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

[kokuyoyo]

Probably not.... [A pause as he looks out onto the chaos.] ...But who knows.

But you wouldn't be able to tell who would want it or not... right?

[mersunary]

I'd think it wouldn't be too terribly difficult...

[As to make her point, she casts a glance back over at the crowds of people clamoring to get to the gacha machine. People who want them are making themselves pretty obvious about it, aren't they?]

Keeping a spare or two around for a pleasant surprise wouldn't be too hard, but it's also not the only way to brighten up someone's day.

[If she can't get enough cats to give one to every wanting follower, well, it wouldn't be the end of the world, or even their faith, probably.]

[kokuyoyo]

Probably.... [This is just the latest hot thing, after all. Still, as he watches the ridiculous scramble, something occurs to him.] That kind of thing... What are they?

....Other ways, I mean.

[Right, right, words. Complete sentences, with context.]

[mersunary]

[He's doing his best.]

Any sort of thoughtful gift, a smile, a sincere compliment, an invitation out for tea... there's plenty of ways to add a little charm to a person's day.

[kokuyoyo]

[...]

Is it that easy to fake a smile...?

[mersunary]

[!]

I'd never fake a smile!

[That is... possibly not true, but in the scheme of cheering someone up, why bother faking it?]

[kokuyoyo]

[????]

Then... how do you just... do that.

[what is this witchcraft]

[mersunary]

[?]

Like this. [And she gives him one light and cheery, though thoroughly genuine smile!] It's easy if you're used to it!

[kokuyoyo]

[If anything, his stare seems even more befuddled.]

...And hard if you're not.

[mersunary]

[What kind of dreary life have you lived? Or, uh, afterlife? She takes the reply in stride, at least, it isn't entirely unexpected from him.]

Well then, I guess, if you're not used to it... the easiest thing to do would be to be think of something that does make you smile. Keep it in mind every so often and just sort of... practice, you know?

[kokuyoyo]

[Listen, wait another couple of weeks and he can tell you the answer.]

...And if nothing has really made you smile...?

[mersunary]

[See now that sounds weird. Having trouble finding things you like out of memory loss is one thing, but has nothing brought him any joy in between then and now?]

Seriously, nothing at all...?

[kokuyoyo]

[He knows this is incredibly strange and awkward, at least compared to other people, so his shoulders only hunch up further as his fists dig into his pockets.]

....Emotions are.... hard.

[mersunary]

[Can't relate. Still, she didn't mean to touch a nerve, blunt statement or otherwise.]

I guess that's something that could come in time... There should be plenty of opportunities for it here, after all.

[Lots of people, lots of events, lots of time.]

[kokuyoyo]

....Maybe. But.... As long as it's not artificial.

[mersunary]

[At that, she can't help but smile herself.]

Wanting it to be genuine is admirable, at least! Even if it's over something small, it's a nice get some kind of practice in. It's good for your heart t have something to smile over!

[kokuyoyo]

....And if it's good for your heart, then... It's better for you overall, right?

[He's never really cared about his own wellbeing before. It's.... taking some getting used to.]

[mersunary]

That's right. Keeping your heart in a good place makes keeping up with everything else that much easier.

[It's not like watching one's health is really expected to be... a big priority for someone who's dead.

It's probably best to be mindful regardless.]

[kokuyoyo]

...I see. That doesn't make sense to me yet...

It feels... as though just getting energy has been enough.

[Being happy seems like it takes so much more...]