Apologies for leaving this story for a little while! Got swept up in other stuff, but here we are!
Also, this story got two reviews, so I'll reply to them, then we'll get to the chapter!
Wondeverett: I'm glad you like my story! Star Platinum is awesome, for sure! He and Golden Wind are tied for my favorite Stands.
Goatjo: I'm glad you're excited, cus here it is! :)
And there we have it! On to the chapter!
God Bless and Good Day!
~The Lupine Sojourner
All too soon, we're settled on a plane and things are suddenly quiet again.
It's felt like things have been moving so quickly ever since I met Jotaro, and now I have time to sit here and process everything as the plane settles at altitude and the silence lends itself to a long reflection on this situation.
I sit alone in the row in front of Noriaki and Mr. Avdol, lost in my thoughts.
I don't know what I was thinking, volunteering to come along on this wild adventure! I don't really even know these people! I had no idea any of this was happening just 2 days ago!
But still, part of me knows I'm doing the right thing, coming along. Mrs. Kujo needs us to find Dio and stop his grip on the Joestar family. If my Stand can help, I want to help.
I may be scared of actually fighting Dio, but it seems like Mr. Joestar and Jotaro can handle that part. Noriaki, Mr. Avdol, and I are just backup.
I'll be fine, so long as I don't get separated from the group.
I'm just starting to fall asleep when a strange buzzing noise reaches my ears. Something about it makes me uneasy, so I turn to look at Noriaki and see that he and Mr. Avdol have noticed it, too, glancing around to try to find the source of the noise. Mr. Joestar and Jotaro seem to have noticed it, too.
"There!" I say as loud as I dare, pointing out a fast-moving object darting into the main area from up near the cockpit.
Jotaro stands up. "A rhino beetle?" He asks.
"Or some other large insect." I confirm, standing as well, leaning my shoulder against the seat so I can both look at our group and keep an eye on whatever that bug is.
"Wait, it's a stag beetle." Jotaro corrects upon getting a better look at it.
"How'd it get on the plane?" I ask no one in particular, watching as it flies closer to us.
Mr. Joestar leans over to Mr. Avdol. "Hey, Avdol. Is that a Stand?" He asks, watching the beetle cautiously. "Are we already encountering another Stand User?"
"I'm not sure, though I've never seen a stag beetle that big." I point out, not realizing for a moment I'd cut off Mr. Avdol from replying. "It's not normal, whatever it is."
Mr. Avdol nods. "Ms. Kakyoin is correct; that is no ordinary insect. It is possible this is a Stand that takes the form of an insect."
The beetle, seeming to hear us talking about it, ducks down to hide in the seats, which also muffles the noise slightly, so it's hard to tell where it is.
"What the-it hid in the shadow of the seats!" Mr. Joestar gasps.
"Mr. Joestar, keep your voice down. We don't want to draw it's attention." I whisper. "That thing seemed to duck into the seats when it realized we're talking about it."
"Right."
"Damn. It could be anywhere." Mr. Avdol grumbles.
"Hang on, I can maybe help." I start to say as Jotaro moves to look for the beetle. "Jotaro, wait a sec." Before I can call Ace and have her vines set up a web to find the beetle, Noriaki moves, gesturing for me to back up.
"Jojo, it's next to your head! Look to your right!" He warns. "Nao, come back by me." I do, but just to get a better look at the thing. "Whoa! It's so huge! That thing has to be a Stand!"
I nod. "No doubt! It's probably even here for us!" I grit my teeth. Of course this trip wouldn't be as easy as a flight to Egypt and back!
Damnit!
The Stand starts foaming at the mouth, a strange thing, almost like a second mouth, appearing in the foam.
"That's disgusting." Jotaro grumbles.
"You said it."
Jotaro's face is determined. "Just sit tight; I'll take care of it."
I then realize his Stand might not be the best to take this thing on.
Before I can voice that, though, Mr. Avdol chimes in with advice. "Be extremely careful; I've heard that there is a User with an insect Stand that rips off the tongues of its victims before they die."
I shudder. "Jotaro, just a minute. I know Star Platinum can move very accurately, but it's also very powerful. If you're not careful, it'll wreck the plane."
