Tsuru slouched down to look into her subject's glazed eyes. She felt rather ghoulish experimenting on living human beings. It was different than toying around with vampiric brain tissue, after all. She justified it to herself by dismissing them as Dio's victims. Surely, he would have killed these people anyway? These poor men and women. She felt her hands trembling for just a moment. Her mind couldn't help but wander to the night she met Dio. The young scientist had been in Cairo for a business trip. She might have fibbed a bit when she told Dio about her "world renowned qualifications." She was hardly a leading expert in neuroscience, or whatever lie she made up in the moment. Tsuru was scrappy, that's all. She was wickedly smart and willing to use every single tool at her disposal to survive. She sized Dio up within seconds, knowing the only way to survive was to appeal to his ego. So, she called him a superior being and begged for even a minute with his DNA. Sure, he had an interesting body. And sure, maybe she'd always wanted to know if vampires were real. Despite all of that, she'd still rate the past few months as subpar at best. She couldn't remember the last time she was graced with a shower. Dio had her hard at work experimenting on the Stand Arrow. If she didn't come up with some sort of breakthrough soon, he'd kill her. She knew this to be true. He practically told her daily, after all.
The test subject seemed to be dying. Tsuru groaned, slapping the man's face a few times. He couldn't die yet. Didn't he understand what was at stake? His life was already void, but she still had a chance. She just needed him to pull through. She needed this.
"C'mon, wake up." She shouted with another slap.
The man's head rolled back as he was struck. Cold, emotionless eyes stared at the ceiling. A bit of drool trailed down his chin. He was in so much pain.
"Why…?" He finally asked his captor.
"I need you to stay alive, got it? If you die, my master will grab someone else. Do you want this to happen to more people? Or can you sit up straight like a man and take a little more pain?" She growled, disgusted by what she had become.
"But why are you doing this?" He groaned.
"To survive!" She screamed. Her voice echoed off of the stone walls.
"Then…" He coughed violently for a moment, getting phlegm and spit all over himself. Eventually, he looked up into Tsuru's eyes. "Maybe you should make peace with your fate? Y'know… So, more people don't get hurt."
She stood upright, unwilling to give the man the satisfaction of knowing how deep that cut. Tsuru cleared her throat, shaking her head a moment later. The scientist grabbed her arrow and plunged it into the man's hand once again. He screamed out in pain, thrashing against his restraints and cursing the woman's name as he bled onto the floor. Her subject hadn't displayed any Stand potential. That's why Dio was comfortable leaving her alone with him. There was a very small chance that he'd manage to kill Tsuru without a Stand.
"You're serving a purpose! Don't you understand? So just sit there and serve it!" Tsuru screamed.
The arrow was still lodged in the man's hand. He was wailing in agony this time. The several pricks and prods from before had little effect. This was different. The virus within had plenty of room to invade now. Not only that, but he was in a different state of mind than before. When Tsuru pierced him earlier, he was a sobbing captive begging for freedom. Now, his back was against a wall. Tsuru had made it clear that he wouldn't survive this. His nostrils flared, his breathing got heavy, and he started to thrash even harder against his restraints. Something snapped in his mind. His eyes went wide, bloodshot from the torture he'd been subjected to.
"No more…" He growled, pulling at his bindings with all his might.
Tsuru raised a brow. She could feel the aura in the room changing around her. This man was becoming rather menacing. The scientist took a step back, and not a moment too soon. Her test subject tore himself free from the bindings mere moments later. She stumbled back with fearful eyes. How had he done such a thing?
"Dio!" She shouted, backing up against a cold stone wall. "L-Lord Dio! He's out!" She shouted toward the ceiling.
Dio didn't seem to come, though. Tsuru was alone. The newly free man stomped closer to his captor.
"You…" He hissed. "You were talking about power and potential…? Well I think I fucking found it. I wanted to kill you so badly, and here we are."
Even in the face of death, Tsuru couldn't help but take a mental note of that. Even people who would otherwise be considered unworthy of the arrow could be pushed to worthiness by enduring grueling circumstances. His fighting spirit was born out of pure hatred toward her. She turned a simple, peaceful man into a Stand User. Perhaps that would be her last scientific achievement.
An invisible force grabbed her by the neck and slammed her even harder against the wall. She was tall and lithe with a skinny neck like a crane. The powerful hand nearly snapped her then and there. This had to be a Stand. She'd never truly experienced one before. The unbelievable power. The force. Those arrows were dangerous. They could give anybody this power?
Tsuru's eyes drifted down to the man's physical hand. It still had the arrow stuck inside. He was so busy strangling her with his new shiny ability that he didn't even pull it out. She managed to reach down and pull it from his body. He let out a grunt, finally noticing the arrow as she held it up fiercely. They made eye contact for a moment. What would she do? The Stand Arrow couldn't hurt someone that was worthy, so it was hardly a weapon against her attacker. Sure, it could deal temporary damage, but it would also heal up good as new within seconds. Would his adrenaline-fueled rage even waver from a little stab? Her next option was to stab herself. Dio strictly forbade that. Perhaps he was scared of her potential? Or maybe he just wanted to maintain the completely skewed power dynamic between them for a little while longer before killing her outright?
