[ OPEN ] double trouble

[watermemory]

Who ⬤ Tamamori, Minakami, and whomstever (that's you)
What ⬤ Substory 2 and 4, and a couple other options
When ⬤ Throughout May
Where ⬤ All over
Content Warnings ⬤ None that I can foresee. Will edit if it crops up.

This is a duo open post involving fuckdogramagra and watermemory, because these two idiots are stapled at the hip at the moment. Harass one or the other or both, though let us know if you’d rather not have threadjacking occur.
Starters are in prose, but can tag in brackets if you prefer.


[ A: Substory #2: Vend Me A Dream ]
[ Location: Various (see below) ]

If anyone asks, this is Minakami's fault for agreeing to lend the shirime a hand—in his defense, he was startled and doesn't know how to say no to these things. Also in his defense, it sounded like a simple favour at the time.

Minakami and Tamamori can be found going round in circles downtown:

— ...in an arcade, trying to win a specific plushie from a crane game for an inugami's chew toy.
— ...at a drugstore, looking for a particular brand of hair conditioner for a nozuchi (What's the difference between regular and leave-in? Did it say what fragrance it wanted? What does hair porosity even mean?).
— ...down sidestreets and alleyways, chasing down a hapless tsurubebi to catch in a lava lamp. Sounds like some cabaret owner is redecorating and insists she needs it for atmosphere.
— ...trying, and seemingly failing, to help a hinnagami take a selfie. It’s likely they’ve forgotten exactly why they were doing this one, but they sure are giving it their all still.
— ...and generally getting hopelessly lost. Tamamori’s complaining that his feet hurt and Minakami’s usual good humour is bleeding away at the seams.

-

[ B: Substory #4: Haniwhat? ]
[ Location: A plaza in Sutoku territory. ]

Well, this one’s Tamamori’s fault, though Mina’s not free of sin for going along with it either. Despite getting cranky and tired by the end of the shirime’s runaround, it’s done its job at getting them situated in Jigoku-cho, and Minakami’s unease at seeing yokai everywhere (when he’s only been told cautionary tales about them and has had nothing but bad experiences with the one spirit he’s had contact with) has somewhat abated. Maybe things are less weird and bad than they seem!!

Which is why the duo can be found at an outdoor table not far from Tamamori’s apartment building. Normally there’s street performers or some kind of noisy event at this plaza, but right now it’s relatively quiet. There’s the remains of konbini snacks and onigiri on the table, and way too many soda cans for just two people.

Minakami has a small stack of books next to him (he’s already found a lending library willing to give a Lost Soul a library card), peacefully reading up on burial customs and ancient pottery. Tamamori has one of the haniwa figurines propped up on the table, rather having a very intense staring match with it, or trying to examine it. Not that he has any reason to be more suited to that than Minakami, but he’s apparently taken this self-appointed task very seriously. At odds with that is maybe the haniwa’s ‘embellishments’—the clay figurine appears to have a very small black felt cap, that looks like it would be from an old-fashioned school uniform. There’s even a tiny badge on the hat brim made from foil.

Spiritual sensitivity? Awful nightmare vibes? What’s that? It’s just a little guy.

-

[ C: Other: this was easier to pull off when they were kids ]
[ Location: Around the Sutoku apartment complex; the hallways, or lobby, or wherever else. ]

There’s no real rule saying that people from other factions can’t hang out. However, ‘hang out’ is a little too generous of a term for the ongoing shenanigans in Tama’s shiny, new Sutoku apartment. Mumbling voices at all hours, that quiet down just before the building superintendent makes their rounds, Tama poking his head out of his room’s door and checking down either end of the hallway before opening it for any reason at all... there’s even an incident with music playing a touch too loud, complete with the muffled sounds of people trying desperately to quiet it down.

It’s all pretty suspicious, and frankly, painfully obvious to his neighbors, no doubt. You could say something, give the duo tips on how to actually pull this stupid grift off, or just complain about the noise.

