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madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Fitz, Johan, and Darling have a conversation with the rude playgoer.
Word Count: 1312
Rating: Teen (Buffy|Jojo's level violence)
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
“I’m impressed you survived,” a voice calls, raspy and chilling. Fitz cautiously peeks between the seats to see a teenage goth, casually leaning against the back of a seat, facing them. She looks vaguely familiar for some reason, but a quick poke around his brains finds no reason for the recognition. It’s not like the situation with Darling where they’d seen her on the double decker before the fight. Jojo takes a peek with his remaining eye very, very carefully. “Most lose their minds against Twisted Sister, but then, you wouldn’t be so fun if you were like most of Pixie’s dolls. And Pixie would be oh-so-angry at me if I killed one of her dolls without her permission, but then, big sis knows best, after all. She’d understand, if I explained.”
“Who is Pixie? Your little sister?” Xander calls out conversationally, as if they’re not under threat of death, ignoring Fitz elbowing him in the side. He’s acting like this is perfectly normal, and—no, wait. It is, for him. Fitz had thought—had hoped—that he’d been exaggerating in his stories, but he’d been naïve. No wonder he’d treated a kidnapping like a minor faux pas. Because it was, for him. No wonder he jokes around so much. It’s a desperately needed coping mechanism, something to help release the stress before the pressure cooks him alive. However painful the realization is (he’d taken long enough, step by step, figuring that out), this isn’t the time to dwell on it.
“What, you don’t have that in your little book?” Wait—she knows about the list of Stand Users? But before Fitz can ask, she’s already moving on from her taunt. “It’s the name she chose for herself, to free herself from those awful people.” The last few words are hissed, venomous and angry, before the poison candy smile returns. “Darling Violetta, you understand exactly what I mean. You too, Alexander Harris, though I can’t work out if you’re luckier or unluckier you were even related.”
Johan raises his chin with dignity, eyes hard. “I don’t care if you call me Johan or Xander, but don’t use that last name.”
The Stand User throws her head back and laughs. She sounds more amused than dangerous, but that edge is still lurking under the surface. “All right, all right! You’re a card! Maybe I’ll wait and see what Pixie says.”
“You killed my parents, didn’t you?” Darling asks, brave, and the goth snarls.
“You saying they didn’t deserve that? You saying you deserved it all, that you’re the bad girl, that you’re the one who deserved to die?” The lights crackle ominously, though the screams have mostly died down. The only people left are the bodies on the floor, them, and this Stand User.
“No, but…” Darling shrinks a little until Jojo puts a supporting hand on her shoulder. She flashes a grateful smile and draws up her courage. “This way, they’re actually escaping judgment. They don’t deserve to die; they deserve to pay for their crimes. By dying like this, it’s ‘isn’t it awful’ and ‘weren’t they such good people who went to church’ instead of ‘weren’t they awful people to their daughter’. People need to talk about them, about the people they really were. People need to learn what it’s like, even if it’s scary.”
All at once, the menacing atmosphere disappears. “You’re all such fascinating people. I’ll think about it, but you really should float that by Pixie. We’ll see what she thinks of your little thought experiment. You’re late, with no time to say hello or goodbye. You’ve got a tea party to get to and a rabbit hole to scoot down. I’ll keep your mates company, but hand on heart, I won’t touch ‘em until the end of Pixie’s party. Unlike Wonderland’s, yours probably won’t last all day.”
“I suppose we’re not invited.” Fitz tries to match the casual tone Jojo adopted, but his heart’s rabbiting about somewhere in the vicinity of his throat.
The Stand User’s grin is full of teeth. “Oh, I must’ve lost your invitations. My bad.”
“And I further suppose it’ll break this ceasefire if we don’t play by the rules.” Now he’s the one being supported with a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Much as he appreciates Jojo, he’s not a child. However much courage it imparts.
She pats the weapon next to her affectionately, and the shadows on the edge of their vision gather. “Behave like good little dollies, and we won’t have to break you apart with an axe.”
Darling stands cautiously, and it doesn’t look like the ring of ghostly shadows moves at all. “I’ll be all right.”
“Don’t hesitate to play dirty if they turn out to not follow their word, okay?” Still, Xander lets her go with a supportive smile, and she smiles back.
“Don’t you dare get killed before I get back. Either of you.” She even waits for Fitz to nod his agreement before she glances at the Stand User.
“Past the noose,” she replies to the unspoken question, pointing at a door. Darling flinches slightly but doesn’t hesitate, leaving immediately.
