( OPEN ) FIGHTING CRIME BY MOONLIGHT

[transmit]

WHO: Every Outsider interested!
WHAT: Catch-all log for cleaning up (or making more of a mess of) Neo Tokyo's crime scene! Refer to the OOC post here for details. Neo Tokyo's current social and political climate can be found under the World / Setting section here.
WHERE: Neo Tokyo, Japan.
WHEN: Nov 2024 & onward.
WARNINGS: Violence, drug use, threats and coercion … whatever else that happens where crime and criminal activity are involved. Please mark for other CWs if necessary!


From the month of November and onward, Outsiders can find recruitment posters around the base for a specialised subsection of an anonymous Neo Tokyo security agency! Feel free to assume that's where most of the directives come from.

Current quests relating to this player plot can be found under < STREET FIGHTER > and < RISE AND THRIVE > on the QUEST BOARD.

People are free to use this log or their own for open and closed starters. However, if you'd like to contribute to the quest chain or setting changes, please remember to eventually submit your links and a summary under the associated quests! Otherwise, go wild!

Comments

okada izou, fate/grand order

[hitokiller]

november.

[hitokiller]

* open or closed prompts below. ⤵

( open )

[hitokiller]

a. the agency "interview".

Says here, you were... offered some work previous.

( well, well, well.

with elysium missing-in-action initially, there's only one set of hands left to handle the paperwork in this establishment, or so a certain assassin believes as he props his feet up on a dusty, lacquered desk in front of him—the establishment in question being a small, run-down little corner of an office that was abandoned somewhere in the middle of the city. while it's not the cleanest setup, with remnants of a deceased associate's work tacked to a dirty corkboard in the back and organized in an old-fashioned binder that prompted digital entries when opened, it was at least serviceable. all the kaiju-related tasks overseas and managing the horrific aftermath of them hadn't given them much leeway for clean-up, after all.

izou gives a dramatic, scrutinizing look to whoever he's questioning, while his other hand, not occupied with waving across a digital display, "thoughtfully" rubs at his scruff. )

What would you say yer strengths are? Your credentials for... tackling the wrongdoings in our good ol' Neo Tokyo. Which, trust me. There's a lot of wrongdoing goin' around.

( eat your heart out, sakamoto detective agency. )

b. street fighter, but vampiric.

( a swollen moon hangs over the smeared clouds, visible despite the sea of neon colors that is neo tokyo, and beneath it—

is you and izou, peering from around a wall at a favorite dinner spot of one of the many local gangs. a restaurant that sheltered those with little digital coin in the sweltering summer, that thrives on the sort that style themselves in collared suits and tailored tan jackets. there are rumors in the air of the owner gambling with his cut "product", of him not paying the clan in question on time, and so a little persuasive action is in need. whether that's true or not is up in the air, but. the summit of men pacing and surrounding the entrance says enough. )

... You wanna wait? See what happens?

( could always act like they've got a reservation, but izou isn't sure the place is fancy enough for that. )

c. street fighter, but wildcard.

( if you've got a different idea re: approaching or infiltrating local gang networks, write me a starter or hit me up and i'll see what i can do! izou has street smarts and has even taken on the occasional job to "shakedown" people making trouble for his part-time... so. )

C! hee hee

[zauneyete]

[ It's a dingy little spot, this club, the way in is a stairwell to the basement below a combined tattoo parlor and thrift store, and the sounds of buzzing echo over the street, where Silco's smoking and watching the comings and goings. This is supposed to be a fairly popular spot, all things considered, amongst the regular members of the gang, at least, according to the whispers that he's heard. Gang members all tend to be fairly tight-lipped about some things, but they are gossips when it comes to what they like to do, or anything that doesn't apply to business.

They also tend to be friendly when one plies them with liquor and a free slide of a libation that he'd picked up with some old sticky-fingered habits along the way.

Now, supposedly, there's a way in through the door at the bottom of the stairwell, but one has to give the word. He isn't exactly the stealthiest, but that's why he's hoping to have a little help. Sure, he could just get it via violence, or draining their blood, but Silco knows the value of patience, and he's heard that the place is a popular spot for the dealers and the muscle alike, for multiple small-time gangs, and he'd heard that some of them are always hopeful for getting noticed by larger crews here. Generally, if they need bolstering for a job, they run by this place to recruit.

