95 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
40 Years
Female
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Jul 1, 2019 23:33:58 GMT -4
Tokyo Park served as a place for Tokyo's citizens, young and old, to enjoy the coming of spring blossoms in unmarred peace, discarding the cares of society in favor of a simple appreciation of nature, encapsulated in the tiny oasis within the city. Who could think of raising a grudge or perpetrating an act of violence in such a place, where no business was conducted and no bad blood boiled? Everywhere you looked, the colors of the season were resplendent.
Well, almost everywhere. One of the trees was on fire.
As fires raised higher and smoke rose like thin, gray serpents into the sky, someone else was sneaking around like a serpent, almost literally. On her hands and knees, crawling in a lizard-like way, was Hotarubi Deguchi, suspicious in her eagerness to escape the scene and not to be, herself, seen. Her cherry-red suit was covered in pink petals and her jaw was clenched in a tight grin, as if she was determined to seem affable even if she was witnessed in such a state. Eventually, that became too much to keep up, and she was forced to let her tongue loll out, resting across her jutting metal chin.
Internally, she cursed; this whole affair had been a cruel reminder that what you pay is what you get. She admitted to herself that she needed to pay for a real publicist. Instead, she'd taken the advice of armchair-politicians on the net, who'd convinced her that the park was the place to set up a soapbox and stump a speech. Of course, her allergies had always been a factor. Could she really chance a garden like this, knowing how a sneeze could set off her quirk? She'd been assured that the blossoms weren't fully in bloom yet, which ought to make it safe.
Instead, the moment she'd stepped foot inside, she'd been hit by a whirlwind of salmon-pink petals and let loose a sneeze almost immediately. The errant laser that resulted had blasted the nearest tree and turned it into a spectacular, flaming torch; she'd then darted behind a garden wall before anyone had spotted her, or so she hoped. This was the kind of publicity nobody needed, unless they were aiming to be a small-time villain, maybe...
...And a small-time villain she looked, creeping through the shrubbery on her hands and knees to avoid sight. The shrubs had two advantages. The first: no one would be looking there while a tree was on fire and heroes suited to the task had already assembled to start putting it out. The second: since they were just shrubs and had no flowers, there ought to be nothing to trigger further sneezing. Content with that thought, she continued to reach forward with an evil-looking grin spread wide across her face. Feeling she'd reached the end of the shrub cover, she reached up one hand onto the park bench and began to pull her way over to freedom, to assume the look of someone who'd been relaxing there all along. Only... there was already someone there, wasn't there?
She stared with a blank expression, her jaw open wide in an expression of surprise... before the smile curved up to her cheeks and turned into a giant white crescent, her eyes narrowing to match. Wearing this expression that was intended to be calming, Deguchi was already plotting her excuse to get out of this one...
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WC 571
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135 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
15 Years
Female
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Kang Hye-Rin on Aug 15, 2019 0:17:21 GMT -4
i am feeling so small
i'm still learning to love
It wasn't often that the excitable daffodil went out alone.
Typically, her day would consist of plenty of hanging around others. Saito in the morning for breakfast and during lunchtime, Charlie during their after school walk back to the dorms- the Korean was obviously a sociable little flower. It was people like this that were like sunlight to her. And, with her face covered in petals and even sometimes even pesky leaves or thorns, that kind of light was needed for her to grow.
It was today, of all days, that Hye-Rin had decided to head off campus today and into the open world outside of the academy's walls. With a book that she'd grabbed from the library, her headphones, and a bagged lunch in hand, the Korean had planned to plant herself on one of the many park benches and have a little bit of time for herself. And she did just that- slipping her headphones into her ears while the sunlight lit the letters on the book much better than her lamp at the dormitory. The paper bag filled with a traditional Korean lunch- rice, a thermos filled with a thick and spicy stew, and two rolls of kimbap on the side. It was good that Hye-Rin was a big eater!
