oro en paz, fierro en guerra

Ricardo Vásquez. 25. Social worker. Tuner. Something's gotta give.

[tara-olsen]

@ricardo-vasquez

The last couple of months had been difficult, to say the least. Most days Tara felt she could stay above water but there were days when she felt like she was drowning again. Three things took her mind from her very fucked up existence when that happened. One was Richie. The second was alcohol. The third was going out with some idiot that would make her forget her problems and pay for her dinner. Number two was usually involved regardless the case, though.

“Richie! Open up” the girl called out as she knocked repeatedly on her friend’s door. “I come bearing gifts. Good ones!” she added and as soon as Ricardo opened the door, she rose the plastic bag she was holding. One bottle of whiskey and another of tequila. “And luckily for you, I’m in a sharing mood”.

[ricardo-vasquez]

Ricardo wakes up with a searing headache thumping his forehead. Ever since that fire, pieces of his memories have been resurfacing in a form of nightmarish visions. While it took its toll on him, Ricardo did not stop doing his job as a Tuner. Especially these days as lost souls roamed the street of Port Ashborne, he has been getting no rest. Hanging out with Tara was probably the only time he felt relatively sane. He crawls out of the couch he fell asleep in, picks up his phone and opens the door, unkempt and disheveled. “You do realize it’s...” he checks the time, “2 in the morning?” He rubs the sleep out of his eyes. “At this ungodly hour it’s not a gift. It’s the entrance fee.”  He gestures her into the apartment, leaving the door open. He goes hunting for a (relatively) clean shirt. 

[books-n-quotes]

I have a private theory…that there are no heroes and no monsters in this world. Only children should be allowed to use these words.

Alfred de Vigny, Stello (via books-n-quotes)

[ricardo-vasquez]

aidan-oxneil:

For a moment the man thought that Richie was going to turn him down judging by his facial expression, but then to his surprise he did accept Aidan’s proposal to chill at the pool. A small smile forms on his face that slowly grows by the second just thinking about them actually doing something aside from having lunch—and to think he has his coworker to thank for this opportunity. He bites his bottom lip once more when the man offers his phone over to him, so he quickly shoots himself a text through Richie’s phone. Of course, Aidan being Aidan he cannot let the opportunity go by without making some kind of Aidan-esque comment. “I’ll text you the address soon. Just make sure you don’t just show up to the house in some skimpy trunks,” he starts off, then a little wink as he hands the man his phone back to him, “—Don’t want the neighbors to think that I have a call-boy coming over.”

Ricardo can’t help but curl up his lips into a smirk. That wink was so over the top. But because of the way Aidan smiles, he decides to spare Aidan yet another snarky comment.It resembles how a kid would grin on the ice cream line, something that pokes at his soft spot. It’s a foul, really. “Well, there goes my fashion statement.” He deadpans, putting his phone back where it came from. “Please. You couldn’t afford me even if you wanted to.” He counters with a dry joke. He skips the pleasantries as he leaves, offering only a curt wave as a goodbye.

After two showers and an iced coffee, his phone rings. Thirty minutes or so later, he is at the door of a house, pushing at the bell. Unlike Aidan’s joke, he isn’t wearing anything skimpy. As a courtesy, he brought a six pack but they grew lukewarm long before he reached the place. When the door opens, he raises the beers. “’sup.” He greets briskly. “I ain’t no call-boy but I’ve got beers.” 

[luz-natural]

[ricardo-vasquez]

aidan-oxneil:

The man nods when Richie starts spitting out some truth about his laundry schedule since there have been times that he would have to wash his clothes in the early morning—where other people his age would probably be off partying. “I actually know quite a few Liams and I had a crush on a dude named Declan back in Year 9.” Aidan is unsure if the man is trying to prove a point or just joking but either way he playfully rolls his eyes at Richie. For a moment he did forget just how hot it is outside until Richie mentioned it, which reminded him that he was headed somewhere before they ran into each other. “Yeah, I should probably head over to my coworker’s place to housesit,” he starts off, but then an idea struck him and he could not pass up the opportunity to actually hang out with the man. “My coworker has a private pool out back you’re welcome to come over—that is if you’re free.” Aidan bites down on his bottom lip as tries to get closer to the man. “If you drop call my phone I can text you the address.”

