Chapter Text
Dio found it unfair.
Dio found it disgustingly unfair.
“Lady Jonalynn, please! These were your father’s orders,”
“Can’t it wait? I’m already wearing a dress. Isn’t that enough?”
The head house-maid sighs. “You and I both know that is not an option. Lady Jonalynn, you are turning fifteen this year. It is high time you start acting like a proper lady,”
Through the crack of the door, Dio listens in on the maids pestering Jonalynn to be more ladylike again for the hundredth time now. Initially, the young man had been on his way to the manor’s library to return a book, but he stopped to eavesdrop after hearing the commotion.
His dear ‘sister’ has always been hard-headed, yes. So their ‘father’ has taken it upon himself to start grooming the girl to become a dignified noble lady even outside of their etiquette lessons.
Starting with her appearance.
He knocks on the door, alerting others of his presence. “Jojo, it’s me. May I come in?”
“Ah, Dio! Come in, come in,” she ushers, the tone of her voice telling Dio that she was pleased by his timely arrival. The boy surmises that he must’ve unknowingly saved her from something.
When Dio steps in, all the maids diligently curtsy with their heads down. The head-maid greets him on behalf of all the other working women and he returns her polite gesture with one of his own, before returning his attention back to the noble girl.
As he stared at Jonalynn, Dio suppressed the urge to berate her.
She was beautiful.
To be more precise, the dress made her beautiful.
It was a gorgeous, white puffed mameluke-sleeve dress made out of lush pearlescent fabric; complemented by ruffled lace trimmings along a scoop neckline and a rosy floral bodice.
Sure, Dio didn’t have the luxury to be researching fashion locution given his situation, but a few smuggled books from the library here and there into his bedroom never hurt anybody.
But what did hurt was Jonalynn’s ungrateful attitude.
The dress was stunning, and the jewellery decorated on her person was to die for. Yet, the subtle glint in Jonalynn’s eyes told Dio she was suffering under it all.
“To what do I owe the visit?” she asks, trying her best not to show how uncomfortable she was under the outfit. In her opinion, the fabric was way too itchy.
Dio pretends he doesn’t notice her discomfort. “Lord Joestar has summoned us. I’m here to escort you,”
“Oh, if that’s the case then let’s get goi—”
“Ah, my apologies, young lord. But Lady Jonalynn is not ready yet. She has yet to powder her face,”
Jonalynn stills. It won’t be the first time the head house-maid has done her makeup, but the older woman often applied it in a way that was too thick and stuffy. She greatly preferred when one of the younger maids did it instead.
Alas, the ones in the room with her right now dipped into the elder side of the spectrum.
The young girl knew there was no escaping her fate so she might as well just get it over with. Just as she was about to drag her feet back to her vanity mirror, Dio quips in.
“It is no problem. Lord Joestar wishes to see us as soon as possible so I will be taking her now,”
The head house-maid seemed reluctant to let go of Jonalynn at first but eventually she yields to Dio’s words
“I understand. Well then, off you go my lady,” she lightly bows at the girl.
Jonalynn stares at the head-maid for a few seconds before suggesting something unexpected. “Before I go, I guess putting on a bit of lipstick will do, right?”
The older lady perks up at this, seemingly pleased by Jonalynn's sudden initiative to want to doll herself up. “Yes, that would be splendid, my lady. Please spare me a quick moment,” she says. The maid then applies a nice coat of strawberry-red lipstick on the noble daughter’s lips, a melancholic look present in her eyes.
While that was happening, Dio quietly admired the product being used. With just one swipe of the brush, the lipstick had succeeded in doing its job to colour Jonalynn’s lips. Not only was it effective, it was pretty too.
He wonders how it would look like on him.
His gaze then trails upwards, only to end up locking eyes with Jonalynn. Dio quickly looks away.
Thankfully, the girl doesn’t say anything and instead just continues standing still for the head-maid.
Once she was done, Jonalynn spins around to observe herself in the mirror before giving the maid a cheesy smile. “You’ve done a great job, madame!”
