[9.1] Streetlight Manifesto: Infinity Dark

[dad]

Things seemed to be going poorly for Grant, his rat illusions starting to run low on numbers as the cooks started to realize that something was off. However, the matchless poet's quick thinking finally bore fruit as he had a challenging voice emerge out of nowhere. The head chef heard it quite clearly, his pecs now strained with rage as he turned behind him and scowled. "Who dares?" He spat with the anger of a thousand Suns. "Who dares challenge me? The expert on culinary arts appointed by the gracious Merry himself?"

Judging by the tone and the contents of his words, the head chef had clearly fallen under Merry's mind control. Grant would too remember Abel and Isabella's condition while they were under Merry's control. They were completely subservient and obsessed with gaining their master's favors. This made even more sense once the cooks stared the head chef down. One of them then mustered up their courage and delivered a light shove at the leader's chest.

"Listen up, pretty boy. Just because Merry appointed you as head chef doesn't mean that you are his favorite." They said with a smug grin. The head chef was not pleased, as he replied by socking the cook in the face.

"Insolent fool! I'll make you eat those words!" The head cook flexed his muscles before starting to wrestle the challenger. Things were going according to plan as the other cooks formed a circle around the two fighters, loudly cheering for their respective favorites as they bet on who would win. The distraction seemed to have worked, buying enough time for Grant to get out of the kitchen and find out just what the hell was taking Tan and Adeline so long. Surely some pink haired broad would be easy to deal with?

Seo meanwhile noticed that the chefs had lost interest in him, focusing mostly on the fight between the boss and the underdog. Perhaps Grant had the right idea: A distraction would work best for now. Maybe he should regroup with his allies and try to assist them, since there was no need for him to currently attack the half-naked cooks.

---

Speaking of which, Adeline was sorely disappointed with her prey. The midget sized broad hiding behind the wine barrels barely looked like a threat. But even then, Adeline didn't really have time to spare. She said it plain and simple: Talk or die.

And of course, the mention of the world 'kill' was enough to instill fear in the girl's brain. She squealed. "I'll talk, I swear! Just don't gut me like a fish and bury me at sea!" She begged, giving a rather descriptive vision of her demise. Well, Adeline had some neat ideas now at least, in case the shrimp in front of her ever turned out to be a threat.

However, before she could extort any more information, Tan suddenly placed himself between the two. What could this mean? Was Tan seriously protecting his enemy from Adeline's wrath? Did the person in question fit his kinks to a T? Or could it be...could it be...The solidarity between midgets?!

No, of course not. All Tan did was just summon his Stand, grab the girl of the hour by the collar like some toddler and test her height. The satisfaction on his face was enough to reveal just why he did that. He was cruel, mocking the height of others despite having been mocked himself. This was quite rare, but Adeline would feel pity for once, pity towards the midget that had been beaten by another midget. Truly there were no bonds between shorties after all...

"...Hey, wait a second. Am I taller now?" The girl asked, almost as if not realizing the seriousness of her situation. Had she really not noticed Solidarity Breaks pick her up? She looked around, before looking down below and realizing that she was hovering. She screamed in fright. "H-Hey! I'm flying! Flying!" She kept muttering like a broken record, wildly flailing her legs around. Interrogating this one would be a pain in the ass for sure, but at least this confirmed something: That she wasn't a Stand user. That or she was quite the actress.

"No! This cannot be! Are you the so-called Stand users Merry was talking about? No...Please. No!" She started crying, her face now filled with tears and snot, almost as if she was staring at her soon-to-be executioners. However, this revealed another detail: She knew about Stand users, despite not having one, and she knew about Merry, despite not being one of their men. Just who was she? A bodyguard she was not, judging by the lack of weapons and physical prowess. Therefore, who could she be? The two could try asking more questions, but in the girl's current delirious state, it seemed easier said than done.

Then again, they hadn't fully inspected the scene. A notepad drenched with wine was still next to the interrogated's former hiding spot. Perhaps it could hint at their true origins. Also, maybe dropping the tough guy act would be far more helpful around this sort of pitiful creature. Not like they were threatening enough to deserve rough treatment.

