June Training

[priforprince]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: June 7th, 2017
Where: Apollo's Temple, The Far Shore
Summary: FIRST-CLASS ENTERTAINME---er, training for extant gods and shinki



Determining which temple to visit for today's training is not difficult. For one thing, Apollo's Temple is setting off fireworks periodically to entice newcomers through its high, Hibiki-statue-flanked doors. For another, anyone leaving their own temples will find themselves immediately confronted with an adorable purple goat robot wearing sunglasses and a bow tie. The goat has a silver platform suspended above it, atop which has been set a single purple rose and a brief note:

I shall be maa-ttending you today. Follow me.

Said goat will continue to follow your character until they give in and do as the note suggests. In fact, even once they do, the goat shall accompany them for the duration of today's log, seeing to their every need. Ask the goat to fetch something, and it shall be fetched. Ask the goat for directions within Hibiki's castle - "Where is the god training?", "Isn't there an amusement park in here?" - and guidance shall be provided maa-ccordingly.

It seems, today, everyone will receive a full Celebrity Maa-xperience.



Introductions

Incidentally, Hibiki's temple does indeed contain an amusement park. Everyone shall be directed there first, to enjoy the roller coasters, spinny teacups, and merry-go-round to their hearts' content until all the TVs in the area switch on at once. (Should your character not be positioned by one of the many televisions scattered throughout the area, have no fear. Your maa-ttendant has just rolled away and come back with one.)

"CelePara Prince Hour!"

Hibiki's face appears on the screen. She's a decent amount of space back from the screen, for once, and seated upon her throne. There's a brilliant sun motif on the wall behind her - or is it a crown? It's both, perhaps.

"Everyone, it's been a while. Shikyoin Hibiki here. Have your hearts been astonished by the peerless excellence I've delivered to you today?"

The maa-ttendants all nod. Which is hard for robots without neck joints to do, so they rock in place on their wheeled platforms instead. Clatter, clatter. Hibiki, for her part, nods back as if she's witnessed this occurrance.

"Splendid. The three characteristics of divinity are - Majestic. Unparalleled. And...Possessing great love." A smirk. "It's as if the position exists just for me. But those of you tasked with a duty you're currently incapable of fulfilling need not despair. I've arranged a variety of beneficial exercises for gods and shinki alike. Engaging in them is best, so we can create it."

She raises an arm, as if showing everyone ascending from her beneficial guidance. "Together with me - the ultimate puniverse!"

The TVs switch off. Those closest to gods display, on a map, where the god training is. Those closest to shinki display the shinki training. All indicate the physical training and the refreshments. The refreshments seem to be.....outside? With a time marked for dinner?

Pay that no mind. It's probably fine.

God Training

Hibiki isn't at the god training, either, which is taking place in a banquet hall. And which appears to be, ah....a swanky tea party. With a sign indicating there's a sauna next door. She does, however, appear on a large TV a bevy of spygoats push into position once any new gods have entered the room. Behold!

"So-called gods, glad you could make it. Yours is the tremendous task of assisting me, the God of Fortune Apollo, to bring radiance to the scrap-heap puniverse known as the Near Shore. As satisfying your followers with anything less than a Top-Class showing is insufficient, I'll give this chance to steep in a celebrity atmosphere to you. The chosen deities require no throat-drying or sweat-inducing hardship. Open the new celeb world."

And, with that, the tea party begins. Those not wishing to enjoy the top-class light sweets or delicious first flush teas may rid themselves of their average-person cares in Hibiki's special detoxing sauna. Those seeking an example to follow may take in a movie (in a theater featuring opulent reclining seats) starring Shikyoin Hibiki, or enjoy that the Shikyoin Hibiki History Exhibit has returned for a limited time only to this wing of the temple. Learn all about her many accomplishments, and be inspired!

If you're looking for Hibiki, however.....Well. Your maa-ttendant is willing to show you the way, especially if you're a shinki or a god seeking suggestions for a matchup. But there are two obstacles to reaching her. First, you have to successfully kick a soccer ball past a spygoat goalie. Second, you have to read from a college history textbook provided by a spygoat in a pasteboard hat - and get all the kanji right.

