Fandom Norgami: A New Era (IC)

[Dante Verren]

Location: Kyoto Railway Station
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:22 pm​

Phantom (Pride)
interactions: Ame ( VeiledPariah ) Azani ( Karcen )


A large smile grew on Kuro-Kyogi's face at the sudden shift of attitude from the girl. "I am quite gracious indeed!" She proclaimed, very clearly not picking up on the hint of sarcasm that the complement was given with. The phantom even chuckled a bit when the spirit declared that she could take care of herself, even without a god. The confidence this one had, Kuro-Kyogi was starting to like her more and more by the minute. She might even actually tell this little spirit her name. Yes a spirit with this much possibility at the very least deserved to know the name of her benefactor. At least she would have if an insolent little pest hadn't come to spoil her good mood.

Her wings twitched in annoyance as that obnoxious smell of a god filled her pristine nostrils. Raising the fan to her face, she covered the fresh scowl as her eyes full of hatred locked on to the newcomer. "Excuse you! The only one here playing at being something they once were is the unsightly rat that just rudely interrupted a mutually beneficial conversation. " Keeping her eyes locked on the god, Kuro-Kyogi tensed up her back muscles and prepared herself to fight. She would not start the fight, but if this ingrate thought that she would let this poor spirit suffer by being turned into another ones of those "holy" objects and be used as a tool then she was wrong. Though something was off about this god. She had a different air then any of the other gods Kuro-Kyogi had encountered before.

Still keeping her eyes on the god, she addressed the spirit. "Leave this relic to her own misfortune and come with me. I will help you acquire a meal and take you someplace safe as was agreed upon. Have some pride and don't allow yourself to be used as a tool for a being who has outlived her purpose in the world. " With that statement made it was time to see what the spirit would choose. This was the turning point. If she could be saved from the hands of the corrupt gods who wish to use her as a mere object then she would come with Kurp-Kyogi. If not then it would be Kuro-Kyogi's duty to put this poor spirit to rest. It was to early for her to eat, but sometimes one must sacrifice their perfect diet to ensure that they could do what needed to be done.

 

[Ian Temero]

City Streets
April 1st 2030
2:05 pm

Kokoro
Mentions: Dante Verren QuirkyAngel
​

The women followed.

Holy fuck the woman followed! This was real! This woman could actually see her! A human! Kokoro may have seemed calm as she waded through a sea of pink but internally she was freaking out. What was she supposed to do? Was she breaking some kind of rule talking to her? Ah who cared! This was a once in an unlifetime opportunity! An actual connection to the human world! Well, she would be if she stopped rambling. She could understand her doubting, Kokoro having trouble believing this as well, but she "smelled" real. That was a weird statement. "Whoa! Slow down there, Miss Yuya." She said carefully, not wanting to scare away this rare chance. "I'm-"

POP!

"What the fuck!" The spirit shrieked, skidding to a stop as the nerd from before literally popped up out of nowhere next to her. He started chatting at Sumiko and offered her a business card, calling himself the god of hackers. Upon hearing that Kokoro's face fell flat. Of course he was a god. Who else would be so nonchalant about all this. Plus he kinda did just teleport. Great. Just her fucking luck. Not only did she run into one of these asshole but he was the type to just sit there and watch others fight a monster rather than killing it himself like gods were supposed to. Asshole. Then he turned to her and shared his interest in her name and she scowled, already figuring out why he was asking. And she wasn't having any of it. "Hell no!" Kokoro snapped, grabbing Sumiko by the arm and started to drag her away from the nuisance. "Not fucking interested! Find someone else to be your fucking tool!"

Then, as if the god was never there in the first place, she started answering the human woman's questions, though less cheerfully than before as X had kinda ruined her mood. "I'm Kokoro" She introduced herself. "No, you're not a damn nut case, and no, no one else can see me cause I'm a fucking ghost." Then as an after thought she added, "You wanna find somewhere to sit and chat? Cause I get the feeling this is going to be a long one." If the self proclaimed god was going to keep following them she'd rather not lead him to Limbo.

​

 

[VeiledPariah]

Location: Ude’s Shrine
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:50 pm​

Interactions: Dante Verren Karcen
Ametaru (Regalia)

The regalia’s eyes widened but not out of gratitude or elation that a Kami had appeared...next to him she was one of the last gods that the Nora wanted to appear before them.
“Not Azani, Anyone but Azani...holy crap this can’t get any worse”
Her introduction spitting seething venom as she spoke. It indeed hit its mark to both the regalia and the phantom the latter speaking out first as Ame turned more dumbstruck at the coincidence of it all that she would appear now.
“Oh...your sister has not called my name in some time Goddess Azani, and as for this situation I recently returned and found myself without amenities but this phantom offered her assistance”
The regalia retorted sheepishly as if she had been caught by her mother with her hand in the preverbal cookie jar so to speak.
This was bad, if the hot blooded crow and steel fanged snake went at it now she would surely be dragged into this as well.
Ame groaned as the Tengu gave the choice to the girl on whether or not to accept her help or face her alongside the god of grudges.
Neither option was pleasing but if Azani willed it the Regalia had little choice in the matter besides running away and that would still leave her without the help she required.
“This is one hell of a tight spot you both have put me in”
She breathed reluctantly with a sigh.
The girl had to go with the god it was her purpose and despite the consequences of the actions she was about to endure she had to endure it nonetheless.
“I am sorry Miss, but I can no longer accept your offer for help I am sorry”
She answered with a respectful bow, normally she would be steeped against this phantom but everything she had seen of her personality prior made her take pause to her usual treatment of them. Hopefully she could diffuse the growing situation before other phantoms were drawn to this place...after all she still wanted to leave more than anything especially now.
“She meant me no ill will Kami so we can take our leave now”
The thought of leaving with the Azani sending chills down the spirits spine. She would almost rather marry the phantom than entertain this child god of darkness in whatever she would plan.
​

 

[Karcen]

Location: Ude’s Shrine
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:50 pm
​

Now one might expect Azani to take the words of the Phantom rather badly as most gods would have and the idea that a regalia would rather go with what amounted to leftover and unwanted trash of humanity was frankly a bit insulting. Still Azani was all smiles right now as if seeing an amusing show instead of what could be a life and death fight waiting to happen. Well the Phantom had yet to attack and if it hadn't now while a god was at their weakest they were unlikely to now that they were more likely to call upon the spirit that had likely been their target. Ame it seemed knew her place which was both pleasing and sad at the same time as despite what the phantom might be she was aware of how some gods treated their regalia. Azani tended not to keep her regalia and only rarely took them, and while she might not be the best god out there she did feel she at least treated them as more than mere objects.

" How sad to see my sister still neglects you really some gods are so cruel" Azani said still sounding amused just like a little sister getting something their elder sibling valued. " Though as much as it pains me that pretend Tengu over there does have at least one thing right your should act beyond being a tool" Azani sighed not exactly enjoying the subservient attitude no matter how correct it was for a regalia it was so boring.

Azani looked over the the phantom in question having and still seeming to pay her little mind despite her being the biggest threat around. Any normal god would have named Ame and attacked the phantom right then and there, but well it was almost funny to see one half of a coin say the other was not need. " With what money would you buy food, with what offerings do you put up shelter Phantom?" She asked as such beings could not interact the way gods could, they were without true substance and could only influence others " If you have they funds to do so then prove it now Phantom or were you just leading my sister's naive little spirit into a trap i know she would be quiet the meal for your kind" She said reaching into her own kimono and pulling out several large bills. She might not be an openly worship goddess but oh so many people had a grudge to settle and that paid well.

VeiledPariah Dante Verren

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Location: Under Sanjo Bridge, Kyoto City
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 4:30 pm​

Rika Murakami (Human)

“Wha---Hirai-kun? Why are you here?” Startled, Rika swiftly turned towards the cheerful voice of her classmate. “More importantly, you can see him?”

She knew the former member of the archery club played detective at school and that his family ran some sort of spiritual consultation business, but she half believed it was fake like many other charlatan businesses she’d seen marketing their “spiritual abilities”. Fake fortune-tellers. Psychics. Ghost seers. She’d gone to so many fake offices when trying to figure out the things she was able to see and hear, that she’d pretty much given up on them and decided to do things on her own. She didn’t want to be seen as mentally ill either.

She wanted to fit in. Be normal. Therefore, she told no one, outside her maternal grandfather, about the ghosts and phantoms she was able to see. It wasn’t as if anyone would believe her anyway and she had long tired of trying to convince them. Yet here was Ryotaro Hirai talking to the ghost/spirit/god servant Tatsume as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Rika was so surprised about this that his question about escorting her home and helping him with an assignment hadn’t even registered in her mind. It was Tatsume’s response that got her brain working again.

“Please do.” Cool and utterly unaffected by the stranger that joined their conversation, the old man appraised the boy who bowed to him slightly before nodding. “And be careful. It’s best to get home before it rains tonight.”

“Wait, I don’t want—,”

Ignoring Ryotaro's request regarding the assignment, and Rika apparently, Tatsume vanished as if he were a wisp of smoke.

“Tatsume-san! Tatsume-san! I still have things I want to ask you!” Rika called to the shrine to little avail. She couldn’t tell if spirit was ignoring her or he’d simply left. The old man showed up sometimes when she when prayed at the shrine, but he didn’t usually stay very long and it was rare they talked very deeply about spiritual things. It would’ve been a good opportunity to ask if he’d seen Uzume. Sighing, Rika glared at Ryotaro for a moment before biting her lip and looking away. It wasn’t exactly Ryotaro’s fault Tatsume had chosen to leave. The old man would’ve likely left after escorting her anyway and there was no guarantee that he knew the answers she was looking for in the first place. Or that he would even tell her.

"Dammit." Reaching for the bag she’d left on the ground, Rika slung it over her shoulder before looking back at Ryotaro. She had no idea why he'd offered to walk her home or which assignment he needed help with, but it wasn't her nature to deny an honest request. “Well, let’s get going then. What assignment do you need help with? Please don’t tell me it’s math.”

