slideruler | Inbox

[ hey did you miss him
it was only yesterday that ya'll went to that little cafe for ridiculously sweet pastries and coffee that was more like sugar and milk flavored coffee--but sampo's here again.

he made a promise and he's delivering on it!!! it makes it easier that he lives literally a door and a half down from Moriarty in Brick Alley, hopping from his insane shuffle-house down to the M&D Law Offices. He'll even knock this time--the Ratatosk teleport only works if he's delivering something, after all.

He's got a shoulder bag on with various things stuffed inside it--food for lunch, water, painkillers just in case, things like that. he's not having a second herba mystica incident not on his fucking life. ]

Knock knock! You said you don't sleep so I'm coming in, I hope you're dressed!!

[ he's walked in on too many people with no pants lately. ]

[ Considering he essentially lives out of his office, do you seriously think he would be walking around nude? WHO'S GOING TO HIRE A NAKED LAWYER??? ]

Sam! It's so nice to see you again.

[ Yes, they did technically only properly meet just yesterday, but Moriarty greets him warmly like they're old friends.

He grabs a nearby bookmark to mark his place, before closing the book he was reading and rising to his feet, coming around his desk to meet Sampo on the other side. ]

[ EVEN SPIRITUAL LAWYERS CAN ENJOY THINGS LIKE SHOWERS, JJ

THE ALLURE OF THE HOT WATER AND NICE SOAPS ARE SO IMPORTANT but hey the warm welcome is so nice what the fuck how could this guy possibly be evil there's no way
sherlock was dramatic probably

he's gonna flounce into the office with a spin and a bounce, reaching up to adjust the stupid hat he's wearing with a flourish. ]

You don't need sleep, you said before, but you probably gotta' eat at least, right? So I packed us a lunch for the trip so we don't get halfway done with the trip and then end up eating all the berries we'll be gathering for my lil' guys--which by the way, Napkin insisted on coming along too, just in case.

[ the little ghost is poking his head through moriarty's desk suddenly hi he's a ghost type boo ]

I enjoy food as much as the next person, yes. How thoughtful of you!

[ Food is energy, even for someone like him. It helps offset his magical energy consumption, from a purely practical standpoint, but Moriarty also simply likes eating.

Of course, his genial expression quickly shifts into that startled cat-like look of his when Napkin mischievously pops into view. ]

Oh! Do—they normally do that?

[ YOUR PET IS INSIDE MY DESK, SAMUEL ]

Hope you like gyros and grilled potatoes. I tried to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but my boo's brother is like a doting mother--he wouldn't send me out without 'proper food'! [ he laughs like its some joke but

thats mydei for you
he's just a mom attached to the body of a spartan warrior ]

And don't mind him. He's a ghost-type Pokemon, he does that pretty regularly. He likes to prank people. Don't react to it and he'll get bored of trying.

Ghost Pokemon are pretty rare in Kanto, so we likely won't have to deal with one when we're visiting.

[ Well, if he's not concerned, then Moriarty won't be either. He just didn't want to lose this promising new friendship thanks to something like 'accidental pet-deskening'. ]

I would have gladly eaten the lunch either way, for the record—but gyros and grilled potatoes sounds fantastic.

[ He glances at Napkin again when Sampo explains further. ]

Ghost-type, eh? I assume there are others, based on the specification.

But don't let my questions slow us down. We can talk and walk, yes?

Oh, totally! We got some walking to do--it's not far, though; Blue Fish Park is where the Stable Gate sits so we can deffo chat while we make our way there.

I'm part of PokeGO, so I know all sorts of stuff. I had to pass a scary exam to be able to become a full member, so this'll make me put that knowledge to work!!

[ He makes a little peace sign as he beckons to Napkin--come out of there you goblin-- and he makes his way outside, bouncing along the sidewalk with an absolutely dead silent pace--feet not making a single print in the gentle snow that'd been dusted on the sidewalk from the night previous. ]

Pokemon come in all sorts'a different types. Elements, n'stuff. Like water and fire...

Or weird ones, like Ghost or Dragon.

[ Despite the fact he's technically the magical entity between the two of them, Moriarty absolutely leaves footprints all over the thin layer of snow as they make their way toward Blue Fish Park. ]

Dragon, hm? Can't say that's something I typically associate with the classical elements.

[ wow imagine leaving footprints, goodluck getting tracked idiot ]

Right? Some of them make total sense! Like of course there's a ground type and an ice type! But what the hell do you mean 'fairy' type. 'Dragon' type. Can't you use a better category?

It's pretty weird. But it's fun, once you start to understand'em.
And they make good companions. They're hard to understand but they understand *you.* So you could teach them how to do all sorts of things. I got another fella back home called Hoopa. He helps my roomate cook.

Cook?

[ Look, he's only seen Napkin, so he's trying to imagine the little ghost thing helping out in the kitchen. It doesn't even have arms. ]

Ah, I take it they're more intelligent than traditional animals, then.

Yep. My other lil' fella got a good two pair of hands and can float around too.

