[ i am sick of it but at least he pays the price for being a man.
And, listen, he doesn't know? Maybe Marcoh would have dwindled into an old man after a thousand years? Maybe this man in front of him is his... Uh... Great great grand nephew? Because homosexuality. He has questions because it's true that Jacopo looks better than he did before, he wish he could say the same for Marcoh. How can you look more haunted?
But he doesn't focus on that. It's hard to when he feels a swell of emotions in his chest. Nostalgia, fondness, relief, and something he can't quite pinpoint. Maybe it's wonder and gratitude over what can't be called anything else but a miracle. ]
Yeah, It's me. It's been a while. [ He gives him a hefty pat on the arm. ] It's... Been a long while.
[ Said in a way like he, too, has gone through some horrors. Somehow a voice can carry the gravitas of a millennia. ]
[ God knows what Fungerworld would look like in a thousand years...... but also please alert the press if the worst thing that happened to Marcoh in a thousand years was that he was old. ]
A long while?
[ How long is long exactly...? It has felt hideously long for Marcoh but he knows in terms of number of days, it's not much at all. ]
[ They can go. Jacopo will lead them and also ask for a table for two, unless it's those order then take a seat cafes. However it is, he will lead them and they can sit down. ]
[ He nods a bit and follows along... and they sit. He doesn't say anything to the staff and lets Jacopo handle it as if that'll make him slightly more invisible even if it's a losing fight as he squeezes his huge self into a seat.
He looks at the menu, though he keeps also glancing back at Jacopo, clearly trying to figure out how to start this conversation. ]
[ Marcoh's attempt at being very small has him smile a little before his expression tapers to curious. ]
How have you been?
[ Despite being a fearful, cowardly, yet incredibly difficult man before, Jacopo can command the room. He still remembers how and does so easily as he glazes the menu. Do not worry about being awkward. He can guide the conversation if Marcoh can't find his footing.
It doesn't take him long to decide his order, so the menu is set down so he can look at him. ]
[ Marcoh skims over the words on the menu whenever he glances back down but he doesn't really read any of it. He glances back up when he's spoken to again, a slight frown on his face. ]
Yes. ...She was a little mad I was a few days late.
[ Not really. She was worried, of course, all things considered. Him being late could be a number of things but there was one overhanging threat over them both.
Marcoh had explained it as not finding a direct train, that he had to shake off the Family off his tail. It wasn't entirely untrue. If she believed him then it was maybe by half, but she let him know he worried the hell out of her and tentatively let it be. ]
I am settling. Rondon isn't much like Vatican.
[ ...Though, it's more similar than all of Heaven, he'll give it that much. ]
And you? You were...
[ ...Looking for someone, he thinks Jacopo said. ]
She must have been worried sick. I wouldn't bat an eyelash if she smacked you upside the head, but she seems sweet.
[ At least from the very short instances where he has heard of her, then the phone call in Marcoh's memory. It's a little levity over their two months of hell in heaven, hopefully enough to keep them from thinking on it. Or at least for Marcoh. What transpired in Heaven is distant enough for Jacopo to talk about it with more ease than before.
It doesn't look like Marcoh is ready to order, so he doesn't call a waiter. Placing the menu down, he looks at him while they talk, though at times his gaze flits outside the window. It is a new place for him, after all. ]
I met Morgana. Apologized to her like I promised. [ He's... Unsure of how much he should talk about. It doesn't elicit dark emotions and he is comfortable with Marcoh, but he doesn't want to ruin a reunion. ] Kind of didn't get to come back or go anywhere after that. I got very busy making it up to her.
[ Jacopo may have said that rhetorically but he answers anyway, though he doesn't offer much more. ]
I'm glad you managed to find her. [ He sounds a touch more sincere when the topic isn't himself, at least. He's still the same that way. ] Where did you go?
[ He only wants sweet reunions for you, Marcoh. Jacopo himself isn't sure how to talk about what happened to him, reluctant. He isn't reticent, at least. ]
I reincarnated in my world, lived a long life, then died. [ Pointing to the menu. ] You figured out your order?
