maskormenacelogs | Meet me on Thames Street

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Meet me on Thames Street

WHO: Kaneda & YOU! (guest starring Capsule the puppy)
WHERE: Nonah 05 sidewalk (Birthday) & Any city for the rest
WHEN: September 5th (Birthday) & Rest of September
WHAT: September 5th is Kaneda's birthday. He sort of celebrates for himself. Other than that, he'll be bouncing from city to city every now and then to scope out for Tetsuo. He may or may not ask people to bunk with them for a night instead of trekking home.
WARNINGS: Kaneda

BIRTHDAY:

[8AM, September 5th. Was it already that time again? Honestly, if it wasn't for his communicator, he honestly would have forgotten. He often did--there was nothing special about it. Well, that is, until he got here and saw so many people asking for things for their birthday. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't tempted. Whatever. What he wanted wasn't exactly tangible.

The day went about as normal, a soft 'happy birthday' to himself in the mirror before messing up his hair into it's usual position was enough. A bruised face looks back in that mirror a moment, running a hand down the skin and rubbing it, turning away soon after.]

Happy birthday, Kaneda.

[Confirmation that yes, it was his birthday, he'd do something for himself about it, and that would be that. Only one other person probably knew about it, anyway, and he highly doubted that Tetsuo would a.) remember b.) care or c.) come back to even mock him about it. Not that he expected him to, either way. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he makes his way out the door to his bike. Maybe he'd just...go off driving for the day. Do what Kasumi said and relax a little. He doubted that driving just to see where he ended up was what she meant, but she wasn't exactly specific either....

Yeah, he'd do that.]

---

[Its not until 11pm that the bike pulls up to Nonah 05, engine hot from running itself into exhaustion. It'd certainly gotten a workout with Kaneda behind the handlebars, and there's an affectionate pat to the windshield as he steps off. Not exactly a talkative guest to his birthday, but a loyal, reliable one nonetheless. Fingers follow the glass to the handlebar itself, where a bag dangled. For once it's not takeout, he muses, looking into the plastic with a smile as he snaps the bike away to make room for his ass to plop down right on that sidewalk.

What's inside the bag? Two cakes, nothing big or special, but really what was just at the grocery store bakery. Honestly, he wasn't even sure what he got, only just now looking at the label. Chocolate and...red velvet? Huh. It looked white. He sets that one to the side as he opens the chocolate one, pulling out a box of forks and pulling one out. Just...straight up digging into it silently.

After all, it was his birthday. He'll eat his own damn cake. That is...unless someone finds him.]

GENERAL:
[Since Tetsuo's decided to wreak havoc among the cities, Kaneda's trying to play bloodhound and hunt for him. Which makes for a lot of travel, a lot of strain on his bike, and one tired teenager. You can find him doing any of these, either searching actively for signs of his *-BEST FRIEND-*, or if you're familiar with him enough, he might (accident or not) knock on your door to ask if he can break with you for a few hours.

He will travel home to check on his dog after a few hours, though. Or sometimes he'll even bring his dog with. It's a baby golden retriever what more of an icebreaker do you need than a boy and his dog?

A man has his priorities.]

[ooc: this is for general kaneda shenanigans as well so if you want to do anything with him, feel free to hit me up or toss up a starter! I'm good for anything, these are just the main two prompts if you want some teen boy disaster!]

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[On weekdays, around half past two in the afternoon, Koromaru crawls through the doggy door set in the front door and disappears for a few hours, always coming back with Ken. Sometimes they'll both be tired like they ran around, and sometimes they'll have groceries. But they're almost always together.

He does the same today, too. Ken's been out since morning and it's a little bit earlier than usual. Two-fifteen, he gets up, stretches, gets some water from his bowl, and crawls out of the door without even a bark of warning. This is a dog on a mission]

[It's something that's always bugged Kaneda, honestly. The same time every day, Koromaru would pop up, as if he were possessed, and make his way out the door. Every day.

