jigokulogs | May 2022 IC Mingle

May 2022 IC Mingle

1. WELCOMING COMMITTEE

The influx of fresh Lost Souls means the factions need to have a little welcoming party for them. The leaders realize things have been chaotic in the city. So some recreational activities are in order. All Lost Souls will receive a message from their respective faction leaders with orders to go have some fun.

The Shuten Clan are given an advance on their first paycheck and told to go to the Celestial Phoenix Casino. A big sign on the half boarded up door proudly proclaims UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. What happened to the old management? It doesn't matter and stop asking questions! The important part is that all games and machines are half-price and there are special prizes available in exchange for your chips and tokens. Games range from the traditional Western style (poker, roulette, slots) to Japanese favorites (cee-lo, koi koi, cho-han).

As for prizes, they have a selection of designer goods, including some particularly nice bracelets, necklaces, and watches!

The Tamamo Clan are given a considerable number of drink vouchers for Crimson Moon Karaoke, where they can sing their hearts out and while absolutely smashed. Private rooms are cheap to rent and they even offer a special discount for groups of two or more. The karaoke machines have any songs you could possibly want, which is a little suspicious, but don't question it! Just get drunk and have fun. By all means, extend your time as you wish and drink up to get in the proper mood. This is an important bonding opportunity.

Oh yeah, as an important note: the rooms are soundproof. You can get as loud as you like, be it with singing or... something else. Don’t do anything Tenko-hime wouldn’t do!

Members of The Sutoku Alliance are given tickets to Fiance of the Funeral Procession at the Pluto Theatre and Cafe. The tickets include free food at the cafe, including beer. Sure, the star may not be a Sutoku member but that doesn't matter too much: getting butts into seats at Sutoku-owned theaters is what’s important. The Daitengu rented the theater out for the day, so there is plenty of time to mill around both before and after the show.

Make a day, or night, of it!

A funeral-based romantic comedy melodrama as the viewing fare is probably a tasteless joke on the Daitengu's part. But hey, y'all aren't still mad that they crashed their own funeral and then took off laughing, right?

Right?

The Department of the Enma members are told that they're going to be doing a team-building exercise. What exactly does that mean? That's right, it's community cleanup time! You get to clean up cans and trash in the street! You get the honor of using a department-issued bike with an attached cart to wheel around the city and pick up trash! How exciting! Teamwork is encouraged, of course. Teams that collect enough garbage will get one (1) voucher for mini-golf.

Please be aware of the local homeless population as you work, they won’t be happy to see you. They normally collect the cans in the mornings as a meager source of income that you’ll be dipping into. They're probably just not happy with Enma officials in general though. Sorry!

2. IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING...

By the time you're done with your faction-sponsored fun, the sky has decided to open up. Hope you brought your umbrella! The rain is bad enough that walking home might not be an option right now. So take refuge in one of the many nearby nightlife spots.

Not in your faction's home territory? Doesn't matter! Make some friends outside your group or maybe get into a fight and cause some trouble. There's always the third option of ignoring everyone and drinking yourself silly instead! The rain has to let up eventually… right?

Hopefully you aren't caught near one of the cursed Haniwa figures that have been popping up around town. Their aura really dampens the mood and may even start to cause some dramatic and frightening hallucinations if you and your rain-stranded friends stay near them for too long. But remember! Do not break the figurine. Just try to move it somewhere else? And hopefully not get drenched in the process.

Welcome to the IC mingle!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ does robin go anywhere unprepared? no, but he certainly has enough common sense to have an umbrella stored at the karaoke place; it's not like he's never been there before, and he does love singing. it is what he does best, after all! so as he skips through puddles, doing his own little impression of 'singing in the rain', it's only when he goes down one certain street that those statues happen to be... following him?

no, it's just merely a coincidence. that's all.

but one sits in the middle of his path, not blocking him per se, but... it's there. robin stops and bends down, keeping his umbrella over his head, staring at it with wide green eyes... ]

Eh?

[ turning his head, he sees jack and smiles at them lopsidedly. ]

You think? They seem so cute! I wanna take one home with me.

[ not like there aren't some already there, just waiting for him as a surprise. ]

You want to do what?

[ clearly he must be joking. did they hear that right? are their ears messing with them?

after a moment of making sure that they heard exactly what they heard, jack shakes their head as they approach the stranger, seemingly uncaring of the rain that begins to soak them. ]

I don't believe that's a good idea. Do you lack any sense of danger?

[ um. they must've not heard him the first time, so he'll repeat (in a slightly more sing-songy tone): ]

The cute little statues! I think it'd be happy on my windowsill, staring out into the streets.

[ but he notices that this person is... really just letting themselves get wet, huh? they're going to catch a cold. he quickly scoots over to make sure his umbrella covers them too. ]

A sense of danger? [ a moment, as he thinks. ] No. Think I can buy one of those?

[ hehe. ]

[ oh. jack doesn't really expect this stranger to approach them with the umbrella, and they're caught between looking up at what's over their head and trying to react to the stupidity that they just heard.

and here they thought that they had already had more than enough of happy-go-lucky idiots. ]

You're just inviting danger. [ jack sighs, equal parts annoyed and concerned ] I'm telling you, those things will more quickly put a curse in your house than serve as good decoration.

Really?

[ robin thought that he had a pretty good idea of what might bring him ruin, personally or otherwise, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to listen to second or third opinions on the matter. it is a little upsetting because, after all, these little statues don't seem to be particularly evil or anything.

just creepy. ]

Is that why we're supposed to take them somewhere else?

[ he rubs the back of his neck, humming in thought. ]

I suppose.

