thenearshore | Book Party [ota]

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Book Party [ota]

Who: Romeo, Elfnein and literally everyone in the heavens. Even if you weren't personally invited every invite came with a +ALL YOUR FRIENDS and there's also a sign. Strangers are just friends these two haven't met yet.
When: 29th April. Afternoon onwards
Where: Temple Smol (Gegute's library)
What: Just the cutest book party the heavens has ever known! Bring your best book!

Arrival

You might have received an invitation, or perhaps you are just passing Gegute’s library but there is an brightly painted sign outside.

Book Party today!

Everyone welcome! Bring your best book or dress up!

Lots of tasty food!

The doors of the temple are open and once you arrive in the lobby there are more bright arrows pointing the way into the library. If you are still stuck mister Goat is at the help desk, he’ll direct any one who needs it!

Activities

The layout of the library hasn’t really changed at all, except a few tables being moved to accommodate activities and all the comfy reading cushions have been brought to a central location. All the shelves are decorated with colourful paper chains and streamers.

Romeo had really enjoyed Yuna’s birthday party with the activities to do so he had copied the idea for Elfnein’s book party! On one table there is material for making bookmarks. You might want to recut the card strips, they are a little wonky. There is ribbon and glitter and colouring pens and glue.

On another there is a cardboard box puppet theatre, painted in a riot of colours with colourful strips of material as curtains. There is some felt and other material, as well as scissors, glue and wool to make puppets with. A sign reads in childish Hirigana. Show your best book!

Food

The invitations had promised lots of tasty food and there sure was a lot! A whole table filled with tasty treats, Romeo had been very very busy! There was a whole tray of chopped fruit, another of vegetables like carrots and cucumber.

There was bread and cheese and two bowls of pasta with different sauces. Another bowl of noddles with meat and vegetables. There was a huge bowl of rice too with a tray of grilled fish and a bowl of broccoli and asparagus.

An entire part of the table was taken up by apples and things with apples in them, apple turnovers and even an attempt at an apple pie, it was a bit smushed but probably tasted fine.

There was a tray of very misshapen cookies with messy icing and another of even messier cupcakes with far too much buttercream. There were also churos and a chocolate Gateaux, these seemed to have been bought rather than made, Romeo hadn’t even known where to start it making them!

There was an attempt at making books and other shapes out of rice and vegetables packed in the two bento boxes Ebisu’s temple had given him for Christmas, but they were a bit crumbly, misshapen or just plain strange. In the centre of Romeo’s bento attempts was his magical bento box, every time it was opened there were different fancy bento creations, if the children’s attempts left a lot to be desired.

Have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Is there glitter on her face? Did she say something wrong? Ginia goes still as Ebisu stares at her. There are plenty of people she expects teasing from and can weather well, but from her god? Ginia blushes instantly, temporarily at a loss for words.

...He's not wrong either.

Ginia types a little faster as she works through her burst of embarrassment.

"It was when you were giving tours of the temple. I attended the day Aomi was presenting, though I suppose we didn't really talk. I think I met some of your shinki on the night of the God's Meeting, but I was a snow leopard at the time."

Ebisu absolutely knows he's not wrong, thank you.

"Oh, yes, I recall that. Many of my shinki couldn't do much besides offer presentations, since they often had to hurry back to work at that time." Oops, that's a slightly larger blob of glue than he meant... But at least it hasn't exploded yet. "We also couldn't attend the God's Meeting as much as the other temples, besides Kimi, who had to go in my place to look into the rankings of the various gods. We were busy looking over the Near Shore."

Ginia eyes the blob of glue, but it's fine, it's not a disaster at all. She still checks to see if there are any napkins or paper towels around.

It makes sense Kimi was there as representative. He must have been the one to accept accolades on Ebisu's behalf, though what Ginia remembers of that ceremony was mostly the opportunity to tease Shun about being an upcoming God of Fortune. There's not too much she remembers from the meeting itself, given all the people there and still trying to find her footing as a shinki.

"If I make it to October, it'll mark my first year here." Maybe by then she'll have everything sorted out, or at least a better grasp on things. "With everything that's happened, it's hard to believe it's only been six months."

