[OPEN] Why dont you ask him if he's going to stay?

[johnnyjoestar]

Who: johnnyjoestar & you?
When: backdated 7/10
Where: The gardens, the shopping district, the residential district.
What: Johnny tries to find his way around and is generally bad at technology.
Rating/Warning: None, but will updated if needed.



[Act I - Morning]
[The last few days had been pretty wild. Johnny wasn't sure how else to put it. Though some of the residents had encouraged him with the idea that he'd find his friends here, his only companion was his horse, Slow Dancer. He was thrilled to see the Appaloosa, who seemed no worse for the wear, but everything else here was downright alien.

The day was only just beginning when Slow Dancer nudged him, waking him from half-formed dreams and bringing him back to reality(though that too was questionable). They'd been camping out in the gardens the last couple nights and though the weather was warm, they should probably look for some more permanent quarters. Slow Dancer needed a proper stable and they could only survive on the public gardens for so long without being caught, he was sure.

That strange box had been beeping again too. He'd thought it some kind of explosive at first, and thrown it a fair distance away, only to find that it hovered quite neatly a few inches off the ground. As he'd watched other passers-by, he'd seen them holding the same device, but whatever it did, the thing just looked like a piece of junk to him.]

Mornin'.

[He sat up enough to pet Slow Dancer's muzzle and started packing up his makeshift camp.]


[Act II - Mid-day]
[After a lot of trotting back and forth, as he debated whether or not to go inside, Johnny was kind of surprised to see a shopkeeper come out to speak with him. Luckily, the man understood what he was looking for- at least, Johnny had thought he did, when he brought out all these strange self-propelled wheelchairs, Johnny had almost lost it. He already struggled with his legs, he wasn't about to give up his arms next. He would get around on his own strength thank-you-very-much and after some arguing that got him a little red in the face, both with frustration and the public nature of the conversation, the man wheeled out a simplistic looking thing that seemed like it would fall apart rather than hold his weight, but as Johnny released the saddle belts on his legs and tried it out, it was surprisingly comfortable and easy to use. Way less bulky than his old chair. And it even folded up small enough that he could add it to Slow Dancer's pack.

Going new places during the race had always been a struggle between where Slow Dancer could go and where he could get himself and whether or not the town even had a wheelchair to borrow, but this was probably the first thing he'd actually been pleased about since his arrival. When he got to the part where they talked price, the man kept asking about that strange device and Johnny was a little startled when he dug it out and handed it over. There were lights and sounds and other stuff he didn't really get, but after fiddling with it, they handed it back and told him he owned the chair. So that was... something.

The shopkeeper left him to it and Johnny sat in his new chair, fumbling with the device in his hands. How the hell did the thing work? Was it that important? Shit, he'd almost thrown it away!]

[Act III - late afternoon]

[Today had been surprisingly productive. Johnny still didn't know where they were staying, but the device had some names listed. So far, no stables though. And he was getting really tired of all the stares. Hadn't anyone ever seen a guy on horseback before? It seemed like it should be obvious, but he'd realized, over the last couple days, that for this colony, it was a very uncommon form of transportation.

He wasn't about to trade in his prize horse for a carriage that drove itself though, not by a long shot. So what if this was some bizarre future with locomotives that didn't even run on steam? They'd brought him here, they could deal with him and his horse or get used to the idea of them taking over part of the gardens as their own personal stables and pen for Slow Dancer.

Johnny dismounted and tied the reins expertly to a post outside the next building before heading for the entrance.]

Hello?

Comments

2

[notsolomon]

[William had decided to take the day to window shop on his own. Kevin was at work and his own interests were too boring to subject any of his friends to. He'd managed to grab a few books, some science, some philosophy, some science fiction and other subjects here and there. He could just as easily read them on the CereVice, but he found that regular books were easier on his eyes with the amount of reading he did.

