badfic_manor | [Video]

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ran mouri

[Video]

[Ran switches on the video feed. She is wearing a turtleneck with a colorful red scarf and shining red rose brooch. Holding a steaming cup of milk tea, her nose and cheeks have gotten rosy, nipped by the cold.]

Say, is there a postal service where we're at? I've got Christmas gifts I need to mail out within the next week or so if I expect them to reach their recipients.

[She shrugs her shoulders and her smile widens.]

And I've got a question for you - if you were a guy who liked mysteries a little too much, played soccer and was traveling all the time - what kind of Christmas gifts would you like?

[Waves a hand before reaching over to shut off the feed.]

Thanks in advance!

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[Ran runs her open palms on the front of her jeans. They were a little balmy all of a sudden. She wasn't sure if she should ask--actually, it was probably just Heiji being his Osakan self, right? They were always more outgoing than Tokyoites. Yeah, that's it!]

"Last came here"? Were you out somewhere else before?

[Are you able to leave this place..? At will?]

Aa. Eventually I went back 'ome, or maybe I woke up. It's been years.

Nothin's changed. *he looks like it's been about that long since he's seen you, too*

[Ran is a bit confused by Heiji's explanation, as it's plain as day on her face.]

Have you...how is Kazuha-chan doing?

[He looked a little worse for wear, and she gasped when she remembered her manners.]

Why don't you come in? Conan-kun's not here at the moment, so you can sit on his bed if you like.

[Ran steps back to allow Heiji inside.]

*he can't stop the grimace. Kazuha had been with him, running from Them. It had all gone horribly wrong. Hopefully she got away, but she was going to be so worried about him. Even now he was probably bleeding out on the floor of some business's back room. She might never know until the next morning's news report.

If he wasn't dead and just dreaming this place again, then she was going to kill him when he makes it home. If he even could.

Taking the offer as an excuse to not answer right away, he smiles and moves to sit on Conan's bed.*

Thanks. It feel good to sit for a few minutes. Ya can't believe how shaky yer legs can get after ye run too hard.

[Ran noticed that grimace. She couldn't let that one pass.]

Hattori-kun. [Her voice got gravely low, and she leaned in to stare Heiji down.]

What. Happened. To Kazuha-chan? And just what were you running from?!

N-nothin'... *she was fine when they split up. He hopes she's still okay*

We...we were just runnin'... ya know, like a race. *okay, yeah. No matter what age she was, Ran still had their entire group whipped. Fond, sad memories. He hopes she was okay too.*

[Ran flatstares at Heiji. She takes a hold of his left hand and jerks it up to get a closer look.]

I thought so.

[She drops his hand and sticks an index finger in Heiji's face.]

More like she was chasing after you since you're not married yet.

*he matches the look, drawing up his defenses. This was a familiar reaction to be dusting off. It was nice.*

Oi! She wouldn't do that, it was 'er decision much as mine t'not get married just yet, okay? *that might be a mild blush*

Well! At least you two are being honest with each other. [She couldn't say as much as the time she came from.]

[Ran retracted her finger and gave Heiji some space. She wanted to ask if it was because they were letting her and Shinichi go first, but she wasn't going to fall into that temptation. Not to mention she was assuming that things actually went her way in the future.]

*it would break his heart to tell her that she and Shinichi had WAY more problems stopping them than he and Kazuha.*

Course we bein' honest with each other. What does that even mean?

[Here comes a knowing smile.]

Oh come on, Hattori-kun. You and Kazuha-chan are in complete denial--at least you were as high schoolers.

We were no-okay, maybe we were. We got over that a LONG time ago. *sure, he'd been in the hospital at the time, but you know? Facing your own mortality does that kind of thing for a man. He'd never gone out alone after that*

Hmn. Good. [Ran folds her arms and takes a step back from the bed.]

It looks like you have a lot of healing-up to do. Did you want me to get you anything to eat?

Nah, I can head down'n make somethin' later. I just play a little too hard, that's all. *pats his chest with his injured arm as if it didn't hurt at all.

It hurt like a BITCH but she didn't have to know that*

[Ran gives Heiji a prolonged look, not quite buying it. But she wasn't going to press the matter further.]

...you would ask if you needed my help, right? Don't pull a Shinichi.

*for a split second his expression clearly states 'you don't want to know, not yet, but you will', then it's gone and he's smiling again*

Of course, Ran. And I know one day I will need yer help, and ya will be there. I don't think I ever thanked ya. So I will now. Thank you.

[Ran smiles and nods, walking back to her bed and sitting on her mattress.]

You can rest there for a bit if you like. I'm just going to get a few things together for to brainstorm for Shinichi's present this year.

*he laughs*

Ya know, ya never quite get th' hang of that.

[Ran looks up from a few pieces of paper she's collected - notes she wrote on a moment's notice when she came up with another possible gift idea.]

Eh? What do you mean?

Figuring out what t' give him. Every year, a good month before th' holiday and his birthday, ya always dig through magazines and ask us what ya could get 'im.

It's gotten to th' point where he usually remembers when his birthday is just by trackin' when ya start hidin' stuff and cuttin' off conversations.

[Ran nervously smiles, rubbing the bottom of her chin with a finger.] Is it really that obvious..? Or only to a detective..?

Believe me, a few years down th' line and not even a blind man could miss it.

[Ran holds her chin in thought.] ...maybe I should be working out a cover-up scheme...

Ya know he's smart enough t'see through that, right?

[Ran huffs and scoffs.] Well! Not when he's too busy solving cases elsewhere.

[Bitter, much?]

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