In fact, one time he even timed it, and sure enough, at 2:15, Koromaru dropped whatever he was doing, walking past the couch that Kaneda was resting on. Kasumi and Charlie had told him to take it easy, which he...sort of promised to.

But that was more of telling him not to get involved with anything dangerous, right? He could do this. Because Koromaru's...well, he's never understood that dog on a personal level. He wasn't like Capsule in a lot of ways.

So he's getting up, waiting for the dog to exit...and sneakily following him outside.

What could go wrong?]

[A lot could go wrong, really. But Koromaru is Ken's dog. Can't be too bad, right?

Koromaru, for his part, becomes aware of Kaneda's stalking pretty early on, though he doesn't quite let on about it. Instead, he continues to walk, a few blocks down the street, crossing the road with the light, staying clear of other dogs walking

then suddenly veers off down an alleyway to the next street over, where there's a little grandma always sitting on the steps of her house reading or knitting, and she must know him because she calls him Koro and he wanders over with his tail wagging, letting her pet him for a couple minutes before he's off again, back to a larger road in a few minutes where some children wave and pet him too.

He gets quite a number of treats on the way from the store vendors he passes.]

[Following Koromaru was probably stupid--what did he care where the dog went? He came back, didn't he? But as always, curiosity wins when it comes to Kaneda. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he follows the dog out the door and down the sidewalk, making sure to keep at least enough distance so that he wouldn't get noticed.

Or at least, that's what he thought. Koromaru gives no sign that he's being followed, anyway.

The light turns, and as Koro's walking past, Kaneda blends in with some of the crowd, trying to at least keep one eye on him to know where he turns. It's more difficult than he likes to admit--some of the people are much taller and kept trying to start conversation.]

Yeah, yeah that's great--sure. Whatever.

[He may have signed up to buy some cookies. Who knows. All that matters is that Koromaru's wandered to a little old lady's house, using a telephone pole as cover. Not exactly the best, but...well, he's only fooling a dog. It's only a few minutes, as if this was the average routine...

What a weird dog...

But before he knows it, Koromaru's off again, and he's back to following. There's a soft wave to the little old lady as he passes, and kids taking notice of him to ask him questions--"Where did you get that jacket?" "Are you a hobo?"--just kill him now.

Whatever this trip was...it'd better be worth what he's got to walk through...]

[Honestly, Koromaru noticed Kaneda watching him leave. He'd been doing this for a couple weeks now, ever since a little after the swear-in in August, and he knows that the kid was observant enough to notice the routine. He wasn't expecting him to actually follow him, but...

He makes a few more stops on the way, letting some kids say hello and pet him, shaking hands with an elderly Asian man who actually says a few words in Japanese -- "You take such good care of him, don't you? Such a good boy" -- before wandering again. He takes a couple dog-exclusive shortcuts like climbing through a bush to cut across a small park or crawling under a fence instead of taking the normal gates, but this whole time, it's pretty clear that he's headed toward some sort of destination.

When he finally stops, it's way past two-thirty, much closer to three o'clock. He sits down in front of the gate of a fairly large building, posture straight, tail resting on the ground behind him as he waits. Should Kaneda look, the gate has a sign on it that identifies the building as a middle school campus.]

[The longer he followed, the more he started to question if Koromaru was just doing this to fuck with him. These were just every day dog things, with the exception of visiting the old man and shaking hands. He's been at this routine for weeks?

Dogs certainly do strange things...

Either way, he waits around the corner as the old man greets him, casually walking past the moment Koromaru's farther up ahead. The dog-like shortcuts were certainly a challenge but not insurmountable, although Kaneda now sports a few leaves in his hair and little red marks on his arms from the gate points. Nothing he hadn't gotten before.

Jumping a fence is not as easy as going under it. Fact.

It seems like forever, until up ahead Koromaru actually stops, sitting outside of a gate.]

This? THIS is what you led me to?

[He didn't lead you, Kaneda, you just followed.]

...Wait.

[Middle school.]

[Koromaru's definitely trolling Kaneda. He could've gone across that park without going through the bushes, and he didn't have to go under that fence. He didn't even have to take that route, although he did on some days anyway to go greet those two elders.

