[ OPEN ] sunrise, sunset

[aceslow]

Who ⬤ Kim Kitsuragi & YOU
What ⬤ March substories (night parade & babysitting bad trips) & more!
When ⬤ Throughout March
Where ⬤ Throughout Jigoku-cho
Content Warnings ⬤ Drug use for the applicable substory, otherwise n/a


a. high definition.

[ When Kim notices people exiting the drug testing location looking decidedly worse for wear, his first instinct is to simply ignore them. They knew what they signed up for, did so willingly, and evidently did so without having the contingency of planning for a friend to accompany them and keep them safe afterwards. He stands off to the side for a frankly unconsciable amount of time, reasoning that some good samaritan will choose to be helpful. It doesn't have to be him. He's done enough of babysitting people on unadvisable drug trips for an entire lifetime, and he's not keen on repeating the experience.

Except it quickly becomes clear that nobody else is going to step in, even when he's given one or two passer-bys a hopeful glance. Whether it's the blindness, hallucinations, or general revelry that influences people to make terrible decisions, participants in the study are going to wind up being a danger to themselves or others, Kim decides, and reluctantly approaches one of them. ]

Khm. Excuse me. Are you all right?

[ He knows the answer to that question. It's no, because agreeing to be the guinea pig for unknown drugs as administered by some bizarre rabbit creatures is not something you do when you're all right, but he makes the executive decision to err on the side of politeness anyway. ]

b. night parade.

i. decorating.

[ Assisting with the parade seems like an easy way of currying favour with his superiors and to at least put on the pretense of helping out, so Kim gladly accepts the task of hanging up the decorations. He'll be around to help hold ladders, move boxes from point A to point B, or toss a bottle of water to one of his fellow assistants who looks as though they've failed to hydrate through any of their hard labour.

He does, however, become more invested in it than he specifically means to as he stands back, hands tucked neatly behind him, and scrutinizes one of the stalls' decorations, in a very interesting colour scheme. ]

No. I'm sorry, this needs to come down. These colours are... [ There is a polite way of putting this. ] ...very ugly.

ii. eyes needed.

[ Kim, having been deemed a very responsible looking man (probably because he's one of the older people here, he thinks with a sigh), has been tasked with sorting the fireworks and putting them in appropriate storage. Some need to be stored at certain temperatures to maintain the brilliance of their colours, and others need to be put under lock and key in a nearby storage unit because in the wrong hands, they have the capacity to do an awful lot of damage.

Which is fine. Kim is more than capable of handling this. Only he's supposed to be reading the criminally tiny fine print along the sides of the tubes. He holds them away from his face as far as possible in a desperate bid to translate it, but to no avail. He could rely on guesswork, but...

Reluctantly, he turns to one of his fellows, roped into helping with the parade as well. ] Can you make this out?

[ He's secretly hoping the answer is no, which is a possibility. It would be less embarrassing that way. ]
c. sutoku district & housing.

[ Otherwise, Kim can be found wandering around what he's been told is his new home, pausing occasionally to look at the huge, flashy arcades, the blindingly bright department stores, or perhaps dwelling a little too long on one of the vehicles parked along the side of the road. Shopping isn't the most exciting thing, perhaps, but Kim has plenty he needs to get with his first paycheck: groceries (largely frozen and canned foods, specialty-made for the consummate bachelor), a first-aid kit, cigarettes and toiletries, instant coffee, and a pitstop where he inspects a truly tragic looking pot of mint planted in ruinously dry soil.

By the end of the evening, he can be found on the balcony of the long line of depressing apartments that all of the newcomers have been put into, staring out at the night sky with a cigarette dangling from his fingers and a convenience store bag filled with premade food hanging off the crook of his elbow. He's willing to share, if interest is shown -- a cigarette for the adults, or a an extra onigiri for the kids. If he's going to eat a depressing late-night dinner standing out here, he may as well have some company. ]

d. wildcard.

