maskormenacelogs | Everybody loves to tell me who and what to be

[Because this can happen now]

[The Iron Bull's cats sense a disturbance in the force.]

[More specifically, that of the kitchen. There is a new Thing in there. And new Things must be investigated. Sure, this Thing has been there for a while, but... it was apparently forgotten in all the chaos of the last few months or so.]

[Because now, it's out on the counter. Sitting there. Staring at them. While they gather in a cautious semi-circle on the floor, staring up at it with lashing tails.]

[Only one of them dares venture up onto the counter to investigate. Krem the calico. Slowly creeping forward toward the Thing, half-hunkered down.]

[It's been a while since the whole kidnapping crap happened. Things haven't... truly settled down, but you have to move on at some point. And for some people, it's more physical than others.]

[Because this February day, one can find the Iron Bull out in the backyard of his house. Digging a hole in the ground. There's what looks like a black, plastic wading pool next to him, and some miscellaneous equipment.]

[It feels pretty good, being out here, doing something physical. And he'd probably keep doing it, too. If something excited and furry didn't come sprinting out the back door and almost trip headlong into the hole.]

[... the dog runs into the backs of Bull's legs instead.]

...

CAAAAAAAAAAAAAANADAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Your dog got out!

[ While he's too busy to participate in underground fighting rings any more, he sometimes makes the time to watch. Sometimes he recognises the participants; mostly, he doesn't.

But today is one of the days when he does find someone he knows. He watches with interest, but doesn't call out; he can wait until after they're done to talk with him.

Once Kaneda's finished his match, he catches up to him as he's walking away. In lieu of speaking at first, he just offers a bottle of water. ]

Nice work.

[After the latest intrusion into Tetsuo's room, Ikki left, slamming doors behind him. And then left the whole house, gone for some hours. Some things only feel better after you've run a while.

It's after, dinner has come and gone, that Ikki finds Kaneda.]

Oi.

[The note on the fridge was from Christmas, addressed to Kaneda from a man Ken knew very well. Huh. He didn't realize Kaneda was acquainted enough with Akihiko to receive a gift from him. But what had been more perplexing about that note was the challenge written there.

It's early morning when Ken shows up at Kaneda's besdie. Not quite as early as five o'clock, but it's still before six so there's not much difference here; it's early enough for the sky to still be dim, the air still chilly. Koromaru waits in the hall as Ken crosses the room and shakes Kaneda gently by the shoulder to wake him. He himself is dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie, shoelaces tied tightly, and--]

Ready to run? [he asks as soon as Kaneda stirs.] You'll never beat Sanada-san if durability and adrenaline are all you've got.

[The door opens quietly. Tetsuo walks silently in, careful to make as little sound as possible. Behind him, the door swings closed again, clicking shut. He could come in through his window, but Kaneda's more likely to notice a sudden influx of cold air.

He pads his way across the living room, trying to avoid anyone who may or may not be around. It's only when it's too late to reconsider that he notices the kitchen light isn't just on because he forgot to turn it off.

Great. It was too much to hope that Kaneda would just go back to sleep, wasn't it... maybe he can slink by anyway, just to avoid having to answer anything.]

Edited 2016-02-05 02:31 (UTC)

[Kaneda was pretty easy to find--it'd been awhile since he'd gone to the underground ring, and was starting to suit up for a night to go there and train. So while he's throwing his pink hoodie around his waist and pocketing his boxing tape, he walks out into the main common area of Nonah 05, only to find Ikki brushing by.

...

Turning his head when he's hailed.]

Oi.

[Ah yes, the way fuckboys communicate.]

[Two hours.

He'd been gone two hours. And with Tetsuo being so prone to nightmares, deep sleep just didn't come for him anymore. And that means noticing that someone didn't come back from getting that drink of water.

Two hours later.

Kaneda found himself in the kitchen, not bothering to text Maya or wake up anyone else in the house, nursing his mug of tea while he looks out the window, hips pressed to the counter. It's not like he didn't try his comm, certainly, and the messages didn't come back failed. So Tetsuo was in this world. Just not in this house where he should be.

As Tetsuo walks in, Kaneda doesn't even look at him, eyes trained on the window Wherever his mind is, it certainly isn't here.]

Went out for a walk?

[Yeah, he's not looking at him, but that doesn't mean he can't talk.]

Sure, something like that.

[That's not it at all. A walk... or a quick flight to a downtown rooftop to meet up with an old enemy. You know, how walks usually go.

Even if he was a good liar, and not halfway mumbling it trying to walk right by with minimal talk, it's not very convincing. Tetsuo didn't just leave out in the cold at this hour. He doesn't have to be psychic in this case to know there's no good excuse he'll be able to come up with like this.]

[It's morning, way too early for Kaneda to be awake. But sometimes life isn't fair and Dalish steps on your face and meows loudly cause she wants you to pet her ass while she eats. So there he is, stumbling half awake into the kitchen as he pulls the toaster out, fumbling to the pantry to get some bread.

But the cats have seemingly just noticed this new little invention. Kaneda takes no notice of this as strange. By now the cats were just moving furniture--he was that accustomed to them. And...you know, being half asleep does wonders. But when you're tired and still groggy waking up, ideas strike.

Especially when Krem decides to get a closer look at it, hunkered down and prowling around.

Walking towards the counter he leans perpendicular to Krem's position.]

's a toaster.

[Yes Kaneda, I'm sure you can talk cat.]

[Dalish is apparently impatient for the butt pats. She starts winding around his legs, chirping and looking up at him. The others keep their relative distance, watching, but not approaching. Krem though, simply sits, blinking mildly at Kaneda.]

