realityshifted | (no subject)

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[There's a kid on the floor of the kitchen, making himself a sandwich. Nothing unusual about this, especially since it's this kid. Conan's house-trained, after all.

... then again, he is making the sandwich right there, on the floor. Sure, he's making it on a plate, so that's not as bad, but he's left one discarded banana peel behind him, and the lid of the peanut butter container has not been put back on. The kid's concentrating hard as he drizzles honey over his sandwich, but he's got peanut butter on an elbow, and a smudge of honey on his chin.

And he's not wearing glasses. Okay, so maybe this is weird.]

((ooc: age-down experiment for Conan! He's no longer 17 in a 7-year-old body -- he actually is Shinichi, aged 7. Be warned -- he is a brat.))

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[Why the pause? Shinichi waits expectantly, but when it becomes clear that they're not going anywhere, he glances in the direction she's looking -- oh right. The banana peel gets put under the sink and he rinses the worst of the toast crumbs off in the sink before joining Menzies again.]

Now let's go!

Meredith and Jed. I haven't met either of them.

[Shinichi scoffed. That was an elementary conclusion.] Obviously! It's still annoying though.

[she can't help a smile at his...well, compliance is probably the best word. she nods, leading him out of the kitchen]

Yeah? You're not the only one. I don't think anyone's met Jed. He seems the sort to have 'is employees do all the legwork. And Meredith shows up when she wants to, far as I can tell.

[unfortunately, she's having trouble thinking of something to say that wouldn't just encourage him to reveal his identity. then again... she's quiet for a moment as she walks, debating whether this is a monumentally bad idea. it probably is, but since she's fairly sure she's one of the only people on the Plane who knows his real identity, she's determined to try whatever she can to protect it. she just really hopes this is a short experiment] Ever thought about not telling 'em? See what you can find out from 'em while they think you're somebody else?

[not that she's ever done anything crazy like that before, of course...]

That's not fair -- I guess Jed's kind of like Tanaka-sensei then, huh. [Shinichi's thoughtful, digesting all this.] Ne ... what does Meredith look like?

[Blink.]

Why would I do that? I'm not investigating them -- oh, you think they're part of the case too?

[she scoffs] Did you think it would be? [not that she knows who Tanaka-sensei is, of course, but she thinks she gets the idea. her lip curls at his question about Meredith] Oh, she keeps herself all covered by a robe. 'aven't got a clue.

[this idea is starting to sound even worse, but she hopes Shinichi won't get up to too much mischief just because she's made him suspicious of people. it seems the lesser of two evils, at least. she gives a curt nod] They might be. Hard to say--you'll 'ave to use your judgment. [after all, she doesn't want him to feel like he can't turn to the others for help if he needs it. but she supposes at this point she should feel lucky he still trusts her at least...]

... no? [Theorising without having all the facts -- he should know better!] A woman in a robe ... I'll look out for her.

[He nods seriously, listening to Menzies' advice.] I'll do my best!

[she smirks at that] Glad to 'ear it.

C'mon, the bathhouse is over this way. [she gestures as they walk across the Plane]

[Short hold-up -- there is a shoe-lace that needs retying -- no help, he can do it himself, no thank you Detective Inspector Menzies -- but they continue in the direction of the bathhouse without further delay.]

What else is up here?

[she watches him, arms crossed over her chest. unless he looks like he needs help, she isn't planning to offer it, and as soon as he's ready, she continues on ahead. she is trying to be mindful of his pace, though]

What, on the Plane? ["up" seems an odd way of looking at the place, but she figures it's best to let him make sense of the Plane as he can] A bar, theatre, ballroom, library, beach, forest... If you want to see it all, you'll be at it for a while.

Shinichi looks momentarily interested but then collects himself. "The boring kind of ball, right? Maybe we can go to the theatre next. If Mom's here, that's where she'd be."

[she chuckles] Yeah, the boring kind. Unless you like playing dress-up! They've got everything for that. [it's a joke, of course. she wants to see how he reacts]

[her eyes widen when he suggests looking for his mother, though. it takes her a moment to decide how to respond to that]

Well, ah, we could take a look. But so you know, not many people can come to the Plane. She might not be here.

[now she just has to decide what to say about going home before she freaks him out...]

[Shinichi gives Menzies his best sceptical look. He's pretty sure she's teasing, but still!] No thank you.

[He blinks at the news that his mother might not be then cheers up -- it's more fun when it's just him and Dad anyway!] Good! She fusses too much.

[she snorts. what a reaction! especially from a kid. but it does make things easier on her--for the moment, at least] Still want to take a look at the theatre? Or would you rather avoid that for now?

[the bathhouse is coming into view before them]

Um ... [It's a tough decision, and the bath house in front of them takes all Shinichi's attention.] I'll think about it.

[He runs ahead to reach the bathhouse first.]

[she should have known he would do that--then again, maybe she deserves the payback. she shakes her head, chuckling to herself] Hey, kid! What's the rush?

[while she does increase her pace, taking long strides, she isn't going to run after him. he can have his fun and wait for her there]

I want to see inside! Hurry up!

Then go inside! [she shakes her head, amused by his very childlike way of handling the situation. at least she's just about caught up with him in any case]

[Shinichi doesn't need to wait another second. He's in the bathhouse, momentarily daunted by the sheer size of the complex -- it doesn't look like any onsen his parents have ever taken him too -- but it doesn't take him long to find something to interest him. When Menzies reaches the building, she'll find his shoes and no other sign of him.]

[when she enters, she's surprised to find no sign of him. she didn't think he'd be that quick]

Hey, kid! Ah--Shinichi! Where are ya?

[Muffled shout that sounds something like 'outside'. If Menzies follows the voice, the pair of socks she finds strewn on the floor should confirm this is indeed the path Shinichi took.]

[...damn. he hasn't already hit the bath, has he? sighing inwardly, she follows the path toward the outdoor baths. she really didn't have supervising a kid in an onsen on her list of things to do today, but considering the sort of trouble his older self got into when unattended? she's definitely not walking away now]

[Luckily Shinichi has settled for scrambling around on the rocks surrounding the outdoor bath and paddling rather than actually bathing -- he waves cheerfully as he sees Menzies.]

Look! It's snowing over there!

It...what? [she heads over toward him--not that she's planning to get in the bath, mind--and looks where he's pointing, wondering what in the world this place is up to now]

It's not supposed to snow in space. I saw a documentary.

[she snorts but supposes that's a sign that his young mind is already honing its skills at putting evidence together. she decides to push him a little--and hopefully get an idea of where his head is at] No, but it's snowing. This place also grows a forest--not to mention what the kitchen's like. 'ow much did you look around in there, anyway?

Edited 2012-05-20 02:09 (UTC)

A lot! I thought I'd examined it thoroughly but Sherlock Holmes asked me if I was sure it was an ordinary kitchen and I realised it wasn't at all!