A Bizarre New World, Chapter One: Cat’s In The Cradle

[Yun Lao]

While the others were studying the study, Sandra was on her way to getting drunk. The day had been completely stupid and stressful, so no one could blame her for letting loose. If they tried, they could go fuck themselves.

She could feel a tingle in her fingers, so it was going to happen. That was good. She took one more shot of the bourbon, then set it back on the shelf. "Daddy dearest has great taste," she muttered. "Oops! I mean had. Heheheh..." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what looked like some cheap shit she could have gotten from a cornerstore. "Steel Ball Rum, eh?" She pulled it off the shelf and looked it over. "Meh. Why not?"

She cracked it open, poured herself a shot, and downed it.

Despite its looks, Sandra found it delightful. It was clearly homemade, yet surpassed many of the pricier ones that lined the very shelves she stood before.

Regrettably, there wasn't much left. Perhaps enough to fill a lowball.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Vivian, grabbing the door and shaking it like a mad man would find it locked.

Attempts to gain entry ultimately futile, and unwilling to try blowing up the door out of fear of well blowing up what's behind the door, Vivian released her grip on the door and sighed sadly.

Yet... she remembered something.

"... uh."

She had to focus.

".....!" That's right. "LIBRARY."

Turning toward Debra she asked quickly. "Which way was that, again?"

[Yun Lao]

Attempts to gain entry ultimately futile, and unwilling to try blowing up the door out of fear of well blowing up what's behind the door, Vivian released her grip on the door and sighed sadly.

Yet... she remembered something.

"... uh."

She had to focus.

".....!" That's right. "LIBRARY."

Turning toward Debra she asked quickly. "Which way was that, again?"

"You're in it?"

Although Debra hadn't really interacted with Vivian, she had slowly grown aware of the eccentric witch's... eccentricities.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Despite its looks, Sandra found it delightful. It was clearly homemade, yet surpassed many of the pricier ones that lined the very shelves she stood before.

Regrettably, there wasn't much left. Perhaps enough to fill a lowball.

"WOW THAT'S GOOD!" she exclaimed in a voice that was entirely too loud.

Attempts to gain entry ultimately futile, and unwilling to try blowing up the door out of fear of well blowing up what's behind the door, Vivian released her grip on the door and sighed sadly.

Yet... she remembered something.

"... uh."

She had to focus.

".....!" That's right. "LIBRARY."

Turning toward Debra she asked quickly. "Which way was that, again?"

Sandra looked at Vivian, and pointing at the bottle, said, "Hey sis, you should have tried this. It's pretty good." She then looked around and frowned in utter confusion.

"Wait... how'd I get here? Where am I?"

She was standing by the alcohol, then somehow... teleported? blacked out and sleepwalked? just showed up? in the library.

Okay.

"Hey Deb! You got a recipe for this?" she asked, waving the empty bottle of rum in Debra's face.

[Tami]

Debra studied the note for some time, almost as if she understood the cryptic writing, in the end, though, she handed it back to Jinny, "Can't say I understand it. The readable portion is your father's handwriting, however."

"I'd like permission to hold onto the book and the letter," Jinny asked Debra, though she wasn't sure she had the authority to approve her request. "I will return it once I've satisfied my curiosity."

[Yun Lao]

"WOW THAT'S GOOD!" she exclaimed in a voice that was entirely too loud.




Sandra looked at Vivian, and pointing at the bottle, said, "Hey sis, you should have tried this. It's pretty good." She then looked around and frowned in utter confusion.

"Wait... how'd I get here? Where am I?"

She was standing by the alcohol, then somehow... teleported? blacked out and sleepwalked? just showed up? in the library.

Okay.

"Hey Deb! You got a recipe for this?" she asked, waving the empty bottle of rum in Debra's face.

As Sandra went to thrust the rum bottle at Debra, a strange sense of melancholy struck her. A sense of lost gnawing within quickly grew as if drinking the last of that bottle had been akin to losing the one most dearest to her. Seeing the label, her stepmother said something, but the world grew distorted, dim, grim. To those on the outside, Sandra's eyes seemingly gazed over as she stared off into space, but within, she found herself an abyss, one in which she was not alone.

Wet slaps were heard as something approached her, followed by equally wet suctioning sounds much like a toilet plunger.

"Welcome, young one..." Came an even wetter voice. Should she turn to face all this moistness, Sandra would find herself facing down, or rather up a large, walking, talking starfish.

"I have been waiting..."

[Yun Lao]

"I'd like permission to hold onto the book and the letter," Jinny asked Debra, though she wasn't sure she had the authority to approve her request. "I will return it once I've satisfied my curiosity."

"Here," Debra said, handing it back to Jinny. Her full attention seemed to be on Sandra for the time being.

[Tami]

"Here," Debra said, handing it back to Jinny. Her full attention seemed to be on Sandra for the time being.

