prismatica | text, un: nevercrywolf

Entry tags:

text, un: nevercrywolf

i've been trying to figure out what people even use this "internet" thing for and it seems like most people just write whatever they want on it, right? that's what it seems like. i saw a bunch of questions and some ads and some introductions.

there's an observatory here apparently. they let you go there and look at the stars at night if you want to. i guess the stars would be different here than they would on earth or wherever else. they have different constellations too which i guess makes sense. different star patterns and different cultural basis for deciding what shapes they look like to begin with.

every place is different. they all do things differently. around here you're supposed to hold hands or hug or fuck and maybe here that's no different than taking your shoes off when you go in the house or saying itadakimasu before you eat. i guess you're supposed to just get used to that. living here means that's just what you're stuck with.

i ran out of cigarettes.

so is that what people do when they decide they need money? just go on here and write "hey i'm out of cash anybody want to moonlace"? like it's a fucking bathroom wall or something.

yeah, i know, or get a job. last i checked you can't get a job in the middle of the night on no notice.

cigarettes. candles. incense. maybe someone who knows how to do calligraphy or draw. guess that's a shopping list that'll have to wait until morning.

[OOC: Please assume that this was posted at some utterly stupid hour in the middle of the night!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Have you ever seen a man stand so fast, that the weight of his portfolio hanging on the back of it causes his chair to flip. In the quiet cafe - it is loud. He brings his palms down to his table in front of him and looks at the man. Teenager? In front of him. This was who he was talking to -- ]

Jotaro-san.

[ Oh. This is the face of a man where every piece falls into place. ]

You're pretty young though.

...I didn't tell you wh—

[Wait a minute. Wait. The guy had gotten interested in his name all of a sudden when he'd mentioned a daughter and an uncle. That was when he'd wanted a name. Which means...]

You know me.

[Brilliant, Sherlock.]

But not me right now. Some version of me from the future?

[ Well, the pieces are coming together, at least. And he's not going to rescind his offer to draw. This isn't the Jotaro he knows, though. This is some version that's younger than he is. Weird. It shouldn't be so surprising. He knows it. He's met people from both before and after his time. Stand Users included. ]

Yeah. 1999.

[ Oh. Didn't he already say that. Oh well. ]

I'm - [ Hm. ] I know Josuke, we're from the same hometown. So I'll just skip to this.

[ Heaven's Door appears beside him, but only for a few moments before it vanishes. Since he knows Jotaro means no harm - and it's just easier than going through any formalities or Q&A. ]

[The reaction comes instantaneous, because of course it does. Kishibe's Stand emerges, and he's not fooled by its cherubic appearance or its small stature. Instantly, Star Platinum hurtles into being at his own shoulder, massive and looming in stark contrast to the other stand —

And Jotaro's own reaction is equally contrasting to Kishibe's. Evidently, the other User has a lot more banked chroma than he does, because he seems unaffected by the action of summoning his Stand, whereas Jotaro — despite his best efforts to stay upright and impassive — looks like he's just taken a hammerpunch to the stomach, a few shades paler and fighting back tremors in his limbs.]

And just how much do you know about me?

[It's visibly taxing, keeping Star Platinum out, but he doesn't put him away.]

You're going to run out of Chroma.

[ Simple, pointed. Why do you think Heaven's Door appearance was brief, Jotaro? For fun? Still, it'd be pretty awkward if this guy worse himself in the middle of a cafe with just him there. What would he do, call...Josuke? Probably. And he'd rather not. So... ]

Don't be stupid. I wouldn't even try to hurt you. I'm harmless.

[ Well, as much as he can be towards anyone. ]

I met you when you come to Morioh in your future. I know Josuke is your uncle. I've also met your daughter since arriving here.

I know your stand from seeing it at home, and you're a good ally. [ He shifts, stepping back to fix the chair, still knocked over. ]

If you continue to drain your Chroma like that, you will definitely end up on the floor in here. And then I'll have to call Josuke [ Oh. He doesn't sound like he even slightly wants to do that. ] and it will be a massive inconvenience.

[Ally. It's an interesting choice of word, and one that stands out in a significant, positive fashion. "Friend" is something he can't help but distrust on some sort of vague and intuitive level; he makes friends so rarely and with such difficulty that he's inherently suspicious of anyone claiming to be one.

But ally? Ally is easy, and makes sense. It means that they had a common goal, and worked together toward it. Coming from a fellow Stand user — sure, yes, that's much easier to accept.

So, gradually, he releases his hold on Star Platinum and lets him fade back into obscurity, then shakily finds a seat and slides into it with still-shaking hands.]

That's the problem, isn't it. Chroma.

[He looks Rohan over carefully.]

Seems like you've found a way around it, though. You can use your Stand without a problem.

[ Alright, well. That worked. Rohan wasn't sure if it would. He doesn't use his words very often to get people do do things. It's less hassle to just use Heaven's Door. But, it felt weird to even try and it's Jotaro so he was either going to listen or fall over. He's glad he opted for the listening. He folds his arms over his chest at the suggestion that he can use his stand without an issue. ]

I get to use Heaven's Door very rarely. The more Chroma I conserve, the less I have to earn. There's no way around it that I've found.

[ You can bet if anyone here has tried, he's definitely someone who has. ]

You can work and earn Demi-Chroma, too. It helps relieve some of the stress.

