In Character Chat

[shadowdude505]

Vanessa Heart and Christina Russo with Antonio Russo
​

 
​

Vanessa let out a sigh. After being put through hell by Chester's Stand, she had been itching for a fight; though now that Chester and Elogio had come to some kind of understanding, that anger was useless now. She withdrew her Stand, causing Highway To Hell to disappear inside of her. Vanessa wrapped the chain loosely around her arm and started to head back to Russo's Auto Repair. She dropped off the chain back where she found it before walking into the employee restroom to wash away the smudged makeup around her eyes.


Christina was revealed that a fight hadn't broken out after all. "Everything's fine now, Pink," she said to her Stand. Pink started to look less hostile as she backed her way over to Christina's side, but she still continued to keep a watchful eye on Chester for a couple more seconds. The angelic pink Stand finally cut off her warning glare as Christina made her way back to her father's business; Pink followed her user of course.


"I see," Antonio said to Elogio as he looked over the burned, naked bodies of Chester's goons. "I can heal them, unfortunately I can't do anything about the clothes," he added, in case Chester was listening in. A valentine heart shaped Stand wearing a doctor's coat appeared beside Antonio. The Stand injected smaller Stands into the goons' bodies using a needle, beginning the Emotional Healing. Antonio wasn't really sure how the goons would react to the love anesthetic. Everyone was different. His family usually thought of him or other members in the Russo household. Maybe the goons will think about their families too.


"With these burns, I'd say the healing would take an hour or two. In the meantime they're going to be a bit loopy as if they were on a regular anesthetic. However this isn't a normal medical drug, it's love. Whether it's familiar love, love toward a friend, lover, or boss I can't say as I only know what's in my own head, but expect them to say some mushy stuff as they're healing," Antonio explained to Chester.


Vanessa walked out of the bathroom with a now clean face and walked over to her cousin. She noticed that Elogio was still hanging around, making it the perfect time to see if her cousin would help them deal with rogue Stand Users. "Remember when Elogio mentioned rogue Stand Users? He's looking for people to help him track them down and stop them. Uncle Antonio and I..."


"Already agreed to help...," Christina cut Vanessa off with a sigh. "I said I'd back you up earlier...this isn't any different," she added reluctantly.


Christina and Pink walked over to Elogio. Christina pulled out her phone and began to trade numbers with the man in red. Vanessa flashed them a friendly smirk as she watched.


@Azure Sky @Xenoxx @Lancelot

 

[Have You Ever Tasted Sand]

Ian Dimare
​

The two thugs were awestruck. The man in front of them was a big guy, how could he move that fast? Each blow to their boss's head was devastating, each strike ripping open a new hole in the skin on his face. It was only after their leader dropped to the ground that they gathered the courage to fight back. The two remaining men both pulled out pocket knives, ready to carve Ian a few new orifices.


That was before they were enthralled by the soothing melodies of a harp, of course. Ian shook his head. All his rage faded away seemingly in an instant. The two thugs picked up their bloody, beaten leader and left without a word. As Ian turned to the woman, his eyes instantly widened. A... Mermaid? He thought. At first he thought he was seeing things, but then it hit him. After checking to make sure that nobody else was within hearing distance, Ian faced the woman, deadpan. "You... You have a power too? So, you can see this?" Raining Blood appeared behind Ian. The creature loomed above Ian's shoulders. It stared into Planet Caravan's eyes, as if analyzing the new Stand.


"My name is Ian, and I call this thing Raining Blood. I've had this thing for years, and I've never met anyone else with something like it. Can you... Tell me what it is?" Desperate to find answers, Ian pleaded to the young woman. He tried his best to keep a straight face, but it was getting more and more difficult as he spoke. Raining Blood was both a blessing and a curse; a tool to carve his way towards whatever he wanted, yet also a constant reminder of what he had done.


Perhaps it was his imagination, but he always remembered Raining Blood appearing clean when it was first summoned. It was only the blood of his father that stained his armor. Or at least, that's what Ian thought. Raining Blood's stare was unending. For as long as it had been staring at Planet Caravan, it hadn't blinked once. Its eyes seemed to scream in pain, but Ian seemed fine. Truly, the stand was unnerving to look at.


"Please, tell me what these things are. I need answers."

 

[Xenoxx]

                      Chester Queen


The Red Man; Elogio Giovanni, was now some sort of acquaintance to Chester, and seeing that there was really no one around, he could probably talk in peace. " Now, about these rouge stand users, they sound like good assets to aquire! Well, depending on strength that is, but you guys would probably be my new standard for that, eh." Chester started to walk out of the abandoned alley while the girls shared their numbers with him, but before going all the way out he turned back to them asking a question "Hey, um, do you believe in gravity? Some nut job I met when I first got here was spurting all kinds of nonsense then asked me that question. I had a feeling he wasn't talking about astronomy though..."


Chester started walking briskly afterward, having an aloof look on his face. 'Why did I bump into those people anyway, it must be some characteristic of these 'stands'...' He thought of stopping by the park, maybe he could catch a nap there, peaceful rest before the afternoon when his goons and advisors would report to him for the first time all together in an actual base. Who knows? Maybe he'll have time to make that dramatic entrance he's always wanted, if he got there early!  But it would still take a while to stroll to the park, so Chester could think about everything Giovanni said in the alley...


