December Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: March 8, 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 midafternoon, once 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, which are spreading out even further with the onset of Spring. Strangely, there are many fewer flowering trees than might be expected.

Shinki Training

A well-appointed dojo has been prepared for newcomers to practice the 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 what look like old clothes and sheets rescued from the rag pile and hung from trees or stuffed with straw to serve as targets. Some of the children are trapping their straw-stuffed targets by dancing in circles around them, hands held as they sing the Kagome song; others are using cutting borderlines to bring sheets fluttering down.

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 interact with one of them or if you have any questions about handwaving an interaction.

Physical Training

The cherry blossoms that had begun to bloom across the Meeting Hall grounds seem to have experienced a mysterious mishap. Buds and half-opened blossoms alike have rained down from the branches, carpeting the fresh spring grass below with soggy brown and black rot. Several gardener shinki, with their sleeves tied back and sensible heavy aprons to protect their white uniforms, are raking up the fallen blossoms and trying to coax the trees back to health with powders and straw wraps to protect the trees' trunks from nightly chill. They need help: climb the trees and sprinkle the knots along the branches with invigorating powders to encourage fresh buds, or help the gardeners hold the straw in place around the tree trunks while it's wrapped with cloth, or just help rake up the dead flowers.

Besides the cherry problems, the gardens are beautiful and just beginning to burst into spring bloom. Tulips, crocuses and daffodils are sprouting everywhere, and once the borderline game is done, the child shinki are quickly organizing a garden-wide game of hide-and-go-seek. Find the best hiding spot you can, and make a break for home base as soon as you're sure the seeker is too far away to catch you! But don't run into anyone on the way.

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. A fresh springtime menu is available: lightly flower-scented teas, plum wine, and a variety of little savory or sweet snacks to nibble on while waiting for dinner. Dinner turns out to be okonomiyaki: bowls with mixed batter and a plate full of tasty add-ins are brought out, and griddles at the center of the table heated to let every guest set out their own favorite add-ins, pour batter over, and make a savory pancake. It's a little tricky to flip with the tiny spatulas provided, but it should only take a few pancake disasters to get the hang of it, probably!

After eating, a few doves will flutter into the room, dropping off scrolls to certain people, and the frazzled-looking adult shinki from the earlier training session dashes to the front of the room to try to keep everyone occupied. He's reading from a handful of printouts with corporate icebreaker ideas: pin a secret card to the back of everyone's shirt and ask whoever you meet for clues to figure out what it says! Fill out a bingo card with different skills or experiences your fellow gods and shinki have! Figure out how to stack every piece of furniture in the room onto just one table... play a game where you're only allowed to reply with questions... switch tables every five minutes and see how well you can get to know the other person there before your five minutes are up. Wait, isn't that speed dating? He seems to be running out of ideas.

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 some icebreakers
• Have fun~

Comments

rest and refreshment

[trustheart]

[Thankfully, Chris has been dragged by Hibiki and Miku to a place that sells this sort of thing often enough.]

Here, you eat it like this.

[She takes a spatula and cuts the okonomiyaki while it's still soft and a little bit bubbling, into a triangle shape, before she sets it on a plate. Then she breaks off a smaller piece, and without thinking, offers it to the other young woman.]

Open up.

[mersunary]

[Oh. Oh goodness. This is. A lot to take in so suddenly.]

Pretty skilled with this, aren't you?

[Is that her heart skipping a beat at having that piece so casually offered to her like that? Ah, far be it from her to hesitate in a moment like this, though. She leans in, accepting the bite with no reservations what-so-ever. She chews it thoughtfully before concluding,]

Superbly made...!

I'm so sorry

[trustheart]

Eh, my friends take me to an okonomiyaki place all the time. I know how to eat it correctly after all that, is all.

[She turns away from Soleil, and begins... crudely stuffing her face. It seems all charm is quickly fading from this situation, as crumbs fall from the corner of Chris's mouth, and she turns to Soleil to speak with her mouth still full.]

Anyway, you know how to eat it now. Chow down!

lmao no this is great

[mersunary]

[She's plenty used to girls being less refined, casual and laid back while still being incredibly charming. The action doesn't exactly... cause her to find Chris any less endearing in her own way, but that does drain a little bit of the magic out of the moment.

Ah, well, it's not like she's about to let her smile falter over something like that.]

'Okonomiyaki', huh? [She starts up a new pancake, cabbage and batter on the grill, while still holding up the conversation.] I've never had anything quite like it before, but they do seem to be fond of these 'grill your own meal' type set-ups for the training days.

Re: lmao no this is great

[trustheart]

I guess they don't have it in your world. [A few more crumbs tumble out of Chris's mouth, as she scoops up a new mouthful for herself.] In my world, it's something that people started making in a place called Okinawa.

[om nom.]

They also have their own style for it in Hiroshima!

[mersunary]

[So many places she's only heard of in passing due to being in this particular world...! It's still pretty amazing that there are so many people familiar with the cites and countries of this land when only a handful of Far Shore residents know of the lands she does.]

If they do have it, it would simply be someplace I've yet to visit personally. [Perhaps it's not unlike Hoshidan cuisine? Imagine.] It's definitely one of the perks of being here, getting to see all sorts of sights, try different foods, and meet all sorts of cute people.

[A pointed smile. Yes, you, even through the crumbs and shoveling of the food.

And, because she is interested in what Chris has to say at least to some degree,] What kinds of differences are there? Just in the things added to the batter...?

[trustheart]

[Chris actually appears enthusiastic to explain.]

Well, their style is usually layered instead'a mixed. Noodles and fried egg are also used as a topping a lot, and they use a lot more sauce and cabbage than kansai-style.

[A beat.]

"Cute people?" [She misses that she's included in this.] You're not some kind of person who plays with people's hearts, are ya?

[mersunary]

[There certainly are plenty of people around who get enthusiastic about food, aren't there? It's awfully charming, in a way.]

That sounds like it would be a pretty hearty meal. [Maybe... something worth checking into! Someday.

As for that second remark, she can't help but laugh lightly. It... probably isn't too far from the truth, in all honesty, but,] Ahh, don't think of me as some kind of scoundrel. I can't help but admire what's around me, and I'd never say anything dishonestly.

[trustheart]

... Well, I suppose if you're honest about it, and don't mess around, I guess there's no harm.

[Is Chris blushing slightly? Yeeep.]

But yeah, it's pretty good! I haven't had it as much as the other kind of okonomiyaki, but it's just as good.