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Erina pulled open her parasol the moment she was out of the house. “I hope Jojo behaves. Don’t be afraid to discipline him if he gets out of hand, Speedwagon.”
Speedwagon tipped his hat, smiling with all the confidence of a much younger man. “Never you fear, Mrs. Joestar! The lad and I usually get on fine.”
“By the way, he plans on playing you a trick.”
“A trick, ma’am?”
“I told him not to even think about it, but he’s been more daring than usual. I imagine he’ll want to spook you. You do spook so easily.”
Speedwagon’s jaw about dropped. His masculine pride bristled. “Spooked easily? Me?”
“I fear he gives you a heart attack every other time you pay us a call. He thrives on shocking people, the little devil.” She swung the parasol over her shoulder. “But let me leave you now before I’m late. Good luck, Speedwagon.”
Speedwagon hardly had time to question his fortitude when he heard a soft thump from upstairs. No doubt young Joseph getting up to some mischief. Best to see how deeply he was into it.
He wasted no time in getting to the playroom. From the top of an armchair leapt a small figure covered in a white sheet, its descent punctuated with a childish “boo!” Steady as a rock and not spooked in the least, Speedwagon clasped a hand to his breast.
“Oh~my~! Did you ever give ME a start! You hid in the shadows and struck me right to the nerves!”
The sheet-clad figure slumped forward. “Oh man—I didn’t scare you!”
Speedwagon’s meager thespian skills prevented him from retaining a sober countenance. “W-Why of course you did, my boy! Didn’t you hear me say so?”
“You just don’t want me to feel bad,” sighed Joseph.
Speedwagon knelt down. He put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, only to take note of the fine embroidery along the white surface. “Say… what is this sheet?”
Joseph tried pulling back. “Uh… it’s only something I borrowed!”
“That something quite resembles the curtains in your grandmother’s drawing room, Joseph Joestar!” exclaimed Speedwagon. He tried wrenching the sheet from Joseph’s head, but the boy held fast to the material.
“I’m not sure you want to do that, Uncle Speedwagon!”
“And why not?”
“Cause you’ll really be spooked!”
Speedwagon gave the boy a resigned smile, unable to stay cross with him for too long, even if Erina was not likely to be happy about her handmade curtains being used in such a way. However, he noticed something strange—upon closer examination, there was a small red stain where the lower half of Jojo’s face should be. Speedwagon wrenched the sheet aside. Joseph sported a large sheepish grin—or part of one, because both of his front teeth were knocked out, leaving profusely bleeding gaps in their wake.
Joseph chuckled, not guilty in the least. “Yeah, I fell and knocked my teeth out when trying to climb the curtains—I didn’t want to just rip them down.” He put a finger to the gap, wincing a little. “I think I swallowed them too because I didn’t see ‘em on the floor—hey, uh, Uncle Speedwagon?”
-
Erina could hear Speedwagon’s prolonged shout from a block away.