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

[Jcogginsa]

"Yeah, well if it does I guess it will be worth it. I just can't figure out why, after all these years no one else has gone after the fragments. No matter how crazy the impact zones are, there are always people crazy enough to venture inside." Jinny thought on this, "There are some things that don't quite add up, but I can't quite put my finger on what's bothering me."

Her tone then shifted slightly, "John, where did you say you came from? Where is your home?"

"I'm from Tennessee. A more remote part of it."

[Yun Lao]

Boris gets closer to eavesdrop. Boris notices the slight sound his footsteps are making. ( I have been an assassin, but I was just average at best. My granduncle would never make this much noise with his footsteps,) Boris thought.

( He's a first-class assassin, his footsteps would be as silent as a wind,) Boris thought.

For the most part, Boris could only hear Debra with Domo's contribution to the conversation being inaudible.

"Hironobu ignored the attack last night... ...they need to know... ...gathering at midnight..."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

For the most part, Boris could only hear Debra with Domo's contribution to the conversation being inaudible.

"Hironobu ignored the attack last night... ...they need to know... ...gathering at midnight..."

Boris speaks up." What's this about an attack last night?" Boris said.

[Tami]

"I'm from Tennessee. A more remote part of it."

Returning the information, "Originally from Hong Kong, but raised in New Jersey." Jinny had a line of thought she was considering, "Johannes obviously was a world traveler. I still find it strange how he would father so many children from so many places around the world. Maybe it's not unheard of, but it is extremely rare. He didn't strike me as a womanizer, though it's hard to tell just from the video recordings. I'm pretty certain that my mother held no ill feelings towards him, and she was apparently still very fond of him."

[Jcogginsa]

Returning the information, "Originally from Hong Kong, but raised in New Jersey." Jinny had a line of thought she was considering, "Johannes obviously was a world traveler. I still find it strange how he would father so many children from so many places around the world. Maybe it's not unheard of, but it is extremely rare. He didn't strike me as a womanizer, though it's hard to tell just from the video recordings. I'm pretty certain that my mother held no ill feelings towards him, and she was apparently still very fond of him."

"There are all types of people in the world. Some people are intrigued by their partners cheating on them, so that could explain it. However, since we don't have much to go on at the moment, assuming that wouldn't be wise. Plus, the abilities of a stand add a host of possibilities we're not used to considering. A stand inducing pregnancy could be possible. Or, if he used more traditional methods, it's possible that he might have used a stand to view into the future. "

[Tami]

"There are all types of people in the world. Some people are intrigued by their partners cheating on them, so that could explain it. However, since we don't have much to go on at the moment, assuming that wouldn't be wise. Plus, the abilities of a stand add a host of possibilities we're not used to considering. A stand inducing pregnancy could be possible. Or, if he used more traditional methods, it's possible that he might have used a stand to view into the future. "

"I don't know everyone's ages, but I gather that Stands only came into this world after the fall. If Johannes did have a Stand that saw into the future, he wouldn't have acquired it until after that event. However, it does not explain some of us, like myself, who were born before the event occurred. Then again, I could be thinking about this all wrong. It might be possible," Jinny spoke the last few words slowly, hesitantly, "that Johannes, somehow, had a Stand even before the event. In which case, assuming that his Stand did give him the power to see into the future, he might have" again speaking hesitantly, "intentionally been with each of our mothers knowing that we would be the end result. Still, that would be quite a feat."

"Vivian is a bit of a puzzle. Hironobu suggested that she is older than I am, which means she was born before the event, yet she comes from the SIZ. Her Stand is, well, an egg, whatever that means. I almost expected her to have something more imposing. Then again, being from Salem, maybe she doesn't need one. I've never met anyone from one of the Impact Zones before now, so I'm not sure what to expect."

[Jcogginsa]

"I don't know everyone's ages, but I gather that Stands only came into this world after the fall. If Johannes did have a Stand that saw into the future, he wouldn't have acquired it until after that event. However, it does not explain some of us, like myself, who were born before the event occurred. Then again, I could be thinking about this all wrong. It might be possible," Jinny spoke the last few words slowly, hesitantly, "that Johannes, somehow, had a Stand even before the event. In which case, assuming that his Stand did give him the power to see into the future, he might have" again speaking hesitantly, "intentionally been with each of our mothers knowing that we would be the end result. Still, that would be quite a feat."

"Vivian is a bit of a puzzle. Hironobu suggested that she is older than I am, which means she was born before the event, yet she comes from the SIZ. Her Stand is, well, an egg, whatever that means. I almost expected her to have something more imposing. Then again, being from Salem, maybe she doesn't need one. I've never met anyone from one of the Impact Zones before now, so I'm not sure what to expect."

"I can't say that I've ever met anyone from the Impact Zones before her either. I don't know what to make of her egg, but if I were to speculate...well, there's one thing all eggs do: Hatch. "

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sandra found herself in that shitty garden that was overrun with more weeds than actual flowers. She found a bench toward the middle and sat down. More than the "picturesque" scenery, the quiet and the cool breeze put her at ease. That folder hit her harder than she expected. She knew she would get stuff about her but not her entire childhood. It made her reluctant to even go through the rest, but she figured it would be good.

