[07] move along, move along just to make it through

[judicialassistant]

Who: Susato and anyone
Which: Open catch-all log for September + network option
Where: The Wild Harvest garden, but open to other locations.
What: Yujin Mikotoba has left Songerein.
Warnings: Will add if needed.

🌸 A. an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Sender: Susato Mikotoba
To: Everyone
Subject: Reverein's clinic

[ It's short, and to the point. Susato doesn't use the journal often to broadcast like this, but now that she is, she feels it prudent to be as direct as possible. ]

To whom it may concern:

For the past couple weeks, the Reverein communal clinic has been without a proper doctor to run it. If you are in need of aid, please be patient, as the volunteers are doing the very best they can.

If you have medical experience and would like to help, please let me know. Thank you.

Regards,
Susato Mikotoba

🌸 B. move along, move along, like i know you do.

[ Within the garden of the Wild Harvest, among the faint hissing of snakes and the lull of the waterfalls, Susato closes her journal and tucks away her pen. She takes a deep breath as she moves to stand from her favorite bench, and she walks with purpose into an area littered with stars that look like stepping stones upon the ground.

For a moment, she stops and simply stares. There it is. A blank star, waiting for a name. Perhaps it appeared some time ago. Perhaps she simply ignored it, but after digesting recent events, she has no time to wallow in the remaining stages of grief. He's not even dead, but she wonders if that doesn't make things worse.

Either way, she doesn't even need a pen. She slowly bends down, spending another moment feeling the rough surface of the starfish with her hand before she commits with her pointer finger.

The strokes appear in a glow, and the end result looks engraved. ]

御琴羽 悠仁

🌸 C. wild card.

[ If neither of these fit! ]

(( ooc: Feel free to write your own prompt/starter, or if you'd like me to write a personalized starter for you, hit me up at yammdere or via PM!

Side note: I would love to incorporate Quest #902. Hug it out if you hit prompt B. uwu ))

Comments

sender : alphen

[refire]

Do you need help back there, Susato?

I'm not doctor but I'm more than willing to lend a hand. It sounds like you're in trouble.

[judicialassistant]

Oh, Alphen. Don't worry, I am fine, but the volunteers here can only do so much.

By any chance, are you able to heal?

sender: Oriphi

[hearthwarming]

Susato,

I'm not a professional doctor by any means, but I have some experience with medicine and healing magic, as you know... I would be more than happy to help if your clinic would need that sort of assistance...

[ she adds, because of recent events: ]

How are you doing?

[judicialassistant]

Ori...

[ Guilt worms its way into her chest. If he was still here... he could have helped her. The druid wound up so much worse than anyone who went after Tifa. Susato has faced noctaere before, she should have known. She should have...

... ]

I'm sorry I couldn't stay that night. Thank you for offering. I won't say no, but please take care of yourself first and foremost. It is enough that Miss Tifa keeps trying to come back to work.

sender: Shigeru

[mysophobic]

I can help out as much as you need! I know Yujin and I discussed my working there since I am a doctor so I've been checking in from time to time.

Did something happen?!

[ Is Yujin okay?! ]

[judicialassistant]

[ Yujin is probably better than okay. He's back to living his real life, the way he was always meant to. Still, Shigeru's response is the one that gets the happiest response so far. ]

Shigeru-san! Oh, I'm so glad.

Don't worry. Nobody is gravely injured, but I've been concerned. Father has been gone for quite sometime now.

b

[stillarhino]

[Considering the events of the last few days, Beat had been mostly quiet, tending to his cuts and bruises from their encounter with Eustace. He'd found himself tired and lacking energy of late, which could probably be attributed to how much he exerted himself using dreamotion that night. But he doesn't think too much of it, considering how much they needed it then.

Tired of sitting around doing nothing, Beat found himself walking around aimlessly, letting his feet take him wherever they pleased. Which finds him at the Wild Harvest. He hadn't had the chance to check up on Susato since and figured he should at least do that while he was here.

He finds her in the garden she had brought him to last month during the curry competition. Seeing how deep in thought she seemed to be, he doesn't say anything at first, only announcing his presence a moment later.]

Hey Loops.

