Backdated to Tuesday

[shiromadoushi]

Who: Bakura, Belle and L.
When: After school Tuesday (1/21)
Where: Belle's office
What: Bakura begrudgingly goes to his rescheduled therapy appointment after ditching Monday, only to have that guy he nearly punched out show up and send things into a tailspin.



Bakura did not want to be in that office. He was in a bad mood to start with, something that was only being amplified by his utter disdain for the therapy he always was forced into.

Arms crossed, he sulked into the chair, not looking at anything but glaring all the same.

Comments

[belphe]

Bakura was not, by far, the only one who didn't feel like being in Belle's office today. That morning had been spent going around in circles with her insurance company about her stolen car and how much, if anything, she might be entitled to if it was not recovered and returned.

An overly-long bus ride to work had found her in perfectly dour spirits when she'd arrived, but she was, nonetheless, offering Bakura her usual patience.

"I appreciate your coming in today. I know there's likely an endless list of places you'd rather be."

[shiromadoushi]

"Damned right there are. Only here because Grandma insisted," Bakura returned sourly. "Fucking waste of time..."

[belphe]

"I spoke with her a bit while rescheduling you. She seems like a nice person." If a little strange, Belle thought. She had not directly said anything off, but she had emphasized several times that Bakura was very special. To the point it became a bit uncomfortable.

[shiromadoushi]

"Of course she's nice," Bakura returned with a glare. "She's my grandmother."

There was a very strong tone to the word that was almost a warning. Over protective of his family? Especially with his Grandmother all but sparkling over everything with the numbers club now that she knew?

His eyes narrowed slightly. If Newbie had put two and two together....

[belphe]

Fortunately, Belle had explored so little of the network, and what earmarked someone to likely have access to it, that she had not yet reached the point of speculating who might or might not be on it with her.

Even if she HAD known, it was not her place to come out and ask during a session.

"Not all of them are. You're very fortunate to have someone who cares for you so much."

You tagging into the other thread?

[shiromadoushi]

"Look, I'll save you the trouble. My grandparents are the world to me, I don't need you telling me to appreciate them," Bakura pointed out, tone sharp.

Not until L and Bakura get into it with each other.

[belphe]

"That much was clear without you needing to tell me." she replied. "I'd only meant that it's a nice thing to see." The fact he had healthy family ties was encouraging, really...it meant it was less likely that his behavior at school was due to abuse or neglect from home.

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura shifted in his chair, shifting his crossed arms to sulk a bit deeper into his cranky slouch. "Then why the fuck did you bring it up? Small talk?"

[belphe]

"Is there something you'd prefer to talk about instead?" she asked, inviting him to change the subject if this one wasn't to his liking.

After the Appointment

[dead_black_eyes]

L was not supposed to be there, and he knew it. Belle was no longer even supposed to be seeing him as a patient, but following the events of the last 48 hours, running off in the middle of the night to play detective (even when he was anything but playing, and actually somewhat successful) warranted, perhaps, a bit more than a simple apology. Belle had lost her cell phone and her car, and L's situation, despite the success of his mission, felt more precarious than ever.

He slipped easily past the reception desk, a small, broken-off piece of cheese in his palm. The hour was almost up, and a grand gesture was in order when the final hour of Belle's day was up. Opening the door of the hall's janitor closet, he took in the heavy scent of cleaning supplies to take his mind of the non-kosher morsel he was holding, waiting for Belle to leave her office. Since she hadn't had a scheduled appointment when he'd last poked at her patient ledger, it would likely (and ideally) be alone.

[Action]

[belphe]

Except, unfortunately, she HAD scheduled an appointment. And said appointment was being the same as he'd been in his previous session as he stonewalled every attempt she made to be civil.

Ordinarily, it wouldn't faze her. Today, it, coupled with everything else she was still processing in the last span of hours, was bringing on a headache that grew in it's intensity until it drove her from her seat. "I apologize, Bakura, I'll be just a minute..."

With those parting words, she slipped into the hallway to rub at her temples as she hurriedly walked in the direction of Dr. Briar's office. It was teasingly referred to by the others as The Honeypot, as it was home to a continually-stocked bowl of candy and a large jar of aspirin that were freely offered to everyone in the mental health wing of the plaza. It was the latter of these she intended to borrow from...

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

When she emerged and started walking, the irrationality of L's plan started to surface in his mind. It had seemed like a good idea, to show up and demonstrate progress she'd been working for, but before she knew what he was on about, if she was still angry, she could call security.

A relatively simple solution presented itself, and he opened the door, wrapping an arm around her narrow shoulders and pulling her into the closet with him.

"There's something I need to show you," he professed earnestly, staring at her under the closet's buzzing, dim fluorescent light.

[Action]

[belphe]

Belle made a strange noise as she was hooked into the closet and found herself, very suddenly, in cramped quarters with her tenant-in-passing. Immediately, she moved to reclaim personal space as she flattened herself against the wall, a hand reaching for the doorknob.

