Chapter 2
Red
.:+:.
No
She turned her back on him, her eyes locked onto the ground and not daring to let them move upward.
No
Not now
Not again
She knew he was keeping his eyes on her, she could feel the stare digging into her shoulder blades.
I can't... We can't
Just... for once... take no as an answer
Leave it
.:+:.
She was still falling, her hands moving out on either side of her and completely at ease... if a little miffed.
Her attention fixed on something among that flurry of black pieces falling into the air above her, her red eyes glinting and fixed... on something red.
One single feather- vermilion and striking against the black all around her, fluttering among a sea of black pieces of fractured form and reality. One single, large crimson colored feather that stuck out like a drop of blood in snow... ebony colored snow.
Her freefall seemed to slow as she caught sight of it, riveted on it and nothing but it- it's color was... enrapturing. So, so different from what she was used to... from herself, even. Everything in her life was always so, inky, pitch black.
What is that?
"Need a lift?"
Spirit's heart leapt in surprise, her eyes widening in tandem with it as the sudden voice reached her ear- from where she was, you know... falling 17 stories down, currently.
What..?!
Gravity got halted and so did her falling as something caught her, hands curling under her back and shoulders and her knees as the owner of that voice out of nowhere caught her bridal style in midair. They stopped, hovering in air at about the 10th level or so, and the haze of black that had been engulfing her figure died away as she failed to keep her attention on Shifting. She stiffened on instinct at the sudden contact, her head snapping around as her eyes fell on her 'rescuer', a waft of air rushing up around them in the cool night sky they hovered in so easily.
The lights from the city glinted from his earrings, feathery eyebrows raised as he smirked at her slightly- messy, ash blond hair pushed back and windswept. He had on a black shirt with a wavy silver pattern, a tan jacket, black gloves, lighter pants. There were headphones hung around his neck, she could hear the music playing with how close the two of them were, and his eyes glinted from behind the blue visor he had were distinctive black triangles located near the inner corners of his dark eyes, angled downwards and almost animalistic in a way... a contrast to what was more or less, his human appearance.
Well, mostly human- discounting the very large, bright red wings.
Her eyes darted quickly from him and toward said wings, watching the vermilion feathers ruffle as he beat them up and down to stay afloat, the air shaping and molding underneath him with what had to be ease.
Wings... bright red wings...
He let out a breath that sounded amused, smirking as he caught the way she was staring at said wings- her red eyes darted back toward him upon hearing the breath he let out. He smiled dryly, quirking a brow as her expression fell a little flat. "You good there?" He hummed easily, "Sorry to sweep in like that, but it's a better alternative to falling to your death, yeah?" Spirit blinked, her eyes narrowing as he laughed a bit.
"Anyway~! Figured I'd lend a hand, since you're handling the guys that got away while I was busy with the rest of their crew- Ah~! Pretty impressive by the way, you took four of them out all by yourself, huh? And it's not even been that long~" He went on brightly, Spirit eyes narrowed further at the words. "So, guess this is me, making up for making you cleanup my job. Glad to be of service, but I'll take everything from here, cool~?" Spirit's eyes flashed, her lips curling downward at the edges as she felt something in her just... irk, at what he said- and at that smile he gave her, so carefree and so... cocky, maybe?
"Ah, yeah no- this isn't you making up for anything." She muttered, his eyebrows raised a bit at the answer, his head tilting.
"Oh~?" He hummed curiously, Spirit grumbled.
"First; I wasn't falling to my death." Spirit grumbled, he blinked. "Second; I don't need you to 'take care' of anything, I was doing just fine on my own. If anything, you're the one that needs help- didn't you say that they got away on your watch?"
"Oh, a bit touchy huh~?" He replied lazily, none at all bothered with the rather cold reply. "Grumpy cause you missed a few hours of sleep last night~?" Spirit stiffened, her face pulling into a scowl as a vein ticked on her forehead.
Do I really look that tired?
Forget that, it doesn't matter-
"Yeah alright, how about you just fuck off and drop me, Bird-Boy? Thanks." Spirit muttered,
"Mmm, 'Boy'? You can't be any older than me~!" He retorted easily, "And I'm not gonna drop you, that wouldn't be very Hero-like~"
"Fine. Don't drop me." She muttered, her eyes flashing. "But I'm gonna finish apprehending those Villains you lost, Hero."
