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Pleased that he had gained an ally (though he still attributed Hachi as such), Cameron walked ahead of Edmond out of the café, and looked up at the sky. The sun had completely set, but the dusk was still bright with color. He wondered if vampires like Edmond appreciated the beauty of the world when they themselves must hide from it. Though, he supposed that the forests and rivers were still the same at nighttime, just without their usual glimmer. Speaking of which, what if vampires were walking in the daytime but had something to cover them? What if there was a Stand that was just a big umbrel-

His thoughts were cut off by the sight and sound of Hachi starting to pick up in front of him, jogging down the street with Joel nowhere is sight.

"He's gone! Fucking disappeared!"

These words rang in Cameron's ears as he picked up the pace as well, his black shoes clacking against the ground as he attempted to pick up enough speed to catch up to Hachi and the pursued. Sure, Joel might've just run away, but the way she worded it... 'Disappeared'? The wind blew cold as the shadows took the skyline by surprise, stars peaking from beneath the gloomy lake of the night sky. Cameron had no idea what was going on, but he was getting flashbacks left and right of the encounter from last night. It had to be a Stand user, no doubt. If he disappeared, where could he have gone? If Stands vary in ability greatly, what could have happened to him?

Thinking as quick as he could, Cameron knew he couldn't stop running now, but Edmond could. Turning as he was about to turn a corner, he shouted to Edmond.

"Don't follow us yet! Feel around in the air, he might be invisible!"

Still on his toes, he contemplated al the options. Teleportation? Invisibility? A Pocket Dimension? Now that a whole new world had been opened up to the boy, so had his thoughts.


 
As he exited the café, Edmond was very suddenly and loudly greeted with the news that Joel had vanished. He overclocked his senses, and heard someone running away. Apparently Cameron and Hachi did too, and they went to chase after them. Before he could join the chase, Cameron told him to check and see if Joel was invisible. He did exactly that. He overclocked all of his senses and tried to figure out if Joel was there. If he was there, the enemy stand user did a great job of hiding him. He couldn't see any abnormalities in the air such as wind blowing over nothing, he couldn't smell or taste Joel's salary-man scent no matter how creepy that sounded, he couldn't hear him, and he couldn't feel him moving. He calmed his senses down when he realized Joel wasn't there. Since he finished doing that, it was time to join the race after whoever the hell started running away. 'I owe Joel, so this is just to repay him. I'm allied with Cameron too, and he's going after the guy so I shall too.' He thought.

He stretched a little bit, and then started sprinting. Now, if he were a human, he'd have little chance of catching up to Hachi and Cameron in this situation. Fortunately for him, however, he was a vampire. He had rather quickly caught up to Cameron, and without his consent, picked him up in an over-the-shoulder carry instead of a more efficient and secure method. He rather quickly got to Hachi as well, and picked her up on his other shoulder. "Hold onto me, mortals. I'm faster than both of you combined!" He said to them, still going just as fast as before. It'd hardly take any time before they closed in on their adversary.
 
Rapidly moving down the alleyway, the footfalls of someone escaping became closer and closer to the ears. However, their target had already become aware of their pursuit, and oddly had begun matching Edmond's undead fueled pace. It was a dead sprint down the night time alleys, with Joel's life possibly on the line. Every second felt like a minute, and you felt the hairs on the back of your neck raise in anticipation. Suddenly, the concrete underneath Edmond's feet gave way, crumbling under his weight. It would have been effective had he been human, but with his raised stamina and body function he could easily clear the cracks in the walkway. Past the unusual pitfall trap was their mark, a shadowy figure wearing a baggy, dark blue hoodie and track pants, with long locks of black hair falling out of the hood behind them.

Running top speed in the opposite direction of their pursuers, something shadowy and large was draped over their shoulder, flapping about loosely like a tarp in the wind. Upon closer examination it turned out to be the limp body of Joel, knocked out cold and being kidnapped alarmingly quick. Then, the situation became a little more hectic as they stopped completely and turned to face Cameron, Hachi and Edmond. Joel had been flung about, turned to face them like a meat shield. The situation was worsening.

"Stop right there! One more step towards me and I'll kill him, swear on it!" came the voice of the figure, noticeably feminine in tone and presumably an enemy stand user. Whatever her cards were she was hiding them carefully, and instead opted to put a plain combat knife against Joel's exposed neck.
"
I just wanna talk to your friend, get a couple answers out of him... what I wanna know is who's gunning for my boys, and why." She spoke with a deranged clamor, and behind Joel's hanging head one could make out a few features of her face. A wide grin, ear to ear as a matter of fact. Wide eyes, green in color and practically twitching.

Not as twitchy as her left hand, shaking profusely on the handle of the blade and dripping with cold sweat.

"
Now, this goes one of two ways kiddos. One, your friend here gets a nasty cut to his carotid artery, you know which one I'm talking about? It's real important." Her grin widened, something that shouldn't have even been possible with her maniacal expression.
"Two, I walk out of here with your friend and you don't touch me. I'd hate for things to get dirty, and I just got this new hoodie too. Be a shame if it turned red tonight. Blood's real hard to wash out, y'know? Y'know?" She giggled, gliding the edge of the knife across Joel's neck. It didn't cut deep, but a thin stream of glistening red blood began dripping down his shirt.


"So what's it gonna be?"
 
"Fuckin' hell!"

Hachi spasmed in shock as a firm arm wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground, still moving at a furious pace. It took her only a moment to realize that it was Edmond who had picked her up, along with Cameron. She began to push against him in protest, but realized that perhaps this wasn't such a bad thing. The vampire was moving much faster than she had been moments before, even though it seemed like the fugitive was matching this ungodly pace.

The ground suddenly rumbled and cracked, and although Edmond could probably have cleared it with ease, Hachi took advantage of the situation to fling herself from the vampire and roll to the ground. The momentum sent her head-over-heels, so it took a moment before she could get a foot under herself and look up. The fugitive had stopped, making a menacing silhouette against buildings that still cast the faint glow of sunset. Hachi recognized Joel's unconscious form, but something told her not to rush into things. This observation was correct; the hostile, evidently female, threatened to kill her hostage if any one of them made a wrong move.

Hachi froze, one knee still on the ground. The lady looked twitchy, and a manic smile was plastered across her face. She had a knife pressed against Joel's throat, drawing a thin line of blood. This bitch really means it...

"So what's it gonna be?"

Looking back at the other two, Hachi tried to ascertain what they were thinking. There was no way they were going to just let this lady take Joel, right? They had to do something. Tread Lightly's range was about three meters, but she was at least five meters away. What they really needed to do was knock the knife out of her hands, but to Hachi's knowledge, Tread Lightly didn't have any kind of missile or long-range attack.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, bitch,"
swore Hachi, who slowly rose to her feet, showing her empty hands to the woman so that she didn't think she was trying to make a move. "I'm sure this is just a big misunderstanding. We can figure this out."

Hachi looked back at Cameron and Edmond with a piercing gaze. "Right?"

 
Edmond sprinted after the woman with Hachi and Cameron in his clutches, and was pretty shocked when the ground caved under him. However, he was fast enough to ignore it completely. That didn't stop his two passengers from hopping off of him, however. He stopped when the woman turned around and put a knife to Joel's throat.

"Hmhmhmhmhm... Hahahahaha... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Edmond laughed, barely stifling it until the woman holding Joel was done speaking. He stopped abruptly when Hachi began talking, as if his entire mood had changed. "She is right. This is all a big misunderstanding." He said. "You forget that, although there's an infinite amount of ways for this to go, they shall all end horribly for you. For dragging an innocent man into this, you shall lose one of your limbs. For cutting him, you'll lose the rest!" He paused for a second, and closed his eyes. 'She's some big shot Black Snake! She's responsible for killing my parents! She ruined my life! I'll pay her back tenfold!' He thought, channeling all of the malice, animosity, hatred, and other negative emotions that meant "I'm going to kill you." he felt, into one horrid glare. He opened his eyes, and it seemed as if a fog had descended upon the battlefield.

