TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER —

Welcome to empatheias' test drive meme. This test drive is to help interested players test their characters in the game's environment. We've included a few prompts that incorporate specific elements of the game, though you'll find all of them have a lot of leeway for players to get as creative as necessary. Before diving in, here are a few things we'd like to remind everyone about the game in general:

• Date reminders. Reserves open Tuesday, October 25 and Applications (Canon | OC) open Tuesday, November 1st.
  
  
• OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are allowed. Those interested can also use the test drive. OCs do not need to be reserved.
  
  
• Emotions are key! Empatheias' premise focuses on how anyone's emotions can affect their environment, be it big or small. While not every emotion will cause a reaction, significant ones definitely will. How much effect a character will have will ultimately be up to you, the player. Also, while we're giving a lot of leeway for the test drive, keep in mind that there will be some limits in the actual game.
  
  
• Everyone has an amulet. All characters have a unique amulet that is specialized for them. It will contain all of their emotion drops and it serves as the network device. Remember, communication is telepathic. Otherwise, it works basically the same.
  
  
• Assume the character is already in the game. Because "OMG WHERE AM I IS THIS REAL LIFE" threads aren't going to be very helpful in this test drive! Plus those are going to happen in-game, anyway. So to make things easier, just assume that they've been around at least a week or so. Still learning the ropes, but not a complete "first day" experience.
  
  
• First or third person allowed. Your threads can be in either first or third, but we'd advise being flexible about it. Remember, these threads can also be used in your application for samples! Reminder: We only require one sample and it can be done in either format. We have also made a change to our sample requirements, so look over the Applications page!

Now with that out of the way, here are some prompts you guys can work from!


PROMPTS

• Prompt A: How about giving the emotions a try?

• Prompt B: Refer to the Task Board and choose a task your character may be interested in taking up. For this prompt, you could have your character ask for help, already be in the middle of the job, or react to it in some way. Perhaps they were an unfortunate victim or want to create a job countering an existing one. You could even have a prompt making a job request. Creating jobs for the purpose of the test drive is absolutely doable.

• Prompt C: How about giving the amulets a go? Start a telepathic conversation and see how it works. Remember, the amulets are sending out the owner's thoughts so might want to be careful about how the stream of consciousness goes...

• Prompt D: The Boreas Harvest Festival is fast approaching, and the farmers are trying hard to work through the bleak weather conditions to get their crops in before they go bad from all the apathy. All hands on deck—but there may be too many unwanted hands roaming around.

1. Scarecrows. The scarecrows that have been set up as a festive reminder of the time of year have unfortunately come under the influence of some errant strong emotions from the farm hands that work in the fields. Unfortunately that includes trying to ward off anyone who enters the fields with pitchforks and is one of them carrying a torch? Maybe if they can be convinced that you are trustworthy they will calm down.
   
   
2. Invading rabbits. There are ton of rabbits ravaging the carrot patches. They're easily frightened, but some are more tenacious than others. Beware of the white rabbit with red eyes.
   
   
3. Save the crops! Several batches are already starting to spoil! The only thing that can save them is dumping as much positive emotions into them. Joy of good food, hope for a bountiful meal, love of eating—whatever will work. Just be careful. Too much and those things might grow and explode…

• Prompt E: Aiada, the Arehtei of appreciation and jealousy, has sent a personal request for those who are interested. There is a small island just beneath Empatheias that she has been cultivating over the many centuries. She wishes to contribute to the Harvest Festival with some seeds and spores. However, the recent atmosphere has also reached down there, and now it's all a mess! Giant mushrooms replaced the trees and there's slime and mold everywhere. The cure? Aside from getting a lot of heavy duty cleaners and pushing it off, appreciation will go a long way to help.

1. Goop brigade. Grab that bucket and shovel and clear the goop out! Just be careful not to have too much get on you—jealousy might take over.
   
   
2. Appreciation balls. To help hasten the effort, Aiada has given several tubs filled with light, green orbs. Once channeled with enough appreciation, they can be used as mini-grenades to help explode and wash the area with more positive energy. Those caught in the blast won't be harmed. If anything, they'll just be very thankful.
   
   
3. Watch the ledges. Careful, it's a fairly small island and the goop and slime has made things slick. If you fall… That's not a good way to go, let's just say that.

