L had debated strongly whether or not he should actually go to the party. He had no desire to mix-and-mingle whatsoever; even though Light was dead, he was uneasy about a lot of things... namely Sal and Schroedinger and any wickedry they might be up to, but also about Blythe and Kain. So, even though he would have probably preferred to stay in his room and kill the hours softly, morbid curiosity caused him to slink into the ballroom with a floor-skimming sheet over his head, covering him completely except for his wide black eyes.
He'd chosen a ghost for several reasons. The first was that even if his identity was obvious through process-of-elimination, he actually took comfort in his face not being visible, The second was that, since hearing Lucifer's blunt description of Light's journey back home, L was having a difficult time seeing (or thinking of) himself as alive. The third... well... it had more to do with Blythe and Kain than anyone else. Rather than choosing something ostentatious, complex and dashing, L had opted for a costume that obscured him so completely that perhaps even his aura wouldn't be visible.
He drifted towards the refreshment table, spiriting some pretzels and cream puffs underneath his sheet and retreating to a spot near several floating stringed instruments to eat the sweet things. As he approached the cello, viola, and pair of violins, the tune changed to the wistful e minor theme of his so-far unheard symphony.
It was L's birthday. With a slight jolt, he realized this, and also that if he had survived to celebrate it, he would have been twenty-nine years old. "Bon anniversaire," he said to no one in particular, wondering how a person aged in the realm. Would he remain twenty-five as long as he was here, appearing just as he had a moment before his death, or was he twenty-six now? Or was he actually twenty-nine?
Maybe he would tell Frank that it was his birthday, later on, and his roommate would have some idea.
L glanced around at the other revelers, recognizing most on sight. Dorian looked like a whimsical, gentle gangster, a typical example of something scary reduced to a harmless suit for an innocent's reassurance. Frank was a wizard... L guessed that he was Tolkien's Gandalf due to the costume's gray coloration and the distinctive staff, and felt that the costume suited the kind man's knack for sharing wisdom and guidance. L recognized Eileen, but not her costume... he assumed that she was a Renaissance fairy queen or princess of some sort, but was unable to place an identity on the costume. L only recognized Alessa because he'd had the privilege of inhabiting her body for a day, and her costume had the desired effect on him. While he didn't know just what she was, exactly, he was certainly alarmed. What could prompt a girl as pretty as Alessa to wear something so morbid and ghastly? L supposed that she had her reasons... he would have to be satisfied, for now, to accept that he did not know them.
He sighed, observing Blythe's costume, both adoring and hating it for its elegance and beauty. Kain had eyes too, and he would admire, and the dragoon would have no reason to feel strange about approaching her. L had done everything could to win her heart and her trust... he had sacrificed all he had, and risked his life, and in his darkest moments thoughts of her had saved him from succumbing to death. Despite all of that, L's efforts had backfired, and now they were beyond understanding each other at all. Whether she knew it or not, though, she still had a hook in his heart, and every time he saw her, it worked its way in deeper.
He pretended to focus on the instruments playing the music he'd written... but even that didn't quite work. He'd composed the damn thing with her in mind, after all. Noticing out of the corner of his eye that Kain had arrived and... surprise surprise... approached Blythe, he decided that staying much longer would be nothing but painful. He would finish his food, and once the instruments ended his piece, he'd turn in for the night.
Kain and Blythe... L had never felt so bitter about having been right.
OOC: You think YOU got going and couldn't stop, Brandi? XD