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jigokufever2022-06-24 11:00 am
jigokumods) wrote in jigokufever2022-06-24 11:00 am
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June 2022 Test Drive
MAIN NAVIGATION
1. CLEAN UP
The curse has broken, finally banishing the oppressive air around the city and the many sightless eyes of the accursed haniwa. Life will have to return to normal now but first there is lingering clean-up that must be attended to:SHUTEN CLAN
The Shuten Clan is out in force to rebuild damaged storefronts. Eager oni appear in their festival happi, singing oni working tunes. You can pick up the words easily enough, join in and help out. The mood starts bright, but after a number of unlucky accidents there is less singing and more grumbling. The cursed energy left behind has made all of you much more prone to workplace accidents but the storefronts need to be scrubbed, broken glass needs sweeping, new furniture needs construction. There are any number of thumbs smashed by hammers, hands cut on saws, heads hit with falling debris or that board of wood you didn’t see someone carrying towards you. It’s a cursed day to be out on the job.
Rewards will come in the form of free drinks for a week from specific bars and a generous amount of chips for the casinos. If you aren’t of age to drink or gamble? Well… they’ll look the other way this time. Have fun.
It should be noted that the uniform -- a happi, a hachimaki, and fundoshi -- is required. The Shuten Clan is very traditional, after all.TAMAMO CLAN
The bathhouses in Tamamo clan territory remain full of bloodied water. They need to be drained and scrubbed to make them new again. However, reaching the drains is a tricky business. You can’t simply reach in to pull out the plug, you will have to wade into the water to twist it free. Easy enough, right?
Unfortunately, residual curse energy has made this a very dangerous task. Phantasmal hands will reach out and try to drag you under as you get too close to the drain. The phantasms can be distracted, so you’ll need some teamwork to succeed. Your reward is a significant amount of free bath coupons. Some of the advertised baths even have “special” properties. Take the chance to relax, you probably need it.
Those that are rejuvenated in the newly purified baths will find themselves with seemingly limitless vigor. That vigor may sometimes manifest in the form of desperately needing to fuck the first thing willing to do so. Which might turn out somewhat embarrassing...SUTOKU CLAN
The residual cursed energy in the Sutoku Alliance territory has congregated in their many arcades. The prizes in the UFO catcher machines seem off and they keep shifting around. If you happen to win a prize, the prize slot snaps shut on your hand with amazing force: the machine out for blood. To clear the curse, the prizes need to be removed from the machines and purified with the help of a local shrine maiden. Unfortunately, the key ring to open the machines has been stolen by some of the unruly prizes. You will need to use your UFO catcher skills to fish it back out.
Try not to lose any fingers.
Other machines are shooting tokens out of their coin slots at astonishingly painful speeds. A strange phenomenon, as even the machines that take swipe cards are doing it. Where are those tokens even coming from? You will have to get the machines open and give them a deep cleaning to get all the residual blood off the coins and mechanisms. You need the same keys that are stuck inside the UFO catcher…. Better hope you can fish out the one you need.
For your troubles, you will be given unlimited free plays for a month. Perfect for winning a totally-not-cursed prize for your sweetie.ENMA DEPARTMENT
It’s the Department of the Enma’s turn to go begging for good will. They are considered to be mostly responsible for the way the cursed haniwa were handled in the first place. Enma souls should get out on the streets and see what the people need: Food, clean water, housing repairs and maintenance, as well as exorcisms. They’re all high on people’s priority lists and most people want it done pronto. Try not to get snappy with the angry people, the department’s reputation is on the line.
The Enma is slated to give a press conference at some point. It's up to the rest of the Department to assure that there will be reception to his words. They are likely to be of grave importance to the rest of the city.
A hard day’s work is its own reward, but you’ll also get a day pass to a theme park on the edge of the city – in the name of community outreach, of course.
