[10] baby... kurisumasu daze 🎄

[judicialassistant]

Who: Anyone!
Which: Open mingle log
Where: The Wild Harvest in the Residential District.
What: The holidays are here! This is a place where dreamwalkers can retreat during the month of December (and beyond) for a quiet, festive experience away from the crowds.
Warnings: None?/TBD (Gumdrops are in season.)

---

The Wild Harvest has been open almost a year now, welcoming patrons from all walks of life with unique dishes every month inspired by both Eastern and Western Earth culture—sometimes beyond. This month, the coming holidays have made the atmosphere homey and warm, simmering with excitement around every corner; and while it is never overwhelming, it is clear to anyone who observes that Christmas is here.



I. Deck the Halls

a.) Along with usual vines of yellow, brightly lit moon-shaped fruit strewn about, there are ornaments with holes in them hung around the restaurant and garden. Some have been decorated by staff; others have small critters taking residence inside for a quick snooze, from young snakes to noodle dragons. Try not to disturb them too much if they're asleep!

Aside from the small critters, the mistletoe gumdrops are also back in season. They are still a menace, and these creatures also fit inside these ornaments: red, white, and pink alike, so be careful! What you might find may not be so harmless.

b.) A small station has been set up for those who wish to decorate their own ornaments to take home or hang in the restaurant. There is a variety of material including paint, flowers, markers, crayons, and glitter along with colorful paper where patrons can draw, write a message, a Christmas wish—anything they want! If they are able to flag down Susato, they can even learn how to fold origami (her specialty is cranes). There is popcorn for making garlands (or for eating), as well as colorful tinsel that can be looped around the Christmas tree or around banisters and door frames to add to the festive atmosphere.

Patrons are also invited to craft their own Christmas star and personalize it however they wish with all the decorations, bells, and whistles.

The staff will do their best to keep the area tidy, but make sure to clean up after yourselves where you can! (Susato would appreciate it...)

» BONUS: Reach for the Stars! Patrons will be encouraged to enter their star in a special contest as part of the Harvest's special quest to find the perfect star. The patron whose star has the most votes will have the honour of placing it atop the Harvest's Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Entries can be submitted with a picture or short description here. Please vote for your favorites with a +1 comment! (Think Flower Fest/King & Queen.)

c.) While the search for the perfect star is ongoing, patrons may notice the top of their Christmas tree remain notably bare throughout the month. Most of the time, this will be true, but take another glimpse during a quiet moment when it isn't too crowded, and you may catch the rare sight of something pink in its place.

Meet the newest cat addition to the Wild Harvest family. She doesn't have a name yet, but she has wings, and evidently is not afraid to use them. She looks pretty comfortable, with her weight tilting the top of the tree as she sleeps. She's not a star, but who's going to be the one to tell her?

Not any of the staff, apparently. Or maybe they just haven't noticed...?

---

II. The Garden

Maybe you're already tired of Christmas, and you just want a quiet meal away from the holiday buzz. Walk out into the attached garden to enjoy your food and you'll find a variety of things to see aside from what's going into your food. There are certainly enough critters walking and crawling around that one might get the sense they're being watched.

There are signs that say something like: Be Mindful of Snakes.

a.) Rows of crops and various ingredients can be seen growing. Yellows and reds from various peppers and fruits burst into color against a sea of green and call for your attention. Wait long enough and you may see a garden snake or two lurking in the foliage. Some may even be brave enough to come out and greet you, with a few of the bolder ones demanding pets. They're relatively friendly, as long as you're not up to anything mischievous. Otherwise they'll start hissing at you, or get the attention of the staff.

The soothing sound of a small waterfall also fills the air, flowing into a pond nearby. Lotus blossoms float above its surface, glowing faintly after dark; though whether they are from the plant or the lotus koi fish swimming about will not be immediately obvious. The fish and the snakes both can be fed by asking a staff member.

b.) Speaking of feeding—if you're sitting down to enjoy your meal, you may feel the gentle brush of a cat or two against your leg, begging for food. You may also be visited by a spice or garnish noodle dragon, looking to live up to their names and add a little something extra to your meal; or a curious axoturtle that may nip playfully at your long hair, if you have it. Or your hat—if you happen to be huddled up or lying down somewhere on a vacant bench, and have your head low enough.

