rubycity_ooc | August Test Drive!

Entry tags:

August Test Drive!

Thinking of apping a character but not sure they'll fit in the city walls?

Have no fear, a meme for you is here.

Directions:

Use an RNG to choose a location and prompt, or wait for someone else to tag.

Post with your character with their name and canon on top!

If you'd like, leave contact info for people to get in contact for plotting and other such shenans.

Tag around! Make friends. Don't be afraid to chat OOC while tagging.

Locations

1.TRAIN STATION - The place where everyone gets dumped off at. Your first view of Ruby City, complete with informational posters telling you all about where you've ended up.
2. THE BEACH - Lovely year-round, though in the winter months, you're probably not likely to dip your toes in.
3. THE BLACK STALLION - A rather quaint bar. Supposedly, the burgers are great, but you don't see anyone immediately who's willing to serve you. Maybe you're meant to get it yourself.
4. THE OBELISK - The tall monolith in the center of the city marks the gathering place of many events, though right now it seems to be cold and dark.
5. THE CLOCKTOWER - Offering an impressive view of the city, several residents come here to clear their heads, if they don't mind braving the narrow staircase.
6. THE COFFEE JOINT - the front windows are warm and welcoming, and it seems there's always someone friendly enough to fix you a cup when you wander through.
7. THE CATACOMBS - Intrepid, aren't you? Those weird holes may beg exploring, but go too deep and you're going to be in a lot of trouble, considering the viciousness of the creatures held within.
8. THE CITY STREETS - All told, Ruby City is a lovely place, once you get past the fact that several of the buildings look derelict and on the verge of falling down. There's no harm in doing a little sightseeing.
9. THE PARK - You thought it'd be a lovely stroll, but the park is anything but friendly, if those approaching wolf-like creatures are any indication.
10. CHOOSE YOUR OWN - Don't like what we've come up with? Feel like picking your own place? There's a whole host of lovely locations to choose from in the City.

Scenarios

1. NEW ARRIVAL - Step off that train, walk down the street. People usually latch on to newcomers to try and help them out. Even if you look shy, the other residents probably won't be!
2. WATCH TALK - Feeling lost? Disoriented? Don't worry, everyone feels that way on their first day. Fortunately - if the signs at the station are to believed - the watch in your pocket can be used to talk to whoever else might be here.
3. BAD WEATHER - Aw, man. Whether it's snow, or rain, or just plain cold, today was definitely the wrong day to get dumped off in a City in the middle of nowhere.
4. A RUN-IN - Maybe you weren't watching. Maybe they weren't. Either way, you just bumped into someone. Perhaps apologies are in order?
5. HELP, IT HURTS - Clumsy, aren't you? Perhaps wherever the train brought you from wasn't so friendly, or you just tripped and twisted your ankle. Either way, you're in a bit of pain. Hopefully someone will notice your booboos and help patch you up.
6. HUNGRY - It isn't very obvious sometimes that restaurants are what they are, especially in a place like Ruby City. Where can a person go to get a bite to eat around here?
7. MISTAKEN IDENTITY - Hey, there's someone you know! --Or maybe not.
8. BEING FOLLOWED - Maybe you're just being paranoid, or maybe you've got a reason to be afraid. Whatever it is, it feels like there's eyes on you...
9. CURRENT EVENTS - None at the moment, but feel free to look through our event tag!
10. CHOOSE YOUR OWN - Don't like any of these ideas? Feel free to come up with your own!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You're right--on both counts, probably. Breaking into it seems like the easiest way to get into more trouble than one can handle, but ignoring it might be just as bad.

[As Kakyoin spoke, he watched Giorno rather than look to the obelisk. Why did he seem so vaguely, distantly familiar? It was almost enough for Kakyoin to write off as being just his imagination, and yet it wasn't insignificant enough to ignore. Least of all with that completely unknown Stand staring at him.]

[But he didn't seem like a threat, and that was what threw him off. He seemed...dangerous, somehow, but not in the same way their enemies had been. Even if Giorno didn't know that Kakyoin was a Stand user as well (at least not yet), it was best to tread as carefully as possible and be ready for a fight all the same.]

