songerein | [10] baby... kurisumasu daze 🎄

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[10] baby... kurisumasu daze 🎄

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 ♡ ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh! Susato-san! [He grins.] Look at you! Hero to all fish kind, showing up just in the nick of time with provisions...

[Wait... Does that make him the villain for accidentally taunting them? Hm...

...He might be overthinking this.]

I thought for sure I'd brought some of the food out here with me, but... I suppose I must have set it down somewhere on accident, hah...

[So he says, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Of course, the box she has also piques his interest, and, lightning quick, his eyes flick over it with curiosity.]

[ Please don't overthink it, Ryunosuke...... She's not going to be able to resist to playfully tease you. Some of that is already seeping into her lighthearted tone. ]

Oh, is that why I found it discarded on the ground... The Remembrance garden must have given you quite a fright.

[ Is she joking? It certainly would explain some dirt sticking to the bag... Though truth be told, not even she could give an adequate excuse for why Ryunosuke's name is still there. They've just haven't had it in mind to remove it.

...She could get more mileage out of this, but she can see the curiosity in his eyes. ]

Well, no matter. Take it.

[ ...... ]

The present, too.

[Forgetting the fish food WAS, in fact, just good old fashioned Naruhodo-brand absentmindedness. At the very least this is a pretty benign example of it... Better than 'Susato-san, I dropped Kazuma's armband in the Thames again :(', anyway.]

Wait... This is actually for me?

[He's not being coy about it; he hadn't actually expected her to bother coming out here just to give him a present. He gets back up to his feet, dusting a bit of dirt off his trousers before taking both items.]

Hah... And here I am... I haven't even finished getting your present ready yet. [It's a bit embarrassing, really. He hopes she doesn't mind too much.] Am I meant to open this now...?

[ Kazuma's armband deserved better treatment, but since he so proudly showed it to anyone who would give him the time of day, she will forgive him, and continue repairing any mishaps that occur to it. You're welcome.

There's a smile as she seems to consider, and she stands nearby in the case he needs an assistance when he rises. ]

I should make you wait, shouldn't I? But then I wouldn't have bothered seeking you out.

[ The truth is, she gave Kazuma his present a little early, too. Maybe she feels it's only fair. ]

It's only a few more days, and we've been busy as of late. Go on. [ There's an encouraging wave of her hand, a gesture of excitement and nervousness. She doesn't seem bothered in the least that Ryunosuke has nothing prepared to reciprocate as of yet. ] ...Happy Christmas.

[ Ryunosuke moves to start undoing the bow at her prompting, but he pauses briefly to look back up at her and reciprocate with a grinning: ]

Yes...! Happy Christmas, Susato-san.

[And then he gets back down to business.]

You've done such a beautiful job wrapping this... It honestly almost feels like a shame to ruin it by opening it.

[Just a playful compliment, though. He does actually start taking it apart, completely unsure of what he'll find inside. The anticipation of finding out is mounting, though.]

[ The anticipation mounts on her end as well, so much so that she forgets to respond--if he even expected her to. She merely takes a breath, watching with each tear of the wrapping until a bit of red color starts to peek out.

It won't be long before Ryunosuke will see the face of a familiar daruma doll staring back at him with both eyes; and around it is a small glass bottle that hangs like a necklace. Rather than any liquid inside, however, it is filled to the brim with tiny origami cranes of varying color, and the glass of the bottle is tinted as if one is looking it through water. Clinking against the glass is what appears to be a tiny wheel of a steamship. ]

......With... With all adjustments you have had to make here, I thought you could use something from home. A reminder that you've earned your title of 'full-fledged lawyer,' no matter what path you may take here.

So... I wished for him at the well.

Edited 2022-12-12 12:50 (UTC)

[He actually pauses for a second at the first sign of red, blinking curiously. It's such a dear object to him, to the point that the precise shade and shape of even just a small part of it can ping him as familiar on some unconscious level. He starts unwrapping it a little bit faster then, anticipation mounting. The more is revealed, the less he can believe his eyes. It can't be... How did she..?

