"I think we freaked him out," Hol whispered.
Dio stopped time. The man's expression of shock was frozen in place. Dio waved towards the door and ushered the group out. "We have eight seconds to get out of this man's sight. He'll just write this off as a very vivid hallucination."
They were halfway down the steps when time began again. "Just keep going," Dio said.
There was a yelp from the bottom of the steps. A young boy stared at them with wide eyes.
Dio stopped time again. "Quickly," he hissed, and the group trampled down the steps. Jolyne helped Hermes stagger along while Giorno ran to the door and pulled it open. They poured out into the front yard and Dio remembered to flip his umbrella open just in time.
Time began again. The boy turned on his heel and gawked at them through the open doorway. The man from the office ran to the upper railing of the staircase and gave them a severe glare.
Time stopped once more. Dio fought to contain a pained wince. "Go down the road. Let's not begin our time here with having the police called for trespassing."
They ran off. Back within the house, Hayato looked up at the man he doubted was actually his father. When he saw how angered and confused Kosaku was, his fear only grew.
Kosaku's intense gaze slid from the doorway and focused upon Hayato. They locked eyes for a few long moments. How were they able to do that, Hayato wanted to ask, but his questions were superseded and silenced by his fear. He managed to tear his gaze away from Kosaku and look out the open door. The strange group of people was nowhere to be seen.
The group continued down the road at a steadier pace once they were out of sight.
"You said you knew where we could stay," Giorno asked. "While I'm sure we would all appreciate a hotel or even an apartment, we have no money that would work in Japan or in the past."
"I'm aware," Dio replied. When he did not explain any further Giorno frowned.
"Nice place, nice weather, not a mosquito in sight," Hermes said as she stretched out her arms. "Can't say I'm gonna miss Florida too much."
"Morioh has a beach, too," Jolyne replied with an almost overly happy tone. "Maybe we'll have the chance to go swimming."
"Oh, Hol, I just realized. I could have just dropped you off at your home," Dio said as he flipped through the atlas. "I still can. Where should I circle?"
Hol squinted at him and gave a strained grin. "Ha ha ha. I'm not giving you my address."
He smirked. "Hmm, correct response. I wanted to make sure that your decision-making faculties were still intact after finding out you were romantically involved with Nena."
"In my defense, she was able to shapeshift," Hol replied flatly.
"I don't know Japanese at all," Rikiel said mostly to himself. "What if I have to ask someone for directions or something?"
"I can teach you some," Giorno replied.
"Same," Jolyne added. "But Morioh's a tourist hotspot during the summer. Most places should know some English."
"Have you been here before?" Mista asked.
Her smile faltered. "Not really," she answered. "I just looked stuff up."
Dio spotted a familiar set of houses and figured out where he was. If he turned along the next road and walked a few blocks he would be able to find—
Someone was waving and calling out to them. He saw Joseph Joestar walking arm-in-arm with Erina. He nearly stopped time again out of surprise.
"Good morning! We got up early and did some clothes shopping so I didn't stick out like a sore thumb," Erina explained, her tone a bit too cheerful. She did a little kick. "Jeans! They're quite popular now, but I feel as if I've costumed myself as a railway worker." She waved at the rest of the group. "Who is all this?"
Hol tipped his hat and smiled. "Ma'am. Looking lovely today, if you don't mind me saying. Excellent choice in denim wear."
Dio grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Oh, Hol, let me introduce you. This is my sister in law. She's here from the early 1900s."
"Ohsweetjesus," Hol breathed.
Joseph squinted at them. "Is that Hol goddamn Horse?" He leaned to the side to get a better look at the rest of the group and he stared at Jolyne in stark incomprehension. "Who…?"
"You know what, I'll explain this to you later," Dio quickly said. Time stopped.
"Great grandpa Joseph?" Jolyne murmured. "He honestly doesn't look any different from the last time I saw him."
"Now is not the time to catch up," Dio replied as he ushered them along.
They finally made it to his intended destination; Ungalo squinted doubtfully at a decrepit-looking house. "This is the place you want us to stay at?"
"Yes," Dio answered. "This is the home of the person I respect most in Morioh. He was both successful in killing me, albeit while I was in a very weakened state, and he saved my life by dragging me out of the sunlight to safety." He strode up to the door and knocked.
Loud footsteps thudded towards the door. "Josuke, you're way early. I thought we were hanging out at—" The door swung open and Okuyasu blinked at them in surprise. "Uh. Hey, Dio. What's up?"
"Okuyasu," he began. "Your house is very large and very empty. It is only you and your father living here, correct?"
