[Bruno leaves the zipper he's crawled out of open for Izabel to look into if she wants.]
They do. [He gestures to the zipper behind him.] I can use that in an emergency to escape either by creating space, or moving along walls or floor if there's not much time.
But I can also use it to attach or detach things as necessary. For example, Sticky Fingers has a limited range, but I can detach his fist to extend my reach. That means detaching my own, of course, but it's not that difficult to get it back together again.
[She floats on over, peering into the zipper with a certain measure of caution.]
Huh...
[Some of it was like a hopscotch, getting to move so quickly, but there wasn't really anything she could compare the rest to. When she looks over to Bruno again, her eyebrows are furrowed.]
...What the heck made you decide to test that one out?
[Normal people don't just DETACH THEIR FISTS, BRUNO.]
[It's dark in there, but there's an obvious space that shouldn't exist. Sticky Fingers pulls back the zipper some, the ground along the zipper folding as though it's made from cloth.]
The way I discovered most of my abilities, I was in a fight. It was a tight spot.
[Bruno shrugs a slim shoulder. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, Izabel.]
[It's not an answer she wants to accept, but...there it is. It's something that shouldn't feel familiar either, except it does and she can't really figure out why, because even with the efforts of the rebellion that was a different kind of necessity to her. Forgotten things, empty spaces making everything wrong, like with Jotaro and Kakyoin...
Hmn.]
Did it feel weird? I don't know if that's, like, a gross question, or something.
[Still not...great... She'd say she hopes his limb loss isn't as gross-looking as her own, but the thought of an arm ending in some kind of void is pretty eerie, too.]
Can you unzip anything? Because, I mean -- [She jabs a thumb at the tear in the ground.] -- that's kinda breaking reality, over there.
Stands, inanimate objects, people... Anything Sticky Fingers can touch with his hands, I can create a zipper.
[Sometimes you do just casually break reality, Izabel. It happens.]
Once I seal it, however, I'm the only one who can open it again. So if you were to put something in there, you wouldn't be able to dig it up. I'd have to open it again over the exact spot.
[Her shoulders droop a little at the answer, not just because it wasn't very comforting to hear but because it just drives home even harder the fact that Bruno...sacrificed a lot.]
Huh.
[Oh well. Dwelling on it wouldn't really do anything, judging by how things had gone before. Perking up a little, Izabel returns to Sticky Fingers and curls both arms around one of his.]
[Sticky Fingers takes a moment to close and seal the zipper on the ground (don't need anyone accidentally stumbling into it, after all) before it puts a hand over hers on its arm.]
[She studies Sticky Fingers with narrowed eyes, then goes over Bruno with the same scrutiny.]
Hmmmn... I'm going to say... [With her uncovered hand, Izabel points to Bruno.] Zippers. These Stand guys like to reflect their users, being their spirits, and all.
Really... [She takes hold of Sticky Fingers's forearm, inspecting it before fumbling around with the zipper tongue there.] I guess there are also some things you learn about yourself after the spirit shows up.
Does everyone in Italia dress like you guys? Because I gotta say, all of you guys from there kind of have an...interesting style.
No, not everyone. But we're also not the sort of gangsters that like to draw attention to ourselves like gangsters in other countries do. So it's not that outrageous.
[Contrary to popular belief around here apparently.]
You must not have spent much time in larger cities, stellina. You would be surprised with what people would look the other way rather than involve themselves in.
[Self-preservation. Bystander effect. Whatever the case may be, people don't want to involve themselves with Passione's business unless they need help.]
At any rate, there are different kinds of attention. Our members work outside the limits of the law, sure, but in a way, we are part of Italia's infrastructure as much as any public official. If you were to remove Passione tomorrow, much of Italia's government and economy would collapse. Being known for that much isn't a bad thing. It's how we're accepted and it's how people know where to go looking when they need help. To that end, even if I chose not to dress in suits, people within my team's territory would still know my name and face as well as what I do.
But there is a bad sort of attention that gangsters can draw to themselves. For example, the betrayal I carried in my heart for so long would have easily made not just me, but my entire team targets for assassination if I hadn't kept my head down for as long as I had.
And there was also the path Passione was on with Diavolo. The people wouldn't tolerate something like that forever. If he hadn't been removed from within, it would have come from without and the whole of Passione would have fallen with him. That would have left kids like the ones in my team on the streets with nothing at best, or rotting in a jail cell at worst. It would have set loose the more sadistic members of the gang at the time with no one to rein them in or to put them down.
[The longer she listens, the more her cheek is pressed against Sticky Fingers. She just wanted to gossip about stupid clothes, why did this have to be educational and interesting.]
The Mafia's complicated. [Good job, Izabel.] But...yeah. That makes sense. Like you said, it's an organization, too.
[And now that Bruno could be sure that she'd been paying attention and taking it seriously -- ]
I meant the whole exposed chest thing, though. Or stomach, in Mista's case. You guys show some serious skin.
No one's ever said anything about it until I arrived here. [Bruno's brow furrows, lips twisting into a slight frown.] Though most seem to be concerned I'm cold, one person asked if I was an "entertainer."
[The quotes around that are, indeed, palpable. Who the fuck just asks someone a question like that?]
[She thinks about pointing out the fact that of course no one back home would ask about it because they didn't want to die, but instead her eyebrows shoot way up.]
