ikesenlemonadestandstories

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

AFK - Level 36

I'm baaaaaaack! Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well and hanging in there. Life has been a little crazy, but i'm happy to report it's been productive :) Please enjoy the next chapter!

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse & @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: none? If you find anything let me know though.

Level 36

You were spending way too much time at the convenience store near your house. For whatever reason, Masamune's seemingly endless jokes made it easier to ignore the pit you had in your stomach. Sure, there was probably a better way to handle whatever that situation with Ieyasu had been, but now that you had been avoiding him this long, it almost felt like you couldn't say anything. Taking a deep breath, you decided on a bag of chips you'd yet to try and turned to head to the register, only to yell out in fright.

"Would you stop doing that!" You relaxed when you realized it was just Masamune.

"Nah, it's fun to watch you jump." The man chuckled and patted you on the shoulder. "Got any plans for dinner Friday?"

"Uh, no?" You looked at him skeptically as you shifted your weight, so the things you were holding sat more comfortably in your arms.

"Cool, stop by, and I'll feed you." Without going any further, Masamune walked off towards his register.

"What's the occasion? You don't feel so sorry for me that you're trying to take me on a date to cheer me up, are you?" You scowled.

"Lass, do I seem like that kind of guy?" Masamune leaned over the counter.

"Yes, but also no?" You replied as you placed your snacks on the counter.

"I'm offended. Here I am trying to get you to try this new dish I've come up with, and you're questioning my character." Masamune threw a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"Fine, what's this new dish?" You asked, a little curious.

"Can't tell you. It's a surprise." Masamune smiled proudly down at you. "Just meet me here around seven, and we can go chill in a park."

"The park?" You cocked your head to the side.

"Trying to avoid giving you murdery vibes by not inviting you back to my house." Masamune jokes. "Since you've already questioned my character once tonight."

"I hate to break it to you, but a nighttime picnic in the park has equal amounts of murdery vibes as going to an acquaintance's house for dinner." You barked out a laugh.

"Acquaintance!? And here I thought we were good friends, but I guess you're right. Still, I wanna eat by the reservoir, though." Masamune smiled brightly as he handed you your change.

"Sounds good to me. See you Friday then, friend." You gave a little wave before heading home for the rest of the evening.

That's how you ended up staring at your closet, wondering how much effort you had to put into your outfit tonight. It was technically a picnic, but Masamune had said it was just a casual thing. You knew better than to show up in your work scrubs for multiple reasons, but you were torn between comfort and looking halfway decent. In the end, you decided on a loose pair of jeans, so your legs didn't get itchy in the grass and your favorite hoodie before walking towards the store.

When you arrived at the convenience store, Masamune was already standing outside, dressed nearly identical to you, with a picnic basket in hand.

"Hey there!" You gave a wave and jogged in his direction, "We're twins today."

"Great minds think alike. You all ready to go?" Masamune asked.

"I think so unless there's something you think I'll need." You quirked your eyebrow up at him.

"Nope, I've got everything we could ever want in this basket." Masamune lifted it, so it was right at your eye level.

"Oh? That's a pretty magical picnic basket." You snickered as you tried to grab for the latch.

"Hey, I think not." Masamune pouted as he snatched it away from your hands. "What do you not get about the word surprise?"

"Technically, if you showed it to me now, I'd still be surprised." You countered him.

"Yes, just not at the right moment. Life's all about those little moments, Lass." Masamune scolded you.

"If you say so."

"I do." Masamune encouraged me.

After that, the two of you walked up the hill towards the park in comfortable silence. You had to admit it was a nice night for a picnic, not a cloud in the sky, a gentle breeze, the temperature wasn't too hot or too cold. With a smile on your face, you helped Masamune unfold and lay down the blanket in the spot near the reservoir he had picked.

"It really is nice. Do you come up here often at night?" You wondered aloud as you took a seat.

"Eh, it depends on my mood." Masamune shrugged. "Today's too perfect to pass up, though."

"That's true. I like the way the stars reflect off the water." You admitted.

"I thought you might." Masamune gave you a wide-toothed grin. "Alright, Lass, close your eyes. No peeking."

"I thought you were trying to avoid murdery vibes tonight?" You chuckled as you did as Masamune told you.

"I am. I almost gave you a blindfold but thought better of it." Masamune snickered.

There was a shuffling noise, and you assumed it was Masamune pulling the food out of his magical basket. The familiar sound of bento boxes unclipping and the smell of something savory made you smile. You were excited; this was exciting. If Masamune was as good with actual food flavors as he was at mixing exotic chips and soda's this mean was bound to be a fabulous one.

"Alright, Lass, you can open your eyes now. Your excitement soon turned to mild horror and anxiety when you realized what was going on. This was a setup, and the one person you least expected was sitting directly across from you. When your eyes met his green ones, you saw him flush and look away.

"Told you, the basket is magic. You kids have fun!" Masamune shouted as he ran back down the hill. He was leaving you alone in the park with Ieyasu.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

So excited! Thank you!!!!! If anyone’s interested in my kpop shenanigans blog go jump to my other blog @rainbhrts94writes but also hit up these other wonderfully creative people!

Acceptance Post, first round

We would like to announce our first round of acceptance for the Noona Sin Network. Thank you so much to everyone who applied! If you do not see your name on this list, please don’t be discouraged!  We received a lot of applications, and are trying to add to the network in batches so that people have time to adjust and get to know each other. We would still love to have you, and hope you apply again for the next round!

In no particular order, we would like to welcome:

@joonadore , @getitinbusan , @uwu-yifan , @sunmisexual , @ikesenlemonadestandstories , @jungkooksbroski , @bluewhale52 , @kwanisms @jjksblackgf @kpop—scenarios @iridescentjin​ @lvupmushroom​

unable to tag: @randomkoalablog

Thank you again to everyone that applied! Please make sure to reblog this post so we know you’ve seen it. If you marked that you were interested in joining the discord, please double check that your DMs are open, as we will be sending the link shortly. 

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

AFK - Level 35

Hey everyone! Hope you’re doing well! Please enjoy the next thrilling installment of this lovely fic :) 

I got a new job that I start on Monday, so while I won’t have as much free time to write at work, I’ve got so much more time away from the hospital that I can actually write at home! <3

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: None

Level 35

You really hoped you didn’t sound as frazzled as you felt. The conversation had been normal; you had asked if Ieyasu was busy, he said he wasn’t. You wondered if you could go down to talk. He said yes. It was normal, but this didn’t feel normal at all. You had played just about every scenario through your head on your walk over, but that still hadn’t made you feel more prepared. Figuring you had been standing outside of his office for long enough, you knocked on the door. 

“What?” Ieyasu sighed, “Oh, it’s you.”

Did you imagine it, or did he sound much less enthused to see you? No, no, he was like that with everyone. You tried to stay calm and not imagine the worst-case scenario and took a seat across from him. 

“You’re fidgeting.” Ieyasu pointed out. “What happened?”

“I-” Was that concern? If so, you were making this whole thing much worse than it needed to be. Chill, YN, be chill. “I think we may be partners?”

“Are you just now figuring this out?” He questioned, a small smirk on his face. “Was it the publishers calling about the paper that gave it away? Or maybe the invitation to speak at the cytometry conference with me?”

