Clara had thought this would happen. No, she'd known from the moment she'd beaten Lyle and Lilia that this moment would come so it was no surprise that her phone pinged just moments after the final fight of the first round had ended. The text message was straightforward and no-nonsense, just as she'd expected it to be. It had given her a meeting place and a deadline of two minutes to make it there, but she really shouldn't have bothered. This was another test that she was designed to fail, to give him yet another excuse to berate and call her a failure. The spot was out of the way, concealed, and completely across the extensive campus but nevertheless, she arrived just shy of the two-minute mark to see her father standing at the edge of the marina, staring at the smog-covered silhouette of Manhattan. "You're late."
"No shit," She replied breathlessly, not giving in to the strong urge to sit down and rest. That would just have been a cause for more… punishment. Subconsciously, she reached her hand up to the three parallel scars that marred the back of her neck. Richard Ramirez turned towards her, his eyes just as cold and calculating as they'd always been.
"You were nearly beaten, your control and form are still very far behind my expectations, and your demeanor is that of a pouty child. Turn around," Without hesitation, much to her chagrin, her body did as he instructed and she turned. This would normally be about when she'd expect the blow to come. Quick and harsh, leaving yet another 'training incident' bruise.
However, it didn't.
Ice shot through her veins and her whole body stiffened as her father's fingers came into contact with her fresh scars, "Even unwillingly, you've finally gotten rid of that blasted hair. This should improve your combat effectiveness a slight amount, which you obviously need. You should add another mile to your daily runs, as well as increasing your repetitions. Your Quirk, regrettably, still needs much work before I can teach you my more advanced techniques. You've still got a long way to go until you're worthy of your lineage."
"You say that like it's some great honor," Clara retorted sardonically.
"I will not go through this with you again. It's only by my blessing you're attending U.S.A.E.I. and that blessing can be taken away very easily," Her father scowled at her before his eyes looked at her from top to bottom. If possible, his expression became sourer as he took a step back from her, "I distinctly remember telling you to redesign your costume. Not only is the amount of skin you're showing unsightly, but it's also impractical. What if a Villain with a knife-based Quirk attacked you? You've so little protection, it would be like cutting paper."
"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Clara sneered turning away from him in disgust. 'The more you tell me to change it, the worse it's gonna get,' As it usually did when she acted disobediently – and despite the custom-made voice dampener – her father's voice rose several octaves when he spoke again.
"I do NOT have the patience to deal with your teenage rebellion. You will take what I've said today seriously. You know what will happen should you disobey me. Now, I believe you have a match to prepare for and I have work to do."
"..." Clara – perhaps wisely – just kept silent as her father gave her one last loathing look and, without so much as a goodbye, walked past her back towards the stadium. She stood there, still as a statue, until her father turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, Clara slumped against one of the marina's weather-damaged wooden support beams. She felt exhausted and weak, two feelings she truly hated. Gritting her teeth, the girl clenched her already fractured hand into a fist and let out a shout of fury that echoed over the Hudson River. Once her throat began to ache, she stopped, whirled around, and marched back towards the festival, using the sleeve of her backup jacket to wipe her eyes, 'Damn him.'
Purpose of a Hero
"Aw, what are we gonna do for two hours? Why can't we just start fighting now?" Nathan bemoaned, much to the chagrin of his companion, who rolled his eyes and slumped over the steel tabletop.
"I'd really rather not," Zachary droned. He winced as the bruises he'd gotten from his brawl with Ryūken ached. Beside him, the blond leaned back and stared towards the entrance of the preparation room. With no sign of either Payton or Melody, one of whom had just finished their fight while the other had run off to visit her friend in the infirmary, his enthusiasm diminished a bit. Sensing that his companion would rather sit in silence than be drawn into another conversation, Nathan pulled out his cellphone and began scrolling through the throngs of text messages he'd gotten over the past few hours. There were the obligatory congratulations from his parents and extended family, the awe from the very small number of his old schoolmates that he still kept in contact with, and, surprisingly, a few messages from his father's sidekicks. It was as he was reading through these messages that his phone let out a very eerie, dark tone that brought a smile to his face.
'Everyone seems to be okay. Kira and Andi got healed up pretty quickly and Lyon's still… well, Lyon. Will b back soon.'
"Text from your girlfriend?" Nathan leaped a foot in the air at the sudden voice in his ear, which only caused Payton to laugh as he took the seat beside him. The boy looked no worse for wear after his fight, though his hair did look even messier than usual. In his hands, he carried a trio of canned sodas that he passed out to the table's other occupants.
"Piss off, weather boy," Nathan shot back as he popped the tab on his.
"You didn't deny it. You hear that, Zach? He didn't deny it," Payton mocked, leaning forward to speak to the table's third occupant. Zach glared at his friend before he sighed and glanced towards the large timer – counting down until the next round of the tournament – flashing on one of the prep room's many screens. Annoyed, Nathan smacked the back of Payton's head and shoved his phone violently into his pocket.
"Drop it." Payton chuckled and held his hands up in mock surrender and decided to change the subject.
