thenearshore | 007 | Clean Up Your Act

Entry tags:

007 | Clean Up Your Act

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~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You got something? [ Genos is peeking curiously too. ]

If you need to take it further apart, I know how to do it.

I think so...

[Excuse him while he fiddles a bit more with Genos' arm to be sure. The sound does seem to be coming from around his elbow though, he concludes after several moments more of this]

Are you able to move the outer casing here?

[Patting the elbow]

[ Genos turns the arm around, and once again hooks a fingers under the casing, next to the elbow protective plate. One, two clicks, and the outer casing comes off partially. He rolls the arm again and does the same on the opposite side, removing the part of the casing and separating arm from the forearm ]

It would be much easier if I had separate set of arms. [ Then doing the partial maintenance himself wouldn't be such a problem ]

Like a spare arm, you mean...? [It might be a humorous notion, if not for how practical such a provision seems to him. Having spare parts to change out would be far more convenient, especially for the active nature of their jobs as shinki] Perhaps it would be possible to engineer something, based on the workings of the ones you have.

[Surely it must be easier to replicate than to come up with something out of nothing. So Slaine thinks, anyway. With some of the inner workings of Genos' arms exposed, he peers thoughtfully at the mechanisms there.

There's something...vaguely familiar about it. At least, it all makes sense, and he thinks he can imagine what certain parts are for, allowing a soft hum as he considers.

All very compact, isn't it?]

Ah, I think I see something.

[Excuse him while he just sticks his hand right in there, without any concern for fingers getting pinched or otherwise hurt by parts that might move. It takes him a short while, but eventually he tugs out what looks to be a rather haggard sliver of hardwood]

[ How did it get there is the first question that Genos wants to ask- but he stops before saying it aloud, remembering where he had plenty of crashes with wooden objects. ]

It could be there since the school incident. [ Yes, the library ]

[ How could something wooden damage metal? Yeah, by getting inside the more delicate inner-workings underneath. He starts to close the casing slowly, having only one hand to work with, as he tries to formulate his thoughts. ]

I'm truly grateful for your assistance. If you ever need help with anything, please don't hesitate to tell me.

I'm glad I could help... And you've already given me a hand here.

[No pun intended, of course...

Being able to do something meaningful, small as it is, on his own is gratifying in a way. Not to mention, he considers Genos a capable ally and being able to help him in particular is something he's glad for. Having an intermittent problem like that must have felt encumbering]

This may be strange to say, but the construction of your arms seems...sensible.

[At least, he thinks he can gauge what different parts are for and how they function. It doesn't strike him as wholeheartedly familiar, but rather, reminiscent of something he must have seen or known at some point]

[ Genos lips curl into a small smile at the hand comment. Intentional or not, he noticed that pun. Looks like he'll be owing Slaine more than just cat hammock for this. ]

I sometimes forget how well they are made. I have a nearly full functionality of movement, as a real arm would. [ What kind of dedication and skill would be required to craft something like it? ]

The weapon systems seems almost like an afterthought. [ Functionality of the arm came first. Weapons are a bonus. He's almost done with the putting it back together, and he grabs the arm to reconnect it, but pauses to brace himself. It's not entirely pleasant experience. ]

[Though he notices the smile, Slaine doesn't realize it's in response to accidental humor. It's nothing that he lingers on, instead listening to what Genos had to say. What might it be like, to have a body like that? He can only imagine, and he doubts that much is accurate to the reality of it.

Weapons as an afterthought though... That he considers for a little longer before he says anything, shelving it only when Genos seems to hesitate]

Does it cause you discomfort, replacing your arm?

[If it does, he'll have to keep it in mind. Hopefully Genos doesn't run into any further problems like that in the future, but he does know machinery requires maintenance]

Perhaps the priority was your ability to use them for day-to-day activities more than combat.

A little bit. It's hard to describe. One moment I don't have a limb, but my mind tries to use it as if it were still there. [ There's even a tingling sensation where a hand would be... which is the weirdest part, because he doesn't experience that sensation normally. But maybe talking through it will make it less uncomfortable than focusing on it. ]

Then it's back in its place. And for a second everything is on fire. [ His expression twists for a second as the arm goes online again ] Not like in pain, more like... chaotic barrage of impulses.

[ He shakes his arm as if trying to get rid of crawling bugs, then rotates it slowly, checking if the clicking sound occurs again. So far it doesn't ]

[It sounds like a phenomenon he's read about amputees experiencing, Slaine thinks. They feel as though a limb is there, even when it's gone... Though in Genos' case, it can at least be reattached. He can imagine that must be uncomfortable to experience, no matter how routine it might be for him]

I suppose that must be restoring the connection. [He wonders if it's a matter of the way the arm is designed, or if any make would have the same sort of feedback. Perhaps he can ask Hope, since he's so given to tinkering...but that'll have to wait until later] Is it functioning properly now?

[By appearances, Genos' movement doesn't seem encumbered, but only he'd know whether it felt right or not]

[ Genos continues moving his arm. If not for the fact that it's artificial, it looks almost like a training warm-up routine. ]

Looks like it. [ He looks around at the room. ] I'll test it in action.

