aefenglom | Voice; UN: Deneuve

Entry tags:

Voice; UN: Deneuve

Name: M; UN: Deneuve
Date: 3/1/21
Format: [Voice]

[There's a short blip of silence; Mello knows that even his voice can be identified if needed and traced. But he remembers the pain in his chest. The swirling of the delivery truck's mirror, and everything after that, well — ]

[A sharp clearing of his throat. It's so dry.]

I know what I've been told.

[Everything is bullshit until proven otherwise.]

And I know what I'm expected to believe.

[Definitely lies. And for one: he knows he's died. It doesn't take a previous heart attack in his situation to recognize one when it tears at your chest and throat and breath like a visceral assault. Besides, he was always due for one: wasn't he?]

I don't expect honesty from anyone. [And yet here he is: reaching out. Because what else can he do?] But a Witch?

[Or so he's been told. How appropriate. Another pause; another breath.]

Is this Hell?

[He's seen nothing that leads him to believe otherwise. The mirror with the objects and reflections from home. The things that just don't make sense. Maybe someone will honestly reveal that yes, he's earned this. Maybe not.]

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That always depends on who you ask, doesn't it?

[Near doesn't beat around the bush. He switches his own feed to video, capturing only his upper half.]

You can take some time to mentally go through all the possibilities if you want. I'll wait, but please don't take too long.

Edited 2021-03-01 22:45 (UTC)

[Oh, this place is just throwing them at him, isn't it? But it got this one wrong. Too old, though the tone and response sits properly with Mello. Like the previous one who is what he knows, this one is far too familiar with enough changes to make him question the validity. A solid two to three minutes of silence before he responds. And then — ]

Depends.

[On you.]

You've got it wrong, by the way.

[N doesn't look this way.]

Didn't dig deep enough, I suppose.

Edited 2021-03-01 22:54 (UTC)

[Near tilts his head, then a slow smile spreads across his face. Whether this is more or less creepy than normal given his red eyes, lack of eyelids, and scale-covered skin is a matter of opinion.]

Ah... you think I'm an image or a doppleganger pulled from your memory.

[A black forked tongue darts out of his mouth a couple times in his amusement.]

Please continue to explain your train of thought.

No.

[Firm. Absolutely not. Mello isn't going to give it more than it already has.]

You know what I think. You're in my head. I'm not going to indulge you. [The more he speaks to these things, the more it tears at him. Perfect or no, he could do without. He'd accepted death for a cause. Never expected this to come after.]

Stop speaking like him. It's annoying.

[Always has been.]

What do you expect to get out of me? I don't believe you. I won't. If you know me, you know that much, even if you look like a fucking mutated girl.

[Messed that part up, didn't it?]

So. Have me tell you something you don't already know. If you're dead then surely there would be a way to have a death god prove it.

[He takes a more relaxed position, resting his head in the palm of one hand. It's clear by now that he's laying on his side on the floor. Chairs are for people who know how to sit like a human being.

The smile has faded. He's watching Mello deadpan with only the occasional flick of his tongue.]

Wouldn't it be more unrealistic if I was a perfect copy? I can only do my best, Mello.

[The use of his name — even if false — unnerves him. He doesn't like it. He doesn't fucking like any of this. N's voice, albeit slightly different than what he remembers, is unnerving. Off-putting. They're getting the best of him, and they know it.]

[He hates it.]

Who won.

[Flat. Aggressive. That's all that matters in the end, isn't it? But it doesn't matter. They'll tell him what he wants to hear. They'll attempt to bring him to a place of placidity because Mello is fire and a threat and what better way to go about it?]

I won't believe you, no matter what you say.

[So what's the point?]

You shouldn't ask questions if you aren't going to care about the answers.

[Near sighs, but Mello's stubbornness is expected.]

We did. [We, implicitly, because he can't claim a solo victory.] Because of you. And I will always appreciate it.

[Though he wouldn't use those exact words to anyone but Mello, and he says them now precisely because it's what the man will want to hear - even as he will expect it and deny it.]

You should ask something you aren't already set against hearing the answer to.

If you'd have me ask a question I don't already know the answer to, how would I know if you're lying?

[Really, they're at an impasse, aren't they? It's up to Mello to choose whether or not to believe. And isn't just like N to condescend him. Appreciated Mello's death, did he? It brings back a memory — a lifetime ago — when Near agreed to work with him, only because he knew Mello would refuse. Stole the damn title, even if Mello was the one to give up the fight.]