2. GHOST SHARKS
The very streets themselves are treacherous with residual curses. The isonades may have been intimidated out of town for the moment but the anger of their ancestors lingers in the bloody puddles that still glisten in the streets. Come too close to these puddles and spectral sharks will lunge from beneath the surface: Blood for blood! Lives for lives!
While spectral in nature, the teeth on these sharks can still do real harm to anyone they lash out at. They don’t seem to take damage in kind, but will pop and disperse for a moment when struck. The ghostly sharks are being populated by a magic totem that has been partially buried in the dirt of a local park. Destroy it and the sharks will disappear.
Unfortunately, a pack of snotty local children have taken a shine to this magic totem. They are not keen to let you take it from them, nor break it. It’s theirs. It’s special. If you’re feeling brutish or cruel, you can fight the children or deceive them, but your boss would probably suggest you try to bargain with them for appearance’s sake. They’re entirely unreasonable though, as children can be, and it will be quite a chore to get them to agree to your terms.
3. CURSED CORNERS
There are certain corners and alleyways which are simply predisposed to gather cursed energy. These areas are still haunted enough to affect the reality around you. You may experience hallucinations or visions of lost loved ones, past regrets, personal failings. These visions are played out in the area for all to see. You will remain frozen in place until your moment is done, or someone brave comes to pull you out.
Now that the worst of it is over, some of the more morbid and voyeuristic members of the public may be lurking around these haunted areas, waiting to see what horrors will be unveiled. They have out their phones and their cameras to record the show.
The cruelest of the spectators provide commentary to their social media followings as they observe. Anything for that monetization!
The biggest of the streams is a kerakera onna who goes by her channel name: Lipsticki. She leans in over the rooftops to cackle loudly at people’s misfortunes and give petty, scathing commentary about their misdeeds and failings.
4. THE ENMA SPEAKS (PLOT RELEVANT)
Outside the hospital where the Enma was being treated, there is a huge press gathering. The judge arbiter has been deemed fit enough to release. Hungry for word, journalists from every publication swarm the area. Most press-outlets in the city are controlled by the Sutoku Alliance, who have a vested interested in interrogating the Enma.
A number of other onlookers have tacked on as well, including Lost Souls both old and new. Lost Souls may even find themselves ordered to attend the statement by their faction.
It is assumed that the Enma must have something of grave importance to say, after all.
The Enma approaches the podium. He is dressed in his usual suit, his crown, and his stern expression; it puts a hush over the crowd through its tremendous pressure alone. No questions have been asked, yet, but a statement has been prepared. He clears his throat:
"The cause of the curse, the enemy of Jigokucho, is... Haniyasu. The Department's focus will be shifting to determining our next action in regards to this entity. That is all."
Just like, the Enma's secretary and a retinue of armored shinigami move to flank the Enma and guide them to a waiting limo down the steps. The press yells their questions over one another, but are pushed back. The Enma doesn't even seem to perceive them, simply focusing on getting into the car.
Unfortunately, if you're a representative for one of the factions -- especially the Department of the Enma -- that makes you fair game to hound for questioning too. Do you stand your ground or try to run away?
[[banner art by s-tokimura]]
Welcome to the test drive meme!
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- NEWBIE TOP LEVELS
i think if i did it would erase like the entire internet??
Hell, hm...?
[And there it is, just for a moment; it's easy to mistake it for just being thoughtful, trying to process the information. The quiet that falls on his expression, sharpened points filed down to blunted edges, a far-off look in his eyes that seemed to be at odds with the usual judgmental focus that forms his unpleasant disposition. One arm crosses over his middle as it supports his opposite elbow, holding his cigarette between two fingers as he fidgets.
It's not exactly how he'd planned to get to a place like this; and apparently they weren't even truly dead for it. But without the Hashihime, it was as good a substitute as anything. It wouldn't fix everything, but by design, it was a pretty efficient way to keep certain souls from touching the realm of the living. So, maybe that wasn't so bad.
But just as quietly as it appears, it disappears, as most of Kawase's expressions do. He takes a drag on his cigarette, closing his eyes for a minute as he leaned his head back to blow the cloud of smoke into the air, almost like he was resetting his own face.]
