[Log/Open] savor every drop

[sakaya]

Who: Shuten-Douji and You!
When: December 1st - 13th
Where: All around; the Flophouse, dives and bars at nighttime, the docks, and Dogtown (Widowmaker).
Summary: How is an oni settling into this gloomy slice of Americana? Let's find out together.
Warnings: Copious amounts of alcohol consumption, depictions of animal cruelty/death for Entity feeding. And just Shuten in general. Will update if things change.

i. Let's Find a Bar, So Dark We Forget Who We Are

[ It's very funny, to Shuten-Douji, that she's been quite tolerant with the people around her. The crisis that looms over everyone doesn't weigh as heavily on the oni as it should. Though if worse comes to worst, she'll figure out how to proceed from there.

It should be great fun either way.

But for now, the past few weeks have been nothing more than downtime and a period where she takes a backseat to see how things unfold. However, she of all people, can't possibly do that without a good drink or two. Or rather, more.

In the early evenings to the very late hours past midnight, the small young-looking woman of Japanese origin can be found in a bar or a dive trying out the Western nibbles and foods and drinking more than her weight in alcohol, so much so that intrigued locals have started to attempt a drinking contest with Shuten. She's taken on the challenge gladly. So if you happen to be enjoying the nightlife of Gloucester, one can happen upon an amusing scene of a contest in progress, or the terribly messy aftermath of one with patrons either passed out or on the brink of starting a drunken fight with the smug Shuten-Douji. Join her, make a bet, it's all well and good as long as it's enjoyable for her and if you pay for her drinks. ]

ii. In the Dark, Our Truths are Revealed

[ At the Flophouse, Shuten is taking up space in the communal space, lounging all over the sofa, just seeing who is coming in or going out. Here, her true visage, horns, and sharp teeth are on display and it appears this is where she's fairly relaxed despite finding ways to enjoy the outside.

So if you're a resident of the Flophouse or visiting a friend, there's an oni who's either napping peacefully or fully awake, nursing some sake (sorry, the room smells like booze), and waving to you cheekily, her voice ever so slightly slurred. ]

Welcome hooome. ♥

iii. CW: Animal cruelty, death | Our Bodies Bound by This Land

[ There's nothing out of place about a dead seagull on the the Docks. Not even two dead seagulls. More than that starts to become a concern and a concern it is because the appearances of the dead birds start to ever so subtly increase over the next two weeks and then pauses.

One is found floating in the water around the docks. Another, its head smashed against the side of a boat. A few days later, a seagull can be found pathetically flopping about, its leg and one wing are broken. It seems to have escaped a rather nasty fate (or someone had let it escape).

Another bird has simply been ripped open with some effort, blood and guts spilling all over, its corpse left to rot on the northeast side of the harbor. This can be blamed on the local gangs that are present around this area and yet this is uncharacteristic of them on the whole. Surely it is just some sick hoodlum trying to get a rise out of everyone?

Anyway, if you happen to be at the Docks during the daytime, Shuten's found a nice space for herself, dangling her legs on the edge and staring up at the sky. There's still a lot of seagulls to watch after all. ]

Comments

II

[aelwyn_aberration]

I don't live here.

[Aelwyn says, closing the door behind her. It's a place to stay, that's not entirely divorced from the protections that the ADI offers, so she doesn't mind just trancing in one of her friend's rooms for a few hours.]

I take it you've had an interesting night. [Which would make two of us.]

[sakaya]

Oh? Could have fooled me.

[ Shuten looks at Aelwyn, just mildly bemused as she sips from her sake cup. ]

As for my interesting night, well... It's not interesting by my standards, but it could have been worse.

[aelwyn_aberration]

I believe I know the feeling. [She hums, strolling on over to sit just out of arm's reach of this oni.]

Care to share?

[sakaya]

[ Oh, a drinking partner already? The oni grins and takes hold of a communal mug and the bottle of sake she has purchased from one of the specialty stores; it was expensive, but large and already halfway done. ]

Apologies for not having a proper vessel. I was able to procure the drink with the given funds, but Japanese sake vessels aren't as readily available in this small Western city.

[ And so, Shuten pours a small portion of sake for Aelwyn, pushing the mug towards her. ]

Hopefully that does not affect the aroma much.