It wasn't a great time we met. I'd brush it off as a dream too.
[ There's kind of a lot he'd like to write off as just bad dreams too, and then other stuff he'd started to become unsure if that's all it ever was. But, well, Jacopo is here now. It's kind of like meeting an old friend but also very much not. ]
[ He can't disagree, but he doesn't voice them either. He doesn't feel like adding into the grin. ]
I'm not. It's only been a few... weeks.
[ He thinks. It hasn't been a full month yet, right? It hasn't. He's still thirty-one. Venere would remember his birthday, which should be in another three or four. January must be freezing in Rondon if it's already this cold in fall, he thinks. ]
[ Jacopo is here like how the fuck does time work? How has it been so long for him, but only a couple of weeks for Marcoh? He's perplexed and the confusion shows on his face for a bit, but... He doesn't question it more.
[ He can't say the same, apparently. A thousand years is an unfathomable amount of time. Granted, after Prehevil, Heaven does feel almost like at least a hundred years ago already. ]
It means I haven't been in Rondon long enough to give you a good tour though.
[ IT FEELS LIKE A HUNDRED YEARS AGO TO ME, HEI. Jacopo continues to smile, though this one doesn't have the weight of so many years. It's a regular one that matches the age of his appearance.
A twenty-six year-old who isn't so haunted anymore. His eyes are bright with no darkness under them and while his shoulders seem to always have tension they are not as tense as Marcoh remembers. ]
Then that'd just mean we get to explore Rondon together, doesn't it?
[ The post-mg era that feels like one thousand years... but also mg itself feels like one thousand years.
Jacopo... you're doing well... he's proud... it's too much his turn to be haunted to be seriously proud but it's in there, he's sincerely glad this man looks significantly better.
He does blink a little stupidly when Jacopo says that though. ]
At least look forward to it a bit? Or I can be expectant for the both of us.
[ He can do that, even though... There is worry in his gaze as he looks at Marcoh. Normally, he'd leave it be until he feels the time is right, but when will the time be right? He has suffered from waiting, waiting, and waiting, losing opportunity out of fear of so many things that in the end do not matter.
[ With being expectant or looking forward to going around Rondon. After all, he's here because he's a fugitive of sorts, not for any sort of fun. Wandering the streets alone leaves him a touch anxious in regards to his sister, and if it goes on too long, the paranoia starts creeping in again. ]
I am... making the best of what I can.
[ That much is still honest and true. Distracted, glancing. ]
You already ordered, right?
[ He did, for the record. Peering over at the counter, trying to see if theirs will come around soon. ]
[ Yes, their orders are coming. Here is their coffee and their food? I do not know if they ordered food, but they can have food. ]
We can start small, like with this cafe. [ ... ] You know I'm saying that you can talk to me... About anything.
[ Jacopo was never quite great at this, even when before the horrors when he was bright-eyed and innocent. He was always some level of guarded, a little huffy, and fearful of bridging the gap he purposely puts to protect himself, but his heart is pure in the end of it all. ]
It doesn't need to be here, doesn't need to be now, but I'm going to be around.
[ Not that he really has much of an idea of what Jacopo does with his life... Afterlife? After-afterlife. Wow, weird. It's probably better than drinking himself into a stupor every other night though. Marcoh pulls the simple cup closer, glancing down into the drip... that's just bean soup... ]
[ Jacopo sips his coffee, makes a face that shows he's unimpressed, but doesn't comment on it. He isn't So unimpressed to complain. ]
What? You want me gone already?
[ Jacopo is traveling around now, basically... He doesn't quite know and he's wondering how he's going to support himself, but money isn't an issue because I've made his bills magically change depending on the world he's in. It is still, however, finite money.
