voidtreckerexpress | Reading Time

Conan told him he was going to go read. Now if they were back home, Heiji knew exactly what this meant- gtfo I'm busy and needing to be alone. Here though, 'go borrow a random book from one of your friends and come join me'. Okay, well, Heiji actually knew it was the first one still, but he had something on his mind and was pretty sure it wouldn't be too long before he needed to talk to Conan about it.

Either way, it meant, here comes Heiji to sit across from Conan and he opened the book he borrowed. He was quiet for a while, before he peeked over his book at Conan. "So.. why haven't you ever caught Kid? We both know you're smart enough to."

And he'd just gotten halfway into the first chapter too.

Some things never changed. Hattori had the absolute worst timing on days like this. All Conan wanted to do was finish his book, and he brings that up?

"I owe him a favor or two," Conan says without looking up. "But don't tell him that."

That wasn't the entire truth, of course. But it was an answer he would admit to.

Heiji sighs. He can't tell Conan this, he can't tell Kaito that. "Does it really make any difference when we're stuck on a train in the void?" He asked, because Kaito about had a fit over the idea they just talk this out like rational human beings. "Ever wonder why he's doing it? All the stealing the jewels only return them for? It can't just be for the media hype, can it?"

Although now that he says that, how many of their cases had at least that thin of motives if not less and someone wound up dead. "Seems pointless to me." He said and looked out the window for a few moments, with a heavy sigh. Honestly, everything seemed pretty pointless right about now. How cared who was the best detective in Japan when there wasn't a Japan? Even the ultimate goal of the truth seemed difficult when one truth for one world might be something, but completely different in another one.

He missed Kazuha.

Reluctantly Conan puts away the book for this conversation.

"Of course it does," he says. "We're not going to be on this train forever. Someday we're going back home, and we'll still know anything we learned here."

He frowns. "As for KID, its obvious that he's looking for something specific. And he hasn't found it yet. I'll figure it all out some day, but it won't be because he had the bad luck to get stuck on a train with me."

That wasn't how their game was played.

Conan casts a glance over at Hattori as he picks up on his mood.

"What's wrong? You've been off for a while now. I was expecting you to ask me about KID long before now."

Heiji doesn't argue, but he's not convinced they won't be. How did they get here in the first place? There were magic, demons, and god-only-knew what else in this multiverse. Why would they care if a bunch of kids- or adults, he shouldn't be selfish- could go home?

He should've known that Conan had figured out Kid wasn't just stealing for the fame. Honestly, he knew that too, he just hadn't had enough information to determine what. He never would've thought it would've been to avenge his father though.

"Hmm?" He turned his gaze from outside and the strange lights to see Conan eyeing him. His dark complexion got a little darker at that. "Well.. I had my suspicions for a while now.. I just.." His frown deepened and he decided he was focusing on the wrong part of that anyway. "I don't know." At least that part was honest. He wasn't sure, but he couldn't deny the feeling of being off.

Kaito does him the favor of leaving him alone until he gets to the very last chapter before he sets off the smoke bomb he's managed to cobble together with help.

"Hm. That's less impressive than hoped."

It sputters a bit and spews a small tired amount of blue smoke.

Conan assesses his friend thoughtfully, taking in everything that had been said and not said.

He'd suspected that something was off with Hattori for a while now. But he hadn't said anything, believing that he'd be able to work whatever was bothering him in his own time.

"We are going home," he says firmly. "I don't know how yet, but I refuse to accept any other possibility. So don't even think about giving up."

After all, there was someone waiting for him too.

Conan glances up with irritation as he waves the small amount of smoke away.

"You couldn't have waited until I finished the chapter?

"May I borrow that when you're finished?"

Books. Video games are diverting, but they haven't got a patch on books. Joss has been starved for reading material in the weeks since he's been here, and seeing a fellow kid with a massive tome has ignited a sense of extreme jealousy. He wants a book.

"I'm desperate for something to read."