In any case, he hears Kaneda's question and looks over, staring in the direction he knows the guy is in. There are a few minutes still until the bell rings to let the kids out, so he has plenty of time to waste if Kaneda wants to come out and hang out with him.]

[He doesn't know what he was expecting, honestly. Following a dog meant that the dog would do dog things. Things only dogs could do. A part of him wants to slap his hand over his face and just walk off, brewing in his own feeling of stupidity.

But...he came all this way. Might as well finish and see what Koromaru's actually doing here.

He hazards a guess, but slumps against one of the walls anyway, looking down at the Shiba and reaching a foot up to rub at his side.]

There's a road right there, you know. We could've taken that!

[Who even takes roads? Koromaru just looks up at him as Kaneda's foot rubs against his side, tilting his head and opening his mouth so that his tongue lolls out, panting as if to say, "Whaaaaaaat?"

He knows there's a road. But that's the road Ken told him to avoid if he was alone because the cars are faster and they might not see him, so small and close to the ground, so he walks the neighborhoods. But he has no words or an android to answer that for him, so he barks once and rubs the top of his head against Kaneda's leg.]

[Dogs. It's hard to be upset with them when they give you that face. Even one as perceptive as Koromaru still had the same playful behavior they all shared. That's what made them dogs, you know? He gives a cocky smirk back, slowly kneeling down to run his hands on both sides of Koromaru's neck, wiggling that extra fur.]

You knew I was following the whole time, didn't you?

[A thumb reaches up to rub the inside of his ear, tickling it playfully.]

I'll get you back for that, furball.

[That touch so welcomed, Koromaru's expression turning into that of glee as Kaneda starts petting him, and he even tilts his head into the touch when that thumb starts tickling his ear. For all that Kaneda said he had bad experience with dogs, he's good at playing with one. His tail wags harder.

If this were anybody other than Kaneda or a housemate, Koromaru would never have led him here. But as he waits for the bell to ring, he thinks he was just right about bringing the guy here. He was good to Ken, and that was most important.

A couple minutes later, when the sound of the school bell echoes across the campus and even outside of the gate to where they are, Koromaru doesn't bound forward toward it. Instead, he sits right at Kaneda's feet patiently, looking up at him as if waiting for his cue.]

[It's surprising to him too. For something that was supposedly his worst enemy in Neo Tokyo, he took to them rather well. Then again, Kaneda never really feared them like Tetsuo did. They were annoying, and tough to outrun--hell, their bites were even worse, and he would have no qualms about kicking one.

Koromaru was different, though. Capsule was different. He couldn't really explain it.

The bell rings, and Kaneda's head tilts up at it, brows raised. Hands pause at petting him for a moment, head turning to see the halls start to cycle children out, grabbing their things and exiting the doors one (or ten) by one. Letting go of that fur, he raises himself to his feet and shoves his hands in his pockets, it slowly dawning on him just what Koro came here for.

After all, who else would go to middle school that the dog would come fetch every day and return with? It was obvious.

And now all he had to do was wait with him.]

[Koromaru can see the understanding dawning, and then Kaneda settles down to wait. There it is, that attitude, the thing that he saw Ken be surprised by for the first few weeks of knowing him. Kaneda had looked out for Ken since -- really, since the day they met, and while Koromaru worried at first that he'd just end up dragging the boy in to travel more, that hasn't been the case.

He thumps his tail against the ground and woofs, softly, once, before his attention is caught by a call of,] Koromaru! [from a short distance away, the familiar orange-clad figure of their housemate making his way through the crowd of tiny teenagers.]

[To say that Kaneda understood Koromaru...that was a bit of an overstatement. The dog was a complete mystery. Then again, seeing dogs as anything but what their masters make of them is something new to him all together, but an overall pleasant one. Koromaru had a personality, had wants, had things he wanted to protect. Seeing something in a new light like that…

He'd be lying if he said he didn't respect that.

But his ears metaphorically perk up at hearing Ken's voice, tilting his head from leaning against that pillar to crane to see just where that little bean was coming from.

