Entry #A-1: "A" [Text] 8th December

[dead_black_eyes]

i ARrrived in a stOne chamber yestErday. i reGREt to saY thAt i am not acclimating as well as i wish i Was, but it cannot be helped. simply put, i am not veRy used tO being alone. WHen i HaVE no roommate, it is actually a simple mattEr to understand wHy THe ChANGe HAs Been oVeRwhElming. i am mOrE accustomed to hearIng familiar voices afteR dark,

Comments

[text | private] His own code translates to "Roger isn't here. Only your heirs."

[cardfortress]

[It doesn't take a particularly high IQ to decipher L's message, neither does it take him long to put two and two together and realize his mentor was brought back to Death City. It doesn't take an outstanding IQ to realize he doesn't remember being in Death City before, either; just like what happened with Mello and a few others, L's memory has been wiped.

Near's fingers hover over the communicator, pondering what to say. Welcome back doesn't quite do it, not considering they need to be properly introduced in the first place; he can't just go and greet L like that. Near does respect him, and certain dynamics should be kept no matter the circumstances; the dynamics of their relationship-- if it had ever been anything resembling a relationship, even back when Near was a child and L played the role of their mentor-- even more so.

It's likely that L already knows about him, but Near uses the text function anyway; after all, being one of the heads of the Detective Agency makes things a bit too public for Near's liking.]

pErhaps Resting woUld bE a GOod idea. while the slEeping patteRn of humaN beingS can be mOdified to a ceRtain exTent of sLeep depRIvatIOn, thE HumaN bodY can onlY be puSHed so faR.

[text | private]

[dead_black_eyes]

[The code gets L's attention. He blinks, staring at the letters. He could understand how many without the intellect could possibly puzzle out his message, but it had been made intentionally vague to throw off comprehension in such individuals. No, there were but a handful of people from L's world who it would mean anything to, and by some incredible stroke of luck or fate, one such person had responded to him. Figured it out. Mentioned successors. Recognized him as L. He hurriedly typed out a response, dropping the code, considering it proof enough that they knew each other and had no need for it.]

...you. And which others? You said "heirs", plural, but there were many.

[text | private]

[cardfortress]

The only ones that ever mattered: the first two, but the third is here as well.

[Cocky, perhaps, even though coming off as such is not his intention; he is only stating the facts. Near and Mello had always been the ones most interested in following L's footsteps and the only ones that ever could; Matt had never shown any interested in taking the throne, so to speak, nor had he been high enough in the line of succession to even consider it.]

[text | private]

[dead_black_eyes]

[It is cocky, and that narrows it down. To say that there were only three that ever mattered suggested discounting A and B entirely, something that he might expect out of the generation of children that followed that awful experiment. And the confidence in this typist's words... well. There are only three people this trio could be.]

Near. Tell me. How long has it been since I died? From your perspective?

[text | private] Apologies if any info is incorrect; I'm terrible with dates so I used the wiki

[cardfortress]

[There's a slight curl of his lips at L's recognition, but it fades as quickly as it appeared.]

Nine years.

[He pauses in his writing, decides that he might as well show himself. In a twisted, deadly way, the Kira case was the closest he had ever been to his mentor, so it feels only right to show his face, to show how much he has changed since he was a child; since L passed away.

He doesn't know if L will show himself or not, but that is not relevant right now; he met the previous one, so his curiosity about L's physical appearance is very much sated.

Near switches to VIDEO while twirling a strand of hair with his free hand.]

The case was closed on January 28th, 2010.

[text | private]

[dead_black_eyes]

[Nine years... it is more than a third of L's own life. A staggeringly long time, from the perspective of a Wammy's child. His hand flies to his mouth, his eyes widen, and his breath catches in his throat when he sees the video of Near. He's a man, now, but not really, in the exact same way that L is. It's like looking in an inverted mirror, seeing white hair where L's is black, but the eyes are unnervingly similar, the posture, the pallor...

L hates it. He is overcome with revulsion. You made it like me, so much like me, why the hell would you make it like me? He holds the sides of his head tightly, rocking in smooth, rhythmic motions until he feels marginally better.

He takes several deep breaths. Swallows the panic, locks it away. The upheaval of this day can't rub out his carefully cultivated professionalism.

He switches it to video, and Near will be treated to the sight of him, sitting with his knees drawn up tightly against his chest like a fortress, face pale but without a discernible expression, with slightly flushed spots near his temples from where he'd pressed his palms against them moments before.]

I understand.

[He bites his thumb, gnawing it single-mindedly, seeming at a loss for more words and glancing back and forth distractedly. Whether it had to do with the panic of the previous minutes or not, he was terrible at... this. Conversation. Catching up, making nice, shooting the breeze, it was all trivial and stupid. Fortunately, of everyone L knew, he was aware that Near was the least likely to require these things.]

So long... it... took a long time, didn't it? I... five years. Five years, what happened in five years...? What was my Task Force doing with all that time?

[video | private]

[cardfortress]

[Near watches with rapt attention as L decides to show himself in return, noticing every little detail and filing it away for later analysis, when he isn't too focused on figuring out how to behave in front of his mentor. How was he supposed to act in front of the one person he had tried so hard to emulate and become throughout his entire life?]

Yes, it did.

[At the mention of a task force, his lips twitch slightly-- and very briefly-- in disgust; he had always been repulsed by the inactivity of the Police force handling the case after the deaths of L and Watari. Useless, all of them; how could they not have suspected Yagami's behaviour, being so close to him?

Instead of answering L's question right away, Near turns his attention to a computer off-screen, typing furiously for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the other man. He has just sent him a file with a detailed timeline of relevant events, from L's death to the Kira copycat, nine years later. The same file he had sent to both Mellos, as well as the previous L.]

See for yourself.

[He brings a knee up against his chest and resumes his hair twirling.]

[video | private]

[dead_black_eyes]

[L is acutely and uncomfortably aware of Near's scrutiny. This is one of the reasons he was hands-off about his involvement with the Wammy's children... their eyes, their fucking eyes on him, ever since Beyond, up until this new and latest model who had grown to resemble him so much. They aren't related, and that makes it so much creepier. He pinches the bridge of his nose as Near speaks, feeling overwhelmed, trying not to demonstrate it.

He accepts the files, and without warning Near, he switches modes to peruse them. His eyes scan over the pages of meticulously compiled information, reading over his extinguished future, and the people, dates, and events of interest.

He returned in several minutes.]

I've read and absorbed everything. Thank you for your care and your thoroughness. I now consider myself "up to speed."

[As "up to speed" as he'll ever be, at least.]

[video | private]

[cardfortress]

[Thankfully for L, Near doesn't think too much about the way he pinches his nose; it was impossible to return from the dead and receive so much information and not react to it, even for people like them-- who knew how to restrict most reactions-- so Near dismisses it as such: a normal and expected reaction.

The sudden switch in modes doesn't surprise him, either, and he waits for L to return. He nods slightly in reply to his words.]

Is there anything you would like to know about this world? My sources of information are severely limited when compared to our own world, but I will do my best to answer any questions that may arise.

[video | private]

[dead_black_eyes]

[L is... tired. He feels older than usual, exhausted, mentally and physically spent, but he'll stay longer. He'll wear the masks of strength and composure for as long as he has to, and then, when no one is watching who is likely to judge or condemn his actions, he will collapse quietly and disappear into himself for awhile. Just not yet.

His eyes flicker back toward the screen, ringed with those incredibly dark, deep circles.]

Tell me how long you've been here, by this place's calendar. Tell me what you've been doing primarily, since you arrived. Knowing your decision to either keep a low profile or work openly will influence my own decision in the weeks to come.