jigokulogs | ( open ) 002

Entry tags:

( open ) 002

Who ⬤ Hizen & you
What ⬤ Catchall for the underground and tdm (funeral) prompts
When ⬤ April
Where ⬤ See prompts.
Content Warnings ⬤ TBA

ABOVE GROUND

(The best way to stop people from getting in is to watch the entrance. He doesn't expect anyone to just waltz in through the obvious entrances and there are plenty of people keeping an eye out there. Instead, Hizen opts to watch a smaller, less obvious entrance that people can use to sneak in past whatever guards might be on duty.

He keeps his distance, preferring to watch from the shadows of an alley and enjoys how slow the job is for the time being… by enjoying a rice ball. It might be a job but he's still entitled to his snack breaks. Not even the government back home can take that away from him.

When he catches someone poking around, he finishes the last of his onigiri and begins to make his way towards his new target, )

It's closed.

(Some oni have thrown some boxes or something in front of to make it more difficult to get through but it's not impossible.)

Try somewhere else.

UNDERGROUND

(When it comes to closed, dark spaces, Hizen has always had an advantage. After all, wakizashi are convenient for assassinations and all wakizashi spirits seem to inherit a natural talent for sneaking around in dangerous places. Being the sword of an assassin only makes it easier for him.

He knows how to walk quietly, making sure he makes as little sound as possible in the tunnels. Let the sound of water below and the streets above drown out most of his sounds so he can sneak around. He keeps to the shadows and knows where to hide or how far back to stay to keep out of sight. There are no special abilities or powers at play here— it's all skill so anyone with a special talent or sharp senses will be able to sense him eventually but he's good at lying low in wait, stalking potential prey.

His eyes adjust to the darkness and he can make out who his allies and enemies easily. When he sees a fellow Shuten member, he makes a point to take a heavier step so he's heard but stays out of sight a moment longer before revealing himself. He's been shot once this month and he's not in the mood to get hurt again because of friendly fire fo all things,)

It's a dead end.

(The direction they're heading in right now.)

(If he sees someone who isn't a Shuten, he sticks to the shadows and just... keeps watching! Eventually, he might yawn and warn though,)

Keep going and you'll be in trouble.

UNDERGROUND: TAMAMO BULLYING EDITION

(You are a Tamamo and you have managed to make it underground. Somewhere along the way, you've called Hizen out for stalking you or just ran into him. Either way, with alliances established and so on, he doesn't look impressed when he realizes he's stumbled onto a Tamamo.

He tugs at the scarf over his face and let's out a short laugh,)

You guys really came? Thought you'd be worried about breaking a nail or something.

WILDCARD

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Then why bother coming at all?

(It's not that he doesn't doubt them. He isn't very familiar with Chongyun but he's run into Natori enough to get the impression he's rather squishy and easy to toss around if he wanted to. He's seen Chongyun toss a guy over a bridge and here he is with an impressive-looking broadsword, though... Hm.)

Might not be worth fighting for but guys've fought for less. (And he shrugs,) And I got my orders.

(Eyes narrow at Natori's warning. Being exorcised... he wonders how that would work here. He's never fought against anyone like a sage before but he's quite familiar with their powers. If someone can summon a spirit and grant them a physical form, then it's logical to think they could do the opposite... hm. He'll have to be careful and he makes notes of Natori's floating talismans.)

It's nothing personal, ya know? It's just a job. And you-- (Another sharp glance at Chongyun,) Don't try anything weird this time.

(Hand going to his sword, shifting into a ready position and-- charging right for Natori. Not really to hurt him or anything. Just to chase him off.)

[It's not like Natori is surprised that Hizen can't be talked out of it. He understands how ayakashi are, particularly ayakashi with contracts like Hizen had referenced before, and that he might literally not have a choice. But he and Chongyun have their orders as well, and while Natori may drag his feet on following those orders blindly, he doesn't want to jeopardize Chongyun's prospects alongside his own. They have to at least try.