Or maybe it's your blanket as it trails onto the floor, if you have neither of those. Honestly—

c.) "To those who have left Songerein, but are not forgotten." Between two ponds in the garden is a Remembrance wall. On this wall and amidst the grass and dirt at your feet, you'll notice several star-shaped stepping stones, each one adorned with the name of someone who has left the dream world. This was started by the staff, but in light of the holiday season, they have opened it up for anyone to write the name of someone they wish to honour upon a star, and hang it on the wall with the rest. (You can also etch the name onto the star using dreamotion.)

---

III. Sing your heart out!

Back inside the restaurant near the bar, a small stage has been set up with speakers and a microphone for the occasional live performance. Karaoke is also welcome, so feel free to take the floor (or bully someone onto it)! Sing whatever song or tune your heart can dream up.

Just be careful not to let the alcohol take you too far. Become too drunk and disorderly and you may find yourself sinking into the shadows and back outside before you know it, with no idea how you got there...... Hmmm. (Did this place have a bouncer the last time you checked?)




[ OOC: This is a mingle log to showcase all the various updates to the Harvest we've implemented over the past year. Feel free to top level, tag around, and/or wild card it up! Happy holidays ♡ ]

Comments

susato mikotoba | the great ace attorney | ota 🌸

[judicialassistant]

a.) origami cranes—

[ Near the crafting station where some patrons are already working on their own projects, Susato is immersed in a sea of colorful paper squares. Beside her is a fairly sizable jar, partly filled with those same colors by tiny paper cranes, nigh indistinguishable from one another unless you look close.

She can be seen instructing others as she deposits another finished product into the jar. ]

That's it, you've got it. Only 999 more to go. [ She jokes... unless?

Or if your character isn't doing so well, she'll correct them. ]

No, no. You fold them in, like a kite. Then down.

[ At some point, she'll probably be called away to make an order, but she'll enjoy all the downtime she's got. ]

b.) snake whispering—

[ If you've made your way into the garden at any point, you've probably seen your fair share of snakes and the tiny neckerchiefs Susato has been giving them. They're cold with the incoming snow, and still shy, but some can still be seen out in the open as long as Susato or Kazuma are there. Sometime during a lull, Susato can be seen holding two cloth neckerchiefs in front of a serpent who is lengthy and appears to be thicker and older than the rest. Atop his head and in the center, there looks to be a symbol that looks something like a sun, appearing natural as if he had grown up with it.

In one hand, there hangs a royal purple cloth. Susato apparently tried to replicate the sun symbol in a bright golden yellow hue. In her other hand, a similar golden color radiates throughout the cloth, with Japanese characters appearing in a darker hue (太陽). ]

Alright, [ She speaks, motioning animatedly. ] now I have two for you. Which do you like better, you think?

[ A Very Serious decision. The snake being addressed, affectionately called Old Sun, just tilts his head. ]

c.) wild card—

[ If neither of these work for you, or if you'd like something else, feel free! Susato is a cook, so she'll also take and make any orders for you. Menu can be referenced here, along with items from past months. hmu @ PM or yammdere for any questions or plotting. ]

closed | kazuma & ryunosuke

[judicialassistant]

[ A chilly December evening finds Susato out in the garden of the Harvest. Long after the kitchen has closed for the day and the lights have been turned off in the restaurant, she finds herself fussing over the various ornaments and decorations, adjusting this and that. She finds herself reaching for one of the glass orbs; and since this one is decorated already (and also, she's tired), she doesn't think twice before she starts to wipe down the outside without peeking into the hole.

Once she is done, she holds it up to admire her work, and she is just about to hang it back where it belongs when she spots something moving.

...Or so she thinks. ]

Hm? [ Uh oh. Did manage to miss a snake? She pulls the ornament to have a closer look, concern flashing in her expression. ]

[locumstudentesquire]

[Impeccably bad timing as always, here comes Ryunosuke wandering out into the garden. It's late, and cold, and he's honestly longing to just go curl up in front of the fireplace or something, but he doesn't want to leave without at least offering to help Susato... Even if he knows she'll probably wave him off, since she finds cleaning soothing weirdo that she is. That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of him.]

Susato-san...? Did you need a hand out here at all--?

[He calls out from the doorway, glancing around the area until he spots her. Huh... What's that she's looking at? Blinking, he shuffles his way over to peer over her shoulder curiously.]

Everything alright...?

[judicialassistant]

[ Ryunosuke is definitely the weirdo for keeping that mess he calls an office back home! She still remembers, too, that time she had to clean his own treehouse--even if he himself does not. Luckily for him, however, The Harvest has been filled with excellent holiday cheer to keep her in a good mood.

