Fandom Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5.5: Speedwagon's Losers

[Squad141]

SANTA BARBERA, CALIFORNIA - 11:10 AM​

The long strips of light flickered as the hallways of the white building lit up, and the interior was revealed to anyone in the previous darkness. The walls were pristine, but not crystal-clear. There were some subtle signs of people, some scratch, a smudge here or two, but overall, a generally well-kept office space. The issue was not the state of the office, but the direct lack of workers in said office space. If one were to walk through the building and descend as they strode, letting the number of windows and amount of sunlight slowly decrease along their journey, they would find five hallways that converge into a single room, one that seems to be one of the most generic rooms you could ever imagine.

A large wooden oval table took centerpiece in the room, with a small decoration with some cold store-bought pastries as pleasantries. Eight semi-comfortable swivel chairs sat around this table, three on each side, and one heading and backing each end, clearly set for the leaders of any discussion that would take place here. On the far wall was a whiteboard and some black erasable markers, as well as a rolled up projection screen rarely used and covered with a thin layer of dust. The carpet was a nasty shade of orange, but one not so bad people couldn't look at it. After all, this was a meeting room. Business was done here, though today, normal business was thrown out the first story of the building.

The five members that had been chosen or volunteered to join the Wildcard Initiative were sent or given a small postage card. All it had on it was a date, a time, and a location. When they arrived at the corporation building, they were directed down this labyrinth of a path, with many chances to get lost among the strange décor and off-putting labs and investigation rooms. But eventually, each of these stained characters would find their way into one of the five hallways leading to the room with eight chairs, five for each of them, and three purposefully left empty. There was only one more instruction given to them by the secretary before they began their descent, which was re-stated on a small card propped up on the well-kept oval meeting table.

PLEASE TAKE A SEAT AND AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF FELLOW PERSONNEL.​

 

[Lazaro1505]

Why what am I doing here in the first place..... is one of many thoughts that were going through the mind of Abelgard Müller...... but all of these thoughts just led to only one true answer, which was that strange letter he received some time ago... which led him to going to this building in Santa Barbera, true reasoning behind it was unknown, but it didn’t help clear his mind that this could be a form of blackmail, or some kind of trap left for him, but why choose him in the first place if it’s the latter.

“Get it together Abel.... standing around doing nothing won’t solve anything, plus, I still have my gun along with my secret weapon in case things go very badly......” as he slowly made his way down the rooms and labs, passing several pieces of Decor, as he remembered the instruction given to him by the Secretary before being lead to this strange maze of labs, decor, and rooms that would even out the police station back at home in shame. But he did occasionally pat his front left pocket, which contained the concealed firearm inside, at least it made him a bit safer being here. But eventually, he managed to find a hallway, that lead to an actual normal room, with a table in the middle of it along with eight chairs, and the table also had some decoration along with Pastries on it.

Ok, so this crosses both theories he had thought of already...... maybe this is some sort of job, but why him...? He was just some corrupt Police Sergeant in a different state.... what use do they have of someone from a different place, after all, he couldn’t do anything here, not even flashing a badge won’t work since he is not if this state.... there must be a real reason to this meeting. But Abelgard just walked forward, still suspicious of everything here, making his way to the nearest seat, before pulling the chair back and sitting on it, as he awaited the arrival of the so called ‘Personel’... taking out a small box along with a silver flip lighter from one of his front right pockets, first opening the box and taking out a Cigar. He then flipped the Lighter open, and brought the small flame to the tip of the Cigar, lifting it aflame, before closing the lighter and putting it back into the same pocket along with the box.

Taking in a deep breath with the small smoking stick, he then put it away from his mouth as he breathed out a cloud of smoke... before saying to himself “How long is this gonna take..... because I’m pretty sure I’m the only early bird here....” as he stayed within his seat, but he occasionally glanced around him for any newcomers, friend or foe, waiting for what would happen next.

 

[boo.]

As Pili approached the warehouse-like building, she felt an immediate urge to turn back. Her fist closed around the crumpled paper in her jacket pocket as she looked upward, wondering if, once inside, she would be going up or down. Or just forward? She hesitated for another moment, then screwed up her nose in determination. If she didn't go now, she never would. This was what she wanted, right? She could trust the Speedwagon Foundation. Jogging up a few stone steps, Pili reached the double glass doors and pushed one open, surprised that the interior seemed almost abandoned. There were no signs of ancient wear or decay, but it was deafeningly quiet, and there were no artificial lights on. Instead, the only things that allowed her to see were the windows plastered along the outer walls.

Pili was actually about forty-five minutes early, but time ticked quickly as she poked around the building. She had absolutely no idea where she was headed, and couldn't resist the urge to thrust her head inside every doorway and opening she came across. As soon as she realized there was really only one hallway left for her to explore, the lights overhead flickered on. Pili shrunk against the wall, her heart beating out of her chest. Her hand crept over her shoulder to brush against the handle of something long and heavy strapped to her back, but she realized that the lights probably meant it was time for whatever was going to happen... to start.

The final hallway Pili had been funneled into opened into a minimalist meeting room. She squinted her eyes as the harsh glare of a fading orange carpet struck her eyes, but as she took in the scene, she realized she wasn't alone. There was a man, an older man, sitting on one side of the oval table, his head surrounded by a cloud of cigar smoke. The fact that he was already relaxed didn't calm Pili's nerves, but she realized he was probably here for the same reason she was. But really? He could easily be her dad.

