lapidarius | rubycity_rp ic inbox

lapidarius

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

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

lapidarius

I don't sleep all that well anymore myself, so it's not as though you woke me up.

[He folded his arms, glancing away before looking up again.]

Yeah. I know. ...I understand why you did that, but you understand why it really pissed me off, right?

From:

starmark

It wasn't like I was thinking about it.

[...Wait, no, that wasn't where he wanted to go with that, shit.]

...Wait. Which thing are we talking about?

From:

lapidarius

I don't care that you let on about what happened to me. It was a mistake, god knows we've made plenty of those. I'm talking about before that.

...I get why you'd want to protect me. But I don't want anyone acting like I need to be kept behind a shield, you least of all.

From:

starmark

I get that. ...I don't act like that when it's not...when I'm thinking about what I'm doing.

[...]

I get that you're pissed that it happened. I just...I can't promise it's not going to happen again. But I'm not doing it because I'm ignoring how you feel, or something.

From:

lapidarius

...I know that, Jojo. I'm not upset about it anymore, so just...don't worry about it for now, okay?

[...]

Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you about it, that really wasn't the time.

From:

starmark

...

[He hesitated a few seconds, gaze darting away before gradually receding back.]

...What did you mean, just now, when you said "you, least of all"? Why me least of all?

From:

lapidarius

What--isn't that obvious? I don't want anyone to think that I'm weak, but you're...you're my friend. I can't fight beside a partner that thinks I need to be protected.

From:

starmark

...You know, when Jiji told me your message...

[He paused, considering the thought carefully, and perhaps getting a little lost in memory while he was at it.]

...He told me to run. He got knocked off the roof of a building and fell onto the sidewalk, and he was just getting up when he saw me. But he didn't...run to where I was. He stopped where he was, and said "don't come near me".

[...]

Even though Star Platinum is a short-range Stand. Even though...Hermit Purple could've pulled him over.

From:

lapidarius

...

[Kakyoin listened in silence, reminding himself that it was fine--he was the last of their group to die, and the others had all survived one way or another.]

From:

starmark

...Do you think he thought I could do it?

Or was he just trying to give me a chance to run and escape what was coming?

From:

lapidarius

...If you want my guess, I'd call it the former. I don't think he would have determined we came all that way for nothing, regardless of how hopeless the situation was.

From:

starmark

I don't know.

I guess...why I thought of that, I don't think it was because he thought I needed to be protected, either.

[...]

I guess sometimes you just do that, when it's the people who mean a lot to you.

From:

lapidarius

...You're right.

[Kakyoin couldn't say that he wouldn't guard Jotaro with his life if he thought it was necessary. Of course he would, without a second's hesitation. So it was difficult to be frustrated about the idea without being a hypocrite.]

I'll try to remember that. If this happens again, I mean.

From:

starmark

...I mean, you should still be pissed at me.

Just. I've never thought you were weak or helpless. Ever.

[...]

Even when you can't be the strong Kakyoin you want to be, that doesn't mean I think you're weak.

From:

lapidarius

You really-

[No, he stopped that answer midsentence. There was no need to ask 'you really mean that?', because Jotaro wouldn't just say something he didn't mean.]

...thanks. That's...that means a lot.

From:

starmark

...Sure.

[He probably was supposed to say something better than "sure" there, but he wasn't sure precisely what it was.]

And. I'm not saying this is what I did tonight, it's not, but. I can think of at least one time I'd try to keep you behind a shield, and that has nothing to do with thinking you're weak, either.

From:

lapidarius

...What's that supposed to mean?

[It wasn't a snapped accusation, but it wasn't quite as simple as just a question. Feeling uncertain and a little out of his element when it came to things like this, he looked away again.]

From:

starmark

...If I didn't know what to do. I'd try to protect you to give you a chance to find a way to beat them.

It's like you said. I'm better-suited to a close range fight, so I'd try to pressure them into having to focus on me. While you found their weakness.

From:

lapidarius

I-...yeah. I'm fine with that, I mean--you'd be better at that than i would, anyway.

From:

starmark

...I'm sorry, though.

It sounds like I'm trying to explain away what I did, right?

From:

lapidarius

No--it's fine. I already said I understand your reasoning, so stop apologizing. I'd do the same for you if it came down to that.

From:

starmark

I don't usually say I'm sorry for things I do.

[...]

Are you okay?

From:

lapidarius

And I'm telling you I'll accept your apology, so you don't have to keep doing it.

[...he's trying, okay.]

I'm fine now. Really--it's just that I haven't talked about that kind of thing with many people, so it caught me off guard. it's not your fault or Giovanna's, so don't worry about that.

From:

starmark

...You grabbed me with Hierophant.

From:

lapidarius

It's like you said: 'it wasn't like I was thinking about it'.

Hierophant hasn't acted independently on that level since I was a kid--I mean, he moves on his own when I'm nervous or angry, but not quite like that. I just didn't-... [Kakyoin frowned slightly, trying to figure out how he wanted to say this. It was better to just say it and be clear, right?]

...I didn't want you to leave.