"And if you harm him further, I'll use your skull as a bowl for ramen that I'll boil in the blood of your Black Snake underlings." He said. "I'm the one chasing you mongrels down, and I'll be the one who kills you!" He he began shouting now. "You worthless scum have taken my parents away, so I'll take your lives!" Unbeknownst to anyone, he had been revving up his "Takyon", his name for the pressurized liquid eye lasers, since when he was laughing. Hachi and Cameron weren't paying attention, and their target was too far away. He aimed them, his right eye aimed at the woman's hand holding the knife alongside everything that Takyon ripped through behind it. His left eye assumed what could only be called a defensive position with this attack, and he aimed it between Joel and the woman's knife so that if she somehow reacted fast enough, she'd obliterate her knife on the pressurized jet of vampiric essence instead of stabbing Joel. He made sure NOT to kill Joel himself by accident, however. He unleashed a fully charged blast of Takyon, strong enough to blow through the woman and the concrete behind her.
 
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Pushing himself off Edmond alongside Hachi as he almost tripped, Cameron did a very clumsy front body-roll, catching himself on his knees, and standing up steadily as their assailant stopped to face the ragged trio. Explaining her plan and revealing a portion of her identity, the blade against Joel's face felt completely uncalled for, especially because he seemed to be the one that wanted the most normal life out of all of them. As the monologuing completed, Hachi attempted to trick the girl, similar to how he himself had (failed to) done so the night before. She would most likely see through her ruse, and Cameron wasn't confident that her Stand could reach Joel in time without jeopardizing their lives.

Then, an opportunity presented itself. Edmond began giving his usual fluent and extravagant speech about himself and the futility of the opponents actions, but Cameron knew what this really was. Edmond was quick witted, not full of himself (maybe). Some kind of attack was being built up, but it couldn't be speed or freezing, since those would take too long to get to the woman. Readying himself, Cameron lightly placed a finger on the back of Edmond's wrist, as lasers shot from his eyes at the woman in two different directions. If Edmond really didn't have a Stand, then A. Cameron never wanted to get on his bad side, and B. That meant the lasers were biological, allowing him to copy the impact once it reached the target, counting as two actions because of the two different streams of light.


 
Foggy... quiet... god, where am I? Something's happening, my head hurts... m-my neck! OW!

Suddenly, Joel's thoughts turned from formless shapes to sharp points as a slicing pain sounded off in his throat. No matter how hurt he might have been, that was enough to slice some sense into him. Blinking a couple of times, the situation around him seemed to be getting ridiculously heated. He had a knife to his throat, some bitch barking orders at the others in his ear. Weakly, he tried resisting but the grip of the woman was sure and he didn't want her knife anywhere near him. His brain was still too scrambled, there was so much information at once, so much to process in a single moment.

And then, like something out of a manga series in Shonen Jump, beams of unidentified liquid shot out of Edmond's eyes. Right at him. Did he intend to vaporize them both? No, they were precise, he could feel their force but there was nothing hitting him, just his captor. It was damn near instant, and Joel felt the knife fall away from his throat.

But the woman was still standing, unscathed and seething, behind Joel.

"Nirvana."

Softly, she spoke, but the word had the weight of a freight train. The biological lasers launched from Edmond's eyes were material, after all, easily manipulated by a quick eye or perhaps even a precise stand. To his dismay, the beams seemed to bend around the girl, harmlessly flying off in haphazard fashion.


"You little shits." she said, right eye and left hand twitching like a mad serial killer. "I SAID YOU HAD TWO OPTIONS DAMN IT! YOU TRY PULLING THIS SHIT, IT ONLY MAKES ME ANGRIER! DON'T PRESUME I'M SOME HELPLESS STREET THUG, YOU PISS-ANTS! I SAID I'D KILL HIM, SO I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!"

She was not lying. Before anyone could get any closer, she rammed the knife as hard as she could into Joel's neck, killing him instantly. Or so she thought.
"D-damn... bad time to take a nap, I guess.... F... F-Filter."
The lady found her knife stuck in a glob of sticky, tarry goop. Filter's adhesive was quite dense after all, nearly the consistency of a frozen marmalade. If she had been half a second faster, it still would have impacted against Joel regardless, but he had been incredibly lucky and just managed to separate the glob from Filter's body.
"Wh-What the shit is this? Just how many of you are stand use-"
Her words were cut off by a heavy right hand from Filter's actual form, a good strike seeing as how she was stunned for the moment.
"You said you'd fucking kill me, that's what you said? WELL THEN DO IT! I'M RIGHT HERE YOU BITCH!"
"
I-I... I'LL FUCKING GUT YOU! NIRVANA!"

There was no doubt about it now, the lady was a stand user. Her stand, presumably named Nirvana, came rocketing out of her like a caged animal. Something so fierce was unexpected in a package so small, but she was absolutely fuming. That was two, no, three people who had called her a bitch. Nobody called her a bitch and lived.

The speed caught Joel off guard, as the lightweight stand had a truly incredible speed in hand to hand combat. Something broke, he could feel it, the girl's stand had landed two clean blows to his chest. He was hurting badly, and his neck hadn't stopped bleeding. He wouldn't last much longer. Thankfully, her blow had sent him flying. As a matter of fact, he flew ridiculously fast directly at Edmond, almost as if he had been sent at him through a cannon or even a chambered rifle. It was insane. At that speed, the impact would likely kill Joel if Edmond wasn't careful. As he came flying towards him, a heavy gust of wind could be felt as the woman withdrew her stand.

She was retreating, and fast too. Seems she got more than she bargained for. As she ran in the opposite direction, her stand manifested again. It seemed to be charging.
 
Edmond saw something rather peculiar. His Takyon had actually been bent around the woman. He was rather shocked by this, and thought he had messed up big time. Was she about to kill Joel? She would've if he hadn't woken up and began defending himself. He couldn't really see what was happening besides a few really large movements in the air towards Joel. Was he being attacked by a stand? He didn't have time to sit around and wonder about it because the attack apparently caused Joel to come flying at him at alarming speeds. He had to think fast. 'Think! What could I do to stop this?' For some reason, his thoughts jolted towards a certain superhero he had seen in comics back in America. This gave him an idea. He moved between two streetlamps nearby, and his arms split in two at the base of his forearms. Instead of flopping onto the ground, they quickly rocketed to the streetlamps. They were still attached to him by blood vessels of all things. He quickly vaporized the moisture in his arms, creating an icy shell around the entire length of his arms and blood vessels. This was the safest way he could think of for catching Joel, as he'd act like a net, and move with Joel so his impact isn't too strong. Perhaps he could solidify the moisture in his chest at the right time to create a little cush- Joel crashed into Edmond, and he slid back while still on his feet. The blood vessels seemed to get longer as more of them were willingly pulled out of Edmond so that they wouldn't snap. When Joel had stopped, he shattered the ice around his hands and pulled them back in. "Are you OK, Joel?" He asked. After making sure he was OK, Edmond's glaring eyes went back to the woman, who was now running away. He quickly glanced to Cameron and Hachi and their eyes were elsewhere, so he assumed that her stand was doing something. "Any plans, you two?" He said. "I can't see that thing." He'd go after the woman, but he assumed her stand wouldn't like that plan.
 
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Hachi had been hoping for a relatively quick solution to present itself, perhaps an option to trick the lady into revealing her Stand's ability. But it seemed as though that would have to take more coaxing; the lady instead grew angrier the more they talked, and it finally climaxed to a moment where it looked like her captive's vitals would be punctured clean through.

"JOEL!"

Hachi's scream echoed down the street but was left unanswered. She might have screamed again, but the words caught in her throat as shock rippled through her frame. Joel had managed to stop the blade with his own, inky-black Stand. The knife was caught in a glue-like substance, which then slapped against the lady's face to send her reeling back. Hachi stumbled forward, trying to think of what exactly she could do, but almost fell backward as Joel suddenly rocketed back toward Edmond as if he had been shot from a cannon.

Wide-eyed, Hachi stared as Edmond seemed to detach his arms and envelop himself in an icy shell, which was strong but supple enough to catch Joel's speeding body. The two of them skidded backward, but from what Hachi could tell, Joel was still mostly ok.

The familiar sound of retreating footfalls brought Hachi's attention back to the lady. She was running away again, although this time Hachi could see the form of a Stand behind her. There was something strange about it; she could tell it was bad news. But there was no way she was going to let her get away again.

The tactic Hachi had in mind was one she had contemplated for a week or so, although she had never actually tested it out. She hoped that the trust she placed in her Stand's precision would pay off. Reflecting on the move, Hachi decided that perhaps Tread Lightly really did have a sort of missile attack, although the range would only be a few meters at best. Hopefully, Nirvana was still in that range.

Hachi began running again, although this time her stand manifested beside her, its hoofed feet matching pace with hers.

"TREAD LIGHTLY! I can't stand quitters!"

