justonetruth | (no subject)

Unfold is not the right word, as Conan manages to unsettle another avalanche of boxes upon himself. This keeps him happily occupied, however, and he eventually manages to free the trolley through the careful application of a lever. He's very proud of himself as he wheels his prize free again.

Why is the seal babysitting?

Hakuba wanders over to the trolley and studies it for a moment before nudging at it with his nose.

Because this Conan clearly needs supervision of some sort.

"Get on if you want," Conan offered. "I'll push." He doesn't expect the seal to understand this instruction so he pats the trolley helpfully. "Up!" he explains.

And up, blinking at the boy.

Conan carefully puts the remains of the fish on the trolley too, before getting around the back and pushing. Luckily the cart has been oiled recently, because the seal is heavier than he anticipated, and it takes all his strength to get it moving. Once they're underway, however, piloting the trolley across the floor is no trouble. "We're going on a tour!"

This could be informative. And amusing. He grins.

The lack of lifts ensure that this is going to be a tour of the first floor only, but even then there is still a lot to see. "This is the lobby. Aoko-neechan and I flew paper planes here. You get the best distance if you throw your plane from the top of the stairs. That's the infirmary. I don't like it so much. Do seals even need infirmaries? I suppose that unless a vet shows up you'd have to go there to. Next is the kitchen!"

They paused in the kitchen, Conan needing to get a snack.

Hakuba doesn't get off the trolley. It was bothersome enough getting on in the first place. He just watched Conan's actions.

Hakuba has made the smart choice. Leaving a trail of crumbs and mess in his wake, its not long before Conan is back at the wheel of the trolley. "This is the dining room. Isn't it huge? There's food up on that table though you can't see it -- you can probably smell it though."

A sigh. Yes, he can smell the food and he's sure it tastes very nice. Perhaps they could continue the tour now.

Hakuba's in luck: Conan only pauses to help himself to a small cake and then they're off again. "Those three are the only rooms that are always the same. Also, the kitchen and the dining room don't appear anywhere else. Other rooms don't follow any rules but those ones do ... you do find infirmaries in other places sometimes. Not that I went looking for one. I was just seeing what happened if I opened doors without thinking too hard about it." Ahead of them is the smell of chlorine common to all indoor pools.

He snorts derisively at the chemical smell. Selkie don't much care for chlorine.

Conan pauses. There is no mistaking the tone of that snort. "No swimming pool then? I wonder -- I know! I'll find you a bath."

What? Fine. A bath. Maybe they would run into something or someone interesting enough to distract the child on the way.

The return journey is a lot slower, mostly because Conan stops and opens every door they pass hopefully. "Another study? Usually I like them -- you can find good things in studies -- but when I want a bath ..." Conan pushes the trolley further down the corridor, past a staircase going downstairs. "That's the dressing rooms. All the people here have one with their name on it and which one of them they are. There is really neat stuff in those rooms! That's where I got these clothes."

Downstairs. As a seal. Brilliant.

But it would be worth it to see how many people were here, and what sorts of variations there were.

Or as an escape from the bathroom Conan has just discovered. "About time! I was beginning to think it might have to be the onsen." The trolley was wheeled all the way up to the bath before Conan realised he had a new problem. He climbed up onto the side of the bath and patted it hopefully. "Up?"

He draws the line at hopping.

Conan was afraid of this. He hops back down, climbing on the trolley to attempt to give the seal a helpful boost. Being an intelligent kid, it doesn't take him long to discover that seal's weight is well beyond what a seven year old can handle single-handedly. He settles down to think.

Oh the indignity of being manhandled by a tiny child. While Conan thinks, the seal is going to be quietly making his way towards the door.

Half an hour later, Conan has a working seal lift rigged over the bathroom. Extremely pleased with himself he turns around to inform his companion that it is ready for the initial testing.

Small problem.

Seal is gone. In that half-hour he managed to get out the room, successfully navigate the stairs to the basement, find his dressing room, transform and get dressed, and return to the upper levels of the mansion.

Have a Hakuba Saguru poking his head in the door as he 'explores' the mansion.

"Edogawa-kun?"

[Conan is checking possible hiding places for the seal. As Hakuba greets him, he looks up, clearly non-plussed.]

Hello.

"Do you need help with something?"

You do not get to be seven years old, without knowing that a seal is exactly the sort of thing anyone older than you will try and take away from you.

"I'm fine."