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Who: Ebisu, Aomi, and various out-temple workers
What: Time for a relaxing trip to Kanagawa, before the next thing blows up.
Where: Kanagawa
When: Sometime after that compound mess

Kanagawa Prefecture has a lot of good points. There's an opening to the ocean, a lake for touring, beautiful views of Mt. Fuji wherever you look, and all sorts of interesting museums or temples. Aomi, the organizer of this little trip, agrees for everyone to meet at Iiyama Kannon an hour or two before noon. An easy famous place that people hopefully won't get lost going to, and all. Until then, well, people are free to go wherever they like. They don't even have to stay in Atsugi, where the meeting area is supposed to be. There are beaches not that far off, zoos to enjoy various animals, parks where carefully cultivated flowers are in gleeful bloom, a bustling Chinatown, and even the little island of Enoshima.

When the time comes to meet up, however, Aomi can be found alongside Ebisu with a bulging backpack and he does a quick headcount to make sure everyone is there before continuing on. The ultimate destination isn't any of the many tourist attractions in Kanagawa, but rather he leads away from the cities and towards the forests of the prefecture. Aomi would have made sure to remind everyone that morning over text to wear hiking boots.... so hopefully they all remember to do that, because the path chosen is one that has no actual path at all. Hopefully no one gets hurt, although it shouldn't be too hard.

What's the destination? That much becomes obvious once they hit some more even land, where a small stone monument has been placed at the base of a fully blossoming Japanese wisteria. Here, Aomi will let everyone know it's fine to take a break, and settle down. It's here that he'll help spread out some various picnic blankets and begin unpacking from his enormous backpack. He's been courteous enough to pack lunch for just about everyone, and a good variety in case any one dish doesn't suit someone. There's delectably spicy yokosuka curry, juicy shirokoro horumon, rare to get shonan pork sausages, and a variety of sushi that takes full advantage of being from a seaside prefecture. Everyone is free to relax beneath the wisteria blossoms and enjoy the view peeking out from the trees.

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A - Pre Meeting

Needless to say, this kind of meeting for a member of Ebisu's temple isn't something that can be done for free. To justify getting out of the temple and away from all the business that happens there, Aomi is taking a few of the out of temple jobs and prayers that have been sent to Ebisu. So, for anyone that's taking the time to enjoy the various towns and pleasant places in the prefecture... Well, they might run across shinki and god running around all over to squeeze as much possible in the short amount of time before everyone meets up.

Early in the morning, the pair can be found hurrying around the basement floors of the Shinyokohama Ramen museum. Aomi is looking through the various stalls while Ebisu stands nearby with a small clipboard. "Oh, hello, it's a very fascinating place, isn't it?

Later and nearer to the meet up time, they can be found in Hakkeijima Sea Paradise. It's truly a beautiful and expansive place, with free entry to the park in general so that people can enjoy its parks and other such areas. Ebisu and Aomi can be found working for their entry, however, chasing after a dolphin-shaped ayakashi that seems to be doing its absolute best to avoid them. "Excuse us!" Aomi calls out as they make their way through aquariums and past amusement park rides.

B - Hiking

On his back, Aomi is carrying a large and cumbersome backpack. In his arms, he's safely holding onto Ebisu, since goodness knows the tiny god won't be able to get up this mountain otherwise. Despite this fact, he seems to be leaping up the mountain quite skillfully without any trouble. Maybe the clothing helps, since, instead of the usual suit and tie attire required by the temple, he's wearing much more casual clothing: a loose blue flannel sort of shirt with a hood, jeans, and hiking boots.

Every now and then he pauses, doing another head count not unlike what he did during the meeting time. "Doing alright?" he asks, while Ebisu smiles in his arms.

C - Rest

All of the lunch that he's packed has been carefully managed so that it can be served while still warm, or mixed appropriately, such as the curry and rice. Still, it is a lot of food for all of the people that have been invited. Anyone who wants to help will receive a gratified smile. And, you know, food as well, along with a small bottle of green tea.

