PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Small Object Control
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N/A
alias Akuma
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Post by Kyou Kazumi (Akuma) on May 14, 2021 1:41:37 GMT
Kyou looked over the various events currently under construction for the school's festival. They'd been gaining a lot of traction in that regard. Of course, UA's festival always did well. But they were getting closer to meeting that school in popularity. Hopefully his successor would be able to propel it further. The blazing red head had done more than that though. He'd encouraged clubs and sports teams to do better by their budget, depending on how successful they were in bringing in customers. Everyone in the student council was a little two-faced here. Perhaps him and his VP most of all. Asahi wasn't so much two-faced as it probably wouldn't surprise anyone that he was one third in the leadership of a youth gang. Looking homeless and almost looked with disdain if it weren't for the fact that he was dating Kyou. But most others had a different side to them. A couple were a part of his gang as well. But they weren't high enough in his regard to link them to his true face.
The council president walked around the campus, making sure everything was in order. They were also setting up donation boxes to go to a specific charity that dealt with rehabilitating criminals and reintegrating them into society. And working honestly to get out of the rut that caused them to go villain. Or a basic criminal. Most automatically think all of them are lunatics or chose that path willingly. Ronin was a perfect example of that not always being the case. He still really wanted to hear her story...but trust needed to be earned. He had heard some good things though. She was willing to work with them again.
After surveying all he could, he decided to take a walk. It was nearing night time, and the school's security knew him and his phone's signal. They would know when he entered the premises. Kyou was simply enjoying the night air...
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mako
N/A
quirk Power for Power
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N/A
alias The Ronin
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Post by The Ronin on Jun 21, 2021 3:20:32 GMT
"See you in class tomorrow!"
Rika stopped as she reached the door of the dojo, turning to acknowledge the shout with a wave over her shoulder and a friendly smile. The girl who called out and her friend both waved enthusiastically as she proceeded to open the door and slip out of the building. Only once it was closed behind her did Rika let out a sigh, the forced expression vanishing from her face as she felt the cool night air on her skin. This was going to take a lot of getting used to.
Standing on the dimly lit campus, Rika was dressed in a school uniform, Bokken bag slung over her shoulder and hair tied into a long braid behind her back. Her skin was slightly slick with the sweat of recent exercise, but for all intents and purposes she looked like a perfectly normal high school student. And at the moment, that's because she was.
After weighing the options for what must have been several months, Rika had finally decided to resume attending school. Although it ultimately left her with less time to pursue her... professional activities, she had come to the conclusion that the pros outweighed the cons in this case. Expanding her education was always a positive, but that was only a small part of the picture. Being out of school had made her stand out more than she had originally anticipated, which made it much harder to move around during the day without arousing suspicion. Of course, there was nothing stopping her from using that non-operational time to study or practice on her own, but actually going to school could accomplish a similar effect while also providing her with a far more powerful alibi, assuming she was careful about how she played her cards. Beyond that, there was the bonus of far more secure housing in the form of on-campus dorms, as well as the social connections that she had admittedly been lacking in recent months. Even with everything she did to get by in this world, Rika was still just a teenager after all.
In any case, she transferred in about a week prior and had been doing her best to get reacclimated to the setting. She'd chosen a school far from where she used to live to avoid being recognized by anyone, so it was easy enough to use the persona of the shy transfer student to hide any of the awkwardness of the transition. Not that there had really been much of that anyway. Rika knew how to play a part and how to blend in. She went to all her classes, socialized enough with her classmates to seem friendly, and joined the school's kendo club. Having other people to spar with was yet another bonus to her situation, even though she did have to downplay her skills a bit in that area to avoid unwanted attention.
It was a decent enough place to be in, but the fact that Rika had elected to join a club did come with the added expectation that she'd help out with the upcoming festival. She wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to have such poor timing with her enrollment, but it was nothing she couldn't deal with. It just meant longer hours than usual to prepare for their club's event. On this particular night she had volunteered to grab some supplies from a nearby convenience store so that they could put the finishing touches on their stalls. It was something that she could have easily put off until the morning, they wouldn't be working on them again until tomorrow afternoon anyway, but she preferred to take the opportunity to enjoy the evening air a bit and get some extra time to herself.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Small Object Control
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N/A
alias Akuma
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Post by Kyou Kazumi (Akuma) on Jun 27, 2021 18:46:27 GMT
Kyou decided to stop by a convenience store that the students, and staff, often used. They also tried to carry a little bit more than a typical store both due to the school, and the supplies they would need, and other businesses and a few homes/apartments/rental places around. It was a nice place, and the people that worked there were always helpful and kind. He, and his gang for that matter, was very protective of the place. As was members of the disciplinary committee. They didn't fool around with those that messed with the place. Luckily, the Vipers didn't even bother with it. The red head went on in, waving at the cashier and looked at what magazines they had. And manga. And whatever else that interested him. Including the tabloids.
