229 Posts
4 EP
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Total
16 Years
M
"Fix"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hino Yojin on Dec 13, 2018 20:07:35 GMT -4
自由自在 z-ranked self awareness
At this point, Yojin had just started to accept that he probably never should have been able to leave home. What part of his brain kept finding the safe, sane, sensible option, and then bee-lining straight in the other direction? Had he hit his head on something during the training camp massacre? Could he chalk it up to Alex being a bad influence? Why had some latent part of his psyche had taken his newfound independence as an excuse to repeatedly jam himself into odd, uncomfortable, and dangerous situations, again and again?
Today’s mistake was Emi Tachibana, 1B hero student.. Or, to be more specific, today’s mistake was tracking Emi Tachibanai down to her house, for the sake of what could be called, in the loosest of terms, a social call. Yojin had a bone to pick with Emi, and like any reasonable support student confronting a hero, he wanted to do it in person, because some things just simply didn’t translate over text.
Things like “Why’d you have to go put Chimera’s face out like that?” and “Do you think about your actions?”
Well. Most of the things he had to say would actually translate pretty well over text. But he barely knew Emi--to him, she was a sarcastic, self-absorbed, spoiled voice in the chatroom. She’d been hunting down people for her vlog since day one, sure, but that had actually been kinda endearing, though he never wanted his face on camera. When Chimera had told him he’d done an interview for her about the shit at the training camp, he’d questioned his roommate’s judgement, but hadn’t been concerned. But then it had blown up...leaving his friend’s crying face plastered all over the internet, in the eyes of civilians and criminals alike.
So yeah. Most of what he wanted to say would have been just fine in a DM. But he needed to see her reaction, not just read text. He was shit enough at picking up on social cues in real life. Text made it fucking impossible. And this way, she couldn’t ignore him.
Well, she could lock him out of her house. He didn’t really have a back-up plan for if that happened. He definitely hadn’t thought that far ahead.
He’d get to it when he got to it.
Right now he felt incredibly out of place.
The rumble of his moped engine spluttered, then died as he pulled into the driveway of a townhouse in the middle of Mustafar’s suburbs. He hadn’t known she lived off campus, but if she was rich, it made sense: why rub elbows with the rabble? It hadn’t made finding her easy, though--he’d asked around the dorms, first, only to find out she definitely wasn’t there, and had ended up having to snag some fan-mail while it was getting forwarded to her at school. It kinda--no, scratch that, definitely, made him feel like some sort of stalker.
He wasn’t a stalker, though. He was just looking out for his friends.
As Yojin slid off the moped, his ankle throbbed in pain when his foot hit the ground. That, and the cast on his left hand were evidence that he was still recovering from the King of the Hill match he’d participated in. Stupid hero students. Stupid him.
He limped up the walkway, shaking his head in disbelief at the size of the house, then stopped at the front door, and knocked.
“Morning. Tachibana household?” He mumbled.
This better be the right house.
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414 Posts
0 EP
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17 Years
Female
"Halo"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Emi Ryoko Tachibana on Dec 16, 2018 11:37:24 GMT -4
For the most part, hiding was working well for Emi. It was much harder for her to run into trouble with thugs if she didn’t go outside, and those people would have a hard time tracking her to her home. She’d had a small internet following for years, a fancy house mostly left to her, and a very well-off businessman for a father (whenever he bothered to play that role). Three very good reasons for her and her parents to keep her address off the web and most public records. As long as the JSDF didn’t send any assassins after her, she would be fine. Probably.
Until the vlog hype died down, she was happy to spend any time she wasn’t at school in the comfort of her own home. Which, to be fair, was a very nice home – and one that she was very used to being holed up inside. What didn’t make her happy was the sudden knocking at her door. In fact, it gave her heart pause, and outright froze her body. Tomoe the maid wasn’t supposed to visit that day, and neither was Chef Kouta. Even if they were, they could both let themselves in… Was it a delivery? No, she hadn’t ordered any new clothes recently – she barely had the time to. She didn’t even consider the possibility of somebody from school visiting… So whoever was there was uninvited, and therefore unwanted.
She had half a mind to ignore the knocking. If she was lucky, somebody had the wrong door, and she was fretting over nothing. But… what if it wasn’t nothing? What if somebody was trying to case the house? No, there were less obvious ways to do that…. Still, she just had to know what was up, and more importantly, if it was something she should have been worried about.
A few taps on her phone brought up the front door’s camera feed. For whatever reason, Daddy Tachibana had chosen not to splurge on the HD camera, but she could at least tell that the figure was unfamiliar. Somewhat tall, but lanky and poorly dressed, by her standards. She might have thought it was a surprise delivery, if he didn’t appear to have come empty-handed. That meant no weapon, either… But in the world of quirks, it rarely paid to make assumptions. No, wait. At his side, he had a small bag. Not a gun holster, but there could have been anything in there!
