"I lost my temper," Jubilee confessed sulkily.
She was seated beside Watari at a computer in the upstairs security room, staring at footage of employees entering and exiting the Yotsuba Corporation building. The older man had graciously offered her a chair and a pot of coffee when she entered, making no mention of the incident downstairs other than to offer pulling up public security footage of Yotsuba for her. She had gratefully accepted all three of these things without any further comment. At the moment, she was glaring at the repetitive cycle of spirits and humans—the latter of whom were mostly dusted with smoggy-colored residue, something she was used to seeing in businessmen—walking in and out of the building, and lamenting the fact that it all looked the same to her. Nothing stood out.
Part of the problem was that there were far too many people and she didn't know what she was looking for. As such, it was entirely possible that she was missing subtle clues left and right. For all she knew, one of the smoggy colored businessmen could have been Kira and she wouldn't have noticed amongst all the foot traffic. There wasn't even anything among the vague forms of angels and demons milling around that stood out to her.
If L were here, he would be able to tell her what to look for. That is, if she had the guts to apologize and ask for his help, rather than give him the cold shoulder.
"It happens to the best of us, my dear," said Watari placidly.
Jubilee reflected upon this statement moodily. "But I let someone else's anger feed off of my own. That wasn't fair to Ryuzaki, despite what he did."
Hellenos appeared on the other side of her. She inclined her head slightly his way in acknowledgment and in apology. Sorry I lost sight of you for a minute there, she thought to him sadly.
It's as the old man says. It happens. The angel seated himself gracefully next to her. What matters now is that you see it. He began to intone a familiar adage that he had repeated to her often over the years. Like creates like. Love creates more love, and—
Jubilee let out a loud, despondent sigh. "Hate creates more hate," she finished glumly.
"A keen insight, my dear," agreed Watari, nodding. "A vicious cycle that this world seems to be enslaved by. But do not be so hard on yourself. You are aware of it, at least...which means that you are already well on your way to stopping that cycle." He smiled at her.
Jubilee didn't feel comforted. She began telling Watari about the red and black cloud that had appeared over Aizawa before attaching itself to her.
"And the stupidest thing about it all," she finished, waving her hands for emphasis, "Is that it isn't the first time I've seen this. I've seen this kind of thing go on for years. I mean, even right here—" She rewound the footage playing on her screen and gestured at the people shuffling in and out of Yotsuba. "This guy, see?" She pointed at one man exiting the building. "He's got this, kind of—smog-colored gunk, hovering around him, with some lighter colors mixed in underneath it. But then this other dude—" She pointed at another man opposite the first, walking towards the entrance. "The cloud over him is pure black. Now watch."
The second man glanced down at his cell phone as he hurried towards the building, causing him to collide with the first. Briefcases fell and portfolios blew open, papers flying everywhere. The second man began shouting at the first.
Jubilee pointed at the air between them. "Now the black cloud is detaching from this guy, and latching onto the first guy, mixing in with the smog-colored gunk."
The first man look bewildered at first, before an offended look overcame his features and he began yelling back, and then shook his fist dangerously close to the other man's face.
Jubilee shook her head. "This kind of thing happens all the time. It's like darkness is attracted to itself." She sat back. "So you think I'd know better by now, being able to see this clear as day," she said sadly. "But I'm no closer to stopping the cycle than I was two years ago—not even in myself."
Watari was quiet for a moment. "My dear," he said at last. "A patient man is not the one who was never tempted to react in anger. Rather, it is the one who was tempted many times, and finally overcame that anger."
Jubilee chewed on this. "But how does he overcome that anger? Or any other negative emotion, like guilt, resentment...or fear?"
Watari smiled. "The only way," he said, "Is to let something even stronger take its place."
"Like what?" asked Jubilee with sincerity.
Hellenos dragged a hand down his face in hopeless exasperation.
L's voice suddenly came across the overhead speakers. "Miss Amachi," it intoned. "Please return to the main investigation room for a quick debriefing."
Jubilee groaned, and beside her Hellenos faded from sight. "One hour," she said, pushing her chair back to stand up. "Can't I have even one hour?"