Lucem

 

[Dante Verren]

Location: City Streets
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:07 pm
​

Yuya Sumiko (Human)
Interactions: Kokoro ( Ian Temero ) Kami_X ( QuirkyAngel )


The spirit's vulgar cry of surprise was echoed by a yelp from Sumiko as the red hair man appeared at the girls side. Caught off guard and with her attention fixated on the red haired man all she could do was remain quite and wait for her heart beat to settle back down while he spoke. Introducing himself as Kami_X and handing her a business card was strange enough but the fact he proclaimed himself a god was going a bit overboard. She doubted that her mind would ever come up with anything as.. unique as this Kami_X fellow, but even if he was real.... calling himself a god was a bit out there. Still she was both an equal mix of curious and not wanting to be rude so she took the business card. Looking over the card she was once again caught off guard as the girl grabbed her arm and started pulling Sumiko after her. This was definitely real.

Listening very intently to Kokoro as she introduced herself, it was an indescribable feeling to know that she wasn't crazy. Well she was technically talking to a ghost and had met a god... so maybe she was crazy, just in a different way then she had always thought. "You have no idea how happy I am to meet you Kokoro " She said giving the girl a huge smile. Looking back to Kami_X she felt a bit guilty. Was it okay to just ignore him, she still wasn't sure about him being a god but it felt wrong to just leave him. Turning back to the girl who was still leading her by the arm, "If you don't mind we can go back to my apartment. It isn't to far and I live alone so we don't have to worry about anyone overhearing anything. Well I guess that last part doesn't matter since they would only get half of the conversation." Sumiko was beginning to become painfully aware at how many people were starting to either stare or give her sideways glances. Again she turned to look at Kami_X, "You are welcome to come too if you want to Mr.X, as long as she is okay with it." she said motioning with her free arm to Kokoro.

Sumiko hoped that Kokoro would let Kami_X come with them. She wanted too talk to both of them and hopefully get answers to her ever expanding pool of questions. If not then Sumiko fully intended to call or text the number on the phone, partially so she could see if it was a hoax or if she could get answers to the questions Kokoro wouldn't be able to answer. That and she was curious to see if ghost could even use a phone. Considering that a ghost was leading her by the arm, the answer to if they could use a phone was a solid maybe.

 

[Lucem]

Location: Under Sanjo Bridge, Kyoto City
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 4:30 pm​

Ryotaro Hirai (Human)
Ryo let out a small laugh as he turned his attention back to Murakami. "Don't worry. It's nothing like that. A little homework wouldn't give me any trouble. I'm at the top of our class, after all." Not showing any shame after bragging about his academic success, he moved a little closer to the water's edge. "Make no mistake, this assignment is still school-related. It has to do with our fishy friend." Kicking one of the many small pebbles into the blue depths, he watched as the ripples distorted his reflection.

"Have you heard the story of how the jellyfish lost its bones?" To anyone else in class, this would just be him talking about complete nonsense. However, because she was the one listening, it had meaning. "They say that jellyfish are servants of Ryujin, the deity of the sea. One day, Ryujin wanted to eat the liver of a monkey, so he sent a jellyfish to get one. Like a good servant, it went to retrieve what its master desired. It came pretty close to succeeding, but it was tricked by the monkey, and the jellyfish ended up returning empty-handed. To punish it for its failure, Ryujin beat it until its bones were crushed and turned to dust. You could see this as a good story if you look at it from the perspective of the monkey. Using its wits, it was able to outsmart the jellyfish and save its own life. However, the story is quite sad if you put yourself in the jellyfish's place. After working so hard to follow orders and please its master, it was brutally punished for one mistake. The god showed no mercy. As a working man, I can sympathize with an employee being treated unfairly by their boss. Still, its failure was a result of its own shortcomings. So I can't feel too bad."

Returning to Murakami's side, the smirk on his face grew wider. "Well? What do you think? I'd like to ask for your opinion on the jellyfish, as well as some other things. Of course, I'm happy to answer your questions too. Maybe you'd like to know I study for those math exams you seem to hate. Ah, but I can't tell you here!" Putting a finger to his lips, the boy leaned in a little closer. "Can't let anyone overhear my secret."

Location: Hirai Office, Kyoto City
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 5:00 pm​

The building wasn't anything impressive. It wasn't very big, and the only noticeable feature was the self-made sign hanging above the entrance. There used to be several religious statues and other decorations lined up to greet people, but he moved them a while ago to prevent some of the more volatile visitors from breaking them. Still, he thought the sign was enough to give the drab exterior some flair. He didn't spend all that time practicing calligraphy for nothing.

"I'm home." Sliding open the door, Ryo called out to no one. All he received in response was the sound of the wind chimes moving in the breeze. Removing his shoes, he pointed to the nearby shelf. "I have slippers set aside for guests. Feel free to use them." Grabbing a pair for himself, he walked deeper into the office while humming a tune.

Flipping a switch, he filled the dark hallway with light, revealing his base of operations. While it couldn't be described as lavish, the interior was much nicer than the outside would lead people to believe. Almost every wall was covered by a bookshelf, not a single empty space in any of them. Most of the books had to do with religion and things related to his occult business, but there were several texts covering other subjects like cartography and baking. While there were plenty of interesting looking tools and pieces of furniture, the most important part of the office was the desk in the center. With a chair on each side, it still managed to look good with a mountain of papers stacked on top of it.

"Sorry about the mess. Wasn't planning on having company. Just take a seat." After pulling out the guest chair for Murakami, Ryo reached for the fallen picture frame on the other side of the desk. "Look lively, Pops. I finally brought a classmate over for a visit."

Once the girl was settled in, Ryo walked into the nearby kitchen. It wasn't big enough to be called a room, but it had everything he needed. There were only three rooms in this building. The first was the actual office, which connected to the kitchen. The second was the bathroom, which thankfully had a shower. Finally, there was his bedroom. While he technically lived with his uncle, he slept here most of the time. It was easier to get work done that way. More importantly, he felt more comfortable in this place than anywhere else.

"I hope you're okay with green tea." Filling the electric kettle with water, Ryo followed the usual routine for when he had visitors. He didn't like spending money on things like this, but he couldn't be a poor host. It'd make the business look bad.

"Phantoms." Without bothering to ease into that topic, Ryo cut straight to the chase as he prepared the tea. "They stir up our negative emotions and then feed on that negativity. You could see them as negativity itself. When I thought about them in that way, a lot of ideas started popping into my head. I wondered what would happen if you tried filling them with positivity instead. Although, that's easier said than done, considering what they are. It might even be impossible, but if someone could pull it off, we might find a way to get rid of phantoms. To accomplish that, I've been doing a lot of research."

Placing the filled pot and two cups on a tray, he brought the tea over to the desk. After putting one cup in front of Murakami, he sat in his own chair and began digging through one of the drawers. Soon, he pulled out a large book, several of the pages marked with colored strips of paper. Flipping to the page he was looking for, he placed it in front of his classmate and pointed to a picture of an old-looking painting. "Tell me what you think. According to my father, this is a painting of my ancestors fighting against a night parade of one hundred yokai. I say yokai, but if you read all the information people have about them, you could consider them and phantoms to be the same thing. The story itself may not be true, but the connection is what's important. Just like gods, phantoms come from the Far Shore. Because they come from the same place, I think the stories and perceptions created by humans are just as important to them. They're what define gods and phantoms, so they're directly tied to their existence. That's why I've been looking into the legends about yokai, whether you want to call them that or something else. It might be possible to affect their existence by doing something about the negativity surrounding them in the stories humans pass down. Take the jellyfish for example. Don't you think it'd be happy if it had its bones back. If it's appeased, it might just return to the Far Shore by itself."

Taking a sip from his cup, Ryo leaned in closer, trying to notice any subtle reactions from the girl sitting on the other side of the desk. "Getting bones from an actual jellyfish is impossible, but I have a workaround. One of the characters in its name can be read as 'moon'. Because of that, I'll be using the bones of an opah as a substitute. It's commonly referred to as a moonfish. It might be a stretch, but it'd make me feel better if I used them instead of something else. The plan itself is a stretch and already has a low chance of success, so how I feel is important. I've had some success in handling phantoms by resolving the negativity of the people they cling to, but doing the opposite is something else entirely. I'm making a lot of bold assumptions here, including ones about you."

Finishing the rest of his tea, he sank deeper into his chair, giving Murakami a little more space. "I had my doubts about a plan like this, so I thought I'd ask for your input. I don't meet many people like me, so it's rare that I have the opportunity to ask for a second opinion. If possible, I'd also like to ask for your cooperation with this, or one of the other ideas I'm considering. However, your understanding of matters concerning the Far Shore may be more limited than my own. I have reason to believe otherwise, but there's a chance you might want nothing to do with the spiritual world. If that's the case, feel free to forget about this conversation and enjoy what's left of the tea in exchange for me wasting your time. Like I said before, I'll also do my best to answer any questions you may have, including ones that have nothing to do with math."

Resting his chin on top of his hands, Ryo maintained his usual smirk, but he gave the girl his full attention. Ideally, he'd like to get some information or assistance out of her, but it couldn't be helped if she didn't know anything. Like always, he'd just have to handle it himself.

QuirkyAngel

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Location: City Streets
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 2:08pm​

Kami_X (God of Hackers)

“Woah, spicy!” Kami_X clutched the area of his heart as if he were hurt. He knew for a fact that Kokoro wasn’t a god-given name, so he could only assume it was a name she came up herself. Like picking out a trade name or a brand name for oneself. He followed Kokoro as she dragged Sumiko with her, amused by her actions, but at the same time annoyed since she’d taken it upon herself to try and drag a potential client away. If she wanted to leave she could do it herself, but why try to ruin someone’s else’s livelihood? It wasn’t as if spirits like her faded away when they didn’t get jobs. And, since he didn’t yet have a shrine, it wasn’t as if he could come back after being killed either. Phantoms were everywhere these days after all. “No one ever said anything about making you a tool, Kokoro-chan~”

Kami_X smirked, pushing up his glasses. “While it’s true I’m lacking employees in the big godly business I intend to build, I’m not crass enough to force myself on someone who’s not interested or has no intention of working with me. Only boorish gods do that. Besides, with a personality like the one you seem to have, you’d probably blight me to death~”

He chuckled before giving Kokoro his business card as well—forced it on her actually. What she chose to do with it was up to her. “You’ve caught my interest with your hero-like actions so I was curious about you an individual. That’s all.” He went for a reassuring tone since she seemed quite jumpy around him. Her phrasing made it quite clear that she disliked gods. Racist much? He wondered if that was the reason no god had ever picked her up. Did she dislike regalias or other spirits that chose to serve gods as well? She seemed friendly enough with Sumiko, though that would make sense since spirits used to be human.

