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

[trustheart]

[That familiar head of hair, accompanied by the rush of battle related emotion, is enough to draw Chris's attention.]

Ginia!

[Chris dashes toward her, and leaps up to join her in one of her aerial attacks.]

Am I glad to see you!

[unlucky7]

[At the sound of Chris's voice, Ginia offers a curt nod. Her eyes are still fixed on the ayakashi, gauging the lashing tentacles. Her protective barrier disappears and reappears in front of Chris to block two tentacles swinging her god's way. Move, shield, strike, Ginia moves fluidly as she keeps a seemingly endless stream of borderline attacks going.]

[trustheart]

[Chris sees the opportunity as the tentacles lash against the barrier, and she wastes no time in firing at the base of the creature's writhing, tendril-like arm, clearly trying to either blast it off the main body or find out how tough its hide is. If she and Ginia's attacks can join together at the same point, maybe they can do some real damage...]

[unlucky7]

[Bullets and borderlines chip away at it and they manage to sever it. But an ayakashi is an ayakashi, and even as the tentacle flops to the ground, it tries to wiggle back to the body, still dangerous to touch. It's still one less tentacle to worry about until it can reconnect though, and Ginia doesn't waste time focusing on another limb.]

[trustheart]

[That's something of a relief. Chris quickly shifts to missile launchers, firing it at the tentacle in an effort to leave it suck in a crater, before focusing on Ginia.]

If we want to do any serious damage, we need to fight together. Can I invoke you?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia looks at Chris and gives a firm nod, a small smile spreading on her face. It's funny; she's used to wading into battle and getting called by her god when they're close enough. She's not sure anyone's asked her before calling her name.

You're a kind soul, Chris, but now it's time to shred an ayakashi.]

[trustheart]

[Chris isn't just the type to impose her will on someone. She gives the command for Ginia to assume her vessel form, and upon taking hold of her bow form, she focuses on the tentacle, which is already recovering and writhing toward them like some kind of demonic snake.]

We're taking care of this first! [She takes out some vials of blessed water and tosses it in front of the tentacle in order to stop its advance.] Can you hit it with some borderlines?!

[unlucky7]

On it!

[Ginia stops the tentacle with a few slashes of her borderline, enough to stop it. She drops a barrier in front of them for defense too.]

Look, this is a weird request, but try not to damage the mask. I need as much of it intact as possible. I'll explain later.

[trustheart]

[That's... a weird request. But Chris nods nonetheless.]

I'll be sure to take that into account when we actually fight something that isn't an appendage.

[Talking as she aims, she fires a number of arrows at the tentacle, now that it's held at bay.]

[unlucky7]

Just wanted to get that out before we're in the thick of things!

[Ginia controls the arrows, making sure each one punctures the tentacle. There, one less limb to worry about. She lifts her borderline and drops it to the right of Chris, blocking another tentacle lashing her way.]

[trustheart]

[Chris feels like all she's been doing lately is fighting tentacles. But if it weakens the main body, then what's the problem. This time, when Ginia launches the tentacle, she jumps onto it as it's stunned, running up along it's length and dropping arrows, before she reaches the base and leaps up, letting loose a volley at where it connects to the body.]

[unlucky7]

[Could always be worse; at least the ayakashi isn't oozing or spitting at them. That's always nasty to deal with and increases the chance of getting blighted accidentally. Slash and block, pin tentacles in place with arrows; able to see all around, Ginia is able to keep tentacles off them.]

When this is all over, I say we celebrate with a big seafood feast. Some spite eating.

[trustheart]

I'll take you up on that, but only if it's takoyaki. I want some tentacles mashed up to the point they're unrecognizable.

[Chris focuses on dodging for now, while she tries to shoot arrows towards the tentacle she just severed.]

But let's focus, Ginia! I've been in several fights with this all night. You got any good tactical advice?

[unlucky7]

Sure. My treat.

[She looks over the ayakashi as she slashes at a tentacle, driving an arrow into the wound. Aside from the effect it has on humans, it seems straight forward so far. No oozing or spitting liquids, not gummy enough that borderlines absorb its attacks.]

Tentacles seem pretty predictable, but be careful once you get close to the body. Haven't seen anything unusual, but it might have a trick out of desperation. If you have any blessed water left, doubling that with attacks will do more damage.

[trustheart]

I'm already sold on it! And I have two vials of cursed water left.

[She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the ayakashi's head, near the mask. Tightening her grip on Ginia's vessel, she took stock of her options, and made a decision.]

I'm gonna focus on hitting it just behind the mask, alright? I'm gonna splash the cursed water on it, and then let loose an arrow with all our power at the same spot. I need you to make sure my arrow hits the mark, alright?

[unlucky7]

Works for me!

[There's a bit of nervousness at attacking so close to the mask. Maybe it's delicate, maybe it'll break once it's taken off the ayakashi. As much as Ginia wants the mask for study, ultimately taking care of the ayakashi and keeping people safe is the priority. If prior knowledge indicates anything, previous ayakashi were rend and masks left intact.

She can control the arrow, she can strike true. Ginia slashes at a tentacle with a borderline, another piece flopping to the ground. Time to move!]

[trustheart]

[Chris takes off, as a song begins playing from her armor. She begins singing along, which would strengthen Ginia's vessel form as she runs along.

A tentacle comes at them again. Chris fires the bow, blasting it away from them, as another comes swinging down at them. Instead of dodging, Chris leaps upon it, and runs up along it, onto the ayakashi's main body.

Once she's on its back, four tentacles rise up to stab down at them, causing Chris to draw back on her bow again. Four arrows lose themselves again, blasting each of them out of their path. Chris fires the boosters on the back of her armor, dashing forward past any more obstacles waiting for them.

She gets just up behind the mask. Chris narrows her eyes and pulls back on the bow. She lets loose the shot, firing a single arrow.

Don't let her down, Ginia.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia could get used to fighting with background music. It's energizing and she grins as she slashes with borderlines and juggles her shield placement. The slashes cut deeper, her arrows fly faster and hit harder. Her enthusiasm for fighting has waned a little with more focus on prayers involving less fighting, but this is still pretty exciting. They're a good team when it comes to combat.

With Chris in position, Ginia focuses on the sole arrow. It flies forward, angling to hit where flesh and mask connect. The arrow drives in deep, feathers barely visible as it sinks into flesh.

The mask wiggles, sliding free as the ayakashi crumbles underneath them, tentacles lashing furiously in death.]

[trustheart]

[Chris lets out a cry as she feels the ayakashi collapsing beneath her, but she manages to jump clear just as the beast begins to disintegrate. Chris drops her Symphogear, the bits of blight on her boots from running up the ayakashi's back disintegrating with it.]

Return, Hatsuki!

[And with that done, Chris breaths a sigh of relief.]

We did it...!

[unlucky7]

[The bow fades back into light as Ginia reappears at Chris's side. She sighs heavily, keeping a borderline in front of them until the last of the tentacles are gone. The mask, fallen on the ground, is at risk at getting trampled or taken by someone else, but, Ginia stays at Chris's side.

As much as the mask means to her, the health and well-being of her god comes first. Out comes the phone as Ginia looks over Chris, searching for any signs of blight.]

You okay? Any injuries or blight?