[It's slow, and quiet, and careful, but she still glances to Jotaro when Star begins to move, looking for... perhaps not assurance, as the fear of being hurt diminishes into nothingness, but a sign, something to inform her of what's happening, what she should do. That demarcation of me and mine is even less clear from the outside looking in, and it's not as though her own experience with being a Stand user lends her much in the way of assistance in figuring it out.
The nudge at her hand helps a little bit, in that regard. Her first instinct is to pull back and out of the way, but she manages to stop herself before her hand can do more than flick up, away from Star's forehead but still hovering in his hair. It's a strange sensation, just as the cool smoothness of Hierophant's hand had been strange, though in a different way. She watches it for a moment, the way the Stand's hair dances around her fingers as her mind tries to reconcile how incorporeal it looks with how very tangible it feels, before finally lowering her hand.
The rest of her body follows suit, falling into a kneel as she gently pets Star's hair. Her other hand cups his chin, a request for him to lift his head, because she knows she'd never have the strength to force him. If he does, she meets his eyes with an intent gaze, but not a severe one.]
[It's strange. It's really, really strange, watching his mom interact with his Stand like this, because Star is a part of him but he's not and it's like he's on the other side of aquarium glass, peering in and observing this interaction like a third party with no role in it. But that's not quite true, either, because the phantom sensations still make it through to him, too; the whisper of fingers running through his hair, the pressure of a hand beneath his chin — it's there but it's not and it's strange because he thinks he'd probably hate it if he were Star right now, if that were him, but when it's filtered through his Stand it's...
...It's.
It's like...a soda bottle shaken up, and he's the thin plastic walls keeping it in, he's not sure if he likes it because it's weird and intense and a little bit wrong except that wrong isn't synonymous with bad and his throat feels weirdly thick, for someone who hasn't done anything but stand there at all.]
He...doesn't talk...
[Which is irrelevant, because that's not what Holly is asking, but it's something to say and he's hoping if he does, some of that odd champagne pressure will release. It doesn't, not in the slightest, but Star lifts his head where Holly guides it and smiles at her with an expression that's soft rather than manic, and without a hint of malice.
Their features aren't much alike, but it's an expression that might resonate with her, anyway. It's one her son sometimes wore for her, years ago, when he still beamed in photographs and held his chin up with boyish pride instead of defiance.]
[Kakyoin had said the same thing when she introduced herself to Hierophant, but she asks her questions anyway, because these things are far too important to leave in any kind of doubt, because she knows very well spoken words are not the only way to communicate. Papa had taught her about reading faces, how a small twitch here or a glance there could betray a person's thoughts, and it's a skill she's gotten quite a bit of mileage out of since Jotaro hit adolescence.
And she's watching so carefully, needing to know the answer to this question so desperately, that when the Stand that had scared her so much answers with that familiar smile, she's blindsided. She gasps, openly, and her heart aches in the same way it aches for Sadao, for Papa and Mama, for family that always seems to be thousands of miles out of her reach. Her eyes glisten, and she closes them before they can do more than that.]
Okay.
[She nods - to herself or to Star, who knows - forcing her breathing to even out again. And then, with a smile, she pushes herself up again, brushing back the wild mane of hair to place a kiss on the crown of Star's head.]
[He jumps, of course, when she gasps; he can't not, because he doesn't understand why it happens and the natural conclusion to arrive at is to assume that it's because Star did something to scare her. But...no, she's not acting scared, just sort of strangely overcome, and watching it makes him uncomfortable to a depressingly high degree, so rather than crossing over to her he just kind of hovers ineffectually and watches with simmering concern.
(He feels the kiss, too, ghosting against his forehead beneath the brim of his hat; he feels it just barely touch where he'd once stuffed a magazine, where there used to be a hole in his hat before Kakyoin sewed it back up for him.)
But what this translates into, for Star's purposes, proves to be a sort of general contentment, and once his own alarm (mirroring Jotaro's precisely, rendering them twins for that handful of moments) has faded, he seems to sense that it's acceptable now for him to move, that his period of strict docility can begin to relax, and he'll have some leeway to act without risking slamming into the stern boundaries of good behavior that confine him.
