IC Voicemail

[evowhisperer]

 *There's nothing but a long silence after the ringing stops. If the caller's been looking at their screen, there are plain black-and-white letters on display:*

Please leave a message after the beep.

*Beep.*

Comments

[evowhisperer]

*Cesar is tilting his hands to try to keep the worst of the scratching from bleeding another trail down his hand so quickly. That's why when L brings the box back and begins to rummage, he doesn't immediately help.*

*He does eventually stretch out a single pinky, lifting the edge of a box of cold medicine, only to drop it back down when he realized the bandaid box beneath it was for tiny punctures, not for anything substantial.*

*He settles back down to wait, apparently content to not fight for involvement in this.*

[dead_black_eyes]

[L glances up when he notices Cesar's fingers creeping toward the box to poke ineffectually at its contents. He offers him the damp cloth he'd used to clean his injuries.]

Don't trouble yourself. I've got this.

[He selects several larger bandaids, holding them at several angles to determine the best and most efficient way to cover the scratches. He uncaps the neosporin, putting a generous amount of the ointment on the soft, cottony part of the first bandait before carefully pressing it onto Cesar's hand. Silently, he starts on the second one.]

[evowhisperer]

*He takes the cloth and holds his hands with it, and it seems to be enough. The rest of L's search is spent in quiet waiting.*

*So will the bandaging process itself, it seems: The first bandaid is pressed carefully across the edges of the worst scratch, and the next few have Cesar narrowing his eyes, but he doesn't jerk, or do much of anything besides frown darkly.*

*Lazarus finishes one hand. Cesar flexes the fingers carefully against the tug of tape and pain. He can't bend his hand completely in a certain direction, but it's just as well, and he leaves the injury alone to heal.*

[dead_black_eyes]

[Careful though it is, it's something of a bang-up job and Cesar won't have fantastic mobility without tugging some of the adhesive strips loose. That being said, L's been meticulous and gentle, and it's probably as good as it could have been without hospital-grade supplies.]

I need to figure out what I'm going to do with him, now. I know what I want to do, but... I have to try to be better than him in at least that way.

[evowhisperer]

{Let him leave.}

*The signs are restricted, but even wit this the meaning is clear.*

{Announce his existence, find some way to distinguish the two of you. He's doing things that could get him arrested sooner or later.}

{Let him tie his own noose, and he won't be your problem for much longer.}

[dead_black_eyes]

[He has to glance away for a second, but even though he tries earnestly, there's no real way to hide how conflicted he is about it. He brushes aside his hair to indicate a small, new tattoo, a delicate stem with dark green leaves just under his ear.]

Differentiation isn't the problem, so much. I just worry about what he'll do the world, given the chance. I'd rather I took the damage, but... I recognize that the world might be better at taking care of itself.

[evowhisperer]

*Cesar glances at his hands, and thinks of the consuming press of lips and scent of his hair, and he finds that he can't be as staunchly laissez faire as he wishes he were. Is he really going to ignore the way he's worrying about the copy, even now? Even if he concentrates on the image of him smothering a paralyzed Lazarus, he can't help but wonder at the back of his mind if the Xanax didn't make him pass out at the top of a staircase. He's not in pain somewhere, needing the help of anyone who can find it in themselves to not want him dead, is he?*

{Warn your friends. Protect yourself first, or you won't be able to protect them.}

*He feels conflicted. It occurs to him that as clear as he thinks his expression is right now, Lazarus might not even be able to tell. Maybe that makes things simpler in the end? He knows it's good advice.*

[dead_black_eyes]

[Lazarus' dark eyes stare at the lines and riddles on Cesar's face; he's attentive and he cares, but Cesar's correct in assuming that he's incapable of comprehending much of what he's seeing. It's a type of innocence, a shield, and a handicap; it gives Cesar an edge for when he needs to hide from the intense focus that catches nearly everything else.]

...you're right, of course. I'll let him go, and update security again. Everyone I know will be made aware of his deeds and tendencies so they can protect themselves accordingly.

[evowhisperer]

*Cesar gives him a small (equally unreadable) smile, nods, and doesn't pull his hand away for another quick round of signs. The last bandaid is stretched over the edge of a cut, and he touches its surface, smoothing it.*

*Now he signs.* {For what it's worth, I've considered killing my own doppelganger, too.}

[dead_black_eyes]

[That startles a laugh out of Lazarus.]

Good to know I'm not alone, I suppose. They bring out the worst in some pretty decent men, don't they?

[evowhisperer]

{Yes.} *Cesar doesn't consider himself a decent man, and his smile is strained.* {They do.}

*His eyes wander until they find a clock on the wall.* {Do you need me to help you find wherever your twin collapsed before I go?}

[dead_black_eyes]

"Thank you. I would like that. He really can't have gotten far, but I guess now the point is to let that happen."

He picks himself up, going to the sink and bending over to put his face under the tap. He's still groggy and thinks that drinking some water will help.

[evowhisperer]

*Cesar waits until Lazarus can see him again.*

{We could also let him escape on his own.}

[dead_black_eyes]

[Lazarus casts his gaze downward for a second following Cesar's suggestion.]

I take it you mean that we should let him believe that he's outfoxing us and escaping, rather than inform him he's being released?

[evowhisperer]

*Some hesitation--then, a nod.*

[dead_black_eyes]

[Lazarus considers it, then nods firmly.]

We'll do that then. If you could help me get him in a chair, we could tie him up and leave one of the major knots intentionally flawed. He'll be gone before morning.

[evowhisperer]

*Another nod, this one firmer. It's something he can do in the same act of leaving the school altogether: once he's done helping Lazarus move the other man's dead weight, he can go.*


{Rope?}

[dead_black_eyes]

There's one in the service closet down the hall. Fortunately, it's on the way to where I think he collapsed.

[Lazarus starts that way, walking straighter and with better purpose as he continues to make his way out of the drugged haze.]