Keeping one eye on the man and another on the tray of pastries in the center of the table, Pili pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the table. Noting the man's strange-looking clothes, she was suddenly self-aware of her rather casual clothing. She hadn't exactly packed a lot for this trip; the overalls she wore now were pretty much all she had in terms of clothing. Should she have brought something more formal?

Sitting back with a sledgehammer on your back is not the most comfortable position, so Pili leaned the heavy tool against the table and slouched back, her red cap casting a shadow over her eyes. The silence was now unbearable, but she didn't exactly feel like striking up a conversation with the older man.

 

[PlusUltra]

Noodle Corozzo
Tags: (Open)
Location: Speedwagon Office, Santa Barbera

The muffled thud of heels could be heard reverberating down the hallway as Noodle makes her approach towards the designated meeting spot, a fur-lined coat swaying along with her walk her attire standing out for a few reasons, not the least given the warm Californian weather appearing to have little effect on such. A similarly styled messenger bag is hooked over her shoulder with several gleaming silver pins and a manicured hand keeping it in place as they travel, their mirrored sunglasses reflecting the scene before them as well as the illuminated face of a phone before its stowed within their coat.

The strangeness of the request did not seem to show any nervousness upon her features as she eventually rounds out from the maze to the meeting room, she had been to all manner of bizarre locations as part of her role, from swanky hotels to run-down hovels as she observed or handled her packages. Still given the renown of the Speedwagon foundation she had expected something a little more extravagant, though if there was a disappointment it was concealed behind a subtle smile as she glances within the room just as the final minutes to the deadline were ticking away. Without much ceremony or introduction, she sways in, fingers dancing across the refreshments as she paces to pick one between two fingers and sitting down with a soft thump and roll to the seats.

Glancing between those present already there appeared to be an uneasy silence between the two as the younger was staring as if on edge, a stark contrast to the casual demeanor she carried herself with. Still, she had yet to voice up so resigned to simply keeping a bemused look between small bites of her treat and other hands having seemingly extracted a fountain pen and spinning the item between her fingers and palm as it clicks against her rings.

 

[Gravitational Force]

Isaac's shoes made very little sound on the floor as he walked into the building. He naturally had a light step and his favorite footwear padded that even further. One would have thought that with his potential for generating cash that Isaac would be wearing custom loafers or some other form of fancy footwear, with equally expensive clothing, but Isaac's personality ran the other way. Isaac was not one to spend money where he could save it, especially when comfortable, long-lasting clothing was so much cheaper. And in his case his employment by the Mafia had allowed him to build up quite a wardrobe of variations on his favorite outfits that had 'fallen off a truck.' Besides, Isaac would rather not stand out as someone with a lot of money, that was risky and drew too much attention. Placing Born in the U.S.A. next to his chair (Isaac had summoned his Stand before going anywhere he could have been seen in the building to ensure nobody who didn't already know would know it was his Stand), Isaac sized up those who had arrived before him.

From what Isaac could see those currently in the room were a disheveled thug polluting the room with cigar smoke and two young women, one of them dressed very well. The older of the two women looked like she was the best target if Isaac needed valuables in a hurry. Her pen wasn't a Stand, but based on how she was sitting it was likely she'd still be able to respond with it if anything went down. And the younger woman had a sledgehammer sitting next to her. Narrowing his eyes, Isaac guessed that that must be her Stand. It was too big to fit in Born in the U.S.A. so he'd need to figure out another way to deal with it if they ended up fighting. That just left the thug. Isaac couldn't guess at what his Stand was, but he'd bet it was mainly based on dealing physical damage. Unless the man was incredibly good at putting up a false front Isaac could probably bribe him if necessary. Still, hopefully nothing would go wrong and Isaac could serve his term on this team and go back to living well.

Spotting the as of yet untouched doughnuts on the table, Isaac pulled the box closer to him and grabbed the only two Boston Creme Donuts. They were his favorite type of donut and even if they weren't fresh there was no way he was letting anyone else have them. Once he finished with them he'd go for the ones with icing and then the glazed donuts. Isaac's hunger was one of the few things he'd overspend on, although his tendency to buy in bulk and quick metabolism meant his voracious appetite didn't hurt his figure or bank account too much. Biting into the creme center of the donut with gusto, Isaac quickly polished it off and wiped his hand on a napkin before turning his attention to the other one. Right now he just needed to wait and see what happened. There was no cost in it and it would be profitable to know more about the others here.

 

[Roxasarass]

Haruka Mizusawa - The Magician
_

Haruka kept glancing down to the paper in his hand and back up to the building in front of him. Was this really the place? He had been expecting something with much more grandeur. Surely an organisation such as the Speedwagon Foundation could afford to liven up the place a little, no? Perhaps this was to cover up whatever it is they were really doing. That would explain it. He folds the paper in two and slips it into one of his pockets before entering the premises. The interior was about as mundane as exterior.

Soon enough he was strolling through the almost maze-like sets of halls. The urge to explore the building was strong but he knew better, his watch told him he only had a few minutes left before it would start. He found it suspicious that there was hardly any souls around. If this turned out to be another false lead, he would be disappointed. He's had enough of shady meetups. There had been a time he even stumbled upon a cult meeting. He didn't want another repeat.

