I am not playing your bullshit games, B. [The use of his letter rather than his alias is entirely intentional.] I know you saw Sharon's post, and I know you responded to it. Do not treat me like I'm stupid.
Of course not. Any fellow resident of Wammy's House wouldn't be so easy to pull the wool over.]
Very well. Yes, I saw it, and responded to it. It would appear she remembered enough for you to reach your deduction, though I had little doubt that you would have failed in it. So what is it you really want to talk about, then? The consequences of my actions, perhaps?
[The question causes a sense of frustration to arise in him.
He had planned the perfect end for himself back in Los Angeles. A plan that would now go unfulfilled.
Even if L couldn't find B, B still lost.
He had counted the days he was under the Gods' spell; the time for him to have committed that third crime had long passed.
His voice is terse, struggling to suppress the rage of not being able to finish the crime he had so carefully set in motion back home.]
Don't play this with me, Mello. If you want vengeance, you're free to seek it. If you don't want to be treated as a fool, do not treat me as a child with their hand in the cookie jar.
[Beyond seems to give it a genuine amount of thought before answering. But any way he looks at it, the answer's the same.
His voice comes out more level this time.]
I have no reason to regret what I did.
[A pause as he recalls something else said, remembers the image that triggered it all.
He has to ask.]
Mello, why did Sharon claim to paint L?
[A pause.]
Is L here, Mello? Did he get pulled into this world, too?
[Whether he expects Mello to answer honestly... well, that's another story. But he wants to hear a side in this, before it festers further in his mind.]
[The answer Beyond gives is about what Mello expects, given what little he knows of the other man, and what he intimately knows about the orphanage that raised them both.
His questions, though ... Mello has information Beyond wants, information that he purposely withheld, caught between the loyalties of two men he greatly admires. But he guesses this is a bargaining chip he can use.]
I'll answer your questions. But I want to meet in person, I don't want to do this over the phone. Even the most secure lines aren't entirely secure. Now, I've already said I have no intention of killing you, and I have nothing to gain by lying about that - Hope would bring you back, as you've seen. Will you agree to this? I'll even let you choose the location - a public one, if you prefer.
[There's a long silence as Beyond considers the option.]
Very well, I'll agree to this. Where would you suggest we meet?
[Since Mello has been here much longer, he'll know the most secure locations.
And he'll still bring a weapon he can conceal. Just because he won't be killed doesn't mean he won't be attacked. And since half of the Network is rather furious with Beyond right now, it wouldn't take much to start an uproar. If only because Mello looked rather attached to Sharon on the Network; he still has to tread carefully.]
The orchard. It's fairly open, but it doesn't typically attract many visitors.
[So that offers the best combination of benefits - room to move, room to observe, semi-seclusion. Sharon knows to find him there, but he's guessing she's not going to seek him out for quite a while.]
[As promised, Beyond makes it there exactly at the ten minute mark. His left hand is tucked in his pants pocket while his right arm, the arm that Sharon had managed to injure with a paintbrush hangs almost limply at his side.
He had medicated and stitched it to the best of his ability, but the side effects are still present, regardless, or perhaps especially because, that it had happened only five days ago. The fingers are curled lightly though stiffly, signs of the damage to flexor muscle in his forearm.
He keeps a knife he picked up from the armoury tucked in his back pocket, discreet for all intents and purposes. He glances around at the trees, looking for Mello.]
[While he's been waiting, Mello has been weeding. The time they spent in whatever that alternate reality was didn't halt the growth of the plants, and he's always found it better to occupy idle time with at least one other thing besides waiting. He's on hands and knees picking at weeds around a row of fruit-bearing trees when Beyond approaches. Mello glances up at him, taking in whatever small details he can glean from the other man's appearance, noting something off about his right arm, filing it away in his mind like he does with all potentially useful information.]
Over here.
[Mello pulls himself to his feet, brushes his hands off on his legs - dark jeans today, and a plain black shirt, rosary still hung around his neck, of course, his jacket slung over a low branch. He doesn't intend to attack Beyond, but his pistol is still tucked into the back of his waistband, underneath the shirt, and there are knives slipped inside his boots, as well as in the pockets of his jacket. Old paranoid habits die hard.]
[Beyond first turns his head at Mello's voice, then heads over to the other man, eyeing him over briefly, doing the same to take in the information available to him. Though, there certainly isn't much available immediately to glean off Mello, it doesn't mean he's not prepared either.]
Walking is fine.
[He'd really rather not sit right now, if only because that would require him to move his right arm. Besides they could sit later if he changed his mind.]
[Mello nods. Walking is fine for him, too; he has too much restless energy to keep still. He collects the jacket from the tree, tugs it on over one arm, then the other, and motions toward the path for Beyond to take. Mello matches Beyond's gait, falling in step beside him. He's silent for about a full minute, making minute last-minute calculations, choosing the best way to approach this topic of discussion. In the end, what he settles on is a direct method, picking up where the previous phone discussion left off.]
