007 | Clean Up Your Act

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Spring cleaning
When: All day April 15
Where: All around the Heavens
Summary: The Heavens don't like things being cluttered, so it's time to clean up a little bit.







Main Hall

While the main hall of the Heavens seems spotlessly clean at all times, that's not the case at all. In fact, it's been at least a decade since the last time they actually cleaned everything out properly. There are a lot of hidden closets and back rooms that have layers of dust and dozens of boxes filled with nothing but junk. Who knows, though! You might find something interesting and useful in there along with all the garbage.

Suprises

Unfortunately, some of the older temples on the Far Shore seem to have some interesting surprises tucked away, ranging from cursed artifacts all the way to magical creatures locked up in long-forgotten rooms. You are free to be creative with this as a way to get your characters into trouble while cleaning.

Complimentary Dinner

After all of your hard work, you deserve to have some tasty food and refreshing beverages. So the Heavens have provided that for you, so that you can wind down after a long day. It's not as fancy as the banquets they often put on, but there is a nice array of food and drinks for everyone to enjoy.

Counselling

As usual, there is a white-robed shinki bearing the gold chrysanthemum of Amaterasu sitting at a table in the Main Hall. There is a small sign that denotes her as the counselling shinki. Anyone is welcome to approach her, and she will smile serenely at anyone passing by as well.



In Summary:

• Clean up your home
• Help clean others' homes
• Get the main hall clean too!
• Hope no hidden magic jumps out
• Seek counselling if you need it
• Enjoy your complimentary dinner
• Have fun~

Comments

[miraculo]

[ Well if he recalls that his father was a Buddhist priest, then that means he's a god. ] Hasumi-San, then. [ A polite bow.

Although at his words, she tilts her head. Being raised in a religious household and he isn't being already ushered into priesthood?? How weird! ] Is that so...? I started training as a miko when I was five. [ A pause. ] Although, it's good that you've been given a choice! That sort of life isn't for everyone, and-- [ A breath. ] W...well, there isn't much of a "high school" life as one, either. Although, Hasumi-san...

[ Now for a more serious tone! ] Even if we've been brought here from a different world, even if we've had these titles thrusted upon us by the heavens, even if it had been a mistake... It is now our duty and call to answer to those humans that pray to us. They need us, everyday they need us, and now we have the power and capability to help them....!

[lecturehall]

I don't need you to lecture me on that. [Hypocrite, much? Well, whatever. He washes some of the make-up off the cloth and files away that information about her own past. His thoughts on what must be her family's inheritance issues aside, it's a little comforting to know someone else raised with a similar background.]

I have no intention of shirking the duties I've had forced upon me. People still need help, like you said. It's more of a matter of... not being equipped for it. [Which means. God. He huffs out a sigh and flaps his cloth at her.] —Look. Even if you're Shinto, you might know of the Buddhist goddess Hariti. Do you know her story? [On second thought... No. Nevermind.] Thinking about it, I suppose it doesn't matter either way. The point is she's purely a protector deity. Specifically minding mothers and... their children.

I'm not [physically] equipped to handle most of those types of prayers.

[miraculo]

[ Yep, she's familiar with Buddhism. THEY'RE RIVALS AND MUST BATTLE TO THE DEATH--! Okay, no, she's thankfully moved past that stage in her life, but at the mention of him being the replacement of Hariti...

She shouldn't laugh. And she won't. But there is a small, quirk of her lips in the sense that yes, she agrees, that's quite odd. But----! ] Ehhh, you're the deity of mothers and children! That's--... that's amazing, that's such an important role! [ ...Even if he's Buddhist hisssss. ]

I don't see anything wrong with it. Er, well, you are a boy, but that shouldn't matter...! You have a mother, don't you? And you were a child once. So you're perfect for being a protector of both!

[ With that #Sanaelogic, anyone would be perfectly qualified to be Hariti. ]

[lecturehall]

I wouldn't say perfect... [He is pretty good at minding the rest of his school (highly debatable) so he can certainly see the logic.] No matter how simply you phrase it, I'm still bound to get some troublesome questions based on the nature of Hariti's—[er]—my duties. Having a mother doesn't make me an expert in her struggles, after all. And then there's the larger issue of...

[He clears his throat and pointedly looks aside.] ... There's no way I won't be asked about breastfeeding at least once.

[miraculo]

[ ....Ah. Now she sees the problem. Answering prayers is a lot more than just helping someone with familial issues. ] I, ah, see....

