Talk:Glitter Glue/@comment-66.68.37.16-20200815203316

Dear Bernie, I wanted to find something that would be both refreshing and also something so very me. And what is more British than some tea? I hope this sort of blend is rather nice to taste; not had the chance to try it yet after all! I’ve heard the aftertaste is rather unique! Good luck on the drinking! -M PS - No, they did not have crumpets to go alongside them!’ Bernie scowled as she saw that letter, then scowled a bit more when she saw what the letter came with. It wasn’t that she had been sent something for this time of year, nor was there a problem with being sent such a strange note. It was more to the fact that reading the letter made her hungry. Especially that reference to crumpets. ‘Dammit Matt I haven’t eaten yet’ she thought, glancing at the beige box that sat under the letter. An unassuming box, one that was no larger than one that a bottle of perfume might have come in. Not that Bernie knew that her friend had no taste in fragrances at all so the chances of this being something like that were slim to none. That and the fact that the letter said it was tea. Just tea. As the letter also stated...how very British of her British friend to send her tea. Oh well, she really wasn’t the biggest drinker of it but she would at least humour him. After all, it was a gift that she would appreciate, especially since it's come all this way just to try and make her day better. It's not every day she got an order of tea sent to her from the UK, so bernie was rather delicate in opening the box as to not spill any of the contents inside. Was it going to be loose leaf or in a bag? She didn’t want to spill the tea all over herself and the floor if it was the former after all. Bernie wouldn’t have been able to go back to her friend and just say ‘hey that tea you sent was really enjoyed by the floor so much that I couldn’t even get a sip in!’ That would be a bit too awkward for her. Thankfully, when she opened the box she was rather glad to find that the tea was kept inside another container. One that was sealed with tape and marked ‘this way up’ to ensure that the lid wasn’t on the bottom when she opened it. A small tag sat inside of the boz, grey and purple in colour which had nothing but a small logo on it. Not that Bernie could make it out; it was too faded and dark on the card for her to decipher any wording or even what shape the logo was. It was...just there. Maybe a teacup, that would be appropriate but at the same time it might have been a bit too stereotypical. Matt after all, didn’t really drink that much tea, but apparently when he did it was always the most British tea that she could think of. Which was probably not this one. Bernie’s hands twitched a little as she delicately removed the tape that covered the top of the tea container. The lid was firmly on, making sure the contents would never spill out even if they were shaken around a bit. Maybe the tape was just Matt being careful. Actually that was probably what it was. Bernie glanced at the arch that led to her kitchen. ‘Well, if it does go everywhere, I better do it in the kitchen where I can clean it up easier…’ she thought. That would also help if she was going to try this tea out. Bernie managed to pry the lid open of the tea before glancing down inside of the container. It was definitely tea, definitely loose, but it was more akin to a matcha tea where the powder is added to hot water to make the tea itself. There was one little thing that was off putting though. The colour. It wasn’t green like matcha, nor the usual brown or black colour of the usual types. No. This was more like… ‘Mustard powder?’ Bernie through, narrowing her eyes as she spooned a little out and into a mug, not caring that it really should be in a cup if she wanted to be authentic and genuine. It was a definite mustard hue, one that seemed a little but inviting. But maybe it was just what was in it that made it that way? Or maybe it was just coloured that way as a joke. Matt did have a sense of humour about this sort of thing after all. Bernie sighed as she glanced at the mug, preparing the hot water for this mystery tea. It was a mystery; she couldn’t know what was inside it if there wasn’t any words on the side that she could make out which would tell her what it was supposed to be. ‘Just hope its not spoilt or anything…’ she mused, humming a little as the water went from cold to hot, then from hot to boiling. Carefully she decanted the water into the mug, stirring the liquid around as it went a very...appetising looking color even more than before. To Bernie, the colour reminded her of one thing only. “God that looks awful...looks kinda like piss in a way…” she remarked, scoffing at the sight yet not being offended by the smell. It honestly just smelt like tea. Innocent, innocent tea. She paused. She hesitated…. Then she drank. Bernie gagged almost as she covered her mouth. “Oh god it really tastes like it too!” she eked out, words fumbling as she had a mouth full of that disgusting tasting liquid. Why did Matt send her...this?! A joke right? Gotta be a joke. A joke that she quickly introduced to the sink, tipping the rancid liquid down the drain and out of sight. OUt of mind? Maybe not. Bernie would have to get some sort of payback for this. He was known to joke around a bit but this was maybe a bit of a step too far. Even for her, and that was saying something. While the taste of the tea lingered on her tongue, the liquid that she managed to force down her throat as a sign of being pleasant and polite even though her friend wasn’t here to see her drink it, did not settle on her stomach rather well. In fact, it settled as best as something that tasted like urine would do when ingested. Her stomach gurgled a little, then a pain hit her gut. “O..oh man that was some really bad tea…” she said, doubling over. The pain was something she had felt before but thankfully it was not as intense as it had been in the past. It was almost as if her stomach was protesting at what shit it had to just withstand, so it pushed and kicked outwards in disdain. Which of course meant Bernie was currently feeling she was about to hurl, but finding herself stopping short of that. Instead, her stomach decided to have a different sort of protest at its treatment. Her slightly chubby stomach pulled inwards, recoiling from the horrors of having to ingest that tea. As it did, the skin tightened, pushing inwards more and more, flattening her gut to the core. There, it seemed to make a rather nice home for itself as it rested firmly against the frame. Of course this meant that her shirt started to fit a bit worse on her form, flowing a bit over the new absent fat. Which also meant that Bernie tugged at the shirt, wondering why in all this discomfort did it feel like she was wearing a size too big. Maybe two actually. The sensation started to radiate from her core, spreading upwards at first, resting in her chest. Like her stomach, her chest started to flatten, pulling in rather tightly as the recoiled horror of having drank what was probably not supposed to be drank spread further. Tighter, but as the layer of fat that was held there vanished the shrinking in did not stop there. No. Instead, her chest flattened further, skin taught against her frame as her torso was now left perfectly flat and perfectly thin. She hadn’t had a moment to spare when her chest and stomach tingled again, this time instead with a crushing and tugging feeling that really made her want to hurly at this point, but rather a pushing sensation. Of course, Bernie could only think that this was it and that whatever she drank plus the breakfast she had was going to be making quite the acquaintance with the carpeted floor. Which was a rather stupid thought, since that was not what was pushing more and more against her chest and stomach. No. This was muscle. Quite a bit of it in fact. Bernie stayed doubled over as her core thickened, pushing out a rather impressive set of abs. Maybe not quite the most defined set, but they were still damn impressive. Her chest, having gotten used to being this flat (in what little time it had to do so) swelled back up with layer after layer of muscle fought back against the tight skin. The space that had been vacated by her receded breasts was now partially filled