He is very curious about whatever Hizen's referring to with Chongyun, but there's a time and a place to explore it, and Hizen with a hand on his sword is not that time or place. Natori whips a handful of paper dolls out of his bag as he hurls himself to the side (not with the exceptional grace of a martial artist, but it's still obviously not his first time being charged by a spirit with a sword). The dolls immediately join the ones already hovering to fly forward and swarm at Hizen's face. They're weak and don't do much more than bat at his face individually, but there are a lot of them all moving independently from each other, and their job is to pester Hizen while Natori jerks his head at Chongyun to follow the hallway deeper into the complex.]

Chongyun-kun! [Natori calls urgently, which is his way of saying let's skedaddle while he's distracted. Whether Chongyun is fluent in shoujo exorcist is another story.]

[ Jè excuse? Sir? Who exactly is going to do something weird?

Chongyun is taken aback when their opponent points that line directly at him, but there’s no time to ask what the hell the guy’s talking about (even though the comment needles a little dread in the young exorcist’s belly; he had passed out on the bridge that day … oh, oh no). He’d like to ask because this is going to bother him now, but his stance changes. Alert, Chongyun’s own hand moves to hover, ready to grab for his sword.

He’s relieved to see that Natori acts fast—and then chides himself mentally. Even if the elder exorcist is frail, he’s still an elder exorcist with tricks of the trade and plenty of experience. He doesn’t need any might to be effective. Those dolls swarm like a cloud of mosquitoes, acting as a distraction; Chongyun nods and follows after him, flanking in order to place himself between Natori and Hizen. ]

Yes!

[ But it doesn’t seem like Natori wants to directly engage. It’s to be a chase through the tunnels then, Scooby Doo-style? Very well. Chongyun sweeps his hand downward, making three hand seals before pressing his fingertips against the floor. The temperature around them spikes drastically, frigid cold for the moments a touch of frost break out from where his fingers touch; the puddles between him and Hizen have frozen over into a sheet of ice.

That should slow him down a minute. That done, he trails after Natori, following the elder man’s lead. If Hizen manages to catch up to them, he does plan to engage—his hand hovers again, at the ready to draw his blade and move should the need arise. ]

(And here he was, trying to be nice! He wasn't going to hurt them if they just beat it like a pair of good foxes but instead, they have the absolute audacity to fight back first.)

Damnit!

(He curses, raising a hand to his face instinctively to swat at the doll talismans. After a second, he bats them aside but it's still a second both exorcists are able to use to get a head start. Wordlessly, he continues his pursuit, chasing after them. All he has to do is chase them out. If he does that then-- )

What the--

(He sees Chongyun working at something and he slips. It takes a little more than this to completely throw Hizen off. His specialty has always been fighting in difficult conditions-- places that are smaller, harder to move in, darker, and so on. He slides to a stop, lowering his center of gravity, and crouching down on the ground when he finally stops. Hand on the water-now-ice he growls. This is more than just an exorcism trick or a bit of swordplay, )

I thought I told ya not to do anything weird again!

(Because now he can't just slack off. He has to actually be on his guard. What else can happen now? Back on his feet, running closer to the side of the tunnel where he can catch himself if he slips, where the puddles are shallower, careful of his steps,)

Ya know, I didn't expect that fox to send anyone useful! (He expected a bunch of pretty people who would rather play dirty tricks than get their clothes dirty. What he got instead was an annoying exorcist and his annoying friend.) Are you guys the best she can do?!

[Natori shivers involuntarily as the temperature drops, but he's impressed at how quickly Chongyun is able to ice over the path behind them. He shoots Chongyun a little smile and a nod, breath misting in front of him, and then takes off further down the hallway.

He was hoping it would buy them enough time for him to draw out a spell circle, but he can already hear Hizen pursuing them (and being awfully mouthy while he's at it, huh...?) At least he's disregarded his curiosity about whatever went down between Chongyun and Hizen in the past; it seems pretty clear that Hizen just considers ice magic in and of itself to be weird!]

I think that's the most I've heard you speak, [he comments idly, coming to a stop with his hand in his bag again. He claps his hands together around another wad of paper to snap a string of paper dolls together into a chain, which would look cool if he had the space to really whip it around like the Indiana Jones wannabe he is. As it is, their surroundings are just a little too damp to let the dolls snap out to the side, so he'll have to be a little strategic about this.

