Realistic or Modern ♡ spirit's kiss: ic ♡

[peachnim]

links | ooc chat, character sheets

rules:
- no spamming the ic chat
- you can use coding, but don't make it difficult to read
- use proper grammar & past-tense (3rd person pov)​

[ SUMMARY ]
The love between humans and yokai is taboo. Throughout history, tales of human-yokai relations have almost always ended in despair, and none have ever encouraged the mixing of the two species. However, in Honshu island, a very different story is about to be written.

The land god of Miyagi prefecture’s Yakurai Shrine hopes for better relations between the two creatures, especially since the yokai are being long forgotten due to the introduction of western ideas. In hopes of breaking down the walls between the two, the shrine owner plans to assign the shrine’s yokai to certain humans as their familiars. In order to do this, he will pick out several (un)lucky students from the neighboring school, Miyagi High, and call the humans and spirits to a meeting. After a single kiss, the human and his/her spirit enter a contract; they are bound to serve and protect the other respectively. Not only will this plan improve human-yokai relations (and possibly romances), it will let the land god grant yokai the chance to become gods themselves, and give protection for humans from evil spirits.

But, will the spirits and humans overcome their differences, and have the courage to fall in love?

[ INTRODUCTION ]
The worlds of humans and yokai rarely blurred. As far as twenty-first century Japan was concerned, spirits were either untouchable beings, fictional, or things of the past. However, Akio, the alias of the Land God of Yakurai Shrine. intended to break that assumption. One fateful day, as Akio sat on the front steps of his shrine, he had a revelation. Advertisements and television appearances weren't working, so why not force humans and yokai to cooperate? After all, what's life without a bit of drama?

Thus, Akio began his journey to rewrite the narrative of human-yokai relations. Choosing to keep the plan a secret, Akio refused to tell his fellow inhabitants what was up. However, spirits like Itsuki could sense something was going to happen, as the god appeared less and less at dinner. And, lo and behold, Akio appeared days later with the stupidest grin on his face, proclaiming he had finally done it.

Done what, you ask? Well, he had simply sent a letter to a select number of students from the neighboring school about their invitation to Yakurai Shrine for a complementary dinner. (Somehow, he knew their locker numbers, and stashed each one in there accordingly.) In the letter, Akio detailed the shrine's address, along with why they should be "so thankful" for his "gracious" invite. After a verbose description of the shrine's history, Akio finally wrote: And even if you aren't convinced, you will come. I know you will.

Geez, not scary at all.

 

[peachnim]

MOODx shocked

ATTIREx kimono

INTERACTIONSx none

LOCATIONx shrine, dining area

Everything was normal at the Yakurai Shrine. Well, at least it was supposed to be.

Visitors filed in and out for morning prayers as usual. The shrine workers tended to the front courtyard and interior just as scheduled. The spirits were off doing whatever it was they did, and by dinnertime, the shrine owner was to call them for a meeting.

However, something was off. Whether it was Akio's increased absences during the day that first raised his suspicion, or the frequent mumbling he overheard, Itsuki was sure this would be no ordinary evening.

Somehow, the rebellious kitsune decided to lay low this time, and actually be civil as they waited for Akio to appear. He was already settled into a spot on the floor around the table, his fingers fiddling with a pair of chopsticks to pass the time. Sure enough, however, the loud thud of Akio's steps made its way towards the dining area. With each thud, Itsuki's brows furrowed even deeper. He inhaled sharply, preparing for the worst.

Sliding the door open, the land god bounced in with an animated grin.

"I did it! I finally did it!" he proclaimed, puffing his chest out and motioning to a paper in his hand. It seemed to be some sort of letter, with the bolded title "Yakurai Shrine" clearly written on it. Unamused, Itsuki let out a groan, and leaned forward to take a better look at the paper.

This better not be another prank of his.

Before the kitsune could say a word, Akio plopped down by the others, and slammed the paper onto the table. "You're all going to become familiars!"

All the color in Itsuki's face paled. The chopsticks in his hand immediately fell onto the table, and his fox ears pricked. He opened his mouth to speak... but no words would come out.

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Drake let out a happy sigh as he appeared at the temple in a puff of black mist. A black cigarette hung out of his mouth as he looked around to all the humans that walked past him as if he wasn't even there, well technically he wasn't there to them but he was there. Chuckling happily at the sight of a young couple at the shrine it reminded him of the heartbroken man he had made commit suicide earlier today which just made him chuckle. "Ahhhh good times." He said happily as he took a long drag of the black cigarette then blew out the pitch black smoke before he started walking inside. "I think I'll fuck up there relationship tomorrow." He mumbled happily to him self as he took one more glance at the couple before he went into the temple.

Immediately hearing the big steps and loud words of the land god drake groaned knowing he would be yelled at for showing up late. So he took his time in getting to the room just as the Land god announced that everyone I the room was to become a familiar. It immediately made drake burst out into laughter as he pointed into the room. "Haaaa suckers you have to be tied down to a human HAHAHAHA!" He yelled at them as he kept laughing uncontrollably at the other spirits in the room

 

[lostwanderer]

Makoto lifted his head from the table when he heard the bell ring, mildly annoyed as he got interrupted from his sleep but he quickly covered it up with a blank expression as he blinked away the remnants of sleep from his eyes and scratched the back of his neck, tilting it side to side to make his bones crackle. Hearing the satisfying pop, he gathered his things and stood up, waving goodbye to his classmates (and trying not to be incredibly annoyed about it) before he made his way out the classroom, sliding the headphones to his ears and putting his hands into his hoodie pockets, 'All this sugar sweet charade is making my teeth hurt...' He thought to himself, glancing to the side and noticing from the corner of his eye one of his bullies, who didn't meet his eyes and turned the other way as a small smirk made its way to his face, 'Well, it does have its perks.' He soundlessly chuckled.

