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The manor listed under the Don of Passione’s name spanned acres upon acres. Forests and a rocky cliff kept most would-be attackers at bay while also providing a sense of surrealism to the property. The building itself was like one out of a storybook - a villa with walls shining white as if to steal the beauty of the Sun itself and ingrain it into the rooms. The multitude of windows in every room showcased the property to all inside. These windows showed the many different patches of exotic plants that grew closer to the building and even showed off the expansive walled-off garden.
Despite how clean the property looked, the manor was very well lived in. Contrary to what most would believe, the Don - and by extension some of the Don’s guards and closest allies - stayed in this villa for most of the time. He had his hobbies like any other person did and liked having his own space as any other person did. Minus the title of Don, he really was just a boy. Said boy had enough power and wealth to live comfortably and spent countless hours doing what he liked.
With the sun shining high, he found himself strolling the garden’s stone paths. The more expensive and rarer plants flourished under his touch, and he didn’t need Gold Experience Requiem’s help for it either. The sounds of birds and the gentle rustling of leaves in the mid-July breeze was exactly what Giorno needed to calm himself after several months of chaos. Usually, if he needed to get away, he would excuse himself to take a moment to explore the gardens he worked on. He couldn’t even see the walls holding the greenery from the outside property and the manor was practically hidden by all of the vegetation. It really was like his own personal world.
Coming up to a stone bench, he decided to sit down. A lazy river flowed just behind him, the sounds of the water creating a more perfect harmony to the symphony of nature. Coco Jumbo didn’t shift much, instead enjoying the heat in Giorno’s arms.
He let his eyes close, leaning forward ever-so-slightly, and allowed nature to take him away. There was no bustling, going from here to there, gunfire and lost body parts. Blood, bricks, and tears were replaced with flowers, leaves, and streams. It was the definition of calming nature. Literally.
Giorno lazily opens his eyes when he feels something tingle the tip of his nose. The awkward sensation would cause anybody else to wave away the small beetle, but to Giorno the soft legs on his skin were a comfort. The ladybug flew off of Giorno’s nose only to dig itself into one of his curls. Just briefly, Giorno had seen the ladybug’s white and black exterior.
“Hello, Bruno.” Giorno’s eyes shut again. He could just barely hear the soft buzzing as the ladybug got itself situated inside of Giorno’s hair. Did the fact he named a ladybug after his fallen friend mean something? Probably. Did Giorno particularly care? No. He was the Don of a large mafia organization - there’s bound to be something wrong in the end. Maybe that’d just make him better.
There was an old tale that Giorno read in a book once. Certain animals carried the souls of the dead to their loved ones, to let them watch. Some stated that cardinals were the best carriers. If you heard a cardinal in the morning, sitting outside and staring, it was a lost loved one making sure you were okay. Giorno wasn’t religious, but he didn’t particularly believe that he had to be to believe in such a thing. It made him feel better anyway as he felt more soft bristles against his face as ladybugs landed. The ladybugs flew away as quick as they had landed, making a home in his signature donut rolls.
The many animals that resided in his garden were as much of a comfort as the plants and streams. It was his own Eden - his separate world where things like myths of the dead watching over you were true. It didn’t matter if the thought made someone feel better, it was simply a fact of life that only existed within his boundaries.
He took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Other small creatures had joined in Giorno’s meditation. A frog had hopped onto where Giorno’s hands had fallen to his side. The slimy feeling didn’t disgust Giorno, it was a comfort. Even softer bristles landed on his shoulders, the fairy-like feeling reminiscent of butterflies so that’s what Giorno assumed.
Did he have a God complex? Giorno chuckled, slightly disappointed as he felt the butterflies fly away and the ladybugs shift in disturbance as his shoulders shook. But the thought had been funny and rather sudden. The evidence points to it being a possibility, so.. He most likely did. He let the assumption wash over him and away like the other thoughts that seemed to only surface in this realm.
Trish looked genuinely happy with that girl.
Oh, Fugo wanted to meet up with Sheila E later, didn’t he?
I wonder what would happen if I disappeared.
Ladybugs are so peaceful.
Sometimes I wish I could be a ladybug.
Could I try doing that, in theory?
Mista would freak.
