Ebony

by EbonyAnimalSpirit

It started with a single crimson feather. One single feather, fallen among a sea of black... Lost to the fluttering, ebony waves, cold and drowning... Alone. We should have guessed we were bad for one another... but we didn't... Idiot {My Hero Academia} {HawksXOC} {Spoilers for Anime/Manga}

31. Chapter 31- Clever

Chapter 31

Clever

.:+:.

"You seemed like you were having fun."

If he really thought that... When I was playing off being there, knowing the place, him... Then does that mean...?

I wasn't... Well it wasn't like I was having a bad time but... I didn't think about it really, I guess.

But saying that... Did it really seem that way...? Enough he noticed it, even around everything else...?

If he did, then... Huh.

... That... Might be a first...

.:+:.

"Miss Animal Spirit, could we talk for a minute please?"

Spirit blinked in surprise, her eyes moving off the small coalition of police officers herding civilians off the immediate street and setting up barricades. It was for nothing major, they were simply cordoning the front of a building off for an event, and she'd only paused a bit further up to watch out of curiosity, her shoulder leaning against the wall of a building and nearly empty side street further down. She'd only just started Patrol for the evening and it seemed like it was going to be a rather slow night already... Well, until that unfamiliar voice caught her attention anyway.

Spirit glanced around, her shoulder leaving the wall as she stepped away from it, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowing in surprise as she settled her attention on the one who spoke up. It was a man, about her age, sharply dressed in a shirt and vest paired with jeans, chestnut hair slicked back and over with a pair of red glasses perched on his nose. He held a clipboard in the crook of his elbow, smiling slightly as he drew to a halt a few paces short of her, and clearly having just come from further up ahead where a limo was idling on the street (and one she only just then noticed).

She didn't recognize the man, and the car lingering off behind had her instantly a little wary, though she hid any outward indication of it. She tilted her head faintly at him, stepping forward a few paces and blinking once, nothing but calm and polite.

"Sure, what can I do for you?" She asked evenly, he hummed a bit, shifting his clipboard in his arm and dipping his head toward her formally.

"My name is Empishi, I'm a Sidekick working at the Best Jeanist Agency." He told her lightly, Spirit stiffened slightly in surprise.

Best Jeanist-?

"I was hoping to catch you early on in your Patrol this evening, and hopefully before you might get invested in some crisis or other that would keep you." He told her lightly, smiling faintly when she narrowed her eyes a bit in question, and he gestured toward the car behind him. "I've been sent by Best Jeanist to ask you out to our Agency Building this evening." He told her lightly and Spirit blinked, eyes flashing. "He's requesting a meeting with you, if you are up for it."

"... A meeting about what?" Spirit asked lowly and he smiled a tad more,

"I'm afraid I don't know the specifics, just that this meeting involves both Best Jeanist and our Internal R&D Department." He told her, "I apologize that the summons are so vague, but Best Jeanist would be able to tell you more. And I don't think it will take much time, you should be able to go back to Patrol before too long."

Spirit paused half a second, the Ebony Hero neutral-faced and her expression near unto unreadable despite the tiny (and familiar) flare of suspicious thoughts and things that cropped up in the quake of the very vague summons... And made all the more vague and suspicious given they were coming from someone who she had never even met.

She'd crossed paths with a number of other Pros in her tenure as a Hero thus far, and even some of those had been higher ranking like Bryzair, All Might, and Hawks too- though mostly her work and cooperation had been done with other Pros who were less well known, or more geared toward subtlety than popularity. Perhaps given her own climbing in the ranks it was a little odd she hadn't worked with more Heroes at a similar level, but she'd never really gone out of her way to work with anyone, so it wasn't all that odd.

But this certainly was... As she said, she'd never met Best Jeanist, not even once.

She'd heard of him, knew things about him, watched stories, whatever, but that was it. They'd never ended up on any assignments together and they'd never bumped into one another in some crisis or rescue situation either. Best Jeanist's Agency wasn't anywhere near Heiku, so overlap was going to be slim to none just based on that- but there was also the consideration that Best Jeanist seemed to lean toward working with Pros he'd worked with several times before, and very rarely seemed to branch out unless it was necessary. From what she'd seen of his cooperative assignments with other Heroes, he had something of a tight-knit circle of Pros that were separate from all the rest in the large pool of Japan's Pro Heroes.

Which was fine, that made sense too- it's easier to work with people you know better, and have proven you work well with before. She never gave any real thought to it, she didn't even really care either…. Well, she hadn't cared so much, or at all, until maybe just recently.

Remember her deep-dive into the internet, when she'd had to take work off? Best Jeanist had been a part of her trip down the rabbit-hole because of his past relationship to one very incessant, childish, and way too cheery Winged Hero.

Pinging Best Jeanist in her searching of Hawks came as no surprise, given that the Bird-Brain had worked underneath Best Jeanist for a spell. And it was even less of a surprise it turned out to be something of a hot topic in relation to them both, considering they seemed to have some sort of falling out that resulted in a quick dissolvement of their working together in any capacity at all. Details on just what happened between them had been scant to none, and though she'd been mildly curious at the time, she'd quickly dropped interest in the matter after indulging herself in just a little more info on Best Jeanist away from whatever 'scandal' there had been with him and Hawks. And after doing that she'd never thought on either since... well, until just about this moment.

But anyway, she really didn't know Best Jeanist and he certainly didn't know her, and what little she had learned in her deep-dive told her that him asking her to his Agency was a little weird. She wasn't in that circle of Pros he'd tried and tested, and though she attempted to come up with any reasonable explanation as to what he might want from her now- she came up blank, which was all the more apt to let those ingrained suspicious things grow all the more fervent.

This was entirely out of nowhere and she had nothing to go on, which just left room for her mind to start concocting a million awful things and ulterior motivates on Best Jeanist's part that were likely all nonsense, but her paranoia was not about to let them go so quickly, if at all. Not even when some part of her mind did its best to remind her that she was definitely being way too freakin' paranoid, and warning her against falling so easily into that way of living she'd been wavering on for weeks now.

Because yes, this was weird… but did weird mean it was gonna lead to something bad?

Should she be paranoid, and guarded? Is there a reason to be?

Why would there be? Unless for some reason Best Jeanist- tch.

Spirit grit her teeth, a bit of that carefully crafted neutrality on her face breaking in slight hints of annoyance, unease, and exasperation all at once. She forced herself a quiet breath and stopped the whirling thoughts in their tracks, bundling them up and securing them tight with a line of chord crafted from a thought she'd had two nights ago with someone else. That rational thought and answer that he wouldn't, and really he couldn't, so she stopped herself and her whirling instinctual thoughts in their tracks, and as quickly as she could.

Quit it, damn it.

Spirit shook herself out imperceptibly, the shift in her expression there and gone to be replaced with neutrality again as she nodded toward the man in front of her.

"Alright." She murmured evenly. Empishi smiled politely at the answer as he nodded once back, and then tilted himself in the direction of the waiting car behind him.

"Great! Please follow me then, Miss Animal Spirit."

.:+:.

This place is freakin' huge…!

Spirit swallowed slightly, the Ebony Hero looking faintly awed and a sight bit unnerved as her crimson gaze kept moving back and forth across their surroundings. She was following along behind Empishi ahead of her, the Sidekick smiling faintly as he talked, pointed things out, greeted others as they passed them by, and generally gave her a tour of the building- of which this wasn't even the main Agency Building, but a sub-building on the compound for Research and Development.

Spirit barely heard any of the info and tidbits the Sidekick kept on about, her attention was too absorbed in taking in the high roofs and massive corridors lined with windows that looked in on even more massive rooms- all of which seemed filled with lab techs, machines, prototypes, testing areas, and what have you. There were whole rooms that were just filled with layers of crisscrossed wiring, thread, fibers, clothing, costumes, and all manner of other things being crafted, mechanically or otherwise. And there was no shortage of people huddled about, typing into computers, measuring things, and doing what she could only assume were trials of experiments and the like. Hell, she even noticed a few other Pros in some of the rooms chatting and working with the lab techs on various things, or trying on some new piece of attire for their outfits.

She probably looked ridiculous with her attention darting every which way, and she did her best not to seem too starstruck or anything too- but seriously!

I thought UA was massive, but this place is insane…!

Spirit swallowed slightly, her eyes darting off another set of windows and smiling politely at the line of Sidekicks and lab techs that stopped and waved at her in greeting. She waved back a little in sheer reaction, diverting her eyes off them soon after and her smile growing a tad shaky as she wilted a bit, and picked up her pace to stick a little closer with Empishi still leading her around and talking.

I would get sooooo lost here…

"... Best Jeanist actually does a lot of collabs with several Support Agencies. Mostly on offer, but sometimes we get requests from other companies that need help." Empishi kept on, Spirit's eyes landing on him and avoiding being a looky-loo for a moment. "Most of our items and costumes are handled in house, but we do have several joint projects with other designers in other parts of the city, and the country. We even have a few contracts going internationally too." He went on, still holding his clipboard and casting her a smile over his shoulder. "Our R&D Department usually focuses on textiles and material fabrications for the most part, but we do some chemical manipulation and testing, medical research, as well as work in electronics too. Best Jeanist isn't one to stifle creativity and innovation, after all, and any advancement that might help another Hero out in the field, or improve the general safety of the public, is more than enough to keep funds moving for more testing."