She really should have left him there… But if he wasn’t armed or bearing gifts, what was he there for? Curiosity got the better of her paranoia, carrying her down the stairs from her room and to the door. One hand reached for the handle, while the other started calling on her quirk. She opened the door just enough for half her face to poke out behind it – and the end of a crystallised bat to show if he looked down.
“Who are you, and what do you want?” Her tone was cautious, but not outright hostile. Yet.
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229 Posts
4 EP
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16 Years
M
"Fix"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hino Yojin on Dec 17, 2018 20:25:52 GMT -4
自由自在 you know, the robo-fucker?
Each second that Yojin spent standing on the porch of an unfamiliar house made him feel more ridiculous. Even though all of the windows around him were empty, he could swear he felt judging eyes burning into his back, questioning his right to exist in the same space as the well-off and cultured. Maybe he should have worn a nicer jacket?
That way, I could be well-dressed while I accuse Emi of pressuring my friend into her goddamn video. Come on Yojin. She’s not going to care what you look like after you start talking.
He slid his hand into his pocket, sliding out a box of cigarettes, but not taking one out yet. He just needed to focus on what he had to say. How did he even start?
“Tachibana-kun, I would like to talk about Chimera.” sounded so formal. “Hey, I’ve got a problem.” was way too hostile. Goddamn. He was so bad at talking to people.
No one was answering. Was this even the right house? He should have double-checked. Maybe no one was home. He already felt exhausted--he hadn’t gotten a full nights sleep in weeks. This was a dumb idea. He could just try to talk to her next time he saw her at at school. Whenever that was going to be.
Yojin started to turn back to his moped, fishing out a cigarette, then heard the door click behind him.
The door was cracked open. Emi was staring at him in the gap. Yojin shoved the box of cigarettes back in his pockets, his face flat, expression hard to read as he looked back at her.
“Hey, Emi-kun. What’s up?” Yojin blurted, the first thing that came to mind. His voice was dry, weirdly casual, as though they were passing in the hallway at school. He noticed she had a weird look on her face.
In fact, Emi looked...bad. Well. Not bad. From what he could see, she was as fashionable and...distracting as she’d been in the photos she’d posted and on her vlog. No. She looked pale. And...was that a crystal...club she was holding?
Scared. She looked scared. That was the word. Was she scared of him?
Wow. He’d barely talked to her. And he didn’t think he was that creepy. Maybe it was the killer robots? What the hell?
“...Is….everything okay?” He asked, bemusement in his voice. He hadn’t been expecting this. At all. What the hell? She’d seemed a little nervous when he’d messaged her last on the chat, but she’d bounced back in public pretty quick. Had something happened?
Wait, did she even recognize him? He'd only posted like two pictures, and she wasn't in any of his classes.
Yojin held up his broken hand, and waved, lips pursed in amusement, and his voice even dryer than usual.
"Right. Hino Yojin. We've talked in chat. Ring any bells? I know I'm not famous....but...."
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414 Posts
0 EP
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17 Years
Female
"Halo"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Emi Ryoko Tachibana on Dec 19, 2018 10:42:33 GMT -4
A bell was ringing, alright. A little alarm in the back of her head. A person she didn’t recognise calling her Emi-kun. At best, it was a crazed stalker of a fan. At worst, somebody was trying to get her to lower her guard. Thankfully, they’d made one fatal mistake – assuming that she knew any teenager well enough for them to call her a friend! Her eyes narrowed, and the door moved a few inches further to closing…
Huh? Yojin? She blinked, then squinted. It had been a while ago, but she’d seen a picture of him. She’d seen a lot of pictures of Yuei’s boys – enough for most of them to slip her mind without a reminder. All at once, her face lit up. “Oh, Yojin-kun! Why didn’t you start with that?!” The relief in her voice was very hard to miss – as was the sound of a crystal bat being lobbed down the hallway. A flick of her wrist might not have had much strength, but halokinesis sure did. At least she knew why he looked so plain. He mentioned his machine work often, and nobody wanted to dirty their good clothes with hard labour.
The door opened fully, revealing that besides her fright, the girl appeared to be doing well. Clearly, Emi had decided that is she was to die, it would be in style. Why else would she choose to wear jewellery in the comfort of her own home? “Yeah, I’m fine, fine! Just hard at work, as usual!” Running her mouth was nothing new, but her voice was just a little too high-pitched. “Messages just don’t stop coming in after that lost vlog went up. Most of them aren’t really anything worth wasting time on, but every content creator knows you’ve got to ride the wave! That means keeping an eye out for collabs, interviews, and finding the next big idea. Or… fun idea, in my case. I think I’ve done enough blowing up for the year, right? Oh! Speaking of blowing up! You make stuff, right? Maybe you can help me out with a design. But first, what brings you here? What happened to your hand?”
