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[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.]

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...

[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.]

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IT HAPPENS SOMETIMES don't worry

LATE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! too distracted by babby mode

patpat!!!

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<NeverAcorned>

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nattensfest 2021.

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DEC 25 - HAPPY NATTENSFEST

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