Kim Kitsuragi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aceslow) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
jigokulogs2022-05-08 02:03 am
aceslow) wrote in jigokulogs2022-05-08 02:03 am
[ OPEN ] scaring at the sky
Who⬤ Kim & YOU
What ⬤ Kim takes on shifts at the local 7-11, fields an attempted robbery at aforementioned 7-11, visits a gay bar, finds a skeleton woman's bones (substory 2), contemplates haunted dolls (substory 4), and goes about his daily life.
When ⬤ Throughout May (and probably into June as a catch-all!)
Where ⬤ Throughout Jigokucho
Content Warnings ⬤ None anticipated; will edit as needed
a. 7-11 shifts.
i. a normal day in hell.
[ A lifelong policeman, Kim had quickly come to realize both that his skills as a detective aren’t exactly transferable here, and that the paltry salary that their clan leaders have given them is not enough to live off of. The only solution to that is to get a job and, much to Kim’s chagrin, the most convenient place to pick up a paycheck happened to be one of Jigokucho’s many convenience stores. A temporary position, Kim had told himself, but a position nonetheless.
Which is why Kim finds himself here, perched behind the counter of a 7-11 in some awful polyester uniform, sporadically working day and night shifts alike and feeling bored out of his skull. Is your character here to pick up their daily slushie? Have they been living off of convenience store foods for the past week? Or do they want a chat as they’re picking up lottery tickets and cigarettes? Whatever the case, Kim is here, seeing exactly what everyone’s daily routine looks like.
When he’s not restocking shelves or tidying up or looking terribly bored, he can be found reading a book underneath the counter or scribbling away in that omnipresent blue notebook of his. But feel free to interrupt him – that’s his job, after all. ]
ii. a normal day in hell: robbery edition!
[ Though late one evening, Kim’s stupor is interrupted by a young humanoid yokai slamming down his haul - slushies, saran wrapped pastries, ice cream and candy; somebody’s got a sweet tooth! - and jabbing the stubbiest looking switchblade Kim has ever seen in his direction. ]
This is a robbery! Give me everything in your register, now!
[ If you’re particularly good at reading expressions, Kim looks almost… glad for the excitement? He raises his brows at the young man, reaching underneath the counter. ]
You’re... robbing me? With that?
[ Do you want to intervene in the world’s most pathetic robbery? Or did you see that there could be more dangerous accomplices around the corner? Or maybe you just feel like watching the show? Take your pick! ]
b. the homo-sexual underground (it’s a gay bar).
[ With how busy his job kept him back home it’s not as though Kim had the time or energy to frequent gay bars, but with more time on his hands and a lack of community at his disposal, he’s slowly come to realize precisely what it is that he’s missing: a tether to the homo-sexual underground or, as it may be here, the homo-sexual overground. For how little he’d frequented the bars back home in the past few years, it’s a place that’s always welcomed him and a place he always knew he could go back to. He’d cut his teeth in those dingy, secretive bars even before he had been old enough to drink after all, and he decides it’s about time he gets acquainted with what Jigukocho has to offer.
With that in mind, Kim dons appropriate attire - a black leather jacket, white undershirt, dark wash trousers and some good, solid boots; there’s no point in messing with the classics - and heads to the Tamamo District to scope out the scene. It’s less a matter of asking around, and more of being able to spot his own. Once he sees exactly who is streaming into one of the bars, he slips in himself, looking comfortable and at ease, though in truth, he’s trying to get a lay of the land. He’s only ever been in the gay scene in one city, and to acquaint himself with another’s language seems like quite the task.
He winds up sitting at the bar, waiting for the bartender to finish chatting with another customer to place his order and looking far more approachable than he usually does. He’s in no hurry to get his drink, though – whether you’re here on purpose or stumbled into the gay bar by accident, why not say hello? ]
c. substory 2: vend me a dream.
