08/01/2021

A familiar, blonde boy was laying on a cream colored sofa. He felt dizzy, like he had just woken up from a peaceful rest, the quietness that filled the house was almost unsettling.

As he slowly opened his eyes, what he was met with left him more confused than he had ever been. He rubbed them again, to make sure that he was not hallucinating, or still dreaming. But this was reality, he was no longer in his villa.

"Where...Am I?"

He said to himself, as he stood up, in order to examine that strange, new place. To his surprise, however, nothing out of the ordinary could be spot: it was a simple living room, the most 'outstanding' thing was a type of computer he had never seen before, placed on top of the table in the middle of the room.

Could this be a stand doing? It sounded like the most logical option, but everything just felt too...Realistic. It was way too strong to be some sort of illusion, no normal stand would be able to create such a veritable scenario.

Should have he explored the rest of the house? Maybe there was a clue of how to leave, somewhere else. But was it safe to move around? He was clearly the one at disadvantage here, fighting in an environment you know nothing of was quite the risky choice. He had GER to watch his back, of course, but he'd rather avoid using it for situations where it wasn't absolutely indispensable.

As he was in the middle of analyzing the situation, something else put him on guard: the sound of footsteps coming from the long corridor on the other side of the room, they seemed to be heading right in his direction.

Before he could even see whom they belonged to, somebody spoke.

"W-Who's...Who's there?"

It was an high-pitched, weak and faint voice, filled with fear and reluctance.

Giorno did not answer, he failed to find a clue in anything around him. Did he just...Break into someone's house out of nowhere? It sounded more like something Narancia and Mista would have done after getting drunk, definitely not him.

The footsteps stopped, as a girl, most likely younger than him, stood right between the salon and the corridor. Her eyes were semi closed, and she was leaning against the wall, a distressed expression on her face.

"I-If you don't l-leave..."

She said.

"I'm...I'm gonna have t-to call the poli-"

The words stopped coming out of her mouth, when she finally gathered the courage to look at the one in front of her. She let out a scream, before falling to the ground, and scratching her arm against the wall.

Ignoring the new, fresh wound, she could feel herself tremble a little, she looked like she had just seen a ghost, almost paralyzed on her spot.

Her presence did nothing but disorient the boy even more. What was this supposed to mean? Was...Was she the enemy? He had learned from personal experience that one's appearance hardly revealed their true nature, but this girl...She just looked so helpless, her skin almost got paler from how afraid she was.

He was not the kind of person to take risks, but he also knew that he couldn't just leave her on the ground like that, she didn't seem like she had any intention to get up.

As he calmly approached her, the two of them made eye contact for a second, before the brunette looked away, as she curled up on herself more and more with every step the other took.

"Are you feeling alright?"

He asked her, bending slightly. It was kind of a silly question, but he couldn't afford to look too vulnerable, he had to play it safe for now.

"...I...I a-am..."

She murmured, unable to make it sound believable.

He considered lending her a hand to help her getting up, but he wasn't comfortable with the idea of touching someone he knew nothing about.

There was an awkward silence between the two for a moment, before she slowly stood up, still glued in that exact spot.

"Is this a dream? It...It has to be, there is no way in the entire universe that-"

"I understand that you're confused, but I promise that I'm not here to cause you harm"

The boy in pink brought an hand to his chest, like he would usually do when he wanted to convince someone of what he was saying, whether it was a truth or a lie, it didn't matter to him.

There was no response from the other, she simply nodded slightly, to indicate that she understood what he had just told her.

This lack of reaction would have probably annoyed somebody else, but Giorno did not seem to mind. After all, he was well known for his patient nature, and her behavior did not minimally surprise him. Anyone would freak out at the sight of a complete stranger in their house.

He had to take it slow, if he wanted to figure out what was going on.

"Alright, let's start with something simple, ok?"

His usual calm expression did not change in the slightest, like he wasn't just as confused as her about one another's presence.

She nodded once more, there was no choice but to ask her 'yes or no' questions for the time being. Maybe if he told her something about himself, she would have done the same? Though it meant giving away possible important informations, he found himself in a corner. It was worth a shot, at the very least.

