savetheearth | {005} Network Video + Log

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{005} Network Video + Log

[Misa is obviously freaking out a little. He eyes are wide, she's breathing fast, and she is newly blonde since she last appeared on the network. But her latest echoed change isn't anything that's visible.]

The lights over Tokyo— something is happening, I'm going home. If anyone is coming and needs a place to stay, my apartment is open to you. It's not very big, but I'll make room for anyone who needs it. Bring a sleeping bag or air mattress if you can. Private message me for the address, and if you have a doppelganger either do it in person or by phone. I don't want any uninvited guests showing up.

[[ooc: feel free to handwave Misa giving your character this information, as long as they are not a doppelganger and we have some previous CR.]]

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Who: Misa and ALL THE PEOPLE
What: Crash at Misa's one-bedroom apartment during insanity in Tokyo. SLUMBER PARTY. There will be separate header threads for different weeks, plop your person anywhere.
When: April 10-28
Where: Tokyo, Misa's place

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Misa's eyes widen as a familiar feeling thrums through her chest, and suddenly something cold is pressed against the flat of her stomach. She can't help an involuntary shudder, but she does manage to keep herself from either screaming or ripping her shirt off to figure out what in the hell has materialized beneath it. With the words that triggered this echo, it can't be good.]

I-I need to go.

[She stands up abruptly, a hand pressed her abdomen to make sure whatever is there stays there, and makes a beeline for her room.]

[Lazarus startles slightly at the sudden change in Misa's demeanor.]

Misa...?

[Well, that's not suspicious at all.]

Was it an echo, or are you going to be sick? Misa!

[He stands, shuffling steps hurrying to try catching up to her.]

[It would be now of all times that Lazarus decides to chase after her. She frantically slams the door behind her and locks it for good measure, breathing heavily. This is silly, she's certainly freaking out over nothing, but with the monster Nathan made her echo and now this and the eyes— she just knows that this has to be done in private.]

Just- just give me a minute!

[Heart hammering in her chest, she pulls the foreign object out from under her shirt and finds herself staring at a black notebook with foreign, unidentifiable white writing on the cover. Death Note. The sudden knowledge pulses through her body, leaving her knees weak. This is a Death Note. What does that actually mean?]

[It is, in fact, just a little bit uncharacteristic for the reincarnated detective. But he's determined this time, making it even more exasperating when she slams the door in his face.]

Are you on your...?

[NO, no, bad idea. Just back away slowly from that, Lazarus.]

Misa, whatever it is I'll help you with it however I can. Please open the door. When I mentioned the notebook, what did you get back?

[Luckily for Lazarus, Misa is a little too traumatized by her new acquisition to yell at him for daring to acknowledge such a thing. She hugs the notebook to her chest, at a loss for what to do. He's just worried about her. He wants to help. She is acting so suspiciously, she should just let him in, but... what if he understands what this Death Note is? What if it's every bit as bad as she fears, and he knows how to explain it all?]

[Misa peeks inside, and sure enough the pages she opens to are full of names. Rows upon rows of names. She flips the page, then another, feeling ill. There's so many— every one of these is a victim? Just how many people are listed in here? She can't even begin to guess. A few pages and she has already seen what amounts to a hundred cold bodies in some other world. Misa shuts the notebook, shuddering and on the verge of tears.]

I need a minute.

[Stalling for time is all she can think to do. Lazarus can't see this. Not yet. Not until she knows more about what it is and what it means. Focusing on taking deep breaths in and out to try to keep from hyperventilating, Misa dives for her closet. Tucked in a corner is an old backpack from her college days that she couldn't bring herself to get rid of. She unzips it and hastily shoves the notebook in amongst old binders and textbooks that never got resold. Without the cover visible, it looks like any ordinary school supply. Misa stares at it for a few seconds, almost waiting for something to happen, but nothing does and she quickly re-zips the backpack, throwing a coat over it for good measure, and closes the closet door.]

[It's a small apartment with few hiding places and Misa very much regrets offering an open invitation to everyone now, but she can think of no reason that anyone would have to snoop through the junk in her closet. It isn't ideal, but it will do for now. Trying desperately to compose herself, she slowly walks back over to the door. What is she going to tell him?]

Okay. I'm unlocking it.

[There are small mercies in the world. The fact that Misa's distracted from what was almost a grave misstep is one of them. He waits outside the door with bated breath, concerned and suspicious. What did she get back that required her to race to her room? She'd seemed uncomfortable, but nothing had appeared in her hands or dropped onto the couch cushions next to her. He could be forgiven for thinking it was physically painful or mortifying, couldn't he?

She sounds like she's crying, or about to. He presses his ear against the door; this feels chillingly familiar, but this time he's on the other side of the locked door and his heart's in his throat.]

Misa, are you OK?

[Please be OK.]

Misa!

[He's about to bang on the door, maybe look for a way to pry it off its hinges, but then she says she's unlocking it, and he shifts from foot to foot, waiting impatiently.]

[Despite the circumstances, or maybe because of them, hearing Lazarus shout her name that way hits her squarely in the gut. He really does care about her. Will he still care about her if it turns out that the person she is becoming was a mass-murderer? He said himself that they are not their others, and L certainly did his share of terrible things. But this... it's on a different level.]

[She isn't crying when she opens the door, but her eyes are red and she looks rather like she has seen a ghost.]

Sorry...

[She makes an attempt at a smile, but it isn't happening.]

I overreacted.

[He is going to ask again. Lies start flitting through her head, various excuses to tell him.]

[He's relieved to see her red-eyed but apparently unhurt, and he's nodding even before she's said a word.]

It's OK.

[He doesn't expect a smile, so the fact that she doesn't have one isn't a problem.]

What happened? What did you get back? People don't just "overreact" for no reason...

[There is a distinct pause before she answers, settling on a lie that she hopes is believable but something she won't have to show but not too ridiculous.]

It was... a birth mark. [She presses her hand to right bellow her breast, a little higher than where she was holding when she ran out but close.] I felt it appear and it really freaked me out.

[He stares at where she's indicating.]

I guess that would be startling if you felt it...

[How would you feel a birthmark?]

How... what about a mention of a notebook with names in it would prompt a birthmark to appear, do you think?

[He tries to phrase that extremely carefully.]

[Lazarus please stop staring there. Misa shifts uncomfortably, though it is more under the question than his gaze. Maybe it was not the best lie she could have come up with.]

I... I don't know...

[She wavers, then decides to double down.]

It... it's embarrassing, but... the truth is, it's a tattoo, not a birthmark.

[Please let her obvious discomfort and shame be attributed to that.]

A tattoo?

[That throws him off sufficiently.]

Your Other had a tattoo by her breast? What is it? Something to do with Light Yagami? It could be relevant.

[Oh thank god, he seems to be buying it.]

Yeah... I can't believe she would do it, you know how I feel about them and she's even a model! But it's in a spot where no one else would see it, except...

[Well, someone she was intimate with. Meaning Light. It makes sense, doesn't it? It's a believable lie.]

It's Light's name.

[She winces, because even as this piece clicks into place perfectly, it obviously casts suspicion on Light if hearing about a notebook used by a murderer caused this. But things aren't always directly related like that, right? Her hair had little to do with the handcuffs. She can still make this work, without completely throwing Light under the bus.]

Maybe it's because he was involved in the investigation, and you mentioned names being written down.

Is it really?

[He squints. Something seems wrong. He doesn't know what.]

I think you should let me see it. Maybe I'll notice something you didn't, or get a pulse of my own, like last time. It could be useful to both of us.

No way!!

[She hadn't counted on him asking, but at least she has a decent excuse to refuse.]

It's in an intimate place! There's nothing to notice, it's just his name.

