But When We Start Making Fires (open)

[demonrebel]

Who ⬤ Dante & You, of course!
What ⬤ General Catch-all
When ⬤ April
Where ⬤ Throughout Jigoku-cho
Content Warnings ⬤ Swearing, mentions of violence, possible nudity for future prompts

[ I'll be adding more prompts throughout the week featuring the event stuff in question. If you would like to plot with me, feel free to drop me a DM or tag me in the plotting post. I'm always more than happy to make a starter or two. So don't be shy. Also, you're welcome to make your own starters as well. ]


PLOTTING 🌹 EVENT 🌹 NSFW 🌹 WILDCARD

Comments

APIRL EVENT (open)

[demonrebel]

SAISHO NO TATAKAI

[Sumo is nice and all but it’s not Dante’s cup of tea. He struggles to keep his interest as the tournament is underway, his gaze constantly drifting to the exuberant smiles of the crowd. The deafening roar of the audience excites him more than the matches themselves. That’s because he’s a foreigner in a foreign land who’s ignorant of the culture here. He doesn’t understand most of what he’s watching, too focused on the excitement of the natives. However, Dante forces himself to focus as his debut in Sumo draws near.]

What the hell am I supposed to do again? [He mutters to one of his Shuten teammates with a look of absolute bafflement.] I know this is the rookie leagues and all but this looks kind of serious.

[It’s not like him to be so out of his element but judging from the rich culture associated with this sport, Dante feels compelled to learn. His brash joyful exuberance will win him no favor here since it’s expected for the wrestlers to uphold themselves as pillars of their craft. It’s like he’s a shark out of the water and it’s rather nerving. The whole pageantry of it all feels somewhat familiar once all the rookie wrestlers are called down to the ring. He circles the ring with the other guys, all of them shirtless except for their slacks. A handful of others stripped down to their fundoshi but Dante isn’t about to feel that exposed.

The ceremony ends quickly with the first two opponents purifying the ring with salt after taking a swig of sacred water. While the Lost Souls here are amateurs at best, they’re expected to follow the rules. Once the last kernel of salt is sprinkled onto the ring, Dante squats down before his opponent with a confident smirk teetering upon his lips.]

Think you got what it takes, buddy?

[]He whispers under the lyrical cheering of the crowd. Dante can hear Aerith in the third row cheering him on with great vigor. Her excitement is almost soothing, a reminder that he’s not alone here. While she might be the only one cheering him on, Dante can’t help but feel a little better about his situation here. If he can manage to impress the crowd, he might be able to find the vigor within to win this tournament.]

On your mark~

[A sumo match doesn’t start until both wrestlers have placed both hands on the ground at the same time.]

DOOR DASHING

[So your order is about fifteen minutes late and you keep texting the driver but he keeps answering you back in cute little heart emojis with one of these beauties (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧. It seems like someone was inspired by a certain famous “tengu” who became the darling of the internet overnight. Nevertheless, two more minutes pass by, and finally, you hear a knock at the door. You were just three seconds away from canceling your order but suddenly it's here and it’s time to eat.

However, the second you open the door you’re treated to the sight of this tall 6’4 whatever the hell behemoth of a man with disheveled white shaggy hair snacking on a fry. He’s wearing a snazzy reddish-burgundy leather coat, a simple black Henley shirt, and a pair of devilishly black leather slacks to match with an intricate belt. He looks “cool” for someone suffering from a case of bed hair. He has a slight five o’clock shadow and a few laugh lines but otherwise, he’s not half bad looking. However, his lackadaisical smile and mocking blue gaze are a bit irritating, especially since he’s friggin eighteen minutes late.]

Heeeeey~ [He winks.] Sorry about the wait, I was a little busy.

[Busy doing what, exactly? Yeah, he has a bright red backpack filled with deliveries but why does he look like he just finished eating lunch? Also, why is your large soda halfway empty? Huh. What the fuck is going on here?]

Make sure to leave a tip, bud!

THE AFTERMATH

[A long-suffering sigh escapes Dante as he wanders through the aftermath of what was the Night Parade. While he suspected that some shit would go down sooner or later, he was honestly banking on “later” after the casino royale fiasco. Things were just looking up with all four leaders making their announcements but now one of them is dead. All of Jigoku-cho is in upheaval right now, that fragile peace ruined by the senseless violence taken place here. While Dante doesn’t quite understand the full cultural significance of the Night Parade, he knows well enough that it was a big deal. He also understands that backlash is evitable at this point, especially now that the Sutoku Alliance lost their beloved leader.

