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[manuscripture]

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[ Somewhere around town-- at the bookstore, the Tomoe-Kaname Bakery, attached to posts and notice boards --you find a small white notecard. On it is printed a little message and some numbers in ornate lettering. If you look closely, it reads the following: ]

Rohan Kishibe, Mangaka & Visual Artist
Owner Pro Tempore of Ebony Threads Tailor Shop
Highly Experienced.
Commissions & Advertising For Hire
Pay Negotiable.
Contact At: 512.66.730.91 for inquiries
Castle Lüvchaque - Directly North of Bavan per appointment ONLY.

(( feel free to use this as an action-based prompt too. any random interactions will MOST LIKELY take place in the form of walk-ins at the tailor shop unless it's pre-planned. just drop a starter in here! ))

Comments

[starmark]

It might be worth a try. I've heard it can backfire, but...

[He pauses, shifting and readjusting some of Rohan's scaly butt for the sake of making himself more comfortable besides.]

...But there's something I've been thinking about. What you guys in the future know about my Star Platinum. That he can stop time for one second.

[...]

That's not what I remember him being able to do. Not what I remember doing, I mean.

[manuscripture]

[ He would cross his ankles if he still had them. So elegant. ]

Hm...? [ He is about to take the file to one of the first unruly claws on his ring finger. ] I think it is possible to advance the abilities of your stand throughout the time you have had it.

You possessed your Star Platinum for a long time. If you had it before you came here, by the time you rolled around to Morioh in my time you had been using it presumably for years.

Like any skill... It must take practice. [ The Hell if he knows why it suddenly stops time. The file begins scratching away casually at the claw. ] That is what I believe.

[starmark]

...That's what I think, too. That's also why I think you have it backwards.

[Sort of absently, he finds a place for one of his clawed hands on Rohan's scales, ignoring his nail-filing in favor of looking at the black and white pattern beneath his own talonlike fingers.]

Star Platinum doesn't stop time for one second. I'm sure I remember stopping it for at least two or three.

I didn't say anything, but I was surprised when you first told me about that in those specifics. You remember it being weaker than it should've been, not stronger.

[manuscripture]

Oh--

I see. [ He shrugs. ] I didn't have that much experience with it. Whatever it could or could not do in comparison to... Whenever is not something I can gauge. [ It's true. He doesn't quite remember. ]

What could it do the last time you used it? Just its... General abilities. [ Jotaro might have noticed that in light of his most recent shed a couple of weeks ago, his scales are sporting a new pattern. More black than white but still peppered with either color on his sides. ] I'm sorry for getting it backward. What I wonder is if it will be able to do anything if it comes back.

[starmark]

It's not something to be sorry about. I let you believe that because it was safer to. Now...things are different.

[What doesn't get said, but is probably there to be read in the implication, is that in the early days, for all his willingness to stick together and work together, trust had been a rare commodity in Jotaro's world even among apparent allies. Star Platinum is his best-kept secret; even to allies he hadn't wanted to give away more than he'd needed to.

Lately he's trying to be okay. Not just surviving. And to remember that he has no greater enemy at this point than himself.]

He's extremely fast, extremely precise. He can copy things he sees into accurate sketch depictions at a high rate of speed. He has enhanced senses — he can see and hear better than an average person. His fists can shatter diamonds. And he's...he protects me. He does what I ask him to do. He caught a bullet I fired point-blank at my temple. He stopped my heart when I needed him to. He's a loyal, versatile Stand.

[...]

But it scares me that he's that similar to the one that was used against me. I know I keep saying that. Maybe if I keep saying it, it'll get easier to deal with.

The last thing I ever would've wanted is to be like him. But maybe that's what I had to be, to stay alive. If it had come down to that...then that's what my Star Platinum would've done. He'd do anything to keep me alive, I'm sure of it. Even that.