In his endeavor to know more about stands however, he was willing to do almost anything. Sending a mysterious envelope his way seemed elaborate so he holds high hopes for this.

A hallway or two later and he stumbles upon the meeting room. Haruka adjusts his clothes before entering. Having a single arm meant that jackets had a tendency to slip off at one end. Other than the green jacket, he wore a white tee and jeans. Deeming himself neat enough the magician reaches for the handle and waltzes in.

Much like the pastries, the group of people in the room was diverse. An older man who smoked, a woman with a cool pen, a younger woman with a sledgehammer at her side, a dude with a briefcase, and a Japanese magician. He's never seen a group that looked as mis-matched as this.

He quickly surveys the pastries, hovering his hand over each as he chose. Haruka settles for a donut with pink icing before pulling a seat out and sitting down. He chomps down onto the donut and finishes it in just two bites.

 

[Squad141]

A few minutes after all five participants entered the meeting room, the metaphorical clock struck 11:10 A.M, and the event that had brought them each here began.

Out of one of the five hallways, walked three men. Two of them took two of the remaining seats, while the third walked around the table, not making eye-contact with any of the oblivious people before him. Circling around, he took the cigar from Abel's mouth and crushed it in his hand, pointing to a small sign behind the previously-smoking man that read, 'No Smoking'. The two that had sat down seemed to be higher in the ranks of the Foundation. One was a large amount of white, which covered his pants, jacket/coat, and small hat that had some strange symbols and a golden hand engraved onto the front. The man sitting next to him was a bit older, and wore a golden suit, with a black tie, black pants, black gloves, black socks, black shoes, and a white shirt.

"Well, I'm glad you all made it here on time."

The third man was dressed in clothes that seemed a bit more casual. He wore a white collard shirt with a strange patterned sweater over it, despite the heat of the outdoors. The design consisted of various large diamond-shapes, varying in color from blue, red, and yellow, all with a gold border. He wore solid-blue pants, though if they were athletic or not, was a mystery to everyone besides himself. On his feet were two laceless flat shoes, with the front-ends being blue, and the back yellow. The most eye-catching thing about him, though, was his hair. It was ginger, and very bright, as well as long and smooth, though pulled into a low ponytail behind his head.

The man stood at the front of the meeting table as he spoke.

"Whether or not you are aware of why you are here, settle with that fact that you made it. You were either volunteered, chosen, or volunteered by a superior to be a part of the Wildcard Initiative, sponsored and itemized by the Speedwagon Foundation. This Initiative is a test-run for a field agent group made entirely of Stand Users, all of which are you, obviously. Today, we see if you are truly fit for the job."

A small portion of the wall next to the whiteboard quickly slid into itself, revealing a small passageway previously hidden from the User's eyes.

"But before we begin out first (and most likely only) practical exam, it's best that we get introductions out of the way. My name is Trumpe Pagliacci, though you may refer to me as my surname," he said, motioning to himself.

Pointing towards his two companions, he continued, "The man in white is Jotaro Kujo, one of the most experienced members of this organization, and head of our profiling and investigation department. The man next to him is my superior and manager, Canastro Euchre, one of the oldest members the Foundation has. I suggest you introduce yourselves to each other as well, because you may be spending quite some time together."

With that, Pagliacci began walking into the new passageway, while the other two older men exited the meeting room through the way they came, leaving the five to their new task.

Lazaro1505 boo. PlusUltra Gravitational Force Roxasarass ​

 

[Lazaro1505]

After some time spent sitting about... or just a few minutes later.... a door opened to reveal a female.... a surprisingly young, maybe someone who was starting their adult life.... enter the room with some sort of sledgehammer like weapon. Saying nothing as the lassie went ahead and sit down on one of the nearby chairs, leaning the hammer against the table, is when he begin to think what is the reason of even being here.... were they also in the same situation as him, were they also being hired by whoever was in charged of this building....? But why need a sledgehammer in the first place, a normal gun could solve any problem.

The gears currently spinning in his head stopped as yet, another figure, again.... female, but older.... walked into the with a pen in her hand, sitting down as well. Abel said nothing as he continued smoking his cigar, since it will probably be explained soon in this meeting..... a man with a suitcase and a pretty normal looking also came in, with the former being first. For the suitcase wielder..... his choice of clothing reminded him of a mafia like organization.... but that was back at home and Abel was sure this man didn’t even know of it, along with the fact that it was just a small one that was stopped a few years ago.... but the normal looking lad..... he didn’t seem out of the ordinary, but considering the choices for clothing in this room... everyone was different in a way.

Before show time struck, as 11:10 AM finally arrived, and what came were three people with different styles of clothing, two of which sat down and one walked around the table, not making any eye contact with any of them in the process. Before he took the Cigar from Abel’s mouth, and crushed it, before pointing at a sign behind him revealing the words ‘No Smoking’.... to which he only raised a brow in the entire process as he didn’t even know of the sign’s existence before this. Welp, at least he had a good run with that Cigar, before focusing his attention on the meeting here.

