Hotel Montalvo
Venice

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - No Music

"M-m-my finger! Chubby's eyes were glued to his hand, which recently had a finger fall off.

"What the hecky?"

"MY FINGER!" he screamed. His eyes moved to the thumb on the floor, which is not where a thumb should typically be. "WHAT THE FRICK?!"

"That son of a bitch."

"HE UNHINGED THE FUCKING DOOR!"

"Maybe you two should… give up?"

The two's heads whipped around to the new voice. Checker said, "Right. I totally forgot she was here."

"You're telling the truth."

If the twins were to make an educated guess, she was aged around twenty to twenty-three. Her raven hair was tied back into a neat ponytail, her small stature currently bound to a chair. She was dressed in what one would expect an investigator to be dressed in. Brown trench coat, black undershirt and matching chinos. If they were honest, she looked like she was trying too hard to fit in with the 'noir' aesthetic.

"Listen here, little lady," Chubby said, still in agony, "You-" He pointed at her face, "-are bait. So why don't you-" He pointed in her face again. She stayed nonchalant, unimpressed. "-stay quiet."

Chubby and the woman held the stare for what felt like only seconds, because it was.

"Where are they, Checker?" He broke eye contact and turned to his brother, who was watching the confrontation. "I'm done playing around. We need to bring in some backup."

"Yeah, I agree. Giovana is giving us a run for our money."

"My ears are burning."

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - Stand Activated

Chubby and Checker startled at the other new voice that had somehow entered the room.

"Who's there?" Checker yelled.

Chubby hesitantly stepped forward to the source of the sound: the balcony. As he proceeded, he didn't see anyone. He exited the doors and went onto the balcony. Looking around, still no one. He peered over the edge.

"Here's a tip," Chubby's eyes widened as he realised the voice was coming from above him, "When in a fight, don't go near ledges."

Before Chubby could turn around, ｢Mr. Blue Sky｣ appeared and pushed Chubby over the edge of the eleven-storey building. Acting quickly, Mr. Blue Sky grabbed the man's vest and shoved it into the brickwork on the side of the hotel, securing the man in place as the vest half-entered the structure.

Viale dropped down from the surface of the roof that held the balcony from the room above. "I wouldn't move much, if I were you. You don't want to rip that expensive vest, right?"

Checker raced out the room. "You!"

"Me."

"What did you do with my brother?" Checker heard screaming from the side of the building. He gasped, "You bastard! How did you get up here?"

Viale chuckled. "I can't move when I'm inside a surface, so I climbed up the bricks, putting my hand into each surface." He rolled his shoulders. "That's definitely my cardio goal for the week, though."

"You-" Checker rushed forward to help his brother, and Viale sank into the floor, a hand reaching up to grab Checker's leg as he passed over him. The man tripped, face hitting the metal railing of the balcony and collapsing on the ground. Mr. Blue Sky popped out of the floor to check–

'Yep. He's out cold.'

Viale rose out of the floor, shaking his head slightly at the incompetence of the so-called assassins.

"Giovanna?" Viale heard from inside the apartment. "Helloooo?"

Viale hastily made his way inside, skidding on the carpeted floor.

"Hey, uh," He noticed the… bike lock… around the woman. "Who the fuck uses a bike lock to tie someone up?" he muttered to himself. To the woman, "You know this isn't actually fastened around anything? You could've just stood up." The chair she was bound to was completely straight. Made of wood, so there was a lack of friction. The woman blinked twice, before she attempted to stand up.

Viale ejected Mr. Blue Sky, and had it rip the chair out from under the woman.

"Wow, nice Stand."

Viale blinked in recognition. "Oh, you must be…"

"The name's Gatrice. Gatrice Beneficci. I was sent here on behalf of the Speedwagon Foundation. I have instructions to remain here until you– can you get off your phone?"

"Uh huh, yeah, sorry, texting my friend downstairs." He put away his phone. "Anyway, remain here until…"

She sighed. "...I have to remain here until you no longer need my services." She wiggled around. "Hey, could you get this bike lock off me?"

Viale blinked. "Yeah sure." Mr. Blue Sky appeared and yanked the lock with a small amount of force.

"MORA!"

The lock snapped off, and Beneficci was free. She stretched her arms behind her head and made a noise of relief. She fished a badge with the initials 'S.I.D.' engraved on it from her breast pocket. "Here's my badge."

"Well," Viale began, "What can you do?"

Beneficci smirked. She started to emit her Stand aura, a light brown, as a figure appeared on her shoulder. It was a bird, maybe an eagle, Viale figured. Its feathers were the same brown as Beneficci's Stand aura, a light brown, whereas its underbelly was a dark crimson. The Stand had no eyes – none visible, at least, as they were covered by a visor, with the same colour of the underbelly. Its beak looked rather blunt, like it was not built to be a hunter. It was topped off with a deerstalker hat.

