[ Conan knows before his eyes even open that he's not still on the pallet he uses as a bed-the lump he habitually leaves in the blankets as an indicator he's still where he fell asleep is absent. Whatever he's been laid on is soft-another pallet. His head is reasonably clear so it's unlikely drugs had been employed to keep him asleep, hands and feet are unbound, and he's not gagged. Whoever had moved him is either someone he associates with safe or they wanted to give him some kind of false sense of security, or to try and throw him off his guard by making him think he's still safe at home. But they missed and lump in the blankets so they'd gotten it wrong. A miscalculation of his character means there's room to outsmart the person who's misjudged him. ]
[ Unable to deduce too much more about his situation with his eyes shut he finally gives up the facade of sleep and pushes himself to sit up, pretending to have just woken up while he gets a good look around the room. The pallet he's been laid on just so happens to be the one he fell asleep on at Holmes'. So it's looking like he was rolled up in the pallet and transported elsewhere- ]
[Jim kept to the shadows of the room, carefully watching the child sleep without a care in the world. It must be so nice to feel safe enough to sleep right through a kidnapping. He screwed his face up in a frown just briefly before taking a deep breath and schooling himself. The child had been moved easily and everything had gone according to plan (regardless of how tenuously the word 'plan' was being used) so far and there was little reason to be displeased at the moment.
Watching Sherlock with a child was always a strange past time, considering the man's (supposed) aversion to all human connection. He seemed oddly attached to this child and Jim knew for certain it wasn't a Holmes bastard, so it begged the question: why this child? Jim had of course seen him running around with Sherlock and his pet on the CCTV which seemed reckless even for them. Not that he was one to judge, but-]
[Oh, he was waking up and doing very well at hiding it. There was definitely something -different- about the child at least as Jim was loathe to use the word -special- outside of himself and maybe Sherlock...]
[Occasionally.]
So good of you to join me, I'm sure you've already sussed out that you aren't at home. Aren't you just a clever one?
[Jim grinned, keeping to the shadows near the locked door.]
Don't worry, you're safe for now. So, why don't you tell me about yourself, dear and do try to keep it interesting. I'd hate for you to bore me too early on in our acquaintance.
[ Jim maybe trying to keep to the shadows but the moment he has a voice to seek out his eyes narrow and his gaze lands immediately on the other person in the room. He can't make much out in the current lighting but it's likely this man is staying just out of sight on purpose. ]
[ He takes his eyes off the man for a moment, feeling blindly around for his glasses, if he'd been rolled up in his pallet then they should be here with him. his fingers brush against metal frames and he swipes them up, quickly shoving them on his face and discretely pushes the button to activate the night vision mode. ]
Was it really a good idea to have me taken directly from Holmes' house? I don't think he'll like it very much.
[Jim's grin was manic as he slipped his hands into his pockets and started to rock slightly from the balls of his feet to the heels. The kid was looking around already, strange seeing as how he always wore glasses.]
Well, [Jim's grin widened a bit.] Sherlock doesn't much like anything I do. May as well have a little fun with it.
[He stopped rocking, standing firmly with feet shoulder width apart. He briefly considered stepping out into the hall to flip on a light to get some good backlighting around the door behind him. Just for a bit more of a dramatic flair.]
Now, what did I say about being boring? Why don't you start by telling me exactly what you're doing with the Littlest Holmes, hm? And make it interesting, you're not just some ordinary child are you?
[ He's probably already given too much away just by not crying like a normal child but thankfully for both of them, crying is beneath him. ]
My dad was a detective that used to consult Mr. Holmes on occasion. He passed away. [ He says with a bit of stiffness expected of an uneasy child. ] Holmes is looking after me. I'm his apprentice.
[Jim rolled his eyes at the child. That sounded ridiculous.]
I doubt he'd be watching the child of a police detective, so a private detective? Too bad I know dear Sherlock doesn't 'work with'- [He pulled his hands from his pockets and slouched down, making very mocking air quotes as he spoke.] other detectives, he hardly works with his partner. So how about you stop LYING. [He shrieked at the child, taking a single step forward and projecting his voice as much as possible int the small room.]
[Really, what he was interested in was just how easily frightened the child was or if he was lying about that as well.]
[ Conan jerks backwards, the sudden shouting isn't something he was expecting, which works out well for the child facade. It's also probably a good thing that no matter what story Conan gives him, Jim will have no way of fact checking it as Conan Edogawa has no previous records of existence other then what Mycroft has managed to put into place. ]
I'm not lying. What good would lying do me now? Holmes has probably already noticed I'm missing.