Even in light of what she just found. ]

Oh, Naruhodo-san. Thank you so much for your help today. [ It really cannot be overstated, and she knows she speaks on behalf of Kazuma as well. ] Everything is alright, but I've found this pesky white slug hiding in here.

[ Called out, the slug takes to the air. It is tiny and white in color, and there may be a mischievous air to the way it circles about. ]

[locumstudentesquire]

A slug--??

[It takes flight just as he repeats the word, and he starts back a bit in surprise.]

A... Flying slug, evidently! I don't know why I'm surprised...

[Hardly the strangest thing he's seen here. Also, he was imagining more of a garden variety slug, but it more resembles a little sea slug, if anything...]

...It's rather cute, though. What exactly is so pesky about it?

[A question he definitely won't look back on with a sense of irony in the next few minutes, he's sure.]

a

[concierto]

[Venti is still pondering over his choices with making his own "Christmas Star" so he has a few random trinkets in his hands that he fiddles and plays with. What a curious little tradition it is to adorn the top of a pine tree with stars. He's intrigued!

When he overhears Susato's instructions he glances her way and is instantly curious of all the little paper birds she seems to be making. He likes birds, after all.]

Oh, Susato? Are you sure you won't need one thousand and one birds?

[judicialassistant]

[ It certainly sounds ridiculous when he puts it like that; though at the voice, Susato easily turns from whomever she may have been instructing. There's a twitch of her lips as she absentmindedly grabs another paper square (and somewhere in the distance, Yumie probably twitched and hissed from the glass orb where she was sleeping). ]

Hah, I've probably made far more than that, to be honest... I was simply referring to an old legend.

[ If Venti presses, she'll elaborate, but for now she's far more interested in his project. ]

And what of you, Venti? I see you are making progress. Let me know if you require anymore materials.

[concierto]

[If the paper folding comes from a legend then Venti is all ears. He loves stories, songs and legends of all sorts.]

A legend, did you say? What sort of legend?

[Meanwhile he seems to be picking a few gold and green pieces. Making little bits into star shapes that he's collecting together.]

As for me? Well, I'm not sure exactly what I want to be making! So, I'm letting the winds of creativity take me! Perhaps a paper bird or two added to mine would help?

[Teach him?]

[judicialassistant]

...Oh, of course. [ Susato stops to admire the green and gold for a moment, noticing how well it suits the bard. Since he actually seems interested, Susato will reach into the nearby jar full of cranes and pull one out to set it between them. Something of an example of the finished product, but also one that Venti is free to grab and use should the inspiration strike.

She grabs another paper square, to show Venti how it is done from scratch. ]

The crane is considered a mythical creature in Japan, you see. It lives for a thousand years, and the legend states that if you're able to fold a crane for each year it lives, you're granted a wish.

origami

[stillarhino]

[While Beat hadn't joined in on the paper folding activity at the start, he did wander to this part of the Harvest to see why people had been huddled around the table. Seeing Susato hard at work only made him all the more curious, looking over her shoulder as she folded another crease into the paper.]

Yo, ain't that like the ones you gave me in the charm. Ain't ever seen one bein' made up close before.

[judicialassistant]

[ One crease turns into another and another, her movements quite natural, even as she turns to regard Beat. Her face lights up like she's happy to see him, and she'll happily turn to show him the latest of many finished paper cranes. ]

That's right. I like to keep a stock, just in case there's a sudden need for more, so I fold them in my free time. [ Refills, Beat. Refills. ] ...Now that I think of it, I am probably eligible for several wishes by now! What a shame that I haven't kept track.

[ Nah, Susato, you haven't made that many (but it's definitely over 1,000). ]

[stillarhino]

[While Beat had noticed the jar earlier, he imagined that it was filled with all the cranes that everyone else had been making. So hearing that Susato was the culprit behind all of this takes him by surprise, his eyes going wide.]

Stock? How much stock you talkin' 'bout if you already got enough for a coupla wishes, yo?

[judicialassistant]

[ Oh, did she... not explain? She was rather distracted with the horrid state of his room at the time, though she's fairly certain they touched on the topic of wishes, at least. It truly doesn't bother her, however, as she's had to explain it loads of times to her non-Japanese friends. ]

Well... a, as I said, I haven't counted. But the protection magic burns up the cranes, so this is the only way I know to be prepared.

