jigokulogs | March 2022 Mini Event

March 2022 Mini Event

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The Night Parade is fast-approaching and each faction will be busy with their own preparations.

1. SHUTEN CLAN

The Celestial Phoenix Casino, a fairly popular casino in the Shuten territory, is overdue on its protection money. This money is sorely needed for parade preparations. Unfortunately, the casino has decided it doesn't need to pay up because they've hired some new unaffiliated muscle. Neither the manager nor their new muscle are the type to listen to reason, so be prepared to exert some intimidation and force to convince these new bodyguards to take their business elsewhere.

The brute squad working for the Celestial Phoenix seems to be made up of several different youkai. Some of them are more human looking than others, but you'll notice no Oni. Even independent Oni wouldn't dare turn against the Shuten Clan. Even lacking in Oni, these thugs are armed to the teeth, swinging several deadly weapons and even a few firearms. This could get rough, so be prepared for the worst. Take the gangsters protecting the Celestial Phoenix out or convince them it’s not worth it.

Once inside, you'll discover that the owner, in a panic, has locked himself inside the casino's value with the protection money owed. This might take some doing to get open...

2. SUTOKU ALLIANCE

The Kappa want to be left alone and the Daitengu has asked Sutoku Alliance members to assure their wishes are respected. Members are tasked with convincing people to stay away from the Kappa's riverside facilities by whatever means necessary. Of course, you may want to take a look for yourself to see what they’re being so secretive about. That’s not recommended, if you don’t want to get into trouble.

It’s not just strangers who are nosy, though. Retinues from both the Shuten and Tamamo clans are making an appearance and asking why the inspections are taking so long. Why are the Kappa dragging their feet? The Alliance prefers to avoid direct violence, so it's up to you to talk to these clan captains in a way that convinces them to leave the Kappa alone.

If you're curious enough to dive deeper into the Kappa's business, however, even your Alliance membership isn't going to keep you safe. The Kappa themselves seem to disappear from sight the further into the sewers you go, as if invisible. Preventing yourself from being spotted by a security camera or a patrolling Kappa is almost impossible. Cover your faces, stick to the shadows, and you might just notice that... they’re building something down there.

Something for the Parade? Who knows? But it’s definitely not decorations or a float...

3. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA

The parade route for the Night Parade needs to be "cleaned up". The Department is tasked with getting the low level street gangs and squatters to clear out. The homeless population will resist and may not be so easily persuaded to give up their spots. Your best bet is to offer them food, booze, or shelter for the night. The street gangs will assuredly fight back. Use your strength or your wits to get the job done.

The gangs will not typically be that tough, most don’t want to step up to the Department's goon squad too heavily lest they wind up in a cell for the rest of their lives. Still, some might be hopped up on encouraging substances and try to escalate. Don’t worry, though. You have the authority of the Enma on your side! Don’t think they will get away with waving a weapon in your face.

The homeless, though, lack strength or weapons. They are more fueled by desperation to keep their spots. Winter hasn't been kind to them, after all, and they don’t have much respect for the Enma's authority. Their belligerent behavior is loud, and often violent despite their absence of means to properly defend themselves. At worst, they’ll probably try to use biological warfare. Don’t ask what's in those bottles...

4. TAMAMO CLAN

Parade costumes need to be designed, crafted, modeled, and then likely mended knowing the rough and tumble yokai. The textile shops and tailors of the area need Tamamo Clan members to help them out. Costumes vary from extremely ornate to extremely sexy. These costumes need to merge form and function, for the Tamamo clan parade marchers that means they need to be able to sell their specific wares while wearing them. (wink wonk)

None of the costumes are floor ready and the shop bosses urge you that these cannot be seen by the public until they are ready. This won’t stop some peeping toms and tammies from trying to scope out the goods. Most of the voyeurs are spying for perverted reasons, but some are from shops outside of Tamamo’s influence trying to copy the designs for themselves. Either way, Tamamo Clan members aren't expected to be just pretty faces. So rough’em up.