“…Wait. Wait a second.” She squinted again, her smile vanishing.
“How do you know where I live?”
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229 Posts
4 EP
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16 Years
M
"Fix"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hino Yojin on Dec 22, 2018 22:38:20 GMT -4
自由自在 can i get my e ranked "dodging questions" ability now?
Wow. She really hadn’t recognized him. Yojin had to admit that stung a bit. I mean, sure, they hadn’t really met, and honestly, it was probably for the best she’d forgotten his face. He’d posted like what? Two photos? And one was super edgy, because he’d been pissed about all her questions right after the Military Camp shit. But come on, he was the only blond japanese guy at UA. A vlogger should be better at remembering people!
At least she seemed embarrassed about it. He opened his mouth to speak, then clicked it shut as she just kept going. And going. It was a relief not to have to talk but…
She wasn’t making the slightest bit of sense. Was she laying low, or making a new vlog? And what the hell was she so nervous about?
Yojin opened his mouth, trying to get in a word again, then, once again, his jaw clicked shut. Right. His hand. And how he got here. Yojin shook his head, narrowing his eyes before he answered, not sure if he was amused, or annoyed.
“...Take a breath, and I’ll tell you.” He muttered. “This normally how you normally greet people?”
As Yojin started to go through her questions, he realized that he hadn’t actually thought of a lie for how he knew her address. Shit. He’d come back to that.
Instead, he held up his bandaged hand, answering her first question.
“I made the mistake of entering one of Geist-sensei’s combat lessons.” He explained, mentally shuffling through what he actually wanted to say about it. “A 1-A student nuked the robot I was working on. It was very educational.”
...And that was enough. There was no need to mention knocking himself out with his own quirk, or that he’d dropped the robot on his hand and broken his ankle before Rowan had gotten involved. She could learn that somewhere else.
“Mind if I step in, by the way? I won’t make a mess on the carpet, and I’m pretty sure your neighbors are staring at me.” Yojin said dryly, glancing around at the surrounding houses. He didn’t actually see anyone, but talking to her on the doorstep felt really awkward. He was losing track of his train of thought. He needed to remember the point.
“I wanted to talk about Chimera. Wait. Are you making a blog, or laying low? You said both.”
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414 Posts
0 EP
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17 Years
Female
"Halo"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Emi Ryoko Tachibana on Dec 31, 2018 19:18:49 GMT -4
He knew something was up! At his request, she shut her mouth, but they both knew it wouldn’t last long. Devoting less of her brain to talking meant she could start to make sense of the thousand questions running through her head – and hopefully start talking sense next time. In the meantime, she could at least try to listen. His tale brought a slight look of relief to her face. Her skill was sorely lacking compared to some of her classmates, but at least none of them had ever managed to break her body. There was always somebody worse out there, and having a living reminder of that would serve her well the next time she burned out. With that line of thinking, it wasn’t too surprising that sympathy was a weak point for Emi, so she could muster little more than an “Oh… sucks,” in response.
She raised a brow. He wanted to step in? There was nothing to hide (besides perhaps the bat), but she looked over her shoulder anyway. Telling him she was on the lookout for home intruders was out of the question, but what else could she say to keep him at bay? What reason did she even have to say no, assuming that he wasn’t a shapeshifter or traitor waiting to isolate her? …Well, if he’d meant to do that, he could have forced her into the house from the get-go. She didn’t know. Maybe he had a point – her mind was making a mess of everything.
“Er… Sure, I guess! It’s alright, don’t mind them. You’re not the usual kind in this area – you get it, right?” A hand beckoned him in as she stepped back, while the other pushed the door shut as soon as he was clear of it. That left the two in the front hallway, painted with an eggshell white and adorned with pictures of abstract pastel art. Easy on the eyes, but at the same time, rather bare. And of course, there was the bat lying at the foot of the stairs. “Oh, I thought I hung that up somewhere,” she lied. With a twitch of her finger, her would-be weapon disappeared around a corner.
“Yes! I mean, one of them more than the other. A good content creator is always on the lookout for their next project… But I don’t have any plans to put something together right now. It’s like the difference between looking for inspiration and making a piece. But don’t worry about that for now! You were saying something about Chimera-san. My first star. Why do you ask? Shouldn’t I be asking you about him? You’re his roommate, aren’t you?” With hands on her hips, she leaned a little closer to him. “What could I know about him that you don’t? And while we're on the subject, how's he doing?”
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229 Posts
4 EP
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Total
16 Years
M
"Fix"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hino Yojin on Jan 2, 2019 23:25:09 GMT -4
自由自在 at least yojin didn't say "well, he's horny."
