( 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

[sunborne]

[ s c r e a m i n g. at the rate this is going, broken limbs are going to become a reality! ]

Uhhhhh-

[ before day can get a word into the inevitable explosion, both parties immediately erupt but not against hizen, surprisingly enough.

rather, their ire is drawn to the other as the man draws himself to his full height, tugging on his jacket snug to his frame to try and appear bigger and tougher. on the other side the mysterious spirit - a hashihime, though day wouldn't have any knowledge of this spirit from his world, only knowing they're a water spirit at best - makes herself better known, eyes blazing bright as the lit candles she somehow wears as a crown.

we know he's nothing! hisses the spirit, splashing some water more for emphasis, day guesses. the pompous fool is nothing to us but he doesn't know his place! always clomping about the bridge, wearing down spots that we're trying to maintain because his head is too big for his eyes! ]

I know we're all on edge right now but I think we got on the wrong foot here, so how about we all cool down and whoa! [ at this point, the guy realizes that he was being insulted by the spirit.

day has to quickly put himself between the pair as the guy tries to lunge for the spirit's direction. -i'm doing you a favor with my presence on this drab pile of wood! my jacket and i are the only cool things whenever we stroll by. and he goes off on another tangent about his jacket. something but a threadcount but day is more concerned making sure the two don't get their hands on the other. ]

Hey! Hey hey hey! [ this is like herding cats. murderous cats at that. ] There's no need to be making threats like this! Or gestures like that, come on!

Are you two seriously going to duke it out here on the bank? Is that what you two want?

[harimaya]

(The hashihime explains her side of the story and really, none of this is helping either party. Jackie already had ten points against him just by merit of being annoying. Hizen would gladly toss him into the river himself if he could.

But the Hashihime isn't helping her case either. As annoying as Jackie is... he still doesn't know what the problem is,)

That's the point of a bridge...

(To walk across it many times to get from point A to point B. He's literally using the bridge the way it's supposed to be used!!)

There's gotta be more to-- (Right on cue, the guy starts going about his damned jacket again and Hizen yells,) Shut up about the damned jacket!

(Hashihime sounds just as irritated too when she hisses, "Again with the jacket!"

However, it seems like seeing that Hizen also seems to share her annoyance appeals to her. She begins to complain, criticize, and insult the man even more. "He has no respect!" She goes on, about how insulting he is. Does he have any idea how hard they work to maintain these bridges with what they have? And he has the audacity to come and insult them! Call them boring! Rickety! If he thinks their bridges are so poor then he can just not use them. It's at least starting to make a little more sense.

Of course, this just sends the man off. He insults the bridge and says he's just telling the truth. It really does look like the two of them are going to start brawling on the bank.

Hizen always looks tired but he looks especially tired now. He closes his eyes and mumbles to Day,)

A bridge spirit. (Less of a water spirit and more about the bridge itself.) They guard old bridges. Usually important ones.

(And this bridge is, in fact, one of the larger ones in the city. It gets a lot of foot traffic.)

... This idiot's basically insulting her life work.

(Does that help Day any? He can only guess because he seems like a more... modern being. Someone that might not interact with spirits on the regular or be very familiar with some of the old tales and customs Hizen is more used to.)