[As Kakyoin speaks about his Hierophant and the real heart of their abilities, Fugo's demeanor and the way he holds himself slowly shifts; he listens quietly and intently, without fidgeting, with steepled fingers and a flinty look in his eyes. He's not angry, nor is he judgmental of Kakyoin's ability or seem to be afraid or taken aback by it; rather, he's serious to the point of being almost intimidating. This isn't the Fugo Kakyoin has come to know, reserved and nervous and a little awkward, who is interested in learning how to make earrings--he looks more like Fugo Kakyoin first met, sharp and dangerous, although without the wariness and on-edge body language of someone backed into a corner who is used to and ready to kill to get out of it.
He is quiet and still, even after Kakyoin is finished. He presses his lips into a thin line while he considers, both what he wants to say and what he thinks of what Hierophant is capable of.]
When I was thirteen, [he begins, his tone cool and calm,] I was placed under arrest for assaulting one of my professors at Università di Bologna. He said something that made me very angry, so I picked up a dictionary and beat him with it until I was pulled off of him by campus security. I probably would have killed him if they hadn't intervened. I know he was hospitalized, but I'm not sure how well he recovered. I joined Passione shortly after, and it never really occurred to me to check up on him.
[There's no sense of regret or guilt attached to his words. They're just something that happened. That's just something he did, once, when he lost his temper.]
What I mean to say is that I have always had the capacity to be violent. Purple Haze is a reflection of that, among other things. [Purple Haze is a Stand whose power comes from hatred, anger, and fear. He's an awful, frightening Stand and Fugo worries every day about keeping him in check, controlling his temper, and making sure he doesn't hurt the people he cares about. He's not always successful--but it's important for him to try.] The only thing Purple Haze and I can do together is kill people. No matter how much or how little control I have over him, nothing will change the nature of the virus.
I suppose one way of looking at it is that, no matter what I do, there's no real way of changing what sort of person I am at the heart of things.
[Briefly, the sharpness in his eyes clouds over as he thinks of the way Giorno smiled at Purple Haze; how he pushed himself up on the tip of his toes to greet a nightmare like an old friend, the words he chose to describe Purple Haze's gleeful memory of killing Illuso. He's sweet, Giorno declared, for no reason other than Purple Haze remembered him.]
But, [he begins again, fingers tightening,] I don't think that's all there is to it. [Not anymore.] My capacity for violence and Purple Haze aren't the only things that I have to define myself by. As dangerous as Purple Haze is and what that says about me, I always have the power to choose how I apply my abilities. Not only that, but if I were a different sort of person I likely wouldn't have been able to survive what I have. If I didn't have Purple Haze, I wouldn't have been able to save someone very important to me.
When I think about it like that, it's a little easier to accept. [His expression softens.] In my opinion, there's no one ability of Hierophant that's more or less "real" than the others. They're all real, they're all a part of you. The ability to take control of someone else's body, or their thoughts-- it's a heavy weight to carry. And I don't think it would be an easy choice to make whether or not it's something you would make use of, even in dire circumstances.
[He pointedly does not say that he believes that Kakyoin would make the "right" choice. Because when it comes to survival, concepts like right and wrong are things that aren't part of the immediate decision-making process. They come later, when everything is said and done. Unfair as it is, that's just how the equation balances out.]
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2016-08-26 12:37 am (UTC)He is quiet and still, even after Kakyoin is finished. He presses his lips into a thin line while he considers, both what he wants to say and what he thinks of what Hierophant is capable of.]
When I was thirteen, [he begins, his tone cool and calm,] I was placed under arrest for assaulting one of my professors at Università di Bologna. He said something that made me very angry, so I picked up a dictionary and beat him with it until I was pulled off of him by campus security. I probably would have killed him if they hadn't intervened. I know he was hospitalized, but I'm not sure how well he recovered. I joined Passione shortly after, and it never really occurred to me to check up on him.
[There's no sense of regret or guilt attached to his words. They're just something that happened. That's just something he did, once, when he lost his temper.]
What I mean to say is that I have always had the capacity to be violent. Purple Haze is a reflection of that, among other things. [Purple Haze is a Stand whose power comes from hatred, anger, and fear. He's an awful, frightening Stand and Fugo worries every day about keeping him in check, controlling his temper, and making sure he doesn't hurt the people he cares about. He's not always successful--but it's important for him to try.] The only thing Purple Haze and I can do together is kill people. No matter how much or how little control I have over him, nothing will change the nature of the virus.
I suppose one way of looking at it is that, no matter what I do, there's no real way of changing what sort of person I am at the heart of things.
[Briefly, the sharpness in his eyes clouds over as he thinks of the way Giorno smiled at Purple Haze; how he pushed himself up on the tip of his toes to greet a nightmare like an old friend, the words he chose to describe Purple Haze's gleeful memory of killing Illuso. He's sweet, Giorno declared, for no reason other than Purple Haze remembered him.]
But, [he begins again, fingers tightening,] I don't think that's all there is to it. [Not anymore.] My capacity for violence and Purple Haze aren't the only things that I have to define myself by. As dangerous as Purple Haze is and what that says about me, I always have the power to choose how I apply my abilities. Not only that, but if I were a different sort of person I likely wouldn't have been able to survive what I have. If I didn't have Purple Haze, I wouldn't have been able to save someone very important to me.
When I think about it like that, it's a little easier to accept. [His expression softens.] In my opinion, there's no one ability of Hierophant that's more or less "real" than the others. They're all real, they're all a part of you. The ability to take control of someone else's body, or their thoughts-- it's a heavy weight to carry. And I don't think it would be an easy choice to make whether or not it's something you would make use of, even in dire circumstances.
[He pointedly does not say that he believes that Kakyoin would make the "right" choice. Because when it comes to survival, concepts like right and wrong are things that aren't part of the immediate decision-making process. They come later, when everything is said and done. Unfair as it is, that's just how the equation balances out.]