She could stab herself and take her chances with Dio after, or she could stab the man and see if it had any effect. Those seemed to be her two options. Unless… Her eyes drifted down to the invisible force against her neck. That was the man's Stand. Typically, physical attacks did nothing against a Stand. That's what Dio told her, anyway. Maybe the arrow was different? It was an otherworldly object, after all. She certainly didn't understand its properties. Despite that, it seemed like the best option.
Tsuru picked number three.
The scientist took the arrow and drove it right at her throat. Even if the arrow couldn't pierce a Stand, she'd get the added benefit of immediately falling back onto plan number two. The arrow plunged into the invisible Stand's hand, causing the man to cry out in pain. He let go of Tsuru, letting the woman fall to her knees. She was still pinned against the wall, so she scurried out between his legs and fumbled her way over to the examination table. Tsuru grabbed a scalpel and turned to face the man once again.
Something wasn't right. Her enemy was standing completely still. He hadn't even turned to face her. Not only that, but there was some sort of light emitting from his hand. Tsuru raised a brow. Was that his Stand Ability? The power to control light? Seemed a little contrived. She kept her distance. Dio had to know something was happening downstairs by that point. Was this a test? Or was he leaving her for dead? She was really growing to hate that man.
The test subject slowly turned around. He looked different, though. A radiant golden light was shooting out of his hand. He seemed just as confused as Tsuru. The man wasn't looking at his enemy anymore. He was staring into nothingness. She had to assume that was his Stand. But why was he staring? What changed?
"It looks different…? What's going on?" He mumbled.
At that very moment, Tsuru fell to the floor like a ragdoll. There wasn't any kind of warning. One minute she was upright, the next she was sprawled uselessly on the cold concrete. She tried to get up, but something was wrong. Something was very wrong. As she attempted to lift herself up, her tongue started to wiggle. Not only her tongue, but her left pinkie toe as well. She was trying to hoist herself to her feet with her hands, so why were two useless parts of her body moving instead?
Her heart started to pound faster. She couldn't move! Well, she couldn't move properly, anyway. As she tried to blink, she felt her calves flexing. When she tried to scream for help, her left hand lifted up. It slowly dawned on Tsuru that this was the work of her enemy. Her bodily functions had been completely remapped! Instead of moving her arms, she was flexing her tongue and pinkie toe. Instead of her eyes, she moved her calves. If Tsuru wanted to get up, she'd have to master an entirely different set of movement. This was a test. She was being tested by fate. If she could kill this man, she would be able to do anything. Tsuru was fighting for her life, and she didn't even have a Stand.
"Get up, you horrible woman!" The man growled. "Explain what's happening! My power looks different than before! It happened when you stabbed its hand! What did you do!?" He shouted.
That didn't make any sense. Repeatedly stabbing a User's flesh didn't give them new powers. Dio tried that on day one. Could it be something so simple? Could you get a brand-new ability from something as mundane as piercing your Stand? Tsuru couldn't speak. What combination of wiggles and gestures would replicate the movements of speech? She didn't have time to find out. She was dead meat. The scientist just started thrashing and flopping like a fish out of water. Every time something new moved for the first time, she took note of it. She could figure this out. She was better than this man. She was stronger than him.
"Look at you, flopping like a dying fish. I'm gonna kill you, then I'll kill that master of yours. I don't care how powerful you think he is! He'll be lying on the ground gasping for air just like you!" The man laughed, stomping over to Tsuru.
In a just and moral world, this man would win. He'd win, and he'd kill Dio too. Then he'd go home to the wife and family he loved. Truly, in a fair world, the good man would overcome all of the odds and come out on top. He'd be victorious, and live happily ever after. There was just one tiny problem with that. A problem that Tsuru was all too familiar with.
They didn't live in a fair world.
The man used his Stand to lift Tsuru up by the shoulders. He crossed his arms, looking into her eyes. She wasn't afraid. He didn't like that one bit. Still, it would be over in a matter of seconds. The Requiem Stand's hands moved to Tsuru's throat and began squeezing mercilessly. She made a few tiny noises a first, but her airway was completely obstructed soon enough. The woman was kicking her feet helplessly in an attempt to get to the ground. That was the man's one and only warning. In every fight, there are moments for each party to grab and take advantage of. There are also blind spots. If you miss something dire, it could mean the end of your life. Unfortunately for this man, a man who did absolutely nothing wrong, he missed something important. Tsuru was kicking her legs. Not wiggling her ears, blinking erratically, or even licking her nose. No, she was kicking. That meant she had figured out how to move well enough to struggle.
Tsuru reached up to the hands around her neck and wrapped her slender fingers around the ancient artifact lodged in the Stand's invisible flesh. She yanked on the arrow as hard as she could, pulling it free and causing a loud piercing wail to fill the basement chamber. The man stumbled back in shock as his Requiem Stand disappeared. Tsuru fell to the floor, the arrow clanking hard against the concrete next to her. She instinctively grabbed it, glancing at the gorgeous arrowhead for a moment. She didn't even need to pierce herself to win. She cast it to the far side of the room, getting up on two feet and glaring at the test subject. There was a darkness in her eyes, a willingness to do what needed to be done. She grabbed the metal rolling table from beside the examination table and threw it right at the confused subject. It clashed with his head, knocking him to his feet. Tsuru stormed over, throwing it off of him and grabbing a scalpel from the mess of tools scattered on the floor. The scientist straddled the Stand User and shoved his head down flat against the concrete. They met eyes one last time…
Slice.