5. TASTE TEST (ALL FACTIONS)

For those less interested in their faction's work, the restaurants in the Tamamo territory also need help finalizing their menu offerings for the Night Parade. Taste testers and creative cooks wanted! These aren’t just any dishes though and may have some interesting effects. One may be so spicy that everything burns, your face turns red, and you need to cool yourself off. Or maybe your dish is so good that you need to take a nap – it doesn't matter where you are, you'll just fall asleep right on the spot. Another possibility is a dish that gives you unstoppable energy – literally. It will make you want to get up and go and never stop moving. If you stop moving, it may cause a bigger problem.

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[Lan Wangji inclines his head in response to the bow, according Chongyu the returned level of deference that his own motion implied -- it will be helpful if the stranger is genuinely willing to accept that he's in a position of some species of authority over this area, even as a pretense. that the Lost Souls he's meet so far have all had their powers as stripped as his own means nothing. things get unpredictable when a breaks out.

in the meantime...]

I do not.

[the Sukotu Alliance values the ability to gather information. though wheeling and dealing is not outside their expertise, their members aren't strictly required to lie... which is lucky. Lan Wangji isn't planning to start any time soon.

it's also lucky that it doesn't require him to talk, because he doesn't waste any words in following up on the most salient part of this apparent-junior's statement. ]

Malcontent?

[if there are specific rumors that are beginning about what the Kappa are up to, he should probably know them. if nothing else, he wants to confirm or deny them himself as much as anyone, should the chance arise.]

Yes.

[ .... how much of it is true, he doesn't know. It could be curiosity turned bitter from the red tape, or just flat out gossip for the sake of gossip. Annoyance because of the delays. Someone definitely said something about their ex being a Kappa with a penchant for bad pranks. Perhaps it's just natural for the other clans to be suspicious of each other's secrecy. All of these things have crossed his mind.

Earnest, he answers, ]

They range from "the Kappa are going to cause trouble, and they're hiding something devious"—[ hence his wandering along the riverside ]— to "they're going to show off and do a grand display we can't compete with." I am only interested in the former.

[ He doesn't care an iota about the second example... and, ideally, it is that. He doesn't take up quarrels or indulge tempers, so naturally, he'd like to avoid an issue here. ]

Once I confirm there are no evil spirits planning on causing mischief, I will leave.

[Lan Wangji considers all of that seriously. rumors are truly the smoke before a fire -- the fact that they can't differentiate between flames in the hearth and sparks in the thatch doesn't change that. moreover, he doesn't hear anything here that's out of line with what can be speculated based on his own knowledge.

that's just one reason why he tries to stop himself from reasoning in advance of facts, though. talking yourself into a narrative that you'll then seek evidence to confirm is so easy, and has so much potential to go wrong.]

Secrecy results in suspicion. Cannot confirm or deny.

[he's certainly sympathetic to wanting to confirm or deny these particular wisps of smoke.

but, even so...]

Nonetheless. You may not enter.

[he wouldn't have agreed to this guard duty if he didn't believe in it. and what he does believe in right now isn't that the Sukotu Alliance's instructions to leave the Kappa alone are wise enough to override his better judgment, or even that whatever is going on in the tunnel is necessarily innocent.

no, what he's certain of is that the Kappa aren't going to take interference tamely. and a Lost Soul without special powers investigating in these circumstances is either going to get caught, or drowned.]

I understand.

[ Ah ... an impasse. No confirmation or denial, no further information, and a brick wall of an older man who could probably yeet him straight back to the crowds the other way if he really wanted to. What to do?

It goes against his grain to simply give up. Plus, what if something does happen? He would have to take responsibility for that, wouldn't he? For negligence. So, after another moment of musing, Chongyun bows again. ]

Very well. I will not go this way. [ a nod, ] Please take care.

[ He'll just try to sneak in.... on the other side..... so that isn't. Really a lie? Perhaps there will be an easier guard to subdue over there; he's been studying this man since the moment he landed on the ground, and has already gotten the sense that it would be an uneven matchup. Maybe if he had his sword—... but even so, he doesn't actually want to fight.