[aelwyn_aberration]

I can't say I've ever had... sake, that's how you pronounce it, yes? It's not something we have in my world.

[She will take a sip, however. Considering and then nodding.] It's certainly not bad.

So, what was your not quite interesting night?

i.

[inutilis]

[ whether following the bustle of loud, raucous laughter and shouting from the street or because Abel had intended to partake in a drink himself this evening, a certain silver-haired priest is mulling around the entrance to the bar Shuten currently occupies. he sticks out like a sore thumb, all tall and lanky and looking completely stiff and awkward as he mills in place and gets shuffled this way and that by patrons entering and leaving. his 'p-pardon me,' and 'oh, so sorry--' and '--that was my FOOT, sir--' gets swallowed up by the rambunctious music and ambient noise, for sure.

and so there he is, attempting to peer over the din to see what all the bustle is about. is someone fighting, or having the time of their lives over there?? Shuten is too small to make out over the heads and shoulders of some of the men around her,

does she spot him first, or does he have to muster the BRAVERY to get closer...... ]

[sakaya]

[ It is somewhat difficult to spot Shuten at a glance without her horns sticking out like two sore thumbs. Several men and women bellow and laugh at a poor fellow whose head drops on the counter, trying to deal with the multiple shots he just had against his opponent. The camouflaged oni, wearing her civilian clothing, finishes a shot, sighs with satisfaction, and tosses it behind her back with casual triumph.

Spotting the tall priest, she immediately makes herself known as her sweet voice calls to him over the din of the crowd. ]

Faaaatheeeerrr. Over here!

[ Some people turn to look at him and then give Abel some room to meet with her. ]

We're juuust getting started over here. You look like you need to be filled to the brim. That's just me though.

[inutilis]

[ Shuten's voice, sing-song and oh so carefree, calls to him like a siren's song.

...and simultaneously sends a shudder right through the entirety of his spine that rattles all the way into his boots. his wallet. his wallet, abruptly feels endangered.

coughing into his hand lightly, he's none-the-less shimmying through the crowd in some effort to make it over before the kind souls part like the red sea for him; goodness, does she have a fan club over here or what?? slightly flustered, he's eying over the assembly before plunking down to take a seat where offered, ]

--You certainly have made a name for yourself, haven't you, Miss Shuten? How have you been? So good to see you in high spirits~!

[ was that a pun about 'spirits' and drinking,

do not acknowledge, ]

I-I'm not much of a drinker, please-- [ he's waving an emphatic 'no no' as someone already begins pouring them a new round of shots. oh, dear Lord. ]

[sakaya]

Then there's no time like the present!

[ Shuten, for all her openness and shamelessness, doesn't show all her cards immediately. The man who just lost a contest to Shuten is dragged off by his buddies while everyone else helps themselves to the shots. Someone slides two towards the, one for her, one for Father Abel.

She takes one shot and raises it to the priest; her cheeks are pink and flushed, and her mood more than merry. ]

I don't have a problem if we both take it slow for now. After all, I just finished a hefty round myself!

II :>

[lesbeau]

[Alright, well, that's new.

Beau's coming back after a workout, planning on splashing some water on her face before she heads out (plus, the luxury of having multiple outfits isn't lost on her here). That said, she's pretty sure this girl wasn't on the couch when she left, and if she was Beau figures she might be fucking blind, because she's far too gay to ignore someone like that.

So she blinks once or twice, giving her a quick once over.]

Uhhhh. Hey. You look like you want something.

[Not that she's like, entirely opposed to whatever it might be.]

[sakaya]

Mm?

[ Shuten sits up to give Beau a quick once over herself. The oni crosses her legs and tilts her head at her. It's no surprise to Shuten that this person is looking at her because honestly, who doesn't look? ]

Can't say I'm in want of anything except maybe... [ She sweeps one arm to gesture at the whole room. ]

Some nicer decorations. I chose to stay here since I heard the rules were rather lax, but it's certainly no castle, don't you agree?

[lesbeau]

[Beau listens, but just shrugs at her response.]

I've stayed worse places. At least this one doesn't smell like shit all the time.

[Wow, Beau. Charming.]