"Yeah," he answered as he frowned in confusion.
"I have several individuals in desperate need of housing," Dio continued as he gestured to the group behind him.
"You mean… have them live here?" Okuyasu stammered.
"I will pay you," Dio replied. "Name your price."
"Um." He pressed a hand to his forehead. "I'd have to research the average rental rate in this part of town. Wait. Hold on! Who are these people?"
Dio crossed his arms. "You're the man of the house, given your father's affliction. I trust that you would be a good role model for my sons."
"Your what?"
"Anything that you need done, they will be at your command," Dio continued. He gestured up towards the boarded windows of the house. "Chores. Repairs. Etcetera."
"What are they saying?" Ungalo whispered to Giorno. Giorno translated it back and he frowned. "Wait a second," Ungalo called out to Dio. "This guy's just a teenager."
Dio glared back at him. "He's the most responsible person I can think of here."
Ungalo squinted. "You're trying to pawn us off as like, indentured servants to him."
"Did you think I would allow you to freeload? To take this as charity?" Dio hissed. "Absolutely not."
Jolyne raised her hand. "Where am I in this trade?" Hermes nodded in agreement and looked at Dio inquisitively. Mista looked as if he would say something, but he merely frowned.
Dio shrugged. "You're not my child. Fend for yourself or go stay with your father at the hotel."
"Everyone can stay here," Okuyasu insisted. "I mean, especially if you're paying me. There's plenty of room."
"Grand." Dio clapped a hand onto his shoulder, maneuvered him out of the way, and entered the house. "We can draw up a contract later."
Okuyasu stared at the group, completely befuddled. "Uh. Do you want a tour?"
Giorno nodded. "It would be appreciated."
Okuyasu watched them curiously as he led the way through the first floor. "So those ones are American?"
"Yes," Giorno replied as he gestured toward them. "Rikiel and Ungalo, as well as Donatello, who is inside this turtle."
"Gotcha," he said as he looked at the turtle in utter confusion. "Well, maybe they can help me with my English. I wanna get really good at it so I can go into business studies. What about the rest of them?"
"The man with the cowboy hat is Hol Horse. He's about as American as you can get. This is Mista. He and I are Italian but my mother was Japanese," Giorno explained.
Mista tapped at his shoulder. "Hey, can you explain to him that I'm not one of Dio's kids? I feel like that wasn't made clear."
"Mista would like to inform you that he and Dio are in no way related," Giorno stated. "Also, over there is Hermes, who I believe is also American. Jolyne is…" He trailed off and pursed his lips.
"Yeah, hi. Jotaro's my dad," she explained.
Okuyasu made a choked noise of surprise. "Jotaro Kujo?!"
"Yeah, that one," she replied.
He frowned and counted off on his fingers, then stared at her.
"From the future," she said.
"Ohh," he replied, but his confusion only grew.
Rikiel shrieked and jumped back from the stairway. "What the hell is that?!"
There was a loud gurgle as Okuyasu's father slumped his way down the last set of stairs. He stumbled when he reached the ground floor, but as he tottered he managed to keep his balance.
Okuyasu laughed loudly to cover his discomfort. "He's doing pretty well today! Um, everyone, meet my dad. Dad, meet everyone."
Jolyne stared at him in concern as he wobbled over towards the kitchen. "That's your dad?"
Okuyasu shot a glance at Dio, who was standing by the window and looking at the many tiny holes bored into the wood paneling with interest. Giorno caught the look and he frowned. "What did he do?"
"Uh! Well!" he stammered. "It was an accident, sort of. Not really. But he did try to help," he insisted.
Jolyne shouted over towards Dio. "Hey, care to explain to everyone why this guy's dad is like that?"
"He did that to him?" Rikiel asked in disbelief as he watched Okuyasu's father slap his hands against the fridge. Okuyasu ran over to him, pulled open the door, and watched carefully as he began rooting through the contents.
Ungalo crossed his arms. "Could you just explain things in general? Like the whole cousins thing? Or why you're a goddamn vampire?"
"Jolyne and Giorno seem to be well versed in the story," Dio said. "Ask them."
"It'd be better to just hear it from you," Ungalo grumbled.
Dio merely stared at him blankly. Ungalo's frown deepened and he crossed his arms tightly but he refused to look away.
"Of course," Dio finally said, his tone ominously calm. "Okuyasu, could I perhaps borrow a pen and paper?"
Okuyasu closed the fridge as his father waddled off with a hunk of cheese. "Uh, yeah. Just give me a minute."