"My name is Giorno Giovanna, what about yourself?"

The other took a couple of seconds to actually realize he was talking with her, her mind had disconnected from everything for a moment.

"...Eleonora..."

She could barely pronounce a single word, the blond had to listen extremely closely to understand what she was even saying.

"Are we in Napoli?"

She shook her head. His doubts had been confirmed, though since they both spoke Italian, perhaps he wasn't much far away from home.

"Where are we, then?"

"A...A c-city...In Sicilia"

Suddenly, the girl walked past him without saying anything, heading towards the balcony; surprised by her initiative, Giorno followed, curious to see what she was planning. He looked around, the view consisted of a busy street and various trees at the side of the road. However, something seemed...Off about it, he barely recognised any model of the cars passing by.

"...Sorry...I-I just...Wanted to prove that I wasn't lying, w-we're actually in a city"

She had no idea of what she was doing, or if she was actually going somewhere with this. She needed some fresh air, the scare she's taken almost made her pass out.

In that moment, however, a realisation hit the blond's mind: how did she...Calm down so easily after seeing him? Well, maybe 'calm down' was not the appropriate term, but the way she told him her name with almost no hesitation was weird, did she just trust him that easily? He was a natural-born manipulator for sure, but she just believed that he was not dangerous, because he told her so? That's what he wanted, of course, but due to her first reaction, it was kind of suspicious that she changed her mind so fast. In addition to that, she didn't even question why he would ask her if they were in Napoli, like she expected that sort of question already.

Maybe she really was an enemy, the ones that look the most harmless, are always the most dangerous. Perhaps he was over thinking, but when you're part of the mafia, precautions are never enough.

"Would you mind if I asked you something else?"

Another nod.

"Why would you need to prove me where we are? Wouldn't it be safe to assume that I come from around here?"

Eleonora felt a shiver down her spine, bringing an hand to her mouth, like she was stopping herself from speaking, and lowered her head. Her act seemed everything but trustworthy.

Oh God...He's going to think that I want to kill him, b-but I can't tell him about it! I...I don't want to die, not by his hand...

Giorno raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, she was on thin ice.

"So?"

Nothing but silence.

He took one last look at the person in front of him, preparing to take out his stand. But...He couldn't bring himself to lay a single finger of her, he couldn't even summon Gold Experience. That look in her eyes, it was familiar, way too familiar, it was genuine desperation and impotence, she wasn't even trying to bring out her own stand to, at the very least, defend herself.

Who would ever assign someone like her to assassinate the Boss? She wouldn't be so unconscious to take the initiative.

His expression turned into one of slight discomfort, as he gave up on what he had in mind.

"Look...I'm not sure if you're a member of Passione, if you're part of another Organization, or if you're involved in this business in the first place"

Hearing those words, the brunette took her hand off from her mouth, waiting for him to continue.

"But...If this was your stand doing, then you must have an extremely powerful soul, to create such an illusion. I can tell that you don't want to be here, did... Somebody force you?"

He expected another gesture with her head, but instead, she said something else.

"...I-I'm not...The w-way you think that I am..."

Such an affirmation distracted him for a moment, he wished he didn't have to interpret every word she spoke, like she was a poem.

"What I'm trying to say is...Your situation seems rather...Unhappy, maybe you could join-"

"I...Do not think that's possible"

She thought she had come off as rude, interrupting him while he was speaking, but it was better if he didn't finish that sentence.

"Why is that?"

He questioned, genuinely confused by her so radical objection. Of course, he imagined that she wouldn't accept on the spot, but there was no hesitation, for once, in her tone of voice.

"...I-I can't tell you..."

"But you do know about my...Occupation, don't you? And, for sure, you understand how hard it is for me to trust you, if you don't answer me"

He wasn't wrong, and she had already been lucky enough for not having been killed yet, but she knew very well that 'messing around' with him, of all people, wouldn't have brought to anything good. With that being said, her uncertainty was comprehensible this time. There was no logical way to explain why she had no malicious intentions, but at the same time, to justify her behavior. What excuse could she possibly make up? It's not like she had the full picture either.

