middaeg | First Week of January Catchall

Entry tags:

First Week of January Catchall

Who: L Lawliet (Linden Tailor) and YOU
When: First week of Ieneur
Where: Various places
What: Catchall, for old and new CR
Warnings: None to speak of yet, will update if that changes

I. The Orphanage

[Even thrill-chasers can be happier when their lives settle into some kind of routine. For a time, that was true for L, and it’s served as an anchor for him through the festivities of Modranicht when so many are with their loved ones exchanging thoughtfully selected gifts and homemade food. Now that the orphanage has achieved some kind of substantial funding, it’s the first time many of the children have experienced any level of wonder associated with the season, and the staff all did their part to contribute to it, keeping fairly busy.

Regarding the staff, of course, there’s always been a vague sense that L doesn’t fit in. The children appreciate that he’s not like all the other adults and has a different and creative way of thinking about things, of course. His colleagues appreciate that about him, too, but there’s also the sense that they think of him, at times, almost as one of the children. It comes out in small ways; surprise when he shows interest in volunteering or partaking in something, awkward fumbling to explain when he overhears that there are after-work plans excluding him.

Hands not being broken, he would have been able to help wrap Modranicht gifts if he’d been told they were all collaborating to do it. While it’s likely he would decline, he notices never being invited to join the staff for drinks biweekly. While he runs his classes with relative freedom to cover the subject matter and approach it as he sees fit, he often finds out about schedule or policy changes right along with the kids, instead of at the meetings committed to deciding those changes. It’s confirmation of something he’s always actually known, that he lacks charisma and social skills and general likability, but the more involved in the micro-community of the orphanage he gets, the reminder gets a little heavier each day.

Having never needed to try, before, there was no shame in failing. Now that he’s trying, and failing, he’s stopped looking forward to work, and started looking forward to when he can go home, or any number of places along the way.

Maybe you’re here dropping off a donation. Maybe you’re volunteering your time, or you’re actually employed here, like “Linden.” Either way, the lanky, pale man with a mop of shaggy hair treats you a bit warily, whether or not you’ve met before.]

Did you need something?

[Brusque. Not quite hostile, but the day is almost over. His reserves are almost spent, and it’s difficult to be pleasant on empty.]

II. The Entertainment District

[L cuts through this district every day after work. Essentially at the city’s center, it makes for a fairly straight cut to the Haven, and sometimes he goes straight home. Sometimes, he strays a bit, looking for a performer doing something impressive and difficult that requires a steady hand and years of practice, or failing that, a quiet and discreet drink in a dark bar to take the edge off a difficult day.

Never enough to truly dull it, of course. Never enough to hint to the Bonded he’s connected to that he actually needs it, and besides, a shot of cheap liquor on an empty stomach goes a long way, for the money and the burn.

Maybe you’re a performer, or watching one right along with him. Maybe you’re also enjoying a discreet drink in a dive bar on your way home. Maybe you’ve caught him in between points and you work in this district and you’re selling a good or service you hope to ply him with. Either way, there’s a hollow-eyed witch who seems like any diversion is worth changing the tone of his life, at least for a little while.]

Tell me...

[It’s the question at the front of his mind, for the performer or the audience, the incidental companion drinker or the bartender, and the seller of your ware or service, all the same.]

Are you exactly where you intended to go, at present, or creating an extra step to avoid getting there sooner than you must?

III. The Coven

[Sometimes, early before work or on the weekends, L puts in extra time studying at the Coven. He likes the academic setting, the quiet corners, the hundreds of books he can burn through with his fast and ferocious wit.

Myr’s Modranicht gift was thoughtful, kind, and useful. L’s foregone his hodgepodge of other tools for the new set, matching and elegant and tailored to his specific technique for casting magic that leans heavily on etching and engraving runes. He doesn’t fail to notice that the blade in the kit is wrapped in golden ribbon, sealed at the ends with beeswax as if to gently discourage him from using it to bite into his own convenient store of witch’s blood. He doesn’t unravel it today, for at least the reason that his skipped meals and over-caffeinated state of hyperfocus don’t lend well to even small amounts of blood loss, though there’s probably more to it. There usually is, where Myr is concerned; as a rule, L actively tries to avoid displeasing or disappointing Myr, however certain he is that he will fail. There comes a point, after all, when one has reached the limit of what he can give, or do, or become. Efforts come to yield smaller returns, until there’s a plateau, or even a decline.