[ want something else? I'd love to make a starter for you! just hit me up at my ooc comment here and we'll figure something out. ]

Comments

[pathofsacrifice]

I see.

[ He should attempt to say hello to his neighbors some time, then. There are some items that he has that he thinks would be good to give, if they're feeling like it. ]

Artemy. [ Wait, didn't he already introduce himself? He furrows his brows as he is certain that he did. But they are exchanging names, again. ] Yes, there are people that would want to be left by themselves. I know. [ He breathes out a long sigh, as he stumbles up along to head to his room. ]

I shall only make a nuisance of myself to the sick. They always love that about me. [ It is a dry joke as he comes to the door. He stares at it before digging through his pockets. ] Everything to be locked. Trust is a fragile thing that can be broken at any time.

[ A pause as he takes out a spool of thread and hands it to Kim. ] For you. It holds some of my warmth. [ A reasonable trade for the man trying to watch over him as he wanders about in an addled state. Does he fully understand that is what is happening? No, but eh! ]

[laughitoff]

[on the one hand, to be fair to Wei Wuxian, he's had a weird fucking life. on the other hand, he would probably find Kim's world and background equally weird in different ways, and many other people's here, so. either way, he also seems a little more comfortable settling on a more theological angle than on getting into his own personal gory details.]

Ah, hmm. I guess if I went to the courts of Hell, interment and punishment. But...I wasn't particularly expecting Hell either, I think? If people die with enough unfinished business like I did, they'd linger as some kind of ghost...vengeful, or simply confused.

[his lips twitch up into a smile for a second]

I like to think I'd be the confused sort.

[worldbent]

Yes, [Matoba tilts his head in a small nod, fingers slipping paper up and over,] Although some have tried. I suppose if you were an independent, or come from a less prolific clan, you may not have accrued as many grudges... In any case, Sight can disappear with age, as well, and if you have no heir to carry on the business then your shiki- ah, that is, your ayakashi servants- may continue to protect you until your death, as part of your contract with them.

Although I have heard of some complications stemming from that...

[Matoba wouldn't have to worry about that. Matoba clanheads never lived long enough for that to be a problem.]

[There is a much longer period of quiet after Kim asks about the Matoba's grudges in particular. Finishing off another set of streamers, Matoba secures the ends, and then sets it aside, turning to face Kim.]

[His hand reaches upward towards the sheet of paper, the spell that covered his right eye, and brushes aside the bangs that usually covered it.] This spelltag... You can see it, right? Normally, you wouldn't be able to.

[He lets his hair drop again, and props his chin in one hand with a lazy smirk.] There is a particularly nasty one for which my family is quite famous. Would you like to hear the story, Kim-san?

[aceslow]

I was expecting otherwise too, [ Kim admits. That's why he asked. ] Most people who came here with others they already knew seemed to be separated. I was wondering if it was deliberate... perhaps not.

[ They know enough about them to guess at what their deepest desires are. That means that they certainly know enough to know which of them would really prefer to stay with their friends or family members or colleagues. ]

Regardless, you got lucky. I don't think you'd be able to argue the choice in the first place. They don't seem as though they'd entertain transfer -- and even asking for one would likely put you in their bad books.

[aceslow]

I don't think we have much to worry about on that front, all things considered.

[ Which is to say, violence here seems expected, rampant, unpunished. The Department of Enma may have something to say about it, but how much power do they really have?

That's a genuine question, now that he thinks about it. It doesn't seem like they have that much more than any of the other factions, but that remains to be seen. ]

I think the greater question is that if this is Hell, what would come after being killed? [ His lip quirks. ] Double-Hell? Mega-Hell? One can only imagine.

[aceslow]

...I see. Thank you. [ Kim graciously accepts the spool of thread and slips it in his pocket. He's not sure what synapses are firing to make Artemy believe in the symbolism he's rambling about now, but he has to admit that while the symbolic nature of the gift is wholly lost on him, the useful nature of it is not; he did actually pick up a small, inexpensive mending kit, and it came with only as much thread as they could fit around a small scrap of cardboard. An entire spool is a luxurious thing in comparison.

