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

[hypomeneo]

Going! Stay by my side!

[The fan snaps to side to side as Waver parries the debris not being stopped by Iri's wire wall as they rush forward. Waver snaps forward another borderline as they leave his - each section by him or her another brick in the road they're building. Below them the crowd riots.

As they do so, something bigger is hurled and Waver swings his free hand towards it and snaps instinctively. Whatever it is is incinerated into ash. The battle behind them is getting more pitched as more gods and shinki join the fray and the crowd churns even further into frenzy.]

[holygrailed]

[Don't look back. Irisviel's legs shake a little as she runs; if her heart still beat, it'd be pounding in her throat with every step. Borderline after borderline, they run through the air, unnoticed by the humans below. She's deeply thankful for Waver's abilities; there are things she can do offensively, but they work poorly here.

So she must rely on her defenses. Trust in what she can do.]

Waver! The rooftop!

[A building four-story building to the right isn't too far from their current location, stairs winding around the outside giving them easy access down. Two more hairs from her head, a precious resources as she channels mana and wraps and winds. She sends the glowing wires out to anchor onto the building. An elegant lattice begins to weave together, tight enough their feet won't fall through. The wires continue to outline her borderline, walls forming up again to protect them.]

[hypomeneo]

Nice catch. We'll take a breather there.

[Waver's sneaking peeks back. He has to be able to anticipate the crowd moving and the path of the ayakashi if they're going to escape to a safer haven. So far his Luck stat is rolling well. The building is a boon; they'll be able to plan their next move up there.

The priority is getting Irisviel healed. All else will come after.]

Figure out what to do next.

[Up the wire lattice they charge. Waver spares a thought for Iskandar and Satya as he snaps borderline after borderline behind them for protection; they're lost in the crowd and he has no way of knowing either is alright.

On the rooftop, Waver sucks in air. Sooo... that Esteemed E in durability is making itself show. Or maybe he just needs to hit the gym as Chris and him joked about. He tries to ignore it as he scans the crowd, gaze dissecting the roil beneath them.

That thing isn't dead yet. They need more help. But first...]

How are you doing? That head staying intact?

[holygrailed]

[Irisviel releases her hold on the lattice once they're on the rooftop. Metal fades into hair, pale strands twisting away in the air. She slumps against the edge of the rooftop wall, breathing heavy. The ache of her head is all the more apparent now that there's a chance to breathe.]

Mm. Give me a second to heal myself.

[She raises a hand to her chest, a soft glow emanating under it. Unlike healing others, the effect of healing herself is almost instantaneous. The pulsing ache fades into nothing, her vision swims a little less. It doesn't help the exhaustion from running and mana drain, but nothing rest can't help.]

I think I'll be okay. And you? Do you need more healing?

[hypomeneo]

You're pretty drained. Just rest. The battle's flow at the moment suggests we'll be undisturbed for the moment.

Here.

[He takes one of her hands. Starts a simple mana transfer.]

I have plenty to fight and I'm unharmed thanks to you. You saved my skin back there with what you did.

[holygrailed]

[Ebb and flow, a balance of where energy is given, energy is lost. Irisviel accepts some of the mana, but pulls her hands away after a minute.]

Still, you need some for yourself. You fight where I cannot so you must stay strong.

[She smiles reassuringly, not at all bothered by the truth of her statement.]

[hypomeneo]

You have a fighter's soul. You know that, right?

... I would not say you cannot fight where I can, only that you'd probably have to approach it differently than I. We all have our strengths, we all have our weaknesses.

[He puts his hand in a pocket. Waver looks at her, looks at himself and listens to the whisper of his soul, the music of his true self. Shinki are barred their memories, barred to go looking. But if one is still inside, if one listens to the murmurs of self and do not force, answers can be retaken and what one really is reclaimed.

There are always work-arounds.]

[holygrailed]

[There are always work-arounds.

Irisviel smiles. Waver is a kind soul, wise and level, someone she truly appreciates here. Like understands like even when one's self is forgotten on the surface. They are mages; that will never change. They are survivors too, for all the strength and wear it has on them.]

We will survive this yet, together.

[She breaks a piece of hair off and channels it into wire, weaving a very simple cherry blossom.]

Here, for luck and protection.

[hypomeneo]

[Waver flushes slightly as he takes the cherry blossom, a red crawl crossing his nose to flame both cheeks.]

Thank you.

[O-okay...]

For you.

[He tucks the cherry blossom away in his pocket and runs a hand through his own hair, coming away with several strands that twist together with magic and form a thin bracelet around her wrist.]

For strength and fortitude. And good health.

[holygrailed]

[Irisviel touches the bracelet of hair on her thin wrist, a similar blush spreading across her face. Hair is a valuable resource and source of power among mages. The bracelet, like Waver's friendship, will be treasured forever.]

Thank you.

[She peers over the wall at the people below.]

Shall we continue onward? We cannot hide here forever.

[Not when there are so many people in danger, Berserker somewhere unknown. She must survive, but that doesn't mean she'll sit idle.]