"So, we all made it to the next round, eh? Too bad Zach has to face Damien. He had a good life and loved his friends despite looking so miserable all the time."
"I don't like you when you're happy," Zach grunted. Payton ignored this and turned his attention back to Nathan. Seeing the blond still staring down at his phone, the ghost of a smile resting on his face, the Canadian shrugged and leaned back. 'Jeez, not even with her yet and he's already beyond whipped. I feel for ya, Nate. I just really hope everything works out for you. Can't have another perpetually depressed person in this group. Have to have at least one that's happy.' Suddenly, there was a wave of commotion in the dozen or so students in the room. As Payton leaned back further to see what was going on, something slammed into his head and caused him to fall off of his seat. When he looked up, he saw a very irate Clara lifting her partner up by the scruff of his shirt.
"Ah! C-Clara?" The boy, Sirius if Payton remembered correctly, cried out as he was brought nearly nose to nose with the magenta-haired girl. From seemingly out of nowhere, the group's third member appeared and started to advance on Clara but froze when the girl sent her a withering glare.
"Why the hell are you just sitting around? We've got ninety minutes, which means there's plenty of time to make sure you aren't as useless as you were in the last match. Narruk and what's-his-name ain't going to be as easy to beat as bleach-breath and cat girl. I don't intend on losing because you two don't pull your own weight. Let's go." Payton watched – along with every other pair of eyes in the room – as the short-statured boy was slung over Clara's shoulder and, despite his protests, carried out of the room, quickly followed by an incensed Epiphany.
"Thank god she's in FH2," Zach grumbled, clearly unimpressed by the spectacle. Nathan couldn't help but agree. From what he'd seen of the girl, she was more than a little prickly and didn't respond well to others. By his best guess… she'd have killed him within a week if they'd been put in the same class.
"Very inspiring class of future heroes, we are. I swear, half our year is in some way antisocial, way too hot-tempered, or completely full of themselves," Nathan remarked.
"Funny you'd say that considering you're a part of the latter," Payton shot back with his grin returning. The blond quickly retaliated by taking a swipe at his classmate with sharpened nails, but it didn't seem like his heart was in it, as his target easily dodged.
"Nathan, no causing trouble before our next match. I don't wanna get disqualified because you attacked your classmate." At the sound of the voice, Nathan froze and his head jerked to the side as the trio was joined by Melody and Andi. While his childhood friend only looked a little beaten up from their previous fight, her smaller companion looked as if she'd been awake for three days straight and hit by a bus. Catching his gaze, Andi smiled brightly and shrugged her shoulders.
"Nurse did the best she could. Kira can really pack a punch when she wants to," she explained. Accepting this, Nathan turned his attention back to his main concern.
"How're you feeling, Mel? Good for our next match?" He questioned, causing the girl to groan and bring her hands up to massage her temples.
"Used my Quirk quite a bit against Hazel and Benji, so the usual migraine. Other than that though, I'm fine for the most part. Mrs. Holl and her assistant did a wonderful job fixing up any aches and pains," she explained. Nathan nodded but his frown didn't disappear. As much as she teased him about being arrogant and stubborn, she could usually match him – or in some cases, surpass him – when it came to the latter. 'Even if we end up winning this match, there's no way she'll recover in time for the final eight tomorrow. One of these days her Hero Complex is gonna get her seriously hurt… or worse,' he thought grimly.
"You okay, Furball?"
"Huh? Yeah, why?"
"You've been staring at Melody for like a minute. It's creepy," Payton interjected with a knowing grin.
"Quiet down, weather boy. She's got a pimple on her nose. Very distracting," He said matter-of-factly, making Melody roll her eyes and give him a hard shove.
"I do not. Now come on, let's go grab some grub before the second round starts. I don't wanna miss a single second of their fight," the redhead said as she grabbed his arm and roughly jerked him to his feet. He tried to ignore the heat that began creeping up his neck and face as he knocked into her, nearly sending both of them sprawling. It seemed as if Melody had paid the brief contact no mind and was more focused on pulling him away from the rest of their friends, though as he looked back he was none-too-pleased with the sight of a certain Canadian and known gossip whispering conspiratorially. 'I've gotta remember to use Payton's bed as a scratching post tonight.'
Purpose of a Hero
"You sure you wanna face her alone? If she's as big a threat as you say, teamwork is easily the better strategy," Kenny said, his skin almost ghostly pale in the dim light of the tunnel. Narruk shrugged as he scrutinized the large battle ax in his hands. Even in the low light, Kenny could make out the seam in the wood from where it had been broken in their last match. "Fine, as long as you take her seriously. If she was able to not only keep up with but also beat Lilia, she's a tough opponent."
"Wasn't she ranked last in your class?" Narruk inquired absentmindedly.
"Never underestimate an opponent just based on their school record. It was mostly the homesickness that stunted her in the entrance exam. In any case, from what I've seen and heard Clara is not so different from her father." The canine whistled lowly as he shouldered the weapon and began stretching.
