justonetruth | (no subject)

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Ran's wandering through the mansion, looking behind and under furniture, curtains and doors as she goes. "Conan! Conan, come out already! Geez ... you know I don't like hide-and-seek ..." She looks up at every slight sound, stepping back to look at the chandelier consideringly. "He wouldn't ... Would he?"

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Before the words fully left Ran's mouth, Aoko was trotting down the hallway toward the nearest staircase. It took her a few minutes to sprint down the staircase and outside to the side of the mansion, and a few more to find the window she was pretty sure belonged to Conan's bathroom. But once she had found it, she situated herself outside and watched it carefully, hands linked behind her back.

After a few minutes, the bathroom window opens a crack. There is a pause and then the window is closed again.

Aoko lifts a hand to her mouth and giggles a bit.

Some time after that, the window opens again and Ran waves, cupping a hand to her mouth as she calls out, "All clear!"

With that encouraging 'all clear,' Aoko waved back and made her way back into the mansion, up the stairs and toward Conan's bedroom.

When she arrived it would be to find Ran making a freshly scrubbed Conan, still pink from his bath, stand still while she brushed his damp hair. "--what if you'd got stuck?" she was saying. "We'd have had to take out a wall to get you out."

"I wouldn't have got stuck."

"How do you know? Have you ever climbed through a vent before?"

"Kid does it."

"You're not Kid," Ran said bluntly. "Ah, Aoko-chan. Sorry about that ..."

Aoko couldn't help but giggle in amusement at the conversation about the vents. "It's alright! I don't mind helping at all."

Her gaze shifted to Conan. "Did you try to climb through the vents?"

"Maybe."

Aoko giggled again. "You're really adventurous, Conan-kun."

"Not the word I'd use," Ran said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

Conan scowled at them. "I'm washed. Can I go now?"

"Where?" Aoko asked, "Are you just going to hide again?"

"And if I am?"

"Let him," Ran said. "He's clean, he can hide if he wants. But after all of that fuss, I think the two of us deserve something nice. Want to see what the kitchen has to offer?"

Aoko gave Conan a suspicious look, but since he seemed to have Ran's permission on hiding, she didn't question him any further.

"Ran-chan said it was okay, so if you want to hide, go ahead." Then, she turned to the girl in question and smiled at her, linking her hands behind her back as she did so. "Okay! I don't think I've eaten dinner yet, anyway!"

"Really? Then how about a hand-made meal as a thank you?" Ran suggested, turning towards the door. "Conan'll tell you I'm a pretty good cook."

Conan was looking distinctly put out. "Don't I get dinner?"

"Thought you were hiding?" Ran shared a secret smile with Aoko. "What sort of food do you like, Aoko-chan?"

Oh so this was the plan. Aoko fell into step easily, her smile unwavering.

"I haven't had yakisoba in a while," she said cheerfully, "I can help you make some, too!"

"Yakisoba, huh? That shouldn't be hard at all. Through in a little cabbage, some bacon, onion -- and if we find some sauce to go with it ..." Ran grinned back at Aoko. They'd have to see if they could convince her to stick around.

Aoko nodded eagerly. "That sounds delicious! Even better than what's served in the dining hall sometimes!"

"Oh, the dining room yakisoba has nothing on mine," Ran said happily. "Right, Conan?"

Surprise, suprise. He'd opted to stay with them after all. "It's not bad," he said. "I suppose I could help you make dinner."

"Are you sure?" Aoko asked with an innocent smile as she bent down to face Conan, "You did want to hide earlier, after all."

"I like to keep my options open," Conan said loftily. "I'm allowed."

That caused Aoko to giggle, but only briefly before she turned back to Ran. "Should we make something else, or do you think that will be enough?"

"For the two of us -- and I suppose Conan-kun too -- that should be enough. Shall we make dessert?"

"Pudding!" Aoko suggested cheerfully, "I haven't had pudding in a while!"

"I like ice-cream!"

"Pudding and ice cream?" She offered helpfully.