Main Event Right Hand of the Magic God

[Crunch]

Even as Wildmutt sniffed out any dangerous presence inside the room, there was no humanoid shape to take note of inside, just as how when Jolyne opened the door with her string, nothing popped out to attack. Just a normal bedroom, even if dark and still ominous.

"...!"

Daring to venture into the mysterious bedroom first, Josuke cautiously gritted his teeth, growing more and more nervous at the prospect of facing something that might have been hiding in here.

The bedroom itself was a rather normal one, all other things aside. A bed in the center, a window at the far side with a lot of dust on the blinds, as though to say that it had been quite a while since tended to, and there were drawers and nightstands on the side as well. Looking around nervously, Josuke bit his lip.

"Alright... I guess we should look around! If there's something messed up in here, we can take care of it, right?"

@Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Kaykay @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup​

Giorno followed Josuke into the ominous bedroom, cautiously peering around the dark corners of the room with a suspicious look. It all seemed too convenient in his eyes. The entire house reeked of some malicious presence, yet every room appeared to be spotless. The golden truth was carefully hidden behind this intricate web of lies. Giorno Giovanna felt determined; not only stop the machinations of his enemy, but to uncover something hidden in plain sight. It was, without a doubt, his favorite activity.

"If the enemy was here, they may have set up traps, assuming they knew they were being followed," he warned quietly, carefully treading over to the window on the other side of the room and rubbing his finger along the blinds, making a clear mark in the built-up dust.

"It appears whoever lives here doesn't take care of their home... or this place has been made vacant only recently. I'm sure the city administration would've noticed a vacant home like this if it was abandoned for awhile."

Giorno held his dust-coated finger up to his face, rubbing it in contemplation. Without warning, he shot a menacing glance to Josuke. "Josuke, was there any name associated with this address? A surname on a mailbox or something?"

@Ver @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup​

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

"His father's been exhibiting strange behavior, let's just say, and to that end, so has the boy. Trust me, I'm not insane. I know what I'm doing," Rohan said to Schala. Questionable comment about his own sanity aside, it seemed that the man was certainly sure of himself and the boy he had chosen to question.

As though Chise and Rohan were inadvertently (at least, on the latter's part) playing a game of tug-o-war with the boy's emotions, Hayato uncomfortably scratched the back of his head even as she and the others tried to press on.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know anything about any call or crime. And... I-I don't think I should be talking to you..." He said, still not seeming to relent any information despite Rohan's words.

"Tch, this is getting us nowhere. We'll know for sure if I use Heaven's Door on him, I bet," Rohan spat, offering to dig into the boy's memories and knowledge for himself, with or without his consent, it seemed.

@York @Yun Lee @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Gummi Bunnies @Donder172 @RohanGroup​

"Ugh...as if this place couldn't get c-creepier..." Severa made an immediate beeline for the blinds, trying to open them to get some additional light. As she struggled to figure them out, she stirred up a lot of dust. "*cough cough* What ARE these things?! Has no one ever heard of *cough* curtains?!"

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Kaykay @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup

---

"Wait..." Libra raised a hand, stepping between Rohan and Hayato. "I don't think the boy is lying. All we know is that someone with a child's voice called you, yes? Are you sure his voice was the one you heard? For all we know.. this may have been a diversion."

@Ver @York @Yun Lee @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup​

"I do not belief that is necessarry." Jordshan said to Rohan before looking towards the group "Just stop trying to scare the kid."

"I hate to admit it, but your powers are the reason I was counting on your ability to aid in our investigation," Grandpa Max said to Rohan, "I'm not a big fan of what's about to unfold, but there might be more at stake if we don't."

@Ver @York @Yun Lee @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup​

"Grooouugghh..."

Disappointed, Wildmutt continues to prod his sensory organs around the room, starting the drawers, opening them with his frontal paws. He only opened them slightly first, using echolocation and his sense of smell through the small gap to determine the shape and movements of the items inside. If he found that there was nothing in there that seemed suspicious, he would fully open the drawer.

@Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Kaykay @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup​

Schala Zeal
@Ver @Yun Lee @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Gummi Bunnies
@Rohan

Thinking about the situation at hand, combined with what Libra was saying, Schala frowned.

"... I do not believe we should scare the young boy like that... If we can help it. Maybe he was just a diversion after all? So the real culprit can get away?" She said, tilting her head a bit.

It didn't seem like Hayato was one to do any harm, but then again, she could never judge a book by its cover, could she. Quietly approaching him, she also tried to speak to him, as gently as she could, trying to put on a friendly smile.