Eventually, one of the members here went here, and spoke about the purpose of this meeting, along with some more questionable stuff such as ‘stand Users’ ..... which is probably the reason why they all are here, but Abel may have a clue of what it actually is. The man also said things along the line of this being some sort of test run for the ‘Wildcard Initiative’ of the SpeedWagon foundation, some weird name he may recall hearing. But then, the man finally revealed his and the others names, speaking about how the five currently present should speak to each other about themselves, and just like that, the three left the room, leaving him and the four others here.

While Abelgard was having some second thoughts about this, he can easily handle himself out on the field if something goes wrong, but might as well get the introductions out of there way first. “The name is Abelgard Müller...... I am currently 43 years old and currently a Police Sergeant where I come from, to which I been there for 23 years.” Abel said, his voice not only having a light German accent, but was quite rough as well, as he stopped for a bit, before continuing. “I don’t know anything about this so called ‘Stands’ and such..... since I’m not well cultured about it, other than the name I’m just recently found out about.... but I’m pretty sure it’s relating to this....” as the man stopped..... before a bulky robotic like figure materialize from out of thin air, it’s right arm placed onto the left should of Abelgard. If anyone were to look at it’s left, instead of a arm however, it would reveal a rather large gun like weapon with a single barrel, with what it currently fires a question to be hold for a later time.

Abelgard only waited a bit longer, making sure his ‘stand’ didn’t reveal itself in a aggressive or threatening manner to the others.... but he was not sure if it was working or not, but the man just waited, tapping his fingers from his right hand on the table, waiting for the four to introduce themselves.

boo. PlusUltra Gravitational Force Roxasarass Squad141

 

[boo.]

After Pili's arrival, the room seemed to fill up quickly. In total, there were four others - a confident-looking woman, probably just a year or two older than herself, and two other men, one with a briefcase, and the other sporting a sort of suave aura. Then there was the older man from earlier, but his gaze showed little interest in the others. Or, perhaps he just had a really good poker face. Pili, on the other hand, didn't bother trying to hide her own stares. This was an odd bunch, and they were all here for the same reason, apparently. What exactly did the Speedwagon Foundation have in mind? She felt like she didn't really know the whole picture, and she hated being left in the dark.

After the pastry box had been substantially emptied, much to Pili's dismay, three official-looking men entered the room precisely at the stroke of 11:10. Pili watched with wide eyes as the fire-haired man began to speak about the Foundation and the Wildcard Initiative. As the man explained, Pili's theories and questions began to find their answers, although these were soon replaced by more mysteries. Who really were these men? Jotaro -- Pili was sure she had heard that name before, perhaps from one of her father's stories. What sort of agents were they going to be, assuming they passed the "practical exam", and for what reason? Despite the uncertainties surrounding the situation, Pili found herself shivering with excitement.

"I suggest you introduce yourselves to each other as well, because you may be spending quite some time together."

Pagliacci's suggestion made Pili look around the room once more. She would be working with them? Like, a team? As the three men exited the room, the older man who had been here before Pili spoke up with a slight German accent. He introduced himself as Abelgard Müller, a man who had been a police officer longer than Pili had been alive. He really was old. Before she could continue to judge him, however, a shimmering form materialized behind him -- a Stand! The sight of the massive robotic spirit was almost enough to make Pili jealous. Her Stand didn't manifest in that sort of manner. Sledgehammer was more... sledgehammer-y.

"Pili Morcos." Deciding it was her turn next, Pili leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on the table. "Ehh... Nineteen. Work in my baba's garage. Does it have a name?" Pili interrupted her own introduction and instead directed her question toward Müller -- that Stand was far more interesting than anything she could say about herself. Although English was not her first language, she felt confident enough expressing her thoughts without hesitation, so she spoke quickly in a singsong Arabic accent.

"I've got one too." She stretched out a hand and poked the metal head of Sledgehammer. "But not so great as that one. You all have Stands?" Pili looked around, stopping her gaze at the other woman. She was the most fascinating figure in the room -- to Pili, it seemed like she carried herself with complete confidence, something she admired.

Squad141 Lazaro1505 PlusUltra Gravitational Force Roxasarass​

 

[PlusUltra]

Noodle Corozzo
Tags: boo. Squad141 Lazaro1505 Gravitational Force Roxasarass (Open)
Location: Speedwagon Office, Santa Barbera

One by one the rest filter in, the pen continuing to spin, stop and restart again as the time ticks by emitting a soft click each time. The relative silence would be broken however as their hosts finally arrived through the door to begin their business pitch on the entire arrangement. A small bemused smile crossed her features at the mention of the speaker's name, well it did answer the question of who this clown was in more ways than one, especially with the revealing of a hidden tunnel simply to use such to leave the scene.

This entire arrangement did raise the question of trust, Stand users themselves were notoriously unpredictable at times, so gathering them together could be seen by some as a volatile situation, perhaps that was why he was so quick to leave?. In either case, he seemed to want those gathered to get familiar with each other, however, he did not state exactly what an introduction to entail so that did give them leeway on how much to share and still be viewed as 'cooperative'. But before she did it was best to let the others set the tone first, it would give her the option of going against or with the flow of the conversations. Pulling a pad out she begins to idly move her pen across its surface in a mismatch of scribbles and shapes while fingers dance between movements while listening to the room's occupants.

The first was an older german officer with a militaristic stand, though given the nature of his profession she would idly wonder just how ethically flexible he was to the responsibilities of the role. As for his stands abilities, it would be best not to assume too much but the gun did seem to imply some range unless it was just for show. The next was a young Arabian mechanic who was seemed lost in regard to the entire stand situation.

