"He's exactly the same," Jolyne said mostly to herself. She felt her breath growing calmer and while a few tears were still rolling down her cheeks the tight feeling in her throat had dissipated. The metal hand upon her shoulder and the warm real one upon her own were both reassuring. She stared down at Erina's hand and blinked as her vision grew clearer. "I don't know why I would expect him to be different when this is the past. He's just so…" She sniffed. "Tactical. You know, right, gramps?" She sniffed and glanced up at Joseph.

"...Yeah," Joseph replied weakly.

"No hug or anything like that," she continued. "Just straight to business. Come in this other room and tell me what you did. No Jolyne allowed though," and she wagged a finger as if she were scolding someone. "So much safer if she doesn't know what's happening. Even though I'm an adult now. He still just sees me as a kid. I guess it makes sense, but..."

"Well, you can get a hug from me," Joseph said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

She laughed. "Thanks, gramps. You got any of your old man butterscotch candy on you?"

"Fresh out, I'm afraid," he admitted. "I'm taking care of baby Shizuka right now. Don't want to have any choking hazards."

"Oh, lil' Shizuka," she said as she wiped her eyes. "I haven't seen her in ages." She turned towards Erina and smiled. "Uh, hey. I guess I'm your great-great-great granddaughter. It's kind of wild that I get to actually meet you."

"Yes!" Erina replied enthusiastically. "It's really such a delight to see you." She patted Jolyne's hand and her expression grew more thoughtful. "I am sorry that it is under these circumstances, but… it doesn't seem that any of us have had particularly normal lives."

"Understatement of the century," Jolyne replied with a wavering grin.

"You're from the future?" Erina asked softly.

"Yeah, 2012," Jolyne replied. "You?"

"1915. Right in the middle of the Great War," she answered. "I was so, so worried about my family and friends making it through just that. So, despite everything, being here now… it is nice to see you all," she said with a smile. "I'm astounded by how dear Speedwagon's company is still working so closely with the family. I don't know your Jotaro very well yet, of course. And I only met Joseph's Josuke briefly. And I haven't met… Holly, isn't it?" she asked as she glanced over at Joseph. He nodded.

"And we just met," Erina added with a laugh, and she bumped her shoulder against Jolyne's. Her gaze happened to drop to the star-shaped birthmark along the lower curve of her neck. "But I feel as if…" Erina trailed off and found that her eyes were watering. "I feel as if I already know you very well," she said as she peered at Jolyne's face. "You're very strong, but you feel very strongly, too. I believe your father does, as well. He just may not express it as well as you."

"Aw jeez, great-great-great gram, you're gonna make me cry again," Jolyne said with a choked laugh.

Erina dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve and shrugged. "Goodness. Well, as long as they are happy tears this time."

They were interrupted by the sound of a pen scratching against paper. They both looked up at Rohan, who had begun sketching on a small notepad. He glanced between them and the page repeatedly. "Pardon me, just… wanted to catch… there." He held out the page and stared at it critically, then smirked. "Turned out quite well, if I do say so myself."

Joseph gave him an exhausted glare. Rohan tore off the page and approached them. "I just wanted to capture the unique feeling of the moment. I have the expression of the lines in my memory, so you can have this if you like. No Heaven's Door or anything," he said when Joseph frowned at him. "You can just have it."

Jolyne took it from him and raised her eyebrows. "Ooh. This is really good, dude."

Rohan leaned back and crossed his arms. "I know, but thank you."

"Oh!" Erina exclaimed. "At some point, we should all take a picture. Especially since cameras are so much faster and better now."

"Yeah, we really should commemorate the strangest Joestar family reunion imaginable," Joseph huffed. "I certainly have the spare cameras for it."


Josuke leaned back against the counter on his elbows and frowned. Giorno stood stiffly a few paces away from him. Jotaro ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath as he glared at Dio, who was just watching him blankly.

"Josuke," Jotaro stated. "I'm not mad at you."

He slumped against the counter. "Whew."

"You're here because if I decide to beat this man to death, you're going to fix him so that I can do it again."

Josuke winced.

"That seems unnecessary. I don't understand why you're upset," Dio said as he crossed his arms and shrugged.

"Shut up," Jotaro snapped. He pointed at Giorno. "Who are you?"

Dio quirked an eyebrow. "It isn't obvious?"

"May I speak for myself, please?" Giorno said, his tone cold. He tried to sound friendlier or at least calm as he turned his attention to Jotaro, but the murderous glare he was receiving was causing him to slide defensively into a Boss Dealing with an Enemy mindset. He attempted to push the feeling away. "Yes," he stated. "I am his son."