"Hey... Can you... Tell us about who called out to you? Maybe it could help us find who we're looking for...?" She pleaded with him.

While Rohan's ability to read the boy's mind was their best bet, she wasn't very keen on the idea of terrorizing him just to get some information. Perhaps he could speak out of his own volition, if he wasn't so intimidated though.​

 

[Ver]

"Do not condescend me. Surely this kid isn't so stupid that he'd be lying about this sort of stuff, especially to me," Rohan spoke in a knowing tone toward Jordshan, scowling deeply. His expression only hardened just a bit as Libra suggested something devious, like that they may have been deceived, though the thought only served to irritate the man further. "No one makes a fool of me. If the call Josuke received was some sort of set up, I'll surely cut through that lie. Still, this is where my own investigation led, and one way or another, I will take the truth," he said.

Still, as Max seemed to be the only one to give any sort of approval on the prospect of him using Heaven's Door to extract the truth from Hayato, he relented for now, but his patience was definitely wearing thin.

As Schala pressed on, Hayato continued stepping away. "I... I can't say anything. Please... Just leave me alone! If I tell you anything... Something awful will happen...!" He said gravely, his discomfort melting and unraveling into some sort of despair, accidentally letting loose just the mere notion that he did know something, at least.

@York @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup​

 

[Takumi]

"His father's been exhibiting strange behavior, let's just say, and to that end, so has the boy. Trust me, I'm not insane. I know what I'm doing," Rohan said to Schala. Questionable comment about his own sanity aside, it seemed that the man was certainly sure of himself and the boy he had chosen to question.

As though Chise and Rohan were inadvertently (at least, on the latter's part) playing a game of tug-o-war with the boy's emotions, Hayato uncomfortably scratched the back of his head even as she and the others tried to press on.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know anything about any call or crime. And... I-I don't think I should be talking to you..." He said, still not seeming to relent any information despite Rohan's words.

"Tch, this is getting us nowhere. We'll know for sure if I use Heaven's Door on him, I bet," Rohan spat, offering to dig into the boy's memories and knowledge for himself, with or without his consent, it seemed.

@York @Yun Lee @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Gummi Bunnies @Donder172 @RohanGroup​

"Hm. I see..." Chise replied. This wasn't going anywhere sadly, it seemed. Hearing Rohan threaten to turn the boy's face into a book to confirm he was the one who called, the mage winced lightly. She was at least glad that Libra at least stepped in to give an alternative method.

You're still scaring him regardless... she thought, before looking to Hayato at his slip up. So he was being blackmailed into secrecy?

"Wait...you're being blackmailed?" She asked him, raising to her feet, while Ruth prepared to keep Hayato from leaving so soon.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Crow @CrunchyCHEEZIT @York @Donder172 @Rohan Group

 

[Ver]

"N-No, I didn't get any other sort of clue like that, Giovanna-san," Josuke said nervously, for once not because of the icy atmosphere in the room, but because of Giorno's glare, something he wasn't even sure was given on purpose or not, even seeming to refer to Giorno politely by his last name like he was his senior.

Touma yelped briefly as Leivinia shoved him into the room, but did little more, resigning to his fate and also beginning to search around the mysterious bedroom along with everyone else. To everyone who searched, the drawers in question seemed to be empty of anything interesting for the most part. Just standard items one would expect to find, such as clothes and the like.

As Touma opened one other drawer, he furrowed his brow as though having caught sight of something interesting, before reaching in and taking out what appeared to be a Polaroid photograph.

"Huh... What's this? Guys, look at this," Touma called everyone over, picking up the photo and taking a look at it. The photo itself seemed to be of an elderly man, at least in his 70s, with a red button-up shirt. "I wonder if this guy is relevant to the lead..."

"Lemme look at it," Josuke said, taking a gander at the picture, before his eyes suddenly widened in horror. "Wait a minute, that's--!"

SHHHK!

"Gaaaarghh?!"

Suddenly, blood gushed from Touma's arm as an upward wound appeared, prompting him to drop the photograph. The old man within the photo suddenly came to life, cackling maliciously as he held a kitchen knife in one hand and a long piece of string from his shirt with another.

"Hah, so they really did come! How quaint!" The old man in the photograph laughed, flinging his string until it wrapped around one of the inactive ceiling fan's blades and swinging up, slashing his knife at anyone who stuck around!

@Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup​

 

[Yun Lee]

So, Hayato WAS the one who called. Libra knelt down to his level, deciding that he was the focus now. Smiling at the child, Libra was going to do everything he could to help him open up. "Hayato, we may not look it, but we're trained professionals. Whatever it is you fear may happen, we will stop before it does. But we can't do anything if we don't have any idea what we're looking for. We want to help you, and everyone in this town. Can you help us do that?"

@Ver @York @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup

---

"...oh. Thanks." Severa eyed the blinds suspiciously, even after Leivinia fixed them. "Hmph! How anyone could think THAT is a labor-saving device is beyond me!" Whatever. May as well investigate...

...or not.

"GYAAH!!!" Severa cried out as the photo attacked them, surprised by the attack. "Hey! You little...!" Severa drew her sword, but not before tossing something Touma's way: the kerchief around her seifuku. "Don't get your blood everywhere!" she called out, before rushing forward to slash at the string while trying to parry the old man's knife!

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow@Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup​

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

"Do not condescend me. Surely this kid isn't so stupid that he'd be lying about this sort of stuff, especially to me," Rohan spoke in a knowing tone toward Jordshan, scowling deeply. His expression only hardened just a bit as Libra suggested something devious, like that they may have been deceived, though the thought only served to irritate the man further. "No one makes a fool of me. If the call Josuke received was some sort of set up, I'll surely cut through that lie. Still, this is where my own investigation led, and one way or another, I will take the truth," he said.

Still, as Max seemed to be the only one to give any sort of approval on the prospect of him using Heaven's Door to extract the truth from Hayato, he relented for now, but his patience was definitely wearing thin.

As Schala pressed on, Hayato continued stepping away. "I... I can't say anything. Please... Just leave me alone! If I tell you anything... Something awful will happen...!" He said gravely, his discomfort melting and unraveling into some sort of despair, accidentally letting loose just the mere notion that he did know something, at least.

@York @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup​

"Hm. I see..." Chise replied. This wasn't going anywhere sadly, it seemed. Hearing Rohan threaten to turn the boy's face into a book to confirm he was the one who called, the mage winced lightly. She was at least glad that Libra at least stepped in to give an alternative method.

You're still scaring him regardless... she thought, before looking to Hayato at his slip up. So he was being blackmailed into secrecy?

"Wait...you're being blackmailed?" She asked him, raising to her feet, while Ruth prepared to keep Hayato from leaving so soon.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Crow @CrunchyCHEEZIT @York @Donder172 @Rohan Group

So, Hayato WAS the one who called. Libra knelt down to his level, deciding that he was the focus now. Smiling at the child, Libra was going to do everything he could to help him open up. "Hayato, we may not look it, but we're trained professionals. Whatever it is you fear may happen, we will stop before it does. But we can't do anything if we don't have any idea what we're looking for. We want to help you, and everyone in this town. Can you help us do that?"

@Ver @York @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup

---

"...oh. Thanks." Severa eyed the blinds suspiciously, even after Leivinia fixed them. "Hmph! How anyone could think THAT is a labor-saving device is beyond me!" Whatever. May as well investigate...

...or not.

"GYAAH!!!" Severa cried out as the photo attacked them, surprised by the attack. "Hey! You little...!" Severa drew her sword, but not before tossing something Touma's way: the kerchief around her seifuku. "Don't get your blood everywhere!" she called out, before rushing forward to slash at the string while trying to parry the old man's knife!

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow@Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup​

Schala Zeal
@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies
@RohanGroup

Realizing the implications behind Hayato's words, Schala's mind began whirring as she thought of a way to resolve the situation... Get some amount of information without the boy getting hurt.

"You don't have to speak... Nod or shake your head... Can we help you? I'll do everything in my power to... But... I do not wish to put your life in danger..." She said quietly.

It was also at this point that she became much more cautious about her surroundings, her gaze momentarily turning to Rohan, before it settled back on the boy. Was there really any option left other than Rohan?

No... There had to be a better way... There must be... Somehow...​

 

[Crunch]

"Do not condescend me. Surely this kid isn't so stupid that he'd be lying about this sort of stuff, especially to me," Rohan spoke in a knowing tone toward Jordshan, scowling deeply. His expression only hardened just a bit as Libra suggested something devious, like that they may have been deceived, though the thought only served to irritate the man further. "No one makes a fool of me. If the call Josuke received was some sort of set up, I'll surely cut through that lie. Still, this is where my own investigation led, and one way or another, I will take the truth," he said.

Still, as Max seemed to be the only one to give any sort of approval on the prospect of him using Heaven's Door to extract the truth from Hayato, he relented for now, but his patience was definitely wearing thin.

As Schala pressed on, Hayato continued stepping away. "I... I can't say anything. Please... Just leave me alone! If I tell you anything... Something awful will happen...!" He said gravely, his discomfort melting and unraveling into some sort of despair, accidentally letting loose just the mere notion that he did know something, at least.

