Dusk was a good time of day for a man like Prosciutto to be walking around. Less people on the streets for him to run into. He preferred that brand of quiet...only the occasional sound of doves and passing autos to break the silence. He approached the church that was to be their meeting place and took in a breath. Nariko's protige...had it really come to this? Prosciutto was not a man who often waded in the murky waters of morality, but could they really fulfill the request in that leter? She was just a child, after all...
He could hear it...the familiar psychic buzz that pervaded the air around Stand users. And his eyes fell upon her...
During her time alone, Kai had grown very weary of strangers. Without a moment's hesitation, the beetle wrapped around her wrist erupted in a flurry of movement and noise. It hissed at the man. Kai's first reaction was to spring to her feet, one hand reaching for the knife strapped tightly to her thigh, the other extending outward to close the space between them. Suddenly, she paused.
There was something about him that made Kai hesitate -- something electric in the air that was so much more than just the familiar rush of adrenaline. Strangely, it made her think of Nariko, of the way the air seemed to crackle whenever she was nearby. Kai studied the man curiously.
"Shush," she said out of the corner of her mouth and, immediately, the insect perched on the back of her hand stilled itself. "You're him?"
Prosciutto chuckled slightly...definitely Nariko's girl with instincts like that. She was definitely trained to fight, something he was glad for as he wasn't about to go through the training process he went through with Pesci AGAIN...though she at least seemed somewhat more tolerable than that oaf was.
"No, I am not him," he answered simply. "But I can bring you to him. The man in the 'shiny suit', as Nariko described him...I see this is your Stand that I was told of," he said casually, as if addressing a stranger in casual conversation. There was no warmth or familiarity to be had in his voice.
"Grateful...Dead," Prosciutto added quietly, snapping his fingers. A sudden rush of grayish-purple mist poured out from his suit jacket and slowly took form before him...it was somewhat humanoid, but the creature had no legs. Its "flesh" was patterned with eyes that never blinked and its breathing was stuttered and aged.
"Can you see it?" he asked, his tone now deadly serious.
Kai's eyes widened. There was an instant where she thought she had suddenly gone mad, staring at the sputtering, wheezing thing that had emerged from the mist. The vibration in the air had risen to a feverish pitch, and the overwhelming sensation reminded Kai of the first time she had ever seen Nariko's companion.
Kai shook her head sharply, as if trying to dislodge something. "It's ugly," she said quietly but then smiled. "You're like Nariko, then. You're a special one."
Prosciutto's eyebrow twitched and his eyes narrowed at the "ugly" comment. He didn't exactly CARE that Grateful Dead wasn't going to win any beauty contests anytime soon, but it still annoyed him to hear such bold statements made at his Stand's expense. No matter, he shrugged it off and breathed deeply.
He snapped his finger again and the beast disappeared in much the same way it had been summoned, disintegrating into the sickening mist and dissolving in the air as if it had never been there at all. Prosciutto gave a grin...special indeed.
"Nariko, myself, the main in the suit, and you...We are all bearers of a special companion. A Stand...The man I am taking you two will be able to explain further. For now, follow me...," he motioned to her, turning on heel to leave.
Kai's smile widened as she watched the man begin to walk off. Deep within, she felt a small light flicker on inside her -- a tiny flame of hope, the warm comfort of no longer being alone. Granted, Prosciutto was no Nariko -- nor would he ever be -- but he was something and it was a lot more than Kai had had in a very long time.
She quickly scampered after him, giving her wrist a slight flick so that her insect companion disappeared. Trailing slightly behind, she peered up at him from behind her bangs. The gritty sidewalk was harsh beneath her feet, but she didn't mind anymore as she tried to keep up with Prosciutto's quick stride. "Nariko taught Kai how to call Sky High." A sadness passed over Kai's expression, but then quickly vanished. "But I had to teach him how to play all on my own."
Prosciutto was silent for a few moments before responding to her, not looking at her as he spoke. His words were low...his tone almost forlorn. It was obvious there was a great deal of history there on that topic in dealing with Nariko. "She would have trained you well had she finished it...she was one of the finest the group ever knew...she and I were the first two to ever be recruited by him," he said softly.
Another long pause passed..., "I'm sorry...about what happened...it is, unfortunately, a part of life in our line of work. Every one of us is destined for an early grave, but it is how we choose to live. I want you to consider that thought strongly during your meeting with that man."
Kai stopped dead in her tracks, pulling sharply on Prosciutto's sleeve to force him to stop with her. She fixed him with a square gaze, her expression a strange childish perversion of stern. Her voice was low and serious, and behind the mirth and madness that usually filled Kai's eyes, a deadly clarity seemed to emerge. "You cared for Nariko, yes?" She didn't wait for a response. "I did too. Nariko died protecting us. Now we will die protecting you." She reached out and patted the front of Proscuitto's shirt lightly. Her hand was small and the skin of its palm was cool and worn.
