So Matt had found a room full of video games. It had been in the middle of the night during aimless wandering; he'd scooped up an armful, taken them back to his room, and promptly fallen asleep. Now he's trying to retrace his steps, because he doesn't have nearly enough first-person shooters. (It is impossible to have enough first-person shooters.)
The prospect of limitless pixellated goodness is distracting enough that he almost doesn't hear the uncertain voice to his side. Luckily...
"Hey." Matt has never met L; he has no idea that this guy - skinny, slouching, around his own age - is the man he'd been trained from childhood to imitate, perhaps even succeed. "What's up?"
Okay, he really is going to have to light the cigarette now. It'll help him recall the way, hopefully; he was smoking during his late-night wander.
"Well. They're sort of - together." Something in Matt's voice suggests he's not particularly pleased by this. "And, eh... you might want to get... I dunno. Earplugs or something."
Matt doesn't sound happy about this. L... doesn't really care, either way, it's just rather surprising to hear. Nothing about their personalities suggested that they would be remotely compatible. Watari, though, would occasionally say that opposites attracted, and Watari's little bits of wisdom were usually worth listening to.
Matt nods. Hopefully that would be the end of that; he's done his part, warning L. Now he can go back to not-thinking about it.
"This place is so damned confusing. I'm sure I passed that suit of armour last night, but the portrait opposite was different - and it was too dark to tell if the frame was the same... Did you ever game? And hey, 1999..." Matt tries to recall what cases L solved that year. He probably knew at the time. "How goes the... L-ing?"
Yes, he is trying to change the subject in any way possible.
"I am doing well, thank you, Matt." This is something to remember. Matt's conversation can be scattershot; normally he would have no trouble keeping up, but his reality has sort of been turned on it's head in the past few minutes.
"The cases largely represent little challenge. I played games once or twice. There is such a thing as magic?"
"Good to hear it." Matt decides L probably isn't all that interested in how he might answer the first two statements, and goes for the question instead.
"Yeah, there is. I mean, even disregarding all this, you wind up getting involved in a case that involves magic notebooks and shinigami and shit. It looks like it's a different system of magic from what is taught here, but... yeah. Magic, quite a few mythological creatures... There's a pretty extensive library, you'll probably want to check that out."
"You don't look it." Matt alters his path, heading down a long flight of stairs rather than going down a corridor to his right. "It was probably easier for me to digest since the last thing I remembered was being shot to fuck by a bunch of angry Japanese men, but you get used to it."
The staircase leads past paintings that move and speak, corridors hidden behind tapestries, and a couple of scurrying house-elves. Definitely Hogwarts, alright.
"I have to say," Matt began quietly. "It's... I'm not the biggest fan of the Wammy system, but it's good to get a chance to meet you. I know there are very few people who do."
"I would prefer that you introduce me to other as Ryuzaki. For understandable reasons, I hope. And if you would let me introduce myself to Mello and Near I would greatly appreciate it as well."
He stares as the elves go by, eyes only really snapping back to Matt when he mentions Wammy's.
"It has it's pros and cons. Perhaps we can discuss it another time. I am very glad to finally meet you, too. I look forwards to knowing Mello and Near as well. The position, and as you say, the system, have not precisely afforded me the opportunity."
"Ryuzaki." Matt nods. It's sort of interesting that L's using a Japanese name while they're in Britain; his English is perfect, with no trace of an accent, and Matt wonders briefly whether the name is deliberately misleading, to hide the fact that he actually grew up in Oklahoma or Cardif or St Petersburgh.
Then he shrugs. He doesn't really care.
"That's fine. They'd probably prefer running into you themselves than being introduced to you by me anyway. And the system was pretty fucked-up, so maybe it's a good thing we all ended up here. A break from all the..." he flaps a gloved hand, leading them down another corridor, "... detective-induced paranoia?"
Like Matt had even got involved until his last few months.
"There are certain regrettable consequences, some of which you will no doubt be... happier," he says the word like a question, "without."
But he doesn't really sound apologetic. The casualties of the system were more than necessary, in his mind. He's a relatively amoral person, when it comes to certain things.
Matt laughs, catching the question in L's voice. "Hey, I enjoyed myself. I just feel bad for the kids who didn't, or who weren't up to scratch, or who took it too seriously... I was third, I could afford to slack off. Sucks to be the kid who wanted to be L but kept coming in 20th. The early mortality thing isn't great either but," he grins now, "turns out that wasn't such a big deal after all."
And wow, he's blabbing. Apparently it's difficult to kick that hero-worship thing after all.
