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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've been here for three seconds, you can't get mad already.

[He grins at him. Aren't you glad he's here?]

Hey. You any good at those little faces, by the way? I'm still trying to make one that looks like me.

[lapidarius]

Only a few of them. You could ask Giorno, he uses a lot more than I do.

[giorno giovanna is the a-rank top tier of emoji users]

And don't blow that in my face.

[silvercrusader]

I might now that you said that.

[He won't. But he is blowing a smoke ring up towards the ceiling, so.]

Aren't you used to this from Jotaro?

[lapidarius]

He knows well enough that I'll beat the hell out of him if he does something like that.

[Sheesh, Polnareff.]

I can't start smoking, it'll compromise my Hamon training. If you want to deal with Caesar when he's angry, be my guest. I would much rather not.

[silvercrusader]

Ahh, I dealt with him being pissed at me already. We mostly just angry text each other, that's our relationship. It's nice, I see why you like him.

[lapidarius]

Certainly sounds like him--we're oddly similar like that. It's a little peculiar, but I've gotten used to it.

[silvercrusader]

How's that shit going?

[He glances over at him, one eyebrow raised.]

Besides electrocuting me, I mean.

[lapidarius]

You left yourself wide open, you have no place to complain.

[Obviously.]

...But it's going well. It could still be better, but I think that I'm starting to get a decent grasp of it.

[silvercrusader]

Yeah?

[He offered him a slight smile.]

So tell me about it.

[lapidarius]

What--you want to hear about it?

[?????]

O-okay, I guess. What do you want to know?

[silvercrusader]

Well, yeah.

[He settles in, lying on his stomach-- though he's careful to lie on Jotaro's side, because that's where the ashtray is.]

I like hearing about you. And Jotaro, and Giorno-- I like knowing about stuff that makes you happy. So, uh . . . I dunno, what is it? Besides breathing, I know it's breathing, but like . . . is it just breathing really well?

[lapidarius]

It's more like controlling how you breathe, rather than doing it 'well' or not. Hamon is basically...manipulating life energy, like using a Stand but in a different application. Breathing correctly is the method to channel and utilize it.

[silvercrusader]

And then you extend it?

[Ooh, that sounds . . . cool, actually, but also insanely difficult; no wonder Mr Joestar hadn't kept up with it.]

Do you control your breath all the time, or just when you want to . . . what even is the word, do Hamon?

[lapidarius]

It's mostly just become habit by now. I need it to become second nature if I want to improve, though. It's like, uh...

[Kakyoin looked for an appropriate metaphor before coming up with an answer.]

Chariot's pretty fast even with his armor on. Having the added weight must be a part of why he's that much faster without it, right? Think of it like that; I'm training to breathe correctly all the time so that I can be that much more effective when I need to be.

[silvercrusader]

Ahh.

[Thank god for metaphors. Polnareff nods knowledgeably, though he doesn't quite understand.]

Can you show me? I mean, not-- you don't have to teach me everything, but what kind of breathing are we talking about?

[lapidarius]

Sure, I can do that. [Kakyoin held up his right hand, taking a few carefully practiced and measured breaths until the electric park of sunlight started cascading over his skin and arcing between his fingers.]

It's...pretty easy once you get used to it. The real trick is...holding a conversation at the same time.

[silvercrusader]

Haha, holy shit!

[He wasn't so stupid as to grab Kakyoin's hand, but the urge was there, just to see if it really was electricity. (It was. He knew it was. He had burn marks to prove it. Nonetheless, he had to tangle his fingers together).]

Shit, Kakyoin, that's amazing! Look at you-- how long can you hold it?

[lapidarius]

Just like this, without...doing anything? [Even though he kept pausing to maintain his breathing, Kakyoin looked genuinely proud and thrilled at being complimented that openly.] Pretty much...as long as I keep breathing correctly.

[Eyes darting to Polnareff's folded hands, Kakyoin held out his own even as Hamon kept sparking around it.]

Give me your hand. It won't hurt this time, I promise.

[silvercrusader]

[He hesitated-- not because he thought Kakyion was going to shock him, but because he well remembered the pain of Hamon.

Still. He trusted him. So Polnareff offered his hand, palm up, fingers slightly curled-- and then clasped their hands, wincing as he did.]

[lapidarius]

[Sure enough, it didn't hurt. Kakyoin had come to realize that Hamon was a strangely versatile thing, and as the user of a strangely versatile Stand he took to that aspect fairly naturally. Sunlight wasn't just something that could burn; it was life energy at its most basic form, and the sparks arching over both their hands didn't feel any different than a bright patch of mid-morning sunshine.]

Told you it wouldn't hurt.

[silvercrusader]

Holy shit.

[He murmured that, staring down at their joined hands. It was wild, seeing the light play over his skin, feeling the warmth there. A moment-- and then he glances up at Kakyoin, smiling. It was a softer smile than his usual beaming grins-- more genuine, too.]

This is amazing, Noriaki.

[lapidarius]

It's pretty cool, isn't it?

[His answer came with a light laugh and a smile that was a little unusual for Kakyoin--it wasn't as reserved as most, and it wasn't the kind of smirk he flashed when he was trying to seem cool or play something off like it was nothing.]

[It was just an honest, genuine, bright smile that made him look like an eager teenager.]

I could still be a lot better with it--I will be, eventually.

[silvercrusader]

Yeah you will. What's Caesar like as a teacher?

[And-- okay, so they've fought together, and bled together, and he's lived with Kakyoin for nearly half a year now, if you counted Egypt and Ruby City together-- but this is getting kind of weird. Like, he'll die for Kakyoin, he loves him, but they're not the kind of friends who hold hands.

So he pulls back, which also feels weird, because he misses that sunlight warmth. Ah, well.]

All he's ever done to me is yell and question me.

[lapidarius]

You would probably think he was way too tough. [Kakyoin shrugged, sparks fading as his breathing turned less focused and he leaned his head on his hand.]

Strict, stubborn, with an uncompromising work ethic--qualities that make for a fantastic teacher as far as I'm concerned.

[silvercrusader]

Yeah, he kind of reminds me of you. Except Italian. And meaner.

[That's kind of a compliment, right?]

Next time you have a public lesson, maybe I'll tag along. Watch you go through hell instead of me for once.