Chapter 24
Cautionary
.:+:.
... I should have walked away ...
... I shouldn't have refused...
... If I hadn't... Then you wouldn't have been... Dragged into it...
... You wouldn't... Have been forced to... If I had just...
.:+:.
... Maybe... This isn't so bad.
She hopped down to the next level of the fire escape with grace, her paws hitting the cold grated metal with a soft thump, but little else.
... I mean... He still irks me with his childish behavior sometimes...
... And his stupid pervy comments...
... And his constant chatter...
... Ugh.
She jumped down to the next level, balancing delicately on the thin metal railing this time around.
... I don't think him irking me is ever gonna go away, but...
... He's not... Making me as angry as he was before...
... I think he's trying not to push it so much, and that helps...
She paused, looking over the edge of the railing and toward the next, and last, level of the fire escape that brought her almost level with the roof of the building beside it. Her ears fell back against her head as she settled onto her haunches a bit, her tail twitching behind her.
... I still feel on edge about... All the personal stuff... And him asking questions...
... Of course I do... I'm nowhere near a place where... I wouldn't be... But...
... Just generally?
... I think I've mellowed out too... Which is weird... Honestly...
... I don't feel... So tense all the time, when he's around... When we're just working it's... Kinda content...?
She sighed, the breath escaping her much more like a mew than it did a regular sigh.
It wasn't just with Hawks, though with the Winged Hero it was much more noticeable than anything else- given he'd been pretty persistent these last few days with his 'popping in for Patrol'. It had only been three days of popping in, thus far, after he'd gotten back from his break from getting hurt with the Explosion Villain in Heiku- but he'd been around for all three days (despite her telling him not to pop up everyday). It was something of a small mercy he didn't seem to be pissing her off as much as he usually could, otherwise she probably would have told him to get lost by now- but no, he wasn't making her so angry at all.
We've mellowed out... Which again, a little weird
She and Hawks had done little of consequence the last three days, there hadn't been any big incidents or accidents to contend with- Heiku had gone back to it's relative quiet, the odd occurrences of the likes of the Shadow and Explosion Villains not being seen again just yet. They'd helped out with a few random things, like a car upending a traffic light one day, helping evacuate an apartment building with a gas leak, and a few various bits of vandalism, or small time theft in convenience stores. None of it was hard, and really either one of them could have easily handled things all on their own- but they worked together regardless, lending a hand here and there, being productive- and getting everything resolved and done with in record time. Generally they were so lacking in things to do they'd settled into just walking around and keeping an eye out- which is when Hawks got the into being all chatty (and therefore irked her the most).
Hawks had been better about the working with other people thing though. As she said, most of the things they did could have been easily handled by just one of them, and usually Hawks would have done just that and left Spirit on the sidelines- but he seemed to be doing his best not to do so. For the really minuscule things he did just jump ahead and wrap it up himself, but generally if they could both lend a hand on something, he held himself back long enough to let her. He even kept himself back a few times and let Spirit handle something all her own, and unlike back with the Interns he stayed away from openly commenting on her work like some sort of broadcaster (to which she was quite thankful for).
Long story short- the last three days of constant joint patrol with Hawks had not been altogether awful... It'd actually been (maybe?) kinda nice...?
At any rate, if 'nice' wasn't the right word, it had at least been less boring on the off hours between things happening and it being dead slow.
Feathers is nothing if not good for filling long, boring pauses I guess...
She shook her head slightly at the thought.
Hawks had taken a week off after the Explosion Villain thing and the concussion he'd earned from it, so for that entire week she'd been spared him dropping in. Which was a nice little reprieve from all the tense, prodding thoughts that had cropped up because of the whole telling her his name thing... So in the meantime she'd focused a bit more on training Sasaki at the bar, and she was having a fairly good time doing so. As she'd said before, it reminded her of the Internship with Anima, and she enjoyed Sasaski just as much as she did the UA boy. Sasaki had relaxed significantly around Spirit that whole week without Hawks, and enough so she wasn't always so jumpy or tugging at her hair in that nervous tick so common for the younger girl. She and Spirit talked now, about random little things and nothing super hefty- it was chatter and conversation that was very much like the ones she had with Hawks and Mamoru-Killjoy.
Just... Content, and easy... But still cautious.
Spirit hadn't really done much in the way of all those pestering, anxiety riddled thoughts that had stirred to life- the idea that life shouldn't be as it was for her, or as hard... That she should be living differently than she had all her life, and yet never saw it until now. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do for it, not all the way, or what she would even be able to do about it. Changing anything about all of this, after having been this was for so long, it was hard... it was actually kind of impossible to even think about.
Worse still, that impossibility almost felt like... Like she was doing something wrong by even thinking about change at all. Thinking about it was dangerous, and apt to fail, and put her in a place she couldn't be in... An awful, awful place that might end in something even worse than all the worst-case scenarios she could come up with put together. All the years of lessons and warnings and reasons to not were still heavy on her mind and in her soul, and it had her wavering still, and hesitant.
Cautious as always
... Well anyway, speaking of the week prior with no Hawks?
Her patrol for that week had not been just her patrol, not the whole time... She'd been joined on Thursday by Mamoru-Killjoy, who like she did frequented the Hero Work Graveyard Shift... And damn it, she hadn't minded it at all.
Mamoru-Killjoy was extremely good at hosting any conversation at all, and always without prodding too much, or straying too close to any and all topics that Spirit did not take kindly to. Unlike Hawks, who inevitably always rounded back to something too personal, or something too prying- Mamoru-Killjoy never did. She wasn't constantly worried about him slyly bringing up something that would lead to something more, or that he was trying to coax things from her, or any of that. It was just light, casual, easy conversation, and nothing else. It was normal, and sort of like the way she could talk to Death Arms and not be all guarded and cautious... Well, barring Mamoru-Killjoy's clear intentions toward flirting and the like. And she didn't really mind that bit so much either, he was (admittedly) quite charming about it, and not over the top or anything. She could handle it just fine.
And patrol with Mamoru-Killjoy had been almost enjoyable- they got involved in a little thing involving a group of guys making a mess of an office building, and they worked well together too (Spirit more the hands on side of the duo and Mamoru-Killjoy in a more supporting role). And then the rest of the time when they weren't handling some mess, things had never been tense or uneasy... She knew she shouldn't put too much faith in one night of course, or get too comfortable- but even still... Being sociable with Killjoy wasn't that bad, so far.
She shook herself out, banishing the thought and looking ahead toward the rooftop, and that small divide between it and her.
... Speaking of 'sociable'...
She let out a small sigh, her eyes flashing and the tip of her tail twitching once more to see the blur of red on the opposite end of that rooftop ahead of her... A blur of red to which she'd seen a familiar vermilion feather dart up to from about a block away, and one she'd followed behind closely toward the source- that blur of red, as she'd put it.
You know, the blur of red perched on the railing surrounding the perimeter of the roof, and not at all perturbed with the several story drop in front of it.
... Of course he's hanging around again... That bit about him not popping in everyday really went over his head... Oi...
... Well too bad for Bird-Boy, I'm not gonna be around all night for him to pester...
She tensed slightly before pushing herself forward and making the jump across the gap and onto the rooftop, and landed delicately on the other side with all the grace owed to a cat and the Ebony Hero. She didn't pause as she landed down, she started walking right away and in a line toward him, her pawsteps quiet and near silent. He didn't seem aware of her approaching at all, he didn't stir or even twitch- he just kept on, crouched on the balls of his feet and wings folded in behind him, facing away from her. Spirit hopped up onto the railing a little ways down from him and he still didn't seem to notice- naturally so, since he was in the middle of stuffing his face with a rather large sandwich, and otherwise was looking at the food, or down at the street.
She blinked, her ears twitching faintly at the sight and pausing a moment where she was.
It was not something she'd really picked up on until these last three days, but he always seemed to be either suggesting they get food, or already had food on hand. He'd seemed big on them catching meals or snacks when out and about before now, but how much he did that hadn't become clear until recently. And what was even more noticeable was that even if he wasn't suggesting they go grab a bite to eat, he always had something edible stuffed away in his jacket pockets... He seemed to have started to carry snacks with him, since he'd been popping in to meet her on Patrol- he'd offered several times already to share, though she wasn't ever interested... She did wonder why he seemed to have started carrying food all the time though...?
