[Open] At the top of your game, keep on rolling

[astudyinviolet]

Who: Sherlock Holmes and others
Status: Open
Where: Eltrut, MANTRA Board locations
What: Catch all for Sherlock this month: forcing Sherlock to deal with his inability to sleep, coping with a sudden gay awakening (see: Alhaitham's survey chaos); MANTA Board quests: A Wishing Tree, The Haunting of Forgotten Cay, Bashful Bunnies, Crab Curry
Warnings: potential talking about Cthulhu-esque night terrors and drowning, Sherlock's horrible sleeping habits, second-hand embarrassment over this boy

What I would give for a dreamless night

[ Sherlock has not been sleeping. He's exhausted, and yet he pushes himself. Every attempt to sleep soon turns to tossing and turning, muttering and whimpering. He can't stop having nightmares related to his last case which startle him awake, terrified. So... his solution has been to avoid sleeping as much as possible. Consuming untold amounts of coffee can only do so much. His body has needed rest since before arriving in this world. The redness around his eyes can't get anymore pronounced. He's past the limit a baby burgeoning consulting detective can have. In the following days, Sherlock can be found completely passed out in various locations such as:

• hunched over a cafe table with a cup of coffee beside him
• on the ground beside a set of strange footprints with magnifying glass in hand
• walking down the street and then collapsing mid-stride without warning

Despite the location, it soon becomes clear that his sleep is anything but peaceful and restorative. Sherlock needs outside intervention because he cannot carry on like this without serious consequence. ]

Knowledge of Love and Romance - Nil

[ Never did Sherlock think that answering a survey would cause him to question a part of himself he never thought to or had to question. He is a man of science, of logic and reason. He's been raised to suppress his emotions. Women never held any attraction to him, so he was supposed to be free of this perceived folly and danger. (Love can truly drive someone to madness. He's seen it.)

It's almost comical how thrown off he is over the idea that he can harbor those softer emotions towards another. Sherlock's friendship with John Watson is unprecedented for him already. To discover that he doesn't reject the possibility of attraction to the man and the strange feeling in his chest leaves him feeling lost without a guide or anyone to turn to. As such, Sherlock turns to the only resource he can think of: books.

He's incredibly flustered and embarrassed to be caught with romantic materials when he has been so critical about them and romance in the past. These aren't even risque stories, poetry, or plays. Regardless, Sherlock pulls his deerstalker cap low in a failed attempt to hide flushed cheeks and perhaps hide in general without sacrificing one of his disguises over this. He purchases a number of books at once and hopes that the more romantic titles are hidden among the more scientific ones. Catch him fidgeting at the shelves, maybe bump into him on his way to his residence and send books sprawling across the ground, or just wonder what is up with this 23-year-old acting like a teenager. ]

MANTA Board

General: A Wishing Tree

[ Sherlock isn't interested in the reward or even the legend of unbreakable vows. He has no friend or lover with him. (He still can't believe he's not wholly unaffected by those emotions.) Instead, he's studying the blossoms of this tree, sketching the flowers in various stages of opening, and sampling a petal or a bit of pollen to study under better light later. Maybe tell him to leave and let the couples share their promises. Or join in for science? ]

General: The Haunting of Forgotten Cay

[ Who gets lost reading all the waterlogged pages scattered about? This guy. Sherlock carefully navigates his way over the treacherous landscape, giving wide berths to any open water. The air is heavy, and he's fighting the feeling of déjà vu he gets from the scenery. Had there been a lighthouse, Sherlock would have considered staying on the ship. But this is just a haunted island, supposedly. ]

Have you found anything yet?

Bounties: Bashful Bunnies

[ Upon realizing just what the bounty was for, Sherlock's motivation has changed. He's fond of bees. These are bee and bunny hybrids. They need to be saved, not treated as pests. Since then, he's been locating the nests but not following through with dispelling them. ]

There must be an alternative to banishing these creatures. They are merely trying to find a home.

[ He sits on the ground in front of a nest, quietly with his casebook open. Is he trying to sketch one? He may be. ]

Special: Crab Curry

[ Sherlock is helping to rescue the baby crabs by climbing up Norhpip's shell, but everything from his expression to his posture hints at how upset he is at the reasons for being back on Norhpip. Nothing like having one's efforts go to waste because certain people failed to stop and think about what they were doing before speaking. He's completely civil towards the crabs, but he's not suffering any fools. He spots one crab over a ledge above where they currently are. ]

I'll go for that one. Stay here and watch over the rest.