She didn't give him any chance to reply, a black haze sprung up around her body and her weight in his arms lift as she left his hold- and that cloud of ebony in air before him condensed into something else. The sound of wings beating at air met his ears, and it wasn't his own- the city lights shone off the ethereal, inky black feathers from the jet black eagle that had suddenly come into being in front of him. His eyes met those same crimson ones belonging to the woman he had caught in his arms, the eagle's wings beat as bits and pieces like jet black glass seemed to rain from the feathers... almost like snow, until it faded and it was just one (admittedly rather large) pure black eagle.
His face that had fallen slightly in awe, brightened a bit in intrigue. "Oooh, I see~! You really didn't need me to sweep you up, huh?" He smirked, one hand fell on his hip as the other gestured toward her a bit. "Come to think of it, I actually recognize you, huh?"
Spirit huffed, her wings beating down quickly as she pushed herself up in air, climbing higher and leaving him behind without a reply.
Yeah, yeah...
"Hey! Wait up!" He called behind her, the sound of his wings beating mixed with her own as she flew back up to the 17th level and the fight she had (unwillingly) left behind. She still didn't wait, she was miffed, at least a little.
"Grumpy cause you missed a few hours of sleep last night~?"
I actually fucking hate it when people point that out, who knew?
"Hey~! You don't have to rush off, ya know~"
Plus he's a bit of a cheeky git
She slowed up as she reached the barrier on the edge of the 17th floor, by now already able to hear the radio-chatter from Officer Nakamura's backup and the sound of engines getting closer to the parking lot. There was also a fair bit of grumbling and muffled cursing, which she found a bit odd-
She hovered slightly over the barrier wall, fluttering to a halt as she lighted down on the edge with ease, her eyes scanning the level and surprised to find that Muscleman and Eight-Arms were tied up (quite literally) by an arrangement of vermilion feathers. She folded her wings to her side, her head tilting at the sight- and wondering just how strong said feathers were to be pinning both Villains like steel chains... And when did he...?
She Shifted back into her Regular self, crouched and balancing on top of the wall with ease and not glancing back even as she felt the air rush up to meet her as the man with the vermilion wings stepped on to the wall beside her, his hands in his coat pockets.
"See~? Everything's all handled, the cops are rounding them up, no need to worry~" he hummed brightly, "So, while we have some downtime before the Press gets here, let's chat, yeah~?" She grimaced a bit, biting the inside of her cheek and not looking his way. He stepped off the wall with ease, stepping in front of her instead and those large, strikingly red wings of his folding into his back as much as was possible as he smiled lazily at her. She blinked just once, her expression as expressionless as she could manage and elbows on her knees,
"Animal Spirit, right? The No. 26 Hero- Quirk: Transformation?" He asked lightly, "No. 26 Hero and only top-ranking Pro on the circuit who isn't signed on with any Agency at all~ Oh, and also the youngest, Top-Rated Hero on the charts, until a few weeks ago, hmm?" He smirked a bit, not so much cocky no, but more... carefree, maybe. "That is, until someone younger than you hit the No. 24 spot, anyway~! That's me, by the way- Hawks at your service~" he dipped his head a bit in a mock little bow as Spirit let out a small sigh,
"I'm well aware who you are." She mumbled, his eyes glinted a bit at the words. "... It would be a bit hard not to, considering the news, internet and literally every magazine company out there is obsessed with you right now..."
"Oh, but they don't just talk about me~" He chuckled, "The media has plenty to say about you too, Spirit. A lot of them like to compare the two of us, you know~?" He gestured between himself and Spirit with a hand as she gave him a flat stare, that he didn't seem to notice in the slightest.
Did he just call me Spirit?
He shrugged a little, still smiling so easily and so at ease with literally everything. Boyish temperament, or inexperience, persistent youth and vigor... Whatever.
