thenearshore | January Training

Entry tags:

January Training

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: March 24th, 2017
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki

Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are brought into small one-on-one meeting rooms as they appear, with a white-robed shinki offering them an explanation of their current role (God or Shinki), the name of the god they will represent (Gods) or the god they will serve (Shinki), and directions to the temple that will be their new home, regardless of role. During these initial meetings for Gods, paper and pens are provided as an unsubtle suggestion to take notes on the information they're given. For Shinki, there are stacks of informational pamphlets sitting out on a table inside the room, and which new shinki are offered as they are leaving the Meeting Hall.

Gods and Shinki alike are cordially invited to a training session beginning in early afternoon - several hours later - after they've had the chance to return to their homes, meet their new partners, and have their questions answered.

This time, it is implied that the Training Session will have a different purpose, so it is highly encouraged for ALL new gods and shinki to attend, no matter how long they have been in the Far Shore.

Divine Service

notepad

with your shinki in vessel form

Tempering the Vessel

while in vessel form

Shinki Training

borderline

NPC REQUEST

shinki spells or songs

Physical Training

another

Rest and Refreshments

possibly

In Summary:

Get all the information you can handle
Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
Practice sparring or shinki magic
Answer Interview Questions
Tell the truth - if you dare - or lie through your teeth... if you dare
Tell War Stories
Have fun~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I DON'T KNOW YET! I JUST READ THE BEGINNING OF IT! AND JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE THE TONE!

[Iskandar want to throw the letter to Waver but there's nothing to throw. So he's staring at his fist for a moment with utter confusion.]

Malaka!

[Did he just burn it? It certainly looks like it. Now, what do they do? At least the sparkles are gone. Unfortunately, that towel of his is slowly losing its battle with gravity.]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH. [Waver has his hands in his hair like he wants to pull.] FUCK! I don't know if I can bring it back! What if it was serious?!

[AND THEN HE BEGINS CHANTING AND PACING MADLY AROUND THE ROOM, DOING WHAT CASTERS DO.

PULL MIRACLES OUT OF THEIR FREAKING ASSES.

... why are you like this. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Also. TOWEL.]

Edited 2019-01-20 13:48 (UTC)

[ Satya was just... hair drying in her own room. It takes times you see, you can't use it too much or you risk ruining your hair- but if you got long hair, like she does, hoping it dries naturally is pointless.

What comes first? The yelling or the electricity crackle? She hears Waver react first, as she finds a throws a bathrobe and ties it perfectly (unlike some, she won't be running around just in underwear/strategically placed towel!)

The moment she steps out of her room, she forms a light straight line with her gesture letting it go from the floor to floor to the ceiling, another move of hand and the line moves all the way forming a translucent light wall. Strategically placed between Iskandar and part of the room that contains

- TV
- dvd player
- video game console
- her laptop she left on the couch

The music tower is unfortunately on Iskandar's side but there are always loses... Her flaring nostrils might be the only indication of her silent rage. What the hell guys. She walks closer to Iskandar crossing her arms and declaring ]

Should you need to discharge the electricity, I suggest doing it outside. We do not have a budget to replace all utilities- In the meantime, I will see the matters attended to.

[ Breathe in. Breathe out. Contain. Shield. Avoid the shitstorm- oh god the towel. ]

Eeeck!

[ Wow, that was the most undignified sound she made as she realized the towel is sliding down and she TURNED AROUND JUST IN TIME. ]

On second th-thought- Do not go outside. [ A rare facepalming Satya has been unlocked ]

IT'S NOT AS IF I DID IT ON PURPOSE!

[The outburst is directed at Waver but it's cut short by the wall of light suddenly rising between Iskandar and all the valuable equipment in the room.
Save for the music tower... They can't lose that! It was a gift...

But it's not the bounded field and not the light wall that finally manages to stop whatever electricity there was left. It's that the temperature seems to drop with every syllable that Satya utters. That tone of voice is what makes Iskandar freeze in place. That's her secret weapon.]

Satya don't... I... I'm sorry...

[And then the gravity wins. Satya turns around with a ... no, he won't be describing it.
Fortunately, Servant reflex kicks in and Iskandar is able to realize what's happening and catch the offending towel just in time before things truly go too far.
Phew, that was close. Just don't hate him now, please? He's dumb. He knows this.]