Nodding slightly at the final question of Pili she finally speaks up herself in a smooth tone, baring a cool aloofness "Hmmm, well our informative clown did mention all here held such manifestations. As for myself?" placing a free hand to her chest and closing her eyes with a smile "Corozzo, Noodle Corozzo with twenty-one to the name, a great deal of them serving the logistical needs of a respectable organization as well as the occasion freelance task or two." lifting the pen she goes to clip it to her shirts lower lace and pulls down slightly for a moment before circling a finger on the paper. After a moment she taps and raises a finger as a what appears to be a technicolored version of herself appears in front of them, though seemingly lacking her fashion and semi-fluid with the colors shifting constantly "As for the stand portion? This would be my lovely assistant, I suppose you could call them Miss Feel Good if you want" the corner of her lips raising upwards slightly as her smile increases.

 

[Gravitational Force]

Isaac didn't feel like it was worth smiling. There was too much tension in the room and too many unknowns for it to be worth expending the effort to be social beyond the bare minimum. The other donuts with icing and glazed donuts were quickly consumed, leaving only the jelly-filled ones Isaac despised. If anyone complained about him eating the others he'd just pretend he didn't see the problem and they'd look unreasonable for making a big deal out of it. Some things just didn't deserve time and effort spent on them when there were more important things going on. Unfortunately the current meeting seemed not to be worth what Isaac had been forced to invest in it.

Still, the fact that the filthy ruffian's cigar had been extinguished was a plus. Isaac wasn't about to risk his own safety demanding he stop smoking, better to let someone else be the focus of his ire. Mr. Muller not seeming to take much offense to that along with the treasure trove of information he was giving on himself forced Isaac to throw out the current profile he'd compiled and evaluate him in light of what he currently knew about him. Which wasn't much. The man was clearly lacking in basic knowledge on Stands. And basic common sense given the fact he was showing his off. Combat Stands were like assholes: you only brought them out around people you trusted or when shit was about to go down. Isaac allowed himself a small smile for remembering the saying he'd coined. He'd first said it to an assassin that had come close to taking him out with a Stand he'd repeatedly showed off with. The joke had made the man laugh uncontrollably for a few seconds, which broke his concentration long enough for Isaac to brain him with Born in the U.S.A. People underestimated the damage a heavy metal briefcase could do in the hands of someone who could swing it as if it were weightless.

Then there was the young woman with the Stand that looked like a sledgehammer. It was likely it had some physical effect, but you never could tell with Stands. The accent appeared to be genuine, there were subtle differences when pronouncing certain syllables that could be picked up otherwise. Isaac was shit at learning new languages, but he'd picked up quite a bit during his time with the Mafia. She seemed to be a greenhorn when it came to being around others, although that didn't mean she was a rookie when it came to her Stand. And even if she was new to her power she was still dangerous. Unknown variables always were. As the Lorenz system proved a physical system could be completely deterministic but still be inherently unpredictable due to the lack of perfect knowledge. A spray of blood, a stone in the right place at the right time (or wrong place at the wrong time depending on the point of view), a fly being in a photograph, sandwich bags getting mixed up, an ambulance not being able to stop, the biggest changes could result from the smallest things.

Noodle seemed too confident, especially given her age. Isaac saw no hypocrisy in thinking that despite him being only 4 years older than her. After all she didn't know anyone here but she was willingly going along with revealing information for no practical reason. Still, there was no telling what she was capable of. It wasn't like the eccentric and foolish couldn't be dangerous, his time among the Stand users in the Mafia had taught him that. Still, no reason to give more than his name and the obvious.

Isaac looked back at the group as they looked at him. "My name is Isaac. And yes, I am a Stand user." He let the silence after he spoke linger for a second before turning back to looking at the group, indicating that was all they were going to get out of him.

Isaac then realized he recognized the name Jotaro Kujo. What was a marine biologist doing here?

 

[Roxasarass]

Haruka Mizusawa - The Magician
_

So this building was hiding something. How amazing! He knew they had to have to something secretive of some sort! Oh, he hit the jackpot with this! It sounded like they had actual information regarding stands. That meant his long search might finally be over. Of course, there is the added fact that he'll be apart of this whole Wildcard Initiative for the remainder of who knows when buuuuut... he is A-OK with that! Certainly isn't the first time he's dealt with something card related. In fact, he keeps a deck of playing cards on him at all times just in case. Magic showbiz and all that sweet jazz.

If he is going to be working with the Speedwagon Foundation for the meantime though... he'll have to cancel his future his shows. What a shame, what a shame. He was looking forward to going to France. It cannot be helped. His pursuit for knowledge is too strong to deny now! Perhaps he'll research about vampires next. He recalls a story about one with a stand he'd heard when he was in Cairo. That was a while back.

Still, excitement aside, being field agents seemed a little dangerous. Not that that's anything new. The clothing choice of these foundation higher ups sure are strange though. Are they all like that? To hear a fellow Japanese person was one of their most experienced members was a little comforting. Judging via height and looks though, perhaps this Kujo fellow wasn't completely Japanese.

Nothing wrong with that though, of course. He's stunned at their height difference is all. Must be nice being so tall... Ahem. Now, he should be paying attention to the introductions of his fellow stand users.