"Soon, you'll be able to savor the seasons more," Ebisu says, as if it's an inevitability and not just a prayer they're both relying on, going to something beyond even gods. "Even if you work a lot in the temple most of the time, it should still be fine, I think." The glue trail is now completely uneven when it comes to how much glue is being put out, but... No disaster yet.

That lets Ebisu take a moment to pause and smile at her. "Maybe we should do something special."

"I'll be nice to see what summer is like." Even with her coworker's warnings about the high temperatures and humidity, it still sounds nice. All the festivals, beach trips, comiket, not that she expects to see much of it outside of work, but it's something new to experience.

Ginia returns the smile, rubbing her neck. It's not as if she hasn't considered it; she said as much to Tsubasa and Chris. The one in January doesn't quite feel like hers anyway. A convenient marker more than anything else.

"I brought up it up with Tsubasa and Chris. But I know October is pretty busy too with all the festivals for you."

"Are we ever not busy?" Ebisu points out, smiling a little bit. That is the nature in his temple, for as long as he can remember. Admittedly, that's only a few years in his case... But it's not a problem that seems like it's going to go away for a while. Not with his lack of employees, and not with how popular he is as a god.

"We'll find a way to do something, although I apologize that it may not be a big event."

"I don't need anything big. A lunch or dinner with my friends and family is all I want."

Ginia doesn't even need presents, though she's pretty sure she wouldn't be able to stop people from bringing them anyway. A chance to reflect on the year, celebrate surviving it, making a few memories, it's all she can ask for.

Granted, there's nothing stopping her from doing that now. This party and her conversation with Garry are proof there's an interest in social gatherings.

"A meal with family and friends..." That is simple enough, at least in theory. However, it can't simply rest at that. Not when Ebisu is around. So Ebisu reaches for a blank piece of paper and some pens. At least he can hold a pen a little better than he can hold a glue bottle... because he's certainly starting to write out some stuff, including math.

"The kitchen staff could easily make food for that kind of event, but if you want them to attend as well, since Kimi is a part of that group, then it would be easier to make a reservation at a restaurant, and..."

Oh, oh, they're getting into things now, aren't they. Ginia should have expected that in hindsight, but it doesn't stop a briefly panicked expression from crossing over as she looks for Kiwami and Aomi.

"I was thinking a potluck maybe?" It's what others seem to do and it's the easiest way to spread the work out. The temple has some of the best cooks around, but it's a bit selfish asking them to work for a party for her. Especially Kimi.

"But a restaurant would have the space for a large party and allow everyone to enjoy themselves without having to worry about anything. There's also the added benefit of putting money back into the economy and possibly answering someone's prayer in the process.

"A buffet would allow for large variety of food, while something like hot pot or yakiniku would offer a communal aspect. It also has to be somewhere that allows all ages as not all my friends are of drinking age, though I suppose that'll depend on who is still around by then."

"If we wanted to do something communal, than maybe that yakiniku idea would definitely allow for more bonding, and I'm fairly certain that all ages are allowed in most stores..." His tongue peeks out from his mouth as he writes. "But we'll need somewhere large enough..."

Meanwhile, across a few tables, Aomi pauses where he's looking at some of the puppets with Kiwami. He touches his coworker's shoulder lightly to get his attention before the two of them circle back. "I thought you were making bookmarks?" Aomi says once he's close enough to see that Ebisu is definitely not doing that. Not anymore, anyway.

Ginia begins a mental headcount of who she would invite out side of the temple. Chris and Tsubasa of course, and they'd probably want to be involved in planning in some way too. Luger too, as well as D2. Shun and Chinatsu, Kotori as well. She doesn't know Ren's-now-Shun's soulless shinki, but they'd be welcome as well. Hibiki and Wendy, she's pretty sure Hibiki can resist not making the event all about her. Chikusa, and naturally Ken and Hakkai by extension. She's also pretty sure all three God of Fortunes can be civil with each other...

That's a lot of people already and there are still more friends. Granted, not everyone will be able to make it; who knows who will be around by then. It's no less surprising realizing how many people she knows and gets along with.

She waves sheepishly at Aomi and Kiwami. "My fault. I brought up I'll have been here a year in October and wanted to celebrate it somehow."

