Day 41: Courtyard (4th shift)

[guyslikegames]

Jiraiya had been right about the bulletin, at least. Yousuke guessed that meant he'd probably have to take some of the other things he'd said a bit more seriously as well. Like the monsters at night

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[meitantei]

"Thanks," Shinichi grunted, grabbing the other boy's hand and carefully standing up. It made him dizzy for just a second, but it was so much nicer to be out of that damned chair that he gladly welcomed the odd shift in equilibrium.

He straightened and gave Kaworu another smile. It was an odd name, sure, but it was much better than "Addison." Or...Conan. "Nice to meet you, Kaworu-san." His smile became a little bit forced as the kid kept talking, though. He really was new here. And what were Lilim?

"What's a 'Lilim?' I'm sorry, I'm unfamiliar with the term." Maybe it was a regional thing. On Mars, a nasty little voice asked in the back of his mind. "And...well, it's complicated. Yes, these people do reside here--for now. This is a residential facility called Landel's Institute, as I'm sure your nurse was kind enough to inform you. The room you woke up in will be the one you will be shepherded back to at the end of this current shift. However, we're not originally from this place. We all woke up here much like you did, with no idea how we ended up here. In short, we were kidnapped."

[moral_liberty]

"I am sorry," was the only explanation Kaworu offered about the term. Going into it any further would be lengthy, and would doubtlessly open up more doors than he was interested in exploring at the moment.

It was simply not the issue on the forefront of Kaworu's mind. The word kidnapped made the smile slip off his face. He could not come up with any real means by which he himself could be abducted and contained by an average organization, but it was not entirely implausible. Though he would have imagined more intense precautions being taken. As he glanced briefly at his bare wrists, the image of Lilith pinned to a cross and eternally bleeding rose out of his memory. He quickly forced it back down. All of these others, these humans, were a far different matter. He did not have to try hard to imagine them as victims. Lilim would always victimize Lilim.

"It seems man will always be the source of its own suffering. Constantly seeking to abuse what, in the end, it simply itself. There is nothing else that can compare," he mused quietly, not really to Shinichi in particular. He looked back up at the other boy. "Are you aware to what end you were kidnapped?"

[meitantei]

Shinichi snorted. Kaworu was a bit of a philosopher, apparently. But he was right. Ultimately, the cause of human suffering was almost always other humans. All of the cases he'd ever worked had been people hurting other people. "You're telling me," he said softly. "Back home, I'm a detective. People will always hurt each other. But there's good, too, and there's truth. And it's finding that truth that brings out the good us sometimes." He liked to think so, anyway. It made his job so much more fulfilling when he did.

"No." He shook his head. "I don't know how, and I don't know why, except perhaps to satisfy some sick, sadistic need on the Head Doctor's part. He's the man in charge. There are groups of us trying to figure out how and why...and how we can get out and get back home, but we haven't uncovered much so far. My friend--a fellow detective and I--are trying to investigate it, but no luck yet. Sorry."

[moral_liberty]

"It is good to know that the will to survive and achieve freedom persists in you," Kaworu asserted, dismissing any apology. His smile had returned, and he felt the faint glow of affection. Shinichi's words had hit a clear note. Lilim were a creature capable of the most atrocious cruelties, as well as the deepest acts of kindness.

"You are very young to be a detective," he stated, estimating the boy to be no older than him by handful of years. Every image of a detective Kaworu had found in fiction was well into adulthood, though Shinichi would be the first he had actually met. He would need to reconsider his perception on the matter. Fiction was an unreliable source. "You must have a strong will to have achieved so much. It speaks highly of your tenacity and capabilities." Shinichi wore his strength openly, like armor. He readily presented his confidence, not only in himself, but in the goodness of others. It was so unlike Shinji, who had denied his strength, and had hidden his hope deeply within himself for protection. Kaworu would be happy to see Shinji again... if indeed he ever did.