The older woman’s demeanour softens before hardening again. “Lady Jonalynn, no daughter of an aristocrat should be smiling like that. Please don’t make it a habit,”. She then flips the lipstick's package closed and Dio takes the chance to observe its decorative case. His heart tightens seeing the maid put the pretty thing away into Jonalynn’s vanity drawer, but he avoids making it obvious.
Jonalynn’s expression falters, but she does not argue with the woman. “Aha… understood. Anyway…”
Just as she was about to walk away, she is halted in her tracks by Dio chivalrously offering his arm to her. “Shall we get going then, dear sister ?”
Jonalynn is hesitant at first, but once she remembers the watchful eyes in the room, she plays it cool. “We shall,” she answers, graciously accepting Dio’s arm.
They walk out arm in arm and Jonalynn only pulls away once she was sure nobody was around to see them.
“What did my father want to see us for?” she sceptically asks the blonde boy.
Dio continues walking with his chin held high. “He didn’t. I was just lending you a way out. You owe me one now,”
“Oh…”
Dio thought that would be the end of it. That he and Jonalynn will now part ways and continue the rest of the day doing their own thing. But surprisingly, that did not happen.
Instead, she was now sharing a table across from him in the library, albeit a few seats down.
He lets her do as she pleases. As long as she kept her mouth shut, then there wouldn’t be any problems; is what he tells himself. In spite of this, he found that Jonalynn was still as much a distraction when she’s quiet as she is when she’s not.
Dio repeatedly catches his own focus straying away from the book in his hands; his eyes seemingly more interested in the noble daughter.
On the flip side of that coin, Jonalynn was completely absorbed in her archaeology book, which only pissed Dio off even more.
She had no idea how lucky she was, being able to wear and indulge in such gorgeous finery.
The way that dress laid on her body looked as if it was made just for her, which wouldn’t have surprised Dio if that turned out to be the case. Moreover, the shiny white ribbon tying her hair perfectly matched the dress— and don’t even get him started on her jewellery! The dainty gold rings looped around her fingers made for a good distraction against her rough hands. Over the years, Dio has noticed Jonalynn’s love for climbing trees dwindling down, yet it seems the scars she got from those days still persisted even now.
Going back to her head, Dio could practically see his reflection bouncing off her glossy pearl earrings, he could stare at it for days and never get tired of it. But alas, the person wearing them would most definitely have a problem with his staring. Like right now for example.
“Is there something on my face, Dio?” Jonalynn hesitantly asks, troubled by Dio’s fixed stare.
The young man narrowly suppresses his urge to jolt after getting caught staring at and by Jonalynn twice now. “It’s nothing.” he curtly answered, burying his nose back into his book.
Jonalynn looks at him quietly for a few seconds before resuming her book as well. That’s when from the corner of his eye, Dio notices her starting to wiggle and stretch her fingers. She then lets out a peeved hum and lays her book down on the table.
To Dio’s displeasure, she began taking off her rings.
“What are you doing?”
Jonalynn pauses. “Huh?”
“I said, what are you doing? Why are you taking off your jewellery?”
“Oh, this? To be honest, they’re really uncomfortable. I can feel my fingers getting squeezed whenever I move them,”
Dio quirks a brow at her. “Don’t you think a little discomfort is worth being able to wear rings like those?”
“Uhm…”
The air grows awkward between them.
Dio sighs. Of course, he doesn’t expect Jonalynn to understand.
Just as he was about to go back to reading, the girl called out to him.
“Do you want to try them on, then?”
“... Excuse me?” he says, staring at Jonalynn as if she had just grown another head.
“I mean, you like them, right? You can wear them if you want to,” she offers.
Dio huffs. “Don’t be silly, Jojo. Those are clearly women’s rings. Why would I ever wear them?”
“There’s a difference?” she asks, genuinely confused.
