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I looked at the letter in my hand, reading the address once more. The sign at the restaurant read the same one, reading it aloud in my head as I looked at the letter a final time.
———
The letter was odd, arriving at my doorstep without a return address. It was sealed with red wax and a thorny rose imprinted on it. I opened it using a butter knife, and inside was a piece of paper, still crisp but appearing as if it had yellowed with age. The contents of the letter were written in black ink, in perfect cursive.
To whom it may concern,
You may or may not have known, but you have acquired a powerful ability called a Stand. My associates and I have been keeping an eye on you as I desire to know more about how each Stand interacts with its User. Compared to the others we’ve encountered, you seem to be more adept and powerful. I think an alliance would be helpful to us both, as long as you’re willing. I’d like to have a little talk with you before you run off. I’ve made a reservation at the address included at the bottom of the letter. The time and date are included as well. I’ll be waiting for you then, and I genuinely hope we can meet face to face.
The signature at the bottom was illegible, the cursive melding the letters together. I made out the address, though, and tucked the letter away in my bag for safekeeping. This seems fishy, I thought to myself, but knowing that someone out there can help me with this is good to know. Maybe I’ll take them up on it.
———
I finally got up the courage and walked into the restaurant. The establishment was dim, the only lighting being the yellowish glow from chandeliers above. I walked up to the reception desk and gave them the information for the reservation. “I’m not exactly sure who I’m looking for. The signature on the letter was unreadable.” I tugged at the collar of my shirt. Maybe I should’ve stayed home, I thought. This could all just be an elaborate prank.
The hostess cleared her voice, catching my attention. “Right this way, the other person is already here.” I followed her to the restaurant’s back, and a man rose to his feet to greet me. I only reached his shoulder, and he had blonde hair that came to the bottom of his neck. It curled and spiked around his head, seemingly ignoring the laws of gravity. He wore a black tuxedo with gold and green embellishments, making me feel embarrassed of my choice of a checkered dress shirt and simple black slacks.
He held out his hand, and I held it, I tried to shake it, but he kept it rigid. “What a pleasure to meet you, Alex.” He took my hand and kissed it, and I blushed at the sudden gesture. His voice sounded velvety, suave, and sophisticated.
“Y-you too,” I replied, trying to keep my composure. “I couldn’t make out your name in the letter though, must be my eyesight. Could you let me know what it is?”
“It’s DIO. Just DIO.” He smiled, and I swear I could see a glimpse of a fang in between his teeth. “Why don’t we sit down, and we can talk.” We sat down, and when the hostess left, a certain gleam entered his eyes. “It seemed my letter arrived safe and sound,” he said, gesturing to it as I was tucking it back away in my bag.
“Oh, yeah! I wasn’t expecting anything like this, so seeing it arrive was a surprise, to say the least.” I exhaled quietly, trying to refocus my mind. “Knowing that there’s a word for all of this helps, though. I used to think I was some kind of mutant or that something was going on with my brain that’d been left unchecked.”
“Yes, it seems that’s common for Stand Users. They’re confused, ignorant of the true power that they hold.” DIO chucked quietly. “But you seem to understand the power that you hold better than others. This is why I see potential in you. I’ve seen no signs of you lacking in skill. You know your ability well and how to control it.”
The waitress came by, interrupting our conversation. “Would either of you care to try one of our wines tonight? We have a list available as well.”
DIO glared at her for a split second but then talked to her as if nothing had happened. “A bottle of your finest pinot noir. I believe we’ll be here for quite a while.”
I raised my hand slightly. “I’ll just have a Shirley Temple. Alcohol isn’t my thing.”
“Right away,” the waitress nodded and left and returned shortly with our drinks. “Enjoy! Feel free to let me know if you need anything else.”
As soon as she left, DIO picked up the filled wine glass, examining it. “Say someone barged in here and threatened your life. You have no other form of defense aside from your Stand. So what do you do?”
My eyes widen, not expecting such a grim question. ‘Well, uh-” I look around the room, trying to find something I could use to my advantage. My eyes went back to the wine glass in his hand, and inspiration struck. “I could use the wine glass that you’re holding. I could extend the stem and its base to hit them in the face, and it would shatter. I don’t know how much damage it would do, but it would at least buy me some time.”
“Hm, quite good. It seems your improvisation skills aren’t half bad.” He took a sip of the wine, savoring the taste. “All Stands have a physical form as well. Some appear more humanoid, and others appear simply as objects. I’m curious as to what your stand looks like up close.”
“Oh, sure,” I replied with uncertainty. “I’m still figuring out how to do that on command, so I’m sorry if it’s a bit of a disappointment.” I paused, focusing on my mind and thoughts, trying to manifest it physically. A few moments later, I felt hot moisture against my neck, and I realized I had succeeded. I looked behind myself and saw the familiar robotic form of it. There was the golden glow of its eyes and chest plate, its body bronze and jointed, and silver boning circling its thin, pointy legs. Its head was crowned with copper material, looking like hair in a messy bun.