Aomi chuckles a little bit at that. "That only gives us a few months to celebrate, doesn't it? Although at least we do have all of summer."

"That should be enough time," Ebisu proclaims while Kiwami sidles over to get a better look at the math he's doing, "both for finding a large enough place and for convincing people to take up more work for our temple!" That part will be the most vital, and it works out for all of them if it's successful. All Ebisu has to do is make sure it's manageable...

Well, he'll work it out. There's no point in quitting before even reaching the starting line.

"I promise I would be perfectly happy with a potluck picnic in a park and not having to think about whatever crisis is going on for a few hours." Her needs are simple. Friends, good food, and peace of mind. If she could get Kimi alone for a few hours, that would be nice too, but those are things she will never admit in front of her god and her boyfriend's ex.

Mostly, she's a little afraid they might try to arrange that too.

But there is a point in there and it's been a constant worry.

"I wonder if there's a way to bring more people in to help out? New people aside, I think everyone here that's willing to help is already helping."

"Too late," Kiwami deadpans. Now that she's brought it up, well, they're going full hog on the celebration front. Frankly, if they can manage it, it's something that their temple sorely needs after a good couple of years bordering on a second death from so much work. That's likely something Ebisu knows as well....

...So it is perhaps a little worrying when he beams so innocently like that, temporarily abandoning his work to straighten up and swing his legs. "That's only asking in an upfront manner! There's still a lot more we can try to get further help."

That's worrying. It'd be more worrying if Ebisu wasn't a very long-lived god of commerce. There a required level of shrewdness when it comes to business, and they've survived this long too. Ginia huffs and looks at Kiwami and Aomi with mock suspicion, a light crinkle of a smile as she types.

"I'll follow your lead in that, though I'll keep passing out flyers at training. I'll rewrite the ad for the magazine too."

A pause, another sigh as she considers her conversation with Garry.

"Maybe I should stop picking up new projects."

"...Then... I'll leave that in your care, Aomi-san."

"Please don't put me in a leadership position so suddenly..."

While his shinki mess around in that, Ebisu's attention is more snagged by what else she said, and he puts his cheeks in his hands. "Were you thinking of something else that's interesting, Jitsumi?" He doesn't have the time to get into such things himself, but he is interested.

"I was talking with another shinki earlier about how it'd be nice to have more parties or other outings. A few months ago, someone organized an outing on the Far Shore at one of the entertainment centers that was pretty popular. And there was blind dating for Valentine's Day."

Both impressively done in their own way. Blind dating certainly couldn't have been cheap to do, though having the financial support of a god of fortune certainly helps. As it stands, Ginia is leveraging that same benefit.

"I agreed to help financially and with ideas. I figured for any possible group outings, it could help with some prayers too. I suppose it ties back to our earlier conversation too. My generation is closer and we like to do things and get to know each other."

To the surprise of no one, Ebisu immediately pipes up with, "I encourage this sort of thinking!" After all, if she's bearing the financial brunt, then that means money is going into circulation, and it's fulfilling the purposes which makes it more than strips of meaningless paper or metal.

Almost immediately, however, his eyes seem to spark, and he cups his chin. "I wonder if there's something we could get them too..."

And there's that 'non upfront manner' he was hinting at before...

There's a slow raise of her brow as Ebisu continues to plot. "Maybe before I agree to help with anything, I should ask the specifics of what you're planning."

It's the better way to do business, though she trusts in whatever he's thinking. Ginia assumes in some part it's similar to what she's thinking: choosing enjoyable locations for an outing or group activity and using the people attending to clear prayers on their end. With her funds covering the cost of admission or other base costs, it frees up everyone else to spend money on food or shopping. Even the few less enthused about a day of fun and socializing could be convinced to attend by clearing ayakashi.

Though for as much as Ginia is willing to choose locations that would ease the workload of her temple, her primary focus is giving people a chance to socialize and get to know each other. If the idea takes off, it'll probably be more parties than big outings to somewhere like a theme park or zoo.

So she's definitely interested in whatever deeper idea Ebisu has.

