Catch-all for August

[spoilsfun]

Characters:  Conan Edogawa and Anyone
Date: August
Location: Anywhere
Situation: Catch-All
Warnings/Rating: None


1 Early August.
After the mess and confusion of the last few weeks, Conan had put a lot of effort into disappearing. He hadn't met a lot of people in the short time he had been transformed to his true age. But he had met enough. It was safer if he didn't run into anyone until memory had had time to fade somewhat.

And he needed time for himself. For a few hours, barely a moment in time, he had hoped that the apotoxin had worn off. That this time he would be able to stay.

But he had returned to his child's body just as abruptly as he had returned to his real age. And he still didn't understand why. He needed time to think everything over.

So he stays in the apartment over the cat cafe, and he wanders around the outskirts town, trying to make a point of avoiding anyone he recognized.


2. Late August

After a few weeks, Conan starts to appear in public more often. With no responsibilities here, he finds himself spending much of his time exploring. He wanders around the city, and familiarizes himself with the major locations. The welcome center, the police station, the library, the college... 

Conan visits them all, and many more besides. 

If he was going to be stuck here for a while, then he needed to know as much as he could about this place. He needed to know the city just as well as he knew Beika. and this was the time to do it, before anyone truly realized that he was a kid alone in this place with no true supervision. 

Comments

[purrns]

"They're purple and black when they infect someone, but when Ladybug - that's one of our heroes, she cleanses them, and they turn white and flutter away."

Why HADN'T they tracked them? That's a really good question.

"I don't think anyone has. Unless the heroes have? You'd have to ask them about that."

That gives him enough time to think of a suitable excuse.

[spoilsfun]

"Do you know why they change? Has anyone filmed them and analyzed the change? What about a chemical analysis?"

Conan frowns in thought over the problem.

"Heroes? More than just this Ladybug? Are they here?"

[purrns]

"Alya has. She's a friend of mine and a big Ladybug fan. She films everything. I don't think it's chemical, though, they get trapped inside a yo-yo then come out white."

Technically, he's not shifting away from the truth here. His just omitting the very obviously magical powers of the yo-yo, because that's not something he'd really know as Adrien.

"Hmm. She has a partner called Chat Noir. Both of them are here."

[spoilsfun]

"What kind of film? Has she tried high speed and filters for different parts of the spectrum?"

He frowns. Why a yo-yo?

"Does anyone else besides the two of them know anything about this yo-yo?"

[purrns]

"Um...I really don't know, I'm afraid. She uses her phone?"

BECAUSE, CONAN, BECAUSE.

"Maybe the guy causing all the trouble? But they're the only ones who'd know how it works. Ladybug is probably your best person to ask there, seen as it's hers."

[spoilsfun]

"Probably not much for any decent analysis, then."

SILENTLY JUDGING EVERYONE INVOLVED.

"How much does she know about it?"

[purrns]

"I guess not?"

If it was, she'd probably have figured out who Ladybug was by now.

"I'm honestly not sure, I don't know her all that well."

Which was true. It was something he planned on fixing very soon.

[spoilsfun]

"How do you know her then?"

[purrns]

"She rescued me a couple of times," he smiles, it's STILL TRUE. "Plus, it's hard to miss her, she's a prominent superhero."

[spoilsfun]

"Superheroes are fictional."

[purrns]

Wow, excuse YOU, Conan. Adrien looks straight up insulted for half a second, before the passive, polite smile is back.

"I've seen them with my own eyes. They're real where I come from."

[spoilsfun]

"Are you sure they weren't actors?"

[purrns]

"...No. They're not. They've literally saved Paris about a hundred times. There's no way you can act out something like that."

Dude, he's nearly died like twenty times can you not?!!

[spoilsfun]

"How can you be sure? They could just be tricking everyone."

[purrns]

"You mean besides the fact they're actively saving peoples lives? Right in front of our faces?"

There's a little terseness coming through on his otherwise pleasant tone.

"They're not tricking anyone, they're trying to keep everyone safe."

[spoilsfun]

"That's a very old trick. Because lots of people think that the hero of an incident is above suspicion. So sometimes criminals set up crimes to make it look like they were the heroes that came to stop it."

Conan had seen that trick over and over, in many different variations. The arsonist who came to put the fire out, the murderer who called the ambulance and tried to use detectives and police officers as alibis, the thief who claimed to be a bystander injured in a fight with the culprit...

[purrns]

Adrien stares at him for a moment like his head has dropped off. There's the urge to really blow off at him, but Adrien keeps it together. This, at least, he is an expert in. Deep breath. In. Out. Don't give yourself away.

"They absolutely didn't do that. I've MET one of them, talked to her. They just want to keep the city safe from the person actually corrupting people and turning them into axtual dangerous beings."

[spoilsfun]

"Just something to keep in mind. You shouldn't trust people that easily, you know."

[purrns]

"Not these guys. Especially not Ladybug. She's earned my trust."

He'd literally jump through fire for her. Without even half a second of thought. Which is...very likely something Conan would warn against but there you go.

[spoilsfun]

"How did she do that?"

Conan may be cynical and suspicious about everyone's motivations, but he really had no room to talk when it came to jumping through fire for your live interest.

[purrns]

"She saved my life, my best friend's life...all my friends' lives actually. And my father's."

Plus he's her partner and knows exactly what her motivations are...which he can't just speak about openly. Too bad.

"She really does just want us all to be safe. I've got no reason not to trust her."

[spoilsfun]

"Isn't it dangerous to put that much trust in someone?"

[purrns]

"...I think you're kind of missing the point of trust."

[spoilsfun]

"What point is that?"

[purrns]

"That you know that they'll keep you safe no matter what. It's about knowing that it won't be dangerous, because they'll never take advantage of you."

[spoilsfun]

"There aren't many people out there that are safe to trust like that."

[purrns]

"I agree," for the most part. Adrien, by his nature, is pretty trusting, but even he knows you have to exercise caution. "But that doesn't mean no one is."