Or you could force your way through, or raise a fuss until Hibiki emerges, but who'd conceive of that?! Clearly everything will go as Hibiki intends!

Shinki Training

The good news for the shinki in attendance- or any gods who ran away from Hibiki’s tea party to see what else is happening- is that they don’t have to further deal with Hibiki. Or being proper. Instead, everyone’s maa-tendants will guide them to a large indoor space that has been purposefully, uh, repurposed for today. As there are a lot of big extravagant rooms in Hibiki’s castle, it wasn’t very hard to change it into what is essentially the inside of an acrobatic circus. Wendy will already be waiting for everyone to arrive, seated happily on top of some push up bars. “That’s everyone, isn’t it? Alright then!”

Since there are no newcomers as far as Wendy can tell, she gladly skips over “how to shinki” issues and instead offers some quick explanations and instructions to everyone in attendance. People are more than welcome to do the usual borderline practicing, of course, and Wendy will give a quick instruction for those who somehow missed that particular lesson. But that’s the boring way, and she didn’t set up all of this to be boring. In fact, there’s a particular shinki trait that she feels not a lot of people have really utilized: the strange shared trait that they’re all extremely light and can do things like leap ridiculous distances.

So everyone will be encouraged to use the various pieces of equipment that are around. People who are unsure of themselves can use basic things such as monkey bars, low balancing beams, and the other sorts of things that they’ve seen Heaven use in their training sessions such as jumping from stump-like platforms to another. There are even some trampolines for those who want to see how high a shinki can go before their head cracks into the very high ceiling. (And an almost extravagantly large bouncy castle for the kids and kids-at-heart.) But they’re really encouraged to use things that are a little more… high skill. Such as the tightrope extended high above the ground, or the swinging trapeze set. For those who want a bit of a challenge, Wendy even has a route set up where they have to go through just about everything that’s set up in the space… while she has another person practicing throwing borderlines at them to either dodge or deflect. Also the goats might get in the way. Is that part of the training, or is that just how the goats how?

Any random god that comes in will hardly get a blink besides Wendy ushering them in with an off-handed, “Sick of the tea, huh?”

Self-Improvement Training

Those looking for something less...extreme...than Wendy's contribution will find it in Hibiki's gaming arcade, which has been newly restocked with a row of PriPara arcade machines. These machines encourage you to create a customizable character and dress them up, then perform a rhythm game with the character dancing in the background. Successful completion earns you a ticket with more clothes that can be used on your character. It seems that a sense of rhythm improves intuition, which is useful for gods and shinki alike.

Also of use to all: the ability to ad-lib with a partner in an unusual environment! Which is what anyone who ventures into this concert hall will find. It looks like there's an improv contest going on. Grab a partner and be assigned a random scenario. You now have to act out that scenario in hopes of getting perfect 10s from a row of extremely Judge-Looking spygoats (they are wearing berets and glasses, to look Artsy, except for one who got the kind of judge wrong and showed up in a powdered wig instead.)

Now, pick your chosen field of battle! No sparring prompt is required to hone one's competitive urges and divine might.

Rest and Refreshments

Anyone desiring a change of scenery, as well as everyone once the sun begins to set, will be guided out the back of the temple by their maa-ttendant. A splendid dinner table has been set out upon the pirate ship in Hibiki's backyard, and everyone has a place reserved just for them. Why, their favorite drink is already awaiting them in their glass!

Food is available from a variety of sources. For those who prefer self service, a buffet table has been laid out next to one railing, arranged with a variety of high-class, gourmet foods. Filet mignon? Caviar? Lobster? Fugu? Vegetable delicacies? All are available (though none come with instructions - do have fun with the lobster). The maa-tendants are also happy to double as waiters and fetch food, for those who prefer the full service celebrity treatment.

Those seeking a more low-key, though no less eclectic, dining experience can find it along the other side of the deck, set up on a nice table with a tablecloth and some flowers for decoration. It seems one of Hibiki's shinki has decided to grace everyone with a bountiful spread! Poke, acai bowls, salad, malasalada, chocolate macademia, strawberry mochi, and manapua are all available, with placards indicating what each dish is and any potential allergens. This entire temple devotes itself to hospitality.

