GubGar

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Y2K

Danny Brando

"I'm gonna huff some glue behind the bleachers, anybody want in?"

---

Name: Daniel Lee Brando

Alias: Everybody calls him Danny. Only his family calls him Daniel.

Namesake: Loosely inspired by Danny DeVito

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Birthday: December 25th

Zodiac: Capricorn

Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dog.

Appearance: No matter how cleaned up, well dressed, and well rested Danny is, he always looks bedraggled, almost like a used chew toy. He's also constantly wearing Hawaiian shirts, primarily a pineapple themed one. He never buttons them up though, so they tend to be worn over white shirts so he doesn't get in trouble.

The Shirt

Personality: Danny is constantly giving everything of value 50% and no higher. He constantly seems as if he isn't fully there, always neglecting studies in favor of relaxing or partying. Danny is pretty much without knowledge or skill in anything that would actually be useful for his future, but is shockingly resourceful and clever when it comes to completely useless crap. He's confusingly good at trivia, able to smuggle things onto school property at a near constant rate, and can bluff as if his life always depended on it. This doesn't mean he's always relaxed and friendly, that lack of energy in important things means even more energy in things that don't matter at all. He's unpleasantly passionate in a variety of pointless subjects, and incredibly rude and petty. Most of his energy goes into being a snarky bitch.

Danny has picked up an odd belief system that he refers to as 'bros for life.' Danny pretty much only has hated enemies, people he care about, and people he would take a bullet for. There are no inbetweens. His distracted and confused attitude, and eagerness to latch onto friends comes from the fact that he's pretty much always been an unintentional loner, and is completely out of his element after having recently moved.

If that were all there was to him, Danny would be a weird, but a standard one, the type of guy you hung out with and thought was chill, but always slightly disoriented and disorienting to be around. But Danny also happens to have a foolproof plan whenever confronted, resort to violence. While this is half because of a constant chip on his shoulder from being the new guy and a weirdo, he's also just a violent person. To him, it's perfectly acceptable and normal to go from trading insults to trading punches.

Short Biography: Danny's father was a man by the name of Douglas 'Dougie' Brando, a former Hollywood stuntman who was forced to retire after a back injury. His mother, a woman named Joanne Marshals, was a bartender at a seedy joint. Their marriage was one done out of mutual desperation, and was definitely not made to last. They moved to Miami Florida, and had a single kid. His father worked as a lifeguard, and his mother worked at a different seedy bar.

Danny grew up in a fairly constant state of confusion, he pretty much lived at the beach, as his family refused to hire a babysitter in fear of the babysitter robbing them for all their lack of worth. They also could not afford to send him to a good school, so he got dropped in a public school. Where he got into a lot of fights over people insulting his white trash parents. He lost most of these fights, but never seemed to stop getting into them. When he wasn't losing fights, he was learning how to surf. Which was pretty much the only thing he expressed any level of passion beyond 's'alright' for.

Imagine his disappointment when his parents ended up tearing out their roots once again, and move across America. Danny was enrolled in a new school, and was immediately labeled the white trash weirdo. He was now more confused than ever, and more eager to get into fights to work off the agitation from being so immensely confused. As if that weren't enough, Y2K was approaching. Which was something someone as gullible as Danny immediately believed no questions asked.

Quirk: Danny tends to draw out certain words for no particular reason, and his dialect is absolutely riddled with surfer dude-isms.

Other: He puts hot sauce on pretty much every meal.

New York, 1999 | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

hacker voice I'm in

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Lord Orgasmo @Ambra

---

After the immensely uncomfortable awkward silence between Simon and the Neon Ghost Knight, he was almost relieved when, without another word, the ghost floated over towards the women's washroom. Simon very awkwardly, without looking towards him, spoke up in a quiet voice as the ghost floated away. "Uh, yup. Nice uh, meetin' ya." There was no sarcasm in his tone, just a very awkward goodbye delivered after it should have been.

