[Closed] Spirits High and Low: Workin' for the Weekend

[topgun_textiles]

Who: Kanji, Naomi, Okuyasu, Dante must dine, Naoto, Snow White, Kuja, Red and Adrien
When: Throughout October
Where: Hisan, Lavode, Kiddilion, Nakagawa, Sparks Golsaucia
What: Things are gettin' a little spooky in Vaikuntha! Kanji's not the sharpest crayon in the box, but that doesn't stop him from helping anybody he can with what he's got!
Warnings/Notes: Kanji's got a dirty mouth. Okuyasu's got a dirty mouth. Red's got dog puns. Cover the eyes of the children, before they F-bomb you at the dinner table.




"Shit... still ain't enough." He scowled at the number down on the corner of the iMog display. He'd been saving up for something, but wasn't realizing just how expensive it truly was. He'd worked extra hours, dunked in commissions almost daily, and flexed every last brain cell using the budgeting tips he'd learned from his mother, ever the businesswoman.

Hell, if it weren't for her, Junes would have turned its eyes on devouring Tatsumi Textiles like it had with so many of its neighbors. Couldn't top her dye technique, that's for sure.

"Ufufuuuu... planning a secret shopping trip for you-know-who? Starlight's coming up, kupo... and don't you dare forget to pick up something for me!" From her little hammock, Crepe Suzette the moogle looked away from her notepad, a rather comically oversized quill brought to pause from scratching away a few notes.

"None'a your business! I already got my Christmas stuff worked out, anyway. Even for you."

"So thoughtful, kupo! Now, I suppose I should do you a favor and speak with Cristo..."

"Naoto's moogle? What for?"

Suzette stared at him. Then, with a sigh, she went back to her notebook, the quill scratching continuing. "Never you mind, brute. If you're short on the shine, you just have to dig around for rumors and perhaps take on a few quests, kupo. There's never a shortage of work for a tank, especially one that's nearly mastered two tanking Asterisks, kupo! So get off your butt and let's get going! I never liked being idle, kupo."

Kanji shrugged and tucked away the slate. Might as well head out now. With her writing implements stowed away, Suzette found a perch in the hood of the boy's sweatshirt, wiggled to get comfortable, and hoped he knew where he needed to go first.


[ooc: Second verse, same as the first. Top-levels are each individual quest.]

Comments

"Cask of Amontillapo", closed to Naomi and Okuyasu

[topgun_textiles]

Looks like this is the address.

[He lowered the offered sheet of paper. Fancy-ass house with nobody(?) in it, because something had 'em spooked. This looked to be the place, when every other house on the avenue seemed to have life inside. But if he didn't know any better, it seemed there were small signs of life in this one, too...

Suzette quickly hid in Kanji's hood, wanting nothing to do with this. He ignored her and tread up the stoop, testing the doorknob. You know, instead of knocking, because what was the point of knocking if nobody was supposedly home?]

Locked. Great. Guess they want a smashed down door, and they're gonna take it outta the pay, right?

[righthandstand]

[Okuyasu adjusts the new pins he fashioned out of garbage items other people were not thrifty enough to hold onto. Seeing that he doesn't purchase any of his supplies, progress has been slow and his dream of being his own business owner isn't coming any closer.

At least he will look good for any ghosts they run into. He hopes it's haunted by another nice teenager like Reimi.]

Maybe they got a key hidden under the mat. It's kinda stupid, but lots of houses do that.

[He falls to his knees and throws the artisan, Hisan-approved organic welcome mat and...finds nothing. Well shit, this family outsmarted him even before they knew of his plan.]

Yeah, we're bustin' down the door. Ain't their fault they forgot to leave it open.

[chatwithdeath]

[Behind them, not saying anything at once, the arachne crossed her arms. She was not surprised that smashing the door became the quickest solution for the two of them, but they could consider other options. Lock picking for one; though, that might only be in her repertoire.]

[Still, she doesn't feel the need to defend the door either. If they didn't get a key for it from the current home owners, they failed to provide one for their investigation. Because of the necessary removal of the obstacle impeding their progress, she could shake her head.]

They would've remembered providing us with a key or with instructions on where to locate a spare. Replacing the door will have to come out of their pocket... besides, I doubt they'll retain much of the decor once we locate the source of the disturbance. Remodeling an old home like this wouldn't be abnormal at this point.

