Catch-all for October

[spoilsfun]

Characters: Conan Edogawa and Anyone
Date: Throughout October
Location: Anywhere. Just drop a starter if you want a different prompt
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: None Yet


1. Cat Cafe

Even though Conan was staying at the cafe, he didn't spend much time there. There were too many things out in the city holding his attention. Still, he tried to at least stop by the cafe in the mornings. On a good day he could sneak some coffee before anyone remembered that they should be protesting allowing a kid to have that much caffeine.

2. Police Station

There was something terribly familiar about a police station, no matter what world it was in. Now that Conan had talked to some of the people involved, he was more than happy to spend a part of his day following people around the station and learning about all the procedures they had set up. And if someone there happened to be called out to an interesting case?  Well, Conan was rather practiced at the skill of sneaking along until it was too late to send him home.

3. On the Streets

When it came to crime, Conan had terrible luck. Tushanshu had actually been rather peaceful for him to far, barring the dust incident. That streak of luck came to an abrupt end as Conan is nearly bowled over by a kedan rushing out of a nearby shop as a cry of alarm at the theft went up. In a quick motion, Conan jumps on his skateboard and stomps on the turbo button with his heel. With a loud whine of the engine he is off, skillfully navigating around the obstacles on the street as he quickly catches up to the thief.
 

Comments

[highprofilerichkid]

Interesting question. "I'm positive there is, but we may not have the technology here to actually do it. Also, all these different magic systems - you'd need different sensors to pick up residual energy from different kinds of magic. They don't all function the same way. But you might get somewhere talking to the magic users. Some of them must have... spells, or whatever, that react to the presence of other magic. I bed modifiable defensive spells could be used for that. And I bet I could work up some sigils to do it." He's never thought about this before, but now that the question has been posed, it's an exciting problem. "What do you need? What are you looking for?"

[spoilsfun]

"I'm a detective," the boy tells him simply. "My method is based on observation. On being able to walk into a crime scene and know what is out of place and what does not belong. But I'm worried that the fact that magic and these other energies exist here may affect my deductions. I need to know what is and isn't possible, and what evidence is left behind."

Because above all, he worried that not knowing something may end with his coming to a wrong conclusion on a case.

[highprofilerichkid]

"You're a... detective." Isn't that cute?

Still, Tony would have called himself an 'inventor' at that age, and it would have been true - and the kid does sound pretty sharp. So, he's some kind of miniature Sherlock prodigy. Tony sees no reason to question that. (Tony's perspective on the development of human children is rather skewed.)

"Hm." Tony taps a screw against the table - tink tink tink tink tink - and considers the request. "Magical crimes? Well, if it's native magic, there's got to be kedan experts. I actually know a few kedan detectives, I can ask around. If it's Foreigner magic..." Tony grimaces. That's the last thing they need. "We aren't usually all that subtle. You'll probably know it when you see it."

[spoilsfun]

"Do you think you could give me their names? I want to get started on learning this as quickly as I can."

[highprofilerichkid]

"Oh. Well, you're... kinda young." Tony doesn't have a problem with it, but he gets the feeling other people might. "I'm not sure they're all going to be okay working with a, uh— how old are you?"

[spoilsfun]

"I'm seven. But don't worry, I'm used to dealing with people who won't listen to me."

This was Conan's entire life.

"I can always just tell them it's a science project."

[highprofilerichkid]

"I don't think that's going to fly with private investigators." PIs, like bounty hunters, spies, and infectious disease scientists who work in BSL-4 labs, are not known to be huge fans of job shadowing.

"Just let me talk to them. If you want to try some of the Foreigners... Raine, maybe? Her specialty is healing magic, but she's a scientist. She might have some ideas." Probably not, but, hey, when in doubt, send people to Raine. She's got her shit together.

"Or Aya. If anybody's got scanners that can pick up magic, it's her. Her tech is way more advanced than anything in my suit."

[spoilsfun]

Conan smiles and nods, omitting the fact that he shadowed private investigators and police officers every day at home. Most of the time doing their job for them.

"Okay! Let me know when you've talked to them? I've talked to Raine a few times about this. I think I've met Aya too."

[highprofilerichkid]

"Sure, no problem. How'd you get into this, anyway? This is a pretty intense hobby."

For an elementary schooler. Tony doesn't doubt that he's smart, but he's still trying to figure out why he's so invested in detective....ing. Maybe he's like Pepper and he just really likes arresting people.

[spoilsfun]

Conan frowns, thinking up and discarding half a dozen different explanations before finally setting on a reason. He had used it before to explain both how a seven-year-old had become so skilled at detective work and his physical resemblance to his older self.

"One of my distant relatives is a detective. He taught me a lot of things. And the person who takes care of me at home is a detective too."

[highprofilerichkid]

"Oh. That makes sense."

It does not occur to Tony to question this. He doesn't know enough about private investigating - or normal employment in general - to be suspicious of that high familial concentration of detectives.

"I'll see what connections I can dig up for you. Have you talked to anyone on the police force yet? Most of the city's detective work will be going through that, now that it's up and running."

[spoilsfun]

"I'm actually going to be working there. I talked to Valdis, and I think I'm going to be helping out in forensics and with some of the paperwork and policy stuff."

Not that Conan had any intention of limiting himself to that, if an interesting case presented itself. He might have neglected to mention to anyone that the vast majority of his experience had been on homicide cases.

[highprofilerichkid]

"Paperwork?" Tony asks with incredulous amusement. What kind of seven-year-old likes paperwork? What kind of anybody likes paperwork? Tony hates paperwork.

"Sounds like you've got a handle on things. I'll... see what sigils I can come up with and get back to you."

He'll ask China about the sigils is what he'll do, but Conan doesn't need to know that. Tony tries not to point anyone towards China Sorrows if he can help it, and he definitely isn't going to send a kid her way. She'd probably make him her pet or mascot or something. Man, Tony misses Anton.

"Have you run into any of these magical crimes yet, or is this all hypothetical?"

[spoilsfun]

"I think it's mostly to keep me busy." Conan had more than enough experience with that particular dodge. Although back home it had usually involved crayons.

Conan grins brightly at him. "Not yet. I want to be prepared."

[highprofilerichkid]

"Forensics sounds like real work, though," Tony notes optimistically. (Paperwork is real work too, just not the kind Tony would ever, ever do.)

Then he realizes that he probably shouldn't sound cheerful about the prospect of forensics, because forensics only happen when crimes and sometimes murders have been committed. So he amends, "I hope you don't have to do it a lot, but, uh, if you do... good luck?" Have fun, but try not to look like you're having too much?

[spoilsfun]

"It's interesting, but they probably won't let me work on anything complicated."

Conan preferred to work from the crime scene. As useful as forensics could be, it wasn't what truly interested him about detective work.

[highprofilerichkid]

"Yeah, they usually don't. You have to find the complicated stuff on your own and prove you can handle it. Or, you know, just do whatever you want and not worry about what anyone else thinks you can handle."

Definitely the voice of experience. Tony had been lucky to have the absolute and unwavering support of his father, but that didn't mean there hadn't been plenty of other, dumber people wanting to tell him how kids shouldn't be able to do things that he was already doing with ease. He's glad that he's old enough to be past that now, but he remembers it with great clarity and annoyance.