"I know that!" Jotaro replies tersely, the muscular purple arm appearing over Jotaro's arm as Star Platinum comes out.
Unfortunately, the beetle is very quick, managing to dodge Jotaro's swipe entirely!
"It dodged you!" Mr. Avdol muses. "I..I can't believe it! It's faster than Star Platinum, a Stand that has the speed and precision to grab a speeding bullet!"
"Then there's no doubt about it; that bug can only be a Stand." Noriaki adds, looking a little surprised at it, too. "Where is he? Where is he hiding? Where's the one who's controlling it? We need to find him!"
"Nori, maybe we should take a crack at this." I mumble quietly to him. "You know, how we used to practice in the woods."
"What?" Nori takes a moment to realize what I mean. "Maybe…yeah, that might work. Let's just see how Star Platinum does first, now we know how fast it is." I don't see why we don't take care of the beetle together now, but next moment, the beetle comes out, that disgusting foam coming out again. "It's getting ready to attack!" Nori warns, automatically placing himself between me and the beetle Stand.
In an instant, the strange second mouth fires out almost too quick to see, going through Star Platinum's hand!
"No, damnit!" Jotaro growls, grimacing in pain as the second mouth grabs a hold of Star Platinum's tongue.
"Jotaro!" I exclaim, worried. Jotaro can only stand there, shaking a little in pain, unable to speak with the Stand holding Star Platinum's tongue. We all move as if to help, but we see Star Platinum stopped the second mouth with his teeth.
"Good thinking, Jotaro!" I can't help praising.
"Star Platinum stopped it with its teeth, just in the nick of time!" Mr. Joestar notes.
"Just as I feared; it's going after Jotaro's Stand's tongue!" Mr. Avdol worries, grimacing. "It's him! Represented by the Tower card of the Tarot, symbolizing calamity and the interruption of a journey! This Stand is called Tower of Gray!"
"Calm down!" I reply. "You'll wake up the passengers!"
Mr. Avdol, however, continues. "Tower of Gray is responsible for countless mass murders, which he made to look like unfortunate accidents. The plane crash last year in England that caused over 300 deaths was likely his work. And how many more have there been over the years? I'd heard rumors, but to think he's teamed up with Dio!"
Jotaro starts his attack next instant, managing to break the second mouth and free his tongue without more damage.
Unfortunately, despite all those punches, that's the only result. The beetle itself got away.
"It dodged that attack, too?!" Mr. Avdol cries. "Not just from the single hand, but it also dodged a two-fisted barrage of blows! It-it's so fast!"
A voice from the beetle laughs. "Even if you had ten guns to shoot bullets from one centimeter away, they would not be able to touch my Stand!" It boasts confidently. "Not that you could kill a Stand with a gun, anyways. You're all going to die with the rest of these weaklings!"
"Yeah right." I grumble to myself. But before I can even truly think of calling out Ace to try to trap the bug, it disappears!
"Heads up!" Noriaki calls, "It's over there now!" Sure enough, the beetle is several rows away, near the bathrooms.
"I'll get it." I snap, but it ducks under the seats again, laughing, and I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Before I can do more than summon Ace, it's ripped through several seats, collecting tongues like sick trophies, leaving the victims to fall over, dead! "Shit!" I curse. Those poor passengers! I can't heal them, even if I get the tongues back!
"Bingo!" The beetle cackles, showing off its grisly collection. "Got their tongues! Now, for the best part!"
It takes the tongues to the wall near the bathrooms and writes a single word in the blood of its victims; massacre!
"No! It actually did it…" Nori groans.
I grit my teeth. Time to end this! "Nori, we have to catch it!" I whisper. "Before it does more damage!"
Nori turns, but Mr. Avdol apparently has had enough as well, standing. "Fine! I'll burn that damn bug alive!" He summons his Stand. "Go, Magician's Red!"
"Avdol! Just hold on a second!" Noriaki calls before Mr. Avdol can do anything.
Mr. Avdol recalls his Stand as an older man close to the bathroom stirs, rubbing his eyes.
"It's so damn noisy on this flight…" He grumbles. "What's with all the ruckus?"
"Be careful!" Noriaki calls, but the old man wouldn't be able to see the Stand, anyway.
