Himiko Toga sat upon the edge of a building, the Kamino skyline spread out in front of her. Idly kicking her legs back and forth, she gazed down upon the ward's nightlife, watching the cars with their headlights, the pedestrians walking to their destination.
It was a place to relax, to destress, to think. It was practically tradition to come up here after finally being able to drink enough blood to clear her head, at least for a little bit. Mental health is very important, after all!
Closing her eyes, Himiko allowed the sounds of the city to wash over her ears. The rumbles of engines, the honks of annoyed drivers, the cheers coming from one of the rooms below her, everything mixed together, forming into a pool of relaxing white noise.
It was easy to lose yourself in it, to let the worries and complications of the day drown in the serene lake of sensations. The only thing anchoring the blonde to the physical world was the swaying of her legs, and the breeze that caressed her face.
She stayed there, perched on that rooftop, for some time. Not asleep, but not exactly aware, either.
And then, a new sound joined the symphony of the night. Footsteps. Himiko snapped out of her trance, turning to see who the newcomer was.
If the blue flame being projected from one hand wasn't enough of a clue to figure out who it was, then the horribly burnt skin sloppily stapled onto still living flesh would give the identity of the newcomer away.
"Dabi?"
The other runaway turned, a curious look appearing on his face.
"Brat, what are you doing here?"
Well, it was more of an irritated look, but Dabi's two emotions were anger and schadenfreude,so Himiko was just assuming.
"I come up here all the time!" She chirped, swinging her legs back onto the concrete of the roof, "It helps to clear my head."
"Yeah, whatever," he said, bringing a white cylinder up to the flame in his- wait.
"Is that a cigarette?"
Dabi's face scrunched up. "What, no. There are faster ways to die."
Himiko frowned, if it wasn't a cigarette, then…
She gasped, as a thought crossed her mind. Eyes widening in sheer shock and horror, the blonde asked the million dollar question:
"Is that a weed?!"
"No, it's not-"
"Oh my god I can't believe you do weed, that's like illegal."
"Brat, I-"
"Like I get that society is the reason we're stuck in this situation, but really Dabi, you have to have some form of respect for the laws of the land!"
"I don't-"
"Like could you imagine if a Hero manages to find us atop this building and you're high? What would we do!"
"Himiko!"
Dabi's growl of frustration cut through the girl's speech mid-rant, staggering her just long enough to finally explain himself.
"It's not pot, kid."
"Oh."
Now it was Himiko's turn to be confused. The young man sighed, letting himself calm down. Slightly.
"For your information, it's charcoal."
Himiko blinked.
"Eh?"
"Don't look at me like that, you heard what I said." Dabi said, taking a drag of the stick. "It's charcoal."
"I- I understand what all of the words coming out of your mouth mean, but they don't make any sense in this context."
"Tch, I wouldn't expect a brat like you to understand."
"Dabi, you are literally smoking rocks."
"Pah, as if I'd ever settle for anything less than the highest quality product. This is the good stuff, kid. A nice, even mixture of hickory and oak, with some cherry wood thrown in for a bit of sourness that rounds out the flavoring. None of that trash that you'd find in a grocery store. It's all homegrown, and cremated in a kiln that dates back to the 70's of the previous century."
Himiko stared at the heavily burnt man, as he continued to rant about the flavor and properties of charcoal smoke. This was the guy she attached herself to as a little sibling?
When a portal of black and purple smoke swallowed them up from below, the blonde could only feel relief at the blessed silence the void offered.