Chapter 25
" A Good Dog"
Her first day of work-study had wrapped so smoothly, that there hadn't been a good 'excuse' for her to even use her quirk at all, much to her quiet relief. Though she imagined that somewhere between paperwork and Kirishima, that Fatgum probably had a pretty good picture of it.
Her next day started quickly.
Fatgum's cheerful and reassuring presence was a force to be reckoned with, all on its own. He was so enthusiastic in his own way about being a hero, and his big size just helped him emanate this protective energy.
All of this was, in contrast to the long-term intern, Suneater, also from UA who was there today. Amajiki Tamaki, their first meeting had been silent, and apparently amusing to Fatgum. Both teens seemed intimidated by each other, before reaching a silent truce. A nod, and a simple exchange of Names, was good enough for them.
People who passed them some times offered a wave and a smile and a few young boys had stopped them earlier in that day for a brief talk that Fatgum just indulged them in, since it was a quiet moment. Alarice just listened, as she had no idea what the show, and toys the kids were showing and talking about, were for. Suneater, like wise stood next to her quiet and unassuming.
"Y'know, it's so nice to have conversational interns with me." Fatgum said as they walked, Alarice looking up at him after catching up a bit to the two fo them. "Relax a little more you two!"
"ah! Well.. I mean I was just thinking..." Alarice started, trying to pick her words. "we stop a lot.. to just.. talk sometimes."
"Sometimes that's what ya do. Sometimes its just talking an' lettin' people talk to ya, as long as you stay alert, its all good." His smile was wide as per the usual. Alarice found herself dragged into a smile of her own. Suneater mumbled something incoherent. "Bein a pro is also about reassurin' people, makin' sure they know they can count on ya to protect them."
Alarice made a thoughtful noise to herself at that, before asking "would it still be that simple with the hell-hound side being seen?"
"Sure, who wouldn't want to talk to a good werewolf?" He let out a chuckle at his own joke, and then laughed again at seeing Alarice's face in response to his joke. She couldn't help but pout just a little bit, before trying to reel that in quickly. "People will surprise ya, Stone."
Alarice looked to Suneater for further input, receiving only a shrug, and half smile that was not very reassuring.
Their conversation came to a quick halt as the day's first villainous activity was spotted. Giant Salamander villain. Combining Arariel's large hell-hound size, and Suneater's Manifest, generating powerful, and fattened up octopus tentacles to get around the slime. Fatgum taking and giving it a few punches that mostly just distracted it, and kept the other two from taking any serious damage. Wearing the villain out till he was forced to power down.
Unfortunately, Arariel, Alarice, having physically, tackled and bit the villain, was covered head to toe in, Salamander villain slime. She was desperate afterwards for something wash her mouth out, and her entire body off and a towel afterwards. For every laugh by a kindly shop-keep and the pro, she could only reiterate that it smelled and tasted terrible. With an increasing smile each time with each joke at her expense. Suneater tried to be reassuring but, all he could really do was hold the hose for her.
The next hours of patrol were more relaxed, tripping one purse thief and helping a few people out here and there as necessary.
The teen began to recount some of the days events to Sunshine as they headed back to Yuuei, only for her to eventually stop when asked to. They ended up taking an alternate route back to the school, after that.
000
Patrols were usually fine. Alarice found, with the knowledge it was okay, shifting into hell-hound not that hard. People did react with fear about the face, till she used it to help apprehend villains and stop problems.
She even stopped a car from sliding off a broken ledge once! With her teeth! That all resolved, they went back to patrol. Till the pair were stopped by a little kid. "I can't find my mom!"
"erm uh well, I can probably track her down." Alarice offered, trying to calm down a crying child. She looked up to Fatgum, who gave her an encouraging nod that she was on the right track. "You can ride on my back while we look for her, if you want. It'll be just like riding a horse... you've seen a horse right?"
The child nodded, wiping at their eyes, and Alarice transformed, going all the way since the crowds weren't so bad, and the added height would make it easier for parent or child to see each other. There were some noises from the people around, but she took a good whiff and she was pretty sure she could find the kid's parent, now.
Said kid was settled up onto her back, by Gum, and the kid was definitely too awed by being on something so big, to be crying quite as much. Alarice noisily inhaling for the parent's scent. Wading through the crowds and keeping up with Fat better than she thought she would, though admittedly, despite sniffing, Fatgum was the one doing all the talking and leading. She was still kinda hiding behind him as they walked.
It didn't take long for the parent to cry out seeing their child, and child to wave back, and also comment that they they were riding a horsie. Fatgum, chuckling, pulled the child down from Alarice's back, while the woman thanked them feverishly. Alarice transforming back into herself, to the child's apparent disappointment.
"Ya worry to much about what other people think of yer quirk's appearance!" Fatgum commented once they were done reassuring the mother and saying 'your welcome' about thirty times. "Ya got good instincts, so we just gotta push back that bad self-image of yers!"
Alarice tried to find some response, while she wondered if the 'Suneater' she'd heard about before, had to deal with something similar...
000
After a quick change back at the agency, Alarice was back in uniform again. School uniform, anyway. Suneater headed back on his own, with a quiet wave and nod to Alarice. Getting escorted, this time, to meet with her escort. The location was a little weird, but lately there had been intentional variety with how she was getting back to school, so it wasn't that bad. They stopped at a local burger shop along the way.
