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

[sanzohoshi]

[She looks briefly startled, but then laughs.] Were you expecting a man? I get that a lot! But I am Sanzo! Hmm... Should I prove it...? Should I tell you about my adventure? It was me, and Goku, and Master Gojyo, and Hakkai... and Ryorin and Lady Kikka too! We fought Gyumaou, and Madame Tessen and their son Kougaiji, and made it all the way to India and the Thunder Temple!

[She laughs a little, as if sheepish and embarrassed] Well, there were a lot of other things too... But that's about the gist of it!

[erogappa]

[ By this point Gojyo's sitting fully on his ass and halfway through a very bemused cigarette. She knows about Sanzo, and Goku, and Hakkai (andd he has to admit, he kinda likes the sound of Master Gojyo). And she knows about Gyumaoh, and Kou... but that's all things that she could have read in the paper. There's been no shortage of articles about their group, and this isn't the first time that coverage has brought the crazies out.

But you know what? She's a cute and harmless crazy. If she wants to pretend to be a sexier, nicer version of some murderous asshole priest, what harm is there? ]

I take it back, Sanzo houshi-sama. Sounds like you're the real deal all right. [ And since she can remember all that stuff... ] I'm guessin' you're here as a god?

[sanzohoshi]

[Sanzang hums a little, looking amused, though her nose wrinkles a little at the smell of tobacco.] Something tells me that was said a little sarcastically... [Well, it's not a big deal if he doesn't believe her, even if she thinks it's strange.

If only she had her staff with her or something...

But she perks up again at his question and nods with a smile and a definitive 'mm!'] I'm the goddess of mercy and compassion, Lady Kanzeon! Which is a little strange, since I've met her quite a few times, but... I'll just have to do my best, I suppose!

What about you?

[erogappa]

[ Sarcastic? No, not at all! He straightens up carefully, stretching his back (and checking to make sure that everything's moving around okay... yup, yup, no permanent damage, thank god), and favors her with a winning smile.

(In the back of his mind, though, he's more than a little worried. She's supposed to be Kanzeon? Okay, sure, they aren't really gods, but could this mean that something happened to the real Kanzeon? Damn but he wishes he could talk to Sanzo or Hakkai about this! ]

Me? I'm Dionysus, god of wine.

[ And not giving the game away so quickly. How long can he keep this up? ...And, the real question: should he introduce her to Sanzo? One the one hand, hilarious. On the other, potentially very violent. On the third hand, Sanzo might remember something about Kanzeon? On the fourth hand, potentially very fucking violent.

Shit. ]

Did you really meet Kannon-sama?

[sanzohoshi]

[Well at least Sanzang's had experience fighting against gun-wielders...? Granted they were rifles and so probably a little slower so you know what, let's not test this.

She's about to ask what his real name is, but he's asking his question about Kanzeon and she can't help but laugh.]

Mm! I did! She'd show up when I was in trouble, but... Mostly her advice was just cryptic. [Sanzang trails off with an expression that seems to say that she'd like to say more, but she doesn't ant to be rude.]

If she doesn't exist in this world anymore, though, I wonder what happened...? [She frowns, concerned, staring off at the surrounding boxes as she loses herself in thought for a moment.] I've been trying not to think about it, but nothing makes much sense here.

[erogappa]

[ A brief summary of Gojyo's thoughts at the moment would read something like this:

Kanzeon might be dead, and this chick thinks she's Sanzo. What the fuck do I do?

Well, she's hot...?

No. ...Obviously she's crazy, but who knows how much she knows about Sanzo and the rest? It's not safe to let her wander around talking about this stuff.

Keep her close.

Yeah.

Keep her busy.

Y...eah?

With your dick.

Oh my god, brain, no. ]

I wouldnt worry too much about it. [ His brain might be doing half its thinking with his dick, but there had been a good idea in there. Sticking tight with "Sanzo" and finding out everything she knew was probably the best course of action here. ] You're not Kanzeon, and I'm not Dionysus, not really. They're just names the folks here decided to call us.

[ He takes a step toward the doorway, gesturing her to follow. ] But we still get to live like gods for the time being! Have you seen your temple yet? I bet it's nice.