To answer your question ... yes. He's here. Sharon knows what he looks like because she's met him. [Cracked his head open with a pipe, once.] As have I.
[He pauses, watches Beyond's reaction with a sidelong glance.]
[There's a faint twitch in Beyond's step as Mello confirms the information. L is here, and Beyond is rapidly processing incoming concepts. If L is here, then perhaps B hasn't lost after all.
But he still can't commit the murders - not to the same degree. This place resurrects people, and is a much smaller community than Los Angeles. He'd have to construct something new from scratch, something that he could still gear at the Detective to let him know it's not over yet.
A brand new game of chess.]
I see. So my assumptions were correct. [And now he has a face to the name L.
But why has he come out of hiding? The Detective who stood so long in the shadows, had made it a point to do so, had not only shown himself to Mello, but a rather common girl as well.
The pieces don't quite add up; any deduction Beyond can make is practically forced. He could understand showing himself to Mello, but to Sharon... Not while being obvious, at the very least.
After lining up all of the information he can configure, he decides his next question will be:]
Why would he reveal himself now?
[It's more to the point than he would have liked, but given Mello's reaction when they first started speaking, he'd probably tolerate no less from Beyond right now. He could play the runaround, and devise menial questions to get complex answers. But from Mello, he'll have to be more direct to get the answers he wants.]
[Mello has an intense dislike for verbal caginess and circumlocution when it's directed at him. Beyond is smart to take a direct approach - it leaves Mello with a more agreeable temperament for cooperation and disclosure.]
He didn't, exactly - not here, anyway. He revealed himself to me, once, when I was still a child, and Sharon knows who he is because I told her.
[There's more to both of those stories, of course, but Mello waits to see how the first parts are received before venturing further.]
[So Mello had revealed L to Sharon. It seems peculiar that a child of Wammy's would do such a thing; on the surface at least. But perhaps this reveals just how attached to Sharon that Mello is, if he was willing to share that information with her. Indeed, the reason he was so Hellbent on vengeance on the Network, if he were to reveal the mentor of whose image they were told to follow - to be backups if anything would actually happen to L - to Sharon.
He's that attached to the girl who is now, albeit reasonably, insistent on her death threats to Beyond. Whether Beyond can use this to his advantage or if it is an eggshell upon which to tread lightly, he isn't entirely sure. But it gets filed away for either circumstance, until he can garner more information, by observation or otherwise.]
How very interesting. [Carefully; he must choose his questions carefully.] Mello, you have been here for over a year, haven't you? How long has L been here?
[How long is long enough that Sharon would have painted his face, even in a surreal illusion.]
[Mello halts, turning to peer sharply at Beyond. It's a much less strong reaction that he would have estimated coming from his fellow obsessive and imperfect copy.]
Less - I'd been here a couple months before he arrived. Is that really all you have to say, that it's interesting? A moderately challenging crossword puzzle is interesting.
[This was L they were talking about, a larger-than-life absentee mentor they'd both been raised to emulate. And Mello had been led to believe that Beyond was more fixated on L than even Mello, who was rated closer to reaching that L-shaped objective than anyone else at Wammy's, save Near.]
You know as well as I do that L never just lets people know who he is. And you don't even question whether what I'm telling you is truth? You'll take me at my word, on blind faith?
[Wrong question to ask, apparently. He at least appears to give some thought to Mello's outburst, mulling over the words.]
It is an interesting concept that he is here and that you have gone so far as to reveal him to Sharon. But I do not have enough pieces to determine if you are telling the truth or lying.
Unless this is your admittance to lying to me, then I accept your confession. But I'm certainly not taking your word on blind faith. Even I would expect you to know better, considering our shared circumstances.
Although the chances that your story is true ranks at about eighty percent, if not more. Now, if you will please continue your story.
[It's not demanding, or even condescending. He states it all as level and matter-of-fact.]
[It's a reasonable enough answer. Mello nods, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.]
I'm not lying. I'm just surprised that you believe me so readily. Even eighty percent is awfully high when I haven't provided any proof.
[He shrugs, and continues walking down the path. No sense belaboring the point.]
It wasn't intentional, me telling Sharon who he was - is. [His mouth purses tightly at the slip.] I told her about L as a way of telling her about who I am, and that happened before he was brought here. I had no reason to expect he'd show up here.
[Mainly because L had been dead for years by Mello's perspective, which is a piece of information he elects not to share with Beyond for the moment.]
As for the reason I wanted to tell her who I am .... [His gaze drops to following his own feet as he takes steps forward.] I killed her. And I - I felt like I at least owed her an explanation as to why.
[Which is a testament to how strong of an influence Sorrow's resurrection had on him. Mello is not, generally speaking, someone who owes anyone anything.]
[Beyond undoubtedly catches that little slip in grammar on Mello's behalf regarding L. And for a moment, he's running it over in his mind, adding it to the information gathered.]
And what would keep you from expecting he would show up here, if you yourself could? Doesn't that open the gateway for any of us to appear here?
[And he's on that bit like white on rice.
Although, colour him amused when Mello says that he also killed Sharon, and his eyebrows go up a bit.]
