Fandom &nbsp; JoJo&#039;s Bizarre Adventure: Part 2.5: Hearts Unchained

Cyan Hide
And anyone else nearby! (

EmeraldSplash )

Cyan Hide · Sep 17, 2021

Odiel nodded. "That would be appreciated. I can't actually remember the last time I had anything to drink today. She should all probably drink some water. I'll begin cooking once the others are back," she answered, taking a seat besides the beg and lighting up a cigarette as she waited for them to wake. They were both stirring in a way that suggested both her having nightmares. Odiel took a drag and looked away. She never remembered any of her dreams. She just had vague lingering feelings of misery after waking up. Perhaps not being able to recall them was for the best.

Rosie would awake to the pretty German lady, still wearing Rosie's own red beret atop her head, sitting cross-legged and smoking in a way that made her look simultaneously sophisticated, cultured and no-nonsense. It was partly that she held her cigarette like a Frenchwoman yet her posture was of a Frauline. She looked over to Rosie when she asked for Ace. "He's out securing our surroundings. He's okay, though. What about you? How are you feeling?"

Ferociousfeind · Sep 19, 2021

Angelica Giovanna ~ This Guy, Again

Unfortunately, the terrorists weren't exactly... friendly, to outsiders. Agnelica had forgotten this in the two (or so) days it had been. She was reminded of that fact when the Brit showed up behind her, gun aimed at the back of her head. It was a chilling, almost electric feeling. Not as imposing as the offputting decorated German man, more... feisty. More unpredictable and volatile than that man. What was up with the Brit, anyways?

Not entirely sure how to react, the girl sighs, and raises her hands, "Okay, you got me," in French, the language she knew that he'd most likely understand too. [DAY TRIPPER] manifested, curling around one of her arms, "Now what? Kill me? You would be no better than the Deutsches Kaiserreich you so staunchly oppose, British boy."

Kloudy

Minako · Sep 19, 2021

"Oh!" Rosie exclaimed, startled, but it was more of a pleasant surprise to see Odiel again.

She was happy to see a friendly familiar face despite being in a strange place, and sure enough, she was captivated by Odiel bathed in light and smoke. It was a filthy habit she didn't exactly approve of (and it didn't help that Gerard had picked up this habit when his wife was in the process of divorcing him) with bad smells, but even she would be lying to herself if she didn't at least admit, deep down, that she was slightly more enthralled by both of them a little bit more as she watched the smoke dance among their figures like it was performing ballet around them.

She almost didn't notice a very familiar-looking red beret on her pretty head, but Rosie said nothing about it: She wasn't entirely sure if it was HERS or if she just happened to have a red one just like hers, but even if it WAS Rosie's the little once nurse had no problem giving it to her.

It looked better on her anyway and it was THE LEAST Rosie could do after all the trouble she had caused her...

"I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn't notice you were nearby until I l-looked around," She muttered shyly while looking away for several reasons.

She thought back to her dream, and couldn't decide if she was relieved or more worried Ace was away. She needed to talk to him. She had to apologize for yesterday and hope and beg he was still okay being her companion...

What in the world did it mean?

Was Ace trying to find out more about her? Why? She wasn't a terribly interesting person, to begin with, and it couldn't be because he loved or cared about her... He barely knew her! Plus, she was rather homely, so it couldn't be he grew fond of her because of her looks...

It must have just been some deep-rooted paranoia because she caused him so much trouble yesterday...

As she tried to dismiss away her thoughts, a small part of her was left wondering if, in fact, Ace would like her less once he learned more about her...

"A-ah, uhm," Rosie almost didn't realize Odiel had asked her a question, then answered, "I-I'm okay, just...Ah... A-A bit startled waking up in a new place I've never seen before again... uhm..."

The picture of Odiel beaten in the dim flashlight because of her popped up into her mind.

"Oh, ah, I'm fine, just a bit shaken up by my dream, heh heh..." She nervously lied as she answered, which wasn't a complete lie, she was, she also just thought there was NO WAY IN THE WORLD she would bother Odiel with her less than mundane problems.

Especially after what Rosie caused Odiel to go through upon just meeting her.

Cyan Hide (And anyone else nearby:

EmeraldSplash )

Cyan Hide · Sep 28, 2021

Odiel hadn't been thinking about the beret until she saw Rosie's eyes drift up towards it, at this point the German awkwarly coughed and took it off, placing it on the table beside her. "Oh! Sorry, I honestly forgot I was wearing that. I apologize for taking it without permission. I needed a disguise this morning. And I agree with you about the surprise of waking up in a new place. I personally hope we can stay here a few days. Staying vigilant, of course, but at least all able to rest for a while. I for one need it, and I can tell you and the others all do too, even if the men wouldn't admit so."

She took a long drag of your cigarette. "Bad dream? I was always taught that bad dreams mean something. What happened in your dream?"

Minako · Sep 29, 2021

The beautiful german woman had caught the little once nurse completely off guard... Rosie just sort of gaped at Odiel, stunned momentarily until she caught herself and stopped.

"Th-that’s alright, y-you can keep it… it looks better on you anyway…. O-oh, they do? W-well, Uhm, I-I, er--" She stammered, speaking softly and also discombobulated, simply to buy herself some time to collect her thoughts in a panic, trying to figure out what words to say.

And if the truth should be in those words...

Should she tell the truth?
Should she lie to Odiel?

Why in God's name would Odiel care enough to even inquire about her dreams?!