"Might as well go to the bathroom…" The man muses, standing and moving. However, when he momentarily touches the wall, he feels the sticky blood used to write on the wall and pulls his hand back, confused. "Why's this wet?" He asks himself, rubbing his fingers together to try to figure out what is on his hand. "What's with all this slimy stuff?"
"Sir, just sit down!" I call, but next second, the man sees the writing in blood and screams in shock.
"Blood! This is blood!" The man wails.
"Crap! He'll wake everyone!" I grumble, moving closer but Noriaki is ahead of me and executes a neat chop to a pressure point on the man's neck.
"Atemi." He says as the man collapses, passed out. "We have to defeat it before the other passengers start to panic. Easier said than done, though." He muses then turns to me. "You were right, Nao. We should have handled this ourselves. Let's do it!"
"Huh? What're you two on about?" Mr. Joestar asks.
"Naoko mentioned something we used to do as children to get the hang of coordinating our Stands and developing our skills. It should come in handy here." He looks at Mr. Avdol. "Mr. Avdol, using an active Stand like your Magician's Red inside an airborne plane could make it explode, killing all of us." He looks at Jotaro next. "Jojo, if your power were to rip a hole in the fuselage, it'd be a catastrophe." He adds, turning to face the beetle, which is watching us in anticipation of our next move. "This calls for a quiet and discrete Stand, like Ace of Wands and Heirophant Green. Our Stands are most suited to defeating it. We'll handle the pest control."
I nod. "Just hang tight." I turn to Ace, having half-forgotten I'd already summoned her. "Ace, you know what to do." She nods, releasing her legs as vines and beginning to weave among the seats, hovering behind me so as to not give away that her body is becoming vines. My role in this plan is simply backup, in case Heirophant can't catch the thing. All we have to do is stall for time until everything is set up.
Noriaki and I have the ability to make our vines and tentacles invisible if we want them to be, so I have the vines turn invisible as they weave around the plane, Ace still behind me, her staff gripped tightly. It wouldn't be much use in a cramped setting like a plane, but I wanted the beetle to be unsure who the first attack would come from.
"So you're the Kakyoin twins, eh?" The beetle laughs confidently. "Frankly, not even Lord Dio knows much of Naoko beyond her Stand's abilities, but you he knows very well, Noriaki." He taunts. "He told me all about you!"
I grit my teeth. He's just riling us up, trying to make us slip up! But I have to say something! "You can tell Dio Noriaki's done doing his dirty work, now and forever, asshole!"
"Naoko, focus!" Noriaki replies cooly.
"I know. Let's just finish this stupid bug." I grumble back.
"Don't bother trying!" The beetle laughs more. "You two may think you have silence on your side, but your Stands cannot keep up with my speed!"
Despite myself, I have Ace pick a leaf off the staff and hurl it like a shuriken, but I needn't have bothered; that thing is right about being quick. It dodges, leaving the leaf, stiffened like a knife upon removal from the staff, quivering in an arm-rest, barely two inches from the passenger.
Shit! I've gotta get control of myself! I might've killed someone!
"Naoko, wait for my move!" Noriaki calls, then has Heirophant ready an Emerald Splash. "Here, try this! Emerald Splash!"
I can't resist adding some leaves into the mix, but I quickly stop; it's no use. I can't fire as quickly as Noriaki can, and even the Emerald Splash isn't quick enough to catch the cocky bug.
Noriaki needs a little more time, and so do I, so he goes for another Emerald Splash. The bug is so cocky, it stays in the area it started this fight in, playing right into Noriaki's hands.
Noriaki keeps up the attack, not pausing, but predictably the beetle dodges.
"You seem to think you can hit me if you fire enough shots, but you haven't hit me at all!" It cackles.
"Not good." Mr. Avdol mumbles. "It's dodging everything they throw at it! Even Noriaki's Emerald Splash!"
I move a little closer, throwing a few leaves to move the beetle just a little away from Noriaki. "All part of the plan; I can't say more, but just watch." I whisper, winking at him.
"Huh? What does that mean?" Mr. Avdol asks.
"Just watch closely." I hint, then refocus. Ace's web is done, and it seems Noriaki is nearly ready, too.
