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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

[silvercrusader]

I think so.

[He glanced towards Kakyoin for a few moments before looking away.]

But I think he doesn't, sometimes. [...] I know he doesn't sometimes. The day we got together he shot me down at first, because he thought it'd be kinder if we didn't start something.

[lapidarius]

I didn't want to start anything at first, either. I thought that if I did, and it turned out that I couldn't go back-...

[He curled his fingers around Hierophant, the coil twisting around Kakyoin's hand as though it were a second hand holding on just as securely.]

...You know I wouldn't hurt him like that. Not if I could help it.

[silvercrusader]

I know.

[Inhale, savor, exhale.]

But you thought it was worth it, in the end.

[lapidarius]

Yeah, I did. And--maybe it's a little selfish, but I didn't want to just hide how I felt. Even if it was to protect him from getting hurt, that just didn't feel right.

[silvercrusader]

I don't think it's selfish.

[He shoved his hands in his pockets.]

Bruno brought that up too, and I gotta say, I'm glad he started with us. Even if it hurts, even on nights like that, I'm still glad.

[lapidarius]

[Kakyoin answered with a small nod of acknowledgement, folding his arms again.]

Yeah...it's good that there's that much, at least.

[silvercrusader]

[It is good. But it leaves him with the same problem, and one nobody knew how to solve. If there even was a solution. But there had to be, hadn't there? Kakyoin wasn't exactly the most happy-go-lucky guy, but if he could get to a point where he didn't carry equal amounts of guilt and grief about his death and his relationship with Jotaro, Bruno ought to be able to as well. Right?

Polnareff sighed, his eyes closing for a moment.]

I just . . . even if I do anything and everything to give him a bit of home, it's not what he wants. You know? He doesn't want a life here, he doesn't want a relationship that means something-- or he does, but not to build one here. And I don't know . . .

[He glanced over at Kakyoin.]

I mean, who the hell knows if any of us remember this at home? Who knows what's gonna happen? If we all go back safe and sound, if we find some way to keep you two alive-- then what? He'll go to 2001 and I'll go to 1988, and from my perspective he'll still be a kid. It's just--

[Christ. Now he was spiraling. Polnareff scowled and sucked harder on his cigarette.]

Forget it. I just want him to be happy, that's all.

[lapidarius]

[Kakyoin stepped a little closer, the hand that wasn't tangled in a glowing coil brought to rest lightly on Polnareff's arm.]

I know that you do, Jean. I wish I could tell you that it's going to be okay, or that there's sure to be some kind of solution where everyone's happy. But I don't know if there is, and if there is it's sure as hell not going to be an easy one.

...All I can tell you is that I'm here for you. All of us are.

[silvercrusader]

Yeah.

[Would that assurance have come six months ago? He wonders. Kakyoin had always been his friend, but only recently had they gotten close enough that such assurances were so freely given. I'm here for you, and he knew those weren't just empty words.

He offered him a slight smile.]

Thanks.

[A beat, and then, far more cheerfully:]

Anyway, at least his birthday went well. I was a little worried about that one, but turns out getting your boyfriend his favorite record works no matter what.

[lapidarius]

Don't worry about it.

[The idea of having friends had gotten less and less strange over time, but Polnareff was different. Not to say that they weren't friends by any means--it was simply that Polnareff had always been on something of a level entirely his own. There were his numerous friends, both in and out of the city. Then there was Caesar who was like his brother, Giorno who was in many ways a strangely distorted reflection of Kakyoin himself, and Jotaro who was both his closest friend and simultaneously something even more significant than that.]

[Somewhere in a nebulous, undefined space between the people who mattered most was Jean-Pierre Polnareff, who was the kind of carefree and reckless influence a person like Kakyoin needed. Someone who understood things that no one else possibly could, who was unfailingly kind and a steady presence on top of that. (...And occasionally an idiot, but no one was perfect.)]

[In hindsight, Kakyoin had no idea how any of them had gotten by in this city as long as they had without him.]

So what kind of music does Buccellati like? I've heard a little about Giorno's taste, but I don't think the subject's come up with anyone else.

[silvercrusader]

Jazz. Miles Davis, specifically, which . . . [He wrinkled his nose. There's a lot implied in that expression.] I mean, he likes it, so. It was a good night.

[lapidarius]

That's not that bad. That's more or less in line with what I might expect from him, actually.

[silvercrusader]

I don't think it's bad music. I just don't like it. You oughta be proud; I kept silent nearly the entire time we listened to it.

[lapidarius]

You poor, long-suffering martyr.

[you two...]

So what do you like, then?

[silvercrusader]

[He nods emphatically. It was awful for him, Kakyoin, thanks for noticing.]

Energetic stuff, you know? Anything with a good beat. The Stones, if you want a band, but I usually like whatever loud and playing on the radio.

[lapidarius]

Yeah, they're alright. [Kakyoin shrugged, hands in his pockets.] I'm not usually that interested in louder stuff, but it's fine once in a while.

[silvercrusader]

Yeah? So what do you like? And--

[He leaned over, elbowing him gently.]

You gotta come to Egress with me at least once. 'S the only time I'm ever gonna get to go dancing with you.

[lapidarius]

I'm really not the type to do something like that. I barely know how to dance at all. [He laughed awkwardly, shrugging his shoulders.]

As for music, I actually really like Sting. [said almost no one ever]

[silvercrusader]

Would you come dancing if they played Sting?

[Don't subject Ruby City to that . . .]

[lapidarius]

I-I don't know--that really doesn't sound like the kind of thing I'd do regardless of what was playing.

[silvercrusader]

Suit yourself.

[He won't push tonight. He'll try again another night, absolutely, but tonight's not the night. Instead:]

You can conspire with me to convince Bruno to come dancing instead. And-- oye, did you know he's all leery about winter? I said, oh, it'll be great, and all of a sudden it's ohh, I don't like winter, it's too cold, I don't want to go into the snow. So there, that's two things you can help me convince him to do: dancing and actually experiencing snow.

[lapidarius]

I'm not certain, but I don't think it gets very cold in that part of Italy. Maybe he's just not used to it.

[silvercrusader]

It doesn't, but that's no excuse! He's been here for a year!

[lapidarius]

Compared to how many years in a temperate climate? One winter isn't just going to magically acclimate one to a different standard.

[silvercrusader]

Yeah, so maybe shoving snow down his sweater will.