Unpopcorning of L

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

Pop!
There is nothing so disorienting as one moment, knowing where you are, and the next, not.

That’s not to say L has an idea where he just was. But wherever it was, he was content there. He may not have had all the answers to his questions, or perhaps he doesn’t just remember them, but it was a comfortable state to be in.

Whereas now, he doesn’t.

It’s not very often that L is completely confused. Whether or not he has all the answers to the problem, he can usually formulate some sort of guess. The universe tends to conform to certain rational standards; if an unseen figure sets tea down at his elbow, it is usually Watari. If a woman is missing and her husband is on the television pleading for her safe return, he is usually responsible. They are simple formulas that, while not always universal, get him comfortably through the day.

There is nothing comfortable, universal, or logical about this. He takes a step, slips, and finds himself sprawled on the floor and coated in what smells like butter. He discerns that he’s surrounded by popcorn.

Ahead of him is a door. In that list of rational standards, there’s another rule. Doors lead somewhere. So L makes his way towards it, gingerly. The slightly scrawny, extremely pale, twenty year old detective (who already has deep dark circles etched underneath his eyes) pokes his head out uncertainly.

“Excuse me?”

[ooc: this L is pre-canon, and will remember nothing of past interactions here. Under new management.]

Comments

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Ryuzaki." Matt nods. It's sort of interesting that L's using a Japanese name while they're in Britain; his English is perfect, with no trace of an accent, and Matt wonders briefly whether the name is deliberately misleading, to hide the fact that he actually grew up in Oklahoma or Cardif or St Petersburgh.

Then he shrugs. He doesn't really care.

"That's fine. They'd probably prefer running into you themselves than being introduced to you by me anyway. And the system was pretty fucked-up, so maybe it's a good thing we all ended up here. A break from all the..." he flaps a gloved hand, leading them down another corridor, "... detective-induced paranoia?"

Like Matt had even got involved until his last few months.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"There are certain regrettable consequences, some of which you will no doubt be... happier," he says the word like a question, "without."

But he doesn't really sound apologetic. The casualties of the system were more than necessary, in his mind. He's a relatively amoral person, when it comes to certain things.

Justice should be blind, after all.

"Are you happy here?"

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

Matt laughs, catching the question in L's voice. "Hey, I enjoyed myself. I just feel bad for the kids who didn't, or who weren't up to scratch, or who took it too seriously... I was third, I could afford to slack off. Sucks to be the kid who wanted to be L but kept coming in 20th. The early mortality thing isn't great either but," he grins now, "turns out that wasn't such a big deal after all."

And wow, he's blabbing. Apparently it's difficult to kick that hero-worship thing after all.

"I'm alive. It's fucking awesome."

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"It is not an experience I ever had, but I imagine you are correct. It would be difficult." Privately, he's a little sorry Matt slacked off; the competition was really what brought out the best in all of them, but it hardly matters now.

He's dead. Or rather, not dead, but enjoying himself in a magical castle in Scotland.

"What did the door look like?" Because they aren't having much luck finding this videogame room, are they?

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Especially when they seemed to pick the most neurotic newly-orphaned kids they could, heh..." Matt's tone is light, though; he's trying to recall his way to the coveted room of games. "I really hope I didn't just dream this place. That'd suck... It was a double-door, painted green. Each side had ornate handles, six symmetrical bolts... okay, I'm making it sound like just about any of the doors we're passing. I'd recognise it if I saw it."

Matt glances around. He'd definitely passed this map last night... maybe they should start opening random doors? That could old fast, but then again, so could wandering around an old castle covered in butter. "The library's down that way," he adds, nodding to his left.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"I think I am aware enough of where I am to be able to find it again." Although it's been a disorienting few minutes.

"You are still as interested in electronics as ever, I take it?"

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Awesome. And yeah... I'm actually hoping I might find a laptop or something in this room. I got a bit of work when I first arrived here, but I need a computer to actually do it, and so far I've not been able to find one... I'm going to have to go find the nearest town or something, I think."

Going outside. Yuck.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"I will join you when you do go on that venture, if you do not mind the company. I would be glad for access to a computer myself why I am here."

He cannot simply drop out of existence.

"And the surrounding area is unfamiliar to me."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Yeah - yeah, I'd like that. I hate having to go to stores for this stuff." Or at all, really. "Company would be good. I feel way too disconnected without any net access."