-

[ D: Other: happy birthday to the ground ]
[ Minakami-specific ]
[ Location: Shuten apartment foyer. ]

Despite the fact that he's made other living arrangements, Minakami been ducking back into his assigned flat every so often, whether to keep up appearances of abiding by the residency rules, or respond to Shuten obligations when they come calling, or store stuff that doesn't fit in Tama's place, or—in this case—to check his mailbox. There's rarely anything there, which he supposes is a consequence of doing everything through the telephone thing, but this time...

Jigoku-cho has adapted fast to the influx of "Lost Souls", and for a functioning, thriving modern city, that means marketing. And mailing lists. Truly, Hell is where data harvesters go. Somehow, his personal details got into the system, and after a little confusion of dates (it's June where he comes from, but May here), eventually the backlog of spam had to go somewhere.

Minakami can be found at the dingy foyer, his mailbox open and overflowing with advertisement fliers and promotional cardstock. He's carrying a shoulder-bag with one hand, and in the other hand he has a cheery-looking card recommending he spend his special day at a Tamamo-run spa (price 25% off for couples!). A tinny little mechanism is singing a legally-distinct version of Happy Birthday.

While his face is a difficult read at the best of times, it is more inscrutable now than ever.

Comments

B: Substory #4: Haniwhat?

[pathofsacrifice]

There is nothing odd to be seen here.

Certainly not the bundle that Artemy has wrapped up in his arms that looks suspiciously like it could be a baby. But no children can be born in Hell. It wasn't the smartest of his plans, but it at least, hides the haniwa figurine from sight as he attempts to carry it to some place "safe."

However, as he is crossing through a plaza, he stops to see that there is one sitting on a table. He pales a little that two young men are seemingly loitering around it. For fun? For investigation reasons? He looks at the books that are piled up. What are they doing?

Artemy makes a move like he might keep walking on, but he ends up not moving from the spot where he first saw the duo. His shoulders square and he takes long strides to reach the table where they are. With some guilt, he carefully places his package on the table -- delicately, carefully.

"What are you doing?" He decides to just voice his confusion outright rather than concoct some better worded question.

[fuckdogramagra]

"Dressing up Kawako-chan." Is the near automatic, unconscious response out of Tama's mouth. Indeed, he's delicately trying to adjust the little felt hat just so, for optimal Kawaseness. At least in his head, the sharp features are a match...but really, the poor thing doesn't deserve to be projected on like that. Luckily (though surreally) his wandering imagination has been more tightly contained since arriving, so there's no superimposed sneering expression on the haniwa for anyone else, which is probably for the best.

However, Tamamori does look up, partly to ask Minakami about trying to find 'Kawako' a coffee mug, but his eyes slide up, confused, to Artemy. And then, to his own bundle, which is roughly the same shape and size as 'Kawako'. "Ah," This isn't someone collecting the haiwa or whatever people said they're meant to do, right?? No, he didn't look like the sort. "I mean, making...friends?"

[watermemory]

Minakami's reading, which means that under normal circumstances, nothing short of a bomb going off would break his reverie, but the enduring strangeness of the place they've fallen into means that he uncharacteristically has an ear pricked up for -- he doesn't really know what. Watching out for Tama is still second nature for him.

So he does look up, especially when the odd bundle is placed next to him, and he gives a polite smile to the stranger. "Hello -- my friend and I were having lunch, but we're finished, you see." He nods at Tama, not refuting the 'making friends' thing one bit. "Is something the matter?"

What's wrong with their third roommate, Artemy.

B.

[worldbent]

And here I thought you didn't want anything more to do with ayakashi matters...

[The voice might be familiar to at least one of these young men- Matoba appears, looming out from the bustle of the Sutoku crowd to approach the plaza with a cautious eye on the cutesy little haniwa that they've kidnapped. His eye draws towards Minakami curiously, and over the book in his hands, and then towards the haniwa with its little hat.]

[Preserve him.]

The weak shouldn't be handling these. I suppose it really mustn't speak to you, if it did not even warn you of that much. [The corner of Matoba's mouth curls. Or maybe she had stayed quiet on purpose- maybe she just wanted to be out.... Hmmmmm.]

