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]

Ginia's never thought much about Ebisu's power as a god, but fortune and luck do go hand in hand.

"Could there be a God of Misfortune?" If no one's found charms or ayakashi (yet), and magic can't appear out of thin air, then why not look at divine providence? But if this was the work of divine, it feels too mundane with the minorness of the misfortune.

It's far too close to New Years without any of the associated signs and that's worrying.

"By the way, have either of you seen Kimi?"

[chibisu]

"Theoretically, I suppose. Gods are funded by belief." Unmi shrugs with one shoulder. "A god of misfortune, given offerings to stay at bay... That sort of thing isn't unheard of, I would think."

"Isn't there a new god similar to that sort of domains...?" Aomi crosses his arms thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't know, I'm afraid. I'm not familiar with the wide range of pantheons that are filling the Far Shore these days."

"I'm sure there is... A greek god, I believe." An apologetic weight pulls at his brows as he looks over at Ginia. "I'm afraid I can't remember the proper name off the top of my head. I'm sorry. Still, if you're looking for Kimi, that much I know. One of the others said he should be around the front of the temple helping out things on that front."

[unlucky7]

A Greek god of misfortune... nothing immediately stands out to her, though she's not immediately familiar with every single god and their domain either. Something to look at later for knowledge. Given past gods of the new generation causing trouble for others, she wouldn't dismiss someone stirring up chaos for personal reasons.

She smiles a little at Kimi's location. It makes sense he'd be working where the majority of people are visiting. It also means he's probably pretty swamped.

"I'll have to check on him later. What's next to work on here?"

[chibisu]

"Oh, are you sure later?" Unmi asks, raising his eyebrows. "I wouldn't want to have work take you two lovebirds away from each other."

Aomi snorts, shaking his head gently. "Don't tease, Unmi-san," he says quietly, starting to lead the way elsewhere in the festival.

"I'm being sincere!"

"Anyway, I think they were having problems with the drums, so I was going to check on those to see if they still need help."

[unlucky7]

Yes, please don't tease. Ginia's face contorts, caught between slight embarrassment at the realization she would like to see Kimi and the embarrassment that oh god people know she's dating Kimi.

It's been four days; if anyone in the office doesn't know at this point, they don't care about office relationships.

"Even if I find him, work is going to keep us away over there." It's not their shrine or festival, but it's still a big day. There's a lot to do even if everything was running smoothly. So things go. Yet the slightly sulky thought of it would be nice enjoying the festival with Kimi lingers.

"I'm probably useless with the drums unless you need me holding something in place. What about you, Unmi?"

[chibisu]

Office gossip is a speedy and terrifying thing.

Aomi nods in understanding, smiling to her and giving a slight wave as he begins to diverge back to where the drums are stationed. That leaves Unmi rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"I believe that should be the last of any of the stalls or the shrine base.... So I was going to check on Takami. He has a bad tendency of overworking himself-" Which is sure a thing to say in a temple like theirs. "-so I wanted to make sure he hadn't gotten into a fight with ayakashi or something similar. I feel much better when I can check with my own two eyes."

[unlucky7]

Ginia waves and turns back to Unmi. It's a day eerily free of ayakashi. A blessing, but just as unusual on top of the lack of charms. She doubts Takami has run into any trouble, but things can always change fast. With Takami, it's always good checking on him in person.

Ultimately, that isn't a two person job either. Time to find Kimi then.

"Guess I should bail out Kimi. Let me know if you see ayakashi? The lack of them is strange."

[chibisu]

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Unmi's mouth twists in a frown as he crosses his arms. "I don't like it either. For crowded occasions like this, there are almost always ayakashi. They're small types, often not very powerful, which is why they do well, at least in my experiences... Especially when the resident god for whom the parade is in their honor is absent. Ayakashi can be rather quick when it comes to opportunities like that. Along with the increased amounts of stress..."

Catching himself, Unmi shakes his head. "I apologize. I shouldn't distract you with my ramblings. I've just become somewhat familiar with the creatures, after so long working for the master." Heaven would be embarrassed to hear this, after all, but Ebisu had been working on capturing ayakashi long before they executed him.

