1,296 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
22 Years
Female
"Redhorn"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Mia Kearney on Oct 12, 2019 9:14:45 GMT -4
Mia did her best to keep her eyes open during all the meetings. She knew this stuff was important but there were only so many times she could have it drilled into her skull. She wanted to be out there in the field already, but she knew her place. She was a front line fighter and in no way a stealthy operative. She had no chance of even going undercover as a criminal or something given her popularity and the impossible nature of trying to hide her iconic horn. Even painting it another color wouldn't do much thanks to the huge yellow scar embedded on the right hand side of the thing.
She just...she knew where she was useful, and she wasn't there for gathering information, and part of why they had to make sure she knew her role was something Mia could readily admit. She was a wild card, she flowed with battle rather than stuck to a plan, she could make a plan of attack, sure, but never one on such a large scale. When things turned to shit, she'd be there to quickly improvise, but while they had a control over the situation, these plans were definitely needed...even if the constant re-organizing to play to everyone's unique strengths was really grinding her down.
Luckily, something finally came that might provide something in the sense of a breath of fresh air.
"So, RedHorn, as our unofficial number 1..." The officer addressing her began, earning a narrowed gaze from the Heroine herself as she quickly retorted-
"You guys always gotta drop the 'unofficial' part on me huh?"
The officer just met her gaze briefly before returning to their own notes with a 'not too impressed' sort of expression, Mia shifting to sit more comfortably in her spot as she leaned back, the chair creaking a little under her weight as she did. "Anyway, for public relation purposes you'll likely be playing a big part in the Raid and the aftermath when reporters and the like are bound to arrive on the scene during clean up. As such we've arranged for some time for you to get to know someone who's likely gonna have about as many cameras in their face as you will."
Mia's brow raised, thinking they were on about the chief of police or something when the sound of the door opening behind her caught her attention, twisting about in place, eyes widening a little further at the reveal. "Oh! You're..." She snapped her fingers, trying to think of a name. "Bee blazer!"
"Yellow Jacket."
Mia snapped her fingers again, looking between the officer and the arriving Heroine. "Right thats it. Sorry, never been the best with names." And in part, even worse with the names of fellow heroes, if only because she'd never had many chances to work with her fellow heroes and really internalize their own names and reputations. She'd mostly hear about them in passing while the news played in the background of some other task.
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287 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Oct 12, 2019 16:00:30 GMT -4
If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. Being in her hero garb when not on patrol, or in combat of some kind, was unusual for Hachi. She did not like how her helmet increased her height and made doors a difficulty, nor the looks that people gave her as she towered above them; the same looks crossed the faces of officers as she made her way through the station. She was not a fan of getting so much attention--never had been, even when working with Lightning Bug. She left the spotlight to those who enjoyed it. That was why when she was elected the "second most popular hero", even 'unofficially', she had been astonished, confused, and more than a little embarrassed. It was attention she wasn't sure she wanted. No, she was certain she didn't want it, even if it came from people liking her.
She didn't think she deserved it. Yet, here she was, in her hero's uniform off-the-clock, being called in to aid with busting some black market deal, all while the police--and all of Japan--watching her very closely.
I should install a proper mask onto my helmet. It isn't like people can read my expressions anyway, and it would let me pretend to be anonymous...
As she entered the room to the meeting she'd been called to--she had to duck her head already with her height, even when she wasn't hovering--her alien red eyes landed on a face she'd seen in the papers a few times, but had never met in person. Well, no, that was wrong. They had met almost an entire year ago at a Halloween party hosted by the woman in question, but they hadn't spoken very much past that. Hard to think that within the year she would be on the same list as Red Horn for "most popular"; she didn't even feel like she was in the same league as Red Horn in that regard.
She had swagger and charisma, while Hachi did not.
Paired with the exhaustion this raid was putting on her, suddenly coming face-to-face with Red Horn with little time for mental preparation made her chest tighten.
What is it with my life and strong, blonde, cocksure women with plenty of charisma coming into it...I pray this isn't going to go the way I feel it's going...
"Red Horn." Hachi returned with a small bow of her head. "It's quite alright. You are looking well." Her voice was tight, but her face and body language didn't betray a hint of tenseness. With a beat of her wings she hovered to the seat besides Mia. She paused at the sight of the normal office chair and how its design wouldn't allow for her abdomen to sit on it comfortably. Thus, already feeling uncomfortable, she opted to remain standing rather than wrestle with the chair.
Hachi offered another bow to the officer at the front of the room. "I apologize for not being here earlier. Would you please summarize what I've missed?"
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1,296 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
22 Years
Female
"Redhorn"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Mia Kearney on Oct 14, 2019 12:17:34 GMT -4
“Scuse you, I’m lookin’ terrible.~” She grinned extra wide, despite genuinely being in good health, Mia genuinely did look at little drained, at least compared to normal. Late nights on stake outs were not her bag, and late nights just in the planning phase were definitely not for her either. She had the beginnings of light bags under her eyes, which seemed to be made only more prominent from the fact Redhorn was currently the least muscular most people ever get to see her. There was still certainly some light toning in her features, but she was far from the bulky beast the public knew her as. Her musculature was based on her excitement, battle lust, anger, all those pumping emotions, so in the deep depths of boredom, she was presenting at her bare minimum here.
“You do look good though. They been keeping you stuck here too?”
The officer that had been addressing Mia seemed to roll his eyes again and hold the notepad he’d been using at his side as he addressed the arriving Yellow Jacket. “Don’t worry Miss Yellow Jacket. You’ve not missed anything relevant to you personally. Right now we were just reminding Miss Kear-er. Red Horn.” Mia smirked a little as she watched the officer correct themselves. “About some of the expectations of her when working directly alongside the police forces.”
