thenearshore | Interlude: Meeting with Amaterasu

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Interlude: Meeting with Amaterasu

Who: Amaterasu and characters who have shared information with her, her advisers or her shinki
When: March 8, Evening
Where: The Meeting Hall
What: Amaterasu is bringing together newcomers of proven loyalty in order to share her own information and plans.

New gods and shinki who have offered their help to Amaterasu or her advisers, or who have given her information about any of the cult activities, will find a white-robed shinki knocking at their temple door or dropping by their table at the post-training meal on March 8th.

The invitations have the following text:

Lady Amaterasu invites you and your trusted allies to join her for an important announcement. The shinki who delivered this message will conduct you to the meeting.

The shinki carrying these invitations will wait until the invited person and their guests are ready, or will leave if the invitation is declined.

Guests are directed to an inner room in the Meeting Hall, where, on entry, they will discover that they seem to be floating in an endless dark void. Amaterasu stands at the center of the void, brilliantly illuminated; she's not wearing her usual mirror crown, and there is a short woman in old-fashioned white robes with the sleeves tied back standing beside her.

Amaterasu and the shinki accompanying her begin to speak once everyone has arrived. They have ink paintings of Votelli (although the features aren't very well rendered, as though it was painted from a description rather than by someone who'd seen her) and of Sotero (this painting is much more accurate and detailed.) These paintings are displayed on small stands behind Amaterasu.

"These two rogue gods have declared their enmity against myself and the Heavens through attacking and even imprisoning you, as well as attacking many of my shinki. They have even used humans as their agents to act in the mortal world." She holds out a hand to indicate the sketchier painting. "This one's name is Votelli. She is declared anathema. Should you see her, capture her, and bring her to me." The other, better-drawn painting is next. "This one's name is Sotero. He is declared anathema, and should you see him, capture him and bring him to me.

"We prefer them alive, but if they resist too fiercely to survive capture, we will still reward their captors highly."

The woman behind her takes the paintings down and folds the stands, disappearing into the dark with her armful of props, as Amaterasu continues speaking.

"We have located areas of the Near Shore that these gods have used as their sanctuaries in their invasions of the Heavens. The forest that Votelli used, many of you have visited. However, it seems that she can either hide there too well to be found unless she wills it, or she has gone elsewhere. We continue to search for her. My shinki have searched the volcano that Sotero used, as well, but with no greater success.

"It is possible that these gods have protected themselves somehow from the eyes of my shinki. I ask for your assistance searching for them both."

The woman reappears, without the easels and carrying two handfuls of charms instead; they are small, embroidered pouches that look like the charms found in the department store and around shrines at New Year's. Sabimei steps forward; he looks like he hasn't had enough sleep in weeks, and the harsh spotlight brings out the dark bags under his eyes.

"These things are using a magic I can't figure out," he says: his tone is almost petulant, but he moderates it at a reproving glare from the other shinki. "I suspect it's related to those two gods. I can tell you that they drain good fortune from anything nearby -- these are inert, don't worry, but I wouldn't keep one in my pocket if I were any of you. Burn them, or give them to me, because it's not as if I don't have enough to do--"

At another glare, he clears his throat. "In any case, placing these in our shrines at the New Year's represents a direct attack on our fortunes and our followers'. It seems that these gods consider us all enemies alike. Ask me later if you want to hear more about what I've been doing with these things." He bows, and steps back into the darkness. Amaterasu's formal demeanor softens for long enough to pat her other shinki's arm; the woman smiles down at her before tucking away the charms.

"Several humans have been implicated in assisting the enemy gods," she announces. "We do not act directly against mortals, but my shinki are watching their residences, in case our enemies should appear there. It is possible that there are more, and so, I ask that you help my shinki in that task, for if those two gods are no longer in the places that they once linked to the Heavens, then they must be concealed somewhere. My shinki will show you to these humans' residences if you are willing to assist.

"When we find them, we intend to ride to destroy them, and I invite you to join the hosts of Heaven when we do so, as well."

