likesthecoat | log for Near: Cardiff

"Right," Ianto says, smiling for real this time. "No fish.

"So how are things at Whammy's?"

This makes Near smile, too.

"They're good, actually," he says. "It's progressing well. I thought we'd meet more opposition for the changes, but... Well, I'm L now, for one thing, and for another... I think they knew a change was needed, really. The percentage of failures was... quite high," he says quietly, thinking of Mello. And A. And BB... Not to mention all the others who disappeared into anonymous mediocrity upon leaving the Wammys House. "But I don't think there are any potential dangers in the current crop, and I'm going to personally oversee the selection of new children, so hopefully that will make a difference," he says, fiddling with the lip of his wine glass.

It had better, he added silently.

"You're L? What does that mean?"

Near sighs. "...It means a lot of things. L is... Well," Near pauses, trying to sort the information into the best manner possible. "L was my predecessor." He smiles a little. "The world's foremost detective, until he was murdered by Kira. Of course, the general public doesn't actually know that, and the people who do know that the original L is dead also know that I was trained in the same environment --sort of-- so... they're quite happy to let me hold the title," he explains.

He takes a sip of water, and continues:

"I'm not doing things the same way he did, though. L was... L was first. He was raised independently of other children, and I don't think he realized how bad things were for those of us who were being trained to succeed him. It was... very intense, and very competitive. The first child tipped to succeed him killed himself at fifteen. The second became a serial killer, and L ended up having to go after him. And then there was Mello and myself, and they weren't sure which of us L would choose, but he died before he had the chance. They offered us the position jointly, but Mello declined and ended up in the, ah... criminal underground," he says, with a bit of a sniff. Eighteen months later and that still pisses him off. Wonders will never cease.

"...So clearly, this business of spending your entire childhood being trained for a job that only one person can hold is a bit... counter-productive," he says with a shrug. "It's not good for the children, and it's not good for "L". So... While I'm still the 'world's foremost detective', I don't plan on working alone, as he did. But I still command the respect of various governments and agencies, especially after catching Kira," he adds. "So really, when I said I wanted things changed, they didn't have much choice but to go along with me."

He grins at this. Narcissistic, but he's terribly proud of it, really.

Ianto frowns as he listens, but nods when Near is done. "Training children to be crime fighters always strikes me as something out of a comic book," he remarks, "but it could just be the resemblance I see to X-Men talking.

"And you're hardly mutants fighting supervillans. Just . . . ordinary blokes. Who fight supervillans."

"Actually, I was just the one supervillain," he corrects, with a small smile. "I think from here on in, it will be mostly drug cartels and human trafficking rings. At least, I hope so... I really don't want to have to deal with anything like the Kira mess again. That took six years, all things told."

"Six years . . . blimey.

"Still, drug cartels and human trafficking rings are nothing to laugh at. Dangerous work all around." He toys with his glass. He's still got healing cuts from his last dealings with Weevils.

"Yes, but it's not quite the same. I mean, I don't usually do the... front line end of things. I'm generally more behind the scenes-- L is generally more behind the scenes. The Kira case was different, but from here on in, I shouldn't be in the same sort of danger at all."

"That's good to hear," Ianto says quietly. "It's hard for me to think of you in those situations, to be frank. But I'm sure most people would find it hard to believe what I do for a living, too."

"I bet," Near says dryly. "I believe you, though. For the record. Still, it must be interesting. Terrifying, obviously, but... interesting, right?"

"Oh, yes," Ianto says. "Best job I've ever had, and the worst. Of course, it's the only job I've ever had aside from summer gigs when I was growing up."

"Yeah," Near agrees. "Me, too. Only without the summer jobs. I don't know that I could even do anything else now, really. It wouldn't... feel right. I'm glad we didn't have to go with Plan B, really."

"I was going to be a librarian," Ianto says and sips his water again. "Not exactly glamorous. Lots less bleeding."

Near smiles. "I can see that," he says. "I'm sure you'd have made an excellent one. I'm not sure about the bleeding, though. Papercuts are a nasty business. And there's always Stanley Knives..."

[HAHA, one of my best mates is a librarian, and she just posted a story yesterday about how they banned Stanley Blades in all the city libraries after she had an accident with one and stabbed herself in the leg really badly. Ianto knows not the real danger of library science! XD]

Ianto laughs dryly, and pulls down the collar of his shirt to show the fading scar on his neck. "But the cannibals are only on the page."

Near blinks, trying not to stare. He doesn't have any work related scars, really; maybe a few psychological ones, but nothing too serious. Certainly nothing like that.

"That's awful," he manages after a moment. "...I don't know how you manage it sometimes. Although... I think it would probably be harder to not. You know, if you... stopped."

"If I stopped . . ." He sighs. "If I stopped I'd have to give up everything else to do with Torchwood, including my memories of all those years.

"It's for the safety of those who remain behind, I know, but that's cold comfort when I think of all I'd lose."

Near ponders this for a few minutes.

"...That does make sense, I suppose. Probably for your own safety, as well, but... That's an awful lot to give up."

"Yes. One of the many reasons why I won't leave." He smiles as the waiter returns to take their orders.

[ooc: Gotta sleep.]

[No problemo, sorry that too a while to write. Sleep good!]

log for Near: Cardiff

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