So he makes to double back, planning on trying again from a different angle, but pauses a moment. He's been warm for a while, and it's only gotten worse as the day's dragged on. So many crowds. Too many people. Rousing music. Really, it's been overwhelming, and his only break from laboring as Tamamo's workhorse has been this. So, he eyes the river, then asks, ]

... Can I use the river before I go? It will take just a brief moment.

[Chongyun may or may not mark it, but his obstacle does not seem either surprised or resistant at his rseponse to that follow-up. I will not go this way -- a statement that takes it as a given that he does plan on going there, albeit by a different route.

Lan Wangji couldn't actually expect otherwise. he's been the advance scout on his own share of missions. the best he can do for this youth is to keep him away from one of the approaches that the Kappa see as strategic enough to deliberately set guards on. those will be the ones where he'll be discovered quickest, and retaliated against most forcefully. he might as well say so outright, he thinks.]

You must avoid paths which are guarded.

[...it's not spoken with the air of someone trying to lay out a hint, or sabotage his own sentry mission. the double meaning of his words can either be interpreted or not; it's completely literal advice, whether Chongyun intends to find another way or actually give up here.

in the meantime, Lan Wangji's not going to let him slip away down this guarded path with a transparent excuse, either.]

I will supervise.

[ ... drat. Attempt to be somewhat sneaky: foiled. He really isn't the one cut out for this ~~and meanwhile, his menace wife is splashing around in the sewers causing trouble~~. Straightforward type he is, Chongyun takes no unintended hints or "hidden" meanings from the elder man's words. It just sounds like another no.

Best he can do is investigate outside, then, and remain diligent come the actual parade. He sighs, a soft noise. ]

Ah... many thanks.

[ He steps over to the river's edge and crouches in front of it. He stares at the surface, unaffected, for a few moments before kneeling—rather than scooping water into his hands and wash his face that way, he plonks his whole head in.

And just stays there. It's not unlike winnie the pooh stuck with his head stuck in the honey pot. ]

[...

...

Lan Wangji waits politely, standing like a statue on the riverbank.

and waits.

and keeps waiting.

...

...

...

no, seriously, he's got nothing. cultivation and training his body have given him an impressive lung capacity, but he generally uses it when there's something to swim about. he doesn't just put his head underwater for fun.

he looks for bubbles or signs of distress. if... if there's some foul play by the Kappa here, he'll step in, but he guesses that if the junior wants to put his head underwater for a long time, he's... allowed? maybe it's like standing under a waterfall in a cold spring, but horizontally. should Lan Wangji be dunking his head under the river, in this city without any good places to properly clear your mind? now that the thought has occurred to him it seems kind of attractive.

it's a good thing he's so serious about guard duties, because if he wasn't, this could get very distracting very quickly.]

Edited 2022-03-22 03:30 (UTC)

[ …

…

… bubble bubble.

True enough, he really did want to just stick his head in the river. There’s no fishy business, and he finally picks himself back up—drenching himself in the process, white clothes patting wet as he smooths back his hair and blinks once, twice, rivulets of water soaking southward.

Blue-lipped, he exhales in relief. It isn’t an ice lake on the top of a snowy mountain, but he’ll take it.

Standing once more, he cants his head in thanks. That … maybe seemed weird, actually… so he hesitates for a second and then explains, ]

Cold water quiets the spirit and calms the body. It’s quite refreshing.

[ He definitely looks cold, but also looks … happy about it… ]

Edited 2022-03-22 15:41 (UTC)

[the stranger stares at Chongyun for a moment, absolutely wordless. the effect of someone in front of his eyes saying something so Lan-like as they stand in (somewhat unacceptably disarranged) blue and white robes is almost as much of a shock to Lan Wangji's system as cold water itself would have been.

for all that this junior has blue eyes and hair, and clearly isn't quite following the same traditions of Lan An that shape Lan Wangji's own dress, mode of speech, and powers in such a profound way, discovering yet another similarity to his own family's practices is enough to make Lan Wangji's throat tighten.