The group gathered in the living room. Jolyne and Hermes sprawled out on a sagging couch. Rikiel and Ungalo managed to squish onto the couch, as well. Giorno leaned against the arm and held the turtle with the lid open while Mista sat cross-legged on the floor. Hol held back and leaned against the doorway. Okuyasu excused himself and encouraged his father back up the stairs.
Dio held the paper up against the glass surface of a boxy television and began to write. "Jolyne here is Jotaro Kujo's daughter. Jotaro is the son of Holly Joestar. Holly is the daughter of Joseph Joestar." He paused, frowned, and added another line. "Josuke is the son of Joseph Joestar, as far as I can gather. Joseph is the son of George Joestar II. George is the son of Erina and Jonathan Joestar. Jonathan was the son of George and Mary." He slid the pen further upwards. "And so on. The Joestars before that point aren't really relevant."
He wrote his name in all caps, drew an arrow, and pointed it towards the top of the family chain. "I was adopted into the Joestar family in 1881. Years prior, these two were in a carriage crash." He drew an X over Mary. "My father attempted to rob Jonathan Joestar's father, George Joestar. George was too stupid to realize that he was being robbed and instead thought he was being saved from the carriage crash. He gave my father a large sum of money and still believed that he owed him a debt, so when my father died, he took me in."
"When you killed your father," Giorno corrected.
"Oh, was that in the Speedwagon Foundation files?" Dio said lightly.
"No," he replied. "The phone call. Remember?"
Dio scowled and pressed forward. "The Joestars were completely oblivious as to the power they held in the world. Oblivious and careless. I would argue that they still are, but let's not get off track." He drew an X over George. "My original plan was to legally wrangle the Joestar fortune into my hands, but certain events transpired that led to me becoming a vampire."
"By 'legally' you once again mean killing your father," Giorno said.
"That's irrelevant," Dio retorted. "Once he was dead the fortune would legally be in my name. And even if it hadn't gone to me—" he would have ruined Jonathan's life further in order to obtain them, he knew, but he merely rolled his eyes. "Anyway. After that—"
"Wait, wait. More details on the vampirism, please," Ungalo insisted.
"I'm okay without more of that, actually," Rikiel mumbled.
Dio sighed and drew an approximation of the stone mask. "I never met Jonathan's mother, obviously. But during her travels she somehow came across an artifact from an ancient society. If you wear the stone mask and activate it, it will pierce your brain and turn you into a vampire."
Ungalo raised his hand. Dio only stared at him so he decided to go ahead and ask. "So we've seen the no sun and drinking blood parts. But what about other stuff? Like, can you turn into bats?"
Dio tried to recollect the honestly absurd list of abilities that the stone mask unlocked. "I don't age. I can heal my own wounds quite easily. My senses are highly attuned. I can freeze parts of my body at will and transfer the cold to others. My hair is prehensile. I can turn corpses into zombies. I can create other lesser vampires. I can hypnotize others into obeying my will, and if that doesn't work, I can implant a flesh bud to weaken their psyche. I can manipulate and graft flesh to an extent." He paused. "I can also shoot eye lasers made from pressurized blood plasma, but it isn't particularly pleasant to do so."
Hol raised his hand. Dio gave him a bemused look. "What, Hol?"
"Did you need the coffin in Cairo or was that just for fun?" he asked.
Dio squinted at him. "It's comfortable and it keeps out the sun."
Hermes raised her hand. "Is it safe to be around you if I'm on my period?"
"I'm not a shark," he replied flatly. "Also, if I could refrain from taking your blood when elbow-deep inside you, I'm not going to want to do so when you're on your damn rag."
She tilted her head back thoughtfully. "Ahh, yeah. That does make sense."
Rikiel looked as if he were about to keel over. "What? What?"
"He helped Giorno give Hermes a liver transplant." Jolyne leaned forward and rested her chin on her palm. "Let's move on."
"Let's," Dio agreed dryly. He drew a circle around Jonathan's name. "Erina is the woman you saw as we were on our way here. She married Jonathan. Jolyne, you are descended from her."
"Great-great-and-so-on grandma," she stated.
"Correct." He drew another arrow and connected his name to Jonathan's. "Jonathan nearly defeated me when I became a vampire. My original body was completely destroyed except for my head. So, I killed him and grafted my head onto the body." He drew four more lines down from his own name. "When I was in Cairo, I copulated with your mothers. That is where you come from."
Rikiel pressed his face into his hands. "Please don't say it like that. Actually, just stop talking."
"So you…" Ungalo gestured vaguely and then gave up. "Yeah. Turbocousins is right."
"And Cairo is where my dad beat your ass," Jolyne said.