“No! Gods, I know we’re partners. For the love of-” You facepalmed and groaned before spitting it out. “Endless Isle. You’re Edo, right? I think we’re partners.”

“Oh, who told you that?” So he wasn’t going to deny it? Did he already know? How long had he known?

“A coworker.” You mumbled, unable to make eye contact. 

“Ah, so it wasn’t Masamune? Looks like he can keep his mouth shut every once and awhile.” Ieyasu commented. 

“Excuse me?” You asked. 

“Masamune called me last night. Was overly excited about meeting you.” Ieyasu relaxed into his chair. 

“Oh, so you found out from your friend last night then?” You wondered aloud.

“No, I caught you playing portable months ago. I had a feeling based on the stories you were telling in-game. I wasn’t sure, though.” He shrugged as if that wasn’t a big deal. 

“Wait, what?” The confusion was evident on your face as you thought back to all those times you had been playing your game around him at work. “Were you ever going to say anything? Or just let me keep telling you my deepest personal feelings?”

“I planned to notify you if the need ever arose. I would qualify this as one of those times.” Ieyasu reached for his coffee cup and took a sip as if it wasn’t a big deal at all. 

“I-” Unable to form a full sentence, you stared out the window. 

Panic already setting in as you felt your face flush. Thinking back to everything you had ever told him. Sure the work stuff was generally unproblematic, and he had helped you with Yoshimoto. It was good advice, but that also meant you had openly admitted you had a crush on him directly. Oh, gods, what did that mean? Had he forgotten? Should you ask him out? Wait, what if he turned you down? What if he hadn’t said anything since you were technically working on a development project together? 

You couldn’t tell if you were mad or embarrassed. It was weird; you had spent the whole day trying to figure out if you needed to say to him, wondering if you should have brought it up at all, and here it could have come up naturally in conversation. What would you have done if you were in his shoes? Maybe he felt like you needed a friend? Perhaps he didn’t know the words to say, sure he was sarcastic, but he wasn’t that much of an ass. 

“Do you need help finishing that thought, or do you plan to leave me hanging all day?” Ieyasu huffed, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

“Sorry. I guess I just wanted to let you know? Uh, I’ll get out of your hair then. Thanks for your time!” You stood up quickly and found yourself scurrying out of his office before you could embarrass yourself anymore. Was it time to go home yet?

Ieyasu hadn’t thought anything of it when you abruptly left his office, you had been fidgeting the entire conversation, and it was clear you felt some type of way. He planned to let you work out your feelings on your own, and he’d talk to you tomorrow when the both of you usually ran quests. The problem was, you never got on. 

He waited a week, thinking he’d hear something from you eventually. There were several deadlines for data publishing and a significant competitive quest that were sure to bring you in his general direction, but it didn’t work. Your supervisor dropped off the data stacks to his office, and according to the login records, you’d been AFK since your talk. He needed advice, and he only trusted one person. 

“She’s avoiding me,” Ieyasu stated plainly when Masamune picked up the phone. 

“I know, heard all about it from the Lass a few days ago.” Masamune chuckled on the other line. 

“Oh.” Something tugged in his chest that Ieyasu didn’t like. 

“No, none of that ‘Oh’ garbage.” Masamune mocked him. “She’s embarrassed, think’s she messed up, doesn’t wanna bother you.”

“I did get that impression from her the other day,” Ieyasu mentioned. 

“So, what did you do about it?” Ieyasu’s friend asked him. “I can only tell the girl you’re the stupid one so many times before she stops believing me.”

“I’m not stupid,” Ieyasu exclaimed defensively, now pacing his kitchen. 

“Uh, yes, you are.” Masamune barked out another laugh. “If you’re not, why are you calling me and not her genius?”

“Why would I bother her if she doesn’t want anything to do with me?” Ieyasu questioned. 

“See, stupid; you’re being stupid. She’s avoiding you because she likes you. Remember, she told you as much.” Masamune offered. “Which is part of the problem; she’s been gushing to her crush for months.”

Ieyasu fell silent on the other end of the line. Thinking. If she liked him, wouldn’t she have reiterated it in their conversation? Why would she be avoiding him now? 

“You’re sure about this?” Ieyasu finally asked.

“If you didn’t think, I was sure you wouldn’t have called me to start with.” Ieyasu could feel Masamune’s smirk through the phone. 

“Fine. Where does she live?” Ieyasu asked. 

“Uh, I don’t know. That’d be creepy. I caaaan help you set something up, though. What do you say? Wanna go on a date with the Lass?” Masamune asked jovially.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 34

Thanks to everyone who asked how I was doing! I really appreciate it <3

Guess who got some free time today :) This gal! Hope you guys enjoy! Fingers crossed it stays slow for a little bit.

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: None

Level 34

The first thing you had done last night after getting home from your adventure was unblocked Masamune. What were the actual odds of something like that happening, you wondered. Sure, you had known the people from Team Kasugayama, but that was because it was a group of friends who had invited their mutual friends to play. Meeting someone in person that you’d only ever encountered in an online game had to be almost entirely unheard of. With a smile on your face, you headed off to bed, you had to be at work early tomorrow, and you desperately needed to avoid Sasuke and Yukimura for as long as possible. 

Fortunately, your instinct had been correct. The extra fifteen minutes had guaranteed you a spot on the early shuttle from the garage to work in near silence. It was peaceful, especially with the rain, and you were hoping for the day to stay that way.

It wasn’t busy in the lab, which meant you had time to fine-tune some of the more specific gating elements in your new test. With the day slowing down and the sample load dwindling, you put on your headphones and planned to hunker down at your desk until the end of the day. 

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned; you were so concentrated on your work that when Yukimura and Sasuke swarmed your desk, you nearly jumped out of your seat. So close, you had been so close. 

“What can I do for you, boys?” You asked, granting them a side-eye as you shifted your headphones. 

“We need bodyguards.” Yukimura let out, exasperated. 

“Oh? Not sure why you’re telling me unless you want me to know in case you disappear?” You teased.

“This isn’t funny. It’s one thing to win a tournament. It’s another to land a hit like that on Kenshin.” Yukimura sighed. “We have to live with your life decisions, you know!”

“Not my fault he couldn’t take a well-placed hit.” You shrugged, enjoying the way Yukimura bristled. 

“It was indeed. Though I might need a place to lay low for a while if you don’t mind.” Sasuke complimented you. 

“You guys are acting like Kenshin is going to off you IRL. Chill out or call the cops, my dudes.” You laughed as they both shared a look. 

“If we disappear, can we count on you to call in detectives?” Yukimura asked.

“All I ask is you remember us fondly,” Sasuke said with a bow.

“You guys are ridiculous. Stop.” You snickered as you continued. “I’m honestly surprised, we’ve been playing around with my luck stat, so I didn’t know if our plan would work. I was sure Edo was going to have to come to bail me out.” 

“I know your speed stat has no rival, but mixing that with high luck is a dangerous combination I’d never even entertained. Well done.” Sasuke congratulated you with a pat on the shoulder. 

“Why are you congratulating her? Kenshin is going to make our lives a living hell online for the next month.” Yukimura pouted.

“You act as though we’re the only ones who will be affected.” Sasuke pointed out. “YN is going to have to watch out as well.”

“Me?” You balked. “Why me? Because I beat him?”

