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Post by notdomino on Apr 25, 2023 2:41:46 GMT
Nocturne was finishing up his rounds. With the school day being over he generally had a strict routine to stick to. In fact, he'd finished detention, texted to check on all his trainees, packed up his briefcase and had a short call with the agency. Next on his to do was to patrol the halls at least once or twice for good measure before going to work in Shizuoka. His office was a clean one, and dimly lit. As far as personal decorations went, he had an old wedding photo, but it had been facing down. There also were a few traditional japenese lanterns hanging... even a ornamental katana. ACTUALLY, this wasn't that far off from the dojo. The only thing missing was the wide open space to fight in. Sadly, he wouldn't be able to follow his beloved routine as he'd received a text. Normally he would just ignore something like this, but since last year's 3a teacher was gone, Yoo assumed could answer in the woman's place. It was the best he could do for the alumna.
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 26, 2023 18:05:13 GMT
'Hey, this is BLAZING HELLFIRE KITTY
I'm coming over to the school for a bit
I know you weren't my teacher, but you teach the same year they did
So maybe we could have a chat?
-- Koneko
That was literally all she typed in her text to Nocturne, before she'd immediately speed off towards U.A High from a nearby rooftop. The kitty-hero has had a few days worth of recovering from her latest... escapade she was in. The meeting with two Vigilantes, one of which being a student no less, had rattled her quite more than she liked to admit. And now she had literal scars to show for it; the edges of the holes on her chest and eye were burnt badly, as were the palms of her hands, her fingertips, ears, and even if her tail now had fur regrowing on it, she kept it coiled around her waist to hide the burns on it. Once she'd land in front of the grand entrance to the school building, she'd spot Yoo slowly making his way towards the entrance from within, as she'd just march up to him, and give a formal bow.
"... Nocturne-sensei. Even if y'weren't my teacher, I still wanna show respect y'know?"
She'd rapidly explain her bow and honorifics to his title.
"Look... I jus' wanna talk for a while. Tha's all. Hope I ain't interruptin' or nothin'."
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Post by notdomino on Apr 28, 2023 2:43:04 GMT
A chat was fine. He could do that much. Yoo stood at the school's entrance waiting for the young hero to arrive. It wouldn't take long for Koneko to make it to him. With a brief nod in response to her bow, he'd motion to take her back to his office. Any time someone would ask for something like this... it meant things were serious. For Koneko of all people to request it, well...
"Look... I jus' wanna talk for a while. Tha's all. Hope I ain't interruptin' or nothin'."
On his list of things to do, this most definitely was not on the list, but he'd make time for any student. The agency knew to pick up the slack anytime he was gone. "Not at all. I'm honored you chose me to speak to. I'm happy to help."
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 29, 2023 9:41:38 GMT
As she was being lead to Nocturne's office, Koneko would occasionally look around herself, seeing the facilities pass by her as she walked. Things were still the same... granted, it had only been a year or so since she graduated, but it still filled her with some form of nostalgia, looking through these halls. But as soon as she stepped inside, and Nocturne had gotten himself seated, she'd let out a big sigh, as if she had held her breath for an hour!
"Good t'see things are still runnin'. I would'a thought those first-years I saw las' time would'a croaked from how tough y'guys are!"
Still with that somewhat rough, but plain obvious 'humor' from Koneko.
"But... glad t'be proven wrong I guess. But it ain' about them this time... Noc. I take it y'seen the news lately? 'Bout my lil' recent run-in with goons in Kansai?"
She'd take a seat herself, mulling things over in her head. Should she just tell him about Kako, right here and now? Would it make things complicated? She felt like she OWED it... but for now, she'd just focus on her own issues.
"Got a lil' complicated when a pair o' vigilantes ran in an' tried playing saviors. Didn' look like one-timers either. 'Dey were coordinated. I tried bringin' 'em in, but... I failed. 'Dey got away."
She bowed her head slightly in apology.