Dio irks at her airheadedness. “Of course there’s a difference! Men’s rings are thicker and typically less flashy. Women’s rings are slender and give off a more delicate aesthetic. Everybody knows that.”
At his words, Jonalynn observes the rings in her hands. “ Everybody? I think you’re just overthinking things, Dio. You said men’s rings are less flashy, but some of the ones here match that description too. I’m sure rings can all be worn the same regardless,”
“No, they can't!” he exclaims, suddenly feeling restless at Jonalynn’s nonchalant attitude in all this. “Listen, Jojo. There’s a reason why that distinction was made. It’s to draw a clear line between men and women. Blurring those lines will only bring about imbalance in society,”
“I understand where you’re coming from, Dio. But… they’re just rings. The world won’t end if you wear a so-called ‘women’s ring’, y’know?” she chuckles.
She chuckles.
Dio was being dead serious, and she was chuckling .
Jonalynn flinches when Dio's chair loudly screeched against the floor as he stood up. “Uh, Dio–?”
“You’re too much of a chatterbox, Jojo. I want to enjoy my book in peace and quiet so don’t follow me,” he spat, narrowing his eyes before finally walking away. Leaving Jonalynn utterly confused.
Was Dio always this sensitive about jewellery?
“Dio!”
The young man grumbles and turns around. Great, just when he was about to go take a nap in his room. “What is it, Jojo?”
He stands in place as Jonalynn marches up to him in the corridor. Today, she is somehow back to dressing in her usual wear. A white button-up shirt layered under a vest and blazer, alongside a skirt that was infinitely easier to walk in compared to the dress from yesterday.
This is the first time they’ve talked to each other after what happened. Jonalynn may be an airhead, but at least she could tell when Dio wasn’t in the mood to talk to her.
“Are you busy today?” she asks, coming off as determined to the blondie.
“I’m busy everyday, Jojo. I’m the adopted son of a viscount,”
“Well, free up your schedule for today! Come be my escort to town!”
Dio’s eyebrows rise up in surprise. Jojo wants to bring him along for an outing? On her own volition? Surely not.
“Did Lord Joestar ask this of you?”
“Nope, but I’ve already asked for his permission. Father says you can come if you want to,”
The young man crosses his arms. What was Jonalynn planning here? “Then in that case, I don’t want to,”
Jonalynn frowns. “Awh, come on. Don’t be like that, Dio. Let’s go out together! I’m sure you’re aware of the effects of staying indoors too long,”
“I have horseback riding lessons every Sunday. I go out, plenty ,”
“You know what I mean. Besides, we don’t have any lessons today. It’d be a waste to spend all this free time within manor grounds,” she shakes her head.
Dio begins walking away, having no intention of fulfilling Jonalynn’s request. “Just take one of the servants with you instead, Jojo. I’m busy,”
“Wait!” she grabs his arm. “Please, Dio. Just one hour. Spend time with me for one hour, that’s all I ask,”
Dio stares back at her pleading eyes. What has gotten Jojo acting like this all of the sudden? Could it be thanks to what happened yesterday?
To be fair, that was the first time Dio has acted outwardly upset at her since their big fight back when they were twelve. Ever since then, they’ve been more or less getting along. Has she really fallen for his friendly act after all that he’s done to her?
Perhaps, this was Jonalynn’s attempt at apologising.
He supposes cozying up closer to the girl would help in his plan of stealing the Joestar fortune. He shouldn’t let this opportunity go to waste.
“Fine. I’ll come with you. But only for one hour, and that includes the time it takes for us to get to town, understood? You also owe me two now,”
At his reluctant acceptance to her invitation, Jonalynn’s face brightens up. “Understood! That won’t be a problem,”
She then slides her hand down Dio’s arm to grab his wrist and begins dragging him with her. “Well, then. Let's get going!”
He lets her do as she pleases, pulling out a pocket watch with his free hand and reading it. “One hour starts now, by the way,”
“Ack! That’s unfair! Walk faster then, Dio!”
The town was bustling with people, which was to be expected.
