MAGO - Stardust Crusaders X OC

Chapter Twelve: Monday, December 12 + Tuesday, December 13

The rest of the journey to Calcutta passed easily. There were no problems to speak of. Just peace. There was something nice about that, actually. No arguments, no enemy Stand users, no stupid shenanigans that meant they had to pay extra. Nothing at all. The last couple of days were just... nice.

Eventually, the boat approached the dock at Calcutta, and the group had assembled in the dimly-lit hallway. In order to remain inconspicuous, it was necessary that they didn't always take the most high-end transports. Along with that, often enough, the fastest choice was the cheaper one. It wasn't so bad. The quicker they got to Egypt, the better.

"Tokyo. Hong Kong. Singapore," Mr Joestar remarked, as the boat drew ever closer to its destination. "So, the Indian leg of our journey is finally upon us."

He scratched at his beard and frowned. "But... Well, I'm a little worried. I mean, is there anywhere to get a cheeseburger there? I've always heard India was the land of curry, disease, and too many people."

Even with that unflattering assumption, Sana was intrigued. It sounded so different to Japan. Yes, Japan could be crowded, and it wasn't like the food couldn't be spicy, and people couldn't get sick, but...

Sana had always convinced herself that she would detest travelling, that she'd hate seeing new things. Doing the very thing she swore she'd loathe was giving her time to think about it, and the truth was that Sana was only doing that to convince herself she wasn't missing out, and maybe because she didn't want to let go of the good she had. But the truth was, broadening your horizons was fun and interesting and Sana absolutely loved it. She didn't know why she hadn't been so open-minded before.

"I know. I'm worried my stomach won't be able to handle the culture gap," Polnareff said, nervously shouldering his bag.

Mr Avdol only laughed. "That assessment is rather distorted. You needn't worry. It's a country of extraordinary people. I assure you that, my friends." He smiled, and his eyes were warm. Sana trusted his opinion. He'd been here before, Sana assumed. It seemed that everyone had been travelling, everyone but her.

The boat was moored with a slight jolt, and Mr Avdol opened the door, letting bright sunlight and intense heat into the cold, damp hallway. "Well, we've reached Calcutta. Let's get going."

And so, spurred on by Mr Avdol's instructions, the group disembarked and gathered their luggage. Mr Avdol led them out of the busy port and to the street.

It was, to put it simply, an assault on the senses. Strange, delicious scents that Sana had never smelled before approached from all directions, much like the people. They were everywhere, up in your face, in your peripheral vision, jostling you as they tried to get past. Sana had never seen anything like it, and the heat baked down on her, and she suddenly regretted wearing her school uniform and not something breezier. People were yelling things everywhere, trying to sell her things, or maybe it wasn't her they wanted, she didn't know. It was just tides of people, waves and waves, and Sana could barely tread water.

And to be honest? She kind of liked it. This was a novelty. There was so much going on that Sana had no idea where to look and what to think. It was so much. Too much, maybe. She didn't know. She didn't know anything, she was in a strange country with people she mostly hadn't known for very long at all - and it was oddly freeing. Sana had never felt anything like this before, and she never would again, any time or any place else, she was sure. Even going to Tokyo wouldn't do this to her. It hadn't, anyway, when they'd gone to the airport. But this?

A familiar voice prompted Sana to turn around, back to the group, away from the sea of unfamiliar faces, back to what she knew. It was Mr Joestar. "Avdol! So, this is India?"