“And boring me half to death in the process…” She lightly jabbed with a weak, but genuine sense of energy behind her. The officer shot her another look and she dipped her head back with a groan. “Oh come oooon I’m obviously joking. Let me live a little.” She chuckled weakly and adjusted herself in her seat, dragging out another one for Yellow Jacket to use. They were ones designed for larger heroes, so hopefully even her Bee anatomy should be able to sit quite comfortably.
“Anyway, while we do have an actual member of our press team on the way to inform you both on some approaches we’re going to be taking in best and worst case scenarios once the news-representatives arrive, they are running a little late. I’m going to chase that up, but I thought it might be good if you two at least got to know eachother in the meantime. Afterall as the top two you’re bound to be compared to eachother, and I’m sure the bodies governing you would prefer you still try and refer to eachother in a positive light. Go for friends, go for playful rivals, I’m not really interested. That’s for our press team guy to talk to you about.” He already was moving to leave, mumbling under his breath “All I care about is my coffee…”
Red Horn let out a playful little scoff at hearing that before leaning forward over the desk that had been separating her and the officer, her pointed ears flickering a little as they caught the sound of the door closing behind them, and addressing the bee lady now to her side. Her tone playfully sarcastic as she gave the most forward “Hi, I’m RedHorn, nice to meetcha.~” She could, just mocking the idea they were meant to get to know eachother a little to lighten the tension. “Course I recognize ya…you came to my Halloween party the other year right? Teacher at UA I think?”
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287 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Oct 15, 2019 20:17:20 GMT -4
If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. Hachi wasn't sure if Red Horn was being humble, of if she really believed she looked bad. While she didn't look as awake or professionally done-up as Hachi had seen from interviews or articles, she looked far from terrible. Leaner, perhaps, as well. That was somewhat worrying; if she was losing that sort of weight, was it due to her metabolism, or was she falling ill? What did her Quirk do again? Did it put a drain on her body...?
"Yes. Though I do not mind desk work. Well, I would not mind it more if I was allowed to wear something other than my uniform." Hachi glanced down, claws pulling idly at the plating of her armored skirt. She took the offered larger seat as it was offered to her, grateful for a moment off her feet--well, wings, but the same thought applied. She should ask the students for a similarly proportioned chair for her desk. Or would that be abusing their abilities for her comfort? She could always try to find and purchase one herself.
Knowing the mechanical students, though, they would be bothered more by her not giving them the chance to make it as ridiculously over-complicated as possible.
Hachi was listening intently, or appearing to anyway, as the officer continued speaking about what they'd been called here for. In truth she stopped listening a little after the words "press team", and her eyes wandered to Red Horn--though the lack of visible pupils and the fact that she did not turn her head did not betray this to the officer, or to Mia herself. Oh. This was not something to do with the mission, it was something to do with their public personas. Their "popularity". Hachi's mood took a dip. This was entirely unnecessary from where she stood. They weren't heroes to showboat--at least, she definitely wasn't--they were heroes to protect people. They were here to stop criminals. They should be devising a strategy of attack, not scripting how the two of them would interact once the camera was on.
Ridiculous...
The moment the officer had left Hachi leaned back in her seat rather than sitting up at attention. She raised her claws to rub at her temples beneath her helmet. Mia's playful banter, be it sincere or friendly or anything else, was, unfortunately, the last thing she needed at the moment. She was not a rude person but she was incredibly tempted to brush the woman and this entire conversation off and return to the actual work at hand.
Like the criminals they were going after.
But she would not permit herself being so dismissive. With a slow inhale she returned her hands to her lap. It was for the best that she made this clear now, and make her reasoning just as clear, before it continued.
"Yes, I attended. I am a teacher. That out of the way, I apologize, Red Horn, but I have absolutely no interest in whatever this...this, is." Hachi placed her claws atop one another, folded nicely in her lap. "I am not going to say that you're wrong for finding some kind of enjoyment in how the public perceives you, but I will say I have no such pleasure in it myself. Why I am even ranked so high, officially or not, I do not know myself. I have done absolutely no interviews. I've shared no personal information or otherwise with any news source or anyone, really, outside of my students, many of whom I've found share that same sentiment. So if this is meant to be some sort of showboating preparation, I am going to tell them outright that I will not participate. I have done a good job of avoiding cameras for this entire year so the odds that they will find me any better after this raid are comfortably low."
Hachi tilted her head, inclining it toward the door, indicating that she would, indeed, be leaving if Red had nothing else to say on the matter. Her words were not cold necessarily, but they lacked any of her normal gentle, controlled tone. She was very tired, and very, very uninterested in anything to do with the press.
"You may have all of the spotlight. I will step out of it."
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1,296 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
22 Years
Female
"Redhorn"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Mia Kearney on Oct 15, 2019 20:43:02 GMT -4
As Mia got what was arguably a pretty 'short' reply, in both senses of the word when referring to someone's answers, Mia tipped her head off a little...limply to the side, still not displaying her usual energy but trying to keep herself upbeat, though as she absorbed the bee woman's words she could see what they were about to go through really wasn't for her. Mia took a slow breath through her nose, understannding where Hachi was coming from for sure, but scoffing just a little as it seemed they both had different ideas of what they were about to go through.
"Ya know talking to the press isn't all about showing off you know." She'd idly comment as Hachi made hints she'd probably be heading for the door, rolling her own head back along her shoulders to meet the bee ladies gaze with a lazy smirk before sitting back up a little more fully. "It's funny...you seem to think you're here to learn how to showboat when I know from experience we're here for the opposite." She'd smirk a little more before trying to 'present her case' so to speak, loosening up her shoulders a little with a light roll of the joints.