After that, he was no more. Tsuru just sat on top of his motionless body for a solid minute or so. A part of her died along with her victim. That much was clear… But she would move on. She could persevere. Fate had tested her, and she won. Not only that, but she uncovered a secret of the Stand Arrow. Piercing a Stand unlocked a new ability. She didn't exactly have a large sample size, but it seemed like the new ability was stronger than a typical Stand. It was also revoked the moment the arrow was removed, unlike a normal Stand. This was all valuable information. Too valuable, in fact. She wouldn't be telling Dio about this discovery. She'd find him something else. No, the secret of the Requiem Stand would be hers for a sticky situation. A rainy-day plan… She rolled off of the body and allowed herself a moment to lie motionless on the cold concrete. She closed her eyes, feeling the numbness enveloping her psyche. What had she become…?
Shizuka woke up with a sudden gasp. Sweat ran down her back, and she felt her heart pounding so hard that it could burst any minute. The girl's eyes darted around in terror for a moment as she recompiled her thoughts. What was her name? Her name was Tsuru… No. No, her name was Shizuka Joestar. She wasn't just in a fight, either. That was a memory. They were becoming so intense. She could feel everything Tsuru felt. The fear, the anger, the existential dread of losing herself to violence? But, much like a dream, it slowly faded away from her mind.
"You alright, Jojo?" Marina mumbled.
They were sitting on a bus. That's right! They left the others so Marina could access her bank account. Shizuka must have dozed off during the drive.
"Yeah." The child sat up and looked out the window. She was pale as a ghost.
"More of those dreams?" Marina rested a hand on Shizuka's shoulder, bringing her just a little closer.
"Dreams, visions, memories… I don't know anymore. This one was a little disturbing." She admitted, resting her head on Marina's shoulder with a small frown.
The blonde didn't really know what to say. Shizuka's visions were definitely real. She's the one who predicted that Giorno would be able to help heal Josuke. Still, it didn't sit right with her that some foreign presence was lingering in the little girl and firing stories into her head. All Marina could really do was listen.
"Do they scare you?" She asked softly.
"Not really. I guess they make me think about things that I really don't want to. I'll be okay. We just need to get to New York, right? Easy peasy." She smiled, completely leaving out the fact that getting to New York was merely the first half of their impossible task.
"Lemon squeezy." Marina nodded, looking out the window with a slight frown.
The bank wasn't exactly the most exciting place in the world for a ten-year-old. Still, they wanted to enforce the buddy system, so Shizuka followed Marina inside. She sat at a designated waiting area with Marina in view the entire time. The wait was a little bit on the long side, but she kept herself occupied by messing with the coffee machine and snapping those little black stirring straws. She was pretty used to killing time at the bank. Joseph would usually take her with him whenever he needed to make a deposit. Even in Las Vegas, the bank still had that distinct "bank smell." She appreciated the consistency. Right as Shizuka was finishing up folding her straw into as many sections as she could, Marina could be heard groaning at the teller.
"Frozen? You have got to be joking." She placed a hand on the desk. "It's my money. This is my account. You've got to give it to me."
The teller cleared her throat in an attempt to stay peppy and helpful. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but this was a student account. Your parent or legal guardian was the actual owner. It seems that Neil Archer has died, and all of his assets have been frozen while his estate is settled."
"That's my father." She spoke carefully, fishing for either sympathy, leniency, or anything of the sort.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Ma'am. As a foreign visitor, there isn't much you can do here. This really needs to be settled in your home country."
"Mind telling me how I'm meant to buy a plane ticket without my money?" Marina snarled at the end.
"Ma'am, there's a very long line behind you. You can use the phone in our waiting room to make some calls, if you want. I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help."
"More help? Blimey, with all the help you've given so far, I think I'm absolutely stuffed. No more for me, thanks. I'm saving room for pie."
Shizuka noticed what was going on. She watched the end of the confrontation and waited for her friend to walk over afterwards. The blonde was brooding with boiling blood. She crossed her arms with a huff, blowing some hair from her face and rolling her eyes.
"I don't know what to tell you, Jojo. They're not letting me access my damn funds. As if having your dad die isn't enough of a kick in the nads, they want me to starve too." She was trying to play it off with sarcasm, but Shizuka could tell just how upset the woman was.
"I have an idea." She said.
"Really? Do you have a piggy bank being stored in a deposit box here? Otherwise, it seems like we're boned." Marina sighed.
"Give me five minutes. I'm going to the bathroom. Stay here and look upset. There are tissues right there." Shizuka smirked, walking over to the bathroom and disappearing inside.
Marina waited for around ten minutes before she started to get worried. She shifted around in her seat, finishing up the complementary cup of coffee and glancing over at the bathroom door once again. She bit her lip, worrying that violating the buddy system might come back to bite them in the ass. Ripley would definitely chew them out for splitting up. She started to tap her foot repeatedly, wondering when it would be appropriate to storm into the bathroom looking for Shizuka.