Wildcard

[ Want to do something else? Write a prompt or drop me a line at Sherry's journal, aviekokyre, Discord @ aviekokyre, or his plotting comment, and we can plot something out. ]

Comments

Love and Romance

[book2thehead]

[As it happens... Heizou loves to frequent the bookshop here. When he isn't investigating something or other he can usually be found right there in the store, perusing the shelves for his favorite kind of entertainment. He's there often enough that he's pretty familiar with where everything is and who the store's regulars are.

So when he spots flushed cheeks under that deerstalker cap, consider Heizou's curiosity piqued. He even kind of sneaks up on Sherlock, mischief in his eyes as he approaches so very quietly... And when the moment seems right--]

Looking for something specific, detective~?

[astudyinviolet]

[ Hell's bells! Sherlock spins where he is. If he was in top form, he might have heard the detective approach, but he's exhausted and badly distracted. Being too far inside his own head never helped him connect with reality. Quite the opposite. ]

Shikanoin, a fancy to meet you here.

[ He was trying to avoid people he knew, and here is someone who is a colleague. In a section the clearly doesn't have non-fiction reference materials. ]

[book2thehead]

[The smile on his face grows at that reaction, his eyes practically sparkling with amusement.]

Hello, Mr. Holmes~ Here to pick up some light reading material, are you?

[His eyes dart over to the contents of the nearest shelf, as if he isn't already well aware that this is very much not an area to pick up research material. To be fair, Heizou had to also be in the fiction section to have even spotted Sherlock. Usually not by the romance shelves, but definitely still in fiction!]

🐇 bashful bunnies

[activatingcombatmode]

[By now Zack has done his fair share of bounties. There are all sorts of creatures that get posted on that board. Some of them ferocious beasts and some of them... cute widdle bunbuns...]

You think so too, huh... [Zack crosses his arms.] I thought bees were supposed to be good for the environment.

[So why are people dispelling these ones? Zack has one of those blacklight lanterns to help see the spirit bunnies but he's wondering how to go about this too.]

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock nods, relieved that he won't have to convince the man that this bounty isn't right. ]

They are. I only had a little time to study bees during on my time on Cordona, but the local vegetation benefit from their presence. The people benefit by both.

[ Are the nests the problem? That can be remedied just like where bees make their hives. ]

I have not been here long enough to know, but Etrut is blooming right now. There are an increase in these bee rabbits. They could be related. Removing one could remove the other.

[activatingcombatmode]

And who can honestly say they don't like honey?

[He has no idea if bee-bunny honey would be the same thing but it's the principle of that fact.]

It seems like there's someone around here that doesn't like them around. But if that's the case, what should we do? I don't want anything to die for no reason.

[They need a plan...]

🦀 crab curry

[indispensable]

[Just like with Sherlock Alhaitham is here, too, to do whatever he can to ensure that the clue will actually be given to them this time. He's... not so much as annoyed at other people's actions having caused this to happen so much as him simply being irritated that its even asking for more in the first place. Was almost drowning not bad enough as it is??

Anyway, here he is now, and just as Kaveh has stipulated he is not alone, so this time he has... whoever this person is. Alhaitham didn't really bother to get a name and just tagged along so that he could come here and do things. And while normally he'd leave people to their own devices, the haggard looks and the clear signs of exhaustion reminds him perhaps a little too much of a certain blonde architect, so he has more or less decided to just... stick around. The other is still doing stuff for the crab anyway, so its fine.

Which, of course, brings them to the present moment, where Alhaitham nods after the given instruction and does indeed stay where he is, but makes sure to watch the other man as he goes to retrieve said crab. By all accounts its a simple task, but given his less than stellar complexion, Alhaitham can't help but anticipate something some sort of accident that's just waiting to happen.]

[astudyinviolet]

[ Jumping into an arrangement with someone before exchanging names is something that Sherlock does too often. Today is no different. Sherlock takes a moment to study the rock attached to the shell. There are some small handholds which he can use to pull himself up. Just like climbing ruins as a child in Cordona...

He reaches up, light catching on a thin silver bangle is around his left wrist. At least Sherlock isn't trying to be needlessly reckless. He wears a Trustfaller, and while he can't tell if the bangle is actually a magical item or not, it is claimed to help someone break their fall from certain heights. Maybe someone who can use magic can tell if it's real. (He also has a Bubble Charm threaded onto the black ribbon around his collar, but he's in no danger of falling into water. Hopefully.) ]

Let me know if the crab moves from the ledge. It'd do no good to reach it only to find the crab has scuttled to another location.