But he didn't want to do that now, he wanted to relax, for the first time in a long while. Italy itself was still a new place, even two years wasn't enough to get the gist of it.


@Azure Sky @shadowdude505 

 

[Azure Sky]

[SIZE= 22px]Elogio Giovanni[/SIZE]
​

 
​

GioGio somehow gathered a truly bizzare team. At least they got along. Thiking about the question that Chester asked before they arrived at the shop, Elogio finally remembered something. "If the man who asked you that question was tall and had long, blonde hair, then I think this particular subject is irrelevant. He's locked in a looney asylum right now" he said.


Suddenly Elogio received a text message on his smartphone. After reading it he only said one thing: "Again...". Then there was a brief moment of silence. He looked at the ground, then slowly lifted his head and faced his new allies. "Unknown to most people, there is a strange event that continued to happen quite a few times in the last month. People being unable to rest, to sleep, to recover from wounds, or fever for a while. Medics wouldn't be able to help them. Then after a short while everything would magically return to normal. I did some investigation. Out of the people I talked with, they were called by a unknown number and a mysterious person forced them to pay great amounts of money if they wanted to be able to rest again. And they had no choice but to do so" as he paused, Elogio looked around and made sure no outsider was close by, or that no unknown long range Stand was watching "This is supposed to be secret information, but despite the economical crisis and the general behaviour of these people, there is a lot of money hidden in Arezzo. Why? Because there is a high number of Freemasons in this place. Why is this relevant? Because coincidently, after doing research and after hackers of the Speedwagon Foundaton managed to breach into Italian Governmental files, we discovered that each and every victim was a Freemason, or a relative of a Freemason. Why target them? Because they have incredible amounts of money. It is no exaggeration that the one responsble for this must have obtained at least 30 million euros" he let his companios take that all in before continuing "This is definetly the work of a Stand User. And what he's doing is dangerous. If those Freemasons belive that the Italian Government, gangsters, or other Freemasons were responsible, this would break into an all out war, and innocent people could be hurt in the process".



@shadowdude505@Xenoxx@Lancelot

[SIZE= 22px]Alice Ferrarini[/SIZE]
​

"Huh?"


The girl was extremely surpirsed to see that Ian was a Stand User himself. She found his Stand to be quite scary, and took a step back when it materialized. But looking at the man, Alice could feel his sadness. She smiled kindly. "It's ok. Calm down, I will help you" she said, unhesitatingly. "This power is called a Stand and it is a manifestation of the user's spiritual force. That's what I was told". True, Alice understood why Ian would behave that way. She was also looking for answers one year ago, and she met someone who helped her.


"I belive you should take this conversation somewhere else. This place is rather, inappropriate" the new, calm and soothening voice came from Planet Caravan itself. The Stand could speak. "Right! You're right, Planet Caravan. Then mister, if you don't mind, could we talk this over at the Magi Pastry? It isn't far from here" she pointed towards the A & O supermarket. Onece they'd pass that, cross the street , turn right, and get passed a cleaning product shop called Tigota, they'd reach the pastry. "By the way, I am Alice Ferrarini. Pleased to meet you" she said, presenting herself.


@Have You Ever Tasted Sand

 

[shadowdude505]

Christina Russo and Vanessa Heart
​

Christina and Vanessa gave Chester a confused look after his gravity question. They didn't know what he was talking about. It was either the rantings of a crazed man or a Stand ability, though it really had nothing to do with what was currently going on. The young women watched as the young mob boss started to leave. They figured he had other plans and didn't try to stop him, though he was forgetting his goons. Luckily Antonio sent the healing goons on their way, fully clothed in Russo's Auto Repair branded clothes typically worn by employees at special events.


The girls turned their attention to Elogio as he started to explain the situation. "Do we know anything more about the Stand and it's user? Like what the user or Stand looks like? Favorite Freemason hunting ground?" Vanessa asked. After the anticlimactic confrontation with Chester Queen, Vanessa was still in the mood to rough up something. Christina on the other hand was working under a very different though process. She was thinking more about her family than an upcoming fight. "What would happen if the Stand effected someone who couldn't pay up? Would the effects where off eventually or would the user have to be dealt with?" Christina asked. "And if regular doctors can't help, could a Stand like papa's Love Doctor counteract the Stand's effects?"


@Azure Sky @Xenoxx @Lancelot

 

[Xenoxx]

                     Chester Queen


His speed-walking towards the park was uninterrupted, he was actually quite refreshed after it. He slowed down to walk towards a park bench, which he then sat at. The day was turning into something Chester could be happy with! Alas, Gravity...is fate...so it would be no suprise that Chester soon saw another pair of stand users talking over at their own bench, next to some pacified looking tough guys,  'Is the world out to get me or something?' were his thoughts as he whispered Beelzebub. The eyes hovered over by them as Chester closed his own, masquerading him as a sleepy teenager.


The Magi Pastry was a place he'd never been before, and according to his own intuition, it was bad news. But, fear breeds opportunity, and he was determined to do something productive with this day! And so, he watched with his stands eyes, moving them to the trees, until the pair had moved to their destination, where someone important was bound to show up.