@York @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup​

"... Something awful?"

The fear dripping from the boy's voice alerted Jotaro to his words. He could try to jog his memories about how this situation carried on two years ago, but... nothing came up. It was like he was just drawing blanks in his mind. The inability to recall this boy's specific predicament was suspicious enough, and it had the tall man rising to his feet and turning to Chise.

"I don't think it's just blackmail. He's... physically incapable of telling us anything. The moment he does, something will trigger."

" I don't know what that something is, even though I should."

-----

"... ?!"

Giorno spun around at the sound of Touma's yelp, his body wreathed in the glow his Stand. As soon as his eyes registered a photograph floating in the air and the voice taunting him from above, the boy was already dashing across the room.

"GOLD EXPERIENCE!"

With a commanding shout, Giorno thrust his hand forward in the motion of his Stand. Gold Experience emerged in a twinkle of golden light and lunged forward, seemingly aiming to punch the old man in the photograph at first glance. When Severa provided an ample distraction for the man's mad knife-swinging, however, Gold Experience arced the trajectory of its knuckles upward and aimed to smash its fists into the ceiling fan that the photograph was dangling from instead!

MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!

"Life... will spring forth."

The golden fists crashed into the spinning fan blades, bending them downward at a sharp angle but not shattering them; instead, they began to elongate, the metal surface mutating into something smooth yet scaly. The fan blades moved on their own, attempting to wrap themselves around the dangling photograph and tightly constrict it in their grasp!

The unmistakable head of a snake slithered into the old man's view, opening its mouth and baring its dripping fangs with a menacing hiss.

"I turned the fan blades into snakes. Snake venom isn't useful against a ghost, but they are amazing at immobilizing their prey... don't you think so, Josuke?" Giorno smirked and looked at Josuke, hoping to spark some awe into his relative with the display of his Stand ability.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup
​

 

[Jeremi]

"... Something awful?"

The fear dripping from the boy's voice alerted Jotaro to his words. He could try to jog his memories about how this situation carried on two years ago, but... nothing came up. It was like he was just drawing blanks in his mind. The inability to recall this boy's specific predicament was suspicious enough, and it had the tall man rising to his feet and turning to Chise.

"I don't think it's just blackmail. He's... physically incapable of telling us anything. The moment he does, something will trigger."

" I don't know what that something is, even though I should."

-----

"... ?!"

Giorno spun around at the sound of Touma's yelp, his body wreathed in the glow his Stand. As soon as his eyes registered a photograph floating in the air and the voice taunting him from above, the boy was already dashing across the room.

"GOLD EXPERIENCE!"

With a commanding shout, Giorno thrust his hand forward in the motion of his Stand. Gold Experience emerged in a twinkle of golden light and lunged forward, seemingly aiming to punch the old man in the photograph at first glance. When Severa provided an ample distraction for the man's mad knife-swinging, however, Gold Experience arced the trajectory of its knuckles upward and aimed to smash its fists into the ceiling fan that the photograph was dangling from instead!

MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!

"Life... will spring forth."

The golden fists crashed into the spinning fan blades, bending them downward at a sharp angle but not shattering them; instead, they began to elongate, the metal surface mutating into something smooth yet scaly. The fan blades moved on their own, attempting to wrap themselves around the dangling photograph and tightly constrict it in their grasp!

The unmistakable head of a snake slithered into the old man's view, opening its mouth and baring its dripping fangs with a menacing hiss.

"I turned the fan blades into snakes. Snake venom isn't useful against a ghost, but they are amazing at immobilizing their prey... don't you think so, Josuke?" Giorno smirked and looked at Josuke, hoping to spark some awe into his relative with the display of his Stand ability.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup
​

"Amazing, Giorno!" Jolyne exclaimed at his display. Stone Free appeared behind Jolyne as she readied herself to send her strings out incase the old man in the photo escaped the snakes.

"Whaaa?! A geezer floating inside a photo?!" Ermes had made Kiss materilize as well but was more surprised about their foe. "Is he a Stand user? Wait Giorno did you say...ghost?"

@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Ver

 

[Crow]

"Do not condescend me. Surely this kid isn't so stupid that he'd be lying about this sort of stuff, especially to me," Rohan spoke in a knowing tone toward Jordshan, scowling deeply. His expression only hardened just a bit as Libra suggested something devious, like that they may have been deceived, though the thought only served to irritate the man further. "No one makes a fool of me. If the call Josuke received was some sort of set up, I'll surely cut through that lie. Still, this is where my own investigation led, and one way or another, I will take the truth," he said.

