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

[The Dog]

"'Bout time," Toby Keith said as the last of them stepped onto his bus, closing the door behind them. To those stepping it, they would find that the interior was a stark contrast to the vehicle exterior. Whereas the touring bus displayed scratches, dents, and faded paint, the insides were luxurious, with leather seating, a small bar, and various other amenities to comfort one on a long ride. An additional click behind the last of them would bring notice to the privacy door that Toby had closed, separating the driver from the passengers. As the others found their seats, they found that the two anti-social men from before had taken up the very last row, even bumping through the others just to reach it, but aside from the unnecessary rudeness, there appeared to be nothing else amidst.

"All righty folks, get comfy and ol' Toby will get ya where ya need to be in a jiffy!" Came Toby's voice over an intercom.

Jamie looked around the bus with a sense of anxious awe. After her previous travel woes, she was a bit nervous about what could happen while on they traveled. Jamie wanted to believe that her apparent stepmother wouldn't do anything to them intentionally, but if what Mac claimed was true, the Joestar name had something of a curse attached to it, especially to those heading to the Joestar estate.

Taking a seat, she held her backpack in her lap, trying to keep herself calm.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

On the bus, Boris takes out his cell phone and his Twitter account. He sees that most of the replies on it are all about his mother, Anastasiya. They're mostly dirty comments. ( Dammit, people, stop talking about my mother's chest and want to do her!) Boris thought.

( Yes, I know she has fucking gigantic knockers.) Boris thought. Every time check my Twitter, I have to go through this ****. It's getting old) Boris thought.

Boris looks at his cell phone and sighs in annoyance.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"'Bout time," Toby Keith said as the last of them stepped onto his bus, closing the door behind them. To those stepping it, they would find that the interior was a stark contrast to the vehicle exterior. Whereas the touring bus displayed scratches, dents, and faded paint, the insides were luxurious, with leather seating, a small bar, and various other amenities to comfort one on a long ride. An additional click behind the last of them would bring notice to the privacy door that Toby had closed, separating the driver from the passengers. As the others found their seats, they found that the two anti-social men from before had taken up the very last row, even bumping through the others just to reach it, but aside from the unnecessary rudeness, there appeared to be nothing else amidst.

"All righty folks, get comfy and ol' Toby will get ya where ya need to be in a jiffy!" Came Toby's voice over an intercom.

"JA!" Sandra cheered the moment she saw the bar. She immediately grabbed something out of it and took a swig. Ah, liquor! Such sweet succor to the weary traveler!

She found a seat and sat down. Suddenly, the bus ride didn't look as harrowing an ordeal as it did just five minutes ago.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

On the bus, Boris takes out his cell phone and his Twitter account. He sees that most of the replies on it are all about his mother, Anastasiya. They're mostly dirty comments. ( Dammit, people, stop talking about my mother's chest and want to do her!) Boris thought.

( Yes, I know she has fucking gigantic knockers.) Boris thought. Every time check my Twitter, I have to go through this ****. It's getting old) Boris thought.

Boris looks at his cell phone and sighs in annoyance.

On a whim, Sandra pulled her phone out and logged into her Twitter. "I wonder if Nastya put up any new pics," she said idly as she scrolled through her timeline. "Damn, I've never seen **** that amazing."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

( Really wish people would stop posting comments about my mother on my Twitter. Doesn't help that my mother post her NSFW pictures on my Twitter. Seriously doesn't that woman have her own damn account?) Boris thought.

[grampagen]

"I'm fine," Fleetwood said, brushing himself off. He looked like he wanted to say more, but the previous altercation with Domo seemed to have stayed his tongue.

Instead, the reporter made his farewells, "I think I've got enough material for the time being..." Leaning in towards Suzie, he whispered something to the girl before backing away and walking to a nearby car. "I'll be seeing you around, Joe-kids."

Suzie's pale face fell cold in the Texan heat, and as Fleetwood got his bearings, it seemed for the moment he'd decided to step one foot outside of the story.

Like it or not, at the moment it seemed as if all the world had their eyes and ears turned to the lives of a Joestar. By name or otherwise.

