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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

[starmark]

Here, look.

[He flipped the book around, motioning to one of the glossy pictures.]

You can really tell the difference by the tail. River otters have a long sleek tail; sea otters have a wide and kind of stubby one.

[lapidarius]

[He leaned over slightly to look, tilting his head.]

They're...really cute.

[starmark]

They wrap themselves in kelp when they sleep, to keep from drifting away.

[OTTERS.]

That's pretty smart, for just animal instinct. They're using their environment like a tool to accomplish a goal.

[lapidarius]

Sounds pretty resourceful. Aren't those the ones that hold hands, too?

[starmark]

Yup.

...You came in here just to talk about otters?

[lapidarius]

No, but I did want to know what you were reading about.

[...]

It sounded like a better start than 'I found a jacket in my room.'

[starmark]

Looks like it fits.

[...]

Anyway, now if Ishimaru sees you, he won't give you shit about dressing for the weather, or whatever.

[lapidarius]

...You got me a jacket just because of the weather?

[starmark]

That's not what I said.

[lapidarius]

...

[?????]

So why...did you? I mean, I'm pretty sure you're the only one that would've given me something like this.

[starmark]

A couple weeks back, he was doing something stupid.

[He paused, setting the book on otters back on the stack and leaning back against his pillows instead, pulling the brim of his hat down over his eyes.]

It just got me to thinking.

[...All of which amounted to an answer that essentially said nothing at all.]

[lapidarius]

Thinking about what?

[give this man a license to practice dentistry because this is like pulling teeth]

[starmark]

...My birthday's in February.

[And Kakyoin had said he'd been here in the city around fifty days before Jotaro himself had shown up, and he'd gotten there in August, and Ishimaru confirmed Kakyoin'd had a birthday in the city but it was before he'd arrived himself...

So that had to be June or July, sometime.]

I know I missed yours. But finding that in your room...you still were surprised, right?

[lapidarius]

... [oh. Oh.]

'Surprised' is one word for it. I almost thought it might explode, since it just came out of nowhere like that. But I really like it, Jojo.

[...]

July twenty-sixth.

[starmark]

Well. Surprise.

[Spoilers: there was no chance whatsoever that he would've managed to deliver that in person, for a number of reasons including but not limited to he probably would've exploded, and not the package.]

...You didn't tell anyone?

[lapidarius]

...I didn't see any reason to.

[Kakyoin shrugged, adjusting the jacket's collar.]

[starmark]

Flip it up. Makes you look tough.

[...]

I figured it'd go with your sunglasses.

[lapidarius]

Are you trying to make me look like a delinquent, Jojo?

[He laughed under his breath, not sounding all that offended.]

[starmark]

The hell was I supposed to get you, candy and flowers?

Maybe you can wear it the next time you decide to steal a truck.

[lapidarius]

Are you ever going to give me a break about that?

[starmark]

Are you embarrassed or something?

[lapidarius]

I didn't say that I was. I just think you're being a little ridiculous over something I had to do so Polnareff and I didn't get killed.

. . . Extreme as I'll admit it was.

[starmark]

I keep mentioning it because it's who you are.

[...]

Someone who doesn't know you would never think you'd do something like that in the first place.

[lapidarius]

That's probably because I don't make a habit out of it.

[. . .]

Is...everything okay?

[starmark]

...What do you mean?