However, in my moment of distraction, the beetle strikes Heirophant Green's mouth with that ugly second mouth. "Nori!" I cry as he backs up a step, his mouth bleeding. Ace grips her staff and extends it, nearly hitting the beetle. "You bastard!" Ace then has to use the staff to block the second mouth, she and I tightly closing our mouths to avoid having our tongues grabbed. However, the second mouth still manages to hit my face and score a raking gash, in the corner of my mouth opposite my scar where Noriaki had accidentally hit me before I realized my healing powers. "Son of a-that really smarts!" I hiss, holding my bleeding mouth. Noriaki falls over, and I move to help him up. "My web is ready." I whisper as quietly as I can in his ear. "Don't worry; once this bug is history, I'll heal you." I say louder as we face the bug again, looking at Noriaki's face.
It was a nasty hit, but nothing I can't handle. Same for my face. It'd be a new scar, but it would heal just fine.
The thing is so arrogant it still doesn't fly away. "You think you have a chance?!" It asks, laughing. "I'm too fast for you! You're way too slow to get a bingo!"
"Oh, yeah? We'll see who's laughing at the end." I growl. Ace is sneakily plucking leaves to add to Noriaki's next Emerald Splash. It won't do anything, but the beetle will take pleasure in showing me he can dodge them easier than the emeralds and will stay in the area just to spite us.
"Ha! My next attack will rip your tongues out, you ignoramuses!" The beetle taunts. "Won't that be fun?!"
Noriaki sets his jaw. "Emerald Splash!" He calls, and once more, the fight resumes. Ace adds the leaves, but as I thought it does no good.
"Don't you two get it?!" The beetle snaps.
"Damn! Impossible! How can they win if their attacks can't find their mark?" Mr. Avdol asks rhetorically.
"We're not idiots." I call back, trying to be quiet. "Just watch."
"You'll go mad from the pain once I rip your Stands' tongues out!" The beetle calls confidently. Ace has kept her mouth shut, so that's impossible. Now I just need to keep my mouth shut. "How exquisite!" Tower of Gray moves in toward Noriaki, who's closer to him, but Noriaki's face is all grim determination.
"S'that right?" He asks. "If their tongues are ripped out, they'll go mad from the pain?" He now smirks and I know our plan is about to pay off. "I can't speak for Ace of Wands, but Heirophant will go mad, alright." The tentacles and vines set up around the plane strike, burrowing into the Stand, making sure it can't go anywhere. I couldn't resist attacking with the vines after all that asshole said and did. "When he rips you apart, he'll go mad from pure joy!" Noriaki's smirk is still there as he explains our strategy. "His appendages had already slipped beneath the seats, and Ace of Wand's vines were hidden in the overhead compartments. We just needed time to set up our little trap." He chuckles. "You didn't realize Naoko and I kept attacking with Emerald Splash and those leaves just to keep you in one spot?"
"Now you're caught like a fly in a spider's web!" I snap. "How's it feel, huh?!"
"Kojo!" Ace exclaims as Heirophant starts to pull Tower of Gray apart and she hits it with her staff, destroying it completely. Good riddance, she says. She wanted to annihilate this stupid arrogant bug as much as Noriaki and I did.
Surprisingly, the old man who'd panicked at the sight of the bloody message on the wall earlier writhes in sudden pain, his tongue marked with a stag beetle, the end splitting in two as his Stand is destroyed. His forehead also takes major damage.
I shudder. I know damage to a Stand reflects on the User, but still. His tongue is just a boody tattered ribbon at this point. And his face is twisted horribly!
"So that old geezer was the Stand User all along, huh?" Noriaki muses casually with a chuckle. "Guess I should have expected as much. A repulsive Stand usually has a repulsive User."
I sigh. "I did think it was a little odd when he touched the wall with the blood, but figured he just needed to steady himself." I shrug. "Oh well." I can't help checking his vital signs though. It's hard to tell, but… "I don't think he's dead, but he won't attack us again." I note.
Noriaki and I sit him in a seat and I check him for a flesh bud and point out the lack of one to Noriaki.
"That's strange." He frowns. "He doesn't have a flesh bud…"
Mr. Avdol's face is grim as he nods. "Tower of Gray was always evil. He killed tourists by the hundreds and got paid for it. He'd make it look like an accident and got away with it every time. I'm sure Dio was able to use him because he was easily bought and blinded by greed." We cover his grisly face with a spare piece of cloth.
