Turbinio

Hamamelis and Basil

Cadichon was not just a pack mule. It's safe to say that you only got this far because of her, as she is an excellent tracker of herbs and truffles, much like a dog. Skullcap, marsh herb, arnica, golden-root... Cadichon knows all the herbs as well as you do, but when she finds them, you have to be quick enough to grab the twigs before they are all devoured.

You set off for the finish line three hours ahead of the runners, hoping you would not get left behind in the middle of the fray. You also avoided the main route, taking a shortcut near the rail line and avoiding leaving the forest as much as possible. Taking it easy, you were very close to the church. Your wagon was full of products, but much of its structure was made of bamboo and well-camouflaged straws, making it light enough for Cadichon to accelerate when needed. And this was a good time to do it.

You forgot it was a race. What took you three hours to cross would take runners less than forty minutes. You could already hear the sound of heavy trotters from a distance, although there weren't many.

"What? Shit! Fucking shit! I'm out of the way, who's the idiot who got out of the route?"

Well, you did not expect dozens of idiots to get out of the way, but luckily they weren't next to you. In the distance, you recognized some famous runners who graced the front pages of newspapers, but nothing like the weirdo you had seen on the beach.

You jiggled the reins, trotting faster and faster. The wagon rocked and you could hear the faint clink of a few glasses and the rattle of wind chimes. The goods were safe for sure. You had checked two or three times before you left. You just had to get there before most of the runners.

After a few stumbles and a few drops of sweat on Cadichon's neck, you were right at the finish line. Of course, you didn't want to cross the main road, so you just mingled with the crowd of fans and found a good place to park your wagon. You had heard about free food and drinks for the runners, and with any luck, you could try to sneak in. But for the moment, you preferred to bask in the satisfaction of having beaten the winner of the first stage. Frankly, you didn't care who won and weren't even interested in watching the race. You had other plans and were fully focused on them.

You watched the crowd and recognized some Uruguay and El Salvador flags. The whole world really was in this race.

"Gyro Zeppeli took first place!" Shouted the announcer over the crowd. "An incredible victory by 5 meters! The winner of the first stage is Gyro Zeppeli! This is the birth of the leader of the Steel Ball Run!"

You didn't see the announcement and barely heard it. The crowd shouted at the top of their lungs and the flags flew wildly. You were far enough away from the hustle that in a few steps you could see the other runners crossing the finish line. With obvious effort, you pulled on Cadichon's reins to lead the wagon to the runners' rest area. It was crowded with people and the vast majority wore expressions of frustration. Except for a single grinning fool who was feasting on large sips of water as he caress his horse. You recognized those clothes and sweaty hair from afar. Was this madman the winner? Gyro Zeppeli?

That was the moment they were preparing for another announcement.

"After careful consideration, Gyro Zeppeli would take first place." Said the announcer. "As reported by the judge on the balloon, Gyro Zeppeli interfered in the race with some kind of weapon."

Everyone fell silent and listened intently, including Gyro, who seemed paralyzed. You looked up and searched for the announcer, surprised by the turn of events.

"Gyro Zeppeli has been demoted twenty places as a penalty! Ranking up, first place goes to Sandman!"

You suppressed a laugh and felt sorry for the man. You looked at him from a distance. His fists clenched tightly, sweat drying, and his cheeks flushed and sunburned. You can notice his fully gold teeth bared in an angry grimace. Next to him, to your surprise, was the wheelchair boy, riding a horse. Had not they been fighting? You noticed his blue clothes and his hat covered with stars. He looked quite young. This was confusing, but what caught your attention the most was a trickle of blood dripping from the boy's head. He was injured and it was a good hour to put up your store signs offering medical help.

You quickly did it. You took down your little tents and put up your signs that also announced services as a palm reader and prophetess. You didn't particularly believe in these things as much as your clients did. You didn't believe you were very good at those things either, but at least it was an extra profit. You turned your attention back to your drinks and condiments until be interrupted by some screams. A crowd of posh people scattered frantically fleeing from several exploding champagne bottles. Some corks were thrown so violently that they punctured the wood of a water tank and the water spilled out like a huge waterfall.

You saw a figure step calmly out of the confusion. It was Gyro Zeppeli. What kind of person was always in the midst of everything going on there? You looked at him as he holstered his spheres and said something to the boy with a blue hat, who nodded resolutely. You couldn't understand anything, absolutely nothing. You didn't even notice that you were looking at them long enough for the Zeppeli to notice and look at you in amazement.

"Hey, you! I saw you over on the beach!" He pointed at you and the boy next to him immediately looked up.

"She looks familiar to me too, but I'm not sure."

You widened your eyes and kept looking at them, a little scared to see that they were approaching your wagon.

"How did you get here so fast? I just saw you just a few hours ago! Don't tell me you got through all that and get before us with that donkey?"

You heard Cadichon snort and immediately let out a relaxed smile. You were inside the wagon, with only a small improvised balcony separating you from the two idiots, so you leaned against the curves in the wood and let yourself through to the front.

"Good morning for you too, boys. You are Gyro Zeppeli, aren't you? Congratulations on the first place."

"Are you deaf or something? You didn't answer my questions, and I'm not number one anymore." He still looked upset about what happened.

"It may not be first place, but you arrived first. It's not for everyone." You smiled again. "This girl here is not a donkey, she's a mule. I have my shortcuts to get there before you do. You guys seem to need a little help"

The boy quickly touched his temple, felt a sharp pain, and saw his fingers come back bloody.

"My name is Johnny Joestar and you already know Gyro. Who are you? What is all this stuff?"

"Nice to meet you, Johnny, you can call me (Y/N). I'm just a hawker, I and my wares have traveled a long way. If you're interested, I can treat your wounds with a small dose of hamamelis."

"Hey Johnny, don't pay any attention to her, these salespeople are all charlatans! I was just curious that she got here so quickly, that's all. Let's go."

You fell silent, but you couldn't help rolling your eyes while still looking at Johnny. Gyro was as annoying as he seem to be.

"You can leave if you want to, Gyro. I have a terrible headache and the prices seem fair." Replied Johnny, pointing to one of the signs that listed the prices for your services. "But I don't think it will take longer, you can wait a bit, right?"

Gyro grumbled and looked at you with the same disdain. But he just nodded and sat down on one of the chairs you provided for your customers. Johnny did the same, got off the horse, and sat down next to Gyro while he watched you macerate a mixture of leaves and pull out some clumps of cotton. You liked to keep the whole bunches of cotton, removing them only when necessary, the seeds were usually replanted.

They both looked pretty tired and you were glad they were your first real customers. While you were talking about Johnny's head wound, a few other people came by to buy some of your products. You were quick with the sale, but not quick enough for Gyro, who complained about the five-minute delay in taking care of Johnny.
The boy was sweaty and covered in cuts. Apparently, he was also a runner. How had he managed to get on his horse? Was it something about gyro? Anyway, their injuries weren't serious, but the two looked so exhausted that you felt obliged to offer them a glass of water, which they accepted without hesitation.

"Well, thank you, Miss (Y/N)." Said Johnny softly as he handed you the money. "She's really good at this, Gyro. I don't feel anything anymore!"

"Whatever, Johnny, come on. We still have a long way to go"

"Again, it was a pleasure, boys!" You waved and Johnny waved back while Gyro just looked at you. "See you at the finish line of the next stage!"

Gyro shook his head as you gave him a smug smile. You were satisfied, but you still had a lot of work to do, as dozens of people were hit by the mysterious explosion of the champagne bottles.