[The thought of Ozymandias the Whatever assembling a cat tower is both hilarious and endearing, though. He chuckles under his breath and begins pulling on his warmth-charmed gloves and (obviously) his cloak.]
i'll be there shortly, then.
[He walks instead of flying, even. This is because he wants to make a detour to pick up hot chocolate — for the both of them, although he's got no idea if the pharoah will want his. It's dark and bittersweet and, thanks to the heat of his gloves, still warm when he knocks on Ozymandias's door.]
[But no, Ozymandias just sighs, chalking it up to one of the many shortcomings of youth and opts not to respond any further. He'll get it right eventually.]
[Maybe.]
[There's only a small delay from his knock before the door opens by an unseen...well, calling it a force would be a bit deceptive as while it's not particularly intelligent (tasked with only one or two things at a time when summoned), it is still a summoned entity. Once Giorno is inside, it closes the door behind him and will be polite enough to take whatever layer Giorno would like to have hung up from him to do just that. With its task complete, it dissipates.]
[If Giorno hasn't stepped inside the mansion since Enkidu moved in, he'll certainly notice the increase in plant life. Ozymandias always kept a lot of plants before -- though some notably suffered and did not entirely survive the small pack of sphinxes and/or the loss of his first Bond -- but it's clear there's a degree to which it's beginning to approach a veritable jungle. It's perhaps because of Ozymandias that it hasn't actually reached that status yet.]
[Ozymandias calls from the other room, his voice carrying easily,]
In here!
[Ozymandias is seated on the floor in the living room, the coffee table moved aside to make room for the numerous pieces of the aforementioned cat tower. He's making fairly quick progress. Or was. he's currently locked in an endless game of fetch right now that's brought construction to a halt for the moment. The sphinx cub pauses when Giorno appears in the doorway, feathered toy protruding from its mouth while it changes course.]
[In Giorno's opinion. Which means it's probably fairly overdone and tacky and needs to be toned down a bit. As evidence of this, while he's willing to give over his outermost layer, he has no interest in removing his cape, since it was, after all, a gift, and he wants to show appreciation. He's wearing another gift as a brooch, not because Ozymandias gave it to him but because it's his new favorite possession. Sorry, but there are no ugly-ass frogs on this cape, so it was demoted.]
[Before tending to other matters, he ducks down slightly, balancing the cups of hot chocolate precarious in his hand and the crook of his elbow, then reaching out with the other hand for the toy.]
Hello, you. You're going to have to give it to me if you want this to get anywhere.
Good evening, Ozymandias. Do you like hot chocolate?
[The sphinx may be willing to let Giorno touch the toy if he tries, but any attempt to remove it from its tiny maw is met with instant resistance and fight. Or, well, flopping to the floor and kicking its tiny legs in somewhat conflicting and random directions. Or fight. It's all relative and the same to the sphinx.]
[No. Take.]
[Ozymandias, on the other hand? Well, it's not immediate. He looks and then something compels him to look away before he has to look again. It is at that point that he cannot look away from that...uh... Really, there's no appropriate adjective for the brooch Giorno has chosen to wear. Anything a human language might be able to come up with falls a bit short in capturing the whole picture. It completely steals any and all attention from both the cape that Ozymandias gifted him with as well as the hot chocolate. The latter of which is a bit of a shame because Ozymandias has acquired a relatively recent appreciation for chocolate and such an offering would no doubt cause him to perk right up in that almost childlike manner he does sometimes over aspects of modernity he's come to adore.]
[This is why we can't have nice things, Giorno. This right here is the exact reason.]
I do... [he says slowly.] Giorno, who gave you that?
[Direct and to the point Also perhaps a bit bold to assume that Giorno wouldn't have purchased the brooch for himself, but forgive a dad for hoping his son is not a total tacky disaster.]
[It seems that the consensus is no take. After a brief moment of consternation, he decides to just straighten up and let it be what it is, although not before giving the sphinx a surprise scratch at the base of its tail in revenge. Hot chocolate is too precious of cargo to risk at the paws of an unruly, unpredictable feline.]
Oh, good. I thought you must, you're sensible [is he???], but there's no way to know people's preferences without asking and I honestly forgot t—
[To . . .]
[Blinking slowly, he turns to look at Ozymandias without comprehension. There is perhaps a moment or two when Ozymandias can live in the blissful lie that someone stuck this to Giorno's clothing without his knowledge or consent. But the moment is very short-lived, considering how quickly Giorno's face splits into a wide grin.]
Fugo did! For Modranicht. Isn't it horrible?
