No small amount of dread resided within the engorged body of Melody. To her, this defeat, though inglorious, was only the beginning of her suffering. Threats and promises swirled through her head, and a chill coursed through her veins. Of all the Stand Users whose arrival she feared, though, Kijo wasn't one of them. She did not at all recognize the woman in white who appeared on the desolate sidestreet, but the instant Kijo's companion followed behind, Melody sank even deeper into despair. The floating, spotless form of the Outsider made her bare flesh shiver in muted terror. In this state, she could not defend herself, and only an idiot or a truly powerful Stand User would walk around with their Stands out. Was this newcomer part of the group of Wyatt and Dwayne, come as backup to finish what they'd started? Melody couldn't be sure, particularly since she heard some time ago that her opponents' team was pretty much all male, just as hers was almost entirely female, but Kijo and the Outsider made for a supremely threatening visage. Crushed by embarrassment and fear, Melody couldn't form a single word as Kijo stared at her. Then came a question that confounded Melody's expectations: [i]you look like you are in a rut, anyway I could help?[/i] Could it be that this woman -no, this Stand User- not only held no animosity toward her, but knew nothing about the circumstances only recently transpired. Melody was dumbstruck. She knew her fair share of fake smiles, but this newcomer's didn't strike her at all as disingenuous. [color=8DB600]”Uh...”[/color] she was surprised to hear how much huskier her voice sounded, no doubt thanks to her new physique. Wryly she realized that her confidence had effectively been shattered by this sudden change. [color=8DB600]”Um...just, give me a moment here.”[/color] Obligingly, Kijo moved toward the laundromat. After stepping over the man in front of the place, whose sunglasses were now pretty mangled, she approached Vinnie, who'd been half-conscious and watching her approach. What he thought had been a dream, or a hallucination resulting from stress, resolved itself to be the very woman he saw about an hour earlier near the Golden Peking. Startled, Vinnie lifted his head up. “It's you!” The next second he realized how strange that must sound. “I mean, you're the person I saw by that restaurant no long ago. And that...” He stared, wide-eyed, at the Outsider. “That's the spirit I saw! The whole reason I left work today to try and find some answers. I...whoa. It's pretty intimidating, I guess, but not as scary as my spirit. And yours isn't hostile? What the hell...” Shakily he rose to his feet. Behind Kijo, a noise announced that Wyatt had come to as well. [color=B0E0E6]”What...oh, God. God, I killed Dwayne...no, no”[/color] Frowning deeply, Vinnie watched him hold his head in his hands. The burnt spot on the sidewalk caught his eye, and Vinnie realized that he was shaking, as well. At the same time, though, adrenaline set his nerves on fire; maybe that was all that was keeping him standing. After glancing at Kijo and the Outsider, Vinnie skirted around them toward Wyatt. “Hey...” He offered a hand. “It's not your fault, alright? Whatever that other woman did to you with that glass made it happen. It wasn't you.” [color=B0E0E6]”How can you say that?”[/color] Tears were streaming from Wyatt's eyes. They seemed highly uncharacteristic for such an ordinary-looking man. [color=B0E0E6]”I can remember the whole thing! Whatever was in that cup was really good...and when that awful stuff started happening to Dwayne -and you, I guess- I...I think I actually enjoyed it. But now...God, I'm so sorry. Dwayne wasn't a great guy, but we were still friends, and I'd never want to...to kill him.”[/color] Still, he accepted Vinnie's hand and the besuited man pulled him to his feet. After straightening his brutalized sunglasses, Wyatt spotted Melody, and treated her to a wrathful glare. [color=B0E0E6]”You! It's because of your sister that happened. I get our teams aren't exactly playing nice, but I'm not about to forgive you!”[/color] His eyes moved toward the fallen warhammer on the ground, but when they glanced back at Melody, he noticed something else. [color=B0E0E6]”Why are you crying?”[/color] Melody sobbed, causing her entire flabby body to jiggle despondently. [color=8DB600]”Isn't it obvious, idiot? Your friend made me into this [i]f***ing[/i] butterball, but at least I won't have it for long, because I'm dead. My boss doesn't tolerate failure like this. I already failed once, making my sister hate me, and this was supposed to be my redemption. If the boss doesn't get me, Harmony will.”[/color] She shook again, wiping tears from her eyes. Shaking his head, Vinnie closed the distance between himself and her, taking off his suit jacket as he did so. He moved around the sitting woman and held it up. At first Melody didn't know what to make of it, but after a few moments she shrugged and held her arms out, accepting his help. One after another she put her arms into the sleeves, tearing them as she did, and with a very discerning hand Vinnie helped pull the jacket around her front, stretching the cloth. The proximity made both her and Vinnie blush, but with a manner of professionalism he ignored it. In the end one button was done, the one right beneath the chest and above the belly, and he laboriously helped Melody to her feet. A handful of seconds passed before Melody got used to her new center of gravity. On her, the singly-buttoned suit jacket looked hilarious, but it was better than nothing, and she clearly appreciated the gesture. [color=8DB600]”...Thanks, I guess. Who are you?”[/color] Looking around at everyone in turn, her helper replied, “My name is Vinnie Pantera. A few years ago I found out that I was being haunted by a spirit.” He decided to go ahead and explain. “It would terrorize people that threatened me, but it scared me, too. This morning I saw that woman's spirit,” he said as he gestured toward Kijo, “And I thought I might be able to learn something. I never expected any of this. It honestly boggles my mind. There are no words.” The sound of a siren cut him off. Melody flinched before saying, [color=8DB600]“How about 'run'? Someone must have heard the explosion and called the cops. Look, I don't know any of you.”[/color] She glared balefully at Wyatt. [color=8DB600]“And you're basically my nemesis, glasses man. But none of us can stick around. The police are gonna be here any minute, and as far as I'm concerned, my team is an even bigger threat. I'm surprised the boss hasn't sent someone else out to kill us already.”[/color] [color=gold]”Well, don't be.”[/color] Wyatt, Melody, and Vinnie spun at the same time to face the source of the voice. A blonde [url=http://orig06.deviantart.net/bbe6/f/2011/013/7/f/electric_banana_by_anikakinka-d373oef.jpg]woman[/url] with a drink in hand and a pearly white smile and emerald-green eyes leaned casually against a streetlight. She gave a short giggle. [color=gold]”Ahaha, wasn't that perfect timing?[/color] A scowl settled on the face of the only Stand User present that recognized her. [color=8DB600]”Abbey Road. Of course.”[/color] The seconds ticked by before Abbey took a sip from her drink with her eyes closed. She took her time before responding. [color=gold]”You really shouldn't try and look cool, Mel. It doesn't suit a bloated sack of blubber like you. Why, a couple more pounds and your gut would be touching your knees! Anyway, you probably know why I'm here.”[/color] Though Melody quivered with anger, Vinnie didn't dare move. He didn't feel like fighting at all; plus, he really didn't have any idea how to control his spirit. Very much he wished that Kijo would have had time to explain before this happened. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled in response to a pressure radiating from this Abbey Road. Every aspect of her appearance and manner suggested complete confidence and capability. If these spirits could have any kind of power, which seemed to be the case by what he'd seen alone, he shuddered to think that this woman might be able to do. He glanced at Kijo. “Psst...what do we do? Run for it?”