jigokulogs | April catchall + Night Parade

[Of course Lalli is going to chase down rumors of a haunted grove of trees planted over a graveyard. Of course he is. There was never a doubt that if 'hauntings' and 'ghosts' were involved, he would eventually turn up to do his mage thing and nudge them along their path to the afterlife. Or...after-afterlife. Whatever. He's still not sure how things work in regards to 'passing on', and he's not about to go asking now!

But dealing with ghosts all his life means that Lalli is quite prepared for those whisperings he hears as he walks between the trees. The words he hears are rather targeted, but that's not anything unusual for him. He walks between the trees without any problems whatsoever, betraying no emotion at all. It's not until he reaches someone else entirely that he even speaks, pausing near whomever he finds to give them some quiet words of advice:]

Don't listen to them. They're trying to influence you. If you act like you can't see or hear them, they'll leave you alone.

[Before the disaster, before the killing, there is the Night Parade. And boy, what a sight it is.

Lalli is shying away from the crowds, as usual. You won't find him on the ground level, nor riding on any of the floats. Instead, he's found a low roof along the parade route and is sitting on the edge, feet danging over the side as he watches the colorful displays pass by. And indeed, his eyes are wide open and full of wonder as he watches it all. For someone who grew up on a small island of maybe 100 people, this is absolutely breathtaking.

He's in a good mood too, so if anyone finds him up on the rooftop he'll pat the spot next to him. Come and watch, this is some good shit. You might even get a conversation out of Lalli too, in the moments before everything goes to, well, Hell.]

[In all the chaos to save the Daitengu, those black-clad youkai end up fleeing. Most people are lost in the crowd or stopped to give aid as best as they can.

Lalli, with his vantage point from the rooftop, immediately knows what to do. Tracking is one of his favored skills, after all.

Jumping to his feet and perching on the edge of the roof, his eyes glow an icy blue as he scans the crowd, looking for the culprits. He spots several, all running in different directions, but he quickly picks one as his target. Focusing...focusing...yeah, he's got a sense for this one.]

This way. Follow me.

[Whoever is with nearby, that's all the warning they'll get before Lalli takes off across the rooftops on a single-minded hunt of a youkai.]

[Lalli may not be the best at...most things, honestly, but if there is one thing he's good at it's gathering information. From the moment the Enma gives the orders, Lalli is already geared up and scouring the city, looking for holdouts of kappa.

By mid-afternoon, roughly six hours after the order went out, Lalli is sending a text message out to all Enma members:]

These are the locations I have found so far. I don't know how long they will be active, people have been moving all morning. If you're going to act on it, go quickly.

[And then he gives details on the locations of at least 12 different hideouts. Physical locations, nearby landmarks, entrances to the buildings, apparent number of youkai present at each, and so forth. There's no interior descriptions, as he didn't go inside any of them, but locating the buildings should be no problem whatsoever. Lalli has been very thorough in his descriptions.

Is this the right thing to do? Lalli doesn't know. But he's been given orders by the Enma himself, and Lalli follows orders given by superiors.]

[In the chaos of the assassination and subsequent work demands, Lalli had completely forgotten about his 'bad luck' draw a few days prior. After all, it was such a small thing, who's to blame him for not keeping up with the suspicions?

In the early evening though, he quickly finds out that he should have paid more attention to that bad luck. All it takes is one mis-step, one bump of his elbow into a stack of cans, to alert the nearby youkai that someone is scoping out their building. Lalli doesn't even wait to see who heard the noise he made. He's turning and running as soon as his cover is blown. With his cloak up and his swift movements, it's not likely that they'll get a clear view of him anyway.

The bad luck doesn't stop there, though. As he runs, he finds himself stumbling over obstacles, tripping up in drying lines and other hazards. There's shouting, and Lalli definitely feels something sharp pierce one of his arms, but he doesn't have time to stop and take care of himself. He clamps a hand over his now-bleeding arm to keep it from dripping onto the ground and leaving a trail, and then he dodges his way through a few more alleys.

Eventually he finds an open window and dives through it, not caring who is there or what they might see. Lalli just stays low, under the windowsill, and presses himself against the wall to make himself as tiny as possible. The youkai run past the window yelling about 'check around that corner, they can't have gone far', and soon the footsteps grow quiet and distant.

Lalli has enough time to breathe a sigh of relief. Then he looks up, and he freezes once more.

Someone else is in here with him. Hi, random person, hope you don't mind this gremlin bleeding all over your floor.]

