September Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: January 22nd, 2017
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore / slopes of a recently erupting volcano
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 her welcome speech in the monotone of someone who's practiced it far too often. Hopefully no one's feeling sleepy! She adds that gods should be cautious of anyone on the Near Shore who might ask to use their shrines to visit the Heavens, and should instruct their shinki to be cautious as well. There is at least one unrecognized god who the Heavens believe to be attacking them, and another recent incursion by an unrecognized god ended in his defeat and the extinguishing of the volcano he had caused to erupt. 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

There are stacks of informational pamphlets sitting out on tables around the dojo. There aren't very many of the white-robed shinki around, but the few who are present will willingly answer any questions or instruct newcomers in the use of the borderline. They accompany their answers, or their 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. Each of the shinki is wearing a brightly-colored sticky name tag reading HELLO, MY NAME IS ________, and all of their names appear to end with the syllable "mei."

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 who appears upset and visibly distracted is keeping an eye on the training dummies, and will intervene if anyone tries to destroy one. He is wearing a slightly battered nametag that reads HELLO, MY NAME IS SABIMEI. (Sabimei is an expert in shinki magic and will assist characters who need help with spells or who want to learn a new spell. If you want a thread with him or have any questions about handwaving something, please comment on the NPC REQUEST thread below. Characters who want to begin learning a new spell from him do not have to thread it out, but should comment on the Shinki Spells and Songs page to begin learning the spell.)

Physical Training

There are no special obstacle courses or training areas set up for the newcomers at this welcome session. Instead, the white-robed shinki will invite any gods or shinki who are willing to help with cleanup in the Western District of the Far Shore. A recent volcanic eruption has left heavy ash fall on temple roofs and fallen trees or mud clogging roads. Some of them are singing in chorus to summon small rainstorms or winds to clear away the obstacles; others are just using brooms and ropes to sweep away ash or drag away trees, and help of the magical or physical variety will be appreciated.

Rest and Refreshments

Once it begins to grow dark, everyone helping to clean up the Western District will be brought back to the dojo to rejoin those who chose to remain there. Traditional public baths are available for everyone to wash off the mud, ash and sweat of their hard work and soak comfortably in a warm communal pool afterwards, and a generous banquet has been laid for everyone. The tables are full of beer and sake (or tea and soda for the non-drinkers), plates of sushi and sashimi, deep-fried vegetables and shrimp, and warm soups to counteract the chill of the January weather.

After dinner, a middle-aged woman sets up an open mic. She starts out the evening by turning on her karaoke machine and performing a few jazzy older songs, and turns the mic over from there to a man with very old-fashioned manners who recites a few poems. Anyone who wants to take time at the microphone is welcome, whether they're performing, doing karaoke, telling jokes, or delivering speeches or information.

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Help clean up ash and clear roads
• Enjoy a welcome banquet
• Have fun~

Comments

[declamando]

[A: New Beginning, Take Two (Closed to Mirei)]

[Maria had heard about gods disappearing enough in her first month, but she hadn't been expecting it to be quite so abrupt. Ayumu had seemed to be a well-established god...so all this really does is tell her it can happen to anyone at any time.

She's been at the Shinki Sanctuary for the few days since it happened, but now, with the training gathering coming around again, she heads to the Meeting Hall to see if she's been reassigned yet. The pointed curls of her pink hair are quite well visible over the crowd as she looks over the people gathered, a slight frown on her face.]

I guess I don't have a choice but to wait, do I...?

--

[B: Shinki Training]

[Once things are sorted out with her new god, Maria goes back to what she hadn't gotten the chance to practice fully last time she was here - borderlines. The incident with the volcano had given a good kick to the training she'd already started by then, and as such, her strikes at the straw targets with offensive borderlines are already quite sharp and accurate.

After laying a few more shots into one, Maria sighs and glances back towards the enclosure with the animated dummies.] Maybe I need to practice defending a little more.

--

[C: Physical Training]

[Of course, Maria can't just leave it at that when she hears there's cleanup efforts going on in the Western District. While she doesn't have the magic to shift something like a tree by herself, she can take care of some other difficult obstacles so everyone else has an easier time of it.

So she can be found dragging large chunks of rubble out of walkways and paths, muscles quite visible under her short sleeves as she hauls lumps of stone, concrete or whatever else off to one side.]

I think it's just about clear here, you should be able to get through. [Maria says that with a wave to anyone trying to clear out ash or trees or whatever else this way.]

