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A pattern provides a sense of familiarity. Its repetition, its recurrence meant predictability. And one could plan for what was predictable. The challenge, however, always started with finding that pattern in the first place. Find the pattern. Find the familiar. Find the solution. It’s how Star Platinum’s user approached most battles. Once his user surmised his opponent’s pattern, it was only a matter of time before he ordered Star Platinum to break it. And Star Platinum very much enjoyed breaking things. It made his user very happy, especially, if what Star broke was an enemy Stand user’s nose.
But Star Platinum’s user also enjoyed when Star didn’t break things, but learned things by memorizing the patterns all around him. For example, his user Jotaro Kujo went to a place called high school almost every day. Not because his user loved it, but because it was a responsibility; one that had seemed to grow on his user after their journey to Egypt had ended. Jotaro thrived in many of his classes, but he did not appear to relish his math courses. In fact, he would have fared far worse in his endeavors if Star Platinum hadn’t helpfully memorized every single one of the mathematical formulas in Jotaro’s textbook and happily projected them into his user’s mind during his exams.
Jotaro had been very happy with him then, and Star Platinum liked making his user happy. It’s why he did his best to observe as much as he could. To find all the patterns and give them to Jotaro. It was something they had in common; that love for familiarity.
That’s why Star Platinum was very confused one Sunday morning when Jotaro did not sleep in, as was his usual pattern, but woke early to shower and carefully pick out the clothes he would wear for the day.
Star Platinum had stayed for a time at the back of Jotaro’s mind, watching through his user’s eyes as he stood in front of a wall length mirror and tried on two different shirts and, at one point, attempted to wrangle a navy blue tie around his neck. The tie must not have been desirable because seconds later Jotaro had wrenched it off and tossed it on top of his dresser with an exasperated ‘good grief.’
Not liking the break in routine and the stress his user appeared to be under, Star Platinum materialized behind Jotaro.
“What do you want?” Jotaro said as greeting. Star Platinum hovered over to the dresser and picked up the tie. He examined its pattern: light blue zigzag, dark blue zigzag, white zigzag; repeat. It reminded Star Platinum of the ocean. Behind him, Jotaro scoffed, “You want to wear it?”
Star Platinum dropped the tie and moved back to Jotaro. There wasn’t any danger that Star could detect, but for some reason Jotaro’s heart beat too quickly, and he seemed on edge – nervous, more than scared. Not sure what else to do, Star lowered his head until he was resting his forehead against Jotaro’s, a rare gesture of affection that his user had only recently begun to allow. Jotaro was taller than most Stand users Star had encountered, but he still far surpassed his own user in size and therefore had to hunch his shoulders to properly reach him.
“Tch.” Jotaro stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. “It shouldn’t be this freakin’ hard,” he mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning a little more into Star Platinum.
Unbidden, Star began to catch words like ‘date’ and ‘Kakyoin’ from his user’s mind. He also felt a not unpleasant warmth in his chest, something he knew Jotaro must be feeling too. Taking a moment to dwell on this new information, Star Platinum searched his own mind for images he’d seen on the television concerning the word ‘date’ and produced several scenes of attractive men and women holding hands and embracing by candlelight.
“Stop that,” Jotaro demanded, moving away.
Star tilted his head, confused. He thought that that information would have been helpful.
“It’s not,” said Jotaro. He was back at his dresser, digging around for another shirt. “If you want to be helpful, find me something to wear.”
He could do that. Star was beside Jotaro’s dresser in an instant – quite literally – and began scrounging through the shirts, throwing things out of his way as he did so. Jotaro stood back, watching with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Eventually, Star found a cotton t-shirt that was a light purple in color. It was simple and familiar, something Star knew Jotaro would find comfort in. Also the color matched Star Platinum’s own skin tone which was why it had caught his eye in the first place.
He held the shirt out to Jotaro. Jotaro raised an eyebrow.
Star and Jotaro would match.
“Fine,” Jotaro huffed, but a small smile crept into place as he tugged the shirt over his head.
As far back as Hierophant Green could recall, his user had always allowed him a great amount of independence to satiate his curiosity. The world was vast and occupied by many strange things that Hierophant had a knack for exploring given his ability to unwind and shrink his own body; whether it was crawling deep inside a VCR to see how it had been constructed or digging his tentacles into the motor and battery of a idling car to see what made it run. He’d rifled through stacks of books in the neighbors’ personal libraries, slinked his way through an air conditioning system, and spent hours exploring the underside of houses in the area to see what made their foundations sound. And with each exploration, Hierophant Green brought back information for his user Noriaki Kakyoin to file away in the back of his mind in case it should ever become relevant.
