maskormenacelogs | CATCH-ALL FOR SEPTEMBER

[With Minato gone, it's Jaime's job to act as Ken's guardian as well as he can. Sure, he's not Ken's legal guardian, but all of the teachers and parents at the school wound up getting to know him so much better than Minato that he may as well be his legal guardian, and he feels strongly that someone has to do it.

And that someone is, obviously, him. He lets Ken know ahead of time, knowing that he's out at soccer practice while Jaime does his rounds, notebook and pen in hand. He takes this sort of thing seriously, after all; he wants Ken's school experience to be the best that it can be!

Once he's finished, pinky finger stained with ink from the way his hand dragged against the paper as he wrote, he heads back out towards the field, yelling out,] Ken, are you still here? I'm all done now! You've got a big year ahead of you!

[Ken has no idea who his legal guardian is. He had asked Junpei to become his contact if he were in need of anything due to their proximity, what with the man working at his school now, but Kaneda looked out for him at home and Jaime trekked across state borders to come check on his other everyday activities like school. There were people around, and they were people Ken was more than happy to have in his life regularly like this.

He's giddier than usual during practice, knowing that sooner or later Jaime would finish his rounds of the classrooms and come meet him. He runs faster, kicks harder, sometimes forgets to hold back his power and ends up leaping over teammates. The boys take all this in good humor, though, and instead start kicking the ball higher just to make Ken jump after it. Maybe it'll tire the guy out, they say, knowing that it never does when Ken gets like this.

And when Jaime finally does arrive and call his name, Ken turns around like a spun top and throw his arm into the air in a big wave. He calls back a cheery "Over here!" while Noodle, a few feet away, starts yelling his own greeting and waving both his hands. ("My brother!" he yells in Spanish. "Come join us!") And Ken will turn to his two newest teammates -- two newest friends -- with a bright, sparkling grin and announce to them,] There's someone I want you to meet.

HOLA, NOODLE! [Jaime yells first, which is the first impression that the other two boys are going to have as Jaime comes charging across the field, evidently entirely without any sense of self-consciousness whatsoever. It's hard to feel self-conscious around a bunch of kids, who can feel self-consciousness like a sixth sense, but more importantly, Ken's team is full of a bunch of good, nice kids, and they get nothing but smiles and jokes from him in return. It's always a treat to see Ken just run and jump around and being happy, and he's going to be here to cheer on anyone who helps that cause.

He slows down to a jog as he approaches them, and gives Ken a wide smile, shaking the notebook in his direction.] Okay, but we're talking about the rest of the year later!

[He tucks the notebook underneath one arm and plants one hand on his hip, looking around.] You've made new friends already?

[It was really only a matter of time before Jaime ran into Pearl himself, as himself. His parents are both out of the house, but... well, Jaime's run out of food and he doesn't want to go to the grocery store, which means he just lets his own damn self inside, and raids the kitchen.

He doesn't do it without guilt, though, which means he's making enough for everyone, once they get home. All Pearl will know, however, is that there's a ruckus coming from the kitchen when nobody's supposed to be home! Why would that be?]

Edited 2016-09-08 18:42 (UTC)

[Kidou, for his part, has been meandering from player to player during practice, quietly handing out suggestions or observations as he sees fit. His attention is firmly fixed on the field, meaning that once Amada sees someone, he heads over quickly, watching this all play out. Once it's indicated he should stay, he's staying.

While Amada's enthusiasm get Kidou's direct attention, that's nothing compared to what's next. Matching that enthusiasm is this newcomer, who comes racing carefree across the field like he's on a mission. Kidou's eyebrows shoot up, and he looks to Gran with a questioning stare - do you know about this?- as they talk.

He recovers quickly enough, not showing any surprise or curiosity show by the time the man is looking around for what can only be him and Gran. To stand out, Kidou walks forward to make it , taking a slightly more formal approach than ... either of them so far. Whatever this is, he should aim to make a good impression.

To paint this picture, Kidou has a decently deep voice for a 14 year old, and in addition to a thick head of dreadlocks pulled back into a wild bottlebrush of a ponytail, seems to think that goggles and a cape are a necessary ensemble for soccer. Totally normal kid, right here.]

I'm Kidou Yuuto. It's good to meet you.

[Jaime had invited his Dad to meet him at work so they could head out afterwards together to... well, wherever they managed to get to, really. It's funny, between work and school and his other job, it almost feels as though he hasn't had the time to spend with his family in the way that he wants to. And how stupid is that? For all he knows, his parents will be ported out tomorrow, leaving only the shadow of their presence in their wake.

He needs to do better. It seemed easiest for Berto to just meet him at the garage, but even with the idea of spending more time with his family weighing heavily on his mind, his sense of responsibility overrides it. Which is why when he jogs out to meet his father outside of the garage, he's still in his uniform, the top long since peeled off and tied around his waist (which means his shirt is the one that's gotten all gross and stained, but whatever, it's hot), a wrench still in his hand.]

Dad! Sorry, can you wait just a --

JAIME, GO HOME! [Comes a bellow in Spanish from inside the garage -- his boss, of course.]

No! [Jaime bellows back, hands on his hips.] I'm almost done! Fifteen more minutes, and I'll be done, I swear!

[Then, more insistently:] JAIME, YOU IDIOT, GO HOME!

[But Jaime is a hard worker, and he knows that leaving a job undone will just bug him for the rest of the day, so he turns to his father and says,] I can't leave yet. [He presses his hands together as if in prayer, clasped against the wrench.] Fifteen more minutes and I'll be done, I swear. Can you wait?

[Or, of course, Berto could come inside too.]

[Gran had been more complimenting people on their form, saying exactly what he likes about their style of soccer while Kidou had opted on choosing how to improve. Together, they were the perfect constructive criticism team. And like Kidou, his attention is caught when he hears Ken's voice.

Bright green eyes settle on Jaime as he walks forth, noticing his carefree nature and how Ken's own behavior seems a little more flowing as well. As if he was just a friend who happened to be too old for their school. A lot like him and Hitomiko, in a way.

That glance from Kidou isn't ignored, turning almost on a dime to meet his at the exact same time. He had no idea--but he's soon to step out of the crowd, bright red hair almost too obviously separating him from the mix of blacks and browns, and with green seem almost gradiant, in that they start off dark at the edges and brighten up towards the center.

His voice is more mellow, soft enough that you could almost mistake it for whispering if the volume were any lower.]

It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Gran.

Are you a good friend of Ken-kun?

[Ken swats at the notebook Jaime waves at him. That's embarrassing. GOSH. But he's still giving him a grin as he says teasingly,] Only if you buy me dinner.

[As soon as Kidou and Gran break off from the rest of the team to come up to them, Ken steps to the side so he can look at both his older and newer friends. There's a radiance of something like pride coming off of him as he smiles at Kidou and Gran in turn, then raises a hand to gesture to them while facing his brother-figure.]

They're my new teammates. Gran, and Kidou-kun. They both got here through the Porter last month.

[Then, moving his arm across to gesture to Jaime,] This is Jaime-san. He's my friend, and he's been looking out for me since I arrived here last year. He's also the one that taught me how to properly play soccer.

[Jaime grins down at the two kids that ran up to join Ken, expression warm. He always likes meeting Ken's friends, mostly because that means that he's making friends. Them being imPorts doesn't have much relevance to their friendship with Ken, perhaps, but at the same time, he can't help but think that if that's the case, they could use someone to look out for them too.]

Hi, Kidou, Gran! It's nice to meet you! [He says, waving at them.] I am a good friend of Ken's, which means I'm always happy to meet his friends too. You two are imPorts, right?

[Well, that much had been obvious.]

Welcome to this world! And, I'm guessing, welcome to America too. I hope Ken's been doing a good job of showing you the ropes so far. And maybe showing you guys a move or two, 'cause he learned from the best.

[His dreams of being the cool soccer mentor are going to be crushed.]

[ One thing Commander taught him over the year is to look for loopholes and make note of weaknesses. It's always been good advice in theory when dealing with bureaucracy over ExTeam policy or a mission at hand. So far, not so much when dealing with the education and all of its red tape.

He's at his third college this week; Kyle's already given up on more traditional state universities because he doesn't have the prerequisites to even begin the process. He hoped that vocational schools would work a little better, but as he tries to finds his way to the admissions office, the librarian he's currently talking with doesn't look too pleased with his line of questioning. ]

There's not much we can do for you if you don't have a high school diploma—

I know, but I can't exactly start back in the seventh grade. What about uhm uhh a GED? Do you accept that, right?

[ With a sigh through her nose, the librarian asks him to wait a moment while she goes off, hopefully in search of someone with more information or a brochure on GED classes. Something! Anything! This leaves Kyle awkwardly standing there, drumming his fingers on the counter. ]

[Jaime hasn't seen a lot of Pablo, for being roommates. He knows he's home. He can hear the guy, the scraping of furniture as Pablo decides to move it again in -- what, a fit of pique? The scent of paints wafting out of his room, and, occasionally, something in the cupboard being a bit lighter on supply than usual. But Jaime doesn't talk to him much, and that seems wrong. If they're roommates, then can't they be friends, too?

At any rate, he wants to make sure that the guy isn't killing himself through malnutrition or anything, so he heads up to his room and knocks on the door, calling through the crack and sliver of light he can see.] Uh, Pablo? You're in there, right? I'm about to pick up some food -- you want any? I haven't, um, seen you in the kitchen lately.

[Are you eating?]

[ It's not that Pablo has been deliberately trying to anyone, let alone Jaime... but like Pablo had said to him the first time they met, living with other people? Just interacting with other people is something Pablo often seems to get slightly (or completely) wrong, so actually living with them -- under these kind of uninitiated circumstances, at least -- is something he has no idea how to go about appropriately. Better in that case, he thinks, to just stay as invisible as possible, even if he really wouldn't mind being friends with them. He'd like that a lot, actually, but isn't really sure the best way to go about it. Avoidance just seems simpler so as not to ruin what they do have, even if still isn't much.

However... it's true that his eating habits are sporadic at best, probably not helped much by the seclusion. At the moment when Jaime knocks, in fact, Pablo is lying down on the floor under his bed, trying to mentally overcome some mild dizziness and regain a sense of focus -- but then he turns his head to stare at the door. Is someone talking to him...? Pablo tries to sit up and hits his head on the bottom of the bed, before he remembers to roll over so he can crawl out from under it first. Using the bed to help him back up onto his feet, Pablo just stares at the door quietly for about a minute or two, then walks over to open it just enough to make sure there's really a person on the other side of it. ]

Oh, good -- that was you.

[ Relieved, he opens the door a bit wider so they can talk, reaching into his cardigan pocket to pull out and put on pair of glasses. He is actually a bit hungry, come to think of it; when was the last time he ate? Maybe that's why he's been dizzy. ]

Um, but... yeah, sure, actually. I'll come with you? [ That's okay, right...? ] Uh, were you thinking bodega or takeout?

[Jaime's wandering his way to the admissions office for a much more straightforward reason: he didn't get the credits out of a class that he already took, and all they need is for him to show them his transcript, they have to push a button, and presto! He cannot help but linger a little closer than he should, however, eavesdropping like the nosy sort of person he is.

Jaime's far, far too familiar with the needs for these sorts of things, especially after coaching so many imPorts through the process. He isn't aware that Kyle's another imPort, of course, but he's always willing to lend a helping hand. He edges a little closer, raising his hand a little as if trying to get permission to speak in class.]

Um... I couldn't help but overhear that you've been having problems with the whole diploma thing. There are ways around it, you know. Not that the people here are any good at telling you them.

[Jaime looks behind him for a second, then stares quizzically at Pablo.] Well, sure, I said it was. Who else would it be?

[It's not as if any of their other housemates would knock on his door, claiming to be someone else. He leans against the doorway, head tilting off to the side so he can rest against it, as if he'll simply fall to the floor without being propped up - leaning against things is, admittedly a bad habit of his - and says,] I hadn't really made up my mind yet. Bodega's cheaper. If that helps.

[Jaime usually goes for the cheapest option but, well... that's him. Maybe Pablo's TV show gig or whatever it is pays him a bit better. Show business should, right?]

Yeah, I'm starting to see that.[ Giving up his perch at the counter, Kyle decides his time might be better spent with someone who seems more willing to help rather than sigh at him. ] Are you a student here?

Yeah. Have been for, like, a year now. [Jaime leans against the counter himself, resting the heels of his palms on the edge of it, fingers drumming restlessly away.] So you don't have a diploma, right? How much school'd you finish before heading over here?

[ "Here" he assumes means this whole alternate 1950s-but-hey-fuck-the-Soviets-still America they are in currently. And even not, that still includes this very school as well. ]

Uhmm. Not a lot... I had to drop out at twelve. There were... [ An event of curious masturbation that ended up burning his foster parents' house down. ] problems that, you know, came up.