[ it's not like they're part of the enma to be knowing the intricacies of why all of these figures have to be there.

they give the statue a side glance, followed by another sigh. ]

But you're still thinking of taking it, aren't you?

[ he might be crouched down, ready to pick up yet another weird 'friend' to add to a probably growing collection? some by his own design, some by the fact they're just kinda poppin' up wherever and whenever. ]

Um. No! Not at all.

[ robin whistles, stands up, tucks his hands in his back pockets. ]

I don't know why you'd think that! Do I look like someone who would... ignore... warnings?

[ with no hesitation at all: ]

You absolutely do.

Oh!

[ wow, so quick to answer. with that one hand not holding the umbrella, he scratches his chin. ]

Thanks, I think!

[ because that's a compliment. right? probably??? ]

So have you seen things like this before? I don't think I have.

That was-- ah, never mind.

[ they've done this song and dance before and this is eerily similar. jack's not sure if they like it, but part of them is coming to realize that this kid truly does not mean harm, aside from being way too airheaded for his own good.

so instead, jack allows the subject to be changed. they stare at the haniwa curiously, tilting their head to the side. ]

No, I cannot say that I have. More reason to try and leave them alone.

[ robin's pleased with himself--- jack seems like a very nice person? or maybe he's just incredibly bad when it comes to guessing someone's intentions, especially when they may not have any in the first place?

this is the kind of song and dance that robin enjoys. bewildering people with his innocence because... well. that's just who he is. ]

Maybe I should get rid of the ones I have back in my room...

[ okay so maybe now he's a little worried? but he did put cute little ribbons on the ones he's found so far. yellow ones! ]

... do you think having two or three is a problem...

....

[ ......

did they just hear what they think they just heard. ]

Two...or three? In your room?

Uh huh! Why, do you want to see them?

[ they're kinda cute, reminding him of some weird creatures from a video game he played once. gyroids, if he recalls correctly. ]

The only thing that's kind of weird is that... I don't know, but they give off this feeling...

Are you daft? Is earwax pouring out of your ears? Do you not hear a thing that I am telling you?

[ they groan, exasperation levels growing to increasingly worrisome levels. this kid might just be a little too similar to flat for comfort. no, perhaps even worse than that. at least flat would find a way to neutralize its effects somehow! ]

Yes, yes, those things are causing it because they are bad omens. I am certain of it.

[ robin takes a moment to make sure his ears are clean, and indeed they are. ]

I did! I just... I was gathering them up before you said anything... that's all.

[ he looks away, mostly so he can avoid looking at jack and their judging eyes. ]

I guess I could take them to the Enma people. Or maybe I could just bury them somewhere? Like behind my apartment building? [ a beat, then: ] Oh! I can just throw them away!

[ jack sighs, rubbing their temple with one hand. ]

I'm not sure what would happen if you buried or threw them away... that's probably beyond my specialty, if you could even call it that. [ sometimes you have knowledge of cursed objects because you May have been a cursed object. ] But the best thing is to probably keep it far from your vicinity. Maybe even cleanse you apartment or something.

[ they shrug. ]

Do you know an exorcist or something?

[ specialty? huh. well, it never hurts to know someone that knows something pretty invaluable! especially when robin's expertise is in singing, eating sweets, and making somewhat poor decisions on a regular basis despite having the best intentions in mind and at heart. ]

No, but... I'm sure I'll be fine. Right, friend?

[ can he call jack a fwiend??? at the very least, they seem to tolerate his optimism. that's a good thing, right? ]

I think I know how to cleanse my place. I've seen it on shows before.

Fr-friend?

[ oh god. ohhh god, it's this all over again. jack has to hold back from visibly cringing at the idea, but at the same time they can't help but feel an increasing concern over this person. if he's considering someone they just met a friend, then who knows what other types of questionable people he's called a friend?

jack runs a hand through their hair, and sighs. ]

Is that so? Then I'll hold you to it. But, um...do you not have other...eh...friends that can help you, maybe?

Um... I do! But...

[ well. there's just something about them that they like? hard to put a finger on things like this, but the gut knows what it wants. ]

... you feel different. Is that weird?

[ he rubs the back of his neck, sheepish smile on face. ]

[ . . . ]

I guess you could say that. I'm somewhat of a unique case.

[ jack doesn't say this to brag, nor do they look very proud about it either. defeated by this stranger's logic (or lack thereof) jack decides to go along with it, with little more than a sigh. ]

Call me Jack, by the way. Pleasure to meet you.

Jack...!

[ oh, he loves that name for them. that they so happen to share the name of his twin, of the one who the mostly-pleasant leader of their faction has promised to robin that he could see again... as long as he continues to work hard for the tamamo.

pardon his exclamation. robin immediately giggles, shaking his head. ]

My name is Robin. Robin Laffite.

Robin. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.

[ jack tries, as fruitless as it may be, to keep some distance between themselves and robin. not physically, but psychologically. they don't want this young man to grow attached to them--not out of spite, but simply because they don't see themselves as ready for it again. especially not in hell.

but they are, truly glad to have met someone that's this friendly, as concerning as it also is. ]

How long have you been here for?

[ they're not quite like his jack, but... hey. in his heart, all jacks are welcome. ]

It's been a month or two, I think! Maybe longer, but I've lost track of time. Things tend to go pretty slow and then quick when you work in a bar...

[ especially one where you're asked to do things beyond serving drinks. ]

But it's funny. A lot of the lost souls here are very kind, despite all of us being in hell. I've always thought hell is where all the bad people go, you know?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

May 2022 IC Mingle

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