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

Parade

[alchemists]

Tsubasa! Using your gear against an ayakashi isn't going to work.

[ Elfnein is trying to get people out of the area by marking signs with her own god power. There are glowing letters and arrows around to direct people. ]

[beyondtheblade]

[Tsubasa takes a step back, ready to at least try and deflect anything incoming towards her, Elfnein, or surrounding people.]

I'm aware! But I'm still going to move a lot faster this way.

[Not to mention, have a lot more at her disposal once she can find her shinki.]

[alchemists]

First we need to get everyone out of the area.

[ Tsubasa's increased speed with her gear would be able to get people out faster. ]

Then if we block the area off the damage to everything besides the ayakashi won't be bad.

[beyondtheblade]

Agreed. I suppose if I just grab them and move, them ignoring us won't really matter.

[She frowns.] Any idea on how to block the are off, though?

[alchemists]

Are you able to use your gear like you normally can?

[ Elfnein's seen Tsubasa create swords large enough to be walls, that would be the best bet to solving the problem. ]

You can block it off with one of your swords if that's the case.

[beyondtheblade]

Mm, so far. I haven't been trying to stress it, however...

[She blinks and looks down at her. She SHOULD have enough Phonic Gain stored for that, however...]

That should be doable. It's more a matter of herding people in that direction...

[alchemists]

I can handle that! If you help keep danger away from me I can set up signs to show people where to go.

[ Glowing mid-air writing is useful sometimes. ]

[beyondtheblade]

[A grin forms on Tsubasa's face, and she readies her blade upright.]

You should know well that isn't an issue for me! Lead them to safety, and I will deflect everything I can until we can seal the escape off!

[alchemists]

Leave it to me!

[ Elfnein starts by running to some crowded areas and getting as high as she can using crates, stands or whatever is nearby. There are glowing arrows pointing to the direction of the safe way out of the area, along with be remain calm and orderly warning near them. The light coming off each sign is more then enough to attract the crowd's attention. ]

[beyondtheblade]

[As Elfnein sets up her signs, Tsubasa runs along the nearby area. As tentacles lance out towards the crowds, she swings and tosses blades left and right, catching and at least wounding them slightly. It's enough to get the tentacles to focus on her, which she dodges instead of trying to outright defeat.

Of course, she hopes the people pay mind to the signs, given their nature as gods.]

[alchemists]

The area should be cleared out for the most part now! We can start the second part of the plan now.

[ Thankfully people do mind the signs and start getting out of the area quickly. ]

[beyondtheblade]

[Of course, fleeing people make excellent targets. The ayakashi's tentacles snake after them down a couple different pathways, but that's when Tsubasa takes the time to act. She's built up enough Phonic Gain throughout the entire engagement that it's not exactly much of a problem:

She leaps up and chucks out two swords at those entrances. Within seconds, they fold out repeatedly, growing into towering wall-like blades that smash into the ground, embedding themselves, and blocking the exits off from the ayakashi. She lands atop one of them, gazing down.]

You will pass no further!

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein has only ever seen Tsubasa fight through the cameras and video system at S.O.N.G so seeing it first hand is completely different and far more dangerous. ]

Now you can take it out without worrying about anyone in the area!

[beyondtheblade]

[More than that, all the way up here gives her a very good vantage point for what's going down. She scans the fight and the crowds, looking for one specific shinki...

Before leaping back down, landing beside Elfnein.]

Indeed, and I have spotted my shinki. [It's against her instinct to leave Elfnein in a danger zone, but she tries to remember that even without a Symphogear, she is a god just as well.] Find... some cover, or your own shinki, alright?

[It comes out a bit awkwardly.]

[alchemists]

You don't have to worry about me.

[ Elfnein knows that Tsubasa's actions are all well intended, but in this case she does have more experience since this isn't the first time there as been an attack on this scale. ]

[beyondtheblade]

[Tsubasa figures this, the more she thinks about it, but realizing that naturally is going to take at least a little bit of time. She flashes a smile.]

Good. Thank you for your help, Elfnein - as always.

[With that she leaps off, heading for where she'd spied Rita.]