He taps his foot as he waits for Artemy to open the door, quietly hoping that they won't have to simply break in. Or that this isn't his home at all. God, he doesn't relish the idea of explaining to some righteously cantankerous lost soul that Artemy means no harm; he is just simply very, very addled in the head. ]

What do the sick have to do with anything? [ He asks instead. ] Despite everything, everyone here seems to be in good health.

[aceslow]

[ Lingering as a ghost, unable to form real relationships or to affect real change sounds like a greater Hell than the one they're currently living. It also doesn't seem to be that different from Kim's real life, so he doesn't linger too much on that thought; at least in life, he can have the illusion of having the ability to do either of those things.

As it is, he simply nods, noting that even if their worlds differ, at least one theological basis of the afterlife seems consistent. Everyone has some conception of Hell, and everyone has some conception of those who linger on. Perhaps it is some base human desire to see the wicked punished, formed before they themselves join their ranks, as they all inevitably do. ]

That seems to be the better of the two, yes. [ His lip quirks. ] Though this place has a promise that most theology doesn't include... which is a chance to go back to finish that unfinished business. And not as a ghost.

[ Whether he believes it or not is a different question. He glances at Wuxian, curious. ]

Would I be right in assuming that was what was offered to you?

[aceslow]

Yes, I can. I assumed it was cultural in nature. I was half-right, I think.

[ It's rude to pry, after all. And despite asking so many questions, it's rarely Kim's intention to do so. He likes to know things - he would hardly be a detective if he didn't - but it's rarely personal, and he never wants people to speak on things that make them uncomfortable. Largely because their discomfort makes Kim uncomfortable.

Matoba's odd, blase attitude is something of a blessing in that respect. Kim never feels as though he's emotionally overstepping in any way, and as a result, he never needs to deal with the burden of Matoba's doubtlessly messy emotions about his lot in life. As sympathetic as he maybe, personal conversations are always something that Kim has found difficult to navigate.

But if Matoba's offering to share? He nods. ]

If you're comfortable with sharing, then yes. I would.

[worldbent]

Hah. Not far off, no.

[He folds his hands over his lap, eye drifting to the side. How to best discuss this with an outsider....]

Many generations ago, one of my ancestors- the head of the Matoba clan at the time- had made a promise with an ayakashi. Shiki contracts, you see, benefit both the contract holder and the ayakashi who has made the contract. Both increase greatly in power, the ayakashi may get some reward upon the death of the master, and the human receives a loyal servant. But sometimes ayakashi can also be enlisted for one job, casually, for some promised reward....

He promised his right eye. But in the end, for whatever reasons, he did not keep his promise. [There is a long and thoughtful pause.]

Ayakashi take promises and contracts very seriously, Kim-san. [He meets the man's eyes again, with a smile that doesn't reach his own.] That is why I am willing to go along easily enough with our employer's requests. Not that we have much say in the matter, hm?

[His head tilts upwards towards the strange sky of hell- as if seeking something.] Well. Ever since then, that ayakashi has been hunting for the thing it was promised, not caring that the individual who broke their promise is long, long dead. And over the many years, its hatred towards us has grown to a rather significant degree.

--Contracts are not the only way to forge connections with them, by the by. [Matoba smiles to himself, his eye still on the sky overhead.] Malicious hatred, focused and honed over a particular individual over many decades, over centuries... That, too, can forge particularly powerful bonds.

[laughitoff]

Ah, yeah. Well--not really unfinished business so much as...

[picks at the corner of one of the box labels, idly, brow furrowing for a moment; even he isn't shameless enough to just lightly drop 'I got a lot of people killed and I wish they'd lived instead.' his own death? fine, he had it coming, he'd deserved it. they hadn't, at all.]

...a lot of things in my life turned out badly, for other people. So it'd be nice to take that back, if I can, is all. If this chance is real.

