expiationlogs | Casino Mingle

[ I would rather do custom starters than general tag-ins here, so please reach out (whiskeyqueer @ discord) if you want me to write you something!! Toph is head of security so she is generally skulking around on a regular basis. Ideas include renovations / decorating, job interview (for any position), catching someone cheating, breaking up a fight, training staff, helping her set up the illegal underground fighting ring... which is literally underground beneath the casino proper.

Or just throw your own starter at me. Do whatever you want. ]

Edited 2024-05-24 14:13 (UTC)

[ sha-ming is here, positively enthused, eyeing all of the golden treillage and glimmering decoration and amenities and play this place has to offer. they’re on the cusp of the opening, the date in near sight, and he’s too busy marveling at the sensory overload of it all.

but then he descends to where the ring is and — is immediately lambasted by pitch darkness, goddamn, okay. sha-ming walks straight into a comparatively smaller figure, which he can only presume is… ]

Dude. Why are there no lights in here? [ oh wait— ] Okay, I’m realizing you probably didn’t know there were no lights in here but yeah. There’s no lights in here. Can’t even make out my own hand. We gotta do something about that, boss.

[ Sha-Ming walks into her and Toph is about as immovable as a tiny boulder, seeing as she was earthbending something at that precise moment. She straightens up and folds her arms at his comment. ]

Uh, I know there's no lights, but what am I supposed to do about it? [ she complains. See, she absolutely does need a seeing eye monkey, precisely for things like this. This is not a pity job. ]

I think you just volunteered to fix it.

Whaaaat? I'm no handyman. I'm like, the opposite of one. Hell, I break everything I touch!

[ he's exaggerating, this is in no way true -- on the contrary, he's spent most of his upbringing with his hands, so he's actually more inclined towards it. ]

I could call a electrician. They'll fix this place right up. I'm thinkin', [ he takes a step back, eyeing the perimeter through the lens of his makeshift camera formed with his fingers. ] we could get lots of colors that ramp up as the fight progresses. It'll be cool, just trust me.

[ and then-- ]

Whaddya wanna get out of all of this, by the way?

[ Toph sounds mildly exasperated. ] You don't have to wire this whole place yourself, but you can at least organize it. It's not like I'm going to know if they do it wrong or something.

[ She's always a little annoyed at having to admit her limitations. In this case, she's become familiar from all the reconstruction she's helped with that there's serious gaps in her ability to build or restore structures, and this whole electricity thing is a big one. ]

Put all the colors in you want. And I don't know, it's something to do? Less boredom? It's a whole lot of nothing in between moments of bizarre supernatural peril.

(he actually stumbled over here, stayed out of his own decision. it's not exactly how he is used to these rings, but you know, once you've seen a fight in a less casual setting, you recognize the patterns of layout.

so, he's just going to smoke here for a second, go through his mind of the other hand-to-hand fighters aside from him in this place. might be fun to play, now that he's in control of himself.)

[ They haven't fully set everything up yet, so there's half-strung decorations and lights all around the admittedly huge arena. It looks much like the old Earth Rumble arena -- Toph's biased -- with a large central platform for the combatants, and then a steep pit separating it from the stands for the crowd so there's less risk of splash damage.

Toph, of course, notices pretty quickly when someone else enters 'her' domain -- she'd just spent a couple days carving out every nook and cranny, so she's extra familiar to its contours and sensitive to vibrations across them -- and she doesn't waste any time approaching the idle newcomer. ]

Who're you? [ she asks bluntly, with far more attitude than her tiny stature would suggest. ]

A fighter.

(isn't this the point of this place? to gather the ones who do? he isn't perfectly sure of what is going down here, how is this going to work, but he's in. he hasn't been in a real fight in a while, and mikey knows this is a place where he is forced to, regardless of how he feels about it.

so. might as well keep it up.)

I'm Mikey. Who are you?

Toph Beifong. Also a fighter, and the one in charge of this place.

[ She doesn't need to brag right off the bat or anything; Toph of anyone thinks actions mean more than words. ]

You want to sign up? We're definitely looking.

Nah, I want to co-own it with you.

(enjoy the confidence, then...)

Denied, [ Toph shoots back immediately and with equal, comfortable confidence. ]

I don't need help. That all you here for?

I didn't think you needed any help, this place is sick. I thought it would be fun to.

(there's a shrug for punctuation.)

Nah, I stumbled. Thought I could see something interesting.

[ Well, that's a good kind of response, at least. Toph can't stand people thinking she needs help. ]

I don't need a co-owner, but maybe if I like you you can help out. [ So generous of her. ]

You got experience with fighting tournaments?

Yep. I've been fighting since I was 3, the dojo near the farmhouse is my family's.

(that's not counting all the gang wars and everything else. this is solely the martial arts part of his life, and it's important to him at the end of the day.)