She folds her hands together, her long sleeves falling down to hide her fingers, and inclines her head in a small, regal bow.

As the presentation ends, the darkness begins to fade, and everyone invited will find themselves standing in an ordinary room with Amaterasu, and with guards at the door and along the walls. The female shinki who had been behind her has disappeared, and she is wearing her crown again, with Sabimei standing just behind her.

It looks like she's ready to take questions now.

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Uncertain himself, Kimi rubs the back of his neck. "If you're certain... But, let's see what she says to the young master first, alright?"

Kiwami roll his wrists a little. "Perhaps the young master can also ask how her shinki learned what they did."

"If we have a better idea of their methods, then we can figure out how much time we have," Aomi muses. "It's worth a shot. Our temple hasn't caused any trouble since the master's reincarnation, so hopefully that will speak well on us, and she'll be open to questions such as this..."

Not any outward trouble at least. Ginia huffs softly in amusement, but her jaw still tightens at the word. If things were just, if the laws were fair, the massacre wouldn't have happened. There wouldn't be a stigma against nora, there wouldn't be a shadow hanging over the temple for the past. But that's all her opinion, a gut reaction to what she's been told, and Ginia knows she's young and impulsive in the greater picture.

"I am curious if she'll reveal who gave her information. It was smart not naming any sources in the greater presentation. I find it unlikely she'd tell any of the new, but Ebisu's position is different..."

Ginia looks around the room again. If she had to suspect anyone, it would be someone who was present for the forest, both the kidnapping and investigation. Someone with stakes and enough context to understand the information they're turning over, then something to gain or the right nature to think they were doing good.

"Whoever mentioned Votelli, I wonder if they knew it would come to this?"

"She might, even for the new generation," Kiwami says quietly, and Aomi nods his agreement.

"You know the saying: Heaven is always right and just. That, combined with the fact that the people who have been invited here are clearly considered trustworthy or reliable in some manner, and she might find there to be no reason to keep quiet if someone is merely polite enough."

Then again, that's assuming anyone even thinks to try. If the new generation of gods and shinki truly have such a sour view of Heaven, they might give up on talking with them to start with. That could even influence the views of such level headed gods as Lord Borel and Hakkai.

Meanwhile, having calmed down significantly after his earlier outburst of frenzied pacing, Kimi rakes both his fingers through his hair. "Who knows? I mean, I would have thought that Heaven's actions during the volcanic eruption would have made their preferred method of dealing with things obvious... but I have to admit that I'm pretty biased when it comes to that kind of thing." Both because of what happened to their own temple, and because of the interactions he had with Sotero alongside Ebisu.

Ginia frowns at the saying, a sharp pang of disgust at the idea. She knows it's not a line they believe in--how could they after what the temple endured?--but the idea that governs all around here. "There's nothing right about that statement," she snaps. A sharp intake of breath follows, cringing at the outburst. Ginia slowly inhales and exhales, reining in her burst of temper. "Sorry. Sorry."

Any comment she would make is disrupted as Shun approaches Amaterasu, his words clear to all in range. Ginia laughs sharply, surprised and delighted and suddenly terrified for her friend. Shun is no fool and she knows she's practicing some restraint, but he is also exactly as he is. The lack of decorum is unsurprising and it's nice to see he's not afraid of voicing his opinion, but she is still the ruler of Heaven, whether any of them like it or not.

"Gentlemen, behold the God of Fortune, Nekhbet."

All her outburst earns is Kimi reaching over, his fingers going to her shoulder and pressing in slightly. "Yeah," is what he says, simple and quiet. There was nothing right in the massacre of their temple, nothing right in the lives that were lost. They're nora, sure, but does that mean they're really less than any other shinki?

