[closed]

[no_kyouken]

Who ⬤ Majima, Emily, Izo
What ⬤ Trading cups
When ⬤ Nowish
Where ⬤ Lush Tortoise Inn
Content Warnings ⬤ N/A


[ Before the funeral, Majima takes them to an out of the way izakaya tucked away in some damp side street. It has low lighting and sectioned out little booths along one wall and freestanding shoji screens that separate the room further. The appropriate setting for a small piece of yakuza business. He motions them into one of the booths and asks for sake. When there's no sake to be had, blood still does, but the spirit is still generally considered a sacred substance for such rites.

He rubs his face once with a sigh. It's weird explaining this to people who don't already know. Nobody around here really seems to understand even the basic tenets of the gokudo. ]

So, listen. Ya swear up with th'yakuza an' one of the most important things is loyalty. Ya make oaths an' ya don't break 'em. Even if somebody kills ya over it, ya go t'hell with respect because ya kept yer word.

[ There are a multitude of ways that the yakuza make themselves out as 'noble' and this is just one of them. ]

One of th'promises ya can make is to yer brothers.

[ Well. Now sisters. It's weird that Jigoku-cho clans let women be involved, but he's not here trying to throw that to the wind even if he doesn't agree with it. ]

Ya can take on a kyodai an' that person is yer brother for life. You're responsible for each other an' most importantly... it ain't decent settin' kyodai on each other. Betray your kyodai an' you ain't decent either.

[ The tray of sake gets put down for them, three cups and the tokkuri. He pours them out one by one and shares them out. ]

So that's what we're doin' here. Everyone drinks outta each cup, then ya keep one. Makes us blood in th'eyes of th'yakuza.

[ There's other shit, stipulations and possible problems down the road but it puts up a barrier where they're likely going to need it knowing the scheming bullshit of this world. ]

Comments

[heretic_blade]

[ Izō sits quietly for once in his life and doesn't interrupt. Loyalty is something of a sore spot for him. People he'd been unfalteringly loyal to had betrayed him...Would this end the same? Trusting others again has been difficult, to say the least, but these two have proven themselves to him over and over again.

The cup feels heavy in his hand as he picks it up. He doesn't say anything, doesn't look at anything other than the cup for some time. His thoughts race and Karasu's interjections of "it's going to end the same way" aren't helping matters. He should do something, say something...but what can he say? That he has doubts because they might stab him in the back later?

It's foolish to even think of such a thing. He looks up finally before taking a sip and passing his cup. Better to act and just not speak in this case. They don't need to hear his doubts. ]

[medicative]

[she understands after he explains, sees what he's trying to do for them. the protection this might offer, after she's been hearing about two clans already butting heads. after the loss of the Daitengu, when her own position is uncertain. You make oaths and you don't break them - and they already know about her greatest failure on that front. that she wants to do better.

she trusts them, without hesitation. she has to, in order to accept this. responsible for each other, not to betray each other...there's another thought in her head, but she won't voice it. instead, she understands that it goes both ways. so she smiles, and then takes a sip before passing her cup. then it's to sip from Izo's, continuing in the trend.]

[no_kyouken]

[ It's not surprising to Majima that this is what he came back to life for after spending the previous day all but in mourning for his actual kyodai. Not that Saejima is any more authentic, but that he was the first. That he was the one Majima was sure he was going to die with, at least until it had become surety that he would die for him. That Saejima would make it out of jail somehow and wring his neck and he'd deserve it for letting him down. Saejima is his other half in a way no one will ever be and doing this now accepts that they really aren't ever going to see one another again. They each have a sentence passed down now, dues to pay.

He drinks with a small frown, unwilling to say any of that in the way that he's unwilling to say much of anything about what happened to turn him out from his clan. The shame is choking.

He'll do it better this time. His loyalty will mean something this time.

He keeps the cups moving in their rotation until he's left with the one that he'll take home. He snags three cloth napkins from a nearby cabinet for the restaurant so he can show them how it gets folded up. His gets tucked into his suit jacket. ]

Normally ya would've seen this already, usually a big ceremony when a batch've new guys swear up under th'boss. [ But nothing is quite right around here. They have their contracts instead. ] Might see it again if some execs wanna formalize a truce, or somethin'.

[ He glances out into the restaurant, wondering where their server went. ]

Ya wanna eat? Still gotta celebrate yer promotions.

[ His own is trivial, he's already been here and done this, but maybe they're more enthused. ]

[heretic_blade]

[ Izō considers his cup for a moment before wrapping it up neatly. Now he has to speak up. Why not share a meal? He isn't terribly proud of his promotion, but eating together is one of his ways of showing affection. And they're here anyway, right? ]

...Sure. Ain't gonna say no to a good meal. [ A beat as he looks back down. ] If both'a ya don't mind.

[medicative]

Why on earth would we mind?

[she's close enough that she can touch his arm, a gentle but certain thing. he doesn't need to be worrying that he'll be driven off, when they'd both just agreed to bind themselves in a way that completely ensures that they can keep that loyalty to him even under pressure. even if it wasn't as fancy as it should be, even if it wasn't as formalized, it meant something to them, and they would all testify to its truth.

one day, she hopes, they all will be able to breathe and not startle at the slightest thing gone amiss.]

I don't exactly know if I should be celebrating my promotion, though...I'd like to ensure I can stay anonymous.

[being ignored means she can probably do whatever she wants without someone looking too closely at her.]

[no_kyouken]

Better bein' recognized for good work than catchin' their eye not doin' enough.

[ A month in and nobody's lost a finger, what more can he ask for. He's just relieved everything hasn't gone entirely to shit yet. He calls for the server to come back. It's a traditional restaurant, there's about to be a bunch of sushi and hotpot on this table. Majima blames the snake for spending all his money and then he does shit like this, so really they're as bad as each other.

They do both happen to agree that one should eat well when you can and find any excuse to celebrate, you don't know how quickly it will be snatched away in the yakuza life. ]

[heretic_blade]

[ At least Izō isn't feeling exposed enough to brush Emily's touch off. He settles for sinking into his seat a little deeper while his cheeks flush darker. Food is a good distraction and keeps him from getting fussier than normal. ]

If ya say so...Jus' wanna make sure I keep gettin' better. [ So he can be trusted to do the work he's best at. ] Don't wanna disappoint th' boss.

[ Disappointment meant getting ousted. He can't go through that again. ]

[medicative]

[it's fine. she safeguards enough of the money in her apartment that it's protected from Chijoku. there's more than enough for actual food and whatever bills come, so a celebration won't actually leave anyone broke. that, and she had the sense to put aside some of the money she got from the Night Parade, so there's some freedom in it.]

As long as we keep doing what we're doing, there's nothing to fret about. Really, I know you're both smart enough to keep your heads above water.

[read: to not go against the bosses and to stay alert as to what's going on. she's managing well enough with the Daitengu being fully absent, but she can easily see some of the people she's met trying to cause problems. time will only tell how bad of a move that is, and Emily considers herself lucky that she can bow her head and fade into the background.]