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[rassera]

"Oi, it's me. Leave something here, would ya?"

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audio

[stealwithit]

[ Ring ring, kiddo. ]

audio

[rassera]

[It doesn't take him long to pick up--he's already got his phone next to him as he sits up on his bed.]

Talk to me.

[He has no idea who it is, but what's a hello between friends?]

[stealwithit]

I see you've been having fun around town, Kaneda.

[ oh shit she un-honorific'd you, son. you're in trouble. ]

[rassera]

K-Kasumi!!

[He sits up, almost immediately, the action getting Capsules attention and giving a bark just to...bark. HIS OWNER IS EXCITED THAT MEANS BARK TIME!]

Capsule no no...it's okay..shhh.


Uh...

[He leans closer to the phone.]

You saw that, huh? [He notices the lack of honorific, but...no sense in jumping to conclusions, right? ....Right?]

[stealwithit]

[ Now imagine Kasumi gingerly scrolling through the network while relaxing somewhere in Japan, only to find a video of Kaneda goddamn getting into an accident.

She might have dropped a cup of sake or something.

When she responds, her voice is veiled with something--there's more vitriol than usual, although it doesn't completely betray the customary playfulness in her tone. ]

You know, there's a reason they have speed limits. And why they tell you not to use your phone while driving.

[ A beat. ] What were you thinking?

[rassera]

[What are you his mom no wait please don't be his mom that makes this awkward and Freudian.

So she did see it, a bit of breath escaping when she clarifies that. Despite it being Kasumi, there's an equally-playful eyeroll behind that audio. Speed limits can bite him for all he cares.]

I had a reason, you know.

[stealwithit]

[ That much she figured. She'd caught a glimpse of Tetsuo on the feed, and put two and two together. ]

I know you did. [ she sighs. ] Are you alright now?

[rassera]

It's nothing, don't worry.

[A couple of bruises, maybe road rash...but nothing broken. Seriously, Kaneda, your power is on 24/7 and you're damn lucky it does.]

...Wait.

You were worried???

[Can he hide that excitement? He can't.]

[stealwithit]

[ Where are your priorities! ]

...Why wouldn't I be?

[rassera]

[LOOK.]

Well I mean...

...

Okay, you got me there. Still, it's nice to hear.

[stealwithit]

[ She gives a soft laugh. ]

Well, enjoy the feeling.

By the way, I'm not convinced that "it's nothing." That looked like a pretty rough ride.

[rassera]

[He laughs back.]

Every moment.

...

[But his tone lowers, more calm and serious.]

Charlie and Ken made sure. I'm sore, but...nothing the hospital can put on a chart.

[Some bruises but...let's be real those are pretty much always on Kaneda nowadays.]

[stealwithit]

[ Hearing that Charlie and Ken took care of him gives her some relief, at least, so at length she just sighs. ]

And are you going to take it easy until you're all good?

[rassera]

[A tad bit of silence on his end.]

That depends on what you call 'easy.'

[stealwithit]

Hmm. How about...

Staying put at home, first off. Curl up with a good movie. Charlie knows a lot you'd probably like. Play video games with Ken. Or play with the million animals you guys have on that ark of yours. Throw eggs back at James' window.

[ i.e., literally anything other than instigating a police chase. ]

[rassera]

[There's a soft 'poof' as Kaneda leans, falling back against his pillow and staring at the ceiling. It's a lot more difficult than Kasumi's saying--Kaneda never really 'wound down' after something.]

I have Capsule.

[And with Tetsuo running and wreaking havoc everywhere, staying still wasn't an option.]

...What about sleepovers, huh? That...'easy' enough?

[stealwithit]

[ Where Kasumi's roguish nature comes through is in the way she would suggest letting any of the million other heroes around deal with stopping Tetsuo; but she's figured that Kaneda's not that kind of guy. ]

Sleepovers are totally fine. That sounds fun, even.

You could have a wild rager with your teenage friends while-- [ while your dads are out on a date ] while the others are out grabbing groceries.

[rassera]

[You thought right, Kasumi. If there's one thing Kaneda can do, it's take responsibility for things.

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

Words all to familiar to him now, looking back.]

So you're suggesting...a party?

[stealwithit]

I do believe I'm suggesting a party, yes.

[ You can practically hear the teasing smirk in her voice. ]

Or something more low-key, like another movie night. Maybe with less pissing Ken off or tossing Peter around the room.

[rassera]

Peter wasn't my fault.

[Just pointing that out. For future reference.]

I just...I should be still out there.

[stealwithit]

[ There's a little bit of a pause on her end as she tries to think of what to say. What can she say, and how could she possibly help from the other side of the world? She knows that if she were in that position, she'd probably be trying to get out and do something, too. ]

I know. You're worried about Tetsuo-kun, right? He's one of your own and he could be in trouble.

[ A beat. ] Why don't you try asking Bull and Charlie to help you? I'm sure they'd rather do that than have you run around at night on your own. Nonah and Heropa aren't too bad, but some of the other Porter cities are less... friendly.

[ Maurtia Falls, for instance. Kasumi knows (very intimately) from her near-nightly illegal vigilantism/Robin Hood-ing that place could be bad news. Especially considering what's gone on in the last few months. ]

Or if you need someone to look around Maurtia Falls with you, you could wait until I get back.

[ And no, Kaneda, she is not asking you out on a date. ]

[rassera]

More like he's causing trouble.

[His voice is curt, his accent curling into those words at that part.]

Bull's on the look out for him, but--

[His brows furrow at mentioning Maurita Falls. Kasumi might not have meant it, but there's a little bit of hurt pride there.]

I grew up in Neo Tokyo, you know. Dangerous cities are all I know. It's the friendly ones that I don't trust.

[But at the mention of her joining him...his voice perks up. Almost immediately.]

.....I could wait.

[stealwithit]

[ She hadn't meant it, of course; Kasumi has no real way to compare Neo Tokyo to any places she's been in, or to Maurtia Falls. Though she understands the meaning in his words, she'd rather be around if he's going to be snooping around there. ]

Good, then. I'll be away for a few more days. After that, I'm all yours.

[ Again, not... in the way that sounds. ]

[rassera]

[Oh Kasumi, you're too good, even if he doesn't know it.]

Say that aga--wait, where are you even?

[Whew, dodged that bullet, Kasumi.]

[stealwithit]

Me? Oh, I'm in Japan right now.

[ Just, you know. Said casually. No big deal. Just being a jet-setter. Whatever. ]