[ If Kim had known just how long this satellite investigation was going to go, he wouldn’t have signed up for it in the first place, he thinks. But now that he’s invested, he’s come face to face with someone that he would probably feel obligated to help regardless of what comes at the end of this whole jaunt: skeleton clad in a beautiful, intricate dress, pooling on the filthy streets of Jigokucho. If you happen to listen in, you may hear Kim say, perplexed: ] You say they… took your bones, Madam?
My bones! They stole my bones! [ The woman’s jaw crackles and pops as she speaks, the entire effect a rather eerie one, though Kim tries his damnedest to keep a straight face. ] How will I get anywhere without my legs?
And who were these miscreants, exactly?
A dog.
A dog, ma'am?
A dog, a dog!
A dog took both of your legs?
[ The skeleton woman shrugs. Her bones crackle. ] A dog took one of my legs.
I see. [ Kim very carefully does not sigh. The absence of a sigh is somehow even louder than if he had. He turns to anyone nearby - that’s you! - and says, ] Pardon me. I don’t suppose you’ve seen a dog with a bone around here, have you? It would be a very large bone.
d. substory 4: haniwhat?
[ While his aren't as bad as some, Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi is no stranger to nightmares, especially at times of unrest. When he bolts awake in the morning with a shout - perhaps audible to other residents of Sutoku housing - he expects that it's nothing more than an overactive subconscious up until the point he sees an eerie looking doll staring back at him from across the room, perched precariously on the chair he habitually hangs his jacket on. Voice croaky from sleep, he rasps, ] What the fuck?
[ He doesn't do more than get himself looking baseline presentable before taking action, grabbing a pair of tongs from the kitchen to transfer the strange figurine from a chair to an old grocery bag. He carries it out of his apartment and sets it down as gently he can out on the sidewalk, using the tongs again to unwrap it from the bag and peer suspiciously at it, more than a little spooked. Usually he wouldn't want to be seen like this, in a loose tank top and sweatpants, hair mussed instead of being slicked back with a prodigious amount of hair gel and face unshaven, but he feels inclined to get to the bottom of this. Experimentally, he pokes it. ]
If you're alive, [ he tells it sternly, ] You should say so. And you certainly shouldn't be breaking into people's homes.
[ It stares emptily back at him, silent as the grave. Perhaps you've seen one of these too and can enlighten him as to what's going on -- or where to dispose of it. ]
e. daily life.
[ Otherwise, you can find Kim going about his regular business. If you live in Sutoku housing, you may have him for a neighbour and run into him as he takes out the trash, or perhaps figure out his schedule by the fact that he stands out on the communal porch of Sutoku's building for his daily cigarette, breathing chestnut-scented smoke into the light-saturated nighttime of the city of the dead that never sleeps. He's largely a polite, conscientious neighbour, though he sticks to himself and never appears to welcome any visitors.
Otherwise, he can be found doing his weekly grocery shopping, hitting up thrift stores for clothing and household goods, peering into the windows of Sutoku's many arcades (he seems particularly interested in those racing games), eating at one of Jigokucho's many cheap dining establishments, or even studying the advertisement in the window of a gym. Wherever you can reasonably expect someone to visit while going about their day, you can find Kim! ]
f. wildcard!
[ hit me with a wildcard – or if you’d like to plot/would like me to write you a custom starter, I’m more than happy to do so! Comment to me on the cr meme or on plurk and we can work something out! ]
What ⬤ Kim takes on shifts at the local 7-11, fields an attempted robbery at aforementioned 7-11, visits a gay bar, finds a skeleton woman's bones (substory 2), contemplates haunted dolls (substory 4), and goes about his daily life.
When ⬤ Throughout May (and probably into June as a catch-all!)
Where ⬤ Throughout Jigokucho
Content Warnings ⬤ None anticipated; will edit as needed
a. 7-11 shifts.
i. a normal day in hell.
[ A lifelong policeman, Kim had quickly come to realize both that his skills as a detective aren’t exactly transferable here, and that the paltry salary that their clan leaders have given them is not enough to live off of. The only solution to that is to get a job and, much to Kim’s chagrin, the most convenient place to pick up a paycheck happened to be one of Jigokucho’s many convenience stores. A temporary position, Kim had told himself, but a position nonetheless.