As the blonde stewed in uncertainty, a middle-aged woman walked over to the waiting area. She stopped in front of Marina, looking down at her curiously. She had deep brown eyes, tan skin with a few little blemishes and scars on her cheek, long auburn hair with a grey streak on the left side, and a tall intimidating frame. She wore a pants suit, and seemed like she had no business approaching Marina.
"Excuse me, young lady. Can I ask you a question?" She spoke in a surprisingly soft voice. Not only that, but it sounded off…
Marina couldn't quite place it, but the voice didn't seem to be coming from the right place. She was immediately on edge. Could this be the next enemy sent to steal the feather? Why else would some random woman approach her? She gritted her teeth, standing up.
"Only if you follow me." She mumbled, walking out of the bank with her hands in her pockets.
The woman followed, and that's when Marina knew she was in trouble. What kind of weirdo would follow a stranger out of a building just to ask a question? Marina lead her into an alley beside the bank, waiting until they were outside the public eye before speaking again.
"You've got a lot of nerve, attacking me in public like this." She growled. Her voice was low, and the intent to harm was dripping from her words.
The mysterious woman just smiled. "Oh? A lot of nerve, do I? You're talking a big game… Where's that feather of yours, Marina? Is it still in your pocket?"
The blonde's eyes widened. Then, without warning, Bubblegum Bitch swung its bat as hard as it could. The bat moved right through the woman's head like it was nothing! Then, it struck the wall, kicking up a bunch of rock and dust. Marina stumbled away in shock. How did her bat pass right through the enemy's head? Her hand fumbled furiously through her pocket. That's when she was really confused. She still had the feather.
"Hmmm, weird. Why didn't your attack work? Could it be…" She started to laugh, like her cover was blown. "Could it be that, uhm…"
Marina was furious. She didn't even notice the weird way the woman seemed to be breaking character. She lunged forward, trying to grab onto the woman. She reached for her side. Marina's hand passed through the woman's body, but she found something solid inside the husk. That's when she narrowed her eyes.
"I found you. You're finished."
She looked rather terrifying in that moment. Marina possessed the glare of someone who was ready to kill. The game was officially over, and it definitely wasn't fun anymore.
"WAIT!" The woman shouted. "It's me! It's Shizuka! Jesus Christ, are you going to kill me!?" She shouted. The imitation she was doing with her voice seemed to completely fade away. Without a doubt, that was Shizuka's voice.
That was enough to slow Marina down. She pulled away in utter shock, raising a brow. "Shizuka?"
The ruse vanished without a trace, leaving Shizuka standing right where the woman was moments ago.
"I used Ultra Violet to bend the light around my body and take the appearance of some woman. I was just trying to see if it was convincing, then you dragged me out into an alley and started talking trash. I couldn't help myself. I kinda sank into the role. Should I become an actor?" Shizuka laughed nervously.
"Jojo, I was about to kill you! C'mon! Read the room! That definitely wasn't the time." Marina huffed, but a smile tugged at her lips.
"Sorry, that was definitely a bit of my dad shining through. Won't happen again."
"Why on Earth were you disguised like that anyway?"
"Oh!" Shizuka clapped her hands, having completely forgotten to mention her plan. "Well… You have to promise not to judge me, okay? It's a bit of a grimy thing to do."
"Honey, I'm the queen of grime. Lay it on me." Marina smirked.
"God save the queen, then. Here's the plan." Shizuka reached into her pocket and revealed an ID. It certainly wasn't hers. In fact, the picture looked an awful lot like the appearance she'd been using moments ago! "I kind of stole an ID from a woman while she was using the bathroom. Hiding invisibly in a stall was not my brightest moment. Definitely not going in my biography, that's for sure."
Marina swiped the ID from the child and eyed it carefully. She was impressed. "Wow, kid. That's grimy. You couldn't at least get the purse too? Who walks around with their ID in their pocket? This won't convince anyone."
"Excuse me?" Shizuka vanished once again. Within seconds, a flash of light revealed the woman from the picture. "I can make a purse." She snapped her fingers, and a replica of the woman's purse appeared around her fake arm.
"Oh man. We might be in business." Marina smirked, rubbing her chin in thought. "So, you plan on walking up to the teller and making a withdrawal? How much?"
"Uhm…" The woman's face went completely blank. Shizuka was clearly considering how much money seemed reasonable. As she did so, the projection flickered and froze. It lost the life-like energy that fooled Marina earlier. "Ten-thousand?"
"Oh honey…" Marina shook her head. "That's not gonna work. Your image went all flickery! And she stopped making expressions while you thought! You don't know enough about the bank to do this.
Shizuka frowned for a moment. She seemed to be deep in thought, but then it hit her. She snapped her fingers. "Two kids in a trench coat!"
"Pardon?"
"We'll be two kids in a trench coat. I'll create the image and move her around. You'll be the voice and answer all of the money questions. It's a foolproof plan." Shizuka beamed with excitement.
"That sounds elementary as hell." She muttered. "But… It might be stupid enough to work."
