34 - Love is in the Air

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: An enterprising pair of shinki is trying to spread love throughout the Far Shore with exciting blind dates.
When: February 14
Where: Hot romantic spots throughout Tokyo
Summary: Blind dates on Valentine's Day? Sounds like fun (or possibly a disaster, but everyone needs some good disaster stories.) That's not all that's going on, though. Ayakashi are looking to chow down on the negative emotions that a romantic holiday can generate, and those who aren't busy with their own dates might be sucked into helping out followers who need help to make the day go well.






The Dates

Blind Date Matchups

Those who have signed up -- or whose friends and colleagues have signed them up -- for dates will get cards with specified times and meeting places inside for the big event. The cards don't list their dates' names, but instead have a matching symbol to allow everyone to find their proper partner. If anyone tries to stand up their date, they can expect a small and angry owl to harass them until they give in.


• Date One: The Romantic Brunch.
  Couples will find themselves with reservations (and pre-paid coupons for the prix fixe menu) at a swanky French restaurant with a wide balcony overlooking the lake in a central Tokyo park. They can dine on dainty pastries, sweet milk coffees, bowls of grapes and hothouse strawberries, and a selection of fancy chocolates and petit-fours-- plus, some of the trees in the park are blooming in holiday-appropriate red and white!



• Date Two: The Aquarium.
  Couples scheduled for this date have tickets to a rooftop aquarium in Ikebukuro: brightly colored fish, animals including penguins, seals and pelicans, a small petting zoo and plenty of shadowy, secluded nooks to cuddle in make for a fun lunchtime date. The tickets even include admission to the one o'clock penguin and seal show!



• Date Three: The Amusement Park.
  This date sends couples to spend the evening enjoying themselves at a seaside amusement park. Ride the roller coasters! Take selfies with the costumed attendants! Share an overpriced ice cream cone while you watch the fireworks after sunset, then wind up the night with a ride on the colorfully lit Ferris wheel with a romantic view of the Tokyo skyline.

Ayakashi Menace

There's more than just romantic couples out to enjoy themselves today. Romantic holidays can be tough for those whose love lives aren't so rosy, and as always, those negative feelings draw in ayakashi who are ready to ruin everybody's day.

All across the city, besides the usual ayakashi, characters might encounter the following:

Flocks of dove ayakashi whose mournful call induces self-doubt, suspicion and paranoia in everyone who hears it. Are your friends really your friends? Is your lover betraying you? Shouldn't you hurry up and stab them in the back before they can do it to you? These ayakashi are small and agile, difficult to catch but easy to destroy once they're caught... if you can overcome the urge to turn on your allies first.

Long-fingered shadow ayakashi, large and powerful, and capable of sneaking around by blending into genuine shadows. These ayakashi draw those who are alone into their clutches, filling them with resentment and despair. Anyone battling them needs to watch out for the humans they might already have influenced, who may become unpredictable and violent as the ayakashi influencing them grows more desperate.

Cute teddy bear ayakashi, that influence anyone they cling to into greedy obsession: they need attention, affection and gifts, and they can never have enough. When attacked, the teddy bears turn out to fight a little more like a grizzly bear than a stuffed toy, so gods and shinki beware!

Praying for Love

Those who aren't busy with their own dates might find themselves busy taking care of other people's instead. On a day like this one, everyone's praying that things turn out perfectly! Prayers gods might hear include:

"He's just got to ask me out! I made him the biggest box of chocolates... please, let senpai notice me!"

"Does she really like me? Please, give me a sign."

"I got concert tickets for our date, but it's supposed to rain. Please let me find a way to make this work out anyway!"

"The restaurant I wanted to take him to isn't taking any more reservations for tonight. What can I do? I can't cook!"

Wild Card -- players are free to make up their own romance-adjacent prayers for their characters to fulfill.

In Summary:

• Enjoy your dates
• Fight some ayakashi
• Make sure to answer prayers for a good Valentine's Day
• Have fun~

Comments

[reformedsinner]

Dates - Closed

Romantic Brunch - Petra Ral

[Hakkai doesn't look particularly pleased by his presence at a frilly, airy, lovely French buffet on a sunny Valentine's morning. His expression hints at distant storms, his arms are crossed, and he's holding an invitation between two fingers as though it's been dipped in something vile.

