[ Thug life is thug life for a reason. Though Fugo's assessment of the Kakyoin is a bit telling in how brief he was. Nothing notable, their interaction was probably nothing terrible but it wasn't amazing either. It's not as if Giorno would sing praises either but...just something to note.
Kakyoin Noriaki was someone Fugo did not see as a threat and potentially someone they could work with (if not use on some level). If they knew mean girls, this would be very close to encroaching on that territory. ]
He seemed to be knowledgeable about Stands and him and his... [ What did Kakyoin refer to them again? He distinctly remembered that he didn't refer to them as "friends". ]—companions were hunting down a particular Stand user themselves.
[ Giorno will turn to look at Fugo before easing up and relaxing into his chair. He'll trust that the robots will come with their food whenever it's ready. But, that was a great way to transition into what he had wanted to talk to. ]
I've encountered a few people here who have claimed being able to see Gold Experience despite not being Stand users themselves.
[The fact that Kakyoin would also be quite knowledgeable about Stands doesn't come as a surprise to Fugo. Kakyoin had been pretty smart—he had been logical, reasonable, and handled their bizarre situation like it wasn't all that strange at all. Not to mention that Stand users seemed to be drawn to each other, so the fact that he knew of others isn't too strange, either.
But the last thing Giorno says, that comes as a surprise. Fugo blinks, trying to make sure he heard that right.]
Th-they can see it? How?
[If they could see it, could they interact with it, too? Was it possible for a normal person to be able to attack their Stands?]
[ Fugo are you asking Giorno this? Giorno who has barely had his own Stand for about a month and some change? Still, guess his observations are better than nothing at all, but this is really one thing that he doesn't understand. Figuring out Stand users and their abilities is one thing, understanding them for what they are is another... ]
The girl who I spoke to had mentioned she had always been able to see spirits and the supernatural. [ A Japanese woman. Very polite and hated her abilities initially. ]
Perhaps the link to the supernatural is the connection or something about this place; I can't tell.
[ Though with how liberally both Kakyoin and Giorno use their Stands, the answer will bond to show up sooner than later. Or at least, that's the hope that he has. Until then, it's a waiting game. At least there's a brief break from this as a small robot zooms next to them and places their drinks onto the table. A fizzy fruit drink for the two of them. ]
[The more he hears about this place, the more troublesome it sounds. If other people could see and hurt his Stand, it probably didn't matter, so long as he could still manage to release Purple Haze's virus. But what about for someone like Giorno, or Kakyoin? What kind of last resorts did they have? As Stand users, they'd probably still have the upper hand... at least until they inevitably encountered people with non-Stand-related abilities. Ugh.
He frowns, a bitter taste in his mouth. Even when the little robot returns and sets down their drinks, he's not sure how thirsty he is anymore, thinking about all of the problems looming over them.]
This place doesn't make any sense. [What Fugo needed was a break from the monotony that had turned him into the kind of person he is, but... not like this, not like this.] We'll have to be even more careful. There's no telling just what kinds of people will be able to see them.
[ Fugo might not immediately reach for the drink, but Giorno does if for nothing else than to taste it. It isn't bad; actually, rather refreshing. ]
We should see what kind of people there are here.
[ He understands Fugo's concerns but at the same time Giorno hasn't met a person who wasn't in the same situation as them who wasn't somewhat helpful. Sure he has only met a handful of them but doesn't consider them to be people of which he needs to be concerned with. The people of Cerealia—the natives—however were another matter entirely.
If there was anyone who inspired the most ire from him, it'd be them. Giorno wouldn't have wanted them to know what he could be capable of, but there was probably a very small middle ground of which he could stand on in regards to this matter. Without a doubt, they probably had an idea of how Gold Experience worked as well as Kakyoin's Hierophant Green... Looks as if once again, Fugo remains to be the unexpected trump card. ]
However, we should make sure that Purple Haze remains hidden for as long as you can. If the wrong people see that, we'll have more to worry than if they see Gold Experience.
[The implication is pretty clear, but Fugo doesn't mind it. It's not too different from what he did back home, anyway, and besides, it wasn't like his Stand had many practical uses.
He nods in understanding. He also debates his next words briefly, but decides it's worth mentioning, at least to Giorno. If he wanted to be of as much use as possible to him, then it would definitely be good to know.]
I can control it better than I could before, but my range is even smaller now. [So, in other words, while it was probably more useful now, it was also probably more dangerous for him, with or without any other potential threats.] But if things are different here... I guess there won't be many reasons to fight.
