voidtreckerexpress | Be More Chill [Open]

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Be More Chill [Open]

Who: 'Sharon' and you?
Where: Luggage, Sleeper Six, and the rest of the Train
When: Kazoo, Day 18
What: Vermouth has returned to find her two most important people missing. She has questions.
Warnings: Intimidation and possible threats. Will update if necessary.

Waking Beauty (Luggage)

It's quite early morning when Vermouth awakens, and she immediately gets the sense that something is wrong with her surroundings. Lunging upward, the Organization member ends up bursting out of a trunk with surprising speed. If anyone happened to be in the luggage car at such an ungodly hour, they might catch a brief flicker of panic and confusion on Sharon's face. How did she get here? She has no recollection of it... or anything after seeing the message about their next mission.

The panic is quickly replaced with a cold frown as she begins to orient herself. She knows this room, having used it for smoking a few times. Moving over to the nearest ICP, her frown deepens as she reads the date. So there have been multiple days since she was last conscience... Concerning.

Instinctively, she reaches to were she usually keeps her pack of cigarettes, only to realize they weren't there.

"Ah, a shame," she muses. "I could have saved myself a trip."

Golden Treasures (Sleeper Six)

One benefit to the long stroll back to her Sleeper cabin is getting a chance to snoop on all her favorite people. It's not long before she notices that Shinichi's nameplate is now in gold. She frowns, knowing what she's heard but trusting little of it. At her own Sleeper carriage she sees that Ran's name is the same. Staring at the letters, her expression deepens briefly into a scowl.

That doesn't bode well.

Spying can Only Get so Far (Up to You)

While Vermouth habitually spends some time a day keeping an eye on her two favorite people, she is generally pretty subtle about it, keeping to a distance in order to not attract attention. She has not gained a reputation amongst the world of espionage for nothing. However, this is not usual circumstances. After lurking around their usual haunts, staking their Sleeper doors for hours, and scouring the train more than once, she still has not caught sight of either one of them. What's more, she can't really keep this up without arousing significant suspicion.

Well, in that case, might as well go for a more direct approach.

And so that evening, she hunts down people that she's seen talking with Ran and Conan. Maybe friends, maybe allies, maybe just teammates. While she approaches casually enough, anyone with enough sense can probably notice how tense the room feels around her.

"Good evening." How does Sharon make friendly sound so cold? "Could I interrupt for a moment?"

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[Masumi is just on her way back to the armoury to drop off her sword when she’s stopped by Vermouth, and while she does stop to talk, it’s clear that she’s not happy about it.

At least she’s not fighting her this time?]

I see you’re back. What do you want?

[Yes, hello, Sera. She is back indeed. Not that Vermouth remembers being gone, but she isn't about to mention that. She looks rather chill for suddenly showing up, responding smoothly.]

So I am.

[Vermouth's eyes do linger on the sword for a short moment. So that's the new fighting style Sera had chosen.]

[However, the weapon doesn't deter Vermouth from her questioning.]

That girl who walked in before... Mouri Ran. When have you last seen her?

[If Vermouth knows anything about sword handling, it'll at least be clear that Masumi is keeping the sword pointed at the ground at all times, a sign that she's at least keeping safety in mind. Still, she's on her guard, wanting to know what Vermouth wants with Ran before she gives any sort of answer.

After all, she doesn't trust Vermouth, not at all, and she's hesitant to just tell her what she wants to know.]

Why do you want to know about her?

[She knows some sword handling, more from her acting experience than the Organization's rigorous combat training. The intelligence gathering members were expected to operate more covertly than sword fights.]

That's not really your business. [She says coldly, before giving a sly smile.] Let's just say I have a vested interest in her whereabouts.

Edited (Phone tags are hard) 2021-04-14 20:38 (UTC)

[Personally, Masumi thinks it is her business, but she's trying to not antagonize Vermouth too much, so she'll let it go for now.]

Well, I don't know where she is. [It's true, she doesn't know where people go when they vanish. She's just not giving much detail beyond what Vermouth might be able to figure out on her own.]

All I know is that her name went gold, but she didn't leave at the last platform stop. Nothing else.

[Vermouth narrows her eyes. Sera could be hiding something... Not that she thinks Sera would be responsible for the disappearance, but trust is thin between them.]

