Silent Stardust of the Moon

Chapter 45: D'Arby the Gambler, Part 1

Ponder this. What walks on four legs in the morning, two during mid-day, and three in the evening? So goes the riddle of the Sphinx. The legendary guardian of the pyramids. The answer? Man. Travellers who answer the riddle incorrectly are devoured by the ravenous Sphinx. Now, thirty-thousand kilometres from Japan, Jotaro and crew have finally reached their destination. Cairo. 

Hikari stretched as she stepped off the train. It seemed like forever but the group of Stand users finally made it to Cairo. Avdol took out the picture of the mansion and said, "Cairo is massive. It's in our best interest to systematically search the city, working our way towards the centre." With that strategy set, the group grabbed a vehicle and drove to the outer city limits determined to find Dio and take him down.

"We're finally here." Joseph said as he and the others looked into the city. Jotaro and the others have reached Cairo. However, before the team can reach Dio, they must first navigate their way through the many Sphinxes that stand before them.

Four large men walked into a cafe in Cairo. They looked pretty intimidating, scowls upon their faces as they escaped the desert heat. All eyes were turned on the men as they walked up to bar, but their focus soon shifted from the men to their companion. A delicate-looking young lady followed the men with a dog in arms. Compared to the men she was with she looked like a rather easy target, but there was more to her than meets the eye.

"Vey nice to meet you, gentlemen and lady. What'll you have to drink?" The bartender asked. "There's something we'd like to ask you," Joseph said as he dropped several pictures on the counter. "My associates and I are trying to locate this building. Any idea where it is?"

Hikari was hoping that someone here would know of the place in the photos. She and the others were utterly exhausted. They had been searching for the building in the photograph ever since their arrival in Cairo. Taken with Joseph psychic photography, the Image revealed Dio's whereabouts. Dio had recently moved to a new hideout and the Speedwagon Foundation couldn't find him. Where was Dio hiding?  Failure to locate him as soon as possible would spell certain doom for Holly.

"I'm sorry stranger. But this is a cafe. You should order a drink before asking questions." The bartender said.

"Then iced teas. Five of them." Jotaro ordered as Avdol put some money down. As the bartender poured the drinks he took a closer look at the pictures. "Never seen the place." He said before turning away.  Hikari was startled when Joseph, Jotaro, Avdol, and Polnareff all picked up their drinks simultaneously chugged them down before slamming their glasses back onto the counter. 

Cairo is a city of six million. So there has to be two or three million buildings. How are they going to find him? They knew he was here. There has to be at least someone who can help them. The pictures were passed around the cafe but each patron gave the same answer. They didn't know about it or it didn't look familiar. Joseph collected the photos, "Let's go. We'll try somewhere else."

"I happen to know where your little building is located." A voice said.

The group turned around at the statement looking for the person who said those words. As their eyes searched the cafe they spotted a man sitting alone at a table shuffling a deck of cards. He was a man of average to above-average height and slim to middling build. He has black hair, flowing slightly back and apart from his face, and a trim moustache of medium length. A light surface trails from the bottom of his eyes to points aside his mouth; scored by thin, black, horizontal lines. He wore a light shirt, dark tie, and a vest of a medium colour, printed with spirals.