[Promptness will go a long way toward earning L's gratitude. Discretion will go a long way toward earning his trust, which is admittedly far more difficult to secure.]
Two witches who have entered into a Bond are very powerful together, yes. But they're unstable, as well. Every day is a struggle to keep it from ending catastrophically, at least for me.
[Connor does have the rest of today and all night to look, so he's not too worried.]
You need to get a Monster Bond, Linden.
[He looks him over sternly.]
I'd offer, but... I have the maximum number of Bonds, now.
[It was part of why he Bonded with the SQUIP, though. It hadn't had a Monster Bond until Connor Bonded with it. He'd been afraid of something going awry.]
[L shakes his head restlessly, even though he agrees with Connor. He does need a monster Bond and that's been clear for awhile. Unavoidably so.]
I won't Bond with just anyone. I don't want to invite more people to come into our home and let them get closer to us when things are so volatile. These runes are meant to keep people out, and to keep us safe from the danger that keeps trying to find us.
[He sets his jaw, his eyes hard and cold.]
I expect that all the time. Even from the people I like. One Bond is enough to worry about.
[The answer to that is... complicated. More than it should be. L tugs at the hair on the nape of his neck as though disciplining it.]
It would tell me to stop. But this is a case where I can see the bigger picture, and it is perhaps shortsighted. No one else is going to go this far for it.
[And maybe there's a kind of masochistic, competitive pride there.]
[Connor doesn't feel the need to compete for the SQUIP's approval. He wants to help it, of course... but he has other people to think about, too. He supposes L doesn't.]
Nobody can question your loyalty.
[Which is admirable in its own way, but Connor does think L is taking this a bit too far. He looks around again before gesturing to the last mouthful left in the potion.]
[L is silent; he really doesn't have others to think about. Not many, and not significantly. All pale when the SQUIP is held up in comparison, through no fault of their own. It's in his nature to be fiercely dedicated, obsessive, committed, even when it taxes his time and relationships and health.
He nods, taking another drink, grateful, wondering if "loyalty" actually is the right word. It seems both too generous and to come up short; he isn't certain why he's reluctant to accept it when by all accounts, it's a good thing to be.]
[Connor wouldn't understand not accepting it, either. It's a compliment... though maybe this is more akin to a sick devotion than loyalty, he thinks, as he looks at the cuts littering L's arms. He's going to kill himself for the SQUIP at this rate.]
Good.
[He nods in approval as L finishes the potion.]
That should help give you some of your strength back, provided you stop slicing yourself open to drain yourself of it.
[Yeah... that's going to keep happening, isn't it?]
[L himself knows something he's unwilling to admit, that's written fairly plainly on his skin and on his face. It's extremely human, pitifully human, though he'd find a way to sink through the floor rather than admit it. He's supposed to be above such matters. All of his struggles and toils are supposed to let him ascend to the level that was the SQUIP and Connor's birthright by merit of never having been technically born.]
With an alternative, I won't have to.
[But any proposed alternative couldn't possibly be infinite, and therein lies the problem. There's no way supply can rival his obsessive ambition.]
[With L's ambitions and devotion to methods that work, it's likely that his need will only increase. If his projects get smaller, they'll just grow more numerous.]
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Not that he would ask any questions, with the importance of his ends taken into account.]
I'm not much use at my strongest, conscious, either.
[Not entirely true. L's in fact very intelligent for a human, but... also on the brittler side, and certainly self-destructive.]
I know what I can do that is most useful to it, and I intend to.
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You're a Witch. You have magic.
[He's sure L must be brushing up on some offensive spells too, right?]
Two Witches would be more difficult to beat than one, right?
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Two witches who have entered into a Bond are very powerful together, yes. But they're unstable, as well. Every day is a struggle to keep it from ending catastrophically, at least for me.
[He has no monster Bond.]
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You need to get a Monster Bond, Linden.
[He looks him over sternly.]
I'd offer, but... I have the maximum number of Bonds, now.
[It was part of why he Bonded with the SQUIP, though. It hadn't had a Monster Bond until Connor Bonded with it. He'd been afraid of something going awry.]
no subject
I won't Bond with just anyone. I don't want to invite more people to come into our home and let them get closer to us when things are so volatile. These runes are meant to keep people out, and to keep us safe from the danger that keeps trying to find us.
[He sets his jaw, his eyes hard and cold.]
I expect that all the time. Even from the people I like. One Bond is enough to worry about.
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[Still... he can see there's no arguing with that look.]
I'll trust you know what you're doing.
[He says it softly, in contrast with L's hard glare.]
Does the SQUIP know you're doing this?
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It would tell me to stop. But this is a case where I can see the bigger picture, and it is perhaps shortsighted. No one else is going to go this far for it.
[And maybe there's a kind of masochistic, competitive pride there.]
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Nobody can question your loyalty.
[Which is admirable in its own way, but Connor does think L is taking this a bit too far. He looks around again before gesturing to the last mouthful left in the potion.]
Finish that. You need every drop of it.
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He nods, taking another drink, grateful, wondering if "loyalty" actually is the right word. It seems both too generous and to come up short; he isn't certain why he's reluctant to accept it when by all accounts, it's a good thing to be.]
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Good.
[He nods in approval as L finishes the potion.]
That should help give you some of your strength back, provided you stop slicing yourself open to drain yourself of it.
[Yeah... that's going to keep happening, isn't it?]
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With an alternative, I won't have to.
[But any proposed alternative couldn't possibly be infinite, and therein lies the problem. There's no way supply can rival his obsessive ambition.]
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Well, when these runes are done, hopefully you won't need so much blood.
[Content with L having finished the potion, he starts to head for the door again.]
If you find that potion helps, I'll bring you another one.
[It should help. It's from a reputable store.]
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[With L's ambitions and devotion to methods that work, it's likely that his need will only increase. If his projects get smaller, they'll just grow more numerous.]
Connor? Thank you for thinking of my needs.