"It is not an experience I ever had, but I imagine you are correct. It would be difficult." Privately, he's a little sorry Matt slacked off; the competition was really what brought out the best in all of them, but it hardly matters now.
He's dead. Or rather, not dead, but enjoying himself in a magical castle in Scotland.
"What did the door look like?" Because they aren't having much luck finding this videogame room, are they?
"Yeah. Especially when they seemed to pick the most neurotic newly-orphaned kids they could, heh..." Matt's tone is light, though; he's trying to recall his way to the coveted room of games. "I really hope I didn't just dream this place. That'd suck... It was a double-door, painted green. Each side had ornate handles, six symmetrical bolts... okay, I'm making it sound like just about any of the doors we're passing. I'd recognise it if I saw it."
Matt glances around. He'd definitely passed this map last night... maybe they should start opening random doors? That could old fast, but then again, so could wandering around an old castle covered in butter. "The library's down that way," he adds, nodding to his left.
"Awesome. And yeah... I'm actually hoping I might find a laptop or something in this room. I got a bit of work when I first arrived here, but I need a computer to actually do it, and so far I've not been able to find one... I'm going to have to go find the nearest town or something, I think."
The prospect of limitless pixellated goodness is distracting enough that he almost doesn't hear the uncertain voice to his side. Luckily...
"Hey." Matt has never met L; he has no idea that this guy - skinny, slouching, around his own age - is the man he'd been trained from childhood to imitate, perhaps even succeed. "What's up?"
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Okay, he really is going to have to light the cigarette now. It'll help him recall the way, hopefully; he was smoking during his late-night wander.
"Well. They're sort of - together." Something in Matt's voice suggests he's not particularly pleased by this. "And, eh... you might want to get... I dunno. Earplugs or something."
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Matt doesn't sound happy about this. L... doesn't really care, either way, it's just rather surprising to hear. Nothing about their personalities suggested that they would be remotely compatible. Watari, though, would occasionally say that opposites attracted, and Watari's little bits of wisdom were usually worth listening to.
"Let me consider."
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"This place is so damned confusing. I'm sure I passed that suit of armour last night, but the portrait opposite was different - and it was too dark to tell if the frame was the same... Did you ever game? And hey, 1999..." Matt tries to recall what cases L solved that year. He probably knew at the time. "How goes the... L-ing?"
Yes, he is trying to change the subject in any way possible.
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"The cases largely represent little challenge. I played games once or twice. There is such a thing as magic?"
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"Yeah, there is. I mean, even disregarding all this, you wind up getting involved in a case that involves magic notebooks and shinigami and shit. It looks like it's a different system of magic from what is taught here, but... yeah. Magic, quite a few mythological creatures... There's a pretty extensive library, you'll probably want to check that out."
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His composure hasn't precisely cracked, or anything, he is as stoic as ever. But this represents a rather drastic upheaval to his system of beliefs.
"Please, lead on."
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The staircase leads past paintings that move and speak, corridors hidden behind tapestries, and a couple of scurrying house-elves. Definitely Hogwarts, alright.
"I have to say," Matt began quietly. "It's... I'm not the biggest fan of the Wammy system, but it's good to get a chance to meet you. I know there are very few people who do."
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He stares as the elves go by, eyes only really snapping back to Matt when he mentions Wammy's.
"It has it's pros and cons. Perhaps we can discuss it another time. I am very glad to finally meet you, too. I look forwards to knowing Mello and Near as well. The position, and as you say, the system, have not precisely afforded me the opportunity."
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Then he shrugs. He doesn't really care.
"That's fine. They'd probably prefer running into you themselves than being introduced to you by me anyway. And the system was pretty fucked-up, so maybe it's a good thing we all ended up here. A break from all the..." he flaps a gloved hand, leading them down another corridor, "... detective-induced paranoia?"
Like Matt had even got involved until his last few months.
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But he doesn't really sound apologetic. The casualties of the system were more than necessary, in his mind. He's a relatively amoral person, when it comes to certain things.
Justice should be blind, after all.
"Are you happy here?"
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And wow, he's blabbing. Apparently it's difficult to kick that hero-worship thing after all.
"I'm alive. It's fucking awesome."
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He's dead. Or rather, not dead, but enjoying himself in a magical castle in Scotland.
"What did the door look like?" Because they aren't having much luck finding this videogame room, are they?
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Matt glances around. He'd definitely passed this map last night... maybe they should start opening random doors? That could old fast, but then again, so could wandering around an old castle covered in butter. "The library's down that way," he adds, nodding to his left.
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"You are still as interested in electronics as ever, I take it?"
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Going outside. Yuck.
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