[fuckdogramagra]

Eh-? Oh! [ It almost looked like he was going to complain- a few yokai had come by and nagged him about messing with 'what shouldn't be touched', but he'd largely ignored them -but this is someone familiar, and enough to make him reach out and put one of his hands over Minakami's page, to block his view. ] Minakami- hey-

[ Eh, he'll snap to in a second. Tama looks back up to Matoba with a bright smile. ] It's a junior's job to make their senior have to keep an eye on them, isn't it, Matoba-san? [ Tama turns the haniwa around to face his Sutoku 'senpai'. ] I thought I could interrogate her if I gave her some sort of appeasement. Handing them over is a bit of an obvious mistaken, isn't it? So this is the alternative we came up with.

[watermemory]

[Even with Tamamori blocking the page, it takes a bit before Minakami settles back to reality, gently pushing his hand to the side before closing the book.]

[At Tama speaking deferentially (if casually) to the stranger, he looks up, curious. He's still not sure what the consequences are for hanging around in rival territory, if it counts as fraternizing with the enemy or something -- not that he'd do differently, but it'd be nice to know what to expect. He gives Matoba a stiff, if reasonably friendly nod.]

I've been helping Tamamori with research [aka: doing research at all] but if there's an answer for why they've appeared, I haven't found it.

[Minakami glances sideways at Tama at the mention of "her", immediately tense, and what Matoba just said... The question "Does he know?" is pretty clear in his concerned look.]

A

[psionicmolotov]

[ Kimmuriel has his own business in here (mostly figuring out a makeshift little kit for Crime Emergencies) but it's rare to see two people he vaguely knows at the same time, and the novelty is enough to make him pause. ]

Is this some sort of hidden hobby for you. [ Small talk? Why would he do something like that. ]

illegally writes tag while we're both tabletop

[watermemory]

[Interrupted from pondering over the merits of hydrating vs. volumizing (whatever either of those mean), Minakami looks over the aisle at the speaker.]

Ah -- not so much. It's on behalf of someone else.

[This is not really very believable, given that next to the two boys, there's a shopping basket that also has scented soaps and bath bombs in it. But it's true!!]

Hello, er... [...person who he crashed a car with but for some reason Minakami never got his name.]

sven can and will literally be able to see this, hes gonna give you guys more 5's

[fuckdogramagra]

[ Indeed, Tamamori is crouched down next to the aisle, examining two different bath bombs than whatever their current target is. Honestly he's lost count- this is at least a few exchanges in to the chain for them, and he's getting distracted and bored. And mystified by all the strange soaking products- he has his phone up, having taken to it like a fish for some reason, scanning a little barcode and tapping his way through some kind of quiz. ]

What's the difference between grounding and soothing...?

[ He lifts his head up to ask the question of Mina, and instead blinks confusedly at- ] Oh! You! [ Temporarily, Tamamori abandons his beauty product mission to stand back up, gesturing with his phone at Kimm. He uh, also didn't get a name, but he's not going to let that stop him!! ] From the sweeping!

A; threadjack away!

[metafictions]

This quiet alleyway is a shortcut back to the only-a-little-sad Shuten hovel that Kamui Uehara calls home. By now, he's more than accustomed to passing youkai-- he can even ignore the majority of the weirder ones, too-- but today, something bright whizzes by his head fast enough that he pauses.

"A tsurubebi, right?" he mutters to himself as the ball of flame zips to the very end of the alley. The mass seems to hover in a bend, though, as if waiting... which is when Kamui feels a faint twinge of something in his left eye, dread gnawing at the back of his mind.

Does that ball of flame have a nose?

No sooner than he makes out the tsurube otoshi's features, however, does he hear the footsteps pounding down the mouth of the alleyway.

"Wait--" he holds up an arm, flagging the two young men down, "are you chasing that thing?"

[watermemory]

It's the taller man who appears down the alleyway first -- he's the faster runner, after all, even though he's been trying not to out-stride his companion -- and it's him who spots the stranger first, even through the relative shadows here, away from the brightly-lit main streets.

