justonetruth | (no subject)

Conan followed him, frowning. "What do you mean by that?"

"One of the yous said he knows three people who've gone home and come back, and all of them said they didn't remember this place when they were at home." Ran stared broodingly into his gyudon as if it could explain how the mansion worked. "We don't know if it happens to everyone, though."

Conan frowned. This was -- decidedly sinister. "So not only has Hattori been trapped here for months without anyone realising this fact, but potentially once people do get home, they've got no memory of being here?"

Apparently, Conan has magical Hattori-summoning powers, because that's her now, walking through the doors of the dining hall. Food, however, comes before chatting, and she just waves before grabbing a plate.

It is such a relief to see Heiji looking like she should that Conan is prepared to neglect his food a moment to wave back. "Heiji-neechan!"

"Pretty much," Ran said. He broke his chopsticks apart and started to dig into his food. "And they might have gotten to go home because they knew about other worlds already. Except we're not sure about that part either."

He sounded exasperated, and rightfully so. They weren't really sure about anything to do with the mansion.

Food located and claimed, she headed over to the table. A nod at Ran (and what was she going to call him? 'Neechan' didn't work...) before turning her attention to the shortest member of the group.

"Which Kudo are you?"

Ran forgot to mention that the Hattori-san here knew rather than suspected Conan's true identity.

Cue coughing fit as food goes down the wrong way.

Well, it wasn't really that he forgot to mention it so much as he thought it would be... selectively entertaining?

Ran cheerfully thumped Conan on the back to keep him from choking. "Don't worry, she isn't our Hattori," he added helpfully.

"So, he's yer Kudo?"

Oh yeah, entertaining is right. Not often you get that sort of reaction from the detective.

Conan gave Ran and Hattori a baleful look, reaching for a glass of water. "Now you tell me," he grumbled once the possibility of asphyxiation had passed, covering disappointment with complaint. "I am, though if he keeps this up who knows for how much longer."

Ran just grinned, totally unashamed, and tucked into his food. He couldn't wait to see how this conversation was going to go.

"Ya might want ta keep him. He's th' only male neechan here."

"So everyone keeps saying." Conan gave Hattori a more considering, thoughtful look. She looked just like the Heiji he knew, but her casual reference to the strangeness of the place indicated familiarity with it. Could this be some over-the-top revenge for keeping the secret from her so long? If she'd got Ran in on it --

No, Conan decided regretfully. Ran wouldn't go this far for a prank. "You've been here three months? How are you keeping time?"

Damn right he wouldn't. And even if he would, Ran didn't think he could have thought of something like this in a million years.

He grumped slightly at the mention of his being the only boy version of himself (come on, if Hattori got one other version of herself, you'd think he could get one), but otherwise stayed quiet, listening to the detectives talk.

"'ve got a phone, and a paper calendar. I got here th' end 'f October, 'n it's th' end 'f January now. A couple'a days over three months, but not much."

"End of January. That would fit the weather outside," Conan said thoughtfully. "But still places this mansion outside of Tokyo at the very least. Are there any other identifying features?"

"Th' closest thing ta an identifyin' feature's the Christmas tree..."

She trails off, there's something else, but it doesn't make sense, the way rooms seem to move around in this building.

"Christmas Tree," Conan repeats surprised. "In A--" He corrects himself. "January?"

"You have a theory?" It wasn't actually a question.

"It's in the lobby. Or it was yesterday. It had presents underneath of it in December, but I'm pretty sure it's not goin' anywhere. 's growin' from th' floor."

An annoyed noise, poking at her food. "'ve got nothin'. There might be people in charge, controllin' this place, but they haven't show themselves."

"Growing from the floor." Suggesting tree and mansion had been there some time -- but what did that mean?

"As far as I can tell at this early point, the salient points seem to be: One. The method of our arrival. No one seems to remember it happening or intend to come here." Conan paused to allow Ran or Hattori to contest this before continuing. "Two. The discrepancies in time. Three. The location and nature of this place. And four -- which is related to two -- the alternates."

Ran had been listening to the conversation with interest -- this was the first time he'd really gotten to see Shinichi and Heiji talk to each other as detectives with nothing in the way, and he had to admit it was pretty impressive.

"I don't think anybody knows when they're about to leave, either," he chipped in. "I was talking to a psychic version of you and even he couldn't figure it out." And then quickly, before Conan could pounce on that 'psychic', "And I've been outside. If you go far enough everything starts to get really foggy. I had to turn back after a little while because I couldn't see anything."

"One, two, and three, I've got nothin' on. Four... Well, it's kinda hard ta deny the alternates."

A glance at Ran. "Yeah, I went out there. I might have gotten turned around in th' fog, but I walked straight ahead and wound up back at th' front door."

"Nothing?" That was -- alarming. Even more than Ran's alternate dimension theory. Three months and Hattori didn't have a lead--

"I think we can assume that the fog is deliberate -- either the location was chosen because it would be hard to investigate or the fog is engineered to create the same effect," Conan decided. "Nothing else you've noticed--" Conan paused, unsure what name was more approrpiate. "Uh -- Hattori-san?"

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Feel free to go on without Ran for a bit, he doesn't have much to say.

XD What, no input from meitantei Ran?

He's probably hoping for teasing material.

I wouldn't be suprised...

He's probably never seen Conan and Hattori behaving like adults. This must be totally new.

That's pretty much exactly it.

Ah, poor Ran.

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