I cross my arms. "Well, he wasn't too hard to defeat, all things considered, but still. In an open area, he'd have been a lot more difficult to handle. Attacking us in a confined space was his undoing."
Suddenly, the plane creaks and a cup falls from a passenger's cup holder.
Mr. Joestar is instantly on alert. "Something's wrong."
I nod. "Yeah, I still feel like we're in danger." I look around, but can't pinpoint what's happening.
Mr. Joestar frowns. "It could be my imagination, but I get the feeling this plane isn't flying straight anymore." The cup that had fallen moves around all on its own. "It's crooked, no doubt about it!" Mr. Joestar concludes. He then seems to think of something and moves toward the cockpit. "It can't be!"
I pale, a horrid realization dawning on me. "Don't tell me Tower of Gray did what I think he did…" I go after Mr. Joestar as the flight attendants realize Mr. Joestar is going to try to get into the cockpit.
"Sorry, sir, you can't be up here." One says. "The cockpit is up ahead, so passengers may not enter."
I stop. Maybe it's nothing but some minor turbulence.
Mr. Joestar will check and let us know. I hope we're wrong and the pilot's fine, but my gut says otherwise…
"I know that!" Mr. Joestar says cooly, gently moving her aside.
"Sir, wait!" She calls after him.
Jotaro had caught up to us and passed me, approaching the flight attendants next. They're unsure how to get Mr. Joestar to return to his seat and turn to Jotaro, wondering what he'll do.
They stare at him for a moment, smiling a bit, and I swear they're blushing in the dim light.
Then Jotaro just moves them aside roughly, leaving them to fall, surprised at his behavior. Before I realize it, Noriaki has passed me and catches them. "Whoa there! Sorry, ladies. His disrespectful behavior towards you two is incorrigible. But we have an emergency on our hands." He smiles. "Please forgive him, for me."
I snort as they agree, still blushing. Those women do realize that Jotaro and Noriaki are both still underage…right? Regardless, my brother can be very charismatic when he wants to be.
Taking advantage of the flight attendants' distraction, I slip by and walk toward the cockpit.
Unfortunately, the situation is confirmed to be as bad as Mr. Joestar and I feared.
Both pilots are dead, their tongues ripped out!
"Damnit! This is horrible!" Mr. Joestar curses. "We've been had!"
"Their tongues have been ripped out!" Jotaro takes in the scene.
"That whole fight was just stalling til the crash!" I try not to look at the grisly sight, focusing on Jotaro and Mr. Joestar. "He'd already made sure the plane wouldn't reach Cairo! That clever son of a bitch had already screwed us over!"
"That rhino bastard must've killed them before we knew he was here!" Jotaro growls.
Mr. Joestar looks at the controls. "We're losing altitude, fast! The autopilot's been destroyed, as well! Damnit! We're going to crash!"
I swallow. "Isn't there a way to land safely, like in the ocean or something?"
Suddenly, we hear gargled cackling and turn to see that old man from before laughing as he rushes at us. He then starts another stupid monologue. "My Stand is the Tower card, which symbolizes horrible accidents and the end of a journey. I'll keep you from Lord Dio if it's the last thing I do!"
"Can it! We already defeated you!" I snap, unable to help it.
"Yes, but even if you manage to survive the crash, you're still 10,000 kilometers from Egypt! Those who swore loyalty to Lord Dio will pursue you relentlessly! You don't stand a chance in Hell!" He spreads his arms. "There are Stands in this world with powers that defy the very limits of imagination! Lord Dio's power is the one that rules over all of them! He is the master of Stands, reigning over the world like a god among mortals! There's no way you'll reach him alive! You bastards won't even see Egypt! Your deaths will be swift and painful!" He collapses, and I shudder.
"Geez, he's annoying." I grumble, hugging myself. "But what now? No matter what we do, the plane is going to crash!"
Jotaro turns to the flight attendants who are staring in horror at the old man. "You're definitely professionals." He muses. "Good thing you didn't scream; that annoys me all to freaking Hell. Now, I've got a request. This heap's gonna hit water. This old man's gonna land her there." He jerks a thumb at Mr. Joestar.
