Name: Yvaine Briarwood
Year: 3
Quirk: ?
/*\
Yvaine didn't get back to sleep. How could she? She'd been so worried about the self-control of the people around her that she had been ignoring the fact that her own self-control was lax at best. She listened as people called out to each other, voices carrying through the ventilation system far too loudly. As her tea grew cold on the nightstand, Yvaine watched as the blinds cast shadows across the walls with the rising sun.
When the dorms came to life, she felt for a moment sad. There was so little for her to do in an unfamiliar city, where her grasp on the language was a little tenuous. She had been able to communicate with the boy she'd met that morning, and her pen-pal seemed to understand her just fine. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she'd thought. Her phone buzzed. Another email?
It was a more personal letter from the principal. Addressing the incident. Her heart froze. It had been completely irrational for her to expect a clean slate. Of course, they'd have notified the adults in charge about what happened. She was, after all, something of a prisoner here. That was what the police had made it sound like anyhow. As she scrolled through the message, she felt her hands stop shaking. She blinked, and immense pain erupted in her left eye.
Contacts. She had forgotten to take out her contacts. It had been about two weeks. Swearing she grabbed the glasses case off her nightstand and bolted to the bathroom, extracting the rogue lenses and rinsing her face off. She took the frames from the box. She stared at the blurry shapes, closing her eyes for just a moment. They weren't exactly practical for the profession she was going into, but neither were her contacts. How could she ever be useful like this? All it would take was a lucky hit, a faulty lens, and she would be done for at the hands of whatever villain she'd be fighting. Glasses were common, people hardly noticed them, but in that moment her brain spied yet another vulnerability. Her faulty sight could get her killed.
She sighed, hanging her head as she adjusted the little plastic arms over her ears. Worrying would do her no favors. Once her vision had cleared up some she went back to her phone, rubbing the discomfort from her eyes.
She knew she'd be expected to train, but she hadn't realized she could get to work right away. Apparently, the support team had finished her costume early. If she wanted to get a head start and make sure she was caught up with the other students, she could. There was even a teacher who specialized in the weapon she used, who was willing to make time for her. That didn't seem like a bad idea. As she scrolled further, she found the directions to the support team workshop. She rifled through the closet. Her parents had paid to have uniforms delivered before her arrival. They looked nice, neatly pressed. It would grab less attention if she could visually blend in.
For a moment her mood perked. Now that most of her classmates had left the dorm, she could shower and wander in comfort. Perhaps by the time she got out, all of them would be gone.
/*\
It had taken Tenya too long to bounce back from the little incident that morning. He wasn't sure what her quirk was exactly, but that girl had been a sight to behold. He hadn't even realized she was in the commons until just before she attacked. He had opened his mouth to say hello before she whirled on him, a terrified look on her face before he found himself immediately incapacitated.
She hadn't looked imposing, but then not all did. This was what he'd needed to explain to Yaoyorozu in the commons, when she'd pulled him aside to ask him if he'd thought about her suggestion the night prior. Even now he had trouble paying attention to the things Aizawa was saying. How unfortunate, then, that his teacher was so astute.
"How about you, Iida? Answer the question."
For the first time in his young life, Tenya didn't know the answer. He didn't even know what the question had been. Regardless, the people in 3-A all knew him well enough by this point to know something was wrong, and Aizawa didn't push the issue. Instead someone else answered in his stead, and the class went on without ceremony.
But the newfound tension in the room was felt by all. No one had the opportunity to ask him about it in class, but when the lunch period came around, he could feel the eyes on him. He felt a tap on his shoulder and Yaoyorozu stared up at him. Concern radiated off her person, and he figured he knew why.
He'd taken pains to clean up the evidence from that morning. Whatever horrible thing he felt about her at that moment, it wouldn't do for anyone to see just how frightened he'd been. It also wouldn't do for anyone to start holding grudges against their new student when most of the dorm hadn't even seen her yet. Still, it hadn't been enough. More than one person had stared at him questioningly that morning. They could all smell her presence in the common area from the night prior. Her scent was all over the couch, the entertainment center. Kirishima had scoured the game drawer that absolutely reeked of her stench.
