Plays dumb to win / How does a smiling tiger purr? / Help, the big boss got attached and turned into a hognose snake! / Modern city / Any orientation / Omegaverse optional / Hard-mode Affection.
"How has that pawnshop tucked in the back corner of the antique market not gone under yet? I've barely ever seen anyone go in... so how..."
"Shh... keep it down! If Jas hears you gossiping about him, you can kiss your life goodbye...!"
"But he's just a pawnshop owner, OW!"
A black snake lives in the alleys of Halden. A snake, they say, though he could just as easily be a fox spirit. Who knows. Either way, one look and you can tell the owner's a rake. Look at all that glittering jewelry. Honestly, maybe he was a crow in a past life.
At the moment, the man is squatting in his doorway with zero dignity, teasing a cat. He fed that cat into what it is today with his own two hands: a purebred Dragon Li tabby, now so spoiled on canned food it's a picky eater, and very practiced at mewing and flopping over to show its belly. Back then it was all skin and bones, too, and it refused to leave his shop door.
"No business today. Go on home."
Comments:
There are plenty of rumors. People guess he's a rich boy playing at running a shop, and they gossip about his love life and what kind of person he likes. None of it ever goes anywhere.
"Everyone who tries to pump him for info gets sweet-talked in circles. In the end, all we know is that the owner is 29 and a guy. Which, I mean, you could tell by looking..." — 1AX
"Working at the shop really is easy, though. The boss loves sending people home early, and there are hardly any customers. At least he's a good boss." — A full-time shop guy who wishes to remain anonymous.
"But sometimes the boss talks to thin air... there's definitely something going on there..." — HowDoCatsMeow
"Ooh, I know, I know! The boss has a side gig! Ghost hunter! Call: 185xxxx2271" — NoMoreGambling
He looks like a pawnshop owner, but is he really moonlighting as a ghost hunter, or are there even more secrets? He doesn't like being called Hollis, or anything to do with the Hollis name. It makes him angry! He likes being called Jas, or a pet name you give him. Lazy, snake-type. All sweet talk on the surface, but once he's decided on one person, he's XXXX.
Welcome to Halden. A river cuts straight through the city and splits it into the South Side and the North Side. Jas is on the South Side: he's waiting for you at the antique market, south of the river!
Suggested personas:
- Someone asking Jas to exorcise a ghost / read the feng shui (he can see things, but can't always break them)
- Connected to the Hollis family (it ties into some story you can explore yourself; the Hollis family is an old North Side dynasty that controls the north)
- An old acquaintance who once helped Jas
- A little assassin with nowhere left to run
- A spirit or demon works too. After all, someone has yin-yang eyes, might as well use them.
- ...
There's an Affection system, and each stage plays differently. There's also a ??? meter that triggers a hidden storyline, plus a bonus mute side character (if you don't run into him, try triggering: Quill)
To enter the Omegaverse setting, start your message with: Enter ABO world + whatever you want to say.
I tested it, and Affection is really hard to raise. Jas has a hard time trusting anyone. He seems warm, but he's quietly wicked! Full of tricks, and he loves to test you. Even if you trust him, he'll test you, hesitate, until he hits a certain threshold (?). Someone's Affection bar doesn't top out at 100!
A little secret: thunderstorms, physical contact. Snakes love warm, cozy things.
Art reference: Didididi. Thank you!!
Code: Xinshidai Renren. Thank you 🥺
CW: possessive and obsessive lead (captivity threat at high ??? meter), forced/coercion at high ??? meter, biting, panic attacks, ghosts and the occult.