PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sigga
N/A
quirk SYNAPTIC FLAY
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N/A
alias TBD
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Post by Sigrid Tendo on Nov 3, 2020 21:29:10 GMT
Her right headfin twitched as Sigga mulled over the clarification and additional information Firebrand provided them with. She was beginning to realize that the gangs in question were completely different from the ones she had occasionally seen on the news back in ‘Merica. These sounded a lot more like youth gangs than hardened criminals. Teenagers and young adults, probably with shockingly similar compositions to Sigga’s very own foster-family. She never considered her family to have been a gang, though, but the analogy was shockingly apt.
Firebrand’s reasoning for why he didn’t think Goliath was the one who mauled Hush made sense. That said, just because the MO didn’t match didn’t mean he wasn’t involved. Adults often underestimated those younger than them, and Sigga knew as well as anyone how creative and capable youths could be.
She reviewed the listed details a second time, making use of mnemonics to memorize each description with its corresponding alias. One particular detail caught her eye. “Are there any local schools that have teal ties as part of their uniform?” She poised this question to Tomoshibi as much as their boss.
It wouldn’t be the first time such a tie had entered the girl’s sphere of awareness. While on one hand the girl developed fervent suspicions at the sight of any coincidence,, she was also wise enough to know that countless coincidences happened daily and it would be an act of hubris to try to discern some hidden conspiracy from them.
Once her colleague chimed in with any of his own questions, and had received a response, the girl would notify she was ready to proceed with their investigation. She folded her arms across her chest, “So, where do we start?”
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Flame Bow and Arrow
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N/A
alias Firebrand
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Post by Bureizu Yajiri on Nov 7, 2020 0:25:23 GMT
"In a way, it kind of sounds like they're more like youth gangs than hardened criminals..." Jun commented.
"Normally, that's all they'd be classified as. But the muggings were unnaturally brutal, and combined with having the gal and strength to take on and defeat UA students, and then go on to essentially win a gang war shows they're moving up in the world. And in a direction I do not like." Unknown to both men, Sigga's thoughts were running much the same in that they did seem more like youth gangs than anything.
"No. Though for most of them, ties is one thing that is allowed to be customizable to an extent. We've checked through that route. There have been a few students that has it, but none fit Vanish's profile that well. There is one that does best, but his alibi is rock solid, and while his quirk is similar, it isn't exactly it."
"Plus, you'd be surprised how many stores sell such colored ties, and it's tough getting permission to get a sales history on them. Add in going to each suspect...it's not something that doable. I've also considered buying one myself..." Jun sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Coughing lightly into his hand, Firebrand ushered both of them to the car, stating that they're starting with Hush.
~
Firebrand entered first into the one way mirror, looking at the mauled body of Hush. Both legs and the one arm in casts, and his other fist wrapped in bandages. Along with the rest of the body, but one couldn't see all of it because of the clothes. But he was clearly not in good shape. Looking at the students' reactions, he ushered them into the room as well. Hush immediately whimpered. "I've answered your questions already. Please leave me alone already..."
Firebrand had left all his weapons at the door, so he didn't have anything on him. Except a bowel of Hush's favorite candy. "Now now, don't be that way. Sigrid, mind helping him out a little bit?" The plan was simple and was discussed on the way there. Sigrid will feed and try to relax Hush. Hopefully enough for her to use the memory recollection part of her quirk...and perhaps make him spill his guts much more freely. The young man still stared at her with great suspicion, but otherwise let her feed him his chewy fruit snacks...
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sigga
N/A
quirk SYNAPTIC FLAY
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N/A
alias TBD
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Post by Sigrid Tendo on Nov 10, 2020 2:22:54 GMT
There wasn’t much reaction on the girl’s face at first as the trio observed Hush from behind the mirror. Plenty of people had been unfortunate enough in life to get into an accident that required this many bandages and casts. It wasn’t until the girl remembered that it wasn’t just some car accident that had put the marred gangster in such a state that her eyes widened.
Much of the color drained from Sigga’s face. Even the tiny purple scales at the edges of her eyes seemed less vibrant. Her sneaker squeaked against the floor as she took a half step back from the mirror. This hadn’t been what she was expecting. Firebrand had been clear enough in his description of Hush’s situation but seeing it first-hand seemed to have depleted the life out of the girl.
“I-I need a minute,” she had said. It wasn’t until after Sigga was given a moment and a glass of water, that she was able to recompose herself and stop her mind from racing. It was difficult. Very difficult to remind herself that she was in no danger of experiencing the same horror as the young man behind the mirror had. Seeing his broken body had nearly triggered a suppressed memory, one from before her move to Japan that had been hidden from her own mind; a dark trauma. Fortunately that recollection remained bottled up, but Hush’s appearance still unnerved the girl greatly. How could someone be capable of performing such cruelty to another living being?
Eventually Sigga managed to psych herself back up. Her momentary lapse in composure had been just that. Momentary. She explained that she had just been a little shocked and assured the other two that she was perfectly fine to continue and that there was nothing to worry about.