---

"Um, excuse me, what?" Merry turned around, witnessing Joan's accusatory rant as he glanced at the crowd nearby, judging their reactions and hoping that they wouldn't get the wrong idea. In a sense, he was far more focused on what the others would think about him than whatever Joan was spewing.

"Ahem, I don't even know you, miss." He said with a pained expression, clearly irritated at Joan's sudden accusations, but also worried that his investors might capitalize on this opportunity to corner him. However, Jack soon intervened, apologizing for Joan's rude words as he offered to take care of her. Naturally, Merry was quite pleased with this proposal: It would allow him to get rid of a nuisance while also getting him closer to the kitchen. However, before he could leave, the socialites had already made their move.

"Or was she really drunk?" A posh looking rich man with a monocle asked as he stepped closer to the trio. "It's only natural for someone to be suspicious of your abilities. After all, someone not experienced in the rich history of Stand users might even consider you a fraud. How about you just cut to the chase instead of wasting our time with your meager meal? Show us now. The proof of your ability." He said, daring to demand what the others couldn't. He was testing Merry's determination in that moment as he pointed at him with his case.

"Heheh." Merry snickered. A nervous laugh to ease the mood, perhaps. Or maybe he already had something planned for this situation. "I don't you realize who is in charge here." He started saying. "I have the power and I am willing to show it to you...On my terms. Is that really such a selfish request? This is my party, with my rules. Rules that all guests are expected to follow, no matter their rank, prestige or history. If you disagree, then you are free to leave. Nothing stopping you." He said rather bluntly as he turned around. The socialites were absolutely appalled, wondering if they had been lured in by a fraud. Of course, Merry had something else planned.

"But know this: When your competitors start having fun with their new powers, don't expect me to help you out. All of you can leave if you're content with your current life. But if you crave more. To be the top dogs of the world, then just be patient." He stated, snapping his fingers as he motioned for Jack and Joan to follow him. The rest of the investors remained silent, realizing that all of them still coveted Stand power. They would let Merry play his games...for now. After all, their huge army of bodyguards still outnumbered his, right? The fools were still convinced that they were in control...

Zappa would arrive to the dining hall, only to see no food there. Instead, he assisted to some long, dramatic speech revolving around Stand abilities. Odd. Well, it didn't matter to him anyways. He just wanted to get some good food...but there was nothing there. What now? Should he perhaps ask around?

Meanwhile, Jack and Joan were now comfortably close to Merry. However, they couldn't really strike yet: The ship was still swarming with Merry's goons and Joan's strength alone was not enough to fend all of them off. For now, standing down was the best option. Merry carried the two to the crew's quarters and turned to Jack. "I hope your friend has a nice nap. Though make sure to wake her up by the time your boss decides to leave. Wouldn't want to leave such a pretty thing at my cruise now, would you?" He said, clearly forcing himself to say that last bit after the amount of trouble Joan had caused him in the last few minutes. Merry then turned around, ready to leave for the kitchen. If Jack wanted to cause another distraction, then now was the time.

[Sakurai]

Jack took a deep breath it seemed that this time he'd have to use every con in the book. With one last inhale he started to speak directing a monologue at Merry.

"Leaving so soon mister Merry? I had hoped I would get the chance to talk to a man of such power and prestige alone...without the prying eyes of all those heathens. Surely you must agree, we are both men with incredible powers are we not mister Merry? Why should someone of your stature offer these pathetic little insects anything? You saw them voice their silly little doubts. You see I too possess a stand and in my opinion from one man of power to another. I'm wondering what your true plans are. How are you planning on dealing with them? surely you aren't actually going to give them stands it would be wasted on them. It would be like making a cat the mayor of a city, that is to say completely ridiculous. How do you know they aren't just all going to turn on you? I can see it in their eyes..you saw it yourself just a few moments ago. Listen Mister Merry you need someone you can trust. Let me help you."

Jack had finished his monologue and awaited Merrys response if everything worked as he had planned, the man would be putty in Jacks hands. This wasn't the first time he'd conned someone with an overinflated ego out of everything, it also wasn't the first time he'd hid his intentions. Jack was nothing if not a skilled con-artist and could lie about anything and still seem honest and genuine.