"Ryuzaki!" Matsuda was shouting when Jubilee reentered the room. She noticed that a small, green wisp was forming around his eyes. "I want to be helpful as well, like Mogi and the chief!" he cried. "Please tell me...what else can I do to help with the investigation? Besides the undercover manager thing?"
L did not seem moved by this grandiose declaration. "You really want to be useful?" he asked without looking round at the other man.
"Yes!" Matsuda pumped his arm in the air enthusiastically.
"Very well. Could you get me another cup of coffee please?"
The poor former officer looked aghast. A bubble popped in the air by his head, and the green wisp intensified in color and size. Jubilee felt sorry for him but decided that that wasn't her problem, and that feeling sorry for someone didn't do her a whole lot of good the last time it happened.
She cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she said, successfully biting back the more critical remark that had been on her tongue. "But if you're quite finished being...your usually charming and people person kind of self—" Okay. So maybe sarcasm had managed to slip past the filter. "Then could you let me know what you need me for, please?"
Without missing a beat or turning around, L lifted three fingers high in the air. "First," he said, "Mr. Yagami has had the keen insight of noticing that recent killings have been centered on the weekends, specifically around Friday night and Saturday afternoon; so we will be focusing our attention on that time frame until further notice. Second," He put down one finger, leaving two remaining. "Mogi has compiled records on all 300,000 of Yotsuba's employees. You may access them whenever you wish. Third," He lowered yet another finger, and used the remaining index finger to point behind him towards the couch. "Meet our guests."
"Guests?" echoed several voices around the room.
"Yes. Guests," L affirmed without turning around. "Oh, and Matsuda—" He swept his hand towards the two people sitting on the couch. "Some coffee for them as well."
Everyone turned to look at the two new inhabitants of the room. A man and a woman, both blonde and wearing sleek dress suits, returned their stares with casual waves.
"Uh, who are they?" asked Matsuda.
"How did they get in?" demanded Light.
"Those two," said L as the two strangers rose and stepped forward, "Are the newest members of the task force."
"My name is Aiber," said the man. He gave a charming and lazy grin. "I'm a con man."
"I'm Wedy," the woman spoke up next. Sunglasses hid her eyes over a set of red, lipsticked lips. "And I'm a thief by trade."
Jubilee looked at them, stunned. Beside her Soichiro spoke up, sounding equally stunned, but probably for different reasons. "A con man and a thief?" he repeated, looking appalled.
"That's right," replied L, standing up at last from his chair and turning towards them. "Aiber has unparalleled social skills that allow him to befriend and gain the trust of any target. He will be our spy. And Wedy specializes in cracking high-end security systems. As proof of that, she was able to enter the building without setting off a single alarm."
"But—!" began Soichiro.
"Furthermore," continued L without allowing the other man to finish, "They have never once been caught. Therefore their names are unknown to the general public, and thus they are unlikely to be targeted by Kira. Think of them as professionals of the underworld."
"You expect us to work with criminals?" Soichiro demanded incredulously.
Jubilee felt heat crawl up the back of her neck at his tone. Sure, she couldn't light a candle to these guys...she hadn't even known there was such a thing as pro thieving—what did that make her, an amateur?—but still, what these two people did, she had done, albeit on a smaller scale. What would the former chief think if he knew that, all along, he had been working with a petty thief who conned unsuspecting individuals out of their pocket money? Former petty thief, she corrected herself in her head; but this gave her little comfort.
"That is correct," L was saying. His gaze swept the room to take in all his colleagues. Jubilee might have imagined it, but it almost seemed like his gaze lingered on her just a second longer than everyone else before he said, "It wouldn't be the first time."
Jubilee stopped breathing and her spiritual vision went blank; all ability to see colors or lines over people, L or otherwise, disappearing in the wake of sudden terror. Surely...surely L didn't know about...
Then L added, "They have worked under me before," and the moment passed.
Soichiro and Matsuda turned to the detective with shocked looks, but before either of the two men could protest or ask questions, Light suddenly spoke up.
"I get it," he said to L, then turned to Aiber and Wedy. "To investigate Yotsuba, we're going to need the help of people like this." He glowed brightly yellow in Jubilee's eyes as otherworldly colors returned to her vision, and she found herself able to breathe again as L nodded. "Then let's all do our part and make this happen!" Light added, raising a fist.