So is that what this is about? Since you killed her, no one else is allowed to.
[A jab at Mello. Beyond certainly knows that this goes above the gradeschooler's prospect of, "no one can pull their hair but me." He only wanted to pull that chain a little.]
And so you told her that she might understand you, forgive you, is that it?
He's been dead for years. [Mello says this flatly, factually, without pause.] Obviously, they can bring us back from after death, but that's not the sort of thing that's common in the world we're from. That's why I had no reason to expect to see him again here.
[Another little clue he drops, the again - intentionally so. He wonders, briefly, if Beyond will catch it.
The jab about Sharon causes a shift in Mello's demeanor - he stops on the path, turns to face Beyond directly, steps in closer. His attention is focused, sharp, like a cat watching a bird, deciding whether to pounce.
I didn't ask her to forgive me. I didn't want forgiveness, and I didn't expect it, either, because I did what I thought was necessary at the time. She endangered all of us, and no one else was willing or able to stop her.
[Not that Mello did stop her, but that's an unimportant detail at the moment. Mello chooses not to elaborate, because an overview of that part of Hadriel's history is available in the documents he's composed that are available on the phones. Beyond is smart enough to do the math.]
When I asked, you said you have no reason to regret killing Sharon, and I can understand that. None of us were our normal selves, and it wouldn't be entirely fair to hold you responsible for your actions in that state. What I am going to do is stress to you that you cannot go after her again while you're in full control of yourself. Sharon is very important to me, and the only reason I'm telling you this is so you know exactly how serious I am about it.
[People like them don't betray who or what they find important, generally speaking, especially to others who have been broken and remolded by the same or similar forces. This is both a branch of trust that Mello is extending to Beyond and a clear, direct warning.]
[Beyond might have caught that again if it wasn't for the line that proceeded it. He's been dead for years. And it causes Beyond to eye Mello suspiciously. Did Mello honestly suspect that Beyond would buy that? He hasn't been dead a day, much less years. There is no way that the L that was chasing B is a step-in. He knows it's not true. His tone is almost like ice when he retorts.]
Now you really are lying, Mello. What form of a fool do you take me for? L has not died; do you hope to spare him by proclaiming such? I expected far better from you.
[Beyond's patience is clearly being tried. What manner of jest is this? You don't joke about L being dead. That's not something held lightly. Not by Wammy's House, not by Mello. What is the real reason behind this claim?
As for Sharon...]
Oh, really? How noble of you to do what was necessary. And to not want forgiveness as a result. I clearly misunderstood you.
[And for the moment, Beyond listens intently to the request, threat or otherwise. And while he takes a moment to consider it, mulling over the information that Mello has presented.
It's calm and cool when he finally answers.]
Yes, Mello, we have an understanding. I will not harm a solitary hair on Sharon's head so long as I am fully aware. You have my word.
[He's satisfied with the answer Beyond gives him about Sharon, so he considers the matter closed. As far as L is concerned, however ... not even close. Beyond is right - you don't joke about L being dead. And Mello isn't joking.]
You expected better? [His eyes narrow. Are those actual words that just came out of your mouth, B. Are they.] Did you honestly not notice that I'm taller than I was when you left the House, B? Don't I look older? [He turns his head slightly, chin tipped up, so the scarred side of his face is on display.] The year was 2010 before I was brought here. L's been dead for more than five years.
[He pauses, calculating. Maybe what he wants to say is hurtful, but he's been hurt by Beyond's accusation, and he's striking back, childish.]
For that matter, so have you.
[Go on, do the math. 2010 minus five years isn't 2002.]
2010? Are you trying to tell me there's some sort of time conspiracy, Mello?
[Though, he certainly can't discount what Mello has said - he does look taller, older. And though it was easy to discard upon his arrival, it does add up. And that gets under Beyond's skin.
Though not quite as much as what follows. And Beyond's eyes narrow in return. If Mello is from the future he so claims to be, of course Beyond's dead. He planned it that way. But how does he know that? It was supposed to be the unsolvable crime, and if L couldn't solve it, he doubts Mello could. Which doesn't bode well for him.]
And where's your proof.
[It's practically said in a sneer, but Beyond is keeping himself in check, despite the urge to attack. He needs clarification.]
The Door plucks us from different realities, it's not a conspiracy to imagine it would bring us from different timelines as well - that's simple logic.
[There are any number of ways he could show his work, but the one that is most effective is also likely the one that is the most cutting for a Wammy's child - revealing secrets.]
My proof? [He smiles sharply, mouth closed.] I know your name. And I know that you know mine, because you can see it. And I know why.
[Simple logic. It's condescending. It's the cry of the upper hand. And Beyond despises it. And as much as he wants more information, he finds himself striking out. He has to use his left hand, but he aims a punch straight for Mello's face. To wipe that smirk straight off of it.
If Mello truly knows, then that means Beyond failed. And he's not having it.]
What would someone like you know, Mihael?