What a pain. You must have messed up pretty bad to end up in the same place as me. [That's the only part that makes the story unbelievable-- the fact that Minakami, of all people, is apparently stuck in Hell too. And like Mina had said, if they weren't dead, then it couldn't have been punishment for the ways he'd made his exit before.]
worth
[The momentary expression of... What is it? Acceptance? Sensing an opportunity? A simple lack of surprise? Whatever it is, it's not the expression of someone told they've been dragged to the underworld. After what Tama had said, any guesses he can make are bad ones.]
[Ah. This is the same feeling of standing on a precipice that Tama must have been feeling all this time. Good to know.]
Perhaps. Who can say how karma accumulates? [He doesn't want to talk about his... attempts, or the particular death that's weighing on his soul. Minakami glances back where they came, where reporters are still hassling Enma agents, or any hapless Lost Soul who hasn't beaten a retreat yet.]
...there's... so much I need to tell you. But you need to know this first: Tamamori's here, too.
.......................................................honestly yeah
No, actually, this Hell must have been something else altogether. Because--] Tamamori? [That actually brings some genuine surprise to his face. No, if Minakami and Tamamori were both here, then it must have been some other realm ferrying in souls and pretending at being Yama. Not just one of them, but both of them? It just wasn't possible, if this was some real measure of karma. The only consolation was that they must have been here together.]
....You didn't lose him, did you? [Thick with sarcasm. But also he's still pretty sure that's the most likely answer. He sighs.] Ah... but I guess it's already pretty incredible that you're not running off already...?
OH GOD I CAN LEGALLY USE THIS ICON NOW IT'S BEEN 84 YEARS
[fewer years than it should be......]
The truth is... I need your help. [The words are hard, both being this frank and being frank with Kawase, given he's spent this many years keeping quiet, but given who he's asking it for, it's easier.] This place is -- capricious. That speech the Enma was giving, about the enemy of Jigoku-cho? It attacked the city last month. That's why everything's in disarray. Tamamori's safe, but-- it was close.
[He lets out a breath, looking exhausted behind his composed face.] If it happens again, I don't think I can watch out for him alone.
But, ah, to answer your question, Tamamori isn't lost, he's.
[be prepared for the bombshell of your life, Kawase]
He's at work.
THE PROFESY IS TRUE
Work?
[That leaves Kawase looking even more flabbergasted than usual. Sure, he'd gotten the job at Umebachidou, and that had been equally as surprising at the time-- but it's not like that place got many customers, so mostly it had been Tamamori loafing around on the job, which was much more believable.]
It's not like he could have found another job he can skim a salary off, could he..? [Well, maybe the situation at Umebachidou was more complicated than that, but he's not gonna get antsy about that because who gives a shit about that place.
He sighs out another stream of smoke, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck. Right, there was more to what Minakami had said, but he sounds just belabored about it as before.] If you almost messed up, what do you expect me to do about it? I'm not gonna put myself on the line against something big enough to mess up an entire city. [Ah, but that's a bit familiar in his ill-gotten memories, isn't it...? If it was, then it'd be even more hard to do anything about it.]
Besides, I don't really care. You're the one he always depends on, so can't you handle it?
cw: suicide mention
It's real. [For a job with bells as his boss and cups and cutlery as co-workers, but,] ... More or less real. You'll see.
[If Tama was the one person in the world (in all the worlds, even, having met people from several of them now) who his patience would never run out for, then Kawase was the one person who could effortlessly get under his skin and nettle him in a way nobody else could. Not high praise, perhaps, more an inevitability from knowing someone since they were both barely infants, but that was how it was.]
I'm not asking you to put your life on the line.
[Don't get angry, don't get angry... but that backfires, because without that acting as a wall, there's nothing between him and what he knows. Minakami turns away, clenching his fists at his sides.]
