Oh? Did you? [ She mocks confusion ] It must have slipped my mind. [ She taps her temple with her index and middle finger, her grin childish & cheeky, as she leads him to a tiny, carved table in the back and slides into the seat opposite of him, placing their lunches in the center. ]
I do, though not quite as often as I used to back home. I have a lot less time on my hands here and I prefer to use my free time to paint. [ She takes a bite out of her pasty and then covers her mouth when she speaks next. ] It helps a lot with my corruption.
I'll keep the memory problem in mind for next time.
[ Just so that she knows he'll make sure to beat her to the counter next time. But he's smiling so as to show he isn't seriously bothered by the treat. Still, it's followed up with: ]
But for today, thanks.
[ Manners do still exist.
As Sharon talks, Light eats as well, but he waits until swallowing before giving his reply. ]
Mm. It's a shame. I was rooting for your reading passion, but I can understand why painting would help calm your mind against corruption. Did you paint any of the things you saw in the mirror world?
[ She waves off the gratitude with her free hand. ]
'fraid not but I did do a bunch of sketches of the buildings. [ She pulls a leather-bound book from the largest satchel on her hip and flips it open, sliding it across the table for him. both pages show off messy, unfinished works. ]
I don't study a lot of art, but if your sketches are this good, I'm curious to see your paintings.
[ The hand that hasn't been holding the sandwich reaches to pull the notebook a bit closer so he can study the work more closely. As he thinks over the page, he tries to find the mirror equivalent. ]
You said it was like our world? Did anything dangerous happen?
[ The compliment, observational or not, has her grin shyly. She prides herself on her art. It's one of the few things she feels she's good at and it's an outlet. She takes another bite but swallows before she speaks next. ]
I can show you sometime. [ It's not as if she didn't have an abundance of photos on her Omni. She gets rid of most of her paintings, usually through bartering but they make good gifts (the less horrifying ones, that is).
At the question, she shakes her head. ] I thought we'd find the source of the voices I kept hearing in the city. The cruel ones. [ Her face pinches at the memory. A ghost of a frown. She clears her throat. ] Or what made the gargoyles move. I dunno if you saw that, got videos of that shit, too. But we didn't encounter anything. No Riteior cultists. No beasts. Nothing.
But there was this feeling. Like even though we were alone, we weren't.
[ Light frowns, his expression naturally following the flow of conversation. ]
That doesn't make it untrue. I don't think what happened then was the last of it. As much as I'd like to think it was handled, I don't have anything to make me think it was.
[ So, any information moving forward really would be useful. ]
I would appreciate anything you're willing to share. Even if it's something I thought I experienced, it might have been different from your point of view. I'll be happy to share anything I find with you.
[ Sharon sets her pastry down on the butcher paper it came wrapped in and pulls out her Omni. It takes just a few moments before she finds the video she wants to show him. The moment she pulls it up and presses play, she passes the crystal to him.
It starts with a view of Riteior's church from that city but there's something wrong there. The sky is painted in shades of deep red and burgundy and though it's clearly the day, the sun is enshrouded in dark ominous clouds. It almost feels like the beginning of some found footage in a horror movie but, thankfully, the shakey cam is almost nonexistent.
In the video, Sharon walks around the church, zooming in on the impressive stained-glass paintings. There are images of Riteior. He looms tall, his rib cage jutting out, glowing from within with shards of bloodstone. She gets the facade of the building and then returns to the front to open the massive, double doors.
Inside, it's a mess. The pews are skewed and off-center and leaves crunch underfoot. She picks up a fallen book and flips it open, running a finger across a word she recognizes. "Pthumerian," she says aloud and then points to another, "Riteior." Because she's, at least, learned the translation of those two words from others.
And then the video focuses on the back of the church. On a door that seems to leak a pulsing, red light. She crosses the threshold and opens it. It's an old nursery. The cribs have long since fallen apart and parts of the ceiling have given way, the sky is visible, but it's the glowing hole in one of the walls that hold anyone's attention. Without much preamble, she steps over a few toys and crosses through the light.
