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video | un: vaquero

[It's very sad how proud he is that he's figured out his little phone, but that's just one part of modern society that he's got down pat. The other is one that's long overdue, because his shirt is still blood-stained, starting to tear at the seams, and no matter how he tries to save it, it's no use.]

Hello anyone who's listening. I have a little problem that could use solving and I have just enough money to make it worth someone's while. Maybe you can see, but I don't exactly have very nice clothes for these days, hoping that someone could take pity and show me what it is people wear.

[Normal people, not the kind who he's seen around.]

There's some cash in it for you. Maybe a good drink? Whatever you find best, but it only happens after you help me.

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Huh, yeah. We can talk about it on the way, if you'd like.

[ This should be interesting. And after looking up a clothing store they can hope to find Vasquez some new - and comfortable - garments, Baby is on his way, in his usual bright red Challenger, the car purring as he rolls to a stop in front of Vasquez' building, sending a text that he's here once he puts the car in park. ]

[Vasquez is smoking on the corner because honestly, when isn't he smoking, and when a car pulls up with someone inside that's texting him that he's there, he can't help his dubious look as he leans his elbows over the top of the car and leans down, studying it.]

Does everyone here have a fancy car? Are these really the new horses?

[If so, looks like he's very behind and he should start learning. Opening the door and getting in, he goes through the motions like he had with Reyes' car, though this one seems sleeker and different, not as old.]

Is there something enjoyable to the driving of something that isn't even alive?

[ Baby leans back in the driver's seat, looking at Vasquez in the eye for the first time, from over his sunglasses, a grin on his face. ]

They really are the new horses, but they're not all that fancy. I got lucky.

[ And he got really lucky with this one, he knows.

When Vasquez asks about what's enjoyable about it, Baby drops his hand to the gear shift, shrugging. ]

What's enjoyable about driving something that is alive? [ He pushes his sunglasses back up over his eyes. ] I really like the control. I love the feel of an engine purring under my feet. I love the freedom of being able to go wherever I want, whenever I want. Isn't it the same for you?

Edited (icon) 2017-10-17 10:33 (UTC)

[He likes the sunglasses, though, maybe he can find some way to buy something like that. He thinks it would help and he also thinks he would look very good in them. Not that he's going to say that out loud, it would sound very bad.]

Lucky, how? How can you be lucky with a car or a horse?

[He gets in, though, because Vasquez has never really ever thought twice about getting in strange cars with strangers, because he can handle himself, so why not? Sprawling in the passenger seat, he reaches out to press his fingertips to the dash, flicking his cigarette out the window.]

Control only happens when you get the right horse, otherwise, you're just a fool who thinks he has the right of it. I don't mind feeling in charge, though. Don't usually need a horse to do that, though.

[ Baby is all for sunglasses. He has a lot of pairs - too many, probably, for most people. But they're an essential part of his look, as well as necessary when driving, so what isn't there to like? ]

Because this car is fast, sleek, beautiful. I could have ended up with a clunker, or a car that's falling apart.

[ And there is nothing to fear from Baby. Vasquez would definitely win that fight. ]

See, you're always in charge with a car. Well, as long as it's not falling apart, I guess. And I've not had much control over my life before, besides the times where I am behind the wheel. That's when I get to make the decisions.

[ He gets them on the road, the car's onboard GPS beeping at him and telling him where to go. He isn't at the point where he knows Cadelle as well as he knew Atlanta. ]

At least no horse can be falling apart. At least, not like that.

[You can get bad horses, ones that are lame, but if you get a good one, then hold onto it through gambling and thieves, then you always get to have that by your side. Glancing to his driver companion, he shifts a little warily.]

You think you can control just because you make a few turns in a machine? Cabron, please. What happens if someone crashes into you, hmm? You can't control them.

[ But horses have a shorter lifespan. Baby doesn't say it, but it's no less true. Or, maybe horses live for a long time, but they're not at their prime forever.

It feels a bit like a circular, pointless argument, though, she he lets it go. And then smirks. ]

I have very fast reflexes. I've been driving since I was 10. I can't control other people on the road, sure, but I can control what I can do, and what the car I'm driving can do. If someone comes crashing towards me, I can avoid it.