[ Yyyyeah. ]

[Kidou nods his acknowledgement - yes, he's an ImPort. The guess is completely accurate.

And Jaime continues, Kidou taking internal notes. This guy is friendly. As a friend of Ken, that doesn't surprise him. So far, everyone Ken knows that he's met has also been. They're new to America, too, and Amada has been invaluable in helping Kidou settle in. There's no need to compare their abilities, so he won't address that part.]

Yeah.

[To just about everything.]

Because I met Amada, I decided to transfer to Nonah. I can't deny that he's good.

[And has been a good friend to him. It's true that Kidou and Gran are better than him, but there could be a chance that Kidou would have something to learn from Amada. Other people's soccer could sometimes bring in fresh ideas, even if they have a long way to go.

Endou was like that, right? Maybe that could apply here.]

Oh. Then... I'm sorry to say it, man, but I'm not sure if a school's gonna be a great fit for you. Either you gotta catch up enough to take one of those entrance exams, or you can go for a whole apprenticeship kinda thing.

[He doesn't press as to why this guy had to drop out. People have their reasons. A bad home life, drugs, a lack of accessibility... the answers go on and on, and he doesn't want to pry, not into something that personal.]

Are you just interested in fixing cars up, or...?

Yyyeah, I kinda figured it wasn't gonna be easy... [ It's not like he's dumb, but there is plenty he certainly missed out on during his years of training and rescues. He certainly couldn't hold a competent conversation with someone about politics or history, unless it was the history of super heroes. Then he's a champ. ]

I don't really know, actually. [ Ha ha haaa sad laughter here. ] I've just been looking around at different schools to see if I can find any loopholes, or at least how to get my GED. I don't mind studying! Hell, I got all the time in the world now.

Well, if you're okay with studying up, then you can definitely make it work!

[He pauses, not sure whether or not he ought to be prying, even a little bit. But he doesn't seem to be too shy about sharing, Jaime figures, so he doesn't mind inquiring a little further.]

Did you just lose your job, or something...?

My—? Oh! The one the Porter gave me? No, but uhmm I'm only an intern there. So I got a lot of time to study. Figure I might as well get something out of being stuck here. Know what I mean?

I don't know -- that's why it's good?

[ Then Pablo shrugs, as if that explanation makes perfect sense, and nods his head, trying to calculate what he needs versus how much he ought to spend. True that maybe now he has a little more money to be flexible with, but he's spent enough time stretching dollars by necessity to break the habit now. Cheaply is just how Pablo prefers to live his life either way.

Anyway, it'll be good to get out for a bit -- maybe it'll help rekindle his inspiration, since at the moment Pablo feels like he's drawing a creative blank. Didn't he paint something nearby the bodega, too? Maybe, though he doesn't remember. Mostly, it might help to get out of this paint fume-filled room and get some food -- plus, he really doesn't hang out with any of his roommates very much (#whoops). ]

Yeah, I like the bodega. And it's the same kind of food I'd buy anyway, so, um-- it's no less convenient, especially now that I got a rice cooker. [ Just a little cheap one, plugged into an outlet in a relatively bare corner of the room. ] Uh, momento, I'll get my boots on.

Oh, you're an imPort!

[Jaime's face brightens up almost immediately. Sure, he likes those who were born here well enough - many of them are his casual friends, after all - but there's a certain connection that you get with other imPorts that you can't find anywhere else. It's that sort of immediate recognition that they're in the same boat as him, that they share the same experiences that are so outside of the purview of those living purely normal lives.]

Me too! [He holds up his wrist and cups his other hand over it so that he can see the faint glow coming off of the tattoo reading REGISTERED.] If that's the case, though, they'll definitely go easier on you. I've helped a couple of friends get their high school diplomas too, so I bet you I can help get you through it.

[He sticks out his hand.] I'm Jaime. Welcome to your new home.

[For however long he'll be here for, anyway.]

Thanks. [ He takes Jaime's hand in his, and it's obvious how hot it is for a brief handshake. ] Kyle. I'm extremely, horribly new.

Glad to know they give us a bit of lee way, though. [ Though, ha, it's the least they can do for getting them stuck in a whole other dimension. ]

CATCH-ALL FOR SEPTEMBER

FOR KEN & SAKKAS

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PEARLY!!

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FOR BERTO

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JAIME THE JAIMERIAN

4 PABLO

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I'm so sorry for delay!

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