002 ★ video

[nextlineis]

Who: jojo & you
Broadcast: video
Action: optional, but on the caprine
When: rite meow!!!

So, it's September already, which means my birthday is coming up!

I mean, it's technically February back home, but I'm not gonna complain about celebrating my birthday early. Besides, that seems like way too complicated math to try and figure out what it should be.

[It actually is not that complicated. It's the 28th of February where he's from. C'mon Jojo...]

[But then again, this is the guy who struggled at determining the age of someone who was a baby 50 years ago...]

Anyway, I'm gonna be nineteen on the 27th. Just to give you guys the heads up. You know. [He grins.] In case you wanna get me something.

Comments

[ino]

[ Hmm. ]

That's probably for the best.

[nextlineis]

Seriously?

[That doesn't seem like a very responsible thing to say or do, so he's a little surprised Ino would.]

[ino]

Making future plans in a place like this doesn't usually pan out.

[nextlineis]

[That actually manages to strike a nerve without her meaning to. He might not have even necessarily thought of it right away if she hadn't started steering his head in that direction, but he snaps a little.]

Bullshit. We're all still alive here, aren't we?

[ino]

[ Yeah, she can see why that wouldn't exactly be fun to hear, but -- if past experiences have told her anything, it's that living day-to-day in these types of situations is the only way to do it.

Still, she looks a little surprised that he actually seems mad; she isn't sure what to say that isn't horribly depressing, so she just stares, waiting for him to elaborate on that thought. ]

... ?

[nextlineis]

Look, I know things can happen here. Bad things. I know that in the blink of an eye, any one of us could be gone tomorrow. But I know now that's not any different than life back home. There's a lot of things that are beyond my control there, too. For all I know, if I go back, I could be walking back to my own death.

[He comes from a legacy of it. His grandfather and father before him both died young, at the very beginnings of the rest of their lives. They were things he never really appreciated, only feared in the back of his mind about repeating. And then...]

[And then there was Caesar. Who had been far too alone in the end. The person who had stuck it out with him for the past month, putting up with all his bullshit without saying hardly a word about it. The last things he said to him were hot, angry words because Joseph's always had the expectations there'd be a chance later to fix it. But there wasn't this time. Or rather, there wasn't supposed to be.]

[This is his second chance to be a better friend, to be the friend he was supposed to be from the beginning. This is Caesar's second chance at having a life of his own choosing, not weighed down by dead ancestors. He's not going to be told or reminded how fragile that is. He'll only dig his heels in more.]

But you don't just give up on things like that because it might not work out normally, do you? So why take that attitude here? That's when you fight harder, not give up.

[ino]

[ She goes quiet, looking away from the camera.

She's honestly kind of regretting saying anything, at this point. She should have just smiled and laughed it off and moved on, instead. She knows that "fight harder" attitude -- she felt that way herself, a long time ago. And in some ways, it's nice to hear -- it reminds her, again, of Naruto. It sounds like something he'd say if he saw her being sad about it.

But the problem is, they didn't understand. Nobody did. Nobody except Allen and Crowley, really. It was easy for him to say all of those things, she thinks, without having been through everything she had. But honestly, even if she sat him down all day and night and told him everything, would it really make him "get it"?

She opens her mouth like she's going to protest angrily, like she's going to tell him off for not knowing anything, but ... after a moment, she shuts it. Because there really is no point, and the two of them will be gone back to their own world soon enough where they won't have to worry about it anymore. So what sense was there in ruining his optimism?

She sucks in a breath and puts on a smile. ]

... Ha, yeah. You're probably right.

[ She doesn't actually sound very convinced or motivated, but if agreeing with him will end this part of the conversation, she'll do it. ]

Sorry, forget I said anything.

[nextlineis]

[He doesn't believe she's actually convinced. Joseph can tell she's just trying to hold back and spare his feelings. At first, it pisses him off a little further. He's sick of being coddled by people, of people holding things back from him. But before he can get himself too worked up, he decides it's not worth it. If she wants to think that pessimistically about the situation, let her. Why should that be his problem?]

[And then he simmers down a little more than that. His expression doesn't really change, but his tone of voice does to something a little softer.

I'm sorry, too. [He knows that was a little harsh and unnecessarily angry. Joseph just isn't good at being gentle when it comes to anything. When he thinks or feels anything, it's a force.] Just... Just don't talk like that.

[He wants to say around Caesar, but he holds back. It's not his place to tell her what happened to him. And besides, he doesn't want that to change things between Caesar and Ino. They're obviously becoming pretty good friends with each other and knowing something like that he died and how he died would just complicate everything. Possibly even his friendship with Ino when he thinks on it a little longer. He's also not sure how Caesar would react to Joseph telling anyone else. It's yet another thing they haven't really talked about, but he thinks he's okay with just having Caesar to talk about it with. He shouldn't need anyone else anyway because Caesar's here.]