“Call me or text a prayer if you ever feel you need the assistance of a Hacker God.” He gave her the same offer as he did Sumiko and a business smile.

Looking between the two girls chatting with each other, he decided that he did not want to be a cause of discord between the two of them. Wouldn’t be a very godly thing to do. Besides, it’d be bad for business to scare a potential client off and might even draw phantoms if emotions got too high. Those that walked the path divide between the near shore and the far shore are easily swayed, after all. This was especially true of humans…and those who used to be humans. “Thanks for the invitation, Sumiko-chan, but I’ll have to decline for now. I’d be the worst sort of guy to step between the blossoming friendship of two beautiful girls, and I do have things I need to take care of…” Like the phantom next to his apartment that could get up and try to snack on him at any time. He beamed at the Albino. “But it was very nice meeting you. If there’s anything Kokoro-chan can’t answer, you’re free to give me a ring. I’ll be right over. Don’t listen to everything she says about us gods~” Pause. “Oh, and if I could give you a bit of advice, don’t invite random guys into your apartment—especially if you're a single girl living alone—either.” He winked. “There are lots of creepy folks out there these days.”

Gods weren't exactly tied to morality since the rules of humans didn't necessarily apply to them, but he'd been mainly referring to the phantoms that have become powerful enough to resemble humans. Or possess humans. He didn't know what they were called, but even the earth-bound gods have started talking about them. The new trend of phantoms. Izanami's generals during the last war. Either way, these sorts of things weren't really his concern at the moment. They were out of his league.

As a stray god living from day to day off the wishes of humans until he had shrine of his own, Kami_X had his own methods for dealing with the creatures of the far shore that thought he ‘smelled nice’.

Waving brightly at the pair, Kami_X pulled out a phone from his pocket, hitting the speed-dial button and pressing the device to his ear, as he sauntered off with his laptop. “Inari-samaaa~ There’s a phantom near my apartment that I need to stomp on. I’ll leave an offering on your shrine later so—”

Click.

“Hello? Inari-sama?” The red-haired 'god' could be seen redialing as he vanished.

Ian Temero Dante Verren

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Location: Hirai Office, Kyoto City
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 5:00 pm​

Rika Murakami (Human)

“I…” Eyes drifting up from the picture in the book to Ryotaro’s expectant gaze, Rika replied bluntly. “Think you’re crazy.”

What else was she supposed to say? When she asked him what assignment he needed help with, she hadn’t expected him to tell her a story and ask for her philosophical opinion. When she followed him home, she hadn’t expected to be led to his place instead of hers either—not she minded. It was all so strange. Not even her grandfather had so many books or odd trinkets lying around. Yet the room he showed her was full of them. If not for the fact that she’s seen Ryotaro speaking to Tatsume, she’d have thought the toys lying about were left there to attract unsuspecting clients.

That was the sort of thing AFAH advertised after all.

While she didn’t agree with their anti-faith sentiments, or the actions of some of their more violent members, she couldn’t deny that charlatans existed as well. Clenching the tea cup he’d offered in both hands, Rika didn’t look away from the smirking boy. He used the word far shore. He sounded like he’d done a lot of research, but…“What do you intend to do? Wave a bone in front of the phantom and hope it goes away? Even if that story about Ryuujin and the Jellyfish is true,” Which she wasn’t entirely sure of since, while she knew gods, spirits, and other supernatural beings existed, the line between facts and fables where quite blurry when it came to these things. “I’m not sure that thing clinging to Kenji’s back has a mind of its own anymore…”

Phantoms did speak, in a way, but the most she’d usually hear amounted to ‘Smells Nice’ and short sentences tempting her to do bad things. Ryotaro’s Jellyfish story seemed to suggest a connection between the servants of gods and phantoms and that the later were creatures to be pitied, but there were far too many wild theories and assumptions for her liking. Blasphemous ones at that. She might not be especially religious, but she did respect the traditions rooted in old stories to a degree.

Didn’t make sense to disrespect gods when you know they could very well exist.

“I think you’re making too many wild guesses, Hirai. If you’re wrong about the phantom you could very well end up hurt by Kenji or possessed like my m—,” Rika stopped herself from finishing the sentence. Glancing down at the tea in her cup, she changed her direction. “Why do you care anyway? He got himself possessed by giving into the phantom’s temptations. He's the one feeding it all that negative energy. Maybe he’ll shake himself out of it…”

She didn’t really believe it herself from what she saw in class, but clinging onto such hopes helped to justify her lack of effort in trying to save him. She wasn’t a hero. She couldn’t save everyone—least of all a classmate she hardly knew who didn't even want her help. She’d only started to learn how to draw talismans properly. What had her grandfather said? Her talismans drew on the power of the god or spirit whose name was written? What if the god wasn’t there? What if they were missing like Uzume? Should she use the lack of gods as an excuse to not do anything?

Was she really that sort of person?

Rika sighed. She honestly didn’t know anymore. Nor did she know all that much about Ryotaro. Why was someone smart like him getting involved in something that could very well get him killed? Something that would put a target on his back for any AFAH supporters that were still out there. A student like Kenji probably didn’t have that much money on him. And yet, judging from the state of the room, as well as all the little notes in the book, Ryotaro had put a lot of thought into helping out their classmate. A guy her age. Looking at it all made Rika feel a little ashamed.

Lucem

 

[Dante Verren]

Location: Kyoto Railway Station
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:50 pm​

Phantom (Pride)
interactions: Ame ( VeiledPariah ) Azani ( Karcen )


Kuro-Kyogi let out a small disappointed sigh as the regalia predictably chose to fall into line at the beckoning of a god. A real shame, She thought that the fiery attitude this spirit had showed meant that she could be saved from her cruel fate. This was not the outcome that Kuro-Kyogi had wanted, but it wasn't a total disappointment. The little spirit was showing Kuro-Kyogi proper respect, that meant there still might be hope for her. Seeing that small glimmer, she decided against killing the god and the spirit right on the spot. It would be a shame to squash out what little chance this spirit still had. Flapping her wings lightly in annoyance she turned her full attention back to her annoying challenger.

With the presentation of money and accusations of dirty tricks the phantom merely clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Unlike your kind I have no need to resort to such low brow tactics. If I wish to eat then I will eat. Let traps and tricks fall to lesser phantoms or even to my little protege, Those boorish actions are beneath me." Her scowl deepened and she flap her right wing as if she was throwing the idea aside. Looking at the bills in the gods hand she couldn't help but snicker. "How adorable! You think your mere pocket change means anything." She snickered again. Flapping her wings lightly she gently began to raise herself a few feet in the air. "I was wrong in my assumption that you were serious, have you considered comedy. I think you would make a magnificent Jester!" Her scowl shifted into a mocking grin, though her crimson eyes showed no sign of humor. Turning her gaze over to the spirit, she gave Ame a small wave of her fan. "I do hope you come to your senses one day"

With that being said she began her wings forward, preparing to fully leave the area. Yet she still kept her guard up, ready to protect herself in case this god tried to pull the very tricks she accused Kuro-Kyogi of doing. If the god even tried to make an attack, she was going to get a good helping of bladed feathers coming right at her.

 

[Karcen]

Location: Ude’s Shrine
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:50 pm
​

Azani let the phantom's words go she was getting an idea about what this phantom was, it was so very prideful perhaps it had been born of it. That was a sin she encountered so very often the prideful in need of someone to take out a threat to their fragile world. Azani wondered if perhaps this pride filled phantom was similar. She didn't really know to much about these human like phantoms they were new and fighting them directly was not her thing. So was acting like this all the phantom knew, or did she believe these words? Azani doubted that there was any simple answer. Still Azani now had ame and she was well worth any insult and it wasn't like she was not used to insults so Azani despite being annoyed and amused was not truly angry like many would be. Still the fact the phantom didn't bother to try to show off how much better she was made Azani wonder if she hadn't just planned to trap Ame and consume her. Still a being that could make people prideful was something very useful. This would be something like heresy, but perhaps a phantom with it's own mind could change just like a god could. Azani wanted to test this idea these new phantoms were very different from the old and testing their limits had to be done.

" Ame i ask that you not talk about what i am going to do even if you don't stay with me" Azani said looking to the regalia then to the phantom. She wasn't going to demand Ame stay silent or even name her if the regalia didn't want it, or there wasn't an emergency.

" Phantom" she started dropping some of the venom to at least show some respect as one might a normal spirit over vermin " Are you not tired of acting like a parasite feeding of the dark in peoples hearts?" She asked " Why not come with me there are many dark hearted people that call to me, should you feed on them then perhaps the world might be better off" She explained holding a hand out something no normal god would do " What do you say want to stop looking over your back for any god coming after you and do more than most gods?"

Dante Verren VeiledPariah

 

[Life.]

InemaruLocation: City Streets near Maruyama Park, Kyoto | Date: April 1st, 2030 | Time: 4:35pm | Mentions: Phayne

He had started out with a light jog, but the god misjudged the speed of the creature to the point that he had to transition into a sprint. "All I wanted was a hot-" Inemaru nearly froze in one spot. The familiar scent of that glorious item he had been savoring for days. He could smell the smokiness of the meat in the air. But how? Why? Was he being haunted by a hot-dog scented Phantom? But then he glanced to his side and spotted his shinki, Shiro. While he felt some relief seeing the familiar figure, what he held in his hand shocked him. A half-eaten hot dog. If there had not been a Phantom chasing them, Inemaru would've slapped the food off the boy's hand. However, he was a couple of meters away from him and it was clear from his calm expression that he was enjoying the treat.

"I think I understand now the current generation's slang of 'not cool, bro.' What you are eating in front of me is definitely not within the range of 'cool' actions. I feel that this current situation would also fit in the 'top ten anime betrayals' or whatever subjects the youths use to compare their scenarios." Inemaru rounded a corner as he expressed his sorrow. The god wanted to just fall to the ground and let the Phantom take him then. The one thing he had been looking forward to today.

An unsettling sound resembling like a roar exuded out from the Phantom behind him, but before Inemaru could react, he found himself meeting with the concrete ground below him. The impact stunned him as a short, large wave of pain shot across his body. This didn't faze him though as he quickly shoved himself off the ground and rolled out of the way from an incoming punch the creature threw. Inemaru's childish and silly moment of despair disappeared when the Phantom reared up onto its hindlegs. The dark-haired god looked over Shiro then, "Come, Haki!"

