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

[Yun Lao]

Vivian shrugged, seeming to take this revelation in stride. "Makes sense, he's been an arrogant bastard since we met him in the bar. Showed up and only had water, who does that?" After a moment, the woman frowned.

"... implication though, is Johannes had this many children intentionally. Presumably for the sake of 'potential' and 'great sacrifice'..." the witch's frown depend, only for a cynical smile to replace it.

"If that's true... he he he... he ruined our lives, or allowed them to be ruined, intentionally."

"I..." It was apparent that Debra desperately wanted to say something to comfort the witch's thoughts, but could not find the words.

"From what we already learned, I would say that is a given. My only concern is, will this truly help people? Or will we regret it later? I suspect that, despite your eavesdropping, you did trust Johannes to some degree." Jinny looked straight at Debra, "Or did you not trust him? Or was it that he did not trust you?" she then relaxed her gaze, looking casually around at those gathered before looking again at Debra, "I would like to believe that Johannes did what he did for an honorable purpose, but that would be too naive. It will be hard to trust anyone from now on, even you."

Holding out the book to show Debra, "You should have seen this coming. You know, you could have warned us earlier."

"I had thought things had changed when Johannes had gotten sick. Thought he might have put things aside for the better... thought that maybe this whole conspiracy had been some delusion of mind. It wasn't until I was handed this," She said, holding up the envelope, "That I realized that foolishly hoped for the best." With trembling hands, she pulled out the letter within, revealing a collage of different letters from different sources glued together to form a sentence

You'Re nEXt

"That prick Hironobu is hiding things? Surprise, sur-motherfuckin'-prise," Sarada groused darkly. She knew there was something off about him from there very beginning, way back when he seemed to be reading facts about his supposed hometown from off the internet. "The more I hear, the more it looks like I made a serious mistake sticking around."

She lit a cigarette and took a drag to calm her nerves. Pungent smoke flowed upward into the air and away from the others - far be it for her to make her "siblings" overly uncomfortable. "I don't intend on just taking your word for it. I say we hear straight from that assclown's mouth. One way," she pulled one of her bowie knives out, "or the other."

A pang of panic came over Debra, holding up a hand, "Hang on! Hironobu is a dangerous man when provoked. I- I don't have a stand myself, but Johannes always warned me about the 「Black Emperor」."

Avalon. Miguel never put much thought into the word, himself. Sure, it was a strange common occurrence among survivors driven mad by Night Fever, but there were a lot of things strange about Night Fever. There were many theories and studies on what the possible correlation could be, but he couldn't remember if he'd seen anything conclusive.





All this though, this is what he hated. In the end, this was it, wasn't it. Johanne's grand posthumous experiment. And here they were in his petri dish. If what Debra says about Hinorobu was true, both he and their father could eat a big bag of ****. There was soemthing else Debra mentioned that bothered him, though.

"So, wait...all the attacks we've had to face might've been...allowed or anticipated or somethin'? They might all be a part of this 'project?'" Miguel asked.



"Let's not forget Debra was in the **** with us," Miguel spoke up. "Her life was as in as much danger as ours back on the bus. Soon as we stepped aboard, the world started to make even less sense. Soon as we got to town, some of us had to heal our wounds, and we didn't meet Hironobu for too long after. At what point would be the ideal time to warn us?"

Miguel sighed, "It's true, there's still a lot we're being kept in the dark on, but instead of pointing fingers, maybe it's for the best to err on the side of caution. For now, anyway."

Pulling her hand back, yet holding the book close, "It's true that she was in danger as well." Jinny's eyes went out of focus for a moment, then she looked at Miguel, "Every time we've been attacked, at least one of us has manifested a Stand. That may have been someone's goal, or an unintentional by-product of being suddenly the target of Johannes' enemies. I get the feeling that is what Johannes wanted of us, expected from us. That is the potential Debra mentioned."

She then looked back at Debra, "Am I getting warmer this time? Or am I missing the mark?"

"That might have been the intention, but I don't know what purpose it was for."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"I had thought things had changed when Johannes had gotten sick. Thought he might have put things aside for the better... thought that maybe this whole conspiracy had been some delusion of mind. It wasn't until I was handed this," She said, holding up the envelope, "That I realized that foolishly hoped for the best." With trembling hands, she pulled out the letter within, revealing a collage of different letters from different sources glued together to form a sentence

Sandra took a look at the crudely crafted note and felt her brow furrow. Two words, 'You're next', filled Debra with so much apprehension and anxiety. "Any idea who sent that to you?" It was clear, at least to her, that Debra knew some things that she wasn't supposed to. There was nothing more dangerous or powerful than information. Knowing the wrong thing about the wrong person was more than enough reason to take someone out. Hoestar had already died; Sandra wouldn't have been shocked if the same woman who killed him was after Debra.

A pang of panic came over Debra, holding up a hand, "Hang on! Hironobu is a dangerous man when provoked. I- I don't have a stand myself, but Johannes always warned me about the 「Black Emperor」."

