23 - Crazy Cat Shuffle

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Crazy Cat Shuffle
When: September 20
Where: Shibuya & Ikebukuro, as well as the Far Shore
Summary: The new Crazy Cat mascot keychains are sparking real passion in Tokyo's hot spots. Brawls have broken out over the extra-rare versions, and all of this angst is attracting ayakashi. The gods have been asked to step in before things get out of control.







Crossing Crisis

The Shibuya scramble crossing is always busy, but it's especially wild today. Ten new Crazy Cat vending machines have been installed at the mouth of the alley across from Shibuya Station's exit. Rumors are flying that these machines have extra Blue-Star Cats in them: the very rarest kind! A crowd of hundreds of excited fans have gathered, but the people at the front of the lines are buying lots of cats, and the mood is starting to grow sour as the people at the back of the lines begin to wonder if there will be any left by the time it's their turn.

This crowd needs crossing guards... or just someone who can snag some of those ultra-rare Cats and sell them to the back of the line for crazy cash. Everything a god does is righteous, after all.

Sunshine Struggle

Crazy Cat machines dot the Sunshine City complex in Ikebukuro. The machines here are attracting some particularly nasty ayakashi: jealous little purple creatures with too many legs that stoke buyers' envy and need for more and better collectibles. Under their influence, it's not just the Cats going fast. The local stores are selling out of everything cute on the shelves.

Worse, some of the ayakashi victims are turning to theft when they run out of pocket money. Time to exterminate those bugs before they start a new crime wave.

Taking Stock

Accident? Sabotage? No one's telling, but a delivery truck carrying boxes of new keychains to restock the machines blew a tire and overturned on a major street. Under the influence of those greedy little ayakashi, collectors are descending on the wreck to snag their favorites before the police show up.

The dazed driver doesn't know what to do, the crowd is starting to get violent, and those Cats do look amazingly cute. And appealing. And, for that matter, valuable.

Bad Kitty

The cat keychains are super cute! Even gods or shinki might be tempted to buy one and take it home, but taking these keychains back to the Far Shore will give away their hidden secret. It's not just human envy that's attracting ayakashi to the Crazy Cats. There are ayakashi hiding inside this batch of cute kitty dolls, and bringing them through a shrine to the Far Shore will force the hidden creatures out of their plushie prisons.

They're big, they're mad, and they're hungry. And the Heavens are full of souls that smell delicious.

The ayakashi escaping from Crazy Cat dolls on the Far Shore resemble gigantic (taller than a person at the shoulder) versions of the cute plushie cats, with very real and sharp teeth and claws. They run and attack at random once released from the dolls, so even gods and shinki who did not bring the toys back could be faced with a fight. The patrolling shinki will do their best to hold them back with borderlines, but they need help to rend these crazy cats before they do too much damage!

In Summary:

• Placate the crowds
• Squash bitty ayakashi
• Struggle with temptation
• Defeat the cat invasion
• Have fun~

Comments

[smilingbullet]

So you're saying you've got perfect vision.

[ Absolutely nothing, sure thing. ]

[lostinshadows]

H-Hey, you don't have to pay me for it.

[Immediately handing the money back.]

If you wanted it, you could've just asked me.

[lostinshadows]

Think you can manage to get one of your shinki here in time to help out?

[Shun has...three, doesn't he? Lavi knows about Kotori and two others, one even looking familiar from the time he's visited Shun's temple before.

But he does keep up the wind sphere, eying the crowd.]

We can't even be sure of the police would be sane enough to help out either.

[amongthethorns]

[This girl is a child. Most people are children to him after all he's over 200 years old if one were to be accurate. No wonder he's so old-fashioned.

He's just shaking his head at her gently. Whatever will he do with the younger ones around him? He doesn't know but he's speaking softly after Hibiki's shout.]

Miss Hibiki, perhaps missing just one is perfectly fine. Besides, eventually there will be some other very rare exclusive toy and people will want that one, too.

One can not have everything they want. Big or small sometimes you have to learn to do without.

[mithrarin]

The way people are behaving, I think it's too late for that. If they could see us... [They'd probably have attacked by now, honestly.]

[yasei]

Hmm, the Miss could sit on my shoulders? That should stand out!

[ She looks light too, like she'd be easy to lift. ]

[yasei]

[ Nic is just a big kitty--

Obi pokes his nose with a friendly grin. ]

Like a kitty.

[yasei]

[ What is a yoyo? Obi doesn't know, so he wonders "what is that?" in the middle of his game of tag.

But man that is effective, wow. He wants to know how he does that.

Except---- ]

Are you looking for someone?

Re: sunshine

[lookingforhead]

[Celty can't help but wince as the person kicked by her savior drops in a heap. Any window of exit she might have gained is lost by her checking to make sure the man is still breathing.