He couldn't help the smile when he saw something about Fletcher and his unfortunate experience with Ronin and the ad hoc team. While Pulse had keep them updated about more shipments, they had more of an escort. It would take the gang proper to even stand a chance at it. But he still wanted to keep tabs on it. From the corner of his eye, he spotted someone else come in. A girl, a recent transfer. It was a bit of an odd timing, but otherwise seemed unremarkable. Though she was good enough at kendo, he had a suspicion that she was holding back. Deciding on buying the tabloid, he stuck the paper underneath his arm while he went to grab a couple of snacks. As he was browsing through, it was hard to miss a couple of knuckleheads barging in and being obnoxiously loud. Just from the sounds of things, there were four of them.
Peeking out from around the corner, there six. Just what in the world where these bozos doing?
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mako
N/A
quirk Power for Power
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N/A
alias The Ronin
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Post by The Ronin on Jun 28, 2021 4:38:04 GMT
By the time Rika got the the convenience store, the sun had mostly sunken below the horizon and the streetlights had began to switch on for the evening. Now would usually be about the time that she would be getting to work, scouting out targets or doing minor raids to scavenge up some more cash, however the active buzz around her last job meant that it was better to lay low for a bit longer. That was part of the reason she'd chosen this particular week to start school again. The forced downtime meant now was as good a time as any, and the combined haul from her last two jobs put her about two months ahead on payments anyway... Well, that was assuming Hagane didn't decide to make things difficult for her, but there was no planning around that man.
Walking into the store, Rika immediately made a beeline for the back where they'd tucked away an extra section dedicated to school supplies. This was only her second time visiting the place, but already she could appreciate the bright atmosphere that shop seemed to have. Never before had she been somewhere the staff were so cheerful without it being overtly forced... it was kinda nice actually. It also seemed to be fairly calm most of the time, which suited the girl just fine as she went about gathering the supplies she'd been sent to retrieve. The kendo team would be hosting a pair of exhibitions during the festival, one that was open to all students, basically allowing those untrained to mess around while supervised, and one that put the most skilled members of the club against each other to show off some higher level bouts. For her part, Rika would be helping run a refreshment stand during the former of the two events, and so she needed to grab paper, tape, and markers for signage, and a few packs of disposable cups to serve drinks to the students.
After gathering up everything she needed, the girl was in the process of picking out a bento box for later when the relative quiet of the shop was broken. Rika didn't even need to look to know the rowdy group would be trouble, her instincts telling her to make a quick and inconspicuous exit. And so she grabbed a bento and immediately made for the checkout line, keeping her head down. To her credit she almost made it. Unfortunately, being dressed in a school uniform instead of her normal street clothes made it much harder to go unnoticed in these sorts of situations, and as Rika walked toward the exit with her bags the inevitable happened. "Why hello there cutie." A boy said as he stepped in front of her, blocking her path. He looked to be about 18 years old and stood a full head above her, black hair tied back in a man-bun. Glancing in the direction that he came from, Rika could see more cluttering one of the isles of the store an generally making a nuisance of themselves. Five more from the looks of it, fantastic.
"Me and my friends were about to head downtown for a bit of fun, maybe you'd like to join us?" Doing her best not to roll her eyes at one of the most cliché bad pickup lines ever, Rika quickly scanned over the rest of the group. No faces she recognized from the past few days and none of them appeared to be students, or at the very least weren't wearing uniforms. "Sorry, but I'm pretty busy right now." She made a gesture to the bags in her hand and immediately tried to step around him. "Oh come on, don't be like that." He fired back, grabbing her wrist to stop her from leaving. It took every ounce of self control she had not to break his arm on the spot. "Tell you what, just give us a chance. If you're not having fun by the time things get moving, you can leave and I'll never bother you again. Deal?"
Rika could already tell that this was the sort of guy that wouldn't just let her walk away, and as he continued she could see the rest of his friend taking notice and starting to walk over. Punching the guy wasn't exactly an option in the middle of a store and protesting would just make an even bigger scene, she already had far more attention than she wanted here...
Offering one last look over the collection troublemakers, Rika sized each of them up, gears spinning as she ran the numbers in her head. Finally, she looked down at the hand gripping her wrist and then back up to the man it belonged to, putting on the sweetest smile she could muster as she spoke. "Sure, deal."
