Intro Log: A Stinging Letdown

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for May
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: May 10th-16th
Warnings: Monsters. Newbies. Disappointment.

You awaken rather unceremoniously, finding yourself on the hard ground of a large arena, a stone ceiling stretching high above you. Welcome to Hadriel, newcomer, we hope you enjoy your stay in our lovely cave city. This may be a little more difficult to do than expected, considering the monsters.

Yes, it looks as though a few manticores arrived along with you - and they woke up before you, because that's just how your luck is going today. These creatures are large, about the size and shape of a lion, and not very attractive. In fact, they're a bit like a collection of spare parts - the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, the face of a human, and the tail of a scorpion. And that tail's not just for show. If their lion claws don't get you, that tail might shoot a poisonous spine that will paralyze you, leaving you defenseless and all ready to be eaten. Good times!

But wait! There's more! Starting to feel like you might need a stiff drink? Throughout the arena, you can also find a number of very interesting-looking bottles of liquor. Give one a try, if you dare - or if you just really need to drink your misery away. And that'll be your very first lesson in the disappointment of Hadriel - because though they taste the way they're supposed to, each and every one of these bottles of liquor has become non-alcoholic. Yikes.

Hopefully you can recover from that heart-crushing disappointment. Once you find your way out of the colosseum there's plenty of other distractions. Feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers May 10th-16th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[hearthebell]

[L knows that he is interacting with a desert of compassion or investment without an oasis in sight. But he doesn't walk away. Somehow, he can't, because what is familiar to him, even fleetingly, is preferable to what he's found in Hadriel even after so many months.

Matt's older than he was when L last saw him. He's also untouched by this place. L wishes it could stay like that for as long as possible.]

Not usually, no.

[But there were lots of people who would prefer for L to stop breathing, so he can't call it absolute. His shuffling steps carry him after Matt. There's a pause after the young man's next words, before L decides that he might as well know this sooner rather than later.]

I know where you're from.

Matt - Goggles = Light

[irrelevantcode]

[Hm?]

What's that, now?

[Congratulations, you've managed to garner Matt's full attention. So much that he's stopped moving, turned back to actually engage in this conversation. If this guy thinks he'll throw a tell based on a vague threat, he doesn't understand the first thing about the importance of keeping your mouth shut.]

[Hell, the one time he'd offered to talk, they shot him up like a target dummy. Maybe it's because anyone knowing Matt should be impossible, or maybe it's the hot rush of adrenaline that comes with the annoyance of nicotine withdrawal, but he drags his goggles up over messy hair, sets his eyes directly on those of the man who seems to want a bit of trouble.]

[The look he's giving L is less tell me your secrets and more I'm gonna wipe you for wasting my time, but the curiosity is visible. So he'll stare. And wait.]

There is a resemblance...

[hearthebell]

[L holds his gaze, if possible, because it's very significant that he's even mentioning this. The reason is because he needs some way to tell Matt that he's significant. Eventually, Mello would out him as being L to the young man, he has no doubt, but he prefers the control that comes with dispensing or withholding that information, himself.]

I also know about the House in Winchester.

[In the interest of saving time, he's stripped away many layers of coded meanings and ambiguities. You're welcome, Matt.]

[irrelevantcode]

[Of course he knows about The House, because it would be too convenient for Matt to move from point A to point B without some bullshit getting in his way. Seems to be the way of things since forever, and it takes all he's got to keep his expression passive when the annoyance and near-shock creeps up his back.]

[In the end, what are they gonna do? Shoot him again? Does it even matter at this point?]

There are a lot of houses in Winchester.

[Chews at a nail where he should be taking a drag. Christ..]

So I've heard.

[From what M told him in that thing he's not sure even really happened, this has to be L. He doesn't look like any of the little shits Matt remembers from back then, and his complete lack of willingness to just come out with it leads Matt to believe this is either some kind of test to see whether or not he'll talk or the older man doesn't have many threats, here.]

[M told him once that L stole two detective codes from the other guys because he was just that good. Maybe he took out all of the competition.]

[Good luck. He's not talking without irrefutable proof, and even then.]

[hearthebell]

[L doesn't just know about the House; for all intentsa nd purposes, the man is the House. He's taking a risk by revealing himself to Matt, but they're all rats in a maze, here. L has decided that it can only benefit Matt to know, even if he was disinterested in the legacy.]

Only one, like this.

[He keeps his dark eyes level and steady.]

So you've been told what to expect. What else have you heard, Matt?

[irrelevantcode]

[Took you long enough.]

