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middaeg2021-01-04 09:58 pm
hearthebell) wrote in middaeg2021-01-04 09:58 pm
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.]
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.]
no subject
[He walks around the board, putting himself opposite L. Partially so he won't just be looming ominously over L's shoulder, but mostly so he can see the man's face while they talk. L wasn't expressive in the traditional sense, but he has his own tells for those who know how to read him. Then he shrugs.]
I'm an amateur. Started playing just a few years ago. [Plenty of taverns and inns in Nohr had chess tables, even in the slums. It wasn't exclusively a noble's game but it wasn't until Leo took him in that he had the leisure time to learn. And more importantly, a teacher that that didn't kick or swat or spit at him when he approached the board.] There's a lot you don't know about me.
no subject
[And it's neither of their expectation, just a mutually acknowledged possibility.
He shifts in his chair when Niles sits across from him on the other side of the coffee table, in the space Light occupies when he's here. He tucks his legs against his chest, folding his body like a fortress.]
I'd expect that there's a lot you'd prefer I don't know about you. Wouldn't you agree?
no subject
L's question is, (as always), loaded. What secrets are you keeping still? What secrets have I uncovered without you knowing? Well he's not interested in veiled implications and drawn out hypotheticals. Enough abstraction, he wants to talk facts and actions.]
Like Zero, for example? [He shrugs his shoulders with a tch noise.] There's plenty I don't publicize, but don't guard ferociously either.
no subject
Careful. You're coming close to sounding like you miss being the center of my focus and ire.
[The mantle has shifted. L has a new obsession, or at least, an old one that resurfaced. Still, it would be wrong to say that at this point, he doesn't have significant history with Niles. They know each other, in a twisted way, well enough that certain things should merit interest.]
You're also making it sound like you're offended that I gave away the dance I won. Wasn't it going well, while it lasted?
[The whole thing with the now-departed Klaus, of course.]
no subject
Hardly. I'm glad the coupon found its way to someone willing to use it. I appreciate the business you sent my way. Klaus was a fun client and a reckless spender. [Here his smile fades a little, eye narrowing.] What I don't appreciate is having a bond hungry witch dropped into my lap. [He brings his arms down and crosses them over his chest as his tail flicks a bit below the table.] I can deal with the moon's effects perfectly well on my own, and if I seek out new bonds I can do it without your interference.
no subject
Your appreciation has always been a complicated thing. I don't pretend to know what will thrill or infuriate you; just that it was an equation, with a variable that seemed to fit. An elegant sequence is irresistible to me.
no subject
Well now you know. Don't try to set me up with anyone, that's all I'm asking.
[He abruptly takes his feet off the table and sits forward. He picks up one of the captured pieces sitting to the side of the board and inspects it closely, turning it around and feeling the weight of it. It's a good quality, and looks awfully familiar to him. As expected, on the bottom he finds a stamp bearing the symbol of Eli's toy shop. The edge of his smile returns.]
However, if you want me to help you seduce that pretty pale naga boy, all you have to do is ask. [He sets the piece back down, exactly where it was. He does have an eye for detail when he chooses to use it after all.] Although if he's your new housemate I guess you don't need my help.
no subject
[Aside from that whole disappearing back through his mirror thing. Niles seems to have pretty shit luck in that regard; such a strange reality, making all of their relationships in this place that much more tenuous. Perhaps that's what makes the ones that stick all the more valuable, even where animosity has existed.
Though L jumps slightly at the abruptness of Niles' change in position, his expression is carefully modulated when he references "that pretty pale naga boy." Like L, Near looks younger than his years, but he's actually older than L, now, even counting the time he's aged in Aefenglom. He's not a child anymore, and he actually is rather pretty. L's noticed both of those things, and yet Niles' suggestion is the first time he's considered this possibility.]
He doesn't live here.
[In spite of being L's most recent Bonded, not too long after forging one with Light Yagami, who does.]
Believe it or not, seduction isn't actually everyone's goal, all the time. Shocking, I know.
no subject
We were a good match, but if your aim was to stabilize me you were a little off base.
[The guy was, simply put, a bit of a disaster. Then he tilts his head from side to side, wearing a look of exaggerated pensiveness and concentration.]
Maybe not consciously. I could be wrong but I know an unwelcome gift from a suitor when I see one.
no subject
Your stability, or lack thereof, isn't a concern of mine. You fit the description of what he was looking for, and it seemed uncharitable to just sit on the opportunity for a meeting I had in my back pocket.
[Concerning Near, he rolls his eyes. He does rather a lot of that around Niles.]
What kind of confession are you trying to coax out, anyway? It's not a secret that we're Bonded, but I doubt Eli has any interest in suitors. Or much social contact at all, for that matter, which is why I try to demonstrate my commitment to the Bond in other ways. Whether or not he appreciates it, I think he would appreciate other things far less.
[That being said...]
I don't want him to resent me, though. If you have other ideas, for what he might find less unwelcome, I'm willing to listen.
[He'll stop listening if it resembles that bite mark on Niles' neck even slightly.]
no subject
It might not be a secret, but it's news to me. I'm not as ah...invested in your habits and relationships as I once was. [He takes a moment to appreciate how out of his element L must be with Eli to be sincerely open to suggestions by him of all people. One ear swivels towards the kitchen, as if he might hear whether or not the runes on the apple actually slowed decay. He doesn't need to check. His advice probably wouldn't be that useful anyway, he can give it for free. Both ears trained back on L he continues.]