“Precisely.” Sasuke used the dramatic pause to push his glasses up his nose before continuing. “I would be prepared for a flurry of battle requests from him.”

“Oh, is that it?” You wondered aloud. “He’s been blocked for months, remember? Just like the rest of you? He couldn’t send me requests if he wanted to.”

“AUGH!” Yukimura burst out as he slumped forward. “This just got so much worse for us.”

“I’m sure you’ll be okay; you’re both resourceful.” You consoled, swiveling in your chair to try and hide your amusement. 

“She acts like she’s never played with him before!” Yukimura whined.

“I did; he liked me.” You teased, “What have you been doing the past few months that you still haven’t managed to win him over?”

“Shut it!” Yukimura’s agitation grew the more prolonged the encounter drew on, and it was showing. 

“Yanno, I was down here minding my own business, not talking to anyone until you two showed up.” You pointed out, turning your attention back towards your computer. 

“What do you have there?” Sasuke asked, leaning in to take a look at your computer screen. 

“Validation data.” You scooted your chair over to make more room for your now curious friends. 

“Ah, is this your project with Dr. Tokugawa then?” Sasuke asked as Yukimura looked on, confused.  

“Sort of? It’s been my project for a while. He’s thinking about running a study that needs specific testing.” You shuffled around your plots and pulled up some data on the computer. “It just sort of happened that I was already cooking something up.”

“Interesting. What a lucky twist of fate.” Sasuke pondered.

“How so?” You mused.

“It’s not every day that you get to work with a partner in real life and a video game like that.” Sasuke continued.

“I’m not following you at all there, buddy.” You grimaced, trying to put your finger on what Sasuke was trying to say.

“Dr. Tokugawa is Edo is he not?” Sasuke tilted his head as he asked you his question. 

“I don’t know who Edo is.” The confusion was evident on your face. “What makes you say it’s Ieyasu?”

“Yoshimoto told us.” Yukimura chimed in. “Didn’t he tell you?”

“No. How does he even know that?” You could feel the grimace starting.

“They have, history, yes - history.” Sasuke struggled to explain it well.

“I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.” Yukimura pointed out nonchalantly. 

“Maybe he doesn’t know it’s me?” You tried to offer, knowing full well you’ve potentially told your crush some super deep things.

“While that is possible, you will never have an answer unless you ask.” Sasuke offered. 

“Why would I ask? What if he doesn’t know? That’ll just make things awkward.” You could feel the anxiety rising in your chest. 

“Knowing you, it’s already going to be awkward now that you know.” Yukimura chuckled as he patted your shoulder. “You’re better off just asking before you explode.”

“Why, why did you have to go and make this more complicated?” You begrudged. 

“I’m sure you would have found out eventually.” Sasuke offered.

“Is that your way of trying to make me feel better?” You sighed.

“No, I’m being realistic.” he fixed his glasses. “You’ve been working with him both here and online for a long time. You have feelings for the man in real life. It would have eventually come up.”

“I mean, yes, you’re right.” You glared at Sasuke, knowing he had a point. “At least that is more organic than whatever I’m about to go do now.”

“Oh, can I come to watch?” Yukimura asked, not even trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

“No.” You deadpanned. 

“What if I say I’m there as emotional support?” Yukimura offered.

“Accept, we both now know you’re not?” You snickered, despite the turmoil in your brain.

“Fine, good luck and have fun, I guess?” Yukimura tossed his hand in the air. “C’mon, Sasuke, we need to get back to the floor.”

“Do we?” Sasuke wondered before checking his watch. 

There wasn’t anything said after he raised his eyebrows above his frames, and both of them took off. Alone with your thoughts now, the panic started to kick into overdrive. What were you going to do? If Ieyasu was Edo, you had quite literally told the man you had a crush on him! Should you even approach this? What happened if he did find out somehow that you knew? Would he think you were using him, that it was a lie? Gods, you didn’t want that either. A string of curses flew out of your mouth, and you picked up your desk phone before you had a chance to change your mind. 

“Hi, Dr. Tokugawa? Do you have a minute?”

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

hope you’re doing well!💞💞💞

Hi there Honeybee! I’m doing as well as I can be (lol). Work has been keeping me pretty busy but I hope to update soon :)

Hope you’re doing well yourself! <3

T

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Hello Admin T, I just wanted to make sure that your well with all that is going on. You have my condolences for your loss and wish you good health. Stay safe!

Hi honeybee! Thanks so much for checking in. I’m doing much better, unfortunately I’ve been very busy at work (which is where I usually do most of my writing) and I’ve not had a significant amount of down time to work on anything. I work in a hospital so it’s been every bit of - go to work, run around at work, leave work, nourish myself, sleep, repeat - hopefully I’ll have a little more down time as we slide closer to the holidays!

Hope you’re staying happy, healthy, and safe!

T~

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 33

This chapter took way longer for me to write than I anticipated but it was so much fun and really picked up steam at the end! It’s starting to get really fun fam! 

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: Casually crude langage

Level 33

Excitement washed over you as you put your controller away and turned your TV off. You were told to eat a fun snack. Since you had eaten all of your left-overs for dinner and your chips were wiped out well into the tournament, it was time to go to the store. Without a second thought, you slipped into some comfortable footwear, grabbed your keys and wallet, and headed out to hit up the local convenience store.

As predicted, it was just late enough that there weren’t hoards of people lined up inside the little store waiting for a quick and cheap ready-made dinner for the evening. You walked right in and headed straight for the snack aisle, quietly looking over all the options. After picking out your favorite candy and the least offensive flavor of gourmet chips, you grabbed a bottle of tea and walked up to the check-out counter.

“I see your terrible taste in chips hasn’t changed.” You recognized the cashier from your last potato chip adventure and laughed.

“Why is it that every time I make poor snack decisions, you’re here to give me grief?” You snickered as you put your items on the counter.

“Just doing my job. It’d be a crime if I let people go around making bad snack decisions all day.” The one-eyed brunette jokes.

“Alright then, you’ve piqued my interest.” You gestured towards the snack aisles. “What does a good snack adventure look like?”

“Depends on the situation, lass.” The young man leaned over the counter, and you got a glimpse of his name-tag, Masamune, was it?

“I didn’t realize that mattered.” You quirked an eyebrow up at him, wondering where this was going to go.

“Of course it matters!” Masamune took mock offense and slid out from behind the counter. “So tell me, what’s the occasion?”

“Celebratory; won a tournament.” You conceded, following him back to the snack aisle.

“Oh? Didn’t take you for the sporty type.” He teased

“For the record, I play a sport, emphasis on the singularity there but still. A sport is a sport,” You answered, giving him your best side-eye in the process. “Second, I need to know what gave you that impression. Third, it was a video game tournament.”

“Lass, I’ve seen you run into the bike rack outside the shop seven times. You’re either not sporty, or you’re not very observant.” Masamune finished his thought by grabbing a bag of chips off the shelf.

“Should I be concerned that you’re watching me that closely?” You wondered out loud.

“Nah, I watch everyone who walks by or comes in.” Masamune shrugged, “Free entertainment.”

“Fair.” You replied. Following him through the aisles as he put back the snacks you picked out earlier and meticulously scanned each shelf for a new set of treats.