• Prompt F: Various parties are interested in the emotion shards scattered all over Thera. But this time around, the focus is on the medical laboratory as the equipment and potential research there is also of interest. For three days those who volunteer are sent back to try and gather as much as possible—but of course this won't be easy.

1. Skeletal Scientists. The remains of the scientists who once worked in these rooms are still lurking, ready to protect their work. Fortunately they're relatively weak nerds, so not too difficult to dispatch. Just be careful.
   
   
2. Flying equipment. The various medical equipment has also taken life, scalpels and needles flying everywhere and stethoscopes ready to strangle.
   
   
3. Questionable liquid. Most of the easy shards have already been taken, leaving the more difficult to retrieve ones left. In particular they're found in strange, dark pink liquid. It's mostly harmless—except that upon contact intense waves of grief and suffering will course through. The longer the exposure, the worse it is. So hopefully a bucket full of it doesn't fall on you…

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include feathers and/or confetti.

For your threads, put the Character Name and the Canon in the subject line to help readily identify them. You're also welcome to use more than one prompt for respondents to choose from. If you have any questions or want to brush up on the game information, refer to the Game Information entry. Otherwise, tag around and have fun!

Comments

dio brando | jojo's bizarre adventure: stardust crusaders

[malignans]

i. and get ready to face the floor

[The biggest difference between this and what he did when he was a boy is that Dio is holding back.]

[When he was a boy, it was about being as quick and as vicious as possible. The speed was necessary to avoid being struck, and the viciousness was necessary to land the deciding blow as soon as possible. This, however, requires a touch of showmanship. Just enough to give the fight something akin to a narrative, and the illusion that it's not truly as imbalanced as it is.]

[Surprisingly, Dio doesn't mind quite so much holding back as he anticipated he would. Which isn't to say that it isn't completely without frustration; as far as Dio is concerned, The World is part of his natural strength and skill, but he understands by the rules of the ring laid here that using The World could very well rob him of his cash prize. Restriction of the world, aside, however, Dio has always found an exquisite sort of pleasure in toying with prey. In the ring, this means not taking his opponent down in a single blow, and occasionally allowing them to land a strike of their own. Though not too many. No, by now, he's built enough of a reputation that it's well-known the chances of him losing are next to none; he can afford to get his opponent riled up by their inability to hit him instead of providing the audience with the false hope that perhaps he's lost momentum finally.]

[And there is a certain amount of grace and style in the way Dio moves, be it an offensive or defensive movement. He reads his opponents perfectly to stretch the fight as long as he needs to go, and then with one final punch, they fall down.]

[Dio stands in stark contrast to his opponent. While they lay on the ground, dirty with blood and sweat, writhing about and moaning in pain, Dio stands perfectly still, untouched and pristine with the exception of a splatter of blood on his face. Dio reaches up with a thumb and wipes the other man's blood off his cheek as a pair of people move out from the crowd to collect the fallen fighter. Dio licks the pad of his thumb, surveying the crowd in a silent challenge for his next competitor.]

ii. you can stand under my umbrella-ella-ella

[In Cairo, Dio would stay awake right until the sky began to change colors. He would force himself to stay for as long as possible, but it was always within brief moments of the sun beginning to peak over the skyline that he was forced to retreat inside his coffin and plunge himself back into the safety of darkness.]

[He didn't do it out of some existential angst, mind you. He didn't long for the sun and he wasn't prone to wax poetic about the divides between himself and other creatures that occupied the waking hours. It was more of a test. Dio ruled over much, but not the sun. So, those mornings acted as his quiet rebellion and challenge to the power of the sun.]

[This morning in Verens, Dio walks outside when it is already mid-morning. He carries himself tall, walking with authority and the bearing someone who was born to aristocracy. Except that he has not entirely defeated the sun here. Oh no, above his head is a parasol that provides him with his own personal shade. After some experimentation, he found the direct sunlight to not be nearly as harmful as it once was, but still powerful enough to give him nasty burns and leave him feeling mildly exhausted. Dio doesn't carry his own parasol and maintain his own shade, however. He prefers keeping both of his hands free.]

[Instead, he has a little help from a rather large friend following close behind him.]