["Many," because let's be real, Fugo will still probably find reasons to fight. But if they were going to pretend to be students instead of gangsters, and if there were fewer Stand users around, then there should definitely be fewer reasons to use Purple Haze at all.]
[ No, certainly not fights where he'd have to bring out Purple Haze and melt someone.
Though hearing how Fugo has managed to reign in his control over it was rather surprising news. He always felt that there must have been a way for Fugo to do so when he was first told about the Stand, but wasn't sure how. ]
That's good to know. [ Giorno nods and contemplates whether or not he should know the full details of how it happened. If there was anything to worry about the future being messed up by learning what was going to happen in the future, then he had already failed at step one there.
Might as well go for broke. ]
Has it been a while since you've learned how to control it, or was it rather recent?
Recent. It's... different now. [That was probably the best way to explain it. He didn't think that would change or that it could undo itself or anything, but he sure hoped it wouldn't. Considering how often he used his Stand, it'd be a pain to have to keep rethinking how to use it. (Especially when the Stand was as much of a threat to himself as it was to anyone else.)] But not by much. It's still dangerous.
As long as I can get close enough, it won't matter if they can see it or not.
[Of course, it was still incredibly dangerous for Fugo, but it's not as if he was ever against throwing himself that deep into danger. Was someone being able to attack his Stand really that different than him releasing Purple Haze's virus with his own hands—]
But if you learn anything else about people who can see them, tell me. I want to know.
[ Nice to know it was still as dangerous as ever. Though if he knew exactly what those changes to Purple Haze were, maybe he wouldn't have felt so assured. Then again, there was a chance that Giorno may be able to step in for a miraculous save as he did the first time and only time he faced it.
It was still better to always play safe than to be careless. ]
Well, they were all women though I don't think that's anything worthwhile. [ Giorno isn't going to type them beyond that but it is interesting how of the three non-Stand users that he has met that were able to see Gold Experience all of them were indeed women. ]
But, of course, I'm not going to hide anything from you.
[ Not anything that was important like this. Stuff that might be important later or help him prove some sort of thing later? Maybe... Given that really it was just them against everything else here, there might not be room for that however. Regardless, Giorno looks to Fugo and even though he has been told that he has sworn to his dream— ] I expect the same from you, Fugo. You've been honest with me so far; thank you.
O-of course. It's nothing. [He didn't have anything to hide from him, either. He didn't need to be thanked for it. Finally, Fugo reaches for his drink.] Being honest is the least I can do.
[Giorno had more than earned his respect. Of course, Buccellati'd had that, too, and yet, there were still circumstances in which lying had seemed like the right thing to do. But Giorno... It was different with him, somehow. He had lied to Buccellati to protect him, but Fugo couldn't imagine a situation like that for Giorno. He was sure that Giorno had his weaknesses—everyone did—but maybe Fugo just didn't know him well enough to know what they were yet. What he did know was that Giorno was capable of the impossible. He was powerful, almost unstoppable. He couldn't imagine what it would take to get a person like this down.
But then, maybe it didn't really matter, either. Whatever Giorno's weaknesses were, he wouldn't let anyone take advantage of them.]
[ Oh Fugo, there was plenty that he could do for Giorno.
There's that sort of thinking again that a more experienced, or at least one who has spent a little more time with Passione would have been better equipped to handle. Still yet, Giorno allows for the sentiments to stay. There was no way around disproving Fugo when he set his mind on something through words alone anywho. ]
I read briefly that there were places where we could stay here. Would you like to stay together while we're here?
[ He knows that they were never really close but at the same time, Giorno poses the question. Personally, he would want to stay close together but he could never demand it out of Fugo. If this Fugo wanted to live separately from him, then he was more than welcome to.
And while he waits for a response, the other robots with their snacks, sweets really, come to the table and deposit the them onto the table and leave without much of a notice. As Giorno stares at the spread, he realizes something. How...were they going to pay for this. Theoretically they've been given money but do either one of them know how to pay? ]
[Fugo doesn't even think about it. The more they'd talked about this place, the less hungry he'd gotten anyway, but Giorno's question is enough to forget about even that, too. He blinks.]
A-are you sure?
[Maybe it shouldn't surprise him that Giorno would suggest such a thing, but it surprises him all the same. Giorno couldn't have remembered knowing him for very long, and yet...
