When he sat back up, looking around at all of the others who'd been laid out on their futons all around him, Jotaro found himself wondering just what in the hell had been going on.

"Did it work?" he called, turning to Mom; the most logical explanation, given everything that had happened and everything that they'd been doing beforehand, was that they'd faced the enemy's Stand.

Though why in the hell he didn't remember even a bit of it… well, that was something else.

"Once the enemy's Stand had been captured, I pulled Loreena-chan's earring out and hung it up, so I could get a better shot at it with my Hamon," Mom said, holding up the cup with what seemed to be a strip of dental-floss taped across the rim.

"Ah, so that was what that was for," the Old Man said, looking down at the cup as Mom pulled out Loreena's earring and handed it back to the girl.

Her Stand was out, and Jotaro smirked slightly as the thing sniffed at the earring that Mom was handing over.

"It looks like everything's been taken care of," the Old Man said, smiling in that obliviously cheerful way he'd seen so often from Mom; Jotaro rolled his eyes.

Sure, it seemed like everything was going well, but Jotaro couldn't help the thought that this wasn't quite the end of things.

=SC=

"Sir, the travel reports for the Japanese branch of Blackwatch," Paul Simon, the coordinator for Blackwater's international operations and the master of the Stand Band On The Run, said, making his way over to where N'Doul was standing.

Thanking the vampire for his efforts, N'Doul narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of a certain name on the report. It seems as though my message didn't quite sink in properly, he mused, making his way over to the phone so that he could contact Lord Dio. The trust that the insolent Telence T. D'arby shared with Lord Dio would provide the means that N'Doul would need to deal with the boy once and for all.

The method by which Band On The Run operated, while a great boon to Blackwatch when those in the indirect employ of the Commander needed to move with discretion and silence, also made it impossible for those wearing the bands that the Stand would place upon them to be found. No one hunting for them would be able to track them by any means. In fact, the harder they attempted to search, the less likely they would be to find their quarry.

He'd personally borne witness to such an effect; one of those who served under him had been pursued by the police, but banded as they were, even when one of the officers had passed directly in front of her, the man had been completely unable to catch so much as a glimpse of her where she stood.

However, the fact that those under the effect of Band On The Run could not be found did not prevent them from being caught; it was perfectly possible for those who knew the nature and proclivities of those who had been banded to set an ambush. To that end, Lord Dio would serve for dealing with Telence and putting a final end to his foolishness.

=SC=

Softly singing the lullaby that Mother had sang to him, back when he'd merely been a human working alongside his sweet sister in that small hotel in one of London's poorer districts, he, Dio continued feeding his adorable little Gio the formula that he had specifically mixed for the the baby so that he would be able to grow up properly. Just as he was about to finish, however he, Dio, heard the sound of the phone ringing. Raising an eyebrow even as he, Dio, summoned The World to give him an extra pair of hands so that he wouldn't have to set Gio down just anywhere before he'd finished feeding the little one he, Dio, felt the phone pressed against the right side of his head as The World obediently fetched the useful little device for him.

"This is the Desert Rose; management speaking, though if you've called to make reservations, I'm afraid we're not open to the public just yet," he, Dio, said, smiling softly.

"Lord Dio."

"N'Doul," he, Dio, said, blinking in surprise. "I hadn't been expecting to hear from you for quite some time; you always seem to have something or other occupying your mind between those times when you take your leave."

"I apologize, Lord Dio, but this isn't a social call," N'Doul said and he, Dio, could all but see the contrite expression on his faithful servant's face.

"Oh?" he, Dio, prompted as he finished feeding little Gio and patted his son's back; he wasn't fond of what could easily happen next, but every book he'd read about caring for babies stated that such was an important part of making certain that they would be well.

"I'm going to need to read you in on Protocol Zero, Lord Dio," N'Doul said.

How interesting, he, Dio, mused as N'Doul began speaking of a rather interesting system that his sweet sister had seemingly developed in order to handle those foolish enough to defy her when she had offered them the infinite freedom of a Blackwatch agent.

=SC=

Sitting up suddenly, after the last of Death 13's dream-world burned away all around him, Telence looked down at the smoldering body of Mannish Boy in his arms. There was smoke coming out of his mouth, as well as the charred remnants of his eyes, and as Telence got back to his feet, he tossed the corpse into a nearby trashcan and hurried out of the house he'd been using. He'd stuffed the owners into a pair of hastily made dolls, after they'd been foolish enough to challenge him for the right to stay in their home.