To tell the truth, he nearly has a heart attack, as the glow from the fleeing tsurubebi catches the light for a moment and makes Kamui's silver eye gleam white.

"...!!"

Even before they're flagged down, he's already skidded to a halt, one arm raised behind him so Tamamori doesn't decide to overtake him.

Rather than answering the question: "Who're you?"

[fuckdogramagra]

Tamamori may not have the height advantage or the fitness advantage of Minakami, but...for one, shut up, and for two, he's gotten a lot more experience running very recently. So while he may be lagging behind a bit, it's not by as much as someone who knows him would expect- which only means that Minakami skidding to a halt nearly has Tama plowing in to part of his back, mostly his arm. He doesn't exactly bounce off, because his instinct is to put his arms up and try and steady himself, but he does stumble a step backwards and look bewilderedly up at his friend, then around his shoulder at the stranger.

"Yeah- it's gonna get away though!" He's not quite at the point of ducking Mina's arm and pursuing, but he's clearly thinking about it, given his hands are still up as if to move the arm.

B

[killtime]

[ Truthfully, she almost didn't bother with the whole business. But even Andy, as mired in her ways as she is — even she can only drink, smoke, and wallow in her own existential crisis for so long. It feels like being Hell's fucking errand boy, but when the orders come down from the top that the haniwa figurines should be collected for the department, she finally gets her ass up and does something that doesn't involve abusing one of her internal organs. A bright-eyed, bush-tailed Enma recruit she is not, but nobody said she had to excited about it.

That's how Andy finds herself wandering Sutoku territory, trailing cigarette smoke behind her as she looks for figurines to pocket. It's the little clay fellow sitting on the table that catches her eye before the familiar face actually does, but when she recognizes Tamamori, her eyebrows pinch together ever so slightly.

After a beat, in lieu of greeting, flatly: ]

You ever get all that shit off your shoes?

[fuckdogramagra]

[ He's been so fixated on trying to adjust the Kawa-haniwa (kawaniwa?) that he doesn't even realize someone is walking up to their table- granted, neither does Minakami, because they're both cohabitative space cases like that -until the words hit his ear like a hammer on stone. His face reacts before Tamamori thinks to look up, and almost immediately, he flounders up to sitting upright and proper at the table, glasses askew and almost hanging off his face.

Well. This is, it's not exactly awkward, it's only awkward if Minakami realizes and he's probably too sucked in to his book right?????? ] Oh- uh, yes- [ Tama does the anime protagonist thing and ruffles his hair, adjusting his glasses back on top of his head while he's at it. ] Did you- what about you? You were the one who was sick...! [ Quick, pivot the conversation. ]

B!

[dehallow]

[ Van Zieks has technically been promoted away from street work tasks like these. Technically. In practice, his old supervisor had arrived at his tiny office early in the morning, practically begging him to go out collecting because 'the statues are spawning just everywhere and that can't be good and anyway, it's not like he has a lot of cases yet and it'll still be paid and--'

In the end, van Zieks had found himself relenting solely to shut the fussy youkai up. Taking long walks around the town has become second nature to him these past few months anyway.

When he finds Tamamori and Minakami, van Zieks is already carrying a basket with two Haniwa inside. A successful day, all in all. ]

Pray forgive the interruption, but those statuettes are being confiscated by the Department as per official orders.

[ He does not look like he feels he needs to be forgiven. Generally, he looks... imposing. His wardrobe here is an approximation of what he might have worn at home (cloak included) and his sword is, as always, at his side. ]

[fuckdogramagra]

[ Tamamori lets his eyes slide up from 'Kawako', up, and then up some more, expression withering the longer it takes to get to the man's stony face. There's an immediate sense in him that this man belongs inside a film, stalking the halls as the pretty lead blinks her big, doe-eyes at the audience, unawares...but he shakes himself out of it, and instead scoops up the haniwa in to his hands, cradling it to his chest. ]

Oh, uh- this one's not like the other ones! We made it, actually! [ The little felt university cap gets left on the table in Tama's haste to lie, and he whips his head over to look at Minakami, nudging him under the table with his shoe. ] We're studying these kinds of things, right?

