Solana had been having a shit day. Working at a café doesn't sound stressful on paper but they sure did leave some things out when she had applied for the position. Like how horrible the customers were for starters. She had worked in customer service jobs before so she was used to the regular horror stories and had some first-hand experiences. These customers, however, blew everything she thought she knew out of the water.
The café was in a higher end ward so maybe that was the issue? After all, people who never had to work in the service industry tended to treat those who did pretty poorly from her observations and lived experience.
'Funny how money makes people forget basic human decency,' she thought bitterly to herself as she blew a stubborn strand of her curly hair from her face and continued her walk home.
Of course, if the issue had just been the customers Solana would've been able to roll her eyes and not let it get to her. She also had to deal with coworkers who were slacking off or were far too invested in her personal life It was like they lived vicariously through others to deal with the daily monotony of their own lives. All of that wasn't even taking into account how this job could barely cover her rent in one of the cheapest wards but if she thought too long about that one she would just stress herself out more than she already was.
As Solana was drowning in her own self-pity on her walk home the sight of a familiar bar caught her eye. In her ward, there were bars within walking distance of nearly everyone's home with this one being no exception. She figured tomorrow was her day off and she had nothing to do, if she got too blitzed the walk home was only a block or two away, so she might as well go in for a drink or two. She had been to this one a time or two when going out with friends. Briefly, she wondered how she turned into the type of person who went to a bar alone but after today, she decided she was more than willing to be the person who drank alone.
Walking in, she recognized some of the regulars as people she's seen around the ward before and gave a quick hello and polite nod before taking her place at the bar.
She made small conversation with the bartender, having spoken with him a time or two before from her previous visits, as they made her drink. During a lull in the conversation, the T.V. in the corner grabbed her attention and she couldn't help but scoff.
Some hero had been given the limelight for bringing in some petty thief in the ward. The fight had been captured by the news reporters as it leveled multiple apartment complexes, businesses, and infrastructure. Over the years, governments have devised systems and ways of dealing with the destruction that came with hero and villain fights but still, the whole thing seemed excessive. And maybe that was the intention.
Heroes around this ward didn't tend to stick around long. As soon as they got a significant amount of spotlight from the media they would transfer to whatever hero agency would take them.
'Can't say I'm too sad to see them leave though,' she thought as she took a sip of her drink.
"What, not a fan of heroes?" She heard a teasing voice to her left question her. She turned and raised her brow at the man sitting a few seats down from her. He wasn't someone she recognized ever being in these parts before and he…certainly didn't look like someone she could've easily overlooked. The staples and burn marks that littered his skin left her with a few questions that she didn't think she wanted to hear the answers to.
"Can't say that I am," she said as she glanced around the bar noting that the bartender had moved on to attend to their other duties and the rest of the patrons were either too far away or too blitzed to hear their conversation.
"Oh? And why's that? You some type of villain?" He questioned moving closer to her spot with a smirk on his lips and humor in his eyes as if the question had been some type of joke between old friends.
She groaned internally. Talking with some stranger, in general, hadn't been something she was interested in, let alone talking about heroes and her dislike of them. It always tended to rub people the wrong way and ended with her being lectured about how wonderful heroes were, as if she was just some punk kid who didn't know up from down.
"I'm not stranger to the folk," she began slowly, shifting her gaze to just above his shoulder. This ward wasn't doing too hot economically speaking and many of those who lived here were lower on the ladder as far as their socioeconomic status went. With this type of situation always came an increase in crime and this ward wasn't an exception. Gangs were fairly prevalent in the area and growing up she had a few friends and family members who were involved in that type of lifestyle.
"I just find the idea of peace symbols made from violent acts to be… the weirdest contradiction," she finally explained trying her best to not to step on any toes with her statement. She really wasn't looking for an argument.
"Ooo, I like your vocabulary, quite the eloquent little thing," he teased as his grin grew bigger and he leaned in closer to her.
Well… that hadn't been the response she was expecting.
"It means I haven't drank enough to be having this conversation in the first place," she mumbled taking another sip of her drink as if to prove her point.
That got a chuckle out of him.
"Don't be like that. I'm just tryna pick your brain, no harm in that. Now, why do you care if villains get roughed up a bit? They knew what they were doin' and what they were in for when they broke the law," He said. She really couldn't make heads or tails of this guy. His whole demeanor was nonchalant as if he could care less but his eyes held an intensity and focus on her that was downright unnerving.
