On a day when autumn was beginning its descent over London and no plans had been made, Barok found himself swept along on a day of shopping with Lady Baskerville and Iris. Ostensibly, their excursion was for the purpose of finding a birthday gift for Barok, although he had insisted he required nothing. Lady Baskerville often did this—claimed Barok needed something that he did not and dragged him along to pick it out, with the declaration that he was too fussy for her to select it on her own. This year, she was set on getting him cufflinks, even though he certainly had no need of those.
In the end, as always, they decided instead to go to a teahouse for dessert. Lady Baskerville loved to drag him to one in particular. A tradition that raced back to before Iris was born, when Lady Baskerville would ask for his advice in finding Klint a gift.
The three were walking down the street when Barok felt his heart catch. For on the other end of the street, coming in their direction, were Susato Mikotoba and Ryunosuke Naruhodo.
Iris tugged on Barok's hand. "Uncle Barry? Why did you stop?"
"It seems...our friends are also venturing to this particular teahouse," Barok said.
"Oh! What a lovely coincidence!" Lady Baskerville exclaimed, clasping her hands together and beaming. She then pushed past Barok and rushed towards their friends. "Good afternoon, Mr. Naruhodo! Miss Susato!"
The two startled and turned to face them. Barok's heart pulsed with jagged heat as Susato's surprised expression melted into a beautiful smile.
"Good afternoon, Lady Baskerville! Lady Iris!...Lord van Zieks," Susato said. Her bright tone shifted when she said his name, melted into something soft and low.
"Miss...Miss Mikotoba," Barok said and bowed. A short span of silence. Embarrassment rushed through Barok. "And—And Mr. Naruhodo," he said at long last, remembering himself. He offered another bow.
"Good afternoon! It's nice running into everyone like this," Ryunosuke said.
"It is! We're so happy to see you all!" Iris said. "You should join us for dessert!"
"Oh? You were about to get dessert?" Ryunosuke said.
"Oh yes! This particular teahouse has the best dessert!" Iris said.
"It looks very fancy..." Susato said, touching her fingers to her cheek.
"They serve excellent teas and coffees as well. Although nothing quite compares to my precious girl's special blends, of course!" Lady Baskerville said.
Iris beamed, the picture of delight.
"...Do they have cheesecake?" Ryunosuke said.
"Of course!" Iris said.
"Are any of your other companions with you today?" Lady Baskerville said.
"I'm afraid it is just us," Susato said. Her gaze shifted towards Barok and then away.
"Oh? What are the pair of you doing wandering about? Do you need assistance finding anything?" Lady Baskerville said.
"We were just visiting some pawnshops," Ryunosuke said.
"Pawnshops?" Barok said.
"Yes. It seems Mr. Naruhodo is quite taken with them. He's always returning home with some sort of trinket," Susato said, touching her cheek.
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Beauty of Every Kind: a Great Ace Attorney AU
FanfictionBarok van Zieks lives a happy life with his brother, sister-in-law, and his charming niece. His reputation is spotless and he has advanced well in his career. Yet Barok begins to realise something is missing in his life. Susato Mikotoba has spent th...
