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.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He dresses loudly, frequently participates in the Arena as both spectator and competitor, and makes a big deal about honor within the clan.

[ Lio got his drink finally, helping himself to a long sip before continuing. ]

But I've nosed around, and the Shuten Clan is involved in a lot of shady stuff, which isn't surprising. They may consider themselves stewards of their territory, but they're also the ones controlling what poisons it.

[Chris wrinkled her nose, while frowning deeply.]

And now we're a party to shit like that. Great. Just great.

[Chris didn't want to be someone who hurts people. Not anymore. And now she might not have any choice in the matter.]

Thinking about it in strictly black and white terms will just give you heartache.

[ Lio hummed, sipping his drink again. ]

Ask around the locals what they think of the Shuten Clan... most of them praise them. They take care of their needs, and legitimately protect them when other groups try to muscle in on the territory. The Oni may have some contempt for "the week", but they at least recognize that their power comes with some responsibility...

All the hustling and exploitation... it seems to just come with the territory, but there's an almost refreshing honesty to it.

No one here is pretending to be a saint.

[Black and white. Chris grips her drink harder, though not hard enough to break the glass. She grit her teeth, and nodded.]

I just. Don't want anymore blood on my hands.

I don't think you're going to get a choice... but one thing you can make sure of is that whoever stains your hand with their blood, make sure they at least deserve it.

[ He had no illusions of their life in this world being pacifistic. It was obvious what Toraguma was interested in. He wanted soldiers, and that's what they were... ]

[Tch.]

I just...I made a promise. To my mom and dad's memory. That my songs would be used for peace.

[She looks down.]

There's also a lot of people back home that I don't want to let down. But the way you say it, I guess I don't have a choice. And whiners seem like they'll get left behind in this place.

[ A hand moves to her shoulder, gentle in its grip. ]

I get it. I really do.

I don't think anyone you made that promise to, if they really care about you, is going to hold this situation against you.

[Chris tenses up when she feels Lio touch her shoulder...but after a moment, she relaxes. She looks at him out of the corner of her eye, and smirks.]

...Thanks. I guess you can be a cool guy, after all.

[ Just the faintest hint of a smile. ]

I wouldn't go that far. I'm like fire, remember.

[ He moved his hand off her shoulder, snapping his fingers to send up a brief, brightly colored spark of flame. ]

Literally.

[Chris turns to look at him fully. For once, she actually looks impressed.]

Wow...

...Just don't expect me to call you 'hot stuff', alright? You're not my type.

[Meant as a joke, clearly.]

Definitely don't ever call me that.

[ A small chuckle. ]

Speaking of "your type", did you ever find anyone to use those tickets with?

[At this, Chris blushed and looked away, shaking her head.]

Not exactly. Haven't exactly had any time to make friends, and I'm not exactly looking for someone more than that.

[Not entirely true, but anyone she felt that way about was a world away.]

And I wasn't just being dismissive when I said I probably wouldn't enjoy myself...

[ But he still felt a little bad about it. ]

Don't worry, I'm not planning to ask you again.

[She let out a heavy sigh before sitting back.]

I dunno. I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to go, if you get my meaning.

... Maybe treat it as a goal to work towards?

No sense in not making friends here... it sounds like we're in for a long haul.

...I suppose that's a worthwhile idea. I'll keep it in mind.

[She smirked a bit.]

Gee, thanks. It's almost like all this is you lookin' out for me.

[ He shrugged, offering a smirk of his own. ]

We're in this together. Might as well, right?

Heh, I can't argue with that logic.

[She took another drink.]

I got a bunch of advice on how to be a yakuza from some old guy on the network. I guess it's time I followed it and stopped complaining.

... Old guy?

[ Wait. ]

Do you mean Majima?

I think that was his name.

[ Okay he's just... he's just gonna... legitimately giggle. Look at that, Chris, you made him giggle. ]

You clocked Majima as an old guy?

[ Well he supposed Majima definitely wore a certain age on his face, even if the guy was physically not that much older than Lio. ]

[Chris blinked in confusion.]

He seemed to have a lot of experience! Like he'd been in the yakuza for a long time!

May 2022 IC Mingle

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