"Lazarus," she said sternly. L breaching boundaries was not a problem that they ran into much, as he was very protective of his own privacy and did not want others getting too close. But there were those times he was clearly out of line...and in those events, she forcibly reverted him back to his birthname name to establish no question of her dislike. "we've discussed your coming here."

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

He bristled at the use of his birth name, moving to block the door with his wiry frame. L was only here in the first place because he was determined, and folding under the first round of scolding was not part of the plan.

"I know, I know, but yesterday went badly. I wasn't wrong, I solved the case, but you were still put-out and you lost your car, and I thought of a way to make it up to you. You have to see, I know you have time. I saw your ledger? No one's even here with you. So you have to see."

He held out the bit of cheese meaningfully, then deliberately put it in his mouth.

[Action]

[belphe]

He'd read her ledger...? So much for two adults minding their own business under the same roof.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't entirely accurate." she told him, making an effort of keeping her voice level. "And I am with a patient at the moment, so I'll need--"

She was given pause as she watched the cheese disappear into his mouth, finding that her curiosity had won out over the need to explain as she watched him, awaiting the results.

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

It wasn't so bad at first. The cheese was heavy on his tongue, the memory of the label so far outside of his comfort zone standing out vividly in his mind. His breathing stopped, and he positioned it between two back molars.

They pressed together slowly, dividing the buttery morsel into two melting pieces, the slight sourness of fermentation triggering L's gag reflex.

He couldn't do it.

He dropped to his knees, grasping for a bucket, all his rational resolutions suddenly meaningless as utter disgust wholly overwhelmed him.

[Action]

[belphe]

....well. That really WAS impressive. Entirely not in the way he'd meant it to be, certainly, but all the same...

Belle steeled herself, looking away as she attempted to ignore the sights and sounds of L retching into the mop bucket so that she wouldn't follow suit in becoming sick.

Later That Evening

[belphe]

"I'll want the three months' backrent up front."

"Understandable."

"AND next month's rent too."

Belle's pen paused mid-scratch before reluctantly resuming, factoring that cost as well. "I suppose that's reasonable."

"I should say it's reasonable." the landlord of Pine Terraces replied on the other end of the connection. "Are you family?"

"No. More of an acquaintance."

"Well, regardless, you'll need to co-sign on the lease. I'm not playing games anymore, are we clear?"

"Of course."

After the events of today, Belle had placed a very firm agenda in mind from the moment she'd left work - pick up a replacement cel phone, rebuild her contact list on it, and see what she could arrange to get Lazarus out of her apartment to prevent further incidents.

The previous two items had been accomplished in short order, and now she was taking care of the third.

Re: Later That Evening

[dead_black_eyes]

As he'd suggested earlier, L had been out using his new detective skills to look for Belle's car. After hours of obscenely good luck, he had turned up a hub cap and an air freshener without being ambushed.

He returned shortly after sundown with both tucked under his arm, setting them carefully on the table. Noticing that Belle was on the phone, he utilized the magnetic white board on the fridge, writing on it with the attached dry-erase marker and holding it up to show her.

SCRAP

[Action]

[belphe]

"We don't take cash. It will have to be a check or a money order for the full amount, and he'll be able to move back in once it clears."

Belle did not immediately answer, finding herself staring, briefly agog, at what he'd scrawled on the board.

"Hello? Did I lose you?"

"...no. I'm here."

"With the security deposit, it will be $1850." The groan her savings account gave at the expense was almost audible in her head...but in the end, if it meant everything returning to normal and calming down, it would have to be fine.

"I'll bring it by as soon as I'm able. Thank you." she said, ending the call to give him her attention proper.

"It's gone, then?"

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

"Like I said," he said impatiently, as though he was being asked to repeat a long and detailed verbal discourse rather than explain a single written word. "They work fast. The whole thing has been stripped down and sold for parts at this point."

He stuck the dry-erase board back on the refrigerator, opening it and scrounging for food.

"Who were you talking to? Glen?"

[Action]

[belphe]

"No. The rental office at Pine Terraces." she said, making a vested effort to keep her reaction about the Civic reigned in. It had been her first car, and she had intended to keep it in good working order for as long as possible.

"I think we've come to an agreement. You'll be able to move back in soon."

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

Rather than taking any food out of the fridge, L closed it, leaning his back against it and stuffing his hands into his baggy pockets.

"Soon...? How soon? What prompted this? I thought the current situation was going well."

[Action]

[belphe]

"A week, maybe. The current situation was only supposed to last as long as it took to get your backrent figured out, L."

Her tone remained neutral, though she didn't look at him as she plugged her replacement phone in to resume charging.

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

"Are you going to stop treating me? I tried to find your car for you," he said, looking troubled. "I even tried to eat that cheese. And it's not my fault that Bakura reacts to everything like a girl in 6th grade whose braids were dipped in glue."