Simon takes another sip of his sweetener, realizing he shouldn't have drank what was pretty much apricot flavored sugar water, seeing as how he was going to be riding for quite a while. Sugar tended to make him antsy..well, more antsy than usual. He sets the glass down, but only after spending a solid minute looking for a coaster. There were none. Saloons didn't care about water damage to wooden counters very much, they tended to get damaged through bar fights far before it became a concern.

While remarking on the lack of coasters and why that was the case, Simon realized the Neon Ghost Knight was a male, and was headed towards the women's washroom! He whirls around, ready to speak up and politely inform the ghost that the men's washroom was elsewhere, only to see that the ghost had stopped by the door, and was just waiting. It was hard to tell what with him being a ghost in armor, but his body language seemed to be semi-concerned. Or maybe constipated, it was hard to tell.

Feeling self-conscious about not being concerned, and figuring ghosts were probably supernaturally good at sensing danger (since they were supernatural) Simon decided he probably should be concerned too. Somehow everyone had let their guards down despite a brawl having been brewing until a few moments ago. Was that some type of ghost ability, or just a strange coincidence? Either way, now Simon had worked himself into a concerned frenzy. He skitters over towards the washroom, a bit further away than the Neon Ghost Knight, but not too far either. He didn't want to be rude, but was also now officially nervous.

And then the third ghost appeared. The one that punched Simon and Jules right out of the bar. He immediately covers his face upon the ghost's appearance, only for the ghost to begin talking, totally ignoring him, which he was thankful for. Let the ghosts talk and leave him out of it! He had no issues there, no sir!

After a tense few moments waiting, some muffled words were exchanged, and Neon strolled right into the bathroom. Simon almost spoke about it, as a proper gentlefolk would not have done that, but he soon realized that it was likely the person he was haunting called him in. Fair enough. This left Simon alone with the sleeping Blonde Badger. He actually looked a lot less scary when he was asleep. His features were a lot softer when they weren't sneering or jeering at people. Still, sleeping on a table like that was bad for your back, Simon thought he should probably wake him up.

The door opened behind him, first came Neon and the woman he was haunting. Simon let out a small yelp in surprise, but soon calmed down. Then the Fake Bartender emerged, and Simon let out another yelp, before distinctly avoiding eye contact. Acting as though he hadn't noticed him, and didn't have any business with him. And then finally out came Jules. That was a relief, all three of the people Simon wasn't afraid of had emerged unharmed. And so did the Fake Bartender.

Well, unharmed wasn't the right word. Not any more harmed than they were previously was more accurate. Jules still looked roughed up. Really roughed up, actually. And she seemed not to be breathing too well. Simon waited a few seconds to be polite and not immediately approach her as she left, and then walked up to Jules. "Ah'm uh, about ta head back ta my horse and mosey on out of here. Stayin' in one place with a feller as scary as him ain't exactly my idea of a good time. But uhh, yer looking a bit beat up, and ah've got a first aid kit in my saddlebag, if y'want. Ah don't want y'getting sand an' dirt blown into yer bruises an' cuts."

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Lord Orgasmo

---

Simon had intended to list off more potential titles in hopes of not offending, but realized how exceptionally stupid 'ghost pardner' was, and figured that if he opened his mouth again, he was going to somehow top that in stupidity. Seeing as how Simon lived in a constant state of anxious embarrassment he decided there was no need to increase that embarrassment further. So in order to prevent his mouth from spewing some horrible word combination, he takes a big drink of what he grabbed from the bar. Which was pretty much fruit flavored sweetener. Simon didn't even flinch when he gulped it down. Seemed he had weird drinking habits. Admittedly it was overly sweet, and he'd have preferred orange juice, but saloons didn't tend to have orange juice, sadly.

Simon nodded at the ghost, who introduced itself (himself?) as Neon Knight. He nodded at him in acknowledgement, before noticing the extended hand. Simon awkwardly grasps it. His hand was incredibly sweaty, yet his grip was really strong. However he was also slightly trembling, which made it a really weird experience. He gently shakes the ghost's hand, and swallows down his sweetener. "Good to uh, meet ya. Ah'm Simon. Simon Garfunkel." Simon winced at his introduction. His accent always got thicker when he was more nervous, which turned his I's into Ah's. Plus the way he said his first name, followed by both his first and last name made it unnecessarily dramatic. Why in tarnation didn't he just say his full name all at once?

