epitaffio | IC Inbox

Merry Christmas!

Your Secret Santa is Waldo Butters. "Eyes" on the network. Price limit is whatever you want it to be, please gift something by December 24.

Ho, ho, ho!

[... Ah boy.]

Can I get a reroll?

Ho, ho, no.

Why, what's wrong with Butters?

[Oh no he didn't plan that far ahead]

Well...
I don't really know him!
How can I get someone a gift if I don't know what they like?

You get your sleuthing hat on, Sherlock. Jesus, it's like no-one around here even understands how Secret Santa works.

[Well, shit. Looks like he's not getting out of this that easily.]

Ok, ok :/
I guess I'll see what I can do

[ There is a gift for Doppio at his door! WHAT IS IT?

Oh, hey, a nicely-wrapped gift basket of savory treats. A little bread, some cheese, some sausage... and even a bottle of wine. For that hungery monster, no doubt. ]

Thought this might help some of that appetite.
-Majima

[Doppio will appreciate this greatly. Especially the sausage.

~~But he's gonna have to shape up and get something meatier any time now...~~]

[By his doorstep on Christmas Day Doppio found a small gift at his door and a trail of paw prints leading into the distance.

Inside he would find some fancy winter gloves and a christmas scarf.]

((OOC:Sorry for the late present. Last month was crazy and I originally thought that I just needed to post his gift on the gifting meme.))

[Oh yeah, the Secret Santa. He... kind of forgot he'd be getting stuff.

Was the person who left him these really that nice or just doing it because they had to, he wonders...?]

[So none of this is great. Plague never is, but monster plague....even worse.]

[Hestia's is officially on lockdown. Literally. At the flip of a switch, bars cover the windows and the gate locks with about half a dozen locks, effectively quarantining the building. She's got a priority after all, and it's the kids she's sort of in charge of.]

[She also makes it a point to seek out their newest resident, knocking on Doppio's door and calling through the wood right after initiating lockdown.]

Hey, don't freak out over the hotel suddenly turning into a fort, I did that, it's that high tech defense I was telling you about.

[Judging by the look on Doppio's face when he opens the door, he was either about to ask or afraid to ask.]

You know, I was still kind of assuming you were joking about that... What's going on out there?

Nope. This place is as safe as a place can be around here. Which is good for us, since apparently horrible monster plague is ravaging the streets?

[All Korra has is the network buzz to go on, but it sounds Bad.]

Sorry to basically lock you in like this, but I figure you can understand why.

N-No, I get it! We still have meat in the fridge, right? I hope I'm not asking too much, but my stomach's been starting to bug me pretty badly when I don't eat for too long...

[Still, he'll live. Probably safer to just wait it out, if it's that bad.]

... Things happen a lot around here, don't they?

It's fine, we're stocked up. And there's a meat freezer downstairs with backup supplies, just in case.

[The hotel is prepared for any sort of long lasting emergency. Food, water, medical supplies, fuel...there's even a generator in case of power outages that last more than a couple of hours.]

...Yeah, things happen a lot. You sort of just get used to it as part of life, as messed up as that sounds.

There's also plenty of board games and the radio and stuff in the common area, to stave off cabin fever. And you know...all the homemade soda we can drink.

[He can't help frowning a little. It's not so much that "getting used to it" sounds messed up, but more the fact that he's not even supposed to be alive in the first place. He shouldn't have to get used to it.

But never mind that. Luckily, a different subject comes to mind easily.]

Hey, since I'm apparently undead now... [- and his numerous deer-like features make his exact species obvious, too -] Soda can't actually make me sick anymore, right?

It shouldn't! I'll be honest, I haven't hung out too much with undead, but what's soda going to do to you? I've got a ton of flavors, too.

[Korra's social circle is predominantly a minotaur and a harpy these days, and she'd never had any close friends that were any of the undead kinds of monsters.]

Oh yeah, and if there's anything specific you need that makes daily home life easier...I don't know what ghost deer need, but we'll make it happen.

Well, I have been kind of bored.

[Which has nothing to do with the lockdown, but he can see it getting worse, depending on how long this goes on. He was used to just... zoning out and waking up to a phone call with something new to do, but for some reason he can't zone out like he used to, and time feels like it's been passing by so slowly...]

What kinds of games do you have?

A bunch! Also cards and a dart board. And if you're into martial arts at all there's a really nice training room set up just a floor down. Some gym equipment, too.

[Korra turns to head to the common area, and gestures for him to follow.]

Come on, you can check out your options. I'll make us some drinks.

M-Martial arts? That sounds cool, but... No, thanks. I'm not much of a fighter...

[He can get down with free drinks, though, so he's right behind her.]

That's okay, you don't have to use it to fight. There's whole schools of martial arts that are focused on defense and meditation and just keeping yourself fit and in balance. It's pretty great exercise.

[Of course Korra is biased. She never shies away from a fight and the one constant across her lives is that she's always been physical.]

[She heads into the small resident kitchen - a pale shadow of the big kitchen downstairs that is never used - and rummages around in a cabinet until she pulls out the soda machine.]

Meditation? Really? They don't show that in the movies.

[... Although he supposes that when, say, Karate Kid is doing that one-legged stance, it looks kind of zen? Huuuh. At any rate, it's arguable whether Doppio would be worse at combat-based or meditation-based martial arts.]

Can I help with that?

Because it's boring for the audience watching somebody do meditation poses. It's pretty cool looking when you've got like fifty people all doing it at once, though. Almost like a dance.

[She pulls out the box of flavor syrups and nods.]

Sure. It's pretty easy to set up, just connect that top jar part to the blocky part.

Got it. [Luckily, he's pretty good at following instructions when he doesn't forget them.]

Well, maybe you could teach me some time! I'm not exactly graceful, though.

That's okay, it's not like it matters if your forms are perfect or anything. It's all about keeping your mind and body in harmony - which...honestly can be pretty helpful around here.

[Korra pretty much relies on it. Without having meditation and all that training...she's not sure how well she would have adjusted by now.]

So what flavors do you like? You can pretty much put any syrup in this thing and turn it into a soda. Yes, including maple syrup, yes I have tried this and it's delicious.

[Sadly, Doppio's mind has never been harmonious. His body is debatable.]

Maple syrup? As in the stuff you put on waffles?... Wouldn't that be way too sweet?

[That said, he's already looking for the maple syrup.]

[She is very quick to produce the maple syrup.]

That is literally the point. You use it in a dark cola, it's amazing. You don't use much.

[By Korra's standards, anyway. She doesn't know if it's a bear thing or what, but she has a much higher tolerance for sweet than she used to. She's pretty sure she could comfortably live on super sweet cola and meat.]

[One day, she'll learn about cola marinades.]

Berry syrups are good, too. Wow, I really do like what bears like these days...

Haha, I don't think I'm gonna have that problem. Deers are supposed to be herbivores, right? But all I ever want to eat is meat...

[A lot of it, basically all the time.]

I think the meat thing may just be a monster thing. I don't know what the rules are for zombie deer.

[Because basically that's what he is. Who knows how it works?]

You'll start figuring out weird little monster stuff like that as you go. Like I can find my way home from basically anywhere, just on instinct. Even a place I've never been before.

Really? Wow, I could use something like that. Maybe it's because I'm kind of forgetful, but sometimes I have trouble getting to places.

[Luckily, he's been coming over here to sleep often enough that he probably won't forget where it is any time soon.]

Some of the stuff can be helpful!

[Korra gets to work setting up the drink maker, clearly well versed in using it. She does this a lot.]

Weird little stuff you'd never think of. I have a buddy who's a Minotaur and he like never gets lost, it's so weird. He can find his way around anywhere. I can just find my way home.

I also get really defensive of this place and I guess that whole 'mama bear' thing is actually a thing.

[Huh. The bear thing makes sense. The minotaur thing... Oh, because of the legend. Something about a labyrinth.

He watches her set things up, deep in thought.]

I don't really know a lot about deers. Other than Bambi, anyway.

I really don't, either. But there's probably some stuff to being undead that's cool? Maybe you get magic or something.

[The one thing Korra would actually kind of like. But apparently weres didn't get anything like that at all. Other than being able to turn into an animal whenever, but plenty of monsters got that.]

Oh! Hey! Maybe you can turn into a deer!

A deer? [He laughs softly.] I'm not sure what good that would be... People already pick on me enough as it is.

I shall be in the office tonight. Are you intact?

Getting my antler back

[... So, if the fact that it took him a while to reply wasn't enough of an indicator, the answer is "no".]

[.... right. Javert is sighing heavily over here.]

You may take the rest of the week to yourself. You must recover. Send me anything you have to report by next Monday.

[Meanwhile he's TOTALLY not giving his laptop a dead-eyed glare. What a privilege, the cop is letting him rest.

... Still, he has other people to be angry about.]

I didn't learn anything.

Sorry.

[Neither did Javert, Doppio.]

Your efforts are valuable and appreciated nonetheless. We put in a showing, and they know we will come back, and all the more enraged for it. I am sorry you were taken. It was a disastrous operation.

[... Funny. The reassurance actually DOES make him feel better.]

I don't think it's your fault
We just weren't ready to take on them yet

[Not ready? How much more ready could they have been? If they hadn't the technology to dull their movements and abilities...

The place was every bit the trap Javert supposed it would be, and the lot of them walked willingly right into it.]

We learn more about their methods with each attempt. They cannot outrun us forever, but we must be patient and cautious.

[If they failed so thoroughly, then they weren't ready - it's as simple as that. Of course, Doppio's perspective is that of someone high in the chain of command of Italy's greatest criminal organization; the poachers have resources, and they don't. That's what it is: a matter of resources, power and connections.]

I don't know
Unless we catch them off-guard they're just going to stay one step ahead of us forever.
I think.

Then we must catch them off-guard. I can be a patient creature.

But how are you planning on doing that?
The way they operate they HAVE to have eyes in places we can't even imagine

We shall need more intelligence and an abundance of discretion to proceed, something well within our power to do. Surely you do not suggest we give the matter up.

Hell no
What I'm saying is that structurally they have a big advantage over us.
We don't stand a chance unless we all act as a unit and even then we need to shape up

I am inclined to agree. The more trustworthy monsters on board for a common goal, the better.

[Okay, well. Sounds like they're mostly on the same page.

...]

Anyway that's just what I think...
So...
What are we going to do next?

Juno Steel unearthed some names. We start with them, see if they lead us to their associates and connections. I want their properties searched with fine-tooth combs, several times over.

Are we going to interrogate them?

so

javert kicked you out of his investigation group, huh?
and you wanna help saihara with the poacher stuff.

am i reading all that correctly?

Pretty much

alright.

what would you say if i invited you to a BETTER group, in that case? like javert's a good guy and whatever
but his group's a bunch of old geezers.

your skills would probably go to WAY better use with us, i think.

[Oh. Oh.]

Uhh

[Javert is not a good guy. But neither is Doppio, is he?]

Are you sure?

i don't do anything i'm not sure of, and that includes something like this.
i mean you wanna help out, right? the agency's been investigating this stuff for as long as we've been around, and we can use as much help as we can get.

plus i just think it'd be nice to have you around. :) the agency's a good group. you'd like them, i think

Well...
I guess I could help you guys with recon...

[It's kind of funny. When he tried to sell his talents to Javert, so to speak, he was much more insistent about his abilities. Why is this different?]

that'd be great! i'm pretty sure i'm the only one with any real recon skills. we're all good at investigating, but recon specifically is my thing
so it'd be nice having someone else who can help me with the footwork.

does this mean you're in? i can show you to the agency's building, if you want.

Really?
Wait so what do you usually do on recon?
I'm pretty okay at going unnoticed, even though I don't have a lot of practice doing that while also being a pink deer guy
And...
I guess I may not look it but I DO pay attention to things, more than most people would think.

So...
I guess I AM in if you're really okay with that.

i work more with the stealthy side of recon; my quirk back home forced me to build up the skills i'd need for that, stealth and the like. i'm good at breaking in, sneaking around, and staying hidden. when i had my quirk, i worked as a wiretap, too... i keep thinking about buying it back just for that.

but the other parts of recon, i've never actually gotten a chance to try. going undercover and all that, blending in.

[So if he has a good understanding of all this, she's essentially saying she's better at military style recon than anything else.
She just doesn't know what constitutes for "military" anything, with how there aren't really any soldiers in their world anymore.]

i can't tell, does that mean we do the same thing? or are you better at the undercover stuff?

either way, though, like i said. i wouldn't have offered if i wasn't cool with it, you know?
so consider yourself part of the agency :)

Oh, sorry
Yeah I guess you could say I'm used to blending in more or less?

[Sure, people stared at him sometimes - mostly when he was on the phone, rudely enough - and he seemed to attract trouble, largely by looking like an easy target... but somehow, he still got by.]

If you could buy your ability back, though, that would be really useful!

man, i'm definitely thinking about it. it sucks going from superhearing to just... hearing
you know? not that my quirk worked without using my jacks, but still, the point's there.

oh but this means we're gonna need you to come up with a codename. okay?
you don't have to come up with one fast, but it's protocol in an agency to have one, just in case

plus i just think it's fun anyway, so why not?

A
codename?
I'm not sure about that...

[Aliases, he's used to, but this is different. This sounds like... more of a superhero thing, maybe.]

[Later. They'd agreed to talk about it later, somewhere other than at the party in the Wild Cards Agency. Shuichi had planned on "later" being only a few days, perhaps a week at most. Enough time to give Doppio some room, but not enough time for things to settle to the point that they just forget about it entirely.]

[But, of course, things don't always go as planned in Ryslig. Things aren't always so simple. The fog had rolled in only two days after the party. And then a day into the fog...the poachers had launched their final attack on monsters. Their Reckoning.]

[Definitely not the best time to talk about the various things Shuichi has pieced together since June. Way too much going on. Hell, Shuichi couldn't have contacted Doppio even if he wanted to The poacher's drug had rendered him unable to do anything, since his very existence as a shade is essentially a power.]

[And so, here we are, finally. The Reckoning had ended several days ago and it's a few days before the Fog will bring in her newest batch of monsters. A rare moment of peace.]

Doppio-san, is now a good time to talk? If not, that's fine.
We don't have to do so in person, if you want. We can stick to text. Oma-kun isn't home right now so there's no chance of anyone else reading over my shoulder, if you're worried about that.

[Well, he should have known this was coming. To Doppio, it doesn't actually feel like it's been that long; a few days after the party, he found himself out cold in some abandoned building in Bavan, at which point he was taken to the Agency, brought up to speed, given the antidote, and...

And then the poacher thing resolved itself while he was out again, he guesses. So much for being helpful and/or getting revenge on the poachers. At this rate, he's not going to have to worry about Jiro finding out he's no hero, because the Agency's going to unanimously vote him out anyway.

But now's not the time to worry about that. Now it's time for an awful, very bad, deeply uncomfortable conversation.

One that, for some reason, he thinks he'd rather have in person.]

It's fine
If you're home alone I'd rather drop by

[Maybe if they talk face-to-face, he can retain some level of control over the situation. Maybe.]

[Doppio, you should be concerned about these blackouts, you know. Really concerned.]

[More concerned about them than this conversation you're about to have. It's really probably not going to be as bad as you think!]

Alright then! Whatever makes you the most comfortable.
My address is

[Shuichi proceeds to give him directions to an apartment complex in one of Bavan's cheaper resident districts. He and Kokichi live on the third floor, in unit number 310.]

[He'll be here. Waiting.]

[The blackouts are perfectly normal and nothing to go to the doctor over! Didn't you know? That's what the Boss always told him, and thus, he's spent little to no time being concerned about them, compared to how concerned he is about this conversation.

He's not even sure what the consequences might be; he just feels bad about this blunder. Even though he's dead and far away from home, it still feels like he's failed the Boss.

But he shows up, regardless of the fact that the look on his face when Shuichi greets him at the door is anything but comfortable.]

S-So... Um... [He looks around - it does look like Shuichi's alone...] I'm... here.

[The door opens of its own accord, revealing a vaguely humanoid mass of shadows just beyond it. Jiro isn't here, so he doesn't have to shapeshift into a cute animal, and keeping the lights off so that he could remain solid seems rude so...ghost boy it is.]

[He is most definitely alone though, and that much is blatantly obvious from just one look. Shuichi and Kokichi's apartment is... pretty small. It's a studio, just one main room, a little kitchen, a bathroom, and a single closet. There's a couch and a little coffee table, and a Murphy bed that's currently folded up into the wall. So unless Kokichi is hiding in that closet, he really isn't here.]

You're here. [The bottoms of the shade's eyes curve upwards in a gentle sort of smile. One that he hopes is at least a little soothing because boy, does Doppio look uncomfortable.]</smallYou can have a seat on the couch. Would you like anything? Tea? Soda? Snacks?

[The sort-of-smile is noted, although it doesn't do much. Before he sits on the couch, he looks at it kind of like he's afraid it might eat him (but he does sit, regardless).]

Er...

[He's not sure how polite of a conversation this is going to be, so maybe he ought to say no, but... as always, his stomach feels awfully empty.]

Snacks are fine, I guess.

[The shade lets out a very soft, gentle chuff of laughter. Somehow, he had a feeling that would be the waldgeist's answer.]

Alright, give me just a minute then.

[Thankfully, the couch does not eat Doppio. It doesn't even bite him! Because it is just an ordinary couch. But while Doppio has his staredown with the furniture, Shuichi floats into the kitchen. He returns after a few moments with a big bowl of chips and a bag of jerky floating alongside him.]

[Sorry, Kokichi. He'll replace your snacks later. He has to be a good host right now.]

Here you go.

