L, on the other hand, could only seem to partner with someone he hated. The alternative was a nurturer the likes of whom he hadn't yet found in Death City, or someone like his former Meister, Gamzee Makara, whose Weapon ability allowed him to resonate with literally any Weapon. Otherwise, it was likely that bad resonance with L would actually injure Meisters who attempted to wield him. That was how caustic the detective L happened to be. L's motivation for partnering with someone he hated had less to do with a desire for money, and more to do with slavish devotion to the idea that incredible things were born of adversity, as long as both sides were equal.

"If I'm the first you've seen with them, wouldn't it stand to reason that everyone else doesn't know where to get them, or else hasn't a need for them?" L asked patiently, in the same tone one might use when addressing a very dull or very young child. Perhaps a bit of both. "My friend bought them for me because he thought they would help me. I don't know where he got them, and I don't particularly care, but your desire for them is unnaturally strong. You would have no use for them, the fact that you noticed them at all tells me as much."