(july catch-all) oh, the misery

[mindthebass]

Who ⬤ shin(ichi okazaki) and you??
What ⬤ honestly, a lot. drug buying, learning how to fire a gun, playing music solo for the first time, the wax museum, and probably more to be added. two closed prompts as well!
When ⬤ july!
Where ⬤ tamamo, sutoku and shuten territories.
Content Warnings ⬤ drugs, first and foremost, there's a bender in here. sex is a topic that comes up in the songs he'll play, and it's shin, so honestly, his cws might apply.

Comments

TAMAMO

[mindthebass]

drug buying

[mindthebass]

(his first thought when he finds himself in-store is not using it himself. shin’s not a big drug user, casual more than anything, but there’s that little sound in his head asserting that being in the right place at the right time with these in his pocket might help him somehow, sometime… and if he feels like it, he has it with him, too. a win-win situation that won’t backfire on him.

the normality of it noticeable in the streets, in the eager chatter that he can listen to around the store, winded speeches about this strain or that, the difference between this and that - helping nothing, when did all this become so intricate and difficult? shin’s sigh is audible, as he smells a container of weed over the other, confusion furrowing his eyebrows as he tries to check what each of them does. too… much…)

[ahost]

[ is it illegal to buy drugs in hell? — not really. it doesn't make sense to add it under a criminal offense, considering the nature of this sin city and the fact they are dead. no one should give a fuck if some kid is experimenting, and yet— it was a gross sight for yuuji. 'gross' in a sense he felt obligated to do something about it to avoid the guilt that will haunt him for the rest of the day. there's evident discomfort on his face as he struggled to make a choice; still balancing between 'should I?' and 'don't bother'. ugh.

eventually, he approached shin. the badge holding his title and name might be the first clue of his affiliation to the enma, even if he wasn't following the dress code. sorry, but he can't really do much with a formal suit, more comfortable with a casual black hoodie and matching pants. ]

... Trust me, it's not worth it. I've seen a lot of people high out of their minds and totally vulnerable. It's not a pretty sight.

[mindthebass]

Define out of their minds and vulnerable?

(ah, popo. one more. that's nice. there's a bit of a chill on shin's spine when he makes the whole connection of buying drugs in front of an officer, and he frowns. shit-- fuck-- oh, yeah. he's not doing anything wrong, not really.

once he stands, he pats his outfit, as to relieve it of any dust he might have gotten there from where he was kneeling.)

It's not for me, by the way. It's just always good to have something valuable in a place like this.

(well. it's PROBABLY not for him.)

SHUTEN

[mindthebass]

guns? guns.

[mindthebass]

(scrawny, delicate, small, all words that could readily illustrate shin’s appearance, but that also tells a tale of how vulnerable he is in this place, unable to even preserve himself from birds when they came racing and tugging on his lip chain at the festival. if he can’t resist birds, he plainly can’t defend himself from whatever more this place has in store. sure, he can seek assistance from one or two tough people he knows, but relying on others to have his back incessantly sounds ludicrous, doesn’t it?

a pistol feels both comfortable in his hand and alien nonetheless, and he has been standing in front of targets for some time now.

is it as straightforward as pulling the trigger?)

[21towin]

[Billy is not part of the Shuten gang but it doesn't stop him from visiting the local ranges belonging to them. Practice always makes perfect and gives him something else to do.

Besides he wasn't being bothered any and didn't bother anyone else while here.

Well, maybe he'll go ahead and bug the guy standing in the booth next to him, looking like a deer in the headlights.]

You never used a gun before?

[mindthebass]

(the blue-haired kid jumps a bit in place, like he had been caught with something he shouldn't be - but oh, isn't the whole point of this place firing a gun?

a few blinks before he exhales, loudly, putting the gun down to give the stranger attention as is, a pout to go with his frustration.)

Never even held one, nope.

[aceslow]

[ Kim has always considered firearms to be a necessary evil. Life would be better if they didn't exist, perhaps, but there's really nothing like the reassurance of a gun held firmly in his holster, insurance that whatever comes his way, he will be able to fight back. He's been here in Jigoku-cho for far too long now, when he realizes that he's missed out on what ought to be his yearly assessment to ensure that he's still at the top of his game.

What he lacks in a commanding officer to officiate the proceedings, he makes up for in sheer anal-retentive dedication to being as good as he can be at every facet of his job, especially now that he's found himself plunged into violent situations with more regularity than he ever desired, even considering his occupation. Besides, he has to familiarize himself with a brand new firearm, taken from the Sutoku armory, now that he's given Andromache her gun back.

