maskormenacelogs | March Catch-all

[And right then, when Manolo compliments him on that...saying his bike suits him...it's like he radiates with pride. His bike seems to show the same, its lights glowing dimly in contentment.]

You mean how I found it?

[That glow really suits Kaneda too. Manolo's face lights up at the sight.]

Yes, and why it's so special to you.

[His hips lean idly against it, hands resting on top of the windshield as he scuffs a foot idly against the ground.]

Not much of a story, really. I had to steal it back in the day--bike gangs need bikes, you know? And I was the leader of my gang, so whatever bike I wanted, I made sure I got.

[His thumb runs along the edge of the windshield.]

This one's one-of-a-kind. Prototype or something. Computer controlled anti-lock brakes, Twin ceramic rotors, something like that. I don't really look at the specs. She's impossible to handle for any regular biker, though. Yamagata tried, hell, even Tetsuo tried. Damn hard bike to control.

[But that wasn't good enough for Kaneda, obviously.]

But that's not good enough for me. I make it do what I want--push it to what I think it can do...and it ALWAYS gets the job done.

...

Can't really explain it. It's just...my bike.

Edited 2016-03-24 20:44 (UTC)

[Manolo considers his story for a moment before he something occurs to him, and he grins.]

Anyone who's grown up around horses might understand. [At least, that's the clearest parallel he can draw.] Not at all horses are bred the same, and some require an especially good handler.

[Following that logic, he adds:] That bike needs someone with a strong personality to tame it, and it responds best to yours, right?

[Kaneda had never grown up with horses, but he'd heard stories about them, and from what Manolo's describing them as, it's certainly an applicable translation of the metaphor. Funny, how Manolo compared it to something more of his time period, and yet Kaneda had never lived anything close to it.

Cultural gaps, and overcoming them is amazing.]

Exactly. It needs someone who won't take no for an answer.

That's me.

Yeah? Well, I believe it.

[Confidence is something Kaneda has always worn well, and the same is true in this case too.]

...Can people ride with you?

Depends.

[He gestures to the seat, showing that it is indeed big enough for two riders.]

It needs my permission, you know? It can't be stolen, or it'll just disappear on em and you'll land with your ass on the pavement. Everything locks up if they try to open anything or push buttons...so it needs me at the wheel.

But yeah, rides can be arranged.

[Kaneda had mentioned that he's the only one who can control the bike, so that explanation makes sense.]

Oh, alright! [He grins.] Sometimes Joaquin takes me for rides on his bike, so I was just curious how that worked.

...Sounds like someone I've got to meet.

[He doesn't know who Joaquin is, but he's got to be a friend of Manny's if there's bike rides involved.]

Yes! [That thought puts a huge smile on Manolo's face.] You two should definitely meet. Joaquin is my best friend. We come from the same town!

Yeah? Like...childhood friends?

[Because Kaneda knows what that bond is like, and it's good to see Manolo has someone like that here.

He just hopes Joaquin isn't quite as high maintenance.]

Yes! Exactly like that. I’ve known Joaquin for practically as long as I can remember.

[They’re both pretty high maintenance, to be honest. Joaquin has a lot of baggage from growing up without much of a family, and Manolo’s lack of self-preservation doesn’t help with that.]

[Wow, way to completely mirror Kaneda's life, Manolo. If you'd just switched the names around to something slightly more Japanese, it would almost be word for word his bond between Tetsuo and himself.

Not that he knows that, but he gets the feeling that there's something vaguely familiar about the bond these two have. He nods, a more playful smile on his face as he leans on his bike.]

Lemme guess, you're troublemakers back home, huh?

When we were kids, we miiiiight have helped our friend free the animals from the butcher’s shop? [He gives a small laugh, shaking his head at that memory.]

But Joaquin…he’s usually been better-behaved than me. I never saw him slack off from his training, and sometimes he’d try to be the voice of reason. [He cracks an equally playful grin.] He can be plenty reckless when it suits him, though. Don’t let him tell you otherwise.

[Ah, right up until 'better behaved'. He knew there had to be a fork in this comparison somewhere. It's enough to get a laugh out of him.]

So you were the troublemaker, huh? And here I thought that was an innocent face!

Whaaat, this is the most innocent face! [Laughing, he points at his cheek for emphasis.]

