jigokulogs | In This Crooked Little Town What Is Lost is Never Found

"H-Hey! Stop laughing, it was a goddamn nuisance!!"

"She wouldn't let up! You tell us that YOU would like a dick slapping your face continuously!"

Pfffff!!

[There is something infectious about Gojyo's laugh that even though her cheeks are flushed with some mild embarrassment... Yeah, you know what it is funny in a stupid way. Monts muffles a guffaw with the sleeve of her kimono and sets down her sake glass to gather her bearings.]

W-Well, they're lucky I don't have enough bite in me right now. I didn't even really bruise any of them, they just never saw it coming!

[in a manner of speaking.....

One of the youkai is redfaced and before anyone can say anything else, he grabs the near-empty sake bottle and smashes it against the bar, sending the glass flying across and down to the ground.]

"You ain't gonna get away with just chuckles! Let's see you laugh after you get glass in your face."

[Oh, that's not good. Monts frowns and instinctively she moves in front of Gojyo as if she's able to do anything.]

Pffftheheheh dude, if a cute girl were hitting me repeatedly over the head with her dick, I'd stop and think about whatever the fuck it was I did to get me in that situation to begin with.

[He can't. Stop. Laughing.

Oh man, it was all too funny.

Or at least it was until one of the idiots decided to be an incredibly lame dumbass and break a bottle open against them as a threat.

Gojyo's reaction was almost instantaneous.

The reflexes of a man who had survived society crumbling and all hell breaking loose two times over now sparking up as he pushed himself away from the bar, ready to make the first move, only for Monts to take a sudden dive in front of him--???]

O-Oy! What the hell--!?

[The other customers are edging away, not wanting to get involved. In a split second, the youkai with the broken bottle swipes at Monts who uses her arm to block, and the small drops of blood that hit the ground indicate that yes, she did get cut, but...

There's no squeal, no flinching; just a grunt as she's pushed back. The youkai that had just assaulted her pauses, noticing her lack of reaction. Monts pulls back her sleeve to check on her arm (to make sure he didn't cut a vein or something; so far, so good).]

Hm. Rude.

"W-What the..?!"

"These Lost Souls Man..."

[Monts pulls down her sleeve, shaking her head and she speaks lightly as if she dealt with a breeze.]

Sorry, Gojyo. Kind of did that without thinking.

...' Tch. Damn. 'S that so?

[Shit, they got Monts, didn't they? As amazed as he would be by her overall lack of reaction to the hit, a more critical issue had been preoccupying him.

Blood didn't bother him. At least most certainly not a quick wound like that. He had seen far worse injuries happen on the fly. Monts would be fine for now, though he may need to dress it later.

Nah, the dumbass who decided to act out in such a stupid matter were the real issue.

--And the fact that he wasn't fast enough to stop it from happening.

His expression lifted as he looked at the youkai that cussed out. Smirking.]

Ahhh? Got a problem with th' "lost souls," do ya?

[It was in an instant that he moved, grabbing for the youkai's wrist in hopes of twisting it back and stealing the bottle from him. Before leaning forward quickly, only to slam his head into his new opponents, solidifying his attempts to get the guy off guard.]

Probably should have thought about that before assultin' them, yeah!?

[If he got the bottle, its jagged edges would all too quickly be jabbed into the assaulting youkai's abdomen.]

[Shit. This was not going to end well, not unless Monts thinks fast. Her experience in being with a rougher crowd hasn't faded away from her yet and she's banking on that to find a solution. There's yelling and shouting as Gojyo takes the broken bottle, though the opposing youkai barely just misses his strike, ripping open its clothing and causing a surface wound. Her eyes dart back to the counter trying to see what her options are.

Thank god, there are two tall and large glasses of ice water, one of them only halfway filled, but still! Better than nothing.]

Alright, that's fucking enough!

SPLASH!!

[And she unceremoniously dumps the ice water on both parties. One for Gojyo (sorry, buddy) and the other, a larger splash for the whole group.]

Everyone, cool down or I'm gonna personally talk to Tenkohime about outright banning everyone involved here who likes being in the redlight district. If you wanna try stabbing me over this, I dare you.

[Her eyes narrow dangerously and she moves in front of Gojyo just in case he tries anything else. He may be able to see, with her hair tied up, the dark ring on her neck moving and sliding across and down her spine, though it doesn't leave its place completely.]

I don't know how to cry, but I'm sure some of you do. Now get lost!

