[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure] Standstill Bonds

Chapter 14 ~ Nightly Disturbance

Josephine awoke suddenly and with a cold sweat. She had dreamed about the day her parents tore her away from England, it felt as real and jarring in her dream as it was then. She blinked away her bleariness and sat up, stretching her arms out and feeling them click at the joints. She glanced at the clock; 3 a.m. 

Oh goody

Sleep felt improbable for now, so with a sigh, she pushed herself off the futon. Silently, she left her room and tip toed her way to the kitchen. She could see the light was on and as she approached she saw Jotaro was also awake, standing near the counter. His face was a picture of fatigue; dark bags lined his eyes like shadows.

"You're awake." he said quietly, his deep voice slightly grated from what little sleep he'd awoken from, if any.

Josephine nodded as she stepped closer, leaning against the counter opposite him. "Bad dream." she murmured, her voice soft, still caught in the grip of her nightmare.

Jotaro raised an eyebrow, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just... it doesn't matter." she said, waving it off, though her hands still trembled slightly. "Thought water might help, may I?" She asked, playing with the ends of her sleeves.

"Go ahead, glasses are in that cupboard." he said, pointing to the cabinet just to her right, his gaze turning back to some distant point, deciding against prying further about her dream.

"Neither of us are great with sleep tonight, huh?" she said lightly, grabbing a glass and then filling it.

Jotaro grunted quietly, "No. I suppose not."

Josephine studied him for a moment, her eyes searching his face like it might reveal his thoughts somehow, "You've got stuff on your mind too, I guess?" 

"You could say that..."

-

The next morning, a Saturday, Josephine was roused by a soft knock on the door. Holly's cheerful voice called her for breakfast, pulling her from sleep. She quickly freshened up and made her way to the lounge, where Holly bustled around the low table, arranging breakfast like she had with dinner the previous night. Jotaro was already there, sipping from a cup of sencha which he paused for just a moment when he spotted Josephine enter. Holly, full of bright energy, greeted her with an equally bright smile.

"Did you sleep well my dear?"

"I woke up in the night but apart from that, yes thank you." Josephine replied with a small, tired smile.

As they sat and ate, Holly chatted and rambled away about various things and though Jotaro remained mostly quiet, his occasional nods and brief responses showed he was indeed listening. The breakfast Holly prepared included steamed rice, miso soup, and grilled fish. Josephine had never had something so rich for breakfast before and she was eager to tuck into it.

After breakfast was finished, Jotaro led Josephine to the garden at the back of the house. The sun filtered softly through the leaves, casting dappled shadows over the meticulously kept plants. The garden was serene and beautiful, filled with a variety of well maintained shrubbery and flora. The delicate rippling water trickling through the air from the bamboo water feature, combined with the sounds of common cuckoos from a nearby tree, created a soothing soundtrack to the space around her.

"This will be our training ground for now." Jotaro announced. "We need to stay cautious after what happened in the park last night, we cannot go there now."

Josephine frowned, "Mr. Jotaro? Why is this guy after you?"

Jotaro's expression hardened, his usual defensive wall cropping up once again. "Pucci's dangerous, you've seen it, and that's all you need to know for now. My past with him does not concern you."