--

[D: Rest and Refreshments]

[Maria hasn't had a great deal of time to think on the strangeness that had confronted her on her arrival last month, particularly the revelation that she used to be a god, but she has had enough to look into some things. Particularly, the reason why she might have ended up in a position to be running a talent agency.

As such, once the two older shinki have had their turn at the microphone, she steps up to the stage somewhat cautiously, picking an older song well-known enough for her to be familiar with it. It's upbeat, but not quite poppy, and Maria's voice as she sings along is confident and clear, that of a well-trained singer and most likely an experienced performer to boot.

Once she comes to the end of the song, she'll offer the microphone to anyone nearby, a small smile on her face.] Did you want a turn?

Physical Training

[unlucky7]

[Who needs magic or special abilities when you have a strong body, a willingness to work, and a wheelbarrow? Ginia waves a hand in thanks at Maria as she moves a wheelbarrow full of debris through the newly cleared path. There's a growing dump pile forming at the side of the path. Eventually someone will weed out larger pieces of wood and stone for use in other projects, but for now it's a reminder of the destruction caused by a single god.

Ginia unloads her wheelbarrow and pauses to fish a water bottle out of her jacket pocket and take a drink. Whistling to catch Maria's attention, she holds up the bottle and tosses it over.]

[declamando]

[Maria turns her head sharply at the whistle, reaching up to catch the bottle as it flies towards her. It's a nice gesture, so she raises a hand back and uncaps it to take a few sips.]

Thank you. I should've brought one of my own, but I usually just drink as I need it at the training meetups... [With a slight sound of amusement, she puts the cap back on the bottle and throws it back.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia catches the bottle and sets it in the empty wheelbarrow, walking it back in range to type and talk. Her work gloves flop into the wheelbarrow as she tugs them off and takes out her phone.]

I saw some of Amaterasu's shinki set up a small medical station with water, it's where I grabbed it from. Here's hoping the food is good, I could use something filling.

[declamando]

It seems to be, considering how things were last time. [Maria gives a somewhat rueful smile at that, though. She's learnt a few things since last time they talked.] I'd say I haven't been here long enough to know, but it seems like that's not quite true even if I don't remember.

[unlucky7]

[The implication is obvious. No doubt those far close to Maria would have revealed her time as a god prior. She trusts Kairi's words, but it's good to see no harm came to Maria. Ginia's smile turns apologetic and she inclines her head slightly.]

I met you before when you were a god, though it was only the one time. If you were to learn anything, I thought it would be better from someone who actually knew you.

[declamando]

[It does explain one or two things, and Maria waves a hand as if to say she's forgiven for the decision.] Most of them didn't seem to want to tell me, honestly, even though someone gave me some documents she apparently received that were mine from before. Alex was the only one who actually said it outright.

[She's grateful, honestly - it probably would have come out eventually, so this saves her more confusion.]

[unlucky7]

[Ahh, Alex. She didn't know Alex and Maria knew each other, but Alex is a gentle, kind person and probably the best to find out from.]

I can imagine people didn't want to hurt you somehow. Or force expectations onto you.

[What would she do if someone she knew well came back as a shinki or otherwise lost all memories through death? It would hurt, but she can't imagine burdening them with expectations. The best options would be to start over and see where it goes.

Or maybe she's too good at running from things.]

But I'm glad someone did tell you. Alex is such a wonderful person.

[declamando]

I think it was about hurting me, mostly. [It does make her give a faint, somewhat humourless laugh at the memory of her discussion with Hibiki, though.] At least one of them wasn't worried at all about forcing expectations.

[She's at least felt her way around things at Sparkle Motion and managed to get back to running the classes she used to run, but it feels a bit out of place - like she built it in a fit of fancy and now doesn't really know what to do with it.

Mentioning Alex makes her smile a little more sincerely, though.] She seems kind. It's a shame I forgot her, since it sounds like we were good friends.

[unlucky7]

She's a very understanding and warm person. I don't think she'd mind becoming friends again.

[People come and go, gods become shinki, shinki become gods. Everyone learns how to roll with the punches and adapt. Don't look back. Don't let regret swallow you. Keep moving forward.

It's the mantra Ginia repeats to steel her heart and move forward, but right now it feels like it's tearing her apart.]

Have any questions you still need answered? I can't promise anything, but I'll do what I can.