They had a brief discussion on what their plan of action was. Sigga explained, rather unwillingly, some of the nuances of her Quirk. She didn’t like having another UA student know so much about her but it seemed important that at least Firebrand was informed about its limitations. As soon as the target of their semi-covert interrogation realized the feeling of cold mercury in his head was Sigga reading his thoughts, the jig would be up.
Once Hush knew she was reading his mind it would require little effort for him to block her from doing so. Only a willing subject could allow for full eidetic recollection of any past experiences, but even surface thoughts could provide them some valuable intel as long as he didn’t know what she was up to. As long as they kept him distracted and on his feet, metaphorically speaking of course, then maybe this wouldn’t be a waste of time.
With everyone aware of their role the pink-haired man ushered them into the other room.
The girl’s expression remained fairly neutral upon seeing all the casts up close, wavering only when Hush spoke. His whimpering broke her heart, though Sigga did her best to hide it. She was playing the role of one of Firebrand’s understudies, which… was technically true. She needed to remain focused and calm.
The fish cross the length of the room and pulled up a stool next to where Hush lay. It would have been preferable to try to convince him to comply fully with their requests for information. Then she would have been able to use her Quirk to its full extent and they’d know everything, right down to the number of eyelashes Hush’s perpetrator had on their left brow. But it had already been explained that he wasn’t being very co-operative so they’d be sticking with plan B. And simply finding out who had done this to him wasn’t the only thing the trio wanted to know.
Sigga didn’t say anything as she took a seat, only nodding an affirmative to the pink-haired man as he passed her the bowl of candy. Best if she was seen as little more than a candy dispenser and Hush’s focus remain on someone else.
Her feet scooted the stool closer until she was right next to Hush. Sigga held the bowl gingerly up against a cast, her free hand plucking one of the candies out of it. Each sweet was wrapped individually, a convenience that would give them plenty more time to ask their questions before they ran out of candy and Hush decided to clam up. Dexterous, if oversized, fingers expertly unwrapped the first sweet. Sigga casually leaned forward, plopping the chewy fruit snack in her victim’s ward’s mouth. As Hush munched on the flavorful goodness, the girl slowly went to unwrapping the next candy.
She didn’t know if he was medicated or how heavily. With so many broken bones it seemed likely he’d been given some sort of numbing agent or at least some pain killers. Sigga wasn’t about to make any assumptions which was why her acting was so important in her roll. As she had gone to unwrap the next candy, her arm found a spot to gently rest against the gap between Hush’s cast and bandages. The small opening allowed for skin on skin contact. She was in position, amber orbs seemingly focused on unwrapping the next sweet.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Flame Bow and Arrow
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N/A
alias Firebrand
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Post by Bureizu Yajiri on Nov 11, 2020 16:17:33 GMT
Jun had gulped audibly, but Sigrid needed a moment. But she did, and they were all ready, they went on in. Hush sat there, suspicious, but let the fish girl unwrap candies for him. That was probably the only thing that actually made him like these encounters. The little blond boy spoke. "Let's not talk about your encounters. Let's instead talk about something that interests you. Records show you liked martial arts?" Hush nodded, and the two started to dive into the subject. Even talked about their favorite MMA fighters, and other things similar to that. In between candies that is. But each time Sigrid touched him, she would see the ominous red demon mask of Akuma that was always at the forefront of his brain now. The monster that truly maimed him.
But when the subject of weapons came up...images flashed at the surface of Hush's mind. Of his fight with Akuma. Not even realizing that Sigrid was reading his surface thoughts at all, and seeing the images first hand. The pain as needles had gone through his shoes, the knives that carved up his torso once the man had gotten a good fix on him. How, even despite not giving a sound due to his quirk, that Akuma was able to determine his location...and strike like a vengeful demon. It was starting to get evident that his mind wasn't on the conversation. Hush eventually muttered a location. Where he'd been beaten and broken. The plain masked bastard that was Vanish had broken his legs, while Akuma had broken his arm. Where he'd been tortured and lost his fingers. Maybe it was the medication, maybe it was the fish girl beside him, or perhaps a bit of both, but he didn't know why he said such a thing.
And when he realized what he'd done, Hush immediately clammed up, eyes widening, and double-backed to claiming that it was Goliath's doing. Then screaming about that he was a dead man for saying anything else, despite reassurances from the police nearby. It was then that Yajiri took both students out. A grim expression on his face at what they found out. Akuma may have been the one to defeat him, been the mastermind behind it, but it was new that Vanish had played a role in breaking the man down.
Looking at the two students, he spoke up. "Thoughts?" Jun looked at Sigrid to go first. Seeing as her quirk let her read surface thoughts too.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sigga
N/A
quirk SYNAPTIC FLAY
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N/A
alias TBD
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Post by Sigrid Tendo on Nov 14, 2020 0:24:02 GMT
The bald girl hadn’t perused the same person’s thoughts for such a length before. At least not somebody who was her unwilling and rather oblivious, target. She still had to be careful not to tug at any of the memories. Much of them appeared distorted by the passage of time, only the primary subjects in them appearing vividly before being snaked away and replaced by another thought.