@Azure Sky @Have You Ever Tasted Sand

 

[Have You Ever Tasted Sand]

IAN DIMARE
​

A wave of relief struck Ian when Alice agreed to give him answers. Raining Blood faded into the air, disappearing completely from sight. Intently leaning foreword, Ian took each of Alice's words to heart. "A stand, huh...?" Ian muttered, his mind filling with more and more questions with each passing second.


As Planet Caravan began to speak, Ian noticeably jumped a bit. He wasn't one to scare easily, but he had not expected in the slightest for the stand to speak. Raining Blood was the only stand he had ever seen, and the only sounds it ever uttered were low groans and the sound of creaking metal. Ian agreed to follow Alice, but a sense of unease shivered down his spine. Were they being watched...?


Ian looked around. The thugs from earlier were on their way out. In fact, they weren't even looking over their shoulder; they were eerily content with walking away from a fight. Sitting on a different bench was a young man who appeared to be sleeping. Sizing him up, Ian guessed that he had something to do with less-than-lawful activity. While no expert himself, Ian had worked for enough gangs and mafia dons that it was fairly easy to size one up with a glance. Perhaps Ian had worked for the man before?


The vast majority of his work was done for those who had a reputation for being less than ethical. While he wasn't exactly revered, Ian had a reputation for being reliable muscle. Because of this, he was paid well, and often. Part of this was due to Ian's refusal to emotionally invest in a side during any gang war. His loyalty was to whoever paid him first. Whatever, he thought. If this man was a client, he would have to be smarter than to approach Ian in public. Turning his attention back to Alice, Ian offered her his best smile.


"After you," Ian said. He wasn't usually one to do this, but this girl was the only other stand user he had ever met. He was placing his trust in her, if only just for the moment. With that, he began to follow her to their destination.

 

[Mion]

Joshua Joestar
​

 
​

Joshua had followed Christina back to what had seemed to be her family shop, he quickly scribbled the address on the note of paper he had Christina's number on, if Joshua wasn't acting like this for good reason then he would likely want to punch himself in the face.  He hated stalkers, like most people he thought they were creeps but this was more akin to a detective working on a case, Joshua did not have the intention of gaining the young women's affection but rather to ensure she was not a threat to the people around her.  Too many stand users wielded their unique powers for the wrong reasons.  It was a surprise to Joshua when Christina began rushing off to someplace, still carefully tracking her movements it was even more of a surprise when he found that she had ran to a relative of his.  Elogio Giovanna, better known as GioGio, it seemed they were accompanied by two more stand users.  By the look of things they all seemed capable and Joshua trusted Elogio to handle things, it pained him slightly to sit on the sidelines but he bit his tongue and watched the events transpire.  If anything good came out of this it would be the knowledge that Joshua had an opportunity to gather, he had encountered enemy stands before, particularly when he was in the Royal Airforce and so he was fairly confident in his Clyros abilities but it had been a fair while since the last time he used it.  Stands were immensely helpful but using them when unnecessary always seemed like foul play to Joshua, although when peoples safety is involved he tends to ignore that rule of his.


Joshua narrowed his eyes as he stared at Chester, he wasn't entirely clear what his stand had done but he was rambling on about fears and the women he was consoling seemed to be compromised.  While Chester seemed to be trying to cool the situation down Elogio seemed to only get more pissed off.  Joshua didn't blame him, he himself was biting his lips just to stop him from taking action.  The young woman seemingly affected by the stand overcame whatever state she was in and seemed ready to fight almost instantly, Christina seemed to be ready for one too and Joshua didn't have a doubt in his mind Elogio wouldn't mind one.  Chesters little speech pissed Joshua off to say the least, Is this how the youth acts now? he thought to himself, there was a few odd ones when he was growing up but he was embarrassed that a nutjob like this was from the same city as him.  He stuck around to hear Elogio and Chester squabble for a brief period of time before it seemed that Chester was going to stick around with Elogio and crew for a while.  Before the group began to head back to Russo's place Joshua managed to sneak himself away unnoticed.


He continued to walk down the street and reached inside his pocked, he slipped out his phone to check the time.  Not too late for a cup of coffee is it? he thought to himself.

 

[Azure Sky]

[SIZE= 22px]Elogio Giovanni[/SIZE]
​

"This individual has no particular pattern as far as his, or her victims are concerned. Apart from the fact that they're all Freemasons, of course" has Elogio's reply to Vanessa's question regarding the hunting grounds "But we can be sure of one thing: the Stand is a long-range one" with that said he turned to Christina "Do not worry. They seem to do their homework and only target very rich people".


Meanwhile an individual was smirking while walking down the Corso Italia street. For some reason many people on the street knew him, and all of them treated him with respect. To them he seemed like an extraordinary man. But little did they know, he really wasn't. He was just a leech. And a Stand User. A bad Stand User. He was reading a flyer with information regarding a particular event which was specific to Arezzo: La Giostra del Saracino (Saracen Joust). An ancient game of chivalry, dating back to the Middle Ages. An event which would take place in two days. Why was that important? Because a certain man would be there. A man who was entrusted with the Lance of Saracen every year: Renato Brunetti, a very well known, and rather annoying, businessman. What was not known by the general public however, was that Mr. Brunetti was also a Freemason, and a member of the Maltese Order of Knights. That meant that he had power, influence, and more money than others knew. How did this man knew that? That is a story for another time. He eventually sat on a bench and took out a piece of paper with some notes on it, and a picture of Elogio. Someone put it in his pocket at a certain point. It was all planned.


