okiya-subaru:

“The missing East Wind is dealing with his own problems, I speak of a dilemma comparable in some ways. Though, if you can solve what is going on with him, I feel we’re on the same page enough that I can speak freely. As for KID, I care not about revealing his identity. He helped an old friend in a time of need and I saved him in return. He’s harmless and there are much more dangerous criminals out there to hunt down.”

Subaru steepled his fingers, a smirk on his face. So this kid, for all his brashness of talk, was attentive. It would be a double-edged sword. Hakuba’s acceptance of the idea of a tutor meant he wasn’t too stubborn or proud, though. That would help in the long run, even if he wasn’t quite at Kudou’s or his level of deductive prowess yet. Whether or not he would help with the hunt was another question and it was dangerous to get yet more people involved.

"What sort of serial killer assassins are you hunting, if you don’t mind my asking? That seems vague at best. Could be Yakuza, could be another group…”

“Ah, good. I’ll take KID’s secret with me to the grave if I must, you understand. Certainly, he’s not priority at this juncture… out of my jurisdiction, almost…” Hakuba sighed at that, but turned his attention back to the matter at hand, taking another bite of stew.

“At any rate… the serial killers, well… I’m certain that one or two are associated with the same group of ‘crows’ that I have been hearing rumors about, but for the most part, they seem to be independent. And likely related to said East Wind’s… little problem.”

The foreign detective sighed, then, glancing up and over to Subaru with a sort of pouting frown. “I do have to confess, though, that that tidbit of information was given to me on a silver platter; I did not deduce it on my own and, thus, feel as though it disqualifies me at least somewhat. If I’m to be honest.”

okiya-subaru:

“Indeed we are.” Subaru set down his bowl and took his glass of scotch. “Let me put it like this. There is something painfully obvious hidden in plain sight in this room. If you figure it out, I’ll explain at least some of what I know.”

He took a sip of the scotch. Now this was Subaru being a prat, if he were to be honest. It was a test of basic observation, whether or not you could tell if the guy in front of you wore a wig (which tended to have a slightly unnatural sheen to the strands of hair) or whose glasses were not functional (because there were no distortions in the slightest when looking through them).

There was a pause as Hakuba tilted his head, brows knitting over a sort of silly grin, then he laughed. “Well, I wasn’t going to point it out on the bases of professional courtesy, but if you’d like to go there, certainly. You’re clearly not an engineer, Subaru-san. More like Holmes pretending to be one. Easily passable for most, but…” The detective sighed and shook his head, taking his glass of scotch to sip before continuing.

“You’re far too easy to talk to. Your ability to multi-task while conversing is exceptional- definitely not enough tunnel vision. And,” he took that moment to take a taste of the stew, mulling it over for a moment before laughing again. “You’re far too good a cook. Not to mention… well.” The wig, the glasses, the ticks associated with the former. But, now that an amount of faith had been extended, Hakuba felt comfortable giving some in return. 

“My guesses were going to be the missing East Wind and Kaitou Kid but… I really don’t know what your focus is, precisely. For all I know, it could be one of the many serial killer assassins that I’ve been tracking – though most of them are not so noble… Certainly not to be compared to Holmes." 

okiya-subaru:

“I’m flexible, as long as it isn’t milk or some of the watered-down beers I’ve had the misfortune of tasting.” Subaru took a mouthful of stew. The car ride didn’t do anything serious to the taste, with that span of time of lack of constant heat, luckily.

“Oh, same old, same old. Going to class. Working on papers. Wondering when on earth you and another solve a little enigma.” And omitting how he’s been watching the neighborhood for any possible signs of Black Organization action. “Anyway, there are many types of organized crime. Drug rings tend to be less sophisticated and easier to tackle in some regards.”

To the wet bar Hakuba went, reaching into the small fridge underneath to retrieve sealed and chilled bottles of water, two glasses, ice, and the bottle of scotch from the cupboard. “Yes, yes on the drug rings, and, ah… hm.”

The detective sighed, setting the assorted items on a tray, then carried it back to the table. “The little enigma, hm? It’s a tricky one, I’ll give you that… mostly from the overwhelming list of possibilities. Who has a potentially deadly secret to hide? Who’s in disguise as they go to face their death?”

He opened the bottle of scotch and poured one for Okiya, then for himself, then got himself a bowl of the stew.

“And where, I wonder, does our information line up enough that it’s safe for me to share? I know you can’t disclose yours, and I don’t feel comfortable disclosing mine… though, at least this room is safe to discuss things in. Complicated impasse. What to do?”

okiya-subaru:

Subaru nodded. It was a small comfort in some regards, in that it wasn’t the Black Organization. Still, given the circumstances of the case, that meant there was some form of abuse going on before the perpetrator was caught. (Harming children, though, was a special low even the Organization avoided when they could, for goodness sake.)

“It isn’t a problem, Hakuba.”

Speaking of tricks, though, there was a difference between his allusions of a weapon and his actual trickery. Namely the disguise and lying abut his identity. “So, aside from the idiocy that is that criminal, have there been other cases you’ve been working on?”

“Ah, just the usual, really. I’ve been looking into some gang-related crimes. Drug dealers. East of Tokyo.” Hakuba laughed. “So, yes, I am involved in some organized crime cases, but they’re not giving me any guff at all thus far. Just fighting with each other over territory and I’ve come across some of their illegal dealings and… well.”

The detective sighed, then got to his feet. “Can I interest you in a drink of any kind? Tea, scotch, anything…? Ah, and what have you been up to lately?”