Clue #006 :.: L (Ryuzaki) :.: [In Person]

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[L is at the outskirts of town. He's crouched in the middle of the road, barefoot. He shivers slightly in the cool breeze – or at least, it appears he's shaking from the cold.

He's not moving.

He will not be moving.

He's done all the math. If conditions are as he fears, right here, on the asphalt, equidistant from any buildings or the forest, he will be safest.

Never mind what he will eat. Or drink. Or what to do if it rains. He'll burn those bridges when he gets to them.]

Comments

[worldsrunnerup.livejournal.com]

[And this is exactly where Mello figured he'd find L. He comes up to his mentor, but keeps his distance. He's been absorbing radiation and while really there's not much L can do to avoid it Mello's going to try to keep away from him while he speaks. He remains about eight feet away Far enough that they have no chance of contact, but close enough that they can speak.]

How long have you been sitting here?

[It's as good a greeting as any after a week locked up]

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[L appreciates the distance. Who knows where Mello has been. If only he could obtain a geiger counter – but even that would be irradiated, and would have ceased working years earlier. It is possible to rig up a crude one on his own, but that would require gathering tools having access to equipment ... all of which might be unsafe to use.

Better to stay here. Better to wait.]

Approximately eight hours.

[Without the sun to keep track, it's been tough. But he's been counting. There hasn't been much else to do. He WAS working on drafting up all the laws they had discussed in the town meeting, but that hardly matters now. They'll never be able to contain or discipline anyone if the Author can just do something like this. Maybe she's punishing them for trying.]

[worldsrunnerup.livejournal.com]

No blackberry, no Geiger counter, right?

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

Right.

[The wind picks up and he shivers again.]

[worldsrunnerup.livejournal.com]

Same story for everyone. Not positive of that, of course, I've barely seen anyone. But there definitely aren't Geiger counters. She's playing with us.

[And that makes Mello feel sick, although he's pretty sure it's the radiation sickness.]

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

The question is if she truly plans to kill us all. [A pause.] There is evidence she may have the power to heal us, even after death.

[worldsrunnerup.livejournal.com]

[He hasn't seen Keiichi yet and, being locked up, he hasn't seen Keiichi's body since he killed him]

What are you talking about?

[farsightedness.livejournal.com]

[Well hello Mister Not Moving, meet she who cannot stop moving. Meirin's been running around Pripyat since waking up this morning. She can't find Mister Sebastian! Or the young master! And this place is so creepy...

She's looking from side to side when she almost runs over the genius in the middle of the road.]

O-oh! I'm s-sorry!

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[He was too deep in thought to hear her approach. Not really his fault; he's inwardly counting the passage of time and also almost frantically trying to come up with a solution to the dilemma he's currently in. His head jerks up and his eyes bulge out at her swishing skirts. Swishing toward him.

WHO KNOWS WHERE SHE'S BEEN.

He seizes his ankles tightly, his hands shaking badly. Panicking will not help him here, and he knows that.]

Please. Keep your distance. It is not safe for us to be too close together.

[farsightedness.livejournal.com]

Right!

[She nods firmly, in total agreement with him.

...It's a real shame that she doesn't know what she's agreeing about. Meirin blinks a couple of times before crouching down in a similar posture to his. Hey, all the cool kids are doing it.]

Excuse me? Why isn't it safe for us to be close together?

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[Huh. No one's tried to copy his posture before.

Except B.

But B is dead.

This girl definitely isn't B, however. In fact, her uniform and general mannerisms suggest she's from the late Victorian time period, so it makes sense that she doesn't know about Chernobyl, or Pripyat, or nuclear technology. Although, that will make explaining it to her difficult.]

There is a definite possibility this entire area is poisoned. Being in too close proximity to each other will just make it worse.

[Worse for him. If Meirin pranced through a deadly radioactive patch already, there's not much that's going to save her. But it's probably better not to phrase it that way.]

[farsightedness.livejournal.com]

P-Poisoned?

[Meirin's eyes grow wide behind her glasses. She nibbles nervously on a fingernail, which must be driving him crazy, because who knows where her hands have been?

She takes a lingering look at their surroundings before looking back at L's face.

...And smiling.]

Thank goodness! I was afraid you were thinking about doing something improper!

[Err.]

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[Hmm. She is apparently too stupid to send into a panic.

Or he just looks that creepy.]

I am sorry if I alarmed you.

[He's trying not to look at her biting her nail.]

Where else have you been? [Might as well ask, since crippling anxiety is keeping him from making a proper trip of exploration.]

[farsightedness.livejournal.com]

[There is only one man capable of sending her into a panic. And even that's not true, when you consider that he's not truly a man at all.

But it might be that second thing too.]

