jigokulogs | March 2022 IC Mingle

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March 2022 IC Mingle

1. WELCOMING COMMITTEE

cw: optional aphro in Tamamo Clan prompt

The influx of Lost Souls means the factions need to have a little welcoming party of sorts. The leaders of each faction each send a message to their new recruits, telling them to meet at their respective headquarters.

The Shuten Clan directs their new recruits to the Arena. There’s plenty of food and booze to go along with the exhibition matches from the toughest fighters they’ve got. Enjoy the view or get involved in an arena fight, if you’re feeling spicy. If bloodsport isn’t your cup of tea, there’s a number of gambling games to partake in, too – don’t worry, your money isn’t at stake here, unless you want it to be.

The Tamamo Clan recruits are sent to the brothel Mizukume. Hosts of all sorts are there to fill your every need. If you’re not one to be doted on, there’s also exotic dancers in every state of undress for you to look at. You may be tasked with being a host or a dancer yourself. If you’re not in the mood for that, there’s plenty of food from Tamamo-controlled restaurants to eat and seemingly endless drinks. The drinks may or may not have a little something extra in them, so check the labels carefully.

The Sutoku Alliance meets at the nightclub Konoha. It’s truly a celebration with an enormous amount of fast food from every joint in their district and an equal amount of cheap drinks. Sing your heart out with live band karaoke – don’t worry about them not knowing your song, they seem to have a depth of knowledge beyond this world. Once that settles down, there’s plenty of dancing to do or you can be a wallflower, whatever suits your mood.

The Department of the Enma meets at a meeting room on the top floor of Kaigo no Bou. The room is uncomfortably opulent and wouldn’t be out of place in a Heian imperial court. Fine silk tapestries cover the walls, richly lacquered wood is inlaid with gold, and it all feels like it was decorated by someone with more money than taste. There’s fine food and even finer drink available. Various multi-armed youkai play in a jazz band, playing their instruments in a much more complicated manner than strictly necessary. Stretch your legs and dance. Take a peek out the window for a bird’s eye view of the city. If the interior is too stuffy for you, escape to the roof for some fresh air – just be careful not to fall off.

2. PARTY TIME

CW: optional aphro

After everyone’s had their fill of food, drink, and entertainment: the party isn’t over. They’re told to make their way to Konoha with the instruction to show their faction’s pride. That’s a careful way to tell them to raise hell. Upon arrival, all recruits are provided with an advance on their pay by The Enma. Food is provided by the Shuten Clan, a variety of all sorts of meaty foods. Drinks are provided by the Tamamo Clan, but be wary because some may have that special Tamamo kick to them (read: aphro). It’s technically a neutral meeting place, but there’s almost certain to be a fight sooner or later. Entertain yourself, meet the other factions, and raise some Hell.

Welcome to the IC mingle!

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[ Kim is adjacent to the mass of swaying bodies but he's very decidedly a spectator in this. As far as he's concerned, he did his time in nightclubs as a young man, enjoyed himself thoroughly, and now those days are far, far behind him. He has no use for drunkenly bumping and grinding with strangers. It's not becoming, not for a man of his profession, and certainly not for a man his age. But it has provided a valuable opportunity to watch those he's been told he'll be working with for the near future.

This unfortunately includes minors who have been swept up in this whole affair, and Junpei scrambling wildly towards the door hasn't escaped his attention -- all the way until some asshole decides to shove the poor kid straight into Kim. ]

It's fine, [ he says firmly, righting Junpei's balance with a hand on his shoulder. ] It wasn't your fault. You were just trying to leave, yes?

[ The hand on his shoulder makes Junpei jump slightly, his nerves on edge. Even when the person who did it seems to be asking him a perfectly innocent question, he still hesitates to answer.

The reality is that he doesn’t know who to trust in this world. He didn’t know who to trust in his actual life, either, but the stakes seem even more dangerous now.

Realizing he has to say something, he eventually relents and is honest. ]

Yeah ... I don’t really want to be here anymore.

I can see why.

