World Tree MUSH

Josuke has always been the sort to try to promote peace. So, when Jotaro finally shook Joseph Joestar free of his realty business and got him to come to Morioh -- only because his mother would question it if he left, and Josuke doesn't want her to know that Joseph is essentially within arm's reach of her -- Josuke had a bonus idea.

Unfortunately this requires that he figure out a way to move Blackheart across the city without the sun burning her. That would cause a panic in the city. And also he doesn't want Blackheart hurt. So he bought a large, dark-colored cloak that would cover her really well, as well as a few pieces of clothing that would cover up what the cloak didn't. Hopefully that would mean she's protected.

He arrives at the Speedwagon Foundation building in Morioh, with these in a shopping bag marked with the logo of the place he'd bought them at. In short order, they'll let him in to see her. "Hi there!" he greets. "Feel like going out?" In the daytime...?

    Blackheart is presently lounging on a small couch in the windowless yet lit room. Upon hearing Josuke however, she leaps up from a laying position on to the arm and raises a hand with a smile. "Heya~" she says, then pauses. "Is that what the bag is for?" she asks. "Is it like ceremonial garb, or did you manage to make something else to protect me?" she asks, "-Oh! Right, sorry. Ceremonial garb was a thing we used when we had to work with humans a long time ago."

    Josuke pulls the cloak out of the bag. "Yeah, that's what this is for -- just to protect you from the sun," he confirms. "There's this and a few other things, and we'll be taking a taxi, so you won't have to be out there too long. It's also kind of chilly, so you shouldn't look too out of place in it all."

    He pauses, and thinks about how best to say the next, finally deciding on, "I wanted you to meet someone that I'm going to see today. He was the one who dealt with the other Pillar Men, the ones that caused all the trouble in the thirties. I have something I need to ask him about anyway, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for him to meet you and see that you weren't like the ones he dealt with."

    Blackheart's expression lights up upon hearing that. "I had wanted to thank him in person, yes." she says, "I had wondered at times if that task would have fallen to me when I awoke. I'm glad it didn't." she adds, then steps off the couch and examines the cloak, before putting it and the other pieces over her current outfit. She does take extra care to tug the hood over her horn as well, as it's quite a distinctive feature. "You mentioned he was your father, right?" she asks. "What is he like?" she says, as she moves to walk out of the room with Josuke.

    "Well..." Josuke begins. He respectfully turns away when she starts getting dressed. But he continues, mainly to distract himself, "In all honestly, he's likely to initially be afraid of you, since... well, the Pillar Men that caused problems were the only ones that he'd ever met. But I'm not gonna let him hurt you."

    Once she's dressed, and everything's covered up and away from the sun, Josuke will escort her out. He'll probably have to sign her out, but that's no problem. " But I'm not gonna let him hurt you. See, he knows Hamon."

    This question about what he's like? That... actually catches Josuke flat-footed. "I'm not really sure, actually," he admits. "There's some... weird circumstances between us -- he's married, and not to my mother. So I've been trying to keep him from seeing her again because... well, she can't have him, so I don't want her heart broken. And I don't want to cause problems for the woman he's actually married to."

    He hesitates here. "He's... I guess he's basically a decent guy though, aside from that. The family tend to be... pretty stubborn. And he did almost kill himself to locate a baby that was drowning." Another pause here. "More to the point -- and this is why I said I wouldn't let him hurt you -- he knows Hamon, and I understand that's pretty dangerous to you."

    "It is." Blackheart says, "It wasn't something we thought much of, until Kars. He occasionally brought it up, the manner in which he spoke reminded many of us of human warriors speaking of those they would fight. I don't think we were really better than you then, we just didn't have enough of us to break off into warring groups. I don't think we're better now, either... Kars proved that we can have our own great monsters." she observes, her expression turning briefly gloomy before she perks right up again. "Still, this world is beyond anything I could have dreamed of. Better, really. I might have said this before, but if we knew what you were capable of then we might have worshipped you humans instead of the other way around."

    Josuke waves a hand dismissively. "Eh. Humans aren't anything to worship," he notes. "We're really just surprisingly smart monkeys that figured out how to do some cool things. There's definitely some monsters among humans."

