Pink Pegasus, Blue Jackal

She had no license, and by extension, had no real rules to follow. With enough money, you could buy your way out of anything, and as Sato proved, you could buy your way into anything as well. A license would be nice, but it wasn't a license to kill, just paperwork that let you operate in public, and apprehend people committing a crime. That being said, if it was in private, it was useless if no one knew about it. And if you couldn't prove the crime, or if it was something that had yet to happen, the court of law would be the one to persecute. She didn't need the certification. Kasey arrived, and when she left, she would leave near to nothing that they existed. A vanished person, never to be found, no body to be buried.

Small talk was not her forte, as was well, any talking in general. How Kasey had gotten this way without putting herself in a corner with no way out, was a feat in itself. She kept her cool, mostly, and kept her drama self contained. The panic within her would have to be solved another time. She could wait. It wasn't like she was going to be trapped here all day.

An extended hand, all the while Kasey's eyes traced her fingers, both the one fetching a treat, and the one set upon herself. A strange thing, but it wasn't like she had tricks up her sleeve. But that being said, she was a teacher. She must have had a quirk. The question was, what was it? It wasn't like she could read minds, right? No, it was comical how the quirks of the teacher matched their profession in some way. Literature. Knowledge? Well, that could have been anyone's guess. She looked relatively normal, did that mean her quirk was an emitter? No, that wasn't a fair assumption, Kasey looked normal and her quirk was far from such.

As she bit into her snack, Kasey's mind wandered off again. Until,

". . . wait what." a date? No, that wasn't right. It must have been a play with words. She was just trying to buy more time for whatever real reason she was there for. She wasn't actually interested in Kasey, right? That would have been odd. Being a teacher and seeking to have a relationship with the former janitor? Seemed like a weird fantasy, but it wasn't impossible, but was unlikely. Right? that being said, if it played out that way, she would again have her connection with the school again. It did benefit her in a way, but did that mean she was using the woman? No, she was using Kasey first. It was only fair. "I think?" she wondered to herself, trying to pinpoint when this mess first unfolded.

"I uhm... Okay." A date. Right. Play it cool. All she had to do was remain calm. Yet, her eyes refused to look up at her, they drifted again, falling below... right back to her-...

"My treat." she would say, part of her speaking out of politeness, but other part of her knowing the teachers damn well did not make close to what Kasey had. It was only fair. But, now that she offered, she missed a chance to see her wallet, and any information that may have provided an answer.

"Oh my god woman, it's just a date. She hasn't even licked you. It's not that serious." A reference to an existing skewed view on love. An echo left behind of what Yuri once used to mean to her. Kisses were meaningless gestures to show that you cared. They meant nothing more, nothing less than a hug. The exchange and dance between lips was just interest. But to someone you loved, was to lick their face. That was how things were. And it wasn't something that would happen soon. There was no way that teacher knew that about Kasey. There was no way that random occurrence would happen.

"Shut the fuck up Setsuki." he replied, another battle within her mind.

"You gonna sleep over at her house or yours?"

A sigh as she tried to again gather herself. "It's only around the corner." Kasey would say with a forced smile.

A licence didn't stop you from doing the right thing, all it did was allow you to do it and not be prosecuted for it. Kasey still managed to save lives. She still killed someone. At the end of the day, she wasn't behind bars, but she had lost her job. At the time, it really felt no different from prison. It was the closest she could get to being a professional hero without all of the paperwork, and now it was all lost. She wasn't prevented from doing the same work, and she continued it, but it felt less rewarding. And as such, she wasn't motivated to move at her full pace. She worked on her preservation, and crafting support for her own goal, rather than the hard work. But none compared to the difficultly that had become this entire conversation.

"Well, I mean, they were probably idiots to begin with." One hero was a convicted felon, while others could barely hold their weight. Things may have been different now, but that was how it began. Kasey would never forget that. Not to mention the coddling of certain students rather than the either student population. There was heavy favoritism. But that was what being a hero was. It was always a popularity contest.

But at the slight nudge of her arm to prop herself, Kasey's eyes drifted away to stare back at the woman's face, her focus at her lips, then her nose, trying to get close to her eyes without actually making contact. It was close enough, right?