To say you were skeptical was an understatement. The mixture of treats coupled with the oversized Slurpee who’s flavor had long been obscured by the multitude of syrup added to the cup was the furthest thing away from anything you’d pick out for yourself. You didn’t even bother to hide the question in your gaze as you followed him back to the counter.

“Don’t look so horrified; you’re in the presence of a culinary master.” Masamune wiggled his eyebrows and walked you to one of the open tables in the back. “Here.”

“Thanks, what do I owe you?” You asked, plopping down in the chair he had pulled out for you.

“Not a thing, Lass. It’s on the house.” Then he winked, er, blinked (?), and walked back behind his register.

With your evening snack now finished, you found yourself oddly satisfied and surprised. Maybe he was some sort of odd culinary wizard working part-time at the local convenience store. A smile on your face, you traveled towards the counter to thank him.

“Enjoy yourself?” Masamune teased as he leaned on his elbows.

“I did.” You teased as you finished the last few sips of your drink. “I may require your expertise another time.”

“Wonderful! Another satisfied customer.” His smile was bright as he continued. “So tell me, Lass, what game did you win?”

“Technically, I beat the game ages ago, but the tournament was hosted in the online portion of Endless Isle.”

“Ohhh! Nice! I play that game! We should do some multiplayer or something sometime.” Masamune exclaimed excitedly.

“Oh yeah? That could be fun.” You needed some more friends in-game. “Here, give me some paper, and I’ll write down my handle so you can add me later.”

Without wasting any time, Masamune pulled a piece of receipt paper and grabbed a pen. He was offering them both to you with a smile, one that faltered for a moment before his face contorted, and he let out a strangled laugh.

“What the hell? My username isn’t that weird!” Your face burned bright red as your mind began to race.

“I’m not going to be able to add you, Lass.” Masamune managed between breaths.

“Why not?” You puzzled as he began scribbling on the same piece of paper.

“You’re going to have to unblock me first.” His laughter never faltered as he held up his username ‘OneEyedDrag0n.’

“No way.” You balked before you matched his laughter. “Who would have thought the ax-wielding maniac worked at the local convenience store!”

“It’s part of my cover. I have to remain unassuming Lass.” Masamune smirked as you laughed harder.

“Oh, my gods. For the love of-” You shook your head, but the smile never left your face.

“Does this mean I’m unblocked?” Masamune asked.

“Yes,” You sighed. “On one condition.”

“Oho? What might that be?” Intrigued, Masamune humored you.

“I’m going to need you to be my personal snack picker-outer.” You beamed.

“How did you know?” Masamune threw a hand to his chest. “That’s my dream title. I’ll happily oblige!”

“Oh, don’t be an ass.” You barked out a laugh, before wishing him a good night and heading out of the store.

Waiting until she was no longer in view of the store, Masamune picked up his cell phone and made a phone call. Ieyasu didn’t answer, which was about what he had expected, so he left a voicemail.

“Yo, I just met your little online buddy. Did you know she’s your IRL crush? Can I be your wingman? I think I should be your wingman.”

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

An Update

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all doing well. Maybe some of you have noticed, but it’s been a hot minute since you’ve heard anything from me. 

I regret to report that my darling 19 year old kitty, Kymu passed and I’ve been taking some time off to sort my feelings and get my bearings. I’m starting to feel like a normal human again, but it’s difficult to distract yourself when there’s not many distractions being offered in the outside world. 

Hopefully I’ll have some motivation here soon :) In the meantime feel free to message me or send an ask with questions or conversation! I’m not offline, just resting the brain <3

Lots of love!

T~

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 32

Oh my gosh I didn’t think I was going to ever finish this! My week has been insane! Hope you guys are all doing well, enjoy the update :)

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List Here

Happy Reading Honey Bees! <3

Level 32

It had been a productive couple of weeks, excited over the recent developments you took off for home, hoping Edo would be online. Your research was going well, but you’d managed to have an intelligent conversation with the super cute doctor at work, and you had to tell someone. Sure, Edo was one hundred percent not going to enjoy the gossip, but you were sure he’d listen or at least pretend to.

With your game console turned on, you put in an order for a pizza and made your way to the couch to get comfortable. Not even five minutes had gone by before you got a rush of notifications on your phone, all thanking you for signing up for the partner’s battle tournament that was happening tomorrow. Confused and concerned, you stared at your phone, wondering if there had been a glitch, or worse, someone you were trying to avoid has signed up and listed you as their partner without saying anything.

Crap.

You couldn’t log on faster, the moment the game loaded you dove into your game’s notifications looking for clues on who could have possibly signed you up. Then your controller vibrated off of your lap.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Hope you’re free tomorrow. If not we’ll find a time to destroy my meddling friends… Well that may solve one mystery ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → There’s more than one? Yes actually. First question ← WildCyt0m3try What meddling friend do I need to thank with a smack? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → OneEyedDrag0n, turned around for five minutes… Sounds like a wonderfully chaotic friend you’ve got ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That’s one way to put it. Next Question! What were you going to do if I wasn’t free???? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Forfeit? That would have been the only option….any other questions… What’s our plan? ← WildCyt0m3try

For the better part of three hours, you and Edo put together a strategy that would hopefully cover all your bases. Not that you could predict what every other player was going to do, but you had the advantage of understanding what the major contenders were going to do, which would hopefully give you both a leg up in the tournament. It wasn’t until you had logged off and were crawling into bed that you realized you’d been so concentrated on purchasing new equipment and salves, telling Edo about your week had utterly slipped your mind. Oh well, maybe you’d be able to slip it in tomorrow.

When your alarm went off the next morning, your first thoughts were those of confusion. You didn’t have to go into work, did you? Aggravated, you smacked at your phone until the noise stopped, and you rolled yourself right back over in bed. It wasn’t until your eyes were closed, and you were nearly asleep again that you remembered you had a tournament to attend. Thanking the gods you didn’t have to be anywhere physically, you shot out of bed and ran down the stairs to turn on your console. While you are waiting for the login screen to pop up, you scrounge around your kitchen, looking for anything that would suffice for a decent breakfast. Finally, settling on a comically tall glass of chocolate milk and a bowl of your favorite cereal, you settled onto the couch and readied for battle.

EdoPorcupine5661 → I was beginning to wonder if you’d show. IM NOT THAT LATE OMG! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Oversleep? Coffee? Boyfriend? First off, good morning to you too sunshine ← WildCyt0m3try Secondly, I’m not late, so even if I did oversleep we’re good ← WildCyt0m3try Third of all. I DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → So you asked, and he got mad and ditched? Has anyone ever told you how pessimistic you are? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → All the time. What about it? As long as you know lol ← WildCyt0m3try I’ll have you know, he said he knew we weren’t exclusive. ← WildCyt0m3try Said with how long it took for me to agree even to date he knew better ← WildCyt0m3try Then proceed to decide how much free time I was going to have based on work commitments ← WildCyt0m3try I forgot my chill pills that day so yanno...haven’t spoken to him in a hot minute ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → sounds like you What’s that supposed to me? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That you didn’t deviate from my perceived opinions about your character That literally sounds worse… ← WildCty0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → It isn’t, I just complimented you Pffff, if you say so ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 →  I do. Now let’s get ready. Roger that best friend ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Stop No, you deserved that ← WildCyt0m3try Also, I mean it <3 ← WildCyt0m3try Now let’s kick some digital ass! I want that prize!! ← WildCyt0m3try

The tournament bracket was released early that morning. Your first battle wasn’t until round three based on their tiering system, and for that, you were grateful. Sure Edo had already come up with a pretty solid plan, but it was nice to see who you could potentially be facing. Fortunately, you knew OneEyedDrag0n wasn’t participating today, so you didn’t have to worry about being surprised by a wayward ax again. The plan was to trick people into being overly confident for as long as possible since Bow Knight and a Pegasis Knight didn’t look like a problematic duo to overcome. That’s why this was going to be fun.

