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"Doesn't real life have enough to unsettle you?" Nar observes. On the subject of Bierce, he adds, " 'Oil of Dog' demonstrates a good deal about human nature."

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"Reading horror is less unsettling than 'real life.'" His lips twitch. "My experience with the horror genre was an acute new sense of perspective; no matter how bad it is, it can always be worse."

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"Yeah, exactly," Matt grins. "Besides, the stuff that happens in horror is really, really unlikely to actually happen. So it's safe."

Horror books (and games) have never given him nightmares, for one thing. Not since he was seven.

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"With at least one notable exception," Near adds dryly. "But I'm sure we have more pleasant things to discuss. Did I hear you've taken up flying?"

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"Uh," says L, and closes his eyes at the memory.

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Matt blinks at L, surprised.

"You didn't enjoy it?"

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Hmmm. 'Uh' isn't a usual L comment, really. Near listens alertly; is there something to piece together here?

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"You went very quickly."

He's fighting a grin. The complaints are more for the sake of complaints than in hopes of actually changing anything.

"Very quickly."

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"Well... yeah, but it was a magic broom!"

He sort of thinks that L might be grinning, secretly, so he adds, "Should I get rid of the goggles I looked out for you?"

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"Flying on a broom seems a bit intimidating, but the two of you make it sound like fun. I'm glad you had a good time."

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"You should make the attempt."

Matt should keep the goggles.

"It was... quite unique."

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"It's fucking awesome. Brooms are to motorbikes as motorbikes are to cars."

Matt likes all three, but still.

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"But probably less dangerous. The risk of being hit by a motorbike while on a broom is significantly lower than being hit by a car while on a motorbike."

He feels this needs to be pointed out.

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"True." He has been in a very minor crash, once, but nothing bad enough to put him off for long.

He drains the last of his drink and says, "It's harder to do crazy urban chases on a broom, though. Or so I'd imagine."

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L blinks, and takes a long sip of his drink.

The idea of Matt and Mello on motorbikes is going to give him grey hairs.

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"Hey." He nudges L's shoulder as he gets another drink. "We're good at it, you don't need to worry. And I'm going to start learning some first-aid type magic."

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"Every statistic ever gathered suggests otherwise."

He sighs, and drops it.

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"I'm not in a hurry to get killed again. We'll be fine."

The fact that he was able to identify 'being too cocky' as one of the main factors in his death doesn't mean he's able to recognise that he'd doing the same thing now.

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"Fine or not, I hope you're not planning on making it such a regular event," Near says, as neutrally as be can, and takes another sip of beer. He's trying, really trying to be fair, be trusting; it does not seem like Matt is trying anywhere near as hard to not put him on edge.

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L kind of looks like he wants to agree, but for different reasons. He lets Matt field that one, without interference.

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"... I guess that's up to Mello," Matt says after a long moment. "I needed to get on the road today, that's all."

He shrugs, pouring himself another drink.

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He just doesn't get it, does he? Or maybe he doesn't want to. Near can understand that their friendship is important, but he also knows that adrenaline highs can lead to other, equally impetuous actions.

"Mello can go riding as often as he wishes. As can you."

Will the distinction even matter to Matt? Will he ever get the point of it?

Of course, the possibility that Matt's deliberately rubbing Near's nose in his intention to seize any possible opportunity to... But he'd promised, and Mello had promised, and any sort of overt jealously on his part would be unhelpful no matter what the situation.

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"Near, have another drink," says L, firmly.

He's being depressing, and a little confrontational.

"Please. Matt, what did you see in London? Did you go to the Towers?"

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Matt's beginning to feel a little... well, he honestly wanted to go riding in the hopes it'd help with the nightmares, and it kind of stings that Near's apparently interpreting it as a way of - getting to Mello? Keeping Mello to himself? Something like that.

And he'd been trying to stop this whole jealousy thing. Fuck.

Still, he's not particularly confrontational, so he takes the lifeline L offers quite eagerly.

"We didn't really see much - just sort of whizzed about the place. Got lost a couple of times, did a circuit of the ring-road... sightseeing isn't really my thing."

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