"Not a surprise really though, what with us being just about the same age- the youngest Pros who are as popular as we are. And now that I've struck out from my old Agency to be on my own like you, the media's been putting our names together for a lot of their stories lately." He went on lightly, "You've got an impressive Resolve rate, from what I've read~! You've had a bunch of success with capturing Villains as well as helping resolve accidents and rescue operations. You're so popular you could have the pick of any Agency out there, and I bet you've got a bunch knocking on your door all the time, huh?" He went on and Spirit just blinked, her eyes trailing passed him to watch the Police at work for a few seconds. "I get it though, Agencies have so many rules and restrictions it's pretty suffocating~ That and it makes having fun harder, that's why I decided it was better to start out on my own and make my own rules, and my own Agency~!"
Is there a point to the rambling?
"That bit is still in the works though, but I doubt it'll be hard to get it going~" He murmured, "I'm surprised we ran into one another today though, you don't usually work in this district, huh? Not that I'm complaining, I've been wanting to meet the Hero the Media keeps sizing me up with~" He said brightly, leaning back a bit as he smirked, his eyes trailing up and down her figure for a minute as he seemed to just... Take her in.
You don't usually work in this district either, Bird-Brain.
"Bit bummed I didn't get to see you take out those guys personally, but I'm not entirely disappointed." He said coolly, Spirit's eyes flashed a little. "So by the way, your Quirk? Transformation is a bit general, do you only change into Animals~?"
Spirit halted, her eyes narrowed and settling him with a steady stare for a few seconds at the question.
Oh yes, she had heard of (and read about, watched on the news...) the now utterly famous Pro Hero 'Hawks'. Youngest Pro Hero on the circuit, where she used to be- and now youngest, most popular Pro Hero in Japan, and one that was quickly climbing the ranks. Who, as he had already mentioned- had surpassed her current rank as the No. 26 Hero and hopped ahead, so that now he was the No. 24. (Between them being the Pro Hero known as Bryzair, who quite frankly- Spirit had never once met nor expected she would, they worked in two completely different districts)
Either which way, Hawks was a trending topic all over Japan and even in other Countries right now, and his popularity kept rising with every fight and every situation of conflict and rescue and whatnot. He got even more attention when he broke off from his used to be Mentor (and No. 4 Hero) Best Jeanist, and became what she was- a Hero with no Agency, and no Affiliation. Solo.
But he was one of those ones that really cared about his image in the media, which was less a surprise since being 'Agency-less' meant you had to keep your business and your own marketing in your own hands. You had to make sure you kept up with the media, with appearances and interviews and all of that nonsense all on your own if you wanted to be Solo and still be popular, and even just make good money.
And he... was admittedly good, at the whole 'media image' thing. He was charming, charismatic on TV, there wasn't a photo yet that he didn't look good in, he had a hell of a fanbase already and probably a dozen or more stations looking for an interview. He didn't shy away from fans or news reporters, he always made sure to make some sort of appearance when his jobs were done and answer questions, take a quick photo- the works.
Which was frankly the opposite behavior of herself, and of which would make for uneasy relations between them... but even then, she made a habit of being at least relatable, pleasant, polite. But given he swept up, 'saved her', and his behavior... it was a bit cheeky, a bit too friendly- and it did, for some reason- irk her.
Especially after he pointed out her lack of sleep.
Spirit forced herself a small breath,
Try and be nice...
"... Is there a reason for the interrogation?" Spirit deadpanned slightly, he blinked. He just smiled. so carefree and at ease despite what slight edge there was to her voice.
"Just trying to get to know you a bit, friendly conversation and all~" he replied brightly, Spirit bit the inside of her cheek.
"... Mhm. Well most people don't just skip straight to the questioning about someone else's Quirk." she mumbled, he shrugged.
"Well I don't see why not, I'm just curious~" he smiled, "Either way, Pro's should get to know one another's Skills and Quirks so they can work together better, right?" She nodded a bit, relenting to the notion before halting when it clicked-
Wait a minute
"... Why does that sound like you expect us to 'work together'?" Spirit murmured slowly, he simply kept smiling, so calm and cool.
"Why not?" He replied easily,
"Really?" She deadpanned, "You? Mr. 'I don't need an Agency or a Partner, or a Mentor or anything of the sort'. The same you- who ran off from working with Best Jeanist to 'strike out' on your own, like you just said- and the same you who rushes around taking on every Villain and situation at breakneck speed, often times leaving other people to clean up the rest of the mess behind you?" She asked lowly and his cool facade seemed to crack, just faintly. "I've seen and heard about how you work with other Heroes, Hawks- and I'm not really looking to be the one cleaning up after you." She grumbled lowly, her eyes flashing as she saw one of the police hoisted up Strings.