"Really?" I ask.
"Sure." Jotaro replies. "You gave me the idea when you mentioned landing in the ocean. Now, you two, go put life jackets on all the other passengers and make sure they're buckled up."
"Uh…yes sir!" The first flight attendant says and the two run off.
"Can you really land the plane, Mr. Joestar?" I ask, starting to get freaked out. It's not every day you're involved in a plane crash, after all.
"You got this?" Jotaro presses.
Mr. Joestar grimaces. "I have some experience with prop planes, but this…"
"Prop planes?!" Nori asks worriedly.
"But, Jotaro…this will make three plane crashes for me." Mr. Joestar notes, looking less sure of himself by the second. "Have you ever heard of someone being in a plane crash three times, let alone surviving each one?"
I feel a little lightheaded all of a sudden. "We're doomed…"
Jotaro sighs, closing his eyes. "That settles it; I'm never riding in a plane with you again."
"You said it." I reply. "How have you already been in two plane crashes, Mr. Joestar?" I ask, but realize this isn't the time for questions.
"Long story, now I gotta concentrate." Mr. Joestar replies as politely as he can.
Since most of us had small bags in the overhead compartment we didn't lose our luggage, which is the only bright side.
The plane ended up crashing about 35 kilometers from the coast of Hong Kong and thanks to the plane's radios, we were able to get in contact with the air control tower station nearest us in Kong Kong, and someone who speaks English, managing to arrange the landing and the air control tower even contacted rescue teams.
We're now forced to head with all the other survivors (everyone but the Tower of Gray's victims, miraculously) to Hong Kong.
Mr. Joestar seeks out a payphone as soon as possible and we're left to stand across the street and wait for him.
I yawn into my hand. "Man…to think, we could be touching down in Cairo by now…" I sigh, fingering my still tender lip. Even after doing a bit of healing with Ace, it throbs subtly. "Stupid Tower of Gray."
Noriaki nudges me. "No need to remind us, Nao."
"Yeah, I know." I reply, then my stomach rumbles loudly. "Guess we did miss the in-flight meal." I quip.
"Perhaps we can get some food while we plan our next move." Mr. Avdol suggests. "Once Mr. Joestar is off the phone, we can make arrangements, and a plan."
"Hey, big guy!" A street vendor next to us interrupts, seeming to be talking to Jotaro. "You guys aren't from around here, are you?"
"Was it that obvious?" I mumble under my breath.
"Want some rice porridge?" He offers. "Can't come to Hong Kong without trying our rice porridge and dim sum! We have some hot cola, too!"
"Ew!" I stick out my tongue. "No thanks, I think we're ok."
"Rice porridge? Not bad." Noriaki smiles and turns to Jotaro. "Did you know, Jojo? Unlike in Japan, rice porridge is a staple food in Hong Kong. To some, it's quite a delicacy."
I smirk. "You get used to his random facts." I stage-whisper, leaning over to Jotaro.
"Hey! I can't help picking up trivia facts!" Noriaki protests with a chuckle, then turns to the vendor. "Two bowls, the popular way, with pork and century egg, if you have it."
"Coming right up!" The vendor cheers.
"Thanks, Nori." I smile at him.
"In that case, I'll have-" Mr. Avdol starts to order when Mr. Joestar hails us.
"Hey! What? You boys-and lady-think we have time to eat?" He yells.
"C'mon, Mr. Joestar! We haven't eaten since this morning!" I protest. And I only had oatmeal before we left.
"We're going to my old favorite. You can wait to stuff your faces there." Mr. Joestar replies, walking over.
"Hey, you dandy guy over there!" The vendor calls, ever the peddler. "I know you'd be interested in some Hong Kong hot cola!"
Mr. Joestar pulls a face. "Hot cola? That's blasphemy! Everyone knows it's supposed to be cold!"
Before the conversation with the vendor continues, Jotaro turns to his grandfather. "Old man, who were you just calling?"
Mr. Joestar, still peeved, drops the subject of hot cola. "Hmm? Oh, that. I'll explain when we get to the restaurant. Be patient! We need to work out a plan that'll get us to Egypt as safely and quickly as possible. More Users are bound to come after us, and that could cost lives!"