It's disorienting because it seems as if she's crossed back into the same room but mirrored in every way. She jerks the camera up at the holes in the ceiling to reveal the soft, grey hues of a normal sky and then it comes to a very sudden end. ]
I'll send you the others. I got a couple hours of footage at least. I don't know if it'll reveal anything but I'm sure you might see things I didn't.
[ As the video plays, Light watches with the intensity of a detective studying a crime scene. The book scene is especially relevant, and he makes notes of it for later. ]
I spent a lot of time in the library. The other town was old, and we didn't have translations, but we made a little progress. We'll see if we can do the same with that book.
[ He has a feeling that there's a lot to uncover there. There's still so much mystery to solve.
Light doesn't hate it. ]
Thanks.
[ With a smile, he passes along the crystal. ]
But you should be careful. If you're always this helpful, I'll be tempted to hire you.
Yeah, a friend of mine was able to recognize one of the languages, and taught me a few words, but I can't fucking remember what it was called. Like... [ Her brows stitch together in a look of concentration, gaze distant for a moment as she tries to pull up the appropriate memory. ] Adamic, I think it was. [ Some old, dead language she knows nothing about.
At the gratitude, she shrugs and pockets the crystal, a silent sort of 'no biggie'. But that next bit has her raising her brows up. ]
Hire me? [ The words pitch upward, not unopposed. ] For what? What is it you do?
A detective agency? [ She squints him over and then nods. All right, yeah, she can see that for him. ] Well, if there's something you think I might be able to help you out with, I'd be happy to. I'm always looking for more ways to fill my time in this place, Light.
[ She fills her time up so she doesn't have to sit alone with her thoughts. ] Were you a police officer or something back home?
Free of charge, huh? You are so lucky I'm not someone to take advantage of something like that. [ She's just teasing, something that seems to come naturally to her. ]
Kinda impressive there, Light. What made you interested in being part of the NPA?
You're underestimating my judge of character. I've known you since you were a child, after all.
[ Setting down his sandwich from the latest bite, he chuckles. ]
My father is Chief of the NPA, and I always admired him.
[ He does know that suggests his connection helped him, but only to those who don't know Soichiro or Light. Even as his father, Soichiro wouldn't help someone unqualified, and Light has proven himself many times over. ]
When I was 16, I was able to help them solve a couple of cases, and that cemented my passion.
Haha. [ She says with a roll of her eyes but it's good-natured, verging on warm. In a way, he's not wrong. Still, as the conversation continues, her eyes go wide with surprise before they settle, impressed. ]
16? That's pretty young to get involved in crime-solving. [ It could be a case of nepotism but Light is clearly intelligent. She remembers all the books on his shelves, the book on his couch, and if he was solving crime, well... He's one smart cookie. ] Do you have a favorite case you've solved?
I picked up some clues from the news report so when I showed I could be helpful, they let me in on the case. I was only allowed a few before I joined the force.
My favorite case... it's a little complicated. The first one at 16 felt really good.
[ He smiles at the memory. ]
It showed I could help. I never doubted it, but to solve something real instead of hypothesizing based on news reports feels very different.
My favorite case after... it would be because of the person I managed to get behind bars. That makes it a darker story.
The alternative would be my dad trusting his 16-year-old son could do better than the men working for him and bringing me in. It'd be pretty insulting without some kind of justification.
[ Light looks at his food. It's hard to say, but... ]
I don't think someone learns to be so prepared without some stories of their own. In my case, I don't get to come into the story until after someone's been hurt.
[ Sharon gave a grim nod of understanding. ] That sounds like a lot of pressure. If you do your jobs right, you win. You don't, more than just you will lose.
There's a lot of stress, but when you manage to catch someone, you know you've helped more than a single person, too. On lower levels, you'll get cases that involve someone who might have only hurt one person with no plans to hurt someone again, but for the case to make it to my desk, they don't plan to stop so they have to be stopped.
It's different here. I've spent more time catching cheating spouses or employees that have stolen from work.
