( open ) 001

[harimaya]

Who ⬤ Hizen & you
What ⬤ Catchall for March. Open prompts in main post for substories. Closed starters in comments.
When ⬤ All of march!
Where ⬤ See prompts.
Content Warnings ⬤ TBA

SUBSTORY: WELCOME TO THE NIGHT PARADE (I)

("Outta the way, outta the way!"

A group of smaller youkai yell. They might not be big but what they lack in size, they make up for in number in spirit. They push their way through the crowd carrying a portable shrine. It's a diverse group made up of smaller youkai and spirits— little oni, cats walking on hind legs, a one eyed umbrella, something with a face as large as its body, and fish-looking creature that flails across the ground as it makes its way through.

Do you get out of the way? Or do you miss the warning in all of the hustle and bustle?

In the case of the latter, you can expect one of several things to happen…)

A.
(Hizen loudly snaps at you,)

Oi! Pay attention and get out of the way!

(You probably don't want to get caught up with these little guys. Their patience is as little as they are. The shorter the person, the shorter their temper. If you'd like to avoid confrontation, Hizen can suddenly grab your character by the arm and pull the aside. Alternatively, you can just let the crowd crash into you. Maybe he'll help?)

B.
(Or maybe you're helping Hizen with setting up for someone's game stand. Have you noticed that the owner won't actually let either of you help with getting the game part together? Leave that part to them (so they can rig it). You and Hizen can set up the prize wall made up of different masks and toy weapons.

As the little procession goes by, Hizen stops for a moment to stare and mutters,)

The "parade of a hundred demons," huh...

(He sounds like he might know something?)

SUBSTORY: WELCOME TO THE NIGHT PARADE (II)

(It's security detail!

… Or really, it's more like crosswalk duty.

On the night of the parade, you and Hizen will be expected to keep the pedestrians from crossing the street before their turn. Instead, you'll wait for scheduled stops in the parade that will give enough time for people to get to the other side.

Before the parade begins, you'll have to help set up the barrier using cones or barrels or what have you. And the person in charge of overseeing? It's a long-necked woman that keeps looking over your shoulder and telling you the barriers are too close or too far from the street. The crosswalk openings are too narrow or too wide. She keeps picking at everything you're doing! Is this your first night parade? Do you have any idea what you're doing? She asks for help and she gets sent a bunch of fresh lost souls who have no idea what they're doing!

She doesn't even have the courtesy to say this behind your back. She's right there with her long neck, complaining right in your ear. Or Hizen's ear.

And he looks like he's going to snap. )

SUBSTORY: LOOK AT THIS SWEET JACKET

(The first step to any assignment is gathering information. It's time to get to find the bridge in question and meet the client. Hizen checks the writing on one of the columns at the end of the bridge and looks over to you,)

This is it. (This is the bridge.)Looks pretty normal.

(He's unimpressed. But because timing is comedic, as soon as he finishes speaking, a man gets tossed back across the bridge, rolls like a ball, and stops right in front of them.)

...

(Hizen looks down and... looks away. He sure is going to make you take care of the talking first)

WILDCARD.

❀ Hizen is in the Shuten Clan.
❀ If you have another idea for a prompt or would like to plot anything out, let me know
❀ You can check out my intro comment for some ideas, too.
❀ contact; eski | discord: eski#9874 | PM

Comments

[harimaya]

Dango.

(Felix doesn't look like he's Japanese? Hizen's just trying to explain. He's trying to be nice? Whether or not it's actually helpful is another issue.

Sorry Felix, at most, it's just... lightly salted! And that soy sauce glaze over one them? It's salty-sweet. Hizen opts for a single stick of some plain ol' yakidango and he's already munching away. It's clear he's hungry but he takes his time and doesn't buy anymore. He'll pocket the rest of his change.)

[littleshield]

Well, obviously...they had these back at a monastery I went to.

[ And then he has a taste of the dango, his lips curling into a frown. ]

Ugh, they don't taste the same. What's up with that?

[ Felix will still finish the rest of it, though. There's no point in letting food go to waste. It's not overly sweet or anything, just not what he's expecting at all. ]

[harimaya]

(Raises an eyebrow. So he knows what dango is and he's from a... what's it called? Monastery? He vaguely understands what that means and the first thing that comes to his mind are the monks and Jesuit priests he sometimes reads about in mission logs. He's never really had any personal assignments in those periods though so he couldn't say much more.

Even more curious though is that last little bit. He's on his second of four dango now and it tastes fine. He didn't order any other flavors so as far as he's concerned, everything had looked and smelled normal, too.)

... What'd you expect?

[littleshield]

They're much more spicy than this, usually.

[ Felix is trying not to sound like a child who has consumed something sour and isn't enjoying it in the slightest, but it is hard for him to place his tone as anything other than mildly disgruntled at all times. ]

At least the ones I've had.

[ Hizen, on the other hand, seems much more used to the way these are judging by his lack of adverse (which is probably a strong word, really) reaction. ]

[harimaya]

Spicy?

(Tilting his head to one side. He's never had a spicy dango before. He's not picky. Food is food. But he's always associated dango with being a sweet snack. )

... They're usually sweet where I'm from. (A glance at the stand,) Looks like it's probably the same here, too.

[littleshield]

...Of course.

[ Maybe he'll just make it all himself at some point. It can't be really all that hard, right? ]

Hmph. I shouldn't be surprised Hell of all places wouldn't have something exactly the same food I'm used to. But that doesn't seem to be the case with you.

[ To be honest, most of the food here seems different, among other things. But not so much so that he finds himself completely foreign to it. In the end, it's nothing like how he imagined it'd be in Hell, nor what people or books have said of it. ]

[harimaya]

...

(Is this a human thing. Or that thing some of the other spirits get when they start thinking about where they're from? Hizen prefers to not think much about Tosa if he can help it. Those memories are a sore topic for him.

But he thinks...

From what he's observed and what he understands about people and spirits...

Being far from home can be difficult sometimes.

Hm, if he frames it a certain way in his own mind. Yes, he might not miss home but he can understand missing the food.)

... Where're you from?

[littleshield]

Faerghus. It's a country to the north in Fodlan.

[ Though it is possible others have heard of it, at this point Felix doesn't think there's a good chance of that being the case unless there are more who have been brought here from Fodlan in the first place. ]

And you?

[ He is...admittedly mildly curious. In the grand scheme of things it's also a rather practical question, now that he thinks about it. ]

[harimaya]

(Nothing. No real reaction. If anything, he just looks confused, like he's hearing it all for the first time... because he is.)

Japan.