Similar to Hierophant, Noriaki also preferred his own sense of independence. That was why he did not ask his Stand for any help as he donned and adjusted the spinal brace the Speedwagon Foundation had supplied him. Created to supplement the myriad of reconstructive surgeries the Foundation's medical team had provided, the brace supported Noriaki where his abdominal and back muscles could not, both having been severely maimed during the final battle in Egypt against the Stand user once known as DIO.
Just thinking the name made Hierophant bristle with anger.
Don’t be like that, Noriaki sighed as he finished latching the last of the fasteners on the brace. Today’s not for thinking about things like that.
Hierophant ducked his head as if to say, ‘my apologies.’
It’s okay. Hand me my shirt, please. While Noriaki had insisted on handling the brace himself, he had made Hierophant Green, looking like some overly elaborate clothes hanger, hold on to the shirt and sweater he had chosen to wear for today’s excursion.
It’ll be nice to see him again, Noriaki thought as he buttoned up his white shirt, slowing hiding the brace and the nasty stomach scar that was barely hidden by the device. I was getting really sick of rehab.
‘Yes. I look forward to it as well.’ And Hierophant meant it. Jotaro Kujo made his user very happy. It also helped that the other young man was clever and powerful enough to be worthy of his Noriaki’s time and respect. Star Platinum was also not unlikable, despite being only a recently developed Stand and, therefore, lacking in any finesse and verbal articulation. The Stand was not unlike its user when it came to that particular habit. Jotaro Kujo was a man of few words, but Noriaki seemed to enjoy being the one to fill that empty space with conversation.
After pulling on his sweater, Noriaki spent several minutes fussing over his hair, trying to get his asymmetrical bangs to cooperate. Hierophant Green hung at his side watching, amused.
‘Such careful planning.’
Dates are important.
‘Then, I will be happy to experience it firsthand with you.’
Noriaki laughed. Good. You can take notes, and let me know how I did once it’s all over.
Hierophant could tell Noriaki was joking, but some feelings of anxiety did manage to make their way from user to Stand. Why Noriaki was so nervous about a date when it paled in comparison to nearly dying at the hands of a deranged vampire not more than a year ago, Hierophant couldn’t fully comprehend. Then again Jotaro Kujo had been the man to defeat said vampire, so perhaps that had something to do with it?
Hand me my cane, please. Noriaki extended his hand. Hierophant obliged. It was a nondescript walking cane made of a solid wood with a stylized, T-shaped handle. While the Speedwagon Foundation’s rehabilitation program had allowed Noriaki to get back on his feet and walk again after such a severe injury, he still moved with a slow gait and experienced frequent bouts of chronic pain. The cane helped alleviate some of that burden.
Hierophant Green placed the cane in his user’s hand, but not before wrapping one of his tentacles around the entire thing, giving it a faint green glow only visible to Stand users. He did this every time Noriaki went out with the cane; it was a way to ensure it would not slip even on the most precarious of surfaces. It was the most Noriaki would allow him to do since he insisted on getting around unaided as much as possible.
Well, let’s go.
Star Platinum noted that the café Jotaro took them to had exactly twelve tables inside and three tables outside; eight of the tables inside sported four chairs while four tables only had two; each chair had four vertical rungs on its back. All of these chairs were made of wood with metal legs that curled and scraped upon the floor when pushed and pulled about by café patrons. Almost all the tables were occupied already with diners.
“Good grief,” Jotaro growled as he too took in the size of the lunch hour crowd. There was already a line forming for those wanting to be seated. Star Platinum hovered towards a table with only three occupants and was just thinking about stealing the vacant chair for his user to sit upon when Jotaro hissed a loud no in his mind.
“Why are you even out? There’s no one to fight,” Jotaro scolded when Star Platinum returned to his side.
Star Platinum frowned. His user often said things, but did or felt the opposite. Right now, for example, Jotaro’s entire body was tense as if he were ready for a fight. His eyes roamed about the crowd as if expecting something to jump out at him at any moment; he kept his shoulders hunched and had, without realizing, backed himself into a corner as if to make sure no one could sneak up on him. His face, however, remained passive and unemotional.
“Ah, there you are, Jojo!” came a familiar voice. Star Platinum felt Jotaro’s heart skip.
Noriaki Kakyoin appeared at Star’s elbow, and Star Platinum immediately noted that Kakyoin wore a baggy sweater with a distinct and vibrant pattern of green squiggles and stripes. He immediately began to count the patterns and memorize them for Jotaro because Jotaro suddenly seemed very much occupied with staring at Kakyoin.