When him and Ebisu are ready, however, they settle down on a blanket near the small stone monument- a tiny little rock with kanji that have long since eroded. Both of them actually give polite bows to it, with Aomi deep and reverent while Ebisu's is neat and polite. As they get ready to eat, Ebisu smiles to whoever is nearby. "Would you like to eat alongside us?"

I. Pre-meeting
As much as Ginia would like to relax and go sightseeing, the need to help out her temple ends up taking priority. There's opportunity to relax and enjoy things later, right? High-traffic areas are a hotbed for ayakashi and while normally a shinki can't do more than borderline up or meet up with their god, circumstances are a bit different. With a Winchester rifle slung over her shoulder, Ginia listens for the larger ayakashi that can't resist trying to snack on a lone shinki. She runs, pulling them away from humans and luring them up to the rooftops, blocking them in with a borderline as she brings the rifle to her shoulder and fires a rending shot.

Of course, there might always be Heaven's shinki around and a shinki rending on their own is an alarming sight. Ginia keeps her actions under the cover of Umbra, but with the spell a max of ten minutes and requiring constant upkeep and awareness, it's not a perfect system. It's possible another rooftop traveling might see Ginia during a chase or a fight. Or perhaps the ayakashi causing trouble is suddenly rended with no one in sight. Weird how that happens.

II. Hiking
Despite all the running around Ginia did earlier in the day, she's full of energy on the hike up. The change of scenery is great and considering how two of her three forest adventures involved cult activity, a peaceful walk up is nice. If she's not taking pictures on her phone of pretty much anything remotely interesting - look at those mushrooms! Look at that bird! Surprise selfie time! - she's checking on others.

"Enjoying the day?" she asks, signing to those who know sign language or typing up and playing a message on her phone for everyone else.

III. Relaxing
Good food, good company, good scenery. It's the perfect way to unwind after everything that's happened. With her jacket rolled up as a makeshift pillow, Ginia lays on her back and stares up at the wisteria above.

"I get why people are inspired to write poetry out in nature, Ginia types and plays through her phone, speaking to no one in particular. "This is gorgeous."

Ginia is here to relax, but she would never not help out her temple. She's quick to help clear the ground, spread out blankets, and set out food all before she settles down. Both both gods and temples in attendance, she'll split her time between them and her other friends here. Right now she's happy to sit with Ebisu and Aomi, glancing curiously at the monument as she sits down.

"Thank you for arranging all of this, Aomi, it's wonderful." She bows her head to the older shinki before taking a spicy curry set for herself. Spicy food, yum. Bring on the heat and pain. "What or who is the monument for?"

[a - pre-meeting]

[Chris arrives at the gathering wearing a jacket, a pink shirt, a pair of khaki shorts, and a pair of hiking boots that Ginia had helped her pick out. Her two massive pig tails were instead combined into a single pony-tail, as it would be more managable on a trip like this. She also has a sun hat on, and a pair of reflective sunglasses.

In one arm, she's carrying a bag full of supplies - like insect repellent, bottled water, etc. - while Luger, who stands at her side, is carrying a bag of treats he prepared.]

H-Hey. Yukine Chris, reporting in.

[... Not exactly how someone introduces themselves for a company trip, Chris.]

[b - Hiking]

[Hiking. She knew there'd be hiking. Chris should have put more thought into it, because she gets winded quickly. Yeah, she'd been exercising to improve endurance with Tsubasa... but that had also happened earlier today, so Chris wasn't exactly on her a-game.

But she's making an effort to not look like she's winded. Nor does she complain, for once. Still, the sweat running down her face and neck, the gritting of her teeth, and the way her shoulders slump as she takes shallow, heavy steps might give it away.

As well as the fact that she's fallen to the back of the pack, perhaps.]