[And reaching out to bat his nose with a paw. No claws, just ~~beans~~ pads. Before he turns to stare accusingly at the toaster again.]

[Sorry, Kaneda. You're not nearly as interesting as this weird thing you dragged out.]

[It's a good feeling, getting back into the fighting ring. The adrenaline rush, the endorphins, the way his blood feels like it'd burst through his veins...hell, the sheer excitement of a roaring crowd was enough to get him in the ring again. It wasn't anything tough--new season, new bets, and he'd been out of it for about two months.

Today was warm ups, nothing too showy or flashy--not even knock outs. Kind of like the headlliner to an act. But he is surprised to see Magicman there as he steps out of the ring, wiping sweat off the back of his neck with a towel, brows raising as he instinctively reaches for that water bottle.]

Didn't know you frequented these...

[Not that he didn't think he could take the atmosphere, but Magicman seemed pretty...sophisticated.]

[ Magicman just shrugs, handing the water bottle over. He falls in step with him, a perfect mimic; it's something he's learned to do, keeping pace with people who don't walk as fast as he does. ] Well, I just don't have the time any more...I used to participate when I wasn't so busy.

I like fighting, but my job provides for that. [ He really likes fighting ] I used to be in tournaments, back home.

[Tetsuo was a bad liar. He always has been. And he doesn't even have to be looking at him right now to know that he's hiding something.]

It's two.

[His voice is quiet, not accusive.]

Not many places are open at midnight, you know.

I know.

[That, at least, is completely true. Tetsuo volunteers nothing else, his feet coming to a slow stop before he can really realize it.]

...So that's it then?

[That's all you've got to say to me? is what wants to come out. His hands grip that cup tightly, a part of him worried it might crumble in his hands if he squeezed any tighter.

Whatever Tetsuo answers with, he'll know the real one.]

I'm supposed to be okay with this?

[You died, Tetsuo. Cause of death: shady behind the scenes actions that could've been prevented if Kaneda had a clue.]

[What is everyone's deal with 5am. 5:48 still counts as 5am, okay.

Ken's hand presses to his shoulder, feeling the soft shake but using every bit of his willpower to pretend he didn't notice it. Eyes creak open and see it's still dark, only confirming that--yes, it IS still sleepytime--and trying to turn over, pulling the pillow over his head.

'Ready to run?' That's what he'd said. He'd heard it rather clearly through the pillow, despite his attempts to stuff it out.]

Shimatta...

What are you even talking about...

[Ah, there we go, play dumb. That is...until the follow up about Akihiko is spoken. Then he's outed, and his body language sags.

Can he get ten more minutes? Twelve. Twelve actually seems like a nice number.]

Edited 2016-02-05 08:45 (UTC)

[You don't know what happened, Tetsuo almost counters. There's nothing to be okay with, he wants to say. Kaneda's here to enforce curfew now? If he wants to go somewhere, he can... right?

But he doesn't say any of those things, for once, though the slight bite to the words that cut themselves off makes it through to his tone. That was not a meeting he wanted to go to; it was just one he had to.]

I came back, [he finally offers, speaking the only whole truth he can find.] I wasn't gonna leave.

[And I never would've, he wants to argue back, had that actually been said. But that's just it, he doesn't want to argue with Tetsuo anymore. He thought they were past that--he thought things were starting to be okay.

His teeth bite at his lower lip, searching for words. He wasn't good at them to start with, but even now he's coming up blank with something that won't backpedal this into a shouting match at 2am.

Green tea had never looked so interesting as he swirls that teabag, pinched fingers around that string as he lifts it up to put it in the trash.

I was just worried. That was always his go to response. And it rang true now. Too bad it's nothing he can really say.]

The Porter took you once. I thought--

[--it was some kind of sick joke.]

IT'S KANEDA!!!!

[But he was already en route to grabbing Capsule--just getting ready to take him out for a walk. But Capsule noticed the door to the backyard was open, and...with his little puppy mind, bolted right for it. The sight of Bull was incentive enough, because the strange large spikey friend of master's is doing something! I must find out what exactly this is!]

OI! Don't leave the damn door to the backyard open, then!

[But when Kaneda gets outside himself, ready to shout Japanese expletives--he notices just what Bull's doing. Or...he tries to.]

...Uhhhh...you got some hobbies I should know about?

[That makes him pause. For once, Tetsuo's quick to answer, volunteering just a little more information. Because that... he can understand the worry.

It wasn't as if Tetsuo hadn't felt his comm buzz in his pocket. It was just that he ignored it. At the time, he didn't really care who it was, but now...]

It wasn't the Porter, or anything like that. I had-

[Pause.]

There was something I had to take care of. It's over.

...

[His eyes shoot up at Tetsuo, locking eyes with him at that statement. It was vague, giving absolutely no clarification or details to anything.

A small, scared part of him almost wished the Porter had stolen him for a few more hours.]

...Something?

[He moves closer, hands enveloping that mug completely, the steam from the tea still visible.]

...

[He can't actually add detail to this. It doesn't involve Kaneda; he's not in the habit of talking about things he gleans, and he's not going to start.

This is between him, and Ken. And he can't even say that much. Or... he shouldn't, some part of him is certain. Stay silent. It's better. What probably doesn't help his case is that by now, he's just tired.]

Yeah.

Everybody loves to tell me who and what to be

Tetsuo Catchall

NOW

FISH PART 2

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catch-all here

February 3, 5:48 AM

Feb 5, appx. 2 AM

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