36 - Dragon Dance

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Help the Heavens cover for a missing goddess at her temple festival.
When: March 18
Where: Near the Sensou-ji temple in Asakusa
Summary: After Kannon's disappearance last year, the Heavens are concerned that things might go wrong at her temple's March 18 omikoshi festival. They've asked new gods and shinki to attend the festival and keep an eye out for trouble. Meanwhile, trusted newcomers and older gods and shinki alike are watching over the cultists that have been identified.






The Festival

Shrine-carriers, musicians and dancers congregate early in the morning in their matching outfits to get organized into their parade. Luckily, all of the parade participants this time are alive and well. There aren't even any troublesome ayakashi hanging around... so why is everyone having such bad luck?! Laces are breaking, costumes tearing, small children are getting sick from nerves, and even the drums seem to have gone out of tune. It looks like this parade is going to need a whole lot of help to prevent disaster.

For those who aren't busy with the parade preparations, food and souvenir booths throng the area in front of the temple. There's traveling games, too, and plenty of people showing up early with their families to find a good spot to watch the parade. This is one of Tokyo's most popular temples, so it's quite a crowd!

The Stakeouts

Any gods or shinki who were told about the cult problem by Amaterasu -- or anyone who might have heard from friends and allies about the plans -- can help Amaterasu's shinki keep a tight watch on all of the known cult members. Her shinki are looking for any sign of the young gods who she believes are behind all of this trouble, but are there other clues that might be found by a keen observer? Join in on staking out a cult member, and see what you can see.

Current cult members that the shinki are watching include:

• Mitsui Ryou - lives alone in a medium-sized apartment, appears to work a 9 - 5 schedule with occasional late nights.
• Imai Takeru - lives in a small two-story house by himself, has an unpredictable schedule.
• Shimoda Tsuki - lives alone in a small apartment with a lot of plants, works retail with varying shifts.
• Oota Saburo- lives in a medium-sized apartment with his wife and two young children, works a 9 - 5 schedule with frequent work trips.
• Maeda Shinnosuke - lives alone in a small, messy apartment, works construction (early mornings, long days.)
If your character is taking part in the surveillance of any of these people, please feel free to comment to the Cult Clues thread below with the name of the character they're watching, and the times that they're watching that character, in order to learn what they might see. (Note: surveillance doesn't have to take place only on the 18th. Characters can take part in watching the cult members at any time after Amaterasu's announcement on March 8.)

The Parade

At noon, the parade begins. Misfortune is still dogging the participants and the crowds around them, but it looks as though everything will go all right up until the final turn as the heavy, gilded shrine turns back towards the main temple building, tips, and slowly falls over sideways, straight for the crowd.

What's worse, when the shrine hits the ground, it cracks open -- and a huge, jellyfish-like ayakashi wearing a giant white mask with a single black eye inscribed on it heaves its way out and begins lashing its tentacles in every direction. People stung by the tentacles are driven into a furious frenzy, and fights are breaking out everywhere. Stop the humans from fighting, take care of the injured, and destroy the ayakashi before the situation gets any worse.

The Pursuit

In the middle of the fighting crowd, two white-robed shinki are chasing after a very average-looking salaryman in a tan coat. He doesn't seem to know that the shinki are chasing him, but he is moving fast, and they're in danger of losing track of him. They're calling out to any Far Shore denizen close enough to hear, shinki or god:

"Don't let that guy get away! He knows what happened!"

Anyone who has met or spent time staking out Mitsui Ryou will recognize him as the escaping salaryman. If your character takes part in the pursuit, please comment to the Cult Clues thread with a link to your thread - the character who successfully catches Mitsui will be determined by RNG on January 6, 2019.

In Summary:

• Attend the Sensou-ji festival
• Enjoy food and games
• Help Amaterasu's shinki stake out the cult
• Fight a masked ayakashi
• Have fun~

Comments

[yasei]

[ Obi glances over when he hears a groan, raising his gaze from a ribbon he had turned his attention to. ]

Is there something wrong, Little Miss?

[smilingbullet]

[ When the ayakashi detaches, D2 swipes new lines, aiming to trap them as well. Some cut through them to a degree, making them screech, but it's not as much a mistake as it might seem.

D2 is surprised at his own lack of attention, and berates himself for it.

He must still be affected by Forrest's disappearance. Not that he's surprised, he was with him for close to a year, it stings even when it's not the first time you lose a good superior.

But even though he is surprised, his borderlines doesn't waver. He is good under pressure and a little startle isn't going to throw him off. ]

Ah. Yeah, yes, thank you.

[letteropener]

Well, thank you for the compliment. [Celestia turns a gentle smile on the girl, even as her magic keeps its work up.] But doesn't this all seem very strange? So many things going wrong.

The Parade

[replicatedform]

Need help?

