[ Mako finds herself in a cell (for the first time in her life) with Raleigh, and privately decides that this, like the others places they've been to, factors also as a part of the adventure. He's with her on every step of this journey, had been with her in Japan where she'd finally made her peace in the alley she had been trapped in, so many years ago. His hand had been warm and solid in hers, and he had been respectfully quiet when she'd set her ghosts to rest.
It was difficult, the act of letting go -- she had held on to her desire for vengeance for such a long time that putting it down had felt like a trial, unfamiliar and strange. He was with her, too, when she went back to the village and stood before her parents' graves. They are empty, she knows, but it's more of a symbolic gesture than anything else, and she's never been more grateful for him.
And then he takes her to his home, shows her the little things, the important things, and she squeezes his hand when she meets Mrs. Becket and his brother and pays her respects to the both of them. She'd sensed the bittersweetness of the moment, the pain that Raleigh still carries with him, and she lets him know, in not so many words, that he's not alone -- that she carries it with him, too. She learns about Jazmine and about hockey, played a game with him and spotted a few moose before they moved on from the home tour, and onto new territory.
She enjoys her time with him as they explore the States, check out baseball and she loves attending the game with him because of the palpable excitement of everyone present. That's when things get strange; when people start noticing who they are and where they're from -- Raleigh is more displeased about it than Mako is, who takes it in her stride and doesn't care for it, ignoring several that tossed sensationalist speculations on their relationship, as if their lives were meant for public consumption.
Mako's no stranger to this, not when she had been the face of Tokyo's devastation for the longest time -- but Pentecost had always been there to guard her against it, blocking journalist access to her, and it strikes her with a certain sense of bittersweetness that he isn't here anymore, that this would be something they had to deal with themselves. Sometimes they make a game out of it, but it loses its shine, and Mako does her best, puts herself in between the nosy reporters and Raleigh because she knows how he feels about them, how he hates them. He'd been mildly miffed when a quick trip to the convenience store turned out to be some strange photo op moment -- but things had come to a violent head when a pushy reporter says something offensive to Raleigh that Mako doesn't catch, and only notices when he's thrown the first punch. It's when the reporters friends come in that Mako wades into the fight without thinking, the two of them against six.
It was a reckless, hot-headed, ill-thought out mode of action; but it was exhilarating. Marshal Hansen would have harsh words for them when they eventually return, and Mako would make her apologies -- but she would do the same thing all over again if the chance came along.
After all, you pick a fight with one, you pick a fight with them both. The holding cell is temporary; they'd be out of there soon enough, but she supposes the time out's necessary, at the very least, to get Raleigh's temper under control. More importantly, though, how did the fight happen? ]
[It's... actually not Raleigh's first time behind bars. And if you like that kind of irony, he was last here for fighting as well. But he was also like fifteen and no one should've called the cops in the first place, but they did because Raleigh was taking on three people on his own, because they were bullying and he wasn't going to stand for that.
Yancy came to pick him up from holding and gave him such a verbal beating, Raleigh was still smarting from it a week later. He wasn't pissed that Raleigh was arrested, that was actually kind of funny, but more that he was picking fights and for fuck's sake, kid you can't take on the whole world by yourself. That's what you have me for. I'm your brother, you dumbass and God, come here, you haven't the faintest idea of how to cause actual damage to someone.
When Mako asks what happened, Raleigh... doesn't want to tell her. He looks away from her before he answers because he can't repeat it. It's not that he doesn't want to tell her, it's that he can't actually quote it back to her because it makes him so mad.
Ask him if they're dating, or in love or whatever. But don't ask him if he's fucking her, like she's a whore or something. Or his prize for saving the world.]
[ Because Raleigh doesn't randomly hit people unless they're really asking for it. For all of his quirks Raleigh has never been one to engage in active combat, never quite one to look for trouble when there isn't any. Even with Chuck, there had been a active catalyst, he'd been on the edge after the Drift, looking for any reason to jump into the fray and what happened was --
-- oh.
Mako idly scuffs her boot against the concrete floor, sensing the memories that flicker through Raleigh's mind, vague impressions of Yancy, of Raleigh's rebellious nature before he came to her matured, but still essentially the same. Three against one, then? Great odds, not unlike what they'd had earlier this evening, and the adrenaline rush of the fight slowly starts to ebb -- and with that, Stacker's reminder stands clearly in her mind; they might be compatible, but clearly, neither of them have a restraining effect on the other.
She contemplates that, on the likely reason why Raleigh lashed out the way he did, touches upon his blistering anger and she exhales, her hand seeking his to thread her fingers through. ]
[Shouldn't have, maybe but that doesn't change that he did and he'd do it again.
Raleigh squeezes her hand when she links their fingers, and still doesn't look at her directly for a few more moments. Stacker was right, that's true. They egg each other on, not in the same way that he and his brother did, that was giving each other shit. With Mako, it's like they believe in each other so much that they have no choice but to do better, to be better, to push harder. She wasn't experienced enough to reign in her memories during that first Drift but he wasn't experienced enough to help her either.]
[ ...Yes, well. She leans back against the wall and closes her eyes, relaxing against the cool stone. Mako doesn't judge, and isn't interested in condemning him -- Raleigh is hot-headed at the worst of times, his avid dislike for people clear for all to see, especially the journalists, the reporters, the ones who think they have a right to his -- their -- lives. ]
We should still see the Leaning Tower, when we get out. [ No use stewing over what's already done, Raleigh. They've got a crooked building to see, and hapless tourists to be bemused at. ]
[He's not stewing-- alright maybe he is. Because he's still mad at that guy, still doesn't feel like the fight is over but does he really know how to judge that, when to realize the fight is over and he's either won or lost? No, he doesn't think so. He thinks he just fights and fights and fights until something makes him stop sometimes.
[ Raleigh is Raleigh, to Mako. He comes with his flaws and gifts (and so much of the time, they're all jumbled, wonderfully complicated things), and Mako accepts them all because he'd done the same for her, because he fills an important place in her heart, she could never imagine what not having him with her would be like.
His hand is warm in hers, and she smiles at the thought of breakfast. ]
We'll be free soon. [ She points to the smallest changes in the sky in the little window of their holding cell. It's minor, the lightening of the dark skies, but it's slowly happening. ]
Look, the sun's rising. [ Mako muses. ] Our first sunrise in a police station. [ That ought to be in a record somewhere. ]
[Mako Mori doesn't have flaws if you ask him. And yes, he knows how that sounds. Right now, she's getting him to relax and forget his anger and that's such a wonderful thing to do.]
Too bad we don't have a camera. How pissed do you think Hansen is?
[ ...Raleigh, you have it so bad, baby. But at least he's relaxing and not quite about to pick a fight with the next person who so much as breathes in his general direction, and that's wonderful, indeed.
She closes her eyes, wonders if it's proper to take a quick nap. ]
Very. [ She looks chagrined. ] It must be very late, where he is. [ Timezones, all that, and she's sorry he had to wake up for this; if he'd been asleep. ]
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It was difficult, the act of letting go -- she had held on to her desire for vengeance for such a long time that putting it down had felt like a trial, unfamiliar and strange. He was with her, too, when she went back to the village and stood before her parents' graves. They are empty, she knows, but it's more of a symbolic gesture than anything else, and she's never been more grateful for him.
And then he takes her to his home, shows her the little things, the important things, and she squeezes his hand when she meets Mrs. Becket and his brother and pays her respects to the both of them. She'd sensed the bittersweetness of the moment, the pain that Raleigh still carries with him, and she lets him know, in not so many words, that he's not alone -- that she carries it with him, too. She learns about Jazmine and about hockey, played a game with him and spotted a few moose before they moved on from the home tour, and onto new territory.
She enjoys her time with him as they explore the States, check out baseball and she loves attending the game with him because of the palpable excitement of everyone present. That's when things get strange; when people start noticing who they are and where they're from -- Raleigh is more displeased about it than Mako is, who takes it in her stride and doesn't care for it, ignoring several that tossed sensationalist speculations on their relationship, as if their lives were meant for public consumption.