That really is the question of the hour, isn't it? [Jim wrinkled up his nose as he slipped his hands back into his pockets and leaned back, adopting his more relaxed stance once again. He continued speaking in a sort of sing song] Why-would-you-lie-to-me-?
[He pulled his left hand from his pocket to check the Constantin watch on his wrist. Jim tutted slightly.]
Oh no, I dare say Sherlock and the Doctor will be out for a little while yet. Though those past years of drug abuse may have effected his tolerance. Who's to say? Now, I'll ask you once more: What. Have. You. Got. To. Do. With. Sherlock. Holmes.
[Jim spun on his heel, turning in place a couple of times before stopping to stare at the child again.]
[ He's still not buying the lie. Conan hadn't really expected him too even though it was true that Sherlock was looking after him-sort of. ]
I told you. I'm his apprentice. Why do you keep asking the same question? [ It's obvious he's not about to be let go so he needs start thinking up an escape plan before his kidnapper decides to get any closer. Unfortunately he doesn't have much, his shoes are by the door of the door at Baker Street so that automatically rules out any plans involving kicking something in his face. ]
Conan. [ He answers stiffly, refusing to give a last name. Not that it really even matters. ]
[Jim's nose wrinkled just a fraction and he slouched down further, chin level with his shoulders]
I keep asking, you little brat, because you keep lying to me. What would he want with an apprentice? Especially a child that has given no indication of being anything other that ordinary and boring? [Jim let out a small huff of annoyance and turned on the spot again as he straightened out his back.]
[He seemed to brighten up at the name, sly grin returning and smoothing away the annoyance and frustration.]
Do you know who I am, by chance, Conan. [He managed to bleed as much venom as possible into the name, twisting the syllables into sounding like a threat.]
It's not that complicated. I asked and Holmes said I could stay with him as his apprentice. That's it.
[ He has a pretty good indication of just who it is he's talking to based on a few clues the conversation has offered thus far as well as the situation as a whole. And as far as Conan is concerned, Moriarty can think he's boring as a primary student math problem and he won't bother correcting him. It's better that someone like that not know about his accidental slip through reality. ]
[Jim's smile shifted to a nasty frown and he took several strides to stand right in front of Conan, making sure he was firmly between the brat and the door still.]
What did I say about lying and being boring? [He snapped loudly, crouching just long enough to get long fingers wrapped around a small throat and squeezing much too tightly]
You'll have to do better than that if you want to make it back to dear Sherlock in a single piece.
[ he should moved away the moment Moriarty decided to close the distance between them but he'd been far too stubborn in his resolve not to show fear and too late does it register what he's about to do. Moriarty has his hand on his throat. ]
[ He can't breathe. ]
[ Small hands grasp desperately at the larger, pulling, fingernails digging, trying to pry his assailant off. ]
Please. [ He somehow manages to just barely squeeze out. ] I-I'm not-not lying.
[Jim huffed and released the child, immediately standing and taking a single step back with a mutter that was likely an insult. He eyed the red ring around the boy's throat with a grin and slipped his hands into his pockets.]
If you're lucky that will leave a nice little bruise to remember me by. A souvenir to show off to your guardian. He'll notice, I'm sure... but will he even care? He could be awake already, knowing you're gone but doing nothing about it. That Mr. Holmes is a cold one, isn't he?
[Jim paced a circle in the small room, not even looking at Conan anymore. The amusement was fading from his eyes and boredom was rapidly settling in. Should he return the child, keep him to possibly torment Holmes, or just kill him outright. He had, after all, seen Jim's face.]
[ The moment he can breathe again he's coughing and trying to gulp down air all at once. He massages his throat where there are no doubt some bruising forming and glances towards the door. If Moriarty is moving away from it, leaving it a seemingly open escape route then it's probably locked. Which suggest he probably has a henchman or two right outside the door to let him out once he's done in here. He'll have to find another escape route and he can't do that with Moriarty in the room. He needs to get him to step out. ]
You took me out of Holmes' house. Even if he doesn't care about me, his pride won't allow him to ignore it.
[ Right now the only thing keeping him alive is Moriarty's thoughts that he's not just an ordinary little boy, which is correct by all accounts but he can't know just how unordinary he is. To keep the other from killing him he'll have to show off some of his intelligence-hopefully his resolve to stay where he's sitting will be enough of a tipoff. ]
[Jim just rolled his eyes, still scowling deeply, his mood bordering on a very dangerous black peak. People were weak, especially children. It would be so easy to reach back down and snap a fragile neck, or to bury the sharp point of the switchblade in his pocket into an eye. The boy wore glasses already, surely he didn't need both eyes.]