"Sure?" Questionable. Make it up to her? That seemed like a trap, or at least that her own actions would force the woman to play her hand. She was up for this game of mental chess. She was going to find out the truth, no matter what the cost was. She tapped her fingernails onto the table rhythmically in thought. She could try to prepare herself for what was to come, but being attacked was not one of the likely outcomes. Given the marks on her hand, Kasey could assume a variation of things, only leaving her with the fact she had fought often. the question was if her quirk aided her in that way, or if it was something opposing her skill. Flight wouldn't play in hand, unless she used it to propel herself forward for more momentum, but spectral wings would no allow it so easy. Perhaps it was something with durability? But then the marks would be unlikely, unless it was how she prepared to battle. A method of training without the use of her quirk, to make it even more strong. Her mind drifted away, focused on the woman's lips, watching them part with each spoken word.

As she got up, Kasey's gaze would follow her, taking a moment to catch up, getting up a few moments after, taking the box in hand, closing it. "Yeah yeah, it's just that way." She would say pointing in the direction. "Plus today is the bonus sale, so you get more, but only on today."

With each passing day, ASTA left more and more of a sour taste in her mouth. Perhaps part of it was jealously, or simply anger in the manner she had gone about it. That woman was bold enough to flaunt her civilian identity to villains, while trying to play hero. She was disgusting. But in a way, she was doing what Kasey was failing to. She wasn't doing things for fame, she was doing things because it was the right thing to do. That woman had shady underhanded tactics, yet, Kasey tolerated it. All of it just another step in her massive plan. It would serve in time. People were foolish to not see her past her mask, but to out her, would to be a hypocrite. It wasn't something that she was focused on. For now, she was making her small steps towards Thundershock. A new clan, one that would long outlast the Yakuza. History and heritage would not stand to honor. The only thing the Kobayashi clan lacked.

Chance encounters and random events were one of the few constants in her life. She never knew what to expect, and much less who to expect. People were mysterious and all had their own motivations. They were messy people. People were inconstant. but values, were things that would remain as constant and written law. All she needed, was an enforcer. Perhaps it was time to grow in numbers, to expand. Or, maybe it was time to trust some people to do what they were good at. A teacher? That gave her more connections. She already had eyes on the inside, but sight only let her go so far...

. . . Kasey watched for a moment while she fixed her blouse, only to take a few steps to lead in the simple direction. She hoped that school would improve staff, and maybe they did. Was this woman a good example of what they had now? Who was to say. They did have Redhorn now, and she was leagues better than Darkshine.

Kasey would hold the box at her side, opposite of the woman. "Often, but not for long." it was a weird thing to admit to, but still was the truth. "Lots of traveling back and forth, comes with the job i suppose." That information would be enough to bury her with the right prodding questions. Her first slip, one that she would regret as she spoke. "I don't think I've been to France." She thought for a moment, narrowing her brows. She certainly had been around Asia. Italy was one for Europe. Russia counted, sort of. "Yeah nope, not France." her mind lingered on Korea again for a moment. It might have been the most peaceful place, and home to her great deity, but with it, a sorrowful reminder of one of her greatest failues.

". . . Good to know I'm not missing much then." close second? That meant they were better, but not by much. Unless it was a joke. Was she saying she had poor taste? Was it a joke on her spending? Or, maybe she should just take it for face value. Maybe they were a close second. They were hard to make, and as such, it was either bad, or good. Surely that's what she was talking about. There was no hidden messages, probably.

She led the way, eventually landing at a mostly empty shop. Only what looked to be half of what they normally had, but if a box filled with one of each, would be easy enough. Their prices fairly affordable. The man behind the counter waving to Kasey, to which she waved back. It wasn't that she was a regular, it was simply put that the man worked for her. Though, for more darker things.

"You want second box today?" he'd ask, only for Kasey to look over to the woman with her.

"well, that's up to her." She spoke a bit more, pointing at Alisa with her thumb. Only to look over at her, then the selection. "I like to get different ones. If you just close your eyes and reach into the box, you'll always be surprised, even with a flavor you've had before."

". . . Well, she's not wrong."

"See, even he thinks it's a great idea."

It was his idea.

He was the one that told Kasey that garbage.

She had literally just met this woman not that long ago. That being said, she was looking for Kasey the whole time. If she was really hunting for her just for a date, it would have been rude of her to say no. Granted, it was creepy in its own right, but to use the files of her personal information would have been weirder. It wasn't a phone call, or a house visit. Perhaps it was no different than riding the bus in hopes to catch the eye of that person you liked on that one ride. It was creepy, but if it worked out, it was a cute story. There was always a blurred line between creepy and cute.