"Sure," Dio replied with a scowl and a shrug. "He stumbled his way into victory, as Joestars are wont to do."
She quirked an eyebrow. "You really believe that?"
"You should know that I do respect your father, Jolyne. I also just happen to not like him. Do you understand why your father killed me?" Dio asked.
"Grandma Holly was gonna die otherwise," she stated.
He tilted his head. "Understand that I was not actively trying to kill your grandmother. Her illness was a highly unfortunate side effect of me acquiring my Stand. I didn't want Jotaro to pursue me. I was merely fighting to survive. Every form of life comes with its own share of exploitation," he said as he glared at her imperiously. "You can think as highly of yourself as you like, but surely you recognize that."
"Holly deserved to live more than you did. You had the chance to live your life and you fucked it up," she retorted. "What are you, a hundred something? More? And where has that gotten you, exactly?"
"Two hundred something, I thought," Ungalo added.
Giorno frowned. "You were… twenty-two when you became a vampire. Then a hundred years in the ocean. Then five years in Cairo. Now, this…" He waved his hand expressively. "You said there was another hundred years in the ocean, but your double said—"
"A year, tops," his double replied helpfully. "Though I wouldn't consider the original century spent doing nothing but attempting to heal and barely being conscious to be 'living'. However, there are the time loops to consider, and while the perception of time within them is rather condensed I believe they should still be included. I would say, all things considered, his age is around…" He shrugged. "Thirty."
Mista had drawn his gun but looked as if he wasn't sure what to do with it. Hol looked prepared to begin running and never look back. Rikiel made a muffled noise of panic. Ungalo grabbed onto Hermes but she was so alarmed that she didn't even notice. Jolyne's arm had already unraveled and she leaned forward while watching the double closely. Giorno forced himself to relax. His nails had pressed into his palms so harshly he expected blood. He peered at Dio's double coolly. "Should we expect your sudden appearances to become a regular thing?"
"Hm." The double smirked at him. "No." He disappeared.
"Okay. You were serious about the two of you thing," Jolyne said as her arm reformed.
Dio's fingers pressed against his temple and he scowled. "My age is irrelevant. What is important is that the stone mask allowed me to transcend humanity, and acquiring my Stand allowed me to ascend higher still. That remains true no matter what."
"Dunno. Seems like you were just as much of a dick before slapping on a mask," Jolyne stated as she watched him closely. "You had a body count before you had to start eating people. Two dead dads." Her eyes narrowed. "What about your—"
"Question," Giorno interrupted as he held up his hand. Jolyne and Dio both frowned at him. "Well, several questions. You may prefer to answer them in private, however."
"Just ask," Dio said, his tone heavily laced with exasperation.
"So," Giorno asked, "during that last Stand battle, what made you jump to the wild conclusion that I want to kill you? Further projection?"
Dio glared at him. "It's the only explanation I can think of as to how you were able to truthfully answer the version of me on the phone. And you all but said so earlier when I was explaining why I have some respect for Rikiel."
"Ah." Giorno sighed. "See, that was a joke, and perhaps one made in bad taste. I was merely attempting to speak your language. Next question. How many Stand battles have you actually been in?"
He grit his teeth. Well, there was Jotaro and by extension brief encounters with Polnareff, Kakyoin, and he supposed Joseph. He had tested the limits of his stolen body and his Stand in controlled situations, but most other Stand users had just fallen under his sway or ran away out of fear before a true battle could begin. The problem with vastly outclassing most other Stand users was that not many were willing to fight you. That, and he had been rather determined to keep the World's ability a secret. He had studied dozens of Stand discs with Pucci, but of course that wasn't the same. "Several," he answered.
"I only ask because you've acted rather rashly in the last few we had," Giorno replied. "The man on the road wasn't much of a threat, but you made the encounter with the box much worse than it needed to be and the last Stand was able to upset you. Next question. When was the last time you ate or slept?"
Dio looked confused. "The guy on the road," Rikiel mumbled. "But that was just to heal yourself after being in the sun."
"Do you need to sleep?" Giorno asked.
"Beauty sleep," Hol said quietly. When Dio glared at him he held up his hands defensively. "You said it, not me!"
"Basic needs will tear a team apart if left unfulfilled," Giorno said. "Food. Water. Shelter. Sleep. Those are things necessary for both humans and vampires, no? Even if you just consider your food and water to be blood. I appreciate that you have found us shelter, but I think we all need to realize that we have reached a point at which we need to rest. We are all tired. We are all frustrated. I respect that you have powered through this experience, but you do seem like you are on edge."
