Story: Just a Dream
Chapter: 5 - "Connections"
Part: B - "Laz"

Part dedicated to K-Danuve for their awesome story, especially as I haven't had time to review. So, here you go!

"I don't know. I just work here."

Talia came to consciousness slowly without opening her eyes. It then took her several seconds to remember where she was. She was under the blankets, and she couldn't remember having gotten there. Had she fallen asleep on Harry? The wizard would be crushed. What time was it? She opened her eyes and jolted, sending her head under the covers.

That man from yesterday, she confirmed as she peaked her head out from the covers. Laz. He was sitting in the oddest crouch on a chair set up near her bed. He was watching her with a full on, wide-eyed stare, although she supposed he always appeared wide-eyed.

"You're awake."

Talia decided to deem him Captain Obvious. "What!? Why? What are you doing?" she rattled as she pulled the blankets tightly around her, even though she was fully clothed.

"Are you embarrassed?" he asked, sounding curious and not remorseful at all.

"Yes! Most people don't watch other people sleep. At least, strangers don't." Her cheeks flushed under his direct gaze. Why did she feel so exposed? Like every part of her being was laid bare before his dilated pupils?

"Most people don't scream in their sleep, either."

Talia blinked at him in confusion. "I… I was screaming?"

"Something about a death monster? Does that sound familiar to you?"

The flashes came back to her, one after the other. But she was no longer a child to be frightened by such foolishness. She reigned in her terror. "A common nightmare. I'm fine, now, though," she stressed.

"Hmmm…" was all Laz said.

"What time is it?" she asked, looking around her room but not finding a clock.

"It's about 22 hundred hours," he responded.

Talia groaned. She'd never be able to sleep through the night now. Something caught her attention, though. "Why military time?" she asked.

"Oh, we all like to use it. L is especially fond of it as it doesn't waste time with an AM or PM."

"So, you know L pretty well, then?" She sat up a little more, content that this man, however odd, would talk with her.

He put his finger to his mouth. "I suppose you could say that. I've been working here for a long time."

"What's he like?" Curious now, she didn't mind if her brown ponytail was mussed up.

"Well, in my opinion, he's really quite boring. Nothing like Eraldo Coil or even Deneuve." He smiled, and it was possibly the strangest thing Talia had ever seen. He looked younger and mischievous.

"I've heard of them. I never got to work with them, though."

"I hope you get to work with them after this mess is cleared up. I'll try to mention you to L so he can forward your name to them."

Talia gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "I don't think L would want to give my name to anybody but the unemployment agency," she mused.

"Why would you think that?"

"Let's just say it's my fault I've had to come here."

"Because of Kurt Watson?"

Talia gave this man a hard look. "Just how much do you know about that case?"

He shrugged, a frustratingly noncommittal action. "Oh, I've picked up bits here and there. Had to file some things that might've mentioned something to do with it." He stood up in one fluid motion and brought a tray over to the bed.

Talia hadn't even noticed it was in her room. She was sitting up now, she on the bed and Laz on the chair. Laz picked a slice of cheesecake from among the sweets.

"Please, have some cake," he gestured. He picked up his fork with two fingers. When he noticed Talia staring at him, he swallowed the bite of cake. "I did hear something about this case I'm rather curious about," he started.

Talia simply listened as she poured herself some tea.

"What did you change in your file that made L pick you?"

She ended up taking too big a gulp and had to spit some of the tea back into the cup. Her mouth was burned, now, and so was the cavity between her mouth and nose. "I didn't change anything," she denied. "Someone must've tampered with it. Maybe it was Kurt because he knew he could get one over on me."

"What did they change, though? Whoever did it," he amended.

She calmed herself down. Laz didn't seem to be accusing her. He was just curious. "Well, I think they changed the results of my psych evaluation."

He had not been expecting that. "Are you crazy?" It was all starting to fall into place, now.

"No… I just had… a couple bad experiences in school. Nothing too major, but it was dealt with rather harshly, and I sometimes still…" She stopped. Swilling her tea, she wondered how much she could tell Laz. After all, they were both in the safe house. Her first instincts were that L trusted him. Shaking that thought away, she remembered L must've trusted Kurt, too, to a certain degree.

Laz finished off his cake and was still staring at Talia. "Bad experiences? Let me guess. You fought back against a bully and the teachers didn't see the bully hit first," Laz guessed.

"Not at all," she responded. "I just had an overactive imagination."

"Oh? Concerning what? Death monsters?"

Talia had the determination to keep her reaction in check. It would've appeared as if he were mocking her, if there had been any trace of laughter in his eyes. But there was nothing. Just point blank nothing.

"I've heard of Death Monsters before," Laz continued. "They get their power to kill from a notebook. I think it's called a Black Notebook or something…"

"Are you talking about a Death Note?" she asked.

He nodded. "That was it. A Death Note. It's supposed to be nothing more than a Japanese myth, but I believe we know better."

Talia's jaw almost dropped. She was so thrown off that it was hard for her to think straight. She thought L had Walter do everything for him, and that Walter was the only one in his confidence. Yet this man knew more than any temporary agent should know. Was he some higher up lackey for L? Everything she told him would get back to L, she was sure. If L didn't know already, she corrected herself.

"There were two occurrences that … I don't know… set me apart? I guess one could say that." And she started to tell Laz the frightening tales of her childhood.

A/N: Yay for long breaks. Or... not so yay. I would like to thank K-Danuve, ZomgKelley, LuckyBlackCat, Michelle, and kitty for reviewing!! I'm hitting a snag on the ol' writer's block, so I'm hoping the next part won't be as long in coming. ^_^