Cautiously, Johan also stands, becoming less cautious when it doesn’t look like any of the ghosts or whatever they are move (though they wouldn’t see, not right in front of them, not until it’s too late—) He also leans against a seat, this one in front of him, to talk to the Stand User. “Won’t you get in trouble with Wolfram & Hart for leaving us alive, if you do decide to leave us alive?”
That smirk says she knows something they don’t. “Oh, you think that they’re the only players in this little game? Well, that’s fair, I suppose. They’ve plastered themselves as Public Enemy Number One to anyone that’s anyone. Easy enough for any old killer or spider to sneak around unseen, what with them demanding the limelight.” She shrugs theatrically. “Besides, the way they play, they’re painting a big target on their backs, if they decide to go after us. From their small practices like killing their employees to blackmail, assassination, sacrifice…they build up bad karma. Hoard it. Generations and generations of cursed ground, bleeding into every aspect of reality. That kind of pain is power the kind demons and devils thrive upon, but a debt like that has to be paid eventually.”
“Did you kill Robert?” Fitz asks desperately, and shivers slightly at the sadistic smile.
“No, but I heard about it. Read about it, even. Thing like that, rumors get whispered in the dead of night, you know how it is. Such a gruesome kill. Would’ve loved to be there.” She pauses for a moment. “Wait, I’m supposed to tell you how sorry I am, right? Well, from what I heard, he didn’t deserve it, either. Good man. Bummer.”
It’s hard to tell if she’s mocking him or sincerely offering whatever sort of sincere condolences her shriveled heart can muster. The blond clenches his fists and reminds himself there’s no point in attacking her. Not yet.
“I suppose you chose a name for yourself, too?” Johan frowns at her but doesn’t bother telling her off. She probably wouldn’t listen anyway.
“Alice Cooper.” She bows theatrically, and suddenly Fitz places her. Newspapers.
A brutal beating in a park. A teenager’s death. The sentence of life in prison for her attackers. It’s the same face from the ‘before’ photograph.
He tugs on Johan’s sleeve urgently. “Jojo, she’s dead—” he begins, and her appearance changes to that brutalized ‘after’ picture before he can even finish the sentence.
“Dead? Like this?” The vicious smile is even more disturbing now. “Well, makes me hard to kill, doesn't it? Can't take out the Stand User, if you felt like that was an option. Welcome to my nightmare.” Cooper opens her arms wide in invitation.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Fitz, Johan, and Darling have a conversation with the rude playgoer.
Word Count: 1312
Rating: Teen (Buffy|Jojo's level violence)
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
“I’m impressed you survived,” a voice calls, raspy and chilling. Fitz cautiously peeks between the seats to see a teenage goth, casually leaning against the back of a seat, facing them. She looks vaguely familiar for some reason, but a quick poke around his brains finds no reason for the recognition. It’s not like the situation with Darling where they’d seen her on the double decker before the fight. Jojo takes a peek with his remaining eye very, very carefully. “Most lose their minds against Twisted Sister, but then, you wouldn’t be so fun if you were like most of Pixie’s dolls. And Pixie would be oh-so-angry at me if I killed one of her dolls without her permission, but then, big sis knows best, after all. She’d understand, if I explained.”
“Who is Pixie? Your little sister?” Xander calls out conversationally, as if they’re not under threat of death, ignoring Fitz elbowing him in the side. He’s acting like this is perfectly normal, and—no, wait. It is, for him. Fitz had thought—had hoped—that he’d been exaggerating in his stories, but he’d been naïve. No wonder he’d treated a kidnapping like a minor faux pas. Because it was, for him. No wonder he jokes around so much. It’s a desperately needed coping mechanism, something to help release the stress before the pressure cooks him alive. However painful the realization is (he’d taken long enough, step by step, figuring that out), this isn’t the time to dwell on it.
“What, you don’t have that in your little book?” Wait—she knows about the list of Stand Users? But before Fitz can ask, she’s already moving on from her taunt. “It’s the name she chose for herself, to free herself from those awful people.” The last few words are hissed, venomous and angry, before the poison candy smile returns. “Darling Violetta, you understand exactly what I mean. You too, Alexander Harris, though I can’t work out if you’re luckier or unluckier you were even related.”
Johan raises his chin with dignity, eyes hard. “I don’t care if you call me Johan or Xander, but don’t use that last name.”
The Stand User throws her head back and laughs. She sounds more amused than dangerous, but that edge is still lurking under the surface. “All right, all right! You’re a card! Maybe I’ll wait and see what Pixie says.”
“You killed my parents, didn’t you?” Darling asks, brave, and the goth snarls.
