weird, admittedly, but he doesn't see any reason to say that. More importantly, her words are reassuring--a part of him knows the formalities are right, but a deeper part feels like they aren't.]

Commander Shepard-kun. [Is it weird to use a suffix like that on a woman he's just met? Probably, but Yamato isn't too bothered. Everyone already thinks he's strange anyway, why start worrying about it now?

He likes this better than Mórrígan too. It suits her much better, he thinks.] I'm not sure I'll be easy to work with, but I hope we get along.

[But he hasn't forgotten that she'd looked unwell earlier, so now that they're standing, he peers at her closely again.] Are you feeling better?

[roeh]

I'll sure you'll be just fine Yasusada-khan. [And just like that she ruins it. That's not her bringing some futuristic space jargon to the table; she's just butchering something she isn't completely of the right mind to understand. She'll regret it tomorrow. Like so many other things. Maybe.

It's almost serendipitous that he'd bring it up himself though it does draw her attention back to the throbbing in her head when she was perfectly happy simply ignoring it up until now. She runs a hand through her hair, pressing a palm to her temple.]

I told you, didn't I? This is nothing. [But that's not what she said and there's a waver in her voice like she's not being entirely candid with either of them. Slowly, she sucks in a breath and releases it.] But maybe this isn't the best place to spend the night.

[okitactless]

[YASUSADA-KHAN... and of course he's not going to correct her, because he is assuming it's some sort of intentional honorific on her part. He's a "khan", wow! Is that good? He hopes it's good.

She didn't say that, though... she said she was sick and then not sick and-- Yamato's beginning to catch on that she's not even really sure herself. But that's fine. Tonight is a night of confusion. Tomorrow will be better.

But for tomorrow to come, they have to go to sleep. So he steps a little closer, hovering, like he's not sure if he wants to reach out and support her or let her make her own way.] Then... let's find where we're supposed to go.

[Home. He wants to say home. But he has a feeling she'd rather not call it that.]

[roeh]

[It's perfect if you're into eugenics or maybe ruling a vast empire through bloody conquest. Which would be a fitting parallel to her new found divinity. But such things will be lost in the wake of selective memory and hangovers and a whole day spent in bed. As soon as they find that bed.

Wasn't she supposed to have a sense for such things now? Was it too little too late to undo the sabotage she had wrought on herself? She almost leans away from him now, determined to prove herself to... what? The trees? The gods? Her visions soars skyward until she sees the stars. Never before -- nor ever again -- has Earth ever felt like such a prison.]

Well we've gotta have a temple? A shrine? I'd even take Stonehenge right about now.

[With her feet still planted remarkably firm on the ground, she considers the choice of paths they have to take. Without much ceremony, she picks one.] This way looks safe.

[And she waves them on.]

[okitactless]

What's a stone henge?

[A question he would've asked even with his memories... #Swordlyfe.

But Yamato is content to walk by her side, ready to support her if she happens to need it. It doesn't even really matter to him if they find their new home, honestly. He'll go where she goes now, wherever that may be.]

[roeh]

[Alright this guy was a bit strange, to be sure, but who doesn't know about Stonehenge? She screws her face up trying to think of how to describe it. At least they had time.]

Well it's... a place with a bunch of giant stones. Near where Mórrígan was worshiped. And they... did... rituals or... sacrifices with... [And the longer she carries on the more she stumbles and stutters until she comes to a realization with a full stop. The joke was already dead, the moment she had to describe it.] You know what. I haven't a goddamn clue what the point of it was.

[Thinking about it now, she can't even remember if it's still around. So much ancient history was lost in the push past the horizon.] Would be nice to see it though.