Still missing, however: the host, though there's a throne awaiting her at the head of the table, a cup of tea already in place. Music is also being provided by goats in the corners, who seem to have full stereo systems hooked up where the maa-ttendants have trays. Baroque classical music recordings softly waft over the diners, lending the entire experience a distinctly elegant air.

This aura of peaceful refinement shall remain until everyone who seems inclined to go aboard has done so (the goats do seem to maa-ccomend you board, but it is not enforced - sit this out, if you wish). At that point, all goats will roll up to their gods or shinki, carrying another sign - Please take care. The music dies down. So do the lights.

And beneath everyone, the Starship PriPirates's...rocket engines...rumble to life. And a triumphant peal of laughter, high above everyone - rings out!

In Summary:

• Delight in your precious new robot BFF (maa-ttendants are OK to NPC & adopt!)
  
• Learn absolutely nothing from anybody actually charged with hosting this informational session
  
• Engage in various "training" activities with no ulterior motives behind them whatsoever
  
• Be kidnapped by pirates?????
  
• Have fun~

Comments

[hypomeneo]

[There shouldn't be ripples as he steps on it, and tries concentrating on that feeling of lightness that worked as a shinki. But borderlines are a reflection of a shinki in every way (there was a reason that while he wasn't the strongest shinki in their generation, his aptitude and strength at mental casting was probably among the best) and it fits with Ginia's subdued air. Even more so since he taught her his methods of mana control - how to relax into the flow and adjust by instinct.

So... there's an issue. There's no telling what the issue is, yet, but there's an issue.

His steps grow lighter and the ripples grow less as he slowly walks his way to the edge of the borderline. Okay... that's the beginnings of hovering... let's push that further now...]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia isn't seeing the ripples as she watches Waver's feet. Or maybe she's seeing them and ignoring them as is so easy to ignore so much. The borderline will hold because she wants it to hold and it will hold.

Ginia too will hold. The tectonic plates of her being shift and roll endlessly, creating new valleys and mountains, shearing pieces into islands that may sink or grow. The plate of her past is crashing the most, rising up in a reminder of her actions, shearing off the plates of the present.

'You're an operative. An assassin. You would have murdered an innocent family for what?'

She too will hold. She smiles as he's not quite moving on the borderline itself but above as the pressure lessens. Right, gods can hover and fly.]

[hypomeneo]

[There's more a shinki-like float in his steps as they grow lighter and lighter rather than a sudden shift to a hover. Waver's approach is still like a shinki's rather than a divine entity... a tapering to ghostly taps... to nothing at all as he hangs inches above the borderline, still, before taking a few tentative steps on air.

Not quite flying, more a hover, just... first steps... towards grasping a skill.]

It works on the same principals as shinki lightness. [There's something preoccupied with her smile, but he knows Ginia well enough that time and place and yen for their jar are important.] It's just pushing the concept further.

[unlucky7]

That doesn't surprise me. I always thought it was something as long as you knew you could do it, you could.

[Ginia types with her right hand, left hand still holding the borderline. She looks at the inches of clearance between his feet and his borderline.]

Don't accidentally rocket into the ceiling.

[That seems like a common situation for new gods, accidentally launching themselves too high as they figure out how to fly.]

Want me to keep the borderline up as a guide but drop the resistance against you?

1/2

[hypomeneo]

Have people actually done that?!

[No seriously, with his totally a lie B+ luck stat, he's at serious risk of being the first one.]

2/2

[hypomeneo]

Yeah. That's a good plan. Let's see if I can hold floating at this height before I try my hand at being a high wire performer.

[Which...

... okay Waver Velvet, concentrate. Ignore the tightrope you're totally going to tackle later when you have a better grasp at the art of keeping yourself from breaking your neck aka hovering and flying.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia's shoulders rise and fall. Not too many of the new gods seem to know they can float or fly, and the old gods don't interact much.

