[action!]

[deathisanopendoor]

[Wherever you may be—at home on your farm, out and about in town, exploring the wildlife, or perhaps even wandering through the more dangerous areas—someone has come to approach you, seemingly patrolling the area with a confident stride.]

Excuse me. I wanted to inform you that I have assumed the position of Sheriff. My name is Munakata, first name Kyousuke, and I can be contacted under that name at any time if you have issues that require police intervention. If you are capable of taking care of yourself I encourage you to apply for a position under me. We could use greater numbers to enforce order.

[Kyousuke himself is white-haired and imposing, with large snowy owl wings on his back and feathers covering the area where his right eye should be, like so. He is visibly carrying a sword, with another one tucked hidden in his coat in a compact state. He doesn't give off the impression that he's going to be a very easygoing Sheriff... but at least if you're in danger, that might be reassuring?]

Do you have any further questions or suggestions?

Comments

[alloutoflove]

Ehhhh, are you gonna pick those over what I made? And after all the work I did!

[ She pouts at that, though like her "innocent" act, it's overly acted, silly rather than serious. There's a whole wide array of cookies in that tin, though at least most of them are fairly small and thin. Nothing too rich on its own, though if he eats the whole thing that'd probably not be a good idea. ]

Anyway, you can share those with Mallory if you want. If you don't, I have more for him.

[ But you know, he COULD share them. If he wanted. ]

[rockyxiii]

[Yeah, he should probably not eat this whole thing after a breakfast of cinnamon roll and donut, but we'll see who wins out, Good Decisions or Juzo Decisions. He's at least not eating any right now, though. Self-control!]

Next time warn me if you're gonna bake for me and I won't stuff my face with cinnamon rolls first. You've only got yourself to blame. I'll find him . . . he can save me from myself. So, what'd you make for Kyousuke?

[Because she must have made him something. Ahh, the Sheriff's cute wife bringing him lunch. What the fuck has their life become?]

[alloutoflove]

Ehehehe~ it should be a secret!

[ But she sucks at keeping secrets, especially from him. And it's not like this one is actually something she wants to keep from him. It's so much nicer and easier with the way things have worked out between them. ]

I made him tea cookies. With tea! Someone was selling some really nice stuff this morning, so I felt like experimenting. You have a few too, but moooost of them are for him.

[rockyxiii]

You've been busy with everything but farming.

[He grins at her. That could be snide, but honestly, he doesn't much care; here he is not farming either. He doesn't hate it so far, but it's definitely not the thing he wants to spend all his waking hours doing.]

You're lucky . . . you've got exactly the kinda skills that people'll be looking for in a town like this. You could probably do just fine keeping house or selling your food. You'll make more than I do patrolling.

[alloutoflove]

I wanna get a kitchen garden started, at least.

[ She kiiiind of knows how to do that. A little. She'd picked some of that up from both Arden Grove and Koriko! (Though the things she'd learned in Koriko, she's not sure how applicable they'll end up being in this place.)

But more importantly, she bumps her hip against his in a fond little gesture. ]

Housekeepers don't usually make that much money. As long as I can contribute, that's all I care about.

[rockyxiii]

Neither do cops. Hell, neither do boxers unless you're a big shot, and that's not me anymore. . . . But I don't really give a shit.

[Just wait, he'll get sick of the poor buy happy life eventually. Right now he's so focused on the happy part that the rest still hasn't sunk in. But since Kyousuke made Sheriff, maybe they don't need to worry . . . ]

Wait, you're gonna put a garden in our kitchen? Don't we have a whole farm for that?

[alloutoflove]

It doesn't go in the kitchen, silly. It's just closer to the house! And it grows the stuff that you'll be using in your kitchen! Stuff that'll be just for our family.

[ Our family!! She has to pause for a moment at that, flustered and pleased both at her own comment. How daring?! She just said it like that to him, in public...! ]

[rockyxiii]

It sounds like a garden that goes in your kitchen!

[But yeah, he notices too. Today, Maera is the world's least intimidating cop, at least until Judy Hopps arrives in Farm Town or something. No officer of the law should be smiling like that at his practically-wife while on the beat. But hey, he never did take these jobs because he was actually good at them.]

So, just for you and your three husbands. Got it.

[alloutoflove]

Hhhhh, hu husbands--!!

[ The tail end of the word gets sort of lost in a high-pitched squeak. Chisa's face is bright red now as she flaps both hands before pressing them to her cheeks. That's not fair! Maera! Using the momentum from her embarrassing herself to make her even more embarrassed is cheating!