Shinki training

[mithrarin]

[Dust had been watching, out of quiet curiosity. Maria's skill with Borderlines comes as no surprise; a strong will and a desire to protect others goes a long way in making them work.]

Those dummies aren't really good practice. [For much the same reason. A strong will takes another strong will to oppose.] Want some real training?

[declamando]

[Maria turns her attention to Dust, expression clearing slightly.] Well, I imagine I'd have a better time of it practicing against someone else. Most of my recent practice was with the volcano.

[Shooting boulders out of the way and such like. It had been a somewhat literal trial by fire, even if she'd been practicing beforehand.]

[mithrarin]

It's embarrassing, but I keep forgetting to use it. I can make a pretty good Borderline, but it's not my go-to. [Shaking his head at himself, Dust lifts one hand, curling his two smaller fingers up.] But I can give you a good practice, I think.

[declamando]

I'll take your word for it. [Maria raises her own fingers into the halberd shape, smiling slightly. He presumably has more experience than her, at least.] Would you like to attack or defend first?

[She feels like attacking against another borderline would be more productive than the time she was having with the targets, honestly.]

[mithrarin]

My walls are better than my cutting lines. Much more of a trial by fire there. So that might help you focus your will more in practice.

[Dust traces out a line, then invokes it, summoning a wall between the pair of them. The mindset is a tricky dichotomy to maintain, viewing Maria as someone who must be kept apart from him at all costs while she's still a friend and someone he cares about. He overcomes it simply enough, by keeping the thought that it's for her own good and benefit fixed clearly in his mind.]

[It isn't too difficult to believe that someone would benefit by staying away from him, either. How is she doing, he wonders. Is her god good to her? Are her friends here being careful and helpful to her? Is everything okay? But he doesn't feel like he can pry, like he has the right to intrude...]

[This is the strength of his Borderline.]

[declamando]

Alright then. [At least it's just carrying on with what she was already doing that way. And it doesn't seem like she has to worry too much about hurting anyone severely below her combative weight class here, which has been a bit of a niggling worry since she arrived.

When Dust draws the line, Maria brings her hand up. All she really has to do on her end is imagine a righteous reason for wanting to strike him - perhaps a reason he would need to be safely subdued, and this way being the most ideal to do that.

She makes a cutting motion in the air with those two fingers, and the first attacking line flashes out, colliding heavily against the barrier. There's no question she's had more opportunity to practice attack over defense, with the confidence of it.]

[mithrarin]

[The blow hits the Borderline with enough force to make Dust slip a foot back as if to brace himself, though the wall doesn't yield. Definitely more resilient than a target dummy. Especially since her strength inspired further will within him, a desire not to let her succeed.]

I'm not sure you have too much more to learn on this score, besides just a lot of practice aiming and predicting.

[declamando]

[Maria feels the collision herself, gritting her teeth slightly - she doesn't like to just yield, but at the very least, it's proven that even a more experienced shinki might have some trouble with her borderlines.

After holding it in place for a moment or two longer, she lets it drop, considering that suggestion.] Is there anything set up for that here? I'd rather not have to attack an actual person for practice with moving targets if I don't have to, and it's a bit unpredictable to find ayakashi to practice on.

[disciprined]

[It's served her well in the past, showing up to these things as plain, ordinary, no-frills Mirei. It's easier to be overlooked, for one thing: just another girl in the uniform of a school that doesn't even exist in this world. Sometimes, the best thing to be is entirely unremarkable.

[It's peculiar how much she misses Yui - a near-stranger, but a girl who'd deserved so much more of a second chance than Mirei had ultimately been able to give her. But it's simply the nature of this place, just part of the deal: everyone who has been here more than a few weeks must know someone who is missing. Everyone has their own losses, many of them so much more profound than her own. There's nothing for it but to put it behind her, nothing to do but move on. Here she is, an unattached God in a world that abhors a vacuum. She must assume that this has been rectified - must, when she could sense that Yui was calling to her, and can tell that someone else is now.

[She stops short at the sight of her, though, catching her breath.

[Do they know she's an idol? Well of course they do! but do they know about Sophy? It's not so much that she meets Maria's eyes as she's hypnotized by her hair - hair almost the same shade as Yui's. They pick people up from everywhere, people in all shapes and forms. Mirei has been responsible for precisely two of them, and they both have pink hair.

[Is this going to become a theme?

[She pushes the thought aside: it can wait until later. Mirei has other things to think about for now. Specifically, it appears that it is time to Talk To A Grown-Up.]