Stretching the chain between his hands, he glances over at Chongyun with a small frown. Chongyun certainly seems like he's had a lot of training, but... he feels uncomfortable relying on a child to do the dangerous engagement work. After a moment's consideration, he reluctantly asks in an undertone] Chongyun-kun, do you think you can distract him safely?

[ He shoots a glance back when a not-so-distant Hizen accuses him of more weirdness, eyes narrowing. It isn’t weird!! And that “again” just keeps needling fresh concern in him, with suspicion hiking once more. Did something seriously happen between him and that guy?

Even if Natori can’t gloriously snap his paper whip, Chongyun watches with obvious interest after turning his attention back forward. It’s an interesting method and if it weren’t bad form (and he wasn’t busy worrying about what he may or may not have done with and/or to Hizen) he would love to ask about the spell.

In answer to that question, he nods. ]

Yes. I’ve got it.

[ He takes it as the go ahead to engage—what Natori thinks of as safely is likely not what Chongyun thinks as safely—and he turns back the other way to meet their pursuer head on.

Brb gonna go get into a fight.

Starting off defensively, Chongyun holds the claymore up in front of him in defensive form once he spots the other boy running along the wall where the ice is less prevalent. He’s good. ]

I haven’t done anything weird! You’re weird!

[ 😤 ]

Just don't feel like talking to you.

(Natori is absolutely right, though. Hizen is definitely chattier than usual right now. Really, his personality seems to have flipped from his usual tired and gloomy self to something much more aggressive and active. He really is just a spirit that likes to fight. In fact, he even laughs when he hears Chongyun! Because--)

That's rich coming from you.

(At least he isn't making any sudden moves for them right now? That's a pretty big sword and one Hizen needs to size up properly before he tries to strike again,)

You really gonna act like you don't know what I'm talking about? You might be able to trick your friends but ya can't fool me.

(When he mentions Chongyun's friend, he looks over at Natori,)

C'mon, you were real friendly last time but it looks like it doesn't matter anymore.

(He knew it!! He knew it was all a weird trick at the time!!!)

[Natori is a professional exorcist, and this is far from his first time having an ayakashi chatter away at him while he works. He's seen it all before: threats, taunts, lies, promises, attempts to make him feel guilty, desperate offers to share secrets, pleading entreaties to get him to let his guard down. Ayakashi are drawn to the weaknesses in people's hearts, and while Natori can't claim to have the most sealed-off heart in town, he knows the dangers of wavering in the middle of an exorcism. It's why he tries not to second-guess asking Chongyun to take point (if he just works quickly enough, it won't matter), and it's why he doesn't even blink an eye at Hizen's smacktalk.

Chongyun seems a little invested in it, though-- like, who cares if an ayakashi calls you weird...? Well, he's young; it's Natori's job to help him out here.] Ignore him, Chongyun-kun.

[Without any further ado, Natori holds up two fingers on his left hand as he plants the stick in his right into the ground, the chain of paper dolls stretched between them. As he speaks, a small localized gust of wind begins to stir around him, making the spell tag speared on top of the stick rustle in its own personal breeze.] Come, my servant, heed my call. Dull the sword raised against thee; bind the hand that means to strike. Come, my servant--

[hit him in the face so I don't have to finish writing his awkward freeform poetry spells thanks]

[ Oh no... Chongyun's expression falters when Hizen mentions being friendly. He knows his condition well enough to know exactly how he gets when he's yanged out—but this is battle, so he corrects himself quickly, exhaling shortly in something that sounds like a sigh. ]

This is a job, nothing personal.

[ The other boy glances toward Natori and Chongyun can't help doing so as well. Distraction, right—and if this means he can keep Hizen from letting Natori know about what his condition entails, all the better. He hasn't told the elder exorcist and really doesn't want him to know. Natori's opinion actually matters to him. What if he did something really embarrassing with this guy? ]

Don't look at him, look at me.

[ It had been a momentary glance but Chongyun takes advantage; touching his Vision, the air directly around them becomes more frigid and remains so as he moves forward with a very simple strike. Ideally, he'd like Hizen to scram, but it's also to keep his attention.