...Aside from Corneille, only her mother, Elias, and Irene ever bothered to ask her about her dreams... And Cornielle took at least a year to care!

Rosie was definitely not used to strangers caring for her well-being genuinely... Especially when they knew about Keep.

Confused and in a panic, The little once nurse couldn't imagine a single reason why this beautiful woman, who could surely have any man she wanted, would even bother to give such an unsightly creature like Rosie the time of day, let alone ask Rosie about her nightmares and be sincere about it!

Odiel must be making small talk in an attempt to calm and distract Rosie from where she was and why she was here to start...

Come to think of it, why was she here???

Rosie wanted to ask desperately, but not only would that be changing the subject (at least, if she asked that before answering Odiel) but something told her she might not like the answer to that question...

"W-well, f-first I was with my childhood friend, I-Irene, b-but then I-I was i-in a forest... A-as a bunny rabbit... A-and th-then I think I-I got eaten? B-by wolves? I-It kind of happened too fast to tell what was going on, r-really...!" Rosie shyly muttered in a bit of a frenzy, while hanging her head and avoiding eye contact with Odiel (to be fair, she was too reserved to make eye contact with such a beauty anyway), vague on the details and filled with mere half-truths.

She felt horrible bothering Odiel about her stupid dreams, but also she didn't quite have the nerve to fully lie to her, either.

She did explicitly leave out, however, that the Wolves spoke. To her. And what they spoke of.

Skiddishly, she looked around her environment frightened and nervous, taking everything in and hoping against hope something was familiar, but to no avail... There was absolutely nothing in this room she recognized aside from the people in it, and those people she barely knew for a day!

Too reserved to bother Odiel, she kept her mouth shut after explaining some of her nightmare.

The kitten meowed in her lap, and Keep sprang forth randomly, almost like their meow summoned her but not exactly.

"Ro," Keep plainly stated, kind of giving Odiel a soulless, creepy stare as she took all of this woman's effervescence in.

Rosie looked around the room a moment longer before stopping and clinging to her kitten while again hanging her head, she wasn't too worried about Keep's "creep stare" towards Odiel because she figured Odiel was too no-nonsense to make a big deal out of it.

Assailant (nearby!)

AvidElmV2 (nearby!)

EmeraldSplash (nearby!)
(Sorry, I'll only be tagging direct interactions from now on, haha!)

Assailant · Sep 30, 2021

Maximus Kuhn

Maximus hefted the pitcher in front of him, placing his hand over the open-top to gauge the temperature. After a few moments, he nodded and placed the pot back onto the stove and grabbed a few cups from one of the cupboards above the sink. He examined the cups quickly, and after his examination was complete, he headed back in the direction he'd come from.

As he turned around the corner, he saw Keep Yourself Alive giving Odiel a strange stare-down. He couldn't quite gauge her look: was it one of fear, loathing, or admiration? He paused in the doorframe.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" After a moment, he walked in and placed a cup at the bedside next to Rosie and gently poured some water from the pitcher into the cup. "Careful: the water just came off a boil. It should be cool enough to drink, but it'll likely be warmer than... pleasant." He placed a second cup next to the still-unconscious Hugo and poured some more water out. "I couldn't find any ice, which probably doesn't come as a shock." He then placed two cups on the cabinet and filled them. "Still, we need to stay hydrated. You especially, Frau Rosie." With the two cups filled, he passed one to Odiel and kept one for himself. He stepped away from the bedside and leaned against the wall, taking a sip from his cup. It was about as unappealing as one would expect, but he was grateful enough that his dry throat was being wet. Plus, as night began to truly set in and cold began to descend over autumnal France, he found himself somewhat grateful to be drinking something warm, unappealing as it was.

Minako · Sep 30, 2021

Rosie had to stop herself from gasping as she flinched seeing the nightmare Nazi arrive. She didn't dare look at him longer than a moment, at least until he set something down and began pouring water into (what turned out to be) the cup he had just placed.

"Th-thank you very much..." The little once nurse was barely able to squeak, almost shaking and not even attempting to make eye contact.

She nodded quickly out of instinct as the Nightmare Nazi spoke, even though his words filled her with dread (It didn't help she was bothered he knew her name when she never gave it to him). She would almost bet her life this man was only caring about her well-being because of Keep and her ability, and the little once nurse was certain one wrong move or word and he would surely imprison her or turn her in.

Still, he was Cornielle's savior, that had to mean something... As confusing as that meaning may be....

Usually, force was used on Rosie to get her to heal once they knew about her "special powers", and she imagined the Nazis would not only use force but take hostages in the form of Corneille or Gerard or Chantalle or Regine... So to wake up in a bed and then given water and being told essentially to "drink up" by one of them discombobulated Rosie so much the little once nurse may as well have just gotten off of a rollercoaster.

He wasn't imprisoning her or turning her in or using her friends as hostages... Which was wonderful for Rosie, but the begging question remained: WHY?

This behemoth of a man sought healing, did he not? Why go through the trouble of befriending her when he could just force her like everyone else who discovered Keep?

It couldn't be because he cared for her, right? Same as Ace: He didn't even know her, and the two of them, as far as Rosie remembered at least, hadn't even really had a conversation! At least she and Ace did!

Meekly, with a hung head, Rosie grabbed the cup of water on the little nightstand beside the bed she laid on, and...

Oh goodness... It looked terrible...

Rosie didn't dare complain about it verbally, however, though her hesitance she couldn't hide as she did not drink from it, but merely stared at it.