[He sets the snacks down on the coffee table and then lowers himself into a sort of seated position above the floor on the opposite side of the table, across from Doppio. Sure, he could "sit" on the couch too, but face to face seems easier.]

[Oh no, he even has jerky. Is he trying to make him let his guard down? This can't possibly be about Doppio's comfort; if Shuichi cared about his comfort, he would have just forgotten about this whole thing, surely.

... But, well, he's taking some jerky regardless.]

So... What... did you want to talk about?

[Oh, like he doesn't know.]

[No, he just...grabbed whatever Kokichi had in the kitchen, really. Whatever wasn't sweets, at least, because he knows those are more sacred to the nephilim as far as junk food goes.]

[But apparently his time as a werewolf gave him something of a fondness for jerky. And so. Here it is.]

Well...mostly I wanted to make sure we were still okay after what happened in that dream world. But also... [He hesitates for a moment, seemingly debating with himself on whether or not to press on. But, well, he's already STARTED saying it. May as well finish.] I can't pretend that I'm not curious about certain things. Namely...your Boss. He's a crime boss of some kind, isn't he?

[Weirdly, this fact doesn't seem to bother Shuichi. He's as calm as ever, simply asking the question in much the same way he might ask "how are you doing today?"]

[Doppio winces. Of course Shuichi has deduced that much; he probably made it even clearer with his slip-up at the party. Denying it might only do more harm than good at this point.

It doesn't matter that Shuichi is being so casual about it. The way Doppio sees it, he's made a mistake, and if the Boss were here, he wouldn't be happy about it.]

... Yeah.

[He can only hope Shuichi isn't TOO curious.]

And that's why...you didn't want to talk about it at the party, huh? Because the Wild Cards are a hero agency...

[Which is totally fair and valid, Shuichi doesn't blame him for that. Though he is a little curious as to why an organized criminal would want to join something like a hero agency.]

And why you wanted me to forget everything that I saw in the dreamworld...your boss is the secretive type, I'm guessing?

[That deduction, Doppio is more willing to chalk up to Shuichi's skills than to his own mistakes. It doesn't make him feel much better, though.]

T... That's right. Nobody knows who he is or what he looks like.

[In fairness...most crime bosses tend to be either the secretive type or the brazenly overt type so it's not like Shuichi even needed to use his detective skills to arrive at that conclusion.]

And you wanted to protect his identity...even if he's not here in Ryslig. [The bottoms of his eyes curve upwards ever so slightly. A gentle smile. One that's probably meant to be encouraging, but a sentiment that specific can't really be conveyed by just his eyes alone.] You're really devoted to him, huh? I mean, I figured as much from what you said in your dream but...

[But hearing this just drives that point home again all over.]

[That... kind of follows naturally from the rest of Shuichi's deductions, huh?

Doppio swallows some jerky and stares at the snacks sadly instead of eating more, at least for now. It feels... nice, to an extent, that Shuichi can tell this much. That his loyalty is clear, even here and now.]

He always said I was the only one he could trust, so... so I did my best to be a consigliere who deserved that much trust. No matter what.

Consigliere... [He repeats the word faintly ~~and slightly butchers the pronunciation~~, the tops of his eyes furrowing slightly as if brows existed.] That's...a Mafia boss's right hand man, isn't it? Their top advisor?

[Wow, he didn't realize you were that high on the chain, Doppio!]

[This latest observation, in turn, brings a sort of sparkle back into Doppio's eyes, something like pride.]

That's right, too. I was his closest subordinate.

[He's never been sure what he did to earn that level of trust, which only made him try harder to ensure the Boss never regretted it.

He's grateful, too. Who would he have been, without the Boss in his life? Nobody important, he's sure.]

[Shuichi hums a little in response, before falling back into a thoughtful sort of silence.]

Well, this...certainly explains a lot. And I'm guessing nobody else knows about this, do they? Nobody else here, I mean. In Ryslig.

Majima knows. I don't know if you know him... Werewolf guy with an eyepatch? [And he's back to fidgeting with some jerky, before relenting and eating it.] He, uh...

[Wait, is Majima being yakuza common knowledge?? He doesn't want to rat HIM out.]

Just ended up... finding out.

Mmm! [the shade nods.] I know Majima-san...not very well, admittedly, but he's helped me out a few times.

[Shuichi has his suspicions that he might be yakuza, just from his accent and demeanor but...he doesn't know that for certain. Though that odd pause and the fact that he's the only person Doppio has felt comfortable enough to tell is sort of nudging his suspicions a little bit.]

[Though, either way...does it really matter? There are no yakuza clans in Ryslig, and Majima has been nothing but helpful and upstanding from what Shuichi has seen.]

Oh, and...don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Promise. Though... [He hesitates again, pondering his words.] Well, like I said at the party, Oma-kun was a gang boss himself before we were brought here. He can probably relate to some of the things you're going through...and I still think talking to someone would be a good idea.

[He's still not 100% sure what those things Doppio needs to talk about are, but if there's one thing he picked up on from the waldgeist's dreamscape...it's that he's bottling up some possibly serious issues.]

[Doppio pauses with a bit of jerky halfway out of his mouth.]

You were serious about that? Oma being a gang boss, I mean?

[He's also not sure what he needs to talk about, because everything is Fine, but that's beside the point right now. Hopefully it will continue to be beside the point for a while.]

[No, Doppio, everything is most certainly not Fine with you!!]

[The shade gives an uncertain little laugh.]

He doesn't exactly look like one, does he? But yes, I was completely serious about that. And it's something he himself would tell you in a heartbeat...he's not exactly shy about it.

[Kokichi falls into the "loud and proud" category of crime bosses.]

Seriously? How old even is he?

[Because he looks, like... 12.]

[Like you have any room to talk, Doppio.]

He's eighteen.

[But Doppio's not a crime boss!!]

Oh. Wow... Okay. [Well, he guesses he knows what it's like to be older than you look, but...] That's still really young for a head honcho.

I guess you could say that prodigies can show up in any field?

[The shade gives a feeble sort of chuckle.]

It's not really my place to share details beyond that. While Oma-kun isn't shy about telling people about his position or the fact that he's a criminal...he keeps the actual details of his organization under very tight wraps.

[If he trusts you enough, he'll tell you the truth. And Shuichi doesn't want to betray that trust...especially since he technically found out through a source other than Kokichi himself.]

Right... I get that. Secrecy is a key part of being a successful leader, isn't it?

[After all, why else would the Boss have valued it so much?]

Mmm... [The shade's eyes crinkle up a little bit in a thoughtful sort of frown.] I think it's more important to know when and what to be secretive about. If you're too secretive, you open yourself up for just as many failures as you do if you're too open.

[He taps through his chin thoughtfully.]

But...that's just based solely on my own observations...I'm more of a follower than a leader.

[So what does he know?]

Yeah... Me too.

[Ugh, this is just reminding him of that conversation at the party now. ... Wait.]

Is Oma recruiting? Is that why he had those weird questions set up?

Um... [You know...that's a very good question. And between Shuichi's lack of an immediate answer and the way his eyes return to their usual round state, it's obvious that the shade actually doesn't know the answer.] I'm...not sure?

Like I said at the party, it's hard to know whether or not he's serious or joking when he asks people to join his organization. But I don't think those questions were meant to be recruitment tools? He probably just thought they were funny, especially given who the party was for...

[Three career heroes and all.]

... Weird sense of humor he's got.

[And by weird he means BAD, because maybe if Doppio hadn't read that question out loud he wouldn't be having this conversation right now and...

Oh, who is he kidding? Shuichi already had it practically figured out by then, didn't he?]

[That gets an actual, genuine laugh out of the detective. A short one, sure, but even a short one is a fairly rare sound.]

I can't argue with that...he really does.

[Doppio really doesn't think it's all that funny. ~~Sourpuss.~~]

So... That's it, right? That's... what you deduced? [If that's the case, hey! Maybe it could have been worse.] Wait, you're not going to tell Oma, are you?

[Because the conversation being less painful than he feared it might be doesn't make it one he wants to repeat.]

Of course not. Like I said, your secret is safe with me.

[Again, the shade's eyes crinkle slightly upwards as though smiling.]

And...yes, that's it, really. Though...making sure that I didn't offend or anger you too much in that dreamworld was really the main reason for wanting to talk to you. I really mean it when I say I consider you a friend, and that encounter didn't...end on the best note.

[... A friend? Even though he knows he's a criminal?

Doppio isn't saying it out loud, but he can't help but wonder if Shuichi really understands what his old job entailed.]

Um... Don't worry. You didn't offend me or anything.

[Besides, isn't he the one who yelled at Shuichi? If anything, he should be the one worrying about this.]

[He may not know the exact specifics, but he can kind of guess. And organized crime is sort of a weird, grey area anyway. It's not good, no. Not in the slightest. But that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone who partakes in it is necessarily evil or really even that bad of a person.]

[And so far, Doppio hasn't given him any reason to believe he's a bad person. He's going to continue to base his judgments off of what he's seen, rather than the sort of job Doppio used to have.]

I'm relieved.

There once was a boy who was a Halloween fanatic. He loved dressing up for Halloween, he loved pulling pranks and watching horror movies, and above everything else... he loved candy. One fateful year, while he went trick-or-treating, he visited a house. This house was creepy as hell! It was big, it was old, it smelled like a grandmother and it was owned by a happy, old rich couple. The boy came here thinking that he would be handed out big chocolate bars, because it was a rich person's house but when he knocked on their door... he was handed a bag of that shitty candy that nobody likes! Tootsie rolls, shitty flavoured dum-dums, those weird... peanut things... needless to say, the boy was heartbroken. He was so heartbroken that he died, right there on their porch and now, every Halloween he goes out and finds people to curse. He wants everyone to suffer the same way he did!

Everybody is already suffering from his curse!! Send this to ten people to break the curse, or to avoid getting cursed, or you'll be stuck looking freakier than usual for the rest of your life!!!!!!!!!!

What??
Peace what the hell is this?
Is this for real???

chain letter; i'm not chancing looking weirder than I already do, doppio. i need to be cute. to live.

Edited 2020-10-03 00:37 (UTC)

Yeah I don't know if these things are real.

but what if it *is*, Doppio? I can't risk it.

I guess this IS Ryslig...
That makes it harder to say for sure huh?

exactly. we can't trust it won't happen, so might as well spread the love(?) of a chain letter.

Edited 2020-10-05 23:32 (UTC)

I'm not sure if I even know ten people though.

[Not that he's been completely convinced to spread this around yet, but like. It's not IMPOSSIBLE for it to be true...]

Ho ho ho! Your secret Santa gift recipient for this year is LarryLaffer on the network.

His real name is... Larry. Laffer, one assumes.

Please spend no more than 20 solars on a gift for Larry, and ensure he receives it on or before Christmas Day (December 25). If not, Santa Claus will come to your house and glare disappointedly through the windows until you cough up.

Merry Winter-Holiday-Of-Your-Choice!

And before you ask: no, you still can't reroll.

I don't remember signing up for this!

You comment on the post, you go on the list. Santa has very simple rules, it's not my fault if you don't understand them.

[HE'D TELL YOU TO FUCK OFF IF HE DIDN'T WORK AT THE CLINIC, HAWKEYE]

Hey Doppio, where do you live?

I need to know right away.

Uh what?
Hestia's Place, why?

No reason! Thanks for letting me know!

[That being said, the moment Doppio looks around, there may be a box with his name on it. Should he look inside, there will be a purple sweater that has a lot of glitter on it.

There will be a note that reads "Thanks for being an awesome silly face making friend!"]

[Oh no. Oh noooooo, he's feeling things now...!]

[ Season's greetings -- a Christmas present has arrived at the door!

It is a package of holiday baked goods and fruit! gingerbread cookies, cocoa, a banana... and a weirdly cute sweater. ]

[Aww. That sweater IS pretty cute.

... At some point later that day, Doppio realises he does not have a gift for Majima. He doesn't bring it up directly, but the next day, he may or may not subtly offer to pay for a meal.]

[On December 25th, Doppio will find a package neatly wrapped in the most disgustingly cheerful gift wrap on the market on his doorstep. How did his secret Santa find out where he lived? Who knows! Definitely not through surreptitious following or anything like that!

Inside is a small ceramic teapot and an assortment of loose leaf teas, along with instructions on best measurements and steeping times. With it is a note that reads 'Here's hoping this will keep you warm throughout the winter and afterwards. Happy holidays!'

And because Shen Qingqiu is a practical man, there's also a receipt tucked into the box just in case Doppio isn't a tea guy.]

[Oh. Oh, wow. He was so ~~annoyed~~ ~~stressed out~~ preoccupied with his own Secret Santa obligations that he completely forget that meant he'd be getting something too!

He usually goes for coffee over tea, but... this might be nice, too. Not to keep warm, since he doesn't need that very much anymore, but just, you know, to taste.

Huh. Maybe he should have gone for something simple like this, himself...]

[A very merry Nattenfest! ...Jonathan doesn't seem to have quite known what to gift Doppio, but he really wanted to anyway, and for that reason it appears Doppio is receiving a charcoal sketch of a cervid skull.

...Thanks?]

[... is Mr. Joestar aware that this looks an awful lot like a threat, because something tells Doppio that Giorno won't be the one to tell him]

Doppio. You there?

Edited 2021-02-20 05:46 (UTC)

Oh hey
What's wrong?

On my end? Nothing, I don't eat mystery candy.

But [ how did one politely say that Doppio seemed like a man who'd eat mystery candy ] I thought I'd check in, seein' as how I'm hearin' weird shit off the network.

[He is, and he did eat it. Multiple pieces, in fact. Which obviously meant...]

I'm fine, thanks!

[... Yeah, no, he wasn't even acknowledging the candy comment.]

The clinic wasn't hit too bad, then?

[ Hmm. Hmm. Was Doppio really okay?

Was he ever? ]

I guess so!
I don't think Dr. Hawkeye even touched the candy

[Who's dodging questions, because it is definitely not Doppio]

I see. It's just that, y'know.

I know ya miss your boss.

[ it was Fine ]

[... Wow. That transparent, huh?]

So what

[ hmm... ]

So I thought it might be a good idea to give you a ring.

[ but it did sound like Doppio had all his fingers, at least, so ]

Guess there was no reason to worry.

[...]

Were you seriously worried?

Of course. If there was a way I could see my brother again, I can't say I wouldn't be tempted.

[Ah. Worried about THAT, naturally. Right.]

But...
You'd still rather not go for it?

I know I'll see him again someday.

[ on what did Majima base this confidence? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]

Besides, if he ever found out about what I did, he'd kick my ass.

[Hey, it wasn't unfounded. After all, Doppio assumed, Majima could still go home one day.]

Wait, why?

[ How to explain Saejima, really... ]

You ever heard of uncompromisin' principles?

[uhhh]

Is that a yakuza thing?

Nah, I'm pretty sure he'd be the same way even if he hadn't been in the business.

I've been called unreasonable, in polite terms, but I'd say compared to him, I'm definitely the reasonable one.

Oh.

[He thought it might have been lingo! Who knows what gets lost in Ryslig's mysterious Translation Magic?]

So what you're saying is...
You've done something he wouldn't approve of no matter what?

I'm sayin' springing for some strange candy instead of meetin' him the right way ain't something he'd approve of.

He's more the "smash your head against a problem the hard way until it resolves itself" kinda guy. No shortcuts... especially not when there might be fallout.

Oh...
If you really think he'd mind that then I guess I can understand.

[Now, he hadn't known what would happen when he ate the candy, but if he had... would he have still done it? He knew the Boss wouldn't want him spreading his face around...

... Even if this "Boss's" face wasn't... much of one. Especially now that it was attached to the back of his head.]

Yeah. Spent a lot of time thinking about what I was gonna do the next time I saw him.

[ In this case, perhaps two heads were not better than one, dohohoho ]

[There is a far longer pause before the next message.]

But if you didn't know the candy would do that in the first place, then there wouldn't be a problem, right?

I suppose that'd be more agreeable.

Though it'd probably make more sense to pop to the store if I had a sweet tooth.

Well yeah but…
If you had candy right THERE, or you just weren’t thinking…

Doppio are you sure you didn't eat that candy

[hhhhhhHHHHHHHH]

I didn't say I DIDN'T eat it exactly...

What's that supposed to mean?! Ya licked it and put it back in the box?!

Oh my fucking god NO, I ate it!

WHAT'D THEY TEACH YOU IN GRADE SCHOOL, HUH?

DON'T JUST STICK RANDOM SHIT IN YOUR MOUTH

I WAS HUNGRY!!

[You try being hungry all the time, Majima!]

[ well, he did love food but ]

SO BUY SOME SNACKS FOR HOME

I can't believe this. you sure you ain't feelin' some ill effects?

Look...
I'm not saying they didn't do anything because that'd be an obvious lie and you kind of already got me
But I SWEAR everything's fine

We've got evidence for and against that claim at this point. But it ain't like I live in Bavan any more.

[ So it was a bit more difficult to check in on the local weirdos. ]

We're fine out here. I guess with fewer monsters, there's fewer monster-lovin' weirdos to show up with adulterated food.

[... You know...

Maybe he'll just say it.]

I don't know about everybody else who ate the candy
But I wouldn't mind things staying the way they are right now.

What

why?

[ DOPPIO ]

Because...

It's nice.

[It's nice. He missed this, and it was largely fine now - even if the Boss said things that didn't sound quite right with increasing frequency... it still felt a lot like home.]

But it ain't real, right?

[ it couldn't be, Ryslig was always tossing out "too good to be trues". ]

[Man, Majima, you just had to remind him.]

No, it's not
I know he came out of my head and...
Even though he acts JUST ABOUT right there are things that make it really obvious it's not really him.

But now that he's easier to hide that doesn't stand out as much!