Like a sudden break in the clouds, the darkness in her eyes quickly vanished, and Kai was again her cheerful self. She smiled an impish grin, her eyes darting back and forth to see who was near before she continued. "Kill men for money. Kill to survive. Kai can do this. And she'll do it for you."
Prosciutto remained silent during her initial statement. There was a bold passion in her words...a true devotion to Nariko. Pesci would have said the same about him...and Prosciutto would even admit that he held the same devotion to Risotto to himself. But...hearing a child say that...It struck the often cold man and his face softened. She shouldn't say things like that. Those words were defined in black and white and should Risotto agree to take her in, there would be no turning back for her. Technically, given she had awakened a Stand, she had already made that leap. But Prosciutto still couldn't quite stomach the idea of so young a girl working in their business.
Once she became a bit more cheerful, he decided to speak. "First of all, when in public, don't call it that. We're cleaners. Secondly, you should hold off on any statements like that until you meet that man. He will decide your fate from here on."
Kai, in that moment, decided that she liked Prosciutto. With his sharp suit and his harsh eyes, on the surface he reminded Kai of men she had seen many times before during her travels. Hard men with dead hearts, who had no ties and no love for anything, not even themselves. But Kai knew better. She saw it in Prosciutto's face when she spoke: a kind of pity. A slight softness for her, however small, buried deep beneath his cool expression. She smiled wider
( ... )
"Yes...cleaning like that, Kai," Prosciutto said with a slight laugh, continuing the rest of the way in silence...
...It was roughly forty-five minutes or so before the two arrived at the apartment building that La Squadra called its home. There was nothing fancy about it in the slightest, and it was in fact quite the opposite. The stucco and stone walls were mis-colored and cracked. There were homeless and drugged out miscreants laying about the stairway. Entering didn't even remotely change this theme.
The halls were small and dingy, lights dim. Prosciutto made his way to the ancient steam elevator and punched in a few numbers. He motioned silently for Kai to follow...
Kai wrinkled her nose and ducked her head into the lift, peering around carefully and giving it a small sniff. "Is it safe..." she asked, "...Sky High?" She held out her hand and her insect companion reappeared with a glittering flick. It moved its head about from side to side before clacking its wings in what Prosciutto could only assume was approval. She looked up at Prosciutto and gave him a reassuring nod. "He says yes," she explained with a wink and stepped inside.
The metal floor was cold and slightly sticky on the bottoms of her feet, and Kai shuddered visibly beside Prosciutto in the small, cramped space.
Prosciutto chuckled again, closing the shutter once they were both inside of the lift box. Machinery shuddered to life and steam shot from the valves above the box. A second or so of this and the lift ascended upwards slowly. Several floors passed in varying degrees of disarray, some even closed until the apartments could be made livable again. Finally, on the seventh floor, the machine stopped.
Prosciutto stepped out and reached in his pocket for a set of keys, jingling as he lifted them out. He made a few turns as the windows made basic attempts at lighting the hallway. And finally, he stopped upon one of the larger apartments the building had to offer. Apartment 7303.
He unlocked and opened the door, revealing the living space that Prosciutto desperately tried to keep tidy in spite of it's wanting state of ratty-ness. He did not stop in the living room and moved immediately to the room at the end of the hall, knocking before entering.
Risotto was startled by the knock, to say the least. He got up from where he'd been lying and went to answer the door. He winced at the light that came in, sighing. He looked over Kai with a cold glance, surprised at how young she was, but didn't say anything. He stepped out of the door and past the pair.
"First things first, a test," he said moving into the squalid kitchen to grab a knife.
Kai watched cautiously as Risotto moved into the kitchen -- one hand outstretched and searching for...what? Her expression grew dark when Risotto finally found what he was looking for. He turned towards her with knife in hand.
"Sky High," she whispered, dropping down into low crouch. Again, there was the click of beetle's wings and a hard hissing noise. Kai growled deep in her throat as her Stand reared its head and suddenly the room hummed with the sound of a thousand bees. A dozen rod-shaped objects dissolved out of the air around her, darting quickly back and forth on immeasurably swift wings. "We can play if you want to..." she said dangerously, her eyes quickly moving back and forth between Risotto and Prosciutto.
"Stand down, he's not going to fight you. Not here at least, we can't afford to repair the damn place," Prosciutto remarked with a roll of the eyes. He leaned against the hallway wall and gave Risotto a look.