-not that, you know, I didn't literally do just that right now... Damn it
"If the situation arise where we have to work together, then fine- but to be honest, I'm not looking for a collaboration with you, or anyone else." she added in shortly, his hand fell on his chest as he feigned offense.
"Oh, that stings Spirit." He sighed, though he sounded too amused to be any semblance of actually offended or to actually have any hurt feelings on the matter. She rolled her eyes a little and hopped off the wall, her feet hitting the floor with a soft tap. "Am I reading this right, or do you not seem to like me very much~? If I did something to rub you the wrong way, I didn't mean to, ya know~" he hummed, she let out a small breath as his carefree smile returned. She moved to slip passed him, and he stepped to the side a bit, his wings ruffling slightly as he did so and she could still see him smirking as he glanced to him sideways.
"Or maybe you just dislike me on principle, for passing you up on the Charts?" He hummed, his wings fluttering a bit childishly at what was clearly a tease- Spirit groaned under her breath.
"It has nothing to do with the Ranking. And I don't dislike you-" she muttered, her movement passed him halting in the meantime as she faced him a bit again. The words came out exasperated, and ended up breaking off as her nose filled with some wash of air and scent that was just putrid, and sour and... God damn!
Her hands shot up to cover her mouth and nose, not able to hold back the half-strangled, half-gagging noise she let out in simple reaction to the smell. Hawks jumped a little, his face falling for once as his carefree demeanor shattered at her sudden change, sweatdropping slightly and a bit nervous as he fidgeted.
"... Tch... That is... Disgusting..." Spirit hissed, her voice muffled by her hands as Hawks wilted a little.
"Ah, I can't smell that bad can I~?" He asked, halfway joking but he didn't sound at all humorous- just unsure as he looked Spirit up and down as she held her hand over her nose a few seconds more. "I mean I've been working all day, but-"
Spirit shook her head, her hand falling as she grimaced- sniffing at the air again and catching that same awful scent again, though this time she was prepared. She stepped forward toward him, Hawks cutting off with the sudden decrease in distance between them and staring slightly as she leaned in, her nose twitching slightly as her face stopped a few inches from his chest. Hawks stiffened, growing slightly rigid in his spot and a little wide eyed as she shifted and sniffed at his wings next- before her hand reached forward and curled gently into the red feathers- a shiver ran up his spine at the sudden contact though Spirit never noticed.
She pushed passed him, ducking under his wing and still sniffing at the air still as she started to move away from him, and follow the scent toward it's origin. Hawks pulled his wings in toward him a bit more tightly as he turned in the direction she left, eyes glinting a little. "It's not you." She mumbled quietly, almost as an afterthought, waving a hand behind her and at him. Hawks blinked, faltering for a few seconds at the words before his feet moved and he began to trail after her in intrigue.
"So~? What do you smell?" He hummed, his eyes widening in awe as her body faded into an ethereal black-red haze like before, but what was left as she Shifted wasn't a bird- but a cat.
"Ooh, so an Eagle and a Cat~! That's two, so your feline nose what's leading you now~?"
Spirit's ears twitched backward at the sound of Hawks' voice, aware he was trailing behind her even as she wove around the cars slowly, ducking behind wheels and nose to the air no matter how much she wished she was going a different direction. She didn't Shift all the way though, her body never fully formed and moving out of being blurred and undistinguished at the edges. She left a trail of glittering black pieces of nothing behind her as she walked,
"Something pretty bad from the reaction earlier~" He went on, keeping from moving among the cars as she was and simply keeping pace as he moved up the middle of the lot. "Trash~? Old food~? Burning oil~?" He went on, hands in his pockets and eyes watching her from the side as she continued forward amongst the cars and the other debris that had been thrown around.
Hate to be one of the people with a car in this prefecture... getting out after all of this would be a pain...
She heard Hawks musing to himself and let out a small sigh to herself,
Why is he here, chatting? Bothering?
"... no, more like rot." She replied back, his eyes widened a little. He mouthed the word to himself, musing almost as Spirit ducked under another car and kept forward.
Rot and decay and sour, rancid... death.
"That's a bit of an unsettling answer." Hawks mused quietly, "We talking plant rot or, like body rot?"
