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Post by notdomino on Aug 26, 2023 5:26:00 GMT
Nocturne would send out an invitation to Atsushi. It requested that the student show up to the Dusk Agency building. It was well known among the interns, a dark mass of a building among the standard skyscrapers. It was in the heart of Shizuoka and not far at all from the Ryuujin dojo and mansion. It was Cat Scratch's first time here. The establishment was formal and held traditional Japanese charm but with a minimalistic and modern twist. The entrance was a nice contrast to the outside. A slate grey paint with warm brown tones in the furniture. Things were spaced out nicely, and there was even a waterfall behind the front desk. Behind the desk were some support agents who'd be happy to point the young hero in the right direction. Along the way to the designated room, one could see plenty. There was as r&d room for costume, and gear costume repair. This room doubled as a weapons rental shop. There was a fair amount of real-deal weaponry; katanas, bo staffs, tranq guns, flash grenades, and smoke grenades. A bit hardcore, but Nocturne was a rather hardcore hero is one who paid close attention. There was an impressive support room tucked behind glass. Rows of support agents clicked away at their computers, likely helping find details on cases, while there were a few desks by the wall for the phone operators. At the room's center, was a wall of numerous screens. They took in what street and traffic light cameras took in. This room in particular gave life to Yoo's want for "heroing efficiently." In this single room, one could easily come in, get data from a support agent, details from a phone operator, and the location from one of the screens. It was aggressively seamless. Next was a room, that was far less busy. It was tame, and looked like any other office building. There were cubicles where support agents would comb through records. This was a much more in-depth and focused version of what the main support room looked like. It was likely where the all-nighters took place, gathering intel for a detective case. There were plenty more rooms, but the one in question was at the end of the 2nd floor hallway. Nocturne would be waiting in a desolate room. It was lined with plants against the wall, but there was no furniture, only a padded floor. The man seemed to be meditating... or at least trying to. He sat on his knees, in a strict upright position, eyes closed. Atsushi wouldn't have to introduce himself, the hero's eyes would snap open as soon as the door did. "Welcome." |
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Post by Kogashi on Aug 26, 2023 17:15:37 GMT
Atsushi wasn't entirely sure how, 'hit the ground running' today was going to be, or if there was more paperwork to fill out on this first day, so he arrived in his school uniform with his hero suit in it's protective carrying case by his side. Though, give how minimalist the room he found himself in, he doubted his first task was filing things. Placing the carrying case down first he sat down on his knees opposite of the teacher and pro-hero.
"Sir..." He wasn't exactly, sure how to open the conversation so he kept it to that, his sitting posture not near as upright.
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Post by notdomino on Aug 30, 2023 2:55:43 GMT
Nocturne seemed to soften and relax with the new presence in the room, albeit only slightly. "Atsushi..." His tone was as peaceful as the room was. This was the "zen room" after. A cushy place to meditate and really just get back in tune with ones self. The hero needed this precious place to find his center in all this chaos. He'd reach into his breast pocket, and pull out the authorization for Atsushi's provisional license. Presenting it, he'd hand it right over. It was officially set in stone, Cat Scratch was officially a member of the Dusk Agency as an intern. Yoo had an idea of Atsushi's scare during his first year... the threat of being demoted. So to go from that, to expressing interest in an intership... He had to know, "What are you lookng to get out of this internship?" Different students went to different agencies for different reasons... What was on Atsushi's mind, especially when taking his own future into account?
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Post by Kogashi on Aug 30, 2023 21:16:33 GMT
Atsushi held the card and looked at it hard. It was, a strange feeling. For most students this is a major milestone, an important step in the dream anyone with a quirk normally has. 'To Be a Hero'. All kids want to be a hero, and being asked what kind they want to BE, it's just 'a great one!' or some shade of that. Atsushi, wasn't normal, least in that sense. Until last year he really didn't want to be a hero, he didn't think he could be allowed such a dream. He messed up, the worst way a person could, before he could even understand how badly he screwed up. He spent years with it all weighing on him. And this provisional license was a reminder of that weight.
And then there was who was asking him this question. If he had actually been asked, and gave it thought, he'd likely not have chosen Nocturne as who he'd intern under. Not to speak of his skill or ranking, just he didn't feel like he and Nocturne vibed well. That worked for the training, keep Atsushi on his toes, didn't give him an easy out. But actually working under, well, he didn't choose Nocturne cause he thought he could learn the most from him, or get his foot in the door career wise. "What I'm looking for... I don't want to mess this up. You've seen my power first hand, you know it can be dangerous. But I need to know how things can go wrong, as soon as possible, first hand." He had to choose his words carefully, because it is what he wanted from a professional internship, but also, well... He is also worried bout Nocturne, how things are going. He figured he owed Nocturne this kind of indirect support, despite the stigma working under him may carry.
