Lots of Girls Walk Around in Tears, but That's Not For You [Closed]

[hearthebell]

Who: L (Linden Tailor) and Alex, Later Mello
When: April 5
Where: Alex and Mello's cottage
What: Tutoring, and revelations
Warnings: Potentially sensitive subject matter? Will update if necessary



[L can be a strange and fickle creature, but in general, the rules of punctuality are ones he holds to, so long as he isn't trying to make a point of disrespecting a person. It's one of the simplest social rules to abide by, for someone who finds them otherwise fraught, and ultimately, L respects Alex for many reasons.

She cares enough to try to learn, though life dealt her a difficult hand and rendered her without a proper education. It had been surprising to learn, but it hadn't merited judgment, disapproval or dismissal. He'd worked her into his tutoring schedule and had diligently tried to catch her up with letters, numbers, and scientific principles that may or not matter in a world where magic reigns supreme.

He knows that things are different now that Mello is in Aefenglom. He knows that there's probably going to be tension; if Alex and Mello got along before, they can certainly manage it again, which might mean more close brushes with someone he'd rather not come in contact with.

He knocks on the door at the agreed-upon time. Subconsciously he moves the leather case he carries in front of his body.]

Comments

[sing_for_me]

[ Hold on, she’s still trying to guess.

A depressing isolated job that kept you locked in a room with just a computer to solve problems...]

So like...an accountant?

[hearthebell]

[He laughs, sudden and startled.]

No. I made a lot more money, for one, and... spent it on more work.

[Or things related to the legacy, like the orphanage.]

Someone else managed it for me... I don't enjoy thinking about finances. I'd not make a good accountant. Entertainer, or server?

[He hasn't forgotten.]

[sing_for_me]

[ The laugh almost has him getting away with not answering her question.

Almost. ]

...Entertainer.

[ He seemed so timid the first few times they met, but after a while she’s noticed that Linden could actually be very persistent. ]

Was it business related?

[ But so could she. ]

[hearthebell]

Sometimes, it was business-related. What about you?

[He can be coy, too. He's kind of amazing at it, actually.]

[sing_for_me]

Same.

[ It was a business...technically.]

Did you sell things?

[hearthebell]

In the sense that it was a skill or a service, yes. Not a product. And you?

[sing_for_me]

[ Her arms cross over her chest as her cheeks puff out slightly. He was really going to drag this out wasn’t he? ]

...Service.

[ Alex couldn’t really say if it was a skill or not, even if she was ‘trained’ for it.

Okay, what if she was just direct about it? ]

What kind of skill or service?

[hearthebell]

[He's really going to.]

What I do here. I'm a detective, here. I was a detective, back home, but... it was different. I was actually famous, but... no one knew my name.

[Such a strange paradox.]

You didn't just refill drinks, I'm sure.

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex pauses, having expected him to find some other vague way to answer—- but he actually tells her. She blinks at him owlishly, taking in the information. ]

A...detective?

[ It was unexpected, and yet it made....so much sense. Maybe it’s because she’s known him for some time now that she isn’t too thrown off, but there’s a slight level of uncertainty that creeps up on her. Especially when she realizes her slip up.

All this while she was dancing around the two jobs she had, and she could’ve said both to the last question as singing was a skill. But she ended up focusing too much on the other.

However, with Linden being up front with her...it wouldn’t be fair to not be honest either. Which was why the fact that he was in law enforcement had her shifting in her seat awkwardly. ]

I...I was a singer for a little bit, and I helped out as a secretary for a pair of jack-of-all-trades handymen for about a month or so.

[ Both true. But it wasn’t the reason why she’d learned to be so attentive. Her eyes fall to her lap now, her fingers fidgeting with one another. ]

Before that....I was a prostitute.

[ She waits a beat before glancing up at Linden, her head still tilted downwards. ]

[hearthebell]

[He nods, surprised at the casual way he says so when he's used to keeping this a dire secret, even in Aefenglom where no one actually cares to the extent it would matter, were they in the world he shared with Mello.

He listens, nodding, his face taking on a careful pensiveness at her final revelation.]

That makes sense,

[He says after a moment.]

That you were a singer; you have a really nice voice.

