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madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: The party visits the Way Station and thus sets up what may become their temporary base of operations in Paxil.
Word Count: 1583
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
They poke around a little, Kakyoin most of all, given that he’s the most likely among them to actually get away with it with Hierophant. What they find is that there are similarities as well as differences between this and the gas station. Perhaps the most glaring is the fact that the Way Station has no doors whatsoever, just open doorways with the occasional cloth hanging over it. As if that’s enough to stop practically any of them from looking around. The decoration is relatively similar, with the painted carvings and geometric symbols and the occasional rug hanging on the walls. Johan’s no expert, which is why he appreciates Willow elaborating that yes, a lot of this is standard depiction of travelers and one of the patrons of traveling, Ek Ahau (so the namesake of the Way Station). What Xander finds more fascinating is the stylized car behind one of the characters, something that Buffy finds hilarious, missing the point entirely. It’s—it’s not like he’s Jonathan, or anything. He doesn’t have the in-depth cultural knowledge you’d get from studying it at university (okay, yeah, maybe he does, in the form of Pretender, but still) and doesn’t have the same draw to become one, even if archaeologists do claim in their ranks Indiana Jones and Evelyn and Rick O’Connell. But even then, he finds this fascinating in a way that it seems like most of the others don’t. Except for maybe Jotaro? He’s the type to think about this kind of stuff in detail, even if he doesn’t say so out loud.
It’s not something obvious proving this to be a fake, though if he used a knife to take it and show it to the scholars they’d claim that it was. It’s a clue (alongside others at the gas station or even their drive in) to the nature of the city they’re in. It’s not frozen in time. The roads aren’t just made for carts or llamas or whatever they used to use back in the day. They value the past, true. And if given a choice between the modern and traditional, most of the time they choose the latter. But they’re also not completely resistant to change. This is slightly more like what would happen if the Mayan civilization had survived to the present day. If anything, it’s a little conservative; Johan can’t imagine civilizations that survived and thrived on innovation would consider most inventions to be a line too far.
This place has a fountain, though, with a sign urging them to drink if necessary. Xander nearly goes for it, but is stopped by Jotaro, who pulls out a test tube and collects a sample using Star. It’s probably fine, but it’s a good reminder, too. He’s probably getting a little too careless.
That’s when the owner comes in. “Sorry to make you wait. Now, how many rooms?”
Kakyoin steps up smoothly, like it’d been rehearsed, even from the way Jotaro forcefully jams his hands in his pockets it hadn’t been. “Sorry, we don’t know the customs around here—what the beds are like, for instance.”
“Ah, sorry about that. That’s right; I don’t remember you, so should have explained more in detail. We have two different types of beds: what are essentially cots and hammocks, though several aspects, such as the materials used, have been modernized. As for the number that can fit in a room, that’s variable and mostly depends on how much room you yourselves wish to have—I’d say probably up to eight without too much crowding, though comfort levels vary.” Johan has to do a mental calculation—they’ve got him, Willow, Buffy, Jotaro, Kakyoin, Robin, Beefheart, Darling, Josuke, Josie, and Giorno. That’s eleven. He’d offer to stay with his best friends, since it’s been a while since they’ve gotten a chance to seriously talk, but that would still leave nine. Given the strong Japanese representation, Xander isn’t too surprised when Kakyoin makes his decision. ‘Segregating by the sexes’ is pretty common. In US schools, too, but Johan’s experience hadn’t been any more normal there than it had anywhere else.
“Two rooms should be fine. I’m told you take credit cards?” The one he pulls out Johan recognizes as being Speedwagon Foundation issued, which makes sense.
“Yes, among other payment options, but that will do just fine, thank you.” She finishes that up, though Kakyoin’s the only one close enough to see the true cost (like the Foundation won’t just eat the cost no matter what it is) and then picks up a bundle from behind the counter.
“Follow me,” she tells them. “Do you have a preference between the cots and the hammocks?”
Johan would say that he wouldn’t mind a hammock, given that he’s enjoyed trying a whole lot of new things since he’d been in Africa, but Kakyoin overrules him before he can even speak with a conversational “...Cots, I think.” Okay, yeah, if there’s an emergency it’s a whole lot easier to respond from a cot than a hammock, but still, he finds himself sulking a little bit until Buffy nudges him.
No one else seems to notice, though, glancing around at the lightbulb-lit corridors and rooms they pass. “I’ll bring more cots by shortly, then. You’ll need these customary cloths—pull it over the pegs on either side of the doorway to invoke privacy, particularly when you’re sleeping. I realize that you may wonder about the security of such an arrangement, and how it differs from anywhere else you may have seen in town already, but open doorways are an ancient sign of hospitality, and thus required for a Way Station, while other structures can be built in a somewhat more modern style. No local would dare venture inside and trespass on your privacy when you have indicated otherwise, much like the ‘do not disturb’ sign used in many hotels.”