back up again with a pair of firm pecs. Strong, quite tight actually but they still caused her shirt to feel a bit slacker on her form. Well, that wasn’ty going to go amiss for too long. After her torso had finished swelling and toning up, her spine tingled then ached, cracking loudly before sending the rather short female up by quite a good foot or so in height. Not only did that make the shirt now comically small on her, but it also made Bernie comically dizzy. Now she really felt like she had to hurl… ‘Holy fuck what the hell is all this?!’ she thought, forcing herself upright before glancing down at the new chest; the abs proudly on display from under the shirt that came up short. Her hands trace over the peaks and troughs of the muscles before they stopped dead in their tracks. The sensation was still there, just moving down into her hips… ‘Oh fuck me what now…’ she thought bitterly as her fingers clenched instinctively. Her hips burned. Then they cracked, pushing inwards and narrowing. Bernie squeaked a little as she stood up a bit more, ass tightening as the front of her jeans filled up with whatever was taken from the once wide hips. Her face flushed a bright red as she glanced down at her form. It was...less than feminine. More like...masculine? ‘O=oh shit what the fuck?!’ she thought again, staggering a little as her legs started to weaken, wobbling a bit as if the boned had turned soft. Bernie stumbled like a newborn deer, staggering over to the wall before slumping down against it. She panted, head spinning as her legs pushed longer. Bernie gasped as the limbs elongated, pushing herself up a bit more before fitting in with the correct proportions for a person with a torso like hers. The stretching of the limbs ironed out the layers of fat that she carried on her thighs and shins before her feet painfully pinched at the sides of her trainers before the sides of them split open to give the larger appendages a lot of breathing room. Oh great. Not only was the tea something that was probably stained; not only was the tea doing this to her but now the tea was making sure that she would need to get a new wardrobe. She didn’t have the money to replace all her clothes! She was a student for goodness sakes! Her priorities were not in the right place it seemed, since there was the issue of her shoulders snapping and stretching broader, forcing her shirt sleeves to rip as they were carried along with the changes. The shoulders rounded out with muscle before pushing her arms back into the right length to make sure that she looked normal. Well, normal-ish. This was more than normal. Hell, bizarre might have been the best word for this instance. Her arms definitely felt odd, even as they had stretched into the right proportions. They were just...strangely on the length some side that just didn’t really seem right on a normal person. Like her legs, as the arms stretched they forced the flabbiness to be ironed out, thinning her limbs rather nicely before her hands started to splay and ache. Swelling broader and longer, her fingers twitched and cracked as they elongated to a rather lithe level which was at strange odds to the roughness her palms and knuckles gained. The latter made Bernie shiver a bit though. The scuffed knuckles felt like they had been in quite a few fights before, which worried her as she couldn’t ever see herself getting into that sort of situation. Even as her limbs swelled with muscles that would have made fighting and flight-ing something that was much more of an option than before. Not that she’d ever want to do that! Maybe…. Bernie groaned as she raised a hand to her head rubbing the temples as he tried to process everything that was happening to her. All because of one mug of really bad tea...she was...well it was easier to say masculine in form; a far cry from what she used to be like. Bernie grumbled as she felt her neck start to tighten, throat closing up which caused her eyes to open wide and her arms to flail a little. She gasped for air, lungs not quite getting what it needed as her neck swelled and thickened with muscle. Her eyes fluttered as her hands clasped at her throat before suddenly the pressure released and her lungs filled with air. She panted, sliding down the wall a bit more as she slumped over a touch, feeling her body return from its sudden case of weakness. “W-what was...the FUCK?!” she shouted, eyes wide, hands on her throat as her voice rang out. Her...deeper...masculine voice?! How the fuck was that even possible?! Bernie scrambled around a bit on the floor, pushing herself up and wobbling on her legs before the out of shape clothes started to pulse and writhe on her form. Bernie glanced down, watching as her ripped shoes flow over ehr larger feet, covering them fully before hardening into leather. Stiff, formal leather. But not black in colour. Instead the material dyed to a rather striking lavender hue as the toes pulled to a point and hell pushed out of the flat sole, pushing Bernie up just oh so slightly more. They clacked a little as she drew them together, feeling how stiff they were but she was at least thankful that she had something to wear down there. Her jeans stretched down across her long legs, also getting more on the formal side as they shifted into a pair of dark blue trousers. Hell, even her shirt had started to swell and flow down over her torso, yet not stopping at the waist. Instead it flowed down more, splitting down the middle before coming to a rest just below her knees. There, it gained the same shade of blue as her trousers did, but also a few gold accents to differentiate it from the more simplistic legwear. The split down the middle did almost worry Bernie for a moment as it threatened to show off her bare chest, but a purple belt tied it in place, sealed in by a rather large gold buckle with an embossed ‘A’ on the front. It felt a bit heavy, definitely excessive in its make but it was fashionable. That was something...he guessed? The sleeves stretched down to her wrists, framing and shaping the newly muscled arms quite well before the cuffs were held down by two purple bands. The shoulders were a bit on the puffy side, padded even yet not Joan Collins levels of padded. The chest did split open quite a bit, gently revealing those pecs that he sported before more lavender coloured accents wove across the gap, tying them down so they didn’t open up and flap about. Sure that would have looked good on some people, but on him? Bernie was sure that he would just be too embarrassed for it to happen. She couldn’t believe that this was her torso now. Her hands rubbed her sides, feeling the slightly more broadened out figure that he sported. “All because of that fucking tea…” she bitterly muttered, giving a bit of a cynical glance at the box it had arrived in. Her voice resonated out, rumbing a little… Then it hit her head. Bernie groaned loudly as her skull started to warp and crack; bones snapping and reshaping like clay in the hands of a master artist. A chin, flat yet rather sculpted; cheeks that pushed inwards, giving him a rather handsome angular face. His nose twitched and pulled broader just a bit, nostrils flaring up to inhale the air. Her eyes narrowed, irises flushing an almost golden yellow hue as they almost became cold in their look. Hell, even her hair wasn’t safe. He could feel it slowly retreating back into his scalp. Tough when i came to his shoulders, it stopped there, falling either side of her new face before flourishing to an almost white-ish pale purple hue. Well except for the top of her head. That went purple. Purple, just like her lips. Whether it was make up or if the tea really did have a reaction in a different way than what had happened, Bernie would be unsure of it when she saw them. Not that he had the time to deal with that at all. His head throbbed as if someone had taken a hammer to the insides of his skull and that made the male groan loudly. “Fuck...shit is this…” he muttered, lacing his new hair between his new fingers, eyes narrow and closed as his head became rather foggy. Thoughts became slower, his mind slowly drowning out in this strange haze that hit him. Bernie...now ....now that didn’t sound right at all. That wasn’t a name suited to a guy like him. What was it? It was almost on the tip of his tongue. Le...Le… “Leone…” the