[indispensable]

[Alhaitham isn't exactly a magic user per se (at least not in the same sense as others who do actually cast spells), but the charms and magitech of this world hasn't worked against them just yet (so long as they are properly spruced up and maintained, anyway), so Alhaitham sees no reason to distrust their usage. Of course, there is the fact that he doesn't quite know what the other even has at all, so...

Well, so long as nothing happens then its none of his business. For now Alhaitham simply continues to stand in the same spot, and nods to acknowledge what has been said to him. The crab in question does look like its pretty comfortably sunbathing or something at the moment, but he supposes that could easily change if it proves to be one of the more skittish ones. There's been a good few of those around, from what he can recall.]

Love and Romance - makes it worse

[empyrean_mirror]

[What about this achingly beautiful man who reached for the same book you did, Sherry? Like yes he's not John so it probably doesn't matter but let me describe Kaveh as pretty--]

Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you there. Did you want this one?

Getting the full gamut

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock instantly snatches his hand back as if he was burned and turns to an achingly beautiful and pretty man. (How much do people judge him by appearances alone?) ]

No, I merely was curious about its contents to see if it would fit what I'd need for a case study. If you wish for it, I can easily select something else.

[ Said perhaps just a too fast. ]

he's helpin

[empyrean_mirror]

[All the goddamn time, Sherry, he's so tired.]

A..case study?

[Kaveh pauses. And then looks at the book. And then looks back at Sherlock. Ah.]

Well, I'm never going to deny the progress of another scholar. Here...

[He takes the book in question, and then reaches up and pulls another couple off the shelf.] These too.

dreamless night

[scooba]

[Freminet might be someone who doesn't like to talk to people, but he knows better than to just leave someone on the floor sleeping. Here he was, sitting on a bench somewhere as he tries to write a story for Lyney and the others to read when he just so happened to see someone collapsing midway from walking.

Looking around, he was wondering if anyone was going to help but...]

Um....excuse me, sir, are you okay?

[astudyinviolet]

[ No one else seems to be helping him, no doubt seeing his exhausted state, assuming that he's intoxicated, and just needing to sleep it off. There's not a hint of alcohol on him, however.

Sherlock struggles back to consciousness. His features contort as if in pain, and his fingers scrape against the ground. Still, he remains on the ground. ]

[scooba]

[Should Freminet shake him until he wakes up? No, of course not. He couldn't do that to him. Instead, he'll kneel down in hopes that his voice would be heard.]

Can you hear me? Please, sir, let me know if you can...!

[He didn't want to shout but his voice was getting slightly louder...!]

Haunting of Forgotten Cay

[crystalrepose]

[As bodyguards went, Miriam wasn't too bad of a choice; she might be a bit short in stature, but she was quite capable with that sword at her belt. The largest crystal rose on her back showed itself as more than a tattoo the moment the wind tugged at her scarf, its solid raised petals glowing soft blue when they stepped off the ship. The other rose-like clusters on her remained inert, but the biggest continued emitting a trail of blue light like the smoke from an engine as Miriam drifted from one crumbling ruin of what might have been a house to another, scrambling over rocks and rubble with practiced ease. But she always kept an eye out for the other Paladin, and didn't stray too far.

She didn't question why the man skirted around the water so much; she was herself a bit wary of still water littered with the bones of ship and sailor alike. No telling how many sets of teeth might be under there. The Shardbinder was quite content to avoid the pools.]

Just more of these pages.

[She'd tugged a few from the last heap of rubble; they were mostly tattered, if legible. The one she held the most delicately was a page that seemed to have been torn into three; the Shardbinder brought them all over in a careful gauntleted hand, offering them up.]

Anything usable over here?

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock nods and offers some pages which were still in decent condition. There is still a make more which have been waterlogged beyond recognition. Even if the paper managed to hold up, the inked letters would have blurred together to leave uneven lines. ]

More pages of a journal, but I've uncovered who they belong to.

[ He points to one page in particular. ]

See here? The author of these words refers to himself. These don't belong to someone on the crew but to Leroy Longbones.

