May Training

[brynwieldr]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: May 23rd 2017
Where: Odin’s Temple
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki; bonding opportunities for all other gods and shinki

Gods and shinki who arrive at the meeting hall are, for once, not led to the back for an introduction to their new roles. They’re instead rounded up and shown the way to Odin’s Temple, where "Odin" is waiting for them. Hopefully the sight of a twenty-something in loose pants and a t-shirt isn’t too shocking compared to the formally dressed old gods.

Basic Information

Unlike previous introductions, Leo has all the newcomers meet in the front room. There’s chairs and a sofa and ottomans for anyone who wants to sit, and they’ve brought in a dais of sorts for Leo and Kairi to stand on.

"Welcome to Heaven, or the Far Shore as some of the older gods call it. I am Leo de Borel, formerly a prince of the Kingdom of Nohr and currently the god Odin. This is my shinki, Kairi. The old gods have asked me to host training this time, but before we do that, you should know what you’re getting into. Some of this information is not my own, but was gathered by my husband, Aymeric de Borel. Unfortunately he's currently down with a sleeping sickness and couldn't join us today."

Leo then launches into basic rundown of Heaven and how things work here--the gods answer prayers, the shinki assist them, ayakashi are the monsters they fight and are generally the main thing causing the people on the Near Shore grief, and a brief summary of the greatly diminished cult--and asks for the gods and the shinki to follow either him or Kairi, depending on which they are. He’ll help anyone who’s not sure which they are figure it out, and then he and Kairi take their groups outside where Leo has set up some training grounds.

God Information

As they head outside, Leo explains a god’s role a bit more in depth to any newcomers and will answer questions should anyone else ask them. Once they get outside and most of the important questions are answered, Leo hands out pamphlets he had made that summarize most of the important information shared today, with an emphasis on not telling a shinki about their past no matter what, and tells them that today is mostly going to be about them figuring out their powers and perhaps finding a shinki or two they work well with, should they not already have one. If they have any other questions, they’re welcome to come find him and ask.

Shinki Information

All of the shinki, no matter how recently they arrived, are treated to a parallel speech by Kairi, but it’s with a bit of passion focusing on god-shinki bonds and what they could be, which she hopes applies to brand new shinki as well as shinki who are only as "new" as she is. She cites a shinki’s ability to help their god/dess with prayers in more ways than as a vessel, for one thing, and that temple structures will vary with the gods themselves. Some become families, for instance - here she looks to both Raichi and D2 - and deep friendships that can last beyond any struggle you can imagine - she looks at Lance and Dust. She explains how there was a time when just being attached to the same pantheon as your god meant that another temple might help you, and some of the new gods may still feel that way. Her point remains that if there’s a specific sort of bond you’re looking for, that god might be out there waiting for them, and she encourages them to ask an older shinki for advice if they’re uncomfortable in their current temple setup. "No one will understand better than your fellow shinki," she insists with a smile.

Speech over, she offers pamphlets to those who might not have received one previously and directs any shinki still struggling with spellwork to where Leo has arranged for a few of Amateratsu’s shinki to teach them how to cast a borderline. More experienced shinki are welcome to assist, but once you think you’ve got it the shinki are welcome to join the gods in the training grounds. Kairi tells the newbies the same thing Leo told the gods: their main goal for today is to get in some practice and maybe find a god they work well with.

Physical Training and Pair Ups

It’s a simple set up this month, since Leo’s yard isn’t really built for this sort of thing, but the basic set up is what you’d expect; there’s dummies for more solo practice, a sparring circle for some one-on-one training, and food laid out for anyone who gets hungry. (And if anyone asks who did the cooking or otherwise thanks Leo, he will direct them to Yoon because he did all the cooking, except for the pizzas. Praise him.)

Once everyone is more or less at the training area, Leo asks everyone to hold a moment so he can explain one last thing.

“The Heavens have asked that my shinki and I do our best to pair unpartnered gods and shinki up, be they new or old, in hopes of making stronger, more lasting bonds. If you meet someone you think you might work well with in the long term, please let either Kairi or I know and we’ll make a note of it.”

