["A bit" is more like half an hour, but Mello wanders in with the hood of his jacket still pulled up over his head and a black scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face, which obscures the satisfied smirk he's also wearing. Mello makes his way toward Chris and leans lazily up against the nearest available surface, then produces a slim paperback from his inside jacket pocket and holds it out to Chris.]
[Chris is poking around on his phone, sipping at a coffee, and wearing a ridiculous looking beanie when Mello arrives. And then Chris just kind of stares at him with an expression that's somewhere between amused and wtf.
He looks down at the book when Mello reveals it but doesn't yet take it, looking back up at Mello instead.]
I feel like I've somehow just been involved in the world's lamest drug deal.
[But he finally takes the book, rolling his eyes a little.]
Also, dude, normally I'm not one to talk, but it's not that cold.
[Mello laughs quietly, muffled underneath the scarf.]
Trust me, Chris - this isn't how drug deals go. Forget what you may have seen on television.
[The scarf isn't about warmth - it's about protection, about hiding his face. But a quick scan of the interior of the bar shows that no one who is a known threat to Mello is present, so he can afford to drop that piece of security for the short time he'll be here. He tugs the fabric down from around his mouth, pulling it out of his hood, folding it up and stashing it inside his jacket pocket. The hood, however, stays up.]
There's a woman here who can kill me if she sees my face. Since Bianca broke my sunglasses, this is the next best precaution.
I'd, you know, hope not. Not exactly inconspicuous.
[Though in the back of Chris' mind is the amusing mental image of some shady-looking guy leaning out of an alley all "Hey kids, wanna buy some boring books written by dead guys?"
But the next part of what Mello says gets his attention.]
[Someone from Mello's world, and no real shock that she doesn't like him especially if what she said about him is true. Not that Chris is going to bother asking just yet; the other questions are a little more important.]
What, does she have some sort of magic or something?
[Also he's a little curious about how she could dislike Mello so much and have apparently such a history without ever having seen his face before.]
[Because Death Note, Chris. That's how they roll.]
Not magic. You remember I told you about the existence of shinigami where I came from?
[It was right after Mello's arrival in Hadriel, and a lot has happened in the subsequent months, so he continues with an explanation anyway.]
They're gods of death - not quite like the gods here, but rather supernatural beings that exist for the sole purpose of taking human lives. How they do so is with a notebook that causes a person to die when the owner writes that person's true name in it while picturing the person's face.
[Mello has purposefully kept this information out of public circulation - the only other person to whome he's disclosed this much about shinigami and their notebooks is Sharon. But Misa's appearance in Hadriel changes the balance of things, and despite how frequently they butt heads, Mello still likes Chris. It would be a shame if he were to be killed by Misa, even temporarily.]
Shinigami can and do give their notebooks to humans sometimes, along with an option to trade for a shinigami's sight - which allows a shinigami, or the owner of a shinigami's notebook to see any person's true name and remaining lifespan on a clear view of that person's face. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the purpose of learning those pieces of information is to kill that person using the Death Note.
[His mouth hardens into a line as he folds his arms over his chest and stares down at the floor. He thinks about those who have been killed using a Death Note, or will be - himself, of course, but also L, and Beyond Birthday.]
I believe I tried to tell you about Kira once as well, only if memory serves, you weren't particularly interested in listening. Perhaps you've changed your mind?
[Chris is quiet while Mello explains, listening carefully, the book sitting on the counter next to his forgotten coffee. All of this sounds kind of ridiculous if taken alone, but in the context of this place and what he learned about his own world and what he knows of others it's much more believable.
It also isn't too difficult to read between the lines there, and guess that Misa probably made one of those trades and acquired a notebook for herself. At the mention of Kira Chris remembers the conversation Mello comments on, and he doesn't regret brushing Mello off at the time--in the same situation he'd do it again--but now is different.
So he shrugs a little, his tone neutral when he responds.]
Anything to, you know, put off reading this book.
[It's only sort of a joke. He's not looking forward to it.
But, more importantly, he's not going to turn down the information even if it's specific to Mello's world and never ends up being too useful here.]
[The information may be useful - Mello thinks it's highly likely it could be, anyway, which is why he decided to say as much as he has. He hasn't been able to confirm that Misa has a notebook with her, but he's almost positive by the way she kept trying to goad him into showing his face that she at least has the eyes. Mello lightly chews his bottom lip for a moment, gathering his thoughts, then nods and resumes speaking.]
