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jigokulogs2022-03-06 04:01 pm
medicative) wrote in jigokulogs2022-03-06 04:01 pm
(open.) goldenseal
Who ⬤ Emily and open!
What ⬤ Monthly catchall - substories, life, etc.
When ⬤ Over March
Where ⬤ Across the city.
Content Warnings ⬤ TBA if needed
sprout. - post mingle
[it's not her scene at all. already on edge, Emily had kept it together long enough to get her pay advance, thanked people kindly, and then bolted. overwhelming, bad for her senses, and so she had gone to the roof, stretched her wings, and flown away. immediately, she had started feeling better, the relief that comes from exercise and movement and being out of an environment that puts her ill at ease.
where she lands, it's away from the nightclub, but she carefully wanders, trying to get her bearings. it's much harder than it appears, in the dimmer light, even with things illuminated by electricity and the life that still thrums through the place. and unfortunately for a person that looks lost, it's all too easy to get spotted by those who might be drunk, might not be, but see virtue in calling out on the street to try to get one more person to join them for fun.]
No thank you, I'm not-
[they don't seem to be willing to accept the first no for an answer. alternatively, you've arrived later, and someone has Emily slung over their shoulder. despite the awkward state of affairs, she is very clearly trying to squirm out of their grasp, more annoyed than anything else about being swept away, and the youkai holding her seems ignorant to how she's trying to get out. or maybe just used to it. ugh. she's not giving up yet though.]
growth. - night parade
[decorating is an important part of being ready for the parade, Emily knows, and for this, she can put her full energy behind it. after failing so miserably at socializing earlier, she's doing her best to remain dutiful here. that means fetching what she's been told to, assisting those who might have shakier footing, or giving gentle but honest advice about what looks best. and of course, for those harder to reach spots, it does help when you can fly up and hover some to affix it in the best spot. this might be why she keeps getting assigned to the trickier bits.
of course, no one can keep being full of steam all the time, and so it is that on break, she's found a good spot to sit down - right on a wooden box, slumped over and clutching onto a water bottle as if it will save her. but hearing any footsteps, she sits up, the flush of exertion in her face still evident.]
Has it been twenty minutes already? Goodness.
[self defense training or not, it's like running a marathon...]
bloom. - work
[she bows her head and accepts the sneers thrown her ways from the other girls - they don't understand why an uptight member of the Sutoku would seek a steadier job with the club that falls under more of the Tamamo purview, but the manager accepts it with a grunt and lets Emily have her work. employment is employment, and she needs funds if she's going to get anywhere, so she'll sell what's most useful right now - her voice. Hotaru is the stage name she chooses for herself, and she does her best to ingratiate herself with the others, learning what the band would prefer to play and what songs they can collaborate on. really, she closes her ears to anything else, keeps to herself - even the most sharp eyed can't find fault with her attitude off stage, and so she'll gain her money carefully.
so, perhaps you've come in to enjoy a leisurely night at a slower pace, and she's in the midst of her set, singing and making the right kind of eye contact with customers. maybe it's earlier, and you work there, early enough to hear the sounds of a minor scuffle in the back that ends with a door slammed and Emily stumbling out of that direction, a bundle in her arms. or maybe it's later, and you're at the bar, and a soft voice comes from your side.]
I wouldn't, if I were you.
[it's the careful grind, after all. there's the idea of quitting and finding a different place, and she has the number of a different club in another district, but...she wants her first paycheck at least.]
wildcard.
[for custom prompts and new ideas and the like. ooc intro if you'd like to plot something specific, or hit me up via PM!]
What ⬤ Monthly catchall - substories, life, etc.
When ⬤ Over March
Where ⬤ Across the city.
Content Warnings ⬤ TBA if needed
sprout. - post mingle
[it's not her scene at all. already on edge, Emily had kept it together long enough to get her pay advance, thanked people kindly, and then bolted. overwhelming, bad for her senses, and so she had gone to the roof, stretched her wings, and flown away. immediately, she had started feeling better, the relief that comes from exercise and movement and being out of an environment that puts her ill at ease.
where she lands, it's away from the nightclub, but she carefully wanders, trying to get her bearings. it's much harder than it appears, in the dimmer light, even with things illuminated by electricity and the life that still thrums through the place. and unfortunately for a person that looks lost, it's all too easy to get spotted by those who might be drunk, might not be, but see virtue in calling out on the street to try to get one more person to join them for fun.]
