During the few seconds that passed following Vinnie's question before it received an answer, the jacket-deprived man briefly wondered whether or not she would say anything.  After all, he'd been the only one talking during this alleged interaction even after she approached him, and despite his attempts to lift the spirits of the obviously woebegone Stand Users Wyatt and Melody, she didn't react much to them, either.  Only a mere moment later, though, Kijo dashed this worry of his, telling him and the others to leave.  Evidently [i]she[/i] would take care of it.  Did she not feel the ominous pressure emanating from the woman Melody called Abbey?  Apparently she knew her former compatriot, and Vinnie was by now acutely aware of the consequences of not understanding how one of these spirits worked.  Plus, Vinnie didn't necessarily think that Wyatt and Melody cooperating might work out, and even then, he had so many questions he wanted to ask her.  Still, if she felt like she could take this opponent on, Vinnie would leave her to it.  “Fine,” he told her.  After glancing at the others, he added on, “When you're done, meet back at the Golden Peking.  Follow me, guys?”  Seeing no better alternative, Melody shrugged and fell into line behind him, while Wyatt decided on a whim to stick with this group for now.

As the trio fled, Abbey pushed off from the streetlight and knelt, gingerly placing her glass on the ground.  [color=gold]”I think I'll stick around.  If the boss wants me to take out the trash, the trash gets taken out.  Who knows if the police are even coming for us?  We occupy this street because nobody ever comes here.  That's why it's called Holloway Boulevard.”[/color]  The idle chitchat filled time while she scrutinized Kijo with eyes like shards of jade.  Kijo's brand of self-assuredness, Abbey concluded, wasn't the ego of the professional athlete, but of the high school jock thinking that all his time spent training meant he couldn't possibly lose.  In a word, it was 'overconfidence'.  When she first became a Stand User, Abbey learned very quickly that one should never, [i]ever[/i] get cocky in this business.  

The little trick with the scythe intrigued her intensely.  [color=gold]”What was that just now?  Was it a boast?  I sincerely hope that turning your stand into a weapon isn't all it can do.  With a lot of Stands, the instant you understand them is the instant you beat them.  That's basic, basic stuff, hun.”[/color]  A hand snaked up and began to tug on her hair.  [color=gold]”Still, rules are meant to be broken.  So, why are we fighting?  A Stand-using girl like you could make it big in the team I'm a part of.  It's called Bad Romance, and we're all about getting rich and famous.  If you're not into crime, we've got a whole division in Stand-assisted legitimate business.  Think it over, will you?”[/color]

A look at Kijo's eyes, however, caused her to sigh.  She put one hand on her hip, giving a wry smile.  [color=gold]”But I can tell you're the big hero type, somehow.  You know how much self-righteousness is worth nowadays, hun?  Not a whole lot.  It might even get you killed.”[/color]  A split second's lingering on that word gave it an ominous tinge.  A beat later Abbey continued.  [color=gold]”For instance, that waddling whale you're standing up for?  She's an assassin.  I'm a little bit of a leg-breaker, I admit, but it's actually her and her sister's jobs to kill people.  You know how she does it?  Her Stand can appear as any kind of cup, and the instant someone grabs it, it sticks permanently to their skin.  Then it drains fluids from their body -any fluids- and fills itself with them.  The real kicker is that the stuff in the cup is the only drink that will satiate the poor sucker's thirst.  Most people will off themselves before they live the rest of their lives like that, and those that try anyway usually die of poisoning or something.  Blech!”[/color]  Abbey blanched.  [color=gold]”Point is, you're super misguided.  You'd be way better off working with us.  That said, d'you still wanna fight?”[/color]