[judicialassistant]

[ The garden is quiet today at least. It's often that Susato takes her breaks here. Maybe that's what's happening now. There certainly hadn't been anyone to stop her until now, but there's a smile when she recognizes the voice. She stands, taking half a step back from the star-shaped stone (now with Yujin's name) as she turns. ]

Beat. I've been meaning to...

[ For a moment, that's all she can say. Her gaze falls immediately to his arm, but there's no excuse that she can find for her perceived neglect. ]

How are you feeling?

b :)

[pactmarshal]

[ Once he was confident that his own recovery was going well, Trahearne took it upon himself to check in all those involved and affected by Eustace's noctaere incident. He is in no way responsible for these people personally, no, but he finds himself doing this out of guilt--it comes from a place, he recognizes, that wants to make up for not being able to check in on Phantom after his turning many moons ago. More people were involved this time.

Though he's only seen Susato a handful of times, and part of him wonders if this isn't a little overbearing of him to do so, there is an extra reason he feels he needs to check in on her.

The homey atmosphere of the Wild Harvest immediately soothes his worries. When he doesn't find her in the building itself, he rounds out to the garden in search for her.

When he does find her she is stooped among the stars. She's clearly busy, and so he waits until he senses she's finished to speak up. ]

Susato?

:)

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato takes a few moments to respond. As she stares at Yujin's name etched into the star-shaped stone, some of the same feelings start to well up within her, the ones from many years ago when he first left for London. She'd been so young; it'd been easy to forget, and eventually Yujin faded out of her life completely.

For him to do so again after giving her a taste of what they had missed... it was something most cruel. Quite angering, really. This obligation she feels to be happy for him makes it even worse. There's a subtle clench of her fist as she hears her name, and she turns to find someone who blends in quite well with the garden's greenery. ]

Trahearne. It... It is so good to see you.

[ Damn. She's usually better at small talk than this. Does he even want to talk about it? ]

Have you been recovering well?

[ Oh well. ]

C. 🃏 wildcard 🃏

[thegamesafoot]

[ A corner of the Mikotoba treehouse has been thoroughly shrouded in a tangible funk. A day's worth of lingering pipe smoke fills the room. Curtains are tightly drawn against the cheery daylight, but for an occasional bright seam where panels meet. A sort of depressed dreamotion radiation has caused the pictures on the wall to distort—pigment runs together and drips free of the frames to streak the wall beneath.

Sholmes sits in the center of this sad miasma, slumped impossibly low in his favorite chair. The detective's expression is unreadable by dint of the fact that Yujin's hat is perched over his face. A gramophone has been positioned on the floor next to his chair so his head can all but lean directly into the brass horn and better absorb the mournful tune.

The song reaches its end and the needle bobs in the static of the empty margin. With a beleaguered groan, his hanging hand gropes to reset the needle and lethargically wind the crank. ]

[judicialassistant]

[ It's time to... face the music?

At the very least it is the first thing she hears when she comes home. She is not selfish enough to be away for long, certainly no more than a night or two, but it already feels like too long as she steps into the house, struggling to kick off her boots. There's a sigh as she listens to the depressing music from the gramophone, raising her voice. ]

I'm home.

[ No Toby either. Perhaps Gina was out with him on a walk. She follows the sound of the music, and......struggles to even parse what she is looking at. ]

M, Mr Sholmes?

[ Honestly, the fuck. ]

b.

[everblooms]

[ The message upon the journals is what she sees first, and it's a tipoff. She knows that something is quite wrong from the carefully chosen severity of Susato's words; she always speaks politely, and with purpose, but something about this particular entry reads as if someone trying to make sense of the world, or perhaps like trying to find something to hold onto. Though Aerith is very sure that whatever has happened to her is very manageable, she doesn't realize what it is that's gotten to her until later, when she bulldozes her way through the Wild Harvest, shortly after catching sight of the message.

When she enters the establishment, it's not quite as busy as usual. Someone asks if she can take their order, and Aerith waves them off with a promise to be back quickly; it's not the service she's promised Susato (and by extension, Kazuma, oops) she would provide, but she thinks this is a great deal more important than a meal, right now. The moment she finds Susato not playing hostess, and not behind the stove, she realizes exactly where she could most likely be, and hurries off.