[Lalli's run as far as Shuten territory when he makes his escape from the youkai who pursue him. It's a western-style room that he stumbles into, and it might take a second to register that it's actually inhabited: though it's impeccably clean, it's also almost completely bare. Apart from a futon in the corner, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a small dresser, there's really nothing of note in this shabby little apartment.

Minus its occupant, of course.

Lalli's host for the evening? A man with a blank stare and a silver left eye that seems to glint inhumanly in the dark. Kamui rises from where he sits on the futon, carefully grabbing a gun out of the top drawer of the dresser.]

Can I help you?

[Thaaaat's a gun

To be fair, Lalli has a gun of his own- an old rifle is strapped to his back, in clear sight. But that gun isn't in his hands right now, and he really doesn't want to shoot another person with it anyway. He probably couldn't either, not with his injured shoulder. So he watches Kamui carefully, not making any sudden movements. With his distinctly not-human eyes, he looks rather catlike in his mannerisms right now.]

I don't want trouble.

[Can he dive back out the window? Possibly. But with the youkai running around outside looking for him, it's a risk. Just like staying here is a risk too.

Of course, he could just explain that he's a member of the department of the Enma and that he ran on the wrong side of a batch of youkai during an investigation and he just dove in the first window he found open, but that involves using his words. A skill he's notoriously bad at.]

[With the gun still in his hand and a careful eye fixed on Lalli-- and his rifle-- Kamui slowly circles around to the open window.]

I'll let you stay for a while if you answer some questions for me.

[Silently, he closes the window and draws the curtains shut. One uninvited guest is more than enough for the night. At least he doesn't recognize the voices of any of his oni comrades out there, so he probably won't get in trouble for hiding... whoever this guy is.

Kamui's keeping that gun on him, but he's also reaching into a different drawer and pulling out a first aid kit. He's back at Lalli's side in a second, opening the kit and digging for something to clean that cut up with.]

What clan are you running from?

[Lalli's eyes, in turn, are fixed on Kamui. He's still not moving except to speak and to watch the other man, but he's not letting Kamui out of his sight.]

...okay.

[He has nothing to hide, he can answer a few questions. Though he's surprised by a first aid kit coming out, he had thought he would have to wait until he got home to take care of his arm.]

I don't know. I was told to look for any kappa, and that's what I've been doing.

[The orders from the Enma didn't specify which clans to focus on, so he hasn't been paying attention to clan territory. A big mistake on his part.]

[It's been. A very long day. And Lalli is both physically and emotionally exhausted.

But he doesn't go home, oh no. His little apartment is far too quiet, it would just leave him with the echoes of his own inner thoughts and he doesn't have the energy to deal with that. Not today. Today he needs the background noise of other people existing in the same space as him, and there's one person in particular who is familiar enough to be a comfort by now.

So, one of two things is about to happen:

If Izo locked his apartment window, Lalli is going to scratch at the glass until Izo opens it.

If Izo left the window unlocked, or if it's already open, Lalli is going to tumble right on in of his own accord. It really is a tumble too, his right arm is injured and not that great for hoisting up his body weight. Lalli's normally silent movements aren't too silent today.]

[ Izō has had an extremely rough night. He went back to the apartment he shares with Majima alone to grab a few things and gather his thoughts for awhile. It's lucky he wasn't hurt in the crush of bodies, given the way he panicked when he'd heard the explosions.

The sound of Lalli tumbling into the window makes him stop and rush over to it. ]

...Oh. Yer in one piece. [ And then he notes Lalli's arm. ] Kinda. Ain't hurt too bad, are ya?

No. Just a small wound.

[It does indeed look superficial, albeit poorly patched up. He definitely bandaged on the go, and he hisses a little bit as he moves his arm around and shifts to a more comfortable sitting position.]

You're okay too?

Well, sit down an' make yerself comfy.

[ It's not like Izō could do any better. He's lucky he didn't get hurt in the confusion after the explosions. ]

Yeah, 'm fine...Majima and Emily made sure I got out in one piece.

[ Things would've gone much differently without them. He doesn't want to think about how much differently. ]

Ev'rythin' was a fuckin' mess.

So you’re an agent of the Enma.

[Lucky break. He hasn’t been able to reach his one Enma contact these last few days— not that he trusts Soma to be forthcoming with information, anyway— so he’s certainly very, very fortunate to have a lead stumbling in through the open window.

He’s got alcohol and cotton. Kamui busies himself cleaning the wound: good thing it’s not too deep, but—] This is Shuten territory. Tensions are really high. If they catch a whiff of your blood around here, they’d probably take it as the Enma interfering with oni business, rather than a lost agent. And then we’d all be in trouble.