Dio's glare was sharp enough to cut. He tossed the pen and paper to the ground before stalking off towards the doorway.
Ungalo twisted in his seat to watch him warily as he left. "Where are you going?"
"To fulfill my basic needs," he replied, his tone too light and dismissive for comfort.
Rikiel watched him warily. "You mean…?"
"What do you think?" Dio snapped as he picked up his umbrella.
Jolyne glared at him. "Are you serious?"
"Do you go to the Serengeti and lecture the lions for eating gazelles?" he asked. As her arm began to unravel and she looked as if she would begin a tirade he held up his hand. "Goodness, could you all have a little faith in my ability to eke out a sustainable existence here? If I were going out and killing people for food, the Joestars wouldn't be hunting down some piddly serial killer. I'd be the top priority. I get donated blood from the hospital."
"Why wouldn't you just say that in the first place!" Rikiel exclaimed.
Dio shot a pointed glare at Giorno. "It isn't my fault if you assume. Perhaps try becoming more fluent in 'my language'."
Jolyne's lip curled in disgust. "What, in being a bully?"
Giorno just looked exhausted. He watched as Dio stormed out. Mista sighed and fiddled with his revolver. Hermes leaned against Jolyne and frowned thoughtfully.
"Well, none of us are dead," Hol said with forced humor. "Gotta say, that is an improvement."
Everyone but Giorno glared at him.
Okuyasu peeked around the corner. "Hey. Uh. So I heard the bit about you all being tired and stuff. I've got a shower and a washing machine but we'll have to dry clothes outside. I need to do some grocery shopping but there's a good amount of food. There's a linen closet by the bathroom with a bunch of like, toothpaste and stuff like that because, um, couponing. Which is really fun, by the way. And I don't have many spare beds but I have some sleeping bags." He paused, frowned, and then nodded. "I have some clothes that should fit most of you guys. Don't have any girl clothes, though."
Jolyne sighed and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. "You're a saint, Okuyasu."
Ungalo frowned. "Wait, Dio never explained why his dad is like that. Why is he a blobman?"
Hermes smacked him upside the head.
There was a knock at the door. Okuyasu dashed over to open it. "Oh, hey Josuke! Hey, Koichi! You're early!"
Josuke shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, apparently everyone is meeting at Rohan's at noon to talk about some Dio time travel stuff or something."
Koichi nodded. "Jotaro does not seem very happy about it."
"Neither does Dio," Josuke added. "Dude just walked right past us."
"Oh!" Okuyasu exclaimed. He swung the door open wide and gestured towards the group. "They must be talking about this, then."
Giorno inhaled sharply and slapped his hand against the turtle. He disappeared and the turtle landed on the arm of the couch.
Within the turtle, he took a deep breath and leaned forward with his hands on his knees. Donatello and Polnareff watched him in confusion.
Giorno looked up at Donatello and smiled wanly. "You didn't want to join the lecture?"
"I already heard all that shit from Pucci," he replied. "Didn't really want to sit through it again."
Giorno nodded. "Understandable."
Donatello tilted his head. "What's up with you?"
"Hopefully avoiding a paradox," he answered.
Outside of the turtle, Josuke went wide-eyed. "Hi?!"
"Oh my God, little teen Josuke," Jolyne exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in ages. Adult you, I mean."
Josuke clapped his hands against his cheeks and squinted at her. "What?!"
"Too many new people," Rikiel mumbled. "I want to just sleep."
Hermes leapt to her feet, then staggered uneasily and placed a hand on her abdomen. "Somebody said shower, right? Dibs."
"Shower is upstairs," Okuyasu answered in English as he pointed towards the ceiling.
"Itadakimasu," Hermes shouted as she walked as quickly as she could manage.
"You say that for food," Jolyne called out after her. "Arigato gozaimasu is the more fitting thank you."
"Gracias," she shouted back as she clambered up the stairs.
"Hey, Josuke. We'll go over this all at that meeting, I guess," Jolyne said with a strained grin. "But it is nice to see you."
"Who are you?" he asked. "You kinda look like…"
She scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, Jotaro's my dad."
Josuke blinked at her. "Jotaro has a daughter?!"
Her grin became more of a grimace. "Yup."
"Who are these guys, then?" he asked, waving towards Ungalo, Rikiel, and Mista.
"Dio's kids," she answered flatly.
Mista lifted his hands and crossed his fingers in an x as he shook his head. "Tell him not me, though."
"He has…?" Josuke pressed a hand to his forehead. "Heavy. I have to like, go lie down."
