starmark | IC Inbox | rubycity_rp

It's very weird.

[But it's nice, too. He can't be too unsettled by anything that makes Star Platinum smile like that. It's not exactly the same as Jotaro smiling himself, but it feels the same on some level, the same way that the cacophonous yelling of Sex Pistols is inherently Mista, or the soft presence of Sticky Fingers is as comforting as Bruno is.]

[He doesn't decide to cross over and link arms with Star again; it's just the natural thing to do, so he does it, looking thoughtful all the way.]

You might think . . . my life is still about fighting. At home, I mean. But it isn't, really. It's mostly politics. I'm in danger often, but not in the same way, and anyway, it's not supposed to be my responsibility to keep myself safe. But I'm so used to having him out, it felt strange to not, so - he comes to meetings with me. Things like that. It's a little silly.

[And thank goodness for Star's unsettling precision, because among his many talents that utilize that particular skill, patting Giorno on the head without mussing his donuts is apparently one of them.]

...That's Mista's specialty, right? Keeping you safe.

[He shifts his weight slightly, his hands finding their way a little deeper into his pockets.]

Hey. About your life at home. ...Can I ask you something?

[Oh. That's. He is beaming. It would feel patronizing ordinarily, but from Jotaro it just doesn't. It's just - nice.]

That's right. One of his specialties, anyway.

[He cocks his head curiously, not sure whether to read Jotaro's body language as nervous or just shy.]

You can ask me anything.

...So if I came to Italy sometime. That'd throw your operation off?

[There's too much of a question built into that latter bit for it to be anything but; though he words it like an assumption, the tone keeps it from being such, pulls it back into a tentative if badly-phrased question rather than an assertion to be proved right or wrong.]

[Oh. Oh again.]

[Would it? It's a decent question, despite his kneejerk instinct to say no. It would be a distraction, that much is absolutely true. But he thinks maybe he's functioning better with distractions here. Would that carry over back home, with Bruno and Abbacchio and Narancia gone, would it still feel safe to do things like this, to lean into Star Platinum's touch and give in to not being don for five minutes? Would he be able to take that luxury?]

[After a moment, he . . . shakes his head.]

I don't think so. Not at all. I can multitask.

[Which maybe is true or maybe is wishful thinking, but - he can have more than one dream.]

You're not going to stick me with some capo you like and have him show me around like a tourist while you run the country?

[And now, at last, Star isn't the only one with a facial expression that resembles a smile, though with Star there's no doubt in the least, and on Jotaro it's as subtle as always, and partially concealed in the dim visibility.]

Of course not. That would be delegating, not multitasking. Besides, family doesn't get shunted off to the side.

[. . . he says like he has any fucking clue what he's talking about, but whatever.]

No, you'd be with me. If you could handle it, anyway.

[...Family. c:]

Which part would have you concerned, about my being able to handle it? I have a guess already, I want to see if I'm right.

It's a lot of waiting around, honestly. There's a lot of down time and a lot of strategy meetings and a lot of . . . me thinking in very quiet circles. There are also some things that need to be handled with extreme delicacy, or else . . . things will get very difficult very quickly.

[There's no point in dancing around it. Patience and delicacy aren't Jotaro's strong suits, except when it comes to starfish.]

...Oh.

[Well, it gets a shrug out of him, at least; evidently, the explanation suits him, or at least he isn't too bothered by it.]

I thought you were going to say I'm too decent to watch a guy get his fingers broken, or something.

[That's enough to startle him into laughter.]

You?

[Look, he has a very specific definition of safety, okay.]

You don't think I'm delicate and soft-hearted?

[The tone is too deadpan to properly invoke sarcasm, but the combination with the words does ironic humor more than adequately.]

I think it's impressive that even you could say that with a straight face.

. . . Do you know how to break someone's fingers?

[The implication here is, of course, that little Giorno Giovanna does know this thing. It's harder than you might think!]

You grab the pinky and go out to the side. In the movies they show people going straight back, but it's harder that way, fingers naturally bend further that way before breaking.

[He holds up one hand, fingers lightly spread, for emphasis — and mimes with the other.]

Grab, bend, twist. Or use Star Platinum to just crush them, but that's less...something, I guess.

[He nods, pleased but not terrifically surprised.]

The easier you make it look, the more it gets the point across, generally. Although I'm not really supposed to get my hands dirty like that.

[It's kind of a bummer.]

That's what you have people for, right.

[He pauses, thoughtful.]

Though I guess if you did do it yourself, that'd make a point in itself. You'd have to be pretty serious about it, just to deign to do the job on your own.

[With a sound in the affirmative, he nods again.]

It's an effective tactic. It's something worth spreading around, too, sometimes. That I know what I'm doing, that I'm not just talking about it. But you don't overuse any tools.

I've only done it once in two months.

[ONLY ONE SET OF BROKEN FINGERS IN TWO MONTHS, WOWZA.]

Who'd you do it to? Someone who deserved it, obviously.

[BECAUSE THAT'S CLEARLY THE IMPORTANT QUESTION HERE]

Mmhm. We're trying to cut down on drug trafficking first. For some reason people don't seem to understand that I'm serious. I only broke the fingers of the man at the top of that particular food chain.

[He looks pretty satisfied about it, honestly.]

Makes sense. The important points are the ones you should only have to make once.

[See also: D'arby the Elder second-dealing cards.]

Maybe twice, when people are too stupid to take a hint.

He was smug and horrible. I would've been happy to break more than his fingers if it wouldn't have just been overkill.

[This very evenly, without a trace of anger; then for a moment he's quiet, considering what he's just said.]

. . . I don't want people to fear me, I want them to respect me. But it's a long road, you understand?

...There's a difference. I don't even know if I could tell you what that difference is, what it hinges on, but I know it exists. The one, you're trying to get people to obey. The other is more like, you're trying to get them to listen.

[And then it's his turn to be quiet, reflecting on the thought, what it means, what it suggests. What Giorno means when he says you understand, and what he wants him to hear as he answers, of course.]

You've got an uphill battle for that, there's no denying it. But you're worth listening to, Giorno. So make them, if that's what it takes.

[The relief almost hurts, when he doesn't have to explain, when he doesn't have to say more than you understand. He realizes, too, that he could easily say I don't want any more people dying for me, but he doesn't need to, because Jotaro is already there with him. There are so many things that just don't need to be said, and even for someone like him who's good at words, it's a relief not to have to ask outright.]

[He knows he isn't doing the wrong thing. But hearing it is important, all the same.]

[He exhales slowly and . . . is just quiet for a moment, not thinking, just quiet, because he can be that around Jotaro, just quiet, not leading anybody anywhere.]

You are, too. Worth listening to. Do you know that?

I don't have a lot to say.

[Which is probably a "no", all things considered. Who would've told him — and moreover, who would he have listened to long enough to know it? Bruno, maybe. Bruno and Giorno, even from the beginning they've been linked together because they're so alike.]

I don't know what there'd be to listen to.

You don't say a lot. But what you do say is important.

[He half-smiles then, a loopy and tired smile, but one he means all the same.]

You've said a lot of important things to me already, and I haven't even known you that long.

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