The little once nurse waited too long to take a sip, however, and the kitten began drinking from the cup instead of her.

"O-oh... Kitty...!" Rosie squeaked again, hoping no one would take offense to her kitten drinking her water... The poor thing was parched: It began drinking with such verve Rosie couldn't help but smile.

"You must have been so thirsty, Kitty, I'm so sorry..." She muttered while petting it to encourage it to drink more.

And what was Keep doing when all this was happening?

Why, remaining stoic and keeping her soulless stare now at both of the two Germans, naturally!

She was beginning to let them see her sweat when the Nightmare Nazi arrived, however.

"Ro," She repeated herself, not letting her eyes from both of them.

"..K-keep, stop asking... Please..." Rosie quietly begged her companion, afraid the moment she offended the Nightmare Nazi would be her last.

It would seem Keep had the courage to ask the question Rosie did not...

Assailant · Sep 30, 2021

Maximus Kuhn

Maximus noted Rosie's anxiety. He wasn't exactly surprised by it, but there wasn't much he could do or say to relieve her anxieties. She'd just have to learn to trust him with time. Or not: either way, she was safe. He wasn't, however, expecting the cat to jump up and steal her water. That was his own fault, he supposed: he shouldn't have forgotten about the cat. It needed water too... and food, for that matter. Oh well: once the outside team reported back that they were secure, they could figure out the food situation.

"For what it's worth, you don't need to stay here if you feel unsafe. You're not our captive or anything. However, with the town becoming increasingly unsafe, we figured you'd rather not stick around. If we were wrong about that, you can leave any time. In the meantime..."

Maximus stepped out for a few moments and returned with another cup, this one carrying a thick, white liquid.

"As it turns out, this was a dairy farm, and its occupants fled without packing everything up. While I was boiling some water, I figured I'd pasteurize some milk."

He placed the cup on the drawer next to where he placed her first cup of water. The milk was still warm, like what one would drink before bed.

"Might help your nerves, and might taste a bit better than hot water. I wasn't a farmer, nor a cook, so it might have a bit of a scorched taste to it. Or maybe not, I haven't tasted it. Still probably beats some crappy water"

Kloudy · Oct 2, 2021

William
(Farmhouse - Main House)

While William was holding Angelica at gunpoint, his stone statue had swiftly returned to the farmhouse. As Max, Rosie and Odiel were having their awkward chat, a dull creak came from the doorway across the room. In it, |Dead Dreams| was now standing and staring at Max with what looked like unseeing stone eyes. It spoke in an androgynous echo like a distorted audio tape, as if a machine had decided to assemble the words in a rhythm that seemed almost alien.

"In-Intruder... South-South East...st..."

It remained eerily still, waiting for a response from Max.

- - - - -

(Farmhouse - Southern Perimeter)

William raised an eyebrow at being called a 'British Boy', but didn't comment on it. It was already bizarre enough that this Italian woman had found him twice now, he wasn't really feeling up to much more smalltalk. God knows that ex-soldier gave him enough of the same kind of spiel even during the combat. But today William had time.

"It's always the same argument with people like you. As if a short conversation is all it takes to disarm me, bring me back to my idealistic senses so we can all be friends." He shook his head with disappointment and pulled out a cigar using his free hand.

"I've come to understand why you all think this though," William lit the cigar's tip with a lighter, all the while keeping an eye on Angelica several paces ahead of him still, "It's because you've never had to fight for the bigger picture before. You haven't seen the stakes."

Click. The hammer of the revolver cocked back cleanly, pulled by a stone-still thumb.

"War might be a game of rebelling, or becoming a freedom fighter or running away from the bad guys for you. For me, it's a game of chess. You corner your opponent's king at the cost of any piece, because the king is in control of a global superpower."

His eyes were hard now as he pulled on the cigar, thick wisps of smoke in the thin moonlight drifting by.

"One idiot preaching good versus bad can thwart a mission, and one mission can thwart the loss of hundreds of millions of lives."

...

Cyan Hide · Oct 2, 2021

Odiel was listening intently to Rosie's dream, but when she trailed off, Odiel didn't push her, instead taking a drag of her cigarette. When Keep appeared and stared at her, she stared back inquisitively. Keep was, after all, the first time she'd ever seen a Stand this independent. There we no clues from Rosie's demeanour or recent words that gave any hint to what Keep was thinking.

This last a few seconds until Max returned. She put out her cigarette, took the water, and tried a sip. It was bad, but a sip turn into a gulp and without stopping to breath she'd noisily downed the entire glass. The day had been thirsty work. When she finished, she placed the glass on the bedside table. "Interrupting nothing important. Just idle small talk, and..." She looked back at Keep. The cat was drinking from Rosie's cup. If it weren't for knowing that cat was a stand user and, they'd gone through a lot to save its life, Odiel wouldn't have tolerated this otherwise. Rosie needed her health and the cat drinking from her glass might make her sick.

Watching Max look after Rosie, a small knowing smile crept onto her face. Her own relationship with Max was one of comrades. They both had the same patriotic pro-German ideals of honour.or what used to be the German ideal. Not anymore, and that's why they were both on the run. They were united by a shared predicament. If they were part of a large team of Nazis, the two of them wouldn't have become friends ordinarily. Max and Rosie, however, he cared for her as more than just a part of the squad to be kept alive. That was clear.

