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31_days2008-01-04 10:32 pm
sophiap.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-01-04 10:32 pm
[Jan. 4] [D.Gray-Man] End of Days, Part 4
Title: End of Days pt. 4
Day/Theme: Jan. 4/foreshortened view of everything
Series: D.Gray-Man
Character/Pairing: Ensemble, with a few OCs.
Rating: PG-13
Notes: AU set right before the end of chapter 134, but assume spoilers through chapter 143 and following. Not too happy with today's installment, but it is what it is. I may have to post interstitial scenes in my journal, the way this is going.
Part 3
If Komui had picked up his phone when it rang the first time, he would have known about Lenalee's sudden return. Instead, though, he let it ring and ring and ring as he listened to a very strange story.
The three supposed exorcists were outside under heavy guard, yes, even the child, until it was deemed safe to bring them to Hevlaska.
"You don't believe me," the Finder said genially enough. Komui could see the marks of stress and exhaustion on the man's face, but he seemed remarkably unflappable for all that. The straight-backed chair forced good posture, but he sat as if he were in a broken-in old wing chair, blunt-fingered hands folded easily over his belly. He seemed comfortable enough giving a report, as if he had done this hundreds of times before.
When he entered Komui's office, he had only paused for a moment, raising his eyebrows when he saw Komurin 5 and all its many, many spikes looming behind Komui's chair. While Komui was eager to find out who these people were, he had not attained his current rank through exemplary naivete.
What bothered Komui was that he was finding Giuseppe Rondine was frighteningly easy to talk to. There was a way he had of listening, heavy lidded dark eyes lightly focused on the speaker, that invited comfort and confidence. In a play, he would have been cast as a certain type of stock supporting character--the kindly old uncle, or the shopkeeper who knew everyone's business. He was a large man, a good three inches taller than Komui and nearly twice as wide. From the fit of his clothes, he had once been not just large, but decidedly ample, to use one of the kinder terms. His features were broad and rough and his salt and pepper hair was croped close to his skull, but even these things on him looked soft and almost... maternal.
"But we are what we say we are. Three exorcists and their Finder--although with these three, I find I'm more of their Keeper than their Finder."
Rondine laughed wryly at his own joke, the tilted head and sideways glance saying that it was an old joke and one that he knew he'd worn until it was threadbare.
"Hevlaska will take a look at them soon enough," Komui said. He noted the nod of recognition, and wondered if knowing about Hevlaska was a sign of their bona fides or simply the result of some good training. They still had no idea just how much Dark had told the Noah, or how much damage they could look forward to because of his fall.
Komui liked to tell himself that he would never betray the order like that, not even if it meant harm coming to Lenalee. He knew enough, though, to know that what he told himself now was simply an academic exercise; he knew all too well that experiments performed in a laboratory could fail spectacularly when tried in the field.
"It would be silly of me to try to pass off three fakes as genuine exorcists." Rondine's hands unlaced and spread wide. "They may be young, but..."
"How old is the girl?"
"Dolores?" Thick eyebrows raised again. There was a too-long pause, the kind that in many people preceded a careful lie. "We celebrated her eleventh birthday not long before we set out to join you."
A half-truth, Komui thought. Rondine struck him--after less than fifteen minutes, what was he thinking--as the sort who would pull and pry the truth into strange shapes rather than tell an outright lie.
"You know how it is," Rondine said, hands once again churning the air as he tried to answer the unspoken accusation. He never raised his voice, and his rolling voice never unsoftened, but his hands grew agitated where his words would not. "The Innocence chooses who it will, no matter how young, no matter how loved."
Komui went cold as he wondered if he was being addressed as Branch Head or as Lenalee's brother. He decided that changing the subject was the better part of valor.
"You were sent here, but you won't say by whom. And there's no way for us to get in touch with them. Do you really think the Auditors from the Vatican will accept that explanation?"
Komui's threat was met with a look of bitter amusement. Rondine clearly thought he had seen much worse than Auditors in his time.
