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! ]
no subject
[(There's an excited murmur from the sidelines around them; they're starting to attract a crowd, all of whom are stealing surreptitious glances at Natori. "Is that...?" "No way, it couldn't be!" "Psst, doesn't that look like--?" "No, it's got to be another human!" "Can you see Lizard-tan?!")
Natori adjusts his glasses, but otherwise ignores them. After earnestly reassuring the skeleton that they'll get back to her as soon as they can, and Natori casually asking for her name "so we can make sure we get back to you"-- but, notably, no other contact information-- he finally lets the his exasperation shine through once he and Kim have a moment alone.]
No, [Natori replies drily, returning Kim's look.] But I guess I'm involved anyway, so it's a little late for second thoughts. I'm Natori.
no subject
[ He really does. Kim considers himself to be a highly capable person, but all of that has gone out the window when it comes to dealing with Jigoku-cho's considerable oddities. Having someone who has greater familiarity in dealing with these people is a welcome sight. Even so, he's started to notice the crowd around them and the hushed whispers, though Natori gets nothing more than a quizzical look from him as Kim tries to place his face. Surely, he should know him, but... he never was very good at keeping up with pop culture. ]
It's nice to meet you, Natori. My name is Kim Kitsuragi. [ He considers Natori curiously. ] ...I don't suppose you're familiar with Matoba? He's the only other person I've heard call the people around here ayakishi in csaual conversation.
[ Kim has since been informed that ayakishi is a rather old fashioned term, and that most around here use yokai instead. Kim, who fancies himself an old-fashioned man in many respects, thinks that calling them ayakishi is fine by him. ]
no subject
Yes, Matoba-san and I work in the same exorcist circles in Kumamoto. [His tone of voice is politely neutral, as if to say "there isn't an interesting story here" or "we've certainly never been on a first-name basis and there certainly isn't anything LGBTQ going on."] Probably one of those quirks of regionalisms, I suppose? The population here is a lot more... urbanized than I'm used to, so I might be showing my roots as a humble country boy.
[He says this jokingly, but presses a hand to his heart and flutters his eyelashes in an... awfully sparkly manner. (The whispers around them intensify, since this immediately makes him more recognizable.)]
...That said, I'll do my best to help out! It'd be pretty callous of me to make you figure this out on your own.
no subject
[ That's just like Matoba, though, isn't it? He never seems to mention anything that could possibly be construed as personal unless it has to do with his duty, or with the ayakishi. He's an unusually single-minded young man. It doesn't occur to Kim immediately that he probably shouldn't mention something like that off-hand, but it's not as though he's claiming to be one of Matoba's close personal friends, at least.
Still. He would have expected it to come up at some point. What's the story there? ]
That's fortunate for you both. A little familiarity in a place like this is a good thing. Not to mention someone whose expertise matches your own. [ As the whispers flare up, Kim shoots one group of them a stern look and flicks his hand in their direction. From a less polite person, it would read as fuck off. From Kim, it reads... well, it's not not telling them to fuck off, but it reads rather more like we are in the middle of something busy right now, could you give us some privacy? ] That's quite enough staring, you lot. Go on. You must have something better to do.
[ He turns to Natori, exasperated. ]
Okay. Clearly there's something going on here. Why is everyone so interested in you?
[ Look out for the headlines in the tabloids tomorrow! Local Movie Superstar, Shuuichi Natori, Accompanied On Heartwarming Do-Gooder Mission By Cantankerous Middle-Aged Man! Why Is He There? Why Is He Ruining Candid Photos Of Natori With His Presence? Read More On Page 5! ]
no subject
(Natori gives a little wave of his fingers when Kim's back is turned, as if to say 'yes, you've caught me, hello!' It might be why the excitement intensifies instead of dying off when they get scolded by a decidedly non-famous middle-aged man.)]