The Stand bounded forward and leapt into the air. As it reached the arc of its jump, its body straightened and shot down to the ground like a dart, shattering the pavement and sending chunks of asphalt flying into the air. Hachi had no idea what the enemy Stand, Nirvana, was capable of, but there was one way she could slow it down. At least, she hoped. With a movement that seemed premeditated, Tread Lightly jumped again, spinning and flashing out a foot to strike a large chunk of pavement. Orange sparks flashed out from the impact, which sent the rock hurtling toward Nirvana at an impossible speed. If Tread Lightly's angle was right -- and Hachi knew that precision was perhaps its greatest strength -- the sharpened missile would strike the Stand. Even if Nirvana were to bat it away, the impact would still carry out the same effect, which would be to slice cleanly through.

 
Things were getting worse, and all Cameron really had up his sleeve was the body-on-body impact that had occured when Edmond had caught Joel in a (admittedly strange) bizarre manner, able to save the action by grabbing onto Edmond's ankle before the two men met each other in space. He had to lure Nirvana into the area of impact somehow, since both bodies pushing against each other could possibly be enough to stop, or even trap the Stand for a short while, allowing him to use his own Stand to its full potential. Damning his short-range, Cameron watched as Hachi's stand, Tread Lightly, spewed debris at the enemy from the pavement below, hoping to knock it down.

But that wasn't how they would beat it.

The girl was getting away, and she would tell anyone associated with her about the four people and their abilities, which would doom them for sure. The true path to defeat, was figuring out what Nirvana did, and how to use it against itself as to extract all energy from the Stand and the user. But how would he do that? Everyone around him was fighting in someway, and all he could do was wait...

Or... not...?

As part of the road flew across the ground, a rather sizeable chunk landed at his feet, about the size of a racquetball. Picking it up, he tossed it lightly, catching it in the same hand.

He decided then and there, that the way to figure out the Stands ability, was to make it target him. Let's go about this in a logical manner, after all. Let's say that s snake flashes from some tall grass a cat or dog in some marsh somewhere. What does the mammal do? Retaliate of course. The same goes for humans, even on a spiritual level. Channeling the power of his stand and focusing his actions into his wrist, Cameron lifted a leg into the air and pitched the piece of pavement at the girl escaping as fast as she could. This left the situation with three options:


1. Tread Lightly completely incapacitates Nirvana, but the girl gets away injured. They are doomed.

2. The rock hits her, possibly injuring her, but nonetheless gets saved by Cameron. He leaves the others to deal with her by replaying the impact of the large chunk of rad, as well as another piece of debris he picked up.

3. The one he hoped for: She notices the debris, and since she won't be able to dodge it in time, either moves Nirvana to block it or, more likely, use its ability to destroy the debris and/or go after Cameron next. If he was the one in jeopardy, he can get close to the Stand, and understand its ability.

As the action unfolded, time seemed to slow down as the rock flew through the air towards the space ahead of the girl, where she would eventually run into.

 
His bold play had paid off. He had pissed her off enough to get away from her in his weakened state, but ultimately it backfired as he shot at breakneck speed towards Edmond. He thought for sure that he'd be killed, but Edmond managed to create an icy web of his own body to catch him. Joel was a little chilly, but fine physically aside from the few minor injuries sustained from his unconsciousness.
"Holy shit, did that actually just work? And were you ACTUALLY concerned? This just keeps getting weirder... SHIT, SHE'S GETTING AWAY! GO GO GO"
Before the words could have even escaped his mouth, the other two sprang into action. Hachi's stand, which he caught by the name Tread Lightly, smashed a hole into the pavement and used the debris as a makeshift projectile. Cameron followed suit, creating his own projectile and in turn making an insightful play. This bitch would pay for screwing with him, or his friends.

Whoa. Friends? He'd only known these three for a couple days. It didn't matter, they had a common ground to stand for, a cause they found just. There was nothing else they needed. Time itself was slowing, maybe because of the adrenaline coursing through his veins, maybe because of the intensity of the situation.

Joel watched in horror as the lady's stand stretched it's arms wide, opening itself up for a direct hit from the concrete projectiles.

"Did you really think that'd hit me? Pitiful, PITIFUL!" she cried in defiance. Nirvana's form began working at nothing in particular, at least nothing they could perceive. It was motioning, moving oddly. Almost as if it were assembling something invisible. Then, Cameron's play paid off. Nirvana's ability was blown wide open, as the space the projectiles were contained in distorted and shifted. She was affecting the air itself somehow, and the projectiles arced in a similarly unpredictable fashion to Edmond's lasers.

"My Nirvana is invincible, you hear me? The Black Snake aren't some low life gangsters looking for camaraderie and riches, WE ARE THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF THIS CITY. Ain't no stinking, rotten, good for nothing brats gonna change that, YOU HEAR ME?! WE OWN THIS TOWN, KIDDOS."
She was charging up her stand again. It seemed there was a brief cool-down in which she could use her Nirvana's ability. However, it seemed to be charging much quicker.
"Hey, you. I've never seen a stand ability like that, so I'm wagering you're the kid of those foreigners we took care of not too long ago. I'll be sure to correct the mistake of leaving you alive, because I'm sure the guilt is just eating. You. Alive. Isn't it? You'd be better off dead wouldn't you? Don't worry, I'll make your dreams come true."


Before anyone else could get a word in edgewise, her stand activated, distorting the air around herself. In the blink of an eye, she vanished. The sounds of the city masked her escape, as even Edmond's prying ears would be unable to track her swift escape.
 
Edmond was a little shocked, not only about Joel being shocked that he was concerned, but also about the fact he was concerned. Hachi and Cameron had tried using projectiles, and he decided to wait. Like his Takyon before, the rocks were bent away from her. He boiled with rage as she spoke down to them from her high horse. She made eye contact with him, and he held her gaze. He started addressing him personally, and spoke of his parents murder. His eyes widened, his brows furrowed, his teeth clenched, and nearly every muscle in his body flexed.

"You'd be better off dead, wouldn't you?"

That was the last straw. He flourished the knife he had on his person, and flung it at her. It was barely deflected in time by her vanishing act, and he was left with his three allies and this empty alleyway. The city was too loud. He couldn't chase her. He was seething with rage. He had assumed correctly, as always, that she had some hand in killing his mother and father. Hearing her gloat about it as if she deserved an award.

"You want a trophy for killing my parents?!" He shouted into the city, hoping she'd hear. "Your trophy shall be the garbage bag they sweep your pieces into when I find you next!! I'll behead all of you black snakes even if it costs me my life!!" Even after that shouting, he was still furious. He wanted to start destroying things- He could easily break a street lamp and start swinging it around. He needed to do something physically intensive to get at least some of this off of his mind. It was incredibly difficult to find an activity that would tire a vampire. He thought hard about it, and came to a conclusion. He hopped away from his three "friends" and spread himself out into a star shape while still standing. He then began to rapidly vaporize and solidify the moisture in his body. It was quite a spectacle. The air around him switched quickly from freezing cold to boiling hot in instants. After around 15 seconds of this, he stopped, and began catching his breath. He was still filled with rage, but he no longer felt the need to take it out on his surroundings.

"You three are now targets of the Black Snake gang... Congratulations?" He said to them, as if his prior spectacle hadn't even happened. "You mortals no longer have lives in front of you. Knowing this, will you all seek revenge? Will you all seek to join me in taking multitudes more from those who took from you? If that horrible wench isn't exaggerating, then Tokyo is infested with Black Snakes. They are everywhere, and can be anywhere. The only way to deal with a snake that's out to get you is to kill it first. If you try to return to your normal lives, the snake will bite, its venom seeping not only through you, but through your loved ones. They did not hesitate to kill my parents, as you heard from that harlot, for very little reason. My parents were never the type to take risks and meddle with the dark, so I'm thinking that we were attacked for the simple reason of being foreigners. For you, who all pose direct threats to them? They could already have someone after you as we speak. They're scum, but they're united scum. I know they shall adopt the tactic of trying to kill all of you before you can do anything- The snake will try to bite the mongoose before it bites it. What does the mongoose do? It bites first instead, fueled by its resolve. The snake fights for itself, but the mongoose fights for its nest and children- Your town and family. Truly, the mongoose is righteous when compared to the snake. So, shall you be like the mongoose, and join me on my quest to kill the snake, or shall you lay down and die like mice?" He thought for a second. "I guess a new introduction is in order, seeing as the people you once were may as well be dead. Your peaceful lives can be no more." He extended his hand to them.