"Tch," she scoffed as she sheathed her blade. "He's not the only one." A moment of silence, then realization dawned on her. "Think I know how to get some answers out of him." She still wasn't exactly sure how to use her Stand, but it was worth a shot. "If I can get close enough to touch him, my Stand will show me... something. I don't really know how it works, but might as well try."

[Tami]

"I..." It was apparent that Debra desperately wanted to say something to comfort the witch's thoughts, but could not find the words.



"I had thought things had changed when Johannes had gotten sick. Thought he might have put things aside for the better... thought that maybe this whole conspiracy had been some delusion of mind. It wasn't until I was handed this," She said, holding up the envelope, "That I realized that foolishly hoped for the best." With trembling hands, she pulled out the letter within, revealing a collage of different letters from different sources glued together to form a sentence





A pang of panic came over Debra, holding up a hand, "Hang on! Hironobu is a dangerous man when provoked. I- I don't have a stand myself, but Johannes always warned me about the 「Black Emperor」."





"That might have been the intention, but I don't know what purpose it was for."

"You're next?" Jinny sighed in frustration, "If you are next, who was first? Johannes? If so, does that mean that the one who killed him is now after you? Why? What threat do you pose to anyone? Did you receive that at the will reading? Or someplace else? Have you ever received anything like that before?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"You're next?" Jinny sighed in frustration, "If you are next, who was first? Johannes? If so, does that mean that the one who killed him is now after you? Why? What threat do you pose to anyone? Did you receive that at the will reading? Or someplace else? Have you ever received anything like that before?"

A cloud of smoke heralded Sandra's response. "It's simple. Debra knows something she shouldn't. That's more than enough reason for someone to want her dead. You're wasting time asking all these unnecessary questions when only two matter: who wants her dead and where are they."

[Tami]

A cloud of smoke heralded Sandra's response. "It's simple. Debra knows something she shouldn't. That's more than enough reason for someone to want her dead. You're wasting time asking all these unnecessary questions when only two matter: who wants her dead and where are they."

Looking down for a moment in thought, Jinny suddenly had an idea, "Wait, if Johannes' enemies thought Debra knew something important they wouldn't be trying to kill her, they would be trying to capture her."

"Wouldn't the only ones who might feel threatened by Debra be the ones trying their damndest to keep this whole thing a secret?"

"Might make sense seeing a how they would have inside info on us right from the start. I'm not so sure this place is safe for any of us."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Looking down for a moment in thought, Jinny suddenly had an idea, "Wait, if Johannes' enemies thought Debra knew something important they wouldn't be trying to kill her, they would be trying to capture her."

"Wouldn't the only ones who might feel threatened by Debra be the ones trying their damndest to keep this whole thing a secret?"

"Might make sense seeing a how they would have inside info on us right from the start. I'm not so sure this place is safe for any of us."

"No. You don't capture someone who knows too much. It's not a hard concept to understand."

With that, Sandra left it alone. The last thing Debra needed was people speculating whether she was going to be kidnapped or commit suicide via two bullets to the back of the head.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" Hmm, in the legend of King Arthur. Avalon refers to the legendary island of paradise which, King Arthur was carried to after his death. So the word Avalon relates to the words heaven, paradise. Wait, could Project Avalon be about creating a bridge that could connect our world to the supposedly spiritual world?" Boris said.

[KingofPie]

"I..." It was apparent that Debra desperately wanted to say something to comfort the witch's thoughts, but could not find the words.

"I had thought things had changed when Johannes had gotten sick. Thought he might have put things aside for the better... thought that maybe this whole conspiracy had been some delusion of mind. It wasn't until I was handed this," She said, holding up the envelope, "That I realized that foolishly hoped for the best." With trembling hands, she pulled out the letter within, revealing a collage of different letters from different sources glued together to form a sentence

Miguel frowned at the letter. The response was short but succinct in it's intent. No wonder Debra seemed cagey, most of the time.

A pang of panic came over Debra, holding up a hand, "Hang on! Hironobu is a dangerous man when provoked. I- I don't have a stand myself, but Johannes always warned me about the 「Black Emperor」."

Miguel wasn't certain what 「Black Emperor」 entailed, but it sounded like something they wouldn't wanna **** with. Name wasn't much to go on as far as what it did, but then again Miguel wasn't aware of the full capabilities of Stands.

Looking down for a moment in thought, Jinny suddenly had an idea, "Wait, if Johannes' enemies thought Debra knew something important they wouldn't be trying to kill her, they would be trying to capture her."

"Wouldn't the only ones who might feel threatened by Debra be the ones trying their damndest to keep this whole thing a secret?"

"Might make sense seeing a how they would have inside info on us right from the start. I'm not so sure this place is safe for any of us."

"Nowhere's safe for us at this point. At least here we get a warm bed for the time being," Miguel replied. "In the meantime, there's no point in standing here throwing out guesses about answers we won't get anytime soon."

"I figure all we can do now is sleep on it and tell everyone who wasn't here as soon as we can in the morning. "There's nothing we can do without one key component; knowledge. None of the best laid plans can exist without it."

[Yun Lao]

Miguel frowned at the letter. The response was short but succinct in it's intent. No wonder Debra seemed cagey, most of the time.