What, you mean the one in Aldrip? Your family's here?

[ That sounds super weird to Toph. ]

Or do you mean it's your family's style you teach at the dojo?

More like, Aldrip just placed my home here. My family ain't here, the house - which is a dojo, is, and I grew up in it.

I didn't even know that could happen. You can just get places from home showing up here?

You know I ain't got an answer for that shit. Dunno if you can just get. Just know that I have. You're welcome to come and punch stuff.

How do I know what you know and don't know? Did you do a good job on your sentencing or something?

Mostly cuz nobody knows shit.

And, it was before sentencin'. They gave me my bike and my home, and then a bunch of bullshit. Anyway.

(he's not gonna go into his very graphic plans of revenge against jerry. not today.)

What can I do here with you?

[ When Toph isn't looking for attention, she's pretty easy to miss. She's small, of course, but she also walks around barefoot, and in the casino it's a carpeted floor, which means she's basically noiseless beneath the low din of business running. She's already fallen into a pattern of making her rounds fluidly, which means at some point she notices Akechi and comes to an abrupt stop next to him.

She is absolutely interrupting whatever game he's currently playing, which she would do even if she weren't part owner of this place. ]

Yo, Notebook. Didn't know you gambled.

[ They're not actively antagonistic, Toph just thinks he's a condescending asshole, so she can't resist including what is now an ironic nickname. ]

Edited 2024-05-26 16:08 (UTC)

[ Management should look the part, at least that's what Mitsuru thinks. Dealing with the operations of the casino and taking on what is basically her first real job outside of being the heiress and soon to be Kirijo Group head, she feels as though she needs to go all out for the establishment's grand reopening.

You can run into her pretty much anywhere within the casino, striding about looking A Boss and with an outfit to match. Yes, and the gloves. At various points she'll be checking on the bar staff to make sure drinks are being made to the exacting standard she expects, surveying the tables to make sure she doesn't spot anything that looks suspicious that she might need to drink to Toph and her security team's attention or just welcoming you to the casino itself. She's making it her business to be pretty much everywhere practically all at once and seems to be in her element with that. ]

( ooc: Tags will be slow while I'm away on vacay. If you want something more personalised just poke me or feel free to just wildcard it yourself and fling whatever this way. )

[Levi is at the bar grabbing a drink one of the times Mitsuru stops by to check on the bartenders. He thinks she looks familiar, but he can't quite place her other than 'probably Chosen' so please excuse the puzzled look as he tries to do so.]

[ Once she's done checking in with the bartenders it's hard not to notice Levi looking at her with that puzzled expression on his face. ]

Is everything alright with your drink?

Oh, um, y-yeah...s-sorry. I'm just trying to place where I saw you before.

[Other than 'the network' since that doesn't really narrow it down.]

Aldrip was a much smaller town before the changes. I'm sure we've seen one another in passing once or twice before.

[ Hopefully the network stuff wasn't the embarrassing photo Kotone posted of her on there once. ]

I lived in a small place with Shinjiro Aragaki if you know him.

[ Aragaki tends to skulk about and end up meeting most people somehow.

She neglects to mention that they conveniently somehow managed to lose their last place of residence. ]

Oh! Y-yeah, I know him. That might be it.

[It probably was the first one too, though.]

[ The slight stutter in his response catches her interest and she raises an eyebrow slightly. ]

He didn't scare you, did he?

[ Because, you know, sometimes he does do that. Accidentally. Just by looming about mostly. ]

Huh? Oh, n-no. We're um

[Friends? Did he have friends here? They were friends in that other world but he doesn't expect anyone would want to be friends with him in reality.]

Um, on good terms? I owe him.

I see.

[ She smiles a little at that - and not the same deliberately charming smile she's been slapping on her face in front of all of the other patrons. This one is much smaller but more genuine. ]

In that case I shouldn't pry. He can be quite private about his own good deeds.

I hope you're enjoying the casino at any rate.

It's interesting. I've never really been to a casino before.

[In reality. Not counting the gambling room during thr masquerade.]

I hadn't spent a lot of time in any before now.

[ Not exactly a place any respectable young heiress should be seen hanging out to much, bar the odd fancy grand opening party for one of her father's business associates new enterprises. And even then she hadn't gotten near any of the games. ]

But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to fix the place up.

I guess I don't really know what it looked like before, but it's pretty nice. You must have done a good job.

[Naoto had been planning to speak with Mitsuru in her office. But she'd not been there, another member of staff had told her that Mitsuru was on the main floor.

Maybe it would have been easier to text her... But eventually, Naoto found her. She was dressed smartly, but a bit plainer. Trousers, shirt, tie, waistcoat. She paused as she approached, giving a small bow.]

Kirijo-san. There appears to be some young pickpockets targeting patrons as they leave the premises.

[It technically wasn't their problem. But it might scare some customers off.]