"I am Edmond White of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Steel City. I will not rest until I wipe out the Black Snakes. Will you lend me your aid? As confident as I am in myself, I doubt I can do this all myself."
 
So close... It'll be a direct hit!

Hachi's projectile was closing in on the lady -- the perfect angle, too. She supposed there was really no reason not to trust Tread Lightly's accuracy. Hachi was continuing to race after the lady, but just as the sharpened rock was about to strike, she felt that something was off. Nirvana wasn't preparing to dodge or hit it away; rather, its arms were spread wide in expectation. They began to move in odd motions, as if they were pushing through water or even a thick substance. Hachi skidded to a stop, her mouth gaping in disbelief as the rock suddenly angled away from Nirvana and bounced harmlessly to the ground. The impact still had a force that sliced a gash in the pavement, but that meant nothing to Hachi.

"My Nirvana is invincible, you hear me? The Black Snake aren't some low life gangsters looking for camaraderie and riches, WE ARE THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF THIS CITY. Ain't no stinking, rotten, good for nothing brats gonna change that, YOU HEAR ME?! WE OWN THIS TOWN, KIDDOS."

It was clear that all four of them had vastly underestimated this lady's Stand. Nothing could touch her, but more importantly, she was obviously more experienced and knew all the in's and out's of her ability. Hachi clenched her fists in frustration as the lady spoke, forcing every muscle not to lunge forward and claw her eyes out. Nirvana was out of their league. In addition, Hachi had no doubt that she was telling the truth about this so-called "Black Snake." It had to be the same gang that Edmond was after, for it seemed that this lady knew about him, or at least his parents. But could the Black Snake really have gotten so firm a grip on Tokyo? This wasn't just some low-life gang. This all went much deeper than any of them had even considered.

Before any of them could say or do anything, the lady and her Stand disappeared, leaving three Stand users and one vampire in a still, dark alleyway. This time, no footsteps could be heard, and as Hachi turned to Edmond, it was clear that he had lost her as well. The rage that had been bubbling through the vampire was now unleashed through a frightening display of vampiric prowess as the air around him rippled with heat and frozen air in rapid succession.

Hachi picked up the knife Edmond had hurtled at the lady as a last-ditch effort. The vampire obviously had a lot on his mind, and it seemed like the only way he could work through it was to voice the consequences of everything that had taken place in only a few minutes. In short, they were all screwed. Their lives were over, now that the Black Snake knew their faces. It would take the gang only a short time to discover their names as well.

Spiritual exhaustion rippled through Hachi. The weight of this new reality came crashing down on her, and she sank to the ground, digging the knife into a crack in the pavement. She watched as it trembled back and forth, then eventually stood still. Edmond's resolve sparked a desire for the same in her, but hesitation held her back. She had a job, a duty that she couldn't just abandon. How was she supposed to protect her parents?

"I am Edmond White of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Steel City. I will not rest until I wipe out the Black Snakes. Will you lend me your aid? As confident as I am in myself, I doubt I can do this all myself."

Hachi put her head in her hands. She knew what she had to do, but it wasn't going to be easy. Hell, when had life ever been easy anyway? The world was always against her. Maybe she just needed to find a new way to push back. Maybe this was it.

After a few beats of silence, Hachi looked up at the vampire. "I guess you're right. The only way to protect our loved ones..." She looked over at Joel and Cameron. Although the night's shadows had covered their faces, she could sense determination in the air, and she knew she could trust them.

"... is to strike faster. I don't really have a choice at this point." She paused again, then added, "I, Hachi Mihara, won't rest until the Black Snake is crushed."

 
Finally, a machination of Cameron's had come to fruition, revealing Nirvana's true ability: Air Manipulation. And while she had gotten away, they were aware of what she was capable of (unless she had some other secret ability, but Cameron decided to forgoes any of that kind of thinking). But what she had said... 'Black Snake'? That seemed to be the group that was living, if not entirely made of, the shadows that haunted modern-day Tokyo. The tattoo the man had, the one who Edmond had ripped the arm off of yesterday, resembled as much, and the connection was clear. But had the woman seen his schools logo on his blazer? Had they heard their names called from their own mouths? Did that man see where Cameron and Hachi had emerged from after the fight in the alley?

Of course they had. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have the power they did today, especially with Stand abilities, which were still mostly a mystery to the four of them. Cameron hadn't even revealed what his Stand looked like, much less what it did, since all he had done in the fight is throw a rock at someone (with precision he hadn't realized he had). HIs ability wasn't effective because his traps weren't useful, and he wouldn't land a hit on the User or Stand to reactivate later. He would have to find some way to fix these issues in the future, but in the mean time...

Edmond's speech. Though the theatrics were a bit much, it was clear what he was getting at. Cameron's questions from earlier were almost positively a yes all around, meaning that his family and business would be in jeopardy soon enough, including that of his partners' as well. They really only had one choice if they didn't want to get caught in the maw of the Black Snake, and that was to act first. Speaking of the Black Snake, the fact that they most likely had powerful stands higher-up couldn't be coincidental...

"It's the only way, I suppose. And if we're all doing this, then I, Cameron C. Codak of Tokyo, the Electric City, vow to defeat Black Snake before they crush us."

Pausing as if finished, Cameron piped up once more.

"I do want to inquire, though. Nirvana was a Stand, yes? Well, that woman seemed to imply that many others in the organization also had Stands, and for a while now. So why don't normal people use them on a daily basis, if their that common? It's as if there's some kind of mechanism that is granting Stands to people, or even making them stronger from within Black Snake itself."


 
Joel barely managed to throw a weak and mostly useless chunk of rock at the woman before she disappeared. As she used her ability to vanish, he noticed something peculiar. His makeshift projectile, barely able to scratch a normal human, seemed to have vanished with her. What kind of stand ability was that? It was too much for tonight. Making his way to his feet, Joel felt degraded. He had always naively considered himself the hero, the invincible and incorrigible paladin that his city needed. This was the town that his Pops had died in, peacefully and without regret, and Joel would make damn sure that it stayed that way. But he had been japed, taken by surprise and nearly kidnapped by a deranged Stand User, if it hadn't been for the other three saving his life. What good was a captive hero? Less than none.

"You know, I always thought that I'd be the one doing the saving. I guess nobody can be a hero alone." he said blankly, not really thinking. He was unsure of how to get his emotions wrenched out of him, because he sure as hell didn't want to try Edmond's stress-relieving ritual. As he finished the odd spectacle of rapidly heating and cooling his body, he offered a hand to the group. Around Joel, people pitched in their two cents and then some, bringing everything into perspective. These gangsters, these low life scum making a living on the suffering of others, were plaguing his father's home city. His home city. Now they wanted to get rid of anyone who would stop them? No dice, no way would he let them walk all over the people of Tokyo. Too long now had he been scared to walk home after work, too afraid of an encounter with an unsavory type to walk at all. Being a stand user, he could only imagine what a regular person would have to go through. That changed now.

"My name... my name is Joel Ono, another face in the masses living in this city. These black snakes are threatening not only my life, but everyone else around me. This is only the beginning of their tyranny, and someone has to put a stop to it, or else it will never end. People will live in Tokyo under a dense cloud of fear."
He looked straight at each of the people gathered in this alleyway. A motley crew. A gang of misfits, united under a common cause. What better team to have?

"I was given this power for a reason, and I think I may have just found it. I won't sleep at night until the Black Snake is nothing more than a bad dream."

That was it, this is the spark they needed to burn the Black Snake to the ground. But their inferno would take some time to build.

"Some mechanism granting Stands to people? That's an... unsettling thought. If the black snake are capable of creating Stand Users, then we're in for a long ride. I won't back out, mostly because Edmond's crashing at my place but also because I'm not afraid of them anymore. No one should be. Especially not us Stand Users."

Joel yawned loudly, signalling to the others that night had set in quite heavily. The stars glittered far up in the sky, a clear night sky, bathing the city in the luminescent glow of the Moon. It was quite late, and Joel seemed to want to ditch this place as soon as possible.
"Do you think that we can stay where we normally do? No... we can't risk getting tailed and having loved ones caught up in this. There has to be somewhere we can stay, some place low profile with enough space for the four of us to stay in and plan ahead. We need a base of operations."
 
