A True Lady's Quest

this.

 

Changing to that

[X] If we're talking with Del, then find out from her how she really feels about Dio. If the handsome devil is actually forcing her... damn it Del, this is no time for Victorian modesty! Tell me EVERYTHING.

 

Sure why not, with a little addition:

[X] If we're talking with Del, then find out from her how she really feels about Dio. If the handsome devil is actually forcing her... damn it Del, this is no time for Victorian modesty! Tell me EVERYTHING.
--[X] Something Strange Happens ... Yet Again!

 

[X] If we're talking with Del, then find out from her how she really feels about Dio. If the handsome devil is actually forcing her... damn it Del, this is no time for Victorian modesty! Tell me EVERYTHING.
--[X] Something Strange Happens ... Yet Again!

 

[X] A picture out of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Erina Pendleton.

Upon reflection, Dio could have picked someone worse to kiss, and it is she.

“Joanna! What a pleasant surprise! How are you?”

“All the better for seeing your smiling face, Erina.”

Here’s all you need to know about Erina Pendleton: after Dr and Mrs Vaughan moved away in the wake of Sarah’s death, her father became the local physician. She lets her mother choose her clothes, the boys at school would walk all over her if you didn’t keep them in line, and when she bows her head in church, she actually prays.

For some reason she thinks the two of you are friends. You haven’t bothered to clear up this misconception because she seems to have made the same assumption about every girl her age. Her naiveté is in refreshing contrast with the usual clinginess of other girls making such claims on your time; it’s almost as though she were some manner of circus exhibit, the Ideal Female As Imagined By Men. You find yourself perversely fascinated by her bizarre innocence.

“I still can’t believe in only three weeks, you’ll be in Naples,” she says excitedly, leading you to the smaller drawing room (the larger is taken over by the adults), where a half-eaten tray of sandwiches and biscuits is laid out on the table. Seated around it are Petula, Geraldine-oh-don’t-be-disky-call-me-Geri, and Annie, but your apologies at interrupting a pre-existing engagement are waved aside by your hostess even as the others struggle to maintain their smiles.

“Yes, do remember to write,” Annie says pleasantly enough, though that could be because she’s looking forward to never having to worry about you reporting her for inappropriate skirt-lengths ever again.

“I almost wish I were going with you,” Erina says enviously. “Getting to breathe the same air as the Caesars, treading the same ground as da Vinci and Raphael – Mother says the Common School even has guest lectures from real artists every winter!”

You hum in accord. The CSfG poses as an arts’ college for women in less supernatural company. “Professor de Owen told Father that this year they’re inviting Mr Whistler – you recall, the one who did that charming portrait of his mother.”

“How wonderful!” Geri gushes. “I didn’t think you had much talent for art, Jojo.”

And there you have everything you need to know about Geraldine Halliwell. If Erina is a sheltered girl who occasionally appears soft in the head, Geri is a tactless idiot whose only saving grace is her complete inability to feel malice.

You turn your grimace into something resembling an embarrassed smile. “I wouldn’t have thought so either, but apparently Common has classes in music and dramatics as w-”

“Dramatics? How suitable, for a ‘Common’ school.”

Ah. Petula.

Easily the single most fashionably-dressed woman in town (without a care in the world as to whether or not any of the clothes actually suit a girl of thirteen), Petula Clark is your pick for who will become ‘queen’ of Abney Park in your absence. It will be a brief reign, if the girl’s mother has anything to say about it – every one of Petula’s sisters so far have been married to upwardly mobile Londoners before their twentieth birthdays, and as Petula’s the prettiest of the lot and the pampered youngest, Mrs Clark will undoubtedly spare no expense to break her previous record of three proposals at Laura Clark’s nineteenth birthday party.

“Sad though it may be,” you remark, helping yourself to a pistachio macaron, “we do not all meet the qualifications necessary to gain a scholarship to Beauregarde’s.”

Beauregarde’s ‘College’ is the ‘school’ Petula will be ‘attending’ come fall. It is ever-so-conveniently located in Windsor, across the river from Eton. Yes. That Eton.

“True,” she agrees, in that sickening parody of proper speech she always uses in public. “I suppose some have to make do with whatever poor talents the good Lord grants them. Please accept my congratulations, Joanna.” She raises her teacup in a toast, smirking. “May your blue stockings bring you good fortune in the Neapolitan marriage market; it would be terrible if your bad luck should follow you-”

Erina’s teacup misses the table by a fraction of an inch and drops with a thunk to the rug. “Oh my goodness,” she says in dismay, “how silly of me. Jojo, would you fetch Adelaide and a damp cloth, please?”

Miffed at being denied the last word, you nonetheless make your way to the den at the back of the house, commonly used as a staging-room for parties.