 

[VeiledPariah]

Location: Ude’s Shrine
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:50 pm​

Interactions: Dante Verren Karcen
Ametaru (Regalia)

Ametaru was taken back by the next words that poured from the goddesses lips.
Was she trying to recruit the phantom, and the expressed warning asking the Nora not to say anything about it as if she would in the first place.
The scales shifted into almost a back alley deal being struck between a god and phantom and all the regalia could do was watch.
It was true at least in her conceptual understanding that gods could commit no wrong, regardless of the situation as they were formed without sin and simply bared the sins of their regalias on their on shoulders like a burden. The cost for accommodating the spirits into their charge and keeping them tethered from becoming phantoms.
Yet this seemed to be on a different level.
Ame was not sure she could stand this back and forth any longer.
“I am not bound to you god of grudges, and I will excuse myself before any more of this scenario is brought to light before me. I appreciate your intervention and the Tengus abstaining but I will take my leave...I will keep your secret”
The girl spit back having been degraded to nothing more than some bystander between the two figures. This kind of conduct would never be seen as alright in another gods eyes nor in her own. Help with safety before nightfall was one thing but a long standing partnership with a phantom no matter how smart was out of the question. With that the regalia turned walking to the edge of the hill jumping at its apex down to the street below before moving into an egress of smaller side streets.
The young woman replaced her hood over her jostled hair her eyes scanning the hill once more before making her way down the channels of pavement becoming lost in the sea of living humans amongst their routines.
Her mind was wracked with confusion, what was Azani planning? Sure she had always been the figurative black sheep especially when contrasted to Amaterasu. Yet it still didn’t connect the reasons she would have even proposed anything to the ayakashi in the first place.
The Noras stomach grumbled a low irritable growl as she slowed her pace to steady her hunger with a hand on her belly.
With a breath to calm she resumed her journey to an unknown location.
Japan had changed and not for the better, but did she have the strength anymore to fight against as she once did.
Small phantoms clouded nearby onlookers but she had little interest her first goal was food and a drink to wash this bad taste from her mouth and the next was to meet with another Kami she knew would have answers....the price however would be steep as it always was.​

Location: Shinsenami Warehouse
Date:April 1st 2030
Time: 4:50pm​

Ame had managed to get some food from a convenience store nothing much but a simple onigiri and some orange flavored ramune.
Still it hit the spot but with that expenditure she had utilized the last of her funds.
She now sat squatting beside an old warehouse a spot frequented by people down on their luck but as she crouched against the cool steel of the outer walls the whispers in the air grew in trepidation and dripped with intent.
“Smells nice, pretty spirit, little spirit, smells nice”
Ame attempted to ignore it her thoughts still on the encounter at the hill and on the past Ude would never have allowed those two to enter his shrine and she simply stood by allowing that travesty to occur.
“What is wrong with me....”
“Nothing....everything, smells nice”
The brilliant eyes of the girl shone from under the hood as an Ayakashi with six eyes and eight legs on a geckos body hunched over her attempting to do what it did best. This was not a special case, just a regular phantom and unfortunately for this one it chose the wrong regalia to prey upon.
“Your going to die here, border”
Her voice was cold like a frigid wind of a blizzard as her fingers formed the traditional halberd and shone with white effervescent light.
The ayakashi immediately being flung back into some trash cans causing some fo the homeless to freak out and run off.
The phantom groaned as it tried to recover but the regalia was already mid air above it her arm stretched back like a pitcher on a mound as her hand sliced forward in an horizontal motion the light forming a blade that shot forward cutting the phantom deep.
“Aggghhhh!!!, It hurts!”
Ame landed deftly on her feet walking toward the already weakened and beaten phantom but it had no way out, no escape from the little spirit that was about to cease its existence.
“Beast with no name, hear me now, I judge you for your sins and grant my verdict from this day you will no longer reside between the shores, I erect this border for those you intend harm against and it is absolute!, Borderline!!!”
Ame recoiled her arm back her hands moving in unison the lines forming in the air but not moving toward their intended target as the phantom let out one last plea of mercy.
“Barrage!!”
Every borderline she drew cascaded into the phantom the lines separating the beasts fleshy membrane from each other eviscerating it into nothing the flash crashing like lightning into the surrounding area and resounding a thunderous volume before ebbing away leaving only the regalia standing alone by the warehouse the surrounding phantoms being scared off by the frightful display or dead being caught in the cross fire.
Ame sighed as she released her halberds from her hands and replaced them back into her pockets before turning to the street the intent focus she once had was returned and she remembered what she was.
She was a sword to defeat her enemies, A shield to protect others, A light against the darkness, The song amongst the silence, The wings for those who had fallen.
She smiled softly before heading back out into the streets looking for anyone who needed her all they would have to do is just call her name.

​

 

[Lucem]

Location: Hirai Office, Kyoto City
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 5:00 pm​

Ryotaro Hirai
Ryo chuckled when Murakami called him crazy. He couldn't argue with that assessment. He was an eccentric among eccentrics. "You're right about that. I am crazy. Everyone who can't see the things we do must think I'm even crazier." Because he lived in a different world, his version of normal was also different. He was different from other people, so he couldn't judge them the same way he judged himself. He understood that, so he wanted his guest to understand too.

"Not everyone can resist phantoms like we do." He didn't think Murakami truly believed Kenji would get better on his own. If she did, she would have ignored it in class, and she wouldn't have bothered asking any questions. However, even if those weren't her true feelings, it was important to correct that misunderstanding. "Humans are weak creatures. That's why we create and pray to gods. We worship higher beings, hoping that someone else can handle the problems we're not strong enough to deal with on our own." Not every person can overcome negativity on their own. With the way they are now, it's unreasonable to expect that from humans.

"If you say that the situation he's in now is a result of his own weakness, then I can't deny it. But doesn't that remind you of someone? Remember the story about the jellyfish?" It failed because it wasn't strong enough. Despite being a monster, it made human mistakes. "What about you? Can you honestly say you've never found yourself in a bad situation because of your own shortcomings? It can be as simple as failing a math test, or something more personal." He didn't overlook what she was trying to say before she interrupted herself, but he wouldn't push that topic right now. Instead, he grabbed the teapot and filled his empty cup, noting that he and Murakami were similar in more ways than he knew.

"I don't want to give you the wrong impression here. My reasons for helping Kenji aren't entirely altruistic. This is for my own benefit as well." She asked why he cared, but that depended on which part of him she was asking. Was she asking the student, the detective, or the son? Each part of him had a different motivation. "If I ignored the phantom, it could cause a disaster. Kenji could end up killing himself or someone else if he remains under that thing's influence. That's something I'd like to avoid. I'd hate to lose a potential customer. Well, even if they don't become a client in the future, there's nothing wrong with trying to save a life that you have a chance to save." Death was an obvious consequence of letting a possession go unresolved, but there were other things to consider. "If word gets out that something like that happened and it involved a student from our school, it would draw a lot of negative attention. All the students would suffer from that, and it could cause them to end up just like Kenji. An atmosphere like that is contagious. There's even a chance that remaining members of AFAH could get involved if rumors start to spread. Whether I choose to interfere or not, the risk will still be there." In the worst-case scenario, the entire school would become victim to the atmosphere created by whatever the possessed Kenji did, creating several more cases.

The potential future he described was grim. He wasn't a fan of doom and gloom, so he decided to lighten the mood a bit. "Once all of his negativity is gone, don't you think Kenji will be grateful? I'm sure a reward for my efforts isn't too much to ask for. Even a small donation goes a long way for someone like me." Looking at the picture frame on his desk, his smile became softer. "I'd also rather not receive a lecture from an angry spirit because I abandoned someone in need." His father wouldn't let something like death prevent him from correcting his misguided son. "I'm not a hero of justice. I'm a detective. Not minding my own business is my business."

Now that she knew his motivations, he wanted to talk a little more about the plan itself. "You can think all day about how much truth can be found in these legends, but you'll never find an answer. It's impossible for humans to figure that out on our own, so worrying about it is a waste of time. I think the fact that they exist is more important. The story of the jellyfish was created and passed down for many years. True or not, it's become an important part of that creature's existence, as well as Ryuujin's. Like I said before, the stories we tell are as important as the prayers we offer to gods. Even if phantoms have a limited ability to think and communicate, they still exist alongside their stories. They're closely connected, right down to their very existence, so it's possible that this plan will have an effect. As the ones responsible for crafting legends, passing them down, and giving them life, we may have the final say on what's real."

He did a lot of thinking and a lot of talking, but until he put this plan into action, all of this would remain a theory. Even failure was preferable to always wondering. "How I choose to handle this depends on a lot of factors that have yet to be determined. Your cooperation is one of them. I understand if you'd rather not get involved. Like you said, I'm a crazy man, and this plan is even crazier. However, I want to make something clear. I'm crazy, not dumb. I always take measures to ensure my safety, but I'll run away if the risks are too great. At the end of the day, I'm as weak as any other human." Even if there were plenty of things that made him different from a normal person, he still had the same limitations. It all came down to his willingness to push those limits.

"I realize that no matter how careful I am, everything I do will always have risks. Even if I decide to go with another plan, I can't escape danger. I understood from the beginning that it comes with the territory. I also understood that people like us are the only ones who are capable of dealing with things like this." Even if he didn't spend his free time going after phantoms, a business like this had many other threats. Humans had the potential to be uglier than any being from the Far Shore. That was why he didn't openly advertise the spiritual side of his work. He helped with any kind of problem, and that's what attracted the people with nowhere else to go. If people were desperate enough, they'd hear about him and seek help. He'd take on any case.

"Success is never guaranteed and death is always a possibility. However, it's my job to investigate. I can't just ignore a potential lead. Until I'm absolutely certain I'll fail, I'll keep trying. I'm stubborn like that." Obstinacy was a double-edged sword. He had to use his head to make sure he never got cut.

"But if I know I'm gonna fail, I'll wash my hands of it! I'm not selfless enough to risk my life for someone else when I know death is certain. I'm too young to die, and this place will close down quickly if I'm not here to pay the bills. I'm more than happy to ask some god to take care of this for me and move on to the next job. What about Ryuujin? Don't you think a master should take responsibility for his servant?" He didn't have anything against gods, so he didn't have a problem with asking them to clean up a mess he couldn't.

