Voice; Request

[singlefaith]

[Ran's not sure she's comfortable with being seen for this one, as it's a subject that's touching a little deeply for her, so for the moment she just sticks to voice.]

[She pulls in a soft breath.]

I . . . need some help.

I know a lot of you have met Conan-kun. He's been here for a while. There's another girl here from my world now too -- Ai-chan. If you haven't met them yet, I hope you get to soon.

What I need help with . . . They're both seven. They're both smart -- really smart -- for their age, but. They're both seven. And not fighters. The train doesn't seem to discriminate about who it takes, and yet the missions that it sends us on are dangerous.

[A pause, wrestling with her words.]

I need them both to be safe. This past time Sera-chan and I were able to be with them. But what happens if we're not able to do that? How does their safety get guaranteed?

I need a better guarantee. Please help me figure out how to keep two kids safe so I can get them back home? I'm teaching both some simpler self-defense, and that will help, but . . . I already know it's not enough.

Comments

VOICE

[luckydragonsfoot]

Aw geeze how many kids are there? Th's is more than who fell t' Alola even...

[The one answering sounds probably about Ran's age- they also have a heck of a street accent, but oof.] I don' r'member seein' anyone w'th those names on Blue, but it ain't like I talked t' everyone...an' t' be honest, w'th people being able to move around teams tha' isn't a guarantee anyway...

But what colour they in? Best way t' keep folks safe is t' keep everyone aware righ'?

Voice

[singlefaith]

[It is a pretty thick accent, but Ran puzzles through it, not about to ask unless she really can't understand something. Most accents get easier as you get used to the rhythm of them.]

Ah-- both Ai-chan and Conan-kun got the wrong names when they got here. I think Ai-chan is under . . . Shiho Miyano? She's on Blue. Conan-kun is under Shinichi Kudo.

[Some hesitation on that the name for Conan, for reasons much different than the hesitation on Ai's, but it goes unexplained. And yes, Ran does believe that this was a mistake.]

[She has to.]

Conan-kun is on Orange. I went on my first mission with Orange, and people do seem to be mindful and like him, which I appreciate. I think . . . I'd just like a bit more?

[Quieter,] I don't know how many kids are here in general. But I've seen a few.

[And yes, it bothers her. A lot.]

[adregem]

[ Seven...He expresses just as much concern as he's internalizing. ]

I guess they're not the type to stay on the train during missions, huh?

[ That's not surprising; the kids in his party back home don't back down from a challenge. But they're different. They're fighters with magic spells and whatever else have you. The woman on the other end of the ICP is pretty clear that the kids here don't have the same skillset. ]

Teaching them self-defense is a great start. If they're determined to go on missions, might I suggest speaking to their individual team leads and asking for some assistance in keeping an eye on them, before disembarking from the train? Depending on the mission, they can even go with another team if their task sounds relatively safer. And if things get dicey on ground, then highly encourage them to use the escape function on the SCA, the one that sends you back to the train when you tap it thrice.

[ Roland wishes he had more to reassure her with; but he can't sugar coat the situation. There was no such thing as a better guarantee, not on this train and not with the things it makes them do. These are the cards they've all been dealt with. The best anyone can do is stick together and assist one another where needed. ]

[singlefaith]

[Genuinely, Ran doesn't expect sugar coating. There's no denying the situation that they're in, unfortunately -- which makes it all the harder, because with it comes the knowledge that there's no way out, no way away from it. It's part of what has made all of this weigh on her hard for some time. If it had just been her taken . . . well, that might be different. Now there are children to protect from dangers she's not sure she can protect them from -- and no way out but to find an imperfect way to adapt. There are no full guarantees, and that fact is eating her slowly even as she tries to piece together as many shreds of one as she can.]

Mm-mm, they're not. Ai-chan maybe. But Conan-kun always finds a way to sneak away, even he promises to stay put. He wanted to follow me this past time, so even though I made him promise to stay, I found him in the group as soon as the train pulled away.

I think notifying the team leads could be a good idea. Conan-kun is normally on Orange Team, which I'm told normally has less dangerous missions -- even though it doesn't sound like it ended up that way this time. I think this time, though, he was worried about me on Purple and followed.

Does the SCA work for that at any time? [If so, that's reassuring.]

Voice

[tactlesstantei]

“I’m willing to keep watching them if you need me to.”

[While Masumi knew that Conan and Ai weren’t really children, they still looked the part and still needed the protection. She couldn’t just let them go off on their own, especially not after that last mission proved that any of the team’s tasks could be dangerous.

That, and she wanted more opportunities to try and get the truth out of them, but that went unspoken.]

[singlefaith]

[There's warmth in Ran's voice as she responds.] Thank you -- I'm grateful for Sera-chan being here.

I know, though, too, that realistically we may not always be able to be there. I mean, up until now, we've been able to choose the team we want to go with. What if that changes? And then the types of monsters that we've seen so far . . . we don't have powers. We were trained to fight against humans -- and that's only if necessary to protect ourselves or others, not for fighting off armies.

. . . Or monsters.