[ Maybe his shinki used to be a mother? Oh, but then they wouldn't remember it, anyway. ] ...Maybe... you can go to a class? I know that hospitals host them. Or-- instead of teaching any of the mothers, you can imbue them with the strength and motivation to find the answer on their own!

[lecturehall]

Isn't that just the same as abandoning them to someone else's advice? That'd be the same as not helping them. I wouldn't be able to do that.

[But... Well. Now she has him thinking.] There's no way a class would help me but you might have an idea there. There are other... [gods] types of people here, right? Maybe if I find one that has experience in that sort of thing...

[He gives her a few cautionary glances, hesitating before finally... maybe...] You, ah... You're not...?

[Don't just ask random women if they're mothers, Keito.]

[miraculo]

Um-- [ She starts in return, not quite following him, but then she puts her mind to work.

After a moment, two and two click together, and she stammers. ] E--- excuse me? [ She reacted as anyone might expect of her: a crimson flush creeping to her face, a hand on her chest because it is shocking to be asked such a thing as a miko! ] --No! No, I'm not a mother!

O-or pregnant for that matter! [ Hdu question her purity. ]

[lecturehall]

[He is already holding up his hands. He didn't mean anything by it! For once.] Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I didn't think you were but I figured it'd be safer to ask. Or...

[... He doesn't know.] ... If it helps, I never thought you were currently pregnant.

[You're digging yourself a hole, Keito.]

[miraculo]

C---currently?! [ As in, he thought she had been pregnant before?!

She's not helping situations because she's just overly sensitive. ] I--- I never was pregnant to begin with! To assume such things... [ He dishonors her!

Mmmmgrrr. ] A miko is to remain pure until she marries! If she chooses to marry! [ Weh. ]

[lecturehall]

That's really more of a personal choice at this point in time, isn't it?

[This isn't the dark ages. Mikos gotta live. Free the mikos, etc.]

And if you had a child you would have had to have been pregnant at some point. That's all I meant. I didn't mean anything by it.

[miraculo]

[ ....Okay. Okay. She can calm herself. He didn't mean anything by it-- that's the important part.

So after a breath, she replies, slightly exasperated: ] ....--F...fair enough. [ He's stating it so matter-of-factly that she has to wonder if he just doesn't get why it makes her flustered. Yet at the same time, him being calm helps her to calm down further. ] And sorry for yelling.

[ And in an effort to be helpful: ] To help you learn more about, um, mothers and feeding infants... maybe you can stop by Karube Shrine, where Chichigami-sama is. [ Ya know. The goddess of boobs. ] I'm sure she can answer any of your questions.

[lecturehall]

[Karube Shrine...]

... No. No way. There's no way I'm soiling my reputation by going to a place like that. It's fine if you have reason but no one would consider mine was the truth.

[Al... though... Hm. Keito stops and thinks.] Chichigami-sama... you really think she's here?

[It'd make sense in the context but it still feels a bit too unreal. Like he's in some manga or something.]

[miraculo]

[ This guy. ] Wh-... What's with that face? You're going to get a lot of people asking you about... that part of their bodies! You better get used to them!

[ Soil his reputation?? What reputation! ] ...And she probably is here. If not at her shrine. Just pray to her and ask for her attention! [ What kind of attention would that be, though? Who knows. ]

[lecturehall]

It feels strange to think of one god praying to another. [Then again, he's never really thought about how the gods spoke to each other. Cup and string? Cell phones? Who knew up until now.]

And it's not a matter of being unused to them! It's a matter of appearance. A man going up to a shrine like that has entirely different connotations than a woman. If I were seen it'd paint me as nothing more than a shady guy unworthy of anyone's trust. It'd be counterproductive.

[miraculo]

[ He's got few options and none of them are pleasant. ] ....Maybe you can dress up as a woman?

[ Just a suggestion.

He's pretty enough. ]

[lecturehall]

[lecturehall]

No. That's even shadier. Not to mention I'd be found out right away. No one would be able to mistake me for a woman.

[miraculo]

But it could work! All you'd need to do is put on a woman's kimono, and maybe a wig... [ Yes. Yes that sounds about right. ] And then you can just say you have a cough!

[lecturehall]

That's too much effort. All you're describing is a last resort. I'm sure there are more sensible solutions. Specifically ones where I don't have to fake my gender.