Haha, well. I've starred in a few movies back home, and one of them recently made its way here. [He drops this breezily, matter-of-fact.] Sorry if it creates trouble for you, I truly wasn't expecting it to be this popular here. [But he already knows how Kim is likely to react to this, so he preempts it with a casual] I supplement my exorcist work with some acting as a day job.
no subject
[ Which begs the question as to why Kim didn't recognize him. Well, he's not very well going to tell Natori that he had fallen asleep during the first ten minutes. It would be terribly rude. Besides, it's not wholly the movie's fault; without adequate car chases or explosions, on Kim's broken sleeping schedule, it had been all too easy for him to nod off the moment he stepped into a cozy, dark room. ]
I didn't stay for very long, I'm afraid. [ He looks at Natori with renewed interest, however. ] Starring in movies is quite a bit more than a day job, however.
[ Most would say they're a movie star first and an exorcist second. Just how much of that humility is put-on? ]
Does your adoring public realize that you're an exorcist? At home. Not here. I can't imagine that would go over terribly well amongst this crowd.
[ This crowd probably just calls exorcism 'murder'. ]
no subject
I don't blame you. I doubt you're the target demographic. Feel free to skip any others that arrive here-- I usually star in romance movies. [Which certainly explains some of the gushing happening around them, though certainly also calls the 'just a day job' characterization into question. After a moment, he adds] Unless the Daitengu insists on the Alliance attending those too, I suppose. I wouldn't expect it, but they seem to have a habit of doing the unexpected.
[Like financially supporting the Tamamo clan through all of those ticket sales? Not that that makes up for it, as far as Natori's concerned; the small royalties that eventually trickle down to him after Tenkohime's cut are in no way worth the hassle.]
Haha, no. The overlap is probably in the single digits. [Natsume and his friend, he assumes. Maybe Takuma-san still goes to support him, or his daughter. Plenty of the exorcists know (and make jabs about it when they deign to bring it up), but he'd hardly count them as 'adoring.'] There are probably a few audience members who spot something odd here and there on screen, but for the most part they're two very separate worlds.
no subject
[ Something about Kim suggests an affection for more cerebral, artistic movies. The accent - noticeably French, though Kim has never heard of France before in his life - and his formality, the dryness of his speech and the stoicism of his gaze makes it seem as though perhaps he may be above all that.
That he enjoys films more in the vein of Fast And The Furious gets to be his own little secret. ]
Matoba did tell me something similar about -- well, people such as myself largely staying separate from the ayakishi. Though I imagine that would lend well to your mystique. [ Unless they just dismissed him as being mad. Kim hasn't quite figured out how their world works yet. He considers the life Natsume must lead and shakes his head. ] Honestly, it sounds exhausting.
[ Just the movie star bit does on its own, really. ]
Anyway... who is this contact you have by the river, exactly?
no subject
[As far as Natori is concerned, the ayakashi/human divide isn't something that's unique to his world, but rather a universal truth: there are people who are aware of the supernatural creatures living on the edges of society, and then there are people who have never had to think about them before. The nice thing about "ayakashi" as an umbrella term to encompass everything and anything that is nonhuman but still sentient is that it's comfortably broad enough that Natori never has to reexamine his own biases.]
Haha, well. A few months ago there was a hashihime that was getting stubborn about letting people cross her bridge. I was helping a younger exorcist investigate when I... got a little closer to her than I'd planned. [Read: a 16 year old slapped him right off the bridge and into the river. It would be an extremely embarrassing blow to his pride, except some youths are just freakishly strong! Also the angle on the bridge was bad! It was probably just a freak accident and not any commentary on his complete lack of muscle.] I think she'll give us information if we let her tease me a bit.
no subject
[ Others have suggested that perhaps his world does have ayakishi and he was simply unaware of it, but even with all that he's seen, it's something he denies out of pocket. This place has shaken up his worldview enough. It's too much to ask for him to reassess what he knows of the reality of his own home, the place where he had grown up, the place that he knows like the back of his hand. Despite what some may say, there is a logical explanation for every oddity he's run across, save for the phenomena that none can properly quantify, but at least that's a known entity.