"The timing of it is off too. Besides, you'd get suspicious if I didn't annoy you from time to time."

He kneels and pokes through the debris.

The train was absolutely closer quarters than Titans Tower, and Raven dreaded when they might get even more people. For now, her favorite place was one of the quiet rooms. But she did feel guilty monopolizing one of them entirely. Which meant finding other quieter places...

Passing through one of the quieter cars, she raised an eyebrow under her cowl. No wonder Mr. Stark and others were worried, as the young boy reading seemed younger than the others. More importantly though, he was reading. A BIG book too.

So, with an awkward throat clearing, she approached. Also a soft "...I'm sorry, but may I ask a question?"

It shouldn't be a surprise that Conan nails him on the exact reason he was struggling here. It was embarrassing how easy it likely was- but then again, who wouldn't be having a hard time here?

"How? How are we going to get home? How will anything make sense again when even truth isn't absolute? A truth in our world isn't a truth in someone else's. Magic and monsters and who knows what are all real and dictating what we do! How do you make sense of all of that?"

"The details might change," Conan says stubbornly."We might have to take new information and new physical laws into account. But truth is still truth and we are still detectives."

Conan had spent the past year fighting an impossible battle, trying to find a cure that might not exist and stop an organization that just seemed to grow larger and more impossible with every new fact he uncovered.

What was one more impossible goal? He knew for certain that the only way to ensure they would never win was if they gave up on believing it was possible.

"I can't really argue with that."

Conan had already started to get suspicious about that. Especially since it had been a while since Hattori had tried to prank him as well.

"What are you looking for?"

His immediate reaction was to hold on to the book and deny the request. After all, it had taken a lot of effort and risking having his real name broadcast over the intercom to get this book.

But it was probably a bad plan to discourage any other bibliophiles on the train. Especially one who looked like a kid.

"When I'm done reading it," he says at last. "Do you know if anyone else has any books?"

Another interruption? At this rate it would take the rest of the day to finish this chapter.

"What is it?"

She really is sorry for interrupting. "I...just wondered if, when you're finished with the book, I could borrow it?" Awkward, and kind of hunched in her cloak, cowl up. "I'm one of the new arrivals."

"Anything to see if I can work out why it failed. Hm. The wall might be a bit too thick I think....

Say. You know him better than I do. Is Hattori-kun ok?"

"He's been having some trouble adjusting," Conan says carefully. He didn't want to share too much of his friend's personal business.

But now that he'd talked to Hattori and figured out the source of the problem Conan fully intended to drag Hattori along on the quest to find a way home until he also believed that it was possible. By sheer force of will if necessary.

"Just don't test them on me."

"Who else am I supposed to test em on? You saw how Skywalker-san reacted!"

He makes a face.

"Yeah? I did think he wasn't quite himself. I'll try and keep him distracted, and you can do the friend thing."

Ooh, touchy. Joscelin was actually being nice, for once, so he's a little perplexed by the hostility.

He peers down at the other boy (and delights in the fact that there is actually someone shorter than him on this godforsaken train). "That's all I asked. There's precious little reading material on this damn train." He thinks for a moment. "Peter Parker seems to have some maths and sciences school books that he's studying out of, if you're interested in that." He thrusts out a hand. "I'm Joss. I reckon those of us of a particular age ought to be friendly with one another. What's your name?"

"After I'm done reading it," he answers. He wanted to read it at least three times. "And someone else already asked too."

"I understand, and thank you." Raven responded, her voice calm but with what she could show of genuine appreciation. "When I get some books of my own, I'm willing to return the favor if possible."

That caught his interest.

"What kinds of books do you like to read?"

"Do you really have to test them on a person? Wouldn't setting up a target in the gym work just as well?"

Conan privately thought that he was probably the worst person to try and do any friend things. He'd never really figured out how any of that worked. But... it was Hattori. So he'd try.

"Try to avoid any distractions that involved malfunctioning smoke bombs."

Reading Time

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Just passing through...

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Re: Just passing through...

Re: Just passing through...

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