jigokulogs | July 2022 IC Mingle

July 2022 IC Mingle

1. ITADAKIMASU!

After the harrowing incidents involving the curse last month, unity is the theme for welcoming the new influx of Lost Souls. The factions are still busy with cleanup efforts and making sure their personnel are in fighting shape. What’s more, most of the usual spots that would play host to the factions’ parties are either closed until they’re repaired, or in no state to be hosting parties that big.

Thus, an agreement has been reached. All of the factions will hold their mingles together and host a food truck/yatai festival in the blocks surrounding Theater Square, in the Sutoku Alliance’s territory. This gets money into the hands of the local vendors, and allows the community to spend time together in relative peace. It’s still Jigokucho, there are punks prowling to start fights and steal wallets, like they always are, but it’s a breath of fresh air after everything that’s been happening lately. Just keep your wits about you and enjoy the food. Takoyaki is one of the most popular items and competition between the carts motivates chefs to make them flair and style!

Kushiten, yakitori, dango, croquettes, senbei, onigiri, yakisoba, taiyaki, you name it, it’s probably represented here in some form. There are even any number of your favorite treats from home, even if your home isn’t Earth. It might take a little poking around to find them, but isn’t that part of the delight of exploring a city’s food?

The falling Stardust has made its way into the food as well. You may notice that some vendors are grinding up the glowing stellar fragments and putting them into the food itself as a spice. Are… you supposed to eat that?! Oh well! When it’s time to party, you can’t go wrong with a little Stardust.

2. MUSIC GOT ME FEELIN SO FREE

In the center of Theater Square, surrounded on all sides by the many colorful food stalls, they’ve set up a stage for local artists to perform on. There are a great variety of acts who come and go to play a few songs. The music reaches all throughout the square and may be little more than background noise, until just the right tune catches your ear.

Jenny⁣ – This all-girls story of hidden love should be hitting all the ladies in the crowd a certain kind of way. Have you been admiring a friend or coworker and just never taken the plunge? Now’s the time for that kiss, the music is playing.
KONNANじゃないっ⁣⁣ – This sweet idol bop about striding bravely towards your best future fills you with inspiration and hope for the future. You may feel compelled to bring your hopes and dreams into every conversation. The future is bright!
Running Up That Hill⁣⁣ – As the singer performs some kind of interpretive dance, she sings about her frustrations with never truly being able to see from another person’s perspective. What would you do to show your true self? Maybe it’s time to iron out that ongoing misunderstanding you’ve been circling.
Love Warriors⁣⁣ – A simple act with a guitarist and singer, she sings a mellow piece about the true value of love. What a beautiful message. Your heart might begin to overflow with feelings of care and affection. Will you finally spill those all-important three words? I-love-you.
One More Time⁣⁣ – The last act of the evening is lively, colored lights flashing out across the square. They begin to play an impossibly catchy beat that no one can resist dancing too. Dance like no one is watching and enjoy the sweet catharsis of a good dance session. You’ll feel better for it tomorrow.

(Players are more than welcome to use their own song and effect. 💖)

3. BIRD BOMBS

At some point during the festivities, the Daitengu takes the stage. They’re in exceptionally high spirits. They give a shout-out to Toraguma and Tenkohime for helping to make this happen. As usual, The Enma is not present. However, the Daitengu forgoes any snide remarks, although they do seem a bit let down. Hope springs eternal, one supposes.

Next they would like to announce that they have even more reasons to celebrate: a truce has been declared between the Shuten and Tamamo clans. The war for the Underground is over (for now) and new construction has started on a new casino and adult entertainment complex in the once-contested territory. They hope that this will lead to an ongoing era of financial cooperation between the three factions.

They thank Sakamoto Ryouma for making all of this happen and give him a shoutout in the crowd. Word has spread all over the Alliance about their deeds, and what they managed to pull off; a blessing and a curse. It becomes obvious that not every tribe within the Sutoku Alliance was okay with putting the Alliance itself up as collateral to make this happen. The Kasasagi Tengu Tribe, in particular, has decided to let their protest be known by storming the party in a flood of aggressive magpies. They vulture the food, they pick at jewelry, they’re an absolute menace.

Good luck shooing them away. The vibes are counting on you to deal with these feathered buzzkills.

Welcome to the IC mingle!

If you have any questions about the mingle content, please ask them here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
For Rewards, given both the Stardust and Turf War prompts are involved in all three, threads in the Mingle log count for TWO (2) points!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ barton accepts back the sausage-on-a-stick. mindful of where nero seems to be tackling, he takes a (still fairly big..) chomp out of it. once he's swalloed, his eyes have immediately rounded with awe. ]

Ah! [ !! ] It's good!!