Of course he's thinking of finding seasonal work. ]
[ He's heard decent things about Rondon overall? Mostly from Venere who has been more proactive about seeing new sights, trying new things. He's pretty sure he could ask her for recommendations if Jacopo wanted a list of places to hit up. He sips at his coffee... Sorry for the trail-off into quiet, he's still like that too. ]
[ He remembers despite it being so many years for him. It's fortunate that he's a yapper.
It's in him to say that Marcoh is still the same guy, but remembers that it hadn't been that long for him. There couldn't be that much change to be had. He just sips his coffee, has a piece of toast or whatever. ]
... I know it's just bread and coffee, but I didn't expect it to be so underwhelming.
[ THAT THIS IS UNDERWHELMING COFFEE AND SANDWICH... HE SUPPOSES... he does not control how the fake UK/Paris works. He supposes he could've picked somewhere more interesting than a station-side cafe? Dang. ]
[ Jacopo... you once knew that Marcoh was kind of a loser when it came to socialisation... you may not remember that well anymore but now you are forced to experience it again... ]
I'm still not that good at talking.
[ Like, even excluding all the problems that came with his whole being on the run and now Prehevil on top of that, he just sucked ass at conversations anyway. Are you sure there aren't better yappers you could've visited over him? Is slightly his vague thought rn.
Also he wasn't sure if you meant the cafe or the entire situation at large. ]
Fortunate for you that talking to me will whip you into shape.
[ Socialization is important... And he wants to keep Marcoh company, normal company that isn't plagued by horrors. If he can offer mundane and everyday, then maybe it would help that sorry state of his. He's here because he wants to be here? To visit Marcoh, specifically.
But how funny is it for a haunted man, a ghost of a person, to try that? He isn't as self-deprecating as before, mind back in one piece, but his shortcomings still exist.
So do the better parts of him, though. ]
It's too bad I couldn't tour your actual home, but... [ He shrugs one shoulder as he drinks his coffee. ] That can wait.
You like it like this? I guess it's fine to enjoy watery coffee.
[ Said in a tone like "that just means you don't like Real Coffee." ]
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no subject
And, listen, he doesn't know? Maybe Marcoh would have dwindled into an old man after a thousand years? Maybe this man in front of him is his... Uh... Great great grand nephew? Because homosexuality. He has questions because it's true that Jacopo looks better than he did before, he wish he could say the same for Marcoh. How can you look more haunted?
But he doesn't focus on that. It's hard to when he feels a swell of emotions in his chest. Nostalgia, fondness, relief, and something he can't quite pinpoint. Maybe it's wonder and gratitude over what can't be called anything else but a miracle. ]
Yeah, It's me. It's been a while. [ He gives him a hefty pat on the arm. ] It's... Been a long while.
[ Said in a way like he, too, has gone through some horrors. Somehow a voice can carry the gravitas of a millennia. ]
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A long while?
[ How long is long exactly...? It has felt hideously long for Marcoh but he knows in terms of number of days, it's not much at all. ]
... You look good.
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But they've seen many impossible things. He just gestures with his hand not to worry about it. It isn't important right now. ]
Wish I could say the same for you. You look kind of haunted.
[ He doesn't look like shit, but those eyes look like they've suffered things. He places a hand on his hip. ]
You want to have a cup of coffee? Anywhere instead of standing out here in the open.
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Sure. There is one I see across the street, though I am not sure if it's any good. I've never been.
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[ They can go. Jacopo will lead them and also ask for a table for two, unless it's those order then take a seat cafes. However it is, he will lead them and they can sit down. ]
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He looks at the menu, though he keeps also glancing back at Jacopo, clearly trying to figure out how to start this conversation. ]
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How have you been?
[ Despite being a fearful, cowardly, yet incredibly difficult man before, Jacopo can command the room. He still remembers how and does so easily as he glazes the menu. Do not worry about being awkward. He can guide the conversation if Marcoh can't find his footing.
It doesn't take him long to decide his order, so the menu is set down so he can look at him. ]
Reunited with your sister?
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Yes. ...She was a little mad I was a few days late.