He has to remind himself that Giorno has no reason to distrust him. He has to remind himself that, even if he did, he probably wouldn't distrust him anyway, because he would never see him as the traitor Fugo was sure everyone else did. It was just like him, anyway, he supposed. This was the same person, after all, who, even as the head of an extremely powerful gang, still insisted on being called something as informal and unprofessional as GioGio.
[ Fugo would it kill you to answer something as a simple "yes" or "no"? But as Fugo quietly obsesses over reasons that don't exist, Giorno will look at the food left to them and poke at it with a fork. He wasn't going to start eating without Fugo at least acknowledging it first. There is a certain level of manners that are required here.
Though he looks away from the food back to Fugo when he finally gets to his answer. ]
I wouldn't have offered unless I was willing. [ Giorno's voice is even and casual about this. He knows that they aren't close by any means and that he's still largely a mystery to him, but Giorno hardly thinks that there would ever be anything that he could do to make him take back his judgement of Fugo's character.
This was all of Giorno's thinking however, and he knew that Fugo was his own person who may feel pressured to agree given their standings. Whether he consciously thought of them or not, Giorno will offer him an out, or at least...a compromise. ]
However, if you decide that you want to leave and find your own space after a while, I won't hold it against you.
asdkfjh LMAO SHH... mistakes were made that night.
[The reassurance helps, at least a little, but it's probably his last words, the reminder that he's not really bound or obligated in any way, that reassures the most. It wasn't so much that Fugo didn't want anything to do with it (because whether he trusted Giorno or not certainly wasn't the question here—if it was him, then it was fine), it was more like he was just unprepared. A logical person (or, maybe, even a person more like himself) would probably never make an offer like this to someone he hardly knew—in other words, in a sense, it just didn't make sense to Fugo. It's hard to understand what Giorno's thinking at pretty much any given time, and that makes him... well, kind of unpredictable.
Maybe that's the problem here.
Either way, now that he's a little less startled by what he says, he nods.]
...I understand. [Here, he finally acknowledges the food, though it's probably more to mask the slight awkwardness he feels as he attempts to explain himself to his friend a little better.] I just didn't expect it, that's all. I'm not used to it, but I don't mind.
[ It's a relief to see Fugo settling a bit more than being taken aback by his suggestion. Giorno never would have wanted to bend Fugo's arm into doing anything against his wishes and ultimately wanted Fugo to decide for things himself. (Now if he's able to or not is another matter entirely.) But, with Fugo acknowledging the food, Giorno will help himself to the dessert he ordered. Fugo's appetite might have dwindled but Giorno is unflappable—he won't be a pig however and eats casually. ]
Then how about we look for a place to stay while we're here once we're done eating? I'm not certain how easy or how different they are here, but hopefully it will be rather painless.
[ Which brings Giorno back into the mind of "how were they going to pay for any and all of this"? Giorno didn't want to exactly dine and dash but after what they went through, a less noble person would have felt entitled to a free meal.
[It didn't seem like their appearance here was anything unusual, so on one hand, Fugo thought that it probably shouldn't be too hard. This place, this... world, it should be used to taking in people like them, so these processes should already be pretty ironed out. But on the other hand, the whole ViViD mess kind of made him wonder. Was their ending up there more than once intentional, or not?]
...we'll figure it out.
[There are so many questions, but then, he thinks, it doesn't really do him any good to wonder (or know) right now. They'd just have to work something out when they got there. And that isn't such an intimidating prospect with Giorno around.]
Of course we will; there's no doubt that we won't.
[ If there was anything to be certain of, then it was definitely the fact that they were going to make it out of this. Whether they were the real versions of themselves or another copy made while their actual selves were still going about their business, is left to be unsaid. Atsushi had planted the idea in his mind and even though Giorno doesn't want to waste his breath explaining it or thinking about it...
It sits uncomfortably inside of him. What they needed to focus on what was before them such as: ]
Fugo—I'm not certain if we're able to pay for this yet.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I desperately need a drawing of all three of them standing next to each other...
Kakyoin Noriaki was someone Fugo did not see as a threat and potentially someone they could work with (if not use on some level). If they knew mean girls, this would be very close to encroaching on that territory. ]
He seemed to be knowledgeable about Stands and him and his... [ What did Kakyoin refer to them again? He distinctly remembered that he didn't refer to them as "friends". ]—companions were hunting down a particular Stand user themselves.
[ Giorno will turn to look at Fugo before easing up and relaxing into his chair. He'll trust that the robots will come with their food whenever it's ready. But, that was a great way to transition into what he had wanted to talk to. ]
I've encountered a few people here who have claimed being able to see Gold Experience despite not being Stand users themselves.
