187 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
"The Informant"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tobias Murakami on Oct 12, 2020 15:33:27 GMT -4
I'M IN OVER MY HEAD WHATEVER THE HOMELESS PERSON HAD STABBED Toby with had made his mind syrupy and sent spider webs of lava glittering beneath the surface of his skin like sunlight on the surface of a pool. In certain places, his skin stretched threateningly, glowing a blinding white. He knew better than to poke at it, though. It would catalyze the entire eruption.
He’d come to the slums of Ueno following a lead. Hearsay regarding someone that Mizutani-kai had brought unwillingly to Japan, and were using for her ability to change the cosmetic appearance of individuals on a temporary basis to avoid detection as they went about town.
Just when Toby had focused-in on the address, someone had jumped him and stabbed him in the arm. A homeless person whose gender or appearance was construed by rags. They’d injected him with something.
Something that made his head and quirk reel—it was like he had goldfish beneath his skin, and in his brain. Hehe, of course it was goldfish, to match the oranges and reds that now threatened to burst through his skin. So funnyyyy.
He tilted off-kilter and into a chain-link fence, coughing wetly. There were units stationed in the area. He could call for help. But Toby felt like if he opened his mouth, lava would start to leak out of there, too.
“He went this way, come on!”
“Don’t let him get away!”
Fuck.
Toby staggered to his feet.
He was just trying to follow a lead.
There weren’t supposed to be operatives of Mizutani-kai there.
Still dizzy, the hero jogged onward. Should he find one of the police cruisers first? Or perhaps an open lot where his eruption would cause the least amount of property damage? Or… was… distance the primary concern.
Another wave of nausea and dizziness overcame the crimson gentleman, and Toby staggered to a stop, this time sinking to his knees. He clapped a cautious hand to his mouth, watching the pavement tilt and spin in front of him.
Maybe if he just… lay down here… lie low… take a nap… they’d overlook him? Yeah, a nap sounded… good…
| quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting/investigation (e), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e), disguise (f) |
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169 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
28 Years
Male
"Mysterious Messenger"
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Finn Halloran on Oct 12, 2020 21:20:15 GMT -4
IT'S SHOWTIME!
"It's...i-it's all I have left...th-they're gone...I...I-I-I'm alone n-now..."
The scene replayed within the theater of his mind, flickering and repeating like a vintage drive-in theater's projection struggling to keep up with a damaged reel. Originally the young child wanted to go with him or on their own...but he made sure they stayed with their family while he decided it was better to put himself at risk. Reasonably, the child feared for their safety as with those of their cousins...literally the only family members they had left to watch over them. Once upon a time, this child had an older brother and sister, they were a broken family...but a happy one all the same that did what they could to make it through each and every day. All was well up until the Mizutani-kai caught wind of rather useful quirks the two had been born with, but the pair was needed to make a whole.
The child, she was quirkless...
Hopeless in a situation where all she could do...
"H-h-h...hide...th-they told me to...they...I-I...m-mom...dad...n-now..."
The child was broken.
How could he neglect this...?
He couldn't, he wouldn't...especially when his mind told him what if that was Natsu? and the showman of the radio waves couldn't simply shrug it off. Goddamn empathy gripped tightly at his heart and he wasn't able to feign negligence over it...never when a child was involved. Thankfully, he was a crafty sort in more ways than one and carefully put together a costume of sorts since it wasn't exactly easy for him to hide in plain sight. For now, his quirk could only disguise his vocals...it was up to him to use his knack for fabrics and theatrics for assembling attire to conceal the visuals. So here he was...snapping the goddamn law's back in half for the sake of a suffering child.
One who was terrified of getting the law involved, even to the extent of pro heroes..horrified of backlash and fear of underlying corruption. From what he'd seen recently and how much his child suffered due to corruption...it...had so much more foundation than he could have thought of years ago. Why else would an abusive orphanage that treated children like product be allowed to exist for so fucking long? It grated at his nerves and though he did the ground work for covering bases for Teruko, her team and his son, Natsu to some extent or another...staying in the background wasn't an option this time. The address...he memorized it and the directions, even keeping something on hand from the house so he could try to verify the scent of familiarity when he got there...
