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truth or dare (june intro)

[paperpusher]

hiyori

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Haha, as expected! Alright, one moment.

["One moment" is more like thirty minutes, but eventually he attaches a photo that looks more like a glamour shot or advertisement for hair products than a selfie, complete with near-professional looking hair and makeup. It's taken in the lobby of the hotel, and it looks like he's chatting with (flirting with, honestly) someone out of frame while a third party takes the picture for him. The one exception to his extremely clean-cut conventionally attractive pretty boy aesthetic is a shadow shaped like a gecko visible on his neck, like an out of place tattoo-- and not one that matches any suit from the hotel.]

Sorry that the lighting isn't great-- I couldn't track down any studio lights.

[tfy]

[Thirty minutes is a long time. Long enough that Hiyori assumes he might have forgotten, though he does understand that taking the perfect selfie is an artform! In any case, he busies himself with some other truths and dares, before finally being drawn back to the conversation when he gets the notif. He opens the photo. Time for the moment of truth! His conversation partner...

... is a light-haired man!

Who may have a handsome face, but who's honestly pretty ordinary-looking otherwise. Minus the weird shape on his neck, which Hiyori spends a few moments squinting at in perplexity.]

You can probably find a setup like that in Mating Season. I've known a couple of people with studios in their suite, too. I wouldn't expect you to go to all that trouble just for a dare, though.

Anyway, it looks good! I rate your face as "nice-looking," and your demeanor as "approachable!" You're handsome enough to please the eye, but not so radiant that it blinds people! A good balance! ✨

Though I'm not sure what to make of that oddly-shaped dirt on your neck. I may need to deduct points for that, since it's shaped like some creepy-crawly thing! You haven't had any lizards crawling there, have you?

yato

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Haha, I appreciate that!

Hmm, let's see... You mentioned Tokyo before. How's the spiritual situation doing over there? Back home, we see a lot of gods losing power because of declining belief from humans and changes to the natural environment, but even Kumamoto City is still far more rural than Tokyo is! Is it the same, in your experience?

[intertwinedfates]

hehe no problem~

as for Tokyo... well, I'd say it's still a hotbed of ayakashi activity, with storms of them occurring a bit more frequently than before thanks to our resident binbougami, Kofuku. though, er, I kinda had a hand in some of that as well... me and Bishamon had a fight a while back and Kofuku intervened

so while the big names like Bishamon are doing alright, gods like me are still struggling to survive from a belief standpoint and an ayakashi fodder one

wwx

[paperpusher]

[from here]

That's right ✨ In fact, if you're interested, I would be willing to sell an autographed photo of my beautiful face! It could be yours for the low price of [he has no idea how much a "chip" is worth here, but he was told to charge something absurd for it anyway-- well, if a chip is like a yen, maybe he could ask for--] 10,000 chips!

[suibian]

[ HEY!!!!!!!! ]

no thanks

nanami

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Sometimes it's better to name something yourself. Also, my last film had a rather ominous parrot named Enju as a plot point, and I think they're a little similar.

Haha, I'd trade regular karaoke parties for wrap parties, I think. I haven't ever worked in an office environment, so I guess I don't know!

Is it just the nostalgia or can you not find similar food here?

[dullknife]

[He doesn't exactly agree, but it's not important enough to keep talking about.]

I did for several years. I quit.

The atmosphere of the place and the memories associated with it.

clara

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Haha, I've noticed. And I've only been here since that whole mess with the filming productions.

[That said, Natori was planning on participating on as superficial a level as he could get away with-- so of course he ends up reading something that just so happens to hit on a very personal level.]

I see.

...I can't say I know what the circumstances were, but since you said it was compassionate, I'm glad that someone shared that with you.

Do you mind if I ask why you didn't follow it?

[incirculation]

[There's a part of Clara that doesn't mind playing. She can omit as much context as she wants and there's a certain freeing aspect to seeing the words she's thought flicker on the digital screen before her. These people wouldn't have consequences to follow her back in her own world, after all.]

If I had run from that situation then it would have continued to hurt countless others. I wanted to end it and I wanted to see the end with my own eyes.

[An edited bit of honesty that makes herself sound better. She feels like it will ruin her chances of sex friends if she says: I needed to see them hurt like they hurt me.]

It might have been better for myself as a person if I had run, of course. She never cared about big things but she did care about me.

xue yang

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Haha, well. They probably will, sooner or later.

You don't think it's ominous to have to run into someone you know in this place? I find that much scarier than the ayakashi haunting the building.

