jigokulogs | [open] Tamamo Meeting Minglelog

Entry tags:

[open] Tamamo Meeting Minglelog

Who ⬤ Tamamo Clan members
What ⬤ Faction meeting to discuss the latest events!
When ⬤ ~~15 minutes later than the other faction meetings, with starbucks~~ Early April
Where ⬤ The Scarlet Lotus; restaurant in Tamamo territory
Content Warnings ⬤ Discussions of violence, will update as needed

[Tamamo Clan members will receive a message asking for a meeting at the Scarlet Lotus, a classy restaurant-and-bar in the heart of Tamamo territory. Injured members can phone in via videocall. Try not to be late, there’s much to discuss.]

[On arrival, members will be shown to a private dining room. You’ll have to pay for your own meal, but their hand-towels are complimentary!]

ooc:
♥ this is a mingle, so feel free to post your own toplevels and threadjack around!
♥ There’s a “Handwaved” section below so your character can still contribute to the discussion / vote on ideas if you can’t take on more threads right now (like me).
♥ OOC Information
♥ Tenkohime’s Orders: tl;dr - She wants the Tamamo rookies to claim the Underground sewer system, competing with the Shuten rookies who also have similar orders from Toraguma.

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[Natori let up on his paranoia about accepting food from ayakashi, and then a) he was uncharacteristically chill when viewing the cherry blossoms and b) the Daitengu was assassinated. The latter doesn't actually follow from the former, but the two in combination are enough to put Natori right back into "trust no bitch" mode. He has his own food in front of him that he's strategically pushing around on his plate, but he's come prepared to actually eat in anticipation of a long night ahead. At Chongyun's question coupled with his audible stomach grumbling, Natori reaches into his out-of-place messenger bag and places an onigiri in front of Chongyun with a wink. That's some excellent exorcist senpai behavior, if he does say so himself.]

...!

[ The young exorcist blinks, suddenly faced with an onigiri that looks much less dangerous than the spice-laced noodle dish he'd been trying to pass off to someone else. He then looks to Natori with slightly raised eyebrows, grateful but still a little hesitant. ]

—thank you. Is it really alright?

[ Natori must have brought it with the intention of having it himself, after all. But Chongyun's a growing boy, and when he looks back to the onigiri it's with a hungry gleam in his eyes, peering at it intensely. What's the filling—? ]

[In response, Natori shifts the contents of his bag around just enough to show Chongyun the plastic bag sitting inside with a couple more onigiri. He palms another one for himself before letting the bag drop back to his side.]

I came prepared this time. ["This time" compared to the last several parties he's had to appear at on behalf of the clan, where he avoided everything out of suspicions that it'd be dosed with something.] I suppose it's a little paranoid, but if I have to take food from an ayakashi, I'd rather get it wrapped in plastic than served at this place.

[He gives Chongyun a little approving nod as he unwraps his own (he has umeboshi), assuming that Chongyun is being a hypervigilant exorcist too.]

[ Chongyun nods, remembering how several people have been dosed with aphrodisiac in Tamamo's clubs in the past. And that time when a strange man had been drugged on Tamamo food and fell asleep on him mustn't be forgotten either ... between their clan's penchant for adding unnecessary ingredients to their food and it being the spirit realm in general, it seems a very wise move on Natori's part indeed.

He also respects how Natori can ignore how tacky it is to bring your own food into a restaurant. When he gets old, will he also gain such confidence?

The younger exorcist takes the onigiri in hand to take a happy little chomp. 🎵 ]

Master Natori, what do you think of all this business?

[ You know. Tenko-hime's orders and the various back and forth of their fellow clansmen. Fun stuff. ]

[Natori takes a bite of his own onigiri and chews it as he thinks it over, rather than choke to death at being considered 'old' (tacky, yes, granted) by a teenager. After a moment, he says carefully]

I don't like it. [Thanks, captain obvious.] I suppose it's to be expected given where we are and what we were asked to join, but getting involved in these sort of power struggles is bad enough even if I knew all of the parties who stood to gain from it. All I can think of is how easily we're discussing fighting the people who are in the same circumstances as we are, just claimed by a different leader.

[Think about what you are going to do when I am your opponent, Matoba had said. Natori should know by now to trust his instincts when it comes to clan politics, but even still. He's tired.]

...My biggest concern is if this spills over into the human world. Power vacuums have a way of spreading.

[ Chongyun goes quiet as well, listening to the older man speak while munching on the riceball he had so generously offered.

It's easy to understand how Natori feels; not long ago, the other lost souls were their peers, not yet sorted into clans and in the exact same position. Some had become friends. Some were already friends, people from the same lands and nations. There's also too much they don't know about Tenko-hime or any of the other leaders—right now, they're in the position of pawn on the chessboard. Completely expendable, given the bare minimum information, and put at odds with the same. ]

I see. And what will you do?