...It's because I almost messed up. He said if it happened, he'd go in the river, to go back and fix it. [He glances over his shoulder, just for a moment: Please admit you know what I'm talking about.] ...we've tested it. The hashihime doesn't work here. He as good as told me he was going to...
[Don't say it.]
...that's why I need your help. If it happens again, you need to stop him.
cw: suicide mention As Well
Ah, but there was Minakami, slowly simmering under the surface like he always did. It seemed like that was the only way he could a reaction out of him anymore-- and with how unusually direct he was being now, Kawase almost wonders if he's finally set Minakami off like he always knew he would.]
...What do you want me to say? That I'll 'do my best'? I'll keep him safe in your place?
[The most surprising part... is the fact that Mina already knows he knows about the hashihime. Of course, it was only natural that Tamamori must have brought it up. But it only gets him to a subdued look of recognition, before he settles back to cold and empty. But even with Tama's verve for life... It's not surprising. It's never surprising, he supposed.
Kawase's quiet for a long moment-- maybe too long, for polite company. He smokes his cigarette, and thinks about Tamamori's broken desperation as he met his own gaze in the surface of the pond in Madam's yard. The way he'd practically thrown himself off the train, sinking like dead weights into the river below before Kawase could find some kind of purchase in the water. He breathes out another stream of smoke into the air, and blows the thoughts away.]
...Did you know the first time I told him you died, he thought it was a murder? [The poison that usually drips from his words is gone, but it's not like it really makes him sound any nicer. He still has the ash tray in his pocket, thankfully, and pulls it out to stub out the cigarette.] He couldn't imagine a world where you'd leave. So he had to invent one where you were taken away.
[He tucks the ash tray back in his pocket, and finally looks at Minakami again.] I doubt there's anything on earth or Hell that could keep him away from you... Least of all me. Even if it means following you to the bottom of the river.
[It's not like he'd want him to. He'd try, he knows he would. He would give anything to keep the both of them safe. It's not like he wanted to lose either of them. Let either of them walk to their deaths. But he's realistic. Kawase isn't the kind of person that could save someone from that.]
So it sounds like you're just going to have to do your best not to die, hm?
holds head, just marks this whole thread off as cw ...............
[He's never lashed out before -- though who knows, maybe he did in an iteration he doesn't remember; he's gotten awfully close once or twice since arriving here, it must come of hanging around oni so long -- but he wants to clasp his hands over his ears, to dig his nails into his skin. He wants to tell Kawase he knows, about the dive off the train, about Ikeda, about Tama tearing himself into pieces trying to save them both. He doesn't. The words would all come out jumbled, out of place, wrong, crashing uselessly into the wall Kawase had put up. Why should he expect more? He'd helped to build this wall, after all.]
No. I didn't know.
[Kawase's words are an uncanny echo of Tama's from only a few days ago, both memories overlaid over each other like he's hearing both their voices at once, instead of just one. The responsibility tightens around him like a vice.]
[His shoulders heave painfully with every breath, until he eventually quiets down.]
... What makes you think I'll have a choice?
[He turns around fully to face Kawase again, though he doesn't meet his eyes. He reaches in his pocket, palming the little metal pin and displaying the Shuten kanji embossed on it. The "dress code" had long become a pipe dream, given the curse month, but he'd kept the pin to worry at.]
I said that they swear you into one of the factions, didn't I?... Tamamori and I got split up. [There's a crooked smile on his face, that doesn't match the words coming from him.] For all our sakes, I hope they put you in with him.
...besides, he listens to your criticism. Maybe he'll listen to you about this, too.
just don't read this thread it's better that way
Ah, the territory divisions... I see. [A vile smile spreads on his face, and suddenly Kawase has closed the gap between them, standing in front of him and leaning closer into Minakami's personal space.]
You'd really die for some stupid turf war? For some gang that forces your cooperation and separates you from each other? [Ah, well they clearly were skirting around that already, given it sounds like the two of them have been together quite a lot. But it doesn't stop the barbs falling from his tongue.]