As much as he didn't like the idea of destroying even something he'd spent so little time on as those dolls he'd stuffed the souls of the former owners of the house he'd been staying into, Telence only had a limited amount of space and he was fully determined to reserve it for the dolls that he'd so carefully crafted for Noriaki Kakyoin and Loreena McKennitt, so he tossed the other three dolls into the oven, turned the appliance up to the maximum temperature possible, and left the house he'd taken shelter in behind.

With any luck, the fire would serve as another distraction for anyone who might have had a Stand capable of tracking him indirectly.

Well, it looks like I'm not going to be able to get my hands on them that way, Telence mused, making his way through the part of town where he'd determined that Noriaki Kakyoin and his family lived together; the Joestar mansion, where Loreena McKennitt was staying, was a bit farther away, taking up a fair bit of space at the end of a street. It wasn't nearly a match for the Desert Rose, or any of the other properties that Dio or Alice owned, of course, but Telence supposed it was comfortable in its own way.

=SC=

It was weird, falling back into their normal routine after having been under attack by an enemy Stand, but Mom wasn't about to let any of them start slacking off just because something fucked-up had been going on. And sure, it wasn't like any of them were going to be complaining about that kind of thing – mostly because none of them really remembered it – but Jotaro couldn't quite help the thought that something should have actually changed after everything that had happened.

And yeah, there were a few differences between now and then, but they were all the annoying kind.

Loreena and her annoying bishonen of a boyfriend were getting even more lovey-dovey than usual; not that anyone who wasn't a Stand user could tell, since the both of them had their Stands cuddling and nuzzling each other. Her annoying bishonen of a boyfriend not wanting to disturb the "peace and tranquility" of the school by carrying on with Loreena the way anyone without a Stand would have been doing. Or, the way the Old Man had probably done with Granny Suzy anytime he could get away with it.

Rolling his eyes as he caught sight of Hierophant Green and Crimson Ace, wrapped around each other and cuddling up in one of the nearby trees, he turned to see Loreena and her annoying boyfriend making their way out to meet with him so the three of them could start making their way back to their respective homes.

"Well, today was a productive day," Loreena's annoying boyfriend said, sounding more pleased than Jotaro had ever found himself feeling after a school day.

Then again, he really did seem like that kind of person.

As the pair of them continued with a conversation that they'd been having off-and-on in the times between their classes, Jotaro turned slightly. He could have sworn that he'd seen someone familiar, just across the street, but when he'd actually stopped to look for them, it was like they'd never been there at all. That's weird, he mused, narrowing his eyes as he found himself wondering just what in the hell was going on.

=SC=

Chuckling as he watched the pair of Stands – Loreena's Crimson Ace and Noriaki's Hierophant Green – follow along after their respective masters, cuddling in the way that said masters would have probably been doing if Noriaki wasn't such a prude, Telence smiled as he followed along in their footsteps. Jotaro had triggered Band On The Run's active effect when he'd glanced over, a rather amusing thing that would make it all the more simple for him to keep up with them. Still, the question of just how he was going to be able to finish those dolls he'd been working on remained unanswered.

It was infinitely frustrating, but it was starting to seem like he should back off for the moment – since he'd only come to Japan on the assumption that Mannish Boy's Death 13 could have given him the final pieces he'd been lacking to finish those dolls of his – and head back to Egypt again. Sighing as he took a long look at the pair of them – he'd even taken the time to sew magnets into the hands of the dolls he'd made for them, so that the pair of them would still be able to hold hands – Telence turned and began making his way back out of this particular quiet little neighborhood. He'd come back later, of course, but for the moment he needed to regain his bearings and start making a new plan.

There was a part of him that still wondered just how those two had managed to escape Mannish Boy's Death 13 so easily, but if there was anything that someone who'd been with Blackwatch as long as he had managed to learn, it was that some mysteries wouldn't be solved by just one person; he'd have to ask Noriaki and Loreena about it, once he'd gotten them settled into their new lives.

=SC=

Narrowing his eyes as he, Dio, contemplated the information that his loyal servant N'Doul had presented him with; the Zero Protocol had been a rather inspired solution to the difficulty posed by the powers of his sweet sister's servant, though he'd hardly expected anything less from the brilliant woman who had stood by his side for all the days and nights of his glorious unlife. Still, the small pleasure that he, Dio, felt at knowing that his dear Alice had managed to gain the services of such a useful Stand and its master was almost completely overshadowed by the fury that he, Dio, felt at knowing just how much of a fool Telence T. D'arby had ultimately shown himself to be.

