[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure] Standstill Bonds

Chapter 22 ~ An Old Friend

With lunch concluding and a truce in place, Josephine only had a few lessons left for the day. The final one was biology with Jotaro. In the closing minutes of class, Jotaro kept an eye on her, noticing the new ease in her that hadn't been there before. It wasn't like her playful attitude of this morning or the previous evening, she was unusually content in some way. The shift intrigued him, prompting a question as soon as the day's final bell rang.

"What's got you so chill?"

Josephine, while packing her things, began to recount the cafeteria confrontation with Hiroshi, her Stand's outburst, and the unexpected truce that followed after they left the headmaster's office. She half expected Jotaro to reprimand her for the trouble she'd caused by letting her Stand out but instead, he listened quietly.

When she finished, Jotaro gave her his verdict, "While I can't say I'm thrilled you let your Stand out in that way, taking the blame for the fight was a noble move," he remarked approvingly, "For that at least, I'm proud of you."

Josephine froze, entirely unexpecting that response. "P-proud? Of me?" she stammered, unsure if she had heard him right.

Jotaro, never one for drawn-out sentimentality, gave her a sideways glance before nudging her gently with his elbow. "Don't let it go to your head, now pick up your jaw and lets go." he grunted, walking out and signaling for her to follow along.

Exiting the school gates, they walked together as they made their way back to Jotaro's house. The compliment still rang in Josephine's ears, warming her heart in a way she hadn't expected. She tried to contain herself, but her shy smile gave her away to Jotaro who didn't take too long to notice it.

"What's up with you now?" Jotaro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, n-nothing..." Josephine stammered, "It's just... what you said back there. I didn't expect you to be, you know, proud of me."

Jotaro was swift to brush it off. "You did the right thing. That's all."

"Still... it means a lot coming from you."

Jotaro, clearly uncomfortable with the emotional direction the conversation was going, picked up his walking pace, as though removing himself from it entirely. "Don't read too much into it."

-

When they finally arrived at Jotaro's home, an unusual sound reached their ears; voices, commotion, and laughter. Jotaro's face hardened immediately as he motioned for Josephine to wait outside while he cautiously stepped inside his house. The silence that followed was short-lived, and Jotaro reappeared moments later with a face caught somewhere between irritation and surprise.

"Come on in, it's alright." he said, rubbing his forehead and beckoning her inside.

Somewhat awkwardly, she stepped into the house, she was about to seek an explanation for the commotion but before she could voice her question, a wheelchair-bound figure rolled into view, his silhouette distinct against the shadows.

"Ah, mon ami, there's no need for all the tension," the man said with a dramatic wave of his hand, his french accent was clear and notably charming. "It's just me, after all."

Jotaro crossed his arms and grunted, "You're more trouble than you're worth, Polnareff."

The man in the wheelchair, Polnareff, laughed heartily. "And you're still as pleasant as ever, Jotaro!"

Turning his attention to Josephine, he wheeled closer, revealing a face that bore the marks of both age and adventure. His silver hair was neatly kept and styled in a way she'd never seen before, and his one good blue eye sparkled with a mixture of mischief and wisdom. He had a well defined scar running over his damaged right eye which was covered with a purple screen optic secured with a thin band around his head.