[unlucky7]

Ginia smiles back and offers a light shake of her head. "Don't apologize, it's interesting to hear."

There shouldn't be anything wrong with knowing more about ayakashi. The better you know your enemy, the better you can fight them. Control should also be a viable way of handling ayakashi. It's immensely short-sighted of Heaven to see any kind of knowledge as heretical. Sometimes Ginia wonders if there's something about ayakashi Heaven doesn't want anyone to notice.

"Besides a borderline perimeter or sacred ground, can you think of anything that would keep ayakashi completely away?"

[chibisu]

"I suppose magic could be used..." He rubs his chin thoughtfully, going over the knowledge he's gained over the years in reference to ayakashi. "Although you have to understand that our temple wasn't interested in keeping them away exactly, heh." Capturing and all that.

"Borderlines and holy grounds are simply the most basic and easiest ways to do such, with the latter being a bit more permanent. If it were so simple to do, then we wouldn't have to defend humanity so much would we?" Unmi says with a smile. "They are unfortunately a natural part of existence and, save for very particular places such as temples, they're adaptable creatures that can spawn anywhere, so long as humans also exist whose negativity they can feed on. The young master, in some of his prior reincarnations, used to ponder about their place in the world because of that fact."

[unlucky7]

Can't catch ayakashi if you keep them away. Would research in learning how to control them one day lead to figuring out ways to keep them away? Who knows. Maybe it would have given them some clues today.

"I wonder if they exist because of belief? Every culture has some kind of monster or spirit or something to blame for evil. Is it possible ayakashi were born from the same belief?" If gods exist because they're sustained by the belief of humans, why not ayakashi? Though then why would shinki turn into ayakashi when they fall? Is it because their roots are in humanity?

Ginia frowns and gives a tiny shake of her head. Such philosophizing doesn't help their present situation and it's probably nothing he hasn't already heard before. "If I find some of the more magic savvy of my generation, I'll see if they've seen anything unusual. I'll pass that and anything else I might hear along."

[chibisu]

"It's not unlikely," Unmi confirms, nodding his head. "That was one of the many theories that the master spun about in his spare time, when he had such time." They might not have ever been as bad as they have been in the last couple of years... But they were still a temple to a popular God of Fortune with a hefty project on the side.

That besides the point. For now, he beams over to Jitsumi. "Oh, I would be delighted to speak with them, if they're ever interested! There's a lot I believe we could learn from other forms of magic." Pausing, he laughs into one fist. "And it's the kind of thing the master will always be interested in himself. Still, shall we part here? I wouldn't want to keep you, after all."

[unlucky7]

"I'm sure a few would be. I'll see what they say. Take care, Unmi." Ginia gives him a parting bow before heading off.

She stops at a convenience store to pick up a bottle of water and an energy drink. There's the slight hunch Kimi might need one or both. Armed with liquid refreshment, she makes her way toward the grounds of the shrine. Even with the advantage of height, Kimi's hard to find in the packed crowd.

[chibisu]

At least even if it's hard to spot Kimi in a crowd, especially considering he's not the tallest of his coworkers, at least he can be heard well enough. This is an impressive feat, considering the kind of noise that often accompanies a festival or parade, but he manages as he continues to hand out flyers and pamphlets. If some of them are for prayers for businesses that have asked for jut a little help in getting the word out... Well, it's fine.

He'll probably definitely need the water and energy drink, however, considering how flushed and overworked he is.

[unlucky7]

His voice carries well. Ginia heads toward it, smiling as she catches sight of him and pushes through the crowd a little more.

"Trade you." She signs, waggling the bottles as she reaches him. Ginia knows she can't call for attention like he can, but focusing on making herself as visible as possible and putting on a winning smile counts too. While he takes a needed drink, she'll continue passing out flyers and pamphlets.

[chibisu]

"A goddess really has appeared-" And then he devolves into some light coughing, having run his voice dry as he has. You know what, he should probably have the water first, but, well. No one can stop him from popping open the energy drink first, right?

After taking a swig, he lets loose a sigh of relief. "At least the festivals are still as popular as ever..." It helps for business, so long as the business manages to gain attention. But that's where they come in, he guesses. "So, how were things behind the scenes?"