Weird. Yojin had really expected Emi to catch him on dodging her question. What was up with her? Maybe the haughty utube princess thing was an act. Yojin wasn’t the same person online as he was in real life--it was a lot easier to be witty in front of a computer, but this was a total personality flip. In the video with Chimera she’d seemed--
His train of thought was once again shattered by a hail of questions from Emi.
Right. Chimera.
“Well, he’s fluffy.” Yojin mumbled, looking past Emi at the wall. What was he even going to say?
“But hey, most of the world knows that now.” Yojin said, his voice soft, almost thoughtful.. “They also know what he looks like when he cries. That part went on for a bit. But hey, it got the message out, right? And it was a good message.”
“The world knows a lot.” Yojin said flatly, not liking how he sounded, but unable to stop. “The bullet to the ribs he took. The injured girl--her name was Sachiko, by the way. The guy who blew his brains out.”
He ran his hand through his hair, eyes dull and far away.
“He left some parts out. We hurt people. Bad. Well. More than hurt people. Chimera took a guy’s hand off. Alex and Risaka-” He sighed, a spike of pain going through his head, swallowing past the lump of his throat. “Whatever. You didn’t know that. He didn’t tell you, you didn’t ask.”
Yojin shrugged, the distant look fading. “It was starting to fade a little. But now? Chimmy’s the goat dude in that video online. And you're the girl off-screen asking questions."
He looked her in the eyes, voice still flat, but now there was emotion lurking behind.
“How’ve you been sleeping lately?”
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414 Posts
0 EP
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17 Years
Female
"Halo"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Emi Ryoko Tachibana on Jan 3, 2019 18:46:13 GMT -4
Emi had never been one to turn down a compliment. ‘A good message’ – that was the key point she took, and it brought a gentle smile to her face. He was right. Japan- no, the world had been sent a powerful message. But what was all the other stuff he was on about? Her smile gave way to mild confusion as his words took a turn for the worse. Details. Dark details, sad details. His tone wasn’t helping. Neither was his face, once she focused on it. She was less concerned with his casual mention of the star tearing a limb off a man’s body, and slightly more worried that the boy had somehow triggered himself.
“Er…” Leaving the girl at a loss for words was a minor accomplishment, so of course, it wouldn’t last. “Yeah. I’ve been…” ‘Fine’ wasn’t the right word, and she couldn’t even bring herself to lie about it. A gentle sigh escaped her; a brief show of weakness. “I’ve had better days. All the stuff coming out of the video is more than I expected, to be honest. But I’m handling it, one little step at a time. These things work themselves out.” She let out a nervous chuckle. Was that it? Had he noticed her behaviour? Did he come meaning to help her? Strange, but undeniably heart-warming…
No, that wouldn’t make sense. They barely knew each other. There was no reason why he would go out of his way to visit her just for that. How did he have her address, anyway? He hadn’t answered…
She quickly shook her head. “Never mind that, though. Are you… feeling alright?” Perhaps it was the slightest hint that he cared about her, prompting her to ask about somebody besides herself. Maybe she was a little concerned about the traumatised boy having an episode in her front hallway. “You’re the one that’s not making sense now. What does all that have to do with anything?”
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229 Posts
4 EP
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Total
16 Years
M
"Fix"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hino Yojin on Jan 7, 2019 0:48:12 GMT -4
自由自在 yojin never thought he'd feel bad for a rich girl.
Yojin had to admit the look on Emi’s face and her moment of silence that followed his rant was extremely gratifying. For once, she could enjoy fumbling for words. And this time, maybe she’d think before she spoke. That was the problem, really. When you lived in a world like Emi did, you didn’t really have to deal with consequences. To her, her vlog was just a game, a way to be popular and admired. But at least she had the decency to admit she’d had her own second thoughts since--
Wait. What the fuck?! Why was she asking about him?! This was about her video! Did she think he was crazy?
“I--” He spluttered, unable to express how utterly off guard the change in direction had gone. “What? That’s not--”
Was this an attempt at deflection? But no, she sounded utterly sincere. As sincere as she’d sounded a moment ago, when she’d been opening up about the trouble her vlog had caused her!
Goddammit, he couldn’t keep track of this girl!
“Emi, you greeted me with a club.” He spluttered, still at a loss where to take this. “Maybe I’m not at my best, but--Chimera’s--you’re…”
...worse than he is.
“Worrying me.” He muttered.
Is she all by herself here?
“What have you doing besides classes lately? And um...your video, of course.”
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414 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Halo"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Emi Ryoko Tachibana on Jan 8, 2019 20:40:08 GMT -4
It wasn’t often that Emi’s conversations led to both parties being bamboozled. For a few moments, she watched the boy carefully, slowly raising an eyebrow as he tried to find his voice. Had she managed to snap him out of it? At the very least, she’d made him aware that his sanity was slipping, and that might have been enough for him to calm himself. Thank goodness. ‘Managing your PTSD student’ hadn’t been covered in class yet.