[sanzohoshi]

[SANZANG NEEDS AN ADULT...

She stands and brushes her pants off, following after him easily. She instinctively trusts him and laughs a little at his insistence they're not the real gods]

Well, I figured that much. But the people here believe it, you know? Even if it's just a title they're giving us, it still wouldn't do to tarnish Lady Kanzeon's name. [More than she already does herself??] We just have to do our best with the circumstances we're given and try to move beyond it.

[She actually didn't even think about having her own temple; she just sort of popped in here and got a crash course and a broom shoved in her hands. Sanzang's eyes are wide in wonder at the very idea]

A temple? Of my own? That sounds so strange and a little much... I'd be happy with just a room! [She looks sheepish, but then reaches for Gojyo's arm, tugging on it with a light, playful eagerness. Despite her words, she's super curious.]

Can we go see? Oh-- But... [She hesitates and bites her bottom lip in concern] They wanted us to help out and all. Is it really okay to just run away for a little bit...?

[erogappa]

[ OH MY GOD SHE'S CUTE and potentially underage from the giggly way she's acting. Shit. ]

Well, you're an adult, right? All the adult gods get their very own temples!

[ And so do all the underage gods but this is not information she needs at this juncture. ]

[sanzohoshi]

Ah, is that how it is? [She nods in understanding, confirming that yeah, she's an adult.] Over 18 is considered an adult here, right? I'm over 20, so I should be fine!

[Sanzang laughs a little, arm still looped around his.] So, do I just concentrate and we'll teleport there?

[erogappa]

[ She's twenty! Yes! He pats her hand, debating whether or not to drape his arm around her shoulder... but then she suggests blindly teleporting out into the ether and no no no. No. ]

Let's find one of those staff shinki and get directions, okay? [ Arm around the shoulder, yes! ] Teleporting can be dangerous if you don't know right where you're goin'.

[ There's got to be one of Amaterasu's gold-and-white shinki wandering around nearby. Shall they take a stroll and find one? ]

[sanzohoshi]

I'm sure we'd be fine! [It usually turns out fine in the end, after all, but she's not stupid (surprisingly)-- she's aware that yea, that could be a bad idea. She'd sort of been hoping that if she just thought about teleporting to 'home' or something this world's mechanics would kick in and take here where she needed to go.

His idea was probably much safer. So she lets him put his arm around her shoulders and lead them off; he reminds her a bit (okay a lot) of Magoichi, which may or may not be a good thing honestly.]

What about your temple? What does it look like?

[erogappa]

[ It probably would have been fine -- he hasn't heard about anyone else who got themselves stuck in a tree -- but he also hasn't told anyone about that so it's also possible that everybody is crashing into shit all the time and just not being public about it. Best not to risk it.

Thankfully, there's one of the white-and-gold shinki just down the hall, handing out cleaning supplies with a simpering smile on her face. Gojyo hates her already. ]

My place? It's not bad. It's real rich-lookin', you know? Lots of gold everywhere.

[ Which he hates. But chicks like bling, so... ]

You'll have to come see it some time.

[sanzohoshi]

Gold? Just gold? [That would get a little tacky, and she says that as someone who wears a lot of yellow and gold colors herself.]

But I will, I'll stop by some time! I'd like that. [She untangles herself from his arm to approach the shinki in question and speaks cheerfully to her. The shinki keeps up the same bland politeness, but Sanzang is animated and cheery enough for the both of them.

Thankfully it doesn't seem like her temple is too far or anything and she hurries back over to grab Gojyo's hands, bouncing in excitement] I got the directions! Let's go, Master Dionysus! [Because he hasn't given her another name so.]

[erogappa]

Not just--! [ He tries to protest, but she's already swinging off to ask directions of the shinki up ahead. Damn but she's a bouncy thing! He catches her hands when she returns, nodding along with her bouncing.

Master Dionysus. She really is a piece of work. ] Let's go!

[sanzohoshi]

Yay! [She cheers aaaand they're off! Look, she's excited, okay? She can't really remember the last time she was at a proper temple.

