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[nibs]

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[starmark]

I live with a lot of interesting people.

You've talked to my mom, she's worth at least three all on her own.

[nibs]

And yet somehow I don't think you'd rid yourself of a single one from her.

[starmark]

Not anymore. Before she got sick I probably would've answered that differently.

[nibs]

Answered, perhaps. But would you have really meant it?

[starmark]

I guess that depends on what you mean by "really".

[nibs]

Would your actions have matched your answer?

[starmark]

I treated her like she gave me a headache, if that's what you mean. What I said and what I did were the same, pretty much.

But I was also stupid back then, so.

[nibs]

[It sounds a little bullshit. Maybe on the whole he didn't treat her well, but when it matters? Rohan finds it hard to believe that Jotaro would ever turn his back on her.]

Live and learn, I suppose.

[starmark]

Something like that.

Anyway. There's this wall thing in one part of town, like a memorial. They put the names of people who've been here and left on it. The people who run this place, I mean.

So if you're wondering about someone, that's one resource you can check to find out if they're gone or just missing.

[nibs]

I'll be sure to keep that in mind for future reference.

[Though he's absolutely hoping that will be a distant future rather than near.]

I take it you've told others that they're gone.

[starmark]

Would you rather I keep a lid on it for some reason?

[nibs]

No. I just hadn't assumed I'd be the first person you'd tell.

[starmark]

A few people know. It'll get around to the rest.

You're the one with the vested interest, though, on account of your unfinished business.

[nibs]

Their disappearance finishes it.

[starmark]

They pissed you off that badly?

[nibs]

You don't need to concern yourself with it.

[starmark]

Okay.

What's your manga series about?

[nibs]

What? Are you interested in reading it?

[starmark]

If it's interesting, then I'll be interested, won't I?

I like stories where the heroes solve problems with clever solutions. Using their environment and subtle advantages to the fullest, like they're detectives as much as they are fighters.

[nibs]

Do you really think I'd write a protagonist that just punches their way through every problem?

[If so, Rohan is insulted.]

[starmark]

If the story called for it I think you would.

[LOOK AT THAT SMOOTH PROTAGONIST DODGE]

[nibs]

[Well-played, sir. Well-played.]

Sometimes. But generally, it's something I prefer to avoid. It's rare where just punching is actually the clever solution and overusing it anyway robs it the moments in which it is.

[starmark]

Is that your philosophy in real life, too? The clever solution is superior to the physical one.

[nibs]

What do you mean "in real life, too?" I don't write from my imagination, I write from reality. That's what makes for a compelling story that others want to read because it's something that even the simplest of minds can easily recognize in front of them. That's where true depth and connection with readers comes from.

You should already know the answer to that question anyways. It's not as though you purely use Star Platinum to pummel, do you?

[And he would double know that if he knew Heaven's Door wasn't really a combat Stand. Of course Rohan's going to seek out another solution besides beating the hell out of someone/thing.]

[starmark]

Hell if I know what goes into the creative process. It'd be arrogant to pretend like I did, wouldn't it? So I asked.

And no, he has other talents. It's been kind of weird being here and seeing those things more often, since I don't fight a whole lot anymore in comparison.