journal 🔶 goodnight sweet prince

[noblegarnet]

Sender: Ferran

[After about a day or two of dealing with the entire town changing suddenly and a little bit of anxiety regarding the following subject...]

So this is the second time I've found somebody in a dead sleep I can't get them out of, and I was wondering if anybody else has seen it happen? It doesn't seem like it hurts them or they need anything special, but it can be kind of alarming to come visit a friend and they're just lying there and won't wake up for days. For the record, the last time it happened, my friend came out of it fine as far as I know, but she's not here anymore, so I can't ask her more about it.

[It's probably a good thing he already went through this or the panic might have had... a very bad effect on him, as he is now. Anyway...!]

I guess if anybody needs Prince Hans, they'll have to take a rain check. I can take any messages for him.

And if someone could let me know how to take care of a horse, that would be great. I'd like him to not have to worry about his poor animal when he wakes up.

Comments

[judicialassistant]

[ It's RUDE, Ferran... he's a prince!!! But he's Ferran's friend, and there's really not much Prince Hans can do to object at the moment. ]

If you say so...

[ She hopes he can hear the ellipses in her voice when he reads that. If nothing else, she'll at least be able to get some help getting him to the clinic, if it comes to that. She scribbles the final sentence before she shuts the journal. ]

I will be there shortly.

[ When she does show up, it will be with a gift bag in her hand, wrapped in cloth that is colored a Susato-flavored purple. It's tied off with a ribbon at the top, and attached is a tag with the Wild Harvest logo. (On the back is probably a map of where it's located.) ]

[noblegarnet]

[A prince and a NERD who deserves only Ferran in his truest gremlin form. And don't worry, he definitely hears that trailing off.]

I do. :) See you soon.

[Ferran will already be outside when she arrives, apparently saying something to Sitron and giving him a few reassuring pats before he turns at the sound of her approach. The horse is calm enough for the moment, thankfully.]

Hey. [Gift bag?] What's that?

[judicialassistant]

[ Wow, he wasn't kidding about the horse. Not that she thought he was joking about a situation like this, but seeing Sitron's brown, almost golden fur with that majestic black-and-white mane is quite something. She admires the horse for a moment before registering Ferran's question. ]

Oh. It's... the onigiri I promised you some time ago. And, maybe something a little extra.

[ When Ferran opens the cloth bag, he will see a neatly packed box of the onigiri, with some of the more common, inoffensive fillings she can think of: tuna mayo, and chicken and vegetables. Before he even gets to that, though, he will reach a small plastic bag of blue flower-shaped cookies. The base of these particular cookies is dark like chocolate, and the blue frosting overtop appears to have a faint glow, even in the daylight. ]

I didn't bring anything for your friend's horse, though... Sorry, friend. [ She regards Sitron with an apologetic look. ]

[noblegarnet]

[Sitron seems disappointed with the way he lowers his head and keeps his attention on the snacks, but in a subdued way. He's very expressive for a horse, as is required of all disney animals. Ferran offers them both a small reassuring smile.]

Oh, it's alright. I might be hanging around here for a while, so we can always get him something later, right?

[But some of his exhaustion comes through when he does open that bag just enough to see what's inside, like the realization of the fact that he hasn't eaten much is just hitting him.]

Thanks a lot, though. I could probably use a snack, and these look great...

[judicialassistant]

. . . There are many carrots in the garden of the Wild Harvest with your name on it.

[ With that promise, and her hands free of the bag, Susato smiles at Sitron, gently stroking his mane. Some flowers may have appeared on said mane, which probably should have surprised her more than it did, but has probably happened more than once as she tried to prepare the Wild Harvest for the new season with new decor. floral arrangements, hand-made wreaths, etc.

She looks at Ferran, starting to pluck the flowers out once the initial surprise, however brief, wears off. ]

You're very welcome. The cookies are new... I am just debuting them at the Wild Harvest this month for the spring, but I was experimenting with a few different recipes before I was able to settle on one.

These are an early batch... Do you remember the Dawn petals I gave you, along with its flower?

[noblegarnet]

[Hmm... You've got Sitron's attention, Susato. Don't disappoint the distressed horse, ok. While both his S-named companions seem surprised by the sprouting of flowers, Ferran takes it all in stride, barely raising an eyebrow.