"Of course!" Snapping out of it for a brief moment, Ebisu beams up at her. "Since you have volunteered your money for this idea in the first place, it's only proper to consult with you every step of the way." Both of them are on the same page here, in that he also knows what better ways to do business are. Before he's a god associated with commerce, he's a god for the people, and he cares a lot what they think... whether in life or in death.

"Right now, I don't have anything set in stone, of course. Certainly I have a lot of ideas that I've considered, but I would need a little bit of time to come up with anything properly concrete. However... I think what would be best for all parties would be simply arranging the timing and location so that they would be encouraged to take care of some prayers on our end. After all, that generous spirit has been used quite a few times before, from what I understand!" He remembers what had happened during that cleaning of the hot springs.

"It would be easier than one would think as well. Some people, when they pray, take a rather shotgun-like approach in that they spread their prayers out, hoping to find someone who will listen." He laughs a little. "It's not a terrible approach. However, I would probably have more prayers in common with a god of fortune like Hakkai-san, especially since our domains overlap."

People do have a way of pitching in when there's work to be done, even when it's at Heaven's request. Given Ebisu is generally far more liked among the new generation, it should be as easy capitalizing on the same diligence and generosity. Especially if they don't know. Passive assistance can go a long way as well as direct assistance. No doubt such activities could benefit a lot of gods given how prayers and domains can overlap.

"I certainly have a few places in mind that would benefit the tourism department if we used them for an outing." Such is the benefit of knowing some of the best places to go around Japan. A few places are even places she would personally like to go to and not only to pass through for work. "And knowing some of the domains covered by my friends, it would benefit them as well."

Ginia has thought over some in how the domains of her gods and god friends overlap. When she served Alex and Chris, it helped their domains meshed nicely, though she never did many prayers for both at the same time. With Ebisu's domains covering all things financial, there's some slight overlap there too (especially right around White Day). But in the way Ebisu's domains are defined but still broad, so are Chris's. A lot falls under love, war, and justice, especially when one takes the shotgun approach.

"I suppose even if each god has defined domains, they can be fairly broad. I wouldn't have considered how your domains would overlap with Hakkai's, but it makes sense. Shun and Chris overlap slightly, but would also overlap with Bishamon too. Hibiki and Benzaiten overlap obviously though music and performance, but Apollo covers quite a lot. Actually, she overlaps with you as crops and herd animals fall under her protection."

...Wait. IS THAT WHY HIBIKI HAS GOATS? Ginia laughs to herself at the belated realization.

"I have no doubt. But I'll have to spare someone to look into the different prayers to see what the cross-prayer ratio is like and with who..." Which will definitely be a fun project for someone, making that particular spreadsheet. Arts and crafts momentarily forgotten, Ebisu swings his legs back and forth while he thinks.

"I wonder if Takami would benefit from that sort of task..." Ebisu would like it if all of his shinki could get out a little more, of course. That's part of why he's thinking of a plan such as this, along with simply the benefits for everyone involved. However, Takami has definitely been one of his most stressed, which is an impressive accomplishment when everyone is stressed.

Takami is definitely the most stressed and with fair reason, but Ginia still worries plenty about him.

"I think a dedicated task like this could help him." It's a personal project from Ebisu, which could serve as a way for Takami to prove himself again (not that he needs to). It's also not too difficult. Takami can easily look up a god's domain through any number of references and confirm with the god. Most of the gods of her generation are cooperative enough anyway and shouldn't give him too much trouble.

"It'll take more time creating the initial list. After that, it's adding or removing individuals as they arrive or leave. I could help with that. I keep an eye on the contact list already."

"I agree." It's work without overwork. Ebisu knows his shinki well enough, despite his age, and he knows that particular issue is one Takami has trouble with. Finally satisfied with a plan, he looks back to his bookmark. Now where was he...?

"It's an impressive bit of work, isn't it?" he asks, referring to the BBS while Kiwami quietly reaches over to nudge some glue a bit from Ebisu's elbow.

"It's a nice communication system. I've always wondered who maintains the system." Mostly because of how quickly it updates with arrivals and departures. Knowing who has the information and how they're getting it could explain how they arrive and how people go away.

That was the long, discussed theory for awhile, but the crystal certainly throws all of that for a loop.

"I also like the romance story someone's posting on it."

Book Party [ota]

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