    Briefly he recalls Kira Yoshikage, hopefully burning in hell where he belongs. There's no way a benevolent god would grant him mercy. Not after all the people he killed without a second thought to the lives he ruined and destroyed...

    But there is a taxi, and Josuke hails it. It may or may not be a SPW agent in disguise. These days anyone's likely to be a Speedwagon Foundation agent! "Morioh Grand Hotel, please," Josuke offers to the driver politely as he gets in.

    "Yeah. Nobody's perfect, we need to think of our choices." Blackheart says, "I'll keep calm when speaking to him though, I don't want to shock him... I understand it might be a problem with him knowing what I am before knowing who I am."

    "That's why I'm here," Josuke replies. "He's more or less a reasonable guy, from what I know of him. Besides, he uh..." There's that kind of... darkening of his expression, the 'uuuuuugh, I don't wanna say this' expression. "...He's likely to give you more of a chance because you're female." That's the most polite way he can put it.

    The Morioh Grand Hotel is a pretty big building, so they'll see it before they get there. One side of the three-story brown-brick building has the traditional squared look, but the other side has a racetrack shape to it. This is likely where the reception desk is, because that's where the stone 'awning' is for people to stop under temporarily. Across the side of this stone 'awning', letters spelling out the words 'MORIOH GRAND HOTEL' in all caps are placed.

    "Men are generally seen as more threatening than women, I think." Blackheart says, "I have some guesses about that, but I don't know too much about it beyond just strength." she says, "I mean I could probably fight him and win, but I haven't the slightest idea why I would fight him to begin with." she observes, shrugging.

    Josuke blushes a little. "It's hard to explain," he admits. "But I'll say it has nothing to do with your threat potential."

    Yeah, he can see Joseph being sweet on her. Which admittedly makes him question the wisdom of this endeavor, but what he hopes to accomplish will hopefully outweigh that...

    Once they arrive at the place, he'll thank/pay the taxi driver and then lead the way into the reception area. It's a very spacious area, nice and clean and open... and also lit by natural sunlight, which means Blackheart will need to stay covered up for just a bit longer.

    Josuke greets the receptionist with a polite bow and, "Hello. Could you tell me which is Joseph Joestar's room? My name is Josuke Higashikata, he's expecting me."

    The receptionist smiles, and looks through the records. "Ah, good morning, Mr. Higashikata. Please go on up to room 204," the receptionist offers.

    "Thank you," Josuke responds, with a another bow. Then he looks to Blackheart. "Just a little further," he reassures.

    "Oh! I see." Blackheart says, "I'll be sure to only show my head at most to avoid awkwardness, then. Any more might be..." she observes, then seems a little embarrassed, looking off to the side. "Distracting." she adds.

    Yay, now they're both embarrassed! "W-well, I mean..." Josuke begins as he heads into the elevator, "he's not likely to be super-pervy about it. But I figure he'll be unlikely to just outright attack you. In either sense."

    Second floor, and room 204 isn't far. There's actually a person in a suit outside the door, helping make the distinction for which room. The person is visibly not Japanese. But more to the point, they're wearing the wooden wagon wheel symbol somewhere on their person, marking them as Speedwagon Foundation personnel.

    "Hi there," Josuke offers the person. "I'm here to see Mr. Joestar."

    "One moment," the SPW agent says, and enters the room. "Mr. Joestar? Your son is here."

    The wince on Josuke's face is visible.

    But the agent returns, with the door open. "Go on in, Mr. Higashikata." They have a bit of trouble pronouncing the last name. Josuke nods and enters... though the hesitation isn't imagined.

    Joseph is there, in the sitting area of the room. He's a very old man, with a slight slump to his frame. But Josuke is relieved to note that he's not leaning on his cane quite as much as he was the last time.

    The old man is a bit shorter than Josuke now, thanks to the slump and to the settling of bones in old age, but his shoulders are still quite broad. In his youth he must have been quite muscular. "Ah, Josuke!" Joseph greets. "So good to see you again!" He moves to the teen for a hug.