[Giorno—]
[Gleefully, he shoves the appropriate cup of hot chocolate into Ozymandias's hands, and Ozy had better take it, because Giorno is absolutely letting go in order to flop down on the floor and pluck the little creature off of his front. In order to hold it out for the pharoah to see better. Oh, dear.]
It looks absolutely tortured. It's my new favorite thing in the world. [A beat.] Your gift is my second favorite, but come on, look at it.
[Ozymandias is able to accept the offered hot chocolate, but what he cannot do is look at that horrid little thing for too long. He's seen some questionable decisions as far as fashion is concerned, but nothing quite like this. He very intentionally busies himself with taking a sip of the hot chocolate and looking literally anywhere but at the brooch.]
Another time, [he mutters into his cup.] You did not come all this way to show me baubles and trinkets.
[While Ozymandias would prefer that frog meet its end in any of the fires in this house, he will accept it just not being nearer to him than on Giorno's chest. That seems a decent compromise. He takes the toy from the sphinx just as it manages to make its way over and tosses it again. The cub goes through surprise, offense, and then immediate chase in a matter of seconds, little wings flapping behind it despite not being large enough to really give it any momentum or much lift.]
[To be fair, that's true. That's absolutely true. Giorno came here for a very specific purpose, and it had nothing to do with his frog brooch, which he genuinely just wore because he likes to wear it.]
[However. There are several issues here.]
[Issue one: Giorno has been told, essentially, to stop doing a thing. This rarely if ever is a good idea. In this case, it irks an already-irked Giorno and serves to refocus him on the extremely petty act of getting Ozymandias to look at the frog.]
[Issue two: Fugo gave this to him. Ozymandias is disrespecting Fugo's shitty gag gift. This will not stand.]
[Quick as a whip, he snatches the hot chocolate back out of Ozymandias's grip and holds out the frog instead.]
[Ozymandias is a grown-ass adult. There is no denying that. Even if one excludes the millennia that lie between his death and the modern era, he still reached the ripe old age of 90. One would then likely anticipate that he would accept that there are some things in life one does not have control over, and looking at hideous little frogs at the behest of the boy you've taken to looking after is sometimes one of those things. If he would just look, it would be over and done with. Giorno would pin it back into place and they could converse. And he'd get the bonus of getting his hot chocolate back.]
[But Ozymandias is not so flexible on these matters and he will not look at such a cursed object. With his hot chocolate gone, Ozymandias folds his arms, only unfolding them to tug at the toy with his sphinx cub before tossing it yet again.]
I have already said another time. My word is absolute and you will obey it.
[Any attempts at pushing it closer to him will result in Ozymandias physically turning and leaning away, keeping his head entirely turned from it. He doesn't swat it away, however, not wanting to touch it any more than he wants to look at it. Even if he has to practically lie down to avoid it, he will absolutely catch himself on an elbow and stay away.]
[...And yes, he will close his eyes in response to more aggressive attempts.]
[Dodging the sphinx cub, ducking under Ozymandias's arms, wiggling in circles around the pharaoh to catch him when he shifts away . . . oh, he keeps keeping at it. He's patently aware of how stupid this is becoming, but frankly? He's fine with that. Sometimes you have to target your surrogate father in order to reduce stress about the political climate.]
[Ultimately, the choice he makes is, once Ozymandias closes his eyes firmly to ward off further attempts to make him see The Frog, to poke the pharaoh lightly in the closed eyeball with it. In doing so, he lightly smudges Ozymandias's immaculate eyeliner, which is enough to make him pause for a moment. Considering remorse. Which in the end he chooses against.]
[There is a little smudge of eyeliner on The Frog's head, shaped like a forelock. He considers this, wipes it off with his thumb, and decides to be smug.]
Heh, [he pronounces, and pins it back on his cloak before handing the hot chocolate back. He's the victor, okay? Okay.]
[The moment the frog touches him, Ozymandias jerks away, eyes snapping open as he covers the assaulted eye with a hand. A small noise of incredulous disgust escapes him as Giorno cleans the foul amphibian of what Ozymandias recognizes immediately to be his eyeliner.]
[...]
[And, dammit, he's been made to look. Ozymandias' lips attempt to maintain a frown, but there is a degree to which they cannot help but upturn into a smile even with as smug as Giorno is holding himself right now. He lowers his hand as the sphinx cub (temporarily) abandons its game of fetch to try and figure out what exactly is going on here between the two of them and if it's missing out on a game.]