Sorry, [he mutters again.]

[ino]

[ It's not as though she's unfamiliar with the situation: after all, if Tadashi goes home, he goes home to be dead. And she might be about to do the same. It's not like she WANTS this time to end.

But it will, because that's what always happens. ]

You don't have to apologize. I ...


[ She looks like she's struggling for words for a bit, here. How to say this without going into too much detail? ]

It's ... nothing you should have to worry about. I shouldn't have said anything.

[ At least that sounds more sincere, this time ]

[nextlineis]

It's not a big deal, Ino. I... [He hesitates to say it, but then decides to hell with it.] I'm just sorry if you really feel that way. No one should have to.

But as long as you're making the most of the time you've got, I guess that's all that really matters.

[ino]

[ Hmm. She debates, for a moment ... ]

Hard not to after eight years, but yeah, that's what I try to do every day.

[nextlineis]

[He knows on some level that he shouldn't be jealous of that. That's what keeps him from saying anything. But he is. He really doesn't know how much more time with Caesar he'll have or how long until he has to go back to the mess that is his life right now back home. But he's selfish. And he's afraid. And he's happy here. And he's made so many promises now, it's hard to keep them all straight. He just wants all the time in the world on both counts, with Caesar and away from everything that's waiting for him.]

[But he holds back because obviously very little of what Ino has gone through has been worth being jealous over.]

Good. You shouldn't go through life with regrets.

[ino]

Can you really say you've never done anything you regret?

[nextlineis]

Until recently? I would have told you yes.

Ino, I'm...I was never the sort of person who worried about anything except what was right in front of him. I worried about Granny and sometimes Uncle Speedwagon. I worried about how I was gonna fill up an afternoon. But I didn't think about how others felt or thought. I didn't know or care about what it meant to be a Joestar.

But all of that caught up to me and now? I regret a lot of it. I wish I could go back and change it, be more like I am now sooner. I could have been more prepared and things could have turned out differently. [Caesar might still be alive. At the very least, he wouldn't have died alone.] But I can't do anything about the past. The only thing I can do is move forward and take this chance to make things right.

I can only try to have fewer regrets from here on out.

[ino]

[ That gets a little bit more of a genuine smile ]

I think your Granny would be very proud of you.

[nextlineis]

[It's not as strong as usual, but there's a hint of his usual crooked grin starting to make its way out once more.]

Of course she would be. Granny's always proud of me no matter what.

[ino]

Way to ruin the sentiment.

[nextlineis]

Hey, it's not my fault my grandmother loves me.

[ino]

No, that is definitely your fault.

[nextlineis]

Careful, Ino. You might be getting close to paying me a compliment.

[mylegacy]

You can tell her, you know. If that would make it easier.

[His voice is very quiet, but strong.]

[nextlineis]

Caesar... That's not...

[He purses his lips. It's not the sort of thing that she should probably hear from another person. Probably. He doesn't know. Obviously in the normal world, that's how she'd hear something like that, but these are weird circumstances. It's not so cut and dry.]

She doesn't need to know all that unless you want her to.

[mylegacy]

I was going to tell her anyway eventually. But you're the one who . . .

[He hesitates briefly, trying to find a way to say this that isn't keeps losing his cool. Eventually he settles on:]

It's not fair for you to get angry with her and she not know the reason why. Or one of the reasons, anyway. [Maybe most of the reason.]

[nextlineis]

[It's better that Caesar doesn't take such a direct route with Joseph right now. Maybe later and in private because deep down, Joseph knows he's reactive and doesn't do a very good job in keeping his feelings to himself because he doesn't know what else to do with them. He does frown a little, however, wondering what it was that Caesar was going to say, if he was mad at Joseph for maybe forcing the issue. He looks away, then down.]

Yeah, I guess. [A beat and a little quieter,] Sorry.

[He's not exactly sure what he's sorry for, but he feels he probably should be. And maybe feels it a little, too. He's not really sure. At the very least, he wishes he was better at this. Whatever...this is.]

[mylegacy]

[He doesn't really understand it. He should be angry. It's not as though he needs anyone coming to his defense, or speaking up for him, or getting upset for him. If it was anyone else, he'd be furious. But he doesn't mind this. It's just . . . one of those Joseph things. So he can't help but smile, just a little, because whatever this is, it's not just a bad thing; and besides, how many times has Joseph ever said sorry to him?]

Hey, [he says, trying to get him to look up.] You don't need to apologize to me. Although I appreciate the rarity value.

It's not as though . . . [A small, helpless shrug.] It's not as though either of us really knows what he's doing.