I wouldn't count on that. I've taken plenty of things from his home before, many of which he's never bothered to come collect. Why should you be so special?
[ Not enough. Moriarty is too focused on Holmes right now to analyze what his lack of movement implies. ]
Because I have a heartbeat. [ Or at least... for now he does. If he doesn't find someway to entertain Jim soon that might not be true for much longer. He needs to make a deduction. ]
[ There's so much though how can he possibly decide on just one? His eyes scan Moriarty quickly-he's carrying a knife, small blade-but that isn't really what he would call a brilliant deduction. ]
If you think I'm going to let you come near me with that, you have another thing coming.
You do for now. [Jim immediately responded, eyes locking on to the child again.]
And human life has mattered to him so rarely in the past, so you must mean something to him.
[Jim cracked his jaw, shifting the lower mandible just slightly side to side as he stared down unblinkingly at Conan. He gave no indication he knew what the boy was talking about.]
Come near you with what, dear child, I don't know what you mean.
[ Contrary to what most people might have done in what is becoming an increasingly bleak situation, Conan merely narrows his eyes at the other. He needs to force the other's hand, had need to make him leave the only way he can do that is to push the man's buttons and Holmes is going to be so mad at him when he gets back to Baker Street. ]
The knife, it your pocket, small blade but sharp enough to do serious damage if you know where to cut and I'm sure you know exactly where to cut.
[ Not being tied down means that he can stand, which he does quickly, keeping his eyes locked on the older. ]
I told you, I'm his apprentice-he took me in because I asked him to teach me. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?
Nothing is difficult for me to understand. [Jim was flippant.] But it doesn't make any sense. He can barely handle living with a flatmate and land lady. Children are hardly his thing. And it's more than you being clever, no, no, there's more to it.
[Jim was babbling, the manic seemed to be the version of him that would unsettle the child the most, so it's the one he ran with. He paused, his jaw shifting again.]
Maybe I'll just have to bring Sherlock in myself to ask. Or maybe his dear Doctor, I'm sure he could answer a few questions. [Jim gave a small smirk here.] How foolish of me to expect the right answers from such a young child.
[ He might pretend to be fearless and he can stare down the barrel of a gun without an ounce of nervousness but the one thing he can't stand is the idea of others getting hurt for his sake or hurt at all really. But he can't afford to give Moriarty information that could potentially get a lot of other people hurt. ]
Holmes and I have a lot in common and we tend to think the same way. And he likes that I'm impressed with him. It's hardly a conspiracy.
He would like you to be impressed with him, wouldn't he?
[Jim scoffed at the child]
But, really, he's hardly anything. He's yet to do any damage to anything that really matters. Though I do admit he's got a certain magnetism to him. [His head tilted back, pursing his lips and thinking.]
If you've got so much in common... Show me. Impress me and I might not start cutting off fingers. Or maybe toes.
Oh no, I wouldn't use this. [He brings out the knife and flicks it opened and shut in a smooth motion before tucking it away again.] It's definitely not cut out for that sort of task. No, no. This knife is more for stabbing and gouging out eyes.
[His head tilts for just a moment before turning and striding from the room. The room had concrete walls and just the one door, so it was unlikely the child would escape without notice. This is, if he could get through the digital lock on the outside of the door at all. He was getting bored, anyway.]
[ He was bluffing. There are no windows and any gadget that may have been some kind of use is back at Baker Street. He has no idea how to escape and his resources are a bit lacking. The door clicks and he's left on his own. For how long, he doesn't know. At least a minute but no where near five. ]
[ When time is up he might have to give up a few fingers and he'd really rather not. There has to be something he can do, he can't just admit defeat. He glances at his watch and then to the door again. Maybe if Moriarty is expecting something complex as proof the other is like Holmes then maybe something simple will do the trick. ]
[ He quickly bunches his blankets up to look like a child hiding under the sheets and moves to wait along the wall for the door to open again. He'll have less than thirty seconds to pull this off so timing is everything. He'll have worry about whoever is guarding the door when he gets through it. ]
[ This is not what he needed today. He did not need to come across an unconscious and rapidly shrinking Kaitou Kid-though he'll acknowledge it's nothing short of a miracle that he found the thief before he woke up to find the world was suddenly much, much bigger. He pulls the thief into a storage closet of museum and clicks the light on to wait for the thief to wake up. ]
[ He was too late to stop what had happened but what he's more sorry for is that he didn't warn Kid about the black organization, he didn't mention that if they somehow worked out that he'd helped their missing traitor they'd target his life. He should have. But he didn't and now Kid is going to pay a very heavy price. ]
[ He could shake him awake but the kinder thing would be to let him spend the last precious moments he has in complete ignorance of what has just happened to him. So he'll just wait. ]
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[ Unable to deduce too much more about his situation with his eyes shut he finally gives up the facade of sleep and pushes himself to sit up, pretending to have just woken up while he gets a good look around the room. The pallet he's been laid on just so happens to be the one he fell asleep on at Holmes'. So it's looking like he was rolled up in the pallet and transported elsewhere- ]
[ Kidnapping. ]
[ Great. ]
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Watching Sherlock with a child was always a strange past time, considering the man's (supposed) aversion to all human connection. He seemed oddly attached to this child and Jim knew for certain it wasn't a Holmes bastard, so it begged the question: why this child? Jim had of course seen him running around with Sherlock and his pet on the CCTV which seemed reckless even for them. Not that he was one to judge, but-]
[Oh, he was waking up and doing very well at hiding it. There was definitely something -different- about the child at least as Jim was loathe to use the word -special- outside of himself and maybe Sherlock...]
