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

[Yun Lao]

"Whew...that...not gonna lie, that was intense," Miguel exhaled heavily. "I don't know if that was magic or what, but that reminds me of-," Miguel idly glanced over his shoulder. Looking behind him, he suddenly leaped back into an empty seat. "F-f--**** is that thing?!"

"That is you... but you are also it. Born from your soul, your desire, your passion to live, it shall stand beside you, no matter what may come. Because of this, some call it a「Stand」."

[MrSandman]

With Jamie, Lucy, and Suzie entering the elevator, the doors closed and they head to the second floor. Briefly, the lights flickered inside the elevator car, yet thankfully, it managed to reach its destination as the doors slid open to reveal a warped and distorted corridor.

The dog hunched upward, growling fiercely into the ink blot darkness as he treaded forward.

".....Stay back..." Lucy held her hand out to block the two with her from advancing, darting her eyes back and forth to access the melting reality that lay just beyond the elevator door. Had the dog led them here specifically for what was happening? For his part...he was advancing slowly beyond the threshold, obviously hostile to something just beyond.

Could it be....

"....This is the work of an enemy ghost..." Lucy muttered in Suzies direction, assured at least she would understand the meaning.

Swiftly she swung her case out and armed herself....and act that may not have been a surprise to Suzie....but to Jamie, perhaps more bizarre then the room beyond was her sister shouldering a automatic weapon and assuming a low stance as she advanced into the hallway beyond.

Jamie stared into the ink blot darkness fearfully, reaching into her bag and retrieving her tire thumper again. Gripping the handle as a source of comfort, she began carefully walking into the darkness behind the dog, looking for anything that could be a threat.

"I said stay ba..." Lucy shot a glance back at the girl, tire thumper in hand, then turned her attention forward again. "....Suzie, keep an eye on her...."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"So you're still blind to the ways of the world, yes? Okay... I can fix."

Rising from her seat, Cassandra raised her index and ring, making the sign of the horns or the evil eye. Reaching forth, she placed both fingertips on Miguel's brows before gently brushing downward, closing his eyes.

"Breath in deeply and prepare yourself. Things will never be the same once you open your eyes," Her voice was distant, having sat back down in her seat. For but just a moment, Miguel would find himself plagued with anxiety and paranoia, feeling eyes on the back of his head; it was a sensation that should be a familiar one for him, having suffered Night Fever, but this felt way more intense. Once he opened his eyes and looked back to where Cassandra pointed, he would see it.

"Whew...that...not gonna lie, that was intense," Miguel exhaled heavily. "I don't know if that was magic or what, but that reminds me of-," Miguel idly glanced over his shoulder. Looking behind him, he suddenly leaped back into an empty seat. "F-f--**** is that thing?!"

"That is you... but you are also it. Born from your soul, your desire, your passion to live, it shall stand beside you, no matter what may come. Because of this, some call it a「Stand」."

"What the **** are you two smoking over there?" Sandra shouted from her seat. She had been trying to enjoy her ribs in peace when that magic **** started babbling about bullshit that didn't matter. Then, Miguel started tripping balls. If either of them was to be believed, there was something standing behind him. Yet, Sandra could see nothing. So, either they were on some good ****, or they had both gone insane.

Whatever it was, Sandra hoped they shut the **** up and let her eat in peace.

****, those ribs were fuckin' good.

[Yun Lao]

"What the **** are you two smoking over there?" Sandra shouted from her seat. She had been trying to enjoy her ribs in peace when that magic **** started babbling about bullshit that didn't matter. Then, Miguel started tripping balls. If either of them was to be believed, there was something standing behind him. Yet, Sandra could see nothing. So, either they were on some good ****, or they had both gone insane.

Whatever it was, Sandra hoped they shut the **** up and let her eat in peace.

****, those ribs were fuckin' good.

"That chick did the same thing to me. Didn't hear any of that "stand" bullshit, but now I see a lot of freaky ****," The barkeep said, wiping down a glass.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"That chick did the same thing to me. Didn't hear any of that "stand" bullshit, but now I see a lot of freaky ****," The barkeep said, wiping down a glass.