He takes another sip of the fruit flavored sweetener. Underneath all the sugar it seemed to be apricot flavored, or maybe it was peach. Simon proceeds to nearly choke on it when the ghost gestured to thin air, and proceeded to curse in exasperation. Simon himself never swore, but he normally wasn't the type to admonish others for swearing. But something about a floating metal ghost drinking liquor and swearing abruptly completely caught him off guard. It was as if that one thing made Simon realize just how absolutely insane this entire situation was.

He was talking to a ghost, in a saloon, after being punched out of the saloon by another ghost who was haunting a man who Simon approached previously to inform him that his bag was open while on horseback in the middle of a race across America. And he was incredibly self-conscious around this ghost as if he were someone Simon was trying to impress at a town get-together, which was what he called parties. Hadn't he been a police officer once? He was a normal guy with a normal career, yet somehow he was taking these freakish events better than he handled a conversation with a friendly stranger.

Simon was brought out of his existential crisis when he saw the Evil Fake Bartender lead Jules away towards the washrooms. His first thought was that, oh sweet lord in heaven, she's going to die. But common decency prevented him from chasing after, well, that and he didn't want to get punched again. Plus the Evil Fake Bartender had abruptly mellowed out, and clearly did not care one bit about being subtle. So if he really wanted to turn Jules' face into a piece of abstract art, he would have just done so and been done with it.

The conflicting feelings and suspicions left Simon in an uncomfortable middle ground of staring at them as they left like a worried grandmother, and then shifting his focus back to the ghost. Except now he was sweatier, and very obviously more concerned and jumpy. He opens his mouth as if about to say something. Except nothing came to mind, so Simon awkwardly closes his mouth again.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: Everyone is here! But the only direct interaction is with @Lord Orgasmo

---

While he was midway through stuttering out an apologetic barrage at Jules, the Badger Man known as Donny tried to comfort Simon about the armored ghost, which, given that instead of responding with 'what the hell do you mean ghost?' he took it in stride, likely meant he, too, was haunted. Simon knew there was something scary about the fellow, but he didn't expect so many people to be haunted around these parts.

Before Simon could respond, Donny grabbed Jules by the ankle, and began to drag her away. Simon attempted to call out in protest, only for the words to die on his throat. He had expended pretty much all of his stockpiled courage trying to talk to the imposing ghost-wielder who punched him out the door. This left Simon to helplessly watch as his fellow ghost victim was dragged up the steps and into the bar. With each 'thud' of her head, Simon winced. And within seconds, he found himself entirely alone outside the saloon. This was the perfect opportunity to cut and run, he could dodge both ghosts, the angry guy, and the strange blonde man.

But that would also mean he'd only delay the confrontation. They were still in the race after all, it wasn't like fleeing the bar would make them magically forget about him. Plus, the only person who had been courteous (a word Simon learned from a book and did not know how to pronounce) to him was just dragged into the bar. Guess he had no choice but to face his fears. Well, actually, he wasn't going to face his fears. He was going to exist in the same area as his fears, and hopefully they would ignore him, and he would ignore them.

Regardless, Simon tentatively trudges into the bar, and is immediately met with the terrifying haunted racer who punched him..now working at the bar as if nothing happened. Simon's brow furrows as his forehead scrunches up. He barely had time to register what the bar interior looked like before it came to violence. Was this fellow always the bartender? He was fairly certain the answer was no, but assumed drawing attention to it would end badly. Not being eager to start up another brawl, Simon tactfully ignored it, and scanned the room. The armored ghost was pouring himself a drink much to Simon's confusion. Did ghosts need to drink? Best to ask Perform This Way some other time, as right now Simon felt as though any question would set off a chain reaction of unfortunate events.

