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

[cleansingstrike]

Would that really be needed? I would not wish to impose upon anyone.

[Agrias she just said that they wouldn't mind.]

Perhaps one more would suffice...

[reloves]

One more it is, then! [ Her reply comes maybe a tad too quickly after Agrias giving in, but she's just truly trying to make sure the other doesn't try to weasel out of it now.

She'll wait though until Agrias finishes her current drink first - that just means she can win even more break time. And she can talk to the other too. That's a double win. ]

Seriously though, it's not that bad to impose on other people just a bit sometimes! [ "Just a bit".. Rich of Minako to say, huh. ] You've got to think of yourself too, you know.

[cleansingstrike]

'Tis difficult to me to break such habits, I admit. [She speaks plainly, yet truthfully.]

You must understand, many a year was spent where I was in service to another. 'Twas by choice, I assure you. Yet it was their safety and well-being that always came first to me.

[reloves]

[ You have no idea how much Minako can relate, Agrias. Or.. well, she would if she was able to remember that particular part of her life, anyway. Hence why she can't understand it as well yet as she normally would have. ]

But.. even if you were serving someone else, surely that meant you could still take a break for yourself every now and then, right..?

[cleansingstrike]

Times of war leave little room for such moments, I'm afraid. Even more so should your enemies' reach be vast.

[reloves]

So you're saying you haven't had fun? Ever?

[ She sounds pretty surprised when she says that, since the concept of just never being able to do something fun is wild to Minako. And not in a fun way. ]

[cleansingstrike]

I am a knight, Minako. My duty ever comes first and leaves time for little else.

If you ask if I've experienced such joys, then serving my Queen and country hath given me all the fulfillment I could ever ask for.

[reloves]

Well.. I'm glad that at least you aren't sad about it?

[ Since she did say it's fulfilling, at least. But living like that still feels kind of sad. Minako takes her duty to Zelda pretty seriously when it's necessary, but she still has tons of moments to have fun. ]

But if you ever want to try having a bit of fun in this place, I wouldn't mind helping with it. Since.. um, well, you know! You might have some more time for it here now.

[cleansingstrike]

Even if I were to ask, I truthfully wouldn't know where to begin.

What other young women consider to be commonplace for entertainment is... I simply know it not.

[Agrias you're only in your 20s.]

[reloves]

[ But with the soul of a 60 year old, apparently..

Minako smiles widely - if not just because she sees an opportunity here. If that's the only thing standing in the way of making sure Agrias is getting some fun, then it sure isn't a big obstacle in Minako's eyes. ]

Hey, I'm a young woman! [ A little younger than Agrias, but still. It counts. ] And I have tons of fun! I can totally go do some fun stuff with you sometime if you want.

[cleansingstrike]

[The idea is intriguing to her, she has to admit. And it would make Ovelia happy, she figures. Added to that is how Agrias doesn't really know any better to find any suspicion in Minako's words.

Or any reason of how this could possibly go wrong.]

What would you... have me do?

[reloves]

Um.. Well, there's a lot of things we could try!

[ Even if she's not entirely sure yet what someone like Agrias might find fun. But that just means there's all the more reason to work on it, right. ]

We could go shopping. Or do karaoke. Oh, or we could play video games, those are tons of fun!

[cleansingstrike]

[She simply looks on.

The activities might be commonplace for Minako, but for someone like Agrias...]

Apologies, Minako. I simply... do not know what most of those are.

'Tis been made clear to me that mine lands are far different than most others.

[reloves]

[ Poor, poor Agrias. Minako can't even imagine what it's like to live without the simple pleasures like those in your life. Thankfully there's an easy solution to that problem now. ]

Then we should just try them out sometime, right? We can just do all of them one by one and see which one you end up liking the most!

[cleansingstrike]

'Tis reassuring to have you by my side, and I truly thank you for that. Yet I...

Am unsure of how to feel.

Forgive me, this must all seem so trivial.

[reloves]

N.. no, no, it's okay!

[ There's a slight stammer once she speaks up, but it's not the bad kind. It's the good kind, since she sure didn't expect Agrias to say it's reassuring. It's flattering, and Minako soaks up the praise immediately, even with a hint of pink on her cheeks. ]

No feeling at all is trivial! Whatever you're feeling, it's valid. It must be a culture shock if you come from such a different background, after all.. but just know you can call me whenever you want to try out something fun, alright?

[cleansingstrike]

[Agrias can't help but to find Minako's passion to be contagious. There she was, a knight continuously trying to adjust to these lands, and she was finding no shortage of aid and pleasant company.

It put a smile on her face, even.]

Aye, yon words reach me loud and clear, Minako. I should like to experience these joys that you yourself are so truly fond of.

This I swear to you.

[It's alright, Agrias. Really.]