...having heightened senses came in rather handy for a dash of detective work...he'd have to train them and hone them further, but it was good enough for accomplishing his task at hand. Breaking and entering wasn't normally a thing he'd agree to doing, but this was a special case and he got the child's requested belongings within the confines of his pockets in a pouch...a necklace and a pocket watch. Thankfully, the skull mask he wore over his face wasn't much of a problem, if any, so that made the little self appointed mission much easier. Being a kind of spooky figure with a creepy voice definitely worked in his favor as well since there was an air of fear upon seeing him like this.
Ah well...time to get out of here and head off to deliver the child's belongings...
...and...what the hell was that? Those fluffy ears of his subtly fidgeted and twitched as sounds within proximity touched upon his senses and...blood was in the air...?
....okay...perhaps he couldn't end this scene and draw the curtains closed just yet.
Rushing toward the scene, he wasn't quite as fast as a deer like his mutation implied at a glance...but he was eerily silent and graceful in the way he moved as he charged toward the fence nearby, leaping over it, flipping his cape so it wouldn't get caught. Despite it being a tear away cape, it still had a use and purpose...a plan in motion for every piece of his garb. That piercing red gaze glanced over and...aha...the fresh blood. Taking a whiff of it, this made tracking the individual easier since now he was playing the lovely game called match the scent...
...a fairly simple one when the blood was still flowing...
...huh...and rather unique as well...interesting.
No matter, he didn't stay still...one ear was directed toward the scent of blood and...hrn...definitely fire of some sort...it was unfamiliar in his memory, the other was toward approaching voices which were still distant enough for him to check on the victim. An older fellow...from a quick glance and an educated guess...around his age group would be a safe assumption. It wasn't like that lost student he helped months ago...something was different from his scent to his stature and attire. There was even a strange glow about him...
Wait...
Oh...
...huh...
...hm...
...this...yep...he was glowing...and that wasn't something someone could slap a label of normal and the air was unusually warm around him. The fellow laying down didn't seem to be in good condition and...hah...he...really wasn't a qualified medical professional, didn't even know basic first aid. Handling him didn't ring up as smart...especially since his condition was unknown. The fact he, himself, didn't call for help or anything of the sort told him two things: he was most likely the victim and either couldn't speak or was too scared. "...sir...if you can hear me, I'm going to distract these fellows after you. I'll protect you as best as I can...stay still, stay quiet...nod or tap your finger upon the floor twice if you understand my instructions." The voice he used was lower than that of which he used on the radio and ridden in a twinge of static as per his accent.
Gripping onto the cape, he was ready to rip it off and throw it over him like a blanket as a means of hiding the body. Whether or not he got a signal, he had one ear directed toward the approaching assailants so he wouldn't be caught off guard, the other toward this man so he could keep tabs on him all the same. At least the gloves he wore made it look as though he had potentially human hands, though the gloves could always come off, so to speak, if necessary.
This was truly an unfortunate situation...and rather unexpected at that, so he'd have to keep his mind sharp...he wasn't about to make Natsu go through another family. No, never again as long as it was within his power, the man's plan was to make sure he got back home to him and...make sure whoever this injured gentleman was could get back to those waiting for him as well. Everyone had someone waiting for them, after all.