Simon's plan was to get something to drink, and then hide at a corner table. This was his plan for every social event he was forced to participate in, although sometimes he also stress ate. He shuffles over to the bar, being sure not to actually get close to the Evil Fake Bartender. Simon heads behind the bar and grabs a bottle of the overly sweet syrup-y stuff people mix into drinks. He does not pair it with anything, just takes it, and moves away from the bar slowly.

Only for Simon to witness Jules spray the Evil Fake Bartender with the contents of her cup. Simon lets out a sound like when you your vacuum cleaner sucked up something too big for it to handle and started stalling. Which, as vacuums did not exist yet, was a wholly unusual and unfamiliar sound of panic. He proceeds to back up right into the ghostly suit of armor, which likely did not even jostle Neon, seeing as how he was a ghostly suit of armor, and thus probably really sturdy. "Ah-" Simon chokes out. "Ah beg yer pardon, sir- err, ghost. Ghostly Sir? Pardner. P-Pardner? Ghost Pardner." He was visibly sweating while attempting to apologize.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Ambra @AmpharosBoy and everyone else, but Simon's not talking to them.

---

Simon's ears were ringing, though, surprisingly, not from head trauma. The cowboy was smart enough to tuck his head while being torpedo'd, so brain damage was avoided. The ringing was from the adrenaline pumping through his body and supercharging his fight or flight reflex to the point where he was seconds away from either unloading all six shots from his revolver, or running so damn far he'd get disqualified from the race. Instead, Simon found himself not moving an inch. An observer might have considered it paralyzed by fear, but this was the pragmatic part of Simon's brain taking over.

If he acted hastily, he'd end up in worse trouble. It would be better to feel the situation out, and react accordingly. His cowardice didn't have to be immediate, being a professional coward was all about evading danger in all forms. And speaking of danger, a familiar blonde boy was strolling up to Simon's prone form. The Badger-like buckaroo from the bar. To Simon's surprise, he immediately asked if Simon and Jules were okay. Guess he misjudged just how aggressive this blonde guy- err, Donny, was. He had almost forgotten his name, but this jogged his memory.

"Ah- uh, well, ah'm alright, pardner. But I dunno fer how long. Y'might wanna take yerself elsewhere 'fore things get ugly-" Just as Simon completed his warning, the armored fellow riding double with that one lady approached the scene as well. Simon wasn't even able to fully comprehend how weird it was that this guy was still wearing armor before he ended up drawing a sword. Simon briefly noted how committed to the gimmick of knight in armor this stranger was. Then his shield magically expanded. "Ahhh, shoot. He was a ghost." Simon thinks out loud. The horrifying robotic voice of Perform This Way, who was far less talkative when not wound up (in the literal sense, he was always metaphorically wound up.), abruptly chimed in to Simon's external monologue. "Ohhh! Big man with the fat caterpillar on his lip finally got the hint. What the HECK Simon!? You think I pointed out the knight 'cause I was admirin' the armor!?"

Simon flinched at the violent language, and then again when the intimidating stranger- he vaguely recalled the knight calling him jo-something -came floating out of the building. Did all ghosts have some type of scary power except for Simon's? The tension continued to ramp up as Jo-something approached the Ghost Knight. Simon's hand slid down to his revolver once again, just in case. And just like that..it all evaporated, as Jo-something immediately relaxed, and invited everyone for drinks.

Simon's eyes practically bugged out of his head at the abrupt shift in tone, and even more abrupt shift in attitude. What in tarnation was going on!? Simon was caught between fear and confusion, which ended up evening out into a feeling of emotional grime that made him want to take a long bath with some sad country music playing loudly. Granted, this was also how Simon felt when accidentally stepping on a caterpillar. But that didn't mean it was the type of feeling he had grown used to.

Just then, someone squirmed from underneath Simon's prone form, and he heard a request. He immediately leaps up to his feet, realizing that he had being laying on Jules the entire time. "Ah! Ah' beg yer pardon, ma'am! I was so caught up in all th' chaos I went an' forgot I landed on ya." Simon stammers out so fast that the words were practically smashed together. Embarrassment and shame for practically crushing someone who hadn't had a ghost protect them from that awful blow to the head joined Simon's mixture of emotional gunk.