--Ah, there he was.

Looking down again at Koromaru, he tilts his head quickly, jerking it to the side.]

He's calling you.

[The other SEES members would probably agree with Kaneda. They were used to Koromaru, and they hadn't thought twice about accepting an android into their midst, but they knew how unusual a dog like this was. And Koromaru's well-aware of that, too, thanks to his strange intelligence. Though he's never really minded. People have been kind to him nevertheless.

Koromaru's ears, unlike Kaneda's, perk up physically too when he hears the boy's voice, and his tail starts wagging without missing a single beat. He stays sitting but it's clear that he wants to launch off toward Ken, and the oment he gets that go-ahead from Kaneda he's gone, bounding toward Ken like he hasn't seen the boy in years.

And Ken, who noticed Kaneda's presence and was wondering quietly to himself what he was doing there, is distracted by the assault of a happy white fuzz and laughing as he's knocked into, getting down on his knees to ruffle his fur while Koromaru barks and licks at his face.]

[Kaneda watches Koromaru bolt, like his life depended on it towards the boy. In a way, it was warming to watch. A dog running to someone without intention of harming. That was all too familiar of a scene to him back home, dodging the streets. But that? It had to be the best feeling in the world to Ken, to have Koromaru there every day to pick him up.

In a way, he felt a little out of place here, watching as the kids walking past looked up at him in mild curisoity, hushed whispers as they walked past. Nothing makes him wish he could be a dog right at this moment...

When the space clears out more, he heads over, hands still stuffed in his pockets.]

...

[No 'hi', or anything. Just a smile and a flip of his hair.]

[Koromaru traveling to pick Ken up from school has been a daily thing since February when they first arrived. At first, Koromaru centered his activities around Ken's safety, making sure he got home every day, making sure he came home every day instead of running away. Back then, that had been a big concern. And Koromaru's presence had definitely been something of a lifeline for Ken.

Now, it was much less serious but still a sweet moment for both of them, and Kaneda might see the brightest smile on Ken's face; it's really not the sort of look he shows around other people. That's the magic of having a good dog around.

Still, the smile doesn't fade at all when he looks up at Kaneda, rubbing Koromaru's back as the man stops in front of them.]

Hi, Kaneda-san.

[It's hard not to crack a smile at Ken's face. For all his seriousness, it was nice to see him wear the face of a kid his age for once. Don't worry, Ken, your little secret's safe with him.]

Me and Koro thought we'd meet you here.

[You had no idea where this dog was going you piece of shit. Hopefully the dog doesn't rat him out. Ken wouuld know Koromaru comes every day, but...who cares.]

[Kaneda's not the first or the only one to see that face, but it's a good call for him to keep quiet about it. It'll only embarrass him and he'd wipe it right off! Koromaru turns his head to give Kaneda a Look but of course he's not giving him away, focusing again on slobbering up Ken's face.]

I keep treats in my pocket for Koro, but I don't have anything to give you.. [did he just compare Kaneda to a dog. yes he did.] Did you have that much free time?

[He barks out a laugh as he reaches out, ruffling Ken's hair a little.]

Guess you'll just have to make it up to me when we get home then, I came all this way after all!

[You smug little butthead.]

It's a slow day.

Hey! [Rude, don't mess up his hair. But Ken's not moving away -- these months in the import cities have gotten him accustomed to and comfortable with these gestures of affection. He sticks out his lower lip without thinking in a sulky expression.]

Food?

[The reaction gets a laugh out of him as that hand pats his shoulder, starting to walk, looking to Koromaru to lead the way (and hopefully not over fences).]

You know me a little too well.

[Now that they've gotten Ken, Koromaru sees no need to mess around with their route. They're going to get food anyway, which also pertains to the dog's interest and he's actually heading toward the street, knowing that they're a corner nearby with a few food carts that'll get him some unsalted soft pretzels if he just acts cute enough.]

I suppose I did learn a lot about you pretty quickly.

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Meet me on Thames Street

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