[So, really, it's generally recommended that others move out of their way as they approach, or else they'll find themselves being given a sharp, withering look that's more than capable of letting one's blood run cold as Dio waits to hear an apology or an excuse for not moving.]

i, assuming they've already met because haha that will be fun

[morewithhoney]

[This isn't the type of activity Doppio would be involved in as a fighter. Never. He's neither strong nor particularly fast, and his only advantages here are lent to him by the boss, and would be considered foul play anyway. He'd like to keep all his teeth intact.

No, he's much more at home as a bookie. Fighting rings aren't mob business he usually gets involved in, but they're mob business, and he knows enough to get more heavily involved in Verens.

Dio is going to win. It's not impossible that someone from somewhere else will overpower him, but Doppio's pretty sure that's unlikely. It's not enough that he's sure, though - he has to know how sure the betters are.

Someone will always hope for a big payout and bet on the other guy. He just has to make the winnings appealing enough. He'll have to consider that before the next event.]

Hey - you know that's it for tonight?

[Dio looks like he would really like to punch somebody else in the face tonight, and Doppio can't exactly blame him, but these things work better a little bit more spread out.]

[malignans]

[Dio's gaze slides over towards Doppio, his head tipping some in the process for the sole purpose of looking down at him in a more pointed manner. Saying that he's not particularly fond of Doppio would both be inaccurate and an understatement. Dio is not particularly fond of most people, after all, but Dio holds a mild degree of contempt for the boy. He has next to no tolerance for people with as near-gentle a disposition as Doppio possesses and it's not long before it starts to grate on what little patience Dio is willing to extend.]

[Holding that gaze for a few long seconds, Dio scoffs and looks elsewhere.]

Given long enough, someone else will work up the courage eventually, but so be it.

[morewithhoney]

[It's not like Doppio can't tell that Dio doesn't like him, because Dio is the kind of person you immediately realize doesn't like anybody. And Dio is someone Doppio would be scared shitless of if he disliked him much more strongly than usual, but if it's just the regular kind of contempt he has for everybody, then-

-well, Doppio doesn't exactly feel safe, but he's at least able to hold a regular conversation without instantly turning into a shaking mess.]

Most people have to sleep. Or else they're even worse at putting up a fight.

[malignans]

For some, perhaps. Some fight best when they've been back into a corner of some kind.

[And for others, it makes no difference whatsoever. But that kind of person is a rare find, indeed, and not one that Dio anticipates he will see the likes of again. He steps over to where his waistcoat and coat lay draped over the back of a chair, pulling on the waistcoat first.]

[morewithhoney]

If you're looking for somebody who might actually beat you, I'm pretty sure you'll be disappointed.

[That's not to say that nobody in Verens can beat Dio - with people from so many worlds, someone must be able to - just that they're unlikely to enter this particular fighting ring.

Doppio finishes writing in his books and shuts them, moving to grab his own coat. That this puts him further away from Dio is coincidental, but appreciated.]

I

[fivenareff]

[He doesn't come to these things for entertainment. He might have, once, but he's fought too much and too often to get any kind of enjoyment out of it anymore. No, Polnareff comes to watch one fighter in particular, and not for the reason most people do.

Dio fights differently on his own than he did with the World. That isn't to say he's bad at it; not in the least. But there's a distinct lack of care in the way he moves with his opponent. When he'd fought Jotaro, he'd been cautious, eager not to fall into a trap and be easily killed. Here, though, Dio doesn't bother with that caution. He dances and weaves and sometimes people even manage to get a hit in (though even Polnareff can see that's more for entertainment's sake than anything else). But he isn't afraid, he isn't bothering to be cautious, and it's fascinating to watch.

That's the other thing: he knows what he's doing. He's not just fighting; he's boxing expertly, and idly Polnareff wonders when and where he'd learned. Cairo? England? It hardly matters and he'll never know, but still. A question to ponder over when he can't sleep.

The room empties fairly quickly after the match ends, people streaming out to collect their bets and head home. Soon it's only himself, Dio, and a few spare trainers and custodians.]

Are you doing it for money or sport?

[To anyone else in the room, it sounds like a friendly inquiry.]

[malignans]

[Dio pauses in retying his cravat when Polnareff asks his question, but it's not some indication that Polnareff has caught him unawares. Perhaps if he had approached earlier when there was a larger crowd, that might have been possible with the din of the crowd acting as a barrier for such minute sounds, but it's empty enough now that there's very few sounds that could go without Dio's notice. Instead, the pause acts as an indicator that he's acknowledged Polnareff rather than simply noticed him.]