Koichi frowned thoughtfully. "I thought I saw another person in here."
"Oh, he went in the turtle for some reason," Ungalo explained. Koichi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"They're all super tired from time travel or something," Okuyasu explained. "Let's go out to the café like we were planning to. Then we can all meet at Rohan's or whatever." He pushed at Josuke's shoulders. "Also I kinda just want out of the house. Come on, Koichi."
"Ohhh," Josuke said as he was steered out the door. "Can do, can do. Let's get us some coffee."
After they had left, Rikiel peered into the turtle. "They left, if that was what you were worried about. What are you doing?"
Giorno warped back out of the turtle. "The shorter boy," he answered. "I met him in Italy before. I'm a little worried about what might happen if he saw me now."
"Well, I'm gonna go crash," Ungalo said as he hopped off the couch. He glanced back at Rikiel and Giorno. "What about you guys?"
"I want to brush my teeth and stuff beforehand," Rikiel replied. "What about Donatello?"
"He can leave the turtle when he wants to," Giorno answered.
"Speaking of which, can I go in there?" Hol asked. "I wanna talk to Polnareff."
"Sex Pistols are hungry," Mista said as he got to his feet. "Time to see what kind of food situation we're in."
Jolyne stood and gave Giorno a pointed glance. "I'm not too tired. Still hopped up on adrenaline. Want to go on a talk-walk?"
"Are you asking me to or telling me to?" he replied, his tone light.
"Asking," she said with a frown. "Nicely, even."
He nodded. "Then sure."
Dio trudged into Rohan's house and went straight to the basement. He was halfway down the steps when he remembered he had used the last of the blood to heal himself after the encounter with the killer.
He glared off into the darkness, wanting nothing more than to break something, but something caught his eye and he frowned.
At some point, Rohan had gone back to the hospital. Three bags heavily loaded with packaged blood were set on the floor. He crouched and slashed his nails through the plastic. The stale blood spilled in a facsimile of a real bleed. He pressed his hand against the bag and absorbed it.
Well, he did feel better. The muted iron sting at the back of his throat was accompanied by a sense of calm. His sight grew hazy and he leaned to the side. He dipped his hand further into the bag and closed his eyes.
Giorno walked patiently and silently at Jolyne's side. She was wound up with aimless energy and seemed as if she would break into a run at any moment. She had said that it would be a talk and walk but she mostly had just been pointing out innocuous things around town as they meandered down the road.
"Nice garden," she said as she pointed towards someone's front yard. Giorno nodded in agreement.
"Sorry if I'm not getting to the point," she said plainly. "I just haven't had the chance to enjoy anything normal in a while."
"I understand," he replied. "And I don't mind."
She glanced at him sidelong. "So you know I was in prison, right?"
He nodded. "But you were framed, yes?"
"Totally," she huffed, but her expression grew thoughtful. "I mean, I was pretty dumb beforehand. Acting out a lot. I might have ended up in trouble anyway, but yeah, getting framed for murder didn't help." She shrugged. "But being in Green Dolphin taught me some important things. Everything in there is simplified but also intensified. You can see the flow of power real easily, for guards and prisoners alike. You learn real quick who needs bribed, who needs flattered, who needs intimidated. Who needs beat up. And even who you should actually be kind to," she explained.
"Which am I?" Giorno asked. "Not someone who needs beat up, I hope."
"Nah," she answered with a laugh. "I don't think so." She sniffed and crossed her arms. "My point is that I can spot the sort of dynamics that happen between people. Your two brothers are terrified of him," she explained. "You're wary, but you're also considerate. Well, maybe considerate isn't the right word. You know how to handle him," she concluded.
"I like to think that I am good at handling people," he replied.
"You are." She laughed. "I know we just met but I think we're both good at recognizing things about other people."
"Yes." He gave her a careful look. "With no intention of being rude in saying so, it seems that we both have difficult relationships with our fathers."
"It's that obvious, huh?" She stretched out her arms and her shoulders popped. "Yeah. I'm a little worried about meeting my dad here."
"Not for paradox reasons?" he asked.
"Nah. It's just…" Jolyne trailed off. "It's strange. The closest I've ever felt to him was when he was in a coma. That's what it took for me to really understand him."
"He was distant?" Giorno asked tentatively.
"Emotionally. Physically. Geographically," she said flatly. "When he divorced my mom I figured he just didn't like us or didn't care about us anymore. It made me really angry. I held onto that anger for a long time." She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I think I'm still mad about it, even though I know he did it because he thought it would keep us safe. Old habits die hard and all." She sighed, sniffed, and looked to the side. "When I see him here, I know I'll have to try to let go of that anger for good. Because I'll finally see why he did what he did. I don't like what he did, but I'll have to understand it."