They were interrupted by a message from Dead Dreams. There was apparently an intruder. Odiel was already making her way to the door. She turned round when she was under the frame. "Damn that Insaleffe. If the Nazis had found us, there'd be more than one intruder. It's slightly more likely he's about to blow some innocent French farmer's head off. I'll go over there and investigate. Max, you stay here and keep Rosie safe just in case it *is* a Nazi scout or a diversion or something." she barked to a man who would have been technically her superior a mere day ago before charging downstairs with purpose.

Kloudy

Minako · Oct 3, 2021

Ro and Keep exchanged confused glances in disbelief... This truly was one of those times where the answer to her question (WHY?) actually led to MORE QUESTIONS!
Such as...

She wasn't their captive?

They brought her here for her safety?!

The Nightmare Nazi was going to let her go...?

And he knew all about Keep while doing so...?

Is this a dream?!

The tiny kitten had finished almost all of the water from the cup in the time it took the nightmare Nazi to leave and come back with, and Rosie couldn't believe this, warm milk!

But why? What could he possibly hope to gain from her when he was in perfect condition at the moment? Was he building up insurance that Ro would heal him when he needed it? He wasn't going to force her as the scary spy did?

Not that she didn't understand why the spy didn't exactly have time to ask pretty please and thank you, but even when she did save his life she was saddened his way of repaying her was to not care about her life when Ro was begging him to spare Odiel... Even if that was the norm for most people she healed and saved...

Ro was very grateful she didn't have to grieve Cornielle as she did Irene thanks entirely to this man, but a paranoid and scared part of her couldn't help but think maybe this was a trick of some sorts? He IS saying what some Nazi tricking Rosie into trusting them would say... Isn't he? Isn't this a little too good to be true? Since when did fortune ever favor her at all, let alone to this extreme?

Only one way to find out, Ro supposed...?

Rosie was too shy and too self-aware of her ugliness to smile at him (She definitely didn't want to make the man wretch!) but she was able to slightly smile at her cup while nodding and meekly picking up the glass of warm milk.

"O-oh, Th-thank you very much f-for going through the trouble, A-again. Y-you really didn't have to... A-and don't worry, I-I'm sure it's delicious," Rosie peeped, grabbing the cup with warm milk and began drinking, the little kitten finishing its water and, still hungry, meowing at her for some of her warm milk.

She almost didn't notice her kitten, however, because of the beautiful-yet-terrifying statue figure who took her last night came creaking through. The Statue-straight-out-of-the-Renaissance informed them of intruders, and Odiel's response made her even more worried for whoever might get hurt, innocent or not... It seemed as though the gorgeous beauty knew what to do, however, as she then suggested she leave to go investigate the intruder while Max stayed here to guard her--

Wait, WHAT?!

Odiel was suggesting Max STAY TO GUARD HER?!

Wasn't that the equivalent of leaving the fox to guard the bunny burrow?! Or the wolf to guard the lamb?! OR REALLY LEAVING ANY PREDATOR TO GUARD OBVIOUS PREY?!

Rosie nearly had a heart attack, but she didn't dare share her panic... Well, VERBALLY, at least... Physically she was tensing up for a moment, flinching and then freezing, and then weakly nodding.

She drank about 4/5 of the cup of milk and then shared the rest of it with her starving kitten, smiling and petting it as it drank the milk, which she was sure had filled its tummy more than the less-than-stellar water did.

Ro looked in thought as she waited for the Nightmare Nazi to respond to the beautiful german woman, thinking over her words carefully for if he did stay with her: She at least needed to explain to him the events that happened the night they "met" and why she couldn't stay here even if she wanted to...

Rosie had to be honest, but gently present the fact she was petrified of this man (which was why she ran from him that night), let him know how grateful she was he saved Cornielle, and not let him wise to the fact that the lack of safety in returning to the alleyways made her returning there even more appealing, not less...

Ferociousfeind · Oct 3, 2021

Angelica Giovanna ~ Small Talk

"Tch. Soooo dramatic," the Italian can hardly resist rolling her eyes, sighing, "You sound just like the Fuhrer, straight out of the telly, you know? 'You've never had to fight for the bigger picture', 'You corner your opponent's king at the cost of any piece'. This brutalistic nonsense will cost every side so many unnecessary lives. The Fuhrer justifies his heinous actions in that they are towards a brighter future for everyone! It doesn't get any 'bigger picture' than 'everyone'!" She shakes her head, tutting like a teacher to a student, "In your conquest to claim ultimate victory, you will create a monster no different from the one you sought to stop. What is the point of halting the German Empire if you resort to creating German Empire: British Edition?"

"I flew, walked, hitchhiked, and boated all the way out here from the heart of the cowardly Italian monster, to put a stop to the bully that is Nazi Germany, myself. You, in your cutthroat ways, are about to fire on not only a civilian, but a potential ally to your stupid, misguided cause." Angelica was very confident that if he did fire, her Stand could move to block the bullet in time. Otherwise, she would be working just a little harder to hold her tongue. But, honestly, if she could get him to fire, it would go a long way to prove her point, she thinks.

Kloudy

Assailant · Oct 5, 2021

Maximus Kuhn

Maximus was already moving towards the door, but Odiel beat him to it. As she spoke, he simply nodded wordlessly in response. He didn't really care about who gave the orders in any situation, and while many of his allies would balk at being commanded by a mere clerk, Maximus was happy as long as the situation was under control. So it was that he simply leaned against the wall in the room as Odiel left without a word. He was of the same opinion as her, though they didn't know it: he trusted William at this point not to betray him, but he didn't trust him as far as handling delicate situations with finesse and tact went.