Edmond was kind of confused that Cameron and Hachi had copied his reintroduction. Sure, it was nice to know Hachi's name now, but they didn't have to mimic him. He was incredibly glad that they all agreed to join him in the extermination quest. Wait... Cameron C. Codak? Is his middle name also a camera pun? There were more pressing matters, so he'd ask at another time. "Well, I think they don't use it because regular people would be scared, you know? I'm a vampire, I'm used to this extraordinary stuff by now despite only a week of exposure. If I wasn't I'd probably be terrified for my life. You three could sneak attack me at any moment if I'm not waiting for it, so I could see why a normal person would be scared." He said. "It might be an instinct of stand users, actually. Do you all feel the need to not show your stand unless you need to? Whatever causes stands to appear might also activate an instinct in your brain. I know I adopted some vampire instincts when I was changed, like the instinct of avoiding the sun." He wondered aloud. He somewhat wished he had a stand himself, just so he could learn more about them. He pondered Joel's question. Hachi and Cameron probably did have some family they needed to protect, and going home would not work too well for that. At least not right now. They'd need to do it at some time where they wouldn't get spotted. But, he was with humans, and they weren't nocturnal. They needed sleep and a place to do it, as Joel pointed out. Hmm... An abandoned place would work well for that, and thankfully Edmond knew of one. "I have a place where we could hole up, actually. Follow me, everyone." He said, as he started walking off.

He led them to the abandoned building, and when he got to the door, he did something strange. He snapped his right pinky finger off of his hand, and a blood vessel extended out of it. He fed it into the keyhole, and pushed it against the lock mechanism, then turned it.. He pulled the door open, and then reattached his pinky to his hand. It mended itself back onto his finger, as if it was never taken off. "Welcome." He said, extending a hand out to the entrance. He grabbed a candle at the doorway, and then lit it was a match from the matchbox next to it. In the candle's light, the house looked as if it were a nice building when it was still in use, but that was some time ago. The decor was dusty, there were quite a few cobwebs, the paint was chipping. It was obvious that the building hadn't been used in a long time. "I hope none of you have any health issues, because this place might kill you before the snakes do." He joked, putting his jacket on a coat hanger after brushing it off. "Thankfully, there's actually six places to sleep comfortably in this house. A miracle, huh? We could all sleep comfortably and still have two spots empty. So that means you guys can actually pick. There's a couch and a recliner in the living room, in case anybody can't sleep without someone else nearby. I had a friend who was like that as a kid, and we had a lot of sleepovers. I wonder how she's doing now? That's besides the point. There's three bedrooms. Seems a little excessive, right?" He said, realizing he forgot the sixth spot. "Oh yeah, this house has two stories, and there's a little closet under the stairs up. It's been furnished for someone to sleep in. Old owner probably knew someone close with claustrophilia, or really, really loved their pet." He stretched a little bit. He was actually somewhat tired himself, despite being a vampire. The intensive activity he had done today, without acquiring any new blood since last night? He needed a rest or a meal. He'd probably sneak into a butcher's shop later to get said meal. He could drink animal blood as a replacement for human blood, although he would become weakened if he did so for a long amount of time. "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable. I'll stay here for the night to protect you three while you sleep. However, I need to go get a drink beforehand. I'll go to a butcher, don't get all pissy about murder or whatever." He said, specifically looking at Joel with the last comment. He left the candle in the living room and his jacket on the coat hanger before leaving, and went back out into the night.

Without much event, he went into a butcher's shop and emptied of discarded blood. He then quickly returned to the house, avoiding any places he thought the snakes would be looking. He went back into the house. Something then occurred to him. Although the house had the candles for light, it had no electricity or running water, and only canned food. He had his Tonkatsu from the café that he didn't finish, but besides that everything was probably either expired or needed to be cooked. However, he had a solution. He went into the kitchen and got a pot, cleaned it off the best he could, and then got to work creating water. First, he put his arm into it and vaporized the moisture inside it, freezing the air around it. He broke the ice and put it in the pot. He waited for the ice to melt, submerged his other arm in the pot, and solidified the moisture in that arm. The heat from this made the water hot and got it to boil briefly. This was the cleanest water they could get right now, sadly, but it most likely wouldn't kill them. "We can go shopping tomorrow for food and water, and I have a decent amount of money, so I'll look for something we can reliably cook with. This place isn't fit for human residence, I know, but it's safe from the snakes." He said, before he sat in the recliner, and grabbed an old book. He could mostly understand it, but some parts were part of the Japanese he didn't know. Books and such things didn't teach him slang.
 
Well, they all knew each other's names now. That was nice. It was another hilariously awkward situation, but then again, they were just a bunch of kids, after all. Hachi guessed she was the oldest, although Joel was hard to place. She didn't feel a need to step up and take charge, for that had never been her forte, so she was glad when Edmond suggested a good place for them to lay low.

But that was the problem; Hachi didn't want to go and leave her parents. They would be worried sick, for Hachi had always been as punctual as she could. Her relationship with her parents was one founded on respect, no matter their situation in life, so to just straight up disappear left her with a sense of unease. She wouldn't feel right until she could guarantee her parents' safety, but right now, the best thing she could do was not contact them and leave them in the dark. She had no idea how far the Black Snake was willing to go to track her and the others down.

As Edmond led them to the abandoned building he had staked out, Hachi realized she had said nothing in response to Cameron's question about Stand origins. In her case, she knew almost exactly what had happened to cause Tread Lightly's appearance, although she still had no idea why. The man, the sharp blade's point... Every time she recalled the memory, she could just barely see a glimmer of gold light, which had probably come from the blade that had pierced her skin. There was no doubt that the blade had been the trigger.

Still wondering if she ought to bring this detail up, Hachi looked up to find that the small party had arrived at Edmond's hideout. In the nighttime ambiance, it emitted a creepy sort of atmosphere. A chill ran down her spine -- caused by the building itself, or by Edmond's gruesome method of unlocking the door? She wasn't sure. Once inside, Hachi coughed after inhaling what had probably been a cobweb, and it took her eyes a few moments to adjust, even with Edmond's candle.

"Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable. I'll stay here for the night to protect you three while you sleep. However, I need to go get a drink beforehand. I'll go to a butcher, don't get all pissy about murder or whatever."


Edmond slipped out the door, leaving the three Stand users inside the building as a lonely sort of silence descended upon them. Hachi had no desire to trek up the rickety-looking stairs, so she simply plopped down in the middle of a dusty, rat-eaten carpet and leaned against the couch. She realized she could have actually sat on the couch, but after everything that had happened, she realized how mentally drained she actually was.

"Cameron... About what you said earlier, a mechanism granting Stands... How did you get yours? I mean, assuming you have one, after all..." Hachi looked up at the boy, then trailed her eyes over to the flickering candle. "And Joel, didn't you mention that you've always had yours? Filter, right? Because that's not what happened to us. At least me."

Hachi trailed off, her quiet voice betraying that her thoughts were elsewhere, halfway across the city in her apartment. Her father had probably gotten home an hour or so ago, and was probably now sitting down to tea with her mother.

No... Stay in the present. Don't need to worry about them now.

"There was a man at the gas station. He pierced me with something, just a few weeks ago. Haven't seen him since. But that's when this all started."


 
As the door shut behind Edmond as he headed out, Cameron tuned in to what Hachi had been asking him. Running through the events of the night, with the Café conversation and attack by Nirvana, he'd thought that Edmond using his own blood vessels to unlock a door was one of the least interesting things, and hadn't shocked him as much as he knew it should've. But his parents... He knew that Black Snake would most likely start trying to find them, but he needed supplies, an excuse so his parents wouldn't worry about him being gone for long. And the other reason, the other thing he needed to obtain...

"Pierced you something, huh? Would it happen to be arrow-shaped and golden? I was able to use my ability after I found a broken, dirty arrow of surprisingly well design in the alleyway behind the Black Rainbow. After that, I thought it was too dangerous and hid it away in my room at the building. If we can assume that these arrow items give people Stand abilities when pierced, then that leaves two questions."

As Edmond walked back and sat down in a recliner, Cameron leaned back on the old yellow wallpaper of the room.

"First, that confirms my theory that Black Snake has a way to give its members Stand abilities, though the power levels may vary by person since there doesn't seem to be any mechanism. But where would the gang get such arrows? What's their origin, and what even are Stand abilities really? And Second, we may have to be on the lookout around you especially, Hachi. If someone intentionally gave you a Stand, and seeing how you are obviously somewhat trained with it, they might've thought you were either worthy of simply wielding one, or were a worthy candidate to join Black Snake. You may have dodged a bullet by simply meeting us, if the latter is the case."