[His teeth are gritted. It's practically a hiss. And it confirms Mello's facts, that he knows the name. It's an attempt at a dig; and a question that begs an answer he doesn't want. He knows it. And he knows this is playing in the flames of his own downfall. But he wants the details. He has to know how Mello knows, what Mello's source is.]
[He more or less expects Beyond's violent reaction; despite the line of logic Mello can find in his actions, he knows the other man is not entirely stable, and the secret knowledge he's intimated is like dropping a lit match near a powder keg - likely to cause an explosion.
But it's hearing his name - his true name, the name that can kill him, the name his mother gave him - that provokes a violent reaction of his own. The memory of his mother's short appearance here and the pain of losing her a second time wash through him like adrenaline, and quick as a cat, his right hand darts forward to fist in Beyond's shirt and pull him in close, while his left hand retrieves the pistol from his back and pushes the end of the barrel underneath Beyond's jaw with the safety slid off. Teeth bared, voice low and even and hard, close enough for his breath to be felt on Beyond's face, he answers:]
What I know? [A sound that's not quite a laugh rumbles in the back of his throat.] What I know, Beyond Birthday, is that you lost. You were caught, and you died in prison, a failure. Go on - ask me how I know this.
[The fact that he's spoken Beyond's secret name, something that was intended to be discovered in the would-be corpse left behind but never linked to Wammy's House's second child, should stand as proof enough. But he'll gladly go over what he knows in gloating detail, as long as Beyond asks for it.]
[When Beyond is yanked close, his hands both shoot up to grab back at Mello's shirt, with the intention to throw Mello. But with that gun at his jaw, Beyond goes still, ists still tightly tangled in place. But his expression isn't nervous, he's not afraid of Mello. He just has no intentions of dying right here and now, and that's enough to keep him in check. Though he can't help but smirk at the baring of Mello's teeth. He struck a chord and he knows it, if the gun weren't proof enough of that.
Although, Mello trades a verbal blow of his own, using Beyond's name. And the smirk fades all too quickly into a scowl. Despite his own fury, his tone is remarkably even, laced with spite if not outright ice cold.]
Go ahead, Mello. Tell me how you know this. I'm eager to know.
[The shift in beyond's expression is satisfying, and it pulls Mello's mouth into a crooked smile.]
I know this because L told me. I met him once, before he died, and he told me the whole thing - your puzzles, your work with Naomi Misora. How you planned to commit suicide, set yourself on fire and make it look like another murder. [He hums quietly in thought, tips his head slightly to the side.] Your strategy was good, but it wasn't good enough. Misora - you underestimated her, and she saw through you.
[Beyond's teeth grit tightly, forcing himself to remember the gun to his jaw, to resist that so-impulsive desire to ram Mello into the ground. He might be able to take the gun, but he's at a rather high disadvantage, with the injury on his arm and the rage coursing through his veins. Mello easily matched his speed when Beyond had moved to attack just before. He knows that if he doesn't want that gun to go off, he has to play by Mello's temper, if only briefly. And it only serves to boil his blood further.
The hands in Mello's shirt grip tighter, pull up just slightly. A so-faint test of the waters. How trigger-happy is Mello really in this moment?
The words seethe through Beyond's teeth.]
I see. So it's Misora. [A minour miscalculation that causes it all. Information that's good to know. Or... at least would be if he could do anything with it. Those days have long passed, the crime has ceased function, and he's already lost in that sense. A double strike to his ego. And it takes every ounce of himself to continue with a level tone.]
Let me go, Mello.
[His hands in Mello's shirt shove against him slightly to push him away, and his face contorts into a sneer. As if still debating with himself to continue his attack or just storm away when he's released. But being held this close to Mello right now with all of the information being given to him, the first option is becoming more and more appealing, barrel to his throat or no.]
[He's made his point, both about Sharon (the original focus of this discussion) and about what he knows of Beyond's gambit. There's no sense in drawing out this little power play any longer.]
Yeah ... sure, I think we're done here anyway.
[The gun eases from under Beyond's chin, but it stays in Mello's hand as he releases his grip on the other man and steps back.]
One last thing - don't ever call me by that name again. Got it?
[Beyond takes a few steps back of his own, much more guarded now that he isn't at point blank.]
I've already made one promise today, isn't that enough for you? How about I do you the favour of keeping it our little secret. That should satisfy you, shouldn't it?
[He's probably still walking a thin line, but he has no intentions of making that promise to Mello. That name is a trigger point, it's leverage. And he'll willingly tread that line.]
Or I can swap the promises, if you prefer - take back the word to not attack Sharon and choose not to call you by your name.
This isn't a game, and it's not negotiable. I've kept your story to myself for years [well, except for the document he left for Near to find after his death, and the abridged story he told Sharon when their lives were under threat from the Null], but I can just as easily broadcast it to the entire city. Think about that for a moment - do you really want everyone here to know exactly who you are and what you've done? I'm not just talking about the fact that you're the one who killed Sharon - I mean everything.
