The Magician

The dude is chill, so he offers to perform a reading for free. Josuke responds with a wide, toothy grin.

“Thanks a lot! I appreciate it.”

Now to see how this stuff works. His focus is broken, though, when he sees what can only be a Stand appear beside the man. Josuke instinctively brings out Crazy Diamond, ready to strike if need be. Could this be one of the Stand Users who trapped Rohan and himself in this place?

Shit! What if letting the stranger do a tarot reading activates his Stand somehow, like how reading Rohan’s manga lets him turn people into books? He closes his eyes and hides behind Crazy Diamond, feeling a bit like a little kid hiding behind his mother on the first day of school.

“You better tell me what your deal is, man. I don’t really like hurting people, especially when I can’t fix them back up, but if you’ve got anything to do with why we’re stuck here, you’re gonna be sorry.”

Almost immediately, the boy’s demeanor changes as he lays eyes upon Avdol’s Stand. If that didn’t confirm his suspicions, the muscled, armor-clad spirit that materializes protectively in front of him. And once again, Stand Users have been drawn together. However, that same curiosity still tugs at the back of the fortune teller’s mind. This boy obtaining a stand was merely a small piece of the puzzle. Avdol didn’t know exactly what he was searching for, but he wishes to learn as much about the other as possible, 

Keeping a calm expression, even in the face of potential danger, Avdol raises his hand in a placating gesture. “I understand your suspicions, but I’m in the same predicament as you.” 

He can’t completely dismiss the possibility that this boy isn’t a threat, but his actions are completely defensive. Were he one of Dio’s followers, he highly doubted he would reveal himself as a threat so soon. Either he was a very skilled actor, or there were even more Stand users outside this little war of theirs. 

His gaze turns downwards, hand still placed firmly atop the first card, but he refrains from flipping it over quite yet. “My Magician’s Red only assists with my readings. You won’t be harmed if you open your eyes. His attacks are more... Straightforward.” 

The thing about life is that it goes on. That was true back in Morioh, when stand users and a serial killer disrupted their quiet little town, and Josuke guesses that’s true now. He’s stuck here, stuck with his broken Stand, and he’s going to have to deal with it.

He takes a walk through the marketplace, trying to distract himself. Maybe he’ll pick out something cool for Okuyasu and Koichi for when he gets to meet up with them again. He grins to himself at the thought.

Before he can get too into shopping, though, he notices a fortune teller who has set up a booth on the outskirts of the marketplace. He’s not sure he believes in fortune telling, but if he could learn it, that would be a fun way to make some cash. Maybe he can see how it’s done and then make stuff up to mess with people. 

“Oh, hey! I don’t know much about fortune telling, but it looks kinda cool. I don’t know if I have any money for a reading, though… I just got here, so all I’ve got is what’s in the wallet I had on me.”

The guy’s got to make a living, so he probably won’t take pity on Josuke’s paltry excuse. Still, he really is curious about this Tarot business, and it might pay off if he can learn the gist of how it works… Hopefully he’ll get to go home before too long, so it’s not like he’s completely screwed if he spends a few extra yen here and there, right?

Almost immediately after laying eyes on the young man, a sudden pang of familiarity washes over him. Perhaps it is his manner of clothes, both modern and very distinct as a Japanese student (even as... Bedazzled as his uniform was), but there was something tugging even deeper at his awareness, a distinct presence that was impossible to ignore. And Avdol had long since learned not to ignore these premonitions. 

“Not to worry. I can perform a simple reading, free of charge. Adjusting to such a foreign environment is always difficult, and if I am able to provide you with peace of mind, that’s more than a satisfactory payment.” 

This was only half true. Of course, Avdol would be more lenient with his “riftling” clients, considering their difficult situations, but more than anything, he was determined to investigate this boy before him. His first guess would be that he’s a fellow Stand user, but something tells Avdol that there is a connection that runs much deeper than that. 

Alas, even after thourough investigation, there didn’t seem to be a straightforward method of escape. It pained him to accept he wouldn’t be leaving any time soon, but it couldn’t be helped. He had done what he could for the others during his recovery, and made arrangements with the Foundation to deliver Iggy to their location. Though he wished he could provide assistance in the upcoming battle against Dio, he knew how capable the others were. All he could do now was believe in their strength and pray for their success. 

In the meantime, Avdol now had his own battle to fight. One which required patience and careful observation. There had to be a chink in his captor’s defense that would reveal itself eventually, but until then, Avdol would have to find a way to survive in this strange town, starting with a reliable income. 

He had settled on his old practice before encountering Dio, which involved fortune telling. It wasn’t the most reliable job, but it would have to do for the time being. He had set up a humble booth for himself, a small distance away from the marketplace and the competitive merchants, but at least visible enough to passersby. Even so, business is predictably slow. 

Therefore, he perks up visibly, a bit more than he’d care to admit, when a stranger stops in front of his booth, taking more than a passing glance at his set up.