Spirit stopped, her nose wrinkling and red eyes landing on a puddle of sticky, thick muddy-orange liquid slowly dripping from the small crevice popped open between a cars fender and the edge of the trunk door. The car itself had been smashed into in all the conflict going on, and the trunk had been knocked ajar by all of it... and now some putrid, awful liquid-goo was slowly dripping out of it.
She Shifted back into her Regular form, crouched on the balls of her feet and eyes narrowed as Hawks drew around the side of the car and his eyes found the puddle too.
"Mystery goo?" He hummed, though he didn't sound at all thrilled nor even the slightest bit amused. Spirit grumbled a bit, standing up straight and her eyes shifting toward the road that lead to the lower levels, already able to hear the chatter and noise of news reporters and the like clawing their way up the parking garage. And soon enough there was a wash of them in view- with a line of Officers stepping up to keep them at bay.
Spirit frowned a bit, shifting herself to stand in front of the trunk and casting Hawks a glance- he blinked. "You gonna crack open the mystery trunk?" He hummed, "Even I can smell something nasty now, opening that might make you throw up, Spirit~"
Who does he think I am?
"Shut up, I'm anything but squeamish, Bird-Brain." She shot back lowly, "Worry about your own stomach, and do me a favor- lift up those pretty freaking red wings of yours and block the view of the cameras." He hesitated for a small second, brow quirking a moment- before he smirked and stepped sideways to be behind her shoulder. His wings shifted, stretching up to half their full length and curling around the both of them and the back of the car- doing what she asked, and blocking what view anyone from the entrance to the level had of the car.
"You think my wings are pretty~?" He smirked, his breath stirring at her neck as he leaned in behind her a bit.
Oh I'm sure that little smirk of yours is gonna die real quick-
Her fingers curled under the lip of the ajar trunk door, holding her breath now and grimacing as she readied herself for what she knew was going to be... terrible.
Please, please don't be what I think it is...
She tugged upward on the trunk door with one quick jolt, the lock breaking away entirely from already being damaged. She lift it slowly, the opening letting loose a wave of air and smell that made her stomach flip- but she swallowed against it. Her hands remained on the trunk door, her eyes narrowing to slits and frowning deeply- she was faintly aware that Hawks moved a hand from his pocket to cover his mouth and nose.
There was a plastic bag filled with that same ugly orange-brown goo, a puncture torn through it and leaking continually around the bent, twisted, malformed tangle of limbs and torso and... organs, swollen and falling apart like meat off a slab.
"Mm... that'd be a dead body." Hawks mumbled behind her, his voice hushed and clearly muffled from the hand he had to ward off the stench. "... a very old, dead body... looks like it's been there for weeks." Spirit's shoulders sagged slightly, her eyes dropping closed and shaking her head a bit as she grumbled under her breath.
Damn it...
She dropped the trunk door back down, shutting it only partially and enough no one could see into it. She turned, hissing under her breath and catching Hawks' eye as he tilted his head at her and the rather annoyed look she had now. "Oh, you look miffed now." He hummed, she huffed. "Frowning because of your distaste for whoever owns this car, or are you still bugged by the smell~?"
"Neither." She muttered, pushing passed him without another word and pulling her phone from the pocket in her suit.
11:43
She let out a low groan and put it back in her pocket, moving toward the nearest Officer- who was already moving toward her with her strap she had used to tie up Holes before.
Between going over what happened with the Villains, and now this mess with a freaking dead body in a car... I'm not getting home before 1:30
She offered up a small smile and a small thanks as he set the strap in her hand, and she leaned in to his ear and told him quickly what was in the car. The Officer stiffened at the words, his eyes wide as he pulled back and she simply nodded, just once. He turned around and quickly sped off to find his Supervisor, leaving Spirit standing where she was and turning her back slightly on the crowd of reporters already lining up behind a hastily thrown together barrier.
Fuck. My. Life.
"It's Animal Spirit, and Hawks!"
"Can we grab you for a few questions?"
"What happened here?"
Her eyes dropped to the strap in her hand, her posture wilting a little more and paying the called out questions and the flash of cameras no mind. She moved toward a separate car, propping her foot up on the bumper and she started to wind the strap around her leg and back into it's original place.
