aefenglom | un: dagwood

[Given Myr's general--condition, it's probably not surprising that he initially ignored this and then got to it a couple of days late.]

I appear to be a Witch now.

[His tone is that very level one he uses for when he's not exactly sure what his emotions are or should be doing.]

... I see.

Do you have another bond that isn't also a witch?

[This isn't an offer, of course.]

Not any longer. [Not quite as dispassionate; there's something of grief in his tone.]

I've taken a familiar, [Crookytail, of course,] and will be practicing ceaselessly for the next few months, so it's not urgent yet. Even given my remaining Bond.

I expect I'll have another before the new moons, even if only temporary.

I do hope you look into that sooner rather than later. You might only have the one other witch bond, but that bond also has another witch bond. Given the person in question I see only a circle of volatility.

...That being said, please enjoy your new magic.

[Myr gives a weary chuckle.] Given the circumstances I first Bonded him under, you needn't worry. I know very well what we're at risk for.

[Given he was also in Eli's position--as L's sole Monster Bond in a group saturated with Witches--at the time, he does have sympathy for the Naga's position.]

Thank you. I'll do my best to keep us balanced.

[Myr claims to know, but Near can't help but think he still might be underestimating things. At the very least, the faun seems to have been able to maintain a steady bond with L for a while, which is something to be commended. Not that he'll give said commendations out loud.]

See that you do. And be sure to let me know if you think that might not be possible for any reason.

[The Witch who'd Bonded L and Myr at the time had been near-panicking over the detective's state and how close they all were to being at ground zero for a truly spectacular explosion.

It made a strong impression on Myr.

Fervently,]

You've my word on it.

What prompted the question, by the by?

Becoming aware that changes had happened.

[And his own changes, of course, but he didn't want to be immediately forthcoming with that over the network.]

[Uh-huh. Myr makes a note of that one; there's a hint of an unrelated smirk in his voice when he replies.]

Have you found any pattern to them yet?

No.

I would have to get a complete list and make some comparisons, but knowing this place I doubt there's anything to find.

Maybe. Might also be none of us have been looking hard enough for patterns--with our heads full of our own problems.

[Then Myr's playful demeanor vanishes like a candle being snuffed. Speaking
of troubles.]

Linden watched me vanish through my mirror. He had a plan and intent to kill himself, permanently, if I hadn't returned.

[There is a long pause on the other end.]

I hadn't realized you were that important to him.

[This is a revelation of a hole in his mental image of someone, if anything.]

We've reasons for not being obvious.

[To say the very least about their situation.]

I...hadn't known losing me would do that to him. [There are regret and concern alike in Myr's tone. This is a very bad situation that he should, perhaps, have recognized before it occurred.]

How irrational.

[And selfish, though he won't voice that part aloud. It hardly takes his other bonds into account, not that Near cares so much for how Light would feel in that situation.]

What if you were to return after?

[It certainly wouldn't be the first time someone had.]

I trust you can counsel him better than I can.

Pain has a way of making most of us irrational. [Certain sorts, at least. Unexpected sorts. L's capacity for handling physical pain and maintaining his cool was hardly in doubt.]

I doubtless would have found myself out a Bondmate. He wasn't thinking that far ahead. [Which is frightening and uncharacteristic, and he doesn't have to say as much to Eli.]

...And, unfortunately--I can't. This is not something he told me and he will not be glad to have it known about him; from past experience, if I were to confront him direct he'd deny that he'd ever contemplated doing such a thing. [A sigh.]

Which is not to say I haven't been trying to come up with stopgaps if something else happens to me, but I've nothing--yet--for the underlying issue. ["The underlying issue," he says so clinically, with a little frisson of dismay at himself for being able to do so when the underlying issue is his Bonded loving him so hopelessly and completely that a world without him in it was one not worth living in.

What did one do for that?]

If he's not aware that you know, then I also can't confront him about it without revealing how I learned it.

[Which may be for the best since, as Near has already mentioned, he's not the best when it comes to comforting his bondmate. Doubtless they would just end up arguing again.]

But I do thank you for telling me. It's important that I understand how dire things could potentially get.

[His finger does its usual twirl through his hair, the motion only slightly sped up through agitation.]

Should you disappear again while I'm still around I will aim to provide a necessary distraction.

Of course--nor would I ask you to. [He is silent a long moment, considering, before adding quietly,] I don't mind my part in it being known, though, if you do ever need to confront him on the matter. This is--

[He trails off. This is something he wishes he could keep in trust, because L trusts him so much, but he cannot.

Broken trust could be mended if they're both still alive. Not so the other outcome.

Eli doesn't also need Myr's regrets piled on top of him; the elf breathes out without finishing the sentence, shifts to the next.]

Thank you. There's a Witch at Heofonlic, [he gives the name,] who you might contact as well. She and her partners are familiar with him; this is their area of expertise.

[Part of being bonded to L, it would seem, includes being his babysitter. Near finds this ironic given how little contact his mentor made with his successors in the past.

He knows that he should at least wish for the ability to feel more sympathetic toward the man, especially given their connection, but this is an area he's always had more trouble with than others when it came to that.

He'll do what he must.]

I wouldn't worry about him being upset with you, should it come up. I'm sure I will provide him with plenty of other things to be angry about.

[L's been a little scarce for reasons that are probably clear to both of them. Some conversations are difficult to follow up on, casually or in grave and energy-sapping seriousness.]

I performed a phylax spell, and now I always have a companion. Space is another story.

[His phylax can change size, condensing to what could be a small stuffed animal. She seldom does.]

[...Near will have to read up on this particular spell.]

Is there a reason you considered that necessary?

[Says the man who bought a hyena dog on a whim.]

My curiosity was plenty, on its own. Most people would want to know what their soul looked like, after learning of their existence. Aside from that... it's a layer of protection and backup I can only benefit from. She can perform spells on my behalf.

And what does your soul look like?

You could see it for yourself. Now that everyone can, it hardly seems appropriate for my Bonded to be one of the last.

I could. I thought I might be amused by your description.

Would you like to show it to me, then?

It might amuse you to know that a sizable duck pond has been installed behind the cottage, and a duck has never landed on it. She's usually there, at rest or play, when I'm at home.

An aquatic animal seems like it would be a difficult familiar to bring anywhere.

We all make allowances for the difficult creatures in our lives, wouldn't you agree?

I wouldn't have accepted a bond with you otherwise.

I'm well aware of what this Bond exists, in spite of.

[Did you forget that you needed a witch, and your options were limited? He speaks as one who hasn't settled into the dutiful role of Watari's successor to his own; his temperament is wrong, his life was never meant to extend to this strange and stretched-out point.

Near has two other witches now. No real need for him any longer. Is he just hanging on to a piece of the puzzle for a more complete picture? Or is it amusing to him to create situations where L is tempted to lash out, take the cheap shot, and destroy their rapport on petty terms that serve neither of them but are a strange kind of relief, anyway?

He elects that it won't, at least, happen today. Whether or not Near appreciates the olive branches L scrapes the bottom of his own limited supply for, he'll offer them as long as there's still even a twig remaining.]

Come around back before dark, sometime. She doesn't have to eat, but she seems to appreciate fish.

Edited 2021-06-12 05:44 (UTC)

I suppose I'll have to, if just to sate my curiosity.

un: dagwood | text

late, voice; un: mshivana

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time is fake, 1/2

2/2, private

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text; un: Linden Tailor

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