male said, eyes opening wide as he looked up and around the room. Leone...Ab..Abacchio… Yes...yes that sounded right. The male rubbed his head a little as he glanced around the kitchen. Where the fuck was he? This didn’t look like… “This ain’t...Italy?” he muttered, glancing around the room. No, this certainly wasn’t Italy at all. How he got here was a bit of a mystery to him. Nothing that he couldn't investigate if he wanted to. Leone could do that...yes...yes he could but why the hell should he? His head itched a little as he crossed his arms, bitterly muttering to himself as he pondered on this situation. “It's Giorno’s doing...little punk…” he spat, not caring that about five minutes earlier he would have thought that name was synonymous with a not for delivery pizza brand. Well considering that he was wondering why the hell this part of the USA wasn’t Italy, maybe that was a bit more of a reasonable confusion. Not that Leone really wanted to dwell on it. He sighed, closing his eyes. If he really wanted to know how he got here, Moody Blues was always at his disposal. But now wasn’t the time to use it. Leone sighed once more as he strolled out of the kitchen and out of this strange house. Maybe a bit of time away from Passione would help him clear his head a bit. After all, he couldn’t exactly do a good job if his mind was wandering. He chuckled. Maybe some tea would help. But not the one Giorno was prepared… ________________________________________________________________________________________ It is rather strange what some people would do for money. But then again, not all of them are that odd depending on how you look at it. Matt and Bernie didn’t think this was something that was that odd in all honesty. Well, not after seeing what they would be doing to get a rather nice deposit into their banks. WANTED*** People needed for a study of the effect of music and sound on the brain. No need for experience with music. Overnight accommodation provided. Food and drink provided. Pay for the study: £1500. Seeing the amount that the pair of friends would get for -what they assumed was- just listening to music. Nothing more, nothing less. Well, maybe also have some rather nasty sounds blasted at them at random intervals, but they would have to just deal with it. As long as it wasn’t the sound of a baby crying, then that would have gotten Matt clawing at the walls. But there the friends were. Sitting on some rather nice, plush reclining chairs while a pair of assistants were delicately pushing the requisite electrodes and readers onto their heads, making sure they were securely place but not so securely that when it was time for them to come off they would not be pulling some of the skin with it. Matt gave a slight shiver as he felt the last device get stuck firmly to his forehead. “Why do I feel like I am in some sort of chepa sci-fi film?” he asked nonchalantly to both Bernie and the two assistants. Bernie chuckled, watching as her assistant try his very best to not react to what Matt had said, but his eyes seemingly wanted to show that he was about to laugh. She shrugged a little before reclining backwards, sinking into the chair. “I’ve done sleep studies, it's not too different.” she replied, adjusting how she was sitting so it would not rip off one of those sensors. Or whatever they were. It was hard to tell but all she knew that it would be reading her brain patterns as she listened to sounds and music. Her attendant smiled softly before nodding. “It's pretty much like that except you don’t need to sleep.” he informed, stepping back before looking at the reclining female. “I think we’re all set to go here.” Matt settled in too, resting his arms on the rests before sighing. “At least it's rather comfy here.” Matt said, trying to make small talk with his attendant. She didn’t reply. She just nodded before giving her fellow a thumbs up. The male nodded before stepping back. It was time for the experiment to start. The male cleared his throat before adjusting the white coat he had over his form. “Okay, first of all thank you for agreeing to take part in this experiment.” The male said, clasping his hands. “I would introduce ourselves, but we are a little bit behind time so we’ll just skip the formalities and get straight to the test.” He added. Matt rolled his eyes, but at the same time h kept the sight of that rather fine looking payment in his head. Bernie chuckled before nodding gently. “Its fine, these things happen.” She said, laying her hands in her lap. The male smiled as he motioned for the female to leave the room. “So what we’re going to do is do a basic reading first, this will take about half an hour then we’ll start to introduce different things and get a reading of them. We’ll start with music first, a rather special selection that should get the readings we’re looking for.” He said, mostly in one breath before taking a large inhalation on the final sentence. ‘Sheesh he looked like he was going to pass out…’ Matt thought, watching some of the colour that had left the man’s face flush back in as he finally breathed again. “So, half an hour of silence please and then we can begin. Just sit back, relax and let us do the hard work for you.” Bernie gave a thumbs up as she sat back, glancing over at Matt who was equally as comfortable looking in his chair. “I think I’m good here.” she said, getting a nod of agreement from her friend. “Just don’t put something like Justin Bieber on. This is an experiment, not torture.” he replied, narrowing his hazel eyes. Bernie snickered, adjusting her green shirt before sighing. The male just gave a wry smile. “W-we’ll try not to.” It was quite a trial for the par to even do the first part of the test. Silence. Pure silence was hard to maintain but somehow they got through it. Even though it had to be restarted a few times because Matt sneezed once and Bernie yawned. Not that the attendants got mad about that. They just scurried in, put their finger to their lips before leaving again. They had to take their baseline readings after all and even though they were not allowed to do anything at all, time passed slowly. The door that the attendants left opened once again, allowing the male one to walk in with a small tray. “Okay that’s the initial reading done folks!” He said, smile plastered across his tanned face. Matt sighed as he turned to Bernie. “That was pretty damn boring, but hey it’s for money.” he said, adjusting how he sat so he could finally get fully comfy. Bernie chuckled as he adjusted her hair, carefully trying not to knock off another of the readers. “So uh, what next?” She asked the attendant. He gave another smile before setting the tray down on a small table that sat between the two participants. “So, we’re going to have you put these into your ears…” he started, motioning to the table. Matt glanced down, then at Bernie before stifling a laugh. Bernie followed his gaze, then did exactly the same. “...and then we’re going to first blast you with an hour of one type of music.” He added. Matt sniggered more, then saw that Bernie was doing the same. How could he resist not thinking about that joke about Air Pods when the things on the tray were quite clearly them? “Will we hear you coming or will we not be able to hear you?” Matt asked, slightly earnestly but seeing the reaction on the assistant’s face he didn’t get what he was talking about. “Oh we’ll talk through them!” He said, smiling wide before motioning for the pair to put the pods in their ears. ‘Well that fell flat…’ Matt thought as he picked up the white devices and gently slipped them on. They felt a bit on the uncomfortable side, but he would be able to manage. Bernie thought the same too about them, but finding the right spot meant they were just bearable. The assistant smiled as he looked at the pair. “Ready?” He asked. Ready as they would ever be. A pair of thumbs up was enough for the man to bow and walk out. The female watched him as he returned to the small control room. “This should have the same effect as before right?” She asked. The male nodded. “Yes. Yes it shall…” He started before looking at the options. He grinned a little. “King Crimson for the lady, Metallica for the male. Something that should be opposite to their tastes.” The female just nodded. “This should be...interesting…” she remarked. The