First off the list is the smoking middle-aged man and woah... that was a stand? That looked like a robot you'd see in a film! Tall, intimidating... his opposite. Why must almost everyone be so tall? Next was the one with the sledgehammer. So the sledgehammer was the stand. He wonders what would happen if somebody who wasn't her picked it up. Next up is the girl with the cool pen tricks. She seems like the confident type. Interesting stand. And the very next one was the man with a suitcase. Very short introduction. Hmm. Time for a little added pizzazz in his own intro.

And without further ado... "I'm Haruka Mizusawa and I make a living as a travelling magician escaping from lots of different things. Like drowning. I also do regular magic. Like this," a playing card seemingly materializes in his hand, "Or this." A wave and it changes to a different card. Simple trick but always cool. "Anyways... I've got a stand too and named it King Krule. Pleasure to meet you all." Haruka speaks English fluently though his accent is noticeable. He bows to end his introduction.

 

[Squad141]

As the introductions of varying caliber came to a close, a weighted and incredibly awkward silence passed over the meeting room, before being broken by Pagliacci appearing in the secret passageway once more.

"If you're finished, please follow me to the exam room. This is where you'll find out if we can accept you as part of the initiative or not," said the bright-haired man, turning once more and walking away from the table. There didn't seem to be very many other options, so the group of distinguished Stand users followed Pagliacci into the brighter area originally hidden from their sight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -​

The 'exam' room was about as much of a standard test environment as ice cream was to melt in a freezer. It was a large, open space that obviously planned during the construction of the new Speedwagon Headquarters, and most likely the reason that the group had to descend so many floors to find the meeting room. Four white paneled walls enclosed the room, with a small black-and-white checkered pattern trimming the bottom of the panels. The floor was linoleum, similar to an office space or gymnasium. On the far left wall was a long, silver mirror that reflected the room entirely. On the left, a similarly long table, which was covered in weapons. To be precise, there were pistols, throwing knives, three swords, four grenades, a hammer, a bow with six arrows, a hatchet, and some gasoline and lighter.

Pagliacci stood at the end of the room, his arms no longer behind him in a formal manner. He was rolling up the two-layered sleeves he wore as he began talking.

"For your practical exam, you will be battling, as a group, against me. You obviously won't have to kill me, but injuring me in any major manner will be the endgame. You will have fifteen minutes, and keep in mind, if one of you fails, you all do. Now, here's a tip from me to you," Pagliacci said, glancing at the mirror to his left.

"When you know you are up against a Stand User, you absolutely must figure out what it's ability is before you attempt to defeat the user. It gives you an advantage, and allows you to properly strategize against opponents. For this exam, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and five you a hint about my Stand."

"It's name is
「Bower Best」
and it's ability involves gravity."​

"Remember, fifteen minutes. You pass or you fail, there is no in between." Pulling out a stopwatch, Pagliacci clicked the START button with his thumb, and a beeping noise signified the beginning of the first official battle of the Wildcard Initiative.

boo. Lazaro1505 Roxasarass PlusUltra Gravitational Force ​

 

[boo.]

Names were passed around, although Pili could only hope to keep them straight. She had never been good with introductions, especially when it came to remembering the details about them. But since the situation surrounding this meeting was so unique, Pili found that she couldn't stop repeating the others' names in her mind. Müller, Noodle, Isaac, Haruka. There were Stands too, but she didn't have names for all of those yet. However, she was glad to see that she and her father hadn't been the only ones to gives these "spirits" names. It just seemed fitting.

Pagliacci appeared once more and led the way to the exam room, which was a much wider space, although the harsh, bleak lighting still stung Pili's eyes. She could feel herself tensing up when she saw the weaponry splayed out along the wall; they were just going to get right into it, weren't they? Shouldering Sledgehammer, Pili crossed one foot nonchalantly over the other and listened as Pagliacci explained the exam; they had fifteen minutes to injure the man, although if one of them was taken out, they would all fail the exam. From this detail, Pili realized that the Speedwagon Foundation really did want a team; one person slipping up would take them all out of consideration.

Bower Best... Gravity... Although Pili repeated these words to herself, they seemed to carry no meaning. They were just words, just a title for the first Stand battle she would ever have. A rush of adrenaline pulsed through her veins, and she hopped from one foot to another. The others hadn't moved yet, which Pili took as an invitation. No one could deflect Sledgehammer's smash; it was as impossible as trying not to stand on the ground.

Pili's subconscious desire to prove her own strength pushed out any preemptive plans. She shot forward, shouldering past the others and arcing her Stand above her head. A smile of victory curled her lips; Pagliacci had no clue what he was in for.

"S L E D G E H A M M E R!"

Pili brought Sledgehammer crashing down. With such a heavy blow, it would be sure to shatter the panels underfoot and topple Pagliacci; from there, it would be as simple as crushing his arm with another strike. And with that, she would have passed the exam for all of them.

Squad141 Lazaro1505 PlusUltra Gravitational Force Roxasarass​

 

[Squad141]

As the group hesitated in front of Pagliacci, thoughts resided within his head in the same manner. What if the Foundation had it wrong? What if the Initiative was the incorrect choice for keeping tabs on Stand Users? To Pagliacci, it seemed like having your cake and eating it. They were already monitoring Stand Users across the globe from the shadows, especially the likes of these recruits in front of him. Using them to find others akin to themselves is like making a donkey smell a stack of hay to find its brother, or shoot an arrow into the sky to bring down it's cousin. But, he supposed, it was for a good cause.

