002 | Tokyo In Trouble

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Surprise! There's a disaster on the Near Shore.
When: Late at night (February 24, 2016) into mid-afternoon (February 25, 2016)
Where: The Meeting Hall of the Heavens AND various places around Tokyo
Summary: A nice little greeting for the new guests and an unpleasant surprise for the older ones~



A sudden, loud blast of noise persists throughout the entirety of the Heavens. It sounds much like a war horn of ancient times being played at a decibel that is meant to shake the very core of every being within its range. No matter how much you might try to block out the noise, it remains ringing in your ears deafeningly, and somehow you find yourself compelled towards the Meeting Hall - the place where you were first introduced to the Heavens and what you have gotten wrapped up in.

Anyone checking their phones will notice a large, bright red alert flashing at them - 'EMERGENCY! REPORT IMMEDIATELY!' It seems that the Heavens have taken to using modern technology for their messages as well.

Once you have reached the Meeting Hall, you will find that every wall has turned into a sort of television screen, displaying various streets and buildings in Tokyo, everyone one literally crawling with ayakashi both big and small. A voice that you recognize as Amaterasu's - though you would never be able to describe it properly - rings throughout the halls.

"We need your help, brave gods, loyal shinki. A rift the likes of which we have never dealt with has opened on the Near Shore. We must end the ayakashi who are harming our dear followers. Please come to our aid in this time of need."



Meeting Hall

The once garishly decorated Meeting Hall looks very much like the base of operations for an army at war. There are gods gearing up with shinki and man-made gear as well and plenty of gods and shinki saying prayers before they head out to battle. Everything you might need to make yourself feel safe during a fight has been provided, including every type of weaponry. But, of course, only shinki wielded by a god can actually destroy an ayakashi.

Counselling

In the main hallway, there is an innocuous door with a small, nicely written sign that reads "Gentle Counselling". Inside the door is a small room with a few sweetly smiling shinki inside who are willing to listen to your problems and answer any questions you might have. They are also here to help out any gods that are having a hard time dealing with knowing about how their shinki died and any shinki that is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that they are dead.

February 24

The rift that has opened is so vast that there is literally nowhere in Tokyo that you can go without encountering a rampaging group of ayakashi. Everything is utter chaos and there are creatures everywhere for you to fight. Let's just hope that you can get out of this dangerous battlefront mostly unscathed.

February 25

Towards the middle of the day, it will seem that the ayakashi are becoming fewer and further between. Things seem to be calming down a lot, though they are nowhere near normal yet, especially since the rift is taking longer to close than the Heavens would like. Fortunately, no new ayakashi have escaped into the Near Shore from the rift since this morning, due to a barrier that has been placed around it. Still, the ayakashi seem to be really hell-bent on getting away from you all now rather than fighting...



In Summary:

• There are a ton of ayakashi on the Near Shore that need to be destroyed.
• The newbies are getting one hell of a welcome as a result.
• Seek counselling if you need it!
• Go kick some evil ass.
• Comment to the first thread to get a randomly generated number of ayakashi to face.
• Mods will gladly play out any ayakashi interactions where requested.
• Try not to get killed~

Comments

[sweetdeath]

[Even just the name is a mouthful, and after his attempt at whatever Frejya's language was had gone south, Tsuzuki's not going to make a stab at that one. There aren't nearly enough vowels in it.]

Wow, you'll get a lot of prayers if you handle all of that!

So do you have a shinki already? Someone told me these things can be tough to handle if you don't.

[arealhardnose]

That's true. I hope I can answer them all. [That's ... that's the goal, right? Gathering more followers. That's how one gets prestige here? Elsa isn't terribly concerned with that, but she won't turn away any prayers or sincere followers.] I used to get prayers, sort of. More like requests. Students seem to think their principals are all-powerful. We're not, unfortunately, but I suppose that's not going to be a problem here.

I do. [She looks around for him -- he's looking sullen, her usual scowl just the slightest bit deeper.] I almost wish his vessel were a sword, but we'll manage. As long as we destroy all those ayakashi, I'll take a paper airpline! Have you had a chance to practice fighting with your shinki before? Assuming you have one, that is.

[sweetdeath]

I do, yeah. His name's Hisoka -- he's around here somewhere. [Tsuzuki glances around the room.] He had an errand to run! Anyway, yeah, we've fought together before.

He's not really a weapon, though.

[Tsuzuki grins cheerfully, shrugging it off.] That works for me! I wouldn't really know what to do with most weapons. I use magic.

So you're a teacher, huh? I mean, back before you got the promotion to god.

[arealhardnose]

If he's not a weapon, what's his vessel? [Elsa is genuinely curious. She'd assumed that all shinki were some form of weapon or another. She also hadn't figured shinki were terribly independent, but she's only just gotten here, so she's not too bothered by how much she doesn't know.]

I used to know a little magic. It was... a borrowed power. I don't have it anymore. [She shrugs, her smile carefree.

She's much happier to talk about teaching, anyway, so she's glad for his question.] I was, yes. I didn't get to teach as much these past few years, when I was promoted to principal. I loved it, though. What did you do before-- [She gestures to the meeting hall, arching her eyebrows in silent question.]

