Catch-All for Fourth Wall.... And Other Things

[spoilsfun]

Characters: Conan Edogawa and You
Date: Feb 18 to March 11
Location: Various locations
Situation: Fourth Wall
Warnings/Rating: Probably none


1: Not-221B

Conan was putting a lot of effort into avoiding his housemates as much as possible. After the events of the last month, he had very little interest in being cornered into talking about everything that had happened. He'd show up for meals and at night, but for the most part he spent as much time as possible outside of the apartment.

He needed time. Time to figure out how he felt about all the new revelations.

2. Central District
Conan spent a lot of time skateboarding around the district, sometimes stopping to practice soccer or to get something to drink at one of the restaurants. He watched for trouble, as always, but for once things seemed to be quiet. Perhaps it was because of the strangely large number of new arrivals.

3. Library
At the library, Conan happily found a chair and buried himself behind stacks of books. Between the on-going study of the kedan languages and the numerous question he was investigating about this place, he had more than enough to occupy himself for hours.

4. KPD
Even though he was mostly certain that the work he had been assigned at the police department was meant to keep him busy and out of trouble, Conan still made a point of stepping in every day. Sometimes there was something interesting for him to work on. On occasion he stops in to see some of the different officers he was slowly getting acquainted with.

Comments

Central District

[wizard_redfive]

One of those new arrivals has been watching Conan intently from across the street. Dairine recognized the young detective almost immediately as the same one she had met in Paradisa. However, she wasn't sure if he would remember her. After all, memories of the castle often vanished when a person returned home. This left her in quite a pickle. She wanted nothing more than to run over and give him a big bear hug. But if he didn't know her now... Well, for starters it would be an extremely awkward introduction.

Of course, Dairine was pretty sure this would be awkward no matter what she did. At least on her end.

At first Dairine sticks to keeping an eye on him from a distance. She skirts a bit closer once he enters a local restaurant, trying to act as casual as possible. Perhaps by the time he's done she'll be able to think of a good plan. When he exits, Dairine decides it is now or never.

"Hey, excuse me!" she calls out and trots over towards him.

[spoilsfun]

"So you finally decided to come out." He looks distinctly unimpressed. "What do you want with me?"

[wizard_redfive]

Dairine stops in her tracks and looks puzzled for a moment.

"Come out? Wha-?" Until it clicks that he must have noticed her following him. It wasn't like she bothered hiding. Which naturally would looks suspicious to someone who deals with as much crime as Conan.

So much for avoiding awkwardness. And sadly his response doesn't really give her much of a clue whether he recognizes her or not.

"Dude, it's nothing sinister, geez," she mutters, waving her hand to the side. "You're not native to this place, are you? How long have you been here?"

[spoilsfun]

"Do you often stalk the people you want information out of?"

He was so suspicious right now.

Library

[blacksheeps]

Books. Books! B o o k s.

Chappie had the internet, sure, but there was something about a book that made him happy. So when he'd heard that Keeliai had a whole building full of books, he'd jumped for joy. Literally.

But there was a catch. The robot was running his finger along the spines of some of the books, frustrated that he couldn't read them. "'xcuse me," he said to the boy, who was reading quite a few books, "Do you know if they have Black Sheep and Little Bird? I want to read it."

Re: Library

[spoilsfun]

A robot? Looking for what sounded like a children's book? Well, Conan couldn't say it was the oddest thing he'd seen here.

"I don't think I've seen one by that name around." Conan takes a second look at him, taking in the name of the book he was looking for and combined it with his body language."

"Are you looking for the children's books here?"

KPD

[didntfall]

Takagi entered the KPD building with trepidation. He hadn't wandered lost into a police station since he was a small child, but suddenly finding himself in an entirely different town with no way of calling anyone he knew had brought the old standby from childhood back. Stepping inside, he calmed somewhat. This was familiar territory...even if the office itself was unfamiliar.

He stood waiting patiently for someone to assist him, constantly looking around with some worry.

[spoilsfun]

It had been many, many months since Conan had seen anyone he recognized from home. Not since just after arriving on the turtle, in fact.

The last thing he had expected was to see someone from home just standing in the waiting room.

"Takagi-keiji? When did you get here?"

[didntfall]

The familiar voice prompted Takagi to swing his gaze downward in surprise.

"Conan-kun?!" he asked, startled, even as that little bit of cynicism in him snidely remarked that of course Conan would be around here somewhere. Ignoring it, he crouched down, hands on his knees, to be at eye level. "I ended up here about an hour ago. I don't know how though."

And it was that part in particular that was making him feel a little twitchy. In the year he'd been on the force for the Tokyo MPD, he'd been knocked out and kidnapped far too many times for comfort.

"When did you get here?"

[spoilsfun]

"Almost eight months ago," he says promptly. "People here say that time can be a bit complicated, getting here."

1

[redorchid]

This place is dizzying.

She's not sure what she's doing here in the first place. She could swear that she'd gone to sleep in her own bed, that she'd fallen asleep trying to remember theorems for a test the next day. But she's been wandering around what seems to be a market for some time now, dressed in everyday clothes, with absolutely no memory of how she got here.

That man over there - did he have scales? And that woman over there - was that a third eye? Ran tries desperately to back away from the strangeness, but finds it all around her, as though she's been tossed into some kind of Halloween party or set for a science fiction movie. At the sight of a man? woman? slithering across the street without any legs at all, she backs away (half-stumbles backward) into the nearest alley.

