FurikoMaru
Versed in the lewd.
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[X] And ever the long roads wind
You give Del one final massive squeeze, and let her go. "Goodbye, Erina," you say, taking the girl's hands in yours for a moment before turning to Dio.
"Goodbye for now, Jojo," he says.
You nod, and try to smile. "I'm sorry I can't be here to see you off, Dio. Write me from school, won't you?"
"Of course," he replies.
And with that, you turn and take your father's arm. If you won't permit yourself the luxury of tears for your hometown or for Del, you certainly cannot shed them for a young man. People could get the wrong impression.
You enjoy the first leg of your journey immensely. Father, as always, can point out at villages passing by the window and tell you the most fascinating tales about peculiar things that have happened there. Until a short while ago you had assumed that these stories were dreamed up out of that brilliant mind of his just to entertain you. But the revelation of the thorns has made you perhaps more open to the less conventional fields your father researches.
It is only when you arrive in Dover that it begins to sink in: you will not be at home again until December. This is to be your last day on British soil for nearly four months.
Somehow, that thought hits you harder than anything else. You've been apart from Father for longer than that before, and Dio is Del's concern now, not yours, but... England is all you've ever known.
A strange mix of sorrow and satisfaction fills you. Sorrow at leaving your home behind, and - to your surprise - satisfaction that for once, it's you doing the leaving.
You quash this discomfiting line of thought at once, of course. How could you be so churlish? Such feelings are entirely improper and unfair to Father.
You and Father arrive at the pier of the affiliated ferry line and begin searching for Professor de Owen. He is to be your travelling companion for the next leg of your journey. Father says he sent a telegram that said he'd be wearing a green carnation.
What he neglected to mention was that he would be wearing it with a purple suit, a black silk cravat, and a tie tack ornamented by a large dragon passant Gules.
The crowd gives him a wide berth, pointedly not staring at him. Very curious.
De Owen seems at first glance far too young to be a professor of anything; his face is unlined and (if you're being honest) rather handsome, with wide-set eyes and a poetic pout to his lips. His hair is boyishly fair and wavy, with only scattered strands of silver to hint at his true age. Overall he certainly makes an impression, but you could not for the life of you say what kind. You know only that you've never met anyone like him.
"Lord Joestar," he says, taking your father's hand with a polite nod. Then he turns that piercing gaze on you. "And Joanna, I presume?"
Never in your life has someone called you by your first name upon a first meeting, but you bury your shock under courtesy and take the professor's hand. "How do you do, Professor de Owen?"
"Quite well, thank you." He stares at you consideringly for a moment, before turning back to Father.
You let out a breath you weren't aware you'd been holding. His eyes are so cold. It was like he was measuring you for a coffin!
Father's final farewell hug dwarfs even Del's in its bone-crushing enthusiasm.
"Goodbye, my Jojo. Study hard."
"I will, Father, I promise."
"I swear," he says, eyes misting as he smiles down at you, "when you return, we'll have the grandest Christmas in all of England."
You nod, swallowing a sob. "I'll write you every week."
He laughs. "Never mind about that - go! Learn! Live your life!" He pats your head. "And then tell me about it when you come home."
After boarding the ferry, the first thing you do is run up to the top deck, all manner of propriety forgotten, to look back at the dock as you pull away.
Father is there in the crowd, waving, and you wave back. You stand there watching him, arm in the air, until the mist swallows the English coast, and him along with it.
-----
Sorry, guys, real life is intruding on our fun. My quests are going on hiatus for the summer. I promise I'll be back with fresh madness in the fall, but right now I have other things I should be focusing on.
You give Del one final massive squeeze, and let her go. "Goodbye, Erina," you say, taking the girl's hands in yours for a moment before turning to Dio.
"Goodbye for now, Jojo," he says.
You nod, and try to smile. "I'm sorry I can't be here to see you off, Dio. Write me from school, won't you?"
"Of course," he replies.
And with that, you turn and take your father's arm. If you won't permit yourself the luxury of tears for your hometown or for Del, you certainly cannot shed them for a young man. People could get the wrong impression.
You enjoy the first leg of your journey immensely. Father, as always, can point out at villages passing by the window and tell you the most fascinating tales about peculiar things that have happened there. Until a short while ago you had assumed that these stories were dreamed up out of that brilliant mind of his just to entertain you. But the revelation of the thorns has made you perhaps more open to the less conventional fields your father researches.
It is only when you arrive in Dover that it begins to sink in: you will not be at home again until December. This is to be your last day on British soil for nearly four months.
Somehow, that thought hits you harder than anything else. You've been apart from Father for longer than that before, and Dio is Del's concern now, not yours, but... England is all you've ever known.
A strange mix of sorrow and satisfaction fills you. Sorrow at leaving your home behind, and - to your surprise - satisfaction that for once, it's you doing the leaving.
You quash this discomfiting line of thought at once, of course. How could you be so churlish? Such feelings are entirely improper and unfair to Father.
You and Father arrive at the pier of the affiliated ferry line and begin searching for Professor de Owen. He is to be your travelling companion for the next leg of your journey. Father says he sent a telegram that said he'd be wearing a green carnation.
What he neglected to mention was that he would be wearing it with a purple suit, a black silk cravat, and a tie tack ornamented by a large dragon passant Gules.
The crowd gives him a wide berth, pointedly not staring at him. Very curious.
De Owen seems at first glance far too young to be a professor of anything; his face is unlined and (if you're being honest) rather handsome, with wide-set eyes and a poetic pout to his lips. His hair is boyishly fair and wavy, with only scattered strands of silver to hint at his true age. Overall he certainly makes an impression, but you could not for the life of you say what kind. You know only that you've never met anyone like him.
"Lord Joestar," he says, taking your father's hand with a polite nod. Then he turns that piercing gaze on you. "And Joanna, I presume?"
Never in your life has someone called you by your first name upon a first meeting, but you bury your shock under courtesy and take the professor's hand. "How do you do, Professor de Owen?"
"Quite well, thank you." He stares at you consideringly for a moment, before turning back to Father.
You let out a breath you weren't aware you'd been holding. His eyes are so cold. It was like he was measuring you for a coffin!
Father's final farewell hug dwarfs even Del's in its bone-crushing enthusiasm.
"Goodbye, my Jojo. Study hard."
"I will, Father, I promise."
"I swear," he says, eyes misting as he smiles down at you, "when you return, we'll have the grandest Christmas in all of England."
You nod, swallowing a sob. "I'll write you every week."
He laughs. "Never mind about that - go! Learn! Live your life!" He pats your head. "And then tell me about it when you come home."
After boarding the ferry, the first thing you do is run up to the top deck, all manner of propriety forgotten, to look back at the dock as you pull away.
Father is there in the crowd, waving, and you wave back. You stand there watching him, arm in the air, until the mist swallows the English coast, and him along with it.
-----
Sorry, guys, real life is intruding on our fun. My quests are going on hiatus for the summer. I promise I'll be back with fresh madness in the fall, but right now I have other things I should be focusing on.
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