...If I could ask a slightly prying question, Giorno--what kind of world did you come here from?

[This distance would be a problem, if it came down to that. There was no way of knowing what his range was, but Kakyoin couldn't survive a fight at close range and he knew it.]

[Giorno, on the other hand, has sensed nothing in particular about Kakyoin. Which is not to say that he assumed Kakyoin was harmless - generally, nobody was harmless until proven so, and even then, he never quite let his guard down. But thus far, nothing seemed unusual.]

[At least not until that question. The question itself wasn't the problem, it was the way it was framed - a prying question, even though it wasn't, really. It was more making conversation. So why be so tentative about it? It could just have been that Kakyoin was unnecessarily polite, or . . . something else.]

[Giorno tipped his head to one side; Gold Experience smoothed his collar, then took a step back.]

What kind of world? I don't really know how to answer that without anything to compare it to. It seemed very normal to me. A planet called Earth, most of which I never visited and wouldn't be in any position to describe. I'm most familiar with Italy - Naples especially, although I've traveled all over the country. It's a beautiful place, but - [A faint laugh.] I'm biased. There's a lot there that's important to me.

I don't know if that answers your question. [He was quite sure it didn't.]

...not quite what I had in mind, but in hindsight I'm really not sure what I expected to hear. That wasn't my most subtle approach to the subject, I apologize.

[For what it was worth, that did sound genuine. Kakyoin laughed a little awkwardly, at a loss for how to proceed. Continuing on this track could either be completely fine, or get him killed again. While he was usually the cautious one of the group, every so often he did something astronomically stupid for the sake of getting results.]

[This was shaping up to be one of Those Days.]

There really is just no delicate way to approach this subject, but I think I can risk asking you outright. And if I'm wrong, well...we can deal with that one way or another.

[Calmly, Kakyoin took off his sunglasses; violet eyes looked from Giorno to his Stand and back again. He didn't call out Hierophant--that was the most important part right now. Present as little of a visual threat as possible, to show he didn't want things to come to a fight if it was necessary.]

What I should have asked is 'do you know a lot of people with friends like yours'?

[His demeanor stayed casual, though every part of him was fully prepared to retreat and launch an attack the minute Giorno or his Stand indicated they might do the same.]

[There. There it was. Honesty was always nice to encounter, even if it was only partial honesty after all. Giorno felt the shift in conversation as soon as he heard the word risk, and responded accordingly. His posture, already quite alert, went ramrod-straight, shoulders pushing back as he drew himself up to his full height. The only response to the sight of Kakyoin's eyes was a slight narrowing of his own, even though his gaze doesn't linger over the scars.]

[Friends like yours. He leaned back into the barely-perceptible sensation of Gold Experience's touch and pointedly let his smile fade.]

Yes. I do.

[Fewer now than he did once; but all the same.]

It would have been perfectly acceptable to ask that question first instead of playing games, Mr. Kakyoin. I don't have anything to hide.

[Lie. Big lie. But it would have been a lie for anyone, he thought, and so he let it stand.]

Sorry; I dislike dancing around issues like this as well. But if I were in your position and met an unknown Stand user as soon as I got here, I don't think I'd be all that pleased about it. Being a little delicate about the matter seemed a safer bet on both sides.

[Pocketing the sunglasses, he held up his hands defensively.]

I don't want to start a fight; I don't have any reason to, unless you decide to. But meeting a Stand user I don't recognize that isn't out to kill me would be a pleasant change from what I'm used to, if that's quite alright with you.

[He nodded, though not quite in agreement.]

Delicacy has its place. But in a negotiation, it's wisest for both parties to show their weapons.

[Which Kakyoin was definitely not doing. It was possible, Giorno supposed, that Kakyoin wasn't a Stand user. Just not terrifically likely. The only person he'd ever met who knew about Stands and didn't possess one was - well. Trish, except then she did, in the end, so that hardly counted.]

[In any case - Giorno tipped his chin up at Kakyoin with a level gaze, entirely calm once again.]

I don't go around making enemies. It would be careless and stupid, and I am neither of those things. So it seems like neither of us has a reason to attack.

