Chapter Two: All I Wanted Were Art Supplies


Morie examined the rows of pens, eyes roaming the shelves. The wide array of pens sorted by colour was an impressive and the colours that splashed across her field of vision were bright and aesthetically pleasing- it was a sight she was accustomed to.

Bless the existence of stationary shops.

She scrounged the shelves for the brush pens she wanted, occasionally catching sight of a new brand and idly testing them out against the small pad of paper provided by the side of the shelves, each time taking great care that she capped them properly before slotting them back into where they came from.

A scowl appeared on her face at the lack of the small-sized brushes she needed before she deposited a few ink refills into her basket. She would just have to do without a small brush for now- maybe she could try using something as a makeshift brush? That thought entertained her as she looked on.

Turning around, the shelf with new products caught her eye and her eyes widened. Hurrying over in excitement, Morie began to inspect the rumoured aqua-brush, a brush where you could apparently fill with water and could be used directly with watercolours without having to wash your brush repeatedly. It was such a creative and handy concept that she liked it immediately, decidedly placing the brush into her basket as well, before topping up her supply of watercolour paper.

It would certainly be nice if she could get started on her galaxy painting soon. She wanted to test out her watercolour paints, for one, and her blending skills needed some dire brushing up (no pun intended there).

A good hour flew by as she hovered around in the store aimlessly, testing out different markers and liners with her eyebrows knitted in contemplation. She ended up not adding anything more to her basket, however, she simply made mental notes on which pens were satisfactory and to her liking and which were the ones that were not.

Then, making her way to the counter, she couldn't help but smile at the lack of a queue and she whipped out her well-used membership card. The kind woman behind the counter, Rose beamed down at her in recognition, a bright smile on her shiny face.

"Back again?" The woman questioned. Nodding absent-mindedly and beaming back at her, Morie watched as the woman tugged at her hand which dispensed a plastic bag before she passed over her neatly-wrapped purchased items. Stowing it in her bag, Morie uttered a soft thanks to the woman before she hurried out of the store and onto the busy street.

Almost automatically, she began to hurry down the road that would lead her home. It was an almost impatient urge that she had- she really wanted to test out her new art supplies. If time allowed it, she could even get started on some commissions!

.

Time certainly did not allow it, as that plan went down the drain as soon as she turned the corner and saw that the street had broken out in utter chaos.

Civilians crowded around a side-alley which she recognised as the one she needed to pass through in order to get home. Further inside, flames danced across the nearby buildings as the Heroes-on-duty tried to keep a damage to a minimum, though their efforts seemed somewhat in vain. Even the rising hero, Mount Lady, was unable to do anything as she stood by the side of the alley, not being allowed to enter due to her towering size.

What struck her though, was that at the centre of all that chaos, the villain- a large gelatinous blob of slime- seemed intent on restraining and suffocating a schoolboy. Morie was barely able to make out the iconic Oridera Junior High school uniform belonging to whoever had been caught by the villain and was being held hostage. She watched on, disconcerted and almost unbelieving that something like this was unraveling before her in broad daylight. The trapped student trashed and struggled, and she watched on with poorly-concealed anxiety as none of the heroes made an attempt to save the young student when they could very well die from suffocation.

It was only when the student managed to tear his head away from the villain's grasp, howling with rage and seeming to be fighting for breath, did Morie's eyes widen by a fraction. She knew this guy. She had only seen him before once, mere hours ago, but she wouldn't be able to forget Mr Spiky Hair even if she wanted to.

Softly swallowing, she beheld the horrific sight, attempting to scoot closer to the scene but failing because of her small stature. The crowd was pushing her back even as she attempted to get closer. Briefly she caught wind of some whispering as she eyed the surrounding heroes, willing for anyone, anyone at all to stop the villain.

"The schoolboy that got caught... he's been there for thirty minutes already... When are the heroes going to step in?" The hushed, worried whisper caused her to whip her head around to gape at the scene before her. It seemed that the villain was attempting to suffocate and take Mr Spiky Hair over of sorts, and she could only guess that the razing flames were due to his explosive quirk. But seriously, thirty minutes?

Morie watched on, trying to will herself to move as she could only feel herself freeze from shock at the entire situation. Normally, the heroes would have already taken care of the villains but it seemed that today, they were simply unlucky. Was there really no one who's quirks were suited for this? Coukd she do anything to help?

Fixing her eyes upon the boy, she swallowed, her throat feeling dry from the smoke from the flames and the tension in the air.

Surely, the blonde boy was beginning to tire?

But as she watched on, he showed no sign of giving up at all as he fought, trashed and kicked against the slime villain with a stubborn intensity. The sight would have been awe-inspiring if it hadn't been so goddamn terrifying.

Turning away, Morie took in a deep calming breath as she reassured herself that everything would be okay.

No. A voice within her scolded her for being delusional, and for a moment she squeezed her eyes shut and wrung her hands together. This is not fucking okay.

.

But the moment she opened her eyes, she was met incredulously with the sight of a small and green-haired Midoriya Izuku dashing towards the scene in what seemed to be reckless abandonment. She waited with bated breath, waiting for some sign that he was going to use his quirk, but when nothing happened, her mouth parted when the earlier events of the say clicked in her mind as she realised that he was in fact quirkless.

In horror, she watched as Midoriya threw his schoolbag at the villain. His fingers wrenched and fumbled as he attempted to free Mr Spiky Hair from the villain, his voice resoundingly loud in spite of his obvious fear.

"I- You seemed to be calling for help, Kacchan!" He all but shouted. Something wrenched unpleasantly within her as she recalled the earlier treatment Midoriya received from Mr Spiky Hair, but watched Midoriya fight to keep the boy alive surely put a twist to her perspective. There was some sort of history between the two, that was for sure.

Shaking off the numb feeling in her legs, she just about took a step forward before a blur of yellow and blue rushed past her.

Morie recognised the golden hair and brilliant smile almost immediately- it was the symbol of Peace, All Might. She was barely able to move before she was quite literally blown away by his might as a rush of wind tore through the crowd. Moments later, she pulled herself up from the ground and looked up, anticipating a confrontation, only to see that there was none.

All Might had blown the villain away from Mr Spiky Hair and saved him. He saved them all. He always did.

Stepping forward, she wanted to check on how Midoriya was doing though she was quickly discouraged from doing so as several heroes rounded up on him almost immediately, severely telling him off for his actions. On the other hand, they showered the blonde delinquent with praise, and she turned away at the sight feeling sour.

Midoriya, the poor boy, was sorely underappreciated.

Casting a last glance at the scene, she turned away and hurried off to head home. She would rather avoid the road that was currently blocked with heroes and reporters as much as possible. With that in mind, Morie began her long detour home, guilt gnawing within her for standing by and watching when quirkless Midoriya had the courage to approach the villain.

Pathetic, she thought miserably. What is the use of having a quirk if you don't use it?

After managing to make her way around the road, she was relieved to find that she had somehow managed to wander back to the main street where her home was at. Turning the corner, she strode up to her house, fiddling around in her bag for her keys almost glumly.

When shuffled footsteps drew close and stopped at the house next to hers, however, she blanched. Her mother had barely introduced her to any neighbours- with the exception of Masaru-san who lived next door- and most people in this neighbourhood tended to mind their own business and did not care much for socialising, herself included (regrettably). Turning around, she casually glanced down the street where someone was standing, only to freeze when her eyes registered spiky ash-blonde hair and red eyes staring right at her.

Shit.
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