With all that had happened, and the way he was feeling right now..Simon honestly really could use that drink.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Ambra @Severance

---

Simon had a habit of getting into exceptionally unfortunate situations, it was part of his darn life at this point. Just something he had to accept, and overcome. Some folk had weird looking noses, some folk were born without noses, and Simon's nose got stuck into trouble against his will. He frowned internally. That metaphor weren't so good. But that wasn't the point. The point was, while Simon could usually accept that it was just in his cards to have awful luck, this time around things were different. Simon was not the type of guy to get angry, no sir. Usually he just got sad. But he was starting to feel his fear mix with irritation at how absolutely awful this fellow's manners were.

Being angered that Simon was somewhat short with him earlier was one thing, but the fact that this no good varmint was dead set on making it into as big a deal as possible had Simon all riled up. He was treating him like a dang criminal just for leaving partway through a conversation! It wasn't right, and it was that type of behavior that really got under Simon's skin. Being pushed around and bullied, he was used to. But being treated like a villain was a bridge too far.

With that said, it wasn't as if Simon planned on actually doing anything about it. Getting frustrated was one thing, but retaliation just wasn't in his nature. And it seemed as though Jules had managed to defuse the situation somehow. What, seconds ago, seemed like the start to a gunfight, had now turned into the rude fellow declaring that he had no intention of befriending Simon. That was fine, he could certainly live without having someone this actively aggressive as a friend.

And then he turned his attention back to Simon, and began to speak. Simon could feel his forehead crease and his brow furrow. Was there some sort of miscommunication between them? Simon had been talking about his satchel coming open, but this fellow was making it about ghosts. Which, one, was totally off topic, and two, unfortunately confirmed Simon's suspicion that there were more haunted people than just him. The rest of the scary fellow's jeering was lost in the haze of Simon's own mind as he tried to work out how they had gone from open bags to scary ghosts.

Simon was drawn out of his thoughts by a bottle flying by him, and shattering across the scary fellow's back. Ah, shoot. That was bad. Simon had better say something quick. "Alright now, before you start gettin' mad pardner, please look 'round so you can discern that it clearly was not us who tossed that at ya- PERFORM THIS WAY!" Simon was forced to interrupt his own sentence when the scary fellow whirled around, and began to manifest a ghost.

His own ghost popped into existence right in front of him, and while he couldn't actually use it until performing several tasks, he could still manifest it as a shield. "Wha-" The ghost had less than a second to speak before the scary fellow's ghostly arm slammed right into its' metallic face. Perform This Way's own durability helped considerably cushion the blow. But haunted and ghost weren't actually prepared for the blow, meaning they didn't have time to ground themselves. The force of Perform This Way being pushed back transferred to Simon. If that weren't enough, Perform This Way was smacked right into him. Sending both of them flying out of the bar, and straight towards Jules. "YOU BOAR BRISTLED GOON! YOU SUMMONED ME RIGHT INTO A PUNCH!" Perform This Way shrieked, Simon was a bit too dazed to respond snappily, but at least he hadn't taken the full force of the blow.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Ambra @Severance

---

Simon was having a really bad day. He was really feeling like crying in a bath right now, but unfortunately for him, that would involve escaping this situation. Which was..challenging. Fleeing from a bar full of ruffians was easy, Simon had done it lots of times. A lot more than anyone else, really. Perhaps, in hindsight, some of those bars were not ruffians just for talking loudly and laughing at slightly inappropriate jokes. But he was getting off topic even in his own darn thoughts. The problem was, one of the ruffians was not only familiar, but currently closing in on him.

The imposing fellow riding the imposing horse that had stressed Simon out during the first leg of the race. Still, Simon hadn't actually done anything to anger this imposing fellow. All he had done was inform him that his bag was loose, and ridden off. So surely there wasn't going to be an altercation- Then the imposing stranger started talking. If Simon weren't the type of person to hold himself to standards mentally and physically, he would have internally sworn.

Even in Simon's world composed entirely of paranoia, sad country songs, and cute animals, he wasn't able to predict the reasoning for this anger. While he was expecting him to be angry due to Simon placing first, that wasn't the reasoning at all. What Simon could gather was that this individual considered Simon's attempted good gesture to be rude, and that him riding off- while a race was underway -was even more rude. Simon certainly could have at least given a 'good bye' before riding off, but in his honest opinion, the retaliation from rude behavior to standoff in a saloon was a bit excessive. Granted, Simon was the type of man to think any retaliation from any party (including himself) was excessive.

Still, this fellow was certainly itching for a fight, and since running away would likely only delay the problem until the next leg of the race, it was time for option two. Simon's hand ghosts down to his holster, a practiced movement that was so fluid it was actually incredibly noteworthy. It was the only thing Simon did that wasn't tense and nervous, after all.

But as a would-be pacifist if he wasn't so itchy with his trigger finger, Simon decided that words should probably be traded before he unloaded on someone who may have just had one of those faces that made you nervous. "N-now, hold on there feller. There has been a considerable misunderstandin' between us." Simon waves the hand that wasn't resting on his six shooter in a placating manner. "Y'see it was not my intention to offend. I only wanted ta inform you that yer bag was comin' undone."

Simon suddenly felt way too hot in the face, and cold everywhere else. A combination of embarrassment and anxiety welling up as he spoke. He could feel the sweat on his forehead. "An' as fer the issue of me moseyin' on without another word, I wasn't tryin' ta slight you in any way, no sir. I merely overhead a somewhat aggressive comment from you. An' it is a rule of mine to avoid aggression and violence whenever I can."

Simon's voice cracked several times as he explained, and he wasn't even close to successful at hiding how terrified he was. But he believed he managed to lay it all out there as well as he could have. Surely there would be no misunderstandings, right? Well, the atmosphere was still feeling real tense, so maybe he wasn't gonna be so lucky. Just then, the woman who introduced herself as Jules interrupted in an attempt to diffuse the situation, and slung her arms around both parties of the conflict. Simon could practically feel the tension rising as she did this. He was gonna throw up from stress, he could feel it. It was totally going to happen. He definitely was not overreacting.

He was definitely overreacting, but it was still scary.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: @Ambra

---

Simon's apology seemed to only invigorate the crowd more. Apparently, much to Simon's chagrin, apologizing for getting first place during the first leg of the race actually created more questions than it answered. Which was incredibly unfortunate, as Simon could not focus on one particular question. His head was practically spinning, the attention was overwhelming and totally terrifying, despite it not actually being that large of a crowd. His gaze ghosts over the people surrounding him. No exits. He couldn't escape unless he started shoving, meaning Simon couldn't go back to his trusted tactic of fleeing. He did have one more tactic to avoid scary situations though.

Simon's hand seemed to ghost down his side, towards his holster. The movement was subtle, and smooth, which was why the crowd wasn't freaking out. They just hadn't noticed. Simon frowns just before grabbing at his six shooter. He didn't plan on shooting any of them, of course. His idea was to fire some warning shots into the air, and then make a break for it. But Simon realized that this was actually considerably more rude than asking them to move aside, and also might get him in a lot of trouble.

Deciding he really didn't want to upset anyone, Simon's hand moves away from the holster.

Which meant he had to figure out a new way of fleeing the scene. Running and shooting weren't options, he was pretty much out of ideas. Just then, someone touched his arm. Simon let out an incredibly unbecoming yelp, similar to what one might hear if they accidentally stepped on a dog's tail. He also whirled around with wide, scared eyes. Simon managed to calm down slightly when he realized it was the intimidating woman who chased away the thugs after Simon shot one. She seemed to be good people, helping a stranger like the Badger Man out like that. Scary, but good.

His brow furrowed as he heard her out. A drink? Simon didn't tend to partake, but..hmm. He could probably use a nice refreshing glass of orange juice. Plus, heading somewhere with someone as intimidating as her would probably prevent the crowd from following him. W-Well, I s'pose I've got time fer a drink." Any attempt at playing it cool was lost when he immediately stuttered. Also, his voice cracked near the end of the word drink.

"Sorry fellers, I've got things ta do." Simon moves forward, hoping the crowd would part. To his surprise, they actually did. He assumed it was because he had an excuse to leave. In actuality, it was just because Simon was physically imposing despite being an absolute wimp. "I've just got ta' find a place fer Cecilia to rest at first." Simon informs the intimidating woman as he moves out of the crowd, which soon disperses as he leaves.

It wasn't too hard to find a nice place to tie Cecilia's reigns to. The small area was clearly renovated to accommodate the race. So after ensuring Cecilia was secured, fed, and watered, Simon bumped his head against his horse's. "Ah'll be back in a jiffy, don't ya worry." He said quietly. Though, the truth was, Cecilia was absolutely fine on her own. It was Simon who was being reassured. Cecilia had become his emotional support horse.

Simon proceeds to head back to the scary woman, and then to the bar, fidgeting slightly as the intimidating woman walked beside him. He was supposed to make small talk, right? But what could they talk about? All Simon had done that was noteworthy was getting first place via fear alone. That wasn't impressive, and even if it was, it wasn't much to go on. "The name's Simon, by the by." He says quietly, realizing that introducing himself would probably be polite.

Before he could continue talking, he came upon the bar, and immediately froze up. Simon hovered just outside the doorway. Clearly visible to those inside the bar, but too nervous to actually enter it. The reason being, someone had kicked the door straight off its' hinges. Likely someone angry and scary, given the fact that normal folk didn't tend to boot doors down for no reason.

Steel Ball Run | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mentions: N/A

---

Simon had been so distracted by the prospect of moving towards the goal as fast as he could, that he didn't even realize no one was in front of him by the time he actually made it through. The burst of speed, combined with his own panic that hadn't yet worn off, had somewhat disoriented him. It wasn't until he heard the Announcer declare him the winner that Simon realized he even finished. Thankfully for the mustached jockey, his horse was smarter than he was, and had stopped herself before they could plow into something and hurt themselves.

Simon blinked once, then twice. His mouth felt horribly dry. He had won the first portion? Really? Simon's goal was to place among the top ten, anything more seemed like wishful thinking. The only reason he was confident enough to enter in the first place was because he believed his patience would allow him to outlast most of the other jockeys. But somehow, through panic and fear alone, Simon had blown by the other, far more talented jockeys.

He hoped the weren't mad. Simon would hate to have painted a target on his back this early in the race. But knowing his luck, he immediately began to suspect that now several people would attempt to take him down to ensure he didn't place high in the next leg of the race. Simon suddenly felt a bit queasy. Wasn't winning meant to feel good? It had, for a minute, but now it had given way to fear. Lots of it. So much so, that Simon didn't even notice the cheering as he dismounted from Cecilia, and took hold of her reigns. He felt both sweaty and cold, and began to look at the other racers nervously. As if suspecting one of them would pull a gun on him should he lower his guard.

Simon shakes his head. Even for him, this paranoia was excessive. He really had to get himself together here. "Y'did good, girl. Better than yer rider, in fact." Simon says under his breath, placing his hand on Cecilia's head. She pressed against it, and looked up at him with those glassy and empty eyes that were kind of terrifying, and hid how intelligent of a creature Cecilia really was. Right. He could have himself a first place pity party later. First Simon needed to get Cecilia some food, water, and rest.

He begins to lead her away from the crowd in search of all three of those things. Only to be stopped abruptly by a group of men and women who had watched the race. They swarmed him, some shouting praise, some just trying to get attention, and some trying to propose business deals. It was all very overwhelming for Simon. "Uh- I- Well, y'- Hold on now-" Simon hadn't stuttered in years, and it was embarrassing for it to start back up again now, but he couldn't help it with all of the information overload. One of them, who was louder and thus scarier than the others, managed to be heard over the noise. "Mister Garfunkel! How do you feel after winning the first leg of the race?" Simon winced. "Uh, well, I'm sorry?"