[topgun_textiles]

Hm. Yeah. Screw it! [Well, he sure made the decision quickly. But if there was something wrong, lingering and pondering the door or breaking in through the window was just going to add more time.]

Okuyasu, we're busting this shit down on three!

One! Two...!

[righthandstand]

Three!

Huooooooooo! [Okuyasu bum rushes the door and connects with his elbow. The hinges shatter, and one of the two snapsides out of place with his part of the attack.]

"Wherewhats of Hisan", closed to Dante and Snow White

[topgun_textiles]

[He was hungry and he was grumpy. When a guy was supposed to be frugal, it didn't help stopping in a place filled with everyone's prized, hand-crafted food and drink that they then charge a fuckin' premium for out of pride. If he could just find a convenience store or something... but did one exist here?]

...Remind me to pack a lunch or somethin' before my next job. But this is the place, right?

[strawberryredgrave]

Yup, definitely smells like Hisan.

(Dante spent quite a bit of time here and at the Gourmand guild in particular. He probably could've opened shop here if he wanted to, even had one or two people ask him why he didn't.

While he'd dodge the question or insist he had other things he wanted to do...)

Don't worry about lunch, though, kid; I got that covered.

(Naturally, he already prepared plenty of food in advance, stowing it all in its own bag that he held up with a wide, toothy grin. Turns out he prefers working freelance.)

[poisonwish]

[Snow White was definitely loving that smell, though. He loved Hisan. He'd thought about moving here himself, but... he also didn't want to live alone have the budget. Le sigh. In the meantime, he would have to satisfy himself with visits.]

[Dante, though... Dante surprised him. Snow had been prepared to buy himself food -- was using the trip to justify it, actually. But then Dante had actually prepared food? And... at first glance... it actually looked good.]

[Snow White recognized another Gourmand when he saw one.]

Well, alright. [He smirked, open to a change in plans.] Impress me.

[topgun_textiles]

Holy shit.

[Who still didn't understand Gourmands? This guy. Who appreciated bumping into them whenever he did? This fuckin' guy. It seemed that whenever he had a dilemma just like today, the culinary solution was within arm's reach. It looked and smelled great.]

Uh... well, y'know, I don't see any ghosts yet, so... let's eat!

[strawberryredgrave]

(The zora doesn't even say anything; a proud smirk greets his companions as he sets his bag down and opens it up, revealing several packed lunches within. Definitely more than three people would need for a trip like this (even heavier eaters like Kanji and himself), but you try telling a Gourmand to reel in their cooking.

They're sealed up nice and tight and ready to release their fragrances once either of the others decided to open them up. There's seemingly something for all kinds of palettes, from breaded merrow with steamed vegetables and an accompanying sauce in its own container, ochu steaks and potatoes, cute little moogle-shaped desserts...there's even a container simply labeled "Bomb Sauce.")

Take your pick; there's plenty to go around.

"Frankenmog", closed to Naoto

[topgun_textiles]

Rrgh... now I regret not comin' out here too often. Didn't we just come down this way?

[Great. Perfect. He was supposed to be some kind of tanky leader guy, and when his only visits to this place involved checking in with the Black Mage Guild, the drawback was that he didn't know this place like the back of his hand. No, this place was like a damn underground maze. At least the tunnels weren't too small for his height, in part thanks to some of the larger denizens of the underground demanding more space and clearance.]

Or... did we? I dunno. It all looks the same down here!

[pishirogane]

It's possible...

[This place was a maze alright, and the wailing wasn't exactly helping Naoto's nerves into helping chart a proper route down. It was embarrassing, it was frustrating... and yet she was standing behind Kanji again as the wailing started again. Cristo could only pat her head while the small ghostly form of Ifrit growled at their feet, turning his head in a particular direction.]

[topgun_textiles]

[The wailing had his spine straight as an arrow, eyes sharp. There was that sound again... definitely from another direction than before, meaning he'd gotten them a little lost. Whoops.

Then Naoto disappeared, and he couldn't help but feel a small chill. Where did she-!? Oh.

...O-oh! Kanji puffed his chest. The sounds were pretty freaky, but if something was following them, that meant it knew its way around here. He just had to get on the same footing. From his pocket, he produced a handful of silver buttons.]

We'll mark the trail. I can make more of these later.