I'm not the person to talk to about that, though. 'Ss not my place either. Just the only one where they don't track your movements all the time.

[sakaya]

Don't I know it. Ancient times where I'm from were hardly elegant either.

[Shuten grins at Beau and then pats the empty spot next to her. ]

Are you visiting anyone? If you got a minute, how 'bout a drink? I'll happily pour some for you. I'd love to have some company right now.

iii

[septieme]

[Is it really any subtle, if rumors are already spreading within days about some "seagull sadist" both from hearsay and online? Suppose whoever responsible doesn't particularly care, as the corpses only keep piling up day after day. The dead birds do tend to linger, no one wants to touch them even if the police are called, and while grisly footage have briefly plagued social media over the Internet, the 'novelty' also came and went. It doesn't take long for the clicks to trickle down once the shock factor can no longer reach a high view count on its own, but the reduced traffic around the docks is telling enough of these displays' active effects. Not even mild weather on a sunny weekend day is enough to draw many locals out to come visit this part of town anymore, despite the abundance of shops while the end-of-the-year holidays have begun closing in. All that makes those actually out here stick out that much more, notably a short-haired woman in glasses wearing steel-tipped boots, dark leggings, and a knee-length skirt, all clad in a black women's winter jacket that blends in quite easily with the populace despite the sombre colors. She's also shouldering a full-looking backpack and carrying trash picker, however, a undeniably suspicious mix of equipment to lug around. No one's called her out for it yet, however, whether it's because the trash picker looks like a cane from afar, or there simply haven't been enough people to do so.

Today is not the first time this week she's here, she may actually be recognizable to anyone else who's been often lingering around these parts the past few days. While she usually comes later during the evening on weekdays, she doesn't linger, and after she's gone, so would any sign of dead seagulls, at least for a short while.

...Today, however, instead of another carcass, what she finds is a weakly flopping pile of feathers dyed in blood, one wing twitching uselessly with nothing else moving--as nothing else can move. Not even capable of walking, yet still alive despite how impossible it is for it to continue living. What will happen to it, left like that? It can't fly, can't walk, can't look for food, maybe can't even swallow anymore if it's also injured internally. Is it just waiting to die from starvation and dehydration, or will some wild cat or dog come put it out of its misery first?

She only spends a few seconds staring at the hopeless creature, then simply saunters over to it in a unhurried gait and stops once she's standing right in front of it. The long beam of the trash picker then darts forth in a blink without hesitation, its tongs clamping around the seagull's neck before jerking it sideways in one decisive motion. Just like a gardener snapping away excessive and unruly branches from a bush, the bone is snapped, and without further ado, the animal goes still.

...

It's done with enough subtlety to not attract attention, no ordinary passerby behind her would've been able to bear witness to what just happened with how her own body had effectively shielded the scene. But if someone was watching intently, then that would be another story. ...No matter, in any case. At least it hadn't been found by some feral cat or dog; it still LOOKS like a bird, which is more than what could be said if some beast more interested in it as a snack were to happen across it first.]

[sakaya]

[ The snapping bones and the swiftness of it are enough to catch her attention and make the oni turn her head ever so slightly towards Ciel's way. Shuten wants to laugh out loud at how serious the young lady was upon putting that pitiful bird out of its misery. However, she keeps it to herself, staying silent until she finally speaks up: ]

Oh, isn't that a shame?

[ Barely an ounce of remorse, hardly any regrets... But her monstrous logic dictates that it could have been much worse. ]

They're quite fragile aren't they?

[septieme]

[For uttering the word 'shame' out loud, the person who's saying it sure doesn't sound like she's putting much weight to it... Thus it is with an equal lack of it, perhaps, that she retrieves a paper bag folded away in her backpack, and proceeds to unceremoniously pick up the dead bird's corpse before dropping it into that.]

No more or less than any other of their kind, I'd say.

[sakaya]

For a moment, you had a very interesting expression on your face there young lady.

