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

[revolutionfalcon]

[As Ginia chips further in, Shun continues splashing with water, into the cracks and letting her get deeper into it with the slashes. As the hardening gets closer to its core, something colourful and more akin to the appearance of a typical ayakashi becomes visible from under the layers of sludge.

Shun doesn't hesitate to aim for it, with the thing practically immobilised and what seems to be a weak point wide open. Sure enough, when Kotori's vessel hits that point, it bursts into a flash of white light, taking the disgusting outer layers with it as it disappears.]

[unlucky7]

[Chalk up another win and a note for the mental ayakashi bestiary. Ginia exhales and releases her borderline, capping her bottle and tucking it back into her purse.]

First time I've seen one like that, I hope it's the last time. Talk about a pain to fight.

[Ginia swipes some of the remaining blessed water on the floor over toward the wall. Outside, there's the sound of sirens pulling up.]

Sounds like there's our cue to finish up.

[revolutionfalcon]

I think I might've seen one before, but it wasn't one I fought directly. [He's definitely quietly echoing that sentiment about it being an absolute pain, though, letting out a faint hiss as he puts his canteens back on his belt.

At the sound of the sirens, he glances back sharply.] Probably for the best. We must've gotten rid of most of them by now.

[unlucky7]

[It's not a big hallway or back storage area. The room the blob ayakashi was hiding in contained an additional handful of small, easy to handle ayakashi. Ginia blocks off the storage room's door as Shun and Kotori rend them, keeping an eye on the door.

The remaining room is the utility closet with the breaker, free of ayakashi. As they exit out the back door, it closes as the door to the hallway opens.]

Wish we could have swept the front again, but I think this place will be okay for awhile. Thanks.

[revolutionfalcon]

That's probably about the best we can ask for today. There's no guarantee none will be drawn back here if it gets busy again.

[But it's fine for now, and that's something. He shrugs slightly at the thanks, as if it's unnecessary, but doesn't outright dismiss it as he sometimes does.]

I'll see if I can chase down a few more of those bird ayakashi. [He starts to head on towards the next building, so he can leap up to rooftop level, but glances back as he does.] And remember what I said earlier, if you decide you want to talk to me about that fight.

[He's not going to force her, but he doesn't feel like leaving it hanging indefinitely is a great idea either.]

[unlucky7]

[One day they should probably talk about that. Ginia's still not sure when or what to say, but they'll talk when they get there. She remains on the ground level as he jumps up, nodding at him.]

Sure, one day. Stay safe out there.

[With nothing else to say, Ginia takes off at the run down the alley, bounding out once there's more space.]