When the night time announcements came, Near made no move to head out the door. It was more familiar, to be the one waiting as opposed to the one expected to advance. It certainly was easier to focus as he sat at his desk, pushing his car around the tray which had once held a whole dinner, and now held less than half of a half. Commander Rester would be proud
( ... )
Brooklyn had indeed remembered to bring the flashlight, along with the other items Near had wanted. Reaching the boy's door, the gargoyle knocked a couple times. "Hey, Nate? I've got your flashlight..."
He didn't think he would have left. It would make things a lot more difficult if he had. Didn't seem like Nate's style, though. Should he go ahead and open the door? It wasn't as if the boy was likely to be indecent or anything.
"Come in." Near opened a desk drawer when Brooklyn knocked, carefully putting the car within. As much as he enjoyed having an actual toy, Near knew he would be too busy to utilize it properly during the night. Taking it along would amount to nothing more than risking it being lost along the way, something Near absolutely wouldn't have. Also in the drawer went the two letters he had received from Roger. There was no need to hide them, as Mello was busy that night, and had no knowledge of Near's room number. Not yet at least
( ... )
Setting the items on the bed, Brooklyn stepped into the room with a shrug. "Not bad. A bit dull." He hadn't gotten a visitor himself, and had in fact done nothing much at all that day. The highlight had probably been when he almost got to play a card game with someone. That had to say something.
At least Near was starting off trying to be friendly. Kinda. "How about you?"
Dull was better than soul-shattering, particularly when it came to the overall effect of it on Brooklyn's projected performance for the night. As for his own state, Near saw no reason to reveal to the other just what had happened, since Near's visitor, the state of L, and Mello's worsening dilemmas would ultimately hold no bearing on his own actions. It was his natural gift to be able to separate himself from emotions that would otherwise become a burden; even Mello had acknowledged it when he left Wammy's House, and that was perhaps the greatest testament to the ability that any one person could give
( ... )
Brooklyn's eyes narrowed at Near. He felt a bit like he was being taken advantage of. Scratch that. He knew he was being taken advantage of. There were plenty of other groups out there that he was sure could use his help more than Near could. "I'm not a bodyguard," he said out loud. "You can't expect me to help you every night."
Still, it wasn't as though the slight boy would be able to protect himself very well on his own, or even carry much for that matter. "You need more things from those places?"
"I don't believe I asked you about every night." Near of course remembered Brooklyn's aversion to feeling used, and he knew that nothing would break the arrangement they had made, however temporary, than to spark those feelings in the man. "But since you were here, it was convenient to ask you about tonight. You are free to refuse, if you wish. But since I've made contact with one of the group leaders, I'd like to get an inventory of the chemical closet for him, along with items for my own use
( ... )
That was certainly a tricky way of putting it. The gargoyle's mouth formed a thin line of disapproval. Yes, Nate could run into him nightly, but what if someone else needed him more? It was a monopolization of his time.
Frankly, he also didn't like the idea of being bossed around by this boy every night.
If Nate really did have plans to help this club, then he should probably lend a hand. And the kid definitely wasn't the monster fighting sort. "On my terms," he finally agreed. "Sure, I can help you, but I'm going to help anyone else that might need it as well."
On his terms. There was the assertion of control that Near had been expecting from the beginning, and Near let out a quiet sigh in reply to it. There was no helping it at this point, he knew. Reason would be his argument, and reason would be the one thing Brooklyn wouldn't listen to in this situation. Not as the circumstances stood, anyway. But there would come a time that his "helping" resulted in serious injury, not to Brooklyn himself, but to Near or whatever party he had decided to assist, or perhaps both. That would likely be the only instance that would allow Brooklyn to see the futility of such an attitude.
"Not everyone can be saved. You should realize that." Near shone his flashlight around as he made his way through the halls, expecting of course that Brooklyn would follow.
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Brooklyn had indeed remembered to bring the flashlight, along with the other items Near had wanted. Reaching the boy's door, the gargoyle knocked a couple times. "Hey, Nate? I've got your flashlight..."
He didn't think he would have left. It would make things a lot more difficult if he had. Didn't seem like Nate's style, though. Should he go ahead and open the door? It wasn't as if the boy was likely to be indecent or anything.
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At least Near was starting off trying to be friendly. Kinda. "How about you?"
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Still, it wasn't as though the slight boy would be able to protect himself very well on his own, or even carry much for that matter. "You need more things from those places?"
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Frankly, he also didn't like the idea of being bossed around by this boy every night.
If Nate really did have plans to help this club, then he should probably lend a hand. And the kid definitely wasn't the monster fighting sort. "On my terms," he finally agreed. "Sure, I can help you, but I'm going to help anyone else that might need it as well."
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"Not everyone can be saved. You should realize that." Near shone his flashlight around as he made his way through the halls, expecting of course that Brooklyn would follow.
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