[PSIchotic]

Hamon was a beautiful art. The power of life, of the sun, brought forth through the blood. It had a sister art named Spin, though the two rarely mixed. Many assumed spin to be far more useful and varied in its applications.

Corey disagreed. Hamon had an ace up its sleeve. When applied to those untrained in an art, or without a hidden power, it changed the mind. It could charm the victim or increase the feelings the felt. Corey’s victim was the impatient rich man. Corey cracked his knuckles, discreetly plucking a hair in the process and flicking it at the man’s temple.

Imbued with a special type of Hamon, he hair would amplify his impatience and frustration. Now he was likely to lash out at Merry again, and with greater severity.
However, Corey had been incredibly discreet so far. Greggs would likely take notice of the trick, and might figure out why he’d grown faint at the police station.

[MoeSenpai]

Michelle was sitting restless on her table, hoping nothing serious would happen. Sure, distracting Merry would be great, buuuut you could have done it a little more subtle. "Stupid nurse, is as sneaky in these kind of things as an elephant..." She was muttering and furiously tipping her table as she watched Joan and the other guy being led away from the dining hall.

"Hmmmm... I think I'll follow those two. Make sure nothing happens. I'll be right back." The little latino girl would tell Gregg and jumped up. She simply began to wander around, hoping to maybe find the two and watch over them at a safe distance.

[killeroftheminge]

"Alright, easy, easy." Ade says, lowering her guard before noticing the message that Grant sent. Dammit, could he really not have waited a moment, what was that guy's problem?

"Look, we're kind of busy, so first and foremost, how the hell do you know about us? You say you don't work for Merry, but he seems to have told you a lot." Ade throws a glance to Tan, slightly worried as she gestures to the note drenched in wine. Maybe there was some way he could help, cause lord knows LM couldn't. "If Merry knows about us coming, then surely he's got some kind of countermeasures. So, the sooner you spill, the sooner we can get out of your hair, sister. Cool?"

[frozenchap]

Seo turned off his Beast belly with, an utter look of disappointment. "I wanted to distract them..Big phatty phat phats.."Mumbling these words under his breath. He'd walk around the kitchen, assuming that he wouldn't be noticed. The pink haired boy turned his Beast belly back on, but only partially. His arm, it was covered in the dark shade that only ate materials. Attempting to slide it over some food, he'd hope to find. Remembering the boss man's words, there was something about the food that gave ordinary people stand powers. Not quite understanding how that worked, he wanted to erase the food. So it couldn't be served out to the people outside. While he was trying to erase any food that one could see, he was keeping tabs on how the fight was going. Were they all swept up in the moment, that Seo could just walk around deleting their orders?

Whether or not the dim witted glutton could slow down their plans, he'd look for someway to be of help. or what was the point of even being here? Grumbling as he remembered, not one even one of these hunks cast him a glance. Probably the best thing for him to do was to indeed find another of his group. He didn't even know their names, grumbling quietly while he'd exit the kitchen. Looking around for anyone of the assault team, Seo called this band of Stand users he found himself following, the assault team. It sounded pretty cool in his head. Keeping his eyes peeled, being wary of where he went.

[siegwardofcatarina]

Joan was expecting a confrontation of some kind when she called out Merry. What she didn't expect was the new guy stepping in and her now being casually escorted to the crew quarters. It was so surprising that she wasn't able to react until she was already in the crew quarters. The new guy, Jack?, was trying to lay on the charm thick on Merry, like a professional ass-kisser. Joan was in no mood to try something like that. Especially with Merry within range of her Stand.

But even in her inebriated state, Joan had enough sense to realize the risk in attacking Merry directly. She decided to let Jack try his ass-kissing technique while she did something else. While no one was looking, Joan took the opportunity to get up and leave. Perhaps she could make her way to the kitchen or find someway to incite mass mayhem on the ship.

[BlacKnightZero]

Grant's ploy had worked better than he'd thought. The mind control made them all more full of pride and eager to defend the positions Merry had given them. He couldn't really feel happy about that though, as his experience with Merry's ability made him feel disgusted just thinking about how it affected its victims.