As Jinny took the book and the letter and placed them in her travel bag, her eyes followed Debra's, turning to look at Sandra.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

As Sandra went to thrust the rum bottle at Debra, a strange sense of melancholy struck her. A sense of lost gnawing within quickly grew as if drinking the last of that bottle had been akin to losing the one most dearest to her. Seeing the label, her stepmother said something, but the world grew distorted, dim, grim. To those on the outside, Sandra's eyes seemingly gazed over as she stared off into space, but within, she found herself an abyss, one in which she was not alone.

Wet slaps were heard as something approached her, followed by equally wet suctioning sounds much like a toilet plunger.

"Welcome, young one..." Came an even wetter voice. Should she turn to face all this moistness, Sandra would find herself facing down, or rather up a large, walking, talking starfish.

"I have been waiting..."

"I hit the bottle harder than I thought."
...

Sandra rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. The thing was still there...

...what?

"What? Don't tell me your my stand thing or whatever?" Why couldn't she have gotten something cool like whats-his-face?

The thing was gross. Every step it took sounded gross. It sent a chill up her spine and made her skin crawl. And that was without even thinking about what it looked like.

"Waiting for what?

[Yun Lao]

"I hit the bottle harder than I thought."
...

Sandra rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. The thing was still there...

...what?

"What? Don't tell me your my stand thing or whatever?" Why couldn't she have gotten something cool like whats-his-face?

The thing was gross. Every step it took sounded gross. It sent a chill up her spine and made her skin crawl. And that was without even thinking about what it looked like.

"Waiting for what?

"For you, of course..."

Now standing before her, ten feet tall even with its "head" hung low, the starfish continued,

"Only you could have seen it, that Steel Ball Rum. You supped of it and drank down that「Red Red Wine」Your destiny lies before you, star child, only you know the truth..."

Reaching out to touch her, Sandra's repulsion of the creature grew overwhelming, manifesting before her as a... book?

[grampagen]

"Not sure where the Joestar family fits in, to be honest. Your father once showed me the family tree, but I wasn't exactly paying attention at the time."

"Hum, I suppose we'd have that much in common. Seems most of us hadn't a clue until a few days ago."

Not a letter until then...and not word from mum.

"Well, suppose while we're here, it'd be prudent to get acquainted with that. Seems all the world has it in for a Joestar."

"The study is connected to the library so it..."

Upon approaching the door that led to Johannes Joestar's private study, a note was found taped from it, simply stating:


"...I suppose that makes sense," Debra quietly said to herself.

Vivian was not deterred.

Vivian, grabbing the door and shaking it like a mad man would find it locked.

Suzie watched Vivian's tremendous effort against the unyielding door.

When the commotion died down, subdued, but no less curious, she gleaned it over, inspecting it for a crack or a keyhole.

[Yun Lao]

Suzie watched Vivian's tremendous effort against the unyielding door.

When the commotion died down, subdued, but no less curious, she gleaned it over, inspecting it for a crack or a keyhole.

Looking over it, Suzie would find that something had filled in all of the cracks and keyhole, sealing the door completely. A black, grainy substance, attempting to scrape it out would only result in the loosened grains rebinding themselves back into the collective.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"You're in it?"

Although Debra hadn't really interacted with Vivian, she had slowly grown aware of the eccentric witch's... eccentricities.

Vivian blinked.

"Huh."

How bout that. Without another word, Vivian skittered off in the direction of the nearest bookshelf. "Occult knowledge where ye be, I just wanna read a page or three~"

Sandra looked at Vivian, and pointing at the bottle, said, "Hey sis, you should have tried this. It's pretty good." She then looked around and frowned in utter confusion.

Sandra was ignored, cuz she was just waving around an empty bottle and bitch that was just rude.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"For you, of course..."

Now standing before her, ten feet tall even with its "head" hung low, the starfish continued,

"Only you could have seen it, that Steel Ball Rum. You supped of it and drank down that「Red Red Wine」Your destiny lies before you, star child, only you know the truth..."

Reaching out to touch her, Sandra's repulsion of the creature grew overwhelming, manifesting before her as a... book?

Oh...

Oh no...

The starfish wasn't Sandra's stand. That book was.

How?

Why?

What was she supposed to do with a book? Throw it at the enemy? Yeah, that'll help a lot.

She was speechless - or rather refused to speak - as she reached out and grabbed hold of the book with one hand. A name rang in her head, over and over again. The incessant chanting was surpassed only by how hideous the creature was before her.

"「Bring Me The Horizon」?"

[grampagen]

Looking over it, Suzie would find that something had filled in all of the cracks and keyhole, sealing the door completely. A black, grainy substance, attempting to scrape it out would only result in the loosened grains rebinding themselves back into the collective.

Curious. Not only is it sealed it's...disgusting.

Suzie frowned as she leaned over and glossed her eyes over it. A veneer of propriety that only just held the decrepit erosion at bay. Blotting at it with a tissue, a part of it seemed to fall away, only to return just as suddenly an in exact proportion.

With her camera, she zoomed in and snapped a picture of the gritty mass, and looked at the preview in the viewfinder.