Bother...

And just where would that leave them? At the very least, the reporter knew. At this juncture, seemed there was no choice but to rely on a stranger's kindness if they were going to get anywhere. Even...family.

"'Bout time," Toby Keith said as the last of them stepped onto his bus, closing the door behind them. To those stepping it, they would find that the interior was a stark contrast to the vehicle exterior. Whereas the touring bus displayed scratches, dents, and faded paint, the insides were luxurious, with leather seating, a small bar, and various other amenities to comfort one on a long ride. An additional click behind the last of them would bring notice to the privacy door that Toby had closed, separating the driver from the passengers. As the others found their seats, they found that the two anti-social men from before had taken up the very last row, even bumping through the others just to reach it, but aside from the unnecessary rudeness, there appeared to be nothing else amidst.

"All righty folks, get comfy and ol' Toby will get ya where ya need to be in a jiffy!" Came Toby's voice over an intercom.

Suzie's small roller skid to a stop as she shadowed the back of the line, and Toby Keith's tour bus seemed about as rough and slapdash as the way the man carried himself.

By the look of it I might be back in Bromley, only the cab's in reverse.

As she stepped in, she could swore she felt her heel catch something. Her nose wrinkled in an attempt to guard against that packed-in, body in transit smell.

Fortunately, this proved to be largely unnecessary. Full reno interior, she marveled silently. Perhaps the driver was much more shrewd than he seemed. Particularly where he locked the cab.

Pulling the red roller behind her, as their newly gathered clan settled in, Suzie for her part kept her head lowered. Already she'd gone a near full day without sleep, and the shock from the worn truckstop to this posh interior hit her in such a manner than the comfort reminded her just how exhausted she'd become. The sinking feeling from the week with the fever seemed to close the world around her...

That was the other reason she'd kept her distance from the others.

Before she knew it when she snapped out of her mental fog, she was but a space ahead of the surly gentlemen at the back. Strapping in to an empty seat, she found her nook, fatigue swimming through her thin bones, but her heavy-lidded eyes refused to close.

[MrSandman]

Suzie's pale face fell cold in the Texan heat, and as Fleetwood got his bearings, it seemed for the moment he'd decided to step one foot outside of the story.

Like it or not, at the moment it seemed as if all the world had their eyes and ears turned to the lives of a Joestar. By name or otherwise.

Bother...

And just where would that leave them? At the very least, the reporter knew. At this juncture, seemed there was no choice but to rely on a stranger's kindness if they were going to get anywhere. Even...family.



Suzie's small roller skid to a stop as she shadowed the back of the line, and Toby Keith's tour bus seemed about as rough and slapdash as the way the man carried himself.

By the look of it I might be back in Bromley, only the cab's in reverse.

As she stepped in, she could swore she felt her heel catch something. Her nose wrinkled in an attempt to guard against that packed-in, body in transit smell.

Fortunately, this proved to be largely unnecessary. Full reno interior, she marveled silently. Perhaps the driver was much more shrewd than he seemed. Particularly where he locked the cab.

Pulling the red roller behind her, as their newly gathered clan settled in, Suzie for her part kept her head lowered. Already she'd gone a near full day without sleep, and the shock from the worn truckstop to this posh interior hit her in such a manner than the comfort reminded her just how exhausted she'd become. The sinking feeling from the week with the fever seemed to close the world around her...

That was the other reason she'd kept her distance from the others.

Before she knew it when she snapped out of her mental fog, she was but a space ahead of the surly gentlemen at the back. Strapping in to an empty seat, she found her nook, fatigue swimming through her thin bones, but her heavy-lidded eyes refused to close.

"...Excuse me...I'll be taking this seat...."

A timid sounding voice nagged off to Suzies side and a figure slid into the nearest seat, the soft yet forceful impact of a case coming to rest on the floor near her feet.

Sadly the back seats had been taken, and sitting alone was out of the question....if one did not choose their seat partner then that choice would be made for them in the end, so it was tactically sound to make the first move in this matter.