After hours of competition, it boiled down to the final round. You weren’t sure if you were excited or terrified of this. Everything had gone according to plan; you had managed to keep the extensive and unexpected arsenal of weapons and magic hidden just long enough to get you through the less challenging rounds. If everything went the way you had expected it to, the two would be facing off against Kenshin and Sasuke, a formidable duo.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Ready? I think so? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Not good enough, you’re either ready, or you’re not. I’m ready then ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Good

When the controller vibrated, signaling the start of the battle, you sucked in a breath. Part of the tournament was about getting around the map and collecting specific items. Navigating the map was easy enough with Edo a mounted unit and yourself a flier, but you didn’t want to get too cocky. Sasuke had picked up the lockpicking skill in his previous class, meaning he’d take any treasure he could get to without fail or need for a key, and Kensin’s unit had enough brute strength if your dexterity faltered once you were a goner.

The idea was to split up and take any treasure in your immediate area, once those were in hand the both of you would mount a generally weak attack on Kenshin. Sasuke would hopefully round back after completing the collection mission, which is when Edo planned to break off and corner him—leaving you to deal with Kenshin by yourself until Edo could take out Sasuke. The entire plan hinged on Sasuke being sent to open all the treasure chests and Kenshin being too excited to fight either of you.

Fortunately, it seemed to be working. Your fingers furiously tapped at buttons, trying to will the game into cooperating with your skillful button mash. It didn’t have to be pretty right now; it just had to be a useful distraction. When Kenshin finally landed a hit, you sucked in a breath; quickly, you ran the scenario. You were stuck between healing yourself or bet on your stats and take another crack at Kenshin.

Decision made, you closed your eyes and held your breath, hoping your lance would activate its ability. You didn’t want to look, having decided you’d keep your eyes closed until the next turn you waited. It wasn’t until your phone started vibrating off the hook you thought to look around. Kenshin’s avatar was no longer visible on your screen, and the more you looked, the more you realized that nobody’s stats were available anymore.

Oh gods, had your wifi crashed in the middle of the tournament? Panic rose in your chest, but it was shut down quickly when WINNER flashed across the screen in bold. What? That couldn’t be, right?

EdoPorcupine5661 → Well done Thanks? I honestly don’t know what happened though ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → I hit him with a long-range bow skill, and you delivered a critical hit Oh, really? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Don’t believe me? Not really. ← WildCyt0m3try I’m convinced this is a fever dream ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Who’s the pessimist now? Still you ← WildCyt0m3try It will always be you lol ← WildCty0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Whatever EdoPorcupine5661 → Don’t forget to accept the prize money I wont ← WildCyt0m3try This was fun. It’s been a good week ← WildCyt0m3ty EdoPorcupine5661 → I guess it has EdoPorcupine5661 → I’m getting off now Same, enjoy your evening! ← WildCyt0m3try Eat something fun to celebrate :) ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Sure EdoPorcupine5661 → you too I guess…. Awe, you do care!! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Whatever

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

No Update this week

Hello all - there will be no update this week as I’m still working on chapter 32. Work has been very busy with the uptick in COVID-19 cases in our area, coupled with test development progress in my lab. 

Have a good weekend! Hope to update soon <3 Stay safe out there

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 31

Holy moly I almost didn’t finish this one in time lol! Work has been insane, we’ve seen a pretty severe uptick in cases when I live and it’s made life a little crazy. I’m also developing a diagnostic test of my own so I’ve been busy at work :) Lots of busy! Hope you’re all doing alright!

Stay safe out there!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: None?

Master List

Happy reading!

Level 31

“This looks good.” Ieyasu complimented, flipping through the data booklets you had printed out for the physicians to follow along.

“It really does, have the Hemepath’s had a chance to look this over?” Mariko asked, looking between Haru and yourself curiously.

“Dr. Ikara has it in his possession. Once he’s looked it over, someone from the review board will be able to check the data and hopefully give us the green light.” Haru answered.

“That’s promising. Do you have a date that this might be completed by?” Dr. Togo pressed.

“Nothing affirmative. It depends a lot on what is on Dr. Ikara’s plate. He’s on service, so he’ll be busy with cases, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to look at it.” Your manager suggested.

“I know he doesn’t want to send these tests out anymore, though, so there’s an incentive to look at it sooner rather than later.” You offered.

“Good. You’ll contact us once you know the results?” Ieyasu asked.

“We will. I’ll let everyone know once I know.” Haru smiled, finishing off the meeting.

Clean up never took long, it was mostly pushing the chairs back in and making sure you only grabbed the chords you brought with you. The last thing you wanted to see was another email about meeting equipment being “borrowed.” Shaking your head, you tucked your laptop under your arm and turned to hit the light switch, only to discover you weren’t alone in the room.

“Dude!” You exclaimed, nearly dropping the computer in your possession. “Maybe cough or make a shuffling noise next time. You scared the hell outta me.”

“Dude?” Ieyasu raised an eyebrow, “Is that how you address all potential threats?”

“Are you insinuating you’re a threat? Do I need to call HR?” You snickered, a hand involuntarily resting on your hip.

“By all means. While we wait for them to respond, can I ask you about this gate?” He offered the dot plot data you’d given him earlier.

“Sure. What would you like to know?” You put your laptop down and took the packet from his hands.

“Explain the gating strategy.” Ieyasu shifted until he was standing next to you.

“So, I should start by saying we’ve compiled all the data points from each tube into this plot here.” You flipped to the front page of the analysis and pointed to the forward and side scatter gates. “Once compiled, we can place an anchor gate over the population in question and use it to highlight all the data points.This helps us isolate those populations in each tube simultaneously.”

Ieyasu nodded along to your explanation. He stuck to asking a few questions here and there about markers of choice and if different markers could be available for better sample isolation. It hadn’t been a long conversation, but a group of people started to assemble outside the door.

“Think they’re next?” You asked, gesturing with your eyes towards the door.

“Probably.” Ieyasu shrugged, turning his attention back to the data. “Are you busy right now?”

“Uh, no. Not really. Why?” You wondered aloud.

“Let’s continue this talk elsewhere.” He didn’t give you time to respond before turning and walking towards the elevator.

You scurried after him, cursing the terrible cell service available inside the elevator as you attempted to notify your supervisor of where you were going. It wasn’t until you were halfway to his office that your message finally sent, and just as you were about to put your phone away, you crashed right into Ieyasu’s back, with enough force to cause you to wobble back a few steps.

“Honestly, you’re a danger to yourself and others.” Ieyasu scolded, pulling his keys from his pocket.

“When I run into poles, I expect them to ring, not reprimand me.” You joked, surprised when he smiled for the briefest of moments.

“Anything to drink?” he asked, motioning toward the little coffee machine on his desk.

