November Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: February 21st, 2017
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are brought into small one-on-one meeting rooms as they appear, with a white-robed shinki offering them an explanation of their current role, the name of the god they will represent or the god they will serve, and directions to the temple that will be their new home.

They are cordially invited to a training session beginning in early afternoon, after they've had the chance to return to their homes, meet their new partners, and have their questions answered.



Morning/On the Road

New gods and shinki are being packed off to their new temples for the morning to settle in and meet their partners -- this is also a good time to visit with new neighbors or explore the area! What does your new temple look like? Are you headed straight there, or taking the scenic route to get a better sense of your new surroundings? The Western District is still scarred from the aftereffects of a recent volcanic eruption and earthquake, with fissures in some of the roads and burn scars in the wild landscape. The volcanic ash, though, seems to be serving as fertilizer for vast swaths of unfamiliar and colorful wildflowers that line the roads despite the fact that the weather is late-February chilly.

Shinki Training

A well-appointed dojo has been prepared for newcomers to practice their physical or magical arts. Outside, there are two impromptu target practice areas: one is for long-range weapons, with targets set up against hay bales at the other side of a wide, grassy area and a line drawn for the weapons' wielders to stand behind. The other is for borderlines, and a number of young children wearing short coats marked with Amaterasu's golden chrysanthemum on white are dashing around practicing their own borderlines against scary paper masks tied onto bushes or other haybales. The game seems to require a cutting borderline that will cut the mask without damaging the gardeners' hard work on the bushes.

Inside the dojo, there's room for several pairs to spar, and weapons are set up all along one wall, everything from polearms to rifles, chakrams to broadswords. They're all meant for practice, with edges dulled or padded to avoid any accidental deaths, but sparring partners will still have to be careful to avoid injury. Although there are many fewer white-robed shinki here than usual, except for the children, there is one adult shinki keeping an eye on things inside the dojo and one keeping an eye on things in the yard. They are willing to answer questions, help with borderlines or teach shinki new spells on request. Comment to the NPC REQUEST form to request a thread with one of them or if you have questions about handwaving an interaction.

Physical Training

The last vestiges of winter have melted away from most of the Heavens, but one section of the Meeting Hall grounds appears not to have gotten the message. Snow is piled waist or even shoulder high, the trees and bushes show no sign of fresh leaves, and an ornamental pool is frozen as hard as a rock, with the drifting shadows of koi barely visible under the thick ice. It's the perfect opportunity to play in the snow, and many of the shinki children are already taking advantage of it, sliding on the ice or throwing snowballs.

For those who brave the heavy snow, they may discover an an old woman in the center of the frozen area. She's wearing heavy white makeup and a straw coat, and humming cheerfully as she pounds rice into mochi. Anyone who finds her will be offered freshly made mochi and a cup of warm sake to fortify them for the snowball fights!

Rest and Refreshments

Gods and shinki who are finished with their training can step into a large room in the Meeting Hall that has been set up with comfortable cushions and low tables. Tea, liquor and a wide variety of savory dishes are available, with the drinks already set out on the tables and the savory dishes set up in chafing dishes on a buffet table along one wall. Guests can help themselves, settle in, chat, and make new friends. There's even a dessert table, well-stocked with plenty of chocolate, most of which seems to be mysteriously heart-shaped.

After eating, there are a variety of board and card games available for guests to play. From classic games like shogi, go and mahjong to more modern ones like Trivial Pursuit or Pictionary -- or Cards Against Humanity -- there's something for everyone.

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Practice sparring or shinki magic
• Enjoy a buffet dinner and party games
• Have fun~

Comments

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ A. Morning/On the Road ]

[ Berserker is on a mission and that is to make it to his temple. While getting the lay of the land is important, he's more interested in getting to Giant's Grave. There is something methodical to the way he walks, though, taking note of every temple along the way. He doesn't seem so out of place in his armor among the scarred landscape.

Kneeling down by a particularly large patch of wildflowers, he does look extremely out of place as he brushes his hand over them. If someone says something or notices him, he turns his head. ]

I've just never seen anything like this. Nothing more.

[ B. Physical Training ]

[ Getting into a snowball fight with Berserker is a very bad idea. As he feels a snowball hit him in the back, he turns with incredible speed, a snowball of his own readied. It's thrown with such force that it's a wonder it doesn't melt with how fast it's traveling.

To the person it hits, you have my condolences. ]

[ C. Rest and Refreshments ]

[ Berserker seems to have no interest in eating or playing games. He's being his usual killjoy self, choosing to sit alone with no cushion and just watches the people pass him by. Attempts to get him to eat or talk are met with an indifferent look. ]

I'm fine here. Don't concern yourself with what I'm doing.

a - Hello neighbor

[cloakedinruins]

[ This guy looks like someone decided that they were going to be every stereotype of a nerdy professor they could dream of from the fussy little sweater vest to round glasses to highly polished shoes. The only thing about them that wasn't nerdy was the little tiny pony tail they were sporting and a rather business-like padoa they were leaning on. He smiles thinly and nods. ].

I actually was going to warn you. it would be rude to have one of my aspect's creature bite you before you get to your temple.

