open ► march catchall.

[cutcloud]

Who ⬤ chongyun & you.
What ⬤ substories, working hard for the $$$, general day-to-day, let's build 🌈 friendships 🌈 and hold hands 💋
When ⬤ throughout march.
Where ⬤ mainly tamamo territory, with a dash of sutoku and enma.
Content Warnings ⬤ light nudity, language, slapstick violence.

will add closed starters as well, feel free to hit me up for a private prompt.


◐ i. (substory 1; evening; tamamo territory — open to all )

[ A tall building, painted black, boasts neon-pink and green sprawl across its brick walls. Despite night having barely fallen, the inside of the club is dark, still calm because its just recently opened its doors to welcome patrons. The music is low, a baseline throb to the clank of chains and whips; women with bright red lipstick and high heels linger at the bar, chatting casually, and men dressed in dark colors begin to pander to what guests have already arrived. What are you looking for? What do you like?

As far as BDSM clubs go, it’s beginner level. An introduction for newbies; it’s why the doms linger by the front, flirting with guests, wanting to build new relationships with clients. Not all of them—behind the scenes a huddle of new doms have been admonished for failing to be properly domineering. Complaints from unsatisfied guests have come in as of late and the boss is getting desperate. Anyone, everyone, please show these kids the right way to force someone into submission!

Enter: someone who is going to completely misunderstand the assignment.

Force a spirit into submission? Who better to teach these wet-eared youths than an exorcist? There are many ways to purge spirits, but naturally, one must quell it first. Which is why Chongyun strides up, straight-faced and cool, 160cm of icy poise as he snaps a thin red rope between his hands. Binding with charmed rope works extremely well for corporeal spirits, he explains to the group, who nod eagerly.

Perhaps you’re someone who’s wandered in—on purpose or by accident, maybe that extremely eager receptionist grabbed you off the street—or maybe another Tamamo. Either way, this young man with clear blue eyes and cool expression comes up and gives a short bow in greeting. The red chord is wrapped around his arm, hot color a sharp contrast to his cold palette. ]

Excuse me. I’m looking for a volunteer—would you be willing?

◐ ii. ( any weekday; late night; tamamo territory — open to all )

[ It’s growing late, and a neon-bright gentleman’s club wrapped in panels of tatami mat and smooth bamboo open for companionship sitting on the crossroads of territories hums with activity—trussed up in richly patterned fabrics, low tables, cushions, and delicate ukiyo-e paintings, the clasped hands of eager managers and the low giggles of entertainers promises … something. Anything you want. Conversation, flirtatious gazes, bated breaths and rich flattery (information, rumors, veiled threats), customers are king within the cocoon gauzy curtains and velvety daybeds.

Within the nest at a short table kneels a young man. Downy hair pushed back to show off a pleasant face, clear blue eyes, light lashes—they match the cool veining beneath his pale skin, a mapline that works over knuckle and delves beneath wrist. Unlike the rich kimono that several of the women wear, he’s styled in soft whites and trimmed blues, a snowy visage against the heated backdrop—his thaumaturge wear has been exchanged for a delicate Chinese style of dress, drawing a handsome figure with fine lines that’s softened by the touch of cusped youth.

In the end, he hadn’t been able to escape customer service jobs completely. Tolerant of today’s assignment, Chongyun can’t find it in himself to complain when companionship isn’t the worst thing sold in the club. They offer more—the managers usher workers into private rooms as quickly as they turn over drinks—but he’s begun to get used to Tamamo’s methods. He can ignore it, instead focusing on his own role. ]

Hello. [ he greets with a small nod of the head—maybe you’ve just come in, or maybe you’ve been occupied on the other side of the club and got bored with the giggling girls plying with compliments and wine—either way, Chongyun glances up from beneath his lashes, expression cool, contrary to the wide-plaster smiles printed on most faces. ] Do you want to play?