[ So here's the kicker. ]

But, it's why I allow stories in a trade for art. That's less use of my stand the more things that are offered to me freely. My offer remains. [ Obviously. ]

[Again, he looks Rohan up and down for a minute before slowly reaching into his gakuran, digging out his wallet and opening it up to produce a photograph that, despite being tucked away inside the wallet and his pants, is still generally no worse for the wear.

He slides it gently across the tabletop, oriented so that Rohan is seeing it right-side-up, and keeps one fingertip on it like he's afraid it might get snatched away.]

I need pictures of these three people. Separate, one for each of them.

[One after another, he indicates Kakyoin, then Avdol, then Iggy.]

I guess you'd call them headshots. Can you do something like that?

[ Rohan's eyes glance over the picture. Then he looks towards Jotaro for a moment, back to the picture. All the while not saying a word as if he's plotting how he's going to be drawing each of them in his mind. He picks up his pencil, spinning it in his fingers before deciding to say anything. ]

Ah - Avdol-san did say you knew each other. He spoke pretty fondly of you.

[ At least, that was Rohan's interpretation of the way Avdol talked. He had said a lot of things when they talked last. He was kind. ]

Yes.

[ It's weird to see Jotaro this young - so close to Josuke's age. He's actually older than him right now. How odd. He opts to treat him as he usually would. He moves his hand to the paper and starts. ]

You've met him.

[It's less a question, more a conclusion. He's watching Rohan carefully, at first like he's skeptical, but then gradually less and less because of that and more and more because he's intrigued by the skill he's showing in his art.]

...Who were we allies against? You and me.

[That's a good place to start, perhaps. Isn't it?]

Another Stand user?

[ He's focused on his work, but he barely pauses when he looks up to address Jotaro. He's fine with easy conversation, at least. In fiction, there's rules against telling people the future, but what's done is done. There's a sort of easiness to the way he moves his hand over the paper. Rohan knows how to make drawing like he does easy. ]

Yes. He was murdering women in my hometown. His stand made it too easy.

[ A lot of hands went into tracking down and stopping Kira, but he'll give Jotaro the proper credit. ]

Your help put a stop to that.

[ He stops drawing for a moment. ]

Which is why I know you. I'm not some creepy internet stalker or something.

[ Well, not towards Jotaro, at least. He does kind of lurk sometimes to check things out, so he just knows what's going on. ]

And even if I were, I couldn't stalk you offline with just your name unless I knew you already.

[ Which...of course is the case. ]

What was I doing in your hometown? I guess it was probably something to do with Josuke?

[That's the natural conclusion, anyway. Josuke is family, and what would he be doing in some random town dealing with a Stand user who murders women if not for that family connection? Why would he willingly chase after enemy Stand users any more than he already has? It's supposed to be over now. He's supposed to not have to do that anymore.]

Well...I guess that's good, then. That I do that. Help.

[Small talk: he's so good at this.]

[ Rohan pauses his work when he says Josuke's name, it's almost involuntarily. ]

Yeah, it had to do with Josuke. Family business, I guess.

[ And therefore, none of his business. Not that he had particularly wanted to know. All he's managed to gather from his interactions with the family members that he's met so far, is that it is an interesting bunch. And Jotaro was the less aggressively extroverted. Therefore, he wasn't a massive nuisance. And it's fine. Rohan's not great at small talk like this, either. He's..trying. ]

It is.

[ ...Trying... ]

Avdol-san told me about the soul-stealing gambler you met.

[ He resumes drawing. He's not... sure what to say. ]

We never had a Stand User like that in Morioh [ well, exactly, he remembers that kid who tried to steal his Stand ] though we do have a lot of Stand Users.

Oh. That guy.

[He almost says "which one", and then he remembers — Avdol was only present for one, wasn't he. The other one was after they split up, and they never saw him again after that.]

...Why did he tell you about that? Just because it was an interesting story, or whatever?

[...]

It...wasn't that interesting.

I was asking for stories and he shared it.

[ Jotaro might not find it very interesting, but Rohan finds the stories where he doesn't almost end up dead pretty interesting, if he's honest. And it isn't something he would have ever heard, most likely, without Avdol's help.

His answer is straight forward, easy. And the truth. ]

It's interesting enough. After all, it's not like people routinely meet soul stealing gamblers around here, either.

[ And, as he's working. ]

Imagine how Stories like that sound to people without Stands, though. My average reader isn't a Stand User.

You mean it's different for someone like that because for them it's not real. But for us, it's real.

[That makes sense, really. He's still not altogether sure how he feels about having things that actually happened to him repackaged for mass consumption with different names attached, but...

Well, how does that saying go, anyway? Truth being stranger than fiction, or something like that? Anyway.]

...I'm pretty sure the way I would tell that story is a lot different than the way he would tell it.

[Hmm.]

I hope he mentioned the part where I broke the guy's finger for trying to cheat me.

Yes. Exactly why.

[ Despite the conversation, Avdol is nearly finished on the paper in front of him. Rohan was keeping a nice pace himself as he worked. Plus, knowing Avdol had helped him. He's sure the others won't be near as easy. ]

Probably. And he didn't mention it.

[ He lifts his pencil, and turns the paper to reveal it to Josuke. Avdol was always so - pleasant - to be around. Easy. Even for someone like Rohan who didn't necessarily enjoy the company of many people. ]

Though, I'm sure he would have mentioned it had he known I knew who you were when he told it.

[ Because, well, breaking someone's finger doesn't make Jotaro seem like the nicest guy, but Rohan knew he was good. He knew that what he was doing was good. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

text, un: nevercrywolf

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject