maskormenace | Capsule 006 💊 (Video) [Locked from Tetsuo]

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Capsule 006 💊 (Video) [Locked from Tetsuo]

[It's late at night, well past 11pm when the feed clicks on. At first it doesn't look like anything, a bunch of blackness with one bright light in the distance. It looks like a lamppost...or what's left of one. It seems to have been literally broken in half by impact alone, the metal completely snapped instead of bent, the upper half lying on the sidewalk and facing up. Sparks fly from the base of it, the cord obviously cut there when it was snapped. Whatever hit it...well, it had to be going at an incredible speed.

But the feed turns, towards a closer, brighter lamppost that seems to be intact, Kaneda sitting in front of it on the sidewalk.

Well, you look like you've seen better days, buddy.

He doesn't say anything at first, more so trying to catch his breath as a hand reaches up to his head. Face contorting into a wince as his fingers rake through his hair. When his gloved hand comes out, he looks at it as if he just found a gross bug.

Blood. Even better.]

Dammit.

[Whatever mirth he had in his voice earlier that night from the comm is gone, and the glitter in his eyes is lost. Oh yeah, he was recording, wasn't he. Those eyes turn towards the screen, away from the broken lamppost that he was seemingly fixated on. His voice is low, and some of his words are a little slurred as he tries to make a coherent sentence.]

Don't care who it is, but I need a healer. Or a way back.

[He's not too far from the house, but walking is just not happening.]

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Why do you think I'm yelling? Keeps 'em awake.

[And while Ken starts to do his thing, Bull starts prowling. As much as anyone his size can. He wants to be damn sure whatever was around isn't anymore. And if it is...]

[He'll handle it.]

[And that's how Ken's Persona almost gets smashed with the hammer.]

What the fuck--! What is that!

[Kaneda's fingers rake through Koromaru's fur, as if that was what was keeping him grounded as the other two approach.

Ken slides off, and his eyes trail that before immediately switching to Bull stomping around like the animal he resembled. His attention seems all over the place, only petting Koromaru as his constant.

But Kala-Nemi appears, and his gaze looks up...and up. Remembering just how MASSIVE she was, before looking back own to Bull.]

His thing...you know.

[Cue the gesture of the gun to the head and 'pew!'--]

Ow. [Moving his head like that was NOT going to happen again.]

Persona. You saw it before, didn't you -- she changed. She got bigger.

[Maybe you should've watched Dipper's Pokemon, Bull! Then you'll know!]

I can use healing magic. It's the same one I used for Kasumi-san and Glitch-san when they got hurt, too, but it's more powerful now. Kaneda-san... you should be able to walk, at least, but you should let Mr Bull carry you.

... Sure. Bigger.

[But he still looks Super Mega Unsure about this, and keeps the hammer at the ready. Albeit ready in one hand when Ken tells Kaneda he can move.]

What happened here?

[The pain in Kaneda's head is dissipating fast, and he feels a little better than he did earlier. The pain from his shoulders is gone at least. He tries to stand up, his legs wanting to make the effort, but the vertigo is another battle entirely.]

Ugh.

[Sitting back down now.]

Tetsuo.

[Ken's already tucked his gun into its holster, ducking under Kaneda's arm to help him sit up at least. With the boy's attention so completely on him, so is Kala-Nemi's.]

He broke a streetlamp with you. How are you alive?

He did this? That... [And here Bull's voice trails off into angry muttering, punctuated by frequent uses of the word saarebas and--] asshole!

Where'd he go? I'll kick his ass so hard, he tastes leather.

[Kaneda uses this time to try and stand up--the healing spell helped a lot--the immediate pain in his head was gone, at least. But vertigo was still a thing as he tries to get his feet under him.]

Didn't really check--too busy getting to know the lamppost a little bit better.

[It's frustrated, as he tries to smooth out his hair--a.k.a. messing it up just the right way.

He looks to Ken.]

I'm not sure either. I mean...I snapped that thing.

Edited 2015-11-12 05:16 (UTC)

[It's why Ken's beneath your arm, brother. He ignores the smell of blood as he wraps one arm around and behind Kaneda, helping him get up and letting him lean his weight down on him if he must. Koromaru wuffs lowly and dashes around them and Bull's legs, alert and excited and wary.]

If we need to, Koromaru will be able to smell him down... but we need to get Kaneda-san home first.

... Right.

[Right, he has a more pressing concern than kicking someone's ass right now. Namely reaching out to take Kaneda's shoulder away from Ken. Not that he doesn't think the kid can handle it, but... that's why he's here, isn't it? The muscle.]

Home. Then I'm beating his scrawny ass into the pavement.

I can walk. I have to.

[He looks at Ken and then Bull, the spark in his eyes suddenly alive again. Because this was about more than just getting back to the house, home as they called it, even if he still didn't quite believe that, himself. He had to do it on his feet. He wouldn't mind the support in case his footing was lost, but he had to walk at least somewhat.

His pride needed that.]

Don't send Koro alone.

[Because as good of a fighter as Koromaru is...he doesn't trust anything canine around him just yet. Or ever.]

... I'm not sending Koromaru anywhere.

[Ken trusted Koromaru. And he tried to trust Tetsuo. But not Tetsuo with Koromaru; his fingers still ached, a reminder of what that guy is capable of.]

Mr Bull, can you help him stay up, then? His other side...

No one's going anywhere alone. Not anymore. I'm done giving that asshole opportunities. No more fucking second chances.

[He'll step to Kaneda's other side, though, looping a huge arm around the smaller shoulders. Bracing him.]

[While he seethes.]

He's done.

[Kaneda hears that and those eyes shoot open wide, gripping his hand on Ken all the more tighter as he looks at Bull. You'd think Bull had threatened to cancel his birthday party, with how quickly he turns, stumbling on his feet to get his balance.]

No.

[A hand goes to his head, still feeling the slight tinge of pain from the impact, but he keeps talking.]

I'm JUST as registered as you are in this shithole, and I say he's not done!

[Bull had every reason to be pissed about this, certainly. But Kaneda's also got his reasons. The minute they give up on Tetsuo for even a second, that kid is proven right.]

[Ken's expression hardens at Bull's rage too. Ken's not happy; nobody is, after all. Kaneda certainly could have died tonight, and it's objectively unforgivable what Tetsuo has been doing. If it were any other sort of door, Ken could've lost his fingers, and he doesn't think even his healing could've fixed that. One day, something irreversible might happen. It's more than likely.

But he holds tight to Kaneda so he doesn't fall over and shakes his head at Bull, too.]

What Tetsuo-san's doing is wrong. But the way he is now, doing something like that will make him more dangerous.

[Iron Bull's knuckles pop. They crackle, they creak. He's holding so tightly to his own fist the bones are protesting. This is so wrong. How can they possibly forgive this? Or reason through this? That fucking saarebas asshole deserves a beating. No one hurts his people like this. Not even more of his people.]

[If he can't fucking keep them safe from each other, how is he supposed to keep them safe from anything else?]

[He hears Varric's voice, suddenly, in his head, unwillingly.]

[Why go with iron? Iron is brittle.]

[Iron is brittle. It cracks under too much pressure.]

Let's go.

[He flattens his voice. His expression closed. Shoving everything under the mental rug. Now is not the time. These aren't the Chargers. Nothing is ever going to replace the Chargers.]

[No matter what he does.]

[Ken, both literally and metaphorically, was now his left hand man in this, and he needed that support now more than ever as his eyes gaze down Bull, watching as there's a crack in the iron armour. His grip on the kid tightens, both because he's starting to walk, and because he wants to make sure he has something keeping him grounded. Mentally.

It's worse because he knows. He knows, Bull. Yamagata's death still stung in his heart because of this same reason. Tetsuo had killed Yamagata beyond all recognition, nothing left of him but a police record and a body bag.

No one hurts his people, not even more of his people.

But that also included himself to Tetsuo.

He can't lose him too.]

Stubborn bastard...

You had me guard your ass at the Swear-In, right? So trust me on this, too.

[It's a lot to ask, given with what a grip he's had on Tetsuo so far. But he's the one who brought Tetsuo home after the Swear-In, he's the one who raced across America to find him. He's the one who went into a trap to give him medication.

You're the only one who can do this, Kaneda-san.

Ken's note repeats in his head as he starts to walk, his feet a little unsteady, but just as confident, as if he was leading a victory march.

Even when he'd just gotten beaten to all hell, he had his pride.]

Edited 2015-11-13 07:41 (UTC)

[The Iron Bull's hand is around Kaneda's shoulders, and Ken's arm is around his back, little body pressed to his side. He's pulled close, and he's close enough to feel the tension in that large hand above him. Silently, he reaches up with his free hand, pressing a small, splinted hand against Bull's creaking knuckles. The look on his face is grim, but like with Kaneda, there's a firm, determined look to it.]

