017 || dictated;

[workaphilic]

[Anyone looking for Sherlock today can find him outside by the duck pond. He has his journal open in his palm, but other than that he doesn't seem to be doing anything other than standing and watching.

Specifically, watching a little girl with dark, messy curls and her pants rolled to her knees splash around in the shallows.]

No points for creativity, yet again. Can't be blamed, though. It gets the job done, and there's something to be said for long term investment. [He sounds almost... impressed?] No reason to change a winning formula.

Those of you somehow surprised by this turn of events should pay better attention.

[There's an excited sort of shriek from somewhere far away, and Sherlock's voice gets fainter as he turns away from the journal.]

Daddy! Daddy, look at this, come see!

Yes, yes. Bring it here.

Comments

[fishy_go_byebye]

[Del's toes get dug into the ground as Billie is building her little grass castle. Creepily well.]

can it walk on two toes?

[workaphilic]

I think it'll be able to manage.

[Rachel comes bounding up out of the pond. Whatever she found, it sure is covered in mud. Some kind of reeds? She crouches by her sister's grass castle.]

Look! It can be a flag.

[CHECK OUT THIS FAMILY BONDING.]

[fishy_go_byebye]

You're squishing it!

[That doesn't actually bother Billie, though, and she helps to set the flag up.]

Hey hey, mystery man~

[workaphilic]

I'm squishing it better!

[Sherlock glances back at her. He's at least smiling a little!!]

Still here, yes.

[fishy_go_byebye]

Did you ask what she can see?

[Del leaned back on her arms as the children squabbled playfully]

Squish it ba~ack

[save_the_souls]

[Allen is heading towards the castle, four year old Anita walking alongside. He freezes when he sees Sherlock...with a child. Que staring.]

[oh dear God it reproduced why. ]

[workaphilic]

[RUDE.

For what it's worth, Sherlock still doesn't seem 100% comfortable with the whole situation. The little girl runs to him with her hands outstretched, and he stoops some to see what's she's found. His movements are a little stiff, uncertain -- and she seems to notice, tugging on his sleeve to help him along.

At some point he feels eyes on them; he straightens, turns, and stares right back.]

Hello.

[save_the_souls]

[Honestly the fact you still managed to pick up the kid is more than he was expecting. When Sherlock sees him, he'll smile sheepishly but politely and give a wave]

Ah, good afternoon.

[Anita is staring VERY intrigue at the other kid, but he's so trying to shepard her to keep walking. NO NOT NEAR THAT FAMILY MY DEAR]

[workaphilic]

[Too bad, because Rachel takes very much after her father in that there's something new and she wants to investigate it. She swings around his leg towards them, and he catches her shoulder sternly.]

Rachel.

[She tries to wave Anita over anyway.]

Hi!

[confidente]

[ This? Has to be the strangest thing he has ever seen. Ever.

So, sup bro, John is just going to join him and stare at the scene a little. Huh...

Huh. ]

You're taking to fatherhood well. [ Aka, he is surprised you haven't ditched the kid yet. ]

[workaphilic]

[She seems to have inherited a lot of her father's scientific curiosity. She keeps fearlessly sticking her hands in the mud to pull things out of it and holding them up to the sun to compare.

Sherlock, on the other hand, goes a little stiff. This is very much uncharted territory for him.]

Didn't have much of a choice.

[confidente]

[ He'd be lying if he said it wasn't interesting (amusing) to see Sherlock so very out of his comfort zone. ]

You're kind of good at it. [ He's teasing... kind of. :) HAHA YOU HAVE A KID AND HE DOESN'T. SUCKS TO BE YOU. ]

[workaphilic]

[John if you think you aren't going to get sucked into the Royal Family of Crazytown, you have another thing coming.]

I'm not doing anything.

[It's half defensive, half confused. He's really not doing anything, except making sure she doesn't wander off and evaluating her finds when she brings them to him. (She hasn't produced a boring one yet, all things considered. He's secretly pleased.) But she seems satisfied enough with it.

It can't really be that simple.]

dictated;

[signedlefthanded]

I know how it happens, I'm just rather surprised given the impossibility of it.

But she likes playing with screwdrivers and I'm going to start teaching her sign language. [Smartest mommy ever.]

dictated;

[workaphilic]

Well. At least someone's doing something useful with them.

[He appreciates sign language. The versatility of it isn't appreciated near enough.]

dictated;

[signedlefthanded]

I would do more but she's only a few months. So instead I've introduced her to classical music. I feel it's something.

dictated;

[workaphilic]

That depends on the music. Just because something is categorized as "classical" does not automatically make it worthwhile.

[moonlightmagician]

[ A little ways off the teenage magician from the magic show is sitting in the sand and boredly pulling at the grass. He's not too far from the edge of the pond but he's most definitely not touching it. There are two small children around the age of two splashing each other in the shallow end. As long as he can hear them there's no reason for him be concerned. ]

[ Or so he thinks. ]

Ooh! Look!

[ At the excited voice the nearby magician looks up and notices that his(?) son is holding the most foul creature known to man like he should be rewarded for his efforts. (read: a fish) ]

[ Upon registering this Kaito's eyes quickly turn wide with fear and he's backing as far up from that pond as fast as he can. ]

WAAAUGH! P-PUT THAT DOWN!

[workaphilic]

[Ugh, noise. Why so much noise? Sherlock glares at him from his spot on the ground.]

Calm down. It's a fish, not a gun.

[Rachel, on the other hand, seems super excited.]

Oh! Oh! Let me see!

[moonlightmagician]

[ Yes it is a fish. And this is an extremely ichthyophobic teenager. Keywords dude. ]

I-I DON'T CARE! I HATE F-FISH! ALL F-F-FISH!

[ The poor teenager the scrambling quickly to his feet and with reflexes only a thief could have manages to get into a tree. A thief or an accomplished acrobat. ]

[ The little boy is two. And so when someone else wants to see he turns quickly away, the fish squirming and trying to flop away. It's a miracle really that Kogane can keep hold of it. ]

Mine!

[ And while that happens the two year old girl is starting to venture farther into the pond. ]

[workaphilic]

[Oh. His gaze lingers on him, just for a second, but that's all Sherlock Holmes really needs, isn't it?

Then he rolls his eyes, and starts stalking towards the shore.]

Probably shouldn't have taken your children to a pond, then.

[Rachel pouts a little, trying to twist to get a better look. She's too fixated on the new find to notice the other little girl wandering away.]

I just want to see! I won't take it, I promise!

[Sherlock, however, does notice. And he's stopping this now. He goes right to the edge of the water, crosses his arms, and positively GLOWERS.]

Stop it. Drop the fish and get over here, all of you, now.

[Going by his tone, he has no qualms with picking each and every one of them out of the water himself if he has to.]

[exanimatus]

[are you tired of tiny children interrupting playtime? because some black-haired, red-eyed toddler is just going to appear out of nowhere. literally, she phases into existence a few feet away from the both of them.

and stares at them. o__o hi guys, what's up.]

[workaphilic]

[Rachel doesn't even bat an eye. Which, given her mother, isn't that much of a surprise. She just smiles broadly at the prospect of a new playmate.

Sherlock just rubs his temples wearily. Maybe if he ignores it, it's parents will come and take it back to the castle.]

Hi!

[So much for that.]

[exanimatus]

[the toddler doesn't say anything, but smiles a little and reaches forward to touch her new playmate's face. because that's how you say hello, right?

don't worry, said parent is on the way. the spacial displacement is just a little hard to track.]

[workaphilic]

[Rachel allows it! She giggles a little and presses her palm over her hand.]

Do you want to come see the pond?