jigokulogs | [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

[ 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.

[open] shuten clan mingling

wildcard (aka majima is a huge downer)

depresso zone over here

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sorry I'm so late

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