It was a little difficult. Months had passed since Sigga last used her Quirk like this. Her past experience usually involved slipping in for but a moment to, say, see what kind of PIN someone was using at an atm or to identify a piece of blackmail to weaponized against a mark. This was very different.
The thoughts came along with some intense emotions attached; naked vulnerabilities. Every time the girl unwrapped a candy and plopped it into Hush’s mouth the link between them would break, her arm momentarily moving away from where it had been making physical contact with him. But, like clockwork, it would return to rest between that cast and bandage and the psychic sleuth would once again venture into the broken man’s psyche to see what she could see.
To his credit, Jun had done a masterful job getting Hush to lower his guard. The conversation had initially sounded pointlessly off-topic, but it didn’t take long for certain words in their exchange to show Sigga some of the gangster’s more guarded secrets. In hindsight it may have actually been a good thing they weren’t working with a cooperative witness. Not being able experience Hush’s memories with eidetic clarity kept most of the pain and terror from having an influence on the girl. What little bled through was quickly banished by the fish. She wouldn’t allow for his trauma to become hers. But the glimpses of what happened, of where and who did what, that data she’d take with her.
Hush’s slip of the tongue had been an unexpected boon for his interrogators. Perhaps Sigga’s intrusion into his mind had somehow interfered with his psyche causing what was meant to be a private thought to be unintentionally spoken out loud. Maybe his mind was just as broken as the rest of him.
The accidental confession was immediately followed up with denial and then anger. Before Hush could continue with the remaining three stages of grief brought on by the unintentional admission, Firebrand ushered his two pupils out of the room, leaving the gangster to his emotional squalor.
When the trio was alone again Sigga put down the bowl of empty wrappers and remaining candy and spoke. She recounted everything she saw, in order that each thought and memory was perceived by her. Hush’s fight with the red-masked Akuma. The needles. The knives. How they tore and cut into him. How Akuma and Vanish broke his bones; tortured him and cut off his fingers. She described the area from the memory that appeared when the gangster let slip the location it all took place.
Her gaze had been vacant as she spoke, eyes purposely unfocused so she could offer as much detail of what her Quirk allowed her to perceive. Once every detail had been given, the girl blinked. She raised her head to look at the other two, the expression she wore indecipherable. Sigga didn’t really know what to make of all this new information other than the fact the rival gang was unequivocally brutal. Rather than offer any conclusions or insight into their investigation the UA student merely turned her gaze back at the door to Hush’s room and quietly asked, “What’s going to happen to him?”
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Flame Bow and Arrow
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N/A
alias Firebrand
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Post by Bureizu Yajiri on Nov 19, 2020 18:15:40 GMT
Jun and Bureizu listened to what Sigrid said. Jun sighed and looked down at his feet. But even he could tell that Sigrid wasn't so chipper anymore. Upon the her question, Bureizu answered. "Healing, then therapy. Maybe some community service due to his crimes, but the consequences of going against Akuma is likely enough for leniency for that. I doubt jail time, though we'll lobby against it."
"My mother had lobbied for similar cases. Two criminals going at it, only for one to be totally smashed, and suffered immense trauma. Still, who would have thought kids our age could be so cruel..."
The hero nodded. They had a location. Now it was time to check it out.
~
They found the place easily enough. Around the place was scattered glass, nails, wood, and a bunch of other things that would make noise from the slightest touch. They couldn't find the exact spot that Vanish broke Hush's legs, or where they actually cut off the guy's fingers. No blood visible. Not sure what kind of cleaner they used, but he would imagine Akuma was thorough. Still, he told everyone to spread out and look for anything unusual or interesting. He gave the two earpieces to radio for anything of importance. And split up. Bureizu checked the downstairs. Jun had the high ground, the top floor, and Sigrid was given the middle floor. Interesting place to actually hold a fight...three stories, nice, large areas for a brawl, and narrow hallways. Bureizu was a little surprised Akuma didn't try to lure Hush into a narrow hallway just to get a good bead on him. Unless he figured Hush would know what he was trying to do, and just used other methods to find him, and defeat him.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sigga
N/A
quirk SYNAPTIC FLAY
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N/A
alias TBD
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Post by Sigrid Tendo on Nov 26, 2020 4:07:41 GMT
Sigga’s personal experience with the system in America left a lot to be desired, but Firebrand’s detailed explanation addressing her present concerns managed to put the girl at ease. Though Hush was a gangster, she couldn’t help but sympathize with the precarious position they had left him in as well as the trauma he had faced. She turned away from the door to look back at the duo, the tension in her brow relaxing a bit. The pink-haired man made it sound like Hush wouldn’t be treated harshly by his current captors. Hopefully the therapy would also help the gangster build up some mental fortitude. He had been, by far, the easiest unsuspecting victim she had targeted with her Quirk to date.