A, drugstore (threadjacking from both welcome!)

[baofeng]

The young man who looks over from the opposite aisle looks like a character out of a period novel: long black hair half-tied up, cloudlike pale skin- in the sense that you looked at it and started imagining what texture it would have if you poked it- and the dress of a scholar in an era before pants. Which he was in a way, because he’d worn his grey Huaxia Army Student Strategist robes out to this drugstore like one wears an old college T-shirt.

“Forgive my rudeness in interrupting, but are you trying out hair products for the first time?” Yizhi swings over from the skincare section, one of the drugstore’s baskets dangling from a hand. It’s filled with a half-dozen facemasks. So like, this guy has to be an expert, right?

“You use leave-in after you’ve finished washing your hair, but before you style it. Regular conditioner is for during the wash itself.”

[fuckdogramagra]

Frankly, the Taisho twosome aren't much better in terms of standing out strangely; Tamamori is the worst, maybe, because he hasn't abandoned his kimono or hakama...but he spent his fifty credit allowance card on buying more important things than clothes. Or, uh, so he thought at the time. Now, he's having to compare the prices on conditioners for a stupid yokai so Minakami doesn't get ripped off by his own bleeding heart, and also trying to decide what toiletries he can consider 'appropriate' for himself.

"-oh," So, his response when being addressed comes off a bit lame, looking up from his two different bottles of conditioner; one some kind of hair mask proclaiming the POWER OF HORSE OIL, and the other emblazoned with flower patterns. This kind of guy- Tama can't decide if he fits right in, looking that ethereal, like he might be an immortal of some sort. It's enough to make him straighten his back and try to look less like a gremlin. "S-sort of?" Trying to multitask had left him comparing incompatible things, was how it sounded, so he set down the flowery bottle, then the horse oil one. Did horses go to hell? Maybe it came from horse yokai? "A demon asked for a conditioner to add 'volume', and I've never heard of such before..."

b; another one for the haniwa pile...

[tonguecutter]

[ It is with not a particularly heavy heart but a foldable shopping trolley (one of the first things she decided to splurge a bit on; there's no conceivable way she'd be able to transport ingredients efficiently without one) in tow that Beni-Enma strolls by the outdoor table, having spotted the two mops of black hair, one somewhat recognizable and one not, from high up in her own apartment unit. In said trolley sits one of the likely causes for her venture outdoors: a suspicious lump bundled in a towel, but the sparrow oni does not mention it at all as she makes a stop, opting instead to cast her gaze at the haniwa, decorated as it is. ]

...Are you sure you should be doing that?

[ She gestures with her free hand at the cap and uniform. To be honest, it's actually kind of cute, but that isn't the issue here. What is the issue is that the young man seems to be less concerned about the "should" and more about the "could". ]

everyone come see his daughter he's adopted

[fuckdogramagra]

[ Tama is doing his best to try and get one of Minakami's many loaned books to prop up in front of the kawaniwa, by using his goldfish watering can to balance the spine against, but it keeps slipping every time he's almost got it lined up perfectly. It's about when he's tempted to go fill up the can with water that he startles, drops the book, and whips his head up from his ever-so-laborious task. ] Ah! Sparrow oni girl!

[ Unlike most time when Tamamori realizes he's not asked for someone's name, this time- totally having nothing to do with Beni being cute and maybe a child -Tama actually swallows his bitter, petulant pride down. ] We never got to exchange names, did we? Sorry about that. You're from Japan, so Mizumori Tama. [ While still smiling at Beni, he waves a hand in his friend's face like a very nice person. ] Minakami...~

hani-what? threadjacking welcome!

[laughitoff]

[well, they're just asking to be bothered with a setup like that in public, aren't they?

Wei Wuxian lives somewhere in the neighbourhood, because he's never bothered to move out of whatever Sutoku counts as newbie housing, so that's why he's passing nearby and through with a couple of shopping bags hooked over an arm. the convenience-store snacks and drinks in them are obvious; the little clay arm poking up and out through those in one bag is less so.

when he notices them, he doesn't head over right away, but he does pause and bend towards something on the ground. a few moments later, a tiny folded grass bird suddenly lands on top of the haniwa's tiny felt cap, bouncing a little in Tamamori's field of vision. surprise!]