Jotaro couldn't even bring himself to say good grief. He gripped the edge of the counter and braced his arms as he leaned against it.

"In the interest of honesty, I will tell you that I have three brothers," Giorno continued. "They are staying at Okuyasu's house for now. I also have two others that traveled here with me. One is a close friend of mine. Another is a close friend of Jolyne's." He paused. "Polnareff is here, as well." He diplomatically decided to leave out Hol; while the man now got along well with Polnareff he doubted Jotaro had a positive opinion of him. He also seemed prepared to leave Morioh as soon as the opportunity presented itself, so he doubted the two would end up coming in contact.

At that, Jotaro's tense expression shifted slightly. "Polnareff?"

Giorno nodded. "Yes. If you'd like, he can vouch for us. You, however," he said as he glanced at Dio, "can speak for yourself now."

"You Joestars are all loving, family-oriented people, aren't you? You may not have the decorum of your ancestor but you certainly have the sentimentality," Dio stated. "A person without a caring heart would not have fought their way to Cairo just to save their ailing mother. I figured you would care just as much about your daughter. I thought you two would be delighted to see each other."

"Did you lose part of your fucking brain when you were brought back to life or were you always this stupid? You know there is a serial killer on the loose and a rogue Stand arrow still being used here," Jotaro snapped.

Dio shrugged. "Honestly, it's a safer situation than the one she was facing in 2012."

Jotaro let out a frustrated growl and gripped at the surface of the counter.

"I know that what I did was right. It is far better for her to be here than for her to be in the future," Dio explained. "I suppose I can see why you are upset about it. What would make you feel better? Do you still feel the need to hit me?" He leaned forward and turned his head as he tapped a nail against his cheek. "Here. Go right ahead."

"Shut up," Jotaro snapped. "You are the most annoying fucking person I have ever met." He pointed at Giorno. "How honest is he being? What happens in 2012?"

Giorno hesitated.

"Explain," Jotaro commanded.

"I will," he replied. "I am just worried about how to phrase it, and how you will respond. If you do something to change the future that makes it so that I can no longer be here to tell you about it, I do not know what will happen."

Jotaro slammed a fist against the counter. "I don't care. Tell me."

Giorno glanced down at his clenched fist and then looked up at him coolly. "Please, do not threaten me."

"I'm not," Jotaro replied. "But I can start if you don't start talking."

"If I can just like, say something real quick," Josuke said as he raised his hand. He frowned nervously when Jotaro shot him a severe look but he rallied and continued. "Why don't you just ask Jolyne about it? If she says it was dangerous, then it was dangerous. You're not gonna trust these two any time soon, so…" He shrugged. "I mean, she was there. Obviously. And it's not like she's gonna lie to you."

At that, a flash of surprise passed over Jotaro's tense expression. He pointed at Giorno and Dio. "Stay here." He glanced at Josuke. "Watch them." He strode over towards the living room and peered in through the doorway.

"Now that'd be quite a fight," Dio said with a smirk as he looked at Giorno. "I wonder which of you would win."

Giorno gave him an exhausted and exasperated look. "I'm sorry, which of us was the insufferable one again?"

Dio grinned. "Oh? Are you getting upset? Do you need a nap, as well?"

Josuke grabbed a glass and turned on the sink. He filled it to the brim and then carefully set it on the countertop. The water on the top of the glass wobbled with surface tension but did not spill. When he noticed that Dio and Giorno were watching him curiously he shrugged. "Listen, I don't want Jotaro to beat either of you up, so I'm gonna referee the rest of this. The next person to instigate something is gonna get a cup of water to the face."

When Dio looked as if he were about to say something snarky, Josuke jabbed a finger at him and held the glass tightly. "I mean it!"

Dio quirked an eyebrow. "Even if Jotaro is the one to do it?"

"Second warning," Josuke replied. "There won't be a third."

Meanwhile, Jotaro stared into the living room. "Jolyne."

She blinked quickly and wiped at her face. "Yup?"

He paused. "What was happening in 2012?"

"The end of the world, pretty much," she said with a shrug. "It sucked. Like I said, it really is safer here."

His expression was unreadable. When it seemed as if he were about to leave and go back to the kitchen, she called out. "Hey, uh. I was thinking that there's another advantage to me being here. If some Stand user is like, ha ha Kujo, I'm gonna go kidnap your daughter to get to you! They'll just find me instead of the real kid me and they'll be like oh no! That Jotaro must have just adopted an older child! What a nice guy, older kids almost never get adopted! Also, she's an adult now and can fend for herself so I can't kidnap her! My plan is ruined!" She waved her hands expressively. "Right?"

