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.

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[And, as usual, she was utterly oblivious to the social issues that were going on in the background so she had very little idea of any discomfort. She just laughed, drink in hand right up until she blinked. Uhhhhhh...

Huh. Give her a second. She was thinking about what he'd just said. Had he? Oh right, he could figure out what the song meant? That'd be great. She'd love to hear what the song meant! She also probably wouldn't remember this the next day. She'd only remember a colossal headache and hangover.]

You can do that! I'd love that! Hey, you pick the next song!

[Another slam of ... her drink was empty. Frown.]

Uh, after you get me another drink?

[Congratulations on the good service?]

[ Finding her honest, if blunt, Xingqiu would attribute her behavior to being inebriated more so than her core nature. Despite their time together within the booth and sharing a song, they remain strangers. In fact, they haven't even exchanged names which is likely the nature of this occupation. He just provides a service, and she has a good time.

Which incidentally seems to be the case.

About to nod and confirm he can make a attempt to find someone to decipher the song he doesn't get a chance to correct her in that he wouldn't get any immediate results. He can think of a couple of people he can inquire about that music. He would just have to share contacts with her.

After he gets her that drink of course. ]

Certainly. I'll get it for you.

[ It takes but a moment to pour out the drink into a glass that is immediately offered. ]

Please enjoy. Now let me see what other music choices there are. You do seem to enjoy singing.

Sure! It's fun to do new things. I never really got to do new things back home until I got out of heaven.

[HIC!]

Haha, I didn't even really do a whole lot of drinking up there. They're always so stodgy in heaven, you know? It's all about enlightenment this, nirvana that... soooo boring, and they only ever eat peaches!

[The horror of it, not that she'd mind having one right now.]

[ Xingqiu listens intently despite busying himself with getting the drink, well it doesn't take much effort and he soon offers the glass to her but still remains attentive. Picking up on each word. He kind of understands her predicament in his own manner, although he does find opportunities to seek fulfillment. It won't last forever, his carefree days are coming to an end...

Yet there is a pause now that he is here. Although who knows what will come once he is back in Liyue.

For her, however, it's a place that by name alone should be the opposite of the city they're in now. He has to wonder if it's much the same as the land they're in now. Some interpretation or if she truly has found a realm for those exalted for their good deeds. ]

I do suppose eating the same thing daily can grow tiring. But that can apply to anything. Doing the same thing day after day, over and over, following expectations...

But I can't say I know heaven but I know of conventional people.

You aren't missing that much. I mean, sure they're the peaches of immortality so there's a benefit, but that sameness? I just never saw the appeal. Mortal worlds are so much more interesting.

[She sighed and grinned over at him, winking.]

Conventional people are much more fun. They don't have it all handed to them. They get to do whatever they want. Especially these days. They're so free! I'm jealous of it all.

[ The bits and pieces of information he is gathering about her place of origin do get his interest. It's why he doesn't cut in to interrupt. Although he is curious solely for knowledge, nothing more. It has him lowering his head in thought. To think there is something as simple as a fruit that can grant long life. His own world does offer some promise of ascension but he isn't sure how that truly functions. He is sure no one but perhaps the archons truly know what all that entails.

Looking up he catches her winking and he can't help but raise an eyebrow. Not solely as a response to action but also to words. ]

Conventional people? Typically I find them to be entrenched in tradition and hardly willing to deviate from their orthodox ways.

Baaaaaah, that's no fun! That's as bad as heaven then! Mortals only get one life. You should live it freely.

[...you know, considering the history she came out of before going to heaven, she could definitely be rather libertine in her approach to stuff. But, when you were immortal? Maybe it just sometimes changed perspective.]

Tell me. What do you want to do right now?

[Besides selling her drinks, because she's clearly buying.]

[ He can't say anything in regards to heaven but he knows well enough that there is no fun to be found in those who wish to conform completely. People who constantly concern themselves with reputation rather than individuality; there is also a flipside. Eccentrics who show their true stripes have difficulty finding a place in a land steeped in tradition.

There are things that must be kept hidden, it's not mere disapproval that is feared but an end to his gallivanting about in search of heroics through Liyue. Or the pursuit of his own passions.

Her question takes him aback. Sudden and unexpected. ]

Right now? Wouldn't anyone wish to return where they originate from?

Well, perhaps that's not the case with you...

[ But in Liyue, if he returns he can continue with his responsibilities in hopes that if he can manage to toil away enough then he would be free from any obligations to the family business. ]

Hrmmm. No, I could see that. [sip] Sorry, I don't think I said it the right way. I'm just... immortals kind of take a long view to that kind of thing. Getting back? I'll get to that eventually. I'm not thinking quite that big.

