Capitolo Primo: Giovinezza (15)

Two day passed quickly as we all continued to train in our newest objectives.

Bhediya was the first one to tap in the Ripple, but he was also the one to find more trouble in controlling the energy with how dense his understanding of the technique was. I also blamed the connection to nature for how wild his usage of Hamon was while exercising even the simplest of abilities.

JoJo was unsurprisingly decent with his understanding of the Ripple. Compared to the Original Timeline, his Hamon wasn’t intense and powerful enough to become the strongest Ripple User, but his current standing was well beyond others his age.

Especially when his comprehension of tragedy was still limited and restrained by the lack of major losses in his life. Hopefully, that wasn’t going to happen to him with how carefully I’ve handled the current threats.

Wang Chan might have made a power move by acquiring the Stone Mask from under my nose, but any opportunities like that weren’t going to ever happen in the future. Planning out how the man’s mind worked, or at least what I knew from the few encounter I had with him, I was quite certain that any attempt to infiltrate the Joestar Manor would only result in a painful capture for the bastard.

Still, despite my best effort to track down both him and Jack, I found my hands empty of any possible hints where the duo was hiding.

I wasn’t even sure if Jack was collaborating with the Chinese man or not, but I had a distinct suspect that this might be the case from the way the Ripper’s streak intensified and escalated after just a couple of days the mask had been stolen.

And while I had been careful enough to ward myself from any ‘human’ infiltration, I was unsure how the measures would work against either an undead or a vampire.

Jack ended up turning in a terrible monster when he was turned in a zombie, and I could only shiver at the thought of how problematic he would become if he indeed was turned in a blood-sucker.

I was patient enough to not allow any opening. Any risk taken during my activities were to be guarded either personally or with a trusted group of people that I knew would’ve been able to assist in an eventual ambush.

It would be a lie to say that Jack didn’t think of me as a mysterious prey that needed to be ‘discovered’ and then ripped apart. He was conscious that the battle would still be costly, but the enticing fact that was danger itself would surely prove to be enough of a treat for someone like the famous serial killer.

I didn’t expect any less from his mind, if not even more considering how his human logic had to have deteriorated by entering in contact with the mask. Both as a zombie or as a vampire, the chances that he had actually preserved notions of intelligence were none.

I was going to face an assassin driven by bloodlust, curiosity and maliciousness.

Was it going to be easy?

Things never are and… I had other topics that drove me away from giving the utmost attention on the matter.

Like how Speedwagon had finally managed to get in contact with the Forty Elephants Gang.

Truly an elusive group of people, but one that I now had an exchange with and I wasn’t planning to turn up late.

Which is why, despite some surprise from the rest of the group at my decision to bring only Hannah with me, I ended up turning to a particularly uneven disposition of sides.

While I had been rather ‘frugal’ with my decision, the leader of the all-female Crime Syndicate had well imagined that it wouldn’t have been nice from her part from excluding members from coming.

So when we turned up for the event, I ended up facing a large number of curious, annoyed, or even angry women.

Not a good way to start this morning, I thought absently as I waited patiently for the leader to arrive at the lone table of this humongous warehouse.

The lady was particularly ‘progressive’ considering the way her hair had been cut short for the sake of practicality from the way she hid those under a hat. She was wearing what looked to be an expensive dress, nothing too cumbersome for her to move with but also nothing that someone of her social status should’ve been able to get hold onto in a legal exchange.

She was smiling, mirthfully so as she glanced at me like a panther does to a baby antelope.

“You’re Dio Brando,” The woman mused quietly before taking a seat. “I was expecting someone more… mature considering the imposing nature of your name.”

I shrugged. “I’m working on it, Madam.”

She snorted. “I doubt you will ever reach that point with how brazen you’re being by presenting yourself with such a small escort,” The lady then gave a malicious grin at Hannah. “Especially when said escort is just a fragile wench you found around.”

I closed my eyes, hoping that Hannah wasn’t in the mood to jump at people just yet. I was irritated myself by that little jab, but I knew better from behaving childishly.

So I blinked, glancing at the leader of the Forty Elephants and… smiled.

“That’s rather presumptuous from your part, Madam,” I commented with a calm voice. “Not only I’m being willing to concede kindness to the fact you’re being rude by not offering a name, but you’re also going as far as insult a close friend of mine. I thought this was a diplomatic meeting, not an exchange of petty insults.”

…

She shook her head. “Despite the disadvantage you’ve been put into, you still find the gall to try and get equal treatment? Don’t you fear a quick death, boy?”