[diesuki]

Perhaps not. But can we really count on that?

[Dazai would not normally care, but he's in a tricky situation here, being with the Department. They hold his contract: he wants what they're offering. And if there's anything you can count on with the law, it's that, in the end, it's only as impartial as the people enforcing it - meaning: not at all. The law turns on you faster than an inexperienced ballerina doing a double pirouette: you never know which way she'll land.]

Ooh! [He's got this! Wait for it...] Hell Infinity!!

[He is way too happy about that "creative" contribution. Anyway, somewhat more seriously:]

Hell is commonly believed to have eight or eighteen levels, and sometimes a lot more than that. Who knows? We may just cycle through all of them in turn.

[everblooms]

[ That's an astute observation, she'd think, if Aerith hadn't spent the earlier years of her life in captivity. She looks at him with a placid sort of smile, the kind you offer someone when the topic at hand is near impossible to answer even in the most polite of company. ]

Mm-mm. Well, sort of. [ Looking back at the window, she sees the expensive fabrics and sighs softly. ] I was adopted. [ That's the best way to put it, she thinks. It's not a lie, either. ] So, my memory of the place past around seven years old isn't too reliable, but it was also already happening when I got to Sector 5. That's the thing about places like Topside, though. They have the money to constantly expand. I don't think there's ever been anything new in the slums. New faces, new adventures, but never new buildings.

If you mean the sky... We're lucky in Sector 5 and get natural sunlight. It's more than other sectors get. Plus, we're still standing. If Shinra ever decides to drop the plate, well. They just can.

[ A puff of air passes from her. Not quite a laugh or a huff of agitation. The topic is fresh— she'd just seen Sector 7 demolished, and a whirlwind of emotion swims in her green eyes. None of it looks good. ]

Well, as true as it is, the best thing we can do is look to tomorrow. Sorta like how... we don't have till tomorrow to convince this sweet stand owner that we have better taste than them.

[ They do, though. ]

[aceslow]

[ There's a minute twitch of Kim's lip. It's hard to tell from his expression - he really has a lot of practice not moving a muscle, it seems - but he finds Hell Infinity very, very funny. It seems apt, anyway. They're in Hell, but still trapped in bureaucracy. They're probably already in Hell Infinity. ]

I see. Hell Infinity. That has a good ring to it.

[ He nods approvingly. ]

That's common for you, perhaps -- I've never heard of such a thing. We don't know by which world's beliefs this one abides by.

[ Probably Japan's, considering that's what this whole place seems based on, he muses. ]

I hate to think of having to cycle through all of them. Being uprooted once is quite enough for me, even if I do think it's odd that this place has been so light on the eternal punishment front. I was expecting more fire. And a little light torture unrelated to the sort in the Tamamo District.

[ Yes, he's run into the famed inept dominatrixes. No, he was not impressed. But it's true that some people's tastes are simply too deviant to be tortured. ]

[aceslow]

And... that is what they promised you, I take it? That you will be able to reverse that decision while remaining here yourself?

[ For someone to want to stay, or to prefer staying in order to enact change in some other way isn't something that's even occurred to Kim. Maybe he's just not that selfless, he supposes. He's not sure if there's anything he wants more than to return back where he belongs.

Not that that's the only thing that was promised to him. He won't speak on it - it's too sad, too strange for that - but what's been promised to him is so unbelievable that he's harbouring his share of doubts of it ever coming to pass. ]

[laughitoff]

They just promised me that I'd be able to reverse the decision for others. Whether I stay or go doesn't really factor into my contract that much...I guess I'd probably stay, though? It seems like it'll take a long time to work off no matter what, so it won't be like I won't be used to here by then...

[spreads his hands, with a little huff of a laugh]

I didn't bargain to restore my own life, and being a ghost is no fun, anyway. I hope your deal's something better, though.

[aceslow]

[ Kim listens carefully. He has the presence of mind to realize that writing down someone else's painful family history in front of them would be an uncouth thing to do, but his hand itches for a pen nonetheless; as far as he's concerned, while this is personal to Matoba, it also gives him an indication for how the beings here work, and how Kim might expect deals made with them to backfire.

He'll write it down later. Frankly, it sounds like the fairy tales he'd grown up with, fanciful stories meant to moralize to impressionable children. This sort of story would seem to say: keep your promises, little Kim, or you'll be sorry! A useful tool for any guardian to keep their kid in line -- or in Kim's case, many, many kids in line. But what was a fictional tool to Kim is an uncomfortable reality to the man in front of him. ]

So your occupation isn't your only birthright, [ he translates. Horrible thing, that. ] My condolences. That must be a terrible thing to grow up with.

[ And Kim thought he had it bad with his eyesight. He ruminates on what he's been told. If the case is that hatred can forge a bond, then there are many in Revachol who could have done exactly that. It's something to keep in mind with others he meets as well, he thinks. While he's certain he himself has never harboured a hatred like that for that long (at least towards a single person; groups of people are a different matter entirely) he doesn't doubt that there are others here that had. ]

Has that ayakishi never been successful in taking an eye from one of your clan? [ He did say that its hatred towards them had grown... ] Would that even satisfy them?

[aceslow]

[ When people hear of adoption - and the temporary parentless past it implies - they usually apologize. It's to make themselves feel better, Kim has always thought. Why make their discomfort the others' burden? An orphan himself, he merely nods. If she was adopted by kind people, which is never a guarantee, then it's a blessing. Whatever her past, he doubts it's pleasant for her to speak of. If her words didn't betray it, her bearing would, that determinedly sunny disposition dimming, though it doesn't vanish entirely.

She has a good point about how only the wealthy can afford to expand. He's never thought about it quite that way even though he's lived it, dwelling among the only expansion the wealthy had chosen to do in the GRIH: blocks of warehouses and industry in a line of enormous concrete buildings, interspersed with the places where people actually lived, many still marred by artillery fire and bombs, streets pockmarked by potholes. ] You have a good point there. On both points. You deal with what is in front of you, even if it's difficult -- and I am sorry that your situation is so difficult.

[ It's less looking towards tomorrow, more getting through the day, but he likes to think the sentiment remains. Expressing his condolences only seems right, considering the life-or-death scenario she has painted; he dislikes emotional discussion, but he's not so monstrous as to ignore everything she said completely. ]

I'm sure that's the only way anyone has managed to get through their first days here. [ His eyes flit over to the street ahead of them. It seems she's slowing enough that they'll get to her source in no time. ] Shall we?

[aceslow]

My deal will be to return home. That's good enough for me.

[ That's not all there is to it... but he'll leave it at that. The excess is nobody's business, and Kim can't think of a soul living or dead that he would confess it to beyond, perhaps, the parents he never knew, in some misguided attempt to curry their favour. It's a silly thought. He's older now than he was when they had died; if anything they ought to be trying to impress him. ]

Yours seems like an altruistic goal. [ Of no personal benefit, really. But for someone who has accepted his death, it makes a certain amount of sense. ] Maybe one subject to change, if you happen to meet them here, though. I imagine their contracts would be very much the same.

[diesuki]

[H8ers gonna h8, h8llers gonna h8ll. First rule of Hell Infinity.]

A fair point.

[There's really no telling what belief system, if any, this "hell" belongs to, no matter how much it seems related to Japanese mythology in some areas. That might even be a matter of collective consciousness, really. Regardless: Dazai doesn't really care. The more interesting point Kim mentions is the other one.]

Definitely more of a purgatory, isn't it? Though, with the way our contracts are dangled before us like carrots, it might be an ancient Greek hell, too.

[This is why it's hard to commit. He doesn't want to turn into Sisyphus.]

[laughitoff]

It depends. I think theirs would be focused on other people, too?

[shrugging; he doesn't want to delve too far down the rabbit hole of what his dead would desire from the factions, should they too become Lost Souls.]

