Though Mirio had never set foot into a club of any sort, he could tell immediately that The Glistening Pearl was a cut above most. Even during the establishment's off hours, a muted, pulsating beat filled the central chamber that made up the dance floor, seemingly coming from all sides. The rhythm was a clear thumping bass, though the song itself was low enough to sound as though it was coming through another room or being played through a filter. It was also just enough to make the blood vessels in Mirio's head throb in time, amplifying his burgeoning headache.

The main room itself was incredibly spacious, large enough to fit a crowd of several hundred people, or perhaps even a thousand or more at full capacity. The fact that only around ten people were milling about and cleaning the floors made it look ever bigger. Every wall and even the ceiling were painted in black, with bright neon silhouettes alternating between mythological creatures and women in suggestive poses scattered about in a flowing mural. The majority of the dance floor reached out to Mirio's left, and he could see poles with large cages at several points throughout the wide-open area where a crowd could stand. Beyond the cages was a stage with large red curtains obscuring whatever was hidden beyond them.

Over on Mirio's right was an impressively stocked bar, with rows upon rows of bottles of alcohol stacked from floor to ceiling behind it. The wooden countertop with spigots attached and stools fastened to the floor before it spanned the entire wall. Elsewhere behind the bar on either side, were tall, black doors with silver trim that led back to what Mirio guessed was some sort of storage area, or perhaps a kitchen. Stood beside the bar was a hulking man in a black beak-shaped mask, his arms folded across his barrel chest. His hair was a wild, unkempt arrangement of long, rusty-colored strands, and though his mouth was visible beneath the mask, his expression was stoic and unreadable. The rest of his outfit was a simple combination of a white shirt and jeans, looking rather out of place in the otherwise neon-soaked and borderline futuristic décor of the rest of the dance floor.

"Yo!" Dabi called as he made a hasty approach toward the bar with Mirio in tow. "Where's she at?"

"The other side," the man answered in a gruff voice. Even through the man's eyes were obscured entirely by the mask, Mirio could tell that the bouncer was looking straight at him. "Go on through. But you…"

"…me?" Mirio asked as he pointed a finger to the center of his chest. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he held up his own beaked mask for the other man to see. "I'm not here to start any trouble. You're with Overhaul, aren't you? So am I! I just joined up."

The giant rolled his shoulders, and his expression turned to a smirk.

"Oh, come on, we don't have time for this," Dabi groaned as he held a hand to his forehead. "Don't start your usual shit, Rappa…"

"Welcome to the family," the man said without any regard for Dabi's words. "Strange though it may seem, given who you are. Togata… practically a celebrity, or at least, you once were. They say you're strong."

Mirio offered the larger man a nervous smile, totally unsure of how to react to the statement.

"Uh… thanks? And you are…?"

"Kendo Rappa," the man answered. "I want a fight. Not now, since you two seem busy…"

"We are indeed very busy," Dabi seethed, scratching at the side of his neck. "C'mon, man…"

"…but soon," Kendo continued. "I want to see what you're made of. A friendly duel."

Mirio glanced over to Dabi for advice, only to find the man looking up at the ceiling as if pleading for divine intervention to end the conversation, potentially with a lightning bolt from on high.

"…uh… sure!" Mirio answered with a smile as he turned his attention back to Kendo. "I don't see the harm in it. You'll see me around every so often."

Kendo let out a humorless laugh of a single syllable.

"You wouldn't be the first 'hero' that applies to. You'll hear no judgment from me, but keep that mask out of sight during business hours if you plan on playing both sides. Go on through."

Kendo stepped aside and kept his arms folded. Dabi sped through the waiting door as though he was late for an appointment, and Mirio was quick to follow in his ally's wake.

"Hey, Dabi?" Mirio asked as he found himself power walking through a well-stocked kitchen where a small group of people were moving boxes and bags around. "What did he mean that 'I wouldn't be the first hero' to come around here…?"

"I'll let Riz answer that," Dabi said without looking back. "But it's exactly what it sounds like. She's gotta give you the rules, anyway, if you're gonna hang out around here."

"Rules?" Mirio questioned. "More than 'look but don't touch'?"

"One or two others, yeah," Dabi said cryptically as he pushed through another black and silver door. "This is pretty much the only place where I follow any rules, and if you make her life harder, we're gonna have a problem. That's my one and only rule, personally."

"Noted. I'm not really the rule-breaking type, anyway," Mirio offered.

"He said, after joining the Yakuza," Dabi pointed out. "You just can't stick to one story, can you? Doin' a really good job of convincing me you're legit."