“No, I don’t do coffee. Thanks, though.” You bowed your head and took the seat on the other side of his desk.

You’d never looked around Ieyasu’s office before, despite having been in here countless times. Your eyes swept the room, as they did you took note of all the books on the shelf, wondering if they are as organized as you assumed they’d be. There were a few small plants on his desk and in the window that looked out over the construction site for the hospital’s new building.

“Nice view, you got there.” You smiled, relaxing back into the chair.

“Sure.” Gently, Ieyasu set the cup down on his desk and folded his arms. Was he blushing? “So you don’t drink coffee?”

“I don’t drink caffeine.” You shrugged. “Can’t sleep when I do. That or my heart feels like it’s going to explode.”

“You’re telling me this,” Ieyasu gestured in your direction. “is naturally occurring?”

“Precisely.” Puffing your chest up as you laughed.

“Terrifying.” His face remained even.

“Thank you. I try.” Leaning forward, you placed your papers on his desk and flipped them, so they weren’t upside down for you. “So, what do you need to know?”

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 30

How is everything going for you all! I’m trying to stay on top of this story but some things are happening at work :) May the creative winds be with me 

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: none

Master List

Level 30

“I just need to make sure you don’t think I’m your girlfriend.” You started, trying to keep your cool and eye contact with Yoshimoto. 

“That much was apparent, especially after how many ‘not dates’ we had to go on before you admitted they were indeed dates.” Yoshimoto chuckled. 

“Okay then,” you found yourself breathing a sigh of relief as you relax into your chair. “so, you’ve seen the ad for the next tournament, right?”

“I have, it looks to be a good one,” Yoshimoto remarked, picking up the menu. 

“Agreed, you think we’ll have a better shot of winning this one?” You smiled as you bounced in your seat, excited by the prospect. 

“Ah, about that.” Yoshimoto placed the menu silently back on the table. “Rose and I shall be participating together for this one.”

“Oh? I guess that makes sense. With her being on your team and all.” You responded, sure you were disappointed, but it made sense.

“Agreed, that plus I’d hate to pull you away from your work. I’m sure Dr. Tokugawa demands much of your attention.” You noticed the casual malice in his tone as Yoshimoto mentioned Ieyasu, and you tried not to bristle. 

“Okay, I’ve told you already that time away from work isn’t an issue, so why do you insist it is unless it’s not about the work but who I’m working with?” You asked, fighting to keep your tone even. 

“I can only imagine the type of scrutiny he puts your data through; even then, I am aware of your previous feelings for him, so I’d hate to get in the way of anything happening now.” Yoshimoto shrugged as he feigned being nonchalant. 

“Excuse me.” Your blood boiled. “First off, my work has to be scrutinized; it’s a screening test for minimal residual disease—a major prognostic factor in survivability. Secondly, I’m literally here, with you, on a date. You’re being dismissive as hell. Thirdly,” You paused in your tangent, not sure if you wanted to finish the thought.

“Thirdly?” He pressed venom in his eyes

“I’d don’t like these nasty and baseless assumptions or being patronized. He’s not even the only doc on the project! You know what? I’m done. I’m leaving” And you did, picked your purse up and hastily handed the waitress your share for the meal you’d never eat on the way out. 

After that, you didn’t speak to either of them. You were going out of your way to ignore all attempts at communication from both parties. The only real plus side to the whole situation was that not talking at work propelled your project forward all the faster. In the span of two weeks, you’d run nearly twice as many samples, and all results matched what current institutions already using the panel were putting out. If you kept up this pace, you’d be validated by the end of the month! Excited, you shot off a quick email notifying Dr. Togo and Tokugawa of your progress. 

It only took a moment before the phone in the office started ringing. The caller ID didn’t give you much to go off of, and this was either a physician, a wrong number, or one of those weird collect calls trying to tell you that you’d overpaid your electric bill again. As if the hospital’s electric bill was any of your business. 

“Flow lab, this is (YN).” You answered, pausing to wait out the game of phone roulette. 

“(YN), hi. This is Dr. Togo. Are you and your supervisor available for a meeting this afternoon?” Markio asked. 

“I know I am. I can ask Haru and see what’s on her calendar for the day.” You suggested. 

“That’d be great. Here let me give you Ieyasu and my cell numbers. Just start a group conversation once you hear back from Haru, and we can plan something out.” Mariko chirped happily. 

“Will do.”

You waited with a pen and a sticky note for the number, you didn’t have the heart to tell her you already had Ieyasu’s. It was a quick conversation. The only pause was you making sure to read the numbers back to her before she ended the call. As fast as you could, you left the tech office and headed out to find your manager, who was conveniently not in her office. After a quick search of the lab and a survey of your coworkers, all of whom had no idea where Haru had gone, you sent her a message. 

Mariko called ←  Wants to have a meeting ←  U free this afternoon? ← (h) → Sure (h) → Does 2 work?

With confirmation your manager was free, you sent the first message in the group chat. 

Hi, (YN) here. We’re free to meet this afternoon at 2. Will that work for you both? ← (i) → Yes (m) → Sounds good! Thanks (YN) (m) → See you all then!

Jittery, you fought to hold your concentration enough to compile all your data into one document to present. Maybe it was because you had such short notice to talk about your findings or because it was always a little weird talking about your research to others? You weren’t sure, so you swallowed the lump in your throat and ignored the way your heart jumped in your chest as you and Haru rode the elevator up fourteen floors to your two o’clock meeting.

Fortunately, the room was empty when you arrived. Giving you the time you needed to set up and pass around the data you had printed out for people to look at and take notes on. The glass door creaked open behind you, and Mariko chirped a hello as Ieyasu sauntered in beside her. Your eyes met and, not knowing what else to do, you smiled in greeting. To your surprise, he smiled back.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Ohhh~ 

The Descendant

Chapter Two

Be sure to see my Ayakashi!Kenshin brought to life by the amazing @cailannuesugi !! 

Read Previous

~☆~

“Tokugawa!” Kenshin’s baritone crackled across the central camp like thunder from an approaching storm as he landed from flight ahead of Shingen and Yukimura’s arrival on horse. “What happened? I expected the battle to last much longer.”

“I only just arrived myself,” he may not have rolled his eyes but Ieyasu’s irritation was clear in his voice. “How you and Masamune actually look forward to these skirmishes is beyond me… Aren’t you supposed to be holding back the beasts on the other side of the mountain?“

"There are no more to hold back." 

"What?” Ieyasu froze in his tracks. 

Keep reading

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 29

How is everyone doing!? Here’s the next chapter for AFK, hope you enjoy it!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List

Warnings: None?

Level 29

That’s how it went for at least two weeks; anytime you brought up your research, there was an issue or a casual comment made to look considerate, and you weren’t here for it. So you’d stopped answering text messages after one, particularly infuriating evening. As it stood, Yoshimoto thought you’d be ‘too busy’ to join him out, so all you were doing was proving the point he continued to keep making. No harm in being the bad guy when he’d never given you a chance not to be in the first place.

You had logged on to Endless Isle, hoping that it would help you blow off some steam. It turns out you were more frustrated than you’d given yourself credit. Work was a nightmare lately, with the new ranking, test development, and personal life all colliding. Rose wouldn’t leave you alone about Yoshimoto, which was more than a little obnoxious. If she thought he was so awesome, maybe she should date him instead.

