[OPEN] between a rock and a...

[hardrocklife]

Who ⬤ Zelgadis and you!
What ⬤ Catch-all for the month: trying out new jobs, rooftop brooding, whatever else
When ⬤ September
Where ⬤ Various
Content Warnings ⬤ Nothing too noteworthy! Drinking, mostly.

Various prompts will follow. Feel free to contact me at pzue / Journal PM / Discord DM if you'd like a starter!

Comments

OPEN 🗡 WORKING: RICKSHAW

[hardrocklife]

[Somewhere in town, typically in or near Tamamo territory, you may see a man standing next to a parked rickshaw. You might have spotted him transporting a frog-faced yokai dressed in the elaborate vestments of a geisha before returning to this spot. He wears a traditional uniform with the outline of a fox embroidered on the back, along with a black bamboo hat and a dark scarf over his lower face, hiding everything but a single eye.]

Need a ride?

[He'll ask if you approach, or if you linger nearby for long enough.]

[dressedtothe]

[9S has never seen a rickshaw before coming to this city. It seems wholly impractical... But then again, it's not always humans pulling them, right? Maybe the people pulling them are unusually strong.]

Oh, sure!

[He'd been planning on walking but he's not going to pass up the chance to try something new. Maybe some new information about this mode of transport will help him understand the appeal. But where to go?]

Can you get me back to Sutoku territory?

[9S' Sutoku Alliance pin is attached to the collar of his jacket.]

[hardrocklife]

[He considers the stranger, the pin on his jacket, and in particular, the blindfold over his eyes. Is he blind? It would make sense for him to want to make use of various transportation options, in that case. Even if he's a Lost Soul who probably doesn't have a lot of money to his name...]

Sure. Hop on.

[He nods to the seat almost automatically, then wonders if he can actually see that gesture. Uh.]

[dressedtothe]

[9S nods in return, blithely unaware of the stranger's thoughts on him.

When 9S clambers onto the rickshaw, the carriage portion sinks with more weight than what you'd expect from what appears to be a human teenager. It's almost like he weighs two people!]

What's this even called, anyway? I've never seen anything like this before.

[hardrocklife]

It's a rickshaw. Or... jinrikisha, I guess.

[From the way he says it, it's probably kind of new to him too.]

It's kind of a novelty, but it's also a pretty cheap way to get somewhere if you don't want to walk the whole way.

[He'll grab the handles and start moving... just an inch, then he glances back in surprise. Wait a minute. How much could a kid that size weigh...?

... Well, it's not like it's unmanageable, and after that false start, he gets moving.]

[dressedtothe]

[9S peers at the driver -- but should the stranger be called the driver if he's the one pulling the rickshaw? -- when there's a false start, but doesn't think too much of it. It's not like he has a good sense of what human capabilities are, anyway.]

A novelty?

[Hm, now that the rickshaw is moving, maybe he can see what the appeal is!]

I guess it beats walking. Isn't it kind of weird to be the one pulling the rickshaw? I thought it was common practice for animals like horses to pull transportation like this?

[And it's not really any faster than him running around on foot...]

[hardrocklife]

Yeah. It's usually horses where I'm from. Maybe the city's too noisy for horses to get around without getting startled all the time...

[They probably wouldn't fare too well with cars zipping around them, too, he thinks.]

Or maybe having a person do it makes the rider feel more important.

[swordofhisou]

[One of the bouncers at the place that he'd just dropped the geisha off at was smiling at her, chatting for a moment before she opened the door for her. Smiling to herself when the door closed, she noticed the sort of unusually dressed fellow with the scrimshaw. Well, he was certainly well covered wasn't he?

Walking up, she nodded.]

Thanks for giving her a ride. I'll cover it. You, uh, mind giving a girl a lift over to the Arena? I'm off my shift and need to let off some steam.

[She hadn't quite yet figured out it was Zelgadis.]

[hardrocklife]

You plan on fighting there?

[There's a hint of surprise in his tone.

But it's not his job to question stuff like that, so after a moment, he just nods.]

All right. Get on.

[swordofhisou]

Yup. Starting to get a following. Too bad I probably won't be fighting anyone big today. But whatever. It'll be good to get the stress out and stretch my legs.

[She hopped in, settling in the seat behind him. His voice. Wait... hmmm.]

Wait, you're Zelgadis, right? I think we talked on the network?

[hardrocklife]

[He glances back.]

Yeah. I've been trying out a few odd jobs here and there.

[And he'll pick up those handles and start walking, towing the carriage.]

[swordofhisou]

I never imagined someone would try this out, but it's actually probably a good paying job. The youkai will love it. Kind of old fashioned.

[She settled back and relaxed into the chair. It did feel like the old days to an extent. And, really, she wasn't in a hurry anyway.]

How're you settling in so far?

OPEN 🗡 WORKING: BOUNCER

[hardrocklife]

[Most evenings, Zelgadis is working bouncer duty at one of the cabaret clubs in Tamamo territory. Here, he wears a suit vest and a fedora, the brim pulled low to cast a shadow over his face. He's practically a fixture in the room, unmoving unless he needs to attend to something.

