Tag Archives: ic

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DATE-O START! || akaikujixyaku

akaikujixyaku:

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Now Emi wasn’t, by any means, a high-maintenance sort of person. Minimal makeup, consignment and antique clothing preferred, and almost no sense of vanity. Usually she rolled out of bed, washed her face, took a shower, threw together an outfit from whatever three pieces she could grab from her closet first (that looked cohesive) and ran out to embrace the day. This day would be very different.

Now the young Himura had been to a few parties with friends, and occasionally went out to town for the evening with a couple of girls, but this would be her first event formally categorized as a date. 

Terrified is a fairly accurate word to describe the first emotion she experienced after waking up (fairly late in the morning, around ten).

Of course, it was in company with excitement and overjoy, since… well, c’mon. It’s not a secret to anyone (by now) how much she admired the young man who was going to be arriving later that day. If anyone was going to make a first date memorable and worthy of that honour, there was a good chance Hakuba would do wonderfully.

So the morning began with an intense hygenic runthrough, (almost thirty minutes just perfecting her teeth), and then transitioned into an hour of different hair stylings. Too formal? Not formal enough? Pull it up? Leave it down? Maybe straighten it- oh bother. Eventually, she decided on pulling all of her bangs away into a neatly tucked side-bun, leaving the rest down. Finally, she could organize her apparel. And if her previous preparations had been compared to hurdles, this was a whole obstacle course.

I won’t bore you with the details, but by the end of it, there were eight dresses, six pairs of shoes, five skirts, four blouses, two jewelry boxes and one pantsuit which had all been considered, and discarded. But hey, (even if she wasn’t sure), the result was lovely enough to make up for all of the effort put into it. (She was careful to select a dress which just completely covered her tattoo. If the tips of some feathers showed when she sat, it wasn’t a big deal). And by the time all of that was sorted, and she’d put the finishing touches on (mascara, lipgloss, eyeliner) she had only a half hour to wait.

As the minutes closed in, and she grabbed her purse by the door, she looked at the compartment where she stored her camera, (reversible) jacket and (collapsible) red helmet. There was no reason why she would need them, right?.. Just in case. They nestled in the bottom of her bag (save the small camera), neatly, before she drew in a huge breath, exhaled, locked her door and made (ran) her way down the three flights of stairs, stalling at the bottom, and ogling for a moment the front door of her building. “No time like the present." She murmured, before checking the time on her phone. Perfect. The minute turned almost exactly when she reached the door. (She remembered something about him having a time niche).

And there she found herself opening the front door to her apartment complex, face-to-face with-

A camera.

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"Eeeh?" She immediately blinked in surprise, before smiling in a baffled sort of way, "A press ambush! Now that’s hardly fair at all!" She avoided folding her arms, but nervously pulled some hair behind her left ear while making her way closer to his car, "Already turning my tricks back on me, Kameraman-kun! I only wish I was more photogenic.”

While Hakuba’s camera was, no doubt, of less caliber than Emi’s, it was still an expensive digital SLR. Which meant that the detective was able to take a lot of photos very quickly. As she got closer, though, he set it down in lieu of letting himself out of the car so that he could jog around and get her door.

"Nonsense, Himura-san! You’re quite lovely.” She really was. Hakuba made sure to give her a quick once-over, just barely obvious enough for her to notice if she were watching. Then, he smiled with ease, already much more relaxed with the whole affair. After all, his attention was now on her instead of himself, which helped things considerably. 

The detective reached for her hand with one of his own, and the car door with the other, swinging it open with a bow of his head. 

“Come along, my lady- your chariot awaits." 

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Elevator: “Ah, damn it… looks like it’s really stuck…” he muttered, kicking at the doors lightly. “Jeez, I guess we’re just going to have to wait it out for a bit, huh, Hakuba-kun?” Smile.

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“Ha ha, yes… indeed it does look that way, Kudou-san… I wonder how long it will take them to get us out of here?" 

Hakuba wasn’t sure if he should feel elated or absolutely terrified. The following could be the longest several hours of his miserable, frustrating, awful life.

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phantom-thief-kid:

“That is the goal, yes.” KID grinned even more.

“Maybe. Maybe not…" Okay, he was being a bit of a tease, but anticipation was a fun part of this little dance they did. “So, where shall we go? I cannot read minds.”

Anticipation fun. Right. Of course. “The vending machine right outside the industrial district- next to the building with the giant poster of a purple alpaca." 

…wait, what?

