castleinthemist | First Deduction

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First Deduction

[Shinichi cautiously follows the signs of disturbance in the castle's corridors. He still didn't have enough evidence to figure out this situation with any certainty. Obviously this was a kidnapping. But so far he had found nothing that hinted as to the identity of the culprits or the motive. Beyond the box he had found himself in upon waking there had been no sign of any attempts to control his movements.

He needed more information.

Eventually he enters the living area and nods to himself at the signs of inhabitance. As expected from what he had observed in the corridors. Someone had been using them recently to navigate this castle. This looked to be the source. Casting his eyes across the people in the room, he purposefully approaches a likely candidate.]

Excuse me, may I have a moment of your time?

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[Shinichi frowns lightly as he listens, already beginning to sort through the information.]

I see. How many people have you spoken to here so far? Has anyone checked the remaining sarcophagi?

Far away from our homes I would agree with. There are no castles of this size or style located anywhere near my home.

Shadowy creatures? Have you encountered them yourself?

I've spoken to a few people, who in turn mentioned others having similar arrivals, as far as I remember. But I haven't heard of someone actually checking the other sarcophagi.

[She blinks, realizing how selfish that sounded.]

There didn't seem much of a point, and after being like buried alive, I never thought to return...

[Cordelia pauses for a moment after that attempted apology, then continues.]

As for the shadows, I've seen them twice, always away from other people. There...isn't much else I know about them, but they really seem dangerous, not just illustions.

That's normal. [He offers her a small reassuring smile.] When escaping from trauma such as that most people would prefer to put it behind them. But it is something to think about, isn't it?

Where? And what was the situation?

Thank you. Still...maybe I should check later, just in case...

[She tried returning the smile, although him asking for more on the shadows troubled her a bit.]

Uhm, the first time was several rooms in that direction...

[She pointed at one of the doorways, then blinked, sighed, and hesistantly took something out of a pocket in her dress that, on closer inspection, turned out to be a handkerchief that had been turned into a rather crude map using some sort of green liquid as ink. While it must be hard to draw on a handkerchief, the lines were nevertheless pretty exact, despite them being quite close together.

Since just pointing in one vague direction seemed odd to her, she showed a path on the improvised map to a room that was a bit bigger than some of the others.]

In there. There's a large fallen column seperating the room in two, and behind it was a kind of shadow circle out of which these things poured if one got too close.

The other was in some other corridor but it was gone when I later looked into the corridor again.

Uhm, I hope that helps you you a bit, at least. I'm sorry I don't know that much yet.

I'd be glad to accompany you, in that case.

[He frowns over the map on the handkerchief as he commits it to memory.]

Thank you for the information. I expect the best method will be to investigate the area for myself.

Hm, I wouldn't mind an escort, I suppose. This place is dangerous if one leaves the area here.

As for the later, I think you're right, it's really hard to properly show how this place is set up. It's way to big and has several layers, there's just so much, and you might find something someone like me would miss.

...I really wonder who built it and what for. Castles at home never were this big.

Dangerous how?

Aaa, there is no better way to investigate than to see for oneself.

I have been to some sizable castles before, but this does not seem to be arranged in the same way as any castle I have seen.

Well, the shadows and the castle itself. It looks like parts of it could crumble anytime. Not that I'm an expert, but I think it's really not supposed to be in such a state of disrepair...

I've been to several castles myself, of course, but they indeed were much more functional and less labyrinthine.

...And they also had bigger, more practical baths.

No, I've noticed this as well. Something like that is quite possible with the condition of the building.

[And that makes him chuckle.]

Always an important consideration.

[Cordelia nodded quickly. She didn't really go more into the bath issue, which mostly was one to her for reasons of modesty (that noble upbringing was still a problem).]

There's a part where it looks like the floor could collapse any time, for example. It's really like this place has been abandoned a long time ago. Except this area, which even had beds and odd communication devices, powered by some kind of magic, I think.

[She picked up her 'telephone' again, showing what she was refering to.]

It's really rather strange. ...A..ah!

I forgot to introduce myself again, this place is really not doing my manners any favors, I apologize. Uhm, I'm Cordelia. ...Delighted to make your acquaintance.

[She bowed her head lightly, a little embarassed. That had been the third time she forgot that!]

[What?]

That's a cell phone. It's powered by electricity.

Pleasure to meet you, Cordelia. My name is Shinichi Kudo. I'm a high school detective.

Electrity? I take it that it's different from magic? I honestly didn't know that.

[Cordelia made a mental note to refer to these as cell phones in the future. They really seemed magical to her, though. Just unusually complex... And really, these other worlds sure were different from her own, that's for sure. She hoped she wasn't coming across too ignorant.]

I'm a [Short pause] noblewoman from a kingdom called Selenn. As for a 'detective' - is that a kind of thief-taker? It sounds somewhat like it.

Very different.

[Magic isn't real.]

A thief-taker? No. A detective is someone who uses the art of observation and the science of deduction to seek out the truth.

Oh, I see. That is good to know, although I still believe it could be replicated by magic. This world really has strange conveniences.

[Magic is real, after all.]

The truth? Now that is an unusual undertaking for a job. Often, people would really prefer to hide the truth, wouldn't they?
Surely you do this mostly for worthy instances, such as theft, right?

That's impossible.

I mostly deal with crimes, yes. Primarily homicides, although I have also worked thefts and kidnappings.

...What is impossible? Magic? I can assure you, it is far from impossible.

Let us hope we won't need your talent for what you primarily work on...though I guess this entire situation does qualify as a kidnapping of some sort.

Magic is nothing but a hoax. Something people use to explain something they can't understand.

This is a kidnapping. We have been transported and detained against or wills.

But that's just not true, I could do magic, for example! It's rare, but it's definitely there and exists!

[To Cordelia, Conan's words were as freaky as her assertions that magic existed was to him. Which is why she was so surprised she just blurted out her sentence.]

...Don't kidnappings usually have ransoms?

I fond that doubtful. Magic is nothing more than an elaborate trick. It isn't difficult to figure out if you think about it logically.

That would depend on the purpose of the kidnapping.

No, magic is just using energy in the world around you and manipulating it with your mind for certain effects. I could even show you...

[Surely, it wouldn't be a problem. He wouldn't know what kind of magic she was using, and besides, it'd look perfectly harmless. Right!]

Hm, I didn't think of other possibilities. The people in my world usually just used them for ransoms or political pressure, that's about it.

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First Deduction

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Don't expect me to draw it in paint!

XD, no worries!

hihi

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