Carnegie Hall is a concert hall located in Midtown Manhattan. It was designed by the architect William Burnet Tuthill, and its construction was funded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who it was also named after. It hosts performances of both popular and classical music for a total of around 250 performances every season. It is divided into three auditoriums: the Stern Auditorium, Zankel Hall, and Joan and Sanford I. Additionally, it contains a room that can be rented out for weddings, as well as other events.
"Well, here we are!" Joanne said.
She stood under one of five rectangular overhangs jutting out over the doors to the concert hall, Scorpion Queen beside her. Focaccia walked up next to her. He took a sip from his bottle of vinegar, then carefully approached the door.
"Hmm…" he muttered, crouching to carefully examine the steps leading up to the door. "All right, it seems safe enough. You can go on in."
He stood up and brushed himself off. Joanne stepped past him and excitedly swung the door open.
"I wonder what exactly this 'Game of Hearts' shit is all about anyway," she wondered aloud as she entered Carnegie Hall's foyer.
It was a relatively small room, all things considered, but quite tall, with arches over every doorway. To the left of the door Joanne had entered through was a short stairway up to a door. Text above the door read "STAIRWAY TO ALL LEVELS". The floor was made of marble, with a pattern of black and white tiles, and another set of doors on the opposite wall led further into the building.
"Joanne," Scorpion Queen asked. "Do you have any idea where we're actually supposed to go?"
"Well, err… not exactly," Joanne admitted. "Ehh, how hard can it be to figure out? There's only really four places to check anyway, and we've still got…" She looked at a clock on the wall. "Fifteen minutes until we're supposed to be there."
"Your plan is to just walk into all the auditoriums and see which one you're supposed to be in?" Focaccia sighed. "Don't you have any better ideas?"
"Hey, I don't hear you contributing anything!" Joanne said. "Besides, like I said, we've got time!"
"Focaccia's right," Scorpion Queen said. "And as for a better solution, it'd be smart to just ask around. I'm sure there'll be other people who are here for this… Game of Hearts."
"Alright, fine," Joanne said, disappointed. "We'll go with that, I guess."
She walked up to a man who was standing in the corner. He was tall and muscular, with a long black winter coat that looked straight out of WWII and covered most of his body, as well as a peaked military cap with a stylized golden eagle decoration on the front. His eyes were covered by sunglasses, and his blonde hair was tied back into several braids that all met behind his head to form one long ponytail.
Focaccia eyed him suspiciously.
I don't like the look of that guy, he thought. If he tries anything, I'll need to step in.
"Hey, do you know where I'm supposed to go to present this?" she asked, holding up the invitation.
"I was wondering that myself," the man said. He had a thick German accent. "Although now I'm wondering about something else too. Just how low are the entry requirements to this 'Game of Hearts' thing if someone like you got in?"
"The hell is that supposed to mean, asshole?" Joanne said.
"Oh, just that you look like whoever was handing out invitations just grabbed the first idiot they could find off the streets and-" he suddenly stopped. "Ah, never mind. Forget I said anything. I can tell you've been invited to this event for a very good reason."
He stuck out his hand, clearly expecting a handshake.
"My name is Stroheim," he said. "Krieger von Stroheim."
Joanne completely ignored the outstretched hand.
"Joanne Jonas," she replied.
"And I'm Gianni Focaccia," Focaccia interjected, stepping forward. "Her bodyguard."
"Come on," Scorpion Queen said. "Let's go ask someone else. Hopefully the next guy you pick will actually know what's going on."
It grabbed Joanne's arm and gently pulled her toward the other side of the room. She turned and started walking that way, and Focaccia followed, though not before looking suspiciously at Krieger for another few seconds and taking another long swig from his bottle of vinegar.
Joanne looked around the crowd on the other side of the room.
"Do either of you have any idea who to talk to?" she asked. "I mean, what are we looking for? How do we know that any given person here is here for the same thing as us and actually knows what they're doing?"
"Joanne!" came a voice from behind her.
She jumped and spun around to see Athena walking up to her. Beside her, Focaccia was already tensed and ready to attack.
"Oh, Athena!" Joanne said. "This is that girl who gave me the invitation," she explained to Scorpion Queen and Focaccia.
"Yeah, speaking of that," Athena said sheepishly. "I just realized that it doesn't actually say where in this building you're actually supposed to go. Really sorry about that. It's gonna be in the Stern Auditorium. Here, I can take you and your friend there if you want."
"Bodyguard," Focaccia corrected, but Athena completely ignored him.
"Sure," Joanne said. "That'd be great."
"Alright then, follow me!" Athena replied. "Although maybe I should get everyone else who's here for the game to follow too…" She raised her voice and added. "Hey, if any of you are here for the Game of Hearts, follow me, okay?"
Joanne fidgeted in her seat. She was sitting near the middle of the central row of seats on the ground level of the Stern Auditorium, and it made her uncomfortable.
Why did I sit here of all places? she thought. I feel like I'm in the middle of everything. I hate it!
To her right, Focaccia was suspiciously eyeing all the surrounding seats and their inhabitants. Scorpion Queen stood between them.
"So, now what?" Joanne mused aloud, trying to distract herself from her discomfort.
"I assume we wait until someone comes onstage and tells us what this is all about," Scorpion Queen replied.