[Occasionally.]
So good of you to join me, I'm sure you've already sussed out that you aren't at home. Aren't you just a clever one?
[Jim grinned, keeping to the shadows near the locked door.]
Don't worry, you're safe for now. So, why don't you tell me about yourself, dear and do try to keep it interesting. I'd hate for you to bore me too early on in our acquaintance.
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[ He takes his eyes off the man for a moment, feeling blindly around for his glasses, if he'd been rolled up in his pallet then they should be here with him. his fingers brush against metal frames and he swipes them up, quickly shoving them on his face and discretely pushes the button to activate the night vision mode. ]
Was it really a good idea to have me taken directly from Holmes' house? I don't think he'll like it very much.
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Well, [Jim's grin widened a bit.] Sherlock doesn't much like anything I do. May as well have a little fun with it.
[He stopped rocking, standing firmly with feet shoulder width apart. He briefly considered stepping out into the hall to flip on a light to get some good backlighting around the door behind him. Just for a bit more of a dramatic flair.]
Now, what did I say about being boring? Why don't you start by telling me exactly what you're doing with the Littlest Holmes, hm? And make it interesting, you're not just some ordinary child are you?
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My dad was a detective that used to consult Mr. Holmes on occasion. He passed away. [ He says with a bit of stiffness expected of an uneasy child. ] Holmes is looking after me. I'm his apprentice.
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I doubt he'd be watching the child of a police detective, so a private detective? Too bad I know dear Sherlock doesn't 'work with'- [He pulled his hands from his pockets and slouched down, making very mocking air quotes as he spoke.] other detectives, he hardly works with his partner. So how about you stop LYING. [He shrieked at the child, taking a single step forward and projecting his voice as much as possible int the small room.]
[Really, what he was interested in was just how easily frightened the child was or if he was lying about that as well.]
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I'm not lying. What good would lying do me now? Holmes has probably already noticed I'm missing.
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[He pulled his left hand from his pocket to check the Constantin watch on his wrist. Jim tutted slightly.]
Oh no, I dare say Sherlock and the Doctor will be out for a little while yet. Though those past years of drug abuse may have effected his tolerance. Who's to say? Now, I'll ask you once more: What. Have. You. Got. To. Do. With. Sherlock. Holmes.
[Jim spun on his heel, turning in place a couple of times before stopping to stare at the child again.]
And don't be so rude, do tell me your name.
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I told you. I'm his apprentice. Why do you keep asking the same question? [ It's obvious he's not about to be let go so he needs start thinking up an escape plan before his kidnapper decides to get any closer. Unfortunately he doesn't have much, his shoes are by the door of the door at Baker Street so that automatically rules out any plans involving kicking something in his face. ]
Conan. [ He answers stiffly, refusing to give a last name. Not that it really even matters. ]
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I keep asking, you little brat, because you keep lying to me. What would he want with an apprentice? Especially a child that has given no indication of being anything other that ordinary and boring? [Jim let out a small huff of annoyance and turned on the spot again as he straightened out his back.]
[He seemed to brighten up at the name, sly grin returning and smoothing away the annoyance and frustration.]
Do you know who I am, by chance, Conan. [He managed to bleed as much venom as possible into the name, twisting the syllables into sounding like a threat.]
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[ He has a pretty good indication of just who it is he's talking to based on a few clues the conversation has offered thus far as well as the situation as a whole. And as far as Conan is concerned, Moriarty can think he's boring as a primary student math problem and he won't bother correcting him. It's better that someone like that not know about his accidental slip through reality. ]
No. Should I?