"Time for a re-charge, how much do you want?" Fatgum asked his dark-haired intern, who looked up blankly, for a second.
"like.. how many burgers or something?" Alarice felt stupid asking but it had been a day with some interesting ups and downs. She would be heading back to UA soon, but whoever was coming to pick her up wasn't there, yet. "I mean, I usually get like.. three or four sometimes, but you don't have to buy me food. Again."
"Nonsense, you did good today! Five burgers! That quirk of yours needs to stay well-fed doesn't it!?" Fatgum practically announced to the mostly empty burger shop. The little old lady behind the counter, just smiling away at the announcement. "Ma'am, can we get ten burgers and two large fries?"
"Ten is a lot!" Alarice burst out, but she didn't argue. Again just chuckles and smiles while he leaned up against a wall, to wait. She quickly joining in on waiting patiently next to Fatgum as the food was being cooked up. She looked at her phone briefly as the silence grew.
"I think yer escort is gonna beat them burgers to us. Hah." Fat joked casually, though there was audible grumble from deep within in his rotund body. "I wonder who it is this time."
"I guess.. and uh Same. I guess it changes... I hope it changes. Midnight's dog grooming van is really weird." Alarice commented, as the smell of cooking beef patties wafted out of the kitchen area in thick waves to her. Fatgum just seemed amused and in a good mood next to her, apparently on his own phone since they were technically officially off-patrol now.
As the warm burgers and fries were handed out, both Fatgum and Alarice were digging into their fries immediately to devour the warm goodness of a fried and chopped tater stick. Burgers and fries obtained, and the latter most devoured, they began to head out.
"Ah right, almost forgot to tell ya! Tomorrow ye'll need to be ready that we're going to be doing a special 'assignment'" Fatgum announced, between bites of burger. Even though he finished it in three.
"OH.. what does that mean?" Alarice questioned, taking far less bites to finish her first burger but still wolfing the thing down. She really was hungrier than she had wanted to admit.
"Means we'll be helpin' out a fellow hero at their request. It's not too bad, its gonna be a bit like security detail. Cant' tell ya more than that, yet though." Fatgum said, broad smile again in-place as they headed out. Walking along to meet up with whichever teacher, or if it was possibly Sunshine, was going to meet her.
"Oh..okay." Was Alarice's only response, eating a little slower after the second burger, and the fries now completely gone. Although, by arrival, she only had one burger still completely wrapped up to be eaten later.
As they arrived at the location to wait for her 'escort', it was clear there really wasn't much waiting to do. More like, walk up to the seats under the awning, and see her Homeroom teacher waiting for them. He stood up casually, even though he was largely still uniformed.
"Eraserhead! Its good to see ya again." Fatgum responded with an easy voice, Aizawa just nodding back before responding.
"Fatgum." Aizawa stated, hands going into his pockets again, before turning to his student "Stone, are you ready to g-?" He stopped as Alarice, not sure how to respond had just thrust one of her Burgers at him fairly aggressively. Two hands on either side of the food item, held out waiting for him to just take it from her. It was somewhat amusing to see her cheeks turn a faint shade of pink
"AWW, YEAH PUPPER! GIVE HIM A BURG!" announced the blond emerging from the nearby building, likely having gone in, in search of a bathroom. Alarice jumping from surprise as Fatgum simply looked over to the loud mans approach. Aizawa caught the burger before it could hit the ground, just holding it for now. Mic made it over, a mischievous smile on his face as he put one hand on Alarice's head. "haha sorry for scaring you! Fatgum ayy!" He shot finger guns at Gum.
"Mic." Aizawa just grumbled over at the other, who just laughed it off without a sign he was even remotely embarrassed about his outburst. Alarice stood there, a little awkwardly, as was per the usual, as a few questions and comments were exchanged. Some she realized were about the job Fatgum had them taking-on tomorrow. Eventually she turned to Mic, who wasn't really any more involved in the conversation either, and started sharing the day to him.
"Sounds like a nice casual mix of things!" Mic responded, pleasantly enough. "That sounds like a rewarding patrol, and that's kinda how you want it."
Alarice nodded. "It was... good. A good day." She felt small, three Pros around her and she knew part of that was because of her sister. She let out a little huff, and started to play with her hair. Till Mic put his hand down on top of her head, and began bouncing it on the thick curls braided together, distracting her from gloomy thoughts.
"Well, hopefully it's been busy enough that you'll go to sleep, listener!" He said, still bouncing his hand on her hair.
"Well... its not Friday night, so.." Alarice said with a shrug a tiny smile.
"Such a loyal pupper-listener!"
"You two, pipe it, it's late, and we're heading out now. See you, Fatgum." Aizawa chided the others, and bid farewell to Fatgum, walking himself towards his bland, non-descript car. Mic took the keys, while Aizawa took shotgun, to eat the burger he had been given by his student. Said student curled up on the backseat and went to sleep almost immediately.
She slept like an exhausted puppy, to Mic's amusement. Then he realized how heavy that sleep really was, and it became some what of a minor trial-of-wills to get her up.