[Namely, the spectacular way in which he'd failed to best the world's greatest detective. Beyond may be feeling the sting of humilation now, privately, when it's just the two of them, but Mello is betting that having that humilation put on display for the entire city to see and no way to escape would be a compound loss, one Beyond would rather avoid. Mello flicks the pistol's safety back on, expression softening. Despite everything, he still feels an incredible amount of sympathy for Beyond. Maybe someday he'll even come to a place of trusting him with that truth, how important the story of the LABB Murders was to him, how he used it as a compass when he left Wammy's House to take on the world alone. But not today. Not here. Their understanding of each other is too tenuous for that.]
You have a choice, Ryuzaki. [A small olive branch extended, switching back to his preferred alias.] I can either be your ally, or I can be your enemy, but believe me when I say that you don't want me as your enemy.
[Of course Mello has another gaming chip. Why wouldn't he.
And, of course, he catches that bit where Mello returns to the alias. What does he hope to gain by that?
Beyond actually lets out an extremely frustrated sigh. He doesn't like this time difference at all. But that doesn't mean he can't re-level the playing field.]
Don't think you'll keep having the upper hand if you continue to use that same poker chip. I mean it. I'm not making anymore promises based on that bit of blackmail.
You have to promise not to release it to anyone else, in exchange for your name and Sharon. I should think that's more than fair. I have to get as much out of this as you do.
[Mello truly has no desire for hostility between himself and Beyond, but he's also unwilling to take chances with Sharon's safety, or with his name. It's a remote possibility that this piece of information will ever be of relevance in Hadriel, but even a slim chance is more of a chance than he's willing to risk.]
All right, [he nods] that's a reasonable bargain. I'll keep your story to myself, as long as you keep my name to yourself and no further harm comes to Sharon. You have my word.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theperfectcrime
voice.
Date: 2017-07-26 06:25 pm (UTC)[And he's guessing you already know why, B.]
voice.
Date: 2017-07-26 06:32 pm (UTC)[He does know why. But do continue Mello.]
voice.
Date: 2017-07-26 06:43 pm (UTC)I am not playing your bullshit games, B. [The use of his letter rather than his alias is entirely intentional.] I know you saw Sharon's post, and I know you responded to it. Do not treat me like I'm stupid.
voice.
Date: 2017-07-26 07:03 pm (UTC)Of course not. Any fellow resident of Wammy's House wouldn't be so easy to pull the wool over.]
Very well. Yes, I saw it, and responded to it. It would appear she remembered enough for you to reach your deduction, though I had little doubt that you would have failed in it. So what is it you really want to talk about, then? The consequences of my actions, perhaps?
voice.
Date: 2017-07-27 12:37 am (UTC)voice.
Date: 2017-07-27 01:07 am (UTC)He had planned the perfect end for himself back in Los Angeles. A plan that would now go unfulfilled.
Even if L couldn't find B, B still lost.
He had counted the days he was under the Gods' spell; the time for him to have committed that third crime had long passed.
His voice is terse, struggling to suppress the rage of not being able to finish the crime he had so carefully set in motion back home.]
Don't play this with me, Mello. If you want vengeance, you're free to seek it. If you don't want to be treated as a fool, do not treat me as a child with their hand in the cookie jar.
Re: voice.
Date: 2017-07-27 01:15 am (UTC)[Mello sighs tiredly.]
I'm not going to kill you. But I want to know if you regret killing Sharon - an honest answer, not whatever you think I want to hear.
voice.
Date: 2017-07-27 01:26 am (UTC)His voice comes out more level this time.]
I have no reason to regret what I did.
[A pause as he recalls something else said, remembers the image that triggered it all.
He has to ask.]
Mello, why did Sharon claim to paint L?
[A pause.]
Is L here, Mello? Did he get pulled into this world, too?
[Whether he expects Mello to answer honestly... well, that's another story. But he wants to hear a side in this, before it festers further in his mind.]
voice.
Date: 2017-07-27 01:38 am (UTC)His questions, though ... Mello has information Beyond wants, information that he purposely withheld, caught between the loyalties of two men he greatly admires. But he guesses this is a bargaining chip he can use.]
I'll answer your questions. But I want to meet in person, I don't want to do this over the phone. Even the most secure lines aren't entirely secure. Now, I've already said I have no intention of killing you, and I have nothing to gain by lying about that - Hope would bring you back, as you've seen. Will you agree to this? I'll even let you choose the location - a public one, if you prefer.
voice.
Date: 2017-07-27 01:47 am (UTC)Very well, I'll agree to this. Where would you suggest we meet?
[Since Mello has been here much longer, he'll know the most secure locations.
And he'll still bring a weapon he can conceal. Just because he won't be killed doesn't mean he won't be attacked. And since half of the Network is rather furious with Beyond right now, it wouldn't take much to start an uproar. If only because Mello looked rather attached to Sharon on the Network; he still has to tread carefully.]
voice.
Date: 2017-07-27 02:27 am (UTC)[So that offers the best combination of benefits - room to move, room to observe, semi-seclusion. Sharon knows to find him there, but he's guessing she's not going to seek him out for quite a while.]