You can't even pretend you'd try to keep yourself alive... Could it be you'd rather throw yourself away to uphold some meaningless pledge of loyalty than stay with Tamamori and your family...? Or did you just stop caring at all?
...How heartless.
we say, while gaa has their face pressed against the glass going [sicko voice]
You don't know what you're talking about.
[The words come out tightly, barely audible if they weren't face to face. He's being goaded, he knows he is, he's seen Kawase wind people up like clockwork toys for years, but... It's easy to look Tama in the eye and say, I've never hated him, but here, feeling the knife slide under his ribs and knowing what he does--]
Where were you, for the last two months? When he's been looking for you this whole time?
[He can't do this.]
[He turns away abruptly, dropping the pin back into his pocket (there's a red mark on his palm, where the rounded pinback has been digging into it), and retrieving his phone in its stead. Getting used to it has been an uphill climb, but he has the communication part down, at least, and sheer necessity has made the map function invaluable.]
There's a bus that'll get us away from the crowds to his workplace. It's a twenty-minute ride. [There's no expression in his voice, as his eyes are trained on the screen, first on the map then on the text function. To hear him, it almost sounds like nothing has even happened.] It would be shorter, but the detours for roadwork... I hope you brought a flu mask.
they should also not read this tbh
But even with everything Tama had promised him... He couldn't help but feel something claw at his chest, dragging everything down in a vice. If they'd been together here for two months... he couldn't possibly understand why Tamamori had been looking for him. His conscious mind tried to keep his words in the forefront, but his instinct always reminded him of much he didn't deserve. He supposed that if Tama had been looking for him, then Kawase's already let him down.]
...Ah... [He can't bring the viciousness back to full after Minakami's already given up on him and turned away. It would've been nicer if it had lasted a little longer.]
I was hoping you'd finally snap. That's a shame.
[It sounds like a slip up, more than anything else, his voice going quiet with the dulling of his eyes. Maybe he was trapped in the emotional heat of that day on the train still, when he'd had nothing left to lose. Well, he didn't really have much to lose right now either. He's never actually thought about how this had been the first time he'd seen Minakami since that crash, but it suddenly pulls everything in his chest down even further, like claws ripping through his soul.]
Sure, sure, let's get going, then. [He sighs, putting on his normal aloofness as he finally steps to the side out of Minakami's personal space.] Of course I have a mask. This place is so crowded and dirty it's little better than a petri dish.
you can't even read this
[Minakami turns his head slightly, mouth parted as if to say something -- maybe even something in a gentler tone, to smooth things over like he always does when his two friends are sniping at each other, when he glimpses the hollow look in Kawase's face.]
... Strange. I was hoping something similar.
[He sends one last message, then pockets the cellphone again, before he sets off without looking around. Out through the other end of the sidestreet, to the bus stop at a street corner where fewer people are gathered -- the news people must have relocated to the hospital to harangue the medical staff. As bad as he feels for them, he relaxes just a little that he's dodged the questioning for now.]
[He'd like to point out the landmarks he recognizes, but he remains quiet, besides giving an inscrutable look at Kaigou no Bou in the skyline, all 88 stories of it. As the bus approaches, he fishes around for change, offering Kawase's fare silently. It's a familiar gesture since they were kids; balancing between his friend's reaction to charity and his distaste for loose coins. Minakami's never liked that of the three of them, he was the one more likely to have pocket money as a child -- now that he looks back, the role reversal that came with Ikeda's adoption feels like a sickening twist of fortune.]
i almost made you rp out the whole bus trip that's why i don't read
[It's barely more than a sound out of his mouth, but it sounds genuinely confused as he tilts his head. What did that mean? Was Minakami upset with himself because he couldn't bring himself to tell the truth?
...Hm.
For once, Kawase ends up following Minakami silently, content for now to let the bad air sit between them. He watches Minakami's face as he seems to watch one of the towers, and he almost doesn't realize the bus arrived. It... was like a streetcar without the tracks, he supposed?