After Jonalynn was done bidding their coachman goodbye, she joined Dio by his side. “See why I wanted to come so badly today? There’s an entire festival going on!” she beams.
“You better not spend all your allowance on something trivial, Jojo. Lord Joestar will nag your ear off again if you do,” he advises, fiddling with the coin pouch one of the servants had fetched for him and Jonalynn each before they left.
“Hmph, I know that. You don’t need to act all ‘big brother’ on me,”
Jonalynn’s words come as a surprise to Dio. He didn’t realise what he said resembled such a thing. Nevertheless, he doubles down because Dio refuses to renounce his words for Jojo of all people. “Then stop acting like you’re in need of one,” he rolls his eyes, walking away to leave Jonalynn trailing behind him. “Hurry up and get what you want. You only have about half an hour left,”
Dio stuffs his coin pouch into his pocket, observing the scenery around him. It’s been a while since he’s visited town and mingled with the ordinary folk, everything looked so foreign. But then again, this area still felt foreign to him even back then.
After all, he was from the slums. The ugly part of town.
“Oh, my! It's Lord Joestar’s son!” a voice excitedly shrills, followed by a chorus of ‘Ooohs’ and ‘Aaahs’.
Quickly Dio whips his attention toward the onlookers. There, he sees them admiring him from the sidelines. Having gone through a situation like this a million times now, Dio effortlessly switches to a more charming persona.
“Hello, there,” he greets them, giving the admirers a dashing smile.
They all scramble to greet him back, talking over each other at once. Dio holds that fake expression as he patiently waits for them to just shut their mouths already. Though he enjoyed the overt amount of adulation he got due to the reputation he’s built for himself, it was something that was easy to get tired of by how often he was given it.
Seriously, Dio could spit on their shoes and these townsfolk would probably organise a yearly celebration out of it.
“Ah, there you are!” he hears Jonalynn shout from behind him.
“Don’t just walk off like that,” she complains, catching up to his side.
In contrast to the excitement and thrill Dio was welcomed with before, the group of onlookers had only curio to give to Jonalynn. This doesn’t surprise the young man, it’s no secret that he was generally more well-liked by others in comparison to the girl. As far as they knew, he was the textbook definition of a perfect noble son, his only flaw being he wasn’t one by birth.
“Look, it’s Lady Jonalynn,” one of the folks whispered.
“This is my first time seeing her in person. She’s just as the rumours say… how unladylike,”
Dio holds his tongue. Frankly, it’s understandable why they would say that. Unlike Dio, Jonalynn shamelessly strays from the expectancies bestowed upon women of her status. Including just now, when she spoke in a loud voice while jogging to his side. Which were obviously two big no-no’s as both actions are seen as unflattering on women. Even Dio knew that.
In his opinion, Jonalynn had it coming. This sort of negative opinion on her character was to be expected given how the girl insisted on clinging to her socially distasteful ways.
When Dio looks over at her to gouge the girl’s reaction, he is surprised to see her completely unbothered by their gossiping.
Jonalynn turns to him, acting like the onlookers didn’t even exist. “I want to take you somewhere. Come follow me,”. Once again, Jonalynn grabs his wrist to ensure he won’t get lost as she leads the way. Except this time, an idea pops into his head and instead of letting it happen, Dio stops her.
If they were alone, he would’ve just yanked himself out of her grasp. But since people were watching, he needed to maintain his image of a gentleman. So instead of doing that, he places a hand over the one holding his wrist. “Wait, Jojo. Give me a moment,” he whispers.
Although confused, Jonalynn respects his wishes and pulls her hand away. Dio then turns to his group of admirers.
“All of you, apologise to Lady Joestar,” he sternly orders with a cold expression, causing the folks to jump in surprise.
They stammer. “Wuh– But why? We didn’t do nothin’!”