Now he just looked perplexed. He stared at her for a few long moments before retreating back to the kitchen.

She leaned back against the couch with a sigh. "Wow. Yeah. Still nothing."

Joseph patted her back. Erina pursed her lips thoughtfully.

Jotaro returned to the kitchen. He glanced at Josuke and the glass of water and frowned.

"Well?" Dio asked.

"You do not talk to her," Jotaro stated. "You do not interact with her. You do not look at her."

"Gladly." A smirk began to pull at his expression. "I may have done her a favor, but she is quite annoying. I'd be happy to leave her alone. Is this little argument over? Since I doubt any further conversation would be productive today, I would like to go back to sleep."

Josuke's grip on the glass of water shifted and Dio stopped time. Giorno inhaled sharply when Dio grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him to the side. When time began again, they had switched places.

He was prepared to laugh but water sloshed onto his face. Dio sputtered and blinked at Josuke.

"I mean, it was pretty obvious that you were going to do that," he explained as he put the glass back under the spigot and refilled it.

Jotaro let out a sigh and shot Dio an exhausted glare. "Could you just be serious about this and take responsibility for what you've done?"

Dio had expected anger or annoyance but something else had entered Jotaro's tone that made Dio narrow his eyes and watch him closely. "If this meeting would have gone the way I intended, you would see that I am trying to take responsibility," Dio said. "You simply aren't allowing me to. All you need to do is support me in doing so. If I could explain to you what I'm planning—"

"The first and only priority right now is finding the killer. This conversation is over." Jotaro pulled at the brim of his hat and left the room.

"I suppose you did warn me," Dio said to Josuke with a sigh as he snatched a kitchen towel from the counter and patted his face. "And I should expect that level of cleverness from one of Joseph's children." He paused and shot Josuke a curious glance. "Pity you weren't an only child. Things would have been so much easier."

"Do you ever think before you say things?" Josuke asked. He didn't throw the new glass of water; he merely glared at Dio as he set it down in the sink.

"Hmm." Dio pretended to consider the question deeply. "I think that your reaction was amusing." When Josuke squinted at him he merely shrugged and went to return to the basement.

Giorno leaned against the counter on his elbows and pressed his face into his hands. "That was not how I wanted to introduce myself to Jotaro Kujo."

"Aw, jeez." Josuke crossed his arms tightly. "I mean, he is kind of a hard-to-read guy. And yeah, this sucked as a first meeting. But you seem… nice?"

"What a confident assessment," Giorno replied dryly. He paused. "Sorry. I think I am quite tired."

"I can't imagine the jet lag you'd get from time travel," Josuke said with a forced laugh. "Must be pretty bad."

Giorno's chuckle was genuine. "Yes," he replied. "It is."


Jotaro pulled Rohan aside and spoke to him for a few minutes; when he was done, he returned to the living room and stared at Jolyne.

"I'll get you a room at the hotel," he stated. "If you need clothes and toiletries, Joseph can take you shopping." He paused. "You can also stay with Joseph and Erina, if that is what you prefer." Another pause. "Do not go anywhere alone. It would be best for you to stay inside as much as possible until I figure this out."

"Yeah, yeah," Jolyne grumbled. "Got it."

Jotaro took a deep breath. "I have to meet a reporter for the local newspaper. They have information on the missing person cases. I will probably be back at three o' clock."

"Yup," she said flatly.

Jotaro hesitated once more, but then he turned towards the door and opened it.

"Jotaro," Erina said, her voice somehow powerfully polite yet stern all at once. Joseph even sat up straighter as if on reflex. Jotaro looked back at her and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I understand that you have your priorities," Erina stated as she placed a hand on Jolyne's arm. "But your daughter deserves a hug."

Jolyne's shoulders shot up to her ears and she grinned nervously. "Um. You don't have to—"

"Don't be silly," Erina replied, and as she stood she pulled Jolyne up with her. "Go ahead."

Joseph winced; if Jotaro snapped at Erina he felt as if he might just wither away and die on the spot. But thankfully, after a few long moments of silent staring, Jotaro approached Jolyne and wrapped his arms around her.

Jolyne sniffed and patted his back. "I know you're not a big fan of these so—"

He hugged her tighter. She pressed her face against his shoulder. "I'm gonna cry on your coat," she shakily admitted.