It was purely and simply infuriating, knowing that one of those he had given his trust to had tossed it aside in such a disgusting way.

His glorious, loyal World brought him the phone, and he, Dio quickly made arrangements to travel to his holdings in Colorado; they were far enough away from his and his sweet sister's first estate in Montana – the place where their company had begun, and a place that he, Dio, had often returned to in the past – that he could return to them in at least some semblance of secrecy. Such a thing would be important for the next stage of his plan; the part that he, Dio, would soon play in bringing Telence – the same kind of fool that Enya and her worthless son had proven themselves to be – to justice for what he'd been attempting to do for so long.

Once he'd informed Vanilla Ice that he was going to be leaving the Desert Rose for an indeterminate amount of time, with instructions not to inform anyone outside of his immediate family of just where it was that he, Dio, was going to be heading to, he picked up little Gio and made his way out to the private airport that held his personal plane. After he'd begun settling himself in, his faithful servant came out to the airfield and he, Dio, smiled as Vanilla Ice climbed into the pilot's seat and guided the three of them steadily into the air.

Relaxing into his seat at the back of the plane he, Dio, held his adorable little Gio closer, musing on just how it was that he would properly address the foolishness of young Telence.

=SC=

Looking over at Jotaro, Noriaki found that his and Loreena-chan's friend – odd though he had proven himself to be on so many occasions; to say nothing of his pronounced lack of anything resembling manners – didn't seem to have settled down, even after all the time the three of them had spent walking peacefully.

"Come on, Jotaro, school isn't that bad," he said, trying to break the tension that he knew would otherwise spread to him and Loreena-chan, no matter how the pair of them tried to avoid it.

"It's not that," Jotaro said, his tone as brusque and annoyed-sounding as Noriaki had ever heard it.

"Is this about whoever it was you thought was following us?" Loreena-chan asked, turning to look at him, even as he had Hierophant Green wrap its arms more securely around her Crimson Ace.

"Yeah," Jotaro said, casting what seemed to be a mildly amused glance over at the pair of their Stands, before returning his attention to Loreena-chan as the three of them continued on their way to school for the day. "I could swear that there was someone following us, but whoever they were I guess they left."

Noriaki hummed softly, wondering just what it was that Jotaro had been seeing; it could have been someone else's Stand, or else a person who had been going the same way for completely innocent reasons. Jotaro was the kind who got himself worked up over nearly every kind of thing, so Noriaki didn't quite know what he should expect. Still, he'd keep an eye out, all the same.

Jotaro wasn't someone who got worked up over nothing, after all.

=SC=

After the three of them had made it to school, without him seeing – or in this case not quite seeing – whoever it was that had been following them through last night and into this morning, Jotaro allowed himself to relax just slightly. He didn't know if there would be anyone else coming to spy on them, or whatever else that guy had been trying to do – whatever it was that'd drawn them to him, Loreena, and that annoying bishonen boyfriend of hers – but Jotaro was going to keep an eye out for whoever they were.

Once the three of them had made their way to school, Jotaro rolled his eyes as he caught sight of the familiar crowd of girls all gathered around the front entrance, and more when he saw they way that all of their eyes turned towards the three of them; him and Loreena's annoying boyfriend in particular, of course. Out of the corner of his right eye, Jotaro saw Crimson Ace and Hierophant Green unwinding themselves from each other. Smirking slightly as the three of them continued on their way up to the building, Jotaro deliberately bumped Loreena's left shoulder, walking close to her as they made their way up to the chattering group of girls.

Even if it was annoying, knowing that there was at least one person – he'd count the annoying bishonen, but he still hadn't apologized for being letting Uncle Dio goad him like that, or being such an ass about stealing his hat – that he could call a friend in this whole annoying mess.

=SC=

After he, Dio, had settled comfortably back into his Colorado holdings, he was of course quick to invite the D'arby brothers to stay with him for a time. Daniel, after determining that his dear Little Jojo would not in fact be putting in an appearance, naturally decided to stay at home and brood over his losses. However, that fool Telence – the only once that he, Dio, was actually interested in at this point in time – did in fact desire to have some time away from home.

Ostensibly to think about things without the distractions presented by his brother's presence but he, Dio, was fully aware of what the little worm was truly thinking about.

Turning to make his way deeper into his holdings he, Dio, found himself smiling again as he continued onward to a room nearly at the exact center of this mansion that he had had prepared for just this kind of occasion. He hadn't expected to have to make use of it to deal with Telence, of all people, but perhaps he should have seen such a thing coming. Telence, fool that he was, did have a marked tendency to obsess over the things that he desired.