Edited (drop the the) 2019-01-20 15:25 (UTC)

[FURIOUS INCANTING IN REPLY. ... that works as a reply, right?

... then the tone lowers as Waver's eyes follow the fall of that towel, face flushing red, before looking at Iskandar with a deer in the headlights expression as he continues chanting and Servant reflexes save the day.

Then he turns on his heel in an embarrassed whirl of hair flying (and still floating) everywhere and storms to grab a notepad in a huff. STILL CHANTING.

Letters are beginning to write themselves on the paper as he holds it up. It might be the letter. It might be his hair masque recipe. Divinations are tricky things, especially on the fly as this.]

Is this it?

[With that halo of black hair floating in the air in his sight Iskandar is semi-consciously monologuing to himself how improbable is that Waver does have at least a drop of divine blood in his lineage.
Because how else would he make Iskandar just stare for a good minute at him with his mind going totally blank and unable to tear his gaze away. Must be ...

Iskandar shakes his head and finally gets to look at the notepad. That's the thing.]

Yes. [And then.] I'd better get dressed.

[Teleportation is his favourite perk of being a god. Though right now he could use a drink. Or two. Or a dozen. Probably not to think about that Satya is still in the room too. He'll put some clothes on him. Then he can come back. And the deal with everything. Just not all at once. In order.]

Edited 2019-01-20 23:59 (UTC)

[ Well, the temple is saved. This is the moment when she can breathe that sigh of relief. Iskandar is gone, probably to get dressed- good choice. They might be able to discuss everything with volume toned down a notch- that would be best.

Right now she is going to get much clearer answers with Waver, though. ]

What was that all about? There was a letter- that much I got. [ Are they... are they getting punished for this whole stunt with council? ]

[Given him a moment. Waver's face is blanked out as Iskandar leaves because he's just realizing he had a face full of nearly naked Greek God and to all that is holy, that is a hell of a view.

(You never know with Nasuverse about that one drop of divinity in his being. Those magic circuits must have come from somewhere, right?)

Then his hair settles down, though frizzed and floofed like a cat's, and Waver stares at, then hands the notepad to Satya while he goes to brew... something. Probably death coffee. Or grandma's tea.]

Amaterasu's shinki left a summons for Iskandar to come in for questioning today during the training session. He didn't react well... because fuck the tone of this can potentially read more like calling in a naughty school boy to the principal's office, even though it's more formally and cordially put than that. So bloody bedamned divine wrath ensued and he accidentally destroyed the letter. That's what we were yelling about.

I recovered it, but I'm not too sure it's completely accurate even though Iskandar says that it is. Doing these kind of spells on the fly feels chancy to me.

[Waver groans because for fucks sake he still has out his feathered fan and that disappears in a burst of mana. Speak now what you want him to make, Satya, because he's going for the cupboards.]

I don't want to assume what those tossers want just yet. All I know is that they actually want all of us and not just Iskandar.

Guess the first question to ask is did anyone get a letter other than us?

Edited 2019-01-26 19:00 (UTC)

[ Satya lets out another sigh, she taps the floor with her feet, and only now realizes- it's bare. Could have at least wear slippers. Waver's explanation of the situation at least make sense of the rage. Kind of. She would simply reply in fitting tone instead of flying into anger-- but that is the part that she doesn't understand of Iskandar, and can only, skirt around it, learn to accept it. Things like that.

During the explanation, she skims the recovered letter, and starts to wonders what to do. An official summon should be met with an official reply. Either attending the meeting or finding a proper way to ignore it. She follows him only for a moment before stopping and turning on her heel. ]

Waver, please, could you make me a cup of tea. I'll be back in a minute, hopefully, I'll get answers that will clear some of this out.

[ When she returns she's dressed up too- nothing fancy, no time for that. Just simple work-out clothes. Sporty t-shirt and yoga pants. That's better than a bathrobe. Her steps are swift and first thing she does upon entering the kitchen, she shows the screen of her phone to Waver. On screen is incredibly short and on point conversation with Archer. ]

It is not just us. Everyone is being summoned.

