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

[trustheart]

["Can you think of a better time?"

In any other situation, Chris would protest further, take Tsubasa up on her offer of doing it in her stead, but...

That lingers in her head.

But she's not going to agree just yet.]

It's... it's not stage fright exactly. I'm still kind of an amateur. Impressing my classmates... they already liked me, you know? I don't know how any of the people here will react...

...

That's exactly what stage fright is, isn't it?

[beyondtheblade]

...that is precisely what that is, yes.

[She smiles, a fond memory passing through her mind, and it shows in her face.] When I was younger and just starting, I often felt the same.

What would you say if I told you I would hide backstage, huddled up and terrified of stepping out in front of everyone?

...but I had someone there to push me forward, to remind me I had nothing to worry about.

[trustheart]

[Chris's eyes widen as Tsubasa relates that story to her. She knew Tsubasa was different before they met, but... she'd only ever known the bold Tsubasa Kazanari. When a girl's first act upon meeting you is to use a superb song to utterly crush you in battle, you're going to have a hard time ever thinking of her as meek or afraid.

... It's kind of humanizing.]

W-wow. I... I had no idea. That kind of clashes with my image of you, to be honest.

...

That someone was Kanade, wasn't it?

[beyondtheblade]

Yes, it was. It is not as though I had many other friends before Tachibana, Kohinata, and yourself, you know.

[Well, there was Ogawa, as well. But that's a thin list.]

I was once a very different person, Yukine. You all changed that, even if we had a hard time getting there, at first.

However, I would like to think we're all changing still. I certainly don't yet think I am my best self, and I know that in order for me to be that I have to continue evolving.

What about yourself?

[trustheart]

...

I'm. I'm never going to do this if I don't face unexpected challenges.

[She pauses for a moment... and clenches her hand into a fist, before nodding.]

I just... want to ask one more thing, senpai. Kanade... was... was she ever afraid?

[beyondtheblade]

[Tsubasa's eyes flicker at that question, and she draws in a breath.]

Everyone is afraid of something, Yukine. Everything that Kanade was able to do was born of her fear, her anger...

But she was ultimately able to channel those things, and able to push past her limits. For better or, in her case, worse...

[She sighs.]

Fear is not necessarily bad in and of itself. It's merely a question of if it controls you, rather than something you can see as an obstacle to overcome.

I used to let it control me, and set myself down a very destructive path, one you saw firsthand. However... you have the opportunity to do the opposite, should you choose. As long as we're living, we all do.

[trustheart]

... I've never thought of her life a normal person, you know. Even when you were telling me stories about her, I just... always saw her as this amazing person who got ripped out of your life. This radiant, shining individual Hibiki and I never got to know.

[She takes a deep breath.]

It... helps to know she was a normal girl. That she made mistakes, that she hurt, that there were things behind her song. That made her be someone you wanted at your side.

[She looks up at Tsubasa.]

I don't want to just do the opposite of her, Tsubasa. She helped make you who you are, and she made a difference for a lot of people. I want... I want to be the same kind of person she was. For you and everyone else.

...

I guess I'm making this kind of over-dramatic. But. I'll sing today, senpai. Thank you.

[beyondtheblade]

[Over dramatic? Tsubasa doesn't really know the term.]

...I suppose, when you're thinking about those you've lost, you never think to speak of anything but their best selves. But she very much was just... like us, really. She tried really hard, even if it ultimately was probably her undoing.

[She smiles, a bit sadly, eyes shimmering a little.] I was angry at first, when I thought Tachibana was just trying to replace her. But she has done so much for us, I know that Kanade's last act gave us something that's irreplaceable. Knowing that it wasn't in vain... I am proud that she was by my side for the time she was.

[She lets out a little, uneven breath. It's not very much like Tsubasa to get emotional in this way out in the open, and she quickly regains her composure.] It's because of such things that I want to help the people by my side as much as I can.

[She gives Chris a grin.]

So I'm glad, Yukine. And I'll help you set it up, and keep a look out, so we can make sure as well as we can that nothing happens.

[trustheart]

...

[Chris finds herself smiling as Tsubasa keeps talking about Kanade.]

Hibiki isn't the only important thing that Kanade left behind for us, you know.

[With that, she offers Tsubasa a grin of her own.]

I trust you senpai. But if something too embarrassing or unlucky happens, you have to buy me dinner, alright?

[beyondtheblade]

[Tsubasa blinks, hard, and after a quick moment Chris' comment sinks in. It's actually enough to make her cheeks run hot, and she tries to clear her throat and obfuscate it by bringing a hand to her mouth.]

Ah, well-- [Her eyelashes flutter again, and she lowers her hand. No, it'd be hypocritical to try and shrug that off.] Thank you, Yukine.

[She raises an eyebrow, though. That sounds almost like a challenge.]

But of course. I may not be good at cleaning such messes, but... I rather think I can take enough precautions to prevent them for at least a couple minutes.

[trustheart]

[... She made senpai blush. Chris decides that she likes the feeling of seeing her do that, and grins a little bit wider.]

I'm not picky senpai. Either it goes off without a hitch or you spend a bunch of time with me to make it up to me, starting with dinner.

[Chris winks at that.

Wh.

Where did that come from?

Chris suppresses the screaming she's doing on the inside to head off towards the stage.]

[beyondtheblade]

[Chris heading off towards the stage leaves Tsubasa staring blankly in something of a stupor. Just... what the hell was that?! It takes her a few moments to process that before she realizes Chris has left her behind.

It's not like she's never dealt with things like that before. After all, she was friends with, and worked, with Maria.

From Chris, it takes her completely off guard.

She shakes her head to clear it, before taking off after her.]

Yu- Yukine, hold on! We've got things to figure out here, still!