[04] welcome to the family mikotoba!

[judicialassistant]

Who: The Great Ace Attorney cast
Which: Closed log
Where: Casita The Mikotoba house.
What: The Mikotobas accidentally a little party gathering for Sholmes & Gina's arrival. Shenanigans ensue.
Warnings: None. Maybe Great Ace Attorney spoilers (will edit if this changes).

[ It's just a bit chaotic in the Mikotoba house today.  Between Susato and Yujin, they have managed to send out invites to everyone they know from home. Without the holidays to complicate things and require extra time shopping, Susato is expecting that this will be a much simpler affair compared to Christmas, but with two extra heads and one (1) Good Boy to consider, she still finds herself doing quite a lot.

Most notably, the kitchen seems teeming with life. The tea kettle sounds, and the general smell of food fills the air. In the greenhouse outside, some of the younger dream snakes that found their home in the Wild Harvest have followed Susato and Kazuma home, feeding on small grasshoppers and other insects and pests threatening their Glowing Dawn collection. Speaking of which--blue Glowing Dawn petals still litter the floor......everywhere.

No, Toby, don't eat those--! ]


a. DRAWERS?
[ Someone has visited Reverein's newest bookstore, and that someone is Susato. On top of one of the dressers in Mikotoba living room, there is a copy of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and tucked within its pages is a particular wooden bookmark with a daruma head at the end of its ribbon.

Underneath it are a series of familiarly titled stories: The Final Problem, The Hound of the Baskervilles,, and more. Anything with his name on it? Susato grabbed it, "payment" being an afterthought.

There's only one problem: the name on the spine and the cover is Sherlock Holmes. The author is listed as someone named Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and most notably not John H. Wilson. No worries though! While Susato hasn't done anything about the author's name, she has helpfully placed a sticky note with a disapproving frown drawn over it over the S in Sherlock, and another sticky with the letter S on it just above the letter H in Holmes, with a little arrow pointing to where it should be.

She hasn't done this for all the Holmes books, but the idea is clear. ]

b. FLOORS!
[ With the extra company in the house, the smell of food, and all of the beautiful blue flower petals around the house, newest Good Boy Inspector Toby is very excitable and curious. He can be seen, tail wagging, most notably around the kitchen due to the smell of food, but when he's not hoping to get scraps, he can also be found playfully chasing what looks like a cat that's taken a dip in chocolate--a cat that looks suspiciously like Wagahai. (This is fine! Clearly.)

He may also sniff excitedly at your feet, walking behind you and sometimes cutting in front as you pass by as if purposely trying to trip you up. ]

c. DOORS!
[ Why is there a giant hole where the front door should be, you may ask, with nothing but splintered wood remaining of the poor door frame? More importantly, why is there a cherry-blossom pink colored curtain draped over the hole as if trying to hide it? Well, that second part is 100% Susato's fault. It's a long story, but today the problem is finally getting fixed, just as Kazuma-sama promised.

On the ground outside, he will find new wood, a hammer, nails, a new door--whatever he could need. Susato can be seen carefully taking down the pink Japanese-style curtain she has chosen out, only to drape it over their couch inside. She absolutely plans to put it right back up once the repairs are done. She otherwise is too busy to fuss at Kazuma too much about any of the heavy lifting or intensive labor, but she isn't far, so be careful, big bro! Sis is watching. ]

d. LET'S GO!
[ Wild card option! Any other ideas taking place in the Mikotoba house or the attached greenhouse is welcome. Somehow it's a party, so enjoy! Yes, even you, not!Reaper. You know who you are. ]

Comments

[chippedsoul]

[There it is again. It should be obvious by this point that nothing he does or say to push her away will change her mind. So why does it make him hurt? Cause he doesn't want her to suffer? Cause he wish he could tell her the same thing? But that's just...it's not possible. And maybe that's why this hurts even more.

What is there to love...? Maybe that's what she'll help him figure out.

All he can do is let her continue to be in his life like she wants, keeping silent. It's more than enough he tells himself. He needs to continue to be open to her being at his side anyway. One big ol' arm eventually hugs her small form. Quietly.]

I'm sorry I made you cry.

[judicialassistant]

[ Even if that is all she ends up doing, that would probably be good enough for Susato. Helping him see or realize how much there is to love about himself--just a glimpse of himself, how she sees him.

She leans into the hug, feeling suddenly self-conscious as she tries to wipe away evidence that she'd even cried. ]

Yes... Well. [ She might sound a little huffy, even as she sniffles. ] I was merely upset that you were right about me being unable to lift you.