Ricardo wrinkles his nose, not knowing what to do with that information. “I kicked a dude named Declan in them nuts in sixth grade, fought few Liams in my life” he randomly reminisces, since that seems like what they are doing, “so I suppose there are two kinds of people.” He shrugs casually. He was gonna ask if Aidan wants to hang out another time, but apparently the man had another plan in mind. He raises his brow. He hums contemplatively. “A free private pool, or getting slowly cooked in my apartment. What a man to do.” He gestures his hands as if he was weighing the choices, though he has already decided in his mind. “Alright, sign me up. Just one tiny flaw in your planning,” he fishes out his phone from the pocket, unlocks and hands it to Aidan “don’t think I have your number.” 

[ricardo-vasquez]

aidan-oxneil:

There’s a smile that comes to his face when the man talks about getting blisters from being out in the sun too long. “Oh come now, that’s a narrow sort of thinking. I mean it might be true, but still.” The smile on his face recedes considerably when he realizes that the man is starting to laugh at his ridiculous antics, but then he gets out of his head and starts to join in with a small chuckle. A few beads of sweat breaks away from his hairline and race down his rosy cheeks until they completely drop off from his jaw. Aidan feels as if he is literally starting to melt away under the odd winter’s sun. “Oh fuck me.” he pauses for a moment to laugh at himself then continues, “so you don’t remember my name but you remember my candid remarks? I’ll chalk that one up as a victory.” The Mancunian wipes away some bullets of sweat with the back of his hand, before nodding at just how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other. “I guess our laundry schedule just hasn’t been matching up since that day I suppose. Oh, and it’s Aidan by the way. Some mates at work call me Danny from time to time…”

Ricardo shoots a look that unmistakably reads ‘Really? That’s What You’re Going With?’ “Just being real with you, man.” He soon relents and gives a shrug. “Candid is kinda stretching it, but I’ll let you have that.” He would apologize for not remembering the name-- and he got the first letter right-- but it wasn’t like they hung out after that coffee. He didn’t think it was a big deal. “To be fair, when you’re 20-something and working your ass off, your laundry schedule is sometimes 1 in the morning.” He wishes he was joking. But keeping his day job and being a Tuner don’t really give him much free time. “...nah, you don’t look like Danny to me. Liam or... Declan, maybe.” He says after a squint at Aidan’s face. “Anyway, I would love to catch up and shit, but anywhere else than under this scorching sun. I was out all day and sweaty as fuck.” He admits. Based on how gross he feels right now, he believes a shower is in order. “Would literally kill for some AC right about now.” 

[ricardo-vasquez]

aidan-oxneil:

With the weather starting to seemingly grow warmer by the second it comes to little surprise that everyone is out buying as much water as they can. It seems that almost all the stores in town are completely sold out of packaged water, and with him being a broke college student with a full-time job going several towns over for water is next to impossible. Aidan is on his way back to his apartment when he spotted a man he hasn’t seen since they went out for lunch several months prior. He was not going to really say anything but when the man makes up some kind of excuse as to why he’s sitting down on the curb, he is somehow compelled to speak up. “Guess now’s a better time than ever to keep up with one’s tanning, especially when it’s free.” Aidan leans up against the brick building, but immediately jerks back for a moment since he was not expecting it to be so hot for some reason. “Now that I think about it, my bum could use a proper tanning after this eerily short winter season,” he says more to himself than to Richie.

Ricardo frowns up at the guy, slowly recognizing the voice and the accent. He squeezes his memory to remember the name of the guy he met on a laundry day last year. “Yeah, who wouldn’t want blisters and skin cancer?” He laughs as the guy makes the mistake of leaning on to the building wall and jumps. He is not doing any better, though. He is basically getting roasted under the sun, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. “See, I remember your lack of filter when you say shits, but not your name.” He stands up and moves over to under the closest shadow. “Alex, was it? It’s been a while.” 

[tjevo9]

Visit Original Link

[ricardo-vasquez]

leon-castellano:

“Do you really want to find out?” he asks through gritted teeth. His fellow Tuner knew exactly what he had in his arsenal but he couldn’t use that right now. It was taking all his might not to break at least two bones in Ricardo’s face right now. The only thing steadying his fists down was the thought of Tasha, and the fact that provoking this asshole could mean he’d go after her and send her away. “Whatever” he dismissed his friend’s comment, not willing to admit that yes, he was putting quite a lot of faith in Tasha’s kind nature and that special strenght of hers to stay a ghost. “I don’t whine” Leon countered quickly. “And I’m not a romantic”. That last bit wasn’t a lie. This was the first life in which he felt these sort of emotions towards someone. If Vásquez could remember the past lives in which they had known each other, he would know the he never ventured into romance.

