thenearshore | April Training

Entry tags:

April Training

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: May 8th 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, should they allow it, guided to the rear of the Meeting Hall, where a traditionally styled dojo and training ground have been made available for the day. The gods and shinki are free to take their time during this day to learn about the details of their new life from Amaterasu's shinki or from more experienced god and shinki volunteers.

Meeting Hall

God Training

the information they're given.

as was the case a month and a half ago

Suijin's findings

off

Shinki Training

informational pamphlets

borderline

HELLO, MY NAME IS ________

Physical Training

inside

Rajio Taisou

seiza

Rest and Refreshments

kindergarten-age songs

enka

In Summary:

Get all the information you can handle
Discuss with your temple-mates if you'd like to volunteer to host training
Choose your style of physical training: high- or low-impact
Enjoy singing together
Have fun~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Edge quite likes kids -- most likely because his position as royalty went a long way towards insulating him from their worst and most intolerable behavior. Or perhaps because he's not the most mature himself.]

Well, hello, Toyo! [Edge gently offers her a hand.] You're a very lucky girl! I've worked with Ayumu before and it was an absolute delight. Maybe all three of us will get to go help someone on the Near Shore sometime soon!

[Smooth, Edge. Luckily, she's in a good mood today and willing to let the move pass without comment. When Edge offers her his hand, Toyo blinks a bit owlishly, clearly a little confused, unused to handshakes as a greeting, and looks toward her goddess for instruction which she gives quickly enough.]

It's a handshake, a greeting, Toyo-chan. Like a bow. Just take his hand and shake it.

[At the direction, Toyo does just that, clamping down on Edge's hand with a surprisingly firm grip fo such a small girl and starts vigorously moving it up and down.

Ayumu chuckles.]

Maybe we could. It might be fun.

[She has a lot of work ahead of her if she's going to get back to where she once was.]

Whoa, whoa! My arm! You're so strong! [Not that she's really hurting him, of course, but it never hurts to pretend. Kids like to feel special, after all! When she lets go of his hand at last, he shakes it like it stings, winking at Toyo.]

I imagine you've got some settling in to do before I swoop you off for dinner and arson, though. [Straightening up, he turns his look fully on Ayumu, eyes serious despite how light he's keeping his tone.] Everything all right on your end?

[Toyo beams, giggling at Edge's performance. At this moment, it's easy to imagine her she's an ordinary little girl, instead of a shinki without a soul.]

As well as can be expected. I didn't expect to get spirited away or back here again. But I'll adjust. I always do.

[It's the one thing that she's gotten quite good at during her time in this world - learning how to bounce back from sudden disappearances, homelessness, life-threatening incidents, even death itself. She's still adapting to civilian life but that very well might be a lifelong endeavor.

At least, she has some parenting experience, courtesy of other child shinki she's had before this one and has had time to learn how to use them and look after them properly.]

I'm afraid that most of my followers have all moved on, though. It'll take time to recover what I lost.

[On so many different fronts. Ayumu smiles regardless.]

I don't know about arson this time but dinner might be nice. Someplace calm and peaceful, perhaps.

[Now Edge isn't certain how much of that accepting act is real. Ayumu strikes him as the kind of person who just doesn't admit things if something's troubling her. (A heck of a lot of people on the Far Shore fit that description, honestly...) But he also acknowledges that if it isn't true, he's got no leverage to get the truth out of her. So he'll accept her words at face value, for now.]

So in other words, definitely not my temple. [With Saber around, it's as calm as an earthquake's epicenter.] Luckily I know some good places in the Near Shore, if that strikes your fancy!

That sounds nice. It's been a while since I've gone there at all. I haven't really been able to go there the past couple of weeks.

[In hindsight, she probably should've contacted Edge sooner to let him know she was back before today but she'd needed the respite from stress that Ebisu's temple and shinki had offered her. And of course, spending quality time with Joscelin after their abrupt separation had been her first priority. Family comes first with her, always, whether they be her shinki, from households she'd lived in as a shinki herself, or those that wear Shinsengumi blues.]

This is my second session back, actually. I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner. The circumstances were very unusual and I had a lot of things to take care of as well as needed a rest.

[Despite everything that had gone awry in her previous life here, she still feels a little guilty for admitting that she simply needed a break. And of course, there'd been the matter of needing to put some matters to rest with her former lover, exemplar, and man indirectly responsible for killing her once.]

But um. Where were you thinking of going? Out of curiosity?

Edited 2019-05-18 04:49 (UTC)

[Edge waves off her apology without a second thought. It might be a hit to his pride, but not much of one; as well as they'd gotten along initially, they still didn't know each other all that well.]

I haven't had the chance to find out what kind of food you like! What kind of food both of you like, actually. So as soon as I learn that...

[He tips his head and spreads a hand, to indicate the quite logical procession of thoughts.]