"And letting go of that anger is scary," Giorno replied.
She nodded. "Yeah." She pushed some stray strands of hair away from her face. "Hell, maybe now I'll be the one trying to protect him from things. I'm old enough and strong enough to do it."
They walked on in silence for a few long moments before Giorno spoke again. "Which type of prison person is Dio?" he asked.
She grinned. "I think he'd like to believe he's above all that. What do you think of him?"
"He certainly puts a lot of weight on blood," he said with a sigh. "And I don't mean in the vampiric sense. I'm just not sure what he was expecting of us as not-quite-Joestars. He acts as if he hates it but if we didn't share our heritage I believe he would have left us behind in Florida."
"Sounds like he wanted some mini-me's to boss around," she replied.
He frowned. "Not quite. I'm still trying to figure it out. He certainly expects something of me. But it's as if as soon as you attempt to understand him beyond his tightly controlled narrative, he grows defensive."
"Offensive, more like," Jolyne grumbled.
"Yes," Giorno laughed. "I'll be honest. I was a little worried about meeting you. The history of our family looms so heavily that I thought we would instinctively hate each other or something silly like that. But I am glad that was not the case. And it even seems that Dio has grown more...tolerant? Accepting? Pragmatic, perhaps, when it comes to you and your father."
Jolyne shrugged. "That's only because he thinks he's getting our help right now. I know that maybe I should be a little more, I don't know. Somber. Respectful of the history. I mean, Pucci acted like Dio was literally God. And Jotaro distanced himself because he was so worried about his fallout. But I won't act like that for him. I'm not gonna treat Dio like some unstoppable eternal threat. I know that will piss him off. I personally don't care if he gets mad at me, I can defend myself and he knows it. So, to me, he's just some guy." She stopped walking and gave Giorno a serious look. "I know you're his son and that my family might have been weird about it. But I don't care."
Giorno stared at her with wide eyes. She crossed her arms. "I'm not a mini-Jotaro and you're not a mini-Dio. Sure, our families have some heavy-ass baggage to inherit. But that doesn't stop us from being ourselves."
It took him a moment to be able to reply. He gave her a genuine smile. "I appreciate that."
Someone called out; they both turned and looked down the road.
"Hey!" Josuke waved and grinned nervously. "Uh, so Joseph said Jotaro's saying the meeting is gonna be a Joestar-only affair. Want to go over with me?"
Giorno nodded. "Please, lead the way."
Rikiel slapped his hand against the bathroom door. "Hermes, come on. You've been showering for an hour."
"This is the first I've been able to wash up without getting yelled at in months," she replied, her voice muffled by the running water and the door. "Do not ruin this for me."
"I just want to brush my teeth and go to bed," he whined.
"Use the bathroom downstairs."
"Donatello got sick of being in the turtle and now he's isolated himself in there," he explained. "He isn't letting anyone in."
She let out a frustrated sigh. "Door's not locked. Just do it. There's a shower curtain, so I don't care."
He grimaced. "I care!"
The sound of running water shut off abruptly and the hooks of the shower curtain shrilled against the metal bar. Hermes stomped over to the door and Rikiel winced away when she swung it open.
"There you go, ya big baby," she huffed as she finished tucking her towel around herself. "I was running out of hot water anyway. Where's Jolyne?"
"Dunno, she went for a walk with Giorno or something," he said as he squeezed past her.
She rolled her eyes and walked down the hallway. Okuyasu had kindly set out a few folded piles of clean clothes for everyone. They appeared to be standard men's high school uniforms, some with fairly ostentatious lettered detailing along the collar, but she wasn't picky. Bad Company sounded kind of badass, anyway. She ducked into an empty room and changed.
Dio awoke to the sensation of something jabbing into his shoulder. He opened his eyes and stared at a bloodied bag full of empty plastic packaging. He sat up and whatever was poking him stopped.
"What happened to you?" Rohan asked as he pulled away the long wooden handle of a broom.
"Ate a snack. Took a nap." Dio ran a hand over his face and frowned. "Capitulated to the body's needs." He shot Rohan a sly look. "It is fortunate that you brought me more blood."
"Yeah, well. I might not like you but you are my guest," Rohan sighed. "Also, I have a herd of Joestars at my front door saying something about a meeting."
"Ugh." Dio swept his forearm across his mouth. "I suppose I did say we would meet here."