...

it's a strange reaction to have to seeing someone value a few trivially similar principles as yourself, and remind you visually a little bit of your home. Lan Wangji is aware of it.

in the privacy of his own head, he can admit that perhaps he's more homesick than he'll usually let himself acknowledge.]

Mm.

[he is so seldom a man who voluntarily prolongs a conversation, or makes any attempts at it that even the most generous could misconstrue as small talk. but even so...]

Does your sect make use of cold springs in its cultivation?

[ He isn’t quite sure how to read the long stare—so Chongyun can only wonder if he broke some other rule by accident. Or is there some kind of gross river youkai suction-cupped to his face? When he finally makes a noise, the young exorcist exhales, unaware he’d been holding a breath in the first place.

The question following that soft noise comes as a surprise, and the youth blinks twice. ]

Yes, at times. I myself use them exclusively. [ hot springs? hell no. the others indulge in such things, but that’s not something he can do. ] We are a clan, though, not a sect.

[ He nods his head again—it would be appropriate to take his leave and allow this man to return to guard duty, but he finds himself speaking anyway. In the end, he really can’t resist the curiosity. ]

My name is Chongyun. Sir, are you also an exorcist?

[ah. there it is. ultimately, he's not surprised, though "exorcist" isn't quite the term he usually hears used. he'll give a short nod, in response; the movement isn't any less offputting than most of the rest of his mannerisms so far, but at least it's more abrupt than unfriendly.]

Mm. Courtesy name Lan Wangji. The GusuLan Clan and Lan Sect.

[though as the second son of the clan, he's a bit in disgrace right now... but that part isn't public, anyway.]

What is your clan?

[he doubts he'll recognize it, since if someone like Chongyun was among the ranks of young masters, he'd know already. but he should know this youth's family name at least.

he's still tracking the area he's supposed to be guarding, but maybe... maybe he can prolong this conversation a bit more, and turn the opportunity to good account. this junior is likely to be looking for the same methods to protect others from any potentially unfortunate follow-ups to the Kappa's secrecy that Lan Wangji himself will be.]

[ Even though it sounds familiar… no, he has never heard of that clan or sect. It’s like climbing stairs and missing a step—it feels right, like what he knows, but yet … not quite. ]

Where I’m from, we don’t traditionally use surnames.

[ It isn’t common, not even the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing herself … he shrugs slightly. ]

We operate out of Liyue and have for generations. We’re mainly based in the Sea of Clouds, but some branches are more inland.

[ He’s gotten used to people not knowing of Liyue—despite how strange that still feels… with such a big nation, it’s hard to believe that their people have been so scarce.

It makes him a bit homesick, honestly. Broadening his horizons is something he’s always striving to do, but it’s the uncertainty of this all that makes his feelings more … well. ]

It is an honor to meet you, Master Lan.

[ Indeed, he’s met so many elder exorcists here, it’s exciting…! ]

Edited (baby typo ) 2022-03-31 15:07 (UTC)

[this is as much of a brain teaser for Lan Wangji as it is for Chongyun. of course, he won't have heard of every home of humans under the sun, but for this Liyue to be both so similar to where he's from and yet unrecognizable to him seems baffling. perhaps the more things change, the more they stay the same...?

even stranger, the Sea of Clouds sounds very reminiscent of the Cloud Recesses -- ancestral home of the Lans. did someone from Chongyun's home study at Cloud Recesses long ago, and return home having learned their lessons well? or is there some other, even stranger explanation?

...he'll give Chongyun the correct bow to a younger disciple of another sect for now, regardless. it's close enough.]

Well met, young master Chongyun. I am unfamiliar with Liyue as well.

[this connection is interesting. he'll make a snap decision to trust his urge to follow it, then and there.]

If you can spare time, would speak further. My guard post is above.