I take it back, I didn't want anything to do... it would have been so much better to just... not be here.
Not fight some Villains
Not find a dead body in a car, rotting
Not run into and get swept up by... him
"You're not the chatty type, are you Spirit~?"
She stiffened a bit, her hands stalling as she glanced back toward the voice and found Hawks as he moved to place himself right beside the car she was at. He smiled lazily, hands in his pockets and very much at ease despite- well, finding a decomposing body not two minutes ago. She grimaced to herself, tightening the last of the strap and setting her foot back down on the ground, her arms crossing about her chest as she sighed.
"... It's not that I'm not 'chatty', I'm just not in the mood... Besides this is a crime scene now, small-talk doesn't seem appropriate." She grumbled lowly, he hummed a bit.
" 'Not in the mood' because you're lacking sleep?" He quipped brightly, Spirit's face fell as a vein ticked on her forehead, and she bristled.
"I'm gonna be in even less of a mood if you keep pointing that out, Bird-Boy!" She snapped back lowly, he smirked.
"Mhmm, so let me see if I can figure out why you looked so annoyed when we found that poor chap in the car." He hummed, not at all perturbed with her sudden flare of annoyance. "You were planning to call it quits after all of this, but now with the surprise package in the trunk- you're not gonna be getting home for awhile, and that's a bummer on your, clearly already strained, sleep schedule~?"
"So now you're trying to tick me off?" She growled, he chuckled.
"Am I wrong though~?" He asked easily, her eyes flashed. She looked away from him with a huff and a small curse under her breath, and he smiled dryly at the reaction. "Hah, now that does beg the question Spirit~! What is it that kept you from sleep, hmm? Binge-watching your favorite TV Show~? Insomnia~?" He leaned in a bit, smiling still as Spirit growled under her breath. "Domestic conflict with your significant other~?"
"None of the above." Spirit replied lowly, her arms crossing about her chest. "And it's none of your business either, why are you so nosy?"
"I think I'm rather charming." Was the easy reply, she rolled her eyes a little.
This guy... ugh I swear-
"Well, let's see if I can help turn that frown upside down~!" Hawks trilled brightly, comically in a way as he cast her a carefree smirk that she just... oi
He's like an overgrown child, how has he not gotten killed yet?
This overly confident, nosy, self-assumed 'charming' guy is the famous Hawks? Honestly?
"Since your pressed for sleep, how about I take care of the logistical stuff with he murdered guy and the Press?" Hawks hummed, Spirit quirked a brow. "I take it you don't intend to really deal with the Media anyway, but the Cops you have little choice~ You'll still have to give your statement about the guys you went head to head with, of course, but I can handle all the other stuff~! Stick around and keep an eye out while the Cops deal with that guy in the trunk and things surrounding that inevitable investigation/headache, all of that, so you can head home~" He smirked a bit more, leaning in almost as a sudden glint came into his eye and Spirit blinked.
I don't like that look
"~but! You gotta answer a few simple, easy little questions first about your Quirk~! I'll even answer the ones you have about mine if ya want~" he added in, almost slyly in a way and Spirit bit the inside of both cheeks.
What is with him and my Quirk?
She didn't like how interested he was, at all
"Fair deal, yeah~?" He smiled easily, her eyes just narrowed further.
... She was dead tired but... She still wasn't sure why he was so interested...
... Honestly, what is with this guy...?
"... What do you want to ask?" She mumbled slowly, his eyes shone slightly.
"First things first! Do you only Transform into Animals, or are humans and objects up for grabs too?" came the repeat of the earlier inquiry, and she blinked.
"... Just animals, no people. Not objects, nothing like that."
"Mmkay, so then can you Transform into any animal or only a set few?" He asked next, "So far I've seen an eagle and a cat- and in the reports there's been mention of a Rhino, and a Bear~! Even a giant cow one time, though don't think that was you~" she blinked,
Giant cow? No... Regular cow maybe but not giant-
"... I can Shift into a lot of animals, but not all of them." she murmured, "Bear, Cat, Eagle, Rhino... those are just a few. It'd take too long to list them all off, though."
"Gotcha~ So when you 'Shift', what's with the whole ghostly, mystical thing? Do you give off some sort of energy or something, or is it just for show? Or is it like 'Magic'? And does that have something to do with the whole, all-black trend ya got going on?" He asked, "Oh, and you can 'Shift' completely into an animal or only part way, yeah?"