Well I didn't talk with him for long but, [He brings one hand to his chin and gazes off to a corner of the room, remembering his talk with the enigmatic reptile.] just like you he's interested in novelty and complexity. Have you tried asking him about his changes, outside of just his diet or any new limitations? [His tail swings up from below the table and curls so it's resting in his lap. He pets it fondly, gaze traveling down to admire the curve of his own stinger.] Growing a whole new limb was unlike anything I've felt before. Losing his legs and adjusting to something so alien, I expect he has a lot of thoughts and feelings about it. If he hasn't found a suitable outlet for them yet...[He shrugs, tail flopping to the floor and swishing a few times back and forth.] You want to take care of him, but he can buy his own meat. Let him tell you what he needs. [That was all concerningly sincere.]
Also, just a suggestion, maybe wear tighter pants. [He blinks, but even with one eye he manages to invoke a wink.]
no subject
I'm interested in those things, but... while that might be an approach that most people would be willing to discuss, maybe even find it comforting or cathartic... he might see it as prying, unwanted, into his vulnerabilities. He's never seemed interested in discussing what he feels, or misses, or is afraid of.
[Near had even said, when L had started to show a little too much interest in certain matters, that he was not a case. L hadn't questioned that it was a reminder he probably needed; it's a common occurrence for him to tread on the boundaries of personal comfort.
His hand goes to pinch at the bridge of his nose at Niles' cheeky suggestion.]
...it's like I said. Seduction isn't actually everyone's goal, all the time, and I have more important things to think about lately, anyway. Besides... tight pants can't be healthy.
no subject
Have you told him what you miss? Or feel? Or fear?
[He manages to contain his smile at that very satisfying gesture of exasperation, but his tail gives a telltale thmp.]
no subject
Strange, that both L and Mello have taken away the impression that Near looks down on any hint of emotionality. Near is not emotional; Near has also never actually indicated that he looks down on those things. In fact, Near had liked Mello, who was his polar opposite on paper.
L's more complicated. The ghost, the outdated, obsolete model. The Bond that Near had given a key to his house.]
Does he seem like the sort who would care about those things?
[It might be a leading question. It might actually not be.]
no subject
Could go either way, but whether or not he cares isn't the point. [His tail swishes side to side on the floor lazily as he considers how to explain his point. He shifts, adjusting his position on his seat so that it can do so properly behind him, rather than in L's general direction. He still hasn't gotten a new sheath after everything, there's no need to be accidentally threatening.] I mean if he's uninterested don't keep going on about it. The point is to offer. Let him know it's a subject you're willing to share.
no subject
[He's mostly sure. Is his approach with Near that he doesn't make these things clear enough? Or is even the extent he's making them clear sufficient to put the other man (not younger now, older) off, entirely?]
He's not like most, and besides... there are burdens that just aren't fair to lay at the feet of another. I wouldn't do it to any of my Bonded.
[Not Light, or Myr, either. The Leviathan should stay out of sight.]
no subject
I understand the impulse, but if you don't find somewhere to put them down you'll be crushed. [He takes a bracing breath.] I don't think I ever...apologized. For my part in adding to those burdens. [Then abruptly he stands up.] Let's check the apples. [Before he gets too conciliatory he needs to check that L still feels the same way.]
no subject
The apology is something completely different, and wholly unexpected. His huge eyes slowly follow Niles as the man stands abruptly, then]
...likewise.
[He turns to watch Niles, unconcerned. He isn't lying; one of them should be browning exactly as quickly as should be expected.]
no subject
Alright, that's what I needed to see. [He sits, posture now fully relaxed and at ease, and lays his arm on L's work surface beside his tools. He's looking forward to this now actually. He'd rather enjoyed the sensation of getting tattooed last time, and now that he knew this was safe, he's glad he'll get to feel it again.] Feel free to work your magic.
no subject
L turns his back on the board with just one backward glance, as though concerned that it might move by itself in his absence, but ultimately returns to the table. He leans forward to examine the tattoo and glances over the places that need retouching, the places he can add the new runes. Reliably, it's as he remembered it.
He nods briskly, taking up his tools. Niles, he'd learned, wasn't the sort he needed to warn about the expected small amount of discomfort.]
If there are other ways you want this piece to function, you know... runes are versatile. I could probably figure something out.
no subject
Anti divination comes to mind, altough...[He gestures at the apples, then reaches out for the fresher one. He turns it in his hand to get a better look at the symbol, properly committing its shape to memory.]
Only if we do something like that again. So I know what's going on me. This one means 'slow' then?
no subject
Really determined to defend against me, in particular, are you?
[He sighs, as though he considers this wasteful.]
This one means "preservation", in so many words. It's combined with another one that means "slow", or... at least, close to that. In so many words. Together, with an adhesive rune, they do this.
[He gestures, briefly, to the apples, before continuing mapping out Niles' tattoo.]
no subject
Adhesive...[The preserve and slow runes are both novel on the knife, but as L points it out, he can see the one conjoining the two letters peppered along the edge of the blade sandwiched between a variety of other letters.] So what are all these other pairs then?