He sits in one one of the classes for advanced illusion, breaking in his new tools, taking heart at least in the fact that he can rely on his penchant for acquiring and applying knowledge. He hasn’t peaked, or plateaued, or declined in this regard; there’s more he can show Light, and neither of them will grow bored. The pair of illusory cockroaches on the table in front of him, maneuvering in intricate and perfect tandem, really do seem limited only by what his mind can do, and in truth, that’s the set of limitations that he prefers, even if he detests roaches.

If you’re in class together, he’ll notice if you’re struggling, and offer to help you get the hang of it. Having flawed technique and having to settle for mediocrity is unbearable; he knows that better than anyone.]

[IV. Dream (for Bonded knowledge and/or interaction)]

This particular dream started when Light arrived. Since then, it’s grown more frequent and vivid, to the point where even on nights L doesn’t clearly remember his dreams, he’s nearly positive that he had the same one, again, old paths doggedly retraced.

A brilliant, warm sun has melted the snow and brought an entire ecosystem’s cacophony with it, cycles of life and death mingling hidden in the bordering forest’s dense branches. There are distant suggestions of cracking eggshells, rattling serpents and rodent shrieks alike; predator and prey engaged in an endless and entrancing dance.

Not that L has the time to listen, or investigate, or muse, or even notice if one of his Bonded has ended up here with him. He’s too busy kneeling at the edge of the lake, which seems to have gotten both larger and murkier. He’s attempting, always, to repair the shrinking ice floats and re-glaze the surface of a lake where dead fish float to the surface, unable to adapt to water that just isn’t as cold and clean as it used to be. The ice almost seems to melt faster than he can create it, though, or at least just fast enough that his efforts are largely in vain in spite of the tremendous and exhausting strain. His rests are infrequent but desperately needed, and sorely bought; the Leviathan hasn’t gone anywhere, won’t die seemingly out of spite, and finds this whole process very agitating. Its scaly ridges suggesting only a sliver of its total mass surface periodically, and sometimes L has to move quickly to avoid whatever bit of ground he’s standing on crumbling out from under him as a result of the beast’s jaws or thrashing. As it chips away at the grass and soil surrounding the lake, the amount of ground remaining to stand on diminishes, pushing anyone who doesn’t want to end up in the water back toward the dense and deafening forest.

It’s small wonder, really, that he wakes up these days feeling as though he hasn’t slept at all, putting on a pot of coffee for the strongest possible start.]

[V. Wildcard]

[Don’t see it? Want it? Have at it! Throw a prompt my way or hit me up on discord at ladylazarus#2235 to plot something out with me.]

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I may have heard about your resumé.

[ Maybe Light doesn't know all of L's cases, or even a fraction of them, but he does know what the detective is capable of. That's why it's better to have him as an ally than an enemy, at least while they're here. Between the two of them, the business could thrive. ]

Anybody who comes from our world that would want to cause you harm would want to do it even if you'd switch jobs. I can guess what kind of people you put away, and I don't think I'd be wrong to guess some of them would even be willing to hurt the kids to get to you.

[ A harsh truth, maybe. Probably one L has considered, too. ]

But like I said before, I'm not asking you to quit. We'll be working for ourselves, we'll make our own hours as long as we put enough into the business to gain a positive reputation.

I'll be starting the business either way. I just thought it would also appeal to you. Don't you miss it?

[L smiles palely, just for a moment, at Light's remark about his resumé. He grew bored with his reputation and his accolades back home, but hearing it acknowledged here confirms that it happened, that an entire life wasn't just a dream like the ones they experience as Mirrorbound.]

They'd want to hurt me, regardless... but so few know what I look like in connection with that title. They'd have to figure it out, and they'd look for a detective first.

[The artist's first and purest calling, the path he returned to again and again no matter how many times he tried to be reborn into a new calling, migrate to a different lake.

If he was truly selfless and good, he'd tune out his cravings and accept his quieter, simpler role where he's making a quieter, simpler difference. But he's selfish to the last, isn't he, an addict to the last, obsessive to the last?

The leviathan doesn't die. Out of spite alone, it persists, and devours, and bites and thrashes at any who disrupt it.]

Yes... I do miss it.

[God, does he miss it.]

It's who I am, as much as it's in the past.

[The man without a country, a family, or even a proper name knows his place in that box of glass and steel.]

How close are you? To starting this, properly. What do you need?

Your appearance will help throw them off. You look a little older now, but you don't look your age. I thought you would look older before we met. But if someone does become a problem, it's not like you're facing them alone. Someone you've had arrested is someone I'd want to be arrested, too. And we're bonded.

