[open] shuten clan mingling

[no_kyouken]

Who ⬤ The Shuten Clan Lost Souls
What ⬤ Post-event drinking meeting
When ⬤ After some Kappa punching, I assume
Where ⬤ The White Koi, Shuten Clan bar
Content Warnings ⬤ Dranking, Shutens

un: majima Get yer asses up an' come to th'White Koi by 7. It's on Shuten turf, corner of Bunyudomachi. We're meetin'. [ The bar is almost exclusively Shuten members, most of them wearied with nightly patrols and clashes. There's plenty of muttering and chatter about the recent assassination, with the common complaint being 'fuck I have to get my funeral suit out of storage'. Majima points lost souls into a slightly more secluded room done up in the titular white koi pattern. ] Siddown, who's heard what. [ He is also weary and bruised from some fights, leaning back against the wall with a cigarette and a drink. ] 🐍 This is a mingle, sure they got together to talk info but they're Shutens so it's assumed they're going to get drunk, yell, and throw hands. 🐍 Lordy please do whatever you want, I'm not the cops. 🐍 OOC info collection 🐍 Toraguma's orders

Comments

HANDWAVED

[no_kyouken]

If you just want to list info and not necessarily fully play out the share, here you go.

Majima

[no_kyouken]

- He did see the machine in the sewers, they didn't know what it was. So they took pictures and forwarded them out to the factions, but he's not surprised nothing came of that tbqh.
- He dug up some Kappa and heard their general 'we don't know anything, we thought it was a generator' spiel. He thinks they're guilty of extreme negligence at minimum regardless.

[metafictions]

- He received a vague warning about something happening at the festival (from Aerith, also on the sewer sneaky crew)
- He tried and failed to fight the black-clad youkai; along with Dante, he noticed there were no bullet casings from them on the scene afterwards
- He attempted to visit kappa during detention center visiting hours and got turned away for not being Enma, RIP.
- In his opinion, this is either a Sutoku coup or Enma destabilization. He might relay some of what he’s heard from Sutoku friends re: their meeting— mostly that the lost souls in that clan are also just speculating, and that this could put the Sutoku Alliance at risk of being destabilized or overtaken

AND THE BIG ONE:
- Wibbly wobbly RP timelines, Kamui informed everyone of this hot detail: the assassin's bullets are made of Hihi'irokane, a legendary scarlet metal that conducts soul energy. Jiro, Shuten's weapons expert, deeeeefinitely wants to see more of them, so bullets pls / tell your pals something weird's going on.

[sleepinglyra]

Sheliak doesn't have any specific info of his own. His thoughts are based on what he has heard from other people. These are his thoughts:

- the timing of the Night Parade and choosing the kappa as their pawns was essential to the assassination. The Night Parade forced the Shuten and Tamamo to stay out of it since they wouldn't risk breaking the spirit of the Night Parade and the Daitengu was forced to go along with it to protect the kappa and not bring more suspicion to his clan. The fact that lost souls from the Alliance weren't allowed to be involved with the kappas' activities either seems to support this theory.

- The kappa are just pawns, they were just as shocked as everyone else, but entering into a secret contract with no knowledge was incredibly careless of the kappa and they are just as guilty for the fallout

- the assassins have a hidden agenda beyond the death of the Daitengu and destabilizing the Alliance. They are too smart to not take advantage of the following chaos

- He was shot by the mystery assassins and he found out the bullets were strange but he won't bring this up unless no one else does.

[harimaya]

- Hizen was shot by one of the bullets and noticed something was on it. He still has it and he'll show it to anyone that asks to see it but he won't let anyone have it because he wants to show someone else who he thinks might have some ideas. You can look! You can even touch! But he wants it back.

- His spirit senses have been dampened since he arrived in Jigoku-cho and he's still figuring out what's normal and weird here but he'll mention the steam really threw off what little sense he had. He isn't sure if this was on purpose or not but it was annoying.