"...It's okay," he stated. Jolyne laughed, sniffed, and squeezed him tightly.


Once the house had grown quiet, Donatello ventured out of the bathroom. He felt stale after the long stay in the hospital and then the turtle. His muscles were still stiff and sore. Everyone seemed to be asleep or away; it was the perfect time to get a shower and perhaps some food without running into anyone.

He slipped into the upstairs bathroom and turned on the shower. He gave it the chance to warm up as he peered into the mirror. He had definitely lost weight; it wasn't severe but it was noticeable.

He ducked into the shower and then shrieked. The water was still frigid. He jumped back out and held a hand at the edge of the spray; it didn't seem to be warming up any time soon. He swore and dried off before getting back into his clothes.

A few rooms away, Ungalo sat up in his sleeping bag and blinked blearily. "Who screamed?"

"Mnghnmgn," Rikiel replied, his face buried in his pillow.

Ungalo grumbled and stretched. His throat was dry and scratchy. He crawled out of the sleeping bag and staggered out of the room. He ventured down the stairs and went into the kitchen. He froze fearfully when he saw the abnormal form of Okuyasu's father looking at the fridge wistfully.

He jumped when the front door swung open and Okuyasu came in. "Oi, dad. Just hang on a sec." He kicked off his shoes and strode forward but paused when he saw Ungalo. "Uh. Hello," he said, shifting to English. "Sorry if he was in the way."

"Oh it's totally fine, I just wanted a drink," Ungalo stammered. He glanced back at Okuyasu's father. "Is he hungry or something?"

"Maybe. Sometimes he just wants ice because I think it feels good for his teeth," Okuyasu explained.

"If he's hungry I can make him something," Ungalo quickly said. "I'm kinda hungry, too."

"Uh." Okuyasu stared at him for a few moments but then he smiled. "Sure!"

Ungalo grinned in return and started throwing open the cabinets. "I can make… uh, here we go. Instant ramen." He glanced back over his shoulder. "Do you have peanut butter?"

He had to search through his vocabulary for a moment before being able to respond. "Peanut butter...no. No peanut cream, either. I might have just peanuts somewhere, though."

Ungalo squinted at him. "What the hell is peanut cream?"

Okuyasu furrowed his eyebrows and thought it over. "Sort of… if peanut butter was instead peanut jelly? It's super sweet."

"Wild." He gathered up his ingredients and swung the cabinet shut.

Okuyasu hoisted his dad up to sit on a chair at the table, then took some ice molds out of the freezer and emptied them into a tall glass. He handed the glass to his father, who began happily chewing on the cubes.

Ungalo clattered through another cabinet as he looked for a pot. He pulled one out and began filling it with water.

"Could you be any louder?" Hermes grumbled as she came into the kitchen. "I was trying to catch some z's on the couch."

At first, Okuyasu gave her a wide-eyed look as he glanced at the collar of her outfit, but then he managed to give a genuine smile and wave hello.

"Hey, are you hungry, too?" Ungalo opened the cabinet back up and pulled out more instant ramen. "I can make you some."

She squinted at him. "What are you making?"

"...Food?" he answered tentatively.

Her gaze flitted over the odd array of ingredients he had pulled onto the counter. She raised her eyebrows. "I mean, I'll try it."

As he set the water to boil he glanced at Okuyasu. "So, what's up with your dad?"

Hermes glared at him. "Dude."

"It's fine!" Okuyasu insisted. "I mean, I'd be confused as hell about it, too." He sniffed, frowned, and shook his head. "My dad used to work for your dad. Crazy, right? Small world and all." He shrugged. "My dad wasn't really a good person. I do know that. Getting all sorts of money from Dio totally went to his head. Plus for whatever reason Dio didn't really trust him so he gave him one of those brain meat bug things. So when Mr. Kujo killed Dio in Cairo, it freaked out and grew out of control and yeah. Now he's like this."

Ungalo stared at him. "...You know, if I see anything weird anymore, I'm just gonna assume it's Dio's fault."

Hermes nodded in agreement. "Yup."

At that, Okuyasu winced. "I mean, I was super pissed when he showed up here. I kinda killed him but then it didn't work for some reason. Still don't really get that but he did try to…" He trailed off and gestured vaguely. "He did try to fix it. It probably won't work. But he did try. It's not like he knew that him dying was gonna do this to him," he said as he crossed his arms. "I guess it was a mistake."

Hermes pursed her lips. "Yeah, nah. You have every right to still be pissed at him if you want to be. This is a big deal."

