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

Praying for Love

[unlucky7]

[Hey there, Hibiki. Ginia looks between the spygoat and the god, wondering what sort of thing she's getting involved in and also loving the promise of adventure too. She's not busy, a break from fighting ayakashi hurts no one.]

Sure, what do you need help with?

[priforprince]

Your skills in arcades have become necessary.

[ Hibiki shows Ginia a prayer slip. There is a crane game full of Valentine's stuffed rabbits of varying shades of red and pink, apparently, and someone wants to get one that eluded his crush the last time they went to the arcade together, as a fun surprise. ]

It's an insufficiently opulent prayer, but I trust you're up to the task.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia takes the slip and reads over the prayer, already putting the pieces together. Set up a few stuffed rabbits in a winnable position, make sure the guy comes by and walks away with an easy prize, an easy enough plan.

The execution... well, good thing both of them have deep pockets if it comes down to it.]

Sounds good. Show me the arcade?

[priforprince]

Easily done.

[ Hibiki offers her a hand as if they're about to dance together. She may not know any other way of offering a hand. Or she's a showoff.

Always a fifty/fifty chance, yes? ]

[unlucky7]

[Hibiki is Hibiki and the day she lacks dramatic flair and presence is a day when something is wrong. Ginia tucks the prayer slip into her pocket and takes the god's hand.

The arcade in question is busy as they tend to be at the time of day, full of kids and teens finished with school and other obligations. More than a few are clearly on dates, trying to win a prize for that special someone. It's nice to see and Ginia can't help smile when someone wins a prize and there's a happy squeal and shout of joy.

Now... where are those rabbits?]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki is glancing about herself. She'd only done a cursory examination of this one, to make sure it was up to snuff before supplying it with a...delivery....before. So, their target is.... ]

This way.

[ Hibiki walks towards a corner of the arcade, all business for this extremely serious prayer, as befits a noble god on a mission. She walks right past a pair of PriPara arcade cabinets. The god's reach is far, and mighty.

Here's the rabbits in question. ]

What a depressingly simple machine.

[ It's such a standard crane game. The person praying had trouble with this? ]

[unlucky7]

[Move claw, grab item, carry item to win slot. Easy, right?

WRONG.

A crane game is a deceptively simple machine drive on greed, desperation, and devilish trickery. The strength of the claw, the weight of the plush, the way they're positioned inside the machine, all are factors one must consider.

There are a few easy targets, even one close to the prize slot, but they're deceptive traps. Ginia puts in the first 100 yen coin. The first try is always a test. She holds down the first move button, watching the speed the claw moves across at and how far it travels after releasing the button. The second move is repeated until she's over one of the rabbits. The claw drops, it grips, it lifts...

and the rabbit falls out of its grasp immediately.

This... is going to take some work.]

Can you get me more coins?

[priforprince]

But of course.

[ How many do you need? Because here comes a spygoat with a tray attached to it. It is rolling slowly and carefully, for atop the tray is a glittering pyramid....

Hibiki closes her eyes, as if to say "this was nothing". Which it was.

And everyone should know. ]

[unlucky7]

[As a part of Ebisu's temple, Ginia's gotten used to wealth, but it's still a little surprising seeing it in such a form. What a nicely stacked pyramid. She swipes a few coins off the top and puts them into the machine, hunkering down for the battle.

The UFO catcher is a game of wits and skill, of gains by inches. Forward movement here, a better angle there, carefully Ginia manipulates the toys with the claw. Her eyes are glued on the toys as she nudges them, sometimes making progress, other times accidentally putting herself back a step as the stuffed rabbit rolls the wrong way.]

[priforprince]

[ Mere wealth is not enough. It must be employed beautifully, or else what's the point? Anything worth doing is worth doing in style.

Speaking of, Ginia's technique with the UFO catcher game is certainly worth witnessing. Even the goat with the tray rolls so it can have a slightly better look (as well as it can from way down here, which isn't well at all - but it can watch her hands, moving deftly, and figure that something amazing must be happening up there). Hibiki finds witnessing this to be excellent entertainment. ]

Adjusting the one to the left will create a better handhold.

[ It will alter the angle at which the target rabbit is flopping. ]

[unlucky7]

[Hibiki's advice is unneeded, but it is the right move. The rabbits are top-heavy. I need to move them so gravity will feed them forward with movement. It'll make it easier for the guy to win while still looking like it took effort. The plush flops forward, in a prime position for someone to lift with the crane with minimal effort.

Now to set up a few more just in case.]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki backseat drives, alas. It's just...what she does.

Ginia does seem to have things handled here, though, and far be it from Hibiki to double up on labor. Nodding, she turns. Ginia has that just about set, so - ]

I'll attract the target.