[The cold water seems to have worked as do the judging eyes of the other festival-goers who were just there for a good time, not to witness this sorry state of affairs from the offending group who are darkly talking amongst themselves about backing out.

To Gojyo, Monts mutters to him.]

We'd both get in trouble if we prolonged this. I'm fine, okay?

Edited 2022-05-17 04:54 (UTC)

[Well.

That was certainly unexpected.

Blinking in somewhat stupefied shock, Gojyo could only look at the opposing youkai for a moment before turning back towards Monts.

Shit. Right. Gojyo wasn't in Shangri-La or Hakagemachi anymore. Things didn't work like that here. People were civil ~~mostly~~.

It would look pretty damn bad if he just shanked a guy in the middle of a festival, even if the bastard did start it.

And so he simmered down, scoffing as he dropped the glass and raised his hands in surrender. Glancing off with a complicated mix of resignation and scorned pride. It didn't mean that he was more than happy to let the bastards take the same route and grumble off.

Monts was saying she was fine after that, was she?

Bullshit.

There was a long moment of silence as he stood there, processing the situation before speaking up.]

Let me see it.

[His voice seemed to take a more severe tone. His usual lackadaisical nature completely dropped. Finally, taking a moment to turn and match Monts's gaze.]

Show me you're that you're really fine.

[Because he didn't believe it.]

[Monts eyes don't leave the offenders until they disappear into the crowd, not wanting to cause even more of a scene. Everyone else is happy to just let the whole incident go and get back to drinking and merrymaking the proper way.

When she turns to look at Gojyo, she blinks once and then twice in mild confusion when he asks to see... See what? That's what her expression seems to ask, but then she catches on just as quickly.]

Oh. My arm?

[There's a pause as if she wants to wave it off, say it's no big deal... But her healing factor has been lowered significantly. She reminds herself of this and holds out her arm, pulling back the sleeve. The cuts from the jagged glass are still shiny with blood, but it isn't oozing anymore. Monts looks around for some napkins or something to at least dab it up.]

I should wrap this up, shouldn't I? The seamstresses are gonna be pretty mad at me for messing this up.

[She sounds less than bothered, more bemused than not.]

Though to be fair Gojyo, I think there would have been a lot more blood and guts if it got really out of hand.

Edited 2022-06-01 05:02 (UTC)

'Tch. They deserved anything that was coming to them considering the fuss they started up.

[They made the first move after all. It was only natural to fight back and defend yourself when problems arise.

None the less he looked at Monts's arm with a air of disappointment, already taking note of how the blood seemed to be clotting on its own.

She didn't need stitches. Good.

He understood what it meant to be a fast healer, the resilient bastard he also was. Not that he ever thought to question or so much figure out why it was he was always the first to recover out of everyone he knew whenever the going got tough. But he also knew that, even with a resilience to injury that proper care was still needed.

Instead reaching out to grab her arm, closely looking it over before humming out.]

We're getting you a first aid kit. Needs to be disinfected.

[No ifs ands or buts, in fact he's already digging into his pocket and placing some money on the counter before starting to pull along to the closest pharmacy.]

[There's nothing to argue against because he's right. Monts even lets him pull her along, though a familiar type of unease bubbles up in the pit of her stomach. It's the discomfort of having others worry for her because of something so obvious like an injury and her own concern is much lower than theirs.

A lack of remarks and chatter is what colors their trip to the pharmacy. Neon lights and festival lanterns scatter across the ground and her face, her arm glistening with some of her blood still fresh. She tries not to focus on her wounds; she focuses on Gojyo instead, following his lead. The noise around them sounds muffled to her. When the pharmacy is finally in a view, that's when Monts speaks up.]

I don't feel anything at all.

[It felt alright; to just put it out there. That's just a few people now, who know what plagues her.]

But, thank you in advance. I might have just wiped it off and called it a day if I was by myself.

[Her voice is a paradoxical tone of light heaviness. It's vague and casual, but therein lies a lingering resignation.]

[There was a pause as she spoke it out loud. A sudden hesitation in his step as he realized she blurted out something that must have been pretty darn important to her.

But after that initial hesitancy he continued to walk, his grip on her wrist unwavering as he lead her into the pharmacy. Walking his way quickly down the isles until he found what he needed properly.]

Here. Kneel down on the floor for a second.

[Whether someone working within the pharmacy saw him or not, he didn't hesitate. Popping open the kit as to open a small bottle of disinfectant.]

Guess I don't gotta warn you about this stinging or nothing then, huh?