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Post by notdomino on Apr 29, 2023 19:55:01 GMT
" I'd just call them unfit. We'd just have to whip em into shape, anyway." He chuckled.
Nocturne got himself situated, a seat take by his desk. He'd lean back and cross his arms, taking the chance to listen and listen well. To be honest, he was a bit disappointed. The news didn't quite catch everything and that meant he wouldn't understand the whole story in question. The surveillance footage was bought out, so anything before Koneko's brilliant flame destroyed any nearby street camera was completely missing. Despite being a detective, a part of his agency's business, he wasn't a policeman. Someone had to be behind that... but it wasn't exactly in his jurisdiction to go fishing on a case that wasn't his. He had far too much on his plate anyway. He'd present his phone to the former student. The only thing shown in the news video was the rolling wave of blue violent fire, a scorched figure screaming before fleeing, and the aftermath of the radiating temperatures before the camera finally shorted out. With that white haze, it was as if the vigilantes were never there in this doctored version.
"Got a lil' complicated when a pair o' vigilantes ran in an' tried playing saviors. Didn' look like one-timers either. 'Dey were coordinated. I tried bringin' 'em in, but... I failed. 'Dey got away."
With a detective's eye for detail, Nocturne would begin his assessment. "Someone took good care in covering their tracks... All the public was able to see was a hero who might have lost control of their power, and fled before reporting to the police with a briefing... We taught you more than this, Koneko... If your quirk begins feeling unstable, pulling back should always be the first option. Much worse could have happened to you. If they won that bout." It wasn't about failure or success either. Yoo wanted to understand preserving her own life was just as important as preserving the lives of the innocent. He'd done far far worse, but he was a teacher so students didn't make the mistakes he did when young. He was ranked number 10, but he found these young people to be infinitely better than himself. Something to be cherished. He'd get to his point. This wasn't at all a lecture, she already graduated. He could deduce a few things based on what he'd seen. "Whoever they were... they played you like a fiddle in terms of clean up. The aftermath... the videos that are out...it was more than just winning or losing. I'd go as far as to say winning and losing didn't matter to that pair at all. Escape likely took priority. For vigilantes to continue doing their work, freedom is extremely important. So much so, that they didn't even want to risk being seen. " He'd clasp his hands together, letting his mind roll. He could guess a lot but would know nothing without proper facts. He'd only pause for a moment before sitting up.
"So there were two total? Any notable traits?" He'd stop himself from deep diving... He couldn't quite help himself. Too many unanswered questions for Nocturne were like waving a piece of meat in front of rabid dog. For now, he'd reduce his questioning to be more geared toward Koneko herself and not the mystery in front of him. "How do you actually feel about this whole ordeal? "
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Post by FreudTastic on May 1, 2023 18:28:06 GMT
"All the public was able to see was a hero who might have lost control of their power, and fled before reporting to the police with a briefing... We taught you more than this, Koneko..."
At this, Koneko's ears instinctively flattened to her head and she averted her gaze from Nocturne, shifting in her seat. She had claimed to be fearless many times over, to not truly having an innate terror of anything in life... but Nocturne sure as hell knew how to bring it out of her. But, much of his lecture seemed to just be stating the obvious, so there was that at least. Still, it did not make her feel better about her situation, since he was right about a lot of the points he made. She should've given the police a briefing... she should've not let them play with her emotions like that.
"How do you actually feel about this whole ordeal?"
That one caught her off-guard, as she'd raise her head a bit to look at Yoo, but eventually she would answer him, starting with the first questions;
"Like I said, two of 'em. One was like a livin' patchwork of flesh, usin' some kind of wire quirk to spawn threads and wires from his body, stitchin' and unwindin' the immediate area 'round us an' himself as well. I only heard the name 'Frank' bein' tossed around by the other one... which, I'm 'fraid to inform ya, it was a student from 'ere. 2B's student "Countershock", Kako Josaidoki. She was teamed up with 'dat other one."