"Don't let her hear you say that unless you wanna lose your hearing. She's a bit… mental whenever the topic of good ol' Seismos is brought up. Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much. You're forgetting that splitting them up leaves them at just as big of an advantage. Add to the fact that Sirius and Epiphany aren't exactly suited to this type of combat and you should be able to overpower them easily."
"What do you mean by 'this type of combat'?" Kenny inquired. Narruk frowned and glanced past the iron bars that barred them from entering the arena. Their battlefield had been revealed several minutes prior to his partner starting up their current conversation and he couldn't be more unimpressed. It reminded Narruk of the idyllic rolling hills he'd seen when his family had visited relatives in Belgium.
"Open terrain. Sirius and Epiphany work better when they don't have to worry about Sirius. More enclosed spaces with lots of places to hide… that's where they excel. Clara would also probably enjoy having a field like that since her screams would have an easier time resonating off the walls. Here, she's going to have to put a lot more effort into focusing her attack. I'd say we have the advantage but Clara isn't one to go down without a fight. No offense, but you don't stand a chance against her."
"Thanks," Kenny muttered sardonically.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to the second round of U.S.A.E.I's annual Halloween Tournament. For our first match of this round, we have the team of Elsinore and Clyde versus Solar and Alpha. In their last matches, both teams proved to have overwhelming might on their side," Holl announced, his voice barely audible over the cheering crowd. Narruk grinned and gave his partner a sidelong glance.
"Guess they liked us in the last fight, eh?"
"Oh, this should be a good one! We've seen so many strong students today. I can't wait until I can get a chance to get them to join my agency!" Oddball said, following his statement with a rather unsettling chuckle that left Narruk feeling sorry for whatever poor souls had to deal with him on a daily basis. Being one of those poor souls, Derrick sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing.
"Right then. Just a reminder for everyone, the winners of this match and all those that follow today will be placed on a randomized one versus one bracket for the final round tomorrow. With that said, let the second round begin!" As he had in their last match, Narruk immediately took point while Kenny stayed back and spread his arms out, trying to catch as much sun as he possibly could. When he turned his gaze away from his teammate, he was instantly bombarded by a – thankfully diluted – Howl from Clara, whose glare threatened pain and suffering to anything that got in her way. While it had been lessened somewhat, the screech still had an effect on Narruk's more tuned senses and due to the ringing in his ears, he smelled rather than heard Sirius and Epiphany approaching from his right. He ducked below a wild swing from Epiphany's Shinai and attempted to sweep her feet out from under her, only to find that her swing had been a feint to draw his attention as she and her host ran past him.
"You should know better," Clara growled as she slammed her foot into the crouching boy's side, "than to turn your back on me!"
"You've been working on your kicks," Narruk pointed out as he stood, appearing seemingly unphased from the attack, apart from one of his hands lowering to rest against the point of contact. Clara scowled and took a deep breath. Seeing this, Narruk charged her and tried to punch her in the gut, only for her to step out of the way and swing at him again, an attack he barely avoided. 'She's trying to bait me into getting close. Her specialty is mid-range combat using her voice and strength to knock her opponents back if they get too close, so why is she trying to make this close combat?'
"What's the matter, Wolf? Can't even hit a poor defenseless girl?" She mocked, though Narruk knew from watching her that she was anything but defenseless. Out of everyone in their class – or even Class FH1 for that matter – she was the closest to him in terms of physical strength. Quite frankly, he'd been looking forward to finally having another go at her after their last sparring session – if one could even call it that. The first time they'd fought had really opened his eyes as to how ruthless that girl could be.
Purpose of a Hero
"Gah!" Marcus cried as he slammed into the ring's ropes and fell to the padded floor. Ms. Honoka was by his side in a flash and knelt over him with a first aid kit at her side. Appearing slightly dazed, the boy tried to stand back up but didn't make it far before a combination of Honoka's hand on his shoulder and his own lack of balance caused him to fall back into a seated position with a grimace. "Still fight."
"You're done, McPherson. Mondronen, good work." As Narruk removed his gloves and returned to his corner, he sighed. From the beginning of their Quirk-less hand-to-hand course, it had become clear that he was a cut above the rest. His technique was more refined than many of his classmates and those who had better techniques were no match to the extra strength his Quirk gave him. He'd even managed to knock out the nigh-infallible Lyon earlier in the lesson by simply overpowering him. 'Ms. Honoka was right when she said people put too much emphasis on their Quirks. Lyon would torch me alive under normal circumstances,' he thought as the combat teacher sat his opponent down on the bleachers with the rest of the class, instructing Oliver to keep an eye on him. "I have no doubt that if any of you were in a situation where your Quirk was unusable and you had to fight your way out… none of you, save Mondronen, would survive. McPherson, MacAllister, and Kazani, you've all had previous training but you rely on your Quirks to augment your own skills. Halloway, you have excellent form but a distinct lack of killer instinct and inherent strength while Suharto is the exact opposite. Take your defeats today and learn from them. It will save your lives once you become Pros."
"That is... unless the wolf kills 'em all first." A dark look briefly passed over the white-haired woman's face as she rounded on her most temperamental student – as well as the one most likely to send her into an insanity filled rampage. She had half a mind to pull out her sharpest knife and embed it into the wall beside the petulant girl's head.