Additionally, while the panel work was complete on your assay development, you didn’t have time to write up the review or the paper for it. The validation process had started, but for whatever reason, coming across samples, you could run in the lab was difficult. After a week of no samples, you decided to volunteer to go to the OR to make sure you got enough. That was going okay until one of the procedures went nearly three hours late, and you got in a fight with the CRNA in the room.

First, she thought you were the physician, which was wild because if she was that mouthy with an attending, you didn’t want to know how she talked to everyone else. Fortunately, you didn’t have to wait long to find out. After interrupting you numerous times, then trying to roll you right under the bus in a conversation with the actual physician you maybe, totally yelled at her. Something that amused both the physician in the room and your supervisor when you notified her of the incident.

Logging on was supposed to have helped you blow off the extra steam that had been building for the past week, but it wasn’t helping. The dungeons were either not hard enough or too difficult, making for a generally frustrating experience. Aside from that, you had marked yourself as away so nobody could see you were online and playing. The last thing you wanted to do was deal with people right now. That is until you got a gift request.

* EdoPorcupine5661 has sent you a gift. Will you accept?*

After more than a little thought, you changed your status and accepted. It wasn’t long before you were rolling with laughter. What the hell was that? That was so random.

I need an explanation ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → For? What you just sent me. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Though you could use it The Secret Book? ← WildCyt0m3try Wait ← WildCyt0m3try I’m gonna equip it! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Do what you want I usually do. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Do I really have to ask? Ask what? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Why did I have to fish you out of the void with an item equip? Oh, didn’t think you cared about stuff like this? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → You’re right. I don’t. Let’s go.

Before you could ask where you were going, the field warped as the game moved you out of town and into a new tactical map. You’d heard about this map, and had been meaning to get on and try it with Yoshimoto or Rose. Unfortunately, both of them were so butt hurt lately that you’d been avoiding it and them all together.

It didn’t take long for you to figure out you probably needed to stop playing these side story maps when you were frustrated. Everything was challenging, and you were the right amount of frustrated that it was hard to keep your focus. You were starting to regret not telling Edo what was going on. Maybe it would have been a good idea to vent before the match.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Clearly, this map isn’t difficult enough to soothe your frustrations. Unfortunately, it’s difficulty may be adding to it… ←  WildCyt0m3try I’m sorry, I think I’m gonna get off ← WildCyt0m3try No use wasting your equipment when my heads not in the game ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Or you could talk about it I’ll think about it… ← WildCyt0m3try The people I’d usually talk to are the one’s I don’t want to talk to ← WildCyt0m3try So I’ll just go take a bath and wallow ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → You’re more problematic than I initially gave you credit for Thank you lol ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Not a compliment. Says you :P ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → At least that much is clear I got a new project at work ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Let me guess, the person you’ve got to work with is terrible? No! ← WildCyt0m3try Actually, I kind of like him. ← WildCyt0m3try That’s the problem tho ← WildCyt0m3ty EdoPorcupine5661 → You certainly have an odd definition of the word problem *sigh* It has nothing to do with him ← WildCyt0m3try I told the guy I’ve been dating and he’s been short with me ← WildCyt0m3try Worse, my friend agrees with him ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Ah, jealous boyfriend !! ← WildCyt0m3try Not my boyfriend, dating. ← WildCyt0m3try There’s a difference ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661→ Is there? Yes ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Does he know there is? I...hope so? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Maybe you should start there? Thanks ← WildCyt0m3try For the record, you’re pretty alright, friend ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Can we burn that record? Nope! ← WildCyt0m3try I’ve got fireproof paper just for you ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That’s problematic Sounds like you’re the one who needs to rework their deffinitions ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Clearly Omg I can hear you rolling your eyes! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Stop it EdoPorcupine5661 → Go talk to your “not boyfriend” Yes sir! <’ (^.^) ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → What is that supposed to be? I’m saluting you! Duh! ← WildCyt0m3try I’m off to problem solve! ← WildCyt0m3try Laters buddy~ ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Please don’t call me that

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 28

Why are there so many chapters! What is happening!? I hope you guys are at least enjoying them all! 

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse and @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List

Warnings: none?

Happy reading! Hope you’re all well honey bees!

Level 28

With all of your documents now added neatly to the file Ieyasu had provided yesterday, you marched yourself from your lab towards the meeting room outside the BMT offices. Laptop in hand, you quickly set the place up and made sure your connection was excellent; the last thing you wanted was any technical difficulties.

Dr. Tokugawa and Dr. Togo arrived right on time and took seats that faced each other but were still in line with the screen. You started with a greeting that was largely ignored and kept on rolling with the critical information. A vast majority of the info Ieyasu and Mariko needed to know was about the markers being used. If even one of them were potentially affected by the drug study, you’d have to add a tube of additional markers to the assay or revise one of your tubes—neither of which you wanted to do at the moment.

“Very well done (YN),” Dr. Togo complimented, “the marker combinations work out perfectly. I especially like the addition of thirty-eight and one twenty-three to a few of the tubes.”

“I’ll agree, it’s very comprehensive and takes most of the drug studies available into account with your choice in markers.” Ieyasu followed his colleague.

“Ah, for that, you’ll have to thank the hematopathologist team. They picked the markers.” You deferred, making sure to give appropriate credits.

“Either way, that gating strategy is yours, is it not?” Ieyasu quirked an eyebrow as he stared you down.

“It is, I was trying to make the data points easier to differentiate, so I chose gates that pulled the monocyte and myeloid populations apart from each other and the rest of the lymphatic cells.” You answered.

“It’s wonderful.” Mariko smiled at you from her spot across the table. “I’m hoping you had time to read over the drug study information?”

“I did go through it last night.” You nodded, “It’s an interesting paper.”

“We’re hoping to start enrolling patients as soon as possible. How long do you think it will take to get this specific test validated?” Ieyasu pressed.

“That depends. Since we’re currently in the process of validating it, I’ve been running split samples. Could we start off by acquiring samples for me to run? I can cross-check them with the results from other institutions who’s tests are already validated.” You paused, “If we do this with each patient who has an AML diagnosis, I should get enough data for the pathologists to look at by the end of the month.”

“Sounds great, we’ll look forward to hearing from you soon then.” Mariko grinned as she made a motion to stand.

“We’ll meet back up in a month.” Ieyasu nodded in your direction, following his co-worker out of the meeting room.

You guessed that meant it was over? Breathing a sigh of relief, you sent a message to your supervisor before unhooking all your equipment and leaving the meeting room. That hadn’t taken very long, but sometimes that was a good thing. They knew what they wanted and needed, which meant you had unambiguous instructions for once. Excited, you shot off a text message to Yoshimoto and hustled back to the lab to fill Rose in.

→ Got a new work project! → Excited to tell you all about it :) Wonderful news. I look forward to hearing about it. ←

The excitement faded though the more details you gave Rose, you didn’t understand why it was such a big deal that you were working with Dr. Tokugawa. Your not a date, date crasher, as Rose fondly referred to him. Markio Togo was also on the project, and you’d already had more correspondence with her than your current date’s supposed love rival. First, you’d been annoyed, but not the only thing you were worried about was that Yoshimoto would be upset? Why would he, though? Ugh!

