metafictions | jigokucho

aww really???

[ Attached is a video from Aerith's perspective of a shop's proprietor cursing her out about the haniwa. Apparently, she's already tried to sell it. ]

i just thought you might have some tips on how to sell them
the mochi are doing a little better at least!

So you’re making plenty of friends in the process, I see.

[He just doesn’t understand the #hustle #grindneverstops.]

The ones from that rabbit youkai, right? At least those do something. All the haniwa do is leave curses. […] Maybe that's your lead for selling them. Finding troublemakers.

i sure am! i'll make sure to share the wealth with you 👫

to be truthful, i was hoping they'd know a little more. wait, have you spoken to emily recently?

Haha, the profits or the “friends”?

Not so much recently. The alliance is working her pretty hard with the Daitengu situation. Why?

[ umm well. Aerith doesn't know Kamui as well she should, she imagines, but she does think he's a good person... And probably doesn't want to hear what she and Emily were—are?— up to over text. ]

can you follow GPS?
i'll split both with you, buuuut i'll need you butt over here! how am i supposed to treat this like a business partnership when my partner isnt here?!

[Aerith, this is starting to sound weird. That in itself, however, is probably the best argument for him getting over to wherever the two of them are, toute suite. He knows Emily better than Aerith, but he likes the both of them a great deal-- and if there's trouble...]

Okay, okay. I'm coming over. Send the location and I'll be right there.

great! drop incoming!

[ He'll see where she is in the black market immediately: a little spot that seems to be out in the middle of a lake, hidden from view. It's unmarked otherwise, but they are both texting back and forth, right? ]

i think it's closer to sutoku than it is tamamo so dont keep me waiting long, okay?

[He’s near enough to the boundary of Shuten and Sutoku territory, so it takes less than 15 minutes for Kamui to make it over to the location she’s dropped. Surely she’s not actually in the lake… right?]

Aerith? Where are you?

[He looks up from his phone scanning the area for that familiar red coat and pink dress.]

[ A response does not come from her. Instead, she leaves him on read. In truth, it's a big of a challenge, as if coyly remarking, silently, that he could only find out if he comes to find her.

He'll be lead through the black market to the back of a dried out canal, or at least what looks like one. Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't. Who is to say? Neither she or Kamui have been here longer enough to know the history of Hell's Black Market.

Aerith is there, dressed in her red biker jacket and flowy pink dress as always, balanced on the lip of a concrete island. It's long since destroyed, chunks taken out of it, and the grass mostly dead or in the process of dying. It's too hot, and no one takes care of it. ]

Woah! There you are. [ Hopping down, Aerith begins to run up to Kamui, a friendly smile in place...

Only to get intercepted by an elderly youkai, dripping wet. She must be aquatic. She's barking at Aerith about not running, or how much of a nuisance she's been for the past hour, but there's just as much fear in her gaze as there is anger. She's brought a friend, and that alone is cause of upset, it seems. ]

Uh, sorry... We'll go soon, but, really. We're just here to sell... Promise!

[Left on read... guess that just means he'll have to go looking for her. And so he does: following the winding paths and back alleys to the dry canal and to Aerith.

He hasn't seen her in a little while. With all the commotion around the tunnels and their clans, and his new job, and, well, feeling out what it is to settle in this city, Kamui simply hasn't run into Aerith. Seeing her as spirited as she always is, surrounded by the ruined island, the brown, brittle dying grass-- it's almost as if the young woman's the only spark of life around. A single flower, arising stubbornly from concrete.

Something about that impression feels... weird? Is he waxing a little too poetic in his head? She certainly isn't radiating a level of criminal power that's out of the ordinary (even if, okay Aerith, he definitely expected you to be a little chaotic).]

We won't be any trouble, ma'am. [he's quick to tack on; he even bows to the elderly youkai for good measure. He has no idea what's going on here, but that is usually how it works when he's with Aerith.]

As for the merchandise...

[A sidelong glance at his companion. Aerith give him an angle.]

[ He doesn't know it, but Kamui always makes Aerith's life a little easier. Maybe it's the balance he affords her by bringing actual normalcy into her bubble, or maybe it's just that she considers him a sweet, friendly guy.

His response to the elderly youkai however gets a quick, subtle shake of the head from Aerith— they've already been trouble, but admittedly, he probably doesn't know that yet. Oops. In truth, she's dragged him into something difficult. ]

The merchandise... well, I was wondering if you could tell me—

[ A fan appears into the youkai's hand, raised high about her head. Think carefully, her gaze implies. ]

...If anyone would buy them?

[ A moment of silence follows before—

Kamui is thwacked on the head. Immediately, a bloom of bright hot anger surges through Aerith, and she pushes the woman's arm down and away from him quickly as possible. It's not often that genuine anger crosses her features, but she can't help it. ] Hey!

That's for encouraging her, [ The old woman speaks plainly, then gestures back where Kamui had just came from. Her voice is coarse like a frogs, as if speaking from within a bubble, and without the angry flurry of ribbit-y cries from before. She's obviously a heavy smoker, too. ] No one will buy cursed objects like that. Leave before you get in trouble with someone angrier than me.

[ That seems unlikely, Aerith thinks to herself, looking aside to Kamui. ]

[As soon as he speaks he regrets it. There's a look on that elderly youkai's face that spells trouble even before she arms herself with that fan, arm poised to strike at any moment: Kamui finds himself eyeing her apprehensively.