... 'He's weird' is probably enough explanation for that...
... And he's a child...
She sighed to herself and started toward him the bit that was left between them, shaking her head slightly and balancing on the narrow railing with no issue at all.
"... Do you ever stop eating?" Spirit sighed, her voice breaking the quiet and the subtle sound of him chewing. He jumped slightly, his mouth stalling and his eyes shifting sideways in her direction, stunned for a few seconds as she continued to move closer. She paused a few inches from him, her head tilting up at him and ears pricking. "Seriously Feathers, you've been nonstop with the food the last three days." She commented flatly, and he swallowed what was still in his mouth quickly, a smile spreading over his face.
"Well hello to you too, Sunshine~!" He shot back brightly, "It's nice to see you again, you're out earlier than usual, huh~?" He chirped, his hands and the sandwich with them falling a bit as he turned his head toward her all the way. "Ah, and I do stop eating of course~! But I've been running around a lot the last few days trying to catch up on all the work I missed when I had to take the week off- so I gotta keep charged, ya know~?" He hummed and she blinked.
... If you're that busy, wouldn't it be more efficient not to be hanging around with me all night, every night...?
She didn't mention it, but she did huff slightly under her breath- and Hawks did not notice it, he just kept going.
"Speaking of- have you heard anything new on that guy who was blowing everything up~?" Hawks asked next, and Spirit's tail tip twitched at the question.
A few days after the whole fiasco, Spirit had been called into the Police Station to go over what had been found out about the whole situation, which in short- the dude was just your regular everyday guy, with no criminal past or anything at all. He had no reason or agenda for having been blowing everything up, he'd just gone ballistic because he'd shot himself up with some sort of Quirk-Enhancing Drug... To which said Drug was clearly unstable and prone to extreme side-effects.
The QED (short for Quirk-Enhancing Drug... You get it) had made the dude's generally minimal power Quirk into something off the charts, and made him manic and paranoid to and extreme so that he'd gone off the rails and started attacking everything. The specifics of it Spirit didn't really know, or understand completely when it'd been explained, but the gist was he'd been hopped up, out of control, and then promptly overdosed later after he'd been brought to the hospital and the QED began to taper off. The dude had been in a coma since then, so the Police weren't able to ask him where he got the drugs or why he'd taken them at all... And with all the damage the guy had done to the surrounding area, any street camera footage of him for several hours before then had been destroyed, which did not help the police any at all.
"... No, the police asked around the guys friends and family, but they weren't aware of any prior use with QED's beforehand." Spirit murmured, "They're still trying to salvage some of the street footage, but as far as I know they aren't having any luck... And the guy himself hasn't come out of the coma yet, so no luck on that end either." She mumbled, taking a seat on the railing. Her body got engulfed in a black-red haze as she did it, which left her in her Human Form, her feet dangling off the edge and hands on either side of her. "... It's not like Heiku's an area prone to a lot of drug trafficking, so the whole thing is fairly out of the ordinary. There's more Pros and police on the lookout now for anything related, but unless someone else ends up going as out of control as that guy did, I don't really expect we'll find much else in this part of the city." Spirit murmured with a small shrug, and Hawks nodded a bit.
"Yeah, I figure that too... Whoever was selling them probably moved to a different district already~" Hawks hummed coolly, "Well, hopefully that guy wakes up fine and can talk about where he got the stuff, but for now we'll just have to keep an eye out, yeah~?" He murmured lightly, his eyes falling into the sandwich in his hands and smiling faintly as he shot her a look. "You want half~?" He offered next, completely changing the subject and she shook her head.
"No thanks." She replied flatly and he blinked,
"Not hungry?" He hummed, though it was not really a question, clearly so as he didn't wait for a reply. "Well anyways Sunshine, you are out and about a bit earlier than usual, huh~? You up to something, or could you just not wait to see me again~?" He asked with a sly little smirk, and she huffed at him.
"Oh I've had more than enough of your dumbass the last three days, thanks." She replied evenly, and he chuckled a bit under his breath at the quick retort. "And so sorry Bird-Boy, but I'm not sticking around with you all night today either. You'll have to find someone else to pester." She told him and he tilted his head in intrigue.
"Hmm? Well that's too bad, I was rather looking forward to another night working with you~!" He hummed, "You got plans~? Anything interesting you'll be getting up to~?" He asked brightly, and Spirit didn't glance back his way, her eyes simply dropped closed.
"... I'm meeting Death Arms for dinner today." She replied levelly,
"Oooh, your friend other than me?" Hawks hummed, and Spirit paused a bit at the assertion.
It still felt so odd hearing him say that, or thinking it... 'Friend'... For quite a while now she'd only ever had the one person she considered as such, but now there were two... And one of which was that... Childish idiot... Who notices way more than he let's on...
She bit the inside of her cheek, banishing the intrusive thought with a small, imperceptible shake of her head.
"... Yeah." She mumbled back, and Hawks nodded a bit, taking a bite from his sandwich and resuming his eating from before.
"Well like I said, I hate to miss out on workin' with ya, but that's okay~! I hope ya have fun with your dinner~" Hawks mumbled around his food, and Spirit let out a breath at the reappearance of his incessant talking while eating behavior. "Mmmm... You said you and Death Arms are friends from highschool?" He asked next between bites, and she sighed silently.
"... Yes." She murmured,
"How does that work? He's a lot older than you, yeah...?" Hawks murmured with a curious glance in her direction, and she bit the inside of her cheek at it.
... Always with prodding... And questions...
... He never stops...
... And sometimes... Like now... I don't know if he's doing it on purpose... Or if... It's just... Normal chatter...
... Damn it...
She must have gone a little too quiet just then, because Hawks' chewing stopped and he swallowed his mouthful without any indication that he would take another bite. He paused, his head tilting a bit while her eyes remained stuck on the street far below, and he seemed to wilt a little. He adjusted, moving from crouching on the balls of his heels and instead into sitting in the railing instead, much like she was, settling down and inching closer to her just a bit, the motion making her glance up his way, quiet.
"If you don't wanna talk about it that's cool, I know you don't like talking about personal stuff." He told her lightly, smiling faintly her way and Spirit blinked slowly at it. "You've been plenty patient with me the last three days, so if you're tapped out on answering stuff, I'll quit." He murmured and she paused, her eyes flashing slightly. Hawks smiled a bit more, a low chuckle escaping him as he looked away, his head tilting back with a small sigh. "Hehe, it's probably a good thing you are heading off today to do something else, so you really can have a break from me 'pestering' you~" He laughed, and she let out a little breath at it.
"... Hmm... You are incessant." She murmured, "... But it's fine, I'll answer your question- but it's the last one you get for awhile, got it?" Spirit told him sternly and he stiffened at it, a little stunned with the words, before grinning and nodding quickly.
"Got it~!" He chirped happily, and she rolled her eyes at him.
"... Death Arms and I weren't in school at the same time, he is older than me." Spirit murmured, "But he did go to the same school as me, and since he was so successful he makes a habit of going back to that school and helping with the Hero Courses- that's how I met him... He helped me out with classes and training, and Internship stuff... We just kind of... Clicked I guess, and we've been friends since." She explained, and Hawks nodded slowly letting out a small 'huh'.
"... I see." He murmured, "Well, that was nice of him to help you out so much back in school~! It's cool you guys hit it off like you did, and have kept in touch since~" He told her brightly, and she nodded a bit.
"... Yeah." Spirit murmured, Hawks glancing away and resuming with his sandwich. She watched him eat for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing slightly at him and chewing on the insides of her cheeks.
... I... Wonder...?
... He asks a lot of questions about me... But...
I... Don't really know anything about... Him...
... I don't ever... Ask...
"... Feathers." She said at length, and near to him being on the last few bites. Her saying something made him jump, and he looked her way quickly,
"What's up?" He murmured and she paused, faltering for a second as her eyes danced away from him almost... Nervously...?