He also knew that the change in his daily habits had not gone unnoticed. He generally had breakfast with some of the others before heading back to his room to shower. Today, he reversed that routine. Almost everyone had noticed. Tenya stared down at Yaoyorozu. She had started speaking, asking him questions.
"Uh, sorry, sorry. I'm a little distracted today. Could you repeat that?" He knew his smile didn't fool her. She pulled him aside, urging the rest of the class to continue without them before staring him down.
"What happened?" she hissed, "Both her scent and yours were all over that common room this morning."
"Do you remember that question you asked me last night?" He whispered, "She doesn't need our protection. I promise you that." And he strode off.
He didn't want to think about it anymore. He wasn't sure how she'd done it, but he wasn't interested in letting her pull that trick again. Perhaps he'd feel differently when he had some more time to shake off the feeling her quirk had left behind. For now, he wanted to keep as far away from her as possible.
/*\
Eijirou didn't like to think of himself as an eavesdropper, but it was like the entire dynamic of the dorm had been flipped on its side. As he innocently stood against the corner of the wall, he couldn't help but feel worried. Iida could be obnoxious sometimes, there was no questioning that, but he'd done a terrible job at cleaning. Something had scared him this morning, and that was an understatement. The floor cleaner hadn't done much to disguise that.
He'd pretended to merely be interested in the note by the TV. She had responded, but the pen was still on the floor. Though it wasn't as strong, he could still smell it. The familiar bitterness of fear. She'd gotten scared too. It was also suspicious that all the games were in place, as her response had thanked him for letting her know. All he could figure was that something went wrong. A quirk was used somewhere, and though Iida was a strong contender on the battlefield Eijirou wouldn't go so far as to call his engines scary. Especially since Iida was the one who'd been so terrified.
He wasn't sure he felt hungry just yet and now that Iida had confirmed his suspicion, he had something else in mind. This was the guy who'd gone up against the Hero Killer. He'd almost died in battle numerous times, but the incident with the new girl had shaken him just as hard. Just what could she do? Was everyone in danger?
That only made the situation weirder. It was to be expected that she'd feel jumpy in the dorm, but now that she and Iida had seemingly terrorized each other the dynamic was bound to change again. As Eijirou dodged his lagging classmates, telling them that he'd had an important question for Aizawa that he forgot to ask in class, he found himself walking much too quickly through the halls. It wouldn't be odd if they'd placed a genuinely dangerous person in their dorm. After all, they were all perfectly capable of killing too, if they really wanted to. Yet, he still couldn't help but feel concerned.
That was when something hit him, stopping him dead in his tracks. Had she left the dorm? A girl had brushed by him, but he hadn't seen her face. Long brown hair fell down her back in waves, and as he stared after her as she glared at something on her phone, and then up at the signs by each of the classrooms. She was clearly lost, but Eijirou hesitated. What was she doing? She wasn't supposed to be joining class for another week at least. That was when he realized something.
She wasn't lost, she'd just been trying to read the signs. As she dove into the support room, he found himself curious. If she was in there, then that meant someone had made something for her. Maybe it'd give him a hint what her quirk was.
/*\
Katsuki growled at his alarm when it blasted noise in his face. Instead of chucking it out the window, as he so desperately wanted to, he just pressed the off button. As he spied the sunlight on the ground by the curtains, he genuinely contemplated calling in sick. It would be easy to send an email from his phone and then curl back up under his covers. His attendance was perfect, he knew his grades wouldn't suffer. But that's not who he was. If he called in sick, people would notice. It would only bring more attention to him, and right now that was the last thing he wanted.
He hadn't paid much attention to the announcement Aizawa had made. A new student was no big deal, especially since she was an omega. There was no way she could ever have enough power to beat any of them. Despite Aizawa's allusions Katsuki disregarded him entirely and focused on his schoolwork. And then she showed up.
