jigokulogs | [open] shuten clan mingling

Entry tags:

[open] shuten clan mingling

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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?

[ 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.

...You may be right.

[All this talk of loyalty and clan politics is completely foreign territory to Kamui. He's naive to the strategy behind it all, but as before-- as always-- it's as if he's simply a chess piece being moved around for someone else's game. That's the reason they've called so many lost souls here, right? To be used to accomplish their clan leaders' ends?]

So, do you suspect this is the Enma's work, then? Like you said: police shakeups move slower. For all we know, this plot to undermine the Alliance could have been in the works for years.

Enma? Sure. Never know what th'cops are whisperin' t'people. They like th'yakuza doin' their dirty work on th'ground but any time they get too big they start rootin' around in family politics, get 'em to cull themselves. Cops're just yakuza with badges.

[ He exhales from his cigarette out of the side of his mouth with that same tired look. ]

Or th'Sutoku's did it t'themselves, somebody else wants that seat an' got th'guy outta the way. Ya never know who's been whisperin' what.

[Sheliak agreed with Majima. It was a small relief that he wasn't the only one that understood that all of the clans were at risk. Unfortunately all of them were chess pieces being moved by an unknown enemy at the moment. That is why they needed to understand the game so they could outplay the gamemaster and escape the board.]

It's possible. Our enemy wants us to suspect each other so it's dangerous to do so without proof but the Enma's actions could be seen as suspicious. If there were any kappa smart enough to look into their mysterious employer, rounding them up first would be an effective way of getting to them first. On the other hand, if they didn't act fast that would seem even more suspicious so they might have been forced to play along.

[It was concerning how well their opponent maneuvered important players into the roles they wanted. First the Daitengu being forced to protect the kappa's suspicions activities, was the Enma next? Or did they just want them to think that way? Without more clues, it was impossible to say.]

No, it ain't safe accusin' anybody.

[ Please let him reiterate this, don't step in shit above your paygrade if you can help it. ]

Sacrificin' one little clan after settin' 'em up ain't nothin' that hasn't been done before. If they did know, probably thought somebody was gonna protect 'em. If they didn't know, they just got played. Soldiers ain't people in the eyes of th'higher ups. There's always more soldiers ya can use up.

[ In the yakuza it is specifically 'young men', there's always more. There's always someone in need of money and a place in the world. Always more blood that can be sacrificed and shed. ]

[Sheliak was quiet as he listened and he agreed with a silent nod. As someone who used to be one of those higher ups, Majima's words hit differently. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't deny the painful truth in his words. It also felt strange being one of those faceless pawns now, though in a way perhaps he always was just a game piece for someone else's schemes. He didn't want to acknowledge that possibility so he pushed the troubling thought aside.]

That's true. Which is why it is best for soldiers like us to keep our head down and keep any suspicions we have to ourselves. Even if we find concrete evidence, it should go to the higher ups to deal with as they see fit.

[ There aren't solutions to their problems. This is just the criminal underworld and how it moves. To make any dent in the system, you need someone honorable and strong to take the helm. Honorable fuckers are in short supply down here. ]

Reputation's everythin' t'the yakuza. If we make it look like Toraguma can't control us or we think we're better'n his leadership, he loses face. So don't be thinkin' he's gonna be glad about every clever fuckin' thing that comes to mind, especially if he didn't approve it first.

[ Majima rubs his face. Once upon a time, this life excited him and gave him so much energy. This just makes him feel tired and stressed out. ]

[He huffs, answering dryly:]

I was a detective back home. What I've seen from people I once called colleagues...

[A slaughter his first day on the job? Fatal infighting between departments? His own death at the hands of a man he worked with for months?]

Well, you wouldn't be too surprised if you already feel that way.

[ He exhales cigarette smoke silently, just watching his face for a moment. ]

Plentya detectives get that way after they see enough shit.

[ So, nope, not surprised. ]

Don't mean ya gotta turn gangster though.

[ He wishes that was true anyway. He doesn't know what to do with the lost souls who have been pushed into it without much choice. ]

I don't intend to. [...Wait. He's Shuten.] Well. My obligations to Toraguma aside.

Anyway, let's definitely not rule the Enma out. It could be anyone-- even some outside force-- but we can't ignore that they have the resources, as well as a motive.

They all got motive. But sure, when it comes t'special ops with weapons ain't nobody got: probably th'cops.

[Kamui hums in acknowledgment, taking another sip of his drink.]

If things do go south for the Sutoku after this, I admit that I'm concerned for the lost souls under the alliance's jurisdiction. What happens then?