[ A light little chuckle from him as he takes the meat back. ]

'm a chef, y'know? If there's anybody's taste you can trust, it's mine.

[ Somebody has added a little something extra to the recipe this time around. It's already delicious, but this is making it magically so. ]

[ barton can't pinpoint instantly why it tastes so good - maybe that was just the magic of well-prepared street food. it feels like his blood's heated up somehow, and he's not complaining. he grins. ]

That's what you did back home, huh? [ his brows raise - well, that's reason enough to trust in someone's tastes, he supposes. chefs are seen as pretty favorable among the illuminan population; it took skill to make something genuinely good of tinny, canned foods. ] You have a specialty you like to make?

[He's in a much better mood than he was a few moments ago. A slight blush rises up to his cheeks, though he can't pinpoint exactly why. Drunk on the atmosphere, maybe?]

Workin' with seafood's one of my favorites.

[East country's capital has ever valuable fresh produce. Constant rain is excellent for the crops that grow there, and he's happy to make use of it.]

Really?

[ huh. while he's had seafood before (he at least know he's not allergic - ), it's not like there's a particular variety to be had where the federation's located. and barton probably wouldn't burst out with this, if it weren't for the contaminated food, but he feels extra emboldened anyway -

he nudges nero with an elbow. ]

You should cook for me sometime! [ he can pay!! ]

[He grins back, leaning more into the touch than he usually would. It's always a pleasure to cook, and it's one of the things he can always lean on, magic or no.]

How does shrimp sound? If you've got a kitchen I'll take it over for a night.

Shrimp sounds great.

[ barton brightens at the acceptance. ]

Yeah, but it's nothing fancy. I got a mini fridge, a stove, and a microwave. That'll do for you?

The stove's the most important part.

[So yes! There's a short pause before he leans a little against Barton's arm.]

Just tell me when.

[ barton's pretty okay with that, he thinks. he reciprocates; maybe if he thought more on this, he'd actually give pause to the way he wraps an arm about nero's torso, his hand coming to rest at the sleeve at nero's elbow. but he doesn't hesitate, so. ]

Aha, all right. How's later tomorrow night work for you?

[Barton is very inviting, and the arm around him is welcome. Nero leans his head against his arm, just enjoying the comfort of touch, cuddling into him.]

Works just fine. Text me your address and I'll be there right on time.

You'd have to gimme your contact info for that.

[ is that a sly way of asking for someone's number, or whatever is jigoku's equivalent? they've only chatted over ember, after all. his voice has a slightly flirtatious lilt to it. ]

[ the cuddles feel warmer than he might otherwise expect - like he's sensitive to the touch. so barton's arm slides indiscreetly to nero's waist, his hand coming to rest at his hip. ]

Call me up?

[He leans into Barton's side, smiling warmly up at him, some would say teasingly. Something about the night's making him much bolder than he usually is.

Everything about the way Barton is treating him is welcome, shifting for more access. A sleeve of his yukata slips off a shoulder, and he makes no moves to adjust it, as he pulls out his own device.]

[ something, certainly, has barton bolder than he might typically act in this sort of situation - he may not be a prude, but getting cozy with someone in the middle of a market like this is somewhat outside his wheelhouse. barton reciprocates, in a way that has him dragging his hand upward to further ruffle nero's yukata. ]

[ he takes out his phone, too; they'll successfully exchange numbers. after slipping it away again, he gives a nod towards a bench somewhat off to the side. -- somewhat shaded from immediate view, a little less in the way of things. ]

Wanna sit over there with me?

[Barton's phone number and contact information? That's a huge win for Nero. Not for any faction based reasons. Barton is a very attractive man. Even though they've only talked a handful of times, Nero's keen on seeing more of him (and more often too).

At the suggestion, he starts drifting over to the bench, never moving away from Barton's frame.]

Sure thing.

[ barton's glad, at least, they seem to be on the same page here. if he were to reflect on himself - damn, maybe he'd slow down some. but he isn't, instead wrapped up in the heightened sensations. he seats himself at the bench, pulling nero with him just so that one of nero's legs rest over his knee. ]

[ that's better. ]

[ he's encircled an arm about nero's waist, absentmindedly slipping his fingers beneath the sash. ah - ]

You've been to these sorts of festivals before? [ he means back home; he does know nero to be relatively new, here. ] I wouldn't know if they're usually like this.