[It's only for a second or two that his hands remain still before he resumes tying it.]

They walk away with their lives, don't they?

[Not that Dio's money is all that tight that he needs to do this. He has other, less savory means of obtaining money and he's already amassed enough that he needn't sacrifice any piece of the luxuries he's grown accustomed to. But even with as uncomfortable as the idea might be that anyone would perceive him as working for money instead of simply taking it as he has before, he's even less comfortable with Polnareff being aware of any semblance of nostalgia — positive or negative — attached to it.]

[fivenareff]

That's hardly an answer.

[Odd, how they can converse like this. It never ceases to amaze him that they can have these moments of . . . well. Civility makes it sound as though they've come to some kind of agreement, and they haven't. But while Polnareff fears Dio, he isn't particularly scared he'll lose his life right now, and that's certainly different.]

You've done this before. I'd ask if you had Ice box you, but somehow I can't imagine him ever thinking of raising his fists to you.

[malignans]

[You've done this before, Polnareff says and something about Dio's expression darkens even though his pace at tying his cravat does not. He finishes it smoothly, adjusting his collar before picking up his waistcoat.]

[Dio is immensely possessive of his past, and there's always been very little he's ever wanted to part with even among those he trusts. It's not because he believes if someone has a scrap of it that they will possess a veritable weapon. His life as a human, particularly that of when he was a boy, is so far in the past that he believes — no, he knows that it holds no influence or sway over him as it once did. But his time on the streets, searching and scraping like a gutter rat for money and warm meals because his father could provide him with neither as well as his time winning the admiration of Jonathan's peers while grinding Jonathan down into nothing is his.]

I find it hard to believe you came over here to talk to me about boxing, [he says irritably, pulling on and buttoning his waistcoat, after which he unrolls his sleeves and buttons them as well. He's protective enough of his past that he uses the word boxing as a substitution for my past.]

[fivenareff]

I'm quite enjoying the conversation, actually.

[It's a dangerous game he plays when he annoys Dio. Each dark expression feels like a victory, but there's only so far he can go.]

It's fascinating to learn some of your hobbies. Unless you have something better to discuss?

ii

[sobored]

[You know, even limiting it to just one of the two worlds Junko has lived in, she's seen an astounding amount of baffling sights. This however...doesn't quite take the cake, sorry Mr. Brando, but it's unique enough that it grabs her fleeting attention.

And that look he's giving people is just icing on the cake, really. She can tell exactly what kind of person this guy is from all that (well not exactly, her ability to analyze a situation only goes so far in these sorts of situations). But this is very much a person who looks at the world and expects it to orbit around him, like an accessory attached to that questionable outfit of his. And the people on it? Please, with that look, they're beneath his notice if he notices them at all. He's even got his own personal...whatever the hell his parasol carrier is to follow him around. It's a fun picture that all that paints, there's just one problem. One hopelessly wonderful problem that Junko finds oh so delightful because she knows he'd never even begin to consider it. And it's such a simple to state problem too, just a few words, really, that's all. See, the problem here is the fact that...

The world revolves around her, not you, Dio.

So she'll place himself in his way, just to see what he does when she doesn't move out of the way from being glared at. Because all she's got for him is a big smile because she has absolutely no idea how he'll react to that. With these types, she can guess, but with the lack of data she has, it's way more fun to let things play out to their natural despair filled conclusion.]

[malignans]

[She doesn't move. That's the first thing Dio notices.]

[The second is her obnoxious smile.]

[He looks at her for only a few seconds, his expression remaining entirely unchanged, and then he steps around her, and carries on as though she never existed in the first place. The World follows his master's lead and avoids sparing Junko any further attention than what Dio's distributed to her.]

[What Dio chooses to do, however, should not be mistaken for acquiescing. If he had stopped to speak with her, argued the point that she should move herself out of his way, grown frustrated, and then moved around her or moved her depending whether she managed to strike hot with his temper, that would have been one thing. But in his cursory inspection of her, that smile speaks of someone who was desperately craving attention immediate attention. Whether it would have been good or bad attention would have been irrelevant to her so long as in the moment, his attention was centered on her. Rather than setting himself up for such defeat to a blatant ploy, he takes a different route by denying her any significant attention altogether.]