My smile grew at that question. “Always. But so do everyone in London nowadays. At least those that don’t have some shiny guards to defend their hides.”

Finally, a small smile appeared on her face.

“Yet you’re dressing like someone in need of guards right now,” The woman rebuked mirthfully. “Isn’t that ironic? Or perhaps you’re jesting by wearing these fancy clothes?”

“Circumstances led me away of the streets just a few months ago,” I replied truthfully. “I would dare to say it was a fortuitous development, but still one that set me in the capacity to actually make a difference instead of going through the bureaucratic mess that exist in this nation.”

“Charity will hardly make the difference, boy,” She mused dryly. “You either become a thief, or you just don’t. There is no means to be kind and expect the world to be kind in return.”

Allowing a confused look to appear on my visage, I blinked perplexed.

“I think your opinion is bleaker than how reality is.”

Curiosity exploded at my words and the woman sighed. “Maybe, or maybe you’re just too far from seeing the truth of things, boy.”

“I’ve lived in the slums for fourteen years. It was a miracle that I lived beyond the ten years of age,” I started with a serious voice. “I didn’t just ‘see’, but I also experienced the squalor. I saw what the newspapers prefer to hide behind bigger news of the world.”

“And you still wish to make the difference by being kind to others?”

“Kindness with moderation. I understand that becoming excessively generous would only favor a worse situation that there is now,” I confessed. “Which is why I also offer work for those that wish for. Work that ends up favoring me in the long-term state of things, and enough to warrant some bountiful rewards out of it.”

…

“Like buying that filthy wench?” One of the women inquired giddily, prompting a loud session of giggles and laughs from the rest of the group.

I could tell that Hannah was starting to lose control over her temper, and I couldn’t exactly blame her for that.

I knew that the gangs in this time period were more of circuses that had an easy life because of how faulty laws were… but the Forty Elephants weren’t facing police officers. And I was going to make an example out of this slight.

“Can you please step forward then if you think so?” I asked back with a dry tone. “If you believe this to be the case, then I don’t see why you should be hiding behind others.”

The leader looked surprised at my response. “It was just a joke-”

“It was a slight,” I muttered politely. “The first one if I try to label your first effort as one.”

That managed to silence her out as I returned my attention from where the ‘joke’ originated. The young woman that appeared looked to be hardly older than Hannah. She had this cocky smile that just screamed of foolishness.

Sighing, I offered her a fascinated look. “Do you believe what you just said, or perhaps you wish to apologize?”

Instead of responding at once, she merely grinned like a dumbass and then delivered another ‘joke’.

“I’m willing to apologize to your whore of a mother.”

…

Surprisingly enough, nobody reacted happily at that remark. It was a touch too far, and I could see some reluctance at the lack of a good reaction from the rest of the gang.

Even the instigator looked particularly surprised by this… but I decided to humor her myself.

“Well, then I suppose you should be coming to the graveyard with me. After all, my mother’s remaining are still in the coffin where those had been left when she died.”

I smiled, my lips twitching at the uneasiness spreading across the room. Everyone couldn’t tell that I was just playing with them.

All except for Hannah. She was surprised by the way I was handling this, but she seemed more interest to see what I was going to do from this point onward.

“Did I do something wrong?” I questioned the lady. “Did I perhaps go to far with my joke? Maybe we can start anew with an even funnier topic-”

“Y-You think this is funny, you stupid brat?!” She exclaimed, bursting in a brief bubble of anger. “I can understand feeling aggravated- but to use your deceased mother as a starting point for such a response is-”

“Disgusting?” I suggested quietly. “Appalling? A slight against someone that can’t exactly defend themselves out of unexpected conditions?”

She looked ready to jump at this, but then froze as she ultimately realized what I was referring to.

It was easy to protect the sanctity of someone that is dead, but it’s clearly unneeded when someone that is alive is actually subjected to it.

I was about to press on this advantage since I couldn’t do much other than exploit what was exploitable from within that instance, but then I noticed something shining in the dark.

Something that was softly hissing and approaching me quickly.

A knife. It was thrown with precise aim and careful strength as to not make the projectile loud enough to catch Hannah’s attention. The girl turned the same moment that I did, her eyes widening in a brief panic as she saw my eased posture before the incoming threat.

She tried to move, or at least move my chair away from the trajectory, but I didn’t budge

Instead, I smiled and-

“｢ACT 1｣.”

I decided against shouting out my Stand’s name, allowing for the being to form without alerting the already ‘surprised’ women about what was going to happen next.

The dagger continued with its approach, shining more and more as the light reflected on its body and…

...

Then it stopped.