"And by at my front door I mean Joseph and Jotaro already forced their way inside and are sitting on my couch," Rohan continued. "The nice English lady was at least polite enough to remain on the porch until I actually invited her in. Josuke was here but he ran off to get apparently more Joestars or something."
Dio stood and glanced down at himself. There was a spattering of rusty dried blood across his shirt but he wasn't too concerned about it. If anything, it added a splash of drama. Rohan frowned as he stalked past him and began ascending the steps. He swung the basement door open and looked into the living room. Joseph was hunched on the couch and scowling; Jotaro was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Erina was sitting in an armchair and sipping at a cup; at some point, Rohan must have made her tea.
The front door opened and Josuke strolled in. "Hey, hey. Unless there's more time travel I'm missing out on then everyone is here."
"My brothers are going to rest," Giorno said to Dio as he entered. "I'll catch them up later."
Jolyne stood a few steps outside the doorway and did not move. She locked eyes with Jotaro, whose hands had dropped to his sides. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Jolyne looked as if she were about to speak as well, but the words were caught in her throat.
"Can you come in and shut the door? The light is annoying," Dio said as he lifted a hand to shield his eyes.
Jotaro slowly turned to look at him, his already harsh expression deepening into rage. "What did you do?"
Dio just stared at him blankly, his hand still held at his brow.
"What the fuck did you do?" Jotaro repeated, his volume just barely restrained from shouting.
Dio furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you going on about?"
His fists were tightly clenched. Star Platinum arced over him, its enraged glare set upon Dio.
Rohan scowled at them as he came up from the basement. "Fight outside. I am begging you."
Star Platinum threw the first punch; Dio merely frowned as the World used one arm to deflect the impact. The blow sent a deafening crack through the room. Rohan inhaled sharply and retreated down a few stairs.
"No no no, no. Dad. It's okay," Jolyne insisted as she took her first step inside. "It's okay."
As Jolyne approached Jotaro shot her a look sharpened by anger and terror. Star Platinum crossed its arms defensively, expecting a retaliatory blow; Dio and by extension the World merely stared at it impassively.
"It's okay," Jolyne insisted. "Look." Portions of her arm unwound and the string coalesced into a humanoid form that draped its arms over her shoulders. Stone Free peered at Jotaro through its sunglasses.
Jotaro's expression was completely unreadable. Jolyne smiled and ignored the watering of her eyes and tightness in her throat. "I know. You're not really happy to see me like this. This is like, exactly the opposite of what you would ever want. It sounds crazy but it's way safer for me to be here right now."
Jotaro realized he had been holding his breath and he inhaled, then exhaled. It was a simple action but it felt almost insurmountably difficult.
"I'm happy to finally..." She gulped down a breath and shrugged. "I know every time we meet, something bad seems to happen. I know it's because you're almost always in danger. But this time, we'll both be ready for it. We'll take it on together." She forced herself to grin and drove her fist into her palm. "I'll get to show you what you taught me."
Jotaro found that he couldn't speak. He shot a glance back at Joseph, who had hunched his shoulders and clamped his hands to the sides of his head as he watched the exchange with wide eyes.
"Hey, uh. Teen Jolyne. Come sit with your great-grandpa and meet my grandma," Joseph called out. Erina gave a strained smile and waved politely.
"You. Kitchen," Jotaro finally managed to snap at Dio. "You too," he said as he pointed at Giorno. Giorno nodded and pursed his lips as if to say fair enough.
"And you," Jotaro added as he glared at Josuke.
"Me?!" Josuke exclaimed.
"You left to go get them. You knew," Jotaro stated. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Josuke winced. "I thought that was what this whole meeting thing was about! Why didn't you ever tell us you had a daughter?"
Jotaro made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a growl.
"Cuz I'm a kid somewhere else right now," Jolyne answered. "He doesn't want some Stand user finding me and using me as leverage." She rubbed a wrist against her eyes and sat on the couch. Joseph's robotic hand creaked as he gently put it on her shoulder.
"Kitchen. Now." Jotaro grabbed Josuke by the shoulder and pulled him along. Giorno followed closely, his calm expression belied by his tense posture. Dio used the World to finally pull the front door shut before going after them.
"Well." Rohan closed the basement door behind him and looked towards Jolyne. "I'd offer you a drink, but I fear for the state of my kitchen if I were to interrupt whatever's happening right now."
Jolyne giggled and pressed her face into her hands. Joseph's expression became strained with concern as her shoulders shook and her laughter began to sound more like sobs. Her hands dropped and she wiped her face with her forearm. Erina moved to take a seat beside her; she placed her hand over Jolyne's and squeezed reassuringly.
