Pubs and Parks
Once Estelle had gotten back home after her brief talk with Bakugo, she went out for a meal with Nona. They sat at the table together and placed their order. The duo had an idle chat about the events that had occurred in the sports festival.
"So, honey, I noticed things went a little awry for you when you participated in the final round. What happened?"
Estelle thanked the waitress for bringing the food and clarified, "I don't know; it was like I was reliving my memories. I found it hard to shake myself out of it."
Nona grimaced after taking a bite from her food from the girls' explanation. "It sounds like PTSD, but I'm not a professional. I understand that you wouldn't be able to speak to anyone about this since they don't know your identity."
Estelle nodded and quirked her head in question. "PTSD?"
Nona looked at the girl in revelation. "You don't know what that is? Look it up when you get home. It might clear things up. It could be because you are now in a stable environment that it's only manifested now. Again, I have limited knowledge, so we can try to find ways to help you."
Estelle smiled lightly in gratitude at the older woman. She was once again thankful for having Nona in her life. Estelle had a lot to think about in terms of what was going on in her head. For now, that could be placed on the back burner; she would take the next few days to dig deeper on finding a way back home.
"Is it okay if we stop by a store? I think I should buy a phone," Estelle requested abruptly after they finished their meal.
Nona enlarged her eyes, exclaiming, "Of course! I'm shocked I never thought of that! Let's go."
The next day had come around, and Estelle requested the day off work to investigate a lead to get back home. When she was scrolling online, she found that a man held a portal quirk somewhere near Kamino Ward. There wasn't much information about the man besides the fact he was a bartender.
After taking the train, Estelle stopped in Yokohama City and set out in search of a bar. The familiar foreboding feeling of being watched bore down at her, but she shrugged it off as paranoia. Stopping by one bar, Estelle asked the clerk if they knew anybody with a portal quirk and was promptly ignored. When the same thing happened at three other bars, she had decided to switch things up.
The following bar Estelle walked into, she acted as if she knew the man she was searching for. "Where is he?"
The bartender looked at the girl, taken aback and answered, "Excuse me?"
"That man with the portal quirk, I have a bone to pick with him. Now. Where. Is. He?"
The lady trembled and shakingly raised her hand to a point in the direction of an abandoned bar. "He's there! Just keep following the path and go through the graffitied door."
Estelle's angry expression immediately switched to a smile, creeping the woman out more before making her way to the broken-down bar down the road.
When she pushed the squeaky door open, her eyes widened from the sight before her.
There stood Kurogiri in his villain outfit. He was standing behind the bar as he wiped down some shot glasses while viewing the news. She couldn't believe that she had found the League of Villains; she couldn't catch a break.
'Well, I'm here now, no going back.'
After she walked up to the bar, she requested a beer. He immediately popped a can on the table without looking at the patron. His eyes were still glued to the screen. His eyes swivelled to her in confusion when she smoothly said his name "Kurogiri, was it?"
The man went to attack instantly in swift reaction. Estelle backflipped out of the way, leaving her a foot away from Kurogiri.
"What are you doing here, little girl? Do you know where you are? Walking into a villain hideout alone is the stupidest thing I have ever seen anyone do."
Estelle shrugged with a smirk. "I can take all of you if I wanted to, but that's not why I am here. I just wanted to talk about your quirk. Off the record."
Kurogiri stood still in disbelief; this wasn't what he was expecting at all. But if she came all this way to talk to a villain, there might be more than meets the eye. It could be helpful to the League.
Nodding in agreement, Kurogiri used a portal to go back to his spot behind the bar. He motioned for Estelle to take her seat. She did just that and sipped her beer.
"Your quirk, can it only teleport to locations that you've been to before?"
"I can teleport anywhere as long as I have the coordinates", he responded quietly, like he was unsure he should even answer.
Estelle's heart dropped, but she didn't show it on her face. Nodding and gulping down the rest of her beer - she stood up. Placing money down for the drink, she began to make her leave.
"What would make someone desperate enough to visit a villain, just to ask a single question?"
"Someone desperate to get back home" was all she retorted with her hand on the exit.
"What the hell?!" Another voice rang out, interrupting the two. When she looked over, she found that it was Tomura Shigaraki who had spoken in startled shock. "What the hell is a UA student doing here, Kurogiri?"
Estelle looked at the baby man and answered for him, "I just found this place by accident and thought I would have a quick chat. Don't worry though, my lips are sealed. I'm not here for your hero/villain business."
Shigaraki studied Estelle in curiosity and asked, "If you're not here for that? Then why are you here, princess?"
She shrugged back at the man. "Just had a question I needed to ask. Anyway, it was nice talking to you too, though I have to get home."
"Wait!"
Estelle turned to face Shigaraki with one foot out of the door and raised a brow in question. "Join us, whatever you're looking for. We can provide."
Estelle gave a thoughtful glance to pretend she was thinking about it before she shook her head. "I won't be here for much longer anyway; thanks for the invitation. Oh, and nice place."
Before they could respond, the girl was gone. She had left the two males wondering about the female who was fearless enough to walk in and out of a villain hideout with her wits intact.
"She is an interesting one", Shigaraki mused aloud as he stared at the spot where Estelle previously stood. Kurogiri silently nodded in agreement at his leaders' words.
When Estelle was heading back home, she stood at the station waiting for her train to arrive. Playing around on her new phone, she was awakened from her marvelling with a recognisable voice.