The remembrance garden is a particularly cozy take on something akin to a graveyard, she thinks. Aerith knows this thought is quite morbid, but she rather enjoys it. Graveyards are places for the living to go and remember the love they shared with someone, once, when they were on the same plane as them, and so, this particular part of The Wild Harvest's gardens seems more than a bit kind to her. It's a necessary thing. So she passes the herbs, passes the garden itself. She says hello to the snakes, to the lotus fish, and the axolturtle, she keeps walking beyond the rows and rows of fragrant, ripe vegetables and she can hear the rushing gossip of the waterfalls. They always seem eager to talk about things they shouldn't, to her.

Susato is a little pink petal her eyes, fluttered all the way over from inside the restaurant. Aerith comes up behind her, and she knows there's no way Susato hasn't heard her from the moment she came over. Sound carries when you're mourning, attuned to every shift and change in the wind. ]

It's beautiful.

[ After a taste of what nightmare energy can do out here, she's not very keen at all to leave her be. Not at all. What sort of friend would she be, after all? The star-shaped plate in her hands is still glimmering with the hopes of a reunion, or something like it. She knows that it'll go into the water, soon, the closest to a burial, or perhaps a time capsule full of wishes, that they can get. ]

Want some company?

[judicialassistant]

[ ...Does she?

Honestly, she doesn't know. There's no reason for her to say no, however, and particularly since it's Aerith, Susato turns with a smile, not entirely sure how she should take the compliment. In truth, the star will go into the ground with the others--like stepping stones--although she's not sure if that's better or worse than allowing him to sink beneath the surface of the pond.

Either way, she holds onto the star for now, guarding it closely to her chest. ]

Aerith. Thank you...

[ But then, she thinks that perhaps she shouldn't be so guarded, so she peeks again at his name. ]

It's overdue, I suppose. I shouldn't put it off any longer.

B

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Because Mei tries to help everyone everywhere at once, she'd offered to help Yujin clean up the clinic whenever she had time to spare. He seemed like such a great guy - so when she hears he's gone... oh dear. Poor Susato. But she'll see him again when they all wake up eventually, right? ... Whenever that is?

While not sure how to comfort her friend, Mei is still determined to make the effort. So when she can't find Susato at the clinic, she goes exploring everywhere her feet take her, until she finally winds up at the garden, a little exhausted but still quite determined. But once she finds Susato and what she's doing, Mei pauses. Well... dang. Now she's not sure if she could interrupt. Does Susato want to be alone? Ahhh, Mei just wants to help! What should she do?!

She swallows, and accidentally lets out an - ]

Um...!

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato is already standing back up as Mei watches her. She looks on with a certain amount of pride, despite that all she did was write his name. There, she's thinking, practically giving herself a mental pat on the back. But she still doesn't say anything.

Hearing Mei sends her right back into Customer Service Mode^TM, and she turns, thinking that someone might need something. Her break is over.

... ]

Mei! [ Her face lights up. She could hug her right about now, but she'll wait. ] I didn't know you were here.

B

[shithogs]

[It's not unusual for Kainé to visit the Wild Harvest, though her stays are often brief, and she frequently keeps to herself if she's not chatting with Tifa or 76. She's certainly never taken the opportunity to tour the garden, though she's been informed of the purpose it serves— perhaps the fact that it serves as a memorial is exactly why she's kept her distance, knowing full well she could find a familiar name or two there.

She's not sure what's so different about today, what compels her to finally wander towards the garden after finishing her meal, but in doing so, she finds a familiar figure with a starfish in her hand— a starfish that begins to glow a moment later with text that she can't read, but she doesn't need to. The air is thick with emotion, something heavy and forlorn, and she pauses rather than approach further.

She's interrupting something, isn't she? Maybe she should just turn and walk away, but... maybe not. Sometimes people like to be asked about these things.]

Hey... you okay?

[judicialassistant]

[ It is far from the only purpose to the garden, in all fairness. The garden is also where all the fresh ingredients are grown, where 76 sometimes rests, and where the snakes and other animals like Mr Turtle live. In the end, Susato would be ecstatic that Kainé finally found time to visit and see it for what it is.