You should know that I don’t make the trouble. I’m just the one who is along for the ride. [A beat.] …Or walking right into it, one of the two. Anyway, our friend Maria was actually the ringleader when we were little, not me!

Maria?

[That's a girl's name, and he can't help but widen his smile at that. Suddenly, being dragged along for the ride into trouble isn't so far off now. After all, Kei had done the same to him.]

So SHE was the masermind behind it all, huh?

Yes, exactly! She was always very passionate about her ideas. [His face practically melts when he thinks of her, a wistful smile on his face.] ...Still is.

Heyyyyy~ I know that look anywhere!

[His finger reaches out and points, tapping Manolo right over the heart.]

You got a -thing- for her!

[His shoulders shake with a small laugh, but he's not at all ashamed when he says:] Of course! Who wouldn't? She's wonderful...

Yeah?

[His hands shove in his pockets, legs fanning out in an awkward, meandering walk for a few steps. Something's on his mind, and...if anyone would have the answer to that...Manolo probably would. The guy knew emotions.

Hell, their talk right now and the fact that registration was something he'd consider for PEOPLE is a selling point.]

What makes her so different? I mean...girls are girls, right?

[He's legitimately confused, too. How do you pick just one?

Why does he sort of feel like HE has? Things he won't admit right now, but...maybe Manolo can shed light on it.]

[What makes her different? How does he even count the ways? Manolo doesn't miss a beat in responding.]

Maria is...Maria. She is like my guiding star, the one who helps me be a better person by giving me courage when I make difficult choices. She has never apologized for staying true to herself, not once, even when her father shipped her off to Spain for ten years. She is someone I want to be like, someone who will fight for those who can't fight for themselves, someone who will lay down her life for another without a second thought. I just...[He rubs his eyes, which are getting suspiciously moist, but he's still smiling.]...really love everything about Maria Posada.

[Kaneda looks at Manolo, clear on his face that he wasn't expecting an answer like that--an answer like that just didn't exist in his world. No one back home talked about any kind of girlfriend or spouse like that, it was always bittersweet or cosmetic, if you wanted to get anywhere near affectionate. But the way Manolo describes her...it's like she's his everything. What gets him up in the morning...what he thinks about inbetween what you normally think about during your day.

A part of him can't even understand that kind of affection...and yet...something about it sort of seems to hit home. Which...quite frankly, worries him.

He fights that part down, though, his smile coming through.]

Damn...you've got it bad for her, huh. You think...anyone can feel that way about a girl? You know...bad guys, good guys? It's ...univ-- [His tongue gets tied on this word, trying to think of a synonym.] It applies to everyone?

[His shoulders shake with a small laugh, half embarrassed by the look on Kaneda's face. He's always worn his heart on his sleeve, but not everyone wants to hear about his feelings. Still, he did ask, and Manolo isn't going to downplay his love for Maria.

He pauses, mulling over that question, turning it over in his head before giving a quiet answer.]

If you can care about someone, even a little bit, I think it's possible to love them. It might not happen right away. Maybe you have to take a few side roads before you reach that feeling that tells you you're home. Or it could hit you like a sack of bricks, and suddenly they're all you can think about. Everyone is different, which means no two relationships will ever be the same. But...I truly believe everyone has the potential to love someone else with all of their heart.

["They're all you can think about" rings in his head like an alarm bell, his brain trying to smother it as he denies what that means. There's...no way.

The reason Kaneda couldn't settle was he never found the right one. 'There wasn't one', he told himself for the longest time. Girls slept with him because it was like sleeping with the captain of the football team--a status symbol that he readily accepted at the time.

But now...that doesn't seem nearly as appealing as it used to.

It makes sense, the way Manolo phrases it. Anyone has the capacity to love someone like that... But beneath his dirt-stained, scarred, battle worn exterior, maybe a part of him just had accepted that it was the life he led. That a guy like him--born on the street with no parents, no future, struggling to survive with his brother, hardening himself into someone who could kill if he had to...

A person like that wasn't good enough for any girl who didn't use the term 'one night stand.']

Maybe you're right. World's full of surprises, huh?

[But that's a secret best kept to himself.]

Edited 2016-04-02 20:10 (UTC)

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