There are visible talon scratches on his forehead and hands, and he's dressed in aggressively teacherly style: his usual slacks and collared shirt, his usual reading glasses, with a charcoal gray argyle sweater vest added as a concession to the weather. The scarf around his neck, also gray, hosts a small white dragon who has managed to snuggle down into the knit fabric so well that only a nose, tail, and two wing tips protrude.]

Aquarium - Takashi Shirogane

[By the time he arrives at the second location, Hakkai looks less annoyed and more long-suffering. Jeep has surfaced from his scarf, and he's purchased a bag of roasted chestnuts, which he's alternating eating, feeding tidbits of to the dragon on his shoulder, and throwing to the large and cawing flock of crows he's collected around his ankles in front of the aquarium entrance.

There's an invitation protruding from the pocket of his sweater vest, but only a sliver is visible; potential dates will have to brave the flock of carrion crows to find out if he's the one they're looking for. It's possible this is deliberate.]

Amusement Park - Chinatsu Hiyama

[Three dates? He's been set up on three dates? Chikusa is going to be doing double chores for a week. The resigned patience of Hakkai's afternoon date is wearing visibly thin as he waits at the amusement park entrance. Jeep is back at the temple, he's holding yet another invitation, and there are several new owl scratches on his face.]

Late Dinner - Sha Gojyo

[The Korean barbecue restaurant Hakkai had picked for their date is a cozy family-run place, big enough for privacy but small enough not to be a hot Valentine's spot. He's running a little late when he arrives at the front door, still in his sweater vest and scarf ensemble, thoroughly owl-scratched, smelling faintly of amusement park ride funk (one-quarter popcorn, one-quarter sugary snacks, one-quarter sweat, and one-quarter old vomit ill-masked by disinfectant) and, overall, not nearly so put together as he'd hoped he would be.

Well, he's here, anyway.]

[redmare]

[ Saying no didn't seem like an option, and rather than have the owl mess up her hair or face, Chinatsu caved. According the card, it was the amusement park. Talk about textbook shoujo. She sighs as she makes it to the entrance, looking around for anyone holding a similar card.

It doesn't take long to pinpoint the man covered in scratches like he pissed off a cat. Or maybe a certain owl.

She also couldn't help but notice that well--okay it wasn't that obvious anything, he was still quite handsome-- but he was also a little...uh...old. ]

Um...excuse me..are you uh..do you have one of these..by chance?

[ Her voice is small, tone polite. ]

[reformedsinner]

Ah, yes, in fact I do, but--

[Isn't she a little young to be his date? She can't be older than Chikusa. Sixteen, maybe. Hakkai blinks at her, pulling out his invitation. There's still annoyance running hot in his veins -- he cannot believe that Chikusa filled out his numbers by sending Hakkai on three dates -- but he's not going to take it out on a girl, particularly not one who's trying that hard to be polite to him.]

I think I'm here waiting for someone else.

[It's then that he takes a good look at her card, and stops. And looks at his own again. His expression goes very blank for a second or two.]

Or, perhaps not....

[redmare]

Ah...

[ Did they not screen for age matches too? Come on, planners. ]

Er..Sorry..it's probably not gonna be that much fun for you to hang out with a kid. We can just pretend we hung out? I won't tell if you won't?

[ It was a little awkward otherwise. Plus the scratches meant he probably tried to get out of this. She tried as well, but once the owl was starting to threaten to mess up her hair and her face she wasn't about to argue more. You just don't do that to a 16 year old girl! ]

[reformedsinner]

Well, I imagine I'm not the date you were looking forward to.

[And it's not as if he'd signed up for this himself. Chikusa is doing all the chores for a week, he vows to himself, sighs, and smiles determinedly at the girl.]

But it would be a shame to not at least try some of the rides, since we've come all this way. Do you like roller coasters?

brunch!