He pedalled back to the main topic – herself. “What? No, don’t worry about that!” The nervous chuckle was back, as was that too high, too fast tone of voice. Her eyes looked everywhere but at him as she spun her tale. “I like to surprise people sometimes! And they like to surprise me! Like you did! Sometimes you just need to have the element of surprise… With a bat…!” She managed to hold her forced smile until his voice quietened. If there was any doubt in her mind that he suspected she was off, a pair of words killed it.
It still didn’t make sense. Not just him figuring her out, but him caring enough about her to track her down. Fortunately for him, her loneliness won out against her paranoia; she was willing to overlook the details – for a few moments, if it meant somebody would listen. Even if she wanted it, it still stung. Pride was a powerful force, and while it was great for her self-esteem, it didn’t lend itself well to showing weakness.
Her gaze fell to the floor. Her arms drew a little closer to her body. It wouldn’t last long, but he’d left a mark just by showing a touch of concern. The worst of her embarrassment vanished once he asked of her. An injection of confidence into her posture did a lot to help, but as much as she forced herself to keep eye contact, her gaze occasionally drifted.
“Are you really going to make me say it? If you’re here, you already know…” Her eyes poorly masked discomfort with impatience, and even that wouldn’t last. With her voice low in volume and in spirits, she may as well have been a different person. “I went back to staying inside. Outside is… dangerous. It’s not a good idea, going out to lead people back here. Going around town by myself. Not right now.” She paused. “I just get to class. Get through the day. Go home.”
She turned away for a moment. A little light returned to her eyes, but they were still a shadow of their former selves. “…It’s not as bad as it sounds." That lie was a lot more convincing, in part because she'd managed to sell herself on it. "Being here is nothing new to me. I did this a lot before I joined the school. Just back then I only had to worry about robbers, instead of crazy racists. But, er… That’s what happens when you try to speak up, right?” Her lips curled upwards, but it could barely be considered smile. She must have known that much, since she gave up before it could fully form.
“It means I get to catch up on my anime, at least… And get some practice in on DDR. And I’ve got a big place to myself. Could be a lot worse.”
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229 Posts
4 EP
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Total
16 Years
M
"Fix"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hino Yojin on Jan 9, 2019 18:11:28 GMT -4
自由自在 ah shit! he's got a moral compass! run!
Danger, Hino Yojin. Danger. A selfish, spoiled, thoughtless paparazzi was easy to deal with. Easy to be angry at. A loney, frightened classmate, unwilling to admit how far in over her head she was? That was something else entirely.
And somehow, Emi had just turned from the first into the second.
Or maybe she was both all along, and you just didn’t want to admit it?
“Shit--I--.” He muttered, face flushing red, reaching out to touch her shoulder with his broken hand without thinking. He hesitated when she looked back up, impatience in her eyes, then dropped his hand, feeling self-conscious.
It felt strange, seeing Emi like this. She seemed so vulnerable and young--he could barely reconcile it with the mature, self-assured girl on her vlogs and chat rooms. It didn’t make her less difficult to deal with, however. He was painfully aware that any wrong word or gesture could end up triggering an explosion. It was like he’d suddenly been dropped in a minefield.
“Get through the day and go home.” He repeated softly. “You’re used it by now.”
It sounded uncomfortably familiar. When he’d moved from Nagoya to the countryside, he’d left behind all his friends. But even then, he’d had a family to come home to, a father, a mother, and a horde of younger siblings who he couldn’t have kept away from him if he tried. He’d only really been along when he came to UA…and immediately latched onto Chimera.
But even now, I keep half my life locked away. Just like she doesn’t talk about this. Similarities and differences.
He’d been a bit of an idiot.
Yojin sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets, very aware that if she was anything like him, she’d bristle at pity.
“I suck at DDR.” He mumbled, his lips quirking in a self-mocking smirk. “So you’ve got that on me.”
He ran a hand through his hair, turning his bleach-blond locks into an even bigger mess than it already was. Goddamnit. He didn’t know what to say right now. All he had was mechanical knowledge, self-deprecating humor, and blunt honesty in his arsenal. But goddamnit, someone had to try.
“Crap. Um. Confession time? I dropped by because I was upset at you. I’d been working to try to forget the training camp, and your video...kinda dragged it back up. And I assumed the worst of you. So. Oops.” He muttered, looking past her shoulder. “I--kinda just sorted it out on my own now, though.”
He snorted, aware of how stupid it all sounded.
“I think you deserve a better chance that I’ve given you so far. So. Um. Totally understand if you say no, but would you be up to hang out? Like...now? Can’t really do games because of the hand, but um...I’m sure we can figure something out.” He continued, stomach twisting into a knot. Wow, this sounded lame. Like his company was a prize he was offering, rather than an attempt at an apology. Better than pity, though. “Oooooor...if you want to get out, I know a really great cafe that serves Mochi in Kabuchiko. My scooter's outside, and it’s far enough from UA you won’t be recognized.”
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414 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Halo"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Emi Ryoko Tachibana on Jan 9, 2019 19:51:34 GMT -4
Emi prided herself on her honesty – to a fault, even. What others called needlessly harsh, she called brutal honesty, and to be outspoken meant that she dared to be different. An innovator. She rarely gave anything but the truth, not just because she was a terrible liar, but because she knew she couldn’t trust the words of others if they couldn’t trust hers.
But just that one time, she wondered why he couldn’t lie to her.
For all her attempts to hide her feelings and brush off his concerns, it had taken all of four sentences for him to get her. Granted, to do that he’d slipped past her defences, but that only made it easier for him to land a lethal strike, intentionally or otherwise. Being such a lively girl was usually Emi’s blessing, but in moments like theirs, it only made his betrayal more obvious. It wasn’t just the missing smile, or how inert she looked in comparison to her usual herself. No, it was her eyes that betrayed her too. For the brief moment that she could stand to look at him, they reflected a well of dismay and hurt. “…Oh.”
If had come to her house to hurt her, then his blow had done more damage than any of his interrogations could have. Again, she found herself at a loss. He’d forgiven her, apparently. How kind of him. Wanted to make it up to her. Drag her outside, after what she had told him. Half a dozen curses flashed through her mind. Why had she opened her mouth? Why had he opened his? Would it have been so hard for him to let her be blissfully ignorant? To let her believe that somebody cared?
“…No. I don’t want to g-“ She shut her mouth. The last thing she needed was for her voice to switch sides too, and from the way it wavered, it threatened to do just that. It took a few painful seconds for her to continue, all of which were spent looking everywhere but at him. “Can you just… go… for a few minutes?” Another pause. “I’ll go.” And so she did, turning and disappearing around a corner a few feet behind her. If he chose not to follow, he’d hear the sound of a door opening, closing with a little too much force behind it, and then… silence.
Whatever emotions she’d held back, he wouldn’t have the pleasure of seeing them.
Left to his own devices for a few minutes, Yojin was (in theory) free to explore the Tachibana household. The closest room to him was, of course, the living room. Much more traditional than the hallway, it was most likely exactly what the boy had expected from Emi’s house. Enough sofas to seat eight, with a few family pictures hanging above them. It was painfully obvious which of her two parents Emi’s style came from. While piercing yellow eyes lent themselves well to the look of a stern businessman, Mrs. Tachibana wore her salmon hair with pride. She was, in a word, stunning. She also looked a little too young compared to her daughter, but then, even Emi was missing a few years. None of the pictures could have been recent. Besides that, there were the usual affluent’s staples. A TV embedded into the wall, a sound system and game console beneath it. The one exception was the arcade cabinet in the corner of the room – Dance Dance Retribution, as expected. A two-player machine, oddly enough, though one half had clearly seen much more use than the other.
The door opened. Whether he had chosen to stay in the hallway, venture around or stand outside, she would find him, and he would find her a changed woman. She’d made a solid effort to steel herself; to put on a stoic face before him. She’d let her guard down before, and she wasn’t about to make that mistake twice. At least, she’d hoped that would happen – as soon as she opened her mouth, he would know that he’d touched a nerve. As if it wasn’t obvious already.
“There was just… one more thing. Why did you come here? Because you’re not the first one to hate me or what I do. Probably won’t be the last, either. But none of them felt the need to follow me to my house just to let me know that. Maybe they might have tried, but I do my best to not give them that chance.” She took a step forward. “So I’ve gotta ask…” Her eyes narrowed. If he’d thought he was in a minefield before, he’d upgraded to the Korean DMZ. “How did you even get here?”
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229 Posts
4 EP
EXP
Total
16 Years
M
"Fix"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hino Yojin on Jan 10, 2019 17:46:14 GMT -4
自由自在 while emi is a trainwreck in motion, yojin is a social seven-car pileup
“If you--” He began, then choked on his words. Emi’s face was a trainwreck in motion. Before he could say anything in response, she was gone, leaving the slam of a closing door and the look in her eyes behind her.
Oh no. No, no, no, no. He’d stepped straight fucking into it--a one-two emotional punch from Emi. First, she’d opened up just enough that he actually gave a fuck about her as a person, then, he’d somehow slammed the open door in her face. Foot, insert to mouth. Fuck. He hadn’t just walked into it, he’d set it up himself. If he’d stopped digging, kept on his original point--if he’d just fucking...not opened his mouth and tried to explain himself, he’d had have a nice, simple enemy.
Instead, he was pretty sure he’d just made her cry.