Minako · Oct 5, 2021

Rosie waved goodbye to Odiel helplessly as she left... Ro was so nervous technically being left alone with this Nightmare Nazi (She didn't want to dismiss the presence of the boy in the bed next to her, but he WAS asleep...) that it took her a moment to get all her bearings in order. She cuddled her kitten to keep her from whimpering or shaking and Keep just kept staring at the Nightmare Nazi uneasily.

She had to tell him.

She had to tell him she needed to leave.

After a bit of thinking about how to word her request to leave as least offensive as possible, she finally was able to come up with an explanation.

"Uhm, I-I need to go back to the alleyways..." Rosie began muttering, now so nervous it was a good thing she was sitting down on a bed because she actually was becoming quite dizzy, taking a deep breath and continuing--

"--- A-ah, please, let me explain: I-it's not that I don't a-appreciate you and saving my dear Cornielle, b-but it's just... W-well... Th-the night we met, I had met Ace just minutes before you--"

(She said this, but quite honestly, Ro still wasn't sure exactly WHY her safety was a concern to this giant man, of all people... Did he really need a healer beside him 24/7 with constant insurance she'd heal him? Was that just something German soldiers were used to in combat????? Was he just super paranoid, or??????)

Rosie was trying her hardest not to tremble, but she wasn't particularly succeeding in her endeavor...

"A-a-and h-h-he told me... H-he told me that it was lucky he found me a-and not... Uhm..."

She trailed off for a moment to glance at him, and then quickly hung her head again, continuing, "N-not found by b-b-b-bad people... A-and... uhm... S-sure enough... Th-then y-you arrived... at the, uhm, h-hospital... A-and uhm... I realized th-that in healing the patients there I-I was causing rumors to pop up, wh-which is how A-ace found me to start, h-he said, a-and uhm... I-it's all my fault f-for b-being st-stupid a-and selfishly st-staying with them... S-so, y-you see, uhm... I-I have to make things right: I have to go back to the alleyways a-a-and make s-sure th-the rumors st-start THERE s-s-so my friends are alright..."

It wasn't that she was clinging to her borderline worthless life in being afraid of this man or desperately hoping he didn't kill her, She just didn't want to get killed by a Nazi (that would truly be spitting on her beloved Elias' grave) and she wanted to at least make sure that her friends were not on the Nazi radar...

Oh goodness, in all the chaos she hadn't realized that the only thing she'd gotten in her stomach these past few days was that piece of paper with the drawing Keep did of Gerard! She really should have eaten the breakfast the lady from before offered her...!

"A-ah, Pl-please f-forgive me, uh-uhm... Pl-please ignore that... uh-uhm--" She bumbled even more looking around quickly to try and change the subject, quickly pointed to the sleeping boy and added, "I-is he alright? I-I can heal him, i-if you want...?"

Assailant
And also

EmeraldSplash if he comes back ;~;

Assailant · Oct 6, 2021

Maximus Kuhn

Maximus sighed and shook his head. "I'd tell you not to be afraid of me, but it'd be a moot point. I know I'm scary, you don't have to worry about offending me." It wasn't a fact that made him happy, but it was a reality he'd come to accept. He was imposing enough just physically, not to mention his... affiliation. "No, you don't need to heal Hugo. He's... fine... I'm sure. Besides, you hardly need to tax yourself any further. You need your energy... speaking of, we should have food pretty soon." He had heard her stomach rumble, but he could tell she was self-conscious about it, so he avoided mentioning it directly. "As for your concerns about the hospital, don't bother. The administration had a direct line to Herr Dorn during the combat, so they already know about you. There's no hiding that. However, they also know you were 'abducted', and I'm sure they're aware you're not at the hospital. They may conduct a quick search at most, but that should be all. They'll be looking for you elsewhere. Your friends are safe, at least as much as anyone can be in this time."

Minako

"Stick me with the coma patient", the woman muttered angrily to herself. "My schedule isn't already full enough, you have to stick me with the lost causes."

Regine huffed as she began detaching the current IV bag and putting in a replacement.

"I swear to God, Rosie, fuck you for leaving us on such short notice like this, it better have been real important."

Great, she was talking to herself. Like things weren't already bad enough. First Rosie abandoned them on short notice, then Corneille almost got blown up, now this impossible patient was here. What was this dude's deal, anyway? He had no name, as far as they could tell, and his injury was... well, it was clearly blunt-force trauma and a mild concussion, but it didn't make sense. The bruise looked to be from something slim and narrow, like a fist or an elbow, but... she'd never heard of someone being one-shot into a coma, at least not without hitting anything else in the fall. Yet he had no additional bruises, and the one he did have was... impossibly shallow to have put him into a coma.

Somehow, I get the sinking feeling that little brat is involved in this.

"I don't understand how the hell you're unconscious," she said angrily aloud. "There's no reason for it! You should be awake."

She turned to look at the man laying in the bed.

"Oh... you're awake."

It seemed fate had cursed her once more, as in the midst of her angry rambling, she wasn't sure quite when, the patient had woken up. He was naturally a bit dazed, but surprisingly fine for coming out of a coma. Aaaaaaand she had once again exhibited her poor bedside manners.

Alright, nurse mode.

"Heeeeeeeeey... you... good to see you're alive and kicking. We weren't sure you'd make it for a bit there... I mean, uh, we always had it under control... actually your vitals were always remarkably normal..."