[ Light doesn't see the hypocrisy behind his words, but he's sincere. Kira isn't evil, and those who think so are just short-sighted, L included. The other criminals L have sought, in contrast, are probably people worth bringing down. ]

I have a few small jobs lined up. Most of them are related to business investigation, but it's a start, and it'll help build our reputation. That's going to be the most valuable thing we earn at first. They've agreed to fair prices, but I've been saving money back until it really takes off. We can advertise more openly after we've made some decisions, too.

[ L's interested. It's no surprise. Solving puzzles is a part of the detective that won't just die because it's ignored. He likes being right, he likes being challenged, and he likes winning. Light doesn't know L's entire history in this world, but it seems to be more negative than positive, more losing or breaking even than winning. ]

[L nods. It's true; he has allies. Paradoxically, Kira is one of them, and their bond serves as insurance, much as the handcuffs did in their own world. He's able to take it as something like truth, something like nourishment and comfort on the same level this breakfast is. That overrides any hypocrisy that L is wise to, but finds rather inconvenient given their arrangement, their plans, their future.

He finally moves toward the table, pulling his omelette toward him, nudging a bit of egg apart from the rest with the tines of his fork.

He's interested. Baldly, unapologetically. He probably couldn't conceal it even if he was trying actively to.]

That is a start.

[Manageable. Mundane, but still exciting in the sense that it is doing what he loves. L doesn't have as much of a head for the business and management end of things, which is a major reason he had Watari, but Light seems to have that largely covered.]

I can freelance some rune work to make it happen faster.

[An option always available to him, of course, but now he's motivated.]

We'll get through the first few cases fast enough that money shouldn't be an issue. If there's a lull in work, odd jobs are an option still, but you shouldn't need to worry about it too much for now.

[ Light is absolutely fine working the business end of things. While he isn't someone who has to micromanage things, handling all aspects of the agency means making more of his own decisions and building them up at an even faster pace. ]

And your mind is a lot more useful on the cases.

[ Light cuts off another piece of his omelete. ]

I'm going to talk to them today after breakfast. We can get started as soon as we want, but I should probably brief you on what I already know.

Before that, I wanted to let you know that I've also decided on a monster to bond with to keep my power in check now that it's growing. We'll be sharing one in Eli.

[Light's thought this through. L hasn't seen a ledger, and it isn't in his nature to just trust rather than worry, because everything is a transaction. Trusting someone is giving them many chances to screw him over.

...and yet. Light's not wrong. His mind is most valuable in one arena. Where his true value goes, money tends to follow, and lots of it.

He's about to ask for the briefing, but Light switches gears, and tells him something he might have noticed hints of in both of his Bonded, were he a little less lost in his own exhaustion and ennui.]

...I see.

[It's easy for him to seem like there's no great reaction to the news; he hasn't processed it enough to understand how he feels about it.

In spirit, both of them defeated him; together, does he stand to lose more? He chews slowly, pensively, pushing his next bite back and forth on his plate.]

I'm glad you have a monster Bond. It had to happen sooner rather than later.

[And it's not as though L doesn't have two, himself. That's rather what it takes to keep his magic in check.]

He's agreed to it, then.

[The greatest surprise of all, although... perhaps not. Perhaps for the same reason it amuses Near to have his enemy working for him, he finds the notion of a Bond amusing, though the information flowing through multiple channels will make it more difficult to keep things from bleeding over into betrayal and disaster.

One more thing to be anxious about; one more thing to keep tamped down and hidden in a relationship which, by nature, makes it difficult to hide things.]

[ Light has always used enough magic in his practice that losing control wasn't a large worry, but it's also too reckless to ignore the possibility together. A bond is something too strong to share with a stranger and if not for the need, he wouldn't share it with anyone very easily. L wasn't a difficult choice, but three months still feels like too short a period of time to fully embrace someone else, but Light's someone who has multiple contingencies in place. Eli will be his latest.

He understands why Eli and L bonded. While not on the same level, Eli does remind him a bit of L in the way he keeps himself guarded. In spite of working together, there's still a lot about Eli he doesn't know, and it's not coincidental. There's an intelligence there. Obviously, without the situation being a replica of their time at home, Light doesn't know just how intelligent, but he's observant enough to feel a bit of the brillance.

A nod serves as a response to the question. ]

I spoke to him recently about quitting the store but invited him into a bond. To be honest, I'm curious about him. I'm sure you've sensed it, too. He's smart. I think toys are just a way for him to invent and play with his imagination.