"Even if I continue with the plan, I'd still like to have a talk with that guy. However, there's no guarantee he'll answer our prayers. Because humans are weak, we're forced to ask for help from beings that might not even be listening. If possible, I'd like to see a day where humans are capable of handling problems on their own. Until that day comes, I'll do it for them. If they can't count on a god, they can count on me. That's what I'd like my clients to believe. Of course, I'll still charge a fee. I believe gods should be charitable, but humans are greedy!" Naturally, he didn't feel any shame. It's not like he was saying he was capable of replacing gods. Answering the prayers of everyone on the planet was above his pay grade. He was fine with picking up their slack when they got too busy.

Finishing another cup of tea, Ryo let out a sigh. "Man, that was a lot of talking. I hope that answered all of your questions. I'm fine with answering a few more, but I'd like to ask you a question first. It's no fun if I'm the only one talking." Clearing his throat, he looked at Murakami with the same cheerful expression he'd maintained since they arrived at the office. "What do you plan to do?" Before he went any further, he wanted to be sure of something. If this conversation continued, would he be speaking to her as an accomplice or a classmate?

"If you're interested in helping, I can tell you more about what I plan to do. I won't ask you to do more than what you're capable of, and I'll compensate you for your work. I'll also do my best to make sure you stay safe. However, if you don't want anything to do with this, then I won't be able to share anything else about this case. That would be in both of our best interests." Revealing anything else about his intentions would be problematic if she wasn't going to be involved. It could end up making things more difficult for him, and she could end up being exposed to danger she didn't sign up for.

"If you plan to walk away from this, there won't be any hard feelings. I'll still talk to you at school, and I'll even help tutor you if you're willing to pay a modest fee. In fact, I'll even give you some advice to show how serious I am about this. You can think of it as a parting gift, or a preview of what you can expect if you join up with me. You should be grateful. I rarely share my words of wisdom for free." He paused a bit, letting silence take over. For the first time today, the smile fell from his face. These words were to pay her back for all the time he took from her, but there was another reason he wanted her to hear them. They were similar. They had more in common than their ability to see what others couldn't.

"The bad things in life won't go away just because you pretend they don't exist. Eventually, they'll force you to look at them. Before they catch you by surprise, you need to look them in the eye. Whether they're relationships, disasters, or phantoms, all people like us can do is try to meet them head on." These were words he wished someone told him before he had nothing else to lose. It was up to her to decide what she did with them. He could only hope she didn't repeat his mistakes and lose what she had left.

QuirkyAngel

 

[Phayne]

~Regalia~
Location: Maruyama Park // Date: 01/04/2030 // Time: 4:35pm // Mentions: Inemaru Life.

Keeping up pace behind Inemaru, Shiro continued to maintain a safe distance between himself and the pursuing phantom, the loyal regalia ensuring that he despite not being in his vessel form was still a shield standing between Inemaru and the abomination. Without a doubt the white haired boy was more than willing to put himself in front of danger should the need arise just like he would have done in his past life; though rather then being consciously influenced by that knowledge, he was instead acting on his natural instincts. Like the famous quote, you simply can't teach an old dog new tricks and despite his youthful demeanour, he was definitely not young compared to the current generation of the living.

Staying out of reach of both Inemaru and the phantom, the regalia continued to chow down on the tasteful delicacy, his mouth salivating with each and every bite of the foreign snack. At first he had dismissed Inemaru's near obsession over the meal, seeing it as nothing more than whimsical folly. However upon the first fated bite of the hot dog, all hints of scepticism towards the food had been brushed aside and replaced with joy and hope. The passing sights were much brighter now, as if the color around them had been repainted with a renewed vigour, the vibrancy of each and every shade of color now standing out in full glory, so much so that Shiro almost felt blinded by them. Had it not been for Inemaru lamenting his actions as a sign of betrayal, Shiro would have been completely absorbed by the sheer bliss that he was currently experiencing right now.

Taking another leap over a bus stop shelter, Shiro's free hand had now been twisted upwards towards Inemaru, his index and middle finger making a V shape towards the god of justice. This was a gesture often associated with peace and while it could have been interpreted that Shiro was trying to signal that he meant no harm or betrayal with his actions, the fact that his mouth was contorted into a large fox like could only imply otherwise. Alas, neither were the truth and Shiro was merely trying to tell Inemaru that he had a second Hot dog, the second being for the god himself.

Whether Inemaru saw this or not however was unknown to Shiro as he watched Inemaru crashing into the concrete ground, the agile god rolling out of it in fluid motion just in time to dodge an attack by the phantom; the creature catching up quickly as Shiro lost himself to the seduction of the hot dog. A foolish mistake and one that immediately got Shiro to unwillingly toss his own half eaten hot dog aside, his duty towards his god far outweighing anything else.

As his other name was called, the white hair upon Shiro's head began to grow rapidly, the long dishevelled strands of white hair enveloping his entire body as his spiritual body underwent a rapid transformation. Large clawed paws replaced his hands and feet whilst s his face stretched forward into a long white snout, red markings that glowed appearing across his face as a large white fox now stood where Shiro once was. A tail almost as long as his entire body was stretched out behind him, its bushy girth hinting towards a level of soft fluffiness that many would kill for.

Without waiting for a command, the four legged beast sprinted forward; the large fox the size of a bull charging straight towards the phantom's reared body and slamming into its side, easily destablising it and throwing off its next attack. Shiro would have sunk his canines into the side of it, had it not been for his reluctance to taint the otherwise savoury aftertaste of the hot dog that still tickled his tongue.

With the phantom reeling, Shiro glanced towards Inemaru, awaiting the next command.​

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Location: Hirai Office, Kyoto City
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 5:30 pm​

Rika Murakami (Human)

Rika listened quietly listened to the entirety of Ryotaro’s speech. For a moment, there was silence between them. Then laughter escaped Rika’s lips. Pure, unadulterated laughter as Rika clutched her abdomen to keep her stomach from hurting. She couldn’t help herself. It was the first time she heard some praise greediness without shame. Or compare themselves to a god. Anyone wanting to ‘have a talk’ with a god, that very well smite them where they stand should they exist, must have some bottomless confidence welling from their spines. She couldn’t tell if he was trying to request her help or sell her an ideology.

Mostly though, she was laughing because he was the first person to say aloud everything she wanted to hear. That she had to face her challenges head on. That humans could stand and fight just as well as any god. That, even if the gods couldn’t help, she wasn’t alone because there were people out there stubborn enough to keep trying even with great chance of failure. In a way, more than any god, Ryotaro had saved her from being the sort of person she wouldn’t want to become.

“I’ll help,” Wiping the tears from her eyes, Rika straightened in her seat as the laughter died. “I can’t let a classmate do something stupid alone. And you’re right, of course. Who knows what could happen to the school if we leave it alone?”

Hatred brought about more hatred, gloom more gloom, and phantoms more phantoms. Her grandfather told her to keep her distance from phantoms until she was ready, but he hadn’t told her to ignore those in need either. “I don’t know what you intend to do, but the first order of business should be to isolate him from the rest of the students. I assume we’ll be doing this tomorrow, since Kenji’s probably safely at home with his parents right about now…”

Well, he could still be wandering the streets since there was still sun out, but she didn’t know enough about him to know where he would be at the moment. Unless they wanted to scour all of Kyoto searching for him, it seemed easier just to do it tomorrow. “We can corner him right after class.”

Rika was confident she could knock if she had to, though persuasion would be ideal. Perhaps if she’d tried talking to him earlier it wouldn’t have come to this, but nothing could be done about spilt milk. A part of her had probably given up on connecting with other humans who weren’t able to see the things she saw. Who wouldn’t listen to her even if she warned them. A part of her blamed them for it. For not listening to her. For being weak enough to have been possessed in the first place. Though, the truth was that she’d simply been a coward who had given up even before she started. And, looking into the serious eyes of Ryotaro Hirai, it was reflected all too clearly.

Lucem

Location: Kyoto Streets
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 11pm​

On the rooftop of one of Kyoto’s skyscrapers, a blue haired figure could be seen standing undaunted amidst the heavy rain. Unlike most, that would look drenched and somewhat burdened in the downpour, water seemed to make his skin glow—the droplets embracing him as they rolled down his visible muscles. Most of the time he found the lands of the earthly realm too dry for his liking, but tonight was a good night.

As he enjoyed the tears brought down from the heavens, a figure appeared beside him. “Well, Uroko? Did you find him?”

“No, Milord. There are far too many phantoms wandering about.”

“Tch! That’s a lame-ass excuse if I ever heard one!”

“Perhaps if you would offer your divine intervention to help quell some of the storms we would be able to finish this quicker.” Uroko offered lazily as the silver haired regalia as he squatted down to sit in the rain. “They seem quite big. Almost as big as the ones from 10 years ago.”

“Haaah? Are the gods in Kyoto so weak they can’t do it themselves?” The blue haired god scoffed, but nonetheless held out a hand to Uroko. “Come, Joyoki!” As Uroko glowed and becoming a trident in his hand, the god jumped from rooftop to rooftop slashing any and all phantoms unfortunate enough cross his path, an explosion of red lights trailing him—visible only to babies, animals, and those that have seen death’s corner.

Ten years ago was the worst phantom outbreak to date. Vents broke out all over the sea floor, armies led by the dark ones spreading blight wherever they roamed and tainting many of the spirits he protected. Not even his regalias had been an exception. He’d been on top of it, of course, releasing their name and destroying any of the tainted jewels before they could spread the corruption to others—or himself. The god’s hand tightened angrily around Joyoki. “Where’s the source of this particular storm?”

Three o’clock, down below, Milord. The human is in a moving vehicle.

Stopping atop one of the roofs, the blue haired god looked down to see the vehicle in question being tailed by multiple police cars. Given the malevolent aura that emanated from inside, drawing phantoms towards it like bees to honey and spreading gloom wherever it went, there was little doubt it was the source.

Local spirits tell me he’s robbed a jewelry store, then stabbed several employees—killing an officer—in his attempt to escape.

“Humans just never learn, do they?” The blue haired god sneered. He hated thieves. “And the phantom that possessed him?”

I can’t sense them. Whatever phantom it is, it’s more powerful than your typical one.