Confronting her past would help her move forward into a brighter future, blah blah blah. That was probably what one of those piss ants in the house would say if they bothered talking with her. They didn't; she had barely said two words to most of them since that entire ordeal began. That was fine. At least a few of them actively pissed her off and the rest were annoying. If she never said a word to any of them outside of what was absolutely necessary, that would have been just fine with her.

The folder...

It was laying on the bench beside her. Out of the corner of her eye, it was motionless, practically taunting her. Part of her wanted to burn it. The rest wanted to see what else was inside. After a brief second of deliberation, the latter half won out. She opened it ever so slightly and pulled out the top two newspaper clippings. The first one was the one she read when she first got it. The second one,



...

Her mother, father, and two siblings walked down the stairs. They were all dressed so nicely in their suits and dresses. Mom and Pat had their hair styled so nicely, and it was easy to tell that Peter looked just like Dad.

Sandra frowned sadly. She was dressed in her pajamas, curled up on the sofa. Pat noticed her and reflected that frown with one of her own. "Papa, why can't Sandra come with us?" she asked as they walked through the door.

"I already told you," he said with a tinge of annoyance, "I'm only bringing my family." With that, the four of them departed.

As the door closed, Sandra felt hot tears run down her face.


...

"Fucking bastard," she snarled. Her throat felt tight and her cheeks her white hot. She blinked over and over again. There must have been some kind of dust in the air or maybe the weeds were giving off some kind of pollen. Who knew? Whatever it was, her allergies were acting up. She angrily wiped away the tears and took her cigarette out of her mouth. The lit portion was placed against the corners of the two clippings in her hands. Quickly, they caught fire and turned to ash. She watched the small line of fire eat up the old newspaper with an expressionless face. It was neither cathartic or painful. It was just a thing that was happening in front of her.

When it was done, she made sure to stomp on the ashes just in case. The last thing she wanted to do was set fire to the garden that Debra and Hoestar worked so hard to create.

Her eyes trailed down to the folder beside her. Inside was years worth of newspaper clippings, articles, and even some printouts. Why? What was Joestar hoping to accomplish by keeping such close tabs on her. He already ruined her life; maybe he wanted to bask in the glory of fucking up a complete stranger's family?

What kind of fucked up bastard was that man?

[MrSandman]

"I can justify it easily enough, Ms. Lucy," Hironobu said, pocketing the watch, "Mr. Joestar trusted you and so I will too. I suppose if that explanation does not suffice, then there is the practicality of having some insight into the enemy. There was a Sun Tzu quote to that effect, I recall."

He looked as if he were going to reach for his phone, no doubt to look it up, but he decided otherwise.

"........I suppose that will do." Lucy nodded quietly then let out a quiet breath. "....Your trust is appreciated none the less."

"Moreover, the...strategic evaluation, like, aside," Suzie added, "I've seen you come through whilst we were in that confrontation in the hospital, yeah?"

Despite the drained look in her eyes, the thin smile on her face was far more certain than it appeared.

"If it wasn't for you, there's be a lot less of us here...and, point being, you got out of the OSS..." She said it curtly, but found herself rather wanting for a final thought, so said nothing else.

".....I only did what I had to...." Lucy turned away and attempted to keep from breaking character. ".....to protect family, you would do the same right?"

Vivian's folder seemed light, extremely light, although she was certain there were things in there. Curious.

"If you are able to retrieve the core or the fragments without Moonchild, the better; however, we're all aware of how easier said than done such a feat is. Still, free feel to do what you can."

---
"In any case, if that is all for questions, then it is getting late and we have much to do tomorrow. Once those doors unlock, you will find dinner ready in the dining room. Also, there will be a staff member on each side of the door with a piece of paper. I suggest filling it out with the essentials you'll need for this journey and turning it to the staff."

Having collected her folder from Suzie and concluded her business in the chambers, on her way out Lucy took advantage of their benefactors more generous nature and placed her request open the note before slipping it back to the staff with a nod. For the most part it contained requests for ammunition and repair parts for her weapon, multiple ammo types and the base components to make her own if required. Gas grenades and flashbangs to restock her low supply.....and....

Jerky

Jerky - 7 Bags
BBQ Jerky - 11 Bags
Smoked Jerky - 10 Bags
Teriyaki Jerky - 12 Bags
Jerk Jerky - 7 Bags
Field jerky - 20 Bags
Emergency Jerky - 20 bags(Assorted)

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Boris looks at Derba and Domo. " is this about someone trying to get Jamie and me trying to kill each other last night. I heard that being mention. Frankly had no clue what anyone was talking about," Boris said.

" I don't even recall anything like that happen last night, just a nightmare of Jamie and me trying to kill each other in a long hallway. Wait, it actually happen. I didn't just dream it?" Boris said.

[Yun Lao]

OOC: Apologies again for the delay, everyone. Went on vacation out of town and assumed my laptop would cooperate with me to keep with updates; unfortunately, it disagreed.