Shock enveloped the room as the scene itself was utterly ridiculous. None could see the anything holding that knife in that position, only that it was stuck mid-air.

But then again, that consideration was also wrong.

The dagger wasn’t stuck mid-air. It was stuck mid-time.

After I had managed to unlock ｢The World: ACT 1｣, I worked to carefully understand what kind of ability the current state would allow me to use.

It wasn’t the Time-Stop, but I already had a hunch that it would’ve been too much of a stretch if I had unlocked that powerful ability with this first phase of my Stand.

Instead of being able to stop time for everything, my ability was limited to stop a single object or entity within time itself. And while this also sounded terribly powerful considering that there wasn’t much of a drawback behind stopping objects of various sizes, there was still the issue that the usage of such power needed part of my lifeforce to work.

The concept had been mentioned just barely by Jotaro about his lacking capacity to use ｢Star Platinum: The World｣, but I was fairly sure that my chances of grasping at my limits are bettered by my understanding of Hamon.

Hamon also made use of lifeforce, but while this process was ‘smoother’ and less unpleasant considering how refined my control was, the same wasn’t for my Stand’s power.

I could hold an object like the knife now in front of me for just a full minute before I started to grasp for air. Considering that a day earlier I had been capable of stopping a smaller object for that amount of time, I was quite sure that I was growing more accustomed to the upkeep the more I used ｢ACT 1｣.

But returning to the present, I carefully snatched the knife out of its time-freeze. Then I settled it on the table after giving it a quick twirl with my fingers.

I stared at the leader, almost feeling the need to exert my smugness at how shocked the woman looked to be. Jaws dropping low and eyes going wide open at that absurd phenomenon, I sighed.

“Up until now, I’ve shown you my mercy and my kindness. I offered you all the chances you needed to behave like civil individuals considering the circumstances that bring us here,” I started with a weary tone. “I tried to ignore your playful manners, I tried to stand by your own rules, only to be rebuked with quite the violent reaction.”

I stood up from my chair, and they all tensed up at the action.

“The reason why I came here is to offer you all the chance to be legally paid and well-supported by turning you all in the first professional private mail system,” I explained calmly, ignoring the chilling silence I had willingly created. “I wished to extend friendship and an alliance that would turn you all away from the dangers of dealing with the law, to allow your families to be safe from the dangers your current line of work create. I still wish a response about this very offer as I know that I shocked you well enough to think twice before stepping on me. I will not condone any other cases of ‘joking’ while in my presence.”

I turned to Hannah, giving her a nod as I turned and started to walk away from the table, with the girl walking beside me.

“W-Wait! What about that answer you said you wanted?”

I stopped, glancing at the leader as she was finally standing up in the tensest and most worried of postures.

“Your name. What is your name?” I inquired blankly, causing her to gulp nervously.

“I-I’m- My name is Elyse, milord.”

I sighed as she curtsied to me. “Dio will suffice. I’m no nobleman,” I stated with a nod. “And Elyse, you may offer your answer to Speedwagon when you’re sure your group is convinced of your decision. I will offer you a full week.”

I said before glancing back at the entrance-

“W-What happens after that?”

…

“You will be ignored,” I promised genuinely. “If you refuse my offer and keep away from my way, then I will spare you. But become my enemy and I will annihilate you.”

I didn’t bother lingering any further, finally pacing out of the building and back in the streets. I kept quiet for a while, just enough to make some space between us and the warehouse before I decided to consult Hannah.

“What do you think?”

She offered me a surprised look. Maybe she hadn’t expected for me to inquire about her opinion over the matter, but I was pretty much unsure over the little ‘crack of whip’ I gave on the meeting.

I could’ve gone a little bit far with my escalation. Maybe there would’ve been other ways to humble the Forty Elephants instead of going for that crude resolution.

“It- It was amazing,” She almost tripped with her own words, making me look at her with an intrigued look. “Dio- I hope you understand that while I know you can be decisive when you want, that this was the cementing proof that you’re meant to go far. It was… It was mesmerizing.”

She looked dreamy, and I felt the need of facepalming as she snapped out of it to blush at my staring.

I might have worked hard and well to curb her devotion to me to something a little more bearable. But then again, she sure still hold some interest beyond mere friendship.

And while I, Dio, would’ve put more thought over the serious topic, I preferred to switch back to the next event for today. Jojo had decided to invite Erina for a ‘special occasion’.

-----------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d------------

Returning back to the manor after leaving Hannah back to the headquarters, I ended up discovering quickly enough what the two young teen were talking about for this ‘special occasion’.