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187 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
"The Informant"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tobias Murakami on Oct 14, 2020 3:40:51 GMT -4
I'M IN OVER MY HEAD TOBIAS'S BREATH CAME OUT IN small, shallow puffs, his entire body trembling. Everything reeled around him, and the thrumming in his ears made it impossible to hear the approach of the masked vigilante. A voice pulled at Tobias’s consciousness, unintelligible at first, unfamiliar—the redhead lifted his gaze, eyes listless and unfocused. The man who loomed above him, whose voice was apparently disembodied, had a skull for a face. Tobias recoiled, holding his hands in front of his face and crying-out inarticulately. Listen, even if the skull-headed man was being nice it didn’t change the fact that they were very frightening. In the mental fog, the disembodied voice came into focus, into bits and pieces. “I’ll protect you… stay still… nod… if you… my instructions…”Green eyes blinked blearily. Tobias lowered his hands reluctantly. “’sssssnotsafe,” Toby slurred, “M-my quirk’snotsafe.”Underneath his skin, spots seemed to swell and press at the confines of his skin, glowing a luminous white, disfiguring under the strain of the pending eruption. Hopefully the man got the message, and gave him space. A shout drew the Informant’s attention, and he sat up, his expression dismal. His pursuers. “Don’let them… sss… stab… y-AAAHHH!”A spasm of pain ran through the gentleman, and his skin began to split, white-hot lava seeping through his skin. The pain brought a dazzling clarity back into the world, a white-hot knife to cut through the fog. Tobias gasped, gritting his teeth as lava set his outfit ablaze in spots where the lava was seeping through. Accelerated by the drug that now pulsed through Tobias’s veins, the lava flowed quickly, burning the powerless quirker and his immediate surroundings, lava seeping towards the concerned vigilante who now stood near him. The Informant sucked air through his teeth, riding the waves of pain as lava burnt his epidermis and consumed him whole. Unbeknownst to the incapacitated hero, his pursuers had, in fact, caught-up with him, and were rounding the corner onto the scene. A pair of people… one was an apparently-armored man, crowned in cables and toting a sword. The other seemed vaguely reptilian, or at least animalian, with no apparent eyes. “Evening,” the cable-crowned man greeted the pair, addressing the masked vigilante, predominantly, “We can handle the lava-lamp from here, good sir—we caught him trying to break-in to a business of ours—so once this little display is over, we’ll be bringing him to justice.”Tobias, all the while, keened in pain, grasping his sides as more lava seeped through. He seemed as though he wanted to say something in his own defense… perhaps counter what the new arrivals were saying about him—but all he could do is grimace and ride the waves of his eruption. | ft. finn halloran quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting/investigation (e), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e), disguise (f) ooc notes: |
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169 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
28 Years
Male
"Mysterious Messenger"
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Finn Halloran on Oct 14, 2020 6:11:39 GMT -4
IT'S SHOWTIME!
On this thrilling episode of excuse me, sir...this isn't how you follow directions....
Finn couldn't help but lower his ears and narrow his eyes slightly whilst the man didn't seem to fully grasp the directions...and seemed to be smacked by a wave of panic...a soft, moderately frustrated sigh found itself easing out of him as he resisted the urge to rub his temples. Though it was reasonable considering how he looked...it...probably would have been the same with or without the mask. Furrowing his brows, he reached up toward the rim of his hat and figured the fully grown, freaked out citizen would proceed to do a smashing job of continuing to dismiss requests and instructions. "Yes, this isn--wait, sir..your quirk isn't safe?" Perking his ears up upon hearing a shout which...had astounding timing considering the circumstances. The mixture of circumstances prompted the tall gentleman into taking a few steps back and psychologically fumbling back into a state of high alert.
Great, an unstable quirk...fantastic, truly the most unwanted plot twist he could humbly request for this particular chapter of his life. Trying to hide him was out of the question...quickly one of his ears swiveled toward the sound of footsteps approaching...not...completely sure what he could do to help aside from stick on the defense and protect him as this runs its course. This was bad...he wasn't someone who'd necessarily been some sort of combat veteran and the fact this man was chased earlier meant it wasn't safe for an ambulance to arrive. More so since...lava was literally oozing out of his flesh and you know what?