[It's a relief to see that she hasn't gravely offended him somehow, where none was intended. Maybe on some level she's gotten too used to being surrounded by sensitive, volatile men. She relaxes just a bit, her gaze dropping thoughtfully to Toyo as she ponders the question.]

Well, I haven't had a chance to find out what Toyo-chan likes just yet but I like all kind of foods. I've been wanting to try more Western foods. I've mostly tried Japanese and Chinese food with just a little bit of Western now and then.

[Ayumu bends down so she can look Toyo in the eyes, smiling gently.]

How about you? What would you like? Something from here or something from somewhere else?

[For a moment, Toyo looks a little overwhelmed by the question. Do soulless shinki even have individual likes and dislikes? There's just so much that no one seems to really know about them. Even so, Ayumu has no intention of treating the little girl like she's just some kind of thing and not a person.

However, a second or two passes before Toyo pipes up with: "Something new! Something Western!"

Ayumu chuckles.]

Well, I guess there you have it. Toyo-chan would like to have Western food for dinner.

[Edge isn't a soulless shinki, of course, and has never worked with one, so his opinions on the matter are utterly ungrounded. He just figures that treating one like any other person can't go wrong.]

Then we are bound to oblige. [He bows slightly to Toyo, making his cape swirl dramatically behind him. Ladies love the cape, right?]

What do you think of hamburgers? That's quite Western, isn't it? [The division still confuses him a little, since food-by-direction doesn't really jibe with anything tucked away in his mostly-memoryless mind.] It'll be my Royal Treat.

Hamburgers? I don't think I've had that before. How about you, Toyo-chan? That sound okay to you?

[Toyo keeps nodding, bursting into more delighted sounding giggles. Apparently, this little lady does, indeed, love cape. As for the older one, well, she seems fine with it. She's not frowning; in fact, she seems mildly pleased and content.

It's a start?]

Hamburgers sounds fine.

[This little lady has excellent taste!]

Perfect! I know a place that ought to come as close to the standards you two deserve as any place can. [Laying it on a little thick never hurt anyone!] And as I'm generally at liberty, I offer the choice of time to you.

[It doesn't hurt but it is a little strange to hear when one's not used to it. For a split second, Ayumu's expression is very much akin to a cat that's being pet for the very first time in its life and isn't quite sure what to make of the experience. She's not pulling away or protesting though so the approach is a getting a positive (ish) response?]

Well, I don't know for sure. My temple only just returned and I still need to go shopping for some things for Toyo-chan and Joss. It'll have to be after I had some time to go through our things...

[She trails off into a mumble, looking down a moment. It's just dinner. Hamburgers. She and the children need to eat regardless of any cleaning or shopping she needs to do. Edge might be a little weird sometimes but he's not a bad person. He's not going to hurt her or the children.]

But um... give me a couple of days to settle in and take care of a few things first? I can call you then. Joscelin might like to come, too, and it wouldn't be fair to him to just bring Toyo-chan.

[Oh, the hurdles of asking a young mother on a date.]

[Edge accepts these hurdles as still better than not getting a date at all, which makes this conversation miles ahead of most.]

Oh, of course! I wasn't saying now! [Though he does have a faint concern that this is putting him off. Hadn't she said she'd been back for a while now? But if it is, it's at least gentle, and she'd seemed up for it... and besides, now he'd promised Toyo hamburgers so how could she take such a promise away from the girl?] I'm sure you have a million things going on that you can't just drop everything and rush off with me. More's the pity for my heart!

Thank you for understanding.

[Even if she has been back for a couple of weeks, her temple only just materialized today and Ayumu hasn't even set foot in it herself yet. Her promise to Joscelin to work out naming and moving arrangements with Hakkai as soon as possible came first. And that was before the Heavens handed her a child with no clothing or toys this morning.

But she knows in her heart that immediate practical concerns aren't the only ones weighing on her. She'd just seen her ill-fated first love from when she'd been a goddess before a couple of weeks ago. And she'd learned then, too, that her newer, equally ill-fated love as a shinki has vanished, too, in her absence. As much as she wants a stable, committed romance and a satisfactory mate for her household, it's a process she'll be taking very slowly and carefully.

After all, Ayumu doesn't want to get hurt again and she likes Edge. She doesn't want to hurt him either or risk getting his hopes or expectations up too high. Besides, devoting herself to someone without discrimination or spending time properly getting to know them or even her own wants and desires hasn't worked out for her well, either.]

Like I said, I'll give you a call in a few days. Once I've had a chance to speak to Joscelin and take care of a few things, you'll hear from me.

Edited 2019-05-23 10:50 (UTC)

[The secret he won't tell her is that his heart isn't truly in this, not when it's been caught by another. That this is him trying to get it free and move on.]

[Though he sure could do a lot worse! Ayumu's very pretty and definitely the sort of girl he's come to like, though he has a lot of getting to know her to do. Apparently that's important to him these days!]

So long as Saber doesn't get it into his head to start blowing stuff up and Suzaku doesn't go on a moping spree, I'll be waiting breathlessly. If they do that, I'll need a breath or two, but I'll still be waiting!