[Not even gonna address the whatever that's out there. But he cast a look out into the dark, his free hand reaching behind him and sort of seeking a shoulder or something, just to keep tabs on where Naoto was.]

[pishirogane]

[Had she mentioned how much she hated this? Because she really, really hated this... Even when Ifrit came lobbing back to her side, a bit unimpressed with his Summoner right now - she couldn't help it.]

... Those should work.

[It still didn't help their lack of light or the low wailing that continued. However, feeling his hand clasp her shoulder... it helps.]

[topgun_textiles]

[He gave one an overhanded toss behind him, and dropped another at his feet before he looked over his shoulder at her.]

Marked. Let's get the jump on this stalker.

[Gonna open the jacket and fiddle with the iMog for a second... Black Mage asterisk. They needed some darkvision and he needed a little long range. His eyes immediately ignited as a pair of silvery lights, and his outfit swapped out for loose-fitting robes with hood and comfy boots.

With the next wail, his eyes sharpened and turned to spot a hunched figure.]

...I see 'em. If he gets past me, block it off.

"Legend of Sleepy Kupollow", closed to Red

[topgun_textiles]

[You know, they should be focusing on waiting for that last sliver of sunlight to disappear behind the horizon and get to the bottom of the clue he'd found- bumping into Red along the way- focusing on the mission at hand.

But... but Red's ears looked super fluffy today.]

Come on, just- just one little pet before the whatever shows up...!

[mech_and_mutt]

[Oh my d--]

You're still going on about that?!

[It wasn't as though Red had any doubts or hangups about having Kanji present for this undertaking. After all, he'd SEEN the big guy in action back in Ka'pandol; it wasn't like he was in bad company here.

He just didn't think that Kanji- of all people, Kanji?!- was the sort who'd push him into having this talk again.]

Why does everyone and their Moogle wanna pet me?! Am I crazy for thinkin' this is really weird?! Is it some kinda Vaikunthan thing?! Is it my deodorant?!

[It WAS getting a little dark as the sun finished its dip past the horizon, but Red wasn't paying much mind to it anymore-- this had gone on long enough.]

Seriously! What gives?!

[topgun_textiles]

Because people pet dogs! Dogs're... y'know the ones you see in the Berserker's Guild? Walks on all fours? THOSE are dogs! They don't look like people, like you do.

So... y'know, if our dogs like bein' pet, we figure maybe you guys like bein' pet! S'that so hard to work out?

[mech_and_mutt]

Exactly! Those little four-legged furry things look as close to me as those dolls you make look to you!

[It seemed incongruous. Maybe even a little bit insulting. How could anyone not see a difference?!]

Besides, I don't see you humans tryin' to pet every monster or beast you come across! What's the big deal with dogs that makes me so... petable?!

[topgun_textiles]

Dogs're important, okay!? They help sick people, they stay next to people who're dyin' and have nobody else, and they're family! We owe a whole lot to dogs back home and in so many other worlds, so... y'know! It ain't a stretch to see why people wanna pet a dog!

They don't talk, so it's our way of sayin' they did a good job. If I were a dog person I'd fuckin' LOVE pets!

"Mogster Mash", closed to Adrien and Kuja

[topgun_textiles]

That looks kinda fun... but I got two left feet.

[He peered through the window of the Dancer's Guild, watching them finish a routine and begin their 'warm-down' exercises. He wasn't about to confess he'd always wanted to dance, but it seemed like something everyone other than him could do.]

So we're supposed to wait here for somethin'...? How do we know we found what we're lookin' for?

Re: "Mogster Mash", closed to Adrien and Kuja

[acapriciousreaper]

"I expect it will be relatively easy to tell. Find the one undead moogle, show it how to waltz, restless spirit exercised. Did they say what sort of dance it wanted? It's been some time since I've attended a ball, I may need to brush up."

[modelcivilian]

[Dancing really wasn't hard. Though, professionals always made it look easy until it was put into practice.]

Didn't they say something called the 'Mogster Mash'? So I don't think we're going to be teaching a waltz.

[If they were, that would be so much easier.]

[acapriciousreaper]

Beat.

"What the hell is the Mogster Mash?"

[topgun_textiles]

There was a song about it before, I think... Monster Mash? But it's a kinda... moogly way of puttin' it.

[He wrinkled his nose. He hadn't noticed the air growing chill.]

Did that song come with a dance...? I don't remember. Just that it's a graveyard smash.