Another soft chuckle rolled out of his mouth as mental images flashed by like a movie he wasn’t paying attention too. He never stopped a thought from occurring, but he didn’t try to chase it either. It was something Fugo had suggested, years ago. Some form of meditation that Giorno didn’t bother to remember the name of similar to the book of folk tales.
There was a honk.
Giorno opened his eyes quickly, a surge of anxiety overtaking his calmed form. That anxiety gently simmered away. Confusion took its place, because a white goose stood in front of him. Did geese even- Wait, how’d a goose get in here?!
Giorno went to grab Coco Jumbo from his lab so that he could stand, but the goose was faster. The goose grabbed a hold of Coco Jumbo’s shell and started to take off the path, flapping its wings as it went. Giorno stood up and mentally apologized for disturbing the small creatures before taking off himself. He didn’t try sprinting, afraid the goose would drop Coco Jumbo. “Polnareff!” Giorno softly shouted for the Consigliere with slight worry.
Polnareff, meanwhile, had been minding his business. Coco Jumbo’s Stand, Mr. President, had a simple room for a hideaway. Said room had been transformed overnight - while the main room had stayed the same as it always had been, the secondary door led to a condo-like apartment that Polnareff used as a personal space. He was doing what he liked to do the most - sit in his bathroom to his leisure. The sound of Giorno’s yell didn’t reach the poor soul as he hummed away a pop song that he didn’t know the words to.
Giorno started to speed up, but the goose seemed to catch on and start to go even faster himself. What the hell - he’s almost certain geese can’t sprint as fast as a human can, especially not someone as fit as himself. “Requiem!”
Giorno skidded on the stones, letting Requiem come out of his body. He never told the Stand what to do, the Stand simply did what he wanted. Thankfully, both of their interests were aligned. Requiem laid a hand on the rocks. The garden’s paths were cobblestone, which allowed for a multitude of mosses to spread in between the cracks. These mosses were enhanced, taking over the cobbled ground in mere moments. A pathway of lichens was quickly chasing after the turtle-stealing goose. While Requiem dominated the center of the road, Giorno took to the sides. The green immediately hid the grey as Giorno stomped after the goose.
oh that’s a funky thing.
yoink.
oh wait
funky thing is glowing.
perfect for a light s
h
o
w
.
.
.
what the absolute fquack.
this looks too neat.
i’m going to destroy it.
starting with…
oh theres a person
time to snatch
my turtle now, bitch.
try to catch me
wait
wait no that wasn’t a challenge
oh no
OH N O
The mosses trapped the goose’s feet in it’s hold. Good thing too, the distance between him and Requiem was giving him a headache. Requiem left, abilities no longer required. The mosses would surely die off in a couple of moments so Giorno took his chance and grabbed the goose. He held the goose close to him as it quacked up a storm. Coco Jumbo peacefully sat in it’s hold.
Giorno, still using one of his arms to hold the goose tight, pulled Coco Jumbo out of its mouth. Coco Jumbo seemed surprisingly calm. Infact, it seemed like the tortoise was asleep. The same couldn’t be said for the spirit that laid inside of Mr. President.
“ Giogio! ” The small wavy form of Polnareff rested just beneath the translucent red gem. He looked relieved to see Giorno’s slightly tense face. “ You really let a goose grab o’l Coco?! ”
Giorno’s tension and a humorless laugh left him at the same time. The goose squirmed and honked in his arm in panic. Out of pity, Giorno sat the goose down - keeping an iron grip on Coco Jumbo - and watched as the goose ran into the unknown of the garden. Polnareff let out a laugh that had more life in it than he did, ending his chuckles with a “ Look at it go! I didn’t know you had geese. ”
“I don’t.” Giorno stood back to his full height, cradling Coco Jumbo carefully in the nook of his arm. Polnareff gave an inquisitive sound as he looked back up to Giorno. “ You don’t? Oh, guess it just wandered in here then. ”
He nodded along, turning on his heel to head back to the stone bench. He stomped on the decaying grasses, not paying them any mind. A God who doesn’t look down at the dying, but who keeps walking the trail towards something else. Peace of mind, maybe.
Though, he does wonder how the simple creature got in. A stranger in his garden, as comedic as it was there was a slight fear that settled within him. If a goose was able to get in, then how would the walls hold up against an actual threat? Maybe it’d do him some good to check for cracks.