But Wendy's now distracted some of the other folk long enough for Celty to then turn and start pushing back the rest, using some subtle shadows to help push or trip up those grabbing for her helmet.

But the crowd at large isn't deterred for long. Celty wiggles through the mass, stepping over another fallen shopper while she keeps one hand on her helmet and the other out to protect the small child.]

Re: Sunshine

[lookingforhead]

[Celty's helmet shakes in a frantic bit of post panic cooldown. She knows she has her usual theories but she's pretty sure it isn't aliens this time. It just doesn't feel right.

Though there could be subliminals in the advertising and...NO. They would want everyone made docile and tame if they were doing this.]

I think
I think there's an Ayakashi here getting everyone riled up. It's making them all greedy and angry.

[kokuyoyo]

Yes.

[Thank you for understanding his bare minimum efforts, Obi. He continues to idly spin the yoyo from his hand, not letting it unleash anymore needles for the time being. Just a harmless toy, for now.]

Seen her?

[kokuyoyo]

[There's a pause as Chikusa glances over Shun again, trying to figure out where he heard it from... but then, Ken did advertise their nora status during that fair, at one point. It's not as much of a secret as he would like. Well, whatever. As long as no one knows the names themselves.]

...A soulless as well. Four.

[kokuyoyo]

It'll be fine...

[Possibly because Chikusa isn't afraid to literally smash his elbow into someone's skull if he thinks they're being too pushy or annoying. Hopefully Davesprite won't see that part as Chikusa goes wandering off.]

[Give him a little bit.]

[nibelungvalesti]

[The Valkyrie flicks one hand out. A shining blue crystal flickers out from it, striking the ayakashi -- and then ice erupts around it, freezing it in place within a giant crystalline block.]

[She surveys it for a moment, idly drawing her sword.]

That will not last, but you have time to prepare for battle.

[kokuyoyo]

...How many buckets of water would you need for that many people?

[Because it sounds like, to Chikusa, the answer is "way too many".]

[kokuyoyo]

Well, time to see... "Can you break time and space?" Chikusa tilts his head to the side. "The guy I know here... can do so easily. And claims himself as the best."

...Probably. Chikusa tries to give Add more attention than he warrants.

[lovemguns]

Don't worry 'bout it lass, I ain't hurt an' I wouldn't be upset iffen I was.

[ Accidents happens, and he's not so young as to start shouting. Not that he ever started to shout. ]

People do that, sometimes. When they ain't able t'afford somethin' they need real bad, for example.

[nopixiedust]

[There's hardly any need to worry. Wendy might be small, and not possess shadow powers, but she's not afraid to slam her little foot as hard as she can into people's knees.]

[A vindictive child's kick is nothing to sneeze at.]

Back off, all of you! Don't make me hit a little higher!

[She'll do it, too, even as she squeezes next to Celty.]

[priforprince]

I'm a genius.

[ "Perfect" doesn't begin to cover everything about her. ]

[artificialrose]

I'm scared just thinking about it....

[It's a good thing they're invisible, so.... Oh! He suddenly perks up, and points to Dust.]

Do you think we could smuggle all these out from the truck since they can't see us? Then, when they realize the truck is empty, they'll leave!

[priforprince]

It's a yes or no question! Why is it taking this long....?

[ Hibiki grits her teeth, chin bowed. She is no longer looking angry.

She's looking afraid of something. As if not getting that last cat....isn't just about not getting that last cat.

As if dire consequences will ensue. ]

[lovemguns]

[ Even if they don't get along it would be great if they didn't need to avoid each other. That's all, really. ]

At least the things ya can collect back'n my day come with other products...

[ He shakes his head. The future will never cease to be weird in his eyes. ]

Yeah, I glimpsed some'a them. Would ya be any interested in helpin' in gettin' rid'a them?

[lovemguns]

This place ain't makin' much sense in many ways.

[ But he's a middle aged man from times past. ]

They used'a be printed on the back'a cigarette packages, back'n the day. To encourage people t'buy 'em an' collect 'em. [ As if people smoked just for the pretty cards. ] I ain't really seen 'em here though.

[kokuyoyo]

[There's probably a lot Chikusa could say here about capitalism, greed, how what is decided as being worthy of so much money or bloodshed.... But also he's just too damn lazy to. Especially right now.]

[More interesting things have been brought up anyway.]

[He goes silent for a moment, looking over to Roy as if sizing him up. It's still strange to be called a name any than the one which Axel gave him... but at the same time, this is the price that comes with allowing other names to be on his skin.]

[...And Ken does like him.]

...Sure. Call me whenever you want, I guess.... You should probably learn to use me when it's not as bothersome...

[nopixiedust]

[Well... It looks like they've at least got some time to kill and people to kick until everything gets to the truck. So Wendy presses her hand against the window and just watches Shun at work.]

Have you ever thought about being an acrobat? Or a dancer? Or is that too much fun for you?