Spirit nodded slightly to it, smiling faintly. "Fair enough." She hummed in agreement, her eyes moving again to the side and letting out a small breath. "Honestly I am kinda surprised, I had no idea your Agency was so involved in development… I figured lots of it was fashion and clothing, but I had no clue about the rest of it." She admitted lightly and Empishi chuckled a bit, looking amused.

"Well we do market most of our clothing more aggressively than anything else, so that's understandable." He told her, "If we marketed our innovations on a more broad scale like the Ingenium Agency does, then we'd probably have a lot more requests for collaboration coming in with a wider variety of project types….. But then we'd probably have too many requests to handle, and never get anything done." He mused and Spirit hummed a bit, nodding slightly.

Fair enough again-

"-Besides, I do think Best Jeanist leans more toward fashion as a personal interest anyway. It's maybe not a wonder that division of R&D gets a little more attention." Empishi added lightly, Spirit hummed a bit under her breath for the comment, but said nothing to it.

They rounded a bend and headed down a large corridor toward a set of double doors on the far end, passing several more rooms and windows as they went, though Spirit did her best to focus more on walking than gawking now. Plus she perked up when Empishi paused at the doors to swipe an access card and unlock them, holding the door open for her and ushering her into an even more massive room that looked more like an aviation warehouse or something, than it did a lab. The floors were all concrete and the roof arched way too high overhead with a multitude of metal grating and wires, plus metal panels sunken into sections of the floor. There were no windows to be seen here, spare an observation deck of sorts along one wall, and the light available came from industrial-sized panels set into the roof along the curved edges, humming faintly.

It looked rather barren though, and empty- quite like a warehouse, but maybe more like a testing grounds…? She was kind of expecting an office though-

"Best Jeanist sir, I have Animal Spirit here for you." Empishi announced from where he remained at the door instead of following her inward, and Spirit's inspection of the vastness of the room came to an abrupt halt at the words. Her eyes darted quickly over to the right where a console was set into the floor, its length easily several feet long and filled with buttons, levers, computers, and whatever just there- plus several chairs and screens pinned into the wall directly behind it. And standing just before the console with his fingers typing nimbly against a keyboard was the tall and very recognizable figure of one Best Jeanist, the blonde glancing up from his typing a moment to cast them a glance over the ridge of the high jean collar obscuring most of his face, nodding toward Empishi as he pushed himself back from the console and his typing ceased.

"Wonderful, thank you Empishi." Best Jeanist replied coolly, the Sidekick nodded with a small bow.

"You're welcome." The Sidekick replied lightly, his attention darting over Spirit with a polite smile before he ducked his head a bit and retracted through the door again, pulling it shut and leaving both Pros alone in the vastness of the room. Spirit heard the door's lock engage shortly after, her head twitching faintly for the faint mechanical whir, before her eyes moved back ahead when she heard Best Jeanist's footsteps heading toward her. She stepped forward a bit from the door as he came forward, hands folded together lightly in front of him and then dipping his head slightly in a tiny greeting as he came to a halt in front of her.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Animal Spirit." Best Jeanist told her coolly, his hands unlinking as he extended one her way and she took it, shaking once.

"Likewise." She murmured back, their hands separating as hers found her hips and his linked together in front of him again.

"I apologize for the vague summons this evening, but I do have a few points of order I would like to go over with you." Best Jeanist continued on levelly, Spirit blinking once and her head titling faintly.

Points of order…?

"The first being the primary reason for this visit, and something I hope you'll find useful." He kept on with no pause or care for the question on the Ebony Hero's mind, Jeanist shifting slightly on his feet and motioning toward the console he'd left behind him in a silent gesture for her to follow. Spirit hesitated for a millisecond, before stepping lightly after him back the way he had come, crimson eyes slightly narrowed and at full attention as he led the way, and started speaking again.

"The Support Agency you use for your gear contacted our R&D department a few weeks ago." Best Jeanist told her as he walked, Spirit perking slightly in surprise behind him. "One of the technicians assigned to you expressed concerns about your method of communication with Dispatch and other Heroes. As I understand it, you use your cell phone in order to make calls and respond to requests- but you have to revert back to your Human Form each time you wish to do so, yes?" He asked, drawing up at the console again and casting a glance back her way. Spirit drew to a slow stop a few paces shy, her arms crossing over her chest and nodding slowly.

"Yeah."

"The Technician also mentioned the primary reason for this, and the hurdle against any other type of communication device, was due to the difficulty of finding a solution that would work between all of your different Animal Forms, hmm?" Jeanist asked, and Spirit nodded again, though a little more slowly… Because where is this going…?

"I see." Jeanist hummed, his hands unlinking from in front of him and moving to his pants pockets for a moment, his eyes falling closed too. "I do understand with the vast range of sizes and shapes you take on with your Animal Forms, it would be a bit difficult to find a singular item you could carry and hold on to between all of them. You would need something that can be kept on your person in somewhat of the same manner regardless of what animal you take the form of, and something that's adaptable enough to compensate for the sudden increase or decrease of size too. Not to mention something that's still durable enough to last through battle, and will have little effect on your movements and speed." He mused, "It's an interesting conundrum given the complexity of your Quirk, and conundrum enough one of your Technician's decided to send a request into my Agency asking for assistance in coming up with a solution, if one is even possible."

Spirit blinked, wilting a little as her eyes fell closed a moment and a bead of sweat fell down her jaw, and she fought the urge to sigh in exasperation.

The techs at the Support Agency had always prodded her about this issue with her cell phone vs something else, and had still pressed her about it the last time she'd stopped by. But she'd dismissed the idea, again, and hoped it would stay that way…. Guess not.

I'm sure they meant well by asking for help with it, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle or the headache…. Least of all to go bothering an entirely different Hero Agency about it-

"-But it was a challenge I was more than happy to take on, and I am pleased to say I think I came up with a suitable solution for you."

Spirit's eyes snapped back open, the Ebony Hero jumping faintly in surprise at the words and her attention landing immediately on Best Jeanist as he said it, blinking several times.

"I... Uh… I'm sorry...?" Spirit mumbled quickly, and rather lamely at that, not that Best Jeanist seemed to notice nor mind. The Jean-clad Hero remained calm and poised as he nodded to her a bit, and one of his hands came up out of his pockets to tap a few keys on the console beside him.

"It took a bit of thought, and a bit more testing with different materials to work out some of the larger kinks." He murmured, his fingers tapping a few buttons before a panel in the console opened up, and a tiny platform from inside of it rolled up into view, with what looked like some sort of a thin…. Collar on it..?

Best Jeanist plucked it up in one finger and held it in front of him, Spirit's red eyes landing on the object as she gave it a quick and thorough once over. It definitely looked like a collar, thin enough to be like what you'd find a cat wearing, though the diameter of it was more suitable for something larger. Plus it was metallic looking, with thin metal plating making up a quarter of it's length and embedded into what seemed like some sort of metal wiring or something that was layered on top of itself- all of it a dark hue that had a tiny red tinge to it when the overhead LED's hit it right, and there was a light set into the section of metal plating.

"I debated on several different types of carbon fiber and material, along with ultra-light metals." Best Jeanist hummed, "This collar is made up of about 100ft of a special carbon-fiber blend that is thin and flexible enough it can be coiled tightly within the central housing unit to reduce its length, and quick at uncoiling to accommodate a larger diameter when needed. It's durable enough even with it's thin build that it can withstand near all the regular wear and tear one might expect out in the field, and quick succession of resizing should not cause any wear and tear either." He explained, adjusting the collar in hand to put the 'central housing' unit as he put it, or the bit that was made up of metal plating rather than just fiber, in better view for her.

"The central unit will adjust to roll out the fiber and layer it in different amounts depending on what circumference is being called for, and will shrink and extend the metal plating inward or out as well. This will help protect the communication device within it better, and allow for a bit of extra traction to keep it in place outside of making the fit too snug." Jeanist murmured, "It's adaptive technology that responds to the tensile pressure on either coil within it, which will signal whether the fiber needs to be expanded or shrunk. The motor within it is heat-based and highly insulated within the device, so it should have a rapid response time no matter the situation, and avoid environmental factors that would alter its responsiveness. But the length it can expand and shrink to should be more than enough regardless of what form you take on, and it should hold up well. The material of the plating around the unit and the fiber have had your own DNA woven into it somewhat- so while it will not Shift entirely along with you as your costume would, it should still react to your Quirk well enough to allow it to remain securely in place when you Shift, and aid it along with that adaptability. The presence of your DNA will make its resizing more accurate, and a bit more fine-tuned, while also making it less a hassle on you when Shifting, and minimize you having to worry about it, or even actively think about it." He told her, his finger bobbing a bit with the collar as he let out a small breath. "That being said, I had to take a guess at the range of pressures that would be expected on either coil when you Shift between your different forms, as well as how quickly each one will occur, so I would like to test it in person today to make finer adjustments to it, and work out any issues I was unable to foresee in my own testing. I don't expect my calculations were too off, and it would still need a period of testing after today, but hopefully the biggest kinks will be dealt with before you go…." He said, before trailing off a bit and dipping his head toward her, almost catching himself as he added;

"... If you would indulge me, Animal Spirit." Best Jeanist murmured, his hand and the collar inching forward just faintly between them, Spirit glancing quickly between it and him, sort of… Well she was kind of reeling actually.

Like seriously, that was a lot, and way out of nowhere! Everything he just said was a lot more technical than she was used to, and if she was being honest she wasn't sure she followed all of it even part of the way.

She followed most of it enough to realize he'd given this whole thing quite a bit of thought, and while she could think of a few edge cases where this wasn't the ideal solution to her 'issue' with communication and her Quirk, she did think he was pretty on the mark with a solution or whatever… But she'd not seen this as an issue in the first place, nor had she thought she needed a solution at all, so this was totally out of left field and she couldn't help but reel just a little. Especially so when this was nowhere on her radar for a reason why she'd so suddenly been asked to come here by Best Jeanist of all people, and especially when it seemed it was Best Jeanist himself that had gone ahead and done all this work on her behalf without her requesting him to do so.

She swallowed, red eyes flashing as she shook herself out a little, her arms crossed over her chest coming undone slowly, though she didn't immediately move to take the device as offered. Instead she kept her hands to herself, the Ebony Hero's face mostly neutral, if not a bit uncertain, and she bit the inside of her cheek- wholly aware she was being a bit rude by not reaching to take it, but she kept her hands still regardless. At least for now.

"Ah, forgive me if I'm a little slow on all of this…. But…. I'm afraid you've caught me off guard a bit." Spirit started slowly, Best Jeanist quiet in his place and blinking once as she continued on. "I had no idea the Support Techs were going to send out any requests to anyone, I didn't really ask them to, and I wasn't really looking to put a lot of effort into the whole mobile vs some other comm device debate either…." She murmured, shaking her head a bit. "... Not that I'm not grateful you took up the request, or put in the work you seem to have. I do appreciate you taking the time at all, and from what I think I followed about all of that, this doesn't seem like a bad idea, I'm just… kinda surprised you would take time out of your busy schedule…." She murmured, trailing off slightly and grimacing to herself when she realized she was wandering dangerously close to saying something rude. But she was being honest, she was surprised, and she wasn't sure she could understand him even bothering with it too.

Like she'd said, she wasn't in that tried and tested group of Pros Best Jeanist seemed to stick with. And while she didn't really know him well enough to judge his behavior as being odd or not for going outside that circle of Heroes, she still couldn't convince herself it wasn't at least a little out of the ordinary…. Because again, they did not know each other, and this seemed like more effort than just casually fulfilling a request sent in from another Support Department. Even with what Empishi had said about the Best Jeanist R&D Department working with plenty of other establishments, she didn't get the impression Best Jeanist personally worked on anything unless he found a good reason to.

So that really begged the question… what the hell was his reason for taking this on personally?

She didn't ask that outright though, even if what she did say ended up getting quite close to it. It would be rude to just say that plain, and she had no intention of offending the man if she could help it. After all, even if she didn't really go around building relationships with other Pros in her Solo track, she did do her best to remain formal and polite.

Best Jeanist seemed to understand what she was getting at regardless, and surprisingly he seemed a little amused... Or at least about as amused looking as he could seem, what with nearly all but his eyes hidden from view.

"It was no real trouble. I found the challenge enjoyable, truth be told." He told her simply, "And besides, if I can be of any assistance, then the time and effort is well worth it. After all, it won't do to leave you having to revert back to your Human Form each time you need to make a call, or you are called in. You've managed it thus far, and rather well considering how many sticky situations you've been in, but you will find yourself in the situation some day where you don't have time to waste switching forms just to make a call, or it would be too dangerous to do so- this will avoid that eventuality. In our work as Heroes every moment counts, and sometimes even a few seconds makes all the difference."

Spirit paused, chewing on the insides of her cheeks for the reply and her attention dropping from holding his gaze and toward the collar he was still holding.

He was right, of course. Even if it only ever took her a few seconds to switch back and forth and grab her phone, it was still a few seconds she might be using differently, especially in the heat of battle. Sometimes those few seconds did mean everything, even the difference between life and death in some cases… and in thinking that, she couldn't help her thoughts shooting back to the way she'd bolted toward that alleyway on the scent of bloodlust to find Stain about to kill Ingenium.

She'd had no time to pause and make a call before running, she knew that, but she did still hold on to the regret for not calling Dispatch before racing off, or having to wait until Stain decided to retreat before she had any real chance to call for an ambulance, or any back up. If she'd been able to call anybody while being Shifted, things might have turned out differently than they had. She might have gotten help for Ingenium sooner, gotten people to start tracking Stain quicker, maybe even gotten another Hero on the scene to help out and keep the bastard from disappearing….. To be perfectly honest, she was somewhat lucky she'd been fast enough at all to avoid anything worse happening in those precious few minutes she'd spent keeping Stain at bay.

She let out a silent sigh at the thought, her eyes flashing as she bit down on her cheeks a little harder.

Alright…. Maybe her resigning herself to just using her cellphone as she had been was kinda a poor decision, and it was maybe a good thing the techs at the Support Agency had gone ahead and bypassed her, and gone to Best Jeanist.

Time is everything when you're a Pro, seconds can make or break a situation, and any way to hold onto those seconds and not waste them is a good enough reason to spend a little time and effort, regardless of who it's for. And Best Jeanist was not the No. 4 for nothing, it made perfect sense he'd thought about this and decided to do something about it. It even made sense that he probably realized how poorly the thing back with Ingenium and Stain could have gone for her lack of a good way to communicate with others too.

(It also made sense he came to the conclusion way faster than she ever did, plus he'd had to bring it up now before she ever even thought about it…. His stats for intelligence and thoughtfulness were definitely higher than hers, by a long shot.)

Spirit forced herself another breath and nodded once, her hands moving forward to take the collar as offered and she held it before her lightly, red eyes flashing.

"Every second counts." She murmured, and agreed, quietly. Her eyes moved off the collar and toward the blonde as he stuck his hands back in his pockets, the Ebony Hero's expression losing all uncertainty and surprise from before to be replaced with steadiness and attention. "I think I mostly follow what you said about it adapting to whatever shape I'm in, though it's probably a bit more technical then I can really understand. But if this is built for communication, how is it meant to work? Is it voice activated or…?" She asked evenly, and Best Jeanist seemed to humm faintly under his breath for the sudden shift in demeanor, though he said nothing to it.

"It is." He replied lightly, "I'll be sure to walk you through operating it. It's not too complicated, so I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time. I'll also give you a little manual I created for it, that you can read on your own time if you wish to." He assured, and Spirit nodded a little, her attention leaving him and landing on the collar again.

"Alright… You said you wanted to do some tests?" She murmured,

"Yes, though we need only do a few here. I expect it will take some time to work out all of the kinks, but you'll need time to test it out in the field to get a better understanding of what needs to be adjusted." Best Jeanist explained, stepping back slightly more toward the console and his hands coming from his pockets to type a few things into it. "I realize you tend to stick to a select few animals when you use your Quirk, but for today I think it would be best to test the adaptability of the collar on the greatest range of sizes you can manage. Something that would be about as small as you could be, and something as large as you would be likely to go. Anything with different skin and hide textures would be good too…. And perhaps one of those where you only go part way, to see how it reacts between full transformations and incomplete ones."

Spirit's eyes left Best Jeanist and his typing fingers when there came a slight whir, a few panels in the floor ahead of them shifting as some pillars topped with what she would guess as recording devices of some kind rose into view. She gave them a quick once over before glancing back toward the collar in hand, blinking.

I guess it's a good thing I haven't used my Quirk much today yet…. I'll still be going over my Limit a little with his criteria though.

She sighed silently and shook her head at herself. As long as she wasn't doing anything too crazy she might be able to skirt by and not end up sick to her stomach later, and certainly not near as bad as it had been after Shifting multiple times over when she'd been fighting Stain….. She supposed it might even be better to just settle for doing this tonight, and then make sure when she went back out on Patrol she didn't do anything too crazy, and minimized using her Quirk as much as possible for the evening. Even if it was pushing it a little, putting the collar through the biggest edge cases now for Best Jeanist to see first hand and get a gauge on would probably make it easier to make adjustments now, and lessen more later, since everything else would be less extreme.

But anyway- something as small as she could, and as big too…. With different skin/fur textures too.

Is he testing how well it stays on fur vs feathers or something…? I guess that would make sense….. Hmm.

Her eyes left the collar and trailed up toward the arching roofs high overhead, and the vastness of the space, quiet…. Before she glanced back toward Best Jeanist again just as his fingers stalled and he stepped toward her, gesturing to the collar and the metal plating that housed the coils and comm device both.

"It connects in the center there." He told her, "It should come apart by pressing the two buttons on the inside simultaneously. I've programmed in a quick release function you can activate verbally as well, and some safety measures should it get caught. I'll record your biometrics in a bit to make the locks and the communication device more responsive to you personally, but for now the buttons will do." He explained and Spirit nodded, her fingers trailing under the central bit and finding the aforementioned buttons. There came a tiny mechanical click and it split apart, allowing the Ebony Hero to bring the collar up to her neck and fasten it again with another mechanical click, paired with a faint whir where it adjusted almost immediately to fit around her neck more snugly. Not too tight, but enough to be in direct contact with her skin and stay there just above where the collar of her suit stopped, and not too thick in its width to be uncomfortable. It even matched the color palette of her costume too, with the dark hue of the metal and the tiny red tinge in the light.

Huh

Her hands came down slowly from her neck and fell on her hips, blinking once as she let herself adjust to the feel of it pressing against the skin of her throat for a heartbeat, before looking to Best Jeanist again.

"... you said it's got about 100ft of room?" She asked and he blinked once, before nodding.

"Yes, I could expand it by another 100ft or so if I needed without compromising the weight or the coils, but I settled on this length for now." He told her, his head titling faintly as he gave her a slightly calculating look. "I had thought I was being generous with that amount, based on past recordings of your Quirk and its range…. It seems to me your Quirk is able to amplify the size and physical characteristics of the forms you take on to some degree, though I am sure there is a limit on that, yes?" He added coolly, Spirit nodded once.

