"Red Riot and Empathia reporting for duty sir!"

Leinei and Eijirou salute Fatgum as Tamaki presses his head to a nearby wall. The yellow clad round hero laughs and places a hand on each of their heads, telling them to drop the formalities.

"You guys are so cute!" he chuckles before taking his hands away. "I remember when Suneater started, he nearly burst into tears!"

"Please don't talk about me," the upperclassman mumbles, pulling his hood over the sides of his face. "I'm not here. I wanna go home."

"Now now, Suneater! Come on, show the kids a good role model. Don't listen to him when he's like that. We're still working on that social anxiety of his."

"Of course," Eijirou laughs, scratching the back of his head. "So…what are we doing first?"

"I was just about to go on patrol with Suneater. You guys are more than welcome to come with," Fatgum tells them, reaching over into a small jar and digging out a lollipop. "Otherwise you guys have a lot of paperwork to fill out."

"Patrol please," they say at the same time, eager to put off the necessary paperwork. Their mentor laughs at their eagerness, calling for the awkward boy still hiding against the wall before they leave the agency.

The end of September in Esuha was pleasant, just the right temperature for autumn clothes, but not quite the time to get rid of the entire summer wardrobe. Leinei sneezes into her arm, Eijirou offering her a tissue as one of the vendors offers Fatgum a sample plate with a smile.

"I guess wearing that tank top to see your sister the other day was a bad idea huh?" he asks, laughing as she turns away to blow her nose. "Your costume doesn't exactly cover the most up either."

"Like you should talk, Riot," Leinei replies, finding a trash can to throw her tissue away in. "Walking around shirtless. What are you gonna do when it snows?"

"Suffer in the cold like a man!"

"Why did I ask," she sighs, getting the BMI hero to laugh and offer each of his interns a skewer from his plate. "Oh, thank you!"

"Gotta eat to keep your strength up! Plus it's always boring to eat snacks alone," he tells them, starting to munch and walk at the same time. "Y'know, I wanted to take on that Tetsutetsu kid too, but the school told me I was at my limit for now, with Suneater and now you two."

"Oh. So someone missed out on an opportunity?" Eijirou asks, taking a pause from chewing as he tilts his head. "That sucks. Tetsutetsu is pretty manly. He and I interned at Fourth Kind's agency together."

"Oh yeah, I already knew all that. As well as the fact you charged into Kamino to try and save your friends. Pretty heroic by the way, just reckless."

"Yeah I got chewed out ten different ways from Sunday for that one."

"And Empathia, you interned under Elementia, and even did a joint patrol with Endeavor and one of your classmates. I bet that was pretty interesting."

"In Hosu? Yeah. I learned a lot, as well as some of my limits," she replies, nodding. "And what I needed to work on. I like to think I've come a long way since then too."

"Oh you totally have!" Eijirou tells her, pumping his fists up and down as he walks next to her. "Before you would totally freeze up in most situations! Now you face them head on! It's so awesome! So manly!"

"And you'll come even further here too," Fatgum tells her, nodding. "All of you will. Oh, Suneater, did you need to eat anything else? In case?"

"No," he mumbles, shaking his head and pulling his hood further down. "I'm fine. I ate enough."

"Alright! So I'm sure you two have done some kind of patrols before! What do we look for?"

Eijirou and Leinei share a look, trying to remember. She had no clue what the redhead had learned under Fourth Kind, but Reina and her barely caught any kind of villains until Hosu. She crosses her arms under her chest, pursing her lips to the side.

"I mean, we should be looking for villains, right?" Eijirou says, tilting his head. "I didn't do a whole lot of patrolling with Fourth Kind, and if we did, nothing really ever happened for us to step in."

"Elementia had us focusing more on actually helping the community," Leinei offers. "Bringing in groceries for people, I got a kid's toy out of a tree. Other than that, we were working on my quirk. And in Hosu, we tried to stop a convenience store from getting robbed prior to the Nomus and Stain showing up."

"Elementia had the right idea! Nothing I'd expect less from the Supporting Star," the hero laughs, finishing off the last skewer sample on his plate before finding a trash can. "A good hero focuses just as much on community outreach as they do on fighting crime. Gotta have the people you're protecting trust ya if you wanna do a good job! Plus free food is always a fun perk too!