He came out of your head

[ was that a question???? ]

Dude you've been harping on me for eating the candy this whole time and you don't even know how it WORKS?

Because I'm worried about you, dumbass! What if you eat some weird shit and explode or your rib cage gets full of bugs?!

[ gross ]

I really AM fine though.

[...]

Were you seriously THAT worried?

Why do ya sound so surprised?

Because...
I don't know
Did you think I might be in danger?

Well, yeah. I mean, just about every month there's some weird shit about to go down, and sometimes people don't make it, ya know?

You thought I might be DEAD??

I was hopin' ya WEREN'T dead.

Edited 2021-03-25 05:43 (UTC)

[... Majima really cared that much, huh...?]

Well I'm not...
Not any more than usual anyway.
But...
Thanks for checking in.

Sure, man.

If you're ever out this way, stop by for some food.

Um, sure.
Thanks.

[But Doppio wouldn't be stopping by any time soon - it wouldn't take long for the situation to become far worse, and... that meant he wouldn't be in the condition or the mood to see much of anyone else soon.

He would keep this conversation in mind though. Majima cared that much...?]

[ Even if he didn't, maybe Majima would keep some extra snacks on hand. You know.

In case any peckish Wendigo showed up. ]

This is a notice that our midnight rendezvous at the Multiversal Museum shall now occur at the next Fog. I am estimating around the fourth of the month. Let us make it the fifth. Assuming you, too, were indisposed this past week.

Just say you were stuck in a tree, geez
But yeah ok sure.

Were it so simple, I would have flown down myself! No, I was held hostage. Along with many of us.

[...]

By a tree or did something else happen

Edited 2021-06-26 14:32 (UTC)

No, nothing else. They were unrestrained, monstrous nymphs more than they were trees. You say it like I had clambered up a branch like a pussy cat and gotten myself stuck.

Well YOU say it like they had a gun to your head!

Oh, come, now! A gun to the head would not have posed a problem.

Yeah but TREES did.

Lesson learnt. Apparently we should always carry a lighter on our person.

Aren't vampires weak to fire?
I'm pretty sure if anybody set my tree on fire I'd have died too.

'Weak to fire'? Care to test that firsthand?

Wait, you're not??

[Where'd he get that from, then?... Don't they burn vampires in movies?

Are undead deer weak to fire just because they're attuned to ice??]

Try me.

No way, then I'LL be on fire

There's a smart lad! We vampires have a few obvious vulnerabilities, but fire is not one of them. You are out of luck with the torches and lighters.

Could you stop being condescending for two seconds??

:) Until the fifth. Don't forget.

I won't.

Hey, Doppio ... I ran into a new guy with diamonds in his pink hair a couple weeks ago, he was looking for you. Just making sure you found each other.

[Diamonds in-- OH]

YES we did!

[...

Now please hold as Doppio contends with the fact that other people have been seeing the Boss's physical form.]

That's good. He seemed pretty wound up about not being able to find you. I did send him to Liewen Labs for a laptop, too, since he didn't know about that. Hope Noa got him set up.

Yeah
Thanks for helping him.

[Okay. Still contending. Still... doing that.

... It's just so strange. The only thing helping him resist the urge to say "NOW DON'T LOOK AT HIM EVER AGAIN" is knowing that it'd sound incredibly dodgy, to say the least.

...]

Was he hurt?

Hurt? No, he seemed fine. I got the impression he knows how to take care of himself pretty well - at least, he carried himself that way.

What about you, you doing okay? It's been more of a shit-show than usual around here.

Oh yeah he does!
He definitely does, I was just worried

[Wait, can he say that...?]

Uh yeah.
I guess I was DEAD dead for a bit but I'm here now.

Fuck, I - I'm sorry. I didn't know. You need catching up on anything?

[... What should he even say to this?]

It's okay
I got better anyway

[Is THAT right...? This is absolutely not a conversation he was ever prepared to have.]

And I don't know
Did I miss anything important?

A lot of people who showed up during that storm came back. Only, unchanged again. I'm still working on figuring out how that happened, but odds are good it had something to do with the influence of the hole in the sea on the Fog.

The Tage are gone, too: they all skipped town like rats on a sinking ship.

[Of course. The Boss was one of those people, after all, and he knows for a fact that he wasn't the only one. As for the Tage...]

Gone for good?
Just like that?

Yeah. Pretty sure they decided they were done with facing the consequences of their goddamn actions and just bailed on us. They're probably underground somewhere, either literally or metaphorically, hoping the Fog will save their asses. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were them.

I guess... what happened this time WAS a pretty big deal
But looking at the way they've been, it's kind of hard to believe they're all gone.

They're not all DEAD or anything.

Yet.

Pretty sure there are at least a few people who want to see that happen.

[... Personally, Doppio wouldn't cry if they died, but he's not sure how openly he should admit to that.]

That's true.
No wonder they're hiding, huh?

[neither would Horatio, but they both know the meaning of discretion. it's almost as if the two of them could get along really damn well if they'd both just feel a little less paranoid about uh - everything. go figure.]

Yeah. Doesn't really fit the overzealous religious profile, though, does it? Usually people who are all gung-ho for a religious cause are more than ready to die for it.

[~~Hey, as far as paranoia goes, Doppio is downright TRUSTING compared to... certain people close to him.~~]

Are they really "religious" though?

[Horatio has only met Diavolo once and he'd still agree okay...]

Insomuch as any cult could be, I guess. They were all pretty gung-ho for the Fog, no matter how far off track their dogma was.

I guess that counts...

[After the dollhouse incident resolves it takes Diavolo a short while to work up the strength to head back to Hestia's Place. There was a brief period where he deeply considered pretending the conversation between the two of them had never happened, shoving it down in his mind as something never to confront. Ignore it. It's not worth the time.

But wasn't confronting his problems head-on once his reason for living? Hadn't it given him purpose? He's been drifting, unable to take action, frightened into hiding away. The only time he's come close to his former resolve was when his mind was so clouded with hunger and desperation that he was acting more on instinct than any rational thought. If the Diavolo of the past could see him now... what would he feel? Shame? Disgust?

That's certainly what the Diavolo of the present is feeling. To think that he was once something better than he is now... he'd been so desperate to never fall from his peak. Now the thought of even beginning to ascend to those heights again feels like an impossible dream.

It's late in the evening when he makes his way to the apartments, preferring the unease of walking alone at night to the risk of being seen - or worse, talked to - in the full light of day. He doesn't bring much with him, just the laptop he'd received weeks earlier... and the doll of himself. That's something to be disposed of somewhere safer than he was staying. He'd thought for a moment about bringing some sort of weapon to defend himself should the need arise, but last time it was utterly useless. If the two are doomed to fight then Diavolo dying is a foregone conclusion. Trying to defend himself only prolongs the inevitable.

When he reaches Doppio's apartment he stands at the door for a bit, ruminating on everything that led up to this point. He'd left no message to alert Doppio when he was coming. He hopes that, somehow, catching him off-guard will be to his advantage. He needs all the advantages he can get.

And so with a hand he struggles to contain the tremor in, he knocks.]

[It's late, but Doppio is still awake.

Granted, that may be in part because, as much as he disagrees, he's supposed to be nocturnal. He finds ways to power through the sunlight hurting his eyes, yes, but there isn't much he can do about his body feeling naturally inclined to staying up late because of... melatonin or whatever? That's what it's called, right? Should an undead deer even have melatonin?

Anyway, that's only part of it. The remainder is that he's waiting.

That can be further subdivided, too. Part of him fears that he's already missed the Boss, that his stubborn insistence on working his remaining shifts at the clinic has led to a grievous mistake. The rest of him fears... another outcome that he doesn't dare name. He doesn't want to even acknowledge it.

The Boss told him to wait. He said he'd come. And it hasn't been that long yet, so he has no reason to-- He'd have no reason to think otherwise anyway.

He's lying down when he hears a knock. The next moment, there is the audible thud of a deer man attempting to jump out of bed, getting tangled in his blanket, and falling to the floor.]

I-I'm coming! Be right there, just-- just a minute! [You know, just a second of two to free himself from his embarrassing prison and just sort of throw the blanket back roughly where it's supposed to be, and THEN he can open the door.

When he realises he's looking at the exact person he'd hoped to see, Doppio stops his gaze from going any further up so quickly that he thinks he may have pulled something in his neck, and then it occurs to him that looking at the Boss's chest instead may not be all that much better, and THEN he decides to stop thinking about why before his heart spontaneously starts beating again just so he can have another heart attack. Ultimately he spins on his hooves until his back is turned and lets himself feel some relief.]

Thank goodness! I-- I'm glad you're safe, Boss.

[There are many concerns running through Diavolo's head as he stands at the door. While Doppio worries that he'd somehow missed him, some part inside Diavolo is hoping that Doppio isn't home and his knock will be left forever unanswered. This is a meeting he does not want to have with a person he does not want to see about an incident that he does not want to discuss.

And then he hears a faint thump and a yell and almost immediately he can envision what just transpired inside. He may not have the details, but he gets the general idea. It's... concerning and relieving in equal measure. There's some sort of comfort to be found in the familiarity, even if he doesn't usually experience it from this... angle.

He brushes these thoughts aside as the door swings open, and the instant it does he hurries in, slamming the door shut behind him. A rash decision, considering the time. It's only after it clicks shut that he realizes he drew more attention with that move than he would have if he took the extra second to close the door quietly. And of course he doesn't want to be out there, where anyone could walk past and see him. But he doesn't want to be in here, either. Even if, for a few weeks, he was able to call it home. Even if it's the closest thing he has to normalcy.]

For now. [An ominous reply.] But are you well, Doppio? I heard a... concerning noise.

[He's stalling. There's no easy way to broach this conversation topic when Doppio is still being so... so... evasive?

...he'd sounded genuinely relieved.]

[For now?... Of course. Whoever inflicted those wounds on the Boss is still out there. Whether it was a random act of violence or a targeted attack, Doppio isn't sure, but... he imagines that's one of many things the Boss is here to discuss now.]

Oh, it's fine! I mean, I'm fine. [In fact, for good measure, he throws back the blanket, stretches it over the bed and pats it down flat. Absolutely no absurd accidents here.] Do you wanna sit down, Boss? Um--

[His hand hovers inches over the bed, mid-pat; he looks at the chair by his desk. It goes without saying that the Boss has the freedom of choice, and it might even be a little silly of Doppio to act like he's some kind of house guest. Which... is, nevertheless, what he kind of feels like, even after he's stayed here for several weeks. Or perhaps it's the absence in the interim that brings that feeling back to the forefront of his mind.]

I'm glad. No, I don't want to sit.

[He's not here to get comfortable. Diavolo leans his back up against the wall by the door and watches Doppio intently, not allowing any slight movement or shift in posture to go unnoticed. As he watches, he must be making all sorts of undignified expressions (grateful that Doppio doesn't look), chewing on his lower lip as he mulls over how to begin the conversation he actually came here for.

Finally, he decides on:] Doppio. You - we can't - I -

[No. That wasn't what he meant to say at all. Finding the right words has been harder for him, ever since... everything happened. He stumbles around sounds more than he ever did, and it gets so much worse at times like these when every nerve is on edge. Talking to Doppio used to be so easy. An instinct, a reflex, like breathing. This is unnatural. If things were right in the world he wouldn't even have to ask. He'd know. He'd have been there to witness everything. He never would have been hurt. He never could have been hurt.

Inhale. Exhale. If he can close his eyes and pretend for a moment that the two of them are back in Italy - back together - talking how they used to - maybe then he can find the right words. But that feels like a lifetime ago. And Doppio isn't... he can't be, he's so wrong. And so familiar. And when he's the only thing he has left...]

Just... tell me, Doppio, why you did it. I won't be angry with you. You are far too indispensable to me for that. If there's some... behavior I can correct, if there was some action I'd taken that led you to... I need to know. We can speak freely here. You have to tell me. Don't keep me in the dark any longer.

[And he braces himself for the next part, where Doppio, dutiful as ever, will surely spill everything. If being devoured wasn't enough and hearing all his faults and misdeeds echoed back to him is another part of his punishment, then he has no choice but to take it. It will eat away at him forever if he doesn't. He'll have nowhere to return to if he can't fix this.]

[Speaking of absence, it has made it no easier to get used to... the way the Boss speaks now. Faltering and vulnerable, much more so than Doppio has ever remembered him... he can't stand it. He can't stand knowing that Giorno did this.

He hasn't turned around, and his hands are still over the blanket; he fidgets, tracing faint lines with his claws as he patiently waits for the Boss to speak.

He listens.

And he doesn't understand.]

What...?

[It's hard to resist the urge to look, but he stops his neck from turning any further before anything more than the Boss's arm can enter his line of sight. It... shouldn't feel awkward to talk with his back turned, not after years of conversations with this very same disembodied voice, and yet.]

I... I'm not sure what you mean, Boss. Sorry. Did I do something wrong in the dollhouse?

No! Not at the dollhouse! Before then!

[The nervousness falters, giving way to irritation. He'd promised he wouldn't get upset, yes - but that was if Doppio was agreeable. Though... his memory was never the greatest. Could he have forgotten this? Is he being deliberately obtuse? If he's truly forgotten then perhaps it's for the best that Diavolo doesn't keep pushing... but the risk that there's something else at play is too much for him to drop the subject.]

It was on the day I... came back. I rushed here immediately and you weren't home. I called and you wouldn't answer. I waited for you but you never came. I went out, on my own, and I searched for you - I needed to know if you'd survived. I made a fool of myself, asking people -

[He hadn't meant to mention that part, but at the moment he is too heated to control what's spilling out. Desperation drives one to do the wildest things. His voice has been steadily rising in volume and he takes a moment to try to calm it. His eyes stay fixed on Doppio but he sees no recognition. He sighs, taking a heavy breath before he continues.]

It was night when when I finally found you, and you... you turned on me and you tore me into pieces. Why, Doppio? What have I done do you? What is it that you want from me?

[He doesn't understand. Doppio really, truly does not understand.]

... You called?

[Here he was, just minutes ago, fearing that he would miss the Boss, and it turns out he already has. Has he ever been so out of it that even a call couldn't wake him up?... Come to think of it, he has no way of knowing the answer to that question, does he? He just assumes that can't be the case, because the Boss has never mentioned having trouble reaching him, to the best of his memory.

... And granted, the best of his memory isn't much. Doppio knows that. But even he wouldn't forget something like this, would he?

His eyes are wide and lost, and it's getting harder and harder to pretend he can't just turn a little more and see the Boss's face right there.]

I... I'm sorry, Boss. I don't...

[What is he supposed to say? The Boss can be wrong sometimes, yes. But to be wrong about something of this magnitude?]

... I-I'm not sure what day that was. But I don't... That couldn't have been me. That wasn't me, Boss. I-I'd never--

[The more he thinks about it, the more he feels as if ice is compressing his ribcage. The mere thought that he could have done this, that he could have... tore him "into pieces" - that he harmed him so severely that he made that post...

Amidst his mounting panic, Doppio winces. For a moment, he gets the impression someone just jabbed an icepick through his skull.]

Then who was it, Doppio? Do you think I would leap to a conclusion like this without thinking it through?

[He was certain from nearly the moment he laid eyes on the waldgeist that night. It was dark and so hard to see but he could make out the pink of the fur, the yellow of the eyes, the arms...

But, ultimately, what does that even mean in this world of monsters? There are no Stands here, so why should the presence of markings resembling his mean anything? There are so many things to keep track of and even if this land operates on rules he doesn't know what they all are. There are powers like what he used to have - monsters who can stop time and move freely through it. Who's to say there aren't monsters who can transform themselves into others, or project illusions to try to paralyze their prey with fear while they hunt?]

...It was, I believe, the night of the fourth. I was alone, outside of town, when you - it - spotted me.

[If Doppio still insists it wasn't him, perhaps it's best that he try to entertain other possibilities for the moment. Pressuring him to confess is getting them nowhere.]

It was a large pink-furred beast with a skull for a head and antlers. It charged at me and I... I didn't stand a chance. [Just admitting that feels like opening a wound.]

I don't remember.

[More than apologetic, Doppio sounds afraid. When Javert accused him, it was easy to ignore - of course the cop was either lying or mistaken; of course he didn't know what he was talking about. This is harder to dismiss, because it comes from the Boss - whose word is inherently valuable - and because the evidence he has dismissed so far hits differently when it comes from such a reliable source.

He's shaking. It's hard not to look. He settles for turning to face the Boss but keeping his eyes firmly on the floor.

There is one truth he can tell. This, he knows.]

It... It wasn't the fourth when I woke up. It was later.

[He doesn't remember the exact day anymore. It could have been the eighth, it could have been the tenth.]

When? Where? Were you injured at all?

[If any of Diavolo's theories approached the reality of the situation then perhaps he would ease up on the questioning, especially as Doppio is steadily looking and sounding worse as the conversation drags on. He'd feel bad for scaring him (and maybe he will, later) if figuring this out weren't so vital.]

If it truly wasn't you that attacked and... ate me that night, then who? I can only assume that it's someone deliberately trying to impersonate you. It was far more bestial, but the details are... too close. They draw you to mind immediately.

[He thinks again of the patterned arms... and then he thinks of the same pattern on the arms of the plushies in Doppio's museum exhibit, and he thinks of the people here who have witnessed King Crimson personally. It is not impossible that someone could make the connection here and use the imagery to add weight to this hypothetical illusion.]

If I was targeted intentionally - and it's incredibly likely that this is the case, we have enemies with us here - you understand I cannot rest until we uncover and stop the one responsible for this.

I don't remember, [he repeats, and this time he sounds even more like he wants to sink into the floor.] I-I think it was a Monday.

