Mysteries abound... ((Open RP, L, Great Hall))

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

L had seen many things in his time here at Hogwarts. Many things he was sure he'd never see...some things he'd like to unsee.

He'd seen Kusuriyuri walking with an injury on his back. That had startled him. He almost stopped him but figured the peddler was going to get attention. He wondered if he should check in on him since it'd been a couple of days. He hadn't seen Kusuriyuri laying around in the halls (not that he'd really checked or anything, but he had wandered the halls...not making sure. He didn't like the peddler, but A respected him, so...).

He'd seen Mello stomping around, looking pissed at the world, but that was nothing new.

He went to the Great Hall, ordering a cheesecake with strawberries, and thought, crouching on one of the benches.

Maybe he should owl Near? Their relationship, while uneasy, was at least almost comfortable in it's familiarity. Or maybe he should owl Light? They were supposed to play tennis, not that it was a good time of year to play, but he had heard of the Room of Requirement. Maybe he should owl Mello, just for the intellectual stimulation of arguing with the blond? Maybe he should owl A and see about watching cartoons or some simple pleasure?

Or, he could enjoy his cheesecake.

Comments

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

A had, as Kurama had suggested, taken to carrying seeds of various thorny plants. He was on his way to the Room of Requirement to practice with them when he spotted L, and realized he hadn't spoken to him yet about this new menace.

Quietly, he sat near him on the bench, not wishing to be a disturbance.

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

L passed over a plate of cheesecake. "Here, darling." No, why would he ask if A wanted it? And, since it wasn't unusual for A just to sit next to him without saying anything, he said, "I was thinking about you."

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

"You, you were?" A's smile was only a little hesitant, despite his anxiety. "It is nice to be thought of. Well, nice for you to think of me, or another friend to think of me." He shivered a little; there was someone he didn't want thinking of him.

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

L felt the shiver through the bench (why on earth would he wear shoes if he didn't have to?). "Yes," he said, ignoring it for now, to see if A would bring it up. "I was thinking it'd been a while since we spent time together."

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

His smile grew more confident. "I like it, like spending time with you. Soon it will be spring, and I will need to spend a lot of time in the garden. Will you keep me company while I work? I will grow sweet fruits," he teased gently.

[forlornexultant.livejournal.com]

The Great Hall was unlike anything I had known. Not at the House Absolute, nor at the country houses where I had sojourned, nor yet on Tzadkiel's ship had I feasted in such a rustic open space, with its long tables like those of a monial's refectory.

It was a space pleasantly devoid of intrigue, if also innocent of the kinds of adornment to which I had once been accustomed. Or so I thought; but then, I had not yet become attuned to the currents of intrigue that did flow through this castle.

There was an endless supply of food, if one cared for it, and this was a luxury of which I intended to avail myself. A slight slender young optimate (no, not an optimate; I reminded myself, these people were also innocent of rank) was consuming with pleasure a delicious-looking soft cake. "What is that?" I asked him, curious.

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

L looked up. "Cheesecake, with strawberries," he said, completely surprised that someone wouldn't know something so important. "Have you not had it?" he asked, though the answer was obvious.

[forlornexultant.livejournal.com]

I shook my head. "Strawberries I know. Cheesecake I do not. Is it almost entirely cheese?" Its texture, as he forked it, suggested it had been mixed with some binding and mollifying agent; not a simple round of cheese, but a melange. "I have learned, from an armored man, about cheeseburgers." I still did not know that man's name. "Now I learn of cheesecake ... this world is astonishingly inventive with its cheeses."

I gazed at the cheesecake, my appetite no doubt discernible.

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

"It is made from a soft cheese called cream cheese that has been blended with powdered sugar, vanilla and a few other things and then placed on a graham cracker crust." He summoned over a house elf and asked for another cake. He's not terribly big on sharing. "It is a very different kind of cheese from cheeseburger cheese." He waved with his fork at the seat across from him.

[ringo-raver.livejournal.com]

A cackling sound can be heard as Ryuk stared at Ryuzaki, eating his ever present apple.

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

L didn't even look up. "I don't have any apples, Ryuk," he said, taking another bite. Around the food in his mouth, he said, "So, you can go bother someone else."

[ringo-raver.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm just reminiscing right now. Remembering how people died."

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" L said, a forkful of cheesecake moving toward his mouth. "So glad to hear your entertained," he said in a tone of voice that clearly indicated he wasn't interested.

[vislor-turlough.livejournal.com]

Turlough had come in for his food run. He stopped momentarily at seeing Ryuzaki. Now, Turlough was not a sociable person. But at least he's on cordial terms with Ryuzaki (though it may at least partially have to do with A).

So he waved a hello at Ryuzaki.

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

L waved his fork at Turlough. This, for him, while eating, was remarkably polite. Whether anyone else agreed was questionable.

[vislor-turlough.livejournal.com]

"I half expected you to beg A to make something from his battle." Turlough leaned against another table.

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

"Beg?" L asked with a smile. "The cupcakes looked good, and the ice cream," he said. "It is an idea."

[woocha.livejournal.com]

A dog popped up onto the table near Ryuzaki and wagged his tail as a house elf put down something warm and meaty. Thank you! The house elf smiled and disappeared.

Hi Ryuzaki!

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

"Hi Wishbone," L said before taking another bite. He smiled at the dog. "How are you today?"

[woocha.livejournal.com]

Well, I had a bad day. But that was followed by a good day.

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

L's smile wavered and faded. "If your bad day involved a new student, A told me about him," he said grimly.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

Kurama had been wandering. Not so much because he enjoyed getting lost in the hallways, but he needed to think, and thinking in the greenhouses invariably lead to destruction that he didn't want to think about righting. And though he was loath to leave Kusuriyuri's side, he also knew his lover wouldn't appreciate being cushioned, and could take care of himself.

So he walked, and he thought, and belatedly realized he'd made it to the great hall. When he spotted L, he knew that he likely wouldn't have another chance to warn him of Karasu, and let him know what he was teaching A in order to prevent said bird from causing harm.

"Hey," he murmured, coming to stand opposite of L. "Got a minute?"

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

L nodded, waving to the seat across from him and serving Kurama a slice of his own cheesecake. "A was here," he said without preamble, picking up his fork again. "It...seems I owe you an apology," he said and then shoved a forkload of cheesecake in his mouth.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

Kurama didn't like sweets very much, but he took a bite for politeness' sake.
"Thank you, and you don't. You were concerned for A, and acting for what you thought were his best interests. I can't fault you that." He folded his hands in front of him, not bothering to hide the fact that he was still in the realm of planet-core hot angry. "So you know the situation, or just what A experienced in the sorting room?"

[pre-l.livejournal.com]

"He gave me a full report, including what you and Mello are helping him with," he said. "He told me he was carrying around seeds, as you'd instructed. I am going to look into summoning objects. I recall seeing them in one of the books I read." L paused a moment before adding, "He also seems more confident than when we dealt with B."