![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
ic inbox ( ruby city ) Ⅰ
buongiorno! sorry i missed you; i'll happily get back to you as soon as i'm done with whatever business i'm on. leave a message!
( text | voice | video )
⇦ ● ⇨
buongiorno! sorry i missed you; i'll happily get back to you as soon as i'm done with whatever business i'm on. leave a message!
( text | voice | video )
⇦ ● ⇨
Mmhm. Is that important?
[Carefully, experimentally, he goes back to braiding, finishes the first one and lets it fall against Star's cheek before moving on to the next.]
I couldn't speak. He wouldn't either, because we're not supposed to scare Kakyoin, but he pulled him close.
[Carefully, experimentally, he goes back to braiding, finishes the first one and lets it fall against Star's cheek before moving on to the next.]
I couldn't speak. He wouldn't either, because we're not supposed to scare Kakyoin, but he pulled him close.
[He watches carefully, gauging the subtle nuances of interplay between Giorno and his Stand, and particularly so with Star Platinum in such close proximity.
...Maybe that's one place to start, and so, at a silent direction from Jotaro, Star slides a hand free and reaches for one of Gold Experience's.]
...Maybe that's one place to start, and so, at a silent direction from Jotaro, Star slides a hand free and reaches for one of Gold Experience's.]
[That one, at least, seems to be easy. As soon as Star's hand gets close enough, Gold Experience's closes the distance between them with an almost audible snap, quick as a striking snake. His grip is tight; Giorno's shoulders relax visibly at the phantom pressure, and he watches curiously out of the corner of his eye as he continues his work.]
[The speed is surprising, more from the unexpectedness of it than the velocity of the reach itself; one second Star's hand is free and the next Gold Experience is just there, and when contact is made, Giorno...relaxes.
...
Because Star Platinum is safe, isn't that right?
Spurred on by curiosity, he quietly directs Star again, this time with a quick laundry list of the Six Important Things (Kakyoin, Mom, pudding, Giorno, fish, Grandpa), bleeding easily into the urge to beam his feelings at Gold Experience.
And Star does, his face breaking into a wide and merry smile that he turns toward Gold Experience as best he can, without mussing Giorno's handiwork too much by it.]
...
Because Star Platinum is safe, isn't that right?
Spurred on by curiosity, he quietly directs Star again, this time with a quick laundry list of the Six Important Things (Kakyoin, Mom, pudding, Giorno, fish, Grandpa), bleeding easily into the urge to beam his feelings at Gold Experience.
And Star does, his face breaking into a wide and merry smile that he turns toward Gold Experience as best he can, without mussing Giorno's handiwork too much by it.]
[Gold Experience doesn't seem to react very much. He was still staring at Giorno rather than Star, even after his own movement, focused and fervent and unblinking; when Star turns his smile on him, he lifts his head and meets his eyes without any significant change in expression.]
[But Giorno flinches. Jotaro said something about . . . being knocked over. This isn't that, it's more like - the sensation of being in the center of a frantic swarm of insects. But it's more than he's ever felt from Gold Experience at once before, except with Holly at Christmas.]
[What is it? It's a good thing and a bad thing - love, gratitude, a muted recognition of the fact that it's good to see Star smiling. Some of that might be his own, too; he isn't sure. But the terror underneath, the staystaystaypleasestay, that's not his, because he knows neither of them are going anywhere.]
. . . I don't know how to explain what just happened very well.
[Which is not to say that he won't try, of course. He clears his throat and resumes the third braid, his knuckles brushing deliberately against Star's cheek for a touchstone.]
Fear . . . not of him or you, but of . . . absence. If that makes any sense.
[But Giorno flinches. Jotaro said something about . . . being knocked over. This isn't that, it's more like - the sensation of being in the center of a frantic swarm of insects. But it's more than he's ever felt from Gold Experience at once before, except with Holly at Christmas.]
[What is it? It's a good thing and a bad thing - love, gratitude, a muted recognition of the fact that it's good to see Star smiling. Some of that might be his own, too; he isn't sure. But the terror underneath, the staystaystaypleasestay, that's not his, because he knows neither of them are going anywhere.]
. . . I don't know how to explain what just happened very well.
[Which is not to say that he won't try, of course. He clears his throat and resumes the third braid, his knuckles brushing deliberately against Star's cheek for a touchstone.]
Fear . . . not of him or you, but of . . . absence. If that makes any sense.
That's what it is, huh...
[Watching this little scene unfold is unusual and fascinating. It occurs to him that this is probably what it's like for other people, watching the way he interacts with Star, but naturally he's a fundamental player in that and therefore can never notice the goings-on of their interplay the way that an outside party would. So it's different, and easily captures his attention, watching what they do and taking in Giorno's feedback, trying to fit it all together into explanations that make sense.]
You feel safe around Star. He feels...a need to be safe, and then a fear of not being. He's volatile, he gets agitated about things you try to hold firm on. He brings you help when you can't ask for it.
