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

[unlucky7]

[There's plenty of work to do at the festival as things slowly veer out of control, but it doesn't mean they can't enjoy things. Minako is young at heart and wise of mind and that's not so bad. Ginia smiles and nods, already looking through her pack of origami paper for some yellow and orange paper. They're nice sunny colors that seem to fit Minako well (and she's out of pink).

Ginia slices the paper into thin strips and folds up a handful of origami stars. With a needle and fishing line, Ginia strings them onto the line and creates a loop at the end. Finished, she holds it out for Minako.]

[reloves]

[ It's yet another indication of how she wants this regardless of how busy things are right now that Minako doesn't even protest when Ginia just starts working on some origami for her. Instead Minako just watches - quietly, for once, and she actually seems focused on the way Ginia's hands fold the paper - as Ginia works.

The result gets another impressed sound from her though, and she's careful to not just squish the stars on the line as she takes it to admire it in her hands. ]

Wow, so pretty..! [ For a few moments she's all eyes for it before she finally turns to look at Ginia again. ] It almost seems like a good luck charm in the middle of all this bad luck!

[unlucky7]

[Fold, fold, fold, over and over. Origami is one of her lesser known hobbies, a way to keep her hands busy as she works, a thing she can do to bring people joy. Ginia smiles at Minako's reaction. The loop is big enough to slip the star chain through and secure it to something that way.]

We could all use luck today.

[Because really, what is going on today? It's not ayakashi, she hasn't found charms, but there's something. The kids begin to clamor around, all wanting a star chain of their own. Ginia looks at what colors are left and smiles sheepishly.]

Finish your delivery, I'll probably still be here when you're done.

[reloves]

Okay! Let's check out the food stalls if you're done by then! [ What happened to being all serious about having to get some work done, Minako.. Maybe she just views this as them having done their duty, with her having carried stuff around and Ginia having pacified the kids.

She smiles widely, looking like she's about to dash right off. ]

I'll be right back!

[unlucky7]

[Food sounds great. Even if minor disasters are happening around them, nothing wrong with taking a small break. It's a festival; it'd be a shame to miss out on the fun. Ginia gives Minako a thumbs up, attention turning back to the kids so they can choose the colors they want.

By the time Minako returns, Ginia hasn't moved from her spot, though the crowd of children are gone as is all of her origami paper. The last piece is in her hands, in the process of turning into blue omamori. She finishes and presses a small kiss to it.]

Delivery go all right?

[reloves]

Yes! I figured the costumes would just end up worse if I tried mending them myself.. [ She smiles slightly sheepishly. For all of Minako's usual bravado, she's pretty aware of where her flaws lie, especially in more serious situations. She is not someone who's good at doing fine detailed work. ] But I found some people who could sew well, so they should be back to perfect form in no time!

[ Her gaze drops to the last bit of origami Ginia is holding. ]

And you're done being overrun by kids? [ Maybe not exactly the most gentle expression to use for that, but.. look. In Minako's mind, kids can really be little devils sometimes. ]

[unlucky7]

Glad to hear. I'm not great at sewing either so I was delivering things to others too.

[Ginia looks around with mock horror, as if Minako mentioning kids would bring more around. Nope, all clear. She grins and tucks the finished piece of origami into an inside pocket of her jacket. Standing, she stretches out her back, nudging the folding chair she was borrowing against the stand.]

What are you hungry for? My treat.

[reloves]

[ Thank god there's not a new horde of kids showing up. Because Minako would feel too bad about dragging Ginia away from them, yet at the same time would also feel majorly disappointed that said kids are taking away her fun friend-and-snacks time. But thankfully it's nothing to worry about now. ]

Your treat, really? [ She perks up instantly, her attention turning to Ginia in a way that's reminiscent of when you tell a pet it's time for food. ] So I can pick anything at all?

[unlucky7]

I make plenty at my job.

[With food, wardrobe, most other needs taken care of by her temple, and less spare time these days, spending her money on everyone else is the best route.]

So don't feel bad if you see something you want.

[reloves]

Wow..!

[ Minako bounces from foot to foot in near child-like excitement, staring at all of the stalls around like she's pondering the many possibilities. ]

That's amazing, Ginia! You're spoiling me! [ But that's something Minako very much likes. She seems overjoyed. ] Come on, let's try out the cotton candy first! Have you had that before?

[unlucky7]

Not here.

[Which means they're definitely getting some today. It's not just puffy clouds on sticks either. The person running the stand creates fluffy bears, ducks, rabbits by shaping different colored puffs of cotton candy. Cute and delicious, a perfect combination.]

What animal do you want?

[reloves]

The rabbit! It's cute. [ And something also feels incredibly faintly familiar about it, but Minako sure isn't going to try and dig into that feeling. Instead she just smiles. ]

It's my first time having cotton candy here too. But I guess I must've had it while I was still alive before since I know what it's supposed to taste like.

[unlucky7]

There was a festival my first day. Went to another one in January, so I've had a few chances.

[Honestly, festivals are pretty nice when you aren't trying to shoo away bad luck and keep an eye out for cultists. Maybe one day it'll be quiet again and they can all enjoy a good day.]

I don't think I had cotton candy when I was alive though. It seemed pretty new.

[With how quickly the stand is turning out cotton candy, it doesn't take long for them to reach the front of the line. Ginia points out a rabbit for Minako and a bear for herself and pays. Massive animal cotton candy in hand, Ginia pokes the nose of the bear and giggles. She takes out her phone and takes a picture of her cotton candy, then waves Minako in for a picture.]

[reloves]

[ Minako smiles when Ginia said she doesn't think she had a chance to have one when she was alive - since it just means there is something good about this afterlife, it's giving them all these new things to do they might not have done before! But before she can speak up about it, they're already at the front of the line, and Minako is monentarily way too distracted by the cotton bunny. It really is cute..

She snaps out of it when she notices Ginia waving her over, and then Minako is quick to move in to join the picture. There's not much hesitation before she's already latching onto Ginia's phone-free arm. ]

This can be our festival memory! Say cheeeese!

[unlucky7]

[What is life (or unlife) if you can't take selfies? Ginia snaps three in rapid succession, quickly checking to see which one looks the best. A copy is sent to Minako's phone before she regards the cotton candy again.]

This is almost too cute to eat.

[Almost. It doesn't stop her from biting one of the ears off, fluffy cotton melting down in her mouth.]

Have you had a chance to explore the festival or have you been stuck working?

[reloves]

[ Minako noticably slows down on eating the cotton candy for a moment when Ginia asks so, pretty much guiltily so. Or like she's considering what to answer for a moment. It's kind of comical to see. ]

I.. have seen a little bit?

[ Aka she's really been trying hard to help out, but also got distracted. A lot.

After another small pause, she adds-- ] I maaay have played one of the games already?

[unlucky7]

[It's a festival; there's no shame enjoying it. Living in a temple where work never ends, Ginia knows the value of a break. Life is long for a shinki, but also fleeting. Best to enjoy things where they can.]

Great! You can show me where the good stands are!