March Catch-all

[matadorable]

WHO: Manolo and you!
WHERE: Various
WHEN: Throughout March
WHAT: Like it says on the tin!
WARNINGS: None at the moment, will update if necessary

[Prompts to come eventually, but let me know if you want a starter for your character in the meantime.]

Comments

[matadorable]

[Like he said...it only takes one person to turn everything on its head, Kaneda.]

Why do you have that look? [He's not sure what he expected, but that expression, like he'd caused something in the poor man's brain to break, definitely wasn't it.] Come on, is what I said really so strange?

[rassera]

[Coming back to his senses, he shakes it off, trying to at least get back to a normal walk cycle.]

It's just...I've never held a girl longer than a week, you know? Buckling down and settling...it's not a thing guys like me do.

[What he doesn't specify, though...is how he FEELS.]

[matadorable]

It's not settling! It's finding someone you want to start a new story with, so you can see it through together while you face the world. You just didn't feel that way about any of the girls you knew before, that's all.

[rassera]

[That's...a new way to look at it, really. For the longest time, he'd just assumed he wasn't that type of guy to find a girl that was perfect for him. No girl really felt that perfect. Tetsuo had found one...of course Tetsuo had found one. The guy was gentle underneath that tough facade, and any girl would probably fall for him if he showed that a little more.

Kaneda...he'd pretty much given up that ever happening.

So to hear it put like this...it's a bit new.]

So the only reason I couldn't find one I like more than a week was cause none of em were...'right'?

[He sounds curious, like this is a concept he didn't even knew existed.]

[matadorable]

[For Manolo, this is all very natural, and he has to wonder what kind of life Kaneda must have lived for the idea to sound so foreign to him. Still, he's patient and happy to help him talk through it.]

Exactly! Maybe they're right for someone else out there, but not for you.

[rassera]

[That is a deep hole, Manolo, be careful you don't fall in.]

Just kinda assumed I'd be a drifter.

[It's quiet...almost thoughtful.]

[matadorable]

A drifter? [That genuinely surprises him.] You seem really devoted, though.

[rassera]

[Oh, now we're getting into the deeper parts of what Kaneda is on the surface. His hand rubs the back of his neck nervously.]

Depends.

[It's not a smarmy reply, that means he's getting somewhere.]

[matadorable]

[Manolo tilts his head with curiosity.]

Depends?

[He doesn’t want to pry into places where he’s not wanted, but he’s willing to lend an ear if Kaneda wants to talk about it.]

[rassera]

Eto...

[How does he phrase this...He's never talked about something like this, at least not to this extent.]

I'd never leave my friends. Girls are different.


[Guess who's never had a friend who was a romantic interest yet before.]

[matadorable]

If girls are different, it's probably because you've never been friends with any.

[rassera]

I've had friends that were girls...just...


Never ones I dated.


[He sounds confused, like this is turning his whole way of thinking on its head. No wonder the guy never kept a relationship. He wasn't even friends with the girls he dated...]

[matadorable]

[Ah. That would explain a lot.]

It's pretty hard to be a drifter if you're friends with the person you're dating. They're important to you, so you naturally want to stay by their side.

[rassera]

They can't be both, though, right?

Cause if you break the date off after a week...[The gears are turning in his head, but he's not quite close to getting it just yet.]

It's impossible.


[Kaneda, have you ever considered that maybe because you're friends you wouldn't break he dating off...? DID YOU EVEN CONSIDER THAT.]

[matadorable]

That’s what I mean, though. Because they’re one of your best friends, you’ll want to be with them longer than a week.

[rassera]

But...

[Sorry, Manolo, this is just shattering everything he'd learned to accept back home.]

Friends aren't people you date....


Right?

[It's sad that this has to be explained, but he's not even being a smartass about this. He legitimately...didn't think this type of relationship could exist for someone like him. Maybe other people...maybe gentler people...


But not him.]

[matadorable]

...What? Why wouldn't they be? [Such a notion is the direct opposite of what Manolo had come to believe about love and romance, so it's an honest question. .]

[rassera]

That's just how it is, isn't it? That's...why they're different?

[Friends > Friends

Random person > Dump or Commit. There is no...crossing between.


Right?]

[matadorable]

It's not like that for me, but...I guess everyone has their own way. If you're feeling like a drifter who can't commit to anyone, though, I'm pretty sure that's your reason right there, amigo.

[rassera]

I...



I don't know, anymore.

[It's a soft admission, honestly. He's more confused than anything.]

I thought I knew and then--[He stops there.]

[matadorable]

Something happened?

[rassera]

[It's a small, almost humble nod, but here it is.]

[matadorable]

You found someone who's different. Is that it?

[rassera]

Yeah...


[There's no use hiding it now, when Manolo asks it like that.]

[matadorable]

[His face brightens.] That's good, though!