"There is, and 100ft should be fine. I shouldn't ever need anything more than that, it'd be really out of the ordinary if I did. As it is, I'm not likely to even get up near to 100ft in the first place unless I've run into something out of the ordinary too." She replied, and a bit vaguely at that- which made Best Jeanist's stare on her a little more calculating for just a moment, before the intensity of it wore off. He tilted his head in toward the center of the room, his hand sweeping that way lightly.

"Very well Animal Spirit, shall we?"

Spirit stepped out past the console slowly, heading further into the vacant area ahead and leaving Best Jeanist behind. She didn't go too far before drawing to a halt, her hands on her hips and turning slightly toward where the other Pro was, her eyes closed a moment.

Smallest I have, huh…?

It'll be interesting to see if it can actually condense down enough not to weigh me down… It doesn't feel heavy at all right now, but there's a big difference between me, and the smallest I can be.

Well, here goes I guess-

Spirit's figure blurred, fractured and distorted in a black-red haze that showered glassy particles to the floor soundlessly. All sight of the Ebony Hero was quickly lost, the cloud of non-reality condensing down toward the floor in quick succession, all while Spirit felt the new collar around her neck almost shift in reaction to her Quirk flaring, eerily mimicking the waver of her own body and form within an instant, and most assuredly due to what amount of her own DNA was woven into it. There was the sound of some mechanical bits and pieces adjusting, the movement of the carbon-fiber wiring, and maybe a bit of tugging that put a tiny hitch in the otherwise nearly seamless transition- nothing bad really, it was just new, and she was keenly aware of it since she was paying particular attention.

The black-red haze faded to none and left Animal Spirit in view, the Ebony Hero now barely about 2 inches tall, sitting on her haunches with rounded ears on a tiny frame, her tail coiling around her feet neatly and the weight around her neck definitely increased- but again, not bad.

Spirit blinked, sitting back on her haunches and her front paws moving up toward her person curiously, tiny finger-like toes brushing along the collar still securely around her neck despite the drastic change in size. The whole of it was made up of the central housing unit rather than having the fiber poking out, the metal plating shifting and bending to accommodate the smaller circumference and leaving it as a mostly single band made up of the plating itself….. Which had actually shifted and overlapped itself so it's width was still only about an inch wide.

She snuck her toes underneath it, brushing against the fiber layered underneath in several thinly laid rows as opposed to the few it had been- like it had decided on layering the fiber directly beside itself instead of simply coiling it, to accommodate for the lack of space left inside the device and the coils themselves. The layering was a bit heavier, and the metal plating the same too- which she certainly felt it, it would be hard not to when you suddenly only weigh a few grams. But she could handle it, it wasn't like she had the exact same strength as the actual animal she just turned into anyway (her Quirk made sure of that), and honestly?

Holy shit! This is actually really cool…!? It actually stayed on, and got small enough when I'm tiny as hell..!

Spirit let out a tiny squeak of surprise and shock she didn't mean to, Best Jeanist standing at his console blinking once when he barely heard it, his eyes stuck on the now very tiny Ebony Hero in the form of what he guessed was some odd sort of shrew, or a marsupial of some sort. He wasn't sure what it was precisely, but he was faintly surprised she actually had a form that small.

He'd asked for it of course, and she certainly delivered…. Best Jeanist let out a small breath, lips twitching faintly at the corners where it couldn't be seen, and his eyes fell to the screen in front of him instead. All sort of data was being flashed across it via the collection devices settled around the room, his attention honing in on what he was seeing even as Spirit started to move around a bit herself, darting back and forth a few paces across the concrete, gauging the weight and the maneuverability she could manage with the collar on. It had weight enough she had to adjust her movement a bit, and it was a little harder to turn her head all the way around for sure, but she lingered on it only a little and had jumped nimbly off the ground and into the air without a word, her body engulfed again in another haze as she Shifted, and the sound of flapping wings hit the air.

Best Jeanist glanced up again from the screen, quiet as the tiny shrew-like figure morphed into a similarly small bat mid-air, her leathery wings churning air as she flitted about, muffling what amount of mechanical whir the collar gave in it's adjusting that only Spirit could hear, and really barely did.

Spirit dipped down, the top of her shoulder brushing against the edge of the collar as she flapped and she shook herself just a bit in the midst of the Shift just before it was done- the collar slipping just slightly up on her neck and under her jaw before it tightened all the way, minimizing the contact with her joints on her wings.

Alright, I guess I'm gonna have to keep in mind I might need to adjust a bit between Shifts. That'll be just part of getting used to it though, like anybody would have to with new gear.

She caught sight of Best Jeanist waving a hand at her from the side and cantered a bit, flapping a few more times to clear the space before dropping down atop the edge of the screen before him, the tip of her wings curling over the lip for support. He glanced away from typing something in and lift a hand toward her, curling a finger delicately under her chin and brushing against the collar with a thoughtful humm, before nodding to himself and pulling his hand back again.

"I'll decrease the thickness of the plating, so it'll be a little less dense when it condenses this much." He murmured, "It'll sacrifice a bit of its durability, but I think movability and speed is a bit more important for you and how you work…. How does it feel?" He asked, she nodded a bit.

"It's fine. It's a bit to get used to having it on and switching between forms, but it's not overbearing. Less dense will make it a little less stiff, which will be great, but the weight isn't bad at all." She replied evenly, and then added a bit more lightly "This is kinda insane actually. I'm having a hard time fathoming how the hell you got it to get this small and so fast too…. I didn't think there were any materials like this around, or tech that could adapt enough to manage this." She confessed, Jeanist hummed.

"The materials themselves aren't all that common, but they are becoming more so as Pros look for new gear to accommodate ever evolving Quirks." Best Jeanist replied, "The plating was in development for police tactical gear originally, but it's not quite as durable as they wanted. There's been some attempts at using it for aerospace technology, but they ran into the same issue, along with a few considerations for its melting point being too low. For this it works well, however." He hummed, "And the carbon-fiber is a special blend that was originally used to create the earliest models of EraserHead's Capture Device, though we've modified it for a greater tensile strength in smaller threading size compared to the variant he currently uses. And of course with your base DNA molded into both, the materials are now somewhat one of a kind, and certainly work much better with the assistance of your Quirk Factor than they ever could just on their own." He mused, casting her a glance again with a small and very polite smile she could not see, but she guessed was there given the subtle shift in his eyes and tone.

"The technology driving the expansion and reduction was tricky too, and it's certainly doing a fair bit of work on its own- but really the natural ability of your Quirk to alter shape and form as seamlessly as it does is what is making this possible." He told her, "It's impressive that just the mere presence of your DNA in the materials allows your Quirk to manipulate your costume between forms as it does, and more impressive that even the small amount of your DNA in the collar is reacting to your Quirk now- enough to make the transition and reaction time all the more accurate, and near as seamless. Your Quirk is quite something, Animal Spirit." He hummed, pointing slightly to some graph on a different screen she didn't know what it was tracking exactly, but from context she got the gist. But really she didn't look at it much and she ended up averting her eyes from the No. 4 almost shyly, her ears falling a bit, and she was sure if she was in her Human Form right now she would probably have flushed a bit in embarrassment, and deeply ingrained unease for the praise to said Quirk.

It's certainly… something….

"Hmm, well I do think I have a few changes to make on layering the fibers and with the coils for smaller sizes… if you're ready, we can keep going." Best Jeanist continued, oblivious to the way she looked away or what ran through her mind just then. Spirit nodded and pushed herself back, her body meeting dead air for but a moment, until she started flapping and headed back toward where she had been previously. She got to her space and stopped flapping, her body distorting in another haze as she Shifted back into her Human Form and landed gracefully on her feet, her hands finding her hips as the collar adjusted again at the silent and intangible whim, and behind her the visage of slightly see-through wings manifested at her back, showering fractals of non-reality as she ruffled her feathers, and swallowed slightly.

She felt the collar tighten a bit, lurching faintly as if it was about to adjust down to an even smaller size- probably reacting to what size she should have been as an actual bird- but stopped itself partway when her neck stayed the same size. It was a little uncomfortable, she could hear a series of intermittent whirs go off where the coils adjusted in minuscule amounts, fidgeting nearly as if it really wanted to move but some amount of programming kept it from doing so. It was a little off, a little unstable in the quake of a Partial Shift triggering it and that DNA of hers when it wasn't really needed…. Not surprising, she guessed. Partial Shifts were inherently unstable in themselves, so she couldn't be shocked the adjustment of the collar might get a little squirrely because of it.

Best Jeanist tapped a few things quickly on his end after watching another graph rather intently, and then at the beckoning of whatever he typed, the fidget of the collar ceased. Spirit cast him a glance he did not return, though he seemed aware of it as he nodded once in a sign that he was aware.

"I'll make some further adjustments for your incomplete transitions. It might be a bit touch and go for a while after today, however." Best Jeanist told her levelly, Spirit nodded once back.

"Got it." She murmured, her wings shifting slightly behind her as the flapped them once and then they melted, the edges of her figure blurring a bit more as the haze behind her faded away slightly to a haze around her head instead, two pointed ears manifesting atop her head and twitching faintly when the collar fidgeted again, a little more fervently this time, and she let it be. Best Jeanist went on typing a few more things into his console given whatever the hell he was looking at from his results, and Spirit let them linger for a moment until the quickness of his fingers seemed to let up a little, and she forced herself a small breath.

