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[lapidarius]

"This is Kakyoin Noriaki. Please leave a message, I'll contact you as soon as I can."

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Comments

[lapidarius]

That's plausible, maybe. But this place has played havoc with us before, so it isn't that we're resistant to these things any more than non-Stand users.

[oathshackledbird]

Yeah, I suppose our best bet would be to ask others and see how they are being affected. Maybe you can ask around the manor? Perhaps a pattern will emerge.

[lapidarius]

I can ask around as well as see if we can keep an eye out for anything out of order, sure.

...You'll let me know if you see any...other potential Stand effects, right?

[oathshackledbird]

Of course. You're the expert on this kind of thing, after all.

[A small frown crosses his face.]

Depending on just how many Stands this place tries to copy, we may end up with certain powers that need an eye kept on them.

[Time Stop anyone?]

[lapidarius]

[eeeexactly.]

'Expert' is pushing it a little. I'm just concerned as to what else this place could be up to. It could all be a coincidence as far as the similarities to our abilities go. I don't know of any Stand it could be mimicking that enhances one's...eye...sight...

[He trailed off with the edge of a nervous laugh to his voice as an ironic realization set in. Kakyoin really could see better than he ever had been able to--further, in fact. It hadn't seemed to affect his hearing, but for a brief moment he was reminded of the only Stand he'd met with an unquestionably longer range than his own.]

[The one that had very nearly made it so he'd never see anything again.]

...I-I mean, I'm not sure. With the variety of Stand abilities I've heard about since coming here, one like that must exist somewhere.

[oathshackledbird]

[When Kakyoin trails off like that, a worried look enters Diarmuid's eyes. Despite the obvious backtracking, Diarmuid can't help but say something.]

You thought of one, didn't you? Don't worry, I won't ask what it was.

[Kakyoin seems unsettled enough about it as it is.]

Just keep your mind open about possibilities. As much as mine has been changed from Hermit Purple, it might take a bit of creativity to see where some of these abilities come from.

[His forehead wrinkles a bit in thought.]

Did Joseph ever have any kind of shock power? I noticed I've been shocking people and animals a lot too. It's almost more annoying than the visions.

[Especially for someone who tends to communicate a lot with touch.]

[lapidarius]

No, I'm okay. Sorry--I was thinking about something else. [He shook his head, quickly disregarding the concept. Thinking about N'doul wasn't going to get them anywhere with figuring this out.]

Shock power? I don't think he h--oh!

[Realization dawned midsentence, Kakyoin immediately brightening up once it did.]

That could be something to do with Hamon. I've seen him channel it through his Stand on occasion before.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid blinks in surprise, suddenly feeling several shades of dumb.]

Why didn't I think of that? And Lisa Lisa was teaching it to me before she left. I haven't gotten that far, but maybe I will be able to control it a bit better if I apply what I was taught to it. It can't hurt anyway.

So, maybe we aren't just dealing with Stand powers. There may be several other related powers being mimicked as well.

[lapidarius]

I'm not sure. Unless it's mimicking him specifically... [Kakyoin trailed off, looking to his own hand; he wasn't channeling Hamon through it at the moment, but contemplating the idea. Why on earth would the city (or whatever force really controlled it) want to mimic specific Stand users? Was there another Hierophant out there right now, and was it shocking the person with it in a similar way?]

...There has to be. Others, I mean--whatever's going on with me could be mimicking a Stand I don't know about [or one he did] and there are certain to be more than just these two effects going around. Our group alone met at least twenty Stand users, and I have no idea how many Passione must have dealt with.

[unholey]

To be frank, I wouldn't mind a little distance from Purple Haze. But our circumstances are different. And even saying that, I don't think I would want it to be that far.

[lapidarius]

Can I ask why? You don't have to answer if you would prefer not to, I understand it's likely to be something personal.

[unholey]

It's fine. If we're going to be living under the same roof, it's probably better that you know.

Because of the way we are, he's difficult for me to control when I'm emotional. And I can't control who or what gets infected by his virus; it's indiscriminate. At best, I can try to guide the circumstances in which it's spread.

[lapidarius]

[jesus christ, fugo]

Let me guess: there's no cure, antidote, or way around it.

[unholey]

The average time of death after infection is 30 seconds. So, no. Not under normal circumstances. Your best bet would be to excise the infected flesh, but that only works if it hasn't gotten into your lungs.