"This is my Stand, ｢Hotel California｣!"

｢All Star｣

Long-Ranged Stand
Stats:
Power: B
Speed: A
Range: ※
Stamina: ※
Precision: A
Potential: ※

(※: depends on location)

Speedwagon Foundation HQ
Tokyo
Evening

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - Stardust Man Appears

"See you tomorrow, Higashikata-san."

"Yeah, see ya, Maya."

Josuke could never really shake his casual demeanour. Small-town life will do that to you. He would be kicking himself for staying at work too long; it was already evening, but he had to get this write-up on the Giovanna situation done. Sleep could wait. It wasn't as if he had someone waiting for him at home.

Josuke's writing was interrupted by a call. He smiled at the name that scrolled across his phone.

"What's up, favourite sister?"

"I'm telling Holly you said that," Shizuka Joestar, Senior Agent of the Stand Investigation Department, and Josuke's adopted sister, responded over the phone.

Josuke frowned. "Please don't." He pleaded. "What's the occasion?"

"I heard it's someone's birthday soon."

Josuke was confused. His bi"Really? Whose?"

"Makoto's. Did you forget? April 23rd?"

Josuke chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "Nah, I didn't forget. I got her a motorcycle helmet. When you two were over in February, she was complaining about a dent in her old one, so I got one. It's 'Phantom Thieves' themed."

"Har har. Very funny. I'm sure she'll like it."

"So," Josuke began, "how's the honeymoon?"

"Hawaii's great. You should take a vacation here one day."

"Not my style. Plus there's a buttload of work to do."

"While it is a big step up from being a mechanic, you literally still spend an hour a day doing your hair."

"My point still stands."

Josuke could practically hear his sister roll her eyes. "C'mon. You deserve a break. What's Hey, you called me earlier. What's up?"

Josuke leaned forward and opened a tab on his computer. "Right. I got an assignment for you. Long-lost Joestar bullcrap, y'know?"

"Who's the caller?"

"Remember that Giovanna guy? He was at dad's…" he trailed off.

Shizuka caught on. "Yeah, I remember him. Looks like DIO, right?"

"Practically identical. I think he's a bit slimmer, though. Cuz, y'know, DIO had Jonathan's body?" Josuke shook his head as he realised he'd digressed. "But Giovanna's son, Viale, is in a bit of trouble in Venice. You think you could go help him out?"

The line was silent. Josuke heard someone talking in the background, as well as Shizuka asking "how long?" in the distance.

"Yeah, we get back in around two weeks. I'll need a couple days after that, too, so give it two-and-a-half weeks notice."

"Thanks, Shizuka." Josuke gave a genuine smile.

"Now I need to get back to Makoto. I'm pretty sure she's got something… planned for me."

Josuke grimaced. "Ew. I do not need to know that."

"We're going to the volcano, dumbass. Get your head out of the gutter."

Outside Venice Royal Hospital
Afternoon

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - Stardust Man Appears

"Are we really doing this?" Vuoto grumbled.

"Yes, Vuoto. You're the only way we can get in there," Viale responded.

Despite Vuoto's protests, Viale had come up with a plan for how to get to Zeppeli. None of them were his family, so there was no way the hospital would let them speak to him. Sana and Beneficci were also there. They needed Beneficci for her interrogation skills – apparently her Stand's ability would help with the process.

"Alright, let's get this over with. Grab on, somewhere." Sana, Beneficci and Viale each grasped a bit of shirt. Viale and Beneficci flanked his sides, Sana behind. Vuoto took a deep breath in. "C'mon, ｢Coldplay｣!"

Vuoto was left standing there like an idiot. There was no real indication that the Stand's ability was at work.

"Did it work?"

"I don't know."

"Let's just go."

Vuoto led the way through the sensor doors of the hospital.

Sana was honestly pretty frustrated that she couldn't get her Stand out. Viale had shown her up in every way possible. He'd figured out the two Stands' abilities, how to avoid the danger entirely, and took them both out at lightning speed. They had called the local Speedwagon Foundation branch and had them take Chubby and Checker in. Beneficci would be interrogating them later.

Meanwhile Sana was relegated to… nothing. Vuoto was the stealth guy, Viale was the bruiser, and Beneficci was the one getting the information. Sana felt that she was just kinda… there.

She had agreed to come along with Viale the day prior to find Beneficci because she wanted to get her Stand. That didn't work out. She came to the hospital for the same reason, but… what was the point? They wouldn't be in danger in a hospital. Hospitals were the furthest from danger one could be.

At least Vuoto seemed to be doing a good job of keeping them hidden. Sana had mixed feelings about Vuoto. On one hand, he was proof that she had a Stand. On the other hand, he was proof that she was failing. The fact that she could see him was… aggravating.