"Then let's rob this bank." Shizuka growled eagerly, gritting the woman's teeth and rubbing her hands together like a comic book villain.
After waiting in line for about ten minutes, Elanor Higgins was ready to make a transaction. Inside the projection of manipulated light, Marina and Shizuka were scrunched together. They were both also being kept invisible by Ultra Violet, so it's not like any bits of them were leaking out. They needed to stay close though, because it would be extremely awkward if someone bumped into thin air three feet away from Elanor. No, they had to play it cool. Everything was going according to plan. They'd make a withdrawal and be on their way.
"Hello, how may I help you today." The teller asked with a beaming smile.
"Hello there," Marina spoke with a distinctively English accent.
Shizuka elbowed the woman in the stomach. Marina let out a groan, glaring down at the child for a moment. Then it hit her. She was lucky to be invisible, otherwise the embarrassment on her face would be very obvious.
"H-Hey there." She tried again, sounding a little bit like a drunken cowboy.
Another elbow to the gut.
"Hey. I'm Elanor Higgins. I was just in, but I forgot to make a withdrawal. Here's my ID." She spoke with an acceptable American accent. Hopefully the teller was dead inside and barely paid attention to her customers. Otherwise they'd be screwed.
Shizuka took great care to keep the projection's hand in line with Marina's as the woman placed Elanor's ID down on the counter. It looked good enough. Once again, they had to count on the employee being so crushed by the system that she didn't pay much mind to inconsistencies.
"Okay, Ms. Higgins. How much would you like to withdraw?" The teller asked.
Marina contemplated it for a moment. "May I have a balance?"
"Of course. What're the last four numbers of the account you want a balance statement for?"
Once again, she paused. "Uhmmm, savings."
"Savings ending in #0431, or #8673?"
"I'm sorry, I'm just awful at remembering these things. Which has more?" Marina asked, fishing for something useful.
"#0431 has $113,250.00, and #8673 has $63,100.00." The teller sighed.
Wow. Rich women should be more careful in the bathroom. Never know when an invisible child is going to steal your ID. Marina decided that less was more in this situation. However, they were still in Vegas. A large withdrawal wouldn't trigger any automated tripwires in the system in such a famous hotspot for wasting money, right?
"I'll be taking five-thousand from account #0431, please." Marina answered with a smile.
"How do you want the bills, Ma'am?" The teller grabbed a few envelopes.
"Fives, tens, fifties, hundreds. I'm going to the casino." She explained.
"You don't say." The employee smiled with a little bit of snark. She filled up the envelopes and handed them over to the visual clone of Elanor. Marina grabbed them and placed them into the fake purse. The moment they passed the entrance, Shizuka turned them invisible and slid them into Marina's real pockets.
Were they in the clear? The teller told them to have a nice day, and the kids in a trench coat walked away from the counter with the money in hand! As Elanor headed toward the bathroom to drop the ruse, something unexpected happened. Shizuka and Marina heard a voice from very close by, and it seemed directed at them.
"Elanor, baby!" A man walked up to the projection of light. "Hey! I thought we were meeting up for dinner in an hour. Were you waiting around my work just to see me early?"
Marina raised a brow. It seemed like Elanor Higgins was seeing someone from her bank. Mission failed. Abort. Abort. She began to sweat, unsure of how to play this off. He'd definitely recognize that her voice was different.
"Hey! You caught me on my way to the bathroom!" She looked down at his chest, seeing a nametag. "I can't wait for our dinner though, Mikey~" She cooed, pushing Shizuka to walk toward the door.
"Oh? Playing hard to get. I get it. I swear, I feel like a dog chasing after you sometimes. There's just something about you." He smiled, leaning in.
MISSION FAILED. ABORT. Marina was screaming on the inside as he leaned closer. He was going to kiss the projection of Elanor! If she moved, he'd phase right through her head. That would likely result in some horrified screaming. Shizuka wasn't moving Elanor. She probably didn't know what to do. Marina didn't either. She tensed up as he grew closer. Should she just let it happen? A classic example of taking one for the team? As his lips reached terminal velocity on their collision course to her own, Marina got an idea. It was just simple enough to work.
She lifted her hand right in front of Elanor's mouth.
Mike kissed the palm of her hand briefly before pulling away. He looked pretty pleased with himself.
"Oh wow." He smiled, straightening his suit jacket. "Didn't think you'd let me get away with that in public."
She could have shoved him away? Always go with your instincts.
"I'll see you in a bit. Now, I've got to use the restroom. Excuse me." She spoke in her own accent, shoving Shizuka toward the door.
Mike was too caught up in his own head to notice Elanor's shift in nationality. Then, within seconds she was gone. He shook his head in amusement. The manager walked away from the bathroom and walked back to his office. He couldn't wait for that date.
After thoroughly hoodwinking the banking system and getting rich quick, Shizuka and Marina were standing at the bus stop with soft serve ice cream. There was no better way to break a hundred-dollar bill than spending it on ice cream, even if the ice cream cost eighteen dollars for two cones. Shizuka was also wearing a $38 pair of cool rectangular sunglasses that were on display right next to the soft serve machine. Las Vegas was an absolute nightmarish hellscape. The bus was going to arrive any minute. Marina decided it would be a good idea to check in with the others. They were alone at the bus stop, so she got out her burner phone and set it to speaker. Then, she dialed Ripley's number.
