V M The Darkening Rumor (Unmaking Quest: Cultist Troubles)

[Josuke Higashikata]

Much time passes over the span that Josuke received an arbiter's plea upon this stand user to be aware of the new darkness that looms everywhere now. Day by day, the town becomes more populated and busier, with unfortunate refugees still trying to get back to their everyday lives in a new, unfamiliar home. Trying to contact the Speedwagon Foundation was challenging now due to the refugee activity's increasingly bustling. Their hotline remains busy, and when Josuke finally gets a hold of an operator, he gets put on the lengthy expanding list of people waiting to contact a Speedwagon Foundation representative.

If only his pal, Okuyasu, was in town to act quickly, but unluckily, he had to go away for a while after getting some word from the hinterlands that someone maybe could cure his father's mutation. In the meantime, Josuke spent days pondering what to do in this situation. Koichi can be helpful in times like these, but he was currently on vacation away from Morioh with Yukako and his family. The last willing person on his list was Jotaro, and he's currently unavailable because of Speedwagon Foundation's work to discover a better solution to solve the Unmaking problem plaguing The Crossroads. In the meantime, Josuke walked Morioh's streets almost every day to at least not be bored or keep a lookout in case of any suspicious activity.

It does feel weird not hanging around his usual friends when out and about, but he doesn't let that drag him down, knowing that there are all sorts of characters to run across, not just in Morioh but the whole Crossroads itself. Sometimes he does daydream traveling off-world and finally visiting the other diverse planets that he's heard about since he was a small child. Maybe it will happen in the future, but Morioh does need him to stay on track, hearing out if the unmaking process starts in his hometown. Everything so far has been going normal in the coastal town for everyone's peace, as Josuke thinks. On this day, the weather remains clear with some puffy white clouds just cruising in the beautiful sky.

The fashionable pompadour teen walks down the street while his hands stay in pants pockets. He minds his own business while strolling in the peaceful suburbs. Birds sing happily and chirp when the day stays steady in the trees. Some neighbors, but not many are present outside of their homes doing yard work or projects. It was a perfect day to get mowing, gardening, and landscaping done before the week commences in their lives.

While walking, Josuke passes a familiar odd-looking stone with an eerie face that can catch anyone off guard.

"Yo, Angelo." Josuke waves a single hand at the rock he passes on his way home.

A bored expression remains on Josuke's face for running out of many ideas to do on his own time. Usually, having friends around, they would go to all sorts of places in Morioh and experience fun yet bizarre times together. He sighs at weighing his mind down that time will move each day slowly now with his buddies, not in town. After passing the iconic strange stone five minutes ago, Josuke sees his house in sight and walks closer to it. Arriving at his home, the teenager climbs up the few steps leading to the front door.

He twists the doorknob, but it doesn't move, letting Josuke know the door is locked. Whenever he's out of the house, the pompadour stand user always carries house keys in his pocket just in case. The keys are pulled out of his pants pocket and used to gain access to his own home. Josuke opens the door and closes it behind him, calmly entering the lovely house.

"Hey, mom, I'm home!" He calls out loudly to let her know it was him opening the front door.

No one responds to Josuke, giving him a sign that she might be out in town. The teenager stand user walks into the kitchen, seeing a handwritten note on the kitchen table. Approaching the table, Josuke grabs a paper message off the surface and reads it, noticing his mom's handwriting.

********************
Out in town to pick up groceries and run errands, be back soon. Love, Mom

PS, before I left the house, there was a phone call from Speedwagon Foundation. It sounded like it was urgent to speak to you pronto. They mentioned they want to meet you in the afternoon at Deux Magots Cafe.
********************

His eyes light up in relief that Speedwagon Foundation finally got back to his urgent call; recapturing high-spirited energy, he eventually became heard. The time is nearing afternoon, and Josuke hurries to leave his house immediately, locking the front door behind him. He jumps forward off the steps onto the sidewalk, walking fast away from his home to head into town. His mindset thinks that this is his only shot at getting help about this unmaking problem. Now is the time to act rather than standing at the sideline to anticipate whatever comes.

Josuke made his way downtown, walking on the sidewalk and passing various stores in the shopping district. Cars, trucks, or motorcycles drove on the streets, creating daily traffic that made the town lively. Coming to a halt, the pompadour stand user waits at a pedestrian crossing among a crowd. The delightful café is across the street where Josuke stands, a scene where people are sitting outside enjoying their drinks or pastries.