I do not tolerate such disobedience. [Ozymandias takes the hot chocolate back when it's offered to him, but simultaneously extends his other hand directly on top of Giorno's head.] Not even from you, Giorno!
[Ozymandias is not as gentle as Giorno was in poking him in the closed eye, but it is only a slight push down that Ozymandias gives his head. It's all for the sole purpose of really getting in there with ruffling up Giorno's hair.]
[There is a moment in which Giorno genuinely feels he’s won. He should know better, of course. Would a true Pharoah ever admit defeat? Highly unlikely. He’s just being lulled into a false sense of security — but it works.]
Oh, you’ll tolerack!
[Squawking, he thrashes out with one hand (the one without hot chocolate in it, mercifully) and completely misses hitting Ozymandias in any capacity. Fuck.]
Hey! Fuck you! [Frantically trying to shove his hair back into order . . . a lost cause, honestly. He shoots Ozymandias a sulky glare.] Why are you such a sore loser?
[Ozymandias demonstrates some mercy, ending his assault on Giorno's hair as Giorno attempts to hit him and thoroughly misses. But he gloats at his obvious victory, laughing at the accusation of being a sore loser.]
Sore loser? If you could see yourself now, I believe you would see that I'm truly the victor here.
[The sphinx has not cracked the code here. There was a lot of movement and loud noises, but nothing seems to have happened other than its master is now laughing, which is usually a positive sound it has learned. With nothing for it, the sphinx clambers into Ozymandias' lap. Almost reflexively, Ozymandias begins petting it.]
Don't worry, Giorno, you have my forgivenenss for touching me with that awful little thing. I will help you fix your hair before you leave. I will not force you to walk outside like that.
[What a benevolent father figure he is.]
[Setting the hot chocolate aside, he does at least attempt to help Giorno smooth the mess back down if he will allow it. It seems the least he can do.]
[Petting the cat, he means. Although really it's not true. Ozymandias looks graceful and beautiful as always, the bastard. Huffing, Giorno slaps Ozymandias's hands away from his hair.]
Stop, you're making it worse! Leave it. [Give him a second while he commits his weird wizardry to make himself look halfway decent again. It's not a fresh-out-of-the-cloud-of-hairspray look by any means, but it also doesn't look like it was recently attacked, so that's a plus.]
[Once he's reasonably satisfied, he flops down on the carpet with a petulant glare and sips his hot chocolate.]
I didn't come here for you to attack me and disparate my gifts, you know. [Sssssssssip.]
[Ozymandias crinkles his nose in mild displeasure at being made to stop helping, but he is not about to sulk over it. He is, after all, an adult by several thousands of years. So, he allows Giorno to take care of his own hair, picking his hot chocolate back up and busying himself with petting the sphinx in his lap.]
[It seems this cat tree is still not going to be completed any time soon due to numerous interruptions from the sphinx it is intended for.]
And I did not invite you here to assault my person numerous times. [Kid smudges his eyeliner, smacks his hands... But setting all that aside, Ozymandias only takes one more sip of his hot chocolate before setting it aside once more. Ozymandias' mood overall does not fade, but his humor does as he levels Giorno with a far more serious look. The matter they are to be discussing is not a light one. And though Giorno may privately accuse Ozymandias of infuriatingly eternal beauty, it is his regality that is perhaps even more long-lasting and ubiquitous in his demeanor. Even while seated on the floor with a cat in his lap.] Ask your questions then.
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[Wow.]
[The thought of Ozymandias the Whatever assembling a cat tower is both hilarious and endearing, though. He chuckles under his breath and begins pulling on his warmth-charmed gloves and (obviously) his cloak.]
i'll be there shortly, then.
[He walks instead of flying, even. This is because he wants to make a detour to pick up hot chocolate — for the both of them, although he's got no idea if the pharoah will want his. It's dark and bittersweet and, thanks to the heat of his gloves, still warm when he knocks on Ozymandias's door.]
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[But no, Ozymandias just sighs, chalking it up to one of the many shortcomings of youth and opts not to respond any further. He'll get it right eventually.]
[Maybe.]
[There's only a small delay from his knock before the door opens by an unseen...well, calling it a force would be a bit deceptive as while it's not particularly intelligent (tasked with only one or two things at a time when summoned), it is still a summoned entity. Once Giorno is inside, it closes the door behind him and will be polite enough to take whatever layer Giorno would like to have hung up from him to do just that. With its task complete, it dissipates.]