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Small Object Control
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N/A
alias Akuma
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Post by Kyou Kazumi (Akuma) on Jun 29, 2021 2:05:50 GMT
It didn't take long for them to chose a target, and Kyou immediately bristled. He was a lot of things. Two-faced, barbaric, potentially a psychopath, a liar...but he was also protective of his classmates. Rounding the corner and towards the cashiers, who were looking extremely nervous, the blazing red head slammed down the tabloid along with some snacks. That did attract one or two of the goons' attentions, but they quickly went back to bothering the transfer student. He did have to rack his brain for a bit for her name, but he did find it. He walked up right after she agreed to it. "You don't have to do that, Rika-san." One of his hands was in his pocket. Not just on a cell phone, but on the one he used for gang purposes.
"Eh?! Who's this punk?" The one closest to him aired his displeasure at the interference. A harsh look from his amber eyes actually sent the guy back a few steps. "I'm her senpai, and her student council president. And you're stopping her from doing a quick errand for her kendo club." There were a few snorts, some even mocked him a little. The one that spoke up wondering who he was laughed boisterously. The guy even came to him and mocked him. Sighing heavily, he did something very uncharacteristic of a student councilman. Even more un-Kyou like...perhaps a tiny bit of his Akuma personality bled through. Quickly and without warning, he backhanded the jerk in the middle of the face. The shorty did a backflip and landed flat on his back, nose obviously broken, and out like a light. "Might turn his head a little sideways. May make him bleed onto the floor, but at least he won't suffocate on his own blood." The cashiers sputtered.
After sending a general message on his phone about a situation, he took out his other hand. And cracked his knuckles while smiling practically maniacally. "It's been a while since I've had some fun. But if you guys are intimidated enough...then take your bitch there and go. And leave my classmates...and the stores in this area...alone." Kyou looked very much like a smiling demon as he dared any one of the obnoxious twats to make a move. "Oh, and the closest hero that would actually arrive to a scene like this is still twenty minutes away. If they rushed with everything that they are. The closest hero won't bother with this trifling matter..." He also already knew the general patrol routes of the heroes in the area. That little tid bit did make the leader of the crew bristle up even more than Kyou laying out one of his subordinates out did.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mako
N/A
quirk Power for Power
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N/A
alias The Ronin
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Post by The Ronin on Jun 30, 2021 1:57:48 GMT
Rika immediately began to tune out the world as the older boy put an arm around her and started leading her toward the exit. She had a habit of suppressing her strength and constitution during her day-to-day activities to make sure she had energy at a moment's notice, but she wasn't taking any chances with this one. She shut everything down including her senses, something that she was loathe to do in most situations, just trying to stockpile as much power as she could. Her frame shrank imperceptibly, her skin growing slightly more pale while her movements slowed and her eyes dimmed. She was practiced enough that the average person wouldn't notice a thing as she diverted the resources, let alone this group of idiots that were more concerned with themselves than anything else.
As it would turn out though, all of that preparation and planning was about to go right out the window. They'd barely made it a few steps when Rika heard someone call out her name from behind. Turning, she saw a vaguely familiar boy with fiery red hair, apparently trying to come to her rescue. It took a few moments for her to place his face; she hadn't really interacted with him at all yet so she didn't recall his name, but she knew his position. Normally such an intervention would have just made the girl roll her eyes, but something about this kid was... different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but her instincts on the matter proved to be justified when he abruptly struck one of the older boys and immediately put him down for the count.
As Kyou gave what she assumed was his final warning, it clicked in her head. It was the look in his eyes, she knew it. This wasn't some preppy honor student trying to play hero, this was someone that had seen the darker side of the world and knew full well what they were doing. Someone like her. Now that was certainly an interesting development.
In any case, every eye in the store was now on them and there was a kid bleeding on the floor. Any chance Rika had had of subtlety was well and truly gone, causing her to breathe a silent sigh as she inconspicuously set her bag down and pushed it aside with her foot. There really was nothing for it, and she really did despise playing the damsel in distress anyway.
"What the hell is your problem!? She already said she didn't mind coming with us, isn't that right?" The boy at her side said incredulously, obviously trying to make himself look more threatening as one of his friends bent down to check on the one Kyou had taken down. "Yeah, but that was just so that I could lure you somewhere and beat the shit out of you." The simple, matter-of-fact tone of her reply combined with her apparently docile demeanor made the older boy do a double take, turning to look at her with a blank expression as he blinked several times.
"....huh?"
Red flooded into Rika's irises and she twisted, breaking from from the boy's grasp and driving her fist right into his abdomen. Strength pouring into her muscles, she thought she might have felt something snap just before he went flying and slammed into the wall beside the exit, a good ten feet away. Lungs hacking as they fought for air they didn't have, he quickly crumpled to the floor, leaving the rest of the group in an uneasy quiet. Rika shook her hand to wring out the ache that came with such a hard hit as she stepped over beside Kyou and looked over the lot of them. "Please don't prove that you're even more stupid than we already think, just take them and get the hell out of here." While they seemed to be angry enough to try piling onto the red-head before, being down a second man, their leader apparently, made them far more hesitant. After a moment, two of them exchanged glances and took a step backward, prompting the other two to begrudgingly follow suit. "Do you have any idea who you're d-dealing with?" One of them asked with a slightly shaking voice while the others gathered up their fallen friends. "Y-you're gonna regret this, trust me."