[ This will be a delicate balance, however. If she uses herself as the bait to attract the couple, the young lady will pine for want of Hibiki no matter how effective the gentleman is at securing the rabbit!

Cunning will be necessary. Hm.... ]

[unlucky7]

[As Hibiki worries about how to lure the target over, Ginia finds herself dealing with a new problem. If she walks away now, someone else will come in and sweep up the prize or an employee will reset the machine and render her work moot. But if she stands there and simply occupies the space, she's hogging the space and drawing the ire of others.

Which means the only option is to keep playing. With a stack of coins as her disposal, Ginia continues to work the other toys into a winning position. In case their target is truly bad at UFO catchers, she'll give all sorts of winning options.]

[priforprince]

[ Ginia is a first-class assistant. But of course she is! Shikyoin Hibiki's judgment led to her selection.

After a few minutes, what looks like one of the plush rabbits - out of the machine, and...moving....hops past. It is closely followed by the couple in question: the boy looks confused but the girl is dragging him along.

"That's it! That's exactly the toy!"

"I know that, but....it's moving...."

"Isn't it CUTE?!"

Behind them, someone whom no one in the crowd has noticed smirks and snaps her fingers. The rabbit disappears.

"Huh?!"

And now they're right where Hibiki needs them to be. ]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia raises a brow at the rabbit hopping away, but having been around Hibiki enough, she's reasonably guessed the god's power has something to do with illusions. Fitting, really. She makes a few more adjustments as the couple comes by before abandoning the crane game to them with two free plays in the machine, the goat following behind with the tray of coins.

The pyramid is missing a few levels, but it's not entirely low. Ginia is maybe possibly that too.]

[priforprince]

[ "Maybe we should both go sit down..." the boy is saying, but the girl tugs on his arm. She's noticed the crane game, and she wants him to try!

He stares at the game, swallows. Steps forward, fingers shaking. He'd....he'd prayed for this chance, and here it is! Like magic! But will he be...able to...

Hibiki, having also disappeared from sight, reappears next to Ginia, arms crossed, to watch.

She couldn't be bothered to walk, so she teleported. It was more graceful. ]

[unlucky7]

[When you can teleport, might as well teleport. Ginia hangs by a machine, habitually staying out of the way and out of sight of the couple even if they wouldn't notice anyway. She taps her fingers together as the first grab is a miss... the second one is closer... yes... right there on the third one...

Hey! Fourth time is a charm! She breathes a sigh of relief as one of the rabbits falls into the prize chute. He snatches it up with a shout of joy and offers it to his date. Huzzah!]

[priforprince]

Hmph.

[ Hibiki's eyes close as the rabbit finally makes it out of the machine. ] A needlessly complicated ritual.

[ ....Are the corners of her mouth threatening...to tug upwards? ]

[unlucky7]

Who are we to complain when it makes people happy?

[Look at that cute couple, heading off hand-in-hand. It doesn't take long for another pair to descend on the machine and win one of the positioned stuffed animals.]

Want one of the rabbits yourself?

[priforprince]

[ ....They've set that machine up for multiple happy endings, haven't they. ]

Why would I desire such a trifle?

[ .....Though. She eyes the rabbits, now that Ginia has mentioned it. Does Wendy like stuffed toys, she tries to recall.... ]

[unlucky7]

[She sees that look, the flicker of contemplation. Time to turn that spark into a flame.]

True, you probably have plenty of UFO catchers in your temple. I imagine you're an expert at these. It would be a treat to observe your technique.

[priforprince]

My usual milieu is limited edition.

[ UFO catchers? No. Excessively expensive and rare merchandise of Demo-chan (the fancy young lady character) from the Near Shore's hottest anime property, Magical Girl Development Project? No comment.

....But. There is. Only one purple rabbit. Left in the machine. And it isn't one of the ones Ginia'd positioned for optimal play.

Hibiki strides over. ] Yet as a reward for your excellent work, I'll demonstrate true genius for you.

[unlucky7]

[Genius versus trained skill, the endless debate of the ages. Ginia is curious how Hibiki fares when it comes to UFO catchers, but mostly, if she wants the rabbit (for herself or someone else, it doesn't matter), get the rabbit, Hibiki.

The stuffed goat rolls over with them, poised next to Hibiki's hand with its tray so Hibiki can grab coins with ease.]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki, for her part, reaches down for a coin without bothering to look. She wants a coin to be here, so it shall be. And behold, it is.

This is how the entirety of her life operates. She has never questioned it, and she never shall.

Into the machine the coin goes. Hibiki flexes her fingers before placing one hand, graceful and light, upon the controls. ] Now, the dance of talent begins.

[ The claw begins to move. ]

[unlucky7]

[The gentle chiming melody of the of the crane's movement plays. Will it be the triumph melody of Hibiki's success or a dirge of failure? None know but Hibiki Shikyoin.]