The horrific visions of being trapped against the wall and force fed by that girl scout fanatic were also fairly influencing.

Thankfully this particular person was fairly quiet, oddly dressed but quiet. She would pull attention away from her by default....and the seat offered a close point to discretely listen in on the two backwater bandits.

......

Perhaps she should perform some small talk, even if just a tiny amount to avoid being "too" quiet.

"....Hello....nice bus...?" Lucy said, immediately failing to come up with a good topic.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

( of course, I can't blame people for wanting to do my mother. She is hot, something of a short stack goddess. Just wish she had her own Twitter account,) Boris thought.

( Maybe there's a way to set one up for her? ) Boris thought. Boris raises his right hand." Hey, who on here knows a thing or two about Twitter," Boris said.

[Tami]

( of course, I can't blame people for wanting to do my mother. She is hot, something of a short stack goddess. Just wish she had her own Twitter account,) Boris thought.

( Maybe there's a way to set one up for her? ) Boris thought. Boris raises his right hand." Hey, who on here knows a thing or two about Twitter," Boris said.

"Amazing how Twitter managed to survive the tech crash that took out so many other social media platforms." Jinny then leaned past her seat and looked over to where Boris was sitting, "What do you need help with?"

[Yun Lao]

As the tour bus departed the Fleetwood Mac's vehicle long since driving off, the Junction Stop was left to its previous occupants. Dumping the last of her cigarettes into the trash, Nancy stepped back into the store only to find things were... uncanny. At first, it was the complete lack of air conditioning the mute sound of the familiar entrance jingle, but soon came more details, or rather the lack of them. Like an animation having lost its budget, details were no longer crisp and clean with unimportant items crudely depicted and blocky if they even had definition from the start.

"Awh, there ya are, Nancy!" Lenny said cheerfully, too cheerfully for his lips were curling up and beyond his head, exposing a bestial amount of teeth.

"Just in time, deary!" Carla replied behind her, blocking her escape. The older lady's eyes were sinking into pinpoints of complete blackness and her outstretched fingers becoming gnarled claws.

"Good job today, Nancy, but the truth of the matter is... well... in these economically tough times, we just can't continue to keep ya employed," Lenny continued, now staring down the barrel of his shotgun, "I hope you don't take this too hard!"

BGM: "Pisces"

"It's all right..." Nancy replied in her usual monotonous fashion, "The pay wasn't worth it anyway..."

Gunshots rang out, only for the shot to caught by a ghostly hand. Realization dawn on Lenny and Carla's eyes but it was far too late to react as Nancy gave the command.

"「JINJER」!"

"WANNNNNAAABEE!!"

A barrage of punches filled the air, each punching a hole through the two assailants, the counters, the walls, all of which had little durability by this point. With the last, final punch, the Junction Stop simply tipped over, like a the display of a pop-up book flattening back out onto its pages. Behind what was once the building was the real Junction Stop, old, abandoned and unused since long before the meteors.

Reaching into her pocket, Nancy pulled out her phone and made a quick call, "This is Dolly... the Joestars have met up.「VOLBEAT」and「BLONDIE」have made their moves, awaiting further orders..."

[Yun Lao]

The ride was smooth, again much smoother than the bus' exterior hinted, but there was that saying that looks could be deceiving. Glances out the window showed the innate beauty of the Texan plains, with rolling grasses of yellows, golds, browns, and greens, and patches of mesquite trees and cacti peppering the landscape. Ancient billboards depicting the faded warnings of damnation without Jesus occasionally passed by, but at least they showed something, unlike the digital ones, which had been abandoned by those distrustful after the 25th hour. Those seeking out a decent radio station would find little enjoyment from the static, save for some unstable and scratchy country and any of those who relied on their digital devices would find their signals growing weaker and weaker with each passing mile.

Soon, all entertainment options would have to come from them and with it, the horrible realization of every family road trip; that they might have to interact with each other once more.