He shrugs, opening his arms invitingly. “Humor me.” He wouldn’t have poked the dragon awake had he not come prepared. He expected worse than some lukewarm, mild threats from Castellano. Perhaps this is the influence of Tasha, for better or worse. “Maybe you weren’t.” He points out without condescending smile this time. Capability to change is perhaps the strongest weapon humans carry. It’s what makes them brilliant. It’s what makes them dangerous. To him, knowing that is not the reason to give into the cynicism but the reason to fight for humanity. Sure, he doesn’t know what Leon sees in Tasha to blatantly disregard that possibility of change, but nothing is as intoxicating and unreasonable as love. And he doesn’t trust the judgment of romantics. “But you see, people change. As much as you’ve changed. As much as a nice ghost like Tasha can turn into a souleater. I just prepare for the worst.” He spins on his heel, waving goodbye to Leon as he has no further business here. 

[back-to-the-stars-again]

Per aspera ad astra

‘Through hardships, to the stars’ Latin Phrase (via back-to-the-stars-again)

[ricardo-vasquez]

leon-castellano:

Leon’s head just tilted a bit to the side, eyes darkened with anger. He didn’t say anything but it was clear what he meant. Don’t push me. Vásquez was a friend of his… sort of, but he wouldn’t stop to think whether or not he should crack Ricardo’s skull in half if he was pushed to that height of his anger. He was a little more than just annoyed, but he can appreciate that at least his fellow Tuner wasn’t hellbent on sending Tasha away. Apparently, he was only hellbent on mocking him for the emotional bond he had developped with the ghost. “She won’t become a phantom” he stated back a little confident on the matter. Tasha was strong, she wouldn’t corrode and become a phantom. Leon wouldn’t let that happen. “So that was it? You just showed up to express your good-natured concerns about Tasha and me?”.

Ricardo flashes his trademark smirk. “Cute. You got anything else than menacing glare in your arsenal?” He laughs but his eyes flicker with unbowed confidence. It would take a lot more than an angry Tuner to scare him. If Leon wants to charge at him, he wouldn’t back down. “In a perfect world, maybe. With the right circumstance, anyone can be a phantom. But I gotta say, faith is such a flattering color on you, my friend.” He remarks. He won’t be deluded by such fantasy, that there are people incapable of straying. And that is why he will always view ghosts as a liability. “Hey, I’m nothing without good-natured concerns.” He chuckles. “Jokes aside, I was simply being cautious, so that you wouldn’t whine when I talk to your girlfriend. And I was kinda curious. I’ve never pegged you for a romantist, so.” 

[ricardo-vasquez]

“...yet they say global warming is a scheme.“ Ricardo growls under the breath as he marches under the unforgiving sun. It’s fucking January, and the highest of today is over 100. Of course, the Tuner knows that this nightmare weather is not all about climate change. He can sense the twisted life-force in the heated air. It must be a phantom or a magic, and either way, it must be strong enough to cover the entire city. The problem is that the range is too wide and he can’t track down the source. “Fuck, I give up.“ He sighs out, exhausted from walking all over the city. He flops down on the curb. He will get some rest and go find somewhere with air conditioning. A minute or two later, he realizes there is a shade over him from someone standing in front. “Y’know I was just sunbathing.” He jokes wryly. 

[ricardo-vasquez]

leon-castellano:

Something inside him twisted as Ricardo spoke and it felt a hell of a lot like the urge to punch the guy’s teeth in. His expression hardened and his hands had tightened into fists before he could even think about doing that. The other Tuner had said that to provoke him, Leon knew that, and predictably he was reacting as was expected. “Man, you’re practically begging to get your ass handed to you” he spoke in low tone, the kind that came out nearly like a growl. “Don’t you dare make her leave, you hear me? Tasha leaves when she’s ready to leave”. Leon knew that eventually things would come to an end, but he wanted her to have the choice to ascend on her own terms, not when a Tuner forced her to. He let out a breath, trying to tame the anger that had so quickly boiled up inside him. “Just- Please, Ricardo” he said as his fists loosened “Just let her have that, alright? Let her have the chance to leave when she’s ready”.

Ricardo lets out a hearty laughter, opening his arms big with a careless shrug. “What can I say? Getting into trouble is my forte.” He then rolls his eyes with certain grandeur. “Beside, I kinda already know how to deal with your little trick, so... we’ll see about where my ass ends up, yeah?” Leon might be far superior when it comes to brawl and brawn, but he is also quite predictable. With Ricardo’s knack in calculating and predicting, he can at least drag it out without getting punched in the face. “Well, isn’t this adorable,” he drawls with a fake sweet smile. “I never said anything about exorcising her. She has an unfinished business here, I help her solve that, and she can move on in her own terms.” He clarifies, of course, only after Leon said please. “As long as she doesn’t turn herself into a phantom, I won’t force your Cariño to leave.”