[He knows he hasn't been doing as well when it comes to keeping his days straight without the Boss, but perhaps he hadn't realised just how bad it was until now. It's not surprising, looking at how they'd always operated - no matter where Doppio found himself, a call would inevitably follow, and before long he'd be brought back up to speed - but it sure doesn't help him feel any better. What, so he can't even function without somebody keeping track of the calendar for him, keeping track of whatever the hell he gets up to when he doesn't know?

His heart may not be beating, but the pressure in his chest persists. The headache, luckily, has dulled down, but he can still feel it pulsing softly. The idea that somebody could be impersonating him is... It would be absurd, in any other circumstances, but now that the Boss is here, he has a point - they do have enemies. It isn't impossible.

... Wait a second.]

I... I don't know who it is. I really don't have a clue. But... Boss, this isn't the first time. There is some other pink guy - [another wince, another stab to the side of his head; he presses a hand to it] - a-attacking people out there.

[The wince doesn't go unnoticed.]

Are you sure you're alright?

[By this point in the conversation, the sense of dread has ebbed enough that Diavolo doesn't feel the need to stay glued to the door for ease of escape. He came for answers and he only found more questions. Doppio hasn't provided much in the way of information, but, all the same, he hasn't slipped once in his insistence that he wasn't the culprit. Diavolo cautiously steps further into the room, gently in the hopes he doesn't startle Doppio, who is already on edge.

Doppio hasn't shown any aggression, and just talking about this has clearly been bringing a great deal of stress to him. The conviction Diavolo had when he entered the room has wavered with the introduction of other possibilities, and all must be considered. Enlisting Doppio's help investigating other potentials seems like the best course of action. If it were Doppio, willfully or not, remorsefully or not, prodding is producing no results.

If it was him, Diavolo can keep an eye on him, observing and watching for changes in behavior. In the worst-case scenario, he knows people now who may be willing to lend him space again if he needs to leave in a hurry.

And if it wasn't... then they need to figure out the hows and whys of this quickly.]

There have been other attacks? Do you know who and when? Depending on their intentions, there may be some sort of pattern...

[He lets his musing trail off.]

Yeah, I'm fine! Let's stay focused, Boss.

[Headaches are nothing new for him, after all. Although... They do sometimes precede his episodes, don't they? Should he tell the Boss...? No, maybe not. He doesn't feel dizzy, or... anything else that usually comes with these things. He can't put a finger on it; perhaps if he could, he wouldn't be caught off-guard so often.]

I only know of one other for sure. Javert, that cop I told you about... Actually, remember when I went to the museum last month? He wanted to talk about it again. He said he could prove it, but those bite marks were way too big for my mouth, so I don't know what the hell he was thinking.

[Doppio rolls his eyes with a grumpy pout and crossed arms. He doesn't usually have much good to say about Javert, but if he stopped to think about it right now, he might have to give him some credit - he'd rather think about that asshole cop than this impostor for a bit.]

[The response comes so quickly that Diavolo doubts its sincerity, but he can't fault Doppio for his eagerness.]

The beast was much larger than you. Its teeth were strong enough to... to take off my head. But, Doppio, the similarities are striking enough that even I came to the conclusion that it must be you, and I know you better than anyone else. He can't be faulted for being mistaken, especially if that is the intention here.

[He paces further into the apartment, into the kitchen where he fixes himself a glass of juice. He talks at a low volume while he walks, as though he expects his voice to carry to Doppio regardless of his position.]

I've spoken to him briefly. If he's as invested in the actions of the monsters here as he he seems, he may be a valuable asset to us in the future. But if he's already suspicious of you... I think it would be best for us to keep a safe distance from him for now.

[Then he settles in a chair with the drink and leans forward, resting his chin against a hand deep in thought. Multiple potential explanations still roll around in his brain and no single one has stuck out as the most obvious yet.]

Do you remember when he was attacked? Did he tell you any of the details?

[His head? Doppio gulps, looking up before he can help himself. That injury he'd seen... It really wasn't a normal cut. But even in the middle of this frightening realisation, something in him warms at one thing: I know you better than anyone else. It's true, it always has been, it still is, and sometimes he dares to wonder if it goes both ways. Or he did, before Giorno told him a name that nobody should know and Doppio was introduced to the stomach-turning idea that a group of good-for-nothing traitors know his name and his face--

... But that's still all that it is, isn't it? A name and a face. It matters, of course, because these are things the Boss has protected relentlessly for so long... but it doesn't mean they know him better than Doppio does.

Doppio realises the Boss is moving and his ears twitch, turning in an attempt to capture his voice better. Right. Because they're in the same room. And that is how sound works.

His earlier thoughts and his current thoughts and the laws of physics crash together to abruptly remind Doppio of how overwhelmed he feels, and it takes him a moment or two to remember he's supposed to be saying things.

He wonders if he should reserve that chair for the Boss's exclusive use.]

... It was a while ago. Maybe a year? He said... I don't really remember, but--

[He does remember one thing.

Javert knew where Doppio was injured.]

I... I think it happened after I'd been out of it for a while that time, too.

"Out of it?" What exactly do you mean, Doppio? Were you... recently killed by someone then, too?

[Diavolo was quick to write off Doppio's confusion and disorientation as a side-effect of the revival process, and the discrepancy in the time and location as... perhaps resurrection is just like that, not unlike how the details varied during his own constant stream of deaths.

He himself was disoriented in the days after his revival, though that was more due to a consuming sense of fear. Given the information, the most logical answer consistent with the theory he's examining right now is that Doppio was either attacked deliberately to get him out of the picture for a time, or otherwise his absence was noticed and taken advantage of.

Really, it only makes sense that the beast he saw that night wouldn't want to risk being seen when Doppio is out and about. But as it is, Doppio is left without an alibi.

He stares at Doppio as he waits for a response, his drink nearly forgotten in his hands.]

Oh, no! Don't worry, Boss. This was actually the first time I died other than-- Uh, the undying, you know, that's part of the whole... zombie deer thing. And-- [The other death, the obvious one, the only one that had felt real until the sea swallowed him up and Doppio wondered if it would finally be over for good.] Yeah, don't worry.

[He won't mention it. There's no point in mentioning it. Instead -]

I'm actually talking about, um...

[- he can take comfort in the one thing he always remembers whenever Javert's accusations and other people's disbelief make him second-guess himself.]

... You know... The same old issue.

[It's embarrassing and comforting, all at once, to mention it to the Boss. After all, it's the kind of thing one would imagine might make someone entirely unfit for a position like the one Doppio used to hold, and yet, the Boss always accepted it. More than that, he let Doppio know it was fine.

So, if it was still happening, it had to be fine now too, and it shouldn't mean anything. If he's experiencing something he experienced back home, why on Earth would it have something to do with anything from here?]

[Doppio is prone to glossing over his own lapses in memory and perhaps that's Diavolo's own fault. But that "issue" was a thing of the past, when every lapse had a purpose. If Doppio is blacking out still - and, worse, if it's with something approaching regularity...

Diavolo tries to keep his expression and tone perfectly still while an icy feeling rises within him. He'd conditioned Doppio to think this was normal. This is not normal, not anymore, this is a sign of something very wrong and he wants to poke and prod until he finds out exactly what, but this is dangerous ground to tread. One misstep, one out-of-place question or display of concern too high for a perceived routine problem, and soon all the years of history between the two of them will begin to unravel. He can't allow that to happen.]

In the weeks we spent together here, you hadn't had any incidents like those of the past. I had... hoped, perhaps, that they'd stopped for good. A mortal problem, purged somewhere between death and this... rebirth, as a monster. But, no. I see.

[When, he wonders, did his perception shift? When did it start mattering what he says and does? At some point he'd stopped wryly thinking of the person standing before him as "zombie deer Doppio", strange and unnatural. He's just "Doppio" to him now, and just like when they were alive, he weaves the same web of lies as though there's something real left to protect with them. Hasn't he has already lost everything? There is no secrecy left to uphold. No amount of lying could ever soothe Doppio and maintain the relationship built up between them if he is only a memory, alone and dead, burning bright in Diavolo's mind.

Why has he started to feel like the Doppio in his memories and the Doppio in this world are one and the same?

He exhales heavily and drops his head down further, palm against his forehead, fingers digging at his hair.]

...It must have been hard to bear alone.

[Putting aside the strangely uncomfortable connotations of the word "rebirth" in this context - what does he know, though? Maybe he'll ask the Boss for his thoughts on the whole monster thing at a better time - this just so happens to bring to attention one other detail tends to turn a blind eye to.]

Oh, that's... Yeah, the timing's kind of different now.

[He's aware that it's different, of course. He just has to take care not to let that awareness cross paths with anything else.]

Actually, I thought they stopped too, for my first month or two. It almost felt wrong, somehow. [Barely a second after the words are out of his mouth, it occurs to Doppio that they might sound a bit strange, and he hurries to clarify:] Not bad, or anything! I just wasn't used to...

[How should he even put it?]

Having so much... time, I guess.

[Something like that. Experiencing every minute and every hour of every day in a week.]

Anyway, I guess maybe they just stopped while I was... I dunno, adjusting or something? I'm used to it, so it's fine.

[It's fine enough, really. Nothing that he wants the Boss to worry about, even if... it would be nice having his help with this particular problem again. Especially with...

It's not as if he's disregarding any potential causes for the difference. Likewise, it's not as if he's ignoring anything he would rather not think about.]

... Sometimes I'm out for about a whole week, though. Um... I guess it's harder to snap out of it on my own, huh?

[It's not as if Vinegar Doppio is used to rationalizing away things that would set off alarms in anybody else's head.]

[Every sentence is somehow a little worse.

But, for obvious reasons, this is something he'll have to investigate on his own. He could keep an eye on Doppio - shadow him, even. Is he still working at that clinic? In that case, maybe not. No. He could call him. Every hour, when he's out. Twice an hour. And if he ever doesn't answer Diavolo will know to immediately come to his aid or - maybe stay far away, depending on the circumstances of these... blackouts.

There's no reason it couldn't be the last theory he posited. This doesn't have to mean anything. This could all be so neatly wrapped up if it turns out Doppio has, by chance, spontaneously developed some sort of fainting disorder. Yes. And someone is anonymously tending to him while he's comatose for a week at a time.]

I can keep an eye on you now. Not... to the same extent I used to, with my power and... influence gone.

[Maybe he could talk Doppio into just... staying home all the time? But, no, if he stays and it happens again there's no guarantee he could get himself to safety fast enough. And, besides, someone has to do the shopping.

What can he possibly ask that won't arouse any suspicion? He's not sure there's a single thing he can ask without first broaching the subject that actually, losing consciousness on the regular is not remotely normal. And the conversation that'd result from that... is a conversation that is never happening. Especially not now that everything between them is a distant memory.

This could be something akin to lycanthropy - there are werewolves here, aren't there? He could be transforming into a beast and forgetting the details and - Diavolo hopes - maybe even forgetting himself in the process? And wasn't there something about the fog? Maybe this is normal. Maybe this happens to everyone. But he can't press Doppio for dates and check them against a record of the weather - it's doubtful he'd remember any of them.

It really is for the best to just pretend that this is business as usual.]

I do worry that someone could be taking advantage of the time you're out. Have you made anyone else aware of your condition?

[He... has to think about that one. How many people did he actually tell? The answer has to be "more than he realises," because he has had to reassure too many people that this is normal. That, he remembers. Maybe it only feels like nobody really knows because... nobody really knows him. Not like the Boss does.]

Um, a few people know. They usually don't... [take it... well...] Oh, Dr. Hawkeye knows! I kind of had to tell him, since it was making me miss work.

[There shouldn't be any dread creeping up his throat. There's no good reason for it, knowing what he knows.]

He said I should get tested, but I said no. [He laughs, and the sound feels very small somehow, even in this room with only the two of them.] He's from the past, so I'm pretty sure his medical know-how's kind of outdated. I told him it was no big deal and he dropped it, though.

Hm. Best to keep an eye on him, then. If word of this has spread to the rest of your coworkers...

[He allows himself to trail off there, letting the obvious go unsaid, more a warning than a threat. The more they talk about this topic the more uncomfortable Diavolo becomes with it. Chasing this train of thought is a form of hope to cling to, a chance that this situation isn't as complex as he fears it is underneath. Oh, he'd be willing to pin all of his problems on Giorno Giovanna - an underhanded tactic like this suits the person who joined Passione under false pretense only to dismantle it from the inside out. And it's clear whatever drove him to do that is still present. The permanence of the Stand attack on Diavolo proves that victory alone wasn't enough to satisfy him.

...but the fact remains that Doppio is still blacking out, and, from the sounds of it, the symptoms and the feelings must be similar, even identical, to the ones he's used to, with no explanation for why in sight.

And Diavolo is here, head full of muddled and disorganized thoughts, unable to follow any of them to an answer.]

... Yeah, I guess so.

[Doppio isn't sure why this is such a concern, given that, as established, he hasn't been experiencing anything out of the ordinary... but the Boss did just mention the possibility that people might take advantage of it, and he must know what he's saying. It's true enough that, as far as he knows, Giorno still works at the clinic - Doppio doesn't want to imagine what might happen if he learned about such a glaring weakness.

That said, for now?]

But... Boss, we need to get back on track! What are we going to do about the bastard who did this to you? Do you need me to start asking questions?

Eager to get back to work, Doppio?

[Even with how muddled things are in his head, there's a shred of comfort to be found in the familiarity of Doppio's enthusiasm. If he closes his eyes and just listens to the sound of Doppio's voice, perhaps he can manage to convince himself that there's still something right left in the world.

The time they'd spent in each other's presence is mostly a blur in Diavolo's mind. Aside from Doppio's reports (which he'd only half-listened to in his confidence that this would all end at any moment) and the impulsive... embarrassment at the seashore, they'd engaged in nothing remotely resembling their usual sort of business. If the circumstances of everything weren't so bizarre, he might have considered a mission like this a return to normalcy.

As it is... he's not sure how much he wants to encourage Doppio.]

It's what I'm here for!

[This time, if Doppio's answer comes too quickly, it's not from denial but from the opposite. "Eager" feels like an understatement, when this is a role he slips into as easily as if he'd never left it behind.

(Because he hasn't, really; he's been in Ryslig for over a year, but even so, again and again, his thoughts drift back to Naples, to train trips and hotel stays and late night calls. He's missed this. He's missed--)

But things have changed, and he can't forget that. His life was cut short, but the Boss experienced the worst fate imaginable. It's only understandable if he's not ready to dive back into... their usual business quite yet. Not even for something as crucial as dealing with the bastard who did this to him.]

So... Whenever you want me to make a move... Whenever you think the right time is... I'll do it, Boss. You just have to say the word.

[He's missed this so much. He's missed him so, so much.]

You enjoyed it that much...

[He sounds briefly... amused? But at some point the growing feeling of comfort within Diavolo breaks down. Doppio's eagerness in the face of these disconcerting circumstances is reassuring, but as Diavolo's thoughts turn to what their lives used to be, he feels... empty.]

You understand I have... nothing left to offer you. Everything I had, everything we'd tirelessly worked for... is all gone. If you are out there, taking action on my behalf, I can't... watch over you like before. I can't lend you my powers, I have no... I'm not...

[Speaking gets harder as he progresses. He presses on, desperate to get to some sort of point though he's not entirely sure which point he's even trying to make.]

It won't... it can't ever be like it was. I'm already... known, I can't keep myself secret, they already know my face - he'd...

[By the time he trails off he's nearly mumbling his words together, gripping the cup in his hand so hard it threatens to break.]

[It... hurts. ~~Almost as much as much as the end did? Even more than the end did? Maybe it's pointless, trying to quantify it.~~ It hurts, it truly does, to see the Boss like this. It tests Doppio's respectful boundaries more than anything else, makes him wish so strongly that he could-- do something that he can hardly deny it and so he has to try even harder not to think about it.]

That's okay, Boss.

[It's ridiculous. He can't hug the Boss.]

You'll get other powers. I'll... I still can't do a lot, even like this, but I'll be by your side anyway. And...

[He gulps. It's not easy at all to really explain how he feels; of the two people in this room, he's not the one with a gift for words.]

Maybe... Maybe it can't be just like it was before, and that's okay. But even if it's something else, I know you can make it just as good! Or even better!

[The problem with the Boss's identity being far more public than ever is... not something Doppio knows how to work around. Not just yet. Hopefully he won't mind him glossing over it. But...]

I've kept an eye on the underworld this whole time, Boss. ... I've been waiting for you.

[Diavolo sighs deeply at Doppio's mention of power. Words are cheap - reassurance can do little to soothe him when he is stripped so thoroughly of everything he once had. Everything he once was is gone, all burned away piece by piece, death by miserable death, leaving him lost and unable to fight back. How can he possibly rebuild himself from the ashes when he was never meant to fall in the first place?]

If only I should be so lucky... I... I've...

[He murmurs again, a mournful protest against Doppio's confidence, and just as before, the words catch in his throat.

"That's okay," Doppio says for the second time, and as hollow as words are, they keep coming. Incessant. Unprovoked. Meant to soothe, and for a moment Diavolo wonders if he can lean into his words and let them wash over him, fooling his weary mind into believing for a moment that they have any weight or meaning behind them.

He can't.]

You waited for me. [He echoes the words softly, trying to still his breathing. This conversation has twisted so far from what he'd come here for.] Even though... surely you had no way of knowing that I'd ever arrive here. One would assume your employment was terminated with... with your death. But you waited for me...

[He trails off there, musing aloud.]

[He feels, not for the first time, the weight of his heart in his chest. Its beat is gone, but he can't forget it's there when it aches like this.

Is this the first time they've called it what it is, his death? Is this the first time the Boss acknowledged it?