With his haul in hand, William had decided to just window shop and was looking at a particular item, a shape shifting speaker, when he caught an unusual sight out of the corner of his eye. Horses were plentiful back home, but here they were non-existent, so something about it was almost nostalgic, even if it was a breed he wasn't familiar with. The young man sitting on it was strange though, with his clothes and blatantly American accent.

William watched whole exchange and when it was over, deliberated a moment before deciding to approach. There was a problem here that needed to be corrected and post haste.]

Did no one tell you about the credits when you arrived?

[johnnyjoestar]

[Johnny had only just figured out how to pop it open when someone else approached. He looked up to see some guy carrying a bunch of books. Who had apparently been eavesdropping. Much as he hated to admit that he didn't know how the device worked(apparently it was some credit system?), if it meant he could pay for things, it was probably best to put pride aside and listen.

He held up the small device and shook his head.]

We didn't have anything like this back home. It keeps beeping, is it supposed to do that?

[notsolomon]

I didn't have them back there either. Telephones are still pretty new actually. And not nearly as portable.

[William glanced at it and laughed a little, because the beeping had unnerved him a bit at first.]

It beeps for a lot of reasons. Usually because you have a notification. Some might have messaged you, or there is an alert from your account, that sort of thing. If you do not have anyone who message you yet, it might just because your withdrawal was rather large.

[johnnyjoestar]

[Telephones? Johnny looked incredulously from the small object in his hand to the young man. Was he having a go at him? Making some kind of joke? Johnny might not know the specifics of how they worked, but he was pretty sure telephones had to be connected to something with wires. That was how the sound go through, right? Something like that.]

Okay slow down. You're telling me this tiny little thing is a telephone?

[As for the rest, notifications and alerts and whatever else, it felt like the guy was speaking an different language.]

[notsolomon]

Do you know what radio waves are? Because this device is capable of receiving them at a highly efficient level. And well, if you tell me your name, I can give you a demonstration.

[The best way was to actually just send a message to this guy so that he could show him.]

ACT I.

[faceplate]

[ a spare communicator could be useful. that's what zer0 is thinking about, anyway, when they pluck it up from where it's floating above the ground.

more interesting: the real horse they catch sight of a few feet away. zer0 turns their head to watch the man accompanying the animal, watching intently through their helmet. ]

Is this yours?

[ whether they're referring to the horse or the communicator, it's unclear. ]

[johnnyjoestar]

[Johnny's noticed plenty of interesting folks as he's explored the town. None that really made him want to run over and approach though, so he'd mostly kept to himself. This guy apparently felt like being sociable.

Johnny didn't think twice about the man's clothing, though the mask was off-putting. It was hard to judge someone's intentions when you couldn't see their face. But he'd also retrieved the weird device Johnny had thrown(even if he seemed pretty distracted by Slow Dancer).]

Uh. Yeah, sorry I thought it was a-

Anyway, it's been making all these weird noises. You know what it is?

[faceplate]

Communicator.

[ zer0 doesn't offer it over yet, even though they're close enough to just hand it to him. ]

[johnnyjoestar]

Yeah, that doesn't give me a lot to go off of.

[Johnny looks from the guy to the device. He's still seated in the gardens, so it's not like he can really get up to try to get it back. He holds his hand out expecting the man to hand it over.]

1

[sayonaradumbass]

[its way too early for this....matter of fact, Kaneda's just stumbling back home from who the hell knows what, sunglasses tucked against his face like a shield...from the...sun...

either way, the teen nearly stumbles in a cowpie and at the greeting, glowers at Johnny.]

You responsible for all the shit around here? You oughta train that thing...

[johnnyjoestar]

[It's hard for Johnny to even consider that a town like Cerealia exists, with no horses and all the roads paved. Even in Philadelphia, where some of the roads were cobblestoned, they had people to clean that sorta thing because- well who the hell had heard of a town without horses? The smell was... part of the charm.]