So he gets up off his knees into a low crouch, one that would be agonizing to maintain for a human's muscles but that proves effortless and inconsequential for a Stand, and very carefully scoops Holly up for a hug that carries her off her feet once he returns to his full height.
Star is an expert, by now, in knowing how to cause injuries. Discovering how to cause laughter is a newer pursuit, and one he's still learning slowly. But Giorno had petted him and given him pudding when he was lifted up in a similar way, and Star has absolutely no reason to think that this won't elicit a similar reaction out of Holly now.]
[The motion for an embrace is a surprising, but not unwelcome one, and she's about halfway towards returning it before she's suddenly about five feet taller than she's used to being.
Well! That's a thing!]
Ah...!
[She squeaks in alarm, her arms on Star's shoulders holding on tightly even if she knows intellectually that the chances of him dropping her are essentially zero. But once that gut reaction is done, Star gets what he's aiming for. She's reminded of being a little girl swung around effortlessly by her father and she's a 45 year old woman now, and this moment toes that line between loving and absolutely ridiculous and if that doesn't describe her life, nothing will.
Giggles bubble out of her like an overflowing soda bottle, and she looks down (down!) at Jotaro with a grin.]
[...Oh. Wait, no, she...really did have reason to think Star wouldn't, didn't she.
Abruptly flustered, he quickly averts his eyes, reaching up to tug down the brim of his hat to help disguise the vaguely ashamed look that flits across his features.]
[Goodness, her son worries too much. So she snuggles up to Star a little bit more, her opinion 180 complete, because though she had no idea where me stops and mine begins, that brief boyish little smile has her convinced there's something unquestionably Jotaro in Star Platinum, and if her son thinks she won't take any affection she might receive from the Stand and run with it like she stole it, he's got another thing coming.]
Less 'evil spirit' and more 'guardian angel,' hm?
[Yes, the Stand that stops time and punches semis is now dubbed a guardian angel.
[Well, Star's certainly having no problems with this, perfectly content to just...hold her up forever, if she likes, because it's not like she presents any sort of burden on him and it seems to make her happy, so.
He does, however, chime in with a confirming ora! and turns her in a careful circle — not quite a spin, for fear of making her too dizzy, but definitely rapid enough to be pleasant and entertaining.]
...Yeah. Something like that.
[And one of those massive, incorporeal hands had reached inside him, through his chest, found his heart and gripped tight until it couldn't move, couldn't beat, because if it beat he was dead he'd be dead in an instant he'd be dead and with his heart stopped he was dead already but at least he had a chance, at least he had Star, don't let him die don't let him die don't let him die before that bastard's close enough for Star to get him —
action;
The nudge at her hand helps a little bit, in that regard. Her first instinct is to pull back and out of the way, but she manages to stop herself before her hand can do more than flick up, away from Star's forehead but still hovering in his hair. It's a strange sensation, just as the cool smoothness of Hierophant's hand had been strange, though in a different way. She watches it for a moment, the way the Stand's hair dances around her fingers as her mind tries to reconcile how incorporeal it looks with how very tangible it feels, before finally lowering her hand.
The rest of her body follows suit, falling into a kneel as she gently pets Star's hair. Her other hand cups his chin, a request for him to lift his head, because she knows she'd never have the strength to force him. If he does, she meets his eyes with an intent gaze, but not a severe one.]
... You're going to keep him safe for me, right?
action;
...It's.
It's like...a soda bottle shaken up, and he's the thin plastic walls keeping it in, he's not sure if he likes it because it's weird and intense and a little bit wrong except that wrong isn't synonymous with bad and his throat feels weirdly thick, for someone who hasn't done anything but stand there at all.]
He...doesn't talk...
[Which is irrelevant, because that's not what Holly is asking, but it's something to say and he's hoping if he does, some of that odd champagne pressure will release. It doesn't, not in the slightest, but Star lifts his head where Holly guides it and smiles at her with an expression that's soft rather than manic, and without a hint of malice.