Stand Users had finally begun to downtick again, or at least rogue ones that had no one to limit or check their powers from time to time. Most didn't even know they had abilities, or that they were being watched at all. The Foundation had people that could be your mailman, your cashier, heck, even the man that occasionally drives next to you on the highway. But still, somehow, some still persisted above the watchful eye of the Foundation, free to do whatever they'd like without consequences. And the last time one as powerful as most used this advantage, a new age of drugs flamed up in Italy, and they lost one of their most experienced members of the French branch during a climactic battle.

And now, the fate of these unseen eyes would be up to the gang of people in front of him, some looking disconcerting, some nervous, some bored. Who would make the first move? Pagliacci let his eyes wander across the group, waiting for one to make a mov. Were they expecting to wait out the clock? That's the worst possible result of the test, since you can't ever truly wait out a battle. But his doubt was quickly dashed when one of the younger Users, the one named Pili jumped from side to side, psyching herself up. With such an obvious tell, he could easily prepare himself before any moves were made, which he was correct on guessing, as the girl yelled and ran forward. As she jumped and went to slam her stand on the ground, Pagliacci lightly jumped off the ground as the tiles on the ground billowed with dust and cracks.

As the dust settled, it was hard to tell what had happened. Had Pagliacci been incapacitated?

"At least the room was built for high-impact. If it was some normal tile floor, it would certainly be blown apart by now."

Looking up, Pagliacci was now standing on the far wall, his feet pressed against the parallel surface, arms crossed, and smug face looking up at the normal view of the exam room.

"You didn't think we wouldn't have known what your Stands abilities were, did you? We've scanned all of your profiles, and observed your Stands for a few years now at most. You can't always rely on surprise to win a battle, especially after the first blow."

boo. Lazaro1505 Roxasarass PlusUltra Gravitational Force ​

 

[PlusUltra]

Noodle Corozzo
Tags: boo. Squad141 Lazaro1505 Gravitational Force Roxasarass (Open)
Location: Speedwagon Training Area, Santa Barbera

Noodle stood casually off to the side as the clown man gave his explanation on the next stage of the gathering, a direct battle of partial unknowns verse a full one. She said partial unknown since for her at least she was confident that outside of her late handler there was none still living that fully understood the extent of her stand, even the upper echelons of the organization simply knew she had one, not what it was. Sure there had been those who tried to follow and observe her, but for someone who grew up doing that exact thing, she saw the signs a mile away, even the sloppy ones that were put in place to distract from the real ones.

She allows her pen to dance between her fingers as she keeps a gaze on the man, her eyes concealed behind the sunglasses as she thinks further on the issue and the other hand had extracted her phone to tap away on various links and commands. The secret overall would be one she knew she would not be able to keep forever, and now with her being assigned to a full team that moment was being quickly approaching. The second part of this was the fact it was a direct battle, quite a foolish approach overall for an actual battle, best to end it before it can even begin, but she supposed she should humor him with this limitation for now and simply do what does and watch. The younger girl was first to act, shooting forward as she did, though a faint twitch of Noodles fingers as they passed and twitch towards the man and another shift to her stance as they pass

Nobody would see exactly what she had done, the portion of her stand, the same color as her floors shadow passing into Pili's as the girl's shadow crossed her own, and then into Pagliacci's to wait and mimic his movements. "Oh I know precisely what your profile says about me, perhaps not the exact names but a girl on the streets of Italy does need to keep her senses about, you never know what is lurking in the shadows at night, be it a drunkard, shipwright, or a senior Fisherman eating Porchetta di Ariccia being delivered by his daughter" a movement of her pen for emphasis with her incredibly specific example on the last one and faint knowing smile across her lips.

The first display of his stand did have her drawn to one particular option, that being subjective gravity especially with how his outfit flowed adjacent to his current stance, so the immediate option was simply to use something on which gravity had no effect or that could quickly change its direction and proceed through alternate gravities. Now there was likely more but that did have a few options appear already, which were then limited down due to the confined space without putting a defense up to block it. "I have enough to end this now, but that's not the point you're trying to get out of this and there would be an awful mess should you pass away, both organisationally and physically. That and it's rather fun collecting the information so close for a change...." her next step is to go into her handbag and extract something, a large white pack of powder which she casually tosses towards the man for it to burst in a cloud of dust, depositing a thin layer of material on the area that shifts as the gravity does. That would make it far easier to track at the very least and keep her developing counters close to her chest.

Still keeping the casual stance she idly turns her head to those around them "Out of curiosity, how many of you are readers? H.G Wells 'The First Men in the Moon' in particular?"

 

[Squad141]

The force had most likely confused the girl, poor girl, who probably was sure she would be able to win the tournament on her own. Still, the true basis of his Stand has yet to be revealed. He guessed that they thought Bower Best simply let him make gravity subjective to a surface close by, and while that would be a useful battle, he couldn’t do much with a limit such as that. Then, the other woman spoke up, the one that he knew was confident in her abilities to the point that she might attempt to kill him herself. There were very few reasons why she would be talking, but he knew that with her background, she had already deployed her stand somehow. She was fidgeting slightly, or at least her hands were, and Pagliacci knew she was scheming up his demise.