Hawks' head tilted, question appearing across his face as he watched her intently and she seemed to bite the insides of her cheeks, her shoulders hunching ever so subtly. He saw her expression twist a little, the Ebony Hero quiet as she seemed to debate with herself for a moment or two, and he noticed the way her hands on the railing tightened. For a brief few seconds that fiery and enigmatic Animal Spirit got replaced with something he'd only seen the once... That little bit of insecurity that he'd seen back at his place, when she was trying to apologize for snapping at him. Insecurity mixed together with nervousness, and he felt something in his center twist just a bit at the sight of it.
What did she have to be nervous about so suddenly-?
Spirit shook her head a bit, a low sigh escaping her as she seemed to grumble to herself and that small bit of nervousness and insecurity faded as fast as it came.
"... Never mind." She mumbled. Hawks' head tilted further at it, his eyes narrowing to slits and holding her steady in his gaze, though she didn't look his way again. She shook her head once more, her eyes dropping closed as her shoulders sagged.
... I guess... I'm not... There... Yet...
... I can't... Do it... It doesn't...
... Feel right... Still...
... It feels... Too dangerous, I guess... Too 'sociable'...
... To close...
... Shit...
"... Well, have fun patrolling on your own Feathers." She murmured, changing the subject quite quickly and he just stared, eyes still narrowed in confusion and question for the little bit of weird behavior, and how quickly she seemed to retract. "Try not to get yourself blown up, will you? Since I won't be around to keep an eye on your dumbass tonight." She murmured and he hesitated a moment, still quite unsure... Before he smiled a bit.
Whatever that was, he wasn't really sure... But he did wonder.
However he had used his last question for awhile as she said, so he didn't press it... Not even when he really, really wanted to.
Ah man... You make it so hard, Spirit
"Hehe, I will do my absolute best not to get blow up~"
.:+:.
"... Hmm?"
Spirit hummed to herself, hands on her hips and red eyes flashing as she paused just outside the elevators, having drawn up when another woman was waiting outside of it (assumingly to be getting on said elevator). The Agency Building around them was quiet- as this was one of the highest floors and not regularly accessed by just anyone. The security in Death Arms' agency wasn't super tight, but tight enough only select people were up here (like Spirit and the other Pros signed on).
The other woman never made it into the elevator cabin before the doors shut though, like Spirit her steps forward had faltered upon catching sight of the Ebony Hero, and both of them faltered. The other woman looked almost panicked for half a second at seeing Spirit, though it was gone quickly enough and she just looked a tad nervous. Spirit wasn't sure what that was about, and it wasn't even why she stopped- she saw the other and something seemed familiar about her, and she ended up halting as she did her best to figure out why.
She didn't think she was someone at the Agency, she had a good mental list of the faces she had become used to from her many times here. She supposed she didn't know everyone that worked here (it was too big for that), but even still when she assumed that, it didn't feel right... This woman was not familiar for that reason, so what?
She had short pale blonde hair and green eyes, and was shorter than Spirit herself- but well built regardless. She wasn't dressed up in Hero garb at the moment, but from her build she was likely a Pro... Oh, wait.
.:+:.
"... Shit..." She hissed under her breath,
"... he's gone, isn't he..?" The other Pro asked quietly, easily hopping up and placing herself on the top of the tower near to where Spirit was- who's head tilted her way slightly, but Spirit's eyes had dropped closed by now.
"... I can do a flyover, but..." Spirit grumbled, shaking her head at herself.
"... the buildings are too close together to really see anything in the part of Hosu... and if he's smart, he won't be out in the open." The other woman mumbled, Spirit nodded stiffly in agreement.
"... damn it." Spirit hissed under her breath, her red eyes flashing in anger, the other Pro stiffened a bit. Spirit didn't notice the reaction, her head tilted down as she brushed her cheek along her upperarm- smearing the blood dribbling from a cut on the left side of her cheek and leaving her arm stained more red than it already was.
This... today... just... shit
"... I never caught your name." Spirit mumbled, casting the comment up toward the woman, who jumped in surprise at suddenly being asked, nervous.
.:+:.
She was there, after the fight... With Stain... She came with me to try and track him down...
"... It's Recoil, right?" Spirit murmured and the other woman jumped in surprise,
"O-oh, yes...! I... I'm surprised you remember me, Animal Spirit...!" Recoil stammered quickly with a small, polite, and yet uncertain smile. Spirit smiled slightly in return with a small nod,
"Of course I remember." Spirit hummed, her head tilting a bit. "But I am surprised to see you here? You aren't a part of this Agency, are you? I think I would have seen you before the whole Stain thing if you were..." Spirit murmured, and Recoil stiffened slightly.
"O-oh, n-no I'm not part of this Agency...! I was just... Ah... Well I was visiting someone is all..!" Recoil stammered quickly and Spirit blinked once.
... Why is she so nervous...?
She was snapping my head off about getting to an ambulance last I saw her... This is like... A complete 180°...?
"... Uhm, well anyway Animal Spirit, i-it is nice to see you...! I hope you're doing alright..?" Recoil kept on, and Spirit nodded slowly.
"... Yeah I'm fine, thank you for asking." Spirit murmured, Recoil nodded brightly.
"Ah, that's good...!" She hummed, clapping her hands together softly, before she smiled apologetically. "Well, I do actually have somewhere to be, so I won't keep you...! Uhm... Enjoy the rest of your day...?" Recoil murmured and Spirit paused, before nodding slightly again.
"Uh, yeah." Spirit mumbled, stepping to the side a bit as Recoil started toward the elevator rather quickly. As she passed Spirit by the air stirred, churning it and bringing a rather distinct scent of lavender with it- from Recoil, Spirit guessed, either perfume or something else. Spirit stepped up the hallway as she passed, waving a hand over her shoulder toward the other woman and offering up a small 'goodbye'. Recoil returned the wave rather nervously still, but Spirit gave it little more mind and kept walking.
... That was weird...
She shook her head and rounded the corner, heading up the hallway a bit and then veering left into a common area waiting there. It was empty, and she spent no time in finding a comfortable place at a table beside the large windows overlooking the city, pulling her phone from her suit pocket and humming to herself as she started typing into it.
Death Arms
I'm here in the common area when you're done with your meeting.
She sent the message off and dropped into surfing the internet a bit, avoiding all articles, blogs, posts and things that started with either 'Hawks' or 'Animal Spirit' (or both).
Unsurprisingly after the Explosion Villain fiasco, and then the resulting 'hang out' the day after... And the the last three days of being on patrol together- there was a lot of talk and gossip going on about hers and Hawks' 'relationship'. A lot of the gossip speculated that they were either friends, looking to team up professionally, or they were more akin to something romantic (blegh). The first was accurate, the second not even remotely close to a possibility, and the last even less realistic than that- but of course it didn't matter what was real or not. People were going to make up wild stories regardless, and assume all sort of insane things... She just had to deal with it (though with gritted teeth at times).
She wasn't all that pleased with the upsurge in attention and talk about herself and him, of course... But even then, what was she supposed to do about it? Now that she had already agreed to... To the whole 'friends' notion...?
She'd kind of trapped herself in that role, and she couldn't backtrack on it now, not without really good reason... And she still wasn't sure if she'd want to. Just like she still wasn't sure if she even really wanted to be friends with him at all, or what she was supposed to act like, say, ask... Oi
... I can't stop thinking about it... It's gonna drive me insane...
She'd been hampered by all those unsure things, anxious, nervous, wary things- and she couldn't keep them at bay. She was wavering constantly between the ingrained notion of what she'd been taught she should and shouldn't do, and this new, entirely foreign thought and feeling that... That it shouldn't be like this.
She felt knotted in a million different ways and it was without end, and she couldn't really untangle all of it on her own- which was mostly why she was here now, and going to go out with Death Arms. She needed a bit of sage-like advice on all of this, and he was the only one she was willing to talk about it with, and hope for any good, realistic answer.
He's sort of my reference for what is supposed to... Normal, I guess
Because hell knows I have absolutely no clue what a normal life is supposed to be
She sighed, her eyes flashing as she bit the inside of her cheek rather hard.
So yeah... She was hoping he'd help untangle all the mess she was in, and in her head... And just generally they needed to catch up on everything that had been going on too. Outside of a few phone calls the last week, and before that with the Stain thing, they'd not talked much. Now it was time to square away what had been going on even outside of Hawks.
... Though honestly... Most of it has something to do with Feathers... Fucking hell
He's taken over my goddamn life... him and Killjoy...
... And Sasaki too, a little...
(Though of course anything having to do with the Club, bartending, and Sasaki would be nowhere in whatever conversation was to take place tonight)
"Spirit."
She glanced up from her phone at the familiar voice, blinking in surprise to see Death Arms making the last of his way over toward her.
"That was fast." Spirit commented, her head tilting a little. "I figured I'd be sitting here at least ten minutes... Was it that short of a meeting?" She murmured and he paused,
"No, they just left about the same time you got here." He murmured, his head tilting toward the elevators. "Ready to head out and eat?" He asked and she nodded.
"Yep~" She hummed, climbing to her feet. "It's my turn to pay too, which is all well and good- because I'm probably gonna rant about a lot today... And I'm kinda in the need for some of that sage-like advice you're so good with." She smiled slightly and he quirked a brow at it, before shaking his head.
"You realize it's not 'sage-like', it's just common sense." He murmured, the both of them starting toward the elevators side by side. Spirit smiled a little more at the reply, her hands hooking behind her back a bit.
"Mm, I dunno it's not really common sense for me, so it registers as sage-like instead." She hummed back and he let out a small breath at it.
"... Hmm, well I don't know about 'sage-like', but I will do my best to give at least good advice." He murmured, and she nodded.
"Appreciated~"
They stepped into the elevator together, Death Arms first and Spirit following behind. As they stepped over the threshold of the elevators Spirit faltered slightly, her nose twitching as the scent of lavender rose up to meet her in the quake of Death Arms' path.
Huh... Is that... Coming from him...?
She hummed a bit to herself, both of them stopping shoulder to shoulder and facing the doors as they slid shut. The elevator began to cycle down and Spirit glanced sideways toward Death Arms, her head tilting slightly. She leaned in a bit toward him, her nose twitching further and Death Arms stiffened at the gesture, a small frown pulling at his lips and eyes narrowing at her.
"... Sniffing people is rude, Spirit." He told her lowly, but she shook her head a bit.
"I know that." She murmured back quickly, her head tilting further as she caught his eyes rather curiously. "Forgive me being rude, but why do you smell like lavender?" She hummed and he stiffened at the question ever so slightly, though she hardly noticed it. "It's the same way that lady Recoil smelled like, I noticed it when I ran into her getting out of the elevator." Spirit mused nearly all to herself, before pausing slightly, quiet for a second or two as the thoughts started to slowly click together in her head.
... hmm... actually-?
"... Wait, was Recoil who your meeting was with?" Spirit asked, "She said she was here to visit someone, and you said they left about the same time I arrived, yeah?" She murmured and he seemed to frown a tad more, pointedly looking at the elevator door and not the Ebony Hero.
"Yes." Was the low, very curt answer, and Spirit blinked, brow quirking.
"Why? And how do you know her anyway?" Spirit asked next and his eyes dropped closed, his arms crossing over his chest.
"... She was worried about you, after what happened with Stain. But she hadn't any way to get ahold of you, so she came to me- since she'd heard we were friends. She wanted to check in and make sure you were alright." Death Arms replied simply, but Spirit's head tilted further.
"... Okay I get that's how you know her, but the Stain thing was weeks ago now, clearly I'm fine." Spirit murmured, "Why she'd visit you today? Clearly is has nothing to do with me." She pointed out, and he didn't answer right away, to which the hesitation made Spirit smile a little- though she wanted to smirk, but she kept from doing so. She was quickly starting to think she knew the answer to her own question, and Death Arms' silence only confirmed it a bit more for her- plus, he smelled a lot like lavender... Like way more than should have been normal if it had been just a little 'meeting'.
"We've kept in touch, she was just visiting, and catching up a little." He replied lowly and she smiled a tad more, leaning back away from him and stalling her sniffing, and she nodded once.
"I see." Spirit hummed and he shot her a sideways glance, but she had let her eyes dropped closed, that smile still gracing her lips. "Well, it's nice you two seemed to have hit it off, she seems nice... Though she was quite nervous to have run into me." Spirit murmured, and he huffed, looking away. He said nothing to the comment and Spirit smirked a little for it. "You two seem to keep in touch a lot, huh? From how much of her scent is on you, it must be quite often..." Spirit hummed almost off-handedly, her head tilting a bit in amusement. "... That, or you guys don't really bother with much personal space when you're visiting." She added rather coyly, and she needn't be looking his way to know he was frowning.
"I thought tonight we would be focusing on you." He muttered dryly, and she chuckled under her breath.
"Well I suppose, but we can talk about you too, ya know." She replied easily, "I mean isn't it supposed to be a trade-off? I talk about stuff and you listen, you talk about stuff and I listen?"
"Yes, but right now I'm not talking about myself, you are." He replied flatly and she let out a breath,
"Hehe, fair enough~" She relented with ease, "I'll quit, but if you do ever wanna talk about- I am all ears."
"Hmph."
.:+:.
"... After all of that he asked... If we were friends... And I don't know why I said it, or if I wanted to, or if I should have... But I said yes." Spirit mumbled, her finger tracing lightly (or rather anxiously) around the lip of the soda glass in front of her. Death Arms across the table from her just watched quietly, his eyes narrowing slightly for the appearance of the word 'friends' where he had never heard the Ebony Hero use it in context to anyone but himself.
The last hour had been full of catching up, Spirit relaying all that had happened with her Internship, the issue in Hosu, meeting Ingenium (Tensei) at the hospital, and everything having to do with Hawks and Killjoy in between. The revelation of Killjoy and his sudden spur of trying to be social (as Spirit had described it) caught him a little off guard- but it was how unsure Spirit was on what to do about it that was most interesting. And it was even more interesting how much more unsure she seemed, when bringing up Hawks. Spirit was not a social person, she never had been as long as Death Arms knew her. She didn't lightly 'hang out' with other people, or let herself lower her guard around others even slightly- it had taken a long time and a lot on his part for the two of them to ever grow to be the friends they were... So her saying now that she and the Winged Hero were friends (even as tentative and as unsure as she seemed about it) caught him quite off guard.
Hearing that she had volunteered to keep an eye on Hawks after the Explosion Villain thing did surprise him too, but only just so. Regardless of Spirit's reserved behavior she was kind, and she cared a lot about being helpful, and assisting wherever she could (she had become a Hero for a reason after all)... And even her agreeing to stay with Hawks at his home wasn't so out of the ordinary, since she had only agreed to do so for Hawks' benefit (let him relax more somewhere with less people and noise). It was a little out of the norm from her to be certain- but that action had had rational reasoning behind it... But agreeing to being friends with Hawks? Especially so, given how angry and annoyed the Winged Hero seemed to make her- she'd complained about Hawks' behavior before now, and even complained some more when she'd been catching Death Arms up. Generally she seemed exasperated by him and what he did, and the rest of the time she just seemed so... Unsure, when it came to Hawks. Just as unsure as she was about the... Friend thing...
Death Arms blinked slowly, his eyes flashing.
"... I don't know... I... I meant to say no when he asked... But it didn't come out as a no." Spirit kept on quietly, oblivious to the intense stare she was getting from Death Arms now. Her red eyes remained locked to the amber colored liquid of the soda under her hand, her gaze trailing back and forth with the little bubbles that rose to the surface here and there. "... I mean hell... He annoys the fuck out of me, he's always acting like a child, he makes all those stupid comments and he can't ever shut up... And he acts all oblivious and dumb, but he definitely sees way more than you'd ever know... he's hellishly perceptive, almost to a degree that might be... dangerous... But... I'm still... Hesitating to just... Drop him..." She mumbled, her voice trailing off at the end and her teeth gritting slightly for it. "... Rationally I shouldn't be able to stand him, or deal with him... I should want to avoid him, and even hate him for how much he pisses me off... And for how... How much of a bad idea all of this feels like..." She muttered lowly, her finger tracing the edge of the glass stilling as she shut her eyes a moment.