You don't know much about horses, do you.

[sayonaradumbass]

[THERE'S NO CHARM IN POOP OR HORSE BUTTS

He cocks his hands on his hips, clearly unimpressed.]

You can train em to not shit all the time! If the rest of us have to....either way, you're outta time, man.

[johnnyjoestar]

[The ignorance was pretty astounding, but Johnny just fixed him with a flat and unimpressed look. Who the hell did he think he was?]

You a cop or something? What do you care?

3!

[protectthecastle]

[Veronica was just finishing a walk with her cat (because she could never leave her behind for long, so it only makes sense to take her along) when she catches sight of Johnny, her eyes travelling up from him to what he had dismounted from.

A HORSE.

She had only ever seen them hitched to her carriage and been expressly forbidden from going near them, riding them, or touching them. So of course, she makes her way over, dressed in a breezy summer dress (that was a whole lot more sensible than what he'd seen her dressed in before), her cat tucked in her arms.]

Johnny!

[The horse is even bigger up close but that clearly doesn't scare her at all.]

How beautiful. [She'll remember he's there soon enough, I'm sorry...]

[johnnyjoestar]

[Johnny had to admit, it was a relief to see a familiar face. Though he'd searched all over this town, he hadn't found even a clue as to where Gyro might be, nor any of the other racers. The only person a few people had even heard of was Dio, but none of them had seen him here. Figured.]

Hey Veronica.

[He didn't quite smile when she approached, but his stern expression lightened. Veronica seemed pretty taken with the Appaloosa. Slow Dancer had been a pretty mean thing at first, but had certainly mellowed since. Even Lucy Steel had been able to ride with him.]

This is Slow Dancer. You been around horses much? You'll wanna step in real slow so they can smell you first. Kinda like a big puppy.

[He wheeled closer, his hunt for lodging temporarily on hold as he rummaged through one of Slow Dancer's saddlebags and tossed Veronica an apple.]

[protectthecastle]

Hello, Johnny.

[She does have manners after all! Veronica was so used to not seeing any familiar faces from home (and she'd been away for nearly three years) that she's happy just to see anyone that she recognizes. She catches the apple with one hand, doing her best not to get her cat accidentally beaned in the head while she's at it.]

Thank you. I have seen horses before but never so closely. I was told that I should not go too near them, actually.

[Turning the apple around in her hand, she walks slowly up to the Appaloosa as she had been told to do, eyes wide and shining as she offers it the apple. It was a bit like greeting her dog Glen that first time all those years ago, and she's careful to give the horse space, letting it come close if it wanted to, her voice soft.]

Hello to you as well, Slow Dancer.

[johnnyjoestar]

[Slow Dancer pawed the ground a few times, but other than that, made no threatening gesture as she approached. The horse seemed much more interested in the apple she was carrying than considering her as anything of a threat.

Johnny watched the interaction calmly; a horse could tell a lot from its own rider's reaction to the people around it.]

Whoever told you that doesn't know a thing about animals then. Anything is dangerous if you approach it recklessly. Animals are a lot like people. They've all got their own personalities and...

[He trailed off with a shrug, realizing he'd probably been rambling. Not everyone was so interested in horses as he was.

Slow Dancer seemed to have adjusted to her scent though, and was eager to relieve her of the apple. The Appaloosa gummed at it for a moment before plucking it from her hands and crunching it down in a few bites. Johnny patted the horse near the base of the neck.]

He likes to have the bridge of his nose scratched.

[Johnny ran a finger down his own to indicate where it was alright to try petting the horse.]

1

[sharpenyoursickle]

[The gardens had been beckoning her for some time. Temari had been wandering since early morning -- she hadn't been able to sleep -- and had taken her time perusing the flowers and plants.

It's a lovely place really. She just hadn't expected to wander into someone's camp.

With a horse. Just standing there.]

Oh. [That's... that's all she's got. 'Oh.']