And that’s the last you’ll hear from Leo officially, unless you have questions.

Battle Tactics

Or maybe not. For those of you with a partner or who are just interested in learning new techniques, Leo’s arranged for something a little unique this month.

Perhaps you and your partner aren’t really fighting optimally, no matter what you do, or are just getting outmatched by some of the more intelligent ayakashi and have to resort to brute forcing your way through them. Leo has offered to spar against those who want to work on their teamwork (with or without his own shinki) or otherwise observe a fight so he can offer advice afterwards on how you might improve your teamwork.

If you don’t have a partner or are just interested in something not physical (which Leo totally gets), Leo’s also set up a few things inside. There’s a couple of chess sets out (always a good option) as well as, oddly, a few video games. Leo found a game that allowed him to set up simulated large scale battles if you want to try your hand at that sort of thing, as well as games to encourage cooperation between a god and their shinki. This includes a game where up to four people are trying to run a restaurant and one game that has one person reading from a manual and the other trying to defuse a bomb.

Have fun!

In Summary:

• Be baffled by this millennial looking god
• Attend the information meeting
• Train
• Eat, meet people, maybe find a partner
• Play video games
• Have fun~

Comments

[myblueskies]

Romeo blinked at her when she knelt down and held the end of his spear. He knew that, he knew that fighting should be the last thing, that you should try and find other ways first. To stop the fighting and work together to keep everyone safe together.

But...

"Ayakashi don't listen though, they just want to eat us. Sotero never listened either, he was just angry and wanted to hurt us." Though that situation was more complicated, Romeo knew. He knew now that a different bad person had been telling Sotero what to do, but he still hadn't listened.

"And Chikusa said..." He pressed his lips together and met Ginia's eyes, as if sizing her up. She is kind and helpful and good but she's still a grown up and Chikusa is just a kid.

[unlucky7]

Negotiations failed in the basement of the compound (though it seems unlikely they ever had a chance) and even Ebisu had to fight. Sometimes one must defend themselves against a threat, sometimes things have reached the point where fighting is tantamount to survival. Ginia nods slowly at Romeo's words, acknowledging the truth of his statements. She releases the spear.

"Sotero was scared. He was acting the only way he knew. Maybe if more people talked to him and helped him understand things, he wouldn't have unleashed a volcano."

Not commenting on the ayakashi part. Ayakashi can be controlled, but at great risk. She knows too much about things, kids are perceptive, she won't risk giving something away.

And Chikusa... she may not know what Chikusa said specifically, but she understands him to some degree. Ginia knows herself, knows the monster she is, and the life she can never walk away from as much as she wants to. Is it too late for some of them to change completely? Maybe. A lot of horrible things can be done in the name of good. A lot of things can be done in order to survive.

"Chikusa says and does a lot of things that shouldn't always be followed. That doesn't mean he's wrong or bad. I don't think anyone is purely good or bad. People are too complicated for that."

[myblueskies]

"People are really complicated." Romeo sighed, "But Chikusa says that if we don't kill people they will kill our friends. If we even stop to try and think of a better way to do things it will be too late and they will kill our friends."

He doesn't want to believe Chikusa is bad, just like he doesn't believe Joss is bad. But he also doesn't think Chikusa is right...

But then again Chikusa is bigger than him, he knows a lot more even if a lot of what he knows is scary.

"He says if we don't stop the bad people then we are just as bad as them, but he also says we can't make them change their mind or convince them not to hurt others... We just got to kill them."

He's held all this in his heart for a while and now he's talking it's like the words are spilling out all by themselves.

1/2

[unlucky7]

...What the hell, Chikusa? Ginia keeps her expression level but there's a burst of frustration internally and it takes all her restraint to not facepalm.

2/2

[unlucky7]

Because as annoyed as she feels for Chikusa having that conversation with Romeo, there are aspects she can't disagree with. It's not like she hasn't killed before. There's plenty of blood on her hands already, who knows how much more in her living life. If anyone threatened her family or friends, she'd defend them.