I understand. It can be difficult to find time or energy for things when the dust around you refuses to settle.

[It's been point of silent contention between herself and the family she'd found herself in as a shinki. It'd gotten harder and harder to handle the constant drama and conflict that surrounded them when all Ayumu wanted and needed was some peace and stability in which she could figure out her life. Her time in the sanctuary Sanzang had given her had been too brief but the teachings she'd passed down to guide her linger on.]

I hope that you're managing to get some reprieve from it all, at least.

Aaah. [Edge rubs at the back of his head, feeling a little called-out now. Not guilty, fortunately for Saber wherever he is, but maybe he owes a bit of a more nuanced view.] They're great guys, really. I don't think I'd trade my position there for any other temple. Sure, it's exhausting, but it's a good sort, you know?

[He glances down at Toyo, making the comparison. Though he might not be the parent of the temple really, it's a similar deal. A lot of effort, but reward in measure.]

I think that I understand. I can't speak for Toyo-chan just yet but Joscelin can be a handful sometimes. I'm used to it though. My friends and family back in my world are a rowdy bunch, too, but I wouldn't trade them for anyone.

[As exasperated and fed up with the people in her life as Ayumu can get sometimes, she truly does love them and it always cuts her deeply once they're truly gone. But she's hoping that with a little more peace and stabilty in her life she can finally get her life in order and work at getting better at handling herself when she starts feeling that way.

After all, Ayumu doesn't like the way she's dealt with some aspects of her life here any more than others have. But it's hard to learn better ways without the proper materials or an effective teacher.]

I'm sure mine had to be! [But he doesn't think about that; the aversion is quite real. The sole memory that had drifted back to him contained no one he'd call a peer, either.]

[With a chuckle, he adds:] Or I was that friend to them. That's always possible! I think at least my seneschal and the palace staff saw me that way, though that might have been because they were a lot older.

'Seneschal'? 'Palace'?

[The first word's unfamiliar but the second isn't, conjuring images of great castles in the traditional Japanese style. Ayumu's hesitant to inquire in detail though given that Edge is a shinki. It's one of the hazards of bonding with shinki not her own as a god, she's found. In her experience, gods and shinki stand on opposite sides of a deep ravine that can be difficult to traverse.

That little bit of distance while she's on the mend and moving forward might be just what she needs, though.]

I wouldn't have expected you to ever have set foot in a palace. No offense.

[Travelling on the road off on a grand adventure seems more like Edge's style to her.]

Oh, not only did I step in one...

[Half-turning to present himself in profile, he tosses his cape back so it snaps dramatically once again. Image is important, you know! And playing up his own awesomeness is a huge part of image!]

You're looking at the King of Eblan. The sole memory I've recovered, but a pretty important and cool one, don't you think?

[Now that is both surprising and impressive. Not so much the dramatic pose that accompanies the revelation but she's come to view that as simply one of Edge's quirks. There's a bit of reflexive confusion, too - why would a king want to spend his time with a scarred, retired soldier like her?]

That sure is something I never would've expected to hear from you. It's impressive , though. I imagine that's a position with a lot of power and responsibility to bear.

[With sudden self-consciousness, Ayumu reaches up to touch the disfigured brow over her bad eye, looking down at her feet. She's not exactly the type of woman that would look pretty or sit comfortably on a king's arm. Maybe she could've faked it before she'd left the Shinsengumi compound for the last time but not anymore.

Little Toyo, who's fallen silent again during the conversation, suddenly throws her arms around Ayumu's legs in a hug.

Right. She has a new family - children - to think of. This isn't just about her own feelings and desires for a potential mate anymore.]

[Color him a little surprised -- if he's being honest, he hadn't expected her to be impressed at all. Experience has taught him that... well, his personality overwhelms his title, for good or for ill.]

Well, if I'm being honest. [One of the best ways he has to express awkward emotions is to rub the back of his head, so he does just that.] I'm not sure the bureaucracy was my strong suit.

[What's not to be impressed about? Leadership requires strength, cunning, knowledge, and responsibility. Ayumu had a front row seat to the strain it'd had on Toshi, maybe not as close as Souji's, but enough to be well aware of how demanding the duties of it could be.

But to lead an entire nation of people? Ayumu can't even imagine how much pressure that would be.

Her expression softens with genuine sympathy. Funny how it makes her look a little younger.]

I'm sure you did the best you could with the hand you were dealt. Leadership isn't easy, not when you care about those within your charge. It's a difficult, complicated job.

[Even if neither of them know the full story behind his kingship, Ayumu's a good enough judge of character to be certain that Edge would've done the best he could by his people.]

[Hey, Edge can't imagine either! He remembers only one day, a brief period that may or may not be representative. Though from that he does think she's right -- even if his best doesn't include really focusing on the nitty-gritty.]

Right. It's more important to rule well than it is to rule by the book! That's what delegation is for!

April Training

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