[ Question is, is it better or worse? ]

Edited 2019-01-26 19:47 (UTC)

[Both Waver and Satya are already in the kitchen when Iskandar is back. The wall of light is mercifully gone so he can drop on the couch.
It's not that he stopped being angry. It's more of a simmering kind now. The notepad is still on the table but Iskandar is very intentionally ignoring it.
As if he's going anywhere...

Instead, he just switches on the tv and the game console. The last one on the list is this new shooting game he got recently. If he's going to sit in his ~~metaphorical~~ tent and sulk he can as well use some of this anger to murder a few digital people.
There are many legitimate reasons why Heavens would like to ask him questions but acknowledging any of those would require a calmer state of mind. And right now Iskandar is not being very calm or reasonable.]

I'll make a pot of the painkilling tea. It should help with any migraines we might get.

[Then he calls out.]

I know you might not want any right now, but I'll make enough for you too, Iskandar.

[... Waver scowls as he gets to work. He's the servant in this situation, but he needs to think like a god right now if he wants to figure out all the factors that set Iskandar off. There's a lot of stresses that are different. He needs to place himself in his position...

This place hurts all of them. Hmm.

Unfortunately Waver's still in his underwear and t-shirt when Satya returns. Awkward. But he has a pot of tea and three mugs. Which makes up a little for being the most under dressed person in the room.

Waver scowls as he reads the message while he carries the tray with everything to the table.]

I don't like where this is going. ... smells almost like they didn't enjoy the response at Amaterasu's war meeting.

[Better or worse? How about... both.]

Edited 2019-01-26 20:13 (UTC)

Not surprising, given how it has shown there is a problem in establishing a respectful line of communication. [ Her lips purse into a thin line but her expression softens when she reaches for the tea, and a quieter ] Thank you [ -follows ]

The majority, if not all of the new gods are just filling in the roles they never wanted to be responsible for. I do believe that the unique circumstances of our god are not as widely known nor respected as they should be. Not necessarily out of malice, but just by the virtue of belonging to the group of gods that never consented to be here. The foreign body partially outside the system. [ Perhaps that's something to address. Perhaps she needs to network more among the old shinki rather than the new to combat this- ] I believe we are not in place to resist the summon today. Not because of their position or authority, but because we risk losing an important intel to be gathered there.

[ Now is the question of how to go and convince Iskandar about it. At least the time-slot they received is quite late from now. They're in no hurry and that gives her time. She's concerned at the rage and stress around, but truly she does not know how to deal with it- assessing the situation and proceeding calmly is the way she's familiar with. Empathy is such a hard thing to learn tho. That's why she misses the point often, that's why she has no idea how to react to someone being so visibly stressed or furious ]

Mmmm... that goes both ways. [Softer.] You're welcome.

[... perhaps. Perhaps. The two of them never consented to be here either and Waver doubts very few of the shinki would have either, regardless of death. Important to keep in mind, even if its relevance is not now.

Waver nods. That's one perspective on it. Is it the right one, though?]

I agree. ... as well, if we don't, we could cast suspicion on ourselves in the future. That said, we need to be very careful what we say. With tensions rising, we don't want to let slip anything that can be used against us, especially with a war on the horizon.

... goddamn anything can happen in a mess like that, including some 'friendly fire'.

[Waver presses his lips together as he considers how to handle Iskandar. While Satya is Exemplar and probably the bastion of common sense and logic in this Temple, Waver goes in for the stickier emotional matters, despite being the bitter cynic he is.

He'll draw first fire and let Satya be able to observe the situation and not get swamped in it. Play as much to both their strengths. He wraps his fingers around his mug and plops down beside Iskandar and just sips the tea as he watches people get shot full of virtual holes.]

Okay, we promised each other we'd talk the big shit out when possible. I can tell by the massacre on screen, you'd rather be razing something for bloody real. So...

I don't.

[Iskandar is too quick to let the irritation rather then reason speak through him but Waver is absolutely right. He can't ignore it. As angry as he is, though with every passing minute more of it silently evaporates, he can't take it out on his own people just because they're unfortunate enough to be close enough. It's also true that he promised. So with a sigh, he corrects his previous statement to something more truthful this time.]

I do.

[He pauses. Both hands on the controller but he's not making a move so it's his turn to get shot down. The screen gets blurry and "Mission Failed" appears on the now almost undiscernable background in capital letters. Is this what he does?]

