Silent Stardust of the Moon

Chapter 16: Emperor and Hanged Man, Part 1

"Tokyo. Hong Kong. Singapore. So the India leg of our journey is finally upon us." Joseph said. The group was currently on a small boat that heading towards the harbour in India. It was foggy, so they couldn't see a damn thing outside of the small windows. "But..." Joseph went as he scratched the side of his head in uncertainty. "Well, I'm a little bit worried. I mean, is there anywhere to get a cheeseburger there? I've always heard that India was the land of curry, disease, too many people."

"Curry is sounds pretty good to me." Hikari said, softly.

"No offence, but I'm worried that my stomach won't be able to handle the culture gap." Polnareff said. Avdol let a soft chuckle before reassuring his friends that things weren't going to be a bad as they might appear. "That assessment is rather distorted. You needn't worry, it's a country of extraordinary people. That, I assure you, my friends." As soon as he finished, the boat had reached the harbour and the walkway was set down for the passengers.

"Well, we've reached Calcutta. Let's get going." Avdol said as he opened the door for them to experience life here in India. With Avdol's reassurance, the others were willing to give it a try and face it head on. Besides, just how bad could a small part of the country be?

"Aaahh!" Hikari screamed as she stepped away, covering her chest with her arms. Nemuru quickly went over to her side and held her protectively. She growled at the crowd of people, "Who the hell groped her? I will end you!" She yelled.

Yeah...as it turns out the preconceptions they had about the country are true. Earlier, Joseph had called over a taxi for all of them and the ride was going well. That is until their taxi had stopped in the middle of the road because of a napping cow, which is considered a holy animal in India. Because of this set back, they had no choice but to exit the car. But as soon as they did, the group was practically ambushed by hoards of people surrounding them. The guys quickly formed a protective circle around the girls as more and more people began to swarm them.

"Let me carry that for you!" A man asked Polnareff. The Frenchman cringed away from him as he held his bag close to him and out from the man's reach.

"Want a tattoo? You're very pretty!" A middle-aged man told Kakyoin as he offered to give him a discount if he wanted a special design tattoo.

"Need some antivenin, it won't hurt your stomach." "Stay in our hotel." Two men said to Joseph as they try to get his attention on their deals. Joseph held up his hands as he tried to tell him that he wasn't interested. This is Calcutta, India. In the twentieth century, its population is eleven million. Calcutta buzzes with a bustling energy that will pull you in and never let you go.

"Gah, I stepped in some cow shit, damn!!" Polnareff yelled out.

"Oh crap, somebody's already stolen my wallet!" Kakyoin said as he checked his pockets for it.

"Would the two ladies like to try our facials? Or perhaps manicures and pedicures? We'll gladly make your hair shine like the sun." A woman in heavy makeup and large earrings said as she tried to reach in for the girls. Nemuru pushed Hikari behind her as she said, "Keep your freakish nails away from us!"

Jotaro wasn't having much fun of this either as he was in the process of being "strong-armed" by a bunch of kids as they pulled on his jacket and chain. "Tip! Tip! Tip!" "If you don't give me tips, you won't go to heaven, sir."

"Hey kid, don't put your nose all over my stuff!" Polnareff cried out.

"Avdol! So this is India?!" Joseph shouted at his fortune-teller friend. Avdol turned to his with a bright smile. "See? Great country, isn't it?" He said as he laughed. "They're what makes India great, don't you think?"