[sweetdeath]

Oh, I was in the Ministry of Judgment summons division. You know -- gods of death!

[He grins at her, equally carefree.] I guess after seventy years they figured if they didn't kick me upstairs they'd be stuck with me forever.

Hisoka's vessel's a good-luck charm. You know, like from a shrine?

[arealhardnose]

No, I don't know. [But given everything that happened to her last year, she really shouldn't be surprised.

Elsa is learning a lot of things lately.] That sounds interesting, though. What was that like, going to bring people to the afterlife-- or wherever you took them to?

I think I've seen the kind of good luck charm you're talking about. [She's had a fair number of international students at her schools, and a lot of students from different cultures, so she's sure she's come across them.] They're colorful, right? Usually?

[sweetdeath]

Oh, well -- mostly people show up on their own when it's time. We don't need to get involved personally unless someone goes missing....

[He cheers up at the topic of good-luck charms, nodding emphatically.] Yeah, made out of silk crepe and embroidered! Haha, Hisoka's pretty cute in that form too. Don't tell him I said that, though, I think he wanted to be a gun or something cool.

[arealhardnose]

How would someone end up missing? [That's her academic curiosity kicking in. She's a science person at heart. Every new thing demands her attention, more than a little research, some teamwork if research partners are available.

Don't mind her much. She's harmless.]

Oh, then yes, I've seen them before. [And she has no trouble imagining how he might think his shinki's vessel form is cute. In fact, picturing it makes her laugh a little as she says,] I won't, I promise. Though I see why you would think that! I think luck is probably a good thing to have on your side in battle, though. Hisoka should be proud of ensuring you get a boost in that.

[Dumb luck had kept her from killing innocent kids more times than she can count. She is so glad that's all over now!]

[sweetdeath]

On the normal end of things, it might be someone who's sick but who's hanging on longer than they were scheduled to. On the weirder end... hauntings, demon possession, people being brought back from the dead....

[He hadn't thought before that Hisoka's other form might actually be making him luckier. Things had gone pretty well so far, though, hadn't they? Especially with those kids making all the noise, and. Huh.

He blinks.]

Yeah, luck is a lot more important than anything else!

[arealhardnose]

You know, once, I might've told you that's impossible, but after all of this-- [and after all of last year] --it sounds perfectly sensible.

[Life... life is weird. And that's the technical term for that.

She does brighten a bit, though, when he takes her comment well. Working with teenagers for so long, she's used to expecting the unexpected when it comes to people's responses.]

Well, I'd say luck and skill matter. [She shrugs.] I'm an educator, after all. [She supposes she still kind of us, what with wisdom being one of her areas as Menrva.]

[sweetdeath]

Maybe you're right, but if you don't have any luck, you need a whole lot of skill to make up for it.

[Or maybe Tsuzuki just thinks that because of his tendency to take reckless risks?

No, that couldn't possibly be related.]

[arealhardnose]

[Even if she were trying, Elsa wouldn't be able to suppress a chuckle at that.] You sound like some of my students, so I'll tell you what I told them: a mix of both is good to have, yes, but it's never a bad thing to improve your skills. You never know when they'll come in handy.

[Such as, apparently, all that fighting she did last year. Not by choice, but in this case, it's helpful.

She'd been reckless then, too, and very lucky. She sympathizes a little there, Tsuzuki.]

[sweetdeath]

I've been working on my skills for a while! Anyway, I guess we'll see how all of this works out.

[He winks cheerfully at her, and glances around the room. There seem to be plenty of gods getting involved. So maybe it'll be fine!

Right?

Okay, he's still a little worried about everybody. They'll have to at least try, though.]

[arealhardnose]

Good. [Even in that, he reminds her of students; a pang of nostalgia goes through her almost simultaneously, but she conquers it quickly, hiding it behind a wider smile. Later, later, after the ayakashi have been contained or pushed back or destroyed.

Following Tsuzuki's gaze around the room, Elsa nods to herself.] There should be enough of us to do the job. We should probably get going, shouldn't we?

[sweetdeath]

[Had there been a little pause, there, before she smiled? Tsuzuki glances curiously at her, but doesn't pry. It could have been his imagination, anyway. She seems fine.

He nods in return, instead, and smiles back.]

Yeah, I guess so! I'll go find Hisoka. The sooner we get those ayakashi out of everybody's hair, the happier we'll be!

[arealhardnose]

That's right. [And the sooner they'll have the time to start figuring out how things really work here.]

If I see you out there, I'll fight by your side -- provided I'm not busy with ayakashi of my own, that is.

[She shoots Tsuzuki a grin, and if there's nothing more to be said, she'll head off in search of her shinki, to tell him it's time to go fight.]

[sweetdeath]

Thanks -- and same to you! Let me know if you end up having any trouble out there.

[So Hisoka's not a weapon... but Tsuzuki has plenty of experience fighting supernatural creatures. Maybe he'll be able to help! He smiles at her, and waves, turning to go find his partner.]