And the worst part was he didn’t know which part had hurt her so much.
For a moment, Yojin stood there numbly, hand on the back of his neck, face still flushed in embarrassment, staring at where she’d gone. It felt like he’d swallowed ice--his stomach was cold and heavy. After a second, he started to pace back and forth, gesturing to the empty air as he ran through his options.
Come on mechanic. You see a problem, you fix it.
He had to apologize. Follow after her, say something through the closed door.
I’m sorry Ryoukou-chan. I was rude. I--
He what? He’d made a snap judgement? He’d assumed the worst of her? He’d already said that. What was driving it home to do? Besides, she’d wanted to be alone, and desperate apologies through closed doors were for couples in anime his little sisters watched. He’d talked himself into this. Words weren’t going to get him out.
He could just leave.
Yojin paused, looking at the closed door, balling his non-broken hand into a fist. Yeah. That was probably best. She’d been about to ask him to leave anyway. Before she’d stormed off, at least. If he was gone when she came back, he’d be quiet, and she’d keep being Emi, and they’d both probably end up pretending that this conversation hadn’t happened. Simple.
He reached into his pocket, grabbing his moped keys, and turned back toward the door, then froze.
Emi was back.
She looked like she’d calmed down. If she’d cried or raged, she’d put back on makeup. Just like when he’d arrived, she was composed, pretty, and back in control, but it felt different. Worse, somehow, because he knew it was it an act, rather than just suspected. He nodded in greeting--or perhaps in challenge. It felt like they were about to duel.
“Technically, those are two more things.” He murmured, turning to face her fully, holding his arms out in a shrug. His keys stayed in his pocket. She didn’t need to know he was about to duck.
No avoiding it now, Yojin. You’ve successfully dug yourself as deep yourself as deep as that shovel’s going to carry you. Time to swap to a drill.
“I asked around. None of your classmates knew where you lived, which...I suck at giving up. Sooooo…I got your address of some mail the school was forwarding to you.” He admitted, his face sheepish. “...Yeah.”
Before she could berate him for that--or hell, try to punch him, he wouldn’t have blamed her, he quickly followed up.
“But for the why, I didn’t feel like just...texting you was right. I didn’t want to start something public, and I wanted to...I don’t know, see your face? Hear you talk? You kinda only existed as a name, a photo, and some text before this.” He frowned. “You’re different in person.”
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414 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Halo"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Emi Ryoko Tachibana on Jan 10, 2019 20:45:38 GMT -4
His clever comments weren’t earning him any points. Then again, the list of actions that could sway her view of him was growing shorter by the second. If he knew that, then perhaps doubling down was some sort of bizarre strategy. It was the only answer that made sense to ger, considering what came next. He told the truth. She only had herself to blame for that one. The first time he’d caught her off guard with his honesty, but she’d asked for it that time around and expected a better result.
Perhaps he wouldn’t give her a chance to interrupt, but she didn’t need anybody’s permission to emote. And boy, did she. Surprise showed itself herself, at the gall he had to dig so deep for her details. No wonder she’d tricked herself into thinking he gave a damn. What sane person would do that, just to put a face to a name? He must have known it was wrong, too. The look on his face said that much, but apparently it wasn’t worth an apology. Just a defence of his actions – or what he considered justification.
She wasn’t buying it. In fact, judging by how quickly her shock gave way to irritation, it might have just made things worse. The more he spoke, the closer her body came to radiating rage, and the more she resisted the urge to lay her hands on him. Still, she tried her damn best to contain herself. Not for his sake, of course. As far as she was concerned, it was the least he deserved. But if she let her anger loose, despair would follow in short order. It would be an ugly sight, and she’d already told herself he would never see that from her. Nobody would.
He finished speaking, but it took her a moment to answer. She needed a deep breath. It didn’t help nearly as much as she’d hoped. She was still seething. Her gaze still bore into him. Her hands kept trembling. “Okay. Let me get this straight.“ At least she was doing a better job of restraining her voice, though that wasn’t saying much. ‘Tranquil fury’ might have been a good descriptor, but that would mean ignoring that she was still too quiet to be herself, and with a mildly quivering voice to boot.
“We go to the same school. We’re on the same campus five days a week. You have ways to message me directly. To arrange a meeting, if you wanted to. You ignored this. Decided that, for whatever reason, you had to find me in my own home.” She grew a little louder. “And when you realised that nobody knew my address – probably for a damn good reason -, you couldn’t take the hint.” She took a step closer to him, and then another as she went on. It made it a little easier to see that bloodshot eyes were settling in – or fading away. “You went digging through my private mail to get what you wanted and came anyway. And for what? So you could see the look on my face when you-“ stabbed- “upset me? Chewed me out for some ‘conviction’ you held so strongly that it didn’t even last two minutes once you were in here? Because it wasn’t enough to just ‘see a face’. If it was, you would’ve stopped at a uTube video. It just had to be me, wounded or angry or grovelling to yo-“
Another pause; another deep inhale. “Well, congratu-fucking-lations. You got everything you wanted here, didn’t you? …I hope you’re proud of yourself.” She’d let him in to her home and her heart, and all she had to show for it was a strong case to never do it again. Which was a shame, really. From all the talks they’d had in the chatroom, she’d almost hoped they could have been friends someday.