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Post by notdomino on Sept 4, 2023 8:05:28 GMT
Yoo listened closely and watched for the boy's expressions. As uptight as he seemed, he really did want Atsushi to feel comfortable. If anything, the young man was a walking ball of anxiety. To be honest, Yoo just wanted to help Atsushi build some confidence. A confidence that could be taken anywhere. He may have had interns leaving, but he knew they were fully capable heroes after learning from him. That fact let him know he did his job. It was satisfying and he hoped to instill some good habits into Atsushi as well. "I'll help you to the best of my ability." He'd bow his head. "Messing up happens. It's a stepping stone to helping you make better decisions in the future." A nice chunk of advice, but he was referring to himself.
"I'd like you to think of some tangible goals, and write them down each day." He'd pull a tiny slip of paper. It was his own goal for the day, it would say, "Make a good impression." He was hoping he could cross this off, but the point of this was to- "With doing this and making it a habit. Whether small or big, you're disciplining yourself to reach whatever you want out of life, as well as setting your mind for being productive. Things like this... I want to teach you some of the ways I operate, and if you think some of them are useful, feel free to use them. Also, feel free to voice your opinions whether with me or the agency members. We are very vocal here." It was true, Yoo was just methodical, not necessarily strict. The banter among his sqaud was a typical thing, and they welcomed the kids to do the same. (It was why Flynn and Serena had no issue confronting him.)
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Post by Kogashi on Sept 4, 2023 17:35:23 GMT
"I'll help you to the best of my ability." He'd bow his head. "Messing up happens. It's a stepping stone to helping you make better decisions in the future." A nice chunk of advice, but he was referring to himself. "That's, a healthy way to think of it. That's good to hear." Likewise, Atsushi did not mean this for his own sake, but in terms of Nocturne. Maybe he worried about how this adult would deal with these hardships needlessly. Still, he was in it now, he knew that when he signed on. He was caught off guard, a little by the daily task of 'make a good impression' Nocturne had given himself. Atsushi couldn't stop himself from smiling at that. "I, think I'll have some trouble with that at first. Would be pretty easy to just write something down like '5 more push ups' to daily work out of the like. But, it's not a bad habit to get into. Having something new to aim for every day can be, important." He kept the mental note of 'keeps one from going insane from staring at the ceiling' completely to himself... He was, less sure though who he meant it to. |
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Post by notdomino on Sept 7, 2023 0:26:41 GMT
Nocturne nodded when Atsushi read his goal for the day. "I think it would greatly aid you in your endeavors." Especially since he was so apprehensive about his own quirk. While he understood it, he found being so weary to being a cumbersome thing. The only way to get into gear and learn was repetition. "How's about a patrol? It doesn't have to be long." He suggested. If trouble did come, he'd have Atsushi take lead on combat. He wanted the young man to get as much experience as possible. Just because the papers were recently signed didn't mean he couldn't participate right away. Confidence was key with someone like Atsushi, so confidence he would hope to cultivate. He'd stand up, not really giving Atsushi an option, and latch both of his trusty katana to his hips.
"Let's get a move on."
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Post by Kogashi on Sept 10, 2023 7:56:32 GMT
"a-ah! Um right, teach-I mean, Nocturne, sir." He was a bit nervous, but wasn't caught too off guard by the suggestion. He picked up the case holding his hero suit, and excused himself to a changing room to change. Right, being out on the field is the point of this. Just working the phones or cleaning the office is first year stuff. With any luck, though, it should be peaceful enough a- "ya know just thinking that jinxed yourself." He muttered to himself as he changed, so focused to not enough notice if there were others in the room. Fully changed into his hero suit, he gave it a few flexes, still not too used to wearing it. He looked himself over, and headed back to Nocturne, ready for patrol.
"Day one goal... get to the other side in one piece." He gave a weak smile, but confidently punched one hand into the other.
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Post by notdomino on Sept 13, 2023 6:55:09 GMT
Nocturne raised an eyebrow at Atsushi's attire. It was a bit flashy for how shyly the boy presented himself. "Mmm, you kids and your hero suits..." Was it for fashion, or just highly functional? Most heroes from his era just donned the appropriate attire or something thrown together from home. It was interesting to see how far costumes had gone. As for Yoo, he was fine in his suits and weaponry. As the two passed by the front desk, Yoo would wave off workers. "Thank you for supporting the agency. Send any alerts my way please, I'd like to get him in on some action as soon as possible." He'd say. He'd seen Atsushi at full throttle, but this didn't necessarily require that. Nights like these were going to be precious repetitions for days to come, when Atsushi would be given more responsibility as a 3rd year and later than that, a full-fledged hero. He'd be leading the routes today. If they were lucky, a small case would be brought up for investigation, or a villain would cross their path.
