Entry #A-8: "Abnormal" [January 24, early afternoon, Audio]

[dead_black_eyes]

[It's been a weird couple of days. L's spent them in his own Casualty Communal apartment and is sporting a broken rib and a damaged hand that he's trying to move as little as possible, but there are some people he feels he should probably at least acknowledge. Foolish people, he feels, who were willing to risk their lives for his whether they knew him or not... but people who helped him, all the same.]

[Coded to Bakura and Vash]

I wanted to say... thank you for coming to get me the other day. And I'm sorry for biting Bakura and trying to attack Vash, and making you use your Meister ability to seal me in a bubble. I promise that the attempts were not malicious. Thank you also for escorting me to the clinic.

[Coded to Tifa, Yako, Sai, Takuto, Roy, and Allen]

Thank you for engaging me in conversation. I feel that I didn't go completely mad because of your attempts to ground me in reality. I am deeply appreciative; this helped more than you can possibly know.

Additionally... Takuto, I'm sorry for sending you in the wrong direction. It was not intentional, or malicious.

[Coded to Mary]

Thank you for your care at the hospital. It was helpful, and I am appreciative, though I seemed ungrateful and reactive at the time.

[Coded to Albarn]

Thank you for protecting Mello. I feel personally indebted to you for this, and I hope you will not hesitate to call in any favor I have the capacity to perform.

[Coded to Mello]

...how have you been?

Comments

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

Just glad we could help. Good to hear you're OK.

[Audio]

[dead_black_eyes]

I do mean it. Neither of you were under any obligation.

Is the bite healing all right...?

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

It's fine. [[He's had worse.]]

[private, video]

[gunsmokeangel]

Don't worry about it, the madness out there really gets to a guy fast. I'm just glad we all got back in the city in one piece.

How are you holding up?

[private, video]

[dead_black_eyes]

It... really does, doesn't it?

I'm holding up all right. On the mend, and so forth.

Do you like pineapples?

[private, video]

[gunsmokeangel]

[blink]

Pineapples? Sure, I guess so.

[video]

[ink_nin]

It's no problem. I assume you are feeling more like yourself now?

[video]

[dead_black_eyes]

I am, a bit. Thank you. I am, at least, willing to admit that I am very weak in some regards.

[video]

[ink_nin]

Calling you weak was not my intention.

[video | private]

[want_the_world]

[Mello's still camped out at the clinic, and he has slept since trying to charge out of the city to save L. Not much, but he probably looks noticeably better.]

I'm fine.

You were right. Hell, I knew you were right the day of the earthquake. [That doesn't make him any less mad at himself for being unable to help L when he needed it.]

Are you all right?

[video | private]

[dead_black_eyes]

[L turns on the video feed; the bruise on his cheekbone has gone down since he's iced it, and the scrape on his chin is healing nicely.]

I'm doing much better, thank you. It turns out that hitting my hand like that really wasn't my best-ever plan, and I broke a rib, but they're both healing well.

Your intentions were good. I hope you'll try not to hold anything against me for sending someone after you. At the time, it was the only solution that I was able to come up with.

Also... I don't remember what I said very well, but in the event that it upset you... please accept my apologies.

[video | private]

[want_the_world]

You didn't know what you were saying. It's over now, at any rate.

[If there was a grain of truth in it, well. Mello can pretend it doesn't exist in this case, just as well as he can pretend the things he's said in the grip of the madness wavelength had nothing to them.]

Albarn might be cheesed off at me. I wasn't complimentary.

[fortunetelloli]

Please, don't worry about it. Many patients are not very nice as you treat them. Pain makes people more irritable than usual.

[dead_black_eyes]

That's a mature outlook.

The rib seems to be healing well. The hand, too. I thought I'd send you a fruit basket?

[fortunetelloli]

That is so thoughtful of you, Ryuzaki! I would gladly accept!

It's an outlook that helps me from actually getting mad at patients when I don't need to be lecturing them.

[Video | Private]

[heart_rhythm]

Don't worry about it... I'm glad it was a help. Are you recovering alright now?

[Video | Private]

[dead_black_eyes]

I'm all right. The pain medication is helpful and effective.

I wanted to tell you that I do not find you attractive. So... please rest assured.

[Video | Private]

[heart_rhythm]

[She blinks, not really expecting that. He really does manage to keep surprising her.]

Ahh. [Her smile is a little amused now.] The madness makes people say strange things, hm? No problem.

Video; private

[itaidakimasu]

I'm...not sure how 'sane' our conversation ended up being, but if it helped even a little bit then I'm glad.

Video; private

[dead_black_eyes]

I don't remember much of it.

[It's a lie; he remembers pretty much everything that happened with mortifying clarity.]

It did help, though. Thank you again, more than I can express.

[Text]

[daddyscythe]

no problem, wish i could have done more. glad to hear from you though, guess you're all right. make up with him, ok? maybe he's mad...

[Audio]

[dead_black_eyes]

You did everything I could have hoped for. Mello is important to me... and he took it all much better than I thought he would.

Did he give you much trouble? It is my sincere hope that you did not have to employ excessive force...

[Text] Sorry for the late.

[daddyscythe]

its nice if theres someone important to you!! he was just worried thats all

no... well his butt might hurt, i sorta had to yank him down to his butt

video | filtered;

[thewarisover]

Like I said, we do what we can for each other.

How are you now?

video | filtered;

[dead_black_eyes]

I broke a rib, and my hand is injured, but otherwise I'm all right.

You do what you can for others, along with the people that came for me... but I still consider you, and them, the exceptions rather than the rule.

[L wouldn't know who he was if his cynicism melted away, or what to do with himself. His entire livelihood is being suspicious of others.]