[#byefelicia]

[sobored]

[She's going to spend a few seconds staying in place, still grinning while he gets ahead of her. It's fine, she doesn't mind at all that he stepped around her. Nope. It's so hopelessly perfect that she tried to force a confrontation and got nothing in return, so why should she mind?

Oh wait, sorry, she changed her mind about not minding. She doesn't mind the despair of being confronted with her own irrelevancy, she doesn't mind despairing over that at all, which is causing the pavement to crack as the smile fades. It's more that she's decided she minds being denied the despair of what could ensue from a conversation. Which of course she despairs over, but if we spend the time to talk about all this neverending despair train that comprises her mindset, this tag will be a million comments long and never get anywhere.

So since she's decided she minds, she'll continue to let him get a little bit further ahead and then suddenly, she's there again, behind, not ahead of him, she's not magic or anything, she just took a few shortcuts here and there to close the distance. She knows all the good ones in town anyway.]

Hey! You with the parasol! Seriously, you're not even going to say excuse me or anything? Just shove past me with your one man entourage like I don't even exist?

[She sounds and looks offended, but she's also injecting just enough into her tone to sound pathetic too. Like a kid whining for attention. Please notice her banana senpai. Or don't. If he doesn't, that's fine too. She'll just continue despairing over her own insignificance. And all that negativity's got to go somewhere (or would if this weren't a test drive), so it's not exactly like being ignored is a bad thing for her.]

Totally not going to win any popularity contests with that one. Or maybe you will, but either way, you are so not earning any points with me today.

[Who is she kidding, he ignored her and refused to engage in her bullshit, which means he's off to a great start with how she views people.]

[malignans]

[In the few seconds that she remains in place, Dio continues on. He continues on and side-steps one the cracks that manages to travel along the pavement quickly enough to catch up with him. And then he's gone. Or at least so he thinks. That illusion is tragically cut short when Junko appears behind him, demanding his attention.]

[He stops again, turning halfway towards her with The World dutifully moving aside so as not to block Dio's view of her.]

I imagine it occurred to you that there's a reason I walked away from you, but seeing as how you're here complaining now, you're not clever enough to infer what that reason might be. Allow me to shed some light on the matter: "earning points" with you is far from a priority for me. Find someone else to pester for attention.

[And with that he turns, intent on continuing on his way.]

[sobored]

Whoa, scary.

[Except not really, there is not a trace of fear in her voice or expression here. She doesn't care in the slightest.]

But hey, you can't exactly blame me. Who wouldn't want attention from somebody like you?

[She's following along, opting to not sneak ahead this time. It'd be boring if she did it again, wouldn't it?]

Not everyday you find someone managing to wear ridiculous well, and the parasol and silent manservant just make you all the more interesting. I guarantee you, there's not a single person watching you walk by who isn't wondering what your deal is or hoping to strike up a conversation with you, even if your attitude leaves so much to be desired. But of course, people like you don't care about things like that, not in the slightest.

[Like she's thought before, she knows the type.]

Wouldn't say I'm not smart enough to know your reasoning either. Let me guess, it's something like oh, I don't know, someone like her isn't going to force someone like me to do anything I don't want to do. So the hell with her. Something like that, right?

II

[deathboss]

[Of all the things he thought this world could offer him, this certainly wasn't one.

Watching Dio move by, Eikichi almost looks pathetic compared to the other - a large, fattening wyvern creature happily clucking behind him, a thin frame that only made his tallness stand out, bright blueish clothes that had been given a steampunk overcoat to at least attempt to look like those around him, and hair that is about as natural as the white powered face and black eyeliner he wore every day.]

It's strange. Despite The World looking every bit as a Persona, there's not a single note nor aura that extrudes from it that would make sense for him to make out of it. There's something yes, and Hades can't help tell him to be careful, but Eikichi just stands there, watching instead and oddly fascinated. Or maybe, that's why Eikichi can see it at all. There's something similar yet altogether quite different.]

[The sharp withering look from Dio would make a lot of others run cold, but there's a defiance in his own red eyes...and besides, he'd argue he'd seen far scarier glances from Tatsuya. But just what the heck is up with this guy?]

Hey...your friend behind you...that's you, right?

[His other self.]