He makes it across the street, following the crowd heading toward the Deux Magots' direction. When the pompadour teen arrived at the café, his eyes looked around to see if he caught anyone appearing as a professional from the Speedwagon Foundation. Before deciding to head inside after searching the outside seating, a woman's voice calls out, recognizing Josuke himself that catches his attention entirely.

"Well, Josuke Higashikata, son of Joseph Joestar, we finally meet."

Starting Quest
Quest: Cultist Troubles
Word Count: 988/5000

 

[Toga Voorhees]

A slow, rhythmic tip-tap of high-heels marks her approach. Josuke turns towards the voice and is nearly knocked from his feet by what he sees. A woman, nearly as tall as himself. With blonde hair tied into a tight bun and blue eyes behind slim and sleek glasses, she looks like something that had stepped straight from the catwalk and into the streets. Even her charcoal-colored business attire only added to the vision of sensuality before him; a suit that was form-fitting in all the right places and tight against her wide hips, thick thighs, and ample bosom.


It was enough to set any teenage boy's heart aflutter with lustful desire, but when Josuke gazed upon her face, all those feelings were washed away, like he'd been drenched in a bucket of ice-water. It wasn't that her face was ugly… oh no, her features were absolutely stunning. It was her expression. Cold. Merciless. A look that brooked no nonsense and promised that any who dared would receive pain in greater magnitudes than they had ever thought possible. In short, she had a 'resting-bitch-face'.


Not for the last time did Josuke wish Okuyasu was here. There was something about his friend that just… gave him strength. And besides, the guy definitely would have tried to make a pass at her anyway.


All of this passed within a few seconds, as the woman made her way over to him. Standing nearly eye to eye for Josuke, she resettled her glasses with a single, slim finger than began to speak, a cold, emotionless (yet melodic) voice which matched her expression perfectly.


"Mister Higashikata. My name is Roxanne E.O. Speedwagon, Director of Paranormal Studies at the Speedwagon Foundation. I'm afraid I have some urgent matters to discuss with you. Please, take a seat and we'll get straight to business."

 

[Solomon Grundy]

"Hey, kid, wake up. We're here."

"Hey, KID!"

"OI, ASSHOLE!!!!"

Okuyasu jerked up with a string of drool trailing from his mouth as the bus driver screamed at him. "Gaaah! Don't wake a guy up like that, ya shit! Coulda given me a heart attack!" He gets off the bus grumbling, his luggage slung over his back as he walks up the steps into his house.

The first sign something was amiss was the battleground of toys that littered the lawn. The house was also completely finished with the renovations that he'd left incomplete before he had to go on his mysterious absence, and there was also a small sign affixed to the front door. Okuyasu bent forwards to read the wording on the plaque, his eyes narrowed as he read aloud. "By order of the Town of Morioh all buildings unoccupied for a period of 90 days may be seized by the town council and used as...."

The door swung open and slammed him right in his face. "OWWWWAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHH!" He yelled, stumbling back and clutching his broken nose. "Sorry, mister!" A young boy and girl ran out of the house giggling and setting to work playing with the toys he'd passed. "Emergency goddamn housing? This is MY house!" He complained, wiping blood from his nostrils. "Great, now I gotta sort this out down at the town hall...probably do a whole bunch of dumb paperwork, and I know I'm bad at paperwork..." A thought crossed his mind, as well as a little bit of empathy. He didn't NEED his entire dang house, and in any case he could just stay with Josuke in the meantime.

It was good to see that even though the rest of the Crossroads was still actively battling for existence, Morioh was safe enough for kids to play in the yard. And if that wasn't worth a few more months of company, Okuyasu figured he could live with that. He dropped his luggage off inside the house and jogged down the block to his friend's house.

There was a really fancy car parked outside and Okuyasu bristled. Did Josuke's mom have a new boyfriend? He'd be crushed if she did, another woman taken off the table for consideration as his true love. As tough and thuggish as the guy was, he was a real softie at his core.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"OI, JOSUKE! I'M BACK!"

 

[Toga Voorhees]

With an aggressive suddenness, the door of the Higashikata residence opens wide, the red-faced visage of Josuke's mother filling Okuyasu's vision. Though the shorter of the two, Tomoko seems to loom over Okuyasu in her irritation.

"I thought we'd talked about this, Okuyasu," she says, every word coming like a bullet from a gun. "You don't need to break down my door to get my attention!"

Her features soften a bit at his abashed, and confused, expression, and she reaches out to the boy, tucking a stray hair back into his pompadour.

"If you're looking for Josuke, he's not here right now. He went out to meet someone from the Speedwagon Foundation. They should be..." she trails off, reaching over to the table and sliding a small piece of paper into her hand. "At Deux Magot's. Seemed kind of important, buuuut..."