"In my experience when they get us in a room like this to talk all serious about the cameras it's to make sure I don't showboat. Or...I do it in moderation at least." She'd idly pick up her smirk again, knowing that no one could ever expect her not to play it up a little for the camera. "Some guy in a suit is gonna roll up here in a few minutes and make sure we understand what the public can or can't know about the operation. They're gonna make sure we don't let slip about us having informants in the criminals ranks, if we even have any. They're gonna make sure we up the talk about the criminals we take down and emphasize how this was all a good spend of tax payer money blah blah blah. I can get it if you don't wanna showboat, I can get if you don't even wanna play mouthpiece for the cameras, but at least be aware of what this is hun. You're about to be part of one of the biggest hero operations since the program started, and you're a face the news is gonna wanna have a look at. If you think walkin' out of here is gonna stop them preppin' you for the cameras feel free to try...but even the image of you just flying off after the raid is over is not something they're gonna want floating about." She paused, and shrugged. "I mean I'm no expert but 'Yellow Jacket flees scene as Cameras arive: Fellow heroes forced to clean up mess without her' isn't a grand headline."
She rubbed the back of her neck with a half smile. "Look I...I can waffle when I'm trying to make a point, but we're heroes, not beat cops. The image is part of the job. Now, when it's left in my hands I like that part, I'll admit, but I know sometimes I gotta be more careful about it. That's why I'm here. In your case you're a big face now, however that happened." Yellow Jacket's words, not hers...kinda. "They just gotta make sure when the rabid news crews track you down for a soundbite you don't give 'em anything that could be used poorly I guess."
Still, Mia didn't care too much for this side of the job either, and leaned over a little to show it was a drag on her shoulders too. "Look, they'll probably drag you back here if you leave, so why not enjoy taking a load off for a few minutes anyway? I mean, heck, they suggested we get to know eachother and I sure as hell ain't against that." She'd offer a hand across and try and start some less formal introductions between them. "How about this for starters. My real name's Mia. What's yours?" It was a simple place to start, but a good one in just trying to get to know her fellow hero.
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287 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Oct 15, 2019 21:24:41 GMT -4
If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. The idea that the press, or particularly her involvement with the press, wouldn't be solely to show off in some regard didn't fit what Hachi had seen of the news revolving around heroes in the last year. What wasn't them bashing every one of their actions in detail was blatant pandering to the hero initiative as a whole, and she had just about enough of both those sides of the story. There had yet to be as big a blow-up as Semper Fi had been but there really was little to compare it to. The raid on Tokyo 5 had been the closest to it, and at the end of the day, the bloody tragedy--and the fact that it was heroes fighting villains and not a coup inside the government--kept the more vulture-like journalists away from her. That, and her time in the hospital.
Still, she was quiet and respectful, listening to Mia through her points. She did make one that stung to hear but was in no way wrong. Now that she was known, despite her best efforts, she couldn't just leave the moment the press arrived and hope that nobody would notice. Her absence would be no better for her reputation, and more importantly the public's view on the hero program in general, than her actual presence.
Dammit. Dammit to hell.
It was so much easier when we were in hiding. When we weren't legally allowed to be heroes. It was in our best interest to avoid the cameras, or we'd be caught. Now it's just another part of this..."job", that I still signed up for, even when I had a chance to step down.
Serperior should be here, not me.
Huh. She'd thought about her current partner this time, not her prior one. Was...that a good thing...?
Hachi's neck straightened, and though her expression did not change (as it usually didn't), she seemed to deflate a little more. She extended a long, rail-thin arm and placed her claws atop Mia's hands, bowing her head in an obviously exhausted attempt at a proper greeting.
"...Tsutsuji Hachi. And I concede that you are right. I can't leave and expect tings to be as it was when I was unknown. And it does give me time off my wings." There were worse ways to take a break than getting to know another hero, even under the pressures the public eye put on them both. What did they want to see? The officer had mentioned that they could choose to "fake" friendship, rivalry, anything so long as it looked good.
Hachi was not a good liar. So for now, this was as much as she could offer. "My Quirk is fairly obvious, I believe, but I do poses a venomous stinger I keep hidden from view, and I am also skilled in the French fighting style of savate. I also can make honey, which...is a question I have been asked a lot before, and I don't often answer. Please don't share that." A faint heat rose to her cheeks that her exoskeleton didn't show, but her small mouth turned up just slightly into a tiny, shy smile, "if that isn't ridiculous enough to break the tension, I don't know what else I can say that will."
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1,296 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
22 Years
Female
"Redhorn"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Mia Kearney on Oct 16, 2019 15:49:01 GMT -4
Mia's lips parted, she wanted to emphasize that, yeah, it was just part of the job again, and Mia didn't like some aspects of it too and they had to play their parts and yada yada yada...but she didn't wanna beat the dead horse when Hachi was so tired of the topic. She just shared a loose smile and nodded along as she conceded she was right. Even emphasizing a sense of solidarity felt like it was just dragging the topic along with them and she didn't wanna do that to her fellow hero. Instead she focused on something else, asking with a mild smirk to her. "Hey the way you talk it almost sounds like you got some vigilante experience behind ya too...that the case or am I readin' it wrong?" She'd tip her head to the side. Not judging at all, given she used to be a vigilante too, and a proud one at that, just curious to hear about other heroes who'd broken the law in the past only to end up on the right side of it doing that they'd done before.
