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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Haha. No, it will take some time, for that. [Is that Matoba admitting that he expects they will all be here for a long time? Yes, and given the lifespan of a human (and his in particular), he's not really expecting he'll ever see home again.]

[But it won't matter, if his contract is fulfilled.]

[Matoba steps up to the register to order his caramel corn, and- why not- a box of M&M's, too. As he digs the change out of his wallet, he chuckles to Kimmuriel's accusation.] Guilty as charged. Enjoying sweets does not interfere much with my work, so I don't see the harm in it. There are worse vices out there, no?

[Things to enjoy while he can... Unbidden, the memory of what the Daitengu had said just before their "death" bubbles into his mind, but he pushes it down again. He drops the last few coins into the cashier's dish, takes his candy, and waits for his nice, fresh popcorn to be scooped. When it's sat on the counter, the smell from the bag is sickly-sweet and rich.] Ah, I wonder if I ought to have a drink, too...

[ Kimmuriel glances towards him at that statement, but doesn't pry. Matoba has his own plans, he's sure, but they're nothing to do with him - and he doubts he'd get to know much of them, anyway. ]

I can think of a few, [ Kimmuriel says dryly, watching the exorcist pick out his sweets. ] Yours is hardly the worst I have seen.

If you can afford it, then with your preferences, I see little to stop you. [ He wrinkles his nose a little at the smell of the bag - far too sweet for him - but doesn't do more than that; it's not as if he's getting it.

He picks something fizzy for his drink after scowling a little at the price, but it's flavored water rather than a full on soft drink. Carbonation, at least, doesn't disagree with him. ]

Then, I shall enjoy it to its fullest! [This is what we call enabling. He's already grabbing a handful to stuff into his mouth- what a glutton.]

[He notes Kimmuriel's drink choice, and smiles. So, he had taken a liking to it after all...... "Chewy" might not have worked out so well, but there were surely other strange food concoctions to introduce him to that they had not yet ventured. He just had to think of something else...!]

[As they approach the ticket turnstyles, Matoba glances at the other movie posters. Nothing else he recognized in particular. Were these other films taken from realms other than his own?] I hear this movie is the second in a series. ["Hears". It came out almost months ago already, for him.] Perhaps that one will make its way here, as well.

More connections to humans...they are certainly fascinated with it all. Or perhaps it is because you are both lost souls. [ Could the entertainment and items of his own world trickle down here in time, brought down the river or by other means? He does wonder. ]

...Are you not supposed to eat your food during the movie, rather than before? [ This is as close as he's going to get to any sort of objection. It is not a terribly strenuous one. ]

[Matoba smiles. Kimmuriel was noticing it for himself, now, was he?] It's obvious, isn't it? They might deny it, but humans are integral to their very existence. Even things as small as this.

Perhaps they believe that watching films allows them to understand humans without being in contact with them? [And if that was the case, the fake ass Natori in these films was certainly uh, a choice, to be trying to understand human emotions.]

Hm? What's a little taste while it's fresh? [Not that it's, like, fresh fresh but you know. He pops another handful, and munches while he hands his ticket to the kotengu ripping and handing back the stubs.]

Let's see... Auditorium 8... [Finding the dark theater eventually, he pokes his head inside and scans the crowd for familiar faces. It was mostly newer ones, from what he could tell in the dim light.] ...It seems we have quite a few juniors, now.

It is certainly a strange way to live. [ He knows he's repeating himself by this point, but an existence so tied to another's...

He can't say he can't imagine it. It is a little similar to the helpless 'devotion' Lolth's subjects, unwilling or not, had to their god and their place of birth. One and the same in some regards. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth, though he doesn't think the topic would go over easily with this human. ] I would think they would prefer more entertainment of their own design, but I would not claim to know how demons think.

[ He just sorta shrugs when Matoba takes a handful of popcorn, seemingly having no more to say about that. ]

[ He peers into the darkness at Matoba's comment about juniors, taking off his sunglasses and easily picking out the people of interest. The screen is blank, since the movie hasn't started, and so he doesn't need to put them back on yet. ]

There are quite a few new faces, [ he agrees, easily, only his eyes moving as he observes the audience. He doesn't even squint; darkness is his natural environment, after all. ] It seems the Daitengu's disappearing and reappearing act has done little to slow recruitment efforts. [ In fact, it may have accelerated them. ]

If the ayakashi I have come across back home are any indication, then that entails several weeks straight of sake consumption and, subsequently, intoxicated parlor-games and rampages through human territory, [Matoba cheerfully replies, munched through some caramel corn.] Much closer to the Night Parade's festivities, really. So in that case, I think we can be glad that they have chosen to emulate human pasttimes.

[Matoba charges forward to pick seats, and he presumes that Kimmuriel will follow too, so he makes sure there's a pair towards a middle row. Hmmm... Is pulling rank for good seats acceptable, around here...?] Perhaps there are concerns that there may be ...vacancies, [He murmurs, choosing to be more selective in that regard given they were surrounded in close quarters by fellow clansmen.] If certain segments of the Alliance decide they were not thrilled with that display, as many in our ranks seemed.

