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!

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[ It's a good thing that Natori already has a plan in motion, because Aerith lets out a little laugh when she responds. ]

Sure thing.

[ Whether or not she was aiming elsewhere is up to you. The remaining birds are handled with his magic: A nonconventional but effective method to the madness, really. They go their own way, squawking petulantly. A flock from far off seems to head the warning they keep shouting out, and flies off with them. ]

Not too bad... looks like no one's missing anything, too. [ A glance behind to the crowd, which is still somehow just marveling at the display, informs her of such. ] Good thing we were here.

[ ... ]

Did they need us here...?

[Were they needed? What exactly was the worst that could have happened if they weren't here? A slightly-more-annoyed crowd? Maybe someone would have had something shiny stolen by one of the magpies. It's hardly a life or death situation, and yet here they were, busting out the big guns.

But then again, Natori glances off to the side at their adoring audience, and, well. There's something to be said for putting in appearances for the sake of the crowd. That's why he presses one hand against his heart and holds the other one out towards her as if in offering. A different kind of background track starts up as he somehow manages to angle his face in such a way that he can look up at her through his bangs.]

I don't know if they needed 'us,' but I can say with certainty that I needed you. [His voice is a little... huskier? He's certainly delivering it very earnestly. There's a few more camera flashes off to the side, though the magpies know better than to circle around again. (Besides, his dolls are still up there buffeting them away if they get any bright ideas.)] I don't know what I would have done without you here, so... thank you for staying by my side. You've saved the festival for me. If only I could thank you properly.

[read: if only we could get away from this crowd of people who are taking in everything we say in rapt attention.]

[ If there's any way to make Aerith pout, this is it. This is exactly it. Immediately, her lips pucker than go down turned, and she pulls her hands tighter. All the while, the audience is going crazy for him. The scandal. The upset. The romance. He's so handsome...! ]

Um.

[ Thankfully, she's not a fool, even if this is having an adverse reaction to her. She nods, looking mildly emotionally constipated, and then turns back to the audience that is watching them with glimmers of hope and excitement. ]

We'll be... going now. Get inside, for now. When it's all over, we'll see you again.

[ Well, it's unorthodox, but it does work. She'll follow him anywhere. ]

[He doesn't seem to have eyes for the crowd, but... after the first moment of actual eye contact, Natori's gaze drifts ever-so-slightly to the side to focus on her hair, a minuscule concession of privacy. He is at least a little aware that most people don't spend several years flirting in front of strangers for a living; it's just his go-to for when he needs to turn his brain off and get people to pay attention to the wrong thing. She just got roped along for the ride.

He straightens up, turning a beaming smile back to the crowd.] Yes, please get inside. We'd be worried, otherwise! [A few members of their audience start to peel off, but a number of people linger until Natori decidedly turns his back on the crowd and gestures Aerith towards the line of food carts with an elaborate flourish and a] Ladies first, please!

[He doesn't turn to look behind him, but he doesn't have to; there are enough of the dolls swooping around the area that he has a good sense for when they're no longer in line of sight. Once they round the corner, the entire flirty persona drops away like it had never been there in the first place.] Sorry about that. I didn't think they'd leave us alone otherwise.

[ Ladies first, he says, and Aerith puckers her entire expression as if she'd just tasted the most disappointing slice of pie she's had before. Really, it's an obvious airs put on for the audience, but she can appreciate a good escape route. Raising her hand over her head, she waves to the crowd. A few brave souls awkwardly wave back.

Once they're beyond the strong, oppressive pressure of being stared at, in line for— she checks by leaning over onto one foot, full body tilted; taiyaki?— they can speak a little more easily. He must want to know more about Matoba, she supposes, but Aerit doubts there's much to talk about it in relation to her. ]

Phew. It's okay, I was getting kind of nervous, anyway. You okay?

[ She raises a brow, wondering if it's a useless ask. He's a natural in front of a crowd, and she's... well, not. All the same, that doesn't mean he can't be bothered. ]

[Blessed be the taiyaki cart, a convenient crowd to get lost in... Natori takes a moment to dust off his yukata and check how many dolls he has left up his sleeve. The bad news: he's out of paper dolls. The good news: he just needs some paper to get more. He casually cranes his neck alongside her to see if the taiyaki are accompanied by napkins, or at least arrive in a little paper envelope. He'll make do.]

Hm? They never even got close to me. [Their audience was such a non-entity in his mind that it doesn't even occur to him that that's what she's talking about; he assumes she means the magpies.] All thanks to your quick spells, of course!

[The line of people waiting for taiyaki are mostly minding their own business, but he keeps his voice low anyway. The other bad news about his empty (metaphorical) pockets: he doesn't have any mask or glasses to hide behind. (In fact, the only thing he has on him besides money and his keys is the flower that Aerith sold Matoba earlier that evening, though it's firmly tucked away out of sight in his obi.)] You don't happen to have a hat or something, do you? I'd like to at least try to stay low.

[ Aerith raises her elbows to look down and around her, as if thinking a hat might materialize— or to get him to look around. She responds by shaking her head at long last, putting them both out of their misery. ] Nope, no hats. We can go grab you one, though, I know a seller.

[ Half off should be doable, she supposes. A couple walks past them, hand in hand, taiyaki in their free grips. He's in luck; they're coming with some kind of paper.

Does she correct him? Does Aerith tell him she meant the crowd?

...Nah. This is funnier, she decides. ]

You wanted to ask me something besides the hat thing, didn't you?

[Natori, infuriatingly, doesn't look around after he finishes his own assessment, just waits politely for Aerith to confirm that he's going to stay hatless. But apparently not for too much longer!] Do you? That's great, thank you! I honestly wasn't expecting that I could count on my local florist to help me locate a hat, rather than a flower...

[It clicks into place only once he's said it out loud: Aerith is a florist who knows Matoba, at least enough to have seen his spells, and Matoba randomly gave Natori a flower tonight. He is, despite it all, a good actor, so the sudden realization doesn't show on his face, nor does he give in to the urge to touch the flower jammed unceremoniously into his obi. It helps that he can glance over at the couple leaving the stand, quickly sizing up the state of his access to paper as a distraction.]

Haha, well. Now that you mention it, do you mind waiting around for a minute or so once we've got the taiyaki, before we head out? My treat, of course, since I got you into this. I'll show you a little more magic in exchange. [This is absolutely not the question he wanted to ask, but somewhere in his mind he's run the calculations (Aerith's flower + Aerith's knowledge of Matoba = Aerith realizing that Matoba and Natori maybe almost smooched earlier tonight, which also = UNSUSTAINABLE, SELF-DESTRUCT, DO NOT PERCEIVE) and come up with the ol' "pretend you've never been on first-name terms with him" plan. He shamelessly looks Aerith straight in the eyes and smiles winningly, as if he truly, sincerely just wanted to ask a stupid question about paper.]

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July 2022 IC Mingle

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oh my god.

✨✨✨

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