It was hard to switch modes on the dime, okay?!

She was about to say something more when she heard a bustle outside. She paused for a moment.

"Ah... sorry, let me just..."

She stepped out into the hallway which was suddenly filled with activity. Nurses rushed one way and doctors rushed the other. Above even the scuffle of feet, however, she heard something else: yelling.

"What is taking so long?!" A man screamed in a thick German accent.

"Sir!" She could barely make out the voice. It was yelling too, but its yell was simply trying to get above the noise, rather than a yell of anger. In fact, it almost sounded like the voice was trying to be as quiet as possible while still being heard. Regine was barely able to make out the owner of the voice. "I don't know what to tell you, just... give me more time, and maybe-"

"You are testing my patience, fraulein!" The man screamed. "Where is Rosalina Chandra?!" Regine cursed under her breath. Of course, it all came back to that pipsqueak. What in the hell was so important about her?! Sure, she could heal people, but is that really all?! Doctors can do that too... although not as efficiently...

"I'm sorry, sir!" Regine, having known Corneille so long, was just barely able to make out the slightest hint of fear in her voice as she responded to the screaming German. She maintained herself remarkably well despite that. "I'm... not finding any documentation that she worked here! Maybe her files are in the back somewhere, we could see-"

"She was just here the other day! You are either stupidly inept, or lying to me, and I cannot tell you which is worse!" Before Regine heard Corneille's response, Chantalle nearly slammed into her as she turned the corner into her room.

"Oh!" Chantalle panted out.

"Jesus, you almost put me in one of these beds!" Regine retorted. Chantalle was nearly doubled over panting.

"They've come for Rosie... everyone's running around like a headless chicken, no one's sure what to do!" Chantalle spoke through panted breath.

"Yeah no shit, I can see that. She's gone though, they won't find-"

"That's not all!" Chantalle regained her composure. "They're looking for another person... a nameless, blonde-haired young adult with a blunt-force head wound." Chantalle looked past Corneille at Liam. "What in the world do they want with y-"

"It doesn't matter," Regine immediately said and began to unhook his IV. "We need to get him out of here." Chantalle looked in shock.

"W-what?! Why?! Do you really want to defy them? Do you know what they might do to us if they find out?"

"Yeah." A sly grin stretched across Regine's face, though she couldn't help but sweat nervously. Her hands shook unbidden.

"Why?!"

Regine turned to face Chantalle. "Because fuck 'em, that's why." Chantalle's face blanched, but with tight lips, she set to work helping in unhooking Liam. In but a minute, he was unhooked from the equipment. He was still recovering from waking up from his coma, but he was given no time as Regine grabbed him and lifted him to his feet. "Now then, stranger: my cousin owns a dairy farm up northwest of here a couple of miles. It used to be occupied, until... well, you should be able to crash there for a bit is all I'm saying." She began to drag him to the window. "I don't know why on Earth the Nazis want you, but I'm more than happy to disappoint them. And since I just know somehow the pipsqueak is tied up in all of this, if you see Rosie, give her two middle-fingers for me, if you'd kindly." With that, before Liam even had time to adjust to his surroundings, Regine shoved him out the window. Thankfully it was only the first floor, so he was unharmed, but the window was promptly shut behind him and the blinds closed.

It was mere moments later when the Nazi walked into the room, Corneille nervously in tow behind. He looked around the room judgementally.

"The patient?" He said tersely.

"The room is unoccupied," Chantalle said quietly, doing her best to remain calm.

"Rosalina Chandra?" Regine did her best to give a convincing smile.

"Never heard of her."

Bowl of Sad

Minako · Oct 6, 2021

Ah, well, at least the Nightmare Nazi was self-aware enough to know he could make children cry and grown adults soil themselves (Rosie herself was surprised at the masterful control she had of her bladder at the moment!) because if not there couldn't be someone MORE in denial...

It wasn't just his size and demeanor, however... His words weren't too great, either...

She wasn't liking any of what he was telling her at all...

The administration?

Dorn?

Who on Earth was that?

It still sounded to Rosie like she should be extremely worried about her friends back at the Hospital...

"A-administration? Wh-what administration? D-dorn? Who's that? C-combat? Wh-what combat?? I-I'm afraid I don't understand at all..." Rosie accidentally blurted out all these questions in confusion, completely clueless, "A-are you sure? Because it doesn't r-r-really sound like it..."

She had enough self-preservation to not really doubt this giant man, but something inside her told her she had better double-check or she would really regret it...

She got up from the bed and examined the unconscious boy beside her... So, his name was Hugo, huh? She wondered what his story was...? If she remembered right (and it was entirely possible she didn't, her memory was as terrible as her looks) didn't Ace tell her this boy had confused her for someone named Esther? Who was Esther???

She examined him and, sure enough, on his shoulder was a dressed wound (it seemed to have dried blood splattered across some parts of the bandage)... It wasn't bleeding too bad if at all, but, Ro was sure this gash was going to leave a nasty scar if she and Keep didn't heal him.

"Oh... Uhm... H-he still has a bit of a wound on him... I-it'll scar up real bad if Keep and I don't heal it... A-are you sure I don't need to heal Hugo? I'm sure the dear w-wouldn't w-want a scar on his shoulder..." Rosie muttered, not daring to go against the terrifying man's words, but also she couldn't help herself whenever she saw a person in need of her and Keep's healing touch.