Doppio can't blame him for it; he's been through so much. He's experienced so much death that surely, what happened to Doppio barely qualifies at this point. He more or less just slipped away, peacefully but so, so heartbreakingly lonely--

But that's why he had to wait.]

I... I knew...

[No. That's a lie, isn't it? How could he know? But the truth is...

Doppio stares down at his fidgeting fingers and speaks quietly, as if fearing the consequences for admitting such a thing:]

... I really wanted to hear you again.

[Diavolo lets out a small sigh at the words.]

...and you got your wish, and more than that. I am here, in the flesh.

And I... I wish this reunion hadn't taken so long to occur. The first time - after I left - I... couldn't even begin to guess how long I'd - ...

...The second time... I'd kept you waiting for far longer than I ever should have. [Holed up, curled up, insides swirling with anger and regret and disgust and fear. And even now he is uneasy and confused and so very afraid that his longing for a return to the normalcy of their lives will send him barreling straight into another round of poor choices. Even after over a month here he can scarcely imagine picking up his pieces and rebuilding the empire they'd created. It's a distant dream now.

If he had an ounce of sense or self-preservation he would leave again, staying far away until he determined what exactly is wrong with Doppio... but he's spent far too much time alone with his own thoughts to consider that. He just wants peace, and to rest, and to deal with his problems as they arise instead of being forced to be proactive about every single one.]

[The first time. Doppio would really rather not hear about that. If the Boss is here now, can't they just... forget about it? The Boss never meant to leave him behind for good. It's not his fault that the traitors did the impossible, or that Doppio was powerless to help.

The second time...

Doppio was afraid, but it doesn't matter anymore. He's here now.]

I get it. You were... just trying to stay safe, right? I can't blame you, if you really thought I might hurt you. I'm-- [Doppio smiles, and his eyes dart dangerously close to the Boss's face; he manages to keep them down at the last moment.] ... glad we cleared that up, though!

[Cleared that up... It's almost bitterly funny how wrong Doppio is. Diavolo was so confident in his assumptions the night of the attack. Any slight wavering in his conviction could be chalked up entirely to baseless wishful thinking. But the more he learns, the more his confidence crumbles, and all that's left in its wake is confusion and concern.

If only he could trust Doppio fully. But, he supposes, it's not trust that he lacks. Doppio the only one he can trust, and he's always understood the importance of their work. Even now he catches Doppio's eyes darting away from his face, even here when it doesn't matter, even though he'd never once sat and drilled the necessity of even Doppio averting his gaze from his face for the sake of his continued secrecy. Why waste time entertaining thoughts of the impossible when there's so much left to accomplish? It's a testament to his undying loyalty.

But... this split. Any lies Doppio ever told him before, insignificant as they were, were things he could refute with the knowledge that came with their unbroken connection. Here he cannot trail behind Doppio, shadowing him everywhere he goes, observing every action unseen. Going out was enough of an ordeal before...]

We still have plenty of work to do before this is cleared up, my Doppio. I trust you're as eager to solve this mystery as I am.

Right! You're absolutely right, Boss!

[Of course the matter isn't resolved yet - they still have to find the real culprit, and then they have to determine the consequences for what the culprit did. Under that lens, of course they're still getting started. But...

Doppio is just glad the Boss knows it wasn't him now. The thought that Doppio might ever hurt him... He refuses to even entertain it.

As long as that is laid to rest, he can breathe a sigh of relief.]

[from beatrice, doppio receives a day planner, with approximate fog dates marked with hearts in red pen. like, drawings of human hearts, not ♥. also, a charcuterie platter made of people that just looks like a regular charcuterie platter.]

[... The heart thing is pretty weird. Like, he's not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, but it's weird. The charcuterie, though? Delicious!

Doppio's surprised to be getting a gift from her, though. He can't quite remember what happened at the end of the Guts Ordeal, but he guesses he can't have made that bad of an impression...?]

[Happy Nattensfest Doppio! While they haven't spoken for some time, Jonathan still thinks of him as someone to send drawn Christmas cards- this one's got a deer on it, with carefully made lace patterns around it as well.

He's also included a small parcel of teas. Stay warm Doppio!]

[From Jonathan Joestar, huh...?

Giovanna must not have told him then. That's the only explanation that makes sense.

... Doppio isn't sure how he feels about that.]

[ No, it's not some sort of porn spam. ]

heyyy bambi, what's up??
what's like your favourite thing to eat?

Huh?
Wait, who is this??

I’m gonna be so sad if other people call you bambi js

It’s jolyne, jolyne is asking what your fav dish is

[Give him a moment to get the hamster wheel in his brain going--]

Jolyne??
What the hell?

[After all this time, she's... asking him about his favourite food???]

Uhh I like the pork here?
Fried moray is really good but I haven't had any since I got here
I don't know, this is way too sudden of a question!

A big fan of fried foods? I never would’ve guessed

Man, you seem so shook

Is it really difficult to think what your fav thing to eat back at home?

Like I love cheesy penne, so good

What's that supposed to mean?
Sure I try not to have too much fried stuff, but it's good!

And look I just wasn't expecting this so out of the blue, ok?
For a second there I thought you were going to make me food or something.

[Which... he wouldn't complain about, actually.]

nothing bad, I’m just not in tune with what’s all the rage for teens in Italy

I love me some fried chicken… with waffles, man… do we have waffle mix?

Strike that

Anyway would it really be so bad if I made you something?

Not really, I just wasn't expecting it.

let’s meet up tonight Bambi

Anywhere you’re comfortable, I’ll let you choose

Tonight??

[THAT'S SO SUDDEN?? It's free food, though...

The question is, where do they meet? It seems like a bad idea to invite Jolyne over - the Boss would almost certainly appreciate being warned of a guest more than several hours in advance. So, in that case...]

Okay uh, where do you live?

Forward, I like it.

But I live with a lot of people, it's probably best I don't bring people home just yet.

You do realize you don't have to eat with me, right? You can just take it home and enjoy it that way. I just want to meet up mostly to chat and whatever.

[............... oh]

Okay yeah let's do that!
Can you meet me outside of Hestia's Place?

you got it!

let's meet up like around 7.30 maybe?

Sounds good to me. See you then!

[And, indeed, at 7:30, Doppio is right outside Hestia's. Please pay no mind to the top floor, Jolyne. There is very definitely not a paranoid Nephilim keeping watch through the shutters.]

[ A literal angel looking over them. But no, totally not there and Jolyne has no reason to believe otherwise as she approaches. ]

Ciao Bambi! You’re looking good, lookin hungry.

[ Is this a compliment or a soft roast? Who’s to say because she sets down a basket, and moves in with one fluid movement to give him a kiss on the cheek. ]

[Okay, it's true that he's pretty much always hungry, but he didn't know it was obvious--

But that thought stops in its tracks before he gets to ask where that observation came from. Jolyne is mere inches away from Doppio's cheek when he abruptly stumbles backwards an entire foot or so.

Yes, he's Italian. No, he can't remember the last time anybody actually greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, and it shows in the way he stares at her, wide-eyed.]

W-What are you doing?!

Whoa! [ Reaching out she catches his hand if only to keep him from falling over when he's stumbling back. ]

Chill out Bambi, I'm just really happy to see you.

[ She offers a playful wink. ]

I like you.

[ Letting go of his hand she simply beams. ]

As like a friend, not like I wanna date you. Not that you aren't cute and pretty good looking, but it's kind of like... I had a shitty break up so I'm not really into things like that right now, y'know?

[Panic. And then relief. And then the ghost of panic. He's... not sure what Jolyne means. He's not sure what she feels. Again and again, his eyes dart towards the upper floor window.

He is also not sure, he abruptly realises, if time is passing like it should, because this moment seems to be stretching on for far too long.]

F... Friend's fine. I mean... Friends are great! Uh, who doesn't want friends, r-right? Uh... Sorry about your break up?

Friends are always great, maybe someday you’ll be comfortable enough to handle hugs

[ She gave Doppio a playful wink and a smile. The glancing he was doing hadn’t gone unnoticed, she spared a glance upward as she folded her arms behind her head casually. ]

Aw, that’s sweet of you… don’t worry, when I break out of prison I just might literally kill him.

[ Jolyne can’t help but say this much with a little laugh. Girl, are you joking? Is this a joke? It’s difficult to tell. ]

Oh yeah, I didn’t know if you liked caprese, so I just put together a regular green salad.

[Jolyne Cujoh is... on a completely different wavelength. He doesn't understand her at all. But he reminds himself that she's here to give him food, and he's here to get food from her, and it doesn't need to be anything more than that.]

O-Oh yeah, caprese salad's great! [Curiously said with a very similar intonation to "Friends are great!"] Uh, but so's regular salad. Thanks! For the salad!

[He will also pointedly ignore the part of him that is not, in fact, particularly excited about salad. ~~Go to sleep, Cervo.~~]

That's good to know, next time I'll make some caprese to munch on together.

But food aside, let's try to hang out more. Is there anything you really like doing? I mean, we gotta go to the arcade some time, it'll be fun.

For now I should let you get on with your dinner, right? Tonight seems like a good night for me to get a run in too.

[So she DOES want to eat together at some point...?! Wait oh no is she asking him about things he likes. The last time somebody asked him what he likes, that conversation went nowhere astonishingly fast. So maybe he should just...]

Uh, sure. I'm not much of a gamer, but that sounds fun. [IN THEORY??]

... Are you gonna go jogging now? [Don't most people do that in the morning? Wait, or...] Oh! Is that a dog thing?

[ Jolyne couldn't help but laugh at that with a nod. ]

Yeah, it's a dog thing, it's good to burn off a little energy y'know?

And don't worry, there's more than just video games at an arcade. We could also spitball things you wanna try together as well, right?

[Okay, it's good that it IS a dog thing, because honestly, the moment he said it, he was kind of afraid it might be offensive somehow.]

Um, yeah! That's right.

[... Definitely not something he can do under pressure, though. Otherwise, he can probably think of something, right?... Right?]

Happy Valentines Day Bambi, be sure to enjoy dinner with someone special!

[ That’s right Doppio, she knows what that look around was for earlier. ]

Take care, I’ll text ya later!

[ She’s already starting on that run now, even though it would be fun to watch a flustered Doppio ]

... Valentines Day?

[Doppio watches her go. He... hadn't realised that was today.

"Someone special," huh...?]

[Of course, there's no way Doppio wouldn't be questioned after.

The moment Trish has a second to think, she mentally barges into Doppio's inbox and headspace without preamble.]

DOPPIO!

I know you're around! Tell me who the hell < andthentherewasme > is right this second before I physically come find you!

AAAAAAAAA

Where the fuck is this? Is this private???

OF COURSE IT'S PRIVATE! what do you take me for?

now answer my goddamn question!

OKAY okay okay SHIT
Sorry, it's just...
a lot!!!

Okay?

I know you're not stupid.

That's Beatrice. I don't know what her deal is.

[If angry buzzing could be communicated through mental text alone, that's what Doppio would be getting right now.

But Trish is barely-patiently quiet so she can see every letter of this person's name clearly in her mind's eye.]

Beatrice?

you don't mean Beatrice the Golden, do you? that would mean...

how do you know her? because if she's someone you trust, you should set that the hell aside for a number of reasons.

for one, she told me what kind of monster my father is. i'm not going to share it with anyone else, so don't worry about that

I guess?? She's blonde!

She... likes me, I think? She probably likes US, since she gave us both Christmas gifts.
That one guy said that might not be a good thing though... and I think I'm starting to get why.

Now she's running her freaking mouth on top of everything else... Is she even going to listen if I tell her to cut it out? She might make it weird even if I threaten her! Ugh...

is she a mer as well, Doppio?

and unequivocally, she does like you both. she told me as much. she gave him a fish. if it wasn't so ridiculous...

that being said, i don't think you ought to threaten her. in fact, i fully believe being threatened is what she wants. so don't. just don't.

i say this because she's convinced you're on a path of inevitable violence and like hell am i going to let you prove her right.

Right, yeah! She's a mermaid!

wait

What?
Is this because of the torture thing?

damn it, so it is the same Beatrice i know. i thought she was just eccentric, not dangerous.

and yes, it's because of the "torture thing". i read every response, you know. i didn't intend to ever engage her, but i'm glad i did, because i assumed everyone on that post was uninvolved with you.

but i was wrong.

there was...she said a few other things, but that was mostly what i wanted to confirm.

how did you come to know Beatrice?

What do you MEAN, other things? You can't just leave it at that, what the hell? How can she sound so calm right now??

I met her... wait, the sausage thing wasn't the first time, was it? No, it was in that dream place first. Was the NEXT time the sausage thing? Oh, she's really going to think I'm an idiot now. Does she KNOW about the sausage thing??

i'm not going to repeat any of it because none of it made any sense. so i don't want to confuse you. however, it was various ways of telling me she thinks our truce is doomed to fail because of you

what in God's name are you on about anyway? "sausage thing"? do i even want to know?

never mind.

what i really want to know is what investment she has in any of this. i don't talk to her outside of work, and i had no clue she was paying me any mind at all, let alone you

[SHE IS UNDERSTANDABLY FREAKED OUT, DOPPIO!!!]

Because of me? Oh come on
I really shouldn't have made that post, huh?

Look I don't know! I don't know what her deal is or what it means that she "likes" me
And okay yeah it was kind of stupid of me not to ask any questions when she said she knew how to make sausages but I really needed the help!

[Unfortunately, Doppio is still going on about the sausage thing.]

you really, really shouldn't have. i've said it in more excruciating detail but it bears repeating.

listen to me. all that matters is that you don't speak to her anymore. she's clearly not opposed to encouraging you or antagonizing me, so she's not to be trusted.

regardless of whether or not she made you these sausages you can't seem to let go of.

made me INTO sausages

Wait, not all of me

Wait that sounds worse!

FORGET ABOUT THE SAUSAGES!

[Christ.]

I'M TRYING TO HELP

Don't you think it's creepy that she knows how to make people's guts into sausages??
I mean I didn't care but that's because I was in a hurry, and besides YOU'RE clever, like the Boss
You've gotta be able to piece it together!
I don't know what it says about her, but I bet YOU can!

then you're doing a piss poor job of it!

or were. i don't know why you didn't say this to start with but yes, it is frankly insane that she would do that for you. or that you would ask her to do that. but mostly it's the fact she agreed that's the weirdest part. i imagine she did so with zero hesitation.

don't you dare compare me to him, either. we're nothing alike. although maybe he would have some insight to offer since she seems to like the both of you oh so much.

but from what i know of her in our Nai'a encounters, she has a flair for the dramatic and is hard to read otherwise, which may be intentional. additionally, if she knows how to butcher someone on request, i imagine she must have done it many times in the past. that could be half of why she believes so squarely in violence as a show of someone's true intentions. maybe she was a murderer before coming here. for fun, i should clarify.

all the more reason to avoid her. she isn't someone to trust, regardless of whether or not she churns your guts for you or buys you a godforsaken fish

I mean you DO look alike
Sorry, sorry, that's not what we're talking about, I'll focus!

also I get what you mean but... aren't you kind of forgetting I'm a gangster?
She can't be worse than Cioccolata and I was higher than HIM on the ladder.

that's superficial and you know it. i can be his spitting image and we'll still have nothing in common.

[Except for the moments when they are very much alike, but, well.]

and no, i haven't forgotten. unless you mean to tell me you had an ounce of trust in your heart for that man, and regularly went to the movies with him or something unbelievable like that.

but i will concede she probably isn't as bad. although if she were i'm not sure if it would come to our attention. remember, people are killed by monsters all the time here and we receive little retribution for it. the police certainly don't do anything about it.

conversely, i'm sure covering Ciaccolata's tracks was an immense pain in the ass back in Italy, where people very much do give a damn when mass murder happens.

EUGH no
The Boss only ever called him up for the worst case scenarios, he didn't LIKE him or the pet guy.
god being melted felt weird. uh where was I

Oh yeah.
Rome was gonna be a huge mess no matter what.
I was supposed to come in and stop him once he took care of you guys? Honestly not sure how
But the point is the Boss felt really cornered, ok? We never would have called him otherwise.
Wait, is this alright to talk about?

so he knew he was setting loose a maniac you weren't even sure you could reasonably stop on his behalf?

and you call him clever.

i'm sure you can understand why i'm less than sympathetic, considering the circumstances. unless you want me to apologize for remaining alive to have this conversation at all.

either way, ciaccolata isn't a perfect metric of comparison, but i will give you that you knew him well, while we know little about Beatrice. i'm going to keep an eye on her, for what it's worth.

Edited (words,) 2022-03-27 19:54 (UTC)

It's not like that! It's just
He IS clever but he has so much faith in me even though I don't have my own Stand, you know?
And sometimes it just gets me wondering why. I guess he must have thought I could handle it but I bet even if he let me borrow more of King Crimson I wouldn't be able to use it the way he does.

NO I was just... I got off-track, my bad
This stuff's hard to control.

And uh thanks.
I mean, you're not worried, right?
It's just because of the truce.

what do you mean, you

thereisnosuchthingasspaceonasoulularlevelinfinitesoulscanfitinasinglebodytherewasnobodyconsiderathoughtexerciseconsiderathoughtexerciseitsallredanditmakessenseitdoesntmakesense consider

sorry, sorry. ignore that.

i meant to say, you shared...his Stand with him. i didn't realize that was possible. a Stand is a user's soul, isn't it? that's what you said to me, if you'll remember.

i'm not worried either. not unless she approaches you again. just. tell me if she does. alright?

what the hell was that?

Actually

ignoring it sounds good ignore it okay ignoring!