Her hands are dirty as she bends down, placing the star into the dirt like a stepping stone. She's still in this position when the question comes, and she turns her head with a curious tilt. ]

Me?

[ It takes a moment to register that she had even been addressing her, but then her face lights when she sees who it is. ]

Oh, Kainé!

Side of C

[steadypulse]

[At some point during the day at the Harvest after Susato had paid her visit to the memorial garden to leave a name, it was Cherry that approached first. It was a quiet moment, a lull in everything that just tended to come during certain hours of that day, yet 76 had lingered back a bit, allowing the wolf(who was a little fluffier, more blooms with that) to walk as she had wanted. Stopped there just beside Susato and carefully bumped her nose against a hand.

The other flower wolves were napping, but the sakura one had assigned herself a job it seemed like.]

You busy, kid?

[There were a few small jars containing something in his hands, but 76 spoke softly once Cherry had caught Susato's attention first.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Was Cherry drawn to her somehow...? Perhaps she could tell she was her favorite, although she certainly hoped the other wolves couldn't. She truly had grown to love all of them, even Barb, but there was something about Cherry that gave her a true sense of home and belonging when she looked at her.

It was probably the Sakura petals...

She can't help but admire them as she pets and plays with her. Already the reason she was here in the first place seems further away. You've grown so much, she thinks to herself, though before she can say as much, she hears 76's voice. She looks up, but her hands don't stop moving, much to Cherry's delight. ]

Oh, never too busy for you. Did you need my help?

Wildcard - Alastor is awkward at comforting people

[lonelysmiles]

[Now Alastor isn't an idiot. He's been here long enough to realize the most likely reason the clinic's out a doctor. Visiting the Wild Harvest and seeing the characters he had to harass ask someone to translate for him confirmed it.]

[It's been a while since he's last chatted with the good doctor. A shame that opportunity isn't likely to come again. At least losing people he was somewhat friendly with during the annual Cleanse isn't such a shocking turn of events.]

[He's not good at comforting others. He will be the first to admit to that. Honestly, he is the worst at it. However, there's one thing his upbringing has drilled into his head which is always a comfort: Whenever someone is upset, bring food.]

[Leaving more than enough behind for Angel to enjoy, Alastor sets out for Susato's treehouse with an almost comically-quaint picnic basket with a red-and-white checkered blanket protecting the contents: a large container of gumbo, about half a dozen buttermilk biscuits, a half dozen corn muffins, and a dozen beignets. All fresh and warm.]

[Gonna knock on her door in the afternoon and hope she's home.]

Miss Susato?

1/2

[judicialassistant]

[ Is she normally home at this hour? It feels early, even for her, but today, she certainly is. Footsteps can be heard meandering to the door as well as a muffled song, punctuated by Susato's pointedly fussy voice. The door opens, and the voice and tune are both given some clarity as she calls grumpily back to someone inside. ]

...can't stay in there forever.

Sender: Vanitas

[darkcharge]

Consider my help a 'thank you' and a way to settle the score with the Unversed.

[judicialassistant]

Oh, Vanitas. That's very kind of you.

Do you have healing abilities? [ Given her interaction with him so far, with the Unversed, she'd guess more magical, like Jude, rather than the physical, which would have been more her father's side of things. ]

B!

[lestray]

[The house has been feeling somewhat less full with each departure. And the latest has been Yujin. She didn't know him that well, but she kinda misses him... and she knows it must be so much worse for Susato. That's her dad.

Gina wants to help Susato to feel better somehow! She just doesn't know how. How do you comfort someone for something like that? It's all been weighing on Gina's mind while having dinner at the Wild Harvest. It was hard to focus on her food, as she noticed Susato head out to the garden some time ago.

She went towards the garden to get a peek at her and make sure she's okay - but as she did so, she bumped into some being who was flying by! Irritated, Gina shoos the off the fae! It kinda feels like something zapped her, and she growls with irritation. Whatever, it's fine...

But now she finds herself looking right at Susato.]

Sooze...