[This is all so tiring. His voice might seem resigned, but Near would recognize his frustration, wouldn't he? Or this image of N; Mello needs to either outright deny this all or commit to a bit of faith, then.]

Fine.

Tell me how he lost. In detail. I don't care if you're lying.

[He just wants to hear it.]

And tell me why you chose to contact me.

You could have asked anything, you know. You could have asked for my real name.

[And he would have given it. It matters so much less here. Even if Light got his hands on another magic book he could kill people with they'd only come back again.]

But I'm not surprised that this is what you want to know - just as you shouldn't be surprised that I'd want to contact you as soon as I heard your voice.

[Though Near has given this retelling before, he doesn't mind doing it again. He'll say it as many times as he needs to, as there's no one who deserves hearing it more.]

We set up a meeting. I'm sure you remember. Your actions caused Mikami Teru to act, which in turn allowed us to copy his death note without anyone being aware. When he attempted to kill us it didn't work, and he'd written everyone's name but Yagami Light's, exposing him. Kira tried excuses, denounced his partner, then finally gave us all a monologue about how he was to become the god of the new world. After this he had no support, and when he tried again to kill me with a hidden piece of the death note he was shot by one of his own.

You would have enjoyed seeing him flail about on the ground, rambling to the dead to help him. He begged the shinigami to help him, and the shinigami wrote Kira's name in his own book.

[He shifts in position somewhat, getting more comfortable without bringing his lower half into view.]

I hope that was enough detail for you.

I don't care about your name.

[Partial lie; partial truth. If this is Near, Mello already knows who he is, as he knows Mello. What are names to those who have no intention of using them for power? And oh, if only he could see Mello's expression upon his telling: it's a beautiful story, really.]

[The flailing. That's something Mello wished he could have seen the most. The desperation. The loss. He would have paid to see Kira on his knees. Sobbing. (He hopes.) Begging for the dead.]

[He's silent while the tale is told. Silent enough for anyone to suspect he's disconnected; but then — ]

[He fiddles with the device. Switches to video. What can it hurt, anyway? He's already died. Painfully. The video shows a close-up of his face — scars and all — for he's been leaning in, listening with rapt attention. His eyes are wide with near-excitement and satisfaction. So his death wasn't for nothing. He'd killed Yagami without even being present. Quite the accomplishment, if true.]

N.

[Whether or not Mello truly believes the weight behind that single letter remains to be seen. For both of them.]

Why do you look so fucking old?

[Old, as in older than Mello remembers. He's studying the other's face, the slight differences. The length of his hair, the same, placid look in those eyes that he remembers.]

[Near seems pleased by the video - or at least as pleased as he ever appears. He preferred the scar on Mello. It made him look more dangerous. More serious. Those who live through defeat learn from it. Near respects those who lose and come back stronger, even as he's dismissive of those who fail because they didn't already know what they should have.

Not everyone could forge through losses the way Mello did, and this is why the blond is better than others.

The naga holds up one hand, briefly glancing over the back of it.]

I'm sure the scales don't help.

[The hand is lowered. Near has never been vain, so the insults about his appearance are taken as part of the other man's greeting.]

This place exists outside our time and isn't limited by it. For me, a decade has passed since your death - and as far as I know I'm still alive. I don't recall dying.

[There's a familiarity here that makes Mello more uncomfortable than not; N is older, N is... something else. He squints at the mention and sight of scales; he's heard of monsters here, but Near? Has he really succumbed to something so disgusting?]

[Not that it matters. Nothing matters, as of yet. Besides, Mello's never given a shit about Near, anyway. Not really. Just a rival. Just — ]

And you're not human.

[Never was, M would argue. But that's hyperbole, and he knows it. He stares, because that's what he does, and the sharp, long intake of breath is as audible as it is visible.]

So you lived, then.

[Maybe just a bit of jealousy peeks through in his tone. Mello had never wanted to die; it was just a thing that needed to happen. Again, for the Greater Good, which is why he's swaying on his opinion that this is, in fact, Hell. Seeing Near this way is off-putting, though. If nothing else.]

You would.

[Low. Defeated. But a compliment, if Mello has ever given one.]

I don't know what to believe, [he admits, and it isn't weakness. Not really.]

They tell me I'm a Witch, but I don't feel like one.

[Except for the excessive warmth in his wrists, his veins. Fire, something tells him. But he's ignoring that, for now.] What — are you?

[Besides a little shit. The blonde holds on to preconceptions more strongly than others.]

A naga.