[It wasn't exactly the sort of thing she understood too well. She was just going with the flow because the situation had entertainment value.]

Let's say you're ok with where you are, just for tonight. You know you'll get home eventually. What do you feel like doing while you're here?

[ Her perspective on their stay is probably the best way to respond to the present. Although in his own way Xingqiu has attempted to keep focus on where they are now rather than concern himself with matters that are beyond his reach. Why worry when he can't make changes, it's only logical, and yet concern filters in. Every day that passes means time that he cannot devote to reaching a goal.

But here he has a lot more freedoms. There isn't a single person to dictate what he eats, or how he presents himself. There are really no restraints, it's something he figured out from the start. But isn't it almost meaningless? ]

So what you're asking me to do is pretend.

[ Okay, he can play that game. He knows it well. ]

...More than read through pages rather than continue to follow another author's tale then I would like to... well to be honest I would be satisfied sharing a novel with a friend.

Well not so much ... but yeah, you got the idea.

[She listened to him and blinked. Huh. She actually had never really met a bookworm. Ok, there was Patchouli, but nobody really ever talked to her. She was always tucked away in the vampire's library doing whatever it was that she did all the time. Probably researching some new spell and then collapsing in exhaustion because she was so out of shape.]

You know, I know a woman you'd probably love to meet back home. Totally loves books. We're not that close though.

But I guess they probably have some decent books around here. [Pause] Might have to find ones that aren't smut, though.

[ Really? Xingqiu feels certain that this is playing a game of pretense if he has to discount his first priority which is getting home. Although admittedly little effort has been made on that front. It's a bit easy to sink into freedom but then again he still worries. This brings him back to thinking about Xu, he can't help but wonder what lengths has that man gone to in order to find him.

Perhaps he has made it as far as Fontaine...

Anyone who has a penchant for reading must be of fine character and really that makes him all the curious although already aware they aren't close. Still, it doesn't mean there aren't future opportunities to build bonds. Books may provide entertainment and are a source of inspiration but they don't always make for fine company.

At the mention of smut he can't help a polite laugh. ]

Yes, I've heard the selection found within the Tamamo Clan's territory is limited but a friend has recommended a few books to me before which I found engaging. I can give you the list.

[She, herself, wasn't the avid reader that Patchouli Knowledge was. that one could devour books almost literally. But, when he mentioned the possibility, she considered it in her semi-drunken state and then nodded once. Hey, she could peck at one now and again.]

It might not be bad. If you find one you'd think I might like, sure, send it my way and I can try it out.

Heh, you're gonna start Hell's first book club aren't you?

[ Anyone can read, however, not everyone could get the same enjoyment out of pages. Xingqiu understands that well enough but it doesn't keep him from encouraging people in seeking adventure and knowledge within text. There is so much to be gained from just picking through a few novels, if he were honest, he took great inspiration from his favored books. It's reading that molded his character, it is also what leads him to pursue his own dreams and aspirations.

He offers her a nod then since she accepted his offer. He would be sure to do so, but even he understands that while he may enjoy intricate storylines weaved into several volumes not everyone is ready to tackle thick tomes. He would have to find something of interest, short stories could be the way to go. ]

Well... I am not sure if I would go that far.

[ While he is content to interact with some people, hosting guests and entertaining (even if they share a hobby) doesn't exactly sound ideal to him. It can be exhausting and he would have to show some degree of politeness at all times, and behave himself... maybe he is going to pass on that opportunity. Perhaps someone else would take on the task. ]

Yeaaaah... that'd probably be a whole lotta work wouldn't it? Just to get people to read. but hey, it's a thought anyway.

[Mostly a silly one that she was only thinking about right then kind of out of the blue. She tapped at her lips, pondering it for a minute and noticed her drink was empty before holding it out to him.]

Just one more, if you could.

(OOC: this one feels like it's at a good handwave point if you want to let it reach its natural conclusion.)

Edited 2022-07-05 21:57 (UTC)

[ Persuading people to read novels is not what he would find difficulties with, he assumes such clubs would naturally draw in those who have a passion for literature. Instead, he can see disagreements arising when selecting books. Considering someone has to organize events, plan, and host their meetings. All that sounds taxing, he finds himself with a reminder of the image he projects of himself in Liyue. Is that also something he would have to do?

Xingqiu is content to read books on his own, or maybe narrate tales out loud to close friends and no more. ]

Right away.

[ Once she asks for another refill he naturally obliges her request. The glass is once again full to the brim with the alcoholic beverage. And he would do this as many times as she asks for more assuming a being from a heavenly realm can handle alcohol. If he is wrong, he would see her home or at least find her a room to recover. He is a good little host... ]

(ooc: yeah this is a good spot to conclude this thread（*＾ワ＾*）)

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May 2022 IC Mingle

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