jigokulogs | July 2022 Mini Event

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July 2022 Mini Event

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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.

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[Charm school is the last thing Owen wants to take part of, but here he is anyways. If it wasn't for Nero getting saddled into Tamamo and Shylock already making something of a reputation for himself here he would have tried harder to avoid it...

But he has enough of a competitive drive to be at least more "charming" than Nero. He won't let a gloomy Eastern chef win.

Still, he thinks he might at least not be as bad at this guy at being charming. He blinks once, twice, before his smile goes crooked.]

My strengths?

[Asking someone to just divulge their strengths is an interesting tactic. To say the least. Owen's not keen to give away secrets - not that he has many to keep in the first place, much less here - but he remembers the answer he gave Akira when the Sage asked.

It'll probably be off-putting and will to get the man to pull his hand away, if the chill of Owen's skin isn't enough already.]

I'm very good at dying.

[ wow, everyone is a critic...

whether he is acutely aware of everyone's judgement or not is a mystery. either way, he seems perfectly fine with the concept, and pushes past it without any pause or concern. what does get his attention, however, is the expression on the other's face when he responds.

mort can already feel excitement building in the pit of his stomach. maybe as if expecting something from his confidence, or in the way he remains unwavering and resolute in the face of his inquiry. his interest is piqued and only grows stronger at the cold touch of his skin; it reminded him of the sensation he felt when one grabs frozen steel in the middle of a snowstorm. it's almost familiar in that sense.

then, his words...

mort's eyes widen just slightly. ] Dying...? [ and then he releases a small and deep hint of laughter. ] Yet you stand here before me now. [ which, all things considered, maybe he could relate. but, being good at something usually carried an air of experience and practiced precision. ]

[When you're doing something worth criticizing...]

I'm good at dying - but not very good at staying dead.

[Which is exactly what it sounds like - at least before he ended up here, Owen was a man who could die time and time and time again but he would always, always come back.

It certainly came in handy more often than not, even if it could sometimes get to be quite annoying.]

Is that so hard to believe, sir...?

[didn't even offer his name before he started touching owen's face smh]

My, what a useful skill. You could have all the fun you want and still manage to relive it the very next day. [ he says as if everyone's definition of fun was potentially fighting to the death. regardless, if this stranger shares this line of thought or not seems to be of no consequence. which... may have just ben a running pattern in this exchange. #meandunapologetic

mort does have a lot of questions involving this stranger's bodily disposition and the implied immortality, but does eventually decides to pocket this for now as exploring it within his own time sounded equally rewarding. ]

The Great Mortelix. [ a pause. ] I do prefer Mort, however. [ a name he is more than willing to spare with those who tickle his naturally inquisitive nature.

does this mean he has a free pass for face touching now??? ] What should I call you?

[Unfortunately, that's... not entirely off from what Owen finds fun. Sure, he hates losing, but fighting with the intent to kill? That was a near daily occurrence back home. It was equal parts fun, thrilling, and annoying.]

It has it's benefits, even if I wouldn't say all deaths are all that fun.

[There's some peace to all deaths in the end, sure, but things like starvation or hypothermia? He'd rather not repeat those very often.]

You can call me Owen, if you want. I don't really care.

[He honestly doesn't care about what Mortelix prefers, either, so whether or not he'll actually call him Mort and not something far more obnoxious is up in the air.]

[ that was a fair point. mort supposed while dying in the heat of battle against a worthy opponent was one thing. but, some other deaths were likely to be far less ... enticing. perhaps, even mundane. he hears of humans who die of afflictions that seemed almost impossible to him, after all.

regardless— ] I would have to say that those constantly making you experience it have interesting tastes as well.

[ he can only assume... that's why there are so many deaths??

that, or owen goes looking for it. which... okay fair. maybe. you can't discount a man's desire to get ripped apart just cuz. but, wow... why does no one just call him mort... ]

Do you normally care this little? Not that I disagree. I used to consider everything quite worthless.

[ maybe there was a part of him still stuck in this phase, too. ]

[He's... not wrong, on either accounts. Owen goes looking for trouble far more often than he should, but there's more than one occasion where he's been killed for absolutely no reason at all. It's just the nature of things, when people know you'll just come back.]

They just like to throw their strength around. Nobody knows anything about moderation.

[Including himself? Obviously.]

I don't care about things that are just for show. I'm not a child, so why would I want to play pretend and get along with strangers?

[Tenkohime really made choices when she decided to get Owen's contract and drag him into Tamamo, because he's not keen on having to behave and get along with people. Still, maybe there's some hope he'll get to be Just Mort some day...]

If you want me to care about what you have to say, you'll have to actually show me something interesting.

The same could be said about those who continue to seek death. [ he supposed as many lives as were sacrificed to nothing but his own desires to find someone worthy to call a rival, there were those who specifically came looking for death. he isn't sure if this 'owen' specifically gave off this vibe, but he does get the impression he didn't seem to think much of his death.

that said— he does find some semblance of humor in owen's words, which probably can be seen in the brief curve of his lips. mort would argue, however, that is was more than a human thing than it was a matter for children. ]

Oh? How would one show you that? [ his eyes seem to look over at owen's neck as if he were contemplating strangling him, but instead he just keeps his same easygoing expression. oops, it was probably because this is the most he's talked about death in a long time, he can't help but have the topic on his brain. ]

[A wiser person would probably find that glance unsettling, or would be way more cautious around Mortelix - but Owen is not known for being wise.