Alright, I'm already at 4 animals in 48 hours…. 5 can't be that bad, yeah?

She grimaced faintly to herself and forced another deeper breath.

5 plus a bit of Amplification on top… Hell, I fucking hope it's not that bad.

But better to get the bulk of the testing done sooner rather than later, yeah? Or get pushed into a corner having to do this down the line and something goes screwy with the thing…. And who knows? Maybe my little stint with Stain's pushed my Limit a bit, and I actually will be fine.

She wilted a little almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, because no more than a millisecond after another thought pushed in, and bashed it.

You know you're never that lucky

Spirit adjusted, the Ebony Hero casting the thoughts off firmly as the pointed ears on her head faded to none and she dropped down onto the ball's of her feet, her fingers grazing the concrete as she set them down in front of her and let her eyes drop closed.

Best Jeanist's typing stalled entirely as she did, the No. 3's attention honing in on her almost instantly when one of the screens facing him flashed with something new; a sudden uptick in the reading he was getting from the collar and her Quirk both, and a rather large one at that. His eyes locked to her and his hands ceased movement, green eyes narrowed and watching her with a suddenly more sharp awareness than anytime before, and for good reason. The same good reason he'd deliberately chosen this room from any other when calling her here.

That familiar red-black haze of fractured reality rose up around the Ebony Hero and engulfed her like all times before it, stealing sight of the Pro in the matter of a few moments, though this time the gentleness of it was lacking. The haze rose up fast and wild, the softness of the edges fluctuating rapidly with a fervor like grass whipped about in a storm, the particles of broken glass sharply outlined instead of muffled and muted as they fractured air and reality around her, and spread upward and outward at near breakneck speed. On this go there was a fierceness behind the normally ethereal and very near ephemeral quality of the Ebony Hero's Quirk, and once with force enough the air in the room shuddered and stirred in reaction to it.

A buffet of wind rose up to wash over the No. 4, ruffling his finely kempt hair though he gave it no mind. His attention was entirely consumed by what looming shadow suddenly rose to life in front of him in near the blink of an eye.

Best Jeanist stood rooted to his space and fixed as deep black cast down on him, the industrial lights overhead blocked out entirely as that shadow manifested ahead of him, dwarfing him….. Pitch black in the shape of something too big to be natural, much larger than what beast it mimicked ever could be. Rough hide all jet colored hue, the concrete rumbling underfoot with the subtlest movement on the shadow's part, all solid and pure physical power, despite the depths of darkness that made it seem more like some void built of nothing, rather than a living being. A black hole standing still in space before him, crimson eyes gleaming from the dim it created, vibrant, ghostly, and glowing bloody red.

Well, he had asked for both ends of the extreme and once again; she certainly delivered….. And perhaps 100ft wasn't too generous after all.

Best Jeanist let out a tiny breath, his eyes locked with those crimson red for a moment before he let his attention wander over the rest of that shadow and beast alike, the graph from earlier spiked in a constant range now, and apt to stay there. One hand moved off the console, fingers curling slightly around the lip of his collar as his shoulders sank, and something about his expression shifted.

Faint, barely there, and slightly humbled in the quake of the foremost thought to cross the No. 4's mind in that moment;

That Quirk…. Is incredible.

.:+:.

"... It will take a little time for the plates to finish reconstruction and for the rest of the adjustments to download and be programmed into the collar. In the meantime I hoped to chat with you a bit about a few other things, if you're willing?"

Spirit blinked, Best Jeanist turning to face her after leading her into what appeared to be his office, and the very place she had originally been expecting to end up when she was with his Sidekick earlier, rather than the surprise testing space for the even more a surprise collar.

They'd finished up with the little stint of testing, and after giving Jeanist a bit of time to tinker and settle in on making his adjustments, he'd eventually set some machines to work on the last pieces and ushered her out of the R&D center and after him. He'd said a few things on the way in relation to the collar and the adjustments he was making, as well as some advice on testing it out in the field after this (along with urging her to come back in whenever she needed in regards to it), but up until this moment on entering the office he'd kept on the topic of the collar.

But now he seemed ready to move on to something else; notably those other 'points of order', as he'd put it earlier…. Though what those could possibly be about she had no clue, and no real chance of guessing since he'd already thrown her for a loop with the collar. And she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious by now, and also lying a bit more if she said she wasn't still a tiny bit wary too.

Stupid ingrained paranoid bullshit- tch.

Spirit cut the thought and the little flare of agitation in her center off, nodding slightly to the No. 4 as she trailed in after him.

"Sure." She murmured coolly and he nodded, heading in further and up toward where his desk sat, motioning for her to take a seat in one of the plush bright red chairs set before it. Spirit settled in slowly, her eyes following Best Jeanist quietly as he avoided his own seat for a moment, and instead diverted toward a side table off to the right, picking up a pitcher of water there and pouring some into a glass. He turned and stepped forward, stopping between her and the desk as he offered it her way and Spirit hesitated half a second, before taking it with a small thanks. She took a tentative sip at it (after giving it a small sniff) as Best Jeanist circled around to the other side of the desk, and took his own seat, his hands folded together on the surface in front of him while she took her drink. He gave her a moment to let her finish before starting again, just as cool and formal as he had been the whole time.

"First, let me apologize now for us never getting the chance to meet before today." He started in, Spirit blinking in surprise for the unexpected apology. "I've been meaning to get in contact with you for some time since you started rising in the ranks, I've just never quite had the time or the means to get a hold of you easily, given you don't have an Agency to go through." He told her levelly and Spirit sweatdropped slightly, looking a touch uneasy with what was a totally unnecessary thing to say sorry for.

He's the No. 4, he's got way better things to do than going out of his way to make sure we've had a chance to talk before now-

"That being said, I have kept an eye on you and your exploits since you started gaining traction, and I must say I am impressed with how well you are doing for being so young, and not having the backing of an Agency." Best Jeanist kept on regardless of her internal monologue, and the thoughts quickly fizzled on Spirit's mind in the quake of a wave of nervousness that hit her next. "You've proven yourself an exemplary Pro in your short time on the circuit, and I am sure come the end of the year you will likely have jumped further than your current ranking at 19. You may even find yourself in the top ten at the rate you are going, and I am very interested to see how you grow and progress as your career continues onward." He told her coolly and Spirit swallowed, very aware of the sudden surge of heat in her face that came in with a sudden uneasy churning in her core, and she very much hoped her face hadn't flushed too much.

Spirit diverted her eyes off Best Jeanist and toward the side rather nervously, biting down on the insides of her cheeks and holding her breath against another churn in her center, forcing a small breath and her voice a little quieter than she liked, but she couldn't help it.

"Ah well… uhm… thank you." She mumbled quickly, her right hand coming up to rub at the back of her neck a little uneasily as she offered up a nervous, and slightly exasperated smile, shaking her head once. "That's all very kind of you to say, but ah…. I really wouldn't expect the end of year Ranking to be that high. I think even being at No. 19 right now is pushing it a bit… I've not really done much to earn the amount of buzz going on right now, most of it was just the whole Stain thing, and after that I've just been dragged along on other people's hype. I'm sure all of the attention on me will die off by the end of the year, or probably sooner…." She murmured quietly and Best Jeanist blinked once, his expression unchanging even as Spirit seemed to grow flustered and quickly attempted to deflect it too. He paused for half a second before letting out a small breath, his hands lifting off the table still folded together, and he settled them just under where his nose and chin were, green eyes settled on her from just above his knuckles and the high collar of his jean jacket.

"I think you're giving yourself too little credit." He told her softly. Spirit stiffened a bit in surprise at the mention of it, the Ebony Hero looking a little more flustered with the assertion, and when her eyes darted from him this time they ended up stuck on the glass of water in her lap rather pensively, even as the No. 4 kept on.

"It is true the biggest pull to your sudden time in the limelight came about from your encounter with Stain. It's understandable, he is a high-profile Villain with a long history of infamy that has shaken both Heroes and civilians to the very core. Any contact in relation to him would have earned you some amount of attention, but the surge of interest in you following that fight had very little to do with Stain, and much more to do with you as a whole." Best Jeanist murmured evenly, "Until you stepped in to save Ingenium, Stain's reign of terror had gone entirely unhindered. Not a single Pro Hero before you had ever managed to make it through an encounter with Stain without irreparable injuries, most who were unfortunate enough to face him lost their lives. You were the only one who managed to survive that encounter, and more so save someone else who had fallen at his hands. And then more still, it was you who proved that Stain was not untouchable. What you did that day gave the country a ray of hope that the seemingly unending crimes committed by Stain could have an end put to them, that it was possible he could be stopped, and would be stopped- much sooner than anyone ever dared believe. You did what had begun to be thought of as impossible, you made it a possibility in the hearts and minds of the public, and other Pro Heroes as well. The fervor that came after was a result of you and your ability, not just Stain's infamy." He murmured, his eyes dropping closed a moment as he leaned his chin into his hands and Spirit swallowed, quiet still with her eyes down.

"The world witnessed what you were capable of when you fought Stain, you proved on your own that this impossible thing could be done, and then you solidified yourself in the hearts and minds of the country further by showing the intensity of your convictions and your beliefs in what it means to be a Hero. Before then you had been of interest, a young Hero new to the game with a clear forward momentum that earned you some anticipation of what you would eventually do- but you have never been in the public eye as a Hero that believed in what that title means. You have always done well in your work, you've done well in crisis, battle, and rescue situations with a consistency that spoke to your skill, but never to your heart. In simple terms, the image that the country had of 'Animal Spirit' before your bout with the Hero Killer was vastly different from the Hero they saw for the first time that day. The real Animal Spirit."

