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Outskirts of Chicago- L Lawliet- Open
The shadows were what woke L up; they always were, playing against the walls and flickering in smooth, familiar contrasts against his closed eyelids. No two were alike, but they were something he knew, something that had passed from an alignment to a mastered subject. At eighteen years of age, he had accomplished much, had learned everything his Olia master had had to teach him as an apprentice.
Not that L was young, by any means. As an 18 year-old human, his life was dwindling quickly; healthy humans could expect to live to be maybe 50, if they were lucky, and L had never been robust. He was a wispy, insubstantial thing; ironically, for a master of shadows, he didn't cast much of one. Even less so, now that his caretaker of 13 years was gone. The winter had been harsh so far, in the northern climates, and even though the Olia had been stronger than L in his youth, his years had been many and the last blizzard had left the comparatively fragile human alive and the very old Olia dead.
He'd been on his own for an entire week, for the first time in his entire life. He'd started out as Watari's tool and become his partner as his mind aged and sharpened, and though L's brain was the superior one, the Olia had actually been the mastermind, the link to the world, the one who organized and arranged and initiated. Understandably, the human was a touch adrift after he'd walked away from the body that would never warm up again, no matter how much he'd wanted it to. As things stood, he needed to eat, he needed to be warm, and it was getting difficult.
Currently, he was at a Duty Town, uneasily avoiding the expectations that came with his arrival. He didn't want to breed, and spent much time brushing aside his hair to prove that he did, indeed, have a daughter. He had replaced himself, bred with someone stronger, and produced a valuable female who would outlive him by half a century or more. They had no right to ask more of him. He hovered near a food stand, debating whether he should try to barter or try to steal. He had a satchel containing Watari's valuable possessions: a gold watch, a pair of spectacles, a pair of sturdy shoes and a set of silk handkerchiefs. There had been food, a week ago, but L had long since run out.
Not that L was young, by any means. As an 18 year-old human, his life was dwindling quickly; healthy humans could expect to live to be maybe 50, if they were lucky, and L had never been robust. He was a wispy, insubstantial thing; ironically, for a master of shadows, he didn't cast much of one. Even less so, now that his caretaker of 13 years was gone. The winter had been harsh so far, in the northern climates, and even though the Olia had been stronger than L in his youth, his years had been many and the last blizzard had left the comparatively fragile human alive and the very old Olia dead.
He'd been on his own for an entire week, for the first time in his entire life. He'd started out as Watari's tool and become his partner as his mind aged and sharpened, and though L's brain was the superior one, the Olia had actually been the mastermind, the link to the world, the one who organized and arranged and initiated. Understandably, the human was a touch adrift after he'd walked away from the body that would never warm up again, no matter how much he'd wanted it to. As things stood, he needed to eat, he needed to be warm, and it was getting difficult.
Currently, he was at a Duty Town, uneasily avoiding the expectations that came with his arrival. He didn't want to breed, and spent much time brushing aside his hair to prove that he did, indeed, have a daughter. He had replaced himself, bred with someone stronger, and produced a valuable female who would outlive him by half a century or more. They had no right to ask more of him. He hovered near a food stand, debating whether he should try to barter or try to steal. He had a satchel containing Watari's valuable possessions: a gold watch, a pair of spectacles, a pair of sturdy shoes and a set of silk handkerchiefs. There had been food, a week ago, but L had long since run out.