He feels your feelings before logic gets to them. He's...irrational. Not necessarily wrong, either, just...raw. Before rationality ever shapes any of it.
[Watching this little scene unfold is unusual and fascinating. It occurs to him that this is probably what it's like for other people, watching the way he interacts with Star, but naturally he's a fundamental player in that and therefore can never notice the goings-on of their interplay the way that an outside party would. So it's different, and easily captures his attention, watching what they do and taking in Giorno's feedback, trying to fit it all together into explanations that make sense.]
You feel safe around Star. He feels...a need to be safe, and then a fear of not being. He's volatile, he gets agitated about things you try to hold firm on. He brings you help when you can't ask for it.
He feels your feelings before logic gets to them. He's...irrational. Not necessarily wrong, either, just...raw. Before rationality ever shapes any of it.
. . . That's horrible.
[For the first time he really looks at his Stand and thinks what it must be like to feel that, all that too much all the time, and not be able to control it. It sounds like hell to him, and he feels a stab of - not quite pity, but something close.]
[Carefully, he finishes the third braid and lets it fall, leans back against Star's chest again and reaches out to cup his Stand's cold cheek. He's always looked so much like an insect, which made him seem detached, but now that he's paying attention, he can feel the fear there.]
I always thought he came to me for warmth. That that was why he always wanted to have an arm around me if he could. But . . . when I get angry, it seems like that makes him open up and not be able to shut down again. That's why I said volatile.
[For the first time he really looks at his Stand and thinks what it must be like to feel that, all that too much all the time, and not be able to control it. It sounds like hell to him, and he feels a stab of - not quite pity, but something close.]
[Carefully, he finishes the third braid and lets it fall, leans back against Star's chest again and reaches out to cup his Stand's cold cheek. He's always looked so much like an insect, which made him seem detached, but now that he's paying attention, he can feel the fear there.]
I always thought he came to me for warmth. That that was why he always wanted to have an arm around me if he could. But . . . when I get angry, it seems like that makes him open up and not be able to shut down again. That's why I said volatile.
It's only a guess. I might be wrong.
[Meanwhile, evidently intrigued, Star blows a puff of air at the braids where they're hanging, making them swing away from his face and back again. The little jolt of pleasure that follows suggests that he's found them to his liking, at least.]
Everything I know about Star, I've had to learn through trial and error. Taking guesses and testing them out. So it might be something else, something only you can figure out.
...When he feels angry, does it feel like he's going to get away from you? Out of control?
[Meanwhile, evidently intrigued, Star blows a puff of air at the braids where they're hanging, making them swing away from his face and back again. The little jolt of pleasure that follows suggests that he's found them to his liking, at least.]
Everything I know about Star, I've had to learn through trial and error. Taking guesses and testing them out. So it might be something else, something only you can figure out.
...When he feels angry, does it feel like he's going to get away from you? Out of control?
It's a little hard to say. I'm not sure how much is genuine danger and how much is just my own fear of something bad happening. But he's never disobeyed me directly, at least.
Maybe it's more like . . . it feels like permission? Or that it's easier for me to . . . be angry myself. I don't know.
[He lets go of Gold Experience and gets back to the business of braiding, which has a lot of finger-combing involved by the simple necessity of how much goddamn hair he's got. Gold Experience seems to hesitate, then leans carefully against Star's shoulder.]
Is it easy for you to tell what's Star's and what's yours?
Maybe it's more like . . . it feels like permission? Or that it's easier for me to . . . be angry myself. I don't know.
[He lets go of Gold Experience and gets back to the business of braiding, which has a lot of finger-combing involved by the simple necessity of how much goddamn hair he's got. Gold Experience seems to hesitate, then leans carefully against Star's shoulder.]
Is it easy for you to tell what's Star's and what's yours?
...Sometimes. I usually have a pretty good idea of what I'm feeling about something. Things that Star feels are different, so it's like they come from somewhere else. And he's always stronger, like he doesn't have a filter. Not in a bad way, but like...looking at a bright light through sunglasses, versus looking into it directly. So when things are too bright, they're usually Star.
[That's a little poetic, almost. He reaches into the bath and gives Jolie a little push, rolling her over onto her side and making her wriggle in the water.]
There was one time I remember, when I fought N'doul — that guy with the cane, in the desert. That was when Star got me, and not the other way around. I didn't move, but he screamed for me.
[That's a little poetic, almost. He reaches into the bath and gives Jolie a little push, rolling her over onto her side and making her wriggle in the water.]
There was one time I remember, when I fought N'doul — that guy with the cane, in the desert. That was when Star got me, and not the other way around. I didn't move, but he screamed for me.
[At some point, a basket comes to rest at the door that serves as the entrance to a trio of rooms on the second floor of the Joestar Mansion. There are no names attached, but given the marigolds and yarrow woven around the handle, and how it practically overflows with chocolates and pastries and other sweet comfort foods, there's little question who it came from and who it's for.