Shun's approach of Amaterasu helps distract from any further depressing thoughts, and Kimi's bark of laughter fills the space. Aomi shakes his head slowly. "You know," he says, tone at the same pace as his gesture, "I think we really might be able to get away with asking her anything about Nekhbet-sama is done, assuming she doesn't kick him in the shins or start a war over what he's saying. After him, I imagine anyone who is even faintly polite and receptive will be a breath of fresh air."

Indeed. Everyone else is practically honey compared to Shun's vinegar. There are others are that as direct, but most would hold themselves back more. He's a god and a God of Fortune at that; Ginia is certain he's testing the limits of that title right now.

"He's not wrong though. When I first spoke with Votelli, most of the views she said back sounded like things told to her but not anything she firmly believed in. At best, she was repeating whatever Sensei told her. I don't discount she could turn out to be the best liar in the world, but nothing about her seemed she had any power or understanding of how things here. She's largely isolated."

"Not wrong," Aomi agrees.

Kiwami quietly adds, "But going to get his ass kicked."

While Aomi makes a cough that half happens from choking on his own air supply, Kimi nods along with Ginia's observation of Votelli. "I agree with you there... Not on Votelli, since I don't think anyone in the temple besides you has ever met her, but when it comes to Sotero. Obviously he had to have a grudge against Heaven to raise up a volcano, which wasn't a great idea... but when the young master introduced himself, he didn't get hostile at all. He was suspicious the whole time and badly lying... but he didn't go after the young master. He was pretty amiable to making a deal with him, even."

"We're friends now," Ebisu says casually.

Ginia snorts. Can't disagree with the ass-kicking, though hopefully someone backs down. There's going to be a fight with this order, but no one needs a fight breaking out now.

"Did Sotero ever mention anything about Sensei? Or the cult or even other gods? The amount of control the cult had over each god might vary, but I'm curious. I imagine very few others spoke with Sotero as much."

At the very least, she doubts anyone else was named by Sotero or offered him shelter given the circumstances. With Votelli, Ginia wouldn't be surprised at all if someone accepted a name from her.

"I'm glad he has a friend in you, sir."

Ebisu hides his smile against her, able to duck his head down just a little bit to hide the expression. It's all he can do right now, while they're all still in meeting.

Meanwhile, Kimi rubs at his chin while he thinks. "No, not in the short amount of time that we got to talk to him. He seemed pretty set on trying to convince us he was just a new god, and definitely not responsible for the giant erupting volcano going off in the Far Shore. I'm sure if we could talk to him again, we'd be able to get a little more information out of him..." His face twists in a slight grimace. "But who knows when that will be, and, just as importantly, when a good time for that would be."

"I hope there's an opportunity to talk to him again and not only for the sake of information. I would like to apologize to him." Ginia knows she can't be faulted for defending herself and the fact he caused a volcano to erupt can't be easily dismissed either. However, she would like the opportunity to get to know his side of the story. She hasn't forgotten how scared he looked when he tried to flee. Whoever put him up to things--Sensei or otherwise--clearly did not prepare him.

"I know this is probably a foolish question, but is there a chance the two could be pardoned and become accepted gods?"

"No," comes the chorus from three different shinki answering at once, and Kimi even sighs as he goes back to rubbing at his face and eyes especially.

"At least, not without the god in question being executed," Aomi says quietly, aware of just who is listening in on them. "Heaven believes that once a god is forced to reincarnate, that's their new chance, and all prior 'sins' have been washed away from them. However, if they're still new gods, then... Even with their cult's belief in them, there's no guarantee that they'll reincarnate."

"And there's after," Kiwami says softly, earning a nod from Aomi.

"Right... Even if they do manage to reincarnate, there's really no guarantee that anything would change. They could still end up being influenced into the same path... especially without a shinki to guide them down the right path and keep them safe."

"Theoretically, that task would fall to me on Sotero's side," Kimi says, voice a little muffled from behind his hands. "Since I'm his only shinki as far as I know, and that makes me his exemplar by default. But I don't even know where his next theoretical reincarnation would show up, or if he even has a proper shrine for that kind of thing."

