Dear Cousin Iris,

Benjamin, what is the nicest thing barok has ever done for you?

Dearest Anon,

I must admit, it's rather hard to figure out an answer to that question. Not only have we had a lot of happy memories together, I also often have trouble remembering what's happened in recent times. People have joked that I have the memory of an ant... Hah...

I suppose that may be the nicest thing he's ever done. I am a strange man. Everyone who meets me knows that I am rather eccentric. Barok does the simple task of not poking fun at me. He accepts me as I am, and he is my truest friend.

I also appreciate his generous offer to let me live with him, rather than having to pay for lodging now that I have chosen to return to London. I will always be grateful for such things he does for me.

Iris,

Do you ever feel judged for your parentage?

Dear anon,

Your question tugs at my heartstrings. If you had asked me this a year ago, two years ago, I would have said yes, most certainly. I felt judged for not knowing who my parents are, despite the fact that many people around me are the same way. There are a large number of orphans on the street, children abandoned on church doorsteps, and other such things. I am but one of many.

But now, in this year, I have no such qualms. I know who my Papa is, and it's Holmesies. Whoever my other parents may be, they do not matter nearly as much as the father who took me in, who raised me, who loves me so. I love him too. Perhaps one day I may learn who birthed me, but for the time being, I have the greatest Papa in the world!

Love, Iris

Hey Enoch… how do you feel about vinegar?

Anon.

I have a wealth of feelings about vinegar, particularly a fine, distilled version of it... the beauty of a chemical that can be found in many a kitchen and has the power to cause such chaos... near nothing can match.

I find it particularly useful when it comes to keeping my hand free of rust and grime, something that is quite necessary when you depend on such things to be able to do somewhat basic tasks.

As for the taste, well. I eat whatever is given to me. When I was feeding myself, most items I created were rather bland or even burnt. Vinegar, however strong the taste, surely cannot be worse than that.

Signed, Enoch Drebber

P. S. - I have heard from Dobinbough that quite a few barrels of wine in the van Zieks cellar have turned into vinegar. We both find the situation to be quite comical.

To er12eu

Hi Rosie 🥀

You might be dead but do you KNOW that I love you???

Hi ace-chaser!

I may be dead, this is true, but I am so glad to know that you love me!

I am confused how you know me, though...

Love, Rosie!

miss iris, if you were to make a charm of dr mikotoba, what animal would it be?

Dearest Ribbon,

It is rather difficult to choose a proper animal for such a thing! I had Papa as a bunny, but then when I met Susie I realized that she would also be best represented by a bunny! I made Roxy a cat, and then I realized that Kazumie would also be a cat! So, I wanted to get some more variety within the animals I have.

With a mouse, a bear, two cats, two bunnies, and a hedgehog... Hm. I do rather like the idea of him as a fluffy little dog. A very cuddly, warm, sleepy creature... or perhaps another bear, like mine! That way, Susie matches Papa and I match his partner!

What do you think? Iris

Prosecutor Asogi, how have you been holding up since Van Zieks' trial? And if it's not too personal, how much of your memories have you recovered?

Anon.

The trial was not easy. I doubt you would be surprised by such a thing, but it turned the beliefs of my life upside-down. I had to spend weeks questioning things I had believed for years. I needed to be alone during that time.

Lestrade, on the other hand, needed to be in good company. She convinced me to visit the Holmes household more often than I would have liked, and, I must admit, it was more fun than I had expected it to be. I know Mikotoba-sama often spoke highly of the fun he had in London, and I can understand why. There is never a dull day on Baker Street. Somehow, some weeks ago, that heinous detective managed to convince me to move in. I... have enjoyed my stay.

It is difficult to remember what you... cannot remember. How am I to recall what memories I've lost if I have lost them? I believe I remember most of everything, but even before my injuries I had trouble with my memories. I lost focus during conversations and seemed to wake up minutes later, or would feel as though I were a bystander to a conversation I was participating in.

I think... I hope. That I have recalled everything important. I remember flashes of my childhood and my father, but not much. I remember growing up in the Mikotoba house, I remember meeting my good friend Naruhodou, but... there is much that I cannot recall. It is impossible to tell what of that is from my fateful trip on that boat and what is natural loss over time.

Signed, Asogi Kazuma

Mod Update: brief hiatus!

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to take a brief hiatus from answering questions. You're absolutely still free to send them in, in fact, I encourage that! But I probably won't get around to answering them for another week or so. Sorry for the trouble!

Signed, Mod of the Baskervilles

Barok,

What does Benjamin even study for a living? He seems both enthusiastic but also a little confused

Anon,

Benjamin can be... a bit of a fool. That being said, he is quite enthusiastic about what he does. He studies the sciences. I know that lately, in the field of science, they have started differentiating based on specialties but Benjamin is, at heart, a scientist.

I do not think he necessarily has an end goal. I feel as though he studies simply anything and everything. Whatever interests him, whatever it is that he wants to know, he will do research into the subject. He has a particular fondness for birds, musculature, and machinery.

I do not appreciate when people try to insinuate that what he does is worthless. He already struggles because of what Enoch had done to him, and he does not need more pressure of that kind. I feel as though he simply has an endless fondness for learning. All he wants to do is learn more about the world around him. I see that as a noble task.

Lord Barok van Zieks

To Enoch Drebber

Have you thought of what you will do once you're released from prison? What are your plans, if you have any?

With care,

Anon

To anon:

I much appreciate your care. I have had much time to ponder this, and I know what I would prefer to do, though I doubt it would be possible. My dream... my ever-present dream has been to become a world-renowned scientist. I don't believe there is any sort of scientific organization that would accept me considering my history.

I not only destroyed another scientist's dreams, but also blackmailed, manipulated, got people killed... In addition to the grave robbing.

That being said, I've seen much of the new coroner, and the two of us get along rather well. Despite how I treated her mother in the past, we are both fascinated by scientific endeavors, human anatomy, the pursuit of knowledge... and we both understand that our tone, or lack thereof, does not mean that we are not interested. I think she could be a good friend, and, perhaps, colleague.

With care, Enoch Drebber.

Sherlock or Mikotoba how did you meet???

Anon,

It is a story that I think of quite often. I had been staying with my friends in a hotel, but the two of them were looking for a flat, and I realized that I needed somewhere closer to my place of work. I brought this up to one of my coworkers--Dr. John Watson, to be exact--and he informed me that the brother of one of his friends was also looking for a flatmate in the precise area where I was looking.

When I arrived and we first interacted, he approached me with a list of things that would put off a roommate. His flaws, I believe he called them. He then asked me for a list of mine, which I gave him. It was an incredibly strange conversation. You may not believe, but he used to be quite a stoic man. He did not show many of his emotions, he was cold and calculated... so you would imagine my surprise when he told me to stand and walk to the middle of the pub where we had met.

He told me the steps to a dance. I thought doing it would make me look ridiculous, so he insisted on dancing first. I watched, I laughed, I joined in, and we looked ridiculous together.

People have said that Holmes is a man who does not understand social cues. Those people are wrong. He knew exactly what I needed at that moment, and I cannot thank him enough for such a warm welcome. We moved in that same day.

It was strange living with him, but I will treasure those years for the rest of my life. My apologies for going on and on, but it is a story that I hold near and dear to my heart.

Thank you for asking! Dr. Yuujin Mikotoba