Day 37: Men's Showers

[pleading-ngri.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't really call this a locker room. More like a bathroom with lockers. The place was uncomfortably crowded, with almost every adult male patient being hustled into the showers at once, but Phoenix wasn't as annoyed by the claustrophobic, milling throng of bodies as he might have otherwise been. Every extra person was one more person who might end up standing between himself and Edgeworth.

He knew that the prosecutor would have a fit if he found out about this. He'd known since he'd tacked that first response up on the bulletin board. And in a way, he couldn't blame him. Phoenix knew that he jumped into things all-or-nothing more often than most people. At the same time, he had some kind of reality testing. He wasn't going to learn the basics of how to defend himself and suddenly decide that he was Rambo.

He found an unoccupied locker in the southwest corner and glanced around, trying to gauge how long he could possibly stall in a locker room, looking as if he was expecting something, before people started looking at him strangely. It would have been easier if he'd known something of the description of the man he was supposed to be meeting. As it was, all he had was handwriting and a military rank, neither of which guaranteed any particular appearance.

It's not as if there was a better way to plan this, though. "Yeah, meet me by the lockers. I'll be wearing gray and a smiley face, just like about a hundred other guys."

[for Hughes]

Comments

[atoyboxworld.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure many people feel the same way." Near's agreement, at least to an extent. That was easy to say, a clear message that Mello would interpret as something other than a personal insult to his ego. His next words would have to be carefully phrased, however. If Mello got the wrong impression of Near's intent, something that was highly likely, there was the risk that the elder would do something to counter it. Near had been considering his own next move, and tonight presented an opportunity he intended to take advantage of. It worked particularly well, given that his state would only allow him limited travel at best. "Even those outside of your care. Everyone will ultimately work towards the same goal, in whatever method they best can."

[cnflctofintrst.livejournal.com]

Again, Mello found himself irritated by Near's comment, though his rival was basically reiterating what he'd said himself. He hadn't expected Near to try to dissuade him from his chosen course, since both of them had to understand its necessity. However, he neither wanted Near's help nor had asked for it, and the fact that he'd been unwittingly backed into collaboration pissed him off to no end. It was only the disastrous results that would have resulted from confronting Near right then that forced him to restrain his temper, but that didn't stop him from mentally cycling through his extensive list of profanity while he glared at the the hot and cold shower taps. There could be no working towards the same goal, not unless they were racing to it. Near knew that. The drive to compete was the most basic, fundamental part of Mello's being, the way gravity defined a planet. It wasn't like Near to indicate the start of another contest, unless competition was to Near's benefit in a way that didn't include winning.

So what could Near stand to gain from this? The task was already something Mello felt cornered into, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Maybe Near understood how difficult it would be and believed that viewing it as a competition might prompt Mello to act with more clarity and precision. By focusing his strongest emotions on a stable target rather than an unpredictable one like L, he was less likely to be misled by the complexity of feelings left over from his training and upbringing. It was a reasonable assumption, and it might have worked if it hadn't been so damn transparent. Mello wasn't some toy car to be wound up and pointed in a given direction, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Near manipulate him so easily. He'd do this on his own and he'd do it right, without assistance or support from some know-it-all brat.

Still furious, he turned his attention once again to thoughts of L, slightly less queasy this time. If it had to be done it had to be done, and he couldn't let childish sentimentality interfere with his ultimate goal. Hopefully L would get his shit together, and get his shit together soon. If he didn't, he'd be just another obstacle, and Mello had never shown mercy to people that threatened his success. Regardless of whether or not he wanted to, he couldn't start now.

It sounded like Near was planning something on his own, and Mello didn't intend to interfere. If it came down to it, Near would be incapable of doing what had to be done. His stubborn, short-sighted morality kept him from killing Kira...it would certainly prohibit him from dealing with L. Regardless of how close he got, he wouldn't be able to finish anything. It would be like putting together a puzzle with missing pieces. Why bother at all? If he was alert and a little lucky, Mello would benefit from whatever Near was attempting. If not, it would just be an irrelevant annoyance, and the fact that Near was attempting anything at all would make his own victory that much more satisfying. Mello's resolution was a dramatic shift from anxiety he'd felt a few seconds prior. He didn't think to consider the cause.

He rinsed his hair again as he considered the most tactful way to put 'keep the hell out of my way.' "People can do whatever they want, as long as it doesn't present a danger," Mello finally said. His voice was firmer than the statement required, but not enough to seem incongruous.

[atoyboxworld.livejournal.com]

Mello's glare was an unmistakable sign that, as usual, the elder had made Near's statement more about himself than it actually was. Of course, it would work to his benefit, as Mello would view Near's involvement as some sort of competition. And though he would create a reason for his rival's actions and wish to refuse it based on the assumption that Near was leading him somehow, Mello would act with greater precision regardless. The situation was not one either could ignore or back away from; the consequences were far too severe for that.

And speaking of the devil in their veiled talk--the subject of the conversation appeared, distinctive even with the visual impediments inherit to their surroundings. Near noted where L went, as always doing so on the edges of his vision, his eyes seemingly focused on a safe emptiness at a far off angle. No one joined the famous detective, at least not for the present, yet the proximity made L's purpose clear enough.

Near had no doubt that given what had transpired over the past day, L had a higher interest in his heirs' movements. He would be listening to them, attempting to determine from their choice of words what their next actions would be, if not with Kira, then with him. Additionally, L should have realized even without a direct look that both heirs would be aware of just what he was doing. And that meant L, by his presence and his placement, had in a sense issued a silent challenge to his successors.

What message would he convey, then? Unlike the broken man who shrugged off his responsibilities, Near also had the additional concern of what Kira or X-Kira would overhear and discern. What he said next could not deviate from the conversation he was having with Mello, lest it stand out to those who might have been listening from the start. Yet at the same time, it had to be carefully worded to communicate only what he wanted L to hear.

Near might have enjoyed this puzzle more if the circumstances that created it had been different.

"I agree." And that was the message L would hear from Near. Mello had definitely decided to act, and given his personality, had likely communicated as much to L. Even if he wouldn't be able to follow through with it, Mello might even have gone so far as to threaten L's life, should the detective do something so foolish as to endanger the results of the Kira case. Near, of course, wouldn't do something of that nature. The taking of life was something he ultimately disagreed with, to such an extent that it nearly had given the ultimate victory to Kira. But that didn't mean he would let L wreck that acheivement. Near shouldered the burden of completing the task, seeing the road to its end now that he alone was left. "It's frustrating when people don't think about the consequences of their actions. And regardless of how unfortunate it is, those people will have to be dealt with, if there's going to be any real chance of saving everyone else."

If L was no longer suited to be L, then Near too would do what was necessary; he would take hold of the title of L.

[cnflctofintrst.livejournal.com]

"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."