[If Giorno hasn't stepped inside the mansion since Enkidu moved in, he'll certainly notice the increase in plant life. Ozymandias always kept a lot of plants before -- though some notably suffered and did not entirely survive the small pack of sphinxes and/or the loss of his first Bond -- but it's clear there's a degree to which it's beginning to approach a veritable jungle. It's perhaps because of Ozymandias that it hasn't actually reached that status yet.]
[Ozymandias calls from the other room, his voice carrying easily,]
In here!
[Ozymandias is seated on the floor in the living room, the coffee table moved aside to make room for the numerous pieces of the aforementioned cat tower. He's making fairly quick progress. Or was. he's currently locked in an endless game of fetch right now that's brought construction to a halt for the moment. The sphinx cub pauses when Giorno appears in the doorway, feathered toy protruding from its mouth while it changes course.]
[Giorno's turn to throw. Only throw. No. Take.]
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[In Giorno's opinion. Which means it's probably fairly overdone and tacky and needs to be toned down a bit. As evidence of this, while he's willing to give over his outermost layer, he has no interest in removing his cape, since it was, after all, a gift, and he wants to show appreciation. He's wearing another gift as a brooch, not because Ozymandias gave it to him but because it's his new favorite possession. Sorry, but there are no ugly-ass frogs on this cape, so it was demoted.]
[Before tending to other matters, he ducks down slightly, balancing the cups of hot chocolate precarious in his hand and the crook of his elbow, then reaching out with the other hand for the toy.]
Hello, you. You're going to have to give it to me if you want this to get anywhere.
Good evening, Ozymandias. Do you like hot chocolate?
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[No. Take.]
[Ozymandias, on the other hand? Well, it's not immediate. He looks and then something compels him to look away before he has to look again. It is at that point that he cannot look away from that...uh... Really, there's no appropriate adjective for the brooch Giorno has chosen to wear. Anything a human language might be able to come up with falls a bit short in capturing the whole picture. It completely steals any and all attention from both the cape that Ozymandias gifted him with as well as the hot chocolate. The latter of which is a bit of a shame because Ozymandias has acquired a relatively recent appreciation for chocolate and such an offering would no doubt cause him to perk right up in that almost childlike manner he does sometimes over aspects of modernity he's come to adore.]
[This is why we can't have nice things, Giorno. This right here is the exact reason.]
I do... [he says slowly.] Giorno, who gave you that?
[Direct and to the point Also perhaps a bit bold to assume that Giorno wouldn't have purchased the brooch for himself, but forgive a dad for hoping his son is not a total tacky disaster.]
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Oh, good. I thought you must, you're sensible [is he???], but there's no way to know people's preferences without asking and I honestly forgot t—
[To . . .]
[Blinking slowly, he turns to look at Ozymandias without comprehension. There is perhaps a moment or two when Ozymandias can live in the blissful lie that someone stuck this to Giorno's clothing without his knowledge or consent. But the moment is very short-lived, considering how quickly Giorno's face splits into a wide grin.]
Fugo did! For Modranicht. Isn't it horrible?
[Giorno—]
[Gleefully, he shoves the appropriate cup of hot chocolate into Ozymandias's hands, and Ozy had better take it, because Giorno is absolutely letting go in order to flop down on the floor and pluck the little creature off of his front. In order to hold it out for the pharoah to see better. Oh, dear.]
It looks absolutely tortured. It's my new favorite thing in the world. [A beat.] Your gift is my second favorite, but come on, look at it.
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Another time, [he mutters into his cup.] You did not come all this way to show me baubles and trinkets.
[While Ozymandias would prefer that frog meet its end in any of the fires in this house, he will accept it just not being nearer to him than on Giorno's chest. That seems a decent compromise. He takes the toy from the sphinx just as it manages to make its way over and tosses it again. The cub goes through surprise, offense, and then immediate chase in a matter of seconds, little wings flapping behind it despite not being large enough to really give it any momentum or much lift.]
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[However. There are several issues here.]
[Issue one: Giorno has been told, essentially, to stop doing a thing. This rarely if ever is a good idea. In this case, it irks an already-irked Giorno and serves to refocus him on the extremely petty act of getting Ozymandias to look at the frog.]
[Issue two: Fugo gave this to him. Ozymandias is disrespecting Fugo's shitty gag gift. This will not stand.]
[Quick as a whip, he snatches the hot chocolate back out of Ozymandias's grip and holds out the frog instead.]
Look! And then we can talk! [LOOK]
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[But Ozymandias is not so flexible on these matters and he will not look at such a cursed object. With his hot chocolate gone, Ozymandias folds his arms, only unfolding them to tug at the toy with his sphinx cub before tossing it yet again.]
