{001} Video

[lovesickkiller]

Wow, a secret network! This whole story keeps getting more and more mysterious!

[She had never imagined finding something like this so soon after arriving in the States. Though nearly breathless with excitement, Misa attempts to keep herself in check and remain at least a little bit professional. Beaming at the discovery is impossible to cover up, but she manages to avoid blurting out the first question that comes to mind in favor of a thought-out response.]

Hello, my name is Misa Amane! I’m new here and I’d love to have a conversation with anyone who has been here a while, or has information about what’s been going on. The news has been pretty crazy, but if you want to share your stories then I’m here to listen!

[There, that sounded pretty good, right? She hopes that no one too weird answers, but at least with this number she doesn’t have to meet them face to face right away. Besides, an insider scoop is definitely worth the risks. This is going to get her name on the map for sure.]

Comments

[lovesickkiller]

No thanks.

[While she indulges in sweets from time to time, Misa tries not to go overboard and cuts calories where she can. The latte is enough of a treat without whipped cream.]

Where did they come from, what do they look like? Have you seen them in person? Did they leave behind evidence?

[dead_black_eyes]

[He nods briskly, setting aside the whipped cream and putting a cap on the latte before stepping out from behind the counter, bringing it over to where Misa is sitting and handing it to her. His hands move oddly and a little bit stiffly, but it's leagues better than the way they used to be; a quick eye can glimpse traces of scar tissue at the bases of both wrists before he tugs his sleeves down and takes a seat nearby. Though his feet remain on the floor, he has a tendency toward hunching forward, gargoyle-like.]

I have seen them in person. They look like humans, or at least they're capable of making it seem that way. And I'd say they left behind a fair amount of evidence... there have been a lot of witnesses, including the Secretary of Defense. That meeting was pivotal in getting more of a military presence in Locke City.

[lovesickkiller]

[Misa accepts the latte with a grateful smile, pretending not to see the flash of scar tissue at his wrists. It confirms what she had glimpsed earlier over the video, but aside from treating him carefully she doesn't want to acknowledge it. For all her investigative curiosity, that isn't any of her business. Maybe they'll talk about it one day, if they really do become good friends.]

Crazy... I guess it's the sort of thing that's hard to believe unless you see it yourself.

[She removes the cap from the latte and blows on its surface gently before taking a tentative sip. Too hot, but good.]

Is the military presence here good for the Numbered or bad?

[dead_black_eyes]

[Her manners do not go unnoticed. Lazarus will remember them, and it's another step towards solidifying the goodwill Misa has already done well to gain from him.]

It was, in my case. They have a guy... Geoff. He has what I'd call a preternatural charisma. It's practically impossible not to trust him when you're in his presence. Is your latte good?

[Quality is probably the one thing Espresso Yourself has never suffered for. L only buys the best ingredients, even if these days he has to throw away more of them than he'd like. Not enough people come in for all the milk to get made into lattes and smoothies.]

It's good for controlling the violence and riots, but... on a grander scale, I can't say that I'm thrilled about it. At least no one is getting lynched.

[lovesickkiller]

[Misa writes down the name Geoff, curious what "preternatural charisma" looks like.]

It's really good!

[She blows again and takes another sip as he speaks, trying to avoid burning her tongue.]

That's understandable. I'm glad they're doing some good here, but I'm sure no one wants to live in a war zone.

[dead_black_eyes]

[It is something else. While it's immensely comforting, it certainly has a way of stripping a person of their agency. Lazarus doesn't recommend it.

His face brightens considerably at the verdict on the coffee, though.]

You like it? Good! Make some friends and tell them it's worth coming for.

[Said slightly ruefully, but he recovers briskly and relatively gracefully.]

I can get behind no more death, more than I can possibly say. I've lost friends; a young man named Anthony was gunned down right behind that counter.

[He points, over his shoulder, without looking that way. He has the location memorized.]

War zone or not, it's our home. We should be able to keep living here.

[lovesickkiller]

[Misa's eyes widen, following Lazarus's finger to stare at the spot. No wonder there's no one else here.]

I'm so sorry... That's horrifying. It's amazing you still work here.

[She hesitates, wondering if it's over-sharing to put her own trauma out there so soon after meeting him. But the more they have in common the more comfortable he'll probably be talking about things like this, and he is being very open with her.]

My parents were killed while I was in college. I couldn't make myself go back to the house after that.

[dead_black_eyes]

[He's surprised at how much he appreciates her sympathy. They're facts of life at this point, but that doesn't make them painless. Reminders like this are reassuring for the simple reason that they keep him from starting to feel like so much ugliness and death are normal.

