Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 350

[madimpossibledreamer]

Funnily enough, I forgot the aunt already had a name and almost renamed her to the second female backup singer in REO Speedwagon.

Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Captain Beefheart and Robin talk with Fitz's aunt.
Word Count: 1027
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS

         The voice doesn’t sound accusatory or defensive. As they turn to look, the woman doesn’t look scared or upset to find them inside without permission, though it appears that, in fact, their uniforms were actually effective, so it’s good that the Captain had led the way in the first place.
         “He might be. And you are?” Beefheart asks after only a single moment of hesitation.
         “Melanie Speedwagon, though you can feel free to call me Mel or Ms. Speedwagon. I’m the aunt, and, well, his only living relative, I suppose. After my sister’s death, I technically had child residence of the boy, though, well.” She looks embarrassed. “I did what I could, but he took it badly, poor boy. His attendance dropped, and I believe he even joined one of those gangs—though I promise he’s not a bad person, officer. The last I knew, he cut all ties and began running this bookstore.”
         They’d had hints at his past before, though Robin suspects all of the deepest secrets were only shared with one. Jojo.
         “Sounds like a more in-depth conversation might be in order,” Robin suggests gently, and Melanie smiles and nods.
         “Oh, of course, and how rude of me! I’ll put the kettle on. How do you take your tea?” Given Fitz’s insistence on regularly making tea for them, perhaps he should’ve seen this coming, Robin muses. It’s such a change from American hospitality from everybody except his grandma—maybe it’s closer to the South, though he wouldn’t know and in that case he suspects it’d just be iced tea anyway.
         “Lemon, if you have it. Thank you.” He’d rather have a chai, but it’s probably unlikely that Melanie will be prepared to accommodate that, and in any case Beefheart wouldn’t be pleased at a spicier drink just for him. It’s been a while, since he’d gone off to college as a matter of fact, but his grandmother had owned one of the early tea rooms in New York (and, in fact, that’s where Smokey met her, before he’d become mayor, and, as legend would have it, fell head over heels in love with her cooking, and it was his endorsement that allowed her to stay afloat, for a while) and he remembers her making him tea every single time he went to visit. At least with the lemon it’ll have a bit of the spicy kick he’s come to expect.
         Beefheart on the other hand fidgets a little. She’s a huge coffee drinker, only going for the extremely occasional Eiskaffee, but he knows she doesn’t want to be rude and refuse to accept the tea even if she isn’t fond of it. And given her usual absence of a sweet tooth and habit of taking her coffee black, he’s not surprised when she goes on to request “no milk, no sugar”. At least the bitterness of the black tea might be a little familiar.
         As expected, Beefheart takes a polite sip and sets down the cup and she’s probably never going to touch it again.
         “Thank you, ma’am,” Robin tells Melanie.
         “Oh, no, it’s the least I can do after you made the trip all this way,” she fusses, but she’s obviously pleased.
         Robin, on the other hand, takes a sip here and there—she’s even brought out little sandwiches, and he nibbles on those too. She’s going out of her way to offer hospitality for two different reasons. To start with, she’s awfully lonely. It’s easy to when you’re looking for it. And it’s also meant as a kind of bribe, to keep her, to keep Fitz, out of as much trouble. If she ingratiates herself to them, they might be less harsh when they find him, theoretically.
         “I do suppose you know that Carter hadn’t been involved in any of that gang stuff since his girlfriend Grace died?” she starts, and that’s interesting.
         From what little Fitz himself had said, Robin had gotten the feeling that his aunt never quite accepted him. She’s protective here. Some of it might be how it reflects on her, of course, but he’s not getting the feeling she doesn’t actually care what happens to Fitz.
         “We don’t have any reason to think there’s a recurrence,” Beefheart announces bluntly, which is typical enough he doesn’t bat an eye even though Melanie blinks a little, taken aback. “We’re actually working with the Speedwagon Foundation, as had he.” And yeah, that’s probably the best, most succinct way to put that, rather than trying to put words to the convoluted history here.
         “Oh, really, the Foundation? I never got too involved—sadly, those of us who moved back to Britain didn’t exactly stay on any boards.” All right, there’s the slightest hint that she wanted to be on the board and wasn’t allowed to do so, but it’s every bit as much about being involved in something bigger than herself as it is about the power.
         “Is this bookstore yours?” the Captain continues, like this is an interrogation, and she does look a little nervous.
         “It’s actually Carter’s name on the deed, though I provided the initial financing, yes. Is he planning on returning anytime soon?” It takes every bit of Robin’s training not to wince at that question, because it’s the question, isn’t it?
         “He disappeared, and we have reason to believe Gordon Sarde might have been involved in some way. I assume you’re familiar with the man?” Robin adds, softer—less good cop, bad cop, more rude cop, polite cop, though he’d prefer to keep cop metaphors out of it altogether.
         Given the full-body shiver, he’s pretty sure he knows the answer before she even responds. “Unfortunately, yes, we’re acquainted. I never liked him. Nasty little man. I’m not sure I believed Carter’s theory that he was behind Mercia’s disappearance, but, well, if it’s happened again…” she shivers. “I may have been wrong. I’d be happy to help in any capacity I can; just let me know what I can do.”
         It’s not quite going the way they’d expected, but honestly this might work out better, though it will probably also take longer than they’d anticipated as well.