This is like an interview... Or an interrogation.
"... It's just how my Quirk works. Couldn't tell you why, but the whole 'mystical' ghost sort of thing is just how it is. Energy I guess gets close, but it's just appearance, it doesn't really serve any other purpose." She mumbled, "... Same thing with all black, no matter what animal I turn into. Can't change it, it's just how it works." He nodded a bit and she crossed her arms about her chest. "... And yes, I can choose to only Shift parts of my body instead of all of it. Or I can manifest features and things from Animals separately that I don't have myself, instead of Shifting per say..." She trailed off as his hand raised and he set his chin in his fingers almost thoughtfully.
No, seriously- why is he so interested?
"Cool, cool~" he hummed, "Mmm... That was about all I wanted to ask right away, see that wasn't so bad huh?" He smirked, "I'm sure I'll think of something to ask you another day, but if ya got any questions you wanna ask about my Quirk have at it~! Or if you're even just curious about me in general, then by all means, ask away~"
Spirit stayed quiet for a few seconds, her red gaze narrowed and settled on him with the utmost neutral expression she could have ever mustered- and the most intense one too. Hawks' cheery demeanor even faltered under the look as the silence stretched on a bit too long for comfort, a bead of sweat appearing on his brow and head tilting just so faintly. "... You good there, Spirit..?" He hummed slowly,
She hated it when people were so interested about her Quirk
"... you have wings. You fly. You control separate feathers remotely via telepathy or some shit like that, and they are stronger than regular feathers." She said at length, her tone rather matter of factly. Her eyes fell closed as she let out a small sigh and shook her head, "... honestly, Hawks- your Quirk isn't that hard to understand, and there's nothing I'm burning to as about it, or you... and since, like I already said- I'm not in the mood... I'm just gonna square away my half of this mess with the police and go home." He seemed a bit taken aback with her answer, and her lack of interest- his face twisted a bit and his shoulders seemed to sag, almost disappointed for a few seconds, before he smiled calmly.
"Well then, I'll have to catch you again when you're in a better mood, huh?" He hummed brightly, she blinked, her eyes narrowed at him as she moved to walk passed him, and he stepped aside to let her- waving a hand in near animation. "I betcha we got a lot more in common, Spirit~! It'd be cool to chat with ya a bit, but I can wait for another day~! I wanna see you in action too, so maybe I'll pop by when you're working, lend a hand, or just watch ya work, who knows~"
And what on earth do we have in common, besides being young, lone wolves in the world of Heroes?
She didn't say anything, she sighed internally and kept walking. "... whatever." She mumbled, he just kept smiling... idiot.
"That's not a no~!" He trilled happily, she rolled her eyes a bit and kept walking.
He's an overgrown child...
She could feel his eyes darting toward her from time to time even as she settled in to giving her report of events to the Police. She could feel his eyes manage over toward her back even as he sidetracked himself to make an appearance with the media, answering questions, taking photos- even a few autographs she was pretty sure. Once she was done talking she moved to take a speedy, quiet exit on the opposite end of the garage- only to get called back by his bright, calm voice.
"Spirit~! Wait a minute, before ya go~!"
She grumbled under her breath, her eyes dropping closed and her back toward him for a few seconds.
... It's fine... I suppose it would be rude not to say thank you... for handling the shit with the body so I can home early... and with that thought she turned back around, finding again that casual smirk and non-bothered expression as he drew up in front of her. The both of them not three feet from the wall at the edge of the building she had been heading toward for an exit (barring stairs or anything... normal. She had to make a bit of an abnormal exit if she was gonna avoid press waiting outside the garage itself.)
"You flying home~?" He asked easily, noticing her intended path apparently, and she sighed.
"That is the plan." She mumbled,
"Avoiding paparazzi?" He smirked, she frowned. He laughed lightly, "Ah, probably best anyway- you look super tired, people would notice in the pictures~! Not that you still wouldn't look cool in them, mind you~!"
"... I'm fully convinced you are trying to tick me off." She muttered dryly, he shrugged a bit playfully... and she honestly couldn't find a reason to be amused, it just irked her more. "Is this really how you make first impressions with other people?" She grumbled,
"Ah, I thought it was going rather well between us~?" He smiled, she huffed.
