[ open ] action for hel. | backdated to the evening of the 23rd.

[revanchisme]

[ lovely evening, isn't it? moon shining, wind howling. bit cold outside, which is probably why your windows are closed right now. you're probably either in bed or getting ready to be in bed. dog-earing that last page of your novel, doing your stretches, putting curlers in your hair or whatever it is you do to prepare you for your land of sleep and dreams and whatnot. and that's just the way it should be, even in the land of Hel, because even Hellions need their sleep, right--

well, wrong.

because guess who just... opened... your window.

a heavy footfall on your on your windowsill, unannounced. a maniacal grin. the masked man leaning into your room doesn't look friendly, and neither does that giant sword on his back. surprais. hope he didn't interrupt your peaceful night or anything, but he's a man on a mission, and you don't mess with men on missions. have a cheshire grin, even as he bows, flourished, mocking. ]

So, sorry to drop in unannounced, but I was afraid you wouldn't be home otherwise. Hope I didn't interrupt anything pressing-- [ a pause. ] Oh, but on second thought, I hope I did! It would make this dull night far more entertaining.

[ leaning into your room, now-- ] Of course, I'm not here for a mere social visit. There are few questions that I'm sure you feel compelled to answer in due time.

[ grinnnnn. he draws himself up, slit-like eyes peering out from behind the mask. ] Well? Shall we get tonight's entertainment underway?



[ ooc: so, berthier is searching for... kaz... and because he doesn't know he's searching for kaz, he's barging into rooms in Hel during the evening and sneering at people until he gets answers. for residents of Hel, feel free to assume that he barged into your character's room and react accordingly-- or conversely, feel free to assume he didn't barge into your character's room, if you don't want to deal with this maniac. he skipped a lot of rooms because he got bored.

for those people whose rooms he's hit up-- he won't hurt anyone unless you pull a knife out on him or something, and even then, he'll most likely just be fooling around. he'll just troll a little, sneer a little, ask a few questions, possibly wave his sword around a little, and then he'll leave (and he'll leave the window open, the bastard).

and if you're kaz? well. c': ]

Comments

[holmes_fanatic]

Where I'm from, breaking and entering and weilding an outsized weapon with intent to threaten isn't 'polite' Ojisan.

Just what is it you're trying to find out here?

[revanchisme]

And where I'm from, such things are daily occurrences. It would be unfair for me to defer to your norms over mine, wouldn't you say?

[ and here, he jumps down from the windowsill to stretch. ] Of course, of course. Now, let's see, here.

[ suddenly-- up in your personal space!! he seems to be scrutinizing your appearance. ]

[holmes_fanatic]

Given this is my room? Imposing your norms is the more unf--!

[Conan's got better reflexes than you might be expecting, and has been readying himself to move fast. Sorry, Berthier, but you do not get much personal space.]

That's not a question!

[revanchisme]

[ oho, what quick-moving child. he raises an eyebrow at this, before laughing a little. ]

Ah, he moves like a little jack-rabbit.

[holmes_fanatic]

[... The hell is this guy's problem?]

Is it someone you're looking for rather than some answers?

[revanchisme]

And as quick-witted as a little monkey! Bingo.

[ as if satisfied, he leans back on his sword. ] I am, indeed, searching for someone, and I don't believe it's you. However, it never hurts to double check-- tell me, since your arrival in this quaint little world, have you by any chance stolen a book from someone?

[holmes_fanatic]

-- and that's not exactly the sort of thing people will admit to when asked over the bracelets.

[Conan hates to admit it but there might be logic to your approach. The mask and sword though ... are they really necessary?]

The only books I have, I've borrowed from the library. I'm not a thief, strange-mask-san.

[revanchisme]

[ it's like his face and appendage, okay :c and you have to admit, it lends weight to his words. he straightens, and appears strangely... satisfied. ]

Of course, I have no reason to disbelieve you. But as you are no thief, and therefore have nothing incriminating to hide, I'm certain you won't mind if I take a look at the books you own?

[ another reason why he needs to conduct this search in person. after all, he can't search your room without actually being in it-- ]

[holmes_fanatic]

[Conan points towards the book shelf.] Novels are there. Start on those, I'll get my notebooks out of the desk.