“All of you dared to speak ill of a young lady to her face; moreover, a noble one. Such behaviour is unacceptable. Viscount George Joestar does not tolerate those who slander his beloved daughter,”
The man who called Jonalynn unladylike earlier frowns. “But I–! We—”
“Enough, Richard. Please forgive my son’s behaviour, young Lord Joestar. He’s a real brat,” the woman beside him bows.
“Again, I’m not the one you should be apologising to.”
Dio watches as the woman gives his son a nasty glare, to which seemingly causes the son to concede out of fear. He takes his hat off and bows at Jonalynn. “I am terribly sorry, Lady Joestar. I…” he goes on.
Looking at Jonalynn’s expression, Dio could tell she was uncomfortable with the formal apology. Making him have to fight back the smirk threatening to tug at his lips.
Once the man was done with his apology, Jonalynn awkwardly nodded her head. “Uhm, yeah. Thanks,”
Seriously? She doesn’t have anything better to say?
Giving the girl a forced smile, he offered her his arm while he spoke to the onlookers. “We’ll get going now. I hope there won’t be any hard feelings from this. As a son and brother, you all understand why I couldn’t just act like I didn’t hear anything, right?” he says, pretending to be apologetic.
Jonalynn, who was being surprisingly sensible, accepts Dio’s arm without a fight.
“O-of course, young Lord Joestar. We completely understand! Haa, what a doting brother you are,” the older woman coos. In return, Dio provides the group with another fanservice worthy smile before swiftly making his exit with Jonalynn.
Once he was sure they were out of earshot, he clicked his tongue at the teen girl. “Now you owe me three,”
“Gah! It’s not like I asked you to do that,” she defends. “I bet you’re just trying to waste time, right?”
Dio doesn’t confirm nor deny her accusation, it was right after all. Besides, if he didn’t say anything, some of the people in that group would’ve thought less of him for not standing up for his ‘sister’. All his actions are for his own benefit, nothing else.
Jonalynn slides their linked arms apart. “Hm, the store I’m looking for should just be around the corner…” she trails off before pointing toward the distance. “Aha! There it is!”
Before the young man could take a good look at what she was pointing at, Jonalynn eagerly pulled him forward by the wrist.
He holds back the urge to shout profanities.
Once they entered through the doors, it was clear to Dio where they were. It was a jewellery store. “Jojo, why did you bring me here?” he asks, feeling suspicious.
Jonalynn shrugs. “What you said about men and women’s rings really had me thinking. So I wanted your opinion on what sort of jewellery I should get myself,”
Dio's eyes widened. What the? Does she think he’s some sort of expert when it comes to these things? No! Why would he?! He’s a man, he’s not interested in such superficial things like jewellery and fashion and… stuff. Definitely not!!
Trying his best not to lose his temper, Dio clenches his jaw. “... And what made you think I would be good at this job?”
“Well, you’re the flawless , all- perfect , all- superb Dio Joestar, aren’t you?” teases Jonalynn.
The young man feels his eye twitch at this. If it weren’t for the store clerk approaching them, he thinks he would’ve yanked Jojo by the collar and bit her head off.
“Oh, my heavens! It’s the Joestar children! I- I welcome!!” the woman stammers. “To what or whom do I owe my thanks for your visit to this humble shop?”
“Good evening, ma’am,” Jonalynn lightly nods her head. “Please don’t mind us. My brother and I wish to look around,”
“Ah, is that so?” she panickedly darts her eyes between the two children. “If that is the case then I shall leave you two be. I-If any of you both have inquiries about our products, please do not be afraid to call over the staff!”
The girl smiles. “I see, thank you!”
“Yes, thank you for the hospitality,”
The woman flinches hearing Dio speak to her. Ahh! What an honour!
As the store clerk walks away (while trembling in happiness), Dio side-eyes Jonalynn. He notes that before they were interrupted, she had called him Dio Joestar .
Thanks to this, he now understands what she’s expecting out of him. This makes things way easier in deciding how to behave.
Today, Jonalynn Joestar wanted Dio Joestar’s company. So that’s exactly what he’ll give her.