jigokufever | June 2022 Test Drive

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June 2022 Test Drive

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]]

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Oh, they are?

[ a moment as he quietly assess the situation. yes, the machines are certainly acting up. this is the first time he's seen tokens being shot out of them. also, some of the controls and buttons don't seem to do anything? oh right, and some of the games have screens with some very obscene language on them as people lose, only to then get shot with a coin. ]

Yeah... I guess that blood really did a number on this place, too.

[ which is a shame. it took a long time for robin to get every drop of blood off of his skin and out of his hair. but he still did his best to help get lost souls out of the rain, and now he's here. to relax! with a new friend! and the cute bunny! ]

... have you tried asking it to behave? Maybe that'll work.

[ as robin moves over to the side, he knocks on the glass. one of the prizes, an angry looking crocodile plush, tries to attack his hand. how adorable. ]

...How old are you?

( This guy is awfully pure? So is he younger than he seems? Or just stupid? Shealtiel isn't sure, but he is positive that there's no way anything could ever work just by asking it to behave. Or anyone. Definitely not, right?

It would make all his struggling so meaningless, so it better not work. )

Actually, what do you know about this blood? Do you have any extra information on it?

( All spoken as he attempts again to maneuver the crane. Robin might notice that Shealtiel.......... is absolutely horrible at this. )

Eighteen!

[ so yes. probably stupid. but shealtiel can't be mad at robin for not doing what he suggested and the outcome again being something he's not looking for! as robin quietly peers at how the other boy is handling this claw machine, he notes that... does shealtiel even have depth perception? what is happening. ]

Oh. It's cursed! It's awful. Um, it caused a lot of people to have nightmares and hallucinations and all kinds of bad stuff.

[ also it smelled horrible to him. sensitive nose and all. ]

... you need to keep going forward. You keep cutting the crane short.

( As focused as he is, Shealtiel silently takes in the information. Age, the way the blood causes problems, Robin's character as a whole so far... So he's young. The blood sounds like a terrible thing he wants to deal with immediately, of course, but it's interesting that it doesn't connect to anything he's heard of before.

The correction to his crane gaming gets him to snap out of his silent thought, though, and he pauses and blinks over. )

What do you mean? This way?

( Short... forward? Shealtiel moves the crane more towards himself, immediately assuming that's what's meant by "forward". )

Yeah, yeah! That's better. It's almost lined up...

[ he wants that bunny, even if it looks like it might eat him whole as soon as it gets 'saved' from the machine. the keys are a bonus in his mind. he doesn't particularly care about the cleanliness of these cabinets; he's not the one who should be fixing them! ]

... it's funny, because despite all the bad... it's not that awful here. [ a pause, as robin rubs the back of his neck. ] Is that weird to say about a place called hell?

[ and then he has to raise his hands. ]

Okay! Stop there. Now you have to move it horizontally towards me...!

It is weird. ...But you're not the first person I've heard say something like that.

( Not about this place, but about Inferno. That's Hell, right? Ah, but maybe mentioning that is worthless anyway, since it came from a demon who's clearly messed up in the head. Not normal at all.

Shealtiel freezes at the commands, though, frowning in annoyance. )

Towards... Won't that miss its ears entirely, though? ( Why does he think the ears are a good point to grab from? Who knows. )

You want to... [ and then robin giggles. ] ... go for the head. There's more to grab that way, even if it looks a little upset.

[ it's incredibly upset. even though those keys look pretty tempting to go for, better to go for the meat of the stuffed animal rather than those thin looking ears it has. as robin continues to stare and watch shealtiel work the crane, he hums in thought. ]

The body is a lot thicker than the rest, so those weak crane arms won't grab easily. So... aim for its neck.

[ and then he taps his own for reference, close to some little bitty marks. ]

( Hello? He sees those tiny bites, but writes them off as bug bites for the moment due to his intense focus. )

The neck... Right. Just like a quick kill.

( So, he adjusts the crane as requested and then slaps down on the button. Come on, surely this is going to get it! )

[ well. robin isn't going to correct him but this surely begs the question about why he would go for any kill at all. ]

Um. Sure! A quick kill...

[ how morbid. but it looks like this perspective has made the crane more accurate? he guesses??? still.

robin watches as the rabbit is picked up by its neck, wobbles a little, but is securely carried over to the hole where it's immediately dropped. ]

( A win! So maybe he owes this kid a thank you, after all. He figures the bunny will be enough, with how he's been eyeing it, so Shealtiel crouches to reach inside and grab for it. The bunny, the key ring hooked around its ear— got it!

But as soon as he grabs onto it, the door slams shut hard over his hand, and Shealtiel yells out in pain. Now leaning further against the machine, his hand (and the bunny) are half out, and he tries to use his second hand to pry the door back open.

That looks like it could have cracked bones?! )

What— let go of me, you stupid machine! Give me the bunny and nobody gets hurt! ( He was already hurt, though. )

[ oh god. ]

Hang on! Here, let me try!