- He has no theories to contribute because he refuses to use his brain cell but he'll offer to ask around because he knows some annoying people in other factions. He won't admit he trusts them but... he trusts them.

[demonrebel]

Dante was made aware of the machine below in the sewers by Aerith but didn't originally think anything of it.

He's been actively asking the locals about the incident but many youkai have their lips sealed. All except for a mountain kappa he befriended named "Fujimoto" who he briefly interviewed. Unfortunately, he may or may not got busted by the Enma people. (ongoing thread)

He managed to pick up on a few clues, courtesy of our mods of course.

In his opinion, Dante also thinks the kappa were just pawns in this incident but their negligence has lead to a complete disaster.

This might be worth stating that Dante doesn't trust the Department of the Enma or their officials at all.

Bishop

[getting_better]

-shows up late with starbucks-

Right so:
-Bishop would be sharing the following.
-He also doesn't believe that the kappa were responsible but is also not above thinking that they might be useful
-I haven't hit up the log yet but, he does suggest taking the kappa under the shuten banner because smart and tech savvy creatures are useful

Majima | I mean he's here... | Open

[no_kyouken]

[ He doesn't want to be in charge, it makes him uncomfortable. Not that he wasn't a captain before everything went to shit. But that was a long time ago now and he's uneasy back in the fold. It was honestly easier being Goromi, but the fun is over now; time to come back down to Hell.

He sent out the message because no one else had done it yet, but now he just wants to drink and smoke to the side while he watches everyone else. If shit gets out of hand, he supposes he'll do something about it but he would really rather not. ]

[sleepinglyra]

[It was a strategic loss that Majima chose not to take charge. He clearly had a good head on his shoulders and given how many people had showed up so far, a fair amount of influence already. Also unlike him, he had the right, experienced look for the job. Sheliak kept his complaint to himself for now. Depending on how the dynamics of the meeting turned out, he might push the issue. It would help if Sheliak had him on his side for that so before the meeting started Sheliak approached him with a polite smile.]

Majima, I presume? I'm Sheliak Saarela. Thank you for setting up this meeting.

kamui | ota, threadjack/wildcard away!

[metafictions]

[Evidently, making a statement on the network comes easier to Kamui than speaking up in person. Though he's one of the first to arrive at the White Koi, he's not eager to be the center of attention, either, so he quickly edges his way over to a less noticeable corner of the room. (Minus a trip back to the bar for that drink he promised Hizen, anyways.)

For the majority of the impromptu meeting, Kamui nurses a trinity in a cocktail glass, watching-- and listening-- quietly. When he does finally chime in, it's in a soft, polite voice that definitely doesn't befit a boisterous Shuten meeting. But hey, he's trying his best.]

Good evening, everyone. If we haven't met yet, I'm Kamui Uehara: I was gathering information on the network last month. I heard some gossip about a threat to the festival, but... not an assassination. Dante and I took a look around the area in the aftermath, but there weren't any bullet casings left by the youkai in black-- almost as if their guns didn't leave them in the first place. It's very strange.

[He pauses, taking another sip of gin and vermouth.]

Was anyone able to get a good look at that underground machine before the festival, by the way?

wildcard (aka majima is a huge downer)

[no_kyouken]

[ This could put the Sutoku Alliance at risk of being destabilized or overtaken, this makes Majima scoff and put his face in his hands for a moment. ]

That's always th'risk. This is yer first taste, but y'all need to get your heads 'round it. It's comin' for th'Alliance right now but it'll be Shuten and Tamamo soon enough.

The cops have to play their stupid games closer t'the chest so they can pretend they're real righteous. Their shakeups just move slower. Th'rest of us are vulnerable to it all th'time. That's th'gokudo. Ya don't get a stable life and yer gonna be scrappin' for everythin'. Yer gonna bleed for it, get ready.

[ He curses to himself and throws yet another drink back before calling for the fucking bartender. ]

Probably won't even be an Alliance in eight months. Splinter groups gonna break out an' start fightin' with each other over who's more loyal to who.