In 2003, the world saw a wave of unexplained mass deaths - criminals, all dying of unexplained heart attacks, like some invisible hand of God at work as judge and executioner. But it wasn't a god at work, only a tyrannical child who fancied himself a god and had a shinigami's notebook at his disposal. The internet took to calling him Kira, and soon everyone else was calling him Kira, too. Many looked to him as a savior.
[Mello's gloved fingers tighten around his biceps, betraying how agitated he is even thinking about Kira.]
Kira is, in reality, more than one person. Amane was the second person to act as Kira, but she and her boyfriend weren't the only ones to do so - only the most prolific in handing out their death sentences, not only to convicted criminals, but anyone who stood in their way. Each of them is responsible for hundreds of thousands of murders, all with the stroke of a pen. The Second Kira - Amane - was known to be able to kill just by seeing a person's face - that is, she had a shinigami's sight.
[Mello pauses, again chewing on his bottom lip. Maybe the rest of this is too much to say, but he's already told Sharon as much. Near knows, and so does L. Maybe it will help Chris understand his stance on things a little better.]
She'll kill me if she has the chance. But I can't let that happen - not yet.
[Again Chris is quiet, not just listening to the story but paying attention to Mello's expression and body language as he speaks; it definitely gives a little more insight into Mello's outlook on things.
He isn't entirely sure how Mello fits into everything, though; how he would have crossed paths with--or, it seems, made enemies of--one of these people acting as Kira? But that's another question that should wait for the moment, Chris' empathy stronger than his curiosity even when it's something he doesn't really like.]
Well um, I'm sure this is totally a shock at this point, but I'm not a huge fan of murder.
[Mello's expression sours slightly, hearing a familiar note of criticism that may be imagined in what Chris says. They've argued about this before, on more than one occasion.]
It may shock to you hear this, Chris, but I'm not a fan of murder, either. Just because I've done it doesn't mean I enjoyed it. Everything I've done since I was fifteen years old was because I wanted to fight Kira, and sometimes, that meant taking extreme measures.
[He hasn't really spoken about his past in more than vague terms with anyone except Sharon. But Misa's arrival drastically changed the landscape of things here in Hadriel. Mello taps a finger along his arm for a moment, then decides to continue with his story.]
Everything Amane said about me is true. I am a criminal. I've kidnapped people, I've extorted them - I joined up with what was left of the American Mafia when I was seventeen, and in order to prove myself worthy, I brought them the head of a rival gang boss, someone even Kira hadn't been able to execute. I acted as their adviser for almost two years, so I'm sure you can tie me to drug trafficking, sales of illegal weapons, arson - the works.
[There's no real pride in how Mello lists off these accomplishments, no sense of boasting about it. They are facts, nothing more.]
I didn't enjoy any of it, Chris. But I did what I had to, because Kira is a global menace, and Kira murdered someone important - not just to me but also to the world. I had to stop Kira, no matter the cost.
[It takes great effort for Chris to hold in his exasperation until Mello is done, at which point he slumps against the surface of the bar with a dramatic sigh.]
Oh my god, you have the amazing talent to make me seriously regret having human emotions.
[But that said--]
I'm not going to argue with you about you did in your world, because I so don't care. However, I do care that no one gets killed for no reason here, so how exactly are you planning to avoid Misa going all 'the pen is mightier than the sword' on you?
[And okay, it's not true that he doesn't care at all about what Mello did--in fact it skeeves him out, a lot--but he's generally tried to adopt a policy of not holding anyone's past against them. Mello's done more than enough here for Chris to judge him for anyway.]
[It's probably a testament to the fact that Mello likes Chris that he takes the display of exasperation not with irritation but a slight twitch of his mouth, finding it almost funny for its exaggeration.]
That's what the scarf is for, Chris. She probably has my name already, but it's useless if she hasn't seen my entire face.
[Mello shoves his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, shrugging lightly as he does so.]
It doesn't really matter if she kills me while we're here. [A lie; one he's been telling himself since he learned that people here don't stay dead; one he's been telling himself since he woke up on Hope's altar after Bianca slit his throat.] Hope will bring me back. My concern is if she obtains that information and manages to get back to where we came from with it and kill me there, before I can finish what I've started. I can't allow that.
[Not that he can't allow for being killed - he can't allow for the timing of it to be off. He's planned that Kira will use his name and his face in order to kill him, but it has to happen at the exact right time, not a moment sooner.]