If he were to believe that there were such sentients where he's from, he would be forced to come to the conclusion that they simply haven't bothered to exist around him. There is something to Kim, something so grounded and so ordinary, that the stranger parts of life don't seem to touch him. His world is quiet, small, mundane. He likes it that way. Or at least he thinks he does. ]
It's been an adjustment, but it's not as though I had a choice in the matter. Case in point, I certainly haven't come across anything like your friend under the bridge. [ It's close-by now, isn't it? He squints into the distance, but fails to see a hashihime, though he has no idea what he's looking for. Wryly, he says, ] And in that case, I'll allow you to sacrifice yourself to the cause. I'll keep well out of the way.
[ A beat. ]
Who was the younger exorcist?
[ And here he thought Matoba was the only one. He's been holding out on him! ]
no subject
Except Natori doesn't believe him. Kim's response is about the same as what Natori would expect to hear from his classmates and coworkers, at least up until their absence from local folklore. People who could look him in the face and say that ayakashi were only stories, even when there was an ayakashi sitting directly on his face. Natori's worldview is extremely stubborn, and extremely simple: there are humans, and then there are others, and most of the former don't believe that the latter exist. He hasn't met anyone here in Jigoku-cho who made him reconsider his "humans vs. ayakashi" schema even after multiple people have told him that they are neither human nor ayakashi, and he's not going to change his mind about their universality either.
So Natori doesn't believe him. But he's also not the sort of person to argue about it-- he's long since realized that there is no point in insisting that the things he sees are real. So he nods sympathetically and says, voice not betraying a hint of skepticism:] Not even in stories? Then this really must have been difficult for you. If there's anything I can do to help-- well, beyond what we're doing right now, that is-- please let me know.
[With that said, Natori taps the frames of his bizarre glasses-- unlike four-eyes Kimball over here, Natori's lenses are clear glass. They also happened to be a gift from the younger exorcist at issue, which is why Natori's walking around like the world's most questionable fashion statement.] Ah, Chongyun-kun? He's a teenager, also in Tamamo clan. ["Also" as if Natori had specified his own affiliation, but, like. C'mon. He stars in romance movies.] He's around the age that I was when I started taking jobs, so I suppose I feel a little nostalgic when I'm working with him...
[As they approach the riverbank, Natori tucks the glasses into his back pocket firmly out of sight, then takes off the hat and begins running his fingers through his hair. In an undertone] Hashihime are notoriously petty, so it's probably best if you hang back at first, but don't ignore her if she tries to talk to you. Just come forward, say something about how we're coming to her because she's the most knowledgeable about the going-ons in the river, something like that. I'll do most of the talking, we just don't want her to decide you're snubbing her.
no subject
[ Frankly, the only reason he adapted as quickly as he did was because of Matoba. He didn't know it at the time, but meeting him in that infernal waiting room and listening to him share his information had given him enough structure to feel as though he could move forward with life here. At the end of the day, all he wants is some sort of logic and reason to guide his actions, and with such a font of knowledge at his disposal, it became much easier for him to rationalize what was in front of him and simply try to see it as observable fact, as something that he can understand rather than something that he should deny altogether. It followed a certain logic. Just not his own world's logic.
Though after months here, he has to admit, he would be a pretty poor excuse for a detective if he wasn't able to accommodate new knowledge into his worldview and adapt well enough to carry on here. It's just a shame that he's at such a disadvantage; for whatever reason, Hell seemed to have brought in several young exorcists who more than likely know far more than Kim does. He should be grateful to them for being willing to share their knowledge, however; the ayakishi themselves are much less forthcoming in sharing how to deal with them. ]
I'll follow your lead. [ He offers Natori a small smile. ] I'm more than capable of handling people, at the very least. You don't have to worry about me.
