July 2022 Mini Event

[jigokumods]

MAIN NAVIGATION


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

[shittylittle]

...If you were a customer, I'd kick you in the fucking dick for breaking the no touching policy.

[Yes, he's aware of the fact that he'd broken that rule first, but still how very dare!! ...Someone clearly needed that lesson, going by how red he is and how shaken he seems by the reminder of his absolute lack of strength and influence.

Man, sucks to be fuckin' fallible peasantry, especially in the face of Mort's serene smile; Aster grunts and brusquely smooths his hands down his sides to dislodge any lingering hint of the Simba Hold, before slinking back to his seat to lick his wounds.] Since I like you and we're friends, you get a warning. Grab me like that again without permission and I'll bite you right to the gums.

[mortelix]

[ the aggression is a surprising contrast to what he normally hears from him. while some may have been offended at the threat, mort simply takes it in at face value. albeit, perhaps with some twinkling gleam of intrigue. then again, who doesn’t appreciate a good threat? mort only wished it more serious. perhaps, aimed at his life?

but, those thoughts were neither here nor there. if aster took it upon himself to simply speak those terms out of some vague hint of goodwill, mort wasn’t one to reject it. nodding along, he gives a huff that could very easily be mistaken as another hint of humor. ] You should be sure not to say those kinds of words easily. You may find some people enjoy that.

But— [ he lets the word hang in there air. ] I will keep your words in mind.

[ it isn’t necessarily out of respect (mort while well-mannered and seemingly easygoing, was barely capable of that on a good day), but out of something else. interest? the concept that he wanted to learn more and press other boundaries? who really knows, but it feels like he got enough answers for today and that pleased him. ]

[shittylittle]

You say that like I wouldn't also benefit if they enjoyed it.

[He rakes a hand through his hair, tousling out the ends as though they need his attention somehow. It's taking far longer than usual for Aster to regain his composure, but not looking at Mort definitely seems to help.] I wouldn't waste my time threatening shit that I wouldn't get something out of.

But that's neither here nor there, not for the current surroundings ☆ You look pleased with yourself, so I'd say that's a happy customer~ Wouldn't you?

[mortelix]

[ what aster proclaims isn't incorrect. at least, not as far as this concept of "customer service" was concerned. in a sense, he deliberates how people choose these behaviors based off on monetary objectives alone, but he supposed that may as well also have been a difference of the times; or perhaps, simply the difference of this new lifestyle they were expected to adapt to. regardless, he's impressed with the vampire's abilities to shift into this role.

ancient beings, as far as he knew them, tended to be inflexible and reluctant for change. ... which is what made them that much more simple to deal with. but, his growing interest in his new friend aside: ] I agree. You get a pass from me.

[ aren't you glad this is all over and maybe now they can actually just enjoy their drinks with no fears of simba carries? ]

[shittylittle]

[As soon as Mort proclaims he's passed the test, Aster lets out a huge sigh and flops onto the tabletop, arms outstretched and face buried between them. Just give him a moment to slip from the shackles of extra sugary speech.]

Mmmmmm, you're a tough customer, aren't you? I don't know that I'd manage to snag you as a regular even at my best! And that'd just make me try harder, but who wants a desperate host, right?

[Stretching fulfilled, he crosses his arms instead, chin propped up on one forearm and smile a touch more subdued, albeit still very much saccharine. He'll never lose that outside of losing his temper.] You should become a host. People would fall over themselves just to try and win their way into your good graces. ...But that'd probably be boring for you, so I guess there's no point, huh? You've probably already had that happen a million times over.

[mortelix]

Some people may find the desperation flattering. [ "some" being the keyword. mort doesn't seem to put any weight into his words, so it remains a mystery if he falls into that category. though, to be quite honest, mort was more of a pursuer than the type to be pursued.

forget the fact that he is pursuing them purely for the desire to find that spark in his life, which incidentally is found only in death or in making someone his rival/subordinate for life and fighting them endlessly. still, he does see that aster was either attempting to butter him up, or... he's actually not sure. ] I think I'll leave it to the experts like yourself. While I can't say that you're completely wrong, I'd expect most of that comes from fear of death than anything else. Can you really say they're the same?

[shittylittle]

Some. But that's not my style, to chase that sort of person. ...At least not for free.

[That's the entirety of his host work, after all.]

--really, though? Not that I doubt that's definitely a good chunk of it with you being powerful and above humans and all, but...I mean. You just picked me up like a child, I was unable to do anything, and I'd still rather pay you attention just because you're super interesting and handsome.

Maybe that's just because if you were going to kill me, there's not a whole lot I could do about it. It is what it is, right~?