[KingofPie]

"'Bout time," Toby Keith said as the last of them stepped onto his bus, closing the door behind them. To those stepping it, they would find that the interior was a stark contrast to the vehicle exterior. Whereas the touring bus displayed scratches, dents, and faded paint, the insides were luxurious, with leather seating, a small bar, and various other amenities to comfort one on a long ride. An additional click behind the last of them would bring notice to the privacy door that Toby had closed, separating the driver from the passengers. As the others found their seats, they found that the two anti-social men from before had taken up the very last row, even bumping through the others just to reach it, but aside from the unnecessary rudeness, there appeared to be nothing else amidst.

"All righty folks, get comfy and ol' Toby will get ya where ya need to be in a jiffy!" Came Toby's voice over an intercom.

"Hey yo, Toby! You got movies on this joint or what?" Miguel asked cheerfully, happy to bask in some cool air for the first time in a while. "Whew!" he sighed in relief, slinking back into his seat and setting his bag on the floor. He was glad to be away from the bus stop. Friendly enough people worked there, but he couldn't help but feel an odd sense of tension build up after spending a while there....though those two weirdos in the back seemed to make it a point to be a bit of a mystery.

The ride was smooth, again much smoother than the bus' exterior hinted, but there was that saying that looks could be deceiving. Glances out the window showed the innate beauty of the Texan plains, with rolling grasses of yellows, golds, browns, and greens, and patches of mesquite trees and cacti peppering the landscape. Ancient billboards depicting the faded warnings of damnation without Jesus occasionally passed by, but at least they showed something, unlike the digital ones, which had been abandoned by those distrustful after the 25th hour. Those seeking out a decent radio station would find little enjoyment from the static, save for some unstable and scratchy country and any of those who relied on their digital devices would find their signals growing weaker and weaker with each passing mile.

Soon, all entertainment options would have to come from them and with it, the horrible realization of every family road trip; that they might have to interact with each other once more.

"No...phone service. What the hell," Miguel frowned. He glanced over the others, to determine if they were growing as bored as he. "So..." he spoke loudly enough, hoping to break any awkward silence. "Y'all wanna see a magic trick?"

[Jcogginsa]

( of course, I can't blame people for wanting to do my mother. She is hot, something of a short stack goddess. Just wish she had her own Twitter account,) Boris thought.

( Maybe there's a way to set one up for her? ) Boris thought. Boris raises his right hand." Hey, who on here knows a thing or two about Twitter," Boris said.

John, from his seat next to Boris, was about to speak up. However, before he could...

"Amazing how Twitter managed to survive the tech crash that took out so many other social media platforms." Jinny then leaned past her seat and looked over to where Boris was sitting, "What do you need help with?"

Jinny beat him to it. So he decided to keep mum. Too many cooks spoiled the pot, after all.

[The Dog]

"No...phone service. What the hell," Miguel frowned. He glanced over the others, to determine if they were growing as bored as he. "So..." he spoke loudly enough, hoping to break any awkward silence. "Y'all wanna see a magic trick?"

Jamie smiled as she said brightly "I'd like to see a magic trick if you don't mind."

[KingofPie]

Jamie smiled as she said brightly "I'd like to see a magic trick if you don't mind."

"Cool, just gimme a sec..." Miguel said, plunging a hand into his pocket and drawing up some loose change. Pretty much the last he had from his trip. Certainly was a good thing the bus ride was free. "Since I don't have much time to set up, I figure I'll try something simple."

Miguel stood from his seat so he could be in plain view of anyone who wanted to give a watch. "Okay, check it out. This seat right in front of me?" he held out a hand, gesturing to the seat. "Toby keeps a pretty pristine bus. No marks..." He said sliding his hand over the top of the bus. "No cuts, no notable scratches or marks..."

Miguel flipped a trio of of quarters, which landed on top of the seat. "75 cents. I know it's chump change, but keep an eye on 'em...HITAH!" Miguel stated, raising a hand and slapping it down on the quarters on the top of the seat, which subsequently shot forward through the FRONT of the seat in it's middle and landed on the floor. "My take on the intangible object trick. "I call it the 'Invisible Canon'!" he smirked with a shrug. "Not the best version of it I've done, but given the minimal set up, it ain't half bad."