Joanne felt the air to her left shift and turned to see that had sat down in the seat next to her. He seemed to be a boy a few years older than Joanne, but she couldn't be sure, because he also seemed to be a good bit shorter than her. He had messy blonde hair with a blue captain's hat pulled down over it. He also wore a slightly oversized blue sailor's coat with an anchor symbol on each shoulder and baggy army-green pants with three pockets on each side. He looked over at Joanne, and she waved at him, but he quickly turned to look back at the stage again.
"Hey, do-" Joanne started to ask Focaccia. Before she could finish, the lights started to dim, and she stopped talking.
The lights got dimmer and dimmer until the room was nearly pitch black. Then, a spotlight turned on above the stage. A man was standing in the middle of it, behind a microphone. He wore a tuxedo, with matching pants, shoes, and gloves, as well as a dress jacket over top of it. His hair, done in a side sweep, was jet-black, and his skin and eyes were both a deep shade of brown. However, a bright white stripe ran through his hair, and where it ended just above his forehead, the line continued in the form of a patch of pale skin that descended down his face and neck up to the collar of his tuxedo. His tuxedo, as well as his pants and right shoe, had a bright white stripe on them as well, continuing from the pale patch on his skin.
"Good afternoon," he said in a deep, somewhat raspy voice. "My name is Whitestripe. I'd like to welcome you all to the beginning of the Game of Hearts. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering just what this is all about. After all, the invitations didn't explain much."
A general affirmative murmur went up across the crowd. Hearing all the voices mixed in, Joanne and Focaccia both realized just how many people were present.
"Well, don't you worry about a thing," Whitestripe continued. "Because as the 'official judge and rulesmaster', I'm here to explain everything."
He removed the microphone from the stand and stepped forward, holding it in his right hand. His right leg was crossed in front of his left one, and his right arm was twisted behind his head, positioning the microphone to the left of his face. His left arm was crossed behind his back in a similar manner, his hand splayed out.
"This game takes the form of a series of 'challenges' spanning various locations across the globe," he explained. "Once I'm done explaining the rules, contestants may form 'teams' if they wish. The maximum 'team' size is six people. Once 'teams' have been chosen, they will each be given the location their first 'challenge' will take place in."
He removed his left hand from behind his back and pointed forward.
"Your goal is simple!" he loudly continued. "First, you will travel to the location! All travel expenses, as well as any other expenses necessary for survival and relative comfort, will be covered by myself and the other 'coordinators'. Then, upon arrival, your goal will be to find the 'endpoint' of your 'challenge'! Finally, upon reaching this 'endpoint', you will be given the location of your next 'challenge'! However, only a limited number of 'teams' per location will be allowed to move on, so you must locate this 'endpoint' before your chances run out."
He stepped forward toward the edge of the stage, removing his right arm from behind his head and holding the microphone up in front of his face instead.
"There are only a few rules you must follow," he said. "First, you may not travel to the location of a 'challenge' assigned to another 'team'. An exception will be made if you must pass through that location on your way to the one assigned to you, but locations have been chosen in a way that makes this extremely unlikely. Second, you may not receive outside help from anyone who knows of the Game of Hearts. Third, you may not quit participating in the middle of the game. And fourth, you may not attempt to continue participating once you have been 'eliminated'."
He leaned forward, seeming to Joanne like he was looking directly at her. This was why she hated being in the middle of everything like this.
"As long as you follow these four rules, anything goes," he said. "But break the rules…"
A shimmering figure, hard to make out but clearly present, appeared standing behind him. It was humanoid, with its arms crossed, but other than that, details were nearly impossible to identify. Joanne, Scorpion Queen, and Focaccia all gasped.
A Stand?! they thought simultaneously.
"And you will suffer the 'consequences'," Whitestripe said in a dangerously low tone of voice. Then he smiled cheerfully and straightened his posture. "Well, with all that said, it's time for you to form your 'teams'. Don't let me stop you! The Game of Hearts begins now!"
The lights came back on, and everyone stood up all at once. The sound of over a hundred people yelling over each other was immediately nearly deafening, but Whitestripe seemed not to notice. He just turned and walked backstage.
"Did you see that?" Joanne asked Focaccia urgently.
"Yes, I did!" Focaccia replied. "He had a Stand! This may be more dangerous than I thought. We should leave, right now."
"No," Scorpion Queen said.
"Huh?" Joanne and Focaccia both asked.
"Think about it," Scorpion Queen explained. "According to that man, the game has already begun. And what were the rules he listed? I'm thinking of one in particular."
"Hmm…" Focaccia mused.
"Aha!" Joanne said, snapping. "He said, 'you can't stop participating in the middle of the game', or something like that."
"Exactly," Scorpion Queen said. "And what did he say about breaking the rules?"
"...That we'd suffer the consequences," Focaccia realized. "I see. If we don't play along, we'll no doubt have to deal with him and the other 'coordinators'. And if he's got a Stand… there's a good chance the rest of them do, too. Powerful ones, most likely."
He pulled a small lemon from his pocket and took a bite out of it, squeezing it angrily as he did.
"Dammit!" he growled. "I suppose we'll have to play along for now."
"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Joanne asked. "Let's go make a team!"