Elogio Giovanni, the Red Man, alias GioGio.


Not much is known about this man, but he's staying at a 5-star hotel (Portici).


Rich and myserious.


"This Elogio looks like another nice target" thought the man. He just loved making easy money. Little did he know, that would not be the case.


Back at Antonio's shop, Elogio received another message from the Speedwagon members. He called them and talked for a short while. As he finished his quick conversation with them, he turned to Vanessa and Christina again. "Now this...is bizzare" he sighed "There was a new target. A medic this time. Anacleto Gianfranco Marini is his name. He was also targeted, but the sum which the Stand User asked for was very small compared to the ones he asked for from the Freemasons. Obviously a doctor would not have that much money, but the fact that there was such a huge change in the target choice is really wierd.  Something's fishy" Elogio sat and thought for a while, he decided to leave that particular situation aside, for the moment. He still had something else that he wanted to share. "As you two already know, the Saracen Joust will be held in two days. You probably also know Renato Brunetti. Turns out he's also a Freemason. Our hackers were able to discover this while going through some secret files. In other words, two days from now, the rogue Stand User may strike. It's a perfect opportunity" he said.


This individual was the least of their problems though. Somewhere else, in a small town near Arezzo called Capolona, a woman was forced to write a suicide letter. But she didn't kill herself. Instead, she simply...disappeared.


@The One Eyed Bandit




@shadowdude505@Xenoxx@Lancelot

[SIZE= 22px]Alice Ferrarini[/SIZE]
​

The teenage girl didn't notice Chester as she and Ian walked away from the park.


Once they entered the pastry and sat at a table, Alice bought a big bignè with chocolate filling.

"So, signor Ian, I am going to sound a bit repetitive. As I told you before someone else also taught me what I needed to know about Stands. They are manifestations of one's spiritual force, and they greatly vary in shpe, size and abilities. Some can even talk, such as Planet Caravan" the girl was cheerful. Happy that she could help someone in need "So basically, signor Ian, Raining Blood is a part of you. A part of what defines you as an entity."


After a short pause she remembered something else. " Oh, by the way, I was also told that Stand Users attract one another. So both of us should be careful" she said as she smiled. "If you wish to know more, I could try to get in contact with the man who taught me this. A certain Elogio Giovanni. He is hard to get a hold of, though. I mean, for me at the very least."




@Xenoxx @Have You Ever Tasted Sand

 

[Xenoxx]

                       Chester Queen


A haughty grin spread across Chester's face as he was not noticed by the two! He had his stand follow right behind them as they headed to the other pastry, Chester was not far behind. Stopping outside well away from the door, his eyes followed them in to observe while blending into the very lights above them. This man and woman had stands, and had seemingly had them without knowing what they were, they were like him. But the man was named Ian, he acknowledged Chester's presence yet ignored it, he was dangerous in a way distinct from Elogio. He could hurt Chester without a second thought, but people like this were often more susceptible to Beelzebub!


Then Chester got a phone call, a call so sudden it made him irate, he spoke with teeth bared on the phone "This better be a whole lot more important than your job if your calling me now!". Chester reckoned that this might've been a blessing in disguise, as it served as a distraction if anyone was to suspect him. One of his higher ranked men was talking about some strange case involving a certain criminal suspected to have up to €30.000.000 in his possession, "What! Get me those files now! We'll discuss it in the meeting, just get those files to everyone!"


@Have You Ever Tasted Sand @Azure Sky

 

[shadowdude505]

Christina Russo and Vanessa Heart
​

"If it's the same guy, it sounds like someone wants to make easy money to me," Christina said. She glanced over at her father's shop and wondered if the rogue Stand User would target her family. If he (or she) swindled money from a non-Freemason doctor, how much lower on the financial scale would the rogue be willing to go down. The Freemason pattern seamed to be out, but one pattern that did remain was that the enemy Stand effected the person that user wanted to take money from. That meant that her mom and little sister weren't likely to be effected by the rogue Stand's abilities. Christina doubted her dad's business drew in enough money for the enemy to really care. If anything her cousin and herself were more likely to be effected by the enemy Stand just by getting in the user's way.


Christina and Vanessa nodded their head when Elogio mentioned the Saracen Joust and Renato Brunetti. As a local, Christina already knew a little about both. Vanessa on the other hand, as an American, had been briefly informed about it by her Italian relatives after seeing a poster for the joust. Even though Vanessa didn't fully understand the significance of the joust, she did have enough pieces of the puzzle. "So what's the plan?" Vanessa asked. "Sounds like we'd have to steakout this Brunetti fella, or maybe sweet talk our way into his bodyguard service. Either way sounds fun to me." 


@Azure Sky

 

[Have You Ever Tasted Sand]

IAN DIMARE
​

"Elogio Giovanna, huh..?" Ian closed his eyes in thought. This was all so sudden; he spent the better part of five years questioning the truth behind his stand, and now suddenly a young girl is ready to show him all the answers? It was almost too good to be true.