[ Shen Wei points with his chin at a cluster near Berserker, where a vibrant green snake was coiled as it took in the rare warm air. ]

That one likes hiding in the flowers.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Berserker just looks indifferent, scrutinizing the person before him without emotion. There's no immediate threat, so he doesn't even stand up -- in fact, he barely turns his head. ]

If it bit me, that would be my own failing. There was no need for a warning.

[ His words are cold, but he does move his hand away from the particular patch. He has no interest in being bitten or getting into an unnecessary altercation. ]

A

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex was quite used to bumping into people during her walks, but this one she didn't recognize. In fact, for a second she almost thought it was an ayakashi. Until it..bent down to check out the flowers. A new person perhaps? It was around the time the new ones would appear.. Alex hadn't moved out of the Western district herself, so new faces were bound to pop up more.

Before she could even say anything, the man suddenly spoke. ]

Oh--Yeah, a lot of things here were a first for me to--

[ And then she sees his face. There was no mistaking who it looked like, and yet it was like a different person. She was thrown off, to say the least, unsure how to process this. ]

Cú...?

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ That name from her lips gets an immediate reaction. Berserker is instantly upright, red spear suddenly appearing in his hand. His lip curls back in a snarl as he levels Gae Bolg at Alex. ]

That is your first mistake. I only allow for three, so tread carefully. How do you know my name?

B

[priforprince]

GGHHHHFFFF!!

[ Whoever had thrown the snowball has teleported away. But that does not mean there wasn't a target who just happened to be in the area, gearing up to heckle about what a stupid game this is.

The target had had her back to Berserker, so she is now splayed out face-down in the snow. Direct hit! ]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Berserker looks down at the splattered person with an indifferent gaze. Inwardly, he's satisfied with that. ]

This game is over. I've won.

C

[reloves]

[ .. well, this is.. different. Not that it's that weird for people to flat out refuse Minako when she's trying to get them to try the heart-shaped chocolate. The refusal itself doesn't even faze Minako all that much anymore, she still stays just as over the top cheery as usually.

No, this has more to do with who is refusing her chocolatey offer here. She does manage to hold on to the plate with the chocolates she has picked up, even though she looks pretty startled when a realisation hits her-- ]

What happened to your face?!

[ Yes, she's momentarily just totally assuming this is Caster from her first impression. ]

[curruid_coinchenn]

Have you never seen warpaint before?

[ Permanent warpaint, tattooed underneath his eyes and across his eyelids, as well. A warning, a clear symbol...Or so Berserker assumed it would be, anyway. His tone is cold and indifferent, as is the glare that accompanies it. ]

A rude question to ask of a stranger, don't you think?

[ B. Physical Training ]

[towards_okeanos]

[The person it hits can handle it. There might be a fractured rib there though. Not that Iskandar concerns himself with such trivial injuries.
Yet it is not he, who was throwing the first snowball. The real perpetrator is a little shinki girl with freckles and a ponytail hiding behind Iskandar.]

Oi, spiky-one! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ It doesn't matter to him who started it, just that there was a need for immediate retaliation. Iskandar makes himself an enemy and Berserker's attitude seems to change almost entirely. He wads up another ball of snow and points at his new target. ]

Are you making yourself my opponent?

[ His eyes narrow as he prepares to throw. ]

a

[ofnovalue]

[ Honestly, she hadn't been about to say anything, despite her glancing at him. He definitely read as the sort of person she definitely should NOT be having casual conversation with, trying to focus on her gathering flowers for the collection in her basket. But then he said something first, and well... ]

You need not explain, milord. None of us are native to this land, as it I am told...

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Berserker sensed no threat from her, so he kept his guard down. He turned his head, noting the basket. Not a threat at all. ]

Hm...I felt it better to explain than to cause confusion.

[ Turning back to the patch of flowers before him, he idly toyed with a particularly bright red flower. ]

Who are you gathering flowers for?

[ Not that he cared, but it was easier to continue the conversation for now instead of coldly turning her away. She was not a problem for him, after all. ]

B

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein tries to duck out of the way of the incoming snowball. She didn't think the person she hit by mistake would throw such a return attack. ]

I didn't mean to hit you! I'm very sorry!

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Berserker only knows inappropriate shows of force. Kill or be killed, even if there's no stakes. ]

Well, you did, and you paid for it. Maybe you'll think next time before you do something like that.

[ Pain is a type of lesson, isn't it? ]

Are you going to do it again?

A

[boneofsword]

[Archer is patrolling, or rather checking the new arrivals. While this time looks like everyone was sent away to their own temple (it's hard to miss such a group leaving the Meeting Hall, even from a huge distance) he follows with no trouble. Seems like there are new additions to their Fate club group.

Berserker draws his attention almost immediately. There's something oddly familiar in the way he moves, although his spiky armor is not the one Archer can recognize. He leaps down when Berserker stops, landing a good distance from him - there's no need to make other think he's trying to attack. The sound of Berserker's voice stops him in place, as well as a glance at his features.]

You are- [he stops, his eyes narrowing.] What are you?