"... I mean... I gave him a chance, like you said I should... And I can't really say I managed to get him to slow down or mellow out, or even helped with all those awful habits of his, but... I tried, right...? I'm not really obligated to keep trying anymore... Yeah...?" She mumbled quietly, "... I just... I don't know... I guess my main issue is that... How do I know if me feeling like doing any of this is a bad idea is because it actually is a bad idea...? Or do I just feel that way because... That's what I've learned to always assume, and feel when something like this comes up...?"
... How do I know if... Things shouldn't be this way after all...?
... Or is the way my life has always been... Supposed to be that way...? Is what I've been doing the best way...?
... Or is... It the other way around...?
... Shit...
She drew her hand back from the glass, her head tilting forward so her forehead pressed against the back of her hand, and she let out a heavy sigh.
"... I'm... Not good with shit like this... I don't do this, I don't know how to act with... It's... Entirely foreign for me..." She mumbled lowly, "... All of it just keeps pestering me, I can't stop thinking about it... I can't... Make up my mind... Or tell which is right..."
"... It can't be entirely foreign, Spirit." Death Arms pointed out calmly, "You and I became friends, you have some experience with the notion."
"... Oi... It's not the same, at all." Spirit muttered, "... You never pressed me, for anything. You didn't ask questions, you didn't pry, you never, ever, prodded at me for anything I wasn't ready to give... You gave me all the time in the world to get to the point of being able to relax and open up, even a little... You have the patience of a God, if not for that... I don't know..." She sighed, shaking her head slightly, her bangs messing up against her hand a bit. "... Hawks is persistent... He never stops, he's always asking things, prying things from me, talking about things I don't even want to touch... He's said a dozen times already he 'promises' to be patient and not poke at me, but he always goes back to do it again... And I don't know if it's on purpose, or a conscious choice, or if he can't help himself- but he will never stop asking, I know he won't... This whole thing has been... So fucking fast..."
... Too fucking fast...
"... I'm... Not good with people who... Who press so much..." She muttered quietly, her voice dropping to something shy of a whisper now. "... I don't do this... I don't let people keep... Prodding... Or... Stick around long enough... To give them more chances to... But with him... I know I shouldn't with him but... I keep hesitating... Because I just don't... Know..."
... Or... Do I...?
... Is this me... Being willing to... Be so patient with someone like him...? Because... I might have been lonely...?
... Fuck I don't know... I don't... Get any of this...
Death Arms let out a quiet breath, his shoulders sinking slightly as Spirit seemed to hunch a little, her voice fading to none. The last time he'd seen her so worked up had been after her fight with Stain... And now, she wasn't as shaken as she had been back then, but she was just as tense. It was like she had the world sitting on her shoulders, and he sighed silently for it.
"I'm... Not good with shit like this..."
He knew that all too well
"... You complain about him a lot, and you're clearly wary of him too, and anything about spending time with him." Death Arms murmured slowly, "Even so, you still let him stick around, like you said... Is there nothing about him you like? Even a little?" He asked and she stiffened at it, her eyes snapping open in surprise.
... Like...?
.:+:.
Hawkward
...
ooof, that stings Spirit!
Is there really nothing about me you
like? Not just one, little thing?
And she paused one more time, her tired eyes trailing over the words and quiet. What sort of a question was that? 'One thing I like about you'?
I'm not sure I like anything about you at all, Bird-Boy... there's a lot of things about you that irk me, though.
She just looked at the screen for along while, lost on a reply- and as the minutes ticked by, Hawks apparently got antsy.
Hawkward
...
ooof, that stings Spirit!
Is there really nothing about me you
like? Not just one, little thing?
...
...
...
...
...
...
Hello?
Is that really so hard to answer?
You're kinda killin' my confidence here a bit Spirit...
...
...
... did you fall asleep on me?
Her eyes narrowed at the words,
Is this just him trying to boost his ego? Or does he actually care what I think of him? Why would he?
And what the hell am I supposed to reply anyway? I don't have any sort of honest answer, and I can't think of one...
.:+:.
... Hawks asked that same thing of me... And I...
She glanced quickly up at Death Arms as he asked it, and then quickly away again, chewing on the inside of her cheeks pensively.
Something about Hawks I like...?
... I... I don't know...
... Nothing in particular... Comes to mind... still...
... Even after like a month of knowing the feathery dumbass...
... I don't know if there is anything I actually... Like about him...
She grimaced slightly, her chin falling against the back of her hand and her red eyes narrowing at the table in front of her.
... There has to be something, like he said, right...? Otherwise why have I been hesitating to... Ditch Hawks this whole time...?
... Why don't I hate him...?
... There must be something... That I like enough to... Keep trying, right...?
... That makes sense but... I...
Death Arms quirked a brow as silence settled between them for quite awhile, Spirit's eyes never raising from the table again as she seemed to fade off into her own head. And the longer she stayed there, the more tense her posture seemed to become, just faintly. He let out a small breath, his eyes dropping closed as he leaned back in his seat, his arms crossing over his chest.
"... Look, I can't tell you what to do Spirit, and I know you're wound up about all of this... But... Just think of it this way, and hopefully it'll help at least a little." Death Arms murmured quietly, his voice breaking the silence and Spirit glanced up from the table slowly. "You would have stopped spending time with him if you didn't have anything about him you actually liked- even if you don't know what it is, there's definitely something that's kept you from walking away from him, right? I understand this isn't normal for you to do, you don't really spend time with people or make friends- so this is new, and it makes sense it would feel like a 'bad idea'... But just because you're unsure, I wouldn't put too much stock into it. Not until you're absolutely sure whether or not what you like about him, is worth more than what you dislike... Or the other way around." He murmured, "This is something you've never done, but trying and seeing how things go is not a bad thing- this is something you should have had to go through long before now... It's late coming, but this is a good experience for you. You're just gonna have to see and work through it, it'll be better in the long run, whatever the outcome at the end."
Spirit blinked slowly at the words, her lips pursing as she nodded stiffly, and just once.
... Something I should have had to go through before now, huh...?
... Maybe then... It is more that... Life shouldn't be this way, after all...
... I knew my life wasn't totally normal... But maybe it's a lot less normal than I realized, huh...?
... Damn it...
"... I see." Spirit mumbled softly, her eyes dropping again as she let out a low sigh, her red gaze glittering. "... I think... I get what you're saying... Thank you for listening to all my issues, and the advice... I'm just gonna... Tread lightly I guess... Be cautious." She told him quietly, and he nodded, though she never saw it.
... One thing... One thing I like about Bird-Boy... That's the reason I keep... Hesitating...?
... But... I don't know what... That might even be...
... Or if... Whatever it is... If it exists at all...
... Is it... 'important' enough... ?
... More important... Than all the doubts...? The feelings that... This is dangerous...?
... More important than this feeling... It's gonna end badly, at some point...?
... I... Don't...
... Shit... Do I... Want it to be...?
... What is it... About him...? That I just can't...
... Walk away from...?
.:+:.
Four Days Later-
"... Ah, it looks like it might rain..."
He hummed a bit under his breath, head tilting back and golden eyes scanning the misty grey sky overhead, a thick curtain of clouds blotting out the blue sky behind it. He shook himself out a bit, vermilion feathers ruffling with the movement, before turning on his feel and hopping lightly from where he was perched on the edge of one building, and down to another close by. He started along the edge of the roof, walking leisurely beside the steep drop two inches to his left and not at all bothered by it. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, burying his chin further into the collar of his jacket against the slightly chill wind sweeping through the city, and that was slowly gaining more bite.
Definitely gonna rain~
He shook the thought off and popped open the Instagram app, smiling slightly to himself as he skipped passed the little marker that popped up for likes and whatnot- and straight to the messages tab.
EbonyAnimalSpirit
...
Good afternoon Sunshine~!
I hope you're having a great day so far~!
My Agency Building is pretty much all done with renovations and whatnot, so how about you drop by today and I can give you a grand tour~?
He tapped the send button and the message went off, the Winged Hero dropping down again to an adjacent building and landing on the railing of a fire-escape with absolute grace and balance. He stuck his phone back in his pocket and kept walking, adjusting his headphones on to one ear and starting in on humming to the music.