She gestures slightly to some of the doorways they pass, with cloths already covering the entrances. “As for visitors like yourself, I will note that they have all been warned, as you shall in a mere moment, that it is not for your fellow visitors’ peace of mind, but for your own safety, that you follow this rule of courtesy while you are here. Though there are also safes in the rooms for your convenience. I will bring your complimentary pottery later. While you are here, you are free to use them as plates, water jugs from the fountain, or even cooking should you so desire—the main kitchen is a communal one, though Abha, our on-staff cook, is also available to make meals three times a day: if you eat dinner, we ask that you stay through the dinner, but lunch and breakfast especially can be picked up and taken back to your room if you’re not feeling particularly sociable at the time. On-site we have a small farm; you are welcome to help if you wish, since I’m told it’s good for a ‘mental health’ vacation. I even allow you to take some of the produce to market for trade if you’ve helped tend it. If you keep going from the reception desk through the doors outside, those are to the right, while the restrooms are on the left.” \
That explains some of the extra buildings Xander had seen through the doors. “We have reliable cell towers, though getting in touch with those too far out of the town tends to be spotty, I’m afraid. And each room has a television, though much of the programming is local. A chance to branch out and try something new, I like to call it.” That’s...weirdly relevant to what Xander had just been thinking.
“Other than that, there’s our steam baths; take care. If your doctor has forbidden you from steam rooms or saunas, I would expect you to exercise similar caution. The shaman will remind you of the same should you choose to partake, but I feel it’s best to warn you up front as well. We all must be so conscious of liability these days.” And then she tuts, stopping and sweeping her arms to indicate two different rooms at either side of the hall. “These are your rooms, and a cloth for you both…” she hands one to Kakyoin and one to Josie. “Please, enjoy your stay.”
Kakyoin waits until the woman has gone before he gives them all one final warning before they separate into their respective rooms. “No one investigates on their own. Everyone make sure you have a partner or two every time you leave. That means you, Jotaro.”
“Fine.” The man manages to pack ‘all right already, give me a break’ into a single word. It’s honestly quite impressive.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: The party visits the Way Station and thus sets up what may become their temporary base of operations in Paxil.
Word Count: 1583
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
As if purposefully to set Jotaro, Kakyoin, and by proxy Johan on high alert, the innkeeper turns out to be a woman on the older side. She’s definitely not pretending to be feeble or has a bandaged hand or six fingers on one of those hands or anything, though. When they arrive, she’s currently vigorously talking through builders working on an extension on the roof, trying to get the inn to the exact specification desired. “Ah, seeking accommodations I assume. Feel free to head in and make yourselves comfortable in the waiting area. I just want to finish up these last few touches—no, I want an overhang to keep visitors out of the rain, not mere ornamentation!—and then I’ll be right with you.”
They poke around a little, Kakyoin most of all, given that he’s the most likely among them to actually get away with it with Hierophant. What they find is that there are similarities as well as differences between this and the gas station. Perhaps the most glaring is the fact that the Way Station has no doors whatsoever, just open doorways with the occasional cloth hanging over it. As if that’s enough to stop practically any of them from looking around. The decoration is relatively similar, with the painted carvings and geometric symbols and the occasional rug hanging on the walls. Johan’s no expert, which is why he appreciates Willow elaborating that yes, a lot of this is standard depiction of travelers and one of the patrons of traveling, Ek Ahau (so the namesake of the Way Station). What Xander finds more fascinating is the stylized car behind one of the characters, something that Buffy finds hilarious, missing the point entirely. It’s—it’s not like he’s Jonathan, or anything. He doesn’t have the in-depth cultural knowledge you’d get from studying it at university (okay, yeah, maybe he does, in the form of Pretender, but still) and doesn’t have the same draw to become one, even if archaeologists do claim in their ranks Indiana Jones and Evelyn and Rick O’Connell. But even then, he finds this fascinating in a way that it seems like most of the others don’t. Except for maybe Jotaro? He’s the type to think about this kind of stuff in detail, even if he doesn’t say so out loud.
It’s not something obvious proving this to be a fake, though if he used a knife to take it and show it to the scholars they’d claim that it was. It’s a clue (alongside others at the gas station or even their drive in) to the nature of the city they’re in. It’s not frozen in time. The roads aren’t just made for carts or llamas or whatever they used to use back in the day. They value the past, true. And if given a choice between the modern and traditional, most of the time they choose the latter. But they’re also not completely resistant to change. This is slightly more like what would happen if the Mayan civilization had survived to the present day. If anything, it’s a little conservative; Johan can’t imagine civilizations that survived and thrived on innovation would consider most inventions to be a line too far.