He held his head down, not meeting other people's gaze to avoid stirring any more trouble as he weaved through the crowded halls, 'I have a feeling those clowns left me some half-baked threats again, seeing as that's the only thing they're good at.' He murmured hushed apologies as he made his way to his locker at the farthest corner of the hall. Once he got there, he looked at his locker and let out a soft sigh before punching in his combination and opening the door, expecting a trap of some sorts but nothing happened. Instead, he found a lone envelope among the few things in his locker. He picked it up and flipped it over, checking if there was any return address but saw nothing of that sort. He shrugged and decided to open it for what it's worth. He found a letter, inviting him to some shrine. 'The heck is this? Someone's idea of ghost hunting?' He raised an eyebrow but continued reading, after which he placed it back in his locker. 'Ah, what's there to lose? I might as well just check it out.' He shrugged and followed the slew of people going to the door.

 

[vegeta3k]

Everyday Yuhi had made sure to leave class a few minutes before the bell. This was to make sure that by the time the bullies who had challenged him got to his class he was gone. What a pain, he thought his intimidating appearance would ward of bullies but all it did was attract more unwanted attention. The bell would signal the end of class with a loud ring and students would pack into the empty halls. Using the chaos as cover Yuhi would make his way out. One last corner and he would be at his locker. Turning the corner his heart would jump in his chest spottin the bullies. Quickly he would take cover around the corner. The bullies had one of his fiends. His name was Billy. Billy's eyes lit up with hope spotting Yuhi. Yuhi felt sorry for him. If Billy only knew, poor soul had no idea that the person who swore to protect him was a fraud. The first punch would make Billy double over and when Billy would look up to where Yuhi once was, he would find Yuhi nowhere to be seen. The hope in Billys eyes left within an instant and It was then that he realised Yuhi was not going to help. He never was going to help.

Like the coward he was Yuhi got the hell out of there and took an alternative route to his locker. Billys eyes was burnt into his mind, and he couldn't help but feel guilty. He felt disgusted with himself. This was far from what the hero he idolised would do. Bruce Lee never backed down from a fight-but, but he was afraid and he knew he didn't stand a chance against them. What could he have done? Why was he so pathetic?

Opening his locker Yuhi would notice a single letter placed ontop of his sneakers. Glumly he would reach in and take it with a sigh. Reading through the letter Yuhi would give a frown. What kind of prank is this bullshit, I don't have time for a tea party he thought angrily. Scrunching the letter up in his hands he would grab his sneakers and then throw the scrunched letter back into his locker. The little ball would ricochete off the back then he would slam the locker shut. Turning on his heels he would head out. "If you arent convinced you will come. Yeah right-" he mumbled. unknowingly to him that his fate had already been decided.

 

[lostwanderer]

Everything was looking great from Airi's view. She was lying down on the terra cotta roof, watching the sun setting from her perspective, a serene smile emerging from her face, although for some reason, she felt her stomach sink at the thought. It was typical that the land god would organize a dinner of some sorts but she feels something big is about to happen tonight, and that doesn't sit well in her stomach. She decided to get down from the roof, dangling a little bit before swinging and dropping down onto the wooden floorboards. She made her way towards the table and placed herself on a random pillow on the ground, staying as quiet as a mouse as she continued to wonder what Akio had in mind for tonight. She found him to be rather eccentric so for all she knew, it could have been anything. She took a sip of the tea situated in front of her, to somewhat ease her nerves even by a bit. She normally hated feeling warm but for now, she reveled in the comfort it offered.

Not too long later, she could hear the telltale voice of the eccentric man. She placed her cup down on the table as she quietly waited for what he had to say. She heard someone groan among a few things, which she paid no much mind to. Just as the tea had taken its effect, she heard the announcement, making her look at Akio, "Excuse me? Did I hear what you said correctly?" Her voice was even and a bit cold, but her eyes seem to tell a whole other story. "How come we only all know of this now?" She had all but questions as her thoughts milled at the mere idea that she would be at the mercy of a human after how many years. She gritted her teeth as her emotions began to stir the clouds outside.

 

[Coyote Hart]

Lucius sat in history class, pretending to be poring over the fat textbook he had in front of him. His body itched to get up, out of class, to do anything but sit in the eerily silent classroom, reading over the boring lesson, which honestly, Lucius didn't know what the heck was about.
Finally, through what felt like a million years, the sound of the bell pierced through the still air. The classroom was sent into a frenzy as people grabbed their belongings and rushed to the door.
The teacher shouted an instruction, and Lucius barely heard it on his way out the door. It was a reminder to do the homework. A useful thing to remember, as the teacher only briefly went over the homework that was due next week.
Lucius jostled to get to his locker, saying a brief hello to each of his friends as he passed them in the hall. Finally, he arrived at his locker. He keyed in the combination to the lock that he attached to the locker. Then he typed in his combination on the locker, then clicked the latch. Nothing. He raised his fist and smacked the locker once, then clicked the latch again. There we go. Stupid goddamned hit-and-open locker.
The locker opened, and lying lopsidedly was an object in the middle of his locker. Lucius frowned. Was he the center of some sort of prank?
Hesitantly, Lucius picked up the unknown package. It was a letter. And no random letter. This one was fancily decorated, with red wax and neatly written words on it. It lacked a return address.
Screw it, Lucius thought. He tore the wax off of the elegant envelope, took the paper out of the envelope, and read it carefully from top to bottom. His brow furrowed as he re-read the letter. An invitation. And a barely concealed threat as the last sentence. Definitely normal.
Lucius went through his plans for the day, There didn't seem to be anything in the way of him attending the dinner. Then sure, why not. It is not every day that someone invites you to dinner. However, the fact was, Lucius didn't know the sender. Is this a scam? Is it safe?
Lucius decided he would go, even if it was a scam. He would just be armed.
With this in mind, Lucius shut his locker, clicked back on the second lock, and headed with the general storm of people to the front doors.