Because of the pop music from back home blasting in her ears and the pages that her eyes were trained on, Hye-Rin didn't see nor hear the fire that had began to crackle and pop on one of the nearby trees. For all she knew, someone had started barbecuing on the grass and the smell of ash and burning wood was simply a family looking to cook some chicken. It surely came as a surprise to her when her perfect day put aside for herself went awry as her amber eyes finally took a glimpse behind her as the strange feeling of being watched had already since crept over her.
The face that was waiting behind her sent a jolt through her body, though the scream was stuck in her throat as her body tensed and moved on it's own. Her hands closed the book she was reading and, thinking that this person was indeed one of the people that her kind boyfriend had warned her about, brought it down hard with the intention of it leaving quite a red mark on the woman's forehead. Even with the music blasting in her ears, her heartbeat still managed to be the loudest noise she heard.
Hye-Rin was normally a very kind person. However, catching a martial artist by surprise who was usually already paranoid was an awful idea on the stranger's part. |
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95 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
40 Years
Female
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Aug 21, 2019 23:55:15 GMT -4
In her mind, Hotarubi Deguchi had imagined what she thought to be the worst outcome of being spotted by this innocent young girl. The picture she'd seen: a shrill scream, reverberating outward and alerting everyone in the vicinity, many of whom were heroes already responding to her unplanned fire drill. What she hadn't imagined was physical slapstick; she couldn't have visualized that the girl would swing the book she'd been reading down towards strange head that just peeked into her field of vision.
If Deguchi had the presence of mind, she might wish that she had raised her jaw, so at least the book would hit her where she was protected. Instead, it smacked her straight on the forehead, raising a painful red welt almost immediately underneath her curling white and red bangs. Luckily, Deguchi was used to being manhandled from her days picking fights as a kid, but no one is able to fully shrug off such an unexpected blow, and she found herself stumbling dizzily out of the flower-bed, collapsing into a heap with her butt in the air and her tongue lolling out her mouth. As her foot and her narrow fingers twitched, it was like seeing some unsightly bug, caught in the throes of life and death just after being swatted by a newspaper.
With the sound of popping bones, Deguchi straightened herself up and clutched one hand to her forehead. Even now, she was calculating... this could be played to her advantage! Who could levy blame against her for starting a fire when she was over here, with this young girl, nursing a fresh wound in such a pitiable state? She was suspicious looking in the best of cases, so drumming up sympathy could only help her.
"Thank you, young girl!" she began confusingly, before reminding herself that the girl had no idea how she'd helped. "Excuse me, I'm a little addled! I meant 'I beg pardon!' Kihihi..." Straightening her tie, Deguchi extended the hand she wasn't currently using to hold her head for a handshake. "Hotarubi Deguchi, civil servant! I apologize for interrupting your reading. It's definitely material that weighs heavy on the brain!" she grinned, then laughed at her own out-of-touch uncle joke. "Aaaah," she sighed, placing a fist upon her hip and shaking her head.
She waited a moment so Hye could let out whatever might be on her mind (though if she saw another swing of the book coming, she was going to raise both arms in defense this time), resuming her ear-to-ear, unfortunately predatory looking grin. "Reading is a great hobby for the youth of Japan! And in such a picturesque location!" Deguchi reiterated, waving her hands animatedly as if to distract Hye from the fire behind her. "I actually came here to engage in a little self-promotion, tee hee." She grabbed the lapels of her jacket and pulled them outward, then raised her chin proudly. "Hotarubi Deguchi, that's my name! As you can see, I really just arrived here, and wouldn't you know it, I tripped into that flowerbed! Doh! Clumsy, clumsy Deguchi-san. Aaah, if you don't mind my begging, I'd like to note I have a public image to maintain! So, if you could keep just a little quiet about having spotted me in the flowers here, I would be oh-so appreciative!" she requested, clasping both hands together and bowing a few times more than she needed (which was any number past zero, given that the more she begged, the more suspicious she looked).
Deguchi felt her allergies acting up again and sniffled. Weren't they far away enough from the flowerbed now? She brushed at her coat, hiding the irritation she felt with a smile as she tried to remove any traces of flowers from her person. The last thing she could afford to do was let out another sneeze here.