[chippedsoul]

Heh, well...I don't think this really counts. [It's a little unfair to expect she could lift him like this. He'll just gently squeeze her, assure her he's here and not about to leave her.]

Take as much time as you need. I'm not going anywhere.

[judicialassistant]

[ ...Is he sure. She eyes him suspiciously as the squeeze comes through; she still manages to be impressed by his awesome strength after all that she's seen.

Idly, she find herself scratching at her arms, going inside her kimono sleeves to do so. Those snakes may not have been poisonous, but their fangs sure were sharp and they're about as stubborn as someone else she could mention. No wonder she wound up liking them so much. ]

Is that an Asogi Clan promise?

[chippedsoul]

...Asogi Clan promise. [He can promise that right now. That's what she meant, right? The snakes at this point have calm down and either returning to the bush or slithering around and over them. He chances a look down at Susato to be sure she's really going to be ok.]

Ah...we should tend to those bites. [A few snakes are shying away, aware of what they've done.]

1/2

[judicialassistant]

[ That's what she meant and wanted to hear, knowing how seriously Kazuma took such a vow and that he wouldn't go back on it.

She looks down when she hears a familiar, friendlier hissing this time. She shuffles her feet, as if trying to get out of the snakes' way, but they just kind of do curious circles out of concern. These young snakes, at least, are able to shake off whatever shame they felt. ]

Oh, no. You heard him. I will take care of it right now. [ A pause. She stops itching long enough to hold out her arm, as if to show them how it's not that big a deal, but she did seem to draw blood at the spot where she'd been itching (oops). ] I would have done the same thing.

[judicialassistant]

. . . Just think of it like practice. Someday you will grow big and strong, and then you will be able to protect him for real.

[ And maybe her too. If they want. Either way, she seems rather animated in her hand gestures, even in the comfort of Kazuma's arm. ]

[chippedsoul]

Hm. Preferably on my signal. [He can take care of himself, mostly. The snakes are moving their heads as if mesmerized by the motion of her hands. They seem at least content with her encouragement not to fret about their actions anymore. Meanwhile, her waving her arms show the extent of the injuries, tongue flicking and brushing against her hair and skin. Looks like nothing a little bit of cleaning and bandages can't fix.]

Try to not scratch so much until we get them clean. Are you ready to move? [Because he can just, carry her. She seems comfortable already in his arm.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Augh. It's always after someone says that that it itches the worst. A light groan escapes her lips and her hand that had just reached over to scratch (again) goes stiff as she wills herself to stop. She bites her lip a little as that hand falls back down to her side. ]

...

[ She opens her mouth, looking ready to say something, probably go off about how she knows where all of Yujin's medical supplies are, but then she closes it again. ]

What will you do if I say no? [ And why does she feel like she already knows the answer? Mikotoba Mindreading^TM. ]

[chippedsoul]

Well, I don't mind waiting, but we can't keep those wounds open. [His tail lightly taps the pavement. His other arm slips around her.]

So I'll just carry you back inside myself.

[judicialassistant]

Eep--! [ The highest-pitched, girliest squeal you can imagine escapes from Susato's mouth, and she clamps her mouth shut as quickly as possible, swinging her arms around Kazuma's neck to keep her balance as she leans back. ] I, I, I was only joking??

[ Though even as he says that, her legs swing upwards, her pink garden sandals nearly slipping off her feet. Evidently some of the snakes who did not quite make the leap onto her arms settled for nipping at her ankles and lower leg. ]

[chippedsoul]

[...She may have managed to stop herself, but that squeak still slipped out and it left Kazuma staring down at her. Her flustering is rather...well, it's not the scared kind of flustering. She's so quick to put her arms around his neck too.] . . .

[What is going on? He blinks, gaze moving away to pay attention to something else. Bite marks on her legs that have been exposed.] They really did a number on you. [He looks at the snakes still hanging around them. He's not saying anything to them, but they seem to know they need to back off a bit.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Not scared, more surprised? She's just trying not to fall now, though she does feel Kazuma's gaze on her for that moment, catching his eyes before he glanced away. What was that about...?

Still wide-eyed, she follows his gaze to her own feet. ]

They... Oh.

[ She hadn't felt those, somehow. She does remember her arms feeling rather numb, too, in that moment. Gosh. ]

[chippedsoul]

Easily patchable. Just hold tight. [And a moment later, he moves to stand. Welcome to being taller. With another look down at the remaining snakes, they retreat back into the garden. For such an imposing guy, he's very gentle with Susato as he carries her out of the garden and back into their home.]