Spoiler: More Information

Lucius Lynn
Location 1: History Class
Location 2: Lucius's Locker
Objective: Head home
Mood: Surprised in a good way

Summary, because everything's long: Basically Lucius is bored, gets out of history class when the bell rings, finds his invitation, then decides to go to the dinner, prepared for anything to happen.

 

[Yunn]

What a big waste of time.

Walking on bare feet like usual she continued down one of the lesser known roads which was headed to the temple. Her stomach, empty. After picking her dinner the lucky soul to have sweet dreams for the night she was prepared to fill her stomach for until the next night. Who knew that he would already find solace. Humans sure are fickle. Remembering the "sweet" dream the other was having, she clenched her abdomen as the thought of it made her stomach upset. Even if she was hungry she needed some time to shake off this unpleasant feeling. After all she has the entire night to find a meal.

Arriving at the temple's dining hall she lifelessly laid on her side. She wondered why she even bothered coming here, there wasn't even food she could eat. Well I guess this is a good place to take a nap. That was her intention, until her favorite god arrived. "Hmm? Have you finally gone crazy? Wah, congratulations. You know what. I just had a great idea. I think you need a human more than I do so why not we switch places and have me as god for the time being. Isn't that such a great idea? Sometimes I impress myself."

 

[FireMaiden]

It happened again. She got into another fight, and Aki was on her last warning. Though, this time it wasn't entirely her fault; bullies are ever so popular and she just happened to catch some messing with a lowerclassmen. And it made her a bit mad, like always. Besides, it wasn't that bad this time, just a few brusies rather than broken noses and sore groins. Of course, the teachers that broke it up didn't believe her or the other kid, the bullies parents were major helps to the school of something. A bunch of BS of you asked Aki, to her, it was one of those boys will be boys thing.

So she was missing from her last class, having to wait with teachers while parents came by the school. The bullies and kids showed up, hers did not. "Typical," she muttered. Aki didn't care to much, she was just happy that the bell rung. It was her day off from work, her parents weren't home, so she was free to do what ever she wanted to. Though she didn't really know what that would be. Aki would probably just end up buying junk food and watching movies at home like she normally did on her days off. That was, until she found the letter.

She was one of the last people to get to their lockers. Anyone could tell which one was her's. Homework, notes, and flyers were always attached to her door. It happened so often, she started to leave magnets on it so they wouldn't waste tape. She chuckled a little at the notes. Things from her best friends, mainly calling her stupid for getting into another fight. Her chuckling at them stopped when she opened her locker to find a letter. It was the only thing she didn't stuff in her bag before slamming her locker shut.

She tore it open as she walked and began to read. It was an invitation to a shrine, but why addressed to her? Aki felt like it may be a bad idea to go, but, it was a bit exciting. Though she soon found herself swallowed up by the sea of people walking, and shoving to leave school.

 

[constellation]

​

s p i r i t ' s . k i s s​

​

it had been a long day for kaori. luckily for her, she had physical education/gym class for last period. believe it or not, but it was her favourite subject out of everything. there was nothing more enjoyable than beating her classmates. the sun was setting, just about shining on the students as they finished off their match. with her jet black hair tied back into a loose pony, kaori's deep blue eyes focused intensely on the tennis ball.

"just..." chest heaving, the teenager ran into place and waiting for the ball, "one more hit..." kaori raised her racket and with all her strength, she whacked the tennis ball and watched it zoom by her competition, hitting against the gate and eventually rolling to a stop. it was silent for a moment as everyone watched the winning shot before the coach let out a deep laugh. "once again beat by kaori, akahito." he spoke, a wide grin on his face as he stood up. it was almost as if the coach had known akahito would be beat by kaori again.

akahito let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he brought his palm to rub his shiny forehead. "it's really impossible to beat you, kaori." he muttered, slight disappointment in his voice - after all, he'd been trying hard for so long to win at least one match. in the distance, the school bell rang and the students almost immediately began to pack away to get home.

putting away her racket, kaori began to head back to the school building with akahito. "are you ever going to let me win, ice princess?" he teased, giving her side the slightest nudge with his elbow. kaori gave the boy a small smile, "that's up to you, akahito. i was barely trying."

once inside the school, the two stopped for a moment to say their goodbyes before splitting up and heading their separate ways. the hallways weren't as packed as they usually were considering the majority of students had left. but once kaori had arrived to her locker, she put in her code and unlocked it. though as she pulled out her bag, her eyes wandered towards a small letter that slipped out from her locker. a frown crawled onto her face as she picked it up and opened it, giving it a small read. was this some stupid prank? despite the whole situation being edgy, kaori was just too curious to let it go. it was time to pay the shrine a visit.​

kaori okawa​

 

[lieutenant uhura]