She'd let that info sink into Yoo's head for a bit, whether he'd believe it or not, before she'd continue;
"An' as for how I feel? Tch... I dun' even know. Feel like maybe I jus' ain' cut for it. Like y'said, I let 'em play me... they got to me on a personal level... kinda guess 'dat's why my quirk got outta hand. Remember my quirk? I create heat an' fire based on my emotional state. An' my guess is 'dat they worked me up so damn much, makin' me unleash so many pent-up emotions I didn' even know I had in me... an' I started shootin' blue fire. Which... I dun' have control of right now..."
She'd even lift her hands up on his desk, showing him the burn-marks scattered across her fingers and palms.
"The stitch-guy, he was talkin' about how he got told 'dat his quirk was no good for a hero school... but I've seen people 'ere with far worse quirks - no offense - 'dan his was. An' he started ramblin' about how the laws an' rules are all lies, how he was berated an' fired from his job for usin' his quirk to save someone... Him an' Kako then started accusin' me of not carin' about people, and only carin' about who's friend or foe. An' that's when... I broke down. I lashed out. Screamed at 'em, tellin' them why I became a hero 'cause without that, I've got nothin'... an' well, y'saw that video."
"They act as if bein' a hero is nothin' but an excuse to beat up people. I'm not like 'dose heroes, damn it! I try an' use my powers the best I can, ain' my fault they're all fiery an' volatile! But I try an' control 'em as good as I can! I'm... I'm doin' all I can to be a great hero."
"... But is 'dat all there is to bein' one, Noc'? Just beatin' up villains an' who you think is an enemy?"
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Post by notdomino on May 2, 2023 3:28:48 GMT
"Like I said, two of 'em. One was like a livin' patchwork of flesh, usin' some kind of wire quirk to spawn threads and wires from his body, stitchin' and unwindin' the immediate area 'round us an' himself as well. I only heard the name 'Frank' bein' tossed around by the other one... which, I'm 'fraid to inform ya, it was a student from 'ere. 2B's student "Countershock", Kako Josaidoki. She was teamed up with 'dat other one."
Surprisingly Yoo wasn't surprised at all. He'd didn't even flinched at Kako's name being brought up. He'd tilt his head, and rest it on his hand.
"I'm afraid to inform ya that girl is not a student, or at least she won't be in the near future. Her resignation letter was self-conducted against her parents' will and has been pending for a few days now... I think Gigabite and Kagayaku may have been the only ones to have faith in that quitter. " His words were sharp to say the least. He had nothing against vigilantes, but he did have a thing against her never giving U.A an honest shot to begin with. He didn't know much about Kagayaku's grandaughter but he did know that much.
As Koneko explained the situation, his memories harked back to when she was a student. Control was always the problem, but he never thought it would inflate to this magnitude. With a speculating eye, he analyzed her mannerisms as she spoke. It was still affecting her greatly... those comments. Nocturne exhaled slowly. This was why he taught philosophy... The school had combat training in spades... but it was teachers like himself and Gigabite that dealt with students' psyches and thoughts that he felt were important. If one wasn't mentally and emotionally strong, they'd crumble after graduation. He was hoping this wasn't the case with Koneko, but she was looking mighty close. Why did she care so much about what two strangers had to say?
"They act as if bein' a hero is nothin' but an excuse to beat up people. I'm not like 'dose heroes, damn it! I try an' use my powers the best I can, ain' my fault they're all fiery an' volatile! But I try an' control 'em as good as I can! I'm... I'm doin' all I can to be a great hero."
"But what makes a good hero? And by who's standard?" He took his free hand and tapped the butt of his sword's handle. Swords were weapons for killing, yet he wore them proudly. Why? The dusk hero was perhaps the best and worst hero to speak on this question. There was a great deal of marketing put into their industry. Money to be made, corporate greed, and celebrating the very thing she currently was questioning. Just what did she think she was doing this whole time?- her whole time training for heroic combat...
He'd begin by repeating her question... "Just beating up villains and who you think are the enemy? In shorthand, yes. That's all there is to it... The hero association... the Hero Public Safety Commission... the Japanese Hero Billboard Charts," Taking a deep breath. " Even the licensure process itself. At its very core the root of all of this is violence. Police can't handle quirked criminals at large so heroes exist. Plain and simple. Now we can go ahead and add all the morals you want behind that, but at the end of day, it stems from the same thing. Denying the violence behind our actions is the same as denying being a hero altogether. Whether you fight crime to save someone or fight to defeat a villain, you're still fighting." He'd unsheath both blades to depict light and dark being closely intertwined. He'd first raise the glittering sword, "So with what we know justice to be... spoken, written or otherwise. " He'd raised the black sword, "Exemplifying power and the ability to overcome."
He'd cross the two over his head. "A hero is many things and at the same time, it can be boiled down to those few things... To me anyway." He'd put them both back into their respective sheath.
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Post by FreudTastic on May 2, 2023 19:51:56 GMT
"But what makes a good hero? And by who's standard?"That question got Koneko to pause a bit, as she just sat down and heard everything from Nocturne as she just let it absorb into her. He even outright called Kako a 'quitter' for daring to question the education and training that U.A High provided them... her mind kept flashing back and forth between what Nocturne was currently saying now, and what had been said that day--
"Her resignation letter was self-conducted against her parents' will and has been pending for a few days now... I think Gigabite and Kagayaku may have been the only ones to have faith in that quitter.""It's ALL wrong! Why do you think I'm with him and not an agency! If you gave a chance instead of judging, maybe you could see the flaws too!""That's all there is to it... The hero association... the Hero Public Safety Commission... the Japanese Hero Billboard Charts... Even the licensure process itself. At its very core the root of all of this is violence.""School or no school, law or no law. There will always be people who abuse their powers. Someone will always deviate, someone will always get abandoned or someone will always be a victim to a crime. To stop those deviations from happening, it's why you exist in the first place, right Hero?""Denying the violence behind our actions is the same as denying being a hero altogether. Whether you fight crime to save someone or fight to defeat a villain, you're still fighting.""Seems you don't actually care about who anyone actually is. Just that you know if they are friend or foe.""̸́R̕͜͝em̴e͏̵m̷̷̢b͜͡e̸҉ŗ̷ ̵́w̢ho̵͜ ͟s̸tąr̨t̢͘͡e̛d̕͡ ̀҉͝thi̸͟s͠.́͟͞"̶̴͜
Those last four words that Frank had spoken before collapsing, seemingly SCREAMED back at her in her head, caused her to shift a bit in her seat, realizing that the words Nocturne were speaking right now... what he viewed as the reality of the hero world... it was almost exactly what 'Frank' and Kako had pointed out to her. And the idea, the mere notion that they could've been right, that this system was fucked from the beginning, it was just being outright CONFIRMED by a Pro-Hero, right in front of her! One of the TOP TEN, to boot! One of her hands automatically went up to grab the right side of her head, covering her furnace-eye for a bit as she felt a searing sensation in the back of her head. Without knowing it, some of that blue flame was sparking within her right eye, but she could feel it burn... searing at the edges of the socket. But this wasn't the same type of extreme emotion that she had unleashed back in Kansai. It was something else... something she was passionate about? But WHAT? That was answered soon enough- by herself, as she'd ask; "So... so why then? Why do ya even bother denyin' people like those two from doin' what they feel is right?"She'd remove her hand from her face, as now there was a full-on blue flame glowing within her eye. But it did not burn anymore. Either she was numb to it now, or... or, the emotional extreme was not as explosive as last time, but just as visually present. "If wha' you think Hero Society is all 'bout IS the norm for most people... tha' we all get trained to be heroes an' get our licenses just to beat up quirked 'criminals' an' throw them in jail... are we REALLY any better than 'dose who don't have a flimsy lil' piece of paper sayin' we have a note from our parents, sayin' it's okay? Why would Frank even be denied and told 'is quirk was useless, when y'got people like me who'd be able to blow up a city block jus' fer throwing a tantrum?! Why should 'dey be punished for wantin' to genuinely HELP people, when we go 'round and beat people within an inch o' their life?!"She slams her hands down on his desk, blue flames literally leaping off of her fingertips, but not catching anything on fire, showing that despite her rightful frustration, she had full control of her fire. She stood up on her chair, staring down Nocturne, looking him dead in the eyes with her one normal eye. "Wha's the big difference... SENSEI?"That one word was spoken with pure vitriol. As if she was now seeing the 'truth' that Frank and Kako had talked about... and she HATED it.