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WC 643
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135 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
15 Years
Female
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Kang Hye-Rin on Sept 1, 2019 20:39:14 GMT -4
i am feeling so small
i'm still learning to love
Swatting the stranger with her book was a knee-jerk reaction, and Hye-Rin was just as fast to apologize. Her arm was quick to retract, clutching the book to her chest as hurried words stumbled out of her mouth,"I-I-I'm so-so sorry! Y-Yo-You startled me!" The earbuds that were still playing the cheerful beats of her pop music were taken out as she spoke, a nervous hand reaching into her pocket to pause the music before the odd woman stood back up.
One could only describe the stranger as simply 'odd', and it fit. The woman stood back up like a corpse come to life, and Hye-Rin gulped back the anxiety growing in her chest as she spoke,"Civil... servant? Like... a politic lady?" The Korean knew very little when it came to that sort of thing. Perhaps this woman was some sort of important name in the world and the flower would feel a pink hue paint across her cheeks as the embarrassment of not knowing about such a dignified yet strange woman! With it came tiny scarlet roses- dotting across her cheeks and nose like her very own flowerbed that the iron-jawed lady found herself in,"Well, it's nice to meet you, Deguchi-san...! And I'm sorry again about hitting you with my book!" A flustered smile curved on her lips, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. It wasn't often that the Korean ran into problems such as this, so she wasn't sure what to do in order to smooth things over.
Hye-Rin had still yet to see the raging fire just behind the stranger as the wild arm motions had distracted her just like a moth to a lamp. It was always surprising to see just how much the Korean didn't notice, and her own helplessness would surely get the best of her one day. As it was now, however, she simply nodded to Deguchi's request,"Of course! It's the least I can do!" Without a single question as to why the woman shouldn't be seen in the park, Hye-Rin went along with it. She settled back in her seat, her back facing the woman before she noticed the paper bag sitting on the bench beside her.
That was it!
The Korean would take it into her hands, glancing over her shoulder at her newest friend with her lunch held high,"Share this with me, ma'am! As an apology! I made it myself!" |
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95 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
40 Years
Female
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Sept 9, 2019 0:29:10 GMT -4
"Ho ho ho... I can hardly blame you! Stranger pops out of the bushes, what is one to think, eeeh? Ho ho ho!" Deguchi chortled, trying to sound as jovial as she could to hide the shock she'd really felt and, more importantly, get on the girl's good side. "Ah yes, that's me. A political lady. Right now, I do the kind of routine work that would make you snore, involving a lot of fooorms and boring paperwork... but soon, in the not so dissss-" she paused, then rolled in her tongue to stop the hissing noise of it against her jaw, "distant future, I plan to be involved in much more exciting work! Not that the life of a civil servant is unimportant. No work that serves the fine people of Japan could be! Just that, you see, I feel as if I have the potential to take a more active role in the nation's government..."
She realized she was rambling on to a confused girl, in a speech that wouldn't serve her on the campaign trail and certainly didn't work for this occasion. She put on a big smile, clapped her hands together, and tried not to give the girl any more correlation between "weird looking politician who's planning on making a political bid" and "weird looking politician seen sneaking away from the site of an arson." She was left in this position, like she was about to start bowing and begging for something, before Hye-Rin offered her a little something instead. She opened up her crescent eyes and blinked a few times, then tilted her head, showing confusion. "C-Come again?" she asked, seeming to have forgotten why the child should be apologizing to her, given that she was the one trying to come up with an effective bribe and make sure the girl didn't expose her.
Instead, she realized the pure charity, a beautiful act of kindness from Japan's citizenry to her, who didn't deserve it. Hadn't this been how it all happened, that fateful day when she'd left herself bleeding on the street and relied on the kindness of strangers? Once again, the people of Japan came through for her, even when she was at her lowest. Suddenly sniffling, Deguchi wiped at the corner of her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief, then placed it beneath her nose to blow it... then stopped herself before she shot out another laser and incinerated both her handkerchief and the hands of the girl offering her a nice snack. She sniffed it all in, then placed the handkerchief back inside her breast pocket, putting on as pleasant a smile as she could.