K O H A R U ​

Koharu sat inside the shrine, listening as the humans rang the bell and made selfish materialistic request after request. Such a pathetic existence they lead, she thought as she ran comb that was ornamented with pale pink flowers through her hair. A little boy still in his school uniform approached the shrine and dropped a coin in before ringing the bell, he clapped his hands together before praying, and with the strained look on his face it was obvious he was trying to hard. She listened as he asked for his mother's health to improve so she could come home. Koharu secretly loved the desires of human children, more often than not it was an unselfish request. But she knew that as they grew that innocence would fade.
She glanced up at the sky to see the sun was starting to set. It had been requested by Master Akio that she attend dinner with the rest of the residence of the shrine. She usually tried to avoid interacting with them, as a good amount of them were loud and troublesome. She knew something was up, because it was never demanded of her to attend dinner, and Master Akio as of late had been acting unusual.
A sigh escaped her lips as she pinned some of her dark hair up with the comb. She stood and walked toward the dinning area, her kimono trailing behind her. Some of the other yokai were already waiting, so she took a seat in the corner and was pouring herself tea as Akio entered. He skipped into the room and announced to the yokai that they were to be familiars. Koharu has brought the hot cup of tea to her lips and was about to take a sip when she registered what he had said. Her cup fell out of her hands and spilled on the table as she froze, stunned at the news. The area around her started to grow cold as she turned her piercing blue eyes to Akio. It took everything in her to control her anger and keep her composure. "What did you do?!"


 ❝進み続けてさえいれば、遅くとも関係ない❞

 

[astraeaaa]

the daily routine of going to school was fairly tedious by now, but it was one natsuki would have to abide by if she wanted to get anywhere in life.

as usual she would sit though each class listening attentively, occasionally tutting in disapproval at the students who didn't do their homework or who weren't listening, and somehow managing to understand most of the work even when the teacher was a bore or just did not know what they were talking about. as usual the bell would ring exactly when her watch read six seconds before the time for school to ring. as usual she wouldn't dare to linger for too long and would head out swiftly.

luckily the girl wasn't on duty to clean up today. she made her way to the entrance of the school, the book she was reading tucked safely under her arm. as she reached the lockers and begun taking off her shoes, a random thought crossed her mind: why not go to the shrine today? she slipped her shoes inside her locker, taking out her outdoor footwear and not noticing the note that lay inside until it fluttered to the floor in front of her face. a note, for me? natsu peered around, eyes squinting to see who was near that could possibly be the sender of the note.

no one suspicious appeared to be around. natsu eyed the note with suspicion, but gave a shrug a simply put it into her pocket. she could read it later, like on the way to the shrine or something. it probably wasn't important.

and so, the blonde haired girl finished fastening her shoes and made her way out, trekking to the shrine but not noticing the odd amount of people that were going randomly like she was.

 

[P A S T R Y]

K O H I N A

Kohina hadn't been at her greatest for the past few weeks, and there was a reason for that. The past few days she had been dormant and bored, with nothing to do beside pester the land god who would eventually make her smile, even by just a little bit. But the reason why she was dormant? She had been waiting for a suprise that a fortune teller yolo had told her to wait for.
Gullible as a child, Kohina believed her and went on her week, trying to wait for the suprise hiding in her near future. At first, she tried to keep herself and not pester any humans and just sat there, dormant and happy for the suprise coming, then she became a little impatient but, still hopeful for the future. After that, she became a little angry and didn't want to wait anymore so she started to pester the land god.
"What else to do?" She said to herself as she played with her hollow past form of a doll, petting its head with her index finger and poking it's button nose. After that, Kohina groaned and signed as she fell flat on the door. What was the point of being a hinnagami if all she was going to do was sit around all day like a bum?

After sitting in her room, she stood up to the dining hall of the shrine, having a funny feeling in her stomach because of the land god's sunny mood. Kohina ignored and instead sat down, a frown plastered on her face which seemed drab of color and stoic as usual.

"Wait...What?!" She said in a surprised voice as she stood up on her seat. "Was this the SUPRISE that old hag was telling me?" she said irritatingly before sitting back down and cleared her throat, staring at the land god straight in the eye. "Do we at least get to play with them?" She said with a small smirk appearing on her reddish lips, seemingly waiting for another a project to feed off of.

 

[Coyote Hart]

Lucius burst through the door of the school with the rushing crowd of people, then took a left to get to his bike, unlatching it from the rack, and climbing on.
As he rode back home, he wondered what the shrine was like. Lucius didn't believe in such supernatural things. His father was Cornish and believed in Anglicanism, while his mother was Japanese and believed in the Shinto religion. Because of his parents having different religious beliefs, Lucius was very divided in his beliefs. Therefore, Lucius took the path of being an Agnostic.
So what would the shrine want with Lucius? Lucius never made contact with the shrine, ever. And what would it be like there? What religion is the shrine even of? What actually happens at the shrine?
These questions were pondered and left unanswered as Lucius pedaled mechanically home.

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes was all that Lucius could concentrate on his homework. His mind was wandering elsewhere, mostly to the shrine. Music didn't help. Nothing helped. Lucius's mind was just too much on the shrine, and not enough on the Geometry problem laid out in front of him.
As soon as Lucius decided that doing homework was unproductive, he threw down his pen and started pacing the room. What could he do to stop his wandering thoughts?
In the end, Lucius decided that heading to the shrine before the dinner started was going to be the best idea.
His mom wasn't home, and his brother was at his boarding school, so getting out of the house was easy. Getting the bike off the rack was more difficult. No matter what he typed into the lock, it just wouldn't open.
Then, he heard footsteps behind him, and someone asked, "Excuse me young man, but what are you doing with my bike?"
With a jolt, Lucius realized that this wasn't his bike. He jumped back. "I-I'm sorry, sir," Lucius said, red-faced with embarrassment, "Your bike looks very similar to mine."
The man made a noise under his breath that sounded like "Hmmph.", then unlocked his bike, riding off.
Lucius then located his real bike and unlocked it, still feeling jittery from the shameful encounter. He hopped on his bike, heading into the sunset, to the shrine.