...Are yours still well in tact, Beat?

b

[judoflipped]

[it might have shocked a normal person to see Susato with some snakes, but...well, Percy isn't exactly a normal person. he'd come to visit once or twice already, realizing that one of his friends is here, and today he makes another one of his rounds to see her again.

putting neckerchiefs on snakes.

well, he's definitely seen so much weirder.]

Both. Maybe that's what he's saying.

[judicialassistant]

[ If dogs can have them like collars, so can snakes!!! Don't judge, Percy--and yet, Susato doesn't really feel like he's doing that at all when she turns to face him, her face alight with recognition. Old Sun, meanwhile, hisses something in response to him before she can say anything.

...

...... ]

He says you are right.

[ ... :C ]

That's not helpful at all. [ Scolding voice. Maybe she ought to just pick one after all... ]

[judoflipped]

[Percy gives her a little wave when she turned to look at him, and he tilts his head slightly to the side when she speaks. he regards the snake again, and then shrugs.]

It's not going to hurt anything to put both of them on. If you're worried about him looking silly, he's already going to look kind of silly with one on.

[just sayin.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Listen here, demi-god--

Perhaps he would find the sweaters less ridiculous. Or perhaps he would find them even more so. Perhaps it's what Old Sun would prefer, but for now, Susato just chooses the royal purple cloth, and ties it on him before giving him a pat on the head. ]

W, Well-- Well I think they are cute. It will be easier to identify them by name this way.

[ After that, Old Sun hisses his thanks, and slithers off into the brush, having probably seen Kazuma somewhere, or someone else with treats. ]

Anyway... [ Hi. ] I see you've found where I work.

a

[darkcharge]

What is a kite? Why would you expect me to know what that is?

[ Going to push that paper aside now! Cross his arms over his chest. Look, Vanitas struggles with arts and crafts of any and all varieties. He's not sure how to be creative so it just... Flusters him. ]

1/2

[judicialassistant]

[ DON'T BE SO TSUN, VANITAS--Susato reaches for the paper he's pushed aside with some irritation, but also tries to inject Ye Olde Encouragement into her voice. ]

A kite! A-- [ She's usually good with words, though they unexpectedly fail her as his flustering enables her flustering. ] D, Didn't you see people flying them, at the beach?

[judicialassistant]

[ She looks at the partially folded paper, then pushes it back towards Vanitas. ]

Anyway, you should finish what you started. You won't be able to imbue it with your magic if I do it for you. [ Clearly she's willing to help, though. ]

[darkcharge]

[ You can ask him not to be so tsun... But that's not really going to work. He's always going to be like that to a degree.

Susato can totally try to encourage him though. He won't snap at her for trying to attempt. ]

Even if I saw them, I wouldn't know that's what it is that I was looking at.

[ Still looking at the paper she's pushed back towards him. ]

What's this evens supposed to be when we're done?

[judicialassistant]

[ ......Someday they'll come back to the whole "kite" thing. For now, while Vanitas is regarding that paper, Susato grabs another for demonstration purposes. ]

A crane. A bird, like these.

[ She points to the jar nearby full of color. Paper cranes line the bottom, though it's hard to tell heads or tails when they all jumble up. ]

There are other things you can make, too. These just happen to be my specialty.

a

[luciing]

For what reason do you need so many?

[ There's a phantom within this workshop, now, carrying with him a cool, somber presence that doesn't quite mesh with warm atmosphere. His tone, a steely bass that carries a calm authority, is one that she may recognize: this is Somnus, the same one that had appeared as a giant suit of armor within the dream months ago.

Heavy robes rustle as he lifts pale, long fingers to reach for one of the cranes out of curiosity. Dreamotion makes his ghostly form tangible. ]

[judicialassistant]

...Ah. [ Susato turns, watching as the ghostly fingers reach for the crane, which are really rather small and fragile. Still, as highly as she's come to think of them, they are also rather replaceable, so she isn't too worried at the end of the day.

The voice certainly does seem familiar, and she will likely be able to place it with time, though for now, she'll remain polite and treat him as any other patron. ]

It is an old legend of Japanese culture. Would you like to hear it?

[luciing]

[ He turns over the paper crane, and his movements are delicate, suggesting a mindfulness of the structure of its wings and beak. Curious, there are no cuts in the paper. It is all folded. A similar craft exists in his own world, but it had not been popular in his era.

When she speaks, his head angles in her direction, nodding once. ] Go on.