It's what Heaven says they believe, but is it what they actually believe? Ginia glances from Ebisu to Amaterasu and her two shinki. With all the times he's reincarnated, have they truly forgiven him each time, or are they holding things against him? So even if Sotero and Votelli did reincarnate, would they be so easily forgiven for erupting a volcano or bringing in a rogue forest and kidnapping gods and shinki?

Ginia moves closer to Kimi and gives his shoulder a light squeeze. "He'd be in good hands," she says quietly, moving away.

"I have another question with regards to shrines. I made a shrine for Votelli on the Near Shore, but made it for the name of her choosing. I made sure to put it in an area where more children would see it, even at the risk of children forgetting as they age. But if it built up a new basis of belief, and she reincarnated, would it be under Votelli or her alias?

Letting his hands fall away from his face, Kimi considers the question. "Well... They'd be one and the same, if her new name caught on solidly enough."

Kiwami nods minutely from his own position. "Gods often have multiple names," he says.

"Even the young master," Kimi adds, since he knows his coworker sure isn't inclined to add such information. It's not exactly necessary, after all, although it definitely helps add a little more context. "Remember when we did that tour, and I mentioned Ebbisan? That's an example. He has at least a couple more, and humans know a lot of them pretty well. Ah, let's see if I can get them all..."

"You never do," Aomi reminds him patiently before listing them off himself. "Ebisu, Ebbisan, Kotoshiro-nushi-no-kami, Kotoronushi no Mikoto..." He pauses for a moment. "Hiruko, as well."

Ginia has a sense of the multiple names and titles a god can have as well as the reach across multiple cultures. Votelli and Torimoto are one and the same, but if Heaven only knows of one, could she be welcomed here?

Though there's another possibility. Ginia's fingers tap together as she figures out how to word her next question.

"I realize this question is difficult, but is a god aware of who they are when they reincarnate? With Votelli and Sotero's apparent ages, and no shinki to guide them, is it possible they have unknown identities?"

"Uh..." That actually is quite the question, and her coworkers pause, either out of realization that they don't know or trying to remember if they do. Fortunately, while this might be a difficult question for a shinki...

Their god is still there and paying attention.

"It would depend on the shrine they're reincarnated at. I didn't know the entirety of my names when I first reincarnated, only that of 'Ebisu' because that was the purpose of the temple where I came back into existence. I knew my purpose much more strongly."

In other words, considering the cult's involvement in all of this...

"Thank you, sir."

Ginia presses her knuckles to her mouth in thought, arm draping back across her chest. She looked up Votelli's name to see if it was the name of a deity and couldn't find anything substantial. Not to say she's not a new god brought into existence by the wishes of the cult, but what if she was a god of a different name?

"Votelli said she didn't have a shrine of her own and had to stay in the forest for safety. I haven't been able to find any kind of god named Votelli either. But even if the cult wished her into existence, it wouldn't be a random place, right?"

"You would think there would have to be something..." Mouth twisted, Kimi messes up his hair further. At some point, later, when Ebisu invites others to the temple, he'll have to hastily get it back into something a little more professional... but for now, a mess it shall be.

Kiwami lets out a slow breath. "A war of belief..." On the other side of Kunimi, Aomi nods.

"Maybe so... If more people outside of the cult put their belief into her, then that shrine you helped make might become her 'home' shrine, as it were. That could also help sever her roots, and allow her to outgrow the cult. Then again, that would take time I'm not entirely certain we have."

Time is truly the enemy when the timeframe is 'as long as it takes to destroy the enemy.' If Heaven is always just and right, is there anything anyone can say to sway their decision? Is bending on a ruling a sign of weakness or proof they are not always right?

Can this end without anyone dying? It's with a sinking feeling Ginia knows for as much as she wants to keep Votelli safe, there are many others she'd protect first. Sometimes there's no saving everyone, just enough people. It's an uncomfortable gut realization and yet one she can live with.

It doesn't mean you give up soon though. Try, struggle, do what you can until the end.

