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

[artificialrose]

Oh, I'm sure it will work out fine... probably... [Nothing but the most reassuring answers out of his mouth, yep.] I just plan on yelling out a distraction that I think ought to work. When they get all focused on that, you can teleport, and it won't be a problem.

[Thank goodness for that Far Shore forgettability, along with the fervor of obsessed people.]

[fortunesmiles]

Shall I bring you with me, or did you want to stay here...? [Komaeda looks thoughtful.]

[artificialrose]

Me with you. Please. [Garry doesn't want to stay here either, trust him. It's been luck and planning that's had him make it this far.] Are you ready?

[fortunesmiles]

All right, then...and I guess nothing too bad can happen to you if I'm with you. [Komaeda smiles faintly.] Go ahead with your plan, then...

[artificialrose]

Alright, then... You might want to cover your ears.

[with that warning given, Garry takes a deep breath. Alright, just the same thing he's been telling plenty of other people, but, louder. Much louder.]

[A shouting kind of loud.]

They've got a new shipment of rare keychains at the toy store down the street!

[That sure as hell gets the crowd's attention. Garry doesn't really want to wait around any longer as he practically feels the tides of people turning. He only tightens his hold on Komaeda, protectively.]

Let's go! [Hopefully, their fervor means they won't pay attention to the crowd being less full of people than it was a moment ago.]

[fortunesmiles]

[Komaeda cringes a touch at the yell so close to his ears; he hadn't wanted to let go of Garry, just in case, so he wasn't able to cover his ears. But as soon as the movement of the crowd changes, and Garry urges him, he teleports them back to their temple.

The sudden relief from the crush of bodies, and the utter quiet in comparison to the noise and bustle of the Near Shore, is so complete that it's jarring. Komaeda laughs a little as he lets go of Garry.] It's certainly calmer now...thank you, Garry.

[artificialrose]

It's fine.... I'm just glad I was able to get through before any of the people I lied to before came back to the rest of the crowd...

[Which he feels bad about, but there wasn't really any option. Stepping back to give Komaeda some space, he looks over his god in concern.]

You're fine, right? I notice you didn't cover your ears...

[fortunesmiles]

Ah, yes...I didn't want to let go of you, in case the crowd shoved us apart. I wouldn't hve been able to teleport you with me then.

[He takes a deep breath, then smiles. He still looks a bit pale, but better than before.] I should be fine now, thanks to you.

[artificialrose]

[At least he's not bruised or anything... A look of relief passes over his face.]

That's good... We should probably stay away from that mess for a while. I looked around, and it's gotten pretty bad in places....

[fortunesmiles]

It's a shame, considering I wanted to help out...but my luck doesn't seem to be with me today. Or at least it's not helping me do things that turn out well...

[artificialrose]

It's alright. [Smiling, Garry starts to reach up to pat Komaeda's head before pausing.] Another day, huh? Besides, I saw a lot of people helping out! It's okay if we sit this one out.

[fortunesmiles]

I suppose that's true. [Komaeda smiles.] And it hadn't escalated into a really dangerous situation yet, anyway...though it was getting pretty intense.

[At the pat to his head, he looks momentarily thoughtful, and after a moment he has to ask.] Why do you do things like pat my head that way? [He doesn't sound the least offended, so much as curious.]

[artificialrose]

Hm? Oh! [Jeez, now it feel sort of embarrassing now that he's been called out on it.] I suppose it's just... an even middle?

Patting you on the shoulder seems too distant... but I'm not sure that we're close enough yet for a hug, or anything like that. So this sort of thing seems like the right amount. At least, I thought so..

[fortunesmiles]

It's not like I mind! It just seemed like a strange sort of habit to have developed out of the blue...but when you explain it like that, it does sound logical, doesn't it?

I'm just not used to people wanting to touch me...unless it's to tie me up, or to see to my medical needs...

[artificialrose]

[Tie him up...?]

You don't mean that in a.... Well. Nevermind.

[fortunesmiles]

Not in a pleasant way, no.

[Komaeda kind of filled in the blank there.]

[artificialrose]

....I just wanted to make sure.

[He wouldn't judge Komaeda's personal life like that!!]

It is alright with you, right? I'm a very hands-on person, I think.

[fortunesmiles]

Well, back when I was on the island, my classmates tied me up to restrain me when they felt they couldn't trust me...and I was restrained by that serial killer who kidnapped me, too...it's always been something like that.

And no, I don't mind at all! It's nice, actually...

[artificialrose]

....Komaeda?

[fortunesmiles]

Hm...? Ah, don't worry about any of that. [Komaeda smiles brightly, casually.] It's not really important.

[artificialrose]

Isn't that kind of thing really important?

[fortunesmiles]

Mm...in the context of my life, not particularly. Like I said, that sort of thing is pretty normal for me.

[artificialrose]

....We have to do something nice for you.

That isn't that.

[KOMAEDA HE IS CONCERNED]

[fortunesmiles]

Hm? You do nice things for me all the time, Garry.

[artificialrose]

I feel like it's the bare minimum....