[ Flattery, etiquette, cooperation: those are the bread and butter of any detective trying to get answers out of an overly prideful person of interest. Kim has historically played Good Cop, after all. ]
no subject
[He nods once to Kim before ambling over to the edge of the river. On the bank, he takes a simple paper doll from his pocket; when he lets go, it hovers in front of him for a moment before flying halfway across the river and gently touching down on the surface of the water. It floats in place for a second and then plunges under as if something in the river was tugging it down. The water roils, then the hashihime erupts from the center.
When she first surfaces, long black hair streaming behind her with three lit candles in the metal headpiece she wears like a crown, she looks furious. Then Natori smiles and waves at her, exuding charm and (metaphorical) (or literal?) sparkles like it's as effortless as breathing. Like flicking a switch, she surges closer in delight.]
Hello again! I hope I'm not interrupting anything.
Oh, noooo. In fact, I've been telling everyone how I knew you before you were famous. And I have proof! [She triumphantly holds up a pair of simple glasses before putting them on. They look too small for her, the legs bending out awkwardly to stay perched on her bloodlessly pale face; it's clear that the hashihime is quite a bit larger than the two humans.] They're jealous, so they don't believe me. But it's true!
They look much better on you than they did on me! But it's funny you mention that. I was telling my friend here [a slight angle of his head towards Kim] how if there's anyone who knows everything that happens along the river, it's you. If you can help him out, I might have an idea for how we can get you proof they can't argue against.
[The hashihime eyes Kim carefully, Natori's old glasses perched on the edge of her nose like a caricature of a librarian. But alas, only one of them is a literal movie star, so she quickly turns her attention back to Natori.] What about the river?
no subject
Thank you for your consideration. As he said, we wanted to come to someone who knows the river best. A Honne-Onna unfortunately lost her leg -- snatched away by a dog, she said. The last anyone had seen it, it was plunging into the river.
[ In a perfect world, it wouldn't require favours to get someone to share some simple information, but the ayakishi aren't terribly different from human beings in that regard. ]
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[With an expression of utmost patience, Natori holds up the romance novel before she goes any further.] Well, how about this? If you tell us which way the dog went, we can give you this for your trouble. But if you can help us find it, I'll autograph the book for you.
[The candles on the hashihime's headpiece flare momentarily before she suddenly plunges underneath the water like a duck bobbing for food. Natori's brow furrows for a moment before he senses the surge in power in the water; he sighs in relief and gives Kim a thumbs up. A few seconds later, the hashihime surfaces again, eyes glowing white and hair streaming behind her from the force of channeling her power through the length of the river. She points downstream and says, in a booming, otherworldly voice like reciting a prophecy] Past the next bend in the river, where the western shore levels out. There you'll find that which you seek. It's curled up there with the stupid bone! For the autograph, sign it "to my friend!"
Downstream, western shore after the next bend. Thank you very much! I knew we could count on you. [And he dutifully fishes a marker out of his bag and jots out a practiced signature (To my dear friend, the most knowledgeable hashihime of the Sanzu. Keep this with the glasses! -Natori) on the title page of the book.]
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He's been here for months now. But still, he is unused to displays like this. He glances down between his notebook and the sight before him, pen hovering just above the page, fascinated beyond measure as the hashihime confers with forces well beyond his reckoning. He nods his thanks at her, as graciously as he can, and watches as she squeezes the book to her chest with utter delight.
Once the hashihime is out of sight, Kim returns his notebook to his pocket and strides alongside Natori, following the exact directions that the hashihime so kindly provided them with. ] Thank you for that. That went entirely more smoothly than I was expecting. And here I thought your apparent celebrity was more trouble than it was worth.
[ Sorry, Natori. He doesn't think too highly of your fanclub -- but to be fair, to be dogged like that everywhere he goes is one Kim Kitsuragi's worst nightmare. ]