He did not expect Spirit would answer right away, she usually didn't. And as it was, it was only a little passed noon- so far since gaining her as a message partner, Spirit didn't usually seem to be up and about at this time of day. Naturally so, since she seemed to prefer starting Hero Work at around 5pm, and his previous attempts at messaging her between noonish and then had never really garnered any quick reply, from what he could recall... What she was doing those hours everyday he wasn't super sure, but he let it be.
Four days had gone by since that brief little meeting he and Spirit had had on the roof, where she'd skipped out early to go meet Death Arms. And since then, he'd not actually seen the Ebony Hero at all, spare a brief chat with her two days prior when she'd been busy cleaning up a little thing in Heiku involving some vandalism. But as he said, that had been very brief, and he'd only managed to chat her up for about five minutes before she headed off again- it had been the end of her Patrol hours after all, and she'd said she had somewhere to be, so he got left alone again.
(Though where she had to be at about 3 in the morning he didn't know... And he really, really wondered- but he'd used up all his questions, yeah? No use making her mad by asking)
Anyway, he'd been rather lacking in time with the Ebony Hero the last few days, but he had to live with it. She needed a break from him and that was cool- as long as he didn't pester her so much she decided to drop him, a few days without her was more than fair... Though today of course he figured he'd try and test the waters a bit, see if she was up to a little bit of hanging out. He hoped so, but there was no guarantee she would say yes either way.
He stepped down onto the next building, landing with little a noise on the railing bordering it, and pausing midway through his next step. He pulled up, movement at the corner of his eye catching his immediate attention and sending him into a halt, one foot still raised in air to take a step as his head turned right.
"... Hmm?"
There was the small form of a black cat balanced on the railing a bit further down from where he was, the creature pausing in it's own movement as it became aware of the Winged Hero- leaving them both in a quick little standstill, before he shook it off. Hawks smiled slightly, for a brief moment thinking he'd actually run into the Ebony Hero- but of course this cat had green eyes, and not those deep scarlet ones he had grown so accustomed too from Animal Spirit.
"Hello~" Hawks hummed brightly, tossing a wave toward the cat and completely unbothered by what would have been considered odd behavior- ya know, talking and greeting the cat like it was a person.
The cat's ears twitched at the greeting, a small meow escaping it in reply. Hawks started in it's direction, slowly so, and the cat hesitated a moment, before inching closer too. Hawks drew up a foot or two away, dropping down onto the balls of his feet on the railing and letting the creature close the last of the distance itself. Hawks extended his hand as it got close, the cat giving him a tentative sniff, before nuzzling it's head against the side of his hand and then moving to rub against his knees. Hawks trailed his fingers lightly along the cat's spine, smiling to himself as it gave him a few little purrs, and rubbed its head against his knees a few times more.
"Well you're friendly, huh~?" Hawks murmured lightly, "Most cats usually run off when I drop down out of nowhere, hehe~" he chuckled lightly- and all too aware getting was talking to himself, but it wasn't like he'd never done that before~!
The cat stayed a few moments further enjoying the bit of attention, before it seemed to get it's fill and pulled away. It started off in the other direction, hopping down to a fire escape close by and continuing that pattern until it was out of sight, leaving Hawks to watch it go with a small sigh and a little wave.
"Heh, bye~"
The Winged Hero stood up, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets and letting out a small breath. A stiff breeze stirred up again as he did so, the sky fading to a darker grey overhead and the air quickly getting tinted with the scent of incoming moisture.
It wouldn't be a lot of rain he was sure, he could see the end of the cloud curtain off in the distance- this would be more a passing spot shower- but either way it was gonna get wet, and he'd rather not get caught in it if he could help it. He was used to working when it was raining of course, it was an inevitable part of the job and that was fine- but if he hadn't anything to do or resolve, it would be nicer to find a quiet spot somewhere with a bit of cover... He was totally fine to just sit back and chill for awhile, and wait on Spirit's reply. Plus, he still had feathers darting about the area keeping an eye out, so he could more than afford to hunker down and do nothing- he'd know right away if something was wrong if he did.
He pulled his headphones up all the way, the world around him getting completely drowned out by the music as he stepped off the railing into dead air with not a shred of hesitation. His wings flared as he did, catching air with complete ease and starting off over the buildings in a direction with the wind, sighing faintly as he cast the ground and the people milling by below a little glance.
... Hmm, I hope Spirit replies soon~! I'm kinda bored already, hehe...
.:+:.
Earlier-
"... Uhm, Kage...?"
Spirit jumped slightly, Sasaki's voice breaking into her thoughts in the most startling way imaginable. Her head snapped left toward the younger girl, 'blue' eyes flashing and blinking several times as her walking faltered just a tad too.
The sky was a misty grey overhead, the sun blotted out by the clouds and only breaking through intermittently as they shifted. They were both walking through the Red Light District, having gotten done with their shifts about ten minutes ago, and had been working their way through the streets in the direction of Sasaki's house in silence... Well, until said girl said something suddenly. Which doing so snapped Spirit from the mental hole she'd fallen into, and it was an unpleasant sensation.
Spirit caught Sasaki's concerned eyes, both of them drawing to a halt for a moment as 'Kage' seemed to struggle to come to terms with what she... said...?
"... Ah, I'm sorry...? Did you... Ask something...?" Spirit mumbled reflexively, and Sasaki stiffened slightly for the unsure reply.
"O-oh, I just asked if you're okay...?" Sasaki mumbled, "You've been really quiet all day, and all through our shift... Is something wrong...? You seem a little... Off..." She murmured and Spirit stiffened faintly at the assertion.
... Ah shit... I didn't mean for it to be so... Noticeable...
Spirit shook her head slightly, offering up a little smile that was meant to be reassuring, but it fell a bit short of the mark. "Oh, no nothing's wrong... I've just... I've had a headache all day." Spirit mumbled, "I guess I've just been a bit more quiet because of it, I didn't realize... But it's fine, it's really not that bad." She murmured, though it was a lie.
The headache was actually awful, truth be told. Her head was pounding, and so loudly it was like she could feel her heart beating in her skull, and it drowned all smaller noises out completely. It was a heavy, hot throbbing that was pressurized and had her feeling all tightly wound up- almost like her skull was a balloon tied up in rope and near bursting... It was hard as hell to think feeling like that, let alone focus on work and act normal- clearly so, since Sasaki noticed 'off' behavior on Spirit's part.
"Oh, I see... Are you sure you're alright, though...?" Sasaki murmured, her head tilting a little. "... Do you feel okay outside of that...? Maybe you're coming down with something..." She suggested, but Spirit shook her head again.
"Ah, no I don't think it's anything like that. I've just had a lot on my mind lately, and I think it's catching up with me." Spirit replied evenly, and this time it wasn't an understatement.
She had had a lot on her mind the last week, more so after her talk with Death Arms- all the pestering thoughts that had plagued her beforehand in regards to Hawks, and 'friends', and whether or not she should be doing what she was- all of it had just gotten more prodding as the days went on... She was being hounded relentlessly by all those swirling, incessant thoughts, and it was pounding away at her mind and her head so badly it had earned this awful headache. She'd even actually had the headache since yesterday, but it had not been this bad until today, and it had been getting steadily worse all throughout work at the bar.
She just couldn't stop... Stop brooding, and she really needed too- especially now with how much her head hurt. She'd been trying to think about none of it all day, and just let her mind fall into something empty and quiet... Mostly it was fruitless, but every once in awhile she managed it- only to get snapped back into reality, and each time was more unpleasant than the last.
"... Are you... Positive...?" Sasaki mumbled uncertainly still, and Spirit smiled a tad more (and a tad more convincingly this time too).
"Yeah, I just need to sleep it off."
She dropped Sasaki off at home and headed for her own, wasting little time in changing out of her work clothes and sinking into her bed once she got there- and hopeful she was right, and when she woke up in a few hours her headache would be gone... Or at least lessened.
But for what felt like not long at all floating in an endless black, her mind got dragged back into wakefulness by a low rumble and buzz. The minute she opened her eyes the pounding in her skull resumed, and continued to increase in intensity as she rolled over, grumbling to herself as she reached out to feel for her phone on the nightstand. She found it after a few tries, grumbling still as she clicked the screen to life, and struggled to read some blurred notification on the lock screen indicating... Hawkward...?