Even if he's fast when running, Chongyun's swings aren't as speedy as someone with a lighter, thinner blade. What he lacks for him quick motion, however, he makes up for in weighted strength. Don't pay attention to the glasses man behind the curtain doing freeform poetry! And don't hit that glasses man in his glasses face!! ]

See? You know what I'm talking about!

(He saw that look, Chongyun! You don't have Hizen fooled! That confused, clueless act isn't tricking Hizen. No. He knows what to expect this time!!

He can see that Chongyun is getting serious though and he smiles,)

That's my line.

(Nothing personal! It's all business! Except it might be a little personal with Chongyun who has clearly slighted Hizen in a way that he feels the need to be a little extra aggressive.

The temperature in the air drops and Hizen's eyes narrow at the glowing stone at Chongyun's side. Is that the source? He doesn't have much time to linger on it though. The claymore is coming for him and while he's fought against large blades before, he knows better than to try and take a direct hit. What Hizen has in speed and skill, he lacks in endurance and overall strength. There's no way he'd be able to take more than an attack or two before ending up down for the count.

His strategy is simple: Don't get hit. Take advantage of the smaller spaceto limit his moves. Watch out for the ice. Try to knock Natori off his game too.)

Too slow.

(Though, he notes how quickly Chongyun was able to move even while carrying that sword... hm. He dodges and tries to come around to Chongyun's side, aiming a direct slash at him.)

[Natori is a worrywart at the best of times, and doubly so when he's dragged a teenager into a battle with him (even if the teenager has more cause to worry about him than the other way around). Even though he asked Chongyun to play the distraction, he's watching the sword exchange to intervene if he has to-- and when Hizen comes around at Chongyun's side, Natori decides he has to.

He drops the spell, thus saving me from having to freestyle any longer, and makes a quick hand motion instead that sends the end of the paper doll chain lashing out towards Hizen. It's meant to draw Hizen's attention more than actually injure him, a smack of spiritual power at worst-- just something to give Chongyun time to turn.]

[ He isn’t unaware of his weak spots. Hizen is quick and nimble, which gives him an advantage over a weighted claymore… but, Chongyun processes quickly, one good hit should rattle him. Once he lands a hit, it’s Chongyun’s advantage. Just gotta get there.

The black-clad figure dips and the exorcist’s brow furrows; he regrips the handle of his sword and swings it downward, hiding the quick hand signs he makes with the other. There’s no room to dodge and he’s too close to fully evade, so Chongyun resigns himself to the hit while moving to parry and planning an immediate counter.

Focused on Hizen and activating his Vision for another spell, he doesn’t notice the surge of paper coming in from the side.

Which means the poor guy has paper exorcist throwing paper at him from one side, and ice exorcist throwing ice at him from the other. It’s a much weaker version of Chongyun’s skill back home — what once were giant ice arrows plunging into the earth are now three baseball-sized ice hunks coming to thwonk Hizen in the head.

Oops … double-teamed by exorcists. ]

Edited (a word!! ) 2022-05-10 18:35 (UTC)

(Hizen is a confident fighter. He has every reason to be when he is what he is. No one is better at using a sword than the spirit of the sword itself. His style is unique to him thanks to his master's unconventional style and he knows the unpredictable nature of it all can only be an advantage for him. He is fast, strong, and perfectly capable... which is really all to say he's a little arrogant.

He's already regarded Natori as the lesser of the two threats and he decides that whatever he throws at him will be of little concern as far as physical damage goes. He isn't sure what he can do with hs exorcist powers and as a spirit, that's a little concerning, but he can only assume that right now, as they are, he probably hasn't obtained anything substantial from Tenkohime.

He's much more focused on Chongyun-- the one with the sword and the curious magic. He has to be careful for the sword and also for Chongyun's magic. With the former, he knows enough technique to be able to predict possible attacks but without knowing the style of Chongyun's ice powers, there's more to worry about. Is it spoken? No, he hadn't said anything before and he doesn't recall him using any talismans or charms besides that stone at his side... ah, wait, what was that? He feels like he just did something but he was moving too fast and focused on other things. Hm.

Paying attention to Chongyun means he's able to see the ice coming at him. He slashes at them in the air with his sword but

not paying attention to Natori at all means

getting hit by spiritual pressure and paper instead and it's that which throws him off his guard. He loses his balance, taking several steps back and his next move is to instinctively slash at that when there's nothing there to cut at all. A stray chunk of ice hits him in the cheek and the paper flits at his face and he flinches, stumbling another step back.