[Chris sits back up straight with great mental effort, mostly so he can resume watching Mello's reaction as he talks, and furrows his eyebrows a little both in thought and at Mello's words themselves. Nothing about the issue of getting killed back home really stands out to him, but he knows from experience--and he knows Mello does too--that dying here isn't so simple, even if you come back.
But most pressingly--]
So your great plan to keep her from seeing your face is to wear a scarf.
[There's got to be a better way to go about this. But as for the other topic, Chris hesitates a moment.]
Can uh... Can that even happen? Is she from like, exactly the same time as you?
[Because Chris has wondered--and he knows his friends have too--what would happen when they go back, if they even do go back, especially considering they're all from different times. How would things be altered? Would they create parallel timelines? It's crazy science-fiction stuff, but after everything he's seen at home and here it's nowhere near as crazy as it seems like it should be.]
A plan doesn't have to be elegant, Chris - it just has to be effective. Wearing a scarf will get the job done.
[He'd prefer sunglasses, but so far, no replacements have turned up in any of the shops.]
I don't know. And I don't think so - the Misa Amane I observed before I was brought here was even stupider than the one here - that, or she's an incredible actress. [Mello expresses how much credibility he lends that possibility with a roll of his eyes.] She mentioned things that I've done, but only up to a certain point. [She told the people here that he'd kidnapped Sayu Yagami and worked with the Mafia, for example, but nothing about the fact that her disgusting murderer boyfriend had managed to wipe out the Mafia, and almost managed to capture Mello, too - facts that Mello is almost a hundred percent certain Misa wouldn't hesitate to brag about.] I'd estimate she's approximately two and a half months earlier in time than me.
Yeah, until there's a gust of wind or a monster grabs it or something.
[Totally not practical, dude.]
Okay, then uh... You might be good. On the whole screwing stuff up for you back home thing. I mean, if she's from earlier than you but you're still here, you're not uh... From exactly the same timeline then, right? I mean, unless no one remembers anything when they get back home or something.
[He's just going to ignore thinking about any of that too much, but still.]
[That he won't remember. It's what he's heard from some of the others here, and it's something that chafes at him, in the back of his mind. If he were returned to the moment from which he was taken, Mello would still be fine with dying for his chosen cause. His friend Matt, though ... his death is an unintended piece of collateral damage, one that Mello regrets deeply and wants to nullify. He just knows it may not be within his power to do so.]
I dunno if that's most likely or not at this point.
[And he's not sure if he wants it to be. But either way--]
But if she doesn't remember anything from here you're safe anyway, and if she does but you're from different uh... Universes, I guess, then you're still good.
I have to be prepared for all scenarios. Which you'll find is a concept discussed in that book. [He points to the copy of The Prince.] "One must be a a fox to recognize traps and a lion to frighten off wolves."
[It takes an enormous amount of self-restraint for Chris to be able to avoid rolling his eyes.]
You're not prepared for all scenarios, though. I mean, even just not being super pedantic and ignoring like, the chance that something super ridiculous could happen that you're obviously not even considering, you're preparing for the worst scenario. So just call it that.
[He would've just let the whole topic go, but the lecturing tone of the quote irritated him too much.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text
Where should I have it delivered?
text
I'm at the bar, and I'll be here for a few hours.
[More than long enough to read the thing and give it back.]
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["A bit" is more like half an hour, but Mello wanders in with the hood of his jacket still pulled up over his head and a black scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face, which obscures the satisfied smirk he's also wearing. Mello makes his way toward Chris and leans lazily up against the nearest available surface, then produces a slim paperback from his inside jacket pocket and holds it out to Chris.]
As promised.
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He looks down at the book when Mello reveals it but doesn't yet take it, looking back up at Mello instead.]
I feel like I've somehow just been involved in the world's lamest drug deal.
[But he finally takes the book, rolling his eyes a little.]
Also, dude, normally I'm not one to talk, but it's not that cold.
[What's with the scarf, seriously.]
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Trust me, Chris - this isn't how drug deals go. Forget what you may have seen on television.
[The scarf isn't about warmth - it's about protection, about hiding his face. But a quick scan of the interior of the bar shows that no one who is a known threat to Mello is present, so he can afford to drop that piece of security for the short time he'll be here. He tugs the fabric down from around his mouth, pulling it out of his hood, folding it up and stashing it inside his jacket pocket. The hood, however, stays up.]
There's a woman here who can kill me if she sees my face. Since Bianca broke my sunglasses, this is the next best precaution.