They had entered the stairwell by this point. It was an old kind of stairwell – winding, made of concrete, and smelled of cigarettes from overworked doctors and nurses, not ready to get back to their jobs. It was vacated at the time, so the group came out of their disguise.

"Alright," Vuoto said, "That should be good for a bit."

"Good job, Vuoto."

"I didn't do much."

Viale deadpanned, "You need to learn to take compliments, dude."

Beneficci interjected. "What room's he in again?"

"Room 130."

"That's the second floor."

"So that's three floors up, right?" Sana pitched in.

"What? No, it's two floors," Viale argued.

"But this is Ground Floor. It goes Ground, Floor 1, Floor 2."

"Please." Beneficci was getting sick of the argument. "There's a 'G' right there." She pointed behind Sana. Surely enough, a large 'G' was painted on the wall.

Sana counted this as a win.

"That means, because hospitals are weird, Room 130 is one floor up. The hundred represents the floor."

Viale grumbled in defeat.

Room 130
Venice Royal Hospital
Afternoon

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - Stardust Man Appears

"Alright, Vuoto, you're good." Vuoto sighed in relief as everyone retracted their arms. Viale continued. The hospital room had four total beds, all separated by closed curtains. Three were currently occupied. "So where's Zeppeli?"

"I think he's–" Vuoto was cut short by a curtain being drawn, to reveal Vuoto's once-bedridden friend, standing and in street clothes. "Fragi?"

"What's up, Vuoto?" he responded.

Beneficci tapped Vuoto on his shoulder. "We're gonna go find Zeppeli. You can chat here."

Vuoto nodded, thankful.

"Actually," Sana interjected, "I want to stay back, too." She looked rather downtrodden.

Beneficci agreed.

"Beneficci, he's here," Viale called out. He was standing at the end of another occupied bed. She checked the bed perpendicular to Zeppeli's, but found the man there asleep, statue-still. Beneficci made her way over to see Zeppeli's eyes staring daggers into the side of Viale's head. She flashed her SID badge, which caught Zeppeli's eyes.

"My name's Gatrice Beneficci. I am a detective of the Stand Investigation Department of the Speedwagon. I'd like to answer some questions, if that's alright with you?"

She had gotten Zeppeli's attention, but it seemed like to her that he needed a bit more coercion to agree.

"Before we begin, I must let you know that I have authority to sanction you once your time in the hospital is over, on behalf of the SID, if you do not comply. That also applies if you lie."

Viale snickered, but quickly turned around to hide it. Beneficci dismissed it, and continued. "Will you comply?"

The three were in a heavy silence. The only noises in the room were the hushed whispers from Fragi, Sana, and Vuoto off in the corner.

"I will comply."

"Alright." Beneficci began emitting her light brown Stand aura as Hotel California appeared on her shoulder. "My Stand, Hotel California, will tell me if you're lying. Be warned, if you do lie, it won't be me keeping you in this hospital."

"Now," she attempted to do a cool trick with her notepad as she grabbed it from her pocket, but it slipped out of her fingers, and fell onto the floor. She sputtered some incoherent apology as she bent down and picked up the notepad. Her Stand had flown up off her shoulder when she had ducked down to avoid falling off. Meanwhile Viale was dying from both second-hand embarrassment, as well as laughter. "Erherm," she attempted to recover from her embarrassment, "Let's start the questions." Hotel California returned to her shoulder and shook its head in mild bemusement.

"Who do you work for?"

"My uncle, Principal Esposito." Viale nodded, although Hotel California had already confirmed the answer.

"Are there more Stand users in the school that we do not know about?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"I don't know."

She decided to ask the big question. "Do you have the Stand arrow?"

"No."

"Did you, at any point within the time that Gioviale Giovanna was at Master's Academy, have the Stand arrow?"

"Yes."

"But you don't have it now?"

"No."

"Does one of the Stand users we don't know about have it?"

"Yes."

Viale glanced at Beneficci, rather impressed. 'Despite her first impressions, she sure knows how to ask the right questions.'

"Do you know who?"

"Yes."

"What's their name?"

"I cannot tell you."

Hotel California turned its head to its user. "Hotel California says you can."

Zeppeli's breath hitched. "Fine. His name is Haf Horse. He is a Third-Year, but he's been held back a few times. And, no, before you ask, I don't know what his Stand is."

Hotel California let out a loud squawk of approval. "That will be all, Mr. Zeppeli. Enjoy your recovery." Her mouth turned to a sly smile.

She and Viale turned to leave the room. Before Viale could get out of the door, however, Zeppeli called, "He's dangerous." Viale turned around, intrigued. "I don't know what his Stand does, but I know he's dangerous."

Viale merely responded, "See you at school, Mr. Zeppeli."

He walked out.

Master's Academy Dorms
Haf Horse's Room

'See you at school, Mr. Zeppeli.'

"Shit," he swore under his breath.

To Be Continued ===