Do you know when it happened?

Edited 2021-04-15 14:50 (UTC)

[Masumi really wants to know why Vermouth needs to know this, but how likely is it that she’ll tell her?

She’ll try anyways, since trying to ask why Vermouth needs this info could get something.]

...It was after the last mission, I think. Why are you asking this?

[And behind her blatant mistrust, there’s worry. Masumi would like to know where her friend is too, but can do nothing until she comes back.]

I see. How was the mission this time?

[That timing was admittedly concerning, given what happened to Ran during a previous mission. But there are bigger threats for Vermouth to worry about.]

[Her eyes flash dangerously at the question. Sera is pushing somewhere best left untouched.]

Like you said, I just got back. I like to keep on top of things.

[It's only a half answer, obviously, but it's also an out for Sera, an opportunity extended like an olive branch. Don't dig too deep into this.]

[Her whole family has a habit of pushing things that they maybe shouldn't, do you really expect Masumi to be any different?

But she recognizes that Vermouth isn't going to say anything, so she grudgingly drops it.]

...I see. The mission was a mess, with demons threatening the a human city, but we succeeded.

[Vermouth could at least hope that Sera would know how that tended to end. She has plenty of examples to go by.]

[The threatening look disappears as they move past the topic. Good girl, Sera.]

Oh, were there many injured again?

[Did Conan and Ran get out unscathed?]

Yes, people were injured again. I wasn't involved in the fighting since I went with Orange to investigate the towers, and I'm pretty sure Ran wasn't involved in the fighting either.

[Masumi's still on her guard, only giving basic answers to Vermouth's questions as she pointedly stares her down.

Or, you know, glares up at her, Masumi's aware of her position here.]

Is that so? ['Sharon' is rather chill about this information. Vermouth could probably do a better job pretending to care for her fellow passengers. But Sera clearly knows something, so her true nature slips out. Just a little.]

I suppose Conan also went along with the investigation, yes?

[It's barely a question. If there was any mystery to solve, of course Shinichi would be drawn to it.]

"Sure." There's zero outward sign that Eva's noticed the coldness or even how tense the area around her berry plants is. No pause, no nothing. It's as if Eva's oblivious, or choosing to ignore it.

Or is simply used to dealing with situations like this, which given Eva's world and what she's shared of it, is true.

If anything, there's a blink then an offered grin as the woman stands. "What's up?"

Vermouth is at least still smiling... even if it does have a dangerous edge.

"As team lead, would you happen to keep tabs on other Orange team members?" she starts pleasantly enough. It would be good to know, both to track down Conan and determine if Eva noticed her own disappearance.

Again, it's as if Eva's ignoring it... or has dealt with far worse than a dangerous woman. Though, given everything Eva's implied or stated in general about her world, it's likely not far from the truth.

She nods with a hum then shrugs. "Given I saw you skulking around Conan-kun's cabin, I can assume who you're looking for?" More so given the lead of 'team lead'. "I check the roster every day, so gold means we go to the conductor for, presumably, teether fix-it stuff, which is what enables us to travel the void safely, and before you ask, no, we don't remember what happens there."

And Eva looks honestly upset at that, yet her next words are heartfelt. "Until I see him walk through that barrier, I believe Conan-kun is on the train."

Ah. Vermouth supposes she could have been a bit more subtle.

She frowns for a split second, then shrugs with a (at least outwardly) relaxed smile.

"You assume correctly," she acknowledges, having been directly called out. "I just got back myself... I suppose, from the conductor." Vermouth doesn't really believe that's all this is, but she'll go along with the explanation for now. Better than making her suspicions public. "I didn't see Conan around, and considering the mission was just about to start when I left, I was concerned."

Is it a cover for her snooping? The truth? (A little of both?)

"The rude conductor that returns us like luggage," Eva agrees with a twist of her mouth that suggests she doesn't think much of the conductor. "Well, assuming there is one, and it's not the train itself doing this."

Which she'd... like to think it's not, but that's neither here nor there right now, and so Eva moved on. "I don't blame you though; I'd have done the same. As far as I know, he was on the mission, but I got arrogant, sure that my experience with mind-stuff would protect me. I... Ah - succumbed to the illusions used on the people we'd come to save."

The end of that is sheepish and embarrassed. "At least this wasn't home."