[ There's no suspicion in the words because Light doesn't harbor any. Both Near and L have done well to hide their bond. He's as suspicious of 'Eli' as he would be of Myr. ]

And he'll assure my powers stay under control. It's a good idea for both of us. Probably, even a good idea for the three of us. Since we all have an interest in keeping the other bonded alive, especially in a world this dangerous, having two shared people feeling when you're in trouble is advantageous.

[As time marches forward, "Eli" will remind Light of L more and more, unavoidably. Hopefully, not to the point of ruin, but how could he not, when everything Near grew into started with the same seed that produced L's illustrious career?

L checks himself, just a touch. It's better not to think of Near as someone who is just an extension of himself. While he knows this intellectually, and is devoted to practicing it, it's still the natural way his mind is pulled. The similarities between them don't exactly help matters; at worst, he's inclined to think of Near as just a more ideal version of a computer detective, one not so flawed as to fall to a foe like Kira.

...and yet. Near employed Light. Near will Bond with Light; Near has neither disowned or condemned L for his involvement with Light, as Mello doubtless would have. Either he's completely apathetic, or possesses more empathy than L ever gave him credit for. So much requires reevaluation, given that Near is older than he is, now, lived an entire decade after Kira's death.

Of course you're curious about him. L must play this carefully, but not so carefully that Light comes to suspect anything. Maybe this is all some kind of fucked-up test on Near's end, to see if L will betray him, and it's not impossible for L to visualize as much. It is, after all, something he might do himself.]

I wouldn't Bond with someone who isn't highly intelligent... so naturally, I've sensed it. But I've never been in a Bond where three people are all connected to one another simultaneously. I confess I don't know how it feels, or functions in the short or long term.

[A pause, because it sounds too much like anxiety or fear.]

...to be clear, I support this. I'd rather know.

Edited 2021-01-07 23:51 (UTC)

Eli and I talked about a bond soon after I came here so I was confident enough that he'd accept that I did some research. There's not a lot, but I couldn't find any cautionary stories, either. It shouldn't have a negative effect, at least.

[ Light was careful and chose to wait before agreeing to a bond considering he assumes the two to be strangers.

Looking away from what remains of his omelet, Light studies L. ]

There's no reason to hide it. We're bonded, most of my secrets aren't very secret to you, and I know you see why this is a smart decision. A secondary bond doesn't weaken the first either.

[ Aside from the worry of Kira slipping out, Light doesn't feel hurt that L has chosen other bonds, even if the bond with Eli was a surprise. ]

Especially since you're already bonded with him.

[ So, he's approved by them both. ]

[L's gaze remains level and steady. Light can study him; it doesn't mean he's entitled to the answer key, especially when L hasn't actually written it yet.

Is he jealous? It does happen in Bonds; it's happened in his Bonds, on both sides. Is he afraid? Near has another witch, and Light has a monster, making L a little less essential to both of them.

No conclusions, not yet. Steady... this is a good thing, even if it will be more difficult to keep what we know from him.]

He likes his space. It's unlikely he'll want to live with us.

[Although given how many surprises the Near of the future is full of, who knows?]

That's probably for the best. It's not the largest space, and there's nothing wrong with allowing some space and privacy.

[ Light likes Eli well enough, as much as he likes the average person, but that doesn't mean he's willing to quite have a third roommate, especially with limited space. ]

We can still invite him over or meet with him. I was already seeing him daily because of my job, but that's going to change now.

What do the two of you do now when you meet up? I never did ask how you met?

It's as I said; he likes his space.

[Meaning that they don't meet up, so much, and don't do much as a Bonded pair. If they did, it's possible that L would not feel the need to behave like a cat, bringing or sending slaughtered gifts to his doorstep in a physical and performative demonstration of what this connection means, how it should be treated and honored.

There's also the fact that, at least until now, Near had found no one else. L's recognized (whether or not it's correct) that Near settled for him, took on a Bond he would rather not have with a person he was otherwise indifferent to at best, in order to keep from going feral.]

We had an acquaintance in common. This will actually not be the first time we were both Bonded to the same person at the same time, though in that case it wasn't quite a complete circle, in that he and I were not Bonded to each other.

[There's a cold little shudder through the Bond that L still hasn't managed to suppress. Perhaps there always will be, now, when he thinks of Mello in any capacity, but overall, he's satisfied with this answer. They did in fact meet due to an acquaintance in common, and there are many ways to interpret or expand on that to make it the truth.]