What? Dude, that's fucked up. [...] You don't look like one, okay? That person was just nuts.
[Hey now. Bruno wouldn't kill someone over that. Some eager members of his team might get a little happy with their fists/feet and sharp objects of their own volition, but nobody would die. Bruno has some morality.]
I'm sure it was just a matter of...cultural differences.
[Doesn't make it any less rude, but you know. Bruno also must be a Rational Adult about these things, too. Plus, you know, what is being reasonably angry about stuff? What is that?]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[late night action]
They do. [He gestures to the zipper behind him.] I can use that in an emergency to escape either by creating space, or moving along walls or floor if there's not much time.
But I can also use it to attach or detach things as necessary. For example, Sticky Fingers has a limited range, but I can detach his fist to extend my reach. That means detaching my own, of course, but it's not that difficult to get it back together again.
[late night action]
Huh...
[Some of it was like a hopscotch, getting to move so quickly, but there wasn't really anything she could compare the rest to. When she looks over to Bruno again, her eyebrows are furrowed.]
...What the heck made you decide to test that one out?
[Normal people don't just DETACH THEIR FISTS, BRUNO.]
[late night action]
The way I discovered most of my abilities, I was in a fight. It was a tight spot.
[Bruno shrugs a slim shoulder. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, Izabel.]
[late night action]
Hmn.]
Did it feel weird? I don't know if that's, like, a gross question, or something.
[late night action]
Mm, at first. You get used to it. It's not as though it hurts. I suppose it's more disconcerting seeing it rather than feeling it.
[late night action]
[Still not...great... She'd say she hopes his limb loss isn't as gross-looking as her own, but the thought of an arm ending in some kind of void is pretty eerie, too.]
Can you unzip anything? Because, I mean -- [She jabs a thumb at the tear in the ground.] -- that's kinda breaking reality, over there.
[late night action]
[Sometimes you do just casually break reality, Izabel. It happens.]
Once I seal it, however, I'm the only one who can open it again. So if you were to put something in there, you wouldn't be able to dig it up. I'd have to open it again over the exact spot.
[late night action]
...Well, at least both of her favorite Stand users had something that freaked her out, now.]
So it's...a place. Not like some pocket or an instant portal, everything kind of...goes somewhere, in there.
[late night action]
That's right. Which is why I can't stay in there for long. I do still have to breathe.
[late night action]
[It's BRUNO'S WORLD it could at least let him BREATHE THERE. Rude.
And now it's time for another strange question.]
Do you like it in there?
[late night action]
It's not particularly comfortable. It's dark and quiet. But it gets the job done and it could be worse.
[So, not really??? Maybe??]
[late night action]
Huh.
[Oh well. Dwelling on it wouldn't really do anything, judging by how things had gone before. Perking up a little, Izabel returns to Sticky Fingers and curls both arms around one of his.]
So! Which came first, the zippers or the zipping?
[late night action]
Which do you think?
[late night action]
Hmmmn... I'm going to say... [With her uncovered hand, Izabel points to Bruno.] Zippers. These Stand guys like to reflect their users, being their spirits, and all.
[late night action]
That's a good guess, but I'm afraid it's wrong.
[late night action]
[late night action]
[Although everybody has something against his tiddy window, jeez!!]
[late night action]
Does everyone in Italia dress like you guys? Because I gotta say, all of you guys from there kind of have an...interesting style.
[late night action]
[Contrary to popular belief around here apparently.]
[late night action]
[??????]
[late night action]
[Self-preservation. Bystander effect. Whatever the case may be, people don't want to involve themselves with Passione's business unless they need help.]
At any rate, there are different kinds of attention. Our members work outside the limits of the law, sure, but in a way, we are part of Italia's infrastructure as much as any public official. If you were to remove Passione tomorrow, much of Italia's government and economy would collapse. Being known for that much isn't a bad thing. It's how we're accepted and it's how people know where to go looking when they need help. To that end, even if I chose not to dress in suits, people within my team's territory would still know my name and face as well as what I do.
But there is a bad sort of attention that gangsters can draw to themselves. For example, the betrayal I carried in my heart for so long would have easily made not just me, but my entire team targets for assassination if I hadn't kept my head down for as long as I had.
And there was also the path Passione was on with Diavolo. The people wouldn't tolerate something like that forever. If he hadn't been removed from within, it would have come from without and the whole of Passione would have fallen with him. That would have left kids like the ones in my team on the streets with nothing at best, or rotting in a jail cell at worst. It would have set loose the more sadistic members of the gang at the time with no one to rein them in or to put them down.
[late night action]
The Mafia's complicated. [Good job, Izabel.] But...yeah. That makes sense. Like you said, it's an organization, too.
[And now that Bruno could be sure that she'd been paying attention and taking it seriously -- ]
I meant the whole exposed chest thing, though. Or stomach, in Mista's case. You guys show some serious skin.
[late night action]
[The quotes around that are, indeed, palpable. Who the fuck just asks someone a question like that?]
[late night action]
What? Dude, that's fucked up. [...] You don't look like one, okay? That person was just nuts.
[Not that...she's familiar... But no, how dare.]
[late night action]
I'm sure it was just a matter of...cultural differences.
[Doesn't make it any less rude, but you know. Bruno also must be a Rational Adult about these things, too. Plus, you know, what is being reasonably angry about stuff? What is that?]
[late night action]
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