(semi-open) hello stranger

[softshoes]

Who ⬤ Yujin Mikotoba & friends, old and new
What ⬤ Closed & open substory, mingle, & mini-event prompts
When ⬤ July
Where ⬤ Around Jigoku-cho
Content Warnings ⬤ n/a for now
Notes ⬤ spoilers marked, please see Mikotoba's spoiler opt-out; if you'd like a custom starter / want to wildcard hmu via PM or at smithsyndicate!

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[softshoes]

[Together, guided by Mikotoba's steady hand, the two of them sway and turn through the unfamiliar, yet comfortable, tune. And as Sholmes steps through his own recollections, his partner's smile turns wry.]

Me, strange? [Mikotoba chuckles.] Speak for yourself! You were far, far stranger. With the sort of introduction I received from my classmate, I wasn't sure what to expect from my new flatmate.

[The Sholmes from that first impression-- already working in the laboratory, despite his age-- feels like a far-off memory now, almost two decades gone. Mikotoba remembers being bewildered by the young man. He also remembers, his occasional obstinance aside, Sholmes' passion: for his experiments, and for every new case that crossed his path. A man unlike any other Mikotoba had ever met, in Japan or England.]

A first-class young chemist, yes. But a greatest detective to be, well. That, I'd have never imagined.

[He hums, content. The man before him has grown older, and his stories have grown more well-known, but Sholmes himself hasn't changed a single iota otherwise. If not for the graying hair on Mikotoba's own head, he'd have begun to wonder if he hadn't stepped back in time right alongside all their reminiscences.] It was but a temporary solution for me too, Sholmes. At least initially. [Out of habit, his next words are just a bit quieter and softer.] One day, when I'd saved up enough of my stipend, I'd be leaving: moving into a flat with Genshin or Seishiro instead, perhaps.

[His gaze flickers away from Sholmes'. With everything that's happened thus far in Jigoku-cho, he's had no time to reflect on any of the final revelations from Van Zieks' trial. Back then, Genshin and Seishiro had been Mikotoba's anchors-- adjusting to a brand new world, and navigating the shadows of his own grief, had been a task his 27-year-old self had often thought insurmountable. But now?

At the end of it all, it's still Baker Street that comes to mind when Mikotoba thinks of home. Sholmes alone stands beside him, his truest friend, his great partner.

Mikotoba's expression softens with fondness. He's choosing his words carefully. God knows his face is saying more than enough without them already.]

I am... endlessly grateful, that that day never came to pass.

[retroductions]

[As they take a slow turn ‘round the dancefloor, swaying to the sound of the music, it truly is as though his mind is flung back into memory: a young, somewhat headstrong hospital chemist, who had not quite made his calling as a detective official, meeting an older man from a foreign country he, admittedly at the time, knew so very little about. How blasé he had been about the meeting—polite enough, of course, to leave a relatively positive impression—treating it more like a necessity than a potential friendship that would blossom strong enough to sweep them both up in its fervor.]

As am I.

[He faintly and simply agrees with his friend’s overall assessment. The tinge of melancholy at the mention of Genshin and Seishiro is not missed, but Sholmes opts not to linger on the subject — not tonight, when he would rather shoo away all shadows of regret and sadness to preserve the sanctity of this dance, this final stretch of a marvelous night.]

I would be lost without you, Mikotoba. No doubt you already know that. But how many times have I relied upon you during one of our many cases to keep me not only safe, but successful in my investigations? I should be only half as fortunate in all my outcomes without you at my side. A fact I learned quite quickly, as soon as I witnessed your boundless enthusiasm.