Still, as Max seemed to be the only one to give any sort of approval on the prospect of him using Heaven's Door to extract the truth from Hayato, he relented for now, but his patience was definitely wearing thin.

As Schala pressed on, Hayato continued stepping away. "I... I can't say anything. Please... Just leave me alone! If I tell you anything... Something awful will happen...!" He said gravely, his discomfort melting and unraveling into some sort of despair, accidentally letting loose just the mere notion that he did know something, at least.

@York @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup​

Grandpa Max turns to Giorno, "you mean like a bomb or something? That's actually plausible."

Grandpa Max ponders.

"What if you didn't tell us, but delivered the information to us via alternative ways. Would this very same bad thing happen?"

@Ver @York @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup
​

"N-No, I didn't get any other sort of clue like that, Giovanna-san," Josuke said nervously, for once not because of the icy atmosphere in the room, but because of Giorno's glare, something he wasn't even sure was given on purpose or not, even seeming to refer to Giorno politely by his last name like he was his senior.

Touma yelped briefly as Leivinia shoved him into the room, but did little more, resigning to his fate and also beginning to search around the mysterious bedroom along with everyone else. To everyone who searched, the drawers in question seemed to be empty of anything interesting for the most part. Just standard items one would expect to find, such as clothes and the like.

As Touma opened one other drawer, he furrowed his brow as though having caught sight of something interesting, before reaching in and taking out what appeared to be a Polaroid photograph.

"Huh... What's this? Guys, look at this," Touma called everyone over, picking up the photo and taking a look at it. The photo itself seemed to be of an elderly man, at least in his 70s, with a red button-up shirt. "I wonder if this guy is relevant to the lead..."

"Lemme look at it," Josuke said, taking a gander at the picture, before his eyes suddenly widened in horror. "Wait a minute, that's--!"

SHHHK!

"Gaaaarghh?!"

Suddenly, blood gushed from Touma's arm as an upward wound appeared, prompting him to drop the photograph. The old man within the photo suddenly came to life, cackling maliciously as he held a kitchen knife in one hand and a long piece of string from his short with another.

"Hah, so they really did come! How quaint!" The old man in the photograph laughed, flinging his string until it wrapped around one of the inactive ceiling fan's blades and swinging up, slashing his knife at anyone who stuck around!

@Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartou @JosukeGroup​

"... Something awful?"

The fear dripping from the boy's voice alerted Jotaro to his words. He could try to jog his memories about how this situation carried on two years ago, but... nothing came up. It was like he was just drawing blanks in his mind. The inability to recall this boy's specific predicament was suspicious enough, and it had the tall man rising to his feet and turning to Chise.

"I don't think it's just blackmail. He's... physically incapable of telling us anything. The moment he does, something will trigger."

" I don't know what that something is, even though I should."

-----

"... ?!"

Giorno spun around at the sound of Touma's yelp, his body wreathed in the glow his Stand. As soon as his eyes registered a photograph floating in the air and the voice taunting him from above, the boy was already dashing across the room.

"GOLD EXPERIENCE!"

With a commanding shout, Giorno thrust his hand forward in the motion of his Stand. Gold Experience emerged in a twinkle of golden light and lunged forward, seemingly aiming to punch the old man in the photograph at first glance. When Severa provided an ample distraction for the man's mad knife-swinging, however, Gold Experience arced the trajectory of its knuckles upward and aimed to smash its fists into the ceiling fan that the photograph was dangling from instead!

MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!

"Life... will spring forth."

The golden fists crashed into the spinning fan blades, bending them downward at a sharp angle but not shattering them; instead, they began to elongate, the metal surface mutating into something smooth yet scaly. The fan blades moved on their own, attempting to wrap themselves around the dangling photograph and tightly constrict it in their grasp!

The unmistakable head of a snake slithered into the old man's view, opening its mouth and baring its dripping fangs with a menacing hiss.

"I turned the fan blades into snakes. Snake venom isn't useful against a ghost, but they are amazing at immobilizing their prey... don't you think so, Josuke?" Giorno smirked and looked at Josuke, hoping to spark some awe into his relative with the display of his Stand ability.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup
​

So, Hayato WAS the one who called. Libra knelt down to his level, deciding that he was the focus now. Smiling at the child, Libra was going to do everything he could to help him open up. "Hayato, we may not look it, but we're trained professionals. Whatever it is you fear may happen, we will stop before it does. But we can't do anything if we don't have any idea what we're looking for. We want to help you, and everyone in this town. Can you help us do that?"