Which is why Kim finds himself here, perched behind the counter of a 7-11 in some awful polyester uniform, sporadically working day and night shifts alike and feeling bored out of his skull. Is your character here to pick up their daily slushie? Have they been living off of convenience store foods for the past week? Or do they want a chat as they’re picking up lottery tickets and cigarettes? Whatever the case, Kim is here, seeing exactly what everyone’s daily routine looks like.
When he’s not restocking shelves or tidying up or looking terribly bored, he can be found reading a book underneath the counter or scribbling away in that omnipresent blue notebook of his. But feel free to interrupt him – that’s his job, after all. ]
ii. a normal day in hell: robbery edition!
[ Though late one evening, Kim’s stupor is interrupted by a young humanoid yokai slamming down his haul - slushies, saran wrapped pastries, ice cream and candy; somebody’s got a sweet tooth! - and jabbing the stubbiest looking switchblade Kim has ever seen in his direction. ]
This is a robbery! Give me everything in your register, now!
[ If you’re particularly good at reading expressions, Kim looks almost… glad for the excitement? He raises his brows at the young man, reaching underneath the counter. ]
You’re... robbing me? With that?
[ Do you want to intervene in the world’s most pathetic robbery? Or did you see that there could be more dangerous accomplices around the corner? Or maybe you just feel like watching the show? Take your pick! ]
b. the homo-sexual underground (it’s a gay bar).
[ With how busy his job kept him back home it’s not as though Kim had the time or energy to frequent gay bars, but with more time on his hands and a lack of community at his disposal, he’s slowly come to realize precisely what it is that he’s missing: a tether to the homo-sexual underground or, as it may be here, the homo-sexual overground. For how little he’d frequented the bars back home in the past few years, it’s a place that’s always welcomed him and a place he always knew he could go back to. He’d cut his teeth in those dingy, secretive bars even before he had been old enough to drink after all, and he decides it’s about time he gets acquainted with what Jigukocho has to offer.
With that in mind, Kim dons appropriate attire - a black leather jacket, white undershirt, dark wash trousers and some good, solid boots; there’s no point in messing with the classics - and heads to the Tamamo District to scope out the scene. It’s less a matter of asking around, and more of being able to spot his own. Once he sees exactly who is streaming into one of the bars, he slips in himself, looking comfortable and at ease, though in truth, he’s trying to get a lay of the land. He’s only ever been in the gay scene in one city, and to acquaint himself with another’s language seems like quite the task.
He winds up sitting at the bar, waiting for the bartender to finish chatting with another customer to place his order and looking far more approachable than he usually does. He’s in no hurry to get his drink, though – whether you’re here on purpose or stumbled into the gay bar by accident, why not say hello? ]
c. substory 2: vend me a dream.
[ If Kim had known just how long this satellite investigation was going to go, he wouldn’t have signed up for it in the first place, he thinks. But now that he’s invested, he’s come face to face with someone that he would probably feel obligated to help regardless of what comes at the end of this whole jaunt: skeleton clad in a beautiful, intricate dress, pooling on the filthy streets of Jigokucho. If you happen to listen in, you may hear Kim say, perplexed: ] You say they… took your bones, Madam?
My bones! They stole my bones! [ The woman’s jaw crackles and pops as she speaks, the entire effect a rather eerie one, though Kim tries his damnedest to keep a straight face. ] How will I get anywhere without my legs?
And who were these miscreants, exactly?
A dog.
A dog, ma'am?
A dog, a dog!
A dog took both of your legs?
[ The skeleton woman shrugs. Her bones crackle. ] A dog took one of my legs.
I see. [ Kim very carefully does not sigh. The absence of a sigh is somehow even louder than if he had. He turns to anyone nearby - that’s you! - and says, ] Pardon me. I don’t suppose you’ve seen a dog with a bone around here, have you? It would be a very large bone.
d. substory 4: haniwhat?