That being said, to operate within the law, meant money. To work under the radar, meant no one could endorse your actions. Everything you did, was under the table. Those that supported you, were just as guilty of the laws you broke, and as such, they were few and far between. Rarely could anyone get assistance. Kasey, well off on her own, and established, not only had all the means to do it herself, bus could easily fund others as well. She operated outside of the means, and with networks in almost every association, she had the perfect cover should anyone ask questions. Not like anyone would. Unless this woman was going to.

She listened to her suggestions about the country, only to have dismissed them in thought. She had no interest in entertaining herself with tourism, not while she still had work to do in Japan. The promise of a good meal only went so far while the girl will fed on rotten fruits and even more spoiled people. Maybe, she would commit it to memory, if every county didn't boast about their food having a grand unique taste. Everything tasted better when it was made at the source. But Kasey cared little about macaroons. They simply were something easy to eat, cheap, and could be eaten while she moved. That was it. Perhaps the bits of chocolate were something else to note.

The wink was something to throw her off her game. What was she hinting at? Did she sleep with the man? Was this all a set up? Was he the one that told her she was here? She narrowed her brows again in a bit of thought, confused by the matter. She shook the idea, trying to be focused on the matter.

"I'll just uh, surprise you then." the man would say, grabbing them at random, and without thought and filling the box. After Kasey would toss him the black credit card, and with a swipe, the purchase was made. The gift handed to the woman.

As Kasey was offered she would reach in, seeing a trade of their treats, only that she had bought both, so it wasn't much a trade. but, even was to take the same as her. Kasey looked into the face of the woman, while her own pinky curled. An eye grew from her nail as Setsuna reached out, and placed his choosing between her fingers.

"I kinda wanted to know what this one was." he would say to his host, receeding back into the white nails of the woman. Kasey lifted it to her lips, and took a bite.

"Well, regardless, thank you for the offer." Without more than biting, she would swallow the treat with minimal chewing. Inside of her body, that creature would spin his own enjoyment to destroy the meal as it landed within her stomach.

"Now, where to?" she asked, curious to where this date would take her.

"Oh." Clothes. She was really going with whatever Kasey decided? Was she that interested in her? Or was it all a ploy to see what little mannerisms Kasey would display. Maybe there was something she was trying to get on Kasey. She didn't have much beyond her cards, and it wasn't like she had secret keys in her pocket to some locked vault. But that was only one benefit of being able to make things out of bones. How strange.

Kasey had been careful and meticulous in her actions. In doing so, most of her alibis were air tight. Her first fall was the Ketsujo !3. And the second making too large of a name. Even then, no one connected that the two vigilantes that rescued her were one of the many identities she gave herself to save those students. Crimson Skull. The overseer was just another title for Setsuna. She had no certification, and with it, no rules to follow. But, she saw the crime as the heroes did, and as such, was first to act. She didn't need to wait on people. She had no one to answer to but herself.

Clothing, was a careful thing to answer. A place to frequent, to shed light on her own habits and desires. Her own options had been all over the place, settling for what she got free with her ownership, and whatever she got for change, at thrift stores.

"Well, the best way to learn about a city is," well, what did she have to lose? It was just a recommendation. "To actually check out thrift shops. You will easily see the kinds of people that live there, and their own spending habits, other than that, I would say, Madame Rogues." Easily one of the more expensive places in the area. That choice next to ASTA's high end clothing, something Kasey refused to touch.

Kasey reached into her box, taking in another bite of another brightly colored treat. There was something strange about the woman, and no matter how hard Kasey tried to move from it, she couldn't last long without it. "I take it you don't live around here then?" A simple question, and one that would answer several factors.

She didn't frequent the area, making her an uncommon guest. If she did live nearby, she either took a straight path to work, or had just newly moved in. But seeing as she took to trying to find Kasey, it meant she stayed away from stores, and looked for her, than locations.

Ah, the many answers she could learn.

She always thought about all of the secret motives and reasons for people to do things. It was the reason she had survived thus long without being prosecuted. She had overthought all of her plans, and left nothing behind to point towards herself. Even with cameras, all it took was a few dozen blind spots and unmarked cars that would be dismantled and rebuilt later for another adventure. She was careful in cleaning up after herself, and then cleaning up Japan.

Shift shops ran on donations, with them you could see the wealth in the area. High end clothing that filled the racks only meant that if they were tossed out, nicer things replaced them. The same could be said by furniture and other things. Strange pottery was usually a tell tale sign of craftsmen and other handiwork people. Tools spoke the same, as did old electronics. To see what was tossed out and left behind, was to get a good idea of the people who got rid of them. Were the items outdated, or were they upgraded? It wasn't so much people watching, though, that was also a good place to do it. A place to see who scavenged what was left.

With a few steps, Kasey would take another treat, and consume it all the same. Their next stop the thrift store, or at least, the closest one to them. "Designer?" A joke surely, right? It would be met with the same. "Is it designer if you have it personally tailored for you?" . . . A joke was supposed to be funny, not true. That wasn't a joke. What the hell was that? Well, she tried. Sort of.

With that, an answer to her question. Mustafu. Relatively close to the school, and with it, a close proximity to her former home, along with the man known as G. It was a question of how long, how recent, and why she had never seen her if that was the case. But even so, it wasn't like she would catch Kasey's attention if she wasn't actively looking. She had no reason to latch onto strangers without some sort of interaction.

". . . So are we only going to do the random things I bring up?" she asked, slowing her steps as she took another treat, and ate it fast to continue. "This sounds less like a date, and more like someone else trying to interrogate me again." She hated when people played games with her, and much more so under the guise of something else. She was going to get the bottom of it, but she wasn't going to play all of her cards yet. But, she did have to play something eventually. She wasn't going to wait to find out.

But, she was right to be weary, at least in some regard. It was the whole reason she survived. If she wasn't cautious, maybe she would have avoided the labs as a child. But she was aware now.

"So, what are you into?"

If they had been honest from the start, perhaps it would have been an entirely different interaction. Maybe Kasey would have dropped the act, and her subtle dance around words and topics. Maybe she would have been honest about why she never bothered to return. If she had known their view on crime was the same, it would have gotten to a different point. But, as it were, she was too guarded. She looked out for herself. She could care less about some stranger. She had reason to be untrusting of any hero, or at least anyone associated with them. The only exception was the spider, for she had seen the ways of their god. It didn't matter if she personally supported Kasey or not, they knew that their god had reasons to push different aspects of life. It was not something they could control. It was the will of their Maker.

Death was a means to an end. To kill one, was to cull the population, but for what? With room, either someone extended their reach, or someone else took their spot. To make any difference, was to cause a mass genocide, which, Kasey had begun to some extent. She felt no guilt for killing those she had judged unworthy. She had no reason to. But with each death, she claimed those attached, taking over. If she extended her own reach, there was no spot for another to fill. It was her own. She took the place of dozens, upon hundreds, upon thousands of souls. People never to be seen again. Crimes never to be repeated.

Buying? Did you really need to pay for materials you already owned? A tailor that was already getting a paycheck from you had no reason to be paid twice. She owned them. They were not some simple family man, but criminals turned civilians for her amusement, for Sato's amusement. She just enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Kasey enjoyed her life, and rarely took in time to see all the sights. especially not with someone she just met. In her eyes, everyone was out to get her. It was hard to take anything at face value.

"Everyone needs food to survive. Everyone needs clothes to stay warm." she wasn't saying much commenting on the essentials of survival. That being said, they were eating much well off than the average person. That being said, the mention of sculptures was the only thing that caught Kasey's attention. To mention that over paintings meant that she must have some awareness. Either it was baiting Kasey, or it was genuine interest. It could have been the former, it all it would take is a single reaction that would give her the answer she wanted.

She put her hand in front of her, between her and the woman and pressed her fingers together. Her nails would grow and fuse together. They would extend and weave themselves into a dozen smaller needles. In and over each other, they would move like living snakes, only to take shape. They would crawl upwards and outwards and back down on itself. One would crawl up, only to loop back down. The motion may have been fast in her craft, but to her powers, it was slow, meticulous, and careful. She did not watch her hand, but the expression of the woman when she would reveal the final piece. When it was over, a small figure no taller than her hand would stand at her fingertips. A replica of the woman in front of her.

"Well, then why don't we go to Mustafu?" she suggested, "I'm not parked far, and it's not like a bus would be hard to catch."

And so, the day continued.