Be there in ten, and I'll have your answers.
action
Date: 2017-07-27 02:37 am (UTC)He had medicated and stitched it to the best of his ability, but the side effects are still present, regardless, or perhaps especially because, that it had happened only five days ago. The fingers are curled lightly though stiffly, signs of the damage to flexor muscle in his forearm.
He keeps a knife he picked up from the armoury tucked in his back pocket, discreet for all intents and purposes. He glances around at the trees, looking for Mello.]
action
Date: 2017-07-27 02:51 am (UTC)Over here.
[Mello pulls himself to his feet, brushes his hands off on his legs - dark jeans today, and a plain black shirt, rosary still hung around his neck, of course, his jacket slung over a low branch. He doesn't intend to attack Beyond, but his pistol is still tucked into the back of his waistband, underneath the shirt, and there are knives slipped inside his boots, as well as in the pockets of his jacket. Old paranoid habits die hard.]
Do you want to sit, or would you rather walk?
Perma-action
Date: 2017-07-27 03:21 am (UTC)Walking is fine.
[He'd really rather not sit right now, if only because that would require him to move his right arm. Besides they could sit later if he changed his mind.]
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 04:53 am (UTC)To answer your question ... yes. He's here. Sharon knows what he looks like because she's met him. [Cracked his head open with a pipe, once.] As have I.
[He pauses, watches Beyond's reaction with a sidelong glance.]
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 01:19 pm (UTC)But he still can't commit the murders - not to the same degree. This place resurrects people, and is a much smaller community than Los Angeles. He'd have to construct something new from scratch, something that he could still gear at the Detective to let him know it's not over yet.
A brand new game of chess.]
I see. So my assumptions were correct. [And now he has a face to the name L.
But why has he come out of hiding? The Detective who stood so long in the shadows, had made it a point to do so, had not only shown himself to Mello, but a rather common girl as well.
The pieces don't quite add up; any deduction Beyond can make is practically forced. He could understand showing himself to Mello, but to Sharon... Not while being obvious, at the very least.
After lining up all of the information he can configure, he decides his next question will be:]
Why would he reveal himself now?
[It's more to the point than he would have liked, but given Mello's reaction when they first started speaking, he'd probably tolerate no less from Beyond right now. He could play the runaround, and devise menial questions to get complex answers. But from Mello, he'll have to be more direct to get the answers he wants.]
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 02:53 pm (UTC)He didn't, exactly - not here, anyway. He revealed himself to me, once, when I was still a child, and Sharon knows who he is because I told her.
[There's more to both of those stories, of course, but Mello waits to see how the first parts are received before venturing further.]
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 04:04 pm (UTC)He's that attached to the girl who is now, albeit reasonably, insistent on her death threats to Beyond. Whether Beyond can use this to his advantage or if it is an eggshell upon which to tread lightly, he isn't entirely sure. But it gets filed away for either circumstance, until he can garner more information, by observation or otherwise.]
How very interesting. [Carefully; he must choose his questions carefully.] Mello, you have been here for over a year, haven't you? How long has L been here?
[How long is long enough that Sharon would have painted his face, even in a surreal illusion.]
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 06:26 pm (UTC)Less - I'd been here a couple months before he arrived. Is that really all you have to say, that it's interesting? A moderately challenging crossword puzzle is interesting.
[This was L they were talking about, a larger-than-life absentee mentor they'd both been raised to emulate. And Mello had been led to believe that Beyond was more fixated on L than even Mello, who was rated closer to reaching that L-shaped objective than anyone else at Wammy's, save Near.]
You know as well as I do that L never just lets people know who he is. And you don't even question whether what I'm telling you is truth? You'll take me at my word, on blind faith?
no subject
Date: 2017-07-30 11:32 pm (UTC)It is an interesting concept that he is here and that you have gone so far as to reveal him to Sharon. But I do not have enough pieces to determine if you are telling the truth or lying.
Unless this is your admittance to lying to me, then I accept your confession. But I'm certainly not taking your word on blind faith. Even I would expect you to know better, considering our shared circumstances.
Although the chances that your story is true ranks at about eighty percent, if not more. Now, if you will please continue your story.
[It's not demanding, or even condescending. He states it all as level and matter-of-fact.]
no subject
Date: 2017-08-01 09:14 pm (UTC)I'm not lying. I'm just surprised that you believe me so readily. Even eighty percent is awfully high when I haven't provided any proof.
[He shrugs, and continues walking down the path. No sense belaboring the point.]
It wasn't intentional, me telling Sharon who he was - is. [His mouth purses tightly at the slip.] I told her about L as a way of telling her about who I am, and that happened before he was brought here. I had no reason to expect he'd show up here.
[Mainly because L had been dead for years by Mello's perspective, which is a piece of information he elects not to share with Beyond for the moment.]
As for the reason I wanted to tell her who I am .... [His gaze drops to following his own feet as he takes steps forward.] I killed her. And I - I felt like I at least owed her an explanation as to why.