    Josuke has a momentary look of panic, quickly quashed, and steps back enough not to be rude. "Ah, h-hello, Mr. Joestar," he returns, as bit awkward. "I wanted to ask you some questions... and I also wanted you to meet someone. But can we pull the curtains in the room? It's kind of important."

    Joseph's expression sharpens then, a shrewd look there that's out of place on a man of his apparent age. "Well... all right, if you need them closed." Josuke spends a few moments pulling the curtains closed in the sitting room (which basically has wall-to-wall windows) to make things not so dangerous for Blackheart.

    Blackheart is quiet for now, as she sits down. She knows Joeseph has only seen the members of her species she would consider the /worst/ of all of them, and the outright thanking of him is probably right out right now. After an awkward few moments, she speaks. "Mr. Joestar, sir." she says, though some might note the subtle pre-translation shift into English with an East Coast American accent. "I would like to thank you for some of your past deeds, and provide some additional information about some aspects of your heroism that you were not previously aware of." she says, then inhales a bit as she lowers some of the cloth around her face to speak more clearly. "Concerning your struggles against the... 'Pillar Men'. I suspect you were not aware of some of their other crimes, aside from several incidents of murdering humans. Were it not for their own survival, it could be said that their intentions towards their own kind were genocidal."

    Joseph looks to Blackheart as she speaks, though at the moment she's still covered up. He aims a shrewd look at her with the words. Josuke stands by quietly, but watching carefully.

    When she pulls the hood back, Joseph is visibly surprised. He blinks, and then raises a hand to rub his chin. "Hm. I actually thought that Josuke might bring you to see me. Knowing that you seem far less inclined to attack humans, he might want me to meet one of your... race that isn't quite so homicidal."

    Blackheart's words draw a thoughtful look from Joseph. And a bit nostalgic. He tilts his head back, looks up at the ceiling. "...God, was it really that long ago?" A rhetorical question, because of course it was.

    "But that aside..." Joseph continues, looking to Blackheart again, "it was hard to know what Kars was actually thinking, aside from 'become God'. Or something down those lines, the specifics don't really matter. But I did read some of the Speedwagon Foundation reports. So I know a little more -- Kars was trying to kill his own people?"

    "Most of us were as prone to violence as any of your own kind." Blackheart says, "We didn't need exorbitant amounts of energy, and would consume plants or animals as we needed, sometimes in circumstances where feasts were called for. We understood that Kars was a threat the likes of which we had not seen before, and likewise understood that his love of war and death would mean a few people hidden away would be able to survive if most of us met him in battle. He would be so lost in his bloodlust that he wouldn't consider it to be anything but a final victory over the people that rejected him."

    "He believed in few ruling over the many, and that the strong were entitled to take from the weak. As with any group that can keep a society together, we didn't agree in force as the sole truth of existence."

    Joseph is quiet, thoughtful, as he listens. Though he gives a look of surprise towards the end of Blackheart's explanation. And the one thing he takes from it all?

    With wide, shocked eyes, he leans forward in his chair and asks, "Then... then there might be more Pillar Men out there somewhere, hidden away?!"

    Holding up her hands, Blackheart seems embarrassed, "But like me, not murderers." she observes, "Just... People. Our elders didn't want Kars to happen again, later. He was the worst of us... I hope perhaps, we'll see someone we can call the best of us someday."

    This is, of course, Joseph Joestar. His response to this is going to be pretty predictable, to anyone who knows him.

    "OH MY GOD!!!!"

    Josuke sighs. "H-hey, chill out, Mr. Joestar," he offers. "It's like she said -- if you find any more Pillar Men, they're not going to be like the ones you met. The ones you met, even their own people thought they were monsters."

    Joseph does calm down with this reassurance. "...It does make me wonder. If maybe, if 'he' had been taught differently, by someone other than Kars..." He trails off, with a shake of his head. "No. That's just wishful thinking. Forget I said that..."

    Blink. "He?" Blackheart asks, "I know he had his disciples, but death... Maybe some peace can be found for them, there. It's a shame, really."