Anyway...
I still don't know if I should be talking about this? But I'm thinking about it and trying too hard not to might be worse, so okay, I don't know if "sharing" is really the right word.
The Boss just lent me parts of it because otherwise I'd be pretty useless against other Stand users.
Now I have Epitaph all to myself which is kind of weird but only once a day so sometimes I forget until I see a ball hitting me in the face and then a ball hits me in the face

Oh yeah sure.
She's talking to me in her post right now, does that count?

oh. you have part of his old Stand but worse. i suppose it's better that you have it, even if i don't think what you're saying makes any sense.

but i can't focus on that because yes! OF COURSE IT COUNTS!

why are you engaging with her still? we're literally discussing at this very moment why that's a TERRIBLE idea!

what is she saying, Doppio?

Of course it makes sense! What part of it doesn't make sense?

And look just so you know, I replied to her post BEFORE you messaged me, ok?
She's not egging me on about that stuff from last time though, I started thinking about another guy and what I wanted to do to him and she's asking about THAT instead.
In a really weirdly intense way

how can anyone borrow parts of a stand? i won't say it's impossible, but it's unheard of to me. then again, if a stand can persist after death, who's to say?

but i'll set that aside. i don't know why fits of violence are so common to your mind that she's getting another glimpse of it. think about literally anything else! something that will bore her to tears.

for example...frogs. you like those, right? you were talking to one when we first met.

Yeah exactly!
If Carne's weird Stand could do that, why can't the Boss let other people use parts of King Crimson?

And look, it's not as bad as it sounds, ok? It's not like it was unprovoked, this other guy tried to kill me and he was a pain in the ass to deal with.

Anyway...
Yeah, sure. Animals in general, I guess.
they're easy to talk to.

oh, that man had a name? how did he know his stand wouldn't disappear after he was killed...it's such an odd ability to have. well, i dumped it into the ocean, so how it works no longer matters. good goddamn riddance.

[Note: she fucking hates Notorious B.I.G. and will never be able to get on a plane without remembering it every time.

At least she's letting go of the King Crimson ability sharing. For now.]

i'm going to assume you're talking about gang business from home and not someone trying to kill you here. because if it IS someone here, i want to know who it is and why because you're too pathetic to be a target otherwise.

either way, just think about them then. an animal you've talked to recently, even. i don't care what kind. as long as it's a memory that gives nothing to Beatrice, i'll be satisfied.

I don't know.
He wasn't so bad though, just kind of weird.
But anyway... Wow I keep getting distracted. I can't wait for this to get fixed

Oh yeah the guy I'm thinking of was from home, don't worry.
Leader of the Hitman Team
I didn't mean to say that much but I guess now you know? Not that it really matters.

what HAVE I been talking to? dragonfly. gecko. I forget

in this instance, you being distracted is a good thing.

and no, it doesn't matter. all of them are dead, and unless they show up here, they're going to remain so.

think about the gecko instead. geckos have sticky feet don't they? i'm sure you found it clinging to a wall.

[She hopes Beatrice is getting bored, wherever she and Doppio are chatting right now. Geckos are only exciting to certain people, after all.]

Huh? Yeah, but it was kind of low on the wall... so I had to crouch down
And then it ran off anyway. :( I guess I got too close.

they value their personal space as much as anyone it seems.

[She's going to keep him on this train of thought at least.

Otherwise, the initial panic is over, unless Doppio reports back with Beatrice redirecting him to a troubling topic.]

[A little bit after the network has calmed down (again), Jonathan is getting around to a list of things that...well frankly he'd wanted to do all the way back in February, before he'd ended up getting fairly tangled up in his emotional problems. Literally. One could claim he's been making excuses, but with everything that followed the fact is he's been literally unable to actually focus on much at all. Between being entirely bedridden for recovery, and the mental broadcast that struck them from there, it's simply been...

Difficult.

So perhaps this is too little too late, but all the same.]

Doppio

While I had intended to send this much earlier, I fear that a great many things occurring over the past number of weeks intervened despite my efforts. I apologize profusely for that.

I simply wished to make certain that the gift which I sent made its way to the proper destination, but considering those aforementioned matters of the past month and beyond, I should like to ask how you're faring as well- I do not wish to see misfortune strike you as heavily as it oft does here, and to have some confirmation of your health would bring some relief I shall admit.

Best regards,
Jonathan

[One day he might type these like something other than a letter.]

[Doppio reads this... a few times. Mostly out of disbelief, because...

Well, he thought this very same thing when Jonathan sent him a Christmas present, but he only way this makes any sense is if Giorno hasn't told him.

And... why wouldn't he??]

Uh no, I got the gift.
Sorry I didn't say anything, I wasn't sure if I should.

And I'm fine. I'm a demon right now but I'm getting used to it.

[... No need to mention he Died Of Flowers. It's fine. He's fine.]

[Ah, flowers. The deadliest of foes.]

It's quite alright. It has indeed been a busy number of weeks, and I confess that under typical circumstances I would have simply assumed its successful delivery. I've simply not seen you in person in quite some time however- why, were it not for this network I would not have even known if you were still in Ryslig at all!

It is good to hear from you however! Though I am somewhat amused to hear that you've become a demon? If you have need of any advice, I can certainly attempt to offer some!

Really? I guess maybe I've been home a little more than I used to...

Actually, now that you're offering, I could use a little advice.
How do you make food taste any good without salt?
(It IS the salt that's bad, right? I think I've narrowed it down to the salt.)

It may in part be due to my own work habits perhaps. I do remain rather 'localized' to a particular area of the city most days.

Ah, but as to what you're asking for, it is indeed salt unfortunately! Though it took me some time to discover, and I shall admit to having pushed foolishly through the 'bite' of it anyway, as if it were some mere allergy.

Regardless, yes, salt.

Which is quite a tricky matter of course because salt is considered something of 'its own taste'. However, I find that additions such as garlic or onion, whilst still unique in their own way, have made most dishes quite delicious!

(I am quite relived that Erina thought of this!!!)

More garlic is a good idea! I've got to try that out.

[...

So, uh...]

Was that everything, Mr. Joestar?

[Early this morning, something intriguing was posted to the network. Left alone in these early hours, Diavolo had plenty of time to mull over it before Doppio rose for the day. There is so much time for thinking when there is no room to sleep. And while the relative silence in Diavolo's mind was welcome after the constant buzzing of the week prior, it's unlike him to let anything suspicious slip past him without heavy consideration.

And, oh, this message was suspicious. At face value, it's nothing of particular interest to him. "Anti-monster home security" — but he doesn't make a point of invading the homes of humans. But, then, safety is paramount. And though the butchery demonstration is of no use to him, Diavolo has not yet given Cervo the opportunity to indulge in a properly cooked meal. The deer was amusingly taken with the novelty of a seared dinner — how would he respond to something finely made? Diavolo is no chef, and his dealings with human bodies have been brutal at best, but he has few productive activities to occupy his free time with. Perhaps this is a starting point.

Of course, he doesn't admit those thoughts.

When he speaks to Doppio soon after he wakes, he is all business. His tone is light, airy, unperturbed. It almost feels like a mission. "A curious message was posted to the network this morning," he starts. "Something is to be broadcast on television this evening. We would do well to investigate this. If you aren't preoccupied today, Doppio...?"

And the rest of the day slips away. Having a goal to pursue, small as it is, energizes him. And this task being something he's comfortable tackling as a team makes it all the better. It may be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but keeping track of the affairs of others like this is almost a taste of normalcy. For tonight, he can feel capable and in control.

And when the hour approaches, he is doing his best to relax in front of the television, a tangle of too-small blankets and long limbs. This being a "mission" does not preclude his own comfort.]

Doppio... did you bring any food? I don't know how long this is going to be.

[Doppio isn't as peckish as usual in this form... but Diavolo can't help but ask.]

[Even if neither of them voice it, they can very much agree on one thing: it's good to have a goal.

From the moment Doppio receives his quasi-mission, there is a renewed pep in his step. He's eager to begin his investigation immediately - though he is forced to slow down once he realises that they do, in fact, already have information such as "the general subject matter of the broadcast" and "who is behind it." Still, if all this mission entails is watching TV with the Boss later tonight... that's plenty to be excited about. Right now, when Doppio feels ever so slightly more tempted to indulge than he usually does, he might even admit to himself that it would be fun to just... stay up a little later, maybe see if a movie comes on and watch that...

In any case, the hour does, indeed, approach. And even if his stomach isn't as demanding as he's grown accustomed to, snacks strike him as an important element when in extended contact with a screen, so he is naturally ready with two buckets of popcorn, one in each arm.]

I've got it covered, Boss! Salty and sweet popcorn--

[... It is when Doppio looks at each bucket in turn that he realises he is no longer quite sure which is which. Unfortunately, both sets of popcorn are pretty white.]

... Um, so you can have whichever you'd like!

[He'll... figure out which one's safe for himself from observation, he's sure.]

Edited 2022-05-02 23:06 (UTC)

[Doppio's diet has noticably changed since his transformation. He's no longer prone to absentmindedly munching on beef jerky — at least, not since the incident. It turns out that demons are incredibly averse to salt, and ingesting the substance is especially abhorrent. And a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and so Diavolo has spent more than his fair share of time scrutinizing the ingredients of all the various foods that crossed into their apartment. It's excessive, perhaps, but Doppio's memory for the details can be faulty. This is a far easier mission than most... but having one of them suddenly compromised is an ordeal he'd like to avoid.

Even if the enemy compromising them is a reasonably salty batch of popcorn.

And so, noting Doppio's slightly confused glance at the snacks... Diavolo will have the honor, he supposes, of taste-testing both buckets.]

Don't be careless, Doppio. I need you to be at your best.

[His scolding is punctuated by a crunch. And then another. Ah, there's the salt. Diavolo quickly yanks that bucket into his lap. The sweet is quite nice, though. He may yet sneak another bite of that.

...coexisting like this is still strange. He'll put that out of his mind, for now.]

[Oh no, the Boss Noticed(tm). Which is kind of embarrassing, really. Sure, he's grateful for it, but... Someone like the Boss shouldn't have to cover for silly slip-ups like this. Slip-ups like his.

Still, he happily taste-tests the presumably sweet popcorn, and... yup, confirmed. That's the sweet bucket.]

Feel free to eat some of mine too, though! I just can't... You know. [A sheepish, quiet laugh.] Uh, thanks.

[It's a shame, too. Salty and sweet snacks... They're at their best when they coexist! He'd happily switch between both if he could do that without feeling sick! But alas, only the Boss will be able to indulge in the ideal popcorn experience.

In any case, he sits down. Though his eyes linger on the space next to the Boss and his blanket, he ultimately goes for the other seat near the TV.]

When's it starting?

[Sharing is much more difficult when Doppio seats himself and his popcorn over there. He will refrain from pointing that out, though.]

The post said it would begin at sunset.

[Which far less precise and easy to understand than a specific time. But for Diavolo, who tends to spend as much time as he can basking in the light... well, he's far more intimately familiar with the rising and falling of the sun than he ever expected to be. And, just to be sure, his eyes flick to a window and the murky sky beyond it.]

A few more minutes, at most.

[Is he close enough to the lamp glowing at his side? Probably... but he'll nudge himself a little closer regardless. He can't be falling to pieces when he has things to pay attention to.]

[Try as he might, Doppio can only exercise so much Common Sense (tm) at a time. Unfortunately, he just expended all of it reminding himself that he should absolutely not
sit close enough to the Boss to touch his blanket, and consequently has none of it left for the logistics of sharing popcorn.]

That's not very exact, is it? I guess it works in their favour, though.

[Whatever their goal is, without an exact time, it's much harder for anyone to accuse them of being late, right? From what he gathers so far, Doppio figures a lot of... whatever this is going to be is actually about presentation.

But, indeed, it isn't long until it starts, and the anchor's disposition already has him on edge. Though if there's going to be a "butchery demonstration," and if it uses real human meat... yeah, makes sense that she'd be that rattled.]

I have to wonder what the goal is here. Broadcasting something like this so publicly...

[Diavolo scoffs. He would never do something so obvious.]

It's guaranteed to draw attention. But whose attention is it that they truly want, Doppio? The humans? Ours? The fog's? Or those that oppose her?

[Crunch. The nervous newscaster fades into memory and the show proceeds with a dull and very long lecture about trap disarming presented by a harpy Diavolo is fairly certain he doesn't recognize.]

I know you aren't breaking into the houses of humans to feed, Doppio, but you would be wise to pay attention to this demonstration. We can never be too cautious.

[And if Cervo is buried somewhere in that head, lurking and hearing this too... He is someone Diavolo can picture rushing into an armed building thoughtlessly. Brute strength can only get you so far.]

They've gotta be trying to send a message, right?

[The question is to whom, of course, and if the Boss isn't sure, then Doppio can't even begin to guess.

... Then again, long-winded as the trap talk is, it's making the message seem like a pretty informative one, too. Doppio is listening, alright, because even if he isn't hunting anybody, it's knowledge that could come in handy for a myriad of other reasons--

At least until the harpy veers into a weird soliloquy about the grace of the Fog or whatever. Geez. He furrows his brow.]

Are they just trying to scare people or do they mean this stuff for real?

[An uneasy laugh bubbles under his skin. The fact that the disarming lesson then proceeds as normal makes this no less bewildering.]

The Fog God inspires fanaticism in her followers. It's entirely possible that this person is being sincere.

[Diavolo's disdain for her is obvious. His opinion of her is already low, and tonight it plummets further still. The loyalty and passion her followers have for her is entirely undeserved.

Eventually the talk of traps ends and the video cuts to a new scene. Diavolo pauses, taking the details in, his gaze especially fixed on the vampire.]

That is... Atem, isn't it?

[Someone he knows and has spoken to, involved incredibly personally in this sort of display... It's unnerving.]

[Unbelievable as it seems, the Boss is probably right. As he watches the broadcast, Doppio's thoughts wander. He finds himself wondering if it's just a God Thing - if you have to be like that to believe in a god, if the belief comes first and the fanaticism comes later, if it's just the Fog God... It isn't often that you hear about the other guys doing stuff like this, but it isn't unheard of. When they ended up in another world - that was one of the Fourth God's guys, wasn't it? And thinking back to their home...

He's not sure where he was going with that thought. It hangs in the air until it pops, and when he starts paying attention to the broadcast again, Atem is indeed on-screen.]

Y-- Yeah. He's...

[When they ended up in another world...]

I still can't really get a good read on him. [And this won't help; Doppio can already tell. But...] Is this... the part he said was for humans?

Hm. I'd thought of Atem as someone reasonably level-headed.

[He, at the very least, is someone who tends not to pry. Has Diavolo really grown so careless?]

It certainly doesn't seem like this part is intended for us. It's an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of the human populace — but I doubt they need more of that. They're already so... helpless. That harpy just finished explaining to us how worthless their best defenses are. They already know their place. This is ... wasted effort. Pointless theatrics.

[Crunch.]

And now, a game? There is no point in playing with one's food. Eat them and be done with it. They've already lost.

[There are little things about this broadcast that unsettle him. The terms of Atem's little game, for one. Is this how he always goes about feeding? One of those types who carefully picks his meals that consist of those most "deserving" of death? If selling shoddy security systems for a profit is enough to warrant this sort of treatment, then...]

Be on your guard around him, Doppio.

[Level-headed... He can't really argue with that, can he? Or at least he couldn't, before... this. Just like with the harpy, in the best case scenario, this is purely performative; in the worst, the fog has seriously screwed with his head.

... Somehow, though, he was less sure with the harpy. When it comes to Atem... it's easier to believe that this, too, is part of some game he's playing.

Still, the Boss may be right when he calls it pointless.]

... I guess... the food might not be the point of it either. Maybe it all plays into what he's doing.

[The word felt odd on his tongue. Food. It's only natural that the Boss would put it that way, since he's affected by the hunger, but for Doppio - who is unbelievably unaffected, against all odds immune when not even the Boss is--

It all calls to mind the sensation of ants crawling under his skin.

When the game goes sideways - the humans press the buttons, the trick is revealed, the shade lashes out - Doppio is, in a sense, grateful for the distraction.]

Do you think... Atem knew they'd play dirty?

[Diavolo imagines himself in their position. A human held captive by a monster. Helpless, his life left in the hands of Atem and the humans beside him.

It isn't greed that drives them, not from the moment the three are strapped in place in front of stakes aimed to kill. At that instant, the reward at the end is meaningless. Power is wonderful, but power at risk of one's own life... What other option did they have? To sit there idly and trust that the other two wouldn't sell you out in an instant? Wait the allotted time and pray that they wouldn't kill you before you had chance to draw another breath? No, everyone stepped in to their bindings with the same goal — to live to reap their rewards.

He wouldn't have played. That's the difference between him and these humans. He'd have walked away with his life. But, if, against all logic, he did decide to play Atem's game ... he'd have pressed the button before the countdown began as well. It's the only way to ensure survival.]

...I can't imagine a scenario where they would have done otherwise. [He finally says.] That smile on Atem's face when they agreed ... the way this entire scene was arranged ... he must have known what they'd do from the very start.

[And perhaps that is why he feels so uneasy, lapsing into silence as the shade tears into them. Greed made them take the first step and play — and that was all it did. But it wasn't greed, it wasn't soullessness or rottenness that drove them to break the rules and "kill". It was the most basic instinct of all: the need to survive.]

Edited 2022-08-30 22:13 (UTC)

... Yeah. I guess you're right.

[Doppio isn't privy to the Boss's logic; all he knows is that the conclusion he's arrived at makes enough sense to him. And Atem is sneaky like that, isn't he? Doppio hasn't known him to be cruel, but...

He doesn't know him all that well, he thinks, shunting fake memories of a fake reality off to the side.