The girl’s apprehensive was further alleviated by Jun’s own remarks as well. Those few words of commiseration meant a lot to the fish, quickly overriding any unfavorable thoughts she may have developed of the blond boy during their original encounter. Jun’s mention of his mother also piqued Sigga’s interest. She wondered as to what kind of occupation his birth-giver was employed in that gave her the opportunity to lobby on behalf of those entangled with the law, but kept her curiosity to herself for the time being.
When it was time for them to leave; to move on to their next location, Sigga took a moment adjusting her new hero suit. It was merely a minor ploy. When both her internship instructor and classmate had turned to leave, the girl casually scooped up a handful of the remaining candies from the bowl and pocketed them. It wasn’t like anyone else was eating them right now anyway.
Remnants from a bygone apocalypse. That’s what the building reminded Sigga of. Like the abandoned structures in Chernobyl. It was oddly earie. Haunted even. Not that the girl believed in ghosts, mind you. At least not in the traditional sense. It wouldn’t surprise her if someone had once possessed a Quirk that allowed them to survive their own death, though. To become a spirit.
“Radio check,” the girl muttered, thumbing her earpiece once the other two had left her sightline. She wanted to make sure the radio was still working between the floors. A quick confirmation that coms were functioning and she’d get to scouting. It would also help keep her focused. Sigga generally enjoyed exploring, but this wasn’t just some idle diversion. It was work.
The middle floor, which she had been left to investigate, was a mess. It was as if a hurricane had blown through and then some ne’er-do-wells had taken occupation shortly after only to make an even bigger mess before vacating the premises themselves. Glass and debris littered the floors everywhere. The fish could hear it crunch underneath the soles of her sneakers as she walked through the hallway.
Staying quiet and stealthy wasn’t on her mind. As she traversed the long corridors her primary concern was making sure she didn’t step on anything that could puncture her shoes or make her slip and fall. Sigga made a mental note that her future hero outfit should come with some more durable footwear; maybe some boots with steel toes and reinforced soles. For now she had to make do with what she had.
The bald sleuth was methodical with her search. It was slow, but thorough. She moved clockwise through the floor, peaking into the rooms to see if she could spot anything of interest. If only there was an objective marker like in video games. That would make things much easier. Having to rely on her own wit, the girl began to ponder how to go about her investigation. Seeing as much of everything was covered in dust, it made sense if she focused on any area that looked like it may have been disturbed. Signs of footprints or doorknobs that weren’t as dirty as the others…
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Flame Bow and Arrow
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N/A
alias Firebrand
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Post by Bureizu Yajiri on Nov 26, 2020 20:31:26 GMT
There was someone else in there. A five foot seven young man wearing a green trench coat with a hood, black skinny jeans, black boots, and a black, tight fitting sports like shirt roamed the middle floor. He had heard the three people coming in. And hid. Figured he'd also take them down, one at a time. He wasn't associated with anyone. He also wore a gas mask. Even though his quirk had nothing to do with said gas mask. But he did leave some evidence that he's been in the building. Stealthily, he opened up a well lubricated door hinge while his target, a bald young woman, looked through some drawers. He did step on a piece of glass, perhaps revealing that he was there. He jabbed his hand forward, it transforming into a black set of jaws trying to bite Sigrid's head off.
~
Firebrand looked about the bottom floor. Definitely a lot of people were here at one point. Certainly a location of one of the brawls. But as far as anyone new...he hadn't seen anything. He still checked through the outside. Plenty of ways anyone with any amount of dexterity can jump in through the top or middle floors. The pink haired man continued to survey the area.
~
Jun had sifted through things multiple times. He was super giddy, and not being as thorough as he should be. Hence why he'd gone through things at least three times. His area...honestly seemed to be the smallest. But he did take a look at a window again. It was already opened, but what he didn't realize the first two times he looked at it was that there was a chunk missing out of it. And it looked...much more recent. Looking at the dust, there were some foot steps that...weren't his, but with how much he was moving, he probably hid some of them. "I found some footprints in the dust...not my own. Don't know how recent, still, be on your guard." Not knowing just how accurate that statement was.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sigga
N/A
quirk SYNAPTIC FLAY
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N/A
alias TBD
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Post by Sigrid Tendo on Dec 1, 2020 4:14:00 GMT
There hadn’t been anything of interest. At least nothing the amateur hero managed to spot. Each room had been as uninteresting as the last. She peeked into closets, scoured piles of debris, and eventually found herself looking through the drawers of an old wooden desk. She had never seen a desk like this before; one made out of actual wood. A relic from a bygone time. Or an item enjoyed by those wealthy enough to afford it.
The girl fantasized about the idea of owning a desk like this. This desk, specifically. Maybe… But… there wouldn’t be any way to sneak the abandoned piece of furniture, so the idea remained but a fantasy. She peaked into the top drawer and then jettisoned her previous desire. The wood was clearly in the process of rotting. Moisture buildup from the poorly ventilated building had already marked the desk for decomposition. Ah, well. Nothing of interest here. Sigga was about to move on with her investigation when the sudden sound of crunching glass behind her caused her to spin in alarm. Her adrenaline surged.
There certainly hadn’t been enough time for the girl to properly counter the incoming danger. She simply reacted. Her body attempted to move out of the way of the incoming jaws of death, but the desk got in the way. Her panicked weight against the open drawer caused the wood to immediately splinter and detonate. With a CRASH Sigga narrowly avoided the ambush, falling to the floor as the rotted desk drawer fell apart beneath her. She certainly didn’t stay there though.
Sigga’s fight or flight response kicked into overdrive. The flight part of it anyway. Before her body completed its decent to the floor the girl was already recovering into a scamper. She practically dove past her attacker before the array of black teeth could recover from their initial lunge. Her retreat was hardly elegant though. The fish slipped on some of the broken glass, skidding into and bouncing off a wall before realigning her trajectory out the doorway. She didn’t dare turn her head to check if her attacker was in pursuit.
Like a bat out of hell Sigga bolted down the corridor. Never in her life had she ran so fast. It was a wonder she didn’t break the sound barrier. Okay. Maybe it wasn’t that big a mystery. She was a fifteen-year-old girl and not an aircraft capable of supersonic flight. And she wasn’t exactly known for her speed either. But with her heart up in her throat and epinephrine coursing through her veins she made a decidedly impressive impression of one.
She could see the closed door to the stairwell up head. That would slow her down. Should she risk it? There wasn’t much of a choice. Good thing most of her hero outfit kept her pretty aerodynamic. But there was another thing she needed to do. Call for help. Her hand reached up to thumb her earpiece on only to find it gone.
The device had been carefully clipped to her right headfin, but her fingers noted the very real absence of said device. It must have been dislodged during the initial scuffle, back when she fell to the floor. Her mind didn’t even bother with swearing at her misfortune. There was only one priority now. Survive.
She reached the door to the stairwell with a crash, skidding to a stop too late to avoid a painful collision. But as she did so her hand hooked onto the doorknob and yanked the exit open. As she did so, the bald girl risked a glance backwards.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Flame Bow and Arrow
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N/A
alias Firebrand
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Post by Bureizu Yajiri on Dec 10, 2020 2:52:28 GMT
The girl was lucky. The desk drawer that she leaned on splintered and broke, allowing her to avoid getting chomped. She then dove past him before he could really react to her. Especially given their positions. He ran after her. She was banged up from slipping, skidding, and bouncing off a wall. He was a little more elegant. Chomper was slightly slower than she was. He saw that she reached up towards one of her headfins. To find nothing. Did she have an earpiece or radio? That wasn't good. But the fact that it fell off gave him a smirk. He can finish this quickly then and hunt down whoever else was here. When she stopped and turned, he threw a punch at her face...
~
Jun was trying to trace the footprints. And he found someplace open that he didn't notice before, partially barricaded. When he squeezed in there, there was a smell. Cleaning supplies. And what looked to be dried blood haphazardly attempted to be cleaned up. But time must have been of the essence...since the job was incomplete. As meticulous as this Akuma guy was, his subordinates sure weren't. "Hey, I think I found where they tortured Hush. I'll step out of the room, since it's hard to see and find...and hard to squeeze into..." Firebrand gave his confirmation, and said he was on his way up. And told Sigrid to meet them there. Only to not get a confirmation. The teacher told Jun to search for her, while he headed up as well to assist...
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sigga
N/A
quirk SYNAPTIC FLAY
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N/A
alias TBD
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Post by Sigrid Tendo on Dec 19, 2020 1:01:23 GMT
Sigga’s backward glance was immediately rewarded with a strike to the face. Her attacker’s fist landed squarely between her amber eyes with a meaty CRACK, knocking the girl against the doorframe. The door she had been pulling on swung shut as she lost her grip on the handle. Like a washing machine filled with soiled laundry, her world spun.
Taking a fist squarely like that would easily leave someone with a broken nose. No amount of training could keep a person unhindered from such a blow normally. What Sigga’s attacker might have overlooked, however, was that his prey did not have a nose. Unless his fist had some protective covering or was augmented by a Quirk, rather than collide with the soft and vulnerable tissue one might expect, it would encounter the very hard bone structure of Sigga’s skull; the hard cap of her fused nasal and maxilla bones.
As convenient as this bit of the fish’s physiology was to the girl, it didn’t quite prevent the resulting shock to her skull. Hidden from the outside world, the part of her inner ear responsible for her balance still received enough turbulence to daze her. Sigga had to prop her hand against the wall to keep from slumping into the floor. Though it would still be several moments before the disorientation faded, her fight or flight response was not about to subside.
Now trapped against the shut door there was no longer an opportunity to escape. Like a cornered animal Sigga immediately lunged at her masked attacker. Teeth bared and fingers splayed, any consideration for a more tactically sound approach had been jettisoned with the rest of her reasoning. The brief training session she had the previous day had not been enough. Terrified for her life, she leapt at the face of her masked foe with a snarl.
Her balance was off, but with the target having previously closed the distance between them for his own attack, he was plenty close enough for Sigga to zero in despite her world still spinning. The mask and trench coat did too well of a job covering him for the girl to easily exercise her Quirk. Apparently that left only one option. Few could say they’ve ever had a fish attempt to mount their face, much less one with teeth and nails as sharp as these ones.