[ She may also have this information in the pages she found, but until now, Sherlock hadn't known. Another confirmation would still be welcomed. ]

[crystalrepose]

Yes, that's been one of the few things that hasn't been torn or charred. [There hadn't been much else that was identifiable in the rubble; no other belongings, and little sign of habitation beyond its existence. It could have easily been a toolshed as much as a tiny lonely house.]

Can you make out anything else? Perhaps that name has something to do with this...weight in the air. [Miriam rolled her shoulder; the uncanny heaviness stubbornly remained. If anything it seemed to get more pronounced the longer they stayed in this place.]

a wishing tree

[emet_sulk]

[ Emet-Selch, by contrast, has been hanging back to allow lovers and other couples to make their vows et cetera beneath the tree. But it doesn't take him long to notice a solitary person ignoring all others in favour of examining the tree itself. Curious, he ventures closer and observes the man.

...Ah, a botanist?

Sherlock will hear a voice drawling behind him. ]

Gleaned any insights from your study, ser?

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock pauses looking at a blossom with his magnifying glass. ]

None at the moment. These blossoms are unlike any I've seen.

[ He's pressed a few into his casebook, and he's placed some petals in a vial for additional study using the basic chemistry set he obtained recently. And the pollen. Along with seeing if the bee rabbits respond to either. ]

[emet_sulk]

[ He glances up at the tree. ]

Are you looking to understand the wishing effect?

[ He doesn't think a man of science will be able to discern such a thing but...maybe Emet-Selch will be surprised. ]

Wildcard for Cyrus

[astudyinviolet]

[ Damn it! Sherlock might have covered his real identity under the disguise of a young reporter, but word got out that someone matching his description was looking at potion ingredients with certain qualities. Did the criminals have connections to the smaller apothecaries, chemists, and market stalls? How did they avoid Sherlock's observations?

The time for questions (and more investigation) will have to come later. Now, Sherlock is dashing through a market. The paths are narrow, and the place is busy. He's disrupting a lot people in his attempt to find a place to lose his three (rather large looking) pursuers. A fight will only go poorly for him.

Sherlock jumps over a crate and lands in a roll. Then he takes off again, clipping the shoulder of a man as he goes past. ]

Pardon me!

[ Sherlock keeps running. That man may want to move because the pursuers are barreling his way with weapons or magic at the ready. ]

[ligero]

[One moment, Cyrus Douglas is minding his own business, browsing through an outdoor market with nothing on his mind but the produce he might buy-- and a thought to visit any potential tobacconist competitors, if he can find them. The very next, he's broken out of his reverie by the sound of impact--] What the deuce was that? [then, a tall young man clipping him on the shoulder as he dashes past.

Whatever could he be in such a hurry for? Douglas, staring after him, hasn't made out the young man's features, save for the dark hair and stature, but something about him... strikes him with the briefest deja vu. Only very brief, however. There's no time to dwell when the heavy footsteps of three men come pounding down the alleyway after Sherlock. Douglas stares at them, looking stunned--

He's got a friend! After them both!

--and, well. Now he's running, too, on a tear after the man he's been inadvertently lumped in with.] Wait! Where are you going?!

[Maybe it'll be easier to find a hiding spot if they do it together?]

Love and Romance - because why not make it worse

[spectacleofphantasmagoria]

[Fontaine is a nation of duality, where passion and drama have just as much a home as justice and order. And if there's one thing that the Nation of Hydro possesses, it's a love of theatrics, an insatiable craving for the thrill of the dramatic. And since most Fontainians view the spectacle of a trial with the same fervor as an opera, it comes to no surprise that crime novels are exceptionally popular in the land of justice.]

[But though he is a Fontainian who has read his fair share of crime novels, Lyney is a romantic at heart. And though it's something of a guilty pleasure of his, he can't help but be drawn to the happy endings and romantic gestures within romance novels. And so, he's actually herein the store browsing said romance novels, a couple tucked under his arm already. Hmm, perhaps he should also browse the fairy tales for something for his brother Freminet...]

[He's about to turn and head down another aisle, when he accidentally bumps into another individual.]

Ah! My apologies..!

Must meet who has Heizou's heart for future turning of tables

[astudyinviolet]

[ The bump catches Sherlock just as unaware, and the romance book in his hands tumbles to the floor along with a few on local geology and history of crime on Eltrut. ]

It is nothing. I am unharmed.

[ He is, however, scrambling for his books now. It's embarrassing enough to be caught in the romance section, let alone with a book in his hands. ]