[ Without knowing the truth behind Near's relationship with L, Light can only see this conversation as casual. It's a slight curiosity more than digging for suspicious information. If he'd been looking for something deeper, the shudder wouldn't have been such a surprise to him.

Looking up from his nearly-empty plate, he once again studies L for a moment. ]

But the last bond didn't end well.

[ Maybe it's the wrong read, but it's the conclusion he draws. How many enemies has L made in this world? Thankfully, it seems handled now, but this is becoming a dangerous pattern. ]

Is it another enemy?

["Casual" is best; "casual" is what L needs this conversation to be, at this time. The thought that he could ever trust Kira with the true nature of his relationship with Near is laughable, and if it ever came to that point, Near would be right to feel betrayed by him.]

No. Not an enemy... but personalities may clash at the best of times.

[No one who has actually met L would debate as much. He's aware, and confident, about this. Though what went wrong with Mello is as complicated as it is disturbing, L's purposes will be better-suited if he keeps anything pertaining to his successors vague. It's bad enough that he can sense L's unease with his and Near's former Bond through their own connection.

Of course, if Light really wanted to know those details, there are places he could inquire. Myr and Niles both might talk, under the right circumstances.

He takes another bite. He has catching up to do, since it appears that Light is nearly finished.]

The individual in question has been gone for some time. This is unlikely to ever affect you.

[Not in this reality, this timeline. Back home, Mello will absolutely be the cause for many of Light's woes.]

[ L's right: personalities clash. With the detective, it's even likely. However, because L is so used to not fitting in, it leaves the question: why the shiver? The reasoning doesn't fully match the reaction, but Light knows L has had a very rough time here in this world.

L has often compared bonds to marriage. Serious, deep. Sex is likely with bonded. Not necessary; Light's slept with neither of us. Possible, however. ]

Is it a coincidence that both your previous bonded and your bad experience have left, or are they the same?

[ And if so, why would both Eli and L bond with someone with such bad intent? The detective isn't someone who's easily fooled. ]

[L's mouth twists in an unpleasant half-smile. It's something between a deflection, and a wry acknowledgment of a good (if inevitable) move.

Better, maybe, that he answers this one. Better that he controls the narrative, so that Light doesn't feel compelled to seek out other information, and uglier definitions that allow him to see the detective as frailer.]

No coincidence; they were one and the same. Getting truly personal may bring out the best and the worst in people.

[The tilt of his chin and the set of his jaw both say that he is more than content to drop this subject, but his voice is calm, even, detached.]

Such things aren't always easy to predict, you know.

No, they're not.

[ Light is a murderer, if not in his own eyes. What started out, by his own definition, as heroic leads him to use others. Nonetheless, he can tell it's a heavier topic, and he won't mock L for whatever transpired.

Does L mock himself?

This also means Eli knew this person. Eli knew them well enough to bond to him, though Light supposes the man was bringing it up early in their relationship as well. A bit odd considering how guarded he seems elsewhere, but there doesn't seem to be another motive. ]

I'm glad he's gone. When you're finished with breakfast, we can move back to the business.

[ L doesn't ask, but he receives. The topic can drop. ]

[A man like L mocks himself quietly and constantly. He's found it to be one of the best safeguards against the mockery of others, who can never be as cruel or as vicious as he is regarding his myriad shortcomings and flaws. They didn't matter when there was one perfect diamond nestled between his ears, the one that made his fortune and defined his worth in their world.

Perhaps they've come to matter more, here, in a world where there isn't a pane of glowing glass between L and so many things that can hurt him, with so much more than words.

Light's words are like cool salve on a tender burn. The tenseness around L's dark, wary eyes dissipates gradually as he accepts that they are, in fact, moving on. He nods, taking a few more bites of a breakfast he won't finish, but at least honored with an honest effort.]

Cases here will be more hands-on. Depending on the nature of our investigations, I can scry for information, but... we should be prepared for what they might demand of us in-person.

[Perhaps more difficult for L, than the personable and charming Light, but he's managed where he needs to in spite of the strain. Saying it out loud might be more for his own benefit.]

That's the kind of work I've always planned for.

[ L's methods were so unique as to be singular. Few people could solve the cases he solved without hitting the ground, and it's not something he can likely replicate here, not anytime soon. A combination of lacking technology and lacking a team meant that they would have to do the 'middle man' work themselves. ]

My scrying has improved a lot, but yours is stronger. A good business isn't about trying to make sure everyone is good at everything, it's about figuring out how to combine the right skillsets. You'll need to meet with people, that's not avoidable, but I can do the majority of meetings that aren't directly linked to the investigation.

