Giorno's plan began with a fruit cart.
Though he thoroughly enjoyed history, and had spent a great deal of time studying it when he had the chance, Giorno had never focused on Victorian England. He prefered ancient empires and the complex wars and unique cultures that came with them. However, he did know one thing about the time he was living in. And that was that the peasantry was always hungry.
Fruit wasn't the most filling, nor was it especially popular (though the latter may have been due to availability - from what he understood, fruit was hardly ever even an option for most people living in the city slums, and when it was it was beyond rotten). But thanks to Gold Experience, he could grow it with ease, meaning he could sell it for cheap. And where there was cheap food, there were hordes of hungry customers.
In no time Giorno was attracting customers from across the city, who were ready to get food that not only took fewer coins than anything else of comparable size, but was sweet and not poisonous. Not that they knew much about the last part, since health codes didn't really exist in ways comparable to his home time, but it was a comfort to Giorno at the very least.
His own pockets became heavy enough, and after a week or so, Giorno caught sight of the person he'd wanted to see the most. There, flipping an apple over a few times, was Dio Brando. There, just a few feet away, was a child who would grow to one day be his father, at least in one timeline. Though he was much smaller and younger than the man in the photo, Giorno knew the boy in from of him was the one and only Dio. He couldn't be anyone else.
"Do you want it?" Giorno called out to the boy. Dio's head snapped over to look at the fruit seller. Caution in his eyes.
"...No, not today," Dio responded.
"Why not?" Giorno asked back.
"I'm not hungry, thank you very much." The boy sounded slightly irritated, but Giorno could make out a slight hint of longing in his voice.
"Really? Because I was thinking about giving you a whole case of apples for free. And maybe of even throwing in a few bananas and an armful of oranges. But if you're not hungry, I guess I'll keep them, then."
Dio's eyes widened. "You… what?"
Giorno smiled, happy to see that his offer was starting to work. "I said I was thinking of handing over some stuff to you, free of charge. Maybe it's because you're a little cleaner than most people I see around here, so your hair is a little more gold than most, but you remind me of me when I was a kid. Back then I had someone do me a favor that helped lift me up from the… well, not-so-good situation I was in, and I've always dreamed of doing something similar since then. This is a lot different, and I don't really know about your situation, but helping you out seems like a good way to achieve my dream. That, and you seem like someone who deserves it. I can tell you're a smart kid based on how you're actually checking the quality of my goods rather than just snatching the closest ones, so you deserve it more than most.
"So, what do you say? I'll load the stuff up right away if you say yes."
Dio kept silent for a moment, looking Giorno over. He moved a hand to his stomach, clenching it slightly with a frown. His eyes wandered back over to the various fruits in front of him. He took a step toward a pineapple that Giorno had on display, and turned it over. Then, he faced Giorno with a determined look in his eye.
"That sounds good. I'd like that."
Giorno gave an internal fist pump, and his smile widened.
Dio continued. "But... Is it okay if I take only a few things each day, and get stuff from my crate for a week? I can't take it all right now. It's too heavy, you see," he explained.
Giorno's heart clenched a little at that. The crate wasn't too heavy. He and Dio both knew that. But if Dio took home the whole thing his father would get suspicious. That, or he'd sell the fruit again for triple the price so he could get some more booze. The fact that Dio realized it at such a young age hurt Giorno. But that was the way it was, and for the moment, Giorno couldn't help it. So, for the moment, he simply nodded.
"Of course, kiddo."
Dio frowned. "It's not kiddo. My name is Dio."
The little glare he gave made Giorno' smile waver as he tried to hold back a laugh. The look was absolutely adorable. And strong, too. Giorno could see why people seemed to do anything future Dio had asked as a child his glares and orders held weight. It was impressive.
"Nice to meet you, Dio. My name is Giorno. It seems we have a deal.
"I'm here with my stand as long as the sun is up, so don't worry about coming at a specific time to collect on your fruit. I do have to make a living, and people would start asking for free fruit of their own if they saw you grabbing things without paying every day, so I only ask that you fill your crate in advance. That way I can tell people that you're only taking what I've already sold to you. Is that fine?"
"Yes. Thank you, sir," Dio responded, moving to fill the half-full apple crate Giorno had pushed over.
As Dio grabbed various oranges, peaches, and other fruits, Giorno smiled. Though he wasn't too happy that Dio lived in a situation that he couldn't take everything home at once, it worked out for him. The fact that Dio had to keep coming back meant Giorno would get the opportunity to see him every day, and hopefully to strike up a conversation. Not only did he want to build trust with the young boy, but he knew that Dio hardly had anyone to talk to at home or in the streets. If Giorno could be the outlet Dio used to talk about his problems, or even to have basic human interaction, then he'd do whatever it took to keep up the conversation. Nobody deserved silence.
"I'm here to pick up my fruit."
"Of course, I'll get it out for you."
"Thanks."
"Is that all you're taking?"
"I already ate lunch, so I don't need more. See you tomorrow, Giorno."
"See you tomorrow, Dio."
"Ready for another fruit pick up?"
"Why else would I be here, Giorno?"
"Good point. My dragonfruit tree is finally getting ready to drop, and gave me a pretty big one this morning, so I threw that in your crate. It has a really unique flavor, so I thought you'd like to try."
"Dragonfruit…?"
"Don't tell me you've never heard of it!"
"I've heard of dragons, and I know what fruit is, but not dragonfruit. Are you making that up?"
"Of course not. Here, look. Technically it's called a Pitaya, but it got its name from the pink spines…"
"Giorno, have you ever read Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea?"
"No, but I've heard nothing but good things about it. Tell me, what is it about?
"Well, there's this one man who…"
"What do you mean you prefer Around the World in Eighty Days!? The Mysterious Island is much better."
"Are you sure, Dio? The last time I visited the bookstore, there was a full shelf filled with copies of the first one. I saw only a single copy of the second."
"If there was a full shelf full, then that means no one bothered to buy a copy. If you asked Jules Verne himself, he would surely tell you that The Mysterious Island is better."
"And how does it compare to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? Of those two, which do you think Verne is more proud of?"
"Well, if you think about number of copies published, then…"
"If you ask me, I think the man should have been arrested."
"Why do you say that?"
"Did you see Margaret? Her skin was more purple than her dress! That doesn't come from a single instance of roughhousing. Not to mention that anyone who passed by David's house over the past week could hear her screams. The police here are beyond terrible. They don't care at all for the health of us stupid slum rats."
"Dio…"
"I mean, just look at how m-"
"Dio?"
"Nothing. It's getting late. My father wouldn't like it if I came home late. I'll see you tomorrow, Giorno."
"What's this?"
"I told you, it's steak. Now eat up."
"You can't seriously be thinking of giving this to me. It's meat! You surely know how precious this is!"
"Yes, I do. I also know that I far overestimated the size of my stomach when I bought this earlier. If I don't eat it tonight, then it will go bad. Now eat up Dio. I don't like letting food go to waste."
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome. Having you here to talk to every day is an even better treat than this steak. It's only right that I give you something in return."