A werewolf comes into frame. She's unfamiliar, but her cool and focused approach is immediately striking.]

"Butcher"? Geez, haven't they done enough to scare people?

[Then again, the collected way she's approaching this... Maybe it is meant to be instructional.

Despite that, and despite the fact that Doppio is sufficiently familiar with arterial spray, the sight that follows makes him gasp. A man with his eyes still open; his throat, sliced; his reaction, absent. It's somehow more eerie than it would have been if the man were either fully alive or fully unconscious.]

[There have been times that Diavolo thought learning the art of butchery could be useful. For Cervo, fierce as he is with his kills, indiscriminate as he is with his gorging — there are finer ways to approach a meal, and he's toyed with being the one to introduce Cervo to them.

For Cervo ... and for Doppio.

So when the demonstration begins, when the werewolf walks onscreen, his attention is fully on the television. He is no stranger to the gorier details of the human body. How many times has he seen King Crimson's fist plunged into the chest of another? How many has he cut down without a second thought? No, there is nothing here that should bother him.

The werewolf slices the man's throat in one swift movement, and he falls limp. Next, his clothes are torn away. And then, with cold precision, she narrates as his arms are cleanly removed, one by one, followed by his legs.

It isn't the same, not remotely. There is no need for memories of the distant past to dredge themselves up here and now. This is what he tells himself as he continues to watch, unblinking and silent. He is no coward. He won't allow himself to be held back by fear.

Her knife presses against the man's abdomen, and, for the first time in minutes, Diavolo makes a sound: a shuddering gasp.

(11:20 AM. File number 68...)

It isn't the same, it isn't. Nothing... nothing like him. Nothing like him at all, and so he must watch on.]

[Doppio was absolutely ready to pay attention to the rest of the broadcast, despite the distastefulness of the imagery. Not unlike what he did back home, when the Boss places his trust in him, the very least Doppio can do was steel himself and do what's asked of him. Hell, if the Boss wanted him to, he'd start taking notes on how to butcher a person.

But the sound the Boss makes is concerning enough to shove the broadcast into the background of Doppio's priorities. His eyes are no longer on the TV.]

Boss?

[No response. Doppio's voice calls from the other side of the room; to Diavolo, it might as well be coming from another time and place entirely. There is no room for Doppio in the memory that engulfs him now. By then he was already gone — bled out on the Colosseum ground, his voice and his presence severed from Diavolo from then into eternity.

In that moment, he thought he could stand it. There was no trial he had not triumphed over; he would not stumble and fail now. He would prevail over the traitors who dared to seek him out, he would prove once more that he stood at his rightfully-earned place in the world, a pinnacle surpassing all—

(...48 to 54 hours since his death...)

He should have known something was wrong then. He should have understood. It all blurred together, unreal and hazy, like a distant dream. It couldn't be real. It couldn't be him. Some other body and some other mind trapped in this hellish nightmare. Not him, never him.

The werewolf-girl on the screen says something; it's drowned out by the memory, vivid and excruciating and consuming him whole. He couldn't move then, only his eyes. He spoke — he thinks — he remembers the desperation in his voice as he asked her for answers. He remembers cold silence in response, and cold steel plunging into his chest, and the blood that flowed forth, the shock of pain, the screams spilling from his lips —

The body on screen is deathly silent. No gasps, no screams, no pleading protests — nothing but an empty shell. The werewolf shows no emotion as she slices away, just as that doctor did. All is routine.

Not like him. The man isn't like him. So why, then, does he curl in on himself reflexively, as though anything he witnessed matters, as though the butchering of a corpse is comparable to what he suffered? Why does he feel a jolt of sympathy, a jolt of pain, pressing his fingers against his abdomen. There's nothing there, no scar to prove it ever happened, but he knows what was done to him, knows what he saw as his gaze drifted downward towards a body flayed wide open. Pieces of him taken out, scrutinized and remarked upon. Everything he was — everything he accomplished — all reduced to this. Flesh and bone, dissected and analyzed and left to rot away.

(...his identity is unknown...)

Did it ever end? Is he still trapped in that hell? If he is awake, if he is real, if he is still himself ... then why doesn't it stop? Why does he still live it? Why does he still suffer?]

[Something is wrong. Something must be terribly, horribly wrong.]

Boss!

[He gets up and rushes to his side. His eyes seek out the Boss’s, but there is no reciprocation. It’s as if he weren’t even there. It’s making his heart want to jump out of his chest, in a way that feels diametrically opposed to what it ought to have done the first time he saw his face.]

Can— Can you hear me? What’s wrong?

[It’s terrifying. It’s not right. He’s never seen him like this—

No, that’s not right. The very first time they met here in Ryslig – that first week, if not that entire month… The realisation doesn’t make Doppio feel any better, but it’s starting to paint a picture.

He casts a glance back at the TV. The dissection plays out in spite of its audience.

… It was when she started to cut into the body.

Even though he isn’t sure how much good it’ll do at this point, Doppio hurries to turn off the television, an inelegant, almost brutish flick before he turns his attention back to the Boss.]

[The voice fizzles away to nothing with a click and a hum of static. The absence of noise is just enough to jolt Diavolo; a sudden change in environment is never a good sign. He feels no pain except for the dull ache where his nails dig into his flesh. If he's dying, he thinks, then the act is being dragged out far too long.

It wouldn't be the first time.

(Why would he be dying?)

In his head, the woman's droning words don't stop. They catch and repeat like a broken record, looping without end. It takes a moment to realize that there's another noise mixed in, and longer still to recognize that the desperate sound comes from him. He could have believed this wasn't real, that this was only a dream, a fleeting and pointless thought if not for that visceral reaction.

It's a whimper, pathetic and utterly mortifying in its misery, and the first move he makes is to press a palm hard against his lips to ensure that it never happens again. The countermeasure is only half-effective; more noise spills out, muffled now yet still painfully obvious.]

[It's not working. Maybe he shouldn't have expected it to. The damage was already done - throwing away a gun won't get rid of a bullet wound.

But it isn't just not working, it's getting worse. This may be the worst thing Doppio has ever heard, a sound he never wanted to hear coming from the Boss, of all people - not because it's "pathetic," but because it makes his heart feel like it's being torn to shreds. The Boss so afraid, and Doppio isn't doing anything about it--

But he HAS to do something, and there's no room for second thoughts - not now, when the Boss is in so much pain. Before he knows it, he's doing the first and only thing that comes to mind: pulling the Boss into his arms and holding him.]

Boss, I'm here.

[Doppio's hold is firm, driven by impulse. Meanwhile, his voice is low, but he can't stave off his panic entirely; his words run over each other in a rush.]

I-It's okay. Can you hear me? We're-- We're home right now, there's nobody else here. Just... Just you and me. I'm right here.

[The fear that this might not be the best thing to do hits him, small and sudden, and his hold slackens.]

[He doesn't protest. He gives in too easily, reacting to the sudden shift with a gasp but not fighting against it. His breaths come more erratic as the grip tightens around him. He can't begin to process the flurry of words murmured to him, but the voice is gentle, familiar. The arms are warm. If he closes his eyes and allows himself to sink into the feeling, it's almost comforting.

He can't be dying, at least not like he was before. If he was, it would not feel nearly so pleasant. No blood, no ache, just quiet words and racing thoughts. It calls to mind the memory of being tangled in vines, wrapping limbs and wings around Doppio until everything stopped.

Those same soft words, the same tone. It couldn't be anyone else. There is nothing to fear in this room.

It's been weeks, he thinks, if not months, since the last time he sank so low. Plagued by thoughts spiraling out of control until they were indistinguishable from reality, and even then it is rarely something so mundane that sets him off in the first place. Potential danger, something real and tangible in his environment to react to — that he can at least understand. Television. He was watching television, of all things. A recording, yes, real and brutal but entirely harmless to him, and it was enough to ... to ...

The grip around him slackens suddenly. The change in pressure is enough to startle him into movement, the slowly easing tremor in his limbs returning twofold. He lowers his hand from his mouth, releasing another desperate sound.]

D-don't.

[Don't what? That may be too hard to verbalize right now. But acting is different, and, with shaking grip, he finds himself clinging back.]

[Oh. Oh.

No need to verbalize - Doppio gets it. He takes a surprisingly emboldening deep breath and puts his all into the embrace. It's firm, but hopefully not painful. He just... wants the Boss to feel safe.]

O-Okay. I'm here, okay? I'm not going anywhere.

[He tries to keep his breathing steady. Any nerves he's feeling are nothing compared to what the Boss must be going through, anyway, so he has to do this. He has to be at his best. He can't let go.

(He's never wanted to let go, in any case; not really.)]

[It's a tight grip for someone so small, he thinks. It's strange and it's grounding. Not as soothing as it would be to close his eyes and slip away, to relinquish control and sensation and leave the rest to Doppio.]

You — shouldn't see me like this.

[Those words go muffled into the fabric of Doppio's shirt. Despite the half-hearted protest, he only presses himself closer. He feels the thrum of Doppio's heart and the movement of his chest with every breath, and tries to focus on them.]

[Doppio shakes his head. In the position they're in, it's almost a nuzzle; he may worry about that later, but not now. The Boss needs him, and the way he presses himself closer only makes Doppio want to reciprocate even more, somehow, to curl around him and hold him and stand between him and the world; then he'd close his eyes, and nobody would have to see the Boss like this.]

Nobody's gonna hurt you, Boss. I won't let anybody lay a finger on you.

[If for some reason the wolf girl on the television burst in here and decided she wanted to take the Boss apart, Doppio doesn't know how he would stop her, realistically speaking - but he does know he wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took, no matter the consequences.

It's not that he shouldn't see the Boss like this. It's that nobody should have made him like this.]

[He comes to rest his head on Doppio's shoulder, his breaths rapid as a flurry of words pour from him.]

I'm... exhausted, Doppio. The past strangles me despite my best attempts. I see it everywhere — in everything. I thought I had triumphed over it. I'd thought it was over, but it still...

[How can he defeat an enemy that only exists in his head? He could leave right now and hunt Giorno Giovanna down for what he did to him, and it wouldn't change a single thing. What hurts him now is memory alone — intangible and insurmountable. It isn't about the werewolf, nor is it about the dead man she sliced into. The broadcast should have been such an inconsequential thing; instead, it is as a reminder.

It happened to him before.

It could happen to him again.]

I want to— to sleep. To put my trust in you fully, to rely on you as I once did, but...

[...but that isn't possible anymore.]

[Doppio still doesn't let go. He only brings a hand to the back of the Boss's head.]

I know everything's different now. We can't just... deal with stuff the way we used to. It's... Passione's over, [and it hurts to say it, and his fingers curl, but he has something he's trying to articulate and he's not sure if this is the right way but he's trying -] so... you're a lot closer to all the stuff that could hurt you, right?

But... even if we can't do things the way we used to, I'm still here for you, okay? That hasn't changed. So... So you can close your eyes.

[At some point, Doppio started to stroke the Boss's hair. He's only noticed it now.

... He doesn't want to stop that, either.]

[Okay. This is going to be awkward as all hell, but he feels a certain responsibility to handle this. So here he is, handling it.

You're a professional, Sparkling, act like it.]

Is this Doppio's number?

Uh, yeah
Who is this?

This is Sparkling. The cookie, if you recall. I wanted to speak to you for a moment, if you were free.

[Oh.

Oh, he remembers.]

Yeah?

I wanted to apologize, for what happened when we were trapped in those "films".

I believe you were part of one of mine.

This is about the Dracula thing, right?

It is, yes.

It's fine!
None of that was really real, so I'm not mad or anything.

Maybe it wasn't...but if I'm remembering it correctly, you were still in your right mind for all of it. Weren't you? I don't think you were playing any sort of part like I was, necessarily.

I was, [~~about as much as he can ever be, anyway,~~] but you weren't, right?
This place makes you do weird stuff all the time.
You didn't mean it and you didn't even hurt me for real, so it's fine.

As far as I remember...I was about as convinced I -was- Dracula as anyone could be. It wasn't until the memories started trickling back that I realized what had happened.

I'm so relieved to hear that. I know we haven't spoken much, but I couldn't help but feel terrible for what I'd done afterwards.

It's okay!

Just... I mean this is probably obvious but I don't actually want to be your servant
I know I just said I was in my right mind, but I didn't mean THAT part.

[DOPPIO...]

Don't worry, I wouldn't possibly expect anything like that from you. You just said what you felt like you had to in the moment, right?

Yeah.
For all I knew, you were actually gonna kill me.

I very well might have, too. I'm...very glad it didn't end up coming to that.

Just know that if anything like that happens again, you have my permission to knock some sense into me. One knows I deserved it!

You want me to fight you?

Huh?

No no no, not now! I'm just saying, if things ever happened to get dire, I wouldn't be upset...

RIGHT still!
I just mean I'm not much of a fighter.

It isn't as if I am, either. I've learned a few things here and there, but...more for self defense purposes, really.

Really? That sounds handy.

It's been useful. Though I do hope I don't have to really put it to use.

I dunno…
You know what kind of place we’re in.

I do. As much as I've tried to live as normal of a life as I can, here. It's never so easy as that, is it?

I mean, just the "eating" stuff alone makes it kind of... you know
Even if you don't have to worry about that, most people around you do.

Wait, unless that part's normal for you?
Since you were a cookie?

I wouldn't exactly call it "normal", but...it isn't as wild of a concept as it might have been otherwise, I suppose.

It is still a great fear of mine.

Yeah, I bet.
It's not like the people here AREN'T afraid of monsters.

It makes sense it would be a universal fear. And it always feels unfair to me how little of a say we have in the matter. I can at least take comfort in the fact that I don't have to kill people directly to survive.

But not everyone gets that.

Oh, because you're a vampire? So you can just drink a bit and let people go?

That's right. Though that's not usually how I go about it. I can get blood from humans who donate to blood banks specifically for monsters who need it without ever having to bite someone.

But it's only a temporary solution. I do have to feed directly at least once in a while...the instinct gets to me.

Instinct, huh... That's kind of scary.

[Hopefully Sparkling doesn't get all Dracula-y about it!]

It can be. I've found it's easier now that I know to expect it. I can plan around it, mostly.

[She's had many, many thoughts since last month's revelation. Sifting through memories and filtering the most tumultuous thoughts back and forth until something clearer is unearthed.

Diavolo and Doppio are the same person.

It's nearly winter again, and she's brought out the photo Doppio gave her many months ago now. Donatella beams up at her, the only person who could've possibly guessed from the start when the man she was so fond of was split in twain. She would've known right away, Trish thinks.

But the memories are enough to tell her that Doppio fits the bill for every descriptor of the man Donatella called her "fairweather papà". Diavolo claimed it was him in the most direct sense, and maybe it was, but that doesn't erase Doppio's involvement.

What does she do with this? Doppio has been more amenable to speaking with her than Diavolo has ever been, but what about now? Where is their truce at? Doppio hasn't reached out at all, so maybe Diavolo has forbid it.

But...she'd rather know for sure than assume.]

Doppio?

Are you able to respond? It's not urgent, but it is important. I need to know where we stand.

[Silence is an answer too.

It's what she expects, really.]

[... Oh, right. Trish. The last time they spoke...

So much happened last month that it's overwhelming to even think about. The time he ran into her was easily among the worst, so much so that he could only assume it couldn't get any worse and frankly, war aside, he was mostly proven right. The buildup to the split had been torturous, the revelation had shaken him, but the aftermath had been... almost simple.

~~And he's lucky, so lucky that he was in no state to be on duty when that concert happened, that he only heard of what happened to Trish afterwards, because that aside--~~

Now that they're all back in Ryslig, it doesn't have to be complicated. Yes, it's still as surreal to think about as it is (he has to admit) strangely logical, and he's sure Trish must have been shocked too... but when you get down to it, in the end, not that much has changed, has it?]

Yeah, sure.
The Boss hasn't told me NOT to talk to you, if that's what you mean.

[It's true. What changes, really, when everything has already been shattered beyond repair? When the men involved are dead and removed from the context where any of this mattered?

Knowing Doppio is the other, hidden persona of her biological father does nothing for her except offer some final closure on the discrepancy between the boy her mother once fancied and the man who would kill her dead if death meant anything here. It solved the puzzle of why they looked like twins as little boys, and answered the questions Beatrice taunted her with.

Still, she expected something to feel...different. It does, but it's just so small. Like everything has shifted an inch to the side, enough that she bumps into the new context every so often with mild surprise. It's not unlike rearranging furniture in a home long unchanged and bumping your knee into the end table that had always been there, but is more obtrusive for its new placement on the living room floor.

In fact, it's almost nice he still calls Diavolo his "Boss". A familiar thing in a very strange dynamic that she nevertheless has become accustomed to.]

I'll admit I'm surprised by that. I'm sure he trusts me as much as I trust him.

[So, not at all.]

Was he upset to know we'd been talking behind his back?

Edited 2022-11-15 00:29 (UTC)

[... Haha. About that.]

I think he thinks you forced me into it or something.

And yet you didn't do anything you didn't want to, Doppio.

I have as much power over you as you do over me.

I know you were scared when you ran into me that night, but beyond that, the decision to keep seeing me was your own.

[An oblique way of saying...well, they made a routine, didn't they? And Doppio could have stopped obliging her at any time, once he'd realized she was toothless, especially after what happened when Bruno found her out. And yet...

She has no love for this man, but it is strange to think that she'd been commiserating with her own father in some form all along. A part of her father that didn't care much if she lived or died, maybe, but who wasn't openly antagonistic either.

It's a big contrast when laid next to the looming, deadly shadow Diavolo cast for months until he was eliminated.]

Edited (sorry, tenses are the worst) 2022-11-15 05:41 (UTC)

Yeah, I know that.