Dante lingers around at the crime scene for a while, his trained eyes honing in and everything and everyone as he wanders almost aimlessly around the stage. He looks awfully casual for someone who just witnessed a murder, clearly unfazed by the violence that took place. While his nonchalant expression might seem slightly offensive, he honestly means no harm.

Dante is just circling around, his watchful gaze focused on the scattered debris on the ground. While there are all sorts of confetti, garbage, and miscellaneous objects scattered about he can’t seem to find a single shell casing. The assailants were using guns, right?

A curious hum escapes the hunter as he kneels down.]

Shots fired but not a single shell… [He whispers while shifting through the trash with a curious hum.]

dosukoii!

[ryototsukai]

[ There were two keys to success in sumo wrestling, that much Musashi knew.

The first was balance. Keep your center of gravity low, your feet wide, and remain grounded as much as you could. That much was a little more difficult at her 56kg frame, but she had done enough Judo in her time to think she could manage it.

The second was explosive movement. And that, the sword master thought, she could definitely manage.

All of that on top of having quite a bit of alcohol at the flower viewing still in her blood, well... Confidence radiated off of her, to say the least. ]

Send my regards to the ground.

[ Once both hands were settled... she sprung forward like a bat out of hell. ]

[demonrebel]

[Aw, shit. It’s the other Pink Menace, Musashi.

If there’s one thing that Dante knows about Musashi it’s that she can fight like the devil. She might be five foot nothing on a good day but this little lady knows how to kick ass and take names. He refuses to be on that long list of names, though. While he does recognize Musashi’s brilliance in combat, he’s motivated not to lose.

That’s going to be a difficult feat for a newcomer like him but he’s going to give it a whirl.]

That’s my line, sweetheart!

[He shouts before slamming right into her like a damn raging bull. If this was anyone else, Dante would be a little concerned for their wellbeing. However, this is Musashi and she hits like a fucking truck. He attempts to grab the woman by her waist in hopes of hoisting her off the ground like he has seen the other wrestlers do it.

However, it's much more difficult than it looks.]

[ryototsukai]

[ He had size over her, both weight and height, but she felt like she could honestly use that to her advantage. She could shift her center lower than he could, go beneath the direction of his force, redirect it elsewhere.

She brought her arm for a hard chopping slap against the side of his ribs once they collided, hoping to send him just slightly off balance. ]

Whoever loses owes the other their next drink!

Aftermath;

[littleshield]

[ Indeed, it seems that everything has more or less suddenly come to a head in a blink of an eye. Now, things seem to be ... well, they are not exactly on fire as they were in the heat of the moment, but no one can deny that the fire has more or less gone out. It feels as if there are still embers licking beneath the surface, and with no clues on the why or how, Felix can't allow himself to relax.

Not yet. Especially when this may impact the rest of them, and there can be more people to fight or challenge.

So here he is, still wandering around the general area to see what he can find out, or how much trouble he can get into. Then, of course, he happens upon Dante. ]

Hmph. I suppose you were right...there was bound to be trouble after all.

But, I'll take a guess in that I don't think this is something you could've imagined happening.

[ Or maybe the older man did, what does he know? ]

[demonrebel]

I'm usually always right. [He quips as he rises to his feet.] But for once I would like to be wrong.

[Dante lets out a huff as he surveys the area again for what feels like the umpteenth time. Besides Felix and him, there are a few other Shuten enforcers surveying the area along with a couple of unfamiliar faces from the other three clans. However, what catches his eyes are the nervous kappa folks crowding the perimeter. The leader of their little squad, some kappa dressed in traditional Shinto garbs looks particularly unsettled by the aftermath. His gaze lingers on the kappa for a while before turning towards Felix.]

I'm surprised they're still hanging around here after all that.

[It's just an offhanded comment at best but Dante plans on keeping an eye on the kappa tribe from here on out.]

You know, those guys were remarkably calm during the incident. Kappa aren't known for their bravery, you know.

[littleshield]

[ At that comment about liking to be wrong, he allows an amused huff.

All the same, Felix's gaze expands outwards to observe their surroundings and whomever still happen to be lingering, looking for suspicious figures. When Dante points out his surprise regarding a certain group of demonfolk lingering around, he keys on that, observing them as well. ]

I don't know much about them, other than they're clearly trouble makers, always trying to hide evidence of whatever nonsense they're attempting to do.

[ But, hm. ]

...So, what, you think that they know something, then? Or that because they're hanging around they're not the primary instigators of this, but are still connected?

aftermath

[metafictions]

[Kamui's friends with a Sutoku doctor, so it takes a little while for him to break away from helping her find and aid the wounded. It isn't until then that he has a moment to even begin processing all that's happened.