Excuse me. I'm sorry to trouble you, but I believe that we are to be be partners. My name is Minami - they say I am the incarnation of Nemesis. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[declamando]

[Maria turns her attention to Mirei as soon as she's approached - considering how Ayumu came to her last time, she's not going to overlook an approach from a seemingly random stranger in this situation. She's very straightforward about it, too, which helps.

Maria's expression softens slightly as she looks the girl over. A good few years younger than her...she wouldn't have picked her as Nemesis, of all the gods, but then, that might be courtesy of something under the surface. It's a little bit early to judge that.

Nonetheless, Maria offers a polite curtsy to the introduction.] I'm Maria Cadenzavna Eve, and the pleasure is mine. I was hoping they'd be prompt about reassignment, even with everything I keep hearing about the organisation here...

[It's phrased with some amusement - it seems most people she's met are a little exasperated with the Heavenly bureaucracy.]

[disciprined]

Oh, I'm sure they have their reasons for it.

[Says the memorizer of a thousand and more school rules complete with numerical identifier, covering everything from the sane (Rule #3243: Do not run in the hallways) to the super-silly (Rule #43: Don't say that someone looks like a horse's butt) by means of the suspiciously specific (Rule #15420: One mustn't mishear sketchbook for step up). It would help if the Heavens were a bit more specific about what rules governed their behavior in the first place, of course--

[Mirei has been dutiful. Now she allows herself something more personal.]

I'm glad, too. From all I've seen here, new gods and shinki really do need one another. We're neither very capable alone, and certainly not in the way we ought to be. Besides, it hardly seems right that you should have to to lose your home simply because someone else has gone back to theirs.

[Okay: they have their reasons for most of it. That part simply seems unfair.]

[declamando]

No, that part of it certainly seems unfair to everyone. [The shinki losing them, the gods who may worry for them in the absence of their temple...though she hopes those particular gods would try to open up their homes to shinki caught in that situation.

It does occur to her that there's something she may want to mention here, though, and Maria gives a slight, almost apologetic smile.]

I'm not quite sure "warning" is the right word, but you may feel a bit more confusion from me than you would another shinki. I learnt recently I used to be a god, so I'm still working out my place here. But it sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders, so I'd be glad to work alongside you.

[First Ayumu, now Mirei...it seems as if she's gotten fairly level-headed gods, as the people here go.]

Shinki Training - the latest tag, orz, I'm sorry

[thirdbeauty]

Wow...

[Natsuru's attention had been captivated by Maria's capabilities with the cutting borderlines already. It was slightly distracting from her own training, since she'd taken a break just to watch.]

Maria-san... [Dropping the '-sama' still feels weird.] ... You're already so good at this!

[Smiling broadly, she moves closer once it seems Maria's taking a breather.]

Did you have other abilities when you came here too? I'm not that good at cutting, but I'm pretty good with defensive lines. I can even use my fire with them...

[Now that Maria's been a shinki for more than an hour, they can actually talk about these things!]

[declamando]

[Oh, it's her. Maria waves briefly when she turns her attention away from the straw targets, though she ends up looking more thoughtful at Natsuru's question.]

No, I don't think I have anything like that, or I'd say I would have noticed by now...I've been training a good amount since I got here, as you can probably tell.

[She doesn't quite sound sheepish about that, but there's definitely some sort of awareness people may consider it a bit much depending on their position.]

Can you show me how you do that? [Now that Natsuru's mentioned using fire with them, she can't help but be a little curious.]

[thirdbeauty]

Y-Yeah, it shows...

[Natsuru chuckles sheepishly, thinking back on her own training. She's done a fair amount, but a good portion of her time has been taken up by other pursuits as well. Seeing Maria really apply herself like this is... kind of inspiring, in a familiar yet different way.

She perks up again at Maria's question, nodding in reply.]

Sure! I mean, I can show you how I do it. I've only met a couple of people who can use magic like this.

[To illustrate, she holds out her hand and a flame ignites over her palm for a moment. Then she closes her fist to extinguish it, before extending her fingers in the halberd position.]

I can just... make fire like this? And if I focus on drawing the line, at the same time...

[And with a gesture, she draws a short curved line in front of herself and Maria. But instead of an invisible wall, the wall blazes into sight with faint but visible flames. They don't spread, but the floor does look a bit singed where they make contact.]

See? Like that!