CHERRY BOMB !

            SHE  MOVES  QUIETLY  OUT  THE  DOOR  OF  HER  HOTEL  ROOM,  CAREFUL  NOT  TO  WAKE  THE  OTHERS  SHE  PASSED  THEIR  ROOMS,    as  if  they  could  hear  her,  more  out  of  instinct  than  anything  else.  she  was  a  runaway,  they  all  knew,  and  was  prone  to  disappearing  randomly  into  the  night,  the  first  time  they  must  have  thought  she  was  abandoning  their  mission,  but  she’d  always  returned  in  time  for  checkout.  she  was  a  restless  soul,  she  couldn’t  bear  to  stay  in  one  place  for  long,  and  when  her  thoughts  kept  her  awake,  she  wandered.

            she  stops  just  outside  the  hotel’s  back  entrance,  jumping  slightly  in  surprise  to  see  jotaro  there.  she  was  still  unsure  of  how  to  approach  him,  the  others  had  been  easy  enough  to  bond  with,  but  he  was  near  impossible  to  read,  still  she  changes  course,  moving  to  lean  against  the  wall  nearest  to  him    ❝    it’s  pretty  late,  ‘thought  you’d  be  dead  asleep  by  now    ❞    an  awkward  attempt  at  conversation,  but  nevertheless  she  persists    ❝    d’you  have  a  smoke  i  can  borrow  ?  i  lost  mine  on  the  ship    ❞

❝      yeah,  well       —       it'd  go  a  hell  of  a  lot  faster  even  if  you  only  gave  me  the  slightest  clue  as  to  what's  going  on,      ❞      leon  snaps  back,  a  brief  moment  of  his  frustrations  getting  the  better  of  him.  but  it's  understandable  given  the  situation,  of  what  he's  suddenly  been  thrust  into.    what  started  as  an  investigation  into  these  so  -  called  mind  -  controlling    ‘   flesh  buds   ’    had  developed    …    far  beyond  reality  and  reason  within  the  last  thirty  -  four  hours.  arrow,  stands,  dio,  vampire      —      he  doesn't  have  any  damn  idea  about  what  any  of  it  means,  but  he's  in  the  thick  of  it  now.

he  turns  to  his  own  bag,  offering  a  quick  apology  before  zipping  it  shut.  he  packs  light,  but  everything  they  could  ever  need  was  in  this  bag        —        with  the  exception  of  his  radio.  at  irene's  insistence,  leon  had  reluctantly  agreed  to  not  contact  hunnigan  to  inform  strategic  command  of  anything  beyond  the  scope  of  his  mission.

    ❝      the  nearest  pay  -  phone's  down  the  street    …    so  if  you're  expecting  us  to  run  into  trouble,  i  need  to  know  now.      ❞

            SHE DOESN’T LIKE HIS TONE,  BUT HIS APOLOGY IS ENOUGH FOR HER TO IGNORE IT FOR NOW.    she gives him a hard look over her shoulder,  brow twitching in irritation    ❝    i’ll give you a rundown on the way there.    ❞    but how could she explain something she still hardly understood herself  ?  she searches her memories for what she’d been told when she met  old man joestar  and the old gang of freaks    ❝    trouble  ?  absolutely.  trouble follows stand users wherever we go,  whether we look for it or not.  you’re lucky you ran into me instead of someone else.    ❞

the rest of the crusaders:

            she pulls her bandanna tighter around the bottom half of her face,  though the scent of death was only half - faded,  it at least protected her lungs.  she sticks to the rooftops,  making the larger jumps with  cherry bomb’s  assistance to avoid the mindless creatures below.  a part of her might have enjoyed fighting a horde like that,  but  her instructions were not to be ignored.  deviation from her orders,  in a situation such as this.  would not be easily forgotten,  they would never let her see combat like this again if they thought her a half - mad dog.  desperate for a fight.  more than they already did.

            she picks up speed as the police station comes into view,  moving quickly down the buildings fire escape to make a sprint for the fence,  dodging the decaying limbs that reached out for her.  she vaults over the stone wall,  a move impossible for any normal person,  and finds herself in a courtyard,  mercifully unoccupied by any of the snarling creatures.  she quietly makes her way to the closest entrance she could find,  crouching behind the scattered police cars as she went,  cherry bomb  had never been so on - edge,  she could feel the stand pressing at her ribcage,  ready to come out at the slightest hint of danger whether irene called her or not.  she freezes,  as she enters the inner - courtyard,  feeling eyes on her     ❝    who’s there  ?!    ❞    she shouts,  turning to watch her surroundings,    

            ❝    i’ll warn you once,  it’s in your best interest to show yourself  now.    ❞