"Heaven may not be willing to interfere with mortals, but plenty of the new generation are willing to. If we can somehow prove the humans were truly responsible behind the actions of the gods, is there any hope of changing the decision? Or some other way to argue for their right to live?"

"Listen to Amaterasu and Nekhbet's conversation." Kiwami nods his head in the direction of the pair. "Even if evidence was given to them, they might dig in their heels more."

Kimi's groan is pure frustration, and the state of his hair would get him fired from any other reputable job. "Right, right, something like what she's still saying, how the powerful ones are the responsible party. Ugh!"

Quietly, Aomi taps his knuckles along his chin. "I wonder if Iwami would know anything.." A name that matches the convention of the entire temple, but which Ginia might note hasn't ever been brought up or said before, in all the day to day conversations of the temple- bringing paperwork to one person, casual office gossip with others, asking for tech support from yet another person...

Ginia is close enough to step in and lightly brush Kimi's hair back into place, not giving much thought to the gesture as she watches the conversation between Shun and Amaterasu. How much tolerance does a God of Fortune get? It all feels like they're about to find out very quickly.

"Iwami? Who's that?" She asks, Kimi's hair back in relative order.

Kimi just casually leans into her touch, not seeming to mind or care much that this is some sort of mild PDA. Kiwami raises his eyebrows a little bit but doesn't really say anything. Kids these days.

In contrast, Aomi is a little more preoccupied in glancing over at Kunimi for a moment. "Iwami... was the young master's exemplar, before. I think out of any of the shinki around, he... would probably be the oldest. At least, he would certainly rank very highly. There are things he knows that I think very few other people in Heaven can recall." Reaching up, he rubs a thumb against his tie. "Heaven had him exiled from the young master's service."

Technically.

"Exiled, not executed?"

It's a stance that seems notable for Heaven given how readily they seem to lean toward executions. Where does an exiled shinki go? Is he still named by Ebisu or was that revoked? The questions she want to ask are probably fairly obvious from how her hands wring back together, but it's a delicate topic too. She glances at Kunimi, not wanting to insult him. Her comment will do and she'll leave it to them to answer as they will.

"They assumed that he'd be killed by an ayakashi out on his own," Kiwami says quietly.

"We assume," Aomi corrects gently. "As the exemplar, he was blamed for the route Ebisu-sama went down. Along with being one of the oldest in age, Iwami is also physically very old. They might have assumed he wouldn't be a match for an ayakashi if one came after him. It's not as if he would be able to find a new temple on his own.... I suppose would be that kind of thought. However, none of us really know."

"Heaven, deigning to speak with lowly nora?" Kimi mutters from under Ginia's hands. "Ha." Squinting open one eye, he remembers something. "Some time ago, before the young master started to regularly visit the new generation, some trouble happened, and Heaven sent some of theirs to come ask if we knew Iwami's location. I wonder if they think it might be him aiding this cult even now."

"For the record, my opinion of Heaven is not improving." Ginia grumbles. Whatever chance remains, there's still the chance Iwami is alive. She looks at their god, wondering if he knows anything more. Now, however, is not the time to ask. She stops fussing with Kimi's hair - back in order, you're welcome - and rocks back on her heels.

"What kind of trouble?" A pause, a sigh, a sweep of her hand through her hair as something occurs to her. "My understanding is it's only been a little over a year since my generation began appearing. Knowledge of anything that happened before our time is pretty sparse. If there's anything else I should know for context or otherwise, it's a good time to share."

"Shortly after your time." Kiwami, again. It seems at least he's offering a little more to the conversation for the time being, even if only enough to keep the others on track.

Kimi nods, reaching up subconsciously to graze his hand along his hair as if in total wonder how it got back to form. "Right, actually, I think I mentioned a part of it to you, Jitsumi..." He pauses, something occurring to him, before shaking his head. "Anyway, it's something your generation already knows about."

Interlude: Meeting with Amaterasu

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