maskormenacelogs | I can move mountains, I can work a miracle [OPEN]

[Mabel watches Tetsuo stare down at his hands, positively gleeful. Getting distracted by sudden colors on your hands is the best, okay, it makes doing everything so much cooler. Truly this is a magical moment to be a part of.

When Kaneda shows his face Mabel looks up and grins at him, waving.]

Hi Kaneda! Everything's great, we're just having a nail party.

[She holds up the bottle as evidence. Look upon the beautiful damage she has wrought, brother figure, and applaud.]

Well, I almost wasn't.

[ Seeing as she hadn't come with the intention of actually showing up again, but... guilt is a powerful thing, for her. ]

How's everyone else?

[ She--wasn't quite expecting that, right from the get-go. Of course, it was obvious to anyone who'd seen them together that Kasumi and Charlie were like two peas in a pod; he was her best friend, and now he was gone, and so she stopped showing up to the house. She's surprised that Kaneda is so quick to reason as such, but at the same time, she's really not that surprised.

Kasumi is stunned into silence for a moment, mouth slightly agape, before her lips draw into a thin, hesitant line, and she responds. ]

I know that.

I just... wanted to check up on you all.

[At the sound of Kaneda's voice, Tetsuo looks up, the color draining from his face, heart in his throat. SHIT.

What was he thinking? He shouldn't have ever let her in here. None of this ... SHIT. Tetsuo's eyes go as wide as possible. He can't jerk his extremely eye-catching hands behind his back fast enough.

Too late, he's sure; the damage is already done.

Of course, Mabel has to go and say that; the brief look he shoots her is closer to terror than shock. His eyes flick back to Kaneda, anxiously pleading with him.

Look upon this, brother figure, and please, for once, don't make this worse.]

[Wincing as the light gets a lot brighter without warning, Tetsuo pauses long enough for Riku to make his own conclusions. Quietly he shoves up the prong end of the charger for Riku to mess with. and hunts around the DS for where the other end of the cord goes, slotting it in when he finds it.

It got dark. Somehow he hadn't even realized it.]

[Brows raise, although his hand remains on the back of his neck, rubbing it like it as if there was an invisible strained muscle in hiding. Awkward doesn't even begin to describe it, the way he feels right now.

It's a bitter feeling, because it hammered in everything about his childhood that he'd learned the hard way. Charlie left. Quill didn't stop by anymore. By now, it was a pattern Kaneda knew too well. Adults, for all their talk about being there for you...for all their togetherness and family...

They all did the same thing. Leave.

It's not like he can be mad about it.]

You did?

[As much as he tries to hide it, his voice has that soft hint of hope in it. She'd come back, right? And small, secret part of him wonders how long she'd been there. Maybe she had for awhile.]

I'm still the same pain in the ass, don't worry.

Edited 2016-01-14 06:03 (UTC)

[He takes the big end of the charger, sticks Tetsuo's into the plugin first, then puts his own on, turned the other way to account for the odd shape of the charger's body.

With a little sigh he settles back on the floor. It's been long enough that he's sat here that he's honestly getting kind of tired, so as he's reaching for his own DS he makes an executive decision and casts Cure over both of them -- for multiple reasons. First: the sleepy feeling over him right now is probably affecting Tetsuo as well, and personally he could use a stamina boost -- and secondly, the part where he's still working on taking care of the wound on his chest. Also, he fought multiple people yesterday and he's still kinda bruised up.]

Yeah. They do. Decent people are like that. Decent guys won't kill someone they don't have to.

Assholes like that Pan? Different story.

Nail party?

[His voice is curious as he walks in, noticing Tetsuo's mad dash to hide those hands. A flash of bright colours mixed with Mabel's display of the nail polish container was enough context clues to give him an idea of what was happening.

It's a slow meander over, neck slightly craning to get a better look.]

You did his nails?

[It sounds...incredulous, by his tone. If only for a moment. It's quickly replaced by a smile as he pulls one of those hands out into view, getting a better look at them, fingers splitting up Tetsuo's to examine them one by one.]

Looks better on you than the girls back home!

[There's not even a teasing note in his voice.]

Oi, Mabel, think you can do mine like this?

[A long time ago, he'd faced a similar crossroads. Where a more rational, quieter voice - a younger part of him that hadn't been completely stamped out by the world's cruelty - tries so hard to find words. That maybe... maybe they had a chance. Maybe they could repair something.

This time, in the echoing stillness, that little voice gets through.]

I...

[His throat feels wooden. His eyes ache. Everything hurts, and this time it's not because of his power. It's hard to hide the wince at how small he sounds, like he's barely there at all.

Brother.

He doesn't care if it hurts anymore; what hasn't? He just wants someone there that won't fucking leave and it's going to break him whether or not he says it. It's been too long since he felt like anyone really wanted him around, like this. When he died, he didn't feel as helplessly terrified and helpless as he does right now. Kaneda doesn't have his life in his hands now. He's got everything - his soul, his heart, what little spark of self he's held onto. This is where it all ends, probably; this paper scrap of a person will tear, and there'll be nothing left.

