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 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.

[chibisu]

"Hey, it's fine, it's fiiiine." Reaching over, he presses the cool bottle of water to the back of her neck with a grin. "Figuring stuff out is what it is to be a shinki, right? Or even just a person in general." Shinki just have amnesia, despite being grown and with personalities.

"And it's a good worry, anyway. I almost forget about him, when I'm busy working." Taking a sip of his drink, he hums. "I'm hurt, I really am." Well, not really, but it's definitely an unusual nora partnership, even by Temple Ebisu standards. And they're as unusual as it gets. "For him, I guess we'd just have to have a conversation about it. Feelings don't go away so easily. But Ebisu... I'm not reall worried there." Something suddenly occurs to him, and he grins at her.

"Oh, want to hear a horribly embarrassing story that'll make you feel better?"

[unlucky7]

Ginia tenses from the sudden cold, but with all the physical labor she's done today, it feels nice. Her head tilts back, letting the cold ease into her muscles for a few seconds before she pulls away. He's right. Every day something new, a life of excitement and embarrassment and everything in between.

And if Kimi isn't worried about Ebisu, isn't that a sign she shouldn't either? All of Ebisu's shinki have integrity. If it was truly an issue, he'd say so.

"I do love gossip and stories." Ginia smiles, a bit of seriousness fading. "Does it involve you? I heard you're impossible to embarrass."

[chibisu]

"I pride myself on living my afterlife shamelessly." Playfully, he winks around another sip of his drink. It's worked out in the end, considering that makes it a little harder to feel guilty about any particular thing. At least, the things that don't really matter in the long run.

"Anyway, I used to date someone else in the temple, good few years back. I think we broke up five years ago?" The energy drink gets waggled dismissively. "It doesn't really matter. But anyway, one day we ended up in a storage room together, because I very lovingly antagonized him into pressing me against the wall. Things were happening, as they do-" He won't really go into details on that, even though it'd been a rather mild affair. "-when, all of a sudden, guess who opens the door and just strides right in!" He grins widely, some of his fingers extending out from his can in the best gesture he can give.

[unlucky7]

Ginia gives an exaggerated roll of her eyes, but his shamelessness is one of his charm points. It's maybe something she could stand to learn, or at least learning to let go of the small things. Sometimes life's little embarrassments have a way of digging in.

She listens to his story, not at all he'd dated someone prior. He's charming, smart, handsome, why not? She's more curious who he dated and all of the other usual questions - how long did they date, why did they break up? - but that's not the scope of the story. Besides, even she can tell with her limited knowledge and experience it's not her business. If he wants to share, it's his call.

Especially when there is so much more to latch onto and tease him for.

"Unmi, aghast at the defilement to the filing system." Ginia signs very dryly, barely suppressing a smirk. Passing out pamphlets? Sorry, that can wait. "What did Ebisu do?"

[chibisu]

"Oh, he walked right past us," Kimi says, stretching one arm smoothly in gesture. Hopefully no one walks into him as he's gesturing around. "I'm not entirely sure he even realized we were there!" A laugh makes him pause for a moment, delighted despite the awkwardness of the story.

"But we both freeze up, of course, like that's going to do anything. It wasn't as if he was a T-rex or anything. Still, you know-" He twirls his hand around a little before remembering to actually take a drink out of the can before he forgets he exists. "That's not something anyone thinks to teach to other shinki. What to do when you're making out and your god walks in on you. Ha. At least he was an adult at that time, so it wasn't as awkward as it could have been."

For a hot second, he pauses and draws his hands closer to himself as the crowd momentarily gets a little thicker. No reason to accidentally nail someone in the side of the head. "So, anyway, yeah, he walks right past us like he was going to get something, only to pause, and he finally looks back at us as if he just realized what was happening. And he says-" Choking on his own laughter, Kimi ducks his head down. "He says 'Ah, to be young'!" That's when he breaks down, trying to contain his laughter into his arm.

[unlucky7]

What a story. Ginia chuffs along as it slowly unwinds, unconsciously stepping in closer toward him. The humans move around them with all the care of a river flowing past two rocks. Not that it seems Kimi would care if anyone else heard. Her hand covers her mouth as she huffs into it, face scrunching up with delight.

Okay, so... it's probably fine. They're all dead but it doesn't mean they can't still live. Emotions are what they are. Affection, desire, lust, they're not bad. They're just... Ginia recovers quickly, still silently chuckling as she looks at her boyfriend.