Spoiler: More Information

Lucius Lynn
Location 1: School
Location 2: Home
Objective: Travel, by bike, to the shrine
Mood: Energetic; embarrassed
Interacting with: An NPC
Note: Longest. Filler. Post. Ever.

 

[lostwanderer]

Once Makoto has found his way out the school building, he let the cold air blow to his face. He was tempted to shrug off his hoodie but chose not to for upholding his image. 'Damn this all.' He thought to himself, annoyance once again making its way to his face. Tired of the crowd that wouldn't seem to thin down anytime soon, he quietly made his way to the ‪west wing and a‬way from the crowd. From studying there ever since his mother transferred them to this city, he had taken his time to familiarize himself with the territory. With that said, he found that there was a locked gate on the far left of the school that leads to an alley. The wall was low enough that he didn't have to climb over it but high enough to obscure what lies on the other side. After countless times of going here, he effortlessly vaulted over the wall, landing on his feet.

What he didn't expect was a group of men wearing similar outfits, having what it seems to be a meeting of some sorts a few meters from where he was standing. One of the men noticed him, "Hey punk, didn't ya hear? This be our territory." He slurred. From the corner of his eye, he noticed bottles at their feet and the smell of something sickly sweet so he decided to steer away from them and walked the other way, 'Not worth my time.' He concluded, as he fixed his bag on his shoulder, but it seems they were having none of it as another man took hold of his shoulder, making him stop where he stood, "Where d'ya think y'are goin'? Did ya really think ya can git away without any punishment?" He could hear the teasing tone from behind his headphones as he said something the man didn't hear. "Whazzat, pretty boy?"

Makoto pulled down his headphones and glanced at him from the corner of his eye, "I said..." He grabbed the man's arm and planted his feet on the ground before he threw him over his shoulder and slammed him onto the ground, making the man gasp for air, "don't touch me." The raven reiterated, his forest green eyes frosting over as he looked over to face the now-angered members. He placed his hands back in his hoodie pockets, "What's the matter? Somebody steal your candy, you big babies?" He tilted his head at them, provoking them as a devilish smirk began to form on his innocent looking face. Taking the bait, the men charged at him.

 

[peachnim]

MOODx suspicious

ATTIREx kimono

INTERACTIONSx none

LOCATIONx shrine, dining area

Everything was happening all at once. Too much, too fast. And Akio couldn't be more displeased.

It all started with Drake's obnoxious howling, which definitely raised some eyebrows. Before Itsuki could make a snarky retort, however, Akio stepped in with an exhausted sigh. "Drake, you do understand that you're a part of this plan, too, right? And that you have to cooperate with the human this time?"

Usually, Itsuki would have chuckled at the land god's attempts, but instead, he remained silent. He shot a betrayed, furious glance towards Akio, his posture and tail stiffening threateningly.

Meanwhile, Akio opened his mouth to speak. Before the god could continue, however, his nightmare came to life. The spirits erupted into an uproar, with biting comments from all ends beginning to overwhelm him.

"How come we only all know of this now?"

"Hmm? Have you finally gone crazy? Wah, congratulations..."

"What did you do?!"

"Wait...What?! Do we at least get to play with them?"​

As much as he loved the girls at the shrine, there was only such a degree of disrespect that a god could handle. Feeling the frustration bubble up and tighten in his chest, Akio clenched and unclenched his fists, his face darkening. He bit his lip hard, his brows knotted.

In seconds, the entire atmosphere of the shrine became even colder, with Airi's clouds combining with his anger to form the beginnings of a storm. Unable to take it anymore, he rose abruptly.

"Silence!" Akio boomed, his voice making thunder erupt. Then, realizing what he had done, the land god quickly eased up. The storm faded, as if it never happened. His smile reappeared, and he adjusted his kimono before he continued.

"Good. Now, I know you're all surprised... Believe me, I understand more than anyone..." Akio's voice softened, his gaze wandering from face to face, "But, I want you all to trust me, the person who took you in and sheltered you. I believed in you, believed that each of you had extreme potential. Now, can you simply return the favor and trust me? Trust in the fact that I would never do something to hurt you, or make you feel less than what you are?"

With a shaky breath, he sat down once more, and sipped some of the tea. Itsuki watched, his stare still unwavering, but his thoughts conflicted. If Akio really wanted them to try to be familiars, there must be some higher reasoning behind it. Maybe—

"This is a chance for you to become gods." Akio finally revealed, his tone serious. "See, I'm really taking your best interests to heart..."

Gods...?! Itsuki marveled at the very idea. Deep within him, the lust for becoming a greater being revealed itself, and his lips parted in disbelief. The kitsune's ears tilted forward, his enthusiasm finally poking through.

I knew he wouldn't be so idiotic as to assign us to mere humans for no reason! Besides, I can just take the opportunity to gain a lifelong servant while I'm at it...

Still, something was off. Itsuki could sense it by the god's persuasion tactics, the way he was so insistent on them becoming familiars.

There had to be a catch.

But, what was it?

What are you hiding from us, Akio?

"So, what do you say, spirits?" the being in question offered, an amused twinkle in his eye. "The humans will be here any minute now... Might as well be on our best behavior, hm?"

 

[lostwanderer]

Airi glanced to the side at the tataragami who came to the party, murmuring something along the lines of 'idiot' under her breath before she watched the changing emotions play out on the usually calm land god's face. She sat back and just sipped her tea, listening at the man's outburst along the sudden clap of thunder that came along with it. She raised a pale, curious eyebrow at that and decided to keep herself under wraps as well, blinking away the shroud of emotion that passed through her eyes as a gentle drizzle fell over the neighborhood. She kept silent, her eyes holding a sliver of curiosity when the land god came back to his usual demeanor before she quelched it. She traced a finger around the lip of the cup.