Best Jeanist hummed a bit to himself, his eyes opening slowly and resting on her again, the Ebony Hero's attention down on her hands curled around the glass still a touch uneasily, and he smiled faintly behind the high collar.

"That day was your true debut as a Pro Hero, more so than the first time you stepped out onto the streets with a full License." He told her simply, "Your image in the public eye and among other Heroes was rather lacking before, but since being given the opportunity to see your heart for ourselves, you are now a Pro that all of Japan is now waiting with bated breath to see what heights you will reach. Expectations and hopes for you are high, for good reason... And yes, your name has been spoken in conjunction with others who are high-profile topics lately, and that will earn you extra attention. But it is little compared to what amount of it was earned by you yourself." He hummed, Spirit swallowing a bit more and her fingers linking a little more tightly around the glass, crimson eyes flashing.

This…. This was weird.

It was a lot of praise she hadn't expected, a lot of good things said and a lot of 'hope and expectations' coming from the Pro where she would never have imagined him caring enough to even think about her exploits much at all, least of all this much. And it was weirder (and a little more uneasy to hear), because this was something of a conglomeration built up of a reiteration of what several other people had told her already as of late.

From Death Arms to All Might, Tensei (Ingenium), Killjoy, Hawks- what have you. All manner of people scattered over weeks now since the whole Stain fiasco that had assured her of what she'd done and her own skill, praised her for it, made it clear they agreed and supported her 'convictions', and then even admitted that very thing; that she wasn't like what they'd assumed, at all.

They'd all been saying those things, admitting them and pointing them out, commenting on her behavior and her 'heart of gold' outside of being all reserved and dark and mysterious and whatever. Several times now with several people saying all of it, and each time she heard it, she'd grown more and more unsure of what it all actually meant. What it meant of her…. and now Best Jeanist had gone and summed it all up into one conversation, and she felt herself squirm slightly underneath it being laid out so plain and all at once.

She'd never cared about how she came off to other people really, she'd shut herself off to caring about their opinions of her and set a hard focus on just making sure she did her job and did it right. To hell with it if she was social, or a people person, or if her image in the media and with the general public was stellar or fan-oriented. As long as she did her job and did it well, it shouldn't matter how she came off to other people, or if she was reserved, formal, a stiff, or even if they established their own opinions of her with no real basis to back them up. It didn't matter if what they thought she was like was wrong or right, not as long as what she actually did was in the right… And she didn't completely not care. She'd always at least cared enough to be polite and formal, and generally not be a bitch and totally rude. She stayed professional with other Heroes, was never mean nor dismissive toward fans and their attention, and she'd never been snippy toward anyone without cause.

(Perhaps omitting a certain Bird-Brain on that last point)

Her 'image' was an afterthought and always had been, and until recently she'd never given it any mind until people had started pointing it out- repeatedly. And with each recurrence it dug in a little deeper, wormed its way a little further into a place where she had no choice but to start minding it a little, and just now on this latest (and very thorough) occurrence it hit harder than she expected. Because what did it being said over and over really mean?

Have I been building myself up as someone that everyone really thought was just…. I don't know, the type of Hero that only gave a shit about money or something…? Or that I was like, this sort of person that just…. Didn't give a damn or something…?

I know me being not super sociable and all closed off and everything doesn't help…. And I know a lot of that is just…. That's how my life has always been, I never thought maybe it was…. Not normal until…. Hmph.

Spirit swallowed slightly at the thought, red eyes flashing as she bit down on the inside of her cheeks.

I guess I get it, and I even get why people would think I was just charging full speed ahead, like Tensei mentioned…. I've always been more focused on making sure that… I proved the point….

She sighed silently under her breath, shutting down the thought before it could go any further and forcing her fingers to untighten around the glass. Her attention shifted out of her lap and back toward Best Jeanist, some of the nervousness in her expression gone and replaced with a bit of exasperation and something deeper. Something there and then carefully hidden away in an instant, too quickly to be of notice, practiced…. But Best Jeanist did see it, brief as it was.

He saw it, saw it fade, and then just kept talking- like it never happened.

"Now, I realize you aren't one for big social gatherings, and you aren't much a fan of engaging with the media nor flaunting your image like most Pros tend to. I respect that, and I would not impose and suggest you change your habits now either. Part of your fanfare comes from your lack of grand gestures and spotlighting. People appreciate your humbleness, especially so after hearing your convictions on Heroism, so I wouldn't suggest doing anything that goes against your normal habits in any large manner." Best Jeanist kept on, shifting gears slightly all of a sudden and earning Animal Spirit to perk up for it, her eyes narrowing faintly and not quite following…?

"That being said, given all that's happened and the new surge of interest in your work, I would encourage you to try and step a bit out of your comfort zone and engage with some more Pros." He murmured, his hands falling from in front of him and back onto the desk, Spirit's head tilting a little.

Engage…?

"Following Stain's capture in Hosu, I've decided to host a gathering tomorrow evening, to celebrate the end of his crimes and to stand in memoriam of those who were lost to him and his actions." Best Jeanist murmured, "It's something to honor their memory, and boost morale by bringing Heroes and civilians together for a show of comradery. It will be rather casual, nothing too extravagant, just a way to connect and to wind down where we Pros rarely have time to do so. I am limiting media coverage of the event to the bare minimum to avoid too much fuss, and the guest list has been carefully chosen to include those affected, and who are unlikely to cause too much of a stir. There will also be plenty of other Heroes attending, Endeavor among them, though I'm sure he'll only stay for a short spell. He's not one for parties as it is, and given the circumstances I very much doubt he's in any mood to spend too much time standing about and taking credit for Stain's capture." Best Jeanist said coolly, Spirit stiffening and her eyes going a little wide at the last bit and what it seemed to imply- and the No. 4 dipped his head faintly to it, calm as ever.

"I am aware of the true state of affairs behind Stain's defeat, just as you are. And truth be told, hosting this event does serve as something of a cover to try and solidify what the general public have been told happened that night in Hosu. I hope to put to rest any doubt on the story there may or may not be about who it was that bested the Hero Killer." Best Jeanist hummed quietly, and Spirit paused half a second at the news, before her surprise faded a bit and she nodded just once. That made sense, and while she was a little shocked he did know about it, he was the No. 4, and it wasn't a stretch to think he'd been told or been asked to help make sure there was no way for the UA Interns to end up in hot water. So she nodded and let it be, Best Jeanist doing just the same, and the tiny drop of his voice for the mention of Endeavor's 'capture' of Stain there and gone as he returned right back to being calm and direct to the point- and now finally actually getting to the main point behind bringing all of this up at all.

"So on the note of the event, I would like to extend an invitation to you to attend." He said next, and Spirit stiffened, looking nearly instantly nervous all over again... and then quickly exasperated too.

... Aaaand now it all makes sense.

All the praises and the bringing up Stain, and talking about my image and 'engaging' with other Pros…. Hell, even the whole taking on the Support Request out of nowhere too.

All of that, just to try and butter me up so I would agree to come to this thing, huh?

I'm not even sure I'm surprised, he's always hosting things and setting up events, and I know he's gone and sent invitations to Death Arms' Agency to get handed off to me before too… I never answered them, though, and now he gave up on mail and just went straight to asking face to face, huh?

Bloody hell…. But I guess this is a better ulterior motive for being called in out of nowhere than all those other things my stupid brain was coming up with earlier.

A bead of sweat fell down her jaw and she smiled a touch wearily, suppressing a heavy sigh.

And damn it… I can't really say no.

That'd be really rude to just turn him down when he's brought me in specifically, and especially after going through all that effort with making that collar. The materials on it alone are probably worth a freakin' fortune, not to mention the hours worth of work put into it- and he did it for free.

She had actually tried to ask Jeanist about paying him back for building and the work with the collar earlier after they got done testing, and the No. 4 had been very quick to wave mention of it off and assure her it was a favor that she needn't worry about repaying…. Which now made a little more sense, him saying that, if this was the end game.

So it wasn't all the way free, clearly…. He's kinda backed me into a corner with all this, huh? And I never saw it coming…

Spirit's slightly exasperated and nervous smile shifted to just more nervous, the Ebony Hero's voice level and polite despite the tiny flare of annoyance that hit her for being manipulated (even to an ultimately harmless end), and the unwanted bit of being faintly impressed with how easily he'd navigated the whole thing.

Hmph, clever git.

"Ah, well I'm not really one for parties or anything, you're right. But if it's really not going to be a huge thing, I suppose it might not be that bad…" Spirit murmured quickly, one of her hands finding a slightly nervous place on the back of her neck. "... It wouldn't hurt to spend a little time anyway, and I suppose it would probably do me some good to talk with some other Pros while I have the chance, if only to just make introductions…." She agreed, red eyes flashing. "... Besides, I can't really turn you down after you've gone through all the trouble with the collar and everything. Coming to this thing tomorrow is probably the least I can do." She added lightly, and perhaps not so subtly pointed out the bit of manipulation on his part- but her tone was nothing if not polite, and her expression didn't betray any of the little bits of annoyance or whatever else. She wasn't gonna act mad about it, she was intent to stay calm and formal regardless, so she did.

But that didn't mean she was just gonna take it and let it go without making it clear she was well aware of what he'd done, and been up to with all of this.