[He'd taken slightly longer than intended. There'd been a bit of disorientation after he'd used the teleporter, and the Echo on top of that, what with it having been his first time using it. But the memory he'd gained had been nothing terrible -- a welcome thing, considering the last two memories he'd gotten -- and he'd headed over. Well. He had briefly gotten side-tracked by something, hence his lateness, but he's here now.

[Nathan is still a bit unsure of his welcome, but Misa had said it's still okay and he has nowhere else to go while he's here, anyway. The knock on the door is polite, if a bit tentative. And opening the door will reveal his diminutive frame, one small suitcase and backpack sitting at his side, and a rolled-up sleeping bag slung over his shoulder.]

[Lazarus isn't satisfied with her answer, and he's about to say as much, but he glances up sharply at the sound of a knock at the door.]

Are you expecting anyone?

[Misa glances toward the door just as sharply, though she is thankful for the interruption.]

I invited everyone, remember?

[She has talked to several people, but Nathan is the only one who gave an indication he would be coming over now. Suddenly she is less thankful for the interruption. If there's one person she wants to talk to even less than Lazarus right now...]

I think it's Nathan. [She puts her hands firmly on Lazarus's shoulders, staring him in the eyes in as intimidating a way as she can manage.] Don't tell him, okay? Or anyone. This is just between us.

I know that. I meant anyone in particular.

[He sounds vaguely affronted and slightly terse. The tattoo seems out of place in the context of a notebook, and he really would like to see it for that reason. Anyone else and he would probably still press, but when she says that she thinks it's Nathan, there's a change in Lazarus.

Nathan can only help get to the bottom of this, and Misa must realize it.]

You're so embarrassed of a tattoo? I have two of them, you know...

[He sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.]

I won't tell for now, but this is suspicious and if I prompted this echo I am not satisfied with this level of knowledge. We will return to this topic.

It's not just the tattoo, it's where it is! I told you she purposefully put it somewhere only a lover would see!

[Why doesn't he feel ashamed for asking yet? How much more is she going to have to emphasize the inappropriateness of his request before he stops pressing? Thoroughly unsatisfied with where they are leaving the conversation (but happy to be leaving it), Misa walks to the door and glances through the peephole. It is Nathan. Great. She opens the door for him.]

Hey, come in... did you have trouble finding us?

[It's taking her longer to answer the door than what he would have expected. She couldn't have gone out, right? She'd been expecting him at the very least and probably others. She's just in the middle of something, probably. Or he'd knocked too softly and he should try again . . . but if she really had heard, he would seem impatient . . .

[Oh. There she is. There's an anxiety out of the way.] Hello. No, I was able to find my way very well.

[He pulls his things along when she moves aside to let him in.] Thank you for allowing me to stay. [You know, in spite of that bad Echo he'd caused you. See? Nathan does have some manners when he tries. He nods over at Lazarus when he sees him.] Lazarus.

[The note they're leaving the talk of the as-yet-unseen tattoo on makes Lazarus more than a little uneasy, but he meant it when he'd promised to return to it. He follows after Misa as she heads toward the door and checks to see who her latest visitor is before letting Nathan into the apartment and offering him a greeting.

Immediately after thanking her for her hospitality, Nathan acknowledges Lazarus, and the taller man's dark eyes linger a little longer than they might have otherwise.]

Nathan. As always I'm sure having you around will make a great many things much clearer. I'm very glad you could come.

[Misa shoots a glare in Lazarus's direction before turning her attention back to Nathan.]

Yes, it's no trouble. We're both happy to have you.

[His gaze travels between Lazarus and Misa; between the former's words and the latter's glare, he's getting the distinct impression that he's interrupted a tense moment.]

... Is everything alright?

It's all right, Nathan. I said something insensitive, and Misa was just in the process of forgiving me. Don't concern yourself over it.

[The way he stares is something that's foreign to practically everyone except Lazarus and Near. They're creepily similar, and there's language in the way he holds the other young man's gaze, something akin to remain vigilant.]

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