justonetruth | (no subject)

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."

"Are you sure? I'm a detective, I'm rather good at looking for things."

Conan snorted. "I know who you are. I read the papers! I'm not five or anything." He didn't bother denying that he was looking for something -- his posture when Hakuba entered, the slight traces of the seals presence, the contraption set up over the bathtub all spoke volumes to the trained eye.

"It escaped?"

That got Hakuba a very sour look. "Not escaped," Conan said loftily. Escaped would imply that the seal wasn't enjoying himself. "I expect he wandered off. It took me sometime to get the curtain rods down. I don't think seals have a very long attention span. He'll come back."

An attempt at holding back a smile and taking this all very seriously for the sake of this small child.

"I have not yet noticed any seals wandering the halls, but I don't think he would be difficult to find."

Damn -- Hakuba's observation is very true. Conan wavers for a moment between pride and searching for his new friend but eventually, sense wins out. "He won't be."

In fact now that he's looking for them its almost ridiculously easy to see the traces of the seals passage on the carpet and down the hall. Conan fetches the trolley, dragging it behind him so he can observe the trail unimpeded.

Hakuba follows Conan, watching as the boy tracks down the seal. It won't be that hard until they get to the basement, where he spend a good deal of time wandering around. Although, if Edogawa is thinking of somewhere other than the basement when he opens the door that the trail leads to, they won't even get that far.

Conan is in detective mode, intent on keeping a clear mind and letting the facts speak for themselves (he also knows where the basement door is). He abandons the trolley at the top of the stairs, jumping down them two at a time. The trail doesn't give him any trouble until he reaches the point where it weaves back on itself, becoming an indecipherable mess.

This gives the small detective pause. He crouches down, with the expression that means that he is not going anywhere until he's solved this puzzle.

"You're rather good at this." He leans against the wall, watching the smaller detective.

Conan makes an indistinct noise in response. He hasn't heard Hakuba; point of fact he's forgotten the detective is even there. Instead he gives the door nearest him an exploratory sniff.

Hmm.

Onto the next door.

Is he going to check every door here?

There is method to his ... method. Conan confines his investigations to doors within the limits of the traces of the seal in the corridor. Apparently reaching a conclusion he looks back over his shoulder, and gives Hakuba a much friendlier smile as he remembers his presence. "Hakuba-niichan? Can you help me a second?"

"Of course." He walks over and crouches down to the boy's level. "What do you need help with?"

"I need you to stand about here ..." Conan shepherds Hakuba to stand at the farthest extent of the seal's wanderings. "I'm going to check the rooms one by one. Let me know if you see my friend come out." He's clearly counting on the fact that the stairs should discourage the seal from escaping that way.