"Apologies for the reaction. I was just saying that an advance warning would have been much appreciated." She murmured softly, her face not showing any semblance of emotion as she kept her eyes fixed on her reflection inside the cup before she closed her eyes. "After all... You, of all people, would know that not everyone take lightly to surprises." She opened her eyes, shifting her gaze to Akio. "Especially if it concerns trust and commitment to some other being."

As she listened to the man's explanation, she felt the warmth inside her turn frigid and uncomfortable, so much so she had placed an arm around it and slowly breathed out, her head hung low as stray silver locks fell over her eyes. She shook her head to rid herself of said thoughts and sighed before she lifted her head to face him, "Look, it took me a while to trust you and that's saying something, what more do you think entrusting my life to a selfish mortal being would be. I believe in you, but it's going to take me some sort of guarantee before I do just that." Her expression turned soft for a moment before it reverted to its usual guarded form.

"If being a god is on the table, then that would mean there's something bigger here than just playing guardian work. What's the catch in all this?" The hand around her stomach clenched the fabric of her dress but that was obscured by the low-bearing table, as her eyes turned intense.

 

[peachnim]

MOODx neutral

ATTIREx kimono

INTERACTIONSx everyone

LOCATIONx shrine, dining area

It was only natural that there would be some dissent. After all, many of these spirits thought protecting and helping humans was absurd. However, Akio needed to give them some sort of excuse that would quell their worries. Something to settle them down.

Apparently, offering them a chance at becoming a god wasn’t enough.

Releasing a deep sigh, the god turned to Airi, nodding his head in understanding. “Apology accepted, Airi. I’m sorry for the surprise—I know exactly what this would mean to you. But… believe me, I will be overseeing everything, meaning that I won’t let anything bad happen to you… I promise. You can trust a god’s promise, can’t you?” He smiled reassuringly, referring to how gods like him were bound to their word.

“I want you all to put down your presumptions for once and learn to cooperate. These humans will serve you, and you will have to help them in exchange. That’s all this is—a partnership.” Akio explained, his attention then turning to Airi’s next question.

He raised a brow, his lips curled up playfully. “Impressive, Airi! You catch on quick. Well, let’s just say that… this is all part of a very, very large plan. A plan that will change the face of the earth forever. To put it simply: a divine plan.”

The god laughed quietly, his raven eyes filled with unspoken words. “Which means... I can’t tell you what it is yet. I’m sorry. You’ll all just have to trust me on this one.” He leaned back, his arms crossed behind his head.

“And who knows? Maybe, along the way, you’ll figure it out yourselves!”

When Akio broke into a bold grin, Itsuki had had it. He clicked his tongue, displeased. “Bullshit. You’re just having fun with all this, aren’t you…?” Crossing his arms, the kitsune gave a sour look, and turned in his seat to stare at the wall.

After a moment, a realization struck him.

“...Fine, do what you’d like. I can handle a few bumps in the road… as long as it means I’ll become a god.” Itsuki’s face darkened, a smirk replacing his frown. “Besides, it won’t be me to show you… how dangerous your plan really is,” he continued, turning to Akio, “Look around. You’ve picked some very interesting yokai for your little game.”

“It’s only a matter of time before these humans suffer because of your doing.”

Akio simply shook his head, knowing his message wasn't going to sink in anytime soon.

 

[Coyote Hart]

Crash! It was the sound of both the thunder rumbling and Lucius falling off of his bike with surprise. The thunder had come out of nowhere, then disappeared immediately, so fast, making Lucius wonder if he had imagined it or not. However, when a sudden drizzling had appeared, Lucius knew he was imagining nothing.
Lucius got up from the road, a scrape on his hand from where he had fallen. He remounted his bike, continuing down the road. The path to the shrine was further than Lucius expected. But he was almost there.
There was absolutely no chance that Lucius could pedal from the shrine back home to change into something fancy and grab arms, then bike back to the shrine. It was just too far away. I'll have to go to the party in what he was wearing, Lucius thought with unhappiness.
Fortunately, Lucius's almost fancy attire was suitable for the dinner, if not for the dirt, grime, and water from falling off of his bike.
The shrine came within his sights, a magnificent structure, with a sense of peace. Strangely, there were a ton of people there already.
Lucius parked his bike, locked it up, and took a look at the almost holy building. With a sigh, he headed up to it, dreading the number of people there. Unknown to him, the shrine was going to be something he saw for quite a lot in the coming days.

Spoiler: More Information

Lucius Lynn
Location: Shrine
Objective: Explore
Mood: Unhappy

 

[dwale]

reiji hira

Reiji was currently in the middle of messing with humans that were filtering in. Nothing too harmful, just a quick grab at a wallet here, a sly untucking of a shirt there. It made the spirit chuckle despite the simplicity of it. He stretched his arms up over his head and glanced around, lips puckered in thought, before he spotted Akio and trailed after him, keeping a safe distance so as not to be detected. He remained in the doorway of the dining room and a frown contorted the features of his face when the land god announced - in a voice that was annoyingly cheery, Reiji might add - something about familiars.

Reiji was often clueless when it came to what happened around the shrine and now was no exception. He stood in the doorway, listening as the land god spoke, practically begging for the other spirits - who seemed to be rather upset - to trust that this was a good thing. His nose wrinkled up as one spirit in particular - what was his name? Iku? Inari? - stood and claimed that the spirits chosen were 'interesting.' The tone of his voice had Reiji bristling for a brief moment, but he quickly regained his normal composure after a few moments.

