you used to call me on my cell phone [hanako]

She pulled her hat down, tighter over her ears as winter winds enveloped her. The sun had sunk, the sky was clear, but city lights had washed the stars. Here in the outskirts, few roamed the night, and no one else populated the station. Every so often, a train fulfilled its duty, confused when she opted not to board.

It was a tradeoff, staying on campus versus hanging out in this nowhere. Ruuhi was gone. She'd gotten kidnapped, tragically, and the shock tore a hole in the school's social fabric, not to mention the threat of villains encroaching. But golly, every cloud has its silver lining, and Heidi had certainly found hers. With the radio antenna out of the picture, her communications were significantly safer, much less likely to get wiretapped. Whether her fellow News Club co-founder would dare invade a classmate's privacy was clearly not up for debate, as the redhead had admitted she'd done her own snooping as well.

Still, just because one hacker was gone didn't mean she could afford to relax. In the city, who knows how many people had their eyes on U.A. To assume she'd be safe there was foolish. However, there was something to be said about hiding a tree in a forest, and the constant barrage of wireless messages did lend itself to safe hiding. In the end, she embarked on a railway adventure out to these less developed regions. If anyone had tried to follow here there, she'd have surely spotted them by now.

Insects chirped wildly in the grasses and trees. "Pay attention to me!" they screeched. The blue-haired bundle of weather-appropriate wear was tempted to do the same. Lady Scandal, if the number was correct, couldn't afford to leave tips hanging. A reporter of her caliber ought to have impressive response times, otherwise stories get swiped. She had to reply. She had to do it soon. But her faith in the woman waned with the moon.

At last, a buzz. A blinding screen glow. Then words conveying non-zero interest. Thumbs like lightning bested the ensuing upload speeds as satellites swallowed her content.
Following the text was a clip of Geist's capture-the-flag exercise, starring Ember, her bombastic partner. It started with a scene of the blonde falling into the center pit before blasting herself a new trajectory. Flames burst from both palms as she spun upright in midair. Increased firepower let her arc up and over and straight toward a white-haired punching bag. Saito, her classmate and unfortunate target, stood helplessly as his fate hurtled mercilessly toward him. But just before his face got smashed in, the video stopped and ended.
She let out a frosty breath while stiffening fingers took refuge in toasty coat pockets. Lady Scandal seemed pretty pro-Quirker in that piece about Semper Fi, but that didn't necessarily mean she always wanted good news. Tragedy, mayhem, that shit raised numbers.

---

Chaotic neutrality. Invested, but not obsessed. She wouldn’t go out of her way to spite them, but loyalty was not the default. Heidi grinned. Before her stood new doors itching to be opened. And while she received the tail end of Lady Scandal’s replies, a line of glowing windows screeched to a halt right then. Views to the interior split apart, splashing factory yellows across her face and inviting her to shelter.

She wanted so much. To be warm. To be safe. To be accepted.

Pick two.

And so she watched, reluctantly, another train ride by, hurtling home without her.

The last text echoed on loop. What did she want, exactly? Something akin to a hobby, to pass the time when schoolwork came off as a bore? Another carrot to dangle as the News Club settled its dust? Added legitimacy to what’s thus far been indulgence of a guilty pleasure?

All of it. She wanted it all. All of the above and beyond.
Desire, now spelled out, reflected off hard, determined eyes. She had two years left to reassess why the hell she enrolled in this hot mess of a hero school. To show the world what it was like, but then copycats bombed her scenes. Teeth ground against teeth as Chimmy’s sloppy tears replayed in the back of her mind.
A clock face, wiped of all ticks and tocks, spun its twelve hours, a jagged loading animation. Zooming up into orbit, then back down to Scandal’s phone was the uncropped version of her gift. An offering, a sacrifice to the gods. And in time, Heidi would stand among them. In the last five seconds, fist met face in full, fiery force. Her poor classmate straight crumpled. Saito, as helpless as ever, down and out for the count. Meanwhile, Ember, what a blonde, stumbled trying not to step on this textbook example of a concussion.
Alright, her iceberg was looking pretty weak so far, but she had plenty of time to build it up.
Getting to yes was a delicate art, one she’d hone for years to come. And if Lady Scandal could pick up on her hustle, no student would be left unwatched.

---

Of course she wanted to know who ran the show. The deeper one fell into anonymity, the farther she stretched to seize the mask, rip it off, expose the face beneath. As ringleader of the shitshow that was information brokerage, Lady Scandal must have the wildest drama swooping into her lap. Secrets and schemes beyond anyone's dreams. The kind that topples empires. How the game would change if Heidi got her hands on even a fraction of these cheat codes.

As she rolled possibilities between anticipating fingers, a notification lit her aflame. With beating heart and shallow breath, she congratulated herself on success. White, chilled breath floated past her lips, while frozen fingers replied.
Locomotive rumbles sounded afar, and this time, she leapt to her feet. Beneath untended weeds, rusted rail did not glint in the oncoming, sulfurous glow. The screech of metal indicated full stop, and when the carriage warmly welcomed her inside, she accepted its invitation.

Aside from one or two hoops, that felt strangely easy, earning Scandal's approval. Not that she was complaining, but she did take a pause to consider the likelihood the gossiper was desperate. U.A., to the outside, operated as a black box, inundated with funding and talent, and when an entity closed itself off, that just drew more attention. Both she and Lady Scandal understood.

She'd have to save this phone. Protect her link to the truth, as well as continue to deserve this deal. Without a doubt, her new boss wouldn't blink to toss her aside if her intern came up short. Which meant she needed to convince students to pour the tea, and that required gaining their trust. She scowled. It was already a chore playing nice with Emi just to keep Ruuhi on her side.

The train rolled forward. Acceleration pulled her fully into these dated, worn-down seats. Her whole body sighed as it drank in the warmth, now shielded from winter's assault.
There were other ways of collecting the school's information without requiring an informed exchange. She clutched her armrest and readied herself, because this was gonna be one helluva ride.

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