He owes her some in return.]

Can I ask what happened to your parents? I take it they died at home...

[lovesickkiller]

Yes.

[Her gaze drops to her lap, hand absently tracing the rim of her cup.]

A robber broke in and killed them. I was away and there was never a confession, so I don't know the exact details... it took a lot longer to get justice than it should have.

[Despite her insistence on being outspoken on the subject, trying desperately to get anyone's attention to help and to care, it still isn't easy to talk about. Misa takes a sip from her latte, not meeting Lazarus's eyes.]

[dead_black_eyes]

[It's shocking and difficult. He knows that in a lot of ways, his best bet is to be very silent; better to be a good listener than a dreadful conversationalist. He stays quiet for as long as he can without it seeming too strange.]

I'm truly sorry. I cannot imagine how that would be.

[He's also an orphan, but his parents were both dead before he could possibly remember them. It is not the same thing.]

Did you finally get justice? Obviously it wouldn't bring them back, but I imagine it would give you a sense of closure, and that in itself is a good thing. Or... are you still waiting?

[lovesickkiller]

Thank you. They did get justice.

[Misa smiles, glancing up at him. It's nowhere near as exuberant as she was before, but it is sincere.]

He was captured immediately, but the trial was put off so long I really thought he was going to walk. It wasn't anything I did— I tried, writing about it and taking the story to different papers, blogging, but I guess it wasn't good enough. Someone else picked up the story though, and not long after that a prosecutor finally took on the case.

[She takes another drink from her latte, before putting it down on the table.]

I guess that's when I knew for sure that I wanted to be a reporter.

[dead_black_eyes]

Well, at least there's that. I'm glad to hear, as... someone who really should have been a police detective.

[He shrugs lightly.]

It sounds like you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be, though. You're a good reporter; you'd have to be, to be sent all the way from Japan to cover all of this.

[lovesickkiller]

Oh, uh, yeah...

[She avoids his eyes, unsure about admitting that she came here on vacation time. She hasn't given him the best picture of her abilities as a reporter with that last story.]

You wanted to join the police? That's a great goal.

[dead_black_eyes]

[He quirks a brow at her avoidance, but says nothing. She's allowed her secrets, even if their obvious existence is a lot like an itch that would rude to scratch openly.]

It wasn't meant to be... but it is a great goal, for those who can successfully pursue it.

[lovesickkiller]

Definitely. The justice system might be useless sometimes, but... the police who do their best to catch the bad guys are important, and brave.

[dead_black_eyes]

Most of them. Some are rotten to the core, and unfortunately, they're the ones that make it useless at times.

[lovesickkiller]

[That most definitely sounds like he's speaking from experience. Misa doesn't ask, or argue.]

Have the Numbered had much trouble with the police here? Aside from ones who broke the law, I mean.

[dead_black_eyes]

Not lately, no. Initially there were problems, but most of them were before my time. At least... before I became who I am today, back when I was still more of who I was.

[Said in a slightly quieter voice. He dislikes thinking about that hapless wreck of a man.]

They're more or less working with us now, especially since the meeting with the aliens.

[lovesickkiller]

Right, the aliens...

[There are so many questions there that Misa truly doesn't know where to begin.]

Not to pry, but, when you say before you became who you are today... Are you talking about pulses?

[dead_black_eyes]

It's quite all right. You're not prying.

I am in fact talking about pulses. They can change a person pretty dramatically, and in my case, it was for the better. I'm very lucky that there's more I can do for my community now.

[lovesickkiller]

I'm glad to hear that, but... isn't is weird, being changed like that?

[They're well off of official interview territory and into person questions now, but Misa can't help being curious and a little nervous about these pulses.]

I want to find out more while I'm here, but it's kind of scary to think about what else can happen.

[dead_black_eyes]

It's weird, but so are a lot of other things that happen every day. Even without pulses, we're still all growing and changing, just a little more slowly and subtly. You're a different person now than you were 10 years ago, right?

[lovesickkiller]

Of course I am, but growing and changing seems more... natural, I guess. It's different if you start turning into someone else.

[dead_black_eyes]

This whole process feels a little less existentially crushing if you think of it as growing and becoming who you were always meant to be. We're working on figuring it all out of course, but in the meantime... we do have to live with it.

[lovesickkiller]

Mmh... That makes sense.

[Misa isn't sure that she buys it completely, but thinking that way does make the way things are easier to accept. And there's some worth in that alone.]

It's easier if it seems like the person you're becoming is an improvement, I guess.