Was this man planning on getting into a fight soon or something?? Ro couldn't fathom why he cared about her taxing herself otherwise...

Bowl of Sad · Oct 6, 2021

Opening his eyes, Liam was instantly met by the bright, blinding fluorescent lights, along with the hustle and bustle of people around him, all having somewhere to be. He had no idea where he was or how he got there, but before even getting the chance to get his bearings, he heard someone talking to the side of him. Coma? Lost Cause? None of it was making sense, he barely remembered anything at the moment, the last thing he could remember was him on the rooftop fighting... The Nazis! Liam shot up straight remembering the fight, or at least up until he was knocked out by the damned Nazis, and apparently, judging by what the nurse had said, had put him in a coma. Liam watched as the nurse stepped outside of the hospital room, soon coming back with a second nurse in tow. They continued to talk about the situation the hospital is, some Germans looking for someone named Rosie, could it be the same person that he had just been looking for? Before he even had a chance to open his mouth, though, he was told of an old farmhouse outside of town that could be used as shelter, and was then promptly shoved out the bedside window, ending up with a rough landing just as a German officer entered his room, looking for him. Not the best bedside manners he's ever had, but he can manage.

As he's organizing all of the thoughts in his head, he creates a lemon on the ground, as it's most likely that the hospital will be surrounded by German guards all with his description, which is possibly the worst outcome he could've imagined, but he can mange that another time. First, he has to get back to the subway as at the very least, either Max or Adelaide will clear this mess up for him. Once the lemon is finished growing, Liam plucks it out of the ground and takes a bite out of it, giving himself the chance to sneak pass the guards and make a break for it. As he's running, he soon realizes that he doesn't have either his backpack or his necklace on his person. Somehow, this frightens him more than anything else in the last 15 minutes. Losing his necklace most likely means someone knows who he his and what he does. This could be devastating for his paper. I mean, how is he supposed to go undercover when people know who he is.

Regardless, his main goal is to figure out what he missed in the time he was out, and exact revenge on the Nazis in the suit that knocked him out. Ok, maybe not something that drastic, but he still needs to figure out at least what's going on and what to do about it, and going to the subway should be the first step to figuring it out.

AvidElmV2 · Oct 7, 2021

Rockefeller split from the group to do a few laps around the property. His Stand was hardly suited for scouting detail, but his Hamon more than made up for the fact. A globe of Crystal Dolphin dosed with Ripple energy returned every minute detail in the terrain beyond his sight. A normal man might have been overwhelmed. Admittedly, Rockefeller found himself staring, but it was awe that enraptured him. The beat of more than a dozen hearts moved through the brush, each holding a wick of celestial fire close to their chest. Rockefeller had the privilege to admire any angle of the scene from where he stood alone, but his experience was cut short when he realized he had ambled onto William's path. What a waste of time! Rockefeller imagined he had already combed through the forest several times over with that ridiculous Stand of his. He groused about the fact all the way to the edge of the forest. The Superman was probably still boiling water and the last thing he wanted to do was sit around, bored, until Hugo or the damsel woke up. He loitered outside of the farmhouse for awhile to kill time, telling himself he was just patrolling the perimeter. He naturally gravitated to the fence behind the property, staring past it at the cattle that remained on the land. They didn't seem much worse for wear without the family who owned the place around, but the presence of the new arrivals seemed to excite something in them. Rockefeller's approach especially brought the interest of the whole herd to his side of the farm. Rockefeller extended his hand out to stroke their hands, chuckling as sandpaper tongues rolled over his digits. "Lonely, were you?"

...Rockefeller came to when the chill finally seemed to reach his nose. He blinked the sun out of his eyes and groaned, rising from where he had been laying with one of the more touchy-feely cows. His slacks were wet through by dew and the cold was starting to be unbearable when he started to sneeze violently. "Ah, hell!" The man cried out, snorting back a back flow of mucus. All of this got the attention of the cow, who mooed for him as he sprinted back to the farmhouse.

Rockefeller groaned loudly as he threw open the door to Rosie and Hugo's room. It didn't surprise him at all to see Rosie hovering over the boy with a pouty look on her face. "No, no, no." He started towards Rosie's bed, bypassing her to get under the blankets she left behind. "If you're thinking of doing what I KNOW you're going to do, don't. Let him sleep it off, and if the first thing he says or does when he wakes up isn't absolutely stupid, I'll give him another dose of Hamon to take the edge off." The man sniffled and leaned into the mattress with a dreamy sigh. He was grateful to Rosie for having made the bed warm before him. "Will you be wanting this bed back any time soon?"

EmeraldSplash

Minako · Oct 7, 2021

OH WAIT HOLD ON THERE WERE TWO OF THEM!?

WHY WERE THERE TWO OF THEM?!

OH NO.

OH NO.

OH NO, NO, NO, NO, NO...

She barely remembered this second man as the other Nazi from the other night! Why was HE here, too?!

Rosie wasn't staying here another second in their presence!

Rosie began shaking even more when he had burst through the door, and just kept trembling harder (she was basically vibrating at this point) as he walked past her and took the bed she was laying on!

He could have it, for all Rosie cared: She wasn't staying with two Wolves who were going to devour her for dinner!

"N-no, i-its okay, y-y-y-you c-c-c-can have it...!" Rosie squeaked, slowly backing away towards the doorway, adding "I-I'll... I-I'll be in the l-living room... Yes... Th-the... L-l-living room..."