Tetsuo's never been the bravest. It takes every ounce of courage to just barely whisper the most terrifying thing he's ever said in his life, and still the only thing that keeps him from silence is that, for once, he's more terrified of what will happen if he doesn't say anything. He stumbles hesitantly over the woods, his tongue thick and wooden in his mouth, but this time, he manages to get them out.]

...I'm here, Kaneda...

[Maybe he won't be tomorrow. Maybe he never was. Maybe he died a long time ago, and has been dying in his dreams every night ever since. Maybe none of this was ever real, and maybe he just can't take it anymore.

But maybe, just maybe... he's... got a brother. That last spark of hope left that Kaneda felt just before he died still has a little light left before it fades forever.]

Damn. All that shit looks really good too.

[He's quick to move his hand away, when he notes Tetsuo pulling away. Though his eye stays on the TV, keeping the move as casual as possible. He really does want to watch this nonsense.]

[... He'll remember that cheese picking for later though.]

[The question draws a frown out of him while he rolls that around in his head. Fa gura? Fagra? His attention shifts to the show, waiting for someone, anyone, to say it again...]

Oh.

It's bird liver. They have that shit in Orlais all the time.

What?

[His remaining hand doesn't really leave its place from Maya's upper arm, thumb absently putting pressure there as if making sure it's really her.

Of course she'd apologize for the Porter taking her.

That was just the kind of person Maya was.]

That's what happened? They gave you a new power?

... Didn't work.

[THANK YOU BULL, YOU'RE SO HELPFUL.]

If you can't figure it out, you want me to yell for her?

But you are. And that says a hell of a lot more than 'almost'.

[He gives her shoulders a squeeze. Because, really. It does mean a lot to him -- that she came back at all.]

Alive... recovering.

[Except for one. The one who's not here anymore.]

Yeah-- they gave me one of the other things I was able to do back home, actually.

I don't see why they couldn't, like, schedule it, y'know?

[Sorry if this was at all a serious moment, Kaneda. The pout on Maya's face is pretty dumb.]

Of course.

[The way she responds, eyes shining, levels of excitement almost off the charts, you'd think Mabel had been waiting for this chance her entire life. She hasn't, but now that the opportunity is here she will not waste it.

In a flash the colors she's designated as Tetsuo's get brushed back into her bag and a new batch selected. Dark red, salmon pink, a happy yellow-- she holds them up for inspection.]

What do you think?!

[The moment he hears Tetsuo's voice, his whole body hitches, waiting for the reply. His eyes, shot open wide, stare at the wall as his blood comes to a complete stop in his body, waiting for the words that either brought the start of a repaired relationship, or severed ties completely.

I'm here, Kaneda...

And it's like a breath of air into lungs that were drowning in anxiety. It starts off as panting breath, turning quickly into a soft chuckle as a few tears slide their way off his eyes and into Tetsuo's hair. This is all he could've ever wanted. And despite the past six months, despite being thrown into lamp post and concrete, despite shooting at him and burning his bike...they were going to be okay.

His arms settle comfortably around him, curling his legs in to completely envelope the boy in his body. Something he'd probably done as a kid, when it was storming, or the sounds of military helicopters flew overhead. It's less desperate now, adopting a stronger, more sure grip.

Tetsuo's answer resonates in him, echoing across every part of his body. Out of all the healers he had in this place, 1-9 on his speed dial, the extras that did first air or got him aspirin, nothing was more of a salve to a proverbial burn than what Tetsuo just said. It was all he ever wanted to hear since August, what he'd been holding on so long for.

Tetsuo was here.

His brother. His little spark of light that he'd protect until the day he died, and maybe help it shine just a little brighter. And it takes everything in him to work up this response, a soft laughter choked with threatening tears as his fingers run through the boy's hair affectionately. Only uttering two words as a response.]

Me too.

[Tetsuo's eyes flick rapidly between Kaneda's eyes, trying to prepare himself for the worst as he comes close, gritting his teeth and going rigid as Kaneda gently pulls his hand out to look anyway. Pure anxiety shifts into nervous confusion at the warm approval in his voice.

What....?

As he listens, fear leaving his wide eyes slowly, Kaneda's already asking to get her to do the same thing.

Kaneda. Fuckboy. Shotaro.

This is the same Kaneda who led a gang of hellions back home; first into the fray and never backing down. This is the same Kaneda who had a never-ending string of girlfriends, the same Kaneda who dragged them both through all kinds of things, who didn't use to shower regularly or do anything like that.

This is that Kaneda asking Mabel to do his nails, too, like she'd done to Tetsuo's.

Kaneda never followed along with whatever he did, intentional or not, let alone do anything like... like this.

Mabel's holding out colors now as he's busy rewinding what Kaneda said in his mind, looking for some misunderstanding. She heard it, too. That happened.

Slowly, he lets his other hand reappear, sitting there in baffled amazement.]