"Right." Noriaki agrees, holding his chin in thought. "A plan…"
Mr. Avdol nods. "I agree with you. We can't allow more innocent civilians to be hurt because of our failure. The quickest way would be by plane, but that's out."
Mr. Joestar nods grimly. "Indeed."
My stomach gives another loud protest at not getting food. All the smells of the street vendors is making my mouth water. "Can we get going, please? I'm freaking starving!" I hug my stomach, feeling just a little embarrassed.
Mr. Joestar lightens up and nods. "Alright, come on, before you alert the enemy with that rumbling stomach." He laughs and puts an arm around my shoulder as he starts to lead the way. Soon, he lets go and we all walk together toward an ornate building.
Once inside, Mr. Joestar gets us a table and asks for some tea. The tea does nothing to stop my rumbling stomach, but it's a start.
Mr. Joestar lets us drink for a little while before his face gets serious. "Alright, now to business."
I swallow the tea I'd just drank and nod. "You said we needed to plan our next move, yeah?"
Mr. Joestar nods. "I did." He sighs, crossing his arms. "It's now become completely impossible for us to fly to Egypt. You see, if we encounter a Stand User like the last one on a commercial flight, we'll cause a disaster, one that will harm many people and might kill many more!"
"We already narrowly avoided a crisis with Tower of Gray." I grumble. "So, what do we do?"
"We'll have to get to Egypt by either land or sea." Mr. Joestar replies.
"I hear you, but if we fail to find Dio within fifty days…" Mr. Avdol points out, grimacing at the thought.
We all do.
I nod, determined to not wallow in the 'what if'. "Sea might be quicker."
Noriaki sighs. "Maybe, but I keep thinking about what you mentioned earlier, Nao; this might have been all over by now if we could've stayed on that plane."
Mr. Joestar closes his eyes. "I'm well aware of that." He then opens one eye. "However, it's too soon to worry about it." He almost looks playful! That's a turn…but at least he's not sad, I guess. He opens his other eye and leans forward a little. "One hundred years ago, Jules Vernes wrote Around the World in 80 Days, a story about a man who travels 40,000 kilometers in 11 weeks using nothing but trains and steamboats. We may not have a plane, but we still have 50 days. We'll be able to travel the 10,000 kilometers to Egypt. And as for the route we'll take…" He reaches into his coat and pulls out an atlas, spreading it on the table. "I say we go by sea; as Ms. Kakyoin pointed out, it's a little faster and we can't afford to waste time." He points to Hong Kong and starts moving down toward Vietnam and Malaysia. "We'll charter a suitably sized boat, go around the Malay Peninsula, and cross the Indian Ocean, a 'silk road of the sea', as it were."
Mr. Avdol nods. "I believe that is best, as well. Crossing by land could be difficult, as we'd have to cross the Himalayas and the desert, and if we ran into trouble, we'd lose a lot of time. There are too many dangers."
I hum in thought. "Well, I can't say I know anything about extended traveling like this, so I'll leave it up to you two, Mr. Joestar and Mr. Avdol. This route seems like a logical plan, so I'm fine with it." I look at Nori. "What about you?"
"We've never been to either of those places using either method before, so I really don't know. I'll leave it up to the two of you, as well."
Jotaro nods. "Same with me."
I smile. "So that's settled."
"Indeed. Now, the greatest danger that we'll face will be the Stand Users that Dio sends against us. We'll have to do our best to get to Egypt without being spotted."
Throughout this discussion, the hairs on the back of my neck start to rise little by little and my instincts tell me we're being watched, but when I glance around, I don't see anyone suspicious and try to relax.
I know Tower of Gray raved on and on about how we're going to be hunted relentlessly, but I can't help wondering how Dio is supposed to organize any coordinated effort to oppose us if he doesn't know where we are.
But on the other hand, how did Tower of Gray even know we were on that plane? By all accounts, with Dio in Egypt, he shouldn't have known we were on that plane, so how on Earth did he manage to get a Stand User on the plane to attack us and briefly stop our journey?
It's a disturbing thought, but I'll talk to Mr. Joestar later. Now doesn't seem the time to discuss that. We've already blabbed enough of our plans to anyone in the restaurant.
No need to invite trouble.