...Ryunosuke isn't immune to tears, and unbidden they are starting to well up just a tiny bit at the corners of his eyes now. His mouth is slightly agape while she explains, but one thing is immediately clear about his reaction: he is touched beyond words by this. It's such a thoughtful gift... But he should know by now, to expect nothing less from the world's greatest judicial assistant.

In this case, there's no awkward fretting or fussing about it. What happens next just happens naturally. He scoops her into a one-armed hug, the box with the Daruma tucked under his other arm. You could even say it's a group hug WITH the Daruma? Maybe? Ha ha.]

Susato-san... Thank you. So much.

[Eloquence is failing him here, but his tone-- choked with emotion as it is-- hopefully conveys how much this means to him. He... Really needed to hear that, he thinks.]

[ Susato is stiff at first when he pulls her in. Despite everything about his face, his posture, his everything telling her how appreciative he is, a part of her still frets, like maybe she got it all wrong, she should've found something else. The sincerity behind his words seems to melt her, however, and her own posture and expression soften. ]

You're welcome. But I couldn't very well just gift you something that already belonged to you, so...

[ Her eyes drift to the box in his other hand. There is a brief glimpse of the red color of the daruma along with the bottle as it dangles from it, into her view. ]

The necklace is for you, too. [ Please don't just leave it on the doll. ]

Oh--! Yes, of course--

[He'll let her go to investigate; he's looking perhaps a tiny bit embarrassed that he'd let himself get carried away enough to pull her into a hug like that, but overall? Still all smiles here. No Gumdrop around to blame for the hugs this time, but really, he was just so grateful and it was the only way he could adequately think to express himself in the moment...

But, moving on: he lifts the necklace in question off the daruma, holding it up to eye level to get a better look at it.]

Did you make this...?

[He fancies he recognizes the precise handiwork behind the construction of those delicately folded cranes. It's not really his style, but it IS very cute...]

[ Susato looks slightly flushed herself, visibly easing once she is let go. She watches eagerly when he investigates the necklace, however, noting the familiar way he holds it up to the natural light. She really has missed this, hadn't she...?

She nods easily to answer the question, humming an affirmative noise; then segues into something that seems unrelated, but that Ryunosuke will understand before long. ]

Do you remember when I sewed the protection charm onto your uniform?

[He nods, smiling fondly.]

Of course! How could I possibly forget?

[It had been such a comfort to him at the time. More than he can admit.]

Is this necklace something similar, then...?

[ She doesn't even need to explain. She'd like to be impressed, really, but truthfully, but after a blink in surprise, she just nods softly. ]

Yes, that's right. You can call it the "dream version," if you'd like.

It requires a little more effort, but...

[ ...

......Hah. The truth is, it's a long story. He must be tired of hearing about these things. Things he was never a part of, all the things that could have been. Should have been. Time that was stolen from them. ]

Well. [ Anyway... How does she condense this? ] Um, do you know what the Japanese say about the crane?

[Oh no.

There are a few serious answers he could give here. Should give here, instead of cracking a stupid joke. But he just can't help himself.]

...That they make for very fickle wives?

[He's pretty sure that is NOT the message he's supposed to take from 'Tsuru no Ongaeshi', but, for some reason that story is the first thing that pops into his head.]

[ She almost misses the joke. It perhaps doesn't come to mind quite as easily as something from Herlock Sholmes would, but after a moment, she seems to catch the reference. ]

A man who lives without sacrifices for someone else does not deserve to be with a crane. ...True.

[ She sounds almost impressed. ]

But that is not what I mean. Specifically, it is said that if you are able to craft a thousand origami cranes for each year they live, you'll be granted a wish.

[ A beat, both for breath, and to allow Ryunosuke to digest the information. ]

Mine is that you will be safe. You, Kazuma, Gina... [ Listen, even Lord van Zieks has one, but she literally doesn't know if he wears it. ] I've even given one to Inspector Toby.