Oh you know, you're just my favourite fictional character, and now you're in front of me, in my house, while I'm miserably failing to sound believable and I think I'm gonna have an heart attack

"I've seen a lot of bad people disguised as good ones. Please, don't make me add another one to my list"

He added, a bit annoyed, but not letting any fragment of emotion show.

The brunette took a deep breath, there had to be a way out of that mess.

"...I know how powerful Gold Experience Requiem is, a-and I know that no one would ever stand a single chance against it, let alone...S-Someone like me. You could put m-me in an endless suffering in any second, I'm not...I'm not crazy enough to ever think about challenging a person l-like you"

Upon hearing her mention his stand name, and indirectly, its ability as well, Giorno blinked in incredulity. It was impossible, nobody other than his teammates knew anything about Gold Experience, the only one aware of the death loop was Bucciarati.

"...Those informations about my ability are kept hidden from everyone, how would you know about them?"

They weren't getting anywhere, Eleonora was standing on top of a building, and she was about to fall. Did she really have no other choice? But what if he thought that she was insane?

"I...I can prove to you that I'm not evil, but..."

"But?" "Y-you wouldn't believe me anyway..." "How are you so convinced of that? Even if it sounds weird, if you have proofs, I'll have no choice but to believe you. Besides, I've seen a lot of peculiar things in my life, finding something able to impress me might actually be pretty interesting" "You're...You're right..."

She walked inside once more, resignation filling her voice.

"Come with me"

She quickly added, as the two of them stopped in front of the first door in the hallway, and stepped in. The room, which judging from the stylistic choice, was most likely her own, had a really cutesy vibe to it, with lilac painted walls and most of the furniture being white and light purple, and quite a lot of plushies scattered on the bed, there was even a small sofa next to the bedside table.

Silently, she took the chair in front of her desk, putting it in front of her bookcase, whose last shelf was too high for her to reach, and climbing on it, holding to the backrest with one hand to avoid falling off.

"Do you...Need some help?" "N-No...Thank you"

The young girl picked up something, but the other couldn't see it well until she got down again, holding it close to her chest.

"Mh? Is that a book?" "Yeah...I suppose you can call it that way" "What do you mean?"

She stared at the cover for a brief moment, and then continued.

"Diavolo...Is still dying as we speak, right? And every time he does, he's sent to another reality, with other people and scenarios"

"Yes, that is correct, is it relevant right now?"

"That means that...Alternative universes are actually a thing, by extension"

"That's plausible"

She reluctantly handed him the manga, waiting for him to take it, trying not to lose the thread of the speech, which actually sounded semi-logical, so far.

As Giorno took a look at the cover, he let out a small "What is-", before completing freezing. He wasn't scared, there was nothing to afraid of, he just...Couldn't believe to what he was staring at. That was...Him? With...His friends?

"Is this a comic? Why are printed on it? This...This does not make any sense"

'Vento Aureo' was written in capital letters in front of the image, it looked like the introduction to a normal fantasy story. But he was a real person! What did he, and the others, have to do with this?

"...You did mention alternative realities, didn't you?"

"Y-Yes...I did"

"So you're trying to tell me, that in this world...Me and my friends are...Fictional? We're actually just characters in a story?"

There was a trace of sadness in his accentuation, was that really all there was to him in this place? He remembered Mista and Fugo mentioning this topic a couple of times, and he'd lie if he said it didn't pick his interest. But this wasn't like he had imagined, it was a bit... Disappointing, truth to be told.

Sensing the change in his voice, Ele felt bad as well, she could easily understand why such a revelation would be an immediate shock.

"W-Well uhm...Maybe here, but there's no way to know how many possibilities are out there, this is just...A super small piece of them"

Ignoring her answer, the boy started flipping through the pages, it seemed to be the first volume. It described his meeting with the Japanese boy, Koichi, and his fight with Bucciarati. He couldn't believe to his eyes, everything was exactly how it happened, there wasn't a single panel out of place, nor a single word that hadn't been spoken.

