Tag Archives: lonely elegance

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Lonely Elegance || kaitomagic

kaitomagic:

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“I didn’t ask.” The teen responded, dryly. Taxing? As if.
He watched Hakuba’s face, gaze shifting down to the piano keys again as the detective’s hands glided across them, both curious and put off. Who did this guy think he was? Acting all suave and innocent…
“Still going on about moonlight escapades… when will you give it up already?”

Kaito wondered, idly, how long it would take Aoko to figure out where he had ended up… and also whether his hope that she’d drag him away again might be foiled when she spotted Hakuba. What did she see in him, anyway? “And what about you? No date? That’s surprising with how much of a playboy you are.”

It was… frustrating, to say the least, to hear the denial time and time again. Hakuba knew who Kaito truly was, and he knew that Kaito was well aware of this. Add to that the playboy comment and the dry response, and it put a significant damper on his ability to pretend to be pleasant. 

The detective stilled his hands, letting the notes die with chord unresolved, and tilted his head back to regard the teenager next to him coolly, mouth curved so very slightly downward into a frown.

“This is an event for the police, many of whom I consider colleagues and mentors. It is not a setting in which I feel comfortable bringing personal matters, which a ‘date’ would fall under. But, thank you, Kuroba-kun,” Hakuba remarked, voice dry, words quick, and tone perhaps a bit harsher than necessary. “It’s always good to know where I stand with people in their opinions of me.”

And where was that? Irritable, nosey, pretentious playboy. Insufferable. Hakuba glanced away, down to the piano keys, fighting back the urge to run. Kaito was too observant; he’d know that he’d hurt him with his words. He’d know he’d won.  Hakuba forced a smile.

“Ah, so admired, am I. It’s so nice to have friends.”

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Lonely Elegance || kaitomagic

kaitomagic:

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Kaito only watched the detective as he moved, surprise sliding off of the surface to make way for a more guarded demeanor as his lips formed into a sort of wry smile. “Something like that. And yeah, I guess I should have expected… but I didn’t know you were in Japan…”

Admittedly, though the initial spark of surprise at Hakuba’s appearance had faded, what replaced it when the detective had begun playing the piano was enough to completely snuff it out and reignite anew. Hakuba was a pianist? There wasn’t much to the tune itself as far as difficulty levels went, but from the way his hands moved… confident, sure, Kaito could tell that he was rather experienced at it.
“You play the piano?” He asked, though the question was pretty much useless for anything beyond stating the obvious.

“I do, yes. Have since I was quite young. My mum began her college career as a concert pianist… and made sure to pass the discipline on to me, though she’d hoped that I would have taken to the violin with a little more enthusiasm…" 

Hakuba gave the explanation while his hands continued to roam the keys, picking out a melody and accompaniment with poise, turning his head to glance again at the other boy, lifting a brow. 

"And… yes, I am in Japan again. I hope that my absence wasn’t too taxing on you. I thought that, perhaps, you’d enjoy a bit of a break from my presence at your… moonlight escapades. Paris was lovely, by the way. Thank you for asking.”

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Lonely Elegance || kaitomagic

kaitomagic:

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The sound of Hakuba’s voice was Kaito’s first indication that he might have trouble that night. He blinked, turning his head to look up at his classmate in surprise, automatically scooting to the side as Hakuba had anticipated- though from Kaito’s viewpoint it was more to avoid getting sat on and having to deal with a detective in his lap than to give him permission to commandeer his seat.

“H..Hakuba?” The teen half stuttered as the detective lowered himself to the bench, blinking again before his eyes narrowed suspiciously. What was he doing here?

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Once comfortably seated, Hakuba took a moment to adjust his suit before turning his attention to the piano in front of them. “Don’t tell me that you’re surprised to see me here, as well. After all, with my work in the force and my father being who he is, of course I’d be invited to attend such a function.”

The half-brit detective flexed his fingers, gently slipping them onto the keys with practiced finesse. Such feather-light touches produced no sound, but Hakuba moved his fingers as if they would, turning his head to look at the other boy with a tilted smirk. It was then that he began to play; something light and classic, high notes trilling one after another in an effortless cascade. 

“Am I to assume that you’re here as Nakamori-chan’s date?”

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Lonely Elegance || kaitomagic

kaitomagic:

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Incidentally, that thief was wondering precisely the same thing, albeit in different context, as he was dragged through an overly crowded room by the determined Aoko Nakamori. How had he let her talk him into coming to something like this? The place was crawling with lawmen, and he didn’t even have a target in mind for being there. No plans or ulterior motives to keep his mind occupied… so he was slowly resigning himself to a long, awkward night. At least the place was nice.

It was only when they reached the refreshments counter that Aoko finally released his arm to grab a plate, determined to gather some actual food for her father to cork in all of the wine he was ingesting back at their table and discourage him from adding more to the growing pool in his stomach. Ginzo Nakamori was usually reasonably responsible about his alcohol… but when encouraged or not at work, he didn’t tend to hold back much.

