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

[ofnovalue]

[ Their search would be cut short, a phantasmal tentacle belonging to the Ayakashi phasing into view to the side, Ovelia only catching it in her eye by chance. ]

Milord! Look out!

[priforprince]

What--

[ Hibiki turns her back to the tentacle as she dodges it, holding Ovelia closer. They spin in midair in a near miss, and when Hibiki rights herself, she's looking even grimmer than before. ]

A purposeful impediment?! Curse you....

[ Now, do they just have the one tentacle to deal with - or is Hibiki going to have to test how well she can dance in midair? ]

[ofnovalue]

"May God's Holy Protection find you... Aegis!"

[ Ovelia quickly called out the incantation, placing it on Hibiki. She'd find herself feeling much sturdier, faster, even energetic, with any fatigue or wounds slowly being healed. And in good time, too, as there was indeed more than one swiping tentacle. It seemed the Ayakashi didn't take kindly to its skies being invaded ].

[priforprince]

[ - How refreshing. Hibiki spares a moment to figure out what just happened. She...?

Well, well. She's escorting quite the talented maiden. ]

I'll repay you, Lady Ovelia.

[ The "faster" bit of this enchantment is about to come in handy, because Hibiki is determined to weave her way through and around these tentacles, sometimes skimming low enough to almost clip the crowd, sometimes trying to make a break for the sky! If she can just....get free of these....

And focus....!! ]

[ofnovalue]

[ Ovelia, in turn, tightened her grip on Hibiki, holding on for dear life as she ducked her head and pinched her eyes shut, fighting the urge to scream. ]

[priforprince]

Kh......No openings.

[ This could definitely be going better.... ]

We may have to cut our way through....

[ofnovalue]

I... I can try to use borderlines! [ Ovelia shouted over the sound of air rushing past her ears, but hardly sounded confident in the idea, especially when she could barely stand to even look out with the dipping and diving Hibiki was doing. ]

[priforprince]

[ That....does not inspire confidence, no. But can Hibiki risk transferring how she's holding Ovelia to draw her sword....? A borderline would wound the ayakashi more, as well. ]

We're aiming to soar beyond it.

[ When in doubt, Hibiki always goes "up". It's....it's a thing.

She does a midair somersault to avoid a tentacle. ] Can you clear a path?

[ofnovalue]

I shall try!

[ At least going in a definite direction like this, it gave her more confidence to look ahead and not feel herself sickened by it. She let her arm gingerly reach forward, her other hand gripping that much more tightly to compensate. ]

Line!

[ Hopefully that would help clear the way somewhat, aiming a slicing borderline through the tendrils ahead of them. ]

[priforprince]

[ That'll do, yes. Hibiki shoots through the opening created, flapping her wings to blast any slow-reacting tentacles the rest of the way away. Higher....higher....!!

Until none can reach them...!! ]

[ofnovalue]

Milord... Milord! Is this not dangerously elevated?! [ Ovelia tried to get Hibiki's attention. Sure, they were out of the range of the Ayakashi, but now she once more had to pinch her eyes closed, terrified by the view below. ]

[priforprince]

This is a height attained only by those such as I!

[ A pity it isn't more helpful in people-watching, but Hibiki does her best. She is trying to find Ovelia's god for her, but the circumstances keep extenuating.

Other concerns seem moot. ] A pedestal for the two of us alone!

[ofnovalue]

[ Ovelia couldn't help a blush at the way Hibiki chose to word that... ]

Prithee, do not phrase things in such a way, milord. Tis a scandalous thing to say!

[priforprince]

Our pas de deux begins now!

[ Fortunately for Ovelia, Hibiki leaves things at that, and turns her full attention to looking for their quarry. Where -

Where?! ]

[ofnovalue]

[ Of course, her protest went ignored, as always. She really did question the wisdom of her continued friendship with Hibiki sometimes... but still, she was doing this to help her, and was someone who believed in Ovelia when she often did not. She should be more grateful ]

Blonde hair, braided in a double-plat... she may still yet wear the flower crown of spring blossoms I had given her!

[priforprince]

Blossoms, hm.....

[ That helps. Hibiki is drawn to 1) people who are capable and 2) things that are her aesthetic. Ovelia's god is currently both....She's the number one thing Hibiki needs to find.

And Hibiki has trained to increase her sensitivity to anything that has properties of "1". This is definitely a skill one can develop. Thus: ]

There.

[ Down she dives again. She's almost positive - !

But is she right? ]

[ofnovalue]

[ The dive caused Ovelia to yelp again, hiding her face in Hibiki's shoulder and clinging desperately. She'd check the accuracy of Hibiki's assessment, but she was far too terrified of diving from as high as the had been to give a second opinion. ]

any preferences for whether she's right? should we ask about expanding into a 3 person thread?

[priforprince]

[ They level out, mercifully far enough away from the ayakashi now to not have to worry about tentacles for the time being. The effects on the crowd are still potent, however, and Hibiki clicks her tongue against her teeth as a surge of people fighting each other roils past. ]

Interference....

[ The wild ride, at least, has stopped. ]

[cleansingstrike]

[Where.

Where.

Where.

Agrias needed to find Ovelia. Not just to ensure the Queen's safety, but to be of more use in fighting off the ayakashi. In her current state she could do little else beyond stall for time.

The enraged humans made it difficult, too. Getting in her way and hindering her search even further.

The brief lulls in fighting were used to get a bead on her shinki's location. She would not be stopped.]

Ovelia!

[She called out to those who would hear her voice. And in a turn of good fortune, Ovelia had crafted for her a new flower crown of newly bloomed flowers. One that she wore and treasured, even in this chaos.]

[ofnovalue]

Lady Agrias!!! [ That was her! That was definitely her! She heard the voice and teared her face away from Hibiki, height be damned, crying out as she indeed had spotted her goddess in the crowd, calling to her with a lung full of thunder. ]

There she is, milord! Right there!

[priforprince]

Understood!

[ Down Hibiki dips, intending to deliver Ovelia directly to Agrias's side. Quickly, before anything -

Tentacle incoming.

Will they make it?????? ]

[cleansingstrike]

[Agrias may not have been wielding Save The Queen, but she was far from unarmed.

She was a Holy Knight, inducted into the Lionsguard of Ivalice.]

Foul creature. The likes of you have no place in this world.

[With sword in hand, her directed her energies to the tentacle.]

Cleansing Strike!

[ofnovalue]

Line! [ Agrias did her part on her end to clear the tentacle away, bolstering Agrias' attack with some well placed borderlines, to truly rend the beast, at least for the moment, and clear the way between herself and her goddess.

What Hibiki probably could not have expected, given all she knew of Ovelia and how timid the girl was, that she would... literally leap from her arms, pushing away and aiming for Agrias, faith full that she would be caught. ]

Agrias!

[priforprince]

[ Oh....

Well, yes. That. Was unexpected. But Hibiki knows an Important Reunion Scene when she sees one. And her acting genius forbids her to upstage someone's big moment, when they are (temporarily) the most suitable stars.

As such, she will hover here, barely out of the frame, and watch said scene unfold. ]

[cleansingstrike]

Ovelia!

[Theirs was a bond that truly went beyond shinki and goddess. They had placed their trust in each other, in both mind and body. She reached out as her queen feel, arms at the ready. Between the queen's light frame and Agrias' own strength, she was able to easily catch her.

One arm was around Ovelia's back while the other was lifting her up by the knees.]

Are you unharmed?

[Agrias asked, closing her eyes, her forehead resting upon the shinki's.]