For good reason. Apparently.]

Ow!

[It doesn't hurt physically-- not that badly, anyways-- but there's really nothing more demoralizing on this or any other earth than getting whupped by an auntie. Kamui recoils, taken utterly aback. His knight in shining armor separates them right away, but he's still gingerly rubbing the top of his head where she'd smacked him. (Why is he the only one getting hit, by the way. Help.)]

O-obasan, please... there's no need for that... we'll just sell our wares elsewhere.

[He can see there's no winning with this woman. He gives Aerith an apologetic glance, but it can't be helped: the woman's expression seems to say, you're not selling your wares ANYWHERE, as long as she's got a say.]

[ There's a surly sort of worry on dear ol' obaasan's face as Aerith immediately starts ushering Kamui away, pocketing the haniwa that she had been offering up. Apologies are already in her expression, but she turns to give a short, fluid bow to the old woman, and keeps shuffling him away.

It's strange. Aerith sees it quickly, but does Kamui? As they make their way further from her, she speaks to him. ]

Did you see that?

[So much for their expert sales team.

Kamui's gaze is still fixed on the old woman-- maybe she'll follow the fan up with a slipper after all, to really convince them to get out-- so he catches the concern in her expression as Aerith hustles them away from the whole scene.

He casts a glance back in the direction of the clearing, the elderly youkai's turned back as she leaves. He hadn't imagined it. Frowning, he nods in reply.]

I certainly did. Sure, she could simply be some superstitious old woman but...

[He taps his chin and directs his eyes to the little statue in her pocket.]

I've felt something off about these since they began to show up. Something strange. I can't really place it.

[ Ah, right. Well. ]

That's what I wanted to tell you. Emily and I worked together to figure out where they're from, and—

[ Kamui's obaasan senses are spot on. They aren't moving fast enough, and so a slipper rockets just barely between them, missing the pair by... not very much, in truth. Aerith immediately gets behind Kamui and starts pushing, hard. ] Ugh, fine. Let's mosey!

[ She pushes him past a lamppost just in time for them to dodge the other slipper. Phew! ]

They're curse! The haniwa.

[NOT LA CHANCLA. At least he doesn't get smacked twice on the same day?!?!

He stops after they're safely beyond the lamppost, looking over his shoulder at Aerith, who's still got her hands on his back.]

I assumed it'd be something like that. [That or the little dolls were just... evil. Either way: very weird energy.]

Did you ever find out where they came from, though? That's what I'd want to know most.

Edited 2022-07-03 15:09 (UTC)

[ Now that they're out of slipper range, she moves to walk in front of him. Poor Kamui, always the back up dancer. ]

We did. [ Hmm. Long story, but she'll go for it. ] I found out the clay they're made with is from the Wastelands. We should check it out some day.

[ From her tone, she clearly means soon. ]

Emily mentioned to me that the rabbit woman who sells drugs... She's getting her supplies from outside, probably the Wasteland, too. So, she went back and asked her... and, honestly? Kind of sounded like a threat. She said, "Leave this alone." Kamui, something's going to happen again. I just know it.

The Wastelands? [Not this again. He picks up the pace to catch up to Aerith's side-- just because he's the backup dancer doesn't mean he can't keep up with her footwork.]

Last month, there were Wasteland smugglers getting mixed up with Shuten black market operations. It sounds like a lot of yokai just can't leave well enough alone.

[Kamui shakes his head, sighing: the sound of a blown gasket or a kid's toy broken irreparably or a hard drive fried beyond saving. Much as he hates it, it can't be helped right now.]

I think you're right. But what's the chance the faction leaders will be willing to send a team out there? Much less any of us?

Of course not. [ She's got her knuckles to her hips already, shoulders squared as if ready for a fight, and a twinkle in her eyes. It's the gaze of a woman who has already made up her mind. Staring straight ahead, she doesn't even need to look at him to convey her serious she is about this. ]

Whatever is out there isn't going to play by the rules, just like them. So! Why should we? Waiting for a moment hasn't worked before. No way we're waiting for some kind of signal. We just have to go, right after them!

But where, Aerith? And how?

[Much as he's in agreement-- something needs to be done, before they're faced with another catastrophe like the Parade-- there's precious little to start from. And what are they facing, anyway? A curse? The war in the underground spread all the way to the outskirts of hell? ~~no kamui just the curse~~]

We don't even know how to get outside, much less what to do there, or where to begin investigating, or even how dangerous it is. [He frowns at the back of the woman's head.] We should act. But we can't act blindly.

[ He's got her, there, she admits. She stops, silent. Listening, and agreeing. Still... ]

You agree, though. So... let me know if you hear anything more, okay? What was the deal with those smugglers you mentioned?

[ At least he's got her thinking a bit more rationally? ]

I will. We won't get anywhere if we aren't sharing information, after all.

[And while he hadn't found out much about the isonade-- other than the fact that, yes, they do go down really fast if you kick them in the shark nads? It's still something.]

The isonade. They... never gave up their buyers or their suppliers. Not even under threats from Toraguma. [And they were summarily dealt with, is the unspoken conclusion.] I had no idea about the rabbit woman, though. How many other youkai are getting mixed up in this?

jigokucho - ic inbox

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

text > action!!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject