biteouttagrimes | IC CONTACT

[It's not much longer after this incident that Kaneda steps outside, walking through the crowds of Nonah to blend himself in, whipping out his phone to contact Rick.

When the voicemail picks up...]

Oi, old man! Good news.

I returned it, and he didn't even shoot me. Guess you were right on that one.

[It's been a surprising day, believe him.]

Something's pissed that bastard off, though...

Edited 2015-10-23 00:02 (UTC)

[ Oh! Well that's good on both ends. See. They're capable of being civil and working out their differences. Sometimes. ]

Didn't think he would.

[ But there's a beat. A somewhat concerned beat. ]

Any idea what it is that's got him mad? Somethin' outside'a your relationship?

[Kaneda would put his entire not-so-legal paycheck on it being chalked up to Tetsuo's pride...but maybe Rick's got something here. Maybe...]

I don't know. I thought we were doing alright, you know? We sat in the same room, talking about something one day, the next, he literally throws me out.

The asshole's got a short fuse but...this isn't like how it normally is.

[Something's wrong, and he knows it.]

[ Rick trusts Kaneda's instinct when it comes to Tetsuo. He can read a lot about the kid himself, he can guess things and put together conclusions -- but it isn't like Kaneda. They were family. Family that got broken and twisted along the way, but it still doesn't erase what they are. ]

Maybe it's that guy you were talkin' about. The one with magic. The one you thought I was. You got any leads on who that is? Ain't Jonathan Crane, is it?

[ Rick doesn't know the man or his abilities besides being a piece of shit. But it would be convenient if the target of Rick's hatred happened to also be the man they were looking for. It'd be like killing two birds with one stone. ]

[Tetsuo was easy to read once you knew him for the length of time Kaneda did. A terrible liar, prideful, but honourable as long as you respected it in return. In some ways, Kaneda shared that, although the path they both decided to take was completely different. One destined for another life, he supposes.

But that makes him think, pausing on the other end of the feed. He couldn't rule out Crane, that's for sure.]

What do we know about the guy, other than he's decided to make Nonah his own little set of lab rats and has a habit of making people want to punch him in the face?

He's a therapist. Which is a joke of a profession to begin with. Specializes in gettin' in the heads of people and messin' them up.

He tried doin' it to my son before the Swear In. The guy has little to no regard for human life. He's dangerous. He's a menace. And he thrives on messin' things up for people. The only good solution for a guy like that is to put him down. Otherwise, he's gonna keep doin' what he's doin'.

[Kaneda rocks back on his heels behind the feed, thinking it over. Crane was no friend of Tetsuo's, that he knew for sure. But that just makes him think: Tetsuo had no idea what he was talking about when he mentioned the anon texter.

...

And Tetsuo wasn't a good liar.]

DAMMIT.

[There's the clang behind the feed--Kaneda's probably punched something out of frustration.]

Why didn't I think of that asshole?! He messed with him at the Swear-In too!

Even if it ain't him. We know it's a common enemy. We know he's a threat and he's gotta be taken care of.

He messed with my own. And I'm sure you feel the same way about it -- he's gotta pay.

[ 'My own.' It could just mean Carl. But oh how quickly Rick found himself adopting Tetsuo into his group mentality -- and by proxy, Kaneda as well. ]

[Rick may have meant Tetsuo, and possibly Kaneda in saying that, but it's something that goes right over his head. As far as he knows, Rick's just a guy with similar goals. The fact that an adult would even put him in that category...]

Was picking glass out of my side for a week thanks to that asshole.

[And Tetsuo, obviously, but he knows that doesn't need to be said.]

What's your plan for now?

Wait 'til he gets outta jail. Ain't much we can do when he's protected by bars and glass.

An' then I'll kill him.

[ That's the plan. Rick isn't going to mince words. He won't shy away from the fact that death is the punishment for fucking with his family. ]

Only problem with that is he might come back from what I'm told.

…

They come back?

[His eyes trail down, not that Rick can see, scuffing the ground with his boot idly.]

So even if we kill the assholes...they're just gonna pop up again like fuckin' daisies...

Sounds like it, unfortunately. And it ain't like they're comin' back dead either. A gunshot to the head would take 'em out for good if that was the case. But they all come back alive an' just like nothin' ever happened.