ME, TOO. IMMEDIATELY.
But the last thing Giorno says, that comes as a surprise. Fugo blinks, trying to make sure he heard that right.]
Th-they can see it? How?
[If they could see it, could they interact with it, too? Was it possible for a normal person to be able to attack their Stands?]
if only i could draw
[ Fugo are you asking Giorno this? Giorno who has barely had his own Stand for about a month and some change? Still, guess his observations are better than nothing at all, but this is really one thing that he doesn't understand. Figuring out Stand users and their abilities is one thing, understanding them for what they are is another... ]
The girl who I spoke to had mentioned she had always been able to see spirits and the supernatural. [ A Japanese woman. Very polite and hated her abilities initially. ]
Perhaps the link to the supernatural is the connection or something about this place; I can't tell.
[ Though with how liberally both Kakyoin and Giorno use their Stands, the answer will bond to show up sooner than later. Or at least, that's the hope that he has. Until then, it's a waiting game. At least there's a brief break from this as a small robot zooms next to them and places their drinks onto the table. A fizzy fruit drink for the two of them. ]
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He frowns, a bitter taste in his mouth. Even when the little robot returns and sets down their drinks, he's not sure how thirsty he is anymore, thinking about all of the problems looming over them.]
This place doesn't make any sense. [What Fugo needed was a break from the monotony that had turned him into the kind of person he is, but... not like this, not like this.] We'll have to be even more careful. There's no telling just what kinds of people will be able to see them.
[Just more things to worry about. Naturally.]
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We should see what kind of people there are here.
[ He understands Fugo's concerns but at the same time Giorno hasn't met a person who wasn't in the same situation as them who wasn't somewhat helpful. Sure he has only met a handful of them but doesn't consider them to be people of which he needs to be concerned with. The people of Cerealia—the natives—however were another matter entirely.
If there was anyone who inspired the most ire from him, it'd be them. Giorno wouldn't have wanted them to know what he could be capable of, but there was probably a very small middle ground of which he could stand on in regards to this matter. Without a doubt, they probably had an idea of how Gold Experience worked as well as Kakyoin's Hierophant Green... Looks as if once again, Fugo remains to be the unexpected trump card. ]
However, we should make sure that Purple Haze remains hidden for as long as you can. If the wrong people see that, we'll have more to worry than if they see Gold Experience.
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He nods in understanding. He also debates his next words briefly, but decides it's worth mentioning, at least to Giorno. If he wanted to be of as much use as possible to him, then it would definitely be good to know.]
I can control it better than I could before, but my range is even smaller now. [So, in other words, while it was probably more useful now, it was also probably more dangerous for him, with or without any other potential threats.] But if things are different here... I guess there won't be many reasons to fight.
["Many," because let's be real, Fugo will still probably find reasons to fight. But if they were going to pretend to be students instead of gangsters, and if there were fewer Stand users around, then there should definitely be fewer reasons to use Purple Haze at all.]
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Though hearing how Fugo has managed to reign in his control over it was rather surprising news. He always felt that there must have been a way for Fugo to do so when he was first told about the Stand, but wasn't sure how. ]
That's good to know. [ Giorno nods and contemplates whether or not he should know the full details of how it happened. If there was anything to worry about the future being messed up by learning what was going to happen in the future, then he had already failed at step one there.
Might as well go for broke. ]
Has it been a while since you've learned how to control it, or was it rather recent?
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As long as I can get close enough, it won't matter if they can see it or not.
[Of course, it was still incredibly dangerous for Fugo, but it's not as if he was ever against throwing himself that deep into danger. Was someone being able to attack his Stand really that different than him releasing Purple Haze's virus with his own hands—]
But if you learn anything else about people who can see them, tell me. I want to know.
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It was still better to always play safe than to be careless. ]
Well, they were all women though I don't think that's anything worthwhile. [ Giorno isn't going to type them beyond that but it is interesting how of the three non-Stand users that he has met that were able to see Gold Experience all of them were indeed women. ]
But, of course, I'm not going to hide anything from you.
[ Not anything that was important like this. Stuff that might be important later or help him prove some sort of thing later? Maybe... Given that really it was just them against everything else here, there might not be room for that however. Regardless, Giorno looks to Fugo and even though he has been told that he has sworn to his dream— ] I expect the same from you, Fugo. You've been honest with me so far; thank you.