Ungalo leaned against the counter and frowned thoughtfully. "Do you guys think he's just trying to store all of his mistakes here?"

Hermes and Okuyasu blinked at him. "First of all, that's a super sad thing to say," Hermes replied. "Second of all, might've been better to save that thought for when he and his dad aren't sitting like, right here."

He huffed and drummed his fingers against the countertop. "Yeah. Sorry. Sometimes I just say shit." He shrugged. "It's just… it's not like he likes us. Well, except Rikiel, maybe?" He squinted in confusion. "But I guess it was nice that he got us here and away from all the bullshit happening in Florida."

"Your water is boiling," Hermes pointed out.

"Aw shit, thanks," he said as he turned down the heat. He tore open the ramen and dumped the packets into the water. As the noodles cooked he pulled open the fridge.

He started picking out condiments and Hermes snickered. "What, you need more ingredients?"

"It's a very add-what-you-have kind of dish," he replied. "Oh hey, maple syrup."

She grimaced. "If you put maple syrup in this it will be a crime. You will be a criminal."

"Tofu?" he asked as he held up a packet and glanced back at Okuyasu.

"Yeah!" he replied. "I've been meaning to use that before it goes bad, so go ahead."

He dumped an eclectic assortment of ingredients into the pot. When he started grating in cheese, Okuyasu grit his teeth. "Wait, wait! Save the good parmesan for like, if we do Italian or something."

"Got it," he replied as he set it aside.

A floorboard creaked. Okuyasu jumped and turned to look towards the living room. He pointed at Donatello and frowned. "Wait, who the hell are you? When did you get in here?"

Donatello froze. "...I was in the turtle," he finally replied.

Ungalo hunched over the pot and focused on stirring the noodles. Hermes lifted her eyebrows and looked back and forth between him and Donatello. "So, uh, you hungry?" she asked Donatello. "He's over there making some sort of foodbomination but we're gonna give it a try."

"No," Donatello said as his stomach growled.

"...Right," she replied with a nod. "Your loss."

He frowned at her and left. Ungalo let out a heavy sigh and searched through a drawer for a ladle.

"You two have beef?" Hermes asked.

Okuyasu screwed his face up in confusion. "Beef? Um… maybe in the freezer."

"No, figure of speech," she explained. "Like they fought over something."

"Yeah, I fucked up big time," Ungalo answered as he scooped some of the food into bowls. "It's not really something I can fix so it sucks." He picked up the bowls and carried it over to them. "Oh man. What do we do about utensils? I'm shit at chopsticks."

"I have forks and stuff," Okuyasu answered as he pulled open a drawer.

They all sat at the table. Okuyasu's father stared at the bowl. Hermes sipped at the broth and squinted. "It is certainly a flavor," she said. "And it sure is edible."

Ungalo pumped his fist in the air as he scooped from his own bowl. "Edible is a success."

Okuyasu nodded thoughtfully as he slurped up some ramen. "I don't hate it. But I also don't think I'm going to have any more." He smiled widely. "Oi! Dad likes it!"

His father was enthusiastically pulling food into his mouth. He paused and glanced up, seemingly noticing that everyone was watching him. He stopped eating and reached out a hand.

Hermes glanced at Okuyasu. "What does that mean?"

Okuyasu grit his teeth. "Uh. Not sure."

His father stood up on his chair and reached over further. He slapped his hand against Hermes's fork.

Okuyasu jumped up. "He wants a fork!" He dashed over to the drawer and pulled it open. He grabbed a fork and ran back to the table. His father pulled it from his hands and held it tightly. He dipped it into the bowl and dragged it through the noodles. As he scooped up the food most of the noodles slipped off but he pulled what remained into his mouth and began to chew.

Ungalo pursed his lips. "Huh. Maybe a spoon might've been better." He glanced over at Okuyasu and his face screwed up with confused worry. "Gah! Why are you crying?"

"This is the first time he's asked for a fork," he managed to happily say as he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve.


Sleep was pleasant, but something jabbed at Dio's shoulder again. He stopped time and stood. Rohan was once more standing as far away as possible while poking at him with a broom. He went over to stand behind Rohan and time began again. "Stop that," he said lowly, and Rohan nearly jumped out of his skin.

Rohan reflexively swung the broom back. Dio caught the handle and his nails gouged into the wood. They frowned at each other and the silence stretched uncomfortably.

"What time is it?" Dio finally asked.

"You've been asleep for three days," Rohan responded.

Dio stared at him.