That is, until the hour draws late, and a particularly drunk customer starts making a scene. It's not long until Zel's hauled the rowdy yokai outside. The drunkard protests, and turns around to slam his fist right into Zelgadis's face. It knocks the hat off his head, but Zelgadis barely reacts.]

... Are you done? I think it's time for you to go home.

[The man shakes his hand, as if in pain. He did just punch solid rock. Then, with all the rationality of a very drunk person, he attempts another punch. This one, Zelgadis catches with his palm, steers away, and then shoves the man back with enough force to make him stumble onto his ass. It might not have taken much force, considering the drunk was already very unbalanced on his feet, but it's a pretty smooth maneuver regardless. The man gives up, grumbling as he staggers away, and Zelgadis is left picking up his hat and... realizing he's attracted a whole lot of attention from passers-by who came to gawk at the altercation.

So he crams the hat back onto his head and walks away. "Back to work?" Nope, he's just gone down an alley to where it's quieter. He's taking his break now.]

OPEN 🗡 ROOFTOP BROODING HOURS

[hardrocklife]

[Zelgadis is up on the roof of a tall building, sitting on the edge and looking over at the city with his hood pulled up and his cape lightly flapping behind him. He gazes out in contemplation, looking vaguely melancholy.

That's it, that's the prompt, it's Rooftop Brooding Hours. Join him? Interrupt him?]

[divisors]

[Hey, nerd. Here's another nerd, his own cape flapping behind him. He looks down - what a view! - before glancing over at Zelgadis. Moriarty folds his arms, silent for a moment, before he asks, quietly:]

Penny for your thoughts?

[hardrocklife]

[As soon as he realizes there's someone else here, he tugs the scarf up over his nose and mouth. It doesn't completely conceal his face; the dark stone around his eyes can still be made out. He thinks about the question for a few moments, then offers,]

... Wondering how long I'll have to stay in a place like this.

[divisors]

...

[He moves to sit down on the roof next to him - not close enough to break his personal bubble or anything, though. He's quiet for a moment.]

Do you think it will take long?

[hardrocklife]

[He doesn't give much of a reaction to suggest whether the company's welcome or not.]

Wasn't exactly given a timeline for my contract. Which probably means that it will be.

Did you get offered a contract, too?

[divisors]

Of course. I think every poor unfortunate soul here got one.

[A flippant sort of gesture.]

A nice stick and carrot, for horses.

OPEN 🗡 AT THE BAR

[hardrocklife]

[Somewhere in Shuten territory, Zel's found a cheap bar to spend an evening at. The place is shady enough that he doesn't feel too out of place, unlike the more upscale joints he's seen in Tamamo territory. At a small table near the back wall, he gets a mug of ale and a plate of karaage and cabbage. It's nice and quiet... that is, until a couple of oni just start duking it out in the middle of the room. Punches are thrown, glasses are smashed, but looking at the staff's perfectly casual reaction...]

... Guess this is a normal day here.

[He mumbles it quietly, but it's loud enough for someone to hear if they happen to be sitting nearby, or currently on their way to find a table.]

[vivens]

[ perhaps someone should step in and intervene with all of that fighting between the oni. it sure looks like they might be getting a bit rough and perhaps they're edging running the risk of getting someone else involved and potentially hurt. though, at the same time, wandering into a bar like this does come with its own preconceived assumptions.

nevertheless, sabo is amused and ducks just in time to avoid a glass being thrown his way just before speaking up. white clothes, wasn't it? a bold choice given their current environment. ]

Why do I get the impression that you might a little bit disappointed with that?

[ another casual side step as a plate goes flying by. ]

Mind if I take a seat, Mr. Mysterious Man?

[hardrocklife]

It's Zelgadis. [He just immediately sighs at being addressed that way.] You must be the guy I talked to earlier.

... All right. Sit if you want.

[He takes a long drink from his mug, then sets it down. Under the hood, Sabo can probably make out some distinguishing features: a face of blue and black stone, and hair with an unnatural metallic glint to it.]

[vivens]

[ sabo just grins at zelgadis brightly as he (re)introduces himself and gives him permission to take a seat at the table. of which, sabo will settle on the one across from zelgadis. a nice comfortable space between them. ]

Thank you very much, Zelgadis. [ casually and politely as he removes his top hat and places it onto the table but not taking his hands off of it. ] And it's Sabo.

[ very discretely sabo will make note of the facial features but will not make any fuss about it. instead he'll just focus on the conversation and their meeting. ]

I'm grateful that you were willing to meet with me face-to-face—though you made an interesting choice with our meeting place.

[ and as if on cue, there is another sound of glass breaking followed up with some cheers mixed in with jeers. ]

[hardrocklife]

[Sabo. All right, he'll remember that. He notes the scar on his face, also without comment.]

Didn't expect it to be this rowdy, but I've seen worse.

[The owners of the bar, a pair of namahage, seem fine with the ruckus, and one wanders over to offer Sabo a menu listing various kinds of booze and otsumami.]

[vivens]

I'd have to say the same. Though, I would have to confess that the staff that I normally meet in places like this aren't as dutiful.

[ he'll offer the owners a smile as he graciously takes the menus from them and gives it a quick look over. shocking to no one, none of it is immediately familiar to him but the names sound appealing nevertheless. ]

Have you ordered anything yet?