[ He nods to the food. ]
I still get to solve mysterious, and I do enjoy that part, but this was a nice break.
It's gotta be a trip to go from big cases to shit like that. [ Yeah, there are other mysteries, like the one they're currently chewing on, but she can't imagine it compares. ]
I'll probably revisit the city sometime in the coming months. You wanna tag along? See that otherworld for yourself before we find a way to stop Riteior and seal away that place for good?
[ Sometimes, a second pair of eyes reveal something that was hidden before. ]
I would normally promise to do my best to keep you safe during the visit, but you'll brush me off and remind me that you're capable of caring for yourself, so I'll skip that step.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I did offer to treat you so now, I'll have to take it back. My college-aged sister wouldn't turn down a free meal from her older brother.
[ Or any age she might be, really. Their parents are well off so it's not as if Sayu would struggle without being treated. ]
But I'm a few years old so I remember when she was that age. I'm not sure she knew books existed without pictures. Do you still read?
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I do, though not quite as often as I used to back home. I have a lot less time on my hands here and I prefer to use my free time to paint. [ She takes a bite out of her pasty and then covers her mouth when she speaks next. ] It helps a lot with my corruption.
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[ Just so that she knows he'll make sure to beat her to the counter next time. But he's smiling so as to show he isn't seriously bothered by the treat. Still, it's followed up with: ]
But for today, thanks.
[ Manners do still exist.
As Sharon talks, Light eats as well, but he waits until swallowing before giving his reply. ]
Mm. It's a shame. I was rooting for your reading passion, but I can understand why painting would help calm your mind against corruption. Did you paint any of the things you saw in the mirror world?
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'fraid not but I did do a bunch of sketches of the buildings. [ She pulls a leather-bound book from the largest satchel on her hip and flips it open, sliding it across the table for him. both pages show off messy, unfinished works. ]
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[ The hand that hasn't been holding the sandwich reaches to pull the notebook a bit closer so he can study the work more closely. As he thinks over the page, he tries to find the mirror equivalent. ]
You said it was like our world? Did anything dangerous happen?
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I can show you sometime. [ It's not as if she didn't have an abundance of photos on her Omni. She gets rid of most of her paintings, usually through bartering but they make good gifts (the less horrifying ones, that is).
At the question, she shakes her head. ] I thought we'd find the source of the voices I kept hearing in the city. The cruel ones. [ Her face pinches at the memory. A ghost of a frown. She clears her throat. ] Or what made the gargoyles move. I dunno if you saw that, got videos of that shit, too. But we didn't encounter anything. No Riteior cultists. No beasts. Nothing.
But there was this feeling. Like even though we were alone, we weren't.
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[ Light frowns, his expression naturally following the flow of conversation. ]
That doesn't make it untrue. I don't think what happened then was the last of it. As much as I'd like to think it was handled, I don't have anything to make me think it was.
[ So, any information moving forward really would be useful. ]
I would appreciate anything you're willing to share. Even if it's something I thought I experienced, it might have been different from your point of view. I'll be happy to share anything I find with you.
no subject
It starts with a view of Riteior's church from that city but there's something wrong there. The sky is painted in shades of deep red and burgundy and though it's clearly the day, the sun is enshrouded in dark ominous clouds. It almost feels like the beginning of some found footage in a horror movie but, thankfully, the shakey cam is almost nonexistent.
In the video, Sharon walks around the church, zooming in on the impressive stained-glass paintings. There are images of Riteior. He looms tall, his rib cage jutting out, glowing from within with shards of bloodstone. She gets the facade of the building and then returns to the front to open the massive, double doors.
Inside, it's a mess. The pews are skewed and off-center and leaves crunch underfoot. She picks up a fallen book and flips it open, running a finger across a word she recognizes. "Pthumerian," she says aloud and then points to another, "Riteior." Because she's, at least, learned the translation of those two words from others.
And then the video focuses on the back of the church. On a door that seems to leak a pulsing, red light. She crosses the threshold and opens it. It's an old nursery. The cribs have long since fallen apart and parts of the ceiling have given way, the sky is visible, but it's the glowing hole in one of the walls that hold anyone's attention. Without much preamble, she steps over a few toys and crosses through the light.