Though Kanzeon's temple seems to be an ornate mix of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese to reflect the versions of her throughout. Despite her earlier good cheer, Sanzang's quiet in her surprise, overwhelmed.]

Oh... Seeing it makes it more real, huh...

[erogappa]

[ He's never going to get used to teleporting. But they land safely enough, right in front of one of the shiniest, most ornate places Gojyo's ever seen.

Huh. It's about time somebody here got a real temple. ]

Now this is more like it! [ He's watching her out of the corner of his eye, though. She seems blown away by the place, which looks a lot like the temple at Chang'an that the real Sanzo used to live in. ] You think it's got a pool?

[sanzohoshi]

It's nostalgic. [She clasps her hands in front of her, subdued as she looks around the grounds] It looks like Kinzan Temple...

[Even her smile isn't as bright when she looks at him again, but she's clearly trying] Mm, maybe! That'd be fun, right? We could go swimming! Maybe there's a hot spring around somewhere too!

Shall we look around?

[erogappa]

[ Damn. She is really, truly crazy. It's making him feel kinda bad about all this, actually. ...But she's here now, and there's no helping that! Might as well enjoy the good bits. ]

Wild horses couldn't stop me. [ He grins at her, and throws in a wink for good measure. ] But I should warn you, I didn't bring my suit.

[sanzohoshi]

[Sanzang throws her head back with a bright laugh] That's alright, neither did I!

[She doesn't care, really. Oops. She turns and takes his hands again, giving him a light tug] Hey, come on, let's look around! It's nostalgic, but it's not totally the same. There's no other monks or my friends running around.

[Sanzang laughs again, more subdued, and lets him go when they start walking around, hands clasped behind her back] I haven't been back there in so long anyway... It's a little too quiet, ahaha. Back then, I had so many people visiting. Even if they couldn't stay long, it was always fun to see Ryorin or Master Gojyo again. And if they came, then Reikan, or Ginkaku and Kinkaku would come too. [She trails off wistfully.]

[erogappa]

[ And Gojyo stops, right there, immovable stone pillar shaped like a man. ]

Ginkaku and Kinkaku. [ He says the names slowly, like he's sounding them out for the first time. There's no way those names ended up in the paper. Hell, other than his team, he doubts there was anyone left alive who'd ever heard them before. ] Where did you hear those names?

[sanzohoshi]

Hm? [She stops a few steps ahead and turns, facing him with an honest, wide-eyed confusion. Why had he stopped like that??]

They're twins that traveled with me for a while... They were very cute! Kinkaku had very pretty blonde hair, and Ginkaku had silvery hair. [She smiles, wistful and nostalgic, but even someone like her can read the atmosphere here and the mile drops to a concerned look.]

What's wrong?

[erogappa]

[ There's really only two options here. Either she's an imposter, sent to lure them all into a false sense of security so that she can steal the sutra... or she's really a version of Sanzo from some strange world where he's a Master and the kids had got a better ending.

He knows better than to hope for the second one, but he's never been very bright. ]

How the hell do you know about them? They didn't travel with us, they died, so how the hell do you know their names?!

[sanzohoshi]

[Sanzang looks shocked and then heartbroken] Died? But that's-- Is that what happened to the ones in your world...?

[She's not sure if he's a different version of one of her traveling companions (likely, given her general reaction to him and how comfortable she is) or maybe his version of the well-known story is just different (also likely).

She presses a sleeve to her mouth and half-turns away, her grief a little more overwhelming than she expected it to be.] They were just children... [She trails off and closes her eyes a moment to collect herself before she answers.] In my world, they traveled with all of us. At the end of our journey, they went home along with everyone else- Master Gojyo took them back himself...

[erogappa]

Master Gojyo buried them both on the side of the mountain. [ He means it to sound bitter, but he just sounds sad. And given how torn up over it she seems (not to mention that strange familiarity)... ] Shit. You're really him, aren't you? Only a girl.

[sanzohoshi]

[She lowers her hands so they're clasped in front of her and gazes at him solemnly.]

I am. I am Genjo Sanzo-- at least, I'm one version. And it seems my version of the Journey went a lot differently. [A pause and she adds] Will you tell me your real name now?