Frustrating, irritating, annoying, infuriating-- he lets out a loud yell like
a roar.)

--Knock it off!

[Double teamed by exorcists!! Except that maybe it wasn't the best idea to put the paper exorcist and the ice exorcist together, or at least to have them be the bread in a Hizen sandwich. The paper dolls are still, ultimately, paper; the ones hit by the stray pieces of ice start flagging as they get wet and soggy, as useless as the ones that get split by Hizen's sword. Natori doesn't waste any energy on worry about them. As far as he's concerned, they've done their job as long as Chongyun isn't sliced in two.

He heaves out a sigh of relief to himself that Chongyun is, in fact, still in one piece (truly no respect for anyone's fighting ability here). He claps his hands together once around his pointy stick and the remaining dolls break apart from the chain to batter at Hizen again, leaving Natori free to start drawing a circle in the muck on the ground with the stick. It's a slower and less effective spell, but at least this way he can keep an eye on the fight in front of him without interrupting the spell every time.]

[ Blue eyes follow the flutter of paper. Even in the midst of a fight, the young exorcist can't help a healthy dose of curiosity; it's a skill he hasn't much seen back home and the use of paper is practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. Though, he notes as a piece soaks in a bit too much moisture and goes limp, maybe not best suited with a cyro element ... or a wet sewer. ]

Or you could just go home.

[ Heh. He won't let it get to his head and he won't drop his guard, but watching that little scene had been pretty satisfying. At least Chongyun's not the only one who's lost a little bit of cool, now.

Taking advantage of the distraction to step back and away from Hizen's blade, Chongyun finds his grip on his sword once more. But distance doesn't mean he's standing down; he takes position once more, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Listen, this is his senior exorcist friend, and Chongyun isn't going to let some edgelord stab him or his paper.

A brow arches with expectation. This guy is a good fighter. A single round had been enough to tell him that ... it's no surprise that he's in Shuten. ]

We won't tell anyone you did.

(More paper comes his way and he delivers another wide slash. At the very least, he doesn't move to chase after them. He raises his sword up in a ready position.

He scoffs,)

Giving orders?

(Wow, the audacity of this kid, he thinks. Who does he think he is?)

Dunno about you but I finish my jobs.

(And his job is to chase the Tamamo out. Hizen is no coward and nothing but stubborn. He'll keep fighting until the end if he has to.)

You're pretty crazy and not bad with a sword but this place is pretty rough, ain't it? (It's a closed space which really doesn't bode well for a larger weapon,) Your magic sucks though. Yours too.

(Natori's too and he makes a point to look at him. It's all annoying but paper? Snowballs? He can handle that.)

You beat it and I'll let you go.

(This is truly the chattiest he has ever been.)

Who knew you'd be this chatty... [Natori mutters, more to himself than to join in on the shittalking. He's focused on getting his spell array onto the ground as quickly as possible without skipping anything vital, and it turns out that's a lot more difficult when he's not only lacking his shiki to watch his back but also looking up every second to make sure the teenager accompanying him hasn't been skewered on his watch. All the more reason for him to hurry up. He thinks Hizen means it, when he says he'd let them leave instead of chasing them down for it; in his heart of hearts ~~because he's a shoujo~~, he'd like to think most if not all of the Lost Souls would. Surely none of them could have such deep ties to the ayakashi they've barely met that they'd let that turn them against each other?

Brow furrowed, he tries to tune out the sound of the two of them fighting, willing Chongyun not to get injured (he has to be doing fine?? he was able to knock Natori off that bridge with no effort whatsoever, surely that must count for something??) until he gets the last lines of the circle down. He plunges the stick into the edge, claps his hands around it, and charges the spell trap. A handful of the paper dolls scatter in different directions, both further down the hallway and back the way they came, and he lets his shoulders slump in relief. In the future, they could come back here to recharge the spell and collect what the dolls have learned. What matters is that they've started something, and now no one can criticize Natori for not making a show at Tamamo pride.