Let's see...when I opened my eyes, I saw this big wheel. Like this!

[Meirin lifts her arms above her head, making a circle with them.]

And then I started looking for Mister Sebastian and my young master.

[She smiles and wraps her arms around her legs.]

And then I was here.

[In other words, she's just been running out in the open all day.]

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[L relaxes slightly. Well, not visibly, but inside he's definitely calmer.]

If you've stayed outside, on the roads, you may be fine. [He pauses.] The Author might not have seen fit to include the radiation, but it is impossible to tell.

[And impossible to monitor in the behaviour of others, without the Blackberries.]

[farsightedness.livejournal.com]

[He does seem rather tense. It makes her wish she had a cup of tea to offer him. Or a glass of warm milk! That might help him sleep, which frankly, he doesn't look like he's done in days.]

Oooh.

[The sound in thoughtful, worried and sad all at once. And that's without knowing the answer to her next question.]

Excuse me, but what's radiation?

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[Somehow, inexplicably.... her stupidity has kind of a calming effect on him. It's not an obnoxious stupidity, like Misa Amane's.]

That is the type of poison this city may be engulfed in. You cannot see, smell, or taste it. It is atomic.

[Does she know what atoms are? Hmm...]

[farsightedness.livejournal.com]

You cannot see, smell, or taste it...

[Meirin repeats those words softly, thoughtfully - for whatever good the thought will do her.]

It sounds like a riddle.

[She frowns, but not because she doesn't understand one of his words this time.

This time, atomic.]

People can die from colds too, and you're going to catch one out here.

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

It is a riddle. A riddle with no solution. [Nothing but complete annihilation.]

I will be fine. [Well, that's kind of a lie. He might die either way. But she doesn't need to know that. He's almost jealous of her ignorance.]

[farsightedness.livejournal.com]

But isn't a riddle without a solution just...

[Meirin isn't sure what that is, actually. But it sounds troublesome.

And while she may be oblivious of the big picture, she's just as concerned about the here and now.]

Ah...if I go somewhere and come back, will you still be here?

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

A conundrum. Yes.

[He nods.] I do not plan to move. I have calculated that this is the safest spot in the area. [And the really infuriating part is that he can't even know that for sure, with no geiger counters around.]

[farsightedness.livejournal.com]

[...A what?]

Is that like...a French pastry?

[Meirin sits down on the ground, sliding off her own shoes.]

I'm very sorry...I know it must not be very proper for you to wear a maid's shoes. And they might be a little small...but they should help until I can find you something more suitable.

[She places them in front of L before standing up.]

Oh! And I'll try to find you a snack! Maybe one of those...cone things!

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

No. It is not.

[L blinks at the shoes. He can't possibly accept them. Because they've probably been traipsing in radioactivity. And her feet have been in them. And... they're girl's shoes.

And he definitely doesn't want food.]

It is not necessary to help me. You should look for your own master. The boy, correct? [L pays attention.]

[always1truth.livejournal.com]

[Shinichi doesn't look very happy-it could be the fact he's been forced into wearing clothes soaked in radiation but it was either that or go naked... and Shinichi Kudo was not going to go naked for however long it took his body to adjust. His immunities probably didn't know how to handle the radiation and as a result clashed with the apoptoxin-which meant he had no idea how long he'd be stuck in his true form.

first thing was first though, he needed to be in a safer area which led him to Ryuzaki- damn, he hoped he was too distracted to notice how similar he looked at Conan.]

Ah... hello.

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[Distracted is a kind word for L right now. The clothes Shinichi wears look old and raggedy enough to be suspect. Just the thought of it makes him inwardly cringe.]

H-Hello.

[His expression clearly reads, "Don't get any closer. B|"]

[always1truth.livejournal.com]

[Shinichi has no intention of getting any closer because he knew the closer he got the harder it would be to get away when it was time to return to his shrunken size.]

Guess you know this is probably the safest place right now.

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

Yes. I do.

[Pause.] You know about this place too, then?

[always1truth.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my dad had some files on it in his office, I got bored one day as a kid and read about it.

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

Then you know how dangerous it is. [He pauses.] Without a way to measure the radiation in any given space, I thought it best to err on the side of caution.

[always1truth.livejournal.com]

Yeah but, what happens if it rains?

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

Then I will reevaluate the situation.

[Or possibly have a breakdown. One of the two.]

[always1truth.livejournal.com]

[Shinichi just yawns. In his eyes, just waking up here was enough to seal his fate and there was no point in freaking out.... maybe he was just a little freaked.]

Maa, hopefully we won't be here for too long.

[hunch-ofjustice.livejournal.com]

[L glances up at him with a miserable look.] The feeling is mutual.