"So, let me get this straight," said Danny Hebert, now doubly glad he'd had the foresight to lug over a chair to wait for Taylor. He'd expected a number of things, a boyfriend being the primary reason for Taylor to do a night excursion. Or that pizza place down the street. Or both. Ninja superhero daughter trying to register with the Parahuman Response Team had not been on his list of expected reasons.
"Okay," allowed Taylor, back to looking like Taylor and not a foxgirl.
"You were being bullied, by EMMA who has been your best friend since you were both six, and her new friends and thrown down a stairwell," summed up Danny.
"Right," agreed Taylor.
"Where you found yourself in some odd thing where you trained for two years under a number of ninja from some other world," continued Danny. "Then ended up back at the time you left, where you landed safely instead of breaking any bones, with..."
Taylor flexed her right arm, showing off the tight athletic musculature that came from two years of pretty intense workouts and chakra manipulation.
"Yeah. That." Danny Hebert considered getting his shotgun out and doing some maintenance on it. His little girl was of the age where male suitors might start showing up after all.
"Yeah, so when I'm like this, I'm Taylor," said Taylor. "Secret identities are a thing after all. And then when I'm like this-" (transform) "I'm Zenko, independent hero ninja kitsune and trickster!"
"Uh huh," said Danny.
"Well, since you know," said Taylor, shifting back as she spoke. "Can you look over this legal paperwork I got from the PRT? You've got a lot more experience with contracts after all."
Danny straightened up. This WAS entirely within his area of expertise. Not so much the parahuman stuff, but legal documentation and paperwork? Yeah, THIS he could deal with.
[+100 points. Roll Deferred]
[for active situation. ]
"What was that?" asked Danny.
"I just get these weird notices... you heard that?" asked Taylor. "The notice in front of that guy at the PRT - nobody saw or heard that from what I could tell."
"Maybe because you told me what was going on?" asked Danny.
"Maybe," said Taylor after considering for a moment.
"Well, let's see what they may have put in here," said Danny as he turned his attention to the papers. Certainly that other thing sounded like it could wait.
* PRT ENE Lobby *
* Sep 9 2009, 0700 hours *
"Yeah, paperwork just showed up ten minutes ago. Looks like she had someone go over it and mark the usual spots in red and cross off the stuff that shows they can follow the legalese," said Detective Reave. Normally that would get crossed off anyway during the face-to-face when it could be arranged.
"Summarize," said Deputy Director Renick.
"Zenko is the chosen name for now," said Reave. "She's listed her age as 14, so Ward-age despite looking a good five years older. Her powers are listed as 'ninja techniques' but the video of her arriving both yesterday and this morning show she can leap pretty good distances and run along vertical surfaces. Some minor Brute or Shaker rating maybe as she doesn't show the physical signs of stress that you would expect."
"Mover and Brute or Shaker, right," said Renick. "Likes the ninja motif? Any chance we can get her in for power testing to be sure?"
"No phone number we can call and try to schedule, they left the contact information blank excepting a new PHO account under her cape name," said Reave.
* PHO, Nine Hours Later *
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Topic: New Cape in BB
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay
MZenny (Original Poster)
Posted On Sep 10th 2009:
New cape, identifies as a hero, very distinctive appearance.
As in she is a foxgirl. Young teen redhead with two fox ears and two fox tails.
Some of my regular customers know that I get my regular products (milk, eggs, hot dogs, etc) and sometimes I'll get some odd promotion product like in August when I had those Triumvirate bag clips. Well, recently I got egg rolls that I could add to the warmers that keep the hot dogs hot. Oh, and fried tofu sticks which I didn't think would sell at all.
She came in, apparently led by the smell, and bought all three tofu sticks that were on the rollers.
Anyway, the new cape is named Zenko and this is what she looks like [Link]. She had no problem posing for a picture, and was friendly enough. When she left, she walked up the side of the building while eating one of the tofu sticks like gravity had been flipped on its side.