[he nods up at the bridge and the little access staircase that will let him return to the top, eyeing Chongyun expectantly to see if he's willing to follow Lan Wangji's lead.]

[ Chongyun follows the elder man's nod, looking upward toward the little staircase that leads upward. He pauses, considering, before nodding. There doesn't feel like any harm in going up, and his old plans have been dashed because the area he wanted to check out is off limits. He'd like to discuss more, and the prospect of looking down at the activities from a higher vantage point is an attractive one as well.

He pats his sleeves. They're still wet, so they give a soft plat plat as he brushes off some of the stray droplets. It's not like he can go inside anymore, either, damp as he is. ]

Yes. I can't investigate that way, since it's forbidden. That was all I had planned to do now.

[ He trots a few steps closer, ]

I will follow your lead.

[Lan Wangji nods, and moves to climb back onto the bridge himself. his mind is working through the problem logically: he genuinely doesn't know much about what's down there. even those who have tried to look have had varied results at best. he doesn't want to betray the Sutoku Alliance's directive not to look into it, or share more information.

however...

he does have an inkling as to why these pathways have been newly guarded. so he can share that, at least.

that decided, he'll turn to offer Chongyun a hand up onto the bridge -- if the younger man takes it, his grip is very steady.]

...

Regarding the guarded tunnels. I will give you their locations.

Recently, the grates that block them were removed.

[ He doesn’t need assistance to hop up onto the bridge, but when the hand is offered to him … he takes it anyway. There’s no real reason for it outside of impulse; it’s steady, as resolute as the man’s tone.

Chongyun blinks at the offer of information, and then smiles a little. Just a small upturn at the corners of his mouth, something that would be faint to most. ]

Thank you.

[ The grates that blocked them were recently removed… it doesn’t really clear anything up, but it does give him a few ideas of his own. Even the locations can give him a better sense of the situation without having to actually cross any lines. This man might be strict … but it seems he is kind, too. He didn’t have to share anything at all.

Hopping up, the young exorcist glances out at the view from their higher vantage point. ]

Can you see them from here?

[ You know … the locations… from street view. His guess is that they must be within the vicinity of all of the other preparations. ]

Mm.

[Lan Wangji releases Chongyun easily. he doesn't usually like contact with others, but in this case he feels a bit better for it, like he's put them back on similar ground after the awkwardness of having to refuse him entry. he doesn't think they're on different pages about what should happen here, not really.

there are three or four more likely spots that he's identified. for now he'll point them out, looking out over the water.]

Will find street names, soon.

[ There, there, there, and there… Chongyun makes a mental note by way of landmarks. ]

Okay. [ he does seem appeased, happy to have a new direction to search! he will definitely be wandering in those directions later even without the exact names of the streets. ] If you want, you can contact me on the smartphone. My username is—[ pauses, suddenly, as his eyebrows twitch with the memory of something, ] —is … jueyun chili…

[ Ugh… he forgot about that stupid prank. It isn’t often that he gives out his contact information for the phone, so he’d managed to repress the fact that it’d been locked in as something so stupid. ]

...

You may enter these for mine.

[he lists off a string of digits -- he's memorized the number, recognizing it as a proxy for the other contact information. if Chongyun actually puts it into his phone the username that comes up will be listed as "thanksbutnothanks," though. apparently Chongyun's phone is not the only one that's somehow ended up with a dumb name locked in ~~for ooc entertainment purposes~~.]

...

The Kappa guard the tunnels fiercely. I point them out in warning.

[lying is forbidden. he stares out over the water, back very straight. it's nothing more than the truth.]

Warn others as well. Wisdom will rest in great care.

[ Ah... a fellow victim.... there can be strength in numbers. Even if their type will never win against Prankster™ types. That's just fate. Though he commits the numbers to memory, it won't be until later that he'll actually put them into his phone and "???" over that username. Will he wonder if Lan Wangji doesn't want to talk to him after all? Yes. Yes he will. The prank lives on. ]

I understand. I'll do my best.