We . . . may not be enough. [That's hard to say. And something she's been wrestling with hard since probably the first mission.]

Voice

[goingthroughaphase]

[ Kitty was beginning to understand why Creed had gotten upset with her learning to fight back home, but at least she had powers to protect herself. These were just kids, and they might not have extra powers to help them. ]

If they have friends on other teams, maybe they could help look out for them if they sneak onto missions?

Voice

[singlefaith]

[They definitely don't. They're smart, as Ran said, but no powers. Even if you did count them actually being teenagers -- something Ran doesn't know -- still. No powers.]

I do think it helps, and I'm grateful to anyone who's been willing so far. It means a lot. I'm just not sure if it's enough by itself, though, which is where I'm getting stuck. Missions -- especially battles -- can get really chaotic, and sometimes it's all everyone can do just to take care of themselves. Someone may think that Conan-kun and Ai-chan are somewhere else, being watched by someone else, and that someone else may think the same, and meanwhile they're in danger.

I almost wonder if they just always need someone with them. But I don't know if that's practical. And maybe I'm not thinking of other possibilities.

Voice

[grannyofthebolt]

"Are these two really seven, like only have lived for 7 years, or like me? I got stuck in the body of a 12 year old over 700 years ago due to a magic curse, and if that happened to them, who is to say what magic or skills they have access to."

"Still, if you want, since people get squeamish about me going to the front, I could either show them some defensive incantations or look out for them."

Voice

[singlefaith]

[. . . What?]

[This place never fails to confound Ran. She forgets her worry long enough to stare at the console for a moment.]

Ah-- n-no, they're just seven. That kind of thing doesn't really happen in our world? There isn't any magic.

[Oh, Ran. Little do you know what science has managed instead.]

That's really kind of you, thank you. Could they still learn something like that if they don't have any magic powers?

[Voice]

[deductiongeek]

[Conan wasn't sure whether he was offended at the implied suggestion that he needed a babysitter on missions, worried at how badly Ran had been taking the dangers of their situation or mortified that certain people who were entirely aware of his real age and capability were going to see this.]

Ran-neechan... I promised to be more careful.

[Voice]

[singlefaith]

[She was afraid of this. She hates that he's heard it; he shouldn't have had to be involved, and she would never have involved him if she could have avoided it. She needs help on a larger scale, though, than just the small network that she's managed to cultivate, and there are no options to lock certain passengers from the feed. It goes to everyone or not at all.]

Conan-kun . . . [Her voice goes very soft.] It's not your fault. I want you to understand that, okay? The places we go are just dangerous -- really dangerous. It's not just about how careful you are, even though that helps. There's a lot that can go wrong, things out of your control. And outside mine. I don't always know if I can protect you . . . and I need to.

voice

[fontechnician]

It might be worth teaching them to fight as well as defend themselves, if they're willing to learn.

[He doesn't necessarily consider this good advice, just situationally appropriate advice. Neither of the kids she's talking about are familiar to him.]

voice

[singlefaith]

[He can probably hear the wince in her voice, but she's not angry that he suggested it.]

Mm, I don't know if you're wrong, but there's something that doesn't feel right in teaching a seven year old how to fight. I wouldn't want them to have to be on the offensive . . . children shouldn't have to fight at all.

I really wish the train -- or whoever pulls us from home -- would consider that.

voice

[mtsilver_conquor]

I'm willing to keep an eye on either of them.

At the very least, I have experience in situations similar to this.

voice

[singlefaith]

[Softly,] Thank you, Eva-san. I appreciate it.

You have experience guarding children?

voice;

[sunbloom]

[Approximately seven. Extremely smart for her age. Not a fighter. Hmm...]

-I think I've met your Ai-chan. She already argued with me on this subject. It must have been when she'd just arrived. I'm kind of surprised she went on the mission, actually, as strongly as she fought me that day.

I'm not sure how to keep her safe, though, or the other boy. In fact I'm probably not even the right person to ask. In light of that... don't keep them back. Bring them along, tell them you're doing it on purpose, and trust them to get in small but not huge amounts of trouble.

voice;

[singlefaith]

[A child who argued forcefully . . . Sounds like Ai.]

[Meanwhile, Ran's pretty sure she remembers this voice.]

She fought you about having to go on missions?

She did end up going, yes. She's interested in science -- she stays with an inventor at home -- so I'm not surprised she got attracted by the lab. Sera-chan was with her, and Orange was supposed to have the less dangerous missions, but.

[That definitely hadn't been the case this past time.]

Ideally, if small trouble was all that could happen, I could live with that. But this past time, Orange was attacked by the monsters. They attacked all the teams, I think.

[Very softly,] They could have been killed. Easily. It just would have taken a moment.

video

[nocawsforconcern]

You should give them knives.

[she's helping.]

Voice

[singlefaith]

[. . . What.]

[What.]

[Cue sputtering.]

I'm not giving children knives!!

[How was this helping, again?]

[blue_ice]

If I see them with Orange...I'm not the strongest of fighters myself, but I know those who are.

