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madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Fitz learns more about the Old Ones, and they enter the pyramid.
Word Count: 1198
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
No sign is visible of a scout team. They certainly didn’t leave any of their equipment behind. Beefheart pauses to kneel and examine the ground, though Fitz is entirely unsure whether she can tell anything by the action. Theoretically, she could find footprints, potentially specific kinds, but still, they don’t know the composition of the team or what kind of shoes they were wearing, only that they missed the ongoing check-ins. It’s entirely possible they’re still all right, and perhaps something about the structure itself is blocking their signal. Given Fitz’s experience, and, from his stories, Xander’s as well, Murphy’s words of wisdom have yet to be a disproven theory. It’s unlikely that this case will be any different.
In any case, the blond suspects she might not have much to examine in the first place—or rather, like a particularly difficult crime scene in a mystery novel, there might be altogether too much for her to discern much of use. Given its status as a tourist site, any clues are likely to have been trampled underfoot. Without knowledge of the ‘correct’ shoeprint for which they’re keeping an eye out, it’s hardly likely to even matter.
He sticks close to Jojo, who seems to be taking comfort from the proximity, still uncharacteristically on edge. Despite what he says, he’s the type to be upset about having to deal with an acquaintance, but it’s hardly the only contributor, and the blond is, for the first time in a while, finding difficulty predicting why, despite his earlier questions in the plane.
“Are you all right, Johan?” he asks, keeping his voice low to avoid worrying the others further, and at least Jojo still has a smile in him.
“I always kind of wanted to say ‘it’s quiet…maybe too quiet.’ The movies make it sound cool. They kind of sucked at showing the reality of what that would be like. It’s not as awesome when you’re actually in that situation.” He pauses, and adds, “…although this is still better than the world of The World. That’s absolutely silent and still.”
Fitz glances at his friend as the brunet continues being far too solemn and far too honest. “I thought that nearly killed you.” As had many of his attempted uses of his Stand, like turning into an eldritch figure. The man needs to stop being so reckless.
“It did. But it saved your life. I don’t regret it.” The speed and fierce tone is touching, though he can’t bring himself to say so out loud. The grateful smile is enough to convey his feelings, he hopes. Jojo looks pleased, so his reaction was probably adequate. “It’s just…eerie.” The shudder says that words are not enough to capture the full unnatural nature of a world in timestop.
“What do you think happened?” It’s unlikely that Xander has the full story, but it’s possible he has an educated guess; this is his area of expertise, after all.
“Sacrifice.” At first, the blond assumes that’s a joke.
“Human sacrifice?” Fitz exclaims, shocked, and almost instantly feels silly, from the grim, unimpressed look on Jojo’s face. He’s dealt with such things before, he realizes numbly. Those weren’t mere stories—and of course they weren’t, I’ve realized that, but not applied it generally, I suppose.
His friend’s tone is annoyed, frustrated with himself, as if their predicament is in any way his fault. He should’ve guessed Jojo would continue blaming himself. “We didn’t get the full picture of what was necessary to kick off the last one. I guess because, just like this time, we were too late to prevent it, so it didn’t seem as relevant as figuring out how to stop it. Given that he planned on eating our entire graduating class as a post-Ascension snack, though, I wouldn’t be surprised. And a lot of these rituals need human sacrifice, particularly if you’re calling on the power of an Old One or trying to get their permission, like the demons running Wolfram & Hart, according to Spike.”
Fitz narrows his eyes. “Is there a similarity between these Old Ones and the Lovecraftian ones of the same name, or is it mere coincidence?”