From the moment I was summoned here, I treat my position very seriously. I try to help, where help is needed, fulfil my duties as a god and don't bring shame to my father as his son.
And yet I see it is not enough. [He gestures vaguely to the notepad on the table.] I get this. What am I supposed to think of it?
They want me to go to war with them and yet they order me around as if I were some mere lackey of theirs? I am not used nor will I ever be, to such treatment.

Not what you'd ever expect your godhood to be, huh?

[Tea sip as he stares ahead at the screen. Mission Failure, huh? Sorry, he doesn't believe in the no win scenario.]

It's thing after thing, and finally this is enough. I'm sure to anyone else it'd seem like a small thing, and maybe it is, even though I wouldn't agree. But with everything else, it's a mountain. Am I right?

Maybe. No. I... [A shrug] I don't know. I don't think I was expecting anything.

[Iskandar drops the controller on the couch. He's not using it so it's better that way. He'd better not break it by accident. He doesn't exactly has the best track record with keeping their equipment intact.]

I suppose it is. I mean, you're right. It's been a lot.

[That's not the most coherent string of sentences but at least it made him think for a moment and stop fuming internally. A small victory but a victory nevertheless.]

[ Satya listens to exchange of both men and formulates her strategy. She must shift the balance in their favor. Put order into things, for this what is happening here sounds like chaos. ]

War brings only disorder, it must be avoided if possible. [ There are tensions in Heavens, tensions between the old and the new. But there must be a middle ground to be achieved. Besides Heavens have their enemies on the outside, why to battle on the inside? ] Remember that we are not their enemy, but that does not necessarily binds us as their allies.

[ It's a matter or pride, is it? That's what it looks like. High positions come with big responsibilities, but also reputation and respect. Gods or directors, same thing it seems. ]

You are worthy of your position and you perform your duties admirably. [ Really. From anyone else it could probably sound like a pure flattery, ass-kissing even. Satya however delivers it in a very honest albeit flat tone. Then soon follows with ] But you are trapped in your own mind.

[ Aren't we all, Satya? Aren't we all... ]

Do not forget your place! It is a burden of greatness. Responding to such call is a mere courtesy. Should they disrespect you, give them taste of it back. If they insult you with this treatment, don't go - send me in your place. This counts as answering the summon, but on your own terms, for your own convenience, not theirs.

[ Damned office politics. But bureaucracy is needed to maintain order. It can be tweaked, adjusted to work the best to it's function, instead of hindering. Sometimes there is no other way to make a statement than be cordially difficult though. ]

[Mmmmm... yes and no. Waver's going to give Iskandar a moment to respond to that as a finger traces the rim of his mug, thoughtful. That addresses one part of it in a way. But rage mode to the point of spitting lightning suggests a pile up of issues intersecting and the stress of the council had to be weighing heavily on his shoulders.

You're worried about losing us. Aren't you? On top of everything else. Not just to this fucking mess... but... aw fuck! Guess I'm not the only one still having problems with the fallout of when we met, right?

Yeah... that's a stressor. On top of all the others. On top of everything that offended. On top of rule. Iskandar seems too... stable to be pushed over otherwise.

I better be keeping a better bloody eye on his mental health going on in other words. ... Satya's too, though I think right now she's okay.

Truer words never spoken, though. Trapped in your own mind. Waver huffs a bitter mental laugh at some of the ways that's true for them.]

Edited 2019-01-29 05:47 (UTC)

[You will not address in me in such a manner. was the thing that Iskandar almost said.
Almost. This close.

Fortunately, he's calmed enough that he doesn't bark at Satya as he did at Waver. This would not end well. She could treat this as an order and never speak so openly again.
He can't allow that to happen. He needs both of their perspectives. Exactly for moments like this.

Satya is right. They must go. But so is Waver. A lot happened lately. The pressure has been steadily creeping on him and he did not notice. He needs to be more careful. He made himself too comfortable here. It dulled his perception. That ends now. There are things on the horizon they need to prepare for.]

I have forgotten nothing. I agree, this invitation requires a response but I'm not sending any of you there alone. Not even to make a statement. They want to ask me questions, fine. They'd better be ready to cope with my answers.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

January Training

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sumanai, she's being holier-than-thou

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