"Everyone's aware of that," Mello said. Now that he'd calmed slightly, his voice was a compromise between the usual clipped tone he used with Near and the more casual matter-of-factness he'd used with others last night. He'd noticed L's arrival as well, which was part of what forced him into relative order. He understood the importance of the situation as well, which was evidenced by the fact that he hadn't stormed out of this conversation.
He'd already directly threatened L. There was nothing else he could do beyond making good on that threat, so the final outcome was now up to L. L knew the stakes, and if he were smart enough, he'd do as Mello ordered. If Landel had compromised him to such a degree that he couldn't be recovered, allowing him to die was no different from sacrificing a once strategic point overtaken by an enemy. Despite his arrogance, Mello had limited resources. He couldn't afford to waste valuable time and energy trying to keep his predecessor in line when he needed to concentrate on gaining control of the rest of the institute.
"Speaking of consequences." Mello looked over to Near again, pretending to take a second to silently assess the teen's injuries. "You're not in any condition to deal with something on that level." The matter-of-fact tone nearly concealed the arrogant disdain in his voice. He turned off the faucet and grabbed his towel. "If you try to help and you're not up to the task, you could end up as more of a problem than a solution."
no subject
He'd already directly threatened L. There was nothing else he could do beyond making good on that threat, so the final outcome was now up to L. L knew the stakes, and if he were smart enough, he'd do as Mello ordered. If Landel had compromised him to such a degree that he couldn't be recovered, allowing him to die was no different from sacrificing a once strategic point overtaken by an enemy. Despite his arrogance, Mello had limited resources. He couldn't afford to waste valuable time and energy trying to keep his predecessor in line when he needed to concentrate on gaining control of the rest of the institute.
"Speaking of consequences." Mello looked over to Near again, pretending to take a second to silently assess the teen's injuries. "You're not in any condition to deal with something on that level." The matter-of-fact tone nearly concealed the arrogant disdain in his voice. He turned off the faucet and grabbed his towel. "If you try to help and you're not up to the task, you could end up as more of a problem than a solution."