He starts reaching for the coins on instinct-- but it's only halfway through Kawase realizes what he's doing. It was all too easy to imagine the film of dirt and grime that always coated them, slowly wearing away the metal. It always felt like if he touched one, it would make his entire body start to decay; the kind of infection you could never wash out. But, he pulls the handkerchief out of his pocket instead, laying it over the palm of his hand so he could accept the money.
Was he back to pitifully having to rely on Minakami and Tamamori's charity for a few extra sen? He'd never managed to figure out how much of their spending money they'd wasted on him. But he supposed his life had always been a little cyclical-- though he didn't expect karma to hit back at him so quickly this time.
But he holds the little sack his handkerchief makes around the coins, and drops them in when they boarded the not-quite-street car. A few minutes into their trip, he almost thinks to ask Minakami what he had meant, about something similar. But he figures Minakami didn't have much of a mind to want to answer him; and suddenly with the more tightly-packed space of the bus, he just wants to shy away from the warmth of so many people on the bus. He keeps himself tight against the window, until they finally arrive at their destination and depart.]
to be fair boomeranging tags back and forth of painful silence would be Hilarious
[(Whenever he'd fallen through time, just before he landed in the past, he'd always found himself on a rowboat in the middle of a dense fog -- maybe in the Nippashi River, or in the middle of Lake Inawashiro, impossible to tell. The passengers with him changed every single time, but most often it was either Tamamori leaning further and further over the stern of the boat to gawk at something, until Minakami would dive to grab his collar, or Kawase perched neatly on the opposite seat, his chin propped on his hand, an affected bored expression on his face. As a child, he'd thought Kawase had looked grown-up and urbane; now, looking at his friend's reflection, he thinks Kawase looks young; like some part of him hadn't stopped being that six year old.)]
[It's a relief, when the bus pulls up to their stop.]
...the factional lines aren't entirely draconian. [Speaking up like they'd been in the middle of a conversation this whole time; his voice as mild as it ever is.] They have districts and neighbourhoods that align to a given clan, and their own agendas, naturally, but in day-to-day life, they don't mark who you spend time with. We're at a border between Sutoku and Tamamo.
[As they approach the la sonnerie coffeehouse, a faint note of something that sounds suspiciously like mischief comes into his tone:]
By the way, don't be too alarmed.
RIPS MY SHIRT OFF TO REVEAL ANOTHER SHIRT WITH "I 💗 FROGMAN" ON IT
And thus it wasn't Tama who was the first one to gleefully brighten from the pair's arrival. There was a second figure in the room, a little frog that certainly wasn't familiar to Minakami, but was agonizingly so to Kawase. Frog Man had adopted the same little scarf as many of the tsukumougami hopping around the counters, which might have made it seem like he was some new yokai employee, but he bounced like rubber, latching himself on to Kawase's leg and nuzzling in. ]
Kawase-san~~
[ Tama parsed Frog Man speaking- they'd already had their own bewildered re-introduction after the text message had come in -but clearly hadn't parsed what the frog had said. ] Oi, Frog Man, don't bother the... [ Wait. Tama looked up, dumbly staring at the pair. ] ...eh-?
[ It took him a moment of scrambling, by comparison, having to carefully set down the kettle he'd been assisting and trying to actually dry his hands off, but once he was out from behind the counter, he was clearly just as excited, rushing up to cling to Kawase without any of his usual embarrassment. There Was No Time. ] You're finally here...!!
please put your shirt back on
The Frog Man...? [It's not like you could really mix him up with anyone else, but it's sure not what he expected-- even less so the little creature's aggressive show of affection. It's not like a hallucination could really get dirty, but still..!] H-Hey, wait a min--
[Well. Maybe Minakami had been spot on, because Kawase barely has time to look up at Tamamori's approach (and the stupid hat he was wearing??) before Tama was suddenly clinging to him too. It was, uh, a surprise, the frankness of the gesture, but not an unpleasant one.]