[c - Relaxing]

[Finally. Chris is happy to plop down and rest and take in the sunlight and the trees and everything else her weariness would have caused her to ignore on the hiking trail. Luger, meanwhile, moves to help set up the refreshments, including the additions he's made, which include some cool sweets, drinks, and some fried chicken and onigiri he made as well.]

I thought that walk would never end...

Chris... looks like she might be just about ready to fall over dead when Aomi turns to her. She gulps, looking over to Luger for solidarity... but of course, he's trucking along just fine.

"I'm. I'm doing fine," she wheezes out, unconvincingly, as she turns back to Aomi and Ebisu.

[Then there's Ginia with seeming boundless energy as she hikes and leaps along the path. It's all the joy of someone raised in the city experiencing the natural outdoors without the caveat of harsh survival training. With the latter forgotten, she's just glad to get some fresh air and enjoy the natural scenery.

It doesn't mean she's forgotten about anyone else in her zeal. Ginia gradually falls back, a natural occurrence as she takes pictures. Once she's closer to her god, she pulls out a bottle of water from her backpack and offers it.]

"I'm afraid I don't have much sense for such things," said Luger, who sat off to the side of where Ginia was sitting. Chris was nearby, sitting on a blanket and helping herself to some of the food.

"But then, I'm not sure people expect such things from shinki like myself. I'm simply happy to be here."

[Chris looks up and frowns. She then tries to smile reassuringly, before reaching into her bag and taking out one of her own bottles of water.]

Thanks, but I brought my own. I guess I should start actually using one of them.

"Can't say I'm great at poetry either." Ginia replies through her phone, a soft scoff accompanying the digitized voice. She looks around at everyone gathered on the quiet outing. Ebisu and Aomi representing the old generation, all of them the new, Luger a soulless shinki, so many of them nora. Heaven would judge them by their perception before character.

"Anyone who expects less of you without knowing you is wrong. You're great, Luger."

[Good to see she's prepared, but it doesn't matter much if she's not drinking it. Ginia takes a sip from her water and drops it back into her bag.]

Stay hydrated. It'll cut down on carrying weight too.

[Her typing is a little slower what with having to watch her step, but she's also used to it there isn't that much of a delay either.]

Isn't the scenery great?

"I suppose so," Joscelin replies. He's staring up at the dappled sunshine through the blossoms, relying on the relative shade and the power of the ring he wears to keep him safe from the sun's rays. At least it's far less intense here than it was back in Hawaii.

The boy rolls onto his stomach and faces Ginia. "You've got petals in your hair."

So does he.

Why does everyone look so tired? This hike is positively easy.

Joss, too, is dressed for the mountain. Dark glasses and a wide-brimmed hat shield his face from any possible sunlight, and he wears athletic tights under his cargo shorts to protect his legs. If he's overly warm, he doesn't mention it.

He's a little ways off from Aomi and Ebisu when the man turns to him, and he hops down from a very high and dangerous-looking boulder to better hear him.

"Hmm? What did you say?"

"Heh, thank you. I really do try my best. But honestly... it's all about doing what I can for Miss Chris. She's the important one."

In the end, a soulless shinki is going to be rather single minded and limited in his thought processes. And in the end, his goddess will be foremost on his mind.

[Chris frowned, and looked down.]

I only tried to bring what was essential... and Luger is carrying something heavier. I think I just need to accept I'm out of shape.

[Siiiigh.]

... Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess. It's been kind of hard to pay attention, what with all the sweating...

"I hear it's good luck if petals land in your hair. Or is that if a petal lands in your sake?" Alas, there's no sake, but mixing alcohol with a long hike is a recipe for disaster.

Ginia sits up slightly and is about to brush the petals out of her hair when she changes her mind. She scoots so she's facing the same direction as Joss and raises her phone for a selfie.

Want me to carry you?

[It's a joke because sometimes Ginia can't resist teasing her tsundere god.]

