Burning Desires (Niso)

Stealing the antiques would be too much of a hassle. Too large, to difficult to hide. Just selling them wouldn't be as easy as dropping a forgotten necklace at a pawnshop and making a few bucks. Some old vase or painting definitely wouldn't sell publically. Not to mention, she didn't even have a single clue how the black market even worked. Niso might know, but if he suggested just grabbing the cash that sounded like the best course of action. It wasn't like a bank, where every dollar, or rather yen considering she was now in Japan, was scanned and properly processed. Just some elderly woman's safe and cash register. Maybe it wouldn't be the most profitable job, but that wasn't the point. The point was to tell everyone that she just burned hundreds of years of antiques, just because she could. She had to force herself to keep calm, breathing softly and practicing her best meditation techniques she knew as she walked behind him. 

At his question, Maeko nodded her head slowly. "That obvious, huh?" She was doing relatively okay, but money was definitely a struggle. Working for low paychecks and lots of hours standing inside a hot kitchen was absolutely a waste of her talents. The sheer idea that he knew someone who paid him to indulge in his 'tendencies heavily intrigued her. The girls eyes opened up rather wide. Was this an actual job offer? Mercenary arsonwork? Hell, that sounded like a dream come absolutely true. Getting paid to burn things? Sure it would be dangerous, but that was the whole point. If there was no challenge, what was the point for anything? Before she could ask who it was, she was stopped by his arm. 

Maeko carefully avoided running into him, less she accidentally burn him again. A green building across the street, mostly wooden structure. Good. Brick burned and crumbled, but not nearly as easily. However, Niso's comment about age immediately confused her. Age? Just how young was Niso anyways? Regardless what he said, he had a point. One of them blocking the front door while she distracted her would be a good idea. She nodded in response, giving him a soft grin as she withheld her excitement. She was quick to cross the street as well, stepping inside the building.

The place was a bit dusty, but the old hag running the place seemed to be cleaning up. She almost wished that the bell above the door wasn't there so she could have entered completely unannounced. That chipper tone surprised her, but as soon as she saw the 'children' she immediately tried to shoo them out. Actively even walking around the counter to try and get rid of them? Maeko immediately grew furious. She didn't even doubt for a second this woman deserved to die. Maeko simply stayed put, her eyes glaring up at the elderly woman with a literal fire in her gaze. Her anger physically leaking out into air as raw heat, the flames burning a bit brighter.

"Excuse me?" She spoke softly despite the clear rage in her tone. "Do you not know the difference between a fully grown adult, and child? How dare you accuse me of being a child!" The flames in her hair was already growing larger and larger as she spoke. "I am eighteen years old, you saggy sack of wrinkles! Why I ought to-" She didn't even hesitate, the instant anger just overwhelming her. Quickly reaching forwards, she would grab onto the woman's shirt and practically yank her forwards. The overwhelming heat of Maeko's aura truly coming into fruition. Her hair immediately beginning to flare up even further, the flames tickling the ceiling alone just barely. Nothing had caught on fire just yet, but it was clearly obvious that Maeko was beyond pissed. 

"Well? Are you just going to stand there like a coward, or apologize? Huh?" Some part of her wanted to hear the lady beg for forgiveness before she just silenced her for good. Although, at the same time, she almost felt like Niso deserved a few whacks in. He obviously had some sort of personal grudge, or at least she assumed that he did. Maybe she'd hold off on any more violence for just a moment... Despite her almost tangible rage.

This woman was not only extremely distasteful, but rude, arrogant, and completely disrespectful. Maeko's expression twisted into total rage as she heard the woman say she was one of 'those.' The sheer heat radiating off her body was incredibly intense, the flames on her hair tickling the ceiling almost immediately. Before she could reach back and through a punch that would absolutely end the woman's life in a single blow, Niso took control. Probably for the best, in any case. This was his revenge story, even if she was now a part of it. As he yanked her out of Maeko's hold, the clothing ripping away, Maeko slowly stepped back with a sadistic grin on her face. 

“Burn it all.”

Maeko didn't need any more encouragement, already dreaming of the best way to burn everything down. A few of the antiques looked even older than that hag, no doubt society would mourn the loss of all these rare antiques infinitely more than they would this woman. The old rugs and dresses hanging near the closest wall to her certainly seemed like a good idea. Considering they were near the door, even if that woman tried to escape she would only have more problems. Taking in a deep breath, Maeko suddenly exhaled flame across the entire wall. The dusty rugs immediately caught on fire, lighting up like a bonfire on just one side of the room. She immediately began to giggle, ironically sweet sounding for the pure evil act she had just begun to commit. 

Turning back to Niso, an idea suddenly popped into her head. Reaching over towards one of the shelves that hadn't caught fire yet from her breath, she grabbed an antique sword that was sitting carefully on a stand. Really wonderful craftsmanship, if Maeko cared at all. She didn't, not even slightly. The pyromaniac simply grabbed the blade with her hands and immediately super-heated it. The blade burned, extremely hot to the touch. Without a single wasted second, she reached over and presented the blade towards Niso, handle first, bowing sarcastically with a malicious grin on her face. "For you. Do have fun, hmm?"

