Tags: AU, implied semi-nudity/sexual content, thievery, magic, semi-ooc, unreliable narrator

Part 1 - We Think We're Undying (Camie)

Camie writes the truth she sees with ease.

And she can make herself see a lot of things.

She dances on a stage of her own making, fire snapping easily under her middle and index fingers. She winks and blows a kiss at the crowd. There is little circus entertainment in Mustatafu (most people are focused on the knights and dragon slayers and monsters. Mages were meant for knowledge and knowledge to them was power.) There is technology and blood arts to hide the truth better.

They did not realize how much she knew.

Which was cool. Because she had no idea either.

Still, illusions were easy. She knew how fire worked (every child knew a basic fire spell that had any magic at all. It was fun to make them different colors, to make them sparkle into flowers that children smiled at, to become the low candle flicker in a man's bedroom, on those movie date nights.) So it was easy to make a world like this, a world where everything was happy and good and what people wanted, or to tell the truth that no one loved.

They dismissed it as fake.

Camie shrugged them off.

They were better off than she was.

She swept an arm out, catching her balance as she did so. A puff of white mist fell from her mouth, spreading into a fog that sent the people in the crowd slumping over with bright eyes.

She snapped her fingers and small figures shook themselves from the shadows of the tent and set to work.

They knew the drill. Just take a little. Nothing obvious or big, enough to hide and people would go about their day. The poor people snuck into the back of her shows were to be left alone. They couldn't afford to pay her anyway.

Except a blind eye, of course.

Camie exhaled again, adding a laugh and spring to her step. A bit much maybe, but even the rich children had lost grip on their rings.

All they would see was- huh? Wait a minute.

There was a new face. That wasn't what caught her attention, new faces flew in and out all the time, they taught the others, they did it with other shows, they kept fed. Those without powers had to eat too. And sleep. And be warm. And survive.

This was a runaway.

Camie had spent her youth in rags watching, watching, learning, surviving. The first time she'd stolen a girl's shampoo, it'd been over. Her life had changed forever.

As such, she knew a real runaway from a self absorbed rich kid. This kid's clothes were torn on specific places, where bandages could be made without destroying the cloth entirely. They were dull white, but still white. They'd been cleaned in a community center sink with their rough soap because they were already fraying. Her hair wasn't scraggly enough or matted with enough dirt or mud or holes. The horn on her head was too clean and it sparkled. The girl didn't notice, but it was sparking. Power. A lot of power. Red eyes, white hair.

Cursed, someone whispered in a dead voice and Camie said nothing at all. The lighter your hair, the more cursed you were likely to be.

Someone clearly believed in rumors.

The girl's steps were too clumsy. She kept nearly bumping into people and speaking, only for the person to start to stir until Camie breathed a light mist to pull them under.

New. She was new. She was free.

Camie grinned and began to inhale. Interesting.

Well, it was better than going home to be bored with her cat.

…

Camie had an understanding with Himiko Toga. Himiko took some blood from her (the curse of being hit by blood magic since being a baby and honestly Camie didn't mind. Like, it was better than being left for dead anyday) and shared a tiny apartment with her, and Himiko helped her get information.

Hiding Mages had to like, stick together, right?

"Welcome home~" sang her roommate as she opened the door and deposited her boots high as the sun was in the sky. Her voice came from another room, mixing with the squeak of another girl, obviously not another blood donor. Hopefully. Camie totally hated cheaters, even with friends and dealmakers. "You're back early."

"THey were getting too drunk for even me!" Camie replied with a bawdy grin as she entered the living room. "Sorry fer interruptin' ya, round-face."

Uraraka Ochako, half-clothed and catching her breath, merely rolled her eyes. "It's fine, I'm used to not getting any from double dates with Iida."

"Your boy's a mood killer." Camie took a swig of the nearest juice bottle.

Ochako wrinkled her nose. "That's Toga's tomato juice."

Camie chugged it harder and Himiko cackled, watching it drip down her neck. "Hot."

"Totally." She plopped the bottle on the side desk. "Ya'll been keeping eyes on the street kids lately?"

"Tom-Tom's been trying to recruit again with Stainy's galaxy brain stuff," Himiko chirped, climbing off of Ochako. "But that's like, itty for now. Except for the yakuza, but everybody's going after the yakuza now since Kamino went explodey."

Ah yes, the loss of All Might as one of the only people to mix magitech and not blow off his arms. The other was some rando guy who liked bulking his arms and eating people in rituals, which not even Himiko dabbled in anymore after it nearly took a chunk of her legs. Both of her legs.

"Huh. Wack." Camie rubbed her chin. She was so damn thirsty. "You guys hear anything about a cutie cursed kid covered in bandages?"

Ochako thought about it. "Ryukyu might've. The big heroes don't really look at the kids anymore… I can check with the others."

"Coolio!"

"Does that mean we can see Izu?" Himiko squealed. "I haven't seen him in months, he's probably so buff!"

"You're not allowed to bite Izuku," Ochako said with a sigh, like she didn't have a nice set of muscles herself.

"You wanna come see Izu," Himiko asked Camie, completely ignoring her girlfriend. "You need to get out more? You're too pale!"

"Says the like, dracula mimic." Still, Camie flashed her a thumbs up. "I'm into it."

She'd never met Midoriya Izuku due to… reasons, but hey, maybe he could help. He was supposedly nice and hilarious and those type were often at least okay with kids. And if not, hey, free eye candy.

Himiko jumped her with all the grace of Inasa on Udon night and Camie, in the heady rush of losing a high amount of blood, forgot that Himiko hadn't actually answered her question.

A/N: Short fic! A few vague ideas about the universe are floating around, if someone has any questions or thoughts about anything that's not the ships because I literally only came up with two, please comment below!