Eleonora closed the door behind her, and wore her pajama. She felt a bit dizzy, she appreciated their company, but she needed some time to recharge. Being surrounded by so many people drained her of too much energy after a while.
The night was quite cold. She took her red robe out of the closet, and observed the view from the small balcony. She looked down, the garden seemed so peaceful, she wished she hadn't already said goodnight to the others, and could have gone there to relax.
Oh well...She was probably too tired to do so either way, it was better to simply go to bed.
Putting the robe back to where it belonged, she slipped under those fuzzy covers, she loved the feeling of being wrapped in something so warm and fluffy.
She turned off the lamp on the bedside table, but the room was still softly illuminated by the moonlight. She was glad for that, it made her feel safer.
However, falling asleep almost looked like an impossible task, so much had happened in just a single day, and she hasn't had a moment to process it. What would have come next?
She would have gone on dangerous missions, she would have lived her life, knowing very well that every second could have been her last one. Each day would have meant new risks, new challenges, new obstacles to overcome.
She was terrified.
...But she'd lie if she said that the thought of it didn't thrill her a little, and she had no reason to deny it. Not the "risking your life" part per se, but there are always two sides of the same coin, she didn't have to look solely at the negative one. Everybody had so much to offer her, the way they welcomed her among them only solidified her thoughts.
She kept on replaying every moment of the day inside of her head. It seemed like a silly thing to do, but she couldn't help it.
Eventually, tiredness caught up to her, as she drifted into a tranquil rest, not waking up even once throughout the night.
~~~
The following day arrived before she could even tell, she had set an alarm clock to wake up quite early, she didn't want to give the impression of someone who wastes their entire morning in bed.
The house was so silent, it almost scared her, not that she was really surprised. She had figured that most of the others wouldn't have been awake.
She made her bed, and headed for the kitchen, Trish had told her that that's where they usually have breakfast.
When she walked in, as expected, the brunette only found another person: Bruno.
Hearing someone approaching, he turned around, he was taking taking some fruit out of the fridge.
"Mh? Oh! Good morning"
"Good morning to you as well, signor Bucciarati"
He was busy cutting some apples, the girl silently placed herself next to him.
"Do you...Need anything?"
"Well, I was planning on making a fruit salad for us and the rest, would you mind helping me?"
"Not at all"
He opened a small cupboard, and handed her a knife, it seemed quite sharp.
"Try not to cut yourself on accident"
"Don't worry, I won't"
She took a couple of strawberries, being careful not to accidentally stain her clothes.
"Say, there's something I've been meaning to ask you"
"Yes?"
"What sort of...Relationship do you have with your parents?"
Her grip on the knife became a bit tighter, but not enough for the other to notice.
She was already prepared for a similar question, but knowing him, she knew that any possible answer wouldn't have brought to a good reaction.
"...Not the greatest"
Bruno looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but she was staring firmly at her own reflection in the shiny cutlery.
"I'm...Very sorry to hear that, if you don't want to talk about it, then-"
"It's...Okay, if you were planning on asking me something else regarding them, don't hesitate to"
Her tone of voice contradicted what she was saying, but the man decided to believe her. He wasn't unhappy for her arrival, but he couldn't say he approved of it entirely either.
He was convinced that young people like her had to stay away from that business. If they had the chance to live a happy, normal life, they shouldn't have thrown it away for a way more dangerous and tiring one. He couldn't deny that, at first, he felt guilty at the thought of letting a little girl join the squad, but he knew better than to contradict Giorno's choices.
The only situation in which he would have accepted a member like her, was if she truly had nowhere to go but the Organization, and her previous answer already suggested that was the case.
"How...Did the react to you becoming part of Passione?"
"They...They don't know about it"
"What? What was the last time you saw... You talked to them?"
"...Some time ago, I can't remember exactly"
"I know it's not my business to judge your choices, but don't you think they're worried about you?"
"...No, they're not"
"How can you be sure?"
As she already saw this sort of conversation coming, she had thought of something believable enough for him to fall for the trick, the boredom due to not being able to fall asleep gave its fruits.