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phantom-thief-kid:

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“Wherever you wish. I was thinking of taking you to a nice place I visit on occasion, but it’s a surprise until we get there where it is.” KID, meanwhile, was feeling especially impish tonight.

“So I’m to… come up with a separate place for us to go, first… and then eventually end up in the place that you desire?” Hakuba wasn’t sure what kind of clever trick KID was playing on him, but he hoped that it was a deviously intimate one. “Somewhere like… a roof top? Or a cafe? Tea?” A pause. “Or perhaps the convenience store for some… caramel?”

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phantom-thief-kid replied to your post: “Come along, detective. Care to take up the offer?”

“You’re rather flustered, aren’t you?” KID had a customary grin on his face. So much fun to be had.

“…Perhaps.”  Hakuba attempted to play it cool, but that was incredibly difficult. Because the entire day had been difficult. No end to the frustrations from every avenue. He cleared his throat with a little cough. “So where are we going, mon attirante voleur?”

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Mysterious Texts

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Two mysterious text messages, neither with a traceable number. One at 07:45:22 am, the other at 16:55:19pm. Procedure would dictate that he should contact the police – perhaps his father? – to ask for advice and leave it in the hands of the authorities. But the first text had referred to him by a code name that he had been called before.

An object of interest.

Good luck. 

KID wouldn’t have sent that kind of a message, would he? He did love his riddles, but it was decidedly different than his usual tone and charm. No, there was nothing really poetic about it, and that particular nickname typically referred to his workings as a gentleman detective on the board.  But that could have been coincidental entirely… what with his surname, his heritage, and his usual conduct…

Hakuba took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. They were calling him out personally. It could be a test, a clue, or even a gift. Hell, he’d received stranger notes from secret admirers… and he definitely didn’t want to involve his father and the rest of the force if that were the case. 

All this considered, he transferred screen captures of the messages to his database, wrote his theories, and saved it for the future. In case something should happen. Then, he took his car, and his camera, to the train station as specified… and proceeded to document the hell out of everything. Including everything that he found in the trash.

Odd looks or not, no one could accuse him of not being a professional, nosy detective about it. 

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DATE-O START! || akaikujixyaku

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Plans were made and argued over, then finally settled with evening tea. Early morning found Hakuba calling around to make reservations, track down information, and ensure that all of said hard-won plans would not go to waste because of a simple oversight. In many ways, planning this evening excursion was a lot like working on one of his case files. The major differences being that one was geared toward entertainment and the other resulted in a paycheck. 

Regardless, with plans safely made and suit freshly pressed, Saguru Hakuba ignored his mother’s well-wishes of ‘good luck,’ ‘have fun,’ ‘make good choices,’ and ‘tell me EVERYTHING when you get home’, and got into his car. Then he checked to make sure that he had everything he’d meant to have packed. Which he did. And then he checked again. 

Finally, after another completely compulsive check of both his wrist and pocket watch, the romancing detective sped out to the motorway and toward the address that had been emailed to him previously. 

if he’d been honest with himself, he would admit that he was slightly nervous. Formal outings like this were unusual for him, despite how much flirting and carrying on he routinely did. Actually, the more he thought about it, he couldn’t remember when it was that he’d last gone on an official date. Uhm. Months…? Possibly taking Koizumi-san out before she tore his heart apart? Hm. Awkward…

He grimaced, trying to push back the memory by going over his plans again. It was going to be a good evening for them both, he was determined! Nothing would go wrong because he had planned and organized and checked! It would be perfect! Yes, good! 

All too soon, he arrived at the address with a little bit of time to spare. Which was good, really, because that meant that he could get his camera out, as planned, ready to start taking photos the moment Emi came out of the building. It was part of his design, after all, and a devilish one at that. 

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For the Love of a Painting || kaitouxjeanne

kaitouxjeanne:

Prickling. She could feel his gaze upon her as he straightened himself from his bow. Sweeping away the blushing maiden inside her, Jeanne did not allow any pink to appear in her cheeks even if her heart fluttered a little. Just a touch of nervousness. Why should I be pleased that a detective comes up to chat? Even if he’s a bit handsome.. Stop! Focus! 

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Able to coolly assess the stare as a challenge rather than a hint of desire for her, she responded with a look that seemed to ask, “Did you find something you liked? Not that the answer isn’t already obvious.“

Contrary to the devilish look in her eyes, the blonde’s smile was all grace and poise. Life as a socialite had been useful for this sort of exercise.

"Oh no, Monsieur Hakuba, the pleasure is all mine. I must say, last night was fun but you look an absolute treat tonight.”