Last he checked, lava wasn't good for medical equipment...haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, oh dear, he shouldn't be making dark jokes in a time like this. Pivoting upon his heel, he took a step forward and stood upright as he kept that little hint of don't get stabbed. The tone he used remained on the deeper side, a bit garbled in thicker than usual static when his vocals hit higher notes. Right now, he was taking this as his stage and it was clear that something was amiss about these two. Alright, time for improv...
It's show time~!
"Oh is that so, my good sir~? Why, it's so very funny you say that because...I'll be the one apprehending him and turning him into the authorities, so you may take your leave and rest assured that justice will be swift at my hand, for I'm a sidekick of the elusive Informant...the Mysterious Messenger, Mr. Messenger for short if it's a bit much~" Seemed like a safe lie to roll with since the guy didn't do anything himself in an obvious fashion as far as anyone could tell, a fellow who kept away from the media as much as possible. Then again, he could have gone with the Zombie King, that guy was pretty low key as well...but he had a media presence here and there so it wasn't as good of a cover. The Informant was practically a non-existent ghost of rumors as far as anyone was concerned...or a blonde twink, depends on who you asked so hey, perfect cover!
However..he offered a quick little theatrical bow to conclude his introduction, lightly tapping at his shoulder as though he was trying to discretely push a hidden button of some kind. Oh, but was ready to react quickly at the first sign of some sort of suspicious movement on the part of this suspicious duo. He knew he was at a disadvantage...so his plan was to play heavily on his strengths which meant quick reaction times thanks to the fact he was paying close attention to audio and visual cues. Hn...part of him had a in hind sight moment....like he probably should have asked the struggling civilian to call the police...but that wouldn't have worked since the man was oozing lava that would probably destroy his phone anyway. Alright...he had a plan, but it would have to take a moment to execute if he wanted the little psychological mind game he had mapped out in his head to have any rate of success what so ever.
...playing it carefully and trying to time it just right that cops were on the way...but that was going to come later when it seemed plausible for approaching sirens to sound off near by. That meant...delay and distract if they were going to stick around and stir trouble...so it was like a little ace up his sleeve that he prepared for juuuuuuust in case. A shame he didn't have more alternative back up plans, then again, he was still getting the hang of this whole...vigilantism hoo ha.
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187 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
"The Informant"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tobias Murakami on Oct 14, 2020 15:36:11 GMT -4
I'M IN OVER MY HEAD AT ONE POINT, ALL THE ISOLATED ZONES OF PAIN that were flowering on the surface of Toby’s skin melted into one white-hot ball of pain. Like an orchestra warming-up from different notes before the clamorous instruments found the appropriate pitch, and hummed in unison.
Tobias groaned and tried to stagger to his feet—staying here would only cause issues for the masked man, whoever the fuck he was. As muddled as his thoughts were, Tobias understood that his presence was a threat, if the man was good—and if he was bad, it would behoove Toby to run.
The Informant managed to uncoil himself from the pavement. Most of him had devolved into a molten yellow-white, except for portions of his face, the crown of his head, parts of his shoulders where fissures had yet to form. His clothes had gone-up in smoke, thanks to the eruption, or lay smoldering on the pavement near his feet, soon to be devoured by flame. His metal-rimmed glasses had liquefied and existed as puddles on the ground.
And everything hurt.
The lava-monster that now stood in Toby’s place regarded the new arrivals with one glowing eye, and one human eye, its face twitching into a glare. It opened its mouth to contradict them, and instead gurgled as lava seeped from its mouth, too.
He had to be sure that the masked man got away—the man who’d been intent on helping to hide Toby—a good man—
The wily assailants insisted that they were merely trying to apprehend Toby, that they’d caught him breaking-and-entering at their “business”. What a twist.
Not entirely surprising.
The Masked Man, as Toby had taken to calling them, insisted that he would bring Toby to justice—as he was the Mysterious Messenger, sidekick of the elusive Informant.
