[It's a little hard to remember, if only because there were so many nights in the desert. But the night with heatstroke-- that had been when they'd had the baby.]
Yeah.
[He shrugs. Honestly, the memory makes him a bit uncomfortable, if only because it had unnerved him to see Kakyoin so irrational.]
...I wasn't imagining it. And I wasn't delusional. That kid really was a Stand user, and his Stand was called Death 13. Obviously I could never prove it, and I still can't. So there's really no way I can make you believe me and no point in even telling you now.
[He glanced away again, Hierophant's arms wrapping loosely around his user's neck from behind.]
I just don't want there to keep being that annoying little doubt in my mind; we're friends, so I want us to be able to trust each other. If something like that ever happens again, I don't want to feel like I'm alone in handling it because my own friends might not believe me.
[He inhales-- and then exhales-- and then regards Kakyoin.
An infant with a Stand? The idea seems as ludicrous as it did then-- but Kakyoin is staring hard at him, Hierophant wrapped protectively around him, and why would he lie? Well, he wouldn't, is the thing-- and so Polnareff nods.]
All right. I believe you.
[It's weird, no doubt, weird weird weird, and his nose wrinkles as he considers it-- but Kakyoin is more important than his doubt. God, now more than ever.]
...look, I'm not going to recount the whole thing in detail. Sorry, but I don't like thinking about it.
[Long story short, he sure as hell wouldn't be going near the boardwalk anytime soon.]
It attacked when we were sleeping; Death 13 controlled this surreal dream world where it was in control of everything--I couldn't even summon Hierophant. [He put a hand over his Stand's silver-green arm, either for comfort, emphasis, or both.]
And every time we woke up, neither of us remembered anything that had happened. You remember what I had to do to my arm to even give myself a hint; we're lucky I carried a switchblade. But when you knocked me out, I'd already called Hierophant--that was the whole trick to it, how to bring another Stand into that world. So I-
[He stopped abruptly, not sure if he'd ever told Polnareff about Hierophant's real power. Not sure if he wanted to get into it now, or let that be a secret between himself, Jotaro, and Giorno.]
...I took him out, and I'm the only one that remembers any of it.
[There's things missing here, Polnareff knows that much. And he wonders how much of that is because Kakyoin is still hurt over all that, and how much of it is because of how horrific the dream world must have been. For surely it was; they'd all seen some awful things during their journey, so for Kakyoin to not even want to think about this Stand must mean it was truly awful.]
Are you all right?
[Silly, maybe, to ask that now. But Kakyoin looks so driven to distraction that he has to ask.]
I'm okay. [He shook his head, mostly to brushoff a million unpleasant thoughts and apprehensions.] I'm...over it, mostly. I had trouble sleeping for a while, but it's gotten easier.
[Wait, seriously? This was a concern? Polnareff's frown deepens.]
I've never thought that either-- for god's sake, Kakyoin, you're the one who always has a logical way out of things. I just thought you had heatstroke that night, but I never thought you were crazy. I still don't. If you're telling me now that that baby was a Stand user, I believe you.
[A beat, and then he adds:]
I mean, we fought and killed a vampire.
[So the bar for weird shit that happens to us is pretty low. And actually, now that he's thinking about it:]
We fought a monkey who had a Stand. A baby makes more sense. I mean, at least a baby is human.
[Too enthusiastically said, perhaps, but it's just because he's excited to share this.]
He was such a shit-- he could turn people into kids. Me, specifically, but then he did it to Jotaro too and it turns out your boyfriend was a punk even when he was like ten, so he beat the shit out of him.
[He doesn't mention the Lady. He has secrets of his own, after all.]
Huh? Well..smaller, mostly. I didn't learn Emerald Splash until I was about thirteen, so up until then most of what I did was experiment with how far he could reach.
I just thought it made me special. Like someone out of a fairy tale, you know? I knew Chariot was real, and that was enough. And he was friendly, so it worked out.
[A beat, and then:]
It was good, finding out others were like me. But I never minded when I was a kid.
Well . . . like I said, I just thought it made me special. I didn't understand it, but I didn't have to, not at first. I had Chariot, and he was like an imaginary friend, only I knew he was real. And since I knew it, that's all that mattered. And-- I mean, I was lonely, sure, but that's why I worked to get so friendly. People like you when you like them, and even if they weren't like us, they weren't bad to have as friends, and that helped some, and once I hit nineteen-- well.
[Then J. Geil had happened, and he'd known he wasn't alone in his abilities.]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2016-03-20 07:09 am (UTC)Yeah.
[He shrugs. Honestly, the memory makes him a bit uncomfortable, if only because it had unnerved him to see Kakyoin so irrational.]
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Date: 2016-03-20 07:19 am (UTC)[He glanced away again, Hierophant's arms wrapping loosely around his user's neck from behind.]