We should probably start over. Don't you think?

Of course, it's only fair that we should both be transparent on that front. [Hierophant appeared behind its user with hardly a thought on Kakyoin's part, upper body ending in a thin coil.]

Please, allow me to try again. My name is Noriaki Kakyoin and this is my Stand, Hierophant Green. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[That sense of familiarity hadn't left but for now it took a backseat to the residual paranoia of 'unknown Stand user' and 'enemy' being all but synonymous to Kakyoin at this point.]

[His gaze stayed on Hierophant for a few moments longer than was probably polite; but then, he'd been open about his assessment. Their Stands, despite their other uses, were weapons in this moment and weapons alone. That was their function, at least until Kakyoin and Giorno felt each other out, and given the opportunity, Giorno would always assess his opponents' weapons thoroughly.]

[Only after he'd looked Hierophant over for a good while, noting its flexibility, its fluidity, the obvious ease with which it and Kakyoin moved together, did he met Kakyoin's eyes again, head tipped slightly to one side. Gold Experience draped its arm over his shoulder again, and then he smiled, soft and warm.]

My name is Giorno Giovanna, [he said, in tones that seemed to give heavy weight to both first name and surname,] and this is Gold Experience. [A momentary pause before he licked his lips and added,] Requiem.

[Something he still wasn't quite used to, not even after months. But the third part of his Stand's title conveyed something that was important to him, something he'd earned. It wouldn't do to leave it out.]

...That's a peculiar name even for a Stand, but I guess they can't all be gods and tarot cards. [That was said mostly to himself, looking to Giorno's Stand. It was hard to determine on sight what its capabilities were, but judging by how close they were he was willing to bet it was something short-range. Past that, he couldn't even guess.]

[Good lord, if only he knew.]

[But that aside, Kakyoin himself was a little less tense about the possibility of a fight knowing that Hierophant was directly behind him now. With that reassurance on hand, he focused on Giorno again.]

I'll apologize for being just a little too cautious; as I said, it's rare for me to meet another user that isn't an immediate threat.

[Gods and Tarot cards. What a strange thing to say. The more Kakyoin said about his own experiences and expectations, the more Giorno wanted to know, and yet - asking would invite asking, and there were innumerable things he had no desire to talk about with a stranger. Still, there was a bright spark of curiosity in Giorno's eyes now, and he couldn't quite keep himself from at least implying a question.]

Your apologies aren't necessary. Caution is completely understandable.

I do remember what you said, though. That you're used to Stand users aiming to kill you. My experience is generally similar.

Is that right? I'm starting to think having one at all is just an invitation for trouble. Not to say that I'm complaining, of course. I don't know what I'd do without him.

[Likewise, Kakyoin was finding he wanted to ask several things, all of them half-formed questions and a couple--why do you look so familiar--bordering on accusation.]

[He did at least find that reasonable--there were obviously other Stand users in the world, and powers like that would inevitably lead to fighting for one reason or another. Even so, he was already curious as to what kind of things Giorno could have been involved with. Surely it wasn't as chaotic as the trip to Egypt...right?]

I suppose it does make sense. I've never really stopped to consider just how many people in the world might have Stands themselves.

[A sideways glance at Gold Experience, then. A life without it . . . would be very confusing. Very lonely, too; there were a number of people in his life now that he would be without if not for his Stand. He did realize he was lucky in this, did not take it for granted, but thinking about what could happen if, somehow, he lost it - some still-childish part of him very staunchly didn't want to.]

[So he didn't, focusing again instead on the man in front of him, his expression shifting back to scrutiny, although his shrewdness never quite crossed over into sadism. Which was for the best; his features were similar enough that even a hint of cruelty showed his roots. Another part of the reason he schooled his expression so carefully.]

Too many. And many of them are irresponsible, or greedy, or selfish, or want power for the sake of power and have the strength to take it for themselves. Stands enable human cruelty to reach new heights, like any kind of power does.

[None of which he entirely meant to say, all of which he fervently believed. Diavolo would have been dangerous without his Stand. With it, he was very nearly unstoppable, and furthermore was able to push past his own humanity and leave all mercy behind.]

[Why did this situation suddenly cause a creeping sense of dread to find its way down his spine? Not a single word Giorno was saying was strictly wrong as far as he was concerned, but something about the way he spoke felt...familiar.]

[There was no way Kakyoin had met this person before; first of all, he'd never been to Italy, and second he was reasonably sure he'd remember encountering someone like this.]

[Something just was not right here.]

But they also grant others the power to fight against people like that.

[He nodded, then, some of the tension in his shoulders relaxing. Kakyoin had a fair point. There was Diavolo, a malignant narcissist, and then there was Trish, a girl whose only crime was not entirely knowing herself. There was Dio, and then . . . well. Giorno was not naive and thus could in no way call himself selfless, but he was not his father any more than Trish was. They were divergent, anomalies, fighting every minute of every day to be their own selves instead of what history and fate prescribed for them.]

You're right. It's easy to forget, sometimes. I can be - hyper-focused, you could say, on things that require fixing. A fault, maybe.

[Lie: he did not consider it a fault.]

It sounds like you hold onto optimism better than I do.

I don't know if I'd call it optimism.

[Shaking his head, Kakyoin put his sunglasses back on and tried to brush aside how unsettled he felt. It must have been nothing, or just his imagination--because for just a second, this conversation had started poking at a memory he did not want to recall.]

I'm just one of those people stupid enough to fight for that kind of thing.

Oh . . . I don't know if I'd call it stupidity, either. I've fought, too.

[For himself; for the defeat of a murky evil; for power; for his friends, who became his family. He fought for a great many things, and he conquered everything he faced up against, often at an absolutely devastating cost. Maybe it was that cost that made him so perfectly aware of the intersection between power and cruelty, and his own occasional barely-guilty flash of sadism.]

[He never wanted power only for the sake of power, but the results of holding Italy in the palm of his hand certainly didn't hurt.]

[He cocked his head to one side, regarding Kakyoin carefully with a near-predatory look. Why had he put the glasses back on? Was it a sign of retreat, or an effort to close a particular line of conversation? Had Giorno said something wrong without meaning to, or reminded him of something he shouldn't have? Maybe, he thought, he should clarify; and that smile came again, but this time, he couldn't quite hold back a hint of self-satisfaction.]

It's just that I've won, that's all.

...

[He was certain that wasn't meant as an insult--Giorno couldn't possibly know what had happened to Kakyoin before coming here. There was just no way, so that had to be an offhand remark and nothing more.]

[But the cold chill that had settled in the region of a formerly shattered spine was too much to ignore. Behind him, Hierophant moved only to wrap a single coil loosely around its user's hand--planning for a quick escape if necessary, rather than engage in a fight.]

[When he spoke again, it was with a serious expression; the glasses were both to put a measure of distance between them in a metaphorical sense and to hide any uncertainty he might have been showing.]

Who exactly are you, Giorno Giovanna?

[Well. That was definitely a question, wasn't it. There were endless things he had no desire to tell anyone, a list of secrets that were either his alone or his and Passione's, and the latter weren't in any way his to tell. He might, at this point, lie, make up a cover story and report it as seamlessly as the truth. But he had no desire to make an enemy of the first person he'd really spoken to in the city.]

[More than that, he would not deny his own victory. Too many people died for him to sweep it under the rug.]

Don Giorno Giovanna, Mr. Kakyoin. That's who I am.

[This was what mattered: he held power. At home, it was concrete, respected. Here, he would have to fight for it again. But it was his power, all the same, and he would not let it go.]

Is that really all there is to it?

[What Kakyoin was focused on was a hell of a lot bigger than the mafia as far as he was concerned. While he still was going out of his way not to present a threat, he was visibly on edge at this point. He knew where he'd spoken to someone like this before--all charm and composure, with some indescribable danger lurking under the surface.]

I said I didn't want to start a fight, and I still don't intend to. But if we should somehow have a...mutual acquaintance as I'm starting to suspect we might, I'd like to know.

Veiled threats are still threats, Mr. Kakyoin.

[His voice now was smooth as ice, charm an effortless veil over every word. He was still very much Giorno, his youth apparent in his face and his body, the soft line of his jaw and the lilt in his tense voice. But there was Dio in him now, too, quite a bit more apparent than it had been thus far, in the heavy weight of his stare, his eyes sharp and unblinking.]

There's a great deal more to me than I like to disclose at first acquaintance. I think this is true of everyone; no one likes to share all their secrets. But I will make a deal with you: you tell me what you suspect, since you obviously do suspect something, and I will tell you if it's true.

For what it might be worth, that came out a little more harsh than I'd hoped it would.

[But that reaction all but confirmed it, and he didn't know what to make of that. It would be wrong to condemn Giorno for what he hadn't done and presumably had no hand in at all, and yet it was very easy for Kakyoin to let that sense of dread find a firm hold on him.]

Your....father, I'm guessing. He was a Stand user as well...one who spent some time in Egypt, am I correct?

You're doing it again.

[Something sharp in his tone now, and that was not Dio at all. Dio was used to getting his way through a careful combination of threats and seduction, whereas Giorno lived now in a world of physical force and machismo. Both of them were used to getting their own way, but they did it very differently. Giorno never threatened. He commanded, and Kakyoin's willful disobedience was beginning to rankle.]

Your caution is officially misplaced. You believe I'm dangerous, and yet you don't play your cards, as if holding back your hand will make me any less who I am, as if we don't both know exactly what you're asking. No hiding, no games. We show our weapons, you and I, or this conversation ends.

What you mean to say is, "Don Giovanna, your father was Dio Brando." Isn't that what you mean? Ask me, and I'll answer. Waste my time with sideways questions and euphemisms, and I'll leave.

...

[This really wasn't a situation he was used to. Kakyoin kept information to himself so that he could use it as a weapon; that was how he functioned, the user of a subtle and quiet Stand that made fights into a matter of waiting for the right opportunity to strike. But it was becoming clear that Giorno Giovanna was not someone who allowed anyone to gain the upper hand on him; that he'd fight on his own terms, whether that fight was verbal or physical.]

[Fine. If he wanted an all-out direct approach, Kakyoin would play against his usual strategy. Taking off his sunglasses again, he looked steadily at Giorno and spoke plainly:]

Was your father Dio Brando--that is, are you or are you not related to the person that killed me?

[There it was: what he'd expected and something more, too, something worse. That was the strange thing. Physical distance and personal choices had made it so that he had never met anyone directly affected by Dio, except for his mother. He had never actually done this before, never spoken to any kind of victim of Dio's, much less someone he'd killed.]

[It became clear, then, that Noriaki Kakyoin was one of those who brought an end to his father, and, because Giorno was only human, he felt a brief and easily-squashed pang of regret. Here was someone who had met Dio, even momentarily, known him, even if only through cruelty, a connection to a past that Giorno never quite knew what to do with.]

[There was a certain fascination in this, but - it bore repeating - Giorno was not stupid. Kakyoin did not deserve morbid curiosity. Furthermore, he had finally done as Giorno asked, and so he deserved a measure of respect.]

[With careful, smooth movements, Giorno stepped back a few paces, not to retreat but to give Kakyoin space, and nodded as Gold Experience draped its arm around his shoulders again, almost protectively.]

Yes. My father was Dio Brando, the man who murdered you.

Fantastic. [He brought a hand to his head, feeling what was probably the start of one hell of a tension headache. But that was all he did. Kakyoin didn't advance or make any move to attack, letting Giorno distance himself without objection.]

I want this to be clear right now--I'm not in the habit of holding people responsible for things they had nothing to do with. But I had to be certain of that, I hope you understand.

[Slowly, he folded his arms--Hierophant's coil moved from Kakyoin's arm to his shoulder in a similar fashion. As unsettled as he was, Giorno hadn't...done anything. There was no reason to act like they were enemies just based on one single fact.]

You didn't recognize my name, which means it's highly unlikely you were involved at all. [Everyone (or damn close to it) that worked for Dio would almost certainly recognize the name 'Noriaki Kakyoin', but Giorno hadn't so much as blinked.] So I don't want either of us to think the other's about to throttle them, assuming that is an absurd thing to expect.

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