[open] horsebow moon / catchall

[playfoul]

Who ⬤ Yuri & you
What ⬤ A substory and some gen prompts!
When ⬤ September
Where ⬤ Around town
Content Warnings ⬤ None

I. Bountiful Business

[ As the giant bounty shakes up the weapons market, you'll find Yuri at the shops of arms dealers, examining the heft of a blade or chatting up the shopkeeper with questions that sound less like a customer's and more like a business partner. Perhaps you'll even catch money exchanging hands, a stack of cash tucked away quickly and too thick to be a normal sale.

If he notices you observing him while he's going about his business, he'll smile back disarmingly. ]

Is it my face or is it the weapons you're here to admire?

II. Drifter Grifter

[ Ever the opportunist, the drifter smells generosity and latches on to it. The rugged man can be seen ducking into a homeless shelter in Sutoku to avoid detection after suckering in more bleeding hearts. Anyone here to shake down the scammer or haul him away for arrest will be held off at the entrance by Yuri, questioning the accusations brought against the man. ]

And just what makes you suspicious of him?

[ It's his personal belief to take in anyone down on their luck, no questions asked, which is why he's reluctant to just turn the guy over. ]

III. Muscling Into Sutoku

[ Toraguma's crackdown on youth gangs sent more than a few troublemakers packing with their tail between their legs. The wayward youth now lay low and nurse their wounds...and a few of the delinquents have taken up refuge at the Sutoku shelter rather than return to their troubled homes. ]

[ A. The matron Yuri has put in charge of the establishment is a no-nonsense one-winged youkai, wrangling delinquents with a sharp tongue and efficiently setting volunteers to tasks like collecting bedsheets and packing food. Yuri keeps a low profile for the most part, taking on chores like any other volunteer, but work with him and it'll become apparent he knows the ins and outs of the place. Ask him anything. ]

[ B. Inevitably, the youths fall back on their violent habits. A petty argument escalates into punches being thrown and knives being pulled. A turf fight as if they're on their own stomping grounds. Exasperated, Yuri seizes one of the gang by the wrist in time to prevent a stabbing, but there are more knives being flashed than he has hands for. ]

Wildcard

Open to wildcards! Feel free to hit me up at the CR MEME for a custom prompt or on plurk ahlyo

Comments

[worldbent]

Certainly.

Take them, [He barely turns his head to address the shadowy figures before they're hauling up their bounties and transporting them out of the room. Matoba bends over to retrieve one of the switchblades the boys had pulled, and neatly folds it back into the handle.]

I hope they won't be too uncomfortable. Those servants of mine are still a little rough around the edges. [He holds the blade out for Yuri to take.] But that's too bad. You seem like you enjoy taking charge of this sort of thing.

...I suppose what I have heard, though, is a little more important in the grand scheme.

[playfoul]

[ Yuri takes the switchblade, giving it an idle twirl as he watches the retreating shadows drag the teens along. They'll live, they're youth who've grown up on the streets. ]

The staff here have my confidence, though you're right, it seems I enjoy it enough I've found another project to helm.

[ He'd meant to look into the black market sooner or later. It was just nice happenstance that the opportunity fell into Sutoku's lap. ]

It's not everyday a lieutenant graces us with their presence. Why don't we have ourselves a chat over tea?

[ It's just an excuse to go somewhere private, and Yuri gestures for Matoba to follow him to the break room. After all, he can't imagine the exorcist came all this way to hang out with youkai. ]

[worldbent]

Oh, I simply get around here and there. No need to make a fuss over it.

Although, tea would be lovely. [Matoba smiles pleasantly and follows after Yuri so that they could converse in private. This really wasn't the sort of thing that youths should be hearing, anyway... And it would be a shame if he had to ensure they kept quiet from hearing too much.]

[As they enter the room, Matoba casually attaches a spelltag to the side of the doorframe, warding the room from any intruders or magical attempts to slip in or eavesdrop. Just in case.]

Do things seem stable along the pipeline, so far? Since we have taken over operations. [Matoba seats himself at the table in the room. It was modest, serviceable.] I'm sure it was a concern that the Iron Bear would not take our interruption well and seek to destabilize business further up the process.

[playfoul]

[ While Matoba fixes the seal to the door, Yuri prepares tea. Nothing fancy in this humble abode, just a teabag in a cup and hot water out of a water boiler. He sets one cup out for the Matoba and drops into a seat on the opposite side. So black market business it's going to be? ]

For now, there's been no new threats from the Iron Bear. The mere thought of crossing him has scared off enough dealers that it's made it simpler to secure our foothold. [ Though it hasn't exactly been calm, either. ] Recently, the bounty stirred up business again and some of the more foolhardy have crawled back to the market.

[worldbent]

[Matoba, an absolute tea snob, looks at this kettle and teabag like damn, this casual-ass tea.......... But it's okay; this is an orphanage, not a teahouse. He'll live.]

Thank you, [He gives the slightest incline of his head as he pulls the tea towards him, letting the heat of the cup warm his hands. It was starting to get chilly these days...]

Simpler to secure, but perhaps less profitable. [He blows gently on the water.] There is the good and the bad to such unsure times. I hear that weapons are being amassed in greater numbers.

And, I hope, into our own hands where Shuten is not earmarking them. [Lifting the cup to his lips, he takes the first sip.] The mundane is not that interesting. Let them have it. What I would like to know is if we have any individuals working on it for the clan who have the eye to identify that which is worth plucking from the stream.

[playfoul]

[ Sorry Matoba, we are basic-ass here but we are accepting donations... ]

I've got a few men keeping an eye on the goods. [ The benefits of earning rank is that he's got something of a crew now to help him crime. ] You heard right, there are plenty of arms being peddled as well as leftover stardust fetching a pretty price. Perhaps we should divert more of the recreational goods to the Shuten. [ He quips, smiling sharply. Though on the subject of noteworthy items... ]

Nothing connected to what the sharks were smuggling has come up. [ That's one mystery that's yet to be fully unraveled, and knowing the dealers could be connected to the Wasteland makes Yuri keen to learn more. ] As for what else is of interest, that depends on what you find valuable.

[worldbent]

[Do kids like bougie tea]

[Matoba snorts softly into his tea.] Do you think they're bored, over there? [He sips slowly. The weapon trade was their thing, and for the time being it was fine to let those oni be to amass firepower and stew over thoughts of killing in the Wastelands. If they were going to ally themselves with them, it would be better to let them handle what they wished to, and scavenge in their warpath.]

I see... That's a little worrying. I suppose they must have covered their tracks well. [He'd had his eye on a few of the things they'd been bringing into the city to peddle. But most of all, the thing which he'd had his eye on was something which had become very scarce, back when they hadn't quite realized its value.]

Yuri-san, do you recall those strange casing-less bullets that were used to target the boss? This was quite some time ago, but a few bullets remain in the hands of Lost Souls. According to my connections in the Shuten clan, it was identified as a metal called "hihi'irogane". It gleams brilliantly like freshly spilled blood, but has properties like steel...

On the surface. To those who can sense magic, it is far deeper than that.

[playfoul]

Hard not to remember being shot at with those things.

[ Yuri replies with a grimace. That parade night was this medieval-era man's first encounter with guns. The weapons left a startling impression to say the least. Of course, he didn't know enough about bullets to pick up that anything was odd, and he can't say he's eager to encounter them up close again. ]

I wasn't aware they were anything special. Firearms didn't exist in my world, and I'd hope no one gets the clever idea to invent them. This hihi'irogane... [ His pronunciation is definitely off. ] What do you sense in them? Are you suspecting they were smuggled in?