Mirio chose to simply keep quiet as he stepped through the door and into what almost seemed to be an entirely different building. Whereas the first public room he had seen of the club was spacious and bare, the second was much smaller, more intimate, and meticulously decorated with luxurious furniture. Table settings and velvet couches lined up along the walls occupied most of the space of the central area. The place could have passed for a high-class restaurant if not for the stage with three jutting catwalks that reached deep into the dining area and the silver poles running from the end of each up to the ceiling. Though the lights were on and giving the featureless black walls an odd, shiny quality, Mirio could feel himself almost starting to sweat at the mere mental image of what the place might look like at showtime.

Rizumu Saku was bent over near one of the poles, facing away from the doors as the two men entered. The woman had a clipboard in hand while she inspected something upon the stage and seemed totally lost in her own little world as she scratched away at her paperwork. Dabi crouched slightly and began to move in, his sectioned leather coat shifting and rustling behind him as he moved swiftly and as silently as he could. Fortunately for him, his target was nodding her head along to the dull rhythm playing through the speakers and didn't notice his approach until he hopped up to sit on the edge of the stage. He immediately transitioned to lay on one side, cupping his head in his hand as he rested his elbow against the catwalk and adopted a suggestive lounging pose. Rizumu let out a gasp of surprise and nearly fumbled her clipboard before giving Dabi a wide smile.

"You ass," the woman accused, though her facial expression betrayed her delight. "I thought you were busy today."

"I was," Dabi agreed as he sat up properly. "I just thought the job would take longer and get messier than it did. Turns out, it went about as smooth as can be, and I've got nothing else planned. Figured I might as well come and surprise ya."

Mirio kept his distance, lingering near the door as he watched the exchange with great interest. Immediately after he had spoken, Dabi raised a hand to cup Rizumu's cheek, and she rested her forehead gently against his. The two shared a soft kiss for a moment before returning to simply lingering near each other, while Dabi's hand trailed down to rest atop that of his girlfriend. The two shared a brief conversation in low voices far too quiet for Mirio to hear, and he began to feel as though he was intruding on something he wasn't supposed to see. As quietly as he could, he took a step backward toward the door to the kitchen and made an attempt to stealthily retreat inside of it. As if on cue, Rizumu turned her head to see him with his hand upon the door and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh! Togata, I didn't know you were here!"

"Yeah, I… Dabi brought me out on the job," Mirio said sheepishly as he let the door swing closed again behind himself. "Sorry to interrupt."

"No, no, it's fine," Rizumu reassured with a wave of her hand. "Come on in. Welcome to my little pleasure palace."

Mirio laughed nervously as he approached the couple. He noticed that Dabi's eyes were still on Rizumu as she spoke, as though he found her to be the most interesting thing in the world.

"That's… certainly a name for it," Mirio acknowledged. "I'm not sure what I was expecting, to be totally honest. I've never really been in a place like this."

"It's a little unique, yeah," Rizumu admitted as she tucked a strand of black and blonde-tipped hair back behind her ear with her free hand. Quite suddenly, she straightened her posture a bit and began to look alarmed as she swept her eyes all across Mirio's form. "Dude, you look like shit. What happened?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Mirio tried as he ran a hand through his hair to ruffle some spikes back into it. "I'll be alright. Don't worry about it."

"Our former hero had to be a bad boy today," Dabi let on as he finally looked back toward his colleague with a smirk. "Apparently, playing outside the rules doesn't agree with him just yet. That, or wearing one of Overhaul's gimp suits all day dehydrated him. Probably a little of both."

"Don't be like that. He's trying," Rizumu scolded as she smacked the back of her hand into Dabi's chest. Without warning, the woman put her clipboard down onto the catwalk, stood up, and straightened out her crop top. "Sit down before you pass out. I'll get you some water and get us all some food."

"Oh, no, that's really not necessary," Mirio insisted with a guilty grin as he sat at the edge of the catwalk nearest to Dabi's. "I just need to rest for a minute with the mask off."

"Yeah, you're not stopping me," Rizumu denied as she marched toward the kitchen. "We take care of our own."

Mirio watched with a feeling of shame as the woman disappeared through the door. The sound of shuffling leather drew his attention back over to Dabi, who had stood up and into an overhead stretch before slipping his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"You feeling any better?" he asked as he cracked his neck to one side.

"Not by much," Mirio admitted with a sigh. He hesitated for a moment before offering Dabi a subtle, earnest smile. "You seem a lot more… relaxed, though. You two seem to have something really special..."