A soulless shinki is a quandary. A shinki for a god to fight with, devoted to their god, but doesn't that also mean they can't be a moral compass for their god? That's a system of the old generation though.

Of the new... Ginia glances at Chris. The goddess doesn't need a moral compass as much as someone to make sure she doesn't get hurt and Tsubasa is probably better for than than she is. What with her helping rogue gods, harboring illegal masks, being a nora and all.

"Yeah, Chris is great. I'm glad to have met her."

"I merely prepared a lunch and lead the way," her coworker says, inclining his head to her right back. Instead of anything spicy, he's gone for a cleaner flavor with a bento of sushi balanced on his lap. It fits the calm mood of the mountainside. "And that would be for my first god."

With some shirokoro horumon for his own lunch, Ebisu leans forward cheerfully. "He's visited for a very long time! I know because my past incarnations wrote about it, although not very indepth."

Modest as always. Ginia begins to tuck into her food, eating with the casual speed of someone used to eating on the go. The heat doesn't deter her, though it does seep in a little more painfully as she stops eating at Aomi's and Ebisu's words.

In her months in the temple, she's gathered through conversation Aomi is far older than he appears. Ginia glances at the monument again. They're all nora, aren't they, all of them finding their way to Ebisu's temple in their own way. That he makes an annual trip out here, they must have been important.

"Do you mind telling me about them?"

Why.

Why did I ever think this was a bloody good idea.

[Not so much the exercise, even though he got his ass up to run with Iskandar this morning (... progess?), but the contradictory feels of he should have collapsed a long time ago from exhaustion versus actually feeling alright and enjoying himself and everything feels damn weird.

Still he's a bookish nerd, Iskandar's a trained warrior, and both of them need training and both have quailed in fear of it, so it's fair game to Bitch about exercise to distract from feelings.]

Pretty up here, though.

For her part, Tsubasa barely seems winded by the entire ordeal. Kazanaris are stout, even if she doesn't look it - and she runs for miles every morning anyway. Still, by the time they rest she's grateful for it, and gives a small bow to Ebisu.

"Ah, certainly - one must make sure to regain one's energy, after all."

Superhuman ability provided by her Symphogear allows Tsubasa to ascend to the rooftop she spies the shot coming from, skill allows her to land rather softly.

"Huh. Perhaps I am unneeded in this instance."

[Tsubasa... is having no such problems, falling back to where Chris is voluntarily. Sure, she's ... not surprised this is how things turned out, either.]

Come now, Yukine! Posture like that isn't going to help you regulate your breathing at all, and you're just going to be more tired than you would be otherwise!

[She's helping.]

It's a good thing those of the Near Shore don't usually notice them because neither are particularly subtle in the moment. Ginia, armed with a rifle, would face immediate arrest and make more than a few national headlines. Tsubasa, with her impressive athletic feats and Symphogear, would certainly raise questions among the science community as well as the "anime is real" crowd.

Ginia tenses when she senses someone approaching, relaxes when Tsubasa addresses her. Ah, Umbra must have worn off recently or she lost her focus. Though she's not worried as Tsubasa knows, it's still a reminder to be careful. She lowers the barrel toward the ground and raises a hand in greeting before grabbing her phone.

"Afraid so, though company is always welcome. Not taking the chance to sightsee?"

Hiking

There had been some scramble when Aomi had told them they needed hiking boots that morning but luckily a quick trip to the Near Shore had solved that problem and it was a good job as well, normal shoes would not cut it here. Suzaku had been hiking before, inestigating the forest but today is as far different from that day as could possibly be.

It's not raining for one, he is with friends, Edge and Lord Saber had happily taken up the invitation and Suzaku knows most other people in the group.

It's been a strange few weeks, with the compound fight, more memories and strange happenings but it's nice to get out and do something fun. Especially something fun outdoors.

It turns out Suzaku likes hiking. He's as relaxed as most people have probably ever seen him and there's almost a spring in his step and a smile on his face, pausing every so often to take in the view.

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