He sheds his jacket as he enters, exposing the fact that he's wearing a handgun holster over his slim-fitted tank top, sturdy dark brown leather, and clearly the sort meant more for practicality than for style (though Kim rather likes the way it looks too, truth be told). He removes his firearm from the holster, turning it over in his hands, when he looks up and spots a familiar face. ]

...Shin? I wasn't expecting to see you here.

[mindthebass]

(his eyes don't really avert from the gun, even with the creak of the door and the steps into the room. a part of him, a larger part, loathes the fact that he has to even protect himself like this. it's ugly, feels awfully emotional, and he doesn't think he can pull the trigger with killing intent. perhaps a leg or a foot, something that gives him the advantage to just bolt away as the perpetrator squirms in the background, but if he has a choice, he'd rather not even dirty his hands like that.

there are others - stronger, faster, with powers that far surpass his own in defensiveness. all the powers he's received are much more emotional than offensive, if his words don't count that much.

the voice is what snaps him away, and he looks back to confirm his suspicion with a large, childish sigh.)

Yeah, me neither, but apparently, I can neither fight birds nor outrun thugs... So something's gotta give, right?

Re: guns? guns.

[penalties]

[ Mion's still new to a lot of this... well, hell, which is why she's been checking every single place at any open opportunity that she can get. So when she finds herself at the range and sees someone with a gun in his hand just standing at the target, she can't help but speak up, trying to keep her voice light. ]

You look like you can't make up your mind on something! Do you need help figuring out how to use that?

[mindthebass]

...

(... why would she know? she's not the type of person his mind connects to a gun user, so he's staring at the gun and back at her in a loop for a moment or two before he speaks.)

... You know how to use it?

[federates]

[ barton's pretty much a regular here, and thus tends to recognize like regulars. shinichi would not (yet?) be on that mental list; even if he didn't already look out of place, barton's eye is pretty much drawn his way immediately. he leaves his rifle on his booth's shelf to move nearer to shin's. then he slides his earmuffs off, gunfire decibel levels apparently be damned. ]

Ha ha ha!! Wow!

[ it's okay, shin. even if you are wearing a headset, barton ensures everyone can hear him just fine. ]

Didn't expect the lil' pipsqueak here!!

[mindthebass]

Barton...!

(WHY. SO. LOUD. he's startled to the bone, even jumping a little while his free hand sets on his chest to calm his beating heart. holy shit, why are you scaring him with a gun on his hand!!!!)

Can you help me out? I think I jammed it.

(YOU HAVEN'T EVEN PULLED THE TRIGGER, NERD.)

SUTOKU

[mindthebass]

now i'm going solo

[mindthebass]

(first time he came here, it was with wonder, and awe, as emily swept bargoers off their feet as she sang with the sweetest voice and enchanting charisma, and shin now finds himself on the same stage he once watched. reason why he’s doing this isn’t as simply as ‘because that’s who he is’, it’s more something along the lines of ‘is this who i want to be?’.

being a celebrity back home was an interesting experience, but shin’s never cared about spotlights, fame, never had the drive to crawl to the top of the charts like it was his life purpose. all he wanted was to play in a band and have fun, and now, he’s solo. is it still as captivating and thrilling when he’s the only one on the stage, and there’s nobody to go home to, play mahjong and drink to celebrate shared success…?

he plays only two songs, completely unaware of his own power as his voice and guitar fill the echos. empathic music projection - what the song portrays, one feels, but as his fingers press the chords, he hardly realizes the changes in the patrons' expressions, emotions bubbling to the surface as he goes. the one thing he notices though is how his chosen repertoire differs from what he is used to playing. he can’t play his songs by himself, and with the new wave he’s received of music after the early 2000s, he’s trying to figure out what could be fun for him on his own.

almost immediately after he’s done and his guitar is secured, he goes to the bar. there’s a lot to think about.)

… Phew…

(ooc: here’s what he played! panic! at the disco, and an acoustic guitar cover of muse. he has a thick british accent, slightly swedish on some words!)

[no_kyouken]

[ It's not exactly a secret that Majima and Emily are together. It's not something they talk about in those terms, but it's obvious enough if you just watch. He's at her clinic,, they go to restaurants and movies together, and here he is in her club to watch her perform. People know, and people react to his presence accordingly. Mostly, the waitstaff is polite and familiar with him, some eyes linger jealously, and others murmur curiously.