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[Though in the back of Chris' mind is the amusing mental image of some shady-looking guy leaning out of an alley all "Hey kids, wanna buy some boring books written by dead guys?"
But the next part of what Mello says gets his attention.]
Who?
[And how. Also why. But who is most important.]
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Misa Amane. No doubt you saw her broadcast a while back. She was fairly direct and detailed about her dislike of me.
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[Someone from Mello's world, and no real shock that she doesn't like him especially if what she said about him is true. Not that Chris is going to bother asking just yet; the other questions are a little more important.]
What, does she have some sort of magic or something?
[Also he's a little curious about how she could dislike Mello so much and have apparently such a history without ever having seen his face before.]
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Not magic. You remember I told you about the existence of shinigami where I came from?
[It was right after Mello's arrival in Hadriel, and a lot has happened in the subsequent months, so he continues with an explanation anyway.]
They're gods of death - not quite like the gods here, but rather supernatural beings that exist for the sole purpose of taking human lives. How they do so is with a notebook that causes a person to die when the owner writes that person's true name in it while picturing the person's face.
[Mello has purposefully kept this information out of public circulation - the only other person to whome he's disclosed this much about shinigami and their notebooks is Sharon. But Misa's appearance in Hadriel changes the balance of things, and despite how frequently they butt heads, Mello still likes Chris. It would be a shame if he were to be killed by Misa, even temporarily.]
Shinigami can and do give their notebooks to humans sometimes, along with an option to trade for a shinigami's sight - which allows a shinigami, or the owner of a shinigami's notebook to see any person's true name and remaining lifespan on a clear view of that person's face. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the purpose of learning those pieces of information is to kill that person using the Death Note.
[His mouth hardens into a line as he folds his arms over his chest and stares down at the floor. He thinks about those who have been killed using a Death Note, or will be - himself, of course, but also L, and Beyond Birthday.]
I believe I tried to tell you about Kira once as well, only if memory serves, you weren't particularly interested in listening. Perhaps you've changed your mind?
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It also isn't too difficult to read between the lines there, and guess that Misa probably made one of those trades and acquired a notebook for herself. At the mention of Kira Chris remembers the conversation Mello comments on, and he doesn't regret brushing Mello off at the time--in the same situation he'd do it again--but now is different.
So he shrugs a little, his tone neutral when he responds.]
Anything to, you know, put off reading this book.
[It's only sort of a joke. He's not looking forward to it.
But, more importantly, he's not going to turn down the information even if it's specific to Mello's world and never ends up being too useful here.]
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In 2003, the world saw a wave of unexplained mass deaths - criminals, all dying of unexplained heart attacks, like some invisible hand of God at work as judge and executioner. But it wasn't a god at work, only a tyrannical child who fancied himself a god and had a shinigami's notebook at his disposal. The internet took to calling him Kira, and soon everyone else was calling him Kira, too. Many looked to him as a savior.
[Mello's gloved fingers tighten around his biceps, betraying how agitated he is even thinking about Kira.]
Kira is, in reality, more than one person. Amane was the second person to act as Kira, but she and her boyfriend weren't the only ones to do so - only the most prolific in handing out their death sentences, not only to convicted criminals, but anyone who stood in their way. Each of them is responsible for hundreds of thousands of murders, all with the stroke of a pen. The Second Kira - Amane - was known to be able to kill just by seeing a person's face - that is, she had a shinigami's sight.
[Mello pauses, again chewing on his bottom lip. Maybe the rest of this is too much to say, but he's already told Sharon as much. Near knows, and so does L. Maybe it will help Chris understand his stance on things a little better.]
She'll kill me if she has the chance. But I can't let that happen - not yet.
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He isn't entirely sure how Mello fits into everything, though; how he would have crossed paths with--or, it seems, made enemies of--one of these people acting as Kira? But that's another question that should wait for the moment, Chris' empathy stronger than his curiosity even when it's something he doesn't really like.]
Well um, I'm sure this is totally a shock at this point, but I'm not a huge fan of murder.
[In other words, is there some way he can help?]
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It may shock to you hear this, Chris, but I'm not a fan of murder, either. Just because I've done it doesn't mean I enjoyed it. Everything I've done since I was fifteen years old was because I wanted to fight Kira, and sometimes, that meant taking extreme measures.
[He hasn't really spoken about his past in more than vague terms with anyone except Sharon. But Misa's arrival drastically changed the landscape of things here in Hadriel. Mello taps a finger along his arm for a moment, then decides to continue with his story.]