[manuscripture]

[ Wooooow... It takes Rohan a few seconds to register and put the information away. That's a whole lot of things for one Stand. It sounds too good to be true but he has seen parts of what it can do. ]

It's a legitimate fear to have. I never said that it wasn't. [ He notes and the over and over filing of his claws starts up again. ] The possibility of it-- [ Er... Jotaro has been using pronouns for it that he doesn't use for his own. Um... ] The possibility of him not having any abilities at all is highly probable. You know that, right?

[ It's only mildly off-topic because if Jotaro gets back on the 'Guy Who Wanted To Kill Him' again, they'll be going in circles. ]

The security of having him around might make you feel better, if nothing else.

[starmark]

There's someone else here who has a Stand and can use it. I got tipped off to it a while back. So there's got to be a way to make it happen. I just have to figure out how.

[He pauses.]

A few seconds would be enough time to get someone out of danger. Harm's way. This gargoyle is already attack-capable enough. But Star...

[And now his gaze flicks away, and he swallows.]

Good, bad, or whatever else, he's mine. So I want him. Maybe that's enough.

[manuscripture]

I haven't had Heaven's Door for long enough to say that I am so attached to it.

[ He has never really considered his Stand to be a sentimental thing. Hm. ]

I don't want to compare it to having a pet if you get him unsealed. But. Who else has a Stand here? [ That's the real question. ]

[starmark]

That guy who goes around signing everything with hearts and calling himself "Michel, baby~!"

[WHAT A HIDEOUS IMPRESSION. NEVER DO THAT AGAIN, JOTARO, THAT WAS HORRIFYING.]

Someone I know was looking into it, but I haven't heard anything else recently.

[manuscripture]

[ OH WHAT THE HELL. The file hops in Rohan's hand, nearly fumbled. ]

HIM?

He was the one who challenged me to a contest of who is the better artist and never pulled through. [ He POINTS AT JOTARO WITH IT AND SHAKES IT. ] He's a coward. I wouldn't believe anything he says.

[starmark]

I don't think he's just full of talk on this one. He described a Stand on his own, without prompting. That's a hell of a thing to just make up — especially if you're not aware you're talking to another Stand user when you're doing it.

[Don't shake that at him. He tips it down with the flat of his fingers, lowering the point by a few inches.]

I'm willing to suspend disbelief. Better to err on the side of caution.

[manuscripture]

[ That file isn't something to be pointing at people, man. It's a no fucking around one made of like actual brick or whatever to keep these stupid overgrown claws at bay. ]

Well, you'll find out when you try. [ Hmph...! ] I do hope you are able to get him back. Star Platinum is more versatile than I thought. Not that I ever doubted it. You're a very capable Stand user where Josuke and I are from.

If I'm recalling correctly, it is you who taught him everything he knows about Crazy Diamond. [ He flicks his wrist to shoo Jotaro's fingers away from the file. He threatens to buff his nails down. ]

[starmark]

[Well, that certainly gets a half-stunned look to flicker across his expression as he processes its ramifications, boy howdy.]

...Me? I taught him something?

[It almost sounds like he's saying, "I taught him anything", with that inflection.]

...Hn. I guess a lot changes in eleven years. Guess I'm used to being the one who needs to be taught, not the other way around.

[manuscripture]

[ Why does he sound so surprised...? ]

You don't get to teach things until you learn.

It's simple, Jotaro. A decade is a long time to be futzing around with a Stand. You learned enough over that period of time to pop up in Morioh and show him the ropes. [ Gross, we don't talk about Josuke in this house.

He splays out his hand in the air to find the next claw to work on. ]

You are highly admired.

[starmark]

By you?

[That wasn't originally what he'd planned to say. Probably, he was going to say something like, I don't feel like somebody to be admired. But that's a song and a dance that he's delivered a lot before, and the fact that even he's realizing it by now is all the more reason to do something about it if he can.]

Do you admire me, Rohan?

[It's not really even about the answer, so much. It's just seeing what he says — and more importantly, how he reacts.]

[manuscripture]

By a few people.

[ He INFORMS him.

