#susamaria

Even thought the whistle of the wind is echoing the walls of where she currently resides, Susato is at peace.

Ever since she had come back to London to study to become a lawyer herself under the name of Ryutaro Naruhodo, she has felt at home. Though she must confess, even being near her found family, it still has been hectic.

London is definitely not perfect: the discrimination and struggles still are there. It’s been a rough road without the support of Naruhodo-san since he decided to stay in Japan to hold the front, but she’s glad she took the opportunity to study here.

It’s one gift she was given that many women of her age will never have and she won't let it go to waste.

Being home with Mr. Sholmes and Iris-chan has been almost perfect. Even if they’re still still the chaotic roommates from all those years ago, their hijinks only amplifying over time. She only wishes everyone was back home, living there together instead of living their individual lives.

Though, the hijinks have been getting under her skin lately. It's just a lot on her shoulders, and she needed some space. She had to find something to rest her thoughts and stressors since this particular case she's been working on has been a nightmare.

She had to take a carriage with some of her stipend, but she found a quiet place. She wandered down to a road off the way to be led to a dark, gothic home belonging to the legendary Maria Gorey.

The first time they had come overseas to visit London, they were not very close at all. They only spoke on a formal level, which was perfectly fine with Susato at the time. What a shame they hadn’t become closer, because Maria is such a fascinating woman.

Now they are as thick as thieves. Maria seems intrigued by her travels and abundance of skills, and Susato loves to hear about the grisly details of Maria's job: something she's sure Maria doesn't get a chance to talk often about.

Her job... a coroner of the Scotland Yard drawn to the macabre. Well, that’s paraphrasing it. Maria sees life in a way that no one in the world could, appreciating both aspects of life and death equally. It’s still quite hard to put into words, but Susato will explain it one day that wouldn’t take a novel to flesh out.

For now, she’s just glad she got shelter before the storm brewed. That would have been horrible to get trapped into. Maria had let her in immediately without question. There was even a little black cat with one eye mewling at her to greet her that was not there the last time she visited.

When she was let in, Maria had already finished up preparing dinner and had offered Susato a plate. She hadn’t eaten due to the piling paperwork, so the hearty meal was very appreciated.

Now they are laying on a shared bed, enjoying the sound of the dripping rain echoed by the shingles on Maria’s rooftop. The purple comforter is draped over her body, the two about to retire tonight, almost as if they were a married couple.

Almost…

Susato frowns, trying to avoid the pumping in her chest she’s been feeling since they rekindled their acquaintanceship. She's not entirely sure if she should say something since Maria is a lady, but something is itching at her, telling her she knows Maria would not care in the slightest.

Until she knows Maria better, she won't utter a word. She glances down at the purple silk sheets before she hears a soft whisper from Maria.

“Ich liebe dich.”

Susato hasn’t heard that term before. There’s no possible way that would be English, but she’s sure she can ask Mr. Sholmes what it means. For all she knows, with Maria’s resting face, closed eyes and the words barely uttered through a whisper, she said something in her sleep.

She adjusts her body, attempting to move her body to get comfortable, which is easier than she thought as her own body rests into the bed, letting her know it’s time to go to sleep.

She turns towards the pillow, muttering words of her own. Just to get it off her chest. It’s not as if Maria would understand and she can keep it to herself for now.

Interest Check: November 21st through December 5th.

Applications for writers and artists will start on December 12th and end on January 6th

Results if you were accepted or not will be out by January 9th.

First Check in is February 17th. This is also the final deadline for folks that need to drop out so if we need pitch hitters, we can reach out to them.

Second Check is on March 17th

Final HARD deadline is April 9th.

If you have any questions, please let us know. Things are subject to change since life does happen, but this is what we have right now.