No one had been expecting that wave when they got back to the dorms yesterday. Despite having been taken off guard, he'd seen how the others reacted to it. He'd had a variety of snarky comments in mind when he noticed it for himself. It was too much. He could feel his face flushing, his skin growing feverish. He could feel a headache coming on and his fingers began to spark unconsciously. His very first thought was that he must have been allergic to her or something, but he was pretty sure it was impossible to be allergic to other people. Regardless her scent had been all over the halls, even right in front of his room.
His fucking room.
Even now he could still smell her, the forest and the flowers. Those were the scents he typically found sickening, and though he tried to tell himself that this was no different the voice in the back of his mind called him out on it. Scent blockers were a thing that existed, would it be rude of him to ask her to take them? Probably. Did he care? Only slightly. All he knew was that the new girl's scent was driving him insane and he needed it to stop. Something deep inside him wanted him to get up and figure out which room was hers. The other side quashed that sentiment with everything it had. He didn't even know what she looked like yet.
There was knocking on his door and he growled under his breath. He knew Kirishima probably heard him. He did not care. Kirishima knocked again and Katsuki opted to pull his pillow over his head. He knew he was being childish, but it wasn't like anyone could see him. It was fine. It was only after the third round of knocking that Katsuki found the motivation to shove off the covers and stomp over to the door.
"What the fuck do you want?" he snarled. Kirishima looked taken aback. Katsuki felt momentarily guilty. Not that he'd ever admit to it. The other boy raised an eyebrow.
"You okay man?" he asked, "You're never the last to breakfast. You're never the last to anything."
Katsuki averted his gaze. It seemed that someone had already caught on, but he couldn't seem to calm down. Even though her trail had been walked over by virtually everyone else, he could still smell her. He shook his head.
"I don't feel great." He grumbled. "I'll be right out."
As he closed the door he exhaled. He couldn't go on like this. It was only the start of the year and he'd be damned if some omega girl stopped him from leaving his room. He had a reputation to uphold.
But first, he had to change his shirt. He hadn't realized just how sweaty he was. He pulled it off and tossed it into the anti-fire hamper. He shoved his hands under the faucet, going so far as to soap up his forearms too. It wouldn't be good for anyone if he ended up exploding just because his hindbrain was losing its shit. He silently berated human evolution as he dried off his hands and opened the door.
He felt calmer as he looked out the window of the halls. Soon he'd be out of the dorm and in class. As far as he knew, she wouldn't be joining for the day. He'd have some breathing space, and he could figure out what to do. Maybe he could find some way to plug his nose? But he shouldn't have to go so far just because the damn girl reeked. That was what he told himself anyhow, as he opened the door to the commons to find the girls chattering.
"Oh, hey Bakugou!" Ashido waved. He grunted in response, but she remained undeterred. "Did you get to meet the new girl yet? We did. She's so tiny! Like Uraraka tiny!" The pink girl continued and Katsuki tried to tune her out as he fished through the fridge. He'd prepared his own breakfasts at the start of the week, why weren't they where he'd left them?
"Oh yeah?" He muttered absently, prying the lid off a bowl.
"Yeah! She was super tired, but she was nice. Really cute too." It didn't seem like Ashido was going to stop any time soon. Instead of yelling at her to shut up, he just took his breakfast and left. Already he was at his wits end with the situation and he could feel even more sweat dripping down his back.
He just might have to ask the support team if they could create a better anti-fire fabric, because his shirt caught flame as soon as his door closed behind him.
/*\
When Yvaine ventured into the support room she was immediately caught up by the sterility of it all. The place was hospital-white, with tables and racks hanging everywhere. There were shining gadgets on display on the walls and on a table. There were tons of partially finished projects, wires and buttons spilling out of metal shells. There was only one person inside, a pretty girl with pink hair and goggles. When she turned to see who'd intruded on her work, Yvaine realized her irises had crosshairs in them.
"Oh hello!" the girl exclaimed, "You must be the new transfer student! I had so much fun designing your gear! It was a fun little challenge."
Yvaine walked in, inspecting all the interesting gadgets lining the walls as she spoke.
