justonetruth | (no subject)

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[You can smell smoke.

This is not usually a good development, so it's natural that no matter where you are in the mansion, you'd stop what you're doing and look around. Maybe glance towards the open window and catch sight of a plume of grey smoke in the distance. Glancing out of the window, you can see that there is a small -- shed? shack? At this distance it's hard to tell -- building erected on the lawn.

In front of it a small campfire is burning brightly. There's no sign of anyone tending it. Do you invest--

Sorry. Silly question! Forgot who I was talking to a moment there.

Of course you investigate.]

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Sealed off? You mean underground?

Very sure. Many of us have been staying here quite some time. The food is perfectly safe.

Entirely alternate universes. [Conan tries to parse the words. Individually he understands them, but together ...] I don't understand.

[He brightens.] Kuroba-niichan's here too?

[The 'not me' comment gets a curious sideways glance and Conan decides to chance the question.] Are you Gin?

No, the mining is Outside too. I think they have some factories Inside, and they're underground, but most of it is up.

Not the food. Going in there.

[Oh boy. It's a really-a-kid Conan isn't it...] Right...

Think of it like this; imagine yourself in any situation other than yours, and there's probably an alternate universe where you exist in it.

[THAT DOESN'T HELP AT ALL- And... Hohhhh this question. This one, ahhhh.. He rubs the back of his neck.]

...Annnnd that one depends entirely on your definition of the word.

Factories inside of what?

[why would factories be inside? And underground when everything else is Above...]

Oh, of course. You can even choose a room of your own.

But what is an alternative universe? Another universe -- and it's different? How do you know it's real?

[Conan raises an eyebrow.]

You're going to be him?

Nnnn... [AWKWARD.]

How about I explain using that. Because somehow I doubt it's possible in your world. [urk. Alright bit of a cough.]

I'm not going to be 'him'... Because I was him... [At one time. Before all the shit hit the fan and took his sanity with it (or was that insanity, what.)]

In most worlds... This isn't obviously the case. This, [he adds, gesturing over himself] never happened, and never will happen.

It looks like a big white dome. I don't know what it's made out of but it's light and strong, and dynamite doesn't work on it.

[The face Conan makes at the comment indicates he is not exactly enamoured of that idea. He's looking increasingly wary as the mansion draws nearer, but keeps his pace matching Ran's as best he can.]

[Surprisingly, Conan nods. This apparently makes perfect sense.]

If it happened to you, I don't see why not. It happened to me too, you know.

[Ohoooo, some eyebrows at that.] Oh?

...then the 'niisan' business... [waiiiiit a second-!]

The Niisan business?

[Tilting his head curiously.]

Eh...

Just not used to most 'Conan's using niisan with someone who's technically their age when they aren't busy upholding some form of disguise...

[unless he completely misunderstood what you said. oops.]

[Blink.]

I think Kaito-niichan's a lot older than me.

A dome? Whatever for?

[suspects he may change his mind when he sees what the Mansion has to offer, but there's only one way to find out. Opening the big double doors one-handedly with no trouble]

. . .

I missed something somehow. [ALRIGHT LETS START FROM THE TOP.]

...Think you could clear up exactly what's going on in your world..?

Well, that's where they live, of course.

[The sight of the luxurious foyer is momentarily daunting, but Conan relaxes somewhat as he realises that there is no one there. It's reassuring ... but not so reassuring that he's going to stop walking close enough to Ran that he accidently bumps into her occasionally.]

[Clear up your world ... ?] But it's this that doesn't make sense.

[Rubbing his head now.]

Could you explain... What's happening where you're from. It's probably completely different from mine.

They?

[going slow enough for him to catch himself every time he trips into her, heading for the dining room first]

The maize we planted got damaged in the storm, and so we had to replant most of it with potatoes. We're a little worried about having enough to send this week, so we decided to hunt rabbits and squirrels in the woods.

[...Stareeeeee.]

...Okay so you're a farm kid. [OKAY THEN.]

Who are the 'controllers' you mentioned?

[Well, at least the slow pace allows Conan plenty of opportunities to assess the organic nature of the interior of much of the mansion, notice smells and traces that don't fit what he knows of Inside and really notice that the mansion is not as inhabited as it should be.]

Them. They don't really have a name, I don't think. At least not one we can say. Is it always quiet like this?

What are they like?

And no, not always. There doesn't seem to be many people about today. Or they may be on the higher floors.

... all the kids work on farms, Gin. Don't you?

They're the ones in charge of everything. But they can't go Outside. It's bad for them. That's why they need us.

We're not going up there, right? [Reassurance comes before explanation.]

The centaurs are pretty scary. You only see them when something's gone wrong. They're really big, and they've got two really big claws out front -- like pincers. They can go outside if they have special equipment. The nurses are smaller. They're not as scary. They took care of me at first, before I had Kaa-chan.

[Ran's hand gets squeezed again.]

The spiders are the smallest of all and they're everywhere. It doesn't matter if you step on them, more come. [Pause.] I don't see any here and that's weird because no matter where you go Inside, there's something.

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