After she had backed away, kitten in her arms, of course, she basically turned into a full sprint towards the front door and OUT OF THIS HOUSE!

AvidElmV2

Assailant · Oct 7, 2021

Maximus Kuhn

Maximus shook his head. "It's a bit of a long story." He leaned back against the wall. "Atilla Dorn. We mentioned him briefly in the graveyard, but we didn't exactly have a lot of time to catch up on the details. He's the man who tried to abduct you that I helped rescue you from: a Stand User and real scum, among other things. Before we took him out, he was able to report back to the administration, that is to say the people running this occupation, about your abilities. He took a real interest in you: he was willing to sacrifice quite a lot of his force to get you out. Naturally, he failed, but I imagine that they'll keep looking for you. Then again, you're hardly unique in that regard: they're looking for all of us. Well... everyone except me."

Maximus looked down with a scowl at his uniform. "As far as they're aware, I'm still loyal. Dorn never saw me betray him, so he could never report it. Works for us... although I'm going to have to find a way to keep up my cover... that said, I'm sure your friends are-"

At that moment, Rockefeller rushed in. Believing him to be under attack, Maximus rushed to the doorway and looked into the hallway. After he realized what he was doing, however, he sighed and turned around, still standing in the doorway.

"If you were so cold, why didn't you just get a fire sta-"

At that moment, Rosie sprinted into him. Thanks to her diminutive stature, he was barely moved by her hitting him, although she was knocked directly to the floor. Maximus reached out a hand to help her up.

"Are you alright, what was that about?"

Minako · Oct 8, 2021

"Ooomph!!" Rosie cried as she ran smack into the Nightmare Nazi.

Gosh, it was like bumping into a gosh darn freight train...!

"Ouch! My nose!" Rosie peeped as she had crashed into this behemoth of a man.

Ro vigorously rubbed her nose as she recovered from being knocked down to the floor. It hurt quite a bit, but thankfully it wasn't bleeding too much or anything. Her glasses, on the other hand, had fallen off when she had bumped into the giant man.

"H-huh?" She squeaked as she looked up after picking up and putting her glasses back on her face, and saw this man shockingly extending a hand to help her up!

She was too frightened to refuse him but she was also too terrified to actually take his hand... It did, however, surprise her someone like him would WANT to touch someone as disgusting as her... She caught herself from gaping at him for longer than a few moments, thankfully.

"Ah, n-no, I'm fine, thank you... S-sorry... I-it was n-nothing...." Rosie, still covering her nose, scooted away from him, yet again not daring to make eye contact.

She did get up (by herself), but only to hide on the other side of Hugo's bed, crouching and trying not to hyperventilate too bad in hopes she wouldn't get the attention of either terrifying man. It would seem she was either going to have to pick between hyperventilating and crying... Keep tried to comfort her and offered her a bandage to wipe the blood from her nose and the kitten licked the tears beginning to drip from her eyes. Rosie smiled weakly at both her companions and nuzzled her kitten.

As she was huddling on the floor behind the bed, she let herself be distracted from her fear by digesting everything the Nightmare Nazi told her: She shuddered thinking that this Dorn person "took an interest in her"... That was unsettling as all get out... Oh, dear... Looks like they all knew about her then... This was bad... This was very bad...

She definitely needed to sneak out while both of them were asleep or something and get back to the hospital... She was extremely worried about her friends there...

At least she felt somewhat better about this behemoth of a man, he didn't seem happy about being a Nazi if she wasn't mistaken? B-but... But if that was true... Why was he still donning their terrible uniform? Surely, he was just saying what any normally intelligent Nazi would say to keep Rosie healing him and beside him without torturing her to heal him, right?

And what of the one-armed man??? The first moment she met him he was also in a ragged version of that wretched uniform as well and now he dons a perfectly yellow attire as if he hadn't worn what he did the night they met?

What exactly was going on here?!

This was getting beyond bizarre...

AvidElmV2

EmeraldSplash

AvidElmV2 · Oct 12, 2021

From his supine position on the mattress, Rockefeller turned his nose up at Maximus, bemused. "Why, when there are beds and blankets just inside?" He spared a chuckle at the ridiculous notion, punctuating his statement by wrapping another layer around himself. Under the already heavy mess of blankets, with only the eyes in his head visible to the world, Rockefeller probably looked ridiculous but felt the exact opposite. He heard his voice as a powerful presence in the room, perhaps not helped by the echo chamber the blankets created around his ears. His voice was horribly muffled for everyone save himself. "I've played spartan long enough. I'm going to enjoy myself now." With that said, Rockefeller settled completely into his spot and closed his eyes. Despite adopting a more restful appearance, he kept talking, nodding his head accurately in Rosie's direction. "If you want to look after someone, you need look no further than the damsel. She's having another breakdown. Though, with her track record, I doubt she will be cooperative." With that said, Rockefeller opened an eye in Max's direction to gauge his reaction. "I think you know where this is going." He rolled over on the mattress to make eye contact with Rosie, his sky-blue eyes smoldering behind the blankets.

"It's time you reevaluate your place here. I daresay it's past that time, given how little you've contributed to... Whatever this is, from the start. As you've heard from the Superman, you're being sought after by the Nazi regime, same as most of us. We've taken that in stride, but you didn't make the same kind of decision. From here on out, you'll really be no safer with us than if you left this place and went back to Locronan. I don't need a divination to see strife in our shared future. There can be a group decision or you can decide right away, but a choice must be made. Will you stay or go?"