[Which is a testament to how strong of an influence Sorrow's resurrection had on him. Mello is not, generally speaking, someone who owes anyone anything.]
no subject
Date: 2017-08-08 07:41 pm (UTC)And what would keep you from expecting he would show up here, if you yourself could? Doesn't that open the gateway for any of us to appear here?
[And he's on that bit like white on rice.
Although, colour him amused when Mello says that he also killed Sharon, and his eyebrows go up a bit.]
So is that what this is about? Since you killed her, no one else is allowed to.
[A jab at Mello. Beyond certainly knows that this goes above the gradeschooler's prospect of, "no one can pull their hair but me." He only wanted to pull that chain a little.]
And so you told her that she might understand you, forgive you, is that it?
no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 05:59 pm (UTC)[Another little clue he drops, the again - intentionally so. He wonders, briefly, if Beyond will catch it.
The jab about Sharon causes a shift in Mello's demeanor - he stops on the path, turns to face Beyond directly, steps in closer. His attention is focused, sharp, like a cat watching a bird, deciding whether to pounce.
I didn't ask her to forgive me. I didn't want forgiveness, and I didn't expect it, either, because I did what I thought was necessary at the time. She endangered all of us, and no one else was willing or able to stop her.
[Not that Mello did stop her, but that's an unimportant detail at the moment. Mello chooses not to elaborate, because an overview of that part of Hadriel's history is available in the documents he's composed that are available on the phones. Beyond is smart enough to do the math.]
When I asked, you said you have no reason to regret killing Sharon, and I can understand that. None of us were our normal selves, and it wouldn't be entirely fair to hold you responsible for your actions in that state. What I am going to do is stress to you that you cannot go after her again while you're in full control of yourself. Sharon is very important to me, and the only reason I'm telling you this is so you know exactly how serious I am about it.
[People like them don't betray who or what they find important, generally speaking, especially to others who have been broken and remolded by the same or similar forces. This is both a branch of trust that Mello is extending to Beyond and a clear, direct warning.]
Do we have an understanding, Ryuzaki?
no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 07:04 pm (UTC)Now you really are lying, Mello. What form of a fool do you take me for? L has not died; do you hope to spare him by proclaiming such? I expected far better from you.
[Beyond's patience is clearly being tried. What manner of jest is this? You don't joke about L being dead. That's not something held lightly. Not by Wammy's House, not by Mello. What is the real reason behind this claim?
As for Sharon...]
Oh, really? How noble of you to do what was necessary. And to not want forgiveness as a result. I clearly misunderstood you.
[And for the moment, Beyond listens intently to the request, threat or otherwise. And while he takes a moment to consider it, mulling over the information that Mello has presented.
It's calm and cool when he finally answers.]
Yes, Mello, we have an understanding. I will not harm a solitary hair on Sharon's head so long as I am fully aware. You have my word.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-10 03:18 am (UTC)You expected better? [His eyes narrow. Are those actual words that just came out of your mouth, B. Are they.] Did you honestly not notice that I'm taller than I was when you left the House, B? Don't I look older? [He turns his head slightly, chin tipped up, so the scarred side of his face is on display.] The year was 2010 before I was brought here. L's been dead for more than five years.
[He pauses, calculating. Maybe what he wants to say is hurtful, but he's been hurt by Beyond's accusation, and he's striking back, childish.]
For that matter, so have you.
[Go on, do the math. 2010 minus five years isn't 2002.]
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 05:05 pm (UTC)[Though, he certainly can't discount what Mello has said - he does look taller, older. And though it was easy to discard upon his arrival, it does add up. And that gets under Beyond's skin.
Though not quite as much as what follows. And Beyond's eyes narrow in return. If Mello is from the future he so claims to be, of course Beyond's dead. He planned it that way. But how does he know that? It was supposed to be the unsolvable crime, and if L couldn't solve it, he doubts Mello could. Which doesn't bode well for him.]
And where's your proof.
[It's practically said in a sneer, but Beyond is keeping himself in check, despite the urge to attack. He needs clarification.]
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 05:29 pm (UTC)[There are any number of ways he could show his work, but the one that is most effective is also likely the one that is the most cutting for a Wammy's child - revealing secrets.]
My proof? [He smiles sharply, mouth closed.] I know your name. And I know that you know mine, because you can see it. And I know why.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 05:42 pm (UTC)If Mello truly knows, then that means Beyond failed. And he's not having it.]
What would someone like you know, Mihael?
[His teeth are gritted. It's practically a hiss. And it confirms Mello's facts, that he knows the name. It's an attempt at a dig; and a question that begs an answer he doesn't want. He knows it. And he knows this is playing in the flames of his own downfall. But he wants the details. He has to know how Mello knows, what Mello's source is.]