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Post by notdomino on May 3, 2023 4:54:26 GMT
"So... so why then? Why do ya even bother denyin' people like those two from doin' what they feel is right?"
His eyes narrowed at her. She still wasn't understanding that she was the one who chose this... all of it. "I haven't denied anyone. Society did. The same society you so eagerly wanted to join..." With an exhausted huff. She quite literally asked for this life when she was a student. He didn't make the rules or truly enforce them. He liked structure and wanted to put his violence to practical and "just" uses. He never was a savior in the way someone like Strive was... the vanilla archetype of a hero. Nocturne was hard to market: too dark, moody... "scary", everything a hero shouldn't be and yet here he was at the top 10. Where Koneko was beginning to doubt her convictions, he held true to his own and was able to be considered great. As someone who walked a troubled road already, he had no right in directing her in one particular direction. As an educator, he could only try to get her acclimated with what she was realizing so she wouldn't fall into a deeper level of shock. She asked hard questions, so he'd give her hard answers.
"If wha' you think Hero Society is all 'bout IS the norm for most people... tha' we all get trained to be heroes an' get our licenses just to beat up quirked 'criminals' an' throw them in jail... are we REALLY any better than 'dose who don't have a flimsy lil' piece of paper sayin' we have a note from our parents, sayin' it's okay? Why would Frank even be denied and told 'is quirk was useless, when y'got people like me who'd be able to blow up a city block jus' fer throwing a tantrum?! Why should 'dey be punished for wantin' to genuinely HELP people, when we go 'round and beat people within an inch o' their life?!"
"A flimsy piece of paper? That it is." He replied, answering her many questions with an infinitely finite single answer. "Though that flimsy piece of paper is well-represented in "choosing a side"." If one wanted to hang their head as a hero they should see it all the way through. It was why he called Kako a quitter. Though if she were to see this vigilante route all the way through, then perhaps she was never meant for that flimsy piece of paper.
He got a bit quiet when she got loud. He hadn't particularly done anything to warrant this reaction, but he'd gathered from watching that she was flighty emotionally. Things were the same now as they were then... the only difference was she'd just entered the real world, and finally escaped the shielding bubble that is U.A. It was why he was distinctly harder on kids compared to other teachers. To get so lost in the fantasy of "heroics." It wasn't her fault, it was society's fault for grooming her this way.
"Wha's the big difference... SENSEI?"
"Heroes... Vigilantes... One is against the law and one isn't. That's all. Being a hero isn't some silly game like you kids make it out to be. " He said with an almost sad tone. He wouldn't look away. She deserved more than that, that's all there was to it. He'd say something. It was strangely familiar, perhaps Frank said it. Though Koneko hadn't realized she was speaking to a man with yakuza blood running through his veins. That purity she was looking for would never come from someone who was already stained in sin. He was devoid of the romanticism that she and most students possessed about heroics. "Glad to see you've taken the rose-tinted glasses off and get to see the world as an adult. How are you going to proceed?"
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Post by FreudTastic on May 3, 2023 5:34:07 GMT
She hated it. She hated how Nocturne would just remain so damn passive in the face of her questions, how all of her statements were just met with one, single finite answer. She wanted more to unload on him, more fuel for her flames, more to argue with! MORE! And he was not giving her it. She was stuck with his single-line, finite answers, just egging her on, but never giving her release. It just made her hate this 'hero' life more and more. Was THIS what she was going to grow into? Was this what all other Pro-Heroes truly were behind their individual façades? No, they couldn't be... not people like Strive, or Gigabite...