Boyfriend. It's been four days since he asked her out. Maybe she smiles a little more when she sees him. Maybe there are more origami stars dotting her desk when she's not looking. Maybe they're still just as busy and trying to stay afloat of all the work they have. There haven't been big sweeping changes and for that she's thankful, but it isn't as if there would be anyway.

But maybe she wonders what it'd be like to hold his hand. To hold him for longer than a brief hug.

...and now, because she can't stop thinking about it, what it would be like to push him against a wall.

Ginia takes another step in toward him. Her hand lifts to his cheek, slides down to his chin, and tilts his face up with a finger as she looks down at him.

"Would you like me to push you against a wall too?" She signs in the slim space between them.

[chibisu]

Having her laugh like that seems to make Kimi puff up, quietly but obviously pleased as he edges a little closer. It's just a little thing, but every little bit counts. That's the kind of thinking which sometimes helps when it comes to the kind of neverending workload at the temple. And, you know, personal life matters too.

So he's definitely not particularly expecting the slow caress of his cheek or the way his chin is tilted. His eyebrows rise up in surprise, but that doesn't stop his mouth from immediately answering. "100% yes."

[unlucky7]

Kimi, you are the most dangerous influence for someone with poor impulse control. There's no convenient wall to bump him up against, but Ginia is sure entertaining the idea. She wants to, she shouldn't, it's a mistake, what's the harm? An internal argument breaks out, no obvious conclusion coming forward. Ginia balks, cheeks warming as indecision gives away to embarrassment.

She's saved from herself as a sudden strong gust blows through. The pamphlets in her hands rattle and Ginia turns away to clutch them tighter. Overhead, a one corner of a banner snaps off its line. It twists and snaps around, threatening to fall into the crowd.

[chibisu]

It figures that even as things are getting adorable with each tiny growth of that blush, something has to interrupt. As he hears the tell-tale sound of something snapping, Kimi hastily drops his bottle of water and leaps upwards. Having a soul be so light really comes in handy during times like this. It makes it easy to go high in the air and grab the corner of the banner. "Whoa whoa whoa-!"

Good thing there are buildings nearby... That means there's somewhere to land. He's not sure what else he'd do. "Jeez, who built this thing!"

[unlucky7]

Coincidence or bad luck finally striking? Ginia grabs the bottle of water before someone can trip on it, tucking it and the remaining pamphlets into her jacket. The crowd settles again with the crisis averted, the veil of the Far Shore and the fact most people don't look up giving them the cover they need.

Ginia leaps onto an awning and finds the broken line dangling from an anchor at the corner of a roof. Leaping up there, she pulls it up and studies the broken line. It's a natural fray, something that would have given out eventually.

That it's today of all days is far too convenient.

"I'm chalking it up to whatever weirdness is causing problems." she signs at Kimi. "I can see if anyone has rope or twine we could reattach it."

[chibisu]

Trying to hold onto the banner with his teeth, Kimi struggles to sign back to her. "Please get some before it hits me in the face. I think it will do that soon." He'd really rather not, but it's a big banner, the wind is stronger up on the rooftops where there are no taller buildings to block it, and, well. He's short and not some muscle beast.

[unlucky7]

"On second thought, you get the rope, I'll watch the banner."

She has the height and muscle advantage, Kimi has a better sense of the area. It's better this way. Ginia leaps over to his side and grabs the banner, solidly planting her feet as the wind tries to tug it away from her. Not today, wind, not today. She smiles at him and tosses her head for him to go ahead.

[chibisu]

Unlocking his jaw from around the banner, Kimi turns his head to sputter a little bit. It's a very nice banner, he's sure, but, also, it's been flapping around for who knows how long after being stored who knows where and handles by whoever. It's disgusting, frankly.

"Good idea. I'll be back in a little bit, alright." Mournfully, he looks down towards where he was standing.

"And I didn't even get to finish my drinks... Anyway I'll be back in just a second."

[unlucky7]

Such is the price you pay for telling an embarrassing story instead of drinking up. They can get drinks after this, they've certainly earned one with all the chaos going on. Ginia braces her feet and leans back. She keeps the banner taut enough so it won't snap around too much, but not so much it'll risk snapping the other side from too much tension. At least if that side decides to give out, she can haul everything up.

It could be a coincidence. It would have given out eventually, that was a strong gust. Kimi had said things hadn't really spread here. But with everything else going on around the festival grounds, it's hard not lumping it all together.

No ayakashi, no cursed charms, no sigils as far as she could find, what the hell is going on?