Not so ready to wake up just yet? Then, by all means, be my guest

[astudyinviolet]

Who: Sherlock and others
Status: Open
Where: Mostly Eltrut though one is on Elah
What: MANTA Quests catch all and Sherlock finally getting some god damn sleep
Warnings: none atm but will update if necessary

MANTA general: Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

[ Do these tapir plushes work as advertised or are they a marketing ploy? Regardless, Sherlock would rather waste the money than lose the chance that it does work. He has been amassing a small collection of good dream charms and enchantments in hopes of finally being able to sleep. He doesn't need good dreams. He will settle on less terrifying nightmares or no dreams at all. Sherlock can't keep this up much longer. Something will break. Falling asleep in the flower field was a small bandage on a much greater wound.

Sherlock frowns and crosses his arms. This aggressive salesperson is really getting on his nerves. ]

No, I do not want the wrap or the keychain. I am satisfied with the plush alone.

Zzzz (Eltrut)

[ Sherlock has not been seen outside of his apartment for days, and he has not responded to messages. However, his shellphone still accepts messages, so he hasn't gone home. He didn't tell anyone he was going undercover and silent for a case or some other similar reason. Is he ill? Has he been kidnapped?

No, Sherlock Holmes is asleep. He finally gathered enough dream related charms to combat his night terrors (and trauma), and his body and mind has fully succumbed to his need for rest. He wakes only to take care of the minimum of bodily needs before he balls himself up in bed and slumbers once more.

Someone should probably check up on him and at least make sure he eats a proper meal. ]

MANTA general: Painted Skull-O-Lanterns

[ This is a strange request, but Sherlock finds himself with a number of fake skulls and paints. He sits outside under the shade of a tree with brush in hand as he lays down a stroke of green. ]

I do not know why I've been tasked to help. I am not an artist.

[ For someone who can sketch well, his attempts at making a skull design is rather lacking. ]

MANTA general: Schrödinger's Gondola

[ Having heard of the crazy debate and realizing his own mental image of a gondola differed from others, Sherlock wanted to see what this was about. He did not expect the large box. It is strangely cozy inside, so Sherlock is in no hurry to leave. He creates a lantern of light, folds his legs under him, and goes through his casebook. He'll look up when someone enters; the curious mage probably forgot Sherlock was inside. ]

Hm? Ah, hullo.

[ Sherlock is too stray black cat coded, and he fits thus sits. ]

MANTA Paladin Bounty: Disguise and Deliverance (Elah)

[ "Mary" the maid continues to investigate the mansion, looking for research documents or correspondence which could explain the crystal sickness and what their plans are for the future. Sherlock is still not doing a very good job at cleaning despite always making some excuse to dust the study and office. At the moment, he's looking behind paintings for safes and under rugs for loose floorboards which could hide important documents. ]

Do let me know if there is anyone not of our group approaching.

Wildcard

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

Comments

Skull-O-lanterns

[telepathicignorance]

I'm not either.

(Oh hey. It's this fucking asshole, showing up to bother you again.

The skull they're working on has been painted black, and they're dabbing little dots of blue on it. The dots aren't particularly even or precise. More like funky blobs than the tiny circles of color they're probably going for. They suck at this.)

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock doesn't think he's made any good impression, so he's left to question Sower's intentions for interacting with him. What do they want? Sherlock still believes he can sort people as those who: hate him, want something from him, or want nothing to do with him. Friendship and those who are alternate versions of people he knows (or himself) are two newer rarer, categories he has yet to truly understand. ]

I could copy another's example, but the requester does not want copies.

[ He has no idea what to do with the line he just placed down. ]

CW: Sidestep is a self loathing edgelord

[telepathicignorance]

Some people in my home world would go nuts for handmade stuff, even if it wasn't the best. The imperfections are seen as proof that a real person worked on it.

(Shows what they know. They're not a real person and their work is full of flaws.

Ugly. Worthless.

They add more dots.)

Could paint things on them that remind you of people you hate. Pretend its their skulls you're painting.

(Sidestep doesn't want Sherlock's friendship, fuck that. They just don't want to think about how the painted skulls remind them of Day of the Dead with the Ortegas.)

[astudyinviolet]

[ Ah, so the want something from him category. ]

I'd rather not think of them at all. There are far more important things to occupy my thoughts than of them.