[That night, even if it was only for a moment, Doppio genuinely feared she might eat him.

But she didn't. She just... talked. Made a good point. Swayed him. She swayed him, but in the end, the decision was his, wasn't it? The decision to give her that photograph, even the decision to keep talking to her...

He's still not sure how he feels about that. But that's nothing new. For months on end now, he's wondered if he's been doing the right thing. It's because she's sensible; that's the conclusion he tends to arrive at, or at the very least the conclusion he usually settles on. In a world where Passione is dead and any satisfaction gained from killing Giorno Giovanna would be met with inevitable retribution, there is no safer solution than a careful truce. And isn't that what the Boss wants? Safety?

It's sensible. It's practical. It's what's best for everyone involved, that's all.]

[They're of one mind on this matter, but there are some things that still escape her understanding.

How can Doppio live as his own shadow? She hasn't forgotten how he talked about that photo. Like any stranger would when presented with the topic, but it's surreal to know that...Mana knew? Or the magic of this world recognized him for what he was, and presented him with a photo integral to his ultimate fate.

Once again, she expects no reply, but she doesn't hesitate to dig a little deeper now that they're talking.]

Tell me something, Doppio.

Does knowing what you do change anything for you?

Huh?

[He needs to think about it a little. Surely, he already has. It still feels like it's the first time.]

I don't know about "changing"...
It explains some stuff, I guess. Like why the Boss trusts me so much, or why he made me underboss.

[...Huh.]

Well, I'm sure it would be horrible to be stuck in a body with someone you don't trust. You spared him a fate like that by being just the person he needed.

However, that wasn't the only thing I was referring to.

So what do you mean?

[Ah... She must be really weirded out by the whole thing. Which makes sense, right? It's not every day you figure out there's two guys in one body, and when one of them's your father...]

If you think it's strange I'm taking it so well...
I think I get it?
But it really DOESN'T change that much. Especially now that we're here, in different bodies again.
Though when I think about it, I really wish I could help the Boss the way I used to...
No wonder he's so skittish around other people if I was the one who handled that stuff all along, you know?

[...

She honestly can't tell if he's being deliberate. Trish taps her nails on the rim of her keyboard.]

No, I don't think it's particularly strange. You've had time to get used to your new dynamic, and our lives before don't often mean too much here.

But again, that's not what I was asking.

I realize you think of yourselves as separate people, and you are, but physically...you were once a single man. And if you handled the social part of your lives in the past, then it follows that you were the charming young man my mother fell in love with.

[Do you catch her drift, Doppio? Do you?]

Edited (me like wait she wouldnt make this a leading question) 2022-11-20 03:36 (UTC)

What

[The way Doppio's responses noticeably slow down may shed some light on how deliberate his evasiveness was.]

That doesn't make any sense.

[It's not so much deliberate as it is a somehow habitual blindness. He doesn't do it on purpose, never goes so far as to stare the truth in the eye and shut it down; instead, he manages to walk right through it without looking back.]

That makes no sense!

[There is one thing he has to actively steer his mind away from - his life in that other world, where Trish was present despite not even being in Ryslig at the time - but that isn't difficult for him to do, either.

It was a fake life, and that wasn't really him. Why should it matter? It doesn't matter. He's told himself that so many times, it didn't factor into this until exactly now, when Trish has brought it up, and now he finds himself having to turn away from it.]

Just... think about it!
How old would I have been then??
Your mom wouldn't fall in love with a kid!
I mean... an even YOUNGER kid

[It does, but regardless she doesn't understand it.

Maybe it's a reflex too well-trained into Doppio that he doesn't realize it, but in her mind, he said it himself, didn't he?

Nothing's changed.

Which begs the question of how he can comfortably engage with the idea that he and his Boss were once the same man, but the significance it holds regarding his relationship to her is too hard for him to acknowledge? He certainly can't be feeling anything like remorse or guilt with this information being held up for him to examine. Indeed, neither iterations of her father are capable of that.

Maybe she's being uncharitable. Waking up and realizing you are a duo and you have a daughter is a weird, destabilizing fact to someone who's lived a lie for so long, but at that point how can anyone draw a line in the sand over what is or isn't too much? None of it is normal!

Still, she tries to explain it. She hasn't got the patience for denial, but it does occur to her Diavolo probably did not engage the topic like she is right now.]

Doppio, listen to me.

You cohabited a body with your boss, something you yourself have stated and discussed not even minutes ago. That makes you the same age as him regardless of what you may or may not remember for yourself.

It makes us family by blood.

You haven't got any reason to panic and hide from this fact. We both know it. Diavolo knows it. It's a simple truth.

Edited (wording, i took a drowsy medication fdssassasadsad) 2022-11-21 10:21 (UTC)

[Is there a line? Is it a matter of it being "too much"? The fact of the matter, as Doppio sees it, is that all he knows is the following:

"The Boss and I once shared a body."

It's surreal, but simple. It explains a number of things - not only what he admitted to Trish, but what he doesn't dare to share, such as the ever-persistent inkling that his connection to the Boss truly was something special, something that nobody else had ever had.

But that's all. Why would it mean they're the same age? Why would it mean he has anything to do with Trish?

It's not so much of a line as it is a wall, one that she's forcing him to collide against rather walk through.]

You don't know that. You don't know if we've ALWAYS shared a body.
Do I LOOK old enough to be your dad?

Hell, don't you have that family connection thing?
Where you look at the Boss and you KNOW he's your dad?
If I was your dad you'd have known way before this!

And I'm NOT panicking!

[This is making Trish wonder if Diavolo swept it under the rug. Or obfuscated some of the truth, but she's dug deep enough to know now.

It makes too much sense for Doppio to have ever been a separate person.

Indeed, he may be a wholly distinct entity from Diavolo, but he's nonetheless a symbiotic one. How else could Diavolo hide so perfectly in plain sight, ruling over Passione without every being identified? With meek Doppio as a front, he could skirt by detection, eyes passing over the unremarkable silhouette Doppio cut.

It also helps her to not lose her nerve or second-guess herself because she's seen exactly how this sort of relationship functions for herself. Without Cervo, maybe Doppio could have said these things and been right. But here he is, a man who denies the reality, not realizing he's made another entity to stand in for him in this world. Almost like it's a survival mechanism of his, to let another personality subsume him wholesale until it's time for them to relinquish control and let him deal with the problems he's meant to handle.

Still...this is troubling. He believes, and yet he doesn't. Where's the divide? Can it be crossed? She can lead a deer to port, so to speak, but she can't make him take the ferry.]

That "family connection thing" is almost certainly a result of my Stand awakening.

I have neither her nor that ability here, so I can't say that's a fair argument to put forth when the first time I ever saw you for myself was on this very peninsula. There's simply no comparison that can be made.

Similarly, I can't prove that you were always the same person, but there are reasons for me to believe that to be true. To imply otherwise would mean that somehow, you two were completely separate people that got put into one body, but that's much harder to pull off than to be two souls in one body, especially when you could seamlessly share King Crimson in a way unheard of among Stand users.

I brought this up not because I want to hold it over you, either. It's more that when I thought about the stories I was told about my father, you fit the description more than your Boss ever has.

Do I want it to be true? No. I wish my father could've been as sweet and kind as the person my mother remembered. Ignoring those supposed traits, you've shown yourself to be a cowardly sycophant, while your other half is heartless and colder than the deepest parts of Hell.

Neither of us gets anything good out of the truth other than some closure on my part.

That being said, if you're not interested, I'm not going to push the issue. Ignoring the biology of it, if you really weren't present enough to remember, then calling you anything resembling "father" must be laughable to you.

[He's not sure how he feels.

That is not a statement of indecision, but a complete, vast Unknown. It's as if there were a haze over him - he reads her words and they seemingly achieve the impossible: they fail to penetrate him while also seeping into him and tying a knot in his throat.

What she says makes no sense. He feels no connection to her, Stand-related or otherwise. For some reason, when she calls him a "cowardly sycophant," it stings. It stings when she says those words about the Boss, too, but he can't bring himself to correct her - whenever he tries to write in his defense, something screams at him not to do that. Not to do that to her.

He doesn't know what this IS.]

Didn't you have closure already?
In Rome?
Or... are you saying it's different now?

[The thing he doesn't seem to get is that she doesn't feel a connection either, not in the way he might think. They're similar, actually, in that he lived never knowing he had technically fathered a child, and she lived knowing what fathers were as a concept while not once caring that hers was absent, not when he had never been there to miss in the first place.

But they do have one tenuous connection, in that he is...maybe the only person besides Diavolo who personally knew Donatella Una, although he doesn't remember her, so what does it matter? What does she get if she somehow conjures the barest memory? Diavolo never spoke of her, and Trish is sure she would spit fire over anything he could possibly say, and she's sure Doppio's opinion would inspire similar rancor.

What happened that summer only carried weight because she exists, after all.

Otherwise, it would have been just a distant memory. But now she's got the lonely position as the only living proof either of her parents ever existed, a forgotten woman and a forgotten man erased from the world just months apart. She supposes Doppio can happily not care about any of it as he always has, which is irritating, but unsurprising.

His question is easy to answer, at least.]

The whole point of going to Rome for me was twofold. Specifically, to find out who exactly my father was, and then to kill him. What I learned in Rome went against what precious little I did know about him, and was secondary to making sure he couldn't ever hurt anyone again; so in a way, it was different the moment we faced each other on the battlefield.

And then I was left with questions no one could answer. The dead can't speak, and the living can speculate until they're dead too, without ever reaching the truth.

However, I'll admit I know nothing about your boss other than what he was able to show in Rome. Maybe he really is just like you when he isn't faced with someone he can only see as an enemy. Maybe he does stop to chat with insects and frogs as amiably as you have in the past. Maybe he's clumsy and awkward too.

Regardless, I think I know the truth.

[The next message only comes several minutes later, despite being quite short:]

I've never seen the Boss do anything like that.

["Even though he's not as bad as you think," he wants to tell her. Once again, some part of him vehemently forbids it.]

Is that all you've got to say, Doppio?

[Hmph.]

Fine.

The truth persists no matter how much you turn away from it. Actions don't stop having consequences even if they go unseen. Unseen in this case is a double meaning, because I do mean whatever you tried to hide, and the things that happened when you stopped caring to look.

Everything you two tried to bury in the past was able to sprout anew because of your shortsightedness. And I'll be here to remind you every day of that which you failed to erase despite your combined efforts, and I hope it haunts you both for as long as we all live.

[It stings harder. He still doesn't know why, he still doesn't really get it, but what he DOES know is that it hurts.

It would be easier never to speak to her again, to forget about her and take the truce to its natural conclusion. He'd rather not think about any of this again, about the past that she's assigning to him or why the Boss doesn't fit neatly where he should. Maybe it would make Trish happier, too. Wouldn't it be better for her to bury her past as well, to abandon it all and rebuild her life from the ashes?

His head hurts. That knot in his throat persists.

For some reason, what he finds himself typing and sending is the following:]

Do you think I'm doing this on purpose?
Do you think I'm just lying to you? Because I'm NOT, okay?

I don't remember anything from before. I don't really know where I'm from or...
Pretty much ANYTHING that happened before I met the Boss.
I don't have answers for you but I'm not being this way just because I'm stubborn or whatever.
Alright?

Sorry.

[Trish can't claim to always do what's harder just because it's right. Sometimes the right thing is just easier than the alternative, or makes more rational sense to her. Sometimes she's a coward too. But she was raised by someone who was as human as anyone, flawed but stronger for it, perhaps. Donatella talked about the past often not to be wistful, but to remind Trish things don't pop out of the ether, and important people come and go, regardless of their impact on your life. Of course, Trish retreats just as well as her father does from the things that make her uncomfortable and unhappy, but...

She can't fathom hating the past so much she doesn't acknowledge any part of it.

No, the past is full of happy memories up until it isn't, and it informs everything about who she is regardless of how she feels about it. So Doppio's entire frame of existence is impossible for her to conceptualize. In Doppio's mind, he has no past until he becomes the underboss. That's all he is and all he wants to be. It's such a small box when she scrolls back to reread his replies, she can see him actively restructuring everything she says in a way he can comprehend in his narrow vision of the world.

He can sit there and believe he and the Boss were always separate people, but she knows that can't possibly be true. Between Polnareff's best guess and Cervo's inception as points of reference, there's nowhere else for Doppio to exist prior except in Solido Naso's shoes.

So his apology is strange, not to mention infuriating. He can't possibly care about upsetting her, especially over something like this, where her feelings matter little in the face of his comfort. If it's true of Diavolo, it ought to be true of Doppio too.]

You're lying to yourself as much as you're lying to me, for a given value of lying.

You can sit there and construct convenient truths forever about why it's perfectly sensible for you to sit in the shadow he casts and never ever stray further, like it's all you ever had and it's all you'll ever need, just like I can sit here and wonder how anyone could possibly live like an appendage and be satisfied.

It drives me mad, really. I've clearly thought much harder about your past than you yourself ever bothered to.

Which means I don't need you to acknowledge any part of this to make what I've learned more real. I know what I was told, and unlike you, she had no reason to lie to me.

So, go ahead.

Live your truth.

Just know it's as flimsy as your spine.

I'm not an appendage!

[He doesn't understand.

He doesn't understand why she doesn't understand, why she can't see what he's trying to tell her: that they can't be family because he's never had a family, and he's fairly sure most people don't just Start Having One, and he can't help her because the man her mother met couldn't have been him and so it wasn't.

He doesn't understand why it bothers him so much, why his chest feels so tight or why he feels so strongly like he has to salvage this, whatever this is.

He doesn't want to talk about it. He can't talk about it. He can't stop typing.]

I'm telling you what I know, how does *that* make me a coward?
I mean I AM a coward, but not because of this!
Do you know how many people know I don't remember jack shit? Not that fucking many! One of them isn't even here anymore!
Not that it matters because it's okay! I'm okay with it but that's not the point!
I'm not calling your mom a liar either!
FUCK!

[It's perhaps not fair. If he doesn't know, how can she prove it?

She has evidence. She has lots of it, circumstantial for awhile, and then explicit considering what she witnessed in Felfri. She could see Doppio retreat and Diavolo try to analyze in the same instant, a body trying to act on two whims when they've likely never fought for control at any time because Doppio was always happy to relinquish it.

Happy, but maybe it's just been something they've always done. Maybe there was never just Solido, and Doppio can only remember what happened after he met the boss because those memories are solely held within Diavolo's mind. It's weird to think, but she supposes it makes some sense. But then, Diavolo still doesn't fit any part of her mother's recounting. Doppio must have played a role. Just like Cervo plays a role, and Diavolo plays a role.

It makes too much sense for him to be someone who only existed after Sardinia. Unless Sardinia is when they split? She thinks on Polnareff's story, but for something like this...it's just too hard to say.]

It makes you a coward because what you know is only what you've been told.

Do you mean to tell me you never asked for more than the role bestowed upon you? That you never wondered who you were before? Only a coward would be so afraid to know that they'd never look for the answer themselves.

I risked what little I had left to find out what kind of person my father was. I wanted to know where I came from. I'm not happier knowing the ugly truth, but I'm stronger for surviving the trial to get it. If I'd turned away from it, I'm sure I would've only been successful in dying in ignorance, just like he wanted for me from the start.

His words, not mine.

I wasn't afraid

[Wasn't he? He can barely remember even that. ~~Is he afraid NOW?~~

There is, again, a significant pause.]

Look, it's not the same thing.
You had a starting point, right? You had your mom growing up and you had what she told you.

[He didn't. Even if he had wanted to look, he wouldn't have known where to start. ~~And he never wanted to, because it would have been a betrayal at its core.~~]

[Trish wants to bash her fists on her keyboard.

Maybe Doppio's not pretending, but he's very good at ignoring what's right in front of him. He's missing pieces, sure, big ones, but she has thin patience and no interest in closing the gap for him at the moment.

Irritation wins out.]

Your boss.

Your boss is right there.

You tell me how you don't remember anything until you "met him", and somehow he's not a starting point? I know he doesn't care about anything but himself, and I could almost be sympathetic if you were somehow too afraid to ask before coming here. Asking questions got people killed, I recall.

Regardless, I still can't imagine standing there and not goddamn wondering what kind of person I was to get the trust of a man so vile in the first place. Then again, it's got to be exactly because you never stop to think about anything deeper than a puddle that he finds your company so appealing.

Go to hell, Doppio.

Edited 2022-11-30 07:19 (UTC)

Fine.

I don't care.

[For some reason, those words sit in the pit of his stomach more uncomfortably than anything Trish has accused him of lying about.]

It's all over anyway.
Have a good life.

[~~He's never had a family.~~ ~~He doesn't need a family.~~ ~~He's never needed anything more than what he already has.~~ ~~So, why is this...?~~

What the hell is he thinking?

This is for the best. If the Boss knew how badly she's fucked with his head, he's not sure even the truce would save her.]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, PURPLEPIPER. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 541.26.365.77 * PURPLEPIPER has joined 541.26.365.77 <PURPLEPIPER> Am I doing this right? <PURPLEPIPER> Pretty weird to just leave a message like this is an answering machine or something <PURPLEPIPER> ME leaving a message I mean! <PURPLEPIPER>** You can leave one if you want and I'll just get back to you whenever I can.

IC Inbox

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I posted Doppio's secret santa gift on the gifting meme but wanted to make sure you got it

thanks! i totally failed to keep up with that meme so i appreciate it <3

Backdated to Event

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... i'm not sure if this qualifies as suicidal ideation but here's a warning anyway

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<PasUnPolicier> Afternoon of the 17th

<purplepiper> let's say he replies like. a day or two later

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<jack> 6/29;

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<shyhara> backdated allll the way to 7/30

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action time

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