'And, not to say Fourth Kind didn't do a good job, he's just really stern huh? He always freaks me out when I see him," he adds, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "But yes. I try to focus on community outreach as well, since Esuha is pretty peaceful and there's not much in way of villainy. Of course there's been just as much of a spike as there has in other places. We're just good at keeping it under control."

"Stop him! He stole from me!"

The group perks up, seeing a shop owner yelling and pointing at a man running towards them with no shoes. He has his head down with various items in his arms, not paying attention to where he's going as Eijirou jumps in front of him. He yelps as he falls back, dropping the items and whimpering as he covers his head with his arms. The shop owner grumbles under his breath as he walks over, his hands on his hips as a small crowd gathers around, murmuring about the scene.

"Damn this is pretty exciting," Eijirou laughs, scratching his cheek as Leinei glances at the stuff he had stolen scattered around him. Canned foods, bread, and some fruit…

This is all food…

"Super not manly of you to steal from someone," the redhead says as Leinei crouches down and starts picking the stuff up.

"Pl-please don't arrest me," the man pleads, looking at the students and at the hero behind him, watching how his new interns handle the situation. "My kids haven't eaten in days! Please, I-I was going to pay it back, but they're hungry and I couldn't.."

"I mean that's a likely story and all-"

"He's not lying," Leinei says, standing up with the food in her arms. Eijirou looks at her, his eyes wide. "And you don't need my quirk to do that, just basic observation. He looks like he hasn't showered in weeks, and he's not even wearing shoes." She looks at the shop owner. "How much does he owe you?"

"You're not going to arrest him?!"

"That's not what I asked. How much does he owe you? If you refuse to answer, I'll say it's nothing."

"Tch, you're just a kid. What makes you think you can talk to me that way!"

"I'm paying for his things. That makes me a consumer. Are you refusing service to me? Is it because I'm female, or a child, or just because you're a jerk?"

"M-Miss, you don't have to do that," the man says, Eijirou helping him up. "Really, I-"

"You said you have kids starving, don't you?" She tells him, her voice having a slight edge to it that makes him flinch. "You can't help them if you're in jail. Now, tell me how much he owes you and I'll pay it. Money is money, isn't it?"

The shop owner glared at the man leaning on the intern, but told her the amount he owed. Leinei hands the food to her friend before digging her wallet out of the small pocket on the back of her skirt(thank you costume design), handing him the credit card Reina gave her in case of emergencies. His eyes widened, seeing the plastic in her hand.

"What? Hurry up and swipe it. Actually, throw in some water bottles, more fruit, and more nonperishables."

"Ye-yes ma'am."

He takes the credit card and hurries back to his shop. Leinei takes a breath and smiles at the man, calming her heart rate down from the encounter. Fatgum comes over and claps her on the back, causing her to lurch forward as Tamaki finally lets his hand fall from his hood.

"That was impressive! Maybe next time, try not to be as mean. It got the job done this time, but next time, it might not. More flies with honey and all that."

"Yes sir. Sorry if I was out of line."

"Not at all. You made a judgment call, and you stuck with it. Pretty handy quirk you have if you can tell if someone's lying or not too."

"I can only tell if they know they're lying," she corrects, dusting the man off. "You aren't hurt are you?"

"N-no ma'am, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Of course. Our help extends to everyone. Not just those who dress nice. Once he comes back, can you show me where you and your kids are staying? Maybe I can help." She looks at Fatgum. "If that's okay."

"Of course. We're going to keep going though, so just catch up when you're done."

"Yes sir. Thank you!"

"Be safe, Empathia! If we find any good snacks, I'll try to save a share for you," Eijirou says as he starts after the hero. Tamaki nods at her, still not able to make eye contact with the new person before hurrying on. The shop owner comes back just a few seconds later, holding the bags with the items she asked for and extra ones for the items the man had originally tried to steal.

"Thank you very much! Now, please sir, show me where you and the kids are staying?"

"O-of course. An-and my name is Nao. Thank you again, Miss Empathia."