[The bookshelf is only half full -- they've not really been there long enough for Conan to amass quite as many mystery novels as he'd like. And mystery novels they are -- we've got the classic The Sign of Four, a couple of Golden Age novels, such as Enter a Murderer, Strong Poison, police procedural's such as The Private Patient, Japanese classics such as Inspector Imanishi Investigates -- yeah, there's a trend here.]

[revanchisme]

[ he seems to watch this for a moment, before scanning the bookshelf. then, taking out books and tossing them down next to his feetas he goes through them--

yep, not being very nice to books, conan. ]

Generous, generous. Oh, would you look at this collection.

[holmes_fanatic]

Hey! Be careful -- those are good books!

[revanchisme]

No book is good or bad. They simply just are. [ yawn. tosses another one. it hits the pile of books at his feet with a thump-- but it's interesting to see that despite his tossing of them, the books are actually getting stacked-- two piles, actually, one on either side of him. ]

It's the stories that give them value. Ah, I haven't seen this one in a while.

[holmes_fanatic]

You shouldn't treat them so roughly -- they're library books, meant for everyone in the city to use. And there's no point in tossing them at all! There's not so many of them you can't see them from the shelf -- this is pointless except as an exercise in annoying me, which since you need me to answer your questions honestly is not only pointless, but counter productive.

[revanchisme]

Yap, yap, yap-- you never tire of words, do you. And how am I to know you haven't hidden books behind these very books?

[ he wrinkles his nose. another book goes onto his right-hand pile, which is... significantly larger than the one on his left-hand side. ]

For you think that I would trust you so easily would make you a very naive person, doesn't it?

[holmes_fanatic]

Because you can tell just by looking at them that there's none behind them! I don't have so many that I need to stack them, and the book shelf doesn't have a top -- you can look from above and see plainly -- no hidden books.

[Noticing the disparate piles with displeasure -- you better not be thinking of making off with the books you haven't read yet.]

You don't think I would be happy to share what I know about my housemates in order to get you to leave faster? You're not very good at this, are you.

[revanchisme]

Now, why would you tell me to trust appearances? You seem to read a lot of the mystery genre-- I think you'd know the inherent capacity for deceit in things.

[ another book joins the right-hand pile. ] And I find that hard to imagine. You aren't afraid of me, child.

[holmes_fanatic]

... I'm not convinced that you're not just dropping my books to be a jerk, Mask-ojisan.

And isn't that indication enough that you're not very good at this?

[revanchisme]

I am dropping your books to be a jerk, child. [ a shrug. ] But it's equally true that I must check its contents.

But no, I think not. I'm rather good at this, if I so wish to be.

[holmes_fanatic]

[Conan regretfully decides against telling the Mystery Intruder about what he thinks of that. Instead he folds his arms, waiting silently for him to finish examining Conan's books. Hopefully, this whole thing will be over sooner if they're not talking.]

[revanchisme]

[ ... yeah, no. at this point, he's gone through a good majority of your bookshelf, conan. stopping, he glances down at the two piles, before nudging the right-hand one with his foot. ]

Trash, the lot of it.

[ and then, however, he bends down to pick up a book from the left-hand pile. ] However, these aren't bad at all.

[ if you glance at the titles, it will soon be apparent that the smaller left-hand pile features works where lots and lots of people died during the cases, while the right-hand side features significantly less death. ]

[holmes_fanatic]

[Knowing the books as well as he does, it doesn't take Conan long to see the connection. He picks up his toothbrush again.]

The serial-killer cases have more in the way of tension and urgency -- but the single victim cases are often harder to figure out, much more challenging.

[-- oh right, he's not talking to you.]

[revanchisme]

[ he glances over! kind of amused, here. ]

You read these books for the mystery, child. But I read them for something different.

[holmes_fanatic]

I get it, you're big, dark, twisted and very scary. Though -- if your interest in these books is genuine, it's kind of surprising that you're in Baldr instead of Hel.

[Stab in the dark!]

[revanchisme]

Hm? Is that the house I'm in?

[ does not.... care..... sob... ]

[holmes_fanatic]

[Well, it was a pretty obvious attempt. Conan's not surprised it failed.]

Are you done now? Or do you want to drop my notebooks on the floor too?