[harimaya]

(He's eating his snacks and drinking his drinks but he's definitely listening.)

.... I dunno much about guns. Don't really like them. (He definitely prefers swords. He reaches into his pocket though and holds out his open palm for everyone to see a bullet.) I got one of these when they hit me.

It looks kinda funny. (A beat,) ... Right...?

(He doesn't sound so sure.)

Sheliak | open, feel free to threadjack/wildcard

[sleepinglyra]

[Sheliak was a bit surprised when he received Majima's summoning. If it wasn't his clan, he would say Shuten using their heads was inconceivable. But he couldn't think like that, even if there was plenty of evidence to prove that thought he did not have.

Sheliak was among the first to arrive at the White Koi. He didn't grab anything to drink, someone had to stay sober during this meeting, and he chose a seat at the center. So far no one seemed comfortable in the leadership role so he took it for himself. He had a few nagging doubts that these people would listen to a "pretty face" like him. Hopefully his two wins at the sumo competition earned him some respect. At the very least he stood out and he could easily use that to his advantage. He quietly listened to what everyone else had to say first before adding in his own thoughts. Despite his fragile appearance, his voice easily carried across the room with an air of authority. This was his specialty.]

I've heard enough to conclude that this was carefully planned. The timing of the Night Parade and the Kappa were essential for the assassination to work. Thanks to the importance of the Night Parade all of the clans' hands were effectively tied. Shuten and Tamamo couldn't do anything without risking the spirit of peace and by choosing the Kappa as their pawns, the Daitengu was forced to play along. Opinions on the Alliance are already tense without their own leader questioning their motives.

I believe the kappa are just pawns, during the Parade none of them seemed nervous and when the assassination took place they genuinely seemed as shocked as everyone else. Although their extreme carelessness caused irreversible harm, in that way they are just as guilty as the assassins for the fallout. Without any leads, the Alliance will likely tear itself apart while the real assassins are left unchecked. I doubt the Alliance was their only target. The chaos left behind is the perfect smokescreen and our opponents have already shown that they understand this gameboard incredibly well, too well not to take advantage of this.

[littleshield]

[ Yeah, Felix doesn't so much as touch anything that'll addle his mind. ]

So, what do you think their ultimate goal is? Have someone else rise to power due to the power vacuum? Or something else in addition to that?

[harimaya]

(He's quiet, listening to Sheliak walk through his theory. Something about what he says makes him set down his drink and turn the glass in his hands almost anxiously,)

What? You think someone's trying to overthrow the government or something?

(Tear the Alliance apart and go for the others next? They'd be talking about changing Jigoku-cho's entire structure.)

hizen tadahiro | ota

[harimaya]

(Hizen walks in with a drink and a handful of rice crackers from the bar. His gait is a little stiff and he's sporting a couple of new bandages besides the one he usually has around his neck but he looks back at the main bar and then at the crew gathered in the meeting room before asking,)

... We need a suit...?

(This is news to him.

Hizen will also talk about some things as they come up in the conversation so feel free to wildcard and chat him up about anything if you're interested.)

[pervy_kappa]

There will probably be a massive service since he was a prominent official and all, yeah? And as representatives of Shuten, I expect we're probably going to have to participate in the ceremonies.

[That was obvious, wasn't it? So much so that even a non-participant like him knew what the next steps probably were.]

Man, I haven't bought anything like that yet, too.

[Here he's just been trying to squirrel away his money to get better living conditions.]

[no_kyouken]

[ He turns his head and answers bluntly, ]

Yes, ya need a suit. Th'execs dress up traditional sometimes, th'rest of us gotta look uniform. It's gonna be real fuckin' boring.

Dante | Open~

[demonrebel]

[Guess who is completely sloshed right now and grinning like an idiot? This guy right here. Dante had one too many glasses of whisky this evening and he's feeling a bit frisky. So forgive him if he's getting a bit too friendly this evening. He's the touchy-feely sort while wasted. Thankfully, he seems only to gravitate towards those he knows and likes. That means only a handful of Shutens have anything to fear from this pesky bastard.]