So, welcome to Brockton Bay Zenko. You're welcome anytime. Just watch leaving footprints on the buildings because some of that's hard to reach when they need cleaning.
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
Wow, a real kitsune. Not like that one in Korea that just wears a costume? The tails are real?
Wonder if she can get an Ahri costume.
►Mojiizen
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
What the heck is a 'kitsune'?
Oh, just googled it. And found links to moe anthropomorphism. Also found out what Gumiho (one of the two Korean fox-women) has been up to. Yikes!
►Loki_Thorson
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
Okay, I'm really hoping 'Zenko' has nothing in common with 'Gumiho' and a bit more in common with Gumiho's frequent combatant - Kitsune. I didn't even know cannabilism was something a villain could do and not immediately face "kill with extreme prejudice" court orders.
►Mojiizen
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
Yeah, that was a bit of information I didn't want to see either.
For those who don't want to look it up, Gumiho is rated a human Master who can induce a dream-like state and one of the things she does for fun is get people to eat family members while under the illusion they're eating a normal meal. She leans heavily into the nastier side of the Korean legends about fox people. Her frequent opponent/rival is a hero named Kitsune who has some kind of spatial sense linked to her ability to create "fox holes" linking two areas together. Gumiho is a native, Kitsune is a Kyushu survivor who ended up in Korea.
Zenko, from what I've seen on clips [Link][Link] is more like Kitsune except the tail and ears are real and not some kind of Tinkertech sensor/communication device. Some kind of Mover/Shaker?
Looking up the name, Zenko appears to be trying to be a virtuous fox (zenko being heavenly messenger foxes serving Inari) compared to Gumiho who is more of a yako (wicked fox).
►Electric_Techpriest
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
I'm more curious that someone non-Asian has claimed an Asian identity in a city with a large and violent Asian criminal gang.
►Zenko (Unverified Cape)
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
My ears were burning. All four of them.
Hi guys!
►Electric_Techpriest
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
Sorry, but there have been trolls grabbing names and identifying as heroes before. Please get the mods to verify your account.
►Zenko (Unverified Cape)
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
Okay. How do I do that?
►Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
If you can DM me with proof you are who you say you are, I can do that for you.
►Zenko (Unverified Cape)
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
Sent you a picture. Will that work?
►Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
Yes, welcome Zenko. Please familiarize yourself with the Rules. Which is in the header section marked Rules appropriately enough.
►Electric_Techpriest
Replied On Sep 10th 2009:
Welcome Zenko. You might want to put on safe filtering while you're at it. Just because Void Cowboy has already indicated he's watching this thread.
* Friday, Sep 11 2009 *
Sophia watched because the weak little prey wasn't acting like prey.
She only knew Stringbean there because of what Emma had told her. And what Emma had told her did not match up with the acrobat she'd seen over the past two days.
Girl was slipperier than a bar of soap on the floor of the girls' showers.
The first clue was when she'd misjudged her timing and had shoved the girl over the railing. Sophia had expected the girl to go into the railing, not over it. That the girl had done an acrobatic flip that looked downright graceful and landed perfectly on the uneven footing of the stairs on the other side? Sophia thought she could have probably done it but it still would've hurt.
So she'd listened to Emma but also started evaluating on her own.
Try to elbow Stringbean in the hallway and she found herself neatly avoided. Most insults and put-downs seemed to go right past the girl. Grabbing her homework or class projects? Girl seemed to see them coming, and moved just enough. Grabbing her arm let her feel that the hoodie was covering someone with some serious muscle tone when Stringbean had flexed to break the hold.
Today had been track and the Stringbean had been keeping up with her, just a bit behind herself. Sophia knew to look for things though, and Stringbean there had NOT been breathing hard or showing signs of strain.
Suspicious as hell. The girl didn't compete, had no drive to be the best, but was clearly in better shape than she let on.
Sophia smirked as the other girl changed out of her gym sweats to shower. She'd...
What the hell?!