------

Boris speaks up." What's this about an attack last night?" Boris said.

Boris looks at Derba and Domo. " is this about someone trying to get Jamie and me trying to kill each other last night. I heard that being mention. Frankly had no clue what anyone was talking about," Boris said.

" I don't even recall anything like that happen last night, just a nightmare of Jamie and me trying to kill each other in a long hallway. Wait, it actually happen. I didn't just dream it?" Boris said.

Boris, with skill honed from his years in the mob, had entered the conversation as a lobotomist would approach mental care. Domo, for his part, made a vague face which was probably the closest one could get to an expression while Debra anxiously backed away.

"Yes, it did happen," She said, in a hushed tone, "... but we'll speak more about that tonight." The widow looked around, trying to gesture to Boris that it was perhaps unwise to speak of such topics out in the open.

[grampagen]

Once the reading had concluded and the manor's chime went off for supper, after concluding her conversation with Vivian - and seeing to it that Lucy had collected herself after her momentary fright - Suzie had opted to linger in the library study.

There was a whorl of twisted things from the reveal, less her own than the emotional ripple that had swept through the room, which tied itself in knots as the blood rush to her stomach. Given how thorough the dossiers were, it was small wonder how exactingly prepared the food was. Surely it would be delectable as last nights, but at the moment her appetites were elsewhere.

Crossing past the marble awning over the fireplace, she flit her eyes at the statues and the whale skeleton hung from the rafters. She held her folder before her chest and shivered at the enormity of the place, and with knowledge that something or someone might yet be lingering about here, even in the safety of the home of a man who timed out everything to the moment...

For now, Suzie sought out any written information the Speedwagon Foundation might have had pertaining to the SIZ samples Debra and their father had procured.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

OOC: Apologies again for the delay, everyone. Went on vacation out of town and assumed my laptop would cooperate with me to keep with updates; unfortunately, it disagreed.

------





Boris, with skill honed from his years in the mob, had entered the conversation as a lobotomist would approach mental care. Domo, for his part, made a vague face which was probably the closest one could get to an expression while Debra anxiously backed away.

"Yes, it did happen," She said, in a hushed tone, "... but we'll speak more about that tonight." The widow looked around, trying to gesture to Boris that it was perhaps unwise to speak of such topics out in the open.

Okay, by the way, how are you doing, Derba? Oh, there was a letter for me from my father in a folder I got. In the letter, he mentioned my granduncle by his actual name Nikola," Boris said.

" In the letter, he mentioned that he knew about the Kulvalda family specialty before he met my mother. The folder contains criminal rap sheets, receipts for bails signed by my mother. Photos documenting my growth from childhood to adulthood. Photos that have my mother and granduncle in them," Boris said.

" Oh and also a ticket for one of my ventriloquist shows, Boris said.

[Yun Lao]

Okay, by the way, how are you doing, Derba? Oh, there was a letter for me from my father in a folder I got. In the letter, he mentioned my granduncle by his actual name Nikola," Boris said.

" In the letter, he mentioned that he knew about the Kulvalda family specialty before he met my mother. The folder contains criminal rap sheets, receipts for bails signed by my mother. Photos documenting my growth from childhood to adulthood. Photos that have my mother and granduncle in them," Boris said.

" Oh and also a ticket for one of my ventriloquist shows, Boris said.

"That's... good for you," Debra replied, although it was quite clear her mind was in another place at the moment, "Boris," She said, snapping back to attention, her words soft and hush once more, "I need you to gather your siblings and meet me in the garden by midnight. We need to talk about something important."

[Yun Lao]

The clocks read eight thirty-four p.m., roughly an hour and a half since Hironobu had released them from the meeting room. By this point, all who were unaffiliated with Johannes' last wish had left to return home, save for Debra and Domo whose presence was either unknown to the estate's hosts or allowed for one reason or another. Just a little over three hours remained until the midnight meeting in the garden, yet only three of them knew of it at this time.

Once the reading had concluded and the manor's chime went off for supper, after concluding her conversation with Vivian - and seeing to it that Lucy had collected herself after her momentary fright - Suzie had opted to linger in the library study.

There was a whorl of twisted things from the reveal, less her own than the emotional ripple that had swept through the room, which tied itself in knots as the blood rush to her stomach. Given how thorough the dossiers were, it was small wonder how exactingly prepared the food was. Surely it would be delectable as last nights, but at the moment her appetites were elsewhere.

Crossing past the marble awning over the fireplace, she flit her eyes at the statues and the whale skeleton hung from the rafters. She held her folder before her chest and shivered at the enormity of the place, and with knowledge that something or someone might yet be lingering about here, even in the safety of the home of a man who timed out everything to the moment...

For now, Suzie sought out any written information the Speedwagon Foundation might have had pertaining to the SIZ samples Debra and their father had procured.

As Suzie lingered in the library, her gaze would eventually fall upon the door to Johannes' study. Unlike the night before, there were no signs on it, nor there appeared to be anything stuffed within the cracks.

While Hironobu said that much of what was in there was now in those folders, the room was accessible for potential study.