CONTACT | Call me, maybe

[intercalaryninja]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, HAZYREFLECTION FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 011.04.151.01 *** HAZYREFLECTION has joined 011.04.151.01 <HAZYREFLECTION> Only contact me if it is necessary. <HAZYREFLECTION> Report to me immediately if it's regarding Reira-dono. <HAZYREFLECTION> I will be checking this nightly when possible.

Comments

< Wanna switch to action? >

[intercalaryninja]

Then I shall see you tonight. I'll enter normally.

[You know. And not sneak in.]

Sure!

[hearthebell]

[L is in his office, the evening having been fairly uneventful. He's dutifully completing the duller aspects of his position, pencil pushing in the dead of night.]

Please come in.

[Because it goes without saying that Tsukikage knocked. Everyone who works with L knows better than to sneak up on him in his own domain, and the arachne ninja knows him better than most.]

[intercalaryninja]

[Tsukikage enters, an arachne again. He comes in with his usual nod after the knock and closes the door behind him. There's a polite bow from the ninja, his movements quiet even though he makes no attempts to conceal himself.]>

Hello, Linden. How may I be of service to you?

[hearthebell]

[The fact that Tsukikage is again an arachne isn't lost on L. In fact, he's rather counting on it. L inclines his head in response to the ninja's bow, because regardless of just how honorable his request might be, he respects the one he's asking it of.]

I won't give you any kind of runaround, or waste time or words. I'll cut right to the chase: sometimes, prisoners lie. I need a measure that can make that more difficult.

[intercalaryninja]

Ah... I'm afraid I'll need a little more context than that, Linden. [Tsukikage comes closer towards the desk, his extra eyes looking around while his main eyes focused on his friend.]

What kind of lies are they sharing? Rumours? Refusing to admit the truth? Outside or inside the prison?

I'm assuming you're not looking for torture techniques.

[hearthebell]

No, certainly not.

[He's quick, and honest, when it comes to answering the question about torture. For one, he needs no advice regarding a subject he is an expert on. For the rest...]

It would be inside the prison, only in situations where it's absolutely necessary. My thought is that arachne venom could allow us to circumvent less humane interrogation techniques.

[intercalaryninja]

[L is one of the few 'good' people he can talk to about torture without a fuss. The others had been so mortified when they strung up the fake Yuya Sakaki during the face-thieving event and broke all the bones in his tail during the interrogations.

The man closes his eyes in thought.]

It is true, arachne venom can do that, and I'd be happy to supply it fresh. If you want a stockpile of it though, we'll have to run some tests. I am unsure of the shelf life of the venom at this stage.

[hearthebell]

[It's really subjective... and it's really a touchy subject to be subjective about. It's not that L is personally opposed to it in any particularly strong way... just that he knows others are, and it's important for him to maintain the illusion of caring duly.

Still, there comes a point where he has to put his money where his mouth is. He recognizes that. At least someone as honorable as Tsukikage is the one he finds himself in that position with.]

Thank you.

[A pause, significant enough to let the ninja know just how earnest he is.]

I have a tolerance to it. One dose a day won't affect me, but beyond that... I suppose I could volunteer as the subject.

[Should. As the one asking this favor.]

[intercalaryninja]

[Good on you, L. At least you have enough of a spine to actually do it without even attempting an excuse.]

We do one prominent infliction today to see how it is fresh and then we can do a period of one, three, seven and ten days. That should give us a good idea of the half life of the venom and the decay of the truth properties. We can plot it out properly too for good measure.

Unless you have prisoners readily available for it, I'll have to ask for you to do it.

I will ask you first though, what incident spawned the need for truth-telling within the prison?

[hearthebell]

[To his credit, L knows when something is expected of someone in his position, and that it would be nothing short of dishonorable and disrespectful to attempt to shirk his duties.]

It wouldn't be ethical. Provided that you can supply extra, to overcome that single dose immunity, then I'm glad to volunteer.

[A pause, because, really...]

There's been no incident, exactly. Just talk that it could be necessary in the future, and it would be better to have and not need than need and not have.

[intercalaryninja]

We can only distribute truth venom once per day. Unless you know of other arachne then, I'll have to do it tomorrow. I'll extract the venom now.

[Immunity does make things a tad more complicated but they'll manage.]

Necessary? How so? In what way? [Because there are... a few things he can think of that could warrant 'ethical' interrogations.]

[hearthebell]

You're certainly the only one I feel comfortable enough to work with, on this level.

[Actually true.]

You know that there are challenges and threats we face from other monsters. It's not always battle of a physical nature, or a struggle that can be resolved on the spot.

[intercalaryninja]

Thank you. That is an honour and a privilege.

[He means that as well.]

Yes, I'm aware. I was just wondering if you were focused on anything specific. But if it's general concerns, I understand.

[hearthebell]

You're too generous.

[Also true. They're just being so truthful, today, but L is completely humbled by just how easy this was. It could have been much more difficult.]

Several days from now, we should begin preliminary testing. Would that be alright with you? If so, you should begin collecting venom immediately.

[intercalaryninja]

[It could have, but when has Tsukikage ever really asked for anything in return. If it's for something be believes is good and useful, he gives generously. It's both one of his greatest strengths and his greatest weaknesses.]

Of course. I don't use my venom at all, since I don't particularly enjoy using it on others, so I have today's batch ready.

[Should he do it here? Would L mind? Or do it from home?]

[hearthebell]

Excellent. Once there are a few more doses ready to go, I'm ready to run some tests. Until then... thank you, Tsukikage.

[If the ninja did want to ask for anything in return, well... now would probably be a good time.]