It rang a few times before the agent picked up.
"Talk to me, baby." Ripley said confidently on the other end.
Marina's face flushed red. She glanced down at Shizuka, who was absolutely paying attention. "Errrr, hello to you too. Jojo and I got some money. It wasn't exactly above board. In fact, it felt like something straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon."
"You got the money? Perfect. That's why you're my #2, dollface."
The blonde made a sound of pure embarrassment, choking a bit on her ice cream as she fumbled with the device. She turned it off speaker, slamming it against her ear so Shizuka couldn't hear the conversation anymore. Well, she could hear Marina's end.
"Agent, are you with the twins? Good God..." She ran a hand through her hair, clearing her throat. She hoped to all that was holy Pepsi and Shirlie weren't listening in too.
"Nah, I got attacked by a Stand User. Don't worry, it's totally taken care of. Just get back here whenever you can. Bring that ass with you." Ripley hung up right after.
"Ass? Agent, what on Earth-" She pulled the phone away when the line died. Her face was a bold crimson after that.
Shizuka just smiled, leaning against the wall of the bus stop and licking her ice cream without a word. She lowered the sunglasses over her eyes to hide her expression a little more.
"That's not how we talk when we're alone, Jojo." Marina assured the child. "I have no idea what came over her."
They stood there in silence for a few seconds before the gears in Marina's head caught up to what Ripley said near the end. Before the "bring that ass" part. It finally clicked.
"Wait… She said she got attacked by a Stand!" Marina realized.
"What!? What kind?" Shizuka looked up in shock.
"I don't know! She said it was taken care of. I guess they took care of it?"
"If you weren't so busy crushing on each other you could have asked the right questions." Shizuka sighed.
"Crushing? Shizuka, we're adults. We're not crushing." Marina countered.
"So you're dating?"
"Er… No. I mean, I think we might be engaged? But that's purely for immigration purposes. Stop asking so many questions, it's past your bedtime." Marina huffed, licking her ice cream grumpily.
"It's like five in the afternoon."
"Then eat your ice cream! Good cows died to bring you that treat." Marina groaned.
"I don't think they have to kill cows for milk?" Shizuka muttered.
"Honey, watch a documentary."
They just waited in silence for the bus to arrive. Eventually, it pulled around the corner and approached their stop. They got in, paying the small fee and walking toward the back to find a spare seat. Shizuka's ice cream had reached the critical moment where it started to melt way too fast, getting all over her hand. Marina rolled her eyes, pulling a napkin out of her pocket and handing it to the girl.
"This is why I told you to grab some of these, Jojo."
She just wiped her hand clean and wrapped the napkin around the base of the cone. It soaked up most of the drippage, but she only had another minute or two to finish the frozen treat before it became a milkshake. After waiting for a little while longer, the bus shifted in place and began to roll forward. Shizuka relaxed her head against the cool air-conditioned window and closed her eyes. Things were pretty okay for the time being.
The time being was very short lived, though.
Just as the two girls let their guards down, the bug started to chug. Marina's eyes drifted out the window. She raised a brow. The bus was slowing down. In fact, it was grinding to a halt. Everyone inside started to murmur about the inconvenience. The driver got up and walked outside for a moment to investigate. He entered the bus with a sheepish expression, clearly worried that the people of Vegas wouldn't be too sympathetic with his misfortune.
"Everyone, I'm sorry, but it seems like we have a flat tire. F-Four, in fact." He stammered nervously.
"Four!?" A man shouted from beside Shizuka and Marina's seat. "How the hell do you blow four tires? What kind of business are you running?"
"I don't run the business, sir. I just drive the bus. It's not even my job to check air pressure. I'm sorry. I've called roadside, but they say it could be up to three hours before they get to us. I completely understand the frustration. None of you have to stay. There's a bus stop about two blocks down the street. Another bus will be there in five minutes. You can get on it for free. I'm terribly sorry."
Everyone groaned as they grabbed their things and got off of the bus. When Shizuka and Marina stepped onto the sidewalk, the blonde's eyes drifted to an enormously lit display right above her head. She stepped back a bit to get a better look. It was an advertisement for some event happening inside.
"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" was written in bold red velvet font beside a cutout of Felix Felicis. He was wearing an all red tux with that silly top hat and shaggy white hair. Marina felt like she'd seen him before, but couldn't quite place it.
"Get a load of this guy." She gestured to the sign.
Shizuka walked up and crossed her arms as she examined the poster. "Yeesh. Too much red."
"Little man has a cute magic show. Do you think his mother ironed the red tux for him?" Marina chuckled.
"You couldn't pay me to sit through something like that. We do real magic every day." Shizuka scoffed.
"Damn right. He can leave the rabbit up his ass if it's all the same to you. Hard pass."
Right as they were about to walk away from the venue, the front door opened. A large man wielding a handful of tickets approached the girls from behind.
"Excuse me! Are you two the Joestar reservation?" He asked, panting as if he'd run a long distance to catch them.