@Ver @York @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Takumi @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @RohanGroup

---

"...oh. Thanks." Severa eyed the blinds suspiciously, even after Leivinia fixed them. "Hmph! How anyone could think THAT is a labor-saving device is beyond me!" Whatever. May as well investigate...

...or not.

"GYAAH!!!" Severa cried out as the photo attacked them, surprised by the attack. "Hey! You little...!" Severa drew her sword, but not before tossing something Touma's way: the kerchief around her seifuku. "Don't get your blood everywhere!" she called out, before rushing forward to slash at the string while trying to parry the old man's knife!

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow@Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup​

"Amazing, Giorno!" Jolyne exclaimed at his display. Stone Free appeared behind Jolyne as she readied herself to send her strings out incase the old man in the photo escaped the snakes.

"Whaaa?! A geezer floating inside a photo?!" Ermes had made Kiss materilize as well but was more surprised about their foe. "Is he a Stand user? Wait Giorno did you say...ghost?"

@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Ver

During this, the Omnitrix beeped and a flash of green light enveloped the beast, transforming Wildmutt back into good old Ben, just in time for the Jojos to wrap things up.

"No wonder Wildmutt couldn't sense it! It was a ghost!" Ben said out loud. "There's no body or scent, but there's some extent of a life signature."

He prepared his Omnitrix, in case the ghost had resisted the wide range of attacks and simply phased through them.

"I've got some spookies of my own, Casper, so stay down!"

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @JosukeGroup​

 

[Kaykay]

"If you'd just touched it with your right hand instead..." ​

Leivinia grumbled under her breath, but quickly turned her focus to the old man in the picture. Unlike the encounter with Pucci however, she didn't simply begin firing away. After all, Giorno had acted quickly and seemed to be able to take care of it in a single move. She respected that. Rather than casting any large spells, she simply readied herself for the possibility of the ghost's escape. She scanned the room for anything that could be related to this ghost.

Ghosts may have had their own form in her world, but there was never a guarantee things worked the same way.

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Alex Azure @Cromartous @Jeremi @JosukeGroup​

 

[Ver]

"I... I said too much. Please, you can't help. It'll just--" Hayato began to say, continuing to segway out of the conversation, before Rohan clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Heaven's Door! I'm done waiting for the rest of your approvals, and wasting my own time!" Rohan exclaimed, summoning his Stand with a flick of the wrist. Suddenly, the child's face opened up like a book, just like how Phil's did before, prompting him to gasp and jump back in horror of what had happened to himself, even if no true harm came to him.

Imposing himself upon the boy's personal space, Rohan grabbed Hayato with one hand and flipped through the "pages" of his face with the other, eyes narrowed and rigid, yet fluidly reading through every bit of text on them. As time passed, he didn't come any closer to ease, angrily grumbling to himself.

"What...?! Where is it...? Where is it?! It's not anywhere! There's no memory! There's no memory of him making any call!" He exclaimed, frantically continuing to flip through the pages, all the while Hayato was still mentally reeling from what was happening.

@Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @York @Takumi @RohanGroup​

 

[Crow]

"I... I said too much. Please, you can't help. It'll just--" Hayato began to say, continuing to segway out of the conversation, before Rohan clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Heaven's Door! I'm done waiting for the rest of your approvals, and wasting my own time!" Rohan exclaimed, summoning his Stand with a flick of the wrist. Suddenly, the child's face opened up like a book, just like how Phil's did before, prompting him to gasp and jump back in horror of what had happened to himself, even if no true harm came to him.

Imposing himself upon the boy's personal space, Rohan grabbed Hayato with one hand and flipped through the "pages" of his face with the other, eyes narrowed and rigid, yet fluidly reading through every bit of text on them. As time passed, he didn't come any closer to ease, angrily grumbling to himself.

"What...?! Where is it...? Where is it?! It's not anywhere! There's no memory! There's no memory of him making any call!" He exclaimed, frantically continuing to flip through the pages, all the while Hayato was still mentally reeling from what was happening.

@Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @York @Takumi @RohanGroup​

"Rohan, do you think that's it and that's all we can find, or do you think that...

... this is the work of an enemy Stand?"

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @York @Takumi @RohanGroup​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

Well, there went their possible lead. What unfortunate timing. As Dlanor only stood there with her lollipop, Willard gauged about two instances as to why this occurred to them.

❝ If there's nothing present to detail his call, then there's nothing to be found if you keep looking like that. It's not like that'll make that memory appear on a whim. ❞ He pointed out to Rohan. It wasn't like delving more into the boy's memory with Heaven's Door would get them anywhere if Hayato had no recollection of it in the first place. Speaking of which... ❝ I may be taking a shot in the dark here... but is it possible that someone or something wiped his memory of the event if he indeed made that call? ❞

As he proposed that possibility, Willard casually did so with the Blue Truth. It was a habit of his.

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Donder172 @York @Takumi @RohanGroup​

 

[Ver]

Touma could only nod briefly toward Severa as the redhead leapt into position after tossing him a kerchief, sucking in air through his teeth as he applied pressure to his wound, rendered out of commission for the time being. Having sunk to his knees, leaning against the dresser, he groaned softly.

"Tch, I'm flattered you care so much about my health!" Touma exclaimed to Leivinia's nonplussed response to the situation, peering up at the scene before him.

The old man in the photo fought off Severa surprisingly well for someone bound to a photograph, sticking out like a 3D model. However, if nothing else, the redhead was able to divert his attention while Giorno turned the fan that the man in the photo had attached to into snakes to trap him! Easily enough, it worked, forcing him to be suspended where he was. With a wry smirk, Josuke nodded.

"Yeah, you said it! A great idea! Crazy Diamond!" Josuke responded enthusiastically, before calling out the name of his Stand to summon it, a spirit with bright magenta skin and silver patches of armor covering his body, before it swiped the photograph out of the snakes' grasp and held it up for everyone to more comfortably see.

"You didn't think I forgot about you, did you?! You are his father after all, Yoshihiro Kira!" The boy exclaimed to the man in the photograph, the old man powerless to resist. However, instead of what one would expect of a man in his position, the man's scowl quickly morphed into a devious grin as he began to let out a laugh.

"You may have been the one to summon the snakes, son of DIO, but you are the one who's fallen into the entanglement of the trap! And the rest of you as well!" The man named Yoshihiro exclaimed, cackling madly at everyone.

"What... What is this guy's deal?!"

@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Crow @Cromartous @Alex Azure @JosukeGroup​

 

[Crow]

Touma could only nod briefly toward Severa as the redhead leapt into position after tossing him a kerchief, sucking in air through his teeth as he applied pressure to his wound, rendered out of commission for the time being. Having sunk to his knees, leaning against the dresser, he groaned softly.

"Tch, I'm flattered you care so much about my health!" Touma exclaimed to Leivinia's nonplussed response to the situation, peering up at the scene before him.

The old man in the photo fought off Severa surprisingly well for someone bound to a photograph, sticking out like a 3D model. However, if nothing else, the redhead was able to divert his attention while Giorno turned the fan that the man in the photo had attached to into snakes to trap him! Easily enough, it worked, forcing him to be suspended where he was. With a wry smirk, Josuke nodded.

"Yeah, you said it! A great idea! Crazy Diamond!" Josuke responded enthusiastically, before calling out the name of his Stand to summon it, a spirit with bright magenta skin and silver patches of armor covering his body, before it swiped the photograph out of the snakes' grasp and held it up for everyone to more comfortably see.

"You didn't think I forgot about you, did you?! You are his father after all, Yoshihiro Kira!" The boy exclaimed to the man in the photograph, the old man powerless to resist. However, instead of what one would expect of a man in his position, the man's scowl quickly morphed into a devious grin as he began to let out a laugh.

"You may have been the one to summon the snakes, son of DIO, but you are the one who's fallen into the entanglement of the trap! And the rest of you as well!" The man named Yoshihiro exclaimed, cackling madly at everyone.

"What... What is this guy's deal?!"

@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Crow @Cromartous @Alex Azure @JosukeGroup​

"Explain yourself, old timer," Ben exclaims, "what have you done to me and my friends? What sick twisted game did you just trap us in? Answer me!"

Ben readies his Omnitrix.

"... or else..."

@Ver @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Crow @Cromartous @Alex Azure @JosukeGroup​

 

[Yun Lee]

This was bad. This was incredibly bad. Libra felt his stomach churn, now fearing for the safety of those at the house. If that was where the call had come from, then... "F-Forgive me, Hayato. Rohan...what are his memories of today? What...what is it he's been hiding from us?"

@Ver @Yun Lee @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Crow @Donder172 @Gummi Bunnies @York @Takumi @RohanGroup

---

"Ugh, shut up!" Severa grit her teeth, pointing at the photo with her sword. Talking to a living photograph...Gods, this was stupid. "Stop laughing like a lunatic and tell us what this trap is, or else I slice you to ribbons! Or maybe burn you up slowly...whatever's longer and more painful!"

