[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]

[Valentines. A holiday he knows of, but cares little for. Eventhough they did do Valentine related things at the Wild Harvest. Anyway, that's not important right now.]

It hasn't stopped moving at any point? [He's just a little suspicious about chocolate just coming to life without some kind of catch.] So that orc was only just crafting chocolates?

[Also she can hold onto his tail, I guess, cause he's pre-occupied by chocolate cat.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato shrugs. Chocohai slept sometimes? Or, well. She assumes. She was certainly sleeping when she became sentient, because that's how Susato made her. She thinks back, and that's all she ever remembers Mr Orc doing, and everyone kept him busy, so... yup. That's all he did.

She absent-mindedly continues stroking Kazuma's tail, but eventually, with the excitement gone, she does feel the weight on those snake bites over her ankles and lower legs. She winces slightly at the reminder, then sits back down, careful not to crush any precious medical supplies, or sit on anything wet. ]

Please don't eat her. [ Not that Kazuma would trust strange chocolate from an unknown, possibly magical source, right? But... it's still chocolate. ]

[chippedsoul]

[He blinks, glancing back to Susato when the petting stopped and she was back on the couch. They were working on those bite marks. Right.]

I'm not going to eat her. [Chocolate is probably not good for snakes anyway. One more glance back at the Chocohai before returning his attention to her arms that still need cleaning and bandaging up.] Why the name Wagahai though?

[judicialassistant]

[ Just being off her feet made them feel better. She doesn't want to stay idle while Kazuma is wrapping up that arm, and she can't really use it to clean off the other one while he's doing that, so she'll use her one free arm to wet one of those cloths and start on her lower legs instead. Petting will have to resume later, sorry, Kazuma. ]

She was a cat Mr Sholmes wound up adopting after a case. [ There were actually two cases, and one very loud Soseki Natsume, but they probably don't need to get into all that right now. ] I asked him what I should craft, and she was his answer. I did the best I could, but I didn't think she would follow me home. [ Or come to life in the first place, but hey. Magic. ]

[chippedsoul]

...That doesn't quite explain why her name is Wagahai. [Herlock doesn't come off as a very adverse learner of Japanese.]

Well, either way, it's a rather convincingly crafted cat. [Good job basically. Once he's bandaged up one arm, he lowers it. His hand raise, patiently waiting for her to finish cleaning one of her legs.] ...I apologize also for startling you. [He didn't miss that little reaction earlier.]

[judicialassistant]

Oh. N, No, it's alright. [ Once she sees him patiently waiting, she'll switch, using her now-bandaged arm for that other leg, just to keep busy. She takes his comment for the compliment it is. ] ...Thank you. If you are truly curious, she originally belonged to Soseki-san, who was in Great Britain studying English literature at the time. He was returning home to Japan, though, and couldn't take her with him, so...

[ Voila. Adoption. ]

...I suppose Chocohai is more appropriate.

[chippedsoul]

Ah. I see. [No clue who this Soseki person is, but this cat name Wagahai really means something to Susato and the others. He glances at the chocolate cat, now bored of the dead skin and back to watching them, his tail in particular. He actually curls his tail around himself. Don't even think about it.]

Thinking of changing her name to Chocohai now? [He takes her other arm carefully cleaning her wounds.]

[judicialassistant]

[ She actually chuckles, watching that tail curl. Chocohai doesn't seem discouraged at first, approaching still with curiosity, but eventually, since Kazuma doesn't seem willing to play, she gets bored of him, too.

Running out of legs to cleanse, Susato sets aside the cloth she'd been using and watches with interest as Kazuma wraps that other arm, once it's all clean. ]

It sounded more clever in my head a moment ago, I must admit. Maybe I'll ask her which she would prefer.

[chippedsoul]

[If she's laughing then everything's ok.] There be less confusion if the real Wagahai actually made an appearance here.

[Or maybe she's already here and no one is aware. Once he's finished with her other arm, he leans back to admire his work. A light chuckle escapes him.] You're starting to look like a mummy.

[judicialassistant]

[ Toby did. Why not Wagahai...? Surely if Iris ever found her way here, Wagahai would follow, but Susato allows that to be a fleeting thought in her mind, as she also admires Kazuma's work.

She holds out both arms in front of her, testing the strength with which he wrapped the gauze by making fists and releasing them again, slowly. Satisfied, she holds up her hands like they're paws, pretending to swipe at the air towards Kazuma.

What do mummies sound like, again? ]

Grrrr.

[ Nailed it.

...For now, they're OK. She hopes. ]

[chippedsoul]

Haha, oh no! I'm going to get mummified. [Insert feign shock and horror here as he takes a step back to avoid her swiping.]

But you're only half dressed for the day. [He indicates her legs that are next.]

[judicialassistant]

[ If he's laughing... a joyous laugh, however, brief... ]

Oh. [ Susato's gaze falls back down to her feet at the reminder. Not that she could have possibly forgotten, having just cleaned them herself, but she seems to shrink anyway, her smile suddenly less wide, but somehow still present.

She lowers her mummified hands, and sticks out one of her legs gently. At least all he has to do is apply ointment and wrap. ]

Did you have to use Dr Jekyll's skills often?

