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]

[Romeo's -- a weasel? Okay, Zhao is definitely going to have to make sure that the bear ayakashi is in no shape to attack him. He's just about bite-sized.

The shaky borderline snaps out towards the creature, slicing into its flesh, and Zhao sends another, stronger line after it to rip into the thing.]

Ready and--!

[One more, this one slicing right through the creature's neck to make sure it can't put up any defense against Romeo.]

Go?

[myblueskies]

[Zhao's borderline did more damage that Romeo's and on Zhao's word and Elfnein's readiness Romeo pounced jumping towards the bear. He had never done this before but he knew he had to just let Elfnein do the spell and join his energy to hers. As she called 'rend' he bit the bear on the ear. There was a pause as the bear shuddered and then exploded into stuffing, which disappeared into nothing in the air.

Romeo landed on his feet and bounded back over to Elfnein, climbing up her leg to get back onto her shoulder.] You did it! You did it!

[alchemists]

That was amazing Romeo!

[ So this is what defeating these things felt like. ]

You took it on head on and we won!

[wildguardian]

[Zhao breaks into a broad, relieved grin, letting his hand fall as he turns back towards the two of them.]

Good job! Was that the first one you've taken down?

[God, they're both little kids. He stomps down his brief urge to make sure someone's taking care of them -- he's got teenagers to look after and that's enough of a pain in his ass -- and glances over them both.]

You didn't get any blight on you?

[myblueskies]

[The weasel twitched his nose at Zhao, yes it was the first one! And it felt good to have stopped something so bad!

He didn't think he had any blight, he'd have to check properly when he was changed back. But he should check Elfnein, he ran down her arm to nose at her wrists, checking that nothing had touched her.]

[alchemists]

It's the first one we've taken down, normally we don't do prayers that would have danger like this since we're not suited to fighting.

[ Elfnein is making sure she doesn't have blight on her and gives Romeo a nod to signal she's ok. ]

[wildguardian]

You did great for a first try.

[He spreads his hands, relaxing as Elfnein's nod to Romeo seems to signal that she's unhurt after all.]

And you sure saved my bacon. There's only so long borderlines would've kept it down.

Anyway -- I guess I ought to get ready for that third date. [He glances down at his sweat-stained shirt with a wry grin; that unplanned exercise maybe wasn't the best start to a date.] Can't show up without a clean shirt. You two take care, okay?

[myblueskies]

Can you tell mister Zhao I hope he has a very fun date and he should eat lots of strawberry shortcake!

[In case Elfnein doesn't pass this message on Romeo is trying to communicate it by doing a weasel dance. He was glad that everyone was unhurt and that the bad bear had stopped trying to ruin people's valentines day.]

[alchemists]

Romeo says he hopes you have a fun date and eat lots of strawberry shortcake.

[ Don't worry Romeo, Elfnein has you covered. ]

[wildguardian]

[These kids are too damn cute. Zhao nods very seriously at Romeo.]

Sure I will, kiddo. And I'll go on some rides, too!

You two take care-- thanks for the save, miss-- Elfnein, right?

[myblueskies]

[Oh his date was at an amusement park! That was super fun! The weasel did another happy dance and nuzzled Elfnein's ear. "Yes thank you, Elfnein! You saved us both!"]

[alchemists]

I'm glad we were able to help, even though I didn't do much.

[wildguardian]

Don't knock yourself, you did great for a first try.

[Not much on any kind of objective scale, maybe, but encouraging her can't hurt. Smiling, he nods to them both and turns to go.]

[myblueskies]

[The weasel did another dance, this time a good bye dance. He hoped mister Zhao had a really fun time!]

You did do really well Elfnein!