No thank you, I'm not-
[they don't seem to be willing to accept the first no for an answer. alternatively, you've arrived later, and someone has Emily slung over their shoulder. despite the awkward state of affairs, she is very clearly trying to squirm out of their grasp, more annoyed than anything else about being swept away, and the youkai holding her seems ignorant to how she's trying to get out. or maybe just used to it. ugh. she's not giving up yet though.]
growth. - night parade
[decorating is an important part of being ready for the parade, Emily knows, and for this, she can put her full energy behind it. after failing so miserably at socializing earlier, she's doing her best to remain dutiful here. that means fetching what she's been told to, assisting those who might have shakier footing, or giving gentle but honest advice about what looks best. and of course, for those harder to reach spots, it does help when you can fly up and hover some to affix it in the best spot. this might be why she keeps getting assigned to the trickier bits.
of course, no one can keep being full of steam all the time, and so it is that on break, she's found a good spot to sit down - right on a wooden box, slumped over and clutching onto a water bottle as if it will save her. but hearing any footsteps, she sits up, the flush of exertion in her face still evident.]
Has it been twenty minutes already? Goodness.
[self defense training or not, it's like running a marathon...]
bloom. - work
[she bows her head and accepts the sneers thrown her ways from the other girls - they don't understand why an uptight member of the Sutoku would seek a steadier job with the club that falls under more of the Tamamo purview, but the manager accepts it with a grunt and lets Emily have her work. employment is employment, and she needs funds if she's going to get anywhere, so she'll sell what's most useful right now - her voice. Hotaru is the stage name she chooses for herself, and she does her best to ingratiate herself with the others, learning what the band would prefer to play and what songs they can collaborate on. really, she closes her ears to anything else, keeps to herself - even the most sharp eyed can't find fault with her attitude off stage, and so she'll gain her money carefully.
so, perhaps you've come in to enjoy a leisurely night at a slower pace, and she's in the midst of her set, singing and making the right kind of eye contact with customers. maybe it's earlier, and you work there, early enough to hear the sounds of a minor scuffle in the back that ends with a door slammed and Emily stumbling out of that direction, a bundle in her arms. or maybe it's later, and you're at the bar, and a soft voice comes from your side.]
I wouldn't, if I were you.
[it's the careful grind, after all. there's the idea of quitting and finding a different place, and she has the number of a different club in another district, but...she wants her first paycheck at least.]
wildcard.
[for custom prompts and new ideas and the like. ooc intro if you'd like to plot something specific, or hit me up via PM!]
no subject
[because it calls forth a twin stream of pride in them, milder on her end but stronger on the one they actually belong to. they were borrowed, anyway - at least someone appreciates the gift.
hush.]
I'm sure that the ones you've seen have their own beauty with form and function alike, and then even multipurpose. You'd likely catch me looking at them the same way you saw mine.
[and if he doubted if they were part of her, they shift, becoming more drawn up against her back in the way she's used to carrying them. less obtrusive, like a bird's wings folding snug against their body.]
Mine...their sole purpose is flight. Which, I admit, they do well - they were a gift.
quick question, how okay are you with spoilers for yizhi’s series?
[He closes his eyes for a moment, and if his smile is anything to go by, he must be calling up fond memories. It’s only a few seconds. Yizhi is rarely the type to forget himself.]
But beauty isn’t the only virtue in the world. Even humble things have value- such as, like you said, being able to fly well. I’m glad your wings are a gift to you and not something else. If- if either of my partners end up here- [he winces, because when “here” is Hell it makes things complicated,] you could learn a lot from each other.
Only if you’re interested, of course. I’m just projecting now. [he shrugs, then looks back out to the bustle on the road before them. on a more on-topic note…] This parade’s aesthetic is something else, don’t you think?
totally fine!
It really is...I've never seen a celebration quite like it. If I weren't certain we were in another realm to start with, this would be convincing enough.