"Yes," agreed L, turning away. "You all know what to do. Watari," he called to the air, "Please debrief our two newest members."
"Yes, sir," came Watari's voice over the intercoms.
"The rest of you." L turned back to the others and dismissed them with a casual wave. "Back to work."
"Yes, boss!" cried Matsuda enthusiastically.
Jubilee, too, was only too happy to comply and get away from L once more—not only because of the tension that was already between them, but also because of how unnerved the idea of him discovering her past had made her feel. She turned away and began to hurry from the room when the voice she dreaded to hear addressed her.
"Miss Amachi," it called after her.
She stopped in her tracks. "What," she said stiffly, not turning around. Then she winced and, clenching her teeth, turned to face the detective. "I mean, yes?"
L regarded her coolly from where he stood at the desk beside Light. "You are returning upstairs?"
She held his gaze and suddenly felt torn between wanting to throw herself at his feet in an apology, and wanting to hit him in the face for the cool and unperturbed expression he was wearing. "Yes," she began defensively. "I've got footage of the Yotsuba group up and playing already—"
"Then, would you please escort Aiber and Wedy up to see Watari." L turned away with another wave of dismissal, not bothering to see her answer. "That is, if it won't trouble you too much."
Jubilee wasn't sure whether she really had a choice, seeing as how no other option had been presented and the two new team members would not know how to get to Watari themselves. But at this point, she felt desperately behind in terms of making up for her behavior towards him. So she grudgingly acquiesced. "Yes, boss," she said curtly, then gestured to Aiber and Wedy. "This way." She turned and marched for the elevators, the two professional criminals—and Hellenos, who suddenly materialized nearby—following her.
Behind her, she heard Matsuda whispering, not quite softly enough, "Do you think she's still angry with you, Ryuzaki?"
"We're heading upstairs," she said loudly to the two following her, so as to drown out the sound of any reply L might make. "Which—" She fumbled awkwardly for words as she realized that this was an obvious statement, since L had already said as much and she was standing in front of an elevator. "I guess you, um, knew already. Ah—" She jabbed at the elevator button a few times. "We're going to the top floor," she added helplessly.
The two criminals simply smiled pleasantly at her. So did Hellenos.
The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. As they ascended in silence, she wondered to herself over how it was that L had come to work with these two individuals. Did that mean there were exceptions to his whole "I Am Justice" rule, and that there were some criminals who he would let off the line? Moreover, what would that mean for her should he ever find out about her past? The thought made her groan internally. Hers was a predicament that was entirely unenviable. Not only had she fallen for someone she severely disliked, but furthermore, he just happened to be someone who was obsessed with—and particularly good at—taking down all criminals...and, what do you know, she just happened to have a criminal history.
The sudden appearance of Aiber and Wedy on the case, however, might just give her situation some hope.
"So, um," she began, breaking the silence once they exited the elevators. "How did you two get into...er, your—professions?"
A long, awkward silence followed as she led them down the hall. Then Aiber flashed his casual grin and simply said, "That's a long story, kid." Wedy offered no response at all.
"Right," said Jubilee, painfully reminded of the fact that she had never been good at small talk—not since the day she stopped pretending and started being herself. "I know how that is."
"And how did you," Aiber responded smoothly with a gesture her way, "Get into being a—what is it you are? A cop?"
"No. I'm the psychic specialist on the case," said Jubilee, then wanted to slap herself. Hellenos, gliding along beside them, raised an eyebrow at her.
"Really," said Aiber, his brows also arching, but with polite interest.
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, not really." Jubilee gesticulated helplessly. "It's just what it says in the paperwork. I just, um—I'm just here. For...stuff. It's kind of confidential," she finished lamely, wishing she had never started this conversation.
"Ah," said Aiber, giving another trademark grin that carefully masked any judgment. "I see."
They reached the door to Watari's security room. Jubilee, grateful for an opportunity to change the subject, hurriedly opened the door and ushered them inside. "Here we are," she said. "Watari will debrief you now. I've got some work to get to. Nice chatting with you." She made a beeline for the computer she had been using, leaving Aiber and Wedy in Watari's capable and much more sociable hands.
Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Watari, still engaged in deep conversation with the two newest team members, gestured for Jubilee to answer. She did so grudgingly, reluctant to face another person but curious to see whom it could be.
Matsuda stood on the other side of the door, a tray of steaming coffee mugs in his hands.
"Oh, hi Miss Julie!" he greeted awkwardly but cheerfully when she opened the door. "I, uh, know that Watari's probably got his own pot of coffee up here already, but I realized that I'd forgotten to carry out Ryuzaki's instruction earlier to bring some coffee to our guests, and I just thought—well, it wouldn't be right if I completely ignored him."
Jubilee's cheeks heated slightly—was this a jab at her?
But then Matsuda added, "I brought you a cup too, just in case you wanted or needed extra," and she realized that Matsuda was too dumb and too nice to make subtly passive-aggressive criticisms targeted at others—unlike herself. Not that she didn't feel pretty dumb these days.
She reached out to take the tray from him. "Thanks, Matsuda," she said, her heart softening towards him a little. It was then that she noticed the green wisps from earlier had doubled in size and intensity around the man's head. "Er—how are you doing, by the way?" she blurted on impulse. "Everything okay?"
Matsuda looked surprised. She had never inquired after his wellbeing before.
"I—well, I'm doing alright," he said slowly, then admitted, "Though now that you mention it, I guess I have been feeling a little bit inferior."
"Inferior?" she repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it's just—" The young man gestured vaguely. "Everyone else is doing so well. Making progress on the case and such. Chief found a major clue the other day in killing patterns. Mogi got praised by Ryuzaki for acquiring intel so efficiently. But all I've done is just pose as Misa-Misa's manager, which doesn't seem to help much. I guess I just feel behind, and like I'm a deadweight to this case."
Jubilee looked skywards. "Tell me about it," she sighed.
Matsuda eyed her curiously. "You can't mean that you feel that way too?" he asked incredulously. "Ryuzaki seems to think you find the most clues of all!"
"What?" said Jubilee with equal incredulity. "That's not true."
"He said so himself, more or less," responded Matsuda. "I don't know what all the clues are that he's talking about—I guess they're confidential—or maybe I'm just too dumb to get them, but even I can tell that he highly respects you, Miss Julie, and thinks you're a great asset to the case!"
Jubilee felt her cheeks heat once more. She really didn't want to be talking about this right now...though she wasn't sure whether it was because it made her feel guilty, angry at being used, or annoyingly pleased despite herself.
"Don't talk about yourself that way," she said, changing the subject. "You're not dumb, Matsuda."
Matsuda looked doubtful. "You really think so, Miss Julie?"
"Of course I do," she said, then felt guilty upon realizing she had just thought the opposite twenty seconds ago. "Listen," she said, shoving the thought aside and letting her old Wakahisa instincts take over. "It's easy to compare yourself to others and feel like you should be doing better. But you know what? Feeling guilty doesn't solve anything. Doing something about it, though, might."
"Doing something?" Matsuda echoed. "You think I should...do something about it?"
"Yeah. Ask for help. Take opportunities. That kind of thing." She balanced the tray of coffee in one hand and reached out with the other to clasp Matsuda on the shoulder. "You're smart, Matsuda, you just need to act on it. Don't let feelings of inadequacy or guilt weigh you down."
Hmm, murmured a voice from her side. She glanced over and caught Hellenos looking at her, one perfectly arched eyebrow lifted high. Do my ears deceive me? Is this Jubilee Jenkins speaking?
Oh, shush, she thought irritably. It's always easier to see when it's in someone else.
Humans, he said, rolling his eyes but grinning at the same time.
Matsuda seemed to mull over her words for a minute, his eyes round with thought. Then he grinned. "You're right, Miss Julie." He grabbed her free hand and clasped it in both of his, startling her. "I'm going to go out there and I'm going to do something about it. No more feeling guilty or inferior. Thanks for the pep talk, Miss Julie!" He dropped her hand and strode away down the hall.
"Huh," said Jubilee to herself as she watched the green mist start to dissipate from around Matsuda's retreating form. "Well that was easy."
Wasn't it? Hellenos looked amused. Now try practicing what you preach.
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, making her way back into the room with the coffee tray. "I'm working on it."