Then, the reveal. Noodle threw a handful of white powder at him, which extended above and below him. Perhaps she was trying to see his area of effect? Sighing, he knew that he might as well reveal his secret himself, or let it be discovered by the others.

When the dust exploded, Pagliacci jumped from the wall, but didn’t seem to adjust to a new surface. From the cloud of smoke, he appeared floating in the air, obviously showing off as he somersaulted on nothing, and idled above the groups heads. The dust, though mostly fallen to the floor, had covered a surface that hadn’t been visible before.

“My Stand, Bower Best, can create and control invisible bubbles of varying sizes. I can control the gravity inside these bubbles, as long as something inside has been inside for 15 seconds. I can also control how these bubbles move throughout the air.”

With that, Pagliacci switched the gravity so he was standing in the bottom of the bubble, looking down as if from a platform.

“And you, have fallen right into my trap.”

As he waved his hand, the area Pili and Noodle stood in boomed with energy, as the gravity switched, forcing them to top of the invisible bubble, but just lightly so they could barely move. After all, crushed bones led to angry lawyers. But if they didn't act quick, the team would lose as soon as it began.

boo. PlusUltra Gravitational Force Lazaro1505 Roxasarass ​

 

[Gravitational Force]

Against a foe with superior maneuverability and terrain control the best offense was to box them in. Right now two of Isaac's teammates had been taken out and there was no way he could think of to get them out short of winning this stupid game. Normally in a situation like this Isaac would try to buy time (which was surprisingly cheap, come to think of it. Maybe Stand users had some compulsion to keep talking rather than finish off their opponents), but with the time limit and the fact that Pagliacci got more dangerous by the second their best bet was to end this quickly. The moment this was over he was going to demand the rest of the group actually work on coordinating when it came to fights.

But for now he needed to finish the battle as soon as possible. And that meant taking a risky action that'd be expensive if it didn't pay out. Isaac hated gambling, especially with such bad odds. But right now he had no choice. Isaac didn't even bother looking at Abel as he quickly moved forwards, keeping his voice down so hopefully Pagliacci wouldn't overhear. "Shoot him with everything you've got, I've got a plan."

Born in the U.S.A. was a far more powerful Stand than people assumed. You just needed to be clever about it and you could get more out of it than you put in. And its ability to pull objects into itself meant they still had to move towards it. At the same speed they had previously been moving at. Which meant that if Isaac could get Pagliacci between Born in the U.S.A. and Abel's bullets the clown would be stuck in a massive crossfire of bullets with no room to dodge. And Isaac and Born in the U.S.A. didn't necessarily have to be in the same place to use its ability...

Instead of running straight at Pagliacci, Isaac ran around the side as if he was trying to get in the clown's blind spot. Isaac could see the edges of the bubbles, which let him dodge them with ease. Midway through the run he pulled out a gun of his own (-$250) and fired it, counting on Pagliacci being too distracted by his and Abel's bullets to realize Born in the U.S.A. was no longer in Isaac's hand. Through his connection with his Stand Isaac ensured the space Pagliacci occupied was so full of bullets even if he dodged he'd still get hit. And that in the confusion nobody saw him reach into his pocket for the cigarette lighter he had in there.

Isaac decided he'd definitely be charging the Speedwagon Foundation for everything he had to buy from Born in the U.S.A. Better yet he'd pad his estimates. No sense in leaving money on the table, especially when you found a cash cow like this one.

 

[PlusUltra]

Noodle Corozzo
Tags: boo. Squad141 Lazaro1505 Gravitational Force Roxasarass (Open)
Location: Speedwagon Training Area, Santa Barbera

Noodle appeared surprisingly calm and collected, all things considered, the only real reaction to her floating within the bubble had been simply to lower a hand to their hip in order to keep her skirt in place. She keeps the soft smile even at the announcement of the trap and instead watches how the white powder moves around the bubbles, stopping at there edges as well as how it moves within the confines. This told her what she needed, her own traps had been set already as well, the primary one and a contingency but she was not one to really announce such openly, for now, was the easy matter of escaping from the confines of this miniature gravity well. With her free hand, she waves it around, noting how her body almost weightlessly moves and floats but orientates towards the new floor still, a small kick from her leg adds more to the information as she had what she needed should she need to escape prematurely. For now though? She was content in watching how the others performed with the subtle movements of her pen at her side the only other movement from her person.

The storm of bullets that her associates threw his way passed through the white powder, the heat of the projectiles igniting the substance in a flash of disorientating flame. While some may look at it as some fancy concoction in reality it was a simple flour, albeit it had been packaged as one would narcotics as a useful distraction at times. The bright light, however, extended the shadows within the room for a moment, giving her stand the prefect opening to split and reposition ready to surprise there opponent in the aftermath of the others attacks. The shadows current form weightless and almost massless but still capable of instant acceleration, perfect for advancing through the gravity bubbles under its own power without any worry of its direction is changed, gravity power was not absolute after all though the material within her mind would be employed should it be needed as a result of the surprise failing. The drawing of this was practically complete with only a minor stroke needed to summon it into existence, but that of course would only be if it was needed.