[some of these decorations are definitely moving on their own in ways that seem too organic to be technology.]
good to know!! mild spoilers in this tag, i ended up not using more major ones
[He leans back, taking in the sights. It bears a vague resemblance to festivities in Huaxia, in the way that a snake is like an eel- a way that reminds him of home but is completely alien at the same time. The gold trim, the red lanterns. The last night he spent with Zetian and Shimin was with the same hazy incandescence at the window, and their absences ring ever louder now, but he can’t wish for either of them to come to Hell. That’s an awful sentiment. (Also, Zetian would sooner fight every single god than end up here.)]
I look forward to what it’ll look like when all the preparations are done. It’ll probably look even better.
no subject
[a place to remember yourself, and forget yourself. when the youkai ran wild. she already knows she might not be herself, during that time.]
Be on your guard, sir. There might be unwanted influences on the mind from everything mixing.
no subject
[Slightly sarcastic as the words may be, Yizhi speaks his comment seriously- why wouldn’t they, or do something else beyond the pale of human imagination. This is a fundamentally alien festival.He has yet to lose himself in the way someone part-youkai might, so Yizhi speaks of the problem a little bit differently:]
It’s unfortunate that we have no real guard against what will come… but it is what it is. I know a woman whose will is strong enough to tame any creature. [a mecha’s not really a “creature” but yknow] With luck there will be enough Lost Souls like that in the crowd.
I hope you take care as well, on the day. We need more souls like you.
no subject
More like me? You're very kind, sir, yet I'm not so special.
[someone with that willpower he mentioned, that would be someone who they'd need more of, after all.]
All of us Lost Souls - it's enough to be settling in here. I might be fretting for nothing, and we'll get a splendid day out of it.
no subject
[It was a controlled lapse. Yizhi winces, drawing the curtains on the raw parts of him carefully. He just wanted to check in to decide how to word things; it’s manageable enough to return to the good humor of festival preparations. Let’s exhale gently. Life is tough but he’s in nice company right now.]
Not forever, hopefully- but not for a while. I’d rather not be surprised by something I’ve never considered. And maybe I’ve just come from a different place, but it’s not every day I meet someone so willing to reach out to a stranger. Kindness without being naive, or something like that… is special enough for me to want to compliment it. Does that make sense? I hope I’m not being inappropriate.
no subject
[his words strike her, and she has a pang in her heart - that someone would be so unused to basic human kindness that it needs to be noted. even if he doesn't believe in good fortunes right now, she does, and Emily privately hopes he meets with much of it here, so as to reacclimate himself to it.]
...Strangers we may be, yet this predicament we have ourselves in is the same. Perhaps I'm being a little forward, but I'd like to think with that common ground, we can help each other more than we think, be it simply adjusting to a new way of life or playing to different strengths.
Though, speaking of, I hope you can forgive my lapse of what I should have told you straightaway. My name is Emily Dyer, and it's a pleasure to meet you.
no subject
His eyes flicker back to Emily as she speaks, widening slightly in surprise- he didn't expect the offer to come from her. He’s usually the one making it. Is she better at politics than he thought? Is this- can someone have this kind of delicate tongue without the moral corruption that comes so often with it? He doesn’t know, he’s too deep into it himself. Zetian isn’t here to set him straight.]
Oh- you’re right. It slipped right through my mind too! [Yizhi brings his arms in front of him and folds one hand over the other; a proper greeting salute.] Gao Yizhi. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. And I think…
[After almost hurting Zetian with his actions, he’s unsure about starting this kind of talk with someone else. But there’s no escaping transactionality, Yizhi guesses, not since humans built their first settlements and made manpower into a resource. He will just have to hope neither of them botches it. Miss Dryer seems nice; he doesn’t want to use her.]
… that you are completely right. We have more in common than the factions want us to believe, and we might get out sooner if we all work together. Is there anything I could help you with right now?
…other than your share of parade prep. Finishing mine’s going to wipe me out, I’m afraid.
no subject
[Mr. Gao, for his kind words, looks like he's in the same boat as her when it comes to physical labor. the last time she did anything intensive, she had the benefit of needing to work out a lot of frustration, and it had resulted in collapsing on the floor for an hour afterwards.]
We can go back to the organizers and say we've decided to team up - then they might give us an assignment that could be shared, and so it might be less taxing.
no subject
[He takes a few deep breaths; wiggles his legs to check that they still work.]
I think I’m as recovered as I’ll be, so I’m ready to ask when you are.