    Joseph's expression is a mix of concern, thoughtfulness, and a little bit of sadness. Again he tilts his head up, to look at the ceiling. "...I don't want this to seem as though I'm saying 'your people did this, what are you going to do about it'," he notes. "But I want you to understand why the precautions. I'm assuming the Speedwagon Foundation has been particularly stringent about you not going out without supervision, or at least without telling anyone?"

    "Yes." Blackheart says, "Your first introduction to my kind was bloodsoaked, any subtext gets lost in that. Your world is often strange to me, but I have been trying to understand and learn. I don't know where any others are, we hadn't ruled out Kars finding one of us and torturing that one for information."

    "That's... actually a good idea," Joseph replies. "Did he know there were some of you hidden, or was that just a fear of him finding one of you and figuring it out? Much as I hate to compliment an enemy, he was incredibly smart. He probably would have figured it out if he'd found any of you."

    "A fear of the latter." Blackheart says, "He was intelligent, but the plan to survive was based on his malice and ego overriding his intelligence. His greatest drive towards evil becoming the thing that would deny it to him... Poetic, in its way."

    Joseph clenches a fist. "He was. That was one of the things that made up my mind to beat him," he notes. "The others -- Wammu, Eisidisi, and Santana -- fought against me because he wanted them to. I can respect that -- they believed in Kars, and threw away many of their principles to obey him. But Kars himself?"

    Here Joseph frowns darkly. "He had them do everything they did because he was selfish. Selfish enough to believe his own goals more important than others' lives! And that's the one thing I can't stand -- he killed people for a selfish power grab! Not to better his people. But because he wanted everything. For himself!"

    It's notable that Josuke seems... surprised to hear this. He looks to Joseph, blinks as if confused. Despite himself, Joseph sends a smirk Josuke-wards. "And now you're going to say, 'that's actually surprisingly honourable'!" he predicts. Josuke's mouth is already open, words firm in his mind, and he says...

    "...That's... actually surprisingly honorable..."

    Pause. And then it hits him. "...Wait, did you..." Joseph just grins.

    "Yes, their choices were the result of a virtue being twisted against them: Loyalty. Loyalty to a vile person is harsh indeed." Blackheart says, then grins at Josuke's confusion. "You can read peoples' lines of thought quite well, it seems. Or perhaps you've developed another skill since I've since heard of humanity? I am very much not up to date, after all."

    Joseph nods, now with a solemn expression on his face, in response to Blackheart's words. "I've seen many examples of that, yes. As it turns out, those Stone Masks have a particular effect on humans. I don't know if it twists them, or if this one was already twisted to begin with..."

    Here he pauses. And then after a moment, he decides, "This is something you'll need to be told anyway. There was a man who used one of those Masks to become a monster. And he has had a great effect on history going forward. There are still hundreds of people fanatically devoted to him in the world.

    "I think the only reason Josuke hasn't been targeted before now is because he lives here and has kept his track record relatively small," Joseph replies. And then to Josuke, "Not to discount your achievements -- you did a wonderful job dealing with the Stand-users here."

    Josuke shakes his head. "It was Jotaro and Koichi who dealt with Kira in the end anyway," he replies. "If it hadn't been for Koichi freezing Kira's hand and Jotaro's time-stopping, Kira would have sent the world into another time-loop."

    "Ah, that makes more sense," Joseph replies. "Dio's underlings just might not have figured out just how much of a monkey wrench you could throw into their plans." To Blackheart, "But you. The Speedwagon Foundation has been trying to keep your existence relatively quiet. That's because a lot of people still aspire to Dio's power, and we don't want to take the chance that you may be targeted as a possible source of another Stone Mask."

    "I understand. Admittedly, Kars created them but it's not necessarily the case that everyone will believe that statement. Some may think it was simply a practice of my people, even to the point of being common knowledge." Blackheart says, "A more indirect source of trouble than simply being taken for a violently insane sort."

    Joseph nods. "That's why we're trying to keep the knowledge that you exist quiet," he agrees. "Dealing with Dio's underlings is the last thing you want, trust me on this."

    "And there's too many to just go out and... I don't know, deal with the problem?" Josuke inquires.