"That is the perfect way to get more enemies. Killing someone is easy and if you aren't thinking of the long-term consequences, it can make things worse."

After all, she didn't expect the cult to use the vice-principal's death as a rallying point for their cause.

"I can understand where Chikusa is coming from. I also think he's simplifying things too much."

[myblueskies]

The perfect way to get more enemies... Romeo is relieved that Ginia doesn't feel the same way as Chikusa. He guessed he had been worried that all the grown ups thought the same way and just weren't telling him, because he was a kid. That they were hiding it from him and really the world was full of people who would kill each other.

"I thought so too miss... Because if people are good and bad all mixed up then if you kill them... It's not a good thing. Because you can always help them first and help them show their good."

He doesn't want his friends to be killed though, miss Ginia said he was good at talking to people and understanding them but he's not sure he can do it fast enough. Not if things were like Chikusa said.

[unlucky7]

"Taking a life is a very serious thing and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's not something everyone can do and it's not something everyone should be able to do."

In a just world, no one should have to take a life of another, but this isn't the world they live in. In a world where Heaven is comfortable murdering a god and his shinki based on flimsy evidence, Ginia keeps her knives sharp, her gun loaded, and her borderlines ready.

She looks sadly at Romeo. There's nothing wrong with knowing self-defense and wanting to protect the people around you. But a child shouldn't have to fight when there are adults around. Yet here they're all tools and all have their obligations to serve.

"I think it's good to know self-defense. But words are valuable too and should also be trained in."

[myblueskies]

Not something everyone should be able to do... That's a relief. Because really Romeo isn't sure he would even be able to kill someone. It's a really big bad thing and where he knows he would fight and fight and fight until the end to protect Elfnein and his other friends, he really isn't sure he could kill another person. Even for his friends... But if it was the only choice, he doesn't know what he would do and it makes him sad and scared all at once.

He punches the air, keeping his spirits up to get through this difficult conversation.

"You can train in words, miss?"

[unlucky7]

May he never have to take a life. With all those ready to defend him, many would gladly fight in his place. It's an adult's responsibility to take care of the younger people around after all.

"You should speak to Ebisu. He is a god who fights with words and makes progress that way." The world of business is one fought through negotiations after all. "Many of his shinki could help too."

Who else could he also speak with... "You should also talk to Iskandar. He's someone that knows how to inspire others with his words. Chris and Tsubasa also know how to reach people with words. Of course, Elfnein as well."

[myblueskies]

"I do speak to Ebisu! Lots of times." He was good at words it was true. He was even so clumsy because all his energy got used up by his brain! That was how clever Ebisu was!

"I know all of them... Except Tsubasa. I don't know who that is. But I can ask all of them for help!"

That's a good idea.

[unlucky7]

"Tsubasa and Chris are often together. She has blue hair and wears her hair up.' Ginia mimics a long ponytail worn high up. Now that Tsubasa is awake from her long nap, she might be around.

"I'm sure they'll be happy to help you."

[myblueskies]

"I'll keep a lookout for her!" Blue hair is not that common, so he is sure he will be able to spot her pretty easily!

"Thank you miss." He punched the air again. That had been hard things to say but it is good that miss Ginia had ideas to help!

[unlucky7]

Blue hair isn't that common at all, even with all the people with unusual hair colors. Though in hindsight, Ginia remembers there's also another person who matches the same description. Well, at least Tsubasa wears her hair differently. Might even run into her with Chris. It'll work out, she's sure of it.

Ginia smiles a bit, partially for her sake. She straightens up and looks back at the spear and training dummy.

"I won't stop you if you want to keep practicing with the spear. But don't feel like you have to if you don't like it either."

[myblueskies]

"I want to miss." Even if hurting people was bad it was still important to stop bad people from hurting his friends. He didn't want to kill them but he didn't want to leave his friends defenceless.

"I like learning it... I don't think learning something is bad..."