 
Being on edge the whole way to Edmond's mysterious lair didn't help the throbbing pain radiating from where he presumed the woman had hit him to make him fall unconscious. It wasn't a horrible pain, more like a headache than anything, but the whole trip was a daze. Eventually they entered his abandoned building, with a very odd and shocking key. It was in a state of disrepair to put it lightly, but it would be more than serviceable for hiding from the Black Snakes. Joel winced as the ruthless gangsters came into his mind. Thought of them roughing up his dingy apartment or even getting information out of his neighbors through force streaked across his imagination, but he eventually took some solace in the fact that he wouldn't see it for a while. Thank god he put in that advance rent check.

Edmond left for a bite to eat, none too surprising since it was essentially noon for him and it would make for an impromptu lunch. That left Joel and the other two stand users, who began conversing with one another, talking of mechanisms that grant stands. Something like that couldn't exist, could it? Giving someone a stand on a whim?
"And Joel, didn't you mention that you've always had yours? Filter, right? Because that's not what happened to us. At least me."
"Yeah, since I was a kid. I like to think I never noticed it when I was really young, but there no way of telling. I can barely remember that far back. Anyway, you say that you got your stand from a wound? That's news to me. Any stand user I've met usually found theirs like Filter, ever since they were young and could activate it. But getting a stand so suddenly..." He trailed off, the long day and especially the past hour or so had taken a toll on him. He wasn't falling asleep, but he was definitely delirious.

Standing up, he walked over to the pot of boiling water and began searching around the structure for anything he could pour it into. A cup, maybe a mug, even a discarded tin can. All he needed was something to drink from. Luckily, there was a stained tea cup in one of the cupboards, amazingly still intact and present. Joel reached into his jacket pocket and produced a single, dingy teabag. It looked like it had been in there for the entire day, yet he still steeped the hot water and returned with his tea.

"One thing is for sure, we have to play it careful regardless. One wrong move and the snakes will swarm us and mow us down, but if we play our cards right we can hit them right where it hurts." He said with surprising motivation, before yawning.
"But I'm not killing any snakes like this. We make a move when we have more info, so I say we do some basic recon and figure out more about our enemy. Tomorrow."

He sipped his hot tea and settled into a nook of the house, seeking a long rest. He would need his energy for the war they were about to wage.​
 
Edmond stopped focusing on his book once Cameron started talking. "Of course they have a method of creating stand users. If they had a way of making someone like me, I feel as if handing stands out to people would be quite trivial." He said. He glared at Cameron a little bit when he spoke to Hachi about other fates she could've met with. "You're all about to go to sleep, I don't think it's a good idea to put thoughts like that into each other's heads. Regardless of its truth, it's exactly the kind of thing someone would stay up thinking about." He lectured Cameron. He listened to Joel, and then watched him get a bag of tea.

He hadn't even thought of tea, he had only boiled the water to make sure it was clean. Joel then proceeded to give them the most solid plan of action Edmond could think of. He would probably get tired of Joel surprising him if it weren't so surprising. "I agree entirely. It would be foolish to act without more information. We can pool together all we know in the morning, but for now, I believe you should all be getting to sleep. I'm sure that none of you are nocturnal." He saw Joel walk off somewhere to go to sleep, and turned to Hachi and Cameron. "So, where shall each of you be sleeping? I doubt either of you want to stay in the living room with me, so you have the rest of the house besides wherever Joel picked." He said. After the other two went to sleep, he stayed awake in the living room. The black snake might try to mount an ambush on the first night that their little "war" started, if they somehow knew where they were. He doubted it, but he wouldn't live off of this assumption. He realized he probably hadn't locked the door, and went to so. This time, however, he used the key he found in one of the dressers in the entrance. He sat back down in the recliner, and picked the book he was reading back up. It was quite the literary experience, even if there was some words he didn't understand. He finished it rather quickly, thanks to his enhanced mind, and looked out the window. Still night, so he'd probably have time for another book.

He decided on getting one with information that'd be helpful to him, and went into the master bedroom of the house to look for one. He was sure he saw a book on this subject last time he looked through this... Aha! He spotted it, and pulled it off its shelf. A book on zoology. How was this immediately useful? He was a vampire, so he wanted to try and see if he could reproduce anything that animals did. He went to the table of contents, selected a strange sounding animal, and read up on it. Hmm... Edmond saw something interesting, that he wanted to try. It'd be rather simple, since he already had the main thing he needed. He concentrated the vampiric essence in his body to move under his skin. Upon doing so, he began glowing with a purple light. He looked upon his body with delight. He found success in replicating bioluminescence! He had to stifle his celebratory laughter after remembering that three people slept in this house. With a spike of newfound confidence, he returned to the book, looking for other things he could benefit from. Some form of exoskeleton would be nice, but there were so many to choose from! He'd also like to copy some extra form of mobility. Flying was out of the question, however. He'd need hollow bones for that, and he didn't feel flight was worth the weakness that it'd cost. He'd probably leave anything that'd count as a major biological change to when he next killed a human. He'd definitely need some large amount of blood if he were to tamper with his own biological structure. He could at least make some plans, though.

A turtle shell? No, out of the question. Too restricting, heavy, and not protective enough to warrant its downsides. Some insect exoskeleton? Hmm... Yes, that might work! Although it'd be hard to make, and would need to be remade whenever it sustained injury, it had worthwhile advantages. It'd offer him a layer of protection that skin can't, it'd increase his offensive capabilities by turning every part of his body into a club, and it might even protect him somewhat from the sun. Best of all, he'd have full control over his own exoskeleton. He'd be able to customize it since he was a sentient being forming it on his own volition. Then again, he felt as if he were missing something. It might limit his already existing capabilities. He could reattach limbs and the like because he had human skin and flesh. It'd be easier to remove his forearm, but harder to put it back. He wouldn't want to sacrifice his already incredible abilities for a higher level of protection. Perhaps a pseudo-exoskeleton would work? Perhaps he could grow it only on areas where he'd only benefit from it. He doubted that places like his shin would be getting snapped in half anytime soon. It'd probably be easier to chop it off than snap it in half, since the knee would bend and joints would separate before bone snaps. Nobody would purposefully go for areas like that unless they specifically wanted nothing but to agitate him. Places like that would be the best for an exoskeleton. But, if he were doing that, maybe an insect's exoskeleton wasn't the best choice after all. He'd have to look more and- Oh lord, it was becoming morning already.

Edmond sighed, and closed the book he was reading. He got the coffee table, a stack of sheets of paper, some pencils and crayons, and an old map of Tokyo from within the house. It had a lot of stuff like this handily ready. As sad as it was, an elderly person probably died in this house. He felt bad for coming in here and using their stuff, but he reassured himself that it was necessary. He was sure they'd smile upon them from heaven, and be glad that their possessions helped others in their death. He gave a prayer for the previous tenant of this house, and got back to work. He sketched the map of Tokyo on the sheet of paper, and began to circle some spots of key interest. The house they were in, the café they met last night, the alleyway the night before, among other things. He fished out his leftover Tonkatsu from his pocket, and ate the rest while working on this map. After he added all the things he could, he sat back in his recliner and waited for his allies to wake up. The sun was beginning to come in through the windows by now. He realized that the recliner was right in the way of the sun after being stung through his shirt by morning rays. 'The house owner was definitely elderly.' He thought to himself as he moved the chair out of the sun's way. He waited for everyone to wake up and gather around, and then began speaking. "I have drawn up a map for our operations." He said. "I've circled all the key areas I know of, and have drawn up a legend on the back. The red circled areas are places we should avoid- Namely, the alleyway we all first met, and the café. The Snakes are likely going to be looking around those areas, so stay clear of them. Even in broad daylight, I doubt your safety is guaranteed. A stand user could kill someone, and only another stand user would know what happened. While splitting up would be much faster, I'm going to recommend- No, I demand that you all stick together like glue. If one of you were to be ambushed by the gang members while all alone, you would die. If the three of you were together, you'd have much better chances." He took the rest of his yen out of his pocket. The was one of the last mementos he had of his parents, sadly. He clutched his fist. Money was something they needed right now, and just keeping it for the sake of remembering his parents would get directly in the way of avenging them. He handed the money to Joel, whom he trusted the most with it. He had "known" Joel for "a day" more than the other the other two, and they trusted each other enough to sleep in the same house as the other. "Sometime during the day, I want you all to go grocery shopping. Get food, bottled water, some sort of appliance for cooking, and candles. If you feel anything else is absolutely necessary, don't be stingy. Humans may live with food and water, but they are not alive without something to keep them going, so I'll allow one extra purchase from each of you. Don't go overboard, though. You three are the ones that actually need food and water, so I trust that'll keep you all in check." He said. "Oh yeah, you three need breakfast too, so don't feel bad for getting fast food and the like. It's all that's immediately available to us right now. I understand." With that being said, Edmond motioned to the pencils, crayons, and papers he had assembled. "You're all free to use those as you see fit before leaving. Please don't waste any, though. You may talk about whatever important matters you want now. It'd be a bad idea to speak about stands and such right now, plus I'm listening now."
 