[ Not to mention it would cause him to reveal some things he doesn't want complete strangers to know. Even if they cannot attach his name to the piece. ]

Besides, these are meant to be wards. It would seem odd to have such things made with while invoking an enemy's memory.

[telepathicignorance]

(If he's gonna look at it like that, friendship would also be wanting something.)

That's probably a healthier way of thinking about it.

(Sidestep doesn't have that luxury: not thinking about their enemies will just lead to them getting caught. Again.

They're still working on their own badly painted skull.)

[astudyinviolet]

[ No, friendship doesn't fit in that category. He could do nothing, and they'll still decide to be friends with him. That is confusing to Sherlock, thus the new category. ]

It does not solve my problem with painting this skull.

[ He brings his brush across the surface of the skull, arching it into a gentle swirl. ]

[telepathicignorance]

(Is friendship not in and of itself a thing people can want from each other?)

The standards for painted skulls don't seem very high anyway.

(Their own paintjob is so ugly it might as well be pointless. In a sudden fit, they chuck the skull they've been working so hard on away from them, sending it flying over 10 feet before smacking into the dirt.)

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock doesn't know. He's not used to real friends. He's more experienced with the imaginary kind. ]

And yet you clearly have a standard for yours.

[ Why else throw it in frustration? Can these skulls even survive such a throw and remain intact? ]

Or is that some attempt to let nature dictate your design?

[telepathicignorance]

Not like there's any point in me doing art.

(They're not even human. What do they know about something like art?

If Sherlock hasn't realized yet, Sidestep is prone to mood swings and self-defeating behavior.)

[astudyinviolet]

[ So is Sherlock. ]

Then don't. No one is holding you at gunpoint to do so.

[telepathicignorance]

(Hopefully Sherlock will manage to be less obnoxious about it than Sidestep is.)

Whatever.

(They flop backwards and lie on the ground.

They will take a moment to glance curiously at Sherlock and his skull, though.)

[astudyinviolet]

[ Obnoxious, debatable. Dramatic? Yes.

Well, Sherlock isn't going to carry the conversation. He's fine with the silence and concentrating (well, not really) on painting his skull. The lines continue to swirl across the surface. He starts drawing small circles along the edges and in-between the lines.

He doesn't realize it, but his random lines start looking more like the crazed art of a cultist. ]

[telepathicignorance]

(Huh. The cultist association doesn't immediately occur to them, because their foremost example of a cult used very different imagery. Still, the images do send a little shiver down their spine.)

You like drawing monsters?

Zzzzzzzz

[book2thehead]

[Heizou definitely gets a little worried when he doesn't hear from Sherlock for a while. To be fair, he's been pretty distracted himself with other things and they haven't exactly worked any "cases" together lately. But they usually at least invite the other to join any investigations they're doing, and that's really the only reason for Sherlock to purposefully go radio silent.

So Heizou decides to go check on him. He knows the way to Sherlock's place, so he comes by with a little bag of groceries and snacks and promptly knocks on the door.]

Sherlock?? Are you home?

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock is too busy being curled up in bed, surrounded by and embracing various plushes. A few white feathers from the winged horses hang above his bed. His hair sticks up in all angles, and his nightgown is all rumbled from hours upon hours of sleep. He mumbles something and nuzzles his face into a plush more (probably the John Doppelplush).

If Heizou thinks he's getting up to answer the door, he might need to knock a bit more to force him to wake up or just lock pick it open. ]

[book2thehead]

[He calls out and knocks a few more times, no louder than before, but eventually has to stop and consider his options for a moment. Intuition tells him that there isn't any immediate danger, so there's no need to break the door down or anything. It still seems unlikely that Sherlock is out on a long term investigation, but if he is, then at least Heizou can look around for clues to his whereabouts. So he opts for a subtler approach; lockpicking.

It doesn't take him very long to get the door open either, so soon enough he's stepping into the apartment carefully. Just in case. Shoes come off automatically and he puts the bag of food in the kitchen before starting to pad around looking for signs of life...

And eventually finding Sherlock simply curled up in bed. It's kind of a relief; and also terribly, terribly amusing. So Heizou snaps a picture on his phone before disturbing him. Which starts with abruptly turning on all the lights.]

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock's eyes squeeze tighter as light fills the apartment. He turns to press his face further into the plush and whines like a child forced to wake for school. ]

John, turn down the lights when you're done.

[ Sleep continues to cling to Sherlock but just barely. (And maybe he's dreaming of a certain someone.)

With the lights on, Heizou will be able to see signs that there hasn't been much movement in the room the past few days. Sherlock hadn't been confined to his bed by sickness or injury; he didn't place medical supplies within easy reach. He could use a good shave and a wash since sleep remained his body's top priority, but all things considered, Sherlock's condition has improved. The dark circles around his eyes are lighter. His body carries less tension (before the lights turned on at least). He seems refreshed in ways none have seen him since his arrival. ]

[book2thehead]

[He chuckles to himself softly as he goes back into the kitchen... Where he very loudly starts to pull out all of the food that he brought over.]

Man alive, you must be having some really good dreams if you're calling me that, Sherry~

[Maybe he should cook something. He's not much of a chef, but he does know how to make a dish or two...]

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherry?! How--? Sherlock bolts upright in bed. ]

Jon, why are you--

[ He rubs the remnants of sleep from his eyes and catches sight of Heizou's richly colored hair. Did he hear his name wrong? He swore he heard a male voice call him "Sherry," which is why he thought Jon had returned. ]

Heizou, did something happen? Do we have a case?

[book2thehead]

[He definitely doesn't miss the way that nickname struck something urgent in Sherlock. He'll have to keep that one in his back pocket for emergencies.

Either way, he simply smiles in amusement as he continues to go about preparing a simple meal.]

No, there's no case. I just hadn't heard from you in a while so I wanted to make sure everything was alright. As it turns out, it looks like you've just been fast asleep this whole time! You must be hungry, huh?

[astudyinviolet]

I seem to have finally stumbled on a way to avoid nightmares, and my body attempted to make up for lost nights.

[ Sherlock really doesn't want to sleep his life away, as pleasant as the dream was, but his body had other opinions. As Sherlock contemplates if he's hungry, his stomach answers loudly for him. His cheeks turn a little red. ]

I haven't had a meal in days.

[book2thehead]

[He chuckles a little at the loud growling of his friend's stomach.]

And that, my fellow detective, is precisely why I'm fixing something up for you to eat. You'd better eat it, too, or you'll hurt my feelings~

[Heizou glances over at him then with that same, unwavering smile.]

A way to avoid nightmares, hm? Given the nature of this world, it must have something to do with all the dolls you have on your bed. The feathers look like they're part of it as well, considering where you've hung them... I'm happy to hear they've helped, though! You look very well rested.

[astudyinviolet]

Fine, I will. You need not guilt me into doing so.

[ (Yes, Heizou does. Everyone knows how bad Sherlock is with eating regularly and enough food.) ]

They are. Each claimed to promote some form of pleasant dreaming or sleep. On their own, none of them could combat my night terrors, but after amassing so many, whatever powers they have seem to be enough to stop the nightmares.

I cannot recall last when I had such sweet and gentle dreams.

[ There is a part of him that wishes to remain in those dreams, but another part of him reminds him of how he detached himself from reality before. Favoring the dreamworld risks blurring his perception of what is real. ]

[book2thehead]

I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't know you needed it~

[He knows Sherlock a little too well, now. Their similarities have always been a bit strange to begin with, but sometimes it's just downright spooky. Why is guilt such a powerful motivator in the first place? Some mysteries will never be solved.

Still, Heizou smiles a little more broadly. It's good to hear that his friend has found some relief from the things that haunt him. He's genuinely pleased for him.]

I'm glad. But use this power responsibly, all right? I can't have you starving in your sleep here. Who will go on undercover business with me otherwise~?

[astudyinviolet]

[ Because deep down they are insecure about their worth and desire to be loved, so disappointing the people who somehow manage to care about them despite their perceived flaws is a greater fear than death.

However, to prove his point about eating, Sherlock gets up off the bed, smooths some wrinkles in his night gown, and starts to clear of a portion of the table so that a second person could eat there. ]

I am positive that your dear magician would be up to the task. Give him a change of dress, and he would gather all intelligence.

[ Sherlock doesn't even know about the assassin and spy stuff. He's just judging Lyney on his ability to misdirect attention and perform slight of hand. ]

However, my dreams have had a lack of mystery to them despite how pleasant they are, so my mind would eventually rebel at that stagnation.