He cleared his throat. "Are the humans at least kind of cute?"

 

[vegeta3k]

Before he would arrive home Yuhi would make sure that he lost the dark shades and his hair was not slicked back but combed over like the average civilian Clark Kent in the DC comics Superman.

Yuhis parents had a below average income so they both worked long hours into the night in order for the family to just get by. They lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment. The kitchen and toilet was apart of the lounge and the only thing they could ftt in there was a small fridge and a worn out kotatsu that the father had scavenged from the local dump. It was Okay I guess. If you enjoyed feeling like a tightly packed can of sardines.

leaving his sneakers at the door Yuhi would walk to his room dragging his feet. The note on the table was the same as usual telling him to cook for himself tonight. With a heavy Sigh he would head to his room. Yuhi kept the lights in his room dim favouring candles to save electricity. He decorated the room with a few personal possessions through his life and it was obvious he was heavily influenced by Bruce Lee.. The feeling of leaving his friend Billy was still weighing heavy on his heart. Looking up at the Bruce Lee posters decorating his room Yuhi would let out a longing sigh. he so wished to be as brave and outspoken as the characters portrayed by the actor but the reality was he felt destined to be a failure.

The vibration of his brick cell would catch his attention. Answering the phone Yuhi would realise it was Billy's mother. She sounded worried as Billy had not come home yet. This worried Yuhi because it was out of character for Billy to not come home in time. Did he also receive that stupid shrine prank? Reassuring the worried mother that Billy was okay Yuhi would hang up and motion to move back out. Giving a glance back at the Bruce Lee posters for encouragement Yuhi would take his leave. Maybe Billy was at the shrine. It was worth a try.

 

[lostwanderer]

After an encounter and a half, Makoto stood in the middle of the alley with his shoulders lifting up and down as he breathed softly, watching his latest victims crumble before him. A manic, victorious grin formed on his face, albeit slightly lopsided as a bruise was beginning to form on his cheek. Aside from this, blood dripped down from the scrapes on his knuckles and he might have a few more bruises on his stomach, 'Sneaky bastards held me up when that punch put me down. Assholes.' He thought to himself, rolling his shoulders from the strain he put on it.

He shook off the droplets of rain and sweat that may have accumulated on his hair, as the gang members picked themselves up, one holding his presumably dislocated collarbone, the other two lifting up their knocked out comrade. Satisfaction, mixed with adrenaline, rushed through his blood, knowing fully well that he was the one who did all that.

"This isn't over." One of the men said through his teeth, making Makoto chuckle darkly before he raised an eyebrow, his eyes glinting with mischief, "Oh really now? You still haven't had enough yet? I still have a little more strength in me, I can get this over with today if you really want me to." He noticed the flash of terror in the other guy's eyes, which made him grin more, "but unfortunately for me, your pals don't seem rather fond of that idea so your ugly mugs get to live another day. Just tell Jin that I said hi." He wanted to laugh at the look of realization on their faces but he didn't, thinking that he had enough fun for today so he didn't bother sticking around too long as he picked up his bag and began walking out the alley.

He pulled the hood over his head to avoid drawing more attention as he looked rather peeved at the drizzling rain, "Weather forecast didn't mention anything about rain today... Man, they should really fire that stupid weatherman on channel 7." He grumbled to himself when he remembered the letter and that he had some place to go. 'Oh, right, the dinner at some dingy, strange inn...yeah, fuck that, I'm going home. Screw what that letter said.' He thought to himself as he made his way down the familiar path leading to his house, shoving his hands on his hoodie pockets.

Airi had long lost interest in the now cooled cup of tea in front of her and now resigned to resting her hand on her lap. She nodded mutely at what the god had said, still feeling prickly about the idea of interacting with humans again. Sure, she does get the occasional wish for rain and good weather but it only goes far as that. Anyways, she might think most of the time the man was eccentric but she was positive that he really does mean his words. He has never gotten her in danger even once in her stay in the temple, she would assume it wouldn't start now. The rules in their society binds them to their word and going against it bring about major repercussions. She at least knows that much. If his words were to go by (and she believed they were, no matter how much it annoys her to no end at times), the deal was mutually beneficial, maybe she could even sway it to her direction if the situation calls for it. For now, she'll hold onto her judgment until it is asked for.

However, the tight coil in her stomach did not sit still when the god reaffirmed her thoughts, her eyes turning darker as the drizzle turned into a full-on shower upon hearing that. It's one thing to leave her in the dark of things, it's another to make her curious, knowing fully well that she wouldn't get the answer quick enough to satisfy it. She slightly pouted, her eyes downcast for a moment before she glanced towards the sliding door, as she sensed something in the air. She blinked twice, resting her hands on the table, lacing her fingers together, "It appears that we have company." Her eyes turned dead and void of emotions.

'Humans.' Her thoughts screamed at her. 'At this hour, it seems unheard of, unless...' She spared a glance at the land god, 'What are you really up to?' She held her gaze before she sighed lightly and twisted a stray lock of her silver hair around her index finger to keep her mind off the lingering thoughts. 'Sweets, where art thou when you are of utmost need?' She thought to herself, resting her cheek on one hand

 

[peachnim]

MOODx anticipating

ATTIREx kimono

INTERACTIONSx everyone

LOCATIONx shrine, dining area

"Are the humans at least kind of cute?"
​

At the sound of Reiji's voice, the land god shifted in his seat to grin at the okuri-inu. He let out a small laugh, enjoying the fact that at least one person wasn't going to be arguing with him today.

