July 2022 Mini Event

[jigokumods]

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Tanabata is on the horizon, and the city seems to be recovering well from last month. But there's work to be done, and it's time to get to it...

1. SHUTEN CLAN - THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS

With construction wrapping up, the new Shuten Clan casino will be opening soon. The casino has a number of new staff positions opening. It is a golden opportunity for anyone looking for a cash rich position. The money promised upon assignment to the underground casino is bound to be life-changing. Given the potentials in clientele, Toraguma is expecting the very best. Shutens are to report to the above ground Celestial Phoenix casino for their training.

They will be taught all the traditional casino fare, both Japanese and abroad. This includes being taught how to cheat at these games as well. For example:

• Blackjack dealers will learn card count, and how to catch others doing the same.
  
• Roulette attendants will learn both how and when to discreetly adjust the wheel.
  
• Craps and Cee-lo dealers will learn how to feel for loaded dice and how to switch in the house's dice without notice.
  
• Cee-lo dealers are also taught a specific way to line the dice tray to cause more lost throws.
• Cho-Han dealers will learn how to distract players as they adjust the dice.

That's not all the Shutens will be learning. The clan needs skilled bouncers as well: people who can handle rowdy customers or haughty celestials. The more tenured Shutens will take up the roles of rude customers and challenge the trainees in how to handle them.

While not everyone will receive employment in the casino, they are all expected to participate in training. Shuten officers are expected to guide and oversee their juniors.

2. TAMAMO CLAN - CHARM SCHOOL

The Tamamo Clan also has preparations to make in anticipation of the underground's opening. The clan is opening their own brothel and cabaret, as well as providing food and drink services to the new Shuten casino.

All Tamamo Clan members must report for training at Mizukume. The lesson of the day is to use one's charisma to secure a huge payout. For example:

• Hosts and hostesses will learn the art of schmoozing away clients' money.
  
• Performers will learn more provocative means of soliciting large tips.
  
• Oiran are taught the erotic arts; the perfect balance to both please a client, and how to leave them begging (and paying) for more. There's no technique Tenkohime finds too shameful. Money is power, and power is freedom.
  
• Food service workers are provided master classes in mixology, plating, and how to serve high-profile clients without breaking a sweat.

Each role comes with its own set of pressures, but also the promise of great reward. Everyone is going to get rich, if everyone plays their part well.

Tenured Tamamo are asked to roleplay as clients for the benefit of those Lost Souls new to the work. While not everyone will be selected to work in the Underground, everyone is expected to train for it.

3. SUTOKU ALLIANCE - BLACK MARKETS AND BACK ALLEYS

After months of meetings, it's finally time for some real action. Sutoku Lieutenant Ryouma Sakamoto has made some pretty big commitments on the Alliance's behalf. His temerity comes from his earnest belief in the other Sutoku Lost Souls! No pressure, though!

To succeed, the Alliance must determine who is behind the current black market operation. Ryouma is relying on the Alliance's extensive information network and the hard work of the Lost Souls to make it happen.

This is the work that Ryouma mentioned when he welcomed the new arrivals recently.

This assignment is all about what you know. The Sutoku need to learn more about the competition, through any means necessary. The Alliance wants to know everything about what goods are moving around the city and who is moving it. Time to follow the money. You might even discover an unfulfilled niche in the market through your investigations.

The current influx of Stardust in the city is a great opportunity to investigate the existing dealers and supply lines. The Alliance is gathering Stardust just like everyone else, but it is becoming increasingly scarce as the factions vie for it. The value of this commodity is shooting up every day. Take some cash or other compelling bartering tools with you to grease the palms of a few shady dealers. Try to convince them to be more honest about their supply lines, beyond just the sparkly stuff. Stick the landing, and you might just be closing in on the heart of those shipping loopholes.

This is no easy undertaking. Creativity and tenacity will determine just how far you can go. Be careful not to be too obvious, the threat of unwanted attention will cause your sources to clam up.

4. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA - CRACK DOWNS

The Stardust's street presence has shifted naturally over the past few weeks: from an easy resource to simply scoop up in garbage bags overnight to a hot commodity. The street value of the material has increased considerably, and that means that the unaffiliated street gangs are greedy to get in on the action.

Enma officers are called upon to round up any black market dealers of Stardust and confiscate as much of their supply as they can find. This might just bring them into some direct conflict with the Sutoku Alliance members hoping to connect with market insiders. That's just how things boil out sometimes, though.

It is more important to the Department to get Stardust out of the hands of the black marketeers… and into their own lockers.

Officers are given permission to use any amount of force against individual actors, and members of the Law and Records Department are expected to draft up warrants (no matter how doctored) to obtain access to buildings they otherwise would never be allowed into; even Mizukume and the Arena. The Department's orders are clear: if it's not an approved market, shut it down.

This is in the name of maintaining Order, so get out there. Move at least in pairs, or you're likely to meet some serious resistance, and keep an eye out for the newbies.

5. ALL FACTIONS - LUNAR RABBIT RETURNS

It isn't just the factions, dealers, and petty gangs who are interested in the Stardust now that it's a premium item.

