[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure] Standstill Bonds

Chapter 26 ~ Suppressed Sentiment

Jotaro awoke to the sound of conversation drawing him to the living room where Josephine and Polnareff were deep in discussion. Josephine, with her sketchpad in hand, was passionately explaining her sketches of Charadriformes, a group of medium to large birds that live by the shore, eating bugs or other small creatures. She detailed the nuances of their beaks and adaptations of some species to various coastal environments in Japan.

He stood in the doorway, watching as Josephine gestured animatedly while talking to Polnareff. "So you see Polnareff, the different beak sizes and shapes help them survive in specific regions, it's like their own evolutionary toolkit."

Polnareff, sitting on the sofa just behind her, was genuinely intrigued. "I never thought birds could be this interesting, incroyable. What about that one?" he pointed to another sketch.

"Oh, that's the Japanese Murrelet, fascinating little guys. They live along the Japanese coast and Taiwan and they eat mainly fish and invertebrates. They're skilled divers and use their little wings to swim underwater. They actually dive and swim more effeciently than they fly, that's how much they've adapted to living on the water."

Polnareff was impressed, "You're a clever one, Josephine. Who knew you'd be a bird expert on top of everything else?"

Josephine blushed, looking down at her sketchpad in an attempt to hide her face but quickly moved on again talking about more birds. Jotaro couldn't help but admire her dedication to learning, even in the midst of their impending battle. It was a side of Josephine he had seen plenty of times before; a curious, intelligent girl navigating life around both schoolwork and many stresses that plagued her life.

Josephine, engrossed in her enthusiastic rambling didn't notice Jotaro's entrance until she awkwardly greeted him mid-sentence. "Oh, hey, Mr. Jotaro! Morning!" She quickly regained her composure, flashing him a bright smile.

Jotaro offered a nod in return. "What are you up to?"

"Just sharing some bird knowledge with Polnareff here," she replied, gesturing to her sketches. "I'm onto the Spectacled Guillemot now!"

As she delved into her explanation, Jotaro took a seat next to Polnareff who nudged his arm, leaned in and whispered, "What's it like for your little friend here to have passion in a similar field?"

"She's definitely got a knack for it," Jotaro agreed, "she knows more than most kids her age." They continued their subdued conversation while Josephine kept up her enthusiastic chatter, completely unaware of the exchange behind her.

Polnareff observed Josephine with a warm smile as she continued her lively discourse. Turning back to Jotaro, he commented, "She's quite impressive, so sweet and smart. Her parents must be proud, non?"

Jotaro's demeanour shifted instantenously, a clear displeasure spread on his face at the mere mention of her parents, "Proud? Her parents don't give a damn about her."

Polnareff's face shifted from jovial to confused, "Pourquoi? What do you mean?"

Jotaro lowered his voice, "Apparently, her parents committed fraud in England. She said to escape justice, they forced her to move here and they make her help with their illegal business. I wanted to do something but she made me promise not to report them, she doesn't want to be deported back because she says she has stability here now, or some small semblence of it anyway. More than she can say for most of her upbringing. They don't respect her Polnareff, they use her. It makes me sick."

Polnareff's expression soured into a scowl as he muttered in French "Ça me fait chier! Je ne supporte pas ce genre de gens!"

Jotaro flashed him a puzzled look to indicate his lack of comprehension.

"Excusez-Moi, I said I can't stand people like that." He quickly translated.

"Yeah, it's messed up. That kid deserves better."

They both fell into a contemplative silence, watching as Josephine continued her sketching and writing. Jotaro shook his head, turning his attention to more urgent matters. "Back to business, did you contact Giorno? Can he help us?"

"Oh oui, I already contacted him last night and he's willing to help. He'll be here by the end of the week."

Jotaro's frowned slightly, his shoulders tensing, "End of the week? That's the best he can do?"

Polnareff sighed, understanding his friend's frustration. "I'm afraid so. There's a major gang incident back in Italy, and it requires Passione's attention. It should be resolved within the next two days then he'll catch the first plane here."

Jotaro rubbed his forehead with a quiet grunt. "We could use him sooner."

Polnareff laid a hand on Jotaro's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know, mon ami. But Giorno's promised his support, and he'll be here as soon as he can, that's the main thing."

"Fine. We'll manage until then."

With the assurance of Giorno's impending arrival, the two of them continued to discuss their plan and how they could gather information on Pucci's possible whereabouts and activities. As they did so, their conversation was abruptly interrupted when they both noticed the look of worry on Josephine's face. She had paused her sketching and her eyes simmered with fear.

Polnareff addressed her gently, "Ma petite, what's wrong?"

Josephine took a deep breath before speaking. "I... it's all hitting me now I guess. But I want you both to know that I'll stand and fight with you, no matter what."

Polnareff gave her an encouraging nod. "That's the spirit kiddo."

Jotaro felt a twinge of apprehension, he had agreed to let Josephine join the fight, but the protective instinct within him still lingered strongly. Suppressing his inner concerns for the time being, he gestured to the vacant space on the sofa. Josephine joined them and she was given a space to talk about her own worries with the fight, though the topic was still serious, it was much calmer and less tense than the previous day's discussion of the matter, it was almost theraputic. Polnareff occasionally injected playful comments to lighten the mood.

During a brief pause, the frenchman turned to Jotaro with a mischievous grin. "Come on, give the kid a hug and pretend I'm not here." He turned away, hiding his face in the arm of the sofa. Josephine found Polnareff's antics endearing and let out a genuine giggle before giving Jotaro a reassuring look.

'Don't worry about it.' she mouthed quietly and playfully with a shake of her head. Despite her understanding, she was taken by surprise when Jotaro responded by pulling her into his side.

Josephine soon let out a heavy sigh, gradually relaxing into the moment. While his moments of affection weren't overly frequent, they started happening more often and were real, something she had never really experienced with her own father. Jotaro himself contemplated the unusual comfort he himself found in these moments with her and he began to feel the emergence of a sentiment he thought he had long since suppressed.