I'll set you down on the sofa in the living room while I get the medical supplies. [He thinks he remembers where they are. Unless they've been moved since working on 76 and himself.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Her nerves are still dancing for whatever reason. She's not used to this... but she will cling to him tighter, as if trying to put more distance between her and the ground as he stands. She doesn't say anything on the way inside, but her cheeks seem a slightly deeper shade of pink.

He will indeed find the medical supplies mostly where he remembers them, save for the bulk of which was taken to the clinic when it opened. ]

O, Okay... [ Well, no, not really!!! ] I know how to patch it myself, too. I think. [ The way her voice trails off is probably not terribly convincing but it's true, okay. She is Yujin Mikotoba's daughter, after all! ]

[chippedsoul]

Oh? [Yea, he's not convinced. But he doesn't want her to feel useless either. These aren't that difficult wounds to tend to either.]

What's the first step? [He'll set her down onto the sofa while he ask.]

[judicialassistant]

[ It's been a while since they've done this, and the last time, the topic was probably law. What year was such-and-such law passed? Who was so-and-so and what was his significance?

She glances on either side of her as Kazuma sets her down, looking simultaneously relieved and maybe a little disappointed once she is on the couch. ]

The first step? [ She takes off those sandals to distract from the fact that her mind has temporarily drawn a blank, as it is wont to do, but she comes back around eventually when she thinks about what Rei would say. ] Why, like with any wounds, of course. They must be sterilized.

[ She is already pushing herself off the couch to stand. SHE GOT THIS... (ow, it stings--). ]

[chippedsoul]

Yes. Though you may want to stop the bleeding first. [She's not wrong either way. Just as he was about to walk away, he spots her trying to stand.]

Sit. I'll bring the items and we'll tend to your injuries together. [If she doesn't, he'll gently push her with his tail to force her back down.]

[judicialassistant]

. . . ! [ As she steps forward to trail behind him, she wasn't expecting the tail. In surprise, she finds herself clawing at it like a cat out of protest, though if he even felt it, she can't tell. Maybe she missed entirely, though she certainly remembers vainly batting against its scales.

She plops back down onto the couch. At first she pouts, but then... the longer he is gone, though it may be no more than a couple minutes, she finds herself wondering if they're really OK. ]

[chippedsoul]

[It did felt a little tingly when she tried to get a grip on his tail. Had she full on tugged it, that would've likely gotten a reaction out of him.

Indeed it was only a few minutes before Kazuma returns to her side. Basic medical supplies in his claws, washcloth and a small bucket of water being carried by his tail.]

Now what's the next step after sterilizing the wound? [He continues to quiz Susato while he sets everything down before her.]

[judicialassistant]

[ She idly balls her hand into a fist and then opens it again, repeating this motion a few times while he's gone. She feels something there, something tough and dry and papery. She looks over just as he's placing all of the supplies down and notices a patch of his snake skin there.

. . . Another question? She almost doesn't hear it, shaking her head and taking a guess. ]

Did you bring the gauze? [ Before going too much further though, she probably can't do too much without him noticing the snake skin she has. ] You dropped something, by the way.

[chippedsoul]

I did. [They're somewhere in the pile of supplies. He blinks, looking to her and then what was in her hand. He frowns, glancing at his own tail. It's definitely shedding.]

Ah...you can just discard it.

[judicialassistant]

[ Well... unfortunately they're not in the greenhouse anymore, so a random patch of snake skin just lying around the house just wouldn't blend in quite as well. She gives him a nod, making a mental note to dispose of it properly.

Of course, now that she can get a better look for longer, she can see more of the dead skin hanging off. ]

I can get the rest for you when you are done with me. Once the wounds are clean, you can just wrap the area to keep it that way, correct? We have creams that can be used as well, to prevent itching and the like.

[chippedsoul]

Right. I did bring an ointment. [He kneels down to get a piece of cloth and then extends a hand out expectantly to her.] I still remember a few things thanks to Dr. Jekyll.

[He knows what he's doing Susato.] And...yes, I suppose you can assist me later. [Honestly stills feels a little awkward that he has to worry about shedding.]

[judicialassistant]

[ She still not sure what she's done to deserve being spoiled. Oppositely, she still feels quite bad, though obviously Kazuma does as well, so she will hold out her own hand without thinking, pulling up her kimono sleeve before resting that hand in his.

Numerous bite marks are exposed, many of them breaking skin to draw blood, though she still seems largely unfazed, going quiet when Dr Jekyll is mentioned. At some point, she'd placed the book down, and she could think of a million questions she could probably ask him about his life in the Realm of Stories, but she's just quiet and accepting. ]

Father would be impressed. [ She tenses in anticipation of feeling the wet cloth against those bites; and behind him, she spots Chocohai wandering curiously into the room. ]