[ Privately, Kim wonders what compelled their leaders to make kids like Junpei feel pressured to come here in the first place. Juveniles will get into plenty of mischief on their own without having the help of officially sanctioned freeflowing cheap beer and cocktails. It's just unfortunate that he has his doubts about the streets of Jiguko-cho being much safer, but it's something that they have to take as it comes. ]

Come on. I'll at least get you as far as the exit without anyone shoving you around. They won't be as eager to rope me into the fray.

[ Kim's demeanor is certainly an untouchable one -- though perhaps more than that, it's because he's too old for this scene. Either way, with the hand still resting on Junpei's shoulder, he begins to urge him forward and through the crowd. ]

[ Well, getting out is getting out. He may as well put his trust in this man if it means being able to get away from the noise. As such he allows himself to move forward with that hand on his shoulder, turning his focus back to the door.

Thankfully having someone with him does discourage anyone else forcing him back into the party, and relief begins to flood into Junpei as they close in on the exit. It looks like they’re going to be allowed to go out.

He looks over his shoulder at Kim. Even if he’s a guarded sort, he’s not so entirely rude as to not acknowledge the help he was given. His voice is soft and sincere. ]

Thank you.

You're welcome.

[ And now... shit, what now? Under different circumstances, he'd either ask him where he lives so he knows he has a safe place to go or give him a ride home. Maybe he'd call his parents if the kid seemed amenable to it. Either way, lost kids are a dime a dozen in Revachol; Kim doesn't by and large consider them to be his responsibility unless they're actively asking for his assistance.

But he's not heartless. He knows that this kid is probably just as lost as he is, with only a tenuous grasp on where this new home is. He's not about to let him loose into the night, with god-knows-what roaming the streets. Kim looks pensively out at the city sprawling ahead of them in the crisp air outside the club, then back at him. ]

You just arrived here as well, didn't you? Have you run into anyone you know yet? A friend, or someone else you trust?

I’ve run into someone I kind of know, yeah ... well, goodnight.

[ Getting into the gritty details of his life with somebody he just met isn’t ideal. Being vague is the safest thing, even if Kim seems kind enough.

Not aware of the other’s worrying about his wellbeing he starts to walk off in the direction of his hotel slowly. Or what he thinks should be the direction of his hotel - he hasn’t quite memorized it yet. ]

Hold on -- I wasn't asking you just to make conversation, [ Kim says, exasperated. There's no reason for the kid to trust him, but he can't very well let him weather his way through the night alone.

Unless the kid tells him to fuck off, he supposes; there's only so much Kim is willing to do against someone's wishes. He looks to be maybe fifteen, sixteen years old. It's old enough to make his own choices, but young enough that Kim will at least attempt to give him the option to make a good one. ]

I was asking if you had someone safe you could meet up with. I don't know how safe it is out there, especially at this hour. If you live in Sutoku's housing, I can at least walk you there.

[ A pause. He turns to look over his shoulder at Kim, solemn expression colorfully lit by the glow of neon. ]

I mean ... I’m going to have to travel alone at some point, right?

[ It’s not an outright rejection of the offer, Junpei isn’t so harsh as to be cold to the man when he’s been so kind to him. ]

We’re going to likely have to do things way more dangerous than walk home at night. I should get used to it if I expect to survive.

It's possible. We still don't know what it is they expect of us.

[ Kim is privately hoping that they will not, in fact, be asked to do things more dangerous than walk home alone at night. They have no place roping innocent people here and putting them in danger; just because Kim's all right signing up for it, albeit with an appropriate level of caution, doesn't mean that everyone here is. It's likely that this kid has more to him than just being another high schooler brat, but Kim makes the conscious decision not to assume that before he knows for sure. ]

But it's our first night -- or at least it's mine. [ He doesn't actually know when everyone got here. ] There's something to be said for at least waiting until daylight tomorrow to get acquainted with the area.

