Starry Souls

Part 1: Phantom Blood

Eliza settling hadn't been anything special. In fact, it was so not special that Jonathan hadn't even noticed that she had stopped changing.

Dio had pointed it out. He and Atarah had been looking at them strangely for a bit during one of those rare moments when the four of them were in the library together. Eliza had been sprawled out on the floor for one of her rare moments of relaxation when their father wasn't around, while Atarah was perched up on Dio's shoulder where she could get a good look at things. The boys had just been studying quietly, minding their own businesses to avoid starting another fight in the one place where both of them could stay calm.

A few minutes in, Atarah had whispered in Dio's ear. He looked up from his book and turned to look at Eliza, who was making an effort to not pay attention to him. "Jojo," he whispered, trying to get his attention without disturbing the sanctity of the library.

"Yes?" Jonathan answered, not looking up from his book. If this was just Dio trying to catch him off guard and bully him again, he wasn't going to fall for it. Though he had been behaving for a while; he hadn't even tried anything behind father's back like he usually would.

"I haven't seen Eliza change in a while. Is this it?" he asked.

Jonathan paused for a moment to consider it. The last time she'd shifted had been... well, now that he thought about it, he couldn't recall. Eliza yawned and got to her paws, seemingly oblivious to her human's shock. "Do you think this will finally satisfy father?" she sighed.

"That doesn't matter," he insisted, looking her up and down. Certainly, father would have to be proud of a lioness in the family, but that had never been important to him. All that mattered was that she was comfortable with who they were. From the looks of things, that wasn't a problem in the slightest. She'd taken to this form so naturally that he couldn't imagine her as anything else. He wanted to shout with joy, but that was very improper to do in a library. "You look wonderful," he told her instead, gently stroking her head.

Finally, she truly relaxed. This was who they were, and no disapproval from father would change that. Dio almost seemed to smile looking at them.


Atarah had settled the day Dario Brando finally died.

It was quite convenient for Dio. Everyone knew that if a daemon settled when you were young, it meant you were addled or traumatized. Her state helped him gain sympathy from the idiots who thought he was mourning the fact that he'd been orphaned. And her tiny form was quite useful for spying. No one would pay much mind to a moth flitting about unless it got too close to them.

When he realized what exactly the mask could do, Atarah did not share his enthusiasm. She'd seen what it had done for herself, and had been horrified at the sight of the creature with no daemon that it had created. She wanted to be rid of the damned thing, and told him so herself. "No good can come from this, Dio. We can do this together, like we always have," she insisted.

For a while, he had agreed. Then Jonathan and his new street rat friend had backed them into a corner. Atarah was terrified; she knew exactly what he was planning on doing. "Dio, please!" she begged. "We can find another way!"

"I'm sorry, Atarah. But I've come to realize that being human means that you have limits. You are one of them."

Her insides turned to ice as he placed the mask on his own face. The second his brain was pierced by the spikes, she let out a haunting shriek of pain; an awful sound that continued to haunt the nightmares of all who heard it.

"Goodbye, my friend."


Robert could tell good and evil people apart well enough on his own, but Ruth was really helpful in telling trustworthy people from those who weren't. There was just enough of a difference between the two to matter.

People looked at her and they thought they knew him. A scruffy, patchy little rat to match a street rat. A disease-ridden pest that needed to be driven off. Those that truly knew what rats were capable of would know that they were very intelligent and crafty animals; perfect for someone like him. His gang all understood that; that was one of the main reasons he kept them around. They were the only ones who had ever done so.

At least, until Mr. Joestar showed up.

He should have known better; for someone who was often judged based on his daemon, he judged him pretty quickly. A stupid rich kid with some puffed-up sense of importance. He had thought his daemon just a figurehead for his pride, so he hadn't expected her to brazenly snatch Ruth right off his shoulder by her tail and pin her down. He'd thought for sure that this was it, but to his surprise, the beast let her up. She raced back to his shoulder, but she wasn't frightened at all.

As the two left, the lioness turned back and looked at them, paying particular attention to Ruth. She purred in approval, then returned to her human's side, diligently matching his pacing. So not only was this man kind and devoted to what he set out to do, his daemon could see past the negative stereotypes about rats.

"She wouldn't have really hurt me," Ruth told him later. "She's clearly a good one. But you didn't need me to tell you that."


Erina would not have been able to leave Jonathan behind for long; Percy wouldn't have let her.

The little dove refused to leave Eliza's side for a moment as she tended to Jonathan's wounds. The big cat was sprawled out on the floor so as to not aggravate her injuries, and he cuddled right up to her belly. At first, she had been embarrassed by how brazen he was being. They hadn't spoken since Dio stole her first kiss; wasn't he moving far too quickly for this? But Jonathan didn't seem to mind at all. Eliza even gave Percy a little lick, which only made her blush more.

Her daemon knew even before she did; Erina Pendleton had fallen madly in love with Jonathan Joestar. Which made it all the more tragic when they were so cruelly parted by that same monster who had done so the first time. This time, however, was far more permanent. For those next three days alone at sea, Percy's sorrowful keening and the baby's pitiful wailing were all that kept her company.

How tragic, that the only time in her life where she was able to truly escape her loneliness was at the very end of it.


William knew his death was coming as soon as he saw Eliza. He'd long been preparing for that moment.

He and Lucia had been arguing about it for years. While he had accepted his fate, the tiger wanted to go home and be with their family at the end of it all. It was wrong of them to do this; they were Italian, so family was supposed to come first! But he had worn her down long ago, and now they barely spoke to each other. She wanted nothing to do with his cursed destiny.

When she first met Eliza, she tried to push her away. She wanted nothing to do with this cursed brat that would cause her death. But Eliza was persistent. Lucia's attempts to drive her off were met with stern reprimand from Will, but Eliza refused to be swayed. Over time, she realized that the lioness was just as stubborn as Will. But she was also understanding. She would quietly approach the bigger cat and politely attempt to start conversations. If she got no response, she would back off for a while, but she would return eventually. And as their humans grew closer, so did they. The little one was not to blame for their situation, it would be wrong to continue to take it out on her.

When the time of their death finally came, Lucia was no longer afraid. She was sad that she'd be leaving her little cub behind, but she was also happy that she'd been able to help them get that far.


Jonathan: Eliza, short for Elizabeth (Greek form of a Hebrew name; my God is my oath) Lioness
Jonathan is often compared to a lion, so I just had to go with it.
Dio: Atarah (Hebrew; crown) Vampire Moth
Yeah, I know it's a little on the nose. Butterflies and moths are symbols of change, with moths being more closely associated with the night due to their nocturnal status.
Speedwagon: Ruth (Hebrew; friend, compassionate) Rat
Rats are extremely intelligent animals. They are often associated with disease and filth, but they are actually very clean and caring animals.
Erina: Percy, short for Percival (French; pierce the valley): Mourning dove
Doves are often seen as a symbol of peace. But in Erina's case, she has spent most of her life grieving for her losses. The loss of her husband and son, and the near-loss of her daughter-in-law, her husband's best friend, and her grandson. As Smokey mentioned in Part 2, she and Joseph were very lonely.
Zeppeli: Lucia (Italian form of a Latin name; light) Siberian tiger
A tiger mostly to contrast Jonathan's lion. Also, tigers are more solitary big cats, and Zeppeli left his family behind in pursuit of the mask.