Pulling out his wallet, Ian placed enough money on the table to cover both of their meals. Ian had had a chocolate pastry; he was always a fan of simple. Sticking with simplicity, he simply drank water with his meal. While he usually tends to take the cheaper route when it comes to purchasing food, he was hardly without the funds.


Ian sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, he was in debt to this girl. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out what appeared to be a business card and slid it across the table.


"Before we continue, I'd like to thank you again. I'm asking a lot of questions, and you have no obligation to answer. This card has my number on it; contact me if you ever need any kind of favor. I live pretty close to here, so if I'm around, I'll help you out." He paused to take a sip of his water. "I would appreciate it if you tried to contact him. If you can't, it's not a problem. I'll be able to find him one way or another. Besides, if what you said about stand users being pulled to one another is true, I'm sure it won't be too hard." Ian offered another smile. As intimidating as the man could be, the presence of a soft side was undeniable.

 

[Azure Sky]

[SIZE= 22px]Elogio Giovanni[/SIZE]
​

Elogio listened to what both girls had to say and remained silent for a while, thinking. "Renato Brunetti has no bodyguards, and its fairly easy to talk to him. The general public doesn't know about his true identity after all. As for the reason in the target change, there can be a few reasons: easy money, as you said before, a grudge, gaining information, or..." he squinted his eyes as he paused "He simply doesn't choose his targets and someone else gives him the names, in exchange of profit" he walked around the room looking at the various items that were around, then he shifted his attention back at the girls "Let's just do this the simple way, we'll assume that this guy will attack Brunetti during the event, we'll see his Stand in action and harm it, which will, in turn, reveal the user if he's nearby. Each of us should also stay in the same place, but apart from each other, during the event."

[COLOR= rgb(128, 0, 128)]Alice Ferrarini[/COLOR]
​

"I'll try my best in contacting him, signor Ian" the girl said cheerfully, with glittering eyes. At the same time Planet Caravan manifested. "Alice you're a good girl, and you'll always help people in need. But you're a little bit too trusting of this fellow, are you not?" asked the Stand. Quite the unusual one, this Planet Caravan. It was as if the Stand was an elder sister which Alice never had.



At her Stand's question all Alice did was to smile. Her Stand sighed and disappeared from sight. No use in arguing with her when she was like that.







Time Skip- Sunday, September the 4th



The Saracen Joust



About the event:



The historical reenactment takes place every year in Arezzo on the last but one Saturday of June, by night (the so-called San Donato Joust, dedicated to the patron saint of the town) and on the first Sunday of September, in the afternoon (the September Joust). The teams in the event are the four quarters of the town of Arezzo:

•     Porta Crucifera, known as Culcitrone (green and red),
  
•     Porta del Foro, known as Porta San Lorentino (yellow and crimson),
  
•     Porta Sant'Andrea (white and greens) and
  
•     Porta del Borgo, today called Porta Santo Spirito (yellow and blue).
  

The Saracen Joust is organized by the Municipality of Arezzo through a special institution whose governing body (the managing council) is chaired by the Mayor of Arezzo, but also includes the presidents (Rettori) of the four competing quarters.


The jousting day starts in the morning, when the town's Herald reads the proclamation of the joust challenge, and then continues with a colorful procession of 350 costume characters and 27 horses parading along the streets of Arezzo. The topic moment of the parade is the blessing of the men-at-arms, which takes place on the steps of the Duomo and is given by the Bishop of Arezzo.


The knights' tournament is held in the Piazza Grande, guided by the Maestro di Campo and preceded by the costume characters and the town's ancient banners entering the square accompanied by the sound of trumpets and drums. Some important moments can be defined at this stage of the event: the highest authorities of the Joust entering the square (the magistrates, the Jury, the quarters' presidents), the performance of flag-wavers, the jousters galloping into the racing field, each knight representing an ancient noble family of Arezzo, the knights' arrangement on the lizza (jousting track), the Herald reading the Challenge of Buratto (a poetic composition written in octaves in the 17th century), the crossbowmen and the soldiers greeting the crowd shouting "Arezzo!", the magistrates' authorization to run the joust and finally the Joust's musicians playing the Saracen Hymn, composed by Giuseppe Pietri (1886–1946).


Then, the real competition starts. The jousters of the four gates (the real protagonists of the event) gallop their horses with lance in rest against the Saracen, an armor-plated dummy representing a Saracen holding a cat-o'-nine-tails in his hand ("Buratto, King of the Indies"). The sequence of charges is drawn on the week preceding the joust during a costume ceremony in Piazza del Comune. It's almost impossible foreseeing what the result of the joust will be: it depends on the ability, the courage and the good-luck of the eight jousters who alternate on the packed-earth sloping track (the lizza) that runs transversally across Piazza Grande. The competition is won by the couple of knights who hit the Saracen’s shield obtaining the higher scores. The quarter associated to the winning knight receives the coveted golden lance. In the event of a draw between two or more quarters after the standard number of charges (two sets of charges for each jouster), the prize is assigned with one or more deciding charges. At the end of the joust, mortar shots hail the winning quarter.


The rules of the tournament are contained in technical regulations that repeat – virtually unchanged – the Chapters for the Buratto Joust dating back to 1677. They are easy to understand, and yet worded in such a way as to guarantee a long-lasting suspense. The outcome of the fight between the Christian knights and the "Infidel" is undecided until the very last moment due to dramatic turns of events. For instance, jousters may be disqualified if they ride accidentally off the jousting track, or their scores may be doubled if their lance breaks after violently hitting the Saracen.