[malignans]

[Dio looks Eikichi over once. Most everyone else has the good sense to get out of his way before he even gets close. Those that don't have that much at least know better than to linger when he looks at them the way he does. This one, however, seems to lack all intelligence by the way he stands there. Stands there and addresses Dio in a conversation he has zero interest in participating in. He doesn't bother with masking his disdain.]

He's none of your concern.

[deathboss]

[All of his intelligence was put into strength stat that's why.

He shrugs slightly. After being in a school for delinquents, disdain, punches to the face, knives to the stomach and other such riffraff is all too common. Even a few guys probably as jacked up at this guy is. By this point, Eikichi's pretty good at standing his ground.

That and yeah, he does lack a lot of good sense. Or maybe it's just a desperate need to find others like him since he's feeling alone.]

Guess so. Since I have something similar, I was wondering if you were from the same world as me, that's all.

[One would guess not, if he hasn't heard the name Dio.]

[malignans]

You would know without having to ask if I was from the same world as you.

[Dio's disdain is, of course, persistent and not liable to ease up at all in the near future. But more notable is the way he says I. It doesn't end up emphasized over the rest of the words in the sentence in any sort of dramatic fashion. It's a much more subtle inflection of superiority and importance that he infuses into the word, and yet it is still unmistakable: Dio is Someone and he is quite used to being that Someone.]

[But in case he somehow missed it, Dio highlights it for him anyway. Nothing is ever half-measures with Dio.]

But even if I were, what makes you so certain I would want to associate or speak with you?

i

[tropism]

[ the only reason why he's here is because they told him he'd be here. giorno has been watching the rest of his fights with distaste because to him, there is no enjoyment in watching them. there was no way Dio was going to lose. he had walked into the ring with the intention of becoming its champion and that's exactly how he intends to leave. giorno had only come to observe if only because there is always a chance that someone will bring him to his knees. it's a testament as to how vicious he can be that he certainly doesn't mind watching if the opportunity will present itself despite, of course, worrying if it does happen. (after all, he doubts that he could stop himself if something does. such is the nature of the thing, and it's complicated enough of an emotion that he does what he can to push the reality of it to the back of his mind.)

when the crowd claps and roars, giorno politely claps, as well. there's another call for bets, but giorno's saving his money. at the end of the games, he lingers, eyes sharp in the darkness as he watches him.

there are so many things that he'd like to tell him, all competing in his mind, but he bites his tongue. ]

Good show, as always.

[malignans]

[It would be impossible for Dio to miss Giorno's presence in the audience. That doesn't mean he particularly reacts to it, of course. Dio never feels as though he needs to prove himself to be anything to anyone, let alone would he ever feel the particular need to prove or appease his son. But he's keenly aware that Giorno is present and can hear his quiet, polite clapping without once having to take a moment to particularly glance in his direction amid the crowd.]

[It's only once he's been approached and Giorno speaks that he spares him a glance. One corner of Dio's mouth pulls itself up into a smile as he hums in quiet amusement.]

And yet you didn't appear to be enjoying yourself.

[tropism]

[ giorno shakes his head. ] You were never in trouble. What else is new.

[ indeed, dio didn't even look like he'd been in the ring. he might've been a guest or a judge for all anyone knows - just some random nobody with a pretty face and a scary form - but that was always the mistake people have where dio was concerned.

he leans against the sponsor's ads wrapped all over, ankles crossed, slipping his hands inside his pockets. ] There are less troublesome ways of exercising, you know.

[malignans]

Perhaps, [Dio concedes,] but those often result in death or maiming at the very least.

[Never mind that they don't pay and don't provide Dio with the same taste of nostalgia, but he'll never admit to dependence on a form of income and certainly never to any true sense of sentimentality.]

So, which would you prefer I do?

[tropism]

A world of opportunities, and you're asking me what there is to do.

I'm merely pointing out that unnecessary violence shouldn't be made into entertainment. [ steel in his voice, that self-righteousness leaking out of his words; he certainly didn't get that from dio's side of things. no, that one comes from another source, malignant in his blood, reaching beyond death. giorno carries that birthmark, after all, for better or worse. ] With one as powerful as you, it's hardly a balanced fight at all.

If you need any help, you can always ask. [ money. assistance. everything else. he is loathe to offer this, simply because he knows dio would probably refuse it, and anyway, far be it from his father to accept offers of charity even if it's from his son, and - there are other reasons - but he says it out anyway, for dio to decide whether he'd reject it or accept it. ]