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

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.

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"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.

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."

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.

L turned and smiled at A. "I'd like that," he said. "You know just how to tempt me," he teased back.

"I like to make good things to eat, both growing them and cooking them. In a few months the cherries will bloom, and then have fruit. And there will be peaches, and pears, and blackberries, and other good things."

L pressed his thumb to the corner of his mouth. "And strawberries," he said with a grin.

"Of course strawberries," A agreed. "The first plant I had was the strawberry plant you gave me. It made it easy to cook for the 'battle', because I already had thought of things to make with strawberries."

"Really?" L asked. "For River? Is she fond of them?" he teased.

A blushed and laughed softly. "I am sure she does like them, but you know that is not why. And now I can look for recipes to make with her."

L's smile turned soft. A was showing a lot of progress. "I am rather dreadful in the kitchen, aren't I?" he said. He much preferred to eat, and the long periods of standing didn't appeal to him.

"I forgive you," A said with a giggle. "It is fun to surprise you with a cake, or cookies. So that is just as good."

L pressed his hand to his chest. "Ah! I'm so relieved! My life has meaning again!"

"There will be treats always to give your life meaning. And even if you never ate a sweet thing again, you are very meaningful."

L's face was a perfect mask of shock. "Take that back!" he stammered. "N...never eat sweets again!"

A laughed again, grinning. "You would still be very important. But I will make sure you always have sweets to eat."

L relaxed again, smiling at A, his thumb pressed to the corner of his mouth. "Okay, then." he said. "And, how have you been?" he asked.

That brought all of A's fear and worry crashing down, and he shivered again and wrapped his arms around himself. "Oh, oh, there's, there is, there's a new applicant, and he..."

"Darling?" L said, concern forefront in his mind. He wrapped his arm around A. "I'm sorry, darling. I didn't mean to upset you. Tell me, if you want, or don't if you don't."

"You didn't, oh, you didn't..." A looked scandalized at the idea that it might have been L who'd upset him. "It, Kurama said, said his name is Karasu. He, oh, oh, I think he wants to hurt me." Another shiver. "He touched my face. Mello was there."

"From the beginning, darling, tell me what happened." L continued to hold A, rocking slightly. If Mello had just stood to the side while A was terrorized...

No, Mello wouldn't. Mello had worked too hard with B...

But the threat remained in his mind.

Haltingly, A detailed the encounter, not leaving out the fact that he'd stabbed Karasu's hand or slit his throat, making sure to tell him about the way the cut had healed. He'd been trained to have a clear memory so it was only a little garbled by his traumatized state at the time.

L listened carefully, memorizing the account as he did. He felt some guilt for slandering Mello in his thoughts, but not much. And, as much as it pained him, he said, "I'm glad you're working with them."

"I will practice," A said. "I have seeds with me. Some of them are plants I have not grown yet."

"We need a way that you can let us know if you need help," L mused, the thumb of his free hand going to his mouth again. "I read something... Maybe Matt would know, too. That way, we could get to you as soon as possible, if you need us."

"Is there a spell?" A asked. "I have, I, I, I've been learning plants and food, not spells." He wrung his hands in dismay.

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