As the group clumsily sulked out the door, Rika gave a shrug and looked to Kyou. "You have any idea what the hell he's on about?"
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Small Object Control
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N/A
alias Akuma
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Post by Kyou Kazumi (Akuma) on Jul 4, 2021 19:54:59 GMT
So, Rika had teeth of her own. And already had a plan, that he had kind of ruined. But much like him, it seemed a switch was flipped. And she proved her own point, using her quirk, or so he assumed if the change in eye color was an indication, and sent the boy flying. After she shook her arm after such a hard hit, and a quirk enhanced one at that, she stepped up next to him and spoke up. It was very clear that both of them were more than enough for these punks. After her own warning, the guys picked up their wounded and left, leaving with a warning of their own. That made him frown a little. Did they think they were really hot stuff or something? "Not a clue. But I'll find out. Hey guys, can you pull the footage? Shou-chan will be by with a spare flash drive to pick it up. If they show up again, let me know."
After some idle chit chat with the cashiers, and calming them down, Kyou paid for his stuff, and waited on Rika. He had also sent a message throughout the gang to be on the lookout for those uniforms/clothing style...as soon as they got a more visual representation of them. There were a few more people around now, and they were all gang members, though in their civilian garb. And acted as such. "So, how are you finding the school? I hope no one in class has treated you like those idiots..." He tried to get some feedback. But he also saw in that glimpse that she was evaluating him, that he didn't surprise her at all. But more that he caught her own interest. Kyou half wondered if maybe they were very similar...
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mako
N/A
quirk Power for Power
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N/A
alias The Ronin
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Post by The Ronin on Jul 10, 2021 21:35:12 GMT
Rika frowned lightly at Kyou's response. Apparently the reputation the boys were hinting at wasn't so notable. Probably just posturing on their part... or maybe they just had friends in high places. That was the only likely scenario where the threat had any real teeth to it, this lot seemed far too pathetic to have any real power themselves. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to take a few extra precautions for awhile, probably sew some extra hiding spots for emergency weapons into her clothes, since the school refused to give the girls uniforms with actual pocket space.
With things apparently calming back down and the moment of adrenaline over, Rika let out a soft sigh. The red in her eyes seemed to drain away with the released breath, returning them to their dull gray state as she once again shifted to stock-piling her energy. While Kyou went about, presumably attempting damage control, Rika went back to apologize for the trouble and buy herself a drink, then waited around the entrance for a bit under the assumption that the student council president still wanted to talk to her. She normally would have preferred to lay low after such an altercation, but the looks she got from the cashiers and the other customers told her that that down-playing things was basically a lost cause at this point. She'd have a reputation around the school after this... That was far from ideal, but she supposed there were far worse things to be known for than beating up a bunch of jerks that were causing trouble.
By the time Kyou returned, Rika couldn't help but notice the increased number of customers in the store. That was a bit odd given the time of day, and a good number of them were other students that just seemed to be loitering around. Just a coincidence maybe? Something inside her wasn't entirely convinced of that, and so she kept an eye on them, glancing around occasionally even as the red head approached. "I suppose I should thank you, even if I probably had that under control." She opened, putting on a mildly amused smile before the boy got to his questions. "The other students? Nah. Everyone's been really kind since I got here. It's been... pretty nice actually..." She trailed off slightly, eyes unfocusing for a moment. The relatively normal lifestyle of the past several days was actually a pleasant departure from how she'd been living for the past year or so, but before the content expression could fully manifest on her face, she caught herself and continued explaining. "My last school was in Namba, pretty rough place. Had to learn to look after myself, if you know what I mean." She punctuated the statement by flexing the fist that she'd hit the older boy with. It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the real truth, just a convenient way to explain away her fighting ability that she recited almost on reflex. "What's your story though? Hardly the sort of behavior that one would expect out of student council." Rika fished with a smirk, gesturing over to one of the store employees who had just finished wiping up blood off the floor. She hadn't exactly been surprised at the outburst because of the vibe that the boy had been giving off, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Small Object Control
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N/A
alias Akuma
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Post by Kyou Kazumi (Akuma) on Jul 19, 2021 16:42:37 GMT
"Right, sorry. If I'd known you could have handled it on your own, I'd have simply watched." Watching jerks get their dues was fun for everyone. Kyou chuckled about it and stuck his tongue out at her playfully. "That's good to hear. If you see or are a victim, please report it as soon as possible. We take that more seriously than other schools do." To the point where even the few quirkless students that they had were comfortable. She explained a little about her upbringing, living in Namba. Oh, he heard stories about that place. It was no wonder she learned how to take care of herself. He simply nodded and didn't react to the playful punch. "For the record, it makes you qualified for the disciplinary committee. Just something to think about if you get bored with Kendo Club." He did doubt she would do that. And no one wanted to do more than one club at a time. You'd simply have no time for anything else.