[singlefaith]

[There's a small smile, audible in her voice.] Thank you. I really appreciate people being willing to keep an eye out for them. I don't know if it can be the only solution, just because things can get so busy and chaotic for everyone, but it definitely helps.

[Voice]

[10billionpercent]

There's a lot you can do without being a fighter though. If they're just looking to help, you can redirect their efforts without much of a problem.

[ That's the leader in him talking. ]

But if they insist on fighting, you can try and level the playing field by arming them with tools that don't require a lot of strength to operate.

[Voice]

[singlefaith]

Ah-- I don't think they're actually eager to fight.

. . . Maybe Conan-kun, if someone was in danger. He tends to put himself in danger if he sees that. Ai-chan wouldn't want to try to fight, I don't think, though she will put herself in danger as a distraction at the least.

I'm most worried about them being around battles in the first place. This last mission had monsters everywhere, and there was a lot of fighting . . . That's so easy for children to get overlooked while everyone is busy and attacked. Or something could attack unexpectedly, even if they were just exploring or helping. That happened this last time too.

[Honestly, she's trying to keep a calm and level head through all of these conversations, but just talking about the possibility of something happen makes her hands quiver. She tightens them on her lap.]

If you're talking weapons . . . I don't want that for them. I don't want them to fight. They're seven. They shouldn't.

[Jumping to weapons because someone before had suggested giving them knives, and as far as Ran is concerned, that's just no.]

[video]

[singerofspells]

Can you give me some context for what is appropriate for a seven-year-old human? I know you take a long time to stop being calves, but I've never really worked with a human that young.

[It would be exceedingly unusual for a human that young to be offered wizardry. S'reee has interacted with younger humans since leaving Earth, but generally with supervision.]

To give context, I'm seven years old, and I've been independent since I was two.

Voice

[singlefaith]

[A whale. She's talking to a whale. Who talks back.]

[Thankfully Ran is just on voice and S'reee doesn't have to deal with the long moment of staring as Ran tries to manage the ongoing crumble of her paradigm.]

Ah-- when human children are seven, they . . . [She tries to think how to explain it. She's never had to explain it.] They're a lot smaller than the full height they're supposed to reach, and they don't have the same kind of muscle mass that an adult does. They're usually fast and have a lot of energy, but aren't always as well-coordinated. They're still learning a lot about the world and aren't very emotionally mature yet -- even though Ai-chan and Conan-kun are more so than most -- so they don't always make the best choices.

In human society . . . they're innocent. Their lives have just barely started, and they can't fully take care of themselves without relying on adults, so they need to be protected.

What you're describing sounds a lot like whales from home. There are definitely a lot of differences.

voice

[deage]

[ And heeere's Haibara! ]

You don't need to worry about me. Last time was enough excitement. I fully intend to stay aboard the train next time we get some strange mission.

Go ahead and focus your efforts on Edogawa-kun, he can't help but sticking his nose into trouble.

voice

[singlefaith]

[Again, Ran would have much preferred that Ai and Conan had not been able to see this . . . But again, there are no filtering options, and she just has to accept and deal with it as it comes. The topic was something she had to address.]

I'm glad if Ai-chan wants to stay on board the train. I think it is safer in the end. There might be times, though, when there isn't that option, or even when we could use your help.

[It's not that Ran really wants to limit either Ai or Conan and bar them from any participation. That's not fair. Just. She needs to find a way for them to be safe.]

So I want to continue the self-defense lessons with you and Conan-kun . . . and hopefully we'll find some other options too.

[As far as Conan, well, she's not wrong.]

Voice

[wizard_redfive]

[Oh hey! Dairine's heard that voice in Orange team before. Will Ran recognize the girl who blew up underwater crabs?]

Oh yeah! I know alllll about Conan.

[She's tempted to laugh, given that she also knows his real age. But Dairine can tell from her tone that Ran is very serious, and hey, Dairine knows all to well how much trouble Conan gets into unsupervised. It can be very very frustrating.]

I know these missions might seem like a lot, but don't worry—you're not doing this alone. I might not speak for everyone on the train, but as for myself, I will do everything I can to protect Conan.

[There's a fierceness behind that declaration. Dairine 100% means it.]

Voice

[singlefaith]

[The voice is familiar! But it was a fairly brief encounter, and so Ran isn't placing it immediately.]

[And she's not quite sure what to make of the dragging out of "all." Apparently this is at least someone who's familiar with him, though? And must like him to some degree with the second part.]

Thank you . . .

You talk like you know him well?

voice

[pleple]

I'll keep an eye out when I can, but... ha. I'm still only eleven, I just have combat experience already if you can believe it.

[ That's a horrible terrible thing! But it's true. ]

voice

[singlefaith]

[That is kind of a horrible thing, at least from the lens of Ran's world. Anyone that young should never have had to be in combat. All they should have to worry about is school and friends and family, and all of that tends to be more than enough.]

[But what can she do, really? As much as she wishes for more for anyone in Ple's position, it's not as though Ran can influence her world, let alone change the past.]

[It's upsetting, and Ran's not sure what to do with it yet.]

[Softly,] You really do?

I hope you don't mind me asking, but . . . why?

[Going to worry about all the kids now.]