i want candy

*L walks into the room, carrying a plate of sandwiches, and finds the room empty. The handcuff chain is still attached to the headboard, but emo_raito is nowhere to be seen; the bed is rumpled, and a few safety pins are scattered near the open shackle at the end of the chain. Death Cab for Cutie's "We Looked Like Giants" blares from a laptop computer that's also open on the mattress, as if it were intended as a presentation for the next person to enter the room.*

*L takes in the details -- no real signs of a struggle, the computer is fine, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that someone could pick the lock of the cuff with a few pins. His anger is beginning to grow, and he frowns to himself, and begins thinking, as he checks the bathroom and finds nobody there, and returns to the bedroom...*

All right -- Light didn't do this himself; if he'd had safety pins, and been able to pick the lock, he would have done it a long time ago. That was a strong lock -- I'm surprised it could be picked with safety pins -- but never mind, there's nothing I can do about that now....

But who else knows where this room is? I don't think it was Meile -- he wouldn't have come for polite conversation, and I don't think he would pick the lock closest to Light's wrist, if he picked any at all. It would be more convenient for him to limit Yagami's range of motion, unless -- unless he didn't want me to find him here. But there's no struggle.

Amane has never been here, so it probably wasn't her.

If there was some way for the mansion to show people to the room they're looking for, I wouldn't have wandered into that Truth Room the other night... no, I definitely wasn't looking for that. So... it has to have been someone who followed us, or possibly just me.

Have I seen safety pins since I've been here?

Wait -- Mihael.

He flashed me just after I met him, and I would swear that I saw something silver around the inner hem of his skirt, then. I thought they were just holding the hem up at the time, but of course, in his situation... they could be used for protection.

Now that I think of it... when I met the child version of Mihael in the kitchen, we had a conversation, and cake, and then... I had a strange feeling when I was returning to the room, as if I was being followed. And -- that hallway was full of things that -- an adult couldn't hide behind them, but a child could -- if he didn't want to be seen --

This music is louder than it was when I left. This music... this music....

*He puts it all together, and groans*

Damn it, Light.

*With an irritated gesture, he reaches over to the laptop and clicks off the music. He sits on the bed for a moment, lost in thought, with his knees drawn up to his chin.*

Should I try to hunt them down? Clearly, the relationship between them is -- what it initially seemed, not what it seemed to become. Meile probably won't do anything to Light if Mihael doesn't want him to. So -- if I chase after them, it's likely that I'll walk in on -- something. I can deal with that, but -- how much trouble can Light actually get into, here?

A lot, it would seem. *sigh* But up until this point, most of it has been fighting with me or with Mihael. He demonstrably can't fight with me if we're not together, and he's obviously not fighting with Mihael at the moment -- so it may not be as bad as it could be --

Still, I told him that part of the reason for maintaining the handcuffs while we were here was concern for his safety -- I don't want anything unpleasant to happen to an unproven suspect in my custody, not until I can prove he's Kira -- and I thought -- I thought our rapport was beginning to improve again. Apparently that's not the case, so -- what next? I could go looking, or I could wait for him here. But if I wait, he may never come back -- I'll have to look for him eventually.

*He reaches over to the miniature refrigerator that serves as his nightstand in The Mansion, puts the sandwiches into it, takes out a snack cup of strawberry pudding and a spoon, and begins to eat the pudding after closing the door.*

Ahh, that's better.
If Yagami went with Mihael, then -- where might they have gone? I need to know more about the rooms in this place -- perhaps if I went to talk to the one with pink hair -- no, he's occupied right now; it might be difficult to find him, and even so, he probably can't help. Maybe. Amane has been here a while... yes, I should talk to Misa. She may have some idea.

But -- it might be better if I gave them some time, so that they might -- make themselves known, let themselves be seen. In the meantime --

*Suddenly, his eyes widen and he grins: he has had an idea. He reaches across the bed to the laptop computer, the one clearly left as a taunt, and pulls it closer to him, into his lap, stretching his legs out in front of him and balancing the computer on his knees. He looks at it carefully, then begins typing furiously, dealing with many files in succession, and smiling to himself.*

[[ooc: links to relevant threads to be added later!]]