OPEN ➸ May Catchall

[worldbent]

Who ⬤ Matoba and you!
What ⬤ Curses. So very many curses- eye attack, haniwa, and... the arcade?
When ⬤ Throughout May
Where ⬤ Around the city, but mostly Sutoku territory
Content Warnings ⬤ Possible light violence from the attack prompt?


1 ➸ Fight Fire With Fire (Substory 4/May Eyeakashi Attack)

[ooc; please read this info/permissions post before replying to this prompt (and feel free to ping me with questions!)]

[A]

[Whatever you happen to be doing when the low, rumbling groan begins to sound from the sky overhead of you, the crowds around you uneasily stop and glance around. Its source is unclear, and others on the street seem equally puzzled-- all but one, a man, who withdraws the paper parasol tucked into his obi and opens it with a smile. Matoba bends over, and deposits something on the ground from a bundle he is carrying- if your eye is sharp, you'll see that they're those haniwa that have been popping up around the city, the ones the Enma specifically said not to mess with. His parasol is left to shade them, like a little house.]

[Are you going to ask what he's up to?]

--

[B]

[If not, he begins to walk away from his little dioarama- directly towards you, it so happens.]

[A mass of black sludge suddenly rockets out of the sky and smashes into the sidewalk moments later, leaving a small crater where the man had been; instead of him, the haniwa are devoured in an instant, absorbing a seismic flash of cursed energy that anyone with spiritual senses is sure to feel. The parasol is left crunching into its formless, toothy mouth before it realizes it has been tricked, and stares into the crowd- directly at Matoba.]

[And you.] OooouuGGGHHhhhhh.... EYE..


2 ➸ Cursoid (Substory 4)

[The trouble with cursed objects was that they seemed innocuous to those that needed to avoid them the most. As more and more of the little haniwa figurines began to appear throughout the city, Matoba had reluctantly taken it upon himself to do what he could to seal and remove them from public spaces, either delivering them to Department of Enma stations or whisking them away to less populated spaces. Those in Enma may find themselves tasked with a sudden delivery, wrapped in strange paper spells as Matoba gives you a skeptical once-over.] ...Are you sure you can handle this?

--

[Those outside the Enma- those who can't leave well enough alone on the streets- get even less benefit of the doubt.]

I'd appreciate if you could avoid touching that. [His tone is more exhausted than sharp, at this point; you might get the sense that he's tired of repeating himself, but with people kidnapping them to dress them in cutesy little costumes and all manner of other absurdities, he's really over it. Maybe he should just let you all get cursed.]


3 ➸ SHMUP is just fun to say (arcade)

[Some time ago, Matoba made the Daitengu a promise. For a while there, it seemed as if that promise would be a fruitless endeavor... After all, why compete against a dead body? Fortunately, news of the Daitengu's demise was highly exaggerated, and so Matoba can be found in the arcades from time to time, his single uncovered eye narrowed in focus.]

[...He is, as Daitengu said, 'in the zone'.]

[Bright lights and colors flash across the screen as explosions and bullets fly across the screen, Matoba's movements precise and automatic. It was pretty different from the old 90's games he'd played growing up in the rural arcades back home- flashier, extra mechanics- but the basic idea was the same, right?]

[Alas, after a tough late-stage boss battle, his ship explodes. Matoba lets out a soft 'tch', finally detaching from the machine to reach into his coinpurse for more yen... When he finally notices you hovering nearby with a slow blink. Forgive his strained eye, it needs to refocus.]

...My apologies, were you waiting for this machine?

----
[Hit me at kitsoru or via PM for plotting or questions!]

Comments

1B

[appleforyou]

[Bulleta had warned him it was coming. A few days prior, she had fulfilled her objective - she'd found the ayakashi and started monitoring its movements pretty much 24/7. Did that mean she was sleep deprived right now? Oh, certainly. But she was used to it. The adrenaline and the endorphins kept her alert. This was what she lived for. About 30 minutes ago, she sends out a message:

It's on the move again - heading your way

And with that, she's on the move again, too, pursuing the creature to its intended target. Its target who she can now see in the distance. Its target who ... is just. Standing there?? Seemingly unarmed???? Great. Wonderful. Love it. A++ self-preservation Matoba thank you you're a peach of a client.]

WHAT ARE YOU JUST STANDING AROUND FOR, YOU STUPID--

[She skids to a stop beside him, gun at the ready, just in time for the ayakashi to land and consume the haniwa.]

FUCK.

[Is that the end of an insult or a brand new exclamation? Yes. The word is both residually angry and a little awestruck.]