Johan considers, before finally settling on an explanation. “They’re like some sort of unholy cross between them and the Greek Gods, I think. Not as omnipotent, aloof, or invulnerable as they’d like to portray, though it’s possible they just have avatars and their consciousness actually doesn’t get killed. They demanded worship, partly because they needed the power for fighting among themselves, which probably included sacrifice, because every demon and their uncle seems to be doing it. As powerful as the Pillar People, though, and I could see ancient scholars labeling them as Old Ones, too. We know a friendly one, sort of, but I guess they were having trouble getting ahold of her—”
“Over here!” Darling interrupts, sounding disturbed, and as one Fitz and Xander break into a run, wordlessly bringing out their Stands, ready for an attack.
Only to find an opening yawning wide next to the stairs. No one is attacking, yet, and Fitz can see no sign of an enemy in the light of Robin’s hamon. Captain Beefheart already has out her binoculars and is peering into the dark. She doesn’t share what she’s seeing, but given that she’s not pulling out any of her weaponry, neither she nor Panzermensch looming silently over her shoulder are seeing anything of note.
“It opened on its own,” Darling explains in a whisper, and instantly Fitz’s mind is awhirl with speculation and questions, foremost among which: how was this not discovered previously? And who opened the door, inviting them in? Whoever did it probably was a fast or otherwise well-suited demon, used a Stand with a similar ability, or used a comparable trick to the secret door to escape from sight quickly.
“Well, if we wait out here, we won’t have a chance to stop the ritual,” Jojo points out reasonably and steps inside without hesitation. The blond hurries to stay even with his friend, while the rest scramble to catch up, the Captain swearing in German the whole while. Johan nudges Fitz and glances at the sides of the dark tunnel pointedly, lit only by the Ripple dancing over his arms up to the elbow. Beneath unlit torches, bodies and channels slowly drying from crimson to brown. The blond internalizes the swallow, nodding to acknowledge he’d seen and understood, and also no matter how concerning the odds, he’s still going to stay by Jojo’s side. The brown eye softens and Xander nods back as they travel ever deeper.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Fitz learns more about the Old Ones, and they enter the pyramid.
Word Count: 1198
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS
They’re all still a little jumpy, though whether it’s the continuing lack of an obvious enemy, a contagious reaction from Johan’s worried attitude, the power of paranoia spell, or something else entirely is unclear. Smiles come easier than they had, but these are still tinged with worry, hardly unrestrained. Worrying so much about the movements of a native snake is one thing, but given Willow’s ominous news, it’s clear Darling doesn’t think her vague sightings were merely those of a snake, and for all he knows, she isn’t even incorrect about that.
No sign is visible of a scout team. They certainly didn’t leave any of their equipment behind. Beefheart pauses to kneel and examine the ground, though Fitz is entirely unsure whether she can tell anything by the action. Theoretically, she could find footprints, potentially specific kinds, but still, they don’t know the composition of the team or what kind of shoes they were wearing, only that they missed the ongoing check-ins. It’s entirely possible they’re still all right, and perhaps something about the structure itself is blocking their signal. Given Fitz’s experience, and, from his stories, Xander’s as well, Murphy’s words of wisdom have yet to be a disproven theory. It’s unlikely that this case will be any different.
In any case, the blond suspects she might not have much to examine in the first place—or rather, like a particularly difficult crime scene in a mystery novel, there might be altogether too much for her to discern much of use. Given its status as a tourist site, any clues are likely to have been trampled underfoot. Without knowledge of the ‘correct’ shoeprint for which they’re keeping an eye out, it’s hardly likely to even matter.
He sticks close to Jojo, who seems to be taking comfort from the proximity, still uncharacteristically on edge. Despite what he says, he’s the type to be upset about having to deal with an acquaintance, but it’s hardly the only contributor, and the blond is, for the first time in a while, finding difficulty predicting why, despite his earlier questions in the plane.
“Are you all right, Johan?” he asks, keeping his voice low to avoid worrying the others further, and at least Jojo still has a smile in him.
“I always kind of wanted to say ‘it’s quiet…maybe too quiet.’ The movies make it sound cool. They kind of sucked at showing the reality of what that would be like. It’s not as awesome when you’re actually in that situation.” He pauses, and adds, “…although this is still better than the world of The World. That’s absolutely silent and still.”