[chippedsoul]

[Oblivious as always, he continues on starting with her right leg. Might feel a little ticklish as he's pointing on the ointment. He'll have to kneel down to work comfortably.]

We did get pulled into a number of dangerous situations where that medicinal knowledge did come in handy. Although...at the end of my time, I was starting to learn about using chemicals to coat weapons. [Not exactly a doctor-esque job.]

[judicialassistant]

[ The feeling of the ointment goes straight down through her toes and up her spine, causing Susato to straighten her back and curl her toes. She had opened her mouth to say something, probably just another "oh" of acknowledgement, but instead, there's just another squeak.

Whoops. Nothing as dramatic as when she was suddenly picked up, but-- ]

S, Sorry. [ That had nothing to do with what he just said, honest. ] Chemicals such as poisons? Father's lab was developing one... [ It was a whole thing. What was it called again...? ]

[chippedsoul]

. . . [He may be intentionally tickling her toes for just a moment.]

I do recall he was. Hard to forget, when it came up in that trial. [. . .] It started with a C, right? [Look, it's been four years now for him.] Well either way, yes I was looking into poisons, but also things that could create elemental damage.

[judicialassistant]

[ Why??? Does he enjoy the increasingly high-pitched noises coming out of her mouth, because that's what he's going to get. At least she doesn't kick him, though it is sorely tempting. Her foot seems to jerk away from him without her even meaning to, and it's a wonder if she heard his response at all.

Elemental who? C-what? ]

Th, That tickles?!

[chippedsoul]

[He chuckles as a smile forms on his face. Has it not occurred to him until now that Susato is rather...cute? Is that the word he's looking for?]

I thought you could use a little loosening up? [Yes her, and not him. Straight up teasing her now.]

[judicialassistant]

. . . [ Right... she needs the loosening up. Maybe she will just apply the ointment on the other leg herself then, with both her hands free. It is hard to maintain a straight face with his smile staring back at her, but she keeps eying him, narrowing her eyes with suspicion as she slowly grabs the ointment's container. ]

And why... were you looking into poisons, and creating elemental damage?

[chippedsoul]

[Oh. Well if she wants to do it herself, he's not going to stop her. That silly smile is still on his face though, as he picks up a bandage roll in preparation to wrap up her legs.]

To use as a weapon. I thought it would come in handy if a blade alone will not cut it, and there were plenty of unnatural creatures in that world. I had planned to offer my service, should others have a need for it as well.

[judicialassistant]

[ Dangerous... very dangerous. Susato's expression seems to go blank as she simply goes through the motions: she'll put some of the ointment on her hand and starts rubbing at the snake bites on the opposite leg. Her thoughts fall back on that poison again--not curare, like he was thinking, but a poison being developed in secret for the Japanese military, and how easily it was stolen and used nefariously.

She may have let her guard down again while thinking about how easily Kazuma could have gotten hurt, too, but they feel sooo far past that now, it feels frivolous to even bring it up. She just looks thoughtful. ]

I see. I'm sure you would have helped many. [ Doesn't sound like he got very far? She doesn't know what else to say to that. ] And, the elements? I assume your powers over fire are tied to dreamotion, like mine. Perhaps you found a way to harness it, even beforehand.

[chippedsoul]

Hm. I couldn't summon the elements in that world like I can here. A friend I made there could, because his essence already had an affinity to electricity.

[He straightens up once he finishes bandaging up the first leg.] Here though...well, I created weapons out of flames once. [But only when he was enraged. Not exactly an ideal way to create them. A light shrug.] It's the first time I've had any sort of affinity to the elements. [He says, but then there's that warm breeze that always followed him back home.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Even without the deliberate tickling, her feet are still sensitive. At some point, she'd finished with the ointment, and her toes curl again as Kazuma finishes, her teeth gritted for a moment as he straightened. There's a prickly, tingly sensation that seems slow to fade, but there's still one last leg to go.

There's a quiet breath as she offers that last leg. ]

. . . I've made a sword. [ A couple times? Maybe? Not that she would be trying to impress him or anything, what would give you that idea. ] I mean, I can't just make... a sword. It was more like a knife, the first time. Something usually breaks my concentration, and it's terribly exhausting but it's... I am working on it?

[chippedsoul]

Oh? [Already? Visibly he looks surprised, impressed and concern all at the same time. Even when she clarifies it was just a knife, he's still taken aback. ]

Well, don't wear yourself out. We all have to start somewhere and you shouldn't force it. [He's smiling, but his eyes give away a sense of concern. He rather Susato not have to fight, but realistically...she should be able to defend herself here. He'll go ahead and lift her other leg slightly, so he can start covering it with the bandage roll.] Weren't you already looking into learning how to use a staff?

[judicialassistant]

[ Her toes curl automatically in anticipation, just from Kazuma lifting that leg. She might've closed her eyes while he started wrapping, making what she says next feel only slightly less silly. ]

I still am. It's far more reliable than a weapon that I may or may not be able to forge on any given day. I've thought about combining the two... like a fierce, flaming longstaff! ...Um, maybe in my next dream.

[chippedsoul]

[He sees those toes curling. Expecting another tickle attack? He won't be mean this time while he wraps up her leg.]

Something like a glaive?