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

[priforprince]

[ "--for your patronage, yuru!" ]

Nngh!

[ Hibiki is shorter than Elfnein now. How about that.

Oh, she's just barely propped up. Carry on. ]

[alchemists]

Where are your headphones? That normally works right?

[ Elfnein hears the sentence ender and realizes that Hibiki is being attacked by it. ]

[priforprince]

Kkhh...

[ A vague gesture. The sentence ender cutphones are lying just out of reach, on the path. She'd tried to take them out, but had been attacked by a sentence ender in so doing, and they'd somehow ended up flung all the way out there....!!

A cluster of festival-going kids wander over. One of them picks up the cutphones. "Oh, sweet! They make noises!" ]

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein nods and tries to get over to the cutphones, though the kids got to it before she could. ]

Can you give those back? They belong to the person over there.

[ A point to the in pain Hibiki. ]

[priforprince]

[ Only a handful of the kids can see her, and one that can shakes their head. "Five second rule!"

"Dummy, you mean finders keepers."

"I know what I mean."

"They're brooken." One of the kids is wearing the cutphones now. "They just play the same song."

So they toss the cutphones on the ground and hurry over to where the priestess begins teaching them a song. Which involves plenty of singing about Kannon-sama, yuru. Kannon-sama, kuru. Kannon-sama, guru guru guru!

Hibiki convulses with each sentence ender, body rolling across the ground from the force of her movements, then goes unsettlingly still. ]

[alchemists]

Hibiki hold on! I'll save you in just a second.

[ Those kids were certainty rude, Elfnein made a note of them so she could warn the other festival goers later. For now getting those cutphones off the ground and on Hibiki's ears was the main goal. ]

Here!

[ After a quick pick up the floor and dash Elfnein places the cutphones over Hibiki's ears. ]

[priforprince]

[ At first, there's no reaction. Hibiki remains as still as a corpse.

But the longer the sentence enders go on, the louder the sound from the cutphones grows, until it's clear even to people in the area what they're playing:

"Pure Amore Love......Pure Amore Love.......Pure Amore Love......"

And as Hibiki absorbs the sound of her own voice, singing the title of her own song over and over, color begins returning to her cheeks. She winces, eyelashes fluttering. ]

Nnn...

[alchemists]

Why don't we go someplace else for now? I think you'll feel better if we aren't near this part of the festival.

[priforprince]

...Elfnein, hm.

[ Who has...saved her, apparently? Hibiki nods. ]

I'll have you follow that plan.

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein nods and offers her shoulder for Hibiki to lean on. ]

Let's go.

[priforprince]

Nn.

[ She needs this.

Thus, Hibiki isn't about to say things like "she will be led anywhere Elfnein wants to lead her, so long as it isn't into more sentence enders",

but that's totally what's happening here. Her head.... ]

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein slowly leads Hibiki away from the crowd and off to a smaller area with benches so they can rest. ]

Do you want me to get you water or anything?

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki tries to shake her head. This is a bad idea. She winces, holding onto it. ]

Silence...is the priority.

[ Silence is safety. Once she can relax, once she's safe...

...She's safe....? ]

[alchemists]

It should be quiet here if you want to take the headphones off?

[priforprince]

Mmn.

[ Hibiki does so. Although it's a straightforward motion, it still sends her hair fluttering attractively before settling, once more, back into place.

Mostly. Don't tell her what her ahoge looks like.

She takes a deep breath - and finds the air to her liking. ]

Good. A sentence-ender-free atmosphere is restoring.

[alchemists]

Just take it easy for a bit, if you rush then you might not be able to stand up or enjoy the rest of the festival.

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki gingerly tests the pressure in her forehead with her fingertips. Hmmm. ]

No, the coast is clear.

[ She looks over at Elfnein. Saved by the prescient action of a small genius.....A turn of events befitting someone worth membership in CelePara Talent Agency. ]

I'm in your debt.

[alchemists]

I just did what you would have done for me in the same situation, so I wouldn't consider this a debt to be paid.

[priforprince]

My style demands it regardless.

[ Hibiki thinks this over. ]

So be it. In recognition of your struggles on my behalf, I'll grant you the remainder of my festival time.

[ Oh boy, Elfnein. Your prize is Hibiki.

JUST WHAT EVERYONE WANTS. ]

[alchemists]

What would you like to do for the rest of the festival? Going back to where we were isn't a good idea.

[priforprince]

[ Elfnein is letting her escort choose the agenda...?

Unorthodox, BUT NOT UNWELCOME. Hibiki considers this, focuses on her innate ability to sense the number 1, and begins heading where it steers her. Come! ]

We'll simply experience nothing but the most refined activities on display.

[alchemists]

Alright!

[ Elfnein already done a lot of the food and games part of the festival so having Hibiki pick isn't a terrible idea. ]

Please lead the way.

[priforprince]

Locating a truly healing temple spot comes first.

[ What is the point of coming to a temple if you aren't going to use its blessedness to increase your own elegance by proximity? Hibiki looks about. Are there any other altars....?

There's fortune-telling lots, but she needs no fortune to carve her own future.... ]

[alchemists]

Can we try the fortune-telling lot? It might be fun.

[priforprince]

For the chosen geniuses, such superstitions are unnecessary.

[ She says, while pausing, and looking over anyway.

She's very skilled....at drawing lots.... ]