Pressing the paper into Okuyasu's hands, Tomoko looks into the lad's eyes and nods. "You should go. Josuke has been pretty down lately, and I bet he'd be excited to see you again."

Meanwhile...

Roxanne, ever the consummate profession, waits for Josuke to take his seat before taking one herself. The proprieties must be met, after all, and besides... she had some grave news to share with the young Joestar. With practiced movements, Ms. Speedwagon pulls a small folder from her briefcase and places it on the table between them. Then, she hesitates... Honestly, what was her father thinking, sending her off to break this kind of news. Her eyes tighten a bit at the irritation of the situation, but soften again as they settled on Josuke. Well... whatever. What's done is done, and if she had to be the one to do this, she might as well get it over with.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Higashikata, but there's really no gentle way to put this. Your father... is dead."

As Roxanne gives Josuke a moment to process the news, she realizes that his expression hasn't really changed all that much.

"Yeah? And?" he asks, nonchalantly leaning back in his chair.

"Oh. Well, you're taking this better than I expected, Mr. Higashikata," Roxanne replies with a slow blink.

"Eh. Me and the old man weren't exactly close, you know? I barely knew the guy."

"Ah... I see. Well, then we should get right down to-"

"How did he die?" Josuke suddenly asks, cutting Roxanne off.

Doing her best to hide her annoyance, she replies, "Natural causes. I'm afraid that time catches up to us all, and Mr. Joestar had finally reached his natural end."

A moment of silence passes, then Roxanne continues.

"In any case, as the heir to the Joestar line, his responsibilities within the Speedwagon Foundation fall to you, Mr. Higashikata. Should you choose to accept them, of course. The Speedwagon Foundation and the Joestar family have worked together since the very beginning, and we'd certainly hate to end that tradition," she says, opening the folder in front of her and sliding some papers towards Josuke. "But it is your choice. In exchange for access to the Foundation's resources and assistance, you will need to be... 'on-call' in the event of supernatural events which only those of your line are equipped to handle. If you accept, sign the forms before you. If you decline, I will leave you in peace."

 

[Josuke Higashikata]

All this tension suddenly comes upon Josuke, mounts of responsibilities for him to take over after his father's passing. For two minutes, he remains silent to think things over while offered to him. In the state of what's becoming the Crossroads, this can be a great way to make a step in the right direction to save Morioh and Erde Nona. He has already committed to protecting the town but the world, a heavy price to pay. One thing that comes across Josuke's mind for him to mention to Roxanne.

"Why come to me and not Jotaro? Isn't he still part of the foundation and the bloodline?" Josuke mentions, scratching the back of his neck.

"He's been tough to get a hold of due to his occupation becoming a marine biologist and hasn't shown a vast interest of taking over. You're the son of a hero who saved the world at one point and helped to save it all over again. It's been greatly rooted in history for the Joestar and Speedwagon blood to come together during tough times. Mr. Higashikata, the choice is yours." Roxanne answers and waits for the delinquent's response.

"Should we tell my mother about the old man's passing?" Josuke wonders if it would be ok to let this past come to rest finally.

"This news could impact her greatly due to Your mother's attachment to her past lover," Roxanne explains about that whole saddening situation.

"It would make me feel bad having her stay out of the picture on current events." The pompadour teen thinks about while relaxing in his chair.

"Well, if you sign here, we'll inform her right away on the news." The professional woman points to the papers laid out in front of him. Josuke puts his hand on his chin, leaning close to the table, thinking about a choice to choose. He concentrates on what decision is best for the future, but he must believe that this will be the best for others. His eyes focus upon the papers staying still on the table, and a voice yells out of nowhere that startles the two.

"OI JOSUKE!"

It catches Josuke off guard hearing a familiar yet friendly, exciting voice coming from his great pal, Okuyasu. Roxanne is annoyed by the other teen's sudden appearance, dropping in on their private conversation. Josuke turns to his friend, happy to see a familiar face in this tough decision he must make. When the other delinquent approaches the table, he realizes Josuke is sitting with an unfamiliar woman. A lady dressed in a professional suit and her body giving off a curvy figure. Okuyasu becomes shocked to piece together what his friend is doing here, and he feels jealous that Josuke has such a beautiful mature woman sitting across from him.

"Are you two dating?!" Okuyasu is surprised that his other buddy finally found a girl. It makes him feel majorly left out now that Josuke and Koichi have their romantic relationships with ladies, driving him to exaggeratedly tear up that he hasn't hooked up with a girl yet.

"I didn't think I would be the last one left with no one to love!" Okuyasu cries aloud, expressing his feeling great, creating a flood of tears.

Josuke blushes immensely at the scene his buddy mistakenly thinks is happening while Roxanne turns from annoyed to disgusted at what the other teen has said about the two. She crosses her arms and swivels away from the delinquents, almost making her want to storm out, but this business is essential, and it's better to steer back onto the topic here in a few seconds.

"O-Okuyasu! It's not what it looks like! She's an official from the Speedwagon Foundation, and I must decide on something major right now. You might want to take a seat to hear this, bro." Josuke quickly reassures Okuyasu while Roxanne sits uncomfortably in an awkward situation thrown at them. His buddy drags a chair from a different table and gathers his cool to regain his emotions.

"So, what's up? Anything I been missing lately?" Okuyasu asks, wanting to catch up on things while he was away from the town before.

"Not much. I feel like we've needed to do something about this unmaking business before it's too late." Josuke mentions his main concerns recently weighing him down.

"Oh gotcha, you are talking about that bad thing that drove Mikitaka off-world." The rough teen answers, still missing their other friend that left them to a looming doom. Roxanne clears her throat loudly to gather attention, giving them an impatient look and pointing toward the papers.

"You better make your decision soon, I'm running on a timely schedule, and I don't have all day for this buffoonery." Roxanne coldly states, not wanting to spend more time surrounded by infuriating kids.

"Right." Josuke gets back on track, looking down at the contracts presented to him. His buddy sits beside him, eyeing at the papers too, curious about the tense nature between him and this beautiful yet icy woman. A pen sits next to the documents, waiting to be picked up by someone. The director taps her foot testily while looking at her extravagant risk watch. Anticipation ticks down upon the very stylish pompadour teen what's the most acceptable choice.

Closing his eyes, he breathes calmly, searching deep down within him to come to terms. Okuyasu watches closely between his buddy and Roxanne, still nosy about what Josuke is deciding. Before Roxanne's hand reaches for the papers, the young descendant of the Joestar blood picks the fancy Speedwagon Foundation pen up and clicks it to expose the tip. He writes his signature down on the papers without hesitation, already deciding. Josuke placed the pen back on the table and finished signing his cursive seals on the crucial documents.

"This is for Morioh and the betterment of everyone across The Crossroads."

Roxanne nods in respect of the teen's decision and extends her hand for him to shake.

"Welcome to the Speedwagon Foundation, Josuke Higashikata."

Okuyasu's eyes dart back and forth as the two shake hands, confused about this settlement. "Um, what just happened?"

"Mr. Higashikata here decided the fate for the bond that the Joestar bloodline and the Speedwagon bloodline have shared for over a century." Roxanne gladly says, almost slightly smiling at Josuke but not quite.

"Uh, I still don't get it." Okuyasu frowns a little, still not understanding what deal they made.

"It means we got ourselves a job. This is going to be great."

Quest: Cultist Troubles

Josuke Word Count: 2076
Okuyasu Word Count: 399

 

[Josuke Higashikata]

"It's time to move on. The next destination is the Higashikata residence. Josuke, give Mr. Duvall the address to where you live." Roxanne speaks clearly, walking to the rear driver's side door with the two boys. Before reaching the door, her chauffeur opens it quickly to allow entry for herself and Josuke. "Mr. Nijimura, you'll be riding the front passenger seat. There is no room to seat three people in the back."

"Hell yeah, shotgun!" Okuyasu excitedly speaks out, dashing to the other side. Before reaching and touching the door handle, Mr. Duvall rushes to the passenger side front door and opens it with his gloved hand, allowing entrance for the guest. "Oi, thanks Mr. Chauffeur!"

After everyone got seated, the driver stepped inside and shut the door before starting the engine. He shifts it into drive and then emerges safely onto the street with other traffic. The ride was very smooth, making the delinquents think they were riding on air. Josuke reclines back with the electrical controls that can move the seat. Beside him, Roxanne sits upright while organizing the signed documents with Josuke's signatures.

"Now, let's discuss your first assignment, Mr. Higashikata." She breaks the silence in the car, catching the stylish pompadour teen's attention while he still relaxes. "There is a certain person catching attention on Mesa Roja, a stranger apart of a certain bloodline that crossed paths with yours and mine a few times in the far past. The foundation has sent out a few probes to pinpoint the whereabouts of this someone. It's important to find him due to the possible fact that he is the only one alive in his family's name."

"Huh, sounds like not an easy task just to find a single face in a million that live on the entire planet," Josuke added, thinking about this investigation that occurred recently.

"Indeed, I believe you are suitable for this important mission. It's unbelievable how you uncovered the deadly stand user, Kira Yoshikage." She compliments on Josuke solving the murderer's identity.

"It wasn't just me that solved the mystery. You can thank Jotaro, Okuyasu, and Koichi, they majorly helped resolve it." The Joestar descendant greatly appreciates his friends for their past help. After Josuke finished speaking, she grabbed a folder full of documents containing important info.

"I can back up on that fact, for sure. We showed that creep who's boss. Also, I saved Josuke's ass at the last second." Okuyasu boasts their victory for saving Morioh from a sinister.

"Well then, Mr. Nijimura, since you helped Josuke in that previous task, how about I offer you a position opening alongside your colleague?" The CEO presents an opportunity to the other delinquent sitting in the passenger front seat, raising his brow out of curiosity. "Since Mr. Higashikita backs up on your background, you sound like an appropriate candidate to help alongside."

"You mean it? You're saying that all I have to do to get hired on the spot alongside my bro is to say yes?" Okuyasu excitingly questions about snagging this new job that can create a remarkable career.

"You've guessed it," Roxanne replies while adjusting her glasses and keeping focus in front of her.

"Hell yeah! It will be more interesting and beat my current boring job! Goodbye trash duty, hello Speedwagon!" The delinquent powerfully expresses taking on the new position, anxious to see the entirety of the Crossroads alongside his great friend.

"Here is the briefing. Make sure you read it thoroughly." Roxanne sternly tells Josuke, handing him the folder. He looks through the folder, skim-reading the papers for the time being. They rode for the past twelve minutes, and Josuke focused on the documents. His reading comes to a halt when realizing the car comes to a complete stop and shuts off. The CEO looks out the window, gazing upon Josuke's home, which appears clean.

Mr. Duvall parks the car alongside the neighborhood's sidewalk; some stairs connect to a concrete pathway leading to the front door. While eyeing his house, Josuke gulps deeply, knowing what will come next. The chauffeur opens everyone's door, letting them out of the rested Bentley. They remain standing on the sidewalk, and Roxanne knows that Josuke is showing hesitation. "Are you sure your mother can handle the news?"

"It will be worse and bring me guilt if we don't let her know right away." Josuke sighs at the fact that he is not looking forward to breaking the info to his mother, who deeply cares for his biological father. "Besides, it will help put the past to rest."

"I don't know if I have the guts to see your mom discover this tragedy. It's probably best I wait outside." Okuyasu adds being a rarity for Josuke to hear coming out of his friend's mouth since Okuyasu always enjoys hanging out inside at the Higashikata residence. The two, Josuke and Roxanne, approach the house steadily while the mature woman's heels clack with each step. When they reach the front door, Josuke's hand reaches for the knob and twists it to make sure the door is unlocked. After the action, he opens it letting Roxanne walk in first and then following behind her. The pompadour teen closes it behind him after walking into his own home.

An hour goes by with Okuyasu, and Mr. Duvall sits inside the car while idle. The air conditioner feels good blowing throughout the interior. Suddenly, Mr. Duvall opens the door to exit the Bentley after seeing Josuke and Roxanne leave the house. They walk away from the Higashikata residence and reach the parked car with Okuyasu and Mr. Duvall awaiting them. When the two return to the Bentley, no word is spoken because of how dreary the aftermath has become after handing unfortunate news to Ms. Higashikata.

"Hate to be such a downer, but I believe it's time to call it a day," Josuke says in a somber tone to his buddy.

"I understand, bro. I'll show respect and make sure to attend your old man's funeral. Well, see you around, Josuke." Okuyasu departs back toward his home, feeling the same way as Josuke and not wanting to think of Tomoko being in a crushing state.

"Well, Mr. Higashikata, I will see you again soon, and remember not to lose that important briefing." Roxaane bids farewell to Josuke before entering the driver-side rear door with Mr. Duvall opening it. Before they drive off, she rolls down her window to say one more thing to her new working partner. "I know that sometimes I come off cold bringing this kind of news but please let your mother know that if your family needs anything, don't hold back and give us a call."

The lavish woman hands him a professional business card with a personal phone number that gives them access to contact her personally. He looks down at the card in his hand, and before Roxanne rolls up the tinted window, Josuke bows in respect to her generous offer.

"Thank you, Speedwagon-san."

I'm not counting this to the quest since it has nothing to do with it at all and putting this quest on hold for now.