"Just Empathia is fine," she assures him, carrying the bags as he leads her down the road and multiple alleys. He rambles about their situation, telling her that their house and his job was destroyed in Kamino during All For One and All Might's fight, and that he couldn't afford the insurance to have it rebuilt. The shelter they had been staying in had closed down a few weeks before, and what little money and food they had ran out about two weeks ago.

"I'm so sorry to burden you with all of this," he tells her as they near a warm vent next to a tent. "Truly, I wouldn't have stolen from them if I had any other choice."

"You don't need to explain yourself to me," she assures as they stop in front of the tent and set the bags down. The rustling cues the unzipping of the tent flap, a boy and girl poking their heads out. Their eyes brighten seeing their father and they scramble out to give him a hug, relieved for him to be home.

"We were scared something happened when you didn't come back when you said you would," the girl says, burying her face in his shirt. The boy leans back, studying the hero in training before breaking into a big grin.

"You're a hero!" he says, bouncing over to her as she smiles and crouches down to be eye level with him. "Woww, did you help our dad? That's so cool!"

"Hah, it's really nothing," she assures, shaking her head. "It's what we do! What's your name, little one?"

"My name's Rasu! What's yours?"

"My hero name is Empathia. I bet you have a cool quirk too!"

"Oh…well…" He holds his hands up and shows a white flame in his palms. "It doesn't burn hot, it's actually cold to me. My classmates said a flame that isn't hot doesn't help anything."

"Hmm..let's see..maybe your flames can do something more than you think," she tells him. "A cold flame can do so much more than people give it credit for. Maybe you can heal people with it."

"His mother did have a healing quirk before she passed," Nao says sheepishly as he helps the daughter start to make a small meal. "Eat slowly, okay? Empathia was kind enough to buy this and we have to make it last."

"Really? And I'm guessing you have a fire quirk?" she asks, helping the boy to make food.

"Yes. I can make small flames on the tips of my fingers. They're not very hot."

"It's still nothing to be ashamed of," she assures him. After a few minutes, she grabs the receipt out of the bag. "This is my sister's agency. If you go there, she'll give you a job with no questions asked," she adds, writing down the address and phone number of Starlite. "If she gives you a hard time, tell her Empathia sent you. She'll set you up with housing and everything."

"You…you…" The man bursts into tears and hugs his children, the boy looking up at her with bright sparkling eyes. "You're a godsend. You're amazing. Thank you, thank you!"

"It's really nothing," she says, shaking her head as she hands the man the receipt. "I'd rather you guys not be on the streets when it starts snowing. I live in a dormitory, otherwise I'd take you guys in."

"You're still in school?"

"I go to UA, sir."

"Daddy, daddy, can I go to UA when I'm older?" Rasu asks, tugging at his shirt. "Pretty please!"

"UA costs money," the girl scolds, smacking her brother's hand. "Besides your quirk sucks! They only take in cool quirks!"

"I dunno, I have a pretty sucky quirk myself and they let me in," Leinei says, getting the girl to blush and look down. "All you can do is try. Study hard, okay? And get really good with your quirk. If you do well and I'm still around by the time you wanna be a hero, I'll give you a personal recommendation."

"Really?!"

"Really. I gotta get back to my patrol, but here," she says, taking her wallet out again and handing the man the credit card. "Give it to Elementia when you get there. It should cover food, shelter, and any fares you need to pay to get to Starlite."

"No, you've already done so much, we can't-"

"I insist. Like I said, I really don't want you guys on the street when it starts snowing. Besides, Elementia would have my head if I didn't do everything I could to help, and this credit card is for emergencies. I think this counts."

"...thank you," he whispers, the kids breaking away to tackle her legs in a hug, causing her to stumble back a step. She laughs and pats their heads before stepping out of their hugs and kneeling down to look at both of them.

"Be good for your dad okay? And find out what your quirk can do! I look forward to seeing you at UA in the future."

The kids go to respond, only to hear the click of a gun. With that single click, time seemed to slow down, Noa seeing the man before Leinei and getting in front of all three kids as a gunshot rang out. His arm jerked and he yelled, the kids screaming in horror as he dropped to the ground holding the spot he was shot in.