[ Shuten-Douji's voice always had a flavor of coyness to it, but even more so at the moment. She can't help it; she just saw an intriguing sight after all. ]

I doubt the demise of the little feathered friend is enough to stir anything in anyone though.

flophouse

[carmesi]

[it is not the first time wanda has come into contact with one shuten in her oni form. it had been startling at first, but the girl(?) had made it pretty clear that she was, too, a resident of the flophouse and she was happily settled in a room. who was wanda to judge someone else's appearance? she did spend a lot of time with a synthezoid, once upon a time. it's just a little startling to find her in the common room when wanda returns from her late night ventures into minding-her-own-business.

tonight, the air is cold, the temperature dropping low this late at night, and the skies shrouded in clouds give her the impression that there may be some snow in the very near future (whether it sticks or not, that's something else). wanda is closing the door behind her and locking it, rubbing her hands together and thinking she really wants a hot cup of tea—only to find that the common room is not entirely

empty.]

Is she always here?

[finding jack surrounded by books is understandable: the guy can't sleep. finding another tenant of the flophouse, asleep, is a different story altogether. and for good reason; the flophouse isn't entirely warm in the common room late into the night when the heating is turned off to save up on the bill.

must be cold, wanda thinks, but doesn't really think as she weaves a blanket in red threads of magic. she holds on to it, until she's close enough to shuten to put it over her sleeping form.

the last thing they need is any of them catching a cold and spreading it.]

[sakaya]

[ Servants don't need to sleep, but seeing as how there are hard limits that are imposed upon Shuten-Douji, reverting to her spirit form presents a challenge even if it's just for preserving energy. A quick nap doesn't do much on that front, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

Though she's rather open, she's not entirely defenseless. She can hear the opening and closing of the doors, footsteps that pass by her or pause.

And right now, she feels... ]

... Oh? That tickles.

[ Or so she murmurs under her breath without opening her eyes. ]

[carmesi]

[from wanda's perspective, it just looks like shuten is muttering in her sleep—but wanda's been a mom before, no matter how short-lived that experience had been, and recognizes when sleep is not entirely happening. there is too much awareness taking place.]

Better than being cold.

[she assumes, anyway. anything beats sleeping in the cold.]

Are you comfortable where you are?

[sakaya]

[ Shuten opens up one eye to see who had so generously provided for her. The red hair is eyecatching, so she blinks, fully awake. ]

... Why, yes.

[ The oni sits up, rubbing one eye. ]

I'm not one to spurn such blatant kindness, so I suppose I should give you my thanks.

[ There's a sense of pure curiosity from her gaze and she decides just to ask Wanda straight up. ]

Was that magic? There seem to be many flavors of the magic arts amongst us.

iii

[onerous]

[Yuri doesn't typically take notice of these things, but it's been swirling through the air in whispers that, unfortunately, make Yuri curious. Could she pick up a seagull's last memories? She's never tried on the animals before...

She makes her way to the docks, feeling awkward and out of place--she was used to mountains, not harbors and being around this much water made her feel distinctly uneasy. But there doesn't appear to be many clues in the daytime. Would she have to come back in the dead of night to catch something in the act??

Well. She'd do it, if she felt compelled enough to see it through and sate her curiosity.

As it is, there's at least one person who stands out a little and seems like a good pale to start her investigation.]

...Excuse me...? [she calls out softly, not wanting to startle her too muc]

[sakaya]

Hm?

[ Shuten tilts her head to acknowledge the presence of Yuri. As for herself, she had just stood up from sitting on the edge of one of the docks. ]

Were you calling for little old me?

[ She smiles (though not in a reassuring way) and gestures to her with one hand. ]

Come now, I can't hear your sweet voice if you don't speak up.

[onerous]

[Yuri eyes the woman curiously, intrigued by, well, her Everything. She only pauses for a moment before she comes closer.]

Do you spend a lot of time here at the docks, miss?

[Yuri blinks slowly, gaze thoughtful and unwittingly intense. What does she have to fear here? Her life?? Bah.]

I just wanted to ask some questions about it, if that was okay. [intense gaze or not, she's unfailingly polite in tone at least]

[sakaya]

[ There would be a lot more to look at if she wasn't outside of the housing units, but that's neither here nor there. Shuten puts her hands on her hips and nods agreeably. ]

As of late, I've taken to roaming about, but it isn't just the docks. Just wherever tickles my fancy.

Ask away! It's still early in the day.