Rose-tinted glasses...
There it was. The one thing that made this all click. Frank had spoken about it too, how U.A had given her these 'glasses' and seen the world of heroism as something grand and awesome, when in reality it all seemed mired down by prejudice and disdain for certain quirked people. The same prejudice and disdain she had went through... the same prejudice that left her alone.
"How are you going to proceed?"
She wanted to scream her answer right in his face. To just explode right here in his office and take him with her. But when that latter notion entered her head, she'd stop herself. Her flames snuffed out, and returned to their usual, casual smolder within her, as she'd just huff, and stepped off of her chair as she'd just look at Nocturne, before slowly moving towards his office door, leaving it open to let him see her walk into the hallway and open up one of the big windows.
"... I think yer right, Nocturne. This society's jus' filled with nothin' but bias and hatred fer certain people. Nothin's gonna get fixed as long as people keep hidin' behind an image that blocks 'deir view of reality. So..."
She'd fish into her jacket with one hand, and pulled out her Hero License, looking it over as she grazed one thumb along it. She knew there'd be no going back. If she did this, she would be an "enemy". But if this world is truly how Nocturne described it... then in the end, everyone in this world was each other's "villain" in the end.
"... You can have your flimsy piece o' paper back."
And she'd pull her hand back, before flicking her Hero License into Nocturne's office, chucking it like a frisbee, but it'd never reach its intended target; for in a flash of light and heat, a bullet-sized fireball shot straight through the air, hitting bulls-eye on her Hero License as it'd catch fire and burn to a cloud of ash before even hitting his desk, and before Nocturne could even say anything, a much louder *BOOM* was heard as Koneko had already ignited her feet and burst herself out of the open window, taking to the air as she'd dash and speed through the air with her fire-propelled feet and hands, bursting off into the distant city...
And hopefully, never to be seen by Nocturne again.
Her decision has been made.
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Post by notdomino on May 3, 2023 6:49:08 GMT
Yoo watched her face twisting, the flames changing in color. It was clear she had more to say. He'd take it all, whatever it was. She could scream all her agonies and anxieties away and he'd accept her as she was. Seemingly that's all she was looking for but in his brutal honesty, he could feel the distance growing. He would never meet her there, that burning rage. What good would it do either of them if he got loud? He'd just watch as she fumed... If he was understanding her frustrations correctly it's likely these concerns already existed and were merely unearthed by the confrontation.
"... I think yer right, Nocturne. This society's jus' filled with nothin' but bias and hatred fer certain people. Nothin's gonna get fixed as long as people keep hidin' behind an image that blocks 'deir view of reality. So...You can have your flimsy piece o' paper back."
He stood ready to say something but, she had stormed out too soon. The dusk hero would stand in silence for a bit, to replay the entire conversation in his head. He should have seen this coming sooner. Even now, he'd accept her decision. Like Kako, Koneko was a quitter who wouldn't see being a hero through. He accepted things as they were but at the same time, it didn't make him heartless. "This hero society you choose to revolt against... I only hope it doesn't point my swords at you when we cross paths in the field..." Pent up frustrations would cause his hands to slip his hand passed his katana. The clink of a sheathed sword could be heard as his office door would split in two. The wood creaked and splinted from the pressure. At the other side of the door, Ivan was standing with a smirk on his face. Nocturne would plop back into his seat, and stare at the ceiling. Another one. Kid after kid, he couldn't catch a break.
"Not sure what ya got against door, but I've gotta chat with you." He chuckled, before stepping in. The boy was on a tour to meet each hero course teacher. He had Hiromi down, and now it was time to talk to Nocturne. With his usual exhausted glare, he eyed the boy. He'd only sigh and oblige the conversation.
FADE TO BLACK
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