[She starts to greet her, but then her body moves on its own. She approaches Susato, her arms spread, and she wraps her in a tight hug!]

Wot.

[judicialassistant]

[ Gina would have likely noticed that Susato's been home less often lately. Never more than a day or two at a time, mind you; she's not that irresponsible, but it's enough that Gina's voice is a little surprising to her. She hadn't been expecting her, and this time, she's definitely oblivious to pesky fae. ]

G, Gina.

[ She's wondering if her friend is upset with her for not being at home (again), but she goes wide-eyed when Gina's arms wrap around her. She freezes, for a moment not knowing how to respond, but eventually she'll return the hug...

Even though this feels a little strange. ]

I... Thank you?

[ Wot, indeed. She's reminded of their time in the moonscape, at least, which was... one of the few nice moments she had there. ]

[skyglider]

[It's taken Link some time to finally seek out the Wild Harvest, but when he finally does, he understands why it was recommended to him. If nothing else, it feels a little more like home than much of the rest of the town.

In all honesty, he doesn't realize he's intruded on a private moment, at first. He was curious about the stars, but he doesn't know anything about them, or why they're there. When he moves closer, begins to read the sign, he comes upon Susato's quiet, presumably private moment. He knows that he should announce that he's there, but...is it better to interrupt? He's never been very good at navigating situations like this.

After a moment, he softly clears his throat.] Hello. I didn't mean to intrude.

[judicialassistant]

[ There's a sign that explains exactly what the stars are for, but Link would be forgiven for not knowing. It's his first visit; the etching of the names is very subtle until the stars are stepped on, causing the engravings to glow faintly; and besides, who reads signs anyway? She has one warning of the snakes that make their home here, but even so, they and the customers still find ways to surprise each other.

...All this to say, the presence of someone new is certainly welcome. It's been a slow day, and it doesn't look like she minds the interruption. Whatever moment she had was over anyway. ]

Oh, hello. You haven't interrupted, I was just...

[ She's more of an open book than anything, but she still prefers not to burden a stranger with her emotional baggage. So... ]

Did you need someone to take your order?

B

[gentryofhermitage]

[It's a new face who comes into The Wild Harvest, drawn by the recommendations of good food and atmosphere, as well as the opportunity to examine a business owned and operated by those who were also dreamers like himself; being the Archon of a commerce-heavy nation like Liyue, Zhongli is always curious to see the sort of businesses that mortals have come to grow and cultivate for themselves. He orders himself a few different dishes, probably a bit too much for one man, but he wants to have a fair sampling of everything. As expected, the food is delicious and the atmosphere lively, and after his hearty meal he decides to get up and wander the rest of the restaurant while his food digests, taking in the rest of the establishment.]

[As he wanders, he comes across the gardens, and begins to leisurely stroll through them. A good restaurant having access to such a garden is a rather fortunate thing, ensuring the freshest of ingredients. But as he walks, he stumbles across the stone stars and the accompanying sign, and his expression becomes somber; he knows a memorial when he sees one. With his arms behind his back, he walks carefully, taking in each name upon each stone. It's as he's examining the stones that he comes across Susato, making him pause.]

Ah... forgive my intrusion. I was unaware there were others here.

[judicialassistant]

[ Many people wander the garden, though perhaps the lull today is more notable than most. Susato finds herself thankful for the peace and quiet, though she isn't foolish enough to think that she wouldn't find anyone here. The deed is done, and though it is nothing dramatic is dying, she still needs to move on and consider it a chapter closed in her life.

...For now.

Zhongli hardly interrupts. She turns, slipping into what she's learned of customer service over the past almost-year rather easily. As such, she courteously bows. ]

There has been no intrusion, I assure you. Anyone is welcome here.

[ She smiles warmly as her head comes back up. Her back straightens as she minds her posture. ]

Is it your first visit?

sender: law

[zephyrean]

sorry in advance if alphen's lands himself there with third degree burns again.

[judicialassistant]

Haha. Tell him he should wait until I find a new doctor. Or at least until Ori has arrived with her healing potions.

b;

[chefalier]

SUSATO-CHAAAAAAN~

[Whatever peace and quiet Susato was trying to have is immediately ruined by one twirling blond that's holding a container with seafood fried rice stored in it. He's happy that he found her at the Wild Harvest, because he really doesn't know where else she'd be.]