"You're not going to call them, are you? I can see it here," he said, tapping at the corner of one eye. You're curious. You want to know about the three sitting out there--and please, would you, call down for some food. I hear Jerry is a fabulous cook. My former master talked about him frequently."
"Who is--"
Rondine shook his head, eyes closed in deep regret. "All I can tell you is that I have brought you three exorcists, three exorcists you desperately need right now. Bring them to Hevlaska. See for yourself they are what they are." Now that the taut desperation finally showed up in Rondine's voice, his hands were utterly still.
Komui found himself already composing explanations about how they came to find three new recruits. He wanted to believe Rondine, but there was so much the man hadn't said. They'd come from far away, but where? The person who sent them was an old member of the Order, but who?
"One of my scientists thinks he recognized one of your exorcists."
That little bit of information caused Rondine to flinch far more than any mention of Auditors.
"Really," Rondine said, the rich, rolling voice now thin and flat. "I'm not sure that's possible. Misha and Dolores aren't--"
"It was the oldest one, he said."
"Jamie? That... may be possible." The early expansiveness had given way to wariness. "Perhaps they knew each other as children?"
Rondine didn't even pretend to believe it, and Komui cast a glance back at his latest robot. He'd built it to keep from being anxious about Lenalee, and it was therefore one of his deadliest creations yet, cramful of worry, spikes, and projectiles.
He should call the Vatican, bring in the investigators and have them find out just what the hell was going on here. But Komui knew what the Vatican investigators did with anomalies.
Dolores had just turned eleven.
"Let's go bring them to Hevlaska." Looked at in its entirety, the important thing was that they had three new exorcists. Rondine was right about that much. Hevlaska could find out if there were any problems.
Rondine nearly collapsed in relief. Komui could sympathize.
Komui picked up the phone and had the disconcerting experience of having someone yelling in his ear before he had even started to dial.
"Wait... what? No, I was about to call you. Right. Yes. I'll be right down."
He hung up the phone, and told Rondine that introductions would have to wait. Thoughts of new exorcists had to be put aside; all he could see at the moment was that Hevlaska was ill.
Part 5
Day/Theme: Jan. 4/foreshortened view of everything
Series: D.Gray-Man
Character/Pairing: Ensemble, with a few OCs.
Rating: PG-13
Notes: AU set right before the end of chapter 134, but assume spoilers through chapter 143 and following. Not too happy with today's installment, but it is what it is. I may have to post interstitial scenes in my journal, the way this is going.
Part 3
If Komui had picked up his phone when it rang the first time, he would have known about Lenalee's sudden return. Instead, though, he let it ring and ring and ring as he listened to a very strange story.
The three supposed exorcists were outside under heavy guard, yes, even the child, until it was deemed safe to bring them to Hevlaska.
"You don't believe me," the Finder said genially enough. Komui could see the marks of stress and exhaustion on the man's face, but he seemed remarkably unflappable for all that. The straight-backed chair forced good posture, but he sat as if he were in a broken-in old wing chair, blunt-fingered hands folded easily over his belly. He seemed comfortable enough giving a report, as if he had done this hundreds of times before.
When he entered Komui's office, he had only paused for a moment, raising his eyebrows when he saw Komurin 5 and all its many, many spikes looming behind Komui's chair. While Komui was eager to find out who these people were, he had not attained his current rank through exemplary naivete.
What bothered Komui was that he was finding Giuseppe Rondine was frighteningly easy to talk to. There was a way he had of listening, heavy lidded dark eyes lightly focused on the speaker, that invited comfort and confidence. In a play, he would have been cast as a certain type of stock supporting character--the kindly old uncle, or the shopkeeper who knew everyone's business. He was a large man, a good three inches taller than Komui and nearly twice as wide. From the fit of his clothes, he had once been not just large, but decidedly ample, to use one of the kinder terms. His features were broad and rough and his salt and pepper hair was croped close to his skull, but even these things on him looked soft and almost... maternal.