[ While his aren't as bad as some, Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi is no stranger to nightmares, especially at times of unrest. When he bolts awake in the morning with a shout - perhaps audible to other residents of Sutoku housing - he expects that it's nothing more than an overactive subconscious up until the point he sees an eerie looking doll staring back at him from across the room, perched precariously on the chair he habitually hangs his jacket on. Voice croaky from sleep, he rasps, ] What the fuck?
[ He doesn't do more than get himself looking baseline presentable before taking action, grabbing a pair of tongs from the kitchen to transfer the strange figurine from a chair to an old grocery bag. He carries it out of his apartment and sets it down as gently he can out on the sidewalk, using the tongs again to unwrap it from the bag and peer suspiciously at it, more than a little spooked. Usually he wouldn't want to be seen like this, in a loose tank top and sweatpants, hair mussed instead of being slicked back with a prodigious amount of hair gel and face unshaven, but he feels inclined to get to the bottom of this. Experimentally, he pokes it. ]
If you're alive, [ he tells it sternly, ] You should say so. And you certainly shouldn't be breaking into people's homes.
[ It stares emptily back at him, silent as the grave. Perhaps you've seen one of these too and can enlighten him as to what's going on -- or where to dispose of it. ]
e. daily life.
[ Otherwise, you can find Kim going about his regular business. If you live in Sutoku housing, you may have him for a neighbour and run into him as he takes out the trash, or perhaps figure out his schedule by the fact that he stands out on the communal porch of Sutoku's building for his daily cigarette, breathing chestnut-scented smoke into the light-saturated nighttime of the city of the dead that never sleeps. He's largely a polite, conscientious neighbour, though he sticks to himself and never appears to welcome any visitors.
Otherwise, he can be found doing his weekly grocery shopping, hitting up thrift stores for clothing and household goods, peering into the windows of Sutoku's many arcades (he seems particularly interested in those racing games), eating at one of Jigokucho's many cheap dining establishments, or even studying the advertisement in the window of a gym. Wherever you can reasonably expect someone to visit while going about their day, you can find Kim! ]
f. wildcard!
[ hit me with a wildcard – or if you’d like to plot/would like me to write you a custom starter, I’m more than happy to do so! Comment to me on the cr meme or on plurk and we can work something out! ]
c!
A dude comes asking her about a dog.
Weird. )
Went t'wards the main street. It yours?
no subject
[ With that, he gestures to the currently legless skeleton woman, nervously tapping the tips of her phalanges together, click clack, click clack, click clack. It's difficult to judge a skeleton's expressions, but if a skeleton is capable of looking out of sorts, she certainly manages it. If she sees Katherine looking her way, she'll at least give her a little wave, polite even in her distress. ]
I've been recruited in the search. [ He clicks his tongue, glancing in the direction she mentioned. ]
It couldn't have gone far, with a load like that.
[ Or so he's hoping. ]
no subject
( She likes to think she has a good poker face. And she does, for a 16 year old. But there's a limit to the weird shit Jigoku-cho can throw at a girl before she has to double take and pause.
And a legless (literally) skeleton is right up there.
Fuckin' hell.
She's busy but maybe if she helps this dude find this dog, he'll help her in return? )
You go that way. ( She nods her head back in the direction she'd seen the dog run and then turns her attention to the nearest building. ) I'll go up.
( She hasn't tried parkouring here, but the buildings, at least, look no different from the kind of thing she'd see back home. So all she needs to do is eyeball a route (done, thankfully these buildings are pretty squat in comparison to others around here) and get moving.
A sprint, a hop, skip and jump. And she's off. )
no subject
[ The first thing that passes through Kim's mind is, oh god, she's going to break her neck. But there's really no way for him to object now, so there's little for him to do but to follow her lead. With one last glance in her direction to make sure she's not going to fall, he darts in the direction she pointed out with deceptive speed, unafraid to elbow his way through the crowd. He sees the glimpse of a brown and black speckled tail turning the corner and pursues it, palm bouncing off of the alleyway wall so that he doesn't have to slow down too much.