She'd listen to Hachi describe her quirk either way, looking up and down her idly, maybe focusing on her hips a little at the mention of a venomous stinger, given it made the most sense for it to be there....then her eyes lingered about her stomache again when she mentioned the honey, a light red on her cheeks as she quirked her brow. She realized RAPIDLY her eyes being there of all places wasn't good and quickly raised them but...Bees made honey using their fluffy bodies and pollen right? So...yeah. Looking around her abdomen sort of area was the right place but...Oh god. Mia couldn't help but laugh as she shoved a hand over her face. "That's definitely a tenseion breaker alright! Hahahaha!"
She shook her head, her wild blonde hair, the only part of her that didn't seem to change with her quirk's alterations to her body, swaying behind her. "Does it add or remove tension if I say I'm definitely curious to taste it now?" She'd chuckle a little to hopefully keep the mood light, before letting out a relieved sigh as she rested a hand over her chest.
"Okay, my turn I guess. You ever read those old marvel comics from like, way back around the 2000s?" Sure they existed long before them and long after, but that was the era those comics were at their peak. "Some could say I'm like that, but with a lot more control. Whether it's pride, a sense of joy, tension, rage...my emotions tend to heavily effect how my muscle grows and forms. The more into a battle I get the bigger and stronger I get. Usually I have a constant sense of energy about me, but...after today I'm looking the smallest I have in weeks." She gestured loosely over herself. The roomy legs of the pants of her hero costume did seem especially baggy, and the tube top that was designed to look like bandage wrappings did look like it could slip off if her chest wasn't holding it in place. The forearm wrappings too were slipping up and down whenever she shifted. Only slightly, but enough to show they weren't designed for the heroine when she was so small...heck she was still a titan of a woman in her own right, but far below what she should be.
"I can flex it a bit...push myself from willpower alone..." She rested an elbow on her lap, and tensed her fist, flexing the muscle in her arm. Subtly her body grew, filling out her costume a little better, achieveing something close to Mia's more casual appearance, similar to what Hachi might remember from halloween last year, but as she let it go she deflated just as slowly, more smoothly though than the staggering growth of her flex. "But getting into a battle or a rage is definitely the best way to get results..." She'd look idly to her hand. "Sometimes i can really push myself and my skin starts to turn red and leathery...but it's real rare. Tends not to happen facing the average goon. Don't even know what sets it off..."
She waved the thought from her mind. That odd aspect of her quirk could sometimes bug her out. Like it was a...level, of herself, she didn't know how to unlock yet. Having potential she didn't know how to unlock, but knowing it was there...god for a woman like her it was an oddly pesky thing to know about. "But that's the long and short of it. Be it rage, or just the love of a fight, the right mood turns me into a beast of muscle!~"
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287 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Oct 17, 2019 13:34:25 GMT -4
If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. Hachi looked down as she offered a nod in confirmation to Mia's assumption. She wasn't the sort who shied away from her past vigilantism, but she knew better than to glorify it. Mia casually admitting that she, too, came from that background was hardly a surprise. What did bemuse her was that she wasn't recognized. Even after changing her "hero name", Hachi was still Hachi, and quite impossible to mistake. But she remembered that Mia wasn't native to Japan, and that explained the lack of recognition. It was almost refreshing to say it rather than have it be known already. "That is correct. You were in America before the hero program was announced, so unless you looked us up before then you wouldn't have known..."
Hachi placed a claw on the insignia on her chest. "I was part of a team. The Fighter Flies. Though...in that time, I went by the name 'Hornet' rather than 'Yellow Jacket'. It was why I was offered the position as a hero in the first place. However I'm curious now; what was the vigilante scene like in America? In Japan we were, well, rather infamous, but still had a bit of a following."
Embarrassment was such an obvious feeling for most people. Mia's vibrantly red blush made reading her mood a breeze. It was a shame she couldn't give others the same ease of access to her own expressions, but at the same time it was nice to be unreadable. Some of the time. Hachi coughed into her hand. "That is usually the next question. I...have no...qualms, but it isn't something I can do on the fly. I need to consume pollen to do so. But I would prefer to give you the honey my pet bees produce instead. It's far less..." She sighed softly, still quite flushed beneath her outer shell. "...unusual. Or uncomfortable. Both."
Hachi nodded again. She hadn't read comics religiously like some of the people she knew in her youth, but the films had circled as classics for some time. Still she could place the similarity in what Mia was describing to one of the more classic heroes. Her head tilted slightly as she watched Mia's physical form change. Ah. Now that she had a refresher on what the woman looked like in person before, the difference was a little jarring. If it was set by her mood, then was it a clear indication that she wasn't in the best emotional state? Or was this just how exhaustion manifested in her body? And how much did she need to exert--or how deep in the battle did she need to be--to reach her full strength potential?
"That's fascinating. And it's based on your mood, as well as when you're in the thick of combat?...when you get mad, does it activate, by any chance?" Hachi's lips pursed together in a tiny thin line. "It's interesting. There is a student in my class with a similar Quirk, though his is activated purely on rage, and makes him both dangerously strong and completely out-of-control. He was put into my class to specifically...well, avoid using it, to be entirely honest. Did you ever experience something like that growing up with your own Quirk?"
"And...I suppose this is the direct follow-up, but are you alright at the moment? You said you're smaller now than usual. I won't push, but if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. Do not push yourself."
A pause, then she looked down, bowing her head a little to exaggerate the gesture and make it more visible to Mia. "...I'm sorry, that's the teacher inside me talking."