He'd expected it to fall apart. It's the yakuza, and grudges are a constant when it comes to different factions butting heads; when he'd been given a warning before the event, Kamui had known it was only a matter of time until something went down. But not something like this, and not so soon. It's all so complicated-- and, as he approaches the man in the familiar red coat crouched down on the ground, he hopes that it won't be their clan leader's doing.]

I've found shells in other areas, but they're largely from common weapons. Nothing out of the ordinary like those youkai in black were using.

[Investigation's preferable to sitting on his hands, after all. At least he can focus on the facts over anything else.]

[demonrebel]

[Dante peeks up and gives Kamui a faint smile before glancing back down at the ground again. They both knew something was going to happen eventually but the efficiency of these unknown assailants startled him. Dante figured that the Shuten clan could neutralize any threats on their own but those assassins made quick work of them. The Oni didn’t stand a chance against these guys but thankfully, Toraguma and the others managed to fight their way through the onslaught. However, the aftermath of this assault definitely left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths, even Dante’s.]

It’s kinda funny how I was just talking to the guy. [He mutters to himself as he rises to his feet.] Daitengu was probably the friendliest out of the bunch but clearly, someone didn’t like him.

[He wouldn’t be surprised if all the leaders had a couple of skeletons in their closets but he’s still surprised nonetheless.]

This isn’t like the casino. [Dante comments as he wanders back towards the stage once more.] Whatever weaponry they were using wasn’t of the corporeal kind.

[But it sounded like gunshots to him. Weird, right? There’s no such thing as a bullet that doesn’t leave casings unless we’re talking plasma guns or some shit. That kind of stuff only exists in sci-fi novels.]

Unless the youkai specializes in cutting-edge technology, I’m starting to believe in magic.

aftermath!

[everblooms]

[ Matching his nonchalance is the pink nuisance herself. She walks over, still in her red dress and high heels, having spotted him earlier and kept an eye on Dante through the chaos. She wasn't worried; The Demon Hunter doesn't need someone to hold his hand in something like this. Still silent, she mimics him, kneeling down in the same way before shifting her weight to her knees, instead. So much for being a gruesome twosome. ]

They don't need shells. [ Her elbows come to rest on her bare knees. ] You can't touch air, but the wind can still knock you over. It's powerful enough for it. They just needed something with enough power to do the job.

[ She looks at him, gaze nervous and unsure. ] So? Work any of the private eye magic yet?

[demonrebel]

[He has to fight back a chuckle when Little Miss Nuisance wanders towards him dressed in her Sunday best. Aerith looks stunning in that red gown, a testament that red brings out the best in everyone. However, she looks woefully out of place in the aftermath of this homicide. Aerith has a tendency to stick out like a sore thumb no matter what but that’s something the two of them share. Dante couldn’t help but smirk once Aerith settles down on her knees beside him. He’s willing to bet those fancy new heels hurt.]

So you think it’s wind magic, huh?

[Dante questions as he slowly rises to his feet. The very concept of magic baffles him but he comes from a world ripe with it. After all, his mother was an Umbran witch and he’s half-demon.] Next you’ll be telling me that it’s the pixies' fault.

[Are pixies even a thing in Japanese mythology? Dante isn’t entirely sure but he wouldn’t be surprised.]

Nothing really yet. I’m still trying to work my magic here.

[He states with a playful smirk before suddenly turning his gaze towards the crowd nearby.]

But I have a hunch that our little short turtle-in-a-half-shell friends are behind it.

[He’s talking about the Kappa tribe who are conveniently trying to shoo everyone from the crime scene.]

the aftermath

[harimaya]

Probably didn't wanna leave anything behind.

(Says Hizen, sounding absolutely irritated.

The sword he always carries with him is at his side, retired for now. The bandage that is usually tied loosely around his neck has been tied up properly like someone took the time to wrap it neatly (spoilers: it wasn't Hizen).

He nudges a broken bottle with his foot and comes over to see what Dante is doing exactly. He moves stiffly; he's definitely been hurt but he's fine. HE'S FINE. )

Get in, get out, leave nothing that can get back to you or your client.

[demonrebel]

They didn’t leave anything behind.

[Dante corrects as he glances up at the stranger. This kid looks a bit young but something about the haunted look within his eyes tells another story. That along with the sword at his side and the bandages wrapped around his neck. It looks like the poor guy suffered at the brunt end of a sword or something. He can tell that the kid was severely injured during the clash just by his stiff gait alone.]