I was wandering by the mostly empty halls of the large house when I ended up finding Danny waiting for me by the entrance of the dining room.

The dog barked happily towards me, quickly rushing to seek some headpatting out of me. I complied with the simple request, allowing the good doggo some affection since I had been quite distant in the last few days.

And since Jojo was away from home for a fair amount of time, I was one of the few people that the pup could trust for some play time.

Still, I was surprised that he was there considering that he would usually hang out near to where Jojo was and… I was sure that the young Joestar should’ve been idly studying by his room at this time of the day.

But what if…

I decided to check the dining room, despite the fact that I was pretty sure the place was supposed to be devoid of people.

The more I approached it, the more it grew apparent by the muffled noises coming from within the room that my assumptions were mistaken.

I carefully turned the handle, peeking through the sliver I had created by carefully pushing it forward.

“Do you think he will find out?” A feminine voice inquired.

Erina.

“He could,” Jonathan muttered with a hint of nervousness. “But it’s not like this is a bad surprise. I would be happy to have this much in front of us.”

Curiosity was an emotion I long learned to submit to when the circumstances allowed me to, so I peeked more and-

Then fell forward when Danny quickly pushed the door open and made me trip.

There was a sudden moment of silence, and I could recognize a gasp from Erina as she noticed what just happened.

“D-Dio?” Jojo asked in pure surprise, only to turn at the happy-looking dog. “Danny? How did you-”

“He was waiting outside the room. When you’re at home, he would never leave your side, Jojo-”

“Dio, is everything alright?” Another voice added and I finally stared up to see the concerned look on George’s face.

Then I noticed that the few servants in there were finishing preparing for some early lunch and-

Is that a cake? No, there are- Three of those?

“What is going-”

“Happy Birthday, Dio!” Erina interjected quickly and with a giddy tone. “Today is your fourteenth birthday!”

...Wait, really? Like- How did I miss that-

Oh right, I don’t know it myself. It’s one of the few details that isn’t know about Dio.

“Thank you, Erina,” I said while offering a polite nod to the girl.

Jonathan smiled mischievously and swiftly gave me a hug. “Happy birthday, Dio.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Jojo.”

“Dio, I hope you understand that I wished to make this a surprise feast for you,” George finally explained. “I preferred to keep this as a secret, since I wished to prepare something that can show how much you mean to my family, Dio. To our family.”

I felt surprised by that speech and I had a little bit of trouble to nod at this much. I hadn’t expected for this to happen.

I don’t think it was ever shown a birthday spent at the Joestar Manor, nor I was sure that George in the original timeline would’ve offered this kind of ‘gift’ to Dio with the way things had been at that point.

But I had been the ‘good kid’. Always careful, always friendly and helpful. Heck, I was relatable to the plight that had gone to the Joestar father-son duo and… now I was given a taste of the fruits born from my patience and dedication to keep things from falling apart.

“Thank you.”

I felt myself smiling, and I sure did when we were finally allowed to take a seat by the table.

The event offered more room to speak of simple things at the table compared to the other lunches, but to my surprise it just felt like I would expect a normal lunch to be.

To be talkative, to discuss about silly but somewhat entertaining topics of the world around us.

Jojo was still chided for almost devouring several slices of the first cake, a chocolate-based one, but the most amusing bit of that scene was how it was all coming from Erina.

The young blonde had grown some backbone since our first encounter and I couldn’t help but stare at how Jonathan was growing more whipped to her sternness.

George was also pleased by this development as now his son had a ‘legitimate’ reason to be a gentleman ‘on a constant basis’. The man just couldn’t help but be glad that his house had grown livelier since I’ve come around and… then he mentioned something that got me almost panicking and dying on a delicious bite of vanilla cake.

“By the way, Dio. I tried contacting your young friend, little Annie, and… she mentioned that she couldn’t make it, but that she would’ve found you before your return at home. I hope she managed to do so.”

I was shocked by these words, but I quickly offered a nod as I tried to ponder about this revelation.

Hannah knew that it was my birthday? She didn’t say anything about it and…

Why didn’t she say anything about it?

“She did,” I muttered tightly. “It’s just that I forgot with the tasks of today.”

As I finished said that, I felt Jojo giving me a soft nudge with his elbow. I briefly glanced his way and I noticed that he was mouthing a single word.

‘Later’.

“Did you manage to convince these students to actually get on with their studies?” George inquired with some interest. “I’m still surprised your teachers would ask this from you.”

“It’s… because they think I can handle that degree of mediation. It’s easier to discuss with those with the same age and… I was already in a friendly relations with this group,” I quickly replied. “But yes, in the end they agreed to keep up with their studies.”