"...Kidding. It's been about five hours," Rohan said. "I just wanted to tell you that I want to make a deal."

Dio tilted his head and watched him curiously.

"Jotaro has a pretty exhaustive and also redundant list of rules for me to write into you," Rohan explained. "However, I am sick of you being in my house. My work schedule is suffering. I'll cut down the list if you leave." His tone grew dismissive and he set down the broom. "You can go inflict yourself upon someone else. Your children are staying with Nijimura, aren't they? Go be with them."

He narrowed his eyes. "How many rules?"

"Twenty four," Rohan answered. "I can cut it down to twelve."

"Hm." Dio watched him carefully. "Are you really writing less rules or did you just find a way to phrase them more effectively?"

He shrugged. "You can see the original list, if you'd like."

Dio tilted his head. "Fine. I will leave. But I will only allow three rules."

Rohan pursed his lips. "Too low. Ten."

"Five."

"Five and I can read a few more of your pages."

Dio made a low sound of annoyance. "Hm. Perhaps no rules."

"No need to threaten me. No pages. Six rules."

"Six rules and I get to pick them from the list."

"We each choose three."

"Deal," Dio replied.


Dio flipped open his umbrella and walked out into the evening light. The various cosmetics from the late Cinderella were stored in a bag Rohan had begrudgingly given him, as well as a few more spare bags of blood that would tide him over until the next time Rohan deigned to bring him another delivery. He stopped in a convenience store and easily shoplifted a few other basics; he felt oddly proud that it was still incredibly easy to do so without activating the World.

He had gone through the rule list and stuck with a few of the originals for the sake of simplicity: no blood except from the hospital, no harming the citizens of Morioh unless he knew they were the killer or another threat, and even then he was only to incapacitate them, not kill them.

Rohan had chosen ones that best reflected most of the new rules Jotaro had added to the list (the 'no breathing Jolyne's air' rules, Dio thought.) He was not allowed to visit the Morioh Grand Hotel unless invited and he was not allowed to visit Joseph's apartment unless invited. Rohan had noted that those rules were close to what the traditional idea of vampires had to follow anyway and Dio would have liked nothing more than to smack him with the World but limiting his Stand had been the third rule he picked. The World could once again only be used protectively if someone's life was in danger.

He was somewhat lost in thought as he walked towards Okuyasu's, enough that he nearly walked right into a man headed in the opposite direction. As Dio peered out from under the umbrella at the man's face he frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.

Kosaku, or rather Kira, went stock still and stared back at him.

Well, no need to address the fact that he had invaded this man's house. Better to just move on and pretend nothing had happened. "Hm. Pardon me," Dio said, and he began to move to the right. So did Kira. He paused and instead moved to the left. So did Kira. Dio stopped trying to sidestep and instead just stared at him balefully. He took one long step directly to the left, and then another. Now he was standing on the road. He gestured widely towards the sidewalk. "Please. Go on."

Kira stared at him as he took a step forward, then another. He returned to a normal stride and walked away. Dio rolled his eyes and returned to the sidewalk.

He did not notice when a black-gloved pink hand brushed against the edge of his umbrella.


Something odd hit his highly-attuned senses when he entered Okuyasu's house. He followed the scent to the kitchen and leaned over the dishes left in the sink. He reared back and frowned down at it. Whatever sort of culinary tragedy had occurred here needed to have all evidence of its existence erased. He turned on the hot water and squeezed dish soap over the plates. He frowned when the water only topped out at a lukewarm temperature, but at least the soap was sudsing and the astringent scent was covering up whatever had been in the bowls.

He stopped and listened when he heard an odd creaking. Something was moving behind the back door. He leaned back and watched as strings slipped through the doorframe and pulled at the handle. The back door to the house swung open and Jolyne poked her head inside. She peered into the living room and frowned before sliding into the house the rest of the way. She noticed Dio at the kitchen sink and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Hm." He turned off the water. "I'm not supposed to talk to you, but I feel that I must answer such an exceptionally stupid question. I'm washing dishes. What are you doing?"

She squinted at him. "Hotel room got boring. Jotaro said he'd be back by three but he probably got stuck in another Stand battle or something stupid. I want to hang out with Hermes."

"Then why are you sneaking in?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, I just felt kinda paranoid. Guess it makes sense because you're here. Why are you here, by the way? I thought you lived in that artist guy's basement."

"I've just been evicted," he replied. "Rohan has decided to inflict me upon a different household so that he may return to his busy schedule."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Makes sense. Bet you're a shitty roommate." She gestured towards his shirt. "What happened there? Accident at the ketchup factory?"