This place has a fountain, though, with a sign urging them to drink if necessary. Xander nearly goes for it, but is stopped by Jotaro, who pulls out a test tube and collects a sample using Star. It’s probably fine, but it’s a good reminder, too. He’s probably getting a little too careless.
That’s when the owner comes in. “Sorry to make you wait. Now, how many rooms?”
Kakyoin steps up smoothly, like it’d been rehearsed, even from the way Jotaro forcefully jams his hands in his pockets it hadn’t been. “Sorry, we don’t know the customs around here—what the beds are like, for instance.”
“Ah, sorry about that. That’s right; I don’t remember you, so should have explained more in detail. We have two different types of beds: what are essentially cots and hammocks, though several aspects, such as the materials used, have been modernized. As for the number that can fit in a room, that’s variable and mostly depends on how much room you yourselves wish to have—I’d say probably up to eight without too much crowding, though comfort levels vary.” Johan has to do a mental calculation—they’ve got him, Willow, Buffy, Jotaro, Kakyoin, Robin, Beefheart, Darling, Josuke, Josie, and Giorno. That’s eleven. He’d offer to stay with his best friends, since it’s been a while since they’ve gotten a chance to seriously talk, but that would still leave nine. Given the strong Japanese representation, Xander isn’t too surprised when Kakyoin makes his decision. ‘Segregating by the sexes’ is pretty common. In US schools, too, but Johan’s experience hadn’t been any more normal there than it had anywhere else.
“Two rooms should be fine. I’m told you take credit cards?” The one he pulls out Johan recognizes as being Speedwagon Foundation issued, which makes sense.
“Yes, among other payment options, but that will do just fine, thank you.” She finishes that up, though Kakyoin’s the only one close enough to see the true cost (like the Foundation won’t just eat the cost no matter what it is) and then picks up a bundle from behind the counter.
“Follow me,” she tells them. “Do you have a preference between the cots and the hammocks?”
Johan would say that he wouldn’t mind a hammock, given that he’s enjoyed trying a whole lot of new things since he’d been in Africa, but Kakyoin overrules him before he can even speak with a conversational “...Cots, I think.” Okay, yeah, if there’s an emergency it’s a whole lot easier to respond from a cot than a hammock, but still, he finds himself sulking a little bit until Buffy nudges him.
No one else seems to notice, though, glancing around at the lightbulb-lit corridors and rooms they pass. “I’ll bring more cots by shortly, then. You’ll need these customary cloths—pull it over the pegs on either side of the doorway to invoke privacy, particularly when you’re sleeping. I realize that you may wonder about the security of such an arrangement, and how it differs from anywhere else you may have seen in town already, but open doorways are an ancient sign of hospitality, and thus required for a Way Station, while other structures can be built in a somewhat more modern style. No local would dare venture inside and trespass on your privacy when you have indicated otherwise, much like the ‘do not disturb’ sign used in many hotels.”
She gestures slightly to some of the doorways they pass, with cloths already covering the entrances. “As for visitors like yourself, I will note that they have all been warned, as you shall in a mere moment, that it is not for your fellow visitors’ peace of mind, but for your own safety, that you follow this rule of courtesy while you are here. Though there are also safes in the rooms for your convenience. I will bring your complimentary pottery later. While you are here, you are free to use them as plates, water jugs from the fountain, or even cooking should you so desire—the main kitchen is a communal one, though Abha, our on-staff cook, is also available to make meals three times a day: if you eat dinner, we ask that you stay through the dinner, but lunch and breakfast especially can be picked up and taken back to your room if you’re not feeling particularly sociable at the time. On-site we have a small farm; you are welcome to help if you wish, since I’m told it’s good for a ‘mental health’ vacation. I even allow you to take some of the produce to market for trade if you’ve helped tend it. If you keep going from the reception desk through the doors outside, those are to the right, while the restrooms are on the left.” \
That explains some of the extra buildings Xander had seen through the doors. “We have reliable cell towers, though getting in touch with those too far out of the town tends to be spotty, I’m afraid. And each room has a television, though much of the programming is local. A chance to branch out and try something new, I like to call it.” That’s...weirdly relevant to what Xander had just been thinking.
“Other than that, there’s our steam baths; take care. If your doctor has forbidden you from steam rooms or saunas, I would expect you to exercise similar caution. The shaman will remind you of the same should you choose to partake, but I feel it’s best to warn you up front as well. We all must be so conscious of liability these days.” And then she tuts, stopping and sweeping her arms to indicate two different rooms at either side of the hall. “These are your rooms, and a cloth for you both…” she hands one to Kakyoin and one to Josie. “Please, enjoy your stay.”
Kakyoin waits until the woman has gone before he gives them all one final warning before they separate into their respective rooms. “No one investigates on their own. Everyone make sure you have a partner or two every time you leave. That means you, Jotaro.”
“Fine.” The man manages to pack ‘all right already, give me a break’ into a single word. It’s honestly quite impressive.