Mako's no stranger to this, not when she had been the face of Tokyo's devastation for the longest time -- but Pentecost had always been there to guard her against it, blocking journalist access to her, and it strikes her with a certain sense of bittersweetness that he isn't here anymore, that this would be something they had to deal with themselves. Sometimes they make a game out of it, but it loses its shine, and Mako does her best, puts herself in between the nosy reporters and Raleigh because she knows how he feels about them, how he hates them. He'd been mildly miffed when a quick trip to the convenience store turned out to be some strange photo op moment -- but things had come to a violent head when a pushy reporter says something offensive to Raleigh that Mako doesn't catch, and only notices when he's thrown the first punch. It's when the reporters friends come in that Mako wades into the fight without thinking, the two of them against six.
It was a reckless, hot-headed, ill-thought out mode of action; but it was exhilarating. Marshal Hansen would have harsh words for them when they eventually return, and Mako would make her apologies -- but she would do the same thing all over again if the chance came along.
After all, you pick a fight with one, you pick a fight with them both. The holding cell is temporary; they'd be out of there soon enough, but she supposes the time out's necessary, at the very least, to get Raleigh's temper under control. More importantly, though, how did the fight happen? ]
...Why did you punch him?
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Yancy came to pick him up from holding and gave him such a verbal beating, Raleigh was still smarting from it a week later. He wasn't pissed that Raleigh was arrested, that was actually kind of funny, but more that he was picking fights and for fuck's sake, kid you can't take on the whole world by yourself. That's what you have me for. I'm your brother, you dumbass and God, come here, you haven't the faintest idea of how to cause actual damage to someone.
When Mako asks what happened, Raleigh... doesn't want to tell her. He looks away from her before he answers because he can't repeat it. It's not that he doesn't want to tell her, it's that he can't actually quote it back to her because it makes him so mad.
Ask him if they're dating, or in love or whatever. But don't ask him if he's fucking her, like she's a whore or something. Or his prize for saving the world.]
He said something stupid.
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[ Because Raleigh doesn't randomly hit people unless they're really asking for it. For all of his quirks Raleigh has never been one to engage in active combat, never quite one to look for trouble when there isn't any. Even with Chuck, there had been a active catalyst, he'd been on the edge after the Drift, looking for any reason to jump into the fray and what happened was --
-- oh.
Mako idly scuffs her boot against the concrete floor, sensing the memories that flicker through Raleigh's mind, vague impressions of Yancy, of Raleigh's rebellious nature before he came to her matured, but still essentially the same. Three against one, then? Great odds, not unlike what they'd had earlier this evening, and the adrenaline rush of the fight slowly starts to ebb -- and with that, Stacker's reminder stands clearly in her mind; they might be compatible, but clearly, neither of them have a restraining effect on the other.
She contemplates that, on the likely reason why Raleigh lashed out the way he did, touches upon his blistering anger and she exhales, her hand seeking his to thread her fingers through. ]
...You shouldn't have, Raleigh.
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Raleigh squeezes her hand when she links their fingers, and still doesn't look at her directly for a few more moments. Stacker was right, that's true. They egg each other on, not in the same way that he and his brother did, that was giving each other shit. With Mako, it's like they believe in each other so much that they have no choice but to do better, to be better, to push harder. She wasn't experienced enough to reign in her memories during that first Drift but he wasn't experienced enough to help her either.]
He deserved it anyway. He's such a creep.
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We should still see the Leaning Tower, when we get out. [ No use stewing over what's already done, Raleigh. They've got a crooked building to see, and hapless tourists to be bemused at. ]
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Raleigh lets out a slow breath and nods.]
And get some pizza, I'm starving.
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His hand is warm in hers, and she smiles at the thought of breakfast. ]
We'll be free soon. [ She points to the smallest changes in the sky in the little window of their holding cell. It's minor, the lightening of the dark skies, but it's slowly happening. ]
Look, the sun's rising. [ Mako muses. ] Our first sunrise in a police station. [ That ought to be in a record somewhere. ]
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Too bad we don't have a camera. How pissed do you think Hansen is?
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She closes her eyes, wonders if it's proper to take a quick nap. ]
Very. [ She looks chagrined. ] It must be very late, where he is. [ Timezones, all that, and she's sorry he had to wake up for this; if he'd been asleep. ]