"...Giorno?"

"Ah...Forgive my manners, I must have gotten distracted for a brief moment. But I suppose that what you were saying is not false"

He said, closing the comic and putting it on the desk.

"Wait, so...You b-believe me?" "I do, I have no reason not to, at this point"

Of course, the manga itself could have also been an hallucination, but by now, it would have felt more forced to think that she was trying to trick him, than actually believing to what she was telling him.

"But why am I here, then?" "I wish I could tell you, but I genuinely have no clue, I'm very sorry..."

The blonde crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Obviously, he had to be the one to think of a possible solution for the situation, but he certainly couldn't blame her for it. She was the one with someone he had never seen in person inside of her house.

"Where are your parents?"

It sounded like the most logical thing to ask next. She seemed like a perfectly ordinary girl, probably around his own age. She had to have some sort of guardian.

"They've left yesterday with my brother. They didn't really explain the whole thing, but I think that it's because of work, and my sibling went with them, since he'll study in a college nearby where they're working. I don't really know when they're going to come back, a c-couple of months are going to pass, at least"

"Ah...I'm very sorry to hear that, it must be hard to be so far away from your family" "It's...Okay, everything is so much quieter now, I don't mind. Well, not too much"

It was an oddly specific coincidence that he has found himself there in that moment, but it was definitely for the best anyway. Her parents' presence would have brought to a lot of complications.

"But you should be thinking about yourself, what are you going to do now?" "I'm not entirely sure"

His eyes fell on the small calendar on the desk, something else was yet able to surprise him: the date it indicated had nothing to do with the one of his world.

"I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but... We're not in 2001, are we?" "Oh...Right, I almost forgot about it"

Eleonora goofily put an hand behind her head.

"Yeah, we're not...It's 2021 actually. I wasn't even born when your...Ahem, story took place" "Is it strange that I don't feel too affected by it?"

He commented, the sarcasm that he used was a nice change from everything so far.

"Hehe...Not really"

Well, at least the chance of a possible stand fight had been scrapped, but that doesn't mean that there wasn't still a lot to worry about. Giorno had none of his companions or documents, he didn't have a place to stay, he had no control over anything, and of course, he had no idea of how, when, or even if he was going to ever go back home. He was lost.

"You're right, I seriously have to start thinking of finding a way to survive in this world"

Just some quick pick-pocketing, and he should be able to have enough money to afford a room in a hotel for the night. But the brunette was not dumb, and she rapidly realized what he was planning on doing. She couldn't say he was at fault, it didn't seem like he had much of a choice, but she didn't want him to become a criminal just to merely survive, he was better than that.

"Maybe...Maybe you could...S-Stay here with me?"

The last part was practically whispered, the idea of sharing an house with pretty much a complete stranger didn't sound the best. She didn't mind the thought of it, her problem was what Giorno would have said.

"I don't think that'd be fair. You are obviously quite...Knowledgeable about myself, but that doesn't change the fact that we've never seen each other before"

Obviously, she expected that sort of reaction, but it made her sad nonetheless. She wasn't going to give up so easily though, he was going to see how stubborn she could be, if she wanted to.

"I know but...If...S-Somehow, you arrived here, maybe...There was a reason for it? While we don't understand why, it still happened. There were plenty of places where you could have gone, but you're here. Shouldn't we at least...Uhm...Give it a try?"

Her expression saddened a little, what she said next couldn't help but make the boy feel a bit bad for her.

"Besides...I'd really like to have some company"

She gave him a small, forced smile, it felt kind of weird, considering that so far she's only been wearing a nervous expression.

Giorno completely failed to understand the one he had found himself attracted to. Firstly, she freezes at his sight and almost passes out, and now...She was offering him a place to stay? Her place, most of all?

Soon enough, she would have started to feel lonely, it was an inevitable consequence, but was she really willing to let what was basically a stranger live with her?

"This is your own house, you should be the one against it" "But I'm not! So...Well...What do you say?"

Another moment of silence, but it seemed to be less awkward than before.

"I say that...Maybe...This could work out"