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“It’ll be fun, I promise!”
Anytime Ranpo said that, Poe knew it would, in fact, not be as fun for her as her girlfriend. Whether it was going to a new restaurant on its opening day (always too busy for Poe’s liking), or going to an arcade (again, too busy, and they refused to let Karl in despite him being a registered support animal), or even going to a bar (too loud). Even though Poe had some fun, and seeing Ranpo’s glowing smile was always worth it, the best part was usually getting home and curling up on their sofa with a trashy detective movie.
This time, however, Poe had a feeling she’d enjoy it more.
“An escape room?”
“Yeah! Yosano sent it to me, they’ve just opened!” Ranpo smiled, grabbing another cookie from the pack on their coffee table.
“Aren’t they for groups though? I don’t think-”
“Nope! This is a couple’s escape room.” Another cookie. Poe noticed the coffee table was covered in dark brown rings, stains from one too many late nights spent crafting a perfect story. “So we should go!”
In theory, Poe figured, it was perfect. They loved solving mysteries, whether it was Ranpo reading Poe’s drafts and pointing out when the foreshadowing was too obvious (though her definition of that would still impress any other reader), or the countless old movies they’d seen a hundred times. An escape room was exactly what they should both love.
Yet somehow, Poe knew they’d be done in 5 minutes and Ranpo would hate it.
“Oh. If it’s just us, that would be fun. We should go.” Poe would have fun either way. “Have you ever done an escape room before?”
“Nope!” Ranpo laughed. “And I have no idea where this train station is.”
Even Karl seemed to sigh a little at that.
--
The train journey was uneventful, the same beats Poe had come to expect from riding the train with Ranpo. Though that by no means meant she didn’t enjoy it. Ranpo somehow got lost between the ticket barriers and their platform, reappearing on the other side of the tracks. She was adamant that she’d followed the sign correctly, even when Poe pointed out that the stops listed on the board did not include their destination.
Then she insisted they get a pastry from the coffee shop on the platform. Poe ordered a black coffee, which was rather awful and was definitely burned, and watched as her girlfriend spent 5 minutes choosing between the strawberry and almond croissants. Of course, she chose strawberry, claiming she'd get the almond on the way home.
They sat down on an emptier carriage, where Ranpo immediately pointed at one of the other passengers and analysed every detail, figuring out where they worked, that they had 2 pet cats, and had gotten ready in a rush that morning. Another, that they were going to meet a first date, worked in a restaurant, and smoked a pack a day.
This continued for the half an hour they were sat down, until every passenger’s lives were laid out in only a few minutes.
Poe loved it. She adored her intelligence, her ability to make deductions from the slightest slivers of evidence. But admittedly she did hate when one would overhear and scoff, hurrying off to sit as far from them as possible.
When they arrived, she grasped Ranpo’s hand tightly, both to avoid her getting lost again, and because it was far more crowded than she expected on a Wednesday afternoon. Karl was nestled in her bag, head poking out the top, startling the occasional passerby. She’d only bought it for him, as it was far bigger than any she would normally choose, and therefore it was only right that she used it for its intended purpose.
“Okay, so it’s a 5 minute walk, we just turn left here- No, Ranpo, sweetie, left. And then it’s a straight walk.” Poe might be a self-aware anxious wreck, she was very used to taking charge when they left the house, lest the love of her life wander off and never be seen again.
“Oops! Perfect, let’s go!” Ranpo scratched the back of head awkwardly (a habit Poe was sure she’d only developed recently, but thought was so very adorable). Their hands intertwined again, and they set off.
The building was clearly recently renovated, with a shiny sign reading ‘Blanc’s Escapes.’ It was huge, several stories of rooms with dark windows, and a massive door that towered over the pair.
Poe was excited, the stress of being in a busy street muted by the warmth of Ranpo’s small hand in hers.
“Welcome!” The receptionist, a young man with blonde hair, greeted them as they walked in. He didn’t seem to notice Karl. “A room for two?”
“Yes! What are the options?” Oh, Poe realised - Ranpo hadn’t done any research on this. She knew the themes, and was dead set on the Victorian room.
“We have the Egyptian room, the pirate room, and the Victorian room available right now.”
Yes!
“Ooh, let’s do the Victorian one! You’ll love that, right Poe?”
She nodded, mumbling a little. “I would. Thank you, Ranpo.”
“Perfect. I’ll get that ready for you.” He typed a few words on the keyboard in front of him. “Great. If you head up to floor 2, my colleague will talk you through the rules and how to play.”
“Thank you!!” Anyone could see how excited Ranpo was.
Poe zoned out as the other worker explained the rules. He’d only been to an escape room once, at his friend’s insistence, but surely the rules are all the same. Solve the puzzles, find the key. Easy.
“Let’s go!”
The room was dark, with charcoal-coloured walls that felt oddly calming. Dimly light with a few lamps (that Poe would love to purchase for their apartment) placed carefully around the space. There was a toy raven on the table, along with a few books and a small antique clock. The bookshelf was full of matching books, all the same shade of burgundy, with only one space left empty. A large cabinet covered one wall, filled with a variety of bottles and trinkets, as well as three skulls in varying sizes.
Less Victorian, more gothic. She was somewhat disappointed by it, really.
As she reached for the book on the table, Ranpo exclaimed from across the room.
“Ah-ha! Solved it.” She turned to see her girlfriend scurrying around, moving the skulls around, then placing a book into the shelf, then finally turning the clock hands. It popped open, revealing a small, intricately engraved key.
“Wow... Ranpo...” She laughed, a quiet giggle that turned almost maniacal. “That’s a new record, surely.”
“Absolutely! What do you expect from the world’s best detective?” They pushed the door open.
“That was quick. It took you,” The worker turned around, checking a timer on the screen. “Three minutes?!”
“Is that quick?” Ranpo’s head cocked to the side.
“It’s supposed to take half an hour!” He was shocked. “I don’t know if we’re supposed to like... give you a prize or something for that.”
They watched as he rifled through his bag. “Here are some vouchers for the other rooms. Let’s see if you can solve them all that quickly.”
“Thanks! We’ll be back.”
As they left, walking back to the station (and scoping out places to eat), Poe couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
“That was a let down, huh, Ranpo?”
“What do you mean? It was so fun!”
“But... it’s supposed to take half an hour. Surely it was too easy if you solved it in only three?”
“Mmmm, if you put it like that. But it was still fun to solve the mystery, even if it was absolutely too easy! And to prove I am, of course, the world’s best detective.” Ranpo laughed.
That laugh, so light-hearted and yet so knowing, was enough to brighten Poe’s spirits. Sure, it was a bit of a waste to come all this way for a poorly constructed puzzle. But seeing Ranpo happy, so confident in her abilities, that was all that really mattered.
“Ooh, look Poe! there’s an ice cream place! We should see what flavours they have. They might have something we've never tried before.”
Oh well, even if the escape room wasn’t a sufficient mystery, but the question of ‘what ice cream will Ranpo decide on today’ always would be (though Poe would be betting on strawberry today).