The cooks were likely to be fighting for a while, which gave the team enough time to deal with the contaminated food. The only problem was, Grant was the only one actually in the kitchen. Did Tan and Adeline not get the message? Or perhaps they were still busy with that stalker. Either way, now was a good time to get to work, so he was relying on those two to help out.

Grant quietly stepped out of the kitchen to see what was going on. He moved up to Adeline to get her attention. "Er... Sorry to interrupt, but the chefs are preoccupied at the moment. We should do something about the food soon." He didn't want to sound too impatient but this job did require a sense of urgency. There was no way he would let those dishes go out to all of these innocent people, and have them put under Merry's spell.

[dad]

The pink haired girl gulped, though she seemed a bit more relaxed once Adeline lowered her guard. "W-Who told me a lot? Merry? No, no, no! You've got it wrong!" She waved her arms around, clearly agitated at Adeline's accusations.

"I'm just a journalist, from Fallbrook! The name is Emilia, Emilia Romagna. I came here because I heard rumors of rich people, famous celebrities and powerful politicians all headed towards the same place. In other words, this gigantic ship!" She explained her reasons for coming here. A Fallbrook native? That was new. "I kept wondering why so many billionaires would show up in the same place...Until I found out who exactly runs this place. Merry, a man who is rumored to have a power beyond us common mortals. A power that could reshape the entire world as he sees fit: Stand powers! They are the hottest topic around Fallbrook, therefore I absolutely had to come here and get a scoo--" 

Her eyes widened as she stared at Adeline and Tan a bit. It was as if a realization had suddenly dawned upon her head. "Wait. Wait a second...You two...I've seen you before!" She exclaimed. "You were the wanted Stand users from the wanted posters during Marty's reign of terror, weren't you? Hah! I knew that wasn't just some stupid rumor! This scoop is going great! I've barely started, but I already have two people to interview. Once I get back, I'll be the talk around town! Muahahahahah!" She cackled in front of the two....while still being held by Solidarity Breaks. It was as if the timid girl from earlier had disappeared and been replaced by a loud, obnoxious brat. Adeline partially regretted prodding the chick for more info, but at least she seemed honest. A journalist on the search for scoops was a somewhat decent alibi at least. It would have been impossible for the US Government to plug all holes regarding Marty's parade, Merry's abilities and the rumors of Stand users around town, after all.

However, that just meant that Adeline and Tan should try their best to make this 'Emilia' stay quiet. Stand user information leaking would just make their lives a lot worse. Turns out that not everyone in Fallbrook would appreciate the fact that a bunch of literal superhumans live nearby. Hopefully, the journalist would understand. If not, well, the sharks out at sea seemed rather hungry anyways...

As the duo pondered on what to do next, they were suddenly surprised by Grant. It seemed as if things in the kitchen were doing well if the not-so-lonesome poet had enough time to come out and say hi. Oh, he was asking for help. Tan's help in particular. It seemed as if the food had already been fused to Merry's Stand, meaning that only Tan could undo the fusion. However, before the midget could get to work, the other, much smaller midget glared at the writer.

"You...It can't be..." Emilia muttered, her face looking distraught. "This must be a dream, it's all too perfect." The trio wondered what she meant. Did Grant perhaps meet her already? "AHHHHHH! It's him! It really is him! The best writer in the New York Times! The one and only...Grant Bennett! Ahhh, pinch me if it isn't true!" She screamed like a lunatic as Grant wondered how someone else even knew of his past work as a journalist. What was even going on?

Seo saw the confusing scene from afar as he approached the crow and realized that they were all ganging up on some tiny girl. Well, he wasn't really one to judge anyways, plus said girl might have useful info. However, perhaps introductions were in order for him and the rest of the 'assault team'. A small sense of camaraderie would benefit them all in the long run anyways.

---

Joan left the crew quarters, repulsed at Jack's strategy of distracting Merry. It would be much, much easier if she could just chop that bastard's head off, but she relented. It would be illogical and just cause more trouble, which was unlike her. Instead, she focused on roaming the ship, trying to find the kitchen in order to sabotage Merry's plan before it could even occur. However, perhaps due to her inebriated state, the rocking ship and the fact that she didn't have a map of a sort, she kept stumbling and getting lost. Luckily, her Stand was elusive enough to help her avoid the numerous workers that patrolled the cruise, but she had no idea if she was headed in the right direction.