The dog would undoubtedly be able to outrun him underneath ordinary circumstances, but even a big dog has a difficult time lugging a human bone behind it, scraping loudly against the filthy pavement beneath it. Kim pursues it until the end of the alleyway, where it looks as though it's about to dart into active traffic and -- well, this would be a really good time for that kid to go ahead and parkour her way down to nab the cornered hound. ]
no subject
Motherfucker. This guy better help her with her shit after. She knows he hasn't promised that, but she's mentally checked him off as the latest assistant in this stupid round of fetch quests.
Getting down is, somehow, less of an issue than getting up. There's a nice gradual series of declines she can take advantage of, and it's a good job too, because she just manages to hit the ground in time to barricade the dog from getting out of the alley, wrapping a hand around the bone in its mouth to try and yank it back. )
no subject
The dog snarls, so Kim uses the best tool at his disposal, which is not strength, but an indominitable presence and will. ] Let. Go.
[ The dog snarls back, and Kim reaches around to grab at the loose skin on its neck, yanking it back. ] Now.
[ Through chance or through Kim's instruction, the dog does let go, leaving him and Katherine with their prize. It seems none too happy, but when Kim stomps at it and flaps his hand like any housewife trying to get the pesky birds away from her garden, it eventually turns tail and flees. ]
That's not what I thought I was signing up for, [ he says sourly, then turns to Katherine. ] Thank you for your help. That was good of you.
no subject
(By enjoys, we actually mean wrinkles her nose in disgust.)
This guy is good at chasing off dogs, too, which is probably not the most useful information she's learned about someone since she got here, but given how weird shit already is, who knows? Maybe tomorrow she'll wake up and there'll be a dog gang trying to muscle in on the faction war. )
Weren't tryin' to be good. ( Sry, dude. She's got her own motivations for doing this. ) Need help too.
( Hold up, she needs to check the name of this shit again. Here, look at this picture of a cup noodle brand on her phone. ) Which store sells this?
no subject
You... helped me chase down a dog, because you thought I look like someone who knows where to find some esoteric brand of instant noodle? How would I know?
[ If he thought hard enough, he could actually think of a way to help. For now, though, he's stuck trying to connect the dots. ]
There's got to be a hundred brands out there. Why not just get a different one?
no subject
Kate scowls. )
'Cause 'e wants this one. ( Obviously. ) Summat 'bout how it reminds him of being a kid.
( The dog chasing was probably easier than this, honestly. )
no subject
Who's he, exactly? And why is it your responsibility to do his errands? Even if this person is your employer, asking you to retrieve some obscure food seems a bit much.
no subject
He makes wax this lass wants for her instrument. She's got a recording of a song that makes this baby sleep. Mum's got a brownie recipe th' udon stall owner wants...
( And so on, and so forth. All the way back to the guy who wants a magazine. )
no subject
[ Kim lifts his spectacles slightly as he pinches at the bridge of his nose, already getting a headache thinking about it. ]
You're doing the exact same thing that I am. I was told to go ask that skeleton woman by a fellow who needed me to keep his busking spot clear of rival musicians, who I was told to see by a woman who wanted me to chaperone her to get her fortune told, who I was told to see by... well. You get the point. This is getting ridiculous.
[ He sighs. ]
All right. We'll get this -- [ he holds the leg up ] -- back to its deserving owner, and then I'll help you find those instant noodles. I'm not sure there's a forseeable end to this, though. God knows how many people that shrine's sent out to do their dirty work.
no subject
Somehow this guy's trail of favours sounds even more convoluted than hers and the idea that she might end up going through even more people just to get this dude's vending machine prize is infuriating.
Seriously, just smash the thing open and take it, if you're that desperate. )
Why's he need this many people runnin' around for him?
( It's the only question she asks, because it's the most annoying part of the whole thing. Is this supposed to be a competition of who can get back to him quickest, or what?
Also because she's already walking, expecting him to start moving and guide the way to the legless lady. )
no subject
[ It's the lot of the Sutoku, right now. They're enemy number one due to their leader's negligence, which means it's up to tired old men like Kim to do others' bidding until they win back their favour, one by one. He hadn't been expecting this task to be quite so laborious, however. Finally, they make it to the skeleton woman, legbone in hand, and Kim offers it to her. ]
Here you are, madam. And... oh, I see you've found the second one. Where was it?
