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

[wildguardian]

You've got it.

[The success of his first blow builds confidence as Zhao slashes his hand down again and again, ripping the bear into a dozen pieces. A claw here, an ear there, half a torso over there-- but just like the first two, they're not staying where they are, and they're not dead. The bits are shuddering, reaching out tendrils of purplish smoke to rejoin almost as fast as Zhao cuts them apart.]

Say, you don't have your shinki nearby, do you?

[priforprince]

You got into this scrape without your god?!

[ That's a no. She does not have her shinki nearby. That could probably be amended, but...

Tch. Out of water. Hibiki switches to her other pistol - she keeps two, and she keeps them filled. If asked, it's because she's the only competent person on the Far Shore, but the equally valid truth of the matter is, it's for chances to look cool.

And look cool she does. Harried, and broodingly alarmed, but cool. ]

[wildguardian]

I was taking a break between dates! Is that a no?

[Because it sounds like a no. All right, she's got plenty of poise, and Zhao's liking the idea about water guns -- from the way the thing recoils from each splash of water, it must be water from a shrine. He's going to have to start packing one of those himself for times when his borderline won't be enough.

He slashes at the ayakashi a few more times and tosses her a glance.] If you need to go grab them I could hold this thing off for a while.

[nopixiedust]

[Zhao really doesn't have to worry about Hibiki finding her shinki. While the two of them are busy frantically bickering with each other and fending off the ayakashi the best they can, there's a pink blur whirling through the air up above them, with only a glimmer of silver to hint to how its getting around. Then, as the ayakashi is struggling with its water and slash wounds...]

[A pair of pretty pink mary janes with bows on the end slams violently down right into the top of its plush head.]

[Zhao may or may not be surprised that Hibiki's shinki matches her in flashiness, although that might just be lolita style in general, and the fact that Wendy has deemed today good enough for her Valentine's best. A pink dress with a heart pattern, a heart shaped apron, ruffles, and her buns done up on two sides of her heads with ribbons larger than necessary. It's all very cute! And all very unfitting for the way her eyes are narrowed as she straightens up to swing an accusatory finger at-]

Hibiki! [Her feet are still ground into teddy bear cranium. Wendy does not seem to care.] You're supposed to call me when there are ayakashi around!

[priforprince]

[ And there she is. Completely saving Hibiki the trouble of having to make the call. Between this convenience, and the feeling of being able to - to depend on someone, is that what this emotion is? - Hibiki can't help but stand up straighter, smirking as if this was the plan all along. As if she'd known this would happen. ] You're late.

[ And with that, she tosses Zhao the second holy water pistol, the better to extend a hand dramatically. With an extra-special Valentine's flourish: ]

[wildguardian]

[Zhao has to admit, he's feeling a little outclassed by the style here. It's not just the candyfloss confection of his critic's shinki, it's the fact that she'd smashed a monster bear to the ground in that outfit and not even left a wrinkle.

Seriously, what the fuck. Watergun lady throws out a hand to summon her shinki, and Zhao, unwilling to completely cede the spotlight, slashes another borderline across to whack the ayakashi's head off its stuffed shoulders before the other two strike their final blow.]

[nopixiedust]

[Honestly, she swears, not even a response to her words. Even as her body begins to fade into twisting light, Wendy sighs.]

Sorry about this-

[And then she's zipping along into Hibiki's hand as... a toy top? It's not very imposing, she knows, but whatever. It gets the job done.]

Let's get this done with.

[priforprince]

Hold the weapon steady.

[ And Hibiki spins the top, directing her attention to one of the water pistols the non-spinny shinki is currently holding. Bulleki's power is the ability to enlarge or shrink objects, and while it's insufficient to rend on its own (Hibiki has tried), any item upon which its effects have been applied is a different matter....

Long story short, Zhao, prepare to be holding a holy water rifle as the little pistol begins growing rapidly. ]

[wildguardian]

No trouble at all, little lady.

[He almost fumbles the pistol as it starts changing shape in his hand, but he gets a better grip fast, shifting to aim it more firmly at the ayakashi right in front of Hibiki. It's fumbling for its severed head.

Zhao lines up his shot and fires a stream of water (it's a lot more powerful, he notes, than the little pistol had been) straight at the bear's torso.]

[nopixiedust]

[That's certainly one way to go about it. The other way is a lot more final, and Wendy would tap her foot if she had any besides, like, the one. And, as a top, it really doesn't even count as a foot...]

I'm ready to go when you are.

[priforprince]

Of course.

[ Yes, second shinki here, thank you for keeping up that stream - and for keeping the pistol-turned-rifle in an easy position for grabbing. Hibiki thinks she will do exactly that, now, if permitted.

It's possible Bulleki will only be effective if Hibiki's wielding the affected item - she's unsure. Or perhaps she simply wants to have the full spotlight. All are plausible options. ]

REND!

[ If she spins the top and makes the water coming out increase in girth, as well.... ]

[wildguardian]

It's all yours.

[He relinquishes the oversized water gun as she makes a grab for it; maybe she does need to be the one wielding it to get it to have the full effect on the target. Besides, Zhao feels ridiculous waving a water gun around. He's glad to pass that particular spotlight off to someone who's having fun with it.

The ayakashi screeches as Hibiki declaims the spell, twirling her top with her free hand as she attacks it.

Zhao holds his breath.

Is this seriously going to work, or is he going to have to come up with a plan B?]

[nopixiedust]

[Plan A is working just fine.]

[It's Wendy's ability, after all, and it's Wendy who's tapping herself impatiently against the water gun, pouring ever bit of her ability into it. Her ability is as good as herself, in this form, or at least she certainly seems to think so.... and it's confidence that's well earned, as demonstrated as the water almost seems to slice through the teddy bear, with the rest of it washing the blight infected existence away.]

And that's that!

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki exhales as the bear fades into bad memories and a puddle, lowering the water gun and twirling Bulleki so it'll return to its normal size. ] Return, Wendy.

[ Now that the danger is gone, she can return to a tranquil version of her noble comportment. Whew. What an unpleasant detour on this blessed day...

Her expression, however, is that of someone who does this all the time. The difference between her abilities and this shinki's is all too plain.

This wasn't even exciting. (Now that it's done.) ]

[wildguardian]

[Plan A does seem to have worked out -- which is good, because he was at a loss for what B was going to be. He straightens up, relaxing, and tosses the other two a grin.]

Nicely done, you two. Thanks for the hand.

[nopixiedust]

[Wendy seems to almost spin right out of being a spinning top, and dusts down her dress as she does so.]

Mm, thanks for watching over Hibiki, too. I'm sure she was a lot!

[Hibiki can take that as she want. Wendy knows she will.]

[priforprince]

I'm always more than capable.

[ Said with no self-consciousness that this is ever not true. Every situation she has found herself overwhelmed within has not been her fault. So this is not a lie.

Yes. She begins to walk away, since 1) they're done here and 2) that is the single coolest thing she can think of to do right now. ] Engrave upon your memory the knowledge you were rescued by a God of the Central District.

[wildguardian]

We just sort of ran into each other! [Almost literally. Good thing there wasn't a collision, because Zhao's starting to get the feeling that if her hair were ruined or her jacket torn, he might have an enemy for life. He glances at the carefully coiffed vision of elegance strolling away, and calls after her:]

Good to know! I'll drop a thank you card by later!