[lapidarius]

[JESUS CHRIST, FUGO]

Well, that's

there's certainly something to be said for efficiency, if nothing else.

[unholey]

Yes. I suppose there is.

[Purple Haze is maybe a little too efficient at killing people. He'll just. Pointedly not cover how the virus kills people in those thirty seconds unless Kakyoin asks.]

Sorry. That's probably unsettling to read about. Don't worry: as long as things don't get well and truly dire, you'll probably never have to see him.

[lapidarius]

[on one hand: that's terrifying]

[but on the other...]

Actually I'd like to. See him, I mean--if there's any safe way to do that. That might seem a little weird, but if it's possible I'm interested.

[unholey]

[What is with people and wanting to see Purple Haze lately? He can pick apart and understand Giorno's motivations. But Kakyoin, who's largely a stranger to him?]

Why would you want to? I'm ... not trying to brag, or sound cool when I say that he's dangerous. Even just bringing him out involves a certain level of risk.

[lapidarius]

It's a complicated thing to explain, so humor me for a moment.

When I was younger, I didn't know other Stand users existed. I ended up coming to the conclusion that only someone who could understand me would be able to see Hierophant, and in turn that only people who could see him would be worth my time. It's as I said--we're one and the same. 'Kakyoin Noriaki' and 'Hierophant Green' are two halves of one person.

Before I got to this city and since I've been here, I've been able to see a wide variety of Stands--most of them trying to kill us, but that's beside the point right now. The point is that I've found an odd fascination with Stands themselves; I like to see how they act, what they look like, what their abilities are. Not just for matters of strategic planning, but because it's a part of their user regardless of difficulty in controlling them or what their powers might be--I've already met a couple users who dislike aspects of what their Stands can do.

Even so, he's part of you. And I'd like to see if meeting him would help me understand you a little better. You're someone Giorno surely trusts and we'll presumably be living together, so that's a risk I'm willing to take if you are.

[oathshackledbird]

You've got a point. It might just be coincidence that the two powers I have possess similarities to his. I am sure there is another Stand User out there who has some kind of electric based power. I wouldn't say the shocks really feel like Hamon anyway. It's much less controlled.

[Which might just be his fault or it might be the fault of whatever is going on. Who knows?]

There have to be more variations. If his older self was in the city, there might be reason to specifically mimic Joseph, but he's not. There's no point in mimicking powers that he is only going to vaguely recognize if he does at all.

[lapidarius]

[somewhere in the multiverse, otoishi akira just sneezed]

Right--he wouldn't have any idea what it was even if he's dealing with the same situation you're in. But then again, I don't really understand why this city does anything.

[oathshackledbird]

[And sparks flew everywhere. Ouch.]

It seems like I have been coming back to the question of 'why' a lot myself lately. It's frustrating I have been here over two years now and am no closer to knowing the answer than when I arrived. Every time it seems like we might be getting somewhere, things change and we are back to square one.

[unholey]

[There's a long pause, while Fugo thinks over what he's been sent. He reads the message over three times, looking for... not insincerity, he thinks. Although it's more difficult to tell over the written word, he can't sense any insincerity in Kakyoin's message. Unless he's lying--(and Fugo doesn't think Giorno would claim someone for his famiglia who would lie about themselves in such a manner)--Kakyoin's motivations for wanting to see Purple Haze aren't because he's morbidly curious, or that he wants to gawk at them, or some other frivolous reason.

It's odd. He wasn't expecting that, from a near-stranger.]

1. Sunny weather
2. An open area not commonly visited by others, preferably quiet
3. No Hierophant
4. Keep your distance unless I say so
5. **Be cautious**

That's what would need to happen if you want to meet him. I don't see you as a threat and I'll make it clear to him that you're not a hit so I don't think he'll attack, but I don't want to provoke him with an unfamiliar Stand.

You've always been together, haven't you. You and Hierophant. That's why you had him with you when you were examining those flowers.

[lapidarius]

Deal. Those don't sound like unreasonable terms to me by any means.

That's right, though. I wasn't made a Stand user by the arrow or awakened to one at any point. He and I have been together for our entire life. I guess around here I don't really think much of having him out in general.

[unholey]

Let me know when you have an afternoon free and a place in mind.

When you've been together that long, I imagine it's a more natural state of affairs. [You know. For Stand users whose Stands don't even have the potential to kill them.] It feels longer than that, but I've only had Purple Haze for three years.