Their features aren't much alike, but it's an expression that might resonate with her, anyway. It's one her son sometimes wore for her, years ago, when he still beamed in photographs and held his chin up with boyish pride instead of defiance.]
action;
And she's watching so carefully, needing to know the answer to this question so desperately, that when the Stand that had scared her so much answers with that familiar smile, she's blindsided. She gasps, openly, and her heart aches in the same way it aches for Sadao, for Papa and Mama, for family that always seems to be thousands of miles out of her reach. Her eyes glisten, and she closes them before they can do more than that.]
Okay.
[She nods - to herself or to Star, who knows - forcing her breathing to even out again. And then, with a smile, she pushes herself up again, brushing back the wild mane of hair to place a kiss on the crown of Star's head.]
Okay. You're forgiven, then.
action;
[He jumps, of course, when she gasps; he can't not, because he doesn't understand why it happens and the natural conclusion to arrive at is to assume that it's because Star did something to scare her. But...no, she's not acting scared, just sort of strangely overcome, and watching it makes him uncomfortable to a depressingly high degree, so rather than crossing over to her he just kind of hovers ineffectually and watches with simmering concern.
(He feels the kiss, too, ghosting against his forehead beneath the brim of his hat; he feels it just barely touch where he'd once stuffed a magazine, where there used to be a hole in his hat before Kakyoin sewed it back up for him.)
But what this translates into, for Star's purposes, proves to be a sort of general contentment, and once his own alarm (mirroring Jotaro's precisely, rendering them twins for that handful of moments) has faded, he seems to sense that it's acceptable now for him to move, that his period of strict docility can begin to relax, and he'll have some leeway to act without risking slamming into the stern boundaries of good behavior that confine him.
So he gets up off his knees into a low crouch, one that would be agonizing to maintain for a human's muscles but that proves effortless and inconsequential for a Stand, and very carefully scoops Holly up for a hug that carries her off her feet once he returns to his full height.
Star is an expert, by now, in knowing how to cause injuries. Discovering how to cause laughter is a newer pursuit, and one he's still learning slowly. But Giorno had petted him and given him pudding when he was lifted up in a similar way, and Star has absolutely no reason to think that this won't elicit a similar reaction out of Holly now.]
action;
Well! That's a thing!]
Ah...!
[She squeaks in alarm, her arms on Star's shoulders holding on tightly even if she knows intellectually that the chances of him dropping her are essentially zero. But once that gut reaction is done, Star gets what he's aiming for. She's reminded of being a little girl swung around effortlessly by her father and she's a 45 year old woman now, and this moment toes that line between loving and absolutely ridiculous and if that doesn't describe her life, nothing will.
Giggles bubble out of her like an overflowing soda bottle, and she looks down (down!) at Jotaro with a grin.]
He likes me!
action;
[...Oh. Wait, no, she...really did have reason to think Star wouldn't, didn't she.
Abruptly flustered, he quickly averts his eyes, reaching up to tug down the brim of his hat to help disguise the vaguely ashamed look that flits across his features.]
...He's. ...always kept me safe, Mom.
It's like I said. He'll never hurt you.
action;
[Goodness, her son worries too much. So she snuggles up to Star a little bit more, her opinion 180 complete, because though she had no idea where me stops and mine begins, that brief boyish little smile has her convinced there's something unquestionably Jotaro in Star Platinum, and if her son thinks she won't take any affection she might receive from the Stand and run with it like she stole it, he's got another thing coming.]
Less 'evil spirit' and more 'guardian angel,' hm?
[Yes, the Stand that stops time and punches semis is now dubbed a guardian angel.
Such is the way of Holly Kujo.]
action;
He does, however, chime in with a confirming ora! and turns her in a careful circle — not quite a spin, for fear of making her too dizzy, but definitely rapid enough to be pleasant and entertaining.]
...Yeah. Something like that.
[And one of those massive, incorporeal hands had reached inside him, through his chest, found his heart and gripped tight until it couldn't move, couldn't beat, because if it beat he was dead he'd be dead in an instant he'd be dead and with his heart stopped he was dead already but at least he had a chance, at least he had Star, don't let him die don't let him die don't let him die before that bastard's close enough for Star to get him —
...
Yeah.
Something like that.]