"Oh, they're cute all right." he paused, then rubbed his chin, "Even cuter than Itsuki, might I add." Upon the mention, the kitsune coughed on his tea, subsequently glaring at a cheeky Akio.

The good mood lasted only for a few seconds, before Airi's storm made Akio shut his mouth. Instead, he turned his attention towards the gloomy ame-onna.

"It appears that we have company."
​

With a heavy sigh, the god nodded, and placed his cup down. He stood up, dusted off his kimono, and cleared his throat. "Well, then. Let's all be on our best behavior today. And—I repeat—don't harm the humans. They've done nothing wrong... yet."

Akio's eyes glittered with anticipation. "It's showtime."

 

[lieutenant uhura]

K O H A R U ​

Master Akio’s words did little to calm the stunned yuki-onna. Fear, anger, shock, and distress washed over her, leaving her speechless. She had no interest in becoming a God if it meant selling out and binding herself to a human. Koharu had shared her past with Master Aiko, he knew of her history with humans and yet he still chose this path for her. ‘How could he…?’ Koharu wanted deeply to trust Aiko, but she could not help but feel like she was betrayed yet again. ‘I should have stayed in the mountains’ the air around her grew colder as she sorted through her emotions. The world faded in and out as she contemplated leaving.

“These humans will serve you, and you will have to help them in exchange. That’s all this is—a partnership.”

'What could humans possible offer us yokai that would make this relationship a partnership. This is servitude, I am being chained to a human and forced to serve them.'

“Which means... I can’t tell you what it is yet. I’m sorry. You’ll all just have to trust me on this one.”

'Is this a game to him!? Humans cannot be trusted, all he is doing is leading them to an early grave…'

Soft delicate hands gripped at her Kimono, the more she thought about the predicament she was in the tighter her grasp got as she tried to keep her composure. Ever since that incident years ago she has not had direct contact with humans, and now out of the blue she was going to have to serve them. There was an obvious drop in the temperature of the room. She considered leaving the shrine, but she was brought back to reality Airi and Master Aiko spoke. Her icy blue gaze fell on Aiko and the glimmer of anticipation in his eyes confused her. She wanted to trust him so she would hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

“It appears we that we have company.”

“It’s showtime.”

'To late to leave now…'

 ❝進み続けてさえいれば、遅くとも関係ない❞​

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Everything was happening all at once. Too much, too fast. And Akio couldn't be more displeased.

It all started with Drake's obnoxious howling, which definitely raised some eyebrows. Before Itsuki could make a snarky retort, however, Akio stepped in with an exhausted sigh. "Drake, you do understand that you're a part of this plan, too, right? And that you have to cooperate with the human this time?"

Usually, Itsuki would have chuckled at the land god's attempts, but instead, he remained silent. He shot a betrayed, furious glance towards Akio, his posture and tail stiffening threateningly.

Meanwhile, Akio opened his mouth to speak. Before the god could continue, however, his nightmare came to life. The spirits erupted into an uproar, with biting comments from all ends beginning to overwhelm him.

"How come we only all know of this now?"

"Hmm? Have you finally gone crazy? Wah, congratulations..."

"What did you do?!"

"Wait...What?! Do we at least get to play with them?"​

As much as he loved the girls at the shrine, there was only such a degree of disrespect that a god could handle. Feeling the frustration bubble up and tighten in his chest, Akio clenched and unclenched his fists, his face darkening. He bit his lip hard, his brows knotted.

In seconds, the entire atmosphere of the shrine became even colder, with Airi's clouds combining with his anger to form the beginnings of a storm. Unable to take it anymore, he rose abruptly.

"Silence!" Akio boomed, his voice making thunder erupt. Then, realizing what he had done, the land god quickly eased up. The storm faded, as if it never happened. His smile reappeared, and he adjusted his kimono before he continued.

"Good. Now, I know you're all surprised... Believe me, I understand more than anyone..." Akio's voice softened, his gaze wandering from face to face, "But, I want you all to trust me, the person who took you in and sheltered you. I believed in you, believed that each of you had extreme potential. Now, can you simply return the favor and trust me? Trust in the fact that I would never do something to hurt you, or make you feel less than what you are?"

With a shaky breath, he sat down once more, and sipped some of the tea. Itsuki watched, his stare still unwavering, but his thoughts conflicted. If Akio really wanted them to try to be familiars, there must be some higher reasoning behind it. Maybe—

"This is a chance for you to become gods." Akio finally revealed, his tone serious. "See, I'm really taking your best interests to heart..."

Gods...?! Itsuki marveled at the very idea. Deep within him, the lust for becoming a greater being revealed itself, and his lips parted in disbelief. The kitsune's ears tilted forward, his enthusiasm finally poking through.

I knew he wouldn't be so idiotic as to assign us to mere humans for no reason! Besides, I can just take the opportunity to gain a lifelong servant while I'm at it...

Still, something was off. Itsuki could sense it by the god's persuasion tactics, the way he was so insistent on them becoming familiars.

There had to be a catch.

But, what was it?

What are you hiding from us, Akio?

"So, what do you say, spirits?" the being in question offered, an amused twinkle in his eye. "The humans will be here any minute now... Might as well be on our best behavior, hm?"

Almost immediately Drakes laughing disappeared as he spoke. "WHAT!!!!?" He yelled as he looked to the god in some shock. "Your shiting me right?!?! Have you forgotten what I am. There's no fucking way I'm working with humans!!" He yelled at him in a hysterical anger. It was like this damn god had gone insane! What the hell was he thinking wanting to pair Drake, a spirit of death, and destruction, and evil with a human?!? It was absolutely obsurd. "Old man some one clearly hit you over the head." Drake told him as he crossed his arms growling demonically as his red irises glowed brightly