"Oh really? I never realized the stuff I needed was so complex."
"Well you need flexibility, right? And special goggles?" The girl inspected Yvaine's plain rectangular glasses. "Yeah those do look fragile. Maybe I should reshape–" She stopped. "Well I can't make alterations until I see what doesn't work."
The girl walked away, rambling about numbers and replacement parts. Yvaine was pretty sure that the girl had forgotten her. Had she even caught her name? The girl grabbed something off her worktable. A suitcase?
"Go put all this stuff on and we'll see how you like it!" She exclaimed. Yvaine didn't have the chance to say anything back before the girl shoved her into what looked like a closet. A closet with a tiny table. Yvaine set the suitcase down and stared at it. Just what was inside?
As she fished out the assortment of pieces, she found that she was overall pleased with the results. The first thing she did was exchange the glasses for the goggles. They didn't look like goggles, but rather presented as an identity concealing mask. Regardless, it stuck to her face well and the lenses tinted based on the angle of the light. Her only worry was their strength. As lightweight as they were, she imagined the goggles would be immensely fragile.
As for the rest of her costume, she was okay with it. All black, good for an underground kind of hero. Steel-toed boots, reinforced. Gauntlets, a long black coat, it made her think of a comic book her brother used to have. Her power wasn't exactly what people thought of when they talked about the more mainstream and admired heroes. That was fine, even if it stung. She liked anti-hero aesthetics better anyhow. Though the material felt nice she had to raise an eyebrow at the choker and her top. Was it even a top? It left her stomach completely open to attack.
Just what kind of MO did the support team think she was going for?
That was when Yvaine found the hardware. Her quirk, though powerful, wasn't exactly combat-friendly. Not the way she used it. She'd need the aids of weapons, and she was quite interested in the woven leather of her new whip. The handle sat comfortably in her hand, and she let the length of it fall to the ground. Just how long was it? Carefully she rolled it back up and set it back into the suitcase, both intrigued and confused as she exited the changing room.
"Hey, you look amazing!" the pink girl said, "How does that jacket fit? It's made of temperature resistant material that should keep you safe in both the fire and cold. It's the same stuff that Todoroki's outfit is made of. Oh, what about the goggles? Do they fit alright? If they feel kind of loose, I can tighten them up for you." It was very clear that she was ready to keep going when Yvaine spoke.
"It's all good! I'm not sure how I feel about the shirt and the pants just yet. I don't feel very protected, but my primary concern was my weapon." She said, as politely as possible. The other girls' eyes widened in horror.
"Oh no what is it? Is there a tear in the leather? Did I make the handle too short? Is the weight off? Ugh, I knew I should have had someone come in to check my work. I've never made a whip before–"
"No, no!" Yvaine interjected, "As far as I can tell it's perfect. I'm concerned because that's not the weapon I requested. I have no clue how to use a whip."
"Oh, yeah. I'm surprised they didn't tell you. They told me to give you that instead because they felt a sword and shield was a little too risky. Too easy to hurt other students and all. However!" She exclaimed, "Until Ms. Midnight trains you to proficiency with the whip I was allowed to make you this."
The girl took Yvaine's wrist and showed her a small button on the inside of her gauntlet. She pressed it and a bright metal spiraled outward into a perfect silver circle. Before Yvaine had the chance to be impressed with her work, the girl lifted something from a rack off the wall. She unsheathed what appeared to be a training sword, and she almost looked disappointed.
"I could have done so many cool things with this." She grumbled. "But they said no sharp ends, no dangerous traits. So, it's more like a baton than a sword."
Yvaine picked up the weapon, unable to hide her own disappointment. In her dorm alone they had a boy who exploded, one who could level a town with a single hit, and yet another who could freeze over the whole city with minimal effort. Why was a sword deemed too dangerous? Did they just not have people who knew how to use one? She dismissed the thought and turned back to the whip. She would just have to make do learning a new skill. Again.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name." Yvaine said. The girl smiled.
"You can call me Hatsume."