[sing_for_me]

[ Her body stiffens at first, wondering if something about her made it obvious that she would be in line with that work, if maybe that was the only possible thing that she would be doing. But he continues, and it has nothing to do with her sex work. He doesn’t seem to show much of a reaction to it, although that was typical of him.

She gazes downwards again, then back up at him, a small smile on his face. ]

You think so?

[ Every time she tried to bring up the times she’d see him on a job, Linden would divert the topic. He didn’t seem big on music either, so this was a rather big compliment, she felt. But more than that, his reaction, or lack thereof, was relieving. The tension in her shoulders started to fade, breathing out the rest of it. ]

[hearthebell]

[He nods, returning the smile with roughly equivalent wideness and intensity. His smiles are infrequent and strange; they seem to work best when he has some sort of mirror to mimic.]

I do. Although... I imagine some parts of that life must have been difficult.

[Probably not the singing part.]

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex withholds a laugh, not so much because he looked weird, but there it was like seeing a baby try to copy someone else’s expression. He touched on her hardships from a distance, acknowledging what she might have gone through. It was considerate, she thought. ]

So...a famous detective whose name no one knew about?

[ Now that sounded like a story. ]

[hearthebell]

[It's a hell of a story. It's also one that L, Mello, and everyone associated with them is strictly conditioned to keep a secret at all costs. Some of that's relaxed in Aefenglom; some of it probably never will.]

I know it sounds strange, but that's how it was. I worked anonymously behind a code name; if I hadn't it would have gotten me killed a long time ago, because I put away a lot of high-profile criminals.

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex shuffles closer, leaning over the edge if her seat with a twinkle in her eye. ]

Like what kind of criminals?

[hearthebell]

[L cants his head; his returning gaze is so very lightless by comparison.]

I suppose... the worst kinds. At least the cleverest, that no one else had managed to track down. Killers, thieves and rapists, mostly, although... there is a lot of overlap in those demographics.

[sing_for_me]

[ Man, Linden would have a field day at Ergastulum. ]

Wow...I knew you were amazing but I didn’t think it’d be to that extent.

[ He was almost like a bounty hunter...that looked nothing like one. ]

And you did that all from your office...?

[hearthebell]

[A thin hand goes to the back of L's head to grasp self-consciously at the dark hair, there.]

I wouldn't go so far as to call it "amazing."

[Please don't call me that, goes unspoken but heavily implied.]

Others helped me gather the pieces. I just put them together.

[It's probably hard for her to imagine him literally fighting the people like the ones he described. They're hardened, wicked, tough; L is a spindly, frail-looking thing. His brain is his best, and possibly his only asset.]

[sing_for_me]

‘Just’?

[ Like that was something easy to do on its own. ]

Maybe it’s not legwork but, it sounds like something you’d still have to put a lot of effort into. And...you said you’re doing that here now too?

[hearthebell]

Mmhm.

[He nods. This is something he actually really does like talking about, a point of pride for him.]

My Bonded, Light, and I opened an agency together. Small cases, mostly... things like lost pets and cheating spouses, but... it's a chance to do what I'm good at, and miss.

[sing_for_me]

[ There’s a warmth in her eyes as she listens to him, some distant memories returning to her. ]

The people I used to work with, before I came here, did stuff like that. They weren’t a detective agency or anything, but we’d get cases like finding a missing cat, or gathering things for certain people.

[ A fond, nostalgic smile spreads on her face. ]

It might not be as thrilling as catching serial killer, but I’m glad you get to do something you like again.

[hearthebell]

It sounds similar. Even if you called it something different, that is what a detective agency does, you know.

[His own smile flickers a bit, brightens, in answer to hers.]

As for how thrilling it is, compared to catching a serial killer... you'd be surprised.

[He's working right alongside his own personal trophy, after all.]

[sing_for_me]

[ That sure was a smile on his face. ]

Oh yeah? Any fun stories?

[ Well, at least it sounded a lot safer? Exciting as it might be, if he was doing that over here, Alex might have some concerns. Like, him getting hurt or...what if people mistook him for the serial killer or something? ]

[hearthebell]

Well... once I saved someone's life with a handstand and a mattress. That was something.

[There's so much he's not at liberty to say, but this feels safe enough.]

[sing_for_me]

[ Well damn, Macgyver. That sure left a lot more questions than answers. ]

What?! How!