What's with you guys...?! [He's scowling, but there was an undeniable tint of embarrassment on his face. When he finally figures out what to do with his arms, he rests one on Tama's shoulder, and the other hand on his head.] Even if it's been longer for you, it's still only been two months, hasn't it? Don't act like it's such a big deal...
retroactive winner of the wet t-shirt contest. its frogman
[la sonnerie wasn't really anything like the cafe they'd frequented, even without the tsukumougami staff -- even with the same signs of recently-repaired damage that were pretty much everywhere now, it still looked like the kind of place where you'd get kicked out for spilling something on a booth. Even with his awkwardness, he bows to Melody-san behind the counter, just before the chaos of Tama's greeting barrels in.]
[There's an odd, complicated feeling in his chest, seeing Tama throw himself at Kawase, and Kawase accepting it despite his... everything. Especially coming right after his own inability to do anything more than antagonize Kawase. It's not like the quiet resignation he'd had before over the other two's almost-daily meetings at the cafe. Is this jealousy?]
[Despite this, Minakami makes a "Mm" noise that suspiciously sounds like it translates to, "I did say he was looking for you..."]
[That's momentarily eclipsed by the bafflement at the... frog? yokai? that was currently bonelessly latched onto Kawase's leg, like a child meeting a favourite relative at a gathering, and even more bewilderment that Kawase recognizes it. Minakami had meant his little comment to be about Tama's (very real! see!!) workplace and silly uniform, but it seemed he was more right than he knew... ?]
Eh, Tamamori, is this a co-worker...?
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT
[ Frog man was, as always, nicer than Tama, and let go to peek around him at Minakami- they'd not exactly met before, so the frog did a little bow, a lot more properly than Tama's ever were. ] No, I'm...
Eh? [ Tama finally pulled his face away, even while still stubbornly draped against Kawase. ] No, Frog Man is Frog Man. Well...I guess keroko more than kerosan...I never named him properly.
I'm one of Tamamori-san's hallucinations. It's nice to finally meet Minakami-san directly!! [ The frog deflated a little. ] I wasn't much help during the rain...neither of you could even see me...
well what's his prize
Minakami and I can go plenty of time without seeing each other, you know... [Shockingly, he doesn't mean that as a condemnation... though maybe the casual tone of it was damning on its own. As if Kawase wasn't happy every time that Tamamori showed up to the cafe, and hadn't already made himself deal with Minakami's avoidance.]
Keroko...? [Hm. Strange. Though Frog Man didn't really suit him either, in Kawase's opinion. Not that that was extremely relevant.
Eventually, he gently tries to pry Tamamori off him, at least, like, a little??? So he could actually participate in the conversation (Seriously, it was only two months, he couldn't imagine Tama missing him that much...) And it gave him the chance to shake his leg half-heartedly to get Frog Man off, though his scowl talked a bigger game than his actual effort.] Someone like you couldn't have helped with that situation anyway. I would've just thrown you out the door if you did, and I could've saved myself some grief... [He says with a sigh.]
apparently 'not being fully present for hellmonth'
[Hallucination explained more and less than it should have; he can't think of a time when one of them has been this... talkative? Or solid-looking? Minakami steps around (so that their group's weird little tableau isn't,, entirely blocking the entranceway,,,) and he bobs his head politely at Frog Man.]
Is that so? I'm glad to meet you as well. If you were hiding, that just means you were safe, no?
['That situation'... it's not that he isn't still curious about the details, especially from Kawase's point of view, but that's maybe not a conversation for the foyer of a coffee shop.]