Well, no, people still can and should criticize Natori for half-assing it. Case in point, as soon as he feels the spell activate:]

--Chongyun-kun, he's right. It's not worth it. [Okay, if he really cared he could pour some actual acting into this, but he's not going to go that far.] We could all just pretend we didn't see each other.

[ He is chatty. Maybe this weirdo likes him or something?

Chongyun's gaze narrows with suspicion, but before they can make with any more of the shittalk, Natori speaks again. Respectful of his elder, Chongyun glances back with a short nod. Does he want to stop here? Not really. He'd like to spank Hizen with his blade for those comments about his spellcasting, but it's easy to talk himself out of it with the reminder that his Vision is working at minimum capacity and he hadn't even used any of his own spiritual energy.

Paper scatters and Chongyun understands that the spell is done. There is no need to linger aside from pride, which he can swallow for now. Pick and choose your battles. They aren't well matched, and the location isn't ideal for his style. The guy is right.

He does spare Hizen another look—one that clearly says this ain't over, punk—before taking a few steps back toward the other exorcist. ]

As you say, Master Natori.

[ Huff. Rather than be cranky about it, Chongyun pulls a popsicle out of his pack and chomps down onto it. Be calm, indulge no temper and fuel no quarrels ... silent mantras he tells himself to quell the fiery passion that naturally sparks inside. ]

I can pretend.

(Is he being chatty? He doesn't realize it but really, once he gets into a fight, he doesn't realize how he changes. He's just too caught up in the moment and the bloodlust that he loses himself for a bit. So instead, he lets out a short laugh,)

Hah, ya think?

(He meets Chongyun's eyes. Chongyun might be able to play the bigger person but Hizen doesn't even try. He's clearly taunting him without saying anything. What's he going to do? Throw more snowballs at him? Bring it, Snowman. He'll roll Chongyun like a daruma!!! Bring it!

But they won't because they're retreating and Hizen can see that uch.)

That's what I thought.

(He doesn't let his guard down. He won't until they're completely out of sight.

But where did that popsicle come from. Shouldn't that... have melted by now.......................... #priorities. )

[There's a moment when Natori worries that Chongyun won't stop-- that he'll insist on fighting it out over literally nothing. But thankfully, Chongyun is the rarest of all things: a reasonable teenager. He lets out a small sigh of relief when Chongyun steps back, but doesn't completely relax, and won't until they're back above ground. Hizen doesn't strike him as the type to offer to let them go and then attack them anyway, but then again if you'd asked Natori last week he would have said Hizen wasn't the type to do anything more than grumble and be antisocial.

Natori releases another pair of dolls that hover by him and Chongyun, then nods once to Hizen and turns around to head back down the tunnel. The dolls are meant to watch their backs, to warn him if Hizen decides to come after them anyway; Natori gestures for Chongyun to go first, because again, it's his duty as an adult exorcist even if he's fighting with a stick compared to Chongyun's big ass sword.

Once they've gone far enough back to the entrance with no sign of a tail, Natori murmurs] We'll come back later. Thank you for your help; you did very well.

[ Once they've put some distance between them and that edgelord guy whose name he doesn't even know, Chongyun takes a bite out of his popsicle and chews on it. He's calmed since they split from that weirdo but he still really doesn't like turning tail and leaving. As an exorcist and as a fighter ... he still has a way to go. He will continue to work hard and, one day, he will stronger and be more dependable. ]

Master Natori. [ he looks at the elder man with a touch of indignation still pink across his pale cheeks—it's probably the closest he's ever looked to surly or tsun around Natori. ] He's wrong. Your spells don't suck. They've very impressive.

[ That's the thing that bothered him most of all. It's one thing to insult him while they're exchanging blows, but don't insult an old talented exorcist like Natori! What does that guy know about the might of the exorcists!!

So there. Chongyun huffs, willing himself to let it go and breathe. It's fine, it's fine. The mission was still basically a success since he managed to finish that last spell; it would have been nicer to go deeper, but having a means to map out and keep tabs on different tunnels is good enough. He'll probably never see that chatty jerk again anyway.

Having said his piece, the young exorcist nods once more, heading back to Tamamo base. ]

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( open ) 002

the opposite of being bullied by teens is being bullied by secret ye oldes

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