Fitz glances at his friend as the brunet continues being far too solemn and far too honest. “I thought that nearly killed you.” As had many of his attempted uses of his Stand, like turning into an eldritch figure. The man needs to stop being so reckless.
“It did. But it saved your life. I don’t regret it.” The speed and fierce tone is touching, though he can’t bring himself to say so out loud. The grateful smile is enough to convey his feelings, he hopes. Jojo looks pleased, so his reaction was probably adequate. “It’s just…eerie.” The shudder says that words are not enough to capture the full unnatural nature of a world in timestop.
“What do you think happened?” It’s unlikely that Xander has the full story, but it’s possible he has an educated guess; this is his area of expertise, after all.
“Sacrifice.” At first, the blond assumes that’s a joke.
“Human sacrifice?” Fitz exclaims, shocked, and almost instantly feels silly, from the grim, unimpressed look on Jojo’s face. He’s dealt with such things before, he realizes numbly. Those weren’t mere stories—and of course they weren’t, I’ve realized that, but not applied it generally, I suppose.
His friend’s tone is annoyed, frustrated with himself, as if their predicament is in any way his fault. He should’ve guessed Jojo would continue blaming himself. “We didn’t get the full picture of what was necessary to kick off the last one. I guess because, just like this time, we were too late to prevent it, so it didn’t seem as relevant as figuring out how to stop it. Given that he planned on eating our entire graduating class as a post-Ascension snack, though, I wouldn’t be surprised. And a lot of these rituals need human sacrifice, particularly if you’re calling on the power of an Old One or trying to get their permission, like the demons running Wolfram & Hart, according to Spike.”
Fitz narrows his eyes. “Is there a similarity between these Old Ones and the Lovecraftian ones of the same name, or is it mere coincidence?”
Johan considers, before finally settling on an explanation. “They’re like some sort of unholy cross between them and the Greek Gods, I think. Not as omnipotent, aloof, or invulnerable as they’d like to portray, though it’s possible they just have avatars and their consciousness actually doesn’t get killed. They demanded worship, partly because they needed the power for fighting among themselves, which probably included sacrifice, because every demon and their uncle seems to be doing it. As powerful as the Pillar People, though, and I could see ancient scholars labeling them as Old Ones, too. We know a friendly one, sort of, but I guess they were having trouble getting ahold of her—”
“Over here!” Darling interrupts, sounding disturbed, and as one Fitz and Xander break into a run, wordlessly bringing out their Stands, ready for an attack.
Only to find an opening yawning wide next to the stairs. No one is attacking, yet, and Fitz can see no sign of an enemy in the light of Robin’s hamon. Captain Beefheart already has out her binoculars and is peering into the dark. She doesn’t share what she’s seeing, but given that she’s not pulling out any of her weaponry, neither she nor Panzermensch looming silently over her shoulder are seeing anything of note.
“It opened on its own,” Darling explains in a whisper, and instantly Fitz’s mind is awhirl with speculation and questions, foremost among which: how was this not discovered previously? And who opened the door, inviting them in? Whoever did it probably was a fast or otherwise well-suited demon, used a Stand with a similar ability, or used a comparable trick to the secret door to escape from sight quickly.
“Well, if we wait out here, we won’t have a chance to stop the ritual,” Jojo points out reasonably and steps inside without hesitation. The blond hurries to stay even with his friend, while the rest scramble to catch up, the Captain swearing in German the whole while. Johan nudges Fitz and glances at the sides of the dark tunnel pointedly, lit only by the Ripple dancing over his arms up to the elbow. Beneath unlit torches, bodies and channels slowly drying from crimson to brown. The blond internalizes the swallow, nodding to acknowledge he’d seen and understood, and also no matter how concerning the odds, he’s still going to stay by Jojo’s side. The brown eye softens and Xander nods back as they travel ever deeper.