Mirio watched Dabi curiously, unsure of what to expect in response. Dabi held eye contact, seemingly taking his time to think over his options as he kept his expression totally neutral.

"…yeah. Yeah, we do. Sorry if it seemed like I was being an asshole and rushing you on our way here. I just really wanted to see her. Had a rough morning before you showed up."

Mirio blinked in surprise, unsure if he had heard correctly. An apology was just about the last thing he thought would come out of Dabi's mouth, and he found himself standing up immediately to walk over to the other man.

"No, no, not at all!" Mirio quickly reassured. "I didn't think so. I totally get it! You've been… you've been kinda fun to hang out with, outside of the music store. Still, you're right. I've just gotta get used to things…"

"Yeah. Speaking of… I've got some clothes upstairs you could borrow to get out of that sweaty bullshit Overhaul's got you wearing," Dabi offered. "Shower's up there, too. Might help."

"Really?" Mirio asked, his curiosity piqued. "I didn't know there was an upstairs."

Dabi merely nodded before moving to lean against the wall beside the curtain on stage.

"The private rooms are up there, along with Riz's suite. A little home-away-from-base. But hey- if you're changing out of those clothes anyway… think you're up to showing off your Quirk real quick?"

Mirio furrowed his brows and sucked in a deep breath. For a moment, he considered telling Dabi off, but he knew almost immediately what his decision would be. A familiar feeling rippled through his body as he became immaterial and began to sink into the floor below, his eyes on the curtain awaiting on stage. His clothes pooled on the floor as he continued to sink downward, leaving the fabric totally behind. Just as he lost vision, he began to angle his body, orienting himself beneath the ground in the direction of the stage. As he gradually released his hold upon his Permeation Quirk, the ground itself began to spit him back up and out, and he rushed forward. The end result was Mirio springing up onto the stage behind the curtain, totally naked and in the semidarkness.

Without missing a beat, Dabi slipped through the side of the curtain and joined Mirio, causing the blond to grab the hanging fabric and pull it across his crotch in a panicked motion.

"Uh, little warning!?" Mirio asked as he broke out into a hot blush, bunching up the curtain to cover his lower body. "None of my clothing comes with me!"

"I know," Dabi replied as he moved within a few feet of Mirio. The man was clearly looking for something specific as he eyed up Mirio's chest, causing him to pull the curtain around his waist like a bath towel. "Impressive Quirk. Hey, do me a favor? Turn your shoulders for a second?"

Mirio blinked in confusion before leaning to one side, flexing his shoulders and affording Dabi a view of his back as he kept his eyes on the charred man's face.

"What… why?"

Dabi chuckled to himself and walked on past Mirio and around the curtain, back toward the front of the stage.

"To be honest, I figured you were being honest about your Quirk from the start," Dabi let on as he bent low and collected Mirio's clothing from the catwalk. For a moment, he lifted and inspected each garment, turning it this way and that before lumping them all into a pile. Dabi turned and walked back toward his companion, only to offer him the ball of clothing. "But asking to see it was a convenient way of getting you naked. I don't know if a wire would've stuck to your body or ended up in your heap of clothes… but you're clearly not wearing one. Maybe you're legit, after all."

As Mirio took back his clothing, he felt a rush of ice travel through his entire body. He looked over Dabi with a renewed suspicion, realizing just how close he had come to potentially outing himself on his first day in the field. Mirio swallowed hard and did his best to maintain a confident expression as he gave Dabi a nod.

"No, I'm not. I told you- I'm done with hero work. I'm just not used to… well… I guess this is really playing for the 'grey' side?"

"…that sounds about right. C'mon, I'll show you to the third floor suite," Dabi offered as he clapped Mirio upon the shoulder and strode past him. "Just put your pants back on, and I'll lead the way. I'm glad you're not wired up. It'd be a shame to have to kill you."

Mirio watched Dabi move to wait by the door backstage with his back turned. Slowly, he let go of the curtain and slipped on his underwear, before beginning to pull on his pants.

"…you're joking, right?" Mirio asked.

"You should know, by now," Dabi answered with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

As Mirio pulled up his zipper and tucked his shirt and mask beneath his shoulder, the weighty, cold feeling in his arms intensified. It was then that he realized he wasn't certain of the answer in either direction.

Author's Note:

Less than an hour to midnight this time. I will not miss a weekly update if I can help it. Not sure where the next chapter will go- there are four possibilities that all need to happen before the UA arc actually begins…

-RD