You'll meet him, one day.

{ Hehe. ]

Oh, a LOT smarter. There are even ones called 'Psychic' type that are just as smart--if not smarter--than normal humans.

Given certain specimens of the human race, I don't know if that's actually all that surprising.

[ DON'T BE A BITCH, JAMES ]

I am undeniably curious, however, these creatures might think of someone like me.

Your Napkin doesn't seem especially bothered.

[ Can it even tell that he isn't human? ]

Ouch, JJ. That's so mean. [ And yet he says this in a sing-song voice, completely unaffected by it at all as he bounces along, bidding the other to follow as he pauses at a cross walk, dashing across as they grow closer to that huge lake, spread out along the center of that big park as they approach.

He points it out as they walk.]

...Hm? What do you mean, someone like you?

[ Sampo has no idea. Maybe Napkin does. he exchanges a glance with the critter, who also blinks dumbly.

And then swipes its big tongue across Moriarty's face. ]

You know, the matter I spoke of yesterday, regarding history's—

[ AUGH IT HAPPENED AGAIN ]

NAPKIN, PLEASE. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION, THANK YOU.

Oh!!!!

[ Sampo completely disregards Moriarty yelling, as well as Napkin giggling like a fucking demon as it zips down into Sampo's bag now that its mischief has been managed. ]

Right, the bit about you being a snapshot of a person. Right.

I'm still messed up over that. What a crazy existence.

Well.
Maybe there are other people who can sense it on you. Or maybe Pokemon can too, but I sure don't.

Yes, well. It largely doesn't matter, considering my goal is to pose as a regular person for the duration of my stay here.

I brought it up mostly out of intellectual curiosity, if nothing else.

[ He's definitely using the sleeve of his coat to wipe the ghost spit off his face. Eugh. ]

I mean, you don't gotta'. There are plenty of people in this world who are blatantly *not* human, you know. Wanna see a picture of my best buddy? You'll be surprised. He doesn't look like a 'regular person' at all. And yet he's still my best buddy.

[ He's gonna start moving down into the park, towards the spot where the Kanto gate was hiding. Normal people couldn't see it of course, but it was always good to slip into it when normal people weren't paying TOO close attention. They were just gonna slip in and disappear, after all. ]

For example, I'm human, but I have a neat trick that'll make you jump outta' your shoes.

Really? I'd have thought that would be a hindrance, in a world with most of humanity still intact.

[ He's still following Sampo, trusting the other man not to lead him astray. ]

Oh? And that is?

It's the way normies handle magic and the mysterious. They just don't SEE it. Even like my buddy here... [ he stops just outside the stable gate, getting his phone out.

he turns the screen to show Moriarty a picture of his 'Best friend', before pocketing the phone again. ]

They see him as a guy in a mascot costume. Convinced it's a costume, really. But that's his face.

[ and then all of a sudden he steps backward, and disappears into the portal. ]

[ Moriarty obliges him by leaning in to look. Indeed, by no measure is the pictured individual 'normal' by average human standards, but Moriarty himself isn't particularly fussed by the idea of people who don't fit society's mold.

After all, "evil" is quicker to embrace those outcasts than those who call themselves "good". ]

I see. I suppose I've worried for nothing, then.

[ That's when Sampo pulls his little disappearing act. Surprise! ]

Sam!?

[ He doesn't jump out of his shoes, but he has been successfully startled. Brow furrowing a moment later, he follows Sampo through the portal. ]

[ the setting changes. entirely. going from a crisp, somewhat cold winter with a light dusting of snow and frost over everything, to a bright and warm day on the other side as Moriarty.... immediately will realise he's not in Kaisou anymore. Stepped into another place, another world, another time. And a sweeping view of the immediate area will offer him a beautiful, lush, green landscape, with large forests and trees, with a dotting mountain off in the distance. There are buildings, but many of them look... abandoned. ]

[ and then there comes a poke to his side from the...side? behind? ]

[ and there stands a small girl, who comes up to about his shoulder, and she puts both of her hands over her eyes like a fake pair of goggles. ]

Did I startle you?

[ THAT'S SAMPO'S VOICE. ]

[ Stepping through the portal is certainly a new experience for Moriarty. The lack of snow is immediately welcome, however, so he's willing to look past the strangeness of shifting from one world to the next so easily.

The unexpected poke has him turning around, and this time, Moriarty is more than startled—he physically takes a step back, caught off-guard by the appearance of an unfamiliar young woman.

Except... no, wait, he knows that voice, even if he doesn't know that face. ]

Sampo?!

[ white woman jump scare. ]

Haha!! Did I spook you~?? [ He asks, with a grin on a face that's nothing at all like the one he had moments before. Even Napkin pops out of his bag with that prankster's expression on its face. ]

Sorry, just a little prank. Your face was Priceless, though!! I figured showing you rather than to tell you made most sense, yanno?

[ dec 4th 2025 ] - knock knock its me again

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/3

2/3

3/3

no subject

1/2