[ Action being cleaning the room ]

[Slaine nods in acknowledgement. Hopefully, Genos won't be troubled by anything else interfering with the functionality of his arm for now]

Let's see how it goes then.

[He crosses the room to collect his broom once again]

What sorts of weapons do you have, anyhow? I remember fire from before...

[ And Genos resumes his activity of cleaning high places. ]

Concentrated flame, or shooting heat blasts for long range. I can discharge some electricity upon close range hit. [ At least that's what he can think of. He wonders if there are more hidden weapons he might not be aware of ]

Aside from weapons there is also potato-peeler, and a can opener hidden in my hand. [ He's saying it as seriously as always. Yes, he's not joking. It does baffles him too, but it supports the theory of day-to-day activity being important. Or the theory of multiple sets of arms for different functions. ]

It sounds like whoever designed your arms, they wanted you to be adaptable.

[That's the impression that Slaine gets as he sweeps, evading feline attempts to tackle the broom as he goes. It makes for slower work, but he doesn't mind that very much. Company can be a pleasant thing in its own right.

Besides which, having help cleaning will make this go more quickly than if he were on his own]

That must have been a surprise to find though.

It was, I'm not going to deny that. [ I mean, how often do you find kitchen utensils built-in into your hands?

He's almost done with the high shelves, so now he can focus on something else. Like wiping windows or such. Especially if Slaine is on the move with broom ]

Nothing useful for cleaning though.

I suppose we'll have to make do with hands.

[The smallest hint of humor, because most of them only have hands to work with, really. It must be something else, having gadgets built into one's body that way though...

He wonders how complex a design like that has to be, but he doesn't know if he really has the imagination for it]

The floor won't take too long.

[ Kitten at some point attached herself to the broom with claws and finds fun in getting dragged along it. That's because cats are weird. They were always weird and this is just another proof of that. Genos meanwhile tries to open the window, but it seems stuck. OH WELL. He'll at least try to wipe clean the interior side ]

Is there a reason they ordered everyone this 'spring cleaning' aside the usual "because we can?". I understand the need for gods and their shinki to keep their own temples in good shape, but who cares about the abandoned temples somewhere in the woods?

So far as I know, this falls under that "because we can" category...

[Slaine tries to be mindful as he sweeps, tilting the broom so he can sweep the dust up without dragging Motoki through it. The last thing he wants to do is make her ill with so much dust]

Though that often seems to be the case around here.

I'm surprised we go along with it. [ General we, as all gods and shinki. Because until now, he ignored the order. Probably a good thing, because he gets quite dedicated to the cleaning, and even leaves the building to clean the window on the outside. ]

Maybe they're expecting new gods to show up? [ He says when he returns inside ]

That could be so, since they arrive pretty regularly.

[Which seems more mysterious than new shinki arriving. People die on a daily basis, considering the Earth is populated by billions, but as the process by which gods are selected is nebulous he can't account for them]

As for the order... I simply don't wish to negatively impact Hope's standing.

Ah, true, you have a point there, I didn't consider it from this angle. If I was Hope's shinki I'd probably take similar stance. [ His previous god wasn't really interested in the standing thing, only killing the monsters, so he would probably ignore the cleaning too ]

[ Motoki jumps on Genos foot, and he scoops the kitten, grey dust clinging in places to black fur ] Why are you trying to be a duster? [ he says that in a tone similar to "what are you priorities in life??". He tries to clean the kitten a bit, and then places her on clean shelf ] Just wait here.

I'd do the same regardless of who I'm assigned to... At least that seems to be my inclination.

[Hope certainly hadn't ever imposed anything in particular on him. Nevertheless, from the time he first found that he was a shinki, he's felt driven to not make his god look bad through any shortcoming on his part.

With Motoki dislodged from the broom, Slaine hurries to finish sweeping up. Once he's done, he collects a dustpan]

Sorry about her fur... Is she okay?

She's fine, just had too much fun helping with cleaning. [ He glares at the kitten who is now finding a best way to lie down on the shelf. You're not a rag, have some self-respect.

His tone and expression are harsh, but he reaches to the shelf again to give Motoki a gentle forehead rub. ]

Is there something like god's reputation? Can it affect them here? [ That's an interesting question. As a shinki it probably shouldn't bother him, but there is a high chance the god he will get assigned to will be a new arrival. It might be something important for them. ]

[Though Slaine notes the tone, the gesture that follows is enough to leave him unconcerned. If anything, Genos was likely stern out of worry for his cat]

There appears to be a hierarchy among gods, and social standing is one factor in such systems.

[How and why he knows that, he isn't quite sure]

I've surmised that is also why such priority is placed on amassing followers.

Then my assumptions were wrong. I wasn't aware of the competition for gathering followers.

[ He keeps petting kitten for a moment longer, and takes his hand when he's sure it will stay in place. And hopefully take a nap. With kitten taken care of, he picks up the cleaning tools, and focuses on wiping the second window ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

007 | Clean Up Your Act

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