Makes it hard to find a permanent solution to the problem.

....

[So he could've actually killed Tetsuo back then, and it wouldn't have done anything. He would have been back eventually. A chill runs through his spine as he thinks this over. A bullet could have killed him back then, everything would have been over. But Kaneda chose him over the entire world that day, and for awhile, he wondered if he made the right choice.

But he knew now. Never before has he been so glad that he chose not to do something.

Sometimes that's the stronger option.]

So that's your plan? Kill him and then what, laugh at him when he comes back?

There's gotta be something.

Keep killin' him. Eventually, he's gotta stop comin' back, right?

[ But that doesn't seem like a very viable plan and Rick knows it. He sighs, long and suffering. ]

We'll find a way. A guy like that has to have some weakness -- some point we can get at him. If nothin' else, breaking his hands and cuttin' out his tongue would keep him from bein' able to talk to anyone or do anything. Just hope no healer would take pity on him.

Either that or you're gonna run out of bullets, old man.

[He doesn't have to say the flaws in that plan to Rick. A part of him knows that battle himself.]

You're not going about it the right way.

We just got to get creative, alright?

Edited 2015-11-10 20:32 (UTC)

Thinkin' outside the box, yeah? I'm open to ideas.

[ As long as they're shutting up Crane for good, or at least ensuring the safety of those they care about -- Rick is receptive to anything. ]

[Well now that he's on the spot, he turns silent, letting things mull over in his head.]

You take something from him.

[It's vague, but he continues.]

Something really important, like how he gets his sick kicks off us.

[Eyes, ears, memory...whatever he values most. Everyone values something.]

So it's up to us to find that somethin', huh? Far as I've seen from him, all he cares about is spreadin' fear and gettin' into people's heads.

And if he can't get what he wants, he's gonna just keep gettin' worse and worse 'til he gets a reaction.

...

Bullies are always like that.

[He hangs his head, trying to think.]

But underneath that, they're weak as hell.

Edited 2015-11-14 19:43 (UTC)

[ That's pretty damn insightful for a kid. And it's just a reminder to Rick that Kaneda does come from a pretty awful world -- a world where you had to fight to survive. ]

We'll find it. His weakness. We'll also find out what happened to Tetsuo that's got him angry like you said.

Want me to talk to him?

[Jumping from multiple orphanages, you got an idea of how things went. The new kids were new meat, and were always picked on. But once the new kids fought back? They were wimps.

He mulls it over in his head.]

See what you can sneak out of him, old man.

Don't mention me, though. If he asks, lie your ass off.

Ain't gonna lie to him.

[ Rick cautions. Not lying to Tetsuo and being completely honest is the groundwork that their whole relationship is built upon. ]

Won't bring you up, though. Won't say I'm askin' for you. But I ain't gonna lie and pretend like we don't talk. Ain't gonna lie and pretend like you ain't concerned about him if he asks. 'Cause he knows I'm straight with him, Kaneda.

An' if it comes from me, maybe he'll actually hear it.

[ Doubtful. Because Tetsuo is stubborn as hell. He'll pretend like he hasn't heard a damn thing. But that's all it is. Pretending. Because Rick knows deep down, the kid hears everything relating to Kaneda. ]

[Dammit. A part of him wishes that he could have the best of both, right now. Lying would be easier--if it didn't involve throwing out any and all trust Tetsuo had in a person. Not that the truth had any better outcome. The moment it's out that Rick's working WITH Kaneda, you might as well have signed off on the kid's trust anyway.

And were it Kaneda in Rick's position, he' be saying the same thing, wouldn't he...And deep down Kaneda knew that.]

Yeah.

[A soft 'you're right'. Even if he won't say those words.]

Just don't get yourself in a hole I have to get you out of, got it?

[ They do have an understanding of each other. But Rick is honored to get the chance to see both sides of the story -- to interact with the both of them. If one good thing happens during his time here, Rick hopes it's getting the chance to see Tetsuo and Kaneda make amends. Right now, that seems like an impossible goal. But Rick knows that while it is extremely difficult, it's not impossible. ]

Don't worry. 'm good 'bout clawin' my way up outta any holes I fall in on my own. I'll be in touch an' let you know if I get a name.

IC CONTACT

October 21st - voice

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