I'm sorry it's took so long to see you in person~~

[judicialassistant]

[ OH... Why yes, that certainly is her name, and that is a very loud voice shouting it. It's enough that her back straightens as she winces, not sure what to expect when she turns around. Whether he meant it as a distraction or not, it works...

Mostly.

She opens her mouth... Who is this again? But the container looks familiar... ]

S, Sanji-san?

C - Post Noctstace & Dream

[roseofmay]

[It is very like Beatrix to simply keep to herself. Normal. She’s certainly done it for more than a few years of her life. In light of the circumstances of all she (and others) have been through, this sort of isolation may not necessarily be surprising. For all she gets locked into herself, however, she remains an observant woman. Even she knows when she stops seeing people, even in passing, that there’s something more at work.

She hasn’t seen Yujin around for a while either. It isn’t hard to put the pieces together. And when she really starts understanding that she never bothered to process Zidane’s departure, she can only hope that Susato has the time to do so. Or, at the very least, a worthy distraction.

And though she doesn’t really make it a habit to eat out anywhere, she can think of no better place to find Susato than the Wild Harvest. Perhaps the dog park, in hindsight, except given recent events, perhaps that isn’t the place to visit either. For all of them, it has likely been difficult to move forward in their own respective ways.

On an afternoon that seems very ordinary, Beatrix makes her way into the Wild Harvest, taking a moment to assess the inside.]

Susato?

[In hand, she’s clutching something and for once, it doesn’t seem to be her sword. In fact, she’s not carrying her sword on her at all today. Or her sword belt. Or her armour. She has, in fact, dressed down.]

❤️❤️

[judicialassistant]

[ By now, Susato is done at the remembrance garden. She's already washed all of the dishes in the kitchen; she's mopped, she's prepped ingredients for the dinner rush. She's even fed all of the animals. So to continue keeping busy, she finds herself in the front lobby of the restaurant, sweeping in a rare moment of peace where there seem to be few others around.

Hearing her name in that familiar voice, she turns, mouth hung open at what she sees. She hardly recognizes the proud general without her armor, and especially without Save the Queen. ]

Beatrix... I...

[ She doesn't know what to say. Should she ask? Even though it is obvious what this all boils down to, she should definitely ask, but first she should probably stop staring.

In the end, she drops her broom flat onto the ground and scrambles to pick it up. ]

C

[discourtesies]

[The fact that Miss Mikotoba is relaying a need for the clinic speaks to a clear conclusion, and her formality only makes him more certain of it. He has no healing ability nor medical expertise, and writing his condolences seems... inadequate.

So, he sets to finding her in person—after a marked amount of consideration over what would be appropriate for such a conversation. He considers sending her a message to announce his intent to visit, but then realizes he would rather not interrupt her should she be particularly busy, predicting that she would take far too much effort to accommodate him, and so on and so forth...

But then, he realizes he has no idea what he might bring for such an encounter, and he has no intentions of going to her empty handed. Flowers feel too much like mourning a death, even if he's certain her grief is still significant. But then, should he find something more lighthearted, or would that seem to make a mockery of the her feelings? Perhaps more grim to suit the occasion (as Victorians are wont)...?

So deeply pondering these questions as he searches the markets, he does not yet notice that Susato comes into view.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Despite Barok van Zieks' imposing presence, even after shedding the moniker of the Reaper, Susato does not appear to notice him yet either. She is rather too absorbed, standing outside a certain glassworks shop with her attention on a wall of empty bottle necklaces. Small one, tall ones, round ones, skinny ones... She moves with the air of someone who knows the shop intimately, reaching for one in particular that seems to be round like an ornament. ]

This one?

[ She turns the bottle over in her hand. Upon closer inspection, there is a darkly-coloured snake that pokes her head out from kimono. Her tongue flicks in a hiss as she rises up to Susato's ear level, and it's almost like she's whispering something to her. ]

I know. But it's so ordinary... I don't really know if he'll like it.