As usual the man who held the Saracen Lance was Renato Brunetti, and Elogio hoped the rogue Stand User was close.


@The One Eyed Bandit




@shadowdude505@Xenoxx@Lancelot


@Have You Ever Tasted Sand

 

[Xenoxx]

                     Chester Queen


Chester had only arrived at the festival along with five of his most trusted organization members. He made sure everyone else was out on a job, his reasons for this were two-fold, it kept profits coming in and it kept the weaker members out. Of course, if everyone else was operating at his level, this would be useless, but it wasn't. This was because Chester had something everyone else in the gang didn't, a stand.


They were all in uniform;  black trenchcoats and top hats, and swords concealed in canes. A sword in this age would be considered a useless antique, which made it all the more deadly. But their only real weapon today would be surprise, for it was crowded and full of civilians. It would be normally impossible to find their target in this crowd, if it wasn't for one thing, Gravity! This concept, which Chester was assured to be real, would surely take him right to his target. Because he too, was a stand user! He knew the absolute worst would have to happen to him, and yet he relied on it, for it was his Fantasy! 


Now the first event leading to this target stand user had been revealed, in the form of the jousters. Chester now ordered his men to the four corners of the contest arena, as he searched for a gambling booth on his own, for he knew his target was greedy, and would be looking to profit further. And just to make sure, Chester had released his stand Beelzebub just in case other stand users were also present.

 

[shadowdude505]

Christina Russo & Vanessa Heart
​

 
​

Christina and Vanessa arrived at the festival before the opening ceremony. Vanessa looked a little rugged in her leather jacket, purple crop top, jeans, black fingerless gloves, and black cowboy styled boots. It looked like she could get cold in the nippy fall weather, but unknown to most was that she had her Stand's hell fire running though her body to keep her warm. Contrasting Vanessa's rough and tough appearance was Christina's clothing. The Italian girl didn't stand out in her fall jacket, fall orange polyester T-shirt, brown skirt, black leggings, black boots, and fall orange beanie. The only thing that wasn't normal about Christina was that her Stand was keeping an eye on things from inside her body instead of following behind her; she didn't want to spook any rogues away, nor did she want her Stand to bring attention to her from other Stand users. She had met three Stand Users in one day, two that she knew about; how many Stand Users were in the crowd for the joust?


Of course the cousins weren't alone. The rest of the Russo household, Antonio, Isabella, and Maria, had accompanied them as well. If this had been another normal joust day, the family would have sat together, but there was a rogue Stand User out there somewhere. Christina would love it if the rouge Stand didn't appear; it would also be nice if she didn't have to worry about rogue Stands and Stand User magnetism, but that wasn't something that was in her control. Vanessa had easily agreed to help Elogio and it she wouldn't be a good cousin if she didn't help keep Vanessa safe.


"Mamma, I'm going to show Vanessa around and see if I can introduce her to some of my friends. We'll catch up with you guys later, OK?" Christina said. "Just stick together," Maria replied. Christina nodded before walking off with Vanessa close beside her. She hated lying to her mother, but she had to keep Stand stuff a secret from her mother and little sister. Though she suspected one day they may need to know about Stands, hopefully when they got one themselves...however that would work out. Christina glanced back at her family as she heard Isabella's playful laugh as the crossbowman and soldiers began to greet the crowd. The feeling of a hand on her shoulder caused her to turn her attention to Vanessa.


"Don't worry. Uncle Antonio is with them and he's got one of best healing Stands around," Vanessa said. "The rogue Stand will probably ignore them anyway. Let's find Elogio and stop something bizarre from happening." The girls smiled at each other, nodded, and began their search the fair grounds for the man in red.


@Azure Sky

 

[Azure Sky]

[SIZE= 22px]Elogio Giovanni[/SIZE]
​

The parade which always happened durring the Saracen Joust took quite some time, but finally, after a few good hours, Renato Brunetti appeared, displaying the Golden Lance, prestigious prize for the winners of the Joust.

 
​

Elogio would have normally had fun durring this unique event, but he couldn't. He had to stay focused.


Suddenly, he saw something wierd crawling on the ground. A pretty big mechanical spider. No one else seemed to notice it, so it was clear. It was a Stand. It moved quickly and bit Mr. Renato by his left leg. "Gah! Porca miseria!" the man cursed. The rest of the people looked at him wierdly.


Then the spider did something unusual...it went in Elogio's direction, and it seemed that its target...was Elogio himself. The Red Man couldn't help but laugh. It was somehow really funny, but somewhat pathetic.


Stone Cold Crazy!


As his Stand materialized, the spider stopped in its tracks. Naturally its User was looking through its 'eyes'. "H-he was...the same as me?" the User of the spider Stand was shocked to say the least. And Elogio's Stand looked though, compared to his own. "Come back, Insomnia!" he comanded, and his Stand naturally obeyed. It went the other way around as fast as it could.