[Kamui’s tone is neutral enough, now: they may as well be just chatting, guns aside.]

What have you found so far? Any kappa, any leads?

Mmm. I said it would be.

[Lalli, seeing the potential for trouble from a mile off, but being unable to stop it himself.

He draws his knees up to his chest, even if it makes his arm hurt a bit.]

...they want us to bring people in. To talk to them about what happened.

[Part of Lalli is saying 'that's private information for the Enma', but another part of him is saying 'this guy could still shoot you, it's probably best to give him what you know.' It's not like what he knows is some big secret anyway, except for the part where some of it is.]

That's what I was looking for-

[He hisses at the wound-cleaning, but he steels himself and tries not to flinch.]

...that's what I was looking for: kappa, to get leads from them. I'm not arresting anybody or causing trouble, I'm supposed to look for people and tell the others where to find them.

[A scout, basically. Given his wiry frame and quiet voice, it's probably not surprising that Lalli doesn't want to be the one doing the questioning.]

[The parade is indeed a sight to behold - which of course means everything will go to hell sooner or later (... ignoring how everything is technically already there), but that is to be expected. Having eaten and drunk his fill for the moment, Dazai still can't quite shake the feeling that something bad will happen, but he doesn't have the connections or the information required to stop it.

Also: he doesn't really think he should care too much anyway, being the hired help here. Contract or no contract, there's only so much he can be expected to do in his current position, surely?

Maybe that's why he decides to get away from it all. Maybe he's actually taking a better vantage point on purpose, trying to spot trouble before things get too bad. Or maybe he's just tipsy enough that walking over rooftops holds a certain twisted charm, a very lowkey dance with a death that may or may not mean anything when he's already in hell.

It just figures that, instead of death, he finds his erstwhile would-be rescuer. He can't help smiling cheerfully at the irony of it all.]

Hello, Lalli-kun~!

[Don't mind if Dazai does indeed take that patted spot, because whatever his many complicated thoughts of the moment, he is genuinely happy to see a friendly (? familiar, anyway!) face. What else are parades for, anyway?]

(The festival is fun but Hizen only came here for the food and drinks. The crowds are honestly overwhelming. The cherry trees are quieter or at least, he thought they were until he noticed there was no escape from the voices because the voices were coming from the trees themselves.

But honestly? In the long run? This is better than being surrounded by people and potentially running into others. At least the cherry trees are just voices.

Until a real voice breaks through and Hizen looks up from his takoyaki, )

What're they gonna do? Get up and fight me?

Maybe.

[Lalli does not actually know if they will do that or not. He knows the ghosts in his world would though, so he's using caution here for that reason.

But he also sees that Hizen has food, and his youkai supplies that it's takoyaki as well as what's in takoyaki, and he makes a face.]

Fried octopus?

[That does not sound like it should be good.]

'lo.

[It's friendly enough on this night. Lalli always has a resting bitch face, but someone of Dazai's caliber of 'can read people' will be able to tell that he's just relaxed right now, not irritated. Though his mouth is still turned down in a slight frown, his eyes are much brighter than usual. This is someone who's been captivated by all the lights of the night parade. It's beautiful in a way he's never seen before.]

I didn't know parades were like this.

[Spoken like a true backwater kid seeing the city for the first time. Which he kind of is, he's never been in a place with this many people here before.]

They'll lose.

(He stuffs one takoyaki in his mouth and opens it to let the steam out. He's got this down to an exact science. He knows how to eat this without getting burned. It takes him a moment to answer but once he does--)

What about it?

[Well good, ghosts shouldn't win those fights. Lalli would have to intervene if Hizen were in trouble.]

It sounds gross.

...is it gross?

[He sounds more curious than grossed out.]

No?

(He looks confused by the question because... takoyaki is so obviously good? It's probably one of his favorite foods.)

I'm not sharing with you if that's what you're trying to get at. Get your own.

I don't want your food.

[Lalli absolutely wanted Hizen's food.]

All the food in this place is weird anyway.

[He is now complaining because he's annoyed that he can't try someone else's food before getting his own. He's a petulant child in this moment.]

...Ya ain't gonna drag me in, are ya? I dunno anythin', I didn't see nothin'.

[ And he's not lying at all. Who could say they really saw anything unless they were on that stage when it happen? ]

April catchall + Night Parade

Hanami

Night Parade

Post-Night Parade

Kappa Hunt (closed to Enma members)

Bad Luck

lalli i am so sorry

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closed to Izo

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