“Stop that!” Jotaro barked from his corner.
“Huh?” Kakyoin said.
“Not you. Him!” Jotaro grunted, pointing at Star. “I told him to go away, but he won’t.”
Kakyoin took off his sunglasses, revealing thin scar lines that crossed from the tips of his eyebrows down to the crests of his cheeks; another injury acquired during his time in Egypt. He smiled up at Star, ignoring Jotaro. “Did you miss me?”
Star nodded. He lowered his head and allowed Kakyoin to give him a friendly pat. Star had watched Kakyoin pat Hierophant Green on the head so often that every time he’d gotten a chance to see Kakyoin – in a non-combative environment, of course – he had asked for head pats too. Jotaro wouldn’t give him head pats, but Jotaro liked having Kakyoin around him so much that it hadn’t really mattered.
“You look…nice,” Jotaro was saying to Kakyoin. Star Platinum agreed. Patterned clothing was always the most fun to look at, and Kakyoin’s green sweater had Star’s undivided attention for quite some time. Star had also already registered Kakyoin’s strange walking cane which glowed faintly green and sported a familiar emerald and white webbed design. So, that’s where Hierophant Green was hiding today.
“You do too,” Kakyoin said, nodding to Jotaro’s casual t-shirt and black denim jacket. Jotaro had also insisted on wearing his scruffy old school cap. “I feel I may have overdressed, huh?” Jotaro shook his head quickly.
Both Kakyoin’s and Jotaro’s cheeks looked flush. The temperature seemed fairly mild in the café, Star Platinum thought; he was unsure of why the two users appeared warmer than normal.
“I forgot it gets crowded during lunchtime.”
“It’s alright.”
“Can – can you manage to get around? It’s so damn crowded in here.”
“I’m fine.” Kakyoin’s words came out tersely. The green light from his cane pulsed once.
Jotaro said no more.
However, after waiting in line for almost twenty minutes, Star Platinum became aware of a few important developments: one, Jotaro’s temper had risen with the higher level of noise now floating through the small, cramped café; two, as the wait grew longer, Kakyoin leaned more and more heavily upon his cane and perspiration collected noticeably at his brow; and, three, a lone tentacle unwound itself surreptitiously from Kakyoin’s cane and crept its way around Star’s forearm.
Star stared at the tentacle.
‘Tell your user to get Noriaki a chair. He will not ask for one himself.’
Whether or not it was normal for Stands to speak to one another without their users as filters, Star Platinum did not know. It was something that had just naturally developed between him and Hierophant Green as Jotaro and Kakyoin’s relationship grew. In fact, it was no longer rare for the two of them to speak to one another without their users’ knowledge. Additionally, Star found Hierophant endlessly fascinating because his green skin constantly moved, like sunlight filtering through waves and spreading along the shallows of the ocean’s floor. Hierophant Green had no set pattern – or at least one that remained for very long – and Star enjoyed the challenge of trying to remember it despite that fact.
As quickly as he had appeared, Hierophant Green retreated back to Kakyoin’s cane. Star projected the other Stand’s request into Jotaro’s mind and watched as his user jolted out of his own irritated thoughts to study his companion.
“Kakyoin, you okay?” Jotaro asked. He raised a hand as if he was going to grab Kakyoin’s elbow, but thought better on it and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets.
“Yes, of course.”
Jotaro looked Kakyoin up and down once and without another word stomped over to the table Star Platinum had tried to steal a chair from earlier. Jotaro didn’t acknowledge the other café patrons sitting there, but just grabbed the vacant chair from their table and hauled it back to where Kakyoin waited in line. A frazzled waiter appeared to reprimand Jotaro, and ask that he return the chair to its rightful place, but one look from Jotaro sent the man scurrying back to the café’s kitchen within seconds.
“What are you doing?” Kakyoin hissed.
Jotaro set the chair down next to the wall, out of the way of the queue. “Sit,” he said. His tone left little for argument.
“Fine, if it will make you happy.”
“It will.”
The rest of their time in the café went by quickly. As if the staff wanted Jotaro out of the place as soon as possible, he and Kakyoin were suddenly jumped up the line and seated. Star Platinum retreated into the back of Jotaro’s mind now satisfied that his careful observations of the café's occupants and surroundings had, like always, provided the solution his user had needed.