[Near tilts the angle of the camera finally, allowing Mello to see that past the long shirt he's wearing there's nothing but scaled body. His tail forms a figure eight on the floor, and he brings the tip of it back around into view.]

A snake creature. Not by choice, of course. I wouldn't have chosen this.

[He'd gratefully trade with any of his witch bonded given the opportunity. Or anyone in general, really.]

I didn't feel like a monster either, at first. It will develop. The only real benefit this has given me is the ability to easily bond with witches - of which our mentor and his rival both are.

[The unspoken here being that he's bonded with both of them.]

Meanwhile you should call me Eli. Eli Dagwood is my name here. You'll want a different alias too.

[Oh. Shit. Mello's expression isn't hidden; why should it be? This would be a surprise to anyone. This place really fucked N, didn't it? If Mello were one to feel pity, he would feel sorry for his rival. Really. But he's not, so he doesn't.]

[The following revelation has M holding his breath. L, he understands (If that really is L; Mello still has his suspicions.) But Kira. Fucking Kira? The only thing N has going for him in that department is that Mello trusts him enough that he suspects an ulterior motive. Know thy enemy. Keep them closer. He responds to neither claim; why should he? Near knows him enough (he thinks) to know his possible opinion on the matter.]

[Change the subject while keeping in line with the conversation, then.]

I'm not stupid, idiot.

[Will they always be children with each other.]

I've already spoken with Kira. A girl — she claims to know me — has already outed me as "M."

I told Yagami my name is Malakai Antonov. I don't know if he believes it, but I'll go by it for now. Covers the "M." I assume you'll hold on to that, as well.

[Really, what is an alias to him? Kira has already done his damage. But he'll use it, because that's what he does.]

Your... form. [Because he's in Inquisitor at heart.] Does it hurt?

Edited (9000 edits) 2021-03-03 06:15 (UTC)

No. Only the changes were uncomfortable.

[And the shedding is a bit on the obnoxious side, but he wouldn't consider it a painful experience. It only happens every few months or so, it seems. He's kept all of his sheddings. He wouldn't want them used against him but they could still be useful if a bonded needs one for a spell of some sort. This might be considered mildly creepy to some given that one is his human skin.

He memorizes the name his rival has chosen. Nothing simple, of course. That wouldn't be Mello.]

Alex is the girl's name, I believe, but I know very little about her.

[That had been the other man's private business. Near didn't go digging around when it came to who Mello kept as friends. They weren't against each other here.]

She's just a girl.

[So far as he knows. Poses no threat, thus far.]

[And what the hell is Mello supposed to do now? Is being a "Witch" uncomfortable? N wouldn't know, would he? Of course, M is already considering the potential power in having abilities, but at what price? Pain?]

What are you doing about Yagami?

[Almost an accusation. The fact that Kira is conscious enough to even respond to Mello, here, means that Near isn't actively downing him at every turn, doesn't it? Maybe. Maybe Mello's assuming the worst.]

Tell me you're keeping tabs on him, at least.

I'm bonded to him.

[It's a simple answer, and something Mello would have already gathered.]

He doesn't know who I am. As far as he's concerned I'm just the owner of a toy shop who had him temporarily in my employ. Should he get his memories back, breaking the connection between us won't be a simple task.

[Light can't kill him. And even if he did, the naga would come right back. That seems to be the way things work here.]

It was even his idea. I accepted because he is also bonded to our mentor, who I share a bond with as well. [One that had been necessary for his own sanity, something he won't be admitting to Mello right now.] Linden makes questionable decisions when it comes to Yagami. He's drawn to him in a way that's dangerous for him, perhaps even moreso now that he knows he died at his hands.

[One thing Mello might never adjust to in this place is this Bonding situation. He doesn't want anyone in his head; doesn't want to share a tie with someone so closely. Doesn't matter who they are. Trust issues will always be something that influences his decisions.]

[And L — reckless decisions — it would explain the why and how he allowed Kira to defeat him. Even if Near was the one to initially express the sentiment,('Just a loser," to which Mello almost pummeled him in Roger's office) And it's always all been so convoluted, hasn't it?]

Understandable.

[All of it; none of it.]

I'll slit his throat if it makes disconnecting easier.

[A cheshire grin, a bit of sardonic humor in his tone.]

[But Mello trusts N in his reasoning, whatever it might be. Something that he also has no intention of admitting.]

You run a toy shop — [Should M even be surprised?] — and I'm going to need money here, so I've been told. I'll find my own way in time.

[Hasn't he always?]

