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.
Already he was planning for that night, considering the routes he would take, and the adjustments to his previous ideas that were necessary. New patients coming in meant that the hall Near had utilized the night before no doubt would be filled, and in turn, that meant he would be wasting his time to check on the supplies himself. That had become a question for the bulletin (which, he had observed, people seemed more likely to answer in the morning than later in the day).
On the plus side, that meant he and Brooklyn could head upstairs sooner. Near wanted to take a look at the chemical closet before anyone else got there to take an inventory, and of course to procure whatever he might need. In order to best do that, however, the teen knew a second trip to the janitor's closet would be necessary; there along with additional supplies, a second hand truck could be obtained. Using the same method from the night before would give desired stability to the chemicals when they were transported, something that was all the more important when such things were in their natural state as opposed to having already been made into toilet cleaner.
But first, his flashlight. Hopefully Brooklyn would remember to bring it along with his bag from the night before. Otherwise there would be another side trip before the main tasks began.
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.
That done, Near moved out of the chair and to the center of the room. Almost immediately after he stopped playing with the car, he had begun to twirl his hair again. When Brooklyn opened the door and came in, the boy offered a grin, equally pleased to see the man himself, and the items. So far, the experiment was going well.
"And how was your day today, Brooklyn?" He wasn't asking because he cared so much. It was more because Near knew that many would suffer from the presence of the visitors. If Brooklyn had been one of them, Near would need to know that before they proceeded. The man's mental state was crucial, since if they ran across anything unpleasant, Brooklyn would be the one fighting it.
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.
So when Brooklyn asked, Near merely echoed his own answer, which wasn't entirely true, but certainly not a lie that bothered him. After all, it wouldn't do to have Brooklyn worrying over those situations either, particularly when they didn't concern him. "Not bad either."
Formalities done, Near assumed a much more normal expression, considering what he wished to do. With the focus on the chemical closet, it was imperative to get up there quickly if he wished to do a full inventory. So with that in mind, Near moved over to the bed, and opened a bag to retrieve his flashlight, and a radio.
"Do you have plans for tonight?" Near tested the strength of the light, and found it suitable for his purposes. "If you are willing, I'd like to request your help again. I'd like to go to the janitor's closet, then to the chemical storage closet. Of course, it would be best if I had someone with me, as before. If you are willing and free, of course."
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."
There was no disadvantage in revealing that to Brooklyn, particularly since the man did believe in helping others, even if it wasn't Near specifically. Since the other had brought up the topic of every night, however, Near addressed it as he headed towards the door and out the hall.
"What are your long term plans here? Obviously it will take time to free ourselves." If it were even possible; the theory that Near had didn't necessarily allow for freedom as each patient was accustomed to it. That fact, however, was one best kept silent. "I ask you because it would seem in the end that more would be accomplished--a greater good, so to speak--if we all thought in the long term. As it stands, your position is to make yourself available nightly for whoever you come across. If this remains unchanged, then if I run across you nightly, you should have no aversion to helping me. It should be obvious, shouldn't it? That I need the help of someone like you."
That was another gift Near had. To be able to vocalize his own weaknesses in such a manner was something Mello never could nor would do, even when it would be advantageous for him to do so.
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.
Already he was planning for that night, considering the routes he would take, and the adjustments to his previous ideas that were necessary. New patients coming in meant that the hall Near had utilized the night before no doubt would be filled, and in turn, that meant he would be wasting his time to check on the supplies himself. That had become a question for the bulletin (which, he had observed, people seemed more likely to answer in the morning than later in the day).
On the plus side, that meant he and Brooklyn could head upstairs sooner. Near wanted to take a look at the chemical closet before anyone else got there to take an inventory, and of course to procure whatever he might need. In order to best do that, however, the teen knew a second trip to the janitor's closet would be necessary; there along with additional supplies, a second hand truck could be obtained. Using the same method from the night before would give desired stability to the chemicals when they were transported, something that was all the more important when such things were in their natural state as opposed to having already been made into toilet cleaner.
But first, his flashlight. Hopefully Brooklyn would remember to bring it along with his bag from the night before. Otherwise there would be another side trip before the main tasks began.
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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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That done, Near moved out of the chair and to the center of the room. Almost immediately after he stopped playing with the car, he had begun to twirl his hair again. When Brooklyn opened the door and came in, the boy offered a grin, equally pleased to see the man himself, and the items. So far, the experiment was going well.
"And how was your day today, Brooklyn?" He wasn't asking because he cared so much. It was more because Near knew that many would suffer from the presence of the visitors. If Brooklyn had been one of them, Near would need to know that before they proceeded. The man's mental state was crucial, since if they ran across anything unpleasant, Brooklyn would be the one fighting it.
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At least Near was starting off trying to be friendly. Kinda. "How about you?"
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So when Brooklyn asked, Near merely echoed his own answer, which wasn't entirely true, but certainly not a lie that bothered him. After all, it wouldn't do to have Brooklyn worrying over those situations either, particularly when they didn't concern him. "Not bad either."
Formalities done, Near assumed a much more normal expression, considering what he wished to do. With the focus on the chemical closet, it was imperative to get up there quickly if he wished to do a full inventory. So with that in mind, Near moved over to the bed, and opened a bag to retrieve his flashlight, and a radio.
"Do you have plans for tonight?" Near tested the strength of the light, and found it suitable for his purposes. "If you are willing, I'd like to request your help again. I'd like to go to the janitor's closet, then to the chemical storage closet. Of course, it would be best if I had someone with me, as before. If you are willing and free, of course."
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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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There was no disadvantage in revealing that to Brooklyn, particularly since the man did believe in helping others, even if it wasn't Near specifically. Since the other had brought up the topic of every night, however, Near addressed it as he headed towards the door and out the hall.
"What are your long term plans here? Obviously it will take time to free ourselves." If it were even possible; the theory that Near had didn't necessarily allow for freedom as each patient was accustomed to it. That fact, however, was one best kept silent. "I ask you because it would seem in the end that more would be accomplished--a greater good, so to speak--if we all thought in the long term. As it stands, your position is to make yourself available nightly for whoever you come across. If this remains unchanged, then if I run across you nightly, you should have no aversion to helping me. It should be obvious, shouldn't it? That I need the help of someone like you."
That was another gift Near had. To be able to vocalize his own weaknesses in such a manner was something Mello never could nor would do, even when it would be advantageous for him to do so.
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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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