[ He wouldn't offer it to just anyone, but this kid had a hard enough time just getting out of a party. It doesn't instill Kim with a sense of confidence in his ability to safely make his way home. ]

Edited 2022-03-23 02:14 (UTC)

[ Time has been kind of hard for Junpei to judge in this place. How long had he been in the waiting room? How long had he been in the nightclub? There are clearly different times of day, which confuses him as to their use in hell. The whole setting is incredibly disorientating.

At any rate, it’s clear Kim isn’t comfortable with him traveling alone. Feeling too tired to argue, Junpei shrugs his shoulders. ]

If you want to walk with me you can. I don’t mind.

[ That said he turns back to the road ahead and starts walking, not feeling any need to keep an eye on the other. ]

We are going in the same direction anyway.

[ Kim keeps pace with him. He's not much for idle conversation himself; he won't attempt to get to know this kid's situation, who he is as a person, or what he intends to do. That's all his business. It's about as much as he can muster to make sure he gets home safe, and perhaps intervene if he ever needs it again. Hopefully he'll have the good sense to stay away from nightclubs from this point onwards, though Kim already sees the way that the nightlife has spilled onto the streets themselves, drunkards swaying along the sidewalks, the sounds of burgeoning fights over stupid things beginning to fill the air.

He will, however, be nosy enough to ask about one thing. ]

What is your name? Mine is Kim Kitsuragi.

Junpei Yoshino.

[ While there’s the mildest scrunch of his nose at the loud drunks milling about, the boy seems deadset on ignoring them and just staring straight ahead.

At one point one of them wobbles backwards right into Junpei, causing his body to tense up and his eyes to widen in fear. The other person doesn’t seem to even notice, laughing at some personal joke and stumbling forward.

Suddenly, Junpei’s pace quickens. He’s clearly spooked and seems to have forgotten Kim is following him. Panic is spiking. ]

[ Kim nods at the introduction - another Japanese name, from the sounds of it; he's starting to get better at identifying them - and is content to walk quietly beside Junpei, ensuring that his presence is as inobtrusive as possible, partly because Kim is not naturally a sparkling conversationalist and partly because it seems like Junpei would prefer it that way. The loud drunks get little more than a roll of the eyes from Kim as he quickly steps out of the way, a bit amused even as he rolls his eyes at them; no matter where you go, late-night partiers are always the same.

It's only moments afterwards that he notices the change in Junpei, shoulders tensed and eyes wide, clearly in the midst of an anxiety attack. He was right not to leave him alone. Whatever this kid has gone through -- it wasn't good. ]

Junpei, hey. [ He reaches out to grasp at his shoulder. ] It's fine. They were just a couple of drunks. They're not going to hurt you.

[ Even that touch that he knows is coming from someone that has thus far done him no harm causes him to freeze up. The noise, the crowd, the not knowing what was going to happen to him from day to day - it was all bubbling up to a froth inside of him. ]

They could. I was pulled into a fight my first day here. You can’t ... really predict how a stranger will act. It was true back home, and it’s even more true here. But ... it’s okay. It’s fine. I have to get used to it, right?

[ It’s said with a tinge of delirium. Why can’t his hotel be closer? He wants to be under the blankets, threadbare and gross as they are. They’re preferable to the street. ]

[ Kim's lips thin, looking over Junpei properly now. They've been here for so short a time that any injuries they accrued back home are still apparent -- Kim himself had suffered a concussion not long ago and, cloaked by the dim lighting of the club and the darkness of light, still has swollen bruises crawling up the side of his face, a couple stitches and a bandage hidden neatly underneath his (already struggling) hairline. Which means that he takes a moment to look Junpei over without making it look as though that's what he's doing, searching for a bloodied lip or bruises, on his face, around his neck, around his wrists. A little fear is normal, but Junpei acts like someone who's been hurt before. Who has, perhaps, been hurt repeatedly. ]

Yes, [ he says plainly. ] You do have to get used to it. It's good that you're cautious. But... caution is different from fear. People will be less inclined to bother you if you don't seem afraid.