[johnnyjoestar]

[Johnny knelt on the ground, packing up the last of the breakfast and camp supplies into his rucksack as the girl arrived. She'd been quiet; it wasn't until she spoke that Johnny startled and looked up. Was seeing a horse and rider that shocking?]

Mornin'.

[He gave her a mock salute before tying off one of the bags.]

[sharpenyoursickle]

Morning. [She gives a small wave and gives the camp a onceover.] So... camping, huh?

[johnnyjoestar]

[Johnny feels not the smallest bit of shame over using the public gardens for a campground. No one's run him out yet, and it's actually a step up from most of the wilderness he's used to.

He stayed seated next to Slow Dancer, though he barely came to the horse's knees that way.]

Sure, why not?

2

[babermetrics]

[There's two surprises at once. Leon recognizes Johnny immediately; he totally owes this guy an I told you so, doesn't he? Not that his motives are entirely that selfish, buuuut that's definitely an aspect of wanting to talk to him again. (Seriously, though, he'd seemed cool enough when they'd met, other than that whole horse blowup . . . )

Speaking of which, there's surprise number one, the first one he notices. This guy actually has a horse? Well, that had been obvious, but he has a horse here? They can do that? Whoa. It's not the first horse Leon's seen in real life, but it's pretty damn close, and he's never been that close to one before. And in all honesty, Johnny had made them sound pretty cool with that whole speech he'd laid on Leon before, so—why not?

He heads over slowly, taking in the scene. There he is, just, with his horse, right here in the friggin' shopping district, just sitting in his chair with a horse . . .

Then surprise number two sinks in. He's in a wheelchair? When Leon had met him, he'd already been sitting down. He hadn't even noticed. It's not like it's a big deal or anything, but it's another little piece of reality that's different from what he'd been assuming all this time, and it throws him off. Even if it's nothing, seeing it gives him a strange feeling he can't quite pin down.

Leon wonders if he's supposed to say something about it.

But he's not going to start there. There's nothing that doesn't feel awkward. On the other hand, commenting on a dude's horse just standing there next to him on the sidewalk? Totally fair game. So that's what he does, strolling up with his hands in his pockets, not getting too close yet—how do you even walk up to a horse? What are they like?]

Dude, I didn't know you had it with you! That's awesome!

[Wait, is "it" insensitive? Is he going to get another lecture?]

Uh . . . him-or-her?

[johnnyjoestar]

[Johnny manages to spot Leon before he gets too close to Slow Dancer. They guy was pretty dim-witted when it came to horses, and if he just mosied on over without being careful, well, Johnny had seen plenty of self-assured young men break something when they got kicked because they weren't paying attention.]

Oh, uh, yeah. This is Slow Dancer.

[Johnny gives the young man a funny look and glances from Leon to the rather large Appaloosa.]

He's been my partner for nearly a month in the Steel Ball Run.

[babermetrics]

Okay, okay, he! I didn't look or anything.

[Heh. He shrugs, a little uncertain why he's getting a look like that, but whatever; this guy's a horse nerd. Probably it's just Leon not knowing horse stuff, which is true, and also possibly offensive.

Slow Dancer sounds like a girl horse name, anyway, but he decides not to say that. He can have tact sometimes.]

That's a race? Wait, horse races can be a month long? I thought they only took a few minutes!

[johnnyjoestar]

[Johnny gives him a curious look, but doesn't comment. Not everyone is into horse-breeding and training. Besides, Leon proved that point from day one. He might be from the future(present?) and all, but he lacked his share of knowledge that people in Johnny's time would have though obvious. Ah well.

The other part was a more astute observation than he would have expected out of Leon. He didn't laugh, but his temperament seemed to improve.]

Yeah, that's fair. Most of 'em do. Steel Ball Run is- was a cross-country race through the United States. Starting on the coast of California and ending in D.C.. Made it as far as Philly before I ended up here.