"Freaky ****?" she inquired. She wiped her mouth and took a more measured sip of her bourbon. "What kind of **** are we talking here? Ghosts?"

[Yun Lao]

"Freaky ****?" she inquired. She wiped her mouth and took a more measured sip of her bourbon. "What kind of **** are we talking here? Ghosts?"

"All types of ****. You know that tour bus everyone's been talking about? Saw it drive up that building."

[KingofPie]

"That is you... but you are also it. Born from your soul, your desire, your passion to live, it shall stand beside you, no matter what may come. Because of this, some call it a「Stand」."

Miguel found that no matter where he moved, the specter next to him wasn't too far behind. A 「Stand」 Cassandra called it. It didn't seem to do anything just yet aside from look impassively at the surroundings before it. It's eyes fixated out the window for a bit, before focusing back on Miguel. Miguel looked back and for whatever reason two words came to his mind, before he could even question just what to call it.

「ALL CAPS」

"What the **** are you two smoking over there?" Sandra shouted from her seat. She had been trying to enjoy her ribs in peace when that magic **** started babbling about bullshit that didn't matter. Then, Miguel started tripping balls. If either of them was to be believed, there was something standing behind him. Yet, Sandra could see nothing. So, either they were on some good ****, or they had both gone insane.

Whatever it was, Sandra hoped they shut the **** up and let her eat in peace.

****, those ribs were fuckin' good.

Suddenly 「ALL CAPS」 motioned it's hand, as if beckoning something over. Suddenly it seemed like something was drawn over from Sandra. And now held over it's head was the word The.

"The..." Miguel noted blankly. "What?"

「ALL CAPS」 made no indication of what the meaning of this was.

It was certainly an odd sight. Miguel didn't quite know what to make of it. Was it the word of the day? "What is this, Sesame Street...?" he questioned, scratching his head. He turned to look at Cassandra. "So...okay," he got back to his feet. "What...what does this 「Stand」 thing do? Does it have anything to do with Night Fever?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"All types of ****. You know that tour bus everyone's been talking about? Saw it drive up that building."

A chill went up her spine. The old man at the shop didn't see the bus going up the building, but this man did? Before, she hadn't had the chance to give it much thought beyond considering it odd that no one mentioned seeing something so uncanny. Hearing that the barkeep did see the bus go up the building made her revisit it. Okay, so, I know that the bus went up the building, as do the rest of my "siblings". This guy does, too. No one else does. That means... what? Why did we see it, but no one else did?

"Up a building? Now I know you're fuckin' with me." She shook her head with feigned disbelief. "Did anyone else see this or are you the only "lucky" one?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Vivian cussed under her breath. "Lady, you really shouldn't be doing that." She spun in her chair toward the woman, and lit another cigarette.

"Last thing any of us here need, is you doing that."

[grampagen]

The dog kept clear of Lucy's treat, not so much out of caution as it was too preoccupied by the elevator once Suzie called it. Having been at the utmost top floor, the lcd display ticked down from 5 until it reached them, metal doors parting.

Bounding into the elevator, the hound launched itself onto its hind feet and slapped the number 2 button with its large paw. Plopping back down on all fours, he gave out a short bark and why he could have been indicating anything, it really seemed like he was telling them to get on.

Suzie plucked at a teased end of her dark hair, a certain vacant expression playing about her face as she counted down the numbers. Once the lift arrived, though, the Rottie sprung forward without any loss of momentum and slapped their passage to the second floor. Her dark eyes quirked over a worriesome half-smile.

"Seems he really knows his way around here, innit," she shrugged, and as he called out where he stood in the metal shaft, Suzie walked in as if it had been a rather ordinary matter of course.

"I'll help you, but you've got to promise you won't take off again, yeah?"

With Jamie, Lucy, and Suzie entering the elevator, the doors closed and they head to the second floor. Briefly, the lights flickered inside the elevator car, yet thankfully, it managed to reach its destination as the doors slid open to reveal a warped and distorted corridor.

