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]

[A: Ayakashi Menace I]

[The dove ayakashi are having enough of an effect on Shun that he can absolutely recognise how dangerous they are, but thankfully he has willpower to spare. Especially since he has a much better method of chasing them down than a lot of other people.

A flock of the shadowy doves flash through the sky, closely pursued by Shun on the back of a person-sized robot bird, blue and silver and with powerful-looking engines under its wings. It makes speed advantage the doves have non-existent, but actually boxing them in to rend them is a little more annoying, so Shun's definitely keeping an eye out for people on the ground to call on.]

Do you have a way of blocking these things in?

--

[B: Ayakashi Menace II]

[Meanwhile, the shadow ayakashi are much more Shun's speed, because if there's one thing that he's never had an issue with, it's dealing with violent humans. It does make getting to the actual ayakashi incredibly annoying when it's moving around so much, though, and Shun's halfway down an alleyway and letting out a sharp sound of irriation as he scans for the creature while almost instinctively ramming his elbow up into the solar plexus of a human the ayakashi is influencing, causing them to drop bonelessly to the ground.]

That's a pathetic way to operate, even for a monster.

--

[C: Prayers]

[This absolutely is not Shun's area of choice, but he's long learnt that people will make prayers regardless of what his actual domain as a god is supposed to be. There's also the point that his boyfriend is a love god (among many other things) and thus extremely busy today, so he feels like he should probably take what comes his way for solidarity's sake.

Thankfully, a lot of it involves adding some additional flourish to people's gifts, and if nothing else, Shun has a hell of a lot of flowers at his disposal. Still, he looks singularly unimpressed after leaving yet another considerable bough of them on someone's doorstep, leaping up onto a nearby power cable with a sigh of annoyance.]

I don't know how he puts up with doing this sort of thing all the time...

A

[abgrund]

[ Ain is dressed remarkably harmlessly for the occasion as he takes a walk through the district. The effects of the doves are not so much felt by him but by his cat, who has taken up a permanent perch on his head and burrowed its claws into what passes for his cranium. ]

I could. I can't promise it won't draw attention, though.

[ Surely Shun knows enough of his powers to guess at what he means. He could easily construct a dome; a slowly contracting net to ensnare the ayakashi. ]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun, on his way past on the speeding metal bird, just raises a brow at Ain at that as he loops back around, keeping the dove ayakashi on the move away from him.]

If we were going to be drawing attention, I'd already have done it. As long as we get it done with quickly, it shouldn't be a problem.

[It tends to take a lot to draw the attention of those on the Near Shore, and if they haven't yet noticed the speeding metal bird flying back and forth through the air, he imagines Ain's probably safe in whatever it is he's doing.]

[abgrund]

[ Very well, then. Ain nods, closing his human eyes and spreading his arms out in a vague gesture. The shadow he casts begins to stretch, expanding outward into a black dome spanning a full block and rising above the streets. The net curves in on itself, trapping the ayakashi within before contracting on itself.

With focus, Ain is able to will the net to pass through buildings and trees, so that it catches only the ayakashi. Hopefully none of them are going to fly out before it closes completely. ]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun doesn't hesitate to move in when the net closes - with the ayakashi grouped closely enough together, he can take out clumps of them at a time. The appearance of the net had seemingly flustered them enough that they only caught themselves further in rather than managing to escape before it closed.

The first sweep of the war hammer bursts through a handful of them, creating a gap in what had been contained in the shadow. A cracked vessel doesn't quite have the same resilience as a normal one, so Shun will have to do this in stages.

Still, he flips his bird back over and goes back in for another hit.]

[abgrund]

[ The net spawns several shadow hands at the edges to swat at any ayakashi on the verge of escape, and soon it closes completely into a dome of darkness. Ain detaches the net from the ground as it continues to shrink, forcing the ayakashi into an increasingly smaller space in the air. Of course, it isn't so small as to prevent Shun from manoeuvring, but it should help him in his task.

Though, if Shun happens to touch the walls of the net, he'll find that he passes through them. Ain had been careful enough to ensure that ]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun at least has some experience in having to move around in small spaces even with his mount as fast as it is, and it shows - he manages to pull himself around the edge of the dome with remarkable accuracy. He drags the vessel across the pack of ayakashi again, causing another chunk of them to burst into light and free up more of the space. A few of them are trying to use the minimal space to their advantage and take on Shun, but they can't quite catch up to him by the time they recover.