Her hands are shaking a little as she fumbles for her cell phone, sliding down into a crouch against the wall. She doesn't know who she'll call, but it feels like she has to call someone. Her arm is already bright red and a little bruised from where she's pinched it, and she hasn't woken up yet.

[spoilsfun]

Conan was more than bored enough to take interest in the slightest incident. Noticing someone vanishing into an alley just ahead, he was just curious enough to hop off his skateboard to investigate. It only takes one glance to recognize the girl crouching against the wall. In his shock, his skateboard falls out of his hands with a clatter.

"Ran? Ran-neechan? When did you get here?"

[redorchid]

Her eyes dart up at the name and the familiar voice.

"C-Conan-kun?"

Is he in this dream-that-may-not-be-a-dream too?

Temporarily the phone is limp her hand. "How--?"

[spoilsfun]

He hurries over to her, leaving his skateboard where it had fallen.

"It's okay, Ran-neechan. I've been here a while, and it isn't as scary as it looks."

Library

[upadly_aniol]

He only came here because it was the most normal place so far. Besides, hopefully he may able to find a map or any information regarding his whereabouts here.

He still can't understand what happened, how he came to be here, and that's infuriating. He can't have been kidnapped, nobody could have kidnapped Mitsunari Ishida without him even noticing it!

If this happened some time ago... he'd want to find out who was to blame for him appearing here, and punish them for it. But that no longer mattered, at least not now. He could always come back here and punish them later, couldn't he? After going back to (to Japan? He had a feeling that right now he wasn't even in Japan, possibly) and dealing with more urgent matters first.

He glances at the boy's pile of books, but if there don't seem to be any maps there, he leaves that at a cursory glance.

Re: Library

[spoilsfun]

"Do you want something?"

Because nothing was more distracting than someone just standing nearby when he was trying to read.

[upadly_aniol]

"Do you have any maps? Not just of this place, that is. I need to know how to leave."

And the sooner the better.

[spoilsfun]

"There are maps here and at the welcome center. But if you're meaning to return home, they won't help you."

3. Because LIBRARY!

[unfavorableinstigation]

Guess who has similar plans, Conan?

"Hey, there," Nita greeted casually, making an eye at some of the books Conan had selected.

"Good to know I'm not the only one here who wants to look up more about the languages of this place. And otherwise."

Unfortunately, some of the books that she'd planned on starting with were ones he had already. Maybe they have multiples?

[spoilsfun]

Conan sets his latest volume to the side and casts a quick observational glance over the new arrival.

"I don't think I've seen you here before. Did you just arrive?"

Although there was some resemblance to the weird girl who'd been following him earlier.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Yup," Nita replied, making a wry face.

"Been making my way around the districts, checking out how the Network works... but never underestimate the power of the library!"

And Conan would be right in that observation.

"I'm Nita; what's your name?"

[spoilsfun]

"Conan Edogawa. I'm a detective." He shrugs. "There's a lot to learn here, but you get used to it before too long."

Library

[secretmakesawoman]

It has been roughly a week since the new visitors started arriving. Vermouth has mostly stuck to the sidelines in this strange new world, not really looking to cause trouble without any benefit to her. At least not yet. Her mood might change on a whim. You could never be too sure with Vermouth.

Without Organization orders or acting work, "Chris Vineyard" devoted her time to hobby of hers: keeping tabs on Shinichi. She had spotted him early on but kept her distance at the time. After purchasing some additional clothing to aid her disguises, Vermouth started observing the detective more regularly, trying to get a better sense for his life here. As a result, she learned that her Angel was also here, giving Vermouth even more reason to avoid detection. The Organization Member didn't mind Shinichi knowing about her, but Ran... Vermouth could not risk putting her Angel in danger.

After a week of this though, she begins to get bored. Bored... and perhaps a little lonely? Who knows. Either way, she finally decides to change things up a bit. Hidden behind a couple rows of bookshelves, Vermouth takes out the cellphone that arrived with her. Deliberately, she begins to type an old familiar tune, the number she knows by heart. Conan is close enough that she's sure he will hear it.

Then she waits.

Re: Library

[spoilsfun]

Conan had been growing progressively more on edge for the last few days. Even if he didn't have any proof of it, some instinct had told him that he was being followed, being observed. Perhaps it was the more obvious simply because no one here had reason to follow him.

When he hears the all too familiar song coming from behind a bookshelf, Conan freezes. That... He could think of very few reasons for someone to be typing that song on their phone, and he didn't like any of them. Blindly, he types a single word on his phone and sends the text.

And then he slips around the row of bookshelves, hiding in the shadows at the end of the row as he tries to sneak a view of the person typing.

[secretmakesawoman]

Vermouth hasn't bothered with a face mask today. As a matter of fact, her disguise is rather casual. Instead of a wig she has her own hair putted back into a braid. Her outfit is simple but layered, with a sweater, shirt, mid-length skirt, and tights. Only the shirt and a purse she's carrying are black. The other clothes are soft, pastel colors. She also is wearing glasses.

However, to anyone with enough knowledge and a good eye, her identity is unmistakable. It's almost like Vermouth wants to be found.

Certainly, she hasn't bothered putting her phone away, even though it is useless to her here. The lady taps the keys absentmindedly, waiting.