Today went from happily discussing setting a wendigo on fire to pushing buttons. That's just the natural progression here on a daily basis. ]

Do I admire you? Back home? [ He squints. Those are two very different answers, maybe. ]

I do. You are a scientist and a capable Stand user. I admire the legitimately intelligent and not the ones who put on airs. [ 'Admire' is a strong word to use on ANYONE with a slew of different meanings. Rohan finds it hard to determine whether he's being teased or if Jotaro is fishing. He'll be bland about it, prompting the yellow in his eye to flicker-- ] Intelligent, mature, and highly-skilled. That's what I admire.

[starmark]

That's interesting. If I didn't know better I'd think you were describing yourself.

[Fact: Jotaro Kujo is entitled to one (1) moment of uncanny smoothness per decade. This is clearly his one moment.]

...Well. At least two of the three, anyway.

[AND THERE IT GOES, NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN.]

[manuscripture]

[ HELLO, JOTARO BEING SMOOTH.

GOODBYE, JOTARO BEING SMOOTH.

It is enough to have Rohan looking impressed and feeling flattered. Wowzers. ]

Which two? [ It is not difficult to buff his claws and keep his eyes on Jotaro's face. The automatic ticking of his gaze to somewhere over his shoulder or at his ear prevents the prolonged eye-contact that might become a problem. It still has an overall target.

His tail on the very other side of the bed on the floor gives an impatient thump which may or may not be voluntary. Precariously balanced where is, Rohan can't be moving around too much. He has a history of falling over. ]

[starmark]

I think "mature" is debatable. But that's just my opinion.

[Let us not forget that this conversation started out with "and then I threaded a guy's tongue out through his throat."]

Intelligent and skilled, though, there's no debating that.

[manuscripture]

You don't think I'm mature?

[ That's the rudest thing. IT IS CORRECT. Rude though. ]

That cuts deep, Jotaro. You've wounded me. [ The lament is clearly sarcastic, pulling up his shoulders and wrinkling his nose. ]

[starmark]

What a mature response.

[YOU ARE LITERALLY PROVING HIS POINT, SNAKEBOI.

Still, he closes his eyes for a moment, focusing carefully, and the heat radiating off of his body increases slowly and very slightly. Evidently someone's been working on his control of his abilities, and learning to do them on a small scale instead of zero to inferno in .002 seconds.]

I'm sure you'll manage to cope somehow.

[manuscripture]

[ For as great as gargoyles are, inferno is not good and he doesn't want to melt. That would be one Hell of a buzzkill. It's almost like they are trying to RELAX. ]

I have been through enough today that I am already half-placated. [ Only half. ] This helps. [ He taps at Jotaro's shoulder with the file. ] You have been practicing controlling your temperature. I won't burn myself again.

[starmark]

I'm sorry you burned yourself the last time. Your hand, right?

[Again, he flicks at the file with the backs of his fingers as if to bat it away — this is almost turning into a game by now, really.]

If it's going to be a part of me, I'm going to have to be able to use it. That's the philosophy I'm trying to go with.

[He pauses.]

Though you'll still have to be careful, probably, around things that nobody could control themselves about. Because I probably won't be able to, either.

[manuscripture]

It isn't your fault. It's not like it was bad. If I didn't have the scales, it would have been a problem. [ If he didn't have scales, he would be cooked more than skin-deep. ]

I'm not reckless, Jotaro. [ His chuff is cold. ] I like to get close to things that are unusual, but I would never do something flat-out dangerous.

Are you worried about me? [ Rohan is taking a tiny break from being uptight to poke and prod at the gargoyle's hands while he teases him halfheartedly. ]

[starmark]

["I would never do something flat-out dangerous", he says, after yanking Mitsuhide's tongue out through his throat. Okay. Yes. That is a statement that was just made, definitely.

Okay, fair enough, that wasn't what he was getting at, technically. But it's still just incongruous enough to be kind of funny.]

Maybe. It might be something like that, sure. Who knows?