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

[abgrund]

[ While they've never met in person before, Ain knows of Minako and her efforts at spreading cheer. Thus he doesn't seem to respond to her surprise all that much. ]

Yes. There is a lot of misfortune here. I thought something responsible, but I don't detect anything malicious.

[reloves]

Hmm.. I haven't felt anything in particular, even though it's pretty obvious there's a little too much going wrong here.

[ Not even Minako could just miss that. ]

Are you usually good at sensing stuff like that? [ Because Minako.. isn't. Even as a shinki. Her mind is just too overly active and easily distracted to be able to settle down enough to feel things out. But if he's actually good at it and can't sense anything, then that'd be pretty odd. ]

[abgrund]

Yes. But I cannot see anything; if something is to evade my perception then it is skilful at concealment.

[ He's not human, so he has more senses than his eyes and ears - spiritual perception, and his summonable eyes. Though, he doesn't appear to be too perturbed by it. ]

[reloves]

[ She stares at him for a moment - a kind of thoughtful look in her eyes, like there's something slowly processing inside of her head.

This is not always a good thing when it's Minako doing the thinking. But a realisation does come to her after a moment-- ]

If it's hiding really well, then we'll just have to go around and make sure you get a real good look at everything! [ Don't use him as your personal ayakashi detector, Minako.. ] Come on, let's go, let's go!

[ She's already bouncing on her feet. ]

[abgrund]

[ ....

Well, Minako is quite energetic, but he's able to handle it at this moment. He'll follow to where she wants to go. ]

Alright then.

[ He doesn't really see an issue with this, given that he's not very fond of crowds and moving around would be a productive thing to do. ]

You're Zelda's shinki, are you not?

[reloves]

Yes!

[ Minako has already started to walk, just expecting him to follow her around now he's given in to it. ]

I'm Minako, nice to meet you! Zelda's pretty popular, isn't she? [ Kind of, but Minako is definitely exaggerating just how much in her own mind as well since Zelda is Great and Perfect. ]

[abgrund]

[ Following around seems to be all he can do, given that Minako has a strong intent and he's not about to dunk water on her fun. ]

She is wise and respected amongst the new gods.

[ Ain won't deny that part of it, though. He's found Zelda to be easy to work with over these six months. ]

[reloves]

[ Minako lets out a gasp - of the happy and excited variety - and then practically seems to squeal as she looks at him. Apparently that's an answer she likes. ]

That's true, you're so on point..! If everyone was as mature and capable as her, then everything would be way easy! [ She clasps her hands together, letting out a happy sigh. ] I'm so lucky to have her as my goddess!

[abgrund]

[ Someone's really loyal. Fervent belief isn't really healthy, but it seems to be just something harmless for now. ]

I'm sure you've been a great help to her, [ he offers. ]

[reloves]

You think so?

[ She smiles widely at him as she says it - and you'd honestly have to wonder if she just assumes someone who might not even have seen her around Zelda much, if at all, would really know that. Maybe she's just hungry for praise.

(She's definitely hungry for praise.) ]

I just do what I can. I'm pretty sure all shinki feel that for their gods, especially when you're close enough to have become friends.

[abgrund]

[ Praise isn't something to be rationed, though. Humans crave approval by their very nature, after all. Cruelty isn't in Ain's blood. ]

She needs friends.

[ — is all he'll say on that, for now. ]

I don't feel anything yet, by the way.

[reloves]

[ Minako blinks. ]

Not yet? [ She looks around. ] Hmm, maybe over there near the costumes for the dancers.. [ And so she starts wandering off into that direction instead, only then returning to another thought she just got from what Ain just said-- ]

That being said, are you and Zelda friends then?

[abgrund]

[ Are they friends?

Hopefully, but he wouldn't go so far as to presume it without actually hearing it from Zelda herself. It seems rude. ]

We work together often. I consider her a friend.

[ Or as much as an eldritch entity can have a friend. ]

[reloves]

[ Eldritch entities totally deserve friends. And so do poor lonely princesses. So Minako's eyes light up in excitement at this news, temporarily forgetting all about their little hunting ayakashi quest here. ]

You do?! That's so great! If you haven't told her that yet, please make sure to do so! [ She will make Zelda all the friends. Somehow. ]

[abgrund]

I will.

[ When the time is right, perhaps. They have not seen each other for a while and he had been hoping to see Zelda today. ]

Shall we go somewhere else?

[ Ain casts a look around. This area is absent of anything malicious, too. ]

[reloves]

Still nothing?

[ At least the excitement from just a moment ago keeps her from completely deflating, but there's still a hint of disappointment in her face as she looks around, as if she might be able to discern something after all. ]

We've already covered quite a bit of ground here though.. If it's not an ayakashi, then what could be going on here?

[abgrund]

I don't know.

[ That much he admits. The lack of anything is more unsettling than the presence of something. Though, his calm manner doesn't change. It's almost as if he isn't capable of not being calm. ]

I have not encountered beings with power over luck before I came here. So I do not know what else to look for, other than ayakashi.