He passed up the stone bench, heading straight towards the large windowed doors that connected the gardens and sunroom. Giorno gently pressed his shoulder against the door, pushing it open while speaking to Polnareff. “Where would you like to go?”
“ Oh- well I dunno. ” Polnareff relaxed in one of the sofas inside of Mr. President. “ I was just in the bathroom! What about you, buddy? ” He patted the sofa as if Coco Jumbo could understand him.
Maybe he could, as Coco Jumbo awoke from their slumber and started to jostle ever-so-slowly in Giorno’s arms. He kneeled and sat Coco Jumbo down gently, folding his arms over his knees as he watched the tortoise wander through the sunroom. The sunroom had a simple iron table with delicately made chairs and held a multitude of plants that Giorno couldn’t keep outside. A small platform with a ramp sat against the window. Coco Jumbo was making his way over to the wooden sunbathing deck.
Giorno smiled softly as he stood back to his full height, dipping only to pick up Coco and placing him equally gently on the platform. The tortoise lazily laid down, legs being pulled inside of their shell and eyes drooping closed again. “ He’s gone right back to sleep! ” Polnareff had halfway exited Mr. President, ghostly arms crossed on the shell of Coco.
“Coco Jumbo needs his beauty sleep to take care of you.” The friendly quip left Polnareff in shock, the ghost turning his head to gawk up at Giorno with a faux hurt look. Equally fake was the hand that slapped his chest in mock horror. “ I can’t believe you, GioGio! That hurt! ”
“I’m sure you’ll heal.” He felt his smile grow wider as Polnareff continued to speak, though the words didn’t reach him. Instead, his focus drifted out of the windows, hidden deep in the foliage, to a stark white object. Feathers beat as a silent honk reached him.
The goose looked like it was having a blast. Maybe he was only paranoid. It was just a goose, after all. Not an animal Stand user like Coco Jumbo - after all, it was just running around. Giorno looks back towards Polnareff, who’s stopped his rambling. He’s smiling and trying to keep in a laugh while seemingly looking through Giorno.
Giorno cocks a brow, confused for only a second as a pair of arms wraps around his middle. He’s lifted up into the air, shorter legs kicking for a bit before the comforting (and strange) smell hit him. He’s still smiling, though it’s increased to be a toothy grin as he awkwardly tilts his head.
He’s granted a quick kiss on the cheek as a familiar red hat stylized with diamonds enters his view. “There you are.” Mista’s attempting to be quiet for his sake, but the man is still loud. Giorno’s placed back on his feet, but the hands never moved around his waist. Mista was always an openly affectionate guy, even before the two started dating. It’s not a bad thing. It’s a nice thing, really, to know that Mista would always hug him whenever he wanted it.
Giorno kept his neck at an awkward angle only to look at Mista from over his shoulder. Relief was written all over his face as completely black eyes held more emotion than anything he’d seen before. Mista’s grin challenged the length of his own as the two lost themselves in each other’s company. Words didn’t need to be spoken.
There was a high pitched whistle. Both men turned to Polnareff, who had been watching them the entire time. The spirit let out a hearty laugh as Mista hastily moved his arms away from Giorno. Giorno, meanwhile, shuffled to the side. He felt his face burn as Polnareff laughed, wheezing out, “ You two just look like some old married couple! You make a man jealous like that y’know! ”
“Oh- you ain’t got room to talk!” Mista pointed a finger at Polnareff, almost poking the supernatural’s face. “Not like you’re married!”
“ I’m not but that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen one! My old pal Joseph couldn’t keep away from his wife Suzie Q, y’know- ”
Giorno stared out the windows, letting his boyfriend and Consigliere argue over the two’s relationship. The burning blush was dying down like the sun’s setting, the blue sky having just a slight tint of orange as rays came from the horizon.
The young Don spotted a white bundle of feathers for only a second as the goose scampered off again. He couldn’t even remember why he had gone on his short walk in the first place. It was for the best, Giorno mused as he turned to listen to the others once again.
He felt at peace.
how the hell did i do that
you know what? i’m not complaining
freaky blonde kid just oozed chaotic energy
as an agent of chaos i’m legally obligated to make the kid happy
one of my own
one of my own
wait, how do i get back home
fquack.