[He offered a tired wry smile with the light hearted remark. God, how was it that he kept running into people with such little self-preservation?]

Mind if I see it again? Don't wanna keep grabing at you again if I don't have to.

[Monts squats down (albeit with some difficulty; weird kimono layers and all) and holds out her arm obediently, pushing back her sleeve as Gojyo opens up the bottle of disinfectant. Luckily, no one has noticed since the outside celebrations are much more interesting at the present moment.

Looking at the state of her arm, Monts frowns.]

Ugh. It's getting slimy, isn't it?

[Normally these sorts of cuts would be gone already. But it hasn't been the case for the past few months now.]

But yeah, disinfectant doesn't sting. Smells strong though.

Edited 2022-06-12 05:35 (UTC)

A wound is a wound. Ain't no helping if it gets a little messy.

[Gojyo was, sadly, quite used to such things. Squeamishness was something that exposure had trained out of him over the years. Hell, with the way his life had been, this was pretty minor in comparison.

Instead, focussing as he lightly poured the disinfectant over her arm before opening a pack of gauze.]

You're not used to having to tend to these things, huh?

[At least, that was how she was behaving.]

It's just... [She lowers her voice and holds one hand up to her mouth for only Gojyo to hear.]

Usually, it would be gone by now so there wouldn't be anything to tend to.

[She doesn't sound happy about it either way.]

... But it's one thing to be able to heal up quickly and not feel it, but another to not have the first one as an advantage at all.

Edited 2022-06-13 05:38 (UTC)

It usually goes that fast, huh?

[Gojyo offered a soft smile with that. Patting the wound dry before starting to unwrap the bandages from their packaging.]

Damn. No wonder you were so fucking willing to jump in the way of that.

[Although Monts's healing was that advanced, he still preferred she didn't. He can take care of himself. She didn't need to risk herself for him in such a volatile state.]

[Monts manages a small smile at him as the tassels of her hair decoration brush against her neck.]

Mm. I'm still a reckless idiot. We kind of have that in common too, huh?

[The one type of pain she is able to feel is the kind that bubbles in the pit of her heart and stomach when someone shows concern for her. It's not exactly right; it's not like she's done anything wrong. Everyone gets hit, earns a scab or a scar, gets bruised, and beat up at some point in their life. She's not different in that way.]

... But I guess the way I thought about it... [And unexpectedly, Monts's other hand reaches out to Gojyo, her fingers barely touching the scars that paint his left cheek.]

... I didn't think you'd want any more of these.

Edited 2022-06-13 21:55 (UTC)

[As she spoke Gojyo had taken his time making sure to dress her wound properly. Not really taking heed to the implication of her words until it was too late.

He felt his body freeze reflexively as she reached up to brush the scars which marred his cheek. A part of him seeming to disassociate the situation as if not realizing what had just occurred.

Didn't want him with more of those, huh?

Heh, that's funny.

Parting from her, Gojyo stood up with a grunt. Not really responding one way or the other as he looked down at the bandaged arm.]

Anyway. That should about do it. The sticky stuff should go away pretty quickly.

[Man, he really was shit at treating a girl properly on a night out, huh?]

Just, make sure to rest it and don't overextend that arm, yeah? But otherwise you should be able to go out and still enjoy the festivities despite everything.

[She wonders if she's touched a sore spot.

There was no way for her to not notice how his body stiffens at her touch. Her acknowledgment of his scars has turned into her stumbling into an invisible boundary and there's a pang in her own heart, wondering if she's hurt him, wondering if she's done something wrong.

She stands up, pulls down her sleeve, and is ready to follow him outside.]

Thank you.

[He didn't respond to her remark. It's tragically comedic how much they were alike, letting inner wounds fester, pushing aside the discomfort because if they didn't do anything, or worse, do something they'd be swallowed up. Marianna knows this all too well. But whatever shadow lingered over him, she wouldn't know. Everyone has a different type of pain and she doesn't know if she can ever truly understand.

What was it, that idiot water dragon called her once?

"An innocent monster."

Monts pauses in front of the exit.]

Hey. Gojyo.

[Sorry Monts. It's not that he means to clam up like this he just... Hates being reminded of things he'd rather not remember.

He had a reason he grew his hair out so long and kept it hanging over his face like he had. After all, there were very few ways to otherwise hide such an obnoxious and ugly thing.]

... Nn?

[Damn. He was so close to bailing too. Which admittedly made him feel pretty shitty. But he also knew things would probably only continue to go further south if he stuck around longer.

