ic inbox || ruby city

[whatitis]

Hey, you've reached the voicemail of Carlos [heavily distorted feedback punctuated by sharp clicking noises], leave a message after the collective screech of eight different kinds of buzzards.

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[whatitis]

[??????]

[?????????????]

I...

[Help him? Maybe?]

Explain.

[digiorno]

[Sorry, Carlos, you're in the shit now.]

I'm . . . essentially the son of Jonathan's adoptive brother.

[Essentially.]

[whatitis]

...Oh. That's...oh.

[Regret.png.]

Sorry I asked? Yikes. That's...interesting?

[digiorno]

[He just. Stares for a second and then laughs, a sharp cut-off sound.]

It's something, definitely.

It's - fine, the rest of my family is less . . . that. You know. ["That".]

[whatitis]

...Hey, every family has its...that. To some extent.

[He flinches at the sudden noise, hands twisted awkwardly in his lap.]

One way or another.

[digiorno]

. . . Sorry. About.

[He makes a vague gesture that's meant to indicate that weirdo outburst.]

There's not really a good way that I've figured out to explain "my father was a supervillain".

[whatitis]

I'm sure you'll find it. One of these days, y'know? It'll come.

[digiorno]

Is that your scientific opinion?

[whatitis]

...That's my personal opinion, Giorno.

Sorry if--if I intruded. I'm really sorry.

[digiorno]

I was joking, mostly. You didn't intrude. I'd rather . . . tell you than someone else. I think.

. . . You can ask other things, if you want. But you don't have to.

[whatitis]

I'm sorry, honestly. Extra sorry.

And...no, I won't bother you any more about it, I think. I shouldn't have asked in the first place.

[digiorno]

Okay. But - you didn't do anything bad. I like talking to you. I just don't know how to talk about some things.

[whatitis]

It's--fine. I know I was talking out of line. That's my bad, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable.

[It's strange to see him recoil from even someone as mostly-kind as Giorno.]

[digiorno]

Do you want to talk about science again?

[FEEBLY REACHES FOR SAFETY]

[whatitis]

Yes, that'd be fantastic. Great. Neat. I'm running out of positive modifiers so I think I'll shut up now?

[digiorno]

Perfetto.

. . .

[He thinks for a moment, then makes a heart in the air with both hands.]

Since no hugs - just that.

[whatitis]

[He copies the gesture, before hopping down off the bench to circle back around to...whatever Science is happening inside the centrifuge.]

So, um, anyways--I've decided to run a kind of control test on how the organisms of this city work. I have a thing of my own blood running in the centrifuge right now, at, like...some amount of RPS. Just to see what happens.