Tetsuo-san is Kaneda-san's mess to clean up, [he says with absolutely no malicious intent. He stands by what he wrote in that note, and more than that, he knows that Kaneda wouldn't allow anybody else to lay a finger on Tetsuo. Nothing Bull, Charlie, or he could say -- nothing anybody could say -- will change Kaneda's mind. Then there was only one thing for him to do: support him. Sometimes, you just have to watch someone's retreating back.]

Don't worry. If nothing else, Kaneda-san's good at surviving, isn't he? And so are we. He can't keep himself out of trouble anyway, so we can keep an eye on him like this.

This isn't about trust.

[Because that part hasn't been lost. Kaneda isn't the one who's fucked up here. Kaneda didn't throw someone across a street into a light post. Kaneda didn't pose a threat to his people by throwing temper-tantrums he can't smack down.]

[If it gets in my head, how do I cut it out? - How the fuck do I fight something I can't hit? - Tama -]

[When you can't use force, what else is he supposed to do? How do you fight something you can't touch?]

That's where you're both wrong. This is no one person's crap to clean anymore.

[I tugged on the tangle - Yeah, no shit. Cole would be nice right about now. Because this is one fine tangle he's worked his way into. Even if he doesn't push it right now, he can't... leave this. He won't push. Not now. There's too much to untangle, to use the spirit-kid's words.]

[He stands there, with Ken, staring after the kid for a long while. What the fuck does he do.]

Take him home.

I. I've got to do something.

[He feels the large hand remove itself from his shoulder, blinking a few times to focus his eyesight as Bull starts to walk away from them. He wants to step out to stop him, to tell him to just wait one goddamn minute. But his equilibrium's thrown off, and with Ken's support needed physically, all he can do is lean forward, one foot placed out in front.

'This is no one person's crap to clean anymore.'

But it -should- be. Tetsuo had always been his responsibility, and that was no different now. It shows in the way his brows furrow, ready to argue that point until his voice became hoarse.

'Tetsuo's our friend, not yours. If someone's gonna kill him it's gonna be us!'

Words that still rang fresh in his mind. Words he wants to say right now, if he could find the energy to spit them out. So when Bull says that, he doesn't answer right then, not until he's pulled away and started getting distance from them.]

Yeah? What's that?

Ah--

[Ken squeezes Bull's hand one more time before he has to make a dive for it, gripping Kaneda around his middle with all his strength, trying not to let his larger bulk and heavier weight push them both down. Fortunately, Ken's used to carrying weight; his steel and wood spear is no light weapon, and he has more muscle than most kids his age. He braces his legs and pushes the older boy back up, using his entire back to support him until he's steady again.

But his eyes are on Bull, and for one flash of a moment, the tough resolve he showed in the face of Kaneda's crumbles and he looks uncertain, lost, and almost scared. Almost as appropriate for his age as those rare big smiles.]

Mr Bull! [he blurts out before he can stop himself. Even if he accepted the deaths of his friends, even if he knows death is impermanent here, even then, the tightness in his chest that comes from someone walking off into something uncertain is painful.] You'll-- you're coming back, right?

Personal crap!

[He doesn't like to turn his back. Or leave them here. But if he stays, the urge to pound Tetsuo into ground meat will get even worse. And he might not be able to hold himself back.]

[Because... he wants to. He wants to put that asshole's throat in his hands until he quits breathing for a while.]

[It won't help. He won't feel any better afterward, he knows that. But the brief mental image is temporarily satisfying. That's all, though. He knows it. And that's why he has to walk away. He has to go, now. Or else...]

[So for a minute, he doesn't look back. Not even when Ken calls out his name. Jaw tight and shoulders tensed.]

Yeah.

Just give me a minute.

[Ken's support means more to him now than he'll admit or show--because he knows they're the only two things standing in the way of Bull wrapping his fingers around Tetsuo's small but aggravating throat. Tension hangs in the air between them after Bull's words, his own head dipping slightly.]

Don't shut the door too hard when you get back, alright?

Some people actually wanna sleep.

[Because that's what Bull does to him, right? Lighten the mood a little with some line.]

C'mon Ken.

Ah-- yeah.

[Ken doesn't join in the banter. Even as he helps Kaneda move, he keeps glancing back toward Bull. He's kept his silence all month, keeping the things Tetsuo does to him silent, but no matter what he does, he can feel it coming.

Eventually, things will fall apart. And they will all lose a lot. His fingers curl in the fabric of Kaneda's shirt, betraying his anxiousness over their impending doom.

When it all comes crumbling down, what pieces will they be left with this time?]

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Capsule 006 💊 (Video) [Locked from Tetsuo]

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