Rika did as about him, and his story. "Even in this day and age, you have those bigots that are against same-sex marriage. No matter how amazing my dads are. So I took an interest in learning how to defend myself and my fathers. Shou-chan got dragged with me since were friends, though he took to boxing. Asa-chan had to learn because of his own sucky upbringing. That's all there is to it. Shou-chan and I can handle ourselves if need be, but Asa-chan is far and away our muscle." He simply shrugged and recited his own main answers. Though he didn't really take an interest until he and Shouta got trapped by a pro-hero as he was taking down a villain, but he wasn't going to mention that. Though it would be humorous if she found that out and tried to lead him to "Akuma". They passed Shouta running to the store they were just at to get the footage and do some research.
But otherwise, Kyou would stick by Rika. "I realize you can take care of yourself and all, but I do have a duty to make sure my fellow classmates get back home safely. Mind some company?"
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mako
N/A
quirk Power for Power
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N/A
alias The Ronin
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Post by The Ronin on Jul 26, 2021 3:14:57 GMT
"Good, as long as we've got that settled. Hang back next time and I'll be sure to treat you to a nice show." Rika promised with a sideways glance at the boy. Of course the reality was that a similar situation wasn't likely to come up again. The girl only ever resorted to direct confrontations when all her other options failed... when she wasn't on the job at least. The sort of feats she was capable of with her quirk wouldn't have been out of place at some of the higher end hero schools, and so using her abilities had a habit of drawing quite a lot of attention in more mundane settings. She had actually briefly considered enrolling in such an institution when she was choosing a school, but quickly dismissed the idea. Even the smaller hero schools in the area gave their students a decent amount of publicity, and if her quirk ever became recognizable it would put an instant end to her other activities.
Kyou's comment about joining the Disciplinary team earned him a single dry laugh from the girl. As amusing as it would be to have a position where going around knocking sense into people was her job, it wasn't quite her style. It was a past time she had quite a bit of experience in at the point, but again, too much attention. Shifting gears, the story that the student council member told her about his upbringing was one she was well familiar with; the story of someone singled out and then forced to toughen themselves up to get buy. It was a common one in the area that she was from, but the way Kyou told it downplayed the experiences just as much as she had with her own. It was a purposeful effect, and one that she could only really recognize because of how much she did it her self. After all, one didn't get that dangerous look in their eyes by simple "learning to defend themselves". But Rika had no intention of prying any more into that topic, she was familiar enough with that life that she could fill in most of the blanks herself.
With their stories exchanged, Rika gave a half-shrug at Kyou's offer of escorting her back to the school dorms. "I have a feeling you'd probably follow after me even if I said no, so I suppose I should just play along. Mind if we take the long way back though? I was hoping to stretch my legs a bit more before I turn in." She asked as they started away from the convenience store, gesturing toward a connecting street that lead along the riverside.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Small Object Control
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N/A
alias Akuma
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Post by Kyou Kazumi (Akuma) on Aug 8, 2021 18:24:04 GMT
"Not at all. That's part of why I was out as well." And so they took the long way. It was a peaceful night. And now no one was around really. An odd person here and there jogging, but that was it. Kyou's thoughts still strayed to those punks. He hoped that Shou-chan can find out more about them before too long. He was pretty silent as he walked by the river, next to Rika. If she wanted to talk, he'd talk as well. But otherwise kept silent. He did take out the tabloid he bought and started to read the articles. Including the one about Fletcher. For once, the tabloids actually asked some good questions, and the agency dodged them, making even more waves. It was funny that their little heist brought down some scrutiny.
But alas, things settled down, and they split when they got to the dorms. The boys and girls had separate dorm buildings. He went to his room then.
The next couple days were uneventful aside from doing final preparations for the festival. Though Shouta did find out who they were. The ring leader was one of theirs. And his big brother. Said big brother was actually decently powered, but lacked resolve and was more in it for the protection of the gang. And the fact that he thought way too highly of himself. As far his real abilities were, they didn't know, since he never offered to take up arms unless needed. From what he gathered, they held themselves well against the Vipers. And had to warn them a couple times about going too far or not going with their restructuring plan and new/redone rules. If they tried something after this, they were out and to be blacklisted.
The day of the festival came, and so far things were going smoothly and very well. He just hoped things stayed this way until the end...