Groaning to yourself, you took an angry sip of your water and waited for your date to arrive. This would never have been a problem if you hadn’t talked to Rose, it’s like she enjoyed pulling you out of your comfort zone. YOu were so wrapped up in thought you didn’t even notice when Yoshimoto sat down.

“I thought it was good news?” He tried, leaning towards you cautiously.

“AAHHhhHh!” you yelped, nearly spilling your drink as you apologized frantically to all of the startled dinner patrons throughout the restaurant. “Don’t do that. You scared the crap out of me.”

“I can see that.” Yoshimoto chuckled as he gently folded his hands on the table. “So, news?”

“Oh, right. So, I uh, our lab got picked to run tests for a new treatment drug.” You started.

“That’s fantastic; I assume that’s going to keep you busy at work?” Yoshimoto shared a genuine smile.

“It should. It has been. They want to use the assay I’ve been working on for the past year to look at disease levels in patients.” You explained.

“If it’s good news, why do you look so sour?” Yoshi pressed on.

“Eh, it’s just sort of weird? You spend tons of time developing a test and working on getting it validated, but when people ask to use it, or you get to see it in action doing a cool thing, it makes you feel a weird mix of pride and horror.”

“Oh, do explain.” He cocked his head to the side and listened.

“Clearly I’m smart enough to navigate my way through assay development, but sometimes you just sit there and wonder why they let you do stuff that’s as important as this. Yanno?” You posed the question, not expecting an answer.

“Well, I can assure you I’m more apt to trust something a friend recommends. I’m sure your test is magnificent.” Yoshimoto complimented. “Besides, they wouldn’t have picked it if they didn’t see some practical use for it.”

“That’s true, Dr. Togo and Tokugawa know what they’re doing. You don’t become experts in a field by poking around doing nothing all day.” You sighed, body relaxing a little after the pep talk.

Though the roles seemed to be reversed now, where you had been able to relax, Yoshimoto seemed to have been wound a bit tighter. You cursed that Rose had been right and tried to play it off. If you kept going and tried your hardest not to be awkward, it wouldn’t get awkward. Right? Wrong.

“Dr. Togo? Dr. Tokugawa? Are you going to be working with them closely on this project.” Yoshimoto asked.

“Probably, though, I don’t know why I’d see them any more than I already do, though, maybe for development updates and data review meetings.” You shrugged, sensing the weird atmosphere. “They’re a weird team, but they balance out nicely, where Ieyasu falls short in most social situations Mariko picks up the slack. Meetings are interesting, but productive.”

“Ah, I see.” Yoshimoto was short, but his tone was light as he continued to listen to what you had to say.

“I’ve been tasked with getting the test validated by the end of the month, so as long as I have enough samples, they plan to keep me busy.” You chuckled, rubbing at the back of your neck.

“A shame, I had planned to ask you to several engagements.” Yoshimoto stated.

Was he pouting? It was literally going to be a month, and it’s not like you were going to take up living in your lab while you worked on the project, so why was he acting super weird? Was it just because you had mentioned Ieyasu? Suddenly you were agitated all over again, this wouldn’t have been a problem if Rose had kept her mouth shut and hadn’t told anyone who you’d been crushing on, but you also didn’t understand why it was a big deal in the first place. You’d been going out with Yoshimoto hadn’t you?

“You can still ask me about those engagements, you know.” Your face fell, and your voice showed your agitation.

“I don’t believe it wise to get in the way of your work.” Yoshimoto sensed the change in mood and moved forward, trying to close some of the space.

“It’s not your job to decide what does and doesn’t distract me from doing my work. It’s never been a problem before, why would it be a problem now?” You asked, tone cold.

“Right you are. Shall we order then? I’ll let you know about the events as they come.” Yoshimoto smiled, but you were too over the conversation to return it.

“Whatever.” It was the last thing you remembered saying the rest of the meal.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 27

How’s everyone doing? Does it feel like summer yet? Can anyone else believe that it’s actually June? Cuz I don’t lol Hope you’re all doing well!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List here! :)

Warnings: Medical speak

Happy Reading~

Level 27

Yoshimoto had taken you on a few more dates after your day-trip, and aside from the almost constant teasing from Shingen online and Yukimura at work, you were having a good time. It was still a little awkward, but you were convinced that it was because you were an awkward person; it had nothing to do with the teasing. You were an adult; you could handle being teased by your friends, right?

Either way, work was a welcomed distraction. As of July, your institutions had been ranked second in all of Japan for general pediatric care, and your Hematology/Oncology and bone marrow transplant division were awarded best in the nation. Meaning volumes had increased exponentially, and you were beyond busy.

More patients meant more procedures and more tests, and this past week had been particularly hard. You’d gotten no reading done, and your research for test development had all but been sidelined for at least the past two weeks. With a heavy sigh, you finished your last analysis of the day and made your way into the lab to clean up your bench.

“(YN) can you come here for a minute, please?” Your supervisor, Haru, asked, poking her head around the corner.

“Yea, be right there.” You turned off your aspirator and pulled off your gloves, wondering what it could be this time.

You had been on bone marrow procedures the week before, and with an average of five procedures a day, you wouldn’t be surprised if you had messed up something important. Leaving the lab, you rounded the corner and headed to your boss’s office, surprised to see Ieyasu sitting at her meeting table.

“Shut the door and have a seat and we’ll get started,” Haru stated, and you died a little inside. What exactly had you done?

Doing as you were told, you took the seat directly across from Dr. Tokugawa and waited for someone to start talking.

“I’d like to use your test.” Ieyasu started, pushing a folder in your direction.

“With?” You asked before you could stop yourself, thoughtfully thumbing through the research articles inside.

“Dr. Tokugawa and his team have been doing a great deal of research in relation to AML treatment and are looking for a reliable test for MRD,” Haru spoke. “He came to see what we had.”

“I’m looking to enroll high-risk patients on a drug’s new study arm, the results so far look promising, but the institution has to be capable of running its own MRD.” Ieyasu leaned back in the char and folded his hands together.

“I’ve been working off of split samples for almost a year now; we’re close to validation, though, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” You offered, starting to feel a little giddy.

“What do you need my team and I to do to get this thing validated?” Dr. Tokugawa asked your supervisor, turning his attention to her.

“I can go speak with our head hematopathologist and (YN) can go over the panel with you to make sure the markers are what you need,” Haru explained. “If not, we can add fluorochromes or another tube to be validated with the rest of the assay.”

“Good. (YN), I’ll send you a meeting invitation. Please bring all the relevant material.” Ieyasu smirked and bowed before heading out of the room.

“Oof, you’re going to have fun with this one.” Haru jokes, reaching for her phone to call the Hemepath.

What she didn’t know was that you might have a good time. This was going to be a challenge, a fun nerdy challenge that had you intrigued and excited. Which made sitting at your desk and waiting for the email that much harder, but in twenty minutes, what you assumed was the time it took Ieyasu to walk back to his office and log back onto his computer, the email invitation came through.

Quickly, you accepted it and wandered back into your supervisor's office. “Noon tomorrow, I’m meeting with Dr. Tokugawa and Dr. Togo to go over my data.”

“Sounds good, need someone to go with you?” Haru asked.

“Nope, I’ll be good. If I don’t come back though, assume I’ve been eaten and help yourself to my snacks.” You joked, heading back to your desk to finish up for the day.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

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