male nodded. Indeed it would be. Bernie sighed as she waited for the thing to happen. Just as Matt did the same. “I wonder if we can talk…” Matt muttered as he put his hands behind his head, waiting for the music to begin. Bernie shrugged, snagging her shirt on the armrest a little. “Well, I don’t think we need to worry about us making noises if we’re going to be blasted with music.” she replied. A sudden crackling sound filled their ears as the devices switched on. “Can you tow hear me?” came the rather sharp, clear voice of the male assistant. Bernie gave a thumbs up, while Matt just nodded. “Good, it seems that they are working. Don’t want to zap you by accident!” ‘Oh geez I wonder what happened to the people before us if they have a change of zapping us…’ Matt thought as he closed his eyes, letting the male’s voice ring out in his ears. For Bernie that voice rang out a little bit louder, maybe just because her one was turned up a little bit more. Oh well, it would only be for an hour and in all honesty? It wasn’t painful. Just a bit loud. “Okay people, we’re going to start now. Enjoy the music and please don’t move form those positions to much. Moving around a little is fine, but we don’t want you to jumping around dancing.” the male said, cheerily but unironically. “We had someone do that and it ended up with a mess…” Now, Matt really didn't want to know what that mean but at the same time he sort of did. What sort of mess? Actually, scratch that he didn’t want to know. “Okay then, prepare yourselves for some music!” came the male’s voice. Matt sighed. Finally. At last he would get to do what he was going to get paid to do. Bernie gave a warm smile as she sat back too, listening and waiting and just imagining what she would spend the payment on. Maybe something for herself; something that she would just enjoy then and there and have no guilty feelings about having it. Whatever she wanted to think...it was cute off rather quickly by the sudden blast of sound hitting her ears. “Woah woah woah that’s loud!” she gasped, wanting to clutch her ears and drown it out but then she realised that it wouldn’t have had any effect. Matt glanced over, scowling a little before he too had his thoughts interrupted by some...well it wasn’t music it was more like noise to him. What the hell was this? Death metal? Metal something that was for sure but it was drastically not to his tastes. But you know what was to his taste? Money. And easy money at that. So he sucked it up, leaning back and closing his eyes as the lyrics and music washed over him, almost pulsing through his form as the beat started to synchronise with his natural rhythms. It was a strange sensation that was washing through him, though one that wasn’t that unpleasant. If he were to liken it to anything, it would be similar to him sitting in one of those chairs that gave you a massage. Not that he owned one, he tried one out one time when they had demonstrations of them at the mall. Whatever this actually meant, he had to let out a slightly pained sigh. A sigh for the strange level of comfort that was pushing through his body. And pained? Well, he hated this type of music. So so so much. Bernie was so much luckier in that regards. She had a feeling that she knew what music she was listening to some sort of progressive rock, something that she had some knowledge of but wouldn’t admit to being an expert on. At least it wasn’t painful to listen to. No, not what she could see Matt was going through, this felt like it was just on the loud side. “Hey, you able to turn this down? I don’t want to have my ears ringing” She said, maybe a bit to loud since she couldn’t really hear her own voice. There was barely any reply from the assistants, but thankfully it seemed the message was rather loud and clear. The music for the pair was toned down a notch, though Bernie grumbled a little as her ears started ringing. That would be something that she might have to get extra pay for! She didn’t come here to get an ear problem! If only they knew, then an ear problem would be the least of their worries. Matt shifted in his seat, trying to relax as the pounding music thumped and punched against his temples. He was not a fan of this type of music, but even he had to admit that after a few minutes of hearing it...there was something oddly relaxing about it. Which was good. It meant that he would not be distracted while the actual experiment commenced. Slowly but surely, Matt’s rather messy looking hair started to pull back into the scalp, shortening in length yet gaining a slightly silky feel to it. As it shrank, his fringe flopped out though, two bangs falling into view of his closed eyes as the hair almost framed his face rather well. Not too long, not overly short. But it was one thing, one thing that was very different about and something that was rather strange for a man of his age. Its colour. Almost as if it had been spooked by something, his brown hair bleached and lightened, pushing through shades of grey until it was an almost silvery white colour, something that shouldn’t be seen on a guy on the right side of thirty. But there it was, a mop of white hair, perfectly silky and perfectly unnoticed by Matt. His eyes shot open suddenly though, not because he felt something off but he felt like something was in them. Grumbling a little, he rubbed his eyes, not feeling them to be any different. His sockets narrowed as the eyes were rubbed and the motion Matt was doing was only hiding the fact that his eyes seemed...off. I mean really, what sort of normal person has black sclera and red pupils? It made him look ominous… Or as if he was actually in a metal band. A heavy metal band. Bernie relaxed and reclined into her chair as he started to tap her foot to the rhythm that she was hearing. It was good. Actually quite an excellent piece of music! She couldn’t help herself form the foot tapping, or the fact that she was wiggling her winger in time as if it was conducting the music that she was hearing. But what she could help herself from doing was not noticing that her hair, like Matt’s was also undergoing its own change. Bernie’s hair was naturally rather long, going right back down to her hips almost, but even then it still started to shrink back at a quicker pace. There was more hair to be converted after all, so it would have to work quickly. As the hair pulled inwards, it dyed to another rather exotic colour. Pink. A nice shade of pink flushed through each length of lock before her hair came to a rest just past her shoulders. There, her ponytail seemed to fatten up to a style that was akin to a frayed beaver’s tail, braided a little to keep it in place before a long bang poked over her fringe yet refused to hang down. It stood there, rather proud and happy, though the end was a little bit on the droopy side. A slight zig-zag pattern cut through the pink hair, just for accent. Bernie didn’t notice though. Even though she could feel her hair was a little bit on the lighter side and it bobbed and wiggled as he got into the music, but she didn’t notice. Oh but she would notice this next bit… Bernie hummed a little as the music watched over her form, before slowly stopping. ‘The hell?’ she thought, eyes shooting open, yet they didn’t seem to want to open as far as they used to. They looked rather lazy with a bit of a firm brow, yet her eyebrows were quickly shrinking back to two little lines that arced over her lazy looking now yellowed eyes. Her face tingled then started to ache as Bernie thought she could feel the boned under her skin start to shift like some sculptor was working on how she looked. Letting out a slight groan, she felt her cheeks pull inwards, jawling cracking and snapping into a more masculine style before her chin flattened, squaring off. Her hands danced over the new features gingerly, worried that something was painfully wrong with this situation. Wrong? Yes, yes something was very wrong here but painful? Actually yes, that was another thing that was happening. She gasped suddenly, lurching forward as her nose thickened and broadened, cheeks flushing a little with a smattering of freckles like she had got a tan while sleeping under a sieve. ‘W-what? This can’t be part of the experiment!’ she thought again as she looked around, locking her lazy eyes on Matt’s new hair. She wanted to cry out. She really did, but it was a combination of the fact that Matt had those stupid devices in his ears that stopped her in the first instance. The second though? That was all down to her neck thickening up rather quickly, almost as if it bad been stung by a wasp. Or a bee. Whatever insect that she preferred really. But as her neck thickened, it caused her to gag and choke; a pair of hands gripped and throttled her before it pushed out a small lump from the front. Her voice cracked and flecked, pushing deeper but not overly deep or menacing. It sounded a little bit on the innocent side, something that confused her as she couldn’t hear her voice. She just knew that something wasn’t right with it and as her hand rubbed the now released throat she gasped. ‘No...no fucking way…’ she thought, eyes wide as he rubbed her neck. An...adam’s apple? How the hell did that happen? This really wasn't the sort of thing that should be happening just from listening to music! Neither was the fact that her shoulder started to ache as they surged broader, pushing against her shirt rather viciously before they rounded out with a thin layer of muscle. Her back cricked a little as her posture slumped forward, finding that actually slouching felt more like a more comfortable position for her now. “Hey! Is this some sort of joke?!” she barked out in her masculine toned, getting no reply. Just more music. Bernie waved her hands, trying to catch Matt’s eye yet he was a little bit reluctant to open them. ‘Damn this music it's really just a bunch of noise…’ he thought, wishing so very much that he could hit a switch and turn this over to something more his groove. ABBA perhaps, maybe even some David Bowie...anything really but this. As he sat there, pained form the music his closed, changed eyes didn't notice that Bernie was waving a little frantically at him or the fact that Bernie looked different. Instead he sat there, face starting to ache and crunch as something gave it one hell of a massage. So much so that a little groane eked from his lips as they started to thin, mouth narrowing into an almost permanent sneer. His nose swelled and broadened, getting so devilishly handsome and well carved, just like his chin and cheeks as they narrowed and pushed inwards, discarding any facial hair that he forgot to shave off that morning. As Matt finally opened his eyes, the world seemed so very blurry. ‘W-woah have I…’ he started before reaching up to adjust hi glasses. How odd...his eyes seemed to be better now without them. How...did that happen exactly? In fact… “Woah I don’t feel so right!” He shouted, almost commanding in tone as he glanced over to see Bernie. His jaw dropped, just as his voice did as it became encased in a rather thick, muscular looking neck. He raised a hand, pointing at Bernie with a rather horrified look on his face. Bernie nodded back, looking at Matt’s shifted face before scrambling around to get those damn pods out of her ears. As her skin touched them, they got a rather sharp shock of electricity as it almost swatted away any attempt at getting removed from their persons. Matt groaned, writhing a little as he tried to pull the sensors from his face but to no avail. His own shoulders surged outwards, snapping and clicking into a broader place before swelling with a touch of muscle. His arms gave two rather sickening sounding snapps as they were forced longer, pushing his form out of proportion and made him look almost comically designed. His biceps started to burn, almost as if someone had applied a rather liberal dose of heat gel. But instead of soothing his muscles as it should have done, this instead started to burn and tickle them, swelling and tugging at them as layer upon layer of new muscle moved in. The fat that he carried? That had no place here. This was the territory of a fine set of biceps, no room for fat here! It even travelled down his forearms and into his hands, causing the male to give out another grona, this time a deeper one. His hands cracked and ached, pushing broader and thicker as the palms gained an odd roughness to them. His knuckles roughened as the skin there became calloused, almost as if they had been perfectly used for punching someone...or something. Though it was odd to see then that such strong, rough hands had such long and delicate fingers. The wiggled and gripped the sides of the chair before Matt shook his head rather vigorously. Well he had to try and get these sensors off right? Bernie whimpered, tugging at the ones on her face but had little to no effect on them. They were stuck. Not permanently mind you, just really well glued down. BUt now that she thought on it, when did that even happen? Wait...they didn’t do it when they came in earlier to replace the ones that had fallen off...right? Right? ‘Oh fuck me how long have they been preparing for this?!’ Bernie though, lazy eyes wide with terror as her arms inched across the rests slowly but surely. As it went, it tugged and pulled her skin inwards, tightening against her frame as an even lighter layer of muscle than Matt’s piled onto her frame. The tighter skin pushed out the fat, pushing it up and out with no trace left behind. It felt lighter, but also stronger as if there was something hidden in the muscles that she now sported. Her hands twitched and grew, just like Matt’s in a way, though the palms remained a little bit on the softer side, not as scuffed but still rougher than what her hands should be. Bernie once again tried to pull those damn pods from her ears, but once again got a rather sharp shock for her troubles. “Dammit!” he yelped, rubbing her newly elongated digits before feeling that burning sensation start to tug and pull at her chest. If...she had a deeper voice and an adam’s apple...would that mean… Oh. Oh fuck. Oh fuck indeed. Bernie glanced down at her torso, wondering with a sick curiosity about what was about to happen to her. It was something rather...strange. Her chest initially started to burn as the fat there was converted into energy before the excess was pushed up and out. Before her eyes, her breasts started to shrink back against her form, skin shrink-wrapping tightly against her frame before her torso looked rather decidedly...masculine. The same layer of light muscles pushed out against the pale flesh which caused Bernie to shudder. It felt so alien, so wrong...yet thsi was happening. Some fucking music was doing this to both herself and to Matt? This was so not worth the money they were offering! In fact it wasn’t worth ten times that! A loud gasp escaped form bernie’s lips as she tried to grab at another set of sensors, this time pushing her back up taller and taller, posture staying in that same strangely bent posture. Inch by inch her spine was cracked and popped taller, pushing her up at least half a foot in height, maybe even more than that. Whatever it was, it was strangely dizzying to suddenly be as tall if not taller than Matt at this stage. Of course, as she gained height her skin tighetened against her stomach, pushing inwards as her core thickened to accomodate her taller form. Just as it tightened and converted the fat to muscle, a slight set of abs pushed through, though these were rather basic and nothing really special. Not at all. It wouldn’t be the same for Matt, but sometimes you win some and you lose some. Matt was definitely losing a lot, mostly his patience with this damn music blasting through his ears. He let out a rather dark sounding growl as he tried to stand up, not caring if he damaged any of the equipment at this stage. Instead though, his back started to ache like someone had just walked over his spine. It wasn’t pleasant and it honestly made him want to punch something. But he didn't need to do that. Oh no. Instead the pressure and pain that had built up in his spine released, sending the already tal man even taller. Bernie clenched her fists as she watched Matt become taller than her once again. Okay, sure she didn’t want this to happen but still she just wanted to be taller than him for once. A few of the connectors snapped as he was pushed upwards which made him feel a little bit pleased that he was doing some damage to their equipment. His stomach suddenly started to gurgle like he needed to eat something real bad. He groaned, trying to hug himself through the sensation before shuddering at the sensation of his new arms clinging his form. A form that suddenly deflated, fat on his chest and stomach withering away like an unwilted flower. As his skin pulled inwards against his rather pitifully muscled chest, a sudden surging sensation pushed out against his arms, making the male’s eyes open wide as he fell to his knees. “Oh fuck..fuck fuck….” he eked out, thankfully just as this damn song died down before it got replaced by another one by the same band (presumably) but definitely the same level of loudness. The surging sensation turned into an almost...heavy feeling as his muscles started to swell and grow, tightening against his shirt before it started to frame and shape his new pecs perfectly. A few rips started to form down the front just as the core tightened, thickening up into something rather stunning. Well, to Matt it was, but maybe if he had worked hard for it over being tricked into having this form thrust upon him then maybe he would have been happier. Bernie just muttered to herself. Why did Matt get the muscles and she got...gangliness. Matt shivered a little as he glanced down at his now too tight shirt (which rather accentuated just how muscular he had become) before trying to see past that and check if anything else had changed. Which was a bad time to do that. His hips narrowed just slightly as his ass tightened and firmed up, matching his muscular torso. HIs legs trembled, making his already kneeling form wobble more as they too snapped and stretched in length, pushing him not only even taller but into proportion...well comparatively into proportion. He was still rather tall and lithe looking, despite the new muscles. His thighs bulked up rather nicely, just like his shins did. Not too large, but not thin at all. They really felt rather powerful, like he could do some real damage if he kicked someone in the stomach. Maybe that male assistant would like to get a taste of it? He growled suddenly as the sides of his trainers suddenly pinched against his feet as they swelled in size. This couldn’t get any worse...right? Right? For Bernie it was about to get much worse. Her hips burned as if something was pushing them inwards, almost as if it was trapped in some sort of vice. A round of crunched his the air as they were pushed narrower, matching her thicker torso to really give a masculine form. Then, just as everything pushed inwards, her jeans tightened at the front as the music ept on merrily playing, ignoring the fact that Bernie had something between her legs that she didn’t have moments before. She blushed at first then cried out in her new voice before hugging herself. The music wasn’t a comfort anymore, it was a taunt. A fucking annoyingly catchy taunt. One that was oddly starting to drown out as a slight ringing sound started to pick up. Not that it could help the fact that Bernie’s legs snapped longer, pushing herself up a little as she sat, drawing her legs in and hugging the knees as the legs tightened with muscle. The fat she carried, well, need it be said that it wasn’t wanted there anymore? Her shoes tightened suddenly as her feet swelled, pushing and poking at the edges as some of the seames started to give way. But before that could even happen, her shoes started to...grow? Wait, this wasn’t ending with the body?! Bernie whined as she stared at her trainers, watching as the strained seams relax a little before the material started to shift. A heel pushed out of the bottom as the trainers pulled to rather elegant points, stiffening into a tight purple leather. Darker on top, but lighter on the bottom, almost like lavender. Her jeans, so comically misshaped on her legs stretched longer once again, covering the limbs before it too shifted to a strange leathery material. And purple too. Mustn't forget the purple, nor the fact that it flared out at the bottoms as rows of gold buttons popped out rather satisfyingly. Though, perhaps the material overreached itself? Despite growing to fit her new legs, the waist seemed to expand more than it was required to. Even the presence of a leather green belt didn’t do anything to really hold it against her new waistline. Maybe that was for the best. It was a little tight down there and she would have to get used to it. Her shirt remained rather short on her torso, but long on the sleeves as it reached down to cover her arms to the wrists. Parts of her shirt seemed to get cut up, falling in an odd fashion while her skin underneath got exposed. With a final shift, the shirt thickened in material, turning into an almost woolen pink jumper of some sorts, the ribbed kind. Bernie shuddered as the air kissed her newly exposed stomach, making her tug at the collar. “What is this outfit?” she mumbled as eh glanced over at Matt. If her outfit was outlandish...then she needed to buckle in because Matt was in for a ride. His trainers swelled and thickened as well, turning into a pair of black formal shoes, perfectly healed and made of a stiff, rather elegant leather. Maybe Italian? Whatever it was it as nice to finally not have his feet crushed by shoes of a few sizes too small. His jeans stretched over his legs, clinging to his new muscles before the material softened, turning almost airy and breathable just as it gained a rather...criminally stereotypical black and white striped pattern. He glanced at those new trousers before rolling his black eyes. “I look like a fucking convict.” he shouted, trying to compete with the metal grinding out in his ears. With no warning, his shirt suddenly burst open at the front, making his gasp as it hung across his chest, billowing out and turning black, forming a rather long looking long sleeved black coat. It had a periwinkle interior though, so perhaps it wasn’t all that goth-y. Across his chest a rather thick set of straps buckled in place, forming a clasp that sat below his pecs and ones that kept his coat firmly pressed against his torso. Now this was something outlandish. Very much so. As Matt stood up to his full new height, the sensors all snapped off, wires dangling for a moment before they suddenly lunged at his head, causing the tall male to fall flat on his ass. “THE FLYING FUCK?!” he bellowed out, feeling the wires wrap around his skull. They all joined up, turning black and forming a strange black hood that didn’t quite connect to the coat but it tried its best. With a final sensation of his skin, Matt felt the suckers fall off before hardening in texture, rounding out in shape and swelling in size until they formed a set of gold coloured bells that dangled from the hat. Now Matt stared at them, trying to read what he thought he saw was etched into them. He picked one up, causing a slight jingle sound to ring out pleasantly and mockingly. Oh great, he wasn’t just a muscular goth, he was a muscular gothic jester. If they wanted him to perform he would ‘perform’ a roundhouse kick on them. Silence suddenly befell the two changed friends. Not because the music from the pods had stopped, but because they had just...fell out of their ears; jobs done so they could rest. Well not Matt’s. He fucking stamped on them a few times before bitterly staring at the door. “Y-you okay Bernie?” he asked, hearing his voice and shaking his head...only to get an earful of jingling. Bernie nodded slowly, staring at her pods on the seat before her ears took that jingling in. jingle...no, not a jingle...a ringing? “No...not really…” he whimpered as he looked around the room. Yep, a definite ringing sound. Sort of like a...telephone. What wasn’t a telephone though was the sound of the door opening. “Ah I see we’re all done in here!” the male assistant said before suddenly getting pushed against the wall by Matt. He yelped suddenly as he stared up at the male. “Oh no no no we’re just getting started…” Matt growled, giving a rather sinister sneer as Bernie jumped up, stamping his foot on the tiled floor. “You better explain at the very least!” he demanded before looking around. The assistant whimpered before nodding. “W-well we...um...well…” he started before feeling Matt’s fist tighten against his collar. “...hoooy boy this is going to be difficult…” It was difficult, but somehow he managed to get out what he wanted to say in a nutshell. Of course how easy was it to explain to two angry people who now had a power they didn’t really understand at that moment that they were made this way to try and create new physical specimens? Oh not for studying though, but more to see if they could enhance the form and accentuate it with some rather interesting...well, outstandign extra features? Matt glared at the assistant, lowering his hand before giving his stomach a punch. He was still mad about being deceived. But less so now that… “Bernie...what the hell are you doing?” he asked, watching as Bernie was fumbling around his coat for something. “Uhhhh….there’s a phone ringing…” he admitted. “And it's annoying the fuck out of me…” he added. The assistant gulped. “O-oh my that was unexpected...but...if you would allow us to help…” he started before Matt sneered at him. “Help?!” he barked, almost ready to punch the man who let out a feminine squeal. He had to do something fast… “We have a facility in Italy you can stay at while we do some more testing sir!” he hastily said. Matt and Bernie stared at the male. “Italy?” Bernie asked, patting Matt’s coat once again. “Testing…” Matt said, rolling his eyes. The assistant rubbed his brow. “More like a health retreat! Yes, not a lab but a place where we can see how well you’ve improved!” he said, feeling Matt’s anger slowly dissipate. He paused, staring down at Bernie. “You’re paying for everything?” he asked. “Everything?” Bernie insisted, trying to find that damn phone. The assistant nodded. “Yes! And the money, a lot more money in it for you two!” Money? Matt glanced at his friend, who gave a slightly mischievous grin. “You’ll make us a deal we can’t refuse?” he asked. The assistant nodded before sighing. He pulled out a small tablet before tapping on it a little. “I mean we have some pseudonyms for you so no one would be suspicious as to...your change of appearance.” he said before turning the tablet around. Matt and Bernie stared at the number on the screen. Wow…. They would be minted for life! MAtt chuckled as he looked at his friend. “Well...I suppose I could let my boyfriend know i’m away for a bit…” he started. The assistant gulped. “We’ll compensate him too!” he hasity interrupted. That made Matt smile more. “Cha-ching indeed…” he muttered. Rolling his eyes he nodded. Bernie giggled a little as he too nodded. “You made a good offer sir.” he said, one burning question on his mind. As the assistant gave a wry smile, knowing that this would really be docked out of his paycheque, both Bernie and Matt asked the one question that needed to be asked. And their answer? “You named me after a rice dish?” “And i’m...not even that!” Risotto Nero, formally known as Matt. Vinegar Doppio, formally known as Bernie. This...would be interesting. Just as long as Risotto hever had to hear that fucking metal music again...everything would be one bizarre adventure. Or an outstanding one. _________________________________________________________________________________________“Alright, we all know the plan, right?” Xander looked over his group of friends, or really, in this situation, group of rag-tag urban explorers and possibly paranormal investigators. “Yep!” Emmet grinned, adjusting his glasses a bit. “Get in, avoid possible rotted infrastructure, see if we can find anything good, and get out with info the world’s never seen!” The four friends had taken a somewhat pre-planned somewhat impromptu road trip to an animation studio on the farther end of town, realizing that it was more interesting than thought. You see, this studio was one used to create overseas animation for the lost Phantom Blood movie, and seeing as all four had bonded over the series and the exploits of the Joestars, as well has had a love for investigation and urban exploration, they all agreed to meet up to see if any CELs or concept art was left over. “Okay, remember the specifics. Make sure all our phones are on, and if something happens, call someone.” Issac reminded everyone. “Or if you think you’ve found something.” “Got it.” Carl looked down the hallway they were currently in, realizing there was...a lot of branching paths and doors. “So...I suppose this is where we split up?” He chuckled nervously. “Yep!” Xander grinned, waving off his friends as he ran. “Remember, we meet back up here in about an hour!” Everyone else responded in agreement, heading their own ways. Little did this small group know there was something rather bizarre about this studio... Alright, the first room wasn’t anything super unique….but the idea of what it could hold intrigued Xander. He looked around, concept sketches lining desks and scattered on the floor. He looked around, eyes wide with intrigue and excitement. There was so much here...how much of it could he carry back? He could probably take back a ton of sketches but which ones did he prioritize? What if something happened to the facility while he was gone? What if- While he was rummaging around the floor, he wasn’t paying attention and ended up bumping into a table. He held his head as he regathered his balance, only to notice his collision had knocked something off the table. He blinked, looking over it, only for him to gasp, eyes widening to saucers. Was it….no way...but it looked just like it! He picked it up, beholding its glory. It...it was one of the bronze Jonathan statues given out at the showing of the movie! Th-There were only about 1000 of these in existence! A-And he found one! Was it a prototype or something? Xander felt entranced by the item. Oh man...when the others saw this! He was so engulfed in the object’s glory he didn’t even notice the changes beginning to happen to his form. His frame painlessly began to stretch, warmth going through his body as he grew at least a foot. His muscle was beginning to swell as well, bringing balance to his form. Another, more subconscious change happened as well. His breath became lighter and more airy, like he was controlling his breathing. Small raindrops of sapphire blue landed on the tips of his hair, before spreading like ocean waves, leaving it far shorter than it was before. His face experienced the same shifting, being tugged and pulled into something more masculine and strong, yet having a soft, kind edge to it. The sapphire of his hair dripped down to his eyes, causing him to blink away tears. The fabric of his clothing was far too strained, and his adjusting form needed to fix that. The threads loosened and rewove themselves, now a similarly deep blue crop top, his jeans reworking into similarly colored dress pants, a gold belt marking the top. The statue was an odd find here, he was beginning to think. Why would a statue of himself be here? He knew his father had a few portraits of the family around, but never something like this… “Hmmm…..” He thought to himself, an Adam’s apple forming and deepening his voice, painting it with a rich British tone. Maybe it was a birthday gift or something similar? Yes, that must be it! Jonathan grinned. What a nice surprise! Father must’ve known he’d have gone adventuring and hid his gift here! He hoped he got Dio something though…... Carl, meanwhile, had wandered off to a prop room, or something similar. Maybe it was where merch was supposed to be made? I mean...Xander mentioned wanting to nab one of those bronze Jonathan statuettes..maybe they made other things. As he looked around, feeling over the wall absentmindedly, his hand ran into a harsh bump. Pulling it from the wall, he realized it was a stone mask replica. Turning it over, he was genuinely impressed with it. It even had holes in the back where the bones would come out. He squinted a bit. There was...some sort of carving inside of it. But he couldn’t make it out. Testingly, Carl put it on his face, seeing if it was molded inside like an actual mask was, and maybe to get a better chance at reading the inscription inside. What he didn’t expect, however, was the spines to extend from their resting holes, shoving into his skull with a bright flash. He dropped the mask, quaking. He...he wasn’t dead? While he hadn’t died, his body was certainly having some sort of negative reaction. To be fair, he had just been stabbed multiple times in the skull, so something was bound to happen. His body harshly jolted, sending him against the wall. His bones cracked and shifted, spine pushing him up and up, taller and lankier. He huffed and panted, desperately attempting to catch his breath as it was forced out of him by the changes, until his breathing halted all together. Carl’s figure grew more musclebound, yet keeping an elegant slenderness to it, notably around his waist. His reddening eyes welled with tears, clawed hands gripping the wall. His ears were pulled and tugged into points, pinning back out of fear. The cherry on top was the slight pricking of his right ear, three small black moles marking the bottom lobe. “O-Oh God….it hurts...s..somebody help...WRYYY!” He hadn’t meant to let that last bit slip, but by now it just felt natural, the cracking of his voice and its new accent only cementing it more so. His hair grew shorter and thick, blonde fluff down to his shoulders. His belt hardened and spread around his waist and soon the top half of his body like tentacles of some unknown beast, becoming a leather harness studded with gold buttons. The clothing underneath soon changed as well, becoming a red and white bodysuit, the material of his shoes toughening and growing into leather knee-high boots. As a final touch, Carl dropped from the wall, a thick, purple scarf wrapping around his throat. It had a richness to it, something that made him feel almost...regal. The leather of his new boots and harness creaked, clearly not broken in as they had just formed from thin air. His cat-like eyes scanned the room, his heart pounding. His phone dropped from his pocket as he attempted to force himself up, and in his panic, he stepped on it, shattering it with his newfound weight. Th-that mask! It did this to him! It….it...he paused. He felt so...strong. And he looked gorgeous! Why was he ever so scared? Any hints of the regular human that existed before were gone, leaving just the self-proclaimed vampire lord Dio Brando. Issac, however, had found something far more crucial to the film’s production to the both of them. In his wandering, he had managed to stumble upon the voice acting booth for the studio. As a future content creator, this made his eyes widen. He’d never been in one of these before! Walking around, he took the opportunity to take in the studio of his dreams. It was incredible, even in its aged state. His eyes fell upon the actual recording booth, and his heart jumped. Was there any chance?....he pawed at the door, and to his surprise and joy, the door creaked open. He looked around, looking over the paper stand, and….there was something there? Picking it up, he nearly gasped as he saw what it was. It was a script! And not just a script, and not JUST an incredibly intact one, it was a script labelled “Robert. E. O. Speedwagon”! This-this was a groundbreaking find! Speedwagon actually had a role in the movie? And one big enough for a near book-thick script? His heart pounded at the sight. He flipped through the pages, reading it out. “Bloody hell, this kid ain’t bluffing!” He sounded nothing like Speedwagon, lacking a deeper tone or Cockney accent, but it seemed his body was on the way to fixing that. He paced around the room, clothing stretching and darkening along with his body, muscle toning his frame as well. “This kid was willin’ to lose his arm, let alone his fingers!” His voice dipped a bit, beginning its climb down into the suave familiar tone Speedwagon was supposed to have. Hands holding the paper began to roughen, marked with scars from years as a gang member, although the intent behind them had become more gentle. “I’ve never met someone determined as him..he really is a gentleman!” He turned his neck to relieve pressure from the changes, neck thickening and an Adam’s apple forming, finally cementing his new voice. A soft cloud of fluffy blonde hair began to grow out, pouring down his back until it reached down to his back. Issac began to feel a bit woozy, dropping the script as he put a hand to his face, a sudden jolt overtaking him. When he pulled it away, his face was rougher, more masculine, and most notably, a large, thick scar ran down his face diagonally. As a final touch, a new weight weighed on his head gently, a dark purple bowler hat resting on his mass of hair. Issac...no..no that wasn’t right at all. Robert, or Speedwagon as he was more commonly known, looked around the room, confused. Where was he? He didn’t recognize this place at all...it seemed so foreign! And-And where was Mister Joestar?! He jolted a bit, shoving the door open and running out, ignoring the treasure trove of lost media he was surrounded by. “Mister Joestar! Don’t worry! I’ll be there soon!” Emmet looked at the room he had found himself in. It didn’t seem like an actual film studio room...it seemed more like a living room had just been plucked from someone else’s house and put into this building. Why would this be here….Oh! It must be a break room! Made sense to him at least. With this newfound information, he began to rummage around. The couch was nice, but the TV didn’t work, and all the books were generic magazines...uuugh. Great. Even when he was in a cool abandoned facility everything was boring. He was about to leave and see if he could find a cooler room, when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. A minifridge? He thought. Would it really be good to look? The spoiled food in it….but it didn’t smell. A quick peek couldn’t hurt…Taking a breath, he decided to pull it open, and… Nothing. Well...no actual food. There was one thing, technically two. A wine bottle and a wine glass. He took both into each hand, tugging the cork out with his teeth. He knew people said not to do that, but they also said not to enter abandoned animation studios, so societal rules weren’t a big concern. Besides, wine didn’t go bad, right? He wasn’t much of a drinker, but he had to admit...the bottle intrigued him. If the fridge was scrubbed clean of everything, why was this still here? Wasn’t wine a rich people drink? If it was left here, he might as well indulge a bit. And so he poured a bit from the bottle, hearing it trickle down. He raised it closer to his face, taking it in. It smelled fine...he thought so, at least. Well, bottoms up, he shrugged. It hit his tongue, and his eyes widened. Dang..this stuff was really good! No wonder billionaires chugged this stuff like water! He was soon on the verge of doing the same, his somewhat drunken state leaving him unaware of his changes. His hair began to deepen from its former orange to a dark black, the kinks and curls in it straightening out and slicking back as well. He pushed his glasses up to rub at blueing eyes, letting them rest on his head as he was vaguely aware he didn’t need them anymore. The weight of the glasses was soon replaced by something a bit more...familiar, now a checkered top hat. Emmet lowered the cup from his mouth momentarily, both to grab more of the near-ambrosia and to scratch the itch irritating his top lip, somewhat thick dark hair growing into a pencil mustache. Any hint of pudge on his frame was washed away with the wine, casual t-shirt and jeans reworking as his shirt seemed to split, forming into a white undershirt knotted with a green tie, a red vest covering it and on top of all that, a long white suit coat. The shifting and tossing of his clothes caused his phone to drop to the floor, leaving him unaware of it. His thoughts swirled with each sip, which he had just accepted. He’d never really gotten drunk, but this is what it was like, right? The last bits of the glass were swallowed, leaving his head the dizziest it’d ever been. Emmet...no, he paused. That wasn’t right at all. How’d that thought get into his head? His name was something else...but what was it? He knew he had a title of some sort...Baron? Yes, that was it! Baron Zeppeli! He chuckled at himself, how did he manage to be so forgetful? The building felt like a maze as the four recently changed explorers tried to force their way out, any memory of the layout before erased with the change. It felt like eternity as they looked around for a way out, only for a slight fragment of hope to return as Speedwagon ran face-to-chest first into Jonathan. He grinned, eyes wide at the sight as he latched onto him in a tight hug. Soon enough, the two partners found their mentor, adding an extra bit of joy to this reunion. The three had no idea about the resurgence of their sworn foe, but no doubt fate had something big in mind for this group of souls.