Journey Of A Golden Spirit: Rossi Di Napoli (Mass Effect/JoJo)

You take a deep breath, considering your options. Some tiny part of you just wants to start babbling away, uncaring of whether or not she understands you, just wanting to get it out and maybe once you've got everything off your chest you might be able to talk about it normally.

You push that part of you down. No. There's no, no rush here.

There's nothing to be afraid of. You're safe.

"... Ok. You... you deserve to know the truth."

You notice the look of concern on her face growing in severity and raise a finger to grab her attention.

"But," you start, "I'm setting down some ground rules for this. One. You listen. Ok? Everything I'm about to say is… stupidly unbelievable, until you see hard evidence. So I want you to listen to the very end, alright? If you walk out halfway through, without the full story… you'll just think I'm crazy."

Daria hesitates, but nods.

"… Two?"

Ah. You. Really only came up with one.

"... No, that, that about covers everything." You say, cheeks flushing with embarrassment that you couldn't actually come up with a second ground rule.

Daria smirks but otherwise, chooses not to comment.

"Ok then- what really happened?"

You take a breath, trying to order your thoughts as best you can. You guess you should start with Wallet Douche.

"Ok, so, it started with this Verde piece of shit, he was just walking along and I thought 'yeah why not' and grabbed his wallet from his back pocket. He, obviously, caught me, along with his friends, and they beat the shit out of me. When they got bored with that and walked away, I left it ten minutes before I got up. When I did, I... met someone."

At some point during your story, Daria starts breathing again, laying her hands on your ankle and sending sunlight through your bones again.

Ohhh that's good shit.

You close your eyes for a moment, drinking in the sheer relief of not being in incredible pain anymore. Eventually, you start talking again.

Eventually.

"I met this old guy, called himself Beedle, he talked to me for a bit, asking if I knew about stuff like Hamon and bloodsuckers, and before I got too tired of his shit and walked away, he... offered me a job. We went to a pizzeria just around the corner, he bought me dinner-"

"Waitwaitwait-" Daria interrupts, "so you just... trusted this random old guy, and went with him to a pizzeria because he offered you a job."

You blink, unsure where she's going with this.

"Uh... yeah, I'm, pretty sure that's what I just said."

"... Gioia, what the fuck? In what sense did that sound even remotely like a good idea?"

You can't help but laugh a little. Really?

"Ok, one, fuck you, no matter how beat up I am, I can take an old man. Two, who the fuck tries to convince someone to come with them with the promise of a job?"

Daria goes quiet, jutting her jaw out in thought.

"... That's fair."

"Yeah, thought so. He started by telling me what my payment for the job would be."

You stop talking. She gives you a look, and all you offer her is a crooked smile.

You really want her to ask you what the payment is. You want to enjoy the look on her face.

"... Alright, I'll bite. What did he offer you?"

"20,000 credits."

"WHAT?!"

The shrill yell of confusion leaves your ears ringing, and within seconds, Cesare is sprinting into the room, frenzied over his sister's yelling.

"What, what?! What's wrong?!" He yells, panic clear on his face.

Daria blushes slightly, no doubt embarrassed about being so loud.

"It-it's nothing." She mumbles after a moment

"No, Daria, it's not nothing, because you don't yell like that for no damn reason!" He says, panic quickly turning to frustration.

You decide you should probably step in before they start yelling at each other properly.

"I was offered a job by a guy, payment's 20,000 credits."

"WH-" He starts, before snapping his mouth shut, resolving not to make the same mistake as his sister.

"What?!" He eventually says, making sure to use his indoor voice.

"I'm serious. 20,000 credits, and-" You pat your pocket, feeling about for the most valuable thing you own.

A moment later, you pull The Needle out. A cursory check tells you that it isn't damaged, thankfully. The casing and button are both undamaged at the very least, which is a good sign, you suppose. Hopefully that speaks for the state of the actual important part as well.

"-this."

Cesare and Daria eye it up, confusion apparent on their faces.

"What... what is it?"

Ah. You realise that you... really don't have any idea how to explain Stands to them.

...

Eh, wing it.

"Ok, first off, Cesare, I'm telling you the same thing I told your sister. You listen, ok? This is going to sound like bullshit, but if you let me finish, I can prove it to you. Ok?"

They look at each other, some creepy twin silent conversation bullshit no doubt happening, but after a moment, he nods.

And so you begin trying to explain Stands while they get back to healing you. Your leg is a lot less swollen now, and most of your cuts and bruises have healed up nicely. You can probably walk out of here now if you want to.

First, you remind them about Hamon and vampires- two things that make no logical sense but still exist anyway.

10,000 years ago, a meteorite landed in Greenland, a place once inhospitable. Early humans found it and discovered that it did something when they cut themselves on it. It awakened something that Beedle called a Stand. A physical manifestation of the spirit. At first, they used chunks of the meteorite to make Arrows, and then, 25 years ago, the Alliance found what was left and created The Needles.

You told them how he proved the existence of them by getting rid of your ability to make any sound, and putting your leg up on the chair without touching it and oh sweet Jesus they think you're crazy.

"Look, look, I can... I can prove it. Because, he pricked me with it, and... I have one." You finish lamely.

"... Rrrrright. Gioia, are you... sure you're alright?" Cesare asks. "Because, like, I mean, I dunno if you're alright, it sounds like you've had a pretty stressful day, and, I dunno, maybe you're just having, like... a mental break?"

Daria smacks the back of his head.

"Ow! The hell was that for?!"

"At least let her finish before you assume she's crazy, dumbass." Daria answers.

"Oh, what, so you believe her?!"

"Not in the slightest, but I did agree to listen to the very end. So did you."

He opens his mouth, before thinking better of whatever he was about to say, and sighs instead.

"... Ok. Fine. You said you got one of these... 'Stands?' Prove it."

Ohh, you're gonna prove it, alright.

...

Any second now.

"... Well? We're waiting." Daria says, urging you on.

"... Uh. Gimme a second. I... don't, really have the hang of this, yet." You respond, an awkward laugh bubbling past your lips at the last second.

Wow, your throat's really dry all of a sudden. You could really go for a drink right now. You look for the water bottle Cesare had, and find it on a nightstand just out of reach.

You consider asking one of them to hand you it before an idea occurs to you. Instead, you focus on that desire for a moment.

I want that water bottle. I really, really want that water bottle.

Something hovers at the edge of your mind, leaving something at the very tip of your tongue. Instead of reaching for it and chasing it off, you leave it for a moment and are rewarded for your patience.

A name. Defining. Representing. Your soul, reduced to two words.

「Pearly Gates.」

As the name, words you don't recognise, English, you think, passes your lips, you feel something click into place deep in your core, and suddenly your desire is granted. Your Stand appears in all its alien glory, and picks up the water bottle for you, somewhat awkwardly, considering the odd shape of its hands, but it manages. It scrapes away a portal, the terminus above your waiting hands, and drops the bottle in.

You catch it, unscrew the cap, and take a deep swig of the cool, mildly disgusting water.

Heh. So that's how you do it.

You look over at the twins and find mirrored expressions awaiting you- both of their mouths are open, slack-jawed as they try to process what just happened.

"... Please tell me you saw that too." Daria asks her brother.

"Uh huh." Cesare answers his sister.

"Well? Is that proof?"

"I... what did it do?"

"It... kind of, scrapes away at space, and makes, uh..." come on, come on, you know this, use your words- "portals! It makes portals!"

This explanation doesn't seem to help them at all.

"... But how?"

"Well, they're... basically psychic powers. I dunno how it works, but it does."

They both grow silent for a moment. Cesare frowns, bringing his fist to his mouth.

"... Wait. So... he just, gave you that? As, what, an advance payment?" He eventually speaks up.

"Yeah. And the 20k is for when I, now we, I suppose, complete the job."

"... What... is the job, exactly?"

Well, after that display, the fact that vampires are created using some ancient mask is gonna be a much easier pill to swallow, right?

The answer is no. Well, yes, but the purpose of the mask after the fact of it being stolen is... taken less than well.

Daria pinches the bridge of her nose.

"I... shouldn't even need to tell you how ridiculously stupid this is. So, we grab this mask, either from the Alliance, the fucking military, or someone powerful enough to find one and keep it away from them, and then give it to this old guy you've known for less than half an hour, so he can become a bloodsucker? I'm sorry, and what's stopping him from just turning around and stabbing us in the back when he gets what he wants?"

You consider the question for a moment. He seemed trustworthy, even if he did have something of a desperate streak. Even if he did turn on you after the fact, by that point there would be six of you with Stands, which, using the two Stands you know of as a litmus test, are going to be awesome, you think that wait you're talking to two Hamon users what the fuck are you doing?

"'How are we going to deal with a backstabbing vampire,' asks the Hamon user."

The look she gives you drops the room temperature by several degrees. You raise your hands in a pacifying gesture and give her a proper answer instead.

"Ok, ok. Look, by the time we give him the mask, there's going to be six of us, two of which can use Hamon, all of us with Stands, against one fresh vampire. I think we can take him."

At that, they each seem to fall into a deep thought. You find it almost cute, how they unintentionally mirror each other without noticing it- they both raise a fist to their mouths, lying the flats of their fingers against their lips, both furrowing their eyebrows as they look down towards the ground. Or, your ankles, you suppose.

Then, as one, their eyes draw up, before settling on The Needle.

A chill goes down your spine as you realise what's about to happen. Even if they know you'll offer it to them both, they're still going to scramble to be first, scrambles which almost inevitably get physical, and considering your current state, you do not want to be the focus of that.

"Hold it." You say, catching their attention, and thankfully defusing the imminent scramble. "You wanna be jabbed, right?"

""Uh-huh."" They answer in unison, almost childlike desire in their voices.

...

Now. You take a step back and seriously consider the ramifications of what you're doing. While by no means the least qualified to gain new supernatural powers, the twins are...

Giving them yet another dick to measure is probably not the best idea you've ever had. Not to mention you should, probably go and talk to everyone else about this before you start doing anything.

[] Fortune Favours The Brave- I mean, you're planning to jab the others anyway, why not get started early? Besides, once they figure out how to summon their Stands, that's more proof right there. Where's the downside?

[] Only Fools Go Rushing In- On second thought, you should probably leave it until you've talked to the others. So you can explain, y'know, why giving the twins stupid-crazy psychic powers is a good idea. And, y'know, hear out any problems people might have with things.

[] Write-in