After their lunch at the café, Jotaro, still appearing concerned for his companion’s health, began to suggest the two retire early for the day only to be immediately cutoff by Noriaki insisting instead that the two hail down a cab and head over to the local art museum.
“I haven’t been there in ages!” Noriaki had exclaimed as he grabbed his cane and got to his feet; leaving poor Jotaro little room to protest.
Now, the art museum is a perfectly reasonable location for a date, but Hierophant Green knew Noriaki’s ulterior motives for choosing that particular venue. The museum in question was large with four floors and expansive halls. It also conveniently placed a multitude of ornate benches throughout the museum's long hallways to allow guests the opportunity to sit and admire the artwork at their leisure. It would be very easy for Noriaki to hide his fatigue by claiming he only wanted to stop at one of the benches in order to more thoroughly examine the art at hand. In fact, Noriaki tasked Hierophant with sending out his tentacles and discreetly locating the exact location of each and every bench in question so that his user could plan accordingly.
Hierophant could tell that Jotaro was not fooled by his user’s ruse, but the young man kept quiet as was his habit. Instead, he followed Noriaki’s lead; alternating between walking with deliberately measured steps to match his date’s smaller strides, and sitting with unwavering patience as Noriaki pretended to read an artwork’s informational placard at an excruciatingly slow speed. Eventually, Noriaki asked Hierophant Green to explore the farthest reaches of the museum to find a spot quiet enough for him and Jotaro to rest; a place, preferably, where the two of them could be alone. Hierophant was more than happy to oblige.
What Hierophant Green found was a small, secluded cross-section of hallways that felt more like an alcove than an atrium due to its narrow diameter. It was situated in a less popular part of the museum where some renovations were underway. In the small atrium, a modern art mural hung on the north wall. To the south, east, and west, arched openings led off into long halls that took patrons to various parts of the museum. Beneath the mural was a fountain with its semi-circle pool built into the wall. In the middle of the fountain, a raised pedestal featured a sculpture made to mimic the artwork of the mural above with various angles, curls, and geometric shapes.
Noriaki sat down on the wide ledge that wrapped around the fountain’s pool. Jotaro took a seat next to him. Across from them, a small family shepherded their children through the south archway, leaving the atrium empty except for the two teenagers.
“We’re alone,” Noriaki said thoughtfully. His fingers were already entwined with Jotaro’s.
“Looks like it,” Jotaro agreed not looking anywhere else, but at Noriaki.
Hierophant felt himself being prodded mentally by his user yet again. Keep watch, please.
With a movement that was as natural as breathing, Hierophant unraveled his body, sending tendrils off into a myriad of directions until the floor inside the small atrium was crisscrossed with an entire web of iridescent green. He stretched out further, extending his surveillance out into the three hallways so that he could alert Noriaki should anyone approach.
Now with his body more or less completely unraveled in this manner, Hierophant Green became fully aware of every inch of his surroundings; from a fly buzzing near the south archway, to the crack in the linoleum floor roughly 150 centimeters to the left of the fountain, to the shuffling feet of a senior tour group making their way towards the museum’s gift shop. And while he was keenly focused on what happened at the farthest reaches of his web, he was not completely unaware of what was happening at its center.
Still perched upon the water fountain’s ledge, Noriaki and Jotaro had embraced. It was tentative at first, with both acting shy and nervous and unpracticed. Noriaki’s recovery after Egypt had been a long one, after all; and while Jotaro’s vigilance at Noriaki’s hospital bedside (when allowed by Noriaki's parents) had been unwavering, the two had not really allowed themselves the kind of closeness they took advantage of now.
Yet, the longer the two embraced the more that shyness melted away, and soon familiar movements first born during those long nights spent together in shared hotel rooms of forgotten desert towns took their place. Noriaki’s long, thin fingers gripped at the back of Jotaro’s denim jacket as Jotaro’s own hands found their place around Noriaki’s waist, cradling gently; for it was clear by his hesitation that his fingertips felt the medical brace beneath despite the bulkiness of Noriaki’s sweater.
Neither Noriaki nor Jotaro appeared aware of Hierophant Green’s expansive presence around them during their intimate moment. It was a strange sensation; being present while his Stand user was occupied in such a manner. There were no enemies to fight, no life or death mysteries to solve; yet, Noriaki’s heartrate echoed in Hierophant Green’s mind. But the warmth that spread forth from his user to his own heart was not forged by adrenaline or fear, but by the overwhelming sense of being known and feeling loved despite it.