"I'm not saying I necessarily agree with what villains do – don't get it twisted. All I'm sayin is… well, I guess it's more about the impact these types of things have on the people that see em. Or like how these heroes ain't really effective at actually getting to the root of the problem," she began, trying to find the right words, "Kids in this ward are used to seeing their family and friends, or just folks they see on the streets, be beaten and hauled off. They're used to the destruction that comes with that too. How many families are homeless cuz of this stunt? How many family businesses got destroyed? Most people in this ward are already struggling financially now they gotta deal with whatever damages come from these fights. You think that ain't gunna make people feel some type of way? That they ain't gunna be resentful? I guess what I'm sayin is that I might not agree with it, but I'm not gunna judge someone too harshly when they gotta deal with those types of situations. It's not just black and white and all of these situations shouldn't just be boiled down to just heroes versus villains; there's more at play here," she finished. She had been rambling near the end with her hands moving every which way to try and emphasize her points. She felt embarrassed at how impassioned she had become talking to this stranger. She turned in her seat to face away from him with a slight blush coating her cheeks as she finished her drink off.
Facing away from him she missed the contemplative look that crossed his face as he processed what she said. The few moments of silence that followed had her hoping he caught on and that the conversation was over. She should've known she wasn't that lucky.
"Fixing people ain't really in the job description for heroes, ya know," he finally said. He spoke with something softer than the arrogance and blasé attitude that his previous words had all but been dripping in. The change caused her to look back at him. Her lips pursed as she eyed him for any type of sincerity. She wasn't about to waste her breath on someone who wasn't really interested in what she had to say.
While he hadn't moved and he was still casually perched in his spot, there was a strain in his body language and an attentiveness in his eyes that suggested that his focus was zeroed in on her. He seemed genuinely curious to hear her response.
Letting out a sign and praying to whatever God was listening that he wasn't about to have an aneurysm over her next words, she decided to humor him.
"Never said it was. But why does that mean they shouldn't have to take responsibility for the impact they have on the people they're supposed to be saving? Why are they being put on these pedestals to be praised and adored when, at best, they're just glorified police? I don't see the point in it. Not to mention a lot use this ward to climb the ladder so they can land gigs at agencies that pay more. It's like we're just a second thought. So I guess I understand why they're not interested in addressing those types of problems, their whole system requires villains to exist and people to be suffering for them to get paid. But why I gotta praise someone who sees my struggle as nothing more than a come up?"
As she watched him work through what she was saying she was hoping he understood. She was so used to being dismissed and written off, to just have one person actually get it would lift a weight off her shoulders. Her mama would be so disappointed she was putting so much stock into what this random stranger thought. He was just some boy, after all. He probably wasn't even from around here. Why should she care what he thought?
"Some people might say you're a villain sympathizer if you go around talking like that," he said, bringing her out of her internal turmoil. It was a statement that didn't suggest he felt any particular which way about what she said. She couldn't help but feel grateful to hear the neutrality, after having her statements start fights with others for so long, she was willing to take whatever indifference he offered.
"You're acting like I'm preaching on some corner here, you started this conversation with me. You didn't even have the decency of introducing yourself first," she teased with a slight smile.
"Oh, of course, where are my manners?" he played along, "they call be Dabi," he finished with a smirk as he grabbed her hand in a firm grip.
"'They'? How vague. Well it's been a pleasure Dabi but I think I've had my fill of conversation for the day," she dismissed as she rose to her feet and prepared to leave.
"That's no fun. We were just getting to the good stuff," He huffed as he watched her collect her belongings and begin to move towards the exit.
"Besides, you're one to talk about decency when you didn't even give me your name."
She paused by the door and turned towards him. Sure enough that cocksure grin from before was in place and his eyes were dancing with mirth.
"You don't really look like you're from around here, stick around and maybe I'll be inclined to tell you," she said with a smirk of her own before heading down the road to her apartment complex.
The encounter had completely escaped her mind in the following days. Her life falling back into her regular routine and the memory of Dabi all but forgotten. A few weeks after however, when the identity of the Hero Killer and his motivations had been made public knowledge she ran into him again. Funny how life worked like that.