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[Giorno had more than earned his respect. Of course, Buccellati'd had that, too, and yet, there were still circumstances in which lying had seemed like the right thing to do. But Giorno... It was different with him, somehow. He had lied to Buccellati to protect him, but Fugo couldn't imagine a situation like that for Giorno. He was sure that Giorno had his weaknesses—everyone did—but maybe Fugo just didn't know him well enough to know what they were yet. What he did know was that Giorno was capable of the impossible. He was powerful, almost unstoppable. He couldn't imagine what it would take to get a person like this down.
But then, maybe it didn't really matter, either. Whatever Giorno's weaknesses were, he wouldn't let anyone take advantage of them.]
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There's that sort of thinking again that a more experienced, or at least one who has spent a little more time with Passione would have been better equipped to handle. Still yet, Giorno allows for the sentiments to stay. There was no way around disproving Fugo when he set his mind on something through words alone anywho. ]
I read briefly that there were places where we could stay here. Would you like to stay together while we're here?
[ He knows that they were never really close but at the same time, Giorno poses the question. Personally, he would want to stay close together but he could never demand it out of Fugo. If this Fugo wanted to live separately from him, then he was more than welcome to.
And while he waits for a response, the other robots with their snacks, sweets really, come to the table and deposit the them onto the table and leave without much of a notice. As Giorno stares at the spread, he realizes something. How...were they going to pay for this. Theoretically they've been given money but do either one of them know how to pay? ]
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A-are you sure?
[Maybe it shouldn't surprise him that Giorno would suggest such a thing, but it surprises him all the same. Giorno couldn't have remembered knowing him for very long, and yet...
He has to remind himself that Giorno has no reason to distrust him. He has to remind himself that, even if he did, he probably wouldn't distrust him anyway, because he would never see him as the traitor Fugo was sure everyone else did. It was just like him, anyway, he supposed. This was the same person, after all, who, even as the head of an extremely powerful gang, still insisted on being called something as informal and unprofessional as GioGio.
He takes a breath.]
I mean... If that's alright with you.
that timestamp trap...
Though he looks away from the food back to Fugo when he finally gets to his answer. ]
I wouldn't have offered unless I was willing. [ Giorno's voice is even and casual about this. He knows that they aren't close by any means and that he's still largely a mystery to him, but Giorno hardly thinks that there would ever be anything that he could do to make him take back his judgement of Fugo's character.
This was all of Giorno's thinking however, and he knew that Fugo was his own person who may feel pressured to agree given their standings. Whether he consciously thought of them or not, Giorno will offer him an out, or at least...a compromise. ]
However, if you decide that you want to leave and find your own space after a while, I won't hold it against you.
asdkfjh LMAO SHH... mistakes were made that night.
Maybe that's the problem here.
Either way, now that he's a little less startled by what he says, he nods.]
...I understand. [Here, he finally acknowledges the food, though it's probably more to mask the slight awkwardness he feels as he attempts to explain himself to his friend a little better.] I just didn't expect it, that's all. I'm not used to it, but I don't mind.
smh at you
Then how about we look for a place to stay while we're here once we're done eating? I'm not certain how easy or how different they are here, but hopefully it will be rather painless.
[ Which brings Giorno back into the mind of "how were they going to pay for any and all of this"? Giorno didn't want to exactly dine and dash but after what they went through, a less noble person would have felt entitled to a free meal.
What's a gangster to do? ]
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[It didn't seem like their appearance here was anything unusual, so on one hand, Fugo thought that it probably shouldn't be too hard. This place, this... world, it should be used to taking in people like them, so these processes should already be pretty ironed out. But on the other hand, the whole ViViD mess kind of made him wonder. Was their ending up there more than once intentional, or not?]
...we'll figure it out.
[There are so many questions, but then, he thinks, it doesn't really do him any good to wonder (or know) right now. They'd just have to work something out when they got there. And that isn't such an intimidating prospect with Giorno around.]
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[ If there was anything to be certain of, then it was definitely the fact that they were going to make it out of this. Whether they were the real versions of themselves or another copy made while their actual selves were still going about their business, is left to be unsaid. Atsushi had planted the idea in his mind and even though Giorno doesn't want to waste his breath explaining it or thinking about it...
It sits uncomfortably inside of him. What they needed to focus on what was before them such as: ]
Fugo—I'm not certain if we're able to pay for this yet.
[ LOOK THIS, TOO, IS REALLY IMPORTANT. ]