Giggling once again, Maeko stepped back and immediately turned to exhale more flames around the room. Everywhere except the front desk, of course. Money was quite flammable, no reason to completely waste it all. She would grab it herself, but judging by her own hands burning so hot the air around her was quite visible from the heat wave, it was probably a bad idea. Still, as soon as the front half of the building was publicly exposed to be on fire, the fire department was sure to be called. Of course, they wouldn't expect a couple of troublemakers to be behind it. With the flames eventually going to reach the curtains, it was time to make sure as much caught fire as possible. 

"So, how does it feel?" She spoke with such a cocky, sarcastic tone in her voice it surprised herself. "To see everything you worked for, going up in flames? Maybe you should have been a nicer person, hmm? I mean, maybe we wouldn't have been here if you were a better individual. I'm satisfied burning anything, but watching corrupt old hag like you suffer is more than enjoyable." Maeko laughed yet again, reaching over with her leg to kick the chair from beneath her with such force it practically would crumble to the ground. Satisfied, she quickly made her way across the room, her flames continuing to burn brighter than any of the fire spreading throughout the room. It was time to see if there was any artwork that could be burned or melted entirely. 

She had to admit. Niso was shamelessly hardcore. Cutting out her eyes? Letting her life in total misery? That was more torture than even Maeko could have thought up. Granted, most of her ideas would have all revolved around the idea of burning someone alive for torture. It genuinely was a one-track mind, but she never had a problem with that. Regardless, she focused on her own work, taking the sickening pleasure from blowing flames over everything within the building. No doubt at some point the flames would be visible from the outside, or her screams would encourage some would-be rescuer. It was such a shame that she didn't have the time to just sit back and enjoy the flames. Not to mention, her partner in crime might be able to survive the intense smoke that would get into his lungs, but she couldn't.

Grabbing a heavy rack of old clothes, the fabric lighting on fire with nothing more than a simple exhale, she tossed it straight over the room and slamming into the wall right in front of the entrance. That would stop anyone from breaking in and ruining their fun right away, at the very least. Just before she could burn a lovely pair of antique rugs stacked against the wall, she heard Niso speak. Turning around to face him, there was a practically wild expression on her face. Absolute pure joy seemed to radiate off of her, as well as the incredible heat. Her hair was burning away extremely brightly, tickling the wooden frame of the ceiling above them.

"Having fun? Why you ask as if you don't already know the answer." She giggled once again, that signature sweet, sadistic giggle that probably would have made normal, sane individuals go mad. Or at the very least, unnerved. "I've not had this much fun in aaages~ There is something just so... so primal. So innately unique to me, my very being that just... Thrives." She laughed once again, exhaling heavily up at the ceiling above them and burning through and igniting the wood rather quickly.

"Don't you worry about a way out. If there isn't one, I'll make one. These wooden buildings are great firestarters, but they are weak." As if to prove her point, she stomped her foot hard into the ground with as much force as she could manage. The floor cracked under her strength, only causing Maeko to smile even wider. "Go, find whatever you like. I think I might just stand back and watch it all for a few moments... Eventually, we will have to leave, but for now, I'm enjoying the chaos."

Maeko was positively in heaven. This was everything she wanted, everything she could have dreamed of. The sheer chance to just burn anything and everything in sight, without care for what anyone did. Sure, the sirens were in the distance, but they had no way of knowing it was because of a quirk. Nor the fact that she was more than tough enough to stop anyone who even tried to stop her flames. And yet, despite her sheer excitement and the intense aura of heat that surronded her, she knew better. If she didn't control herself, let herself go full wildfire and completely out of control, then she would no doubt have trouble find her. Her identity, Maeko Lee, could easily get leaked to the public if she wasn't careful, and that definitely wasn't a good time. 

As Niso returned, calling her "burny girl" she couldn't help but laugh and place her hand against the closest wooden wall. The wood charring under her very touch, slowly catching fire around her as she spoke in return. "Well... I could stay a little while longer, but I must admit, I'm satisfied for now. The itch has been scratched, if that metaphor suits your fancy." She would giggle to herself once more, however the smoke was certainly starting to fill up the room to a rather overwhelming amount. Despite her affinity for fire, she was not immune to smoke. Coughing a little bit, she waved her hand in front of her face to try and clear the air and began to walk back into the building where Niso just was to find the exit. Maybe if she ever got a villain suit of her own, she'd attempt to incorporate a gasmask into it. Or at the very least, something to help filter the smoke and debris out before it got into her lungs. 

Right at the door, Maeko took a few seconds to try and calm herself down, as well as attempt to clear her lungs with the relatively cleaner air. Niso was probably fine, at least in her mind anyways. If he could survive being burnt alive, then surely he could handle smoke in his lungs, right? Regardless, despite her excitement, she did manage to calm herself down a small bit and pushed out into the back alley after making sure nobody was looking down it. 

"So, is this where we part ways, hmm?" Maeko spoke to him, a wild grin still on her face. "Probably for the best. It would be easier to run away solo. At least, for me anyways. I'm sure you do stuff like this all the time. We'll have to keep in touch, no doubt. Niso Konto, right? I'll find you." And with that, Maeko prepare herself for a second before suddenly leaping upwards and into the air, landing the fire escape of a building nearby. Of course, her hair was still wild and bright, burning like a tall pyre of flames, but hopefully any onlookers would simply mistake that for the building's own fire. She would take one last look down at him before shaking her head and leaping further up the building in her escape. 

At the very least, she had to meet him again to buy him a new box of cereal. After all, maybe he was more fun to have alive than dead. A simple apology box would more than satisfy.