[Mello takes a longer pause before continuing with his story, because the rest is more intensely painful to recount, and will sound the most fantastical to an outsider not from his world. He takes a slow drink of his water and sets the glass back down, a little farther to the side so as not to tempt the cat.]

Near was the one who succeeded L when he was killed. There was a case - a very difficult case, with worldwide impact. I mentioned to you before that our world had been held in the grip of a murderous tyrant for several years. This was L's final case, to uncover this mass killer's identity and bring him to justice. He was known to the world as Kira, and his method of execution was a supernatural notebook that belonged to a shinigami, a god of death. [He pauses, watching Lance for a reaction, because he knows how much this part sounds like complete bullshit. Quickly, he adds:] I'm not someone who clings to fantasy, Dr. Sweets. I was trained to seek out evidence, to remain skeptical until I found concrete proof. I wouldn't have believed shinigami or their killing notebooks were real if I hadn't held a notebook in my own hands, saw it tested with my own eyes, and spoke with the shinigami it belonged to, personally.