[ricardo-vasquez]

leon-castellano:

Leon was two seconds away from getting defensive if Ricardo said the wrong thing about Tasha. And by ‘defensive’ he would actually be very aggressive if his fellow Tuner said or hinted in any way that he would do the Tuner-y thing and make Tasha ascend. “Good, because I wasn’t asking for a lecture” he retorted with a smile that was very much the ‘fuck off’ kind of smile “And what I do with her is really not your business, pal”. Frankly, it was too strange to have Vásquez inquire about his personal life, as if somehow that was a topic up for discussion between the two Tuners because Tasha was… well, a ghost. “Camarada, que te den” he answered to the blatan teasing, giving Ricardo a pat on the shoulder and giving the ‘fuck off’ smile a couple of extra notches.

Ricardo purses his lips. “Is that so? So you wouldn’t mind if I help her move on, would you? ‘cause, since whatever you’ve got going on with her, it’s not my problem.” He specifically said that to provoke Leon, to see what kind of reaction it draws. It was true, however, that he would probably help Tasha move on to the next life. Wandering ghosts are liability, especially in a city like Port Ashborne. They could turn into a phantom, or get eaten by one. Either way, it is for everyone’s best interest for her to move on. “Hey now, I may not speak fluent Spanish but I can see that it’s not very nice.” He turns on his teacher tone, even shoots Leon a fake disapproving look. 

[mckenzistuff]

[ricardo-vasquez]

tashaoneil:

His reaction was about what Tasha had expected when she realized that Leon’s name had fallen into the conversation. “He knows my brother, I was with Aidan when he saw me.” Tasha explained looking back at Ricardo. It was strange to here the other Turner’s take on Leon.  Tasha knew Leon could be ruthless she’d seen it with the Phantom. But with her, he was nothing but gentle. “I’m plenty self-aware.” She said with a nod of her head. “It’s my brother I’m sure or something to do with him at least. I was medium when I was alive, I think he might be too.” Tasha spoke with sadness laced with each word though her face didn’t falter. “But he won’t see me.” She said with a final sigh. 

“Ha, well, this is golden.” Ricardo barks out a short laughter. From the look she had when she talked about Leon, he doubts that they are just friends. Loving someone dead is a tale older than the history, perhaps, and he can’t blame them. Life ain’t kind and sometimes the timing is just bad. But he wouldn’t have expected Leon to take a part in one of those stories. “He won’t?” He notices that word. “So he might be a medium but doesn’t believe in ghosts and whatnot?” He asks to make sure. “Have you tried, I dunno, poltergeist his place? Running into Phantoms also works... any way to making him see? I can do that.” 

[ricardo-vasquez]

leon-castellano:

Anyone else would have shattered knuckles punching the way Leon had been doing with punching bag all afternoon. As he unwrapped the bandages from his hands they had small stains of blood on them but his knuckles were fine. Whatever damage he’d sustained the Tuner had already absorbed and turned it into new strength. Leon was the only person back there, or at least he was for a while until his fellow Tuner showed up. “Vásquez. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” he responded in a nonchalant manner. “What new friend?” he glanced up briefly, actually having no clue what the guy meant because he really wasn’t one to make friends. It hit him that maybe Ricardo didn’t actually mean a friend, that maybe he meant her.

With his brow raised, lips curled up crookedly, Ricardo gives Leon some time to process. The look of realization is unmistakable. “Yeah, her. Lovely girl, really, super dead, though.” He puts a stress on that word. Sighing again, he gives a small shrug of shoulders. “I’m not here to lecture you or anythin’, but man, what are you gonna do with her?” He asks. Tuners are not a single-minded group, but a collective of individuals with different opinions. He doesn’t have the right to tell Leon what to do-- and he can’t imagine any possible scenario in which Leon would listen anyway. That doesn’t mean Ricardo wouldn’t stop any other Tuner if they act against what he believes in. So this is a courtesy. He would listen to Leon first before deciding what to do. Beside, he is rather curious. To be honest, he thought that even Leon’s brain was made out of muscles, and the only things that interest Leon were fighting all sorts of things. This is an irregularity. “Are you two dating?” Now that last bit was just blatantly teasing.