Miguel wasn't certain what 「Black Emperor」 entailed, but it sounded like something they wouldn't wanna **** with. Name wasn't much to go on as far as what it did, but then again Miguel wasn't aware of the full capabilities of Stands.



"Nowhere's safe for us at this point. At least here we get a warm bed for the time being," Miguel replied. "In the meantime, there's no point in standing here throwing out guesses about answers we won't get anytime soon."

"I figure all we can do now is sleep on it and tell everyone who wasn't here as soon as we can in the morning. "There's nothing we can do without one key component; knowledge. None of the best laid plans can exist without it."

"We need to be careful. The intruder that possessed Jamie and Boris might still be lurking around... if not in plain sight, considering the fact that neither Hironobu nor any of the staff chose to acknowledge it today."

[The Dog]

"We need to be careful. The intruder that possessed Jamie and Boris might still be lurking around... if not in plain sight, considering the fact that neither Hironobu nor any of the staff chose to acknowledge it today."

Having watched everything go on silently, Jamie finally spoke up as she said "I-I've been thinking about it, and I believe Hironobu either knows who was behind the incident... Or he was the one who did it."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"We need to be careful. The intruder that possessed Jamie and Boris might still be lurking around... if not in plain sight, considering the fact that neither Hironobu nor any of the staff chose to acknowledge it today."

"Oh, yeah them! Hey, Debra by any chance did our father Johannes ever read The Arthurian Romances?" Boris said.

[Yun Lao]

Having watched everything go on silently, Jamie finally spoke up as she said "I-I've been thinking about it, and I believe Hironobu either knows who was behind the incident... Or he was the one who did it."

"I... I can't say I blame you."

"Oh, yeah them! Hey, Debra by any chance did our father Johannes ever read The Arthurian Romances?" Boris said.

"I suppose?" Debra replied, "I don't know how much in detail, but I assume he knew about them."

[KingofPie]

"We need to be careful. The intruder that possessed Jamie and Boris might still be lurking around... if not in plain sight, considering the fact that neither Hironobu nor any of the staff chose to acknowledge it today."

"Oh, right..." Miguel clutched his face. "I nearly forgot that was mentioned." Miguel scratched his chin. They truly weren't safe anywhere. Debra was right. They did need to play it careful. "Say, Debra....what are the biggest rooms in this place?"

[Jcogginsa]

"Do we know whether Hironobu has a stand? Or, perhaps more importantly, has he ever denied processing a stand?"

[grampagen]

Beyond the stammering and grasping for some kind of response, it didn't seem that Suzie meant any harm. In fact, she appeared to be looking for something. Something to do with some kind of vine or weed or whatever the **** that was she picked up off the ground. The garden was ruined to ****; Sandra saw no reason to collect any kind of souvenir, meaning she had plucked it for a reason.

"Read? Nope. The book's empty," Sandra said as she took the book back. She opened the cover, intent on showing it to her when her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "What the ****?" There were words, and pictures. Some pertained to Suzie, while a few had to do with Vivian. "Right before I chucked this at you, the pages were all blank. Now, there's almost three pages worth of **** about you and whats-her-face." She frowned. The change couldn't have happened until after the book conked her on the head. Maybe it needs to make contact with someone before it starts working?

She quickly read over what the book said. "You found something out about the SIZ plants? How do you plan on studying that... vine or whatever that is?"

After handing the book over, Suzie returned to the task, that being following the striated, corded bark root through the perennial greenery. Her dark lips parted and her face cringed with a grimace as she lifted the runner vine, for her Stand had unearthed it forcefully to the point where it had ripped a small trench in the landscaping.

"Eh? What a strange thing to have a book that large without a word," she replied, rubbing her forehead. Under her frayed bangs she felt something slick she couldn't seem to brush away. But when Sandra began to skim over it again, things started to piece themselves together. "...oh, bother, hadn't occurred to me. if it'd been any old thing, it would've passed through as easily as「Jigsaw Feeling」did the overgrowth. Seems your Stand is a book that writes itself, innit?"

And from what Sandra was reading out, her Stand was quite the apt transcriber.

"...by the sound of it, that's too good for a guess," Suzie continued as she followed the path of the unearthed vine, "But following up on what Vivian told me, about the SIZ and the Weald and the way the plantlife provides for the inhabitants, I'd remembered what Debra said about the garden, like?"

She made her way further into the garden, pulling hand over hand. The knotted runner was as thick and heavy as stage cable and it seemed just as endless.

"Um, anyways, according to the notes I found in his study Johannes transplanted the seedlings to provide for this space, doing years' worth of work in days...only it worked far too well. The growth was more untamed than this, if you can believe it, and he mentioned if it weren't for a man named Amon Amrath arresting the growth, it'd likely have taken over."

Following the line, Suzie crouched, a shadow momentarily disappearing into the darkness as she checked the hedging before popping back up again.

"He had some way to stop the spread of it. Being that we're headed to Salem and all, I figured, maybe out here there'd be some hint in here to keep from getting snatched up from burrowing roots, yeah?"