It was a scene somewhat reminiscent of the headcrabs from Half-Life, or possibly a honeybadger attack. Sigga was neither of these, however, so the effectiveness of her measures were rather limited. This didn’t mean she’d shy away from trying to dig her fingers into her opposition’s ribs or bite at their collar. If luck was on her side she might be able to topple her foe or dislodge enough of their wardrobe to expose some of their skin. Failing that, her only hope would be her cohorts to have heard the ruckus and rush to the interns aid before the masked man put a permanant end to the young fish's career.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Flame Bow and Arrow
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N/A
alias Firebrand
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Post by Bureizu Yajiri on Dec 25, 2020 15:31:52 GMT
Chomper actually recoiled from his own punch. And groaned from the pain. He knew she didn't have a nose, but he still didn't expect a god damn plate or something there! That hurt his bare hand. And then his prey, seeing as she was cornered, attacked him! The greenish blond boy grabbed her arms to stop her from using her nails, which looked sharp as hell, if well manicured. He was also practically holding her up as well, with her legs around his stomach. Plus...something was screwing with his equilibrium now! Not just her added weight, either. Between him trying to not fall down and keeping her from using her teeth, he was pretty well occupied. Still, he was agile and very dexterous. Even so, she was winning now as he flailed both of them around the place, trying to defend himself and stay upright.
It wasn't until his feet got hit by something hot and hard did he finally go down. And a voice heard. "Sig, jump!" A familiar voice sounded, though not because they'd met in person. He'd seen the blond on TV. If she jumped off, and he'd even let go of her, Chomper got a good dose of an electrical charge, making him scream in pain. But a quick reach, hand turning into that black maw once again, and chomping right through a a specific support, abruptly tilted the platform. This allowed Chomper to roll away and down. Using something, the lad had cushioned his landing, and left. Since Firebrand was well out of the way and all, he wasn't there to stop the guy.
Jun went over to Sigrid. "Are you alright? What happened?"
Firebrand had just made it in time to hear the concerned classmate ask his questions. He was wondering as well.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sigga
N/A
quirk SYNAPTIC FLAY
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N/A
alias TBD
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Post by Sigrid Tendo on Dec 30, 2020 3:17:46 GMT
Like an intricate ballet choreographed and executed by newborn gazelles on a sheet of blackice, the two of them danced. Him, now forced to switch to defence, and her, abandoning all reason in favour of a frantic assault of teeth and nails. Not that she managed to deliver wounds to any degree of success or anything. At least Sigga's newfound viciousness kept her opponent from harming her further.
Even with adrenaline coursing throughout her frame the fish did not have the strength to overpower him. She was more bone and sinew than muscle, lacking both strength and stamina to conquer her opponent. But that was no reason to yield. His hands holding her own back by the wrists were enough to keep her at bay. Yet still she struggled, teeth snapping and spittle flying as the girl tried her utmost to get the upper hand. She almost didn't hear the familiar voice call out to her.
At the last possible moment Sigga's mind recognized the words of warning from Jun and altered her tactics. Her attacks stopped and legs unhooked from her foe as she instead tried to kick off of him and put some distance between them. Unfortunately her adversary too seemed intent on disengaging, and let go of her wrists at the same time.
Instead of pushing off of him the teenager fell ungracefully backwards into the floor with a thud. Dust billowed around her rough landing, clinging to her orange shorts and causing her to cough uncontrollably.
A little disoriented, Sigga scrambled back to her feet. She fully expected another strike to be inbound. However, finding himself suddenly outnumbered the assailant took the opportunity to flee. But not before yelping from getting hit by what looked like Jun’s Quirk, and then demolishing a portion of the area in his hasty exit.
Sigga did not pursue.
With more intelligence than courage, the girl simply stood there, staring after the departing criminal. Her breathing was ragged; hyperventilating amidst the dust settling around them. The events of the last few minutes were still a blur and hadn’t yet fully dawned on her.
Her bald head swung to face Jun as he approached. “H-he-” she began to explain, before a hacking fit overtook her and she had to turn aside so as not to cough all over her fellow intern. Once Sigga managed to catch her breath, she began again.
“He came out of nowhere!” Sigga exclaimed. She could still feel her heart in her throat. One oversized hand, shaking, gestured down the hall as she continued, “I was just about done looking around a room a-and- and-” There wasn’t really much more for her to add, not that she could. Even without the flustered fish’s explanation, it would be easy for Jun to infer the rest of what had occurred. But that didn’t exactly help the situation. Who had that been and why had they attacked her?
The girl was still far too out of sorts to start trying to piece the puzzle together. Her amber eyes searched their surroundings. Rather than look for any more threats Sigga was wondering if Firebrand was also just around the corner. Undoubtedly he had heard the commotion or, if not, may have been alerted to it by Jun over coms.