Shizuka raised a brow, adjusting her sunglasses as she eyed the man carefully. "We might be."
After being given gift bags and complimentary drinks, Shizuka and Marina were walking down the aisle to find their seats. Both of them had Felix Felicis tee shirts folded in their arms, and neither had any intention of putting them on. Eventually, they found their seats. Marina plopped down first with a little groan.
"Why the hell are we here, Jojo? We didn't make any reservations."
"That's exactly why we're here. Someone ordered two seats under the name Joestar. Fully paid, too. We even got a bunch of knick knacks and keepsakes. Who would do something like that?"
"The enemy?" Marina rolled her eyes.
"Or maybe family? There could be Joestars that I never knew about. It's worth checking out." Shizuka said confidently.
"Jojo, what's more likely here: A surprise twin sister, or the third attack today? If Ripley and the twins just fended someone off at the hotel, we should be on high alert. We should be going to meet up with them."
"So it's a trap. Let's do a thought experiment then. Let's say you're walking through a beautiful meadow without a care in the world. In the middle of the meadow, you find a lone bear trap deliberately placed in the middle of an enormous opening. There isn't an animal or man in sight. What do you do?" Shizuka raised a brow.
"I know you're not about to say the correct answer is triggering the bear trap." Marina shook her head.
"If someone's trying to kill you with such an obvious plan, they're probably going to keep trying until they succeed. Why not trigger the trap and defeat them first? That way they don't get you when your guard is down." Shizuka sighed, taking a sip of her drink.
"Wait… We're in a bear trap right now?" Marina looked around cautiously.
"I didn't want to freak you out, but probably." The child shrugged apathetically.
"Well geez, I feel totally calm now." The blonde crossed her arms and leaned back against the theater seat.
Moments later, the lights flickered a few times. This was to notify everyone that the show would begin very soon. It gave them a chance to find their seat and quiet down if they had been conversing in the aisles, or grabbing a snack from the concession stand. Shizuka just relaxed in her chair. She'd been to various types of performances. Joseph and Suzi Q made sure to raise her with a diverse pallet for entertainment. Broadway, symphonies, silly movies at drive-in theaters, the Joestar family did it all. Because of this, she felt quite comfortable sitting back and enjoying the ambience of a packed house.
"Give it to me straight, Jojo, do you think this Felix guy is a Stand User?" Marina whispered in the darkness.
Before the child could answer, the show began. An ominous hum began to drone through the enormous speaker system. It was so impossibly low, and the bass was strong enough to make Shizuka's teeth vibrate. She winced a bit. The hum ended shortly after. It was replaced by a strings section. Multiple colored spotlights began to activate and swing around the empty stage.
"I dunno. Seems a little on the nose. Do you really think he'd invite us to his own show just to kill us? There's an entire audience." She whispered in response.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages! It is my unparalleled honor and duty to welcome you here tonight." A booming voice spoke proudly through the speakers. "It's not every day that you witness a miracle. A shooting star? A winning lottery ticket? A chance encounter with the love of your life?"
As the voice continued, visual examples of each miracle played on the massive screen above the stage. Shizuka crossed her arms and lifted her knee up. She rested it against the back of the chair in front of her. What was this guy going on about?
"These miracles are dependent on fate. Fate is a cruel mistress that seems to favor no man. You are bound to her passing whims. There's nothing you can do to appeal to her. Until now!"
As he finished his monologue, a puff of red smoke appeared center stage. When it faded, Felix Felixis was standing loud and proud in front of a roaring audience. The applause was thunderous. People had traveled for hours just to see his performance. Shizuka had heard about the overnight sensation. He appeared out of nowhere with a magical show. Within four months he'd gone from nothing to a superstar. Could he really be a Stand User? What kind of sick setup was this? More importantly, why couldn't she look away?
"Thank you! Thank you all!" Felix's voice was amplified by the lavalier microphone pinned to the collar of his jacket. The volume was just right. Any louder and he'd be ear-piercing. Any quieter, and you might be able to hear yourself think. "It's not every day that you witness a miracle, that much is true. However, if you leave this theater with a DVD of my tour, you can witness one miracle every single day from the comfort of your own living room! I'm not doing Blu-ray, it's a dying format, believe me!" He chuckled.
Everyone laughed. He had them in the palm of his hand.
"What brought you here tonight, I wonder? Chance? Circumstance? Or fate?" He let that linger in the room for a moment.
"Those are all synonyms." Shizuka muttered to herself.
Felix slammed his staff against the stage. The moment it made contact, a boom sound effect played through the speaker system.
"You came here tonight, because I willed it. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my show. I am Felix Felicis, and I am a modern bard! However, I don't speak tales of old, nor do I write my own. No… No… No! I tell you stories of what will be! That's the performance of the future!" He threw his arms out to each side.
Once again, everyone applauded. Shizuka and Marina exchanged looks as he mentioned the future.
"There will be skeptics in the audience. Don't boo them! Everyone should strive to be a skeptic at all times! I wouldn't believe my talent if I didn't possess it myself! Please, please, grant them the boon of patience, ladies and gentlemen. Are there any skeptics in the house tonight? Anyone who believes that I'm some second-rate psychic? Go on, feel free to raise your hand."