[The chuckle that Matt considers an acceptable retort is something bordering on bitter. He's never met this man; Mello hailed him as something bigger than life, and now he's got dirt on his shoes and he's pretty sure his left eyelid is twitching sporadically beneath his goggles.]

[He can walk. He can walk right now, tell L he wants nothing to do with their Alphabet Cult and he'd lift his shirt to show this guy what happens when you take your job way too seriously but the evidence of his downfall has been conveniently wiped.]

[Not that he's complaining.]

[Well, he is. But that's not the point. What the hell does L think he'll gain from tracking Matt down? He wants nothing to do with anything. He lifts his chin at the utterance of his 'name'; he'd hoped to drop it altogether. It's something tying him to something he'd rather not recall.]

Heard that people who play in the big kids' sandbox get shot up and left for dead.

[Picks at a sleeve idly.]

M send you?

[hearthebell]

[L never expected Matt to take everything in good humor. That would have likely been too much. After everything, what he knows and what remains a mystery to him... a lot happened, and he missed it on account of being dead. In fact, even if Mello described him, there's a chance that Matt could just reject his word and call him a liar.

Or, worse, simply not care one way or the other about L, genuine or fake.]

I'd say something, like 'not when they're on the winning team,' but as you know... even the winner tends to lose a lot of pieces, when playing against a skilled opponent.

[He shakes his head solemnly.]

No. Seeing you, now, was my first awareness that you'd arrived here.

[irrelevantcode]

[There's something lost in speaking to L this way out in the middle of the street with no pretense. Humanizing, maybe. Matt should care, right? He should be in awe that someone who was the literal figurehead of his entire formative training has not only ended up in the same place, but went out of his way to show himself.]

[Yeah, he should care. And he will. Once he can square away things that actually matter.]

Oh.

[Okay.]

All right. [Sorry if he's too busy being so physically uncomfortable that standing still is a chore.] Do you uh. Need something?

[hearthebell]

[L knows Matt. Not like that, not intimately, not seeing the subtle changes over years after his own fall, but he knows, generally, how the boy reacts to crisis. What's important to him, who is important to him.

L was never on that list, truly.]

No. I don't need anything that you can give me, but... I don't think that goes both ways. Has M already offered you a place to stay?

[irrelevantcode]

[M? What? For the first time, Matt's showing a visible reaction that could almost resemble shock in comparison to his consistently placid expressions.]

Yeah.

[Granted, it was during an encounter that up until now, Matt was convinced couldn't have possibly happened. He's yet to run into Mello since ending up in that coliseum, but the idea isn't something that particularly draws him in. Something about screeching tires and gunfire is an effective deterrent when it comes to involving himself with anyone who would bring that situation about.]

Didn't know he was around. [So.] I was headed to the clinic —

[If L would care to show him exactly where it is, that would be great. If not, Matt is more than content to wander in the general direction he's been pointed.]

[hearthebell]

[L answers with a brisk little nod; he'd expected it to be the case, would actually be shocked if Mello had encountered Matt without offering him a place in their home. Unlike Sharon, it doesn't even warrant checking with L; it just goes without saying, given what they went through, and what they have all been through that is unique to alumni of Wammy's House.

Onto other practical matters that are more immediately concerning.]

Do you know where the clinic is? You're not far, but there's a faster way to get there.

[irrelevantcode]

[This is the part where Matt pretends that having a pseudo-casual conversation with L is anything more than bizarre. He gets it: you don't just get to walk away from your past, especially when that past involves being a pretty big part of a plan to eliminate someone in a way that would reset the world to what it 'should' be.]

Around there. [Gestures in no particular direction at all. L says he doesn't need anything; Matt thinks that's bullshit. Why waste his time? M was the one who mattered; he's the one who L should be concerned with. Because Matt?]

[He kind of just wants a cigarette. It doesn't go much deeper than that.]

If I'm not far and I'm not dying, why do I need a faster way to get there?

[Unless L's planning on a detour. Teeth worry the inside of his lip, an index rubs at the skin beneath the strap of his goggles.]

[hearthebell]

[It's equally bizarre for L, and it likely shows in the way his expressions and body language always manage to seem just a touch off. Then again, it's nothing personal, because L interacts this way with most people.

L squints at the indistinct gesture, not considering it particularly reassuring.]

Because time isn't a renewable resource, and it could save you some trouble.

[Not that Matt was ever in a rush in his life, or made efforts beyond apathy to avoid trouble.]

I just can't help but notice that even now, years after I last saw you, you still can't seem to choose directions very easily.