Everything Amane said about me is true. I am a criminal. I've kidnapped people, I've extorted them - I joined up with what was left of the American Mafia when I was seventeen, and in order to prove myself worthy, I brought them the head of a rival gang boss, someone even Kira hadn't been able to execute. I acted as their adviser for almost two years, so I'm sure you can tie me to drug trafficking, sales of illegal weapons, arson - the works.
[There's no real pride in how Mello lists off these accomplishments, no sense of boasting about it. They are facts, nothing more.]
I didn't enjoy any of it, Chris. But I did what I had to, because Kira is a global menace, and Kira murdered someone important - not just to me but also to the world. I had to stop Kira, no matter the cost.
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Oh my god, you have the amazing talent to make me seriously regret having human emotions.
[But that said--]
I'm not going to argue with you about you did in your world, because I so don't care. However, I do care that no one gets killed for no reason here, so how exactly are you planning to avoid Misa going all 'the pen is mightier than the sword' on you?
[And okay, it's not true that he doesn't care at all about what Mello did--in fact it skeeves him out, a lot--but he's generally tried to adopt a policy of not holding anyone's past against them. Mello's done more than enough here for Chris to judge him for anyway.]
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That's what the scarf is for, Chris. She probably has my name already, but it's useless if she hasn't seen my entire face.
[Mello shoves his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, shrugging lightly as he does so.]
It doesn't really matter if she kills me while we're here. [A lie; one he's been telling himself since he learned that people here don't stay dead; one he's been telling himself since he woke up on Hope's altar after Bianca slit his throat.] Hope will bring me back. My concern is if she obtains that information and manages to get back to where we came from with it and kill me there, before I can finish what I've started. I can't allow that.
[Not that he can't allow for being killed - he can't allow for the timing of it to be off. He's planned that Kira will use his name and his face in order to kill him, but it has to happen at the exact right time, not a moment sooner.]
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But most pressingly--]
So your great plan to keep her from seeing your face is to wear a scarf.
[There's got to be a better way to go about this. But as for the other topic, Chris hesitates a moment.]
Can uh... Can that even happen? Is she from like, exactly the same time as you?
[Because Chris has wondered--and he knows his friends have too--what would happen when they go back, if they even do go back, especially considering they're all from different times. How would things be altered? Would they create parallel timelines? It's crazy science-fiction stuff, but after everything he's seen at home and here it's nowhere near as crazy as it seems like it should be.]
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[He'd prefer sunglasses, but so far, no replacements have turned up in any of the shops.]
I don't know. And I don't think so - the Misa Amane I observed before I was brought here was even stupider than the one here - that, or she's an incredible actress. [Mello expresses how much credibility he lends that possibility with a roll of his eyes.] She mentioned things that I've done, but only up to a certain point. [She told the people here that he'd kidnapped Sayu Yagami and worked with the Mafia, for example, but nothing about the fact that her disgusting murderer boyfriend had managed to wipe out the Mafia, and almost managed to capture Mello, too - facts that Mello is almost a hundred percent certain Misa wouldn't hesitate to brag about.] I'd estimate she's approximately two and a half months earlier in time than me.
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[Totally not practical, dude.]
Okay, then uh... You might be good. On the whole screwing stuff up for you back home thing. I mean, if she's from earlier than you but you're still here, you're not uh... From exactly the same timeline then, right? I mean, unless no one remembers anything when they get back home or something.
[He's just going to ignore thinking about any of that too much, but still.]
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[That he won't remember. It's what he's heard from some of the others here, and it's something that chafes at him, in the back of his mind. If he were returned to the moment from which he was taken, Mello would still be fine with dying for his chosen cause. His friend Matt, though ... his death is an unintended piece of collateral damage, one that Mello regrets deeply and wants to nullify. He just knows it may not be within his power to do so.]
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[And he's not sure if he wants it to be. But either way--]
But if she doesn't remember anything from here you're safe anyway, and if she does but you're from different uh... Universes, I guess, then you're still good.
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I have to be prepared for all scenarios. Which you'll find is a concept discussed in that book. [He points to the copy of The Prince.] "One must be a a fox to recognize traps and a lion to frighten off wolves."
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You're not prepared for all scenarios, though. I mean, even just not being super pedantic and ignoring like, the chance that something super ridiculous could happen that you're obviously not even considering, you're preparing for the worst scenario. So just call it that.
[He would've just let the whole topic go, but the lecturing tone of the quote irritated him too much.]