[A cloaked swordsman speak up, approaching her with his hand on his sword's hilt. He does seem like a practiced warrior.

Yamanbagiri can guess she's a good fighter, but he still want to help anyway, especially with how many festival goers there are looking at her. They're just humans, so it shouldn't be too bad.]

the festival

[smilingbullet]

[ D2 was just passing by. On his way to do..whatever he might end up doing, really. He didn't have a clear goal in mind.

But now he stops, maybe seven, eight feet away, right in front of Dust and he looks at him with a bewildered expression. ]

Uh. You alright there, buddy?

The Parade

[replicatedform]

Just knock them out.

[How's that for a suggestion? While Yamanbagiri doesn't want to hurt people without a good reason. Well, if they're unconscious, they wouldn't do anything.]

If they're still awake, they would probably find a way to escape or cause more trouble.

the parade

[yasei]

[ Obi was perched in a tree, just watching the chaos unfold for a while. Popcorning away on food he is more interested in than the fight. Then he glimpsed movement in the sky and realized that it was Mistress, even before she started bellowing.

Well. She did stop the people from mauling each other, at least. And she can fly, while they can't. ]

the festival

[smilingbullet]

[ D2 was at a nearby stall, helping to put a newly repaired cover across the top of the frame. And then they discover that they lack the nails needed for the last piece. ]

Excuse me ma'am, do you perhaps have any nails to spare? Even two would be enough.

after

[smilingbullet]

[ What- wow he looks like shit. He's already over by his side as he responds, and there's concern on his face. ]

Yeah- okay- yeah sure, I can do that, there's some temples nearby to go through that's near your place.

[ Some gods might be able to teleport between the shores from wherever, but shinki can't. And D2 knows the map of the Far Shore well. ]

Am I good to touch you?

[ The blight can be dealt with with holy water, D2 still has some left of what he usually carries with him, it's not enough to wash Ain clean of blight- and Ain looks about ready to break apart at the seams. ]

festival prep

[yasei]

Always!

[ Obi has no idea what he's supposed to feel but, if it's emotions then that's his answer. If it's things he's currently blowing up crinkling paper balls for juggling. ]

What am I supposed to feel?

[shiitan]

[The Festival]

[He had never been particularly lucky to begin with. While he had been spared from broken laces, that was more because his shoes didn’t have laces to begin with. The real tragedy was how many times the food he was partaking in was cruelly snatched away from him thanks to tripping and people who didn’t see him bumping into him. His clothes getting caught on rough corners also did not help.

The kicker though, was a water yoyo coming free from its hook and hitting him square on the back of the head.

Why.]

[The Parade]

[When the parade started, he was still enduring the aftermath of the yoyo mishap. So, when the ayakashi made its entrance, he was understandably not in the best of moods. It would have been tiresome if he hadn’t been fully expecting something to go wrong like they always seemed to at these festivals and get-togethers. He let out a put-upon sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Fine, whatever. What else could he do but get involved?

Of course, that line of thinking said a lot more about him than he realized.

Ross sprinted into the fray, but instead of fighting he was more interested in getting people out of it. Some required a fireman’s carry, which despite his slim appearance, he had no trouble with.]

Quit squirming. Did you want to spend time with the jellyfish that badly?

[Was he helping an unlucky human? Or you? You decide!]

the festival

[yasei]

Little Miss Fa~iry.

[ Obi calls out to and waves at her to attract her attention. He was working on repairing a long curtain that got ripped into shreds, but he can do that much at the same time. There is so much fabric in his lap and around him. ]

You look a little fuzzy around the edges, how about you sit down for a little while?

pursuit

[yasei]

A little child going off like that is eye-catching when you're observant and notice minor details. Obi was more for leisurely watching like the cat he almost is except he's only ever been a human before.

And even before dying Obi was agile and fast, gaining the added mobility of a shinki only makes him that much dexterous and able to move about. He doesn't really have to exert any effort to keep up with Ebisu at all.

"Need any help, Little Mister? I can at the very least keep an eye open."

Go bird view, use this funny little tool called phone to rely a course to set if Ebisu loses track of the person he's chasing.

[subconmodo]

[He heaves a heavy, long suffering sigh]

Wonderful.

[He takes a long drink of tea and settles into his seat, slumped like a petulant child]

I was looking forward to making him pee himself.

the festival

[smilingbullet]

[ Things you see just because you are looking around for any shooting games to try out. ]

Would you like a couple napkins?

[godsoffortune]

On March 13, Oota Saburo stays particularly late at his workplace (a manufacturing firm, he's in sales). When he gets home, he and his wife have a loud fight about the amount of time he spends at work, and his frequent business trips, and the fact that he apparently spent all night out last Friday night and didn't get home until late Saturday.

[godsoffortune]

Imai Takeru has an unpredictable schedule and appears not to work a regular job (although he might work from home, since he seems to spend a lot of time in his study until late in the evenings.)