But I need to triage the immediate situation. I need a job.

[A job. A real one. Disgusting.]

Do you think that you can manage it without it arousing Kira's suspicion?

Edited 2021-03-06 19:47 (UTC)

[Near frowns slightly at the question. As much as he respects Mello, the idea of having him work at his shop is a problematic one. He would prefer that the place not be burned down within a month.

He wants to think he can trust his rival not to be a disaster, but then he just thinks that a month might actually be too lenient.]

No.

[When in doubt, blame Light.]

He'll already be wondering why I'm also be bonded with Linden. If I added you into the equation as an employee, even temporarily, it could be a red flag. He knows how picky I am about who I hire.

[And Mello has practically zero of his usual qualifications.]

[Pft, Mello can accomplish anything he sets his mind to. But with the convoluted situation being what it is, he inherently knows that working with (for) N would be a disaster in the making.]

You wanted to work with me, once. I was the one who turned you down.

[Remember, remember.]

But I don't care. I don't want to work at a stupid toy shop anyway.

[Dismissive. Childish. There's so many other things Mello can do, anyway.]

So.

[Is private even private? Everything can be hacked.]

What if I were to say I want to see you? I'm not going to shoot you.

Edited 2021-03-07 05:31 (UTC)

[There's a very big difference between working with Mello at a task they'd spent their whole lives working toward, and hiring him for a position in a business Near doesn't at all consider to be the culmination of his life's work. This place had always been meant to be a cover and little else. That it brought in money was merely a bonus.]

I'm sorry for that. I will gladly work with you on more important matters.

[He twirls a finger in his hair, a familiar gesture that its longer length doesn't seem to hamper.]

I don't mind meeting with you, either. I you don't yet have a place to stay then we can meet at my home. Our privacy shouldn't be interrupted there.

[Unless L decides to barge in for some reason, but there are no secrets given up in that case.]

[Hah. When has N ever been sorry for anything? The cynicism shows on Mello's expression; he shouldn't need to say anything regarding that apology.]

[Or has Near truly changed so much? His appearance is different, yeah, but has his rival truly developed... a conscience?]

[There's no way. People are who they are.]

[Important matters, such as making Kira's life here the absolute pit of Hell? Swaying L into trusting that whatever he thinks happened regarding Mello hasn't actually happened? N is bonded with both of them.]

[Where does it begin and end?]

I haven't slept.

[Also known as: he hasn't chosen a place to stay.]

But you're Bonded with both of them.

[Whatever that means. Or doesn't. Mello's tone might be a little bitter. Or maybe he's just overtired. He's always been tired though, hasn't he? No time for sleep when their (former) mission was resting on his shoulders.]

Who's to say that either of them won't show up at your place?

[A shake of a blonde head.]

I don't like it.

Linden has a key. Yagami does not. I would like to think our mentor can at least be trusted to follow my house rules and not bring Kira to my doorstep without asking me first.

[He nods his head, having taken this into consideration already.]

I understand your concerns. If you have a better location I'm open to suggestions. Otherwise I can recommend a warehouse down at the docks. It won't be as comfortable.

[It's a familiar setting, isn't it? A better place to recount Kira's downfall than over the network, for sure. It also sounds like a place for all kinds of illegal dealings to go down, but in reality it's merely an easy meeting location for some of those who do work for him on commission and don't want him showing up at their house.]

[With anyone else, Mello's response would be, somewhere public, but is it even wise for the two of them to be seen together, given the convoluted situation?]

[Mello will go with a hard "no" on that one. He's quiet for a moment; Near wouldn't lure him into a trap for no reason, even if the fact that he's Bonded to their enemy is enough to raise a brow. Or several. Still, Mello has more faith in N than he does L, so.]

I'd prefer the warehouse.

[Comfort isn't an issue; never has been. Yes, Mello prefers it, but it's not necessary. Besides, he doesn't intend on staying long. Just long enough to gain the information he needs, to see the thing his rival has become.]

I take it you understand why I'm suspicious regarding your situation with Kira.

[It's something Mello intends to inquire about. At length.]

Absolutely.

[The word is in response to both comments, and the naga gives a single nod of his head.]

It would be foolish of you not to be.

[He lifts himself off the floor, the camera following in a dizzying swing upward. If only Mello could appreciate the effort it had taken him to learn how to get around in this form without having to crawl on his belly.]

I will send you the address of the chosen location. We can finish this discussion there.

un: dagwood | audio -> video

[Voice] UN: Deneuve

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