"Enough Ramirez." Clara grinned maliciously at Narruk, who'd stiffened slightly at her proclamation. Just watching the boy fight had really made her blood boil – granted, most things made her blood boil after spending an hour on the phone with her father. The girl hopped to her feet and approached the ring. As she did so, Narruk couldn't help but notice how predatory her gait was as she slipped underneath the bottom rope and began putting on her own gloves.
"Seems like such a shame. That much power and the one who inherits it is too much of a coward to learn to control it. Not only is it stupid to ignore such a massive part of your Quirk but it's also insulting to the rest of us," The girl slammed her gloved fists together and walked forward to meet Narruk, who'd stayed mostly silent through her tirade. He truly didn't have anything to say. It wasn't as if he could dispute her when those exact same thoughts had haunted him since he'd left home. He was so lost in his thoughts that he was only partially paying attention when he and Clara tapped gloves, nor did he notice until it was nearly too late that Clara's fist was on a collision course to his head.
"Attacking someone right off the bat? Didn't know you fought dirty Clara," he said, finally breaking his silence as he blocked her blow with his forearm. The girl grinned at him and suddenly he felt an intense pain in his groin before falling to the ground in a heap. He was dimly aware – thanks to his enhanced hearing – that several of his male classmates had either taken a sharp intake of breath or grunted in sympathy while Honoka was making her way over to them with murder in her eyes. That didn't seem to frighten Clara. Instead of doing what any rational person would have done and gotten out of the teacher's way, the magenta-haired girl knelt down onto his level and smirked.
"No such thing as dirty in a fight, Pussy Wolf."
Purpose of a Hero
"Howl Missile!" Narruk swore under his breath as he dove aside to avoid the brunt of his opponent's attack. 'Focus, last time I lost was because I wasn't paying attention. She knows exactly what to say to rattle me so I've gotta be prepared,' he thought before unlatching his ax and swinging it towards her with all his might, just barely missing her as she sidestepped and tried to get into his personal space – no doubt trying to make his ax as minimal a factor in their fight as possible. Before she could do much damage, Narruk used his momentum to bring the weapon back around and slam the shaft into her stomach, succeeding in buying him a few precious seconds.
Meanwhile, Sirius and Epiphany, the latter several meters in front of her host, stalked across the hills toward Kenny. The boy had been holding the same position since the battle had begun and still showed no signs of moving no matter how close they came, which set the redhead's nerves on edge. "I'm going, Sirius. Stay back!"
"Wait!" Her partner called after her as she ran towards her opponent, lifting her wooden blade above her head, but she never got the chance to swing. Just as she'd reached the boy, Kenny had begun to shine almost blindingly and shot a beam of searing hot light at her. Epiphany hit the ground hard, though she felt no pain from the attack. 'That coulda seriously hurt if I was still alive. Gotta keep this guy from getting to Sirius or we're done for. Hopefully, the banshee's strategy was really all it was cracked up to be,' she thought as she lept back to her feet and charged at the boy again.
"Solar Flare!" Kenny said, firing off another blast of light and heat. While not completely dodging the attack, Epiphany fared slightly better this time around and stayed standing. As soon as he was within the reach of her sword, she swung it hard, aiming for the boy's head and, although he blocked the strike with his arm, smiled triumphantly.
"Widow's Web!" Kenny grunted in pain as a thin, sharp piece of wood splintered from the main body and sliced across his cheek. In an instant, the girl's Shinai exploded into an intricate maze of razor-sharp twigs that seamlessly connected whenever they came into contact with one another. Dozens of small, angry red cuts opened up on Kenny's exposed skin while his bright yellow t-shirt was shredded. By the time the web stopped growing, it had completely encapsulated the purple-haired teen.
"Kenny!"
"Don't get distracted moron!" Clara roared. Narruk, who'd seen his partner's predicament out of the corner of his eye and had turned his head in his direction, grunting as his opponent kicked him in the chest. In anticipation of her next attack, he held Fenrir out in front of him and prepared to use the weapon as a shield. Unphased, Clara reared back her fist and took a deep breath. Despite her scream being at point-blank range, Narruk weathered it well until he realized that, even though it was still ear-splittingly loud, this one was different, more baritone. It was only when her fist slammed into his weapon's shaft that he felt it. He felt the wood splintering and grow hot where her fist had connected as the vibrations coursed up his arms and through his body. "Howl Knuckle!"
"Shit!" He cried out as the wood shattered in his grip. 'She focused the vibrations in her voice through her body. Clever girl,' he thought as his body shook. Apparently still not done, Clara lunged forward with her free hand and grabbed a fist full of the brunet's hair. With all the strength she could muster, Clara yanked his head downwards to meet her already rising knee. There was a sickening crack and pain bloomed from Narruk's freshly broken nose. As he freed himself with a well-placed jab and stumbled back, the boy gripped his face, trying to staunch the flow of blood and then… the pain disappeared.