[ It certainly could scare some customers off. This place had had a bad reputation and they were just beginning to claw back some respectability and earn it a new and more positive reputation. The pickpockets might not be inside the casino itself but having them loitering around outside certainly wasn't going to do them any favours. Mitsuru's expression is serious but not too obvious with her concern, she didn't want patrons thinking something is up after all. ]

We don't want to make a scene, not with patrons coming and going still. We must deal with this swiftly but discreetly.

[The reputation of the casino was...odd to say the least. It'd just appeared one day and was considered a good hangout spot. Then the rest of the city had finished changing and it was suddenly in 'the bad part' of town.

Naoto thought about it. The not causing a scene might be an issue. It would be easier to warn patrons to give the alleyways in the area a wide berth and not to brag about any particularly big wins. But she understood, it could scare customers away.]

The thieves also want to keep a low profile. When caught and outnumbered they've chosen to run so far.

[At least they didn't seem violent?]

[ Mitsuru looks thoughtful, considering the number of methods and tactics they could apply here. Unfortunately none of them seem like much of a permanent solution and well… ]

Hmm. Perhaps I can provide something of a deterrent. A punishment that may make them think twice about coming back and using this spot again.

[ Execution

Not that Naoto knows about that yet. ]

Enacted once they’re a decent distance away from the casino of course.

D O G

[kakashi can be seen around the casino daily with his trusty companion, rusty, at his side. the pup is quite well-behaved, sniffing his surroundings from time to time but mostly just chilling at kakashi's side.

however, an unlucky "customer" decides to snag the bag of another patron and run...he almost makes it to the door as kakashi whistles shortly, causing rusty to burst into action! the pup chases down the would be thief with impressive speed and clamps onto the man's leg with his mouth, tugging backwards ferociously to stop the man from escaping further. the man shrieks and tries to free his leg to no avail as kakashi approaches them at a brisk, yet somehow casual, pace.]

I would stop struggling if I were you.

[he plucks the bag from the man's hands, then whistles again. rusty releases the man, who scrambles up and out the door, cursing angrily. kakashi gives rusty a brief scratch behind the ears, obviously pleased.]

Good dog.

break room

[can you believe that a workaholic such as kakashi takes breaks? well, for one thing, he was told they were mandatory. for another, super good boy rusty deserves a snack. kakashi prepares a small bowl of dog food for his pup, makes sure he starts to eat, then makes himself busy straightening things in the break room. adjusting the coffee put to be just so, re-organizing the sugar, salt and peppers...wiping out the sink...and even cleaning out the fridge. hope nobody's hiding leftovers in there.]

wildcard

[have a better idea? hit me at citizenmono on discord or shoot me a PM. we can do custom no problem.]

[She'd noted the increase in pickpockets. As well as people lingering not far from the casino and mugging them. So Naoto was watching the door, ready. She'd started when she'd seen the man grab the bag, but the Kakashi was faster.

The dog was even quicker.

Still, she slowed her pace to walk over. She didn't think she'd need to help, but it was better to be safe if things escalated. Once closer, she nodded at the dog. She knew better than to pet a working dog that was doing it's job.]

They're remarkably well trained for one so young.

Of course. I've been training him since he was just little.

[not that he's huge right now or anything, but hey, give him a few more months.]

He's getting plenty of practice here, too. Plenty of criminal suspects to chase down.

[But...he's still little...]

What exactly are you training him in? Pursuit?

[She'd imagine training him in detecting certain scents would be difficult here.]

Pursuit, capture, tracking. We don't get as much practice with the latter.

[also it's a little difficult to scent simple things out in the big city aldrip has become.]

And he's a little small for capture. But he does his best.

I'd imagine it depends on what you want him to specialize in finding as well. My grandfather has had hounds that could detect weapons.

[Or rather they were trained to smell the gunpowder. But it took a lot of time to train them.]

I was surprised when he grabbed that pickpocket... [Though she'd kinda expected the man to keep moving and drag the pup along.]

He's got sharp teeth and he knows how to use them.

[he sounds proud, because he is. no he doesn't see a problem with training a dog to bite people, that's what dogs are for right??]

When he's bigger he'll be able to properly hold down enemies.

Hm... You may want to check if you need a license of sorts for a dog trained to bite. I'm not sure about here, but some places back home would consider such a dog dangerous. And would take it away from the owner.

[Because he was a cute dog. She didn't think there was much in the way of laws here. But it was better to be safe and check first.]

Don't be ridiculous. He only bites when he's ordered to, that's not dangerous at all.

[to........the general public.....?????]

Unfortunately, some laws would consider him a weapon because of that. As I said, I'm not sure if that'd be the case here.

Casino Mingle

Toph (ask for starter)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

for akechi

Mitsuru - a very gen, very open tl

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

security things

no subject

no subject

no subject

ota!

D O G

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject