002 [video | CALL | un: ghostprince]

[shootaro]

[Shoes. Black and white sneakers a good distance away, sticking out of a large... box? The camera pans away to show to no one on the other end, just a comically large saw, and multiple, brightly-coloured blurs keep cutting in on either side of the image, before he turns the camera to show his decidedly unimpressed expression.

He seems to be lying flat on some sort of surface, just his arms and head out sticking out through holes in yet another box. There are strings tied in his hair which are tied to brightly-coloured balloons, dragging up awry locks of hair, swaying. An absurdly tiny, off-center sparkly party hat strapped to his head finishes the look.

City of Laughter, naturally.]

... you know. I was going to ask what makes a fun party, but I guess these two clowns thought I needed a demonstration and made me part of their act.

They've been gone for, like, fifteen minutes already.

I don't think they're coming back and all my pokeballs are inside this stupid box.

How do I get out?

Comments

[ack, such long introspection, I'm sorry, I tried to trim it...]

[shootaro]

[Yes, but when is he not.

He only meant the similarity, he assumed, came from having Stands and Pokemon, however slight. Not Dio as a person, except in that regard. But it was vague and yes, certainly presumptuous, but as he surmised, the boy sought any sort of acknowledgement and attention wherever he could find it.

His eyes widened when Dio gave his name and the word "friends" cut through him like a knife. He hangs his head, his messy fringe curtaining his eyes, but what's visible is enough to convey how conflicted and upset he was.]

Yes... Dio.

[He remembered Polnareff's warning, that Dio lures his prey by promises of friendship, or anything else one could want. It's a trap.

This is stupid.

He could argue he was only trying to earn his trust back, so he could relay information to Polnareff and Giorno... but that would be dishonest. He needed to be strong.

No one else he's met here radiates that kind of intoxicating, overpowering strength. He wanted to learn from him, that wasn't a lie either. He really did want to grow to be like him... he still does.

Even if it was a trap, this was the best chance he was going to get, wasn't it? Who else could be that strong but also show interest in him and not write him off as an annoying, weak child? He probably won't ever have this chance again. There were others he could befriend, but they weren't as strong. So, it simply wasn't logical to put them first, before Dio. No, what would benefit him best would have to be the strongest. In the absence of emotion, this was the most logical choice— true, he could learn from Polnareff or the others, but even after many years, he could never become as strong as he might under Dio.

He didn't have time to learn things slowly,he needed to get strong enough faster. Couldn't he count on being saved before it ever got that bad? If he were closer to Dio, he could warn Polnareff and keep him safe that way too, couldn't he? He could leave his Pokemon in his home world, with Professor Juniper, where they'd be safe (except for Serperior and the Ghost Types, they would accompany him everywhere).

If he could be strong enough to have that promised battle, no matter what happens, he didn't think he could regret it.

Anyway, he didn't even have to justify any of it to himself, not really; if this was treachery, so be it. It wouldn't be the first time his actions fell under that category and he didn't expect it to be the last either. He wasn't a good person and he knew it. It only hurt this time because Polnareff had been so kind... but, he wasn't responsible for keeping him safe. He didn't expect Dio to kill him either. And he still had the chance to make it easier for him to avoid Dio too, so He had no reason to fear. If Dio could control anyone, and the world was full of stronger beings, why should he have any cause for concern? ... Polnareff simply worried too much, there was nothing about Trip that Dio could really use, was there? Compared to the outward respect Dio displayed, Polnareff's attitude bordered on cloying. He could never really grow under that kind of stifling protection.

But, perhaps the most pitiful of all his reasons, was that he really did like the way that word sounded from his lips, though it were a lie: friends. When he finally resumed speaking, he didn't look or sound as conflicted as he did moments before, strangely calm and resolute, now.]

... I'm sorry. Forgive me for listening to him talk.

I don't know much about you, so it was easy to believe.

[malignans]

[He watches the boy do battle with himself. He's very clearly torn between what he desires and Dio's promises, and the warnings that have been passed down to him from whoever this silver-haired man was that warned him of the dangers of associating with Dio. It's an argument between heart and mind, which means that Dio already knows what the victor will be.]

[Humans are weak, predictable creatures like that. Even when logic and reason would warn them away from something, they are ruled by their emotions. The more basic the emotion, the stronger it is. That means Dio always plays a dangerous game with the way he flirts with fear and terror, but he knows how to avoid in its over-indulgence. He also knows that there are some things even stronger than fear, and that the human need for acceptance and love will always outweigh anything else. Even if Trip comes to be terrified of Dio, there will be a part of him that will always crave his approval and attention if he takes this step closer to Dio.]

[Dio only need wait and then just like that, Trip seals his fate.]

It's not your fault, [he says, his voice moving towards something akin to gentle if not entirely.] I told you when we met that it's always easy for others to make assumptions because of what I am, and I was not entirely forthright with you. What else could you do but assume the worst?

I admit, withholding information from you was largely to protect myself, but my enemies are quick to attack if they sense someone associated with me will pose themselves as an immediate threat. The less you knew, the safer it would be for you.

[Dio tips his head a little to one side.]

But I suppose there's little sense in keeping any further truths from you now that they've approached you. You must have questions.

[shootaro]

I-it's not?

[That manner of reassurance reminded him of Alder... he couldn't help listening attentively, nodding at Dio's words.]

I genuinely thought he wanted to kill me for being involved with you.

... you won't hurt him, right? He doesn't want a confrontation, I don't think... he poses no threat. He can hardly move.

[Trip, you just had to let that slip. He realizes his mistake too late, moving quickly to his own question:] What did you do to earn all these enemies, if I may ask?

[malignans]

[Trip's slip doesn't really tell Dio anything that he doesn't already know. It only serves to confirm that this it was without a doubt the mysterious "Arthur," who had approached Charlotte. He keeps far better control over his spike of anger this time, setting it aside to tell his tale. Or at least a modified version of it.]

I was born over 120 years ago. I was a human then, like you. I sought more for myself, and that was somewhat frowned upon in society back then. In the end, I was faced with a choice: either spend a short time rotting in a cell most likely dying from starvation if I was lucky, illness or exposure if I wasn't, or surviving with my freedom.

I chose freedom and became what I am, but you know well what I feed upon. There were plenty who weren't content with my continued survival. In the end, I spent a century trapped in a coffin at the bottom of the ocean. When I emerged, the descendants of the man who tried to destroy me began hunting me, but they didn't do so alone. They enlisted others they felt I wronged and feared my growing power when I acquired my Stand.

And that's really the heart of it. Their hatred of me is rooted in their fear. To humans, nothing is meant to live forever, and nothing is meant to surpass their place at the top of the food chain.

[shootaro]

... sounds unpleasant.

You made a very understandable choice. I think many people would, put in your position. Maybe even some of your enemies. Who would willingly want to die like that?

[He got the distinct impression they had more reasons to hate and fear him than just fear of what he was or how he became it, but hearing both sides might bring him closer to a full understanding.

Of course, he already knew Dio's telling would be more biased in his favour, but people typically seem themselves in the right in their own personal stories, don't they?]

... but, that's a terribly long time to hold a grudge, isn't it? What do they stand to gain from it? What would they lose by leaving you alone?

It doesn't sound very logical.