Dying would be more interesting than all of this talk of manner and etiquette and seduction, anyways. It'd be frustrating to die when Owen doesn't have any significant way to fight back and get the upper hand and maybe kill Mort instead, but - it's just dying. Who cares?]

Do you think me telling you is actually going to make you interesting?

[His body language is open, relaxed, even if his eyes are sharp and his grin shows too much teeth.]

I want to see what you'll do, not if you're just going to be a good little boy who barks when he's asked. That's the only hint I'll give you.

[ the lack of caution the other man presents only furthers his own sense of intrigue. the more he can't read the man's intentions, the more he naturally finds himself attempting to read between those metaphorical lines.

but, that isn't to state he doesn't view owen's words as an actual challenge. he isn't sure if the other man simply underestimates him, or if he believes that mort truly was incapable of action. even now, mort isn't afraid of the prospect of dirtying his hands, nor was he against any acts of violence. it's a pity he may have had to clean up a corpse on his own, but he supposes he would figure out the aftermath.

while some may have reacted more spontaneously or in some sort of passion, mort's expressions don't change in the least. instead, he keeps an almost genial and polite smile as his hands drift and his palms press against owen's adam's apple. he applies a bit of pressure, enough to tighten the airways to his throat. ]

I see. I suppose then I will have to show you some effort of my own. I don't dislike a strict mentor. [ he says as if he would ever truly have more than one mentor, but as a loose statement without any meaning, he supposed it would do as an adequate response back. ]

[A wiser man would probably have moved at the feeling of a hand around their throat, or fought back in some way. Owen isn't exactly keen to die when he's not sure if he'll turn to stone or not, but that doesn't quite translate to fear.

Not to mention he's not sure of this man's conviction just yet. Anyone can talk a big talk, but how many men would actually follow through?

So he just grins, and laughs, reaching up to place his hands on Mort's wrists. He doesn't make any effort to pull him off or encourage him to squeeze more tightly, though. Not yet, at least.]

Is this the best you can do?

[can't wait for owen to pass out in this thread]

[ biding his time as someone slowly lost oxygen was never really his preferred method. still, the intimacy of the deed; the way he fulls the pulse beneath his fingers tips, or perhaps that was merely inflated perception from his own growing excitement.

it isn’t that mort considered himself particularly bloodthirsty, but the concept of skirting over that edge in a place where it was predominately frowned upon was exhilarating, and perhaps, that temporary loss of freedom was almost liberating. it isn’t as if anything could truly stop them, but the fact still remained in the back of his head. it’s strange how moments ago, he thought this would just be another way to simply pass time, and now here he is, reveling in the fact that he’s choking a man who has no fear of death.

… and he felt equally as interested in the man who simply seemed to toy with the idea. ] It seems you weren’t lying earlier. [ or he has to be telling the truth if he seemed this keen on dying. so he squeezes a bit tighter, more deliberate.

while he strength is not as it was at home, it is still more than sufficient to leave bruises on his neck, especially on skin that seemed so clean like porcelain. but maybe those perish when he comes back to life? who knows. ] Is this where people typically ask for last words?

[ “last.” ]

I’m an honest man.

[He says, completely trustworthy. Completely.

“Last” words is such a funny concept for a man who can’t die, but he’s sure Mortelix is aware of the irony. Still, the harder he squeezes, the harder it is to talk, and Owen wonders for a brief moment if there will be a difference in how long it takes to asphyxiate when he’s so much weaker, now.

Will it be faster? Does it make any difference at all? He’s never thought to test things like that before, but he hasn’t died in ways like this very often. His deaths aren’t usually so personal, and his killers don’t usually get so close to him. Strangulation is something of a rarity, but he thinks he prefers this over some other ways to die.]

L-last words when you can’t… talk? Very funny.

[ a honest man...

that response does get a chuckle out of him. he supposed some have labeled him very much the same. though, rather than honest, he would merely state that lies tend to be convoluted and far too much trouble. he isn't quite sure if it's equally applicable of this man.

but, the concept of attempting to figure it out did tickle him metaphorically. but, pressing ever forward, the way, his throat seems to naturally tighten and constrict with every breath and gulp of air he naturally tries to push through, even with his words, seem all the more palpable. his senses seem heightened against the sensation beneath his fingertips.

mort seems keen on continuing this deed. he continues and continues until he is basically no longer able to. before he realizes it, he feels the other man's form falter beneath his fingers.

... did he pass out?

either way, it was never his intention to kill him. no, he seemed much too enjoyable for that. though, it does beg the question of... did he quite possibly fail this activity?

oh well. ] Can I just say he enjoyed asphyxiation?

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July 2022 Mini Event

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let me know if this is okay to assume... or if i should change anything!!