He had noticed her. The plan was advancing. Just wait for my checkmate, my dear detective.

God. She was good at this. 

The detective, impressed, allowed himself a selfish glance to look her over from head to toe, all brief, all controlled, with that smug and charming smile fixed upon his lips. Hakuba could tell that there was some interest there, though for what purpose he could not say just yet. It might have just been want of a conversation. Harmless flirting. But then, it could have been more. 

Working or not, he intended to find out just where she stood with him. This he could manage easily, he decided, while keeping an eye on the painting and the rest of the guests. After all, he was supposed to blend in. At least, attempt to. Not that he could with his client having announced his presence, but if he appeared distracted chasing after a lady (with a careful explanation to said client, of course), the thieves might let their guards down…

“Thank you, my dear,” Hakuba replied, inclining his head with a curious brow raise, playful. Amused. Then he held out his hand for hers, intent on kissing those knuckles with all of the gentlemanly poise that he possessed. 

He would use her like a pawn in his own private game of chess.

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askkudoushinichi:

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The smile he gave him was strained at best. The reason he had to give up his high-profile career was still a touchy subject, especially considering that it still affected him. The ubiquitous group of criminals that had forced him into hiding in the first place were still out there. Even with his natural body back Shinichi was still in danger.

“I’ve asked the police to keep my name out of the news. Megure-keibu is doing me a favor similar to what I asked of you,” he added carefully, though that was sure to get Hakuba’s attention. How suspicious could he possibly be? “Sadly, I don’t get any of the credit anymore but that was never really the most important thing, but it still kind of sucks, you know?“

He fidgeted, trying to decide whether or not his hands fit better in his pockets or behind his head. Neither position seemed very comfortable in his nervous state.

"It’s for the best. At least for now, but I don’t really have to worry about it yet. I have another week or so of vacation left.” Ha. ‘Vacation’ was the nicest way to put it.

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How awkward, for both alleged egotists to not feel comfortable talking about their own lives to the other. Hakuba spared the other detective a sympathetic glance, then nodded. Clearly, there was more going on here than Kudou-san could let on, and, well, that was never a fun position to be in. 

Hakuba changed gears after a thoughtful shrug, walk continuing at an even clip toward the cafe. “I hope that you’re at least enjoying the vacation." 

And then what? This chance to talk to Kudou-san, nothing interfering or interrupting, and he’d run out of intelligent things to ask about. He bit his lip and ran through lists in his head of what he could possibly bring up that might spark a good conversation. Something. Anything.

"Ah, I’ve been dying to ask, Kudou-se-” dammit “-san… As a fellow fan of Sherlock Holmes, just what is your favorite case? I know I’ve read the answer in an interview about you somewhere, but the title eludes me somehow…”

No. Hakuba hadn’t forgotten at all, but he wanted Shinichi to talk about it… to ramble about it like he’d done in said interview so that he could soak it all up and enjoy it. What better to spur conversation than to bring up something that they mutually shared a passion for without having to talk about themselves further than preferences and anecdotes?

CLEARLY THIS PLAN COULD NOT GO AMISS!

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Some Nights (blackfeatherswhitedoves)

blackfeatherswhitedoves:

A glance down at his own suit brought the splotches to KID’s attention, and his worry spiked though he tried to keep that hidden.  His mind immediately started racing with the bits of medical knowledge he’d gathered since he’d started this ‘hobby’, and only glanced up when Hakuba started walking off.

“Don’t go far, Tantei.  Not only do we need to stay together, but if you’re bleeding that badly, we need to do something about it."  The thief frowned, starting to carefully follow.  The costumes and such were definitely useful, and KID looked as much at them as he could as he followed the detective.  Of all the places to hide, this was probably an excellent choice as far as increasing their chances for escape unnoticed.

"Yes… I think that you’re right,” Hakuba called back, pressing onward. He reached the restroom and leaned against the door frame, only then realizing just how dizzy he felt. The come down after the adrenaline rush was catching up to him in a very forceful way.

He flipped on the light switch, which only made the room somewhat brighter. Cheap wiring and light bulbs made the room eerie. Hakuba then stripped off his suit jacket and laid it on the back of the closed toilet, grimacing at the movement and the amount of blood that had soaked through his dress shirt. 

Turning on the water, Hakuba first washed his hands, a compulsion that was never quite far from him. He checked his watch, next, then leaned against the sink with the water running, hesitating…. before crumpling to the floor, unconscious.