[open] Tamamo Meeting Minglelog

[baofeng]

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!]

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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.

Comments

[paperpusher]

[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?

[cutcloud]

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? ]

[paperpusher]

[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.]

[cutcloud]

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.

[paperpusher]

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.]

[cutcloud]

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.

[paperpusher]

[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.

[cutcloud]

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.

[paperpusher]

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.

[cutcloud]

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.