But for some reason or another he found himself stopping, turning to face Monts in response to her calling his name.

Yeah?

[When Gojyo turns to face her, Marianna's expression is fairly neutral. She's about to say something but she pauses.

Thinks.

Evaluates.

She moves to stand directly next to him. And suddenly out of nowhere, with her uninjured arm, Monts ruffles Gojyo's bright red hair once.

Twice.

Three times even!]

Edited 2022-06-16 17:14 (UTC)

Wha-! Ak!! Hey!

[Okay. Yeah. Whatever Gojyo was expecting to happen just then, that wasn't it. His expression startled as he throws up his arms in surprise, lightly batting her away as he felt his hair get completely messed up.]

Oyy, come on, it's gonna get all knitted up an shit.

[Do you have any idea how much time he puts into it with how long it's been getting??? Finally managing to reach out, he grabbed hold of her wrists. Eyes once more seeming to meet hers in challenge through his now messy mop of crimson before playfully sticking out his tongue in challenge.]

Meeeeeh!

[She laughs at his indignation and only stops when he grabs her wrist. Her smile is a combination of both warm and relieved.]

Good! You're looking at me again.

[That was her intent after all.]

Still awake and with me, Gojyo?

[The crowd nearby is already moving with youkai trying their best to get a good spot for...]

You still have to look at the fireworks with me, remember?

--Eh?

[Retracting the silly little expression he was making, Gojyo blinked as he processed her words.]

Ah.

Right.

Guess I did say that, didn't I?

[Looking away, he at least managed to let go of one of her wrists as he scratched awkwardly at his cheek. ~~You know, the side that isn't all mangled up.~~ Damn, so much for his smooth getaway.]

Well! Guess I have to keep my word then, huh! I'd be a pretty shitty date otherwise!

[He says with a casual announcement as he grins out finally.

See?

All better.]

It should be starting up soon, yeah? Think we can find a nice spot?

And we wouldn't want that, would we?

[Grinning she pulls off one more hair ruffle (noticeably, her fingers gently run through his red strands before she puts it down). Monts points to a bridge where there were the least amount of buildings hindering the view of the sky and not many youkai had crowded it yet.]

Over there! Let's nab it quick!

[And very timely of her too. The surrounding youkai are already filing past them, their excited chatter indicating that the fireworks show is about to start soon.]

[Gojyo's smile settled with that. His eyes softened as he watched her pull her hand away, catching some of his hair in the process.

Heh. Monts couldn't seem to help herself, could she?

Well, whatever. Gojyo knew better than to react this time. Instead, he nodded his head slightly before turning to look outside towards the bridge Monts seemed to be pointing to.]

So there, huh?

[With that, he gave another broad smile, shrugging his shoulders as he looked back at her.]

Well then, be better to go before too many people steal it from us, yeah?

Shall we?

[With that, he gave the wrist he was still holding (the one she had hurt earlier) a soft reaffirming squeeze before lightly trying to lead her on. Trying his best to be gentile still as he weaved and dodged through the hurrying crowds in hopes of getting him and Monts to her chosen spot.]

So how fancy do you think they're going to make it?!

[He had to yell a bit with that, amazed at how loud the surrounding crowds outside had been compared to the abandoned pharmacy they had just committed petty crimes within.

Surely it couldn't be as extravagant as the show a certain bomb enthusiast back home gave him way back when.]

[She's able to make two spots at the railing of the bridge so that Gojyo can stand right next to her.

Before she can answer his question with a guess about what the show is going to be like, a celebratory explosion bursts in the sky and it becomes a sea of scattered lights and whisps of smoke. The crowd cheers as the fireworks show officially begins and Monts turns her attention upwards, her eyes shining.

There was no doubt that their time here was questionable and foreboding. Jigokucho is a form of hell and they didn't have the freedom to find a way to leave should they desire it.

But in the here and now, Marianna is existing in a colorful world, surrounded by youkai who are in sync with each other's emotions. There is joy, awe, and some flickering hope— Hope that these carefree moments can be found in the near and far future and that their lives here aren't solely defined by the battle of prestige and power that wages above them.

The fireworks burst and bloom one after the other. Monts turns to look at her current companion, admiring how the lights make his blood-red hair gleam and she calls to him over the noise.]

Aren't you glad you kept your word? It's beautiful, isn't it?

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pervy_kappa - 2022-07-04 03:32 (UTC) - Expand

In This Crooked Little Town What Is Lost is Never Found

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cw: light bloodshed

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