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mako
N/A
quirk Power for Power
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N/A
alias The Ronin
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Post by The Ronin on Aug 18, 2021 4:51:17 GMT
Rika fell in line beside Kyou as the pair turned onto the street that ran along side the river. For a moment she was worried that he would insist on starting up more conversation, and she really didn't feel like talking anymore today. Talking meant putting on the face that everyone expected from her; the face of the girl who was open and friendly, who always payed attention and got good grades, who liked to sew and wanted to start her own clothing store. That wasn't her world, that girl didn't exist anymore. Luckily it seemed that the boy understood the value in a moment of quiet, and since she was free from talking Rika took the opportunity to do something she rarely did.
She relaxed.
A faint white glow tinted her eyes as she opened herself up to the sensations of the world around her. In an instant the lights of the city became brighter, the colors more vivid, the sounds more distinct. Streetlamps became nearly blinding beacons of light that rimmed the paths and the various signs that lined the buildings shifted and separated into new dazzling hues that most people would never know. The low chatter that seemed to fill the streets rose to a roar, and yet her ears could pick out individual words among the voices even as they all clashed together with the sounds of distant cars and electronics. This ability of hers was one she almost never used. Without special equipment, boosting her senses was a dangerous affair; it was far too easy to overwhelm herself with the shear volume of information that her body took in. And yet despite the risk, part of her had always found a sort of clarity in the experience, a habit left over from back when she was still just that naïve girl. The utter wall of sights, sounds, and smells that surrounded her represented the very flow of the city itself. If she focused hard enough, she could feel its heartbeat in the airflow and vibrations. The pulsing thrum of every movement, every sound, every life. The rhythm of Musutafu was very different than her home back in Osaka; far less harsh and chaotic too her mind, although it was impossible to explain the exact differences. How differently would things have turned out if she had grown up in a city like this instead? One where the beats seemed to harmonize far more than they clashed?
Rika continued to take in the sensations until they reached the end of the street and finally turned back toward the campus. She took a deep breath as she let the flame inside die out, her eyes once again fading to a dull grey. The momentary respite was over; it was time to stop with the foolish musings. As her detached logic began to re-assert itself she once again found herself appraising Kyou, tinge of amusement appearing in her eyes as she saw his reading material for the evening. This boy was potentially just as much of an outlier as her, and though she didn't exactly have a full grasp of his personality yet, she would certainly be keeping an eye on him. Whether he could prove to be an asset or a source of danger would eventually become apparent, she was sure.
Shortly after entering the campus proper, the two split up and returned to their separate dorms. Part of her had originally been considering sneaking out for a bit longer to do some scouting around the city, but after the unexpected excitement of the evening she decided against it, simply finishing up her preparations for the following day before turning in.
Mercifully, the next few days passed with little in terms of extra excitement. Although Rika made a point to watch her back in case the troublemakers from the store decided to make good on their threats, no such retaliation ever manifested. She did notice a few whispers of her part in the evening's encounter spread among her fellow students, but remarkably fewer than she had expected. It seemed like most were dismissing it as a wild rumor for some reason, which allowed her to mostly ignore it in hopes that it would simple die off on its own. Instead, she largely concerned herself with helping the kendo club finish it's preparations for the festival. In the days that followed they finished putting together their stalls, gathering all the equipment they needed, and organizing their schedule for the events. When the day itself arrived they had one of the school's practice gyms sectioned off with a pair of stalls and a long table covered in refreshments between them.
Rika stood behind one of the stands in her dark blue hakama uniform. One of the other girls had ended up catching the flu the day prior, so she had been swapped from refreshment duty to managing the sign-ups for the public bouts. It was a fairly simple setup; students could challenge anyone that signed the form, and after being set up with equipment and bit of instruction on the basics, they would run a best of 5 match to determine the winner. Usually real matches were only best of 3, but with absolute novices those would be over in the blink of an eye, so it would have hardly been worth getting the armor on for them. In order to seed the bracket at the beginning, all of the club members had been put on the list in advance, but few challenged them as it would be an almost guaranteed loss for the average student without training. Still, there had been a handful of challenges and some bouts between club members while things were still slow. Notably though, Rika noticed that no one really even considered going against her. Maybe a side-effect of those rumors? In any case, it left her manning her post basically the whole time with little in the way of entertainment, aside from occasionally watching students beat each other over the head with shinai. Oh well. Things were going decently enough and she knew it was far better to be a little bored than to have the 'excitement' of everything falling apart.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Small Object Control
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N/A
alias Akuma
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Post by Kyou Kazumi (Akuma) on Aug 29, 2021 17:07:41 GMT
The end of the days events came and went. Smooth as usual, and little in the way of excitement. He liked days like those...he had precious few of them. The blazing red head left the premises after finishing up some work. Again, just for some fresh air, and making sure things did run smoothly. He did bring a small bag, but all it had was some binders and pens/pencils. And the information inside wouldn't do anyone any good. Still, walking back to the convenience store, he noticed the shadows. He was being tailed. And soon enough, they made their move, though they didn't immediately attacked him. They actually didn't attack him at all. Four in total, all taller and bigger than him, not that it mattered. They wanted him to come with them. Curiosity peaked, Kyou went without issue.