For a long time, Hierophant had not understood the gnawing loneliness his Noriaki had felt growing up. Why should he be lonely when Hierophant was right there, always beside him? But as Noriaki had grown, so too had Hierophant; and Hierophant Green had learned that humans craved the company of one another, whether they admitted it to themselves or not. But there was always a distance between Noriaki and the other people in his life, from his parents who indulged in his imaginary friend until the passing years made it no longer appropriate to do so, to the many nameless school acquaintances he met that remained just that, no matter how long Noriaki had known them. Forever observant and intelligent from a very young age, Noriaki had recognized that he would never truly form a real connection with another person unless they were able to see him in his entirety – with his Stand forever proudly at his side.
But now….
“Sorry!” Hierophant heard Noriaki gasp, followed by Jotaro’s trademark, “Good grief.” It appeared that in their haste to deepen their kiss, Noriaki had knocked Jotaro’s hat off which now floated serenely away from them in the fountain’s bubbling pool.
Jotaro took one look at the hat and wordlessly summoned Star Platinum to retrieve it.
“It’s fine,” said Jotaro as Star Platinum wrung out the dripping hat between his large hands. When he attempted to place the wet hat back on Jotaro’s head, however, Jotaro swatted him away with a growl of, “It’s still wet.”
Star Platinum looked at the hat and then back to Jotaro, confused.
To be helpful, Hierophant wrapped one tentacle around Star’s foot and passed along a simple message of ‘let it dry.’ Star apparently understood, but instead of setting the hat down on the fountain’s ledge, he promptly placed it on his own head as if that were a perfectly reasonable place to dry out a hat. He then proceeded to examine the mimicked patterns in both the mural above and the fountain below. Eventually, Star’s attention turned to the webbing of Hierophant Green’s tentacles spreading out across the floor, their color forever changing and shifting.
Noriaki started to laugh.
“Good grief….”
“No, no, I think it’s a good look for him,” Noriaki said between hiccups of laughter. He then grimaced and wrapped his arms around his stomach. “Ah – I shouldn’t laugh too hard.”
“Does it hurt?” said Jotaro. In an instant Star Platinum was back at his side and alert. Without his hat to hide his face, it was far easier to read the uncertainty in Jotaro’s intense gaze. Behind him, Star looked on with just as much concern.
“Calm down, Jojo. It’s not that bad. I just need to be more careful, that’s all….”
Instinctively, Hierophant retracted some of his tentacles to reform his body; once his upper half solidified, he wrapped his user in a hug from behind.
“I’m okay,” said Noriaki patting his Stand’s head. “Don't worry.” With his other hand, Noriaki reached out and entwined his fingers once more with Jotaro’s. “I really mean it – I’m fine now.”
Star Platinum didn’t often explore the underside of the Kujo house, but the more he found himself in the company of Hierophant Green, the more he found himself trying new things and exploring new and unfamiliar places. As evening began to set in, Jotaro and Kakyoin had moved to sit out on the raised porch while Star Platinum and Hierophant Green rested below it. Star decided that he liked the underside of the porch because he could now count the patterns of whorls and knots littered on the planks of wood above his head.
Star felt Hierophant Green wrap a hand around his wrist. Above, Star knew Kakyoin likely had taken Jotaro’s hand in his own. The wood creaked as the two Stand users moved closer together. The warmth in Star’s chest told him that Jotaro very much liked that closeness.
Star went back to counting his patterns.
‘Why do you do that?’ The question touched at Star’s mind, gently. Hierophant Green still held his wrist, turning genuinely curious yellow eyes upon him. Star provided his simple answer that his user liked his pattern counting.
‘Does he?’
Star nodded.
‘What use is it to him?’
Sometimes the patterns were useful, sometimes not, and that was okay, Star Platinum explained. Sometimes just having them there was good for Jotaro and Star. And patterns weren’t always the designs on clothing or the number of chairs in a café or the very lovely geometric shapes on a wall mural. Sometimes the patterns were actions, like how Jotaro liked to put on his socks or wear his hat a certain way. Star predicted that with Kakyoin back for good, Jotaro would develop many new patterns as he saw the other Stand user on a much more frequent basis, taking him to lots more museums and cafés and festivals and a number of other places where the two could spend hours together. New patterns Star looked forward to, especially, if it meant more exploring with Hierophant.
Hierophant Green seemed to reflect on that. The longer he seemed to think on Star’s answer the deeper the shade of green he glowed. Star wondered if that indicated that Hierophant and Kakyoin were sharing a similar warmth to him and Jotaro.
Finally, Hierophant turned his gaze back on Star, and said, ‘I too look forward to exploring these patterns with you. That would make me very happy.’