"You know, I was in a good mood after a long rest and several pints of blood," he replied. "Go bother your friend with your inane questions. Let me tidy this mess in peace."

She tilted her head back and watched him carefully. "Okay. Legit question. What's up with you and Pucci?"

At first he felt a flash of anger, but when he looked at her it was clear that she was asking with at least some genuine curiosity. "You don't like Pucci," he replied simply.

"Obviously." She crossed her arms and shrugged. "He's an unrepentantly awful person." She frowned. "Actually, no, you two being friends makes total sense. Nevermind."

"You say unrepentant, I say determined. Pucci is the only person who understands my ideals," Dio stated. "We are both aligned towards the same goals."

"Is one of the goals literally annoying my family to death?" Jolyne asked.

"Hmm." His tone grew colder and he turned his attention back to the dishes. "I'm not supposed to talk to you."

"They are friends because they enable each other," his double stated as he leaned against the counter. "Pucci would have done the same to his sons, as well. Enabled the worst in them."

Dio nearly dropped the dish he was washing. Jolyne tensed and corded string coalesced from her arm but when the double made no suspicious moves she tilted her head. "So were you lying to Giorno earlier about not popping up randomly or…?"

The double shrugged. Dio grit his teeth and he felt his incisors digging at his lip.

Jolyne grinned. "Hey. Is this version of you actually a problem or do you just not like him?"

"You're planning something," Dio said to his double with a severe glare.

The double shrugged once more. "I merely answered her question because you were unwilling to." He smirked. "I'll leave, since I seem to upset you so."

He disappeared. "Aw," Jolyne said. "Away he goes."

And good riddance, Dio wanted to say, but he found that he wasn't even willing to joke about it.

Two loud thuds came from the living room. Jolyne turned on her heel, went tense with surprise, and then slipped back out the back door. A few strings against the doorframe kept it from making noise as it shut. In the living room, a very nervous looking Hol held the turtle and nodded at Jotaro. "So, yeah. I'm really not the best person to ask but Polnareff seems to know what he's talkin' about, so…"

Jotaro grunted dismissively. He lifted his wrist and checked his watch. He sighed. "Shit."

"They're good kids," Hol insisted. "Well, adults. Whatever. They're a little strange, but, I mean, who isn't." Hol set the turtle on the couch and shrugged. He happened to look over towards the kitchen and he grit his teeth when he spotted Dio.

Jotaro caught the look. He turned and gave Dio an exhausted glare. "Why are you here."

"Oh, am I not allowed to spend quality time with my children? I don't remember that being on the list of rules," he said as he crossed his arms. "I'm being very kind by cleaning up whatever crime against flavor they created here. Perhaps later we'll play board games and watch a movie or whatever it is that happy families do."

"Stop talking." Jotaro turned his glare towards Hol and looked as if he would say something more, but he only sighed and began walking towards the front door. Hol let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Dio happened to look out the window and caught sight of Jolyne sprinting out of the backyard.

"So, uh…" Hol trailed off into uncomfortable silence. "Welp! Gonna go back in the turtle." He put his palm against the gem and disappeared.


Once the dishes were clean, Dio turned the water back on and tested the temperature. The hot water had made a comeback. Due to the fact that he had literally fallen asleep while eating earlier he was forced to admit that he looked like a bit of a mess. He went over towards the steps but paused when he spotted Donatello coming out of the downstairs bathroom.

They stared at each other, Dio doing so blankly while Donatello attempted at blankness but anger and fear pulled at his expression.

Dio began to speak. "Don't talk to me," Donatello quickly snapped.

Dio tilted his head. "Have you been hiding in the bathroom all day?"

Donatello glowered. Dio shrugged. "The kitchen is vacant now," he stated as he started up the stairs. "And clean. Feel free to muck it up again."

One of the upstairs rooms was loud, letting out the sound of conversation and laughter. He figured Hermes and some of the others were in there. The bathroom was unoccupied; outside were a few leftover folded outfits. He frowned at his options: sweatpants. A t-shirt with a cartoon character on it. A gold-embroidered button-up emblazoned with Bad Company, whatever that was.

At some point he would have to go shoplifting, but until his current outfit was laundered these clothes would have to suffice.

After his shower, he retrieved the pen and paper he had used during his history lecture and secluded himself in one of the unused upstairs rooms. He peered down at it and tapped the pen against the paper.

Someone knocked at the door. "Enter," he said without looking up.