If she had to bet on whether someone crashed into the ceiling while learning how to fly, she'd put a wager on Ebisu.

Ginia doesn't move as she releases the resistance against him, though he'll be able to see the change from the brief flicker. Not too much further to go until the other side. Ginia gives a supportive fist pump.]

[hypomeneo]

Whoa!

[Okay it's gone and he shoots up! ... a foot. Waver moistens his lips as he concentrates on holding himself still.

He's not looking up, he's not looking dooooo--- okay he just looked down after noticing the flicker and uuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Right. Right. A bead of sweat travels down his neck as he stabilizes.]

Okay! Got it!

[unlucky7]

Don't worry, if you fall, I'll catch you.

[A slight grin comes a bit easier at the joke. He's a bit taller than her but Ginia is pretty sure she could carry him without any effort. He doesn't look like he weighs much at all.]

Or should I call Iskandar over and he can catch you?

[hypomeneo]

He'd have too much fun with that.

[Waver reddens slightly. Oh boy would he ever.

But if Ginia laughs right now, it may help a little temporarily.]

...

Oh no. Ginia. Have mercy.

[unlucky7]

[There's no such thing as mercy in a fight.

Ginia stares at the words she's typed into her phone and can't bring herself to send it. It's true, it's not, things are more complicated. She selects and deletes with two quick taps and writes something new.]

I suppose you two would be too sappy and cute and you'd never learn to fly.

Try walking faster.

[hypomeneo]

[In response Waver wiggles the fingers of his left hand towards Ginia. There suspiciously looks to be a ring on his finger.]

Call it the honeymoon phase? [Okay, walking. Lord, this is weird strolling in the middle of the air like he's just walking down the sidewalk.] We were separated a long time before.

[unlucky7]

[That is very suspiciously a ring on his finger on his left hand. The very specific meaning doesn't quite click with her, but that's still something to show off. Especially with that particular phrasing.

Actually, there are two things about that statement that stand out. Even though she knows Waver is a god now and the proof has been there all along, it still sinks in again.]

I don't know whether I want to know more about the ring or whether if you two knew each other before all this.

[hypomeneo]

He didn't propose. He did however, perhaps accidentally, go through all the steps involved in a proposal, including whipping this out in a little black box. I'm not sure Iskandar even knows what marriage customs in this age are.

... [Then Waver goes BEET RED ALL OVER as he shows off the red jade ring.] It would be yes. Always yes if he did.

[But he doesn't expect that for a lot of reasons, starting right at male. Those expectations might end up getting blown out of the water too.]

And... he is my king. And once upon a time I was his Master. And... now we are both Heroic Spirits. [There's a pause, like he's wondering deeply about something.] Myself in full, I think, now.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia stands on her tiptoes to get a closer look at the ring, a smile forming. It's a beautiful ring, Waver is happy, it's perhaps the sort of thing that could only happen now that they're both gods.

If her smile wavers a bit, it's not because of anything around that. It's around the word Master. Heroic Spirits. A system she's heard of and tried to detach herself from in some way. Waver is a Heroic Spirit and in hindsight his class is so, so, very obvious.

So is perhaps the Heroic Spirit he is. Ah. Another god here as himself. And again, Ginia feels a sense of sadness. Waver is Waver, but how well does she really know him?]

If his actions were all the steps of a proposal but only missing the full intent, I still think that counts as a proposal. You should go over the customs with him.

[hypomeneo]

[It's more complicated than that, as he hinted before. And one of the reasons why being shinki was torture. To cope with a joint consciousness on top of all that mess was incredibly hard.

There's a soft look that turns luminous. Marriage... well... marriage that he wouldn't be forced into as a means to insult the other party. A marriage for love. Until Iskandar had given him the ring, he would have never considered marriage. Especially not as a shinki.]

I better not dally on that, then. [Who knows how much time they have. But even so, even this scant amount of time with Iskandar has been precious. To know he's loved that much.] Though don't be surprised if he decides to make a grand production out of the official one if it comes. Iskandar loves drama and showmanship as much as Hibiki.