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 06:27 pm (UTC)But it's hearing his name - his true name, the name that can kill him, the name his mother gave him - that provokes a violent reaction of his own. The memory of his mother's short appearance here and the pain of losing her a second time wash through him like adrenaline, and quick as a cat, his right hand darts forward to fist in Beyond's shirt and pull him in close, while his left hand retrieves the pistol from his back and pushes the end of the barrel underneath Beyond's jaw with the safety slid off. Teeth bared, voice low and even and hard, close enough for his breath to be felt on Beyond's face, he answers:]
What I know? [A sound that's not quite a laugh rumbles in the back of his throat.] What I know, Beyond Birthday, is that you lost. You were caught, and you died in prison, a failure. Go on - ask me how I know this.
[The fact that he's spoken Beyond's secret name, something that was intended to be discovered in the would-be corpse left behind but never linked to Wammy's House's second child, should stand as proof enough. But he'll gladly go over what he knows in gloating detail, as long as Beyond asks for it.]
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 06:47 pm (UTC)Although, Mello trades a verbal blow of his own, using Beyond's name. And the smirk fades all too quickly into a scowl. Despite his own fury, his tone is remarkably even, laced with spite if not outright ice cold.]
Go ahead, Mello. Tell me how you know this. I'm eager to know.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 06:58 pm (UTC)I know this because L told me. I met him once, before he died, and he told me the whole thing - your puzzles, your work with Naomi Misora. How you planned to commit suicide, set yourself on fire and make it look like another murder. [He hums quietly in thought, tips his head slightly to the side.] Your strategy was good, but it wasn't good enough. Misora - you underestimated her, and she saw through you.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 07:17 pm (UTC)The hands in Mello's shirt grip tighter, pull up just slightly. A so-faint test of the waters. How trigger-happy is Mello really in this moment?
The words seethe through Beyond's teeth.]
I see. So it's Misora. [A minour miscalculation that causes it all. Information that's good to know. Or... at least would be if he could do anything with it. Those days have long passed, the crime has ceased function, and he's already lost in that sense. A double strike to his ego. And it takes every ounce of himself to continue with a level tone.]
Let me go, Mello.
[His hands in Mello's shirt shove against him slightly to push him away, and his face contorts into a sneer. As if still debating with himself to continue his attack or just storm away when he's released. But being held this close to Mello right now with all of the information being given to him, the first option is becoming more and more appealing, barrel to his throat or no.]
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 07:46 pm (UTC)Yeah ... sure, I think we're done here anyway.
[The gun eases from under Beyond's chin, but it stays in Mello's hand as he releases his grip on the other man and steps back.]
One last thing - don't ever call me by that name again. Got it?
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 07:56 pm (UTC)I've already made one promise today, isn't that enough for you? How about I do you the favour of keeping it our little secret. That should satisfy you, shouldn't it?
[He's probably still walking a thin line, but he has no intentions of making that promise to Mello. That name is a trigger point, it's leverage. And he'll willingly tread that line.]
Or I can swap the promises, if you prefer - take back the word to not attack Sharon and choose not to call you by your name.
[Try him, Mello. He's practically daring you.]
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 09:03 pm (UTC)This isn't a game, and it's not negotiable. I've kept your story to myself for years [well, except for the document he left for Near to find after his death, and the abridged story he told Sharon when their lives were under threat from the Null], but I can just as easily broadcast it to the entire city. Think about that for a moment - do you really want everyone here to know exactly who you are and what you've done? I'm not just talking about the fact that you're the one who killed Sharon - I mean everything.
[Namely, the spectacular way in which he'd failed to best the world's greatest detective. Beyond may be feeling the sting of humilation now, privately, when it's just the two of them, but Mello is betting that having that humilation put on display for the entire city to see and no way to escape would be a compound loss, one Beyond would rather avoid. Mello flicks the pistol's safety back on, expression softening. Despite everything, he still feels an incredible amount of sympathy for Beyond. Maybe someday he'll even come to a place of trusting him with that truth, how important the story of the LABB Murders was to him, how he used it as a compass when he left Wammy's House to take on the world alone. But not today. Not here. Their understanding of each other is too tenuous for that.]
You have a choice, Ryuzaki. [A small olive branch extended, switching back to his preferred alias.] I can either be your ally, or I can be your enemy, but believe me when I say that you don't want me as your enemy.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-03 09:54 pm (UTC)And, of course, he catches that bit where Mello returns to the alias. What does he hope to gain by that?
Beyond actually lets out an extremely frustrated sigh. He doesn't like this time difference at all. But that doesn't mean he can't re-level the playing field.]
Don't think you'll keep having the upper hand if you continue to use that same poker chip. I mean it. I'm not making anymore promises based on that bit of blackmail.
You have to promise not to release it to anyone else, in exchange for your name and Sharon. I should think that's more than fair. I have to get as much out of this as you do.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-05 05:42 pm (UTC)All right, [he nods] that's a reasonable bargain. I'll keep your story to myself, as long as you keep my name to yourself and no further harm comes to Sharon. You have my word.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-05 09:33 pm (UTC)[A begrudging one on Beyond's behalf, but one nonetheless.
He turns to leave, tucking his left hand into his pants pocket.]
If you need nothing else, then.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-06 03:45 am (UTC)We're done. See you around.