It's disorienting because it seems as if she's crossed back into the same room but mirrored in every way. She jerks the camera up at the holes in the ceiling to reveal the soft, grey hues of a normal sky and then it comes to a very sudden end. ]
I'll send you the others. I got a couple hours of footage at least. I don't know if it'll reveal anything but I'm sure you might see things I didn't.
no subject
I spent a lot of time in the library. The other town was old, and we didn't have translations, but we made a little progress. We'll see if we can do the same with that book.
[ He has a feeling that there's a lot to uncover there. There's still so much mystery to solve.
Light doesn't hate it. ]
Thanks.
[ With a smile, he passes along the crystal. ]
But you should be careful. If you're always this helpful, I'll be tempted to hire you.
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At the gratitude, she shrugs and pockets the crystal, a silent sort of 'no biggie'. But that next bit has her raising her brows up. ]
Hire me? [ The words pitch upward, not unopposed. ] For what? What is it you do?
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[ Light couldn't leave the job behind even when coming to a new world. ]
Most of our jobs aren't as exciting, but even the natives have a lot of everyday questions.
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[ She fills her time up so she doesn't have to sit alone with her thoughts. ] Were you a police officer or something back home?
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[ She seems to know this world and how to handle herself. Those are important qualities. ]
And I'll do the same for you. Free of charge. [ Since Sharon has been nothing short of helpful the entire time, and she's even treating him today.
Her question receives a nod. ]
Or something. Have you heard of the NPA? It's roughly the Japanese equivalent of the FBI, if you're more familiar with them.
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Kinda impressive there, Light. What made you interested in being part of the NPA?
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[ Setting down his sandwich from the latest bite, he chuckles. ]
My father is Chief of the NPA, and I always admired him.
[ He does know that suggests his connection helped him, but only to those who don't know Soichiro or Light. Even as his father, Soichiro wouldn't help someone unqualified, and Light has proven himself many times over. ]
When I was 16, I was able to help them solve a couple of cases, and that cemented my passion.
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16? That's pretty young to get involved in crime-solving. [ It could be a case of nepotism but Light is clearly intelligent. She remembers all the books on his shelves, the book on his couch, and if he was solving crime, well... He's one smart cookie. ] Do you have a favorite case you've solved?
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My favorite case... it's a little complicated. The first one at 16 felt really good.
[ He smiles at the memory. ]
It showed I could help. I never doubted it, but to solve something real instead of hypothesizing based on news reports feels very different.
My favorite case after... it would be because of the person I managed to get behind bars. That makes it a darker story.
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I'd be up for a dark story if you're up to telling it sometime. I am all grown-up and I can handle dark now. [ She's joking, grin cheeky. ]
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[ Light looks at his food. It's hard to say, but... ]
I don't think someone learns to be so prepared without some stories of their own. In my case, I don't get to come into the story until after someone's been hurt.
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Everyone's got some fucked up stories, especially here. [ A weighted pause ] Just hurt?
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[ He's on a national level, after all. While that still covers some larger heists and such, it more than often deals with death. ]
More often than not, to make it to the NPA, we're dealing with grieving family members. If we do our jobs right, it stops at that family.
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It's different here. I've spent more time catching cheating spouses or employees that have stolen from work.
[ He nods to the food. ]
I still get to solve mysterious, and I do enjoy that part, but this was a nice break.
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I'll probably revisit the city sometime in the coming months. You wanna tag along? See that otherworld for yourself before we find a way to stop Riteior and seal away that place for good?
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[ Sometimes, a second pair of eyes reveal something that was hidden before. ]
I would normally promise to do my best to keep you safe during the visit, but you'll brush me off and remind me that you're capable of caring for yourself, so I'll skip that step.
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just a warning that this topic is getting kind of heavy
lemme know if anything makes you uncomfortable!
very few things are; i just wanted to warn you <3
ah! appreciate it!