"They remained in my hometown after I moved here in Napoli to study, they sent me here because they heard of a prestigious high school for the most talented students, that's also where I met Giorno in the first place. But after a small... Accident, I was unfairly framed and was about to be put in jail. He got me out of it, luckily, but my parents...They refused to pay the money the school asked, so I was kicked out, and they wouldn't let me come back home. Giorno offered me a place to go...Not that I had much of a choice anyway"
"What was the accident?"
"I used to be...Friend, with a couple of girls who went to my school. They may have seemed like good people at first, but they were involved in the business of drugs"
The last part made Bruno's heart almost skip a bit, he couldn't believe that even after all their efforts, someone was still trying to sell those horrific substances, and the fact that a girl like Eleonora ended up getting involved in it, only made him feel worse.
"...Continue, please"
"One day, they invited me to hang out with them, but when I realized what they meant by that, I panicked. I tried to run away but... I just had no way to defend myself, I-I couldn't even move. They forced me to try some, and immediately after, the police arrived. I...Don't think I need to add anything else"
"That...Won't be necessary. Forgive me for being invasive, but I'm usually the one who takes care of the new members, I just want to know everyone in my team as much as I can"
"I understand, and thank you for your interest, that's not something I'm exactly used to"
"It's nothing, I want anyone who steps into this house to feel at home, if you ever want to talk to me about something, please do, I'd gladly listen"
By the time the conversation ended, breakfast was ready. They set the table, and put the bowl with the fruit salad inside in the middle of it.
"We all share similar experiences, you don't need to hide anything from us"
"I...Would never"
Just as they were about to sit down, the brunette noticed something: Bucciarati had only taken seven plates.
"...Giorno has already gone to work, right?"
"I'm afraid that's the case. He wakes up incredibly early, so I didn't see him either"
"I see..."
The man took a seat next to her.
"You know, I was a bit surprised when I found out he had a friend like you, especially since he's never told us anything about you"
"Well, he always wanted me to stay out of these affairs, I supposed it worked...Even if just for a while"
She took a bite out of her plate, she's never liked fruit a lot, but to her surprise...It was genuinely good. Of course, something prepared by Bucciarati just had to taste like that, and the fact that she helped him as well made her proud of herself.
"Are you religious, Eleonora?"
"Yeah, I went to a private school as a child, some of my teachers were nuns. My whole family is Christian, so it's always been a pretty important part of myself"
"That's good to know, I'm the only Catholic in the house...Well, I was. But you might, and you will kill people working here sooner or later, isn't it a bit conflicting for you?"
"Mh...I know that the ones I'm going to take out are not nice people, that maybe...Maybe they do deserve that fate. The thought of it doesn't exactly please me, but I believe in a greater good behind my actions"
"I hope you'll remain true to your beliefs, integrity is a very important virtue"
One after the other, the rest of the team woke up as well. Not to her surprise, the last one was Mista, who tried to steal some salami from the fridge, hoping to go unnoticed. Needles to say, it didn't work.
After everyone was reunited in the room, Bucciarati stood up.
"May I have your attention, please?"
"What's the matter? Asked Trish.
"I've been informed that some people have been trying to start an arms deal around the country, and it is our duty to capture them. Those weapons could be useful to us, and letting civilians, or worse, possess them, is a risk we cannot take"
"It sounds like a relatively easy task, we've dealt with far worse than this"
Abbacchio commented.
"I know, but I feel like it'd be better if we sent two people instead of a single one. And I think I already know who's going to be one them"
He looked into the newbie's direction, who nodded slightly.
"Of course...I'll do my best, signor Bucciarati"
"But since this is your first mission, I wouldn't feel safe leaving you alone, so-"
"OH OH! I'LL GO! I WANNA GO!"
Narancia happily yelled, raising his hand like a child waiting for his turn to speak.
The man with blue hair tried to keep a serious expression, but his enthusiasm made it no easy job.
"I have no reason to oppose. Your aereosmith will be the perfect stand for this task"
The boy in orange turned to look at her 'partner', receiving a sweet smile in return. She had never seen someone so happy to be paired with her...Let alone volunteering.