“I’m glad that you succeeded,” The nobleman smiled happily. “And I hope you’ve kept up working on your first project, Jonathan.”

The younger Joestar offered a swift nod. “I’ve already two full pages now. Another one and I should be done with it.”

The man looked pleased with these answers and the conversation didn’t steer further from that point onward.

The special lunch went on for just a little less than two hours, with George ultimately bringing an end to it out of the fact that he still had paperwork to work onto, thus leaving me to talk with both Jonathan and Erina.

“Hannah said that she was going to send a chariot to pick the three of us,” Jonathan explained quietly. “I’ve already told father that we were going to be spending the rest of the afternoon up to the evening by the river and that we would return just in time.”

I frowned at those words. “And I hope Erina is actually fine with this. I don’t wish for her to be overwhelmed if she isn’t sure.”

“I-I will be fine,” The blonde rebuked with a quick huff. “I know that Jojo and Dio would never allow for anything bad to happen, so I’m not worried.”

That’s a surprising amount of trust she’s throwing around- but then again we were her only friends and we never did anything to warn her suspicion or her distrust.

I suppose things will be fine if she is ready for this.

Once we were done by the dining room, we went outside and by the gates. Right where a chariot was indeed waiting for us.

The trip was mostly quiet, with just a few words shared between Jojo and I about what the girl was expected to find at destination.

The blonde was slightly anxious about the matter, but also eager to see what kind of place was waiting in there. Jonathan had already told her about what I was doing but she really wanted to know how things truly were with her own eyes.

Reaching the headquarters once more, we took a slower approach to allow Erina to understand the part of town the building was located by.

She was slightly unnerved when she noticed how many ‘sad people’ were there in the streets, but she seemed to lighten up when they offered kind nods toward us as we continued for our destination.

Differently from the usual sight I had grown accustomed to, I was impressed by how much crowded the headquarters looked to be. Many had decided to pass by and share their own delicacies with the rest of the guests in there.

Guards were patrolling around to make sure that nobody tried to go beyond the few lines set during the occasion, but we soon found ourselves escorted right to my office.

The main group was there, with Speedwagon slightly distracted in an effort to lessen up the tap of a bottle of wine. Sarah quickly rushed to us while Bhediya was concluding a conversation with Hannah.

“Dio!” The little girl greeted before stopping in awe as she noticed the blonde beside me. “Woah, a princess!”

Erina blushed, but her smile merely intensified at that compliment. “Oh, thank you. You’re beautiful too.”

Sarah giggled, and soon we were together with the rest of the group.

I decided to turn to Hannah with a fascinated look. “You knew that it was my birthday?”

“You sound annoyed, Dio?” She rebuked with minor irritation. “Shouldn’t we be annoyed that you didn’t say anything about it?”

“I kind of forgot myself,” I confessed with a hint of nervousness. “I just didn’t keep track on it.”

“You mean that you don’t check for it when the months come by?” Bhediya inquired. “I didn’t think you would ignore that kind of event.”

“You get old by the day, not by the year,” I rebuked with a sigh. “And what’s wrong with that?”

“What is- Dio, do I need to spare you some words about the importance of partying with friends?” Robert asked rhetorically. “Birthdays, Christmas, weddings- those are all events that should be spend with those you care and love. You should never forget of any of those occasions.”

I gave Robert a quick nod, feeling rather unwilling to burst his bubble without reason.

Beer, champagne, and wine was served around the office. I knew that these beverages were also being dispensed around the rest of the building, but from what Hannah was mentioning while sipping at her wine, there had been rules to limit how much a person could drink.

There was no reason to create chaos because someone ‘went too far with it’.

I got just half-glass of wine out of this situation, while Jonathan, Erina, Sarah, and Bhediya kept with water.

Both the werewolf and the Joestar were slightly irked by this, but I wasn’t exactly eager to test again the bitter warmth that the drink was known for.

I wasn’t well-versed with Alcohol, but I wasn’t a lightweight. Hannah seemed to hope I had been from the way she was staring at me as I downed the half-glass.

The young woman huffed and seemed a little bit annoyed by her ‘foiled plan’, but she soon recovered from her defeat with a proper hug from my part.

It was a nice party, and I could tell that she had to do a lot to get all of this working without me noticing.

Quite impressing and also commendable. She did enjoy my compliments a fair lot about it.

And with that glass of wine, I reached a turning point of my presence in this bizarre universe.

The world enjoyed a tranquil day.

One where I, Dio, kept myself busy with those I considered my closest friends.