[ And Light continues to take classes, as well. ]

We're a good team. We already know it. Now, we'll have a chance to put it to practice.

[Light has both prepared and planned. A strength of his and Kira's, and L catches and checks himself. It would be unwise for him to get into the habit of earnestly separating Light and Kira as concepts, when he has confirmation that they are one and the same. Pretending it isn't so is convenient for their ability to Bond and cooperate, but it's also something L recognizes as a placating ether, an exercise in willful ignorance.]

I'm not worried. Your confidence in your abilities has never been misplaced, and so you can count on mine.

[He considers, taking one more bite of egg before nudging his plate away. Increasingly, it's getting tempting to call out sick. They'd believe him; maybe it's not entirely untrue, given his increasingly languid and rickety constitution as he pushing himself to his lackluster limit.

Light can probably sense the fence he's teetering on. It goes against L's work ethic to call out, but he would rather spend more time listening, being briefed, charting out the bones of a plan for how to approach their first cases.]

[ Light's also the kind of person who'd work from his deathbed so their ethic lines up nicely. In spite of that, he can feel the reluctance L feels regarding the orphanage. L's reluctance.

With the two larger topics out of the way and both men finished with their food, Light finally broaches the topic. ]

Are things going well with the orphanage?

[ Already, he feels like he has an answer. ]

You're having odd dreams, you're not sleeping well, and I can tell you're not as eager to go as you were when I first came. I'd offer to try healing you, but I don't think you're sick in the traditional sense.

[L swallows, though there's nothing currently in his mouth. His throat is dry; more coffee, then.]

In some ways, they're going very well... but I've overstayed my welcome, I think.

[A small voice in the back of his mind that sounds like Myr's, while being wholly his own, whispers that there are particular children there who benefit uniquely from his presence, that his quieter contributions absolutely have made a difference over time. The draw toward a newer and more exciting career direction is a hefty counterweight.]

It's politics. The typical conflicts that come with working among many others. It's tedious, and gets in the way.

[He says so believing that Light can relate. He might judge, but he won't do so openly, knowing that it's difficult.]

[ Light knows without admitting that he knows. He's long considered the social game a necessity and so he's learned to play it. It's telling that the person he's connected with the most outside of those who share his blood is someone who doesn't require the usual boxes checked in order to be around him. He and L are fine speaking or being in silence; doing things together or being in the room while they do their own thing.

It's the wrong answer, however. Yagami Light isn't prone to giving wrong answers. Still, L is right, and he knows it. ]

Normally, law enforcement is also a social game. Juniors are subordinate to seniors, prone to doing paperwork those who've been there longer don't want to do. You got around it by being a detective famous enough that they didn't care about your name or even your age.

Have you thought about being a contracted tutor for the orphanage instead? It'll mean a paycut, but you were doing it for free before agreeing to be paid. You'll still be allowed to interact with the kids, but you'll do it on your terms.

[ L isn't going to grow to like the social game anytime soon. This seems like the better solution. ]

[L would certainly be the last one to demand a perfect performance of social niceties and conventions. It's not like he does it, after all, and he considers it largely tedious, a game as boring as it is complicated.

He nods, lackluster, comprehending. He's familiar with how law enforcement works, normally, for people who are not him. He had luxuries and privileges; it's difficult to imagine the pale detective with his delicate grasp on any typical police force, or even another team of detectives. His arrangement was so very specific and particularly customized to his particular talents and needs.]

If money was the reason I was doing it now, I wouldn't be.

[Indicating that a pay cut isn't really a problem for him. He wants to be there for the kids who have taken a shining to his way of doing and thinking about things, but he wants what Light is offering more. On a full-time basis would be ideal; he will give in to the temptation sooner rather than later, and a part of him already knows that he's made this decision. The rest of him just needs to catch up to the realization.]

I want to start cases. Soon.

[As soon as possible. It would be so much better than drinking after work.]

That's been decided; it won't change. I've already resigned so now, I have the time to focus exclusively on this. I'm ready to brief you when you're free.

[ But that isn't now, not yet. L does have another job waiting, one with a starting time. If Light tries to fill him in now, it would be a rushed job, and that's not doing them any favors.

L's not happy there. Now, with this on the table, he might not care to stick around to see if that changes. Light can see the shift, but it wasn't just the proposition to join him. The dreams, the lack of sleeping; all of it came before the offer.

The question is how long he'll try? ]

I can make sure I'm here when you get off work, if you know what time that'll be.

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