The dog hunched upward, growling fiercely into the ink blot darkness as he treaded forward.

Jamie stared into the ink blot darkness fearfully, reaching into her bag and retrieving her tire thumper again. Gripping the handle as a source of comfort, she began carefully walking into the darkness behind the dog, looking for anything that could be a threat.

Of course, the moment the lights flickered on the trek up, trepidation once again began to fill Suzie's heart. Something's not right about this.

When the lift doors opened, it was almost as if they'd left the ordinary behind and had ascended from the lobby into another world entirely.

Rather than the shape of familiar wards and uniform rooms, there was a dark, distorted hallway.

"...oh, bother..."

".....Stay back..." Lucy held her hand out to block the two with her from advancing, darting her eyes back and forth to access the melting reality that lay just beyond the elevator door. Had the dog led them here specifically for what was happening? For his part...he was advancing slowly beyond the threshold, obviously hostile to something just beyond.

Could it be....

"....This is the work of an enemy ghost..." Lucy muttered in Suzies direction, assured at least she would understand the meaning.

Swiftly she swung her case out and armed herself....and act that may not have been a surprise to Suzie....but to Jamie, perhaps more bizarre then the room beyond was her sister shouldering a automatic weapon and assuming a low stance as she advanced into the hallway beyond.



"I said stay ba..." Lucy shot a glance back at the girl, tire thumper in hand, then turned her attention forward again. "....Suzie, keep an eye on her...."

The big Rottie was the first to cross the threshold, followed by Jamie...but in this dread atmosphere, there was the same shift in Lucy's disposition that came over her once the hooligan on the bus began to make his threats. This time, however, she'd brought her arms out to bear.

She'd heard some tell about the old American sentiment. Good old legends about the citizen-soldier at the heart of it. Fearlessly independent, and yet ferociously patriotic.

It was quite different seeing a carbine folded out in full rather than cloistered in a guitar case, unused, and it visibly made Suzie uneasy. "...suppose we haven't much choice in the matter, do we," she groaned, swallowing a lump.

Stepping off the lift, she neatly set her roller outside near the button panel. Her younger half-sister certainly had a knack for sussing out dangerous situations, operative from top to bottom. Suzie herself, however, was significantly less self-assured. Not only had the journey to the Lone Star State been fraught with conspiratorial danger, it seemed to follow with certain peculiar and menacing spirits.

Of course, the whole time「Jigsaw Feeling」had hovered relentlessly by her side. She'd rather not engage, but if this was anything like the shades that followed George bloke and carried Toby Keith, she supposed it would be better to have more allies rather than none.

And so, moving into the shadows, she flanked the dog on the other side.

"...lead on, mate," she said. Her brave face was thin as white paper. "We'll get you where you need to be."

[Jcogginsa]

Still struggling under the effects of this strange creature, Jinny wonders if her own sanity is in question when a pool of multi color paint suddenly appears then forms into a human like form.



It, no she, then stood in front of Jinny, protectively. As she did, something strange began to happen.

The walls of the hospital corridor began to melt all around the strange girl and her even stranger companion.
Attachment 105606


As the melting continued, the color began to drain away
Attachment 105607

The colors of Jinny's protector changed to match the surroundings, so much so as to blend in to the artscape. Jinny vanished from sight, as did John, and all that remained was a pool of dark, inky, black/grey liquid in what used to be the hospital.

John's mind was reeling as he processed what was going on

[Tami]

John's mind was reeling as he processed what was going on

Someone grabbed his hand. When he looked, he'd find Jinny looking very shaky, yet still standing. "I need your help. We have to stop her, somehow."

[Jcogginsa]

Someone grabbed his hand. When he looked, he'd find Jinny looking very shaky, yet still standing. "I need your help. We have to stop her, somehow."

John shook his head to clear his mind, then whispered "Do you have a plan?"

[Tami]

John shook his head to clear his mind, then whispered "Do you have a plan?"

"I don't know. I can only slow her down. She uses electricity to fight."

[Jcogginsa]

"I don't know. I can only slow her down. She uses electricity to fight."

"Can she be hurt by her own shocks?"