Fucking hell... What does he even want...?
She didn't open the phone or the app, she just pulled the notification down to expand it, and only faintly registered the words (for what shortened version appeared of the message that was too long to read in the little tab). It was something like 'good afternoon, hope you're fine, come see my Agency'... Or whatever. She really couldn't give a damn about it right then, and she didn't even try.
Spirit sighed, her hand and her phone with it falling back on the bed. The light of the screen in the dim of the room made her eyes hurt, and it only irritated her that it had been a message from Hawks that had jerked her out of sleep... Especially because trying to read even that little bit of it had instantly made her headache worse... And clearly the headache was still not gone, which irritated her even more.
She rolled over again with a huff, stuffing her phone under the second pillow she wasn't using and letting her eyes drop closed. She was already nodding off near the minute she let them shut, and she let out one last irritated sigh before falling into the black.
... Stupid Bird-Boy....
.:+:.
Present-
"...hmm, still no answer from Spirit, huh?" Hawks hummed to himself, his eyes falling from his phone and letting out a small sigh. He stuck his phone back in his pocket, his hand staying there like his other already was in the second pocket. He jumped down lightly from the roof of the building he was on and into the alleyway below, his wings flaring at the last minute to soften the landing, but the water coating the ground still splashed under his boots all the same.
The rain had come and gone now, a few hours later- like he expected it would. It had been a pretty good downpour though, and many of the lower streets were still running with wet on the sides. But even though the rain had ceased, the clouds had not left all the way- there was still a great deal of them lingering overhead and blocking the sky... Not that it mattered much they were there, the sun had already dipped below the horizon and night had started to settle in. It would be dark long before the clouds cleared all the way.
Well, anyway-
"... And no sign of Spirit out and about yet either, huh...? She must have skipped Patrol today..." Hawks kept on to himself, walking slowly up the alley and headed toward the street. "... Mm... That or she's been keeping a low profile if she is out and about..." He murmured, smiling wryly to himself with a shake of his head.
... Either way she's totally seen the message by now, but she's ignored it... Heh, I'm not even surprised...
He chuckled dryly under his breath, turning out onto the sidewalk at the end of the alley and starting forward with the few people out about in the wet and chill. He earned the usual turning of heads and calls as he did, and he smiled and nodded back, humming out his own hello's and greetings and whatever else, and all with his usual grace... Even when most of his attention was less on the people on the sidewalk, and more in his own thoughts.
... Is Spirit avoiding me...? Maybe she needs another day or two without my 'pestering'...?
... Or maybe she's just busy...? I haven't heard anything out of Dispatch for things Spirit would have gotten called in to help with... But maybe...
He couldn't say he wasn't disappointed for her lack of an answer, he was, a little... Even a 'no' would have been better than no answer at all, but he could live with it, and a little disappointment. Especially so since he was entirely sure she was actually giving him a little more leeway in terms of his 'pestering' and his friendly behavior than she usually would ever give anyone.
She'd said it herself, yeah?
.:+:.
"... I... I'm not... I'm not someone who can just... Let other people in like that... I'm not someone who... Who could share my name... Or personal things... And... I'm not someone that can... O... Or even knows how to handle... Somebody else... Trying to share things like that... Be open... Like that... I... Don't know how... To... Be that... To be... Something even really... Like a 'friend' either... N... Not a 'friend' like in the way... You wanna be..." She hissed, her voice dropping lower along with her head. "... I don't know if... I can be... That kind of person...ever... I just don't know... But... I am sorry... For what I said... And... For not being able... To explain anything..."
.:+:.
All of this- being friends, being relaxed, and sharing things, and being open- it was all so hard for her, for reasons she said she couldn't talk about, but it didn't matter if she said it or not. Just from her actions, and how hard a time she had telling him what she had, and everything he'd noticed about Spirit before now- whatever it was that was lurking at her heels at all times, it wasn't something good.
His smile cracked a bit at the thought, turning into something slightly pained, and slightly sad too, for just half a second.
... But she's trying, yeah...?
He didn't get the impression she tried to do something like be a 'friend' lightly, if ever... So he had to be patient, it meant more than he probably realized she had lasted this long with him and all his antics, and his slip-ups.
His head tilted back as he let out a small sigh, his golden eyes gleaming as he traced the clouds overhead- grey against a deepening black sky behind them.
... I promised I'd be as patient as she needs...
And he meant to be, he really did- he just got a little too ahead of himself sometimes, and he never intended to... It was just him.
Fortunately though, Spirit seemed to have patience enough for him so far, even if he did misstep.
He hummed a bit at the thought, that smile on his face brightening once more as he stopped his cloud watching and looked ahead again.
Heh... I am obsessed obsessed, huh?
I cannot stop thinking about you, Spirit... Is it maybe the same way around?
Are you thinking about me too?
It felt like wishful thinking on his part, but then again- who knows?
He almost laughed, but he never got around to it, not when he became instantly aware of a pair of people stopped ahead of him and to the side a bit. They were bent over slightly, looking uneasy and mumbling to each other quietly- all behavior that of course caught his ear, and Hawks drew up slightly, eyes narrowed.
"... Oh poor thing..."
"... Do you think it got hit by a car...?"
"Probably. Especially with how hard it rained, there's no way anyone would have seen it in the road."
"... Yeah that makes sense... That's so sad, should we... I dunno, take it off the road...? I mean it might be someone's pet..."
"... It could be a stray too, I don't see a collar..."
Hawks blinked, his eyes narrowing further as he looked toward the pair and caught the words said between them. One of them shifted, bending down further and stepping into the street with a single foot, both of them bent over something there in the stream of water flowing down the side of the road. With the guy moving Hawks got a good look at what they were so invested over, and he stiffened without meaning to.
It looked like a blob of crumpled, water-logged trash that had been pulled into the gutter- but the watery scarlet stain floating down the stream of water trickling passed it, and further down the road, made it clear it was not trash.
Wait a minute-
It was mangled, bent in ways it shouldn't be, bones broken under the jet black pelt, lifeless, soaked... He could not see it's head from where he was, it had been bunched up into something of a ball, but he did see tiny feet poking out and submerged in the bloody rainwater.
Hawks swallowed hard, his gaze flashing as his hands in his jacket pockets curled into fists. A shiver ran up his spine right then, goosebumps pecking at his arms and his heart skipped a beat too.
... Is that... The cat from earlier today...?
He grimaced at it, his eyes narrowing to slits and utterly rigid in his spot, attention locked onto the crumbled mess of black fur.
Hawks did not consider himself a superstitious person in any way, he generally considered anything like it as little but nonsense... But that?
That right there, in that instant, was utterly ominous
He felt another shiver run up his spine with no rhyme or reason, nothing other than the sudden and unprecedented sense of dread that dropped down over his head. His attention snapped away from the small body, his eyes darting left and out passed the buildings- there was something, a mental sensation from one of his feathers off in that direction, vibrations on the air, quick and heavy disturbances- something like shouting, coupled with bursts of pressure... A weapon, or a Quirk, he didn't know- but what he did know, in an instant?
Something's wrong
He was up in the air and high above the street in no time at all, a small burst of wind born of his wings wafting against those on the sidewalk- but the Winged Hero was already out of sight when they lift their heads to the sky.
Hawks was little but a red blur over the buildings, and a blur few could see in the gathering darkness. A flurry of feathers from different sections of the city began popping up above the buildings and converging in on him as he moved, though he paid them little mind.
He didn't pick up enough from the feather he was headed toward to 'hear' and make out the words of anything being said, but there was definitely some sort of commotion, and he grimaced for it, and the lingering knot in his core from the sight of the ball of black fur in the gutter.
It was just a cat, cats get hit by cars everyday, all over... It was just a cat, stuff happens- there's always some commotion about too, it's normal.
He weaved around a building ahead of him, the last few of the feathers he had spread around the area attaching again to his wings. He was headed fast toward the far end of Heiku, streaking straight over Kyashi Ward and toward the end bordering Hosu- returning for a second time to that portion of the city that day.