So, you think these guys were hired guns?

[He questions as he rises to his feet. To be honest, he was thinking the same thing.]

They move too efficiently to be your average goons, especially since they waltzed in here wearing optic camouflage.

Door Dashing!

[baofeng]

[Dante’s customer is a digital native himself, and has been replying with stickers of angry robot animals. They’re all captioned, in Chinese, “hurry the fuck up” in varying degrees of crudeness.

The delivery address ends up being a Japanese crepes stand at the festival square, where crowds are already amassing in anticipation of the fireworks later that night. Yizhi’s method of raking in extra cash has him in collared shirt and bright pink vest to match the stand’s aesthetic; a fox hairpin is stuck through his half-updo, and his hair-ribbon is a white velvet one so the dangling ends vaguely resemble tails. Tamamo pride, and kawaii enough to be drawing in customers.]

About time!

[Yizhi hands a brightly-colored crepe off to a customer - passes a notepad of pending orders to the cook - then rushes out from behind the stand.]

Tough crowds today, Mr. Dante? I’m afraid I don’t have much to tip. [and why do you deserve it, Mr Eighteen-Minutes-Late] Have this.

[He takes his bento-and-drink set in one hand, and blows a kiss with the other. He’s been charging for it, you know. People actually pay extra for the server to wink at them. Wait a minute, this bag is kind of light…?

The moment the bag fully leaves Dante’s hand, Yizhi furrows his brow and squints.]

[demonrebel]

[Those cute little emoji stickers are what spurned Dante on. He doesn't take kindly to being told to "hurry up" by anyone, even if he thinks it's rather cute. He's a contrarian by nature, the kind of guy who goes against the crowd. Dante is that one mackerel who would swim upstream rather than down. That's why he purposely took his sweet time and took the scenic route through hell. But now Dante wishes he arrived a bit sooner since Yizhi looks really cute in his little pink uniform with his hair up like that. It's hard not to admire the aesthetic since Yizhi is honestly gorgeous in every sense of the word. He's the perfect kind of eye candy.]

Yeah, yeah. I know I'm a little late and all.

[Of course, Dante knew he wouldn't be getting a tip but he can't help but roll his eyes. This is why he doesn't like doing delivery gigs. Most folks are cheapskates. However, his rebellious streak ends abruptly once Yizhi realizes that certain contents might be missing.]

A job well done, right? I guess I'll be going now---

[He whistles innocently as he slowly steps away from the crepes stand knowing full well that he ate Yizhi's order.]

doordash because i can't resist

[sefirot]

[He's already annoyed with the fact that eating is still a thing he feels compelled to do while in a physical body. As a free spirit he didn't need to care about that sort of thing and was perfectly fine not dealing with tasks that took time away when he could be doing something else.

Not that he hates food or anything. It was just easier when he wasn't so confined to human aspects of life.

Like dealing with people and talking to them. And that's why he did it this way via ordering to be delivered. And that turned out to be a grand disappointment. What is this? Demanding a tip for what? Pitiful service? Attitude?? This is why he hates people.]

The only tip you deserve is at the end of my blade.

[That probably sounds way worse out of context.]

[demonrebel]

Don't tempt me with a good time!

[Dante replies with a sassy little wink to boot. So, his client here is a little mean and all but at least he's handsome. He's really digging the whole silver and black motif but what's with the super long hair? Dante doesn't think it looks bad or anything but it seems so impractical. Then again, he can't help but wonder how he would look with super long hair like that. Maybe he ought to grow out his mane more.]

If you got a complaint then submit it to the company, Karen. I'm just a freelancer~!

[Trollolololo! He's in pure troll mode, completely unaware of the danger here.]

the aftermath

[strikingchords]

Shell?

[when Dante looks up to see who spoke, he's being watched by a tall man in white a few feet away -- not a familiar sight, but still very recognizable to him. Lan Wangji's robes are still strangely pristine, though not spotless. there are scorch marks along the hem and one sleeve, blood from a not-too-serious wound on his arm that he's wrapped and seems to be mostly ignoring, and more blood that marks his chest and his other sleeve, as if someone bled on him while he was carrying them. there's a dirt smudge on one of his cheeks. still, he's somehow managed to remain distinctive enough that he nearly glows in the faint light.

he's still holding a piece of rubble that was blocking the intersection he just emerged from, and now he leans it against the wall where it won't get in the way and and straightens back up, still watching Dante in a measuring way.]