"Is that really necessary? I proved her Stand powers were developed...she can see Grateful Dead," he said casually.
He could hear it...the familiar psychic buzz that pervaded the air around Stand users. And his eyes fell upon her...
"You are Kai, correct?"
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There was something about him that made Kai hesitate -- something electric in the air that was so much more than just the familiar rush of adrenaline. Strangely, it made her think of Nariko, of the way the air seemed to crackle whenever she was nearby. Kai studied the man curiously.
"Shush," she said out of the corner of her mouth and, immediately, the insect perched on the back of her hand stilled itself. "You're him?"
Reply
"No, I am not him," he answered simply. "But I can bring you to him. The man in the 'shiny suit', as Nariko described him...I see this is your Stand that I was told of," he said casually, as if addressing a stranger in casual conversation. There was no warmth or familiarity to be had in his voice.
"Grateful...Dead," Prosciutto added quietly, snapping his fingers. A sudden rush of grayish-purple mist poured out from his suit jacket and slowly took form before him...it was somewhat humanoid, but the creature had no legs. Its "flesh" was patterned with eyes that never blinked and its breathing was stuttered and aged.
"Can you see it?" he asked, his tone now deadly serious.
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Kai shook her head sharply, as if trying to dislodge something. "It's ugly," she said quietly but then smiled. "You're like Nariko, then. You're a special one."
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He snapped his finger again and the beast disappeared in much the same way it had been summoned, disintegrating into the sickening mist and dissolving in the air as if it had never been there at all. Prosciutto gave a grin...special indeed.
"Nariko, myself, the main in the suit, and you...We are all bearers of a special companion. A Stand...The man I am taking you two will be able to explain further. For now, follow me...," he motioned to her, turning on heel to leave.
Reply
She quickly scampered after him, giving her wrist a slight flick so that her insect companion disappeared. Trailing slightly behind, she peered up at him from behind her bangs. The gritty sidewalk was harsh beneath her feet, but she didn't mind anymore as she tried to keep up with Prosciutto's quick stride. "Nariko taught Kai how to call Sky High." A sadness passed over Kai's expression, but then quickly vanished. "But I had to teach him how to play all on my own."
Reply
Another long pause passed..., "I'm sorry...about what happened...it is, unfortunately, a part of life in our line of work. Every one of us is destined for an early grave, but it is how we choose to live. I want you to consider that thought strongly during your meeting with that man."
Reply
Like a sudden break in the clouds, the darkness in her eyes quickly vanished, and Kai was again her cheerful self. She smiled an impish grin, her eyes darting back and forth to see who was near before she continued. "Kill men for money. Kill to survive. Kai can do this. And she'll do it for you."
Reply
Once she became a bit more cheerful, he decided to speak. "First of all, when in public, don't call it that. We're cleaners. Secondly, you should hold off on any statements like that until you meet that man. He will decide your fate from here on."
Reply
Reply
...It was roughly forty-five minutes or so before the two arrived at the apartment building that La Squadra called its home. There was nothing fancy about it in the slightest, and it was in fact quite the opposite. The stucco and stone walls were mis-colored and cracked. There were homeless and drugged out miscreants laying about the stairway. Entering didn't even remotely change this theme.
The halls were small and dingy, lights dim. Prosciutto made his way to the ancient steam elevator and punched in a few numbers. He motioned silently for Kai to follow...
Reply
The metal floor was cold and slightly sticky on the bottoms of her feet, and Kai shuddered visibly beside Prosciutto in the small, cramped space.
Reply
Prosciutto stepped out and reached in his pocket for a set of keys, jingling as he lifted them out. He made a few turns as the windows made basic attempts at lighting the hallway. And finally, he stopped upon one of the larger apartments the building had to offer. Apartment 7303.
He unlocked and opened the door, revealing the living space that Prosciutto desperately tried to keep tidy in spite of it's wanting state of ratty-ness. He did not stop in the living room and moved immediately to the room at the end of the hall, knocking before entering.
"Risotto...this is her..."
Reply
"First things first, a test," he said moving into the squalid kitchen to grab a knife.
Reply
"Sky High," she whispered, dropping down into low crouch. Again, there was the click of beetle's wings and a hard hissing noise. Kai growled deep in her throat as her Stand reared its head and suddenly the room hummed with the sound of a thousand bees. A dozen rod-shaped objects dissolved out of the air around her, darting quickly back and forth on immeasurably swift wings. "We can play if you want to..." she said dangerously, her eyes quickly moving back and forth between Risotto and Prosciutto.
Reply
"Is that really necessary? I proved her Stand powers were developed...she can see Grateful Dead," he said casually.
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