Elogio tossed a coin into the air and used his Stand to make it explode, serving as both a distraction for the bystanders and as a signal for his allies, that he found the Stand. Meanwhile, Insomnia already reached the entrance to the Piazza Grande and moved chaotically between the unware, normal people, attempting to get away from the eyes of Elogio. GioGio tossed yet another coin and made it explode, but this time in Insomnia's direction. The girls were closer and could do more about it. Also if they looked up ahead they'd notice a hooded man who was just standing on a bench immobile. Not only that, but it seemed like Insomnia was going towards him.


@shadowdude505@Xenoxx@Lancelot


@simj22@The One Eyed Bandit@Have You Ever Tasted Sand

 

[shadowdude505]

Christina Russo & Vanessa Heart
​

 
​

Christina and Vanessa heard the explosion. Elogio must have noticed rogue Stand activity before they had the opportunity to group up with him. Christina wondered what her mother and sister would think about the explosion. They'd probably blame it on a terrorist attack if her father didn't give them some other explanation that was more reasonable than Stands to the common man. Now wasn't the time to worry about her mom and little sister. Her dad was with them and they'd be fine. Christina had her cousin to look out for.


Christina shook the thoughts and her head and started to run after Vanessa toward the site of the second explosion. In the chaos of running civilians, the girls noticed a man in a hoodie standing motionless on a bench and a mechanical spider Stand seemingly heading toward him. The young women thought it was bizarre that the man was standing instead of sitting; not only that, but the man didn't seam dressed in a way that screamed that he was rich. It seamed like they might have stumbled upon the rogue Stand User.


"Why'd it have to be a spider...," Christina grumbled to herself. Insomnia's spider-like appearance was enough to cause her skin to crawl in disgust. She stopped running toward it once it was within her range. "Pink!" Christina summoned her Stand. The curvaceous metallic angel then preceded to fire five of its metal, valentine heart shaped feathers at Insomnia. If the projectiles hit the spider, the girls would be able to confirm if the man in the hoodie was the rogue Stand User if his limbs received minor cuts and went numb depending on where the spider was hit.


Vanessa on the other hand continued to run toward the rogue Stand User. She wished that she had smuggled some kind of tool to use as a flaming weapon for Highway to Hell, but didn't because she wasn't sure how tight security would be and didn't want to cause any trouble for her family. Maybe as she continued to use Highway she'll reach a point where her Stand could materialize her own chain weapon, but in the meantime she'd have to improvise. Her dad had introduced her to American football at a young age and growing up watching the Dallas Cowboys play as she grew up nurtured a love for the sport; she even played it for fun with some of her male friends as she matured into a young woman.


With football in mind, Vanessa blitzed toward the man in the hoodie and projected her female-Ghost-Rider-of-a-Stand around her body as she rushed in for a tackle. If the hooded man turned to look at her, he'd see a smirk on the flaming skull. Highway was copying Vanessa's expression. She was looking forward to the upcoming tussle; the thought about how serious the fight could be hadn't crossed her mind yet.


@Azure Sky

 

[Have You Ever Tasted Sand]

IAN DIMARE
​

Ian watched the festivities with a half-hearted interest. Though it had only been two days since Alice had agreed to contact this Elogio Giovanni, Ian was already paranoid about receiving some sort of message from her. As he sat on a roadside bench, he couldn't help but rapidly tap his fingers and fidget with his hair. Usually his mind was filled with little more than different ideas of how to spend his free time. This sense of anxiety was... Unusual for him, to say the least.


Ever since he parted ways with Alice, he has jumped on every opportunity to answer the phone. As such, he had ended up accepting several job offers, filling a good chunk of his schedule for a few months. After all, it isn't always the best idea to say "no" when the word of a few mobsters is what keeps you working. Staring inattentively at the celebrations, Ian was wrapped in deep thought. He had so many questions about his stand. Ian did his best to sort through his questions and pick the most important ones; he had no idea what kind of man Elogio is, after all. The last thing he wanted was to annoy someone who could give him the answers he needs.


Once again, Ian found himself at peace amidst the chaos of the festivities. All the noise seemed to flow right through one of his ears and out the other. Dark bags hung under his eyes; he hadn't gotten much sleep the night prior. Ian had spent the night at a friend's house with the intentions of heading to the festivities early the next morning. Instead, the pair decided to marathon a few sci-fi movies until early the next morning, leaving Ian with only a few hours of sleep to last him the day. 


Due to his disdain for coffee, he had been drinking sodas all morning. For the most part, it was helping.


It wasn't unusual for Ian to feel tired, even on the job. He would save all his energy until it was actually needed. As the day went on, Ian continued to sit and watch the festivities alone. Maybe he even drifted to sleep once or twice; he didn't know, nor did he really care.


Then the explosions woke him up. With a grunt Ian jumped out of his seat, his eyes immediately scanning the area for potential threats on instinct. Quickly tossing his jacket onto the bench he had been resting on, Raining Blood's spiked gauntlets materialized and made cuts on both of Ian's forearms. Just like before, no blood dripped out of the wound. Tossing his coat over his shoulder, Ian sprinted through the hordes of panicked civilians, following the explosions.


As he sprinted, one particular person caught his eye. This man was the only other person Ian could see running towards the explosion. A large red man, the sight of him instantly set off signals in Ian's mind. That's him, it has to be, Ian thought. Using Raining Blood, Ian increased the rate at which is blood flowed through his body. This boost only served to increase his speed. He tailed Elogio with extreme efficiency, though he was still some ways behind him. one way or another, Ian was going to get his answers. If that meant tearing through a few enemy stand users, so be it. He was always ready for a new experience.