They took him to an abandoned construction site. Well, it was supposed to be, but there were tools, nails, screws, nuts and bolts, and other such things all around them, along with a skeleton of a structure with a few boards up for footing on the three floors. The first that they were on was the most complete. With the four that took him in was the goons from a few nights ago, and their ring leader, three more with Rika, and that ring leader's older brother. "Yo. What do you guys want?"
"My bro said you two embarrassed and beat the crap out of him and his buddies. I don't take kindly to that. Do you know who I am? *cue Kyou shaking his head while smiling innocently* I'm Akuma's right hand man, you buffoons!" If Kyou could laugh without revealing that he knew who Oni was, he would have. This guy was way too tall to be Oni. And too boisterous. Instead, Kyou frowned and rose an eyebrow. "Is that so. It's known that Akuma's group all wear masks. Including the leadership. Which includes Akuma himself, obviously, Oni, and Vanish, right? What does your mask look like?" They weren't super famous by any stretch of the word, but they did have a little bit of a reputation. Even Firebrand investigated them a little bit. The guy showed the mask with a malicious grin. It was a demon mask, but nothing like Oni's. Kyou even knew that it was indeed the guy's normal mask. Still, he snorted. "Do you take us for fools? It's well known that Akuma's mask is a red demon mask, and that Oni's is a black version of it. Vanish's is a relatively plain mask with little in the way of decoration. Do you want a fight, or not? I have places to be, and have no time to settle a stupid score with morons like yourselves."
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mako
N/A
quirk Power for Power
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N/A
alias The Ronin
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Post by The Ronin on Sept 12, 2021 5:09:23 GMT
"You should have seen the look on his face when he came out of the ring, seriously Shi-chan, that was almost cruel." Rika gave the girl beside her a shrug, sipping on the straw of a smoothie as the pair casually made their way down the street. It was about an hour after the festival had wound down and she had since changed out of her uniform, instead wearing a grey hoodie and a pair of denim shorts, her hair strung into a long braid and tucked into her jacket's hood. "Hirata-san never guards his head, and he always over-extends if you go long enough without attacking him." She said coolly. "The match didn't even last thirty seconds!" The other girl, a fellow kendo club member named Yue, waved her arms animatedly. She had a habit of exaggerating and blowing things out of proportion, but she had always seemed friendly enough. Rika just shrugged again. "Maybe he'll actually learn to be a bit more patient now." Heavens knew the kid wouldn't ever improve if he just kept on rushing into a fight without covering himself.
The rest of the festival had come and gone with little in the way of surprises. From Rika's perspective things went about as smooth as could be. There were no real incidents to speak of apart from a few idiots from the soccer team deciding not to follow the club members' instructions. That resolved simply enough though, with one of her practiced glares quickly causing them to shy away and put an end to their horseplay before things got out of hand. One of the other club members echoed Kyou's suggestion about joining the disciplinary committee when everything was said and done, drawing an amused smirk from the girl. Was she really that scary, or was that just another effect of the rumors? The only challenges that ended up coming her way were from other club members, and were mostly done to help them all warm up for the exhibition tournament.
As usual, Rika competed with her strength and speed dampened, which she viewed as a sort of extra training for herself. With such a physical disadvantage she had to rely more heavily on her skills and fighting strategically. Naturally it helped her stand out less to the eyes of the average student who didn't know any better, but there were a handful on the team that seemed to have noticed that she wasn't quite giving her all. And they tended to be quite insufferable about it... In any case, she managed to make it to the third round before one of the seniors managed to knock her out of the bracket. That put her more or less where she wanted to be; neither too low or too high to draw any particular attention. After everything was over and their stalls cleaned up, Yue had invited her out to a nearby café in celebration of a successful festival, and had proceeded to spend most of the time talking about how each of the matches had gone.
"Now what I'm still trying to figure out is how the captain lost to Hana-chan, I don't think I've ever seen him lose a match in any of our practices before..." Once again Rika just shrugged. Normally she would have put forth the effort to be more active in the conversation, but ever since they left the café she'd been more or less just letting the girl talk. She had other things on her mind, like the fact that someone had been following them since they stepped out the door. Well, a group of someones, but still. She'd been watching them through the corner of her eye as they made their way back toward the school, waiting for them to make their move. It should be right about....
"Hey there, remember me?"