She kept shuffling around the ship, before coming across the male crew quarters. She felt disgusted, knowing that said place was probably filled with filth and an overabundance of workers. She dared not imagine what those scum would do on their own on a ship...but she felt extremely inclined to give it a quick peek at least. Not because she was some sort of degenerate pervert or anything, but because she smelt a rather peculiar fragrance from outside.

Blood.



The quarters were dark and poorly lit. Turning on the light switch didn't seem to help either. A quick look at the ceiling was enough to explain why: The bulbs had been smashed, as if stolen by the shadows of the night. The atmosphere felt rather unsettling as Joan steadily marched forward, treading through shards of broken glass as she got closer and closer to the smell of blood. It all seemed to come from the last room in the male quarters, as if a huge clump of it had been amassed there. Joan readied herself, knowing that something disgusting awaited her on the other side. She mustered up her courage and opened the door.

Four men lied inside the room, their blood pooled around them as it had already started to dry. The lack of twitching and their dead eyes made it clear that it was too late to save them. Joan's keen eyes had already gone to work, however. The victims died from a rather violent blood loss, as if something had sucked the blood straight out of them. There were no openings or injuries on their bodies, but traces of dried blood remained around their lips. The blood had most likely left through their mouths. Besides that, nothing. No weapon, no burn marks, no signs of a struggle, nothing. It was clear that the culprit was a Stand user. Someone strong enough to incapacitate four men that had been greatly boosted by Merry's ability, not to mention do so in complete secrecy without alerting anyone else. This was bad, the sneakiest ones were the trickiest to deal with.

Joan's autopsy was mostly guesswork, but she was short on time. The victims seemed to have died around ten minutes ago, meaning that the murderer was still on the loose. Were they part of the association after Merry? Who could say. All she knew was that she finally found something at the scene of the crime: A single strand of black hair, that had turned red due to the blood around it. This wouldn't be suspicious at first, had Joan not noticed that it was far too long and soft to belong to a man. A woman's strand of hair, the only thing the murderer had left behind.

Joan should probably attempt to warn the others before it was too late.

---

Corey's plan commenced, the old man in the dining hall suddenly growing visibly agitated as he stood up and stormed out. It was clear that he had headed off to find Merry, which was good enough. The more Merry was occupied trying to smooth talk his way out of things, the more time Corey had bought for the kitchen team. However, he heard an awkward cough next to him as he realized that Greggs was now standing alongside him.

"So, mind explaining what that little parlor trick was? Acupuncture or something?" Greggs asked, raising an eyebrow as he sized Corey up. It was clear that he was somewhat suspicious on Corey's mysterious ability, but he didn't have a complete grasp on it just yet. Good. Maybe Corey could get a few laughs by bullshitting him.

"Huh, that yours?" Greggs then asked, pointing at the area behind the midget. Corey turned around, wondering if he was about to be pranked...before noticing some sort of needle. A thin, black needle that was where the old man last was. It was so tiny that it was almost impossible to see through the naked eye. Greggs was surprisingly sharp.

"Yeah, that thing. Didn't you throw it?" The Brit asked, but Corey would disagree. His hair projectile wasn't as thin or delicate...not to mention it wasn't as sharp. What was weirder to him, however, was the fact that this separate needle was also hair. The old guy had white hair, therefore this most likely wasn't his. So...where did this tiny hair needle come from?

"Um, hello?" Greggs waved his arm around Corey, who was still in deep thought.

---

Merry heard Jack's words, at first seeming annoyed at the man's honeyed tongue. However, after a few minutes of talking, he could not help but laugh. "A classic. Thanks, I had almost forgotten how a suck up looked like." Merry replied, much to Jack's disappointment. "I used to work in the ring, you know? Had several athletes and wrestlers beg for me to take them up as their manager. They kissed my ass, oh yes they did. Much like what you're doing here right now. So, tell me, mister, you really want to work me? You really do?" He cackled, before suddenly grabbing Jack by the throat.