"Tch, I was aiming for the fucking hero, you idiot," the man says, an edge of panic leaking into his voice as he struggles to reload the gun. Rasu and his sister go to their dad's side, begging him not to leave them like their mom did. "You didn't have to do that! I was told to aim at the hero, not at you! Fuck! Fuck! Why are-"

He squeaks as her capture scarf wraps around his hand and tightens to the point his fingers turn blue and he drops the gun. He's jerked forward, the other end wrapping around his waist and pinning his other arm to his side as he comes face to face with a very pissed off Empathia. Another squeak leaves his lips as she forces him to his knees, the situation very familiar to the one with Seiji, anger and hatred radiating off her as the children sob behind her.

"You could have hurt them," she hisses, kicking him in the chest and knocking him backwards. He tries to speak but her heel digs into his windpipe, starting to wheeze as she tightens the scarf around him. "You have no clue what these kids and their father have been through and you could have fucking hurt them!"

"M-my orders we-were to sh-shoot at the he-heros," he gasps out, tears beading his eyes. "I-I didn't want to hurt them, I-I just followed you from the main street-! Pl-please don't kill me!"

"No, trust me, I won't need to kill you," she whispers, leaning down as she takes her foot away from his neck. He inhales deeply, letting out a soft sob of relief. "But where you're going to go, you won't need to worry about me putting a damn finger on you. I wonder what they do to guys like you who hurt children in jail."

Before the man can say another word, she hears Fatgum's voice calling for her. She takes a breath and stands up, flexing the capture scarf and crudely wrapping him up so he can lay there and sob. She turns to the kids, seeing the man still awake and relieved.

"Are you okay?" she asks, kneeling in front of him. "How bad is it?"

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt," he says, showing her the small tranquilizer shaped bullet in his hand. "The shock of it hurt more than anything."

"Thank goodness," she breathes, smiling. "I'm glad. You could have been seriously hurt!"

"I'm sorry," he chuckles weakly, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry to worry you guys."

"At least let me see the spot it hit," she says, moving his sleeve up and seeing the smallest bead of blood and a nasty bruise surrounding it. Rasu tugs her shirt, getting her to look down at him.

"Is..is daddy-?"

"No, he's going to be fine. He just had a bad bruise is all," she assures the boy, smiling. "But no more reckless stuff! Leave that to me, okay? You have these two to look after," she scolds Noa, who laughs.

"You sound like my wife…thank you."

"Of course. I need to get him to my mentor. You rest up and head to Musutafu tomorrow. I can give you a bandage for the-"

"No, it'll be fine. Get going. Fatgum will be worried."

"Right..be careful. Please."

She says her goodbyes to the small family, Rasu waving and smiling widely as she gives her own small wave back. His eyes were still sparkling when she left, half dragging, half walking the villain she apprehended. She got him to the main strip, seeing Tamaki with his hood pulled over his face as he sits on a bench, Eijirou getting checked out by a paramedic.

"What the heck happened?" she asks, horrified. "I was only gone for five minutes!"

"I took down a villain all by myself!" Eijirou says, throwing a fist in the air only to be yelled at by the paramedic for moving before the exam was complete. "Aha..sorry."

"We walked into a turf war between two gangs," Fatgum says simply, shrugging as he checks on Tamaki. "Is your quirk back yet?"

"It's coming back slowly," he mumbles, showing small tentacles on his fingers. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"No, your safety matters just as much. Besides, it gave Red Riot his chance to debut out there!"

"Wait, what happened to his quirk?" Leinei asks, confused. "Why wouldn't he have his quirk?"

"They shot me with some tranquilizer bullet," Tamaki says. "It blocked me from using my quirk, like how Eraserhead's quirk does."

A tranquilizer bullet…

"Hey, he tried to shoot me with one of those," she says, undoing her capture scarf as a police officer takes the man, still sobbing and pleading. "He caught the man I was with. It left a nasty bruise. But the effects aren't long lasting are they?"

"They don't seem to be," Fatgum assures. "Suneater had his quirk nullified at the start of the fight about ten minutes ago. But be sure to get checked out by Recovery Girl when you get back to UA."

"Will do."

"Heyy," Eijirou says, grinning at the older student. "That's the most we've heard you talk!"

"Yeah, it is!" Leinei agrees, leaning forward and smiling at the boy now pulling his hood even further over his face and shrinking in on himself.

"I wanna go home.."