“It seems your soul went with the more robotic route. How interesting.” He stood up and circled me and my stand, observing it. “Have you come up with a name for it yet? The sky’s the limit, and the choice is up to you.”
I tapped my chin with my finger. “I didn’t think of it yet. I’ve been too caught up in trying to understand it all.” I look back at it for inspiration. “Maybe Steam Powered Giraffe? Since it can make things longer like a giraffe’s neck, and it has a steampunk look to it.” I smiled, satisfied with my choice. “Based on the letter, I’m guessing you have a stand too. Can I see it as well?”
He laughed and smiled, one that could be described as devilish. “Alex, that’s precisely the reason why we need to work together. I’m still discovering the powers of my Stand, and it seems that you’re farther ahead than me. We could hone our skills together, and we’d be unstoppable.” His amber eyes glowed, and I began to feel slightly unsettled. However, I couldn’t stop staring at them, and nothing could pull me away.
The waitress came by quickly, though, and was able to distract me. “Are you ready to order now?” She held her pen and notepad for when we read off what we wanted.
“I’ll take the grilled salmon, but could I have asparagus instead of brussel sprouts?” I assumed that DIO would be taking care of the bill as he placed the reservation, so I didn’t want to order anything too expensive.
“Sure thing,” she said as she jotted it down. “And for you, sir?”
“I’ll take the wagyu filet, as rare as you can make it.” He smiled once more, revealing the fangs this time as well. My eyes widened, not only because of the price of the steak but because the fangs weren’t something I was imagining.
“Alright, I’ll be back with your meals shortly.” She put her pen and notepad away and left us alone again.
“Uh, so have you gotten the steak here before? I wasn’t sure about it, so I went with the salmon.” I smiled nervously, trying to hide the panic in my brain. Shit, shit, shit, I knew this was a bad idea. Who accepts reservations from a mysterious letter with no return address? Not a sane person, that’s who.
I try to get up and leave, planning to say I have to use the bathroom, but DIO grabs my arm and holds it down. “Now, now, what’s all the rush? We just ordered our meals, why don’t you take a seat? If I remember correctly, we were talking about something quite different earlier as well.” I noticed that his black, sharply manicured nails were digging into my skin the longer I stood there, so much so that I began to bleed. I gulped and sat back down, and he released his grasp, which I replaced with my napkin to try and stop the bleeding. “Now, isn’t that better?” He chuckled again, this time significantly more malicious. “Back to the topic of Stands. The other Users I’ve seen or met are, how do I put this politely, substandard compared to you. You’re the most qualified Stand User I’ve met, and it would only do you a disservice to not cooperate.” He got close to my face, and I could feel his breath. I was once again forced to stare into those amber eyes, and it was impossible to pull away. “And trust me, you do not want to be uncooperative.”
The waitress arrived with our meals, and DIO went back into his seat and acted as if nothing had happened. “Here’s your meals, enjoy!” She placed them down and promptly left to attend to another table.
I looked down at my plate and then at DIO’s. Mine seemed normal enough, a seared salmon filet with garlic butter sauce. DIO’s, on the other hand, was much different. His steak was seared on the outside, but the inside was barely cooked. It looked like it was sitting in any remaining blood on the plate. “We should eat before our entrees get cold, and then we can resume,” he remarked before cutting into the steak with what seemed like too much ease.
We ate in silence, and by the time we were finished, it was getting late, and I had to go home. As I suspected, he had the bill covered, but I chipped in for the tip to be nice. We were both standing outside as I was waiting for a cab. “I had a nice time tonight, y’know? Maybe we can get together another time and talk about this Stand stuff some more. I know a good pizza place near my apartment if that isn’t too far for you.”
“I’d like to talk about it sooner, if at all possible.” He glanced at me again, a gleam in his eyes. “If it’s any incentive, I got these for you, as a reminder of tonight and for next time.” He pulled a bouquet of thorny red roses out from behind his back, much like the one on the wax seal on the letter.
I began to become uneasy again, and my stomach dropped. Goddammit, this guy’s a creep, and I should’ve called it off way earlier. There’s almost no way I can get out of this now. I refocused, trying to think of a response that would allow me an easy exit. “Oh, uh, thanks so much! This wasn’t necessary, honestly!” I looked at the roses. They still seemed freshly cut, despite how long we were in the restaurant, and they weren’t crushed at all, either. “Maybe we can exchange phone numbers? That way, we can keep in touch!” I tucked the roses into the nook in my arm and felt my pockets for paper and pen. “I know I have it somewhere. Just give me a moment!”
DIO laughed again and grabbed my shoulder. “That won’t be necessary.” As he said that, I could feel something climbing up my arm. I looked over, and I saw red and white tentacles quickly nearing my face. Before I could scream, one of them recoiled and struck me, and everything went black.