Ah -- no, I believe Frog Man means the storm that plagued this city last month... [Also something that's strange to talk about, only a week out from it.]
he sat there at the edge of existing, wibbling, while tama had a breakdown. idk if thats a prize
[ Somewhere, between ushering his two...best friends out the door, Frog Man seemed to disappear; it could have been the exhaustive experience of reorienting to the frog's presence, or just the weighty subject matter he now had to reacquaint to, it was hard to say which was the more likely culprit. He didn't shoo the pair much further than the glass windows at the front of the store, however, because of course he still intended to go somewhere to celebrate Kawase's existence, even more if Kawase didn't want it to be a big deal. ] Kawase, this is important- what do you remember before you showed up here? Have we been missing for two months? Bukubuku-kun was telling me, apparently sometimes souls get stuck, or something like that, and don't remember things correctly. It's had me worried this entire time!!
i mean it means he doesn't have to deal with the breakdown, so that's neat
So there's still rain even in Hell, huh...? [The sigh he let out was deeper than usual-- though he guessed it wouldn't be much of a hell, if there wasn't.
Despite his confusion over 'Melody-san,' Kawase only looks mildly annoyed as Tama hurried both of them out the door. But at least it's the kind he lets pass without argument.]
Eh...? [His eyes raised at Tamamori's question, and he tilts his head a bit, apparently bored already with the strange question.] ...The last thing I remember was leaving the Kanda river... You were insisting we had to get back to the city as soon as possible. So I had no way of knowing you'd been here two months.
july substory: take a frog out to get ice cream (plot relevant)
[Before that, though, the news that somehow, no time had passed, and neither Madam nor his parents have been worrying that he's dead or missing. It loosens a knot he's been carrying since he's arrived.]
...Like 'The World Eight Hundred Thousand Years Later', then. The Traveller experiences weeks and months of travel through the ages, yet only three hours passes in his own time...
[The Kanda river. From Tama telling him about the train derailment, that must have been how both of them had survived the fall. Even though obviously Tama had walked away from the fall intact, knowing Kawase did so as well is a bigger load off his mind than he expects, especially alongside to the prior news about the missing two months. Minakami leans against the glass, relieved.]
The last thing I remember from the capital was the rains stopping, and boarding a tram. It was a while after... Tamamori found me in the theatre. It sounds as if we all "left" at the same time, yes?
perfect, ideal
[ Ah. Right. He'd sort of lost his nerve about discussing 'that shameless thing', maybe even moreso after the...incident on the network at the start of June. His deadpan was very earned, as was the jabbing poke he gave to Kawase's arm. ] I already told Minakami about that, so there's no sneaking your way out of it. That, and everything else that happened. [ A very tender pause; Tama glances back over to Minakami, at the bruise still stubbornly fading on his face, and looks a little more subdued than usual. ] ...well, most of it. It was a lot to keep track of...
you actually get three points for that thread
[Still, just because he was-- more, okay, with Tamamori touching him, he didn't exactly appreciate the arm jabbing, and he bats Tama's hand away with a sneer.]
Sneaking away...? [That one actually does take him a moment to think about-- Ah, but there was only thing Tamamori would call 'shameless,' wasn't there? He'd been so flustered about it when Kawase had returned to shore.
Mm. But.
It seemed a lot had already changed, after he'd spoken something so impulsively, on the day he was supposed to die, until now.]
Ah... I'm surprised you know what it meant. You even still remember it. That's surprisingly brazen of you. [The smile on his face became wicked, though his eyes were half-lidded. He took a few steps as if to start walking, like he knew wherever the hell they were going to go.]
I don't know why you'd remember, though. [He sounds exasperated.] It was just a joke, you know. [It wasn't.] Like I'd do something like that... And now you've dragged Minakami into this. How embarrassing.
tragically this thread subtracts 3 points from all our ledgers
we're in a deficit and theyre not even up yet
fuck
kfc double doubledown: two doubledowns as the "bread" of a doubledown
it is possible that this is too much chicken in one chicken
that's like nine chicken i think, which at that point you could just order a plate of wings
well the good news is looking at the doubledown hot dog has made me never hungry again
i'm still upset about that
go sixteen years in the past to erase the double down dog
i mean you joke but i would
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the tag that took three days and 27 planets worth of energy to finish, i hope you're both ready
presses hands together, looks at sky
[gestures at a burning planet] i think i did pretty well
THE PLANET'S DYING KAWASE
[barrett voice]
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