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1,296 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
22 Years
Female
"Redhorn"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Mia Kearney on Oct 17, 2019 14:24:05 GMT -4
"Oh you were on a team. That's got to have been interesting...especially back when hero work was illegal. Bet it woulda been hard to...well do anything with others. Coordination, communication...and heck given there was no license process, any member of the team could turn into a high level criminal if their morals get turned around, and there's no vetting process to kinda make sure that shit ain't gonna be likely to happen..." She idly rubbed her chin, thinking what it might have been like to work with others as a vigilante, but lightly shrugged off the thought. "I was definitely more of a solo worker, much like then as I am now I guess. Not much more to it. It started off cause I'd been a bit of an outcast from my peers, it continued that way as I proved what I could do on my own two feet..." She'd idly rub the side of her neck, shrugging again, the memory of her vigilante work always pleasant, but then she'd start thinking about how lonely it could have been if she didn't have her family to come home to after a day of illegal heroing. Not so pleasant a thought.
When the honey came back up, even as Hachi was explaining how it worked, Mia raised both her hands and interupted her. Not trying to be rude, but saving them both the details. "Hey, Hachi hun. I was joking. Please don't explain how you make the honey. I'm sure it's not even gross I just don't need you burning up any more than I'm sure you already are under those yellow bee cheeks o'yours." She smirked a little, making sure to keep the mood light...but still very eager to cut that line of talk before it reached anything.
Back to her own quirk, thankfully, avoiding the honey and giving it a wide berth. "Eh I mean. It happened when I got mad as a kid, but it's hard to really tell when I'm mad anymore. I mean, I don't work in an office, I don't get pissed off at my boss." She chuckled a little before continuing. "But like er...I dunno. Guess the few times I get mad these days are in a fight anyway so it's hard to tell the difference. Frustration can make my muscles a little tighter, but it's not too big a change, never enough to really make me kick it up a notch or anything."
At the question on if she had troubles with it in the past, she'd smirk a little wider. "Hun. I was a kid who, when I had a tantrum, could throw the teacher's desk out a window with them sitting at it. Yeah, it came with troubles, but these days I just...I dunno. I don't care enough to get mad. Like not in a bad way but i've got that 'live let live' mentality. A guy shouting anti-quirk shit can be annoying and I'm sure they can hurt some people, and yeah i'll tell 'em to shut up, but unless they break the law or some shit it ain't enough for me to get mad over. I'm sure your student will mature out of fits of rage but..." She'd pound her chest with a grin. "Hey, if they need to let off steam or get out of control. Maybe send 'em my way? I'll knock some sense into 'em!~" She was joking of course, but hey, she was in part interested to see such a kid in action.
At the question on if she was okay, she shook her head, but smiling, not saying no, just finding it amusing she was even asked. "Ah I'm good. I'm just...ya know that sensation where...it's been a loooong day at the office and you're not even frustrated your just tired?" She gestured over herself. "This is me doing that." She paused and added. "Actually I guess neither of us actually know what that feels like...I mean no offense meant but I know i went straight into the vigilante work and you hardly seem the type to be stuck at a desk job." She'd chuckle a little again before continuing. "But nah, I'm alright. This is...yeah, the smallest i've been in a long time, but it's just cause I'm bored and drained. Mentally speaking. Usually I have a nice bit of..Swagger, I guess, and it keeps soem bulk on me. Today though...oof. Ya show swagger around here and the cops start to think you're not taking it seriously, so I've just fully powered down over the course o' the day."
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287 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Oct 19, 2019 9:51:06 GMT -4
If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. "It had its difficulties. And we were not always as controlled as we should have been, in hindsight. I was also the only one to live to become a legalized hero, so I cannot say it was a successful venture...." Hachi's voice grew quiet, more keen on listening to Mia's own experience as a vigilante than go into more detail of her own. There was a similarity in her tale to others she'd known in the scene; being alone, being an outcast, but still wanting to do something with the power they had. Something good. She had to wonder if Mia had tried to reach out to other heroes from a similar background or if she just preferred to work alone. Hachi almost related, but...she had chosen to work with another person despite how much pain she'd gone through the first time. "I suppose I grew used to working with another person. Even ones as eccentric as Serperior."
The differences between Mia's Quirk and Yamada Saito's own were, unfortunately, enough that Hachi couldn't put more than a circumstantial connection between the two of them. Mia's ran on adrenaline more than anger, and despite her reputation for being, well, an Oni, she appeared to have much more lenient view on the world. Hachi nodded in understanding, but a bit of doubt still lingered in the back of her thoughts. "It's slightly more complicated than that. He--the student with the Quirk similar to yours--isn't an angry person in general. I'm not sure if it's a defense mechanism or not but he puts forward a very calm, very relaxed face most of the time. Too relaxed, if his grades are any indication..." she sighed quietly, for a moment returning to the weary, worn-out teacher she usually was these days, "I don't know if he would accept the offer to go all-out, even in a controlled environment. I think he's scared of what kind of harm her could do...especially to others."
"If anything I would send him to you to try to learn control, rather than just let off steam, since you appear to have so much control over how much of your strength you let out. Unless I am reading it wrong?"
Hachi chuckled, the ever-present hum in her voice growing into an amused buzzing trill. "No offense taken. I do not know many desks I can even sit in." She glanced at the doorway once more. "At least you can turn off your 'swagger' to lighten the mood. My, well, lack of readable features let's call it, has definitely been putting more officers off than anything. It can't help that I...loom," Hachi made a small sweeping gesture over her form--all two full meters of it--before she continued, "Even when I am out of my uniform. I would look much less frightening if they allowed me to wear my civilian clothes but they won't allow that, either. I don't understand why they would rather be put-off by my appearance instead of bending the rules."
"I usually wouldn't advocate for that in the first place, but with the amount of side-looks I've been getting, I'm nearly being impeded in my preparations for the raid."