That's useful, if they can get in. ]

Anything useful?

[hitokiller]

( a lair swimming with the disreputable. izou might've been one of those goons that were easy to crack back in the day, when he was younger, a hand always itching to prove that he was good and useful and strong, but now? now he was simply seasoned in the way of doing others' dirty work and what came with the territory of hanging out in far seedier places than usual, his own cigarette hanging taut between limp fingers as he taps the burning embers and ash tumbles to the backstreet asphalt below.

he itches to prove himself in a different way, where he'd rather cut down the user than be used. )

Could follow a guy. Break his arm behind his back until he spills.

( the password, that is. typical izou, suggesting violence out-right.

he didn't expect to be with silco of all people on this little escapade of theirs, but the guy had a confidence about him that almost commands attention, vampirism notwithstanding. )

[zauneyete]

We could, but unless you want to eliminate and dispose of him, what good does that do? He'd go running back after, wouldn't he?

[ Silco knew that it would be the sort of thing he would notice, either someone dead and disposed of, or someone panicking and running in afterward, sharing every little detail about them. Which is difficult, given that he's also fairly well known amongst those that know his own occupation. Sure, he was only cooking books, but he was good at it — always had been since he was a boy — and that drew attention.

It didn't help that only months ago, he'd had a turncoat from his own organization murdered in his bakery.

No, he didn't want to draw too much attention. Not until they were in. ]

Perhaps we should try eavesdropping first, hm? The alley nearby might work best. [ A shrug. ] If that doesn't work, then we can try it your way, hm?

[ Surprisingly cautious for a man who'd once suggested he just bite someone. ]

[hitokiller]

Oh, yeah. There would be some of that. ... Not that I don't know how to dispose of a body real quick.

( but being noticeable wasn't their main focus here. in fact, it was the opposite.

it doesn't surprise izou that silco pushes back to correct him. he wasn't a plans sort of guy, more the protection who always listened even if now he was bold enough to make his own assertions, not so willing to put up with anything just to stay ahead. just to feel appreciated. things were different now, even surprisingly a bit different from his summons in chaldea where he was forever on stand-by when they didn't call for him to deploy. never needing to eat, or drink, or sleep.

he tosses his cigarette to the ground, crushing it neatly with the heel of a thick-soled leather shoe. )

Guess we could always get close by havin' one of us pose as an affiliate who already knows and a wanna-be recruit or somethin'. Like, a strategy in case folks start to question what we're up to. How good are yer acting skills?

( ... and though now wasn't the time: )

Y'know, I didn't expect to see you join up.

[zauneyete]

Hm.

[ He says, considering the tactics. He could, given his position. It's a gamble if things turn out poorly, but it's also the most effective way in. He can bluff his way in, certainly. His position in the small-time gang he's in gives him some ability to... grease the wheels. Ah, but first? ]

Why not? Because I don't seem the type?

[ On the streets he adopts something a touch closer to what would be expected on the street, instead of what he wears around the base. Dressed all in black, with a high-collared coat that likely looks a little more pricier than a newcomer should be able to afford. It's like he's striding the line between his own fashion, and what blends in here. He seems to blend into the shadows — everything but that eye. It glows in the dark, turning his attention to Izou. ]

I know better than most what this sort of rot does to a city. Warring criminal organizations, people looking for every advantage while they fight tooth and nail for Scraps, while the average person fears walking the streets?

[ A tip of his head. All true. He is familiar. The disdain for warring criminal operations was also not even a lie. What he saw with them was opportunity, but what... what... ]

You and yours need someone who knows how to make do in this kind of realm anyway. I don't have to be from this world to know how these people work.

[ His scar is covered, so he looks more... put together tonight, like an old mobster weary with the world. Maybe trying to get out? Maybe just worn out. ]

If we want subterfuge, I can use my... [ A twitch of his lips. ] Civilian name. However; [ He raised a finger. ] There will be no acting out when we get down there. Information gathering only. No matter what we see.