[ Vasquez may not believe him, but it's been true, 99% of the time. That's a pretty solid track record. ]

Do you feel unsafe, right now?

In your car? We're going faster than I've ever gone before, but that's not very unsafe. [Well, it is, but he also has bad habits when it comes to his adrenaline and his tendency to ignore dangerous situations by heading into them, so maybe he's not a very good gauge of that sort of thing.]

Ten? That seems young. Wouldn't you be too short?

[The car seems like it would be difficult to see over, as Vasquez lets a sweeping glance slide over him.]

Did you have some kind of box?

[ A grin. ] There you go, that's the important thing. Trust me, I know what I'm doing.

[ In a lot of ways, he doesn't. But behind the wheel, Baby is the master of his own destiny.

Now, anyway. ]

Yeah, it's young. You're not supposed to start learning until you're 16. But I've not had a normal childhood. And I had a growth spurt early. But depending on the car, sometimes I used a box. Basically I've been driving since I could find a way to see over the dash.

It all seems very complicated.

[ The driving, he means, but it's also the future. The more he learns about the future, the more he doesn't understand it. After all, it's a lot that seems complicated and strange, and he's still struggling along to try and understand it. This is why he needs new clothes, after all. ]

Don't get me dead, this is all I care.

Well, if you ever feel like learning, I can help. This car actually uses a gear shift, but most cars in the US are automatic drives and easier to learn. Gear shift just gives you more control.

[ Baby keeps on driving, not going too fast, towards the downtown area of Cadelle and its shops. He laughs, nodding. ]

I can do that.

[ It's only ten minutes later that they're parked, and on their way to Cadelle's version of American Apparel, Baby would guess. ]

[Vasquez glances down at what he thinks must be the gearshaft, though he's still wary about it, because he's not entirely sure that he's right. It looks like what they're discussing, but he's not so sure he's ready to control such a beastly thing, at least, not yet.]

Maybe later, I'll learn. When I know more about the future.

[When he doesn't get overwhelmed by the strange things called technology and gets over how he's not allowed to use his guns.]

So, what is this, then? This clothes store place? It's as big as a town.

Whatever you want to know, you can ask. I won't have all the answers, but I can help in other ways than just driving.

[ And Baby is very much looking to be doing good things, for other people. He's reminded every day that his reasons to be here are incredibly selfish, and he wants to atone.

He has much to atone for. ]

The whole thing is a mall - you're not wrong, there's probably more people here than in some towns. You can find clothes stores, and restaurants, and goods store and whatever you need, in one place. It's handy.

It's technology, this thing that is so confusing, this is where I need the most help.

[Everything changed so much and to Vasquez, it changed practically overnight. He's not sure that he knows how to navigate it or even what questions he has until he's so annoyed with something that he wants to break it, but he can admit that this is his problem.]

This is honestly bigger than most stores. How can this be necessary? How many people actually live in this city?

Like phone, and computers, the internet? You've managed well enough to send a video around, at least. And the thing about the internet is that, whatever you don't understand about it, you can ask it, and it'll explain.

[ What a wonderful invention it is. ]

This is what you get for living in a consumerist society. We want to own things, a lot, so there's a lot of demand, so stores get bigger, even when it's not necessary. C'mon, menswear is this way.

[ Baby started walking towards the clothes store and its menswear department - getting through this as fast as possible would only help Vasquez not have a panic attack. Hopefully. ]

Edited 2017-11-07 10:40 (UTC)

Someone showed me before how to make the phone work for me in Spanish, so I can ask it do things for me. With that, it's not so hard, but the other things? People talk of texts and apps and more things that I don't understand.

[He thinks that it could be useful, of course it could be, but right now, it frustrates him and half the time, he would rather just shoot it. Following after Baby, the awe is clear on his face, overwhelmed, though not disinterested.]

What else can you buy in a place like this?

[Apart from everything, from the looks of it.]

Texts are just messages you send from one phone to another. Or to the whole phone network, if you want. It's like the video you did, only written down. I'm sure you can get your phone to translate them to Spanish, too.

Apps are superfluous most of the time, if you're only using your phone to communicate with people.