To Spirit's surprise Best Jeanist seemed rather amused that she pointed it out at all, even if his expression and demeanor were rather hard to gauge behind his high collar. But yeah, he definitely seemed amused with her just then, a tiny breath that bordered on a chuckle escaping the No. 4 for just a moment following, and she could have sworn he was smiling where she couldn't see it.

"Lovely, I look forward to seeing you there." Best Jeanist hummed, Spirit let out a little breath, eyes narrowed faintly at him and wondering why he would be amused…. But she let it go and didn't linger too long.

"Is there like a dress code for this or..?" She asked next and he shook his head faintly, his attention moving off of her and his hands unlinking as he pulled an envelope off from a stack of papers on the side of the desk, and then handed it across to her. Spirit took it, her attention darting over the red paper and her (Hero) name written in looping strokes on the back of it- the invitation to said event, clearly.

"Nothing too strict. As I said, this is meant to be more casual, so you needn't worry about putting on your most expensive outfit or anything. I'm sure whatever you have on hand will be just fine." Best Jeanist told her and Spirit nodded once in understanding, though internally she grimaced.

Yeah I really doubt his definition of casual falls in line with mine, so I don't really have anything 'on hand' at all.

She set the envelope down in her lap along with the glass of water and suppressed a sigh.

I guess I have to go shopping then… That'll be brilliant, I'm so looking forward to it and this party…. Oi.

Spirit settled her attention on Best Jeanist again, her expression falling mostly neutral again though she couldn't erase the nervousness and unease at the prospect of any sort of social gathering all the way. Her stomach was churning now at the thought of having to get all dressed up and going to it, and she was sure it was gonna get all the worse from now until then too.

Can't back out though

Both her and Best Jeanist's attention on each other got diverted by a sudden chime, a screen set into the desk in front of the No. 4 suddenly flaring to life with some sort of notification and putting a stall in the conversation. Jeanist swiped through it quickly and Spirit took the tiny pause as opportunity to quietly drink the rest of the water she'd been given, her eyes watching him type a few things in from the corner of her eye (though she couldn't really see what he was doing).

"Ah, the fabrication on the plating is complete." Best Jeanist hummed after a moment, almost as if he could tell she was watching, and probably wondering too. "It shouldn't take long to replace the plating on the collar with the new ones, and the programming looks like it will be done in a few minutes as well. I'll have you back on your way soon enough, Animal Spirit." Best Jeanist assured and Spirit blinked, nodding faintly.

"Alright, but you needn't rush or anything." She murmured, Jeanist shook his head faintly and typed a few last things, before his attention on the screen failed and he glanced her way again.

"No rush, I just won't hold you here for any longer than I need to. You've humored my summoning you and my talking away without complaint, even though I did interrupt your plans for the night. I think you've given me more than enough of your time and patience already." He told her lightly. Spirit paused at the words, blinking slowly and a little unsure almost, before she nodded once.

"It was no trouble, and thank you again for all of the work you did, and everything else." She murmured softly, Best Jeanist nodding once with a small dip of his head.

"My pleasure."

And then they both let it be at that, making no further mention of much of anything even as they left his office and went around to collect the collar. Spirit wasn't exactly going to argue with him on the point, since she wasn't really looking to spend too much time here passed what was needed, and especially not after their little stint of testing the collar and what eventuality would come with having done what she wasn't supposed to do in regards to the Limit of her Quirk. She felt fine for now, but she wasn't sure what later was gonna look like, and she wasn't planning to find out while being here and around Best Jeanist, let alone anyone else….. Besides, she now had the task of having to get ready for this party now thrown in the mix on top of that, so it was probably better to be able to get going and get things settled in case of that eventuality biting her in the ass in the next few hours.

Best Jeanist handed off the newly modified collar and a small book that consisted of the manual for it, reiterating again that she should come in whenever she needed to make further adjustments to it, and briefly going over a few of the more basic things regarding it's functionality now that they'd taken time to program her biometrics into it. Spirit listened intently to it all, though she was sure she was gonna have to fiddle with it on her own later to really get a good handle on all the little tricks, and read that manual too.

(Of which, she was faintly glad he'd bothered to make it, since she wasn't quick enough to get everything he was saying down in one go.)

The sun was set and near on to being gone by the time she was led out of the compound, Empishi reappearing to lead her there while Best Jeanist said his goodbye in the R&D department.

"I'll see you tomorrow evening, Animal Spirit." The No. 4 told her lightly, and Spirit dipped her head a bit to him, still faintly nervous with the reminder, but a little more interested in actually getting going now. Her stomach was churning still, and it was getting harder to tell if that was just nerves, or something less pleasant.

Empishi dropped her off in the limo a few streets over from where he'd caught her earlier on, Spirit casting a small smile toward the Sidekick and thanking him for all of his help, and the little tour from earlier too.

The car door shut and the limo moved off, leaving Spirit standing on a street corner in the steadily growing lights of the city night-life, and up around the corner the humm and bustle of that event she'd seen being set up could be heard. Her shoulders sank rather heavily as she watched it turn a corner, her bag heavier on her back with the manual for the collar and the invitation both now sitting in it, and the light from a billboard across the street catching across the red-tinged metal plating of the collar around her neck. She swallowed, one hand coming up to brush her fingertips against it lightly and almost absentmindedly, her thoughts long since starting in on trying to make up some plan from now till the next evening- a plan that was now way out of line with what she'd originally had set.

She hesitated on the street for only a heartbeat or so before turning, casting a small and pleasant smile to a few people she passed by on the sidewalk, before slipping down an alley and out of sight.

She didn't end up going back out on patrol, though she nearly did. But a slight hitch that worked its way into her figure on Shifting between herself and an eagle made her give up any hope she might be lucky today.

Of course not…. But I suppose that's what I get.

Better just take it easy for the rest of the night, I can't really afford to push it too much if I have to go to this thing tomorrow, go shopping, and go to work at the club too.

So she went home, the Ebony Hero pacing slightly back and forth across the small space of her living/kitchen area as night settled in and the hours ticked passed, the small manual for the collar in hand as she read through it, and her other hand kept coming up to fiddle with the collar around her neck as she did. There were bouts of silence broken by her talking aloud to herself, or otherwise testing out the verbal commands she was looking through, and on the counter in the kitchenette sat the red envelope, the invitation previously stored inside now on the counter after she'd read it over upon coming home.

"... hmm…. Oh… alright that's how that works…" She mumbled softly, her head twitching faintly in reaction to a low drone of a beep reaching her ears- too low to be heard normally, but between her heightened hearing and the proximity to her person, she caught it easily enough. Which was the point, it was set up to only be audible by herself so it wasn't just blasting calls or whatever for the whole world to hear.

Her red eyes traced the print of the manual, narrowing faintly as she flipped the page and then widening in surprise, her hand hovering at her shoulder moving up to the collar again around her pulse point.

"... 'if needed the collar can monitor your vitals and send the information to the destination of your choosing, or in the case of an emergency, to the nearest Dispatch center for transmission to emergency personnel. Otherwise it can remain idle and be set to still monitor your vitals locally, but not send the information anywhere, if that is your preference. The feature can also be disabled entirely.'..." Spirit read aloud slowly, her voice trailing off as she continued further, gaze flashing. She swallowed, a small breath escaping her as she dropped her attention from the manual and stepped over toward the counter to tap her phone, setting the manual down so she could mess with it and push one of the hidden buttons on the collar simultaneously- her phone flashing a warning that it was uploading the rest of her contact information from itself and to the collar.

"... Bloody hell… Best Jeanist really went all out on this thing…" Spirit mumbled to herself, locking her phone again to leave it be and do it's thing, and adjusting a little to lean against the counter with her back. Her hand on the collar moved again, sliding a finger across the top of the underside of the central unit and causing what tiny red light there remained persistent on the side to shift, flashing a multitude of color and light as it's intensity increased, and it started up what the manual called 'Projection Mode'.

It did as you would expect, a small screen made up of the light coming into view as it was projected from the collar just in front of her, rounded on the corners and filled with a little menu. It was a visual interface for it, outside of it being entirely voice driven, and right at the moment it popped up a few graphs and statistics in relation to what amount of her vitals it could and was monitoring (but not sending it anywhere, as per her 'preference').

Spirit read through it quickly, her attention lingering on the subtle tick up in a degree where her temperature was, and she wilted faintly.

38.1 C / 100.6 F

Spirit slid her finger back over the edge of the collar again with a heavy sigh, the projection screen disappearing from sight and the light going back to red. Her head tilted back wearily and she settled her hands on the counter to lean into them, grimacing.

"... Not great, but not bad….. Though it's only been a few hours…" She mumbled wearily, her head tilting toward a clock on the microwave and sweatdropping.

10:07 pm

She dropped her eyes from the clock and to her feet, her posture wilting a little more and grumbling.

"... I should probably go to bed, maybe if I sleep in the meantime it won't get any worse…. And it's not like I'm gonna have time to catch a few hours after my shift tomorrow, since I'm gonna have to go shopping for something to wear." Spirit murmured to herself, her head tilting faintly in thought. "... Though where I'm going is a toss up…. I guess maybe a mall…? I don't know any fancy stores, but I should be able to find something fine enough in a mall, right? Maybe the one over in Kiyashi….? I don't usually go out that far even when I'm patrolling Heiku, so there should be less people to peg me as Animal Spirit if I'm careful…." She hummed, trailing off a bit and tilting her head the other way faintly, biting the inside of her cheek.