It was rather annoying, of course, but in this case it would also prove rather useful.

Leaving a message for Vanilla Ice, instructing his faithful servant to send the little fool to meet up with him once the boy had come to his holdings in Colorado he, Dio, settled himself into the room that he'd had specifically built and laid out for just the purpose that he was drawing Telence to this meeting; to his death, as was only proper after the things that he'd been attempting.

=SC=

There was still a part of Jotaro that prompted him to keep an eye out for that same, strange figure that he'd caught only the barest glimpses of, back when he, Loreena, and her annoying boyfriend had been going and coming from school – the fact that he'd only caught glimpses of whoever or whatever it was when he was around those two hadn't gone unnoticed, and in fact had spurred Jotaro to stay around them as much as he could stand – but as things around them settled back down to what passed for normal, he couldn't help the thought that whatever had been happening was over. Not that he wasn't grateful for the reprieve or anything, but he couldn't help wondering about it, either.

He didn't think he'd been imagining things…

=SC=

When Dio had called him to his study, Telence had been quick enough to respond that even the offer of tea and cocoa had been almost secondary to the chance to speak with the man. He knew that, if there was anyone in the world who would understand what he'd been trying to do, it would have to be Dio Brando. There was no one who cared for the people who'd he'd taken into his life like him, and there was nothing that Dio wouldn't do to protect those people.

He'd have to understand what it was that Telence had been doing; he'd just have to explain it to the vampire properly.

Once he'd made it to the study where Dio was waiting for him, Telence found himself smiling in return as the vampire turned his attention to him.

"Telence, I'm glad to see you've made such good time," Dio said, but there was something in his eyes – that same kind of coldness that Telence had heard described by a few of his other handlers – and the presence of that little kid Gio in his lap gave him more than a bit of pause.

Gathering himself as well as he could without breaking stride, Telence made his way over to the pair of large, plush chairs that had been set up in nearly the exact center of the elaborate, spacious study that he'd been invited into when Dio had called him to this place for whatever kind of meeting the vampire had had in mind. He wasn't as sure of himself and where he stood with Dio as he had been when he'd first come in, but Telence at least knew that he wasn't one to be too impulsive, even though he was still fully aware that the vampire had a temper.

Dio's sharp, crimson eyes and amused, unreadable smile followed him as Telence settled himself down into the chair that the vampire directed him to.

"Do you know, I've had a rather interesting conversation with N'Doul," Dio said, the smile on his face growing slightly colder and all the sharper for it.

"Oh?" Telence prompted, feeling as though he was being slowly pierced even without Dio turning that strange, eye-fluid cutting beam on him; he didn't really know what was going on, but Telence was starting to suspect he wasn't going to like it.

"Yes," the smile on Dio's face widened, his fangs becoming visible at the edges of his mouth, and Telence found himself all the more uneasy at the way his expression was transforming; if he hadn't been smiling so widely, his expression would have been a dead-ringer for the way he'd heard the Commander's described, right before she stabbed someone with that sword of hers and threw their twitching corpse down a nearby incinerator chute. "It seems that my sweet sister has been working with a rather interesting Stand user, and so was forced to develop counter-measures of a rather esoteric sort. Something by the name of the Zero Protocol?"

Telence could have sworn that the world fell right out from under him at that moment. "You're Agent Zero?"

There was nothing friendly about the way Dio chuckled, though there was still a cruel sort of amusement in the sound. "Telence, do you really think that I, Dio, would explain one of my sweet sister's most closely guarded secrets to you? Particularly now, of all times?"

Shuddering at the sheer, sadistic amusement he could plainly see on Dio's face, Telence wondered just how in the hell he'd ever managed to make Dio Brando so angry. The pair of them had hardly been the best of friends, true, but seeing the look Dio usually reserved for the people he was about to kill aimed at him… Telence didn't have more than a few seconds to reflect on what he was seeing, before the world really did fall out from under him.

=SC=

Watching with a sense of satisfied amusement as Telence plunged inevitably downward into Aretha's watery domain he, Dio, settled back into his chair as the section of floor and the plush chair that had been firmly bolted to the floor for just this manner of occasion. Truly, it no longer mattered what manner of Stand Telence had been aided by; he would either starve to death in the depths of the pool or drown in its dark waters after he lost the last of his strength, and either way Aretha would feast upon his remains.

Chuckling softly he, Dio, resolved that he would pay a visit to her later; even a Deinosuchus required some company, from time to time.