A familiar face has resurfaced: the mysterious gyokuto medicine woman and her army of white rabbits. While her little kin have managed to gather a healthy amount of Stardust for her "research", she still needs more. She is willing to pay a huge premium to those who retrieve more materials for her.

She understands that this will require you to either pilfer from one of the factions, or potentially someone even more dangerous. She will be providing samples of one of her drugs, which can grant temporary invisibility in moonlight. Use it for whatever hijinks you want, but she really would prefer if you brought her the goods in the end.

If invisibility doesn't cut if for you, she can provide another sample that provides 10 times your normal strength. While you can KO anyone who gets in your way, it wears off within 5 to 10 seconds. She is very clear that you should not take more than 3 doses of this, or you will very possibly die. Probably. Maybe? It will be unpleasant. So use it only when you need to.

The reward for getting her some Stardust, depending on the amount, can easily pay all a character's expenses for a month, if not longer. The temptation is great, but do you trust this strange rabbit woman?

Welcome to the mini event!

• If you have any questions about event content, please ask them here!
• Looking for a partner for your prompt? Post here!
• FOR THE PURPOSES OF REWARDS, since all of these prompts tie into the main plot in some way, we will count all qualified threads in this post as 2 point threads!
• If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.

Comments

[shrieking_violet]

[ Chris hadn't expected an opportunity like this to pop up. Sure, there's gambling back home, but nothing like a casino. Even when they're just getting it prepped it's brighter and flashier than anything she's used to, and there are a bunch of games she's never heard of.

But it would mean she doesn't have to worry about needing to throw hands with demons, if she could work here. ]

H-hey bishop. ...I'll just be casual then I guess?

I'm gonna be honest I don't know how to play most of these games, but I'd like to see if I can learn.

[getting_better]

Hoooo...

[ He seemed to be judging her, but the truth is he's just sizing her up. Testing her resolve. If she caves from just a little feigned disdain then this lesson is gonna be a little harsh for her. ]

Alright, I've got a fair amount of knowledge I can impart but you gotta listen carefully and think just as much because learning to play is easy. Learning to when to win is tough. Toraguma expects this place to be earning, and I'm of the same mind.

[ He tosses the deck of cards over to her. ]

Are you familiar with playing cards atleast? This one here is the brand and design we use in this casino. Make sure to remember everything about the deck, the weight, feel, the width and texture, the sheen, even the smell. It's gonna be important later on.

[shrieking_violet]

I can handle a pack, yeah. We played some cards. Made up half our games ourselves.

[ And learned a few from weird sources. ]

So I can... recognize if someone's swapping cards with their own, is that it?

[getting_better]

Good answer. It's exactly that, although anyone who tries pull that stunt here is a less than an amateur. Most of the players you'll be encountering cheat using their mind and eyes, the ones with the balls and the skill do switch cards will be in the high rollers section - and that'll be under the responsibility of myself and some other senior members.

[ A beat, followed by a relaxed smile. The first one he's given since she arrived. ]

Not that it doesn't mean there's no room for others. Just pay attention and practice when you can, and soon enough I'll probably see you up there. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself, lets get you acquainted with the games. First up, Blackjack.

[ He leads the way to the nearby blackjack tables, but instead of going into the thick of it he parks them near the edge. ]

So this is blackjack, one of the most popular card games in casinos. Each game has about two to seven players all of them competing against the dealer, or the house - which is us. Our set up here has the standard amount but, the further in you go in this area you'll see the tables have up to nine players. The goal is to have a hand with total that is higher than the dealer's but is not higher than twenty one. You can open the deck, it'll make the explination easier.

[shrieking_violet]

Sounds like something I'd think of and then get too chickenshit to actually go for.

[ But obviously, other people are daring, to the point of stupidity. ]

I'm sure all the people here, with so much money going around, have a lot of motivation to think of new ways to cheat.

[ A larger population means more heads to think with. ]

Okay, blackjack. I'm the house so I'm the one in charge of the game.

[ Nine players is a lot to keep track of when you're playing with your boss's money. Chris pops the deck open and flips through. ]

The face cards are...?

[getting_better]

The king, queen, and jack. There's a total of four each, one for each suit. Spades, clubs, diamon, and hearts.

[ He reaches over and carefully spreads the deck so she can see each suit and all the numbered cards along side the face cards, then draws the joker card from the end. ]

This one is the Joker, you don't use this generally but it still comes with every fresh deck. Don't know why though since these are order made. Tradition, I guess. Anyway.

[ He points to the numbered cards and slowly moves down the cards as he explains - . ]

The numbered cards keep their face value, so two to ten are worth as you see while the king, queen, and jack are all ten. Then there's the aces that are either worth one or eleven depending on how the player wants to use them. [ A beat. ] Although, you won't find the aces there anymore.

[ And if she were to search, he'd be right. All the aces are missing from their places, but he reveals them shortly - showing the palm of his gloved hand, then the top, then with one quick motion as he flips his hand over, the four aces arranged like a fan. Some sleight of hand to show her what she can expect from more experienced cheaters. ]