Rika stopped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she was greeted with a familiar, if unwelcome face. The man that had tried to hit on her from the convenience store. Honestly, she was just surprised to see him walking around, most people didn't handle cracked ribs all that well. Maybe he was a fast healer? "Oh, I remember." She said, putting on a fake smile. Glancing about she could see three others that seemed to be accompanying the older boy, though they looked to be trying to stand far enough back to not cause a scene. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, I was hoping maybe you'd take me up on my offer from before. If not you then maybe..." He shot a glance toward Yue and Rika once again had to fight an urge to snap him in half on the spot. "Sure, why not?" She said sweetly before turning back toward her friend. "Sorry Yue-chan, I'll catch up later, alright?" The girl glanced from him to her and then gave her a mischievous grin. "Oh don't you worry about me. Have fun Shi-chan!" She said with a wave before turning to start back toward the school, chuckling to herself. Oh that sweet innocent girl...
As Yue shrank from view, Rika noticed the three other toughs start to approach, moving to keep her from making a break for it. "Well then, shall we be off then Shi-chan? I have someone who'd love to meet you." The leader reached to take her arm as he had done back at the convenience store, but as he moved Rika leveled a glare at him, her eyes flashing red for the briefest of moments. The display made him flinch visibly, and he evidently decided it was safer not to touch her, instead just turning and motioning for her to follow.
Rika didn't try to run, with this much muscle around there wasn't much she could to do avoid causing a scene, and there was no telling if they'd sent someone to tail Yue as insurance. Instead she practically shut herself down as she followed along, storing up as much energy as she could, as fast as she could. Whatever the hell they had planned, she wanted to be ready. Luckily they did seem intent on choosing a more secluded part of the city, leading her to a construction yard where they met up with even more thuggish types, including a group that was towing along another familiar face; Kyou. So this was the revenge they were promised, huh? It was impressive enough on the surface, she counted a total of 14 of the goons milling about, but somehow she was still disappointed. It was probably the fact that the one in charge seemed to be trying real hard to look more threatening than he actually was.
Kyou wasted no time in getting the ball rolling, seeming perfectly content despite being surrounding by people that probably wanted to kick the crap out of him. For her own part, Rika just looked plain bored, still sipping on her drink even as the leader started his posturing. "I don't suppose your brother there cared to mention why we attacked him, or when he came crying to you did he just skip right to the part where he got the crap kicked out of him by a pair of highschoolers?" Being so far away from the eyes of the public, she didn't even bother putting up her innocent act anymore, just letting the ice flow without a care. The man in question winced again at the rebuke and seemed to unconsciously move to put his brother between them. As the leader continued however, he brought up something that drew a raised eyebrow from Rika. A few weeks ago the names he spoke of wouldn't have meant a thing to her. Now however, they let her know in an instant that this guy was lying through his teeth. She hadn't met everyone in the gang, but she had met all of those in positions of power. This man's build wasn't even close; too tall, too old.
What happened next though was even more unexpected. Not only did Kyou call the leader out on his bluff, he even corrected the man when he produced the wrong mask. That sort of knowledge wasn't something that just any student would have, and considering what Rika had seen in his eyes during their last encounter, a clearer picture of the kid was starting to form in her head. As the student council president finished his tongue lashing, Rika gave an amused snort of her own. "Oh, now I see where your brother gets it. You can only threaten people by talking about your "important" friends too. Must run in the family." As she delivered the taunt, Rika's free hand subtly worked a fold in the sleeve of her hoodie. There was little chance that this lot would simply let the two of them walk away after all this, and she'd need what was hidden inside.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jun
N/A
quirk Small Object Control
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N/A
alias Akuma
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Post by Kyou Kazumi (Akuma) on Sept 19, 2021 21:14:43 GMT
"That doesn't matter! He's in high school too!" Still, the leader got pissed off at the arrogance of the two. And the red head especially. He knew what the leaders' masks were...was the guy also in the gang then? Again, the girl rebuked him. Red faced, and angry, he spoke again at two of his personal goons. "Teach the girl a lesson." Two of the goons that brought Kyou in stepped up. On one of them, their arm hairs spiked up into needles, as did the hair on his knuckles. The other one chewed gum, and spat it out. The gum soon morphed into a tiny puddy man. And then they went after her.
Kyou stood back and let her take care of herself. Although...the moves that she was displaying...the quirk...a sudden epiphany. Though maybe not so much from her moves...but more the way she acted. The way she talked. And Vanish did mention that she looked familiar. And not in the seen her around town way...but more in their other activities. He risked it, and it drew attention to him. "Ronin." It might have stopped everyone. The leader looked at Kyou, then back at the girl. "Bullshit." He was starting to panic now. Kyou grinned, then broke into laughter. "Wow, who knew? Well, not that it matters..." Kyou took out his phone and looked to see where Asa-chan was. He was already close. And with his mask...to show this idiots who they were messing with. And they were definitely going to be blacklisted.
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