"...it's one of the reasons I'm less than thrilled to be seen on camera," she admitted, quietly, eyes kept locked on her claws in her lap. "It's fact that all living creatures find it hard to relate to individuals lacking a 'recognizable' face. I am no exception, even as a hero."
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1,296 Posts
0 EP
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22 Years
Female
"Redhorn"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Mia Kearney on Oct 24, 2019 10:03:33 GMT -4
…Mia froze up a little, unsure what to say, tense with the idea everyone from Hachi’s old team was…well. Dead. That was quite a bomb to drop on someone in casual conversation, and the blunt, forward Oni wasn’t sure how to react. What little etiquette she did have for conversations was telling her to just be silent on the matter, cause anything she could say would just make things even more awkward. Her lips parted briefly, flickered here or there, like she was about to get a word out but…it just wasn’t happening. She just had no idea what to say on the matter, resulting in her leaning back in her seat, crossing her arms tight and just…unable to meet Hachi’s eye till the conversation shifted again. She’d only really let out a brief question of “Serperior huh? What’s he like.” To aid a bit more of a shift.
At the idea of the kid she was talking about needing to learn control, Mia just seemed to feel the need to learn more about the kid. She shifted and rolled her shoulders back and she leaned into her seat and tried to get a head on the situation. The kid was relaxed, but his quirk made him lose control? Okay, Mia could see herself relating to that a little. Her quirk did pump adrenaline through her but she learned to roll WITH that sensation rather than against it. She rubbed at her shoulder, thinking if she was really a good fit though, and decided to share a little herself.
“I…dunno if I’m the person for it. When I was young…heh.” She chuckled a little as she recalled something. “When I first became a vigilante… No one really knows about this. So I don’t want it slipping from you, even if I doubt you’d ever have a reason to bring it up…” She shifted once more before continuing for real. “The way I learned was by getting my ass beat. I was a rage monster the first few times and…sometimes I maybe went a bit too far, even if I wasn’t strong enough back then for it to ever be permanent…” She shrugged idly. “But when I got out of control I had a guy who beat me back down till I was calm again, and eventually, I learned to control it myself. Literally banging my head against a wall until it clicked. That’s just…how I learned. If this kid’s quirk is the sole way he loses control then…I don’t know what I got to offer. The way I use my strength is to lean into what drives it. I can’t offer any advice if I don’t know how he works from the horse’s mouth, and even then, I doubt he’ll wanna learn the way I did.”
She’d smirk a little, and finish simply. “I’d love to meet ‘em though…get a better look at ‘em myself.”
Hearing Hachi talk about her experience with the side glances she was getting, Mia smirked just a little, shifting her arms again and looking off to the side. “Pretty sure I’m recognizeable as all hell face wise and they’re still givin’ me dirty looks.” She joked a little, but it was true. She was more than capable of noticing when an officer didn’t want her here. Despite being the public voted number one…Mia was far from what anyone likely wanted their ideal hero to be. At least those in official capacities like the government or the police officers she was working with. Some liked the work she did, most likely didn’t.
She looked back to Yellow Jacket, taking in her ‘featurless’ face and tipping her head to the side. “Hey I mean…we got some time. If you wanna take the helmet or…mask or whatever off for a bit, I’m hardly gonna rat you out.” She stretched her arms above her head. “As for the public…hun you got voted number two, and you’re worried that the public aren’t gonna like you?” She let her arms drop, slouched over her own lap as she gave the bee woman a ‘really?’ look and a mild chuckle. “I mean…come on the public already love you for some reason or another, I doubt you have to worry.”
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287 Posts
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33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Oct 25, 2019 14:15:47 GMT -4
If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. Hachi was not socially inept, but she missed a good part of Mia's tension to her admittedly casual...confession. But she had been a vigilante as well. She had to have similar experiences, didn't she? It hadn't been a safe world for vigilantes then, at least not any more than it was for villains. But perhaps America was different in how it viewed literal criminals trying to fight criminals.
"Hm...well, honestly, he reminds me a little of you." She raised a claw to rest against her chin in thought, eyes looking over Red Horn, though her lack of visible pupils made such a motion impossible to discern. "Or the 'you' that I have seen in the news and otherwise. Same sort of, well, 'boisterous' sounds offensive in this context. Charismatic? Confident?" Loud, don't forget 'loud'. "He's very much playing a heroic role as much as he is being a hero. And he's far better with people than I am, which helps. Comes with his history as an entertainer. I would have expected his and my spots to be switched, if I'm being honest. He suits it better."
"He can be reckless though. He was never a vigilante before he became a hero--I think that has affected how he views heroism as a whole. I won't say he's idealized it to some extent but he's certainly...harsher on that style of life than I believe those of us who were in that position are. Not that I can condone vigilantism when there is a legal alternative available." Not anymore.
"I think you two would get along very well."
Or horribly, if you meet under the wrong circumstances.
She fell into a respectful silence, somewhat pleased that she would be trusted with an otherwise private fact about Mia's childhood. Her, well, "training" sounded like something similar to what Hachi had been put through, only with being beaten down to learn control instead of being shocked until she was fast enough to avoid it. She couldn't imagine Saito fairing as well in that sort of scenario. But, as Mia did point out, their Quirks were just different enough that that method wouldn't work for him, anyway. "If nothing else," Hachi mused, "You are one of the few I can think of strong enough to handle him at full-strength. That may be something."
Mask? Ah. Does she think that I'm wearing a...