Heeeeeeeey~! [He smiles happily after draping his arms around the poor sod sitting beside him.] Do I know you from somewhere? Cause like you seem awfully familiar.

[He lets out a quiet chuckle before glancing at the rest of the dudes in attendance.]

This is a real sausage fest, huh? Whatever happened to all the ladies? This is supposed to be a party, right?

[On that note, where's all the pizza too? This party sucks already.]

[metafictions]

[Kamui's the opposite of the touchy-feely type. When Dante slings an arm around him, he locks up, shoulders squaring uncomfortably. Is he drunk? He smells like booze... like a lot of booze.]

Please take this seriously, Dante.

[he shrugs away from the touch, and continues:] Maybe you should tell everyone what you found on the scene.

[deathrespect]

( Oni physiology means alcohol tends to wear off quicker for Samatoki. That doesn't mean it wears off well, though; he feels hungover and is irritated from his wounds at the parade.

He flicks a balled up straw wrapper at Dante. )

Chill. Goddamn.

Sha Gojyo | OTA

[pervy_kappa]

[Really, Gojyo had mainly shown up due to contractual obligation and the promise of free drinks. He probably would have avoided the situation if things were up to him.

He never was one to get himself willingly caught up in political bullshit. He had seen enough of these sorts of things go down that he understood how actively sticking your neck out for it was a one-way street to ending up either arrested, killed, or killing when you don't have to.

Besides, sometimes a guy gets a little tired of trying to save the world, you know?

And so he stuck to the back walls of the party, downing his third glass of beer with a hefty sigh as he watched everyone else go around gossiping.]

They're all issues with another clan. I know we're supposed to 'play nice with everyone during this. But is it any of our damn business?

[What a pain in the ass.]

We should leave it to the cops and the Sutoku, shouldn't we?

[sleepinglyra]

[Political bullshit was Sheliak's life and his eyes slightly narrowed at Gojyo's ridiculous suggestion.]

You are a fool if you believe this has nothing to do with our clan. Our leader was left unscathed. That alone will make us seem suspicious and wars has been started with less of an excuse.

[no_kyouken]

[ It's not that Gojyo is wrong. ]

Shouldn't stick yer nose where ya ain't told to. Step in somethin' an' Toraguma ain't gonna back yer ass unless it benefits him.

[ But on that note, ]

But we're gonna end up involved. He wants us takin' th'underground for him, think everyone's just gonna sit back an' let him expand his territory no comment?

LATER, still open

[metafictions]

[At some point during the evening, Kamui leaves for a slightly more structured meeting with a certain Shuten weapons expert. He slips back into the meeting as quietly as he'd departed, but it seems that word's already gone up to Toraguma-- and the rest of the clan, by extension.

Looking down at his phone as Toraguma's message rolls out...]

Well. I guess that saves me an announcement. [He scans the room of his clanmates.] For those who don't know-- like I didn't-- Hihi'irokane is supposedly legendary. It conducts soul energy, and was used to forge ancient weaponry.

[He's helpfully taken notes on everything he's learned from Jiro, and he sets them on a table in the middle of the room for whoever wants to check 'em out-- please don't spill anything on his notebook, thanks.]

[demonrebel]

[Dante is a little less drunk than before judging from how quiet he seems now. It's one of the rare times that he's silent, especially since he's known for his larger than life persona. Then again, this idiot just has a headache.]

A legendary metal that conducts soul energy in the hands of mere assassins? Yeah, no. It sounds like our mysterious ninja buddies have a wealthy benefactor.

[If Hihi'irokane is that rare of a metal, then clearly these guys have someone backing them but who? Of course, Dante has a few suspects on the list but without any clear evidence--this is nothing but speculation on his part.]

The only group I think would have access to this kind of weaponry would be the Enma.