[ He gestures in front of him: three cups, a small pad, a pen, and a coin. He’s not entertaining anyone right now, cushion in front of him open for the taking, because most of the youkai and spirits are hesitant to approach him. Intimidation? Perhaps. He had thought his inborn trait defunct here, but it seems that the weak-willed spirits still find it difficult to come close. ]

◐ iii. ( weekend; afternoon/evening; tamamo territory — open to all )

[ Weekend rush—the novelty café is bustling, each and every waiter dressed in various costumes swamped with tables and guests to entertain. Compared to the sex clubs only open late at night, this café sees more foot traffic despite only offering cute boys in cute clothes and sweet desserts—right now, their fat pancakes are the hottest thing on the street! Limited time only, served with honey, butter, and your choice of ice cream. Better get them now or you’ll never have the chance for such deliciousness again!

Chongyun had been dragged in that morning, told that because he was so difficult to place that he needed to shut up and deal with what he could do, and shoved into a costume. We’re short on hands, get to work. So, the newly minted catboy had been forced out onto the floor as a server, dressed in short shorts, a button up shirt, a collar, a tail, and a fluffy pair of cat ears.

Barely even looking at the customer at his table, Chongyun tries to disassociate from reality completely while giving his welcoming spiel, ]

… W, welcome home master, nya. [ this is a fever dream, ] We have a meow-tastic menu for you today. [ this is a fever dream, ] You’ll definitely want to wet your whiskers on our limited edition pancakes. [ this is a fever dream, ] The rule is, if you finish your whole plate, you get a kiss from your cat. Nya.

[ He’s disassociating so hard that he’s actually staring straight at the wall, so embarrassed by his lines that he just. Can’t look at who he’s even talking to (which only makes this worse if you’re already an acquaintance). Stifling a sigh, he closes his eyes, trying to pretend he’s somewhere else completely. ]

Unless master wants something else. Your wish is my command…… nya.

[ That last nya is so resigned. This cat… he is tired. ]

◐ iv. ( anytime; tamamo territory — tamamos only )

[ Maybe running himself ragged working so many jobs had been a mistake.

It’s a thought he has after retreating to one of the back break rooms in one of the quieter clubs. Leaning over the communal sink, Chongyun washes his face, water from the faucet freezing cold. Icy enough that enough scrubbing have turned both his lips and fingertips blue—it blends into his scheme, so isn’t extremely obvious, but he doesn’t look well. Exposure to the “heaty” elements of Tamamo’s territory has taken its toll; sinking down onto the couch, the young exorcist begins to wilt, looking quite unwell.

If it were just work this would be nothing, but …

Between working and using all of his spare time to learn everything he can about Jigoku-cho that he can in an atmosphere he can’t deal with, he’s been burning the candle at both ends. Evil waits for no man—so he’s been hunting for it heartily through the streets, while trying to scrape for as many funds as he can save, as a cushion. Everything is so expensive that it feels almost dangerous to have no funds. What if there’s an emergency?

Head throbbing, Chongyun tries to peel open the slippery packaging of some painkillers without avail. His fingers feel clumsy and his focus isn’t quite there—it’s a fever he doesn’t even realize he has—and eventually he gives up, dropping the still-intact packaging onto the table. Then glares at it, childishly, as if that’ll somehow get the tabs out of the packaging and into his mouth.

When the door to the Tamamo only communal space opens, he startles, standing up right away as though he shouldn’t be there, ]

A… apologies, I’ll get out of your way.

[ He moves toward the door to let the new person have some privacy in the room, but the ground… ends up… moving…

Or, as you guessed: Chongyun flops over, sprawled across the floor with a dazed oomph. ]

How’d that happen…?

[ Comes his confused voice, muffled into the floor, where his face is still planted. Sorry you had to meet this mess when you were probably looking for a place to relax, huh… ]

◐ v. ( substory 3; earlier March; river bridge — open to all )

[ The young exorcist, dressed neatly in cottony white trimmed with blue, stands at the edge of riverbank while gazing up at an arching red bridge. The man with the jacket had stayed behind for his investigation—though Chongyun expects he just planned to harass more people about his sweet jacket and how he’s been personally attacked over fashion. It doesn’t really matter—he doesn’t need to be here for an initial assessment.