But that's not all there is. Underneath all the food is a layer of trinkets and baubles: a chain, gold, the links too heavy and bulky to serve well as a necklace; a sharp, angular pair of sunglasses; a pendant, fashioned in the image of the sun; a ladybug charm, matching the one on the second watch he carries; a zipper, metallic and shiny atop a few leafs of classical sheet music; a small toy airplane that fits in the palm of a hand.
And underneath all that, is a fired bullet, warped from impact, dug out from the wall of the shooting gallery and attached to a small metal ring, through which a silver chain that is fit to be a necklace is threaded.]
But that's not all there is. Underneath all the food is a layer of trinkets and baubles: a chain, gold, the links too heavy and bulky to serve well as a necklace; a sharp, angular pair of sunglasses; a pendant, fashioned in the image of the sun; a ladybug charm, matching the one on the second watch he carries; a zipper, metallic and shiny atop a few leafs of classical sheet music; a small toy airplane that fits in the palm of a hand.
And underneath all that, is a fired bullet, warped from impact, dug out from the wall of the shooting gallery and attached to a small metal ring, through which a silver chain that is fit to be a necklace is threaded.]
I know what I feel about things, but I sometimes . . . make myself feel it less. So maybe that muddies the waters a little. - You're a good boy.
[This to Star, a verbal touchstone, as he moves onto the next braid, cocking his head sideways to listen to Jolie splashing around.]
He moves for you - to protect you like that. Gold Experience doesn't do that so much, not in the same way.
Does she like it?
[This to Star, a verbal touchstone, as he moves onto the next braid, cocking his head sideways to listen to Jolie splashing around.]
He moves for you - to protect you like that. Gold Experience doesn't do that so much, not in the same way.
Does she like it?
[He's in his room, of course, where he's been more lately, especially after talking to Jotaro. When he opens the door and sees the basket . . . well, of course he knows who it's from. For a moment he just stares down at it; then he retreats back into the room and opens it on Mista's bed.]
[It's another half an hour or so before he moves again, tidying up everything and putting it away. The food goes into the bottom of a cabinet in his room, the mirror of Dio's, the place where he keeps the non-perishable things. The chain, glasses, and sheet music go on his highest shelf; everything else goes into his pockets, except for the necklace, which he winds around his fingers.]
[Stupid and sentimental and frustrating, since he knows he's going to keep every single thing.]
Would you like a cup of tea, Miss Holly?
[It's another half an hour or so before he moves again, tidying up everything and putting it away. The food goes into the bottom of a cabinet in his room, the mirror of Dio's, the place where he keeps the non-perishable things. The chain, glasses, and sheet music go on his highest shelf; everything else goes into his pockets, except for the necklace, which he winds around his fingers.]
[Stupid and sentimental and frustrating, since he knows he's going to keep every single thing.]
Would you like a cup of tea, Miss Holly?
[Her fingers twitch nervously around the pocket watch when she finally receives a response. Using text has it's benefits, to be sure, but it's hard to tell how well-received or not her attempt at a more silent show of support had been in that simple question.
She supposes if it had been entirely negative, she wouldn't be receiving any response at all, so.]
I would very much, if you're offering.
She supposes if it had been entirely negative, she wouldn't be receiving any response at all, so.]
I would very much, if you're offering.
Mm, that's a perfect example of a thing that feels different. What you did right there. Star likes the praise, I'm indifferent, so what I feel...I know that's Star.
[An explanation that appears to come echoed by a soft ora of approval from above Giorno.]
Jolie? Seems that way. She's damp all the way now and it doesn't seem to bother her.
[An explanation that appears to come echoed by a soft ora of approval from above Giorno.]
Jolie? Seems that way. She's damp all the way now and it doesn't seem to bother her.
You're indifferent to that . . .
[But he's not indifferent to Jolie, that's for sure. And Giorno isn't, either, but Gold Experience might be?]
[He crawls over to the tub, then, tugging Star along with him until he's leaning over the edge, and takes his hand, pointing it at Jolie.]
See how she's having fun?
[But he's not indifferent to Jolie, that's for sure. And Giorno isn't, either, but Gold Experience might be?]
[He crawls over to the tub, then, tugging Star along with him until he's leaning over the edge, and takes his hand, pointing it at Jolie.]
See how she's having fun?
[A smile's in the eyes, not the mouth, she remembers her father telling her after she had huffed and puffed over him playing his stupid trick on her again. And she sees the glint at Giorno's collar, looks him in the eyes, and... relaxes, just a bit.]
A bit of sugar, please.
[Because of course.]
A bit of sugar, please.
[Because of course.]
Sugar it is.
[And he pours her tea, bringing it over to the kitchen table the same way he did that first night, pulls out the chair for her and sits down on the other side. His own tea is black, for once; he just wants to taste something strong right now.]
Will you sit with me?
[And he pours her tea, bringing it over to the kitchen table the same way he did that first night, pulls out the chair for her and sits down on the other side. His own tea is black, for once; he just wants to taste something strong right now.]
Will you sit with me?
Page 30 of 46