Muscle definition showing as she flexed and when she used her toes to pick up the sweatpants so she didn't have to reach. Flexible. Dancer or gymnast? If she was prey, then she might just be something other than the weak one that needed to be culled from the herd.
* Taylor PoV *
Damn, she's watching me again.
Sheesh. Let her and Emma go off and explore their relationship. Just leave me alone.
Maybe tonight I should go run around the city and let off some steam? Find a few bad guys to smack around? Dad might object. Just running around was a rush though.
It was just that I needed something more to test out my taijutsu and bukijutsu skills. The simplest and easiest method was finding someone to fight, right?
* Meeting Room, Shangri-La Exports *
"Huh. So she IS a kitsune. Only two tails so not very powerful," said Lung as he looked over the video on a provided tablet.
The rank and file, some really rank, stirred a bit in the warehouse.
"She is just one of those monster capes," said Lung, pausing for a moment.
"A Case 53?" asked Wing, one of his lieutenants.
"Exactly," said Lung, leaning back into his throne. "Just a bit more fortunate than some of them. She is not that crazy bitch in Korea, who is simply a crazy bitch who thinks she's something else. Like the Faerie Queen that now sits in the Birdcage."
"So... is she someone we should recruit?" asked Ling, one of his other lieutenants.
Lung seemed to consider that for a few moments before shaking his head. "No. I have heard that these 'Case 53' have no memories of their past. If she demonstrates some useful power, it will be something to consider then. Enough on this new cape for now. Ting, tell me of the profits from the laundry operations."
"Profits are up 20% from last month, great Lung."
* 1900 hours *
"Homework done?"
"Check!"
"If you meet supervillains?"
"Substitution technique with a shadow clone and run away!"
"If you meet Lung?"
"Call for a parley, and while he's laughing run away."
"Stick to substituting with a clone and running away."
[Deferred Roll Commences.] A rapid ticking noise was heard by Taylor and her father.
"Oh, that's kind of ominous," commented Danny Hebert.
[Roll is specific to Taylor.]
"Wait. Does that mean what I think it means?" Danny thought it might mean two or three things.
[Restricted to Ninja at present]
[Due to Mastery limitations not]
[being met. RNG factor applied.]
Taylor waited as the tik-tak-tik sound slowed and stopped.
[06 - Negative Intent Sensing]
"That sounds handy," admitted Danny Hebert.
[Negative Intent Sensing - this form of]
[Danger Sense does not register inanim-]
[ate or incidental dangers to you, only]
[when someone in your vicinity is acti-]
[vely hostile. Further stacks of this ]
[ability will upgrade.]
"Huh, because this is an innate ability enhancing something already there and not something taught, I don't have to be trained in it?" asked Taylor, who then nodded because that made a certain degree of sense. One of Iruka's frequent lessons had been that ninjas generally tried to avoid being hit. Dodging was not only allowed but encouraged, usually by means of thrown erasers which were upgraded to rocks which were upgraded to shuriken.
"Being able to tell when someone hostile to you is near does sound rather useful," admitted Danny Hebert. "Be back by eleven."
* * *
Chapter 3, Taylor:
Name: Zenko
Academy Taijutsu Style: Intermediate, Specialty: Evasion.
Jutsu: (general) Physical Enhancement (chunin), Clone (poor), Substitution, Disguise (high chunin), Genjutsu Break, Fuuinjutsu (basic) explosive tags and simple storage only, Tree Climbing, Water Walking, Shadow Clone.
Weapons Skills: (low chunin) kunai, shuriken, staff, naginata, chain. (genin) sword, rope dart, drug dart, rubber duck.
Medical Skills: basic First Aid, beginner level Iryo Nin training.
Jutsu (Water Release): Water Gun
Bloodline: Uzumaki (Mito)
Equipment: Ninja Headband (Konohagakure), exercise clothes, repurposed fishing vest, first aid kit (sealed), quarterstaff (home depot) (sealed), bag of trailmix for snacking (sealed), fuuinjutsu kit (work in progress).