"Now that I think about it though, what's YOUR stand?"
He asked her, pointing his finger in the direction of her forehead.
Abbacchio and Fugo looked at each other, they were obviously thinking the same thing, and they could tell.
That brat? A stand? Yeah right...Even the turtle has more power of will than her.
Narancia is jumping to conclusions, how do we even know if she's able to handle one?
However, their faces suddenly changed when they saw her standing up as well.
"Uhm...I could show you, if you'd like. I feel like I must warn you though, it's...Nothing exciting"
"Doesn't matter! Come on, let us see!"
Eleonora closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she needed to focus a moment in order to summon the manifestation, as doing so was a rare occurrence, and she wasn't really practical in it.
A couple of seconds later, a creature manifested right behind her, it was just as tall as her, but she was floating. She had white skin and a pair of deep black eyes, she didn't present any other facial characteristic. On the both sides of her head, there was a pink heart-shaped decoration, like a pair of earphones, even though they weren't connected to each other. She wore a long, brown dress that covered entirely her body, it was decorated with some white buttons on the front, and white embodiments at the end of the sleeves, together with a drawing of a pink heart on the back.
"This...Is my Mood Swing"
The stand immediately wrapped her sleeves around her master, putting her head on her shoulder.
"Forgive her...She's a bit shy"
The oldest member tried not to laugh, what sort of stand was that? She looked like a doll, he honestly couldn't tell which one looked more harmless between her and the user.
"She's adorable!" I didn't know stands could be this cute!"
Narancia giggled.
"She's surely pretty original"
Bucciarati commented, leaning over to the two of them, inspecting the new being together with Sticky fingers.
"What can she do?"
Trish questioned, giving her a smile and raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Well...It's a bit hard to explain, but I'll try. I can project any sentiment a person feels inside of me, it's like empathy brought to a literal level. In addiction to this, I can transmit what I feel to others as well, I can choose a single target or multiple people, but what they feel is way more intense and extreme. The closer they are to me, the stronger the effect is"
"What if the emotion is too strong?"
"They pass out, the amount of adrenaline is too much for them to handle"
Nari gave the stand a confused look, relatively complex abilities like those took a while for him to understand, all he could make out was that she could make people lose consciousness.
With a condescending smile on her face, Eleonora noticed his uncertainty.
"Basically, whatever you feel, I feel it too. What I feel, you feel it as well, but like, stronger and stuff"
"OHHH...THAT'S PRETTY COOL!"
Fugo crossed his arms, he seemed nothing but unimpressed by the new power. The best she could do was neutralize the enemy for a while, and the user had to be scared as well to do so? Talk about inconvenience.
"Can she fight?"
"Uhm...N-No"
She put her right arm inside of Mood Swing's sleeve, the smile on her face due to Narancia's interest immediately disappeared when she heard the blond's question.
"It doesn't a body, the dress is empty, it's simply attached to her head. She can't punch...Or kick, because she doesn't have limbs to do so in the first place"
"...I see"
Sensing the tension in the air, Bucciarati interfered, trying to lift her spirit up.
"Well, it's not necessarily a negative thing"
"R-Really?"
"Since we're going to interrogate the subjects you will capture, we need them alive. Your ability is perfect for this mission, you couldn't have arrived in a better moment"
"Ah...You're right, signor Bucciarati!"
The white creature raised her head, she seemed happy, despite not being fully able to show it.
"Any stand can be useful, it just depends on the context, and the way you decide to use it, don't ever forget that"
"I will not, I swear"
"Well, I think it's time you two get going. You will take the car and head to Salerno, just head South and you should reach it, but I'll give you a map anyway, just for precaution. Sadly, we don't know where they may be hiding, or how they look like, but we do know that there's three of them. It'll be up to you to localize them, and bring them back here"
"Yessir!"
They two kids extorted at the same time.
"Good luck, try to come back home alive"
"And don't destroy the car while you're at it"
Said Trish and Mista, waving them goodbye.
"Veeeeeery funny guys. Come on girl, si va in missione!"