[wingsofaid]

[Her first date of the day is certainly leaving an impression. In contrast, Petra's actually dressed up nicely in a a forest green dress, warm tights, boots, and cream-colored knit cap and scarf set. Between the man's darkened mood, the visible scratches on his skin, and the way he's holding that card like it's something poisonous, it's not hard to draw the conclusion that he's probably not here because he wants to be.

Well, she'll just strive to make this as painless for the both of them as she can.

Petra approaches the man, pausing a respectful distance away, and holds up her card.]

Hello. Are you Hakkai Cho? I'm Petra Ral.

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai looks up, startled and wary, and Jeep's nose appears from his scarf with a tiny chirp. She's clearly trying to be polite. That's nice, he supposes, and dredges up a polite smile in return, accompanied by a small bow.]

Yes, I am. Please forgive my appearance.

[A flick of his hand indicating the talon-marks on his face, and he adds:]

My shinki set these up, you see. It's a surprise to me that he signed me up.

[wingsofaid]

It's nice to meet you. And It's fine. I don't mind. I chose to sign up myself but maybe not for the reasons I was meant to.

[She smiles kindly, noting his apparent wariness, hoping to put him a little more at ease. And well, it's best to be up front about her own intentions, isn't it? That way there aren't any misconceptions that could lead to hurt feelings later on. It's not that she's against the notion of romance; it's just not something she's actively seeking for herself either.]

I just thought it might be a fun way to meet new people. That's all.

[Another smile as she takes notice of the little dragon peeking out of his scarf.]

Who's your friend there? They look pretty cozy.

[reformedsinner]

Ha ha, well, then, as long as we both understand one another... it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ral.

[He raises a hand to stroke Jeep's mane gently.]

This is Jeep, a companion of mine for some years now.

[wingsofaid]

It's nice to meet you, too, Jeep.

[She's developed a fondness for dragons in the short time she's been on the Far Shore, thanks to her god.]

And please call me Petra. There's no need for formalities around me.

[Though if he's more comfortable with keeping that polite distance between them, she won't argue.]

[reformedsinner]

Petra it is, then. [He sketches a quick bow of his head, tiny enough to avoid disturbing Jeep, and gestures to the tables.] Shall we find our table?

Ah, and I don't believe I've seen you around so far. How long have you been here?

[wingsofaid]

[Do they just sit down? Do they wait to be seated? Petra's still learning her way around this strange new world. She starts toward the tables, anyway.]

Not very long. I only arrived a few weeks ago.

[It hasn't even been a full month. Just long enough to settle in at her god's home, familiarize herself some past events in Heaven's history, and start considering her future as a shinki.]

When I heard about this event, it seemed like a good chance to meet someone outside of training or a disaster.

[There's a time and place for conversation and engaging with others in the middle of work-related activities or a crisis tend not to be opportune for her.]

aquarium, of course

[galrarm]

[ Shiro has his invitation, too, and... well. There are so many crows, it's a little disorienting. He's spent a bit of time looking for his date, but... no luck. His instincts tell him to push through, so... he does. ]

Hi there, [ he says when he finally gets through. Shiro raises a hand. ] Are you Cho Hakkai?

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai tosses one last chestnut, this one far enough away that the crows rise in a roar of wings to pounce after it, leaving them in a momentarily bird-free space while he wads up the paper bag.]

Yes, I am. And you are... Shirogane Takashi?

[Politely, he sketches a small bow.] It's a pleasure.

[galrarm]

[ He nods, and truthfully... the bow makes him a little embarrassed. Ah, well. ]

It's nice to meet you, too. And... you can just call me Shiro.

[reformedsinner]

In that case, please, call me Hakkai. [His smile is equally polite; the small white dragon wound around his neck raises his head from a fold of Hakkai's scarf and chirps.]

And this is Jeep.

-- I should apologize to you, Shiro, you see, my shinki set these dates up, and he seems to have signed me up for them without asking first.

[galrarm]

Hakkai, then. And it's nice to meet you, too, Jeep.

[ --ah. He laughs quietly. ]

Don't worry; one of my friends did the same for me. I hope, at least, it'll be an enjoyable day.