Hachi was right to have trusted her gut instinct about Cameron. He really did have more to offer about their situation. He revealed that he had an arrow in his possession, something he suspected to have granted him and her Stand abilities. As he described it, Hachi realized that the arrow fit every memory she had of the event. So there was an answer at last, but it only created more questions more infuriating than the first.

"If someone intentionally gave you a Stand, and seeing how you are obviously somewhat trained with it, they might've thought you were either worthy of simply wielding one, or were a worthy candidate to join Black Snake. You may have dodged a bullet by simply meeting us, if the latter is the case."

Hachi was silent at Cameron's ponderings. If the Black Snake had been targeting her as a possible recruit, it was probable that they already knew who she was and where she lived. Why her? But more importantly, how had the Snake been so careless as to leave this golden arrow where anyone could find it? Hachi had no idea if there was more than one of those things, but it was possible. How had Cameron been so lucky to just find it?

The scent of steeping tea leaves kept Hachi from dropping off. Joel, holding a chipped cup with the hot drink inside, spoke up next, suggesting that maybe it was best for them to think of these things after they had slept. Edmond agreed with this plan, then turned to Hachi and Cameron after Joel wandered off to an unoccupied corner.

"I doubt either of you want to stay in the living room with me, so you have the rest of the house besides wherever Joel picked."

Hachi simply nodded and heaved herself to her feet. Her first thought was to sleep as far away from the vampire as possible, but she realized that they all had free reign of this house. There was no point in completely secluding herself. It wasn't too difficult to find an empty, albeit dusty room, and piled a small carpet and a few hole-filled blankets together to create a makeshift futon on the floor. It seemed like her eyes were closed only for a moment before she felt a ray of sunlight on her face.

No running water meant a rather short morning routine. Hachi crept back into the main room, where Edmond had presumably spent most of the night. He was sitting in the corner of the room, having pulled the recliner into a particularly shadowy spot. Hachi might have questioned it, but after a moment, she realized that the man was, in fact, a vampire. The thin curtains that hung over the tall windows did little to block the light, but they were enough to block outside viewers from looking in. Hachi stood beside one of the windows and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. As the others awoke and gathered in the same place, Edmond laid out the day's plan, which consisted of errands and sticking together. Hachi wanted to protest Edmond's sudden claim to authority, but realized that the worst thing she could do was create a rift in their already-brittle bonds of trust.

Were they a team now? How long would this last? Joel had spoken last night about striking hard, and soon, but when would that chance come? Despite the exhilarating emotions from the previous nights, Hachi just wanted her life to go back to the way it was. She felt like a fugitive.

"Will do, Eddie," sighed Hachi, making a grimace as her stomach seemed to tie itself in a knot. The vampire did have priorities straight, which was to get vital supplies. Hunger tugged at her, forcing her toward the door. It was probably better to get going as soon as possible.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I think we'd better get going now. It's not like we've got anything better to do," snapped Hachi. She was aware of how bad-tempered she sounded, but she simply wasn't a fan of this whole situation. It was ridiculous, but there was nothing to do about it. She walked to the door and unlocked it, grateful that she didn't have to wait for Edmond's finger trick. She had no desire to see that any time soon.

The morning air was cool and refreshing, although Hachi still wished she could have taken a shower. She skipped down the half-crumbing steps and waited for Cameron and Joel, glad to be out of the deserted house's depressing atmosphere.

 
Sleep was something Cameron usually reveled in, but not this time. He was used to sleeping on matted floors in the most uncomfortable of homes when visiting friends, so the sleeping situation however bad wasn't worse than anything he'd encountered before. He dreamed of many things and nothing at once. He dreamed of the Black Rainbow and his parents, of a thrall of black cobras circling the store as it sank into the ground, of pork buns made of blood and fork prongs made of knives, and of an obscured infinity symbol, marking the seal of the city itself. Waking up well rested, he stretched, grabbed his blazer which he had folded as to not get it dirty, and began to fix his white shirt and his short school tie, tucking it beneath his sweater vest, and wearing his tell-tale blazer.

Then, there was Edmond. And Joel. And Hachi, who seemed to be in a nastier mood than usual (though he had really only known her for 48 hours, so he supposed he had no right to judge). And then, the plan. Scrawled on a map and said in Edmond's words, errands around the city would be dangerous, but necessary. Yet, as the small adjournment came to a close, he still couldn't get his parents out of his head. He hadn't returned from the diner, and though he knew they would assume he had stayed the night somewhere else, they would certainly be worried. He had to go back and tell them that he was alright somehow, and excuse his disappearance for several days. But there was another reason...

Stepping into the fresh morning air of Sunday, Cameron waited for the door to be closed and the three to get a few feet away from anywhere Edmond could hear from, before speaking.

"Listen, I know we have to run errands and be on our guard, but I'd like to make a request: We have to go back to the Black Rainbow. That arrow that I was talking about last night, the one that I shouldn't have which grants magical abilities to people? It's in my room, and we should probably retrieve it before whoever lost it in the gang puts two and two together. I know this isn't of any concern to you two, but I also have to assure my parents. I'm still a student, and if I don't show up, I'll be reported missing. That would not only embarrass by parents, but my school, too. If you both agree, then we can formulate a plan of some sort to try and make it there in one piece, then get groceries, but I'll leave the decision up to you."


 
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Squad141 Squad141 Dolches Dolches Resting Witch Face Resting Witch Face boo. boo.

Hannelore Yonke
It is at midnight. Hannelore is walking home after she went for some jogging since she hasn't exercised for a while after she moved to Japan away from her home country. Also, it is meant as an excuse to step away from her unhealthy lifestyle despite being in perfect shape.

It is cold and quiet. There are no traffic lights visible, just pure darkness but not to cause her to go blind. She may be the only one walking alone with no other than herself. Suddenly, she heard a door creaking from afar. She noticed what appears to be a vampire trying to break in a building. She can recognize the ability that most vampires possessed. His strings of the flesh are being used as a lockpick.

She is confused as she hasn't seen this odd trick before. She took a moment to analyze the vampire before he vanishes without a trace. It is unlikely that she will see this particular person again. However, she decided to return to the same building as she saw before. She went home for the night as her sleepiness is getting the best of her.

The following morning, she went to the same building from last night. This time she took a moment to navigate the building but instead not entering it. She is in for some detective work. Sort of.
 
Slowly, Joel felt his weary eye creak open like rusty hinged shutters. The night before had been brutal, with barely a wink of sleep, but he managed to get enough to keep going. After all, he had a cup of his favorite tea to go along with it. Leaning up from his sleeping position, his body ached and cracked. He had slept awkwardly, and his neck in particular was giving him trouble. A quick twist of his chin and a loud crunch of his spine relieved him of it, and he set for the main room of the house. He hadn't changed, or even taken his clothes off to sleep.

Edmond handed him a wad of cash and a map, naming off key locations and vital supplies that they would need for the coming days or even weeks in the house.
"You got it, just don't expect a three course meal every night. Thanks for the thought, by the way, but I think it'd be better spent on necessities. We'll get it done none the less."
He followed the others out the door and onto the morning street. Joel felt exposed, but it was something he would have to deal with. Cameron proposed a stop at his locale to retrieve his magic stand arrow, and Joel simply nodded in acceptance. Partly because he didn't want anyone else getting it, possibly roughing up Cameron's parent's store in the process, partly because he simply wanted to see if it really granted stand power. Joel knew it'd hurt, the victim could possibly die, but his morbid curiosity outweighed that possibility somehow. He had to make sure that Cameron wasn't bluffing, at least.