[unlucky7]

[Godliness suits him, but gentle joy suits him more. Savor that love, Waver, grab it and revel in it and live in it for as much time they have, here or elsewhere. Live in it because she can't. Not right now. Maybe not ever.

When he's distracted in his joy and conversation, Ginia keeps her hand still but lets the borderline fade away.]

I'll try not be as much as an embarrassment at your wedding as I was at Aymeric's.

[hypomeneo]

Oh? [He's hovering by instinct, pacing back and forth, and he feels the give but caught up in everything, it and the height doesn't force its way into awareness and jolt him to sudden fright.] What happened there?

And hey, come on. You're competing with us! Trust me, anything will be par for course.

[unlucky7]

Wait, Natsumi or Terumi didn't show you?

[Hm, maybe one assumed the other showed him. Or assumed someone else showed him. Looking for the video is a perfect excuse to ignore the other half of his statement.

Because please, there's no competition. She's known Kimi for six months and dated him for three. Who knows how long he dated Aomi and they definitely didn't get married. The idea of marriage is so far away for them Ginia can't even bring herself to consider the idea as even a silly dream.

Ginia holds up her phone and shows the video Unmi took at Aymeric and Leo's wedding.]

[hypomeneo]

We are all individuals of discernment and discretion and taste. [Mock cluck as Waver sticks his nose up a little, before reddening, because he doesn't put on airs or joke like this often, but the three of them are all gossips together and he loves them for it.] Besides, they have a good sense of when spreading something would really bother someone, so no, they didn't tell me.

[They're competing on who can be the biggest idiots and Waver will always bet on Iskandar and himself. He whistles as he watches Ginia chase Kimi and kiss him.]

Besides. That's embarrassing? I'm sure Iskandar would say it's proper wedding behavior.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia playfully rolls her eyes as she closes the video.]

I suppose they were being kind to me and keeping things in the temple. Unmi took the video, but I personally uploaded it to the temple's network as a favor to him.

[The text explosions in all the temple chat groups she's a part of were definitely something to behold.]

A fair point. The lead up to that was playing the pocky game.

[hypomeneo]

The most dangerous game. I shiver in fear - or is it anticipation? - of when Iskandar learns of it.

[You're family, Ginia, though Waver knew Natsumi and Terumi wanted Waver to come to Ebisu's Temple if anything happen to Iskandar. It's not just being kind.]

How badly did the betting pools explode that time? [Waver rubs his chin.] There were some pretty nice pots going around. Not that I keep track.

[SURE WAVER. You don't bet on the Mi clan's private pots, because that's just for the Temple, but there's a few for outside employees.]

[unlucky7]

For the record, I didn't play the pocky game with Kimi.

[It wouldn't have been the worst first kiss and moving past that threshold, but what happened was ultimately better.]

Also it seems to miss the point playing with your significant other. There's no risk there.

[Or maybe it's because Iskandar and Kimi are both shameless individuals and it'd become an excuse to make out in front of everyone.]

As for the betting pools, significant gains were made though it wasn't specific to the kiss.

[Barring permission from the individuals involved, there's an unspoken rule about the betting pool of no bets of a personal or invasive nature. It's one thing to bet on people in a reality show, another of the family in the temple. So while betting on if/when Ginia and Kimi would kiss was off-limits, a friendly wager on whether any of the four going to the wedding would do anything cute or affectionate or embarrassing was fair game.

Frankly, the video of Ginia playing the pocky game with Ebisu caused a bigger stir. Ginia chasing down Kimi was considered far more impressive than the kiss and settled a few bets over her speed.]

By the way, settle a tiebreaker for me. Kiji or Jiki?

[hypomeneo]

There's all the risk there. Iskandar is Greek.

[Waver is working on getting the point across that modern people don't consider lovemaking appropriate in public. The ancients... were not prudes.]

Kiji.

[Huh, is this about what he thinks it is about?]

[unlucky7]

[Hm. Point. A different kind of risk then, Ginia can concede to that.

She pouts a little at the choice and sends a quick text to her temple. Sometimes you need to have casual arguments over ship names. A small flurry of texts and stickers reply back before she changes apps.]

You're staying in the air. Getting any easier?