[ The skeleton woman informs him that a nice young man had found it for her tossed in a nearby dumpster - ostensibly for the same information that Kim had been seeking to receive - and Kim nods a bit wearily before turning to Katherine. ]
Well, that's that done. Come on, let's go to a convenience store. I can look up what you're looking for in the system. [ It occurs to him, though, that they've done this all in rather the wrong order. ] What's your name?
no subject
( No one says encouragement like that and means encouragement. And isn't it easier to just say what you mean in the first place?
But well, that's one thing done. She supposes if nothing else comes out of this shit, someone got their leg back. Even if that someone is a literal pile of bones that shouldn't be up and walking about. And maybe someone else will get some noodles they like.
Why they couldn't just do all of this themselves is still beyond Kate, though. Except the skeleton lady. That one she gets. )
Uh, Melanie. ( Sorry, dude. Real names are for places that aren't branded as hell. Or at least a few weeks down the line after she gets to talk to Tenkohime. ) You?
( At least the street that's supposed to have the conbini they need is just a little way away from where they drop off the leg. )
no subject
[ He could be talking about rewards or promotions, and while those are both perfectly nice things, they're not what he's aiming for. Rather, Sutoku is in a bleak place at the moment, and the longer that power slips from their grasp, the more unstable things will become. Kim has no particular loyalty to Sutoku itself and no particular desire for it to gain power, but what he does have is a hunger for stability. If doing a favour or two and prostrating himself before people he doesn't particularly care for will help ensure it, then so be it. He doesn't fancy the day where he no longer has a roof over his head because the Shuten and Tamamo turf war flooded into the street. ]
It's nice to meet you, Melanie. My name is Kim Kitsuragi. And luckily for you, I happen to work at the convenience store -- I don't think they'll have a problem with me going into the system and seeing which branch has your item.
no subject
Mostly because this guy is going to get her damn errand sorted for her, and she doesn't particularly want to take any longer hunting down ramen packets. )
Sure. ( To the store! And, once they're there, Kate pulls up the image and zooms in to try and get a better view of the name of the product. ) Uh, the Nakuchan Chikara... Udon with Mochi Rice Cake?
( Rice cake in instant noodles? )
no subject
[ He's had mochi since coming here. He did not like it very much. He doesn't think food ought to be that chewy. ]
...well, to each their own. [ He flips open his notebook and jots it down so that he can more easily remember it, glancing back at the image a couple of times so that he can get the spelling down right. ] All right, got it.
[ Once they step inside, Kim quickly explains himself to the person at the counter, though all he really needs to do is punch in his employee number to get let behind the counter; people who work at 7/11 historically don't really care that much about their jobs. Once he taps in the name of the product, he takes down the information and grimaces. ]
Well, good news is, there's one left. I can call ahead and have them hold it for you. The bad news is... it's at the location well across town.
[ He slides the address, written in messy, cramped handwriting on some receipt paper, and slides it across the counter towards her. ]
no subject
That was just the shit icing on a shitty... well. Mochi.
And because her life can never fucking be easy, she has to hear that. It gets Kim a particularly withering look, though it's really aimed at his words and the inconvenience of a convenience store than him. )
This shit that popular?
( She mostly grumbles that to herself while squinting to work out what's written here. )
... That a 5?
no subject
[ Leaning over the paper, Kim reads the address aloud. He takes no offense; he knows that his handwriting is atrocious. It had been something of a professional obstacle, at a time. ]
Good luck. I hope this is the last step.
[ Why does he have a funny feeling that it's not? ]
no subject
( It almost definitely isn't, because why would it be? She nods at the address and types it into her phone so she doesn't have to try and decode his handwriting later in the trip. )
... Okay. Got it. ( A nod, which passes as thanks, and then; )
See ya.
( She's outta here. More questing is go. )