"But we are what we say we are. Three exorcists and their Finder--although with these three, I find I'm more of their Keeper than their Finder."
Rondine laughed wryly at his own joke, the tilted head and sideways glance saying that it was an old joke and one that he knew he'd worn until it was threadbare.
"Hevlaska will take a look at them soon enough," Komui said. He noted the nod of recognition, and wondered if knowing about Hevlaska was a sign of their bona fides or simply the result of some good training. They still had no idea just how much Dark had told the Noah, or how much damage they could look forward to because of his fall.
Komui liked to tell himself that he would never betray the order like that, not even if it meant harm coming to Lenalee. He knew enough, though, to know that what he told himself now was simply an academic exercise; he knew all too well that experiments performed in a laboratory could fail spectacularly when tried in the field.
"It would be silly of me to try to pass off three fakes as genuine exorcists." Rondine's hands unlaced and spread wide. "They may be young, but..."
"How old is the girl?"
"Dolores?" Thick eyebrows raised again. There was a too-long pause, the kind that in many people preceded a careful lie. "We celebrated her eleventh birthday not long before we set out to join you."
A half-truth, Komui thought. Rondine struck him--after less than fifteen minutes, what was he thinking--as the sort who would pull and pry the truth into strange shapes rather than tell an outright lie.
"You know how it is," Rondine said, hands once again churning the air as he tried to answer the unspoken accusation. He never raised his voice, and his rolling voice never unsoftened, but his hands grew agitated where his words would not. "The Innocence chooses who it will, no matter how young, no matter how loved."
Komui went cold as he wondered if he was being addressed as Branch Head or as Lenalee's brother. He decided that changing the subject was the better part of valor.
"You were sent here, but you won't say by whom. And there's no way for us to get in touch with them. Do you really think the Auditors from the Vatican will accept that explanation?"
Komui's threat was met with a look of bitter amusement. Rondine clearly thought he had seen much worse than Auditors in his time.
"You're not going to call them, are you? I can see it here," he said, tapping at the corner of one eye. You're curious. You want to know about the three sitting out there--and please, would you, call down for some food. I hear Jerry is a fabulous cook. My former master talked about him frequently."
"Who is--"
Rondine shook his head, eyes closed in deep regret. "All I can tell you is that I have brought you three exorcists, three exorcists you desperately need right now. Bring them to Hevlaska. See for yourself they are what they are." Now that the taut desperation finally showed up in Rondine's voice, his hands were utterly still.
Komui found himself already composing explanations about how they came to find three new recruits. He wanted to believe Rondine, but there was so much the man hadn't said. They'd come from far away, but where? The person who sent them was an old member of the Order, but who?
"One of my scientists thinks he recognized one of your exorcists."
That little bit of information caused Rondine to flinch far more than any mention of Auditors.
"Really," Rondine said, the rich, rolling voice now thin and flat. "I'm not sure that's possible. Misha and Dolores aren't--"
"It was the oldest one, he said."
"Jamie? That... may be possible." The early expansiveness had given way to wariness. "Perhaps they knew each other as children?"
Rondine didn't even pretend to believe it, and Komui cast a glance back at his latest robot. He'd built it to keep from being anxious about Lenalee, and it was therefore one of his deadliest creations yet, cramful of worry, spikes, and projectiles.
He should call the Vatican, bring in the investigators and have them find out just what the hell was going on here. But Komui knew what the Vatican investigators did with anomalies.
Dolores had just turned eleven.
"Let's go bring them to Hevlaska." Looked at in its entirety, the important thing was that they had three new exorcists. Rondine was right about that much. Hevlaska could find out if there were any problems.
Rondine nearly collapsed in relief. Komui could sympathize.
Komui picked up the phone and had the disconcerting experience of having someone yelling in his ear before he had even started to dial.
"Wait... what? No, I was about to call you. Right. Yes. I'll be right down."
He hung up the phone, and told Rondine that introductions would have to wait. Thoughts of new exorcists had to be put aside; all he could see at the moment was that Hevlaska was ill.
Part 5