I have already said another time. My word is absolute and you will obey it.
[Any attempts at pushing it closer to him will result in Ozymandias physically turning and leaning away, keeping his head entirely turned from it. He doesn't swat it away, however, not wanting to touch it any more than he wants to look at it. Even if he has to practically lie down to avoid it, he will absolutely catch himself on an elbow and stay away.]
[...And yes, he will close his eyes in response to more aggressive attempts.]
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[Dodging the sphinx cub, ducking under Ozymandias's arms, wiggling in circles around the pharaoh to catch him when he shifts away . . . oh, he keeps keeping at it. He's patently aware of how stupid this is becoming, but frankly? He's fine with that. Sometimes you have to target your surrogate father in order to reduce stress about the political climate.]
[Ultimately, the choice he makes is, once Ozymandias closes his eyes firmly to ward off further attempts to make him see The Frog, to poke the pharaoh lightly in the closed eyeball with it. In doing so, he lightly smudges Ozymandias's immaculate eyeliner, which is enough to make him pause for a moment. Considering remorse. Which in the end he chooses against.]
[There is a little smudge of eyeliner on The Frog's head, shaped like a forelock. He considers this, wipes it off with his thumb, and decides to be smug.]
Heh, [he pronounces, and pins it back on his cloak before handing the hot chocolate back. He's the victor, okay? Okay.]
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[...]
[And, dammit, he's been made to look. Ozymandias' lips attempt to maintain a frown, but there is a degree to which they cannot help but upturn into a smile even with as smug as Giorno is holding himself right now. He lowers his hand as the sphinx cub (temporarily) abandons its game of fetch to try and figure out what exactly is going on here between the two of them and if it's missing out on a game.]
I do not tolerate such disobedience. [Ozymandias takes the hot chocolate back when it's offered to him, but simultaneously extends his other hand directly on top of Giorno's head.] Not even from you, Giorno!
[Ozymandias is not as gentle as Giorno was in poking him in the closed eye, but it is only a slight push down that Ozymandias gives his head. It's all for the sole purpose of really getting in there with ruffling up Giorno's hair.]
This shall be your penance for defying Pharaoh!
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Oh, you’ll tolerack!
[Squawking, he thrashes out with one hand (the one without hot chocolate in it, mercifully) and completely misses hitting Ozymandias in any capacity. Fuck.]
Hey! Fuck you! [Frantically trying to shove his hair back into order . . . a lost cause, honestly. He shoots Ozymandias a sulky glare.] Why are you such a sore loser?
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Sore loser? If you could see yourself now, I believe you would see that I'm truly the victor here.
[The sphinx has not cracked the code here. There was a lot of movement and loud noises, but nothing seems to have happened other than its master is now laughing, which is usually a positive sound it has learned. With nothing for it, the sphinx clambers into Ozymandias' lap. Almost reflexively, Ozymandias begins petting it.]
Don't worry, Giorno, you have my forgivenenss for touching me with that awful little thing. I will help you fix your hair before you leave. I will not force you to walk outside like that.
[What a benevolent father figure he is.]
[Setting the hot chocolate aside, he does at least attempt to help Giorno smooth the mess back down if he will allow it. It seems the least he can do.]
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You look like a supervillain.
[Petting the cat, he means. Although really it's not true. Ozymandias looks graceful and beautiful as always, the bastard. Huffing, Giorno slaps Ozymandias's hands away from his hair.]
Stop, you're making it worse! Leave it. [Give him a second while he commits his weird wizardry to make himself look halfway decent again. It's not a fresh-out-of-the-cloud-of-hairspray look by any means, but it also doesn't look like it was recently attacked, so that's a plus.]
[Once he's reasonably satisfied, he flops down on the carpet with a petulant glare and sips his hot chocolate.]
I didn't come here for you to attack me and disparate my gifts, you know. [Sssssssssip.]
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[It seems this cat tree is still not going to be completed any time soon due to numerous interruptions from the sphinx it is intended for.]
And I did not invite you here to assault my person numerous times. [Kid smudges his eyeliner, smacks his hands... But setting all that aside, Ozymandias only takes one more sip of his hot chocolate before setting it aside once more. Ozymandias' mood overall does not fade, but his humor does as he levels Giorno with a far more serious look. The matter they are to be discussing is not a light one. And though Giorno may privately accuse Ozymandias of infuriatingly eternal beauty, it is his regality that is perhaps even more long-lasting and ubiquitous in his demeanor. Even while seated on the floor with a cat in his lap.] Ask your questions then.