There's only around ten left now - one more pass on Shun's end should do it, so he flips himself and his mount over to take the rest of them out.]

[abgrund]

[ For the most part, Ain has his attention on constructing the net, so he leaves everything to Shun. The youth's accuracy at flying on his mount is notable - commendable, even; so he moves to position himself within speaking distance once Shun alights. ]

Did you build that bird?

[ tilts his head, presenting curiosity while he checks if Shun looks tired ]

a 1

[nopixiedust]

[Yeah, it's pretty obvious to see where Shun is at any given time. Giant metal birds with plane engines are hard to miss whether with sight or with hearing. Wendy can say she's not blind or deaf, so, yeah. She hears Shun almost before she sees him, and she's able to be seen there on the ground in a bright pink dress.]

[Not because it's Valentine's day. She just likes the color.]

[When he calls down to her, she grins a little.]

Just borderlines and wires! Do you think those could work together?

[This will make her feel much better as well.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Borderlines should be able to help, and Wendy's wires might get her at a better level to target the birds. Nonetheless, Shun drives them a little lower towards the ground as he loops back around in hot pursuit of them.]

Borderlining should at least be able to stop them enough to make this easier for me, so if you can wire up a bit higher for it then go ahead and try it.

[He's largely focused on making sure none of the doves try to break from the flock for the moment, but the unusual speed of Booster Strix seems to have them thinking it's safer to fly in a group for now.]

[nopixiedust]

Give me a second and keep them in the area!

[She's pretty fast and acrobatic, but it's not like she can teleport. Even she needs a moment to get up.]

[But she can get up, and much easier than other people. First things first is using a streetlight to wind herself up and get higher. After that, she has to be a little more creative with where she anchors her wire's weight... but she's a creative girl. All the while, she tries to keep an eye on where Shun is, which helps keep an eye on the flock. Once she's a little higher and sure of his position...]

Line!

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun inclines his head, sharply curving his mount and boosting the speed even further to corral the birds back into the area. It's not difficult to manage - even with the supernatural speed of the ayakashi, there's only so much they can do against a healthily-sized engine.

As soon as Wendy calls the line, Shun drives the ayakashi towards it. A few of the quicker ones manage to peel away and flee in another direction, but the ones that don't meet the business end of Shun's war hammer just before they actually collide with the borderline.

As soon as they vanish into white light, Shun rounds back towards the other ones.] Make sure they don't slip away from us.

[nopixiedust]

[So that's what it looks like when an ayakashi flies rapid speed right into a drawn borderline. Fun! Wendy is grinning with a little more sharpness than is really required for the situation, even as she snaps her wrist out again.]

Got it- Line!

[Hopefully the ones that escaped are all grouping together again, or else this will really be a pain in the ass.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun's motion with his bird is measured to try and drive the fleeing ones back into a group, so though they had been a bit scattered, he flanks them and pushes them in to force them back towards the new borderline. It's not that large a group of them left, so Shun doesn't hesitate to attack as soon as he gets the chance, swinging his hammer and destroying them in a flash of white light.

Shun lets out a breath, turning his mount back towards Wendy.] Have you seen any more of those flocks? Their influence seems to be strong when they get the chance to get close enough to people.

[nopixiedust]

[While he's busy doing that, Wendy continues to hook her weight into places and fly through the air in her own way, all until she can find a place in a building crevice that's just enough for her slight body. Making sure her weight is still in place, just in case she slips, she looks over to Shun.]

Nothing like those flocks. I've seen a couple on their own, and even some that are going around as teddy bears, but that's the first time I've seen a group of them like that.

C

[deniles]

It's quite a romantic set up though.

[Oh hello. Were you expecting company? If not, Shun's going to be surprised by the asshole who's decided to tease him now. Looking up at him with a smirk.]

You must be a natural now.

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun gets teased constantly by people whose opinions he actually cares about, so having it happen from people he doesn't even know just gets a somewhat dismissive glance (if one that remains long enough to identify key information like build and bearing) and a sharp breath out as if bored of the idea already.

The voice sounds somewhat familiar to Shun, though - it takes the few moments while he answers for him to place it to one of the recent network voice posts.]