"Know your place, you pathetic worm. I could crush you where you stand and I'm sure that the sad cunt who hired you wouldn't give a damn. Your existence is that pointless." Merry's grip tightened. "But I am in a fairly happy mood today. I'll give you something much, much better than a swift demise." He snapped his fingers, one of his workers arriving as they attempted to restrain Jack. No! Merry was going to try controlling Jack's mind! Jack had to do something quick bef--

"Mr. Merry, you piece of shit!"

A loud, grating voice came from afar as both Jack and Merry looked behind them. The old man from earlier had arrived, assisting to the scene that had just unfolded. "So, you never planned on giving us Stand powers in the first place, did you? You just wanted us all together...perhaps to snap us all like twigs just like that bodyguard over there. A murderer! A scumbag murderer is who you a--"

"Please, shut the fuck up." Merry sighed, having had enough of this shit as he had his bodyguard restrain Jack while he approached the geezer instead.

"Somebody! He--" Merry covered the man's mouth before they could even scream, planning on brainwashing both him and Jack before anyone noticed. Jack had to do something, lest he let Merry get away with it all.

[siegwardofcatarina]

Joan aimlessly wandered around the ship, trying to find a way to throw a wrench into Merry's plans. She wasn't successful on that front, but she did find something of note. Four of Merry's men, dead, covered in their own blood. With something to focus on, Joan's analytical mind kicked in.

Whoever, killed Merry's roided up men had to have been a Stand user. There was no other way to explain the mysterious circumstances of their deaths. A third party was in play, but whether it was the organization Greggs mentioned or someone else was unknown and Joan didn't have much faith in Greggs' words. Whoever it was, they were likely hostile to Merry. The only clue Joan had to the identity of the attacker was that they were a woman with long dark hair. The bodies were still warm, so the killer was nearby. Joan had to alert the others to what was going on.

"Now, which way was the way back again?" Joan said to herself.

[Sakurai]

"Well shit looks like I've overstayed my welcome. You're underestimating this pathetic worm. I've dealt with fuckups far more intimidating than you, ye fuckin wankstain." And with not so much as a single gesture Angel Dust was Summoned forth punching Merrys goon as hard as it could in an attempt to knock him out. The stand would then grab Jack quickly turning him into dust. If all went according to plan the rocking of the ship would quickly sweep his dust form somewhere far away from merry before he was the wiser. Upon reforming Jacks plan was to seek out the drunk girl and team up with her. He stood a better chance if he was with someone instead of being isolated.

[PSIchotic]

Corey blatantly ignored Greggs, or at the very least didn't respond. He had no interest in explaining his ability to the man or in toying with him. Corey held no interest in deception or in pointless explanations. To Corey, Greggs was, at best, a client. Someone to protect and work with until the exact second the job was done.

But Corey wasn't quite feeling himself just then. He turned to Greggs, pausing a moment to make sure he had his attention. Corey reached up and tapped his own forehead, square in the middle of it. The exact spot where he'd hit Greggs in the station. This motion served several purposes. One, it showed Greggs that Corey tampered with the man's head in some way. Two, it told Greggs that the same ability caused him to faint. Or it could just make Corey seem like a crazy midget.

Regardless, Corey didn't wait for a reaction. The only stand users on board were either allied with them or in a different room. So, Corey was able to resort to trickery that most wouldn't be on watch for. Hamon was the energy of life. It could attract and repel living things, or items that conducted Hamon well.

Corey was making a dangerous gambit. Stand users could see Hamon far better than the normal human. It appeared as a sort of purple thorns if it was in great strengths. But that observation required knowledge of a Hamon user. Most people around Fallbrook could not see the thorns, but Merry had been here a while. It was possible people might spy the thorns.

That was a gambit Corey was willing to take. If someone showed shock or noticed them, Corey could discreetly dispatch them. Greggs was likely watching Corey intently, and would see him take a sharp and deep intake of breath, and to the standless Greggs, Corey's feet would shine just barely. To a stand user looking out for them, his feet would be tightly wrapped in thorns. Corey was sending an incredible amount of Hamon into his feet, enough that the hair would slowly slide over to them, given it wasn't already imbued with the opposite type of Hamon.