The lava-monster sputtered again. Was that a laugh? Difficult to tell, in the blanket of lava that now covered them. The creature stood half-bent, dripping lava as he produced more than his form could contain. It bubbled and hissed and frothed over, but seemed to be mostly contained. The Messenger, however, would notice the heat roiling off of Tobias.
“Sss-“ Tobias tried to enunciate, “Ssside-kick. S-sco-ri-a.”
Each syllable was laborious, as it was being wrung from the hero that stood, glowing brightly, behind the messenger.
“With… h-hero…” he had to establish that he was good, that he wasn’t trying to break-in anywhere, “Z-zombie K-“
More lava welled-up in his throat and oozed out of his mouth, interrupting the meek protest. Tobias tried to muffle it with molten hand.
“A pleasure, Mr. Messenger!” the cable-crowned man sung brightly, “Hero name, Cable!”
As he said this, he lowered the sword from his shoulder, freeing it from its sheath, “The man to my right is Creature. I am afraid this… isn’t open to debate. Our definition of ‘bring this criminal to justice’ is, perhaps, different than yours.”
Cable stalked closer, resting the massive blade on his shoulder, his stance almost conversational. A few meters away, Cable came to a stop. From up-close, it became apparent that the appendages around his head were wriggling like tentacles, rather than remaining stationary.
“Scoria here was trespassing, on property protected by the Mizutani family, see,” Cable said delicately, their hoarse tenor voice dropping low, “His head is ours… and yours will be, too, if you get in our way. So please… I bid you ‘good evening’.”
| ft. finn halloran quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting/investigation (e), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e), disguise (f) ooc notes: wait! if he's a hero, and he's a hero, and i'm a hero... who's the bad guy? |
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169 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
28 Years
Male
"Mysterious Messenger"
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Finn Halloran on Oct 14, 2020 19:24:56 GMT -4
IT'S SHOWTIME!
Since he couldn't exactly execute his original plan of keeping the man hidden since, feh, really...what was the point of throwing cloth on, ahem, lavaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? His ears lightly flicked upon hearing the sounds and it wasn't exactly pleasant either...this guy's condition was worsening and it didnt sound like he was going to be getting better. A few steps away may not have been enough...shit...that meant getting closer to the odd duo who gave off out for blood vibes. Mmmm especially with the sword...okay, he had to play off of what this Scoria fellow was saying...carefully.
Very...
Carefully...
"Cable, Creature...truly a pleasure to meet you both~!" Maintaining the tone he'd been using, it was at least different enough to break connections to himself on a vocal pattern level...a reasonably paranoid fellow who liked the notion of covering as many of his own tracks as he could. "The Mizutani family? Hn, terribly sorry, I wasn't aware this was part of their territory...~" A smoothly spoken lie which could be taken as the absolute truth. He knew well that this is one of their usual stomping grounds, but he had to get the sidekick out of this goddamn situation, dole out revenge later if possible. Natsu, he had to make it in one piece to get back home to him...he just...needed a little more time.
A soft, low, eerie laughter...tilting his head up slightly while calmly giving himself another meter away from the lava hero, eyes completely fixated on the pair, careful to read them as best as he could from moment to moment. Though the man was using intimidation tactics with his weapon, he was still...to the best of his knowledge...in a negotiating mood, perhaps. Either way, he had an amusing point to present, "Why Cable, I'm terribly sorry to inform you, but alas...you wont be acquiring his head...I don't believe metal will fare well against lava..." Holding out his hands at his sides, he was ready to get moving and out of the way if needed...but his stance, in of itself, wasn't of a violent nature and as though he was more of a pacifist rather than passing fists.