"Young girl, your generosity has me shaken to the very core. I don't need to eat just now, though I thank you kindly. But please, if you would, allow me to share a seat and impart to you a relevant tale," she suggested, moving over to take a seat next to Hye-Rin. This would also, of course, keep the girl's back to the fire while the heroes did their work, putting it out. "Of how a kind soul, not unlike yourself, reached out to me one day. You see, my face was not always so frightful," she chuckled, smiling kindly. The girl might think that she meant her face in general, but she clarified by pointing at her jaw. "This prosthetic, you see? A smarter me could have avoided this! A kinder me. Let's just say, in the past, I was a not-so-nice person."
"One day, this not-so-nice version of me got embroiled in a fight and hurt herself very badly. As she lay in pain and suffering, a kind citizen of Japan, with no obligation to her- a stranger!- went out of his way to deliver her to one of Japan's fine medical facilities. That injured Deguchi survived and became the woman you see today! And thus, I am forever indebted to Japan's people. You reminded me of that debt, just now. You made me think that..."
She paused, with an awkward half-smile that seemed to be at odds with her emotions. Finally, she sighed, and settled back upon a grin. "You made me think that I ought to dip into my campaign fund a bit and donate to plant a replacement- er, a new tree, for the park. Since there was a great fire- eeeer, a great spot to plant a new tree, which I saw earlier," she finished, the corner of her mouth twitching a bit, as she practically prayed to this young girl to accept this as a form of penance for burning down one of the park's trees, although she hadn't clearly admitted to doing that yet, nor had Hye-Rin specifically spotted the crime just yet.
Deguchi gave a big sigh, like she'd somehow just gotten a load off her shoulders, then adjusted her tie and smiled to the young student once more. "Say... You're one of the youths of Japan, and one of the good ones! Let me ask you: what do you want out of your politicians these days? Not civil servants- more mayors and members of the Diet! What do you think those folks ought to be doing?" she asked, feeling like this pure young girl was just the type of person she needed to be serving in her race to the top. What a failure it would be, to pass up this perfect opportunity to speak to a girl who was so much like the one who'd rescued her in the past. What could she do to repay that heart of selfless charity?
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WC 934
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135 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
15 Years
Female
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Kang Hye-Rin on Sept 19, 2019 19:28:19 GMT -4
i am feeling so small
i'm still learning to love
The Korean was nothing but amazed at the woman's story, biting into one of the two rolls of kimbap that Deguchi had kindly refused. Being nothing but attentive as she nodded along to the story, Hye-Rin kept an understanding smile curved on her glossy lips. It was normal for the girl to listen at this point as most of the students at the academy she attended were hardly the shy type. This metal-jawed woman's spirit reminded the flower pot of the friend's she'd made in her time at U.A., a feeling of comfort washing over her as she told her sad but inspirational tale,"That's incredible, Deguchi-san...! I'm really glad that you were able to find happiness in serving the people of Japan!" In a way, the politician was a lot like Hye-Rin. The Korean wanted nothing more than to serve the public, saving people when they needed it like a hero would. The way that the odd woman felt about her job as a civil servant brought a bright smile to her lips.
"Hmm? A tree? I think that's a good idea!" The Korean nodded excitedly, the fact that there was a fire just behind her still going right over her head. It was quite astonishing how much could go unnoticed by the girl when her attention was elsewhere, even something as major as accidental arson. To her, she'd decided that it was simply some really good barbecue being smoked!
The last of the roll of kimbap was eaten and she swallowed. Deguchi gave her a smile before continuing, asking if there was anything that Hye-Rin could think of to better the community. Her amber eyes widened as she tilted her head to the side,"Huh? Me?" It was true that the woman had mentioned before that it was her own generosity that had inspired her, but asking about something as big as political changes seemed like a lot of weight to put on her shoulders!
Red wildflowers sprouted on her cheeks when she blushed, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly at the question,"Ah... well... I think maybe..." Curses! The Korean was given no time to think! Hye-Rin looked around for a bit, puffing air into one of her cheeks as she pondered for a moment. There weren't exactly any complaints... or, at least, no glaring complaints. The Korean's day-to-day was fairly plain- school, study, Saito, sleep. It was the four S's of happiness! Though, her mind wandered to Kuma, that adorable three-legged stray dog she refused to stop feeding and petting even though it most likely could never be hers. There were so many good things in the world that no one appreciated or noticed- tiny, minuscule details that people brushed aside. Why couldn't people stop once in a while to smell the roses? To live?