Although, the feeling of eyes on his back didn't quite give him much confidence. Everywhere he went in this city it felt like someone was watching him from afar, especially with the current circumstances but even before this gang revolution they were starting he always felt uncomfortable out in the streets of Tokyo. Maybe someone was following them, maybe it was just him being paranoid and delusional. Sleep deprivation could possibly be altering...

Joel blinked. He had lost track of where they were going, rambling off ideas in the back of his mind while idly following the others.

"H-hey, before I forget, you guys should probably get a cut of this cash. We won't be splitting up, but it just feels fair that you each have control over what he gave to you."
As soon as the words exited his mouth, he stuck out each of his hands, a sizable portion of the money held in each palm loosely.
"Should be enough to cover one extra purchase, I know what I'm doing with mine." Joel said, grinning ear to ear.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Y-you can't be serious! I'm the head of an entire sect of the Snakes, and you're just..."
"
You failed me, Yui. I told you to bring him to me, dead or alive, and you come back empty handed. Do you know how embarrassing that is for me?"
"I'll get him, I swear it! Come on boss, have I ever disappointed before?"
"
Now that you mention it... no, I believe this is the first time your Nirvana has failed an objective. That being said..."
The woman wailed as her finger was bent unnaturally, breaking in several places slowly and agonizingly. The man torturing her stayed silent, an indifferent look of placid serenity splayed across his features. The suited, shadowed man standing a few paces away simply watched. The King Snake, naturally, expected a degree of excellence from his subordinates. Yui Dochima was one such underling, a long time member who had rose to her rank through deceit and treachery. Such things would be shunned in a normal gang, but the King Snake found it to be exactly what he was looking for.
"Please... I won't fail twice, I promise. I'll bring you Joel Ono's head!"
"
You had better. If you come back here without anything to show for it, Eiji here will have to break a lot more than your index finger."
"
Please come back empty handed... It'll be so much fun." the torturer said, his indifference replaced with a look of pure joy. Yui couldn't get up from the chair faster, practically sprinting out the door and into Tokyo. She would tear those kids into shreds the moment she saw them. How dare they humiliate her immortal Nirvana!
 
Edmond was slightly offended by Hachi's bad attitude, but he could sort of understand. She was in a house with three men she barely knew last night, and he had snuck into the room she was in for books. When the three of them left the house, he started thinking. What was he to do for the rest of the day? He'd like to keep himself in stasis, but that wasn't doable. He'd prefer to stay aware of his surroundings while being the only person in the house and being a new target of the snakes. He stretched again, and then walked around the sunlight between his corner and the rest of the house. What could he do while waiting for everyone else? Hmm... Hmm? A slight while after the three of his allies had left, he heard some movements around the house. He saw a hole in the wall, next to the noises.

"Do not move!" He called out to where he had heard movement. He began walking over to the hole in the wall. He knelt down next to it, and thrust his arm inside, quickly finding what he was looking for. Unknown to Hannelore, who was on the other side of the wall, he was speaking to a mouse. "I've caught you, rat. I guess it'd be proper to say mouse, though." He said, the appropriately titled mouse frozen with fear in his hand. "Now... What shall I do with you, hmm? I'm not hungry at the moment, so I could very well let you go until later." He said, loosening his grip on the mouse. "However, I won't feel too well about letting you go roaming this house as you please. There's a female staying here for the time being, so you'll probably spook her at some point. God knows I don't want to deal with that." He said, tightening his grip again. "Hmm... Aha! I know what to do!" He exclaimed, thrusting his pointer finger into the animal's body. He began to suck the blood from its body, except for little bit. He then injected half the mouse's blood worth of vampiric essence into its body, turning it into his zombie. "You have become my meal, and you are not a threat to my peace. Two birds with one stone!" He stated, releasing the mouse back into the hole. It ran off into infrastructure of the house. Perhaps it could be useful at some point? Of course. Having something easily hidden like this that he had control over would come in use at some point. He felt as though he had done something useful with his time now, and could get back to reading. He grabbed the ecology book and sat back down in the recliner. Back to the table of contents to look for something useful.

Ah, he could try to give himself snake-like fangs. He did have his vampiric essence, so he could inject that in lieu of venom. Actually, as a more immediate tactic, he could spit it at people. Hmm... He had full control over his body, so he could boil it beforehand! He used the connection he had to the zombie rat residing in the house to call it over. While waiting for it, he heated the vampiric essence to a point until it began to burn him. It came out of the hole in the wall, across the living room from him now, and walked to him. Before it even got close to Edmond, he spit super hot vampiric essence at it. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius. However, vampiric essence must reach a much higher temperature to boil, and it could reach water's boiling point without so much as bubbling. Edmond hadn't factored this in while heating up the vampiric essence, and decided to heat it up until he felt it start to boil or until the mouse appeared in his range. The vampiric essence was heated to an astounding 1,100~ degrees Fahrenheit before it appeared. While it burned Edmond's tongue and throat so harshly that it actually severely stung his numbed nerves, and it caused steam to billow from his mouth, it was also flying towards a mouse. Upon hitting the mouse, it melted and boiled its flesh upon contact, and cooked the rest for merely being near it. Edmond began chuckling until he realized that the carpeted floor underneath the glob of what used to be a mouse would probably fare worse. Muttering some swears in English, he grabbed the burning corpse and said muttering quickly got louder as he took it into the kitchen. He dropped it into the sink, which he correctly assumed wouldn't burn or melt. It did heat up immensely, however. Maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't have heated it up to a temperature just below that of fire. While it was a stupidly high temperature that burned his throat, mouth, and hands, the effects it had on his furred victim were far more brutal. By now, the essence had completely burned through the animal, and was heating the sink below it until it glowed orange. This ability was absolutely horrific, inhumane even... It was perfect. Something seemed to click in Edmond's mind, as he watched the mouse's remains bubble from merely being near his near-boiling essence. It was exactly that- nearly boiling. It could get hotter. Humans don't have a higher resistance to supernatural temperatures. Even the steel of the sink he hoped would contain it seemed to be warped by the hellishly hot liquid. That woman from last night... She dared to insult his parents and gloat over having caused their deaths. Her 'Nirvana', the stand she held, the stand that she truly believed was invincible? It wouldn't save her. He'd kill her. He wanted to be the one to kill her.

A sick grin had crawled its way over Edmond's face. She might be able to reflect something solid, or something pressurized, but a plain liquid? She'd surround herself with it- She'd catch it up in her tornado of wind and boil alive in a torrent of his terrible vampiric essence. It was the ultimate counter to her ability- He could get this to a temperature near fire, and it would not boil. She wouldn't be able to just fling it away. Although vampiric essence was thicker than water, it thinned greatly from being heated so much, that-
Wait, it's thinner, so it'd probably flow more easily. He snapped out of his wicked delusions and his gaze locked to the sink. His vampiric essence was indeed flowing, but down the drain. It was still incredibly hot, and would likely melt the pipes. He tried to push it back onto the rat, and away from melting straight through the house and the ground under it. However, he forgot that it was hot. He burned his hand for the sake of the structural integrity of a house that he didn't own, or even know the owner of. He grit his teeth as even his flesh began to burn when exposed to the heat. He quickly grabbed a pot and a spoon, and began scooping it into the pot. He felt like an idiot. A burned idiot. He thought for a second. Maybe the "Nirvana" girl had some sort of counter to his ability? She could deflect his Takyon, but could she reflect this? No, he doubted it. Takyon, his name for his eye lasers, were likely reflected because of their nature. He reasoned that since he pressurized them and shot them through his eyes as a beam with incredible force, they entered a form that wouldn't break apart when hit with her wind and wouldn't be influenced by the wind's pull, so they bounced off of her as if two solids collided. His liquid, however, was thin and barely had to be given the force to leave his body. It'd probably be able to go through her wind in specks, or at least enter it. If it were to enter her wind, it'd be hot enough to cook her like the half of the rat he didn't spit on. It was at a temperature like that of fire, it wouldn't stop at just burning what it touched. It'd burn Nirvana woman like he had set her wind on fire. She'd have to stop herself from being cooked alive. She'd likely launch it away from herself, and that'd create an opening for him to just do it again. Either he'd be able to quickly melt her, or slowly cook her. He couldn't tell what he preferred more. Unless she had some hidden ability, she'd surely die the next time he laid eyes upon her. For now, he needed to clean this up. The whole house smelled like burning mouse and burning vampire. While he had to deal with this, he felt no regret whatsoever over trying this out. He looked out the kitchen window, while making sure to stay out of its light.
 

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