Kaito wandered along with the girl for a few minutes as she picked out the foods she thought her father needed most right then; salad and little sandwiches and slices of meat, frustration showing by her jerky movements and how quickly she managed to form a precarious mountain on that little plate. He could tell she had this handled… so he nudged her arm to get her attention.
“Oi, I’m gonna go find a restroom.”
“What? Oh, okay, sure…” She responded, before turning to face him with narrowed eyes, leveling a sauce covered serving spoon at him. “Just don’t go and disappear for the rest of the night again! You always do that!”
Kaito held up his hands. “I won’t! I’ll be back.”
“You’d better be!”
The girl smiled, then, before turning back to her task- and the way that expression slipped back down her face to form that hostile frown gave Kaito the willies. Her father was really gonna get it if he kept up this night’s antics…
He backed away a step or two before turning to start walking off in his own direction, not actually even looking for a restroom; he’d just needed to have a moment with his own thoughts. Or maybe it was habit that made him feel the need to break away and scope the place… take note of who was there, observe their activities, mentally mark down various escape routes. Whatever it was, he now had his moment of freedom, and he used it to wander idly through the similarly meandering and gossiping crowd of officers and their families. Tables being mostly claimed by said various family and coworker groups, Kaito found his way to the rather nice grand piano set within the room, the bench of which was currently vacant… and took the opportunity to fill it, straightening his dark suit before taking a seat, eying the nearly reflective pattern of white and black keys spanning the length along the front.

The teenager was completely unaware that one Saguru Hakuba was even currently in Japan, let alone at the same gathering he was now neck deep in. Perhaps this was for the best; Aoko would have been rather disappointed if he’d said no to coming along with her.

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It was the reflection of the other teenager in the darkened window that Hakuba first noticed; black suit trim and well-fitted to his form. He wore it well, the detective thought, though whether that was from his practice as an amateur stage magician or his moonlighting career, he couldn’t say. Not with proper evidence, anyway, though he suspected it was much more the latter. Ah, Kuroba Kaito… the teenage class clown and veritable thorn in half-brit’s side. Obnoxious during the day, untouchable at night. 

But what was he doing at the event? Ah- the Nakamori girl was likely the culprit. Those two were together from dawn until dusk it seemed; perhaps not by his choice, though he tormented her often enough that their budding romance was obvious. Not that either of them would admit it, no; that wasn’t the way of the Japanese teenager, was it? No… rather not. But still, they had something between them, and it seemed as though she’d brought him along as her date. 

Funny, that. A date. All invited guests had been permitted to bring one – encouraged, even. Hakuba had chosen no one. The only people he had interest in were off-limits for one reason or another. Out of his league, in another country, missing in action, or, like Kuroba-kun, his enemy.

Not that any of them would give him the time of day in the first place. He was the prattish foreigner; the know-it-all who got under everyone’s skin with his silver tongue and harsh wit. A mystery otaku with soiled blood. Which was well and fine. He had no interest in relationships or dating. Certainly not in Japan, anyway. No; once he accomplished his goal, he was going home. Setting roots would only make things more difficult for him later. As if he could trust anyone enough, anyway.

He pulled himself from the leather sofa and straightened his suit, brushing hands over the white fabric with a faint smirk of amusement. What had made him wear white that night? Surely not for Kuroba-kun, whom he calmly following after him to the piano, several steps behind.

Once the other boy was seated, Hakuba casually approached from the side, head inclined to regard him with curious interest. “Might I join you, Kuroba-kun?” he asked, shifting to sit on the bench with him with the assumption that he would make room. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight." 

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Lonely Elegance || kaitomagic

It was a party just like many that he’d attended; men and women dressed in formals, mingling, drinking, enjoying themselves. Unlike the usual affair, however, these were people that he was all too familiar with. A catered event for the police, even, with inspectors and traffic officers alike taking advantage of the open bar. On the one hand, this meant that the shop talk was at least remotely interesting to Hakuba. On the other, it also meant that he was dreadfully alone. Too young to really be part of them (and, really, several resented the fact that he was even involved in real police work), too familiar with their work to just go along as a guest.

Such was the life of the Superintendent General’s son, however. He took it in stride for the most part, finding a perch in a lonely corner to quietly observe while he drank his glass of champagne. It wasn’t the best he’d had, he thought to himself, swirling the pale liquid from side to side. The hors d’oeuvres left much to be desired, as well. Then again, this was just a formality; an event thrown together to make them feel appreciated. It wasn’t at all like the high class parties his mother put together on a regular basis, meant for those with money. This, as nice as the venue was, only had a large enough budget to make them feel like they had money. 

He sighed, reading the lips of those who passed him, taking note of skirt lengths, the kind of ties the men wore and how what knots they used, hair color, contact lenses on those who normally wore glasses, and so on. Hakuba checked his watch every so often, verifying the time between pocket watch and wrist, attempting to keep mentally count down the seconds in a little game of accuracy. Most often, though, his gaze was drawn back to the window and the cityscape below, wishing he were wandering rooftops, climbing damned ladders, feet pounding on pavement in hot pursuit of a culprit.

Cheek rested on the palm of his hand, Hakuba let his mind wander. Although he wore white that night, no one paid him mind so long as he stayed in the shadows.  Mm. White. Like a certain thief. 

I wonder what he’s doing right now…