“Of course it is.” The god rolled his eyes, before drawing his arms back—the trident aimed at the criminal’s vehicle. “You can at least sever the human’s ties with the phantom, right?”

Wait, R—

“If you mess this up and the human dies, you’re demoted.” With that said, the divine trident was thrown with pinpoint accuracy, piercing straight through the salaryman and shattering his connection with the phantom in an instant. “Good job, Uroko.”

At the sound of his name, the trident transformed backing into his human form and caught the criminal as he fainted. Grabbing the steering wheel with a free hand, Uroko then slammed on the brakes, allowing the policemen to catch up before exiting the vehicle and looking up at his smirking god. Uroko sighed warily.

(mentioned: NoQuillToLive )

 

[Dante Verren]

Location: Ude's Shrine
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:55 pm​

Phantom (Pride)
Interactions: Azani ( Karcen )
Mentions: Ame ( VeiledPariah


Kuro-Kypgi was only half paying attention to what was being said between the god and spirit as she started to fly away, but that was enough for her to catch the gist of the deal. Stopping dead in her tracks she heard the spirit speak her mind, but only after the spirit left did Kuro-Kyogi turn to face the god. Not only did this god seem to have a connection to Yomi, but they were also a god of grudges and willing to make a deal with a phantom. This was getting more and more interesting. Slowly she descended from the sky and put on her best smile. Now instead of focusing purely on the gods face, She gave her a full look over from head to toe. This god definitely was unlike any she had ever met, something dark hung around her which made her much more likable then any other god she had met. Well that and the fact that they hadn't come to blows immediately at the sight of one another.

"Just like a majestic bird of prey that does not concern itself when insects biting at it's feathers I do not worry about a puny god coming for my head." Once again the phantom started to wave the leaf shaped fan in front of her face to provide the regal air she desired. "I will admit, your proposition is intriguing. Though I am no means a parasite, it is true that if someone suffers from their pride then It is my duty to devour it. If those who call to you are swamped in darkness then I will devour it whole." She still didn't even remotely trust this god, but Kuro-Kyogi's superior curiosity had been piqued and now she wanted to see how far this would go before this divine spirit would try and fail to cut her down. The poetry of this situation that made the phantoms smile grow, two opposite beings who were supposed to be at each others throats were now making a deal over the remains of a ruined shrine. What would have that god thought if he saw what his shrine was being used for now?

 

[Mera]

Chisato Amai (Human)Location: City streets nearby Maruyama Park, Kyoto.
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 4:35 PM
Mentions: MrThe Nico

Soon, an outsider hand picked up the last empty bottle from the floor before Chisato had reached for it and dropped it down into the recycle bin once again. With her hand reluctantly backing away, Chisato's view raised to encounter the gentle and caring gaze of the pregnant woman she had left behind. With her guard up once again, she quickly stood up into her straight posture and slightly bowed to the woman in gratitude, though her eyes flicked as she noticed the floating blobs that were once around had suddenly disappeared at the appearance of the woman. "As I thought..." she thought to herself as she looked at the woman with an eyebrow curved slightly. "Those things are avoiding her...". Why was this? Was the solution to her overly imaginative mind to talk to people? No. That couldn't be right. Some people had those creatures attached to them, so if any regular person couldn't make her imaginary creatures disappear, then who was this woman?

Chisato's eyes widened upon hearing the concern and worry in the woman's voice as she apologized to her for embarrassing her earlier, and even complimenting her for her actions of talking to the pair and having come to pick up the tackled bin. As the woman spoke, Chisato couldn't help but have her cheeks burn up once again from the slight embarrassment of having said feeling show, or at least show enough for this woman to have seen that. Yet, all Chisato could do was nag at herself internally once again. She didn't want to repeat the same mistake again, after all. As the woman apologized and even offered the girl one of those delicious Hot Dogs from nearby, Chisato looked back to where the boy was left behind in the park, blinking a bit. This woman really was so concerned about her that she even left her son behind? It's true that he probably could've handle himself, but it seemed weird. They didn't even know each other's name.

"Ah, well..." She was interrupted, however, by the woman herself as her voice turned firm but yet still maintaining that caring tone wrapping the words coming out of her mouth. The whispers along with her intense gaze meeting her own made Chisato unconsciously gulp, taking a small step back almost instinctively. The call out of her eyes flickering only made Chisato raise up her guard even more against this woman. Just how much did she notice? From the relatively short time they've met each other, not even herself was as attentive to detail as how this woman was, apparently.

And then, the piano fell on her.

"H-...Huh?" She only managed to mumble out as her knot had managed to create itself inside her throat, making her unable to even barely breathe. She could swear she felt her heart drop down to her feet and blamed this for being unable to move away after the confrontation of the woman. "P-Phantoms...?" she could just murmur in repeat, her eyebrows arching in confusion and disbelief while her eyes quickly glanced her figure up and down once again. She seemed human. She HAD to be human. Yet, she was completely taken back by how blunt and direct the woman was about such subject that she had never talked to someone about, nor had someone talk to her about it. "She- Is she from my imagination too? But she has a kid...Two of them." she thought as she looked back at the brown haired boy behind, though her eyes quickly averted towards the woman again. She wanted to run. She wanted to yell at the woman. She wanted to rip her head open. What she once thought was a freed moment of her mental torment only turned out to be another illusion? What was even these 'Phantoms'?!

Gulping once again, all Chisato could do was squint her eyes a bit as she returned her intense gaze towards the woman. She didn't trust her nor herself at this point. Being around these apparitions for so long and only undermining them as only part of her imagination, it was incredibly hard for her to believe what could've been yet another trick her own mind was doing. But, she couldn't help but look back to when they had collided into each other in the first place. If she really was part of her imagination, just how could she had felt her? She has had swat away a couple of small, dark creatures sometimes, but she had never noticed she had actually felt them until now. Soon, with her head being filled with doubts and denials, her skull started to pound eventually. "Ugh..." She sighed in frustration, her hand having started to rub her temple to hopefully seize her headache. Though, she turned her head to away from the woman and started to stare aimlessly towards the park, her free hand now holding her hip. She didn't want to be there anymore, but there was something that was bothering her. Without looking at the woman, she spoke in a whisper in return though her words seemed almost forced out of her throat. "...Who are you?" she asked, though immediately regretting it afterwards. She didn't dare look back at the woman, but she also didn't want to be seen possibly talking to herself in public if this woman really did turn out to be part of her own mischievous imagination.


​

 

[Karcen]

Location: Ude's Shrine
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:55 pm​

So it was pride she wanted to feast on pride, thus her attitude made sense as she was made of pride among other emotions. Well Azani could deal with the stuck up gods so she could deal with one stuck up phantom who was blinded by her pride. Ame leaving was not exactly what Azani wanted having a regalia that could be somewhat trusted nearby would be better than the nothing she had now should this idea go south. Well that was something Azani couldn't change and it wasn't like she had come to recruit Ame to her side or anything, Azani doubted Ame could last in her line of work. It was kind of funny but a phantom would likely make a better partner than a normal regalia, after all what pure spirit could abide by making a living killing humans. Azani had seen that so many times over her many years of life, a spirit she took in, that she named, that she provided for, and always they betrayed her and left. It was frustrating but understanding, though still insulting as it meant Azani could not find a decent spirit to match her. That might have been because she was looking in the wrong place, though this phantom was not the right place either. It was funny a god and a phantom making a deal in a shrine even if the resident god was gone, but Azani had no shrines anyways. While a god should fight Phantoms Azani was not a fighter and given how often she went without a regalia going after phantoms was not something she did. This phantom was different, maybe other gods could not see it as anything more than a threat but this new breed of phantom while more dangerous could be so much more. That was if they could be trusted and right now not even this one could be trusted, the deal had even needed to be worded to affect pride to get her. how nice it would be to have Ame here, that stray that let any god name her, or almost any god it seemed Ame would reject her just like so many other gods and regalia. Like owner like regalia it seemed while Ame might have other masters she was still so like the first two that had her a goody two shoes.

How the phantom explained her feeding habits brought a smile to Azani's formerly frowning face , that was exactly how she had hoped the phantom would work. the other gods might not see it and even the phantom might not see it, but Azani saw in this phantom and perhaps others like her a force for good that could be almost as potent as an army of earthly gods fighting the darkness none stop. " While i have my pride i am not to arrogant to admit when i am wrong, your breed are truly unlike the lesser phantoms. To feed off the darkness instead of grow by causing it, that is without a doubt not something a parasite would do for you would actually be helping humans" Azani said weaving insult and praise together.

" Anyways if we are to be partners we should know each other's names" she said again choosing her words the phantom was not to work under Azani, but to wrok with her an equal as one should work with a regalia in her mind. " I am Azani, the goddess of vengeance and grudges, last born of Izanami, the dark child of Yomi " Azani said with a little flourish as she used a few of her many titles " But just Azani is fine" She finished then waited for the phantom to provide hers if she had one.

Dante Verren

 

[Lucem]

Location: Hirai Office, Kyoto City
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 5:30 pm​

Ryotaro Hirai
When Murakami's laughter replaced the intense silence, Ryo's serious expression vanished. The usual smirk was back on his face like it never left. He was glad that those words had an effect on her. If she truly took them to heart, then she would be okay. That meant more to him than her decision to help with his plan. The business changed a bit after he took over, but he never forgot why his father started it in the first place.

"I'm glad you're quick to understand! Kenji should already be home if he's following his usual schedule. We'll carry out the plan tomorrow afternoon. As soon as classes end, I'll need you to help me get him to an isolated area without him getting suspicious. I heard that the track team won't have practice tomorrow, so we can use the field without worrying about other students interrupting us. It's important that we do this in an open area so he doesn't feel like we're trying to trap him."

Grabbing a pen and his notepad, Ryo quickly wrote down his phone number and ripped out the piece of paper for Murakami. "I need to prepare a few more things, but you should head home before it gets dark. Call me if you run into any trouble, or if you just want to hear my voice some more."

Getting up from his desk, Ryo quickly walked down the hall and opened the door to his bedroom. Without bothering to shut the door, he turned on the lights and started digging through his closet. He needed the right tools for the right job, and he had plenty of useful items stashed away for occasions like these. All the occult-related items took up more space than the clothes.