If you want something for a dead person, maybe. [He shrugs, continuing to walk down the cable. Pausing in his work, no matter his dislike for it, is rare for him.] If you've got something that actually matters to say, then get on with it. I'm busy.

[Shun has...never had much patience for this sort of thing, honestly.]

[deniles]

Well, I certainly wouldn't know anything about death.

[Sorry, he may have been a romantic there, but he's an asshole here. It's his specialty, get used to it.]

Is that for you to decide? If what I say is worth something?

[He's absolutely going to waste your time. That's what he's best at.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun elects to ignore the sarcastic remark, given it's pretty obviously meant to be a bait that he has no intention of taking. When the man doesn't shut up, however, he gives a faint sigh, turning his head back towards him, but not stopping.]

If you want to tell it to me, then yes, it is. If you're going to do nothing but spout useless time-wasting garbage, then you can either go attach yourself to someone else by choice, or go do it anyway when I leave you behind.

[He's been taking the slower route to keep more of an eye on things, but it's no skin off his bones to take a quicker one if it means shaking off an annoying follower.]

B

[unlucky7]

[A borderline pops up at the end of the alleyway to block off any fleeing ayakashi, though the shinki casting is unseen. There's the slight click of hard soles on a sign above. Under the cover of umbra, Ginia perches on a sign above, searching for a sign of the ayakashi.

Yeah, she agrees, Shun. She glances at the human, not questioning his methods. With the type of ayakashi they're dealing with, the humans are more of a threat.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well, that's questionable to Shun's eye. He looks over the area to try and catch a trace of the casting shinki and the ayakashi both, but he can't yet see any sign of movement. The ayakashi might have sunk into the rest of the shadows in the alleyway.

He raises his voice slightly, to make sure it's audible to anyone within reasonable borderline-casting range.] If you're planning to keep yourself hidden, it means I'm going to be looking for two things at once instead of one. Not that useful to either of us if we both want this ayakashi dead.

[unlucky7]

[Can't anyone accept the help of an unseen benefactor when it comes to ayakashi? No, probably not. Most everyone around is far too paranoid and guarded.

A few seconds after Shun speaks, there's no response. Then there's a tiny huff and the spell drops. Ginia waves at him, focusing back on the shadows in the alley an ayakashi could hide in.]

I'll keep an eye on this section of the alley if you want to check further down.

[She's not mad at him. There's been plenty of time to cool down from his assery, both to her and Minako on a subsequent day. But she's also perhaps a bit cooler to him than she was prior.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[...Well, it does somewhat explain why she was hiding herself. Shun's expression shifts in a manner that's rather difficult to read as he surveys her briefly for any signs of ill intent considering how their last conversation went - what can he say, he's been attacked by friends before - but she seems more focused on the ayakashi despite the slight chill to her demeanour, so he inclines his head.]

It's going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, but between the two of us, it at least shouldn't escape the alleyway.

[Of course it took refuge here as soon as things got dicey for it, where it'd be just about impossible to discern from true shadow, but there are ways to track it down. Shun withdraws the canteen of blessed water from his pocket and starts heading down the alleyway, dipping his fingers in it and then flicking it across the shadows before him.

No sign of movement. Yet.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia leaps to the ground and checks on the human, moving them to a safe spot on the opposite side of the borderline. She takes a flask out of her purse and wets her fingers with blessed water, working in the opposite direction of Shun.

As she sprinkles blessed water near some crates with empty bottles, glass clinks together. A mouse-shaped ayakashi darts out, skittering back and forth before heading toward Shun's direction. It's not the ayakashi they're looking for, but it's one all the same. Ginia whistles at Shun, slashing a borderline across the ayakashi's back to slow it down.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun catches the movement out of the corner of his eye, having turned his head when he heard the glass clink. Considering he already has Kotori's vessel held in the loops of his belt, he immediately draws the hammer and sweeps it across the ayakashi's path, factoring in how the slash of the borderline across it makes it slow down.

The tiny ayakashi vanishes with a squeal and a flash of light, and Shun quickly glances over the alleyway to make sure the sound and light hasn't caused the shadow ayakashi to move. It initially doesn't seem like it has...but then the tiniest part of the shadow further down the alley past Shun pulls away from the flash, and Shun's eyes narrow as he focuses on that spot.]

That might be it down here.