Turbinio

You Can Finally Cry For Your Kitten

"Good as new...'' Diego finished polishing the tactical knife on the hem of his shirt and lifted it up, admiring it in the bright sunshine.

"It's more than can be said for me.'' You said timidly. You were lying in God knows where and, despite the calmness of the place, everything still seemed a little tumultuous in your body. "You're a major sadist, Diego.''

He leaned over you and brushed the damp hair away from your face.

"I hope so. If you feel well enough to swear at me, miss, you'll be fine. Get some rest, enjoy the little time I have to stay here.'' He put his hand on your forehead for a moment and then leaned back.

''What do you mean?''

''You swapped glasses with the president and drank the poison instead?'' He sneered, but there was no good humor on his face. ''He's alive as the devil, looking for the only part of the corpse that's missing, and it's with me.''

''Alive? No...'' You stammered, standing up abruptly. ''No, no! I saw him fall, I saw him struggling on the floor and...''

''Take it easy, darling.'' He said, reluctantly, putting his hands on your shoulders to stop you from moving any further. Just in time, as you immediately felt dizzy and weak. ''I'm sure it's his stand ability, he'd never be defeated by a coffee. I couldn't see what happened after... well, after he shot.''

''No... no, it's impossible.''

"Your efforts weren't useless.'' He assured you. ''You saved Lucy, as far as I could see.''

''Lucy... she... I don't know. Where am I?''

''Far from the city.''

Far away indeed, you thought. There were no buildings nearby, but they were still visible beyond the trees and tall grass. Diego had taken you somewhere on the edge of the city. The whole thing caused an unexpected lump in your throat. Suddenly, you could smell the wood, the pungent effluvia of the balsam firs, the papoula sap, the blistering odor of the mushrooms, and the strong scent of bearberry.

You got up as Diego allowed you to, making sure you wouldn't pass out again. Without realizing it, you missed the quieter times. The longing suddenly turned into a new and wonderful perception, beyond the poisoned vertigo of your mind. You almost didn't stop yourself from sharing your thoughts with Diego, but it wouldn't do any good, so you just took a deep breath.

"Make sure you don't pass out again, I decided to keep you company while you were unconscious, in case you need help.'' He said. ''I also got your guns back. Well, only one of the revolvers, you must have lost the other in the fight with Magenta.''

''You said you were out of time... how long have we been here?''

''Fifteen or twenty minutes, maybe.'' He answered, his voice clear. "I've never seen anyone recover as quickly as you.''

"Are you... are you going back?''

''What? To the city? Definitely. The president is still there and we won't have any advantage if we don't even know what his stand ability is. Tell me, (Y/N), what happened in that room?''

''I don't know, I... he was going to shoot me.'' You tried to gather as much information as your weakened brain could bear. ''And I hid and then he fell... He took a lot more poison than I did, a whole cup. It's not possible that he's alive.''

''It's not possible, but he is. And mad, too. You'd better not show your face to him or any of his men.'' He warned, looking firmly into your eyes. ''But how is he alive? What did he do? What did you see?''