Hamon users all had a stand, or the capability to have one, that could conduct their art. For the purest of users, ones who had an almost familial lineage of Hamon, it was just as it appeared. The thorns. But Corey was not a pure Hamon user, He was learned in many arts. As such, his spirit was not pure with Hamon energy as it was with many users. So his spirit took form in a different manner. It took place as his stand, a mixture of all that he was.

It took the weaknesses of Corey and made them strength. It conducted Hamon famously. It was discreet, and gave him power. It was singular in its use, just as Corey was single minded. But try as Corey did, he couldn't make the thorns disappear.

[frozenchap]

Walking towards the sounds of a chattering crowd that had gone, silent? Maybe? It was a cause of alarm since this cruise was supposed to be a party. Now there were people going silent, this was oddly creepy for Seo. A silent party meant nobody was having fun. Lips inched down to a frown while he walked, thinking if he could find someone, he'd be able to stick with them for a bit. Humming quietly while he'd find, a few patrons of the party were..gaining up on a girl. This was a serious trigger for Seo. not being the brightest tool in the shed, he immediately assumed from her screams. That this girl was in trouble! "h-hey! What're we doing with the girlzby!" Slurrred his words like a small idiot, Seo kept walking towards the group of three, Adeline, Grant, Tan and the girl.

"Er...Youza..Where..In chop chops?" Seo asked as he finally took in the appearances of the others, some of these people were stupid pretty! "Er..." Seo didn't see punches were thrown, or that the girl was crying, asking for help. "Guess I thought a bad bad was happening huh?" Fingers began to scratch along the pink hair of his, a ladybug flew out of his hair. "Can ask, what you three are called bing?" he'd not have his walkie talkie, and it clearly showed when the others had their own. He was left out! "I lost my walkie talkie..Does that mean bad?"He'd ask in a worried tone, this meant that someone could have picked it up and have been listening to the conversations. "I callus, assault team! But we , bodyguards..No make sense that..But sound cool in head! Ha!"

[killeroftheminge]

As this Emilia starts to jab on and on about this opportunity, Adeline lets out a sigh of relief. Well, at least she wasn't nearly as much of a problem as they thought, though Greggs might not see it that way. Surely the FBI would have some problems with a reporter getting the scoop on some of this Stand stuff in Fallbrook, and then they might be in a whole can of worms...

"Woah, woah, woah, let's cool it with the interview stuff. We ain't agreed to nothing like that; I don't even know how much I'm supposed to be saying." Ade says, turning to see Grant poking his head in, much to her disbelief. In addition some...well, she wasn't the judging type but...'weirdo' seemed like a good term. 

"Yeah, sorry, we were kind of busy...hey, wait, what the hell are you doing here?! What's going on in there? And...uh...sure, we can be bodyguards," Ade says, responding to Seo. "We can be whatever, and we'll deal with the walkie-talkie later. Call me Ade for now, we'll catch up after we get this food taken care of. Off the record." Ade adds, casting a glance at Emilia. 

She slinks back to the kitchen, glancing inside to see the chefs occupied with their head, looking to the food itself. Maybe there was a way to be discreet about this...

Placing a hand against the floor, a moment passes before LM appears out of it, face glowering as its arms stretch out to drag someone inside. 

"Here. Just because I can't do much doesn't mean I can't give us an escape plan. If you get spotted, I can pull you into the floor. Just, you know, try not to get caught," Ade says, whispering to Tan as she looks at the guards. 

[BlacKnightZero]

While Adeline and Tan moved into the kitchen, Grant took their place outside to keep an eye on this girl. She claimed to just be a simple reporter, but Grant still wasn't sure. There was a chance she could be lying about that, and she really was working for Merry. Either way, her being here risked blowing the whole operation, so they couldn't just let her go now.

The girl immediately recognized Grant as soon as he stepped into the room, much to his shock. Somebody actually remembered him from his time as a reporter? He worked on the Times for a while but he was hardly a celebrity even in his own town.

"Er... Are you sure you're not confusing me for somebody else? I don't think I ever wrote any big scoops during the time I wrote for the paper." This girl must have really enjoyed his writing, otherwise he couldn't see where all her excitement was coming from.