 

[Azure Sky]

Elogio analyzed the civillans around him before attempting to join the girls. Most of them ran away, except one person who actually ran towards him. Who also had a Stand, a menacing one at that. Elogio didn't go after the girls, instead he stood still, and called upon Stone Cold Crazy. He pressumed Ian was an ally of the Insomnia Stand User.


@Have You Ever Tasted Sand


Meanwhile, one of Pink's projectiles definetly hit Insomnia in one of its legs, but the hooded man didn't react to it, he just started to scream and cry when Vanessa tackled him. "Vi prego non ucidetemi, vi prego. Che dolore...non posso adormentarmi, non posso rilasarmi, non posso guarire...non posso nemeno morire!" (t/n: I beg of you, don't kill me, I beg of you. Such pain...I can't sleep, I can't relax, I can't be healed...I can't even die) was what he said. He was just a young man, another blackmailed victim of Insomnia.

Insomnia proceeded to get away from where the young man and Vanessa where. This time going towards another hooded man who had a cut on his right arm and covered it with his left one. But at the same time another man appeared and stood in front of the hooded figure. It was Anacleto Gianfranco Marini, the medic which was targeted before.

"Tu! Tu mi hai terrorizzato, ma non ti lascerò terrorizzare altre persone!" (t/n: You! You have terrorized me, but I won't let you terrorize other people!) he said as he stood in front of the hooded man. At that point Insomnia bit the medic on his right arm and disappeared. Anacleto cried out in pain and the hooded figure pushed him away and ran. He went towards one of the smaller streets and ran as fast as he could.


"Qualcuno lo deve fermare! Quel uomo è pericoloso" (t/n: Someone needs to stop him! That man is dangerous!) shouted the doctor, while still on the ground and in pain.


Little did anyone know, the hooded figure was going towards a dead end.


@shadowdude505@Xenoxx@Lancelot


@simj22@The One Eyed Bandit@Have You Ever Tasted Sand

 

[shadowdude505]

Christina Russo & Vanessa Heart
​

 
​

Even though she was an American, Vanessa understood what the young man had said. Her parents had made sure that she learned a foreign language. With her Italian heritage, it made sense to learn Italian; It definitely made communicating with her mom's side of the family easier. Vanessa may have understood the young man, but at first she didn't believe him. The man could be crying crocodile tears for all she knew; though she did hesitate to attack, just in case.


"That's not him," Christina said as she ran over to her cousin. Being the more analytical of the two, she had watched as the spider moved past the man Vanessa had tackled; Though events were moving at a rabid pace and she only got the words out after a doctor started a commotion with the rogue Stand User. "He's running off that way."


Vanessa looked at the hooded man that Christina had pointed out.Vanessa quickly got off of the young man she had tackled. "Sorry, my mistake," she said to the man in Italian. She began to chase after the rogue Stand user with Christina. The rogue Stand User had a decent lead. The girls would have to push themselves physically to catch up. "If only I had my motorcycle right now..."


Christina didn't have Vanessa's motorcycle, but she did have a flying Stand that could duplicate herself to some extent. She caused Pink to split, creating one young adult sized clone and leaving the original is a similar state. The original Pink picked up Christina and started to fly a couple feet off the ground. The clone picked up Vanessa and did the same. Now realizing that she was flying, Vanessa looked over at Christina and smiled. "This works too." To a non-Stand User it would look like the girls were hovering off the ground a little. Christina hoped that the citizens would be too busy panicking to notice, or at least think they were going crazy if they caught a glimpse of them.


With the assistance of Pink, the girls flew after Insomniac's Stand User and began to gain on him as they followed him toward the dead end. 


@Azure Sky

 

[Have You Ever Tasted Sand]

IAN DIMARE
​

Ian's eyes widened with delight at the side of Elogio's stand. As he got closer, he could see that Elogio had no intentions of being friendly just yet. Raining Blood's bloodshot eyes stared at Stone Cold Crazy, as if Raining Blood was looking through it. Ian put his hands up as to show his intentions.


"Hey, I'm on your side. My name is Ian Dimare, and I was sent by Alice. She told me about you, Elogio. She told me you could give me answers." Ian gazed at the panicked crowd, then looked towards the source. Unsure of what he should be searching for, he quickly gave up on trying to find the culprit and turned his attention back to Elogio. "My... Stand, I think she called it? It's called Raining Blood. I need to know more about it, and I was told you could help me out."


Trying to prove himself trustworthy, Ian withdrew Raining Blood. "I'm a bodyguard by trade. A discreet one. I can tell you're concerned about whatever's going on here, so I'll make you a proposition. I help you deal with whoever -- or whatever -- is causing all this commotion, and in exchange, you tell me about stands. I promise you, I'm good in a fight. It'll be worth it."


Ian's words were backed up by his sheer size alone; it was clear that he was a man who could take some abuse. Even more convincing however would be the look in his eyes. He has clearly seen a lot over his years as an underground bodyguard. Making a conscious effort to appear non-threatening, Ian relaxed his body. His eyes stared directly into Elogio's, silently pleading for his cooperation. "What do you say?"