"Hm. I can't imagine it helps police relations when a few of them nearly arrested me in the past..." Hachi tilted her head. Then, slowly, she raised her claws to remove the clasps beneath her chin and lift the helmet from her head. Without the glass over her eyes their bright, blood-red color was clearer, and her hair and antenna sprung free. It was short again, how she preferred it before it had grown out in the hospital. Her antenna twitched a little as they got accustomed to the temperature of the room. "Well, if you insist. I doubt the press representative or whomever will be bothered by it either. Even if they were...I'm too exhausted at this point to particularly care?" Her small mouth turned into an equally small smirk. It was slightly easier to see without the helmet but not by very much more. Mia's next words heated her face up again, blushing beneath her exoskeleton. "I...I doubt it is for my appearance, whatever it is they find appealing about me. And I am still not sure what about my personality they may like."
"Except for my students, and the...few adults I am acquainted with, I'm afraid I come off as aloof...it isn't intentional, my expressions are hard to read, and," she paused and glanced downward, "And I am...admittedly, just not very good at speaking with other people."
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1,296 Posts
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22 Years
Female
"Redhorn"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Mia Kearney on Oct 30, 2019 13:08:42 GMT -4
“Boisterous is very correct.” She’d tease, smirking a little as she lay her cheek into her fist, elbow resting on the arm of her chair. She shrugged casually if Hachi had any response to her admitting that, but either way would continue. “Trust me hun I got no qualms about who I am. Use a word like that all ya like. Insult, or compliment, it’s a fact about me and I ain’t ashamed of it. Ain’t gonna care how anyone looks at me so long as they ain’t just making shit up to hate or love me. If someone wants to make up achievements so I look better, or make up reasons to hate me, that’s the only time I’m gonna care.” She held a warm smile, genuinely not showing any offense taken or any other uncomfortable ticks from having such a word used. She was being genuinely honest and forward. You can hate or lover her as she is, so long as you’re using the correct fuckin’ info.
Still, hearing this kid had the attitude to ‘play the role’ briefly had her hopeful. Maybe she’d be able to find another ‘Jaz’ among the numbers of UA….buuuuut hearing he had a history as an entertainer made her wary. Mia was boisterous cause she could back up her claims. Jaz had always seemed the same way. A kid just being ‘boisterous’ just to play to the crowd….eh. Sounded like the worst kind of egotistical nut. But she couldn’t pass judgement without seeing him…
She’d scoff a little at the mention of her being able to beat him down though, pulling her head back with a wide grin. “Damn. One of the few eh? Kid must be somethin’ if no one else at that badass little school of yours can hold ‘em back!~”
With a wide smile still on her lips, she’d continue- “Like I said, you’ll have to arrange for me to meet him sometime…is he a second year? Once this whole thing blows over I’m gonna look into taking some of those kids under my wing on that internship program. I was er…gonna run with it at the start but…” She leaned over her lap and sighed through her nose. “Put simply, a lot of the kids I wanted to see in action either got better offers or…in the case of my favourite, she outright disappeared…ended up getting a little depressing honestly. Number 1, and apparently nobody fuckin’ wants to hang with me! Hahahaha!” She briefly put on a smile, rolling her shoulders back with a softer sigh through her nose. Actually…Ya know what. She’d already brought ‘em up. “Hey, on the topic…you er, know what happened to that kid Jaz? Far as I’m aware she just up and vanished one day. Kinda a’ shame. Was lookin’ forward to see what she’d make of herself.”
Mia, on the topic of the other Heroine removing her gear, was sadly unaware of the mild insult she may have made. Through Hachi’s words Mia got the impression her ‘costume’ made her more featureless, which made Mia assume she had a mask of some sort. When she revealed it was mostly just the helment, Mia, without anything smacking her in the face, didn’t even realize the potential insult she’d made. If anything she just noticed the bee woman had a nice head of hair on her. Compared to Mia’s own wild, messy mane at least.
As she mentioned just being ‘aloof’, or worrying that was how she came off at least, Mia shifted a little closer to the table, resting her elbows on it as they continue to speak. “I mean I dunno. Maybe it’s an air of mystery. People know you do good work, but you’re a blank slate. They can put any backstory or personality they want on you as far as they’re concerned…maybe a lot more people are into bees than we think.” She had a huge ass grin, hoping her cheeky joke got a laugh.
“I mean…either way. The public love you, and whether you’re a people person or not can ya really say ‘a lot of people see me as a positive’ is ultimately a bad thing?” She knew it wasn’t as simple as that but…she wanted to see if Hachi could see a lighter side of things. She rubbed idly at her neck as she went on. “I mean…at least you’re not polarizing.” She began, trying to give her more reasons to favour her position. Mia, again, had no shame about who she was…but she also had no illusions about how she was seen. As she continued, she didn’t sound…down, just…matter of fact.
“Was keeping a close fucking eye on those pro hero votes…the idea that I could rank top of the pile? I was on that like a gunshot. Everytime you tied with me or pushed past me. Geeze my heart was in my stomache. In the end I’d have been okay but I was really into it when the race was on…and…” She trailed off. “So long on the site, getting’ to see the comments…god I know that the internet tends to make the spiteful people the loudest, but the amount of comments just shitting on my style of hero work whenever I was in the lead, calling everyone else stupid. I don’t give a fuck what they think if I get the job done but…does make me realize I ain’t everyone’s favourite. The people who love me absolutely do. But the people who hate me… I won’t lie. They got fair reasons to, and even if I don’t plan on changing, I can admit, I ain’t flawless, and they really hate those flaws…heh.”