After a minute of searching, he returned to the desk with a red umbrella in his hands. "It'll start raining soon, so you should take this. Even if it's not raining, I recommend carrying it with you at night. Red oil-paper umbrellas were once used in weddings to ward off evil spirits. Neither of us is getting married anytime soon, but it should still help." Directing her attention to the entrance, he pointed out that the same umbrella was sitting in a small basket. "Now we have a matching pair. Isn't that cute?"

Ryo kept talking as he walked her to the door. He would've escorted her home, but he didn't have time. There wasn't much time left before they went fishing, and he had to make sure everything was ready. "Before we confront Kenji, use water from a shrine to cleanse your body. I can provide the water if you don't have a way of getting it. If you know anything about protective charms, make as many of them as you can and keep them on you at all times. Even if doing this only has a minor effect, we need to take every precaution we can."

After removing his blazer and placing it on the nearby coat rack, Ryo extended his arm toward Murakami. This was going to be a tough job, but at least he had some help this time. "Looking forward to working with you, partner."

Location: Kyoto Streets
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 11:00 pm​

With the sound of the storm overpowering the low rumble of his moped's engine, Ryo sped through the streets of Kyoto. He didn't like riding around the city under these conditions, but this was the best weather he could ask for right now. On the night before his confrontation with a servant of Ryuujin, his search for a god was accompanied by heavy rainfall. If he was going to find the deity of the sea, this was his best and only chance.

Thankfully, he didn't need to look for very long. Someone was kind enough to leave a trail for him by lighting up the night sky. Gripping his handlebars, he made a sharp turn and followed the chain of explosions. It wasn't easy to keep up when he only had a scooter, but he managed to follow the red stars without crashing.

Eventually, the explosions and the high-speed chase stopped. When he finally caught up, the police were already arresting the criminal, completely ignoring the long-haired man standing beside them. It was obvious that this person wasn't a living human. Nobody seemed to notice him, and he was staring at a lone figure standing atop a skyscraper. There were also a ton of remnants leaving his body.

As he observed the spirit, he was reminded of the old man he met underneath the bridge. Their remnants were very similar, which led him to believe they were the same kind of being. The old man described himself as a servant of Nagi, so this person must've been a servant of some other god. That made things easier for him. He had to set up an appointment before he could talk to the boss.

After the police finished their business, Ryo opened his umbrella and walked over to the man. Instead of placing it over his own head, he shielded the servant from the rain and offered him a smile. "You'll catch a cold if you stand out in the rain." He didn't think dead people could get sick, but he was trying to get his attention. "If possible, I'd like to speak with your master. One of his other servants is causing trouble."

He still wasn't sure if the person on that skyscraper was actually Ryuujin. Like usual, he was just making guesses based on what little information he had. He could clearly see the large amount of remnants grouping together, but it was only possible for him to tell that they didn't belong to a spirit or a phantom. Because he hadn't encountered this type before, he assumed they belonged to a god. Until he actually met the guy, he couldn't tell if the remnants were Ryuujin's. That was why he couldn't just follow his trail from the start.

"I'd like to make a request regarding the phantom that's been plaguing a student from my school." It was hard to determine a god's personality, but he didn't think Ryuujin hated humans. In fact, he was probably more willing to help than other gods. According to his legends, he allowed his daughter and her human husband to live in his palace for three years. He also used his power to help his son-in-law find his missing fish hook when he was depressed over losing it. Contrasting his brutal treatment of the jellyfish, he's been portrayed as a generous deity when humans are involved. However, Ryo wasn't just going to beg for his help.

He wanted to offer something in exchange for Ryuujin taking on this request. He was a businessman, so he believed in proper compensation. In addition, he felt having something of value would help convince the god to speak with him. Prayers weren't enough for this situation. It was crazy for a human to think they had the right to speak with a god, but that's why he was here. He wanted to have a true conversation, and it had to be tonight.

"Gods are going through a tough time right now, aren't they? I believe I can help with that. I'm capable of building a shrine in your master's name and offering my prayers, but that's minor in comparison to the other kind of assistance I can offer." Unbothered by the rain soaking his body, Ryo brushed away his wet bangs to reveal his eyes. At the moment, there was a soft glow around his brown irises. Only people like him could see it, so he was sure the servant of a god could see it too. "I'm in possession of something called the Divine Eye. I can see the trails you and other beings leave behind. I can follow those trails wherever they lead. I can also interact with them in other ways that I'm sure would prove beneficial to your master. However, if possible, I'd prefer to disclose that information in his presence."

He was making some bold claims, but he truly believed that a god could make use of his skills. Whether it was helping expand their influence or track down phantoms, he was willing to do anything for these gods if they listened to his requests. However, he wanted to make something clear. "I do not mean to imply that my abilities are valuable enough to bribe a god with. I simply offer them as a token of my gratitude." He liked being playful, but he had to show his serious side during moments like this. It was important to act appropriately when trying to achieve something.

QuirkyAngel

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Location: Teahouse, near Maruyama Park, Kyoto.
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 4: 35 pm​

Kami_X (God of Hackers)

Click!

Phone lifted, Kami_X snapped a picture of the divine beast, Haki, as it slammed into the phantom, shoving the mass of negative energy aside to protect his master. Knowing Inari and her obsession with cute foxes, it would serve as a good offering for her assistance. Much better than the usual onigiri. Slipping the phone back in his pocket, Kami_X slurped on his passion fruit slushie as he watched the god of justice and his regalia duel the phantom in tandem from the safety of a nearby teahouse—not because he wanted to spy on them or anything, but because there wasn’t much else to look at besides flowers and kids running around. Greeting them would work, but he was still recharging after his last attempt at positivity. It would be a lie to say he cared too deeply about what others thought of him, especially the opinions of those he’d just met, but, at the same time, he couldn’t deny that being so coldly and bluntly rejected by a stranger stung his pride a bit as well.

He wondered if he’d been a bit too snippy with Kokoro-chan. He hadn’t known the reason for her attitude, after all all, and he hadn’t really stuck around to hear it. Perhaps, if he had, his first impression of her would’ve improved…

“But then it wouldn’t be a first impression anymore, would it?” Snickering at his own humor, Kami_X opened his laptop and finished up the program he’d been designing for the Shirotome High Computer Club. The more prayers he answered from his followers, the more amendable they were to making him a shrine. Or, at least a website one. They were only kids, after all. Truthfully, he didn’t care as much about the living space as the free access to Heaven and a place to reincarnate. He preferred living on earth anyway. Less stifling rules. He wasn’t short on money either since he didn’t follow the old 5 yen rule.

The is was the modern age of godhood, after all.

Unlike the stray gods who wandered hundreds of years without ever getting a shrine to his name, Kami_X was still relatively young. He intended to make it up in the world his own way. Some gods were too prideful to ask for the help of other gods, but climbing the ladder was much quicker that way. It wasn’t as if Kami_X was ambitious enough to try and become king of the Heavens or anything like that. He just wanted a good and easy life where he could eventually lay back, watch anime, snack on all the junkies he could ever want, and not have to worry too much about vanishing like all the other poor gods out there.

The dream life.

Sighing, Kami_X lifted his eyes from the coding as a stray cat jumped onto the table he sat at. He coaxed the cat towards him. “Hello there pretty lady, are you hungry~?”

The cat tilted its head, pausing for a moment, before jumping into his lap and purring.

Yep. His social skills weren’t declining at all. It was just Kokoro. Stroking the creature’s back, he looked to one of the waitresses that had been ignoring his presence the entire time. “Hihi! Can I get a bowl of milk?”

Startled, the waitress turned towards him, seemingly embarrassed at not having noticed him. She glanced from him to the cat before nodding understandingly. “Of course!”

He didn’t want to return to Yuto’s old apartment since the unconscious phantom was still right next to it and Inari was busy with business meetings at the moment so he figured he’d just wander around a bit before going to the Computer clubroom. Shirotome High had its fair share of phantoms pop up every now then again as well, especially during exam season, but so long as it didn’t bother him or the people he cared about he was content to leave it be. Phantoms needed to eat too.

Only if it got too greedy and tried to claim the entire school would he give the job to a war god or another minor god with a weapon. The god of Justice for example. Then, if the god of Justice, encountered a request wherein a computer needed to be fixed or information needed to be stolen, they could pass it along to him. Networking was how minor gods like him survived in this day and age, after all.

When the bowl of milk was brought out, Kami_X placed it in front of the cat, watching as it happily lapped up the free meal.

(mentioned: Phayne Life. Ian Temero )

 

[MrThe]

Location: City streets nearby Maruyama Park, Kyoto.
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 4:35 PM
Mentions: Nico Mera

Hasuna 蓮那
(Goddess)

Hasuna took a deep breath, wondering how to tell this young girl that she was a goddess. After a moment of thought she decided to order 3 hot dogs and have the astonished mortal take a seat before she passed out and hurt herself. "Three Hot Dogs please" she called out to the nearby vendor. Receiving them she handed one to her stupefied newly made acquaintance and another one to her beloved Shinki before leading both of them to a nearby bench. "Sit down" was her command, in a voice that was used to being obeyed. Taking a large bite out of the Hot Dog she planned her next words carefully, choosing to reveal too much might frighten the poor girl. But lying was not in the nature of this sweet mother goddess. Sighing heavily, Hasuna decided on a course of action.

