ximilialog | open 🌸 boy, when i left you, you were young

CHARACTERS: Yujin Mikotoba & you
LOCATION: around the station
DATE: post-the Die is Cast
CONTENT: station catch-all with open & closed prompts; local dad keeps himself busy
WARNINGS: nothing yet, will update as needed

1. NETWORK/ACTION - un: y.mikotoba, text;

I will keep this brief. At home, I specialized in research on rare poisons. I've obtained a sample of poison from the Dremnin to develop an antidote for any of our crew who have fallen victim to those creatures.

If you've been bitten, and if neither magic nor remedies have stemmed its effects, I'll have something ready as soon as I am humanly able. Beg pardon the delay.

[What he does not contribute, however, is that Ryunosuke Naruhodo is one of the affected-- and that he, like the rest of them, is looking worse for wear. Losing Naruhodo, of course, is not an option. That puts one hell of a rush on brewing up a cure.

He's a professional. He has no time to think, or feel, any sort of way about this; all that Professor Mikotoba can do right now is work. And so he does-- so long, in fact, that for the first 2 days the orbers are back on the Ximilia, he's hardly anywhere but the infirmary. Day and night, his nose is to the grindstone; occasionally, he dozes on a spare cot or even face down on a tabletop.

Luckily for him, the antidote's ultimately successful, with the help of the ship's tech and his colleagues' notes, of course. As for the doctor himself, he's stubbornly trying to make the rounds in the infirmary with whatever energy he's got left in him. No use creating an antidote without actually administering it, right? Much as he needs a break, so do the crew's magical healers. He's visibly worn down, that neatly slicked-back hair slightly tousled and his easygoing manner hedged by fatigue, but he manages to smile for whoever he's attending to.

Why wouldn't he? They've all made it out alive. It's hard work, but worthwhile.]

2. ACTION - SUPPLIES;

[After a solid meal and ungodly long nap, tbh, Yujin makes himself presentable again for the sake of milling about the station. For once, he's actually in his haori rather than a Western suit: the mage's robes from the mission had made him miss his more breathable Japanese attire, really.

His first stop is to dig through the ship's supplies. Arriving on the Ximilia after a voyage means that he's got everything he needs materially, but after a few months of space and high fantasy... all that he wants is something familiar. With a sigh, he's shuffling through the books, in search of anything from around his own time. He does have a favorite he's keeping an eye out for--]

Well... [A defeated huff.] Perhaps the Randst is a little too old...

[--but maybe it's too much to hope for a copy of The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes to show up? Either way, he's got a little stack set aside. God knows he's got some time to kill before they're shipped out all over again.]

WILDCARD;

[feel free to drop a starter, here or in yujin's inbox; i'm at

smithsyndicate if you'd like to plot out a custom one!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It shouldn't be too old. I've found 18th century Earth literature. [Another avid reader is perusing the stacks with two books of poetry in his arms. At this rate, he'll go through the entire ship library twice by the end of all of these missions, but he loves rereading his favorites. It's one of the most relaxing things to do after a stressful week and the loss of two friends.]</small. Randst, Randst...in what genre do they write?

Oh! [It's always a bit of a shock to see Minimus around the ship, at first, but he's beginning to get used to it.] M-Mr. Minimus, I didn't see you there.

[Yujin smiles sheepishly up at him, returning his gaze to the books. Frankly, he'll probably be in the same boat as Minimus soon-- with so much to unpack mentally after just one mission, he'll need the distraction.]

Well, the Randst has some general interest articles, but it's the short fiction that I'm looking for. Namely... [Would Minimus even know Sholmes, after so many years? Even for a literature buff like him, the 19th century must be rather far behind. Maybe those stories have been all but forgotten now.] The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes? It's a favorite of mine and my daughter's. At home, we'd even import them from England, all the way to Japan.

[His head tilts.] Sherlock Holmes? [It sounds too similar to be a coincidence, and Minimus has been to enough alternate universes to get the sense that some of the same people and things have different names.]

That's the one with a detective, isn't it?

[Humans reference it so much in the 21st century.]

No, no-- I'm certain it's Herlock Sholmes. [He does know the man, of course-- to say nothing of the months his daughter and Naruhodo had lived in 221B's attic over the last year.

Besides, what kind of silly name is Sherlock Holmes?]

Anyway, yes, that's just the one. I happen to know that his biographer does take some liberties, but it really is done so compellingly I can hardly be upset about it. I'm glad the works seem to have endured.

[Good for Iris. And good for that Baker Street rent, honestly.]

Really? [Could it be that he forgot the right name? Is this a case of information creep, and that data has been overwritten by new memories? Minimus has to check the actual library for the truth.]

So it's a work of nonfiction...then it's different from the one I know. Who is this Herlock from your world?

[It is. It totally is. Just Trust Him Bro.]

Somewhat romanticized nonfiction, but yes. [Iris Wilson, they all know that you love your dad very much, but even for Yujin, the snake thing was a bit too much to swallow.] Sholmes is a consulting detective, the only one in the world. His deductive capability is unparalleled, despite-- or, maybe because of-- his eccentric mind. Together with his trusted partner, John Wilson, he solves all sorts of curious crimes in and around London.

[And then Yujin hesitates. So far removed from the tangled web of politics that is his own 1900, it's perfectly safe to divulge their relationship-- but it does feel a little odd to be so open. Refreshing, though. His expression is fond when he continues.]

...The real Sholmes also happens to be a very dear friend of mine. It's been fun, following his adventures from afar.

[This sounds so much like--]

I knew someone back home who would have enjoyed such stories. He saw everything as a puzzle to be solved, even if it made no sense. [Nightbeat would have been annoying if he knew about Herlock Sholmes, but Minimus can't say if that eccentric and brilliant crewmate would idolize or criticize this detective.]

Is it safe to publish real accounts of criminal cases? In fact, is that even legal? [He was so caught up in memories that he forgot to think about all this from his lawyer perspective.]

Well, if Sholmes' exploits have survived 'till now, [he says, with just a little note of pride,] you could suggest he give them a read. I'd recommend them, and not simply because of the personal connection-- the author's got quite the gift for weaving a mystery, too.

Legality, though... hm. [He taps his chin, thoughtful.] I suppose so, if they're fictionalized enough. Combining multiple characters into one here, obscuring another's identity there. Even my own involvement with some of Sholmes' older cases isn't public knowledge, for example.

It isn't as if Scotland Yard has complained. I think they even appreciate the publicity a little.

Then they would have required that several details of the cases were obscured as well. I would hope they were alerted before the books were written, because a police department suing someone for divulging case information would be a nightmare of a lawsuit.

[He's so worried for Sholmes. He hopes his biographer had a good lawyer.]

open 🌸 boy, when i left you, you were young

🧝 lúthien

💫 mccoy

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tgaa spoilers coming in HOT

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