“You saying they didn’t deserve that? You saying you deserved it all, that you’re the bad girl, that you’re the one who deserved to die?” The lights crackle ominously, though the screams have mostly died down. The only people left are the bodies on the floor, them, and this Stand User.
“No, but…” Darling shrinks a little until Jojo puts a supporting hand on her shoulder. She flashes a grateful smile and draws up her courage. “This way, they’re actually escaping judgment. They don’t deserve to die; they deserve to pay for their crimes. By dying like this, it’s ‘isn’t it awful’ and ‘weren’t they such good people who went to church’ instead of ‘weren’t they awful people to their daughter’. People need to talk about them, about the people they really were. People need to learn what it’s like, even if it’s scary.”
All at once, the menacing atmosphere disappears. “You’re all such fascinating people. I’ll think about it, but you really should float that by Pixie. We’ll see what she thinks of your little thought experiment. You’re late, with no time to say hello or goodbye. You’ve got a tea party to get to and a rabbit hole to scoot down. I’ll keep your mates company, but hand on heart, I won’t touch ‘em until the end of Pixie’s party. Unlike Wonderland’s, yours probably won’t last all day.”
“I suppose we’re not invited.” Fitz tries to match the casual tone Jojo adopted, but his heart’s rabbiting about somewhere in the vicinity of his throat.
The Stand User’s grin is full of teeth. “Oh, I must’ve lost your invitations. My bad.”
“And I further suppose it’ll break this ceasefire if we don’t play by the rules.” Now he’s the one being supported with a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Much as he appreciates Jojo, he’s not a child. However much courage it imparts.
She pats the weapon next to her affectionately, and the shadows on the edge of their vision gather. “Behave like good little dollies, and we won’t have to break you apart with an axe.”
Darling stands cautiously, and it doesn’t look like the ring of ghostly shadows moves at all. “I’ll be all right.”
“Don’t hesitate to play dirty if they turn out to not follow their word, okay?” Still, Xander lets her go with a supportive smile, and she smiles back.
“Don’t you dare get killed before I get back. Either of you.” She even waits for Fitz to nod his agreement before she glances at the Stand User.
“Past the noose,” she replies to the unspoken question, pointing at a door. Darling flinches slightly but doesn’t hesitate, leaving immediately.
Cautiously, Johan also stands, becoming less cautious when it doesn’t look like any of the ghosts or whatever they are move (though they wouldn’t see, not right in front of them, not until it’s too late—) He also leans against a seat, this one in front of him, to talk to the Stand User. “Won’t you get in trouble with Wolfram & Hart for leaving us alive, if you do decide to leave us alive?”
That smirk says she knows something they don’t. “Oh, you think that they’re the only players in this little game? Well, that’s fair, I suppose. They’ve plastered themselves as Public Enemy Number One to anyone that’s anyone. Easy enough for any old killer or spider to sneak around unseen, what with them demanding the limelight.” She shrugs theatrically. “Besides, the way they play, they’re painting a big target on their backs, if they decide to go after us. From their small practices like killing their employees to blackmail, assassination, sacrifice…they build up bad karma. Hoard it. Generations and generations of cursed ground, bleeding into every aspect of reality. That kind of pain is power the kind demons and devils thrive upon, but a debt like that has to be paid eventually.”
“Did you kill Robert?” Fitz asks desperately, and shivers slightly at the sadistic smile.
“No, but I heard about it. Read about it, even. Thing like that, rumors get whispered in the dead of night, you know how it is. Such a gruesome kill. Would’ve loved to be there.” She pauses for a moment. “Wait, I’m supposed to tell you how sorry I am, right? Well, from what I heard, he didn’t deserve it, either. Good man. Bummer.”
It’s hard to tell if she’s mocking him or sincerely offering whatever sort of sincere condolences her shriveled heart can muster. The blond clenches his fists and reminds himself there’s no point in attacking her. Not yet.
“I suppose you chose a name for yourself, too?” Johan frowns at her but doesn’t bother telling her off. She probably wouldn’t listen anyway.
“Alice Cooper.” She bows theatrically, and suddenly Fitz places her. Newspapers.
A brutal beating in a park. A teenager’s death. The sentence of life in prison for her attackers. It’s the same face from the ‘before’ photograph.
He tugs on Johan’s sleeve urgently. “Jojo, she’s dead—” he begins, and her appearance changes to that brutalized ‘after’ picture before he can even finish the sentence.
“Dead? Like this?” The vicious smile is even more disturbing now. “Well, makes me hard to kill, doesn't it? Can't take out the Stand User, if you felt like that was an option. Welcome to my nightmare.” Cooper opens her arms wide in invitation.