Del’s mother is the head maid, but the Pendletons do not keep a full staff, so really the only people dedicated to Erina’s subset of the party are Del and a snub-nosed nonentity named Emma or somesuch. This last is who you direct to bring in the cloth; what you are about to say requires privacy.

The conversation you’re about to have is likely to involve tears. The only question is if they will be yours, Del’s, or both.

[X] What say?

 

I think it's cute how she doesn't notice. ^_^

 

Notice what

Wait did someone just insult our abilities to get the D? BITCH WE HAVE SO MUCH D THE D HAS A NAME AN THAT IS DIO

WHICH MEANS GOD

WE HAVE GOD'S D. A DIVINE AND HEAVENLY D, MORE D THEN IN SUPER NSFW YAOI GAMES.

WE ARE DROWNING IN THE D

 

You'll figure it out over the course of the next couple of updates. Joanna, who treats every social interaction she has like a competition, most likely won't.

 

Oooh how Erika performed a quick save

Bet she chews out the bitch

 

Erina is being a very good friend to Joanna, and is busy telling off Petula after getting her out of the room. Joanna will never ever realize this.

If we're going to try to make up with Del, then saying we reacted poorly, and asking for forgiveness might work. Jo has very stiff neck though, and I'm not sure how to approach this either.

Requesting details might work, but it's as likely to reduce Del to tears as it is to result in bonding over that sort of thing. It's almost certain Del wasn't a willing participant in that little session, another thing Joanna will never figure out on her own.

 

JoJo, loveable alpha bitch. Your "friends" will miss you so very not much. Without you who will there be to reign them in, who? Who?!

Oh right, Dio needs a harem.

ahem

[X] What say?

Perhaps it's time to admit that maybe you've been doing too good a job keeping people at arm's length. Del believes she's your friend, but what is she to you? An extra set of eyes, someone to order around like another servant? Perhaps over time, without you even realizing, she's grown into more than that for you, which makes what she did with Dio hurt all the more. And as for Dio himself; ever since he came into your life he has been many things, but straightforward isn't one of them. He has shown you many sides, many moods, but which are his true ones: the troubled young man you keep catching glimpses of, or the unhesitating killer you saw during one of the arguably worst nights of your life?

You may not know where you stand with Dio, and it's possible you never will. With Del though, you have a person that wants to be your friend, not for the sake of social status, but because she likes you as a person. Perhaps you were too abrupt in dismissing her concerns about Dio in spite of wanting to have faith in him. You need to sit her down and ask her, as a friend and not a servant, for the truth of what happened that day, and about her feelings regarding Dio ... even if it might be the last thing you want to hear.

 

[X] Any true woman may manufacture tears as necessary. You were able to do that since you were 8 years old.

Hopefully I'll have an actual worthwhile vote tomorrow.

 

[X] An apology is in ord-oh. Ohhhhh dear.

Del won't even look you in the eye.

You take a deep breath. "I'm sorry for what I said yesterday." You wince; you don't have a lot of practice at really apologizing. What should you say next? "It was wrong of me to make assumptions without knowing the whole story-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Del interrupts. Her lower lip is trembling, but her voice is steady. "What you saw is what happened."

"What?" you blurt out.

"I've been in l-love with Dio from the first moment I saw him," she says, eyes watering. "Th-that's why-" She clamps a hand over her mouth and quietly begins to sob into it, turning away. "That's why I tried to stay away from him, Jojo, I was so scared..."

[X] Well. What now?

 

[X] Well, Dio is a good man, if an occasionally frightful one. If you are both attracted, I see no reason why you cannot... come to an agreement. But do be sure not to give up the goods without certain promises, you know? He is a man, after all, and if given the opportunity that species tends to take outrageous liberties-!

 

I believe you may be forgetting your Shakespeare, Guile. Dio is a prince, and out of her star; this must not be.

 

Alas, poor Del.

Obviously she has no chance against the match the heavens decree DioJojo OTP.

At very best, Del can be our Nurse. She's just not cool enough to be our Mercutio.

 

The heavens are indifferent. The Snow-White Queen of the Night's Hearth Forest, on the other hand, is on the prowl for those two kids with a red string in her fist.

 

[X] Well, Dio is a good man, if an occasionally frightful one. If you are both attracted, I see no reason why you cannot... come to an agreement. But do be sure not to give up the goods without certain promises, you know? He is a man, after all, and if given the opportunity that species tends to take outrageous liberties-!

There are other fish in the sea for jojo, not that I see this del dio thing lasting.