[fuckdogramagra]

[ Tama has seen a lot of strange things, since arriving in hell. Most of it has given him a headache- like slam-dunking a certain magazine on to a certain yokai's face, or the entire rain debacle he's still embarrassed by days after, but it's not all been bad. He's been taken by the funny little haniwa, at least half the demons he's run in to haven't been annoying, and he's seen a lot of things beyond even his own wildest dreams (which are, of course, pretty wild).

But something as simple as the little perching grass bird hopping on top of his delicately placed haniwa hat is just another one of those things that are utterly, distractingly neat about this otherwise kinda-exhausting place. And it's for that exact reason that Tama freezes, eyes locked on the bird...then reaches out as fast as he can to try and catch it in his hands like one might a grasshopper. For all he knows, it's some kind of yokai or animal native to hell!! ] Mina- I caught something! [ He's of course being careful to try and not squish the little grass bird, because now he has to show it to his friend!! ]

C - open to both characters!!

[aceslow]

[ When Kim first notices two boys pile into a unit close to his, Kim correctly identifies them as newcomers, likely nervous about the predicament they've found themselves in and reluctant to part. It is forgivable for the first night. He knows, too, that he's a more observant person than most, and comes to the happy conclusion that they won't get into trouble for an odd sleepover or two, especially if they keep things quiet.

But then they just keep doing it, over and over again, and Kim comes to the conclusion that they think that this is feasible for them to keep up permanently. It really isn't any of his business, but every time he notices them recklessly strolling down to the vending machines together, their music and voices too loud, cutting it far, far too close when the building superintendent comes to pry, he makes up his mind to say something. So late one evening, instead of having his nightly cigarette and going to bed, he waits outside of their apartment, knowing that around this hour, one or both of them tend to pop out, even briefly. Once one does, they'll be treated to the sight of Kim, bright orange jacket a beacon in the dim light of evening, looking up from reading an article on his phone. ]

Ah. Good evening, gentlemen. [ They are nothing of the sort, but still. ] I've been meaning to have a word.

[watermemory]

((BUSTED BY KIM KITSURAGI orz... Sorry about zoning out of the tdm thread, lot of off-RP stuff took my attention during app time and I feel awkward about that.))

[It really isn't like he's trying to be a pest. Unfortunately... two years of his landlady-slash-aunt looking the other way and not marking his hours means that, in this world without even the possibility of Madam Oizumi kicking his butt (not that, somewhere deep in Mina's soul, he doesn't believe she could manage to do so across realms), his caution has dwindled to a token effort.]

Eh, I'm taking out the... [His call back to his roommate, as he opens the door with a bag of empty soda cans and plastic trash, trails sharply off when he sees Kim at the door. It had been a brief meeting in the chaos of the pseudo-funeral, but he doesn't forget faces: The older man with the distinct accent, who'd helped him avoid the worst of the brawl until Minakami had seen his friend and broken off.] ...garbage.

[He just stands there holding the door-handle for a beat, deer in the headlights.] G-good evening. Do you need anything?

[baofeng]

“I don’t know, I just heard the locals say that-“

Oops, he may have revealed that he’s actually a bad influence a little too soon.

“Sure, I think it was worthy time spent. If you need anything else, let me know!”

But it’s alright, Yizhi figures, he’s told Tamamori about moisturiser and that’s a good deed. He was going to offer to talk to the yokai they’re struggling with too, but… it’s obvious that Minakami is trying to run away again, and he seems to be the babysitter one keeping the other on task. Yizhi doesn’t want to interfere in his work if that’s the case.

If only they weren’t heading to the cashier, though, because Yizhi also has to go there to pay.

[OOC: This seems like a good place to wrap up actually, what do y’all think? Or Yizhi can drop out and you two can continue the conversation because ngl I want to see Tamamori process the rumors]