[ He looks away from his half-eaten onigiri to gaze at Natori with bright blue eyes. Feelings are one thing, and actions are another. ]

Haha, that's the real question, isn't it? [he says lightly-- he'd sound completely at ease, if only he wasn't saying it directly after his last response.] I suppose there's not much that I can do, is there? Besides do my best to keep things from leaving Jigoku-cho while still following orders. We did agree to work here.

[And that's the only thing that matters. He can't fix all of the problems in the ayakashi realm, and wouldn't want to even if he could. He just cares about stopping the trouble from spreading outside the boundaries of this place, and part of that means fulfilling his contact.]

...What about you, Chongyun-kun? [aka, does he have to worry about you doing something stupid, reckless, and teenage?]

[ WELL.... MAYBE........ ]

I will engage. [ simply said, as though it's a matter of course. a confident answer. ] You're right, Master Natori. There's too much we don't know. I don't like that we're being put against other lost souls, and I don't like that there are certainly motives and gains we aren't seeing.

[ He looks back down to his onigiri, quite seriously, as he tries to articulate his feelings—he really isn't the best with words. ]

But I cannot sit still. I intend to shield our clansmen and push back on the Shuten during this endeavor because I have the strength to. Many do not, and since this will happen no matter how I feel about it, I won't let them go in alone. Ideally, we will succeed.

From here on out, I plan to work my way up within the Tamamo. Where I stand now, I don't have the position or strength to protect anyone. Not our fellow lost souls ... or those outside of Jigoku-cho. [ since that is a very good point—the overflow. the backlash to the mortal realm. all things that are outside his grasp while he's just a pawn. he can't help the sense of responsibility he feels toward it all. ] And I want answers. The important ones will never just come to you—you have to go get them yourself.

[ There is much he does not understand and he's all too aware himself that he's young and inexperienced in many ways. He probably sounds too idealistic, or naive, or even stupid—maybe Natori will laugh at him. But it's a burden he will pick up and carry, for the sake of those who can't as much as for himself. It might mean going against the other clans, and he'd like to mitigate that as much as possible ... but he can't allow it to still him. Sometimes you have to make the hard choices, right? ]

To become stronger, and for those I care about, I will do my utmost.

[Natori keeps his eyes carefully on his onigiri as Chongyun replies. It's immediately clear that the answer to Natori's real question is: yes, he absolutely needs to be worried about Chongyun doing something stupid, reckless, and teenage. And yet...] ...I see.

I have to be honest that it's not the answer I was hoping to hear, but... [Surely it's better for Chongyun to have those sorts of convictions, even if he's doing something dangerous and kind while he's at it?] ...For your sake, and for the sake of the people you care about... I'm glad. I'd like it to be less dangerous, but... [Well, he was seventeen once, and he remembers how much he listened when Takuma-san and the others would tell him to go home, that the exorcist assemblies were no place for children (he listened not at all).

The smile he gives Chongyun is a small one, but it's far more genuine than the flashier, practiced, stage-ready grins he usually hands out, and it's certainly the most sincere he's worn tonight.]

But sometimes... it's easier to carry these things when you're not on your own. So please, rely on us when you can, okay?

I will. [ he offers his own smile—also small, with a little crinkle between his eyebrows. ] I do like to team up when the opportunity presents itself.

[ Which is why it was so unfortunate when his reckless slap had prematurely ended their joint investigation on the river spirit. All's well that ends well on that one, but it had been disappointing to miss the chance to work together with Natori. He doesn't seem particularly eager on this endeavor, either, so Chongyun won't press the matter. ]

You're part of that too, you know. The people I care about. [ he looks back to the older man, ] I know we haven't known each other long ... but I've come to think of you as a good friend. If I can, I'll help you too.

[ And protect. That part goes unspoken, but the intention is palpable in the air anyway. He did just declare that he wants to get stronger to protect the people he cares about, didn't he? ]

[Natori has never been good at this-- at earnest teen boys explicitly reaffirming that he matters to them. (He is used to earnest teens telling him that they love him, but it's different in the context of his acting career. Not the sort of thing to take at face value, and not based off anything he's actually done to deserve it.) For someone who makes a profession off of confessing his feelings towards other people, it sure is something he stumbles with in his real life.]

...Thank you. That's... [There is, no exaggeration, only one person who has ever said "I think of you as a friend" to him. Rip all of Natori's illusions of being a cool mentor figure.] That should be my line, shouldn't it? I want to help you where I can. Even if I'm not all that reliable for it.

[He gives Chongyun a self-deprecating smile at that, but like. he's not wrong.]

I don't know about that. You've helped me a few times. [ and also, he's forgiving???? so forgiving. Chongyun still hasn't gotten over the river incident, emotionally speaking. ] Like just now. I can't eat spicy or hot food at all, so I would have spent the night without dinner.

[ Happily, he takes another bite of that onigiri ♪. He really might start taking a leaf out of Natori's book and begin carrying around his own food, so he won't have to thoroughly inspect every dish he orders or wait for hot food to go cold. ]

So, thank you. I was really hungry.