It's funny, actually...there's at least three other people from home here, but they're most definitely alive? And from the future? Our contracts probably don't overlap much, but it's really very confusing how that's all supposed to work.

[worldbent]

[Kim wasn't wrong. It was an excellent cautionary tale, and the rest of the exorcist community looked at the Matoba with varying levels of distaste for their history- and perhaps moreso, the tradition they spun out of it, and passed along (forced upon) their heirs.]

[But in the view of the Matoba clan, that distaste was only a convenient moral high-ground covering for jealousy. Matoba's mouth curls up at Kim's question, thinking of the disdainful words that were spoken behind their backs by their enemies and rivals.] Never. After all, once the eye is taken, the curse would be broken.

That is because that monster's desire for my eye- mine, and all the clanheads that have come before me- is what has made our clan so powerful. And as long as we are chased, and evade its attacks properly, our power will only grow stronger still.

[He meets Kim's eyes again.] That is also why we have not simply exorcised it. It is a malignant being whose hatred has grown its power so much that even other ayakashi do not wish to cross it, and our own power is reflected in that.

And so, [Matoba curls his fingers under his chin, other hand teasing at another roll of crepe paper,] Even the ayakashi here, who do not seem to have heard the reputation of the Matoba clan, can sense that it's unwise to remain around me... So long as that one may appear.

But don't worry, Kim-san. I wouldn't allow you to be caught up by that thing, so you can rest easy. [Reassuring??]

[everblooms]

[ The fact he makes no mention of her status as someone who has been adopted crosses her mind as a small blip, and Aerith only wonders if there's something more he could say, but chooses not to. Kim is someone who seems like he says more if you pay attention to what he doesn't say— a specific kind of person that she's quite used to, these days. ]

I've had the chance to leave before. I'm lucky, I have that choice. [ A thoughtful little hum leaves her as she looks over to the great, big, open sky. Warm as the sun is, it'll never be the little rays of light that peeked into Sector 5. ] But, all the same... Thanks, anyway. [ Sincerity is laced into her tone. ]

Actually, good timing. We're here. [ Opening a smaller door, she makes her way into a dark hallway with a set of stairs going down. ]

Not afraid of spiders, are you?

[aceslow]

[ A choice that she hasn't taken, then? Curious. Kim feels somehow that he's managed to learn a great deal about Aerith in a single conversation, though of course, he has learned only what she's chosen to divulge. Whatever her motivations, he feels he can understand. Home is home, no matter how unfortunate it may look to an outsider.

He peers into the hallway. More specifically, he squints into the hallway. He's more afraid of the dark than of spiders, he thinks, but that's just because he can't see a goddamn thing. ]

I'd prefer that they don't drop on top of me, but I'm not scared of them, no. [ He lets her lead the way as usual, gloved hand skimming down the wall until he grasps onto the handrail. ] What is this place, anyway?

[aceslow]

There are four of you here? [ Kim blinks, surprised. ] That's got to be a record. The most I've ever heard of people knowing each other is two.

[ At least, that's true in his own case. Though being that this fellow is bringing time travel into the equation... it's enough to give him a headache. He's glad that he and Harry appear to not have to grapple with that. ]

That's convenient. Have you discussed it much? Your contracts? [ Kim rolls a shoulder to loosen it as he sets down another box. ] Assuming, of course, that you are allies.

[aceslow]

An ancient Greek hell...?

[ Kim sighs, righting one of the lanterns. He really is starting to become sick of not having any idea as to what anyone is talking about. And if his hunch is correct, most people who talk about place names as though it's common knowledge are from the same approximation of Earth -- or else they, like Kim, would realize nobody knows what the hell they're talking about.

He shakes his head. ]

I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. Greek - [ a place? a culture? ] - is not a thing where I am from. Nor is Japan, or the United States, or any other country that everyone here seems to know.

[ When it comes to making sense of this place, it seems that he's at a disadvantage. ]