Matt flicked away his finished cigarette. "There's a village nearby, with a train station. I think there's a service to Aberdeen, but that's about it. Apart from that, we're surrounded by forests, lochs and hills and not much else."

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

L hasn't been outside of urban sprawl in years. The idea of not being a taxi flag away from disappearing into the background sets his teeth on edge, a little. As well connected as he is, his resources will not extend this far.

"Scotland, you said."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Scotland," he confirms. "Any of your adventures ever brought you here? I know mine haven't."

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"A few years ago. Longer than that, actually. I was young, I did not see much. Certainly none of the sort of landscape you are describing."

Major city centers.

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

Matt gives L a curious glance. "I get it if you'd rather not answer, but... how old are you, right now? You look about the same age as me..."

He pulls open a door, pretty much at random. Nothing but a classroom. Oh well.

"The magical room of computers might be a wild goose chase after all. Going to a town's probably more sensible." Matt thinks for a moment. "The train station was pretty deserted, and I didn't see any cars in the village. Unless the place is really self-sufficient, there must be some other way of getting around..."

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"I have just turned twenty. Watari got me a very good novel for my birthday and I am afraid that I will be unable to finish it, now."

Woe is L!

"I confess. I would not be sorry to stop searching. I am still butter-coated." That isn't getting any more comfortable.

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"We are the same age, then. Sort of. I died just before my twentieth - according to Near that was three years ago, but if people are appearing from different points of time, that might not be exactly right. What book did he get you?"

Comfortable... oh!

"Um," Matt says, aware that he's just lead L around a magical castle covered in drying butter. Whoops. "Yeah, we should try... doing something about that, huh."

((OOC: Heh - Matt would offer him use of his shower, but that happens downthread with Near, right? TIME PARADOX WHOOPS))

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"That would be greatly appreciated." A little bit of a sigh in his tone. No, as mentioned, he is not precisely a germophobe, but he does like to be clean.

"It was the Double, by Dostoevsky. At Wammy's, you would probably have read Crime and Punishment, or be just about to... which way is it?"

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Up this way - there's a sort of short-cut..." He leads them up the corridor, then through one of the passages hidden by a tapestry.

Okay, so maybe some of his wandering wasn't quite that aimless.

"I remember Crime and Punishment - English was one of the classes they let Mello and I sit next to each other. God knows why..." he grins, recalling the class.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"I did not hear that."

He imagines it must have been quite the disturbance. Oh well, the time is passed. He slips behind the tapestry, one hand on the wall.

"The architect of this place must have been a madman."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Good times." Mello had freaked out when he realised that he was performing two percentage points lower in that class than any others, but Matt had found that sort of funny as well, so things had worked out alright.

They turn a corner, and the passage they're walking along becomes, quite smoothly, a stepless spiral. "Yeah, I think I agree with you..." At the top of the spiral they emerge from another tapestry; down a short set of stairs, across a hall, and -

"This one's mine," Matt says, opening a door to reveal a small-but-comfortable room. There are several gaming systems and a pilfered TV set. And games, of course. A lot of games.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"And you have no objection to lending me your shower?"

L certainly hopes not. For one thing, it will afford him a few moments to process all that has happened; something that certainly needs doing, as soon as he can manage.

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Not at all, it's just through there." He gestures to a small en-suite bathroom. "I'll try and look out some clean clothes for you..."

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"You have been most helpful." He has a smile that you would not expect him to have. "I will only be a moment."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

Matt nods, blinking a little at the smile. "Sure, take your time."

With L in the shower, Matt attempts to both straighten up his room a little (so many discs out of their cases! And... shit, is that Near's shirt?) and find some clean clothes L can borrow. A red shirt - striped with black, of course - and a pair of jeans...

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

A long, pale arm sneaks out of the door frame (attached to a barely glimpsed, dripping shoulder) and drags the clothing into the bathroom, eventually.

A minute or two later, he emerges. The sweater fits him oddly, large at the shoulder, short on the arm, obviously, and makes him look silly and pale and dark eyed, and his hair is still dripping, though he's toweling the ends.

He's taller than he looks. When he's not slouching, he stands at 5'10. The problem is, he always slouches.

"That is a considerable improvement."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"What were you covered in, anyway?" Matt ducks his head a little to cover a grin at L's appearance. He wonders vaguely what the man would look like wearing goggles, but his eyes are so wide they might not even fit properly.

Which is when Matt notices that L is barefoot. "I think I have another pair of boots, if you want some shoes..."