Curious, Chongyun explores the underneath of the bridge and then walks across it himself. No issues, not even an angry bubble in the rushing waters beneath. There are more people passing over the bridge as well, completely freely, not a one being attacked. Chongyun’s sure—he stepped back to watch, guard raised, just in case the supposed attacker decided to target someone else.

But… no. Nothing. Lost souls come and go without a problem. They actually give him weird looks for being so studious, watching all of them pass with an even expression and barely blinking.

Chongyun hums, leaning against the railing in the middle of the bridge, peering down once more to try and pick out something amiss in the water. Why would the guy make such a fuss to everyone if he hadn’t been attacked? It would be remiss of him to just brush the guy off, even if Chongyun isn’t exactly convinced that a jacket could make someone irresistible to haters. What if something actually happened later? That would be his responsibility for negligence.

Musing, out loud, voice carrying enough for anyone nearby to hear (and answer), the young man questions to the air, ]

Could an evil spirit really be attracted to someone’s jacket…? Maybe it’s the jacket itself that’s possessed?

◐ vi. ( daytime; convenience store; sutoku territory — open to previous cr )

[ Convenience stores… are a marvel.

Liyue had no lack of stores, of course. There were merchants along the harbor, constant trade coming in from ships passing through, stalls and shops that sold wares from nearby towns to distant lands. Yet this convenience store is different. There’s no contracts, no haggling—one merely walks inside and places the items they want in a basket, and then checks out at a register. No haggling. No negotiating. Prices are labeled and reasonable.

And inside—so many things! Food, stationary, first aid, hygiene products … Chongyun had spent a whole day exploring them upon first walking into one. Refrigerated rice balls with all of their ingredients clearly labeled? What more could someone like him, who only takes his meals cold and must avoid anything “heaty”, ask for? A place where one can get supplies at any time. So far, it might be one of his favorite things.

Speaking of supplies—it’s morning when he goes to stock up on ice packs. Tamamo territory has proven difficult to navigate with his particular condition, and without Mist Flowers or Qingxin he’d been at quite a loss until discovering the ice packs sold at convenience stores. Little packaged squares of ice that can be reused a few times, if you take care.

He has three baskets. Two are already filled with ice packs, and he’s in the middle of clearing out the freezer and filling the third when he notices a familiar face. ]

Oh, hello there. [ he seems in an extremely good mood as he continues to drop ice pack after ice pack into his baskets … who on earth needs so many ice packs… 60, 61, 62, 63… ] It’s good to see you. How have you been?

[ He pauses, reaching into the freezer only to find his fingers grasping nothing. With a frown he draws his hand back and blinks, ]

.... Is that all?

[ Apparently 63 ice packs isn’t enough?? ]

◐ vii. ( daytime; end of March; enma — open to all )

[ He hadn't expected to end up back in this building so soon. Like the day he arrived, the lines are long, and administration continues to churn its wheels. Take a ticket, wait in line. Only, this time, he isn't registering—the young man is waiting on line at the inquiries desk, which is thankfully not too far into the building. It's part of the main lobby where plenty of people loiter, though the fact that they could be from any territory and that they may be eavesdropping for scraps of information isn't lost on him. It doesn't particularly bother Chongyun either way, but he does make note of it.

Patiently, he waits on line until his ticket is called; he places it politely down onto the desk before turning his attention on to the poor person who's been answering the questions of Lost Souls all day. It's mostly directing them toward certain areas, really, and general questions like Am I dead? or Where do I live? Nothing crazy. You'd be surprised how similarly people who show up in Jigoku think; priorities are priorities, in the end.