"... And a mall has more types of stores, so I have better chances of finding what I need all in the same place…. And hopefully nothing too expensive too…" She mumbled, her voice dropping and her expression twisting in exasperation and weariness both as her eyes fell closed.

"... Though maybe too many options on stores isn't a great idea… I've never gone out shopping for fancy clothes or anything, I'm not gonna have any clue what I'm even doing… oi…"

Bing

Spirit perked, her attention diverted from the tiny little beep that sounded a little closer to a chirp, light and short. It was one of the sounds the collar made to alert her to something, though this specific tone was new- not that she had to wonder long what it meant before an automated voice told her exactly what it was for.

''New Message from Death Arms'' The mechanical voice murmured gently, Spirit glancing quickly toward her phone on the counter and picking it up to read it for herself (she could have told the collar to read it aloud for her, according to what she read in the manual, but she'd rather just read it herself if she was standing here).

She tapped the phone screen and pulled it up, still chewing on the insides of her cheeks and looking a little disappointed, but ultimately unsurprised. Her fingers started tapping on the screen lightly.

Death Arms

…(7:32pm)..

Are you busy tomorrow evening?

…

…(10:09pm)...

I do have something planned, why?
Is something the matter?

…

No, everything's fine. I just got called out to an event tomorrow and I was hoping you
could be my plus one and my buffer. It's last minute so don't worry
about it, go ahead with whatever you had set. I'll be fine.

…

Are you sure? I can reschedule

Spirit smiled faintly at the near immediate offer, red eyes gleaming as she shook her head faintly at it, and her center warmed a little too.

Death Arms

…
Are you sure? I can reschedule

…

Yes I'm sure, I can manage on my own.
But thank you anyway.

…

Alright, but let me know if you need me.
What event is this anyway?

…

It's a memorial/celebratory thing Best Jeanist is putting on,
because of Stain getting captured.

…
Are you sure you want to go to that alone?

Spirit's smile faded a bit at the question and she sighed, her fingers twitching a bit over the screen and not typing right off, before she forced them down again.

Death Arms

Are you sure you want to go to that alone?

…

I'll be okay, I don't plan on sticking around long anyway.
I'm just going because I kind of got roped into it

…

How?

…

It's a whole story, and I'll be sure to rant to you about
it next time we meet up for a meal.
Suffice it to say I think Best Jeanist got tired of me ignoring
all those other invitations he sent to your Agency asking
me out to his galas and whatever.

…

Alright, I guess I'll have to hold off to hear
the rest of how that went.
I'll leave it be for now Spirit, but if you need to
call me or anything, don't worry about me being busy.
Try and take it easy at the party.

…

Will do, have fun with whatever you're up to.
Or if it's not that sort of thing, then good luck.

…

Thanks, and you too Spirit.

Spirit locked her phone and set it down on the counter again, her hand moving up to push her bangs back from her face and letting out another small sigh.

Like she'd said, this was super last minute so she couldn't be surprised Death Arms had other things to do, but she'd figured she would ask anyway…. But oh well.

It'll be fine, I can last an hour or two at some party, right? I can't be that hard…

She bit the insides of her cheeks, grimacing as her stomach flipped rather feverishly at the thought instead of just churning, and she felt a tiny bit of nauseousness creeping up with it.

….. But then again, when am I ever lucky enough for things to not be hard…?

She swallowed, her eyes dropping closed and holding her breath for a moment, willing the queasiness to go away…. And it did, for a moment, and then her attention got snatched up by something else soon after.

Bing

She blinked her eyes open, another chime emitted from the collar like just before and she paused, eyes moving slowly toward her phone once more.

Did he forget something-?

She stiffened when the mechanical voice came soon after, breaking her thought off and making her swallow, hard.

''New Message from Feathers''

.:+:.

Sunshine

Hey~! I haven't seen you out on patrol tonight, you staying in?
I was hoping to catch you, but if not that's fine~! I've still got
tomorrow before I leave for my tour, so maybe we can hang for a bit then?

I know you're usually busy early on in the day, but there's this thing Best Jeanist
is hosting that I was planning to drop by for a spell- maybe you could come along?
Be my plus one? Having you around would make it way
more fun for sure~!

Hawks hummed to himself, his thumb tapping the screen lightly to send the message off in the same moment his feet hit the railing, the Winged Hero dropping out of air and onto the balcony in one graceful movement and entirely unhindered by his attention on his phone. He stepped onto the railing then onto the ground without missing a beat, shaking his wings out as he went and then starting across toward the doors leading into his office at his Agency ahead of him- back here again after having left only a few hours ago, and subsequently cut his impromptu Patrol short when he was unable to find a certain Ebony Hero out and about.

She had told him not to hold his breath on hanging out again after their night out drinking, but he had been at least a little hopeful that he might catch her while she was on-duty, if not outside of it… But two days now of attempting to run into her out on Patrol had not panned out to any amount of seeing her at all.

Hawks sighed slightly to himself, his hands falling in his jacket pockets.

He didn't get the sense she was avoiding him purposely- not this time anyway- so not bumping into her while actively trying to make that happen (at least a little) was a bit weird. But it happened, sometimes he got busy with other things, and with Heiku being as big as it was, it wasn't hard to imagine they missed each other… Or at least that is what he told himself after a lack of Animal Spirit the previous evening. Tonight however?

He'd put a bit more effort into trying to track her down tonight (perhaps unwisely given she'd reacted so badly to his not-so spying), and been rather intent on searching the news and whatever to see if there had been any reports of her whereabouts too. But outside of some brief mention of her near when she would have generally started patrol, he had come up very empty handed. He figured she must have gotten called in on something, but there was no chatter with Dispatch or on the Hero Network about her either, so next best guess was she turned in early for some reason. For what he had no clue, and he did wonder, but in reality he was a little more interested in getting her attention to ask about the whole party going on tomorrow- which he'd resigned himself to bringing up via that text he just sent, since he couldn't find her.

And now with the message sent off he was sure to have to wait a bit before receiving any sort of answer. Spirit was never really prompt on her replies, as he'd quickly come to learn-

BZZZTTT

Hawks' steps toward the balcony door faltered, the Winged Hero jumping faintly and his golden eyes widening in surprise for the buzz of his phone in his hand and pocket.

No way she answered that fast-!

He didn't waste any time in pulling his phone back out despite the thought of denial that flashed through his mind, and one that quickly died when the screen flared to life and it very clearly said New Message from Sunshine.

He smiled faintly for the rather out of character response time and brought the message up, golden eyes darting over the lettering in rapid time and the smile losing a bit of its cheer with each one he read.

Ah…

Sunshine

Hey~! I haven't seen you out on patrol tonight, you staying in?
I was hoping to catch you, but if not that's fine~! I've still got
tomorrow before I leave for my tour, so maybe we can hang for a bit then?

I know you're usually busy early on in the day, but there's this thing Best Jeanist
is hosting that I was planning to drop by for a spell- maybe you could come along?
Be my plus one? Having you around would make it way
more fun for sure~!

…

I can't be your plus one

Hawks audibly sighed that time, the faded smile turning a bit weary, and his entire demeanor shifting between faint amusement with the rather curt response that was very much like her, unsurprise for the answer, and a bit of disappointment too.

He had no real hope she would say yes even before ever deciding to ask her along. Parties and galas and all that were not her sort of thing, he knew that, so really he very much expected her to say no…. But he was still a little disappointed nonetheless, and maybe more so than was appropriate, or normal for him.

But he couldn't help it, just like he couldn't help himself with always wanting to know more about her, or trying to unravel that mystery that was Animal Spirit because he needed to know more, and not just in the normal way he always did with trying to know all else. He could not help the disappointment even when he knew already what the answer was going to be, just like he couldn't help himself with having her constantly on his mind, and now nestled somewhere in him in a way that wasn't just being obsessed obsessed…. But rather now suddenly something that was altogether foreign, complicated, unknown, and even potentially problematic.

Hawks let out a quiet breath at the thought and rocked on his heels a bit, thumb tapping against the screen with a touch less vigor than it had when typing the first message up.

No, he wasn't surprised, and he couldn't help the disappointment, but maybe it was better she said no. Maybe he needed to back off for a bit and sort through that unknown, complicated, and problematic on his own for awhile lest he misstep and end up somewhere…. Unpleasant.

Sunshine

I can't be your plus one

…

Alright, no worries then Sunshine~!
I suppose I'll just say goodbye now then,
try not to have too much fun without me the next
two weeks, yeah~?

Hawks paused after sending it off, his attention searching for a bubble of dots that indicated Spirit was typing…. But it never came…?

His head tilted curiously as he waited one, two, and then about five minutes more, stuck standing there on the balcony short of the door, his wings sinking slightly behind him as he waited and still nothing happened- but there was that receipt that said she had read it, even if she dropped the conversation there.

He took in a breath of air and his free hand came up to rub at the back of his neck, brow quirked and casting a look up at the twilight sky overhead, musing.

"No goodbye back, huh…? Did I catch her at a bad time..?" Hawks mumbled aloud and all to himself, his hand slowing to a halt on his neck and golden eyes flashing in the dim.

"Alright… I guess maybe that's as good a sign as any that I should back off a little then….?"

---

Hello hello! I am here and with an update :D

I am sorry for the long wait, but hopefully you enjoyed this chappy and some more interaction for Spirit with some Heroes outside of our pretty bird, hmm?

The next two chapters are gonna be full of even more fun interactions in plenty of places- so stay tuned for that!

And thank you all so very much for your patience and sticking with me this long! I appreciate you all so very much! ;w;

Please follow, fav, and Review if you can! Thank you!