 

[X] Oh. Oh... Suddenly Del's inquiry about where exactly Dio was from takes on a whole new light. She wasn't so much worried that his station may bring you down, she was hoping that it might have been true, so that she could stand a chance of being with him.... It's true Dio came from less than extravagant conditions, but with his manner and demeanor people would likely be none the wiser. Still, if Del learns of the truth ... but shouldn't that be something that's Dio's right to give?
--[X] You three need to have a discussion about this, before you leave for Italy.

 

My first thought, when I read that was that Dio is somehow coercing her into telling us this to keep himself from getting on our bad side. It did not seem like Del wanted that kiss.

 

[X] Oh. Oh... Suddenly Del's inquiry about where exactly Dio was from takes on a whole new light. She wasn't so much worried that his station may bring you down, she was hoping that it might have been true, so that she could stand a chance of being with him.... It's true Dio came from less than extravagant conditions, but with his manner and demeanor people would likely be none the wiser. Still, if Del learns of the truth ... but shouldn't that be something that's Dio's right to give?
--[X] You three need to have a discussion about this, before you leave for Italy.

 

[X] Oh. Oh... Suddenly Del's inquiry about where exactly Dio was from takes on a whole new light. She wasn't so much worried that his station may bring you down, she was hoping that it might have been true, so that she could stand a chance of being with him.... It's true Dio came from less than extravagant conditions, but with his manner and demeanor people would likely be none the wiser. Still, if Del learns of the truth ... but shouldn't that be something that's Dio's right to give?
- - [X] You three need to have a discussion about this, before you leave for Italy.

Light dawns. Pity and a rekindled anger wrestle for control of your heart.

"So when you asked about Dio's family..."

Del sniffles. "I was scared of him... scared of what he made me f-feel. I thought if there were some way t-to make him go away..." She stares at some point above your head, blinking back tears. "I've had so many thoughts in these past two months that I never thought I would think. Thoughts a woman should only have about her husband. It's as though he's inside my head all the time..." She's shaking now, with the effort to keep her voice down and prevent others from hearing. "I- I can't think these things, Jojo, it's horrid of me." She sinks to the floor in a crouch, and rests her head on her knees.

"I used to be a good girl," she moans. "Now Father Youngblood looks at me the same way he looks at my cousins!"

[X] Pity wins out. You take a seat next to her on the floor, and embrace her.

[X] Anger Pity wins out. You take a seat next to her on the floor, and embrace her, because she obviously can't help how she feels. You and Dio are going to have words, later.

 

[X]Anger Pity wins out. You take a seat next to her on the floor, and embrace her, because she obviously can't help how she feels. You and Dio are going to have words, later.

 

>"Now Father Youngblood looks at me the same way he looks at my cousins!"
What? Oh, now Jojo is gonna have to kick some ass.

[X] Well it's certainly not proper. Still, she'll be off to school soon (St Trinian's? Elsewhere?), and Dio will be learning the things a young gentleman should know. And when schooling is over, if they both feel the same, well...

 

[X] Sibling Rivalry

Petula is gone when you return to the drawing room, but even without her there you're in no mental state to be convivial. You make your excuses as politely as you can and start home. Slow Dancer picks up on your mood and is a little more jittery than usual, but you manage to get back to the Joestar mansion without incident.

"Sometimes I pray to wake up and f-find that he's disappeared. I know it's dreadful of me, but... if he weren't around anymore, if he were gone, things could go back to normal."

It's not fair. Nothing about this is fair.

You think of evening meals eaten silently, save for quiet requests for the next course, while you waited for Father to return from his latest expedition. You remember books read and laughed over, and attempts to share the jokes that inevitably devolved into explanations of what the jokes meant to a politely interested but confused Del. You try to count the days you can recall where you went from dawn til dusk without speaking to anyone but the servants.

Del is right.

If Dio were gone, things would go back to normal.

He's in the library, as always, when you enter.

What argumentative tack are you taking in this conversation?

[X] Dio is leading your friend in a merry dance. Everyone knows it's the boy's responsibility to be... responsible! He is to be forthright with her about his feelings one way or the other, and he is to do so at the next available opportunity.

[X] A servant?! A Catholic servant? Dio, would you really squander your future like this?

[X] Del is a very pious and pure-hearted girl whose life Dio is in the process of ruining. He has to end this before it begins and avoid her from now on.

-----

So, uh, yay classism, I guess. And yay melodramatic teenagers.

 

*resist the troll*
[X] Dio is leading your friend in a merry dance. Everyone knows it's the boy's responsibility to be... responsible! He is to be forthright with her about his feelings one way or the other, and he is to do so at the next available opportunity.

 

[X] Dio is leading your friend in a merry dance. Everyone knows it's the boy's responsibility to be... responsible! He is to be forthright with her about his feelings one way or the other, and he is to do so at the next available opportunity.