    "Far too many," Joseph agrees. "He has loyal underlings all over the world. And it's almost impossible to ferret them out until they're aready moving to a goal. The only saving grace we have now is that because Dio is dead, they have no real unifying presence holding them together, since all of them were cutthroat and wanted more of Dio's praise than any other. So they usually can't cooperate."

    Joseph sighs here, suddenly looking his age. "Though to speak frankly, the realization that you can't make the Stone Masks relieves me intensely," he says. "My family has lost a lot over those Masks...."

    "They were Kars' own project. As best as I can tell, he and maybe his followers knew. I suspect he wouldn't trust them with that knowledge, and it would go against his views besides." Blackheart says, "It might be interesting to make a variant that outright kills its wearer to ensnare power-hungry sorts, but even that might come too close."

    Joseph nods. "They were part of Kars's research in how he could conquer the sun, I understand," he notes. "If it makes you feel better, I want to believe that there was, at some point in his mind, the intention for that to be a gift to your people."

    As to the mention of a mask to snare the power-hungry? Joseph shakes his head. "It's not that it would come too close, but that the people who really deserve it wouldn't fall to it."

    Josuke gives a thoughtful pout (this being a natural state of the Josukeus Higashikataus, the communicative pout). "Yeah... The really power-hungry kinds have people that they'd get to try it first. Like a poison-taster for a king."

    "Ah well. It was a thought." Blackheart says, "I... Think I might understand. I think it just may have been where his raw obsession took him. Either way, he did express a desire for power without restraint well before we had to confront him. We can't change the past, the tragedy of a monster's unlived bright future is writ in stone." she observes. Did she just pun?..

    Whether she made a pun or not, Josuke at least finds it funny. He snickers quietly, though stifles it quickly. Joseph, for his part, smirks. Whether she meant it as a pun or not, it seems to have gone over well!

    Though the smirk fades a moment later. "That's possible," he agrees. "Assuming he had normal emotions at one time, it could have gone from feeling rejected, to feeling betrayed, and then once he was mostly alone, his goal was all he had."

    And then he offers, "He was my enemy, and I honestly have no positive feelings for him... but I also know he's one of your people, and it's hard to hear all these things about one of your own people."

    "He did, as best as I can tell, slaughter the majority of my people." Blackheart says, "Musings on what he may have once wanted, or what struggles he endured that drove him to madness fall rather flat in light of such an act."

    "That's true," Joseph agrees. "But however the Speedwagon Foundation is handling your presence, you'll get no condemnation from me. My grandfather gave a chance to a street thug in London who was actively trying to mug him, with intent to kill him. That 'thug' became one of his best friends, and that's the reason the Speedwagon Foundation exists. I'm not my grandfather, but I like to think I can follow his example, and judge others fairly, on their own merits."

    "...Your grandfather sounds incredible by any standard." Blackheart says, "Thank you for this chance, I'll do all I can to not disappoint." she observes, with a bow. "-Er... Wait, they don't do that in America, do they? I've been a little used to Japanese mannerisms lately."

    Joseph nods. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about Grandpa Jonathan." Wistfully he sighed, "I only wish I could have known him." Though he chuckles at her hesitation. "It's fine. You're in Japan right now. 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do', after all."

    "Yeah," Josuke agrees. "I'm not really too well-versed on American customs. But I think, under the circumstances, that it's okay to be polite."

    "OK, I just wanted to be sure." Blackheart says, "I'm glad we're not going to have trouble... At least, not between the three of us. It was an honor, Mr. Joestar." she says, smiling as she gets up to leave. "-Though was there anything else you wanted to speak to me about?" she asks, looking between the two present.

    Joseph stands as well, needing little help from his cane. "No, I'm satisfied that you can be trusted," he replies. "If you do need some help..."

    "Josuke speaks up here, "The Speedwagon Foundation can probably do something. Or I can. They're working on helping her acclimate to the world right now. Lots of time has passed, and she needs to be caught up."

    A pause, and Josuke gives a serious look to Joseph. "But... I need to talk to you about something," he says firmly. "I'll be back later today, okay?" He didn't want to talk about this particular subject in front of Blackheart; it would be rude to talk about the thing that is anathema to her people, right in front of her.