hearthebell: will credit if found (Who's that yonder all in flames?)
hearthebell ([personal profile] hearthebell) wrote in [community profile] middaeg2021-05-15 07:21 pm

Give Me Shelter, the Night is Dark [Closed]

Who: L, Alex and Mello
When: June 6
Where: A brothel room
What: They've got some stuff to work out. With a couple of temp-bond potions, a diviner's knowledge, and a lot of mind-altering substances, who knows what could happen?
Warnings: DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE, Dickensian levels of navel-gazing about past mistakes. Will update if necessary.



[L feels at once like he's being viciously withholding, and not nearly charitable enough.

When Alex had come to him proposing a way to make amends with Mello on a deeper level, more sustainable than the glancing and incendiary encounters that have not been working for the two of them, he hadn't been able to reject her outright. With a gentle way about her, Alex balances Mello's fire, quiets L's own wrath, pleads with his kinder and softer nature.

He owes you... don't let him forget it.

He waits for them, now, in a room he's occupied before. He requested it for that precise reason. If they're to confront what can't let them coexist peacefully, here, they're also going to be thorough; they're going to do it right.

He waits for the knock. The password is "chimera," like before. The witch, hopefully, will sustain two extra bonds for just one night on top of the three who have no idea he's doing this.]
onamissile: (010)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-05-05 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
[And Mello is the last to crawl onto the overused mattress, over the both of them. It's with a soft thud that his back hits the wall, and there's that protective streak in him that makes him worried for both of them, even if he, himself, is far from all right.]

[There's no thought to it; one arm goes around Alex, dragging her close with all of the strength he can muster (which isn't much), and his free hand — L is alone — (did he die alone, back then? Like Mello did?) and he feels the pull at his chest that he can only think is an emptiness born of the new bond, this deep, hollow chasm where something should be.]

[He takes the man's hand without thinking, idly drawing a nail over his wrist in some form of comfort that he's completely incapable of giving. His nose is buried in Alex's hair, his hand is on his ex-mentor, and the three of them are — ]

[Christ. How did they get here?]


Oi, [To L, against Alex] M'sorry I went after you.
sing_for_me: (pic#14061431)

[personal profile] sing_for_me 2021-05-05 07:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ She’s pulled closer towards M, her back to him. It’s comforting, anchoring her somewhat as the her head spins, a feeling of need creeping through her connection to Linden. She reaches out to grip his sleeve, her hand brushing against M’s as he holds onto him as well.

Finned ears twitch as M speaks behind her, though the words barely register. ]
onamissile: (k)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-05-06 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Water. There's water all around him, and Mello isn't Mello; not in the sense of any way either of them would know him now. He's fifteen, and he's got the weight of the world of his shoulders. And he's so fucking happy to see L.] a

[His idol is such a large figure before him, and the water around them is as fluid as it is threatening, but he's safe, right now. L wouldn't put him in danger.]


Where are we going?
Edited 2021-05-06 02:33 (UTC)
sing_for_me: (pic#14055524)

[personal profile] sing_for_me 2021-05-06 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ When Alex comes to, it’s because she hears voices above her. Her body is light, comfortable beneath the waves. a With her hearing amplified, she picks up on M’s voice—-but it sounds different, younger, happier.

The boat rocks turbulent waters, rain pouring down hard. Through the bonds she can feel the mismatching emotions—-one relieved while the other was tense, anxious. She floats upwards, pressing her hand against the bottom of the boat. The merrow wasn’t sure if they’d notice her presence, but she tries calm Linden at least, letting him know she’s there. ]
onamissile: (003)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-05-09 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
[And Mello's brows furrow — yes, he did feel that, in more ways than one, though he doesn't quite understand why. A rock or passing large fish, maybe, but there's also a warmth on his skin that shouldn't be present on these cold waters that coincides with the contact on their small boat.]

[He leans over the side — child that he is — and pats his hand against the wavy water, trying to draw whatever it is out so they can at least see. Didn't feel like a rock, really. At least he doesn't think so.]


You think it's a dolphin?

[Could be a shark, so he leans back on his haunches, ready to spring back if necessary.]
sing_for_me: (pic#14059345)

[personal profile] sing_for_me 2021-05-09 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ She’s not quite sure why she hides, but she pulls to the opposite end when she feels the weight shift. That they haven’t said anything about her, and the way they were speaking, were they not aware of what they were doing?

The hand that breaches the water briefly is smaller from what she could recall too. Dreams had a weird way of creating situations, so maybe this was part of it. Whatever M wanted to deal with...maybe it had to do with him at this age. All the more reason for Alex to lay low, let things unfold without her influence until necessary.

Admittedly, a part of her still felt like she was intruding, but she kept those feelings in check. ]
onamissile: (013)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-05-12 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[And Mello leans back from the edge; he's being something resembling obedient, though it might only be because L is older — he has to know better when it comes to... everything. Still, he eyes the water out of the corner of his vision curiously as he searches beneath the wooden seat.]

[Yea, there's an oar. Though his arms are small and lanky and the chances of him keeping up are slim to none. But Mello's never been the one to avoid at least trying.]