"The train will arrive in 10 minutes; we have made it to the station just in time!"
Looking over, Estelle saw Tenya Iida standing with his parents. Making sudden eye contact, Estelle immediately looked back to her phone. Being the extrovert he was, Iida made his way to Estelle and stood in front of her, his shadow alerting the girl of his presence.
"What brings you here, Iida?" Estelle inquired.
"My brother was attacked by the heinous villain Stain. I was just at the hospital to visit him. He is doing well!" He asserted at the end.
Estelle frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Iida shook his head in response. "That is not necessary; the only one who needs to apologise is the mad man that put him there."
Estelle could detect the malice hidden in his tone, and her frown intensified at the realisation. "I know it's hard when the people you love get hurt; I understand it all too well. The feeling of rage and hurt burns you from the inside out. Just be careful, will you? I don't want to hear that you've been hurt because of those feelings. Sometimes, you just have to overcome them."
Iida was bewildered by her words since it almost seemed as if the girl could read his mind. He sobered up from his shock when he asked, "You've experienced the same thing?"
"Hmm, I've lost a lot of people. Be glad he is still with you, even if he isn't the same. Like I said at the USJ, when we lose something precious to us, hate is born. Vengeance is the product of that, and so death follows. But in death, there is only more death giving rise to more pain. It is a cycle of hatred that will not cease, so don't be a part of it."
He nodded. "That is some wise words."
"It was a wise friend who told me them."
"I see. I will bear your advice in mind. Thank you, Estelle. I will take my leave."
Estelle texted Shinsou the next day to ask if he was available for a training session after her shift at The Beanery. He agreed instantly, and Estelle made her way to the park, where they decided to meet.
Estelle played with her phone whilst she sat on the park bench, waiting for him to arrive. Not too long after, Shinsou convened and sat next to her. He held a half-smile and voiced, "Hey, you feel better from the other day?"
Estelle nodded and returned, "Yeah, thank you", and stood up to head to the private clearing she previously trained Bakugo at. He trailed along in comfortable silence.
Once they reached their destination, Estelle turned to face the tired-looking boy with a stern expression. "What do you know so far, any self-defence techniques, strength training or quirk training?"
Shinsou looked wide-eyed at the girl before rubbing his neck sheepishly. "I don't know much if I'm honest, I know the ins and outs of my quirk, and that's about it."
Estelle nodded to Shinsou's relief; he was anxious that she would walk off right there and then. "Okay, so today I'll teach you the basics of offence and defence. I expect you to start going to the gym and eating right for your muscles to grow. Look into it online. We'll work on your quirk later since that's your best asset right now."
He nodded in understanding, and the two got to work. Estelle started with basic stances, correcting his footwork and posture until he got the hang of it before changing onto defensive and offensive movements. He was a good student as he took in everything Estelle was saying and applied it to his moves. Once Estelle felt Shinsou was comfortable enough on the basics, it had been a few hours, causing the sun to drop. Shinsou slouched whilst he drowned in his sweat and grabbed his knees as he gasped.
"Okay, now I want you to come at me with everything you've learnt so far."
He looked at her in wonder but agreed. Moving forward suddenly, the two fought with simple kicks, dodges and blocks. Estelle kept to the same level as him to ensure his improvement. She was impressed he had even managed to bring her to the floor with a low blow. Leaning over her with a proud smile, Estelle could not help but reciprocate his happiness before raising her arm and moving her fingers to the shape of a gun.
"Bang bang, you lose!"
Shinsou rolled his eyes at her playfulness and nudged her shoulder. He gave Estelle a hand to bring her back on her feet. They had decided to end the day there and began to walk their way back to the park.
"You did great today; you took in everything like a sponge. The spar we had shows how much you've learnt. You did stumble a few times since the moves aren't natural to you yet. Keep practising, and they'll become second nature. Otherwise, it was a good session," Estelle finished. Shinsou nodded, taking in her advice, holding a hidden smile while he strolled next to her.
"Thank you for doing this; you're an amazing teacher. Really. I've learned more than I ever have on my own," Shinsou returned with a soft gaze.
Estelle looked up at the taller male as heat crawled up her neck from the compliment. "You've helped me out too, don't worry about it. It was fun," Estelle assured.
"The hell are you doing here, Lioness?"
'These run-ins are getting ridiculous', Estelle whined to herself.
Estelle's eyes found Bakugo walking in the direction of the clearing in his gym clothes. He was clearly looking to do some late-night training. She smirked at the boy and countered, "I should be asking you that Ruby, I was just on a walk with Shinsou here. No biggie."
Bakugo scoffed at her reply and glared his red eyes into her amused ones. He shook his head and continued walking. Estelle raised a brow when he harshly bumped his shoulder into Shinsou's and disappeared into the night.
"A walk?" Shinsou questioned.
Estelle shrugged. "I figured you wouldn't want anyone knowing about your training right now. They can know when you're ready."
Shinsou tilted his head at her reply until it clicked. She was giving him the option of telling other people - how thoughtful. He smiled down at the girl again, she had a weird way of doing and saying things, but it was charming.
Once they reached the park, the two turned to each other to say their goodbyes. Shinsou instantly went in for a hug, surprising Estelle for a second time as she computed the action. Before she could respond, he let go and looked down at her earnestly. "Thanks again. Text me when you can do another session. I'll be waiting."
"Goodbye, Shinsou; I'll see you soon."