"I think that... it should be prettier." It was incredibly vague, and Hye-Rin scratched her cheek embarrassed before continuing,"I mean that people always live life too fast, or don't enjoy it enough. They always make time for routine, but never for their own happiness." Flowers continued to sprout across the places on her face that were reddened. She smiled, her eyes unable to look up at Deguchi as she spoke,"So, I think that if there were more flowers planted and more trees, then people could stop and think. I think if it were prettier, then their minds would be prettier, too." The Korean gulped, looking up at the civil servant with shining eyes,"That's what I think the mayors should be doing."
She stopped to take the other roll of kimbap in her hands, pulling back the plastic wrap before taking a healthy bite,"I can help too, if you need it! I like helping!" It was in her nature to, of course, and she nodded and smiled. |
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95 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
40 Years
Female
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Oct 2, 2019 0:55:24 GMT -4
Deguchi continued to wear the softest smile that you can wear when half your face is metal and the rest of it has a tendency to look like an over-eager, smirking clown, but she realized she'd probably given Hye a bit more to chew on than intended. She had a bad habit of polling children on politics they weren't likely to think about until they were out of university. That said, she was interested in the answer, and frankly, she wished she'd been thinking about such things when she was Hye's age, instead of vandalizing people's property or other various forms of mischief she got into as a young adult.
Hye-rin's answer was so beautiful and childishly impractical in understanding the responsibilities of the mayor that Deguchi found herself gasped, feeling touched. That said, she also felt another touch: a touch of guilt, because so far, her mayoral bid had resulted in negative one tree and no new ones. She'd really have to make sure that beautification projects were on her agenda, for karma's sake. Something about the girl's outlook and naivety made Deguchi feel as if she'd been spending a little too much time conniving and thinking up tricks, instead of acting earnestly.
She felt warm and fuzzy, but also like this was all some great designer having some fun with ironic juxtaposition.
"That's a great thought, my friend! Ah, my job is one part numbers, one part social psychology, and one part mad ssssss-" she responded, then hit her throat a few times with her fist to stifle a cough, "sprint where you try to keep your own head from falling off your shoulders. We have to focus on our mental and spiritual wellness as well! Intangibles that you can't compress and pitch in statistics. You've given me a lot to think about," she nodded, crossing her arms and closing her eyes with a thoughtful smile. She'd probably taken elements from Hye's answer that were never intended, but she seemed satisfied regardless.
Brushing off the hem of her coat to remove a few stray petals that she couldn't allow to follow her. Only now did she notice that flowers were beginning to spread to Hye as well, though not the same kind. "Ah ha, that must be part of her quirk. Some quirks have an aesthetic appeal," she reminded herself, contrasting it to her own misbehaving, striped, laser-shooting tongue. "This was a lovely chat. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your meal, this beautiful day, aaaand-" she paused, turning to look over her shoulder. The fire was mostly out now, though there was still a telling smoke trail. She pulled a monogrammed handkerchief from her pocket, wiped her suspiciously sweating forehead, then replaced it and placed her fists on her hips. "And you keep that wish in your heart! I, Hotarubi Deguchi, will make Japan a beautiful place, for the quirked and quirkless alike!" she announced, pointing one finger into the air dramatically.
"Kachoo!" she punctuated her statement, shooting a laser into the air that followed along the path of her finger's pointing. "Kehehe... Excuse me," she chuckled, dabbing beneath her nose with the kerchief again... then suspiciously breaking into one of the aforementioned mad sprints to escape the scene.
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WC 543
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1,835 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
26 Years
Female
"Miss-Many-Thread"
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Post by Rosey on Nov 2, 2019 18:40:58 GMT -4
Deguchi has 123 exp and gained 25 exp
Hye-Rin has 196 exp and gained 14 exp
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