Edited 2016-01-14 09:02 (UTC)

[While these two might be slightly frustrated about this trip, Kaneda could not have been more interested. Maya said she'd found an Asian market, the ones the owners of the udon shop stocked from. Just the idea of getting miso paste, or hell, even candy was enticing enough to be excited for the trip.

He didn't necessarily believe Maya about the fish, most of all their price, as his hand wraps around the wad of cash in his pocket. He expected to lose almost all of it during the trip, maybe get 1lb of tuna out of it.

There's a little lean to Tetsuo, making sure he's still walking with them as they enter the market. ]

Easy there, don't want to leave us in the dust!

[Something something honour c'mon Tetsuo they better hurry before she proves her point without em!]

[Something something he'll take as long as he damn well pleases. He's outside at all, Kaneda, be as grateful as Tetsuo isn't.

In truth, he's not expecting to get as much as Kaneda is. All that underground activity and fighting has completely slipped Tetsuo's notice; just one more part of Kaneda's life he wasn't around to know. The amount of money he's expecting they have on them is probably enough for a can of something fish related, maybe two.

America might be a rich shithole of a bloated country, but even wealth has limits.

The market's loud and crowded, but it's slightly more familiar. Signs that aren't in English hang down or brandish across aisles. He's never really been in one of the big grocery stores here. He kept, out of habit, to convenience stores for what he needed, or small drug stores and pharmacies. If there's places like this... maybe he'd change that. Now, Tetsuo's eyes are a little more wide than he realizes, looking around him with carefully guarded interest.

...It still doesn't mean he wants to be outside, but he's grudgingly forced to admit that it could be slightly worse.]

[Ken continues walking even after Kaneda stops, so he ends up a couple steps in front of him, standing without turning to face him. But his shoulders are hunched and his hands are clenched into fists, so seeing his face may not be necessary to figuring out his expression.

He feels the dam inside him, damaged from all the hits it took from the past few weeks, start to quake, straining against the pressure inside. He had held on for so long. He wasn't trying to be self-sacrificial; he genuinely believed that this was for the best. But there's Kaneda, trying to pull him back as usual.

Trying to keep him anchored even as he tried with all his might to let himself be swept away.]

... It's not like I wanted to leave, [he says, and the words that follow come spilling out.] It's not like I'm leaving because I want to. That house used to be where I could go and be okay, but it's not anymore.

[His voice shakes and comes out a pitch higher, his throat tightening -- no, he doesn't want to cry -- as he says what he'd been thinking for a long time now,] Even though I was there first.

[Maya finds it just like home. There's american products here, too; they'd lose business otherwise. So for Maya and her strange little world, finding stores where immigrant families or second, third generation families had established stores like this was just like being back in Los Angeles. This is what her stores were like-- albeit the brands had always been much different and the general atmosphere still always felt slightly off, and it was in the past technically, but... it felt enough like home for Maya.

She navigates the aisles swiftly, leading them to the back, closer to where the refrigerated sections can hold fish and meat and frozen foods. There she finds a certain display case and gestures with practically her whole body.

In the display case are fish laid out on top of ice; whole fish, headless fish, fish filets. Crab legs point upward from plastic grass dividers like they're partying. There are frog's legs in the middle of the display. Mussels, clams, and scallops are scattered in piles on the ice. Beady little crayfish eyes stare out from under a pile of lobster tails and bright orange salmon flesh, bright red tuna steaks, and the slick white of rainbow trout and tilapia filets.

There are pre-packaged versions all around outside of this display case, and each one of them is priced moderately-- at least according to 2015 standards, and what's most remarkable? The scent. The display doesn't smell like too-old fish that's been out for days. It smells clean, the faintest hint of ocean water lingering above the carefully prepared and cleaned selections.

Welcome to the fish section, boys.]

[He steps forward, walking right up behind Ken. Unsure of what to do or to say. Because this...in a way, he brought this upon the house. He demanded Tetsuo stay. He's the one who ran around all of September, getting hurt, dragging everyone in to help with his problem...

He was the one so determined to save one piece of his family, only to lose another.

One more step, and he's right behind Ken, close enough to hear his ragged breathing between holding back a sob. Close enough to put a hand on that shoulder to turn him around. Turn and see the face of a kid who tried so hard to keep Kaneda's family together and sacrifice the one he had for it.

Teeth sink into his chapped lips, biting hard enough to split. He'd failed Ken. He'd failed Tetsuo, too. And Maya, and Bull...

Charlie.

And in that moment, when Ken's voice shoots an octave higher, the pressure of everything weighing down on him like crashing waves...Kaneda's speechless. There's nothing he can say to make this better. All he can do is shake his head at him, dark eyes apologizing in ways words just won't suffice.

Ken -was- there first.

That's when he can only say one thing, his eyes staring right into Ken's, hand gripping that shoulder tightly as he tries to steady his own voice. He had to be the strong one. That's what the older brother does.]

You deserve better.

...

...

....is it good?

[It's okay, he doesn't mind at all. It takes the awkward off what just happened, honestly.]

It'd keep people from forming damn search parties....

[As he joins her with that pout.]

I can move mountains, I can work a miracle [OPEN]

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