Haha, I suppose it pays to be paranoid, huh? [It's easier for him to frame it that way than to take it as any other compliment, but he sees and appreciates you, Chongyun.] But no spicy or hot food at all? [Spicy he could see as a simple taste thing, but hot? After a moment, though, he remembers the sheets of ice Chongyun bust out that day on the river.] Ah, is that related to your abilities?

[Hot foods melt icy... maybe.]

My condition. [ so, kind of, but not quite. ] I have to abstain from eating chilis and all hot food. I also have to take a parasol with me everywhere, and I avoid listening to rousing music. No tempers, no quarrels, no hot places, nowhere too crowded ... I usually have to turn down invitations to socialize, as that can be problematic as well.

[ Basically: no fun, no happiness. But he doesn't phrase it that way, because it sounds too... you know. Bad. But it also makes the connections he does manage to forge all the more precious to him—but he's not bold enough to admit that. He's already said too much as it is. ]

It helps alleviate my symptoms.

[The list goes on... and on... it's starting to sound as if Chongyun isn't allowed to do... basically anything. Natori isn't going to say that, because surely Chongyun already knows. Just frown and try to think up what Chongyun could do.]

...I suppose you get a lot of reading done. [Because that's what Natori was doing at Chongyun's age: sitting alone in a storehouse and reading. But at least he could have tea and soup and such while he was at it.] I'm sorry. No wonder you've been trying to cure it.

[And what's more, Chongyun had said that most people didn't even see his condition as a problem, as if Chongyun was unusual for wanting to cure it. He assumes there must be some sort of benefit associated with having a pure yang spirit that would lead people to say that sort of thing, but still... could it truly be worth it?

...But then again, he thinks of Matoba holding him at knifepoint while injured, of how quickly Matoba snapped back to normal when Natori more-or-less asked if it was that time of the month, and he knows that some people would say yes.]

...I don't mean to pry, and I know it's none of my business, but. Have you considered asking Tenkohime if she has the power to cure it? I know it would mean getting deeper in debt, but... [Even as he says it, it sounds poorly thought-out and overly paternalistic of him to suggest it. Even knowing, deep inside his bones, that if he hadn't come here carrying Natsume's schoolbag that Tenkohime likely would have offered to get rid of the lizard currently crawling between his shoulderblades as his own contract reward.] ...Sorry. You don't have to answer that. I know you have it under control.

That's what my contract is for.

[ He hasn't told anyone else—not even his closest friend (though, honestly, Xingqiu knows him well enough that he's probably guessed)—what he agreed to the clan for. And there is indeed another element to his request, but this is the selfish half. Maybe he shouldn't admit it since everyone seems bent on protecting what they've contracted with the clan leaders ... but it comes out anyway. He's really never been one for secrets. ]

Not to cure it, since that could change who I am, but the power to control it. [ he closes his eyes for a second, ] It's difficult, having a body that's bent on going against you.

[ It's not something he lingers on every day. Looking for the silver linings, considering it a journey, a learning experience, a way to better himself—but it's a constant struggle. He opens his eyes again, glancing back to Natori. ]

But it does have its benefits. I'm probably considered one of the strongest exorcists in Liyue, if not the strongest, because of it. I'm very good at my job. My clan's happy, too. I'll inherit, and we'll be secure for a long time.

Is it? [Natori was not expecting Chongyun to share it. That surprises him more than the details of the contract itself, since it's not too hard to guess that Chongyun would want to get rid of those burdens. Even if it's obvious, it feels very personal to have Chongyun confirm it for him.

He doesn't say "thank you," because that'd be a weird thing to say in this context, but he wants to. Thank you for trusting him. For opening up.]

...I'm glad. In a situation like that, where your clan is counting on the power it brings... I'm glad if this place is able to bring you relief from that.

[It's still something of a weird thing to say, but. He thinks of Matoba, half-asleep on the floor of his apartment and still lying on his right side despite his injuries, and he thinks about what Matoba hadn't said on their first night here, when Natori had asked the question that he wasn't able to answer himself. Natori had said so you're planning on keeping your promise this time? because it was the lowest blow he could think of.

What a mess. Well, he could at least do something to help Chongyun avoid being stuck on that path.] ...I'd like to help you, Chongyun-kun. With fulfilling your contract. I can't tell you mine in turn, because it isn't my secret to share. But if we can help each other, maybe we can get them done faster than if we were alone.

Don’t worry, I wasn’t hoping you would tell me in return. There’s no need.

[ Even explanations why he can’t aren’t necessary. They all have their own paths, each different from the next, and Natori owes him nothing. He has more thoughts about this, but he’s often not good at finding the right words. All the young exorcist can do is try to grasp for what he can to properly express his sentiments. ]

Sometimes it’s as much about the journey as it is the destination. [ as much as he does want to get a handle on his condition… ] Whether I achieve that goal or not, time spent working with you is time well spent indeed. I still have a lot to learn.

[ Touching his fingers to his chin, Chongyun pauses for a moment before offering another admission, ]

Honestly… I’ll be happy if I’m able to prove I’m a proficient exorcist while my condition is suppressed here.

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[open] Tamamo Meeting Minglelog

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