Clara too stumbled back and nearly lost her balance as the vibrations racking her body started to subside. The amount of vibrations she'd forcibly pushed into her muscles reminded her of the brutal training her father put her through before she left for the Forge and it was only that training that allowed her to keep on her feet. Once she'd calmed down and her body had stopped shaking, she reached up to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, but then she froze when she heard the sound coming from her opponent. A low, animalistic growl.
Purpose of a Hero
Well… seems like every time I talk to you guys lately it's me apologizing for a lack of updates. Again, I'm sorry. Work and writing mix about as well as babies and wood chippers. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to make sure this next one doesn't take a month.
Regardless, if I don't see you all again before the 25th, happy holidays!
Next time on the Purpose of a Hero!
Chapter 36: Alpha
Sirius and Epiphany Q&A
In light of recent events, it came to the knowledge of all of the students in both FH2 and FH1 that a Q&A session was passed. Accordingly, both Sirius and Epiphany are getting ready to answer the questions asked especially for them.
"Good morning," smiled the young boy goofily as he stared into the camera, "My name is Sirius–"
"And I'm Epiphany," his female ghost other, which seemingly more enthusiasm than the former, "and today we are going to be having a... Q&A corner!"
The phantom clapped her hands giddily. Even when she's inherently seemed taller than her host, it was difficult to figure out which of them were more mature. Then again, Sirius himself was never really prepared for anything Epiphany threw at him, as he seemed rather taken aback by her suddenly clapping.
"Err... Yeah. Wooo..." the indigo-haired boy awkwardly clapped along, "Umm... Yeah, so, we can't answer anything too spoiler-y and, umm.."
"I guess that's all of it," Epiphany mused, rocking her tall bar stool lackadaisically. The two seemingly didn't mind sitting together in the middle of an infinite whiteness. "Come on, let's see the questions!"
Sirius sighed at his partner's impatience. He reached down beside him, towards the space between where their barstools sat, and picked up a little wooden box with an open lid full of small pieces of papers.
"This is a lot," Sirius commented, playfully rocking the little box as the papers danced inside it, "Though, most of them are pointed towards everyone. Which leaves... not a lot for us."
"Yeah we both got three questions each that are specifically aimed at us," Epiphany nodded.
Sirius' seemed crestfallen when hearing that, "Guess we aren't that popular, huh..."
"Don't worry about it. I mean we still placed first on most results searched on Discord!" Epiphany boasted, picking up a piece of paper from the box.
"Did we?" Sirius questioned.
"Yeah! Well... only if we combine both the search results of our names," Epiphany shrugged, ignoring Sirius' judging stare. "Alright, first question..."
[To Epiphany! How is life in the boy's dorm room? Since I assume you would stay there because you are latched onto Sirius?]
"Whoo! A question to me right off the bat!" Said the ghost girl with a nod of her eyebrows, earning a dissatisfied roll of eyes from her other.
She repositioned where she sat before looking at the camera with an expression full of confidence, "Yeah I'd make an appearance here and there in the boy's room. Not always though, Sirius himself never really walks far from his room and the TV."
"You say that like I want you to follow me wherever I go!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Well we get the idea. I'm forever latched onto Sirius, which means whether or not there's a bunch of hullabaloos happening in the boy's dorm," Epiphany restated, shrugging as she did, "Truth is I don't really need to show myself at all. I mean, you all had seen how I usually speak to Sirius from inside his own head."
"It's convenient," Sirius nodded, "Though, I would've preferred it if you didn't keep singing at the back of my mind."
"It gets boring from time to time," Epiphany said without a hint of sympathy, before she pulled out another one of the papers from the box.
[To anyone who cares to answer: what's your favourite sport? If you care at all in this age of quirks.]
"Wanna answer this one?" Sirius asked his other.
"Sure. I mean, it's not told yet but, I used to be a frequent learner in kendo," said the ghost girl, before adding, "When I was alive."
"I think they meant like... Favorite competitive sports on TV or something," Sirius pondered when he took the questionnaire himself and observed it, "I honestly like watching boxing, just for trivia. Got caught in the hype after... Was it Rocky or Creed? I forgot."
"Alright, next one!"
[To everyone who wants to answer, what is your Impression on your class? What students do you have your eye on? What student would you least want to fight?]
"Oof. That's a packet," Epiphany whistled, before tapping her chin, "Let's see... Pretty chill. Sirius. And Melody. Cause she's pretty chill, too."
Sirius caught her second answer and couldn't help but blush. He shook it off and decided to give his own answer, "I was honestly surprised when I was accepted to FH2. T-though, everyone surprised me at first since they all seem very strong and smart and... Err... Other things."
"Not to mention, you crashed to Melody on the first day," Epiphany smirked.
"Yeah, well, that one happens a lot to other people," Sirius shrugged her off, "Also... Not right now, no. I don't have any... Ummm... Crushes. And I don't think I want to fight anyone, really."
"Awww, you don't love me?" Epiphany playfully pouted, leaning towards her smaller host as to make him uncomfortable,.
"L-let's just move on..."
[To all whom want to answer: How many upperclassmen do you believe you can beat?]
"All of them!" Epiphany said confidently, "Duh!"
"I'd rather not fight anyone," Sirius said, picking up another piece of paper.