[Only almost impressed? C'monnnn. HE thought it was pretty funny!

He can't heckle her about that though because then she goes and says something completely sincere and just... Honestly, downright touching.]

Susato-san...

[Looking at her with wide, emotion filled eyes... He's sincerely at a loss for words. What can he say to that, really? Other than...]

Thank you... I. I'll be sure to keep it close.

[And just to prove he's serious, he does slip the cord over his head now, giving her a pleased grin once it's in place.]

You said it requires more 'effort'... Is it something to do with dreamotion?

[ When she gave Kazuma his, he let her put the necklace on him. She would have liked that, but she'll settle for watching closely--then she'll close the distance between them. Slowly, she'll reach for the necklace as it hangs from Ryunosuke's neck, adjusting it while she turns it over in her hand like she's conducting an investigation.

Then she gently rubs at the bottle's surface with her thumb. ]

Well, I merely meant the effort it takes to fold all of the cranes... But I do think dreamotion is a part of it.

The cranes... [ She looks at them now through the glass. ] When the protection magic imbued in them with my dreamotion activates, they appear to burn up.

[Magic cranes...! Honestly, what will Susato think of next? She's truly incredible. Although...]

Oh, that's...! A little bit sad, actually. All your hard work...

[And the poor cranes :( ]

[ Poor cranes......

Susato stops to think about it, staring into the bottle with a blink. She's never thought about it like that before, and somehow he is the first to lament over the fact after all this time. It's... incredibly endearing.

But in the end, she appears satisfied and lets the bottle go. ]

Well, it means all my hard work is paying off. That is why I often fold them in my spare time, to keep a stock.

...I have even taught others. [ Mostly to satisfy their curiosity. ]

[Right... Ryunosuke's pretty sure he saw her teaching a few patrons just the other day, come to think of it.

He grins.]

Perhaps I'll have to get a lesson from you some time. Er... for the dreamotion, and the folding. I've never been particularly good at it, myself... At least, not when I have to fold them very small like this.

[ She laughs. Well, it's not like she was very good at it to start, either. ]

Not to worry. I always use larger squares when I am teaching. Perhaps I'll show you after we close tonight.

[ It sounds like she means it, too. ]

Anyway...I suppose we should finish what you've started. Maybe you could make those lights appear again while we're at it?

[ She smiles encouragingly moves to pick up the bag of fish food, sitting near where the daruma has been set aside. ]

Oh right... Yes! I'd be happy to.

[And of course, he kneels back down by the koi pond so they can get to work. It's a tiny bit more difficult, getting his light trick to work when he knows he has an audience. But they still get the job done. And when they've finished feeding the little guys, Ryunosuke gets back to his feet, scooping the box with the Daruma up once more, smiling down fondly at it.]

I still can't believe you managed to get him back... He's going to get a suitable place of honor in my house, I can tell you that much.

. . . Hmm.

[ Once the koi are fed, Susato watches thoughtfully as Ryunosuke picks up his gift. She glances into the box protecting the daruma and seems to tilt her head, as if trying to figure something out. She still looks mighty pleased, however, cracking a smile as she closes the distance between them.

She places a hand on top of the daruma's head... ]

Well, I look forward to coming to visit him. Though his colour is reminding me of something now... [ But what? ]

[Ryunosuke, who is still kind of getting his head around all of this Christmas stuff, really hasn't the slightest idea what she could be thinking of.]

Well... It's not as if there's a shortage of red and white around the town at the moment.

. . . And green, too.

[ Said idly. Christmas colours, is it?

After a moment, she looks around, as if trying to find something. She seems to let it go, leading them inside the restaurant, but then she spots some white cotton that they've provided at a crafting station not far from their Christmas tree.

She grins, grabbing a big handful as she passes by, and holds it up to the daruma's face. ]

Look, a beard. Like Mr Santa Claus.

[10] baby... kurisumasu daze 🎄

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🎀 c: