bakerstreet | (no subject)

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the rain meme

Ah, rain—the precipitation that the whole world has a love/hate affair with. It waters the garden for free and ruins baseball games. It cools you off in the summer and it causes more ice and sleet to appear in the winter. Sometimes it is lovely and falls at a decent pace for a few hours, other times, it blasts the whole eastern seaboard away.

Poems and songs have been written about it, people have danced in it, others have cursed its entire existence, and still more refuse to go out and drive in it.

Now it’s time to roll some dice and see what the weather will have in store for you today.

directions

1. Comment with your character, series, preferences, etc in the subject.
2. Roll a number between 1-5 with the RGN for an intensity.
3. Roll 1-15 with the RGN for a situation.
4. Reply to other comments and play the scenario out!
5. Don’t catch a cold!

intensity

1. DRIZZLE ☂ It’s not too heavy or too light of a downpour, just enough to wash away stuff in the air, water the ground, and clean up the streets.

2. MONSOON ☂ It’s horrible and awful! Rain is coming down in buckets, no one can get anywhere, the wind is whipping everything about, and now the cable is out.

3. SHOWER ☂ Reminds you of early spring, doesn’t it? A nice shower to make everything all green and smell fresh again. Lovely.

4. FLOOD ☂ While rain is good, it can sometimes be bad. Grab a boat!

5. CATS & DOGS ☂ You’re lucky with this one. It’s not the worst storm in the world, but it’s still pretty heavy. Be careful when driving!

prompts

1. A DARK, STORMY NIGHT ☂ You know all those stories that start off with a stormy night before something goes wrong: a murder, an attack by ninjas, a crime. It is one of the best known clichés in the world, and you’re stuck in the middle of it.

2. HUMIDITY ☂ It’s that time of the year again when the humidity rises and the rain has two options: make it worse or make it go away. Good luck getting the latter.

3. GRAY RAIN OF DEPRESSION ☂ We all know this one. Stuck in the middle of no where, or right after an argument, or something that leads to angst, the rain decides to express someone’s feelings in a physical form, serious or over the top.

4. QUIET MORNING ☂ Nothing to do, nowhere to be… sometimes the rain is a welcomed addition to a quiet day. Gives you an excuse to stay in, curl up in a warm blanket and a book, maybe a loved one or a cup of hot chocolate. With sprinkles.

5. PUDDLES ☂ After it rains, what is the number one thing you have to do? Go put on some rubber boots and splash around of course!

6. SUDDEN STORM ☂ It might have been predicted, but sometimes storms just sweep in and do their thing with little to no warning. Hope you’re not outside.

7. THUNDER & LIGHTNING ☂ Loud, surprising, scary, ominous, comforting, fantastic to watch or listen to… some like thunder and lightning, others not so much. Of course, if this happens before a big confrontation, the universe is telling you something.

8. CAN’T GET WORSE ☂ You did not say that. You did not just say that. How many times does this need to be seen in movies and books before anyone learns?

9. STUCK ☂ No, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. What happened to the ten percent chance of rain? You forgot your umbrella and now you’re stuck in it!

10. RUINED PLANS ☂ You had all these wonderful plans to go outside, have some fun in the sunshine, do some errands, maybe a date… and the weather goes against them.

11. DANCING ☂ Sometimes rain is a cause for celebration, or you just feel like doing something spontaneous. Grab someone to join you and get wet!

12. RAIN BATTLE ☂ The most intense, important battles happen in the rain. Verbal spars, punching someone in the guts; it’s all dramatic and climatic. And no one slips.

13. DATE ☂ Aww, don’t let the weather ruin your date! It can be really romantic, being out in the rain, and it’s always fun to go with the flow.

14. A DAY INSIDE ☂ Sometimes, it’s just better to stay inside and enjoy something simple and easy like board games or catching up on TV shows, or maybe the bills.

15. WILD CARD ☂ Was there something I missed? Did you want to roll again or choose your own adventure? Go for it!

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[tbh *I* say the starter thing all the time for the same reason, so I had a sense. A vibe. A feel.

Anyway, okay. lmk if you want an edit. I'm going to be fancy and-]

---

[Once they received the news that Kazuma was finally coming home - if not for good, at least for a visit - and was bringing Lord van Zieks with him, Ryunosuke worked hard to make sure that things...if they weren't perfect, they were, at least, quite good.

(Really, Susato had done most of the organizing for the two of them, but they both had things they were good at.)

They had gotten the time off. They had made sure that work wouldn't come between them and that reunion, because it really had been far too long, and while Ryunosuke enjoyed his verbal sparring with both Lord van Zieks as well as Kazuma...he didn't enjoy the life or death stakes that tended to come with it.

They had woken up early. They had made their way down to Yokohama - inconveniently far, but you did things like this when important people were coming back home.

They had a nice lunch, and then waited. And then they waited a bit longer. And then they waited even longer, and they both were starting to get worried - a ship wouldn't vanish, at least not without some news. But the ship also hadn't arrived, and Kazuma really did have a bad track record when it came to ships. But he was also with Lord van Zieks, and, as Ryunosuke felt (and said as much) Lord van Zieks was terribly unkillable. If something had happened to the ship, he'd surely survive, and Kazuma would survive with him.

And they finally asked around, and that took a bit of work, but eventually-]

Delayed?

[Until tomorrow at the earliest, apparently. They had been delayed in Hong Kong.

A cold wind blew.

That was when it started to rain. A light drizzle, which reflected his mood, but drizzles didn't tend to remain drizzles for long around this time of year.]

In Hong Kong? Oh, no...

[ It certainly took a bit of legwork, but they finally had gotten their answer. It's a good thing too that Susato had decided to wear an extra layer in the form of her purple shawl. She suspected Yokohama would be cold today, but she could have hardly predicted that it would start raining.

She feels the first drops against her forehead and frowns. Not only was she eager to see their prosecutors again in the first place; now they would have to waste an extra day of the time they took off. ]

After all that waiting. If we return to the office now, we'd hardly make it back in time to meet them tomorrow.

[ It's practically not even an option...

She starts looking around; and then, after a moment, she steps beneath an shade of a store front as the wind and rain pick up even more. She pulls out what looks like a booklet or brochure of some kind. ]

I'm glad the two of them are together. To be honest, I'd be worried if it was one or the other of them alone.

[He followed, then, moved to shield Susato a bit from the wind...even if he wasn't doing much sheltering, not being as broad nor as tall as the Reaper himself. But, an effort was made.]

Lord van Zieks isn't the Reaper, but he still has his share of enemies, I'm sure. And Kazuma is Kazuma. He's capable but, well...

[What's a good way of saying, "Kazuma is far more impulsive than I thought he was before we left for London, and I'd be worried about the sorts of situations he might end up in if left alone."]

[ Careful there, Mr Naruhodo... He may have been Not Quite Himself, but that is still her adoptive big brother you are talking about. Luckily she is too engrossed in the brochure to notice the way he trails off, having unfolded it into a map.

Is there somewhere they can stay that won't break their banks...?

She looks up, noticing the way Ryunosuke was acting as a shield, and then the words he said from just a moment ago seem to sink in. ]

Well... [ Need help? She'll finish that sentence for you. ] If Kazuma-sama was able to get by with no memories, no money, and on completely foreign soil, I would say he is more than capable.

[ And Lord van Zieks is no slouch either, as they both know. ]

...But I see your point and I share your concerns. I do wonder how they are getting along nowadays, but we must save our questions for when we see them and worry about ourselves in the meantime.

His capability isn't what I'd be concerned with, really. He's far more capable than I am.

[No, how should he put it...he's trying to find the words...]

...if we received a telegram from Kazuma letting us know that things happened, he ended up in Russia for a noble cause, and will be a little late as he resolves whatever happened, I don't think I'd be exactly surprised anymore. Things happen to Kazuma. And things happen to Lord van Zieks as well but the sorts of things that happen to him are different from what happens to Kazuma, and between the two of them I feel like they'd cancel each other out.

[And he shifts a bit more trying to peer at the book while still trying to act as a shield, and it's not very effective so nevermind-]

Perhaps we can find a lobby or somewhat somewhere that will look the other way while we try to decide what to do next. [aka get indoors]

[ ......It is sad, perhaps, that she feels rather stunned into silence. A vague look of concern appears on her face, and with one hand still holding the booklet, the she spreads the other arm out into a half-sarcastic shrug. What can she say? She can easily see it happening too.

At his suggestion, the finally glanced into the store whose entranceway they were currently blocking. They should probably like, not do that anymore. ]

Let's just head inside.

[ It's not like anyone is likely to ask any questions. She tugs lightly at the sleeve of his uniform, leading him indoors. ]

[...it's okay. They'll be fine and likely have some story about Hong Kong to tell, and if Kazuma saved a busload of orphans (have buses been invented yet? well, something like that) while they were waiting Ryunosuke will be very proud of him while also being distressingly unsurprised by this turn of events.

Anyway, here he is, following.]

Shall we look around while we figure out what next?

[Even if they can't get anything because of the impending splurge on a place to spend the night, but listen, listen, it's always nice looking around a store filled with neat things. (And watch it be something boring.)]

[ The closest thing is probably the omnibus! Which would eventually become bigger and fancier. His impressive imagination aside, Susato is already looking at the booklet again when he asks.

She's not exactly paying attention to where they've ended up, but it appears to be a furniture store... which they could call boring, but practical. (And they do have a new office to furnish, eventually.) ]

I wanted to check if there was an inn nearby on this map, before we start looking for one on foot. I think this is one here...?

[ She circles something on the map with her finger. ]

We could probably afford just one night's stay if you'd like... in the interest of saving time.

[He has to think about this. One can see the gears grinding in his head, the various considerations taking place ('money' and 'rooms won't be as interesting as London' and 'traveling takes time') until he lands on-]

If they've already been delayed once, then there's no telling when they'll arrive tomorrow. [And here he is, trying to look over Susato's shoulder at the map without making it obvious that he's basically trying to read over her shoulder. (Not that there was anything wrong with reading over her shoulder, but at that moment he felt specifically like he was 10 and sneaking a peek at an adult's book.)]

I'm no captain, but I'd imagine any captain in that situation would be eager to make up for lost time. They may arrive earlier tomorrow than any of us expected, Which means we'd be better off waiting for them, as it would be terrible if they arrived only to find we were stuck traveling to them for another hour or two.

[He slightly shuddered at that thought.]

So, that's a good idea, as your ideas tend to be.

[ ...There really isn't anything wrong with reading over her shoulder. In fact, she rather needs his input on this, so when she notices him trying to be all sneaky about it, she just tilts the booklet so that it's clear within his eyesight.

Is that better? ]

I certainly try my best.

...And since we seem to be in agreement, I suppose there's just one question left. Did you happen to bring an umbrella with you today?

[ She......didn't. Because she did not know it would rain. She did not see Ryunosuke carrying one, but maybe he'll surprise her. Somehow. ]

[That...might be better yes, in fact, he could've just read over her shoulder like a normal person.]

I brought a newspaper?...

[He said, realizing that his newspaper vanished, not realizing that he had left it on a crate when asking a guy when the SS Cydonia was due and why it hadn't arrived yet, and why, in fact, there was a SS Cydonia shaped hole on the dock over yonder - a space a boat was supposed to be and yet was not. One can see him patting his pockets, as if it was somehow folded away in there.

Nada.

He looked outside, seeing the rain.

Gosh, it's wet. Even if he had a newspaper it wouldn't shelter Susato much.]

...I have a jacket?

[As in, he could take it off, hold it over her head, and they run.]

[ She remembers that guy. She hadn't been too concerned about the newspaper at the time, so she can't say she noticed what happened to it, but watching Ryunosuke search for it with his signature wide eyes is already making her weary. The weather doesn't help, and this is of course putting aside the fact that she has adopted the very same wide eyes when she is nervous (oops).

The mention of the jacket reminds her that she's wearing her signature purple shawl she keeps for the cold months, clipped together at her front by a pink sakura blossom pin. ]

I have... this.

[ She tugs at the shawl with both her hands, in an action that looks like someone popping a collar. By their powers combined...?

Either way, there would be running involved. Goody! ]

[He swallowed, and that swallow was so deep and so solemn that one might have thought that he was about to face the Old Bailey and not in a good- well, "good" way. Debatable good way. No, it was more the swallow he did when they were about to go in and the prosecutor was in a mood and everyone knew it, and everyone knew what lay ahead would suck.

That swallow.]

If we're lucky...

[The dramatic trailing off of his voice should indicate what he thought of their chances of being lucky were. He offered his hand to Susato, then nearly unoffered it as they weren't disembarking from a carriage in London, then decided to offer it anyway as they were metaphorically facing a cold new world and that's Japan in rain.]

Shall we?

[Or shall they look at tables.]

[ That swallow... it feels like it's been a while. But no. They are not going to look at tables. She'll take his hand, but she is still feeling rather concerned and fussy, she uses the other to look at the map again.

If they're going to be drenched in rain, at the very least she's going to make sure they both know exactly where they're going. ]

Y, Yes. Remember, after the first block, we're taking a right at the flower shop here. Then we must go for two more blocks. We'll probably see signs for the hotel before long, but it's right next to a bakery.

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