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Post by Kogashi on Sept 26, 2023 1:27:34 GMT
Atsushi waited until they actually left the building to let his face fall. He looked at his hero costume. so? modern heroes have suits. Helps to market themselves, make them stand out, some costumes even aid with their powers. He tried to swallow his annoyance with it, but it just sat in his throat as he followed. "...sorry this is how a hero looks, to me." the muttering left him the next time he opened his mouth.
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Post by notdomino on Sept 29, 2023 3:28:10 GMT
"If it makes you feel capable and ready to perform then it's the right thing to have on." Nocturne's eyes scanned the sidewalks. Shizuoka was lively tonight from the tourists to the people who lived around these parts. Mt. Fuji nestled itself behind the skyline as the sun began setting and the city started to truly breathe in the incoming night sky. It was prime time to begin a patrol, and Nocturne felt pretty good today. He hoped for a peaceful day, but was fine if a few hiccups showed up. The more he could throw at the new trainee the better. He rested a hand on one of the bokken on his hip. His posture was upright and alert despite how casually his striding through the city blocks seemed to be. Nocturne's patrols were rather systematic. Other team members had already started their patrols over an area, Astushi and Nocturne would fill right in to cover any area that was unsupervised.
"If you've got any questions, feel free to ask them." He'd say.
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Post by Kogashi on Nov 3, 2023 6:46:59 GMT
Atsushi, tried, for a formal casual stance on the street. To strike a balance between casual approachable nature to assure that there is nothing wrong to his knowledge, but also a 'I am taking this serious, and can be trusted' aura. This has landed him in the area of a walk like... well... do any of you recall the old Disney movie about a woman disguising herself as a man? And the 'warrior walk'? "Right, if I got a question, ask. Got it."
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Post by ultralilly on Nov 13, 2023 23:12:08 GMT
It was meant to be a peaceful patrol. The cacophony of the nightlife was around them nearly at all times. But there was a moment of reprieve from the clamoring noises that wafted through the area. It was here that the sounds were at their lowest. Hushed. Free from industrial shouting. The sunset was a peaceful sight and the color reflected what happened next oh so sublimely for one individual who had been tasked with bringing misery upon this part of town.
A squishy thunk. A cry of gagging pain. A gleeful flash of teeth. A splash of blood. The setting sun's light bathing the scene one last time before the shadows overtook it. A man's body slid down a wall but was kept up by a myriad set of more squishy thunks; the unmistakable sound of stabbing.
Then finally, the body fell limply to the ground in a pool of red. A subdued laugh, almost the sound of coughing came from the figure standing above the body. "The joy of pain. Their last moments. Highlighted in joy." he would whisper blissfully. His raspy cackle echoed from the alleyways which had two other bodies laying face-first on the ground with multiple stab wounds.
While his whispers were not being heard, the final gagging cry ofpain from the victim would surely garner attention.
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Post by notdomino on Nov 14, 2023 4:45:41 GMT
Nocturne halted, a sense of concern washing over him. Something caught his attention! -Or rather, a sound caught his ear. It definitely wasn't coming from the shops or bars. It sounded very different than the chats, and giggles of the lively crowd. It meant action. "Cat Scratch, come along!" He'd break out into a sprint. If his sense of hearing was right, this had to have been coming from an alleyway. He looked back as he ran, making sure to keep Atsushi wasn't too far behind. Into his cufflink, the dusk hero would speak. "Possible action, along the southern blocks. Be advised."
"Guess the training wheels are off. Let's see some courage, hero." He'd smile to Atsushi.
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Post by Kogashi on Nov 14, 2023 10:06:44 GMT
Thankfully, the need to sprint and keep up with Nocturne meant Atsushi didn't have time enough to over think it, meaning he ran normally. That isn't to say he wasn't overthinking anything, after all. Just nothing that allowed him time to focus on how he presented himself. Running through his mind, to the point that his lips shaped out the worlds as he followed. 'please, something normal. please something normal. please something, normal'. He wasn't sure yet what parts he would need transforming. Ears to track, eyes to see more clearly. Tail, hands, legs? Too many options, not enough to go on yet to be sure. He wasn't even sure what they would be trying to track. So for now, simply as himself, he followed the hero, towards the sound they were alert for.
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