"You asked who I am earlier. My name is Hasuna, though I am known by many Epithets. I am also a Goddess, specifically the Goddess of the Hearth and Home, of Family, and of Children." As soon as she said this Hasuna visibly brightened up, smiling cheerfully and looking at Amai expectantly. Sometimes the mortals did not take it too well and she wanted to make it as comfortable for them as possible when Hasuna completely shattered their worldview by telling them they were speaking to a Goddess. It was lucky for her that those who refused to believe the truth would soon forget them after a while, so long as she and her Shinki kept their distance. Otherwise it might be hard on their psyche. She tried to stop thinking about such depressing things, frowning would ruin her complexion and no one liked a frowning face, but sad thoughts did not come naturally to her and she dispelled them by munching on her Hot Dog and waiting for Amai to recover from the shock.​

 

[VeiledPariah]

Location: Kamatsu’s Shrine
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 6:00pm​

Ametaru (Regalia)

“You have got to be kidding me...”
The regalia breathed choking back the urge to sock the man that stood before her in the mouth.
“It’s only for a little bit, and it’s very fashionable besides it’s tailor made for this occasion my little Fuuko”

The Kami whined like a small child his head peering out from the side of the outfit as he held it before her.
This....excuse for a god was known as Kamatsu and his expertise was greed well business transactions that often left the other party with much less fortune than they started with.
Yet nothing seemed to happen in this city let alone the outlying prefectures without his knowledge. Fuuko’s original plan was to come here for rest and shelter while picking the sleazy gods brain about the goings on since she had left but the reunion was short lived as he reminded her why he named her in the first place.
“You will look stunning in this! Won it off a seamstress and made her do the alterations before her shop went bankrupt”
The young man snickered his eyes holding the devious glare holding the knowledge that he was indeed responsible for that seamstresses misfortune.
“I really just want to rest Kamatsu”
“I insist, please Fuuko...you have been gone so long and tonight is a special occasion”
The regalia clenched her teeth ad clicked her tongue walking past him as she yanked the dress from his hands.
“After this you better put me up and I need funds while I am here”
“Of course, Of course”
“Where’s your bath?”
“Follow me”
The interaction would have seemed more like a bratty brother and irritable sister but the truth was far stranger than fiction with this pair.
Kamatsu in fact was one of the few Kami who didn’t wield the Nora as a weapon. His only reason for naming her was that he loved to collect regalia, exotic ones.
What was more exotic than a Nora that sparked a great legend and whose replica was a Japanese national treasure?
Fuuko stepped into the bathhouse sighing as she began to undress and hang up the dress she was to change into.
Kneeling down against the stone pathways that adorned the expansive room.
It was decorated to mirror a natural hot spring and it seemed no expense was spared in its creation.
The Nora washed her body with soap rinsing with a traditional ladle and bucket thinking of the last time she bathed and in fact it had been some time since her last bath. Longer than she could remember.
The water was warm and caressed her aches and pains, soothing the mind as she dipped her body into the still pool the rippled gently flowing outward simultaneously.
She washed her hair and then soaked for awhile but the regalia could hardly relax, she knew he was watching, he always was.
Privacy was not a luxury in this haven albeit it a haven it was.
This was their deal. food, money and protection in return she did as asked with no qualms.
Her choices seemed limited here.
The outfit was for more than just his twisted whimsical fancy.
What was he planning?
What gamble or debt did he need handled now?
And more importantly what part did she have to play in this newest development.
After a few moments which felt like an hour or so the young girl stood and exited the spring drying off with a towel that had been brought for her by another regalia.
She dried and then tied up her hair letting the braid fall to one side, coincidently the name Kamatsu had given to her showing now that her hair was off the left side of her neck. A few others were now visible to her hoodie no longer being worn. The mark of one owned by a god.
She finished getting ready and before she could even open the door the Kami was there to greet her. He too was dressed up in a tuxedo of all things his hand held out for her to take.

“I assume it fits well I mean it’s not like your measurements changed since you were last here”
“It fits fine, what’s that?”
she replied in question to the bit of jewelry he was affixing to her hair and wrists.
“Finishing touches on a masterpiece”
he exclaimed thrusting his hands in the air around her as if he had pulled some kind of magic trick to alter her appearance completely.
“So spill it, what is going on?”
Kamatsu took a lengthy and measured pause for thought and then with an exaggerated sigh began to explain as he took her arm in his and led her down the hallways to the entrance of the shrine.
“Well you see I have started this new venture, one of particular tastes you see. In fact it only caters to a rare few customers but it has been extremely lucrative as of late my dear Fuuko”
He kept his eyes forward as if imagining the world he was describing being built before him.
“You will help me tonight, and I only ask this because you came back at a most opportune time. You see the business is hitting a standstill and you are just the sort of thing I need to keep it going you see”
“.....I see”
The pair had appeared onto the street crossing the threshold of his domain and exited his shrine before suddenly teleporting to another location entirely.
“....what....what is this?!”
The girl recoiled at the sight she saw after the flash of the ability ended. Before her stood almost a tribunal like panel of...gods.
“This my dear Fuuko is a game, I like to call...break the tool or blight the god”
He seethed as he forcefully pushed her forward before teleporting himself up to reside with the other Kami that looked down on her in this concrete circular room. Upon closer inspection of her surroundings she could see spatter, and smear marks along with what looked like remnants of phantoms.
Atop the high walls were bleachers and sat there were many unfamiliar gods all handing Kamatsu bets.
“Tonight me dear brethren, I have a special treat!, a regalia, a Nora in fact and one I can guarantee will last longer than any before her. She is special so do your worst but if you cannot break her or blight me in the time limit I keep these offerings. The seventeenth game of BTBG has begun”
Fuuko simply stood there being gawked , cursed, and berated her anger that welled up inside forced down... she had to get through this.
Was she strong enough...
Why did she come here, she wished she had stayed with...no she made her decision and they were not going to break her.
This was nothing, nothing compared to the past.
Food and more cruel words flung past her staining the custom made dress that a woman lost her livelihood for.
“This is nothing”

​

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Location: Near Murakami House
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 6:00 pm


Rika Murakami (Human)

“Same.”

Slipping the piece of paper in her breast pocket, Rika then took the offered hand of her classmate. Ryotaro was even more eccentric than the others described, but she judged him to be genuine as well. Probably.

Glancing at the red oil paper umbrella he gave her, Rika paused for a moment before shrugging and pushing it open as she exited his house. Looking strange was better than being bothered by pests. She doubted he meant anything by it when he handed her the traditional wedding item other than its supposed spiritual use.

Both Ryotaro and Tatsume seemed to believe it would rain as well.

Eyes drifting to the sky as she made her way home, Rika pondered all the things he told her to do in preparation for the “exorcism”. It was fortunate her father would be home late tonight as she didn’t think he’d be very pleased to see her drawing talismans late at night instead of studying. As for shrine water, it would have to be obtained in the morning. She’d long known that the water obtained from shrines were effective in warding off phantoms so she could guess why he wanted her to bathe in it. Stealing from shrines wasn’t all that polite when you knew a god or goddess could be watching, but it couldn’t be helped. She’d leave an offering as an apology.

Before all that though, Rika had to decide what she would be making for dinner.

It was strange how calm she was despite all she was involving herself in. Was it because she trusted Hirai? Everything he said sounded plausible enough. Or, at least, plausible enough given the supernatural world she’d been born into. Or was it because she was now no longer alone in the world she lived in? There was her grandfather as well of course. She didn’t intend to tell him about the craziness she intended to involve herself in, but it wouldn’t hurt to give him a call and ask for advice.

As Rika neared her house, the first drops of rain came down.

Location: Kyoto Streets
Date: April 1st, 2030
Time: 11:00pm​

As the shade of an umbrella fell over him, Uroko turned to face the human that offered him the gesture of kindness, eyebrows raised. He hadn’t expected a human to notice him at all let alone caution him against sickness. Uroko would’ve corrected the human, but he kept talking. And talking. Uroko sighed. Fortunately, it was intriguing talk at least. He looked the young man up and down, before directing his gaze over the boy’s shoulder. “…He’s asking for you, Ryuujin-sama.”

“I know that, Uroko! I’m not deaf!” Approaching Ryotaro from behind, it wasn’t long before the god of sea had the boy’s face turned towards him, chin held roughly between two fingers. Golden eyes lit with interest. “Divine eyes, huh? Interesting. You a descendant of the imperial dynasty or something, Kid? What do you think, Uroko?”

“I wouldn’t know, Milord.”

Shrugging, Ryuujin let go of the face and took a step back, a hand on his hip. “Well whatever. My previous incarnations liked to mingle with humans so it wouldn’t really be a surprise if one or two humans got something unique out of it. You seem to know quite a bit about us. Some might even say too much.” Human involvement in heavenly matters rarely ended well. Some would even say it disrupted the very boundaries that separated their societies and demanded all unnecessary ties be severed. The more prudish, ones at least. Ryuujin smirked. “I do like bravery though and it’s not every day a human gives themselves as an offering, so I’ll listen to what you have to say. Lead us to shelter. I don’t want your weak body to collapse before we finish this discussion—which starts with a proper introduction.”

If any servants of his caused trouble in the earthly realm, they would’ve blighted him and been banished from court the moment it happened, but there was really no way for him to know what servant the human was referring to. He had more than just sacred treasures working under him, after all. It was also true he was looking for someone.

Arms folded, Ryuujin tapped his foot as waited for the human to do as he demanded. “Oh, and just so you know, fish don’t catch colds. Isn’t that right, Uroko?”

“Yes, Ryuujin-sama.” Sighing, Uroko took the human’s hands and shifted the canopy to cover the human instead. “I’m perfectly fine in the rain.” Though he would prefer warmer waters. “So please use it for yourself. It would displease my master if you were to fall ill.”

Lucem

 

[Dante Verren]

Location: Ude's Shrine
Date: April 1st 2030
Time: 2:55 pm​

Phantom (Pride)
Interactions: Azani ( Karcen )


Unable to suppress her amusement, the phantom let a bit of giggle escape from her lips. "The daughter of Izanami and dark child of Yomi you say? Splendid! That would explain why I found you inherently less annoying then the usual masses." This was a very interesting development indeed. Not only was a goddess making a deal with a phnatom, but it was a daughter of Izanami as well. Thinking about it logically it made sense, how different would a daughter of Yomi be from a phantom. Sure she was still a goddess but a goddess of darkness was still a dark goddess. Did she thrive off of the dark emotions like phantoms did, or was merely forced to deal with the worst humanity had to offer. Though Kuro-Kyogi truly doubted this arrangement would last long, it was the perfect chance to learn more about the gods weaknesses. It would also be a good way to get consistent meals.

With a small flap of her black wings she gave her new business partner a curtsy. Rising out of her curtsy she gave the goddess a more genuine smile, "Azani daughter of darkness and goddess of grudges, you have the honor of being on a first name basis with the Illustriously ravishing Kuro-Kyogi. You may also refer to me as pride or vanity if either of those fit your fancy. Oh as difficult as it may be do try and contain your overwhelming joy. It would be difficult to work together if you were as the humans say, star struck." Kuro-Kyogi giggled again, this time to herself. All ideas of this goddess being a threat were gone and her much more "positive" side was starting to show.

Now that introductions were over it was time to talk business. "So Azani , where and when exactly do we start? Do you have someone in particular in mind or do we wait for the next being to call to you?" Kuro-kyogi was genuinely curious as too what this god planned to do. More accurately she was curious if the goddess of vengeance and grudges had some grudges of her own that involved the human world.