Not immediately spotting their mentor, Sigga's hands and arms brushed at her face. Stray tears and sweat beading along her brow were quickly wiped away. She wanted to make sure she looked at least mostly-composed by the time Firebrand arrived. The harrowing experience was evidently contributing to her distress. Someone in a more sound state of mind would have likely put their present appearance at a much lower priority.
As her breathing steadied, she remembered another detail to mention. “I, uh… When he attacked, my earpiece got knocked off.” Then asked, “Did you take a photo of him?” It was a shot in the dark, but if the blonde boy had been more vigilant than the fish he might have snapped a pic or two. Even if such a thought had occurred to Sigga earlier and she hadn’t been busy fighting for her life, she no longer owned a functioning smartphone with which to take a photo herself.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Flame Bow and Arrow
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N/A
alias Firebrand
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Post by Bureizu Yajiri on Jan 1, 2021 20:16:13 GMT
Both of them let her recover and explain, as flustered as it was. "Calm down, take deep breaths. Clearly he was skilled in sneaking around. What kind of quirk did he have?"
"Looked like he could form a black maw out of his hands and chomp things. I didn't get a picture, but it was a unique look. Gas mask, dark green trench coat, black form fitting clothes underneath, pretty sexy if I might add, but I also saw a glimpse of green-blond hair. Clearly good at sneaking around. I didn't even notice his entrance at first..."
"You're hyper and excited. You may be a great fighter, but you still need to learn to calm down and focus on the task at hand. Sigrid, based on your reaction here, I'd say you panicked and completely forgot about your lessons yesterday. Or just in need of further training. Running away is fine if you have a plan of action or luring a villain away, but sometimes you also need to stand your ground. That includes fighting your own instincts to run. Sometimes, you just got to stall for time, and that's perfectly alright. We can talk more about it tomorrow. Right now, Jun, show us what you found."
The blond led the two away after they found Sigrid's ear piece. Upon reaching the hard to reach area, Jun squeezed through easily enough. He wasn't exactly the biggest of people. Sigrid likely wouldn't have any issues either. Firebrand took the most time to get to it though. Nodding at the area, he took pictures and called it in. Soon, they had a team there looking at the area, and going over it again for anything they missed. He dismissed the two after that.
~
The next day, the interns met Firebrand in the training room. A different one this time, with pillars. "Clearly, we still have some work for you, Sigrid. You and I are going to spar this time. I'll have on some cuffs that'll weigh me down, but this will be full contact. If you're going to be a hero, you need to learn how to fight. Grappling is great and all, but you need to get close. And learn to turn an ambush against someone. Get ready."
Which could be interpreted as mentally or physically. Firebrand put on four cuffs that weighed him down significantly. One on each foot and arm. He was definitely going to have a hard time moving...
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sigga
N/A
quirk SYNAPTIC FLAY
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N/A
alias TBD
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Post by Sigrid Tendo on Jan 4, 2021 3:30:02 GMT
Sigga crossed her arms in a self-hug as her heart rate slowly returned to normal. Her internship had been far from the clerical desk-work she had predicted during that walk with Suzuki-san. She certainly had not expected to be fighting for her life. Not that she could really fault anyone other than the villain himself. Who could have known their investigation would get such horrid excitement injected into it? At least she was still alive.
The girl nodded in agreement at Jun’s report, though stopped short when her peer gave a more ribald remark on her attacker’s appearance. One of her eyebrows arched at the young man, his comment successfully distracting her from her present worries. Had she heard him correctly?
She wasn’t distracted for long, however, as Firebrand took the opportunity to level some lengthy criticism about her performance. Her arms uncrossed themselves so as not to have her appear too defensive at that inbound rebuke and tactical feedback, though she seemed to stand particularly still as her amber eyes gazed submissively at the pink-haired hero. He certainly wasn’t wrong about her panicking. There wasn’t much strategy during her initial skirmish other than focusing on putting as much distance between herself and the danger as possible.
Footsteps echoed off the building’s walls at the trio returned to ground-zero of the attack, quickly finding the dropped earpiece amidst some wooden rubble at the foot of a desk. They continued their reconnaissance for a little longer before Firebrand told them they were wrapping up and done for the day.
She walked alone back to the UA campus afterwards, electing to have some solitude rather than accompany Jun. There were a lot of thoughts she needed to process from the day’s events. The truth was that she had secretly hoped for a bit of excitement during her internship. It would have been something worth bragging about to her snide case-worker. At least that’s what she had thought at first. Now? She wasn’t quite so sure anymore. The snaky woman had been right, damn her. Sigga wasn’t fit for this hero business. It’s not like she really wanted to become a pro-hero, right? It was all just an act. Wasn’t it?
Her eyes pointed listlessly at the overcast clouds accompanying her to the dorms. Though she remained silent, her mind was already quick to point out the dark path her thoughts were trying to take her down. She wouldn’t allow that. Couldn’t allow it. That would have meant she had lost. Lost whatever theatrical proceedings her life was foisting on her shoulders. No. She wouldn’t just cave like that. Not yet.