[demonrebel]

[The scorch marks along with the blood certainly begs the question whether nor not Captain Buzzkill is okay but Dante doesn't bother to ask. It's not that he doesn't care or anything, it's just because he's too focused on the task at hand. Besides, Dante is certain that this tall lanky bastard would see help if his wounds were that egregious.]

Bullet shells or casings. [He answers tersely while still trying to find something noteworthy among all of the confetti.] Those assassins weren't firing blanks, you know.

[Does this guy even know about firearms? Probably not given that Lan Wangji looks like he just walked out of a historical fantasy novel. Even so, he suspects that the Second Lan will ask the necessary questions if he's confused about anything.]

They were wielding something similar to a 9mm Luger judging from the size and firing speed but I could barely get a good look.

NSFW Prompts

[demonrebel]

( placeholder here )

WILDCARD

[demonrebel]

( feel free to do your own thing here! )

We're Getting Pizza

[enterthe]

[As the Night Parade rolled around, Ydris sent a text to Dante to meet up. There's plenty of vendors around, after all, some with the pizza Ydris oh so well researched. With Junpei's help, at least. They can taste, but it's a bit difficult for them to know if what is suitable to their pallet matches that of a human.

Or... "half-human", as Dante declared himself. In Ydris' world, the only way to be "half" of a human is to be a Dragonkin, the child of one of the Deities, so that's curious enough as it is.

When finding Dante, they'll take in whatever he is (or perhaps isn't) wearing, remembering well the I'll sure to dress nice..]

Your finest of looks, I take it. [this may or may not be snarky, depending on what he's wearing. Ydris just isn't all that good with tone of voice]

Hell yes!

[demonrebel]

[You know, Dante really didn't think that Ydris was going to go through the trouble of finding a decent pizza joint. It was all just a joke on his part, an insincere joke that could possibly become sincere if the mood strikes him. However, Ydris proved her worth tenfold by even humoring his ridiculous joke. That's why the proverbial lawn is mowed today since Dante has a feeling he will have to make good with his promise.]

Eh, you're lucky I shaved. [He teases as he rubs his hand over his now bare chin. Yeah, it's been awhile since he had a good shave. It's a good thing too, especially since that five o'clock shadow was threatening on becoming a six.] Besides, I kind of like how this old coat looks like this.

[His signature red coat is more like a red jacket today after unzipping the bottom part. Not too many people know that bespoke coat is a convertible leather jacket. That's because Dante rarely wears it like this. Thankfully, that means Ydris is getting a front row seat to that gorgeous ass incased in black leather pants.]

time 2 flirt

[no_kyouken]

[ She's at the bar, a snake woman with long black hair and glittering black sequined dress. She is minding her own business when her head turns and she spots him. The smirk flicks to her mouth before she can stop it. Ah right, the guy they tossed in the sumo ring earlier... She'd probably leave him be but now he's seen her, so she wanders over at a lazy pace to sit down next to him. It's obvious who she is. There might be other snake yokai around town, but she's the only one with that big distinctive tattoo. The cute of the dress shows a great deal of it; down her back, across her chest and shoulders. She takes her deck of cigarettes from the purse at her hip, ]

Havin' fun, Dante?

[ She lights the cigarette with a puff of smoke and turns towards the bar to motion for another drink. ]

<3!!~!!!

[demonrebel]

[Sumo is a nice sport and all but it's totally not Dante's cup of whisky. He was doing so well too. That is until Majima tossed his silly ass aside like day-old mail.

What's fucking the deal with that?! How can someone who barely weighs 150 lbs toss him like a fricking child? It's not like Majima was cheating or anything like that. Unlike his previous bout with Musashi, this happened all so fast. One minute Dante was gearing up to tackle the dude, and the next minute he's on his back looking up at the ceiling. It was pretty embarrassing but at least Dante managed to win a gourd, right?

Admittedly, Dante is a little sore about it. Not because he really wanted the top prize or anything but rather because Majima ruined his winning streak. It's not every day that a newcomer like Dante does that well in a sport they never tried before. He was on cloud nine until Mean Old Majima had to ruin it.

Mentioning Majima, who the hell is that in the sequin gown---Oh. Pardon Dante for staring but he can scarcely believe his eyes.]

Majima?! [He nearly does a doubletake once Majima saunters over towards him.] Where did you--wait, huh?

[Wow. That dress doesn't hide much, does it? That's hot. That's really hot. Dante can feel his face heating a little. It goes without saying that Majima is attractive but this is a whole new kink Dante just discovered.]

...So-sorta kinda but something tells me I'm about to have more fun with you.