[unlucky7]

"It's good to learn things." That Ginia signs as it's short enough and she knows he knows the words. He's been picking up words fast. She continues continuing to sign, but instead decides to return to typing so she's sure he understands everything she's saying.

"A lot of people learn martial arts not because they want to fight, but as a way of improving their mind and body.  It's known the smartest thing you can do when someone tries to engage you in a fight is to get away as fast as possible. If you like learning how to use a spear, continue with it."

[myblueskies]

It was good to learn things. Romeo listened as her phone played the next message. "To run away? But you got to make sure all your friends get away too!"

That was the most important thing. To make sure everyone got away safely. "Otherwise you are doing self preservation and that's bad."

[unlucky7]

"There's nothing wrong with self-preservation," says the person with very little self-preservation.

"If you're with other people, you need to know how to work with them. If someone tells you to run and you stay to fight and make the situation worse, that's not helping."

[myblueskies]

"Yes there is." Romeo frowned. Ginia was good and he couldn't imagine her leaving people to die. "Running away and letting your friends be eaten is really bad... I think that is even worse than killing someone..." Maybe the same level of bad. They are both terrible things to think about.

If someone told him to run... It would depend... "If someone told you to run and they were a really good fighter and you knew they could beat the bad things then you gotta go so you don't get in the way." He could agree with that, "But that's not self preservation that's different."

[unlucky7]

"And if they weren't a good fighter? If you couldn't do any better and you'd get in the way?" Nothing rarely comes down to one answer. Hypothetical situations are just that and easy to mull over but harder to act in the moment. That's also precisely why people need to think about what they would do.

"There's nothing wrong with self-preservation. Sometimes you can't save everyone and need to save yourself." It's not an answer or a thing she necessarily likes, but it's absolutely a choice she can make. If there's nothing you can do and saving yourself is the best option, better than everyone dying. 

[myblueskies]

"Then we could run away together!" That was much better then running away on his own and letting his friends be hurt or die!

He's not sure he can agree at all but also he doesn't want to argue with Ginia so he just shrugs and stares at the spear again. It's another big thing where there aren't really any right answers. But he thought if his friends were all going to die he wouldn't want to leave them just so he could live, because then he would have to live in a world without his friends. That would be a big bad thing indeed.

[unlucky7]

And if running isn't an option? If it's a dangerous fight and staying means both have to fight and risk death? Ginia holds the comment to herself because they could turn the situation around and around and to come to no conclusion. Rarely are there single, correct answers in the world. Rarely does one answer fit all situations.

It's a difficult topic and she doesn't want to discourage Romeo, but there are harsh realities of the world. As much as she wants love and goodness and kindness to triumph, it doesn't always.

"Not everything I do is right. Not everything I do is wrong either. Being a person means you need to figure out what you want to do."

[myblueskies]

Romeo nodded seriously. Being a person was hard! There were lots and lots of things to think about and people could do bad things for good reasons or good things for bad reasons and it was all very complicated.

He couldn't imagine Ginia ever leaving her friends to die alone though. "I know miss. But I don't think I could ever let my friends die, not without trying really hard to stop it."

[unlucky7]

Yeah, he's the kind who would try hard at that, maybe at the cost of his life. Ginia can't fully criticize, not when she's willing to protect her friends and family at all costs. But she's able to weigh the costs out too and sometimes she doesn't like what she's capable of doing.

"May you never be in a situation where you have to make that choice."

[myblueskies]

"I hope not miss. That would be a really bad situation." He hopes that none of his friends here ever had to be in that situation.

"I hope you aren't either. I hope we can keep everyone safe."

[unlucky7]

They can all wish for the best, but Ginia knows it's not that easy. Not with the system that exists, not when Heaven can force someone to choose whether the lives of their temple or the life of their god is more important. A small sigh escapes as Ginia forces on a smile and gives a small nod. Wishes don't create change, but they can give a direction to go into and that's important too.

"I need to check on some other people." Her temples for one, seeing who else is around. "Take care, Romeo."