[Bruce isn't lying about Mello's mental ability. L knows better than anyone the truth behind the claim. He takes note of the other names, but feels a twinge of accomplishment to know that Mello's brand of maverick intelligence is modeled closely after his own.]

How new? Even a month longer than I've been here is a considerable amount of time to learn the ropes. I suspect that swift adaptation is a large part of the key to survival in this place.