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Berserker knew that he was followed, knew that he was being tracked. The distance is a good idea, as he's a bit on edge in an unfamiliar place. He doesn't stand up immediately and, instead, turns his head to look at Archer.

Another Servant, one he recognizes from Chaldea, but nothing he says or does reveals this fact. His own eyes narrow, on guard now, but he still doesn't stand. ]

... Berserker. [ He says plainly without emotion. ] Why?

C

[revolutionfalcon]

[The person who's elected to approach Berserker right now is mostly just eying him off with a somewhat suspicious look. Shun knows Caster just came back from a long trip, and he hasn't actually seen him in person since then, but this guy, despite the similarity in appearance, feels completely different.

When he's addressed, Shun turns his attention more specifically to the man's face, golden eyes suspicious and dull in the manner of those who've seen a little too much.]

It's not what you're doing I'm wondering about so much as who you are. Another version of the guy who calls himself Caster?

[He knows about Caster actually being the god he represents and has heard enough about the summoning system from Archer for that to be his first guess. He doesn't know all the classes, but he's going to guess this isn't the Lancer version of Cu that Archer had mentioned.]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Red eyes narrow in response to the scrutiny. Prickly at best and outright hostile at worst, Berserker has no interest in polite conversation. His lighter side...It's not that he has any problem with him -- they are simply two sides of the same coin. It's more that his presence is becoming an annoyance. Mistaken identity. ]

Is who I am any of your business? If I am, what does it matter to you?

[ Cold, indifferent. It's his way of being a pain in the ass, of being difficult while answering the question. ]

Dogs!! on Ice

[futhark]

[ You know, when someone offering food and sake who can say no to that- Not Caster. So surely getting involved afterward in a snowball fight with random shinki is a way to go. He gets that weird feeling of Servant being nearby- but this place has been swarmed with Servants lately, at some point you just tune it out- It's probably hard to tell who is guilty of throwing a snowball at Berserker

-- it's Caster, it's definitely Caster --

but because Protection from Arrows is hax skill Caster narrowly (like hair-width narrow) dodges getting face-full of snow.

In hindsight, thank the gods, because looks like that would be another broken nose. ]

Whaaa-!? [ It's hard to say if he's dumbfounded by the strength of the snowball- warhead on a missile more likely- or by the sight of Berserker himself. At least the rest of the crow goes into metaphorical oh shit and starts to scatter around. But uh, talking later, first he gotta re-stock the weaponry. He goes fast, hand scooping the snow and clamping it down into a solid lump- snowball wars has begun ]

A

[hypomeneo]

[Honestly, what's getting Waver to keep his head turned is the sudden feeling shooting through his spine and dumping a shock of adrenaline into his system, even though he's a fair distance away traveling down the road. A pay attention, danger, get in the mind to fight because you might need to feel - or the usual way one Servant recognizes another. This sudden, gripping urge has managed to flood him a few times before - Waver and his nerves are already tired of it.

Christ, if he gets through today, he's having a drink. He hasn't even found his god.]

Neither have I. [On edge as he is, he's keeping a lid on it and any snark, and projecting neutral calm and nonaggression. Berserker does not seem the type to take kindly to sass and Waver's sense of self preservation is thankfully very much intact.] Ordinarily I'd say it would be too chilly for blooms like that, but it seems to be the nature of this land. It's interesting.

[... which makes sense for a realm of the gods, flowing with magic, though Waver's fascination is with how that magic presents itself. He's especially intrigued with the signs of volcanic destruction beginning to be erased by Nature's hand - he'll be asking about that later - though, like Berserker, he's been primarily occupied getting as much of the lay of the land as he can while travelling.]

c - i'm sorry, feel no obligation to this, but just-

[kokuyoyo]

Okay.

[And the lanky teenager with the plate full of food just keeps on walking by.]

[MORE FOR HIM]

B

[myblueskies]

[Romeo didn't actually mean to hit Berserker at all, his true target was one of the shinki children who he was in the middle of a fierce snow battle with. But Romeo's aim is not the best and his eyes widen as it hits one of the grown ups, one Romeo doesn't know.

The retaliation comes before Romeo can even shout an apology, the snowball hitting him square in the stomach, winding him and sending him flying backwards to crumple in the snow.

He looks up fearfully, coughing and trying to find his breath as he watches the man he accidentally hit.] Sorry sir... [It's very quiet, he's still very winded.]

On the Road Again

[frenchfried]

...it wasn't your behavior I was observing. [ no, in face, Avenger tried very hard to ignore the majority of people going about their business because she was far more interested in the setting itself. given only a description of her God and being sent on her way, she wouldn't help but notice this large man even as he was hunched over on the side of the road.

in all fairness, who wouldn't notice him? it seems she isn't the only one here who seemed dressed for combat. that was somewhat comforting. not that it stopped her from examining him critically. ]

C

[cleansingstrike]

Truthfully speaking, that concern has already been reached.

[She'd been watching him earlier, during the snowball fight.]

Throwing snowballs at one another, 'twas meant for fun and merriment. But what I saw from you, Ser, was anything but.