[ the strength that robin displays is certainly inhuman; despite his looks, he almost has no problem lifting that door with barely his fingertips and does his best to pull both of shealtiel's hands away from the incredibly rude and mean machine. ]

Are you okay? Um, I don't have any kind of splints or bandages or anything, but...

[ at least the bunny is safe and sound? keys and all??? ]

It's okay, I'm fine.

( Thankfully, Shealtiel's hand doesn't seem to be broken or bloodied in any way. He pried it out quickly when Robin freed him, but didn't seem to second guess that strength at all. Now, he's too busy shaking his hand out after he passes the bunny to Robin. He saved it! )

Here. It's a good thing the keys were in here, or I'd have to do that again for each one of them.

( He pauses as he takes the key ring from the bunny's ear, staring at the machine skeptically. )

Do you think it'll try to shut the whole thing on me if I open it?

... mmmm... I don't know.

[ robin purses his lips, looks at the rest of the crane game's cabinet and tries to see if there's anything particularly wrong with it? other than a little bit of blood on the back, near where it'd be plugged into the wall, robin can't really figure out why it's acting the way it is! ]

Maybe if you're fast? I can try to hold the door open while you grab all the toys out of it...

[ probably the best way, right? robin quietly reaches for the bunny in the meantime... ]

I'm fast, but I don't know if I can clear the machine before it crushes your hands.

( Is that going to be okay? The bunny seems still, at least, and is passed over easily enough. Who knows if that will last, but for the time being, it's just the machine (and the ones around occasionally pelting coins at them) that's the problem. )

We might as well try it. Just yell if you're losing your grip. Ready?

I believe in you.

[ and robin flashes the brightest smile that he can, despite knowing that if shealtiel does falter even a moment, it might really sting. ]

I'll tell you. Don't worry about me, just focus on getting every single toy out of that thing so we can clean them up!

( Hmm. Shealtiel watches him for a moment before nodding. He doesn't really understand this guy's attitude, but... He's working with him, so he at least wants to do his best in return. )

Okay. I'm ready, so hold it open on three and I'll go for it.

[ robin takes a few deep breaths. yes, despite his desire to get this done, he's still a little afraid. ]

One... two... go!

[ no need to say three. "go" is a lot easier and he can say it with more enthusiasm. the worst part is that it fights him right away, threatening to slam on his hand as soon as he pries it open. ]

( Shealtiel, as he promised, moves to work quickly. His hand shoots in and grabs stuffed animal after stuffed animal, throwing them aside like he's on a shopping spree.

Honestly, he could have a career in robbing claw machines like this.

There's one toy in particular, though— the last one. It's covered in blood, and when Shealtiel reaches for it, it moves suddenly, slipping back and just out of his grip. He grunts, leaning forward, his shoulder fully into the machine. )

It's moving...! Hold it just a little longer!

[ he's been the recent beneficiary of lady tenkohime's kindness and her recognition of his contributions to the clan. that strength that vampires tend to have courses through robin's veins, but the problem is that he is still quite babby. he's pretty sure his twin could kick his ass in a fight if he had to, especially without the assistance of the prison, but...

anyway. the more he thinks, the less he can focus on keeping the door close. so he doubles his efforts, fingers starting to strain and slip. ]

H-hurry! Please, please hurry!

[ it comes out more of a cry of desperation and a whine, and there are other youkai now watching to see what will happen. will they both lose their hands and fingers? or will shealtiel be successful... ]

( It's a close call. His fingers keep missing as the stuffed animal winds this way and that, writhing in its own body. But Shealtiel shoves himself that much further in to grab onto the neck of the stuffed animal. Then, he yanks it out and shoves it at the ground, keeping his grip on it firm. )

There!!

( Robin is free to let go without losing any fingers. But now they have a new problem, and Shealtiel is working to keep it pinned to the floor. )

How do we purify this blood?! Do you know?!

[ dang. well, there's only one easy way for them to clean the blood off of them. it's not a huge deal; he can always grab or buy another one. as he pulls his outer jacket off, he immediately tosses it to shealtiel for him to use. ]

Just wipe it clean! The blood is what makes things act like that...

[ which means the machine will need to be taken care of at some point, but that's for someone else to handle. not them. they're doing their part as best as possible. ]

( Right. He catches the jacket with a quickly lifted hand, slamming it back down over the stuffed animal and smothering it. It takes some wrestling, but after a long moment, the thing stills. Shealtiel is still at first, wondering if the jacket might come after him next, but once it seems to be completely quiet, he relaxes and leaves the bloodied pile, sighing. )

There, we did it...

[ robin can finally let go. when he does, there's enough force from the machine's door slamming shut that sends him back, smacking into another machine and making it rattle. the pink haired boy gasps in shock, bouncing off of it, and lands on the floor. ]

Oof... yeah, yeah. We did it.

[ he instinctively grabs his elbow, which is still tender, and lets out a breath. ]

You're fine too, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

June 2022 Test Drive

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