"I'm gonna start a load of laundry, so…" Okuyasu, who was carrying a hamper of clothes, trailed off and looked at him with a pained expression. Dio watched him curiously.

"Yeah, uh, hm. Hrm." Okuyasu huffed and crossed his arms. "Can you… You gotta wear a different shirt."

"Hm?" He glanced down at the gold-embroidered button up. It had been the best thing remaining in the pile. He didn't know what Okuyasu was upset about but he felt no desire to bother him about it; he shrugged, unbuttoned the shirt, and then tossed it over to him.

Okuyasu nodded gratefully and left, closing the door behind him.

Dio returned his attention to the paper. He stared at George Joestar II and frowned. Time passed and he thought.

He was interrupted once more as a voice approached the door. "I dunno, maybe he's in this one." The door was pulled open to reveal Rikiel and Hol.

"Ah!" Rikiel held up a hand as if to shield his eyes. "Wear a shirt!"

As he quickly left, Hol shrugged. Compared to Cairo, the no-shirt-sweatpants look was modest.

"I wonder where he got his squeamishness from," Dio mused. "Certainly not from me, and certainly not from his mother." He glanced at Hol. "What do you want?"

"Uh," Hol replied. "Just wanted to say, uh…" He squared his shoulders. "The Fort Knox break-in is a bad idea because I'd never be able to fence the gold. It'd be too suspicious. So, uh, if you're actually gonna pay me, just pay me with normal cash."

"Understood." Dio tilted his head. "Is that all?"

Hol hesitated. "Yup," he answered. He retreated out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Dio frowned thoughtfully, then grabbed the bag of his belongings. He searched through the items he had stolen from the convenience store.


Hol sat on the couch and bounced his leg nervously. Donatello had scarfed down a dinner and returned to his self-imposed seclusion in the bathroom; Polnareff, as per usual, was in the turtle; the others all seemed to be upstairs. He looked down at the Way to Go! sticker on his hand, frowned, and then peeled it off. He set the sticker on the table, stood, stretched his arms, and then went to the front door.

Hol swung the door open, took a step out onto the porch, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Dio spoke. "Leaving so soon, Hol? Without getting paid and without saying goodbye? The kids will be devastated."

Hol spun to look back; Dio leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "I ain't one for goodbyes," Hol stammered. "Don't think they'll care all too much, either."

Dio tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "I see." His nails tapped against his elbow.

"Plus, I did pay for my return flight," Hol said with a nervous laugh. "Almost forgot since for me, it was so long ago."

"Of course."

"And I was gonna check in with Boingo," he added. "I have Jotaro's number in case anything comes up with Tohth."

Dio made a noncommittal hm.

"Listen, uh…" Hol trailed off and scuffed his boot against the peeling paint of the wooden porch. "I hope this all goes well for you."

His eyes widened for a mere moment, but Dio quickly returned to his customary smugness. "How touching."

"I mean it. I learned a lot about you on this trip. But I also know that whatever comes next is probably gonna be dangerous. I didn't sign up for dealin' with two of ya. So yeah, I'm leaving to cover my own ass, but still. I actually hope it goes well. If anyone can make it through, it's you. Plus," he said with a dry laugh, "I know exactly where you're gonna be in thirteen years. Maybe I'll have to plan a trip to Florida just to see how it all ends."

Dio smirked, but it was rather close to a genuine smile. Hol took a deep breath, took off his hat, and leaned forward. "Since I'm leavin' and all, I figured I could entrust you with somethin'," he said conspiratorially.

Dio quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"It's somethin' I've never told a single soul," Hol continued, his drawl thick and pulling at his words. Dio leaned forward with interest.

"I'm actually Canadian," Hol said, his southern drawl completely disappearing. "I'm from Toronto. Never even rode a horse."

Dio stared at him. "...Really?" he finally asked.

"Pfft. Of course not. That was a lie," Hol said and he put his hat back on. He jogged jauntily down the porch steps. "Or maybe I'm not lying. Or not-not lying. I ain't tellin'."

"Hol," Dio called out. When Hol looked back at him he held up a box of cigarettes and shook it.

He tossed the box and Hol caught it with a whistle. "I'll be damned."

"It's no Fort Knox gold and I haven't had the time to rob a bank," Dio said with a sigh. "If you give me your real address I can send you a check—"

"Absolutely not," Hol replied. "This is payment enough." He tipped his hat and began walking away. "Sayonara, you weird bastard."

"Sayonara," Dio echoed with a smirk. Hol strode out onto the road; Dio went back into the house and closed the door.