The dorms greeted a more level-headed fish. Sigga was going to do what she did best and carefully review and analyze the day’s events so as to better understand them. The near-death experience wasn’t about to take control of her mind. The girl decided to analyze her own performance and the feedback from her internship mentor while, once again, laundering her hero outfit. It certainly could do with a good cleaning.
Sigga greeted the following morning with far more enthusiasm. It was amazing what a full night’s rest could do for a fish’s psyche. There was still a lot from the previous two days for her to internally process, but that would come after her internship had concluded.
Like two dull suns, her calculating peepers stared back at her in the bathroom mirror. A dull, violet bruise had manifested itself in the center of her face. If she was in anything other than the hero course that would have elicited a degree of embarrassment in her. Outside of any hero work-related context one might surmise her to have walked into a lamp post or glass door, but no. This was her battle scar- erm, or rather, battle bruise. She had fought her attacker and won! Granted, it was with a bit of help from Tomoshibi-kun and the perp had simply fled. But she was alive. It would take more than some masked marauder to end this stubborn girl’s journey.
Hero outfit pressed and cleaned, and a stomach full of hearty breakfast, the teen set out on her third day of internship. If the rule luck-of-three’s held true, this day would somehow usurp the title of most-memorable. Hopefully that superstition relating to luck was about good luck and not bad.
Her expectations in following up on their investigation today proved to be overly presumptuous. Instead of reviewing a new plan of attack on Musutafu’s short-lived gang war, the interns were ushered into a training room. Sigga spun around taking the new facility in. Pillars dotted an area that was clearly meant as some sort of place for sparring.
A slightly less than enthusiastic look graced the fish’s face. More training. Great. She should have guessed. At least someone wouldn’t be trying to gut her this time. Probably…
Firebrand’s explanation was succinct and in another moment their spar would begin.
If this exercise had happened on the first or second day the girl would have been greatly intimidated. Sigga would have considered few alternative occurrences during her internship to be ranked as more terrifying than having to spar against a pro-hero. Specifically one with as aggressive a Quirk as Firebrand’s. And yes, there was a feeling of trepidation nesting itself in the pretender’s stomach, but after yesterday’s events any training regiment that Flame-On would put her through would be small potatoes compared to having a Villain try to end you.
Sigga entered the designated sparing area, lips pursed in mixed anticipation and caution. She didn’t know what to expect from the pink-haired hero. There had been a couple articles and videos she had gleaned over on his abilities back when she had first planned on applying for her internship, but that felt like a long time ago now. And she wasn’t sure if he even intended on using his Quirk. That said, if she was the one weighed down it would make sense to try to put distance between them and make use of the range Firebrand’s Quirk allotted him. But he could easily be expecting her to expect him to do that. The whole spar simply being a training session he might simply probe her attacks for flaws and offer pointers accordingly. It wasn’t like she knew what exactly the pink-haired man intended. She couldn’t just read his mind or anyth- wait a minute.Yes she could. But that wouldn't be the play to make.
You could interpret her plan as either cunning or a predictable act of hubris, but the girl really wanted to show off; to prove that she wasn’t just another nobody. To those in the room. To her case-worker. But probably mostly to herself. Thusly she devised a simple plan that played to her strengths.
Just before the match began, her eyes flickered to one of the nearby pillars. The glance she took was almost imperceptibly quick. It made perfect sense for someone going up against an opponent with a fire Quirk to think of how to defend against it. Putting a piler between herself and the man certainly seemed like a plausible tactic. The thing was, that particular plan was a bluff. Bullshitting was what the girl did best, after all. Her quick glance to the side was just her way to try to get Firebrand to think she was going for cover.
It would have been a decent enough tactic, hiding behind it in order to draw the pro-hero in close enough for her to use her Quirk on him. But that just wasn’t her plan.
As soon as the spar started Sigga bound forward towards the pillar. As she made her first step, she pivoted on her heel and went straight for Firebrand. If he played defensively her ploy would be for naught, but even a slight hesitation could be taken advantage of.
Sigga didn’t know exactly how his Quirk worked, but she knew in general fire needed time to heat up a space so she wouldn’t expend energy dodging any flames. She made a beeline for her temporary mentor, fingers splayed rather than balled into fists. Any physical attack would be countered with a brief slap. Any retreat would be countered by a brief slap. She just needed to make contact with his skin to exercise her abilities over him.
There was no expectation to win. All she could do was stick to her plan and learn from its results.
If her feint somehow managed to work and she made physical contact with the man, Sigga wouldn’t hold back. It had been a while since she used the cognizance disruption aspects of her abilities, but now would be as good a time as any to sharpen her skill. While her Synaptic Flay could potentially allow for her to know what tactic her opponent was about to employ, it was still too difficult for her to focus on utilizing that ability in combat. But knowing how to react after she did a bit of a memory wipe was an experience nobody knew first-hand how to counter. Other than to avoid being targeted by it.
To the victim it would probably look like she had teleported, the last ten-seconds of their life seemingly vanishing from memory. Such a disorienting effect should provide more than enough opportunity to follow-through with that throwing technique Jun had shown her on the first day. What could possibly go wrong? thought the fish as she charged the A-ranked hero.
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