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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?

[paperpusher]

Haha, unfortunately my suite doesn't even have a window, so I had to get some assistance from the receptionists after all! I'm still getting the hang of this place, but I appreciate the rec ✨

[He'd normally take the time to make a joke about blinding people with his radiance-- alas, the windowless basement he's been locked away in is making him lose his touch, etc. etc., maybe throw in a plug for his movie-- but this is by far the most... straightforward anyone has ever been about the lizard, which is far more novel than his kirakira himbo act.]

No, you were exactly right! There has been a lizard crawling there-- and up and down the rest of my body, at that! It just happens to live on my skin, so unfortunately it will show up at inappropriate times. I hope you can find it in you to look past it ✨

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

[paperpusher]

Ahh, well. I suppose it's not too unexpected that a binbougami might thrive in a place like Tokyo.

...What kind of fight did you have with Bishamon? Like, as part of a ritual or festival?

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

[paperpusher]

Worth a try! Just know you're missing out. I won't dare you to purchase it, either. I promise.

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.

[paperpusher]

Couldn't be me! And I suppose not you either, based on that.

Haha, that's nice! I hope you're able to go back again soon, though I won't hold my breath based on everything else I've heard about this place.

I'll do another truth.

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.

[paperpusher]

Ahh, a situation like that, huh. That's noble of you-- and wise of whoever gave you that advice. Sounds like she knew the benefits of strategic retreats, huh?

[And more importantly: it sounds like it's a lot more literal than what Natori was thinking, which puts this conversation back on safer ground.]

I hope it all worked out okay regardless?

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. ]

[paperpusher]

Oh, now I understand the name. ["delinquent," that is. A menace!!]

So what's the scariest thing you've dealt with here, then? Maybe it'll be so frightening that I can't handle it!

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...

[paperpusher]

Haha, especially with the sort of place this is. Even people who were never exposed to this sort of thing back home would have to be a little more understanding, unless they're in complete denial about what's going on around them!

I can't say it's really a surprise to me that a bunch of teenagers would go ahead with this, to be clear. [The true exhaustion of a mentor character in a series where the protagonist is a teenager... He's going to go prematurely grey from stress, and then what will he do for spending money? He can't pull off the silver fox look.]

Especially if you were the only ones who were able to do something about it. And I know you don't need a lecture from me. But some people do know how dangerous it can be, even if in the end you have to do it anyway.

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.]

[calmomile]

nailed it. the infomercial sales angle was a nice touch~

and... dare this time, i think.

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.