Maybe he's just more interested in the onigiri, though. He's already taken a bite and pauses to chew while Susato explains her designs for the snacks.]

Of course. [Hm. Relevance?] ... you mentioned you could make tea with them, right?

[judicialassistant]

[ THAT WAS FAST... Susato looks pleased that he was so eager to try it, but he is a young, growing (magical) boy. She realizes then, when she glances at Sitron and his mane again, that this may just be an exercise in futility. So Sitron is just going to have pretty flowers tucked into his mane, it's fine.

She'll let her hands fall back to her sides. ]

That's right. This time I was able to crush the petals and turn it into a frosting of sorts, and I used a little bit of rainbow honey as well. It's less bitter this way, but it still retains its minty flavor. I thought the dark chocolate would pair well with it.

...Unfortunately, the flowers are still rare, so I've tried to look for alternatives.

[noblegarnet]

[He's going to have some explaining to do to Hans about flowers, later... At least the horse doesn't seem bothered by them at this point.

He nods at her explanation, seeming interested at the mention of flavors.]

Ooh, mint. That sounds great. I'll have to try one when I'm done with these. [And Susato will probably want to be there when he gives the verdict, right? Plus, he wants to suggest alternatives if he can, so—] Here, come in for a bit.

[He nods towards the front door, casual about offering one friend's house to another.]

[judicialassistant]

[ ......Sitron can stand guard? She supposes. She'll walk forward, making her way through the door, though she still seems apprehensive.

She speaks softly. Not quite a whisper, but it may as well have been. ]

Are you very close? What if he suddenly wakes up?

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran lets out a laugh at her attempts to be thoughtful, not nearly controlling his own volume.]

Then I'll have to add that to the list of miracles you can pull.

[He'll close the door behind her, no qualms whatsoever. If letting a stranger into his house wakes Hans up, then it'll be well worth it.]

He wouldn't mind, really. [Debatable, but said with confidence.] It's not like we're going to make a mess.

[The house itself is certainly clean and organized, but it lacks much of any personal touch. That will come to bother Ferran later, but it's convenient enough for now.]

[judicialassistant]

[ He enjoys getting that reaction out of her far too much. What a gremlin. ]

Th, They're not... [ miracles. ] Never mind.

[ She starts looking around the house. It has a familiar vibe to it, the minimalist way he seems to live, though she can't place it and doesn't comment on it. Maybe it's because it doesn't look like a prince lives here? Maybe that's why it bothers her.

But whatever. She's disillusioned with the upper class by now anyway. ]

I still don't have his consent to be here, though if we're concerned about his health...

[ That's a good enough excuse. They should check on him. ]

[noblegarnet]

[He lets out a quiet chuckle at her stammering. Stop being so susceptible to compliments, then!]

Right, it's for his own good. [Good loophole, Susato! You'll be a proper member of the legal system yet.] And he'll owe me, anyway.

[Which Ferran could very well hold over Hans at some point. Maybe. Probably just as a joke, but still. He sets Susato's gifts down on a table in the living area after she trails off, his gaze turning towards the bedroom.]

There's not much to see right now, though, probably. It's been the same for the past day and a half.

[judicialassistant]

[ Does that mean he's been out cold for the past day and a half? Much like one of their investigations in the "real world" (aka Great Britain), she slowly gets more comfortable nosing about and turning things over and upside down to get a better look at them.

Be her Ryunosuke, Ferran. ]

He'll owe you? [ Well, okay. She can understand, but surely Ferran isn't the only one who's noticed his condition? Besides, she wonders how Hans would feel about that. ] Did you know him well?

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran's willing to wager he knows the most about Hans out of everyone else in this place, but maybe that's self-centered of him. Either way, he's the one who's here, making sure things are fine, so it doesn't particularly matter.

If Susato is looking for someone to stop her from peeking about, Ferran will fail her. She might find a unicorn plush somewhere around here, though.]

Decently enough. We met the first day all of us showed up here, so... I guess it's been half a year or something?

[judicialassistant]

[ ...Yeah, something like that is hard to miss. The colors make the unicorn plush stand out, and when she picks it up, she can't help but squeeze its little horn.