"Well Hatsume," she said, "I like everything I've seen here. If you ever need help testing out new support items–"
"Yes!" Hatsume exclaimed, an almost feral glint to her eyes. "I will absolutely take you up on that."
Yvaine wondered if she had made a mistake. As Hatsume rushed to the other side of the room, grabbing a few smaller looking gadgets that she presumably wanted Yvaine to try, the door opened.
/*\
Katsuki was more than ready for the day to be over. He thought he had it figured out. As people filtered past him, he was ready to get back into the dorm and deal with the problem. Before that could happen, he was stopped. A dark silhouette had rounded the corner, tired eyes searching the halls. Aizawa had caught up to him, asking if he had a moment to talk.
For a minute Katsuki panicked. He recounted everything he did that day in his head, wondering what he could have possibly done wrong. His paranoia was unfounded. Aizawa caught his attention.
"Walk with me for a moment Bakugou."
Unusual, but okay. Katsuki followed his teacher through the halls, wondering just what was going on. As they passed the support room, he scrunched up his face. There had been so many people through the halls that day that he couldn't be sure, but something smelled odd. It made him uneasy. Aizawa brought him to a window, where he could see Midnight giving lessons to another student in one of the smaller courtyards. She was teaching the girl how to flick a whip.
"Have you gotten the opportunity to meet our newest student yet?" He asked neutrally. Katsuki grimaced.
"No but I can smell her." He grumbled. "She stank up the whole dorm."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl hit herself in the face. Idiot.
"Don't say that to her." Aizawa suggested. "I'd like to ask your help with training her."
"What? Why? I've got better things to do than train some newbie."
"Just listen for a moment, would you?" The teacher drawled. "She's more of a newbie than you think. It's her final year of high school and she's only just transferred to the hero course."
It looked as though the girl had gotten frustrated. Midnight was laughing. She offered her a different weapon. A sword?
"Lots of people change their minds." Katsuki said. Why was Aizawa telling him this? She twirled the sword in her hand, casually deflecting the shots Midnight took with a shield on her arm. Where had she gotten that?
"True, but hers is an unusual case for a number of reasons. They didn't give me details but something happened back in the States. She'd been adamant that she was going to pursue a career in publishing, and then there was an accident. Someone died. And then suddenly she decided she was going to be a hero."
"Sounds like she was inspired by whoever saved her." Katsuki mumbled.
"That makes for a very believable story doesn't it?" Aizawa stared him down. Katsuki blinked.
"That's not what you think?" He asked.
"The incident report they gave us was heavily redacted, and there were some things that didn't make sense. Think of this as an investigation assignment."
"Why are you asking me to do this?" The boy pressed. "Wouldn't an assignment like this be better for Yaoyorozu or Todoroki? Deku even?" He looked away. The two women danced around the courtyard, each taking random shots. Testing one another.
"One would think, but I think you're best suited to the job. The others get preoccupied by their desire to make friends, which I firmly believe would benefit this young woman, but it won't get the answers we need. You know bullshit when you see it kid." He paused. "Your bedside manner could use some work though." He started to walk away.
As much as Katsuki tried not to bristle, he remained skeptical. The girl had started rushing Midnight, ensuring she was in close enough range that the teacher couldn't use her weapon.
"What can she do?" Katsuki asked, just before Aizawa got out of earshot. His teacher laughed, but he didn't seem amused.
"I think I'll let you find out for yourself." And then he rounded the corner, vanishing.
When Katsuki looked out the window again he blinked. Midnight was on the ground, a stricken look on her face. The girl had the tip of her training sword at her throat. The teacher appeared to be genuinely surprised, taking her hand. She appeared to be congratulating the student, praising her combat skills. As soon as the girl turned her back, Midnight's smile vanished.
Katsuki was not looking forward to this.
/*\
When Yvaine got back from her training, she realized it was long after school had let out. The sun had started setting, and she could see people moving about in the dorm. The common area was its own space, behind another set of doors in the hall. It wasn't like anyone would hear her come in, especially if they weren't watching for her. She'd just get in, run to the elevator, and everything would be fine. She pulled open the door, and as it clicked closed behind her she could hear the muffled sound of conversation. No one had noticed. Good.
It wasn't that she didn't want to meet the other people in her dorm. It was that she felt woefully underprepared to do so. It didn't help that the smell of the dorm made her hindbrain bristle, completely setting off her fight-or-flight instincts. It wasn't exactly a healthy state of mind to be in. It also didn't help that she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to get a decent night's rest. It was only about six o'clock, but all she wanted to do was collapse into bed.
When the elevator beeped Yvaine stepped out, a massive yawn claiming her face. She was sure that her eyes must have looked terrible. They felt terrible. As she passed by her neighbors' doors one of them flew open. In that moment Yvaine cursed her tendency to startle easy. She felt herself jump, and though she wanted to pretend she didn't make that tiny squeaking sound she knew better. She did not like the look on the pink girl's face as she watched, clearly trying not to laugh.
"Oh, hi Briarwood! We wondered where you'd gone off to." Ashido greeted. Yvaine did her best to smile.
"I was told I could get some early training in. Make sure I can stand a chance against you guys." She answered, shifting uncomfortably.
"Oh, if you got accepted into UA I'm sure you can." Ashido reassured, "Even if you struggle a bit, we'll help you out. What are classmates for, right? Hey, do you wanna come downstairs and meet everyone else? I promise you they're all really nice, though Bakugou can be a little rough around the edges." She seemed oddly eager to get Yvaine to come downstairs with her.
"I'm sorry, I would but I haven't completely adjusted to the time change yet. I feel like I'm going to drop at any moment." She did her best to sound apologetic as possible. Ashido nodded.
"Fair enough. Well before you go, I've got something for you!" She dove back into her room and before Yvaine could say or do anything she returned with something in her hand. It looked like a little felt butterfly, with neon colored wings and big googly eyes. It smelled heavily of cotton candy, so sweet it was almost unbearable.
"Oh, is this what you told me about yesterday?" Yvaine inquired politely, testing out the texture of the little toy with her fingers.
"Yes! My welcome present. I wanted to bring it yesterday, but the others were adamant that I not scare you." She said. Yvaine laughed.
"I mean to be fair I might not have received it well," she said, "in the States a gesture like that is generally seen as a very, um." How was it said in Japanese? "Like a very low-class invitation?"
She went back and forth with Ashido for a moment, as the other girl was clearly confused. Once Yvaine got Ashido to understand she sputtered, turning even pinker. She took a step back.
"That's not how I mean it, that's not how any of us mean it." She insisted.
"No, I know, you explained it well." Yvaine reassured. She felt a little guilty. It hadn't been her intention to make her new classmate uncomfortable. Maybe she shouldn't have said that? Ashido calmed but her blush didn't lessen. The silence stretched on a little awkwardly.
"Well I'll let you get to sleep." Ashido squeaked. "But hey, when you start feeling better you should definitely come downstairs. It might make it easier for you when you come to class."
"Of course. I just feel nervous. My Japanese isn't great." Yvaine averted her gaze, unable to stave down the twinge of embarrassment.
"We can help you practice." Ashido encouraged. Her smile seemed genuine. Yvaine considered.
"When do you guys have dinner?" She asked.
"Normally we just eat when it suits us, but one of the others insisted on cooking tonight. It probably won't be ready for a couple of hours." Ashido said, clearly eager.
"Tell you what. Let me get a couple hours of sleep, and I'll come down for dinner."
"Alright! I'll come get you." Before Yvaine could say anything else, Ashido skipped over to the stairwell. Exhaling Yvaine meandered to her bedroom, pushing open the door and collapsing onto her mattress. She was careful not to touch the frame as she kicked off her shoes and stood up, looking for her pajamas. The headache was coming back.
She set an alarm on her phone and bundled up under the covers. She supposed Ashido was right. She was living with them, so it would probably help to meet them sooner than later. Overall, though, she was hoping they'd let her blend into the background. She just wanted to get her hero license and graduate. That was it.