If you're that poor Enma employee covering the front inquiries desk, have a young man with clear blue eyes studying you for a moment before speaking. ]

Excuse me. Where are all of the evil and extremely malicious spirits being held? It doesn't seem that they're amongst the general populace, and I would very much like to see them.

[ ... or perhaps you're just someone nearby, overhearing this young man quiz the poor office worker about evil spirits. Where are they? Is there a secondary location for spirits too evil to be allowed free to roam? Where would they be kept, if there were a place where they needed to be segregated in?

If you're that nearby person, he'll finally step away from the desk with a resigned sigh after getting absolutely no answers from the person working. He sighs, looking fairly disappointed. ]

Did I really wait on that line for no answers at all..?

[ He just wants!! To find!! The evil spirits!!! ]

Comments

[cutcloud]

[ It takes some time... but he finally spies Natori's form flopping the ripples.

Chongyun sighs with immense relief before allowing what little energy he had left to finally dissipate. With most everything sealed, using what little spiritual power he had been clutching onto had taken much out of him. So, he plops into the water unceremoniously when the ice cracks—but, being a strong swimmer, he glides through the weave of souls like a dolphin in open ocean.

Better or worse to try and lend a hand...? He wants to hook onto the elder man and help tug him toward shore, but with his bad luck, he'd probably just end up drowning him instead. Rather than risk putting the final nail in Natori's coffin, Chongyun swims close, follows, but doesn't try and reach for him. He seems to be doing fine so far and the bank isn't far.

When they finally do drudge to the edge, he sighs, quick to bow his head in apology. ]

Ugh... I am so sorry...

[ Actually, as soon as there's solid land under their feet, he's going to kowtow and slap his forehead so hard against the ground that it'll bruise. ]

[paperpusher]

[Natori hauls himself onto the riverbank only to immediately flop onto his back and stare up at the sky in exhaustion the moment he's pulled himself fully out of the water. At this point, he sees no reason to fret over lying in what's quickly becoming a muddy mess; it's not as if he'd be presentable if he dripped his way over to a bench.]

It's fine, please don't apologize. ["It's fine" is an automatic politeness response moreso than his actual sentiment (it will be sincere after he's had a chance to sleep), but he can say with full earnestness that he doesn't have the energy to deal with Chongyun kowtowing for the next hour. It's not like he can say "it's not your fault," but...

He holds one of his hands in front of his face and watches the lizard slither around to his palm. After a second, he huffs a laugh, and then he finds himself unable to stop giggling.]

You're pretty strong, huh. [He drops his hand back to his side and closes his eyes. All of these powerful, earnest teenagers around him. It was actually pretty funny.] Quick reaction time, too.

[cutcloud]

[ Chongyun sits beside him on the ground after kowtowing at least once, water beading off of his clothes. He can’t really accept a simple “it’s fine” after knocking poor Natori right off his feet… and when the man starts giggling like that, Chongyun’s briefly worried he might have slapped the sense right out of his head too. ]

I’ve, uh … trained very hard… where I am from, creatures of all sorts wander the lands. You need to be fast to help people.

[ And, you know, not accidentally beat them. This was indeed a huge miscalculation.

As was his strike on that youkai, apparently. The shadow moves across Natori’s palm, but this time he doesn’t try to strike it without warning. Actually, he’s rather perplexed. ]

I didn’t get it?

[ He thought the hit had been dead on, but it’s still clearly there scooting around. So, launching Natori from the bridge had been for naught? ]

Ah… I’m sorry.

[ He bows his head again—but at least it isn’t straight up prostrating. ]

[paperpusher]

No, sorry. [Poor kid... Maybe it would have made him feel better if it had actually worked. Natori props himself up into a sitting position and looks down at the lizard on his palm again.] But don't feel bad. It was worth a shot, and I'd be thanking you if you did get it.

[He's completely sincere about that, unscheduled dunk in the river and all.]