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What did I say about lying and being boring? [He snapped loudly, crouching just long enough to get long fingers wrapped around a small throat and squeezing much too tightly]
You'll have to do better than that if you want to make it back to dear Sherlock in a single piece.
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[ He can't breathe. ]
[ Small hands grasp desperately at the larger, pulling, fingernails digging, trying to pry his assailant off. ]
Please. [ He somehow manages to just barely squeeze out. ] I-I'm not-not lying.
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If you're lucky that will leave a nice little bruise to remember me by. A souvenir to show off to your guardian. He'll notice, I'm sure... but will he even care? He could be awake already, knowing you're gone but doing nothing about it. That Mr. Holmes is a cold one, isn't he?
[Jim paced a circle in the small room, not even looking at Conan anymore. The amusement was fading from his eyes and boredom was rapidly settling in. Should he return the child, keep him to possibly torment Holmes, or just kill him outright. He had, after all, seen Jim's face.]
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You took me out of Holmes' house. Even if he doesn't care about me, his pride won't allow him to ignore it.
[ Right now the only thing keeping him alive is Moriarty's thoughts that he's not just an ordinary little boy, which is correct by all accounts but he can't know just how unordinary he is. To keep the other from killing him he'll have to show off some of his intelligence-hopefully his resolve to stay where he's sitting will be enough of a tipoff. ]
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I wouldn't count on that. I've taken plenty of things from his home before, many of which he's never bothered to come collect. Why should you be so special?
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Because I have a heartbeat. [ Or at least... for now he does. If he doesn't find someway to entertain Jim soon that might not be true for much longer. He needs to make a deduction. ]
[ There's so much though how can he possibly decide on just one? His eyes scan Moriarty quickly-he's carrying a knife, small blade-but that isn't really what he would call a brilliant deduction. ]
If you think I'm going to let you come near me with that, you have another thing coming.
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And human life has mattered to him so rarely in the past, so you must mean something to him.
[Jim cracked his jaw, shifting the lower mandible just slightly side to side as he stared down unblinkingly at Conan. He gave no indication he knew what the boy was talking about.]
Come near you with what, dear child, I don't know what you mean.
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The knife, it your pocket, small blade but sharp enough to do serious damage if you know where to cut and I'm sure you know exactly where to cut.
[ Not being tied down means that he can stand, which he does quickly, keeping his eyes locked on the older. ]
I told you, I'm his apprentice-he took me in because I asked him to teach me. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?
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[Jim was babbling, the manic seemed to be the version of him that would unsettle the child the most, so it's the one he ran with. He paused, his jaw shifting again.]
Maybe I'll just have to bring Sherlock in myself to ask. Or maybe his dear Doctor, I'm sure he could answer a few questions. [Jim gave a small smirk here.] How foolish of me to expect the right answers from such a young child.
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Holmes and I have a lot in common and we tend to think the same way. And he likes that I'm impressed with him. It's hardly a conspiracy.
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[Jim scoffed at the child]
But, really, he's hardly anything. He's yet to do any damage to anything that really matters. Though I do admit he's got a certain magnetism to him. [His head tilted back, pursing his lips and thinking.]
If you've got so much in common... Show me. Impress me and I might not start cutting off fingers. Or maybe toes.
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Leave the room and I'd be happy to show you.
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[His head tilts for just a moment before turning and striding from the room. The room had concrete walls and just the one door, so it was unlikely the child would escape without notice. This is, if he could get through the digital lock on the outside of the door at all. He was getting bored, anyway.]
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[ When time is up he might have to give up a few fingers and he'd really rather not. There has to be something he can do, he can't just admit defeat. He glances at his watch and then to the door again. Maybe if Moriarty is expecting something complex as proof the other is like Holmes then maybe something simple will do the trick. ]
[ He quickly bunches his blankets up to look like a child hiding under the sheets and moves to wait along the wall for the door to open again. He'll have less than thirty seconds to pull this off so timing is everything. He'll have worry about whoever is guarding the door when he gets through it. ]
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[ He was too late to stop what had happened but what he's more sorry for is that he didn't warn Kid about the black organization, he didn't mention that if they somehow worked out that he'd helped their missing traitor they'd target his life. He should have. But he didn't and now Kid is going to pay a very heavy price. ]
[ He could shake him awake but the kinder thing would be to let him spend the last precious moments he has in complete ignorance of what has just happened to him. So he'll just wait. ]
[ Asking help from a friend | Text ]
13 07 Clinical Errors Dancing Queen
Someone's life depends on us solving