jigokulogs | 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

I like the fries. They have a good seasoning. [ Otherwise...hm, there isn't anything he dislikes from this café. Minato doesn't really have a huge list of foods he won't eat or doesn't like, though. He's pretty much willing to inhale anything if he feels hungry.

He doesn't question how little Beni has on her plate. Everyone's different, no reason to fuss. If she wants more, she can have more. ]

I also like these little cakes with the cream inside. What about you?

[ Beni nods, acknowledging his response. Fries are good. Seasoned well enough to this young man's liking. ]

...I don't have a favorite. I don't have my sense of taste, so I've just been observing how others react to the food.

[ The small smile on her face stays on as she continues to speak. If someone's going to ask her directly, there's little point in her lying or shying away from the subject, and it doesn't really bother her anyway. She just picked dumplings out of familiarity. ]

That doesn't mean I can't appreciate handiwork when I see it, though. I do notice things like how well the cakes have been filled, or how well the dumplings have been folded, chirp.

[ Or the lack thereof... Fortunately, this establishment is decent when it comes to its culinary pickings. Not up to par for her own standards, if she were running the place, but for a faster joint, the food does what it's supposed to. ]

Your sense of taste? Did something happen?

[ Here, he means. Or is that a normal problem? Minato doesn't know for sure, but if she brushes him off he won't pry further than that one question.

He's just curious. Is it something he needs to worry about himself? ]

[ She's taken aback for a moment, not out offense to the question, but because she doesn't get that question often, though she also hasn't been introducing her whole title right off the bat as she normally would to her guests, which would pre-emptively answer any questions about that. With the large variety of lost souls here, from various worlds and hailing from different cultures, she may have subconsciously thought that it may serve to confuse more than elucidate. Even this young man, Japanese in appearance he may be, may not have heard of her. ]

It was a long time ago. A mean old woman cut off an injured sparrow's tongue, but an old man saved her and nursed her back to health, before he returned her to the mountains. In return, the sparrow welcomed the old man to the sparrow's inn.

[ Maybe he's heard of a similar story while growing up, maybe not. It's just a Japanese fable, after all, one of many that are taught to children to guide them onto virtuous paths. In short, nothing for him to worry about happening to him, personally. ]

[ Hm. He does know the story, and since he's in Hell right now, the story lodges as something that might be true. Besides, he knows a lot of things that seem unlikely but which are true...where he's from. Still, she's talking about it like it's a story, so he won't call her on it directly. ]

Hm...but, texture is okay?

[ A story is simply what it is. A story is what that precious snapshot of that moment in her life is, a tale passed down from generation to generation. And maybe, a story is how she tells it, sometimes, in order to both distance herself from the crueler parts while acknowledging that such a thing happened. ]

For as much as I can feel it, yes. The rest of my mouth is fine.

[ She gives him a calm smile, seemingly undeterred by the fact that she obviously can't actually feel much texture with the nub of a tongue she has left. But that's what the roof of her mouth and her teeth are for, to help her tell how tender or crispy or crunchy something is, and she's grateful to still be able to feel that much. ]

I'll keep it in mind for the future.

[ ...For what? Who knows. If he finds a really cool texture food, maybe he'll share it! There's not much other ways to take that, really. ]

Do you like warm or cool foods better?

Edited 2022-05-26 03:13 (UTC)

When it comes to eating and making, I'd say I like warm food more.

[ Beni nods to herself. Not to say she can't enjoy or make some chilly desserts or dishes when she wants to, such as something along the lines of a mean cold soba, but it's simply a matter of preference. Warm foods make her think of equally warm homes and shelter. ]

Why do you ask, chirp?

[ She's not suspicious, just curious. The notion of someone, a stranger, sharing something with her out of the blue is rare enough that it hasn't quite crossed her mind...yet. ]

If I find something good to eat with a nice texture, I'd like to know if it was the right temperature.

[ Not like he's sure if he'll find anything. It's just a minor idea in the back of his head right now. ]

To...share it, you mean?

[ With her? A complete stranger? They don't even know each other's names, save for Beni's description of her own folk tale. The thought, if true, would be enough to make her smile, a warmth in her heart, her bias for humans coming to the forefront once more. Her question is cautious but not wary, and her voice is not one of doubt but one of pure curiosity. ]

Yeah. Isn't it more fun to eat with someone else?

[ And anyway, he thinks there should be things she'd get to enjoy more. It's a bit sad to not be able to taste and enjoy. ]

[ She chirps in delighted agreement. ]

Of course. I'm just much more used to being on the side serving the food that's being eaten, than eating with others.

[ That's not to say she was lonely at her work, far from it. The ten sparrows who surrounded her with such love and companionship made sure of that. But when large banquets are held, someone has to be the one making and serving all the food, no? ]

May 2022 IC Mingle

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sorry about that delay, work was hectic the past few days

all good; ran into a delay myself lol

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