[To everyone: Who's your favourite hero?]
"Are we going to answer every questions directed to everyone?" Sirius asked.
"Well, we wouldn't have many questions to cover otherwise."
"Well, alright," He sighed, before turning to the camera with the paper tapping his mouth, "I think... Overgrown's pretty cool. I don't really know, I never got much into heroic communities."
"Yeah, I used to like Overgrown, like, as a fan," Epiphany said as she slouched back on her stool, "Grew out of it. Still got his merch, though."
[To everyone: What's your favorite kind of music?]
"Oh! This is easy," Sirius beamed, "My favorite kind of music would be... Instrumental soundtracks from movies. Particularly those old fantasy movies... Err, what was the name? Lord of the Rings?"
"I like jazz," Epiphany bounced her eyebrows, "or anything upbeat, really."
[To Sirius: whose spirit would you like to host next?]
"Oh, me?" Sirius said with a smile rising to his lips, "Ummm... This is a hard question. I guess... I don't have any particular choices at the moment. Probably because even right now I'm not at my... Err... best at teamwork."
"I can confirm that," Epiphany added, "I mean, when's the last time Sirius raised his fists in front of others?"
"That's mean... I still care, you know," Sirius lamented, "Even if most of the times the reason we lose is because of me, I still want to work together with someone else."
"Awww!" Cried Epiphany, ruffling her host's hair like how she would with a pet.
[To Epiphany: where do you go when you're not in use]
"Not in use?" Epiphany scowled, "The hell does that mean?"
"I... Ummm... I think they meant when you're not around," Sirius quickly jotted in to prevent the ghost girl from venting out in anger.
Though, she did not choose to stay silent, "I'll have you know, I use Sirius more than he does with me!"
"Ugh. Epiphany, just answer the question," Sirius pressed with a slight beg in his tone.
But before he realized it, Epiphany had flung her arm around his neck again but this time she had her eyes deadlocked onto the camera.
"Listen! This'll be an important plot point!" Said the ghost girl, jabbing her finger at Sirius' forehead, "There's this thing called the Astral Plane. A place where spirits like me resides. But since inhabiting this boy's body makes me technically half alive, I can only wander there with limitations; in other words, the back of his mind."
"Errr… yes. Basically," Sirius stuttered at her sudden outburst.
"Oh! And since that makes Sirius also half dead, it means that he can alsoooo…" Epiphany trailed off, as if letting the viewers fill in the blanks.
The way she gestured her arms to him as if presenting some sort of national treasure made Sirius chuckled, but seemingly looked unsure to answer, "It's a… It's a food for thought."
[To Sirius: How do you go to the bathroom, or... relieve yourself, without Epiphany noticing?]
"Ah," Sirius mumbled under his breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose together, "The age old question..."
"Yeah, it's not as a big deal as you'd think," Epiphany simply said, "You'd get bored of just seeing, eventually."
Her host looked away in shame, "What she meant is that she usually just poof away into the back of my head whenever I go to the restroom..."
"Oh. I still notice," Epiphany smirked, "Just not in my own point of view. Being in the back of Sirius' head meant seeing everything from his eyes. Even when he relieves himself–"
"I do not relieve myself!" Sirius cried, his face reddening.
[To everyone: Did you dye your hair or is that natural?]
Sirius stared up, until his eyeballs roll up enough just for him to see his uncut bangs, "Yeah. My Da' has the same indigo color. Ma' has ginger hair, though."
"I actually dyed mine," Epiphany said, which caused the boy to go into shock.
"That's dyed?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes? No? I don't know. I forgot," she said before laughing at his crestfallen expression.
[To Epiphany: Do you shower? How do you shower in the boy's dorms?]
"Good question!" The ghost girl grinned to the camera, "Listen well, kids. The best thing about having a physical manifestation of the soul is that no matter what, your body will not rot."
"She can be smelly from time to time," Sirius told the camera, "But... Not like body odor kind of smell. She actually has a faint smell of... Lavender?"
"Yeah, I used to rub lavender scented moisturizer after kendo training when I was alive," Epiphany confirmed, "Thing is, my physical manifestation is judged based on the memory of how I look."
"That's why she usually smells like iron," Sirius added, his expression darkening, "The smell of blood."
"But hey. I never said whose memory this body was based off of," Epiphany winked.
[To all: who is best girl?]
"Me!" The ghost girl bawled.
Sirius only raised his shoulders, "I guess her."
[To everyone: Would you want to start a cult revolving around yourself?]
Sirius looked at the piece of paper on his hands and seemed to be thinking rather hard, "I... Think this question needs a bit of context."
"Don't worry, Sirius is building his harem," Epiphany teased, in which Sirius returned with a scowl.
"Shut up," he said sharply.
[To everyone: Are there any hobbies or skills you would like to pick up in your 4 years besides heroics?]
"But the Cult of Epiphany sounds pretty cool and scary, ain't it?" Epiphany boasted as leaned closely to Sirius, seemingly still talking about their last question.
But Sirius looked like he'd do anything than to discuss the topic of a community dedicated solely on worshipping his phantom other. "I don't particularly care, Epi..."