Of course, Shizuka wanted to. She decided against it at the last minute. That was probably what Felix wanted. No, she would keep observing for the time being. After a few seconds a hand could be seen from the middle of the audience. Felix's eyes focused on it.
"Oh, hello! Yes, you! I see your hand! Please, stand up. Let's have a chat."
The average looking man slowly rose to his feet. He seemed a little nervous to have all eyes on him. Still, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Y-Yeah! Hey. I think your show's fun and all, but do you really expect me to believe you've got some sort of future vision?"
A fire lit in Felix's eyes. Shizuka could see it even from her faraway seat. The performer twirled his staff around one hand for a moment in contemplation. Then, he struck it against the stage and wrapped both hands around the top end.
"Let me ask you something, kind sir. Do you know what the butterfly effect is?" Felix tilted his head.
"Butterfly effect? Isn't that some movie?"
"Yes, and no. It's a real scientific theory. Well, hardly a theory, more an observation of the world around us. It goes like this. Events are always the result of previous actions, correct? You're only here because your mother and father met. They're only here because their parents met. Every single new event is an impossibly tiny possibility in the flowing sea of time. Theoretically, all of these events are due to the first. The Big Bang, the hand of God, it doesn't matter what you call it. The first event is the cause of everything… Think about it. You ate something for lunch today, right? That only happened because of the first event. Am I making sense?" He paused, tilting his head.
The man was clearly lost, but he nodded his head timidly.
"Good! So, if the past is a catalyst for the future, then we can accurately predict said future by analyzing the past! That's where the butterfly effect comes into play. It's said that the flapping of a butterfly's wings on one side of the world could eventually lead to a tornado on the other. We live in a world of utter chaos! Anything can happen. However, if you were able to look at possibilities from a broader view, you would be able to determine which butterfly needs to flap in order to create your desired outcome. I'm still making sense, right?"
"I guess? But who could possibly have a broad enough view to tell which butterfly needs to flap?"
"I do!" Felix grinned. "I'll prove it, too. This is where the show gets good. You see, I've already put a butterfly effect into motion, my friend. About six hours ago, I performed a few seemingly inconsequential acts. Any observer would see my actions and pay them no mind at all! But each of those acts were butterfly effects!" He explained with an enormous smile. "The seeds that I planted ricocheted through probabilities trillions of times, eventually ending with the outcome that I desire! Now, it's time to harvest. Turn your phone off of silent, please. Hold it up for everyone to see!"
The random audience member seemed hesitant. He eventually caved, grabbing his phone and turning the ringer on. Then, he held it up with a furrowed brow. What could possibly happen? Was this a part of some game? He bought tickets over the phone, so the venue might have given his number to Felix. He definitely wouldn't be impressed by some phone call.
His phone started to ring. His eyes drifted to the identification bubble. Then, he clenched the phone like a liferaft on the titanic. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. The caller ID! It couldn't be!
"My… My dad is calling me!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Everyone gasped. Felix just leaned against his staff with a smirk.
"He... He hasn't talked to me in three years! Not since I came out of the closet! Why…? Why is he calling?" His eyes darted to Felix for answers.
"I don't write tragedies, honey. You should definitely take that. Enjoy your harvest!" Felix popped a few finger guns before winking at the man.
Everyone started to clap like crazy. The man sprinted out of the performance hall with his phone held against his ear. The house was absolutely on fire. People were standing, whistling, throwing roses and cheering like it was the end of the Superbowl. Felix just took a single bow, waving his hand around the room with a humble smile. Marina was in total disbelief. She leaned closer to Shizuka.
"That was insane… There's no way he could have done something so precise. This has to be an act, right? That man was a planted actor." She spoke in certain terms, but her voice wavered with confusion.
"Ask yourself why we're here, Marina." Shizuka was sitting upright with visible discomfort. She'd figured it out before her friend. A single drop of sweat ran down her pale cheek.
"Why we're here? What do you mean? We're here because of the reservations." Marina raised a brow.
"Go back further than that. Our bus broke down." Shizuka looked into the blonde's eyes. "Right outside the venue."
Marina's heart dropped upon the realization. If Felix could plant seeds of fate, that would certainly explain their unfortunate breakdown right outside of his performance. That was insane, right? No one could calculate so far into the chaotic future and influence butterfly effects like that! Unless…
"Thank you everyone. Thank you so much! Let's all pray for that man's relationship with his father. Now, I don't feel the negative aura of any more skeptics in the audience. I suppose that means we can proceed with the show! Let me tell you, I have quite a bit planned! This one won't be on the DVD! It's a special event! That's right! You'll be able to tell your friends and family that you were here tonight for years to come!"
Everyone roared with applause and adoration.
"Yes… Tonight's the night, ladies and gentlemen. I suppose you could say this show is to die for."
With that last line, his eyes shot directly to Shizuka's chair. She felt a shiver run down her spine. He wasn't looking into the audience anymore. She could feel their eyes connecting. He was looking right into her, and she was looking right into him. There was an intent behind that gaze. His wicked smile certainly didn't help ease her worries. She gripped the armrest and felt her stomach knot up.
"Marina, we're in trouble."
To be Continued...