3/9 Leaves early in the morning. Strolls through Ueno park, puts food out for stray cats. Returns home midafternoon, lights on in study until late again.
3/10 Leaves early in the morning by car, carrying a suitcase that looks large enough for a long vacation: owns a dark blue Toyota sedan.
3/11 Not home.
3/12 Not home.
3/13 Returns home midafternoon, with a large cardboard box in addition to the suitcase. It appears heavy. Lights off in the house just a little after 9pm.
3/14 Home until dinnertime, goes out to dinner. He proves unusually difficult to follow when out, as if he has a supernatural ability to evade pursuit. Returns quite late.
3/15 Home all morning. Shopping in afternoon; returns with bags from grocery store and from low-end clothing stores.
3/16 Leaves early in the morning by car, carrying a number of shopping bags but no suitcase. Does not return this day.

(Ebisu, you're a hard taskmaster. Poor Takami doesn't even get the weekend off, huh?)

[godsoffortune]

On March 9, Mitsui Ryou goes to work as usual; he's an office worker, and he's there late tonight. He gets home appearing excited, and packs a suitcase with clothes for the weekend as well as a big cloth item wrapped in a dry-cleaning plastic bag. He can be seen leaving a small offering on what looks like a personal-sized altar in his bedroom, as well.

[godsoffortune]

On March 9th, Shimoda Tsuki is at work from early morning to dinnertime, and comes home promptly. The lights are on late into the night, and Shimoda appears to be packing an overnight bag with clothes including a carefully folded black robe.

[chibisu]

(listen it's fine, they don't get weekends off anyway)

Ginia would have hit Takami up with some info on how Imai has barriers around his place. Is there anything on that he could pick up, especially while Imai is gone?

[godsoffortune]

On March 9th, Oota Saburo comes home from an apparent overseas trip, bringing gifts for his two young children and fussing over them. The family goes out to dinner in the evening at a local restaurant.

On March 10th, Maeda Shinnosuke leaves work early in the afternoon to come home, pick up a duffel bag and head to the train station, where he gets a ticket for Agano. At Agano station, he's picked up by an older woman in a rusty blue van; the van merges back onto the local highway, and will manage to lose pursuit before it leaves the highway, although it's not clear how it fell out of sight; it just seemed to vanish into traffic the first moment someone glances away.

He does not return to the train station, or home, that evening.

On March 11th, Mitsui Ryou is not home. The shinki who were watching him the previous day will let Shun know that he got a train early in the morning and left carrying an overnight suitcase, though they're not sure where he went. He does not return home that day.

On March 13th, Shimoda Tsuki returns home just as Shun is about to give up on the surveillance, carrying an overnight bag and a potted orchid that he seems extremely excited about and spends the rest of the evening fussing over at home.

Imai Takeru has just returned home midafternoon on the 13th, with a large cardboard box in addition to a large suitcase. It appears heavy. Lights off in the house just a little after 9pm.
3/14 Goes out to dinner. (Difficult to follow when out, seems to have a supernatural ability to evade pursuit.) Returns quite late.
3/15 Shopping in afternoon; returns with bags from grocery store and from low-end clothing stores.
3/16 When Shun arrives, he'll be told by the shinki who are watching Imai's home that he left by car early in the morning carrying a number of shopping bags but without suitcase. They expect him home, but he doesn't return during the afternoon while Shun's watching.
3/17 Returns home midmorning in a rage, shopping bags still in car. Slams into house, stays in for the rest of the time Shun watches.
3/18 Leaves early in the morning by car, with large suitcase.

[smilingbullet]

[ That is the quickest, but it's not as easy to knock someone out as movies makes it out to be. Plus it's not necessarily healthy. ]

Yeah.. I just don't wanna scramble their brains if it's possible to avoid is all...

[godsoffortune]

(this is why he's voted most likely to die of overwork, you know)

He would definitely notice that he can't get past the walls around Imai's place, though he can still watch from outside, even when Imai isn't home. There appear to be five-pointed stars inlaid in metal in the gate posts, which may be the key to the barrier spell.

[chibisu]

(jokes on you, he half does that to himself)

Anyway, definitely time to take pictures of those stars to send back to HQ! He's a responsible worker who needs a vacation and trained therapist but listen. Relatedly....

Is Imai's trash within the barrier, or....

C

[eluci]

[By the time Noctis hears the plea to stop the fleeing man and locates said man, he's already far enough away that it would be hard for Noctis to give chase entirely by foot.

It's good that there's someone else going after him, then--not that Noctis isn't going to help, but two pursuers is better than one.

He doesn't know Tsubasa by name, but that's not a huge deal.]

Hey! Think you can catch him if I push him your way?

[He gives her about three seconds to respond before throwing his makeshift weapon (a flagpole stripped of the flag) towards Ryou and warping after it.]