I just don't want there to keep being that annoying little doubt in my mind; we're friends, so I want us to be able to trust each other. If something like that ever happens again, I don't want to feel like I'm alone in handling it because my own friends might not believe me.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-20 07:27 am (UTC)An infant with a Stand? The idea seems as ludicrous as it did then-- but Kakyoin is staring hard at him, Hierophant wrapped protectively around him, and why would he lie? Well, he wouldn't, is the thing-- and so Polnareff nods.]
All right. I believe you.
[It's weird, no doubt, weird weird weird, and his nose wrinkles as he considers it-- but Kakyoin is more important than his doubt. God, now more than ever.]
How-- what happened?
no subject
Date: 2016-03-20 07:34 am (UTC)[Long story short, he sure as hell wouldn't be going near the boardwalk anytime soon.]
It attacked when we were sleeping; Death 13 controlled this surreal dream world where it was in control of everything--I couldn't even summon Hierophant. [He put a hand over his Stand's silver-green arm, either for comfort, emphasis, or both.]
And every time we woke up, neither of us remembered anything that had happened. You remember what I had to do to my arm to even give myself a hint; we're lucky I carried a switchblade. But when you knocked me out, I'd already called Hierophant--that was the whole trick to it, how to bring another Stand into that world. So I-
[He stopped abruptly, not sure if he'd ever told Polnareff about Hierophant's real power. Not sure if he wanted to get into it now, or let that be a secret between himself, Jotaro, and Giorno.]
...I took him out, and I'm the only one that remembers any of it.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 02:31 am (UTC)Are you all right?
[Silly, maybe, to ask that now. But Kakyoin looks so driven to distraction that he has to ask.]
no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 02:42 am (UTC)[He shrugged and crossed his arms.]
So, now what? Do you still think I'm delusional?
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Date: 2016-03-21 02:50 am (UTC)[He tips his head, regarding him with a slight frown.]
I didn't ever think you were delusional, you know. Just . . . too much sun. But I believe you.
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Date: 2016-03-21 02:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 02:59 am (UTC)I've never thought that either-- for god's sake, Kakyoin, you're the one who always has a logical way out of things. I just thought you had heatstroke that night, but I never thought you were crazy. I still don't. If you're telling me now that that baby was a Stand user, I believe you.
[A beat, and then he adds:]
I mean, we fought and killed a vampire.
[So the bar for weird shit that happens to us is pretty low. And actually, now that he's thinking about it:]
We fought a monkey who had a Stand. A baby makes more sense. I mean, at least a baby is human.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:13 am (UTC)[So it was just baseless paranoia after all. That was...actually, he felt better about the whole thing knowing that.]
Thanks.
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Date: 2016-03-21 03:15 am (UTC)[He ducks his head, trying to catch his eye.]
Anything else you want to tell me? Any other weird Stands I don't remember or whatever?
[It's kind of a joke, but it kind of isn't.]
no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:25 am (UTC)[That's settled, then, and he throws his arm over Kakyoin's shoulder, tugging him into a (gentle!) one-armed hug.]
Oye, speaking of shitty Stands-- did Jotaro ever tell you about Alessi?
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Date: 2016-03-21 03:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:31 am (UTC)[Too enthusiastically said, perhaps, but it's just because he's excited to share this.]
He was such a shit-- he could turn people into kids. Me, specifically, but then he did it to Jotaro too and it turns out your boyfriend was a punk even when he was like ten, so he beat the shit out of him.
[He doesn't mention the Lady. He has secrets of his own, after all.]
no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:42 am (UTC)[Cheerfully said-- but, with more interest:]
What was it like when you were a kid?
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Date: 2016-03-21 03:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:47 am (UTC)[After all, he can think of several ways one could use that.]
I mean, I'd've used Chariot in school all the time if I could have gotten away with it.
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Date: 2016-03-21 03:54 am (UTC)Didn't it ever bother you, being able to see something nobody else could?
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Date: 2016-03-21 03:59 am (UTC)I just thought it made me special. Like someone out of a fairy tale, you know? I knew Chariot was real, and that was enough. And he was friendly, so it worked out.
[A beat, and then:]
It was good, finding out others were like me. But I never minded when I was a kid.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-21 03:00 pm (UTC)[Wow. Nothing like realizing you'd been even more dense than Polnareff about something for most of your life.]
...Being different from everyone else never bothered you at all?
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Date: 2016-03-21 03:07 pm (UTC)Polnareff shrugs again, offering a slight smile.]
Well . . . like I said, I just thought it made me special. I didn't understand it, but I didn't have to, not at first. I had Chariot, and he was like an imaginary friend, only I knew he was real. And since I knew it, that's all that mattered. And-- I mean, I was lonely, sure, but that's why I worked to get so friendly. People like you when you like them, and even if they weren't like us, they weren't bad to have as friends, and that helped some, and once I hit nineteen-- well.
[Then J. Geil had happened, and he'd known he wasn't alone in his abilities.]
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