“You’re right. People are different in person.” No doubt the rest of the school would hear that Emi Ryoko Tachibana was a paranoid loner, greeting every visit with a weapon and a book of excuses. Fuck, he was Chimera’s roommate too, wasn’t he? The list of people she thought enjoyed her company was alarmingly small, but still more than zero. The last thing she needed was for him to run off because his roommate spread rumours. She couldn’t figure out what was worse: that, or him taking pity on her because of what he heard. God, she didn’t even want to think about it. Or any of this mess.
The hand that hadn’t curled into a ball flicked its wrist, releasing a spray of salt crystals towards the floor. Before it could get halfway there, the miniature blizzard gained altitude, flying much too close to the boy for comfort. Fortunately, it breezed past him, to the door handle. Hardening to become one solid crystal around the lever allowed Emi to open it without much movement on her part, albeit with enough force to bang it against the wall.
“Go. Lose my address.” She wanted to say more. No doubt, there were countless choice words swirling through her head. But if she started, she might never stop, and then he might never leave, and she would never get this disaster out of her mind. “Just… don’t come back.” Hopefully, if he walked out soon, she would be able to keep a lid on her emotions until she was safe and alone again. Or just alone.
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229 Posts
4 EP
EXP
Total
16 Years
M
"Fix"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hino Yojin on Jan 11, 2019 12:39:00 GMT -4
自由自在 getting along like a house on fire.
Yeah. He’d probably deserved that.
The color drained from Yojin’s face, leaving it flat and pale when Emi started to lay into him. He didn’t say anything--just stood there and took it, like a statue, until she raised her hand. Then, finally, he stepped back, fear in his eyes. The fact that he was larger and stronger than her didn’t matter a damn. They both knew that if she wanted to, she could probably tear him apart.
There was a second of silence after she stopped, with him standing the open door, staring at her with dead eyes.
“Fine.” Yojin finally muttered. He didn’t sound hurt, or angry. Just apathetic.
He turned away, oddly numb. It didn’t need to matter. He’d be the better person.
“...Actually.” Yojin paused, one foot outside the door, the other inside. “No. Fuck it. Not fine.”
Oh god.
“I don’t need to be your fucking emotional punching bag. Is that really what you got from all this? Sure, whatever--call me a fucking stalker, I don’t blame you, but is that really what you fucking got from this?” He scoffed, his face more emotive than it had been since he’d gotten there. He wasn’t muttering anymore--there was suddenly fire in his voice. It was like his brain was full of static. She’d hit something that he barely knew was there, and he couldn’t stop.
“You think I actually blew off work or classes, or hell, spending time with someone more pleasant so I could watch you grovel? God, you think you’re something. I have hobbies, I don’t need your misery to keep myself entertained.” He continued, on the verge of shouting now, both hands out of his pockets, gesturing wildly. “I don’t fucking get you! You’re ten cups of crazy in a one-cup glass. The moment I think I understand you, you flip the script.”
He let out a pant of breath. His face was red. Why the fuck had he let her get under his skin like this? Why--just...what was her fucking deal, what did she want, what did she expect, what the fuck did her little world look like outside the window of that terrible, empty house?
“Yeah, sure, I’m an ass. I totally intruded, coming here. And you know what? I’m sorry. But I’m brave enough to admit when I fuck up, or I’m lying to myself, or to someone else.” He said. He was actually shouting now. The neighbors were going to hear. Fuck. What the fuck. He’d never had a temper like this.
“You...you just...I don’t know, it’s like you want the worst. Or don’t know what you want. You’ve been hiding in here like Sauron in his fortress, ducking classes--funny, how none of your classmates knew where you’ve been or where you live, by the way, I have a dorm, it’s on public record, knock on the door anytime, so I think we’re kinda even, to be honest.” Yojin’s hand balled into fists at his side. God, he was shaking.
“I didn’t want you to grovel. I wanted to know you. Because before this, even if I thought you fucked up, I kinda respected you.” Yojin said, his voice cracking. Goddamnit. “And then, a moment ago? When you were honest? I liked you.”
He shook his head, still shaking, suddenly exhausted, like he’d been running flat out for a mile.
“I’m guessing that’s a pass on DDR, then? Can I grab you anything while I’m out for your castle? Food? Water? A taller fence?”
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