[ Not really. She was worried, of course, all things considered. Him being late could be a number of things but there was one overhanging threat over them both.
Marcoh had explained it as not finding a direct train, that he had to shake off the Family off his tail. It wasn't entirely untrue. If she believed him then it was maybe by half, but she let him know he worried the hell out of her and tentatively let it be. ]
I am settling. Rondon isn't much like Vatican.
[ ...Though, it's more similar than all of Heaven, he'll give it that much. ]
And you? You were...
[ ...Looking for someone, he thinks Jacopo said. ]
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[ At least from the very short instances where he has heard of her, then the phone call in Marcoh's memory. It's a little levity over their two months of hell in heaven, hopefully enough to keep them from thinking on it. Or at least for Marcoh. What transpired in Heaven is distant enough for Jacopo to talk about it with more ease than before.
It doesn't look like Marcoh is ready to order, so he doesn't call a waiter. Placing the menu down, he looks at him while they talk, though at times his gaze flits outside the window. It is a new place for him, after all. ]
I met Morgana. Apologized to her like I promised. [ He's... Unsure of how much he should talk about. It doesn't elicit dark emotions and he is comfortable with Marcoh, but he doesn't want to ruin a reunion. ] Kind of didn't get to come back or go anywhere after that. I got very busy making it up to her.
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[ Jacopo may have said that rhetorically but he answers anyway, though he doesn't offer much more. ]
I'm glad you managed to find her. [ He sounds a touch more sincere when the topic isn't himself, at least. He's still the same that way. ] Where did you go?
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I reincarnated in my world, lived a long life, then died. [ Pointing to the menu. ] You figured out your order?
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[ Drip isn't as much his taste but it just seems to be the norm here. His brows pinch a bit at the idea of it. ]
So you are... [ Tries to figure this logistic out. Third life then...? ] You still remember?
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It took a while for me to remember. Just had... Dreams that I discarded as being nothing more than that.
[ He resisted them, actually. Talked down about anything like premonitions or omens. Fate is for children. ]
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[ There's kind of a lot he'd like to write off as just bad dreams too, and then other stuff he'd started to become unsure if that's all it ever was. But, well, Jacopo is here now. It's kind of like meeting an old friend but also very much not. ]
What made you decide to suddenly visit?
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[ Despite his smile, he really means a thing of nightmares, but he doesn't cast it away... He doesn't blame them for haunting his past life.
It kind of adds to his current experiences now. The weight of his sins are still there, but it's manageable and tolerable now. ]
... Can't a guy come visit an old friend? Granted, you don't look a thousand years old.
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I'm not. It's only been a few... weeks.
[ He thinks. It hasn't been a full month yet, right? It hasn't. He's still thirty-one. Venere would remember his birthday, which should be in another three or four. January must be freezing in Rondon if it's already this cold in fall, he thinks. ]
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This is a miracle already. ]
Good. It'd be like I didn't miss much.
[ There's relief in that, actually. ]
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[ He can't say the same, apparently. A thousand years is an unfathomable amount of time. Granted, after Prehevil, Heaven does feel almost like at least a hundred years ago already. ]
It means I haven't been in Rondon long enough to give you a good tour though.
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A twenty-six year-old who isn't so haunted anymore. His eyes are bright with no darkness under them and while his shoulders seem to always have tension they are not as tense as Marcoh remembers. ]
Then that'd just mean we get to explore Rondon together, doesn't it?
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Jacopo... you're doing well... he's proud... it's too much his turn to be haunted to be seriously proud but it's in there, he's sincerely glad this man looks significantly better.
He does blink a little stupidly when Jacopo says that though. ]
Yeah. That is one way to look at it.
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[ He can do that, even though... There is worry in his gaze as he looks at Marcoh. Normally, he'd leave it be until he feels the time is right, but when will the time be right? He has suffered from waiting, waiting, and waiting, losing opportunity out of fear of so many things that in the end do not matter.
Quietly, ]
Are you seriously all right?