"You think the conductor is just a cover story?" she asks, curious. Vermouth wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, though she does not suspect the train to be the culprit.

Sharon puts on a good worried expression, looking sympathetic to Eva's embarrassment. "These missions do have a way of pushing past our limits. Was this near the end of our tasks?" So far no one had gone into detail about the illusions.

"Are illusions common in your homeland?"

"It could be- but... we don't know enough to say for sure if it is or isn't," Eva says honestly.

"No... near the start for me. I thought everything was fine, that- that I lived there and we'd won the war." Again, she's sheepish - and more than eager to get off the topic of her embarrassment and onto something else. "Yeah, more or less. You know how we've got some psychics with us? We've got them back home too."

"Ah..." If they were closer to the luggage car (or she wanted to give Eva more of a hard time), Vermouth would be pulling out her cigarettes right now. At least she seems to have calmed down to her usual smooth-talking self? "Give it time. If these trips happens this often, we're bound to pick up a lead eventually."

She trusts Cool Guy's skills.

"...I see." This again. Vermouth was far more willing to believe that her fellow passengers were brainwashed than in the existence of actual psychics. The skepticism seeps into her words."Yes, I think I've run into one. He did mention seeing 'sneak peeks' while he was rambling."

Which, full offense Jou, not the best way to word it.

Aha.

Oh. Oh how does she do that. Oh.

Last time they met went well, at least he figured. He knows almost nothing about the woman of course, but now he has...slightly more idea? Slightly.

It's all very slight and mostly he just knows that for some reason, someone is scared witless of her, and if so required, he has to put a dragon between the two.

Shouldn't be hard. Maybe.

"Er...." Mmmmmm. Still. This is a crap time to be caught leaving the shower area in pj pants and...his sweater?? Seriously??

Well whatever. "...Sure?"

She has a great deal of experience.

On Vermouth's end, their last meeting had been informative but concerning. Anyone knowing more than they should would usually put them on dangerous ground with her. However, she is no Gin, so rather than shooting on suspicion more observation was her plan for the time being.

...Plus there is that promise she made Ran.

"You said before you knew the Kid Killer, Conan Edogawa. Have you seen him recently?"

"Not since th' mission, but 's name's gone gold, so-" Oh wait.

"...I don' s'ppose anyone explained much abou' what it means when a name goes gold did they? He didn' leave th' train so he oughta be back in a week 'r so, but if it's in gold? They ain't on th' train."

Well at least he's honest. "'s pokemon's kinda anxious about it, had t' hunt down someone close 'nough t' th' guy that they could calm 'm down act'lly."

...though, while he's at it, wow, "...y'know 'kid killer' really sounds bad when we don' know tha' 'KID' guy, righ'?"

Vermouth narrows her eyes, the effect being a little like sharpening a dagger in front of him.

She has in fact hear what little was said about golden names, but Vermouth didn't believe much of it. Besides, acting like she knew less provided an opportunity to see if he had intel that would contradict other explanations.

"Let's start from the top," she says sweetly, her tone still somehow managing to chill the room. "What happened on the mission? Where is he if not on the train? And what Pokemon?"

So she might have heard a little about the strange creatures, but again, acting uninformed was a good gambit.

"... Very well. We'll stick to Conan, then."

On the one hand, this woman? Terrifying!

On the other, having faced down a god, a serial murderer, and a soul stealing maniac (not necessarily in that order), he can't help but just feel...really tired, somehow. Boy he hopes he doesn't have to deal with what he thinks he might, but aaaaaaaagggghhh- Please, please don't murder him miss, he would like that to very much not happen.

"Mission was hell, pr'tty sure those two stuck t' the tower squad so maybe less hell f'r them, I don't know where it ain't like he left th' platform, I jus' know tha' this happened t' a few people once an' they all woke up in luggage after two weeks."

And. Ah right Conan's had to hatch it would've taken...a bit. "Oh. Yeah I got 'm a pokemon, figured it'd help keep 'm safe...they're still around, an' wonderin' pr'tty much th' same thing anyone else who hasn't seen th's b'fore."

A pause, and- "Thanks, way easier. Gotta say, somehow didn' 'xpect y' to be th' one grillin' people on th's though?" he adds with a frown.

