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

Menace I

[myblueskies]

Line! [Romeo is... perhaps not who Ginia was whistling for. But it is who she gets and in his defence the borderline that springs up between the ayaakashi and it's target is solid. He's improved a lot in his couple of months in the heavens.

He runs towards her, face scrunched in concentration as he focuses on keeping up his barrier.]

[unlucky7]

[It's no time to be choosy when there are ayakashi abound. A shinki is a shinki no matter how old and the help is appreciated. Ginia throws down a borderline to create a corner with Romeo's borderline, cutting the large grasshopper-like ayakashi hopping toward a couple. It bounces off the walls a few times, trying to figure out where to go, giving Ginia enough time to drop next to Romeo and smile.]

[myblueskies]

[Romeo smiles back though his face is still set in determination. Borderlines required concentration and so he couldn't let himself be distracted.

He glanced behind him quickly to see if the couple had moved away, people couldn't really see ayakashi, or shinki so they were unaware of the danger.] We need to chase it off!

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods, scanning the area. The couple is moving away, but there are still other people in the area. She takes out her phone, keeping an eye on the ayakashi.]

I'm going to move to the other side of the ayakashi and catch it with my scarf.
Can you keep your borderline up a little longer?

[myblueskies]

I can, miss! [He stared at the borderline and the ayakashi, willing it to stay up long enough for Ginia to catch the ayakashi.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia unwraps her scarf and takes a deep breath.]

Ritsuki, Saki, Umbra!

[She signs the spell fast, willing her presence to fade away, for the world to ignore her. In a blink, Ginia disappears from sight as the spell takes hold. Scarf in hand, Ginia advances on the unaware ayakashi, dropping the fabric over it and bundling it up before it can react.

Ayakashi secure, Ginia drops the spell and nods back at Romeo, hurrying back with her dangerous bundle. Inside the scarf, the ayakashi kicks and leaps, agitated.

...Problem solved. Now what to do with the ayakashi?]

[myblueskies]

[Well that was very surprising but Romeo manages to keep his borderline up as instructed as the ayakashi disappears. Then reappears tangled up in a scarf that Ginia is holding.] Wow miss! You disappeared!

[He eyes the bundle.] We need to go find a god!

[unlucky7]

[Ginia pulls up a map on her phone and looks up the location of the nearest shrine. She'd call Ebisu or Alex, but she doesn't want to bother them. She'll call them or see if Elfnein is free if need be, but someone else has to be around.]

There's a shrine a few minutes walk from here, we can see if the god is in. Do you have blessed water on you?

[myblueskies]

Oh! I saw it on my way here I know where that is!

[He begins leading the way. No time to lose! [He shakes his head. He should have thought of holy water!] No miss, but there will be some in the shrine. Did you get blighted?

[unlucky7]

I was going to dump some on the ayakashi to stun it.

[Her own water supply is low, so it'll be good to refill it at the shrine. Ginia follows after Romeo, trying to keep the bundled ayakashi at arm's length. It continues to claw and twitch around. Can blight carry on clothes? She'll have to dunk the scarf in holy water.]

[myblueskies]

Oh! We best go fast! [He speeds up, glancing to the side to check that Ginia is alright and not struggling with the scarf. He can help carry it if it gets heavy. Soon they are approaching the shrine.] Can someone help us please! We got an ayakashi!

[unlucky7]

[Ginia is fine. Even if the ayakashi was giving her trouble, she wouldn't let Romeo help, not wanting him to get hurt. As they reach the shrine, she pulls up short. There's a reason ayakashi don't go into shrines and she doesn't want to see what happens if she tries to bring an ayakashi in.]

[A shrine maiden sweeping the grounds looks up as Romeo comes running in. Nearby is an older woman dressed in a kimono smoking a long pipe seated next to the emas. The shrine maiden sets her broom down and runs over to Romeo, looking past him to Ginia at the torii gate.]

"Oh no! Are you or your friend injured?"

[myblueskies]

Miss Ginia might have some blight she was the one that caught the ayakashi! [She was very brave!]