( 1 / 2 )

[hitokiller]

( it's the first time the piercing gaze of that eye unnerves him, like it's trying to corner izou for speaking up or making fun. he's seen gazes like that before, many times over in fact. the gaze of a mentor turned leader who eventually treated him like a lap dog. the gaze of a comrade looking down on him for his rags, or for his attitude, and izou almost shrinks on reflex. but he's been through enough at this point to not crumble under the weight of certain old memories, or at least he thinks.

that amber eye of his still lowers, flitting away to look at something else. )

If by bein' from this world means from Japan, then yeah, I'd say I'm from here. But that was a long ass time ago.

( he exhales through his nose, feeling irritated for his own weakness. )

What makes you think I don't know what the folk walking the streets at night stabbin' each other for a hand-out are like? Used to do that myself. And from the attitude you're givin' me, I bet you did similar. I just meant you didn't seem the type to stick your neck out.

( there's no indication they're moving yet, and as the gears turn in his head: )

You'll see how a real man-slayer works soon enough, but. Civilian names. That's good.

( 2 / 2 )

[hitokiller]

( ... civilian names ... )

What's yours? First.

a.

[lostdestiny]

[ Surely no one in their right mind would ask Shinn to do anything undercover after Brasov (probably?), so he is not actually here because he was invited for an interview. He is walking in with a stack of pizza boxes. Does he have the wrong address? Was this a prank order? Did someone in this office actually want a "Bloody Mary pizza, absolutely no garlic"? A side-gig as a delivery driver is full of uncertainty and leads him into some odd places.

Shinn looks from Izou to the run-down office, skeptically. Without zero context, walking into a film noir scene while just trying to make a delivery is extremely bizarre. What wrongdoing is this guy talking about, specifically? Is Shinn about to get a follow-the-red-strings-and-thumbtacked-photos rant against corn on pizza? ]

... I know the city's screwed up, but do you want the pizza or not?

( 1 / 2 )

[hitokiller]

( ... huh. that's not the response he expected.

izou glances up from his drawn-up, digital sketches to behold some dark-haired kid he's never seen before giving him a scrutinizing look. he turns up his nose a little, just barely twisting a foot that's resting on desk to say: )

Who the hell're you? No one ordered a pizza.

( 2 / 2 )

[hitokiller]

( a beat, and then: )

... But if you're offerin' it up, I'll take it off your hands.

( for someone else, maybe, as a bargaining chip. DAMN IT WHY IS HE A VAMPIRE )

[lostdestiny]

[ Shinn checks the address on the delivery instructions again and confirms that if this is a mistake it’s not his mistake, at which point he visibly starts to lose interest. He’s got the right place, the guy will take the food, this seems like it will be a thoroughly uneventful delivery. His expression goes a little unfocused and his eyes light up as he logs the completed task on the network, and he starts to answer the initial question with a bit of a grumble (because hey Shinn hasn’t even done anything to deserve this guy being rude to him … in this immediate interaction): ]

Shimo—

[ No, wait, he’s seen this guy around base, he can use his actual name, right? He drops the boxes on the desk. ]

Shinn Asuka. What’s with the weird setup?

[hitokiller]

( "asuka". such a girly surname for a delivery boy. maybe the kid's feeling opportunistic or something, trying to nab himself a side-job on top of the money he's already making, but izou isn't having it beyond acknowledging that he'll take the food off his hands. if this were a delivery to the wrong place, it wasn't on him to direct them elsewhere, either. he'll just take the win and move on. free food was always a welcome sight to a man who went without that one time he was on the run.

but.

izou turns the name over again in his head, like, where the hell have i heard that before?, until it hits like a hammer and everything comes rushing—the events in brasov, the jeering over the network, and maybe even seeing the back of this kid's head on base somewhere. izou's all limbs as he makes to remove his elevated feet and lean into the desk in a hurry, a palm slamming down on it with enough force to shake his digital screen. )

Shinn?? Ain't you that brat from Yamato who tried to tell me what for? I'm runnin' a serious establishment here against misdeeds and shit. Not a WEIRD one. So park your pizza and then shove off.

[lostdestiny]

Oh. It's you.