In fact it takes a few more seconds, her lips moving soundlessly as she recovers. ]

Y, yeah, so what! What of it!

[rockyxiii]

[How the hell is he supposed to cope with this? It's not very often that he manages to fluster her! It's a special treat, and he didn't even mean to do it! Some of the embarrassment is contagious, but she reacts so powerfully that he comes out of it mostly just charmed and amused. His own cheeks are just barely touched with pink.]

Is it two or three husbands of two of them are me?

[alloutoflove]

Now you're just making fun of me. Mean! That's mean!

[ She pouts, her cheeks puffing out as widely as she can manage. It is a little bit of a genuine sulk, but it's much more for show as she rocks on her heels. Look at this poor innocent girl, getting bullied!

Then she pokes him in the chest with an index finger. Take that! And that!

(Not that she expects him to more than just feel it as a little bit of pressure. He has the physical advantage over her in every way.) ]

...anyway, you're not the same-same. You even look a little different now!

[rockyxiii]

We always did! Thanks to all that magical animal bullshit. . . . You think his hair's better than mine?

[Look, he's secretly always wondered, and now finally he has an excuse to ask casually. He crosses his arms, trying to play it off as barely interested.]

[alloutoflove]

Eh? I think you're both good.

[ Duh?? Sorry, Maera, she has no actual bias going on here. ]

They're just nice in different ways. I don't want you to cut yours, but I'm glad he hasn't grown his out.

[rockyxiii]

Aah, that's an answer to please all of us, huh? I'll take it. I don't really want mine short, but it looks good on him.

We should . . . do something.

[He says, vaguely. There are so many ways to read that. Look, he's not good at initiating social shit!]

[alloutoflove]

...something.

[ She echoes him a little blankly, because that really is a statement that could be taken in a lot of ways. Especially with their relationship, and with the last time they "did something" with Mallory.

A second later she coughs, her face pink again. ]

W, we should! Maybe a picnic or something...

[rockyxiii]

Y, yeah, that's . . . the kinda thing I meant.

[He didn't not mean the other kind of thing too, though, frankly, and for a fleeting moment he looks like he's been caught. Ahem.]

[alloutoflove]

Ah...

[ She saw that! She saw that look on his face! That only makes her think more about the idea herself. What if it was a picnic with something more?! She coughs, glancing to the side. ]

Th-that sounds pretty good to me. Pretty fun, in fact!

[rockyxiii]

You're thinking about last time, huh . . .

[Maybe if he lampshades it it'll be less awkward. It sure can't get any more obvious, so why not?]

[alloutoflove]

Nnnnnnnmaybe.

[ "Maybe." It's pretty clearly yes, she is, and pretty fondly, if her intensifying blush is any indication. ]

W, we should invite Munakata-kun this time, though...

[rockyxiii]

You think he'd like that—

[But yeah, of course he would. Maera can't even finish that thought. He just cuts off, shaking his head.]

We should. He and Mallory . . . maybe they ought to work that out first, though.

[alloutoflove]

Yeah...

I told him about it, you know? When -- when "it" happened. With us. But it ended up becoming a conversation about what he thinks he's allowed to do, given... you know...

[ She hesitates on the name, and she feels honestly guilty about that hesitation. It feels disloyal, somehow, to be almost afraid to say the name. ]

You know, everything with Luna... I don't know if he and Mallory ever made up.

[rockyxiii]

Honestly, neither do I. Things are definitely awkward between them. . . . I don't want that. If either of them think I'm possessive over this, they're way off base. But it's probably Luna who's the issue.

[Even though he's not here. Juzo feels the same little sting, but forces himself through it with a sigh.]

[alloutoflove]

It's definitely about Luna.

[ She hesitates a moment, glancing around, then reaches for his hand, squeezing it briefly. ]

It's more about how... ah, you know what he's like, when it comes to us.

[rockyxiii]

Luna? Yeah. I do. Shit—don't tell the others I said this, for all kinds of reasons, but I wish he were here.

[He squeezes back, keeping his voice down. This isn't something he planned on ever bringing up himself, but he's glad it's out there.]

[alloutoflove]

Yeah... me too.

[ Now that he's said it, she can admit it too. She can't actually make herself let go of his hand yet, though she keeps her gaze downcast, turned away from him. ]

I never really got much closure with him either. And it's not like there was ever another "me" around either, so... to him, it probably seemed a little like I was taken away from him. [ And they both know how he'd reacted to that before. ] So I think Munakata-kun -- "our" Munakata-kun -- worried more about, if he tried to deepen his relationship with Mallory at the time, would it be like taking him away from Luna...? I don't know.