[reformedsinner]

[Well: that's one weight off Hakkai's mind. At least Shiro won't be coming in with any set romantic ideas of how this will go...]

Ha ha, my sympathies, then!

I'm sure we'll manage to enjoy ourselves regardless. I haven't been to an aquarium before.

[Thawing, he eyes the building's facade with interest.] Have you?

[galrarm]

[ He smiles slightly. ]

I haven't, actually. It'll be an experience.

[erogappa]

[ It's been one long day, and it's not over yet. Thankfully, Gojyo's been signed up for only two dates and not three, which gives him time to head back to Goku's temple and get changed before he's due to meet Hakkai. The suit -- grey, soft wool with a subtle plaid pattern picked out in purple threads -- feels a little dressy, but Hokuto's assured him it's perfect.

The deep red coat with the wide fur collar he knows is too much, but his only other option is his beat up leather jacket. So, only slightly red-faced, he tucks the price tags of his new clothes under the collars -- they're stolen, but with the tags on he can bring them back to the stores later and nobody will be the wiser, right? -- takes a deep breath, and heads out.

He's the first to the restaurant, which is no surprise -- he's definitely early. But the motherly waitress is friendly, and their beer is good, and after the third drink he's starting to feel a little less nervous.

Then Hakkai walks in, looking like a beautiful bedraggled mess, and Gojyo gets nervous all over again. ]

You made it.

[reformedsinner]

[It's been a long day, and Hakkai's letting some of the wound-up tension go from his spine as he steps into the restaurant and look around. His gaze goes right over Gojyo on the first look around, and then snaps back to him, startled, when he speaks.

It's dark in here, and he's not wearing his glasses, and he really hadn't expected the suit and the fur-collared coat. After a moment, he blinks himself back into movement, crossing to Gojyo's table and settling himself across from it.

His smile quirks as he takes in Gojyo's look again. It's not what Hakkai's used to, but it really does suit him; he could model in an outfit like that.]

I see I'm underdressed.

[His tone is a little teasing; the owl scratches over his face would have ruined any attempt to look classy even if he had tried. He also doesn't own anything nearly nice enough to match that ensemble.]

I hope you haven't been waiting too long?

[erogappa]

[ Underdressed is one way of putting it -- Hakkai looks like he's been fighting rats.

Although, really, that's a possibility, isn't it? ]

Couple minutes. [ He pushes his empty glass aside as Hakkai sits, leaning forward to get a better look at those scratches. The beer's heavy on his breath, but his eyes are clear... clear and full of concern. ] What happened?

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai's smile goes a little more sincere, and affectionate, as Gojyo leans in to inspect his owl-inflicted wounds.]

Ah, well, you see, apparently Chikusa signed me up for a few of those dates too. I had an argument with that delivery owl about it.

[He hadn't wanted to kill Chikusa's pet, which was not actually at fault, and so he had been doomed to lose the argument.]

How was your day?

[erogappa]

[ Chikusa's really pushing his luck! Gojyo sits back, surprise and a bubbling kind of mania warring for dominance on his face. Chikusa tried to set Hakkai up? On more than one date? The kid's lucky he didn't get tossed out of the house!

...Okay, no, Hakkai probably wouldn't have done that, but still. The kid's probably going to be doing all the crap chores for a week. A month! Gojyo might actually swing by the temple more often, just to see that. ]

Me? Better'n I expected. [ The waitress catches his eye from across the room and he nods her way, holding up his empty glass. ] I got through both of mine without that Minako kid showin' up like she'd threatened to do, so I'm countin' it as a win.

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai waves at her, and adds a two-beers-please gesture to Gojyo's order.]

I think I saw her at the brunch, but that was all. Ha ha, I'm just as glad she didn't bother us too much.

[Or he might have had to take her head off.]

It was awkward enough being set up with a girl who couldn't have been older than sixteen.

[From the dryness in his tone, Chikusa is definitely going to be doing the crap chores for a week. At least. Feel free to stop by the temple and laugh at him, Gojyo; it's no less than he deserves.]