Guess again Bird-Brain- you are annoying me... but maybe it's just because I'm fucking tired... damn it I don't even know anymore.
"... I'm leaving, before I find a reason to bite you." She grumbled, he smirked.
"Oooh, that's a bit kinky~" he replied without skipping a beat,
"Shut up." Spirit snapped quickly, cutting him off only slightly and he just seemed all the more amused. She shot him a glare, "Bye Bird-Boy, enjoy staying up, dealing with everything..." She turned her back on him and hopped lightly on top of the wall, balancing on the edge of it and seeing the ground 17 stories below- but not at all bothered by it. She paused, grumbling under her breath and her back turned to him- she could feel him watching...
"... and I guess thanks, for taking care of it so I don't have to." She mumbled, almost stubbornly as she turned on the wall to face him- the cool night air washing against her back as he smiled and dipped his head.
"My pleasure~!" He hummed, his smile turning to a coy little smirk. "Sweet dreams, Spirit~!" He chuckled with a small little wave, she rolled her eyes at him, her hands on her hips and eyes dropping closed as black began to rise up behind her, sending bits of hazy nothing falling into the air- and he watched in interest.
"... you're a damn child..." She mumbled, shaking her head at him but never meeting his gaze as she took a step back, and promptly fell out of sight. Hawks stiffened a little on instinct, taking the few steps forward to bring himself up to the wall as his hands fell atop it- searching for that Pro and expecting the sight of that jet black eagle from before. His jaw dropped, a rush of air suddenly wafting over him and the sound of wingbeats filling his ears as Spirit came back up into view- still very much human, but more-
There were a pair of massive, ethereal, faintly see-through black-red wings on her back spilling a river of dark glittering pieces into the air underneath her as she pumped up, hovering in air before him. His eyes flashed, his gaze trailing over the wings in quick succession and she blinked at the awed look he had now,
He looks almost as fixed as everyone else when they see me Shift, huh..?
"... woah.." He breathed, almost too low to hear as she tilted her head a bit- but the awed expression lasted only a few seconds more, before he was grinning, excited and like a kid in a candy store. He leaned over the railing a bit, his wings fluffing up in excitement behind him. "You have wings too~!?"
"... mmm... seriously...? You asked me how my Quirk worked, Bird-Brain. Why do you look so surprised?" Spirit mumbled, her eyes flashing as he kept smiling.
"Well I knew you could turn into a bird, but I didn't imagine you could Shift to have wings like me~!" He replied back brightly, she sweatdropped.
So what part of 'I can choose to only Shift parts of my body instead of all of it. Or I can manifest features and things from Animals separately that I don't have myself' did you not get?
She didn't feel like arguing the point though, she just shook her head a bit and let out a long sigh. "... you're kinda hopeless, aren't you...?" She mumbled near half to herself, he heard it though and chuckled.
"And you're kinda grumpy, huh~?" He quipped back with ease, her jaw snapped shut as a vein ticked on her forehead. "But hey~~! I told ya we had things in common~!" He paused, looking a bit more excited as he leaned over the railing a bit more. "Oh! I've gotta great idea; we gotta do a photoshoot sometime~! We'll be matching, and we'll totally look super cool~!" Spirit stiffened a little, brow quirking as she just stared at him.
Uh...yeah... No...
... He's acting like we're suddenly chummy out of nowhere? What the hell?
Her body got swallowed up in a haze, distorted and blurry as more pieces of sheer black continued to shed from her wings- before her form solidified again into the eagle. She hovered in air a few more seconds, Hawks still watching with that smirk of his- oi
"Don't count on it." She sighed, before flapping harder and turning- she took off, climbing higher in air as she left him behind.
"That's not a definite no, Spirit~!"
She never replied and he stayed there leaning against the wall and his chin and cheek falling in his hand as he watched that ebony black bird fly further and further away until even he couldn't see her anymore. He smiled softly to himself, his fingers tapping lightly against his jaw as he hummed under his breath a bit.
"... Well, you're much more interesting than I thought..." He murmured to the air, and to himself. He smirked, chuckling under his breath.
"Hehe... If a bit grumpy~! Heh... But I can work with that..."