I've got one, [He announces with the pride of someone's who's just discovered a treasure. He's never rowed a boat before, but he knows enough to grip it as tightly as possible and sink it into the water on the opposite side.]
onamissile: (k)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-06-15 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Admitting that he doesn't know how to do something is a sign of weakness, but it's not in him to go against L. At least not right now, not in this state, and his mentor should know that the concept of team work is lost on him. They're all out for themselves, always have been. Competition was always the way to go.]

[But.]

[He looks out at the water for a moment. It's vast and deep, and whatever that was in the water earlier can't be anything good, he thinks. Fine. Teamwork, then.]


I get the basics. We each have to row on a different side or we'll keep going in circles.

[Mello tightens his mouth and lowers the oar into the water. His arms are thin and not built for this.]
onamissile: (024)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-06-15 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[The first stroke isn't in tandem — Mello wasn't built for physical labor — but he does his best to keep their rowing as even as possible, even with his small stature and bones.]

[The sky draws his attention, but he's always been a multitasker. He keeps on, noting that the sky over his side of the boat isn't quite as dark. Is it a storm? Something worse? There are clouds on his side, but they're white and jagged and don't obstruct the sun at all. Which... he wishes they would. The sun is hard on his pale skin.]

[A wave rocks the boat slightly, but he's got his heels pressed hard into the wood, and he doesn't intend on falling overboard. That would be failure.]


Why are we out here? [Still peering at the horizon. L should know. L knows everything.]
onamissile: (021)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-06-16 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't leave you to die.

[Snapped; part of Mello knows where it comes from him; the other half of him is just a child. He would never leave L to die if he knew of the situation, if he had anything to do with it. He rows harder now. Maybe it's anger, maybe it's determination. His expression certainly expresses the latter.]

[Still, he's curious about that thing he felt beneath the boat. It was something big, something more than a fish or rock. He glances over the side, then back to L. The sky above his mentor is concerning.]

Why is the sky split in half? Look.

[He gestures to his own side.]
onamissile: (Default)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-06-16 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
[The anchor jolts him; it's so sudden and jarring. But part of Mello — young as he is — knows, but he pushes it away as quickly as it comes. They've stopped. It's as symbolical as it is real (they need to get to shore) and a young boy's eyes widen with both disbelief and understanding. He's not trying to row against it. They're here, and L is, as he's always has been: a mystery.]

You keep mentioning Yagami. [A grit to his young voice.] But what does that have to do with me?

[I was...I am. A kid. No. No. That's not right. He shakes it off like he does everything else. Furrows his brows at his mentor.]

Tell me what to do.

[Eternal soldier. Doesn't L know?]
onamissile: (016)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-06-16 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[Mello isn't who he was before the entered this...reality. He's a teenage boy who worships the ground L walks upon, though the actual memories are pushing at the edges of his vision, his consciousness. The eternal soldier (for now), he nods, understands that this is part of the case. And he's still rowing. Trying to get them to shore before L's storm hits.]

I understand.

[Even if he disagrees. What else can he say? He looks upon his mentor with reverent eyes and the knowledge he has, hands tensing on his oar.]

But he's dangerous.

[The sea rises and quells around them. They should reach the shore soon. If they work together.]

We're gonna lose you.
onamissile: (018)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-07-02 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
[If L didn't take risks, he wouldn't be the man he is. Both the older boy and the child that Mello is knows this as fact. He continues to row, though the motions are making his arms tense. Sore.]

Me too, yea?

[A child's eyes with a Man's knowledge. But L is the adult, here. Still, they have to make it to shore, no matter the skies.]
onamissile: (Default)

[personal profile] onamissile 2021-07-02 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
[Mello's eyes follow L's. Part of him understands the split in the skies; part of him is trapped in a child's mindset. He's only thirteen, after all. How could he possibly hurt L?]

Mm.

[And so he's presented with a puzzle, whether or not it's intentional. His rowing has halted as the small, skinny boy assesses his mentor, goes back to things which he both knows and does not. The wind blows his hair into his face; Mello lifts a hand to sweep it away.]

That's how we're supposed to be.

[L set the precedent. The children followed.]

If I gave in, how would I win?
sing_for_me: (cold mood)

[personal profile] sing_for_me 2021-07-02 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Alex made sure not to interfere during the exchange, simply listening in and feeling for any particularly strong emotions. There was so much caution between the two, but it was clear that even at a young age, M was always chasing after L somehow. But L was out of reach, heading a different direction like the oars they tried to row together.

Another thing she noticed was how the environment changed depending on how the conversation was going. More resistance meant more barriers, like the anchor, the waves. At first she was helping to keep them moving, lifting the anchor when they attempted to move forward. But she wonders if it really was so bad to have them slow down, if they weren’t just rushing to get to the end. And yet nothing has been directly said, talking in circles and metaphors.

The merrow hesitates at first, but finally decides to take a hold of the underside of the boat, holding it still with the strength granted to her beneath the waves.

No more chasing or running away. And if the waves become chaotic, she’d make sure they stayed afloat and steady. ]
Edited 2021-07-02 19:20 (UTC)