"Spoilsport," Epiphany half-grumbled as she picked up the current questionnaire paper, "Hmmm... Hard to get into hobbies when you're too busy studying to become a hero."
"You mean, when I'm too busy studying to become a hero..." Sirius deadpanned, "You hardly do anything outside of fighting."
"Oh yeah!" Epiphany said in realization, before slouching back with a lax expression, "Guess I'll pick up basketball or something, then."
[Everyone: Any fashion tips?]
The two exchanged glances, before they observed each other's choice of fashion: Sirius' plain white shirt and Epiphany's school uniform with an open collar.
"I think you're asking the wrong fellas," Epiphany snorted in expense of the question.
"Epi... Ummm... She usually knows these kinds of teen fashion stuff," Sirius said, trying to avert the topic from his tacky choices of clothes.
"Pfft. I would if I was still alive. I'm stuck with this clothes till purgatory," Epiphany furrowed her eyebrows, "How about this: always wear tank tops when you have a big bust. Acceptable for any occasions, your underside don't sweat a lot, and if you want to cover more, wear a fleece."
[To all the girls: have you ever been kicked in the groin?]
"I don't know, actually," Epiphany admitted, "No one ever tried."
"Well you do keep scaring people away when you were alive," Sirius said.
"Eh, I doubt it'll hurt anyways."
[To Sirius: despite living with a ghost are you afraid of horror movies?]
"I don't watch a lot of horror movies actually. They're never my kind of movies," Sirius said as he read the question.
"To think a movie fanatic would pussy out on the horror genre," Epiphany mocked.
"Well... Being afraid of horror movies is a humane reaction, isn't it?" Sirius defended himself, "It's not that I hate horror movies. I think it's a wonderful genre since it plays a lot on human emotions, but sometimes a movie like that puts too much of it's scariness on shock value, which is a cheater's method to horror, therefore there's really not much to praise from them. I prefer reading about horror than watching it, since I think the scariness comes to life better with imagination."
"B-Rated horror movies are pretty good too, y'know," Epiphany pouted, "Like Mimic or Hollow Man."
"I'm not saying all horror movies are bad," Sirius said, "Lately they became kind of stale. Hollow Man was pretty good, same as The Fly or lesser known ones like The Void and Event Horizon."
"I guess you're right," Epiphany shrugged, "Horror movies these days don't really do it for me anymore. That or being dead takes away the fear of horror and existential dread."
[To everyone: What would you do for a Klondike bar?]
"Those things died a century ago, didn't it?" Sirius raised his eyebrows at the question.
"Yep," Epiphany panned.
[To everyone: What is your ideal type?]
"Small, cute, and jittery, like this guy," Epiphany proudly stated as she wrapped her arms around Sirius.
The latter, as he tries to fight out of her grip while feeling embarrassed, managed to speak out a statement, "I-I'm fine with someone nice..."
[Everyone, finish the lyric: "wake me up _"]
"Not a question, but okay," Epiphany chided with a shrug.
"Oh! This is that old meme about three songs with the same phrase but you try to match words that'll become a verse of one of the songs, right?" Sirius said excitedly.
"Guess so, yeah," Epiphany responded, "Wanna try this one?"
"Then I guess I'm... Wake me up when September ends," Sirius concluded, singing along just a bit to the verse he chose.
"What about me?" Epiphany pointed to herself.
"Uhhh..." Sirius thought for a bit, "Wake me up inside?"
"What does that mean?"
"Beats me. It's an old song."
[To Everyone: If there was an apocalypse, which three of your classmates would you pick to be in your survival team and why?]
"Well, obviously I'm stuck to Sirius so we're automatically a pack," Epiphany smirked.
"I would... Find out what kind of apocalypse it is, first," Sirius said, "If it was like… a natural disaster apocalypse, then choosing Andrew would be enough. If it was a zombie apocalypse, I could probably manage with Epiphany just the two of us. If it was aliens..."
"Oh yeah, I forgot what kind of person I'm stuck with," Epiphany mumbled sourly.
[To everyone: MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA WRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY]
"Nice taste of anime," Epiphany praised, smiling as she did.
"I don't watch anime, so I don't understand," Sirius told the camera, "Does it have anything to do with this next one?"
[To everyone: Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of running away you're coming right to me?]
Then, Epiphany made the deepest most masculine voice she could manage and said, "I can't beat the shit out of you without getting any closer!"
"Welp," Sirius interjected with a deadpan expression, "Moving on."
[To the girls: Who is best boy?]
"Me!" Epiphany yelped again before realizing the question at hand, "Oh, wait, it says 'boy'."
"Well, who is it?" Sirius sarcastically asked, seemingly already know what she will say.
But Epiphany noticed this and made a sly grin, "Not telling~"
"You're serious?" The indigo-haired boy panned.
"No, you're Sirius!"
He rolled his eyes and carried on with the questionnaire.
[To everyone that wants to answer: Realistically, can you keep a small child alive for a week, without direct interference?]
"What does direct interference mean?" Sirius asked as he shared the question with Epiphany.