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[ With being expectant or looking forward to going around Rondon. After all, he's here because he's a fugitive of sorts, not for any sort of fun. Wandering the streets alone leaves him a touch anxious in regards to his sister, and if it goes on too long, the paranoia starts creeping in again. ]
I am... making the best of what I can.
[ That much is still honest and true. Distracted, glancing. ]
You already ordered, right?
[ He did, for the record. Peering over at the counter, trying to see if theirs will come around soon. ]
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[ Yes, their orders are coming. Here is their coffee and their food? I do not know if they ordered food, but they can have food. ]
We can start small, like with this cafe. [ ... ] You know I'm saying that you can talk to me... About anything.
[ Jacopo was never quite great at this, even when before the horrors when he was bright-eyed and innocent. He was always some level of guarded, a little huffy, and fearful of bridging the gap he purposely puts to protect himself, but his heart is pure in the end of it all. ]
It doesn't need to be here, doesn't need to be now, but I'm going to be around.
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You are staying a while?
[ Not that he really has much of an idea of what Jacopo does with his life... Afterlife? After-afterlife. Wow, weird. It's probably better than drinking himself into a stupor every other night though. Marcoh pulls the simple cup closer, glancing down into the drip... that's just bean soup... ]
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What? You want me gone already?
[ Jacopo is traveling around now, basically... He doesn't quite know and he's wondering how he's going to support himself, but money isn't an issue because I've made his bills magically change depending on the world he's in. It is still, however, finite money.
Of course he's thinking of finding seasonal work. ]
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[ He's still same-old Marcoh in some respects, quickly backtracking when he thinks he's come off badly being one of them. ]
I just thought you would rather be some-place familiar? What will you do here? Just looking around?
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[ Or temporary living. ]
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[ He's heard decent things about Rondon overall? Mostly from Venere who has been more proactive about seeing new sights, trying new things. He's pretty sure he could ask her for recommendations if Jacopo wanted a list of places to hit up. He sips at his coffee... Sorry for the trail-off into quiet, he's still like that too. ]
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It's in him to say that Marcoh is still the same guy, but remembers that it hadn't been that long for him. There couldn't be that much change to be had. He just sips his coffee, has a piece of toast or whatever. ]
... I know it's just bread and coffee, but I didn't expect it to be so underwhelming.
[ Like. All of it. ]
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Sorry...?
[ THAT THIS IS UNDERWHELMING COFFEE AND SANDWICH... HE SUPPOSES... he does not control how the fake UK/Paris works. He supposes he could've picked somewhere more interesting than a station-side cafe? Dang. ]
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Why are you apologizing? I'm just trying to make conversation with you.
[ LIKE. TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE HAD? DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE IN COFFEE? PASTRIES? FOOD? HAVE YOU NEVER HAD GOOD COFFEE? DON'T LIKE IT? ETC.? ]
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I'm still not that good at talking.
[ Like, even excluding all the problems that came with his whole being on the run and now Prehevil on top of that, he just sucked ass at conversations anyway. Are you sure there aren't better yappers you could've visited over him? Is slightly his vague thought rn.
Also he wasn't sure if you meant the cafe or the entire situation at large. ]
It's different from what they serve in Vatican.
[ Waterier, somehow. ]
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[ Socialization is important... And he wants to keep Marcoh company, normal company that isn't plagued by horrors. If he can offer mundane and everyday, then maybe it would help that sorry state of his. He's here because he wants to be here? To visit Marcoh, specifically.
But how funny is it for a haunted man, a ghost of a person, to try that? He isn't as self-deprecating as before, mind back in one piece, but his shortcomings still exist.
So do the better parts of him, though. ]
It's too bad I couldn't tour your actual home, but... [ He shrugs one shoulder as he drinks his coffee. ] That can wait.
You like it like this? I guess it's fine to enjoy watery coffee.
[ Said in a tone like "that just means you don't like Real Coffee." ]
I'd offer to brew you a good cup, but you know.
[ He has no roots in this world. ]