[This seating situation is fine for now... No, on second thought, he does have an urge to sit fully in Barton's lap. With the dust in his system he gives into it, sitting across his lap and looping an arm around his shoulders.]

Nothing exactly like this festival. But there are usually food stalls and games to play.

[A soft laugh]

Feel like I won the grand prize already.

I'm the prize?

[ barton chuckles at that comment - while he surely exudes no shortage of confidence, here he'd thought nero to be the reward. he has no protests as to the full weight of nero in his lap. he's almost tempted to rearrange their positions so he's straddled. ]

[ for now, he brushes his palm against nero's chest, then tips his head to press a kiss to his mouth. ]

[Barton is the prize, here. That's his badly hidden bandit side coming out. This big, broad shouldered, handsome man? Absolutely that's someone Nero wants to steal away for himself. At least for this moment, at least for the night.

It's easy to tell he's smiling into the kiss, full of satisfaction. He bites lightly into Barton's lower lip, teasing. Nero's hand slips under his clothes so he can touch Barton more directly, gently massaging at his shoulder.]

[ thankfully, barton can shut up - at least for a moment - while in the throes of a good smooch. ]

[ he makes a satisfied noise that nero should indulge him; even at his shoulder, he's still likely to feel the rough, jagged raise of more scarring. and he likes the nip, though he doesn't yet return the favor; his teeth could be a little more damaging.

his other hand slides to the back of nero's neck, his fingers threading through the roots of his hair. he uses that leverage to intensify their kiss. ]

[His hand slips the yukata further off of his shoulders. The scars do something for him, a pleased noise escaping him, even muffled by the kiss. Nero shifts closer, his body pressed up against Barton's.

He moves just far enough away to speak, lips brushing against his. Heart thudding in his chest, cheeks flushed.]

Your place?

[ barton slides a hand up nero's thigh, giving it a hard squeeze. nero parts from him, and barton sneaks in another (this time mostly a brush of teeth) kiss. ]

Now? [ with mock bemusement. ] Can't wait for tomorrow...?

[ not that he's averse to "now" -- far from, going by the excitement in his eyes alone -- but he is entertained at the ask. ]

Now. [Kissing, biting and insistent.] Unless you feel like waiting...?

[Shifting closer, pressed up against him, it's easy to tell how interested Nero is at it being now. The night is young and they're both feeling it. They could go.]

[ it really doesn't take any twisting of his arm - barton was convinced the moment he heard the suggestion. but he does laugh, lowly, leaning forward to deliver a nip to nero's earlobe. ]

Ohh, what the hell. Not like I was doing anything more -

[ so they do go.

while barton does have a shred of common decency when it comes to these public displays, he does find it difficult to keep his hands off nero on the way there. he'd hailed a cab for the two of them, opting for the most direct route even if it does mean a lighter wallet. ]

[ he fumbles with the keys to his apartment, then to wrench the door ajar. they're greeted with a pretty simple, undecorated, equivalent of rookie's room. he hasn't made for any upgrades: there's the kitchenette he'd mentioned to nero earlier, a bookshelf containing a few novels, a desk and armchair in one corner, and a twin-sized bed pushed into another. ]

[ he slips his hand back to nero's waist, pulling him towards him; he's grinning broadly and giddy with their circumstances - and stardust. ]

You couldn't have expected five star lodging, right? [ he's not sure he would even know what the looks like... ]

[Normally he's much more reserved than this. He wouldn't ask a guy who he'd only met a handful of times to go back to his place, but here they are. High and inclined to go with their instincts and desires. Right now? Barton is the only thing on his mind.

He doesn't become indecent in the cab, though he is spending plenty of time pressed up against Barton, touching him in anticipation.

Once they're in, he starts pulling off Barton's clothing. The sash around his yukata is the first to go.]

It's five stars if you're here. [He laughs softly to himself as he pulls Barton into another kiss, nipping at his lips.] Seriously, this is fine.

[It's a definite improvement over that time he lived in a cave with piles and piles of blankets.]

... You're a right sweet talker with those lines, you know that?

[ even while he relishing the compliments, he's fairly impressed with the smoothness (he didn't think nero would have it in him, stardust induced or not). the sash unwinds to fall about barton's feet, the cloth of his yukata dropping from one of his shoulders. turns out, there isn't all too much to a yukata piece; even in his dimly-lit apartment, nero can see the growing outline of his arousal through his briefs. ]

[ barton gives a sharp tug to nero's own sash, tightening it momentarily. he steps back towards his bed - unless the other man has a different, preferred furniture object he'd like to desecrate - pulling the sash like a lead. ]

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