He observes the other acts with mild interest from behind a drink, and there's the scrawny little punk he shook around the other day... hm. He's in a much less antagonistic mood when he motions with a finger for Shin to come over to his table after his set. ]

[mindthebass]

(oh. that asshole.

not that he really knows about his connection to emily. he hasn't been to the clinic, usually, when shin says he's not alright, it's a lie, anyway. he knows, at least, that running from this motherfucker is useless.

begrudgingly, he does come. at least this time, he has people to fall back to. megumi. barton. maybe mari.)

What do you want with me?

a laughter crisis at the wax museum

[mindthebass]

(how did he find this place, he has no idea. either way, he’s coming in, watching all the statues, some a trip due to how famous people have changed since he was, well, alive. he’s having the time of his life taking pictures until he finds…

… blast, in wax, in the funniest way. nana looks extremely mean, and angry, like she’s about to twist a neck. yasu’s bald head glows, literally, with LEDs on top of it to make it sparkle. nobu’s absolutely drunk, red as a tomato, a large pout as he flips his beer to see that it’s empty… and then there’s shin, with an expression on his face that screams ‘i’m just a little shit’. he can’t help the laughing crisis that escapes him, back to the wall as he slides down, attempting to kill the chuckles to no avail.

this is incredible. bless this place.)

CLOSED

[mindthebass]

to harry - a bender

[mindthebass]

(two in the morning, and shin’s already fatigued? doesn’t sound like him at all, when his entire sleep pattern has been flipped around. nights are when he flourishes, walks the streets and tries to get a hold of what this place is about. the concept of being somewhere wholly new isn’t as daunting as it had been before, with language barriers, unfamiliarity, fear and uncertainty. shin’s been through that, and jigoku-cho at least allows him some of his limited understanding of japan to translate here.

it means there’s more to figure out if he wants to survive, and the finest way he finds to do it is through research and discussion when the opportunity presents itself - or it would be if he hadn’t been yawning and virtually collapsing on his whiskey. coffee hasn’t done a thing so far, and the crowd has thinned out as the hours go by. a bump, and he’ll go to another establishment, a solid plan his depleted brain puts together once he makes his way to the restroom.

he’s gotten way less paranoid about being caught since he’s made it here. store-bought rather than from any other means, it’s the people who seem to care about him he worries the most about and none of them are in the bar tonight. once the powder reaches his brain, shin’s head shakes a little as it takes in the substance, his heart already so loud that shin’s sure that it’s right next to his ears.

… oh. a creak.

… shit?)

[horrifictie]

--Oh shit.

[ It's been so long since he took a hit. His skin crawls with desperation, desire, *demand*. All the nerves in his body are coiling up because they know what's about to happen. He's been good for a long time, surely a little bump won't be the worst thing.

Nevermind this is the third little bump he's had in a week, his nights spent in clubs between Shuten and Tamamo. They're the ones who will most have him.

The bathroom is prime real estate for a snort and someone's beat him to the punch. No shame in sharing a counter, but... ]

Hey kid, aren't you too young to be here?

[mindthebass]

Nope.

(grand save, shin, doing fucking great, congratulations on the lying. except, at least, it's not said with any nervousness, not a single bit of hesitation. it's just straightforward like he just has one of those faces that scream youth no matter how old he could possibly be.

well, acting naturally. rubbing his nose with the palm of his hand, he sneaks a peek at his stash... and maybe just a little more in a bit.)

to robin - a cutie

[mindthebass]

(you know what this night calls for? cute boys together. not that shin knew this is where robin works when he opened the doors to hemlock. the crimson makes his eyes squint, getting used to the lights and atmosphere of the place. looks rather fancy, and he has a thought that he most likely cannot afford it. he’s ready to turn around, leave as if nothing has ever happened, but he sees a face he recognizes behind the counter.

… oh. fine, he’ll approach. maybe he won’t buy anything, but robin’s company is precious enough to go through the embarrassment of just taking the spot of a paying customer.)

I found you! ♥

[sweetsong]

[ it's a pretty average night at hemlock, and robin's honestly happy about that. the influx of lost souls has made shylock's bar more and more famous; those who come once inevitably return again and become regular patrons. if not for the drink, but for the service that each customer receives from either robin, shylock, or both. ]

Shin! [ a beat as he raises a hand. ] Hold on. You need to put your phone in one of those boxes... don't worry, I've never seen anyone try to steal someone else's. They'd never be let back in, and Mister Shylock would be incredibly upset too.

[ and something about making a wizard mad seems very stupid, epsecially when said wizard also has a higher standing than robin does. not that he minds. shylock is super nice. ]

Do you want a drink? I can make you one!