No squeaking, at least, so she can't say it is a dog toy. ]

That is a long time. What's he like? [ Does the unicorn have a name/name tag? Important questions. ] . . . Does he happen to have a daughter?

[noblegarnet]

[Sadly, the unicorn doesn't have much that's indicative of any origin or recipient. But Ferran lets out a disparaging laugh, almost in disbelief at the question. Hans, a parent of any kind?? He's not sorry in his opinion of that being a terrible idea, at least as things stand now.]

Oh, god, no. [He turns to Susato to see what might have brought on the question, setting aside the answer of what Hans is like for now.] Why?

[judicialassistant]

[ Rather than make her feel stupid, Ferran's laugh is actually rather delightful. Maybe a part of her still thinks she's being made fun of, however, so when he turns, he will see Susato holding up the unicorn in question with a casual shrug.

Trying not to smile. ]

It practically jumped out at me. [ Which in this world, is not totally impossible, so let's not manifest it. You know what she means. ]

[noblegarnet]

[He at least wasn't laughing at her expense, but Hans's.]

Huh. [Ferran tilts his head, a pleasant smile still on his face even though there's a hint of confusion in his brow.] I can see why.

[He wouldn't have taken Hans as the type to own much that's cute, at least not for his own sake. And Ferran doesn't think he's invested in fooling anyone in particular...?]

He's still kind of a mystery to me sometimes, to be honest.

[judicialassistant]

[ Hmmm... Well, if Ferran doesn't have any insight into the matter, the answer certainly isn't going to jump out at her. Not without some more investigation. She decides to put it back where she found it for now.

If you catch her patting the unicorn's head or squeezing its horn, no you didn't. ]

It's cute. Maybe it's a keepsake of some sort.

[ Like, maybe it reminds him of someone else? ]

Did you find anything in his room where he is sleeping?

[noblegarnet]

Could be. Or... maybe a gift? [... that he didn't bother getting rid of. Feels like the more likely option. Hmm.

He shrugs at the question, because of course he did look—though perhaps not so thoroughly that it might be called snooping. Better to just check if anything important is around, you know?]

Nothing you wouldn't expect in any bedroom. For a prince, you'd think he'd want a little more in terms of luxury, but maybe he's been trying the utilitarian thing?

[judicialassistant]

Hmm.

[ Susato seems to be thinking about something, but otherwise doesn't know what to say. Other than the fact that, well, she might know someone like that. Trying the utilitarian thing. ]

Can you show me? I promise to be respectful. [ At the very least, she'll get to see what he looks like. ]

[noblegarnet]

Sure.

[He trusts Susato; she's not going to do anything weird, and if Hans has a problem with her being around, he can take it up with Ferran later.

He tilts his head in the direction of the bedroom, leading her that way. Inside is one redheaded prince in a deep magical sleep, like a reverse fairy tale or something. There's really not much else remarkable about the way he looks.

Once they've stepped inside, he folds his arms and leans against the wall.]

I don't think anything is wrong, judging from the last time I saw this happen, but it would be nice to have some warning, you know?

[judicialassistant]

[ Nope! Definitely doesn't have a single weird bone in her body. She will follow Ferran in the direction of his head tilt, looking along the walls to either side of her as she goes.

When he enters the room, she sees Ferran lean against the wall, which supposes is Ferran body language for "have at it." So she approaches Hans cautiously, taking note of his features as closes in on him. She is hesitant, but reaches her hand out to feel for a fever, and in the end, she's as puzzled as before. ]

Hmm. I wonder if there is a sickness that mimics sleep...

If there is a name for it, my father might know. You said you've found someone else like this before?

[noblegarnet]

Yeah. She didn't end up needing anything, and she just woke up after a few weeks passed like nothing had happened.

[There's some blank walls, more blank walls, a boring bedroom, and a boring prince. Well, he looks nice, but that's about it for now.]

I'd call that a pretty convenient sickness, if it is one.

1/2

[judicialassistant]

. . . [ Susato hums, tilting her head. There were days when she certainly could have used such a sickness, but she refuses to be jealous over this. Instead, she gets something of an idea, turning to Ferran. ]

Hold on.