She makes no promises. :)

Joking aside, his odds are decent. Despite her cold anger at waking to find her special people missing, Vermouth knows indiscriminate killing would not bring them back, even in the worst cases. And given his bumbling demeanor, she highly doubts Jonouchi could hide if he was involved in their disappearance.

"What happened?" she asks, mainly out of curiosity. It could lead to some clues to what happened with Conan and Ran, but she's not usual one to connect those clues to their final conclusion. Still, more information is better. Then something he said clicks, and her smile thins dangerously. "'Those two?'"

Vermouth was only asking him about Conan. How did he guess there were two people on her mind? Suspicious.

"I see, though I notice it hasn't stopped this from happening," she remarks pointedly. Then, to keep up the clueless act: "What is a Pokemon?"

Vermouth frowns in return. "What? A child from my team disappears, and you don't expect people to look into it?"

Yeah, that's all it is. Sure.

"Kinda bold 'f y' t' say th's is th' first it's happened," is the muttered response, but anyway. "Y' saw K'seri when we met th' first time righ'? Tha's 'a' pokemon. They were th' animals from th' world I fell int' b'fore showin' up on th' platform. Kinda cartoony, real powerful, def'nitely strong 'nough t' keep someone safe after a point."

Anyway. "Yeah, those two- got a hunch but Ran's name's gold too y'know." Seer nonsense aside, Haibara wasn't exactly thrilled when both of them were gone, so he's willing to hedge his bets that both are relevant here. "They were around f'r th' mission far 's I could see, an' they were around after. Wasn' until real recent tha' th' roster bit happened."

A pause, and he shrugs. "Other th'n tha', you didn' really believe it las' time I said shit abou' gettin' heads up on stuff th' weird magic way, so I ain't really sure what t' tell y' there."

"Ahh, the cotton candy pony?" Yes, that is how she remembered them. Sharon looks disinterested, but she's actually listening closely to what he says about Pokemon. "Is that so? They didn't look strong, but you would know them better than myself. What makes them powerful?"

And just like that, her suspicions in Jonouchi return. Vermouth steps closer, definitely looking down on him now.

"And how, exactly, do you know Ran Mouri?" she asks, her tone now deadly serious. She would be more relieved to know it didn't happen on the mission, if her attention wasn't now focused on other concerns.

"Don't expect me to believe nonsense." Her words are cold. "People don't learn things out of nowhere... especially information they shouldn't have."

"Yeah, her, K'seri. Psychic type, could prob'bly float y' for a few hours if I asked, look, I'm just sayin' tha' if everyone else on th' damn train c'n wrap their head around th' fact that different realities exist, why th' hell can't you?!"

He's annoyed, to put it simply. It's not like he hasn't had to try and really 'prove' this before, but he'd gotten used to being able to just say it after all.

"I met Ran pers'nally, on th' train. It ain't hard, there ain't exactly a lotta room," he grits out. "She was talkin' about th' kid's coffee issues. Go figure, got stuck in a cave w'th him at our next stop. But other than that?"

He points- like he wants to do, or say something else, but ultimately knows he can't. Not really. "I don't know what th' hell I'm supposed to say other than 'not my fault'. I don't pick what I see, I don't pick what I know, but I sure as hell can't prove that if yer jus' gonna keep diggin' f'r an answer tha' ain't there."

Not many people have the gall to actually snap at Vermouth, even when it's obvious they hate her guts. Her position as the Boss's favorite makes her feared... or at least protected. There are no doubt quite a few who would love to come at her with this much vitriol (or more likely a bullet). Yet even the ones who come closest keep their comments snide and short.

She regards him with unnervingly sharp eyes. He couldn't be a low level Organization member, not with a brazen attitude like that. And she already knew all the high level members. A petty criminal was possible, but if so, it was unlikely he could hide these disappearances.

No, what she was worried about right now was the Organization, the most likely to cause such stealthy abductions. So if he wasn't a part of it, he must at least be telling the truth about not being involved.

So after staring daggers at him for a long stretch, she closes her eyes a moment. Then smirks just slightly.

"Why should I?" she asks, her tone calmer but still with a slight bite. Her cynical thoughts drip out, still carefully picked. "You think I take any of this at face value? There are plenty of other explanations, plenty of other possibilities for what is happening to us. Why should I simply accept the narrative given to me?"

