[Nocturnes Office] Questions and Answers

Yeah Nocturne had a usual scowl on his face, but today he seemed particularly dreary. The flack was getting to him a bit. Slowly but surely, he'd inspect some of his old desk trinkets before shoving them into a box. Even his katanas... He'd lay them over the now closed box with a sigh. He had no right being here. If only- Flynn- "Nocturne-sir" He would give sign for "Hello" to his intern as he entered. He'd look at Flynn for a moment before answering. Answers... that's right. Maybe there were those who... no. His detective mind rolled through what possible questions Flynn could ask. Even if he steeled himself to answer, he still wouldn't be ready to face his own interns. None of them had texted him since that damn night... 

"Of course." He'd say while clumsily signing back in response. 

"I'll get straight to the point. I saw the news. What, exactly, happened there. I want all the details from your perspective. The news has a bad habit of misconstruing things and twisting stories. So I want to know from you. Why? How? What? Please explain as clearly as you can."

How pure of him... Nocturne thought. He let out an exhausted exhale. Explain himself? How exactly? Trying his best, Yoo looked to Yoshida before beginning. "This was just like any other patrol day. We had the time, so we were out in the day time. It's bit early but hey... what's a few extra hours." He stopped himself. ~Stopping fluffing it Nocturne. Spit it out~He thought to himself. "I heard a cry, and when I went to go check it out. It was just a bluff, a tape recorder I thought. Villains use dirty tricks like that all the time. As soon as I thought I'd figured that out I'd crushed it under my foot and this green haired villain confronted me. " 

He looked to the ground. "He kept going on and on about this and that. Stuff about how heroes oughtta be and who they really are. I had no clue he was someone I'd saved... apparently in that same alleyway. Naturally I told what I felt. If he was willing to throw his life away as a villain, I'd spit a few words at him... Taken out of context, it's just.... It's not like the whole thing is any better." His eyes bounced up to reach Flynn's, then Yoshida's. He paused... There parts of this that breached deeper than just that day. They reached to who Yoo was as a person. He thought back to his conversation with Koneko before she stormed out of this very office. He was a warrior first... that was the issue. He never deserved a cape in the first place... That how he was currently feeling. Perhaps it was god telling him his Yakuza ways would never truly leave him.  "So he traps me, and make this bold claim that the recording was real. You know how thorugh my guys are, I had no doubt in my mind he was bluffing until I heard the explosion. As a hero I chose to try and nab the villain when faced with an option. I always have... To me stopping a villain saves so many lives before their dastardly plots can even happen. It's why I chose detective work and villain suppression only for my agency..." Not that it mattered... The agency would stick beside him, but what about is interns? It hurt just thinking about it. -All the more reason to talk to Terebii as soon as possible. Removing himself would give the kids some peace. 

He remained still. To be honest, Nocturne would have made the exact same choice if presented the situation again. He'd always for the villain. He was a fighter at heart, down to when he was a boy growing up in a yakuza organization. It would never be as simple as go save the hostage, as nobody was there facing that damn snake villain. Turning his back on such a villain likely could have gone even worse. And now that it was posted on the news, it was basically proven the guy was among the ranks of team confidence, one of the peskier organizations rising through this era. One thing in particular stuck out among Flynn reading him the riot act. 

"I took the villain deathly serious... that's why I chose the option directly in front of me." A serious expression if nothing else. He'd shift the box open, to shove the last few items in. He'd pick it up, and shift his weight towards the door. "Well there will be plenty of time for me to learn. I'm taking an extended leave of absence. "

Nocturne blinked. A hug was the last thing he was expecting. He cringed at first but slowly relaxed. Damn brat...  He'd allow a soft chuckle to leave his breath, but he wouldn't say much in return. The wounds were still fresh... The sentiment was nice and so was the meaning behind it, but shoving his head in the sand was all he could envision for now. Or at least getting back home, to be around family. As Flynn showed him his scars, he huffed. So that's what he'd been doing. A bit too numb for a proper worried response, he tapped his own scar over his eye. "Embraced what happened, it can only make you stronger. Mentally and physically. " Even his small bites of knowledge felt off. He usually would have said a haiku here. Everything felt hollow, even his own remarks. 


"Patrols are postponed for a while.... I'll be seeing ya around Flynn." He'd smile to the boy, just so he wouldn't worry too much. "Take care of yourself till the next time we see each other. I expect to see you even more clever and strong."

As he made his way out of the office and into the distance, he stared the ceiling. Therapy?

Lost in his thoughts, a familiar voice pierces an otherwise blackened space. It was a string that was pulling him back, rather a voice. A voice he hadn't heard in quite a while. Atsushi? Yes, that's exactly who was calling him. The world regained its color as Nocturne came back to Earth. He looked unsure, but as far as Nocturne knew he was an unsure kid. The question asked is what really shocked him. The box would slump before being snatched back firm.  Intern? Had the kid not seen the news? What merit was there in being around a hero during such a scandalous moment? His expression was already tired, but now gifted with a spark of confusion.

"...why?" There was no sugar coating it, but he had to reel back a bit. "I mean... after all that's happened..."

"Although not participating is your own fault..."

In a way, Nocturne was impressed. This took gull, something that Atsushi didn't seem to have. At least no upon first impressions. Contrary to popular belief, first impressions weren't everything, at least not to the dusk hero. There had been a fair amount of growth between then and now. With a nod, he silently stared at the boy. There is was again... Flynn held a similar sentiment. Human... making mistakes. Nocturne was a top ten hero for years! He wasn't to make mistakes! Before that, he was a son of a Yakuza boss. Mistakes weren't tolerated... He grunted, only subconsciously. A step would lead for his shadow to sculpt itself into a hand to gift him wiggle room. With the box awkwardly supported, he'd reach into his pocket and quietly give Atsushi a black business card. It was the very same kind of card he gave to Serena, Lauren, Shinja, and Flynn. For civilians this was a card to know they were protected. For young students, this was an invitation. 

"So be it, young one. If it's a hero you want, a hero is what you will become. " There was a obvious showing of respect, as he normally referred to most students as runts. Despite this, his words felt dead. They lacked their usual sharpness, but it was clear he was accepting of the request. Not only this, he would give a slight bow in respect Atsushi's leap of faith and resolve to follow through. He'd follow up and be transparent, he owed Atsushi that. "I'm taking a bit of a hiatus after saturday and patrols for interns are being postponed after saturday. I need a bit of time to get my head on straight. After that, we'll roll back into things whether that be one on ones, group sessions or patrols. "

As Atsushi left the office, he would feel a biting chill in the air as Serena walked past him to enter. It wasn't uncommon for her to he surrounded by cold air in classes where she was using her quirk. But this was more intense than when she was just charging up for training... and the stormy expression on her face indicated she was upset. Nocturne was in for a much less uplifting talk next it seemed

Once inside, Serena walked up to the desk, and tossed a folder of papers onto it

"My resignation from your agency." Serena said with a level of calm that was obviously forced. She looked at Nocturne to see his reaction, emotions and thoughts swirling in her head as the room temperature dropped quickly

Unlike Atsushi, Nocturne had a year of working closely with Serena, and would know what it meant when the room got cold around her this fast. It meant she was very upset, and was using her quirk subconsciously in response. It happened rarely nowadays, but it was a surefire way to tell when she was having a panic attack or trauma response ... or when she was absolutely furious... it wasn't hard to tell which one this was.