Kaito- whose puzzle is really all that's needed to give this particular Kaito away- is currently standing in the middle of a large hallway somewhere in the middle of the mansion with a list in his hands. It's noted that this particular hall is nicely decorated up like a typical department store/mall would be around now.

Which means lots of tinsel, lots of trees, lots of santas...

And it would appear this is OK, not Kaito, given the look on his face. "Tch... How mean, making me do all the Christmas shopping..." The frown he has deepens. "Where am I even supposed to put all this stuff until the 24th..!?"

[Anybody who wanders into the lobby today is in for a treat! There's a brand new statue off to one side; it looks like a masterpiece, a real work of art. The proportions, the details... from clothes to facial expression, it's all perfectly rendered, almost lifelike.

But what does it depict? Why, Aoko, of course. The statue is set in a crouching, frozen in the act of clawing at her hands, and she's wearing an expression much like this one.]

The new arrival this time around isn't all that obvious.  It's likely you won't even see him, going about your business.  But if you're going through the lobby, you'll likely hear him if it's quiet enough and you listen.

Somewhere, a young child is crying.

[OOC: More information on the kid's world on his profile.  Anything else, don't hesitate to ask!]

There's the black suited Kazuha again. Though it might be you hear here before you see her. Not that she's shouting this time. No, it's more the ragged breathing and the stumbling down the hall, mostly moving along with a hand against the wall. Sometimes gripping the light fixtures and turning to press her forehead against the wall and letting out a long, low keening sound, like a whine really. Her free arm is pressed against her stomach, looking almost in pain.

Though the most worrying fact is the large amount of blood on her face. Mostly it's on her face and slight smatterings on her neck and along the top of her shirt. It also seems her suit is oddly singed.

The weather forecast for the Lobby today is fair with a chance of flying Hakubas- wait... what?

Right now, if you're in the general vicinity, you'll notice one flying straight through the doors.  He didn't seem to be there before, but there he is, mottled brown wings spread wide to attack something that had been there.  Now, however, the balcony is where his target once was - which is a rather large cause for alarm, making him backpedal and crash land.

Possibly onto whoever came to watch the show.

[OOC: This Hakuba is from the same AU as yami_no_kaitou .  Except from an earlier canon point.]

If you're of a type to look in the more unusual corners of the Mansion — namely down the far hallways or up to the ceiling — you may get a bit of entertainment today thanks to a pair of certain residents.


Those venturing down the long hallways on the higher floors might come across a simple wooden door, behind which seems be an assortment of sounds originating from a gym: squeaking shoes, clanging metal, and confident, uneven footsteps and harsh breathing from a single person.

Inside is a wooden floor and an assortment of blue landing mats, true, but it's not quite a gym. Few gyms have such a wide and varied (and tall) assortment of artificial rock faces. They tower up to the distant ceiling, marked only by infrequent hand- and footholds. Any potential grappling targets are high on the cement walls, on smooth areas without rock and far out of conventional reach. The center of the room is staggered with free-standing rock columns (many with their tops cut off at sharp angles, as if sheared by the downward force of a giant knife) and an assortment of grid metal poles that are climbable but precariously narrow. Various metal bars hang from the ceiling, occasionally providing the only possible path between the top of one structure and another.

One Shinichi Kudo of a middling twenty-something years of age is currently swinging from one of those bars, dressed in a thin long-sleeved shirt and simple black pants, and evidently not harnessed to a single thing. This doesn't seem to bother him much, as he gathers momentum in a final swing and then throws himself forward above and over a thirty foot drop to land lightly on one of the narrow poles. He wobbles a moment, his arms thrown out for balance, then quickly steadies and aims for his next landing target.



For those more inclined to greater heights, the Mansion's lobby is the place to be — or more specifically, the empty air above it, stretching upwards forever as the building's infinite staircases spiral up around the edges. Many, many, many many many many stories above the ground, a thick cord of webbing is anchored securely between one side of the grand stairwell and the other, forming a narrow tightrope path maybe 8-10 meters across.

Standing calmly on this cord, arms out for balance and already several meters away from safety, an Aoko Nakamori is steadily making her way across. She seems about as old as the Kudo from the gym, dressed in sneakers, capris, and a padded black vest over a blue tank top. She does have a harness, but it's a simple affair and not immediately noticeable: just a strong cord and a couple of carabiners, tethered to the main line at one end and Aoko's waist at the other. Even as you watch she slips, quickly catching herself by folding a leg over the rope and 'sitting' on it, and grumbling swears while she waits for it to stop swaying up and down.



((Tagging with both raider!Aoko and raider!Shinichi, simply state your preference by specifying the setting. The "gym" is rather reminiscent of one belonging to a certain Lara Croft, though it's a bit grander and not an exact match. Others may recognize Aoko's activity as highlining/slacklining.))

If anyone's down in the kitchen tonight... some time around midnight... they might be in with a bit of a surprise.

There's a figure rooting around in the fridge.  One not dressed in black, but with white hair, in a light green turtleneck sweater and light jeans.  Certain things are being pulled out, and put to one side.

He's also got the air of someone who hopes he isn't going to get caught.

...

Catch him?

Why is there a group of strange brightly coloured animals standing in front of a section of the second floor?

Scratch that, why is there ANYTHING standing in front of a section of the second floor? Which happens to be roped off with police tape.

Also why is there no Ayumi to keep a handle on these things if someone decides to investigate them..?

((OOC - Cards outside include fox (pictured above) along with pheasant, lemur, and king cobra. :D Ayumi might appear depending on what you do though. -u-))

[It seems that there is another 'Kaito' in the mansion today, with an interesting accessory around his neck. As far as Kaito's go though, nothing seems to be out of place... He's obviously happy (always happy, it's Kaito.), and he's just sitting down to eat in the cafeteria right now, and-]

"Heh. Itadakimasu!"

[...Hold on now.

Something isn't right here.]

-nomnomnom-

[Hold on..!

THAT'S FISH-!]

[OOC - 'OK' or 'the other Kaito' is a little more cheery/'human' as a necessity in his world; since acting like the initial puzzle spirit (IE - SOCIOPATH) would very quickly make Yugi avoid him. Moreover, Hakuba and a number of Kaito's classmates figured out that there were 'two Kaito's fairly quickly, so it's a lot more accepted for them to switch around as opposed to Kaito constantly calling the shots.]

[while Hattori is dealing with her accidental handcuff target, Ran-kun is prowling the halls looking for her intended handcuff target, hands in his jean pockets as he peers in the rooms on the first floor.

He still hasn't wrangled all the details of what was going on during the soup incident out of his best friend, and he is dead set on getting them, even if it means searching the whole Mansion for him.

He also is still blissfully ignorant of recent developments. This probably won't last long]

Yeesh, where is he?