[ He's really not good at this, he thinks. He's never been good at dealing with juveniles. This is the sort of thing Harry would be good at. ]

...preparations for another day. For now, just take a breath, okay? I won't let anything happen to you either, at least for tonight.

[ There are scars, of course, but they’re meticulously hidden. The scars from cigarette burns are beneath his hair fringe, and his clothing hides any remnants of being kicked on the ground countless times.

No, it’s the little tells Kim has already noticed that are the most apparent evidence of what he’s been through. He’s like a prey animal, jumpy and ready to flee.

Kim’s own blemishes have been noticed, but Junpei doesn’t instantly conclude that means he’s a victim. It’s just as likely in his cynical mind that Kim gets into fights frequently and still has the potential to turn on him. Trusting people had gone both ways for him, and he’s determined not to be a fool again. ]

What’s in it for you?

There doesn't have to be anything in it for me.

[ It's the right thing to do. What sort of jackass wouldn't escort a scared kid home?

Unfortunately, Kim's lived long enough to have met precisely that sort of jackass, and to know that it's the right thing to do is the sort of thing that sounds insipid and false to a kid who's been burned too many times before. He tucks his hands behind his back, posture as tall and confident as ever. ]

If I can prevent needless injury, I don't see why I wouldn't do that. Besides, I remember getting the shit kicked out of me when I was your age. [ He shrugs, a wry cast to his features. ] Some may call it character building, but I happen to disagree. I'd rather not see it repeated.

[ It's a bit of a gamble. Hey kid, you get smacked around on the regular? Me too! ]

[ At the very least the words make Junpei tense up noticeably. Does this guy know? How? Is he psychic? Or have access to his information somehow? The idea that the answer could be he’s displaying all kinds of tells doesn’t occur to him. He thinks he’s flawless at hiding what’s happened to him unless he opts to share that information himself. ]

L-look, I don’t know how you know about ... what happened back home, but I’m fine here. Things are different.

[ They were going to be different. He’d make sure of it. ]

You don’t need to play hero or ... whatever it is you want to do. I don’t need anyone’s protection.

[ He’d muddled through without adult concern long enough, no use getting it now that his outlook was permanently damaged. ]

I don't know anything about what happened to you back home. Just a guess from how you reacted back there.

[ Wrong move, pointing that out, perhaps. But he's not about to lie about it. Junpei should know that it's written all over his face, all over his mannerisms. Where Kim sees it and feels inclined to help, sympathetic after having seen it day-in and day-out for years upon years, others will see it and see an easy victim. ]

And if I wanted to play hero, I think I'd choose something a little more remarkable than wanting to see someone home safely. I wanted to get out of that horrible club anyway.

[ Junpei frowns deeply, turning away to start walking again. It can’t be that much farther. This conversation is making him feel incredibly vulnerable and he doesn’t like it.

At the very least the frustration over it keeps him from being nervous about the others on the street, he’s focusing heavily on the direction he’s fairly sure the hotel is on. ]

I’ll get better at masking it then. I’m not interested in pity. Thanks.

I don't pity you either. I'm a cop back home, Junpei. I'll have to see worse than what I've seen to feel that -- though I doubt you'll believe I have anything to say at this point, [ Kim says, managing to sound relatively impassive about the whole ordeal. In a way, he is; kids like Junpei are familiar to him, and he knows he'll get nowhere trying to bulldoze his walls down. He has no interest in doing so, and Junpei has no interest in receiving kindness. If he can help, he will, but he won't interfere where he's unwanted unless he thinks it's absolutely necessary.

He's not lying either. He feels bad for the kid. Of course he does. But he saves his pity for lost causes, not young people who ostensibly have their whole life in front of them to get their shit together, to carve out a space where they're not being constantly trampled upon, whether it's by their guardians or their peers. He looks out at the city in front of them with a small sigh. ]

But I agree with you. Masking it is wise.

[ Anything else, and people will just take advantage of him. Kim would know. ]

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March 2022 IC Mingle

Sutoku - B

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Apologies for the wait

no worries!!

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