"Of course," he replied, sounding indifferent. "So did everyone else. They were also aware of the intention behind the suggestion. Aizawa is the exception; he was not working with us then; he has just returned, now that Kira is no longer threatening Japanese government officials. Mr. Ide came with him this time, also."
He speared more fruit with his fork. The tenor of the conversation was getting on his nerves, if he was honest with himself, and there were a number of a questions about Mello, and his current state, which remained unanswered.
There was no need, at this point, to ask about the scar; its relative freshness suggested some kind of failure, possibly in the Kira case itself.
He couldn't decide whether or not he thought it made its bearer too identifiable to take up his position. L was not, himself, particularly anonymous-looking; there were some crowds he might blend into, but not many. His unusual appearance was irrelevant as long as his habit was to draw attention only when he made a conscious decision to do so and to spend the rest of the time well out of sight. Mello's scar, and his swagger, implied that his habits were different, perhaps even reckless.
This line of thought raised another question: what had happened in the five years that separated them? The few hints Mello had given him seemed shadowed and incomplete. Matt had mentioned Near as someone who had been at Landel's in the past, yet Mello had not mentioned him at all, presenting himself as the current investigator. None of what L knew about either of them indicated that Near would have been content to step back and allow Mello to claim the case for himself.
"What do you think Near would have done? He was also here. They might have developed a plan." L's tone was as innocent as it could be, with his mouth full of half-chewed fruit.
no subject
He speared more fruit with his fork. The tenor of the conversation was getting on his nerves, if he was honest with himself, and there were a number of a questions about Mello, and his current state, which remained unanswered.
There was no need, at this point, to ask about the scar; its relative freshness suggested some kind of failure, possibly in the Kira case itself.
He couldn't decide whether or not he thought it made its bearer too identifiable to take up his position. L was not, himself, particularly anonymous-looking; there were some crowds he might blend into, but not many. His unusual appearance was irrelevant as long as his habit was to draw attention only when he made a conscious decision to do so and to spend the rest of the time well out of sight. Mello's scar, and his swagger, implied that his habits were different, perhaps even reckless.
This line of thought raised another question: what had happened in the five years that separated them? The few hints Mello had given him seemed shadowed and incomplete. Matt had mentioned Near as someone who had been at Landel's in the past, yet Mello had not mentioned him at all, presenting himself as the current investigator. None of what L knew about either of them indicated that Near would have been content to step back and allow Mello to claim the case for himself.
"What do you think Near would have done? He was also here. They might have developed a plan." L's tone was as innocent as it could be, with his mouth full of half-chewed fruit.