[ Shinn slips into surly, dismissive mode in a beat. He has a decent sense of who this guy is from the Yamato comment, and Shinn is even more pissed off than he was before the Outsiders wiped out a village of farmers armed with shovels (and, if he were being fair, which he is not inclined to be at the moment, a sub-population of cultists and/or vampires) in Brasov. ]

What does your serious establishment do, take candy from babies?

[hitokiller]

( will elysium forgive him if there's a body in here?

actually, nevermind. he doesn't need elysium's approval for shit. )

More like give candy to...

( —wait. no. don't give this kid that ammo. izou clicks his tongue. maybe he ought to be vague, given the sort of "organizations" they're trying to infiltrate. )

... It's for public safety, and tackling... injustice. Important, lift-changing stuff like that. The sorta stuff that makes a difference.

A

[30storieshigh]

[ Did somebody invite Mr Loose Cannon? Did he simply hear about it? Or has he wandered in entirely by chance?! Who cares! The better question is why is Izou currently looking at a seven foot tall man clad entirely in a bad knock-off mascot costume? And why are there what looks suspiciously like blood splatters all across the chest and face of the costume? Because LILITH's technology sucks and maybe he had a snack on the way here, don't worry about it.

Godzilla himself is wondering why Izou is playing stupid. They've meet before (granted he was shorter in his human-guise then since it was holographic and not physical but still...!) Why is he acting like they don't know each other!

He crosses his arms and snorts, smoke bellowing out from the mouth of the costume. ]

I am Godzilla. That is my dental credits, as you term them. Direct me to those who are causing disharmony so I might remove them.

[hitokiller]

Dental credits?

( squaring off with the one man who won't correct him, izou repeats the botched phrase loudly. that's a name he recognizes.

in fact, it's a name anyone employed under LILITH ought to have familiarized themselves with by now, and he squints at the big guy with a clearly judging gaze. )

And I'm Okada Izou, famous manslayer, but you don't see me skippin' over the paperwork part.

( actually— )

Credentials. That's the stuff you're good at.

[30storieshigh]

Bah! Worked paper. What usage does it hold outside the lairs of academia?

[ Another snort of smoke and a roll of his eyes. Not that... Izou can see that with the giant monkey mask on, but it might translate into his tone a little. ]

If that is what you wished to know then state as such. I hunt, I battle, I kill, I destroy. These are my "Credentials". Things of use against the rotted aspects of humanity within the city, yes?

[hitokiller]

Hunting. You're makin' this sound like a sport.

( academia, huh. fair enough. and literal paper is hard to come by... )

I know well enough that killing folks can change a lot, but we're tryin' to run a... clean, agency here. Mostly.

How do you feel about ( squints at his display, ) stuff involving donation drives for the maltreated?

[30storieshigh]

Hmm.

[ Clean, huh? Godzilla knows plenty of ways to end a life without making it a mess but context implies that's probably not at all what Izou means. Filing that one away for later. This next part though, he's got this! ]

Ah! Yes. I have of recent been provided with a two wheeled powered transport. I am as yet inexperienced in its operation, however I have no issue taking on tasks that would require driving it.

[ It went completely over his head and he has no idea. Help. ]

[hitokiller]

( this guy... "two-wheeled transport"?

not that izou is the expert on goodwill or anything. the blind leading the blind, as it were. he waves a hand. )

You don't need none of that to drive, long as you don't hit nobody. But I meant more, like... collectin' supplies and food for people.

( the stuff he doesn't want to be in charge of. hmm. )

b

[newphew]

[ his partner of the moment is hunter, who is considering the restaurant thoughtfully. he'd started to investigate this gang undercover as a high school student, and had gotten tidbits of information. but now there's two of them here and multiple men obviously sizing up the entrance ]

That, or we find another way in.

[ apparently hunter doesn't think pretending to have a reservation is the way to go, either ]

[hitokiller]

We could check the back, at risk of gettin' caught. Or rather, I got a way to go unseen, but I don't know about you, kid.

( the ability to completely hide his presence that every assassin possesses to a certain degree of quality.

izou exhales through his nose. )

What sort of abilities do you got for infiltration?