[worldbent]

[Warning noted. It was useful, having that heads-up; he wondered if he couldn't formulate some spell in order to monitor it from afar, or a divining method, since it seemed trapped in locality with him. Not that there was anything either of them could do to each other, when it was not "that time".]

[Matoba is indeed standing around, at the edge of a crowd who have stopped to gawk at this lunatic setting up a cursed summoning circle of haniwa in the middle of a little lot on the street, and it doesn't take him long to spot (or uh, hear) Bulleta screeching at him from afar. The curse dives down towards him--]

[--He gives a little wave! (To Bulleta, not this disgusting thing)--]

[Just in time for the black mass to smash headfirst into the sidewalk and devour the haniwa whole. Matoba smiles at it, radiating loathing, and reaches to his sleeve to place his hand on the hilt of his concealed tanto.] I had a feeling you would enjoy those. Ate them all up, did you?

Unfortunately, that was not my eye. Seems you lose again.

[He locks eyes with Bulleta though his attention remains on it, a silent warning. It's not over just yet. Not until it leaves.]

[appleforyou]

[Bulleta stands, tense and frankly unsure what exactly to make of this exchange between the two. This... thing is definitely unlike anything she'd hunted before. It was sort of fascinating. Ugly as sin, though. But really, what monster wasn't? Except for Rikuo, of course.

She can, at least, make sense of the look Matoba gives her, and gives the smallest of nods in return as her eyes drift back to the ayakashi.]

...So you tricked it, huh? I like that. [+1 Respect.]

[worldbent]

[Right, for a fishman.]

Isn't it funny how moody ayakashi get when you turn their tricks against them? [He chuckles, sliding his gaze towards the creature as it growls. Its body roils with irritation at its prey escaping, and his subsequent mockery- even if it can't quite understand the words. For a moment it looks as if it might want to take a second swipe, but Matoba raises two fingers and gathers his aura into a precise point as a threat.]

Oh? You don't like that? I guess you had better try harder then, next time. Go on, now.

[There's a long pause of a standoff before it finally starts to slink off, causing a minor panic in the crowds of ayakashi on the street that didn't want to have anything to do with it. Matoba watches, and when he's satisfied that it won't try turning back again, he strolls over towards Bulleta.] A job well done. I'm excited to read your report... Once I send payment over, of course.

2

[laughitoff]

[Wei Wuxian...is not going to stop touching that, though to his credit he appears to be fully aware that the haniwa he's carrying with its face poking out of his wide sleeve is cursed as shit, and is handling it with full confidence anyway. he's always been a believer in jucidious experimentation with this sort of thing, especially when his own normal toolset's become so limited.]

Ah, don't worry, I'm very good at telling when what I'm seeing isn't real anymore, even here. Lots of practice!

[worldbent]

[Okay, he is still tired, perhaps even moreso because Wei Wuxian should know better!]

[...But, then again- given the energy he'd felt from the man when they'd fought together, perhaps it wasn't going to be so much of a problem for him.] Is that so. I suppose that is a very useful skill.

[Very well.... It was actually pretty fortunate to run into him here; if anyone else might be able to offer a second perspective on the weird little things, this cursed motherfucker might be it. Matoba folds his arms into his sleeves and approaches, although he's pinching a purifying charm as he does so. The spiritual equivalent of holding your nose to a stench.]

I have had my hands full in subduing them, but I am curious the clearer their source of power becomes. Have you recognized any direction in their malice?

[laughitoff]

[Wei Wuxian doesn't seem particularly offended by what measures Matoba might take against himself being himself at close range; he knows he, his energy and his methods are objectionable when people aren't desperate. Matoba's still willing to chat and work with him, and when you're used to being cast as the heretical villain in the world of all things spiritual, that counts for a lot. at least the man doesn't call him a baby-eating corpse-defiling demon lord to his face!]

Hmm...I can make a few deductions. They're meant to cause havoc, not kill, and they're all from one source, but the source is keeping itself hidden, or isn't nearby. Since they're appearing all over, the aim would be general discord in the city -- none of the factions are receiving a particular concentration of them, from what I can tell.

I can't nail down how this creature is making such things appear from a distance, though. Usually curse vessels like these have to travel the manual way, if they're physical! They don't just transport themselves in out of nowhere.

[1A] i couldn't resist, take him to the arcade afterwords as repayment

[fuckdogramagra]

[ Ever since Kim gave him a gentle lecture about his illegal roommate, Tama has been trying to spend more time outside of the newbie apartment complex. It's been somewhat beneficial- he's found three sweets places(!!!), but still can't find a coffee house worthy of Kawase (or at least, worthy of easing his absence in Tama's life) -but it's also been a little hard on his dwindling funds, also. He's got a few take-away bags from his sweet-tooth haul, which are likewise stuffed with job applications he doesn't know how to complete (entrance exams for a job????), but he almost drops the whole collection when he spots the familiar emblem on an umbrella just ahead.

He can feel his breath stop, for only a moment- it's all he can do to shoulder his way through the confused crowd, quicker when the umbrella disappears below eyelevel, but when he gets to the fore of the huddle of yokai watching in confusion and curiosity, he's somehow both unsurprised and also bewildered that it's Matoba. Staring in to the pattern of the umbrella is...stressful, so instead he edges his way around the crowd, holding his treat bags tighter to his side and trying to focus his gaze on the haniwa. ]

Oi, senpai. [ His hand is full, or he'd airquote the word. Tama makes a sweeping gesture at little scene on the sidewalk. ] You won't let me mess with with them, but you can? [ Rude as hell, but expected. Kawako did get disposed of properly, but some part of him is still sulking over it. ] What are you doing? Are you trying to set up for a photograph or something?

only if he wants to lose at driving and lightgun games

[worldbent]

Yes, well....

[Matoba cheerfully replies, as if he doesn't even hear the groaning. It went on, oscillating like a tsunami siren, but far too deep. It was more like the roar of a jet engine, but there didn't seem to be anything in the sky.. yet.]

Have you ever gone hunting for boar in the mountains, Mizumori-san? [He finishes busying and adjusting his little setup.] You might put together a bit of bait or a trap like this, and wait in the brush with your bow and arrow...

[Matoba stands, and dusts his hands off, taking a few steps back. When he looks into the sky, it's with a look of menace and cunning. Far into the strange distance of Hell's sky, a black blot is forming.]

..........Mizumori, stand back and cover your eyes for a few moments.

oh he'll lose, but he's also going to get addicted to pop'n music

[fuckdogramagra]

Uh, my grandfather has, but I never went along... [ He wasn't allowed for a myriad of delusion-related reasons. And the fact that his father was eaten by a bear? But moreso the delusions.

The sound is alarming, of course, but there's so many sounds to a city he can barely understand that it hasn't quite hit him how related it is to the current situation, and he's just as able to hallucinate sounds anyway, so mmmaybe it's in his head? The whole haniwa effect has been getting to him in the sense that he's simply accepting the stimuli of hell without really having the time to think about it. Instead, he slips out a citrus hi-chew, eyes still locked on the haniwa. ] I still don't understand what you're...

[ He snaps to a little more when he parses the dropped 'san', finally popping the candy in his mouth. On one hand, he wants to be petulant and pout over the confusing situation, because Matoba probably deserves that, but there's also something more primal in him, sounding off alarm bells. (The sound is starting to settle in as being unique to this moment, but he can't figure out the source yet.) Tama splits the difference by sighing overdramatically, and closing his eyes tight, scowling all the while. ] Fine, but if you're hunting something, you're supposed to bring back up with you. And it's too early in the year for imoni anyway...!

3

[cutcloud]

[ Arcades are something of a novelty. While they had plenty of games back in Liyue, there was nothing like this. Flashing lights, neon colors, the ding ding ding of machines and music ... though it isn't actually the flashy games where you try to shoot or try to complete objective that really draw Chongyun in; it's the UFO catchers lined with prizes that have been taking his coins. There's one particular machine he's been trying to win on, one piled with cute stuffed rabbits. So far, his skills as an exorcist have done nothing to help him in this endeavor.

He sighs, having lost once more. He's gotten good enough to pick up one of the prizes but the damn claw keeps dropping it before it reaches the deposit square. All the rabbits stare back at him with their button eyes pleading: win us, take us home, you know he's going to think we're the cutest if you give one of us to him!

Because, naturally, it's not himself that he's even trying to win one for.

Having run out of coins, Chongyun wanders over to the machine that breaks bills into coins so you can continue playing—and spies a familiar figure. Someone he ... really hadn't expected to find in here. Which is why he ends up staring for a while like a creep, long enough to actually end up caught. Oops. ]

Master Matoba—no, sorry. I was just surprised to see you.

[worldbent]

Ahh...

[A small smile. Matoba does try to put on a particular affect, so it isn't like Chongyun's surprise isn't warranted. He drops his hands away from the arcade machine and turns towards his junior instead, leaning against the machine's controls.] I enjoy a game, from time to time. When I was around your age, I would sometimes sneak out of class and go to the arcade for a few hours, trying to rack up scores that no one else could beat... I was quite the rascal.

[Perhaps a surprisingly childish thing to admit, from the dignified head of Matoba- but everyone was a kid once, right? He smiles, reminiscing with a tilt of his head towards his shoulder, then fixes his curious gaze on the boy.] Are you a fan of arcade games, too, Chongyun-kun? Or is this your first time?

[cutcloud]

[ It's kind difficult to imagine Master Matoba his age ... but not actually, when he tries a little bit. He can see it: shorter, maybe, with a mischievous air and a tilted smile. Though now he's also realizing that he's not sure how old the elder exorcist is. He'd always assumed somewhere in the thirties range but maybe he's younger than Chongyun thought? Games seem like such a youthful hobby. Not that he really indulged in them himself when he was back in Liyue; being an exorcist took up most of his time. Even simple games like hide and seek weren't something he had time to play. ]

No, it's not my first time ... but it's only been a few. Just since I've come here. Never back in Liyue. [ he nods toward the row of UFO catchers, ] More than the games, I've been playing on those. Winning a prize is surprisingly difficult. Frustrating, even. I want to quit, but I can't seem to get it out of my system.

[ He sighs. It's just another kind of gambling, wasting all of his money on something so frivolous, but those rabbits ... he hadn't seen anything like them for sale in the regular stores. Prize-only. ]

3

[fullgauntlet]

[At the end of the day Izuku is a lot like any other high school student. Getting a chance to waste some time on some video games is just something that happens from time to time. As hardworking as Izuku is he likes a good video game just as much as the next teenager! And he's somehow wandered in here because of it. Who knew that Hell or a Spirit Realm would have such an amazing arcade? Do they have Hero's Gauntlet??]

Eh?

[He catches the tail end of the man playing the face-paced blaster and Izuku can't help but stare on in amazement. This guy is the type of guy to go for hours on one quarter, isn't he??]

A-amazing! You almost got a perfect score...?! H-how?! How?

[Please teach him some of this rapid firing skill?]

[worldbent]

[Hmmm... He doesn't recognize this boy, he thinks; nor does he sense anything of note from him. At first he had assumed he might be some human-looking ayakashi, but... A normal human child? His frown is in disapproval towards yet more Sightless humans being enlisted here to play these youkai political games, but perhaps Izuku might think it was in reaction to him.]

[As quickly as he has that momentary thought, though, the frown soon fixes itself into a bright smile for Izuku's benefit, although it doesn't do a whole lot to fix Matoba's entire ...well, appearance, which was far from normal. Then again, in hell, what was?] Oh, are you a fan of this game? I suppose I've just been at it quite a long time. I want to make it to the top of the scoreboard, after all.

[He glances back at his game, and frowns, but he lets the countdown reach zero. He'll try again some other time, when he has had time to think about what he did wrong. His execution? Is there a better way to tackle that level...?] It seems like many of these games have changed a lot from when I was going to the arcades...

[fullgauntlet]

[To be honest Izuku does feel a little put on the spot for a short second or two. If he's not mistaken it's almost like this person is sizing him up or judging him. That has happened a lot to him already so he feels slightly out of place because of it. Then again it must be strange to see a teenage boy in these parts.

Still, he does reach up to ruffle his green hair slightly. Trying to somehow make it neater. Wait- Why should he care if he looks neat or not? He stops.]

To be honest I've only tried this game out a few times today. But when I saw you ... That was amazing.

[He nods...]

Some games are very advanced these days. These ones look like the ones back in my city.

2

[kikuichi]

[Despite being a Sergeant, Norimune have also been carrying the haniwa back to the station as well. Given the discomforting aura they emit, he reasoned it's foolish to let the lower ranks carry them all back. It's certainly one of the few times he's not "dumping" work on his underlings. So, he's been carrying his fair share of them and making sure the lower ranks aren't carrying too many. It won't do if they drop some by accident.

In one of many areas, Norimune's sent there to help with collecting the haniwa. Matoba may get a rare glimpse of Norimune looking tired, only briefly before he blinks in surprised by the sudden delivery. He gives a smile and nods.]

Of course. Unless you are worried about this old man?

[worldbent]

Not particularly.

[Let's start off with the icy-hot burn right there; Matoba smiles at the Enma sword and holds the bundle of cursed joy out for him to take.]

However, this is a delicate enough matter that I would like to help ensure there are no slip-ups; a certain amount of care and caution should be taken with dangerous objects such as these, don't you agree?

[It was a matter of practicality that he entrusts them to Norimune- he might not trust the spirit's intentions towards him under any circumstances, but if there was anyone within the Enma who he would believe knew how to properly handle curses, it was him.]

[kikuichi]

[Damn, that's cold. Not even pretend politeness for one sentence? Norimune accepts the cursed bundle carefully. His usual smile is already dropped for the sake of business.]

I agree. I've heard rumours and more worrying things.

[Fear, paranoia and lack of information are the perfect breeding grounds for the locals to fall into panic. "The Enma will handle it" is likely what keep the locals from falling into a mass panic.]

Are you aware of what happens if they break?

2

[silentscout]

[As if Lalli wouldn't be the one getting strange packages from Matoba. Of course he's going to accept it. Matoba gets on his nerves sometimes but he doesn't actively distrust the man.]

Their magic is strong but my mind is stronger.

[Maybe that's his way of saying yes.]

Tell me your desired delivery location and I will handle it.

[worldbent]

Oh? [Matoba's smile brightens; what a fun response.]

[...He's inclined to agree, based on what he's seen from the other man in battle, so he holds the little bundle of curses out for Lalli to take.]

I'm glad that the Department has such capable people on-board to deal with this. Wouldn't want any mishaps, would we?

...These should be bound for the Kaigou-no-Bou, I suppose. [Matoba's eye settles on Lalli's own, searching and sly.] What exactly are they doing with these, locked away in that tower?

[silentscout]

That's right: no mistakes.

[He says this right before he's about to make a big mistake, completely unaware of how big of a mistake it is.

Lalli looks confident in his ability, like he's done this very thing hundreds of times before and knows exactly what to do. The cat eyes he has help with the appearance of competence too, actually. And he's so confident that he just starts talking about stuff from the Enma that he probably shouldn't mention without asking his boss first, but. You know. He just doesn't do that.]

Gangs keep using these as 'curse bombs' to bother each other. So we're supposed to get as many of these as we can off the streets to try and stop the curses.

wildcard/backdated to the intro mingle

[paperpusher]

[Natori emerged from hours of drunken ayakashi crooning folk songs at karaoke to find that the sky had opened up while they were all inside. He's not prepared for it; while he's wearing the stupid horrible no-good bucket hat, it's meant more as a disguise than for protection against the rain, and he knows if he steps out in it he's going to get soaked. It's the sort of thing that's a minor enough annoyance that he should really just bite the bullet and head back to his dinky apartment, except that he has his bag of exorcist supplies on him (stored, as has become his habit, in Natsume's schoolbag), and neither the bag nor the papers inside it are waterproof. He used the good stuff for these, but it's looking more and more likely that he should just suck it up. He's probably singlehandedly keeping the spellpaper industry in Jigoku-cho afloat...

It's when he's staring off into the streets around him, arms crossed as he waits under an awning to see if the rain shows any signs of lightening up, that he feels a little tug of familiarity. He turns his head to the shop next door-- some overpriced sweets place he wouldn't normally look twice at-- a moment before the bell jingles and a very familiar person walks out.]

...Matoba-san.

[worldbent]

[Matoba walks out, indeed, already showing signs of having been in the rain. His paper parasol, its typical bullseye pattern opening up to the rain as he exits, was wearing on the edges in that soggy way an oiled-paper umbrella does when it has been battered to the extent of its life. The hem of his kimono and haori, already dark, were darkened further with the soak of rainwater. He has a little plastic baggy full of sweets that his attention is held inside of, holding it open with a handle in each hand before he gathers them onto one arm. He looks up at the rain, sighs, and then glances in surprise to his side at the familiar voice.]

Oya... if it isn't Natori-san.

[He regards him after a pause as he always does when they cross sudden paths, in his polite and detached manner with a tilt of his head. There was a slight amusement to his smile already as he considers him, which probably didn't bode well, but before Natori can get out front in accusing him he holds a hand out to the rain and speaks first.]

Always an overplanner, yet always underprepared, Natori-san. ...You really didn't know it was going to rain?

[He's got you pegged as ever.]

[paperpusher]

[Natori glances at the parasol instinctively. It's on its last legs, but to his inexpert eye it looks like it's through normal wear and tear rather than, say, being battered around by a centuries-old curse. Not that that means anything either way; Matoba may have fended off his monthly visitor some other way, or he might not have encountered it at all, though the latter option seems... unlikely. He supposes if anything were going to stop the malice of that ayakashi, it'd be the river Sanzu, but even so...

Matoba's needling draws him out of his idle thoughts, as annoying as ever. Natori refrains from rolling his eyes (just barely).] No, I forgot to throw my geta this morning. Silly me. [But he can tell from the hems of Matoba's kimono that he's been out in this, and they're awfully far from the Sutoku territory...] Did you really come all the way out here for sweets?