[noneforyou]

not sure why anyone would think its ominous ive met multiple people i know the one i didnt like i messed with for fun

[ Xue Yang has also never dated, or had any inclination towards romance. ]

haru

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Definitely! If nothing else, most kami are benevolent in their own ways-- not that I'd ever dream of trying to make a kami into a familiar.

[Natori is extremely set in his ways and his understanding of the world-- it helps that "ayakashi" is such a broad category that he'd rarely bump up against some sort of non-human creature who he couldn't comfortably fit into it (even if those creatures would disagree strongly with that characterization). But on the flip side, that means that he sees everything as a variation of the sort of setup that he's familiar with, and so he tries to fit what Haru's describing into his own understanding of the world rather than as a different thing. After all, she says that she fights creatures that are essentially youkai, and that must mean that they are, in fact, ayakashi, and she dips into some ayakashi dimension to fight them. He will not take constructive criticism on this front.

But also, he doesn't really need to. Ultimately, it's that last point that's the most relevant, and that's still the same:]

Haha, it's different when you're talking to people who can't see the same "landscape," huh? I understand how that is.

I am however obligated as an adult to object to a group of teenagers going into another dimension to fight dangerous creatures! No local exorcist community?

[axingnicely]

[ is the metaverse just an alternate dimension full of ayakashi? much to consider ]

[ but no, haru has long since accepted the metaverse and shadows at face value, having seen so much of it with her own eyes. she was the last to join the phantom thieves, and accepted mona's explanation of cognitive world and such and such. she no longer questions it, especially not after fighting god ]

Hehe.

Indeed, it is different. At home, most people would think I'm very strange for telling such a tale. But here... with people from different worlds, it's easy to find those who would understand the concept, yourself included.

Unfortunately, there is no local exorcist community. Only we teenagers seem to have gained this power... and the capacity to go to the metaverse.

Most adults would not bat an eye at teenagers in danger, as well, at home...

adeline

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Haha, looks like I got the balance right!

[He attaches a screenshot of him taking his best guess at how much a chip is worth.]

kazuya

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Fair enough! This is going to be hard for me, because I'm so good at it.

[that was obviously a joke, which is hopefully clear as soon as he figures out how to send this as a screenshot.]

But I managed.

october intro

[paperpusher]

ishmael

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Haha, no kidding. Meanwhile it's a historical movie, so I think the most skin you see is my forearms.

[Some old school flirtation. Not even ankles. Scandalous!! Maybe the contrast with the rest of the resort just makes it more appealing.]

Also, Ishmael-san. Didn't you say you did some work as a bodyguard before?

rin

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Ominous!

[He attaches a picture of himself, because it's still not second nature to him that people can check his profile to see what he looks like. The picture looks more like a photoshoot than either a selfie or the mysterious candid photos the hotel tends to turn up; the lighting is purposeful, he has professional-looking nude makeup, and he's posing like he's in a photoshoot for a women's magazine expose on a local celebrity. Relatedly, he's movie star-tier attractive. It's him sitting in the grass with one of the giant rabbits from the conservatory in his lap, carefully posed to show off his outfit (a deceptively basic long sleeve shirt and trousers that definitely retail at a minimalist "basics" store for $300+ each)-- one leg stretched out and one bent, resting his elbow against his knee to show off the drape of his top while also being careful not to block the rabbit, looking straight at the camera. Sorry he's like this.]

This is me! So you know how to recognize me.

toma

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Haha, mine as well. Amazing how much more time you have when you've been kidnapped away from most of your work, right?

I'd understand if you're sick of "nature" after the last two weeks, but any interest in going to the conservatory? I'm a fan of the rabbits ✨

[and more importantly a fan of large patches of dirt that he can draw spell circles in for some magical barriers against eavesdropping.]

gojou

[paperpusher]

[from here]

So what about the exorcists you know? Tell me more about how I'm different!

nanami

[paperpusher]

[from here]

No offense, but the smiley really doesn't suit you.

Where do you want to go? Like I said before, my only remaining clothes are ridiculous, so please excuse my outfit.

vil

[paperpusher]

[from here]

I think I understand. Your magic needs to have had a precursor, but whatever that precursor was is lost to history. Is that it?

That's right. I started with magic, then picked up acting/modeling work to supplement my income while I was getting my exorcist career set up. Of course, now my film schedule takes up enough of my time that I can only take exorcist jobs when they fit into the time I'm off set. So it goes.

mayou

[paperpusher]

[from here]

Sorry, what I meant to say was: you're exactly right!

Hmm. Like an apprenticeship, or self-study?