"No matter. I must say it's unfortunate that I'm unfamiliar with Scoria, you know, since I mistook him for a criminal. Due to such a poor misunderstanding on my side of the spectrum, I already informed the authorities regarding criminal activity of a potential quirked individual, so they'll be arriving on the scene shortly. If you would kindly leave, this will save you trouble and we can dismiss this situation. I'll pretend as though I didn't see you and your friend, leave you out of my report as I sort it out of my own accord...no harm, no foul, wouldn't you say?" Something told him this was probably not going to work in his favor...but he had to try all the same. If it succeeded...great, if not, he needed to make things come off as a little more realistic, namely from the time it would take an officer on patrol to arrive on this scene. This was so he could mimic those sounds and auditory cues with minimal suspicion at the right time...see, the timing had to be done properly, that was the biggest thing.
Too soon would call his bluff...this he knew well and wanted to avoid such a problem if these guys would stick around...so he was calculating options rapidly in his mind. However, if this boiled into a combative scenario...he had to avoid going over this Cable guy, not without being extra cautious about it anyway, you know in the event he had to quite literally start thinking more on his feet. See...the motion upon his head was tipping him off that there was a chance he was able to control those cables upon his head and that meant avoid treating the man like a fence...just in case. "Do we have a deal, Cable~?" It seemed like this guy was wise enough to know they had to keep a safe distance from the guy who could quite literally erupt, that they had to at least wait until this situation wasn't so dangerous for all parties...so for now, he was banking on that little window of time and seeing if he could exploit it by negotiating.
After all...
Why close out such an option when it's there for the taking? Worth a shot rather than none at all.
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187 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
"The Informant"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tobias Murakami on Oct 22, 2020 13:41:22 GMT -4
I'M IN OVER MY HEAD THE LAVA WASN'T COOLING. After years upon years of monthly eruptions, Tobias had learned the natural timing of each stage of an eruption. There was some deviation in timing, but he was now reaching the threshold of how long the actual “eruption” took.
And there was no sign of cooling.
Whatever they had stabbed him with was spurring the eruption on further. Longer. Perhaps some off-brand Marine?
A thrill of fear ran through Tobias. He heard the Messenger as if they were speaking through a bubble, his head reeling. The lava-monster began to list sideways, coughing wetly.
Creature seemed to be losing his patience—while Cable and the Messenger volleyed banter back-and-forth, a low growl was growing in the back of Creature’s throat. The kind of warning growl a dog would offer before snapping at a hand that got too close. Cable lowered the blade as Finn spoke, both hands on the pommel, the emotionless mask lowering itself severely as if bowing its head in prayer.
“We’ll have to make this quick then, hm?”
As amicable as Cable had been, the insistence that authorities were coming didn’t scare him off—it merely encouraged him to make this snappy. They would have to neutralize the Messenger and then grab Scoria in what little time they had. And there were plenty of officers that could be bought, bribed, or at the very least threatened into silence.
Leaving little room for further conversation, Cable lunged, telegraphing that he would bring the blade down upon the Messenger from above. The move was clear—almost too clear—and had the masked messenger been watching closely, he’d see two cables shoot-out from the gentleman’s leg, shooting hastily towards Finn’s own leg.
If they managed to secure themselves, the cables would pull Finn off-balance before releasing him—but if Finn managed to dodge the cables and/or block the lunge with the blade, Cable would attempt to push the masked gentleman aside nonetheless.
His objective was Scoria, not this masked interloper.
“Creature, handle him!” Cable insisted, whether her be locked in a stalemate with the masked “sidekick” or able to brush past him. Creature would, bidden by their partner, charge towards the pair, maw stretching as it tried to snap at the masked “sidekick”.
Whomever the Messenger engaged with, Tobias would go for the other, molten hand grappling for a hold. Knowing that the gentleman before him was likely not a sidekick-- particularly since Tobias was, according to this gentleman, the hero that oversaw him-- filled Tobias with a healthy dose of fear. Even if they were a vigilante-- with a rather flashy get-up, to boot-- there was no replacement for years of experience and training. If harm befell the Messenger, the actual Informant would never be able to forgive himself.
| ft. finn halloran quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting/investigation (e), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e), disguise (f) ooc notes: Finn, "Stop now and I won't report you." Cable, "A'ight, bet." |
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