This youkai has been somewhere on my body for as long as I could remember. I don't blame you for reacting when you saw it. [...He does maybe a little blame him for the actual shove off the bridge, but. Again, give him a good night's sleep (or two) and he'll be fully laughing.] I haven't come across any way to chase it off yet. But if anywhere will have the answer, this place will, right? Either thanks to the locals or the experiences of foreign exorcists.

[cutcloud]

[ Master Natori really is too kind. Maybe that sort of grace comes with age? Chongyun can only wonder, leaning back on his hands while feeling as though he’s learned some sort of life lesson.

He does glance back over curiously, watching the thing skitter before his gaze falls back to Natori’s face. Ah, his glasses are gone. At the very least, he will plan to replace them. ]

If it’s been that long … was it something you were born with? [ belatedly, he realizes that might be too personal, ] You don’t have to tell me. I was just curious … I, too, have something that I’ve always struggled with that’s—very unorthodox. I spent a long time trying to cure it. I was born with it, and most people don’t see it as a problem at all, but it’s always been troubling to me.

[ He hums, attention turning to the river. There was no sign of that youkai while he was looking for Natori, either… ]

I hope you can find an answer.

[paperpusher]

It's fine. [Being asked about it, that is. Its existence is something of a sore spot, but much less so when he's talking to someone who seems to have a similar experience. And to someone who didn't immediately ask why he hasn't exorcised it himself yet. Likely those two facts go hand in hand.] I don't know if I was born with it or if it first showed up when I was very young, but I don't remember it suddenly appearing one day, or anything like that.

[Natori is, deep down inside, a shoujo character, and thus he's intimately familiar with the ol' "look out at the river together instead of looking at each other when sharing something earnest" move. He gets it, and looks towards the river himself.] Thank you. Do you mind if I ask about your own problem?

[cutcloud]

Nn. [ he shakes his head; droplets of water fly, ] I don’t mind.

I don’t know how familiar you are with qi, but a normal spirit has an even balance of yin and yang. That’s how nearly everyone is born. Too much of one and not enough of the other can cause problems.

[ He raises his hand—spiritual energy flickers, a mist of blue that outlines a shimmering talisman that melds down into the circle of tai chi. That sputters out real quick, like a car engine trying to start but failing. ]

I have a pure yang spirit—no yin. Simply put, if I don’t constantly monitor myself and supplement with yin manually, I can become … extremely unwell.

[ He … leaves how vague on purpose, much preferring Natori picture him as a shriveled corpse rather than tell him what actually happens. It’s embarrassing! Natori will never see him like that, if he has anything to say about it. ]

[paperpusher]

I see. [Not literally-- he can't think of an equivalent concept in his own practice, and he's not nearly familiar enough with Chinese (since as established Chongyun is Chinese) exorcism techniques to follow the theory-- but emotionally. Spiritually. Empathetically, he gets ya, Yun-kun.] That sounds difficult.

[... Honestly, it sounds more like Matoba's situation than Natori's: something messy and requiring a lot of careful upkeep for a circumstance of birth. A burden to be carried that impacts day-to-day life, rather than Natori's selfish and mostly private frustrations.]

I don't know anything about it myself, so I apologize if this sounds ignorant or prying, but is there anything we can do to help? ["We" being other exorcists, other Tamamo members, adults. Whoever.] Not to cure the problem, but to help treat it if you're in trouble?

[cutcloud]

[ Again, he shakes his head. ]

My sincerest hope is that you will not see me like that.

[ It’s embarrassing when it happens in front of normal people, but cool (?) elder exorcists? Seriously… he’s going to have to really take care of himself, and leave no room for accidents… ]

It’s alright. I’m pretty used to it. Hell is all yin, so that’s actually had somewhat of a suppressing influence—not completely, but it’s been better.

Speaking of yin though … I didn’t see that spirit at all. Think this is a failed job? I’ll have to let that guy know.