It's in her scarf! [The shrine maiden nodded and called over to Ginia.] Hold on a few more moments, alright?

[She runs off towards the older woman and Romeo runs out back to Ginia.] Are you still okay?

[unlucky7]

[At the gate, Ginia has the bundle on the ground. She has a borderline up, keeping herself sandwiched between her barrier and the line of the gate. As Romeo runs over, she nods, fingertips bruised from blight.]

Can you put up a borderline on the side. That way if it gets out, it can only go in one direction.

[The shrine maiden hurries over with a giant hammer in hand, the oversized head of the hammer bright red and yellow.]

[myblueskies]

Yes miss! Line! [His hand a halberd, his face is a picture of concentration once more as a borderline springs up.

He grins in relief when help comes. She wastes no time.

This is the land of the rising sun. Your desecration shall not be allowed. Hear me! I am the god Kōjin. I now lay thee waste with the Maiki and expel thy vast defilement. I cleanse thee. Rend!

The hammer came down upon the scarf and the ayakashi inside, slaying it.]

[unlucky7]

[A tiny "ding ding!" accompanies the smash of the hammer. Kōjin looks a little sheepish at the sound, but proud as she steps back and lifts the scarf with the end of the hammer.]

I'll take care of purifying this. Go wash your hands, hurry! You too, little one.

[She smiles warmly at Romeo and ushers them toward the shrine.]

[Ginia nods her appreciation as she hurries toward the source of blessed water. She dips her fingers into the cold water, relief spreading as the blight washes away. She makes sure her hands are thoroughly cleansed before taking out a bottle from her purse and refilling it. Drying off her hands, she checks on Romeo.]

Thanks for your help.

[myblueskies]

Thank you miss! [Romeo follows Ginia into the shrine and uses the blessed water to wash his hands. He doesn't think he has any blight on him but it's best to be safe!]

It's okay miss Ginia! You were really brave! How did you go invisible?

[unlucky7]

It's a shinki spell called "Umbra." I've been practicing it so I can get better. Would you like me to try casting it on you?

[myblueskies]

Umbra? [Romeo had never heard of that! He hadn't even known shinki could do spells! Well except Borderline, that was sort of a spell!

He nodded.] Yes miss!

[unlucky7]

What's the name Elfnein uses to call you into your vessel form?

[myblueskies]

Ringoki! That's the name! Why? Do you need the name to do the spell?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods, fingers moving as she spells out his name.]

Yes. There are a group of spells only shinki can use that rely on a name to cast.

[She runs his name over two more times before steadying herself. She's never cast umbra on anyone else, so first time for anything. Confidence. Superiority. Let Romeo disappear from sight, unnoticed by the world.]

Ringoki, Umbra!

[Unlike spells like bind or silence, there isn't an apparent change as the spell is cast. Ginia can still see him and she can tell she's channeling a spell, but there's no ready change.

Kōjin returns, Ginia's scarf laid out across her hands. She pauses and looks around.]

"Oh, wasn't there a little boy with you too?"

[myblueskies]

[Nothing changes for Romeo either. He can still himself but then Kōjin returns and can't see him at all and his eyes go wide! He looks at Ginia, that was amazing! Though he was used to being unnoticed by humans he had never been invisible to a god before.

He doesn't talk, because he's not sure if that will break the spell.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia grins sheepishly and glances at Romeo, releasing the spell. Kōjin's eyes widen and she covers a laugh with her hand, eyes shining. Ginia takes her scarf back and drapes it back around her neck and shoulders.]

Sorry, I was showing him umbra. Thank you for your help.

"Shinki spells are wonderful, aren't they. And please, think nothing of it! We should all work together to fight ayakashi after all. Who do you two serve?"

I'm Ginia, shinki to Alex, representing Oshun.

[myblueskies]

[Romeo grins at her as well, giving a small wave. That had been really awesome! He was glad that the god wasn't mad at him for hiding from her.]

I'm Romeo! Shinki to Elfnein who is Gegute!