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

c

[roundtablerebel]

[ A second shriek cuts through the commotion, except this time it comes not from Minako but one of her assailants. Near the back of the crowd is a man on his knees, arm twisted behind his head by Mordred. She kicks aside the bottle of sauce he was about to fling at Minako and snarls at the rest of the crowd. ]

Hey! Anyone who touches my idiot is gonna spend the rest of this stupid holiday in a hospital!

[ She knows they probably won't listen but she hopes this will distract them long enough for Minako to find some cover at least. ]

[reloves]

[ It seems the humans influenced by the ayakashi do turn around to see what kind of loud newcomer just showed up - which is a good thing, since Minako doesn't react by getting away from there right away.

No, instead she just keeps standing there on the table for another moment. She knows this situation is serious, and that she really should get moving so they can deal with the ayakashi already, but she's just overcome for a moment.

Overcome with feelings of pure and warm friendship, that is. ]

Saber.. Am I.. Am I your idiot?

[ If this were an actual anime, there would be sparkles all around her by now. She kind of looks like she's about to tear up as she stares at Mordred. ]

[roundtablerebel]

[ Mordred stares back at Minako, her expression a mix of surprise, embarrassment, and irritation. ]

That's not—! I just—! Would you just get out of the way already!?

[ But she doesn't really deny what she said either.

Of course, instead of addressing that right now Mordred tears into the crowd with a flurry of punches and kicks. While fighting her way toward Minako she makes a conscious effort to restrain herself, but it's likely a couple of people are going to have broken bones after this. ]

Were you just trying to piss them off with that speech or did you figure out what's makin' them crazy?

[reloves]

[ Minako definitely mentally notes that Mordred isn't denying it. Which means it must be true. Mordred really well and truly thinks of her as a friend..!

She's so happy. She realises this situation is serious and is slowly trying to pull herself back from cloud nine, but she's just so happy. Which is probably why she answers just a little bit too cheerfully for the situation. ]

Yeah! There's an ayakashi that blends in with the shadows which is controlling these humans! It's over there!

[ She points in the direction of a wall with shadows on it. ]

If we drive it off, these people should return to normal!

[roundtablerebel]

[ Mordred's attention snaps to the wall that Minako indicates. ]

Got it!

[ As much fun as it is to hit these people they aren't the real enemy here. Now that she has a target Mordred begins wading through the crowd toward the wall. Unfortunately, it seems like the Ayakashi has taken notice and the mob under its thrall redouble their efforts against her.

She grits her teeth as she continues pushing through the swarm of people now doing everything they can to slow her down. Mordred knocks a couple of them aside but it quickly becomes apparent that the press of bodies is too much for her to break through without causing serious harm. In any other circumstance, she would happily bludgeon this crowd into submission but the fact that they aren't in control makes her hesitate to use her full strength. ]

Shit! I can't reach it with these bastards in the way! Antlers—!

[ There's an implied "It's up to you" in there. ]

[reloves]

[ Normally Minako would have rushed to Mordred's aid in this sort of situation, but she knows they need to have priorities. If they don't drive off the ayakashi first, they're just going to go around in endless cycles of trying to help each other out with the crowd - so Minako turns her focus towards the ayakashi for now.

Thankfully nimbleness is her strong suit, so it's fairly easy to make her way past Mordred and the humans now they're focusing on her rather than on Minako. She leaps right over to the ayakashi, pulling back her hand-- ]

Line!

[ It tears straight into the ayakashi, and Minako repeats it a few more times until it seems to have had enough - it weakly slips off into the shadows, disappearing from the room.

It sucks that she couldn't get rid of it entirely, but she's aware that's pretty much impossible without having Zelda around as well. The important part is that it drops its hold over the humans as it vanishes, making them stop mobbing Mordred and instead look really confused about what exactly they're doing here.

Minako quickly makes her way over to the other though as the humans start to disperse. ]

Saber! You're okay, right? Not hurt at all?

[roundtablerebel]

[ Mordred herself appears to be completely unscathed but her clothes have absorbed a fair amount of the mob's aggression. Her face is twisted in irritation as she examines a tear in the sleeve of her signature red leather jacket. As Minako approaches her expression lights up, quickly changing from a scowl to a grin. ]

Heh, yeah, I'm fine. You really think these idiots could hurt me?

[ Mordred quickly moves on, her tone colored by amusement. ]

I saw you tear into that Ayakashi bastard. Didn't think you had it in you, Antlers!

[ She gives Minako a playful punch on the arm, but because it's Mordred it's much harder than intended.

Watching Minako spring into action and chase of the Ayakashi without any hesitation was something of a surprise for Mordred. She'd half expected Minako to try yelling at it first instead of immediately going all out like that. Then again that speech from earlier was kind of her yelling at it, huh? ]

[reloves]

[ That playful punch is definitely going to bruise in the morning, but Minako doesn't seem to mind - even though she does instinctively wince for a moment, but that's easily waved off by the rest of her overpoweringly emotional mind.