[ Lan Wangji's posture is much more rigid than Chongyun's, but to anyone looking over to them now, they'd look quite similar. Blues and whites, glazing out over the river, a sense of responsibility about them both. The view offers no particular answers, but the young exorcist watches it for a while, as though it might if he's patient enough. ]

Mn, and thank you for not shooting me with that arrow.

[ Because he's spied it again, still in the ground down below from when he'd given that warning shot. ]

[in Lan Wangji's case, the username was auto-assigned to his phone from the beginning. the deeper torments of hell are indeed mysterious to all. perhaps it is the universe's way of telling them that the pranksters will always win, and they must simply be brave enough to live on in a world that thinks giving them stupid usernames to be long-suffering about is very funny.

--ah, yes. the arrow. in a very ironic moment, Lan Wangji considers that violence to the point of threatening death has been strangely less common for him here than he's seen so many times in his own world. he hasn't noticed many other instances of people shooting at anyone, for example.]

Hm.

A caution only.

[he likes looking at the river himself. the lights on the water are beautiful, for all that it's very far removed from the wintry pines of the Cloud Recesses. viewed via reflection, Jigoku-cho could almost be a dream or a painting, rather than a raucous and unfamiliar reality at his back.

in this liminal space between an unknown modern world where his powers have been ripped away from him, and the home where he learned his ideals and how to uphold them in the first place, he feels like he can breathe.]

My golden core is constrained, here. Other weapons are necessary.

Edited 2022-04-07 03:46 (UTC)

[ From here, it really is a sight to see. Once he moves beyond the locations of suspicious behavior, Chongyun watches the river beside that arrow, still dripping with water himself. It really doesn’t look much like Liyue, outside of the harbor—but the bustle is very similar. Watching people needling through the streets … that is a familiar sight indeed.

It’s nice to be able to watch it with a little distance. ]

Ah, yes. It’s the same with my Vision. I haven’t found a good substitute for my sword yet, though … [ he hold both hands up, holding an invisible pommel, ] My family traditionally uses greatswords.

[ Does he realize that Lan Wangji probably doesn’t care? Yes. But he’s seventeen and secretly excited at having met another elder exorcist, so he doesn’t quite want to return to work yet. And none of the other exorcists he’s met have had Lan Wangji’s superior fashion sense. ]

Is that … is archery preferred in your family?

[ He tries to downplay how curious he is, but … he’s seventeen. The intrigue is bright in his eyes when he glances back. ]

[Lan Wangji feels peaceful in this scene, not particularly inclined to chase his new acquaintance off. it won't be the first time or the last time that he's been posted with another who has spiritual power and the will to guard civilians from whatever threats may be near the area. if the night was darker and they could hear other nature sounds around them besides the running water, this could be a perfectly usual part of any night hunt for ghouls or monsters.

he'll shake his head slightly in response to Chongyun's question, tolerant of the continuing conversation.]

Spiritual swords. And musical cultivation. I play the guqin.

You will see them, should I regain my core.

[ He had been a little worried when Lan Wangji had said musical, but the following mention of the guqin eases it right away. As someone who can’t listen to rousing music lest it trigger his condition, something like a guitar and rock music are a hard no-go. Then, he feels silly for that brief concern—he can’t imagine this calm and austere person rocking out like Xinyan at all. ]

Is that so? I very much look forward to seeing them.

[ He sends one last glance over the edge to admire the scenery. As much as he would like to linger longer, there is much to do. So, he steps away from the view at last, offering another small bow. ]

Thank you for your time, Master Lan. I should return to work now. [ he offers a little smile, ] But I do hope to see you again soon.

[Lan Wangji will bow in return, very polite, not trying to keep him. he doesn't think Chongyun will get far down those other tunnels either, but he's glad that someone else is keeping an eye on all of this -- even someone outside his own faction.]

Mm.

[he has a feeling he'll see this youth again soon enough. and in the meantime...]

...

Be careful.

And, good luck.

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March 2022 Mini Event

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