@Ver @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Crow @Cromartous @Alex Azure @JosukeGroup​

 

[Macy Moretti]

Touma could only nod briefly toward Severa as the redhead leapt into position after tossing him a kerchief, sucking in air through his teeth as he applied pressure to his wound, rendered out of commission for the time being. Having sunk to his knees, leaning against the dresser, he groaned softly.

"Tch, I'm flattered you care so much about my health!" Touma exclaimed to Leivinia's nonplussed response to the situation, peering up at the scene before him.

The old man in the photo fought off Severa surprisingly well for someone bound to a photograph, sticking out like a 3D model. However, if nothing else, the redhead was able to divert his attention while Giorno turned the fan that the man in the photo had attached to into snakes to trap him! Easily enough, it worked, forcing him to be suspended where he was. With a wry smirk, Josuke nodded.

"Yeah, you said it! A great idea! Crazy Diamond!" Josuke responded enthusiastically, before calling out the name of his Stand to summon it, a spirit with bright magenta skin and silver patches of armor covering his body, before it swiped the photograph out of the snakes' grasp and held it up for everyone to more comfortably see.

"You didn't think I forgot about you, did you?! You are his father after all, Yoshihiro Kira!" The boy exclaimed to the man in the photograph, the old man powerless to resist. However, instead of what one would expect of a man in his position, the man's scowl quickly morphed into a devious grin as he began to let out a laugh.

"You may have been the one to summon the snakes, son of DIO, but you are the one who's fallen into the entanglement of the trap! And the rest of you as well!" The man named Yoshihiro exclaimed, cackling madly at everyone.

"What... What is this guy's deal?!"

@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Crow @Cromartous @Alex Azure @JosukeGroup​

"Explain yourself, old timer," Ben exclaims, "what have you done to me and my friends? What sick twisted game did you just trap us in? Answer me!"

Ben readies his Omnitrix.

"... or else..."

@Ver @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Crow @Cromartous @Alex Azure @JosukeGroup​

"Ugh, shut up!" Severa grit her teeth, pointing at the photo with her sword. Talking to a living photograph...Gods, this was stupid. "Stop laughing like a lunatic and tell us what this trap is, or else I slice you to ribbons! Or maybe burn you up slowly...whatever's longer and more painful!"

@Ver @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Crow @Cromartous @Alex Azure @JosukeGroup

View attachment 3259
"Severa, that might be a bit much. I'm not sure that this little guy can cause that much trouble. He seems kinda cute trapped in his little photo. What's made you so upset, tiny little old man?"

Meanwhile, Mason, alert to the idea that they were in a trap, opened the window. He looked outside and focused on finding a safe place to open a portal to if they needed a quick escape.

@Ver @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Crow @Cromartous @Yun Lee @JosukeGroup​

 

[Hood Rat]

"Is there any reason why we're not just setting this little worm and his photograph on fire and moving on?"

A voice echoed from the room's nearby windowsill, as Diego was sitting atop of it, an immense swarm of tiny dinosaurs crawling in behind the man as he entered to get a good look at what he was missing.

"Apologies for disappearing," the Englishman yawned, though speaking mostly to Giorno on his way for a peek at at the pinned-down spirit in a photo. "But after realizing what kind of location we were sent to.. well, I simply couldn't help but branch away to gather up some resources. Dogs, cats, squirrels, rats; I've more than enough soldiers to keep us prepared for whatever comes after this old shitstain."

@Jeremi @Ver @CrunchyCHEEZIT ​

 

[Kaykay]

"I'm sorry, I'll make sure to change your diaper too next time," Leivinia responded to Touma's complaint. Though she didn't speak before giving his condition a quick look over. He may have been out of commission, but he was fine. Something on the level of a cut arm wouldn't be too much of an issue for him, despite his usual loud complaints. "Now just keep sitting there and watch us handle this."

She gripped her wand tightly and looked around at her surroundings. Even during her back and forth with Touma, she was surprisingly alert. Or, perhaps, that was simply the expected amount of caution expected in this kind of situation. With a stern, perhaps even somewhat angry, look on her face, she raised her arm.

"Trap? Very well, let's see what this trap of yours has to offer."

The same white dome-shaped explosions that she'd unleashed against Pucci made their appearance again. But this time, she simply targeted the room they were in itself. More accurately, she was blowing away the walls, furniture, and all the parts of the room where nobody was standing.

A crude but potentially rather effective way of obliterating any prepared traps. Any room could be as rigged as its owner wanted, but that would hold no meaning if the room was simply bombed away.

@Ver @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Crow @Cromartous @Alex Azure @Hood Rat @JosukeGroup​