[ That’s kind of a bummer. ]

[paperpusher]

I see, [he says again, because what else can he say? "Don't worry about it, because I won't let it happen" isn't exactly a foolproof method for dealing with a problem, but Chongyun certainly knows how to deal with it better than Natori does. Besides, even though he's now a wise adult at the ripe old age of 23, he remembers being a teenager. There's not much sense in pushing.

In any case, he runs a hand through his bangs to try and shake out the excess water and thinks that at least some good could have come from this.] Haha, well. I actually might have seen it for a moment. [He looks up at the bridge, clocking the apparent age and length, and hums thoughtfully.] There's a bridge guardian here. Probably hashihime, which would make sense with what you described. I think your client offended her.

[cutcloud]

Oh! You saw it?

[ Why is it that his luck is still bad, even with his yang spirit suppressed? He really wanted to see the spirit… but he won’t waste time being glum about how ghosts don’t want to hang out with him. ]

Was it his terrible jacket after all? … Nevermind that, did she say what she wanted in exchange for ceasing the attacks? Or was the moment too brief?

[ Natori was under for a minute there. Was the delay because he was doing some kind of casting?

The shadow of depression is gone; perked up, Chongyun questions eagerly, hands clenched into excited fists. Exorcist things!!!! ]

[paperpusher]

[well maybe if you had jumped into the water, you could have seen it too, Chongyun, Natori doesn't say, or think, because he can't tell that Chongyun is disappointed about having a lead on the case.]

It was pretty brief. She didn't mention anything about him at all, honestly, but-- ah, right. [She did imply that Natori was a particularly sexy young offering to her, which is why he suddenly cups a hand around his mouth and call back towards the river] Please accept the glasses as an offering!

[There's no clear sign either way from the water, but it probably doesn't hurt to spin it that way. After a moment of watching for a response, he lowers his voice and continues talking to Chongyun.]

Hashihime can get pretty particular, so he'll likely need to make a big apology and a show of respect to her, regardless of what he did.

[cutcloud]

I will advise him. Whether or not he’ll actually do that… I’m not sure.

[ Chongyun thinks back on his client—and suspects that he will nnnnot apologize or offer anything, considering he had been adamant that the hate was toward his sweet jacket. It’s a matter of manly pride … or something.

Still. It’s an answer, and up to his client if he takes it or not. You can lead a horse to water and all that. ]

I guess that resolves the issue for now. You were a great help, Master Natori. Thank you.

[ Even if it was unwittingly, through being slapped into the river… but we’re just. Gonna hustle past that point. ]

[paperpusher]

Haha, well. Sometimes as exorcists the best we can do is give a recommendation to our clients. It's up to them if they take it, especially when it's something like this that's unlikely to lead to any real harm.

[If someone's being stubborn about something that will legit kill them, that's one thing; a guy being bullied for his jacket when trying to cross this one specific bridge is a different matter entirely. Natori's willing to spend a lot more energy on trying to change someone's mind if it's the former instead of the latter.

After dropping that ~sick mentor advice,~ Natori waits a moment, then reluctantly hauls his dripping ass to his feet.]

Not a bad resolution to the case, all things considered. [Aside from the fact that he's sopping wet and needs to go crash in his sad Tamamo apartment for the next 12 hours.] Be careful out there, okay?

[He means 'don't be so overeager that you, I don't know, punch an oni or something.']

wraps this thread up with a bow

[cutcloud]

[ Master Natori, how knowledgeable. Chongyun will just stay quiet about how he’s already completed close to a thousand jobs at this point … since he didn’t do much by virtue of being so strong that the spirits purged just from his sitting there, there’s still a seed to learn here! Clients are always different, since there are so many types of people out there.

He also somehow resists the urge to advise Natori to be careful too. Honestly, he’s worried … about how easily the man went over the railing… perhaps he has low bone density? A delicate person walking through Tamamo territory could be taken advantage of by unseemly people. Mentally, Chongyun makes a note to watch out for Natori, for the older man’s sake. ]

I will. [ smiling, he likewise stands and bows, ] Until next time.