She leaned back in her chair, hands behind her head, one leg over the other as she took a more relaxed position, looking up at the slightly dimmed lights that let the whole HQ realize it was getting into the later hours, and not just the middle of the day. “Like I said…least you’re not polarizing…”
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287 Posts
0 EP
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Total
33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Nov 1, 2019 13:18:47 GMT -4
If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. There was a moment as Hachi looked Mia over where a familiar understanding came to her. Mia was so very comfortable with herself and whom she was, and didn't mind people assuming the best or worst of her so long as it was backed by facts. That was nice, and lined up not too far off from how Hachi viewed the whole mess. That said, she didn't have enough interest in how the public viewed her, which, as Mia spoke about the vote, it felt like she had much bigger stake in. It wasn't even an official list of the strongest heroes or the most cases completed--pure popularity was the only factor there.
Why did she care, then, about being number one?
"He is a second year, and one of the students in my class, though it may take some convincing if you want him to partake in your internship...as far as I'm aware, he showed no signs of interest in the first sign-up. Which is a shame but I can understand why he wouldn't want to be on the field, given, well..." Hachi pursed her lips together into a small frown. Saito was much more than he gave himself credit for. If only he had better control over his Quirk, and had the confidence to use it, he could easily be one of the highest ranked students at U.A. It wasn't a bad thing that he wasn't interested in being ranked high, but it also wasn't good that he didn't seem to mind being left out of so many opportunities.
"Be careful with any future internships, though. Mine went spectacularly off the rails on the first day. It was only supposed to be a routine patrol, but we ended up having to intervene in a hostage situation. Akihabara is usually so quiet as well...it was like the fates aligned specifically to give them a traumatizing first hero day."
The idea of part of her popularity being from her lack of a known backstory made her hum--well, buzz--softly in thought. "I suppose it wouldn't do much if people knew I had a fairly normal, uneventful childhood. Up until the vigilantism, at least. I know there are some students who have hoped that my experiences would mimic their own because I have such a dramatic mutation. But," she went quiet for just a moment. She could still hear how withdrawn and cold Angel sounded to her after she'd answered her questions. She was an extreme case, but even those who'd just suffered from smaller, less traumatic cases of bullying or segregation looked to her like some sort of beacon. "Well. I suppose it would be worse to lie to them to make a connection, rather than being honest and trying to empathize with them."
She groaned quietly at the bee joke. "You make fun of it, but I have had people...approach me only because of my appearance. It is very weird. In a bad way."
"You've made me curious now. I have no qualms being 'second best', as the current standing is. If you hadn't won the top spot in that rank, would there be some sort of rivalry between us? Would it have bothered you?"
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1,296 Posts
0 EP
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Total
22 Years
Female
"Redhorn"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Mia Kearney on Nov 1, 2019 13:50:41 GMT -4
With hachi trailing off about the kid Mia could only assume it was another hint at how un controllable his quirk was, which just made the blonde scoff. “That should be all the more reason for ‘em to try and take an internship under me. If there quirk’s difficult to control, who better to keep them in order than yours truly?” Despite any bummer topics, Mia’s usual bravado and boisterous nature could readily shine through at a moment’s notice it seemed…but she was ever the realist. “I mean, maaaaybe a pro hero fighting one of her interns instead of the bad guy isn’t a good look, but hey, it’d be a start for the kid, getting some field work experience.” She still treated it mildly like a joke in terms of how messy it could be, but she was genuinely up to accepting the kid under her wing if they needed someone to keep an eye on them.
At the warning of her own internships, Mia’s brow rose. “Wow. Talk about bad luck…or. Well. Kinda good luck? I mean gives the kids a taste of the real world but hoo boy, talk about high stakes.” She rubbed at the back of her neck. “Really…I never thought much on what I’d prepare for my little ‘troupe’ when I got one I felt was worth the effort.” She spoke, not realizing how that potentially implied some UA kids didn’t seem so…worth it. “Got any tips beyond ‘take ‘em somewhere quiet’?”
With the comment on Hacchi’s bee appeal, Mia nearly slapped her knee laughing. God Hacchi looked so awkward recalling it but to her things like that just had her laughing up a storm. “Aw hun. You think that’s bad. The sheer AMOUNT of girls wanting to ‘ride the horn’ is so fuckin’ stupid. Its as if they don’t see this thing has a sharp tip!” She pointed to it directly, still needing a few seconds to work out the giggles. “Face sitting’s never been so deadly!~” She continued to sputter into her palm, just finding how people treated her own quirk kinda hilarious in that respect. “H-hey though. I mean. Weird pervs or not, it at least proves there’s always gonna be someone out there for every quirker eh?” It was a weird type of…silver lining, she supposed, but pervs or not, cases like that did show that any type of mutation could find someone interested in ‘em.
Relaxing from her giggles, the question came about what they’d be like if Hachi placed first…and Mia rested her head back.
“Nah.” It came after a moment of staring at the ceiling in thought, but it felt very clear. “Like…I was talkin’ about havin’ flaws, and one I can recognize is I got an ego. I can…know I’m polarizing, and I can admit it, but it doesn’t bother me, but I know I got an ego to fuel too. I like to be the star. The people everyone looks to and goes…yeah. That’s a hero.”
She rolled her head to the side, resting her cheek on the back of her seat and smirking idly.
“Being number one ain’t that yet…like I know myself. I’m gonna milk being number 1 all I can, but it’s just a popularity vote. You could have the most vane, most annoying hero be number 1 right now if they just got enough fans…if you’da been number one I think I might played up a rivalry for the camera but it wouldn’t have been anything close to serious.”
She adjusted how she sat again, thinking on her words. “If the government actually ranks us….public image. Crimes solved. Severity of cases handled, so on…then I’d get a bit competitive. But until then, I think I’d just give you a pat on the back and focus on the job. I’ll pander to the crowds all day, but I won’t let that shit get in the way of being a good hero, ya know?”
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