The other reason she's entertained any of it is, well, because of Conan's word.

Petty criminal history is at least true- he definitely has gang history. Heck, he's got corneal scaring. Someone tossed some glass up in there and it was not a fun time.

He definitely has way too much attitude over all though, especially with the way he's not backing down. Enough to stare with half-lidded, bored eyes, while he considers his options.

Something chitters at his side, perhaps from knee level. Katsuya just crosses his arms.

"...Alrigh'. Tha's how you wanna do it. How you explain th's guy?"

There appears to be a dragon head coming out of his shadow,

Vermouth frowns just slightly at him not backing down. She was giving you an out, kid. Why keep picking a fight?

(Then again, she would be too if she hadn't determined he was low risk to her two favorite people.)

She opens her mouth to retort before she spots the dragon. It does get a long stare out of her, before Vermouth seems to brush it off.

"A trick of light and shadow. Add some pre-recorded sounds, and it's remarkable what people will believe."

Ho!lee! SHIT!

Katsuya blinks rapidly- Red Eyes meanwhile gives an insulted and somewhat saddened croon, nudging forward to try and get some kind of hand contact.

The blond keeps blinking, incredulous. "Lady, I get tha' f'r a pile of places th' whole magic schtich ain't real, but we're in a fuckin' world travellin' train, where half th' people from home r'member my drownin'- not t' mention other kinda key details- 'ntirely differen'. Maybe dial back on th' 'oh tha's jus' faaaaaake' bs b'fore y' piss off someone from th' EXTRA magical places, yeah? Hell, we were literally fightin' demons las week!"

Red Eyes gives a somewhat petulant croon again. "Awww ignore 'er man, she ain't worth yer attention."

Peter pauses from where he's back in usual spot, lounging in a webhammock, playing on his DS. There's a light prickle at the back of his neck and he frowns, trying to place what might be causing it.

He looks up right before Sharon enters and gives her a slightly suspicious look. He's had a rough week and he's not looking for another fight, okay thanks.

"Depends what you want to interrupt me with." He responds, still on edge.

Sorry, Peter. Normally Vermouth would be quite willing to avoid confrontation, but Conan and Ran are gone. She means business.

Not that it is immediately obvious from her outward appearance, at least from an untrained eye. Sharon is still smiling and her posture might seem fairly relaxed. However, the smile does not reach her eyes, and tension surrounds her like a coil about to spring.

That said, she's also not making any threatening moves, other than walking into the room. There are better ways to get information than beating it out of someone. Even when trying to get information from someone you just barely know.

"Oh, it should not take long. I just have a few questions, that's all," Sharon says smoothly.

She may not be outwardly trying to pose a threat but his senses are perceiving a threat and he's not super cool with that. He keeps himself calm though and rolls casually out of his hammock. With any luck she'll see it as him trying to be polite and giver her his full attention more than rolling to his feet just in case there's a fight to be had. Not that he wants to get in another fight anytime soon.

"Okay, uh-" He stops himself from saying the word 'shoot' because that might be a bad idea. "ask away."

Smart move. While it was unlikely that she would use it on him, Vermouth does have a pistol which she carries everywhere. Concealed, of course, but it is bound to make her feel more dangerous to someone like him.

Since they haven't spoken before (at least at their proper ages), Sharon decides to ease into the matter at hand.

"Did you assist with the mission this month? I seem to have missed it, and I wonder if something has happened."

He's still suspicious. He's still a little green around the ears when it comes to the superhero life but he does catch on to things quickly and right now, this feels like leading-or whatever the terminology was. But hey, he'll bite. It's not like he doesn't have superhuman reflexes.

"Uh, yeah. I stayed with the red team though so I don't know everything that went down." He states easily, keeping his tone casual and rubbing his hands together a little nervously and then folding his arms over his chest. It could be that he knows something's up or maybe he's just a jittery kid in general. He probably has a reputation at this point.

Ah, so he was involved with the more dangerous team mission. Even with Ran and Conan occasionally switching mission duties, she highly doubts they would have joined up with Red Team. Violence really wasn't their style.

Still, good to learn more about what happened while she was out.

"Oh, I don't need everything. An overview of what you know happened would be enough."

She could poke around for more pieces elsewhere.

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Be More Chill [Open]

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OH. BOY.

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