[He's not going to publicly state his opinion again, because they commiserated already, but- that fallout they had wondered about- it was likely to arrive swiftly.] ...I have already sensed a few out worth following up on. I suppose it is a duty of mine, now, if our boss sees fit to secure more practitioners...

Oh, also, [He glances towards Kimmuriel, raising an eyebrow at the glasses.] It's already quite dim in here, is it not?

[ That gets a snort out of him. ] Yours sound more civilized. The ones I know would joyously murder whatever they got their hands on. The more, the better - with sentient races being the best sport of all, naturally.

[ His tone is the same as usual. You know how it is. ]

You may well be right. Better to be overzealous now than to pay the price of deficits later.

[ He doesn't comment on practitioners. Matoba seems to be out and about, making his own connections. It's a good idea to consolidate a power base, at least. ]

...The contrast in lighting is still difficult for me to bear. I am more used to the darkness. [ He's usually always wearing sunglasses while out and about in hell, at any kind of hour. ] No doubt I will adjust in time, but until then, it is worth the inconvenience of carrying these about.

Haha, well, the murder rampages were usually on the part of the oni and ogre-types. [Matoba pauses, and then waves a hand,] I suppose Shuten makes this evident enough.

Not always. Beasts and others have their rampages, too.

[The ones Kimmuriel was familiar with sounded particularly troublesome, though. Perhaps someone ought to just get rid of them.......... Well, he'll keep that thought to himself.]

Even artificial light, in a theater? I see. [The fascinating adaptations an ayakashi must make to human-like society... That Hell's environment was as suited to human life as it was to ayakashi was a surprise even to him. If anything, he would have expected it to be more kind to Kimmuriel's ...type.] ...Does that mean entertainment you are used to is performed in total dark...?

[Speaking of the dark, the house lights dim, and the screen starts to flicker to life- looks like the movie (or at least, the ads) were starting. Oh boy- Matoba wasn't that excited to watch this silly romance movie or whatever it was Natori was in again, but he was excited to observe his performance.]

I see. [ oh he'd love to get rid of them but the Abyss is literally infinite. Beings of pure chaos are the worst. ]

Dark or dim lighting, yes. Nothing on this level. [ Not that he's one for entertainment. He puts his sunglasses on as the movie starts. ] ...Most of these demons must use sight in some way, I would guess. Which is lucky for you humans, I suppose.

[ He's more thinking aloud than actually expecting Matoba to reply to that, but he's voicing the thought regardless, which for him implies that he's opening a dialogue on some level.

He keeps an eye on the screen, but by the way his eyes and body language look, it seems he's more interested in watching the people around him than the movie itself. Sorry, Natori. ]

Hmmm... Many do, but there are many youkai with poor eyesight, as well. Most of them use scent to make up for it, so I wonder if they have a difficult time of making it around this city.

[He wonders if Kimmuriel was the same? ...No. Perhaps, he thinks, sparing a glance towards the drow's long ears in the gloom, he had other talents.]

...But for me, that might be fortunate. I normally have to be quite careful. [Matoba smiles cheerfully, murmuring, as the previews for other movies start up.] If an ayakashi happens to have a grudge against exorcists, they would be able to find me right away.

[Smelling what, exactly? Matoba doesn't elaborate, instead choosing to focus on the film. Honestly, he's pretty bored by the plot too, and anytime Natori isn't on screen he's focused on his snacks and the crowds, but there's a few times throughout the movie that Natori's performance gets a tiny chuckle out of him, or when he leans over to point out the lizard peeking out from under his clothes in this or that shot.]

...That parrot is an ayakashi, [Is what he guesses early on, when the first twist of the mystery is revealed. He mumbles it with such conviction, and a pinch in his brow.]

Perhaps they have markers, or some other way of navigation. [ He shrugs. ] Or they could very well be left to fend for themselves. The latter seems most likely here.

[ He glances at Matoba, his eyebrows raising a little. He supposes magic can leave its own traces, but that's strangely specific... ] I suppose when it is your business to deal with them, it leaves its own mark.

[ It's an open-ended comment. Kimmuriel isn't too interested in the movie, and is more interested in his companion's reactions, so actual commentary on the movie throws him off a bit.

... ] How can you tell? [ Squints?? ]

Edited 2022-06-02 01:42 (UTC)

Those eyes.... They're quite malicious, don't you think? [Matoba smiles cheerfully. It's hard to tell if he's just bullshitting or not.] The eyes of something which is harmful to humans, rather than a simple animal.

[The husband-to-be's parrot- escaped from its cage and found wandering about one day by his heiress fiancé in the ceiling tiles- unsettlingly murmurs the mysterious lines-- I just have to kill the next one, too-- and sets off the entire mystery for Akeboshi to solve, discovering the existence of the 3 prior heiress fiancés. That alone was perhaps creepy enough for one to think that the parrot might have been some manner of spirit warning humans of coming danger, or the familiar of some sinister being.]

[...It's not, though. It's just a parrot. The mystery would unravel itself soon enough.]

[But why not guess as the mystery went along?] ...Who do you think killed the previous fiancés, Kimmuriel-san?

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May 2022 IC Mingle

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