[unlucky7]

He can drink however he wants, Ginia judges not. She'll have to grab some throat drops the next time she passes the convenient store.

"No ayakashi, no curse charms." She pauses in her signing to hand out another flyer. Keep that charming smile up! "But the minor mishaps keep coming. How have things been here?"

[chibisu]

With both hands occupied, one by a bottle and the other by a can, Kimi can't really sign. At least, not without ignoring the laws of biology. Or, well. Whatever applies to shinki, who should by all rights be dead. So he sticks to speaking aloud right now, at least until he can finish off one drink.

"It's been surprisingly decent, at least out here. Everyone seems to be treating it as just another festival where they can talk and relax." He seems to know what that means well enough as his mouth quirks into a faint frown. "If anything is going on further in, maybe it's restricted..."

[unlucky7]

Ginia doesn't mind; she's mute, not deaf. No one will pay their conversation much mind, and the few that do, well, maybe they're talking about a MMO or a scavenger hunt. Ginia waits until her hands are a little less full before she signs back.

"At least people are enjoying themselves. I don't like not knowing what's going on." What kind of threat is waiting for them if all the usual suspects are missing? "Anyway, I'm here to help so use me as you see fit."

[chibisu]

Kimi opens his mouth.

The mouth stays open for a good couple of seconds, with no sound coming out.

Kimi then closes his mouth, so much that his teeth clack just a little bit. "When you say things like that, I really want to tease you, you know."

[unlucky7]

When you say things like that...?

...Oh.

OH.

Red creeps over Ginia's cheeks as her mind leaps immediately to the realization she wouldn't mind see what Kimi wants to do. Her mind also immediately backpedals from any other salacious thoughts as she absolutely does not need her gods checking on her. Everything is fine! Don't mind the brief lewdness!

Is this going to be a problem? Are there rules about intimacy when serving younger gods? Oh no.

"In front of so many people? I didn't realize you were that kind of person." Ginia fires back, pouting a little.

[chibisu]

Like a dog hearing the word 'walk', Kimi perks up a little at her retort, and grins once more.

"Hey, it's not like most of them are really paying attention to us!" Not that he really knows how far exhibitionist tendencies can go with the relationship of the Shores. "Besides, I was good, wasn't I? I stopped myself from saying anything." Well. Mostly anything. It's a form of self restraint.

[unlucky7]

"Saying you want to tease me is still a form of teasing." Still pouting, Ginia gives his forehead a toothless tap with her stack of brochures. Is his reply a tacit admission to exhibitionist tendencies? She can't help but wonder what he might have said too. Dammit, dammit, dammit.

"But we shouldn't, right?" Her signs come out in a rush. "I mean, two of the gods are children, it'd be awkward for Chris, so..." her signs trail off as the ridiculousness of the conversation sinks in. Face red, Ginia forces a smile and goes back to passing out brochures and pamphlets.

[chibisu]

The grin from the forehead tap vanishes for befuddlement and then surprised understanding, all in quick succession. "Oh! Oh, right, I forgot, your other god isn't old enough yet. Sorry, sorry." He laughs a little, tilting his head to her.

"I'll do my best to remember. When I'm not thinking, I just say whatever pops into my head. Forgive me?"

[unlucky7]

Alex is at least an adult. Chris has a sense of maturity around her, but Ginia is still pretty sure she's a teenager. It's awkward all around, even if both of them are also love (and fertility) goddesses. Ginia glances back at Kimi, mouth twisting as her head tilts.

"I like that about you. You're very genuine. But you aren't worried about Ebisu or Sotero?"

Child gods and all. And unless Sotero has named a few more people since the whole eruption debacle, Kimi is his only shinki. Damn apparent there. Though on the other hand, Ebisu has so many shinki he wouldn't know exactly who he was feeling things from. He's also a very long-established god that's only a child due to a recent reincarnation. It certainly would feel less awkward if Ebisu was an adult, but this is also an unfortunately common cycle, isn't it.

"Sorry. I'm still trying to sort out how relationships work." Ginia winces a little. Is that a dumb thing to admit? It feels like it.