Especially since she's definitely getting a high off having been able to chase off the ayakashi and getting praise from someone. Minako acts super confident all the time, sure, but there's a lot of insecurities hidden underneath that which she'll never express. But Mordred just saying this much already feels like a huge compliment to her, and so she laughs happily. ]

It's all thanks to you helping me! I don't know what I would've done without you.

[ Watch out, Mordred, since she's definitely launching herself forward to try and wrap her arms around you for a hug. ]

Thanks, Saber!

[roundtablerebel]

Haha, been torn to shreds most li—!

[ Oof!

All of sudden Mordred finds herself with one Minako Aino latched onto her. Mordred instinctively wants to pull away from the physical contact but at the same time, she's too stunned to move. ]

What are you...?

[ Wait. This is... a hug? Of course, she knows what hugs are but recognizing something and actually experiencing it are very different things. Completely at a loss for words and not knowing how to react Mordred just stands there arms raised awkwardly. ]

[reloves]

[ Minako is so used to hugs and so shameless about physical contact that she didn't even have to think twice about that hug. It's just totally normal to her. So for a moment she doesn't even realise just how surprising it is for Mordred until she realises she's practically hugging some awkward frozen statue here.

She pulls her head back enough to look at the other and gives her a smile. ]

I'm hugging you, of course! Or are you saying you're too cool for hugs?

[ Because there's no such thing allowed in Minako's circle of friends!! Hugs for everyone, always! ]

I'll admit you're super cool, so make an exception for my hugs then, alright?

[roundtablerebel]

[ Mordred doesn't want to admit it but hugs feel... really nice. But hugs mean you're in need of comfort and if you need comforting that means you're showing weakness, doesn't it?
With that logic in mind, she's about to affirm that she is indeed too cool for hugs but then that would mean she wouldn't get any more...

From her expression, it's obvious that there's some kind of internal struggle going on as she tries to decide what to do. Thankfully Minako gives her an out by making it sound like Mordred would be doing some kind of favor by accepting these hugs. ]

F-Fine! I'll make an exception for you— but if you tell anyone about this you're dead, got it?

[ The most hollow of threats. ]

[reloves]

[ Either she knows that Mordred won't follow through on the thread or she's just completely unfazed by it, but Minako just smiles happily even as she hears those words. ]

Got it!

[ She is, in fact, even leaning into the hug a little more now Mordred has given full permission, squeezing the other lightly and seeming extremely content about this whole exclusive hugging deal. It takes a few moments before she lets go, and even then she's still smiling at the other. ]

It actually feels pretty nice, knowing you've made an exception for me! It makes me feel real special, you know? Thanks, oh great Saber! [ Laying it on a little thick here.. but hey, if Mordred wants to think she's doing Minako some huge favor here and only that, she'll gladly give that much to her. ]

[roundtablerebel]

[ Throughout the hug, Mordred makes a half-hearted attempt to pry Minako off. She thinks about how strange it is that she's allowing this to happen when only a few months prior she would have decked anyone who put their hands on her. It's even more surprising that being allowed to do so apparently means a lot to Minako. ]

...It does? I-I mean it's not that big of a deal.

[ Mordred turns up her nose, attempting to disguise the fact that she's having feelings about any of this. ]

It's just the kind of thing you'd do for a... person you don't dislike.

[reloves]

[ Oh, Mordred. Oh Mordred. Don't you know that Minako is an expert at breaking through that kind of tsun exterior? She did it before back when she was alive, even though she doesn't remember it now, and she sure will do it again now. Nothing can stand against her constant barrage of over the top friendliness!

Like right now. Because she hears Mordred say "a person you don't dislike," but she knows what the other means. Her facial expression turns a little devious because of it. ]

You mean.. like a friend..?

[ She's sealed the friendship contract. There's no going back now. ]

1/2

[roundtablerebel]

Yeah.

[ Wait a sec—! ]

2/2

[roundtablerebel]

[ Mordred's eyes widen a bit when she realizes what she just said. How did Minako see through her clever ruse so easily? ]

T-That's not what I said, idiot!

[ But totally what she meant.

There are few people that Mordred thinks of as "friends" but Minako is definitely one them. Still, she's not sure how she's supposed to express friendship and asking Minako about it feels like it'd be dangerous... ]

[reloves]

[ Minako giggles happily, as if Mordred didn't just try to deny it all. She already said "yeah" just now, and her actions speak much louder than her words (aside from these sort of little slipups) anyway. There's absolutely no denial Mordred can throw out there into the world that will ever convince Minako they're not friends. ]

Okay, okay, I got it! [ That they are friends, that is. ] Thank you, Saber! You've made me the happiest girl in the whole world with everything you've done today!

[ Which sounds jokingly or - more accurate to the Minako brand - way over the top, but she does mean it genuinely despite that. ]

[roundtablerebel]

You're really weird sometimes, Antlers, but... You're welcome, I guess.

[ Mordred quickly turns for the door, hiding a small smile of satisfaction. ]

Now come on, you've got some other stuff you need to do today, don't you? I'll accompany you until it becomes boring.