The closer he got the more he began to pick up, his eyes narrowing behind his visor as he picked out people running away from the tall and winding maze of a parking garage connected to a strip mall, shouting and startled as they scurried out onto the streets. He heard rumbling and booms coming from it, the structure shaking for what conflict seemed to be raging in the lower levels of it below the ground, and his lips pulled into a tight line.
There's always something going on, this is normal day to day conflict- it's nothing out of the ordinary.
There were police already rushing to start setting up barriers outside the structure, ushering people out and snapping orders over the radio, instructions, whatever. Hawks wasted no time on the police or their makeshift barriers though, he dove down and headed inside without a shred of hesitation, and most people on their way out didn't even register him passing them by. What little clue they had to the Winged Hero was in the flurry of red feathers that suddenly blew passed them, headed out in all directions of the structure, whizzing around the fleeing people and heading deeper in. Hawks caught snippets of what the people and the police were saying the first the few seconds he stayed on the ground level, his attention diverting from his flight to the voices only out of necessity to know at least a little of what was going on.
"... A group of Villains ransacked a few stores in the mall-"
"- it all happened so fast, I didn't see much..!"
"... Confirmed at least five of them, though there may be more-"
"-the fire alarm system has been triggered, any visual on active fires in the vicinity-?"
"W-we were just shopping and then those guys went nuts...!"
"... They're trying to escape through the far end of the structure, using the lowest levels-!"
"H-has anyone seen my wife...?!"
"- we have the east and north ends of the garage blocked off, they're headed toward the south portion-!"
"...no hostages have been confirmed, but there are several civilian injuries already from when it started..!"
Hawks grimaced at the words he caught, grumbling a bit to himself when he had to slow down in the confined space of the structure, especially as he dropped down to the first underground level.
"... Do we have a visual on the Villains-?"
"- they're moving too fast, and they seem to be damaging the security feeds in their path-!"
"All officers are to remain on stand by and help evacuation efforts- do not engage the Villains directly...! There are three officers already injured..!"
"One of the Villains has a deconstruction type Quirk! We need to minimize damage to the structure as much as possible, so it does not lose integrity...!"
"... Do we have any Pros already on the scene-?!"
"... I think Hawks just arrived-"
So a group of Villains decided to rob the place, and made a mess?
This must have happened fast as hell... Now they're getting chased and destroying everything as they go, huh?
Standard enough after all-
"- some of the citizens report seeing Pro Hero Animal Spirit in pursuit!"
He felt his heart skip a beat when he caught that last bit from an officer he whisked passed, his pulse quickening reflexively and he hated the reaction- but he pushed ahead a tad faster all the same.
He was moving at breakneck speed, the speed he was so known for and he did not falter- the levels of the structure went by in a blur as he headed down a few more and grumbled for the increasingly close quarters between the roof and the floor he had to move through. He kept up with the agility and grace owed to a top tier Pro such as himself, and he did not slow up as the destruction and mayhem got all the more clear the further south in the structure he went. The floor was getting more torn up, the cars parked all around were bent and glass shattered every which way- the pillars holding the roof up were cracked or crumbling in many places, with the roof itself sporting damage, cracks, or missing whole chunks- so much so you could see bits of the level above it. Whoever these Villains were, they seemed to be tearing up whatever they could in their path with no care or concern- it almost seemed like they were trying to make a big mess so anyone pursuing them would have a harder time catching up... And it kind of worked.
Hawks had little room even for flying at the moment, but the cars and rubble in the way made it a little harder to keep forward in a straight line- he had to dodge and weave and go around several things, but even that only slowed him up a little.
The booming and shaking never stopped even from the moment he entered the structure, everything shook and jittered around him in near constant rhythm- there were breaks of course, but not many. He passed a few people as he went, stragglers and those that hadn't made it out quite yet. None of them were hurt, just a little ruffled, and Hawks slowed up just enough to call out to them, tell them where to go, and direct they follow the red feathers he left behind for them to serve as guides back to a safe perimeter. The only time he actually stopped moving was after several minutes, and his eyes caught sight of someone over near a section of cars that had been slammed together. His wings flapped as he came to an abrupt halt near said someone- his eyes flashing behind his visor when he lay eyes on a slightly disheveled looking man laying on his stomach, his arms pulled behind him and wrists bound securely to his ankles. He was knocked out, hog-tied, with several bags full of cash, merchandise and whatever scattered around him- and rendered with his hands and feet utterly immobile by a familiar length of leather strap.
Hawks let out a little breath at it, his little pause on the man coming and ending not four seconds later as he started off again (and another few feathers popped from his wings to scoop the hog-tied man up and ferry him back out of the garage). And then a minute or two later he came across a similar sight, another man with his hands bound behind his back by one of those leather straps and pinned in place with one end of the strap being secured tightly to the axle of a car. This guy wasn't knocked unconscious, he was tugging quite hard at the binding trying to free himself (and with little luck)- but he had no more time to try with that venture, as a few of the longer feathers from Hawks' wings pulled away and wrapped the guy up even more tightly, stilling his attempts at getting free. He heard a muffled yell of annoyance from the man as he streaked passed, but he ignored it and just kept on.
Hawks smiled just faintly to himself at the sound, and for only half a second- a little bit of that unwanted dread that had fallen over his head chipping away with the successive captured guys.
Man she works fast... She's not the the No. 19 for nothing~
But the smile went away soon after, and quickly so for the rather heavy boom that sounded off further ahead. It was so heavy the structure rattled, dust and bits of cement raining down over him... Hawks had a hard time hearing it around the rumbling, but he heard shouting along with the boom too, and a scream.
"-GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
"-watch it-!"
SCRIICCCCCH!
What little of the voices he made out got overpowered by an awful sound of metal scraping against concrete, and then the burst of said metal and the patter of glass sparking against the cement soon after. There was another yell somewhere in there, fearful and a little breathless, though he hadn't a clue from who.
Hawks drew up for the second time in his pursuit, rounding a corner on one of the lower sections of the garage, his eyes darting quickly about the space and taking in everything he could, and as quickly as possible too.
There was a man (a civilian) pressed up against the far wall a little ways behind a car, a small girl wedged between him and the cement, guarding her.
Then there was a big guy, with four arms rather than the regular two, bulky and well-built, and also about four heads taller than Hawks himself. He had a few bags of money and whatever else clutched in one hand, while he was using the other three to pry a bumper off a car.
And there was another guy on the far end, trying his best to pick himself off the ground and sporting a rather heavily bleeding nose- where not far from him, the things he'd been carrying were scattered haphazardly. Along with this guy there was a woman too, thin and dressed in dirty jeans and a hoodie, long, pointed, animal-like ears sprouting from her head and arms wrapped tightly around a rather heavily packed duffel bag full of who the hell knows what. She hissed as she shot Four-Arms a glare, a thin dog-like tail lashing behind her.
"You idiots, we were supposed to be running, not fighting!" The woman snapped hotly, "Kumori took care of it, just leave her be, let's-!"
Any attention on what the woman said got shattered in the next second, Hawks' searching eyes moving from the one end of the room and then toward the opposite, and he stalled.
He saw the scarlet smeared across the cement first, trails of it scraped thin and haphazardly, the red clashing brightly against the grey. Among the scarlet stain were bits of darker things, scraps of cloth tattered and torn, and nearly glued to the concrete but the sticky liquid... And the thin splash for red grew a deeper shade of crimson as his eyes found the end of the trails- and the still, unmoving form of the Ebony Hero lying there.
She didn't move. She was utterly still, lying on her side, her hair a mess and spilling over the cement, hiding her face from his view. Her arms were plastered in red, cuts carved into her flesh all the way from shoulders to fingertips, her sleeves hardly sleeves anymore, and blood trickling still onto the floor in a constant stream. Her right arm in particular was gaining the beginnings of a small pool of blood beneath it, that whole arm pulled out straight ahead of her and at an almost unhealthy distance.
Instantly the image of that crumbled body of the cat in the gutter flared anew in his mind, and he stiffened for it, eyes flashing as his heart skipped a beat.
"S-Spirit...?"
Hello!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, even though there was lots of jumping around in it!
And forgive me the cliffhanger too XD
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