Perhaps I'm thinking a little too far ahead.

When there's a split, some execs'll call for new loyalties. Give their little splinter a new name, get new offices. Th'grunts'll be fine, but their bosses gonna be snipin' at each other for a long while over territory.

[ He sits back with his own drink, draining it wearily. ]

Maybe one'll win out over th'other, low levels they'll probably just take back. Any captains or higher gonna get killed off so they don't cause any more trouble.

(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.)

[curiously leaning over to peer at the bullet…]

No, it definitely looks funny. I’m glad you were able to save one, in spite of getting shot.

[Kamui reaches for the bullet in Hizen’s palm, looking to pick it up and turn it over.]

Is… there something written here? I can’t make it out. What kind of bullet is this?

Edited (jk emily showed him one too ) 2022-04-07 15:53 (UTC)

Be happier.

(Spoken completely deadpan and warning him to maaaaaybe not sound too excited actually. It's a sore topic for him.)

I dunno. Like I said, I don't know much about guns. (He frowns though because he thought the same thing. Even if the bullet has been damaged from the firing and impact, it still looks kind of different there,) I was gonna ask around...

[the sarcasm -->

kamui's head] I shouldn't, really. You did still get shot.

[Well, it's totally illegible, even if it's slightly better than the other one that Emily had shown him earlier... but they do look similar enough, right? Doing all the investigative legwork is his specialty, so this is great news, really.]

I know enough, but this is still very unfamiliar to me. I'll do the same. If we can trace the bullets, it'll get us closer to finding the youkai who used them.

(When your delivery sucks and your audience can't get sarcasm... hope was never an option.)

Enough people were shooting. Bet there're plenty of bullets around.

(And he shrugs,)

The boss has a lot of weapons. (And the Shuten are pretty well-armed.) Saw a few places when I was looking for a smith.

(For his sword.)

More curious about what was on it, though.

(The material of the bullet is weird but there's clearly something that was once on it.)

Edited 2022-04-08 15:58 (UTC)

[He turns the bullet over between his fingers, the pad of his thumb rolling over the groove of where the writing is. Or, was.]

I wasn't going to mention, but... I know someone who found another bullet. I'm following up on it... If I'm lucky, we'll find out more tonight. I asked a mutual friend a favor.

If we could find another bullet with clearer writing, that would help. But the attack's over. How will we find more of these?

There was a lot of shooting.

(He holds out his hand to take his bullet back. Unless Kamui wants to negotiate,)

A doctor pulled mine out. Probably pulled out some others, too.

(Or other doctors did.)

[Getting shot was a sore subject for Sheliak as well. If you watched closely you could tell he was trying not to favor his left arm too much. He was relieved that Hizen brought it up first. Sheliak didn't know much about guns so he just quietly listened to Hizen and Kamui. After a brief prideful hesitation, Sheliak took out his own bullet and held it out to Kamui. It was a useless clue in his hands but maybe Kamui would find something he couldn't.]

I have one. Unfortunately the writing is destroyed on this one too.

(Ah, doesn't this prove his point? That enough people were shot that its possible people might have them? He doesn't know how many would keep their own bullets like they did but if they're going to doctors... wouldn't the doctors be pulling them out? Couldn't they find places in their territory (or others) that were removing them and collect them....?

... Or maybe that's a bad idea. Ah, he hates thinking.)

Guess it's normal for them to get messed up.

(He never really thought of it before but when he thinks about it now, it makes sense. Metal warps at high heat and high force. It's the same for swords and they're much slower and weaker than the ferocity of a bullet.)

Might be a good one out there somewhere, though.

[Hizen should think more often. He has good instincts and going to doctors for more bullets was in fact a good idea, if someone hasn't already though of it and collected the bullets first. If only their bullets weren't damaged. Sheliak agreed with Hizen's observation with a slightly annoyed hum as he looked over his bullet again.]

Apparently.

[It was frustrating having an important clue that they couldn't read. Surely there had to be a way. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowed as he studied the bullet. Why couldn't it have been a blade? He understood those.]

Maybe we don't need a good one. It's highly unlikely that every bullet was damaged in exactly the same way. If we focus on how each bullet is different, perhaps we can recreate the symbol with enough bullets?

[It would be the worlds most confusing puzzle, where you worked with what you didn't see rather than a clear reference, but it might work. Assuming he didn't misunderstand how bullets work, which was possible.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[open] shuten clan mingling

kamui | ota, threadjack/wildcard away!

wildcard (aka majima is a huge downer)

depresso zone over here

no subject

no subject

no subject

sorry I'm so late

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

comes back with a possible theory several months later