"I guess... Without touching it?" Epiphany said, seemingly also confused.
"That's stupid," Sirius stated, "Then how would we keep the small child alive?"
"I think they meant without outside help, or something," Epiphany responded.
With that realization, Sirius came to a conclusion, "I guess... It's pretty easy enough. I've seen people take care of babies by themselves."
"Also, we're stuck together!" Epiphany said brightly, "It's like we're a mom and a dad!"
"Yeah, pretty convenient..." Said Sirius with an irk.
"Hey, I know how to take care of babies!" Epiphany seemed to have taken an offence from Sirius' response.
"Epi, you can't even cook porridge right..." The host reminded her.
"Then I won't cook!" Epi crossed her arms, "I'll just give the baby milk whenever it's hungry!"
"But you can't..." Sirius stopped halfway when he realized his ghost half was leaning closer to his face with a rather scowled expression. As if challenged by a tiger to finish his sentence.
"Can't what?" Epiphany growled, leaning even closer.
Realizing his mistake for opening his mouth, Sirius reached down towards the questionnaire box with his eyes still averted away, "L-let's just move on."
[To everyone: its karaoke night what are you singing?]
"Oh, uhhh, I'll just skip my turn," Sirius simply said.
"I know what I'm gonna sing," Epiphany puffed her chest, "Something Bad by Carrie Underwood!"
"Good for you," Sirius half praised.
"What about you? I thought you knew the lyrics to Singing in the Rain?"
He scratched the back of his head in uncertainty, "Yeah but I can't really... Sing... A-and I keep stuttering in front of a crowd, so..."
Epiphany dismissed his reply and went towards the next question, "Well, that's too bad."
[To all: who is going to drink bottles of ipecac on the table and go the longest without vomiting?]
"I can eat and drink anything and still be fine," Epiphany responded in one breath before throwing the questionnaire paper to the air, "Stupid question. Next!"
[To anyone that wants to answer: If you could have any other quirk in your class, which one would you have?]
"Having superb hearing is pretty neat," Sirius said, "Helps with cars."
"I don't know. If I had Mel's power, I would be like a genuine ghost, right?" Epiphany questioned while flailing her hands, seemingly gesturing how Melody would activate her powers with her hands.
"Yeah, I can't recall any ghost like you before," Sirius chuckled lightly.
"Eh. I mean, this body has its traits," Epiphany shrugged, "I mean, by only projecting the top of my body into the physical world, I can float like this!"
In an instant, her lower body became misty, almost as if dissolving into a fog, before the top floated several centimeters into the air. She opened her arms as a way to present her ability braggingly, before plopping down to the stool as her legs misted back into form.
"Other than that, I guess having MacPherson's powers is pretty nice," She added, "Imagine that! Fiery ghost... Kinda like that goddess in Moana."
[To everyone: in a parallel world if you were a villain what would your villain name be?]
"Bonnie and Clyde isn't necessarily a hero name, either..." Sirius said as he finished reading the question, "I picked it because it sounded cool."
"It is cool! I mean, when else can you be a hero based off of the most badass woman in history?!" Epiphany flamboyantly said, mimicking the sound of machine guns and pistols to an invisible opponent.
"If we're Bonnie and Clyde in this world... Then should we be Romeo and Juliet in the villain world?" Sirius awkwardly asked.
"Don't sound villain-y enough..." Epiphany mused, "Anne Bonny and Mary Read?"
"I'm not a girl," Sirius rejected, "And besides, it's not like people wouldn't call me something based on my Quirk like... The Necromancer or something."
"That's not fair, I want to be called something evil too!" Epiphany cried.
"I hardly think it matters..." Sirius said before moving on to another question.
[To everyone: have you had your first kiss yet?]
"Yes!"
"No!" Sirius immediately interjected his ghost half. Preventing her to say anything he did not approve.
[To Epiphany: are affected by crosses or holy water?]
"Bub, I think you got me confused for a demon or something," Epiphany shook her head in exasperation, before throwing the questionnaire paper over her shoulder.
Sirius then had his hands reach down into the box again before realizing that the contents have all been taken out and discussed. All except for one writing burned into the base on the inside of the box.
"Oh! Would you look at that," Sirius clicked his tongue, bringing up the box up to his chin for the viewers to see.
With the angle pointed directly at him, and the box turned to its side for the camera to view its contents, it was now revealed that there was a set of words burned neatly into the wood. A sentence saying "Thank you for participating in the Q&A!" could be seen.
"That's nice for the author to write that," Sirius commented, bringing down the box before showing it to Epiphany.
"Well, then, that's all from the Two-Bit Heroes," the ghost girl smiled at the camera, "I'm Bonnie."
"Oh, we're not using our real names now?" Sirius asked.
Epiphany only made a slight smirk, "Come on! Don't be so Sirius!"
The boy in question only blinked twice before chuckling again and shaking his head in mild disbelief, "And I'm… Clyde."
"And this has been…the Q&A corner!" Epiphany cried out with exaggerated gestures, "Yaaaaay!"
"Yaaay…" Sirius awkwardly mimicked.