[ Shrugging, Baby walks around, looking at the racks of clothes. He's probably going to miss a few things that Vasquez might say - with the people milling around, and the music in his ears, along with the music playing in the store, it's all a bit much. He starts tracking Vasquez' lips more, so as not to miss out on anything important. ]

Basically anything you might need. You just have to know where to look. Okay, so you need shirts, maybe a couple hoodies, or jackets, a few pairs of jeans. Do you know your size?

[He thinks that he just needs to make more Spanish speaking acquaintances, maybe then he can learn how all of this works and still get to speak his native tongue, or type with it. He thinks he's gotten the hang of the little keys, it's using English on them that's giving him some trouble.]

Shirt, yes, pants, too. I don't really know sizes. When I was younger, someone would come in and measure, then when I got older, you just take what you can and hope something fits.

[Which is why his current blood-stained shirt is two sizes too big, his pants maybe a shade too tight, but he thinks he makes it work for himself.]

Hmm.

[ Grabbing two pairs of jeans, Baby holds them to Vasquez. He's not exactly good at shopping himself, but his teenage years were nightmares, forcing him to shop regularly, when he was growing out of everything in mere months. Now, he just closed his eyes and hoped for the best. ]

Okay, hold these to your hips and see if they look like they'd fit you? If not we'll go up or down in size, get a few different ones for you to try on. Same with shirts, although they'll stretch more, at least.

[ Baby grabs a couple white t-shirts, just to gauge sizing. ]

I make for a terrible personal shopper, sorry.

[Vasquez takes hold of the jeans, rubbing his fingers over the denim and making a face when it's like nothing that he's used to. It's not as thick, feels much cheaper, but he thinks it'll have to do. He holds them up to his hips and shrugs, because they look like they fit.]

I don't think I'm very wide across in the hips anymore.

[Maybe before, he was, but now, he's fairly lean from the torso down, a straight line that's mostly lanky. He reaches out to take the shirts, grateful for the help.]

Trust me, I would have been bad on my own. Modern fabrics and fashions are still outside my expertise.

[ Sadly, the quality of denim is very different nowadays. ]

Well, I'm not really an expert but I mainly wear jeans and cotton shirts. Do you like color? I would keep things simple. maybe you can look at linen shirts, too, might be close to what you're used to.

[ Grabbing a bunch of shirts and jeans in different sizes, Baby motions towards the changing rooms with his chin. ]

Best way to go at it is try things on. Go on!

Burgundy, blacks, white. Simple colours work best, I think. Maybe even some dark blue?

[He knows that with his skin tone, these would be the ones that look the best, but as he takes hold of the clothes and drifts to the changing rooms, Vasquez is overwhelmed again by a wash of confusion, because this place is just strange as far as he's concerned.]

Do people always do this? Go in public, get naked in a stall, show off their clothes? When did this become a thing?

[ Baby chuckles, and shrugs. ]

Honestly, I don't know. I limit my shopping as much as I can, I hate it really. I just buy shirts in bulk and three pairs of the same jeans every time I have to go.

[ He looks over the stalls, gesturing to an empty one. ]

Nowadays I think people shop online more and more. But yeah, it's pretty much the standard, you gotta try on what you're going to buy before you do. You don't want to waste your money on stuff you're not going to wear.

Maybe I should just start buying my things in bulk.

[He won't, he's far too vain to actually do that because while he might put up a big show about not wanting to do any of this, he likes clothes too much to actually avoid getting to show off. Heading into one of the stalls, he closes the door behind him and starts to strip, cursing when his blood-stained shirt scrapes and makes him remember why he's doing this.]

I don't think I'm ready to shop online. I'm just getting used to phones.

[He steps out once he's in a t-shirt and jeans, feeling casual and like a slob. If his mother had seen him in this, he'd get a slap across the back of his head.]

So? What about this?

You'll get used to it soon enough. It's so easy.

[ When Vasquez comes out, Baby gives him a thumbs up - if any kind of clothing was to be considered a uniform, this is Baby's. ]

Looks good to me!

[ If Vasquez wants a Pretty Woman montage, Baby is not really the best audience for it. ]

Is this what you're looking for? Are you comfy?

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